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From 1932 Ford Taillight Kits and Individual Parts to fuel cap assembly, clutch pedals and steering wheels. Johnson’s accessories allow you to add lasting beauty to your ride from headlight bars to taillights and almost everywhere in between.
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Combatting Loneliness this Christmas
There is a growing recognition that loneliness is a serious problem that can have far reaching implications for people’s health and wellbeing. According to the Campaign to End Loneliness over 9 million people in the UK say that they are always or often lonely, but almost two thirds feel uncomfortable admitting it.
At Christmas we are bombarded with messages of happy families and togetherness, and this can add to the sense of isolation for those who do not have family and friends to share their festivities with.
Whilst there are clear links between social isolation and loneliness, being alone is not the sole cause of loneliness. It is possible to have lots of social contact, be in a relationship or part of a family and still feel alone.
People who do have family and friends may still find Christmas a socially anxious time, with many feeling under pressure to be happy and to join in even if that is not how they truly feel.
Mind cites two main factors that can cause loneliness:-
- someone either not having enough basic contact
- someone who despite being surrounded by people, feels misunderstood or that nobody listens or cares for them.
Other factors that can lead to loneliness include:-
- experiencing a bereavement
- going through a relationship break-up
- retiring and subsequent loss of contact with work colleagues
- starting university
- moving to a new area.
If you are feeling lonely there are a number of ways to seek help. Here are our top tips for combatting loneliness:-
Talk to somebody
In the first instance you might find that talking to somebody helps. Our Listening Friends are pharmacists who volunteer to offer a listening ear to others in times of need. To arrange a call contact the Pharmacist Support team on 0808 168 5133 or email email@example.com
Get involved – become a volunteer
Volunteering to help in the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and there is no better time to start than at Christmas. A wide variety of charities offer additional support over the festive period. Volunteering opportunities include helping to feed the homeless, driving guests to events or working at a food bank.
You could also have a look at our volunteering opportunities, which include Home Visitor, Listening Friends and Ambassador schemes.
Join a club
Get involved in group activities, hobbies or clubs. From learning to cook or training for a marathon right through to practicing a language, the Meetup site has a group for you. You can search for clubs by area or by activity, for further information click here.

domain: psychology


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Just one look was all it took for Bear to fall in love with Bunny. But how should Bear show this love? With candy? Or song and dance?
With delightful illustrations by award-winning artist Sophie Fatus, warm and witty words perfectly express how love casts its spell on man and beast!
Samantha Davis is the pseudonym for a psychologist who specializes in couples therapy.
Sophie Fatus lives in Italy and has illustrated many books for children, including Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
Hardcover. Ages 3-up.
USA 12.99 | Canada

domain: library


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US President Joe Biden says he has made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the creation of a “real” Palestinian state was the only answer to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict and that occupying Gaza would be “a big mistake”.
“I can tell you, I don’t think it ultimately ends until there’s a two-state solution,” Biden said in San Francisco on Thursday (AEDT) after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Israeli troops were still operating in Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa, on Thursday searching for traces of Hamas inside and beneath the facility, where newborns and hundreds of other patients have suffered for days without electricity and other necessities as fighting raged outside.
Details from the raid – which began on Wednesday – remained sketchy, but officials from Israel and Gaza presented different accounts of what was happening at the hospital. The Israeli army released video showing soldiers carrying boxes labelled “baby food” and “medical supplies”, while health officials talked of terrified staff and patients as troops moved through the buildings.
After encircling Al Shifa for days, Israel faced pressure to prove its claim that Hamas had turned the hospital into a command centre, using the patients, staff and civilians sheltering there as cover for its militants – part of Israel’s broader accusation that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields.
The Israeli Defence Forces posted two videos, from Al Rashid and Al Shifa hospitals, in which it displayed rifles and explosives it said proved Hamas was using the hospitals as military outposts.
Hamas and Gaza health officials deny militants operate in Al Shifa. Palestinians and rights groups say Israel has recklessly endangered civilians in its go to eradicate Hamas.
As Israel tightens its hold on northern Gaza, leaders have talked of expanding the ground operation into the south to root out Hamas. Already, most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have crowded into the territory’s south, where a worsening fuel shortage threatened to paralyse the delivery of humanitarian services and shut down mobile phone and internet service.
Elsewhere in the conflict:
- The United Nations Security Council voted in favour of a resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a number of days to enable aid access – after four unsuccessful attempts.
- Qatari mediators sought to negotiate a deal between Hamas and Israel that included the release of about 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire. Under the deal, under discussion and co-ordinated with the US, Israel would also release some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, the official said.
- A US Navy warship shot down a drone in the Red Sea that originated from Yemen, two US officials said, in what appeared to be only the second time the United States has brought down projectiles near its warships since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
- The first truck carrying fuel into Gaza since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas crossed from Egypt to deliver diesel to the United Nations, although it will do little to alleviate shortages that have hampered relief efforts.
- British and Irish ministers called for accelerated flows of aid into the besieged Gaza Strip during separate visits to the Egyptian capital Cairo.
- The Pentagon quietly ramped up military aid to Israel, delivering on requests that include more laser-guided missiles for its Apache gunship fleet, as well as 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions and new army vehicles, according to an internal Defence Department list.
The human toll
Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel says 1200 people were killed and some 240 captives taken in the attack. Gaza health officials say more than 11,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israel’s military offensive.
- Senior official with Gaza’s Health Ministry, Munir al-Boursh, said Israeli forces ransacked the basement and other buildings, including those housing the emergency and surgery departments. “Patients, women and children are terrified,” he said by phone. Another doctor there, Adnan al-Bursh, told Al Jazeera television that the troops removed displaced families who had been sheltering in the basement.
- Head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the Israeli incursion into Al Shifa Hospital was “totally unacceptable ... hospitals are not battlegrounds”.
- A senior Israeli military official said soldiers had “already found weapons and other terror infrastructure” within the premises of Al Shifa – evidence, he added, that Hamas has used the hospital as “a terror headquarters”.
- Hamas labelled the assertion that weapons were found “a continuation of the lies and cheap propaganda” it said Israel was pumping out to justify “its crime aimed at destroying the health sector in Gaza”.
- Dr Ahmed El Mohallalati, a surgeon, said staff hid as the fighting unfolded around the hospital overnight. As he spoke, the sound of what he described as “continuous shooting from the tanks” could be heard in the background.
- “One of the big tanks entered within the hospital from the eastern main gate, and... they just parked in the front of the hospital emergency department,” he said.
- Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said: “Without question, we need a dramatic increase in aid at scale to meet the dire humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza, where a human catastrophe is unfolding in front of our eyes.”
More coverage of the Hamas-Israel conflict
- Hamas had bigger plans on October 7: Intelligence about Hamas’ motivations reveals an intention to strike a blow of historic proportions and provoke an overwhelming Israeli response.
- Escape from chaos: An Australian father faced heartbreaking dilemma – whether to flee Gaza to his children, or stay with his wife.
- Open letters: Mass resignations, boardroom turmoil and angry donors are some of the ways the Israel-Hamas war is filtering down into Australia’s high-powered arts world.
- Gaza’s youth: One of the cruelest ironies of war is that they are never started by children, yet it is children who suffer the most.
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.

domain: politics


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We love our tees and hoodies so much we could talk about them all day, but that’d be a bit weird. So we’ll just say that we’re immensely proud of the quality of all our garments and the super futuristic technology that creates our unique t-shirts and hoodie prints. Our t-shirts are long lasting, individual and extremely useful for abiding by public decency laws.
We advise you cold wash your garments and hang them out to dry. It’ll keep them super soft, looking their best and it’s even good for the environment.
Slim fit, order a size up if you’d like it less fitting. If you like your hoodies baggy, go two sizes up.
music, boy, girl, headphone, vector, sound, tree, world
amazing work :D
Thanks so much, Maria :)
– Vivian Lau
wow…so cool, great in B&W, fab tee!!!!
Thank you very much! Mariska :)
looks great, nice design
Thanks so much!
Thank you!! :)
I really love this design, Vivian, fantastic job, so full of energy
Thank you so much for your comment. :)
Congrats on making the top 20 in the sound competition Vivian. Good luck!
Thank you very much. mobiiCongrats and Good Luck to you too!! :)
Stunning design, from the composition to the details. Great work, Vivian.
Thank you so much! Pete :)
Thank you! Louwax :)
Thank you very much! :)
I really love this
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Free for your convenience.

domain: artistic


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Joe Darro is a Vegas legend, playing piano and singing here since the 1950’s. At 85, he still sings and plays like a man half his age, and has played for everyone who’s anyone (even me). I swear, the man knows every song in any key. He also played with my dad (a trumpet player) back in the heyday of Vegas. He’s got great stories about the greats, and knows Vegas musical history, because he helped MAKE it.
Joe has great stories about Jack Jones, Debbie Reynolds, Joe Williams, Sammy Davis Jr. and a very drunk Judy Garland! He even turned down $10,000 from the National Enquirer to sneak a camera into of Wayne Newton’s wedding that he was playing.
He and I sat down right after a gig he was playing, coincidentally, the weekend before Vegas was shut down. Guys like Joe Darro made Vegas what it was, musically. Enjoy!


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The Red Shoes (Rank, 1948). Spanish One Sheet (31" X 43.5").. ...
Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale comes to life in a tragic, heart rending story of Victoria Page (Moira Shearer, in her first film). Shearer plays a young ballerina torn between her love for Marius Goring, the composer of the Red Shoes ballet, and her love for ballet. Artist Anselmo Ballester created one of the more beautiful images for the Italian release, which was also used on the Spanish one sheet offered here. The piece has been paperbacked, and shows small tears in the borders, fold wear, and light creasing. Fine/Very Fine on Paper.
View large image(s) of this item
Service and Handling Description: Movie Poster - Rolled (view shipping information)

domain: entertainment


Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh), May 11 (IANS) A three-year-old child was allegedly beaten to death by his alcoholic father after his wife refused to cook egg curry for him.
The incident took place on Saturday night when the accused, Subhash Banjara, returned home in an inebriated condition in the Nagla village and told his wife to prepare the egg curry.
When she refused, Banjara initially thrashed his wife. Later he attacked his son, who sustained serious injuries. The child was rushed to a local hospital in the Khurja area where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
A senior police officer at Khurja Kotwali said “Banjara fled from his home soon after the incident. Efforts are on to arrest him. An FIR under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered against him.”


Smoke from Australia’s wildfires has reached a thousand miles across the Tasman Sea to stain the normally pristine white, iconic glaciers of New Zealand a caramel brown.
Striking video taken by an Australian tourist during a helicopter flight over two of the glaciers was in stark contrast to their normal white.
“We took a flight up over Fox and Franz Josef glaciers (from Franz Josef township) and landed on a flat surface not too far from the glaciers, not on a glacier per se,” the tourist, Rey, told CNN, withholding her full name. “The pilot said he had been up the day before and the snow was white.”
Yellow haze obscured usually clear views of Mount Cook, and the glaciers at Westland Tai Poutini National Park were rendered caramel-colored, The Telegraph reported.
Other video showed smokey haze over parts of New Zealand’s South Island and, by Thursday, it had also reached the North Island, reported BBC News.
“This the view from the top of the Tasman Glacier NZ today – whole South Island experiencing bushfire clouds,” tweeted one woman, with video. “We can actually smell the burning here in Christchurch.”
Other images showed the before-and-after of various views.
“This really puts in perspective how devastating it must be in Australia,” journalist Chris Lynch tweeted along with photos of a previously bucolic landscape now swathed in brown haze.
“We had already been in tears over the situation in Mallacoota earlier in the day so we were already pretty wrecked emotionally,” Rey, who lives in Wellington, told the news site NZ Stuff. “In the face of the drastic evidence of the glacial retreat, the tainted snow felt like just one more horror perpetrated by human beings against the planet.”
Indeed, scientists told The Australian in early December, when the fires were staining glaciers a rosy orange, the fires could spark a feedback effect that exacerbates climate change. The glaciers could absorb more heat and melt snow faster, “as one climate disaster accelerates another,” The Australian reported last month.
The fires, which have been burning since the season began in September, showed no signs of abating over the upcoming weekend. In fact the country was bracing for a weekend heatwave that was expected to exacerbate the catastrophic blazes, AFP reported.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a seven-day state of emergency on Thursday, mandating evacuations for the third time this season in this hardest-hit state, which is also the country’s most populous, according to AFP. More than 900 homes have been destroyed in NSW to date, reports CNN, and at least 17 people have died nationwide since the fires began. At least eight of those deaths occurred on New Year’s Eve along, according to AFP.
A total of 14.6 million acres have burned so far, says CNN, more area than Belgium and Haiti combined. Nearly 9 million acres have burned in NSW alone, CNN reported. About 3 million have been scorched in Western Australia, 2 million acres in Victoria, 618,000 acres in Queensland, and more than 225,000 acres in South Australia, CNN said, citing each state’s fire authorities.


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We were sitting on the steps of some hidden monument flanking the Danube, which celebrated a long-ago victory over the Ottomans. There were 8 of us there on the steps, 1 guitar, and no voices melodic enough to be enjoyable. We compensated by singing some traditional Romanian song in unison, reading the lyrics on little slips of paper our friends had printed up. The environment was relaxed, touching on boredom.
Then the four gypsy boys arrived. They were young, 10 years old maybe, but their presence made the air so tense it could have been cut with a knife. The Romanians pulled their bags a little closer. Nobody said anything, but nobody turned their backs to the boys either. There was a Uruguayan volunteer in the group, and she invited the boys to sing with us; it did little for the Romanian’s nerves. The first boy to receive a slip with lyrics glanced at the paper and handed it back. “I can’t read,” he said.
Romania’s whites and its biggest minority, the gypsies, co-exist in a racial tension that mirrors the 1930’s south. Gypsies, called the Roma by the politically correct, tend to have less money, less education, and a higher unemployment rate. They have a reputation for crime and theft. More often than not, they live apart from their ethnic Romanian countrymen, in separate communities that are tight knit and closed with their own customs, dress, and even language. Each ethnicity likes to keep the other at arm’s length.
The racial tensions, cultural differences, and poverty produce a spectrum of problems broad enough to be its own college major. All of the problems, of course, are inter-related. But where their ugly face cannot hide is in the education system. Huge numbers of gypsies barely go to school at all. A quick look at the numbers gives a sense of the story. From first to fourth grade, 13-16 percent of the Romanian student population is Roma. From fifth to eighth grade, it drops to 9-11 percent. By the time the class reaches high school, only 2 percent of the class is Roma. That’s an effective dropout rate of 85%.
These are statistics that make Los Angeles Unified look functional. The problem is far from a simple one, but the thickest of its roots leads to poverty. World Bank statistics list that nearly 70% of the declared Roma live under the poverty line, and 20% live off less than 2 dollars a day.
Constin, a native of Calafat who gave only his first name, came from one such poor family. The fifteen year old boy had only finished three years of school. By the time he was 12, he was accompanying his family to Spain every year to work as day laborers on the farms. “We can get more money there” he said. In Spain, Constin and his family members could earn up to 45 euros a day, while the number was under 15 euros a day in Romania, if there was any work at all. When asked if he wanted to finish school, Contin didn’t show a lot of interest. “I can read and write… making money for my family is much more important.” The 15 year old ended the conversation by asking for my spare change.

domain: sociology


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With summer coming to an end and school schedules resuming, I find myself falling back into more structured meal planning. Like many families, our summertime dinners are often simply grilled meats and vegetables paired with salads, fresh fruit and whole grain breads. But as the weather turns cooler, our dinner time choices also begin to … Continue reading
The health benefits of dietary fiber are widely recognized by experts in the scientific community and by government authorities. For example, the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies noted in its Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fiber (2010) that there is evidence of health benefits in adults associated with consumption of diets rich in fiber-containing foods at dietary fiber intakes greater than 25 grams/day, e.g. reduced risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes and weight maintenance.
Frequently, the health-related properties of dietary fiber are expressed in terms of physiological effects that have well established links to disease risk reduction. These include effects such as a decrease in intestinal transit time with an increase in stool bulk, colonic microbial fermentation, reduction in blood total and/or LDL cholesterol levels, reduction in postprandial blood glucose levels, and weight reduction through a lower caloric contribution to the diet. It is important to consume a variety of fibers for their unique effects for maximized health.
These and similar physiological effects that benefit overall human health serve as a basis for the recognition of a substance as a dietary fiber in several key global definitions, including the European Directive (in 2008), Codex Alimentarius (2009), and the Institute of Medicine (2005).

domain: food


For the most autonomous vehicles (AV) use conventional methods to indicate to other cars and people around them as to what they’re doing.
That could soon change though, as Jaguar has developed (sign-up required) a projector that beams light to the ground in front of an AV to signal what the vehicle is doing. This system isn’t designed for any of the British carmaker’s current fleet of vehicles, but rather for self-driving ones in the services field.
More specifically the image above showcases the system on the self-driving pods from Aurrigo. These pods aren’t designed to go onto highways, but rather operate in smaller spaces like office parks, airports and shopping malls.
This is why the system could prove useful in those kinds of environments, letting bystanders know precisely what the vehicle wants to do when there’s no human behind the driver’s wheel.
As for how the system (no official name yet) works, the onboard projector utilises a series of horizontal bars to indicate when it’s operating. The space between the bars expands and shrinks depending on the speed the vehicle is travelling, along with turning left or right before the vehicle does.
There are still a few lingering questions, however, such as how effectively visible the lights are when it’s a particularly bright day, or when the weather is very poor.
As such, it makes sense to trial such a system in smaller environments like the one the Aurrigo pod operates in, before testing it out in mainstream scenarios.
There’s no timeline at this stage for this system to be deployed on fully fledged autonomous vehicles, but you could spot it on an Aurrigo pod the next time you’re in the United Kingdom.[Images – Engadget via Newspress]


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Last night we were absolutely privileged to see one of the most innovative bands of the day perform at the lovely Hoxton venue that is Colours. YACHT (or, to be more exact, Y△CHT) are a band hailing from Portland, Oregon, though now are based in Los Angeles. They have been going strong since 2002; the spelling of their name is not a typo (the A is stylised as a triangle, and evokes the sail of a yacht). The name itself comes from a rather strange science course (no longer in existence) that keyboardist Jona Bechtolt attended at age 16 called “Young Americans Challenging High Technology”.
Comprised of Claire L. Evans on lead vocals, the aforementioned Jona on keyboards (and guitar), and Rob Kieswetter (aka Bobby Birdman) on bass and keyboards, Y△CHT have, according to Claire, finally found ‘the holy trinity’ following a number of permutations.
Y△CHT have been making headlines lately for all the right reasons: they have created a fantastic new album called Chain Tripping, for which both the music and the lyrics were composed via Artificial Intelligence. Last night was, mainly, about showcasing this new album.
Yes, you heard that right. A variety of different AI processes were used to write not just the lyrics but the music as well. It should come as no surprise that Claire has a science background. Author of a recent book called Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet, she has been very much at the forefront of science-tech, with her own blog Universe (hosted by National Geographic), as well as regular science columns in The Guardian, Wired and many other publications, plus Futures Editor of Vice‘s ‘Motherland’ science website. Y△CHT have, therefore, been pushing the boundaries of AI and musical composition to its limits.
The first thing we noticed was that the band decided, for reasons unexplained at the time, to perform the entire Chain Tripping album backwards. By backwards, we mean starting with track 10 (“Little Instant”) and finishing with track 1 (“(Downtown) Dancing”), though we wouldn’t put it past them to decide to play the actual music backwards one evening as an experiment!
Claire has a tremendous amount of energy on stage. She is constantly throwing shapes (think: cover of David Bowie’s Heroes album, and vogue it up a bit), so much so that half the photographs we took ended up having to be discarded, as she was a blurry mess. Even Jona and Rob failed to keep still for long, often interchanging mid-song two or three times with one another’s keyboards, which were located at opposite ends of the stage.
So, the stage was pretty busy, and the crowd were soon screaming with pleasure. Although a band should of course mainly be about the music, there is nothing more boring than seeing static band-members.
We enjoyed the first three songs (the last three on the album), in particular the very cheerful “Stick it to the Station”. Our first stand-out song, however, had to be song 4, “Sad Money”, which was quite different, and a lot more trancey. We asked Claire later which songs from the album were likely to remain in the repertoire when they perform a Greatest Hits concert rather than an album showcase like we heard last night. We were delighted to hear that “Sad Money” is one of their favourites and therefore likely to make the cut.
Following that came a much slower song, called “Death” – which just so happened to be the first track that their software churned out when they started with this AI experiment. This was quite dark, and included some rather violent lyrics, including ‘stab, stab, stab a cop’ repeated a number of times. We asked Claire later about this, and whether the fact that software coming up with controversial lyrics means that the lyricist can be exonerated, therefore implying that self-censorship is no longer necessary in this future world. She agreed it was a good point, and there would certainly be some plausible deniability. However, at the end of the day, the band were still involved in the selection process of the lyrics from those that were generated. The actual lyrics, nonetheless, were not something they would have come up with themselves, but the band thought it rather delightful that the AI process should decide to suggest such strange phrases.
In between tracks, Claire would often address her audience. This again made the gig appear to be much more intimate (in spite of the fact that the venue was heaving with bodies). What was most obvious was how different each of these new songs actually are, from the very 80s sound of “Loud Light” to the quite bonkers track “SCATTERHEAD”. On the latter, we loved the use of the cowbell and great guitar effects, which were also evident on “Hey Hey”, another 80s-influenced uplifting track which includes quite a dirty deep-house synth on top of a Kim Dealesque bass-line.
The strobes came on for “(Downtown) Dancing”, the first track on the album. This was the longest song thus far, and included a funky dance bit that was evocative of the famous section in the middle of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Again, we loved the cowbell. Claire got the entire auditorium clapping at one point, adding to the party atmosphere.
Hearing the album back-to-front, it now made sense why it should be performed that way, as it meant there was a real build-up to that final moment. Of course, this was not the end of the gig. Even with albums as good as Chain Tripping, a lot of people would have felt short-changed had some of the older songs not been performed as well.
Y△CHT went on to perform six non-AI songs in total, starting with two from their 2015 album, I Thought the Future Would be Cooler: firstly the track which shares the aforementioned album’s name, and then “Hologram”. This was followed by “Hard World” from their 2017 Strawberry Moon album, a song about animal rights which was accompanied by the projection of their trippy video featuring a happy foot and a sad foot. This was another song during which the two male components of the band were swapping sides and instruments throughout the song. We share the video in question below:
Following this came one of our favourite tracks, their cover of Brigitte Fontaine’s 1969 utterly surreal French-language song, “Le Goudron”. This cover appeared as an online single in 2012 and is well worth downloading. We actually first came across it while watching a superb Italian comedy directed by Paolo Sorrentino about Berlusconi called Loro, in a scene where a rich young scam-artist is trying to entice Berlusconi to an orgiastic party in a villa overlooking the politician’s garden. This tune featured in the scene below, and it was a Shazam moment. Thanks to both technology and serendipity, we learnt of this fantastic track, which led us to the band’s back catalogue and, ultimately, reviewing them for GIGsoup.
“Le Goudron” really is a splendid tune, and is probably the most psychedelic of the ones they played last night. The irony is, when you translate the French lyrics into English, they are as bizarre as some of the ones that AI has thrown up for their new album!
Following one of those pseudo-encores we wish weren’t a thing (we can’t remember the last time we heard a genuine encore that the band had not already orchestrated), Y△CHT returned with what was probably their loudest (and certainly most new-wave) track, “Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire)” from their 2011 album Shangri-La, and then ended with the pure pop funness of “Psychic City” from their 2009 album See Mystery Lights, which was coincidentally the first of their albums to feature Claire.
So, will Y△CHT use this process to make another AI album?, we ask Claire after the gig. ‘Yeah, I think some variation upon it. But by the time we sit down to make another record the technology will probably have evolved by leaps and bounds. It already has. Since releasing the album, the tools that we used are obsolete. So, I’m excited to try to find some other cobbled-together mix of futuristic tools for the next record that challenges us in the same way that this one did. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut.’
We were interested to find out whether, by using AI, they felt that some of the creative process of songwriting was taken away from them, but Claire was adamant that she did not feel that way at all. The process allowed them to end up with tons of song lyrics, from which a small percentage was useful. These would then be rearranged (or ‘cut up’) following a method which has its origins in Dadaist poetry, was famously used by the author William S. Burroughs, and also employed by David Bowie on some of his greatest and most-loved albums.
These single lines of subsequently rearranged lyrics were generated by inputting into the software not just the lyrics from Y△CHT’s entire back-catalogue (to give the process an identity closer to the band’s original style), but also lyrics from some of their favourite artists, such as Patti Smith or Bowie himself. We asked Claire whether they had to remove some of the generated lyrics because they appeared to be too close to something Bowie or Smith would have themselves written. ‘No, the amount of data that you need to train a machine-running algorithm is so significant. I mean, it’s literally like seven-hundred thousand pages of text. So the nuances get lost. It’s more like you’re teaching a machine English based on only song lyrics.’
Last night really was a fantastic show, and when Claire addressed the audience in her effervescent manner it seemed especially intimate. We referred earlier to how Y△CHT are now making headlines for all the right reasons. It wasn’t always thus: in 2016 they suffered what amounted to a PR disaster when they pretended that they were trying to stop a sex tape they had made from being leaked on the adult website Pornhub, which generated a lot of negative publicity. We personally found the video to be quite innovative – it has a disturbing sci-fi ending – but the band are very remorseful about the stunt and acknowledge that it was in bad taste and should never have been done.
Now, however, it is all about the future, in more ways than one. Thanks to their scientific knowledge, we know that using AI is really just the start of it. It is marvellous to have innovative standard-bearers in modern music today. We have felt that in recent years, there has been nothing new any more. Previous generations had Kraftwerk, Frippertronics, Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound… there seemed to be very little new to be coming out of the studios for the current generation. This is now changing. Thank you, Y△CHT, for making the future of music a little more exciting and a little more cute.


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In a semi deep, coverable frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in enough olive oil to coat for approximately 1 min. until garlic begins to toast and onions become translucent. Add two swigs of sherry wine and 2 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar. Add ground meat and brown for approximately 1 minute more. Turn heat to medium. Add pumpkin purée and ¼ cup of sherry wine. Stir until it loosens and it becomes- sauce like. Add curry powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, parsley flakes, salt and ground black pepper. Add pats of butter and 3 more tbsp of vinegar. Stir until consistent and smooth and bring heat to high until bubbling. Add grated Parmesan cheese and then turn heat to medium-low and cover to simmer for 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
While sauce is simmering, prepare pasta until it is half-way done..approximately 5 minutes. Drain pasta and add to sauce until pasta is al dente- about 5 more minutes.


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|Amazon Price||New from||Used from|
*Starred Review* Warm up those vocal chops and get ready for the swingingest read-aloud of the year. The creators of Jazz A B Z (2005) offer here an inventive and inspiring ode to the melodies and rhythms of everyday life. Using juiced-up onomatopoeia and spare rhymes that don’t miss a beat, a young trumpeter (bearing a strong resemblance to the author) catalogs the musical sounds, from traditional instruments to neighborhood noise, of his life in New Orleans: the squeeeak of a screen door, the GRrruMBle of a cookie-craving stomach, the nervy brrrawmp of a jazz trombone slide. With sly nods to the city’s musical heritage as well as jazz greats, Rogers’ pitch-perfect, retro-cool illustrations pop against the white backgrounds and give the text—which highlights the sounds in a red, varyingly sized, often undulating typeface—plenty of room to groove. A spirited entrée into poetry, artistic inspiration, or the improvisational nature of jazz, this needs a little practice to get the cadence just right, but then it will be music to everyone’s ears. Preschool-Grade 2. --Kristen McKulski
Onomatopoeic words will challenge readers and delight listeners . . . Rogers’ hip, playfully cartoonish spreads pop with clever visual allusions to jazz tunes and players. Loud and clear, the creators show how tuning into everyday sounds can inspire music. Clap, clap, CLAP!
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This exuberant articulation of sounds both subtle and grandiose is sure to inspire closer listening and creative responses.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Warm up those vocal chops and get ready for the swingingest read-aloud of the year.
—Booklist (starred review)
I liked the piano. I liked the drums. I like the tuba. I liked the bass. I liked the saxophone.Published 7 months ago by Pen Name
18 month old grandson loves this book! We have fun making all the sounds together.Published 7 months ago by Deanna Crump
"Mommy, I like it! I really like the cool part at the end." She is five and we enjoyed making the different sounds in the book. This was a fun and cute book.Published 8 months ago by TaB
We love this book! The sounds are fun to read aloud, and we love the multiracial population represented. It's one of our birthday gift go-tos.Published 8 months ago by Amazon Customer
The only thing that would make this better would be links to actual sounds of the instruments. Is is the kindle versions, after all.Published 8 months ago by musicmom


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Journal or Book Title
Social Decentering: A Theory of Other-Orientation Encompassing Empathy and Perspective-Taking, Author Redmond, Mark V.
Whenever we anticipate interacting, interact, or reflect on interactions with other people, we have the option of engaging in social decentering to help us in our planning, understanding, and adapting. We are also affected by the other person’s use of social decentering on us. So far in this book the focus has been on interpersonal interactions, specifically those with friends, romantic partners, and spouses. That discussion provides a broad and encompassing understanding of social decentering and relationship-specific social decentering (RSSD) that can be applied to any human interaction. However, some interactions are defined by specific roles and contexts that affect the use, value, appropriateness, and impact of social decentering. For example, psychotherapy is seen as a specific form of interpersonal interaction (Hatcher, 2015), where the roles of the therapist and client guide the interaction. In organizations, managers with strong social decentering abilities are likely to make different adaptations to subordinates who are late to work than they do when their children are late for dinner. The roles that managers play toward subordinates evokes different goals in using social decentering (maintaining a productive workforce) than it does in interacting with their children (teaching responsibility).
De Gruyter Oldenbourg
Redmond, Mark V., "Empathy, Perspective-Taking and Social Decentering in the Context of Health Care Professionals, Teams, Organizations, and Intercultural Interactions" (2018). English Publications. 296.
Cognition and Perception Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons

domain: literature


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The article suggests an answer to the question of why the natural sciences such as physics have been able to develop unified theories that provide satisfactory and efficient explanations for many natural phenomena, while psychology has failed to develop unified theories to explain psychological phenomena. The article’s answer is based on the observation that in physics, the units of measurement (UMs) have an expression in theoretical terms that are the equivalent of observational terms (UMs-equivalency). In contrast, in psychology, UMs have an expression only in theoretical terms. The UMs-equivalency in physics is not a sufficient condition for constructing successful unified theories, but it is a necessary con-dition. Not every physical theory that maintains UMs-equivalency becomes a successful theory, because the theory may not properly represent the processes in reality. This article develops and justifies this idea and suggests that it is difficult to imagine a successful unified theory in psychology because UMs-equivalency does not exist in this field.
|Number of pages||20|
|Journal||Journal of Mind and Behavior|
|State||Published - 1 Jun 2020|
Bibliographical notePublisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Institute of Mind and Behavior, Inc.
- Scientific development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)


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New guidelines advise against aspirin to prevent heart disease
Daily Aspirin No Longer Recommended to Prevent Heart Attacks
Are eggs bad for your heart? New study weighs in
Wireless Headphones Like AirPods Could Pose Cancer Risk
Trump's budget set to spark yet another fight with Democrats
Brie Larson hopes Captain Marvel will trigger diversity conversations
10 March 2019, 11:55 | Silvia Roy
Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury in a still from Captain Marvel
Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel" is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. The only movie with a female lead that's opened better globally was "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", which grossed $529 million when it debuted in 2015.
Marvel also shared a few photos of Larson serving fans popcorn from the concession stand.
The 70-year-old actor has played top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since it began with the 2008 film Iron Man and has since gone on to star in movies with nearly all the franchise's heroes.
The long-awaited Captain Marvel arrived in cinemas this week, and by the looks of things, if you're reading this, then you've already seen it or you're probably about to see it, as the film has pulled in impressive numbers at the global box office.
The anti-"Captain Marvel" campaign included the flooding of Rotten Tomatoes audience scores, which artificially drove down the film's score to 55 per cent fresh from more than 44,000 votes as of Sunday. "I want to know who's on the end of that thing".
CinemaScore, which relies on interviews with audience members coming out of theatres, found crowds very much liked "Captain Marvel", giving it an A rating. Yes, the number is definitely lesser than Avengers:Infinity War that released past year, but as a solo outing, it deserves a round of applause.
International Women's Day Facts You Need to Know
In 1975, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day , which had by then moved to March 8. Organizers reportedly plan to protest against poverty and unpaid labor that often falls upon women.
The movie is projected to earn between $156 million to $160 million during its debut weekend at the theatres - expecting this movie to be the biggest blockbuster so far in 2019. Thi alludes to the fact that Fury and Marvel have been in communication for years.
Turbulance injures at least 25 on flight into NY
The National Weather Service's Aviation Weather Center had issued warnings for pilots flying over parts of America's east coast. It was the second mishap on Saturday involving a plane in the NY metropolitan area.
A cure for HIV? Feasible but not yet realized
Instead of having to keep in mind to take pills, patients instead could get injections from a doctor or nurse each month. There are now around 37 million people living with HIV worldwide, and the virus claims around 1 million lives annually.
Woman taking selfie attacked by jaguar at Wildlife World Zoo
An eye witness told CNN that he saw the woman's arm trapped in the jaguar's claws, and the animals teeth had dug into the flesh. It is reported that a guest ran over to help the woman who had crossed over a barrier to take a selfie with the jaguar .
Apex Legends Crosses 50 Million Players in One Month
The lack of pre-release hype or previews did it little harm, rocketing to 1m players after just eight hours after going live . It is believed that the respawn system in Fortnite , if implemented, will work almost the same way it works in Apex Legends .


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M&As help India record 5th highest FDI inflows
NEW DELHI: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A), especially in the technology space, made India the fifth largest foreign direct investment (FDI) recipient in 2020, despite a 19% fall in funds flowing into greenfield projects coming up in the country, latest data released by UNCTAD showed.
The latest World Investment Report showed that India’s FDI rose 25% to $64 billion in a year when global investment flows shrank 35% to $1 trillion. India, China and Hong Kong were among the countries which saw a rise in 2020.
For the current year, the UN agency had a mixed outlook for India, which was the eighth largest FDI destination in 2019, due to the uncertainty caused by the second wave. It suggested investment in new ventures could be hit, but the production-linked incentive scheme and high-tech sectors could help drive a rebound.
Read More at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/mas-help-india-record-5th-highest-fdi-inflows/articleshow/83735340.cms

domain: finance


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Leading shipping container company Royal Wolf has modified a 40 foot container into a portable ice cream factory for Auckland-based business Joy Ice Cream.
The mini ice cream manufacturing plant will be based in Auckland and supply Joy’s retail-selling “Pods” which are located around the city.
There are plans for three other ice cream factory containers — known as “Hubs” — to be produced by Royal Wolf for the Australian market which will be operational in the first half of next year.
Joy Ice Cream, a company which assists young people into their own ice cream selling businesses, plans to locate more of the portable factories in other cities around the world.
In the past, Royal Wolf, which specialises in the hire, sales and modification of shipping containers, has customised containers for projects ranging from Pop-Up cafes to retail shopping malls.
Royal Wolf North Island sales manager Glen Millen says the ice cream factory is one of Royal Wolf’s most ambitious and challenging projects to date.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to create a quality bespoke product for a new and exciting business with very specific requirements,” Mr Millen says.
Royal Wolf worked closely with Auckland architect Frank Tonetti to ensure every component of the container factory was built strictly to specifications.
One of the biggest challenges was building multiple internal rooms in a small area where temperatures will range from -22°C in the freezer to around 20°C in the main factory room.
“That’s more than a 40°C temperature variance within a 29 square metre space which is a big ask,” Mr Millen says.
“And we had to construct it all within a very tight time frame to meet the client’s deadline — because they wanted to start making ice cream. It’s also the first bright pink container we’ve ever painted,” he says.
Joy Ice Cream co-founder James Coddington says the container factories will ensure the quality of Joy’s ice cream is properly controlled no matter where it is being sold in the world.
“We aren’t just a bunch of nutty scientists,” Mr Coddington says.
“We want to replicate these micro factories and ship them to other parts of the world so that we have control over our product. We want people to experience the world’s best ice cream no matter where they are around the world.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s being sold on street corners in Auckland, Sydney or New York — we know it will taste the same because we have control over the manufacturing process and we control the mix.”
The mini container factories have the capacity to produce enough ice cream to supply 50 Joy Ice Cream Pods per day.
Mr Coddington says the beauty of the containers is that they can arrive in a city and start operating within a week.
Also key to the project is the fact the containers are a sustainable, long-term and highly transportable product.
Ross McCallum, the guru behind Kapiti ice cream and co-founder of Kapiti Cheese Ltd which he sold in 2003, is Joy’s advisor (aka the “Ice Cream Wizard”).
He says while ice cream has been made and sold in a similar way in the past, there has been nothing as sophisticated as “The Hub”.
“This is a totally integrated mini ice cream plant that’s highly transportable to any location in the world, while allowing us to retain control over the product. In essence, it is a mini version of an ice cream factory. We churn it in the mini factory, we add the flavour, and we pack it.”
And the ice cream factories are only part of the story. Joy was started by Mr Coddington and business partner Tony Balfour, formerly general manager at Icebreaker clothing, almost two years ago, with a focus on addressing youth unemployment around the world and getting young people into their own businesses.
Or, as Mr Coddington and his team put it, “to create one new entrepreneur every single day forever”.
“Nothing’s really been done about youth unemployment, and we thought it would be cool to create a brand that reflects the values of youth and, at the same time, deliver to their wants and needs as well,” Mr Coddington says.

domain: news


Overtime magic gets Oilers back in the win column
Hockey: Wong scores winner as Okotoks outlasts Brooks 3-2
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2017 06:00 am
After seeing its winning fortunes end the Okotoks Oilers wasted no time getting back on track.
The Oilers won their third game in three meetings over the Brooks Bandits 3-2 in overtime on an Austin Wong marker Sunday at Pason Centennial Arena less than 48 hours after seeing their 10-game winning streak to start the season finally halted.
“(Coach Tyler Deis) told us good teams don’t lose two in a row,” said Oilers forward Regan Doig. “We lost that 10-game winning streak, doesn’t matter go start a new one and that’s exactly what we did.”
First-period goals on consecutive shifts from Kylor Wall on the man-advantage and at even-strength through Kaleb Ergang gave Okotoks a 2-0 advantage in the early stages.
The Bandits battled back, capitalizing on a couple Oilers miscues to trim the lead through Nic Hamre and then level the score at 2-2 in the second period through captain Dennis Cesana.
The Oilers absolutely dominated the third period, outshooting the visitors 8-4 and for a moment looked to have taken the lead back when Doig chipped the puck in on a diving effort only to be waved off by the officials seconds later.
“We’ve played really well in the thirds this year,” Deis said. “I think these guys are coming into the thirds believing they’ve given themselves a chance and as a group collectively they know when we get these games to the third they have that confidence to be able to take it over.”
The shorthanded unit kept the high-octane Bandits off the board on seven powerplay opportunities, creating huge momentum for the Oilers in the latter half of the contest.
“We were getting the puck low and not letting them get the middle of the ice,” Doig added. “They’re a talented team and their back-end can get things going for them, so get the puck low to the forwards, that was our game plan.”
Wong finished the game off in overtime, taking advantage of a fatigued group of Bandit skaters on the ice to create room and cut to the net for the winner with 13 seconds remaining.
“I knew there wasn’t much time left,” Wong said. “I noticed the line they had out there was already pretty tired and decided to take it to the net and it worked out.”
Okotoks now has six points from its three meetings with the Bandits who have found their game and entered the meeting on a four-game winning streak.
“It’s huge to get such a big win, especially one that doesn’t fall into our lap,” Wong said. “We had to work for it and it showed a lot of character.”
The Oilers saw their 10-game streak end in the battle of the top two teams in the AJHL as the visiting Fort McMurray Oil Barons hung on for a 4-2 triumph in front of a season high 1,372 fans Friday at the Tara Roe Memorial Game at Pason Centennial Arena.
“It’s huge competition. Playing one of the top teams in the South there is always that North-South rivalry,” said Blackie’s Liam Izyk, Oil Barons alternate captain. “We want to be the better division and winning over the top team sends a huge statement.”
Okotoks fired 28 pucks on goal in the final 40 minutes after the teams played to an even-opening frame.
Marc Pasemko got Okotoks on the board just 1:40 into the contest on a breakaway for the rookie forward’s second of the year.
The Oil Barons’ 15th ranked powerplay bucked the trend and evened the score on the man-advantage five minutes later on a JC Thivierge point shot. Jack Verstraete gave the Oil Barons their first lead in the middle frame as the visitors cycle game took over for a marathon shift.
“We were pretty lackadaisical off the start and surged towards the end,” said Oilers forward Tanner Laderoute. “You’re not going to win too many games like that. It was good to see us battle and stay together, but if we play like that from the start there is no way that game goes that tight like that.”
Against the run of play the Oil Barons made it a two-goal advantage.
Izyk was in the right spot at the right time to tip in a pass in the slot at the 9:48 mark in the third period to snuff the Oilers rally.
Not for long.
Wong barrelled into the crease and slid the puck past Oil Baron Eric Szudor on a diving effort with 8:10 left in regulation to cut the deficit to one.
That’s as close as the green-and-gold would get.
Szudor stood tall amidst wave after wave of Oilers attacks, making 35 saves to pick up his sixth win of the season.
Following a mid-week Oct. 17 date in Calgary versus the Mustangs, the Oilers get back on home ice on Oct. 20 in their first meeting of the season with the visiting Olds Grizzlys.
For more information go to okotoksoilers.ca
A season high 1,372 fans came out in support of the Roe family on Friday.
Prior to puck-drop a moment of silence was held for Roe, an Okotokian and victim of the Las Vegas massacre on Oct. 1.
Spectators wore purple in support of the family while funds raised from the purple ticket sales during the week will be donated to the Roe-Smith family.
By the Numbers
Okotoks’ 10-game season opening win streak tied for the fifth longest in AJHL history. The 2012-13 Bandits own the record with a staggering 20-game run to open their campaign.
The Oilers’ previous best start was five straight in the 2008-09 season.


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Rudimental take us on a tour of London
This article is part of a new series of Music Tour City Guides put together with our partner Miller – there’s more inside info on clubbing in London at the Miller Music Tour’s London Hub.
Live act Rudimental are bringing drum’n’bass back into the charts for the first time in years. They soundtracked the UK summer this year with their debut single Feel The Love, which hit number one in the Top 40, and they showed off their impeccable, high energy carnival-like live show during their recent tour of Australia. They’re heading back to our shores next March with Future Music Festival, but first we caught up with songwriter and producer Piers Agget from the Hackney born-and-bred crew to find out their top tips for their home city.
Where’s the best place to go clubbing?
“Fabric has always been one of our favourites. We’ve been going there since we were 18, watching some of our heroes: Roni Size, EZ, Soul II Soul… Now we’re playing there, hosting our own nights!”
77A Charterhouse St, London EC1M 6HJ
Where do you recommend for a drink?
“Shoreditch and Brick Lane, you’re spoilt for choice there. Loads of quirky little bars. And I’ll always stumble across a new gem.”
How about to eat?
“Meat Mission in Hoxton is always a winner, just a stroll from our studio. We’re there quite a lot. And of course Nandos, ‘nuff said!”
15 Hoxton Market, London
+44 20 7739 8212
How about to chill out the next day?
“We’ll be at our studio Major Toms, as chilling isn’t really in our vocabulary. So if we are chilling it’ll be at the studio when we have the time…”
How about for shopping?
“You can’t beat the West End! Everything you could want. Amazing clothes stores, and some of the best record shops!”
What about the best place to stay?
“North and East London, we were born and bred there, it’s always going to be home for us. Can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Want more inside info on clubbing in London? Hit the Miller Music Tour’s London Hub.


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Thursday, June 23, 2011
The cover of this week's Sports Illustrated magazine (above) has Rory McIlroy hitting his tee shot on the 10th hole at Congressional last Sunday -- the shot that was nearly an ace -- and proclaims his U.S. Open victory the start of 'Golf's New Era.'
It feels that way.
Nothing against the other first-time major champions in recent years -- Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, et. al -- but McIlroy's victory looked and felt different. It seems like a moment when the professional game turned a corner, stepping out of the Woods-Mickelson era and into what may be McIlroy's era.
That's a great thing.
What happened at Congressional was the best thing to happen to professional golf since Tiger beat Rocco Mediate on a bum leg. McIlroy's performance was something special, establishing him as a mega-star here in the United States. We got a glimpse of his brilliance when he won at Quail Hollow last year but McIlroy's performance at the U.S. Open -- after what had happened at the Masters -- was transformative.
Is this a rush to judgment, anointing McIlroy as Tiger's successor?
Woods will return, no doubt with a new fire to prove he can reclaim the mountain he once stood atop. But now he's forced to deal with McIlroy in the way Jack Nicklaus had to deal with Tom Watson.
Beyond his game, there's a grace about McIlroy that's endearing. It will get tested by the new demands on him -- demands that will likely increase over the next few years if his career unfolds as expected -- but it seems to be a part of him, something that comes as naturally as his golf swing.
After the angst about what happens next to professional golf after what has happened the past two years, the answer arrived last week at the U.S. Open.
That explains the smiles.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
When The Golf Channel decided to give David Feherty his own show -- 'Feherty' premiered Monday night and is on again Tuesday at 9 p.m. in what will be its regular time slot -- it provided the popular golf announcer an outlet for his humor, his personality and his insights.
There's a brilliance to Feherty that makes him both entertaining and insightful. The idea of the show is to capture much of what Feherty has to offer but doesn't fit into his role as a reporter on tournament weekends.
A recently nationalized American citizen, Feherty is deeply devoted to the armed forces, particularly to soldiers who have been injured in combat. It's his great passion and the show allows him an opportunity to draw attention to the soldiers he admires.
It also allows Feherty to interview some of the game's biggest figures. He started with Lee Trevino in the premiere episode and has Tom Watson and Johnny Miller, among others, lined up. Feherty wants to talk about golf but he also wants to talk about life, coming at the interview from his own unique perspective.
Feherty's goal is to get Tiger Woods to sit down for an extended interview. While it would be great for his show, Feherty admits, he thinks it would help Woods, too. So far, Feherty has been unsuccessful in landing the Tiger interview.
"I'm sorry we just hammered on him so much that whatever we did to him, we forced him into a hole. It's not all our fault, obviously. You've got to be able to stand up and deal with these things," Feherty said.
"The worst thing in the world was not being Tiger Woods. It was okay for a long time and it's probably still okay but I think he would be a lot happier if he got a bunch of (stuff) off his chest and was asked the right questions and given the right forum in which to answer them. He doesn't trust so many people.
"We expect so much from him. I don't think anybody can possibly understand how he feels at the minute because no one has been where he's been and come down to where he is now. The level of frustration, the level of disappointment he must feel, I don't think there's been another athlete, I can't think of one, that would have gone through such a thing.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is at the end of the day. That's irrelevant. You were here and now you're there and you're hurt. It would be very easy to feel the world is against you. I suspect he doesn't feel like that but I know he's like a badger in his set right now. He's not coming out, not for anybody."
If he were to land the interview, what would Feherty ask Woods?
"I'd ask him if he could change one thing in his life, what would it be?," Feherty said.
"I would ask if he confused fun with happinesss, thinking they're the same thing. I'm an addict and that's what I did. I thought fun and happiness were the same thing. They're not. They're entirely different. That's a common thing among all addicts. They get those two things mixed up. What happens when you blend fun and happiness? It turns into unhappiness."
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Kevin Chappell and Robert Garrigus?
That's the best American golf can do in its national championship?
Kevin Chappell and Robert Garrigus?
Nothing against the former NCAA champion, who may be a very good pro but if you had Kevin Chappell to finish as the low American in your U.S.Open pool, you did it by blind draw.Garrigus's chances were shorter than his putter.
But that's where American professional golf is at the moment.
To be fair, Tiger Woods is on the DL and he changes the equation. Get him healthy again and suddenly we're not starting a major championship two-down. We at least have a chance of winning.
The way it stands now, we're relying on Bo Van Pelt to carry the flag. Phil Mickelson's game has gone on walkabout to the point he's not sure where to start the fix-it project. Steve Stricker had a solid U.S. Open but made two double-bogeys on the back nine Sunday when he'd climbed into a tie for fourth.
The Golf Boys weren't a factor, except in the endless replaying their video received on The Golf Channel. Dustin Johnson made the cut but no noise. Ryan Palmer had a good week.
Anthony Kim finished behind Kyung-Tae Kim and Dohoon Kim.
European Tour members, in case you haven't been reminded enough, have won the last five major championships.
Martin Kaymer, who won one of those recent major championships, was asked what this week says about American golf.
"It says," Kaymer said, "that the Americans struggle a little bit...since Tiger has been on a, how do you say, a little down."
That says it nicely.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
So, you may be wondering, what's the point of watching the final round of the U.S. Open, seeing as how Rory McIlroy has an eight-stroke lead with 18 holes to play?
Watch for the history McIlroy is on the verge of making.
Watch because, after a couple of false starts including the Masters two months ago, McIlroy is ready to deliver the biggest victory of his just-blooming career.
Watch because he's playing the way Jack and Tiger played in their primes. If that sounds like I'm talking about Woods in the past tense, it feels that way this week and will continue to feel that way until Tiger returns in full form, assuming that eventually happens.
What McIlroy has given us through three almost make-believe days has been any glowing adjective you choose to apply -- spectacular, extraordinary, remarkable. It would be impressive enough to torch any field by such a wide margin but to do it in the U.S. Open while posting such gaudy numbers is, well, Tiger-esque. Even Tiger never posted 199 through three rounds in the U.S. Open, though he did lead by 10 entering the final round at Pebble Beach in 2000.
"It's not over yet. I can't speculate on what's going to happen before it happens but he's a tremendous player," Steve Stricker, the world's fourth-ranked golfer, said Saturday.
"He's got a lot of talent and he's only 22. He's got the world in front of him really. His game looks flawless. His swing looks great. I think it looks just as good as when Tiger was in his prime and swinging at it at his best. You just don't see any flaws."
At the Masters two months ago, McIlroy carried a four-stroke lead into the final round and it looked for all the azaleas in Georgia as if he would be adding a green jacket to his wardrobe. His lead was gone an hour into the final round and, by the end, so was McIlroy's game.
But his confidence, the thing you'd think might have taken the most damage, was only dinged -- and only temporarily. There has not been a more confident player at Congressional this week and there's no reason to think anything will change on Sunday.
That doesn't mean McIlroy won't be nervous despite his eight-shot advantage but he's supposed to be nervous. He's never won a major and even if he wins 10 of them, he'll be nervous on Sunday trying to win his 11th. It's easy to say that Sunday is the biggest day in McIlroy's career and it is. But we said the same thing at the Masters two months ago and if McIlroy is what we think he is -- the game's next great player -- what happened at Augusta National will make it him better today and beyond.
It's worth watching today -- and for years to come.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Was the double bogey Rory McIlroy made on Congressional's 18th hole Friday a signal that this U.S. Open isn't as close to being over as it appears or was it merely a mistake by young McIlroy that won't have any serious long-term consequences?
I lean toward the latter, thinking if anything the sudden double may have jarred McIlroy just enough to keep him on edge over the coming weekend. Sure, the U.S. Open keeps everyone on edge, even the guy hawking Cokes in the concession stand but McIlroy was making it look so good, so effortless that it was as if he were playing a different game.
He got away with a chunky tee shot at the watery par-3 10th that barely cleared the water but, otherwise, McIlroy was flawless until the 18th hole. It conjured up memories of Tiger Woods in 2000 in the sustained brilliance.
McIlroy is doing the hard stuff and making it look easy. He was often out-driving playing partners Dustin Johnson and spray-hitting Phil Mickelson, usually striping it down the middle while his companions were playing the edges.
What impressed me was the par McIlroy made at the 494-yard uphill par-4 11th. It's a monster of a hole with a slender creek along the right side and a lily pad-flecked pond beside the green. McIlroy put his second shot in the left greenside bunker, leaving himself a wicked sand shot across a narrow green to hole tucked just a few feet from the pond.
McIlroy played his bunker shot to within eight feet of the hole and, like Tiger used to do, he center-cut the par putt. It was the kind of par that wins U.S. Opens.
While waiting for McIlroy to finish Friday, his agent Chubby Chandler was watching from behind the 18th green. When someone suggested two rounds of par or better would win for McIlroy this weekend, Chandler quickly hushed the talk, saying it should "be put in the fridge for a while longer."
Moments later, McIlroy made a mess of the finishing hole.
It was a lousy way to finish what has been a remarkable start.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Eighteen holes -- and 65 strokes -- into this U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy is in a precarious and enviable position.
McIlroy is on the edge of becoming golf's next great player as he demonstrated again in the first round at Congressional. He made the game -- and the notoriously hateful -- U.S. Open look as easy as saying thank you. McIlroy carved up Congressional, staking himself to a three-stroke lead at the one-quarter post of the year's second major championship.
But McIlroy has been here before. It's the third time in the last four majors that he's led after the first round but he still doesn't have a major championship trophy. No harm in that, considering his just 22 but he's nearing the point where experience could turn into scar tissue.
After 63 to open the British Open at St. Andrews, he shot 80 in a gale on the second day. He three-putted away a chance to be in the PGA Championship playoff won by Martin Kaymer last August and then there was the Masters just two months ago.
We know how that ended.
To his credit, McIlroy smiled about his Masters meltdown earlier this week when he was complimented for taking questions after shooting 80 to lose by 10 strokes. "I had five or six holes to think about what I was going to say," McIlroy cracked.
Now he's in the lead of the U.S. Open and two questions leap to mind:
-- Is this the major when Rory keeps his foot on the gas and wins by half a dozen?
-- Or, what if it gets away again?
To be fair, it's only one round of this U.S. Open and it could look very different by Friday evening but McIlroy has staked himself to the lead. Someone else could play better than McIlroy over the next three days and wiin, a reasonable possibility.
But whom would you rather have than McIlroy right now?
He has a game as big as the sky and a spirit that, so far at least, seems undamaged by his previous near misses. McIlroy appears to have the gift that the great ones have -- he loves the big moment.
He didn't handle it well at the Masters, falling victim to the classic mistake of letting the game change speeds on him. Time after time, players who've lost leads talk about getting out of their rhythm and not being able to slow down when things are coming apart. It's what McIlroy said happened to him.
It's tough to pause, take a deep breath, take another one and turn down the speed. Maybe that will be the great lesson McIlroy learned at Augusta, the one that could carry him this week.
This is a guy who got ready for the U.S. Open by doing a UNICEF tour in Haiti where nobody cares whether he wins or loses this weekend. Unless he's fooling all of us -- and I don't think he is -- McIlroy has an old head on his shoulders.
He's been here before which makes it all the more interesting to see where he goes from here.
The Harbour Town lighthouse and the PGA Tour are staying together for at least five more years.
After two years of uncertainty, the RBC Heritage presented by Boeing became a reality Thursday with the five-year sponsorship announcement Thursday on Hilton Head Island, S.C. It will keep the popular tournament fixed on the tour schedule in its traditional spot the week after the Masters.
In making the announcement, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem credited South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for her persistence in locating a sponsor.
"I don't recall a time when any state official or elected official has put the energy and time and commitment behind making this happen as the governor has," Finchem said. "She has been on this 24-4 for a number of weeks. She wasn't going to take no for an answer."
South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem are scheduled to make a 1 p.m.. announcement today about the future of the Heritage golf tournament on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The tournament has been searching for a title sponsor with its future on the tour schedule hanging in the balance.
Tournament director Steve Wilmot said during the event in April that there had been encouraging signs in the hunt for a title sponsor but declined to get into specifics. Tour players have been outspoken in their support of the tournament, which has been played at Harbour Town Golf Links for more than 40 years.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Some things speak for themselves.
Otherwise, trying to explain why PGA Tour players Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler have gone boy band and are in a video for their potential viral hit "Oh, Oh, Oh" may be asking too much.
It's a fund-raising move with Farmers Insurance promising to donate $1,000 to one of Crane's charity initiatives for every 100,000 views it gets. Based on the early reaction, there could be plenty of money headed to charity.
If you haven't seen it, here it is:
Saturday, June 11, 2011
So much for the idea that the USGA lacks a sense of humor.
If the first and second-round pairings for next week's U.S. Open aren't knee-slapping funny, they're at least amusing in the way bossman Mike Davis and his colleagues put threesomes together for the first 36 holes. It's something the organization began quietly doing a few years back, inserting a handful of pairings that made you go hmmmm.
Now it's part of the Open
This year, there's the obvious 1-2-3 pairing of Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, based on the world rankings. Maybe it's not as sexy as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott together a couple of years ago but pretty good nonetheless.
There's an international theme to this year's pairings, which fits with the current state of professional golf, which has its power base outside the United States at the moment.
There's the Spanish grouping: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Sergio Garcia and Alvaro Quiros, pulling together the Mechanic, the Brooder and the Bomber.
There's the all-Sweden pairing of Johan Edfors, Henrik Stenson and Fredrik Jacobson. Wonder how that makes Robert Karlsson, the highest-ranked Swede feel? Of course, he's paired with Bubba Watson and Adam Scott, in what could resemble a long drive contest.
The Italian pairing features the Molinari brothers -- Eduardo and Francesco -- along with Matteo Manassero. Bellisimo.
The Marty Hackel threesome has Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan together in the fashion-forward grouping. Big hats, big shades, big ego. You can figure which goes with which.
The best pairing, though, has Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson together. If you need me, that's where I'll be Thursday and Friday.
Friday, June 10, 2011
It's not just us.
The best players in the world lose touch with their golf games, too. Sometimes it's a little thing, sometimes it's a big thing. Sometimes it's between the ears. Sometimes it's between the backswing and the downswing.
Three of the top players in the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn this weekend are working through changes and each of them sounds excited by it.
Fred Funk was considering taking the summer off he was hitting it so poorly. Everybody thinks Funk looks so happy and bouncy on the course -- and he does -- but he hadn't been feeling that way because the game had turned mean. He even apologized to his 15-year old son, Taylor, for showing him how not to act on the golf course.
Last week, though, Funk decided to quit listening to advice others had given and to go back to playing the way he used to play, when he missed a fairway about once a month. Three holes into a U.S. Open qualifier Monday in Maryland, Funk had found his missing mojo. He played his way into the Open at Congressional, getting teary-eyed after realizing what he'd done, and regardless of how he plays at Rock Barn (he's bothered by a thumb problem right now) or at Congressional, Funk says he's back in a good place with golf again.
Mark Calcavecchia got an unsolicited phone call from former tour player turned television commentator Bob Murphy recently. Murphy told Calc that he'd noticed how he got more hunched over on shorter putts. Stand taller, Murphy said, like you do on the long ones and Calcavecchia is already seeing a difference.
And then there's Kenny Perry, who had worked himself into a swing pattern that had him hitting shots fat. He lost some of his power and crisp shots were becoming increasingly rare. A visit with an old swing coach has helped Perry get back on the right path, though there's still progress to be made.
"I'm seeing signs of life," Perry said.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
The five fastest and slowest players on the PGA Tour according to a survey done by Golf Magazine who timed every shot hit by 45 players over nine holes in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year.
Too bad there aren't more Rickie Fowlers out there and too bad the tour and other golf organizations don't crack down harder on slow play. Just watch how long it takes at the U.S. Open next week.
Five fastest (Average time per shot)
1. Rickie Fowler (16 seconds)
2. Jhonny Vegas (21 seconds)
3. Brian Davis (22 seconds)
4. Chris Kirk (23 seconds)
5. Cameron Beckman (25 seconds)
1. Nick O'Hern (55 seconds)
2. J.B. Holmes (52 seconds)
3. John Senden (51 seconds)
4. Kevin Na (50 seconds)
5. Charlie Wi (50 seconds)
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Tiger Woods' announcement Tuesday that he won't play in the U.S. Open next week due to lingering problems with his left knee and Achilles was a disappointment but not a surprise.
The question now is will we ever again see the Tiger we marveled at for so many years?
Even if he lost you when his personal life came apart, his golf was impossible to ignore. He has played golf better than anyone ever, Jack Nicklaus included.
But what once seemed preordained -- that Woods would surpass Nicklaus's record of 18 major championship victories -- now seems increasingly doubtful. Woods has been stuck at 14 since he won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg at Torrey Pines near San Diego when it seemed he was capable of anything.
If Woods doesn't tie or break Nicklaus's record, it should be because he didn't make it happen. Not because he couldn't make it happen.
There's a big difference.
Woods has had four surgeries on his left knee and he's been hobbling since he hurt himself in the third round of the Masters almost two months ago. He says he hopes to play in the AT&T National he hosts next month and get back to a regular schedule after that but Woods also hoped to play at Quail Hollow and to go more than nine holes at the Players Championship last month.
As Woods was stacking up major championships in his 20s, we imagined what he would do when he hit his mid-30s, typically the prime of a professional golfer's life. No one expected this.
He’s only 35 but it seems like an old 35, at least right now.
The great golf writer Dan Jenkins was half-joking years ago when he said the only thing that could stop Tiger would be a bad marriage or an injury. Well...
Nicklaus doesn't want his record broken but he wants to see Tiger give it his best shot. He wants to see the old Tiger, ripping at tee shots, gouging iron shots out of the rough, walking putts into the hole. That was golf like we've never seen it.
When Nicklaus spoke by phone to Woods recently, he told Tiger as much.
"(It) is the same thing I've said to him a thousand times, 'Tiger, nobody wants records to be broken. That's obvious. I don't care who it is,'" Nicklaus said at his Memorial Tournament last week. "But I certainly don't want you not to be healthy and not have the opportunity to play to break records. I want you to get yourself healthy...get your golf game back in shape and I wish you well, wish you good luck.'"
Jack’s record deserves Tiger’s best shot.
Tiger Woods will not play in the U.S. Open next week at Congressional due to continuing problems with his left knee and Achilles.
Woods made the announcement on his website today.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Thursday, June 02, 2011
When Fred Couples went to a dermatologist last month to have a couple of moles examined at the request of his girlfriend, the moles they were worried about weren't a problem.
But Couples wound up having 13 moles frozen off his hands, perhaps alleviating a potentially serious problem.
"I don't think it's anything horrible, but at the time (the doctor) scared the hell out of me just by the way she looked at me and what she said," Couples said at a pre-tournament media session at The Memorial Tournament this week.
"I don't wear sunscreen, but I just didn't have spots on my hands to figure that I needed 13 of them removed."
After the marks were removed, Couples said he had blisters on his hands that were big enough he couldn't put his hands in his pockets. He's better now, good enough to play Muirfield Village this week in one of his rare PGA Tour appearances.
"A couple people asked me if it was contagious and a few other things through the airport. It's pretty fun. I wish I could have put my hands in my pants so no one could have seen all this stuff. Thirteen blisters on your hands, you start to think people are looking at you like you've got something," Couples said.
Couples also indicated he'll play sparingly on the Champions Tour this year because he's been bothered by back issues. His appearance at the Memorial coincided with a meeting of potential Presidents Cup team members. Couples is captain of the Presidents Cup team going to Australia later this year.
"I haven't felt as good, so I've stayed away from playing the Champions Tour, because it doesn't serve me any justice to go play out there and finish 25th or 30th because I can't physically hit the ball," Couples said.
"I continue to feel mediocre when I play, so that's why I'm not playing much on the Champions Tour. I really like the Champions Tour. This is just an odd year, and hopefully in the near future I'll start to feel better and hopefully play a little at the end of the year and it'll be a nice quiet year and I can come out at age 52 and start playing again on the Champions Tour again next year."
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Kenny Perry has committed to play in the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn next week as he chases his first Champions Tour victory.
Perry, who is playing in The Memorial on the PGA Tour this week, adds to an already strong field for the event which runs June 6-12 at Rock Barn.
In addition to Perry, other top players in the field include Bernhard Langer, on the mend from thumb surgery that has sidelined him this season, Nick Price, Mark O'Meara, John Cook, Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Funk, Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite, Hal Sutton, Fuzzy Zoeller and defending champion Gary Hallberg, among others.
Last year's runner-up, Fred Couples, has indicated he plans to play at Rock Barn but has not yet officially committed.