#Jamieson hill only time

[inlivingsound]

Jamieson Hill & JÅCK FORD - Only Time (Nostalgia Mix)

It all started in LA.  Everything was going well, I was booking more and more DJ gigs, my label was gaining more popularity and I had a lovely girlfriend.  But then, the break up happened.  Even though my creative endeavors were increasing, the break up hit me hard.  So I decided I needed to leave LA, travel, and get my head together.  *Side note: as a creative (whether in music, film, or tv, state of mind is everything).  

I  traveled through Europe (which I haven’t done since I was in college).  I started in London and made my way through Paris, Berlin, and ended up in Sweden.  I loved Stockholm, the energy, the people, the beauty, it was like nothing I have ever seen.  I was alone, and enjoyed venturing out to different bars and clubs, speaking with the locals and enjoying the peace of mind I felt there.  

By day 2, LA, my music, my label, seemed like a distant memory.  On my 3rd day, I happened to stop by a place called The Story Hotel.  A cute dive bar in the middle of the city.  After about an hour or so I met a girl, her name was “Helena”.  We talked for hours, about life, philosophy, literature, entertainment, literally everything.  After a couple hours she took me home to her place and we hooked up. It was the best sex I ever had.  

The next day we awoke and spent the whole day site-seeing, eating pastries, and walking the snow filled streets.  I decided to film my time with her, I was enthralled.  Armed with my camera that was like a second appendage, I documented our time together.  Three days went by and I realized my planned journey was over, it was time for me to go back home, to my apartment, music label, and friends in LA.  Work can only wait so long and I only planned to be away for 3 weeks.  I loved her, and being with her, but I had a lot of work to do, and a whole life in LA to get back to.  We said our goodbyes, and I headed to the airport.  

I didn’t realize until I returned back home that I may have made a huge mistake.  It didn’t feel like just a romantic foreign fling, it felt more like "the one".  By the time I got home, I was flung back into LA lifestyle and all the work I had to catch up on.  It wasn’t until 2 weeks later that I had the time to think of her again.  I knew I made a mistake but didn’t realize how big it was.  

I couldn't get her out of my mind, so, I finally called her, I needed to tell her how I felt.  She picked up the phone and for a brief moment, I was in heaven, complete bliss, I didn’t have to think of LA, work, or anything at all besides my memories of her.  We spoke casually for a bit, caught up on life, but something was different in her voice, I just couldn’t place it.  

After about 10 minutes of small talk, I needed to tell her how I felt, ignoring the strange vibes I felt inside since the call started.  I blurted out “I think I’m in love with you, I made a big mistake coming home, I want to be there with you.”.  

It was silent for what felt like a lifetime but was probably a minute or two.  She took in a big breath and said, “I felt the same...but when you left, I met someone else”...I was silent, my mind filled with words, feelings, thoughts, emotions...”I’m sorry” (she said) “I didn’t hear from you for 2 weeks and just thought that it was a fling, You are so committed to your work and your life in LA, I just thought it was a beautiful time to cherish and then we both moved on, I thought you felt the same”.  

I stayed silent, not knowing what to say, frozen... "I didn’t plan it, but it happened and he makes me happy”.  I was still silent.  “I loved our time together, and did want you to stay with me, but you left, and life brought me another.  I hope you understand, I enjoyed every moment we had together."  

My heart sank, I was devastated.  I knew it was entirely my fault, I allowed my practical mind to overwhelm my emotional self, my emotional knowledge that told me to stay, to forget my business and friends back home, to create something here with her.  I didn’t, I chose to be comfortable in life, to choose to be practical.  I had a home, friends, and a business in LA, at the time it made sense that I needed to be there.  But, in retrospect, in the grand scheme of things, it made no sense at all.  

Love and emotions do not follow practicality or logic, they follow a completely different system.  I was too afraid to leave that behind, too afraid to do that with her in a completely different country.  I told her that I understand and that I will always love her, wished her the best and hung up the phone.  2 days later I started to write this song with JÅCK FORD.  I never want to forget that time, I never want to allow my logical side to overtake my emotional intelligence when it comes to love and human connection.  I wrote this to remind myself to never make that mistake again, and to tell the world to never make that mistake to begin with.  Love doesn’t follow rules or make sense, love isn't practical or logical, so when you find it, grab it, and figure life out afterwards. 

Because.....what’s life worth living, what’s success worth having..... without true love. - Jamieson Hill

*** BASED ON A TRUE STORY ***

[amanda-glassen]

A Halloween Carol

On Halloween, Serena is visited by three spirits that take her on a journey through her past, present, and future. Based on a prompt request “There’s something under the bed and it knows your name” by @imaginaryoperagloves

Part One

Serena hated exercise but loved competition, so when Jamie suggested a step competition, she immediately bought a cute pair of leggings, a hoodie, and some shoes. After she put her hair in a ponytail and was ready to head out the door, she was stopped by Jamie who was just about ready to head out for work.

“You look so cute,” Jamie said before Serena stood on her tippy toes to kiss her. “I’m proud of you, babe, even if I’m gonna get around 10,000 steps at work and win.”

She was trying to be cute about calling her sedentary, just like the fitness app had. Judgmental ass app.

Serena had made it half a block before she came to the conclusion that jogging sucks, but there was a Wendy’s nearby so she decided to keep going as long as there was a 4 for $4 meal at the end of her journey. While devouring her chicken nuggets with her right hand, she rotated her left wrist to make the step count go up. Sweet, trustworthy Jamieson. She’ll believe my step count.

With Olivia at school and Jamie at work, Serena had the apartment to herself for the rest of the afternoon, so her intentions were to take a bubble bath and spend the rest of the day catching up on some reading. She was greeted by her six foot tall pet demon statue, a talking movie prop that her uncle had given her. It was capable of facial recognition and it said “Welcome, Serena,” every time she walked into the living room. “Good to see you, Fluffy,” Serena replied while the statue’s eyes glowed red.

She soon heard a man’s voice calling her name that she assumed was her brother trying to get revenge for a prank she had pulled on him earlier that year, so she grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and made her way toward the master bedroom. “I have a knife, Kyle. Don’t think I won’t stab you.”

But her brother was a teacher and at 11 a.m. on a Friday, she realized he’d be at work. The only other man with the key to their apartment was Jamie’s dad and Serena knew Mr. Castillo would never try to scare them. There was still a chance for her to run out of the apartment and call the police, but Serena wasn’t about to let someone run her out of her apartment. Before her age hit double digits, she had learned how to use a gun and, after what happened with Emerson, her grandpa taught her how to fatally stab someone with a kitchen knife and gouge someone’s eyes out with a corkscrew because he said, “You won’t always have a gun around but knowing you, Serena, you’ll always have a corkscrew.” 

Serena wasn’t going to be a victim to a third man. This time she was going to fight back. 

When she opened the door, she heard the voice calling her name again, this time drawing her name out like he was taunting her. “Sereeena.”

Serena followed the sound of the voice and knelt down next to the bed, her hands trembling as she lifted up the hem of the comforter. When she saw a pair of glowing red eyes looking back at her, she tried to get up so she could run away, but she felt a pair of hands grab her ankles and pull her under. There was a stinging sensation coursing through her body and, regardless of how loud she screamed, there was no one to hear her. She soon became surrounded by total darkness before landing in the living room of her childhood home in Beverly Hills. 

“Ow,” she said to her captor as she stood up. “Did you have to drop me on my ass?”

Serena looked over at her captor who was changing from a void to someone that she feared the most. “I am the Ghost of Halloween Past,” it said to her in a deep, menacing voice.

“Bullshit!” Serena immediately took refuge behind the couch. “You’re the Cucuy. Jamie and her grandma told me about you. But you only collect the souls of bad children. I’m 35 years old. There has to be some kind of statute of limitations.”

“You’re 35, but she isn’t,” he pointed to the little girl sitting on the living room floor.

“Did my mom put you up to this? Did she want you to drop me off in Beverly Hills because I don’t visit often enough?”

The Cucuy grabbed her chin and forced her to look at the little girl again. “Serena, look closer.”

[flushthethrone]

(Southern Vangard) Episode 319 - Southern Vangard Radio

BANG! @southernvangard #radio Ep319! It’s one of those WORLD EXCLUSIVE kind of weeks here at the best mix show on the planet! First off, we have exclusive talk break instrumentals from the legendary LARGE PRO, who’s dropping LARGE PRO BEATZ VOL. 3 this Friday, March 25 via REDLINE DISTRIBUTION (big up JAMIESON GRILLO). We also have the world exclusive on J Scienide’s new single “PIRANHAS”, which is produced by GRISELDA’S own DARINGER, that also happens to have cuts by our own DJ JON DOE. “Piranhas” b/w “Why Even Try” drops digitally via #StaticKing / FAT BEATS this Friday, March 25 with the limited 45 featuring artwork from the one and only KEVIN LYONS arriving soon thereafter. Lastly, make sure you hit our new TWITCH channel on Sunday nights from 10p-12a ET if you want to get an early sneak peek of the show as well as chat with Meeks & Doe live and direct. If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it 1000 times - YOU WAAAAALCOME!!!!! for this #SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard // southernvangard.com // @southernvangard on #applepodcasts #stitcherradio #soundcloud #mixcloud #youtube #twitch // #hiphop #rap #undergroundhiphop #boombap #DJ #mixshow #interview #podcast #ATL #WORLDWIDE #RIPCOMBATJACK

Recorded live March 20, 2022 @ Dirty Blanket Studios, Marietta, GA

southernvangard.com

@southernvangard on all platforms

#SmithsonianGrade #WeAreTheGard

twitter/IG: @southernvangard @jondoeatl @cappuccinomeeks

Talk Break Inst. - “Hood Rich" - Large Pro ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Piranhas" - J Scienide (prod Daringer, cuts DJ Jon Doe) ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"The Ride" - Cypress Hill (prod. Black Milk)

"Bing Bong (Remix)" - Nems ft. Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes & Styles P (prod. Vinny Idol)

"Fish Food" - Stu Bangas & Goon Union ft. RJ Payne

"Inner G" - Raticus & Realio Sparkzwell

Talk Break Inst. - "The Bland" - Large Pro ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Daggers" - Brutal Caesar

"Legends Of The Hidden Temple" - Fatboi Sharif & Sydetrak Imperial ft. Knowledge & Blaze Moolah

"What It Seems" - DK & Ghettosocks  ft. Skyzoo & Rome Streetz

"The Idiotic" - Breez Evahflowin & Big Zoo

"4 Matic" - Tha God Fahim (prod. Nicholas Craven)

"Umbra" - J. Arrr & Ayo Shamir

Talk Break Inst. - "Rooftop Love" - Large Pro ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Darkness In The Abyss" - Sy Ari Da Kid ft. Mickey Factz

"Dressed As Myself" - Juga-Naut

"SuperHero Shit" - Planet Asia & Jay-Ef

"Pussy Riot" - O The Great

"What's Done In The Dark" - Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

"Scriptures" - Argov ft. Blackchai

"Guerrero" - Benny The Butcher ft. Westside Gunn (prod. Beat Butcha & Daringer)

Talk Break Inst. - "Friendly Skies" - Large Pro ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

Talk Break Inst. - "Ancestors" - Large Pro ** WORLD EXCLUSIVE **

"Fried" - Paten Locke ft. Edan

SOUNDCLOUD

https://soundcloud.com/southernvangard/episode-319-southern-vangard-radio/

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https://itun.es/us/QyyX9.c/

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https://youtu.be/gQ4FwEr6pyE

GOOGLE PODCASTS

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TWITCH

https://twitch.tv/southernvangard/

MIXCLOUD

https://www.mixcloud.com/southernvangard/episode-319-southern-vangard-radio/

#SouthernVangard #DJJonDoe #EddieMeeks #LargePro #JScienide #Daringer #LeafDog #BVA #CypressHill #BlackMilk #Nems #FatJoe #BustaRhymes #StylesP #VinnyIdol #StuBangas #GoonUnion #RJPayne #Raticus #RealioSparkzwell #BrutalCaesar #FatboiSharif #SydetrakImperial #Knowledge #BlazeMoolah #DK #Ghettosocks #Skyzoo #RomeStreetz #BreezEvahflowin #BigZoo #ThaGodFahim #NicholasCraven #JArrr #AyoShamir #SyAriDaKid #MickeyFactz #JugaNaut #PlanetAsia #JayEf #OTheGreat #LordJahMonteOgbon #Argov #Blackchai #BennyTheButcher #WestsideGunn #BeatButcha #PatenLocke #Edan

[thesinglesjukebox]

LADY GAGA - STUPID LOVE

[6.42]

Far from "Shallow" now...

Brad Shoup: Thudding sixteenths and vocal chop straight out of a Todd Edwards remix... it's always great when she visits. [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: It must be exhausting to be Lady Gaga. Here's a short list of her accomplishments since 2013's ARTPOP: winning a Grammy for a jazz duets album, winning a Golden Globe for her role in American Horror Story, headlining the Super Bowl, co-hosting arguably the best Met Gala in years, winning an Oscar for A Star is Born, getting a number one Billboard single from the soundtrack, launching a vegan make-up line, and starring in a Las Vegas residency. And yet, the dominant critical narrative has still essentially been: Gaga is absent from pop music. (For comparison, Katy Perry has been a judge on American Idol.) Of course, her self-mythologizing is partially to blame for this, but it's unclear what could have possibly satisfied her critics and die-hard fans outside of re-reinventing music à la 2010. So what's her move given the weight of the world's impossible expectations? To make simple, unpretentious pop music on her own terms. In a recent Billboard interview, she laughed while stating, "I would like to put out music that a big chunk of the world will hear, and it will become a part of their daily lives, and make them happy every single day." My first reaction upon reading this was: yes, we should hold Gaga to a higher standard because she's Gaga, but how can we balance that with the potentially damaging effects for her mental health and sanity? So on "Stupid Love" when she sings, "Now it's time to free me from this chain/I gotta find that peace, is it too late?" I like to hope it's meta-commentary on her rediscovering the joy in her music and being, free of expectation. Gaga tracks are often described as "huge" or "epic", but none has ever so perfectly embodied "fun." I'm definitely excited about how this track sounds -- an ebullient return to her earliest disco pop roots, at a time when radio is dominated by trap -- but "Stupid Love" stands out to me because of her embrace of radical self-love. This is the Gaga that I've always loved -- and she's always been enough. [9]

Leah Isobel: The production filters back an entire decade's worth of Stefani's influence into a three-minute Fruit Gusher burst of tang, but the lyrics are decidedly forward-looking, all declarative statements of "now is the time!" bullshit. In the middle of this past/present/future time-play, as the beat drops out beneath her, she asserts the key line: "all I ever wanted was lahv." If it's a disappointingly shallow retcon for an artist whose initial breadth and ambition was the entire point, the promise of it lingers in my brain. After all, it's not too far from a similar pop megalomaniac realizing that she "traded fame for love without a second thought" about 20 years ago. That rich vein of popstar self-examination writ large is so suited to Gaga's talents as an artist -- a provocateur, fake-deep philosopher, musical theatre nerd, and hook-writing master all at once -- that I have listened to this song five times in a row pretty much every single day since it, uh, appeared on the internet. My paws are reluctantly up, Stef. Don't fuck it up. [7]

Jessica Doyle: Fun, and otherwise unremarkable. If you've been a Gaga fan for a while -- if you're invested in the narrative of this hardworking woman, who has been through downs and ups and downs and then ups again -- I imagine the fun is enhanced by a certain comfort and relief in seeing her have fun; in imagining her feeling strong and secure enough to release a fun song that doesn't have to upend anything. But I am a heartless, acontextual consumer, for whom the marginal cost of listening to something else is zero, and I miss "Bad Romance." [5]

Tobi Tella: For an artist who at her peak overstuffed everything with too many ideas, there's really not much happening here. It's loud and upbeat, sure, but the lyrics are barely the thread of a coherent song, and the production reminds everyone who wants "pure" pop to come back to be careful what they wish for. Maybe that A Star is Born "pop music bad guitar music good" cynicism rubbed off too much? [4]

Katherine St Asaph: Just when I thought Gaga was lost to the land of Real Music™, or worse, flailing attempts to be chill by the least chill performer in pop music (yes, including Taylor Swift), she goes and releases this, 50,000 firecrackers on a Eurovision stage. The thicket of hooks is packed, with Black Midi levels of referential density. The whole thing sounds like "Born This Way," which is to say it sounds like "Express Yourself"; there's a juddering sequencer out of "Do What U Want" (reminds me more of "Weekend" by Class Actress, but which is more likely to be the actual inspiration?) and a touch of, of all things, September's "Cry For You." Gaga fills every crevice of the song with singing, throaty and belty and huge: a relief after years of songs filled only with half-assed #vibes. If it feels frivolous against much of Born This Way and The Fame Monster and some of Artpop, and far less ambitious, it at least pulls her out of the "Shallow" piano muck. [7]

Vikram Joseph: Perhaps a stupid song about making stupid choices is the Lady Gaga lead single we both need and deserve in 2020. The battering-ram synths feel like running down a hill into a gale-force wind; the best thing about "Stupid Love" is that Gaga sounds like she's having a lot of fun, and by extension so are we. [7]

Alex Clifton: "Stupid Love," much like "Born This Way" before it, is ready-made for pride parades, grown from the same mystical lab that gave Lady Gaga her incredible melodic sensibilities. Unlike its predecessor, though, it has more euphoria in it, presumably because it's not making a political point. Gaga's more focused on having fun here, and you can tell. The verses aren't my favourite, but the chorus hits as an overwhelming rush of dopamine, and now I can't stop dancing in my computer chair. Between this and Dua Lipa's album, we're in for a hell of a good time for pop music this spring, and I am extremely excited. [7]

Thomas Inskeep: She was doing this better a decade ago. A lot better. [2]

Joshua Lu: The narrative surrounding "Stupid Love" regards it a return to the Pop Gaga that's been mostly absent since 2013: A revival if you're a fan, a regression if you're not. The issue with this narrative is that "Stupid Love" lacks any key similarities to the Gaga of yesteryear; the only real sonic link is how the bassline brings to mind the since-redacted "Do What U Want" beat. Instead we have something that's somehow not a Kygo song, with vocal chirps that got old last year, serviceable but clichéd hooks (the entire pre-chorus has all the charm of a Taio Cruz album track), remarkably basic lyrics filled with platitudes, and a title that has no bearing on anything in the song -- there's nothing lyrically or aurally stupid about anything here, and Gaga has shown a deep capacity to be stupid in her past pop works. In reality, what we have here isn't a return to anything, but rather the continued flagging of Gaga's desire to develop genuinely off-beat or interesting pop music, whether intentional or not. Gaga's talents as a vocalist elevate the song beyond the usual pop pap, but it's not nearly at the level I once hoped she could remain at. [6]

Alfred Soto: Kudos to Jamieson Cox for catching an obvious forebear: the rattling sequencer recalls 2013's forgotten "Do What U Want," which was all set to do some business until radio programmers remembered R. Kelly had been a menace for years. Amiably confusing lack of affect with simplicity, "Stupid Love" flexes its pop strength with the expectation that fans will admire it. [7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: The synths pack a punch but they never quite get me to where I should be. I wanna feel desperation, exasperation -- that love is worth looking stupid for. All I get is a familiar, quasi-stoic performance that sounds like Gaga's doing some excellent karaoke. [4]

Kayla Beardslee: Sure, it's competent, but Gaga is capable of so much more. Many other blurbs will discuss the song's aggressive datedness and bland lyrics, but what really bothers me is that the two halves of "Stupid Love" -- the dramatic vocals and the unrelenting gallop of the synths -- don't fit together. Gaga is giving her all with those signature "laahv"s, but there's just not enough empty space left for her in the production. Her performance ends up laying flat on top of the track, adding nothing except a sense of laziness from her producers and engineers. [5]

Pedro João Santos: Serviceable Max Martin bopathon scams its way into my brain again -- no matter how direly in need of an incubator this whole structure is. Gaga's weakest lead single feeds you Kygo, threatens to ascend during "All I ever wanted was love", and still can't fight the aura of afterthought. [6]

Jibril Yassin: "Stupid Love" is a giddy rush of EDM-pop fun, but it's the first time experiencing a major Gaga single entirely devoid of surprises. Bracing yourself for a twist that never arrives or a strange turn of vocals rearing its head from nowhere, "Stupid Love" makes up for its unremarkableness with a masterclass in songwriting. What Lady Gaga hasn't forgotten how to do is translate the feeling of having your initial gut feelings completely validated. "Stupid Love" makes its magic in casting the act of love as necessary and dare I say it -- radical. [7]

Jackie Powell: On "Stupid Love" Lady Gaga achieved a corollary. By trying to put her healing process into simple poetry, she also created an accompanying sound that's comparable to an analgesic. The function of the track is to heal and liberate. (Truth be told, Little Monster or not, the song has helped me get out of bed in the morning.) Gaga's latest cut is packaged into a familiar formula, and that's part of the reason why this track serves as a formidable lead single and symbol for the upcoming Chromatica. The equation is one that mirrors the "best of" Stefani Germanotta. What's brilliant about "Stupid Love" is that its visual and lyrical messaging and surrounding sonic arrangement and melody bring what Little Monsters and casual music fans with a Gaga fascination expect. And that's okay. She has told Oprah that her goal now isn't just to shock people but rather to exude authenticity. She stirs elements from all of her pop eras into the most hearty and flavourful version of Gaga soup (and that does include Joanne contrary to popular belief.) Each ingredient works and is soluble. She tossed in the elements of the The Fame that made fans want to Just Dance and sprinkled some catchy Swedish-sounding pop melodies (Max Martin, hello!) and sung onomatopoeia from The Fame Monster, à la the "hey-ah, hey-ahs." A suspenseful build, uniquely potent and soaring vocals are ounces of Born This Way. Don't worry, ARTPOP is doused on this track not only in color, but in sound. There's a reason why that sped up "Do What U Want"-esque bassline works. There's a contrast between her bright vocal performance and the electronic bass' darkness. Joanne comes across in the allegorical concept which once again can be interpreted to reflect the current American experience. Music video director Daniel Askill confirmed that Gaga wanted to portray the "warring tribes as a metaphor for the state of the world today." So, Mother Monster is on a mission to introduce the world to her new brainchild, ever-developing ideologies and honest ways to examine life. "Stupid Love" isn't the end-all but merely the beginning. Paws up and welcome to Chromatica bitches. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: NOPE! WAIT. wait. This is actually a welcome back for... the bass, who is joined by his drumming sister, his synth bros and Lady Gaga, who has come here from the Make A Wish Foundation to take him around New York. They have a wonderful day together, with the synth bros getting their percussive background vocal girlfriend an NYPD hoodie, and the experience convinces Lady Gaga to make bright, happy pop music again! (The bass, in the midst of a happy dance, got hit by her limo and had to go back to the hospital.) [8]

Scott Mildenhall: Between its hyperventilating over-excitement and ever-exciting hyper-sincerity, Gaga seems to have finally created a pop emergency. The false alarm of "Applause" was overstuffed and underpowered, but "Stupid Love" redresses that balance by going harder and clearer, like a newly thawed cut from a cryogenically frozen, course-correcting Artpop Monster edition. Time might seem to have turned in on itself, but no: the greater lyrical directness arrives in a way that feels culminatory. The plainspokenness of that indelible "all I ever wanted was love" makes it almost an epitaph, grounding it in a present in which all experience has been lived, and all realisations are realised. Undeniably, Lady Gaga is not dead, but this is what she knows. [8]

Will Adams: I defended "The Cure" and lamented the immense pressure on Gaga to make every release the Next Big Thing, however even that soured when it turned out to be part of A Star Is Born's ~superficial pop~ world. So where to next, when she's caught between turgid rock balladry and ill-fitting trop-pop? On "Stupid Love," we get the best possible outcome: whizzing past Joanne, making a brief stop at Artpop but ultimately landing on the dazzling excess of Born This Way. Like any good synthpop number, the synths display a wide range of textures: they tunnel, they drill, they poof, they gleam. Gaga is more than willing to match their energy. Noteworthy, though, is that she takes a brief pause only on the pre-chorus's "all I ever wanted was love"; even the way the title scans it almost sounds like she could be singing "I want just to be loved." This is the essence of pop: amidst the big dumb fireworks display, a human message at the core. [7]

[singledarkshade]

Familiar Stranger

Part Four

Gideon played with the necklace Michael and Jonas had given her for Christmas while she watched Jonas and Bobby playing a computer game. Michael was currently in the kitchen with Sam helping him make Christmas dinner while Maggie and Kelly were with Ali chatting. They were at Sam and Kelly’s as they were the only ones with a house that could accommodate all who were able to make dinner. Bobby was there but Hal was spending Christmas with his mother, while Fran and Miles were spending the day with his family.

The door opened signalling Katrina’s arrival back with the puppy who had recently been renamed Giddy, so they didn’t get confused having two Gideons.

Bobby kept teasing that they should have changed her name since the dog had joined them first but was shouted down. Giddy instantly made her way over to her food bowl and began to eat, Katrina grabbed the glass of wine she’d left and took the seat beside Gideon.

“Have I missed anything?” she asked.

“Jonas keeps winning,” Gideon replied amused, “They’re on their fifth game.”

Katrina laughed, “Bobby is a bad loser.”

“It doesn’t help that his opponent is five years old,” Gideon grinned back.

Glancing at Gideon who was still sliding her fingers across the pendant around her neck. Katrina noted, “That is very beautiful. A moon and a star.”

“It is,” Gideon smiled, “Michael said Jonas picked it.”

“Oh, he adores you,” Katrina replied with a mysterious smile taking a drink of her wine.

Before Gideon could ask what Katrina meant, Kelly called them all for dinner.

Dinner had been delicious, but it was made by a chef who ran one of the best restaurants in the city. After they’d finished eating they adjourned to the living room, Rip was a little bemused by how he was manoeuvred to sit beside Gideon by Katrina, but assumed it was because he had invited her and hadn’t spent much time with her all day.

The rest of the night was spent talking and laughing, while everyone took turns playing against Jonas on his game.

“Daddy,” Jonas climbed into his lap a few hours later, “I’m tired.”

Rip hugged him before turning to his friends, “I need to get him home.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked, “You could just put him in the spare room, leave the door open.”

“No. It’s getting late,” Rip replied, “Thanks for having us today.”

Kelly rolled her eyes giving him a slight hug, “You’re more than welcome.”

They gathered up all the presents Jonas had been given, putting Giddy back in her carrier before Rip managed to slide his jacket on Jonas who was now fast asleep lifting him into his arms.

“Look who’s under the mistletoe,” Maggie called as they started out the door, “Michael, you know what you have to do.”

Rip frowned at her before he turned to Gideon slightly embarrassed, she had an amused smile on her face at the encouragement from the others.

“You are all such children,” Rip rolled his eyes, leaning over he pressed a very gentle kiss to the side of Gideon’s mouth. Pulling back, he caught her sparkling grey eyes and gave a shy smile back before he turned to the others, “Are you happy?”

Katrina patted his arm, “Have a good night, you two.”

Shaking his head Rip started out to the car, gently easing Jonas into his car seat smiling at the little murmurs he made in his sleep.

“It’s okay,” Rip soothed, “We’re going home.”

Once they were finally on the road Rip turned to Gideon, “About the…”

Gideon didn’t look at him when she shrugged, “It’s alright. We are the only two who are single and I know how much the others like to tease.”

He laughed softly.

“Thank you for inviting me to join you all today,” she told him, “Watching Jonas open his presents this morning was a joy.”

Rip smiled at her again, “You’re always welcome.”

                                  *********************************************

  “I’m sorry I was out of the country over Christmas,” Tina said as she and Gideon sat in her office eating lunch early in the New Year, “Did you do anything?”

Gideon smiled, “I actually spent Christmas with Michael Hunter and his friends. It was nice.”

Tina took a quick drink to hide her smile, “What about New Year?”

“I wasn’t feeling too well that day,” Gideon shrugged, “I slept through it which was a shame as I had been invited to a party.”

Laughing Tina leaned back in her seat, “I’m glad you’ve settled in and made friends. Michael is a nice man. One of the reasons I introduced you to him when you first got here.”

Gideon nodded a slight blush touching her cheeks, “He is very nice and Jonas is such a lovely little boy. I enjoy spending time with them.”

Tina gave another smile before changing the subject, “So you know before the meeting I’m having to fight people off who are trying to steal you to work for them.”

“Well I enjoy working here,” Gideon replied, “You don’t have to worry about me leaving, at least until my contract ends.”

Gideon’s phone began to buzz and she frowned worriedly when she read the message.

“Is something wrong?” Tina asked.

“Jonas is in hospital,” Gideon gasped.

“Is he alright?” Tina asked worriedly.

Shaking her head frustrated, “She hasn’t told me anything else.”

Tina grimaced, “Go.”

“Are you sure?” Gideon asked, “We have that meeting…”

“Go,” Tina told her again, “Michael will need some support if Jonas is hurt. I’ll rearrange the meeting.”

  Rip ran through the corridors of the hospital trying desperately to keep from panicking. He’d taken the day off work to have some time to himself, now Jonas was at school it was something he’d promised Katrina he would do. She was still convinced he was going to end up back in hospital, so Rip had agreed he would take a day to himself. Although it was still Christmas vacation Jonas wasn’t even at school but was being taken care of by Ali who was also watching Giddy for him.

“Michael,” Ali waved to him, “I’m so sorry. I turned away for a second, I…”

He shook his head, “Where is he?”

“With the doctors,” Ali whispered, “Michael…”

“Not now, Ali,” he stated coldly.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself waiting. Finally someone appeared in the room with them.

“Dr Hunter?” the man called.

“Yes,” Rip rushed forward, “Is he okay?”

The man nodded, “I’m Dr Jamieson. When Jonas fell, he hit his head and broke his right arm. I don’t want you to panic because it’s not as bad as it sounds but I’m keeping him overnight for observation.”

Rip let out a shaky breath, “Can I see him?”

“Of course,” Jamieson told him, “He’s a little groggy just now but that’s just what we’ve given him to manage his pain.”

“He is allergic to…” Rip started.

“Miss Kingsley let us know,” Jamieson assured Rip, “Follow me.”

Glancing back at where Ali was standing Rip gave her a quick nod before he followed the doctor inside the room.

“Daddy,” Jonas cried seeing him there reaching out, he was pale with a large bruise on his forehead and his right arm was in a green cast.

Rip instantly pulled him close, “Hey, little man. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

“It hurts, Daddy,” Jonas held onto him.

Hushing him Rip gently rested him back on the bed and turned to the doctor who was waiting to talk to him some more.

“We’re going to move Jonas up to the children’s ward,” Jamieson told him, “Once he’s settled you can join him. Nurse Miller is going to take you to fill in some paperwork first.”

Rip nodded and turned to his son, “I will be back very quickly, okay? Until I do then the doctor and nurse will be with you.”

Jonas pouted slightly but knew he had no choice so nodded. Rip gently kissed his son’s hair before following the nurse out the room.

  Ali was waiting for him and Rip wrapped his arm around her in a hug quickly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I turned away for a second.”

Rip sighed, “It’s not your fault. It was an accident. I have to do some paperwork can you pick up some pyjamas for him and get Boo Bear?”

Ali nodded, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her, “I’ll let you know where he is when I know.”

With a sigh he headed over to the reception to go through the paperwork. It felt as though there were about a hundred forms to fill in.

“Dr Hunter?” a familiar voice made him turn.

“Detective West,” Rip said, “What are you doing here?”

The other man smiled, “Just a check-up for Jenna. Is Jonas alright?”

“He was in the playground with Ali and fell off the wall there,” Rip sighed shaking his head, “Broken arm and bump on the head. They’re keeping him in for observation.”

West nodded giving a small chuckle, “Kids, they do their best to give you a heart attack.”

Rip laughed slightly, “Very true.”

“He’ll be fine,” West assured him, “My daughter, Iris, broke her leg riding her bike down a hill at the park because she was trying to prove she was braver than Barry.”

Rip grimaced.

“She proved herself right,” West mused before clapping his shoulder, “He’ll be fine.”

Rip gave a slight smile, “Thanks, Detective.”

“Dad,” another voice called making them both look over to the young man jogging over. He spotted Rip and stalled, “Hi?”

“Michael Hunter,” West caught the young man by his shoulder, “This is my son, Wally.”

Rip smiled, “Nice to meet you, Wally.”

Wally stared at him nodding when West squeezed his shoulder, “You too,” he stared at Rip for a moment before turning, “Dad, Cecile is waiting in the car.”

West nodded, “I have to go. Don’t worry, kids are tough and your boy is strong. He’ll be fine.”

  After what felt like hours of filling in forms, although it was only about twenty minutes later, Rip finally entered the room within the children’s ward where Jonas was waiting for him.

“Daddy,” the little boy cried happy to see him.

Rip sat on the bed gathering his son into his arms and holding him close, “It’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Jonas whispered, “I know I shouldn’t have been on the wall.”

Rip hushed him, “It’s okay. I think you’ve learned your lesson so why don’t you close your eyes and get some sleep. You’re tired.”

“You won’t go away?” Jonas whispered worriedly.

“I will be right here,” Rip assured him, smiling when Jonas cuddled against him falling asleep quite quickly. Rip rested him on the bed again and rubbed his eyes letting out a shuddering breath.

 “Michael?”

He turned hearing Gideon’s voice and Rip sighed relieved to see her there, she walked over wrapping her arms around Rip.

“What happened?” she asked.

Quickly explaining Rip took her into the room where Jonas was fast asleep, looking small and fragile.

“He’s alright,” Gideon gently stroked the little boy’s hair before turning to Rip again resting her hand on Rip’s cheek, “He’s fine. You can relax.”

She slid her arms around him again and Rip let out a sigh of relief as she held him. Feeling the tension in his shoulders release as Gideon slid her hands up and down his back comfortingly.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Rip whispered to her.

Gideon hugged him tighter, “I always will be.”

Part Five

[orbemnews]

Pregnant Women Get Conflicting Advice on Covid-19 Vaccines Pregnant women looking for guidance on Covid-19 vaccines are facing the kind of confusion that has dogged the pandemic from the start: The world’s leading public health organizations — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization — are offering contradictory advice. Neither organization explicitly forbids or encourages immunizing pregnant women. But weighing the same limited studies, they provide different recommendations. The C.D.C.’s advisory committee urged pregnant women to consult with their doctors before rolling up their sleeves — a decision applauded by several women’s health organizations because it kept decision making in the hands of the expectant mothers. The W.H.O. recommended that pregnant women not receive the vaccine, unless they were at high risk for Covid because of work exposures or chronic conditions. It issued guidance on the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday, stirring uncertainty among women and doctors on social media. (Earlier this month, it published similar guidance on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.) Several experts expressed dismay at the W.H.O.’s stance, saying the risks to pregnant women from Covid were far greater than any theoretical harm from the vaccines. “There are no documented risks to the fetus, there’s no theoretical risks, there’s no risk in animal studies,” from the vaccines, said Dr. Anne Lyerly, a bioethicist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “The more that I think about it, the more disappointed and sad I feel about it.” The difference of opinion between the C.D.C. and the W.H.O. is not rooted in scientific evidence, but the lack of it: Pregnant women have been barred from participating in clinical trials of the vaccines, a decision in line with a long tradition of excluding pregnant women from biomedical research, but one that is now being challenged. While the rationale is ostensibly to protect women and their unborn children, barring pregnant women from studies pushes the risk out of the carefully controlled environment of a clinical trial and into the real world. The practice has forced patients and providers to weigh sensitive, worrisome issues with little hard data about safety or effectiveness. Vaccines are generally considered to be safe, and pregnant women have been urged to be immunized for influenza and other diseases since the 1960s, even in the absence of rigorous clinical trials to test them. “As obstetricians we are often faced with difficult decisions about using interventions in pregnancy that have not been properly tested in pregnancy,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, an obstetrician at Emory University in Atlanta and a member of the Covid expert group at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. The college strongly advocated including pregnant and breastfeeding women in the vaccine trials. “What many people miss is that there are risks to doing nothing,” Dr. Jamieson said. “Not offering pregnant women the opportunity to be vaccinated and protect themselves, where there are known and severe risks of Covid amplified by pregnancy, is not a wise strategy.” The uncertainty isn’t limited to Covid vaccines: Many if not most medications, including widely used drugs, have never been tested in pregnant women. It can take years or decades for adverse side effects to come to light in the absence of a study with a control group for comparison. “This isn’t a story about the W.H.O. or other people advising against vaccination in pregnancy,” said Carleigh Krubiner, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development and a principal investigator for the Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics and New Technologies project (PREVENT). “It’s a story about the failure to timely and appropriately include pregnant women in vaccination studies.” Saying she understood the commitment of the W.H.O. and other advisory bodies to rely on scientific studies, Dr. Krubiner added: “The reality is that we don’t yet have the data on these vaccinations in pregnancy, and it’s very difficult without that data to come out and give a full-throated recommendation in support.” The C.D.C. and the W.H.O. have offered dissonant advice many times over the course of the pandemic — most notably on the usefulness of masks and the possibility of the virus traveling by air indoors. In a statement, the C.D.C. said on Thursday that based on how the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines work, “they are unlikely to pose a specific risk for pregnant women.” The C.D.C.’s recommendation may make sense for the United States, where women may easily be able to consult with their health care providers, said Joachim Hombach, a health adviser to the W.H.O. on immunizations. But the W.H.O. provides guidance to many low- and middle-income countries where women do not have access to doctors or nurses, he said. The W.H.O.’s recommendation was also made “in the context of limited supply” of the vaccines, Dr. Hombach said. “I don’t think the language is discouraging, but the language is stating the facts.” Pfizer did not include pregnant women in its initial clinical trials because it followed the policies outlined by the Food and Drug Administration to first conduct developmental and reproductive toxicity studies, said Jerica Pitts, a spokeswoman for the company. Pfizer and Moderna both provided results from toxicity studies in pregnant rats to the F.D.A. in December. Pfizer plans to begin a clinical study in pregnant women in the first half of 2021, Ms. Pitts said. Moderna is establishing a registry to record outcomes in pregnant women who receive its vaccine, according to Colleen Hussey, a spokeswoman for the company. Critics of the companies’ decisions to exclude pregnant women from trials say the reproductive toxicity studies could have been carried out much earlier — as soon as promising vaccine candidates were identified. The companies should have added a protocol to enroll pregnant women once it was clear the vaccines’ benefits outweighed potential harm, Dr. Krubiner said. “It’s hard to understand why that delay is happening and why it wasn’t initiated sooner,” she said. “The bigger issue is, we’re going to have lost months by the time they start them.” Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University who has advocated immunizations for pregnant women questioned the underlying issue that prompted the W.H.O.’s decision. “Whatever it is, I wish the W.H.O. would be more transparent in their reasons behind this recommendation,” she said. “Women’s lives depend on it.” Covid-19 Vaccines › Answers to Your Vaccine Questions Am I eligible for the Covid vaccine in my state? Currently more than 150 million people — almost half the population — are eligible to be vaccinated. But each state makes the final decision about who goes first. The nation’s 21 million health care workers and three million residents of long-term care facilities were the first to qualify. In mid-January, federal officials urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19. Adults in the general population are at the back of the line. If federal and state health officials can clear up bottlenecks in vaccine distribution, everyone 16 and older will become eligible as early as this spring or early summer. The vaccine hasn’t been approved in children, although studies are underway. It may be months before a vaccine is available for anyone under the age of 16. Go to your state health website for up-to-date information on vaccination policies in your area Is the vaccine free? You should not have to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine, although you will be asked for insurance information. If you don’t have insurance, you should still be given the vaccine at no charge. Congress passed legislation this spring that bars insurers from applying any cost sharing, such as a co-payment or deductible. It layered on additional protections barring pharmacies, doctors and hospitals from billing patients, including those who are uninsured. Even so, health experts do worry that patients might stumble into loopholes that leave them vulnerable to surprise bills. This could happen to those who are charged a doctor visit fee along with their vaccine, or Americans who have certain types of health coverage that do not fall under the new rules. If you get your vaccine from a doctor’s office or urgent care clinic, talk to them about potential hidden charges. To be sure you won’t get a surprise bill, the best bet is to get your vaccine at a health department vaccination site or a local pharmacy once the shots become more widely available. Can I choose which vaccine I get? How long will the vaccine last? Will I need another one next year? That is to be determined. It’s possible that Covid-19 vaccinations will become an annual event, just like the flu shot. Or it may be that the benefits of the vaccine last longer than a year. We have to wait to see how durable the protection from the vaccines is. To determine this, researchers are going to be tracking vaccinated people to look for “breakthrough cases” — those people who get sick with Covid-19 despite vaccination. That is a sign of weakening protection and will give researchers clues about how long the vaccine lasts. They will also be monitoring levels of antibodies and T cells in the blood of vaccinated people to determine whether and when a booster shot might be needed. It’s conceivable that people may need boosters every few months, once a year or only every few years. It’s just a matter of waiting for the data. Will my employer require vaccinations? Where can I find out more? The toxicity data released by Pfizer and Moderna in December found no harmful effects from the vaccines to pregnant rats — evidence cited by the W.H.O. in its guidance. One extreme consequence of a conservative approach to vaccines played out during the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when health workers offered a vaccine for the disease to all frontline workers and contacts of people confirmed to have it — except if they were pregnant or breastfeeding. Without the vaccine, 98 percent of pregnant women who were infected with the Ebola virus died. The rules were changed following a public outcry but, by then, many pregnant women had died, Dr. Lyerly said. Covid-19 has also proved to be dangerous to pregnant women. A large C.D.C. study published in November found that pregnant women with Covid who were symptomatic were significantly more likely to be hospitalized or to die when compared with nonpregnant women who also had Covid symptoms. The evidence prompted agency officials to add pregnancy to the list of conditions that heighten the risk of severe disease and death from Covid. The C.D.C. has set up a smartphone application called v-safe to solicit reports of side effects from immunized people. About 15,000 pregnant women have enrolled in the registry so far, the agency’s immunization committee reported on Wednesday. “I think that’s our best chance of getting safety data rapidly,” Dr. Jamieson said. Britain initially starkly recommended against Covid vaccines for pregnant women, but has since revised its guidance to authorize inoculating pregnant women who are frontline workers or otherwise at high risk. “I’m hoping the W.H.O. will reconsider as well,” Dr. Jamieson said. Some experts said the recommendations are not as divergent as they may appear at first glance. “The C.D.C. is more inclined to say that pregnant women should have access to the vaccine, but should discuss their circumstances with their providers,” said Dr. Ana Langer, a reproductive health expert who leads the Women and Health Initiative at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The W.H.O.’s interim recommendation says that women who are at particularly high risk of exposure or getting Covid should get the vaccine. So where’s the big difference here?” Denise Grady contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Advice #conflicting #Covid19 #Pregnant #Vaccines #Women

[peckhampeculiar]

For the record

Local resident Garth Cartwright has written a book chronicling the story of the UK record shop. As Record Store Day on April 21 approaches, he shares some snippets about the music shops of SE15

I’ve written a book that tells the tale of the UK record shop. The story stretches from 1890 – when wax cylinder recordings of music were first made commercially available – to the present.

Peckham has hosted all kinds of record shops over the past century. Having spent the last 25 years in south London (and much of it in SE15) I went looking for local stories to include. And I found some great ones.

Today the area is once again a music hub, with Rye Wax in the Bussey Building basement and Lorenzo’s Record Shack in Sky Shopping City both providing cutting-edge new and used vinyl selections.

Another local music shop, Maestro Records, opened in the mid-1990s on Parkstone Road, just off Rye Lane, in the building that once housed Reed Music Centre (later Reed For Records).

Owner Michael Fountaine, who has run Maestro since its inception, remembers shopping in Reed’s. His shop offers both CDs and vinyl, focusing on music for Peckham’s Afro-Caribbean community: reggae, soul, rap, gospel, soca and R&B.  

CD Base in Holdron’s Arcade sells CDs and DVDs and specialises in rap and dancehall; while Craig Jamieson of Peckham Soul offers up a small but tasty selection of vinyl LPs and singles – as well as branded clothing – from his base at Peckham Pelican.  

That said, since I last wrote about SE15 record shops for the Peculiar back in 2016, there have been a few closures. Yam Records in Holdron’s Arcade recently pulled down the shutters for the last time to relocate to Bermondsey.

This is a great shame as Yam was a real hub of youth activity, with a tiny radio station, a record label and all kinds of contemporary electronic music on 12-inch 45s, alongside some good ’n’ funky used records.

On Friary Road Sacred Records still stands, its window bedecked with bright LP sleeves, but it has not opened in more than a year. Run as a hobby by two close friends, it’s a treasure trove of LPs and obscure musical delights such as historic Maori and Croatian recordings.

Other music shops have come and gone over the years. In the past, Peckham was home to a handful of small but significant record stores, including the aforementioned Reed For Records.

For decades Reed’s was Peckham’s most significant and best-loved record shop and while no one has been able to verify exactly when it opened, I’m guessing it was some time during the early 1950s.

One commentator at the British Record Shop Archive website recalls Jean Reed running into the shop saying she’d just seen Bermondsey boy Tommy Steele audition and that he would be a big star. This would have been 1956 and Jean was proved correct.

She and her husband Ray ran the Parkstone Road shop and another branch in Forest Hill on Dartmouth Road.

Their early record bags – often the only trace left of these shops is their branded paper bags – also mention a connection with West End Reproducers on Tottenham Court Road but, so far, no further information has come to light about this shop.

Jean and Ray were much loved by the local community, with Jean possessing an encyclopaedic mind when it came to knowing what records had been released and what were about to be released.

Back then, almost all record shops kept the covers of the LPs out front and the actual vinyl behind the counter. Customers would then take the cover to the counter if they wished to have a listen.

Most shops had small listening booths until the late-1970s where, if you were considered a serious customer and not just a time waster, you would be allowed to listen to the record of your choice – or purchase.

Older Peckham residents recall how Rye Lane was once known as the “golden mile” for shopping, and remember the vast Jones & Higgins department store that once dominated the top end of the Lane, stretching from Peckham High Street to Hanover Park.

Jones & Higgins housed a gramophone department – as many of the big stores did pre-World War Two – and this would have sold sheet and recorded music.

Many market traders would also have sold records: from the introduction of the 78 (it overtook cylinders in sales by 1910) until the late 1970s, large amounts of 78s, 45s and LPs were sold on market stalls across the UK.

Again, older residents recall buying records at market stalls in the 1960s – and Jamaican, Trinidadian and African records were often sold alongside food, beauty products and such by traders who catered specifically to the new immigrant communities.

Bicycle shops were also popular outlets for 78s but if Wilson’s on Peckham High Street – Peckham’s oldest trading shop and still a bike shop today – ever sold shellac there is no record of it.

The cardboard 78 sleeves often boasted the name of the outlet, with bike and electrical shops being prominent retailers. A1 Records, which existed from the 1920s to the 1990s on the corner of Walworth Road and East Street Market, was based in the back of a light fittings outlet.

While Wilson’s remains a mystery I do know that, directly along from it in the shop that is now home to the fabulous Persepolis, there once stood the majestic Peckham Gramophone Stores.

A photo taken in what I believe to be 1933 demonstrates a group of men and boys – and one woman (and possibly a girl in the far left corner) – watching as a man puts needle to 78 on a portable gramophone.

What are they listening to? Most likely the new Jack Hylton 78, as a large, framed image of Hylton rests against the shop window and a cardboard stand of Jack is right beside the early DJ.

Jack was a towering figure in British dance music during the 1920s and 30s and lived the life of a star – squiring beautiful women, driving fast cars and residing in a mansion. In 1933 a new Hylton 78 could well have had Peckhamites out on the street and listening to the music play.

The photo shows that Peckham Gramophone Stores sold not just records, but gramophones, wirelesses (radios) and newspapers, specifically the Daily Herald – a paper that existed from 1912-1964 when it relaunched as The Sun.

What happened to Peckham Gramophone Stores? So far, no one has come forward with any information on it but, as World War Two led to a shortage of shellac – the resin used to make 78s – it’s likely this is what helped bring about its closure.

Sally Butcher, the polymath who owns Persepolis, says the building appears to have been a sweet shop for some time, so it’s unlikely Peckham Gramophone Stores was in competition with Reed Music Centre. As Persepolis sells Persian CDs today, the tradition continues.

In the 1970s Peckham changed from being a predominantly white community to an Afro-Caribbean one and reggae “shacks” opened selling Jamaican 45s as fresh and hot as a saltfish patty.

The most famous of these shacks was Intone at 48 Rye Lane, which was run by the legendary sound system DJ and record producer Lloydie Coxsone and attracted legions of loyal  customers including Radio 1 DJ John Peel.

Peel was so enthused by the new dub and roots reggae records he would buy in Intone, that he championed it both on his radio show and in his column in Sounds, which was a music weekly.

Peel seemed to take a certain glee in taking the train from Victoria Station to Peckham Rye and then venturing into Intone, where the music was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think and the air was filled with ganja smoke.

Intone closed sometime in the mid-1970s and, not long after, Dub Vendor opened its very first shop in the arcade by Peckham Rye Station.

Dub Vendor’s founders were John MacGillivray and Chris Lane, two white London youths who were obsessive Jamaican music fans. They would develop DV into several shops and the Fashion record label – home to Smiley Culture’s hits.

Yet their Peckham venture proved a disaster: having only been open a month, they arrived one morning to find the shop turned over – stereo, speakers and stock all stolen.

Dub Vendor subsequently quit Peckham, operating as a market stall in Clapham Junction before opening celebrated reggae shops in Ladbroke Grove and Clapham.

Crime was a threat to other record shops too. Ray Reed was attacked and robbed in Reed’s in the 1970s, as was Mr Tipple, the owner of Tipple’s newsagent and record shop on Peckham Park Road.

Mr Tipple was infamous for his rudeness – he often refused to let customers see the records, which were kept in the back of the shop – and for his deep stock: if you were lucky enough to get access you could find mint records dating back to the 1950s.

Tipple’s closed at some point around 1990 when Mr Tipple died. Ray Reed passed away in the late 1970s but Jean kept the Peckham shop going until she retired in the 1990s. These shops may be gone but the memories, stories and records they sold live on.

..............................

In-depth stories on Peckham’s record shops – and many more across London and the UK – feature in Going For A Song: A Chronicle Of The UK Record Shop (Flood Gallery Press). It’s available now in all good book and record shops (including Lorenzo’s and Persepolis). If you have any memories of record shops to share, please visit garthcartwright.com to get in touch.

[mshelenahandbag]

I’ve lived in St. Louis all my life. I’ve lived in the 63109 ZIP Code all my life. It is majority white, and as far as I can recall has the most cops out of any other district in the city. So when word came up of a protest action in St. Louis Hills, I was skeptical and nervous. Because this neighborhood has really shown their true colors time and time again in the wrong ways. I was honestly surprised by the size and scope of this turnout. We stretched all down Jamieson Ave (still not related) from about Bancroft to Pernod. Cars honked and pumped fists in support. Hell, we got two bi state busses to honk! We only had one middle finger, which surprised the he’ll out of me! Maybe this moment is watershed. Maybe it’s finally happening. I gotta hope. Because the 63109 showed me that people are FINALLY seeing the police corruption, and that #blacklivesmatter✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 #justiceforgeorgefloyd #justiceforbreonnataylor #justicefortonymcdade #blacktranslivesmatter https://www.instagram.com/p/CBEvP1KDjoY/?igshid=12z9ld9n2ugj1

[highbuttonsports]

T-BIRDS KEEP SOARING TO 6-0 RECORD/BIRDS NEST GETS A MAKEOVER

What’s going on High Button sports fans? I’ve got lots of Thunderbird news to cover since you last heard from me, which I will get into shortly. Before I do, I wanted to mention our latest partnership with The Birds Nest podcast. The boys at High Button are looking to take our content to the next level and we figured what better way to do that than to partner up with the already existing podcast covering the Thunderbirds. Essentially what this will entail is bringing the podcast on to our network, which will give them access to all the audio and video equipment. Of course that’s not all, the partnership will also allow the show to grow and keep growing. We will have access to player interviews for the show, and it just gives the fans a little more insight on the NLL and lacrosse in general around Nova Scotia. That’s where I come in; I plan to fill the show with not only Thunderbird guests, but local lacrosse talent as well. I think my experience as well as my connections with players, referees and coaches will bring us more and more guests ultimately reaching more fans. I look forward to being on the show and talking lacrosse with our listeners and take this podcast beyond our expectations! Find us on social media on all the platforms now and follow along for updates on the T-birds, lacrosse news and whatever else comes our way. Tyler, Dean and myself at The Birds Nest along with our super producer and High Button founder Belly are excited to take the show to the next level. Check out our latest episode out now and stay tuned for more episodes weekly.

Moving to the lacrosse floor - The T-Birds are still undefeated (6-0) with wins over San Diego at home back on January 18th, and another gutsy come from behind win on the road in Calgary over the Roughnecks this past Saturday. Both wins saw the Thunderbirds battle back after getting down at different points in the game. Goaltender Warren Hill was an absolute wall against San Diego holding the Seals to just five goals with an incredible 57 save performance. Down 5-4 in the third quarter, Halifax forward Kyle Jackson fired a blast past San Diego net minder Frankie Scigliano to tie the game up. That’s when Halifax’s Stephen Keogh took over. Notching a natural hat-trick in the last 10 minutes, Keogh solidified the win in front of the home crowd in style. Halifax Captain Cody Jamieson found Keogh with some beautiful passing making it all that more beautiful. “I was just trying to get open, Jammer found me a couple times with some great passing and the ball just started falling in towards the end” said Keogh after the game. He also touched on the stellar defense and goaltending the team displayed to pull out the win. “(Hill) he’s been great, he’s had a great season so far, he held us in it, I think we should always win when we hold a team to five.. team defense played awesome and Warren held us in it.”

Halifax would take that momentum on the road as they then travelled west to take on the Roughnecks at the Saddledome. The first of two back to back road games as they will make a stop in Toronto to battle the Rock on the 31st. Finding themselves in a hole for most of the first half, the purple and orange got right back to doing what they do best, finding ways to get W’s. With the team down 6-3 at half time, Thunderbird captain and league superstar Cody Jamieson got the comeback rolling by completing his hat trick early in the third quarter. This would spark a nine-goal outburst in the third from the T-Birds with a hat trick from Stephen Keogh in the third alone, finishing the game with a very impressive five tallies. Rookie star Clarke Petterson would also notch a hat trick and two assists in the 15-12 win while Ryan Benesch had two goals and an assist and Mike Burke with five helpers. Goaltender Warren Hill came up with 32 saves on 44 shots in the win making some huge saves late. Face-off specialist Jake Withers had another very impressive performance at the X going 27 for 32 while scooping up 12 loose balls in the process.

This team continues to show resiliency no matter the situation, they bear down when they have to and score huge goals in huge moments to keep the undefeated streak alive. Everyone seems to be buying in which is so crucial to any championship pedigree team. Let’s keep this momentum going as we take on the Toronto Rock (3-2) Friday night in Toronto. The game can be streamed on Bleacher Report Live, face-off is at 8:30 pm AST.

Exciting times at High Button Sports and this is just the beginning. Be sure to catch Tyler, Dean and myself on the Birds Nest Podcast weekly for break down of the games, player interviews and some Nova Scotia lacrosse personnel as well. I promise we wont disappoint. Feedback is much appreciated and welcomed. That’s all I’ve got for now Thunderbird fans. Until next time; it’s Millsy signing off again,  thanks for scrolling.

[jordanmillsblog]

T-BIRDS KEEP SOARING TO 6-0 RECORD/BIRDS NEST GETS A MAKEOVER

What’s going on High Button sports fans? I’ve got lots of Thunderbird news to cover since you last heard from me, which I will get into shortly. Before I do, I wanted to mention our latest partnership with The Birds Nest podcast. The boys at High Button are looking to take our content to the next level and we figured what better way to do that than to partner up with the already existing podcast covering the Thunderbirds. Essentially what this will entail is bringing the podcast on to our network, which will give them access to all the audio and video equipment. Of course that's not all, the partnership will also allow the show to grow and keep growing. We will have access to player interviews for the show, and it just gives the fans a little more insight on the NLL and lacrosse in general around Nova Scotia. That's where I come in; I plan to fill the show with not only Thunderbird guests, but local lacrosse talent as well. I think my experience as well as my connections with players, referees and coaches will bring us more and more guests ultimately reaching more fans. I look forward to being on the show and talking lacrosse with our listeners and take this podcast beyond our expectations! Find us on social media on all the platforms now and follow along for updates on the T-birds, lacrosse news and whatever else comes our way. Tyler, Dean and myself at The Birds Nest along with our super producer and High Button founder Belly are excited to take the show to the next level. Check out our latest episode out now and stay tuned for more episodes weekly.

Moving to the lacrosse floor - The T-Birds are still undefeated (6-0) with wins over San Diego at home back on January 18th, and another gutsy come from behind win on the road in Calgary over the Roughnecks this past Saturday. Both wins saw the Thunderbirds battle back after getting down at different points in the game. Goaltender Warren Hill was an absolute wall against San Diego holding the Seals to just five goals with an incredible 57 save performance. Down 5-4 in the third quarter, Halifax forward Kyle Jackson fired a blast past San Diego net minder Frankie Scigliano to tie the game up. That's when Halifax’s Stephen Keogh took over. Notching a natural hat-trick in the last 10 minutes, Keogh solidified the win in front of the home crowd in style. Halifax Captain Cody Jamieson found Keogh with some beautiful passing making it all that more beautiful. “I was just trying to get open, Jammer found me a couple times with some great passing and the ball just started falling in towards the end” said Keogh after the game. He also touched on the stellar defense and goaltending the team displayed to pull out the win. “(Hill) he’s been great, he’s had a great season so far, he held us in it, I think we should always win when we hold a team to five.. team defense played awesome and Warren held us in it.”

Halifax would take that momentum on the road as they then travelled west to take on the Roughnecks at the Saddledome. The first of two back to back road games as they will make a stop in Toronto to battle the Rock on the 31st. Finding themselves in a hole for most of the first half, the purple and orange got right back to doing what they do best, finding ways to get W’s. With the team down 6-3 at half time, Thunderbird captain and league superstar Cody Jamieson got the comeback rolling by completing his hat trick early in the third quarter. This would spark a nine-goal outburst in the third from the T-Birds with a hat trick from Stephen Keogh in the third alone, finishing the game with a very impressive five tallies. Rookie star Clarke Petterson would also notch a hat trick and two assists in the 15-12 win while Ryan Benesch had two goals and an assist and Mike Burke with five helpers. Goaltender Warren Hill came up with 32 saves on 44 shots in the win making some huge saves late. Face-off specialist Jake Withers had another very impressive performance at the X going 27 for 32 while scooping up 12 loose balls in the process.

This team continues to show resiliency no matter the situation, they bear down when they have to and score huge goals in huge moments to keep the undefeated streak alive. Everyone seems to be buying in which is so crucial to any championship pedigree team. Let's keep this momentum going as we take on the Toronto Rock (3-2) Friday night in Toronto. The game can be streamed on Bleacher Report Live, face-off is at 8:30 pm AST.

Exciting times at High Button Sports and this is just the beginning. Be sure to catch Tyler, Dean and myself on the Birds Nest Podcast weekly for break down of the games, player interviews and some Nova Scotia lacrosse personnel as well. I promise we wont disappoint. Feedback is much appreciated and welcomed. That's all I’ve got for now Thunderbird fans. Until next time; it’s Millsy signing off again,  thanks for scrolling.

[amanda-glassen]

But would Serena would swap out Jamie's workout playlist with a Zombie Chase workout?

(I feel I already know the answer, but wanted to check)

Yes. Yes, she would, and I loved this thought so much that I had to write a drabble about it. (But it's technically not a drabble because it's over 1000 words). I love these two idiots so if you have any other horror/autumn-themed requests I will gladly write them.

Slightly less than a month after their wedding, Jamie found herself back in Beverly Hills for Thanksgiving with the Benson family. It was her first time spending the holiday away from home, but with Serena’s family in Beverly Hills and her family in New York, they agreed to alternate between the two cities for the holidays. The morning after Thanksgiving, Jamie decided to go down to one of the basement-level rooms that had been converted into a gym. Her wife had stayed up watching Krampus and Black Christmas and a few other slashers with her siblings and Olivia the night before because they were considered holiday movies in the Benson household. At twelve, she felt Olivia should be watching The Grinch and she shook her head when she realized it was too late for Olivia; she had already become one of them.

So while the rest of the Benson family was still asleep, Jamie pressed play on her workout playlist and started running on the treadmill. She was five minutes into her workout when she heard someone start to describe a zombie apocalypse story and was given the revelation that a horde of zombies was chasing her. “Damn it, Serena!” she said as she put the treadmill in cool down mode.

“You rang,” Serena said jokingly, standing in the doorway in some flannel pajama pants and one of Jamie’s hoodies.

“I’m not even gonna ask if this was you,” she said as she stepped off the treadmill. “I know it was, but the joke’s on you because it actually seems interesting.”

“Come back to bed, Jamieson,” Serena insisted. “I like smelling you when you’re all sweaty.”

Jamie grabbed her phone, towel, and water bottle. “I wouldn’t admit that to too many people, Ser Bear.”

Although her workout didn’t last long enough to break a sweat, Serena cuddled up to Jamie in their bed and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “This is your usual scent. I wanted my sweaty wife.”

Jamie couldn’t help smiling when she saw Serena’s pouty face. She placed a kiss on her wife’s forehead and started to rub her arm. “What’s come over you?” Jamie chuckled. “Are you pregnant? Did I knock you up on our honeymoon?”

“Just the opposite,” Serena responded. “The bloodening has happened earlier than expected. I’m cramping and I want cuddles.”

“Did you take something?” Jamie asked. “Want me to get you some Advil? A heating pad? Your cranberry tea?”

Jamie felt her wife pinch her lips shut. “Stop talking, Jamieson. No words. Just cuddles.”

“You know what’s really good for that time of the month?” Jamie asked once she was finally able to speak. “Exercise.”

“Ugh,” Serena groaned. “I am trying to not feel miserable.”

“A lot of couples exercise together. I think it’d make you feel better, too. You could cut down on the caffeine and actually have natural energy. Maybe if we both change our eating habits too it’ll－”

“You’re not attracted to me anymore?” Serena immediately sat up. “Are you cheating on me, Jamieson? What’s her name? Do I know her? Is she younger?”

“What?” Jamie asked in disbelief. She noticed the look in her wife’s eyes, the look she saw in movies right before wives killed their husbands. Be careful, Jamie. Not only is it her time of the month, but she’s crazy even on her best days. “Serena, no one has ever loved anyone as much as I love you and I’d rather gouge my own eyes out than check out another woman.”

With that statement, Serena’s mood went from homicidal to soft. She pulled Jamie back down to cuddle her, making her feel grateful that she had said the right thing. “Good,” Serena said as she cuddled up to her again. “Because if I ever caught you checking out another woman, I’d gouge your eyes out myself.” And we’re back to homicidal.

“I’m sorry, Ser Bear. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. Wanna know something funny?”

“Always.”

“That first Saturday morning we spent together and you wore those athletic leggings and a sports bra, I got the impression that you were one of these women who went hiking or went to the gym on a regular basis. I thought it was something we had in common.”

“Yeah, that couldn’t have been further from the truth,” Serena smiled. “I wear those athletic pants when I’m too lazy for regular pants and, as for the sports bra, that all comes down to me not wanting to wear anything with underwire during the weekend.”

“I’m gonna get you to workout with me. I think you’ll like running if you use the zombie app.”

“My zombie apocalypse plan is not to run, Jamieson,” Serena said defensively. “If all you do is run, you’ll be running from zombies your entire life. My plan is to kill.” Imagining this 5’5”, 108 pound woman as a killing machine would have been laughable to those who didn’t know her, but Jamie felt it was entirely possible. “If the zombie apocalypse were to happen, my family and your family are going to the house by Tahoe. The whole reason that house was built is because Great-grandpa Benson went crazy and became a survivalist.”

“Serena, I know you’re messing with me again.”

“No, it’s true. One day back in the ‘90s, he just went crazy and had a house built with crawl spaces, a lookout tower, and a basement that could withstand an atomic blast. That last one is up for debate though. He also has a weapons room.”

“Like guns and knives?” Jamie asked nervously. “There was a shit ton of weapons in the house that we spent our honeymoon in?”

“Guns, knives, the bow and arrow he taught me to use when I was seven,” Serena said nonchalantly. “Lexie had her cheerleading. Kyle had baseball. I learned to kill a man from one hundred yards away.”

“That’s impressive and...frightening.”

Serena reached over and gently smacked Jamie on the behind. “You’re safe with me, Pumpkin Butt. You can like...plant us a garden or something while I protect our families.”

Jamie held Serena close until she fell asleep, careful not to disturb her. I love you, my little zombie killing machine.

[cyber1ife]

Tales From the Laundry Pile by Kathleen Kole | Womens Fiction & Chic Lit Book |1.99 TODAY (down from $4.99) For A Limited Time ONLY! #kindle #books #Bookzio #Womens Fiction & Chic Lit | Claire Jamieson has moved back home to Boxwood Hills... And, she's not alone. Trailing behind her overworked laundry basket is her husband and their energetic twin boys.Claire had always thought that ... |...

[ernstin]

Stackin’ Stickers: Snowboard Agents

As published in King Snow - 11.2 - October 1st, 2019

This article’s first priority is to try and explain the world of snowboard sponsorship and the agent’s role within it. This will be done by exploring what an agent is, who needs an agent, and how agents might be changing snowboarding. I’ll also discuss the wealth gap between top-tier pros and the average sponsored snowboarder, and how professional snowboard sponsorship has changed over the years. In order to understand all of this, I first approached Superheroes Management, i.e., an agency, interviewing Jaimeson Keegan. Jaimeson is the owner of Superheroes and former head of sports, entertainment, and marketing for Red Bull. Jamieson is currently the agent for Devun Walsh, Darcy Sharpe, Mikey Rencz, Seb Toots, Maria Thompson, Tyler Nicholson, Mons Røisland, Zoi Sadowski Synnott, and many others. We also chatted with Jake Kuzyk, who has had a great career despite never having an agent represent him.

What is an agent?

An agent is someone who speaks on your behalf. They’ll go out and get you those sponsors you don't have, or they’ll maximise the support you’re currently getting. An agent sets up contracts, keep you informed, and talks business with the business people. They cross the T’s and dot the I’s. But not only that, an agent will act as the middle person between you and your sponsors. They will negotiate money and travel budgets for you. They will make sure that you are being compensated fairly, and that your interests are being heard. In return, however, an agent takes a cut, maybe 10% or 15%, whatever was negotiated before the agent started working for you. That percent keeps the agent working for you. His or her salary is dependent on yours. And, in the best situations, it’s a symbiotic relationship where both parties are benefiting. 

Having an agent seems like a pretty awesome thing. The general consensus is that having an agent helps you focus on snowboarding, and not business. When talking with Mikey Rencz he said, “I was getting to a point where the business side was getting overwhelming and I was kinda young, and didn’t wanna deal with it.” Seb and Darcy said something similar. 

Darcy said, “I could focus on snowboarding and being myself and not jammin up any creativity I got going on.” And Mr. Toutant said, “I think it is really important because at some point you are focusing on your snowboarding and people wanna sign you up, and you dont wanna get to stressed out by all that bullshit. You wanna focus on your riding.”

Having an agent allows you to narrow your focus and not get lost in the numbers and the search for sponsors. An agent can also help you determine your monetary value, as Devun Walsh said, in a very earnest way, “sometimes I feel like you don't know your full worth, so it’s better to have someone else tell the company what you’re worth.” Asking for money is hard, especially when it’s for doing something as fun as snowboarding. It’s weird to think that slapping some petex to your feet and burning down a hill can be profitable. When thinking about this, Darcy said he thought getting an agent was great because he never really knew how to say, “hey, I’m worth money in snowboarding. That was a ridiculous idea to me as a kid.” 

Apart from this, an agent is someone who can also translate your value to sponsors. Mikey gave me an example where he said, “Imagine if someone approached me for a commercial or something, and said we’re gunna give you $5000 for the day.” That sounds like a great deal, right? And Mikey would have accepted it too. But, Rencz explained that that’s where Jaimeson steps in, “Jamison would then ask ��what’s it for?’ and ‘what’s the reach?’ and after that he’d be like, no you’re gunna give him $20,000 for the day.” That’s a huge boost in salary, all because someone knew what the ask was worth. The price a rider is willing to do something for isn’t always the right price. An agent can bridge the gap between rider and businesses making sure the rider does not get taken advantage of, or, isn't mistakenly undervalued. During our interview, Jaimeson disclosed that the first goal that is set after signing with Superheroes agency is to get that rider 100k a year in sponsorship dollars, “a living wage,” as he put it.

However, there is also Jake Kuzyk, an all-star rail rider, who has never had an agent in his corner, which, given what I just said, you might think is kinda nuts. But, Jake views it differently. Jake said that he believes that an agent could actually hurt his career. He says, “Based on what [I] do and who [I am], it’s almost not smart to have an agent. I think having an agent would hurt me. All the sponsors that I have, it’s like a friendship. It’s a real connection. I think I’d be in a worse spot financially and with longevity as far as my brands go.” A justifiable concern for anyone who has spent a lot of time building relationships with his or her brands. 

Who is an Agent for? 

If not all riders feel like an agent is good for them and their career, then who is an agent for? According to Jake, “I think unless there is high demand and you are one of those people who are willing to run on high expectation, and do well under pressure, then an agent is kinda good. But for me, I’ve always wanted to do things at my own pace and in my own way.” A valid point. If you’re that type A personality who works well under pressure, all the power to you to meet those demands put on you. Money can dictate expectations, creating performance goals and obligations that are not for everyone. But, there are still guys like Rencz who have agents, and are not running on that type A personality. So what’s different about Mikey? When asked, he said, “there used to be a lot more interest in the filming side, and also there was a lot more going on for people who filmed for videos and shot for magazines, even three years ago.” I interpret this as Mikey saying that these days there is not as much money for people who film video parts, and that maybe the need for the average video part guy to have an agent isn’t as big as it once was. However, that’s not what Seb thinks. Seb said that, “when I hear people say that an agent is only good for people who make a lot of money, I think that’s wrong. Agents are there to help you sign a bigger deal and get more opportunities.” So, Seb thinks that you should have an agent if you are good enough to have one, which makes sense. Why wouldn’t you like a little extra coin? However, Rencz also speculates that some “team managers don't really wanna deal with [an] agent,” meaning that some TMs want to deal directly with the rider, not the middle man. This could be for two reasons. The first being that maybe the TM does not want to be pressured into paying his or her athletes more when times are tight, even though the athlete deserves it - which is a sad reality. Or, two, it could be because some TMs also value the relationship with the rider, and don't want a middle man to answer to. Either way, we’re kinda back at the point that Jake made about an agent potentially hurting the career he wants. So, maybe an agent isn't for everyone, especially if you film video parts and want a relationship with your sponsor? Well, that’s not entirely true either. When talking to Jamieson about this, he said that he thinks “there is actually a big appetite out there specifically for riders that do not compete. I know brands that when I call them and go, ‘hey, I got someone you’d be interested in,’ they say, ‘oh yeah, we would be, but call us when he or she stops competing.’” 

So, who is an agent for? I don’t entirely know. But I can ambiguously say that an agent works best when there is a symbiotic relationship, a win-win, between rider and agent.

That said, there is one obvious group of snowboarders that an agent seems uncontroversially good for, and that is the all-stars. Or, as Jaimeson calls them, “the A listers.” He says, “If you're a true A lister, your earning potential is, I dunno, anywhere between $500,000 and up. The most bad ass [riders] in our spaces earn a tremendous amount. Those are the one percenters, if you will.” These are the snowboarders who come to people’s minds first, guys like Mark McMorris, Seb Toots, Sage Kotsenburg, Ståle Sandbech, Torstein Horgmo, and others. You can probably imagine the others. These people just have too many other things going on to worry about dealing with contract renewals and bonuses and their financials in general. Their priority is performing, performing for themselves and performing for the stickers on their board, that’s it. They’ve got big goals and big money to answer to. When you’ve struck the perfect marketable mixture of talent, personality, and fan following, the sky's the limit. 

How might agents be changing the industry?

Agents are great at getting riders non-endemic sponsorships, sponsors like BMW, Virgin Wireless, Audi, and other brands who have nothing to do with snowboarding, but want to be associated with snowboarders. These brands know that there is a market value attached to the top names in snowboarding, and that putting money into that athlete could yield a return for them in brand association and logo recognition. So they do it, they invest. Which is okay to some degree, I think. Non-endemic support allows boarders to put more money into what they love doing. These brands allow riders to travel, get proper physio, feed themselves, save for the future, etc.. They also put money into the sport, giving snowboarding events the means to be broadcast around the globe, gaining exposure for snowboarding and bringing in money. This money can then be put back into the endemic industry through brands, resorts, and media outlets, benefiting everyone.

However, it is also possible to see how this could change snowboarding in a negative way. As Rencz said, “if you look at the contest riders with really weird sponsors, you’re like, ‘OoOoOo, that guys got an agent for sure,’ because [the rider] is not finding those sponsors, and the [sponsors] aren't hitting them up. You know? It’s like specifically sought out through an agency...” So the “snowboarder” doesn’t have any sponsors from a snowboard company. And while that’s more common place within mainstream professional sport, it’s a weird phenomenon in life-style snowboarding, which maybe shouldn’t happening. But why does it? Well, probably because of the money. And if that is the case, what does that mean? In other words, what does it mean when riders start having more non-endemic sponsors than endemic sponsors? Does it mean that non-endemic brands could start having more influence over the direction of snowboarding than snowboard companies? Has this already been happening? I honestly don't know the answers to these questions. But, I think questions like this are important to think about. Not thinking about them gets us to the premise for the movie Idiocracy, which is a movie set in the future where brands and big money dictate everything. It’s a future where Gatorade-esque drinks water farmers fields because Gatorade is, quote-unquote, “better than water.” 

The Wealth Gap.

As many of the riders interviewed in this article have said, one interesting phenomena of contemporary snowboarding is that the wealth gap is growing. That is, there are a few athletes making a lot of money and many athletes making less. The group of riders making more money are the group of A listers that Jamieson brought up earlier. They are akin to the 1%. And then there's everyone else. A big middle class of boarders who are really good, but only receive a pair of pants and some beanies at the start of the year. This growing wealth gap is interesting because it mimics our current economy, but maybe it’s not unexpected, considering that the snowboard world is just a microcosm of the world at large. When talking about this with Jamieson, he said, “I don't think action sports are insulated from what is happening in society. I think a lot of people are disappointed. They feel confident in what they are achieving, and it’s more difficult for them to get rewarded for it.” I guess it isn’t a coincidence that the “glory days” of the prosperous professional snowboarder happened when North America was financially stable, with a strong middle class economy. Devun also expressed his amazement for what snowboarders will do for such little money, saying, “I feel like there are kids who are willing to kill themselves on rails for like 30-grand a year. There is no way, back in the day, that people would be willing to risk their neck for that.”

Being a Professional Snowboarder

There is no doubt that being a professional snowboarder has changed in the last 10 years, especially within contest riding. The amount of pressure and obligation has increased, everyone in this article agreed with that, to some degree. Devun did say that “before you had to kill yourself all year to make [a] video part and now it just kinda comes out when they feel like it . . . apart from some of the videos.” But other than that, everyone agreed that being a pro is difficult. Seb said, “[what I would say] has really changed is snowboarding became so much harder to make it at a pro level, if you're getting drunk all the time and not really taking care of your body, it is definitely harder to keep up.” Darcy acknowledged that there are so many good snowboarders on Instagram that you need to stay on top of your game, whereas before, if you were a part of the chosen few, everyone waited for your part, and whoever else was good was rarely seen. 

In the past, the lack of accessibility also allowed for us to know who was pro and who wasn’t. We knew pros had promodels, whether it was a piece of outerwear or a board. That just doesn't seem to happen as much. The lines are blurred because the money is limited and the talent pool is limitless. Even companies don't really seem too concerned about the pro label. If you go to Rome’s website, LNP is still listed as one of their pros. But he barely snowboards anymore and has a full time career as a heavy-duty mechanic. 

While interviewing Seb, this was one of the reasons he thinks there is less money in the industry. He said, “for snowboarding you don't always know who is a pro and who is an amateur, which is something huge and something we need to change. . . When it is built properly, it’s easier for a big company to invest in the sport.” He went on to explain that if you want to be a certain type of rider, there should be a clear way to achieve that. 

His points are good, they absolutely make sense as far as growth and money goes. I mean, making it clear to people how snowboarding works is great for sponsors. It allows sponsors outside of snowboarding to know who they are getting behind. It can provide an objective value for a snowboarder. But what about for guys like Jake who aren't into that structure? When talking about structure, Jake said that it’s one of the reasons he does not have an agent. He said that, “I just always wanted to have control over what I did. I’ve always wanted to be very involved with all the projects I’ve worked on. . . “I don’t ‘yes man’ things, and do random stuff that I don’t really believe in.” With more structure, you can lose diversity, you can lose guys like Jake, making pro status only attainable to a certain type of person, which is an issue snowboarding is already dealing with, considering how it is generally dominated by wealthy, white males. So, it’s hard. Snowboarding sponsorship is a unique and ever evolving place that can be difficult for professionals, AMs, industry folk, and everyone to exist within, happily. It’s a complex matrix with many parts, understanding it is hard. I tried to show you a little of the objective and the subject side of it, but when it comes down to it, there is no right information or algorithm when trying to understand it, and maybe there shouldn't be.

[biofunmy]

Richard Curtis’s Five Places to Visit in London

There’s London and then there’s Richard Curtis’s London. The 62-year-old filmmaker has spun the city into a cozy, romantic oasis in back-to-back cinematic hits — from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill” to ”Love Actually.” His latest film is “Yesterday,” a comedy about the enduring power of the Beatles.

Mr. Curtis was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and moved to England when he was 11. He credits his outsider perspective for the snow globe version of London that he portrays in films. “I think in some ways it allows you to relish the place you’ve arrived in,” he said. “I’m accused of giving a very sunny version of London because I do. I take the good and don’t feel too bad about the bad.”

Image

The screenwriter Richard Curtis in London.CreditTom Jamieson for The New York Times

The screenwriter lives with the writer and producer Emma Freud in Notting Hill. The neighborhood has been his home for 25 years.

Early on in his career, Mr. Curtis said he decided to write only about places he knew and places he loved. The first film he wrote was set in America and, after a disappointing meeting in Los Angeles, where executives told him his dialogue and jokes were too British, he flew back to London and decided to scrap the project altogether. “I came home and said I’m never going to write anything that isn’t set in the streets of which I live. And I’ve very nearly lived up to that.”

What London spots inspire him? Here, Mr. Curtis recommends five places.

1. Abbey Road

If you’re quick to write off Abbey Road as a tourist trap, Mr. Curtis encourages you to think again. The crossing was featured on the cover of the Beatles’ 11th album, “Abbey Road,” and runs just next to Abbey Road Studios, a stately looking, Georgian building where the band recorded 190 of its 210 songs. Mr. Curtis, who did the music recording for “Four Weddings and A Funeral” inside the studio, pointed out that it is one of the few remaining relics of the Beatles era.

“If you go to Strawberry Fields, there’s just nothing. There’s a red gate and, at the moment, there’s nothing behind it. It’s just a strange bit of land,” he said. “Abbey Road has the cross road, there’s the beautiful studio with the lovely steps leading up to it. It’s satisfyingly real.”

3 Abbey Rd; abbeyroad.com

2. Alfred Hitchcock Ceramics

Since 2001, the Leytonstone Station Tube stop has been the home of a colorful, large-scale tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, who grew up just a short distance away in the East London neighborhood of Leytonstone. Sixteen vibrant mosaics, designed by artists at the Greenwich Mural Workshop, are found at the station, each a homage to the director and his films. Mr. Curtis, who is fond of both Hitchcock and ceramic art, stumbled upon the display when he was on his way to watch his son perform at a nearby music gig.

“I was so taken aback that there was this really wonderful thing, which I think people would pay to see if it was put up in an art gallery,” he said.

His favorite is the “North by Northwest” mosaic, which recreates the famous scene of Cary Grant sprinting from a plane, framed with splashes of bright yellow, blue and red tiles.

Leytonstone Tube Station; tfl.gov.uk

3. Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop

For a decade, this bookshop has sat on a lively stretch of Notting Hill, lined with colorfully painted storefronts. Head inside and you’ll find a moment of quiet in the bright, well-organized store. There are intricately folded book pages hanging from the ceiling, handmade painted cards for sale up front, and a winding staircase that leads to more books and a table for reading.

Mr. Curtis, a neighborhood local, likes to browse on the weekends, usually with one of his four children, ages 15, 17, 22 and 24. “I really encourage the kids to go there and buy books because it does make them better people,” he said.

21 Kensington Park Rd; lutyensrubinstein.co.uk

4. Primrose Hill

Make the small uphill trek to the top of Primrose Hill in northwest London and you’ll be rewarded with a stunning, 360-degree panorama of London. The summit — which stands at 206 feet — was used for duels in the 18th century. These days, visitors lounge on the lantern-lined grass, dogs roam, and a circular lookout point offers sweeping views of the city.

It’s also great for sledding. “It’s the place to go when it snows here. It has the perfect curve to take a 7-year-old child,” Mr. Curtis said. “Primrose Hill, the little village, is also really adorable. There’s a gorgeous bookshop there and a lovely Greek restaurant and an amazing old newsagent. It’s a very satisfying day out.”

Primrose Hill Road; royalparks.org.uk

5. British Film Institute, Southbank

There’s a lot of movie magic packed into this glass-sheathed building nestled along the Thames River. The four-screen cinema offers old and contemporary movies and hosts a series of film and television festivals. It also houses the BFI Mediatheque, a free library of more than 30,000 film and television titles, including rare television broadcasts and British cinema classics.

“Backing onto the river is an entrance to the cinema bit, but if you go down the side, there’s this brilliant common space and a brilliant movie bookstore,” Mr. Curtis said. “The other day I went there and they have these very bold series of T-shirts with just the names of women directors.”

Belvedere Road; whatson.bfi.org.uk

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[orbemnews]

From hire to canned items, this is what CNN readers plan to spend their aid funds on But the upcoming direct aid funds from the most recent Covid aid bundle — at present as much as $600 per taxpayer and $600 per youngster — will not purchase them a lot time. In lots of cases, lower than per week or two of monetary aid, and solely on just a few of their many bills: hire, meals, utilities, gasoline, insurance coverage and the bank card debt they racked up attempting to juggle invoice funds with out a lot revenue. That was the overwhelming message from the greater than 1,000 CNN Enterprise readers who responded to our callout, asking them how they plan to spend their upcoming checks. Ought to Congress move a $2,000 aid fee, which is being determined on Capitol Hill this week, individuals who spoke to CNN mentioned the cash would go towards their identical important bills with a few of it earmarked for financial savings to protect towards an unsure future. Gio Martinez is a cook dinner at a Denny’s in Southern California and the only father of a 4-year-old daughter. He used to work 60 hours per week earlier than the pandemic. Now his hours are sometimes 20 to 25 hours per week, he mentioned. Martinez mentioned he has a number of bank cards and some retailer playing cards and is mostly maxed out on all of them — having used them since March to purchase groceries, utilities and gasoline for his automobile to get to work. His direct fee of $1,200 for himself and his youngster will go towards paying off a number of the $5,000 in bank card debt he is accrued this yr and to getting a brand new wardrobe for his daughter, who outgrew her garments and sneakers this summer time. “It breaks my coronary heart seeing her put on garments which can be too small for her,” Martinez mentioned. Although he is been making minimal funds on his bank cards, which have a roughly 20% rate of interest, Martinez mentioned, “I am behind on every thing.” That features the $400 month-to-month hire he owes his mother and father, with whom he and his daughter reside. Stocking up Retiree Sandra Jamieson, a former authorities worker dwelling in a small city in northwestern Pennsylvania, mentioned whereas she does not imagine $600 aid funds will do practically sufficient to assist individuals struggling, she feels lucky to have the ability to pay her payments on the mounted revenue from her pension. However she finds the expansion in grocery costs — particularly on gadgets which have been restricted throughout the pandemic — sometimes outpace the annual price of dwelling changes in her revenue. So she welcomes the $600. “I am glad to have the cash irrespective of how a lot it’s — I will replenish on canned items, paper items and dried items,” Jamieson mentioned. $600 ‘does not do something long run to assist me out of this case’ James Judd, a younger photographer who takes household and college class portraits for a studio run by a retailer in Washington state, mentioned he’ll use his $600 to assist cowl hire or he’ll simply put it apart in case there may be one other shutdown. Judd had been furloughed and on unemployment from April to August. Now he says he has solely been working a mean of 20 to 25 hours per week for the reason that studio reopened, a fraction of what he used to work, particularly throughout the winter holidays, that are usually peak season. “And it is not simply our hours which have been reduce. It is that we will not have full capability [in the studio because of Covid restrictions],” Judd famous. He is been maintaining together with his payments thus far, he mentioned, however solely as a result of he saved a number of the $600 per week federal supplemental funds that he bought on prime of his state unemployment advantages throughout the spring and early summer time. Going ahead, the upcoming, one-time $600 fee will not purchase him various weeks of monetary aid, he mentioned. “It does not truly do something long run to assist me out of this case. I do not know what to do. All I do know is that I am indignant.” The $600 funds will not even go to all who want it Maybe the one factor that may have made Judd angrier would have been getting no direct fee in any respect, which is the state of affairs going through many unemployed or underemployed individuals, like Michael Longe of Seattle. Longe was laid off in late 2019 from his job managing a software program design staff for an electronics producer. However he will not qualify for a aid fee (nor did he earlier this yr when individuals bought $1,200 checks). At the least not instantly. That is as a result of within the curiosity of getting checks out rapidly to individuals, preliminary eligibility has been based mostly on 2019 tax returns. And final yr, Longe made greater than the allowable thresholds. To qualify for a full aid fee, one has to make $75,000 or much less ($150,000 if married). Partial funds are made to these whose incomes exceed these ranges however do not prime $99,000 ($198,000 if married). But when Longe’s 2020 revenue falls under these thresholds he ought to be capable to declare the aid funds on his 2020 tax return as a Restoration Rebate Credit score. Longe’s prolonged unemployment advantages are expiring this month and he worries he will not be eligible for extra advantages in Washington state. Which means he additionally will not profit from the $300 weekly federal supplemental fee that the most recent Covid aid bundle has created. “With out unemployment advantages, I actually may use [the $600 relief payment],” Longe mentioned. Correction: The unique model of this story misstated that Longe would not qualify for any financial aid funds as a result of his 2019 revenue was too excessive. Actually, the checks being despatched out are advances on a 2020 refundable tax credit score, which will likely be based mostly on 2020 revenue. The credit score will cut back one’s tax invoice and if it exceeds what somebody owes, it can improve their tax refund. Supply hyperlink #canned #CNN #goods #Here'showpeoplesaythey'llspendtheir$600Covidreliefpayments-CNN #Heres #payments #Plan #Readers #relief #Rent #spend #success

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Roe v. Wade makes the state bans against abortions unenforceable. Here’s how conservative activists plan to overturn it., Defence Online

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Anti-abortion marchers rally at the Supreme Courtroom in the course of the 46th yearly March for Lifetime in Washington

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Reuters

Anti-abortion activists have been pushing restrictive condition legislation for several years in hopes of forcing the Supreme Court docket to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide, and will make state bans unenforceable and unconstitutional.

An effort and hard work to overturn the ruling has gained pressure in modern months, with a range of heartbeat payments passing throughout the nation.

Advocacy teams like Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union are filing legal difficulties in opposition to the expenses, which could consider them to the Supreme Court docket.

When in the Supreme Courtroom, the justices would have to decide irrespective of whether to uphold Roe v. Wade, or established a new precedent.

Go to Defence Online’s homepage for additional tales.

The Supreme Court’s precedent in Roe v. Wade can make point out bans in opposition to abortion unenforceable and unconstitutional, but conservative activists and lawmakers hope to use the bans as a strategy to overturn the 1973 ruling.

Anti-abortion activists have been pushing restrictive state guidelines for many years in hopes of forcing the Supreme Court to ban the course of action nationwide.

But the exertion overturn to Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, has acquired force in latest months, with a legislation handed in Ga banning abortion soon after a heartbeat is detected, and Alabama’s new regulation banning nearly all abortions, even in circumstances of rape and/or incest.

Heartbeat expenditures, which seek out to ban abortions at the time when a fetus’s heartbeat can be detected, were initial introduced in Ohio in 2011.

The corporation Faith2Motion, which describes itself as a “pro-energetic launching pad for the pro-loved ones motion,” backed the invoice, and however it did not get signed into regulation, it influenced anti-abortion legislators in dozens of states to get started floating their possess heartbeat charges.

Advocacy groups such as Prepared Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union are submitting legal worries from the newest abortion legal guidelines, and in the earlier expenditures have have been struck down by point out and federal judges – but that may be the place.

Anti-abortion activists hope the challenged costs will be picked up by the Supreme Court docket.

When the costs are challenged lawfully, they have a prospect to be picked up by the Supreme Court. When there, the justices would have to figure out no matter if to uphold Roe v. Wade, or set a new precedent.

Carrie Flaxman, Prepared Parenthood’s deputy director of community policy litigation and legislation, advised The Hill that the state payments and rules are specific at conservative justices on the Supreme Courtroom.

“With Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh on the Supreme Courtroom, there is a grave danger to abortion rights. That’s what these bills are qualified at. The sponsors of these costs are performing this, and states are executing this, simply because they hope that the courtroom will overturn Roe,” she stated.

The Supreme Court does not generally overturn main precedents, even though it does transpire. Earlier this 7 days, the conservative the vast majority overturned a 1979 ruling that authorized individuals to sue a sovereign state in another state’s courts.

Examine far more: A wave of extreme new abortion bans is portion of a much larger Republican coordinated attack on Roe v. Wade

Justice Stephen Breyer elevated concern in his dissent on the ruling over what’s to come on the Supreme Court docket.

“Today’s choice can only lead to one to surprise which scenarios the court will overrule following,” Breyer wrote, in what numerous viewed as a reference to Roe v. Wade.

But even some anti-abortion activists are weary of what is to arrive with the Supreme Court docket.

Steven Aden, chief lawful officer and basic counsel for the countrywide anti-abortion team Americans United for Daily life, explained to CNN that heartbeat payments have a tough journey to the Supreme Court docket.

He claimed the costs “were designed as a motor vehicle to challenge Roe in the Supreme Courtroom. “But they won’t get to the Supreme Courtroom unless you can convince four associates of the court that a fifth member would go with them to uphold the heartbeat monthly bill,” he reported.

Anti-abortion activists see this as a “favorable time” to force conservative-leaning legislation.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the anti-abortion nonprofit Susan B. Anthony Listing, stated in a assertion about Alabama’s new regulation that “American people today want a refreshing debate” on Roe v. Wade.

“Across the country there is escalating momentum, informed by science and compassion, and spurred on in response to abortion extremism in New York and Virginia, to identify the humanity of the unborn youngster in the regulation. It is clearer than at any time that Roe is far from getting settled regulation in the eyes and hearts of the American individuals, and this is increasingly mirrored in condition legislatures,” she claimed.

A spokeswoman for Ohio Suitable to Lifestyle advised CNN that it is now a “favorable time” to press conservative-leaning laws.

“The Supreme Courtroom, as I’m certain you know, is tilting much more originalist and conservative,” spokeswoman Jamieson Gordon mentioned. “We see this as a favorable time to push legislation that may ultimately make it to the Supreme Courtroom, as the ultimate aim is to get Roe v. Wade overturned.”

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