#Sub Exotic Records

[blackstarlineage]

The Carthaginian Civilization: An In-Depth Analysis of Africa’s Maritime and Military Powerhouse

Introduction: Carthage – The Forgotten African Empire

The Carthaginian civilization (c. 814 BCE – 146 BCE) was one of the greatest African maritime, economic, and military powers in history. Located in modern-day Tunisia, Carthage was a dominant force in the Mediterranean, rivaling Rome, Greece, and Persia for global supremacy.

Despite its African origins, Eurocentric history often erases Carthage’s Black African heritage, portraying it as a “Phoenician colony” rather than an independent African empire. From a Garveyite perspective, studying Carthage is crucial because it represents:

Black military excellence – Carthage was one of the most powerful naval and land forces in history.

Black economic and trade dominance – Carthage controlled Mediterranean commerce, creating an empire built on African wealth.

Black resistance to European expansion – Carthage fought the Roman Empire in the Punic Wars, demonstrating African resilience against European conquest.

By reclaiming Carthage’s history, Black people today can see proof that Africa was never weak—it was once a global superpower.

1. The Origins of Carthage: An African Power Rises

A. The Founding of Carthage (814 BCE)

Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians of Tyre (modern-day Lebanon) but quickly developed into an independent African power.

The city was built on the North African coast, strategically positioned for control over Mediterranean trade.

Over time, Carthage became culturally distinct from its Phoenician founders, incorporating African, Berber, and Nubian influences.

Example: Historians often overlook the fact that Carthage had strong ties to the indigenous Berbers of North Africa, proving its deep African roots.

Key Takeaway: Carthage was not a foreign colony—it was an African empire that controlled its own destiny.

2. The Economic Power of Carthage: Africa’s Trade Empire

A. Maritime Dominance and Global Trade

Carthage became the wealthiest city in the Mediterranean, controlling trade routes across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

It developed one of the most advanced naval fleets, allowing it to dominate sea trade and exploration.

Carthaginian merchants traded in gold, ivory, textiles, silver, and spices, connecting Africa to Europe and Asia.

Example: Carthage had exclusive trade agreements with sub-Saharan Africa, importing gold and exotic goods that made it one of the richest cities of its time.

Key Takeaway: Africa was not dependent on Europe—Carthage proved that African wealth built global trade networks centuries before colonialism.

B. The Agriculture and Industry of Carthage

Carthage developed an advanced agricultural economy, growing wheat, olives, and grapes.

The empire built massive irrigation systems to maximize food production, making it one of the most self-sufficient African civilizations.

It also developed high-quality metalworking, shipbuilding, and glass manufacturing, making its goods highly valued worldwide.

Example: Roman records show that Carthaginian farms were so advanced that even after Rome destroyed Carthage, they copied its agricultural techniques.

Key Takeaway: Black civilizations developed their own economic and industrial advancements without European influence.

3. The Military Strength of Carthage: Rome’s Greatest Rival

A. The Carthaginian Navy: Masters of the Mediterranean

Carthage had the most powerful navy in the world before Rome, controlling maritime trade and warfare.

It developed the quinquereme warship, a revolutionary naval vessel that allowed Carthage to dominate the seas.

The Carthaginian navy played a key role in protecting African and Mediterranean trade routes from piracy and foreign invasion.

Example: During the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), Carthage’s navy nearly crushed Rome’s expansion before the Romans developed their own navy.

Key Takeaway: A strong Black civilization must control its own military to protect its economy and sovereignty.

B. Hannibal Barca: One of the Greatest Generals in History

Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, led an army of Berbers soldiers against Rome during the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE).

He executed one of the greatest military campaigns in history by marching an army—including elephants—across the Alps to invade Italy.

He defeated the Romans in multiple battles, including the Battle of Cannae (216 BCE), where he annihilated a Roman army twice his size.

Example: European historians recognize Hannibal as one of the greatest military strategists of all time, yet they downplay Carthage’s African roots.

Key Takeaway: Black military leadership was so powerful that it nearly crushed the Roman Empire.

4. The Fall of Carthage: Rome’s Destruction of an African Power

A. The Third Punic War and the Roman Invasion (149-146 BCE)

Rome saw Carthage as a threat to its expansion and launched the Third Punic War to destroy it.

After years of resistance, Rome finally invaded Carthage in 146 BCE, burning the city to the ground.

Over 200,000 Carthaginians were massacred or enslaved, and Rome salted the land to prevent Carthage from rebuilding.

Example: The Romans erased Carthage from history, renaming the region Africa Proconsularis—which later became the name for the entire continent.

Key Takeaway: Colonizers have always sought to erase Black civilizations that challenge their dominance.

5. The Legacy of Carthage and the Garveyite Call for Rebuilding Black Power

A. The Influence of Carthage on African and Global History

Carthage’s military strategies, agricultural techniques, and trade networks influenced later African civilizations.

Many Berber and West African cultures retained elements of Carthaginian governance, trade, and military tactics.

The spirit of Carthage lived on in African resistance movements against European colonialism.

Example: African empires like Mali and Songhai carried on Carthage’s trade dominance through trans-Saharan commerce.

Garveyite Perspective: Africa must reclaim its lost civilizations and use their successes as blueprints for future Black empowerment.

B. The Lessons of Carthage for Black People Today

Economic self-reliance is key – Carthage controlled trade without European interference.

Military strength is necessary – Without a strong defense, Black nations remain vulnerable to foreign attacks.

Historical awareness is power – Black people must reclaim Carthage’s legacy and not let Europe erase it.

Example: If Carthage had won the Punic Wars, the world would have been shaped by African governance, not Roman imperialism.

Garveyite Perspective: The future of Black empowerment depends on studying our past victories and rebuilding African economic and military strength.

Conclusion: Will We Reclaim Carthage’s Legacy?

Marcus Garvey taught:

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.”

Will Black people continue to let others define our history, or will we reclaim Carthage’s greatness?

Will we build independent Black economies, or continue to rely on foreign nations?

Will we allow our history to be erased, or will we restore Carthage’s legacy as an African superpower?

The Choice is Ours. The Time is Now.

[8dpromo]

Luis Machuca & Casomado - How We Do It (Friskybeat Records)

8DPromo · Luis Machuca & Casomado - How We Do It (Friskybeat Records)

Friskybeat Records is thrilled to present the latest collaboration from Casomado and Luis Machuca, titled "How We Do It." Drawing inspiration from a captivating Caribbean album recorded in 1966, this three-track Ep captures the perfect essence of its colorful, vibrant rhythms creating a crossroads of modern musical innovation. Luis Machuca's rendition is a creatively orchestrated composition driven by samples, featuring a crisp hi-hat bell sequence, punctuated by organ hits and vocal snippets. Enhanced with a dynamic house beat and deep bass grooves, it guarantees an electrifying party atmosphere. Casomado delivers a deeper dubby mix highlighted by a bouncy beat and syncopated bass-line. The track evolves with rich synth layers that integrate smoothly into the groove, creating a foundation for cheeky vocals and horn hits that gradually intensify. This progression builds momentum throughout, enhancing the track's dynamic energy and capturing the essence of its deeper, more intricate sounds that will appeal to all listeners. Finally the "Tease Mix." emerges as a stripped-down version that seamlessly blends the unique styles of Casomado and Luis Machuca. This rendition generates exotic moods, stylish grooves, and stimulating drops, creating a fascinating auditory journey. This EP is a must-have for DJs, music lovers, and dancers alike.

Lee Jones / Country Gents (Buslife) – “All 3 of these are wicked, love them. Will be played on air.” Scott Ferguson / ROBOT84 (Paper Recordings) – “Yeah, cool vibe. Lovin’ all the tracks.” DJ Harri (Sub Club) – “Lovely stuff. Will play and support.” Jamie Topham (Actlikeyakno) – “Sunshine vibes!” Jon Barnes (Pandora) – “The Tease Mix is slammin.” Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “What a lot of fun. Captures the mood exquisitely.”

Available Now From: Traxsource, Juno Download, Apple Music, And Spotify.

[wiackcom]

0-60 mph measures how quickly a vehicle can accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour. This key performance benchmark highlights the raw speed capabilities of today's fastest production cars. Advancements in technology now enable many models to hit 60 mph in under 3 seconds or reach speeds exceeding 200 mph. What Does the 0-60 MPH Metric Measure? The 0-60 mph acceleration evaluation has long served as a standard for comparing maximum speed potential across vehicles. The test measures elapsed time reaching 60 mph from a complete stop. Shorter times signal quicker real-world acceleration. 0-60 provides an easily understandable metric of how fast a car can attain highway speeds. Other common acceleration measurements include: 0-100 mph - Time to reach 100 mph Quarter-mile - Speed exiting a quarter-mile drag run Top speed - Maximum velocity attainable But 0-60 remains the most universal yardstick for quantifying rapid acceleration capabilities. Exotic sports cars aim to best 2-3 seconds, while typical family cars require 6-8 seconds reaching 60 mph. The Fastest Production Cars by 0-60 MPH Time Recent supercars have smashed acceleration records that long seemed unbeatable. Electric technology combined with ultra-powerful drivetrains enables new models to rocket to 60 mph in under 2 seconds - previously the sole domain of seven-figure megacars. Here are the quickest production cars ranked by verified 0-60 mph times: 1. Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds This all-electric hypercar from Croatian maker Rimac achieves insane acceleration via four separate motors producing 1,914 horsepower. The instantaneous torque catapults the Nevera from 0-60 in just 1.85 seconds. 2. Aspark Owl - 1.9 Seconds Aspark Owl - 1.9 Seconds Another electric hypercar, the Japanese-built Aspark Owl churns out over 2,000 horsepower to crack 60 mph in 1.9 seconds despite weighing over 2 tons. The $3.2 million price limits production to just 50 cars. 3. Tesla Model S Plaid - 1.99 Seconds Tesla Model S Plaid - 1.99 Seconds No surprise Tesla holds the fastest production electric sedan crown. Updated Plaid models produce 1,020 horsepower enabling 60 mph in a stunning 1.99 seconds thanks to uninterrupted electric torque. 4. Pininfarina Battista - 2.0 Seconds Pininfarina Battista - 2.0 Seconds This 1,900 horsepower Italian electric car ties the Model S Plaid by hitting 60 exactly 2 seconds. Automobili Pininfarina aimed explicitly to match top Tesla performance with Battista’s tuning. 5. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - 2.3 Seconds Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - 2.3 Seconds The quad-turbo 8.0L W16 engine in this $3.9 million Bugatti hypercar churns out 1,600 horsepower. Despite immense power, added weight from luxury amenities lengthens the Chiron's 0-60 time slightly versus pure performance models. Notable Sub-2 Second Production Cars Dodge Challenger SRT Demon - 2.3 seconds Porsche 918 Spyder - 2.5 seconds Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - 2.5 seconds Only a handful of road cars built this century manage to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. The exclusive club requires immense power-to-weight ratios. Cutting-Edge Technology Driving 0-60 Records Raw acceleration depends on optimal power delivery and traction. New technologies enable builders to extract maximum performance from elite supercars: Powerful High-Output Engines and Motors Naturally aspirated and twin-turbocharged 6+ liter V8/V10/V12 gas engines producing 1,000+ horsepower High-RPM capabilities extending to 9,000+ RPM High-power electric motors with instantaneous torque delivery Massive yet efficient powerplants generate the abundant thrust necessary for extreme acceleration. Combined hybrid systems add torque-filling electric assist. Advanced All-Wheel Drive Systems Multi-clutch AWD rapidly varies torque distribution Rear-wheel steering enhances high-speed stability

Electronic limited slip differentials optimize side/side power delivery All-wheel drive with active torque vectoring supplies maximum grip when dispatching copious power to the pavement. Effective Launch Control Pre-configures systems for perfect departures Maintains engine at optimal RPM Maximizes traction off the line Launch control technology leverages all available grip when accelerating from a dig. This catalyzes blistering 0-60 sprints. Elements That Enable Quick Acceleration Along with advanced drivetrains, physics principles govern acceleration capabilities: Lightweight Construction Extensive use of carbon fiber and composite materials Ultra-light chassis and body components By slashing curb weight down to under 3,000 pounds, power-to-weight ratio dramatically improves allowing huge acceleration gains from a given output level. All-Wheel Drive Traction Instantly applies power to all four wheels Maintains maximum grip when accelerating Prevents spinning the tires excessively Optimal traction lets engines transfer available power into kinetic energy when accelerating, helping convert horsepower into speed. Aerodynamic Shaping Aggressive diffusers, wings, and active body panels Generate substantial downforce without excess drag Aerodynamics push vehicles into the pavement to counter forces lifting the rear axle during hard acceleration. This preserves grip and stability. Low Center of Gravity Centralized mass placement and lightweight materials Reduces weight transfer off the line A low center of gravity resists body roll and weight transfer inherent during rapid acceleration. The chassis stays planted on all four wheels. When combined with ample horsepower, these principles enable today’s quickest supercars to deliver physics-defying speed runs. History of Sub-2 Second Cars Hitting 60 mph in less than 2 seconds was once considered unattainable by production street vehicles: 1999 - Saleen S7 Twin Turbo - 2.3 Seconds One of the first production cars to officially break 2.5 seconds. The turbocharged V8 supercar made 550 hp propelling the S7 to 60 in 2.3 seconds. 2007 - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - 2.5 Seconds Bugatti shocked the world by finally cracking the elusive 2.5 barrier. The 1,200 hp Veyron could reach over 250 mph in addition to breaking acceleration records. 2018 - Tesla Model S Performance - 2.4 Seconds Tesla's introduction of Ludicrous Mode dropped Model S times into the low 2s. Fully electric torque delivery enables incredible launches despite no gear transmission. 2021 - Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds The advanced Rimac Nevera claimed the overall production car record with 1.85 second 0-60 runs. Stunning innovation continues advancing EV acceleration capabilities. Pushing below the 2-second threshold now seems achievable by several automakers via electric torque and extreme power. Expect this exclusive club to expand as battery-electric tech evolves. Not Just Straight Line Speed: The Value of Balance While 0-60 draws acclaim, truly elite supercars excel across a spectrum of performance metrics: Quick lateral transitions and slalom handling High lateral G forces on the skidpad Hard braking and structural rigidity Fast lap times around racetracks The one-dimensional goal of straight line speed sacrifices too much all-around capability. The very best fast cars balance acceleration with world-class cornering, braking, feel, and driver engagement across diverse conditions. Are Ludicrous Acceleration Times Practical for Real Driving? In truth, for road usage, 0-60 times under 3 seconds provide limited practical value: Requires perfect conditions to achieve (prepped surface, warm tires) Few opportunities to consistently exceed legal speed limits Hard launches damage components over time Increased risk of losing control However, the pursuit of bench-marking

figures like sub-2 second 0-60s pushes engineering capabilities to the absolute limit. This drives innovation that ultimately filters down to benefit mainstream vehicles. So while eye-popping acceleration metrics might seem unnecessary in day-to-day conditions, the technical achievements behind them catalyze advancement across the automotive spectrum. Carmakers distill this expertise into tangible real-world improvements. FAQs What production car has the fastest 0-60 time? The production car with the fastest 0-60 time can vary depending on the specific model and year. According to various sources, some of the fastest cars in terms of 0-60 times include the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, and the Rimac Nevera. What technology allows such fast acceleration? Several factors contribute to fast acceleration in cars, including high-performance engines, advanced aerodynamics, lightweight materials, and advanced electronics. In recent years, electric vehicles have also become increasingly popular due to their high-torque motors and instant torque delivery, which can provide rapid acceleration. Are these fast cars street legal? Yes, the fast cars with quick 0-60 times mentioned in the search results are street legal. How much does the fastest 0-60 car cost? The cost of the fastest 0-60 car can vary depending on the specific model and brand. Prices can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Can regular drivers handle these quick cars? Regular drivers can handle these quick cars, but it is important to exercise caution and follow traffic laws. High-performance vehicles require skill and experience to handle safely, so it is recommended to receive proper training and practice before driving such cars at high speeds. #Wiack #Car #CarInsurance #CarRental #CarPrice #AutoLoans

[sportyconnect]

0-60 mph measures how quickly a vehicle can accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour. This key performance benchmark highlights the raw speed capabilities of today's fastest production cars. Advancements in technology now enable many models to hit 60 mph in under 3 seconds or reach speeds exceeding 200 mph. What Does the 0-60 MPH Metric Measure? The 0-60 mph acceleration evaluation has long served as a standard for comparing maximum speed potential across vehicles. The test measures elapsed time reaching 60 mph from a complete stop. Shorter times signal quicker real-world acceleration. 0-60 provides an easily understandable metric of how fast a car can attain highway speeds. Other common acceleration measurements include: 0-100 mph - Time to reach 100 mph Quarter-mile - Speed exiting a quarter-mile drag run Top speed - Maximum velocity attainable But 0-60 remains the most universal yardstick for quantifying rapid acceleration capabilities. Exotic sports cars aim to best 2-3 seconds, while typical family cars require 6-8 seconds reaching 60 mph. The Fastest Production Cars by 0-60 MPH Time Recent supercars have smashed acceleration records that long seemed unbeatable. Electric technology combined with ultra-powerful drivetrains enables new models to rocket to 60 mph in under 2 seconds - previously the sole domain of seven-figure megacars. Here are the quickest production cars ranked by verified 0-60 mph times: 1. Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds This all-electric hypercar from Croatian maker Rimac achieves insane acceleration via four separate motors producing 1,914 horsepower. The instantaneous torque catapults the Nevera from 0-60 in just 1.85 seconds. 2. Aspark Owl - 1.9 Seconds Aspark Owl - 1.9 Seconds Another electric hypercar, the Japanese-built Aspark Owl churns out over 2,000 horsepower to crack 60 mph in 1.9 seconds despite weighing over 2 tons. The $3.2 million price limits production to just 50 cars. 3. Tesla Model S Plaid - 1.99 Seconds Tesla Model S Plaid - 1.99 Seconds No surprise Tesla holds the fastest production electric sedan crown. Updated Plaid models produce 1,020 horsepower enabling 60 mph in a stunning 1.99 seconds thanks to uninterrupted electric torque. 4. Pininfarina Battista - 2.0 Seconds Pininfarina Battista - 2.0 Seconds This 1,900 horsepower Italian electric car ties the Model S Plaid by hitting 60 exactly 2 seconds. Automobili Pininfarina aimed explicitly to match top Tesla performance with Battista’s tuning. 5. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - 2.3 Seconds Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - 2.3 Seconds The quad-turbo 8.0L W16 engine in this $3.9 million Bugatti hypercar churns out 1,600 horsepower. Despite immense power, added weight from luxury amenities lengthens the Chiron's 0-60 time slightly versus pure performance models. Notable Sub-2 Second Production Cars Dodge Challenger SRT Demon - 2.3 seconds Porsche 918 Spyder - 2.5 seconds Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - 2.5 seconds Only a handful of road cars built this century manage to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. The exclusive club requires immense power-to-weight ratios. Cutting-Edge Technology Driving 0-60 Records Raw acceleration depends on optimal power delivery and traction. New technologies enable builders to extract maximum performance from elite supercars: Powerful High-Output Engines and Motors Naturally aspirated and twin-turbocharged 6+ liter V8/V10/V12 gas engines producing 1,000+ horsepower High-RPM capabilities extending to 9,000+ RPM High-power electric motors with instantaneous torque delivery Massive yet efficient powerplants generate the abundant thrust necessary for extreme acceleration. Combined hybrid systems add torque-filling electric assist. Advanced All-Wheel Drive Systems Multi-clutch AWD rapidly varies torque distribution Rear-wheel steering enhances high-speed stability

Electronic limited slip differentials optimize side/side power delivery All-wheel drive with active torque vectoring supplies maximum grip when dispatching copious power to the pavement. Effective Launch Control Pre-configures systems for perfect departures Maintains engine at optimal RPM Maximizes traction off the line Launch control technology leverages all available grip when accelerating from a dig. This catalyzes blistering 0-60 sprints. Elements That Enable Quick Acceleration Along with advanced drivetrains, physics principles govern acceleration capabilities: Lightweight Construction Extensive use of carbon fiber and composite materials Ultra-light chassis and body components By slashing curb weight down to under 3,000 pounds, power-to-weight ratio dramatically improves allowing huge acceleration gains from a given output level. All-Wheel Drive Traction Instantly applies power to all four wheels Maintains maximum grip when accelerating Prevents spinning the tires excessively Optimal traction lets engines transfer available power into kinetic energy when accelerating, helping convert horsepower into speed. Aerodynamic Shaping Aggressive diffusers, wings, and active body panels Generate substantial downforce without excess drag Aerodynamics push vehicles into the pavement to counter forces lifting the rear axle during hard acceleration. This preserves grip and stability. Low Center of Gravity Centralized mass placement and lightweight materials Reduces weight transfer off the line A low center of gravity resists body roll and weight transfer inherent during rapid acceleration. The chassis stays planted on all four wheels. When combined with ample horsepower, these principles enable today’s quickest supercars to deliver physics-defying speed runs. History of Sub-2 Second Cars Hitting 60 mph in less than 2 seconds was once considered unattainable by production street vehicles: 1999 - Saleen S7 Twin Turbo - 2.3 Seconds One of the first production cars to officially break 2.5 seconds. The turbocharged V8 supercar made 550 hp propelling the S7 to 60 in 2.3 seconds. 2007 - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - 2.5 Seconds Bugatti shocked the world by finally cracking the elusive 2.5 barrier. The 1,200 hp Veyron could reach over 250 mph in addition to breaking acceleration records. 2018 - Tesla Model S Performance - 2.4 Seconds Tesla's introduction of Ludicrous Mode dropped Model S times into the low 2s. Fully electric torque delivery enables incredible launches despite no gear transmission. 2021 - Rimac Nevera - 1.85 Seconds The advanced Rimac Nevera claimed the overall production car record with 1.85 second 0-60 runs. Stunning innovation continues advancing EV acceleration capabilities. Pushing below the 2-second threshold now seems achievable by several automakers via electric torque and extreme power. Expect this exclusive club to expand as battery-electric tech evolves. Not Just Straight Line Speed: The Value of Balance While 0-60 draws acclaim, truly elite supercars excel across a spectrum of performance metrics: Quick lateral transitions and slalom handling High lateral G forces on the skidpad Hard braking and structural rigidity Fast lap times around racetracks The one-dimensional goal of straight line speed sacrifices too much all-around capability. The very best fast cars balance acceleration with world-class cornering, braking, feel, and driver engagement across diverse conditions. Are Ludicrous Acceleration Times Practical for Real Driving? In truth, for road usage, 0-60 times under 3 seconds provide limited practical value: Requires perfect conditions to achieve (prepped surface, warm tires) Few opportunities to consistently exceed legal speed limits Hard launches damage components over time Increased risk of losing control However, the pursuit of bench-marking

figures like sub-2 second 0-60s pushes engineering capabilities to the absolute limit. This drives innovation that ultimately filters down to benefit mainstream vehicles. So while eye-popping acceleration metrics might seem unnecessary in day-to-day conditions, the technical achievements behind them catalyze advancement across the automotive spectrum. Carmakers distill this expertise into tangible real-world improvements. FAQs What production car has the fastest 0-60 time? The production car with the fastest 0-60 time can vary depending on the specific model and year. According to various sources, some of the fastest cars in terms of 0-60 times include the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, and the Rimac Nevera. What technology allows such fast acceleration? Several factors contribute to fast acceleration in cars, including high-performance engines, advanced aerodynamics, lightweight materials, and advanced electronics. In recent years, electric vehicles have also become increasingly popular due to their high-torque motors and instant torque delivery, which can provide rapid acceleration. Are these fast cars street legal? Yes, the fast cars with quick 0-60 times mentioned in the search results are street legal. How much does the fastest 0-60 car cost? The cost of the fastest 0-60 car can vary depending on the specific model and brand. Prices can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Can regular drivers handle these quick cars? Regular drivers can handle these quick cars, but it is important to exercise caution and follow traffic laws. High-performance vehicles require skill and experience to handle safely, so it is recommended to receive proper training and practice before driving such cars at high speeds. #Wiack #Car #CarInsurance #CarRental #CarPrice #AutoLoans

[momandragon]

OH YES I saw that vile comment on the sub, made my skin crawl like wtf is wrong with those people ?! Like those who undress all the women in the game like... reeks of objectification and misogyny and the OP wasn't even ashamed of it.

You're pointing something really true with Yrliet, arrogance is allowed only if you are a man apparently, and a human, in this game. The amount of misogyny towards the women in this gamz from a whole part of the community seriously tells a lot... Yrliet being so mischaracterize for their sick pleasure is annoying and tiresome, like they can put themselves at her place. If their Rogue Trader was put in a Aeldari crusader for years (someone here made the maths) and traited as an exotic pet or and object of fantasm, bet they would have run towards the first human that tell them how to come back to the Imperium, even if those are heretics. In terms of looking down at women we could talk about Cassia who's basically treated as a child even by those who romance her, she is candid and naive but childish ? No, we haven't met the same character, or Jae, who is killed just for the prank she pulls with the recording of your intercourse. This is so... undermining. Making a satire of characters shouldn't supplant the canon version, even if we have all our interpretation of them. Oh and let's not talk about Kibellah who gets objectify just because she's goth...

Concerning Marazhai I would say that it is known that player take a deep enjoyment in telling on every reddit post that they killed him, even a the slight mention of his name. I think, in that aspect, he can be put with Yrliet. He is facing the same kind of treatment as her in many aspects, and it forbids them to have anykind of deep analyse from a lot of people.

Argenta would be a very interesting case too, because as far as I'm concernes she did FAR WORSE than Yrliet to hurt the dynasty, and can never be truly taken acountable for that. She is a complex character too, don't get me wrong, but if Yrliet is taking so much hate then she should have way more coming her way too. But she's victim from another type of objectification so...

I've now seen multiple people complain that the RT fandom "infantalizes" Yrliet and doesn't hold her responsible for anything and I have to ask...

Are we in the same fandom?

She's *constantly* criticized for her every action and character trait by the fandom. And not just the Imperium LARPers, a lot of people on the more progressive side do it too, they're just way more polite about it and couch it under "oh, she's just so poorly written" or hold double standards between her actions and similar ones by other, more popular ones *coughcough* Marazhai *coughcough* Heinrix *coughcough* Pasqal

I'm not saying anyone actually has to like Yrliet, but it's so bizarre how many people are convinced that there's some kind of wide-spread conspiracy to mischaracterize and over-defend her when half the fandom hates her and the other half seems to forget she exists most of the time.

[trevlad-sounds]

The mixes are starting to take of. This one has a retro synth chill vibe to it

Aural Design-Light and movement-00:00

The Overload-Low Flying Aircraft-01:22

Giants of Discovery-And it's Goodnight From The Human Race-03:47

Albin-Sommarkassetten B-10:08

Andrea Cortese-Antientropic-13:21

Virgo-Diadem-16:41

Wojciech Golczewski-Glow Part One-22:25

Mark Ellery Griffiths-Like the Passing of Summer Rain-25:04

Portopia '81-Sparkling Constellation-36:05

Timecop1983-Lost in Your Eyes (feat. Per Rinaldo)-39:47

Binaural Space + Flying Bohemian-Sunday Morning Afternoon-44:35

E Ruscha V-Sunrise/ Sacred Trigonometry-48:49

Secret Circuit-Polygono-56:59

Town & County-Intercity House-1:02:47

Metius-Second Vision-1:06:23

Sensations' Fix-Into The Memory-1:10:51

Listening Center-The Slip At Low Tide-1:13:56

RIEUX-Last to Know-1:19:48

Jon Brooks-Chloro-1:23:33

Manu Roig-Dustmote-1:26:34

[nicklloydnow]

“The whistleblower, David Charles Grusch, 36, a decorated former combat officer in Afghanistan, is a veteran of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He served as the reconnaissance office’s representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force from 2019-2021. From late 2021 to July 2022, he was the NGA’s co-lead for UAP analysis and its representative to the task force.

The task force was established to investigate what were once called “unidentified flying objects,” or UFOs, and are now officially called “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP. The task force was led by the Department of the Navy under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. It has since been reorganized and expanded into the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to include investigations of objects operating underwater.

Grusch said the recoveries of partial fragments through and up to intact vehicles have been made for decades through the present day by the government, its allies, and defense contractors. Analysis has determined that the objects retrieved are “of exotic origin (non-human intelligence, whether extraterrestrial or unknown origin) based on the vehicle morphologies and material science testing and the possession of unique atomic arrangements and radiological signatures,” he said.

In filing his complaint, Grusch is represented by a lawyer who served as the original Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

(…)

Grusch’s disclosures, and those of non-public witnesses, under new protective provisions of the latest defense appropriations bill, signal a growing determination by some in the government to unravel a colossal enigma with national security implications that has bedeviled the military and tantalized the public going back to World War II and beyond. For many decades, the Air Force carried out a disinformation campaign to discredit reported sightings of unexplained objects. Now, with two public hearings and many classified briefings under its belt, Congress is pressing for answers.

(…)

Grusch prepared many briefs on unidentified aerial phenomena for Congress while in government and helped draft the language on UAP for the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act, spearheaded by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Marco Rubio and signed into law by President Biden in December 2022. The provision states that any person with relevant UAP information can inform Congress without retaliation, regardless of any previous non-disclosure agreements.

(…)

He said he reported to Congress on the existence of a decades-long “publicly unknown Cold War for recovered and exploited physical material – a competition with near-peer adversaries over the years to identify UAP crashes/landings and retrieve the material for exploitation/reverse engineering to garner asymmetric national defense advantages.”

Beginning in 2022, Grusch provided Congress with hours of recorded classified information transcribed into hundreds of pages which included specific data about the materials recovery program. Congress has not been provided with any physical materials related to wreckage or other non-human objects.

(…)

“His assertion concerning the existence of a terrestrial arms race occurring sub-rosa over the past eighty years focused on reverse engineering technologies of unknown origin is fundamentally correct, as is the indisputable realization that at least some of these technologies of unknown origin derive from non-human intelligence,” said Karl Nell, the retired Army Colonel who worked with Grusch on the UAP Task Force.

(…)

Grusch said it was dangerous for this “eighty-year arms race” to continue in secrecy because it “further inhibits the world populace to be prepared for an unexpected, non-human intelligence contact scenario.”

“I hope this revelation serves as an ontological shock sociologically and provides a generally uniting issue for nations of the world to re-assess their priorities,” Grusch said.”

[day-poems]

12/29

Who knew there was this whole

sub-culture of the audiophile

community centered on IEMs…

In Ear Monitors…isolation

earphones, like wired high-tech

earbuds…or perhaps earplugs

with piped in music…originally

for musicians on stage to hear

themselves in the mix, but now

apparently a whole high fidelity cult,

with dozens of channels on youtube…

its own gurus, critics, pundits,

tech-heads (the measurement and

graph guys) and collectors…

It even has its own language (or at

least jargon, a sub-dialect of traditional

audiophile, but different enough

to be immediately recognizable as IEM),

and it seems, hundreds of mostly

chinese companies pumping

out new models with exotic names

and ever higher tech almost daily.

I mean there are companies that

only make after-market cables

for IEMs…the wires, I am saying,

8 core braided silver-plated copper

with silk or foil sheaths…and many

that only make the ear-tips…the little

siliconey things that go into your ears.

You can find videos on youtube

that cover nothing but the latest

technical developments in ear-tips.

IEMs range in price from under $20

to over $3000! Who pays $3000

for a set of tiny earbuds that do not

look any (and likely do not sound all that)

different than the ones that came

free with your phone (if you can

remember the days when they did)

or the ones you buy off a rack

at the airport because you left

yours in the other travel bag?

I will admit, I am in some danger

of being sucked in to all that.

I bought a cheap pair for mixing

audio when I record, and then,

on impulse, a more expensive

pair when they were 70% off

on Black Friday, and I find myself

watching too many unboxings

and reviews while I ride my

stationary bike of an afternoon,

and wondering how much different

a yet more expensive pair would

sound. And it is, I have to admit,

the sound that it is really all about.

The cheap ones were good for hearing

every little thing in the mix, good and bad,

but the $100 IEMs are already a little

like discovering music all over again.

With the new high resolution lossless

audio from Apple Music, every detail,

every note, is clearly placed

and rich with harmonics. Vocals

are crystal clear and finely nuanced.

From deep bass, through percussion

of all kinds, to the shimmer of a bow

on strings or the timber of breath

through brass, the music is all there

in a way I have not heard it since

the advent of MP3. I find myself

digging out old favorites form my

CD collecting days on Apple Music

just to see how they sound on the IEMs,

and getting so caught up in the music

that Carol as already thought I was

asleep in my chair more than once.

Who knew?

Unfortunately, some times (most

of the time) I am the kind of guy who,

when a new world presents itself,

just has to explore it.

[gogglor]

Cap-Ironman RecWeek: Tropey Tuesday

Over the past year my pandemic brain decided it would produce happy chemicals exclusively by reading and writing Stony fanfiction. On the advice of counsel, I decided to take my happy chemicals where I could get’em. And the result is that I’ve had the tremendous pleasure of reading some absolutely incredible works of art by some immensely talented people. And since it’s @cap-ironman RecWeek, I figured this is as good of an excuse as any to make some posts recommending my favs (and try to keep self-recs to a minimum, but I’m only human).

I skipped Multiverse Monday since I’m still not well-versed enough in the multiverse to talk about it with any kind of recommendational authority, but today is Tropey Tuesday, and so I would like to share some fics from my all-time-favorite, major-reason-I-bother-with-the-MCU, gets-me-every-time trope:

Found Family

And so, without further ado, here are some Found Family Stony fics that I simply adore.

Avengers Family Ficlets

Author: elwenyere

Word Count: 8,548

Summary: “You built a neural network that analyzes squash,” Bruce said flatly, “and you attached it to a laser.” A collection of short stories set in the extended Domestic Avengers Universe.

Why You Should Read It:

Thing number one that you should understand about me is that I would be perfectly happy with a story about body-less entities making funny quips at each other in  a featureless void, and anything else is just a bonus. Elwenyere’s stories consistently get the banter down so unbelievably, ridiculously well that when you find out they also have heart, creativity, well-developed characters, and so much damn feeling in them, it feels like an embarrassment of riches.

Go read all of their stuff, please, but this one’s a great place to start. It’s got everything you could possibly want in a fic: over-competitive pumpkin carving, emotional hospital confessions, Christmas decorations that come to life and attack people, crab dip, Steve Rogers accidentally ruining Thanksgiving through the sheer power of his own snark, and most importantly, a bunch of human disasters that somehow make a beautiful family together.

Executive Party

Author: copperbadge

Word Count: 3,228

Summary: Tony's terrible December is suddenly looking up.

Why You Should Read It:

Copperbadge is another author where you should read everything they’ve put out there. They’ve got this phenomenally creative mind that manages to consistently draw out deeply human stories that can kinda catch you off-guard in the places they find touching moments. You might’ve heard of their very popular Foodieverse, which is an incredibly creative AU with the Avengers in the food service industry, but this is the one I come to whenever I’m looking to indulge in my favorite trope.

Tony’s looking forward to spending the night before SI breaks for Christmas doing paperwork. Steve gets the Avengers to have an impromptu video game Christmas Party in his office instead. Cb’s also got a gift for banter (I have a type when it comes to writers, ok?), and the little details like Steve’s carnage record on GTA, Natasha’s Russian appreciation for country music, and Steve’s SHIELD break-up mixtape make it just a goddamn delight to read.

patchwork people

Author: itsAllAvengers

Word Count: 28,247

Summary: It was a pretty well-known fact that Tony Stark had control issues.It was far less well-known why, though.

CW: Past abuse and non-con (not by main pairing)

Why You Should Read It:

If you’re the kind of person who regularly thinks to themself “You know what Tony Stark needs? More trauma,” then this is the fic  for you.

Tony’s got some serious trust issues and PTSD thanks to some shitty, shitty exes. This is the story about how Tony learns to trust again, Avenger by Avenger, in his new Found Family. Come for the Whump, stay for the found family insomnia infomercial parties and Steve Rogers getting arrested for enacting some sweet, sweet karmic justice.

And now we get into a sub-genre of Found Family that is also a huge weakness of mine: Tony thinks he’s only tolerated instead of wanted, and his found family convinces him otherwise.

Some Things Shouldn’t Be a Chore

Author: scifigrl47

Word Count: 22,187

Summary: Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony's got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he's pretty sure that he's going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy's still a little spotty about what is 'clean' enough to put on an open wound.  The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick. And some things shouldn't be a chore.

Why You Should Read It:

Honestly it feels a bit like cheating to recommend the first work in scifigrl47′s tremendously popular Toasterverse, since I’m pretty sure a lot of people who don’t even like or regularly read fanfiction have liked this one, even indirectly. Sci is so ludicrously good at building an engaging, creative, character-driven universe that this series is responsible for most of the fanon you know and love about MCU fanfics. Tony’s bot Butterfingers? Sci made him up for this story. Thor’s love of Pop Tarts? Clint the vent goblin? All sci. They’re just that damn good at world-building.

In this fic, the Avengers try out a chore chart. Hilarity and feels ensue. I don’t want to say anymore and risk spoiling it because if you’ve managed to get far enough in Stony fanfiction to read this post and haven’t yet read the Toasterverse, I want to keep the experience pristine for you to enjoy. Please read this. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll reserve a hypothetical genie wish to make this series the actually canon MCU (God knows I have).

Hold the Things You Wanna Say

Author: SailorChibi

Word Count: 6,316

Summary: Tony is still a consultant, and between SI, the team and SHIELD he's overworked and exhausted. That's okay. He and Steve have been having sex for weeks but that's all it is, just sex, and Tony wants more but he'll never get it and that's okay. Really. What's not okay is the fact that Howard Stark has somehow appeared in the future and is the same as always. This is definitely going to fuck up his schedule.

CW: Abuse, Howard Stark’s A+ Parenting

Why You Should Read It:

SailorChibi’s one of those authors I’ve been meaning to get around to reading all their stuff for, but it’s tricky when you have a short attention span and an author that is just so damn prolific. They’re a multi-fandom maven consistently putting out some really great stuff, and they’re absolutely worth checking out.

This story’s a real yank on the heartstrings, and as someone who can really identify with Tony’s fear of failing the people he cares about, the point in the story where he reaches his low is just unbelievably poignant. But the warmth and the wholesomeness of the end made my heart grow three sizes the day I read it. And the love that all these idiots have for each other is just so damn palpable in this story, it damn near made me cry.

Irreplaceable

Author: Orphan Account :(

Word Count: 4,952

Summary: There are obvious downsides to being the only member of the Avengers who is not a super soldier, a god, or a super assassin, and does not Hulk out when aggravated. The most obvious one is that when villains want bait, they've got a go-to guy. Tony already knew Mondays sucked. He did not need his opinion reinforced this way.

Why You Should Read It:

It’s such a bummer I can’t plunder this author’s other works because I love this one so much!

Tony gets kidnapped and says a lot of self-deprecating things that, unbeknownst to him, are projected on a live feed to the Avengers. They rescue him and have some opinions about how easily he could be replaced. This story’s got Tony hiding from feelings like an idiot, Steve manually carrying Tony somewhere the Avengers can say nice things about him, and a lot of feels.

That’s it for today! Tune in tomorrow for some AU recs!

[anra-thejourneyman]

YOU would think it nothing short of sadism to pluck a man from the tropics and parachute him into the biting chill of a Scottish winter. As I write, it is 28 degrees in Belize and minus 17 in parts of Scotland. It is, as they say, Baltic. Even if you shaved 10 degrees off it here, it would be a nightmare of an acclimatisation. Add to that the 5000 mile-journey by boat from the Caribbean, zigzagging away from U-boats, in wartime; as well as jerry-built huts and inadequate clothing at the end of it, and you’d have to be extremely hardy to survive.

The 900 men who came to Scotland from British Honduras, now Belize, were as tough as old boots. They had to be to thole sub-zero temperatures when they were used to the sweltering heat of rainforests.

The British Honduran Forestry Unit (BHFU) came in two contingents for the “war effort” : in September 1941, 500 men went to camps in Haddington, Duns, and Kirkpatrick Fleming; then 400 were billeted in November 1942, in Golspie, Kinlochewe and Achnashellach.

Not everything was a bed of roses.

A welfare officer from the Ministry of Labour and National Service described the camps as “a public scandal”. There was inadequate heating and lighting, inadequate sanitation, no insulation in their huts, and inadequate clothing for men who worked like Trojans making pit props and stobs for the war against racism.

(It strikes you as bravado or jocular stoicism one of them recording later that felling spruces was like making matchsticks -- they’d cut their teeth on mahogany back home.)

Enter Rudolph Dunbar, a conductor, clarinettist and journalist from British Guyana, who was the first black man to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic (in 1946).

He’d his conductor’s stick in his knapsack during the Liberation of Europe when he was a war correspondent.

Dunbar was way ahead of his time in his concerns about the treatment of ethnic minorities in Britain.

He wrote, of the BHFU: “The men are living in a deplorable condition. They are deprived of all forms of entertainment and the harsh treatment of most of them by the authorities does nothing to alleviate their sufferings. A great portion of the men are miserable and desperate ...and wish to return home.”

In his 1984 memoir Telling the Truth, Amos A Ford wrote: “The huts at Duns had huge holes in parts of the floorboards and walls, and openings in the ceilings. But letting in the biting winter night air was not the only thing that was to make life in the camps a misery. The furnishing was barely adequate and provision for recreation strident by its absence.

“ The huts had single cylindrical wood-burning stoves in the centres to warm a hut accommodating around 20 men each in a building. In it the men piled logs repeatedly to stem the cold outside. Sometimes the stoves burned so fiercely that they emitted sparks and an inordinate quantity of smoke, much to the annoyance of the local RAF people resulting in a number of complaints.”

Incompetence rather than racism was probably the reason for the cack-handed way they were treated.

Ford claimed the camp doctor rarely visited but, when he did, he’d a pink pill for everything.

The locals around most of the camps welcomed these exotic men far from their homes and were kind, as long as they kept their hands off their women. They didn’t, and there were police raids in the camp in Duns, where women were found hiding under beds.

There were definitely racial tensions from the usual suspects, the gentry. The then Duke of Buccleuch wrote to the Ministry indicating his displeasure that local women were being over zealous in welcoming the lumberjacks.

Whitehall records show the following document:

“The foreman in charge of each camp, should be a white man. I think this is most important as we must respect not only the feelings of the proprietors of the estates on which the men will be camped but we must also consider the feelings of the people living in the surrounding villages and cottages.”

Correspondence between the Duke of Buccleuch and Harold McMillan (then Colonial Office Minister) reveals institutional racism.

Buccleuch: “I do feel sorry for these people [but] I also feel unsophisticated country girls should be discouraged from marrying these black men from Equatorial America.”

McMillan: “We try to protect them from undesirable women, as well as to protect women from undesirable members of our coloured units. This can never be a completely successful policy. All we can do is to mitigate the evil as far as possible.”

Notwithstanding the pressures, many men found love and friendship, and settled in towns close to the logging camps. Ignoring the efforts of officials to keep black and white people apart, there were several marriages, and many children.

There were tragedies. In the blackout Army convoys etc continued. In April 1942 Ruben Law was killed instantly while trying to help a local woman, Jane Goldie, to cross the road. She died the following day and is buried alongside Law, and three foresters who died of natural causes in their 20s!! , C A Trapp. O Leon V Baker.

On July 25, 2022, the Commonwealth Foresters’ Memorial was opened at Pollok Park in Glasgow.

Amos Ford went to the great forest in the sky in 2015, aged 98.

“Wee Sammy” Martinez was a survivor, who outlived a hurricane that took two of his brothers, by clinging on to a tree. He was a well-known figure in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, where he made his home. He was known as a very patient and positive man. He and his wife Mary had six children.

You had to be patient to be a Hibs fan. He died in 2016, aged 106, months after seeing his beloved team life the Scottish Cup. He was the last of the lumberjacks.

"Life has been good to me, “ he once told journalists.

“Healthy but poor. But if you’re healthy, you’re rich. That’s how I look at life, nice and easy. Don’t worry over things that don’t matter. Don’t fight with people, don’t argue with people. Peace, perfect peace. Because life is only once, that ticket only goes one way and there’s no return.”

THE TREE FELLERS by Andy Murray

Hard as nails

knee-deep in the first snow

they’d ever seen

they rocked back and forth

with their crosscut saws.

as metronomes do.

They hewed mahogany

in their tropical homeland.

The Scottish spruces were like matchsticks

to these hardy woodsmen

who hunched over stoves

in their jerry-built huts,

though warned that Heinkel pilots

would see the sparks

flying out of their chimneys in the dark.

Nine hundred came

to cut pit props and stobs

from ice-blown lowland firs.

They thinned out when the war ended.

Some returned. Some married.

Wee Sammy from Wester Hailes waved

a Hibs scarf and an infectious smile.

A kenspeckle figure.

"When we arrived, the kids shouted 'here

come the coalmen'," he said.

The man who’d survived a hurricane,

that took two of his brothers,

by clinging to a tree. He lived to 106.

He died lately after watching his team

win the Scottish Cup.

The last of the lumberjacks

from British Honduras.

POSTSCRIPT: Here is a short but very moving and beautifully made documentary on the British Honduras.

https://vimeo.com/364780261

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 381: Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the Moscow-based collaboration of Alexander Kalinin and Ilya Kasharokov, and with their self-titled debut on Not Not Fun, the duo have produced an inward gazing suite of old skool ambient, chill-out, proto techno, and trip hop constructed from sampler, synth, guitar, and field recordings. The result is an intoxicating head haze of broken balearica—and a soundtrack for futuristic Soviet sunrises and beaches of alien origin; for slow motion night cruises down coastal highways and for visages of melting skies; for city streets soaked in rain and a haze of neon noir; for dystopian skylines merging with sea and cloud; and for seedy adventures into the depths of the dark.

Forgiveness - Прощение (Not Not Fun, 2022) In “Бытие (Being)” wah wah waves wash to shore and edge-sanded bass pulses surround echoing clacks while romantic guitar plucks reflect in the moonlight, with soft noir flecks caught in spiderwebs of tape delay. “Ноябрь (November)” comes to life on menacing bass lines that almost seem to growl with animalistic intent, while ping ponging layers of slapback delirium refuse to align. Slowly, a low slung groove moves into focus, pulling the body into a sumptuous late night swing, with synth bass thumping, primitive rhythm boxes snapping and cracking on the beat, and crazed synth echoes blasting all across the spectrum while space guitars wail in the distance…blending at times with the dissonance of the electronics to create ghostly howls and subdued screams that merge with the heady hazes of the night. 

“Трезвый (Sober)” begins with a trip hop beat stutter—this slow and spacious cut up groove flowing beneath melting keys and sub bass mutations. Claps pitter, patter, and pop across the sky, G-funk spectres pan across the mix evoking faded remembrances of block party dream days, and everything is pitched down to a dopamine drug crawl…the vibe tweaked out, ultra-stoned, and completely at odds with the title. “Рандеву (Rendez​-​vous)” ends the side in further lazy hip-hop remembrances, as kick, clap, and heroin funk bass move in slow motion between jangling ripples and golden soul vocals that warble under a fog of wow and flutter. Phaser and flangers whoosh and whorl while ska strokes climb shimmering stairways of light, and tambourines and shakers further entice the body into island dub hypnosis…the whole thing not unlike some long lost Ruf Dug remix of A Vision of Panorama.

The B-side opens with “Аббис Адеба (Abbis Adeba)” and its mystical sequencing and exotic polyrhythmic world percussions evoking faraway deserts on exoplanetary systems. Sickly synths spray alien vapors and filtering arpeggiations bath the mix in hues of otherworldly neon as the bass lines grow increasingly insectoid, all before everything fades to nothingness. “Восход (Rise)” is aglow in the light of a thousand balearic sunsets, with tremolo guitars flowing in from panoramic horizons and shimmering pads riding harmonious bass waves from the edges of infinity. Echoing shakers stretch out over the surface of shimmering oceans, bongos beat hippie beachside beats, and toms smash and bash bombastically while balmy currents of fuzz guitar bathe the soul in a warming glow of psychedelic sound. 

“Болото (Marsh)” follows this chill-out meditation with charging disco kicks, wiggling technoid basslines buried under layers of industrial filtering, and subaquatic synthesizer scientifics, as airs of Detroit strongly suffuse the spectrum. Spaghetti western guitars anachronously echo across the mix while futurespace electronics filter into wildly unrecognizable forms, with everything held together by rigidly claustrophobic displays of machine drum madness. “Исход (Outcome)” closes the tape with calming cave clatters, sanded soundbaths, and beaming voices obscured by layers of pinging computronics. And as twinkles of metal merge with trace smears of clean guitar romance, everything coalesces for a moment of mystical fourth world dub…as if the musical transmissions of UNKNOWN ME have been given a soft studio rework treatment by Basic Channel.

(images from my personal copy)

[passionate-reply]

This week on Great Albums: a Great Album that your average rock critic would actually agree with me about! Find out how Kate Bush got her groove back with her fifth LP, Hounds of Love, and whether she ever came down from that hill. Full transcript below the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Ever since I first conceived the idea of Great Albums, I’ve always intended it to reflect nothing other than my own personal “canon”--not necessarily a list of albums that were influential, successful, or acclaimed by anybody’s standards but my own. But in this installment, I’m making a somewhat uncharacteristic move, and diving into an album that really doesn’t need me to advocate for it: Hounds of Love, by Kate Bush, often considered Bush’s greatest masterpiece--if not one of the greatest albums of all time.

Released in 1985, Hounds of Love was Bush’s fifth studio LP. Her career had started off surprisingly strong in 1977, with the release of her debut single “Wuthering Heights,” written when Bush was only 19 years old. With a high-concept theme, based around the titular novel by Emily Brontë, it would set the template for much of Bush’s subsequent career: irreverently eccentric, high-concept art-pop with the intensely personal passion of a singular singer-songwriter. But just how much patience for that sort of thing does the general public have, beyond letting the occasional “Wuthering Heights” through as a sort of novelty hit? Bush’s subsequent work in the early 1980s met with inconsistent reception, with her fourth LP, 1982’s The Dreaming, marking a particularly low point. The first album that Bush produced all by herself, The Dreaming took even more radical creative liberties, pushing her sound into increasingly experimental territory.

Music: “Get Out Of My House”

Following the fairly cold reception of The Dreaming, Bush took several years to produce her next album, but it would prove to be the one that redeemed her career, and arguably turned her into a bigger star than ever before. Hounds of Love managed to stay true to the core principles of the Bush aesthetic: moody and introspective, full of rich and complex narratives, as well as musical risk-taking. But it honed and refined that sound into something that was also remarkably pop.

Music: “Running Up That Hill”

“Running Up That Hill” was one of the biggest hits of Bush’s career, and arguably dethroned even “Wuthering Heights” as her signature song. I think the secret to its success is its ability to balance Bush’s experimental impulses with an intuitive, deep-felt emotional quality that makes her best work resonant in an accessible way. On paper, “Running Up That Hill” is as high-concept as anything else in Bush’s catalogue--a song about making a deal with God to swap sexes with your lover, and feel what life is like in another body? But at the same time, the song has an ability to “work” even if you don’t know all of that. Who hasn’t longed for a way to bargain with supernatural forces, for a chance at the impossible? There’s a certain applicability to its themes, which I think is a chief reason why it’s inspired so many covers and reimaginings over the years. But even when one listens to the original, the stately washes of digital synthesiser and the powerful conviction that propels Bush’s vocals make it easy to sympathize with. It feels grounded and physical, rooted in the most carnal aspect of the human body. Positioned as the opening track of the album, “Running Up That Hill” feels like an obvious lead single--in the best way possible. But it’s worth noting that not everything on the album is quite so radio-friendly.

Music: “Cloudbusting”

Perhaps one of Bush’s most compelling narratives, “Cloudbusting” is also, ostensibly, fairly high-concept, portraying a heavily fictionalized episode from the life of Wilhelm Reich. A controversial figure both in life and legacy, Reich is best remembered for his work in psychology, heavily influenced by the spectre of Sigmund Freud. But “Cloudbusting” focuses on his later-life fascination with the physical sciences, and his belief that a mystical energy called “orgone” was responsible for both human emotional woes as well as disturbances in the Earth’s atmosphere. Reich attempted to develop a machine that could manipulate this energy, and hence achieve the longtime dream of technological weather control, but there’s no evidence his “cloudbuster” really worked, or that there’s any such thing as “orgone.” But Bush’s “Cloudbusting,” and its accompanying music video, portray Reich as a tragic hero, silenced by government authorities who sought to destroy what they couldn’t understand, conflating his work with cloudbusters with his censure by the FDA for his questionable medical devices.

The song was inspired chiefly by the memoirs of Wilhelm Reich’s son, Peter, with Bush explicitly portraying Peter’s naive childhood perspective on his father, and that does allow for some substantial nuance here...but at some point we have to ask ourselves what responsibility an artist has to the truth. “Cloudbusting” is the musical equivalent of a film that’s “based on a true story,” and I see no reason why music can’t be just as capable of spreading misinformation as the Oscar-bait biopics of Hollywood. Just how accurate, or how beautiful, does a work of art need to be, for us to allow a bit of playing loose with the facts for the sake of a great story?

Setting aside these quandaries presented by its subject matter, “Cloudbusting” undoubtedly delivers musically. Across its sprawling runtime, it develops and earns a sense of grandeur, building from its infectious percussion and cresting with Bush’s fragile, but assertive prayer: “I just know that something good is going to happen.” If you listen closely to the percussion tracks on the album, you’ll notice that there’s no cymbal or high-hat utilized anywhere, which helps give the album its particular hazy, meandering ambiance.

That effect is perhaps even more pronounced on the second side of the album. Hounds of Love is divided quite sharply into two sides. The first side, also sub-titled Hounds of Love, opens with “Running Up That Hill,” and finishes with “Cloudbusting,” which serves as something of a bridge between the two, combining a singable hook and a pop-like verse-chorus structure with a taste for more visionary narrative. While the first side is home to all four of the album’s singles, the second side, sub-titled The Ninth Wave, strays much further away from the standard expectations of pop.

Music: “Under Ice”

Going by the tracklisting, there are seven tracks that make up *The Ninth Wave,* though their smooth transitions and willful defiance of verse/chorus structure create a seamless oratorio or song cycle feel, not unlike many of the great “album sides” of the prog tradition. The Ninth Wave also departs from the feel of the first side in its instrumentation. While the Hounds of Love side has its fair share of exotic instruments, such as a balalaika on “Running Up That Hill” and a didgeridoo on “Cloudbusting,” The Ninth Wave is more richly baroque, with elements like that jarring violin on “Under Ice.” As it progresses, the breadth of timbres increases, climaxing in the Celtic-inspired “Jig of Life.”

Music: “Jig of Life”

The explosion of folkish, backward-looking sounds of “Jig of Life” and “Hello World,” with their fiddles, whistles, and full choir, represent its protagonist’s return to the realm of the living, after the trauma represented by earlier tracks like “Under Ice.” The abstract, though affecting, narrative presented by The Ninth Wave seems to be a tale of death and rebirth, with a narrator who drowns themselves, only to be reborn--whether literally revived from a failed suicide attempt, or metaphysically reincarnated after a passage through the realm of the dead.

Much more has been written about the themes of *The Ninth Wave* than I’m getting into here, but suffice it to say that many people consider it the relative highlight of the album. But I think it’s worth questioning that a little bit, and taking the time to look at Hounds of Love a bit more holistically. Just because the first side is a bit less overtly experimental doesn’t mean it doesn’t have just as much to offer, artistically, or that it isn’t a part of what makes this album truly great. At the end of the day, I think we can probably agree that far fewer people would have ever heard The Ninth Wave if it weren’t for those more accessible singles on side one, moving copies of the record and adding to Bush’s widespread acclaim. Without “Running Up That Hill,” Hounds of Love might have gone down in history as a fairly niche cult classic like The Dreaming, instead of the era-defining album that it got to become.

On the cover of Hounds of Love, we see an image of Bush reclining and embracing two dogs--who were, in fact, her own pets. The image’s saturation in purplish pink and Bush’s perhaps sultry expression combine to create an impression of traditional femininity, which resonates with the album’s themes of gender and sensuality. Framed in by large white borders, we might read the composition of the cover as evocative of a personal locket or memento, a sort of furtive glimpse into Bush’s more private or intimate essence, fitting for the introspective and emotional focus of much of the music. This “framing” is perhaps also evocative of the idea of the domestic sphere of life--and hence, again, of femininity.

While the title track of the album portrays the “hounds of love” as figures of menace, who are said to “chase” after its narrator, the submissive and comfortable-looking canines portrayed in the cover art seem like a foil to that idea. In the history of European art, dogs are often used as symbols of fidelity, particularly in the context of romance. Titian’s Venus of Urbino, painted in the 1530s, is often considered the progenitor of the Western “nude” as an archetype. Alongside the titular goddess, paragon of eroticism and the feminine, the painter has also included a lapdog, peacefully dozing beside her. It’s tempting to see the composition of the cover of Hounds of Love as doing something similar, invoking confident sensuality alongside a symbol of faithfulness to portray the essence of idealized love.

After the release of Hounds of Love, Bush would once again take several years to produce her next LP, 1989’s The Sensual World. More closely related to The Ninth Wave than the A-side of Hounds of Love, it was nonetheless another commercial and mainstream success for the artist.

Music: “The Sensual World”

From the mid-90s to the mid-00s, Bush took an extended hiatus from music, focusing instead on her family and her personal life. Despite uncertainty surrounding the future of her career, she would eventually return to the public spotlight in the 21st Century, and remains active, if somewhat intermittently, to the present day. At this point, it’s safe to say that Bush has a fairly enviable position, having lived long enough to become a cultural institution, and able to bask in the cult following her unmistakable and distinctive work has earned her. For as much as I’ve praised the more commercial side of Hounds of Love in this piece, I still believe in the power of the truly unfettered creative soul, and I’m still happy for Bush that she’s achieved that kind of freedom.

My favourite track from either side of Hounds of Love would have to be “The Big Sky.” In the context of the album, it stands out for its rousing, triumphant crescendo of energy--a marked difference from the languid, introspective sensibility that dominates most of the material. And it manages that without bringing the cymbals back, either! Thematically, its emphasis on weather and the sky prefigures that of “Cloudbusting,” perhaps providing a more hopeful and naive vision of what weather can do, which resists being “clouded” by political drama. That’s all I have for today--as always, thank you all for listening!

Music: “The Big Sky”

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 7, Number 4

Axel Ruley x Verbo Flow

A little bit of optimism is creeping into the air as Dusted writers start to get their shots. We’re all starting to think about live music, maybe outside, maybe this summer. But as the spate of freak snow storms demonstrates, summer’s not here yet, and in the meantime, piles of records and gigs of MP3s beckon. This early spring version of Dust covers the map, literally, with artists representing Pakistan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, the UK and the USA, and stylistically with jazz, rock, punk, rap, improv and many other genres in play. Contributors include Jennifer Kelly, Justin Cober-Lake, Bill Meyer, Ray Garraty, Patrick Masterson, Tim Clarke and Bryon Hayes.

Arooj Aftab — Vulture Prince (New Amsterdam)

Vulture Prince by Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab is a classical composer originally from Pakistan but now living in Brooklyn. Vulture Prince, her third full-length album, blends the bright clarity of new age music with the fluid, non-Western vocal tones of her Central Asian roots. “Last Night,” from an old Rumi poem but sung mostly in English, lilts in dub-scented syncopation, the thump and pop of stand-up bass underlining its bittersweet melody. An interlude in some other language shifts the song entirely, pitting vintage reggae reverberation against an exotic melisma. “Mohabbat” (which is apparently Urdu for sex) soothes in the pristine instrumentals, lucid guitars, a horn, scattered drumbeats, but smolders and beckons in the vocals. None of these tracks feel wholly traditional or wholly Western and modern day, but sit somewhere in a well-lit, idealized space. Timeless and placeless, Vulture Prince is nonetheless very beautiful.

Jennifer Kelly

 Assertion — Intermission (Spartan)

Intermission comes from an alternate timeline. Founding drummer William Goldsmith started his musical career in Sunny Day Real Estate and had a notable stint with Foo Fighters. To cut the biography short, Goldsmith took a decade off from the music industry. He's returned now with Assertion, joined by guitarist/vocalist Justin Tamminga and bassist Bryan Gorder (both of Blind Guides, among other acts). This band picks up in the late 1990s, imagining a new path for post-hardcore/post-grunge music. The trio's name suits, as the songs' energy and the lyrical assertiveness develops the intensity of the release. The group works carefully with dynamics, neither parroting the loud-quiet tradition nor simply pushing their emo leanings toward 11.

“The Lamb to the Slaughter Pulls a Knife” epitomizes the album. The track sounds like Foo Fighters decided to get dirtier rather than more arena-friendly, while the lyrics mix violence with emotional persistence. First single “Supervised Suffering” finds triumph in endurance, turning the aggressive chorus into something of a victory. “Set Fire” closes the album with something more delicate, but it's just the gauze over a seething anger. Goldsmith's time off seems to have served him well, as does collaborating with some new partners. Assertion makes its case clearly and effectively, and if the intermission's over for Goldsmith, the second half sounds promising.

Justin Cober-Lake  

 Michael Beach — Dream Violence (Goner/Poison City)

Dream Violence by Michael Beach

“De Facto Blues,” from Michael Beach’s fourth solo album, is a barn-burner of a song, rough and messy and passionate, the kind of song that makes you want to take a stand on something, who cares what as long as it matters to you. It snarls like Radio Birdman, slashes like the Wipers and follows its muse through chaos to righteousness like an off-cut from Crazy Horse, just back from rockin’ the free world. It’s got Matt Ford and Inez Tulloch from Thigh Master on guitar and bass, respectively, Utrillo Kushner from Colossal Yes (and Comets on Fire) on drums, and Kelley Stoltz at the boards, and it’s a killer. The rest of the album is varied and, honestly, not uniformly astounding, but there’s a nice Summer of Love-style psych dream in “Metaphysical Dice,” a slow-burning post-rocker in the title track and a driving, pounding punk anthem in the opener “Irregardless.” Beach has been splitting his time between San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia, and lately settled on Melbourne, where he will fit like a native into their thriving punk-garage scene.

Jennifer Kelly

 Bloop — Proof (Lumo)

Proof by BLOOP (Lina Allemano / Mike Smith)

The trumpet is already a catalog of sound effects waiting to happen, and Lina Allemano knows the table of contents by heart. So, to shake things up, she has paired up with electronic musician Mike Smith, who contributes live processing and effects to Allemano’s improvisations. A blind listen to Proof might leave you with the impression that you’re hearing a horn player jamming with some outer space cats, and we’re not talking about hip, lingo-slinging jazz dudes. In fact, everything on these eight tracks happened in real time. Smith’s a strategic intervener, aware that too much sauce can spoil the stew, so he mixes up precise layering and pitch-shifting with more disorienting transformations. It’s hard to say how much Allemano responds to the simulacra that surround her brass voice, but there’s no denying the persuasiveness of her melodic and timbral ideas.

Bill Meyer

 Bris — Tricky Dance Moves (TrueStory Entertainment)

Bris left some music behind when he died in 2020, but it took almost a year to shape these recordings into a proper CD. The label CEO Mac J (a fine artist himself) could easily capitalize on his friend’s death, stacking Tricky Dance Moves with features from the artists Bris never would have worked with. Yet the album was prepared with the utmost care, not giving an ugly Frankenstein monster feel. Bris’s references to his possible early death are scattered throughout the whole tape: “Heard they wanna pop Bris cause they mad I’m poppin.” Almost every song could be easily turned into a prophetic tale (a cheap move one wants to avoid at all costs). Nonetheless, something is missing here. Or maybe it is just an image of death that disturbs the whole picture, making us realize that this is the last we’d hear from Bris.

Ray Garraty

 Dreamwell — Modern Grotesque (self-released)

Modern Grotesque by Dreamwell

I recently read an interview with Providence’s Dreamwell breaking down in almost excruciating detail the influences that led to the quintet’s sophomore full-length Modern Grotesque. I kept scrolling past Daughters and Deftones and Deafheaven and increasingly disconnected influences like The Mountain Goats and Nina Simone. I went back to the top and looked again. I typed Ctrl+F and put in “Thursday.” Nothing. This is preposterous. I may not be in the post-hardcore trenches the way I once was, but even I’d know a good Full Collapse homage if it swung a mic right into my face the way this one did; hell, just listen to “The Lost Ballad of Dominic Anneghi” and tell me singer Keziah Staska doesn’t know every single word of “Paris in Flames.” That may not look like flattery on a first read, but too often, bands striding the emo/pop divide have chased the latter into sub-Taking Back Sunday oblivion; what Thursday did was much harder, and Dreamwell has ably taken up the torch here. That they did it unintentionally is a curious, bewildering footnote.

Patrick Masterson

  Paul Dunmall / Matthew Shipp / Joe Morris / Gerald Cleaver — The Bright Awakening (Rogue Art)

It’s a bit perplexing that reeds player Paul Dunmall hasn’t spent more time playing with American musicians. He’s firmly situated within the English improvisation community, where he’s perhaps best known for his longer tenure with the quartet Mujician, and his ability to double on bagpipes has allowed him to establish links between improvised and folk music. But

his jazz-rooted approach makes him a natural to work in settings such as this one. When Dunmall toted his tenor to the Vision Festival in 2012 (even then, it could be costly to lug multiple horns on a plane), he found three sympatico partners in Fest regulars pianist Matthew Shipp, double bassist Joe Morris and drummer Gerald Cleaver. They all hit the ground running, generating a barrage of pulsing, roiling sound for over 20 minutes before the piano and drums peel off, leaving Morris to sustain momentum alone. Dunmall’s gruff, spiraling lines find common cause with each of his fellows, and the gradual addition and subtraction of players from that point makes it easier to hear the exchange of ideas, which often seem to take place between dyads operating within the larger flow.

Bill Meyer 

 Editrix — Tell Me I’m Bad (Exploding in Sound)

Tell Me I'm Bad by Editrix

Wendy Eisenberg’s rock band is like her solo output in that it snarls delicate, self-aware, mini-short stories in complex tangles of guitar, hemming in high, sing-song-y verses with riffs and licks of daunting difficulty. The main differences are speed, volume and aggression (i.e. it rocks.) and a certain communal energy. That’s down to two collaborators who can more than keep up, Josh Daniel on surging, rattling, break-it-all-down percussion and Steve Cameron, equally anarchic and fast on bass. The title track is an all-out rager, thrusting jagged arena riffs of guitar and bass forward, then clearing space for off-kilter verses and time-shifting, irregular instrumental interplay. “Chelsea” follows a similar chaotic pattern, setting up a teeth-shaking cadence of rock instruments, with Eisenberg keening over the top of it. “I know, perfectly well, that we’re not safe, safe from the men in power,” she croons, engaged in the knotting difficulties of the world as we know it, but winning.

Jennifer Kelly

Elephant Micah — Vague Tidings (Western Vinyl)

Vague Tidings by Elephant Micah

The new Elephant Micah album, the follow-up to 2018’s excellent Genericana, has an apposite title. Vague Tidings conveys an atmosphere of feeling conscious of something carried on the wind, a story passed on that may have shifted through various iterations, leaving only a sense of its original meaning. All that can be sure is that this is sad, sober music, unafraid to brace against the chill of mortality and speak of all that is felt. The instruments — guitar, piano, percussion, violin and woodwinds — move around Joseph O’Connell’s voice in stiff yet graceful arcs, distanced by an unspoken etiquette. Repetitive melodic figures, stark yet steady, gradually accumulate weight as they roll along like tumbleweeds. It’s a crisp, forlorn country-blues, in no hurry to get nowhere, carrying ancient wisdom that seems to acknowledge the empty resonance of its own import.

Tim Clarke

 Fraufraulein — Solum (Notice Recordings)

Fraufraulein’s music is immersive. Anne Guthrie and Billy Gomberg beam themselves, and us along with them, Quantum Leap-style directly into multiple environments in medias res. Through the clever employment of field recordings, they transport us to a hurricane-addled beach, performing a voice/piano duet as driftwood missiles careen through the air. In another “episode,” the manipulation of small objects conjures up the intimacy of a water garden filled with windchimes. Partners in both life and art, Guthrie and Gomberg are also consummate solo artists. He is a master of spike-textured drones, while she explores the intimate properties of physical entities. Like a child tends to resemble one parent while borrowing subtle traits from the other, Solum identifies more with Guthrie’s electroacoustic tendencies than it does with Gomberg’s electronics. This is in stark contrast to 2015’s Extinguishment, which felt a little more balanced between those two modes. Both approaches work, yet Solum feels more meticulously crafted and nuanced. Careful listening unveils multiple subtle tones and textures, and each piece is an adventure for the ears.

Bryon Hayes

 Gerrit Hatcher / Rob Magill / Patrick Shiroishi — Triplet Fawns (Kettle Hole)

Triplet Fawns by Gerrit Hatcher / Rob Magill / Patrick Shiroishi

The album’s title implies a crew you wouldn’t want on your yard; while those adolescent ungulate appetites do a number on your bushes, the hooves are hacking up your grass. But if they knocked on your door, saxophone cases in their respective hands, you could do worse than invite them around the back for some blowing. Hatcher, Magill and Shiroishi present with sufficient lung power to be heard fine without the reflective assistance of walls, even when they aren’t making like Sonore (that was Gustafsson, Vandermark, and Brötzmann, about a dozen years back). This album, which was released in a micro-edition of 100 CD-Rs on Hatcher’s Kettle Hole imprint, builds gradually from restrained melancholy to pointillistic jousting to a climactic blow-out, and the assured development of each piece suggests that each player was listening not only to what each of the others was doing, but where the music was headed.

Bill Meyer

A.Karperyd — GND (Novoton)

GND by A.Karperyd

On his second solo release, GND, Swedish artist Andreas Karperyd broodingly ruminates on snatches of musical ideas that have been percolating in his consciousness over extended periods. Anyone familiar with his 2015 debut, Woodwork, will find these 55 minutes similarly immersive, as Karperyd manipulates live instruments such as piano and strings into shimmering, alien tapestries. Opener “The Well-Defined Rules of Certainty” appears to take Fennesz’s Venice as its blueprint, issuing forth cascading, percolating tones that tickle the ears. “The Desire to Invoke Balance with Our Eyes Closed” and “Failures and Small Observations” have a Satie-esque elegance to their piano lines, albeit refracted via a hall of mirrors. The 12-minute “Reminiscence of Tar” sounds like a slow-motion pan across the hulking mass of a shadowy space station. And closing track “Mummification of an Empire” slowly fries its piano in static, then unfurls wistful melodica and throbbing synth across the wreckage.

Tim Clarke

  Kiwi Jr. — Cooler Returns (Subpop)

Cooler Returns by Kiwi jr

Kiwi Jr.’s brash, brainy indie pop punk vibrates with nervy energy, like the first Feelies album or Violent Femmes’ 1983 debut or that one great S-T from the Soft Pack. Those are all opening salvos for their respective bands, but this one is a second outing, suffering not a bit from sophomore slackening. Instead, Cooler Returns tightens up everything that was already stinging on the Toronto band’s debut and adds a giddy careening glee. An oddball thread of Robin Hood-ness runs through the disc, with Sherwood forest getting a nod in the title track and “Maid Marian’s Toast” tipping the love interest, but these songs are anything but archaic. “Undecided Voters,” the single jangles harder than anything I’ve heard since Woolen Men, slyly upending creative pretensions in a verse that goes: “You take a photo of the CN tower/you take another of the Honest Ed sign/Well, I take photos of your photos/and they really move people.” Has it been done before? Maybe. Does it move us. Yes indeed.

Jennifer Kelly

 Kool John — Get Rich, Die $moppin ($moplife Entertainment)

A year ago, Kool John was shot six times. Yet you wouldn’t know about it from the general mood of Get Rich, Die $moppin, his first tape since then. He does name one song “6 Shots” and explicitly mentions the shooting accident a few times on other songs, but his bouncy music says he wasn’t hurt bad after all. The beats perfectly match the rhymes, playfully ignorant and ignorantly playful. Kool John still doesn’t mix with broke people, doesn’t return calls if it’s not about money and “doesn’t get stressed out.” Instead, he gets high. His new tape is nothing groundbreaking, even though he’s pretending that is: “If I had no legs I’d still be outstanding.”

Ray Garraty

Nick Mazzarella / Quin Kirchner — See or Seem: Live at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Out Of Your Head)

See or Seem: Live at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival by Nick Mazzarella / Quin Kirchner

 Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this recording is that the titular festival happened at all. While most festivals either canceled or went on line, Chicago’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival dealt with COVID by spreading out. Instead of big stages and indoor shows, last September it staged little pop-up events on sidewalks and in parks. So, if the sound of See or Seem feels a bit diffuse, it’s because it was recorded with a device propped in front of two guys playing on a grassy median. There are moments when the buzz of bugs rises up for a second behind Nick Mazzarella’s darting alto sax and Quin Kirchner’s brisk, mercurial beats. But the thrill of actually playing in front of some people (or actually being surrounded by them; when there’s no stage and social distancing is in effect, it makes sense to walk slow circles around the performers) infuses this music, extracting an extra ounce of joyousness from Mazzarella’s free, boppish lines, and adding a restlessness charge to the drumming, as though Kirchner really wanted to squeeze as much music as possible into this 31-minute set. This release is part of Out Of Your Head Records’ Untamed series of download-only albums recorded under less than pristine conditions. A portion of each title’s income is directed to a charity of the artists’ choice; the duo selected St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Bill Meyer

 Dean McPhee — Witch’s Ladder (Hood Faire)

Witch's Ladder by Dean McPhee

Finger-picked melodies cut through haunted landscapes of echo and hum on this fourth LP from the British guitarist Dean McPhee. Track titles like “The Alchemist” and “Witch’s Ladder” evoke the supernatural, as does the spectral ambient tone, reminiscent of Chuck Johnson’s recent Cinder Grove or Mark Nelson’s last Pan•American album. Yet while an e-bow traces ghostly chills through “The Alder Tree,” there’s also a grounding in lovely, well-rooted folk forms; it’s like seeing a familiar landscape in moonlight, well-known landmarks suddenly turned unearthly and strange. The long closing title track has an introspective air. Pensive, jazz-infused runs flower into bright bursts of notes, not quite blues, not quite folk, not quite jazz, not quite anything but gorgeous.

Jennifer Kelly

 Moontype — Bodies of Water (Born Yesterday)

Bodies of Water by Moontype

Margaret McCarthy’s voice swims across your headphones like being on an innertube drifting languidly downstream. Typically, saying someone’s vocals are like water indicates a degree of timidity or laziness, obscured in reverb or simply buried by the mix, but on Moontype’s debut LP, it’s a compliment: McCarthy floats across the different styles of music she makes with guitarist Ben Cruz and drummer Emerson Hunton. You notice it not just because she often sings of water or because it’s right there in the title, but also because the Chicago trio hasn’t settled on any particular style yet — just listen to the three-song stretch at the heart of the record where achingly beautiful alt-country ballad “3 Weeks” leads into “When You Say Yes,” a sub-three-minute power-pop number Weezer ought to be jealous of, followed immediately by crunching alt-rock swoon and first single “Ferry.” All the while, McCarthy lets her melodies drift to the will of the songs. I’m reminded of recent efforts from Great Grandpa, Squirrel Flower and Lucy Dacus, but the brief, jazzy curveball of “Alpha” is a peek into whole other possibilities. Bodies of Water is a fine record, but perhaps its most exciting aspect is how much ground you can see Moontype has already conquered. One can’t help but wonder what sonic worlds awash in water await.

Patrick Masterson   

 Rob Noyes / Joseph Allred — Avoidance Language (Feeding Tube)

Avoidance Language by Rob Noyes and Joseph Allred

The 12-string guitar can emit such a prodigious amount of sound, and there are two of them on Avoidance Language. If Joseph Allred and Rob Noyes had planned things out in order to avoid canceling each other out, they might never have picked their instruments up, so they just started playing and listening. The result is not so much a summing of two broad spectrums of sound, but an instinctual blending of similar textures that ends up sounding significantly different from what either musician does on their own. Even when Allred switches to harmonium or banjo, as he does on the album’s two shorter tracks, the music rushes in torrential fashion. Their collaboration is so compatible that it often seems more like a recital for one big stringed thing played by one four-handed musician than a doubled instrumental duet.

Bill Meyer

NRCSSSST — S-T (Slimstyle)

NRCSSST by NRCSSST

There’s no “I” in NRCSSSST but there’s plenty of swagger. The Atlanta-based synth pop band, formed around Coathangers drummer and singer Stephanie Luke and Dropsonic’s Dan Dixon, taunts and teases in its opening salvo “All I Ever Wanted.” Luke rasps appealingly atop Spoon-style piano banging, and big shout along choruses erupt from sudden flares of synths. It’s all hedonism, but done with conviction. You haven’t heard a big rock song kick up this much fun in ages. “Love Suicide” bangs just as hard, its bass line muttering like a crazy person, unstable and ready to explode (and yet it doesn’t, it maintains its restraint even when the rest of the cut goes deliriously off the rails). Dixon can really sing, too, holding the long vibrating notes that lift these prickly jams into anthemry. It’s been a while since a band reminded me of INXS and U2 without sucking, but here we are. Sometimes guilty pleasures are just pleasures.

Jennifer Kelly

 Zeena Parkins / Mette Rasmussen /Ryan Sawyer — Glass Triangle (Relative Pitch)

Glass Triangle by Zeena Parkins, Mette Rasmussen, Ryan Sawyer

Harpist Zeena Parkins and Ryan Sawyer have a long-standing partnership in the trio substitutes Moss Garden, a chamber improv ensemble with pianist Ryan Ross. But swapping in Danish alto saxophonist Mette Rasmussen brings about a change, not just in instrumentation, but attitude. She plays free jazz like a punk, impatient and aggressive, and Parkins and Sawyer are up for the challenge. This music often plays out like a battle between two titans, one blowing and the other pummeling, while Parkins seeks to liquify the ground upon which they stand. She sticks exclusively to an electric harp whose effects-laden tone is disorientingly alien, blinking beacon-like one moment, low as a backhoe engage in earth removal the next. The combination of new and old relationships promotes a combination of instability and trust that yields splendid results.

Bill Meyer

 claire rousay — A Softer Focus (American Dreams)

a softer focus by claire rousay

In film, soft focus is a technique of contrast reduction that lends a scene a dreamlike quality. With A Softer Focus, claire rousay imbues her already intimate compositions with a noctilucent aura. She has created a dreamworld with sound. One glimpse at the glowing flowers that grace the cover art created by visual artist Dani Toral, with whom rousay closely collaborated on this release, and the illusory nature of the record is revealed. The reds, oranges, blues and purples of deep twilight are reflected in both the textures rousay weaves into her soundscapes and the visual themes that Toral conjures. Violin, cello, piano and synth are the musical origins of this warmth, which rousay wraps around environments crafted from the sounds of everyday life. She recorded herself moving about her apartment, visiting a farmer’s market, observing kids playing and just existing. These field recordings of the mundane, when coupled with the radiance of the musical elements, are magical. Snatches of conversation become incantations; auto-tuned vocals are the whisperings of spirits; fireworks explode into brilliant shards of crystal. With A Softer Focus, rousay takes a glimpse into the beauty of the everyday, showing us just how precious our most humdrum moments can be.

Bryon Hayes

Axel Rulay x Verbo Flow — Si Es Trucho Es Trucho / Axel Rulay (La Granja)

Axel Rulay must be kicking himself right now. With more than three million plays on the original version and more than five million on the remix that adds verses from Farruko and El Alfa into the fray, the Dominican is cruising into our second pandemic summer with an unbeatable poolside anthem — and to think, after years of clawing his way up through the industry dregs, working to get his name out there, all he had to do was make himself the chorus over Venezuelan producer Manybeat’s 2019 tropical house trip “El Tiempo.” Presto: Massive visibility in the Spanish-speaking world and a song that ought to transcend any linguistic barriers unlocked even if the best I can manage is a title that translates as “If It’s Trout It’s Trout.” Expect that long-desired Daddy Yankee collabo to follow any day now.

Patrick Masterson

  Rx Nephew — Listen Here Are You Here to Hear Me (NewBreedTrapper)

Rochester rapper Rx Nephew trailed brother-turned-archrival-turned-back Rx Papi’s coming out party 100 Miles and Walk’in by just a few weeks with the 53-minute all-in proposition Listen Here Are You Here to Hear Me. Unlike Papi’s Max B-ish smoothness, Nephew is all rough n’ tumble through these 17 tracks, provocative pump action with narrative bursts of violence and street hustling delivered with a verve most akin to DaBaby or, in some of his more elastic enunciations, peak Ludacris. A recent Creative Hustle interview provides some insight: The first time he went into the booth, “I didn’t write anything. I just started talking about selling crack and robbing people.” The stories haven’t stopped since. If he can keep putting out music as engaging as Listen Here…, Rx Nephew is destined for more than just the margins; until then, we have one of the year’s densest rap records to hold the line.

Patrick Masterson

 Nick Schofield — Glass Gallery (Backward Music)

Glass Gallery by Nick Schofield

Nick Schoefield, out of Montreal, composed these 13 tracks entirely on a vintage Prophet 600, the first synthesizer to designed to employ the then-new MIDI standard established by the instrument’s inventor Dave Smith and Roland’s Ikutaru Kakahashi. The instrument has a lovely, crystalline quality, floating effortless arpeggios through vaulting sonic spaces. Though clearly synthesized, these pieces of music resonate in serene and peaceful ways, evoking light, water, air and contemplation with a simplicity that evokes Japan. “Water Court” drips notes of startling purity into deep pools of tone-washed whoosh and hum. “Snow Blue Square” flutters an oboe-like melody over eddying gusts of keyboard motifs. The pieces fit together with calm precision, leading from one beautiful space to the next like a stroll through a museum.

Jennifer Kelly

  Archie Shepp — Blasé And Yasmina Revisited (Ezz-thetics)

The Ezz-thetics campaign to keep the best of mid-20th century free jazz on CD shelves (yes, CD, not streaming or LP) breaches the walls of the BYG catalog with a disc that issues one and a half albums from Archie Shepp’s busy week in August 1969. Blasé is a stand-out for the participation of singer Jeanne Lee, whose indomitable and flexible delivery as equal to the demands of material that’s be turns pungently earthy and steeped in antiquity. But the rest of the band, which includes Philly Joe Jones, Dave Burrell, some harmonica players, and a couple members of the Art Ensemble, is also more than equal to the task of filtering the blues and Ellingtonia through the gestures of the then-contemporary avant-garde. “Yasmina,” which originally occupied one side of another LP, makes sense here as an extension of the raw, rippling “Touareg,” the last tune on Blasé, into exultantly African territory.

Bill Meyer

 Juanita Stein — Snapshot (Handwritten)

Juanita Stein was the cool, serene, Mazzy Star-evoking vocal presence in the Aussie dream-gaze outfit Howling Bells, and she plays more or less the same role on her third solo album. Yet she is also the source of mayhem here, kicking up an angst of guitar-freaked turmoil on “1,2,3,4,5,6” then soothing it away with singing, hanging long threads of feedback from the thump-thump-thumping blues-rock architecture of “L.O.T.F.” and crooning dulcetly, but with a little yip, in the trance-y title track. This latter cut reflects on the death of her father, a kindred soul who wrote a couple of Howling Bells songs for her and passed away recently. It distills a palpable ache into pure, distanced poetry, finding a cool, dispassionate way to consider the mysteries of human loss.

Jennifer Kelly

 The Tiptons Sax Quartet & Drums — Wabi Sabi (Sowiesound)

Wabi Sabi by Tiptons Sax Quartet & Drums

Over its 30 years together, the Tiptons Sax Quartet has done less to hone its sound and more to figure out how many styles to embrace. The group (typically a soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone sax joined by percussion and even including some vocals) can dig into trad jazz but sounds more at home in exploration, adapting world music or other traditional American styles. The title of their latest album, Wabi Sabi refers to the Japanese concept of finding beauty in and accepting imperfection. The Tiptons, despite that sentiment, don't approach their play with a sloppy sound; in fact, they're as tight as ever. The understanding of impermanence and imperfection does help contextualize their risk-taking. When they turn to odd yodeling on “Moadl Joadl,” they find joy in an odd vocal moment that highlights expression and discovery over formal rigor. When they tap in New Orleans energy for “Jouissance,” we can connect the dots between parades and funerals, celebrating all the while. The whole album serves as a tour of styles and moods, always with an energetic potency. If it's more of the same from the Tiptons, that just means continuance of difference.

Justin Cober-Lake

[the-doodle-nerd]

Could you share all the facts from the aio guide about Home again, The cross or Cortez, For whom the wedding bells toll, the triangle, here today gone tomorrow, something blue, and accidental dilemma. 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️ (we’ll probably ask some more later 😂 we’re just loving this!) Thanks so much for sharing!

These are fun, I’m reading about fun facts I had skipped over. Sorry, some episodes don’t get much of a mention. I had decided to do this because I really enjoyed my AiO books, but realized others don’t get the chance to see it.

The story of Home Again was originally going to be with Great Expectations, but they decided that Jason’s return was too important to be mixed with another story.

The Cross of Cortes was going “to be the beginning of an exciting episode series where our characters would visit foreign lands and exotic locations, sort of like the Indiana Jones movies” but they had trouble with exotic sound effects and getting authentic foreign accents.

Jack and Joanne’s middle names are references to famous characters the actors have played. Jack Wilbur Allen, Alan Young played Wilbur in Mister Ed. Joanne Judith Woodston, Janet Waldo played Judy on The Jetsons. (In the book there are “Goof Alerts” where they address inconsistencies in the script, in For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll, Bernard says the manager of the Antique Emporium is Mr. Peterson, but it’s actually Mr. Gumley. 

Marshal Younger originally was standing in as young Jack during an audition for young Jenny, but he sounded similar enough to Alan Young that they cast him instead. 

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? was originally a two parter with part 1 called Here Today, and part 2 called Gone Tomorrow. Most of the team thought that the episode focused too much on Connie and Mitch trying to figure out their relationship. Kathy said “Once again, the boys changed the episode from my sweet, simple love story to yet another saga of intrigue and mystery involving computers and technical dilemmas. These guys must buy their wives modems for Valentine’s Day.” This is the first time the AiO team used two recording studios at the same time.

“In “Something Blue,” Connie gets another hint of what her life might be like married to Mitch. We thought a dose of reality would help bring their relationship to an appropriate conclusion.” Sorry, they didn’t have much there.

Here’s a joke that was put in the script that was only subbed to be read by the AiO team:

Carson: (hugs Grady) Are you alright? 

Grady: I am... now.

[Tasha charges in with her team, the police, the fire department, ambulance personnel, the city sewer repairman, the electric utilities service personnel, an agent from OSHA, an ice-cream truck, and a short man with a large utility belt who happened to be walking by while attempting to catch the last bus to Connellsville for his night shift at the tool shop. (Sadly, he missed the bus and was later fired from his job, causing him to hate Whit and Whit’s End. He will eventually concoct a scheme to exact his revenge on them all.)]

Tasha: (charges in) All right - weapons down - nobody move. 

[noboo98]

http://www.madamepickwickartblog.com/2011/08/smile-happy-days-were-once-again/

THIS logo was used on a very popular little (3/4″) button that was a very trendy item worn in the punk scene in seattle. it gradually was lifted and used on a tshirt for the band nirvana, around the time of the release of their record ‘bleach’. i remember watching lisa orth paste it together in the production room at the rocket, where she had just quit as the art director. i’m not sure who picked the image – the band or lisa. i’m not even sure whether they altered the image or not. but, it was classic ‘sub pop’ marketing move of the time – appropriate an interesting piece of local weirdness and then exploit the hell out of it. that image became synonymous with nirvana and was a huge hit . they probably sold a million of those tshirts alone. who knows what else it was used on. AC:...haven't really looked at that nirvana logo in over a decade or more. i remember discussion about using the logo straight across and the risk of lawsuit. so, lisa may have altered it to avoid that. but the lusty lady logo was the idea. that's undeniably the case. i was there. the result is that most people around the world think of this blissed-out happy face as the ‘nirvana’ logo. go figger. in reality it was a promotional branding icon thingie used to promote the notorious ‘lusty lady’ strip club on seattle’s first avenue. every cool punky hipster in seattle wore one of these things as a sort of ironic joke. the popular story of the lusty lady is as peculiar as their logo’s morph into pop celebrity. as the story goes, the place existed as an act of defiance by the owner of the building (situated directly across the street from the glamorous new robert venturi-designed seattle art museum main entrance). in an attempt to expand the area into a yuppie upscale fern bar sort of neighborhood the city supposedly attempted to use “emminent domian” laws to acquire the building (condmnation) for development. the owner fought them hand and foot and eventually won. so the story goes, the landlord, in an act of apparent retaliation, began to rent out the space in the building to the sleaziest worst tenants he could find. the basement was rented to the First Avenue Service Center – that charity who tended the needs of the street homeless with food, medical, counceling and even shelter. the main first avenue street level was leased to the lusty lady ‘exotic private dance’ club (aka – strip joint front for everything imaginable). the top stories were apparently left vacant and were notorious ‘shooting galleries.” so, the building was a huge festering eyesore int he middle of the seattle power structure’s attempt to railroad the downtown into microyuppiedom. the lusty lady maintained this attitude for years by boldly placing clever off-color slogans and jokes on their reader boards poking their filthy finger into the eye of the seattle art/downtown/political power structure. (i wish i could remember some of them, but they were so wink wink naughty naughty that they often get displayed in the local news. anybody out there remember any of the slogans?) this button (later nirvana logo) was just one of their many many PR campaigns to stay as public and visible as possible in the battle against the city. everybody loved it! in fact, when the lusty lady announced they were finally closing down (after a couple of decades of this) the entire city seemed to mourn the loss. but, the lusty lady also has another rather sordid chapter to add in the unwritten history of seattle underground culture. for one thing, the lusty lady seemed to maintain a lot of goodwill among the hipster bohemian community because it was ‘women owned’. all that means in my book is that there was a female face on the front of the power structure – a “front” for much darker ownership. but, the hipsters thought that it meant it was some feminist defiant re-interpretation of ‘the oldest profession’. so, it became a badge of honor to actually dance there (believe it or not). many women in the scene proudly let i be known that’s where they worked. everybody was usually dully impressed. one seattle documentarian photographer even did a well-received book about the club that resulted in an exhibit inside the seattle art museum itself (the across the street enemy of the club). many of the ‘girls’ working there behind the scenes and the ‘art of erotic dancing’ became synonymous with ‘outsider’ art (or something.) at any rate, the result was a sort of “acceptance’ of the lusty lady as a sort of ‘outsider art palace.” pretty strange. but it was thought of as as ‘cool’, where every other dance club in town was ‘sleazy.’ the truth was, that the place (like most of these places) was a front for extensive prostitution and drug-abuse lifestyles. it was as bad (or maybe even worse) than any strip club. turning tricks was the unspoken part of the duties there. ‘wom wned’ and ‘art museumed’ or not, it was the same old shit. so it goes. the other little dirty secret of the seattle rock scene is that many of the bands (some of whom went on to stardom) were supported by girlfriends who “danced” there. it was so common to have a girlfriend dancing at the lusty lady associated with a band and financially helping to support them that it was almost a standard accessory. hooker money helped feed and house and clothe man many ‘grunge rockers’ over the years. without the girlfriends’ selling their bodies, the rock stars boyfriends would have had to get jobs and sacrifice their futures (as they hopefully imagined them). so, the loving gal pals hit the streets to support the rock star redemption fantasies that kept them going in the form of their personal rock god boyfriend. it’s a sad dirty little ignored fact that never seems to make it into the pop history books. most of those rock stars never were, they never made it. most of those girl friends became professional sex workers for their entire short lives. most of those dreams of salvation never materialized. the bottom line is that every time time i see that nirvana tshirt with that blissed-out happy face logo, i think about those pathetic little girls turning tricks to keep their rock star boy friends in cigarettes and beer. i think of the amazing amount of damage the rocknroll fantasy has done to everybody. sometimes i think poor little curt did, too. ADDENDUM: AC:i remember back in the mid-80’s, interviewing a guy while i was working on that old “instant litter ‘ book i did about seattle punk posters. this guy was a fixture as a manager of several dozen rock bands over the years. the whole time i interviewed him, there were rock stars hanging out around his house and these beautiful scantily clad young women cruising about. he kept interrupting the interview – which consisted primarily of me holding a poster and asking, “who did this?” and him answering, oh, i dod that. turns out, he never designed a poster in his life. – to answer this portable phone (it was a briefcase phone, no less! just like maxwell smart.) he’d mumble into the phone and he’d point at a girl and give her a slip of paper and she’d leave. he was running an ‘escort’ service to support all the bands. i guess the ‘guys’ got ‘bennies’, too. apparently, eh was also the first local pimp to utilize early computer online services to run hi biz, too. he’d get busted and the cops would take his portable phone and his computer and then try to find names. they couldn’t because they had no idea how the internet worked. the pimp would just get a new phone, contact his server and be back in biz. it took the cops a few years to figure out his game. i guess he went tot the big house,eventually. all those bands collapsed in flames. so, this was not a new phenom in the scene. it may be a part of every rock scene that ever existed. there would be a greta book about this stuff you could write…. Related Posts in the name of love… some kind of wonderful? history is written by the whiners This entry was posted in Feature Article, Ideas/Opinion, Marketing/Advertising/Media, Modern Arts/Craft and tagged art chantry, Courtney Love, Curt Cobain, lisa orth, lusty lady, lusty lady seattle, Nirvana, nirvana bleach. Bookmark the permalink.

[save-the-everglades]

Creeping Slashers of the Florida Everglades: The Alien Invasive “Nile Monitor”

How was the invasive species introduced to Florida’s Everglades?

The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a native African lizard found along the Nile River in sub-saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal to Egypt [1]. Being an expensive product of the exotic wildlife trade to the United States, this lizard has been a species of interest for being the largest African lizard (can be as long as 18 feet), for exhibition purposes, and research methodology [1]. When it was introduced to the United states in 1990, these species were kept as pets or they were kept in captive breeding facilities. However, with the use of their sharp claws, excellent climbing skills and sharp teeth for tearing, they were able to escape the cages of their confinements and crawl out to make their way into the wild [1]. Owners of the facilities and even pet-owners  may also release these lizards into the wild to fend for themselves if they become difficult to handle by means of difficulty in feeding, regulating, managing and if they become sick and are not valuable enough for the exotic wildlife trading [1]. Natural disasters such as hurricanes that damage the captive bred facilities is another contribution to the overall damage of the facility and release of the species into the Everglades.

How are the Nile Monitor lizards able to thrive in the ecosystem?

As these lizards are native to the peak climatic conditions of sub-Saharan Africa, with similar subtropical climate present in Southern Florida, it has not been difficult for the Nile Monitors to disperse and thrive to its potential. Being semi-aquatic lizards, they have the capability of spending 15 minutes underwater before swimming back to surface for air [1]. The Everglades presence of marshes and water beds have made it easy for the lizards to find habitat in these conditions as well as on dry-temperate land of the grassy patches, on trees and burrowed under soil [1]. Weather surviving harsh winter conditions burrowed underground, fulfilling the needs of their semiaquatic needs by spending time on-land and in-water, the various trees and preys present to keep them in-tact, the Florida Everglades ecosystem has allowed them to establish and take full range on land while continuing to breed and populate, slowly taking over wetland.

What ecological threats do they pose?

The biggest threat that is posed to the Florida Everglades by these non-native reptilian lizards is that they are one of the top apex predators of the food chain with very few regulative predators keeping them intact (other than the Burmese pythons which are able to constrict these lizards during competition for a food source). Using their sneaky tactics, when prey (mostly laid eggs) are present, these lizards are able to make their way quickly to the food source, snatch the egg before it abruptly consumes its contents. Their typical diet consists of prey on-land and underwater, being newly-hatched alligators, eggs of burrowing owls, eggs of wood storks, eggs of turtles, and hugely threatens the brown pelican and the near threatened Diamondback terrapin turtle species as consumption of their eggs has declined their population size [2]. The issue has been consuming much of the native reptile and bird species of the Everglades, leading to the decline of their populations. This itself has edged species such as the Diamondback terrapin in a threatened place as their population size continues to decline as they prey these organisms to possible extinction. With consumption of the eggs of American Alligators, there has been a significant decline in the population of the native alligator species. Thus, before these keystone species go extinct, it is essential that these invasive species are removed from the ecosystem before the potential collapse of the ecosystem from the extinction of the regulatory organisms which keep the ecosystem intact. 

What are current solutions and regulations implemented to prevent further damage from this invasive species?

The following lists some of the regulations that have been put in place for preventing the further establishment of these invasive species which are similar to some of the other non-native reptiles found in the Florida Everglades (as of present, there have not been very much regulations put into place to control the spread of the invasive species):

1. Lacey Act- United States Fish and Wildlife Service [3]

- The Lacey act was amended by the congress to ensure that Individuals who have permission to legally own the Monitor Lizard are not allowed to participate in interstate or continental transport, selling, or trading. With permission from the state law, they are only to be used for exhibition services in sanctuaries, zoological services, education activities, medical or research purposes.

- Having a Nile monitor has been announced illegal in the United States (without special permit). 

- Failure to comply with the regulations will be deemed as a criminal penalty with facing a fine up to $20,000 and a prison sentence up to 5 years.

 2. Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) [3]

- Involvement of early detection of these invasive predators and capturing them before they disperse into the ecosystem, aggregate and populate. Earlier preventative measures (although as of present, it has been difficult to detect the lizards in its early intervention). 

3. Non-permit hunting [3]

-Should be a last resort

-Fish and Wildlife conservation encourages individuals to locate and hunt for the Nile Monitors when located (firearm is allowed)

-Permit or hunting license is not required.

What can I do?

1. If you or someone you know wants to get rid of the exotic pet, there is a website called “Exotic Amnesty days” to get rid of the python with no questions asked.

2. If you have spotted a Nile Monitor, record the location and report this sighting by dialling: 1-888-IVE-GOT-1.

3. Be able to tell apart Florida’s native snakes with the invasive snakes.

4. An app “IveGot1'' has been developed for quick and easy reporting. Available on Apple IOS Appstore and Android’s GooglePlay store. 

-MOD Oshini

Sources: 

Harvey R.G., et al. (2020). University of Florida. Python Factsheet. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/upload/ifaspythonfactsheetsecure.pdf

Florida Fish and Wildlife. (1999). Nile Monitor. Agency Regulatory Plan. Retrieved from  https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/reptiles/monitors/nile-monitor/ 

WorldAtlas. (2021). Invasive Species in the Florida Everglades. Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/invasive-species-in-the-florida-everglades.html