text:
She Who Must Be Obeyed: The Great Kat
Interviewing The Great Kat is much like hurling through some Grand Guignol anime death match where you just barely survive a punch-up with flesh-shredding hell spawn, only to have a dump truck fall on your head as you're resting and licking your wounds. If the preceding seems a little over-the-top, please consider that Webster's offers no appropriate word or phrase to describe this woman's intensity. She talks faster than she plays, and she can zoom up and down a fretboard faster than a hungry cheetah on steroids. She also yells a lot. And she demands attention—which means an interviewer can pretty much forget about interjecting, interrupting, or sucking in a breath or two.
The Great Kat's ferocious passion is unleashed in the service of a divine mission: zapping her ultra-virtuosic, 22nd-century shred classical concept into the synapses of what she calls the "moron masses." To accomplish this, the Juilliard-trained violinist and guitar shredder transforms classical masterworks into speed-metal songs, rages like a demented dominatrix, spews blood, bears arms, exposes her goodies, and indulges in both mental and dramatic castrations. (Check out greatkat.com for the visuals.)
Now, if you're thinking about giggling—don't. Some may feel The Great Kat looks and acts like a freak, but, if so, she's a freak who can outplay just about every guitarist on the planet. (Go ahead and challenge her—she'll prove it!) In addition, her work ethic would bring most players to their knees. She builds her meticulous shred-classical adaptations of Wagner, Vivaldi, and Beethoven by entering the original scores note-by-note into Sibelius music-notation software before rearranging the works for guitar.
"The guitar will not always match the sound quality of the violins, violas, and cellos, so you have to have to change the register, the [fingering] positions, and certain notes so that the score fits within the playing capabilities of the guitar," she explains. "I work out the arrangements on violin first—which often requires six months of practice, going 12 hours a day to master one minute of music. Then I play the work on the guitar. I edit out the boring stuff, keep the main themes, and speed everything up. It's an overwhelming task, but it's the only way to get people who are used to listening to Bugs Bunny music to be excited and engaged by the works of geniuses."
The Great Kat's total commitment to her art and craft hasn't left her much bandwidth for a supportive and nurturing presence. She's not shy about dissing "lazy" women, badgering dilettantes of both sexes, or trumpeting her fearsome speed-power majesty. In The Great Kat's world, lesser guitarists can get better, get out of her way, or bow in worship. Make your choice.
THIS IS THE WHOLE INTERVIEW RIGHT HERE! Guys have dicks, and therefore guys can be considered guitar heroes. Females have no dicks, and that means guys cannot worship them. Guys cannot say that The Great Kat FEMALE is a guitar hero. Because if they ever said, "Wow, that's amazing—I love what she does on guitar," their little dicks would shrivel off. ARE YOU GETTING THIS? This is the WHOLE POINT. All those other guitar magazines don't want to write about The Great Kat, because if I come in and establish the protocol for powerful female guitarists, then all the other bitches behind me are going to come in—if they're qualified and are technical virtuosos—and that pathetic one-inch penis WILL NOT define a guitar hero. It will mean NOTHING!
Well, this is a nice start...
Let me tell you something else: Women guitarists don't want to get off their LAZY BITCH ASSES and practice their balls off! Women are not INTERESTED in competing with guys. They start these little bands with other women because THEY CAN'T HACK IT! They're in their tiny little non-threatening groups that will NEVER EVER SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF MEN. You know why? Because they're SCARED of what guys will think if they get TOO DAMN GOOD. Well, I'll tell you what the guys will think. They'll say, "You're a ugly dog. We don't want to have sex with you anymore. We hate your guts."
But if a woman doesn't have the capability to compete against men, THEN SHE CAN GO TO HELL! Why do you think some people love me, and some people hate me? The ones who love me say, "I accept the fact that I am influenced by The Great Kat, and I will kick ass." But the haters can't do what I can do, and they will never accept the fact they have to get WAY BETTER!
What inspired your concept of shred classical?
After studying at Juilliard, I realized classical music was dead. No one was listening to it. So I looked at what the moron masses were listening to, and I asked myself, "What's the most exciting music?" Metal! Right then and there I decided to mix heavy metal with classical music. But you can't just bring in metal styles and lay them on top of classical music, you must also maintain the virtuosity of true classical genius. This is what defines shred classical. I am systematically, single-handedly taking Juilliard morons to task, and all the classical composers after Beethoven who choked the life out of classical music because they were not virtuosos. And I'm not only resurrecting classical music, I'm resurrecting metal—which has been systematically destroyed by all those Metallica-style bands. You have to be able to PLAY, asshole!
At the risk of getting bludgeoned, I have to ask why you feel you need all the sex and gore to promote yourself, when you are quite obviously a brilliant guitarist?
If it takes The Great Kat wearing dominatrix outfits—and DRIPPING IN BLOOD with a whip in my hand—to get people to wake up to shred classical, that's what The Great Kat will do, because The Great Kat is not only updating classical music for the 21st-century morons, I'm also being an entertainer. I'm mixing shred metal and classical music with operatic theater. This is why my ripping new DVD, Guitar Shred, is so insane, with torture and castration and slaves. I AM THE DOMINATRIX OF WAR!
The visual presentation is exciting, and I believe it appeals to people who normally wouldn't get into something like shred classical. They are intrigued by the excitement, and then they get the virtuosity. If you make everything too technical and scholastic, people get bored. What I'm doing is, little by little, jamming the genius of Vivaldi and Wagner down their throats while I'm entertaining them with the blood and domination and castration.
Listen, people are stupid, and they want the easiest formula for their slow-thinking brains. If you give them one ounce of Beethoven, they will throw up. People would rather listen to Madonna's crap than Mozart. Now if they were intelligent, they would say, "I need to hear the music of geniuses to make me more intelligent—not crap music that makes me stupid." I'm trying to make musicians realize that to become brilliant players, you need brilliant music. We don't have time for years and years to pass by while everybody is sitting around saying, "But I like old blues." WAKE UP! It's crap. It's stupid.
You're pretty down on musical conventions, aren't you?
WELL, AREN'T YOU BORED? Listen, if you want to help resurrect guitar—well, first you have to read music. Then, you have to study violin books such as Sevcik's The School of Bowing and Carl Flesch's Basic Studies for Violin, because all the guitar books are doing is teaching you how to play traditional guitar. Now, guitarists don't like me saying stuff like this. But I'm a violin virtuoso who plays guitar, and I also happen to be updating your instrument for you, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ASSHOLES! You also need to learn composition, and you have to be able to transcribe.
But you know what? Most guitarists won't do this, because people want instantaneous gratification. If it takes them like two minutes to get a chord under their fingers, they're not interested. We've created a world of amateurs and morons who have only learned enough about the guitar to finger some moronically simple riff and write an idiotic song. AREN'T YOU FED UP WITH ALL THIS INFERIORITY? Somebody has to STEP UP! If you want to do something brilliant, you've got to work for it. Doing something that will change the world requires AWESOME TECHNICAL ABILITY. To produce powerful and exciting music YOU MUST BE A VIRTUOSO.
Speaking of virtuousity, how did you develop your stunning speed?
Everyone knows that you practice stuff real slow, and then start speeding it up. But how I play is different from most guitarists who plop their fingers down flat across the guitar and move around in one position. The Great Kat uses the Paganini technique, which requires that you take your fingers and you make them perfectly perpendicular to the fretboard—like claws. It's totally strict, and the vibrato is extremely tight and fast. It's not like the wide, bend-y vibrato that rock and blues guitarists use. At the speeds I play, I don't have time for that!
Also, my fingering is very light—which is critical to violin performance, because if you play, say, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, and your fingering is aggressive and heavy, you'll sound out of tune. You'll also get behind the beat. It's all about being fast and light.
While you are basically destroying old-school classical music by speeding it up and fusing it with metal, you also have a very sweet, sincere, and very deep respect for classical composers.
The reason I respect, admire, and draw strength from Paganini, Beethoven, and the classical masters is because they put up with CRUSHING GODDAMN CRITICISM and they still produced genius. Beethoven, for example, invented "romantic" classical music from a traditional classical music mold left by Mozart. He wasn't afraid of people saying, "Boy, that's noisy!" They said, "We want the calm, relaxing classical music that doesn't insult our senses," and Beethoven comes up with "BAH BAH BAH BAHHHHHH! F**K YOU!" Any musician who establishes a new protocol for music is going to get tortured, man. The fearless don't care. They kick ass and move things forward while the COWARDS sit back and play it safe and collect compliments.


text:
Givewawa results soon(tm)
8-Dec-2014: Givewawa results part 1: Robert Rijken
Currently: empowering open source communities at Red Hat. Previously: Jolla Community Bunny & Devaamo Co-Founder. Catalysed by MeeGo.
No problem Carol, we have patience... :)ReplyDelete
I can hope for more couple of days :DReplyDelete
You really are killing me :P. I have an impatient nature thus I refresh this page approximately every hour. Anyway, I don't know if you will just announce the winner or also motivate your choice. I would be very interested if you could ;). I guess you may have some hater comments if you do but I'm very curious (actually even more curious than impatient :P)!
Can't wait!
Good, good! I was wondering about this (.=
I bet her decision would have been easier if Qt5Positioning was allowed for JollaStore apps... ;)ReplyDelete
Looks like i was right about Jolla tablet and it's looking good! Now if i only could get Jolla phone before that...ReplyDelete
BTW : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.337800589755619.1073741843.198177487051264&type=3 I'm honored to see two of Jolla product anouncemnts in person. Sad that I could not see and say my thanks to You personally, still - excited about Jolla future growth!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the update Carol :)ReplyDelete
Any news yet?ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
When a multi instrumental songwriter and producer met a tone deaf ideas man, an unlikely musical partnership was born – Autolegs.
In the sleepy English village of Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire, Charlie Wood played practically every instrument known to mankind. He even had a Yugoslavian nose flute. He had a few bands with his mates at primary school and then at secondary school (called middle school or 6th-8th grade in the USA) The 11th Hour in which he sung and played bass, which was wicked. They were only young but they made some great records, the opening theme to a film, and were local celebrities. Keyboard player Jack Routh was Charlie's musical soul mate. One horrible day, Jack died aged 24. Charlie's world was completely torn apart, he stopped playing music and all creativity ground to a halt.
Charlie met Emma, a children's entertainer, novelist and formidable creative force. She mended him and they got married, did some travelling, went on an epic mission to make a short film together. Then they entered a competition to make adverts for a crisp company. They needed a camera man. They contacted Amersham college where Emma had studied with James Corden to see if any students were interested in working with them. Ivan was studying TV production there and ever eager for random creative opportunities, answered the call. They made adverts with Ivan, they had found someone who shared their passion for crazy ideas that might just work and an amazing hardworking partnership was born. Autolegs was just a twinkle in their eyes.
Charlie started another band, Almost Midnight. They went on tour and were supported by BBC introducing, playing live on the radio show. Charlie Emma and Ivan made an epic music video that took a year to film. They had a lot of fun and honed their production skills. More music was made, more videos were made, friends were made and good times were had.
Charlie and Emma then made a charity song – A Million Hearts by Alexander's Army. They worked around the clock for a week to help their community raise £300,000 for a child with a brain tumour.
A while later, Charlie had another idea – let's release a fun song for Christmas. He called Ivan. He loved it and instantly had hundreds of ideas.
Autolegs was born and are ready for Xmas 2015 with their debut single Get Your Santa On. The fun crazy song represents everything the festive period should be about. They follow in the footsteps of legends who have written epic Christmas hits such as Slade, Paul McCartney and Elton John. The best Christmas songs are the ones that brighten up your day, bring friends and family together and make you jump and up down with excitement. We live life at a million miles an hour, work too hard and there's doom and gloom in the news and there hasn't been a happy, daft Christmas song in the charts for years. Charlie wanted to change that and together with his friend Ivan and Wife Emma, Autolegs was created.
So why the heck is the band called Autolegs? Play Get Your Santa On and see what happens.
More about Charlie (by Emma):
Meet the mastermind behind Get Your Santa On. His name is Charlie Wood and when it comes to music, the man's an absolute genius. Song writer, producer and multi instrumentalist, the man plays keyboard, drums, brass, bass, guitar and anything else that's knocking about. Perhaps the only person that didn't jump on his talent was Louis Walsh when Charlie appeared on Britain's Got Talent playing 4 instruments a few years ago. All 3000 people the Hammersmith Apollo audience gave Charlie a standing ovation then booed Walsh's decision which would have made fantastic TV had the show been aired. Amanda Holden backed Charlie alongside Ant and Dec who said 'there's no doubt we'll see you in the charts one day, Louis Walsh doesn't know anything.' Charlie's been on the gig circuit many years in various covers and originals bands, always with a burning desire to get his music out there.


text:
Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption
The Office of the ICAC can investigate a wide range of improper conduct of persons/bodies previously outside the jurisdiction of Northern Territory 'watchdog' bodies. This includes Members of the Legislative Assembly, courts, tribunals, local government councils and independent officers.
The ICAC also has significant powers to protect people who have assisted or may assist in detecting, preventing, investigating or otherwise responding to improper conduct.
Reports made to the Office of the ICAC are legally protected, can be made anonymously, and are confidential.


text: Gentlemen Hall Wins Performance Spot at Billboard Music Awards LAS VEGAS, May 19, 2011 – Ever hear of Gentlemen Hall? Well, at Sunday night's 2011 Billboard Music Awards, this Boston band will be sharing the stage with some of today's hottest music stars including Rihanna, The Black Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, and Taio Cruz after winning Billboard.com and Chevrolet's "Cruze-ing to Vegas" Battle of the Bands competition last night in Las Vegas. Gentleman Hall was one of six finalists, one from each of the nation's regions, that were selected by Billboard.com voters to advance to the head-to-head live competition featuring a panel of judges led by Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath.Their charismatic double-vocalist assault was enough to win over the crowd at Fremont Street Experience and the event judges. The panel included Billboard's Editorial Director, Bill Werde and Billboard.com Managing Editor Jessica Lektemann who joined McGrath to name Gentleman Hall the victor and award them the coveted performance slot at the Billboard Music Awards, airing live from Las Vegas on ABC May 22nd."I don't know what just happened! It doesn't seem real," Gentlemen Hall's Seth Hachen said in pleased disbelief moments after winning the contest. "We're little fishes getting to swim with the big fishes."The competition began with Billboard's hand-picked pool of 18 under the-radar artists across the U.S. found via BillboardPro's Heat Score index and Billboard editorial staff, which were narrowed down to six finalists by Billboard.com voters including Hotels (Seattle), AJ Rafael (Moreno Valley, CA), Lightning Love (Detroit), Otenki (Houston), Side By Side (Charlotte, NC), and Gentlemen Hall (Boston). These bands hit the road last week in an all-new Chevrolet Cruze and documented their journey to Las Vegas. A camera crew followed their every move – traveling with their equipment and playing gigs along the way, communicating with fans through the Cruze's Facebook integration, blogging, tweeting, sharing playlists and everything in between. The six bands engaged with their fans while on the road, building a viral audience and improving their social Heat Score, one of many goals as they prepared to for last night's performance.For more information on the "Cruze-ing to Vegas" Battle of the Bands, please visit www.Billboard.com/battle. To see the newly crowned Battle of the Bands winner Gentlemen Hall on the Billboard Music Awards, tune into ABC on May 22 at 8pm ET/PT, and to check out the full coverage of the Billboard Music Awards, please visit Billboard.com/BBMA. Attachment Posted on Thu, May 19, 2011 by Website Admin


text:
Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 30
September 13, 1999
Issued By: City Attorney's Office
Whether City
employees at the
The Department of Community Initiatives has
asked whether City employees at the
The Department of Community Initiatives is
comprised of a number of divisions including, among others, the
Several City employees at the Center are also employed by the Board for services rendered at Board activities and events. Such compensation is stated to be for services that are separate and distinct from the employee's regular duties as a City employee and is in lieu of salary supplement checks received in past years.
The issue is whether these individuals may
be employed by the Board given their position with the City. Under the Ethics
Code of the City of
Conflicting Outside Employment. Generally, a City employee may not engage in outside employment which may influence the performance of the employee's official duties. More specifically, "a City ... employee shall not provide services to an outside employer related to the . . . employee's City duties."
Moreover, all employees who engage in outside employment must comply with Administrative Directive 4.47. A.D. 4.47 requires the employee to obtain written approval from the Department Director prior to engaging in outside employment, a copy of which is filed in the employee's personnel folder. If written approval has not been granted prior to engaging in outside employment, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action.
Each position at issue will be discussed below.
Cultural Center Supervisor. The essential job functions of the Cultural Center Supervisor include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Center's Supervisor is also the President of the Board. In such capacity, she has contracted with the Board to provide the following professional services:
Administrative Assistant II. The Administrative Assistant II coordinates office services including budget preparation and personnel supervision. Pursuant to a 1997-98 season contract with the Board, the employee holding said position agreed to manage the events and Carver volunteers and to provide box office assistance.
Booking Specialist. The Booking Specialist is responsible for assisting public, civic and social agencies in booking and renting space in City facilities. The employee holding said position also contracted with the Board to manage the events and Carver volunteers and to provide box office assistance for the Board's 1997-98 season.
Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator performs administrative and supervisory work including, but not limited to, coordinating and reviewing specific projects. For its 1997-98 season, the Board contracted with the City's Program Coordinator to coordinate event logistics and event transportation.
Public Information Officer. The Public Information Officer ("PIO") is generally responsible for performing journalistic and public contract work, including preparing scripts to be presented in the media. For its 1997-98 season, the Board contracted with the PIO to provide certain services, including developing promotional material.
All of the individuals described above were employed by both the City's Center and the Board. Arguably, in each case, the two (2) job functions, intertwine such that the City employee provides services to the Board, an outside employer, related to his duties with the City. This is a violation of the Ethics Code, and therefore, such employment with the Board should not continue.
The employee may, however, provide services to the Board unrelated to services rendered by virtue of his City employment. If such be the case, the employee must receive written approval from the Department Director prior to engaging in the outside employment.
City employees are governed by the standards
of conduct as set forth in the Ethics Code of the City of
City Attorney


text:
Melissa Limcaoco, head of marketing for Smart brands, attributed the telco's strong postpaid performance to the success of its Unli Postpaid Plan 599 and Netphone Plan 349.
Smart's new Unli Trinet Text 349, which comes with a free Samsung Galaxy Pocket, lets
users send unlimited texts to any Smart, Talk 'N Text, or Sun Cellular number.
Meanwhile, the new Plan 599 allows unlimited texts to any Smart, Talk 'N Text, or Sun Cellular number, and unlimited calls to any Smart or Talk 'N Text number. It is bundled with a free Samsung Nari.
"We expect these offerings to fuel the continued growth of our postpaid business. Unlike similarly priced plans that allow unlimited texts only to subscribers of the same network, our new Plan 349 and Plan 599 let subscribers communicate with a far bigger community – 68 million subscribers in all," Limcaoco said.
She added that Smart has launched postpaid plans that will give subscribers "greater value for their money."


text:
Mick Thomas and the Roving Commission - Completed
at The Bison Bar
Sunday, 11 June 2017 doors open from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM + Add to calendar11/06/2017 14:0011/06/2017 18:00Australia/BrisbaneMick Thomas and the Roving CommissionMick Thomas and the Roving Commission Sunday, 11 June 2017 doors open from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM (E. Australia Standard Time) Organiser Pete Townson XXXXXXXXXXXXXX Address The Bison Bar C-Square Courtyard, 52-64 Currie Street Nambour QLD 4560 Australia The Bison Bar is tucked down in the courtyard of the C-Square Complex. Event web page: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/50232/mick_thomas_and_the_roving_commission.aspxThe Bison Bar
C-Square Courtyard, 52-64 Currie Street
Nambour QLD 4560
AustraliaPete TownsonfalseDD/MM/YYYY2880
Tickets for this event are currently unavailable
Raconteur, troubadour, balladeer and poet, Mick Thomas is best known as the song master of pub-rock icons Weddings Parties Anything. His ever-evolving talents as a writer and performer define a career as intriguing as it is enduring.
2017 sees Mick Thomas release his new retrospective double CD These Are The Songs, a companion album for his new autobiography, These Are the Days, the story of an inspired and uniquely Australian creative force that covers his life in music from his days in Weddings, Parties, Anything until now.
The Album titled 'These Are the Songs': is a lovingly crafted compilation album spanning the past eighteen years and more of Mick Thomas' creative life. From the wry and laconic observations of 'The Lonely Goth' to the wit and whimsy of 'You Remind Me', the soaring growl of 'Hard Currency' to the pure joyous on-the-road fun of 'Sleep on Your Floor' and 'The Last of the Tourists', this is a classic set of tunes performed by a loose but lovingly selected bunch of players. The album is the companion to Mick's new book These Are the Days, a joyous autobiographical tale of an inspired and uniquely Australian creative force.
The Book titled 'These Are The Days': is a book of stories that all starts with the songs. How they got written, where and why they got written, and why they still get played. And its about the people – in the various line ups of the various bands, the people in the studio, and in the audience at the countless shows. And its about when Weddings, Parties, Anything first called it a day back in 1998 when Mick quickly realised there was no good night to go into. The book follows the stories of 31 songs, each including stories and a song chart.
Event Link: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/50232 Sales Closed
Pete Townson, The Bison Bar
0434 760 880


text:
Subscribe To Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3 Announced With New Trailer Updates
I've already subscribed
Activision and Treyarch have decided to stop teasing and finally tell us what the next Call of Duty will be. They officially announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 with a short trailer today.
In the trailer, the camera pans over a bunch of swirling numbers. These numbers form the silhouette of a man holding a pistol and a knife, and then another man pointing two pistols downward. These are the characters seen in the box art for Black Ops and Black Ops 2.
Throughout the video, we hear lines from the past two games:
This should help you remember everything.
The last line of the trailr, however, sounds brand new: "Our greatest barrier is our own fear, our own doubts. The only thing holding us back is how far we're willing to go."
Then, the number one appears. It splits into two and then into three. We're then told to expect a "World Reveal" on April 29th.
Call of Duty: Black Ops follows covert soldiers working in the Cold War. The sequel was set in 2025 during a new Cold War, with flashbacks to the eighties. Presumably Black Ops 3 will either take place chronologically after BO2.
What remains to be seen, though, is how far into the future they'll go. Will we see another game set in the 2050s, the time period of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The exoskeletons in Advanced Warfare were arguably the biggest change the series has seen in years so maybe Treyarch plans to build on them for BO3. It might feel like a step backward if those exo suit abilities weren't in this year's Call of Duty.
I'm sure we'll find out what the deal is on April 29th, though. We've already gotten the short logo teaser so the next trailer's going to need to be more substantial and actually tell us something about the game.


text:
HP to stop bundling iTunes next yearFollowing the termination of its exclusive deal with Apple Computer, Inc. to distribute re-branded iPods, Hewlett-Packard is preparing to reengage in the digital music business this January, and will likely do so without Apple\'s iTunes software, reports Macworld UK.
\"The company\'s executive vice president Todd Bradley confirmed such plans last week, during which he also revealed the company would honor its contractual obligation to install iTunes on PCs HP ships until January 2006,\" according to the report. \"Beyond that, the future of even vestiges of the HP/Apple deal are shady.\"
Bradley\'s comments corroborate an August AppleInsider report entitled \"HP likely to stop bundling iTunes by \'06,\" which quoted American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu. In the report Wu predicted HP would abandon iTunes as its default music player by 2006 in favor of forming a new relationship with Microsoft and its Windows Media Player technology.
Similarly, Macworld UK also believes: \"It\'s likely HP will now choose to deliver solutions based on Microsoft\'s Windows Media technology.\"
In January 2004, HP and Apple formed a strategic partnership where HP agreed to install Apple\'s iTunes music jukebox software on its computers in exchange for the rights to sell HP-branded iPods. Apple also sought the benefits of HP\'s 100,000-plus retail outlets world-wide, knowing they could quickly expand the iPod\'s reach.
Unfortunately, the partnership barely got off the ground. Almost immediately, the two company\'s began to quarrel over price protection on iPods and other business aspects. At one point HP halted orders to Apple for new iPods for several weeks, protesting a need for price protection which Apple failed to offer.
But by May of this year, it seemed as if the two companies had worked through their differences. HP began expanding its iPod offerings to include the iPod mini and iPod shuffle. At the same time, Apple was quietly negotiating its own presence in big box retailers such as Wal-Mart, which had previously sold only HP-branded iPods.
Only several weeks after launching a pilot prgram at Wal-Mart, Apple forced its foot in the door of another large HP iPod retailer: on July 21, AppleInsider reported that Apple had landed an iPod deal with RadioShack. Eight days later HP announced that it would stop reselling iPods.
According to Apple, HP iPod sales accounted for less than 8-percent of total iPod shipments during the last quarter in which sales results for HP iPods were released.


text:
Sandon School has been awarded a £9,985 grant from The National Lottery Awards for All Scheme.
This great news has meant that exciting new sensory equipment could be made available to the children's classroom outdoor areas to improve learning.
Sandon School have been upgrading their outdoor classroom areas over the past year but Beech Class and Cherry Class were in particular need of refurbishment.
This injection of funding from the National Lottery has allowed them to install fully inclusive outdoor sensory circuits for pupils to engage with.
The children are now enjoying these fabulous new facilities every day at school.
Stela Plamenova, Head Teacher at Sandon School, said: "We are all thrilled with the new equipment, it will offer our younger pupils new sensory experiences and outdoor learning activities.
"The older students will benefit from the brand new outdoor gym equipment which highlights again, the importance of keeping fit and healthy.
"Thank you to the National Lottery for making this happen!"


text:
Nov 2016
November 29, 2016
Recording- Insights from the Multi-Asset Class Risk Monitor
Axioma has launched a new, complimentary report that highlights recent trends in market and portfolio risk and the impact on a multi-asset class portfolio.
The Multi-Asset Class Risk Monitor includes:
- Recent multi-asset factor correlations and volatilities
- Treasury curves, yield, spread and foreign exchange rate histories
- Portfolio risk analysis and stress tests
We invite you to watch our recent webinar as Axioma's Christoph Schon, Applied Research Director, shares how to use the new Risk Monitor to gain insights into your investment process.
We will publish the report on Tuesdays, and the data will be as of the previous Friday. Please consider subscribing to our email newsletter if you're interested in receiving the report's weekly highlights in your inbox.


text:
MedStaff Alternatives
65 E. Wacker Place
Suite 620
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 357-1700
Fax: (312) 357-1811
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm CST
After Hours:
Call (312) 357-1700, a staffing coordinator is available 24 / 7.
Since 2005, MedStaff Alternatives has been awarded the distinguished gold seal for quality under The Joint Commission's Healthcare Staffing Services Certification Program. Joint Commission standards relate to quality and safety of care issues. Anyone believing that he or she has valid concerns about such matters related to this staffing service is encouraged to contact MedStaff Alternatives management. If your concern still cannot be resolved, you are encouraged to contact The Joint Commission by submitting your concern or complaint to the Office of Quality Monitoring at:
Division of Accreditation Operations
Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Tel: 800/994-6610
Fax: 630-792-5636
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Market Report, September 2019
September 2019
More Money....Less Taxes


text:
Our Members
This group of members has balanced representation from the sectors and perspectives of the Kaimai Ranges Forests and northern Mamaku plateau. In addition to community membership, forum meetings include observers from public agencies.
- Ngati Haua
- Ngati Ranginui
- Raukawa Iwi
- Nga Potiki Hapu Tauranga
- Waitaha Iwi
- Te Kupenga o Ngati Hako
- Ngati Hinerangi Iwi Trust Board
- Ngai Te Rangi Hapu representative organisations – Ngati Tapu Hapu Tribal Committee (Ngati Tapu)
- Tauranga Moana Iwi Customary Fisheries Committee
- Tapuika Iwi
- Ngati Rahiri Tumutumu
- Ngati Tara Tokanui Trust
- Ngati Tamatera
- Ngati Maru ki Hauraki
- Ngai Te Rangi
- Ngati Pukenga Iwi ki Tauranga
- Te Hapu o Taka / Maungapohatu (Hapu of Ngati Ranginui)
- Fish & Game (Eastern Region)
- Fish & Game (Auckland Waikato)
- New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association
- NZ Deerstalkers Association (Thames Valley)
- NZ Deerstalkers Association (Tauranga)
- Jet Boating NZ
- Federated Mountain Clubs
- Tokoroa Pig Hunting Club
- Federated Farmers (BOP)
- Federated Farmers (Te Aroha)
- Federated Farmers (Matamata)
- Foundation For Arable Research
- NZ Forest Owners Association
- NZ Farm Forestry Association
- Rural Women NZ
- NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc.
- Beef & Lamb NZ (BOP)
- Trustpower Limited
- Forest & Bird
- Nga Whenua Rahui
- Whakamarama Community Inc.
- Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust
- Kaimai Mamaku Campaign
- QE II National Trust
- Uretara Managers Inc
- Bay Conservation Alliance (BCA) representing the multitudes of Care Groups in the Tauranga Moana district


text: Depending on how you prepare it, mousse can either be rich and thick, or superlight and airy. Besides the typical chocolate mousse, you can also try flavoring this creamy dessert with fruit, coffee, herbs or even more creative ingredients. The next time you want to serve something unexpected, make chef Enrique Olvera's sweet-corn mousse. He pairs it with cornhusk meringues to complete the summery corn theme. Whether you're looking for a classic or unusual mousse, turn to Food & Wine's guide for dozens of delicious, decadent ideas.


text:
A full field of 32 players from Wollongong, Forster, Toronto, North West Rocks, Port Hacking, Canberra, Young, Rich River, Taree, Walla and Wagga enjoyed magnificent weather over the four days of our recent Carnival.
Completion of the shade shelter BBQ area and the third lawn allowed for a more comfortable Carnival atmosphere, with many close and exciting games being played.
Singles Block winners were Yvonne Grattan, Carol Hayes, William Strick and Kate McLoughlan, with Carol Hayes from Wollongong eventually winning the final after a tussle with William Strick from Taree.
Graham Innocent and Katrina Strick came out top in the doubles achieving the win from second placed Yvonne Grattan and Alan Hunter.
All results are on croquetscores


text:
Philip Kotler
Philip Kotler (born May 27, 1931) is an American marketing author, consultant, and professor; currently the S. C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He gave the definition of marketing mix. He is the author of over 60 marketing books, including Marketing Management, Principles of Marketing, Kotler on Marketing, Marketing Insights from A to Z, Marketing 4.0, Marketing Places, Marketing of Nations, Chaotics, Market Your Way to Growth, Winning Global Markets, Strategic Marketing for Health Care Organizations, Social Marketing, Up and Out of Poverty, and Winning at Innovation. Kotler describes strategic marketing as serving as "the link between society's needs and its pattern of industrial response."[1]
Philip Kotler
Kotler in 2009
|DePaul University
University of Chicago
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|Author, Marketing Professor, Economist and Consultant
|Known for
|marketing, economics
Kotler helped create the field of social marketing that focuses on helping individuals and groups modify their behaviors toward healthier and safer living styles.
Kotler's latest work focuses on economic justice and the shortcomings of capitalism. He published Confronting Capitalism: Real Solutions for a Troubled Economic System in 2015, Democracy in Decline: Rebuilding its Future in 2016, and Brand Activism: From Purpose to Action in 2018.
Early lifeEdit
Both of Kotler's parents, Betty and Maurice, emigrated in 1917 from Russian Empire (currently territory of Ukraine) and settled in Chicago,[2] where Kotler was born on May 27, 1931.[3]:12 He studied at DePaul University for two years and was accepted without a bachelor's degree into the Master's program at the University of Chicago (1953[clarification needed]) and his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1956[clarification needed]), earning both degrees in economics. He studied under three Nobel Laureates in Economic Science: Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson, and Robert Solow. He did a year of postdoctoral work in mathematics at Harvard University and in behavioral science at the University of Chicago.[citation needed]
Views about marketingEdit
|Philip Kotler: Marketing, Chicago Humanities Festival, 57:30, Kotler starts speaking at 3:30
Kotler started teaching marketing in 1962 at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He believed marketing was an essential part of economics and saw demand as influenced not only by price but also by advertising, sales promotions, sales forces, direct mail, and various middlemen (agents, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) operating as sales and distribution channels.
Philip Kotler holds that:
"the organization's marketing task is to determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and to achieve the desired results more effectively and efficiently than competitors, in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer's or society's well-being."[1]
He links the profit motive to the satisfaction of consumer wants and society's well-being. In order to market effectively, Kotler believes the marketing purpose of elevating consumer well-being has to be put at the heart of company strategy and be practiced by all managers.[citation needed]
In 2003, the Financial Times cited Kotler's three major contributions to marketing and to management:
First, he has done more than any other writer or scholar to promote the importance of marketing, transforming it from a peripheral activity, bolted on to the more "important" work of production. Second, he continued a trend started by Peter Drucker, shifting emphasis away from price and distribution to a greater focus on meeting customers' needs and on the benefits received from a product or service. Third, he has broadened the concept of marketing from more selling to a more general process of communication and exchange, and has shown how marketing can be extended and applied to charities, arts organizations, political parties and many other non-commercial situations.[1]
Kotler argued for broadening the field of marketing to cover not only commercial operations but also the operations of non-profit organizations and government agencies. He held that marketing can be applied not only to products, services, and experiences, but also to causes, ideas, persons, and places. Thus a museum needs the marketing skills of Product, Price, Place, and Promotion (the 4P's) if it is to be successful in attracting visitors, donors, staff members, and public support. Kotler and Gerald Zaltman created the field of social marketing, which applies marketing theory to influence behavior change that would benefit consumers, their peers, and society as a whole.[4] Kotler and Sidney Levy developed the idea of demarketing, which organizations must employ to reduce overall or selective demand when demand is too high. Thus, when water is in short supply, the government needs to persuade various water consumers to reduce water usage so that enough water will be available for essential uses.[5]
Writings and activitiesEdit
In 1967, Kotler published Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control,[6] now in its 15th edition,[when?] and the world's most widely adopted textbook in graduate schools of business.[citation needed] Whereas previous marketing textbooks were highly descriptive, this text was the first to draw on economic science, organizational theory, psychology of behavior and choice, and analytics. It described theory and practice, and drew on findings from empirical studies and cases. On December 9, 1996, the Financial Times cited Marketing Management as one of the 50 greatest business books of all time.[citation needed]
Kotler is the author and co-author of over 150 published articles and 60 books,[citation needed] [1], [2]
Kotler has also written books on such subjects as corporate social responsibility, education, environment, government marketing, healthcare, hospitality, innovation, museums, performing arts, place marketing, poverty alleviation, professional services, religious institutions, tourism, capitalism, and democracy.
Kotler was invited to be the first Legend in Marketing. His published articles are presented, analyzed, and commented on in the nine-volume Legends in Marketing Series: Philip Kotler, edited by Professor Jagdish Sheth.[citation needed]
In 2014, he started a blog on fixcapitalism.com that featured many articles on making capitalism work better for more people.
In 2016, he became an advisor to The Marketing Journal, an online site dedicated to sharing insights and next practices in marketing.
In 2017, Kotler published his autobiography - My Adventures in Marketing, an account of his experiences from his formative years to the present, including his views on topics such as demarketing, brand activism, marketing of the arts, place marketing, as well as the challenges facing capitalism and democracy.
Honorable distinctionsEdit
In 1975, Kotler was the first person to receive the "Leader in Marketing Thought" award[1] voted on by the academic members of the American Marketing Association.
The Financial Times on November 18, 2005 surveyed 1,000 executives in 25 countries about the Most Influential Business Writers/Management Gurus, and Kotler ranked fourth after Peter Drucker, Bill Gates, and Jack Welch. Kotler's contributions are described in at least one chapter found in every book written about the "gurus" of business and management (see References below).[citation needed]
On February 16, 2013, he was the first recipient of the William L. Wilkie "Marketing for a Better World" award from the American Marketing Association to "honor marketers who have significantly contributed to the understanding and appreciation for marketing's potential to improve the world."[7] Also, in 2013 he was the first recipient of the Sheth Foundation Medal for Exceptional Contribution to Marketing Scholarship and Practice.[citation needed]
On November 7, 2013, Kotler received the Badge of Honor of Officer of the Order of Academic Palms established in France in the 19th Century.
On November 19, 2013, Kotler was inducted into the Management Hall of Fame, along with 10 other management gurus (see www.thinkers50.com/hall-of-fame/).
On March 1, 2014, Kotler is number 16 in the list of the 30 World's Top Management Professionals and the only marketer.
On May 28, 2014, Kotler is inducted in the Marketing Hall of Fame in New York City.
On April 23, 2016, Kotler received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Leaders International at the 6th Global Leadership Awards.
Kotler is also the founder of the World Marketing Summit, whose annual international conferences are dedicated to finding ways to improve marketing, human conditions and the quality of life. He also co-established the world's first Museum of Marketing (3.0) in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.[citation needed].
Kotler has received 20 honorary degrees from around the world,[citation needed] (at Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Athens School of Economics, BI Norwegian School of Management, Budapest School of Economic Science and Public Administration, Catholic University Santo Domingo, DePaul University, Cracow School of Economics, Groupe HEC, HHL Graduate School of Management, Iliria University, Mackenzin University, Mediterranean University, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Nyenrode Business University, Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, Universidad Americana, Universidad del Pacifico, University American College, University of Bucharest, University of Stockholm, and University of Zurich[citation needed])
Philip has two brothers, Milton and Neil. Philip met Nancy Kellum at Radcliffe (Harvard) and they married in 1955. They have three daughters, Amy, Melissa and Jessica and nine grandchildren.
Selected publicationsEdit
"Guru" books that contain a complete chapter on Professor Kotler's contributions include such titles as:[8]
- Crainer, Stuart (1998). The Ultimate Book of Business Gurus: 110 Thinkers Who Really Made a Difference. New York: AMACOM.
- Kennedy, Carol (1998). Guide to the Management Gurus: Shortcuts to the Ideas of Leading Management Thinkers. London: Century Business.
- Turner, Marcia Layton (2000). How to Think Like the World's Greatest Marketing Minds. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Brown, Tom; Crainer, Stuart; Dearlove, Des & Rodrigues, Jorge N. (2002). Business Minds. London: Financial Times/Prentice-Hall.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^ a b c d Witzel, Morgen (August 6, 2003). "First Among Marketers". Financial Times.
- ^ http://londred.com/en/news/25
- ^ Kotler, Philip (2017). My Adventures in Marketing: The Autobiography of Philip Kotler. IDEA BITE PRESS.
- ^ Kotler, Philip & Zaltman, Gerald (July 1971). "Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change". Journal of Marketing. 35 (3). pp. 3–12.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^ Kotler, Philip & Levy, Sidney J. (November–December 1971). "Demarketing, Yes, Demarketing". Harvard Business Review. 49 (6). pp. 74–80.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^ Kotler, Philip (1967). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning and Control. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
- ^ Financial Times (2003), ibid.
- ^ For entire list, see Kellogg.northwestern.edu
More references: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/kotler_philip.aspx#research
Further readingEdit
- "What Next?" – An Interview with Philip Kotler on the Future of Marketing" (The Marketing Journal), January 15, 2016
- "Phil Kotler on the Relationship between Marketing and Capitalism" (FIXCapitalism.com)
- "Can Marketing Improve Capitalism?" (Huffington Post)
- "Finally, Brand Activism!" – Philip Kotler and Christian Sarkar (The Marketing Journal), January 9, 2017
External linksEdit
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Philip Kotler


text:
If you've never listened to public radio before, you probably have a lot of misconceptions about it. Or perhaps you don't know what it is at all. Tune your radio down to 91 and listen—not just one time, but at different hours during the week. It's not the same thing every day. It's always unique, always moving forward.
KRCL officially went on the air on December 3, 1979. It had taken the owner the previous seven years to get the license, money, building, and equipment to run a radio station. Out of these, the new FCC licensee began broadcasting in the Salt Lake area.
Donna Land Maldonado is the Program Director of KRCL and she has worked there since July of 1979, before they started broadcasting. Fresh out of college with a Sociology degree, she needed a job to support herself and her family. She had never worked in radio and had never even heard of public radio. A good friend introduced her to KRCL and she immediately fell in love with it. She's worked there ever since. Community radio is the great passion in her life. "I think it's all beneficial, allowing people to hear things that they don't hear anywhere else, to hear different voices, different perceptions, different opinions, ideas, everything," she says.
KRCL has many voices. There are a wide variety of musical programs ranging from reggae to rockabilly, bluegrass to blues, r&b to r&r, jazz, Latin, punk, industrial—if you like a specific genre of music, they probably play it. Plus there are news programs, women's programs, book readings and talk shows. Opinions and musical styles may be counter to those on commercial radio stations but that's one of the benefits of KRCL: giving everyone a chance to voice their feelings. As Donna says, "I think everyone should be allowed to voice their opinion whether it's right or wrong." This is the idea behind KRCL and community radio, allowing all to speak for themselves.
Recently KRCL had 48 hours of women's programming. The event involved 30-35 women from various backgrounds. They were able to express themselves in their own words. They also did all the engineering and production for the weekend's programs.
All these programs on KRCL are run with the help of volunteers and funded by donations from the listeners. Twice a year KRCL has a radiothon to raise money to keep the station alive. They operate on an incredibly tight budget, barely making it from one fundraiser to the next. That's why contributing is so important," says Sandi Terry, Development Director, "because it isn't for free. We're always on a shoelace around here. It's amazing when you go through the budget. It's bad!" But it's not bad enough to keep the staff and volunteers from moving forward, regardless of financial strain.
Sandi has been working at KRCL since July of last year. She's a senior at the U and plans to stay on at KRCL for a few years after she graduates, "until I make a difference." Her job consists of promoting KRCL, advertising and promoting concerts. Basically she makes the community aware of what KRCL is and what they do there. They also work at many festivals in the area such as they May Fest at the U, the Living Traditions Festival in May with the Salt Lake City Arts Council and others in Deer Valley and Snowbird.
"It's a powerful station," says Sandi. "It broadens people's minds and if you're a listener you know that it's something different from other radio stations. You can turn it on and learn something new. Music's very political. You can learn something from that."
The station has helped to educate Sandi. Since joining the staff she has become more open-minded, a more liberal thinker. Radio personnel at KRCL are able to dress as themselves and be themselves. The atmosphere around the station is very relaxed, very warm and inviting. Listeners are always dropping in to visit the station and the staff welcomes them.
In the last year, KRCL has made a mark on the community. They ran the Iran-Contra hearings from gavel to gavel, which took a whole summer. Recently they have been one of only twenty-five radio stations in the country to run the Nicaraguan elections, only because they feel that is important. They have been involved with the rise of the peace movement, with the arts community and with many of the ethnic minority communities. And they hope to become more involved. Donna feels that more people will use KRCL to their advantage as they become more established in the community. KRCL is there to protect everybody's rights, not just those on the fringes of society—that is their commitment.
"Fortunately for us, there are people who are reaching, always reaching beyond certain boundaries for things," says Donna.
KRCL is always looking for volunteers. For more info call the station at 363-1818 or stop by and see what's up at 208 W. 800 S. in Salt Lake.
Radio Free 91 KRCL
By Matt
If you've never listened to public radio before, you probably have a lot of misconceptions about it. Or perhaps you don't know what it is at all. Tune your radio down to 91 and listen—not just one time, but at different hours during the week. It's not the same thing every day. It's always unique, always moving forward.


text:
In Fabric
Strickland frequently tests viewers' patience, but his off-putting sensibility is powerful enough to make In Fabric as mesmerizing as its subject: salesmanship as a sinister,…
Strickland frequently tests viewers' patience, but his off-putting sensibility is powerful enough to make In Fabric as mesmerizing as its subject: salesmanship as a sinister,…
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is its own, wondrous, magnificent thing.
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
An article about today's noon premiere of a new movie about architect Benjamin Marshall at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An article about the screening of Horace Jenkins' "Cane River" on Friday, November 1st, at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles.
Scout Tafoya's video essay series about maligned masterpieces celebrates Steven Soderbergh's Solaris.
An article about today's noon premiere of a new movie about architect Benjamin Marshall at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An FFC on Gavin Hood's Official Secrets.
A celebration of Yasujiro Ozu, as written by a Far Flung Correspondent from Egypt.
A piece on Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Joe Pesci, and what they've meant to the career of Martin Scorsese.
A review of Apple TV's Truth Be Told with Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul.
The Spice Girls are easier to tell apart than the Mutant Ninja Turtles, but that is small consolation: What can you say about five women whose principal distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names? They occupy "Spice World" as if they were watching it: They're so detached they can't even successfully lip-synch their own songs. During a rehearsal scene, their director tells them, with such truth that we may be hearing a secret message from the screenwriter, "That was absolutely perfect--without being actually any good." "Spice World" is obviously intended as a ripoff of "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), which gave the Beatles to the movies. They should have ripped off more--everything they could get their hands on. The movie is a day in the life of a musical group that has become an overnight success, and we see them rehearse, perform, hang out together, and deal with such desperately contrived supporting characters as a trash newspaper editor, a paparazzi and a manipulative manager.
All of these elements are inspired in one way or another by "A Hard Day's Night." The huge difference, of course, is that the Beatles were talented--while, let's face it, the Spice Girls could be duplicated by any five women under the age of 30 standing in line at Dunkin' Donuts.
The Beatles film played off the personalities of the Beatles. The Spice Girls have no personalities; their bodies are carriers for inane chatter. The Beatles film had such great music that every song in it is beloved all over the world. The Spice Girls music is so bad that even "Spice World" avoids using any more of it than absolutely necessary.
The film's linking device is a big double-decker bus, painted like a Union Jack, which ferries the Girls past London landmarks (so many landmarks I suspect that the filmmakers were desperately trying to stretch the running time). This bus is of ordinary size on the outside but three times too wide on the inside; it is fitted with all the conveniences of Spice Girlhood, except, apparently, functional toilet facilities, leading to the unusual sight of the Girls jumping off the bus for a quick pee in the woods. (They do everything together.) So lacking in human characteristics are the Girls that when the screenplay falls back on the last resort of the bankrupt filmmaking imagination--a live childbirth scene--they have to import one of their friends to have the baby.
She at least had the wit to get pregnant, something beyond the Girls since it would involve a relationship, and thus an attention span. Words fail me as I try to describe my thoughts at the prospect of the five Spice Girls shouting "push!"
An early review of Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell out of AFI Fest.
A Far Flung Correspondent weighs in on the MCU controversy.
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...
The top 50 shows of the 2010s.


text:
Do i really have to reiterate the SPOILER warning?
enjoy :D
If victory is "sweet," then Green Lantern fans are afflicted this week with a massive sugar high.
With Green Lantern #25, the Sinestro Corps War that started for readers in June with an oversized special has concluded with another doozy of an issue – this one a 54-page story of battles and revelations that not only ended this chapter, but teased what's on the horizon for Green Lantern readers for years to come.
And just like last time, readers beware: Spoilers ahead. As we talked to Johns about the war and its ramifications, we not only reviewed what occurred in the battles of the past (and this issue in particular), but we also found out more about the issue's prophecy of the future that has Green Lantern fans abuzz.
Newsarama: We'll talk about the issue a little more in a minute. But I'm just going to skip right to the prophecy, because that's what everyone's talking about.
Geoff Johns: Before that, I have to give props to Ivan Reis and Albert Oclair and Ethan Van Sciver for their work on Green Lantern #25. It's absolute genius along with Moose's and Rod's colors. And props to everyone who worked on this with me – especially Eddie Berganza, Adam Schlagman, Dave Gibbons and Peter Tomasi. Everyone involved delivered.
And one more thanks to Dan Didio. He's the reason #25 looks so good. He gave us the extra days to get it done because he believed in the quality of the book. It's been a pleasure for years to work with Dan. I just had dinner with him and I can't wait for you to hear some of the things DC has planned. It's driving me mad with glee.
ROGERS: Well, since we're talking what's planned, is the Blackest Night that Ganthet revealed to the Green Lanterns of Earth just a prophecy, or is it something that's in stone and is going to happen no matter what?
GJ: Yes, it's a prophecy. That's all I can say. But look at the tag line on the last page. "Across the universe, the dead will rise." That will happen.
ROGERS: So that's guaranteed. But that double-page spread of the "War of Light" that was shown in the prophecy – the seven corps at war – is that a guarantee?
GJ: I'd put money on it that it's going to happen. [laughs]
ROGERS: Sounds like odds are good. OK, let's talk about that black lantern we saw. This was the Anti-Monitor who was flying through the air, right?
GJ: Yep.
ROGERS: Landing on a planet somewhere. Are we supposed to recognize and know where he landed?
GJ: Nope.
GJ: I know where it is. [laughs]
ROGERS: Well, that's kind of handy. And then he unwillingly becomes part of a black lantern?
GJ: Yes. He's the power source of the Black Lanterns.
ROGERS: You've had this planned ever since you came up with the idea to have the Anti-Monitor in this storyline, haven't you?
GJ: Yes.
ROGERS: And then, we have the tease of The Blackest Night coming in 2009. You have it all planned that far ahead?
GJ: Yes. Along with the two geniuses Ethan and Ivan, I know the entire story. We planned everything out, all the way through the storyline. I know every single beat and I'm anxious for people to see them unfold.
ROGERS: Is Blackest Night going to be something that runs through the Green Lantern title, or several titles, or on its own?
GJ: I can't really talk about the specifics of it yet. I can tell you that it's planned, and it's big, and ...
ROGERS: And it involves dead people.
GJ: [laughs] Yes.
ROGERS: Coming out of the ground! Was that planet Earth we saw with the graveyards?
GJ: It looked very much like Earth.
ROGERS: And would that include dead superheroes being resurrected out of those graveyards?
GJ: I'm not going to say anything else. [laughs] But I will say to look closely at the symbol on the black rings.
ROGERS: Ah, yes. The symbol. We'll let people go grab their issues and look at it. And there were also symbols on the various Lanterns on that double-page spread that Ethan [Van Sciver] did of the War of Light. All the different colored corps have their own symbols and looks?
GJ: All the lanterns, yeah. Everyone has a symbol. Ethan redefined the way Green Lanterns' energy is used visually. He started the "siren" symbol and now it's everywhere. He also designed the various Corps' symbols and there's a rhyme and reason to them all. My favorite touch is the Indigo Tribal Lanterns. Very organic, which plays into what that Corps' philosophy and M.O. is all about.
ROGERS: There will be a lot of analyzing of the characters on that two-page spread. The seven corps of light. Let's talk about these colors, because they're obviously playing a large part in upcoming stories. We've been seeing the revelations of this emotional spectrum building in Green Lantern for a long time now, haven't we?
GJ: It started with Rebirth, when the yellow impurity was revealed as a living power, as Parallax, the embodiment of fear. And green was the embodiment of willpower.
ROGERS: What made you embrace the idea of an emotional spectrum so enthusiastically and develop it into these stories?
GJ: I believe that emotions are more than just the result of a complex brain. There is power in emotions. And this is all about exploring that idea.
I love the idea that, the moment the first sentient being willed their finger to move, they created that spark of green energy out there that could be harnessed and wielded. That was the first power to ever exist. And beyond that are the other emotions and colors and their power.
And it just was cool. [laughs] It was cool to imagine – what kind of power is rage? What does pure rage do to somebody? I remember Ethan and I talking for literally hours about it way back when.
ROGERS: So is Green Lantern going to be exploring the powers behind these emotions even further? You've explained the ideas behind willpower vs. fear, and it's pretty obvious how they fit into the Green Lantern mythos. And the power of unchecked love fits with the Star Sapphire. But how do all these other emotions make sense in the story of Green Lantern?
GJ: You'll know soon. I don't want to talk about this in too much detail. It will all make sense when we finally get there, but the journey to The Blackest Night starts right away.
ROGERS: Well, you already showed us a lot of detail, with lanterns fighting and...
GJ: No, I didn't. [laughs]
ROGERS: [laughs] That wasn't really detail, huh?
GJ: That's the tip of the iceberg of what the story is and what happens with the story. It really is.
But the exploration of the emotional spectrum and why we're exploring that is because it's a great piece of mythology to the Green Lanterns. It's emotion-based. It's all about how people feel and react, with action involved. And that immediately appeals to me. That's what I like – emotion-filled action. And so it's just exploring what the primal emotions mean, and what they can do if we're overwhelmed by them, and how we use them as a power or a weapon for good or evil. Everybody can relate to one emotion. So it's just something great to explore for Green Lantern and Hal Jordan as a character and all the Green Lanterns as characters. And it's got huge physical and action potential, like with the War of Light.
ROGERS: Getting back to something you said about how people use emotions as weapons and get overwhelmed by emotions: You and I talked before about how disabling fear can be and how you're exploring that, albeit somewhat symbolically through the idea of an impurity and its effect on the energy of willpower. Are you doing the same with the other emotions as weapons? Are you going to be exploring their effects as emotions as well as their energy?
GJ: Yes. We'll be exploring all this in Green Lantern for the next ... what? 18 months until Blackest Night. The book will be exploring a lot of these facets. And what you got a small glimpse of in this issue will be explored over the next few issues.
ROGERS: But you're also making it all fit with the existing Green Lantern mythos, with one example being the way it not only made sense with the Star Sapphire story, but ended up explaining things that hadn't really been explained before.
GJ: Yes, it made sense with Star Sapphire. But I'm not "making" a lot of this fit. It just does. Back in Rebirth, Ethan and I were talking about the power of emotions and it just exploded from there. Everything flooded into place pretty quickly. The whole arc for Green Lantern is just ... it's all in place. I've been working on how I'm going to explore it and where it's going to lead us for years.
ROGERS: It's leading into the third part of the trilogy, right? Like the end of this issue said, there was Rebirth in 2005, then Sinestro Corps in 2007, then Blackest Night is coming in 2009.
GJ: Yeah. But I mean that even with the emotional spectrum, there's so much more to come. But again, I don't want to talk too much about the future.
ROGERS: Another way you've made a lot of this story fit with existing mythology is by incorporating elements of the prophecy that first appeared during Alan Moore's run. Was that something you made an effort to do?
GJ: Alan Moore's story had introduced ideas, and Dave Gibbons and I, when he was working on Green Lantern Corps, we looked back at that story. It's really vague, but it said there will be absolute destruction of the Green Lantern Corps, and Sodom Yat and Children of the White Lobe were mentioned. And we wanted to introduce those elements into the bigger story that we're doing. Incorporate that organically into the prophecy of Cosmic Revelations that I've been working on.
I think Sodom Yat has turned out to be a great character. I really love what Pete [Tomasi] did with him and his backstory in Green Lantern Corps #18.
ROGERS: So just for the record, you pronounce it "Sodd-Um Yawt."
GJ: I do!
ROGERS: And what is his status right now, at the end of Green Lantern #25?
GJ: He's Ion. It's really cool because he's the strongest Green Lantern in the universe with the Ion force and the fact that he's a Daxamite, yet if he removes his power ring, he'll succumb to lead poisoning within a matter of minutes. So he's got this great big power, and this huge Achilles' heel, which makes him fascinating to me. I really love Sodom Yat.
ROGERS: Are you going to be using him in upcoming stories?
GJ: He'll be in Green Lantern Corps a lot, and he'll be in Green Lantern too. With Peter Tomasi on Green Lantern Corps now, the two books – they won't be crossing over with each other, but they'll be in the same universe a little more now than they were. We'll be dealing with the aftermath of Sinestro Corps in similar and different ways. The books will feel a little more unified even though they're separate.
ROGERS: Since we're talking status of Sodom Yat and how he fits into the two titles, let's talk about the guys you like to call the "four musketeers." Tell us the status of Hal, John, Kyle and Guy now and where we'll see them.
GJ: Well, they'll appear in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. They'll run through both. But really the main thrust of their stories will be told with Hal Jordan and John Stewart in Green Lantern, while Green Lantern Corps will feature and spotlight Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner. So Hal and John are partners and Guy and Kyle are partners.
ROGERS: And you had said in one of our conversations that you would explain in this story why there are four Green Lanterns from Earth. Why is that? Is it related to what Ganthet was saying about Earth being the "keystone" of the multiverse and because it's ... what's the language he used?
GJ: It's the most emotionally rich planet in the universe. Yeah, that's part of it. And there will be more to it when we get to Blackest Night.
ROGERS: So we'll see more about the idea of Earth as a keystone in that story?
GJ: Yes. Earth is a center; it's a hotbed for this kind of activity.
ROGERS: OK, we've got the status of Sodom and the four musketeers. Status of Ganthet and Sayd now?
GJ: They're off, doing their thing. [laughs]
ROGERS: [laughs] They're off creating "hope." And they've got a blue ring!
GJ: Yeah. They've got work to do.
ROGERS: What kind of work?
GJ: Oh, things to do.
ROGERS: [laughs] OK. Things to do. And rings to make?
GJ: Uh ... yyyeah.
ROGERS: OK, and what issue will we see them again?
GJ: You'll see them eventually in Green Lantern.
ROGERS: Status of Sinestro?
GJ: He's under arrest. We'll see him in Green Lantern #26.
ROGERS: He doesn't seem too upset.
GJ: No, he's not too upset. I mean, he could have pushed things further. And he didn't. But as you saw him sitting in the cell at the end, he's not that unhappy. And there are other things to come. He's anxiously awaiting the announcement of the next law.
ROGERS: The next of these 10 laws that the Guardians added? He loved that first law, which let the Green Lanterns use lethal force. But wait, if he's anxious for the next law, does Sinestro know what the laws are going to be?
GJ: He has a feeling what they are. He knows a lot more than he's letting on. About everything.
ROGERS: I'm tempted to ask how.
GJ: Well, we'll be exploring that in Green Lantern over the next several months.
ROGERS: OK, status of Superman Prime?
GJ: In the multiverse. When the Guardian was destroyed, Prime soaked up all the energy. And he's flying around in Countdown for a little bit. But I get him back pretty soon.
ROGERS: Pretty soon? Where?
GJ: Next year. In a... next year. In 2008.
ROGERS: In Green Lantern?
GJ: Nnnnnnnno. That's all I can say. [laughs] For now. I can't say anything else. But I always knew where I wanted to take Prime after Sinestro Corps. They wanted to use him in Countdown for a little bit, and then I get him back.
ROGERS: So the next Superman Prime story...
GJ: ... his next chapter is already planned.
ROGERS: And will be written by Geoff Johns.
GJ: Yeah. In a book I'm not currently writing.
ROGERS: OK, let's see... status of the Anti-Monitor? He's part of the Black Lantern now, right?
GJ: Yep. He's captured as the power source of the Black Lantern. And he's a shadow of what he used to be.
ROGERS: But he's not gone.
GJ: No, he's not gone.
ROGERS: OK, status of poor Cyborg Superman, with that tear on his cheek 'cause those damned Manhunters are going to rebuild him when all he wants to do is die.
GJ: [laughs] That guy never gets a break. What a great tragic villain.
ROGERS: When he looked out of that energy bubble that the Green Lanterns had created as a shield, and he said, "Thank you" as he was about to die – it was heartbreaking.
GJ: Yeah. He was psyched. He thought that was finally his time. And it really is unfortunate that the guy can't catch a break, but he's a really interesting villain, and a really interesting character.
ROGERS: Will we be seeing him again?
GJ: Of course.
ROGERS: And Parallax is divided among the four Earth Green Lanterns in the power battery, right?
GJ: Yes.
ROGERS: And one of those batteries just had to have a University of Michigan symbol on it.
GJ: [laughs] That's Guy Gardner's! He's from Michigan!
ROGERS: Yeah, but those of us from Ohio State can't enjoy that! [laughs] I mean, did you have to have him screaming "Wolverines?"
GJ: [laughs] Have you ever met anyone from Michigan?
ROGERS: Yes, unfortunately.
GJ: [laughs] Come on! It's Guy Gardner! Of course he'd do that!
ROGERS: [laughs] OK, I'll give you that. You need to have him and Citizen Steel watching the game together.
GJ: Yeah! Totally.
[Newsarama Note: Much of Newsarama Senior Editor Matt Brady's family went to the University of Michigan, and Brady's uncle, Joe Carl wrote the music to "Let's Go Blue." Brady is finding this whole Michigan tangent distasteful… WOLVERINES!]
ROGERS: But back to Parallax, he's totally contained in the lanterns?
GJ: Yes, he's contained. Separated. Weakened. Screwed up.
ROGERS: But help us out here. If he's the embodiment of fear, do the Sinestro rings still have the same power?
GJ: Yeah, the Sinestro rings can still draw power. He's the living embodiment of that power, but that power of fear exists beyond Parallax. Just like green willpower exists beyond Ion. Ion is just a living being that was born out of that power, just like Parallax was born out of the power of fear.
ROGERS: So does it stand to reason that we will see other "living embodiments" that have been born out of the power of the emotions in the spectrum?
GJ: Perhaps.
ROGERS: OK. I want to talk to you about Coast City. It's a pretty cool story, what you've done with the city in this issue in particular. But tell me if I'm wrong here: Coast City itself is symbolic of Hal and the journey he's taken since Rebirth.
GJ: Oh yeah. It is. On a lot of levels. Issue #25 is, for me, the culmination of the last two years. If you go back into Green Lantern #1, that city's empty. And in the first arc, we focused on Hal's brother and his family. His brother is everything Hal isn't. He's kind of a product of their mother, who, after their dad died, became extremely overprotective. And because his little brother Jim Jordan was raised with that a little more than Hal was, because Hal was older, that really defined him and their relationship in a lot of ways. And you see Jim and his family at the end of that first arc deciding they're going to follow his brother to Coast City despite their fears.
ROGERS: There's that idea of overcoming fear again.
GJ: Yep. And they decide they're going to go there and make a life for themselves because that's their home. And they went, and it's been an unsuccessful rebuild since the beginning. The buildings they rebuilt are empty, the parks are empty, the streets are empty, the schools are empty... the subsidies from the government are stopping. And the way that has now evolved to become what it is today, it's a story of overcoming fear, and of how that city inspires Hal and the city is inspired by him. And that's how we feed off each other with inspiration. It's not just a one-way street. And for this city, and for Hal, things have come full circle. One of the worst moments of Hal's life was when Coast City was destroyed, and that's come full circle to where the city is standing behind Hal and trust him. They're like, "we believe in you."
ROGERS: It even seems representative of other things that happened to Hal over the last couple years. You talk about him earning the trust of Coast City, and it mirrors how he had to earn the trust of the Green Lantern Corps members, the trust of the Lost Lanterns, and even the trust of the Justice League.
GJ: Yeah! Exactly.
ROGERS: With him earning the trust of the people in Coast City, it's like you were closing that whole chapter of the book.
GJ: Yeah. For me, that's what it was. It's the end of that chapter in Hal's life, and in the life of the city. It definitely goes hand in hand.
And also, Coast City is now the City Without Fear. How cool is that?
ROGERS: [laughs] I'm moving to Coast City!
GJ: Yeah. Everyone's moving to Coast City. The place is amazing now. We mentioned how all these other cities were evacuating, but these guys stayed. And they put green lights in their windows to let Hal know, we're not going anywhere. One person put a light in the window, then someone else, then someone else. Who else has a city that's going to be behind them like that? And now you can walk down that street proud to be in Coast City. It's something big to be there. You wear T-shirts that say, "Born in Coast City."
ROGERS: This is becoming a trend for you, developing the stories of the cities. You did it for Flash, and now for Green Lantern.
GJ: Yeah, Keystone City was kind of a blue collar town. And now Coast City is this military town, with a lot of battleships in the harbor. But what's really cool about Coast City is that there are a lot of people living there who overcame their fear to move there even when others wouldn't. Everyone moves to Coast City who wants to stop being afraid of something. Anxiety in kids today is huge, you know. The post 9-11 generation is different than generations past. They used to be told there were nukes that could strike and hit – but they never did. In these kids' worlds, it did happen. Fear is stronger than ever, so we have to be stronger than ever.
ROGERS: It's what this whole story has been about really – the battle between the disabling emotion of fear and the enabling emotion of willpower – and here it's all encapsulated in a city of regular people just like us.
GJ: Yeah. They're people who are looking to live a life free of fear. And it's a community and city that I think is much more, despite its size being so big, it's going to be much more supportive of one another than other cities will be because of everything they've gone through and everything Coast City represents to them. And they've got this great hero. That last shot where the four are flying over and you see the street's jammed? That just says it all. Everybody's going there. And you look at the page before that where, on the last panel, the guys are fixing the sign, and they're talking about, "What do we do for population?" On one side you see the traffic jam of cars with suitcases on them trying to get in, and on the other side is the highway out, and it's empty.
ROGERS: It's a powerful visual. But I want to get back to where you talked about that page with the four Lanterns of Earth flying together. It reinforces the idea of the four musketeers and their unity after the war. It's not just the ending of a chapter in Hal's life, but for all of them, isn't it?
GJ: Yes, it's for all the GLs. It's for these four guys. I don't just think of Green Lantern as being Hal Jordan. I think of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner. They've been through a hell of a lot, both together and separately. When I got on Green Lantern in the first place, the whole idea wasn't just, hey let's bring back Hal Jordan and forget everything; it was about bringing back everything. All four of these guys are important characters and are important to the Green Lantern mythology. They're important to the Green Lantern books, they're important to the readers, they're important to me, they're important to the Corps itself and the stories, and they're important to the DC Universe. These four guys are like, rock solid. And if I was in the DC Universe and something happened, I would want those four guys in my corner. They have a hell of a back-up too, you know? [laughs]
ROGERS: Oh yeah. And you had said before that Guy and Kyle would be featured mostly in Green Lantern Corps. And that you will be focusing on Hal and John in Green Lantern. In specific, what is John Stewart's role? Because Kyle and Guy are working with the Corps, right?
GJ: Kyle and Guy will be working with the Corps, and then Hal and John will be working in unison. But also, we have a lot of big plans for John Stewart next year. We're going to be fleshing out John's backstory. It starts with a couple things in #26. You're going to see more John Stewart and who he is. We're going to continue to push the idea that he's the best shot in the Green Lantern Corps.
ROGERS: Right. Like when he took out...
GJ: He took out Bedovian. He's the best shot. There's a reason for that. We get into that in that backstory. We get into where else he's gone. There are plans and ideas for John Stewart beyond Green Lantern. Hopefully those will come to fruition. But John Stewart's a hell of a character, and he'll be getting as much spotlight as all the other GLs.
ROGERS: When you say outside Green Lantern, he's in the Justice League now, right?
GJ: Yeah, he's in Justice League. So that's great, and he'll get more exposure in Justice League...
ROGERS: It was pretty defining how the Anti-Monitor was taken down in this issue by a combination of Guy's creativity and John's administrative skills.
GJ: Yeah. John's a leader. He doesn't screw around.
ROGERS: And Guy is the one who would think of, like, the bomb to throw at him...
GJ: Who else is going to come up with something to hit him with? [laughs] That's Guy Gardner. And that's the great thing about all four of them. You look at all four of them and they're all different. They're all individual.
ROGERS: We talked a little about John and Guy. What about Kyle? What makes him unique? What's his strength?
GJ: His creativity is his strength. And his compassion. He's such a compassionate character; he cares so much for other people. And he's obviously thinking outside the box at all times. And he's strong as hell. He's stronger than he thinks he is. He's not a rookie anymore; he's a veteran. But I still think that he underestimates what he can do sometimes.
ROGERS: He and Hal made quite the team when they went hand-to-hand with Sinestro.
GJ: Yeah! They're like, "What do we do now? We improvise." And they just leap over rooftops.
ROGERS: And when they take Sinestro's power, he's like, "Come on then. The both of you." But Geoff, why make that choice as a writer to have these guys just duke it out with their fists in the end?
GJ: I like the dichotomy of having this giant, huge battle between super-beings and Guardians and the Anti-Monitor and Prime and Green Lanterns and the DCU juxtaposed next to Hal, Kyle and Sinestro just going hand to hand.
ROGERS: And a two-by-four to the head. [laughs]
GJ: Yeah! And the two-by-four. That fight is great as they're jumping from building to building. At one point, you see Kyle just tackle Sinestro, and they fall across the street through a glass window of another building that's half built. And Hal just jumps in after them! I mean, what other heroes can do this kind of stuff?
ROGERS: That's very Hal. To just jump in, chasing the fight without a second thought.
GJ: It is. And at the end of the day, that's who Hal is. How he doesn't need the ring to be a hero. The ring helps him do a lot of cool things, but Hal's the same guy. We have a scene coming out soon where someone says to Hal, "I don't even know why you wear that mask because you act exactly the same. At least Bruce and Clark try to be different."
ROGERS: You know, having interviewed you about this character a few times, it seems like you identify with Hal a lot.
GJ: Yeah. I do. I like how Hal is straightforward. What you see is what you get. I just like Hal's attitude. Heroes are built to be related to and inspired by, and I think Hal's pretty inspiring. Like I just love how, when his power ring is empty, the Sinestro Corps is all over the place, and Kyle says, "What now?" – Hal says, "we improvise."
ROGERS: Do you identify with Hal more than most characters you write?
GJ: Well, you identify with and relate to every character you write. It all just depends on what character it is. But right now, he's probably my favorite character to write. He's just such a great character. He's such a wonderful character. And the Green Lantern mythology and history behind it all is so perfect for a comic book. The idea behind it, the concepts and everything.
ROGERS: Speaking of concepts behind the Green Lantern mythology, we haven't really talked about the Guardians. We've asked the status of everyone post-Sinestro Corps War. What's the status of the Guardians?
GJ: Well, we've got nine of them now because one's dead, and Ganthet and Sayd were banished. And you've got one of them that was scarred by the Anti-Monitor. Those scars will stick. That female Guardian will have those scars from here on out.
ROGERS: And the Guardians are ready to enact the second law?
GJ: Yes, but before that, they need to deal with something that spills out of the first law. The Alpha Lanterns grow out of the first new law.
ROGERS: The Alpha Lanterns grow out of the law enabling deadly force?
GJ: Yes. The Alpha Lanterns are there to help with the first law and allow the Guardians to initiate the second law.
ROGERS: Have we already seen any of the Alpha Lanterns?
GJ: No.
ROGERS: No. OK. Will people that we've already seen become Alpha Lanterns?
GJ: Uh... some will.
ROGERS: And the Alpha Lanterns are appearing in the next issue? #26?
GJ: Yes.
ROGERS: Now that Sinestro Corps is over, what else is coming up in Green Lantern?
GJ: We have three issues of the Alpha Lanterns, which will introduce them. Then we have Secret Origin, which is going to be an origin story with an eye toward the future.
ROGERS: It's Hal's origin story?
GJ: It spans from his childhood to his first time as a Green Lantern. The whole idea is to do a modern-day retelling of who Hal is, and looking at his friendship with Sinestro. We'll be focusing a lot on that.
ROGERS: And what's coming after that?
GJ: It's called Rage of the Red Lanterns.
ROGERS: The Red Lanterns. We saw some of them in this issue.
GJ: Yeah. So that will be a story that will begin in the later part of 2008.
ROGERS: Will it lead directly into Blackest Night?
GJ: No, there are a few more stories after that.
ROGERS: A few more colors?
GJ: Well, there are more stories. It all builds.
ROGERS: You know, this issue was so packed full, it's hard to imagine things can get bigger. You've compared the Green Lantern mythos to Star Wars, and it does seem like a series of blockbuster movies revealing more and more of the hidden mythos. Do you think the Green Lantern movie will be like this?
GJ: I don't know. I wish I had the chance to write the Green Lantern movie because I'd try to make it as kick-ass as this. And I'd pour my heart and soul into it.
ROGERS: And speaking of big, how many characters did Ivan draw here? It had to be hundreds. And so much detail.
GJ: Yeah. Ivan is no doubt the artist of the year. I think the amount of work he's done, the quality of the work he's done, and the effort and energy he put into Green Lantern, and especially Sinestro Corps, has blown away anybody else. And the fact that his work ethic is so unbelievable. He does stuff so fast. He doesn't rush through it – the work is still good. He just draws. Every line's perfect and the storytelling is great. His figures are beautiful and his detail is unbelievable. And I think Ivan is finally being recognized as the A-list talent he's been for years. And he should be. As a writer, I can write anything down on there and he can do it. I've seen pages from Green Lantern: Secret Origin and he can do anything from the great big wars to the real personal, emotional moments. He doesn't shy away from anything. And I'm really, really lucky to have him on this book. And I'm really lucky to work with him.
ROGERS: And you're going to be working with him for awhile into the future?
GJ: I hope we get to work together for a long, long time. He's without a doubt the guy who just shot up to the stratosphere this year.
ROGERS: Well, this issue certainly…
GJ: It proved it. I mean, it's Ivan's statement. And he wanted it to be quality, and he wanted it to be good. Initially, this issue was supposed to come out two weeks ago, and it just wasn't going to happen unless we had two more weeks for Ivan to do it. And he still ended up finishing two days early. And it's beautiful. He didn't rush through it. He doesn't just hack things out. In order for him to get the quality, he needed a little more time. But he did in six weeks what it would take a lot of artists six months to do.
ROGERS: It's basically two issues, because he did over 40 pages in those six weeks. And you add in Ethan's pages, and I don't think anyone can argue that this book doesn't come across, from start to finish, as a high quality product visually.
GJ: Yes, it's high quality, and that's what we were going for. We knew. We were like, this story is so big now, and people really enjoy it, we have to end it as carefully and as perfectly as we can. And I'm proud of what we did. I'm proud to work on this book and be a part of this team. Having Ethan come in and do some pages on #25 to set up the next chapter was the icing on the cake. Whenever Ethan and I get together I think there's some good magic going on.
ROGERS: Is there anything else you want to tell people about Green Lantern as we head toward the next chapter?
GJ: Just that I hope they stick with the books. I hope they stick with Green Lantern and I hope all the people that came on board for Sinestro Corps will be around to see what we have coming up next because it's going to be a great ride. Really, we're just getting started. Thanks to everyone for supporting the books!


text: Uribe's Conservative party and its allies are expected to keep a majority in congress [AFP] The opposition Liberal Party won 18 senate seats. Popular president The congressional election, which got under way on Sunday, is considered a key barometer of how Colombians will vote in the May 30 presidential contest. After two terms in office Uribe's nurturing of the economy to its best performance in 30 years and his crackdown on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), have earned him a near 70 per cent popularity rating. But a court decision last month barred him from seeking a third consecutive term as president and his term will end in August. Despite Uribe's popularity, both chambers of congress have been unable to shake off their association with scandal. Twelve pro-Uribe legislators have been convicted on charges linked to rightist paramilitary death squads, while at least another 80 legislators are under investigation for alleged links to paramilitary groups. Paramilitary links Security was tight for the vote, with about 150,000 military and police deployed across Colombia to safeguard some 77,000 polling stations. Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo, reporting from a polling station in Corinto, said there had been reports of intimidation by a paramilitary group on the election day. "[Reports] are suggesting that paramilitaries have been forcing people, especially in rural areas, by telling them which candidate they have to go for," she said. "Let us not forget that many paramilitary groups are trying to get candidates into congress." One political party was struck from the voting list on suspicion its leaders had links to paramilitaries, though opposition groups claim the party simply renamed itself and kept the same people, or their relatives, in charge. About 29.8 million Colombians were registered to vote to choose from 2,539 candidates to fill congress' combined 268 seats. SOURCE: Al Jazeera and agencies