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Mary Higgins died on January 4th 1834, not a moment too soon.
Parish records indicate that she was eighty-seven years old – in fact she was exactly a decade younger – Mary just looked old. This is what life had done to her. She was crabby and bitter, abandoned and pissed off at the world. Mary Higgins was the last queen bee, the last matriarch – but she'd shrivelled, shrunk with the years to match her bitterness. History froze her in a final arthritic claw of rage. A couple of days later all that anger was buried in the Stephen Street Cemetery of St. Matthews, New Norfolk, under her married name of Mary Triffitt. There was more ceremony than sorrow when they interred this grand old dame – after a prayer from the Reverend William Garrard and a hurried hymn the mourners slunk away.
What an extraordinary life.
Her destiny should have unfolded in a very different way. She was meant to have an invisible life; grow up, meet and marry a boy called Sam Higgins, have seventeeen children, work like a dog – then die. What happened, Mary? Where did it go wrong?
Instead fate and her own addictions propelled her into a great, unfolding adventure; an accidental life that took her to a world she couldn't possibly have imagined; left her bloodied, much bruised but unbowed. She had spirit, our Mary. I'd like to think that larrikin streak coloured her descendants – alas, it was her criminal streak that survived, trickling down through the generations – a determinedly petty life of crime.
She was fun to discover. The mystery of Mary – her early, invisible years eluded researchers for more than a hundred years – not that anybody much was looking. We only want the name: Triffitt, Triffitt, Triffitt – forgetting that it took two to create this tattered dynasty.
Well, Mary – I did my best – but after all of it, I do have to say – it's quite impossible to like you.
That flogging in Norfolk Island was the end of her in many ways – every slash on her naked back stripped away the confident street hustler and left a silence behind. An official silence, at least.
She emerged, as we've seen, in the records only to bear children, travel to Van Diemen's Land, get married and now, for her final public act, die. How much of the saucy wench of Georgian London remained in her by the end we cannot know, but I'd like to think there was still a twinkle in her eye at the last. She died knowing that her time on this earth had borne extensive fruit. There were grandchildren of all shapes and sizes, two successful sons and that bastard of a husband – but she'd had good mileage, even from him. She was old and tired when she passed away, glad, I suspect, to go. Whether bitterness and anger consumer her that last decade is hidden in the swift flowing waters of the Derwent Valley. Let's hope she had time to reflect on the extraordinary journey of her life and appreciate it for all the richness and experience it offered. But the inner life may have been denied her, intelligence may have been replaced with the dull thud of the dowager drudge as hardship after hardship weighed her down. She had it tough, our Mary, now she was finally free.
A century later the graveyard was overrun and abandoned. Nearly sixty years had passed since the last burial, cows grazed amongst the tombs, fallen headstones were stepping stones amidst the mud, chooks wandered idly through, broken bottles littered the place, rubbish piled up around the monuments; who knows what was occurring after dark – it was considered beyond restoration and in an act of desperate philistinism known in those days as civic pride, cleared.
Now, seventy five years after that, it still remains a desperate paddock, cursed and abandoned, surrounded by suburban houses just off the main street of town, a deserted city plot with a pile of broken tombstones at the far end. Along one wall is a line of headstones, kindly preserved by the good citizens of the New Norfolk Rotary Club, badly restored and cemented into the earth. The land feels dead – so do the yawning streets of New Norfolk around it. It's a particularly bleak ending for a graveyard, eaten into by suburbia, smothered and ignored until there was just one token block left; a last off-hand acknowledgement that there was once something there. Bleak to think that under that petrol bowser, beneath that back-yard chicken coop lie the bones of a whole generation of pioneers, lost and ignored.
One of them is Mary Higgins. Now she's not forgotten.
I'm still researching this.
The old fella popped her in the ground with a sigh of relief and a great deal of brandy. Only Thomas shed a tear. They turned away from the grave and got on with their lives with not much emotion – not visibly, at least. Death was no stranger to any of them, to anyone in those days. She'd had a long, long life and it was time for her to go. They had to get on with theirs.
Her death cleared the way for a reappraisal, as deaths often do. The first thing that happened, with lightening speed, was the amazing announcement that William, first son of Thomas Triffitt and Ann, first daughter of James Triffitt Jr. were to be wed.
Alert readers might notice a close family connection.
James Snr. had no intention of following his ex-wife to God, not in the immediate future, anyway. With that rather too frisky step common to active men in their sixties he continued apace, putting the finishing touches on his sandstone house at Catrine Vale and bouncing small children on his knee. He was a man of substance and a certain native intelligence, not to be tangled with.
It's impossible to follow James Sr.'s wheeling and dealing without spending a great deal of time in the archives. Life is short – it's not that thrilling. Luckily the search function in Trove brings a few juicy tidbits to light – make of them what you will.
It's evident that James Sr. was a man of many, many talents. It is possible, however, that his skill lay in sheep, not real estate.
James, like everybody else, was buying and selling land like crazy. There are books written on this topic, the 1820's and '30's was filled with enquiries, trying to trace land-ownership back through layer after layer of intrigue. Unfortunately, it's quite dull. I also get the distinct feeling that James Sr's finances were a lot more rickety than they should be.
Five months after Mary's death he sold the land they'd lived on since 1808 – not one of his smartest moves.
The Courier: Friday 23 April 1841
I have no idea if the following events occurred as described – but they certainly could have…
Great-grandfather James Triffitt looked mighty pleased with himself. He was sixty-nine years old and, quite unexpectedly, had a real family.
Christmas 1838 saw the whole family spread along his verandah just outside Hamilton. A labrynthine operation had seen the clan arrive on houseback or on foot, in carts or buggies, all primed for the great family occasion.
The house was already crawling with children; Sophia's and James Sr. had produced Charles – now thirteen, Richard, ten; Sophia; nine and little Mary Ann – already seven. Once James Jnr arrived with his heavily pregnant wife Lizzie and eight kids in tow the usual family pandemonium began. It was like a bomb had gone off in the house. Twelve children, four adults – so far. Then his brother Tom and Mary arrived with their brood, another six kids that scattered upon arrival. Thomas was twenty, Mary, eighteen – almost grown-up, sixteen year-old Susan busied herself clucking over Edward, fourteen; Louisa Matilda , twelve and John Frederick, nine. Then they all clucked over the next arrivals, our kissin' cousins Ann and William, last to arrive with their lad; the precocious Young Solomon, just fourteen months old. Mum was five months pregnant with another Thomas, just getting ready to join the party in April 1838.
They were complete. Twenty children with two on the way, six adults, two nearly adults and chaos. The family parted on glowing terms and headed off to their respective homes.
Let's hope they all enjoyed their time together. It would never be the same.
On January 10th 1839 a message arrived in all three homes. Lizzie Barnes, James Jnr's wife, was failing, her pregnancy gone awry.
Elizabeth's body had simply given way. The onslaught of her twelfth pregnancy, against Doctor's orders, brought the consequences he so feared. She was dying, the baby already dead in her womb. James Jnr was distraught. He had eight children at home, a dying wife and a grief and a rage tied in together so tight he was fit to explode. The family was there within hours.
Mercifully it was brief. On the 16th January she perished, just as the Doctor said she would, with maximum grief and suffering to all concerned. The whole clan was back together much soon than they had imagined. Just three weeks after Christmas there they all were, at Elizabeth's funeral, staring blankly at the grave.
James and Lizzie Barnes had eleven children. Two died as infants, one was already left home – this left eight. That's a heavy load for a newly widowed father – but James is twenty, John eighteen – they're men; Phoebe is sixteen, Christina fourteen – both perfectly capable of looking after the little ones; Henry, ten, Ellen, seven, Samuel, five and Joshua – three. Remember, Mum did little other than incubate children, breast-feed them and procreate more. The house must have run independently of her for years.
No time to grieve. Every day, three times a day there were meals to be provided, clothes to be washed, children to be bathed. The market gardens wouldn't wait for grief either. He was trapped.
The first dreadful month went by.
On the 15thFebruary Thomas Triffitt Jr. was killed in a boating accident. He'd celebrated his twentieth birthday just three months before. He's buried in Hamilton in the grounds of St Peters Anglican church under the name of Thomas Triffet. His gravestone still exists today .
This left the Triffitt girls.
Six of them, a twittering amorphous mass of dolls and grubby frocks and secrets aged from twelve to sixteen. When family gatherings brought them together they disappeared in a huddle, swapping girlish stories and crushes, doing what girl children do. In the midst of them were two little boys who lived their lives surrounded by women and learnt at an early age when they were outtnumbered.
The Girls were old and young simultaneously, knew the natural world of grunt and babies intimately, raised their brothers and sisters as their own children, worked and learnt the limitied world of settler women at their mother's side. They were being grown to have babies and tend house. That was to be their function so the less brain activity the better. They were content to sit in their circle and play their girlish games and laugh when they were together, marvel as one at the endless cycle of Aunty Ann's children, watch the lesson on display.
The Girls were approaching womanhood with frightening speed. With the inevitability of nature the little girls became young ladies, their turn came near and when they were all of sixteen they would be drawn deeper into the real secrets of that embrace. Two by two they were sucked into that communal pulse and joined the matrix, to breed and pulse, as one.
Mary was the eldest of the six. She was right in the firing line. James' second daughter was eighteen and glowing like a virgin peach. Susan was sixteen – she glowed, but in the way that missionaries shine, an light unsullied by the flesh. Susan shone limply but with a determined light. Phoebe, on the other hand, radiated the pleasures of the flesh. She was born to have babies and love her husband fully while she filled the earth with children. Phoebe was the Mother Earth of the group, just fifteen and blossoming in a most attractive way. Christina, her younger sister was a big-boned lass as well, her hips were similarly made for childbirth – fourteen years old and in waiting. These Triffitt girls exuded some natural tang, something in the air. Young men from all around had started to hover on the fringes, expectant faces dashed as they ran into their brothers.
There were the two babies of the group as well – Matilda and Lousia, both twelve, both curiously hanging off an Auntie's arm, full of mischief and laughter, feigning shyness on demand. They watched their sister's progress through a country adolescence into the light, such as it was, of young adulthood. Watching and learning. On average, these young ladies would marry and be pregnant by the time they were eighteen. All of them were pregnant before they married – entirely normal for the time.
Their sexual lives started around sixteen. There was a lot of bush around New Norfolk but a lot of enquiring eyes. Gossip and the intrigue of courtship flashed around the district in a shot. These liasons must have happened fast and furious, when desire overcame reason or sense and left two young things tingling in a barn while the others celebrated another Triffitt occasion. There were starting to be a lot of them.
With every marriage another family was added to the fold: RICHARDSON, MORGAN, HAY, DALEY, JILLETT, WASS, YOUNG, RATHBOND , TAYLOR, ABEL, SPRING, HAYES, O'BRIEN, MILLER, LARKINS, HAYES and WHITEWAY – the creature grew.
The grand-daughters huddled and gossiped, babies hung from every trailing limb. They all lived in utter chaos surrounded by children of every size and type – demanding, laughing, crying, pissing, shitting little Triffitts. Life was a continual grind of racing from one task to the next, from one childish emergency to the inevitable catastrophy – from the daily load of feeding and washing and cooking to brief moments of rest, pausing only to submit to a few grunts and groans of a night from the husbands. Life lived in the shadow of exhaustion. These women knew what each other was going through, the relentless grind, the push, the shove and 'here we go again every eighteen months' of it. The girls knew it all. So they sat and shared secrets like every mother since time began, an unholy alliance of service to the cause.
Hovering somewhere above it all, burping grand-children on his knee, is James Triffitt the Elder, looking around at the monster he created, farting contentedly.
1834: 6th January MARY HIGGINS dies
1834: A Birth – 9th November SAMUEL to JAMES Jnr & ELIZABETH
1836: A Wedding – 26th April WILLIAM marries ANN
1836: A Birth – 3rd October JOSIAH to JAMES Jnr & ELIZABETH
1836: A Birth – 27 October SOLOMON to Wm & ANN – first grandchild
1838: A Birth – 5th April THOMAS SHOLTO to ANN & WILLIAM
1839: A Death – 16th January ELIZABETH BARNES, mother dies
1839: A Death – 15th February in Hamilton, Thomas dies
1840: A birth – 4th April JONAS URBIN to ANN & WILLIAM
1840: A Birth – 14th July SUSANNA to MARY & JAMES
1840: A Wedding – 4th August PHOEBE marries JOHN JILLETT
1840: A Birth – ?? ROBERT ALFRED to PHOEBE & JOHN
1841: A Birth – 23rd November ELIJAH to ANN & WILLIAM
1841: A Wedding – 30th July MARY marries JAMES


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KIA Index
The 35th Infantry Regiment Association salutes our fallen brother, PFC David Robert Jones, RA14250892, who died in the service of his country on November 28th, 1950 in North Korea. The cause of death was listed as KIA. At the time of his death David was 19 years of age. He was from Oxford, North Carolina. David's Military Occupation Specialty was 4745-Light Weapons Infantryman.The decorations earned by PFC David Robert Jones include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Korea Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
Private First Class Jones was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on November 28, 1950. His remains were not recovered. Private First Class Jones was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

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Tag Archives: Fontana
Lascivissimo Cornetto
1611: the word "orgasm" is born. Gesualdo de Venosa publishes his Responsorias for six voices, without question the most harmonically audacious work in history. Shakespeare writes The Tempest, Monteverdi is about to be named conductor of St. Mark's Basilica in … Continue reading
Posted in Musical thoughts from Venezuela Tagged Bruce Dickey, cornetto, Falconieri, Fontana, Gesualdo, Jean Tubéry, Monteverdi, music, Palestrina, Paul Desenne, venezuela


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Machinic Ballads: Alan Lomax's Global Jukebox and the Categorization of Sound Culture
Today, SO! continues its series reconsidering the life and work of Alan Lomax in his centenary year, edited by Tanya Clement of The University of Texas at Austin. We started out with Mark Davidson's reflections on what it means to raise questions about the politics behind Lomax's efforts to record and collect folk music, and continued a few weeks later with Parker Fishel's consideration of Lomax's famous "Southern Journey" and how it has been appropriated by musicians more recently.
With Clement's own article below, the series begins to rethink Lomax as a touchstone in current and continuing drives to collect, measure and compute sonic cultures, something that seems hot all of a sudden (see, for instance, coverage of recent digital analysis of trends in pop music at Queen Mary University of London). In her thoughtful, illuminating and inspiring article below, Clement challenges us to consider the politics behind these efforts to search, retrieve and analyze audio, something that the case of Lomax throws into stark relief.
— Special Editor Neil Verma
When the Association for Cultural Equity, an organization that Alan Lomax founded in 1983, announced the release of 17,000 music tracks from Lomax's fieldwork collections, the New York Times heralded the release as a manifestation of Lomax's Global Jukebox project, a computational experiment for accessing and studying his vast multimedia collection of the world's culture. The Times piece likens Lomax's project to Pandora, which allows the listener to search for music "like" music she has already found. Lomax's biographer, John Szwed, also makes this comparison but modifies his description by proclaiming that unlike Pandora's recommendations which are "based on personal taste" and "tend to lead sideways . . . to production style," Lomax's Global Jukebox idea held the potential to point a listener to "deeper principles of cultural and musical organization" (The Man Who Recorded the World 391).
Gobsmacked by whizbang possibilities, neither the Times nor Szwed discuss the deeper principles behind Lomax's attempt to represent culture as a global search engine. In the context of the powerful work being accomplished in the Music Information Retrieval (MIR) community and my own project (HiPSTAS) to develop software for making sound collections searchable and accessible, In this article I will argue that how we build systems for searching and retrieving and browsing cultural artifacts as data is a profoundly political act. Recognizing such politics suggests that Lomax's Global Jukebox project serves as a cautionary tale for how social and cultural contexts — or what Donna Haraway calls our "ways of being" — are reflected in the systems we develop.
The Singer with the Song
The year that Alan Lomax was born (1915), his father John Alan Lomax published a landmark piece heralding seven new types of American ballads for study. American ballads, he argues "reveal the mode of thinking, the character of life, and the point of view, of the vigorous, red-blooded, restless Americans, who could no more live life contented shut in by four walls than could Beowulf and his clan, who sailed the seas around the coasts of Norway and Sweden" ("Some Types of American Folk-Song", 3). Unlike any other collection of ballads, John's "American ballad" included the ballads of the miner, the lumbermen, the inland sailor, the soldier, the railroader, "the ballads of the negro; and the ballads of the cowboy . . . [and] the songs of the down-and-out classes, — the outcast girl, the dope fiend, the convict, the jail-bird, and the tramp" (3). Governed by a laudable goal to record the songs of folk cultures at the fringes of mainstream society, the senior Lomax's view of the communities where he would collect his songs (including jails and state farms), was complex, and can fairly be called both progressive as well as racist (Porterfield 170).
John and Alan went on seven collecting trips together between 1934 and 1936 and co-authored five books on their return. On these trips, they collected songs from people on the street in cities like New Orleans and people in the country, from both church-goers and prisoners. While John held romanticized views of the "noble" southern black man, Alan, on the other hand, indicated a more nuanced understanding of the complexities inherent to his father's attempt to generalize patterns of "folk" for study. Alan linked "the singer with the song" and was interested in the politics behind prisoners made to sing with guns at their backs and in the cultural lives of people that were so poor in means but so rich in "beautiful harmony, with enormous volume, with total affection" (Szwed 49). While Alan maintained that he was interested in the individual's story, John believed that "a genuine ballad has no one author. It is therefore the expression of no one mind: it is the product of the folk . . . It might have been written by any one" ("Some Types of American Folk-Song", 1).
The Global Jukebox project demonstrates an almost complete reversal in Alan's concerns. The studies behind the Global Jukebox include Alan's Cantometrics and Choreometrics, in which he produces taxonomies for studying song and dance and his Parlametrics project, an "experiment in metalinguistics," which Alan and his collaborators describe as a taxonomy of "patterns of style" in speech based on dynamic changes in pitch, loudness, speed, spacing, rhythm, and timbre ("A stylistic analysis of speaking"). These taxonomies show that Alan's early consideration for the individual performer gave way to a desire to make folk study more scientific as a cultural mapping like what his father espoused rather than what Szwed and others have seen as Alan's concerns with the situated politics of individuals.
Alan's Parlametric study serves as good example. Approaching delegates from the United Nations and soliciting mail-in samples from regions not covered by the U.N. volunteers, Alan and his team collected representative recordings of 114 languages. Then, in order to study the "generally neglected meta-communicational level" in these recordings, the team designed a rating system including 50 codes that (1) "described the distinctive features of each recording," and (2) "tended to cluster the recordings into sets of similars" that Alan maintains anyone could "readily use" to record "salient differences in conversation style" (19). These clusters pointed to 14 factors that Alan and his team would use to categorize the cultures from which they received samples:
- Repetitiveness
- Timing
- Speech length
- Upglides
- Descending cadence
- Syllabification
- Drawl
- Empathy
- Space
- Dominance/Sharing
- Relaxed/Tense
- Noise
- Breathy
- Forceful
Using these factors, Alan makes some broad assertions. The association of clear syllabification" (the degree to which syllables run together) "is most strongly predicted among gardeners with domesticated animals" and "[t]he association of clear syllabification to feminine autonomy is suggested by the discovery that this mode of speaking predicts and is predicted by permissive rather than restrictive premarital sexual mores" (27). Further, "Dominance vs. Sharing of conversation space" is strongly correlated with settlement size and severity of sexual sanctions," a statement that Alan immediately rationalizes by noting that "this relation between a more crowded social space, high sexual tension and increased rate of interaction seems to make good sense, even if it does not account for every possibility" (31).
These spurious and broad generalizations were what Lomax hoped to facilitate for all with his Global Jukebox as the access point for "the first numerical models of the full range of global cultural variation in holistic form" for "the scientist, the layman, and the student to explore, experience, and manipulate the broad universe of culture and creativity in a systematic fashion, with audio-visual illustrations at every turn of the road" ("The Global Jukebox," 318). By leveraging his taxonomies of song, dance, and speech in the computer age, Alan could suddenly associate and differentiate cultures holistically and en masse.
Machinic Methods / Humanistic Questions
As someone who works in the liminal spaces between the humanities and technology, between cultural studies and critique and the machines that increasingly function both as access points and barriers to our cultural artifacts, I see Alan's switch to generalizable taxonomies as par for the course in the digital age. My own >HiPSTAS project's primary objective is to develop a virtual research environment in which users can better access and analyze spoken word collections of interest to humanists. We understand that in order for us to search digital sound artifacts, we have to create taxonomies, metadata, keywords and other generalizable frameworks that facilitate discovery.
At the same time that we are using machinic methods, however, we can still ask humanistic questions that open up rather than close down debates and dialogues. In a recent test for the HiPSTAS project, for example, we used machine learning to analyze the recordings in the UT Folklore Center Archives, which comprises 219 hours of field recordings collected by John and Alan Lomax, Américo Paredes, and Owen Wilson, among others (UT Folklore Center Archives, ca. 1928-1981, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Box 2.325/R). In our attempt to predict the presence of different sonic patterns including instrumental music, singing, and speech, the results of our analysis are noteworthy as the visualization shown in this brief movie demonstrates.
from Tanya Clement on Vimeo
Within the results, we see a visualization of how many seconds comprise each file (in blue) and how many of those seconds for each file our software has predicted the presence of instruments (green), speech (red), and song (purple). A subtle yet striking difference emerges in the comparison between the Lomax recordings (created 1926-1941), which are the oldest in the collection, and the others, which were created up until 1968. The Lomax recordings (primarily created by John Lomax) consistently contain the least amount of speech in comparison to what the other files contain.
Of course, there are a number of ways you can read these results. Given the conversation above, one could hypothesize that perhaps the Lomaxes were primarily interested in their participants' songs rather than their stories. One could also think about it in terms of recording capabilities across time. When the Lomaxes were first recording, John Lomax writes, "The amplifier weighed more than one hundred pounds; the turntable case weighed another one hundred; two Edison batteries weighed seventy-five pounds each. The microphone, cable, the tools, etc., accounted for sufficient weight to make the total five hundred pounds. . . . In order to carry them in the car I tore out the back seat . . ." Even in 1967, forty years later, good recorders still weighed 70 pounds and required a car battery, but tapes were longer and costs were less. More tape and more time at less cost both financially and physically had a big impact on what researchers recorded. At the same time, the data shows that the later recordings are not much longer, but do seem to have more seconds of speech.
There is a danger in these kinds of machine-generated generalities. We employed taxonomies (instrumental, sung, speech) to teach the machine to categorize these patterns, but why these patterns? Are there others? Or did I choose these based on what I already wanted to say about the Lomaxes' practices? And, I haven't even mentioned here the subjective practices inherent to choosing algorithms for such work.
These kinds of questions require more research, and more contextualization than this aggregated data set can show. Just as the ballads that John and Alan Lomax once collected were written and sung by someone, so were the communities that Alan interpreted through his Parlametrics made up of individuals, not types. Perhaps Alan's desire "to record the world" was just and Google, the collector, categorizer, and interface for all things on the Internet, isn't evil. But the Global Jukebox Project serves as a cautionary tale about the politics behind the speed and efficiency that machinic methods seem to promise, a politics that needs to be far less opaque about its deeper principles and problems.
Tanya Clement is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a PhD in English Literature and Language and an MFA in fiction. Her primary area of research is scholarly information infrastructure. She has published widely on digital humanities and digital literacies as well as scholarly editing, modernist literature, and sound studies. Her current research projects include High Performance Sound Technologies in Access and Scholarship (HiPSTAS).
Featured image: "Day 21 – Waveform" by Flickr user evil_mel, CC BY-NC 2.0
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"You're. . .#noangel. . . either": Uneasy Politics and Dissonant Sonics in Beyoncé's "No Angel"
This September, Sounding Out! challenged a #flawless group of scholars and critics to give Beyoncé Knowles-Carter a close listen, re-examining the complex relationship between her audio and visuals and amplifying what goes unheard, even as her every move–whether on MTV or in that damn elevator–faces intense scrutiny. In the coming Mondays, you will hear from Priscilla Peña Ovalle (English, University of Oregon), Liana Silva (Editor, Women in Higher Education, Managing Editor, Sounding Out!), Regina Bradley (writer, scholar, and freelance researcher of African American Life and Culture), and Madison Moore (Research Associate in the Department of English at King's College, University of London and author of How to Be Beyoncé). Today, we #wakeuplikethis with Kevin Allred (Women and Gender Studies, Rutgers), who refuses to let us fast forward past the understated and discomfiting video track "No Angel."–Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Stoever
Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot to death by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014, for no apparent reason [see author's note below]. While the fact that the death of unarmed black men (and women and trans people) at the hands of those in power is, sadly, no unique occurrence, as Melissa Harris-Perry – among countless others – have pointed out, Brown's death has sparked nation-wide outrage and protests about police brutality, racial injustice, and severely decreased resources for impoverished communities.
In the New York Times' reportage on Brown's death, reporter John Eligon found it appropriate to characterize the teenager as "no angel," as if any amount of alleged wrongdoing or possible character flaws on Brown's part somehow justified his murder. Both Eligon and the Times were called out on social media and in traditional publications such as the Atlantic, and, while the press quickly apologized, the phrase's familiar interpellation of victims – especially when they are people of color – as "no angels" lingered: a journalistic gaze born of sympathy with white authority that invalidates an individual's life, tarnishes their memory, and even rewrites histories.
A powerful counter discourse challenges these racist narratives, however; one we can hear in the dissonant sonics of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's "No Angel," a song that anticipates–and adamantly refutes–the racist notion that people who live, and quite possibly die as Michael Brown did, are anything but valuable.
Released almost 9 months before Brown was killed, Beyoncé's "No Angel" cannot explicitly be called a response, but the ghosts of black men–living and dead, unfairly judged and mistreated–haunt the entire song. "No Angel" begins with a slow-burning 4-count beat; a low, synthesized, slightly off-kilter kick drum sets the tone for the song while an eerily-lilting high-pitched synthetic warbling noise simultaneously pours out of the speakers. The sound, reminiscent of feedback, drifts between pitches for four painstakingly slow measures before Beyoncé's vocals kick in. When they do, what we hear is unusual. Her voice reverberates in a breathy, almost too-high falsetto that sounds nothing like the soaring powerhouse vocals of "Halo" or "I Was Here;" nothing like the precise, punctuated staccato of "Single Ladies" or "Run The World (Girls);" and certainly nothing like any of the other songs on BEYONCÉ. Sonic and musical contradictions abound. Neither the kind of impressive falsetto showing a wide range, nor necessarily immediately pleasing to the ear, Beyoncé's voice is forced. . .and it haunts. Further, the vocals seem to cut the time signature of the song in half, effectively doubling its pace. Its tempo, cadence and vocal dynamics signal "No Angel" as a very different kind of Beyoncé song, one forwarding a sonic and political statement over radio-readiness.
Admittedly, "No Angel" was not initially one of my favorite songs on Beyoncé's new album. In fact, when teaching this song, most of my students – even the hardcore Beyoncé fans – admit sheepishly to skipping through it because of a feeling of discomfort mainly related to Beyoncé's vocal delivery. But after a few listens, something clicks: "No Angel" is not supposed to be pleasant, easy listening, but rather it jars and unsettles, just like the impact of news of another unarmed black person killed by white police. We are neither supposed to immediately identify with the audio of "No Angel," nor possibly even like it.
All about dissonance, the song's innovation fuels itself with inconsistency and contradiction. Vocally speaking, there are incongruities between the highs and the lows (the bass and the treble or the bass and the soprano), and the abrupt shifts in pacing—the slow pace both in opposition to and contained within the faster pace of the song. Even the stretched and breathy falsetto Beyoncé puts on for most of the song strikes a dissonant chord. Simply put, dissonance is tension, and neither the sonic nor the political tension ends here.
Here's the thing: we know Beyoncé's voice doesn't usually sound like it does on "No Angel." It is a conscious manipulation. And when coupled with the refrain:
You're no angel either baby
her voice even becomes a kind of accusation. If Michael Brown is "no angel;" if Beyoncé herself, as the singer and also as a black woman in a racist U.S. society, is also initially "no angel" then, Eligon in the NYT as Brown's accuser and, by extension, we as the listeners, become "no angel either." What's more, Beyoncé 's delivery is so deliberately overdone that she can be heard taking deep breaths in between each word of the chorus – something most singers would attempt to hide. Beyoncé chooses instead to push it to the forefront of the recording, audibly projecting each word toward the listener; in effect, slapping us in the face with each syllable, driving that message/accusation straight home.
However, while this forum may be dedicated to the sonic qualities of Beyoncé's work, I don't believe we can completely divorce the sonic from the visual for "No Angel," or anything on BEYONCÉ, as it was specifically marketed and publicized as audio and visual album. BEYONCÉ visual music experience is nothing knew to Beyoncé herself. As far back as Dangerously In Love, Beyoncé forwarded her belief "that harmonies are colors" on an interlude toward the end of the album. For her latest album, she went so far as to strike an exclusive deal with iTunes in which the album was only available as a complete package for the first week of its release – singles could not be purchased separately nor without videos (and vice versa). It would be a disservice to ignore the visual depiction of "No Angel," directed by @LilInternet and its synaesthetic fusion of sound and sight.
Just as the sonic qualities of the song provoke discomfort, unexpected imagery confronts the eye. First, the video is quite simply not about Beyoncé. She is rarely shown. Instead, Houston street culture and its struggles and poverty, represented largely through the faces of people of color, takes center stage. The video features mainly black men, although there are some images of black women throughout; a stark moment showing black women– raced and sexualized as "no angels"–working as strippers reveals an industry driven not by the agency/desire of the strippers themselves, but rather by the failures of capitalism that often offer few profitable choices to poor women other than sex work (as evidenced in the highlighting money shots/literal shots of money). But the video celebrates the lives of all theses alleged non-angels by showing small moments of happiness – a father smiling with his son; young boys flashing the peace sign with their fingers; sweet glances between lovers, community members proud to show off their jewelry and cars for the camera–redirecting the viewer's attention to the structural inequality framing many of the images, provoking more voyeuristic viewers to reflect on their own responsibility and complicity in the systems that create poverty and segregation in the first place. Simultaneously, members of the Houston community–as well as diasporic Houstonians–can see themselves represented, even celebrated in the video, as opposed to the usual cinematic vilification and denigration of these very same bodies as "no angels." Many Houston hop-hop legends appear in the video as well: Bun B, Scarface, Willie D, Z-Ro, and of course Beyoncé herself.
When the camera does linger on Beyoncé, it juxtaposes her iconic image–associated with the wealth and power of her celebrity status–with everyday people of her Houston hometown, including its most impoverished. Beyoncé, the residents, and the city itself stare the viewer down – actively challenging us to see both life and death, both living people and memorials to those, such as Michael Brown, who have died too young. The dissonant tension between life and death, encapsulated in Beyoncé's voice and the video's mirroring visuals: the high and the low; the rich and the poor; and the fraught gap in between.
Beyoncé tries to bridge this gap, both visually, through her self-representation in Houston, and sonically, particularly the moment when the refrain "you're no angel, either. . .baby" finishes and she swings her voice down out of falsetto, into her more powerful full-out throat voice. It is assuredly no coincidence that during those moments she repeats the word "no," over and over again. With that "no," she objects to mainstream news vilification, anticipating and objecting to Michael Brown's characterization as "no angel." Her voice shifts from the high-falsetto – a sound serving the dual purpose of exposing the above dissonance AND acting as a caress to black communities in Houston, and Ferguson, and on and on – and moves into the heavy throat-voiced complaint and objection. "No, you will not treat my people this way. No, you will not treat ANY people this way," her sound testifies. And, for viewers not represented in the video, that "you" is them–and she means that realization to feel uncomfortable. Beyoncé's vocal dissonance and visual images force a confrontation with this accusation: it is not Michael Brown and those represented and celebrated in the video who are "no angels," but the rest of us who fall short.
So, if we are "no angels, either" what do we do about it? Do we skip the track? Do we sit in front of our computer with the visual evidence of the failure of the American Dream staring us down as we groove to Beyoncé's vocals? Do we turn off the news coverage in Ferguson, MO and pretend it's not happening? Beyoncé's voice provokes these uncomfortable questions and more: What does inequality sound like? What does hope and/or resolution/reparation sound like? Are they the same sound? This is a Beyoncé more in line with artists such as Nina Simone, who famously used her voice to express political critique, and not always in the most "pleasant" ways. "No Angel" is Beyoncé's audio-visual "Strange Fruit," positioning her alongside some of the most political and innovative protest singers of our time.
Author's Note: At the time of Brown's death, I had already been submitted this article. Due to the eerie coincidence between Beyoncé's song "No Angel" and Eligon's characterization of Michael Brown in the New York Times noted during the review process, I reworked the article to bring the two into conversation – which, in fact, they always were, even though I didn't know it at the time.
Kevin Allred is a musician, activist, and teacher, currently at Rutgers University, where he teaches a signature course he created: "Politicizing Beyoncé." He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his boyfriend and two elderly dachshunds. Join the Politicizing Beyoncé community at www.facebook.com/politicizingbeyonce. You can also find Kevin at www.kevinallredmusic.com and www.politicizingbeyonce.com.
REWIND!…If you liked this post, check out:
The (Magic) Upper Room: Sonic Pleasure Politics in Southern Hip Hop–Regina Bradley
Freedom Back: Sounding Black Feminist History, Courtesy the Artists–Tavia Nyong'o
"HOW YOU SOUND??": The Poet's Voice, Aura, and the Challenge of Listening to Poetry— John Hyland
The Noisiest City on Earth? or, What Can the 2012 Manhattan Noise Complaint Maps Really Tell Us?
"It's a city, not a cemetery. You can't tell everybody to go around wearing earplugs."
Ex-New York City Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern, quoted in "Many Pleas for Quiet, but City Still Thunders"
In 1905, a New York Times article declared New York City "the noisiest city on Earth." More than a century later—this summer, to be exact—The New York Times ran a series on noise in New York City titled "What? The Long War on Loud" that proved that this city is still trying to figure out its relationship to sound. (One of the gems of that series? "New York's War on Noise" timeline.) As a displaced New Yorker, some of my most vivid memories of the city are aural. Although New York City isn't the only loud city out there, there are many reasons it's called "The City That Never Sleeps"—and sound has a lot to do with it, depending on which neighborhood you call home.
Now you can see what neighborhoods are allegedly noisiest, and where all that noise comes from. Brooklyn designer Karl Sluis created the 2012 Manhattan Noise Complaints maps (click for full image), in which Sluis correlated the data on 311 noise complaints made during the year 2012 (40, 412 complaints, to be exact) that he obtained from the NYC Open Source site with Manhattan's geographical coordinates. He used circles of various sizes to a) create an aural tracing of the island of Manhattan, sitting in a sea of turquoise blue b) showcase the number of complaints in an area. The bigger the circle, the larger the number of complaints.
The maps Sluis has created are helpful for visualizing the complaints on a broad scale, but they paint an incomplete picture of what noise means in New York City. The demographics of each neighborhood are absent from each map, a slight that can perhaps be traced to the 311 data available, but in order to better understand how New Yorkers define "noise" those stats must be included. Both Sluis and John Metcalfe from The Atlantic Cities discuss notable findings, but neither takes into account the fact that some of the areas with a higher concentration of noise complaints are not just densely populated but densely populated with racial and ethnic minorities. Indeed, comparing the maps' noisy hotspots to a map of Manhattan racial demographics reveal how urban racial dynamics intersect with ideas about sound and power: who can make sound, who must be chastised for making noise, who can complain and whose complaints are actually being heard.
Mapping noise complaints gives a spatial dimension to noise, and it renders noise palpable, in a way. Sluis points out, "Noise complaints reveal the concentration of activity in the city as well as many smaller stories, such as the construction of the Second Avenue subway line, idling buses on the Upper East Side, and the homes of the loudest dogs (or the least patient neighbors)." He reminds us that the data comes from complaints and not necessarily decibels; in other words, it represents local ideas of what counts as sound and what counts as noise.
While Metcalfe correctly describes the thousands of 311 complaints about noise from 2012 as "the entire year's expression of mass annoyance," Sluis's map does not go far enough toward figuring out whose annoyance, exactly. We must remember that annoyance oftentimes stems not just from physical reactions to noise but rather one's perceptions about noise, what Jennifer Stoever-Ackerman deems "the listening ear." How we hear others, Stoever-Ackerman argues, is not as natural as it seems. For example, whom we deem as noisy may stem from our community, our parents, and/or social conditioning. Accounting for race/ethnicity in noise maps will show how the listening ear conditions neighbors to categorize and react to certain sounds.
For the purpose of this analytic exercise, I compared Sluis's maps and the Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center's 2010 map of block-by-block demographic changes in New York City, in order to illustrate how population density and racial/ethnic demographics play a role in concentrated pockets of noise complaints. Drawn from 2010 census data, the CUNY map clearly delineates neighborhoods and color-codes the groups in each neighborhood per block: blue for whites, green for Latino, orange for black, purple for Asian, and grey for "Other." Although the Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center's maps cannot be superimposed on Sluis's maps, they help give a general idea as to where neighborhoods are located in addition to racial demographics.
From the maps illustrating changing race/ethnicity patterns, I gathered what neighborhoods were predominantly white (West Village, Lincoln Square, Yorkville, Upper West Side), predominantly Latino (Washington Heights, East Harlem) predominantly black (Central Harlem, parts of Hamilton Heights), and predominantly Asian (Chinatown, blocks of the Lower East Side). When one compares Sluis's overall noise map of Manhattan to the racial demographic maps of Manhattan, what stands out is that the major circles of noise complaints are also places where there are different racial and ethnic groups mingling (for example, Times Square) or places that are populated by mostly minorities (Hamilton Heights). Whereas Sluis flattens out the noise complaints, demographic stats point to the racial/ethnic contours of each neighborhood. Sluis's maps focus on number of complaints; unfortunately this assumes everyone complaining is the same and that everyone making the noise is the same—a level aural playing field if you will. Bringing demographics into the equation underscores how not all complainers are equal and how not all complaints carry the same heft.
The city may be noisy, but "noisy" is relative. Sluis's map shows some predictably noisy areas for those of us familiar with Manhattan's soundscape (Union Square, Times Square) but it also draws attention to other areas not as predictable in the mainstream imagination (East Harlem South, Hamilton Heights). However, the maps by the Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center help us better understand the context for the high or low number of complaints in certain areas. For example, one of the biggest circles on Sluis's general map of Manhattan is located in the Hamilton Heights/Washington Heights area; the Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center's map of Manhattan above 110th Street show that these areas are densely populated by blacks and Latinos/as. This is key information because it reminds viewers that this neighborhood is a lot more ethnically diverse than other neighborhoods with a smaller number of complaints. It brings to mind: what role does race play in these complaints, in terms of those who complain and those who are the focus of the complaints? Although more people might mean more complaints, the prevalence of complaints like "loud talk" in East Harlem (Spanish Harlem) are nevertheless connected racialized ideas about people of color being "loud." This doesn't assume that the people complaining are white, but that they are complaining about groups that are characterized as loud, noisy, rowdy.
These noise maps, when put into conversation with demographic data, also indicate what areas are priorities in urban planning—the sounds of gentrification. The visualizations of the complaints by section (under the main map), combined with CUNY's maps, are even more telling because they break down the number of complaints by category. The aforementioned northern tip of Manhattan, for example, is also where many of the complaints are concentrated. At a glance, loud parties, loud people, and loud car stereos seem to be the major complaints in those areas, according to Sluis's visualizations. Meanwhile, noises of "urban growth," such as construction and jackhammers, are less prevalent in these areas, whereas they are more prevalent below Central Park North, in now mostly-white neighborhoods.
Sluis's maps of the 311 noise complaints data allow readers to see differences in terms of neighborhoods: who complains the most? what do they complain about? However, one thing to keep in mind is that first question: who makes the complaints. This is where the data falls short. Can it be assumed that those who are calling about the noise are mostly people who live in the neighborhood? Are Upper Manhattan neighbors less or more tolerant of noise? The answers to these questions, although they're not found in Sluis's map, point to how ideas of who is noisy or who can make noise are at play here.
I do not mean to downplay the usefulness of Sluis's map. I instead call for the necessary addition of key missing factors to future noise maps in order to give us a more complex picture of noise complaints in Manhattan and elsewhere. Although it may not be possible to gather who the 311 callers are, including factors such as race and class may lead to very different noise maps. For example, what would a noise map of Manhattan look like if researchers brought income into the equation? Income inequality, especially in Manhattan where that imbalance is starkly on display, matters for the purpose of sound mapping. The more affluent neighborhoods are also the ones with less complaints and are the ones that are mostly inhabited by whites. Wealthier communities are more spread out and have more ability to couch themselves from noise, not to mention that it probably takes fewer complaints to get a response.
Gentrification is another factor: what kind of analysis could we do if we considered what neighborhoods have been gentrified in the past ten years? It is possible that as whites move into neighborhoods where people of color have historically lived, suddenly they find them noisy—hence, complaints. It is fitting to consider, for example, the tension between an established group of drummers in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem and the inhabitants of a new highrise (characterized as "young white professionals") who wanted the 30-years and running drum circle shut down, as reported in The New York Times in 2008. Moreover, if we accounted for the history of zoning in the neighborhoods that have the most or the least complaints it would add another layer of analysis to the data. Are some of these neighborhoods used as entertainment zones, for example? Is it easier to open up bars there than elsewhere in the city?
With these questions in mind, the maps go from beautiful renditions of data, to opening up a bigger conversation about the arbitrariness of noise. The demographical and sociological context of these noise complaints must accompany the raw data, especially when it comes to sound. The analysis also points to the source of the data: 311 calls. I wonder if this is the only way that people in Manhattan (and New York City at large) are dealing with noise. I'm sure that after a century of being "the noisiest city on Earth," folks have gotten creative about it.
Featured image: " Stranger 10/100 Johano" by Flickr user MichaelTapp, CC BY-ND 2.0
Liana M. Silva-Ford is co-founder and Managing Editor of Sounding Out! She is also known professionally as the Writer Whisperer.
REWIND! . . .If you liked this post, you may also dig:
"I'm on my New York s**t": Jean Grae's Sonic Claims on the City -Liana Silva
The Noise You Make Should Be Your Own–Scott Poulson-Bryant
Sounding Out! Podcast Mini-Series (#16): Listening to The Tuned City of Brussels, Day 1: "Noise"


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Saturday, October 17, 2009
LIVE In-Game Chat -- No. 7 Ohio State (5-1) @ Purdue (1-5) Today @12 Noon
6 comments:
- the professorOctober 17, 2009 at 4:13 PM
Post game comment: Guess finally were all in agreement now... this is Tressel's last season! I don't think he can rebound from this loss it's just too devastating to the program. Sure you can't win every game but it's not about that, it's about how the kids are taught. Today highlighted the fact that most of the successful plays were the results of broken plays not anything they were taught and that my friends is the bottom line.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 17, 2009 at 8:08 PM
god hates us. I mean, i just don't understand how this could happen. Tress, pryor, posey, so much talent. I just can't look at ohio state the same way without tressel though. I think the last thing us buckeyes should do is turn our backs on someone who has brought ohio state football back into the spotlight after so many bad years. I just don't know...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 17, 2009 at 8:37 PM
"I feel that sometimes the man upstairs sort of likes us. Maybe he was testing us, saying 'Let's see what kind of people are at Ohio State. Do they take defeat lightly? Can they come back from adversity?" Woody HayesReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 17, 2009 at 8:44 PM
It isn't about getting rid of Tressel and it is far from his "last season" as the Professor said. Coach just needs to realize as the leader of this team that he needs better coaching around him. A modern offensive coordinator and offensive line coaching along with a better quarterbacks coach. Great leaders throughout history have recognized the need to surround themselves with other talented people. It is time for Tress to recognize the obvious weakness and correct it. This was easily the worst loss for the program since the Air Force debacle. Things aren't getting better on the O line or from Pryor. Lack of improvement means something is missing in the coaching ranks. The evidence has been mounting all season. When you consistently fail to punch it in from the 2 yard line something is frightfully wrong somewhere. From today this season will either be sparked for improvement or we will see more of the same. I'm not sure I'm up for witnessing more offensive impotence.ReplyDelete
- jimmy JOctober 17, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Anonymous, it's comments like that I just don't get, you act like we owe something to FG Jimmy, like he's irreplaceable, believe me there are plenty of good coaches out there looking to move up to big time college ball. JT has had a several years to get his act together in regards to your questions on his offensive coordinating. Listen this guy works for us, he has a virtual recruiting monopoly the envy of every Big Ten coach yet he can't even get it done against Purdue. Purdue a team that has to recruit against 4 other major neighboring programs, geezz you thick heads just don't get it. So you guys don't think this all gets back to the coach and his Pop Warner play calling, it's embarrassing, he's got a QB that continues to throws Hail Marys without ever seeing the bench. But you little poodle dogs can't can't bear life without Tress.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 19, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Coach Tessel has lost his focus and is doing what all of you so called fans of the high power spread offense wanted. The problem is that offense needs to be scraped and we need to go back to what the team practiced all fall which was the I-formation. Tressel needs to go back to what he knows and take the decision making away from Terrell there is too mush pressure on him when things aren't going well. Everybody needs to get involved not Terrell trying to make a big play every down. It is alot easier to run block when you know it is a run not a run pass option that freezesReplyDelete
the Oline from doing there job which is firing off the ball not standing up and not aware of what is going on behind them.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 ==================== 1. BORDERLINE STORIES & THE SIERRA TARAHUMARA Opening Reception 6-9PM. Photography exhibit by Riverwest resident John Ruebartsch of the people and land of the Sierra Tarahumara in Mexico's northern state of Chihuahua. Walker's Point Center for the Arts, 911 W. National Ave. 2. FRIDAY NITE TRIATHLON, 5:15-9:30PM Walk Riverside Park, canoe the Milwaukee River, and dine downtown. $40/$32 members/$25 kids 10-17; includes dinner. At Urban Ecology Center, Riverside Park. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 ====================== 1. ONE DRUM, 8PM-CLOSE Dance and groove to the world beat rhythms of One Drum, many of whose members live in Riverwest. Shank Hall, 8PM-close. Cover. 2. ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO BENEFIT With Dean from the Waco Brothers, Stall, Slickpony, West of Rome, Carolina, The Mighty Deerlick, Aimless Blades, and The General Store. At Linneman's, Locust & Weil. Cover. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 ==================== 1. GARDENERS MARKET, 11AM-4PM, Locust & Bremen Music by Riverwester Rose Blade from Noon-3PM. The market is overflowing with fresh produce, flowers, herbs, and more. Come and get it! 2. COURTYARD CAFE, 10AM-1PM, Villa Terrace Espresso, pastry, and free live music. 3. CORY THE BIKE FIXER, 1PM 2nd Annual Retro Bicycle Ride. Meet at 2410 N. Murray Ave. Party afterwards with music & refreshments. Free. 4. RETHINKING SCHOOLS BENEFIT, 7PM Living Activism Series featuring Del Crandall. At The Coffee House, 631 N. 19th St. Cover. COMING UP NEXT WEEK: ==================== SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 11AM-7PM Center St. Daze & Art Cart Race SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, NOON-2PM Ice Cream Social at Gardeners Market hosted by Alderman Mike D'Amato, with Milwaukee Mandoline Ensemble from Noon-3PM.
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Let's be real here. Chances are, if you eat a salad every single day you're going to get tired of the same one after awhile. Salads are simple though, and healthy, so they seem like the way to go when planning out meals for the week or thinking about what you should order when the clock strikes 12:00 pm.
When you think about salads, you can think about them many ways. Which lettuce are you going to have? What is your protein going to be? What additional vegetables are you going to add? Don't even get us started on your cheese option and then dare we say it? DRESSING.
To save you some stress and arguments, we're going to lay it out for you. There are a couple of salads we think you definitely need to try whether it's a lunchtime decision or a starter at dinner. In New York, the salads are endless, so let loose and order something new.
Here are a couple of ideas:
INTI Peruvian, Seafood Salad
Wrapido, Falafel Salad
Al Vicoletto, Beet Salad
Route 66, Mango Salad
Hummus Kitchen, Maya Salad
Coban Salad, Papa Kebab
Endive Salad, Rustico
So get your munch AND your crunch on, and try a new salad. Like we said, there's always time to come back to the same old thing and that time is most definitely not now.
Let us know what you end up trying on our social: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. If you're feeling extremely social, Snap us your salad.


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Curlew Recovery Appeal
The UOWG Curlew Recovery Appeal was well supported, but was closed in April 2018.
The proceeds were donated to the SWT/SOS "Save our Curlews" campaign. More information about conservation work and results in 2018, and plans for 2019, can be found on the SOS website www.shropshirebirds.com/save-our-curlews/
If you wish to donate to the appeal, please see www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/appeals
Reports of Curlew surveys from previous years, including charts showing the decline of Curlew in the area, can be found on the Project Results Page.
Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Country LPS Curlew Recovery Project Summary
The original version of the summary reproduced below can be downloaded from this link. A copy of the original report can be downloaded as a Word file from this link; the document will open in a new window.
Ground-nesting Birds Recovery Project
For over 10 years the Upper Onny Wildlife Group has been monitoring Curlew according to BTO methodology in part of the Landscape Partnership Scheme (LPS) area. This has demonstrated that the population has decreased by 26% in 11 years 2004-14. The group have been instrumental in seeking a solution to reverse this decline.
• To discover why the Curlew population is failing to breed successfully through implementation of a 3 year nest monitoring project.
• To take action to prevent and reverse the decline of the population in collaboration with farmers and land managers leading to formation of farmer-led groups.
Nest Monitoring Pilot Project Notes
Pilot project field work in 2015 carried out by Tony Cross, ornithological consultant with ground nesting bird experience.
• 12 nests with eggs monitored, through nest cameras and radio tagging of chicks.
• 38 eggs laid – 4 x 4 egg, 5 x 3 egg and 2 x 2 egg clutches.
• Nest failure – 1 desertion, 6 mammalian (1 fox, 1 badger and 4 almost certainly fox from evidence, but not on camera), 1 avian and 1 unknown
• Chicks – 9 eggs from 3 clutches hatched and all chicks tagged, none survived.
• All chicks almost certainly predated, evidence of fox and avian predation in some cases.
• During the nest location phase, 3 fields under observation because of Curlew activity were mown before any nests were located and there was a further report of a farmer finding an abandoned nest after mowing a field.
The population in the Upper Onny area apparently declined by a further 3-4 pairs. None of the 3 Community Wildlife Groups found evidence of fledged young anywhere in the whole LPS area.
Farmer Liaison
Over 30 farmers gave permission for Curlew to be monitored on their land. All the farmers approached were interested and sympathetic to the plight of Curlew and concerned about the effect of predation that they felt had hitherto been overlooked in efforts to save this species. The farmers with nests on their land were keen to know precise nest locations so that they could reduce any potential disturbance to nests. There have been feedback presentations for farmers and landowners, who have shown support for the project to continue.
The Future
• There are still almost 40 pairs of Curlew in the LPS area. If the Curlews are to be saved the project must be continued.
• Monitoring – It is essential that nest and Curlew behaviour monitoring is carried out over more than one year so that the effect of variables such as weather conditions can be better understood. 2015 was atypical. Modifications learned from the pilot project will need to be implemented.
• Nest Protection – We will also need to trial forms of nest protection and deterrents based on evidence gathered this year.
• Help to locate Curlew – This depends greatly on help from local people. Farmers, Community Wildlife Groups and local residents all play a part.
• Improved training on Curlew behaviour, which is quite different throughout the stages of the breeding season, is needed to help increase the value of observations made by volunteers A document to be produced for the spring will be augmented with a film by the end of the 2016 season.
• An 'irecord' system will be set up to enable fast communication of casual Curlew sightings and will provide a link keeping contributors up to date with news of the project.
• Locally Curlews nest in grassland and prefer hay meadows. Accommodating the needs of nesting birds may interrupt farming operations and lead to loss of income. We want to establish what effect supporting Curlew nesting and foraging sites has on the farm business and explore potential avenues for compensating against this.
Current Funding Situation
Funding for the project in the Welsh part of the scheme for a further two years has been secured by Natural Resources Wales.
Funding will be required for the project to continue in England. The Jean Jackson Trust has recently made a generous contribution to the project for about half the estimated costs.
Over the next two years, we will need to raise an additional £22,000 each year for the project to proceed in its entirety.
Partners represented on Project Steering Group
Natural England, local consultant ornithologists, National Trust, RSPB, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust
For further information please contact:
Amanda Perkins, Project Officer, Curlew Country
c/o Natural England, Rigmoreoak, Pennerley SY5 0NE.
Photos by AV Cross, Ornithologist
The Upper Onny Wildlife Group received financial support from the Stiperstones & Corndon Hill Country Landscape Partnership Scheme, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The lead organisation for the Scheme is the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, and the Scheme is hosted by Shropshire Council. Please see www.stiperstonesandcorndon.co.
Page updated: 18/02/2020 by RWS


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with French and English translations, followed by French and English indexes
J. David Sapir in collaboration with Mr. Bara Goudjabi
and the 1970 jury (gathered at Bignona, Casamance): Messers Amang Badji,
Kalilou Badji and Chérif Afo Coly
Les traductions françaises ont été mises au point
Betty R. H. Sapir
A word from Dr. Johnson.
The dictionary files are in Adobe PDF format. You can obtain a PDF reader from Adobe
Hard copies of this dictionary are available for purchase. Please inquire: firstname.lastname@example.com.
[A note on the orthography: In contrast to my grammar (A Grammar of Diola-Fogny, Cambridge University Press, 1965) I use a simplified orthography throughout the dictionary where the only non-common letter is the velar nasal (η). Since Jóola is not a tone language (where the accents, [á, à, etc.] mark tone) I am free to mark the tense vowels (tongue root advanced) with the acute accent. Vowel length is marked by a double vowel (aa, ee, ii, oo, uu) and a tense long vowel by accenting only the first letter (áa, úu). Vowel harmony (an important feature of the language) is not marked, (cf. Big and Thin). Click here to see the phonetic chart that is used for the dictionary.]
|Index Française
|English Index
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By Tristan Kraatz, Local Food Security Team and Philosophy Major
Every other Monday night, the FLC philosophy club hosts talks/discussions from different speakers on a wide range of topics which have included "is democracy actually a good way to run a nation?", and in the most recent meeting "should a goal of education be to guide us toward the good life?". Quite an interesting way to spend a Monday night in my opinion. And also a good way to frustrate yourself when you don't find an answer to the question, which happens more often than not in philosophy. You may now be asking "Tristan, that is all well and good, but what does it have to do with the Environmental Center?" Good question reader! And fear not, I will get there! But I must first do what philosophy majors do best, and clarify the issue.
This question is riddled with philosophical baggage, which we phil majors love to unpack. This includes questions like; what actually is "the good life?", if education should guide us toward the good life, why and how?, and if not, why not? During the discussion/debate, it seemed to me that everyone in the room agreed on this basic point; education's main goal is to help people increase their understanding of the world and how it works. Where the people in the discussion differed widely, however, was their answer to the questions above. I will not go into all the nitty gritty details of everyone's view, but instead just tell you what I think (After some more unpacking).
First of all, there are three ways in which education can go about guiding one towards the good life which were pointed out by a friend during the discussion. First, Education can have the good life be a core principle and design curriculum and have teachers be catalysts for guiding the student towards it, or simply say what the good life is and let the student get there themselves. And lastly it can discard the idea that the good life should be a focus at all and simply provide information on different topics. Wow Tristan, this is all very fascinating and worthy of further thought and discussion, but come on man just tell us what you think! Settle down there reader, I'll give you what you came here for.
I think the good life is having deep, profound relationships with the people in your life, having tools to critically think about issues, and actually getting out there and doing something about those issues. I think education should absolutely play a role in guiding you toward the good life. And I think it should do that by having the teacher design curriculum which gives you tools and motivation to live the good life. Now, this is not exactly how our current system is set up at FLC, however I would claim and be prepared to defend that this is how the Environmental Center is set up. We have a curriculum which identifies issues, gives us the tools to deal with those issues, and healthy ways to develop relationships with our fellow activists along the way. Just one example of this is campus food security, which is an issue I am tackling this semester. The issue is this; there is not a large sustainable local food source on campus, only a small garden (which is sweet anyways) and imported food. The EC is giving me the tools to deal with this problem by educating me about permaculture food forests (which are awesome), and providing a space to actually design and build one on campus! Now if this isn't living the good life I don't know what is!


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AKA: Our Happy Times / Holy Thursday
Genre: Romance
Origin: Korea
Release date: September 14, 2006
Cast: Kang Dong Won and Lee Na Young.
When she for the third time fails suicide Moon Yoo Jung (Lee Na Young) meets her childhood nun. As her family is very religious and part of the church community, most of her childhood was in the church and with the nun. The nun gives her an ultimatum, either she goes to counseling or goes with her to a prison to meet an inmate. She reluctantly promises the nun to go with her and meet the inmate every Thursday, but when noticing that he is convict on death row she immediately regrets it. The inmate Jung Yoon Soo (Kang Dong Woo) is serving the death sentence for man slaughter, and has for some reason wished to meet Yoo Jung before he dies.
After refusing to meet the nun, Yoo Jung is forced to keep her promise and meets Yoon Soo every Thursday. Slowly these two find each other and the will to live again…
This is one of those you have to get in the mood for in order to actually grasp it, and yet you still understand the severity of it. It shows the other side of the wall, and yet it becomes heartbreaking in the end. I started watching this because of Kang Dong Won since I am a huge fan of his, and he really did not let me down. Even though this is over 7 years old you don't really see that especially if you aren't familiar with the Korean justice world. The impression I had in Korean dramas was that you serve an amount of time - no matter what kind of murder - and get release on either probation or released completely. But in this movie my impression is much more different. I don't want to taint your impression of the movie and the theme if you are going to watch it, so I won't discuss anything more. Though I'll say it really is good, and the chemisty is brilliant even though there is almost no skin ship.
All in all I do recommend it.
☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars


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Friday, March 19, 2010
Sitka sound asleep on the sofa in the rental beach house, Hatteras Island!
When I try to do things in my own strength, I look like Sitka. I am not near as cute as Sitka, but you get the picture. I am learning to do only those things GOD calls me to do. I am learning to wait on HIM, patiently. "Learning" would certainly be the key word. I am clearly a work in progress.
"Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31 NAS
Finding strength in HIM,
44 comments:
- Karen said...
Amen...learning to lean on Jesus....
- March 19, 2010 at 11:07 PM
- Jennifer {Studio JRU} said...
Love this! Such a cute picture... and I get it! :) I am a work in progress too and learning... really trying to learn!
- March 19, 2010 at 11:31 PM
Hi Andrea, Yes we are ok, I was watching it on the local news as it was happening.
- March 19, 2010 at 11:31 PM
LOL Talk about Sitka being out like a light lol
- March 19, 2010 at 11:32 PM
- Unknown said...
Awwww. Sitka was the cutest little puppy. I need a puppy. I'm feeling my lack.
And the message is good too!
- March 19, 2010 at 11:41 PM
- He & Me + 3 said...
I love that verse and that song. Such an awesome message in it.
Sitka is adorable.
- March 19, 2010 at 11:51 PM
- RCUBEs said...
Cute pic of Sitka! I love that wonderful promise from Isa. Needing strength tonight as I go to work...His...
Blessings to you sister and have a great weekend.
- March 19, 2010 at 11:53 PM
- Katia said...
What a darling dog!!!!!
I hope you have a wonderful blessed weekend.
- March 20, 2010 at 12:20 AM
- Formerly known as Frau said...
Good lesson! Love the picture of your sleeping pup. I could watch Sophie sleep all day they are like a sleeping baby. Have a wonderful weekend.
- March 20, 2010 at 3:44 AM
- Just Be Real said...
I am right there with Sitka. Precious.
- March 20, 2010 at 5:12 AM
Sitka looks so sweet and peacefully happy resting there. I'm learning too... always learning.
- March 20, 2010 at 5:50 AM
- creative gal said...
I love that picture!! So cute! My dogs did the same thing last night- just crashed!!
- March 20, 2010 at 8:24 AM
- Unknown said...
Come to HIM all who are weary, and he will give rest. Great analogy and love that pup, Sitka.
Do you own or rent a house at the beach? We are planning a week at the beach for summer, and need a pet friendly location. Ideas?
- March 20, 2010 at 8:25 AM
- Barbara said...
AMEN....we can become tired in trying to do it our way....How much better when we "get it" and lean on GOD. His plan is so much better...when we stick with it!
- March 20, 2010 at 8:31 AM
- Andrea said...
Amen! A lesson I need to learn more and more :o)
by the way, what a gorgeous dog!
- March 20, 2010 at 8:34 AM
- Diana said...
Oh so true Andrea! I often pray for the strength to make it through all of the things that I need to accomplish. And I do listen when I am supposed to rest. That's so important.
Love Di ♥
P.S. What does Sitka mean? I have heard that name before.
- March 20, 2010 at 9:22 AM
- Janean said...
once again, andrea, you confirmed what the Lord spoke to my honey and i just yesterday! i love when God does this.
- March 20, 2010 at 9:30 AM
- vanilla said...
Isa. 40:31 has long been my mantra. When I rush ahead on my own, I tire, I crash and burn. But when I literally "wait on the Lord" and let Him lead, He becomes my strength!
Blessings to you, Andrea.
- March 20, 2010 at 10:13 AM
- Deborah Ann said...
Sleeping Sitka is adorable!
- March 20, 2010 at 10:18 AM
- Nikki (Sarah) said...
awww. love him. Want to just hug him....and that scripure is one of my favorites.
- March 20, 2010 at 1:18 PM
- Saleslady371 said...
Oh, you're even cute when you do things in your own strength! Have a happy weekend, dear Andrea!
- March 20, 2010 at 1:47 PM
- Debby@Just Breathe said...
Sometimes waiting patiently keeps us up. I love a sleeping dog. Well sleeping babies are pretty cute too! God bless you.
- March 20, 2010 at 1:51 PM
- Mich said...
Love that verse!
Cute picture.
Happy weekend!
- March 20, 2010 at 1:55 PM
- Heart2Heart said...
We can all learn these lessons. If only we could learn them once and for all and not need to have them repeated. Thanking God for always giving us second, third and fourth chances.
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
- March 20, 2010 at 2:50 PM
- LeeAnn@Encouragement Is Contagious said...
I am a work in progress too Andrea! Learning to wait on Him is something I have to constantly work on due to my impatient nature.
Sitka is such a pretty dog.
- March 20, 2010 at 2:52 PM
- Auntie Cake said...
a great reminder for us all! Have a wonderful weekend!
- March 20, 2010 at 3:03 PM
- Ella said...
Praise God. An awesome promise.
Blessings, Ella
- March 20, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- God's Little People said...
You truly are blessed. What absolute little sweethearts you live with. They're all so precious! Sitka looks angelic.
- March 20, 2010 at 4:49 PM
- Raymonde said...
♪♫♪Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord ♪♪♪♫♫
One of my favorite songs...
Have a very blessed Sunday Andrea!
- March 20, 2010 at 5:05 PM
- Kathleen said...
It takes some living, if not some wisdom-gathering, to find such relaxed peace in leaving it all to Him, yet moving ahead in the strength He alone provides.
Enjoying my gray hair and God's grace,
- March 20, 2010 at 5:57 PM
- Alleluiabelle said...
Dearest Andrea,
Stopped in to say I love you.
Such a sweet picture of Sitka. I have to admit that looks pretty comfortable to me right about now!
My thoughts, heart and prayers are with you my dearest sweet friend.
Big Hugs,
- March 20, 2010 at 7:33 PM
- Tracy said...
You're so right - when we only do what God calls us to, and through His strength, it's a very different experience.
BTW - Sitka is so cute!
- March 20, 2010 at 11:54 PM
- Denise said...
Amen my friend.
- March 21, 2010 at 1:57 AM
- Lyzzydee said...
Happy it is Sunday!! Cute dog!
- March 21, 2010 at 6:05 AM
- A Mother Always said...
Lovely sentiments.. cute little fella..
Praying for health for all.
- March 21, 2010 at 11:45 AM
- Jackie said...
Learning!!!.....Yes and Amen and thanking Him for His love, grace and patience with me all along my learning journey!!
He is Faithful!!
Love, Hugs and Sweet Blessings!
PS.....Pls give Sitka a head rub for me!!
- March 21, 2010 at 3:10 PM
- Colleen said...
Great picture!
- March 21, 2010 at 3:31 PM
- Jeanette Levellie said...
I'm not as cute as Sitka, either, but I'm slowly learning to rest in His love and wait on Him. I mess things up when I run ahead of Him.
Love you,
- March 21, 2010 at 6:08 PM
- koralee said...
Sometimes it is hard to wait...but we all know we need to at some point. Hope your week will be filled with many new blessings. xoxo
- March 21, 2010 at 8:32 PM
- Unknown said...
Love the visual and the reminder. I'm resting in Him.
Blessings, sweet lady!
- March 21, 2010 at 8:47 PM
- Momgateway said...
Stika is such a comfort!
- March 22, 2010 at 10:20 AM
- Lynn said...
We can get very tired trying to do everything in our own way and time and not in the Lord's way and time.. I am slowly learning how to lean more on Jesus and I so much feel the difference when I do, that's for sure. He is such an awesome God and is forever right here with us.. here to help us when we need his help.. all we have to do is call on him.
- March 22, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- Its So Very Cheri said...
I joined to follow you as well.
- March 24, 2010 at 8:54 AM
- Kat said...
Made it over to Leslie's. You were right... adorable.
- April 13, 2010 at 10:53 PM


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The berry that can make you look younger
- Written by Rick Hay 'The Superfoodist' Dip Nutrition Dip Botanical Medicine Dip Teaching
One vitamin is key to younger looking skin and that vitamin is Vitamin C. Vitamin C does more than help to boost immunity - it also helps with collagen production with studies showing that it helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen helps to fight sagging skin too. Higher intakes of vitamin C are associated with a decrease in the appearance of wrinkles appearance and may also help to reduce skin surface dryness.
If you want a quick vitamin C boost then look no further than brightly coloured fruits like berries. Berries are rich in vitamin C but they also contain other phytonutrients like anthocyanins and bioflavonoids that help to fight free radical damage.
Blueberries, raspberries, goji berries and acai berry berry all tick the vitamin C rich box but there is another called acerola that is gaining in popularity due to its high vitamin C content and protective antioxidant ability.
Acerola may also help to reduce inflammation and can help to fight damage from pollution which can lead to premature ageing. Research has shown that shown that acerola contains more vitamin C than many of the common vitamin C rich fruits like oranges, kiwi and pineapple. It also contains enzymes, antioxidants and trace minerals to help reduce inflammation from pollution and stress, which can lead to premature ageing.
A study published in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition in 2011 found that acerola extract may fight oxidative stress making it a good choice if you want to fight free radical damage.
This native South American berry also contains vitamin A which helps to prevent dry skin, helps with skin firmness and may even help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains Vitamin B to further help with overall skin, hair and nail health and contains other key minerals: calcium, iron and phosphorus.
In summary, acerola can protect against free radical damage that can accelerate skin ageing - it may even out skin tone and brighten skin, boost collagen and elastin production and hep the skin to retain moisture.
And finally, remember that excess sugar in the diet can cause an accelerated ageing process in the skin. When we eat too much sugar, protein molecules in the skin cross-link with sugar molecules in a process called glycation and glycation leads to the breakdown of collagen which in turn increases the signs of ageing. This results in wrinkling, loss of elasticity and accelerated ageing.


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text: The US approved new sanctions against Russia last month [File: Mandel Ngan/AFP] The United States has cautiously raised concern over Russia's alleged interference in last year's presidential election and its effect on relations between the two nations. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that he had told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Moscow's meddling in the vote created "serious mistrust" between the two countries. "Russian meddling in the elections was certainly a serious incident," Tillerson told reporters after meeting Lavrov on Sunday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Philippine capital, Manila. "We talked about that in the discussion that we had with Mr Lavrov yesterday." OPINION: Is Russia a real threat to the West? Grand Jury convened for US-Russia probe Tillerson said he had tried to help Lavrov understand "just how serious this incident had been". "This had created serious mistrust and ... we simply have to find some way to deal with that," he said. Tillerson added that it was pointless to cut ties over disagreements between the two countries, adding that Lavrov had indicated some "willingness" to talk and find ways to move forward on the issue of Ukraine. US Congress and a special prosecutor are investigating allegations that Russians managed to tip the results of the historic vote last year in US President Donald Trump's favour. Russia has furiously denied the claims, which have been endorsed by US intelligence agencies. 'Full-scale trade war' Trump has also played down the allegations, but the ongoing controversy has strained already tense ties. Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia, which Trump grudgingly signed last week, for its role in the 2016 vote and the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the new US sanctions against his country amount to a "full-scale trade war". WATCH: What do Trump and Putin want from each other? In retaliation, President Vladimir Putin ordered the US diplomatic mission in Moscow to cut 755 personnel. Tillerson said he had also warned Lavrov that Washington was deciding on a response to the Kremlin's move. "I told the foreign minister that we have not made a decision about how we would respond to the Russian request to remove US diplomatic personnel," Tillerson said. "I asked several clarifying questions, just to describe the thinking behind that diplomatic note that we received, but I told them we would respond by September 1," he said, referring to Moscow's deadline to shrink the mission. WATCH Inside Story: Can the US and Russia de-escalate rising tensions? SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies US & Canada United States Russia


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Hollywood has figured something out, which is that even if you spend a shit-ton of money on a film, that in and of itself can attract an audience. It's hard to look at the relative success of Waterworld at the box office as anything more than rubbernecking on the freeway, and it was worthwhile for many who had grown tired of Kevin Costner. My review of Waterworld after the jump.
Though somewhat stiff at times, Costner was the leading man of the late 80's, even more so than Tom Cruise, with his sexual charisma and aw-shucks charm. No Way Out, The Untouchables, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams said "hey world, check me out." Then came Dances with Wolves, which won him a couple of Oscars, defeating the (now seen as obviously superior) Goodfellas. Some resentment sets in with success and the oddball A Perfect World, and the terrible Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves did him no favors. Then came Waterworld, one of the most expensive films ever made. As it turns out (as Steven Spielberg would attest), shooting on water is a demanding process, and the film had the bad fortune to be made during hurricane season, mean sets were lost and construction had to begin again. The film was called Fishtar by the meanest of the press, but people went anyway (it was also a less-than summer).
Kevin Costner stars as The Mariner, who is introduced in a sequence where he drinks his own (purified) urine. He's a loner, and doesn't like people, only does business with them by trading. But he has a reason for keeping away because he's a mutant (he has gills), and people don't truck with that. There are bad guys in "the smokers" which are headed up by Dennis Hopper's Deacon, a nasty guy who likes to smoke and uses oil. In the mid-90's environmentalism wasn't in full swing but it would make appearances in films like this. It turns out that regular humans Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her not-daughter Enola (Tina Majorino) may have a map to dry land. The Smokers catch wind of this, and the chase is on.
Shooting on water surely limits one's choices for filmmaking, and it's fair to say occasionally you get the sense of the rousing swashbuckling adventure Waterworld is meant to be, but as Nathan Rabin noted in his entry on this in My Year of the Flops, Costner's sullen character drains way too much fun out of what is meant to be a fun adventure yarn. Costner fairs better in The Postman, the film that Waterworld should have been. But here he's a lead weight, and the comic flair of such moments where Costner sells off Tripplehorn's body for stuff is not redeemed by her not actually being raped. Director Kevin Reynolds had a hell of a time on the picture, and Costner – the Academy award winning director – was surely a nuisance.
This is Costner in the bad time, but I like who Costner has become in the interim. He's mellowed and likeable now; even if Swing Vote was a misfire from word go. But watching this, that sense of Costner's hubris comes back like a sense memory.
Universal presents the film on Blu-ray in widescreen (1.78:1) and in DTS 5.1 HD. The transfer is excellent, as to be expected. The film looks its age, but there's nothing wrong with the transfer, and the surround track could be described as aggressive. Extras are limited to the film's theatrical trailer.


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Thursday 9 Jan 2020 - 10:00 AM
Wake up your creativity, find fun and freedom dancing to great music. 5 rhythms is a movement practise inspiring healing, creativity and change. Alex trained with 5 Rhythms founder Gabrielle Roth in New York and has taught for over 20 years. She lives in Wales and teaches internationally.
Price: £8.00
Contact: Alex Mackay
Tel: 07950 581056
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web: alexravensister.com
Location: The Great Hall
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Fancy dress for vampire spooky Halloween parties
When the sun goes down and the moon is slowly being revealed, then is the time for ghosts and undead.In the dark of night and the daughter of darkness comes from your dark tomb to begin their reign of terror.
Black sexy costume in Frans look with trumpet sleeves made of black gauze, collar, necklace and rose on the neckline! Gothic Fairy Wig Black Red and Sexy fishnet tights Black not included.
- Delivery: Daughter of Darkness Costume
- Size: S / M
- Material: 100% polyester, gauze 100% cotton Collar: 100% Polyester
|S / M corresponds to approx. 34
|approx. 78 cm
|Waist size:
|approx. 60 cm
|approx. 72 cm
|Sleeve Length:
|approx. 55 cm (without tip)
|Overall length:
|approx. 138 cm


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