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Quaker quotations
On surrender
At the latest Miracle Network Community day (I can't recommend these days enough - especially if you're a student of A Course in Miracles) we had an opportunity to practice channelled writing. That sounds a little esoteric, but it's actually very simple. Sit with a notepad and pen to hand. After a period of quiet reflection, ask yourself a question... Then, without consciously thinking about, jot down whatever words come to you.
Much of my book Things to Remember was written in this way, but it's been a few months since I've done this kind of Spirit-led writing, so I appreciated the unexpected opportunity to take up my pen and see what flowed.
It works best if you don't judge the words, or 'vet' them so that only what conforms with your pre-held ideas makes it onto the page. Put your inner critic aside for a while, and be witness to what emerges.
My topic yesterday was surrender.
Surrender means letting go. To let go is to accept things as they are and not require circumstances to change to fit with your own pre-conceived idea of how they ought to be. You do not know. Surrender to the One who does. Surrender to the One whose will for you is perfect happiness and who knows the means through which this is achieved.
What you are seeking is an outward form. Happiness is not found in form, but in content. You cannot find the real in the unreal. You cannot find lasting peace-contentment-belonging in a form that does not last.
When you are old, you will know this. Now, you still value form. I say to you, "surrender your perceived needs". Surrender your needs to be loved, to be held - and know that you already are. As long as you think you need something, you will think you lack it. You will not appreciate it is already yours.
Later this month I'm taking part in the Miracle Network's first Community Day. Everyone has been asked to bring along a favourite paragraph from A Course in Miracles to share. But which do I pick, when there are so many inspired verses I might choose?
I've settled on paragraph 7 of Lesson 158 of the Workbook. This, for me, encapsulates what it means in Quaker language to "answer that of God in everyone"…
"Christ's vision has one law. It does not look upon a body, and mistake it for the Son whom God created. It beholds a light beyond the body; an idea beyond what can be touched, a purity undimmed by errors, pitiful mistakes, and fearful thoughts of guilt from dreams of sin. It sees no separation. And it looks on everyone, on every circumstance, all happenings and all events, without the slightest fading of the light it sees."
For those unfamiliar with A Course in Miracles, some of the language here might be off-putting, or require explanation. The reference to "Christ" is not a reference to Jesus of Nazareth - although Jesus was certainly one who saw with the vision being spoken of. "Christ's vision" is available to all of us. It means that vision which sees the eternal Truth beyond surface appearances, the divine Essence that is veiled by transient forms.
Christ's vision is not the sight of the body's eyes. The body's eyes show us differences between people and testify to separation, not to Oneness. But how reliable a witness are they? As the Bible puts it, we see "but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Our perceptions are based on pre-judgements. The way to see truly is to rein in our impulse to judge and allow Spirit to shine its Light: "As you step back, the light in you steps forward and encompasses the world" (A Course in Miracles Lesson 156).
To see with Christ's vision is to look upon the world with Love. The Divine Essence - call it Light, or Spirit, or "that of God" - remains in everyone (every aspect of the One-ness). This passage calls on us to hold steadfastly to Its Reality, regardless of people's apparent errors (which are merely the result of their forgetfulness of Who they Are); regardless of "all happenings and all events".
Note that there are no exceptions. The Love of God within us is all-embracing. Christ's vision encompasses everyone, including those who our ego-self would have us judge the most harshly. If we see sin rather than Light in even one person, we remain in the dark.
Whoever we look at, the same Light is there to behold. And we must behold it, to find our way home.
Paragraph 8 of the same Lesson reinforces the message: "See no one as a body. Greet him as the Son of God he is, acknowledging that he is one with you in holiness." It underlines how central is the practice of seeing the truth in one and all: "…the world cannot give anything that faintly can compare with this in value; nor set up a goal that does not merely disappear when this has been perceived."
Lesson 158 is a timely reminder that nothing I might achieve on an outward level - promotion at work, finding the right relationship, facilitating a workshop or writing this blog - counts for anything when compared to looking on my neighbour with Love, with compassion, and recognising him or her as my Self. There is no separation between Christ's vision, the Self which sees, and the Self which is seen.
I think the seven years I've spent training to become a psychotherapist have been more fruitful for me than any spiritual path or practice I've tried.
What is the aim of the spiritual journey? Isn't it to become more of who we truly are, which means becoming more spontaneous, more self-aware, more conscious, more capable of intimacy?
Psychotherapy has the same goals.
Meditation is like psychotherapy in that we learn to sit with 'what is' and hopefully accept and integrate whatever arises. In meditation, we seek to debunk all the tricks of the mind and sink instead into a deeper, experiential sense of self that is beyond all concepts (sometimes we call this the Self, or God, or the Light).
Psychotherapy aims to help us to become both more functional in the world and more in touch with our true self. Perhaps an advantage of therapy over meditation is that the therapist can help us to identify tricks of the mind that we use unconsciously to avoid the dark and painful places.
In therapy, as on the spiritual path, there is no healing without suffering. Our wounds must be exposed if they are to be healed – because it is through our wounds that light gets in.
One of the reasons psychotherapy works – when it goes well – is because it's based on relationship. It's more difficult to expose and explore our wounds in front of another human than it is to examine these wounds by ourselves.
We are naturally, and appropriately, cautious about revealing our secret selves to others. But when we feel safe, we might dare to open up. It is a risk. It feels scary. But when we explore our wounds and darkest places with a therapist, we will hopefully find ourselves understood and accepted – and in this way we can learn to accept ourselves. This is healing.
So, relationship is the key to how psychotherapy works. The therapist helps us to uncover our shadow and to accept and integrate what we find there. The shadow, as Jung said, contains all of us that isn't yet conscious. The more we are able to bring out of the shadow into the light, the more whole we become.
Of course, the spiritual traditions have always acknowledged that relationship is part of the spiritual path. Think of the confessional, of the church, of the sangha, and so on. The spiritual community and spiritual directors have always been there to listen to us and support us, just as we listen to and support others.
But some things we daren't share. And some things we might not be aware of, so we can't share them. This is where therapy can help. When therapists are able to honour the trust we put in them, their acceptance of us can be internalised.
Mike Brooks is a Quaker and a psychotherapist. He is also the author of The Machine Society, a dystopian sci-fi novel.
Mike Brooks Therapy
The Machine Society: A novel by Mike Brooks
To surf or not to surf...
"When I realise that some part of my life is acting to distract me from hearing God's guidance or following that guidance wholeheartedly, it is time to simplify my life by subtracting that distraction." (Lloyd Lee Wilson, Journal of the North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative))
I'm fortunate in that I've never had an addiction to alcohol or drugs, and I don't smoke. When it comes to chocolate and other indulgences, I'm good at rationing myself. I do like my oatcakes and green tea – but as food 'addictions' go, they're not exactly the worst. If I do have a vice, it's been to spend too much time on the internet.
After a busy day at work, or sometimes at weekends if I'm at home, I find it tempting to switch on my laptop and go online. It doesn't happen very often, but on occasions I might still be sat there three hours later. It's not that I'm necessarily doing anything 'worthwhile' – like researching a new novel or booking on a workshop. Rather, the longer I'm at the computer screen, the harder I find it to drag myself away. Do I really need to know the latest Polish third division football scores? Effectively, I'm wasting the day.
As an antidote to this minor addiction, I've recently decided to put my laptop away at the end of each session. I disconnect the mouse, put the computer and its power lead away in their case, and hide the case in my cupboard.
I find that, if the computer is put away out of sight, I'm less likely to succumb to a casual whim to log onto it when I'm feeling stressed at the end of a long day. Going onto the computer now requires a little more effort – even the simple act of having to retrieve the laptop from its case in the wardrobe makes me think twice before going ahead. When I do choose to log in now, it's because there is something specific I need to do. It's become a more conscious choice. I'm mindful as I open the cupboard door; as I unzip the laptop case; as I place the machine on my desk. I've found that going through these simple actions with full attention prevents my mind from wandering – and from being distracted by soundbites or diversions when I am on-line.
"We are each obliged to use our time, abilities, strength, money, material possessions, and other resources in a spirit of love, aware that we hold these gifts in trust and that we are responsible for using them wisely." (Inter Mountain Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice, 2009)
Seeing the One in the many
"...The capacity to apprehend the One in the many constitutes the special responsibility of those who would dwell in love."
(Faith & Practice. A Book of Christian Discipline of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Extracts 37: Daniel A. Seeger, 1994.)
Thoughts on Guilt and Innocence
I always sleep with a pen and note-pad by my bedside table. They were called into action in the small hours of last night as I woke with these thoughts, prompted by my study of Chapter 14, Section III of A Course in Miracles the previous evening… (I had to get up half way through, as my biro ran out of ink. Note to self: In future, keep two pens by my bedside table!)
Though we wear masks of innocence and see our occasional transgressions as justified, at an unconscious level, we feel guilty for the seeming act of choosing, through separation, to cut ourselves off from God. Our sense of guilt is reinforced each time we look at another with even a hint of judgment or condemnation, and do not see them as a Child of God. Every day, even before the cock crows, we deny the Son of God in our thoughts, seeing him or her as a body and not as part of our Self. But our errors - be they unkind (untrue) thoughts, or words or deeds - cannot harm the other person and do not affect the truth of Who they are. Our 'crime' is therefore an imagined one that takes place only in this dream of forms.
Although I did not fully appreciate it at the time I was writing the novel, Escape to Redemption is an exploration of these same ideas. Josie inadvertently shoots someone. Initially, she tries to justify what she did. Soon, though, she is overwhelmed by guilt. Kogut (a student of A Course in Miracles who himself has a shady past) attempts to reassure her that, since "nothing real can be threatened", even her serious crime does not alter the truth of Who she is.
Can a part of God be guilty? Is there anything that is not a part of God?
If the answer to both of these questions is 'no' then, as a part of God, I (that of God in me, my True Self) cannot be guilty. I must be innocent.
How will I come to accept this? By seeing my brothers and sisters as innocent too. By looking past their mistakes (which are simply calls for love) and seeing only the Christ in them. In other words, it is through forgiveness - over-looking others' seeming errors and beholding only the eternal truth of Who they are - that I can set aside my own feelings of guilt.
"There is nothing to forgive. No one can hurt the Son of God. His guilt is wholly without cause, and being without cause, cannot exist." (A Course in Miracles, Text, Chapter 14.III.5-7.)
The expression "to answer that of God in everyone" is well-known in Quaker circles. But what does it mean? This is what came to me in a quiet time recently:
To "answer that of God" is to experience a moment of joining with another person, a holy instant in which, at some deep level, we recognize that 'other' as our Self.
New Year's Resolutions?
The start of the year is traditionally a time to make resolutions and to refect on our goals for the coming months. A Course in Miracles suggests that we have only one function here. It describes this function variously as "forgiveness", "healing", "happiness", "peace" and "accepting the atonement for ourselves" - all these being essentially the same thing. Forgiveness gives rise to peace; and true peace is impossible until we accept our oneness with All That Is - which equates to healing or remembering our Wholeness. Happiness cannot be our enduring experience while we see ourselves as separate, bound within a body, and at the mercy of forces outside ourselves.
What would it mean to accept the Peace of God as my only goal? How would I organise my time?
As I'm beginning to understand, I wouldn't do so much organising! I'd step back and let my Inner Guide (the Holy Spirit, in the language of the Course) lead the way. There are several things which I would like to do this year, but if I notice I'm becoming attached to outcomes (a sign of this is getting flustered, or doing things in a rush) it means I've given the task itself greater importance than my primary goal of Peace. When I notice this happening, it's time to pause.
Am I doing this activity for my self, or for the good of the Whole? If I'm doing it largely for my own agrandisement, I probably shouldn't be doing it at all. If I am doing it for the greater good, I need to remind myself that the results of my actions are up to the Holy Spirit, not up to me. It may be my part to facilitate a workshop, or to write a book or a blog post, but how it's received is not for me to fret about. It's the ego that asks, "What feedback will I get? How many copies of my book have people bought this month?". Releasing attachments to results will return me to Peace, my primary goal.
I wish you all Joy, Peace and healing in 2017.
Dwell on these things...
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
My favourite music, books and films tend to be those I find uplifting or inspiring... I prefer things which complement my good mood if I'm already feeling happy, or perk me up if I'm feeling a little down. I've never understood the attraction of violent movies (especially gratuitously violent ones), or books that lack a message of hope. Why would I want to spend my time watching or reading something that will depress me? (That's why I don't tend to read the newspapers either - apart from the refreshing positive Positive News.)
It's a similar story with music. I thought I'd share a few of my favourite tracks and pieces of music... They're a mixed bag, from classical to modern, but what they have in common is a 'high-vibration'. I find them life-affirming, and a few minutes of listening to these invariably lifts my mood. In no particular order...
Hymn by Vangelis (have a listen to this version on YouTube).
C-JAM: Starlight
Pachelbel's Canon
Enya: Only Time; Trains and Winter Rains
Katrina and the Waves: Love Shine a Light
Sandra: Everlasting Love
Midnight Oil: Beds Are Burning
Housemartins: Caravan of Love
Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge
Cecilia: Silver Wings
Forgiving and Letting Go (free CD available from Inner Talk)
Stand by Me (Song Around the World version)
The Beatles: Let It Be
John Lennon: Imagine
Mr Mister: Broken Wings
Texas Lightning: No No Never (backing track to this minigolf trick shots video)
Curtis Mayfield: We Got To Have Peace
John Farnham: You're The Voice
What are your own uplifting favourites?
Peter Parr: Quaker, writer, A Course in Miracles student and former member of the British minigolf team. (Actually those are all just roles I play. Words can't describe who any of us really are.)


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I am interested in getting some interesting chord synonyms, just some of your favourites which you find help you to add colour to your playing or an interesting way of looking at certain progressions. Any thoughts?
Apologies for an indirect overkill answer but perhaps this approach
may be useful to you or somebody.
Ex. Cma7 ........... for clarity sake I'll limit possible extensions to D F# A
mixed and matched together with prime chord tones C E G B
Here's how the game works:
Replace one primary 7th chord tone with an extension
Replace two primary 7th chord tones with extensions
Replace three primary 7th chord tones with extensions
These are note collections, not voicing suggestions, although on a piano they are accessible.
The fewer prime chord tones the more it necessary to play them in middle to higher range
so that the non-primary notes are heard as extensions. Playing too low can confuse
the intended meaning of the notes.
Chord synonyms are a convenient shorthand but to be comprehensive would require
memorizing so many relationships. Of course ...... you only asked us for our favorites.
I was never much good at favoritisms but anyway, here's one I like:
Bbma7+ for C13(#11)
Yea... cool bako.
I tend to just hear and think of those as voicings. And when you use #11 as extension, your implying Gmaj. right. Unless your using modal guidelines.... which is great with me.
I tend to heard and use chords functionally.... meaning all extensions are implied whether played or not.
So if the starting Target reference is Cma7#11... Lydian. the basic Functional Synonyms would be... down a diatonic 3rd and up a diatonic 3rd.... So Amin7 or Amin9th and Emin9.... Basic Functional Harmony... and if I get Modal I can use the characteristic note of Lydian, the #11 as the organization for creating Modal Functional Synonym chords.... or any diatonic chord from Cma7#11 and extensions that contains that #11. Gets more complicated because our ears are so use to Maj/Min functional Harmony.... But works and is also great for soloing...
This approach is very simple and repeats... easy to become good at using when performing. You can add other relationships to the new Synonym chords by basically thinking of the new synonym chord as a Temporary Target
Yea,Sorry... I'm one of those guys that hears and thinks of melodic and Harmonic as the same thing, just depends on what's being played etc... I'm even worse... it's all harmonic.
I'm even worse... it's all harmonic.
In the context of destructive human belief systems, this one doesn't even register.
I tend strongly in this direction as well but have some catching up to you to do
for real time recognition of all the relationships at play.
Can you give examples of what you mean by synonym? Sorry not sure what you mean by that... I can think of a few possible meanings.
Originally Posted by christianm77
My sick imagination evoke many different images and descriptions while playing music (I remember as a kid I showed some episodes in the piece to my mom and said that this chord seems 'an old man' to me... she asked me not to tell to anyone)... but I can't remember any fixed quality... excepte maybe dominant within functional toanlity...
But I always had associations with key - but it is probably deeper rooted.. some cultural thing...
But chord synonims could be helpful... for example ii7-v7-Imaj in Cmajor
ii7 is Professor Higgins (don't ask me why)
V7 is definitely Hulk here
and Cmajor7 is something between Peppa Pig and Selena Gomez (in character of course, not in appearance).. so I will call it Peppa Gomez...
and C6 is just Peppa Pig
and C69 is just Selena Gomez
So if you say something like : hey what's that Professor Higgins doing here man? We are already with Hulk in second inversion heading to Peppa Gomez
Or: hey man! Let's decide right now... if we are with Selena Gomez or Peppa Pig here? they do not work both at time!
that brings lots of colour into it...
Please don't bring up Peppa Pig in my safe space.
Yeah, I mean intervallic structures can be used in all sorts of contexts, which translates to fretboard shapes.
Alternatively some chords have alternative names.
Others have no good name, for instance
6 x 5 6 7 x
Synonym - a chord used in place of another chord. Em7 = Cma9, Em9 = Cma9#11, etc.
This is also at times referred to as super-impostion, basically using this to cover that.
6 x 5 6 7 x .......... Bb x G Db F# x
I look at two aspects in naming chords.
1. context, how is it being used
2. simplest name for the notes G Bb Db F# ---- GoMa7
GoMa7 is often a synonym for Eb7#9 or A13b9
Also a variant of the 4 diminished enharmonics Go, Bbo, Dbo, Eo
Please don't bring up Peppa Pig in my safe space.
Synonym - a chord used in place of another chord. Em7 = Cma9, Em9 = Cma9#11, etc.
This is also at times referred to as super-impostion, basically using this to cover that.
ANY CHORD = ANY chord
'CHORD' is some kind of function within musical language (not necessarly traditional classiccla functionality), we define functions ouselves if we understand how music works.
Examples: dom7 (yes it is a chord but we can also use it here as some kind of function, in that sense we can interprete some chords like functions too, for example ii7), or just D (dominant), or Peppa Pig... it depends on how we specify functions in the context of language
'chord' is specific chord, i.e a set of four notes(I prefer to use 4-note chords here but it can be used with triads too). It can be extended to specific voiceing (or even in application to guitar associated with shape or grip).
So some example
D (dominant functional) = dom7, or iim7, or VIIdim, or IIb7, or VIIb7? or VIb7 (these things can be personal and arguable) etc.
iim7 (not as chord but as function) = IVmaj7, vim7, V7 (why not depends on how you hear functioning), even VIIdom7,
Extended version is with specific version (or even grips)
(I'll make it in G major)
dom7 (as function) = x5456x (common one)
dom7 (as function) = xx1233
dom7 (as function) = 7888xx (sounds nice going to I/V)
etc. it can be very simple and basic like common relative chords or subs... and it can very sidtand and audible only in strong horizontal voice-leading and context...
But I like the idea that it is not just 'anything can be anything' but that one part becomes a function and another its particular realization (even though sometimes they can be the same or switch places - this what makes jazz context so free and unique)
yea, Jonah... nice post. Generally there is some type of organization, musical organization... for that freedom when playing in a jazz style.
I use function as my main use of chord and chord pattern organization. And melodically also. Chords are like melodic licks... that's generally how i use them. The melodic lick on top has harmonic reference. Different styles of music have common practice sounds, common chord patterns and melodic licks.... When you play one of those... they create or remind one, or the audience, the listener of that sound. Which becomes a harmonic or melodic reference.... I use Functional organization as being The "Context".
So context... has organization, musical organization.... I can use harmony, melody, rhythm... articulations etc... as performance tools to expand... that context and still have it be there. Sometimes I trash it... but generally the results are COOL... musician or the band has fun and the audience can at least feel something. (besides me starring at my guitar with strange face movements)
So generally... I'm playing Chord Patterns that imply the original chord and it's function... the function being the context. I'm pretty simple player... but I have chord patterns with melodic lick.... for almost any sound with function... I don't play basic chords. Unless I'm just sight reading a part... and that's what's wanted. This isn't anything new... most jazz musicians just naturally play this way.
Yea bako... love using diminished chords for access to Harmonic Maj. .....13b9 chords. It's the latest... well last 20 years to expanding Altered sound. It cool how common root motion can handle altered sounds and still have Functional options... not just Dominant.
Originally Posted by bako
Originally Posted by christianm77
Originally Posted by bako
Yes this is what I mean!
Yeah, some days I think there's basically only two diatonic chords, one with a tritone and one without.
Well maybe three.
Melodic minor chords have more than one tritone , as do diminished.
So what I mean by that (if anyone gives a stuff) is:
There are two types of chords in diatonic scales, dominant and major/sus. The first is 'activated' by a specific interval, the tritone. So it's the difference between this:
x x 3 5 5 x 'Soft'
And this
x x 3 4 5 x 'Hard'
The first can be used as any 'static' chord - meaning major7, 7sus4 or m7. All the same thing. So
Dm7 = Fmaj7 = G7sus4 on some level?
The second is a dissonant chord, right? Suits G7 (CST would have, avoid note is the 13 or B on Dm7, so gives away the sound of the dominant chord. On the G7, the other note C is the avoid note, right?*)
Thing is, in jazz, minors were often 'hard' sounds, m6's. (The above chord shape gives us a m6/9 chord.) So the dark pre-1960s minor tonic sound is actually of the second type.
Dm6 = G9 = Bm7b5 on some level.
Now, that doesn't clear everything up, because - Lydian!
Basically these two things:
1 2 2 2 x x 'Hard'
1 x 3 2 0 x Not so hard at all
Are not the same thing at all. Taking the B up an octave and putting a fifth above the major seventh completely changes its colour. In the same way, if we take:
x x 3 4 5 x
And make it
x x 3 x 5 7
The quality is changed. So context counts for something.
From a CST POV, these chords might be seen as the same, but we can hear that the position of the B changes it's quality dramatically. Lennie Tristano understood this.
So that's three diatonic chords. Same things for these common grips
x x 3 5 5 5
x x 3 4 5 5
x x 10 10 10 10
x x 9 10 10 10
x 5 7 5 6 x
x 5 7 4 6 x
(Melodic minor is more straight forward, because as the theory books say all mel minor intervallic groupings can be interchanged. Like diminished and whole tone sounds, mel minor is 'hard+' - but melodic minor sounds can be softened too, like diatonic.)
You could improvise on everything with two pentatonics, the D minor pent and D minor with a 6 instead of b7. Also generate voicings that way.
So this theory is - TOO SIMPLE - on its own, because we presumably want to be more specific about our colours. Also funny notes in the bass. But then, we can choose what ever bass lines we want. And it does allow you to see a wide variety of structures as unified on some level.
- Firstly, not everything with a B in also has a tritone. What about Em, for instance? Still stands apart from the 'soft' sound though.
- The other thing is I haven't talked about C major at all. The thing about C major is there can't be an F, right? So make a third type of chord - or move everything to C lydian.
- Here's another thing - pretty early on (like Prez) jazzers realised 'hard' chords sound a bit obvious - dare I say it Teutonic - when over used. So very often, the softer sounds could be used in dominant functions.
- Wes likes it soft, too.
- Here's another thing - Gospel style harmonisations avoid the leading note. B, in this case.
- Here's another thing. It is actually rather common in the playing of modern players in altered dominant voicings and lines to avoid the obvious B-F tritone in the altered scale. Usually by dropping the F. From a tritone sub perspective, the 3rd of Db7. They use soft sounds. The commonly used Bbm pentatonic on G7 is a case in point.
- Here's another thing. We avoid the tritone in quartal harmony. Quartal harmony is soft.
- Here's yet another thing. The two basic 6-dim scales in Barry Harris are the maj6 (which also covers m7 and 7sus4) and the m6-dim (which sounds great on dom7, m7b5 and m6.) There are more, but those are the basics.
(*In practice it REALLY doesn't matter for dominants. Even the books kind of admit as much. The quality of a C on a G7 is much less dissonant than a C on a GMaj7.)
So that's a lot of info, don't expect anyone to get it necessarily.
Last edited by christianm77; 09-09-2019 at 03:33 PM.
my study of chords with Ted Greene gave me so much information after two years I had to take a break from lessons with him...
in the basic approach..the triad..alone..not belonging to any key..can be used in many harmonic and melodic ways..folk and rock music use it this way alot..
then the classical approach a key based triad and its diatonic extensions-that is the major scale harmonized in basic triads (and their inversions)..and then the Bach approach to multi voice leading (3 & 4 part harmony-breaking the chords apart and moving the notes in different directions) now Greene and others-(Howard Roberts Diorio etc) pointed out that as some moving voices may cross each other to form a chord "Shape" it is not necessary to name it as a chord..for the function may only be a passing voice collection and has no relation to name it (the notes F A C ) may be only part of a moving voice line that has no relation to F major at all..or any set tonal center..
adding the critical fourth note(maj7th) to the basic triad..gives birth to "jazz and beyond" and it is still expanding the music universe..with the aid of technology new sounds may be born..
so here is where context is important..and once recognized the approach to the "chord" or shape becomes "liquid" not solid .. in my view anyway..you can go "way out" in harmonic relativity to use almost any melodic line against established or implied chord movement..and still have harmonic valid sounds ..and its not just hit and miss.. but yes experimentation is as valid as set scale studies in this matter--the "if it sounds good" school rules
Originally Posted by Jonah
My jazz playing ends where fusion and scalar-mania take over, because I'm melodically driven, so when I'm extending and altering chords I can hear the Impressionists, so I enjoy giving a listen to Debussy and Ravel to hear "jazz" harmony in a quieter Classical setting. I too, like to characterise harmonic movements with metaphor and onomatopoeia. Certain voice leading and voicings are rich in imagery, and as you've explained, tell a sort of "story" as they unfold; which is the essence of Impressionism. I have to always remember that extended/altered chords sound best when surrounded and contrasted by lowly triads and sevenths, or the ear becomes tired to the novelty.
For any guitarist searching for chord synonyms and substitutions, inversions and upper structures, a search on the internet will turn up many books that cover them with fine examples, including a CD. I like Johnny Rector's Chord Progressions. Roger Edison's Jazz Guitar is probably out of print. But there are many others.
Originally Posted by StringNavigator
But I feel like jazz did it's own thing too... To me, jazz has always been a music of layers. So you don't get extended chords or even major seventh per se in the left hand of the piano or the banjo, but you do get notes you can view as extensions and so on played in the right hand... So that's a different conception of harmony from Ravel etc... That's more like Bill Evans to my mind, maybe Ahmad Jamal, both hands together. But the early influence definitely in there...
Whole tone scales and stuff coming in its own way, not necessarily straight from Debussy...
Early jazz, even bop guys like Bud Powell, was left hand accompanies, right hand solos.
I don't really like Debussy though haha (love Ravel)
But yeah, reading about Dennis Sandole, went straight from playing chonk chonk for Jimmy Dorsey to teaching synthetic scales, ragas and Webern and Schoenberg to young blades like John Coltrane in the 1940s (!) so it's easy to seeing earlier jazz as purely popular or folk music, but its more complex...
Originally Posted by christianm77
it is interesting that in my teens I was not much into Impressionists - I believe that it was connected with my very harmonic 'functional' hearing... I just did not appreciate 'colouristic' harmony, did not hear it as meaningful system. The same concerned jazz at the beginning... I was all about melody and function. Only much later I begin to hear and appreciate colouristic effects of harmony as a function of a different kind (but I should say even now it is secondary tool for me --- it often sounds to me as non-obligatory choice.. you could do that extentions or you could do this extention the contextual meaning of the harmony would have been the same for me... so why would I need it? It is very rough comparison but it is a bit similar tovisual arts: as drawing and architectural composition (space, perspectives etc.) like Florentine Old Masters for example and colourism like Venitian Old Masters -- of course both used both but there was definite prevalence --- and here again it took me time to appreciate Venetian school...
(I deliberately do not take impressionist artists becasue it is too obvious).
Very interesting how different musical tradition mix...
Originally Posted by StringNavigator
Originally Posted by Jonah
Originally Posted by christianm77
But also - sometime ago I listened to more of Debussy... Debussy of course is a genius... which I cannot but admire... he is stunning, scaringly inventive. Musically his music is just revelation (I mean in direct sence, it has not background in musical culture (though if we really wish we could connect it with Wagner maybe in some aspects).
There are composers who composed to some (different) extent 'by ear'... Wagner, Debussy, Musiorgsky..
But I feel also that his phsychology is much about observation, even though sometimes his music can seem to be very expressive and emotional... it is an expression of an observer he does not take it all very personally. As one of friends said: Debussy seems to sit on the balcony and watching one of the French revolition: "aha .. what colourful banners .. so sweet.. oh what a cannonade.. how expressive!''
Ravel is much more personally involved.. though sometimes his invention seems a bit too artificial to me. THough some pieces are really charming (Ma Mere L'Oye), some chamber works... I am not a big fan of Bolero or famous Pavane or 'Couperin' suite (though his stulistic invention and melodies are charming of course).
if we mean by "synonyms" chords that have the same notes, but are obtained by inversions, for example Am6 = F#m7b5/A = D79 without fundamental, in other words that have the same shapes on the fingerboard:
at first I tended to learn only one name (F#7b5), telling myself that I would quickly find the other functions by playing, but this was not the case, especially for Am6, chord so important in minor tonal center (Im6 in place of ImMaj7)
so now I'm learning them for themselves by the name, because I'd rather think about harmonic function than form
Last edited by Patlotch; 02-10-2020 at 02:06 AM.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ivory Beaded Lace – Lanisha
A stunning design, measuring 38cms (14.5") wide, that has been added to our range in October 2015. It is hard to know quite where to start in describing this highly embellished fabric. An ivory tulle has been decorated with silver filigree wire some of which has been adorned with sequins, beads and diamantes. Strings of pearls in soft fluid curving movements have been surrounded by embroidered yarns, pearls and shimmering beads. Throughout the design are layered flowers, each with a diamante centralised.
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Yam Abacus Seeds for Prosperity: A Classic Festive Dish
Yam abacus seeds (算盘子 Suan Pan Zi) or yam gnocchi is an auspicious dish that is popularly served during the lunar new year as the ROUND yam abacus represent reunion and signifies wealth and prosperity. It is called abacus seeds as it looked like the seeds in an abacus. And it carries a very symbolic meaning, MONEY is in abundance!
Soft, Chewy and Filled with Yam Aroma
Abacus seeds are made from yam paste and tapioca flour. When cooked, these yam abacus seeds are soft on the outside, chewy on the inside and full of strong yam aroma. It is a savoury dish that can be served as a main meal or even on its own, as a snack. Certainly a most welcome dish for the coming Chinese New Year reunion dinner. Last but not least, to all taro fans, you will surely find these an absolute delight especially in the way they're cooked and served.
So Enjoy!
Serving For6people
Prep Time1hour
Cook Time30minutes
- 600gramsyamcut into chunks
- 200gramsTapioca flour
- 1/2tspsalt
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 120gramsboiling water
- 500gramsyam abacushalf the portion made
- 3tbspCooking Oil
- 1tbspgarlicchopped
- 1tbspshallotschopped finely
- 80gramsdried shrimpsoaked in water
- 30gramsdried cuttlefishcut into strips
- 200gramsmeatminced, chicken or pork
- 40gramsmushroomssoaked and cut into strips
- 40gramsblack fungussoaked and cut into strips
- 1tbspfish sauce
- 1tspdark soy sauce
- 1tspsaltto taste
- 1/2tspsesame oil
- 1/4tsp ground white pepper
- 1cupwater
Change Servings?people
Change Unit?
For abacus seeds with more yam flavour, recommended ratio of yam and tapioca flour is 3:1 (i.e. 3 parts of yam to 1 part of flour). If more QQ and chewy yam abacus seeds are preferred, add a little bit more tapioca flour. When making yam abacus dough, sometimes you may need to adjust the amount of water and flour used as texture of yam may be different. So do adjust accordingly. Making yam abacus seeds in the same size will ensure that they will be evenly cooked. Cooked yam abacus can be kept frozen in ziplock bags for later use.


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"He was out of the Army for 10 years and just had his second daughter, less than a year old," said Swartz. "He had a very stable job as a police officer, and his first daughter was about to graduate from high school."
Swartz — the Executive Director and Command Information Officer for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command— was speaking to his audience at the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren base theater about the 2016 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month's national theme: "Walk Together, Embrace Differences, Build Legacies."
"You can imagine the conversation in his household with his wife when he told her that he was departing for Iraq in less than a month — after making that decision without talking to her," said Swartz.
"Who would do that," he questioned, as military members, government civilians, and defense contractors listened to the keynote speaker at the May 24 Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)-sponsored event.
"I think a lot of the culture and attributes that my mother instilled in him in terms of hard work," explains who would do that, said Swartz. "They trained you to do a job, you're expected to do the job, and you're expected to do the best you can."
Moreover, Swartz recalled the day his brother deployed as a member of the 29th Infantry Division out of Mary Washington College with a combat badge on his shoulder. "None of the 29ers had it," said Swartz who quoted his brother's comment: "There's not a single guy there wearing a CIB (combat infantry badge). How can I be from this town with this training and let that unit go forward without me?"
Swartz considered the story as an example of "walking together" — the first component of an AAPI Heritage Month theme that defined the struggles Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders faced and overcame in a process that was not always favorable.
"I take a lot of pride in what he's contributed and provided," said Swartz. "It's one reason that I continue to do what I do in the Navy as a civilian. It's the sense of commitment and I think that's why we are all here. It's because we are committed to the mission. We are committed to what we do every day and we want to do it the best we can, whether we are wearing a uniform or whether we are wearing a suit. And you have to embrace those differences. I think those differences are what inspired him to do what he does."
This year's three imperatives — walk together, embrace differences, and build legacies – serve to promote equal representation and to remove barriers in developing diverse leaders, acknowledging the challenges that still exist today.
"It's an exciting time for me to celebrate our heritage and talk to you about the contributions of the (AAPI) members that are part of our Navy team today, but also those who came before us, recognizing the contributions that they provided," said Swartz. "This is an opportunity for me. I am of Japanese heritage. My mother was first generation Japanese. She married an American GI during the Vietnam War while he was stationed in Japan, and eventually found herself coming to the United States."
Swartz reminisced about growing up on the Dahlgren naval base while his father worked as a government employee. The stories clearly credit his mother and her diversity with shaping him to be who he is today.
"If you walk together, embrace differences, embrace each other, and take what you have from each other to do the best that you can as a collective unit — you will build a legacy," said Swartz. "You don't have to try to build it. I take a lot of pride in my family legacy. We have a pretty robust military background, military heritage, and commitment to service. That's a legacy that we built as a family. If you can find a legacy that you will take pride in or that you're going to own, I think you will achieve that, and you're going to get an inspiration in that."
Swartz managed to simultaneously work full-time in a factory and part-time at a bank holding company while drilling as an active Army reservist and attending Mary Washington College where he earned his bachelor's degree. He went on to earn Master of Science degrees from the University of Virginia and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces National Defense University.
"I think the traits of hard work and dedication will enable you to find out your path and help provide the things you need," said the cyber command senior executive. "So that's walking together — what you need to do."
He mentioned another personal example of walking together.
"In those journeys I used to take with her, I learned from her differences to the point where I finally got comfortable with our differences and started to embrace them," said Swartz about long walks he would have with his mother and his differences as an American with Japanese ethnicity. "I no longer tried to hide them, which was interesting."
Swartz and NSWCDD Commanding Officer Capt. Brian Durant reviewed examples of Asian American and Pacific Islander lives and legacies that are bigger than the individual legacy.
"I want to pay homage to the folks who came before us. It's important to understand who paved the way for us," said Swartz, recalling legacies of Asian American and Pacific Islanders, including Florence Smith Finch, Col. Young-Oak Kim, and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
-- Florence Smith Finch, the daughter of an American soldier and a Filipino mother, who was working for the U.S. Army during World War II when the Japanese occupied the Philippines. Claiming Filipino citizenship, she avoided being imprisoned with other enemy nationals at Santo Tomas Internment. She joined the underground resistance movement and smuggled food, medicine, and supplies to American captives. Eventually, she was arrested by the Japanese, tortured, and sentenced to three years imprisonment. After serving five months of her sentence, Finch was liberated by American forces. Returning to the United States aboard a Coast Guard transport, she headed for Buffalo, New York, her father's hometown. She then enlisted in the Coast Guard to "avenge the death of her late husband," a Navy PT boat crewman killed at Corregidor. Seaman First Class Finch was the first U.S Coast Guard Women's Reserve member to receive the Asian-Pacific Campaign ribbon in recognition of her service in the Philippines. At the end of the war, she was awarded the civilian U.S. Medal of Freedom.
-- Col. Young-Oak Kim. In 1951, Kim was the First Asian-American to lead a combat battalion in a war. Kim is also the only Korean-American to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at the Battle of Anzio during World War II. Kim, having reenlisted and promoted to major, became the first ethnic minority to command a regular combat battalion, the first of the 31st Infantry. When then-2nd Lt. Young Oak Kim reported for duty at Camp Shelby, Miss., in February 1943, the commander of the 100th Battalion (Separate), Lt. Col. Farrant Turner, offered him an immediate transfer because "Koreans and Japanese don't always get along." Kim refused on the spot: "You're wrong. They're Americans, I'm American, and we're going to fight for America." The young Korean-American lieutenant was being both patriotic and pragmatic. Born in 1919 in downtown Los Angeles; amid Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and Jewish immigrants, Kim knew his opportunities for advancement would be limited in a "white man's army." "If I wasn't with the 100th," Kim recalled many years later, "I would be a PR [Public Relations] officer or have some insignificant duty someplace else, because nobody was going to let me, as an Asian, command regular troops."
-- Sen. Daniel K. Inouye. In 2000, he was the first Japanese-American and only second recipient to receive both the Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor. Inouye is also the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress. On Dec. 7, 1941, the fateful day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 17-year-old Inouye was one of the first Americans to handle civilian casualties in the Pacific war. During World War II, Inouye served in the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Composed of Soldiers of Japanese ancestry, the 442nd became one of the most decorated military units in U.S. history. For his combat heroism, which cost him his right arm, Inouye was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart with Cluster. He practiced law in Hawaii before entering territorial politics in 1954. When Hawaii became the 50th state, Inouye was one of its first representatives in the U.S. Congress. He won an election to the U.S. Senate in 1962. Inouye served as the Senate's president pro tempore from 2010 until his death in 2012. In 2013, Inouye was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, becoming the first senator to receive both the Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor.
-- "Asian American and Pacific Islanders have been serving honorably in the United States Military since the War of 1812," said Durant. "The first Asian American Pacific Islander to reach general officer rank was Brig. Gen. Albert Lyman, who was ethnic Hawaiian. He was the commanding general of the 32nd Army Division that fought in the Leyte campaigns in the Philippines in World War II. The highest ranked Asian American Pacific Islander in the military was Eric Shinseki, recently former four-star general and Army chief of staff."
Durant also recalled legacies of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Susan Ahn Cuddy, Major Kurt Chew-Een, and Rear Adm. (Gordon Pai?ea) Chung-Hoon.
-- Susan Ahn Cuddy joined the Navy in 1942 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. She was the first Asian-American woman to join the U.S. Navy and became the first female to operate flexible-mount or turret-mounted machine guns on an aircraft in the Navy. She left the Navy in 1946 at the rank of Lieutenant. Even in her elder years, Susan remained active, speaking at Navy functions and Korean American community events. She died at her home June 24, 2015 at aged 100 in Northridge, California.
-- Maj. Kurt Chew-Een Lee, the first Marine officer of Chinese descent, broke barriers of segregation upon his 1944 Marine Corps enlistment, retiring as a Major in 1968. Lee earned the Navy Cross under fire in Korea in September 1950. He passed away in 2014. He remains a prominent symbol for AAPI Heritage Month and Lee is recognized alongside all Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders within the Marine Corps.
-- Rear Adm. (Gordon Pai'ea) Chung-Hoon served during World War II and became the U.S. Navy's first Asian American flag officer. He attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1934, after becoming the first Asian American, U.S. citizen to graduate from the academy. He is a recipient of the Navy Cross and Silver Star for extraordinary heroism as commanding officer of USS Sigsbee from May 1944 to October 1945. He served 25 years in the U.S. Navy and retired as an admiral. He died July 24, 1979 at age 68.
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text:
Limerick 2-23
Galway 2-19
Fintan O'Toole reports from Semple Stadium
LIMERICK CAME GOOD in injury-time to see off Galway in a pulsating Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 hurling semi-final this evening in Thurles and set up a final clash with Kilkenny, three years after they lost the minor decider to the Cats.
When Conor Whelan cracked home a 47th minute goal, the Galway senior forward's strike had propelled his team into a two-point advantage, 2-17 to 2-15.
But Limerick would outscore them 0-7 to 0-2 in the finale. Evan Niland set up a nail-biting finish when the Galway substitute pointed a 57th minute free before then Limerick took over as they hit the last four points of the game courtesy of Aaron Gillane, Thomas Grimes, Robbie Hanley and Gillane again.
Pat Donnelly's side could have embellished their win further as they hit four injury-time wides but their powerful closing play sealed a place in the decider on 9 September.
From the start Galway pushed Limerick hard, despite the fact that the Connacht side were making their seasonal bow. Brian Concannon and Thomas Monaghan, who both sparkled in attack, struck the first two points of the game for Galway and a late pointed free by Whelan ensured the teams were level at 1-9 to 0-12 at the break.
Limerick's goal arrived in the 10th minute when Peter Casey bundled the ball to the net and the Na Piarsaigh man was a thorn in Galway's side early on.
In the second half Limerick exploded from the blocks with a Barry Murphy goal and some excellent play by Barry Nash contributing to them forging a 2-13 to 0-14 advantage by the 37th minute.
But Galway refused to wilt and quickly struck 1-2 without reply to draw level, the goal coming from Castlegar's Jack Coyne when he whipped home a loose ball.
The action ebbed and flowed from there in a highly entertaining second half but the Munster champions timed their run to the finish line well and they utilised their bench to good effect to book a spot in the final
Scorers for Limerick: Aaron Gillane 0-8 (0-4f, 0-2 '65), Barry Murphy, Peter Casey 1-2 each, Barry Nash 0-4, Thomas Grimes 0-2, Kyle Hayes, Robbie Hanley, Cian Lynch, Andrew La Touche Cosgrave, Conor Boylan 0-1 each.
Scorers for Galway: Conor Whelan 1-3 (0-1f), Brian Concannon, Thomas Monaghan 0-4 each, Jack Coyne 1-1, Dan Nevin 0-2 (0-1f), Jack Grealish, Seán Loftus, Kevin McHugo, Seán Linnane, Evan Niland (0-1f) 0-1 each.
1. Eoghan McNamara (Doon)
2. Seán Finn (Bruff)
3. Darragh Fanning (Pallasgreen)
4. Dan Joy (Kilmallock)
5. Ronan Lynch (Na Piarsaigh)
6. Kyle Hayes (Kildimo-Pallaskenry)
7. Thomas Grimes (Na Piarsaigh)
8. Colin Ryan (Pallasgreen)
9. Robbie Hanley (Kilmallock)
10. Aaron Gillane (Patrickswell)
11. Barry Murphy (Doon)
12. Cian Lynch (Patrickswell)
13. Peter Casey (Na Piarsaigh)
14. Tom Morrissey (Ahane – captain)
15. Barry Nash (South Liberties)
18. Conor Boylan (Na Piarsaigh) for Morrissey (44)
19. Andrew La Touche Cosgrave (Monaleen) for Ryan (44)
24. Jack O'Grady (Knockainey) for Finn (52)
20. Séamus Flanagan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon) for Murphy (59)
1. Darragh Gilligan (Craughwell)
2. Declan Cronin (Cappataggle – joint captain)
3. Conor Cosgrove (Ardrahan)
4. Ian Fox (Sarsfields)
5. Jack Grealish (Gort)
6. Joe Mooney (Loughrea)
7. Sean Loftus (Turloughmore)
8. Kevin McHugo (Tommie Larkins)
9. Dan Nevin (Cappataggle)
10. Brian Concannon (Killimordaly)
11. Sean Linnane (Turloughmore – joint captain)
12. Thomas Monaghan (Craughwell)
13. Conor Whelan (Kinvara)
14. Cian Burke (Athenry)
15. Jack Coyne (Castlegar)
17. Ciarán O'Connor (Kilnadeema-Leitrim) for Fox (21)
20. Evan Niland (Clarinbridge) for Linnane (37)
19. Fintan Burke (St Thomas) for Mooney (52)
18. Gearóid Loughnane (Loughrea) for Coyne (inj) (57)
21. Ronan Elwood (Liam Mellowes) for McHugo (57)
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow)
Source: The42 Podcasts/SoundCloud
Kilkenny make their experience tell as Dublin's long All-Ireland wait continues
8 goals for Kilkenny as they claim 52-point win against Derry in All-Ireland U21 mismatch


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Yes, it's true! Skeptical? Here's how it works....
The Stealth is like a balance board. The platform sits on an unstable base, and you rest your forearms on top, in plank position. Between your arms, there is a slot for your phone. This interactive gaming app works via your smartphone and includes various game challenges to help you build your core while you're focused on the game. "Nothing can take the place of a real coach", creator Howard Panes says, but "the idea is that it's so much fun that you don't necessarily realize what an aggressive workout you've having!"
Once you hit start on the video game, you play by changing your plank position ever so slightly to explode colorful targets. Each round consists of isometric plank holds, subtle forward and backward tilts, and twists and dips to work your obliques.
Find out for yourself by giving it a try today! Stealth boards are available in the Fitness Center at the Summit YMCA! Learn more about Stealth at: stealthbodyfitness.com
Not a member yet? Click here to schedule a tour and try the Y for free. Inquire about our new member specials!


text:
Sadly, some doctors in primary care are leaving medicine. Why? Burnout, for one. The second reason is the increasing load of paperwork and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent doctors from giving the best care they can to patients.
Take this example of a pediatrician who left clinical practice. She explains:
I did not pay a small fortune and spend four years in medical school to be trained on how to deal with the insanity of managed care. And I don't think my patients would have wanted me spending precious time learning how to appropriately fill out an authorization form, when I could be learning about medical disease processes. Yes, people are specifically trained to deal with managed care, but often enough the insurance companies demand explanations from us that they simply won't accept from other staff. And if we don't comply, our patients are the ones that pay the price. If I put my foot down and say it's inappropriate for an insurance company to require I give a pharmacy my DEA number just for tracking purposes, my patients simply won't get the medication they need.Another example of our health system stacking the deck against good patient care.
Speaking of physician burnout, physician Dike Drummond talks about why it's not a fair fight for doctors.
How do physicians know they are reaching that point? Dr. Drummond offers three clues:
ExhaustionMore doctors than you think are getting burned out. My advice? Ask for support, spend time with your family, try to achieve balance. Remember, there is always more work to do at the office, so it's important to set limits. You can't help your patients if you reach the point of burnout.
Cynicism (especially in men)
Questioning the quality of your work or whether you make a difference in the world


text:
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WTO Hong Kong Ministerial
December 13-18, 2005
Update 4
Will the Elephant Give Birth to a Mouse
Sabrina Shaw, December 16, 2005
With the realization that it would not be possible to agree on modalities in agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), one month ago the expectations for the Hong Kong Ministerial were lowered significantly. Nevertheless, many delegations are left wondering in the final late-night negotiating hours in Hong Kong whether they are here under false pretenses. What of the development round? Concerns about preference erosion for some developing countries, which will result from reducing tariffs in a NAMA deal, contrast sharply with the logic of agreeing to extend preferential duty- and quota-free market access for least-developed countries (LDCs). With the end game in play the final deal is taking shape - a barebones development package within a supposed Development Round.
The highlight of the day was without doubt the midday press conference given by the coordinators of groups representing 110 WTO member developing countries in which they set out their desire to harmonise their positions with the objective of having a successful focused development outcome. This is the first time in the history of the WTO that there has been such coordination at a ministerial meeting between these various developing country groups (the full gambit of G's - G33, G20 developing countries, LDCs, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific [ACP] and the vulnerable small economies).
Their basic platform - to ensure the development nature of the Doha round as determined in Doha on all issues. Their common objectives - to fix the date for the elimination of export subsidies by 2010, to push for duty- and quota-free market access for LDCs, to have recognition of preference erosion for some developing countries and to address the concerns of others on cotton. The Brazilian foreign minister, Celso Amorim, was quick to note that despite the diversity of situations of developing countries, they have a common objective to push for a bona fide development round.
Following a laudatory statement from Oxfam for their structured coordination process in Hong Kong, African representatives from Oxfam as well as former prime minister and high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson were even called to join the trade ministers on the podium. The G110 were basking in a perfect "photo op" moment. Minister Amorim emphasized that the large umbrella membership represented pragmatic commonalities and was not based on a North-South rhetorical unity - it was, he insisted, "an historic moment".
The facilitator for trade and environment (Ignacio Walker, Chile) consulted with a large number of delegations on the bracketed text on removing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in environmental goods and services. One bracket contains language to develop a common understanding of the different approaches to the negotiations while the other is a general reference to complete work by a specific deadline in 2006. In parallel, several Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development delegations floated compromise text with other delegations to merge these two alternatives. The consultations on EGS continued into Thursday night in the Green Room. The facilitator was scheduled to hold further consultations on a compromise text for inclusion in a "first final" version of the ministerial declaration.
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text:
FLINTSHIRE MPs David Hanson and Mark Tami visited Barnardo's Families Matter service in Buckley.
The project works with families throughout the county who have substance misuse issues and is currently working with 28 families.
The programme runs for 24 weeks and provides a range of interventions including: cognitive behavioural therapy; motivational interviewing; couples work; one-to-one work; family group meetings; parenting skills; and practical support.
The pilot project has been running for 18 months and is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Sarah Matthews, of Barnardo's Cymru Families Matter, said: "Help from someone outside the immediate family unit is often all it takes for families to start expressing themselves more positively and learn to tackle issues together."
Delyn MP David Hanson and Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami both welcomed the service saying it provides an important facility for vulnerable people in Flintshire.


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FIGURE 1 DSS pipe cut-outs in the field.
Pipeline operators are often faced with a bewildering array of information about how reliable and safe their pipelines are, while in operation and during process upsets. This is especially prevalent when the fluid being transported is corrosive, although the risk can be reduced by selecting the most resilient material for transporting the fluid. However, with this approach for corrosion control, there always comes a sacrifice on the overall cost. In most cases, an ideology increasingly agreed by operators, contractors, and owners is to use carbon steel (CS) as an economical material for construction of pipelines. For highly corrosive environments, however, corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs), in particular duplex stainless steel (DSS), remain the most cost-effective option since the risk of corrosion failure on CS lines is high and use of corrosion inhibition with CS is often either impractical, costly, or poses too high of a risk.
DSS was first introduced to the oil and gas industry in the late 1970s when it was selected for natural gas pipelines. At that time, this selection choice provided a critical commercial breakthrough for Duplex 2205 (UNS S32205). It helped pave the way for Duplex 2205 acceptance into not only the oil and gas industry, but into many other industries as well.
As such, DSS material also finds application in seawater cooling and fire protection systems, topside, and subsea production pipe work apart from flow lines and pipelines. However, this presupposes that all items in the bill of materials are consistently and repeatedly processed, heat treated, pickled and passivated, welded, installed, commissioned, operated, maintained, and deployed in environments within the limits of their application range. With over 40 years of wide-scale use of this alloy by the oil and gas industry, the overall experience has been good. However, intermittently problems can occur and drastically affect the "fit and forget" philosophy and adversely affect the operational excellence. One such high-profile recurring problem is discussed in this article.1
DSS pipes are joined by welding, which needs special controls to achieve the required quality. Failing to control welding correctly can, in the worst case, result in catastrophic failure and loss of life. The DSS pipe material under consideration was used by the operator in flowlines for various wet gas production and reservoir wells since 1984 in the Middle East. The operator operates the gas field where the produced and imported gas is fed and processed in the plant to remove heavier hydrocarbons and water. The heavier hydrocarbons are separated in the form of condensate. The condensate is stabilized and transported through pipelines. Gas produced from the field is exported through pipelines to a compressor station. Excess available gas (imported) from the gas network is injected in the reservoir and retrieved/produced, when required. In general, gas is compressed and injected into the reservoir for storage in the import mode and retrieved, processed, and transported to a compressor station for distribution in the export mode.
DSS pipe material was first installed at the well in 1984 and was in service for two years before becoming redundant. In 2004, the material was reused as another production flowline and was in service for six months. Later it was again made redundant. In 2016, the pipe material was recovered to construct another flowline for connection with a well. As part of this task, radiography tests were performed on 26 girth welds (Figure 1). Seven of these girth welds were identified with internal corrosion and pitting corrosion near the heat-affected zone (HAZ). However, no defects or flaws were identified on the parent material.
The fluid being transported was sour wet gas with high chloride content (2,000 ppm). The flowline operating temperature was 66 °C with 10.3 MPa operating pressure. The possible internal damage mechanisms investigated for DSS flowline welds were intermetallic phase precipitation, stress corrosion cracking, and chloride-induced pitting corrosion. The tests performed during the investigation included chemical analysis, pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) calculation, mechanical tests (hardness, tensile, and Charpy), microstructural analysis, macro analysis, ferrite count measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, as well as a general visual examination.
The results indicated unusual anomalous behavior of the HAZ and weld root areas. The puzzling results included acceptable tensile, hardness, and chemical tests at the parent and weld cap side but unacceptable test results at the weld root and the HAZ. The pitting corrosion was observed only at the root side within the defected girth welds.
The breakthrough of the failure investigation occurred when optical emission spectroscopy and positive material identification analysis showed the weld root of SS309 material and not of DSS UNS 31803. Additionally, the calculated PREN value also was of SS309 material at the weld root side. The microstructural analysis revealed the typical weld root morphology of SS309 with carbides and dendrites precipitating in the interdendritic regions. Close-up review of SEM examinations revealed the existence of cleavage facets within the damaged austenite islands in addition to slip-line formation and ductile tearing (Figure 2).
The type of welding involved during the whole process was gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Generally, GTAW welding gives very clean weld metal with good strength and toughness. Mechanization has substantially increased the efficiency of the process such that it has been used in applications such as cross-country pipelining. Gas shielding is also done during the GTAW process. Generally pure argon is used, although argon/helium mixtures have given some improvements by permitting faster travel speeds. Nitrogen, a strong austenite former, is an important alloying element, particularly in the super/hyper duplex steels. Around 1 to 2% nitrogen is sometimes added to the shield gas to compensate for any loss of nitrogen from the weld pool.2-4 Nitrogen additions will, however, increase the speed of erosion of the tungsten electrode. Purging the back face of a joint is essential when depositing a tungsten inert gas root pass. For at least the first couple of fill passes, pure argon is generally used although small amounts of nitrogen may be added, and pure nitrogen has occasionally been used.5 EDS analysis didn't show any nitrogen content within the weld root side.
According to the authors, even though DSS is stronger, it does have some drawbacks with respect to welding. Conversely, it does have better corrosion resistance in chloride-containing environments than the austenitic range. Welding controls must ensure that the weld deposit matches the ferrite/austenite ratio of the parent material; excess austenite will make the alloy weaker and excess ferrite will make the alloy more susceptible to hydrogen cracking (subject to all other parameters kept constant).5-6 Despite these shortcomings, the strength of these steels and the superior corrosion resistance make them a natural choice for flowlines where the corrosion resistance is paramount. DSS materials can perform satisfactorily in sweet, sour, and chloride-containing environments within the limits suggested by different standards and other verified literature. Experience suggests that the problems most typical of DSS are associated with the HAZ, not with the weld metal. The HAZ problems are not hot cracking but rather a loss of corrosion resistance and toughness.
Overall, the probable root cause for the weld failure was the inappropriate filler wire (SS309) utilized for the root side welding facing a corrosive chloride-containing sour service environment. Additionally, there was also suspicion about incorrect back purge gas quality control during original construction, resulting in a locally diminished passivation layer at the root side. The use of the wrong filler material was an error at the site that was missed by the quality assurance/quality control personnel involved during the welding operation, as both SS309 and ER2209 looked similar in appearance at that time. Overall, this investigation and the tedious task of cutting and replacing the DSS pipes taught a good lesson to all the parties involved of having strong adherence to welding procedure specifications and procedure qualification records during welding operations. Moreover, the remaining flowlines with similar weld history were subjected to thorough inspection and weld repairs.
The authors would like to acknowledge the management of Penspen for their support in the preparation of this article. Many people were helpful in preparing this work, including Noel Denton, Ali Alani, Neale Carter, Nigel Curson, Brendan Kelly, and Mohammed Rizwin. Thanks to all of you.
1 M. Nauman, M. Rashid, "Case Study: Solving the Puzzle of 10-inch Duplex Stainless Steel Flowline Weld Failure," CORROSION 2018, paper no. 11022 (Houston, TX: NACE International, 2018).
2 K.W Chan, S.C. Tjong, "Effect of Secondary Phase Precipitation on the Corrosion Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steels," Materials (Basel) 7, 7 (2014): pp. 5,268-5,304.
3 J.R. Saithala, et al., "Corrosion Management of Duplex Stainless Steel Gas Flowlines," Pipeline & Gas J. 241, 10 (2014).
4 G. Mathers, Duplex Stainless Steel Welding— Part 2 (Cambridge, U.K.: TWI).
5 J.P. Audouard, M. Verneau, "Evaluation of the Corrosion Resistance of High Nitrogen Containing Stainless Steels in Chloride and H2S/ CO2 Environments," CORROSION/97, paper no. 36 (Houston, TX: NACE, 1997).
6 P.R. Rhodes, G.A. Welch, L. Abrego, "Stress Corrosion Cracking Susceptibility of Duplex Stainless Steels in Sour Gas Environments," J. of Materials for Energy Systems 5 (1983): p. 3
This article is based on CORROSION 2018 paper no. 11022, presented in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
MUSHAID NAUMAN is a senior materials and corrosion engineer at Penspen, Abu Dhabi, UAE. His professional experience includes working in the aviation, oil and gas (onshore and offshore), and infrastructure sectors within asset integrity and engineering design streams across the Middle East and South East Asia. He is the author of several papers and articles in NACE conferences, journals, and technical magazines. Nauman has a B.Eng in materials engineering and holds several certifications that include NACE-certified Senior Corrosion Technologist, professional member of the Institute of Corrosion (MICorr), NACE-certified Corrosion Technologist, and NACE-certified Coating Inspector.
MOHAMMED RASHID is a senior pipeline integrity engineer. He has over eight years of work experience in the construction, inspection, and integrity management sectors of the oil and gas domain (both onshore and offshore) within the Middle East and India. Rashid has core expertise in areas of developing models and software configurations from the root level to end product, to manage the integrity-related issues for valuable assets. He has a B.Eng in mechanical engineering and is a certified ASNT NDT Level II.
By ROSEN


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Bright Memory: Infinite
Plot & Details
At Bright Memory you take on the role of Sheila, who works for the Natural Science Research organization in 2020. The latter discovers a material that can allegedly bring the dead to life, which in turn calls a military force to the scene. The gameplay consists of a fast-paced mix of close and long-range combat. There is currently only one episode of the first-person shooter in Steam early access. More chapters will follow later.
Can I Run Bright Memory: Infinite?
If the game will be released on the PC, then the game at medium settings in the FHD (1980x1080) 30FPS you need a PC with the minimum system requirements. System requirements Bright Memory: Infinite see above.
You can register on site, add Bright Memory: Infinite to your personal waitlist and take part in the construction of the rankings anticipated games 2019. Now the most anticipated game is GTA 6.
Minimum Requirements:
- OS: Windows 7 64 bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5-3470 INTEL or AMD Equivalent
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7770
- System Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Storage: 4 GB Hard drive space
Recommended Requirements:
- OS: Windows 10 64 Bit, Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4790K INTEL or AMD Equivalent
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 390
- System Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 4 GB Hard drive space


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Iowa PBS Presents 2018 Iowa State Dance Team Championships
Johnston, Iowa – IPTV will present exclusive statewide coverage of the 2018 Iowa State Dance Team Championships on Monday, February 5 at 8 p.m. The two-hour program showcases highlights of all the winning routines and busy backstage action. The competition will be rebroadcast Sunday, February 11 at 1 p.m.
Approximately 5,000 of Iowa's best young dancers showcased their talents in what is considered to be one of the nation's largest and most prestigious events of its kind. Teams from 270 high schools and 24 colleges competed for state championship top honors. The dance championships were held in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena and Hy-Vee Hall last year on November 30 and December 1.
The competition has showcased the talents of Iowa's young dancers for more than four decades. Teams performed more than 600 routines in categories including: pom, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, kick, lyrical, prop, novelty, color guard, co-ed and all male. Judging criteria is based on appearance, choreography, execution, technique, and showmanship.
Special features include footage shot by members of the Bishop Garrigan dance team about their journey from Algona to Des Moines. Viewers will also learn about teams helping provide Hurricane Harvey relief for dancers in Houston, Texas, hear from Eagle Grove dancers about how having identical triplets on their team multiplies the fun and enjoy IPTV's "Dance Moves Flash Mob" featuring West Des Moines Valley and North Polk dancers.
Hosts for this two-hour, fast-paced, and spirited finals coverage are Executive Director of the Iowa State Dance Team Association Kathy Enyart, Board President of the ISDTA Lois Turnage, and dance championships event announcer Scott Enyart.
Funding for this program is provided by the Friends of IPTV Foundation, Musco Lighting and MidAmerican Energy.


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...Artists in residence at 'Glenfern'
for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
Around 22 pianists participated in a packed program of piano study in the historic surrounds of National Trust property Glenfern, in East St Kilda, Melbourne... Read more
Between 10am and 5pm on Sunday February 16, up to 100 pianists, young and old, performed in the Ballroom at Rippon Lea on a fine Bernstein piano from Bernies Music Land. Read the invitation and information letter about this fundraising event for the National Trust.
Spring Piano School 2015: Brochure, Report
Spring Piano School 2013: Brochure, Report
Autumn Piano Weekend 2013: Brochure, Report
Piano Marathon 2013: Letter and Application Form
Spring Piano School 2012: Brochure, Report
Spring Piano School 2011: Brochure, Report
Spring Piano School 2010: Brochure, Report
Spring Piano School 2009: Brochure, Report
International Teachers Seminar 2010: Brochure, Report
International Teachers Seminar 2009: Report
Due to the current Stage 4 restrictions here in Melbourne, our second live-streamed recital from Glenfern with pianists Darryl Coote and Robert Chamberlain, scheduled for Sunday August 30 at 6.30pm, has been postponed. Once Stage 4 restrictions are lifted (hopefully around mid-September) we will reschedule this joint recital, which features solo piano music from the French Baroque, works by Viennese Classical and German Romantic composers as well as compositions by Australian composers Arthur Benjamin and Peter Sculthorpe.
to be advised...
please watch this space
Live Stream via YouTube
Due to the pandemic, we have decided not to run a Spring Piano School in 2020. This program normally takes place at the National Trust historic house Glenfern, in East St Kilda, where piano students currently at Primary or Secondary school and aged 8 to 18 years enjoy a program of piano classes, workshops and individual lessons with teaching staff that include experienced pianists and teachers from the Team plus special guests.
You can see more about the most recentSpring Piano School here or read reports about some previous educational events here
Due to the corona virus situation, the final two recitals in our 2020 series must, unfortunately, be postponed:
Our hope is to reschedule these events to dates after the corona-virus pandemic has passed. For supporters who have already purchased tickets for these concerts please click here for an earlier email which explains the options for a refund, for credit to future events or for full or partial donation.
Do keep an eye on this website - we hope to hold two more live-streamed recitals from Glenfern once the lifting of restrictions allows this to happen, hopefully in October/November!


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We will remain open and continue making non-contact deliveries. We also offer curbside pick-up. During these times, our hours are fluctuating. You can still place an order on line or call our shop for delivery or pick up orders or any questions.
11153 S Parker Rd Unit O
Parker, CO 80134


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Ingin Kim
Regular price
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Bling Bunnies Gizmo & Momo were real bunnies and they were well loved by artist Ingin Kim during their time together in Altadena CA. These prints are signed and numbered by the artist and each print comes with Certificate & Authenticity
Paper size: 12X12
Image size: 7X7
Be the first to ask a question about this.


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Retrofit Privacy Film for 2 St Peters Square
Coloured Window Film is a popular retrofit addition to glazing. It can add privacy, control viewing, or simply add decoration. Retrofit privacy film is a common requirement.
As experts in window films and graphics, ARC Window Films have an extensive range to suit any requirement.
2 St Peters Square
2 St Peters square is a modern new build office block in central Manchester. The design reflects elements of Manchester's industrial heritage in textiles and manufacturing, presented in a modern, inspirational space that encompasses the latest technologies. As is the case with most modern new builds, glass is used extensively.
The Problem
As part of the initial design the plant and equipment was located on the roof, and surrounded by a clear glazed screen. Following completion it was decided that it would be better if this equipment were hidden, and therefore a retrofit solution was required which would be in-keeping with the colour scheme of the building, and hide the plant and equipment.
The installation
Following various trial installations to find the perfect colour and shade, an opaque grey retrofit privacy film was installed to all the glazed screens.
The vinyl is in-keeping with the colour scheme of the building, and completely hides the plant and equipment from onlookers.
If you require manifestation or window graphics for your project, please contact a member of our team on 0333 800 2400 or email email@example.com
We're perfectly placed to help, whatever your requirement. Take a look at our extensive range of products and services, or gain more insight into our solutions by reading our case studies and articles.


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A proposed Eastlink cell phone tower was unopposed by area residents at a Monday night meeting in Miscouche.
The tower is planned for the northwest corner of the auto salvage yard on Route 2 and will use the existing access road on the property.
"I don't know what would be worse, the tower or all that old rusty farm equipment that's back there," said Miscouche mayor, Albert Gallant.
The tower will improve Eastlink cell phone service by filling in the gap between the four towers in Summerside and the next closet one in Wellington.
For simply talking on the phone, towers can be up to 30 km apart said Stephen Banks, site acquisition manager for Eastlink.
"However, (cell phone) data needs to be closer to the source because data deteriorates quickly," he said. The self-supported tower will be 61 metres (200 feet) tall. One directional light will mark the top and will shine up, not out. A fence will enclose the base and a small building, measuring six by eight or six by 10 feet will be inside the fence. There are no moving parts, and no noise generated by the structure.
As for emissions, Banks said the towers emit around one per cent of the maximum allowable radio frequency emissions when measured at the base of the tower. A cordless phone puts out more radio frequency, said Banks.
Ten letters of notification were sent out to nearby landowners to explain the tower, and a notice for the public meeting was in the Journal Pioneer.
Despite this, only Miscouche officials and one concerned citizen from east of Charlottetown were in attendance.
Mitchell DeJong from Marshfield wanted to warn the town. He feels Eastlink railroaded his community to put a tower on the property adjacent to his in Marshfield.
"I'm not against the tower, everybody needs cellphone towers," said DeJong.
"I just think cell phone towers should be out of sight out of mind, put into a spot where you're not going to see it all the time."
Banks said the appropriate procedures were followed in Marshfield and that his team worked with the landowner to move the tower and accommodate DeJong's concerns.
Miscouche councillor Allan Parks said the company was more than courteous when dealing with them.
"Our bylaws only apply to the building (at the base of the tower)," said Parks.
Rather than remain strict to the bylaw, Eastlink openly consulted with the council and the community before going ahead, said Parks.
While the agreement is with the landowner, Eastlink policy is to follow municipal bylaws. In unincorporated areas, like Marshfield, the company defers to the province or, if the province has no issues, to federal government guidelines.


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But at least our sport isn't rollerblading. Or rollerblades on snow:
9 thoughts on "No one outside the industry thinks mountain bikes are cool"
Sounds like someone is eternally angry about Robots' intrinsic lack of steeze. No Robot will ever understand steeze no matter how much they try to analyze and debase those that posses steeze. Keep pumping out the sour posts with your outdated wit algorithm, they seem to make some people feel better about their cynical xtreme sports outlooks. Maybe if mountain bikers used more gangster rap and wore baggy shit and became steezy, people would think they were cool. Isn't that what xtreme sports is all about? Looking cool and being dope and general oneupmanship? I think mountain biking could use a lil more wutang and a bit more afterbang but that could just be my inner gangster stoner bay kid talking. And don't critique my grammar or general writing ability or my steezy prose, Parsely Chonsel. I dropped out of my fancy pantsy liberal farts education to smoke weed and play video games. I'm not as well equipped to comment on such a prestigious blog as others might be.
Comments are closed.


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The ancients believed that naming a demon would rob it of its power. The same might be true today after the custodians of the Oxford English Dictionary decided to make 'post-truth' their word of 2016. We can now say that we live in a post 'post-truth' world and that we are immune to the powers that sought to undermine our capacity for reason and deduction. This year we overdosed on fake news but at least we can look forward to 2017 when we get deep and dirty with facts. Our New Year diet will consist of dried statistics topped with some wholesome analysis that's good for the gut.
Yet before we embrace our new healthy Fact-Plan diet, we should perhaps begin by recognising all of our sins of the past year. The onus of those of us who believe in some objective reality — let's carry on calling it 'the truth' — is to find ways to make it more appealing than this very modern supernaturalism that has taken hold. Donald Trump has risen to power on something not dissimilar to a shamanistic talent for magic phrases that send his followers into a frenzy. Here in the UK, Brexit was a spell promising something that was poorly defined. That wave of the magic wand was meant to 'make Britain great again'. We should also not forget Michael Gove's words uttered in the referendum campaign: 'I think people in this country have had enough of experts.' It was a low point, coming, as it did, from a former minister of education, yet it was also prophetic of the great tide of 'common sense' and 'plain speaking' that was about to engulf the world.
The fight back has to begin with the mainstream news media who are struggled to survive in a landscape of 'bias reporting' in which reporters give their readers what they want to read rather than some 'impartial' view of reality. So much of our current predicament begins with this problem of 'news' and what the mainstream considers 'impartial'. Back in September last year, long before Trump began to look like a viable candidate for the Republican nomination, I warned that the media's coverage was too insular and cut off from the reality of everyday America:
The cartoon candidate has resulted in a cartoonish editorialising, in which his outlandish character is made to appear even more outlandish, cartoonish, and even, dare I say, wickedly watchable. Not only is this poor journalism but I think it's also self defeating. Stripped of nuance, Trump is becoming iconic, a symbol of something that is as profoundly stupid as it is also deeply seductive. This combination of reducing him to a comic creation whilst at the same time failing to seriously draw him out about his policies is a dangerous one. To the liberal, well-educated and affluent elite who form opinion, Trump is a joke. I'm not quite so sure the broader electorate will see it with the same eyes.
So it proved. The media went absent without leave and Trump was rarely tested in what was a long campaign. It was Chris Wallace in the presidential debate hosted by Fox News in March who came closest to challenging Trump, presenting him with hard evidence in the form of slides and statistics. Not that it made much difference. Trump's appeal is grounded in a much more structural failure of the press. People who felt like they'd been without a voice put their faith in a man with little more than a very loud voice.
What has been startling about the past year is how readily people have been willing to dismiss establishment opinion in favour of some great unknowns. The reasons are complex but, at some point, come down to the disconnect between the experiences of people and the experiences being fed back to them by sections of that establishment. Post-truth is really about people affirming their own subjectivity. It is, arguably, pro-reason and pro-empiricism. It's just that both have been brought back into the first person. 'I have seen' has replaced 'I saw it on the news' as the primary mode by which people express their beliefs.
Doubts about the validity of the news and how well it reflects the state of the nation come at a time when the news has also become part of a wider culture of entertainment. Channels that were once committed to good reporting are increasingly aware of advertising revenue and, therefore, viewing figures. Hard news has give way to soft news which has given way to celebrity news. Add the influence of social media and we now have a quite startling situation in which an American TV star will be President of the United States, while here in the UK a former Shadow Chancellor is dancing Gangnam Style on BBC1.
As CNN President Jeff Zucker admitted this past week, 'If we made any mistake last year, it's that we probably did put on too many of [Trump's] campaign rallies in those early months and let them run'. More to the point is that the media companies never had reason to draw the poison from the debate. Rarely did the media try to explain why Trump attracted such large crowds and why Hillary Clinton attracted relatively few. There were far too many ugly truths that were simply too ugly for the media to voice. Instead journalists got drawn in the circus of love and hate, warped emotions, and the cult of personality. This was also the culmination of, perhaps, two decades in which the news media have carefully moderated the stories they report. Evidence has been ignored as messages have been shaped to an idealisation of modern, tolerant, and liberal values. Too many journalists were simply incapable of realising that the misogyny they attributed to Trump was actually connecting with sections of the electorate. How little they knew about (or wished to acknowledge) the real America…
This is the realisation that we should take from the past year: that superstitions come in different forms. 'Making America great again' and 'Taking our country back' are just two the most potent from 2016, predicated as they are on some poorly defined notion of nation. Yet the mainstream media should look and recognise their own. Primarily among them is the superstition that has grown up around the immigration debate. Both Trump's election and the Brexit vote were votes for reality as it is perceived over the reality as it has been reported. They were both, in part, responses to the problems of multiculturalism that have so rarely been addressed sensibly in the mainstream. Since the nineties, each representative of the Labour Party accusing a Tory of racism in a TV debate raised the value of UKIP's currency. Every protest march demanding censorship and the vilification of, for example, Jeremy Clarkson, gave strength to the alt-right. Nigel Farage could step forward and claim to say what everybody was thinking because the media had spent too long silencing that kind of voice. The best way to rid ourselves of the fear of the dark is to shine a light on those fears and this is nowhere more true than in the news media. The self-imposed taboo the news media made of immigration led to their inadequate reporting of the segregation of communities in places like Bradford, Rochdale, and Oldham. It is understandable why the news has rarely tried to place the predatory sexual abuse going on in these communities in the proper cultural context. Yet fearful of escalating tensions, the media reticence has done little but help escalate tensions.
This does, admittedly, shift the responsibility back to the media 'elite' as it also mitigates the excesses of 'bias journalism' found in places such as the Breitbart News Network and The Daily Mail. Bias journalism isn't simply journalism that tells people what they want to hear. It is more complex than simple pandering to an audience. It is journalism that self-consciously addresses some reality beyond that described by the mainstream. Instead of being shocked by the rise of Trump or, perhaps, the tone of the Brexit debate, we need to look at the tone of our liberal media and realise that it has been censoring itself for too long and that censorship has not gone unnoticed by audiences.
The disenfranchisement of Trump supporters, as well as many who voted for Brexit, began the moment the media stopped reflecting the reality as understood by many people. That is a fundamental failure of journalism, whose business should be the reporting the truth, no matter how inconvenient, ugly, or uncomfortable that truth happens to be. Every time the news story runs counter to a person's experience of the world, that person grows less confident in the news and they begin to look elsewhere, for reports that more closely resemble their experiences. It is time that we recognized that every self-satisfied cry of 'Islamaphobia', 'racism', or 'sexism' deepens the very same prejudice that each of those words is meant to expose.


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Today is the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice. It is the day when, for thousands of years, mankind has celebrated the end of darkness and the beginning of a new year. It is the day when we say, "From here on, we will get more sunshine". Our house is prepared. Big tree that we cut down ourselves. Pretty lights. Presents all hidden away. I even made the bed this morning with a top sheet, just for Katie.
Last night, I worked on Rudolph the red nosed reindeer on the Uke. I love the Ukulele. It is the best present I ever received. I have also been practicing Old Lang Syne, but I am afraid I am not very good at it. My fingers are thin and I often miss the string completely.
Speaking of stringed instruments, Matthew has fallen in love with his Guitar. He calls it his Tah. "My Tah! I need my Tah!" He sleeps with it. He brings it in the car. He walks around with it and plays it. He is like Ricky Valens in La Bamba. He was playing it this morning and has this conversation with Ethan.
Matt: "Ethan! Check it out! Check out my Tah!"
Ethan: "OK, check what?"
Matt: "Check IT OUT!"
Ethan: "I did. I checked it out."
Matt: "Check it OUT!"
Ethan: "I DID! I checked it out!"
Matt: "Check it OUT!"
Ethan: "OK, last time, I checked it out."
Matt: "Check it out! One last time!"
Ethan: "Last time! Ok?"
Matt: "OK, last time. Check it out! One last time!"
Ethan: "I did, now stop."
Matt: "Check it out one last time!!"
Ethan: "Uuuughhhh"
This went on and on and on. Matthew is so proud and so eager.
Today we go to Berkeley to see Ben and Darcie and Clare and the rest of the Peters. Happy Solstice!


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The Hi Fi headphones can be connected with a wide range of digital devices and music players. You can connect the headphone with your desktop, laptop or tablet computers in addition to the MP3 players and music systems. The same headphone can also be used in a flexible manner by connecting to the music player of your choice. But the number of headphone sets available in the market can easily confuse the modern buyers. As most of the buyers want to avail a high quality headphone at an affordable price-tag, it becomes essential to spend some time in collecting information about the features, functionalities, prices and technical specification of multiple headphones. You can compare and evaluate the different models based on specific points to choose the best Hi Fi headphone.
Sound and Audio Quality: Every music lover prefers to choose headphone based on the quality of sound and audio produced by it. However, the concept of sound varies from one individual to another. Some people prefer listening to their favorite musical tracks with detailed and precise sound, whereas other like more bass. Therefore, it becomes essential to spend some time in collecting products information and owner reviews. The online information may not assist you in choosing the right headphone model, but you can form an overall idea about different models available in the market.
Aesthetics and Design: Similar to the audio and sound quality, the designs of the Hi Fi headphones also differ from one manufacturer to another. Some manufacturers concentrate on designing stylish, slim and impressive headphones, whereas others prefer to concentrate more on providing high quality of audio. Further, the usage of the headphones also varies from one user to another. If you plan to use the headphone mostly at home, you can ignore the look and style of the equipments. But you have to consider its design and aesthetics, if you are planning to use the headphones in crowded and public places.
Portability and Comfort: Unlike some other accessories and parts of the digital music systems, the Hi Fi headphone needs to be used by the user in a convenient and comfortable manner. When you choose a light and slim headphone model, you can wear it comfortably. If you are a frequent traveler or commuter, you can choose the in-ear earphone types that can be easily disconnected and stored inside a pouch or pocket. Also, you have to test the headphone to ensure that the model is effective in cutting down the external noise. However, these features can be overlooked, if you are planning to use the headphones only at home.
Compare Different Headphones: Before you buy a specific Hi Fi headphone model, it is also very much important to check multiple models. You can always consider the latest models as these come with some additional features to provide digital music of much better quality. The salesperson deployed by the local digital products store can further provide you some additional information about the individual headphones. You can even ask him to use the models on a trial basis to select and buy the headphone based on your musical tastes and habit.