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It's Friday night at Churchill's Hideaway and two guitarists stand onstage tearing into their strings; amplified moans and wails burst from the speakers. Behind them the drum, bass, and keyboard swell in a towering crescendo, then fall away to massage a quieter passage. One guitarist leans into a microphone and begins to sing. His voice is resonant, a roar of joyful anguish. At the end of a line he throws himself away from the mike, tangled locks lacing his face, sweat staining his faded T-shirt. Reaching for that elusive, perfect note, he appears to be strangling his guitar. The music has transported him to another world.
It's a familiar image in the realm of music videos: that of the tortured rock musician flailing away. But here in real life, with the full band creating a passionate, dynamic force, the scene unfolding onstage assumes an electrifying immediacy. And this is no garage band. The five musicians are veterans who have recently signed a recording contract with an independent label that will, they're told, enjoy worldwide distribution by PolyGram.
The group -- its name is unimportant; there are at least two other local outfits in similar situations -- could be huge next year. And they are from Miami, born and raised. Played here nearly all their lives. Graduated from local high schools and worked assorted day jobs through the years with friends, acquaintances, and potential fans.
And on a Friday night at Churchill's, one of only two reliable live rock venues in town, there are fifteen people in the audience.
Miami-Dade County has a population of more than two million people. Throw in the nearby tract of land census-takers and advertising executives count as part of the Miami MSA, or Metropolitan Statistical Area -- we're talking neighboring Broward County -- and you've got close to three and a half million, the eleventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States. There is no shortage of living, breathing human beings in South Florida. In fact, we live in an area with nearly three times the population of New Orleans, more than three times as populous as Nashville, Memphis, or Austin. Seattle, Atlanta, and Minneapolis-St. Paul have fewer residents. Yet those locales all enjoy as many as several dozen live rock clubs and thriving local scenes.
Miami's live rock scene, however -- and it doesn't matter whether your tastes run to ska, punk, alternative, indie-rock, funk, heavy metal, or plain old pop-rock -- is virtually nonexistent. In the recent past, club after club has shut down. Rose's and Stella Blue turned off the lights this past spring; last year it was Cheers; before that Stephen Talkhouse, Washington Square, and Cactus Cantina. South Beach Pub, Miami Beach's last remaining rock club, lingers in a kind of musical purgatory, raucous and rowdy one weekend, dark the next, its owners unsure whether to continue with live music.
Only Churchill's, in Little Haiti, and Tobacco Road (generally open to local bands only when national acts aren't in town, which is often) remain. There is only a smattering of alternatives: the Design District's Power Studios, off-night concerts at the Grove's Hungry Sailor, and the odd show at places such as World Resources on Lincoln Road or the Grind, a coffeehouse in North Miami.
So why is it that the county's live rock music venues find patrons such rare commodities, the market so fickle and inhospitable, the business so devoid of profit? In short, why do all the good clubs keep closing?
On one level, the answer is simple: In this half-assed banana republic, rock music is about as appreciated as a down-filled, fur-lined parka.
Alas, it's a bit more complicated than that.
The problem can also be traced to the clubs, with their often lousy parking facilities, ridiculous drink prices, and less-than-exemplary sound systems. Local musicians themselves shoulder some of the blame: They could stand to promote themselves more, and as a whole could bring their showmanship up to the level of the national touring bands with whom they must compete.
An even more disturbing possibility, one expressed by many of those who love the world of overdriven guitars and unpretentious bars, is that people in South Florida just don't care about live music.
But the Broward and Palm Beach scenes are thriving. Fort Lauderdale's SW Second Street strip alone boasts live music at three or four clubs, all within stumbling distance of one another: the Poor House, Dicey Riley's, Tavern 213, and even occasionally the Chili Pepper. Hollywood has a happening collection of music joints, all practically next door to each other, in the Young Circle area. Likewise West Palm Beach's Clematis Street. Not all these venues showcase rock, but many do. More important, the owners who have set up shop in these neighborhoods aren't lacking for patrons.
Back in Miami, the jazz and blues scene is doing reasonably well. Although some purists gripe that certain clubs don't present "real" jazz or "authentic" blues, there are still several jazz and blues clubs for every one that regularly features live rock. Same story for live Latin music, whose venues outnumber live rock clubs nearly tenfold.
Of course, the most common type of nightclub in Miami-Dade, the dance club, rarely has live music. South Beach's Washington Avenue -- the hub of Miami's local rock scene long ago -- is now a dance marathon. Tourists and natives alike flock to the Beach's disco ballrooms, with their boom-booming excuse for music and discriminatory velvet ropes. And that's just what the owners like to see. After all, these folks are in business for the love of money, not for the love of art. It's much cheaper, and more lucrative, to hire a DJ than a band.
Not only is Miami-Dade a tourist mecca, it's full of passers-through. Some point to this transience as a key factor in our failure to cultivate a live rock scene. If more people stuck around, the argument goes, local bands could stabilize and develop loyal fan bases.
More often, observers point to the area's cultural melange as a culprit. According to this theory, the prevalence of Latins, Haitians, West Indians, African-Americans, and other minority groups severely limits the potential audience for rock shows. This notion is absurd on at least two counts. First, rock bands and fans come in all varieties, particularly in Miami, where so many musicians are Hispanic. Second, the potential fan base for rock shows, even disregarding all minorities, is still large enough to support a dozen clubs. At least on paper.
Education. That's the key to turning the withering scene around, says Steve Alvin, a die-hard local-music supporter known throughout South Florida as the Beast, half of the duo Beast and Baker -- former New Times music editor Greg Baker is his partner. Since 1994 Beast and Baker have run a weekly event for local bands at Tobacco Road. Hundreds of groups have appeared at the Thursday-night concerts, the most consistent, professional, and well-promoted series in Miami. Alvin and Baker publicize the performances on the Beast and Baker Show, a radio program they host Saturday nights at midnight on WAXY-AM (790). Alvin and Baker regularly spin music by local artists, invite band members to be guests on the show, and broadcast live performances.
And if exposure to locally produced rock is key to the public's education, the Beast and Baker Show is not the only outlet for enlightenment. Not to be ignored are the contributions of WZTA-FM (94.9) music director Kimba, with her 10:00 p.m. Sunday ZETA Goes Local program, and the Locals Only show, broadcast at 7:00 p.m. Sundays on University of Miami radio station WVUM-FM (90.5). These stations also sponsor and promote various live performances.
Alvin, among others, says that despite these efforts, the people of Miami are simply not exposed to enough live rock to truly have an appreciation for it. Fans, he explains, need conditioning. They need to be taught to like live rock music. That doesn't seem necessary in most other large cities, especially those in which large universities propel the scene. In Miami, however, college students, and just about everyone else their age -- those vast flocks of sheep people, or sheeple, as Alvin likes to call them -- seem far more interested in the dance scene.
"We all know what's happening," he says. "Take Austin. It's only a minute size compared to Miami. And in Austin you have the University of Texas, with 50,000 students. And during the year all 50,000 of them, or a large percentage, go off-campus and support 36 or 40 clubs in town. So what does that tell you? That tells you University of Texas people value live music -- even if it's cover, but it's mostly original, of all different types -- more than these bozos at the University of Miami. Most UM students weren't raised on live music; they were raised on disco."
Strong words; fightin' words, in fact. But he's not contradicted by Eric Rasco, music director of the University of Miami's WVUM and cohost of the station's local music program. "Miami college people are different from people at typical colleges," reasons Rasco, an eighteen-year-old sophomore who graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in southwest Miami-Dade. "Most of the people who go to college in Miami are from Miami. And people who are from Miami, for the most part, grew up in an environment that was not supportive of local music. Except for a few select kids, most of these people have never even been to a live music show. And the out-of-town students that we have aren't here for music. They're here for the sun and the beach. Music is not a primary concern."
The university's enrollment of 14,000 students has little effect on the local music scene at all. Even UM's vaunted music school, which has produced national stars such as Pat Metheny, Jon Secada, and Bruce Hornsby, doesn't supply much fresh blood.
Many of UM's 700 to 800 music students are studying jazz and classical, and are more likely to seek out those types of entertainment, according to WVUM DJ and freshman Melissa Alvarez. "The horn players, for example, like funk and jazz clubs," says Alvarez, herself a classical pianist. "They like to go to the Van Dyke." A rebel by comparison, Alvarez says she frequents shows at venues such as Club Q in Davie, Fu-Bar in Fort Lauderdale, and the Hungry Sailor in the Grove, which books local original bands, many of them ska or punk, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
That UM's music students don't go out more frequently to see live music seems unusual, though admittedly most nightclubs -- rock, jazz, or otherwise -- are off-limits to those under 21. But equally strange is that local promoters are not besieged by bands made up of area college students moonlighting in rock bands. In other cities, plenty of aspiring musicians cross genres at the university level. In fact, they're often encouraged to do so by professors in the hopes that such experimentation will enrich their playing. But apparently not these students. And the area's other institutes of higher learning, which, combined, have student bodies approaching that of the University of Texas at Austin, don't seem to bolster live music audiences or band membership in Miami much either.
Renyel Rivero, a jazz bassist in UM's studio music and jazz performance program, says he knows of only a handful of classmates who contribute to the local rock scene. "It's usually the best guys who are the ones doing all different kinds of work. There might be maybe twenty guys who are doing rock, and a lot of that is, of course, experimental, so they probably don't book a lot of gigs. I never got too much into the rock scene myself because it doesn't produce any income."
But the problem is more fundamental than an apathetic college crowd. The value of live music, after all, is something kids should be learning from elementary school onward. It's no secret that student exposure to live music and music education has suffered tremendously in the past decade or two, not just in Miami but nationwide. That fewer and fewer young people show an interest in live music -- let alone in learning to play an instrument -- is part of the legacy of curriculum cutbacks.
The dearth of all-ages live music venues also hurts. As any teenage musician or fan can tell you, there's no place for teens to play or listen in Miami.
"A big part of it is that club owners are more interested in selling alcohol," suggests Amanda Smida, president of Dalin Promotions, a locally based company that promotes independent records to college radio. Smida says she is considering putting on all-ages shows in her own Kendall warehouse if no one else steps forward. "I don't know why nobody has gone into that market. Liabilities, maybe. But I think there needs to be an all-ages club. An all-ages club that really promoted itself heavily would probably do really well down here. These kids have disposable income. They're spending $40 and $50 on Nintendo games, hanging out at video arcades, going to movies and major concerts."
"When Cheers was open, every high school had about ten different punk and rock bands," explains 24-year-old local musician and music promoter Alfredo Galvez. "Cheers gave them a place to play, to make fools of themselves, and to grow as musicians. All the kids got together on weekends and would do something far more positive than whatever the hell they're doing now."
But the club, which was located on SW Seventeenth Avenue just off U.S. 1 and which welcomed musicians and fans under eighteen, closed a little more than a year ago, in part because of complaints from residential neighbors about the behavior of the club's patrons. No other all-ages club has stepped in to take its place.
Add to this the aggressive marketing in high schools by rave promoters who are eager to draw teens away from live music and into that scene. Dance clubs along Washington Avenue in South Beach, and others throughout South Florida, also promote regular events at which teens, even those younger than eighteen, are welcome. Nobody can afford such promotion when it comes to live music.
"Miami, though I love it, is in the end a shit town when it comes to culture," says Galvez, who, along with his brother Rafael, runs a popular rehearsal and recording studio near Bird Road and the Palmetto Expressway. They also promote bands through occasional live performances at their facilities and run a record label called Space Cadette. "People just don't care. It's such a brand-new city. It has no age. You leave Miami for a year, and when you come back to the neighborhood where you were, to the house where you lived, that house is probably gone, and instead there's a couple of neon signs. It's very plastic. It doesn't lend itself to any mood. There is no place where you can enjoy the ambiance and take it in, and stop the boom, boom, boom, and the lights flashing, and let your thoughts process.
"This is a fast-paced town," he continues, "where things are always changing. It's the beach, the glamour, and everybody wants to be better and to appear prettier and faster. People don't want to take the time."
This dynamism and vibrancy can be inspiring, as the work of local artists such as Nil Lara, the Goods, and Quit attests. Unfortunately, without a solid fan base -- one that's educated in the joys of live music -- the hustle and flash can overwhelm a live rock scene, even push it to the brink of extinction.
"We haven't had enough live music here, where people know it and understand it and think it's cool," affirms Patrick Gleber, co-owner of Tobacco Road, referring to the overall music scene in South Florida. "Therefore you don't expose yourself to it, therefore you don't know it, therefore you go blissfully, happily, ignorantly through life."
Gleber is both a spiritual and financial supporter of the efforts to bring live local rock to the masses through the Beast and Baker shows; his club also books other local acts directly. He concurs with Galvez's opinion that the pace of this town must be slowed if live music is to take root. Converting the dance club crowd, he says, will require a different attitude. "It won't happen overnight," he warns. "Those clubs aren't going to do it. It's a slow process of getting people to listen to music."
Frustrating as the endeavor may be, live music supporters continue to try to recruit fans from among the apathetic. A few are growing weary of the futile pedagogic exercise, however. Alvin and Baker grumble loudly about their frustrations, and talk about getting on with their lives. Woody Graber, a local promoter who has been either a co-owner of, booking agent for, music consultant to, or publicist for a host of Miami clubs, including Woody's (named for the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood), Stephen Talkhouse, and Stella Blue (all of which succumbed to a combination of apathy and poor management), paints an equally bleak picture.
"Miami needs to be educated?" He laughs at the thought. "I've spent twenty years trying to educate the people of Miami about live music, and I think that's bullshit. I don't think they want to be educated. They're very happy doing what they're doing. But I love the music, and I live here, so I do it. I guess I must be a glutton for punishment."
He's not alone. Consider Miami's rock musicians. Practicing for years; spending hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on instruments, rehearsal studios, and recordings; pouring heart and soul into their music; and schlepping their equipment year after year to clubs only to perform for crowds that wouldn't fill the lobby of Shadow Lounge or Liquid -- these musicians are just as gluttonous, if not more so. Remember, Graber and Tobacco Road's Gleber and promoters such as Beast and Baker and Alfredo Galvez have at least found a way to make some kind of living in this anemic industry.
For the average rock band, playing only two or three times per month, as these bands are wont to do, financial reward is minuscule. Earning $100 here, $200 there, these groups are not supporting themselves with their craft. In fact, if they support anyone, it's the music stores where they buy their gear, the recording studios where they fork over hundreds to cut a few tracks, and to a lesser extent the clubs in which they perform.
If anyone has a stake in raising awareness of and excitement about local music, it's the musicians themselves. Yet their cause seems almost hopeless. Things could always get worse, of course, but nobody wants to let that happen, so at this point local musicians have only two options: Give up or keep trying.
What to do, then? A common suggestion, particularly from many rock promoters, is that local musicians need to -- ahem -- get off their asses and make something happen, herculean though those efforts may be. Local bands must find a way to reach out to the people who won't reach out to them, to prove to the people of Miami how vital their music is. In other words, they must accept that their fate is mostly in their own hands and act accordingly.
"Artists should stop dreaming," emphasizes Space Cadette's Galvez. "Stop thinking that label in shining armor is going to come rescue you and get you out of Miami and out of your troubles. Get off your ass and post flyers everywhere. Bombard the city. Create some controversy. Record, and get demos out there. And don't play in your garage thinking someone's going to hear you someday and say, 'You guys are the next Nirvana.' Play for the passion of playing, and if you're not interested in that, then make room for people who are. If you're just a weekend warrior, then stay a weekend warrior at your friends' parties. If you truly want to do music, then you can't be a baby about it and you can't whine so much about this city."
Actually, musicians badmouth the scene in almost every city. But in a city like Miami, with its virtually nonexistent scene, the need for action is even more pressing. Instead of watching as graduating class after graduating class heads for the disco, bands need to find a way to play, regularly and often, for high school kids and on college campuses. To encourage younger musicians. To secure permits to play in parks and on the streets, wherever people are hanging out -- in the Grove, in South Beach, in some deep, dark corner of Kendall. To hook up with charity organizations and perform at their events for free; it's worth the exposure.
And to follow Galvez's advice and distribute flyers, advertising more than one show on each. Bands could recruit a few local businesses that are willing to split the printing costs in exchange for some cheap advertising. They could get serious about mailing lists and stop relying on voluntary address forms left on tables in bars. A far more effective way to increase the size of a mailing list is to pay somebody to canvass the clubs with a clipboard and register people, then get a bulk-rate mailing stamp from the post office to reduce mailing expenses.
"[The bands themselves] must create a scene," Galvez says. "Concentrate it. Get in touch with other bands and bunch up, get together. Befriend other bands and throw festivals and events, whether it's a heavy metal band and a folk band and a hippie band. Screw a lot of these bars and these associations and Guitar Center-organized contests, or radio station-organized compilations and things like that. Do it yourself. Basically, be proactive. That's all it is. Be super proactive. Be more proactive than in any other city, because you're not going to get the opportunities you would somewhere else."
His call to organize is well advised. Using the strength of their numbers, local musicians must also demand the support of instrument retailers; local radio and television; nightclubs, restaurants, and other entertainment venues; and newspapers. These measures require effort, mostly by way of phone calls. Maybe even a boycott, or a demonstration or two. But then, with all but a few live music clubs closed down, musicians should have plenty of time on their hands.
Everyone recognizes, of course, that bands are not to blame for the public's poor regard for local music. Miami-Dade's club owners share responsibility to create an atmosphere in which people want to listen to live music. With a few notable exceptions, they have failed.
"In my opinion, there are no music clubs in Miami," proclaims Glenn Richards, another veteran local music supporter. For three years Richards hosted and produced the local music show on the now-defunct rock station WSHE. Before that he was music director at WVUM. "There are only bars with stages in Miami. Music is an afterthought in most instances," he says. "They care about selling drinks. That's what they're there for. And then it's kind of like, 'Now what else can we do? Oh! Let's book a band.' And they don't care about staging, they don't care about acoustics, they don't care about lighting, they don't care about PAs. It's like, 'Oh, we'll just plug in some amps and they can play.'"
But Richards, currently the promotions director at WZTA, insists that music clubs must be designed for music. "Music [has to] come first and then the bar is built around it. But that's usually not the case down here. They figure 'Okay, I'll book some bands,' and they actually book some decent bands. But if the air conditioning is bad and it's hot, or the ventilation is bad and it's smoky and you can't breathe, then people won't come back. Or they think: 'We'll have the band play at midnight, but I'll tell people 9:00 and I'll get this big crowd in here drinking, and then I'll have the band play and everything will be great.' They forget the band has day jobs, so a lot of groups can't take those gigs. And the people who come out to see those bands, they have jobs or school. And they can't stay until midnight in the middle of the week. These clubs won't book a band on the weekend because they have a good regular crowd. They don't need to book a band. They don't need any other entertainment. So it's self-defeating. They just shoot themselves in the foot left and right."
There are plenty of club owners who are really supportive, Richards admits. They have decent stages. They provide decent sound. They do what they can; their hearts are in the right place. But then they have somebody clueless booking the bands. Or they don't do adequate promotion. More than almost any other business, Richards says, bars and nightclubs are prime examples of that old Madison Avenue maxim: When you don't advertise, nothing happens.
Certainly not everyone reading this article is a club owner or musician. But even the general public has a stake in this game. Losing a local rock scene is akin to losing a symphony orchestra or an art museum, those bastions of culture we so often hear labeled as signs of sophistication in a community. But locally produced rock music is culture, at its most insistent, sensitive edge. The large societal issues tackled in the Sixties by icons such as Bob Dylan -- those same kinds of issues, only with a more contemporary, local angle -- are the topics that permeate the songs of local bands. They put words to both the hope and the despair felt by everyone in our community at one time or another. To lose their viewpoint would be tragic.
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"People should know this stuff," Space Cadette's Galvez stresses. "You want culture? It's up to you. People say there's nothing to do down here, but as far as I'm concerned there's plenty to see and hear. We're just lacking places to do it, and lacking people who will make that long-term commitment. There's got to be people who love it."
In the long run, the future of Miami's music scene is as dependent on fans as it is on musicians, the clubs they play in, and the media that provide coverage. The musicians and the club owners and the media can lobby the people of this city to attend live rock shows, but it is the people of Miami who will ultimately decide whether to spend their time and their money supporting the local scene.
For those who don't know if locally produced rock and roll has anything to offer them, Steve Alvin has some final words of advice:
"People will say, 'You expect me to go out and hear a group I've never heard before? How do I know if they're any good?' Well, duh! That's part of the whole experience: Go out and hear somebody you haven't heard before. What a novel idea. And if you're one of the people who don't want to do that, listen to our show, listen to ZETA, listen to WVUM's local show, and you will hear these groups and identify a group that you might like, so that you can go out and see them and know that the group is somewhere near something that you like. How simple can you get?


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Festival city Olomouc
Olomouc is an academic city with rich culture tradition. Nowadays it is the centre of Olomouc region and historical capital city of Moravia. There is around 110 000 people living in the city, which makes it the 6th largest city in the Czech Republic. Olomouc is also residency of catholic archbishopric.
Whole historical centre is a considered as the second most important in the Czech Republic (after Prague). Dominant feature of historical center is the town hall with very beautiful and unique astronomical clock.
The city of Olomouc is a very popular touristic destination and culture centre because of its historical atmosphere and important events. Traditionally the festival of documentary movies called Academia Film Olomouc takes place in the city. Other important culture events are International organ music festival Olomouc, festival Colores Flamencos or International music festival Dvořákova Olomouc. Very important part of culture life in Olomouc are events organised by Festa Musicale. The most important is International choir competition Festival of Songs with more than 40-years tradition. Others are festival of religious music Musica Religiosa and new International Christmas choir festival Natale Festa Corale.
Olomouc was an important centre of the Great Moravian Empire during the 9th and early in the 10th century. Later it became for long time the capital of the province of Moravia. The bishopric of Olomouc was founded in 1063, and raised to the rank of an archbishopric in the year of 1777.
In 1306 King Wenceslas III stopped here on his way to Poland, but here he was assassinated. With his death the whole Přemyslid dynasty died out.
During the Second World War II. (1939–1945), most of the towns' German residents sided with the Nazis and the Germans run town council renamed the main square after Adolf Hitler. The Czech residents changed the name again after the town was liberated in 1945.
When the retreating German army passed through Olomouc in the final weeks of the war they opened fire on the town's old astronomical clock), leaving only a few pieces (the rest of authentic clock can be seen in the local museum).
In 1950s Communist renewed astronomical clock but it features a procession of proletarians rather than saints. Most of the German-speaking population was expelled after the war.
The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is a Baroque monument in the Czech Republic, built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague, which struck Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) between 1714 and 1716. It is the biggest Baroque sculptural group in the Czech Republic. In 2000 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "one of the most exceptional examples of the apogee of central European Baroque artistic expression".
The principal secular building in is the town hall, completed in the 15th century, flanked on one side by a Gothic chapel, transformed now into a museum. This museum possesses a tower with an astronomical clock.
Olomouc possesses six Baroque fountains. The fountains survived thanks to cautious policy of the city council. While most European cities were removing old fountains after they had built their water supply piping, Olomouc decided to keep them as water reservoirs in case of fire. For their decoration ancient Roman depiction was used. Five of them depict Roman gods such as Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Triton, and Hercules, and one depicts Julius Caesar.
The most prominent church is the St. Wenceslas cathedral. In the end of the 19th century was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, but it kept many parts from the original church, which had also been rebuilt many times (Romanesque crypt, Gothic cloister, Baroque chapels). The church neighbors with the Bishop's Palace, a 12th century Romanesque building. Visiting the St. Maurice church, a fine Gothic building of the 15th century, and the St. Michael church are also recommended. The Neo-baroque chapel of St. John Sarkander stands on the place of a former town prison. Catholic priest John Sarkander was imprisoned here in the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. Other churches to see: the St. Maria church, the St. Mary Snow church etc.
W. A. Mozart´s memorial tablet reminding his stay in Olomouc during the smallpox epidemy in 18th century. You can also visit G. Mahler's house and also Engler's organ located in the St. Maurice church.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pipeline Preview: Reds, Braves' ace prospects meet
Matchup of Cincy's Stephenson, Atlanta's Hursh headlines Saturday's Minors slate
Saturday's premier Minor League pitching matchup pits Reds' No. 1 prospect Robert Stephenson against Braves' No. 3 prospect Jason Hursh as Double-A Pensacola hosts Mississippi. The game can be seen on MiLB.TV at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Stephenson, ranked No. 18 on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, has had an up-and-down start to the season. He enters the game with a 4.41 ERA and a 21-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16 1/3 innings.
Hursh was the Braves' first-round selection in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. He pitched well at Class A Rome after signing, emboldening the Braves to push him to Double-A for his first full professional season. He has a 2.95 ERA and a 10-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 1/3 innings this season.
Other pitchers ranked in the Top 100 who are scheduled to start Saturday include Archie Bradley (No. 5), Kevin Gausman (No. 30), Kyle Crick (No. 31), Eddie Butler (No. 39) and Lucas Sims (No. 57). Fans can watch all but Sims on MiLB.TV.
Elsewhere, catcher Tommy Joseph will look to stay hot as Double-A Reading faces New Hampshire in a game that can be seen on MiLB.TV at 5:05 p.m. The Phillies' No. 16 prospect has an eight-game hitting streak and has hit three home runs in four games after going deep Friday against the Fisher Cats.
Joseph, who was acquired from the Giants in July 2012 as a part of the Hunter Pence trade, missed much of the 2013 season due to issues stemming from a concussion he suffered in May. While he is now healthy, he struggled at the outset of this season. He went 2-for-22 with seven strikeouts in his first seven games before his hitting streak began April 13 at Harrisburg. He is hitting .364 with a .687 slugging percentage during the streak.
Top prospect probables
- Jason Adam (Royals' No. 9), Northwest Arkansas at Tulsa
- Cody Anderson (Indians' No. 4), Akron vs. Altoona
- Christian Binford (Royals' No. 12), Wilmington vs. Myrtle Beach
- Archie Bradley (D-backs' No. 1), Reno vs. Salt Lake City
- Eddie Butler (Rockies' No. 2), Tulsa vs. Northwest Arkansas
- Andrew Chafin (D-backs' No. 13), Mobile vs. Jackson
- Adam Conley (Marlins' No. 5), New Orleans vs. Omaha
- Tim Cooney (Cardinals' No. 10), Memphis at Round Rock
- Kyle Crick (Giants' No. 1), Richmond vs. New Britain
- Jacob deGrom (Mets' No. 13), Las Vegas vs. Tacoma
- Michael Feliz (Astros' No. 10), Quad Cities at Peoria
- Kevin Gausman (Orioles' No. 2), Norfolk vs. Columbus
- Drew Gagnon (Brewers' No. 17), Huntsville at Tennessee
- Kyle Hendricks (Cubs' No. 15), Iowa at Colorado Springs
- Jason Hursh (Braves' No. 3), Mississippi at Pensacola
- Luke Jackson (Rangers' No. 8), Frisco at Corpus Christi
- Felix Jorge (Twins' No. 10), Cedar Rapids at Clinton
- Dace Kime (Indians' No. 15), Lake County at South Bend
- Cody Kukuk (Red Sox No. 17), Greenville vs. Lexington
- Jairo Labourt (Blue Jays' No. 12), Lansing vs. Bowling Green
- Matt Magill (Dodgers' No. 12), Albuquerque at Fresno
- Cody Martin (Braves' No. 10), Gwinnett at Toledo
- Adalberto Mejia (Giants' No. 3), Richmond vs. New Britain
- Andrew Mitchell (White Sox No. 17), Kannapolis at Rome
- Mike Montgomery (Rays' No. 18), Durham vs. Scranton Wilkes Barre
- Sean Nolin (Blue Jays' 10), Buffalo vs. Louisville
- Keyvius Sampson (Padres' No. 14), El Paso at Sacramento
- Angel Sanchez (Marlins' No. 16), Jacksonville vs. Montgomery
- Luis Severino (Yankees' No. 10), Charleston at Delmarva
- Lucas Sims (Braves' No. 1), Lynchburg vs. Potomac
- Robert Stephenson (Reds' No. 1), Pensacola vs. Mississippi
- Domingo Tapia (Mets' No. 14), St. Lucie vs. Bradenton
- Taylor Williams (Brewers' No. 16), Wisconsin at Kane County
Teddy Cahill is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tedcahill. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Cosplayer Striderian > Costume of Thompson (Black Butler)
- Most Recent Photo
- 08-13-2012
- Series
- Black Butler
- Character
- Thompson
- Year Completed:
- 2011
- Construction Difficulty:
- Costume worn at:
- Animazement 2011
This Costume has been retired
About this Costume
- Construction Details:
My roommate pretty much did the bulk of the work for this project. I only made our neck ties!
- Personal Thoughts:
- Retired because our third triplet is in Japan :(
Add a Comment


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Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai offers world class and advanced facilities and services in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and international patients. This 2000-bedded facility which is Halal and NABH certified, is one of India's top healthcare destination.
upon request
Pediatric Surgery
Laproscopic Surgery
Gallbladder Removal Surgery
Lung Biopsy
Hemorrhoids Treatment
The Apollo Hospital Chennai is part of the Apollo Hospitals group. The hospital is JCI accredited and considered as one of the best hospitals in India.
General Surgery
Liver Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery
Part of the Nova Medical Centers group, the center offers over 700 different procedures, with a specialty in general surgery, gynecology, plastic and cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, radiology, pediatrics, urology, and ophthalmology.
Medical Director at Nova Medical Centers, Consultant Surgeon
Vice President, Medical Surgeries
Goiter Removal Surgery
A modern surgery center, opened in 2010, specializing in elective surgeries. Medical procedures carriedout at the center include general surgery, urology, pediatrics, orthopedics, oncology, plastic and cosmetic surgery, ophthalmology, pain management.
Consultant / Spine Surgeon
A 200-bed facility located at Gateway Center in Northwest Bangalore. The hospital opened in 2008 and provides comprehensive tertiary-level services, such as cardiac operations, orthopedics and neuroscience, as well as secondary-level medical care.
General Surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology Consultant
Surgical Oncology Consultant
Hemi Thyroidoctomy
Total Thyroidoctomy
Lap. Appendicectomy
Gall Bladder Removal
The flagship hospital of the Global Hospitals Group, which operates eight hospitals throughout India. The modern 500 bed hospital was opened in 2009, and offers advanced medical and surgical treatment, including organ transplantation, cardiac surgey and neurosurgy.
A modern 100 bed hospital opened in 2008, located in Gurgaon, outside of New Delhi.The hospital is a part of the Columbia Asia Group, which has an international patients office able to assist foreign patients with all aspects of medical travel.
Located near Delhi, Fortis Hospital Noida is a Centre of Excellence for Orthopaedics and Neurosciences with a focus on Cardiac Sciences, Minimally Invasive Surgeries and Oncology.
Hernia Repair Surgery
A JCI accredited hospital, and one of the region's leading multi-speciality hospitals, with a super-speciality in Heart.
Sr. Consultant, General Surgery
Director, General Surgery
A conglomeration of hospitals in one campus, including: the Sparsh Hospital for Orthopedics & Trauma, the Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center, the Narayana Hrudayalaya Heart Hospital, the Narayana Nethralaya Eye Hospital, as well as a full fledged multi specialty hospital.
Junior Consultant- Dept of General Surgery
Copyright © 2008 - 2017 Health-Tourism.com, All Rights Reserved


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Welcome to another edition of #ThisWeekInScala!
Activator has changed a lot the last year, this blog post explains the current status and where the tool is heading to
Lets catch-up on the latest Scala happenings...
New Stuff
- Scalaz 7.1.0-M7 was released, this is the last milestone release for the upcoming 7.1.x series. It is not binary compatible to 7.0.x or any other previous milestone
- Kiama 1.6.0 was released, it is a language processing library, this version comes with many enhancements and fixes
- Casbah 2.7.1 was released
- Phantom 0.6.0 is out, it is an Async Scala DSL for Cassandra
- Scalding 0.10.0 was released
- SBT-Native-Packager 0.7.1 was released
- Gwen-interpreter got open-sourced
Old Stuff
- JVM concurrency: Java and Scala concurrency basics, a blog post by Dennis Sosnoski
- What is a Type Class and why should you care? a blog post by Chris James
- A list of Scala tutorials
- Writing unit and functional tests for Scala applications. A video covering testing frameworks such as JUnit, TestNG, ScalaTest, Specs2, and ScalaCheck
Blogs & Tutorials
- The slides from "Monitoring Reactive Apps with Kamon" talk in JavaCro14 by Ivan Topolnjak
- The interesting Reactive Streams Webinar Q&A roundup
- How to Hire Scala Developers, a blog post by Mike Kelland
- Building Blackbeard: A Syndication System Powered By Play, Scala and Akka, a blog post by Suman Roy and Krishna Sundersan
- Managing a Job Grid using Akka, a blog post by Colm Caffrey
- Integrating Cucumber and Play, a blog post by Sebastian Nozzi
- How to process multiple Option values in a Scala for loop, a blog post by Alvin Alexander
- Konrad Malawski's slides from Geecon 2014 Akka persistence talk
- A very nice discussion about dependency injection in Playframework
- Meet object-csv, a Strongly Typed CSV Helper for Scala
That's all folks. You can get in touch with me directly via email or on Twitter (@mpapasofokli) with any Scala news, events or content. Tip: Tweet about your content using hashtag #Scala.


text: I found a child's toy sewing machine for sale on the internet. The style of it is the same as the Featherweight but the paint finish is of course very different. The dimensions of the box part at the bottom of the machine are 16" x 8" and the machine's dimensions are 6.5" x 14". I'm just wondering how close in size the toy is to the real thing. Does anyone have a moment to do a quick measure for me? Thanks in advance!


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Raising Baby is Alliance of Moms' flagship event held twice a year. It's a fun day of educational parenting workshops for LA's pregnant and parenting foster youth.
The day is attended by pregnant and parenting teens and their children. The approximately 40-50 youth come to us through the foster care system and probation department, ranging in age from 14 years to 23 years with the majority of attendees under the age of 18. Approximately 20% of attendees are young fathers.
At Raising Baby we aim to give these young parents information about the development of their children to which they would otherwise not have access. Research tells us that more than 80% of a person's brain development is completed by the age of three. Further, we know that children from lower income families will have heard 30 million fewer words by this age than three year olds from more advantaged backgrounds, a deficit that can have a lasting impact on their lives. We bring in experts who break down the latest science on brain development and present it in a way that is relevant and accessible so that the teens leave feeling confident, armed with tips and tools to help build their babies' brains.
Through the lens of brain development young parents are taught basic infant care techniques and how to help their babies develop healthy sleeping habits. They learn about the importance of attachment, and how talking and responding to their babies has lasting effects on their cognitive and emotional development. We offer workshops on play, talking, reading and singing to engage the parents and their children in a more interactive way, enhancing the teens' ability to retain the information they have been given, and enabling them to put this information into practice once they have left. Parents of toddlers are taught about the development of the one-to-three year old brain and are encouraged to have age-appropriate expectations as they learn to communicate with their children during this often challenging stage.
One of the most inspiring things about the day is seeing the youth find support among their peers. In workshops, they are able to share their challenges with one another, as they learn that they are not alone in their fears, concerns and struggles. This validation and reassurance is something all parents need.
The event is a fun and lively one! We have a DJ spinning throughout the day to keep things upbeat and after lunch we get the blood pumping again with a 15 minute inspirational workout. Volunteers play with babies in the toddler area and rock babies to sleep in the "Quiet Room" so teen parents can focus on their workshops. Everybody feasts on delicious food and the teens leave the event with bags loaded full of goodies generously donated by our many incredible sponsors.
We are so grateful to our many partners who help to make this event possible such as the Children's Institute, Inc., Project Fatherhood, Too Small to Fail, The Book Foundation, Outside the Box, The Honest Company, The Cradle Company, CuddleBright, Munchkin, Ergobaby, and Mini Maven, to name a few.
Raising Baby 2016 was made possible by Munchkin, BEABA, Beyond Yoga, Ergobaby, Heal, Mini Maven, and The Baby Box Co.


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Made by Goebel in West Germany this little boy is called the Town Crier. The white ceramic boy holds a lantern in one hand and is blowing a horn with the other. Standing 3 1/4" tall he is in excellent vintage condition with no visible flaws. The mold number on the bottom is 13 907-09. A great addition to your Holiday decor or Hummel collection.
Vintage Jewelry, Toys, Books, Dolls and Much More
Rare books, childrens literature, dolls, vintage jewelry and more.


text: Hey, a customer asked me to put down some weed killer on his lawn. Is weed and feed to late for it? I live in north east Nj and its the 3rd week in august. also, what would be good for killing the grass in between the cracks of the cement? I want to pick this stuff up at the home depot. There are no chemical providers in my area. Anything would help on those two concerns


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The wait is over! Gone are the bad camping days with difficult-to-pitch campers, outside toilets and showering with cold water from a bucket!
Quick Pitch Campers have all the luxuries you can possibly think of to ensure the ultimate camping experience.
Our slide on campers have been designed by off-road travelers who love challenging 4x4 routes and who believe that family, fun and enjoying your great outback adventure should always come first.
Pitches and packs up in under 1 minute!
Whoever said that luxury and comfort go straight out the door on rough adventure trips has never experienced a Quick Pitch Camper. The Quick Pitch slide on campers are based on a philosophy of ease, comfort and no hassles.
At Quick Pitch Campers our slide on camper:
• Pitch completely in 50 seconds!
• Pack up in under 1 minute!
• Fits any type of ute & cabin size including well-body
and flat-tray, dual cab and cab and a half
• Don't require any towing or trailers
• Have a newly patented fully equipped drawer
fold-out kitchen
• Have a newly patented built-in folding shower rail
& curtain
• Have an inside toilet!
As one of Australia's leading slide on camper manufacturers, Quick Pitch Campers allow you to spend less time setting up camp and give you more time to live the dream. Based in Perth, discover the Quick Pitch Campers difference!
Contact us to discover more about Quick Pitch Campers' unique and luxurious slide on campers for sale.
The Quick Pitch Camper has many great features including 3 patented innovations.
If you're serious about finding the perfect 4x4, uteback or slide-on camper for your next dream escape, contact us today on
1300 136 964 for more information about our range.


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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 126.96.36.199
Forum Moderators: Ocean10000 & incrediBILL & phranque
I would like everything matching /^\w\w\.widgets\.com$/i go to the same DocumentRoot. Is it possible?
Current settings:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin email@example.com
ServerName www.widgets.com no.widgets.com fi.widgets.com dk.widgets.com ..... ru.widgets.com
DocumentRoot /opt/widgets/public_html
<VirtualHost *>
ServerName example1.com
DocumentRoot /example1/rest
<VirtualHost *>
ServerName aa.example1.com
DocumentRoot /example1/aa
<VirtualHost *>
ServerName www.example1.com
DocumentRoot /example1/
The requests would have been served by the following VirtualHosts:
www.example1.com -> 3rd
aa.example1.com -> 2nd
ru.example1.com -> 1st
qw.example1.com -> 1st
wqerty.example1.com -> 1st
dummy.com -> 1st
So the 1st VirtualHost processes everything which is not matched by the other VirtualHosts. The next step is to make sure that it only processes the requests you need, the ones for the xx.example1.com hosts. Practically we do the opposite, we send away requests which should not processed by that VirtualHost.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^([a-z]{2})\.example1\.com(:[0-9]+)?$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^/ h**p://www.example1.com/nosuchhost.html [R=301,L]
RewriteRule ^/ - [G,L]
So the final result is something like this:
www.example1.com -> 3rd
aa.example1.com -> 2nd
ru.example1.com -> 1st
qw.example1.com -> 1st
wqerty.example1.com -> Redirected to the 3rd
dummy.com -> Redirected to the 3rd
Have fun


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Lofty Ambitions Canada: Extra 15% Off Your Order
Lofty Ambitions has a coupon code for 15% off your order of furniture, lighting, accents, outdoor and much more. The code even works on sale items!
Click here to shop @ Loftyambitions.ca now
- Coupon Code: RAIN
- Discount: 15% Off
- Expiry: 4th June 2013
With so much to choose from to furnish and decorate your home, Lofty Ambitions has urban-style items that will suit many tastes. We haven't blogged about Lofty Ambitions yet at Bargainmoose, so this is a great time to introduce you. What's great about it is that it is a locally-owned, Canadian small business.
I love the look of this Pablo Designs Sophie Table Lamp in your choice of brushed or satin finish. Was $99, then $94.05, now $79.94.
This Zuo Modern Novel Dining Bench is industrial and strong. I love the unique look it would bring. Was $744, then $706.80, now $600.78.
Shipping is free in Southern Ontario on orders over $199, for the rest of Canada, shipping is free on orders over $399.
While you're here, check out the Bargainmoose coupon forum for more great coupons like the ones for Lofty Ambitions.
TOPICS: Home
2 comments
- NicLOVE that clock!
- Anna W.Actually I had to remove it from the post Nic, they went out of stock :)


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My name is Jonathan Vice, I live in Knoxville, TN with my wife Ashley and our two dogs. I am a graduate and lifelong fan of the The University of Alabama. Roll Tide!!!
- "You can't mess with Rowdy like that, he'll give you a real ass whoopin'. "
- Harry Hogg
Hey...love the pic!!! What games are yall coming to this season???
Thanks for checking on my stuff and being a fan... I want to read something from you now! Start writing!
Oh man I'm pissed that your profile picture is from Cat's and I'm not in it. On the bright side, it looks like you are playing an actual guitar.


text:
Award date:
Aug 22, 2012
Award amount:
Organization name:
Parion Sciences
Principal Investigator:
Thelin, Bill
Grant program category:
Business Financing
Grant program name:
Industrial Fellowship Program
Research Triangle
Parion Sciences is a development-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of a series of novel small molecule topical inhibitors of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) for pulmonary indications, as well as, for diseases of the mouth, nose, eye and gastrointestinal tract. The fellow will be involved in pre-clinical and early clinical development of Parion's compounds.
Fiscal year:


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Long before I actually started this blog, I started scraping my money together for a trip to S.E. Asia. I started my blog with every intention of starting my travels in Thailand, then soon fell in love with the idea of going to Argentina.
For a vast majority of my trip planning, I thought I was going to Argentina. I budgeted and saved my money for Argentina.
Then the one way ticket to London came up, and it was something I just couldn't let slip. But now I'm left with a glaring money hole since I've been saving for an Argentinian budget. All of us know how expensive Europe is right about now, and if this whole debt crisis situation in the US doesn't get solved, the value of the dollar is expected to drop significantly. But don't get me started on that. Sigh.
What's a girl to do who wants to splurge a little bit and not scrape by? I started applying for a part time restaurant hostess job almost immediately after we purchased the tickets. I have 3 1/2 years of hostess experience, so I just went with what I know how to do best. I went through a crazy 3 week roller coaster of interviews, 2nd interviews, and even 3rd interviews without any luck. Despite feeling let down again and again, I kept applying. It's amazing just how much the idea of travel motivates and pushes you.
After 6 interviews, a few letdowns and antagonizing long waits, I received not one, but TWO job offers. To say that I'm completely blessed to find jobs in this economy is an understatement. I burst into tears after I heard the news.
So for the next 3 and a half months, I'll be working part time, having my dolla dolla bills to fill in my budget gap. While working as a hostess is obviously not the ideal job for me, it's all about saving the extra money for experiences. I know that it's part time, I know that is only for a limited amount of time, and I know I'll be able to splurge on the occasional 3 course meal without having to eat on a stale baguette for a week because I spent too much money.
What types of jobs have you had to take for the sake of travel? Leave your stories in the comments!


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(Edited Tattersalls press release)
Tattersalls has cataloged 950 horses for its December foal sale, which will be held in England Nov. 25-28.
Stallions with offspring in the auction include Cape Cross (19), Dalakhani (11), Danehill Dancer (nine), Dansili (three), Exceed and Excel (13), Galileo (six), Invincible Spirit (eight), and Montjeu (two). Among the other stallions with progeny in the sale are Shamardal (23), Dubawi (13), Oratorio (10), and Footstepsinthesand (two).
There are full or half-brothers and full or half-sisters to more than 130 group and listed winners in the catalog.
"This year's Tattersalls December foal sale looks set to be a quality renewal," said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. "The catalog has strength and depth, and the recent October yearling sales produced encouraging returns for the pinhookers. In addition to the pinhooking successes, it has been another highly successful year for those purchasing foals to race with the likes of Irish Derby (Ire-I) winner Fame and Glory and group 1 Prix du Moulin winner Aqlaam advertising the December foal sale at the highest level throughout Europe."
The Tattersalls December foal sale catalog is available from Tattersalls and from all Tattersalls overseas representatives. It also can be viewed online at www.tattersalls.com.


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Stanley close on striker
Accrington Stanley are closing in on a deal to bring an unnamed League One striker to the club.
By Chris Galea
Last Updated: 09/07/09 12:23pm
Accrington Stanley are closing in on a deal to bring an unnamed League One striker to the club.
Assistant manager Jimmy Bell revealed last week that the move had fallen through for the mystery forward, with Stockport County's Matt McNeil linked with a switch.
However, Stanley boss John Coleman has now told skysports.com that the transfer could still go through.
"I think we are going to sort out a loan deal for a striker this week and hopefully that will be completed in time for next week, but we've just got to keep our fingers crossed that it goes through," said Coleman.
"It is a striker from a League One club, but I don't really want to reveal his identity till everything is finalised."
As one striker seems to be coming in, another remains available to depart the League Two outfit, as long-serving target man Paul Mullin is on the transfer list, but Coleman revealed that no enquiries have been made for the 35-year-old.
Coleman added: "It's purely financial reasons why Paul has been made available because he has been a great servant to us and still is.
"We haven't received any enquiries for him yet and at the moment he will continue to be a key player for us, as he has been for a number of years."


text:
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It's hard to think of a more protracted pop culture farewell than the slow end of the Harry Potter franchise-- though, OK, Oprah's final season may give it a run for its money. With the first installment of the final film hitting theaters in November, Potterheads the world over are well into denial that it's all ending, though the only proof you need is the fact that the cast, after 10 long years, is finally moving on to new roles. Though Emma Watson is presumably plenty busy being a "regular" college student at Brown, she's also taking the time to pay homage to Marilyn Monroe.
Granted, this news comes from British tabloid The Daily Mail, so a grain of salt is always required. But apparently Watson is set to play a wardrobe assistant in the behind-the-scenes film My Week With Marilyn, which documents a young assistant's experience with Monroe during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. Eddie Redmayne has been cast as the male lead, with Michelle Williams on board to do her best breathy giggle as Marilyn. Watson's character apparently went on a few dates with central character Colin, and I imagine she's more than a little jealous when a bona fide movie star starts taking up all of his time.
Filming is set to begin in October, with Kenneth Branagh playing Monroe's hostile co-star Laurence Olivier and Dominic Cooper and Judi Dench rounding out the cast. It doesn't sound like this would be the role to redefine Watson as someone more than Hermione, but it's not a bad start, and not bad company to find yourself with. Maybe we can at least start talking about something else besides her super-cute new short haircut.
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text:
B&B Best Vatican
Roma (Rome), Italy (CIA)
Hotel Specials
Package Specials
Package Specials
Double Room
- One Bed
Superior Double Room
- One Bed
Property Features.
This bed & breakfast offers limo/town car service and business services. Complimentary wireless and wired high-speed Internet access is available in public areas and the bed & breakfast has an Internet point. The property offers an area shuttle (surcharge). The bed & breakfast serves a complimentary continental breakfast each morning in the room. Guests can enjoy a complimentary manager's reception daily. Wedding services and tour/ticket assistance are available. Other property amenities at this Art Deco property include a library, multilingual staff, and laundry facilities. This is a smoke-free property. A total renovation of this property was completed in November 2011.
3 air-conditioned guestrooms at B&B Best Vatican feature minibars and CD players. Accommodations offer city or courtyard views. Beds come with Select Comfort mattresses, Frette Italian sheets, down comforters, and down blankets. These individually furnished and decorated rooms include desks and ergonomic chairs. Bathrooms feature showers with handheld showerheads. They also offer bidets, makeup/shaving mirrors, and designer toiletries. Wired high-speed and wireless Internet access is complimentary. In addition to safes, guestrooms offer direct-dial phones as well as free local calls (restrictions may apply). 32-inch high-definition televisions have satellite channels, free movie channels, and DVD players. Also included are windows that open and blackout drapes/curtains. Guests may request hypo-allergenic bedding and extra towels/bedding. Housekeeping is available daily.
Notifications and Fees:
- There are no room charges for children 2 years old and younger who occupy the same room as their parents or guardians, using existing bedding.
- No onsite parking is available.
Unless otherwise indicated, the charges below are not included in the overall room price. If not included in the overall room price, they will be charged by the property at check-in or check-out. Charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book. This property told us they will charge you for the following:
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 2 per person, per night, up to 10 nights. This tax does not apply to children under 10 years of age.
- Tourism fee: EUR 2 per person, per night
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Self parking fee: EUR 18 per day
- Rollaway bed fee: EUR 30 per night
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.


text:
Volkswagen Golf Hatchback 2005 for sale
343 Views
Reflex Silver Metallic GTI
Translate this page :
- Vehicle
- 2005 Volkswagen Golf
- Body
- Reflex Silver Metallic Hatchback
- Engine
- 2000cc 6 Speed Tiptronic Petrol Engine
- Odometer
- 38,338 kms
- Stock Number
- 2553
- Fuel Economy
- Yearly Cost: $ 2410 (source: Fuelsaver)
Seller Details
- Dealership:
- Dealer
- Address
- Canterbury
"DSG Transmission"
Russell Taylor Motors the name to be trusted!
From humble beginnings way back in 1974 with a handful of cars in Sydenham, Russell Taylor Motors has grown to be one of Christchurch's most reputable used car dealerships.
We have been direct importing our own used car stock from Japan since 1988 with top quality and reliability our commitment. All imported cars have a lube service including oil and filter, and as a MTA Assured Dealer, we offer a MTA, 80 point independent inspection if desired, free.
Where quality costs no more"
Russell Taylor Motors is now operating from a Warehouse behind Transworld Motors .
We have our sales office inside Transworld
Our Warehouse is not always attended so please call Russell to make a time to view our cars.
* Trade Ins accepted
* Hire purchase facilities on site
* Credit cards and Eftpos payments accepted
* Free delivery South Island wide. Call for a quote for North Island destinations.
10 speaker audio, Cool box, Cruise Control, Dual zone climate control, Fold down rear seats, Front/Side/Curtain airbags, Height adjustable driver seat, Rear centre shoulder belt, Tilt & Reach adjustable steering wheel


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Far From Useless, Far From Good: Marillion's Script For A Jester's Tear
Taylor Parkes
, April 9th, 2013 06:09
In among the pomposity and the queuing cumbers of the 80s prog-rockers' debut album, Taylor Parkes tries to pinpoint exactly why it captivated his adolescent self
Cheap laughs being inescapable, we'd better get this out of the way: Marillion's lead singer was called Fish, and Fish's real name is Derek Dick. Hahahahaha. Fish and Dick. Dick-Fish. Fish's Dick. Derek Fishdick.
It's too easy to make fun. "We don't hear much from Fish nowadays – I guess you could say he's had his chips!" "If only Fish, like his aquatic namesakes, had opened and closed his mouth silently - that would have been greatly preferable!" These are just two of the things I might say, were I interested in cheap laughs. But there's plenty of that stuff around as it is, and it's too easy, much too easy. Like shooting dicks in a barrel.
More interesting to look at what's actually there: Script For A Jester's Tear, the first album by Marillion, which is 30 this year and still has really long hair despite the fact that it's going thin on top. For anyone who doesn't know, Marillion played progressive rock, but they did it in the 1980s (there's a clue in the title here, of course - no one in 1973 could have come up with Script For A Jester's Tear, a prog rock album title that's just too parodically perfect). And the record's what you'd probably expect: a rinky dink symphony, a bit of a drag.
And when I was 14, I loved it.
Now, my other favourite groups at the time, the time being 1986, were The Smiths, The Fall, the Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth, all the old reliables: Syd Barrett, Beatles, the Velvets, Motown, Dylan, The Monkees, a bit of Miles Davis ... I mean, it's fucking nauseating. Not that any of these people made bad music - quite the contrary. It's the sheer bloody miserable depressing righteousness of it all. Even leaving aside the precocity, which is rarely appealing in teenage boys, there's something about that favourites list that makes me want to kick things over - who is this musical goody-goody? Nothing indefensible, nothing too horrible. Easy to pigeonhole, easy to control. Everything that makes me uncomfortable these days: a paragon of "good taste".
Marillion, then, are a saving grace. WHAT was I thinking? WHERE was I at? HOW were they meant to fit into my ridiculous, polo-necked world? WHY?
Listening now to Script For A Jester's Tear for the first time in decades, I can't answer any of those questions and I don't feel anything flooding back.
It's true what they say: it sounds like Genesis. I didn't know that at the time. What Genesis sound like is one of those things you have no need to know at 14, like product liability tort law, or how early in life your knees start hurting. A little pop smartarse with six Nuggets LPs, I'd never heard a Genesis album, but as of relatively recently I have, and I must say this sounds a lot like Genesis. To be fair, it sounds like other people as well - there are bits of Yes in there, a little of Van Der Graaf Generator and some very late period Pink Floyd. Mostly though, it sounds like Genesis, specifically Genesis albums which would, in 1983, have been about ten years old. Before the recent telescoping of pop-time, this seemed a huge, uncrossable gulf - by way of comparison, Definitely Maybe is 19 years old, as are many of the people who will have downloaded it in the last six months. That's part of the problem with white rock these days. Everything seems to get lodged in its colon.
Anyway, Genesis are an easy group to hate, not just for what's on the records but because - if you can bear to listen - it's clear there's genuine talent there, being pissed away on all that showboating and smug whimsy. If they'd tried a bit harder, and also a bit less hard, they could have been almost as good as The Move, or Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. I'm not at all sure that the same could be said for poor old Marillion, truth be told. And at least Genesis made all those records at a time when British rock albums sounded good, even if the actual music on them was lousy. Marillion were not so lucky. Most of their early London gigs were at the Marquee Club, at that time a maternity ward for the so-called New Wave Of British Heavy Metal - Marillion had none of the metallers' spunk-fingered joie de vivre, but did pick up a little of that bombed-out, clodhopping crunch. The end result is not ideal: the harlequin affectations and meandering frilliness of British prog, delivered like a can of piss hurled into the back of your head.
Now, the post-punk consensus broke down a long time ago, in case you didn't notice, but a basic hostility to prog (or at least to particular elements of prog) is one of the few things that's lingered, like a race memory. Of course, there are a fair few fabulous prog rock records, and there's something to be said for people loosening up about this stuff, anyway. But however inclusive musicians, listeners and critics become as we plough through the 21st-century, these particular elements of prog will hopefully remain toxic forever, being so blatantly anti-pop, anti-opportunity, anti-possibility: the dry elitism, the wholly unjustified snootiness, the idea that purging rock and roll of every trace of blackness and repositioning it as classical music's idiot bastard son is "progressive" ... and so on, and so on. It's worth saying, or would be, were there anyone left to say it to: The Kids, when left to their own devices, often default to being hippies. You must provide guidance; discipline. Young people crave it. One day they'll thank you.
Anyway, I think my idea of what Marillion were all about differed sharply from the reality (I remember being genuinely horrified the first time I saw what they looked like). I don't think I even thought of them as a prog rock band, despite the fact that they're virtually a fucking parody of a prog rock band (so many notes... such little melody). This is a group whose sleeves don't just list which member played which instrument, but detail the make and model of every individual guitar, keyboard and drum; it's hard to guess whether this was so that Yamaha and Zildjian would furnish Marillion with free gear in exchange for the free promotion, or whether the group just thought their fans would find it really interesting. Maybe they did. Here's one who didn't.
And then there are the lyrics. Yeah... the lyrics. It's a shame, albeit a little one, because one thing Marillion did have over the original proggers, I suppose, was their desire to sing about something recognisably real, rather than making like J.R.R. Tolkien in Rag Week. I've never heard the 17-minute B-side 'Grendel', which I'm told goes right down the elf-warren - I don't suppose I ever shall - but those Marillion songs with which I'm familiar are free of the goblins, cosmic lawnmowers and rampaging hogweed beloved of their forebears, taking instead more familiar themes: depression, alcoholism, drugs, heartbreak, isolation, cool stuff like that. The only problem is...
"Perform to scattered shadows on the shattered cobbled aisles / Would she dare recite soliloquies at the risk of stark applause?" ('Chelsea Monday')
"I act the role in classic style of a martyr carved with twisted smile / To bleed the lyric for this song, to write the rites, to right my wrongs..." ('Script For A Jester's Tear')
Prithee, my liege! They're fucking horrible.
"Edgy eggs and queuing cumbers / Rudely wakened from their slumbers" ('Garden Party' – Fish obviously worried that these lines weren't sufficiently conspicuous, and added a massive roll to the 'r' of "rudely" in case anybody missed them)
The thing is, if Fish had been a complete illiterate it might not have been so bad - he could have got by on sheer chutzpah like so many awful lyricists before him, just as his band might have been better off if they hadn't been able to play. As it was, he had the same problem they did: he was technically competent (a decent vocabulary, and no problem rolling out long chains of puns) but had terrible judgment, no sense of proportion and almost zero understanding of the form in which he'd chosen to work. I'm certain – albeit for no particular reason – that Fish is a really nice bloke, and not for the first time I feel like I'm chucking an old teddy bear onto the landfill. But while his words are without doubt the most entertaining part of Marillion records, it's not for the reasons he'd like.
(By the next album he was, by his own admission, way out there on booze and coke, and the lyrics became even more absurdly overwrought and overwritten, almost to the point where they come out the other side and become quite good. At times they're so verbosely paranoid, they read like a kind of precognitive parody of early Manic Street Preachers: "Son watches father scan obituary columns in search of absent school friends while his generation digests high fibre ignorance / Cowering behind curtains and the taped up painted windows, decriminalised genocide, provided door to door Belsens...")
I don't remember ever listening to Script For A Jester's Tear and thinking these were good lyrics, but I suppose I must have (probably not the one about queuing cumbers, to be fair). Trying to pinpoint exactly what I liked about this record, or what compelled me to put the Smash Hits sticker of Marillion on my chest of drawers next to the one of The Jesus & Mary Chain, is proving harder than I thought. Who would imagine it'd be so tricky to recapture your adolescence? I'll play the album from start to finish. Perhaps it will bear unflinchingly, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of its essence, the vast structure of recollection. Come on Steve, Mark, Pete, Mick and Fish!
Apparently at one point Fish was set on the idea of opening the record with a Shakespearian soliloquy, delivered by him, as though spotlit on a darkened stage. I think I'm glad the others found a way to talk him out of it. That would have nudged the album over into pure kitsch, made it more entertaining in a sick kind of way, but somehow a bit less peculiar. I mean, anyone can come up with real trash.
As it is, we begin with the title track, its opening moments kind-of nicked from 'Dancing With The Moonlit Knight' by Genesis, I now understand... until our host exclaims "I'm losing on the swings - I'm losing on the roundabouts!" and in comes something which sounds so very like 'Stonehenge' that you have to check the release date to establish that yes, this was made a full year before Spinal Tap, and it's not supposed to be some kind of bizarre conceptual joke at Marillion's own expense. The rest of the song - and at this point there are still some seven minutes left - is an interminable sequence of strained crescendos, grotesquely overemoted by Fish (the phrase "grotesquely overemoted by fish" appearing for the first time in the history of the English language, there). I've just listened to it three times in succession - and at over eight and a half minutes a go that's no small undertaking - and I still can't decide if I'm cruising on nostalgia or if there's actually something strangely loveable about this lumbering Elephant Man of a song which is, if nothing else, the second-best song on this particular album. Towards the end, as the sun rises over its massive hull, you can at least understand why they might have thought they'd done something worthwhile... and when you're struggling to find the good in something, that's half the battle won.
Next is the shortest and probably the first-best song on the album, 'He Knows You Know', in which, for once, four chords go round and round without breaking off for a trip round the houses – presumably this is why Marillion considered it sufficiently commercial to release as a single. This, though, just highlights the basic problem with their shit: a really good band can play four chords for five and a half minutes and transport you, either with rhythmic dexterity or with sheer ball-crunching momentum. Marillion don't really understand either of these things, and seem unsure what to do with a song that doesn't keep changing direction like a runaway pig, so they just sort of fiddle around, trying to look busy, digging a hole and filling it in again. The track's not too bad though, in a grody kind of way, like that weird French rock that exchange students used to like, and it ends with a moment of real hilarity: as the music trails away we hear Fish whispering "problems, problems" over an old-fashioned ringing tone, like someone's being woken in the middle of the night. They answer, and a tired-sounding female voice says "hello?" - at which point Fish screams "DON'T GIVE ME YOUR PROBLEMS!" and slams down the phone. It doesn't really come across on the page, but I can assure you this is genuinely funny. I hope very much that Marillion intended it to be funny, partly because I do want them to have had a sense of humour, and partly because if they didn't intend it to be funny, all hope is lost.
From here on in, the album loses focus – so much bombast, so many bits. All those cymbal-thrashing ladybird rides and wobbly-voiced acoustic interludes... soon, you lose your place. 'The Web' is nine minutes long, and all I can recall is the bit at the end which goes "The flaming shroud! Thus ends THE WEB!" because I remember thinking "oh, good." Four and a half minutes into 'Garden Party', as the metre shifts again and we're pitched into an airbrushed synthesizer solo, it's like listening to the soundtrack of a promotional video from 1981 for a business park on the outskirts of Frankfurt. Still, it's a strange song, 'Garden Party', with that gross, leaping bassline and those daft lyrics full of healthy-if-hamfisted class resentment, and it's stranger still to think it reached a giddy 16 on the British charts, in between 'Dark Is The Night' by Shakatak and 'Dream To Sleep' by H2O. 'Chelsea Monday', on the other hand, is eight long minutes of overcast solos and drizzling acoustic guitar, its fade-out featuring a bit of acting which would have made Andy Warhol scream "cut!"
Finally there's 'Forgotten Sons', the second-worst song ever written about The Troubles, which starts off with a laugh (that squawking intonation of the word "Armalite") then gets very ugly, very fast. The band lock into that galloping, clippety-clop prog rock groove, somewhere in between Riverdance and a super-wack version of the Doctor Who theme, and Fish rewrites The Lord's Prayer, which of course always works really well in pop songs. By the time they suddenly stop the whole thing in its tracks to act out another little playlet ("Halt! Who goes there?" "Death!" "Approach... friend") you're rendered incapable of speech or movement and just have to sit staring open-mouthed at the speakers for the last two minutes while the guitarist has another go at being whatsisname out of Genesis and a children's choir sing 'Ring A Ring O'Roses' until eventually, rather than risk anticlimax, they finish on a major chord so forced and preposterous it breaks the spell, like someone clicking their fingers in your face. What the fucking hell was that?
I dunno, I've tried really hard to be fair, because 14 is a funny age, and 1983 was a funny year, and so was 1986, and Marillion ... well, I feel like I owe them something, somehow. Look for the positives, right? They're decent musicians I suppose, and Fish has a set of pipes on him, sort of, even though he constantly sounds like he's doing the death scene from Richard III. This is the problem though, or part of it. They're too far from useless to be interesting, and too far from good to be any bloody good.
And yet, and yet ... I loved them. No, that's pushing it – but I really liked them, for at least a year, until I began pretending I'd never liked them and oh look is that a red squirrel? Script For A Jester's Tear was not in fact my favourite of the three Marillion albums I owned; that was Misplaced Childhood, the one with the big hit singles on. I listened to that last night, somewhat reluctantly, in the name of research, and was rather surprised to find it went down fairly easily, all things considered. There was a lot of wiggly rubbish on there as well, and the most amusing delivery of the word "lager" in any pop song ever, and I shan't play it again for another 25 years or so (and might even leave the room if anyone else put it on, although this is unlikely), but it had tunes and atmospheres and a pea-soup melancholia which almost – not quite, but almost – redeemed the pomp and the foolishness, dilly-dilly and all. As glassy, puffed-up eighties crap goes, it wasn't too bad – we've all heard worse. At least it wasn't trying to be cool.
But a week spent listening to the worst music you ever liked is a funny old thing. You start off half-expecting some great revelation or other, but before long you're wondering what kind of wisdom could ever be gained from an exercise as pointless as this. What are you supposed to learn? "Wow man, I used to look back at my 14-year-old self and think 'That little bastard could have really got on in life! Could have ended up happy and rich and successful and valued, if I hadn't been such a fuck-up!' But no, it seems that even back then I made terrible decisions, sympathised with the wrong people, dropped my pennies down the wrong well. I guess I was always going to end up like this. It's destiny, man. It was always going to happen." Yeah, great, thanks a lot.
In the end you remember that taste is an illusion, like the soul. Who am I supposed to be after nine bottles of Spanish beer, so much fonder of 1980s power ballads than my sober self? Or in a clear patch between depressions, coldly contemptuous of moping self-pity in pop, and elsewhere? I don't really care. It's only chemicals swirling around; a puddle churned with a stick. All you can be sure of is subjective pleasure, and the lack of subjective pleasure, and boredom, and the sense of time passing, and laughs, all of which are cheap.
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Apr 9, 2013 10:22am
Monsters of Rock, Donington 1985. Marillion, Bon Jovi, Ratt et al... what the fuck was I thinking????
Apr 9, 2013 11:13am
Lovely stuff. Of all the delicious barbs here, "the second-worst song ever written about The Troubles" is possibly the most stinging, inferring as it does that 'Through The Barricades' by Spandau Ballet is somehow LESS terrible.
Apr 9, 2013 11:13am
Blimey, being five years older (and actually a Genesis fan) made quite a difference to me!
Saw Marillion on the Market Square Heroes tour the year before Script came out for 70p at Canterbury Uni and was blown away. For all the bombast (and even then, steeped in Gabriel & co's wildest twaddle) it was a hell of a gig, and Fish brought some real showmanship to the deal, jumping around in the audience at the end to their encore barnstormer 'Margaret' ("You take the high road and I'll take the low road..." - a nod to Fish's Scots ancestry and an excuse to change the lyric to "You take the acid and I'll take the dope, and I'll be stone-ed before ye".) Last time I saw them was Wembley Arena just before Fish left the band - he still came out into the audience, but had two big minders with him when he did.
As for the later years - Fish calmed down a bit after leaving the band, did some good radio DJing and fairly recently made a pretty good album called Seventh Star. Without him Marillion had a Collins-replaces-Gabriel shift & are immensely popular online.
Apr 9, 2013 11:17am
This is amazing. I'm guessing the worst song about 'The Troubles' is Zombie by The Cranberries?
Apr 9, 2013 11:17am
I'm sure the first-worst song Taylor's hinting at is "Zombie" (Cranberries, not Fela).
Apr 9, 2013 11:27am
In reply to Dr. Keloid:
Christ, I'd blocked that out. I was assuming 'Belfast Child'.
Apr 9, 2013 11:41am
I had no problem loving this and The Fall, Cave etc simultaneously back then and still don't. A wonderful slice of prog whimsy just like the follow-up 'Fugazi'. A few albums on, post-Fish, and they sounded more like Crowded House than Genesis, although the more recent stuff has been great. Around the same time as 'Script' we had the even more Genesis-indebted IQ's 'Tales From The Lush Attic' and 'The Wake', and Twelfth Night's gibberingly Hammillesque debut, whose name I've forgotten, which are all truly fantastic. Happy days.
Congratulations on "spunk-fingered joie de vivre", a phrase Big Derek himself would have killed for in 1984.
Apr 9, 2013 12:26pm
Ouch! This article made me cringe, in an almightily shamed/amused way. Gong anyone?
Apr 9, 2013 9:01pm
I haven't thought about Script for a Jester's Tear in years. Marillion were the first band I ever loved. I was 14 in 1985 and a very late developer in musical terms. I heard Kayleigh on a Now compilation, bought Misplaced Childhood, went through their back catalogue and completely fell for the band. I spent every penny I had on imports, picture discs and t-shirts.
To my mind it was all about Fish, it seemed like he was everything I wasn't - confident, charismatic and erudite. For the 14 year old me his lyrics were the most important words anyone had ever sung. I wrote them on my school bag and on t shirts, I was certain that the meaning of life could be discerned from their songs. I spent hours going through the lyrics and uncritically absorbing everything from their first three albums. I even refused to listen to any other music in case it reduced my appreciation for Marillion.
I think there was a gap of a year or two between their third and fourth albums during which time I developed a love of harder rock and heavy metal and by the time I finally saw them live my interest in the band was waning and I guess theirs was too as Fish left pretty soon after. A couple of months after seeing them at the NEC I heard the Clash for the first time and everything changed.
I hadn't listened to Marillion for years until today but after reading this article I dug out my copy of Script. It's pretty much as described above (except that I still remember every lyric) but it mainly reminded me what I loved punk and how much I hate guitar and keyboard solos.
By the way, out of curiosity I found Grendel on YouTube. Hearing it for the first time in 25 years, it has not aged well...
Apr 9, 2013 9:10pm
What memory and imagination if not one and the same? I think I can safely quote that without Fish trying to purloin it for another gawdawful album...
Apr 10, 2013 8:29am
I feel your pain: http://test.cambridge-news.co.uk/Whats-on-leisure/Rants-and-Raves/Getting-Into-Bad-Hobbits-28022012.htm
Apr 10, 2013 10:31am
Great article, had me laughing through it. And I quite like most of the songs..........
Apr 10, 2013 10:31am
Progressive music anti-possibility, elitist? Surely that is a perfect definition of punk not prog. And it is risible to say prog purged blackness from its music. Instead it ADDED to the vocabulary of ROCK music to expand its horizons To, erm, progress. As for snootiness, well, there is none more snooty - as you tacitly point out - than the fan who has a tick list of 'acceptable' 'right-on' favourites. How sad and limiting is that?
Apr 10, 2013 1:49pm
'One quiestion "Finally there's 'Forgotten Sons', the second-worst song ever written about The Troubles..." - but which is the worst? Belfast Child? Zombie? Give Ireland Back to the Irish? Luck of the Irish? So many to choose from...'
Or perhaps Through the Barricades?
Apr 10, 2013 4:13pm
I echo your pain! 1983 - 86 I was doing my O' and A' levels - The Smiths and Marillion were my teenage soundtrack. Growing up in rural Wales with an interest in Art (with a capital 'A'), I was pretty misplaced myself. My first Marillion album was Fugazi, bought on cassette from W.H. Smiths. I particularly loved the artwork...
Apr 10, 2013 10:20pm
I feel sorry that you've lost touch with you're initial love (?) for this marvellous album. I'm a year younger than yourself and it still moves me like it did back then, the lyrics and guitar solo's especially. Sure it's of a time and could be seen as being a little dated in its sounds/production... there's also a bit of nostalgia at play on my part, but it's still 10/10 for this old hippy.
Apr 11, 2013 2:54am
Hating things you once loved is easy, it's the other way that's hard.
Apr 11, 2013 5:13pm
Dear gentle, confused Marillion fans. Parkes isn't writing about the latest M album because it wasn't released when he was 14. The whole article is about returning to forgotten music beloved in youth. Like reading through an old diary, self-penned, if you will, where there's always a danger of overdosing on sentiment and pride.
This is a funny, self-aware and a bit moving, if slightly overwrought piece of writing. Fish attempting Proust, perhaps. Actually makes me want to listen to the albums again (I won't, of course. I'll listen to Nursery Cryme instead). Methinks Fish would approve.
Apr 12, 2013 5:01pm
Superb article - genuine LOLs aplenty.
It's weird, everyone I know seems to have a secret (albeit brief) teenage Marillion habit. Reading it I was tempted to stick on Script For A Jester's Tear but managed to resist the temptation. Pretty sure I'll still end up buying the Grendel Record Store Day special 12" thingy next week right enough...
Apr 13, 2013 8:51am
The world would be a better if we held on to the passions from childhood rather than evolving into bitter adults churning out such rubbish
Apr 13, 2013 2:02pm
Such depressingly predictable comments! Tactical error: you're starting from the position that Marillion (Script and Fugazi /especially/) weren't utterly awful. If your really think they weren't, then you probably need to try out any of a wide number of other popular artistes, working in a wide variety of genres, available from your local dealer.
I still listen to Marillion sometimes, and unlike Mr Parkes I still enjoy it, although I know that objectively it's utterly awful. That's purely because at the same age as the writer, when I was first exposed to their stuff, I had virtually nothing else to compare it with; I grew up in a cultural vacuum as far as rock / pop / etc were concerned, and I hadn't had time to grow a musical immune system. The "twiddly keyboards, sub-Gilmour guitar solos and angstily histrionic lyrics == pleasure" association was irrevocably burned into my brain, so I still enjoy it, even though I know it's utter shit...
I'll be passing round a donations tin shortly.
Apr 16, 2013 12:25am
In reply to Mad Cyril:
Taylor Parkes used to write well but he's now trying to hide his low self esteem and depression behind ridiculous verbosity and pomposity and has the gall to have a dig at Fish's lyrics. "Fugazi"? - look in a mirror mate.
(and the 2nd worst song comment just shows that medication dulls the mind. His previous suggests Cranberries but he's forgotten Simple Minds and Boney M for a start)
Apr 16, 2013 1:29pm
Wait...he's trying to HIDE his low self-esteem and depression?
Apr 18, 2013 3:29pm
I love this piece. I also love Marillion. It is possible to love Marillion and also find their early work hysterically naive. Yet still love that early work. The piece resonated with my own experiences and feelings. It made me laugh at lot. As did the comments from sensitive readers who are under the impression that it constitutes a review, and a negative one at that.
Apr 5, 2014 9:29pm
You clearly do not have one clue as to what music is. Stick to digging holes in the road for Lagos City Council. And ease off the coconut juice.
May 26, 2014 11:25am
In reply to Angus:
Taylor you are a complete tosser. Stop trying to be funny, you are about as good at that as you are at writing. Please fuck off
Oct 23, 2014 5:01pm
In reply to craig:
He's a critic doing his job mate. He's just 30 years too late! If we all analysed our record buying as youngsters we would all take five and think, wtf? I bought tons of crap. We all did. I loved and still love Marillion. And Fish. The first album he mentions is a world away from Clutching at Straws, which is a masterpiece. In my opinion. Oh and the worsed troubles song has to be Sunday Bloody Sunday doesn't it? Surely.
Nov 26, 2014 9:04pm
What a nasty viscous twat you are , the only pretentious twaddle I can see is rather poor attempt at a satyryrical review .what a prick.
Jan 17, 2015 2:03pm
Just a question of taste and context; by 84, Genesis was doing pop, and prog was dead... As a teenager, their music healed and frankly i couldnt stand the CultureClub/80s synth pop... Having an older sister who made me listed to Genesis, Floyd and King Crimson when i was just a child, Marillion was my chance to have my own prog band. I FKN LOVED THEM... And still listen to them...
Feb 27, 2015 9:30am
What a terrible self satisfied article. Stunningly poor. I moved on from marillion in the 80s too but doesn't mean I have to slag it off in such a geeky way. To boot I just listened to forgotten sons again. Sounded superb. Dislike the writer immensely for some reason.
Apr 26, 2015 4:20pm
Hi everyone
Mar 29, 2016 3:27am
Well written article - actually had me on the edge of my seat until the very end when I realized "oh my God, he really didn't get it, did he?'l
Oh well, you can always get back to your day job (and listening to Bananarama) safe in the knowledge that you systematically ripped apart such fine work as you will never have the hope of appreciating.
Good for you, well done,
Apr 7, 2017 10:58pm
Pretentious ? Who ? Yep Marillion may have been filled with their own self importance, but the lyrics were quite clever as well. Forgotten sons, ever watch the news in the 70's/80's ? Been to Ireland recently ? Try listening to the Irish news, its still sectarian. You might not hear it on UK news but there are still tensions - and that is a neutral comment, based on listening to the TV/Radio news in Dublin earlier this year.
Lets think of happier times - punch and Judy for example. Fish was no Bob Dylan, Bob Segar or Bruce Springsteen but the lyrics were good -even if contrived . You have to give him that. A modern poet.


text:
What goaltending controversy?
While the debate rages among pundits and fans as to who is the No. 1 goalie in Ottawa, Senators coach Bryan Murray showed he's not going to get drawn into any controversy between veteran Martin Gerber and backup Ray Emery.
With the media waiting to pounce yesterday, Murray decided Gerber will make the start tonight against the Avalanche at Scotiabank Place and has already mapped out a plan for the next 10 days.
But part of the plan includes using both Gerber and Emery, which means nobody is going to own the net for the time being.
"Gerber has to play," said Murray. "It's time to get him back in there. He has looked good in practice and he hasn't played since 11 days ago, so we need to go back to him. He has to get some games and we feel like he's going to go in there, be a good goaltender for us and get the job done."
The decision shouldn't come as a shock. Sure, Emery played well in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, but he wasn't spectacular and didn't exactly steal Gerber's grip on the job.
Gerber, who signed a three-year, $11.1-million US contract in the off-season, is going to be given every opportunity to get back on track. No, his 3.77 GAA and .878 save percentage aren't impressive, but he's only played three games.
Gerber has been working with goalie coach Ron Low this week to try to get back on track.
Eyebrows were raised last week when Murray decided to allow Emery to stay in the net against Montreal after the club lost a 1-0 to the Flames at home.
How will the 11-day break affect Gerber?
"We'll find out," Gerber said.
It would help if the Avs get good scoring chances in the first period and Gerber is able to make big stops. That shouldn't be a problem since Colorado has star centre Joe Sakic, winger Milan Hejduk and highly touted rookie winger Wojtek Wolski, who had three goals in four games going into last night's match against the Leafs.
"You just want to get right back into the game right away," said Gerber, who will likely wear his new black pads and gloves that he's been breaking in for the last three days.
"It's important to get off to a good start in the first period. The pace in a game is a lot different than it is in practice. It's easier when you play game after game because it allows you to get into a rhythm. You always get a chance to improve when you play games."
Low, who added Gerber wasn't comfortable in the equipment he started the season with, said the veteran just has to focus on stopping the puck.
"I really think he has been kind of caught trying to do too much," said Low. "If he gets beaten through the back door because a defenceman didn't pick up his man, there's nothing he can do about it. He just has to focus on doing his job and he's been looking good in practice."
Murray said he's looking forward to getting Gerber back in the net.
"(The media) has been a lot tougher on (Gerber) than I have," said Murray. "I know that he's a guy who just has to play and we feel he's going to be a guy that contributes for us."


text:
Bruins Down New Jersey 4-3 - Match Report
The Bruins got a 3-goal performance from David Krejci as Boston handed New Jersey a 4-3 defeat on Thursday at TD Garden.
Bettors who backed the Bruins were rewarded as -150 favorites at sportsbooks. Over-Under bettors saw the total score go OVER the closing total of 5.
Boston got goals from David Krejci (3) and Tyler Seguin in the victory. Krejci opened the scoring at 1:13 of the first period.
Tim Thomas turned in a 28-save effort for the Bruins.
New Jersey got goals from Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, and David Clarkson in the loss, but it wasn't enough.
Martin Brodeur stopped 21 of 25 shots for the Devils, but it wasn't enough to earn the victory.
On the power play, Boston went 0-for-3, while the Devils were 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
New Jersey outshot Boston 31-25 in the game.
Boston heads into a battle against the Islanders. New Jersey, meanwhile, will have their next action against Washington.


text:
Halloween is past, but its still a good time for scarification. Scarification has nothing at all to do with scaring. Scarification means "to scratch" and in the world of gardening scarification means "to scratch a seed." You scarify seeds whose seed coats are so hard that they are impervious to water and gases.
Under natural conditions, such seeds eventually imbibe water and gases, but only after the seeds have lain in the soil for a few years or passed through animals.
Many gardeners are too impatient to wait a few years for germination.
Seeds of some perennial plants need to be scarified now so that they will be able to germinate next spring. In some cases, scarification is needed because two tothree months of cool, moist conditions are needed to break down germination inhibitors naturally present in many seeds.
That breakdown cannot occur unless the inside of the seed is cool and moist. Less than 10 percent of redbud tree seeds, for instance, sprouted when they were either scarified OR kept cool and moist, but a whopping 88 percent germinated when the seeds were scarified AND THEN kept cool and moist.
Inhibitors and a hard seed coat, alone or together, serve the useful purpose of holding back seed germinationuntil growing conditions are favorable.
The mechanics of scarifying are straightforward enough if you have just a few large seeds. Take the word scarification literally, and scratch each seed with a file. Or, you could whack the seed with a hammer (not too hard), or nip at it with a wire cutter.
To scarify small or many seeds, follow the lead of nature: Put them into a bag with some moist soil, and keep the mix warm for a couple of months. Then, if necessary, move the bag somewhere cool for another couple of months. Another way to scarify is to just plant seeds outdoors early enough in summer. Or pour some boiling water over the seeds, then let them stand in the water for a day.
Scarification is needed mostly by perennials in the pea family, and that would include such trees and shrubs as honeylocust, black locust, wisteria, broom, mimosa, and redbud, aswell as the herbaceous perennial lupine.
Scarification also speeds germination of some non-legumes, such as rose, cotoneaster, linden, and witchhazel.
Some annuals also benefit from scarification. Nip the tips off morning glory seeds before sowing them and young shoots should poke up through the soil within two days.
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