Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season, revved up quickly on Monday as it headed toward Bermuda, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Ana dissipated without threatening the US Gulf oil patch. Bill strengthened into a Category 2 storm with top winds of nearly 100 miles
Posts Tagged ‘track’
Hurricane Bill gains strength on Atlantic track
August 18th, 2009 |
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The Webwatcher Posted By : Ms Mindy Matter
August 10th, 2009 |
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There are many legitimate and valid reasons why programs that track keystrokes and website visits may be installed on certain computers. Parents may be concerned about which sites their young children have exposure to or schools may try to curb access to questionable sites. But there are also potentially harmful applications when these programs are installed without your knowledge or consent. Is it possible that a program like Webwatcher is tracking your online movements?
Ben Lee:
The Rebirth of Venus
August 4th, 2009 |
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By: Wesley Hodges
align=right src="http://images.jambase.com/bands/BenLee/Venus.jpg">
There are no polyrhythmic movements, no lyrical subtleties and not a single track that doesn’t at least attempt to hook the listener towards the catchier midsection of the musical spectrum. Nothing far out here, just the pop music that we’ve come to expect from Ben Lee. An internationally known artist since his teens, Lee has been pumping out accessible albums for over a decade.
Optimistic and cheery to the point of repetition, Lee’s newest full length effort The Rebirth of Venus (New West) is a 13 song set dedicated to the fairer sex that finds the singer-songwriter trying “to find a balance between [his] own masculine and feminine nature,” and is dedicated to the Goddess of Love and Beauty herself with portions of the album’s proceeds benefiting FINCA’s Village Banking program, which empowers women in poorer countries by providing credit for entrepreneurial efforts and small businesses.
The album is unabashedly catchy, and the LP’s centerpiece is a tune called “I Love Pop Music,” a unique track with an expectedly catchy chorus that alternates with Lee’s alarming verses commenting on the dangers of our modern ways. There is an ode to “Yoko Ono” (a first outside of John Lennon?) that finds Lee positing, “They’re still reeling from the fact that you came stealing/ Their alpha-male rock star/ Blew his mind and opened his heart.” Much of the album misses the mark and even strays from the central theme at times into political commentary such as in the melancholic plea “Wake Up To America.” However, many of the tracks will play well in the live arena (a place where Lee excels) with their engaging call-and-response verses.
Rebirth is an interesting concept and thought provoking in its mission, but as a piece of art it’s more forgettable than Lee’s earlier works. If nothing else, this album will surely find itself in Women’s Studies courses for years to come as an anomalous rock album by a male artist centrally based on the ideas of feminism.
JamBase | Estrogen Rich
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BlackBerry Curve 8520 officially announced
July 28th, 2009 |
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We’ve been hearing about this handset for a long time but it seems RIM has finally decided its time to let the BlackBerry Curve 8520 out of the bag. This phone will officially feature a 320 x 240 resolution…
Kelly Clarkson Loses Fight Against Beyonce-Like Single
July 27th, 2009 |
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Kelly Clarkson unsuccessfully fought her record label not to release “Already Gone” as the third single off her new album, as the music is the same as the music from Beyonce’s hit “Halo.”
Clarkson co-wrote the lyrics and was provided the trac…
London marks 3-year countdown to 2012 Olympics
July 27th, 2009 |
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LONDON (AP) — The construction of venues is forging ahead, hundreds of millions in sponsorship money has been secured, and the project remains on time and on budget despite the recession.
With three years to go Monday until the opening ceremony, London organizers say they are firmly on track in preparations for the 2012 Olympics.
“If you [...]
Bikes, mud and zero testosterone
July 25th, 2009 |
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Susan Greenwood gets downhill and dirty on a women-only mountain bike course in the French Alps
When it rains in Morzine it really means business. Locals probably don’t even have a word for “damp” in a vocabulary dominated by “torrential”, “downpour” and “total washout”. With nose pressed up against the misty window of the Kariboo cafe in neighbouring Les Gets, I survey the scene, latte in hand, and savour the smug satisfaction of being dry.
Strange, then, that two minutes later I find myself being hustled back on to my mountain bike and urged towards the chairlift. Rain doesn’t stop play, informs Jo Petterson, one of the pro downhill mountain bikers on hand for this week of female-only riding, it just means you get muddy. That’ll be why it’s called Dirtgirls, then.
The French Alps has long been a summer playground for mountain bikers, and the vast Portes du Soleil area is rightly regarded as the European epicentre of the sport. On the French side, along with Morzine and Les Gets, it encompasses the popular ski resorts of Avoriaz and Chatel, while also taking in the Swiss towns of Champéry, Morgins and Champoussin. The terrain is steep, the views – you’re near Mont Blanc – predictably humbling and the mountain biking little short of legendary.
Being a woman mountain biker can be quite challenging because you are pretty much guaranteed to be in the minority. Which makes arriving at Dirtgirls’ base for the week, Chalet Snion in the centre of Morzine, something of a revelation. Women outnumber men. The toilet seat is down. Conversation isn’t about the worst injury anyone has ever sustained and whether a video of the crash is on YouTube.
The women seated around the dinner table range from a jewellery designer to a chef, and while sizing me up for one of her fleet of Santa Cruz dual-suspension bikes, Dirtgirls’ creator, Sara Burdon, comments on my highlights. Camaraderie is established almost immediately. Gosh, I think as I trundle off to bed, ditching the testosterone and riding with girls is so much fun.
It’s not a sentiment I share the next day as I am unceremoniously spat off a corner on the infamous Pleney downhill track. At 3,300m long, with over 500m of vertical descent, it is a man-made lesson in facing your fears. Fionn Griffiths, the 2006 world downhill champion, decides it’s time for some cornering instruction. Seeking out a little-used track, she gets to work. And gradually, as the heavens open, the penny drops. Through a combination of patient demonstration and practice we start turning at speed against a backdrop of steaming mountains.
The Portes du Soleil marks out its mountain bike trails like its ski runs – head for a black and you had better have your wits about you. And like skiing, riding uphill is made a whole lot easier with the use of 13 bike-happy chairlifts. The bikes simply hang on the side and, after swaying rather precariously for the duration, are unhooked by lift attendants at the summit.
After the assault on the Pleney track we decide to ride some of the blue runs leading off the Les Chavannes lift in Les Gets. By now the mud is deep, the tree runs quite tight and the roots slippery. It is the sort of terrain I would usually try to avoid – even, shock horror, claiming my inferior strength as a reason I can’t ride it properly. This is not an option when you’ve watched four other women sail through the obstacles with style. It’s not really surprising I end up wrapped around a tree; that I get up for another go is.
By now the scenery is beginning to work its magic. Banked turns and a twisting single track pull us out on to sweeping open mountainside, giving us time to catch our breath before diving back into the fray, trails looping and plunging across the terrain like roller coasters. The coaches are constantly at our heels, offering advice to make us go faster, honing our style and providing support for shaky nerves.
My nerves are calming down by the time I’m on my second beer in the Crépu bar. Judging by the amount of mud on the floor, it’s a popular spot with Morzine’s mountain bikers. And there are a lot of them. While most ski resorts become ghost towns during the “off” season, Morzine is positively buzzing. Before dinner I head to the heated Olympic-sized outdoor pool and manage a length before cramp sets in. But thankfully nothing more arduous is planned for the evening than a three-course meal at the chalet, during which a fight erupts over who gets to eat the extra banoffee pie. Clearly “diet” is not a word female mountain bikers have much time for – nor is it one Sara at Dirtgirls factors into her menus.
The next day we are split into groups according to where we want to ride and – to put it bluntly – how good we are. High on my achievements the day before, I decide to follow Fionn and Jo to Chatel for some more lessons on the blue runs. A man flies over our heads across the valley attached to a zip wire confirming the dawning realisation that mountain bikers are not the only adrenalin junkies attracted here during the summer.
Halfway down we stop off at Chez Babette, a restaurant that has embraced fairy lights with enthusiasm and which, during the winter, you can ski into before being wrapped in faux fur blankets. We scramble up a scree slope and fill the doorway with helmets, pads and mud. Babette, the world’s most effervescent hostess, loves it. Refuelled, we drop down the valley, riding tiny bridges across rushing alpine rivers, the temperature falling every time we get close to them. I’m pretty sure the high five was invented for the end of a Portes du Soleil mountain bike run.
Back on the chairlift, bike swinging companiably to my right, I hear a rumble of thunder as clouds roll in. This time I know better than to think I’ll stay dry.
More fun for the girls on two wheels
Forest Freeride, Powys, Wales
These weekend courses in the Llanbrynmair forest are aimed at those with some experience of mountain biking who want to progress to the next level. They cover confidence at speed and the all-important cornering technique. Accommodation and bike hire can be arranged. The next course is 22-23 August, price £110.
• 01650 521301; forestfreeride.co.uk
Whistler Bike Park, Canada
This is where mountain biking gets serious. If you love life on full suspension, you will have to make the trip to Whistler at some point. Luckily Monday and Wednesday nights are women-only sessions, where females of all abilities can learn from experienced riders, guides and pros. If you want to push your riding, this is the place to be. A lift ticket plus the services of a guide costs from $27 (£15) a night until 7 September. Nights run from 6pm to 8pm.
• 00 1 604 904 8134; whistlerbike.com
Over the Bars Camp, Snowmass, Colorado
With pro riders and ex-racers on hand as instructors, your chances of going over the bars are pretty minimal. This five-day camp is aimed at intermediates and advanced riders, and spends two days honing fast downhill skills. But it also indulges your girly side with yoga and massage sessions. Prices from $1,200 (£729). The next camp is in June 2010.
• 00 1 208 709 8141; womensmountainbikecamp.com
Highlands and Islands Adventures, Cairngorms
As well as running women-only skills days in the Cairngorms, using the expertise of local rider Cat Shearer, Highlands and Islands will tailor any itinerary to remove the testosterone and add a bit of girly luxury. Prices and dates vary.
• 01463 239716; handiadventures.co.uk
• The next Dirtgirls (020 8123 5654; flowmtb.com) course runs from 15-22 August, and costs €800, including accommodation, breakfast and dinner, lift pass and transfers from Geneva
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Pete Doherty to release duet album with Dot Allison
July 24th, 2009 |
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Pete Doherty is all set to release a duet album with Scottish singer Dot Allison.
The ‘Babyshambles’ rocker has recorded several songs with Allison, and she is keen for them to be made into an LP.
“The initial idea that me and Pete had was to make an album of duets. I really hope it will happen. [...]
The Phenomenal Handclap Band:Self-Titled
July 22nd, 2009 |
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By: Aryeh Carni
The Phenomenal Handclap Band, fronted by DJs turned producers Daniel “The Witch Doctor” Collas and Sean “The Medicine Man” Marquand, is a Brooklyn-based collective with almost too much talent. Their self-titled debut album (released June 23 on Friendly Fire Records) features myriad talented and diverse musicians and vocalists, each boasting unique musical backgrounds.
Collas and Marquand’s wide spectrum of musical influences garnered from their deejaying days is on visible display, as the album creates a fresh new sound transcending definitive genre. The album’s essence, however, is a throwback to the psychedelic disco era of the seventies that incorporates progressive electronic sounds and techniques of the digital age.
The opening track, “The Journey to Serra De Estrela,” begins with a sweeping synth and a light psychedelic sound reminiscent of Steve Winwood’s early seventies ensemble Traffic. Moments later, Luke O’Malley‘s deep, soulful guitar appears, conjuring a sound similar to The Mars Volta. Drummer Patrick Wood and bassist Nick Movshon turn up the heat as the pace quickens and the fun begins. Caught somewhere between the Bee Gees, Cream and Lotus, a hybrid sound emerges, paying homage to a form often lost in contemporary music. Quick disco-inspired guitar licks come and go, perfectly complimenting a tight, funky rhythm section as the multitalented Collas switches between a multitude of synthesizers and keyboards to bring new life to an outdated sound.
While the opening track is fully instrumental, the rest of the album features a new lead singer on each track, barring Bart Davenport who sings lead twice. The next three tracks, “All the Above,” “Testimony” and “Give it a Rest,” each provide a different flare of funk with unique vocalists constantly providing a refreshing sound.
The next two tracks “You’ll Disappear” and the catchy single “15 to 20,” feature two talented female vocalists, Carol C and Lady Tigra, who continue the excitement and surprise for the listener. Despite displaying impeccable song structure and quite possibly being the best song on the album, “You’ll Disappear” uncovers PHB’s greatest weakness. As the track builds its layers beautifully, it slowly deconstructs, culminating with a series of masterfully crafted drum fills leaving only a synchronized drum and bass behind. As O’Malley’s blood-pumping guitar swell boosts the energy, another perfect drum fill ties together the remainder of the song, reintroducing the rest of the instruments. However, just as you think he’ll explode, O’Malley’s sweet-sounding guitar actually disappears, leaving the listener frustrated and disappointed, despite the foreshadowing hinted in the song’s title. Moments later O’Malley can be heard flexing his golden strings as the song begins to fade out, giving the listener a taste of what could have been, only furthering the anguish. Less than a minute away from perfection, a juggernaut of a song sadly ends on a low note.
The second half of the album goes on to display Collas and Marquands’ versatility, starting with the indie-rock jam “Dim The Lights.” In comes the funky “I Been Born Again,” featuring Collas on the organ and clavinet layered over the Santana-sounding O’Malley. Next up is “The Martyr” featuring Collas singing lead, playing like a fun mix of Cream and My Morning Jacket, followed by the Jefferson Airplane-esque “Tears,” which features shimmering flutes and worldly congas. Concluding the album is the soul-infused ballad “Baby,” displaying the first sounds of brass, while “The Circle is Broken,” a nine-minute, organ-heavy conclusion, ties together the innumerable sounds exhibited on the album.
Despite some clear holes, The Phenomenal Handclap Band has put together a unique album with tight song structure perpetuated by the diverse talent collected by the producers. The synergized songs and multitude of contemporary electronica sounds is transparent evidence that the producers are former DJs, an advantageous flare bringing a novel sound to an ever-changing musical landscape.
JamBase | Burning Up The Floor
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Waxman: Health Care On Track To Hit Deadline
July 20th, 2009 |
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Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee met behind closed doors Monday as they work to become the third and final House committee to approve health care legislation.
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) heard from the committee’s conservat…
Mike Ragogna: HuffPost Video Premiere: Manchester Orchestra “The River” plus Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs Under The Covers Vol. 2
July 20th, 2009 |
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The Huffington Post debuts “The River,” Manchester Orchestra’s last of eleven videos associated with the band’s album Mean Everything To Nothing. “The River” is the…
Quiz: the news from the Americas
July 16th, 2009 |
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A series of nations in the region have been in the news lately. But how well have you been keeping track?
Bruce Jenner Plastic Surgery Before and After Check Now
July 16th, 2009 |
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See Bruce Jenner Plastic Surgery Before and After photos following. A Former U.S. track and field athlete Bruce Jenner was several time plastic surgeries on his face.
According to stltoday article told Bruce has traveled the brutal road from looking like an Adonis to looking like Maude from “The Golden Girlsâ€. It was not pretty.(Bruce Jenner [...]
Goldman Sachs Execs On Track For Record Pay
July 15th, 2009 |
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NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sachs is emerging as the king of post-meltdown Wall Street.
Already the most powerful U.S. financial company before the credit crisis, the bank profited handsomely from Wall Street’s rally and the recovering credit ma…
Miniature ‘mobile phones’ used to track pieces of rubbish
July 14th, 2009 |
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By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
The ebb and flow of thousands of pieces of household rubbish are to be tracked using sophisticated mobile tags.
It is hoped that making people confront the final journey of their waste will make them reduce what they throw away.
Initially, 3,000 pieces of rubbish, donated by volunteers, will be tagged in New York, Seattle and London.
"Trash is almost an invisible system today," Assaf Biderman, one of the project leaders at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told BBC News.
"You throw something into the garbage and a lot of us forget about it. It gets buried, it gets burned, it gets shipped overseas."
The Trash Track aims to make that process – termed the "removal chain" – more transparent.
Friends of the Earth’s Senior Waste Campaigner Michael Warhurst said the project could be a "useful tool" for highlighting the impact of rubbish.
"[Waste] doesn’t simply disappear when we throw it away, and all too often it ends up causing damage when it could be recycled instead.
"People must have much better information on – and control over – where their rubbish and recycling ends up."
Global waste
In order to monitor how the pieces of rubbish move around the cities and beyond, the MIT team has developed a small mobile sensor that can be attached to individual pieces of waste.
"It’s like a miniature cell phone with limited functionality," said Carlo Ratti, another member of the project.
Each tag – encased in a protective resin – continuously broadcasts its location to a central server. The results can then be collected and plotted on a map in real time.
"It’s like putting tracers in your blood and seeing where it moves around your body," said Mr Biderman.
Because cell phone technology is cheap and – importantly – ubiquitous, the system should be able to track rubbish around the globe.
This could be important when tracking computers and electronic waste, which is often disposed of incorrectly, according to Mr Ratti.
"Some of them are shipped to Africa to pollute," he said.
The team aims to tag different types of waste from computers and cell phones to bags of garden waste.
The group is currently looking for volunteers to donate their trash.
The results of the US studies will be shown at two exhibitions in Seattle and New York during September.
‘Zero waste’
The team stresses that it has tried to limit the impact of its study and of the technology, and limit the amount of extra waste it contributes to the "removal chain".
"We are adhering to the highest standards in terms of environmental impact," said Mr Biderman.
"The impact this could have on waste management and removal… could be significant, so these kinds of experiments could be much more useful than harmful for the environment."
The MIT team has previously revealed the movements of people around cities, such as Rome and Copenhagen, by analysing mobile phone signals.
They used a similar method to show how crowds moved around Washington during the inauguration of US President Barack Obama.
The tags used to track the rubbish are a departure from these more passive studies of city movements.
Ultimately, the team hopes that the technology can be miniaturised and made cheap enough that the tags could one day be attached to everything.
"Think about a future where thanks to smart tags we will not have waste anymore," said Mr Ratti. "Everything will be traceable."</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Katy Perry inked ‘I Kissed A Girl’ track to rebel against strict parents
July 14th, 2009 |
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Katy Perry has said that she inked her worldwide hit track “I Kissed A Girl†to rebel against her strict religious parents.
The American singer, who was raised by an evangelical Christian preacher mother, revealed that she was banned from swearing during her childhood.
The 24-year-old said that the song with controversial lyrics was her way of [...]
Don ‘Sugar Cane’ Harris:
Sugar Cane’s Got the Blues
July 10th, 2009 |
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By: Trevor Pour
align=right src="http://images.jambase.com/bands/Wednesday/Sugarcane.jpg">
I recently had a jazz professor as a guest in my home. Before she could make it through the front door, her thoughts were interrupted by a cacophony of a high-pitched instrumental drifting towards her from the stereo in my kitchen. As an ear-to-ear grin began to appear on her face, she demanded to know, “What IS that?”
“That” was Don ‘Sugar Cane’ Harris, the one time violinist for Frank Zappa and the man who has been endlessly referred to as the “Jimi Hendrix of violin.” Recently, Promising Music released a 24-bit re-mastering of his live 1971 tapes recorded at the Berlin Jazz Festival. That album, originally produced by Joachim Ernst Berendt, features a all-star cast including Volker Kriegel (guitar), Terje Rypdal (guitar), Wolfgang Dauner (keys), Neville Whitehead (bass), and Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine) (drums). From the first note until the very last, this album takes you on an epic journey. It’s unequivocally one of the most technically impressive, emotionally powerful and historically poignant albums I’ve heard at this juncture in my life. Sugar Cane’s Got the Blues consists of four tracks ranging from ten to fifteen minutes in duration, each with a unique character and displaying a different facet of Harris’ musical persona.
The opening chops of “Song For My Father” are remarkably accurate and precise despite their technical difficulty. Sugar Cane displayed a kind of warped refinement that very few individuals on the planet have mastered; others that come to mind include Skerik, Col. Bruce Hampton and Brian Haas, in addition to a small handful of bebop/free jazz legends. But amongst all these illustrious names, Sugar Cane still, indisputably, rises to the top. With an ability unmatched in his time or ours, he may remain one of the most under-appreciated musicians of his century; not due to a lack of consideration, but because it is virtually impossible to do him justice with mere prose. This particular track weaves a beautiful tale, carrying the audience to dramatic highs and lows without losing their attention or their understanding.
“Liz Pineapple Wonderful,” the intro track, sets an absurdly high bar for the remainder of the album by taking no time before screaming into a full-tilt jam. It’s catchy, energetic, creative and alive. With impressive interplay between each musician, it remains driven by the Harris’ commanding violin. It is immediately followed by the title track, “Sugar Cane’s Got the Blues.” The longest track on the disc, this creation highlights each performer’s ability to explore the depths of their collective resonance without regard for urgency or boundaries. The result is a beautiful and elegant piece, which does not simply tread the line between blues and free jazz but fully incorporates them into a unified style. Finally, the album closes with “Where’s My Sunshine,” which prominently features the Sugar Cane’s soulful vocals, develops slowly with bluesy guitar, and ends with an exquisite piano solo from Dauner.
Musicians of all shapes and sizes, jazz fans of any sub-genre, jam-rock connoisseurs and anyone willing to become totally lost in great music shouldn’t think twice about picking this up. Admittedly it’s an import and might cost a few extra bucks, but this is an excellent introduction to one of the preeminent talents of the 1960s and ’70s. And even if you’re well versed in the world of Sugar Cane Harris, this re-mastered record will fit neatly, and prominently, in your collection.
JamBase | Rosin Rich
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