text:
|47 posts found
Elite Member
Joined: 9/23/08
Great argument there - your mates no longer play MMOs therefore MMO market is dying.
It is the opposite. The market evolved, you and your mates did not therefore they are left with no games fitting their appeal and why they moved on.
I guess it is a part of that comes with maturity/aging - you start thinking how past times were great and today sucks. All subjective illusion tho...
People mostly do not like changes.
Login or Register to never see this panel
Elite Member
Joined: 1/13/10
Currently playing EVE, SMITE, ArcheAge, and Combat Arms
Originally posted by chryses
Single player games have always led the way and will always lead the way. There's more control over the scene which means the graphics can be better and environments richer. There's more control over each step of the story which means storylines can be personalized and deeper.
MMOs are a social, multiplayer platform. That is where they excel. Basically,
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/03/12
"I shall take your position into consideration"
Originally posted by Gdemami
I think that the MMO community is evolving, while the games arent which is the problem here. There are many people left with no games fitting their appeal not just bitter vets or the OP and their friends.
It probably is related to maturity / aging, but in a different way than you think. While large part of the MMO community consists of adults, the developers somehow tend to ignore it and keep releasing shallow games which cannot entertain adults for longer than several months.
You say that people mostly do not like changes, but what changes?Isnt it change what OP and many other people including me call for? If we didnt like change, we would be all happily playing one of the themeparks released since WoW and this thread would not exist just like tons of those threads "we dont want games, we want worlds". How many of them have been created? Who do you think is making these threads? The young generation? The older ones who do not like change? Nobody is saying that old games were awesome or asking for new MMOs to get back to their roots.
I disagree with what you say as I tend to believe that people are calling for evolution of MMOs which somehow stopped in 2004.
Waiting for L2 EU Classic
Elite Member
Joined: 9/23/08
If that was true, there would be no players spending money on these games, which isn't the case as it is proven by rapidly growing MMO market in past years.
This pretty much proves my point and demonstrates how some people are unable to accept changes... MMOs did evolve, just not in your desired direction, it is still evolution tho.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 1/04/05
Originally posted by Sodahz
WoW wasn't finished - JEEZ - I guess we are looking through rose-colored glasses. WoW had the EXACT same type of release that D3 did - people coudln't log in, the game had huge bugs, etc.
Please - let's not have a revisionist history - WoW's released was one of the most flawed ever.
Old School
Joined: 12/29/02
"Free to play, pay to win""
Originally posted by botrytis
And you're doing the exact opposite. Blizzard, at that time, underestimated it's fanbase, which resulted in queues and latency problems.
Content-wise, however.....yeah.
Advanced Member
Joined: 1/03/12
"I shall take your position into consideration"
Originally posted by Gdemami
I would take the liberty to disagree again.
I insist that MMOs have not evolved since 2004. Or perhaps in areas which do not enhance gaming experience, such as business models. Yes, there are now more F2P titles than in the past, but that is not evolution which I am talking about. There has been zero evolution in terms of game mechanisms, principles on which the MMOs are built.
Trying to put me in a position that I am just disgruntled because MMOs are evolving in a different way than I desire is kind of low, imo.
Maybe we are just looking at evolution as such from different perspectives which means we will unlikely find some consensus.
Waiting for L2 EU Classic
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/21/11
Wow was a crappy launch.
They even had
Unable to login
Loot stuck bug
Missing warlock talents
Missing hunter talents
Charge through microscopic crack in the floor and end up in space bug
Server crash with too many people in same area
When they launched in the eu 6 months later, lord only knows how bad the usa launch was.
P.s. they still had loot stuck, charge into space and server crash with crowding bugs AFTER burning crusade when I quit.
The blizzard make polished games with very little bugs Is a huge myth, supported by their Apple like fanatical fan base.
Novice Member
Joined: 10/01/07
SPs evolved right way. They are both themepark and sandbox. You can follow your primary quest from A to B and enjoy your ride or you can take longer road, the game doesn't care when or how you get to next part.
"Hey HERO! Kill 10 rabbits for me and I give you this amazing sword! They are right behind my back!"
"Oh thanks you HERO! Now gather 10 apples from that tree 2 meters away form me and I give you this amazing armor!"
"Amazing HERO!I knew you could do it! Now go kill that annoying pumpkin monster in my garden and you will be rewarded!"
"Oh HERO! I can't thank you enough! Take this gold and this scroll, use it to get to my brother in next village so you can do same S****T OVER AGAIN!
"Don't argue with dick-heads, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience"
Elite Member
Joined: 1/13/10
Currently playing EVE, SMITE, ArcheAge, and Combat Arms
Originally posted by ShakyMo
The "polished" term became popular because WoW was so polished at release. Stability and content-wise, it was one of the best releases in MMO history. Its major problem was hundreds of thousands of players (soon to be millions of players) flocking to the game. Their biggest error was under-estimating the quality and broad appeal of what they had created.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 8/24/06
The reason why Single Player games can do so much better, is that they don't really need new games. Almost every single game on G4TV and E3 coverage, and any other gaming magazine (who still reads those? lol) is a sequel or the third, fourth, fifth, etc. game of a series. In MMOs they don't have sequels (well some have tried, but they never pan out, haven't seen one yet that's done well), they have content patches.
I think it was the golden joystick awards last year that had almost every single non-MMO game was a sequel, etc. The only "new" game on the list that I remember was Journey.
Novice Member
Joined: 9/30/10
Originally posted by Sidraket
I agree - which is why I went back to EVE - on a 14 day trial right now. I have accounts with a lot of skills but I wanted to try starting off new with nothing. Recently played in a great guild in EQ2 and ended up bored, before that a great kin in LOTRO.. and ended up bored - even with a new "expansion". Hoping EVE wil wake me up or it is back to Two Worlds 2, Skyrim and a couple of others.
Currently bored with MMO's.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/21/11
No it wasn't it was buggy as hell.
The only mmos I've played at launch that were more buggy than wow launch were Aoc and dcuo - and bear in mind I got it 6 months later in the eu, must have been worse in north America.
Even warhammer was in a better launch state than wow!
If you want to talk good launches, city of heroes and rift are the benchmarks.
Novice Member
Joined: 10/01/07
Also P2P model is also problem. There just too many MMO's now. Many of us can't have subscription for all of them. Imagine having subscription for Skyrim,Fallout,Dragon Age etc O_O
B2P ,imo, is way to go! Just like GW2 did.
"Don't argue with dick-heads, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience"
Apprentice Member
Joined: 1/04/05
Originally posted by ShakyMo
Rift had issues also - mostly with shadowstep skills that made you fall through the map. That took a good 3 months to fix.
Elite Member
Joined: 1/13/10
Currently playing EVE, SMITE, ArcheAge, and Combat Arms
Originally posted by ShakyMo
Yes, Launches like LOTRO and RIFT were very good. Some would say that LOTRO set the standard for solid launches.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
Elite Member
Joined: 6/08/10
Single player games have always had the advantage that the game is tailored to the person playing it and that there is no concern for fairness or complaints about being OP. Take a game like Skyrim and put 1000 people in the same world and you'll quickly find that what was once a fun game with tons of exploration will be boiled down to 2 or 3 of the most lucractive dungeons followed by people farming the crap out of them. 27 runs of the same dungeon later you'll be asking why it's so boring.
The beauty of single player games is that you only do the content you feel like, at the pace you enjoy, for the reasons chosen by you. Does it feel epic to hunt down that evil wizard? Do that. Do you prefer to weild sub-optimal, but totally awesome weapons? Do that.
But other people are what ruin it. X is better than Y. You're not geared enough to run this dungeon 10 times a day, come back when you are. Sorry, this mount requires you to grind gold for the next 6 months to buy it. MMO's are designed to limit accessibility and freedom so that people can earn rewards based on effort and time spent.
Single player games are free to reward players with all sorts of stuff and freedom because you're not competing against anyone. Even sandbox mmo's fall prey to the human need to be the best, to limit and restrict, to determine the most effecient methods without concern for fun.
And there's balance. PvP has always and will continue to ruin fun and freedom in game worlds. Once pvp is introduced, balance becomes a thing and holy moly is it hotly contested. It never ends, even in game which were held up for their relatively fair pvp (like gw1) have people foaming at the mouth about some class or skill that's woefully OP.
That's why we can't have nice things. Because of people.
Hard Core Member
Joined: 1/25/12
I'm only playing the role chosen for me. Who you supposed to be?
Originally posted by chryses
I agree MMOs are not evolving fast enough, but feel there may be hope in 2013 (ESO, FF XIV RR, ArcheAge, and others). I disagree on the single player games. Coming from the console side of the house from over 20 years, it was the stagnation there that moved me to MMOs to begin with.
Consoles will always be more immersive simply because the content only has one character to focus on (as opposed to millions of characters of who play differently). But from an RPG perspective consoles have lost that hardcore stat/asset management replaced with simple interfaces to give the illusion of an RPG. For example, a console game may allow you to recieve XP which allows you to level and place skill points in certain trees. While those are RPG elements, to me they dont go far enough to develop a true RPG experience. Consoles also cater to the faster/twitch style of combat which doesnt fit within the RPG genre for me. RPGs aren't about action, but about stats, resource management, and progression.
MMOs to me are best suited for RPGs, but the mechanics to deliver that gameplay could use a serious injection of innovation, of which I believe is coming sooner rather than later.
Novice Member
Joined: 5/29/07
Personally I am just worried about the genre as its been a big part of my gaming life and I can only see a decline in innovation as companies continue to follow a 'fast food' type of culture. Simple, easy to digest and instant gratification.
Don't forget when MMO's were first released, consoles, hand held devices, smart phones and facebook etc, didn't even exist or were so basic. So of course MMO's were seen as revolutionary.
The world has moved on and now I can play games:
- anywhere on my smart phone against friends or strangers.
- facebook online games like war commander to give me a pvp strategy fix
- numerous FTP games (age of empires etc)
- Wii, PS3, Xbox (numerous online options albiet not as huge as an MMO)
so on and so on. Its quite easy now to find a community and companies are making it so very easy to connect instantly and have that buzz of beating another person or playing in a world together. People don't need to play MMO's anymore to engage with a community.
Maybe the market has changed direction and is now targeting 15-25 year olds. Maybe the 'old school' board, paper based gamer which was my generation is not being considered as the most lucrative market.
Whatever happens it will be a huge shame if MMO's don't start truly evolving because what was once one of the most exciting concepts for gaming just feels like a run down take away industry that is still trying to hang on to the early years.
IMO of course
Novice Member
Joined: 5/19/11
I think online gaming its is going down the Minecraft route, single player game with well thought out, well designed & implemented multiplayer & Co-op modes for example DayZ has something like a 800k strong players which is more than the player base of 2 to 3 "mumorpuger's" and is only an Arma 2 mod Minecraft have more players and turn out to be really fun in there own right. Star Citizen & Elite Dangerous are also following the Minecraft both have single player modes with incredibly fleshed out and designed multiplayer modes. Well we could all keep blaming the down fall of "mumorpuger's" on WoW's mega success, the culture and publishers greed to emulate WoW's success bit for bit instead of making new fresh innovative "mumorpuger's", that is all old harp & hat.


text:
- Hospitals
- Patient & Visitor Information
- Our Physician Practices
- Specialty Centers
- Da Vinci Robotic Surgery Center
- Patient Care Services
- Behavioral Care
- Breast Center
- Cardiac Services
- Cerebrovascular Center
- Chest Pain ER
- Dental Center
- Diabetes Education
- Geriatric Services
- HomeCare Services/Hospice
- Imaging Services
- Laboratory Services
- Mobile Critical Care Unit
- Orthopaedics
- Outpatient Services
- Palmetto Health Counseling
- Parkridge Surgery Center
- PET/CT Imaging Center
- Pharmacy Services
- Prostate Health
- Rehabilitative Services
- Research Physical Therapy Specialists
- Sleep Diagnostic Centers
- Surgery
- Women's Services
- Wound Care
- Education, Residency Programs & Research
- Community Outreach
- Patient Stories
- Palmetto Health Foundation
- Volunteer Programs
Meet Our Team
|Bryan Fox, Ph.D., is the Director of Special Projects with the Addiction Recovery Services at Palmetto Health and the Manager of the Adolescent Recovery Center. He has over 18 years of addiction counseling experience working with adults and adolescents in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He has taught courses on addiction treatment and prevention at the University of South Carolina and provided clinical instruction for medical residents specific to treating adolescents. Bryan earned his B.A. in Psychology from Furman University in 1993, a M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1995, and Ph.D. in Motor Development from the University of South Carolina in 2007.
|Craig Mayer, M.Ed., is the program's homebound coordinator and instructor. He has been employed with Palmetto Health for over 12 years. Before coming to the Adolescent Recovery Center, Craig taught at a private school for autistic and emotional disabled students, the SC Department of Juvenile Justice and the in-patient adolescent behavioral care unit at Palmetto Health Baptist. Craig received his Bachelors of Science from Coker College and his Masters of Education from Lesley University.
|Laura L.Truesdale, LISW–CP, is the Program Coordinator for the Palmetto Health Adolescent Recovery Center. She has held this position since December 2001. Prior to her current position, she worked as a Behavioral Care social worker on the Latency and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Units at Palmetto Baptist from 1999. Her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology were obtained at the College of Charleston in 1995. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina's College of Social Work in 1998. She is licensed by the South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners as a Licensed Independent Social Worker.
|Katie Wicker, LMSW, is a Social Worker at the Palmetto Health Adolescent Recovery Center. Prior to her current position, she was a Counselor on the Latency and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Units at Palmetto Health Baptist for seven years. Katie earned her B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from the College of Charleston in 1999 and her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina's College of Social Work in 2007. She is licensed by the South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners as a Licensed Master Social Worker, and is currently working towards her LISW-CP.
Photo coming soon
Photo coming soon
Timothy Malone, MD, has been the medical director of the Adult Recovery Center Since 2009. Earning his BA in physics from the College of Charleston in 1986 he later obtained his medical degree from the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine in 1993. He is Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Malone provides inpatient and outpatient care as well as maintaining a private practice and teaching role at the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The driver who led deputies on a chase before crashing on Ladson Road Tuesday afternoon had cocaine in his car and more drugs in his house, according to the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities are looking for Antuan Dante Prioleau, 34, of Crestwood Drive in Summerville, Chief Deputy Sam Richardson said.
Prioleau failed to pull over for a traffic stop at Trolley Road and Midland Parkway and led deputies on high-speed chase, Richardson said.
Prioleau passed several cars in the median and crashed his Chrysler 300 head-on into a pickup truck about 3 p.m. at Ladson Road and Palmetto Commerce Parkway, according to the Highway Patrol.
Prioleau ran into some woods. The pickup driver, a 44-year-old Summerville man, was taken to Summerville Medical Center by ambulance.
Multiple agenices set up a perimeter around the woods but didn't find Prioleau.
Deputies found a white powder presumed to be cocaine in Prioleau's car, Richardson said. When they searched his house with a warrant, they found 866 grams of heroin, 578 grams of cocaine, 34 grams of marijuana and $8,000 in cash, he said.
Prioleau's girlfriend, Sonobia Amelia Grayer, 25, was arrested at the house on narcotics charges, Richardson said.
Prioleau is not considered armed or dangerous, Richardson said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 873-5111 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 554-1111.
Related story: Tracking the manhunt on social media.
Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or twitter.com/dmunday.
Sonobia Amelia Grayer, 25, of Crestview Drive in Summerville was arrested Tuesday on narcotics charges after her boyfriend led deputies on a chase and crashed on Ladson Road.×
Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


text:
We're waiting in anticipation live from the Motorola and Verizon media event where we now know we'll get a better look at the new Motorola RAZR unveiled in a series of teasers yesterday.
12:00 Sanjay Jha enters. Smartphones are a big deal. "Might of heard about some business news"
12:05 Talking Fitness. Hardware – Music centric experience. "Moto ACTV" Little iPod Nano sized device to deliver Fitness and music to headses.
12:20 Demo-ing the Droid RAZR. Pretty much as seen before. 7.1 mm thin except for the bump. Lightest, Strongest, Fastest, Smartest.
Preorders Oct 27 pre order. November delivery Price $299.
Related articles
- Motorola releases RAZR teaser site, revealing the phone one piece at a time (9to5google.com)
- Motorola and Verizon media event slated for October 18th, hints at new Razr (9to5google.com)
Leave a Reply
2 Responses to "Live from Motorola Droid RAZR/ MotoACTV event"
"7.1 inches thin except for the bump" ? I'd say that's a pretty thick mobile phone?
"Pretty much as seen before. 7.1 inches thin except for the bump."
Yikes! What is it a whole foot thick at the camera? ;^)


text:
Beach holidays are all about relaxing. Enjoy a hard earned rest and take in what beach holidays have to offer. Perhaps engage in some watersports, take a swim in the sea or simply lie back and soak up the rays on the beach. We have some excellent cheap beach holidays and have picked out our favourite below.
Majorca boasts over 20 different beach resorts from busy to small, and secluded to fun, all of which have beautiful long golden white sand beaches with turquoise seas amid pine forests and rocky outcrops. Try the resorts of Magaluf and Palma Nova for lively beaches, Cala d'or in the south for its large variety of 7 beaches, the soft and shallow bay of Puerto Pollensa or Alcudia in the north for some family fun.
See all Majorca holidays.
Greece boasts the longest coastline of any European country and with over 2,000 islands in total plus its warm Mediterranean climate it is perfect for cheap beach holidays. The Ionian islands, particularly Kefalonia and Lefkada, are well known for their clean and organised beaches, and have many blue flag beaches. The island of Crete hosts beautiful golden sand beaches and green rugged mountains, so is perfect for a cheap beach holiday.
See all Greek holidays.
Turkey holidays offer visitors a stunning coastline with white sandy beaches and azure sea. Choose from Antalya with its gorgeous beaches and Roman ruins sites, with small secluded resorts amongst forests or Side resort for busier beaches. Bodrum has charming resorts backed by olive groves and pine forests, and Dalaman's blessed with stunning beaches, sparkling sea and exquisite scenery.
See all Turkey holidays.
Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Egypt holidays are great for scuba diving and snorkelling with coral reefs nearby to Sharm El Sheikh and at the Ras Mohammed National Park. Beaches in Sharm El Sheikh are beautifully golden and great for all types watersports and soaking up the rays. With very little rain all year you can be guaranteed exceptional weather for your beach holiday with temperatures topping 45C in the summer and around 21 in the winter.
See all Sharm El sheikh holidays
Canary Islands
Tenerife holidays offer expansive beaches backed by the dramatic Mount Teide, plus non-stop lively entertainment. Fuerteventura boasts undulating golden sand dunes against glittering seas and a barren landscape, which combine to create a sense of tranquillity. Lanzarote offers its many attractions amid a landscape of lava-baked hills and desert-like terrain. Gran Canaria has it all, with magnificent sand dunes, fun-filled theme parks and great watersports.
See all Canary Islands holidays.
Algarve, Portugal
Algarve's whitewashed houses, gorgeous golden beaches, crystalline Atlantic waters and clear blue skies make it perfect for a beach holiday. From vibrant coastal resorts, to picturesque fishing villages and an ancient Moorish city, Algarve holidays have something to suit visitors of all tastes. Albufeira is the region's biggest tourist resorts with 21 beaches to choose from.
See all Algarve holidays.
See our other great holidays
All Inclusive Holidays - Cheap Holidays - Winter Sun holidays - Late holiday Deals
Other Great Holiday Deals
|Our Top Ten Offers
|Goa Winter
|Cheap Winter Sun Holidays for 2015
|Cheap Late Holiday Deals & Last Minute Holidays
|Family Friendly Elite Holidays & Hotels
|Cheap All Inclusive Holidays 2015 & 2016


text:
Great articles on other sites
Great articles on other sites
- iiNet founder Michael Malone finally backs TPG Telecom takeover
- How and why the public sector must make friends with artificial intelligence
- Second anniversary of IT pricing report approaches - Computerworld
- Doctors spend 15 mins opening Fiona Stanley Hospital software
- What to expect from Abbott's national cyber security strategy
- ISPs need more time for data retention compliance
- TPG iiNet bid: major shareholders complain
- Qld emergency services payroll replacement on the rocks
- Victoria to wait another eight months for public IT dashboard
- Superloop CEO slams Australian govt tech policies
Renai's other site: Sci-fi + fantasy book news and reviews
Renai LeMay
- Kim Stanley Robinson's new book Aurora is due in July
- What's the future of "Grimdark" fantasy?
- An epic rant from Richard Morgan about nuance in writing
- Brandon Sanderson's Firefight: Review
- Get into Jeff VanderMeer's head as he writes the Southern Reach trilogy
- George R. R. Martin's next book The Winds of Winter won't arrive in 2015
- Alastair Reynolds' Poseidon's Wake launches 16 April
- Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword: Review
- Ann Leckie finishes Ancillary Mercy
- Hannu Rajaniemi's The Fractal Prince: Review
Blog, Telecommunications - Written by Renai LeMay on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 17:55 - 26 Comments
"Bragging rights?" Telstra has 1,000 4G base stations
blog At Delimiter we're big fans of Telstra's 4G mobile network. And with mobile broadband speeds up to 40Mbps, who wouldn't be? The telco has just launched several flagship handsets on the network — the HTC One XL and the Titan 4G — and now, according to a post on its Exchange blog, it's hit another milestone. Telstra executive director of Networks & Access Technologies Mike Wright tells us:
"Last week at Telstra we switched on our 1000th 4G site, extending the benefits of LTE technology to Mackay in Queensland. It is phenomenal to think that we have reached this milestone when it was one year ago to the day that we announced that the first 4G LTE base stations had been switched on … When we launched our 4G services in September 2011 we offered a mobile broadband dongle. Nine months on and we offer our customers a full range of 4G enabled products, including four smartphones, an ultra-fast tablet and a wifi hotspot."
Remember how in May 2011, Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan said that Telstra's launch of 4G services was "just bragging rights" and there was little consumer demand for 4G? Well, considering that Optus is still only trialling 4G services in one small area (Newcastle), Vodafone hasn't launched any 4G services at all, and Telstra has north of 100,000 real customers on its 4G network and 1,000 base stations located around the country, I'd say that at this point Telstra has a very real right to brag indeed.
Let's go back to this February 2011 article and consider, for a moment, just how far ahead Telstra is in mobile at this stage. At that time, I wrote:
"Australia's mobile sector is about to experience a dramatic segregation into two halves: With Telstra's blisteringly fast and capable network on the one side, and those of Optus and VHA on the other. Telstra is not aiming with its LTE ploy to gain a speed, coverage and capacity advantage on Optus and VHA. It already has that. What the telco is aiming to do with its 4G strategy is advance so far ahead of what the pair have to offer, that there is no point comparing the different networks any more — Telstra's advantage will be exponential."
Does that sound about right? I would think so. Bragging rights, indeed.
Image credit: Telstra
26 Comments
Ouch- they're not playing soft are they?
It's true though. They're still far and away the best network and it looks to only get better.
Telstra is still far and away the most expensive network to be on. Vodafone has always been fine for me and substantially cheaper that Telstra.
That's trur Michael. Telstra is slightly more expensive, that's what kept their customer base reasonable so they could not implode like Vodafone did 2 years ago.
If Vodafone works for you, that's great. I've got no problem with that. But, come down to where I live and try it….I think you might be singing a different tune then. Vodafone got rid of their shop down here….
" and there was little consumer demand for 4G? ".
Haven't I heard something similar recently about something similar, I have heard of foot fetishes, but Foot in Mouth Fetish. ?
Regardless I have a very high regard for Telstra's technical expertise, especially their specialist groups. After all they made a major contribution to the development of Cellular radio technology, involved as experts in the Jindivic Pilotless aircraft program, the over the horizon radar etc. (All Radio technology) They I am sure have retained some of the expertise of their research labs.
When they didn't bid for the NBN Mk1, they weren't interested in landline that would be ACC regulated, they wanted away from the enforced wholesaling at determined rates on a deteriorating network that will need to be replaced, in the early open competition it was the major player that was forced to wholesale, Telstra couldn't escape the fixed line obligation, but chose to let Optus wear the Mobile crown and burden up until recent times.
Telstra has some astute and smart people and teams, with their in house expertise they are formidable in wireless, there are guys there that have forgotten more than many other experts know
So why does Telstra 'have' to bid, isn't it a free country anymore? There are plenty of other players out there, where were they? Optus and affiliates put a bid in, why didn't the government pick them?
You should look the number of Mobile equipment manufactures in Australia (Zero), you buy in the technology which numbs down the workforce capability and with your Wholesale argument, buy the services of Optus/AAPT etc if you are so inclined.
"Telstra has north of 100,000 real customers on its 4G network and 1,000 base stations located around the country"
So they are admitting to high contention ratios averaging 100:1 – no wonder speed goes south during peak periods…
I meant user ratios, not contention ratios ;)
Pretty sure 100:1 counts as VERY low user:basestation ratios, particularly if none (or very few) of those basestations are micro/pico-cells.
All the other 3G networks would be, what, 10 to 100 times higher than that?
Does anyone know the total amount of 2100MHz 2G towers there are? It's not like Telstra are building new towers, they are just simply plugging in new 4G equipment at the base and reusing the old 2G spectrum. They are simply in a phase of can rapidly deploy 4G to X amount of towers. While people still using Nokia 3330's to make phone calls are losing more reception every day!
Ahh, Rob, might want to check your data. We don't use 2100 GSM in Australia. You mean 1800 2G? Yes they are repurposing some of those towers. However this is not unlike their change from CDMA to NextG- that turned out to be a storm in a teacup. GSM coverage will not change significantly for voice and text as yet though. It may in the future but I think Telstra realise they need to get more people off of 2G only phones yet and get them onto NextG phones, which can still be dumbphones if people want (like the old Nokias).
It'll almost certainly turn out that if you're affected by the repurposing, like with CDMA, you'll be offered a new phone on NextG.
Telstra are innovators in mobile wireless. They have to keep moving forward and they can't wait for people who've not yet adopted 10 year old technology.
AFAIK GSM1800 was limited in its roll-out, only in areas where GSM900 could not cope with the demand – most GSM phones would be using 900 anyway, so refarming the frequency for LTE will not really affect anyone. The only people it would affect would be people roaming with American tri-band GSM phones: I doubt they would be used any more anyway!
Agreed Ben. GSM 900 is much more common- it has a much larger coverage area.
Very few people would still have 2G only phones- and if they do….well, you can never account for bad taste…:D
So another Telstra fanboi article..
Of course in the background both Optus and Vodafone have several thousand base stations all ready to go with 4G when they choose to launch it…..
Also Optus now has a VERY large batch of 2300Mhz to use… How's Telstra going to compete with that ? 700Mhz is many years away still before it can be used
Not a fanboi article. Simple truth. I very much dislike Telstra as a company but their network is second to none.
1800mhz is alot of places for Telstra as its part of their old GSM network. It also has a longer range than 2300. But Optus are launching 1800. 2300 is range they bought from VividWireless and its not clear yet what they'll be using it for.
And 700mhz is likely to be ready for deployment in about 18 months. The auction will be in a bit over 12 after analogue is switched off.
Just because their network is better and we're willing to pay for it doesn't mean we're fanboi's. I used to get 2/3 calls a week drop out on Optus where I live.
"So another Telstra fanboi article.."
Telstra has a large and rapidly expanding 4G network, its competitors do not; those are facts. I'm not sure how that qualifies this as a "fanboi" article.
"Of course in the background both Optus and Vodafone have several thousand base stations all ready to go with 4G when they choose to launch it….."
And that will be newsworthy once they "choose" to launch it, not before. Why even bring it up?
"And that will be newsworthy once they "choose" to launch it, not before. Why even bring it up?"
Hey Jeremy- It's called Optus/Vodafone Fanboism…. :D
The answer lies right here: "Telstra has a large and rapidly expanding 4G network, its competitors do not; those are facts"
Um.. .no they aren't, there are 5+ 4g networks in Australia, most are private. It's competitors DO have large and rapidly expanding 4G networks, and you are using them right now, just in 3g mode.
Other carriers prefer to say 'we have 4G' and ACTUALLY HAVE 4G in most areas… unlike Telstra that only works in small areas populated by less than 50% of the workforce.
Ask Telstra if you have 4G in ringood, hell yeah the network is there they say, but you can't even get good 3g speeds in Ringwood, It's like saying Vodafone is a 1Gigabit network because there's a fibre connected 'somewhere'…
Give the tech 1-2 years before it's true 4G, for now it's all hype for most people.
100K services is quite inflated.
Telstra have no problem selling 4G services to people who live no-where near 4G coverage. I know two people who fit into this category. No doubt Telstra classify these users as 4G users.
Renai you need to take Telstra's claims with a grain of salt.
True Dan, the latest report from Telstra actual concedes only about 30 000 people have 4G phones. But it also reports 300 000 total users now. Including Hot spots and Tablets (ie the Galaxy 8.9 4G).
They may not live near 4G now, but give Telstra another 12 months, and, because it's using 1800 Mhz which is re-farmed 2G, which is widespread, many MANY more people WILL have access to it.
Of course, they're ALWAYS gonna toot their own horn….but they do still have the best network in 3G anyway, so….. :D
Telstra simply do not have enough 1800mhz spectrum to have a full 4G network for more than a small number of users….
How much 2300mhz spectrum does Optus now own…………….. Vivid wireless………
"Telstra simply do not have enough 1800mhz spectrum to have a full 4G network for more than a small number of users….
How much 2300mhz spectrum does Optus now own…………….. Vivid wireless………"
Another Fanboi….have you looked at Telstra's coverage? Certainly 1800Mhz 2G was fill in, as 900 was the main rollout. But their coverage is still, MINIMUM 3 or 4 times larger than VividWirleless, and it spreads across regional and rural areas, where Vividwireless doesn't.
Secondly- Telstra doesn't own enough spectrum….??? That doesn't make sense. Telstra owns the rights to spectrum wherever its' contract says it bought it to deploy 1800Mhz. You don't buy spectrum in bits and pieces all over the place, you buy the rights to it for large areas, like Metro or regional centres and Telstra has this.
Add up Telstra's total bid and lots purchased. It's CONSIDERABLY higher than anyone elses.
VividWireless' coverage is restricted to the cities. And Optus' 1800Mhz is almost non-existant, as they used 900 almost everywhere for GSM.
Would you like to try again?
How can Telstra and other phone providers alike spend so much money on improving speeds and reception in congested areas when alot of us in more regional areas are struggling to get a mobile phone signal let alone Internet.
Barry, may I ask what region you live in? I'm genuinely interested, because I've travelled a fair bit and found few places Telstra doesn't at least have reception.
Is it unreliable? Or simply not there?
I'm with you..Internet/phonehere is pretty much Telstra except you can expect disconnects every minute,if you get a signal in the first place and as for 3G lol,it's hasn't been upgraded to 21mb? even and the only 4G is a 3k area surrounding the CBD in Mildura.
I have no doubt Telstra have the jump on everyone and early adopters are all estatic at the 4G speed BUT it will only degrade as more people connect and the network like the 3G network will become congested and slow etc etc while Telstra continue to charge a premium price for network that is not capable of the speed it had to start with.
Rural area's are shafted daily so don't expect that will change anytime soon or at all in fact .
Blog, Policy + Politics - Jul 30, 2015 12:27 - 0 Comments
Bronny Copter is here to save us from Bishop's Choppergate
More In Policy + Politics
- 7:30 exposes Aussie Hacking Team industry
- Hypocrisy? Fletcher pushs tech exports to China while TSSR bill looms
- Telcos seek data retention extension to avoid legal action
- Turnbull defends Geelong MP from FTTN critics
- Labor unveils strong Digital Economy push with top political support
Analysis, Enterprise IT - Jul 28, 2015 16:20 - 14 Comments
Microsoft wants to win you back with Windows 10
More In Enterprise IT
- Qld Govt Depts have no disaster recovery plan
- ASD releases Windows 8 hardening guide
- ASG picks up $35m CIMIC IT services deal
- Datacom completes mammoth Health ICT takeover
- Weather bureau gets $80m Cray supercomputer
Industry, News - Jul 28, 2015 12:37 - 0 Comments
ICAC to investigate NSW TAFE ICT manager
More In Industry
- iiNet shareholders vote 'yes' for TPG buyout
- iiNet chairman "proud" as TPG sell-out looms
- Kotaku alleges abuse, gross staff neglect at retailer EB Games
- Aussie software firm Marketplacer grabs $10m
- Expert360 pulls in $4.1m for consultancy 2.0
Consumer Tech, News - Jul 29, 2015 17:14 - 10 Comments
Telstra integrates Netflix, Stan, Presto into re-badged Roku box
More In Consumer Tech
- Older Australians embracing video games
- Gasp … Qld will fuel electric vehicle charging stations with solar
- Oops … Tesla enthusiast charges car on Qld windfarm
- Netflix Australia: Review
- RAC builds electric vehicle highway in WA


text:
D3s7rUc71oN's's Gamespot Rank
D3s7rUc71oN's Emblems
Readers' Choice 2004 Chooser
People's choice representative. All those who participated in GameSpot's 2004 Readers' Choice Awards will share this emblem, and have their collective decisions immortalized in those scarce few games that they rightfully placed among gaming's greatest.
Readers' Choice 2005 Chooser
Voted in 2005 Readers' Choice Awards.Administered to those who sounded off in GameSpot's 10th-annual Readers' Choice Awards, celebrating the best games of 2005.
Virtually There: E3 2006 Sony Conference
Virtually There: E3 2006 Sony Conference For tuning into GameSpot's live broadcast of the E3 2006 Sony press conference on Monday, May 8. Final Fantasy XIII and Gran Turismo HD announced!
I voted
For casting your vote, here's a brand-new emblem to add to your collection. By exercising your right to vote, you've contributed to the site by letting the whole world know about what GameSpot readers really think. Make your voice heard! Vote early and vote often!
Virtually There: E3 2007 Sony Conference.
Virtually There: E3 2007 Sony Conference. Awarded for skipping lunch to tune into GameSpot's live broadcast of the E3 2007 Sony press conference on Wednesday, July 11.
Readers' Choice 2007 Chooser
Official Participant in 2007 Readers' Choice Awards. In a year that could only be rivaled by 1998, this user made their voice heard in GameSpot's 12th-annual Readers' Choice Awards. . . Now known as "Best of."
Greatest Game Hero Bracket Submitter
This emblem shows that you've submitted a bracket for GameSpot's Greatest Game Hero competition. Let's get in there and fight!
Readers' Choice 2009 Chooser
Participant in 2009 Readers' Choice Awards. "Sure, that game is good... FOR BABIES!" "That game sucks! It doesn't even have online capture the flag!" "Barbie Horse Adventure: Riding Camp just lost so much of the magic that made Barbie Horse Adventure great." And so on. These intrepid readers braved the chaos of the Readers' Choice process and let their opinions be heard above the cacophony of argumentative commenters. Congratulations, voters!
Game Expert
Here to save the day! Game Experts are knowledgeable and skilled masters in at least one game and have proven this by unlocking at least 75% of the achievements available for it. If you've ever got a question, a Game Expert's usually a good person to ask.
E3 2011 New Game Ninja
Hi, this achievement is all about ninjas, REAL NINJAS. This achievement is awesome. I followed a game announced at E3 2011 during the week of E3 and inherited REAL ULTIMATE POWER.
E3 2011 Game Gladiator - Bronze
Are you not entertained? I followed 5 games featured at E3 2011 during the week of E3, and have won the favor of the crowd.
E3 2012 Microsoft Conference Attendee
This viewer saved up all their Ballmer Buxx to buy a new Windows-compatible PC so they could log onto Internet Explorer and watch the Microsoft press conference and bear witness to all the Better-With-Kinect titles coming to their Xbox Entertainment Systems in the upcoming future.
E3 2012 Sony Conference Attendee
This viewer knows that the PlayStation Move isn't dead, it's just gone to that special place in the sky where the SNES Super Scope and the Tony Hawk Ride skateboard live. So while this viewer waits for the Move to make its triumphant return to glory, they figured they'd tune in and see what sharp business slacks Kaz Hirai has added to his wardrobe this past year.
E3 2012 Ubisoft Conference Attendee
In Ubisoft's home of Paris, France, there's an expression that goes "Je ne sais quoi." This phrase literally translates to "Listen up, Tom Clancy, you'll either get in this time chamber and let us harvest your life essence for all eternity or you'll regret ever being born. Your call." Tom Clancy visited Paris once. Once.
E3 2012 Connoisseur of the Arts
E3 is about a lot of things (exhaustion, hot dogs, etc.) but if you can boil it down to its absolute purest form, it's a about the art. So that's why this viewer tuned into GameSpot's live stage show--so they could see the art live as it happened.
E3 2012 Literature Enthusiast - Day 1
Taking a break from watching YouTube videos of kittens playing with a ball of yarn, this viewer made the excellent decision to read the fine E3 coverage on GameSpot's official E3 site on day one of E3.
E3 2012 Literature Enthusiast - Day 3
Taking a break from watching YouTube videos of kittens playing with a ball of yarn, this viewer made the excellent decision to read the fine E3 coverage on GameSpot's official E3 site on day three of E3.
Hey look, it's a totally original dude wearing armor. With a huge gun and a helmet (a visor?). And he's riding a unicorn. This user was granted this magical emblem for not having any of their user profile images hosted on untrusted websites during The Great Purge of March 2013.
E3 2013 Sony Press Conference
Awarded to users who watched the Sony press conference during E3 2013.


text:
Hinds CC football beats Holmes, 27-13, on HomecomingOctober 18, 2013
RAYMOND – Hinds Community College moved to 6-2 on the 2013 season after a 27-13 victory over Holmes Community College on Thursday night.
The non-conference win over Holmes was the annual Homecoming game in Raymond and one in which the Eagles offense exploded for 526 yards and four touchdowns on 81 total plays.
The Hinds defense was once again stingy, allowing only 180 total yards from the Bulldogs. Holmes rushed the ball 37 times for just 74 yards and was 17-33 for 106 yards through the air.
James Summers (Greensboro, N.C.) accounted for 433 yards of offense and four touchdowns on the night, as the freshman quarterback was 15-31 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception through the air and carried the ball 28 times for 122 yards and one touchdown.
Hinds had to overcome an early 7-0 deficit when Holmes running back Fred Franklin scampered in from 22 yards out to put the Bulldogs ahead with 12:33 in the second quarter after the Cole Ballard point after was good.
Summers would tie the game at seven with 5:01 left before half when he rushed in from 13 yards out. Joseph Houston (Pelahatchie) knocked the PAT through the uprights to knot things up.
Both defenses held for the remainder of the first half and the score stayed tied up at seven heading into the break.
Summers wasted no time in putting Hinds back ahead when he connected with wide receiver Keithon Redding (Atlanta, Ga.) on a 40-yard touchdown strike. The Houston point after attempt was no good, however, and Hinds held a 13-7 lead with 12:57 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs of Holmes would even the score at 13 with 5:22 left in the third quarter when Jammie Jamison blocked a Pate DeMuth (Raymond) kick and carried it in from five yards out for the score. The Ballard point after try was no good and the score stayed tied.
Hinds would go ahead for good with 8:21 remaining in the final quarter when Summers hit Robert Lockhart (Delray Beach, Fla.) across the back of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass. The Houston PAT was good this time and Hinds led, 20-13.
The Eagles put the nail in the coffin on the following possession when Summers hooked up with LaChristopher Lee (Cleveland) on a 97-yard passing play for the touchdown with 5:25 left in the contest.
The touchdown, which came on third and 16 from the Eagles three-yard line, was capped off by a Houston PAT and ended the scoring for the night.
Redding had five catches for 115 yards and one touchdown to lead a huge night for the Eagles receiving corps. Lee had just two catches, but ended the night with 114 yards and the previously mentioned 97-yard touchdown catch.
Herbert Harris (Clinton), who was named Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, led the Hinds defense in the unofficial stats department with four solo tackles and six assists.
Khiry Lucas (Cleveland) picked up his fourth interception on the year and Erin Brown (Monroe, La.) and Gary Myers (Waynesboro) each collected a sack to lead the brutally tough defense.
Hinds will complete regular season action on Thursday, as the Eagles host Pearl River Community College in the home and season finale at Joe Renfroe Stadium in Raymond.
Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
For more on Hinds football go to www.hindsccsports.com.


text:
Sherwood Ross: It's been estimated the Iraq war, besides making that country pretty much unlivable, will flush $3 trillion in U.S. taxpayer dollars down the Pentagon drain.
Peace Crimes
Diane Lefer: "Nightwind"–the play we created in 2004 about his experience and his brother's abduction, torture, and murder by a death squad–has toured the US and the world, including Afghanistan, to raise global opposition to the practice of torture. Performing it for the first time in Medellín, the city where the atrocities took place, Hector was nervous.
Why Do So Many School of the Americas Grads Become Latin Death Squad Killers?
If the Pentagon's instructors didn't teach assassination at the School of the Americas (SOA) in Fort Benning, Georgia, is it just coincidental that so many of its star pupils graduate to become mass murderers? Take the strange case of Francisco del Cid Diaz, an SOA-educated second lieutenant in the El Salvadoran army who ordered his […]


text:
Register now for free, or sign in with any of these services:
Quite frankly I am shocked it was Biruta who has decided to leave. No question he gave everything he had every night. Teams need players with the kind of passion that he brings each game. That being said I thought he was a bit slow on defense and tended to get beat a lot so he would use his hands to defend hence all the fouls. I'm not sure he can hang with the quicker big men. He was inconsistent around the basket, too, missing some easy shots there hurt especially the first Seton Hall game. I do love his heart, though, and wish him well. I wish he would have stayed. I think he can contribute much to this team still.
I was a freshman in '76. Wow! How exciting that was! I still remember that Princeton kid who was like a 95% foul shooter miss a foul shot with little time left that could have ended the undefeated season and "the drive" to the basket by Phil Sellers against St. John's at MSG at ECAC tournament. All my 4 years at RU were exciting to watch the men's BB team. They were the last team to beat Larry Bird's Indiana State at the RAC in the NIT the year before they went undefeated. King James hits the baseline jumper. The crowd went wild! Sadly, RU's demise began when they refused to join the Big East at its inception. They lost the rivalry with St. Johns and Syracuse that was intense during that era. Instead they chose to try to keep the Eastern 8 (or was it the Atlantic 10 by then?) alive and in the process destroyed their own program. How sad.
Clueless Joe. Hmm I believe that was a headline in the New York papers when the Yankees signed Joe Torre. Boy, that really worked out badly, huh? Truth is nobody knows how these coaches will pan out until the games are played. So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Bingo! You read my mind.
since you brought up the spelling I couldn't resist. It's too not to in "to easy to pass up"
Seems like these young Knights have hit the proverbial "wall". They have never played this grueling a schedule before. With all the close Big East games they've played they seem to have run out of steam. When they lost before the games were close (except for WV). Now they seem to be regressing and are losing by bigger margins. I think they are worn out and I agree the upper classmen (Miller, Biruta etc) need to step up or the season is over.
Wow this game is very frustrating to watch. These guys need to go through some serious layup drills
I must admit I was taken in by Shiano's rhetoric about not going anywhere because he wanted to build a championship team at Rutgers. His previous actions seemed to support that (turning down Miami and Michigan). With these last two recruiting years it seemed as if what he promised was about to come to fruition. Next year looked like R year. I hope this does not completely decimate the recruiting class. They don't just need a new head coach but a defensive coordinator as well. Most people agree he was a great defensive coach. I just hope the program does not go backwards now. The next hire is huge for the future of Rutgers football. The heat is on Pernetti again.
Which means that no Georgetown players touched any Rutgers players in the last six minutes. Really?! I realized Rutgers was really getting the screw when just after Carter hit the three pointer, I believe, they called a touch foul in the backcourt against RU allowing Georgetown to get two points without using almost any time off the clock. Me thinks the refs are sending a message to Mike Rice. But how unfair is that to the players???
Right on ruhigh. Biruta has been under the radar because he's scoring less but he's been outstanding in setting picks which have given the shooters just enough room to get their shots off. Biruta has been an unsung hero so far.
The thing that impressed me the most last year was the interior passing. I never saw a Rutgers team pass that well down low before. It lead to a lot of easy baskets last year. I have not seen any interior passing so far this year. If they are going to rely mostly on outside shooting they will be in a lot of trouble.
I like Eli Carter but I agree he must not be the whole offense because when he is off they'll get more outcomes like this.
For 1rudennis
You left out Blake Rankin
Would love to see RU vs Oklahoma but not very early in the season. RU is notoriously not ready for the beginning of the season. That's why they need that scrimmage against the Howards and such. They usually get better as the season goes on.
With the family atmosphere that Schiano promotes I think the players would welcome Savage back if he stands before them and says, " I'm sorry I left. It was a mistake. I'm willing to compete to earn my position and if I'm not good enough to start then so be it. I will support whoever is the starter. I love RU and will do whatever it takes to make RU a championship team".
To be consistent I think from the about the third game on Blake Rankin should be the starting quarterback...just kidding
This will also be a test of Mike Rice's coaching ability. Even he has said he's never had a team do this to him. Let's see how he handles it.
It's going to be a loooooong season. It's going to take longer for these kids to "get it" than I hoped. Oh well. The good news is that the talent is there. I just hope that inside they are tougher than they're displaying right now and that each loss makes them more determined to get that much better. We'll see how they progress.
Announcers were commenting that RU should have been using the full court press throughout the entire game to get Princeton off their game. When RU did use it out of desperation down 17 it got them the lead in about 3 minutes. I thought the whole purpose of Rice's intense defensive philosophy and the use of that rotation was to be able to play pressure defense full court the entire game. What are you doing Mike?
I see a bunch of former high school stars that don't like his rotation and don't like being yelled at. They better grow up fast or he's going to lose them if he hasn't already. Dane Miller and Austin Johnson are not exactly helping out right now either.
Did you watch the whole game idiot? UConn moved the ball at will all game long with huge holes to run through and wide open receivers and no pressure on the qb. Even Schiano stated that even with the turnovers the defense should have been able to at least hold them to three points. Don't be such a condescending jerk.


text:
"Epic" is not a word that music critics should use lightly, but in the case of Spiritualized, the honorific fits. Famed for transcendent drones, bluesy riffs and soulful gospel singers, the British outfit makes the kind of exultant, expansive, definitively epic rock 'n' roll that bursts out of earbuds and consumes listeners whole.
Jason Pierce, the band's frontman, doesn't hold back on his new album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, which came out via Fat Possum Records in April. "I wanted it to be the most bombastic, grand, glorious, ecstatic sound, but I also wanted to make it intimate and fragile and kind," he says, "and all in the same five seconds of music."
That might sound over-the-top, but it's not far from the truth. From the soaring jangle-pop of "Hey Jane" to the explosive guitar noise of "Headin' for the Top Now" to the rapturous spiritualism of album closer "So Long You Pretty Thing," the band's seventh album is a bold statement about the vitality of youth, the pains of growing old and the medicinal power of rock.
But if you saw the CD in a record store and you'd never heard of the band, you might just be left wondering, Huh?
After all, that's exactly what it says on the cover. Set against an ambulance-white background, bordered by a green octagon that resembles some kind of medical logo, the light-blue lettering asks you: "Huh?" The question reflects Pierce's state of mind when he was recording the album. After years of pushing his body to its limits, he was working from home while undergoing an experimental medical trial of pills and injections to treat progressive, potentially life-threatening liver disease.
"I spent a good two days of every week in the hospital, so I was surrounded by all of that," he says about his confused mindset, speaking by phone from a tour stop in Detroit. "I didn't do anything I would normally do. I didn't enjoy anything I normally enjoyed during that year. It was the first year of my life since I was a kid with a proper, enforced sobriety: I can't fuck around. I have to get on with this treatment and do it."
Though he's healthy now, Pierce is no stranger to drugs and danger. His former band, pioneering drone-rockers Spacemen 3, followed the motto: "Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to." Pierce kept flying high after starting Spiritualized in 1990, going so far as to package the band's 1997 masterpiece, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, like a pill.
In 2005, he almost died when he came down with a case of double pneumonia. In a London hospital, his lungs had filled with fluid and his heart stopped twice. He references the ordeal in the title of his previous album, 2008's Songs in A&E, a reference to the British term for Emergency Room.
A firm believer in music as medicine, Pierce made Sweet Heart Sweet Light to help get through his treatment for liver disease, an exhaustive process that he describes as "fucking awful." He wanted to make a pop record akin to early Beatles—something a listener could play in the car. But making simple, unchallenging music turned out to be harder than he thought.
"I got this idea that the more abstract and distorted the ideas were, the more you can kind of hide behind that," he says. "With pop music, there's nowhere to hide. You feel really exposed. I don't think I was ready for that."
Straying even further from the blissfully cosmic drone-rock of the band's first albums, Pierce piles on choral voices and orchestral strings, mixes in heartening piano and plumbs influences as varied as Jimi Hendrix and Giorgio Moroder. "Hey Jane" was originally supposed to last three minutes but eventually expanded to eight.
"I've failed on the simplest of rules in pop," he says.
Still, highlights like "So Long You Pretty Thing" are as perfect as pop comes. A three-part, nearly eight-minute epic that features a duet with Pierce's adolescent daughter, Poppy, the track is heroic, damaged and deeply beautiful.
Pierce isn't religious, but the desperation hangs on his worn voice as he reaches out to Jesus for salvation: "I got no reason to be living anymore." When the song drops into an orgiastic climax of triumphant horns and heavenly voices, the 46-year-old rock 'n' roller bids farewell to a younger self. "God save your little soul," he sings.
While Pierce found making the album so therapeutic, he says he can hardly make sense of it now. He likens it to a toothache—all-consuming when it's around, but hard to recall when it's gone. Asked how he feels his effort turned out, he's at a loss for words.
"I don't know. I really don't know. I haven't got a fucking clue," he says. "Except the weirdest thing is, people seem to like it. I really wasn't expecting that."
Spiritualized plays with Nikki Lane at Belly Up Tavern on Sunday, May 20. spiritualized.com
Email email@example.com or follow him on Twitter at @peterholslin.


text:
To the Editor:
I read Joshua Muravchik's article on the fall of Israel's kibbutz movement with great interest ["Socialism's Last Stand," March]. Although he precisely articulates the causes of this trend, he leaves out the story's epilogue: the movement's complete capitulation to capitalism. In recent years kibbutzniks have successfully lobbied the Israel Lands Authority to reclassify kibbutz land as private property ("we worked the land, therefore it is rightfully ours"). They have then sold the property to real-estate developers, often for a share of future profits.
As a result, the "millionaire kibbutznik" is no longer a rarity. The privatization of land that rightfully belongs to the state has become so prevalent that Israel's Knesset and high court have intervened to reverse it. The public outcry against former socialists getting rich in this way might just end their headlong dash into the ranks of the well-off.
Michael D. Hirsch
Kochav Yair, Israel
To the Editor:
Whatever the reasons for the decline of the kibbutz as an institution, I would not, like Joshua Muravchik, blame "human nature." Mr. Muravchik might well consider the Hutterites (or Hutterian Brethren) of Canada and the U.S. These strict "kibbutzniks" have lived, since the 1870's, in colonies in which property is communally owned. Today there are about 36,000 members residing in more than 430 settlements. They, and similar communal groups throughout the world, are far from a "last stand."
Werner Cohn
Brooklyn, New York
Joshua Muravchik writes:
Thanks to Michael D. Hirsch for his letter. I do not, however, share his dismay at the prospect of millionaire kibbutzniks. The kibbutzim did make immense contributions to the state of Israel for very modest rewards. Their socialist dream was a mirage, but should we want to see them suffer for it? In contrast to what happened in so many other socialist arrangements around the world, no one but they paid the price for their illusions. I believe in private property, and the kibbutzniks' claim to ownership of the land based on the work they put into it is as good a principle as any I can think of for putting it in private hands.
I thought my article answered the question Werner Cohn asks, but let me try again. Many religious communes—the Hutterites, a strain of Anabaptists, are far from the only example—have flourished while practicing collective ownership as an aspect of their religious devotion. In contrast, communes established for the express purpose of practicing socialism have always collapsed, usually very soon after their founding. I infer that collectivism is not a comfortable way to live but is something people can put up with for a higher motivation, much like vows of poverty and celibacy taken by members of religious orders or like the extraordinary rules of self-denial practiced by the Amish (who are not, however, collectivists). In the case of the kibbutzim, I argued that the power of the Zionist dream served as the functional equivalent of a religious faith; once the heroic era of national rebirth was over, collective living was no longer bearable.


text:
|« Back to Article
Then and now: Feb. 10
By Richard A. Marini : February 7, 2013 : Updated: February 8, 2013 4:35pm
THEN: Madison Cox celebrates her brother Cody's graduation as a search and rescue swimmer with the U.S. Navy in Pensacola, Fla., in the summer of 2005. Cody is a graduate of Bandera High School.
Photo By Courtesy photos
NOW: Cody, now 26, and Madison, 13, celebrate Veterans Day last year in Key West, where he is stationed.
Thousands of people enjoy the Express-News' "Then & Now" photo feature every week in the S.A. Life section. And the online slideshow has racked up more than 2.5 million hits. But it's not too late for you to get involved: We're still accepting photo pairs consisting of one old photograph accompanied by a newer one taken to re-create the original as closely as possible.
We've included a recent example so you can see what we mean.
Every photo pair received will be posted online and the very best will be featured in the weekly print feature.
Send your submissions to firstname.lastname@example.com and put "Then & Now" in the subject line. We prefer JPEGs, and only photos submitted by email will be accepted. Be sure to include all identifying information (names, location, years photos were taken, etc.), your name and a daytime contact number.


text:
The Nature Conservancy's vision for Africa is rooted in the people, who have not always been at the table during planning for a sustainable future. Our success depends on involving local communities.
Why? The vast majority of Africa's lands and waters are community property — shared resources that sustain some of the world's most iconic wildlife and most vulnerable people. Moreover, most of the wildlife lives or migrates beyond park and reserve boundaries onto these communal lands and waters.
Our conservation approach everywhere we work — projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Gabon and the West Indian Ocean — focuses on helping local communities, governments and organizations conserve and enhance Africa's critical shared resources.
Latest News & Features
The New Loisaba Conservancy
Thanks to TNC supporters, we're conserving the 56,000-acre Loisaba Ranch and providing benefits to both wildlife and people.
Make an #Elegram to Help Save Elephants!
We're calling on elephant supporters like you to make and share 20,000 original pieces of elephant art.
Growing Gold: Sustainable Grazing in Africa
Kenya Program Director Munira Bashir explains the importance of working together to map out a sustainable future for our precious natural gold: grass.
Latest Photos
Introducing Loisaba Conservancy
We're helping improve lives and protect wildlife in this beautiful wild place.
A Bird Lover's Favorites
Our dear friend, Pamela Isdell, shares her favorite African birds.
Wildlife & Water
What flows from Africa's rivers, lakes and waterholes? Life!
Latest Videos
Let's Unite: The Promise of Tuungane
See how our groundbreaking Tuungane project in Tanzania is uniting conservation and human health.
Working Together on Communal Lands
Learn about a new kind of conservation that's currently underway in Northern Kenya.
Fish and Families
A young Tanzanian fisherman discusses how health needs, including family planning, affect natural resources upon which people depend.
Recent Press
- June 23, 2015
- New Loisaba Conservancy Helps Conserve Kenya's Second Largest Elephant Population and Benefits for Communities, Wildlife, and all Kenyans
- May 22, 2015
- Tencent Says No to Online Illegal Wildlife Trade
- March 20, 2015
- Africa's first Water Fund to Combat Rising Threats to Food Security, Water and Energy Supplies
- February 26, 2015
- Debt Swap to Finance Marine Conservation in the Seychelles
- December 15, 2014
- The Nature Conservancy to Auction Donated Martin Guitars for #SaveElephants Campaign


text:
Xaprb (Baron) recently blogged about how InnoDB performs a checkpoint , I thought it might be useful to explain another important mechanism that affects both response time and throughput – The transaction log.
Search Results for: handles redo logging
Faster Point In Time Recovery with LVM2 Snaphots and Binary Logs
LVM snapshots is one powerful way of taking a consistent backup of your MySQL databases – but did you know that you can now restore directly from a snapshot (and binary logs for point in time recovery) in case of that 'Oops' moment? Let me show you quickly how. This howto assumes that you already […]


text:
Ilike organic skin care products is the original Hungarian skin care line made by lifetime achievement award winner "Ilike" for over 50 years. Combining certified organic ingredients, centuries-old herbal knowledge and extensive research, these potent products are hand-formulated by secret processes and recipes. The delicious concentrations of hand-picked organic herbs, fruits and vegetables are cold processed, made in small batches, are never tested on animals and have a uniquely high herbal content. Our 80+ paraben-free, organic products are made of pulps – not extracts – to retain the full benefit of the herbs. Pamper your skin while delivering visible results with Ilike products that incorporate nature's aromas, colors and textures. You will discover something new that is ages old!
Dedicated to the spa tradition, sparitual is committed to creating eco-friendly products and packaging perfectly crafted for the enlightened consumer. We use Vegan ingredients from around the world, including many specially sourced and selected plant essences that are wild-crafted OR organic. The formulations are naturally colored and free of synthetic dyes. SpaRitual is constantly monitoring sustainability issues and strives to be on the cutting edge of environmental awareness. Enlighten yourself. Be a SpaRitualist. Because we all deserve to live the good life.


text:
Posted at: 05/11/2013 5:31 PM
(ABC 6 NEWS)-- Today marks the nation's largest single day food drive of the year. Postal service letter carriers were filling up mail boxes as well as picking up canned food on their routes all day today. It's all part of their annual food drive. Letter carriers in Albert Lea and Austin have been participating for nearly 20 years, and they've made a little competition to see what city can collect the most food. Donations will go to area food shelves. Last year Americans donated more than 70-million pounds of food, including more than one-million in Minnesota.


text:
Review: Bandelettes
I discovered Bandelettes last week (I am indeed a bit tardy to the party on this one), and posted about them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The response from you was huge! You all seem to be quite intrigued by them as well. Bandelettes caught wind of these conversations (they have wonderful customer service!) and were kind enough to send me a couple pairs to try out.
I waited for an unseasonably warm winter day to test them out, and I got just that over the weekend. I put them on at about 3:30 pm, just as I was running out the door to meet a new photographer for coffee.
From my bedroom to my car door, they had already begun to roll down. They do have non-slip silicone on the insides, intended to prevent such a thing, but it wasn't working for me. When I got out of my car and headed toward the coffee shop, I had to awkwardly hike them up while walking. By the time I got home, I really just wanted to just take them off. But I had already mentally committed myself to testing them out for you guys, so I left them on while I went on a dinner and movie date with my dude, then out for drinks with friends. When I went to the bathroom, I had to remove them or else they would have touched the toilet seat. When I walked, they rolled down my outer thighs, but mostly stayed put on my inner thighs. (Thunder thighs for the win!) So yes, they did technically prevent chub rub, but the constant adjusting I had to do was awkward, embarrassing, and ultimately not worth it. Oh, and when I took them off at the end of the night (full disclosure: about nine hours after putting them on), one of them had split almost entirely up the seam.
In order to choose the correct size of Bandelettes, you are to measure the circumference of your thighs while standing up. When I did this, I got a measurement of somewhere between 26 and 27 inches. On their website, it says to size down if you are between sizes, so I went with a size C. It is entirely possible that I didn't size down enough, and perhaps an even smaller size would have been a better fit for me.
The upside is that, like I said above, they have excellent customer service! My understanding is that they take customer feedback very seriously, and will replace or refund your purchase if you are unsatisfied. Their customer service is honestly so good (I really appreciate and value good service, obvi) that rather than give up on them, I'm going to give them the benefit of a doubt and give the size B Bandelettes a try. I'm also wondering if instead of lace, they might be better suited to a more substantial material. Maybe spandex or whatever the hell Spanx are made of? Just something a bit sturdier to keep up with the more thick 'n juicy babes like myself, whose voluptuous thighs cannot be tamed by lace alone.
I say if you're still interested after hearing my story, give them a try. If you're not 100% satisfied, they will absolutely refund your money, so what have you got to lose? Just make sure you size wayyy the heck down.
5 comments:
Ah its such a bummer that these didn't work out for you. I was really hoping they'd be the lacy answer to all of my chub rub problems.ReplyDelete
Looking forward to an update if you use the size b of a different material. Like I said on facebook I was afraid of them rolling down on women like us these type of products always sadly do. The only way I've found to hold them up is by garters.ReplyDelete
Chrissy of crashbeauty.com
I can't wait to find out how the size b ones will work out for you! If they're good I might go a buy myself a pair!ReplyDelete
I have the biggest size, I think, (I'm UK size 18-20) and they work really well for me, don't roll down and I just forget they're there.ReplyDelete
Consider me tardy as well, this is the first I've heard of these. Want to hear how the B's go! Good luck!ReplyDelete


text:
Updated at: 02/07/2013 6:38 AM
(AP) LIMA, Peru - Peru's police chief says agents have arrested a top Colombian drug trafficker and gangster who entered Peru in late January with a false passport.
Gen. Raul Salazar says Jacinto Nicolas Fuentes German, alias Don Leo, was arrested Wednesday in the affluent seaside Lima district of Miraflores with the help of Colombian police.
Salazar identified Fuentes as head of the Urabenos criminal gang in Colombia's Bajo Cauca region, which is a traditional stronghold of far-right paramilitaries.
After the illegal Colombian militias disbanded in the middle of the last decade, many of their members formed drug-trafficking bands of which the Urabenos is among the most prominent. Urabenos has battled other criminal gangs for control of drug trafficking routes out of Colombia, which is the top exporter of U.S.-bound cocaine.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
Clifton Mustangs(1-14)
- Region:
- NJ Grp-IV
- Conference:
- Watermn
- State:
- Coach:
- George Cowan
At the game? Share your photos on Laxpower.com from Facebook or by using Flickr's tagging feature.
From Facebook: click here to share your Facebook photos.
From Flickr:
choose your team or game from the dropdown below to get the tags.
If this is your first time sharing photos, click here for the two easy steps to get started.
Congrats to CHS lacrosse... from Kimmy Duesler
Senior night/John Greco... from Tom Russo
& im off from Tom Russo
Photos not displaying? Click here for FAQ and feedback.
This product uses the Flickr API but is not endorsed or certified by Flickr.


text:
Trouble viewing this email?
Click here
In this Issue — January 2012
Message from the director: 2011 recap and a look ahead
Morlot to lead symphony in free concert at City Hall, Jan. 25
Mayor, City Council appoint new Seattle Arts Commissioners
Applications for Youth Arts program funding now open
Save the date for Arts Education Forum, Feb. 16
City invests in neighborhood arts and cultural events
Artists selected for City Light service centers
Temporary artwork to highlight natural stormwater management
Exhibition features staff picks from city's collection
Highlights from 40th anniversary show on view at City Hall
City seeks RFQs for Families and Education Levy programs
Choreographer talks turkey, viaduct music video, more on
Art Zone
Youth Arts
Calls for Artists
Youth Arts funding workshops
Seattle Arts Commission Meeting
Seattle Symphony, free concert
City Hall Lobby and Anne Focke galleries:
Public Art in Seattle
Through March 2
Seattle Municipal Tower:
Staff Picks
Through March 31
A mural in the Youth Media Institute's media lab at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Youth Media Institute received funding through the Youth Arts program in 2010. Funding applications are available
for youth arts projects taking place between Sept. 2012 and Sept. 2013. Photo by courtesy of Youth Media Institute.
Message from the director: 2011 recap and a look ahead
Andreas Bee's
Raumgreifend: Installation
Suyama Space
in 2009. Photo by Jym Snedeker.
As we embark on a new year, it's a fitting time to take stock of 2011 accomplishments and look ahead to 2012. Since arriving in Seattle last March, I've been amazed by the breadth of talent and myriad of great arts and cultural organizations and individual artists. I'm also pleased with what we've been able to accomplish working with our community of cultural partners.
For example, in 2011 the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs invested $2 million in 281 artists and organizations, serving more than 1.8 million participants. Every city dollar invested was directly leveraged by $12.50 in private and community investment.
On the arts education front, Seattle Public Schools received a $1 million grant from The Wallace Foundation to develop a multi-year plan to introduce more arts instruction into the classroom. Through our
Arts Education Partnership
with the school district, we look forward to helping engage the community this year in developing a comprehensive K-12 arts education plan. Stay tuned for details about how you can get involved and mark your calendar for the
Arts Education Forum
on Feb. 16.
We also made some headway in the arena of cultural space. With Shunpike we launched the
Artist Space Assistance Program
(ASAP), a pilot program designed to provide relocation and placement services for artists and arts organizations seeking affordable space. With the Seattle Arts Commission last month we hosted
Cultural Space Seattle
, a public forum followed by community working sessions to advance an agenda for cultural space initiatives. We're summarizing the conversation and will issue a report outlining next steps and recommendations.
We celebrated a significant milestone in 2011—our 40th anniversary, which we marked with an exhibition at Seattle Art Museum titled
Seattle as Collector: Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs Turns 40
. The retrospective featured a range of artworks from 112 Northwest artists and highlighted four decades from the city's portable works collection and the city's public art program, with photos, drawings and proposals for more than 60 permanent artworks. Our public art team completed eight public art projects and selected artists for six new projects.
Our creative sector is one of our biggest strengths. This spring we will launch the Arts Mean Business Program, a one-time arts jobs program to support the mayor's
Seattle Jobs Plan
. The program will offer competitive funding, technical assistance and business development.
I am honored and humbled to be here in this community working to strengthen and advance our cultural assets. The work of the Office is only possible because of Seattle's dedicated artists and arts organizations. Thank you for all you do to contribute to a healthy, vibrant, creative community.
I encourage you to stay connected and stay involved in 2012. The mayor is hosting an open house and town hall at City Hall, Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature a Q&A with the mayor, information about city departments (we will be there), entertainment, mobile food vendors and a farmer's market.
On behalf of the entire Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs team, very best wishes for a wonderful new year.
Vincent E. Kitch
Morlot to lead symphony in free concert at City Hall, Jan. 25
Ludovic Morlot, music director,
Seattle Symphony
. Photo by Ben VanHouten.
We think a great New Year's resolution is making more time for music. So take note and mark your calendar. The
Seattle Symphony
will perform a free community concert at
City Hall
, 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25. Ludovic Morlot, the symphony's new music director, will lead the orchestra in a program featuring Weber's
Overture to Der Freischütz
and Beethoven's
Symphony No. 7
. Mayor Mike McGinn will welcome the symphony and concert attendees to City Hall.
After the hour-long concert, attend a post-performance reception in City Hall's Bertha Knight Landes Room, where Morlot will share programming highlights from the symphony's upcoming 2012-2013 season.
The concert is presented as part of the symphony's Family, School & Community Programs, which are partially supported with funding from the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, National Endowment for the Arts, PONCHO and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
Mayor, City Council appoint new Seattle Arts Commissioners
Jon Rosen, new Seattle Arts Commission Chair. Photo by Martin Genev.
We're pleased to announce the recent appointments of three new members to the
Seattle Arts Commission
Mayor Mike McGinn appointed landscape architect and urban designer Jeff Benesi of
. Benesi fills the position vacated by landscape architect Deb Guenther.
The Seattle City Council appointed public artist Perri Lynch and arts funding manager Huong Vu to the commission. In addition to her studio practice and public artworks, Lynch performs with the
Seattle Phonographers Union
. She fills the position vacated by public artist Dan Corson. Vu manages the Pacific Northwest region's arts, culture and civic grants portfolio for
The Boeing Company
and serves on the
Grantmakers in the Arts
board. Vu fills the position vacated by arts consultant Randy Engstrom.
At its December meeting, the commission elected Jon Rosen to serve as commission chair in 2012. Rosen, in his second two-year term on the commission, is an employment lawyer in practice as The Rosen Law Firm. He serves on the boards of directors of the
Seattle Symphony
Music of Remembrance
Jewish Family Services
. The commission elected Fidelma McGinn to a second year as the commission's vice chair. McGinn is vice president of philanthropic services at
The Seattle Foundation
The mayor also reappointed Dorothy H. Mann to the commission for a one-year term. Mann is an independent consultant in nonprofit governance and health policy and a community and arts activist. She is a past chair of the commission.
The 16-member commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council, supports the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Seven commissioners are appointed by the mayor and seven by the City Council, with a 15th member selected by the 14 appointed members. A 16th commissioner is selected through the YMCA's "Get Engaged" program.
Applications for Youth Arts program funding now open
A participant in an open mic session sponsored by
Youth Speaks
, which received funding through the Youth Arts program. Photo by Kari Champoux, a
Youth in Focus
We're accepting applications for the 2013
Youth Arts
funding program. Find out more about the program at a
free application workshop
, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 9 at the Beacon Hill Public Library. Application draft review sessions will be held
Wednesday, Jan. 18
Monday, Jan. 30
. RSVP for the draft review sessions is required. The online application deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Youth Arts is an annual funding program that makes a difference in the lives of Seattle middle- and high-school youth by providing arts education in all art forms during out-of-school time. Youth Arts prioritizes youth or communities with limited or no access to the arts. Awards range up to $10,000. The upcoming funding cycle will support arts training between September 2012 and September 2013.
Save the date for Arts Education Forum, Feb. 16
Southeast Seattle teens creating a ceramic mosaic illustrating the history of the Rainier Vista Neighborhood House at a
SouthEast Effective Development
workshop. Photo by Laurie Rose.
Mark your calendar and join Mayor Mike McGinn and Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield for a discussion about arts education, creative learning and student success at the 2012 Arts Education Forum, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, at Seattle University's
Pigott Auditorium
. The forum is presented by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs,
Seattle Arts Commission
, and
Seattle Public Schools
At the forum learn more about how you can help shape a comprehensive K-12 visual and performing arts plan for Seattle Public Schools. The school district recently received a
$1 million grant
The Wallace Foundation
to engage the community and develop a multi-year plan for greater arts education equity within the district. The planning grant, which runs through January 2013, will support increasing quality, arts-enriched learning opportunities and professional development. To support the planning process, the district is seeking
a consultant to evaluate arts programs
and a
communications consultant
The city and the school district are engaged in a multi-year
to support success for Seattle youth by ensuring that arts and creative learning are available to all students. The successful partnership helped leverage the planning grant from The Wallace Foundation.
Sign up
online to receive e-mail updates and learn about opportunities to get involved.
City invests in neighborhood arts and cultural events
Participants celebrate Hawaiian culture at the
Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
, part of Seattle Center's Festál world cultural events series. Photo courtesy of Live Aloha.
We're pleased to announce funding awards to
39 neighborhood arts festivals and events
through our
Neighborhood & Community Arts
(NCA) program.
The program will invest $46,800 ($1,200 per organization) in events taking place throughout the city this year.
The varied slate of neighborhood happenings includes
, Columbia City's monthly music festival; All-4-1 DANCEaPalooza, a contemporary dance festival presented by
Honk! Fest
, a marching street band that will perform across the city;
Celebrate Little Saigon
, a Vietnamese cultural festival and night market; and dozens of neighborhood festivals celebrating various cultures, including, Asian, African American, Hawaiian and Latin art forms.
NCA supports neighborhood groups that produce recurring festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, build community and enhance the visibility of neighborhoods through arts and culture.
Artists selected for City Light service centers
Detail of
Kate Sweeney's
proposed artwork for City Light's North Service Center.
Kate Sweeney
Lanny Bergner
will create new artwork for
Seattle City Light's
North and South Service Center auditoriums, respectively. The North and South Service Centers are hubs for City Light's work.
Sweeney is a Seattle artist who explores the underlying energy inherent in the natural world. Scientific inquiry directs her work. For the North Service Center, Sweeney will create a multi-layered wall installation made of digitally printed, hand-painted, shaped aluminum panels and found objects from the recycle bins at the service centers. The panels will extend across the entrance and alcove walls at the rear of the auditorium and express the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
Anacortes artist Bergner will create
Electrifying the Grid
, consisting of seven wall-mounted, painted plywood panels. Sixteen pattern-burned, stainless-steel mesh, pillow-like forms will be mounted on the panels. The geometric patterns imply energy transmission. Bergner's most recent permanent public art project was installed in 2010 at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Wash.
A panel of arts professionals, joined by representatives from City Light, selected Sweeney and Bergner from a pool of 72 applicants. The projects are commissioned with Seattle City Light 1% for Art funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Temporary artwork to highlight natural stormwater management
Stacy Levy
, 2012,
Straw Garden: from Wattle to Watershed
(proposal drawing).
Stacy Levy
will create a temporary artwork at Seattle Center's Broad Street Green as part of its
The Next Fifty
50th anniversary celebration. The Broad Street Green—Green Infrastructure Project will address protecting the water quality of local waterways. The artwork will be on view from April 21 through Oct. 21.
Levy's installation will be composed of wattles—tightly wrapped straw cylinders used to aid in re-vegetation and erosion control on steep hillsides—arranged in configurations that resemble Baroque garden formations. The sculpture will morph from controlled shapes into more naturalistic patterns that resemble water as it moves across the landscape. The wattles will be planted with seeds from native annual and perennial plants, making the artwork a "living sculpture" that will change throughout Seattle Center's anniversary celebration.
Levy is a Pennsylvania-based sculptor whose interest in the natural world rests both in art and science. She uses art as a vehicle for translating the patterns and processes of nature. Levy has works in several national and international collections including
Eastlake Cornerstones
with the city of Seattle.
Levy's artwork was selected from a group of four proposals submitted by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Developed in partnership with
Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle Center
, the Broad Street Green—Green Infrastructure Project is intended to raise public awareness of environmental stewardship, especially as it connects to SPU's work. The artwork is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds and administered by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Exhibition features staff picks from city's collection
Hugo Ludeña
(detail), 1999, chromogenic print, 20" x 30".
What artworks from the city's
Portable Works Collection
would our staff choose to be in an exhibition? Come down to the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery and find out. The exhibition
Staff Picks
is on display through March 31.
Staff Picks
features 24 artworks including sculptures, drawings and paintings by artists such as
Glen Alps
, Meng Huang,
Hugo Ludeña
and Charlotte Meyer. See the complete list of artists
See artworks such as
Peter Ivanoff's
How the West Was Won and Lost
, a drawing of shopping carts circling like covered wagons. Huang built a face from found objects including hubcaps and gloves in his sculpture
Take a Look
. Justin Gibbens created an Audubon-like illustration of a fantastical creature in his
Double-headed Red Tail
"It has been interesting to see what each employee has chosen," said Assistant City Curator Blake Haygood. "Each work will be accompanied by a short statement explaining why it was picked."
The Portable Works Collection contains more than 2,800 artworks managed by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Highlights from 40th anniversary show on view at City Hall
Mandy Greer
Mater Matrix Mother and Medium
(detail); 2009; wool and synthetic yarn plastic, fabric, glass and plastic beads; 36" x 68". Photo by Blake Haygood.
Missed our 40th anniversary exhibition
Seattle as Collector: Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs Turns 40
Seattle Art Museum
last year? See some highlights from the show at City Hall through March 2.
The exhibition
Public Art in Seattle
offers an overview of the city's public art program with photos, drawings and proposals for more than 60 permanent artworks located throughout the city. Also on view are materials used in artwork conservation. A series of display panels, maquettes and proposal drawings are on display in the City Hall Lobby Gallery and in the Anne Focke Gallery on the L2 level of the building.
See maquettes by
Lee Kelly
Ron Bladen
, expressing in miniature what was eventually realized as the outdoor sculptures
(1975) by Kelly at Louisa Boren Park and
Black Lightning
(1991) by Bladen at Seattle Center's Broad Street Green. Also on view are pieces of temporary artworks that have become part of the Portable Works Collection. Mandy Greer's
Mater Matrix Mother and Medium
left behind fragments of a yarn "river" that was crocheted by many hands and strung through an urban forest in summer 2009.
In 1971, city leaders signed legislation to create the Seattle Arts Commission—known today as the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. In 1973, Seattle was among the first cities in the country to adopt a percent-for-art ordinance. Today, the city's public art collection includes more than 2,800 artworks in the
Portable Works Collection
and nearly 380
permanently sited
public artworks. Nearly 40 years later, the city remains dedicated to creating exceptional art experiences in people's everyday lives.
City seeks RFQs for Families and Education Levy programs
As the arts are essential in a complete education, we're sharing the news that the
Seattle Office for Education
(OFE) is seeking requests for qualifications (RFQs) from organizations to support one of four program areas of the city's
Families and Education Levy
. The $232 million seven-year levy was passed by voters last fall. The initiative provides support to children and their families, both in and out of school, in an effort to help all Seattle's children become safe, healthy and ready to learn.
The programs for RFQs are:
Elementary Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Family Support
Middle and High School Social, Emotional and Behavioral Support
Elementary, Middle and High School Extended Learning Opportunities
; and
Middle and High School College and Career Readiness and Planning
. The RFQs are due 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14. Go
for more information and RFQ instructions.
There is no funding to be awarded under the RFQ process. However, submitting a response to an RFQ is required in order for a school to select your organization to provide programs in the next part of the process.
Information sessions for each program area will be held at
Miller Community Center
beginning Jan. 12. Registration is required. Go
for the schedule and to register.
Choreographer talks turkey, viaduct music video, more on
Art Zone
Preview the Children's Film Festival. Celebrate a decade of improv theater. Catch a music video about the viaduct. Relax at home in January and get your fill of the local arts scene at the same time with
Seattle Channel's
Art Zone with Nancy Guppy
On Jan. 13, watch a profile on artistic genius
Bruce Bickford
. Writer and performer David Schmader unveils his new
one-man show
. Choreographer/dancer Wade Madsen shares a story about playing a turkey. And hear new music from
In Cahoots
On Jan. 20, go behind the scenes of
Sandbox Artists Collective's
Sandbox Radio Live. See a profile on experimental musician and cellist
Lori Goldston
. Preview the
2012 Children's Film Festival
at Northwest Film Forum. And watch the musical duo Braniel's new music video about the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
On Jan. 27, preview the dance show
Chop Shop: Bodies of Work
. And celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
Seattle Festival of Improv Theatre
Art Zone with Nancy Guppy
airs on Seattle Channel at 8 p.m., Fridays, and on
KCTS Channel 9
at 11 p.m., Fridays and Sundays. You can also watch
Art Zone
on the web
Art Zone
will not air on Jan. 6.
Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs
City of Seattle
(206) 684-7171
Forward to a Friend


text:
Last night, the House Republican caucus held emergency meetings in the basement, only emerging late to say they reached an agreement on a spending cut plan for Fiscal Year 2011, one that would cut spending $100 billion below the Obama Administration's 2011 request. Because Obama's 2011 request never came to pass, however, the proper comparison is to the 2010 levels, and this cut would be $58 billion from those.
Earlier in the day, Republican leaders recognized they needed to make deeper cuts to please their rank and file. Their original spending plan would have pro-rated the cuts, acknowledging that five months of the fiscal year would have passed by the time their continuing resolution kicked in, and would have been a net cut of only $32 billion. But Tea Party Republicans who ran on a pledge of a $100 billion cut wouldn't go for it.
Even this $58 billion cut isn't likely to mollify the entire GOP caucus. They will still allow an open debate on amendments to the CR, and conservatives in their caucus plan to offer more cuts. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) will offer the amendment to block implementation of the health care law. "If we don't fight on this ground, there will not be ground this good to fight on again," he told the New York Times. There are probably a handful of conservatives who will vote against the final CR if their amendments fail, though given the agreement last night, not enough to take down the bill entirely.
An open amendment process would mean that Democrats could also force tough votes on restoring popular cuts, but it remains to be seen whether they will be allowed to do that under the rule.
The process in the House says nothing of what will happen once the Senate gets the bill. Senate Democrats do seem poised for cuts, but they are planning on fighting it out in their own chamber, and probably submitting it to the House right before the March 4 deadline and cutting out of town. If cuts are restored, or it doesn't look precisely like the House version, we go back to the same revolt of the Tea Party that we've seen in the past week. I don't think they have much of a head for compromise, so the end result would be a government shutdown. There are three weeks until the expiration of the current continuing resolution.
Meanwhile, the White House is focused on the FY 2012 budget, which they plan to release next week. But they're going to have to focus on wrapping up this fiscal year at some point, because it's looking less and less likely that Congress will be able to get this done.