#and fox classics used to do UK Gold

[the-new-hip-priest]

I would be so delighted to have soap called Dave.

[animal25]

Welsh terrier: Height, Weight, Care, Health Special Info

Welsh terrier, a strain of terrier native to Wales, where has been used as a huntsman of foxes, otters, and badgers. The Welsh terrier is a small, Airedale- suchlike canine with a characteristically game and energetic nature

It has a hard, wiry fleece, generally black- and- tan stands about 15 elevations ( 38 cm) high, and weighs about 20 pounds( 9 kg). Wide-set eyes and a flat cranium give the strain a distinctive, “ intelligent ” expression.

HEIGHT: 15 inches

WEIGHT: 20 to 22 pounds

COAT: Dense, hard, and wiry outer coat with a soft undercoat

COAT COLOR: Tan and black

LIFE SPAN: 12 to 15 years

ORIGIN: Wales

Breed Charactariseity

The Welsh Terrier is as alert and spirited as any self-respecting terrier, but a bit calmer than most’¿’game, not quarrelsome,’ as breed fanciers say. The Welshman was bred to do battle with badgers, otters, and other dangerous opponents

Sturdy, compact, and rugged, with a tight-fitting black-and-tan coat and a rectangular head featuring folded ears and a jaunty beard, Welsh are constructed along the classic lines of Britain’s long-legged terriers

They stand about 15 inches at the shoulder, a little larger than the Lakeland Terrier but much smaller than the mighty Airedale

History of the Welsh Terrier

While its exact origin time is unknown, the Welsh Terrier is regarded as one of the oldest terrier types. Native to Wales, there are references to black and red terriers as far back as the 15th century.

In the 18th century, this type of canine came more popular in the rugged, mountainous regions of Wales among growers and nimrods of foxes, otters, rodents, and badgers. It takes a valorous, tenacious, and robust canine to dig an aggressive badger from its sett, and this strain was clearly up to the task.

By the 19th century, the Welsh Terrier came more popular, and the scruffy-looking strain was meliorated for the show ring. In their early days, these tykes were simply classified as Old English Terriers( along with several other terrier types).

The Kennel Club honored the Welsh Terrier in the UK in 1887, and it was around this time that the strain was exported to the United States.

Welsh Terriers are still fairly rare, but those that fall for the charms of this contentious, characterful canine frequently come suckers. U.S. President JFK possessed a Welsh Terrier named Charlie, and U.K. Prime Minister Clement Attlee was also an addict of the strain.

Appearance

Because cookies are a cross-strain, there is no” strain standard” that defines what these tykes should look like. Indeed Yorkie puppies born in the same waste may look completely different. But each parent has some cute, hand traits that Yorkie puppies could inherit.

Short and stout, dachshund tykes are nicknamed” link” or” Weiner” tykes because of their stocky little legs that support a long, barrel- suchlike body. Yorkies, on the other hand, are among the smallest of terriers and wear their hair in long, glam, silky permanents or trimmed shorter into a cute” puppy dog cut.”

When it comes to cookies, the fleece colors, patterns, and lengths can be each over the board. Dachshunds alone can have smooth, line-haired, or long-haired fleeces in a variety of colors and patterns.

Yorkies tend to have silky fleeces that come in color combinations like black and tan, black and gold, blue and tan, and blue and gold. Common fleece colors for Yorkies, however, include red, black, brown, and blue. Both parent types exfoliate some and have low- to-moderate grooming requirements.

But no matter what combination of traits they inherit, full-overgrown cookies will always be small canines. Dachshunds vary from 11 – 32 pounds while Yorkshire terriers are bitsy tykes that generally weigh under 7 pounds.

When these two types are crossed, the result is a doggy that tends to be slightly larger than her Yorkie parent, a wharf between 5 – 12 pounds with a height that can vary between 5 – 10 elevation.

Temperament

You could say that the Welsh terrier is a little Energizer Bunny — cute, compact, cuddly, and agile. Welsh terriers were first bred as working tykes who would help cover cropland or aid in hunting passages by locating and chasing prey.

This high prey drive has not faded down over time, so it’s natural for Welsh terriers to want to chase small beasties like lizards, squirrels, and pussycats

With this natural and strong impulse to chase, the Welsh Terrier Club of America( WTCA) recommends noway letting your Welsh terrier bat off-leash in an unfenced area — no matter how well-trained he is.

Because the Welsh terrier is a fairly intelligent strain, you will need to work out his brain along with his body. Giving him internal stimulation can be as simple as allowing him to loiter and whiff new smells on walks( a” sniffer,” if you will) or giving him mystification toys to play with.

” As with other terriers, Welsh terriers are strong-conscious, tenacious, and confident,” says Linda Simon, MVB, MRCVS, consulting veterinarian at FiveBarks.” They can be boisterous to say the least — always on the lookout for commodities to do.

They need a plenitude of internal and physical stimulation. However, these tykes can be prone to behavioral issues, If not handed. inordinate barking, theater digging, and cabinetwork chewing can each snappily develop within this strain if their requirements are not met.”

With proper internal and physical exercise, the Welsh terrier can be calm and tender at home. A tired Welshie will love a good snuggle to end the day!

More details:https://animalatoz.com/welsh-terrier/

[alpasboxcontactus]

The Best 10 Animated Explainer Video Companies 2021- Alpasbox

Animated explainer videos are a great way to communicate ideas online. They're an excellent option for businesses that want to reach their target demographic, but don't have the budget for traditional video production. If you need help finding the best company out there, then this blog post is just what you need! In it, we'll discuss the top 10 animated explainer video companies and provide all of the information you'll need to help find your perfect match. Read on for more details!

Marketing agencies and businesses are constantly looking for new ways to introduce their brands with creativity. Explainer video companies come in handy when a company is at that point, providing gold standards of advertising or classics which can be relied on upon through time periods. However, if the marketing tactic becomes too old-fashioned it will become ineffective- as people grow tired of them over time.

A video is a great way to make your business stand out among the crowd and offer something fresh to customers. Short commercials, marketing videos, product demos, app introductions, or trade show videos – all of these may impress prospective customers even more if you amplify them with eye-catching animation.

If you want to outshine your competitors and create the best video advertising of all time, then why not consider hiring a company that’s specifically an animated explainer video production company? No one is better at challenging conventions in creative ways than these animation geniuses. Here are some examples from this year! Did we mention they have experience working for companies across industries with years of knowledge under their belts?

What are the criteria for choosing an explainer video company?

We know you're eager to see our list of the best explainer video companies, but first, we need to talk about what makes for a great animated video.

· Quality matters. It is important to pay attention to the quality of videos in a portfolio because it's not always easy for you or me as designers, but that simple factor- whether we like them or not - will be our best guide!

· Stand out from the competition with custom designs. If you need a unique and stand-out video that doesn't rely on templates, contact one of our animation companies today for your design needs!

· The best way to choose an explainer video company is by looking for one that has a detailed process, communicates well with its clients, and follows through on all the details. These companies will be willing to go out of their way in order to make sure you get exactly what you want from your video while still delivering quality work.

· Feedback from customers is key to ensuring the success of any company. Reviews can help you make a more informed decision about your business partner, and it's important that they are both genuine and recent!

· It is true that you get what you pay for. So, if a company has the cheapest prices on offer - don't expect to find your perfect piece of art with them! They are probably not skilled enough and must be using their low pricing as bait to draw in more customers who want something they can afford.

The best explainer video production companies will make your complicated ideas easy to understand. Check out this list of the top five and see who can help you with your needs!

Alpasbox :

Alpasbox is a creative agency that has been creating the best explainer videos for over Four years! They have won awards and are now considered one of the top innovators in animation. If you're looking to create an animated video, they will not disappoint with their work which includes captivating graphics and animations. Many people all around the world enjoy Alpasbox's high-quality product so if you want your company or idea brought alive through motion pictures then this is where it starts off at

Alpasbox explainer video production company's services:

Explainer Video, Corporate Video, Animated Explainer Video, Live-Action Explainer Video, Whiteboard Explainer Video, Product Explainer Video, App Explainer Video

What people say about them: "First of all, I wanted to thank you for the great job you've done! You really delivered what I was looking for. The video is awesome, even better than I expected!"

Explain Ninja :

Explain Ninja is an explainer video company and animation studio based at the heart of Poland, Warsaw. The team excels in producing different animations for startups like Google to iconic brands such as Atlassian and Codio with hundreds of award-winning videos since its foundation in 2013.

Demo Duck :

Demo Duck is a US-based company that helps brands grow their conversions and revenue by providing them with animated videos. Demo Dunk's animation captivates viewers, making it easy for businesses to convey complicated ideas in an understandable way.

Video is one of the most powerful tools to use in marketing and Demo Duck knows that better than anybody. Their portfolio includes work for big brands like Netflix, Dropbox, Crazy Egg, and others- just check their videos!

Wyzowl :

https://vimeo.com/359087395

Wyzowl is an animated video production company headquartered in the UK. In 2020, they have shown exceptional results in global competition and received many awards. What has amazed us indeed is their number of videos- 2500!

The team at Abstract Pixel has been producing animated videos since 2009, always striving for creativity and high quality. They have worked with 40 countries worldwide - the majority of their clients are located on either coast in the US but they're available to work internationally as well!

Studio Pigeon :

https://vimeo.com/396890878

Studio Pigeon is the leading provider of high-quality animated content with headquarters in Warsaw, Krakow (Poland), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). They specialize in explainer videos, cartoon series, commercials motion design, and animation.

Studio Pigeon provides a wide range of services including Animation for Explainer Videos; Cartoon Series; Commercials Motion Design & Animations 2D + 3D animations Visual Content Marketing Advertising Infographics Post-production

Epipheo :

https://vimeo.com/439265790

Epipheo is a video production company that has been creating videos for businesses and organizations across the nation since 2009. The studio's work includes animated courses, commercials, branding projects, educational films of all sorts, as well as various other types of communication content such as e-learning modules or trade show presentations.

Ephipeo produces visually stunning videos for their clients. They are noted in the industry because of how they highlight client peculiarities and research them to make sure that each video is tailored specifically to your needs.

Switch video :

Switch Studio is a Canadian animation production studio that specializes in 2D animations, whiteboard explainer videos for IT companies. They have managed to make more than 1,200 videos for numerous clients in 15 countries and 15 languages and among their customers is IBM.

Switch Studio's main goal is to unlock the full potential of their customer's businesses through high-quality animated video productions with specialized expertise such as storyboarding or voice-over recording at affordable prices!

Common Craft :

If you are looking for a way to introduce your product or service in an interesting and engaging manner, there is no better option than animated explainer videos. Common Craft has made it easy by providing templates with downloadable visuals that make creating the video simple! It's not just about introducing; Elite also offers ready-made animations to help businesses get their message across as quickly and succinctly as possible.

Common Craft is a company that provides easy-to-understand videos for difficult topics like physics and history. They also offer templates, lesson plans, and other educational tools to make it easier on both students and professors alike.

Yum YumVideos :

Yum Yum Videos is a top global animation studio that specializes in high-quality work, including award-winning animated videos. They have more than 20 years of experience and their clients include international brands such as Wal-Mart, Docusign, Fox Entertainment Group Red Bull Media House McKesson among others.

The animation style of Yum Yum Videos is adorable and minimalistic, which makes it easy for viewers to identify the works. They offer many revisions that are customized as well in order to best suit your needs.

Thinkmojo :

https://vimeo.com/393751190

Thinkmojo is the best explainer video company on the market. It has gained trust from some of today's biggest companies like Google, Twitter, Slack, and Zendesk to name a few. ThinkMojo believes that videos are your body language in this digital age so they use them as one way for brands to express their ideas better than ever before

What is the best price for an explain video?

When it comes to creating an explainer video, you need a production company that can bring your brand's message and identity into the digital age. Luckily for you, we have listed 10 of the best companies on our list so far! These firms are all unique in their approach but do offer varying price ranges - some as low as $350 or high up to $35,000.

With so many different styles of videos to choose from, how do you know which is right for your business? The price also varies depending on the length and content. Keep in mind what information it should contain as well as its total running time before deciding!

When you are looking for a top-notch animated explainer video, don’t expect the best to come cheap. We advise having a budget of $3,000 – $10,000 in mind when hiring one of our professional companies from this online directory.

Conclusion

In this article, we have collected some of the best explainer video companies. We include their size and specialization just in case you need that information to make a decision on which one is right for your business or project. It's important not only to consider quality but also style because each company does things differently than others so it may be necessary to view portfolios first before making an order as well as checking reviews from past clients who used them before deciding if they are the perfect fit! You can contact any company with questions about what they offer too; most of them will gladly answer all inquiries and even give suggestions based on previous projects like yours.

Don't let your brainstorming go to waste. Alpasbox has answers for you!

We're here at Alpasbox, and we're ready to help you with any of the questions that might be going through your mind about how to find a good animation studio. With our selection on this page as well as some information from us, hopefully, it will lead you in the right direction while having all those ideas flying around in there somewhere too!

[dalekofchaos]

My hopes for WWE & AEW in 2021 and things I hope changes  for WWE and AEW in 2021

Hopes

WWE

Roman Reigns stays dominant and reigns supreme as the Tribal Chief

Keith Lee wins the Royal Rumble,  joins The Hurt Business and brings the WWE Champion to the Hurt Business

Naomi returns and joins The Hurt Business and dethrones Asuka to take home the gold

The Hurt Business DOMINATES Raw

Bianca Belair wins the Royal Rumble and dethrones Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania

The Riott Squad win the Women’s Tag Team Champions

Unify the men’s Tag Team Championships 

Unveil a new Title and give us WWE’s very first Television Championship. It should be styled similar to the NWA and WCW’s TV belts, but on the sideplates it should include USA and Fox on the plates. Shelton Benjamin or Ricochet should be the TV Championship 

Big E reigns supreme as Intercontinental Champion and finally gets to face Roman for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania 38

Rhea Ripley gets called up and goes to Smackdown

Mercedes Martinez dethrones Io Shirai and becomes NXT Women’s Champion

Karrion Kross reclaims the NXT Championship

Anyone but Johnny Sameface as NXT North American Champion

Queen Of The Ring. The amount of female talent available on Raw, SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK is quite something. It's clear that this is the richest women's division in WWE history. They really should do something with all those workers. The 'Mae Young Classic' tourneys have been fine, but people would trip over themselves to see a fully-fledged 'Queen Of The Ring' epic staged across multiple nights. If booked correctly, this tournament could help establish a new contender for top titles. If she isn't Champion by then(though she should be) the perfect person to become Queen Of The Ring would be Bianca Belair! Bianca Belair would have unparalleled credibility for her 'StrongEST, FastEST, ToughEST' mantra if she whipped a bevy of skilled workers to become the first 'Queen'. WWE could also get creative by linking the event in with Charlotte Flair's nickname and spinning off into a feud between her and the winner afterwards.

Form Full-Time Female Tag-Teams and keep them around. The Women’s Tag Team DIvision is a mess. Keep creating makeshift Tag Teams and breaking up established tag teams and your tag team division is dead. The current champs and their predecessors haven't even been "proper" full-time duos - Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were shoved together awkwardly in the summer, and they've since been replaced by the unlikely Asuka and Charlotte Flair combo. This cannot be allowed to continue. It's damning that WWE don't have more fully-formed pairings ready to go. The Riott Squad are perhaps the only actual twosome who are presented as a tight-knit collective weekly. Other than that, who is there? Considering the belts have been around for a few years now, that's unacceptable. The IIconics split, so did Sasha Banks and Bayley, and the scene is littered by 'odd couple' tandems like Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay teaming with the likes of Natalya or Tamina when it suits.

Ensure NXT is treated like a proper third brand rather than a quasi-development league for Raw and SmackDown. NXT has been on USA Network for over a year now, but it's still very much behind both Raw and SmackDown as a priority. Need proof? Look at the way Keith Lee was handled when he was "called up" after SummerSlam 2020. The former NXT Champ had to start all over again, and he's had several teething problems on Monday nights. It'd be nice to see WWE move away from positioning NXT as a 'feeder' for the other two shows. Changing someone's gimmick when they leave makes the brand look less-than, and there's simply no need for that anymore; NXT should be an equal to Raw and SmackDown, not a development league. Sadly, it still comes across as that. Lee's stop/start plight and the (mis)fortunes of others like Aleister Black and Ricochet should be a lesson to WWE. Some workers are better off rocking the black and yellow, not the red or blue.

AEW

Darby Allin becomes AEW World Heavyweight Champion

Adam Page costs Kenny the title and Page gets revenge and DESTROYS Kenny

MJF destroys the inner circle from within and when Jericho realizes what just happened, that’s when MJF and Wardlow destroys Jericho

Which is when we get a Sammy Guevara babyface turn and we get MJF vs Sammy

Arn Anderson turns on Cody

AEW’s Four Horsemen is formed. MJF, Shawn Spears and FTR with Tully and Arn managing as the JJ DIllon mouthpieces

Darby Allin and MJF feud for the title

The Women’s Division is improved. The girls get more time to shine on Dynamite. Your champion actually appears(shocking, I know) and build feuds and stories for your women’s division. There’s still some time to do what’s right for your women’s division, but the only thing that remains to be seen, does the powers that be of AEW even care?

Get a new title design for the Women’s Championship. It looks like a toy for a child. It’s plastic, not gold.  It should be as big and beautifully designed as the men’s titles. It should be as big as the NWA’s title or even the WWE’s title. The title is symbolic as to how AEW treats it’s own women’s division and that needs to change with a fresh new design.

Sign Thunder Rosa. It may not fix everything with the women’s division, but it gives you your needed star power. Tony Khan should be begging on his hands and knees to sign Thunder Rosa in 2021 after her time with the NWA is up, his women’s division is getting their asses kicked by what his EVP refers to as a “developmental brand”

If you can’t sign Thunder Rosa. My solution is Push Anna Jay and  Britt Baker as the top face and heel of the women’s division and either of them dethrone Shida.

Changes

WWE

Leave whatever that monstrosity of a creative team they have for RAW is. Let the Wrestlers dictate what they want their characters to be. Ditch the scripted promos. Let promos feel organic and real. Let the wrestlers be characters who feel real and genuine. Get rid of a “Creative” that isn't creative and let the wrestlers be creative and let them be free of terrible creative.

Get rid of the Gimmick PPV. WWE has ruined gimmick matches by turning them into themed PPVs. none of these matches are organic or special anymore. The matches themselves are great but are booked to fit a theme of a pay-per-view, when they should be used organically at the height of feuds. no one cares about the name of PPVs, so i don’t understand why WWE does this. the only one that actually works is MITB, because it makes sense as storylines reset after Mania.

Scrap the Brand Warfare/Brand Supremacy. WWE should scrap the tired brand warfare format at Survivor Series and move away from Raw vs. SmackDown completely. Booking around a calendar has become company law in WWE over the past decade or so. Perhaps McMahon always formatted things this way really, but it's more glaring now that gimmick bouts like Elimination Chamber, Hell In A Cell and Money In The Bank have their own pay-per-views. Survivor Series, with it's played out Raw vs. SmackDown vibes, also needs a rethink. "Brand warfare" is boring now, and it has been for several years. Although 2020's event was fun, it's nonetheless true that the month-long build to Survivors feels like a repetitive slog fans are forced to sit through every November. Hopefully, 2021 will change that. It is possible to book traditional elimination bouts without some sort of false show loyalty - WWE did this almost every single year until the first brand split in 2002. Their over-reliance on Raw vs. SmackDown is plain lazy. Survivor Series should be revolved around great rivalries between stables/factions. It’s really not that hard. Or at the very least if there IS a Smackdown vs Raw themed Survivor Series, at least add a damn reward. Give the brand a head start in the Rumble,, give the winners of the match number one contenders for their brand’s respective titles or ANYTHING better than just “brand supremacy lol”

Get rid of the 24/7 title. It has run it’s course. R-Truth is funny, but even he can’t make it work anymore.

Stop. Breaking. Up. Tag Teams. Stop killing your Tag Team Division. For the love of god just stop!

Cut Akira Tozawa’s ninja bullshit. It’s not funny, it’s annoying

Kill Retribution. It’s complete garbage. It has been consistently terrible ever since Retribution began. Mustafa Ali cannot save Retribution, he’s trying but no one can save it. 

Stop the 50/50 booking

Stop rewarding Nia Jax, the living botch machine for injuring her fellow wrestlers

Stop pushing Lars Sullivan. Absolutely no one wants him. 

They should cut raw to 2 hours because 3 hours is unbearable

Stop the overreliance of part time wrestlers. I don’t want to see Goldberg being pushed at the expense of today’s talent and I don’t want to see Goldberg period. I don’t want to see Brock Lesnar return at the expense of today’s talent. I don’t want to see Legends return. Push your current fucking wrestlers and make stars. You idiots!

Do not rush Becky Lynch back to the ring, she just had a baby. I read the reports that Vince wants Becky back by Wrestlemania. That is a terrible decision

Stop killing pushes because Vince changed his mind

Enough with “creative has nothing for you” if your “creative” has nothing for a certain wrestler, then they are not creative. Either let the wrestlers appear on the show or release them if you don’t want them anymore, it’s simple as that.

Do. Not. Put. The. Title. On. Goldberg. Goldberg should not have beaten Bray Wyatt's 'Fiend' for the Universal Title at Super ShowDown in February - that was a huge mistake, one that set Bray back and felt totally unnecessary. In 2021, WWE should outright avoid any temptation to repeat the trick and give ol' Billy another go-around with one of the top titles. If anything, Goldberg's only purpose should be to play victim for a quick Roman Reigns squash. Get through that elusive match then turn Bill into a company ambassador. He doesn't need to pretend it's still 1998 all these years on.

AEW

Leave the overabundance of spots just for the sake of spots and enough with the false finishes. Jim Ross was right, like it or not, the spots for the sake of spots and the false finishes need to end. This is my major problem with AEW and why I can’t stand The Elite in general. Everyone just needs to  get their shit in. Everything looks fake. No one can look strong or credible and we have to see garbage Indy wrestlers and the spot monkeys make everything look fake and phony. The champions never look credible and everyone is on the level of job guys. This needs to change

Stop leaving your Women’s Champion off the show. It is downright insulting how dirty they are doing Hikaru Shida. She deserves as much time to shine as the other champions deserve.

Stop putting the NWA Women’s Champion as more of a priority than your own Women’s Champion

Enough with Brandi. Why is the women’s division given absolutely 0 screentime and barely anytime to develop their stories, but Brandi is ALWAYS THERE! Everything has to be about her. When a feud between Cody and Shaq was close to happening, of course it had to be about her. She’s turned heel/face as much time as the Big Show. I’ve grown tired of Brandi Rhodes. Stop shoving that attention whore down our throats. WE GET IT! You wanna be Stephanie so bad!

Enough with Cody’s big dramatic midlife crisis entrances. We get it, you wanna be Triple H SO BAD!

Stop the petty bullshit shots at WWE. It was fun at first, but it’s getting annoying. This is Eric Bischoff giving away the results and “That’ll put butts in the seats” level of petty bullshit. AEW had the fucking nerve to tweet a fan’s post saying they did a better tribute for Brodie Lee than WWE. HE JUST DIED! AND YOU ARE MAKING IT ABOUT YOUR FUCKING RIVALRY? GROW THE FUCK UP!

[ijustkindalikebooks]

This post is just too long to put into one post, so here is Diving to Sailing. I have been enjoying it so far and trying to watch as many sports as possible. The Argentinian Volleyball team has added members of Haikyu!! to it's team, the US Women's Rugby team are my heroes and don't get me started on Adam Peaty. A Legend.

Diving - Diving is an incredible sport, seriously, that sport takes courage and mental alacrity I will never have. 'Breaking The Surface' is the autobiography of Greg Louganis, who competed as a diver twice at the Olympics winning gold - here he discusses race, sexuality and disability and how he ended up the success he is - being a diver is incredible, fighting these intersections is more so.

Horse Riding - There are so many books about this, Jilly Cooper literally made a living writing books about horse girls and their well, passions shall we say? Anyway I am going to recommend Black Beauty here by Anna Sewell, a gorgeous classic about a horse that sees the ups and downs of life and it's a beautiful story.

Fencing - Fence by C.S. Capat. It's all you need for this sport. Just read every volume. Get a trial of Scribd and read all of them you will not be disappointed for a second. Fence.

Football - I do like football, I don't like it when players maybe grab the opponent's shirt and throw them around (I'm not bitter) but I do enjoy it (go The Canaries!) Anyway, I will recommend a book here by JL Carr, 'How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won The FA Cup' which is about a small team going on to win the biggest football competition in the UK as who doesn't love an underdog?

Golf - Mark Twain once said 'Golf is a good walk, spoiled' and honestly I used to agree, but then at the last Olympics with that final and Justin Rose? I was heart in my mouth captivated, I don't understand it, I never will but I recommend Amen Corner by Rick Shefchik, a murder Mystery set at Augusta, which after reading the description made me want to read it.

Handball - if you can find me a book on this sport, that is fiction, then you are a hero and a legend, but until then read this cool article on the sport and why it deserves a book but right now seem impossible to do.

Hockey - I am just going to write 'We Ride Upon Sticks' by Quan Barry and leave.

Judo - Two books about this sport intrigued me, one was Mark Law's 'The Pyjama Game' which is about how he got into the sport and the state of it and 'Fight The Good Fight' by Catherine Fox which is a book about a vicar's wife becoming a mighty killing machine. I mean both quite interesting in my opinion, and the fights are good too.

Karate - Find me a millenial who hasn't had a karate phase. Thank you Daniel of The Karate Kid for that. Series such as The Young Samurai are great middle grade reads but I am probably going to read 'Jet Black And The Ninja Wind' by Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani as it sounds kinda badass.

Marathon Swimming - I mean, this sport is so tough, often in open water, these swims are arduous and incredible for the person taking part and books such as Waterlog by Roger Deakin for example come to mind but also 'Why We Swim' by Bonnie Tsui because after seeing this, you'll be asking the same question, possibly or maybe, make you want to jump right in.

Modern Pentathlon - good lord, for this you need to be good at EVERYTHING. Just read the list, and you're going to be fine, but if you want to know more about this, its maybe a kid's book, but Zoe Clarke gives a comprehensive overview of what this event is, and what an extraordinary one it is. This is the MHA of sport in my opinion.

Mountain Biking - People do bits of the Tour de France for fun and I do and will never understand you. Climbing mountains on a bike, good lord. Mountains According to G by Geraint Thomas, a winner of that race comes to mind.

Road Cycling - It is really what it is. If you're a kid, Flying Fergus books might be fun, if you're adult something like The Version Of Us by Laura Barnett might be a little more intriguing, the story beginning with a woman on a bike and the decisions they make after the events of what occured on her ride.

Rowing - Girl. Boy. Sea by Chris Vick was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Prize and it's no surprise why. A story of a boy caught ina shipwreck and a girl's escape in a rowing boat this book sounds so touching and special.

Rugby - Does Heartstopper count? *hehe* honestly, I don't know what to say, because all the books with rugby players in on goodreads are either those *sexy romance books* or autobiographies, so many that is the best option.

Sailing - I can give you so many for this, The Voyage of the Dawntreader, Swallows and Amazons, Treasure Island, but I'd probably recommend Temeraire by Naomi Novik, set at sea, it's the first of a great fantasy series.

What would recommend for these sports? Please let me know!

Vee xo

[dearyallfrommatt]

"How Come“ by Ronnie Lane & Slim Chance

 Ronnie Lane is probably one of rock music’s most underappreciated songwriters. He just had a way of getting that “approaching poetry but never quite getting there, yet not crawling up its own but” thing to work like very few do. I’m thinking mainly Dylan, Ian Hunter, and Dan Baird, but I’m sure there’s more.

 Lane got his start playing bass with the mod rock band Small Faces. Though they never had much impact on the States, they were considered fairly hot in England. With some hits like “Itchycoo Park” (Number Three, their only Top 20 song in the states), “My Way Of Giving” (later covered by Rod Stewart and the Faces on his second album, Gasoline Alley) and their sole Number One hit, “All Or Nothing,” they pretty much nailed that particular vibe of British rock in the late ‘60s. They also produced what’s considered the first rock concept album, Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake, which topped the album charts in 1968.

 Not long after that, lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriot left the band to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. The rest of the band - Lane, drummer Kenny Jones, and keyboardist Ian McLagan - piddled around until former Jeff Beck Group bassist Ronnie Wood hooked up with them. He switched to guitar and eventually brought JBG singer Rod Stewart into the mix. The Faces were born - Wood and Stewart were a head taller than the rest of the band, who were all 5′5″ or shorter - and rock music was changed forever.

 Loose, heartfelt, and good-timing, the Faces had more fun playing their brand of boozy rock & roll and eventually influenced everyone from the Sex Pistols to the Black Crowes. Known for both their good-timey music and lack of “rock star” pretension, the band drank booze like someone was going to take it away from them. They’d even have a bartender with a full bar set up on stage. The band put out four records, all of which you should buy, and an excellent four-disc boxset was released in the Aughts, with songs chosen by McLagan, and you should buy that, too.

 Like with the Small Faces, Lane was one of the main songwriters in the band along with Stewart and Wood. His songs were generally more laid-back and pastoral, with plenty of influences from English folk and American country music. His best-known tune is probably “Ooh La La,” which was the last song on the Faces last album, also titled Ooh La La. Because it was too high for him and too low for Stewart, Wood wound up singing the song. Most people know it from its use in the movie Rushmore, but I never saw that so I can’t say.

 After that record came out in 1973, Lane left the band. For as popular as their live shows were - and they were enormously popular - their albums never quite caught their live spark. Nor did they do all that well, considering. Ooh La La was a Number One in England, but they only had one Top Ten album in the U.S., the previous year’s A Nod’s As Good As A Wink... To A Blind Horse. They did better in the U.K., but it was still spotty.

 Stewart’s growing solo career - and he was becoming huge at this time, going gold with his first couple of records on Mercury - plus Wood sitting in with the Rolling Stones after Mick Taylor split exacerbated the tensions within the band. Lane split and the Faces soldiered on for two more years with Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and, briefly, Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, late of Taj Mahal’s band. They had a couple more hits on the British charts but never made another record before splitting up in 1975.

 Stewart went on to be one of the biggest rock stars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Wood joined the Stones full time and has been there since. Jones joined the Who to fill the drummer spot left by the late Keith Moon and McLagan eventually joined for the classic group’s last record, appropriately titled Face Dances.

 For his part, Lane - also known as “Plonk” - put together Slim Chance, a loose conflagration of musicians and would occasionally tour England as a “traveler” circus-influenced rock show. Unlike the previous two bands, Slim Chance fully indulged his love of folk and country, keeping the good-time vibes of the Faces. This song, from the band’s debut and probably best album Anymore For Anymore, hit Number 11on the UK charts.

 Lane put out three more albums with Slim Chance, did a soundtrack with Wood for Mahoney’s Last Stand, and did a duet record with Pete Townsend called Rough Mix, both in 1976. The next year he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which had killed his mother and two brothers. He continued to tour and play as much as his health would allow, working with Eric Clapton among others, settling first in Austin, Texas, and later in Colorado. His last show was in 1992 and he died in 1997. Because neither the Small Faces nor the Faces saw their due royalties until after his death, his medical bills were paid by Stewart, Wood, and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.

 “How Come” is a pretty good example of the Slim Chance style. Breezy, bouncer, clever, and above all fun, Ronnie Lane was a man who made sure he enjoyed what he did so you would, too. It’s all worth checking out.

 And the Basil Brush Show was a kid’s show in the U.K. staring a puppet fox that ran from the ‘60s until 2007 or so in different forms. More rock bands should play kids' shows, that’s just science.

[blackkudos]

Jazmine Sullivan

Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her debut album, Fearless, was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success. It is certified gold in the US. The album contains her debut single "Need U Bad", produced by Missy Elliott, a reggae-inspired song. A cover version of her second single "Bust Your Windows" that was made on Glee in 2009, boosted her career in the popular culture industry. At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Sullivan received nominations for Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Sullivan released her second studio album, Love Me Back, in 2010. The album was critically well received and surpassed the success of her debut, earning her another Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the lead single "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles) at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart. Love Me Back has sold over three million copies. She is one of the female R&B artists to simultaneously have two albums in the top ten of the Billboard 200 and have two singles in the top five of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as well as in the history of the Grammy Awards to have three simultaneous Grammy-nominated singles, with "Need U Bad", "Bust Your Windows", and "Lions, Tigers & Bears", all of which also topped the charts. Fearless is the longest-running number one album by a female R&B artist in the history of the US Album Charts.

After taking a three-year break, Sullivan announced her third studio album, Reality Show, in 2014. The album was later released on January 13, 2015. It became Sullivan's best-selling album and peaked at number one at the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Reality Show was her first studio album to be released under RCA Records and earned her three Grammy Award nominations, including Best R&B Album, and a NAACP Image Award, which was NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song. The lead single, "Let It Burn", became her first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release. Her concert tour, The Reality Show Tour, visited North America and concluded with finale concerts at the House of Blues in March 2015.

In 2010, Sullivan was named Rising Star by Billboard. At the 2009 and 2016 NAACP Image Awards, Sullivan was nominated for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Female Artist. In 2018, her single "Bust Your Windows" was listed at number 140 on National Public Radio's The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women. Sullivan cites singers Brandy, Changing Faces, Kim Burrell, Lauryn Hill, and Dorinda Clark-Cole as her main influences and inspirations.

Life and career

1987–2006: Early life

Jazmine Sullivan was born on April 9, 1987 to Don and Pam Sullivan. Her mother is a former backup singer for Philadelphia International Records. When she was five years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city's Historic Strawberry Mansion in the Strawberry Mansion section, and her family moved into the historical landmark.

Sullivan is a 2005 graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a vocal music major. Sullivan began singing as a contralto in the children's choir, and later in the adult choir. Sullivan's exposure to secular music was initially limited.

2003–2009: Career beginnings and Fearless

At fifteen, Sullivan signed to Jive Records. She recorded an album, which was never released, and she was eventually dropped from the label. Sullivan provided vocals for Kindred the Family Soul's song, "I Am", as well as background vocals on the song "Party's Over", and the title track to their 2003 debut Surrender to Love, and it was during this session she first met rapper Missy Elliott, who would go on to produce both the majority of her debut album, Fearless, and tracks on Love Me Back. Sullivan wrote and recorded with producers Cool & Dre titled "Say I" was given to Dre's then-girlfriend Christina Milian for her third album, So Amazin'. The song became the lead single, peaking at #13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as well as #21 on the Hot 100. Sullivan's breakthrough song, "Need U Bad", was released in May 2008. The song, which featured additional vocals by Missy Elliott and Sandy "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa, later debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a total of 34 weeks atop of the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs altogether.

Sullivan's debut album Fearless was released on September 23, 2008. At the time, she wrote and composed many of its songs and served as the album's executive producer alongside Missy Elliott, Salaam Remi and Peter Edge. The album received production from Elliott, Remi, Stargate, Carvin & Ivan, Jack Splash, and Fisticuffs. Fearless debuted at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and at number 6 on the Billboard 200. Sullivan followed her début single with the release of the second single from Fearless, "Bust Your Windows", which reached number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her most successful single on that chart to date. "Bust Your Windows" appeared on the debut episode of the Fox hit television show Glee and was also nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song. In 2014, Stevie Wonder claimed he considered "Bust Your Windows" a classic song. "Lions, Tigers & Bears" was released as the album's third single in December 2008. It scored her third consecutive top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, reaching #10, and garnered some mainstream success by reaching number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sullivan later pursued success in the United Kingdom when she first released "Dream Big" as a single in the UK on February 2009. The song was later released as the fourth and final single from the album in April 2009. The album has a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, and has sold more than 510,000 copies in the United States.

Sullivan was featured on a song entitled "Smoking Gun" with Jadakiss on his third studio album The Last Kiss. She was also a supporting act for fellow American R&B singer Maxwell on his 2008 US tour and was the opening act for Ne-Yo's 2009 Year of the Gentleman Tour. She additionally appeared on Ace Hood's second studio album, Ruthless, on the song "Champion". She went on to headline a few dates with Ryan Leslie, before participating in the Essence Music Festival in June 2009. That same year, Sullivan appeared in commercials for Cotton Incorporated. Additionally, Sullivan made a guest appearance on Snoop Dogg's tenth studio album Malice n Wonderland on the song "Different Languages".

2009–11: Love Me Back

Sullivan began working on her second album, Love Me Back, in 2009. Producers contributing to the album included Missy Elliott, Lamb, Ne-Yo, Anthony Bell, Los da Mystro, Ryan Leslie, and Salaam Remi, who was also a major contributor to Fearless. Songs recorded for the album include "Love You Long Time", "Don't Make Me Wait" (a tribute to Prince), "Redemption", "Excuse Me", "Good Enough", and the reported sequel to "Bust Your Windows" titled "You Get On My Nerves", which was co-written by Ne-Yo. The album was completed in June 2010 and released on November 30, 2010. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and sold 57,000 copies in its first week.

In an interview with National Public Radio, Sullivan explained that the album was about her personal experiences, stating:

The album's lead single, "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)", was released on July 10, 2010. The song debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song premiered on August 30, 2010. The song would later be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2011. The album's second single, "10 Seconds", was released to radio airplay in late September, and debuted at number 15 the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song was later released for digital download on October 25, 2010. An accompanying music video was later filmed and was released on November 12, 2010.

In early December 2010, Billboard honoured Sullivan as the 'Rising Star' for 2010. She later announced that she was working on her third studio album.

2011–present: Hiatus and Reality Show

In January 2011, Sullivan announced via Twitter that she was indefinitely leaving the music industry saying, "I promised myself when it wasn't fun anymore I wouldn't do it. And, here I am. I'm not saying I won't ever sing again in my life because I don't believe that. But in this moment… right now… [I] got some things to figure out". On October 7, RCA Records announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Sullivan (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels).

In 2014, she returned to music with the announcement of her new album, Reality Show. In an interview with Billboard, Sullivan described her return as inevitable, saying she "...can't escape [her] calling". She based Reality Show on watching reality shows during her hiatus which inspired the namesake. The album consists of 14 songs, and features production from Key Wane and Salaam Remi. The lead single "Dumb", featuring American rapper Meek Mill, was released on May 12, 2014. The song debuted at number 45 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. The second single "Forever Don't Last" was released on September 16, 2014. It debuted at number 10 on the Adult R&B Songs.

On January 13, 2015, Jazmine Sullivan released Reality Show to widespread critical acclaim, with the album reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Reality Show sold 30,000 copies in its first week. Slant Magazine commented, "Despite what the rasp in her voice might suggest, Sullivan clearly sees herself as something other than R&B's next great queen of pain. Her central themes—love and self-image—don't stray far from genre convention, but her musical versatility and keenly observed characters make her one of the most captivating artists in R&B today." The album earned Sullivan three Grammy Award nominations for Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Album.

In 2016, Sullivan was featured in the visual album "Endless" by Frank Ocean. Sullivan lent her vocals to four songs from the album: "Alabama", "Wither", "Hublots", and "Rushes". Sullivan was the lead writer for these four songs on Mary J. Blige's album Strength of a Woman, and sang backup vocals on the first three of them: "Thick of It", "Set Me Free", "Glow Up", and "Thank You." ("Strength of a Woman" album liner notes). She in partnership with fellow American singer Bryson Tiller released "Insecure" for the soundtrack for the second season of the HBO series of the same title.

In 2019, Sullivan was featured on Pentatonix’s Christmas collection The Best of Pentatonix Christmas on the group’s cover of “Joyful, Joyful”.

Musical style and artistry

Sonically, Sullivan's voice alternates between "modern productions" and a "1980s-influenced sound" which music critics say gives her "old-school hip hop sound". Her vocal range is identified as mezzo-soprano. Her voice has a solid agility in all registers and is well connected between an A2 and a G5. InStyle said that she has a "raspy voice". She describes her writing style as "flashbacks", in reference to her songs about failed relationships that were both physically and emotionally abusive. Her music displays her responses to these relationships famously with her song "Bust Your Windows". She likes to write about how she is feeling, which in turn, taking a day or up to a month to complete. During the recording of the album Reality Show, Sullivan spent so much time revising and re-recording, that the producers had to force her to release the album to prevent a delayed release. Sullivan is well known for writing her own songs which amplifies her universal critical acclaim from critics and fans.

Awards and achievements

At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, Sullivan was nominated for awards in the categories of Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Best Contemporary R&B Album. The success of her debut album Fearless saw Sullivan nominated for three BET Awards in the categories of Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Artist and the Centric Award, but only winning the Centric Award. She was also nominated for the Outstanding New Artist award at the NAACP Image Awards.

At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Sullivan was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for her song, "Lions, Tigers & Bears". In 2010, Sullivan won the Rising Star award at the Billboard Women in Music. At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)", the lead single from her second studio album Love Me Back, earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2011. Released in 2015, Sullivan's third album, Reality Show, sold thirty thousand copies in the first week. Reality Show earned her three Grammy nominations and two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Song for "Let It Burn".

At the 49th NAACP Image Awards, Sullivan was nominated for Outstanding Song for "Insecure", a song that she and Bryson Tiller collaborated on for the soundtrack of the second season of the HBO series of the same name. Sullivan's most notable song "Bust Your Windows" was listed at number 140 on National Public Radio's list of The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women.

Discography

Fearless (2008)

Love Me Back (2010)

Reality Show (2015)

[lgbt-ya]

Art reveal for LGBTQ+ anthology PROUD!

In March 2019, Stripes is publishing PROUD, an anthology of short stories and poetry for young adults written by LGBTQ+ authors. Author and activist Juno Dawson has curated the anthology and written a rousing foreword about the state of UK Queer YA after Section 28. Contributors include established writers: Dean Atta, Fox Benwell, Caroline Bird, Tanya Byrne, Moïra Fowley-Doyle, Simon James Green, David Levithan, and Jess Vallance, alongside four new voices published for the first time; Michael Lee Richardson, Karen Lawler, Cynthia So and Kay Staples. 

Adding an extra bit of magic to the anthology, Stripes have teamed up each story with an artist, to create an illustration especially for that piece. Illustrators in PROUD include Alex Bertie, Kate Alizadeh, Alice Oseman/@chronicintrovert​, Saffa Khan, Fatti Burke, Priyanka Meenakshi, Kameron White, David Roberts, Steve Antony, Leo Greenfield, Frank Duffy and Kristen Van Dam.

Now for the first time, we’re revealing four of the illustrations that the artists have created to accompany the stories by the debut authors.  

PROUD is available to pre-order now. #ProudBook Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository | Waterstones | Goodreads

There is a true wealth of creative talent in the LGBTQ+ community, which made putting together a longlist of artists for Stripes’ PROUD YA anthology a real joy. The range of art styles in the anthology is intended as a small reflection of the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, but beyond that our artists were encouraged to respond to the stories in a way that illustrates their personal readings. All of their responses to the stories have made the experience a richer one for us, and, I hope, for you, the reader. 

- Paul Coomey, Art Director, Stripes Publishing

 THE OTHER TEAM by Michael Lee Richardson has been illustrated by David Roberts. A ragtag football team support their trans star player.

MICHAEL LEE RICHARDSON is a writer and youth worker from Glasgow. As a screenwriter he has written comedy for CBBC and BBC Alba. His original work has been shortlisted for BBC Scotland’s Frank Deasy Award and the BAFTA Rocliffe Comedy Award, and his young adult comedy ‘Real Life Experience’ was ‘highly commended’ for BBC Writersroom’s Trans Comedy Award. In 2015 he won the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in the Children and Young Adult category. As a youth worker, he set up and ran Trans Youth Glasgow, part of LGBT Youth Scotland. He currently works for LEAP Sports Scotland on Trans Team, a project aimed at encouraging transgender young people to engage with sport and outdoor activities. www.hrfmichael.co.uk  @HRFMichael 

DAVID ROBERTS is one of the UK’s foremost children’s illustrators and has been shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for Little Red, The Dunderheads and Tinder. David won a Gold Award in the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize for Mouse Noses On Toast in 2006. He has worked with acclaimed writers including Julia Donaldson, Sally Gardner and Julian Clary. David lives in Kennington, South London.  dr.illustration on Instagram

I HATE DARCY PEMBERLEY by Karen Lawler has been illustrated by Kameron White. Can Lizzie and Darcy put pride to one side and admit their prejudices are stopping them from finding happiness? 

KAREN LAWLER is an American living in London with her awesome wife and extremely cute dog Buffy. She loves reading, especially sci-fi, fantasy, YA, and historical non-fiction, and she funds her book habit by working in children’s publishing. She loves a good teen movie (10 Things I Hate About You is the best and she will fight you on that). This is the first time her writing has appeared in print.  @KarenLawler 

KAMERON WHITE was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He is a lover of comics, superheroes, fashion and cats. Kam graduated with a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in spring of 2018. He now resides in Minneapolis as a comic artist and illustrator.  @spacejam_kam

THE PHOENIX’S FAULT by Cynthia So has been illustrated by Priyanka Meenakshi. Jingzhi the lantern maker is forced to question why she doesn’t want to marry the Emperor.

CYNTHIA SO was born in Hong Kong and lives in London. She graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in Classics in 2016 and has been working in higher education since then. She writes YA, speculative fiction and poetry. Her work can be found in magazines such as Uncanny, Anathema and Arsenika.  @cynaesthete 

PRIYANKA MEENAKSHI is a self-taught writer and artist living in Bristol. She writes and illustrates for a variety of different publications, on themes of trauma and recovery. You can see more of her work at priyankameenakshi.com  

ON THE RUN by Kay Staples has been illustrated by Alex Bertie. Two teens have the chance to escape their lives and families, and be together. 

KAY STAPLES is a writer from the Midlands. After studying creative writing at the University of Birmingham, Kay now works in marketing as a content writer in London, and listens to an awful lot of alternative music.  @okstaples 

 ALEX BERTIE is a young transgender YouTuber. At just fourteen he started making videos on sexuality and gender identity, and continues to do so with weekly uploads. To this day, he has reached 250,000 subscribers. His work has been picked up by organizations such as Childline and Stonewall, and has been recognized by the Independent, YouTube magazine TenEighty and trans publication FTM Magazine. @Alex_Bertie

Preorder PROUD: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository | Waterstones | Goodreads

[registrylong]

Alter ego band from rockville maryland

#ALTER EGO BAND FROM ROCKVILLE MARYLAND SERIES#

#ALTER EGO BAND FROM ROCKVILLE MARYLAND SERIES#

While touring England with the Runaways in 1976, Jett first heard the song " I Love Rock 'n' Roll" when she saw Arrows perform it on their weekly UK television series Arrows. They found success abroad, especially in Japan. The band toured around the world and became an opening act for Cheap Trick, Ramones, Van Halen, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This lineup recorded three albums, with Live in Japan becoming one of the biggest-selling imports in US and UK history. While Currie initially fronted the band, Jett shared some lead vocals, played rhythm guitar, and wrote or co-wrote some of the band's material along with Ford, West, and Currie. After the brief tenure of singer and bass guitarist Micki Steele, Jackie Fox, Lita Ford, and Cherie Currie soon joined to complete the band, creating the classic lineup. Jett, at the age of 16, became a founding member of the Runaways alongside drummer Sandy West. In Los Angeles, Jett's favorite night spot was Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, a venue that provided the glam rock style she loved. Shortly after the move, her parents divorced and she changed her name to Joan Jett, because she thought it had more of a rock-star sound than her birth name (she has admitted in recent years that "Jett" was not actually her mother's maiden name, even though that is what she used to tell people). Her family then moved to West Covina, California, in Los Angeles County, providing Jett the opportunity to pursue her musical interests. She took some guitar lessons, but soon quit because the instructor kept trying to teach her folk songs. Jett got her first guitar at the age of 13. In 1967, her family moved to Rockville, Maryland, where she attended Randolph Junior High and Wheaton High School. Her family was Protestant, attended church, and went to Sunday school, but were not strict in their religious beliefs. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a secretary. Joan Marie Larkin was born on September 22, 1958, to James and Dorothy Larkin, at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia (although some sources list her birth date as September 22, 1960, which is incorrect ). 2.7 Film, stage and television appearances.Jett lives in Long Beach, New York, and has been a New York resident since the late 1970s. In 2015, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has been described as "the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll". She has three albums that have been certified platinum or gold. Jett's other notable songs include " Bad Reputation", " Light of Day", " I Hate Myself for Loving You" and her covers of " Crimson and Clover", " Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" and " Dirty Deeds". With The Blackhearts, Jett is known for her rendition of the song " I Love Rock 'n Roll" which was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and performing with the Runaways, which recorded and released the hit song " Cherry Bomb". Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress.

[sinceseptemberband]

Colne's In The Mix

Patrick Ralphson, a 21-year-old lad from Trawden, will perform to over half a million people in O2 arenas next year. In 2020, Patrick took place in the BBC One music competition: Little Mix: The Search where he was shaped into the four-man indie band, Since September. The aim of the music competition was to form a band, Patrick’s ensemble was the instrumental and vocal group, and they took the crown in November 2020. Patrick, Jacob, Harry, and Matthew competed against five other bands for the winning title and will join Little Mix in their Confetti Tour in 2022. Patrick gives the band their rockstar credentials, and gives us a sneaky peek into where it all began…

The night Patrick won he turned his phone off for 24 hours. I could only imagine the endless sound of notifications that must have been popping up on screen. “I’m just a lad from Colne,” giggles Patrick, “it was ridiculous! After a quick 10 minute zoom session with my family, I turned my phone off. So much happened, but I remember everything from that night. After the gold streamers came down and the cameras were of, it was just us (the band) and the producers on the stage, and for some reason we all just started singing ‘Shine’ by Take That!” ‘Let it shine…’ Patrick sings at me down the phone. Who needs to pay for tickets when I have had my own free show!

“For as long as I can remember my dad played guitar and every day when he got in from work, and I’d beg him to play Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’. He taught me how to play and he’s the reason why I play, I just wanted to impress him and still do.”

Patrick recalls one of his first memories on stage in his first year of school, a blessing in disguise. “I was going to sing ‘Johnny B Goode’ by Chuck Berry with a girl from the year above. I didn’t have many mates at school, it was quite sad. I think the girl realised that being stood on stage with me would have been social suicide, so she sacked it off on the day. I knew nobody else would do it with me, so I just did it myself. I fell in love with singing from there, it was the first time I’d ever sang in front of hundreds of people so it was quite scary for an 11-year-old. That night I came home, picked up my dad’s guitar, learned how to sing, playing all the classic acoustic tunes.

“When I was 14, I discovered Catfish and the Bottlemen, I just wanted to be Van McCann. At the time I’d just joined a band called Critical Reaction, we went to Bands on the Square, a local live music event in Barnoldswick. I thought, I really want be on that stage too.”

Two years later, he was up rocking on the stage.

I asked him if he would still perform again for his home town after his new found fame

“Maybe… maybe.” Patrick chuckled. “I’ll rock up after I’ve played the O2. It’d always be nice to come back and keep in touch with my roots.

“I went to the pub with my mate the other day and people were saying, “You’re the guy from TV!”. I’m not used to it at all. Me and two of my bandmates, Harry and Matty are living together in North London. I’m flying the nest finally but it’s going to be fun. We will just be grafting, writing and recording, when we’re together it’s electric,” he grins.

“I’ll still miss the north. I’ll miss the fresh air and being able to walk a few minutes before I’m in the countryside.

Yesterday, a woodpecker with crazy colours landed in my garden, stuff like that won’t happen in London. I’ll just see pedigree dogs and bin foxes!”

Patrick studied Politics and German at University in Manchester, but gambled his future to devote all his efforts to music. “I’d rather full-arse one thing than half-arse two things. The degree was a joint honours, and it would have just absolutely annihilated me. I stepped back and looked at my situation and thought do I want to be in my room watching lectures or writing music. I just want a guitar in my hand every day. It is worth taking a punt for, if the risk pays off then the reward is unprecedent.”

For Patrick, nothing is as cool as writing songs with their manager Roy Stride, frontman of pop-rock band ‘Scouting for Girls’. “The competition was commissioned through a company called Modest Company. They’ve managed Little Mix, One Direction, JLS and Olly Murs. We originally met him when he was a song writer and he was looking to go into management, so we just went from there. He is a genius so it’s amazing to get into the science of song writing. He is a master of it.”

What can we expect from Since September?

“The first single is coming out. The second and third single are on their way too, huge stadium style songs. We’re playing some festivals this year and the Little Mix tour next year… I’m buzzing. I’ll be playing to over half a million people in 30 days, it’s ridiculous, it doesn’t compute in my head how many people that actually is. I won’t understand the gravity of what it is until we step out in Belfast on the first night to 16,000 people.

“The reason I got to where I’ve got, I just didn’t put any pressure on myself because it was the world of pop, it was alien to me, it’s all alien to me. The only people I’ve ever had around are people who have had a cigarette as a vocal warm up.” Patrick laughs.

- Patrick for Northern Life Magazine talking about everything from starting in Trawden, Colne, UK to the winning Little Mix’s ‘The Search’ competition & everything in between. (13 July 2021)

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Moffat Era Rewatch: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and River battle the Silence with the help of Richard Nixon and Neil Armstrong’s foot... 

Warning: Spoilers Sweetie 

The king here is Charles II

I bet after this scene wrapped there was a fight over who got to keep that picture of the Doctor.

You’d think by this point the Stormcage guards would just give up stopping River from escaping. 

More hat murder from the wife. 

As far as I am concerned, this dinner is Clara’s TARDIS and she’s that brunette behind Amy and the Doctor, listening in, but keeping herself out of sight.  

Ugh, Netflix UK has this stupid recaps at the start of all the season six episodes. 

This is one gorgeous shot.

Lake Silencio is actually Lake Powell in Utah.

Knowing River’s full story, this must’ve been really traumatic for her, having to relive this all over again.

“That is most certainly the Doctor.” Technically, he’s not wrong. 

Nice that the older Canton is played by Mark Sheppard’s own dad, William Morgan Sheppard.   

And here’s another amazing shot.

Shame that Toby Haynes didn’t direct for the series again after this story.

“Just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz.“

“Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that.” Matt plays the casual menace of the Doctor so well. 

Mark Sheppard is one of those actors who I cheer for cheer for whenever they show up in something I like. 

“You were my second choice for this, Mister Delaware." “That's okay. You were my second choice for President, Mister Nixon.” Oooh, need some water for that burn, Dicky? 

Nixon looks more like LBJ.

“Let’s take it slow” Said right before blundering right into the Oval Office. 

“Oh look, this is the Oval Office. I was looking for the er, oblong room.”

“I'm your new undercover agent, on loan from Scotland Yard. Code name, The Doctor. These are my top operatives, The Legs, The Nose, and Mrs. Robinson.” “I hate you.” “No, you don't." *Shipper giggling* 

The day before Google Maps. 

Love the design of the Silence. They are like Fox Mulder’s worst nightmares (grey aliens, sinister men in black, people taller than him) all rolled into one. 

Where is the Doctor’s fez? 

This episode is only six years old but Amy’s phone looks prehistoric. 

Poor Joy. I wonder if anyone noticed she went to toilet and never came back? Did they think the plumbers got rid of her? 

“Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. River.” "Surnames of three of America's founding fathers.” "Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me.“ Okay, one of the was defo Hamilton because he was bi AF. Who was the other? Can’t see it being Jefferson, so Adams? 

At this point the Doctor and River are just incapable of being in the same room and not flirting with each other. 

“Brave heart, Canton.” 

“Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards.” Which is pretty much how every episodes of Doctor Who starts.  

These five together make such an amazing team I wish they’d had more adventures together. Oh well, maybe Big Finish will see to that. 

“The trouble is, it's all back to front. My past is his future. We're travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet, I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him, but I know that every time I do, he'll be one step further away. And the day is coming when I'll look into that man's eyes, my Doctor, and he won't have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it's going to kill me.” *Shipper tears*

Now this place looks familiar. 

“I just wanted to get married.” "Is that a crime?" “Yes.” Sad, but true. In 1969 Illinois was the only state to have decriminalized consensual sexual relations between same-sex couples. It wouldn’t be decriminalized in all 50 states until 2003. 

This cliffhanger is slightly ruined by the use of slow motion. 

This opening sequence, with Canton pretending to chase the others while they investigate the Silence, doesn’t really work that well for me. It just doesn’t it sync up with where the last episode left off in a satisfying way.   

Someone needs a shave. Isn’t this the first time we’ve ever seen the Doctor with facial hair? 

I love that River has absolute faith in the Doctor. No matter where she is, she knows that he will always be there to catch her when she decides to jump off a building or out off a space ship. 

So did no one find it a little suspicious that there was no body (or the splattered remains of one) after River jumped? So much for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

And here is one of the creepiest children’s home of all time, which Amy and Canton arrive at on a suitably dark and stormy night. No sign of that trademark Florida sunshine anywhere.    

Did little Melody write this or was it Renfrew?

 You have to feel for River, having to spend most of her childhood in a place like with only a basket case for company.

 And the Silence hang like bats because...?

This would not be the last time Nixon would have to bail out someone working for him after they got caught breaking in to somewhere they shouldn’t.   

“America salutes you.” 

Here’s our first glimpse of Madame Kovarian.  

Who took all these pictures of Melody? 

Looks like we have the Doctor to thank for the White House tapes. 

“She can always hear me, Doctor. Always. Wherever she is, and she always knows that I am coming for her. Do you understand me? Always.” *Shipper swoon*

Does the Doctor do this with other world leaders? Drag them out when he needs to avoid a little jail time. Did he ever get arrested in Moscow in 1988 and have to call on Gorbachev? 

“You should kill us all on sight” You should’ve chosen your words more carefully, Mr Silence.

Which makes you wonder what the Doctor’s plan was if he hadn’t said that.  

Not a fan of this making us think Amy loves the Doctor instead of Rory nonsense.  

Yes, Amy, this is indeed very important flirting. 

You can’t say he didn’t offer them a chance to go in peace. 

And Murray Gold’s score goes into overdrive. 

“And one whacking great kick up the backside for the Silence.” Turning an enemy’s strength against them is such a classic Doctor move. 

“We are not leaving without you.” “Look, will you just get your stupid face out of here.” *Shipper shirking* 

I imagine killing all these Silences (is the plural?) was very cathartic for River. 

“So, what kind of doctor are you?” “Archaeology.” Gotta love that River is the India Jones of the Doctor Who universe. 

“Oh, Dicky. Tricky Dicky. They're never going to forget you. Say hi to David Frost for me.” 

I do hope that Canton and his boyfriend did eventually get married. 

Their first kiss!!!! (from his perspective) *Shipper screaming*

“There's a first time for everything.” "And a last time.” *Shipper ugly crying*

“So, this little girl. It's all about her. Who was she? Or we could just go off and have some adventures. Anyone in the mood for adventures? Because I am.” The Doctor is the patron saint of procrastination. 

First time I saw this cliffhanger the sound I made was in no way human human. 

Next Time: The Curse of the Black Spot

[placetobenation]

If nothing else, 2020 will be remembered for the moments that rocked us all, right. Whether it be the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, the civil unrest, the lack of social interaction, the constant in-fighting and more, there have been things that have definitely rocked our collective World. Now, late this week, we get another bombshell in the wrestling world as a new wave of exually assault allegations have hit the squared circle. The biggest current day name is Matt Riddle, who made his SmackDown debut Friday night. How long he stays is anyone’s guess as there are now allegations from fellow wrestler Candy Cartwright, someone Riddle was allegedly involved with, that he forced her to have sex with him. Jim Cornette and Jack Gallagher, who has already been let go by the WWE, have both been accused as well. Now, I’m not here to take sides since only those involved truly know the truth. But, count me thoroughly surprised that the WWE continued to hype Riddle and show his win over newly crowned Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles air Friday night on broadcast TV on FOX. There’s certainly room for a lot of backlash there to come, no pun intended. The WWE is not alone in these allegations as superstars from AEW, Impact Wrestling, NXT UK, Progress and more have been implicated. This story is just beginning and will have many twists and turns before all is said and done.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those involved. For those brave enough to share their stories, we are there for them.

For their part in the matter, the WWE issued this statement on Friday afternoon:

“We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter.”

Star of the Week – Is there really any question? The Viper, Randy Orton gets our top spot this week. Not only does he take out Edge, pinning him and putting him out for the next 4-8 months with a triceps tear, but he builds on it the very night by punting his best friend Christian back on the sidelines after coming out of retirement for an unsanctioned match. Oh, BTW, thanks to the Nature Boy, Ric Flair for the low blow assist too! Still the dirtiest player in the game Natch!

BACKLASH PPV

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre defeated Bobby Lashley

Universal Championship Handicap Match: Braun Strowman defeated The Miz & John Morrison

Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Randy Orton defeated Edge

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Nia Jax ended in double-count out

Sheamus defeats Jeff Hardy

Women’s Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: Bayley & Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews defeated Andrade

Fully entertained by BACKLASH. Sure, we could’ve done without the double-count out from Asuka and Nia Jax. Sure, the Universal Title Match wasn’t a classic, but it was better than I thought it was going to be. But, let’s be honest, Edge vs. Orton was fabulous! Even without the devastating torn triceps injury to Edge, the match delivered on so many levels as Randy Orton got his revenge on his former rated-R friend. No, it wasn’t the Greatest Wrestling Match EVER, but it never was going to be. But it proved that those at the top of the chain can indeed wrestle and tell an amazing story at the same time.

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley was physical as all hell and yes, we get the beginning of the end for Lashley & Lana after she costs him the title victory.

The Women’s Tag Team Triple Threat delivered on all fronts as did Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy. The in-ring action was fantastic and pushed both storylines forward.

Apollo Crews got the night going on a good note making Andrade and Angel Garza not like each other even more, with help from Kevin Owens.

As for the “Viking Profits” taking on the Ninjas instead of each other? LOVED IT!

RAW

RESULTS

Kevin Owens defeated Angel Garza

The IIconics defeated Natalya & Liv Morgan

United States Championship Non-Title Match: Apollo Crews defeated Shelton Benjamin

Drew McIntyre & R-Truth defeated Bobby Lashley & MVP

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka defeated Nia Jax

Unsanctioned Match: Randy Orton defeated Christian

Loved it:

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?! This #Unsanctioned Match between @RandyOrton & @Christian4Peeps took a significant turn following the actions of @RicFlairNatrBoy!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/iwa4Zv3bKO

— WWE (@WWE) June 16, 2020

The dirtiest player in the game – Having Ric Flair align himself with Randy Orton to put a low blow into Christian’s efforts to defend his friend Edge was fabulous! Granted Orton doesn’t need the help, it was a nice touch and might even add some fun to Flair with Orton and maybe Charlotte Flair down the road.

Asuka wins – I don’t know why the WWE felt the need to give us a win on Monday night instead of Sunday night, but Asuka needed it. Charlotte Flair is right – Nia Jax should be nowhere near the top of the title picture.

Good thinkin', @WWETheBigShow… Maybe The #StreetProfits and #VikingRaiders SHOULD settle their series with a #WWERaw #TagTeamTitles match! pic.twitter.com/xdUNrhNUrM

— WWE (@WWE) June 16, 2020

Ninjas – Having The Big Show come on the scene to help The Viking Profits deal with Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas was hilarious! Hope they continue it.

New pair?

Part 1 – Lana & Natalya – Are we about to get a pair of brats paired together with Lana and Natalya now screaming their displeasure to the World, together. Natalya’s just mad at everyone and Lana’s now looking for a new love after Bobby Lashley’s divorce request. This one could be interesting.

He's done it again … with the big assist from @RonKillings!!!@DMcIntyreWWE is still YOUR #WWEChampion. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/NomvpbuXgx

— WWE (@WWE) June 16, 2020

Part 2 – R-Truth & Drew – Loved the back & forth between the two champions. McIntyre saved his own bacon, as well as R-Truth’s with a clean win over Lashley & MVP. Hope we get more of these two in the ring and of course, outside it. R-Truth is comic gold my friends!

Are you gonna go my way?

Zelina Vega – Who will Vega choose as Andrade takes on Angel Garza?

NXT

RESULTS

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) defeated Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)

Damian Priest defeated Killian Dane

Aliyah defeated Xia Li

Dakota Kai defeated Kayden Carter

Bronson Reed defeated Leon Ruff

Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Bayley & Sasha Banks defeated Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox

So good…

This is @WWENXT Women's Champion @shirai_io's house now! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/h4luLGWnxd

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) June 18, 2020

Champions abound – Sasha Banks & Bayley come home to NXT to defend the Women’s Tag Team Championship only to meet the new NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai’s wrath to end the night. Talk about inserting yourself into the upper echelon of the WWE. Now, that could be a fun three-way in the future!

NEXT WEEK: @RealKeithLee will defend the #WWENXT #NATitle against @JohnnyGargano & @FinnBalor! Whoever walks away as the champion from that match will face @AdamColePro on July 8th in a CHAMPION vs. CHAMPION 𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺 𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯! pic.twitter.com/FxFm070sG0

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 18, 2020

Fireworks:

Adam Cole vs. Keith Lee vs. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano – Everyone wants the titles! So, what better way to have it go down than to have Commissioner Steven Regal lay down the gauntlet. Next week, it’s Lee vs. Gargano vs. Balor for the NXT North American Championship with the winner getting a shot against Adam Cole on July 8th in a winner-take-all champion vs. champion match. Glorious!

Very interesting:

Keith Lee vs. Adam Cole vs. Karrion Kross – Just what does the North American NXT Champion have in store after breaking Scarlett’s hour glass that she left for the NXT Champion last week? Give me a specialty match with these three please! Kross and Scarlett won’t be taking that lying down.

What the heck was that?

The Undisputed Therapy – Poor Roderick Strong! Poor man can’t even look eye-to-eye with a car trunk!

The NXT Tag Team Title battle between #Imperium and #Breezango quickly spiraled out of control once #IndusSher arrived. #WWENXT @_StarDESTROYER @strongstylebrit @Malcolmvelli @gurjar_saurav @RealRinkuSingh pic.twitter.com/oiVH4cVS2z

— WWE (@WWE) June 18, 2020

Tag-team chaos – Suddenly, the tag team division in NXT is stacked!

Numbers game:

Drake is decimated – Poor Drake Maverick. Yes, more guts than brains and it left Maverick lying prone after a 3-on-1 beatdown by Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Who will help Drake when he recovers?

Not the brightest bulb in the pack:

Bronson Reed – Sorry Mr. Reed, but Karrion Kross is going to come for you, i.e. kill you next week. Sometimes it’s better not to poke the bear.

It's only Wednesday, Rob.

@RobertStoneWWE "distracts" @XiaWWE to allow @WWE_Aliyah to get the pin! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/xVN0GTAX9V

— WWE (@WWE) June 18, 2020

The Stone Brand – Need we say anymore? At least Aliyah got a win!

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Intercontinental Title Championship Match: Matt Riddle defeated AJ Styles

Shorty G defeated Mojo Rawley

SmackDown Tag Team Non-Title Match: The New Day defeated Lucha House Party

Sasha Banks defeated Nikki Cross

Hated it beyond belief!

.@SuperKingofBros just pinned @AJStylesOrg!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/eB0JZeo1jp

— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2020

Matt Riddle – Seriously! Not only is Matt Riddle the center of an alleged sexual assault controversy, but what the hell is he doing beating the newly crowned Intercontinental Champion in his first match on SmackDown. HATE. HATE. HATE how bad the WWE makes their champions look on TV. It’s a countless line of new title-holders that lose on television right or shortly after winning the title. The Miz & John Morrison, Asuka, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and now Styles. It’s not a good look for the champions. Why make them champions if you are immediately going to make them weak? Now, it has nothing to do with the match itself. The match itself was pretty good, but just misplaced especially with the social atmosphere the way it is right now.

Loved It:

The AJ Celebration – Now, while I hated that Matt Riddle gets a win over AJ Styles, I did love the build-up to it. Styles plays the pompous ass so well and having Daniel Bryan as the man to build up the roster as new foes was perfect. Cesaro’s facial expression made me laugh-out-loud too!

She's done. @SonyaDevilleWWE is intent on taking away "the one thing that matters" to @WWE_MandyRose. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/aoPz5cKQyc

— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2020

Sensational Sonya – Sonya Deville is one of the hottest things on WWE TV these days! On the mic, in the ring and overall greatness, Deville is as delicious as it gets right now on Friday night. It’s a shame that it took so long for the suits in the back to give her a shot to be herself. It’s also a shame that there’s no live crowd to feed off of because they surely would be eating this up as I am!

Huh?

"You look like you've seen a ghost…"#SmackDown #FireflyFunHouse @WWEBrayWyatt @BraunStrowman pic.twitter.com/UyZv9HvjNV

— WWE (@WWE) June 20, 2020

What’s up with Bray? – So, are we now Fiend-less? I thought we were done with the Wyatt vs. Strowman feud – we should be after a clean loss at Money in the Bank. I’m not buying the whole “I created you, I must destroy you” argument that was played out the first time they met a few months ago. Why should I care now? Just because of a wardrobe change? Got to give me more than that WWE!

Superstars vs. NXT Up-and-comers – Why is it OK for the SmackDown superstars to be around the ring with no social distancing but the NXT upstarts have to be behind glass the whole show? Makes no sense but I did at least like that they’re listening to us here at TWITW. We’ve been telling them to get the other current day superstars to ringside for weeks!

Tag Team Mayhem:

Message sent!@WWECesaro & @ShinsukeN want the SmackDown Tag Team Titles and RESPECT. pic.twitter.com/Lqeqyzboaj

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) June 20, 2020

The New Day – Not only do Kofi Kingston and Big E get into with the Women’s Tag Team Champs, but also get attacked by Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura after their win over Lucha House Party.

Bayley & Sasha Banks – Speaking of the Women’s Tag Champs, the BFF’s get ambushed by Nikki Cross leading to a one-on-one match between Cross and Banks. Love the fire and it looks like Sasha & Bayley have replaced Charlotte Flair in appearing on every show in the WWE every week. Maybe they could challenge for Cody Rhodes TNT Championship on AEW too. Now, THAT would be something! Just as an aside, even just cheering at ringside, Alexa Bliss is a true goddess as Corey Graves would say.

Parting shots:

Welcome to NXT Mercedes Martinez!

Don’t forget to watch the final chapter of The Undertaker: Last Ride this Sunday on the WWE Network. Will the Boneyard Match vs. AJ Styles be UT’s final match? How did it all come about? It should be fascinating.

Coming up this week:

RAW – Championship Monday:

Women’s Tag Team Title Match: Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. The IIconics

RAW Men’s Tag Team Title Match: The Street Profits vs. The Viking Raiders

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

24/7 Championship Match: R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa & The Ninjas

Ric Flair and Randy Orton

NXT:

North American Championship Triple Threat Match: Keith Lee vs. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

Karrion Kross vs. Bronson Reed

Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes

SmackDown:

Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Drew Gulak

Sheamus toasts Jeff Hardy

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[tipsycad147]

Garden Gnomes

By shirleytwofeathers

Origin: Teutonic

Emblem: Mushrooms, especially fly agaric or fly amanita

Plant: The presence of galbanum (freula galbaniflua) allegedly invites the protection of gnomes.

Iconography: The standard garden gnome depicts an older male with a long beard and peaked red hat. He wears a big belt over leggings, a blue tunic, and boots. Sometimes they wear gardeners’ aprons.

The name “gnome” stems from the Greek word “genomos” which means “earth dweller”. They are said to be one of the elemental spirits defined by Paracelsus, as representative of the Earth Element.

Gnomes are subterranean spirits now most associated with garden statuary. They resemble tiny people. Paracelsus described gnomes as two spans high. (A span is the width of an outstretched human hand,) Unlike dwarves or kobolds, gnomes are not mine or cave spirits but tend to live beneath human gardens. They have a reputation for emerging at night to do a little helpful garden work. Garden gnomes allegedly bring luck.

Gnomes tend to be quiet, private, taciturn spirits, but they respond well to gifts and offerings. They can be persuaded to become loyal allies, guardians, and helpers. Female gnomes may be especially taciturn; they are rarely depicted. However folklore indicates that their are entire gnome communities with male and female gnomes of all ages. Gnomes maintain good relationships with birds, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs, and squirrels.

Originally, gnomes were thought to provide protection, especially of buried treasure and minerals in the ground.  Gnomes were regarded as good luck charms by our ancestors and would often be found living in the rafters of barns where they would help watch over livestock. They are still used today.

Garden Gnomes vs “Actual” Gnomes

Modern garden gnomes are based on the legendary “Gnomes” of myth, mysticism, and fairy tales. Gnomes have historically been described as small (from a few inches to a foot or two in height) stout beings who live in Nature – usually underground. European magicians and other mystics considered gnomes the most common and important elemental spirits of the ‘Earth’ element (the other three classical elements being: ‘Water,’ ‘Fire,’ and ‘Air’).

Gnomes were said to wear conical hats and to be able to move through the earth itself as easily as we humans walk upon it, yet if any of these underground dwellers were caught out in the daylight it was said that the rays of the Sun turned them into stone.

Sometimes gnomes were said to have magical powers to protect or punish people – or to reward them with happiness. Gnomes are also said to be guardians of secret underground treasures – especially gold! Even in modern times gnomes are said by some –such as the highly influential mystic Rudolph Steiner – to be involved in the hidden processes of plant life. In fact many farms, including prize-winning wineries, follow principles based on these beliefs.

Garden Gnomes Today

More modern descriptions of gnomes usually emphasise their bright red pointed hats, solid coloured clothes, and the long white beard of the typical male. Though sightings of female gnomes are rarely reported, gnome women are generally thought to be beard-free.

The name ‘gnome’ is said to come from the Latin word ‘gnomus’ which is thought to possibly come from the Greek word ‘gnosis’ meaning “knowledge” (i.e. of hidden treasure), but is more likely rooted in the word ‘genomos’ meaning “earth dweller”

A garden gnome adds a bit of whimsy and a connection to the old world, where farmers believed the good luck charm could help their fields yield more produce and protect them from thieves, pests and other problems. They were also thought to help gardeners in the night, which we all could use!

The earliest gnome statuary was produced in Thuringia, Germany, in the early nineteenth century and was based on German folklore. Gnome statues potentially welcome and attract real gnomes, as well as Flower Fairies or other benevolent spirits. The earliest statues were carefully wrought, hand-painted terra-cotta and were exceptionally popular.

By the 1960’s, cheaper plastic and resin versions were mass-produced. The old terra-cotta ones are now extremely valuable and are family heirlooms. Garden gnome statues tend to evoke very visceral responses. Some people adore and collect them. Others loathe them so much that they feel justified destroying or removing other people’s property.

Gnomes are the subject of modern entertainment as well as old folktales. The animated children’s television show The World of David the Gnome was highly unusual in that it depicted both male and female gnomes. The gnomes in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series are garden pests, not helpers.

Some Handy Garden Gnome Trivia:

Gnomes are banned from the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show. We think that’s a crying shame, personally.

There are three categories of mass-produced gnomes: Worker gnomes, who always carry tools like fishing rods, shovels, or hammers; at-ease gnomes who typically carry a pipe and cultural gnomes who have a musical instrument in hand. Rock stars.

Gnomes have a life expectancy of 400 years.

Their main enemies? Mean humans who destroy the environment and trolls – obviously.

Male gnomes always wear red caps.

The world’s oldest garden gnome, called Lampy, has been living at Lamport Hall in the UK for 125 years and is worth a cool £2 million, or €2.4m!

In the 1980s, the Gnome Liberation Front stole gnomes and sent the owners photos of them from landmarks around the globe.

Gnomes are generally vegetarian and eat foods like nuts, mushrooms, peas, beans, potatoes, applesauce, fruit, berries, tubers, spices, vegetables, and preserves for dessert.

They like to drink mead dew made from fermented honey, fermented raspberries, and spiced gin as a nightcap.

Gnomes kiss by rubbing noses. They also use nose rubbing as a greeting equivalent to human handshaking.

Forest Gnomes:

There are gnomes that live in the forest in the Philippines.  You can tell where they live if there’s a hill of dirt that’s a bit higher than everything else. And when you go by them, you’re supposed to be really, really respectful and say:

“Excuse me. I’m just walking by. I don’t mean any harm.”

Even if you’re not doing anything, or no one said anything, or you’re not sure. You’re just supposed to do it. If you don’t, there could be blow back as per the following:

“There was a story on the Philippines news channel, about a kid who had huge swollen lips. You could hardly see his eyes. He was speaking to reporters and he said that he was walking by the hills and his friend told him that you’re supposed to say sorry and he said, “No, I’m not. I don’t care. I don’t believe in that stuff.”

Then the next day he woke up with a tumour on his face. Not so much as a tumour, but as his lips were super swollen. It looked like someone blasted air into his lips. Like super Botox.”

Walking Gnomes

The following story is very interesting in the fact that this is one of the few stories from Mexico where inanimate objects, that are not haunted, come to life. The Mexican culture does not traditionally include creatures such as gnomes but instead, it consist of larger creatures and ghosts. This is because the country did not originally have gnomes until places, such as the United States introduced them to there.

“In Mexico they believe that garden gnomes come alive at night. The proof they have of it is that my grandma used to own gnomes and her neighbours used to own gnomes in Mexico. And the garden gnomes the next day would be found in different places and a lot of stuff was broken and sometimes my mom and her sister would wake up at night, and they would hear things, but when they looked outside, they would never see the gnomes there. So there’s that story that they become alive at night in Mexico.”

“Recently I was talking to one of my cousins who told that story to some friends whose parents were also from Mexico. And this friend told my cousin that he actually believes that story, because one night the garden gnomes were not where they had placed them. They found them inside the house one night in the house and they were rolling in the hallway. Since then, they got rid of the gnomes, or at least they tried to. They threw them away but the next day they were in the same place they had put them before.”

The Secret Lives of Garden Gnomes

From Neopets.com, here’s a story about what Gnomes do at night. I’m pretty sure this is a made up story, but I thought it was fun, and who knows? Maybe it isn’t altogether fictional. You be the judge:

The reason Garden Gnomes come alive at night is because they don’t want anyone to see them moving around. This is pretty practical, considering the fact that if any regular person saw them talking and moving, they’d want to put them in some sort of abnormality museum!

But what do garden gnomes do at night? Well, I was watching out my window at the gnomes in my garden one night, and I saw one, a Bruce gnome, have them all line up in a row as he paced back and forth in front of them, a small twig in his hand like he was the instructor of a military camp.

He was telling each gnome which direction to go in order to pick up free food. You see, garden gnomes thrive like ants. They all go off to find food that people may have dropped accidentally or on purpose, and sometimes they even venture into houses and borrow food with no intention of returning (also known as stealing, but they take such small portions most people never even notice).

After retrieving food they rush back to their home centre (which is usually a tunnel in the ground leading into a large, dug out room, since gnomes are not claustrophobic) and report to the leader, in this case the Bruce gnome. He then tallies their lot and tosses the foot morsel into another room in their tunnel, where they store their food. They act sort of like chipmunks, storing food and hunting for it, of course, gnomes are not carnivores though.

And, to their enormous pleasure, when they have collected a lot of food, they sit down at have a feast! Yes, a feast! It’s a feast of little sweets, candy peas, popcorn pieces, and sometimes even whole flower cakes (although they take more than one gnome to carry). But besides eating, what else do gnomes do? Well, I’m glad you asked.

You wouldn’t suspect this, but when they have leisure time, gnomes enjoy swimming. They are very pleased to find a Neogarden where someone owns a pond. They jump right in, clothes and all, and swim and dive around in the cool water for hours at a time. And when they want to dry off, they take a large leaf and wrap themselves up in it, drying off quickly.

Aside from swimming, gnomes also enjoy crafts. They may take green blades of grass and weave adorable little baskets or even blankets. They can also take pieces of bark off of trees and sticks and carve them with sharp stones into little sculptures. Gnomes are very talented in the artistic field, and if you see a stick carved into a Meepit, you know who did it.

Aside from swimming and crafts, another thing gnomes enjoy is sports. They might play their own version of soccer by kicking around a rounded stone, or even play basketball by throwing a rock into a hole. This not only provides exercise, but gives them lots of time together to just have fun.

But when they aren’t playing and having fun, what do they do? Throughout the whole day, they sleep, and at night they either have fun or look for food, so there’s only a little bit of time left for something else-note-taking! This is sort of like their education, which is actually an education of…what else? Neopets!

Note-taking is when gnomes grab their oversized pencils and paper, which they “borrow” from Neopets, then marching through the sleeping pet’s house and going to their bedroom, where they climb up on the bed and observe the neopet’s sleeping habits. They are trying to find out where Neopets came from. Maybe all Neopets evolved from Myncis!

Another sort of educational activity that gnomes practice is counting. It isn’t counting like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, though, no, no no! It’s counting in a different way. The gnomes version of counting may be why your plushies eye was missing when you woke up.

Gnomes will trample in when you are catching some Z’s (it seems all of their educational activities are while Neopets are slumbering) and then they will be assigned a number (by there leader, the Bruce gnome) and then they shall go “counting” which, in other words, is another type of stealing. They have to pick up ten, for example (or however many their number is) trinkets, like plushie eyes, toothpicks, or buttons, and bring them back to their tunnel, storing them in a safe place. What they do with them I do not know, but I suspect they might make furniture or something of the sort using what they found.

One last thing I found out is that gnomes are a fan of bright colours and patterns. In the early morning, I saw them getting ready for bed and they were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirt PJ’s of hot pink, bright purple, lime green, and sunny yellow colour. Some had stripes, some had polka dots, and some even had swirlies! Gnomes are very interesting, no?

Now you know what gnomes do when you aren’t looking, what their secret life is all about. If you look out your window at night, you might be able to see them moving and hear them talking in their high pitched voices. But be warned-if they see you watching them, well, I won’t go there…

Sources:

House and Garden

Encyclopedia of Spirits

Love To Know

Folklore USC

Just Say Gnome

https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/powers-that-be/garden-gnomes/

[drcolumbosnotepad]

Muhammad Ali | Michael J. Fox | Pope Saint John Paul II | Maurice White | Charles Schultz

Muhammad Ali  (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016)

“Float like a butterfly sting like a bee – his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”

When we think of boxing we only think of one name - that man is Muhammad Ali. Quite simply, the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T). Though he was before my time (even the heyday of 90′s boxing was before my time - sorry to make you feel old), his name persisted in the history books and Guinness World Records and became something of a legendary figure much like how Bruce Lee was (see Bruce Lee post) It was until I decided to watch some old youtube clips with some friends did I realise how incredible this man was. I’m writing this after witnessing Roger Federer’s truly amazing resurgence as an 35 year old elder statesman in tennis and cementing his position as the G.O.A.T in his sport. His boxing wins in his twilight years - brashly and sensationally named Rumble in the Jungle (1974) and Thriller in Manilla (1975) were just that. 

Muhammad Ali became equally famous for popularising the trash talk - hilarious and brutal at the same time. Something we hear from Premier League football managers and cocky rappers endlessly. His death in 2016 crowned off what became the obituary year - it is unlikely we’ll ever see a force like him again.

Rumble in the Jungle (1974)

For more of Muhammad Ali’s amazing collection of quotes and trash talking see here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/06/03/muhammad-ali-best-quotes-boxing/85370850/ 

Michael J Fox

Back to the Future (1985)

Think of the 80′s and you’ll think of Spielberg, Cold War and Back to the Future and Michael J Fox. Is there a better icon for the teenager everybody wanted to be than Marty McFly? The confident kid that made us fellow short kids proud, there was always that crack in the voice in times of standing up to Biff and that wide eyed bewilderment to Doc Brown’s crazy antics that made him feel even more relatable. Although Back to the Future is the movie he’ll always be remembered for - and quite rightly, it’s a classic. Teen Wolf holds a special place in my heart. Also check out his episode on Curb Your Enthusiasm which became one of my favourites on the whole show. Here’s an additional video of Marty McFly’s Chuck Berry tribute: RIP

Pope Saint John Paul II  (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005)

If there’s one Pope that people will remember in the modern age, it’s Pope John Paul II. The first Polish pope whose youthfulness reignited a call towards faith and virtues to your fellow man. He became the second most travelled Pope in history following Pope Pius IX and warmed relations between peoples of the world during some patchy moments in history. No matter what your religious affiliation, we still all aspire for the same virtues and betterment of our fellow man and woman. Something that Pope John Paul II represented with his whole self.

Maurice White  (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016)

Some call Earth, Wind & Fire cheesy, I call them inspiring (I mean just look at those dance moves!). Their lead singer, Maurice White died during the obituary year of 2016 and left behind a catalogue of funky soulful gold, just as pop music is turning its fickle head in that direction again. I’ll leave ‘September’  here, their finest hit, complete joyful nostalgia composed in one song with the continual sixth chords as its pulsing beat. Genius.

Charles Schulz  (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000)

If there’s someone who understood kids so well - their innocence, their humour, their cruelty and their genius, it was Charles Schultz - a man who was essentially a child at heart. There’s this biting wit in Peanuts which I grew up reading in the comics section of the newspapers that I’ve only grown to appreciate with an element of world-weariness. The themes can be depressing, but always with an uplifting message. We can all learn from Charlie Brown, the heart and soul of Peanuts - a lovable loser who no matter how many times he’s failed, keeps getting up and trying again. 

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) was first christened shaking palsy or paralysis agitans by Dr James Parkinson in 1817 in his ‘An Essay on the Shaking Palsy’ which came from his observations walking down a London street which was a regular habit of his – something that Charles Dickens would do some forty years later. The sheer opportunism and raw curiosity of James Parkinson to approach and follow up on the six cases mentioned in the essay is quite something. In doing so he managed to make a medical breakthrough by diagnosing a new condition. Parkinson’s contribution to this condition was made permanent being renamed in his honour by the revered neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot. Nowadays Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is something that is ubiquitous in medicine affecting 4-20 per 100,000 each year in the UK, being twice as common in men with the mean age of diagnosis of 65 years. Yet our understanding of the disease is something we have known in the past few decades. First, PD constitutes one disease of the spectrum of Parkinsonian disorders (Parkinsonism) – which are neurodegenerative, movement disorders. Parkinsonism consists of a cardinal triad: • Tremor – worse at rest/ stressed or tired. Pill rolling in nature between thumb and forefinger (see link below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-t4RTQ0EsM

• Rigidity/ Hypertonia – clasp knife/ cogwheel rigidity during rapid pronation/supination. (see linkbelow)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xxe2WWWoYI 

• Bradykinesia/ Hypokinesia – slowness in initiating movement and repetitive actions – slow blink rate, slow arm swing, shuffling gait etc. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j86omOwx0Hk

Figure 1: Parkinsonian syndrome subdivisions

We will discuss the most common cause of Parkinsonism – Parkinson’s Disease

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurogenerative condition caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The cause of PD is unknown but certain genetic mutations in the PINK1, PARKIN or alpha synuclein genes have been attributed. In rare cases PD can be caused by MPTP, a prodrug of the neurotoxin MPP+ a drug which can be found in drugs such as desmethylprodine and recreational drugs. PD has historically been considered a motor disease linked to degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. However, because of new research that this theory isn’t so clear cut - now we know that are numerous symptoms which affect multiple, non-dopaminergic neuronal cells which we will not mention here. Dopaminergic neurons The loss of dopaminergic neurons in PD is selective in the midbrain where it particularly affects the substantia nigra pars compacta (80-90%), ventral tegmental area (40%). This loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta  is the reason for deficiency in the striatum (made up of two brain regions: the caudate and putamen.

Figure 2: Neuroanatomy of the striatum 

https://beyondthedish.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/basal-ganglia.jpg

Figure 3: Neuroanatomy of the Ventral-Tegmental area

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_03/d_03_cr/d_03_cr_que/d_03_cr_que_1a.jpg

  Therefore, the pathway most affected  is the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway which leads to the disruption of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. This in turn leads to the disruption of the control of motor functions with the classic PD motor triad of: rest tremor/ bradykinesia (or akinesia) and rigidity. The reasoning for this is dopamine is necessary for stimulating the cortex and initiating movement, with low dopamine levels – there is low movement. As a rule of thumb, over 50% of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia pars compacta need to degenerate before symptoms appear – this is an oversimplication of course, specific areas are affected and the striatal dopamine levels need to be considered as well.

Figure 4: Nigrostriatal pathway

https://journeywithparkinsons.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/nigrostriatal-pathway.jpg

In death of dopaminergic cells, Lewy bodies which are eosinophilic cells comprised of alpha synuclein protein replace them. Another disease characterised by Lewy bodies such as Lewy body dementia (which the late Robin Williams had).

Figure 5: Lewy bodies

There are other dopaminergic systems affected ranging from the CNS to the gut which can lead to other symptoms such as anosmia (loss of smell)

Figure 6: Pigmented substantia nigra

Basal ganglia motor circuit model

The basal ganglia is a collection of part of the brain: made up of the striatum (caudate and putamen), globus pallidus, ventral pallidum, substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus. that controls movement and connects to the motor cortex. It is this circuit that the pathology of PD derives from.

Figure 7: Basal ganglia motor circuit

http://physiologyonline.physiology.org/content/nips/17/2/51/F2.large.jpg?width=800&height=600&carousel=1 

This model proposes the striatum, the major input region of the basal ganglia is connected to the major output region: the globus pallidus (internal part) and the substantia nigra* (pars reticulata) by a direct pathway – considered to be D1 receptor dependent; and by an indirect pathway – considered to be D2 receptor dependent that has synaptic connections with the globus pallidus (external part) and the subthalamic nucleus.

* The substantia nigra is divided into two regions: pars reticulata – receives signals from the striatum and relays messages to the thalamus via GABA. Pars compacta – relays messages to the striatum via dopamine

In normal subjects, dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra act to excite inhibitory neurons in the direct pathway and inhibit the excitatory influence of the indirect pathway.

In PD dopamine depletion leads to overactivity in the globus pallidus (internal part) and substantia nigra (pars reticulata) with excess inhibition of the thalamus and reduced activation of cortical motor regions which translate into the development of parkinsonian features.

HOWEVER this model has many errors, while the hypoactivity of the direct pathway has been confirmed by research , the hyperactivity of the indirect pathway remains a subject of debate. Given recent research reporting larger amounts of collateralisation between both pathways in primates than that reported for rodent basal ganglia, the clear distinction between the two pathways is called into scrutiny. Also, recent studies show motor, associative and limbic territories within the basal ganglia territories are separated by functional areas and not physical sharp boundaries. The difficulty of PD is that there isn’t a blanket one size fits all way approach since there are different subgroups and different aetiologies. So far there are 3 different clinical categories to classify PD patients: those responding well to levodopa ~15%, those who do not ~15%, and those whose initial good response diminishes with time ~70%. Future research is needed in this area.

Clinical features

The diagnosis of PD relies heavily on clinical examination with TWO different situations needing to be distinguished whether the examination is early in progression or later. The clinical examination and history cannot diagnose PD with 100% certainty – it is said in theory the only way to confirm a diagnosis of PD is by autopsy (which of course is a little too late). However, the prediction of the pathological findings with high certainty. PD is usually asymmetrical, characterised by the presence of akinesia and rigidity, often associated with rest tremor and is responsive to dopaminergic treatment. Motor symptoms The cardinal feature of PD is akinesia – difficulty in initiating a movement which can be measured by increased reaction time. Bradykinesia or hypokinesia is less specific than akinesia. Akinesia is also influenced by decreased motivation and mood and is thus a complex symptom whose origin is not strictly sensorimotor but also psychological. In clinical practice, these symptoms are revealed by reduced arm swing when walking, micrographia, difficult execution of fine movements e.g. fishing a coin out of pocket) The patient’s face is unexpressive, walking is slow and the feet are not raised sufficiently. Rigidity – detectable in distal joints  e.g. wrist. Cogwheel rigidity – parkinsonian rigidity is plastic giving way in a series of small jerks. This rigidity can be increased following the Froment manoeuvre – active mobilisation of the contralateral limb. Lead pipe rigidity must be distinguished from pyramidal (clasp knife) rigidity and oppositional rigidity (gegenhalten) the latter being provoked or increased by movements and owing to diffuse cerebral lesions. Rest tremor – usually first symptom noticed by patient. Regular (4-6Hz frequency) and increases with emotional and mental stress (e.g. counting backwards) and when patient is walking. Postural instability – is non-specific, absent early in disease particularly in younger patients. Often the consequence of non-dopaminergic brain lesions as seen in patients with Parkinson plus syndromes. Motor symptoms in advanced PD patients can also result from non-dopaminergic lesions called axial symptoms because they evolve around the body’s central axis. Nine typical axial symptoms can be distinguished: memory impairment (subcorticofrontal syndrome), abnormal ocular movements, nuchal rigidity, dysarthria, swallowing difficulties, posture abnormalities, sphincter problems, postural instability, and abnormal gait. In addition, autonomic symptoms – sexual dysfunction, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, seborrhoea (overactive sebaceous glands) and sleep disturbances may be present.

Tests for diagnosing PD • Sequential movements (for instance drinking which associates grasping a glass followed by flexion of the elbow) or concomitant movements (executing two movements at the same time in different limbs) are altered.

• The Wisconsin Card Sorting test is used to assess executive function which is heavily affected in PD where the patient is told to match cards of different patterns and form a sense of order without being told the pattern.

• Hypometria or incomplete movement is revealed by alternate movements of the extremities. • Response to levodopa since motor symptoms result from the degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. • Four further tests may contribute to the diagnosis: neuropsychological examination, ocular movement recording, cystamanometry, brain MRI. Non-motor symptoms • Depression – most common psychiatric symptom of PD • Apathy – decreased motivation • Cognitive impairment – 40% of all PD patients develop dementia, a rate ~6x higher than in healthy individual matched for age. Subcortical type of cognitive impairment characterised by a dysexecutive syndrome including attention deficits, cognitive slowing and decreased concentration abilities. Moderate memory impairment can be observed defined by a retrieval deficit rather than an impairment in information storage. • Most if not all patients suffer from insomnia. Causes are multifactorial. Nocturnal akinesia often associated with painful dystonia (usually during bouts of severe anxiety) is a major contributive factor. • REM sleep behaviour disorder is a pathological sleep structure (parasomnia) characterised by the loss of REM sleep muscle atonia allowing patients to physically act out their dreams which are often violent. Vocalisations (talking, shouting, threats) and abnormal movements (waving arms or legs about, falling out of bed, violent outbursts are present. Excessive daytime sleepiness affects up to 50% of PD patients – likely to be a combination of the disease process and antiparkinsonian drugs. Diagnosis of sleep disorders may be achieved by polysomnography to quantify the length of insomnia periods, to evaluate potential dangers derived from daytime sleepiness and sudden onset sleep and the confirm the existence and the semiology of REM sleep behaviour disorder. • Autonomic dysfunction results mainly from reduced sympathetic noradrenergic innervation of the heart and baroreflex failure (nucleus vagus lesions). Symptoms only tend to become severe in late disease stages. Treatment with dopaminergic agents – which induce peripheral vasodilation may exacerbate orthostatic dysfunction but is rarely the main contributor.  GI dysfunction manifests as impaired swallowing, impaired gastric motility and constipation. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the mesenteric plexus causing colonic sympathetic denervation is one of the underlying mechanisms for constipation. Constipation does not respond well to dopaminergic treatment suggesting non-dopaminergic mechanisms are also implicated. • Urogenital symptoms include impaired bladder function leading to urinary emergencies and incontinence. Patients suffer either from hypoactive bladder or hyperactive bladder most commonly. Hypoactive bladder is correlated with nigrostriatal denervation since physiological basal ganglia output has an overall inhibitory effect on the micturition reflex is decreased in PD. • Sexual dysfunction affects up to two thirds of PD patients. Erectile dysfunction may occur. Libido can be reduced but can be enhanced by antiparkinsonian dopaminergic medications dopamine agonists which can result in hypersexuality which is part of the dopaminergic dysregulation syndrome. • Sensory symptoms – can be distinguished into painful cramps related to ‘off’ period dystonia and diffuse painful sensations also usually associated with off periods. The cerebral structures involved in altered pain processing are poorly characterised but may comprise mesencephalic dopaminergic projections to the caudal thalamus. • Other symptoms include: mask like facies, flexed posture, micrographia, drooling of saliva

Treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Figure 8: Decision pathway for drug treatment

Figure 9: Combination treatment 

Antiparkinsonian agents

Dopaminergic agents are the drugs that are most effective in improving the motor deficits of PD and include levodopa, dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors. There are a cocktail of drugs available that are the source of a lot of confusion – we will go through each class in turn. Currently the management of PD consists of delaying treatment until the onset of disabling symptoms then to introduce a dopamine receptor agonist. If the patient is elderly, then levodopa is sometimes used as an initial treatment. The rationale for this was because treatments available were considered symptomatic only and incapable in modifying the course of the disease. However more recent research has shown that there are novel approaches in the management of PD with treatments initiated available upon diagnosis.

Dopamine receptor agonists

• Bromocriptine • Ropinirole • Cabergoline • Apomorphone Two groups: ergot (fungal) and non-ergot Ergot derived dopamine receptor agonists (bromocriptine, cabergoline) have been associated with pulmonary, retroperitoneal and pericardial fibrosis. Non-ergot agonists (apomorphine, ropinirole) Similar side effect profile of levodopa due to dopaminergic related symptoms: nausea, vomiting, postural hypotension but with a higher rate of peripheral oedema, somnolence and hallucinations especially in the elderly An echocardiogram, ESR, creatinine and CXR should be obtained prior to treatment with close monitoring. Side effects: Dopamine receptor agonists have the potential to cause impulse control disorders and behavioural abnormalities such as obsessive traits and hypersexuality (more dopamine to seek out more risky behaviour) and excessive daytime somnolence. Nasal congestion and postural hypotension are also seen in some patients. There is a significantly reduced risk for the motor complications in comparison to levodopa. Antioxidant activity because of their hydroxylated benzyl ring structure

Levodopa

Levodopa was the first treatment developed for PD and is considered the gold-standard of treatment where the efficacy of all other drugs are measured against. Dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier but the precursor levodopa can where it is converted to dopamine in the brain by dopa decarboxylase. It is usually combined with a decarboxylase inhibitor e.g. carbidopa, benserazide to prevent PERIPHERAL metabolism of levodopa to dopamine. This in turn increases absorption up to 10% and decreases side effects such as dyskinesia (involuntary writhing movements) and palpitations (peripheral metabolism of dopamine into adrenaline or noradrenaline

Side effects of levodopa include on-off effect: on periods complicated by dyskinesias (side effect of levodopa) and off periods (side effect of PD) dry mouth, anorexia, palpitations, postural hypotension, psychosis, drowsiness

There is reduced effectiveness with time ~2 years. 70% of patients develop motor complications within 6 years of initiation of the drug and wearing off there is the re-emergence of dopamine related symptoms which requires careful monitoring of the dosage and frequency. Because of this limited effective period, the other drugs in the inventory for PD treatment often work by delaying the need for levodopa. In neuroleptic (antipsychotic drugs) induced parkinsonism there is no use of levodopa

MAO-B (Monoamine Oxidase-B) inhibitors

• Selegiline • Rasagiline Two compounds of the porpargylamine group: selegiline and rasagiline are both irreversible MAO-B inhibitors. They work by the breaking down of dopamine secreted by the dopaminergic neurons. Selegiline patients with levodopa vs levodopa patients with placebo were found to have a significantly slower decline, less wearing off, on off and freezing but more dyskinesias.

Rasagiline – is a relatively selective irreversible MAO-B inhibitor, it is ~10-15 times more potent than selegiline. 

COMT (Catechol-O-Methyl Transferase) inhibitors • Entacapone • Tolcapone COMT: enzyme involved in breakdown of dopamine therefore may be used as an adjunct to levodopa therapy especially in patients with established PD. This is because most levodopa is still metabolised in the gut by COMT which produces 3-O-methyldopa. Therefore, COMT inhibition increases levodopa absorption and improves the drug kinetics by increasing its bioavailability and elimination half life. This allows more stable levodopa plasma levels to be obtained via the oral route and hence more sustained brain dopaminergic stimulation to be attained.

Entacapone is a selective, reversible COMT inhibitor, it does not cross the blood brain barrier and acts primarily in the gut. Why entacopone is so effective is because it increases both the peripheral and the central availability of levodopa. It is particularly effective in patients with wearing off type motor fluctuations and produces an increase in the on time and decrease in the off time. However, the most troubling side effect is dyskinesia which reflects central dopaminergic activity. Stavelo ® combination of levodopa, carbidopa, entacapone in one tablet.

Antimuscarinics • Procyclidine • Benzotropine • Trihexyphenidyl (benzhexol) Before levodopa was discovered to treat PD, antimuscarinic drugs were used to treat the symptoms of PD. Antimuscarinics work by blocking cholinergic receptors. Normally dopamine levels and acetylcholine levels are in equilibrium in the body but because of decreased dopamine levels in PD, acetylcholine levels increase. Nowadays they are used to treat drug induced parkinsonism rather than idiopathic PD, help tremor and rigidity. Studies have shown that there are improvements in bradykinesia and rigidity though at the expense of impaired cognitive function. In drug-induced parkinsonism, motor symptoms are generally rapid onset and bilateral with rigidity and rest tremor being uncommon

Amantadine Antiviral drug, mechanism is not fully understood, most likely increases dopamine release and inhibits its uptake at dopaminergic synapses Side effects – ataxia, slurred speech, confusion, dizziness, livedo reticularis

Figure 10: Diagram showing the mechanism of action of Parkinson's drugs

Motor complications

Dyskinesias are typically choreiform – occasionally dystonic involuntary movements induced predominantly by exposure to levodopa or other short acting dopaminergic drugs. Monitoring of the dru Management of non-motor complications Depression and to some extent apathy/ anhedonia may respond to tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Pramipexole may be useful as an antidepressant separate from its action to improve the motor features of PD. Additional anxiolytics may be required for patients with anxiety and panic attacks. Hallucinations if due to drugs usually respond to a reduction in dose. In some patients, this is difficult due to the re-emergence of motor features. Alternatively hallucinations may respond to clozapine or quetiapine. Hallucinations are an important symptom of diffuse Lewy body disease and its emergence early in the course of PD is a risk factor for dementia. In terms of improving nighttime sleep and daytime alterness in PD, improving sleep hygiene, treating nocturnal motor problems, better management of nocturia, modifying medication, and the use of modafinil in patients with refractory daytime drowsiness. Viagra or apomorphine can manage the sexual dysfunction associated with PD. Bladder problems may be treated with oxybutynin, tolterodine or amitriptyline in  patients with concomitant depression. Siolorrhea and drooling is often the result of reduced frequency of swallowing and may be helped simply by chewing gum or sucking sweets. Anticholinergics may be used but with consideration of side effects. Botulinum toxin can be used for refractory cases. Constipation and orthostatic hypotension are less common and are seen more often in the elderly population. Constipation usually responds to standard treatments including increased fluid, bowel training timing of evacuation to the patient being on and increased fibre intake. Symptomatic orthostatic hypotension may respond to simple advice regarding postural change, maintain hydration, the use of pressure stockings, antidiuretic hormone, midodrine or fludrocortisone.

Non medical management

Surgery Since the discovery of dopamine depletion and the subsequent introduction of oral levodopa and deep brain stimulation, surgery such as thalamotomy posteroventral pallidotomy, subthalamotomy  have become a less attractive option.  have been reported following this procedure however. DBS – Benabid first proposed this technique as a treatment based on high frequency stimulation as means of confirming the target site for an ablative lesion.

Other/future treatment options

As seen there is currently no cure for PD, only management for symptoms however novel techniques being researched into a more complete treatment of PD include:  Cell therapy – fetal nigral transplantation Growth factors – Glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has attracted interested given its capacity to protect or rescue dopaminergic neurons in tissue culture and in MPTP treated monkeys. Coenzyme Q10 Creatine Antiapoptotic drugs

References

Schapira A, Hartmann A & Agid Yves. Parkinsonian Disorders in Clinical Practice. Wiley Blackwell. 2009. 

[sexypinkon]

Questions of cultural identity

Ebony G Patterson | Thomas J Price | Zadie Xa

31 March–6 May 2017 Preview: 30 March, 6–8:30pm #HalesGallery

Questions of cultural identity – feelings of belonging to a particular group – seem especially relevant in today’s troubled Western society, increasingly international and yet as riven as ever with conflict and fear of others. How are our perceptions of identity formed; which stereotypes, fictions or representations have informed them? How do the categories of class, gender, race and nationality intersect and overlap to create one’s sense of self (and other)?

For the three artists in this exhibition – Ebony G Patterson, Thomas J Price and Zadie Xa – visual and material forms of representation provide a potent strategy through which to pose these challenging and timely questions. Working in a diverse range of media, including sculpture, video, textiles and photography, these artists are united by their shared engagement with form, process and material. They each amalgamate different social and cultural references, fashions and art historical traditions to create new layered, hybrid mythologies that express the multi-faceted nature of identity in the 21st century. Through a simultaneous process of seduction and deconstruction, they powerfully challenge our conventional associations, assumptions and archetypes.

Ebony Patterson

Ebony G Patterson’s fantastically ornate images and installations explore the performance of identity among disenfranchised communities within post-colonial contexts. Patterson’s bold, seductive aesthetic reflects the artist’s desire to claim space and authority for subjects whom society so often deems unworthy of visibility, whilst refusing to shy away from the more complicated or contradictory elements of different identities.

Entourage (2010), the first piece from Patterson’s ‘Fambily’ series of photographic installations (2010–13), explores the role of the gang as a surrogate family – a complex structure whose positive elements are usually ignored in favour of lazy stigmatisation. A large-scale studio photograph printed on a nylon banner and installed dramatically on floral-wallpapered walls, makes an immediate claim for attention. The depicted subjects, too, are elaborately costumed and made-up, reflecting the flamboyant visual language of Jamaica’s popular Dancehall culture. The individuals in the photograph, however, are all models. Central to the work’s heightened sense of theatricality is the concept of identity as performative, shifting and contradictory, the hyper-masculinity of the gang patriarch expressed through a conventionally feminised aesthetic of tight, colourful clothing, jewellery, and even artificially whitened skin as a mode of erasure and illumination.

Thomas J Price makes figurative sculptures depicting imaginary black, male subjects, playing with material, scale and modes of display in order to explore the relationship between representation and perception. This exhibition presents Price’s most recent work, the Untitled (Icon) series: a new sequence of fictional portraits that are amalgamations of a range of sources, from classical sculpture to individuals observed in Price’s everyday life.

Constantly experimenting with materials and technologies, for the Untitled (Icon) series Price has adopted two techniques for the first time: gilding, and 3D modelling. The use of 24 carat gold leaf has a powerful cultural resonance, as a technique which dates back to ancient Egypt and continues to signify luxury, splendour and exultation. The subjects depicted in these gilded sculptures, placed upon marble plinths in a classical style, are cast as ‘icons’ of a modern age, despite their anonymous, ‘untitled’ identities. Price subtly subverts the viewer’s expectations, reframing the image and associations of black men in contemporary society and in art. This sense of subversion is heightened by the knowledge that these heads were sculpted using cutting-edge 3D modelling techniques before being cast in aluminium composite, a digital amalgamation of features with no rooting in reality. We are led to wonder whether the individual’s ‘true’ identity really exists, amidst or beneath the layers of constructed presentation and conditioned perception.

Zadie Xa’s work across media layers and samples pre-existing forms to create new images and objects which explores the construction and performance of identity, navigating her position within the Asian diaspora. Whether working in video or creating highly textural mixed media works, this process of layering combines racial tropes used to identify Asian bodies as ‘other’ (the commodified yin-yang symbol, ‘monolid’ eyes, sword blades) with diverse material from a range of personally relevant sources – music, digital technology, fashion and art, as well as Xa’s own research into her cultural heritage – in order to conjure an alternative narrative of Asian identity.

Xa’s recent practice is represented in this exhibition with three interconnected works: video Moodrings, Crystals and Opal-coloured Stones (2016); Asian Gucci (2016), an over-sized fan; and SVN Stacks/Moon Marauder (2015), one of Xa’s self-described ‘magical garments’ existing on the border between costume and painting. The fabric surface of the garment is textured with a series of coded forms, notably the ‘monolid’ and the initial ‘G’, which refers to the Ganggangsullae,an ancient Korean women’s folk dance. Performance footage of the Ganggangsullae is incorporated into Moodrings, Crystals and Opal-coloured Stones, whose central narrative is based on Xa’s own journey retracing a different traditional Korean practice: the initiation rituals for female shamans, known as mudang, which Xa imaginatively re-enacts costumed in her self-made garment. One of the transformative mudang rituals known as the ‘riding of the blades’ is invoked also in the shiny silver knife blades that embellish the surface of Asian Gucci. Across these multi-layered works, the mysterious, performative and transformational nature of identity is expressed, and the concept of a fixed, authentic self is thrown into doubt.

Ebony G Patterson (b. 1981, Kingston, Jamaica) studied at Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts (2000–04) and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis (2004–06). Patterson’s work has been exhibited in numerous international solo and group exhibitions, including the Brooklyn Museum, New York (USA), the Ghetto Biennale, Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Museum of the Americas, Washington D.C. (USA), Bermuda National Gallery (Bermuda), Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas (USA), Perez Art Museum, Miami (USA), 12th Havana Biennial (Cuba), the Museum of Arts and Design, New York (USA), the 32nd Bienal de Sao Paulo (Brazil) and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (USA). Since 2006 Patterson’s work has been selected for inclusion in the Jamaica Biennial, winning the Aaron Matalon award for most outstanding contribution in 2014. Patterson is also the subject of a forthcoming solo exhibition at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (USA). Work by Patterson is included in a number of international collections including Studio Museum in Harlem (USA), the Nasher Museum, Duke University (USA), Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art (France)  and the National Gallery of Jamaica (Jamaica). She has taught at the University of Virginia and is currently an Associate Professor in Painting and Mixed Media at the University of Kentucky.

Thomas J Price

Thomas J Price (b. London, UK, 1981) studied at Chelsea College of Art (2001–04) and received an MA at the Royal College of Art, Sculpture School (2004–06). In 2009, Price was featured alongside Grayson Perry, Michael Landy, Sir Anthony Caro and Cornelia Parker on the BBC 4 television documentary, Where is Modern Art Now?, presented by Gus Casely-Hayford. In 2010, he featured on BBC 4's How to Get A Head in Sculpture, also featuring Marc Quinn and Sir Anthony Caro. In 2010, Price was an invited artist at the Royal Academy Summer Show. In 2013, during his second solo show with Hales Gallery, Price presented his first large scale sculpture Network. The work subsequently was placed on display at the prestigious Yorkshire Sculpture Park, coinciding with Price's solo display at the Park (2014), and was selected for the 2015 inauguration of London's art walk The Line. Selected solo exhibitions have been held at prestigious institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, London (UK), Royal Academy of Arts, London (UK), Mac Birmingham (UK), Royal College of Art, London (UK), Yorkshire Sculpture Park (UK), Harewood House (UK) and Hales London (UK). Price’s work has also been included in shows in the US and Europe. Price's work is included in a number of private and public collections including Derwent London (UK), Murderme (UK) and the Rennie Collection (Canada).  Price lives and works in London.

Zadie Xa

Zadie Xa (b. 1983, Vancouver, Canada) received an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2014 and a BFA at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2007. Recent exhibitions, performances and screenings of Xa’s work have been held at a range of institutions, including the Serpentine Gallery, London (UK), Whitechapel Gallery, London (UK), Assembly Point, London (UK), CGP London (UK), Cafe OTO, London (UK), Castlefield Gallery, Manchester (UK), Sara Zanin Gallery, Rome (Italy) and Schwabinger Tor, Munich (Germany). Upcoming exhibitions and performances include Block Universe 2017, Pumphouse Gallery (solo) London (UK), and Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (Canada). Xa currently lives and works in London.

[yeskraim]

How to watch Super Bowl halftime show 2020 online: who are the performers and when’s it on

Home

News

(Image credit: Rich Graessle/PPI/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Update: Looking to watch the halftime show? Sorry…you missed it! But to make sure you don’t miss a minute of what’s turning out to be a great match, use our Super Bowl live stream guide now.

Not really fussed who of the Chiefs and the 49ers are leading in Florida? Is the only reason you want to tune in to the Super Bowl to see the halftime show? We can’t blame you – the spectacle of the world’s biggest stars taking to the field for a historic performance at the heart of American culture is truly breathtaking, and we’re in for a real treat this year as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira take to the stage for 2020. 

Over the years, the Super Bowl has grown larger than football itself, and from commercials to celebrity appearances, it’s the Super Bowl halftime show that captures the wonder of audiences across the world every year. From the setlist to the costumes, the surprise appearances (we’re talking the Janet Jackson kind and the Destiny’s Child kind) to the mind-boggling production value, the Super Bowl halftime show is a pinnacle of entertainment. Even if you’re not a football fan, you’ll be talking about the big game. 

A Super Bowl halftime slot is reserved for the super stars of our age, the true musical legends of timeless appeal that grace the grass every year for a short bout of explosive showmanship. It’s a high octane reel of each star-studded hit in their catalogue, keeping the adrenaline pumped while the football itself takes a pause.

If your true excitement kicks in once that second quarter’s over and done with and the stage starts rolling onto the field, you’ll want to find out how to watch the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show online. Plus, if you’re not in the US there are more ways than ever to catch the performance live

Super Bowl 2020: when is it, where is it, who’s playing

Who’s performing the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show?

This year Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will take up the 2020 Super Bowl halftime helm, following on from Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi of 2019. On Jennifer Lopez’s side, we’re looking forward to some classic tracks banging out across the stadium, from If You Had My Love to Let’s Get Loud. But we have to admit that opening the show with the initial tones of JLo’s most recent Baila Conmigo would be particularly epic. Plus, is it too much to ask for a little Jenny From The Block transition? 

Once Shakira hits the stage you can only expect things to get even bigger. While Hips Don’t Lie may be a little obvious to lead with, we’re certainly hoping we’ll hear the classic played out across the world at some point in the show. In general, Shakira has been a little quieter than her co-star over the last few years, last touring with her El Dorado album in 2017. That said, we’re expecting some later tracks to hit the speakers, with medleys of She Wolf and Dare being all but loaded into the playlist already.

The 2020 Super Bowl halftime show will mark a historic moment for Latin music as well, with both performers celebrating Latina women everywhere from the heart of Miami. You can also expect a few entrances from each artists’ Spanish language repertoire, from La Tortura to Dinero. 

What time will the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show be?

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show will start at around 8.10pm ET / 5.10pm PT / 1.10am GMT. The show usually packs a mega setlist, potential surprise guests, and a whole concert’s worth of choreography into anything from 10 to 20 minutes. 

How to watch a 2020 Super Bowl halftime show live stream

We’ve got looooads of bespoke information for getting a full Super Bowl 2020 live stream on our dedicated guide. But if you just want a quick precis, then cast your eyes below…

US – If you’re watching from the US itself, you’ll find a live stream available from  Fox to accompany their live channel coverage in 2020. You’ll also be able to view the big game (and the bigger show) using Hulu with Live TV and YouTubeTV which both offer complete access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN. Or, if you’re after the NFL Network, DirecTV Now and FurboTV swap out ESPN for the specialized channel. 

UK – UK fans can catch the Super Bowl half time show through BBC One’s free live coverage, that means you can stream the whole show using BBC iPlayer on desktop, mobile, and smart TVs. You can also find full coverage over on Sky Sports or with a Now TV pass, but bear in mind you’ll be stopping for ad breaks.

Rest of the world – If you’re planning on streaming the Super Bowl halftime show from outside the US or the UK, you can catch the full coverage on a range of streaming services:

Australian viewers can find streams on ESPN with a Foxtel TV subscription or on 7mate meanwhile punters in Canada can pick up a live stream on  DAZN, CTV 2 or TSN 4. Log into Super Sport or Zuku if you’re after a stream in selected African countries, France can view live coverage at TF 1 for the first time, India can watch using Sony Ten and Sony Six and China will find a stream on Fox Sports and BesTV. Switzerland and Germany can use SAT 1 to stream the Super Bowl.

If you don’t see your country listed above or if you’re out of the country and your regular broadcast is geo-blocked, you can always use a VPN to change your IP address to a country that is showing it and then watch as if you were in that location. Keep reading and we’ll show you how.

Watch the Super Bowl halftime show online from outside your country

Grabbing a VPN allows you to watch your domestic TV coverage onlinefrom another country, by effectively changing your IP address. It’s really easy to do. We’ve tested over 100 VPNs and rate ExpressVPN as the number one in the world. It’s compatible with loads of devices and is among the fastest and most secure that we’ve reviewed. It leads our top three options in our best VPN guide.

The best all-round VPN for streaming, ExpressVPN comes with 30-day free trial and 3 months free when you sign up for an annual plan.

And remember that there’s lots more benefits to VPNs, too. Many people are now installing them as their default first line of defence against cybercrime – their encrypted tunnels mean that online banking and shopping become much safer. And as well as football, there are loads of other content options (other sports, foreign Netflix, etc) that they unlock, too.

Check out our guide to the best VPN service options out there right now

Once you’ve installed your chosen VPN, you then need to connect to a server in a location that’s showing the Super Bowl.

Our top 5 best Super Bowl halftime shows in history

We’ve revisited the archives to recall some of our favourite halftime shows of all time. And you won’t even read the words ‘Janet Jackson’ or ‘wardrobe malfunction’ once!

1. Michael Jackson may have invented the modern halftime show back in 1993 but Prince perfected the spectacle with his performance in 2007. On a stage in the shape of the ‘Artist Formerly Known As Prince’ symbol, His Royal Badness opened with Queen’s We Will Rock You before switching to his own Let’s Go Crazy. Prince ended his set in the pouring rain with Purple Rain. 

2. Beyonce shook things up with a stage of all female performers when she was joined on stage in 2013 with her former Destiny’s Child bandmates. Together they performed her solo hit song Single Ladies and Beyonce ended her set with Halo as the finale.

3. NSYNC, Aerosmith and Britney Speaks took things to a whole new level when they teamed up for dance-offs, extra surprise guests, handheld fireworks, and some of the most spectacular boyband dancing you’ve ever seen. The star studded show was the first to allow the audience onto the field during the halftime performance, so things felt a little extra special as well.

4. Diana Ross left the stadium sitting on the side of a damn helicopter, and if that’s not the most diva halftime performance to ever occur we’ll eat our helmet. Following 14 costume changes, an airlifted rendition of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and an enormous gold cape, Take Me Higher kicks off and we see Ross jumping into the helicopter that’s just landed in the middle of the field. 

5. In 2015, Katy Perry was joined on stage with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott. Perry performed her hit song Firework – though her set will likely be remembered for years to come due to the costumed shark dancing in the background. 

Read More

The post How to watch Super Bowl halftime show 2020 online: who are the performers and when’s it on appeared first on Gadgets To Make Life Easier.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2uZJh94 via IFTTT