text:
Difference between revisions of "Homosexuality"
m (→Recommended Books)
(bibliography still to be added, formatting and editting needed)
|Line 1:
|Line 1:
==The Teaching of the Orthodox Church==
==The Teaching of the Orthodox Church==
The Orthodox Church
The Orthodox
homosexual actions from the . and Scripture1
the . What is , , is homosexualityis
a genetic , or a choicethere
are who . , the Churchhomosexual to .
==Official Orthodox Statements==
==Official Orthodox Statements==
Revision as of 21:02, March 2, 2007
- 1 The Teaching of the Orthodox Church
- 2 Official Orthodox Statements
- 3 Articles from an Orthodox Perspective
- 4 Personal Testimonies
- 5 Non-Orthodox Sources
- 6 Recommended Books
- 7 Other Resources
The Teaching of the Orthodox Church
One of the most emotional, moral and politically charged issues the United States (and the world at large) has dealt with over the last 35 years or so has been that of homosexuality and the rights of those citizens who have openly identified themselves as homosexual or gay. Statistically speaking, this group may comprise as much as 10% of the general population of the U.S. or as many as 28 million people. Even if conservative estimates for half that amount are more accurate, this group still encompasses a large number of people. My intent and purpose in writing this paper is to respectfully acknowledge the Orthodox Church's teaching on this topic and yet at the same time offer my own thoughts and opinions. The latter will be based on readings on this subject, written most notably by Frs. Harakas and Hopko who express the Church's teachings and view on this topic more eloquently and thoroughly than I ever could hope to do. But I may additionally offer some views from a social ethics perspective as well as some pastoral actions to be taken by say a priest or by fellow Orthodox Christians. My basic premise for doing so is that although I will restate the Church's position on homosexuality, my ultimate (and the Church's) concern are the people that are engaged in this activity or have identified themselves as homosexuals. In short, my concern is not the sin but the sinner.
The Church's View and Teachings
The Church is very clear in its view on homosexuality. Homosexuality is defined as 'an attraction to the same sex; sexual attraction to and sexual relations with members of the same sex.'1 There are numerous references in scripture with regard to same sex relations and sexual activity. Starting with Genesis 19 where there is reference to homosexual activity among the men in Sodom (hence the term sodomy), as well as in Leviticus (18:22, 20:13) which makes reference to the adopted 'Holiness Code' and the penalty for such an action-"If there is a man who lies with a male as those be with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act." – was death. The Old Testament viewed sexual relations to be 'normal' as those between a man and woman (confined to intercourse facing one another) with the express purpose of the procreation of children. This view, thoughts and teaching continued to the New Testament as well with St. Paul writing the most extensively on this subject. He condemns male prostitutes and homosexuals in 1 Cor. (6:9-10), "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral nor the idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals (arsenokoitai), nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers shall inherit the kingdom of God." These two examples do show the evolution of the Church's view on homosexuality. The Old Testament's view is consistent with its 'judgment and retribution' (death penalty) ethos found in Jewish society in those times. The New Testament writing by St. Paul, reflects Christ's teaching, where the 'judgment' consisted of a stern yet 'tough love' warning that these types of activities would prohibit you from 'inheriting' the kingdom of God. This evolution of thought and teaching is significant for it signals the importance of the eschaton and a genuine concern for the individual in a loving, outreaching yet solemn way. St. Paul's writing is also significant because the activity of homosexuality is mentioned in the same context as other sinful activities and passions. I will address this 'pastoral concern' for the individual in the next section of this paper. The Fathers of the Church also wrote on this and expressed the same view and teaching that homosexual acts are immoral and wrong. The Didache, as well as St. Basil (Canons 35, 77), Sts. John Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, John the Faster (Canons 9, 18) contain some of these writings as well as the 6th century code of Justinian and the Quinnisext Synod (Canon 87). In all the writings of the New Testament and of the Fathers, 'there is no example of approval, acceptance, or even tolerance of homosexuality.'2 In fact, this is one topic that all Orthodox jurisdictions are in agreement on, as indicated in the 1978 SCOBA statement on homosexuality.
The Actions versus the Condition of the Person
Fr. Harakas cites a 'balanced' definition of homosexuality as – 'a predominant, persistent, and exclusive psychosexual attraction toward members of the same sex. A homosexual person is one who feels sexual desire for and a sexual responsiveness to persons of the same sex and who seeks or would like to seek actual sexual fulfillment of this desire by sexual acts with a person of the same sex.'3 This speaks volumes on this subject from a specificity and pastoral aspect on this topic. Of particular note to me is that the homosexual is a person first and foremost and that the actions they commit are under scrutiny and thus sinful. This is a significant point in that the writings that have been cited thus far condemn the actions of people and in this way there is a 'clear distinction between homosexual acts and a condition in a person attracting them to these acts.'4 In essence, these writings (as I mentioned in my introduction) aim their attention to the acts of people engaged in this type of activity. A nice summary statement that can be offered, 'the Orthodox Church does not condemn the person who keeps this propensity (homosexuality) in check, and ministers to homosexuals who wish to find release from this inclination.'5 Again, this is significant because it points to the Church's fervent desire to minister to those committing these acts. As is the case with other sinful acts and the combating of the passions there has to be a sincere acceptance that this behavior is wrong coupled with an equally sincere desire for correction thru prayer and repentance. I am reminded of Christ's own words to the paralytic (John 5:6) 'Do you wish to be made whole?' Therefore there is a direct correlation between homosexuality, in the Church's view, with adultery, fornication or any other sexually abusive behavior that is sinful. The definition cited by Fr. Harakas contains some key words in it that give us an insight as to how homosexuality and these other behaviors are viewed. In essence because homosexuality is 'psychosexual' therefore it is a combination of a mindset (that is contrary to Church teaching) that manifests itself in sinful sexual activity, just as the other sexual sins mentioned beforehand. They are all, as Fr. Harakas notes, passions, which we even though we are created in the image and likeness of God, because of the consequence of the Fall of Man, we now unfortunately possess. These sexual oriented passions are strictly dealt with and addressed as noted (Scripture, Canons, Patristic writings) because they are a threat to the Church's major theme and teaching of marriage. Symbolic of its importance within the Church is shown by the fact that Christ's first miracle was performed at the Wedding of Cana (John 2: 1-11), forever sanctifying the sacrament of marriage. Although marriage is not the choice of all of the members of the Body of Christ (choice of monasticism), there can be no doubt as to its centrality of importance within the Church and certainly to the only proper context of having sexual relations (for procreation). The bride and groom are joined together thru the sacrament and become one flesh much in the same way the 'Church is joined to Christ'6. Even during the sacrament itself, they offer their lives to Christ, to each other and are symbolically crowned as martyrs.
Social Ethics of the Issue
The issue of homosexuality has indeed raised 'up a notch' the dialogue, debate amongst the citizenry of the U.S. who in turn have urged their representatives to compose and enact legislation. What has started out as an 'equal rights' movement, which was mainly concerned with discrimination (job, housing market) due to sexual orientation, the focus of proposed legislation for at least the last dozen or so years has been the acceptance of same sex unions in the same way that marriage is recognized by the State. This is obviously a concern not just to the Orthodox Church alone. The aim of this legislation is acceptance of their behavior. Fr. George Morelli, speaking at an O.C.A.M.P.R. conference at Holy Cross School of Theology in November 2006 states, 'In our day, effort is being to create a moral parity between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Sanctioning homosexual marriage would go a long way in removing the moral prohibitions against homosexual behavior. Gay marriage advocates borrow the moral teachings and assert that they also apply equally to the homosexual. In other words, just as heterosexual activity is to be relegated to heterosexual marriage, so too should homosexual activity be relegated to homosexual marriage.'7 The position therefore being advocated by 'gay rights activists' is not just for acceptance of their 'union' in marriage, but acceptance of their behavior (sexual activity) as well. Why else would they specifically advocate that their 'civil union'- which has been suggested to be the term used in legislation – be called marriage? I believe that is the case (and I am not alone) that the term marriage still connotes in our society the acceptance of a union hence the behavior that occurs within its context. The Church goes further than acceptance, stating that it is sacramental and therefore blessed by God. What is to be understood is that the Church is not condemning or discriminating against homosexuals but rather their activity which is considered to be against its teaching in the same way as other passions are. They are not considered as having lower value in the eyes of God, the focus is to be directed toward the correcting of the behavior and removal of the particular passion.
Social and Pastoral Action
The Church extends an open invitation to those who suffer from the passion of homosexuality. Admittedly, the Church could certainly do a better job with this group that exists within her flock, as well as reach out and embrace them as persons; with as much compassion as when dealing with other people who suffer from other sexual passions. The Church still considers these sexual behaviors as passions even in the light of recent scientific research that points to homosexuality in particular having a genetic origin as well. A study by 'Camperio-Ciani estimates at this time 20% of the variance in sexual orientation can be attributed to genetic factors, while the other 80% await further specification and probably include other biological factors as well as social and emotional elements.'8 Although this scientific research points to a genetic origin or biological disposition to homosexuality the same argument can be made for heterosexual passions as well – adultery for example – where studies show that males are more pre-disposed to having multiple partners versus women. What can be said in both instances is that environment, upbringing and other social factors come into play (the other 80%). Hence there is a definite biological element as well as one of choice. There is definitely a biological and physical urge (bodily passion) that has an influence on the choice (our mind/spirit) one makes to engage in a certain activity. My point is, as well as I believe the Church's, is that there is a cognitive decision (of free will) made by us to proceed to act out this bodily passion. This can be said for all the passions that are sexual in nature. From a social ethics perspective, to use Jane Jacobs terminology9, the 'guardians' of our society are charged with enforcing the laws of our country, thereby protecting all of its citizens including homosexuals that have been discriminated against. But at the same time, they also charged with (in the Byzantine tradition of symphonia), 'to oversee public morals and to encourage the ethical, moral and spiritual development of its citizens.'10 This would signal to me that although the 'guardians' of our society are protecting all its citizens (regardless of their sexual orientation) they have an equal call to be faithful to the ethics and morality upon which our nation was founded.
I would like however to conclude on a compassionate and pastoral note. All of us can arm ourselves with spiritual weapons to combat the passions that present themselves to us, and at times overtake us and still at other times totally consume us. That is why the struggle against them is a life long journey and we are called to always be on guard and vigilant in this 'battle'. The Church offers to us the 'weapons' to aid all sinners to overcome their passions and temptations. 'These spiritual weapons include prayer, worship, reading of Scripture and patristic writings, fasting, Holy Confession, Christian fellowship, as well as pastoral and psychiatric counseling which should be used by all including those who suffer from homosexual tendencies...The Church should do this with the same compassion, love and sensitivity as it does with all others who struggle to overcome their passions and grow in Christ.'11 I think the spirit of the Church's outreach (the pastor and the membership at large) and embrace should be as Fr. Harakas stated in the last part of that statement-with the same compassion and love, etc. It takes courage to do so since at times many 'social stigmas' may have to be overcome. One such stigma may even be the use of the term homosexual versus 'same-sex attraction' that Fr. Hopko uses in his book of reflections on that subject as well as the Courage movement in the Roman Catholic Church. 'God does not make human beings homosexual….to live human lives of love through their complementary communion with each other on a physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual level…because of the fallen state of humanity some are subject to same-sex desires.'12 In this way one can understand that we are not born homosexual as we are of a particular skin color or gender. The key for us as Orthodox Christians is to embrace and respect one another and as being mutually created in His love. Then we can join together in our mutual struggle against the passions that beset our fallen world.
Official Orthodox Statements
- SCOBA's Statement on Homosexual Unions
- Statement from the Coptic Orthodox Church
- On Same-Sex Unions - Epistle of the Clergy of the Western Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (2004)
- The Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops Speaks Out on the Issue of Same-Sex Marriage
Articles from an Orthodox Perspective
- The Homosexual Christian - by Fr. Thomas Hopko
- Gays and the Orthodox Church: Can I still join the Church if I'm a homosexual? - Fr. Ted Stylianopoulos
- Homosexuality and the Church - by V. Rev. William Caldaroni
- Orthodoxy, Homosexuality, the NCCC and the UFMCC - From Holy-Trinity.org
- Homosexuality and the Church - by H.H. Pope Shenouda III, also available in PDF format (495k)
- Christianity and Homosexuality: Russians Speak Out by Srdja Trifkovic, August 17, 2000
- Gay ... But Not Funny by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt
Personal Testimonies
- "I was in Hell" - A light-bearing post from Huw Raphael
Non-Orthodox Sources
- Considerations Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between Homosexual Persons - from the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Recommended Books
- Straight & Narrow?: Compassion & Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate by Thomas E. Schmidt. InterVarsity Press: 1995. (ISBN 0830818588)
- Homosexuality: A New Christian Ethic by Elizabeth R. Moberly. James Clarke Company: 1997. (ISBN 0227678508) (Orthodox author)
- Christian Faith and Same-Sex Attraction: Eastern Orthodox Reflections by Thomas Hopko. Conciliar Press: 2006. (ISBN 1888212756) (Orthodox author)
Other Resources
- Exodus International
- 1 See Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 in particular.


text:
* Required Fields
Whether you're a professional mechanic, or just enjoy working on your own projects, BikeMaster has the right tools and parts to get the job done. Established in 1981 by riders, we understand that quality and performance is what every motorcycle owner is looking for. Our chemicals and replacement parts provide O.E.M. quality and performance. We offer batteries, tools, tubes, chain, air filters, oil filters, fork seals, grips, levers, handlebars and much more. Build your dream…with a little help from BikeMaster.
Sign up for our newsletter and get exclusive deals you won't find anywhere else sent straight to your inbox!
Help Us to Keep Magento Healthy - Report All Bugs (ver. 22.214.171.124)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A world where nature reigns.
A blanket of fog covers the hills. Coral reefs. A thousand birds. Impenetrable jungles and mangroves. Tall canyons and deep cenotes. Where do you want to go?
Enjoy nature wherever you go
One click away
A selection of everything you need for an experience in nature
Map it
Hotels, restaurants, tour operators, natural areas and of course, Mayan archaeology
Mundo Maya
Visit these sections if you want more information about Mundo Maya


text:
| 8.1°C Belfast
Mark Hughes has been sacked as manager of QPR after failing to win any of their opening 12 Barclays Premier League fixtures this season.
Despite votes of confidence to the contrary, there had been mounting speculation that Hughes was coming under increasing pressure from owner Tony Fernandes and the QPR board, especially following last weekend's 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton.
The club refuted suggestions the Welshman had refused to budge after being asked to resign in a meeting at the club's training ground on Monday evening. But now they have issued a statement confirming the 49-year-old, who took over at Loftus Road in January, has had his contract terminated.
The statement read: "Queens Park Rangers Football Club has today (Friday) terminated the contract of manager Mark Hughes with immediate effect.
"This decision has been taken after careful consideration by the Board of Directors, following numerous meetings over the last few days.
"The Board of Directors wish to thank Mark for his commitment, hard work and dedication in his 10 months in charge. Mark has shown integrity and professionalism throughout his time here, but ultimately the circumstances we find ourselves in have left the Board of Directors with very little choice but to make a change."
The sacking comes just 24 hours before QPR travel to face Manchester United at Old Trafford and, with ex-Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp the overwhelming favourite to step in, the club confirmed they are looking at appointing a new manager as soon as possible.
"The Board will now be working actively to put a new managerial structure in place as soon as possible," the statement continued.
"Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki will take charge of the R's trip to Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday afternoon. The club will be making a further announcement in due course."
Rangers then cancelled their pre-match media conference which was scheduled for Friday afternoon.


text:
The lifecycle of a test executed using Trade Federation is composed of four separate stages, designed around formally defined interfaces.
Defined interfaces
- Build Provider: Provides a build to test, downloading appropriate files if necessary.
- Target Preparer: Prepares the test environment, possibly including software installation and device configuration.
- Test: Executes test(s) and gathers test results. This may be any JUnit Test, although our IRemoteTest interface is specifically designed to work well in the Trade Federation environment.
- Test Invocation Listener: Listens for test results, usually for the purpose of forwarding the test results to a repository or displaying them to the Test Runner.
The fundamental testing entity in TF is a Configuration (config). A config is an XML file that declares the lifecycle components of a test.
This separation of the test's lifecycle is intended to allow for reuse. Using this design, the Developer can create a Test once, and then the Integrator can create different Configurations to run that Test in different environments. For example, they could create a Configuration that will run a test on a local machine and dump the result to stdout. They could then create a second Configuration that would execute that same test, but use a different Test Invocation Listener to store the test results in a database. A third Configuration might be designed run that test continuously from a test lab somewhere.
It's convenient to note here that a Configuration along with its command-line arguments (as
provided by the Test Runner) is known as a Command. When TF pairs a Command with an
ITestDevice and executes it, the subsequent object is known as an Invocation.
In short, an Invocation encompasses a complete TF test execution, across its entire lifecycle.
Additional configuration components
- Device Recovery: mechanism to recover device communication if lost.
- Logger: collects tradefed logging data.


text:
Reviewed By Jason B (Telford, PA) Reviewed for a 2004 Cadillac CTS —9/18/2015 5:56 AM
I've only had the brake pads on '04 cadillac CTS for 2weeks but so far am pleased. Installation was a effortless. No noise, and smooth, reliable braking. I only wished they would have come with a little tube of brake lubrication like some other brakes do.


text:
In the past week, this blog has reached the milestone of having been viewed 100,000 times. To celebrate, I am posting a list of my favorite films of all time, one that I have been working on for what feels like forever. A wise man once said that favorite movies were always the hardest to write about and, after compiling the list, I heartily concur. I worked mighty hard to write the capsule reviews of my ten favorite movies that you'll find below, attempting to nail down exactly what qualities they possess that has made them so impactful to me from points of view both personal (as an "ordinary" movie lover) and professional (as a film studies instructor and blogger). Below the list of my ten favorites you will also find a list of 200 runners-up that has been divided into eight groups of 25 in descending order of preference.
This highly personal list, which is actually a list of my 210 favorite movies, has literally been a lifetime in the making. I hope you enjoy it.
The Top Ten:
10. City Girl (Murnau, USA, 1930)
In F.W. Murnau's lyrical, late-silent masterpiece, a farm boy from Minnesota travels to Chicago to sell his family's wheat crop. He unexpectedly returns home with a new bride, an event that threatens to fracture his relationship with his skeptical parents who regard his big city wife as a shameless gold digger. This begins as an unforgettable portrait of urban loneliness (Mary Duncan's title character keeps a fake bird in a cage as a pet) before moving to the wheat fields of Minnesota for some of the most gorgeous pastoral imagery ever captured on celluloid. Murnau knew how to put emotion into camera movement, something that is very difficult to do, and that skill is more evident in City Girl than any of his other considerably estimable films.
9. Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky, Russia, 1966)
Andrei Tarkovsky's austere, epic biopic of the famed 15th century icon painter is for my money the greatest movie ever made about the life of an artist. Told in vignette fashion, Tarkovsky depicts Rublev's story against the turbulent backdrop of medieval Russia during the Tatar invasions. The highlight is the climactic sequence where Rublev, who has sworn a vow of silence in protest of the horrors he has seen, witnesses a mere boy overseeing the arduous process of the casting of a giant bell. The boy saves himself from government execution by successfully casting the bell in spite of the fact that he doesn't really know what he's doing. At the conclusion of this awe-inspiring 30 minute scene, the depiction of a miracle that feels like a miracle of filmmaking, Rublev is inspired not only to speak again but to continue painting and to create his greatest works.
8. Out 1 (Rivette/Schiffman, France, 1971)
Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman's legendary 12-and-a-half-hour serial is Feuillade made modern, where the directors use an expansive running time to tell various mystery stories, most of them unresolved, which also serves as a psychic x-ray of the 1960s French counterculture and the apotheosis of the entire Nouvelle Vague. Rivette and Schiffman intercut between four different plots: two seemingly unrelated theater troupes rehearse different Aeschylus plays while two seemingly unrelated con artists (Jean-Pierre Leaud and Juliet Berto) ply their trades in the cafes and streets of Paris. The con artists each receive information about "the 13," a secret society with its origin in Balzac that may or may not currently exist. Their investigations lead them to interact with various members of the theater troupes as Rivette and Schiffman slowly bring their narrative threads together and reminds us why paranoid conspiracy theories not only exist but are paradoxically comforting: they make us feel that disparate, unconnected events may be related and therefore part of a meaningful design. An intellectually vigorous, terrifying, funny, challenging and life-altering work.
7. Journey to Italy (Rossellini, Italy, 1954)
The Joyces (the incredible duo of Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders) are a married couple from England who travel to Naples to settle the estate of a recently deceased uncle. With the precision of a surgeon, director Roberto Rossellini shows how the romance has gone out of their marriage due to petty jealousies, mutual misunderstandings and a breakdown in communication. As the characters wander alone through Naples and nearby Pompeii, the viewer comes to realize that they do still love one another but are merely incapable of expressing it. Can a miracle save their relationship? This is the best movie ever made about marriage, a subtle, elegant, deeply spiritual film that uses the Italian landscape, both urban and rural, and the inexorable pull of ancient history to comment on the possibility of love in the modern world.
6. Tokyo Story (Ozu, Japan, 1953)
Yasujiro Ozu's supreme masterpiece tells the story of an elderly Japanese couple who travel from their rural hometown to visit their grown children in the title city, only to find that their children don't have much time to spend with them and even treat them as a nuisance. Rather than condemn any of his characters the way you would expect a Hollywood melodrama to do, Ozu's patient, observant, non-judgemental eye sees the disintegration of the family as the sad but natural order of the universe. The heart of the film is the performance of Ozu's favorite actress Setsuko Hara as Noriko, the elderly couple's daughter-in-law, whose smiling countenance seems to radiate an almost overwhelming warmth and humanity. When one embittered character tells her that life is disappointing, Noriko's resigned, smiling response is "Yes, I'm afraid it is." Sublime.
5. L'argent (Bresson, France, 1983)
Robert Bresson's swan song, as tight and compressed as a Ramones song, is a masterful update of Tolstoy's short story The Forged Note. Bresson's ingenious narrative follows a counterfeit bill, initially passed off in a shop as a schoolboy prank, which sets off a chain of events (an "avalanche of evil" in the director's own indelible words) that ends with a young man murdering an entire family with an axe. This vital, rigorous movie, made when the director was 81 but seeming like the work of a much younger man, is the ultimate artistic statement about the potentially destructive power of money.
4. Gertrud (Dreyer, Denmark, 1964)
Carl Dreyer's final film is an adaptation of Hjalmar Soderberg's 1906 play of the same title and its deceptively theatrical character is also reminiscent of Ibsen (a protoypical feminist heroine) and Strindberg (the eternal conflict between men and women). But there are few films as truly and wonderfully cinematic as Gertrud, whose unique combination of stillness, slowness and whiteness is perfectly suited to capturing the title character's near-religious view of romantic love as an uncompromising ideal. A lot of men seem to love Gertrud but none love her as much as she requires and so she chooses to live alone – without regrets. Unforgettable for its use of long takes (one of which clocks in at 10 minutes) and Nina Pens Rode's luminous lead performance.
3. The Searchers (Ford, USA, 1956)
The greatest western ever made is also the greatest American movie ever made. Before filming began, John Ford described The Searchers as "a kind of psychological epic" and indeed this complex take on the settling of the West, with its head-on examination of racism, finds an appropriately tragic hero in the character of the mysterious Ethan Edwards (John Wayne in his best and most nuanced performance). Spurred on by an unrequited love for his deceased sister-in-law, the maniacal, Indian-hating Edwards will stop at nothing to recapture his nieces who have been kidnapped by Comanche Indians. "We'll find 'em," Ethan says in a line of dialogue worthy of Melville, "just as sure as the turning of the earth." The dialectic between civilization and barbarism posited by Ford, with Ethan standing in a metaphorical doorway between them, would have an incalculable effect on subsequent generations of filmmakers.
2. Tih Minh (Feuillade, France, 1918)
Louis Feuillade's ridiculously entertaining 7-hour mystery serial features kidnappings, daring escapes, slapstick fistfights, secret messages coded in an ancient Hindu dialect, "forgetfulness potions," various forms of mind control, a mountaintop cliffhanging climax, and many, many badass disguises. It also uses an international espionage plot to reflect on World War I and allegorize contemporary French fears about the insidious nature of Bolshevism; the hero is a French explorer and his chief rival is an evil German doctor named Marx. The hero's maid turns out to be a villainess who is secretly in Marx's employ and one of the key title cards is another character's incredulous exclamation that "Marx is here!" The entire espionage genre, including Fritz Lang's Mabuse cycle and the James Bond films, have their origins here but Feuillade's masterpiece remains the best movie of its kind.
1. A Brighter Summer Day (Yang, Taiwan, 1991)
Edward Yang's four hour epic about juvenile delinquents in 1950s Taipei marries the ambitious societal portraits of the 19th century Russian novel (one gang leader even references War and Peace, memorably calling its characters "swordsmen") with the romanticism, iconography and intense identification with outsiders characteristic of a Nicholas Ray picture. In other words, the personal story (involving a troubled fourteen year old kid played by future adult star Chang Chen) can be seen as an allegory for the identity crisis of an entire nation struggling to define itself in the aftermath of World War II. I saw a 35 millimeter print of this over a decade ago and I emerged from the theater unable to speak. No moviegoing experience has shaken me more profoundly to the core than that one.
First 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
1. L'avventura (Antonioni, Italy, 1960)
2. A Man Escaped (Bresson, France, 1956)
3. Viridiana (Bunuel, Spain, 1961)
4. A Woman Under the Influence (Cassavetes, USA, 1974)
5. Bicycle Thieves (De Sica, Italy, 1948)
6. Coeur Fidele (Epstein, France, 1923)
7. How Green Was My Valley (Ford, USA, 1941)
8. Contempt (Godard, France/Italy, 1963)
9. Vertigo (Hitchcock, USA, 1958)
10. Three Times (Hou, Taiwan, 2005)
11. A Touch of Zen (Hu, Taiwan, 1971)
12. Our Hospitality (Keaton, USA, 1923)
13. The Decalogue (Kieslowski, Poland, 1988)
14. M (Lang, Germany, 1931)
15. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Leone, Italy, 1966)
16. Ugetsu (Mizoguchi, Japan, 1953)
17. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, USA, 1927)
18. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Ophuls, USA, 1948)
19. The Rules of the Game (Renoir, France, 1939)
20. Play Time (Tati, France, 1967)
21. Man with the Movie Camera (Vertov, Russia, 1929)
22. L'atalante (Vigo, France, 1934)
23. The Leopard (Visconti, Italy, 1963)
24. Greed (Von Stroheim, USA, 1924)
25. Chimes at Midnight (Welles, Spain/Italy, 1965)
Second 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
26. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Bunuel, France, 1972)
27. City Lights (Chaplin, USA, 1931)
28. Casablanca (Curtiz, USA, 1942)
29. Earth (Dovzhenko, Ukraine, 1930)
30. The Mother and the Whore (Eustache, France, 1974)
31. Berlin Alexanderplatz (Fassbinder, Germany, 1980)
32. 8 1/2 (Fellini, Italy, 1963)
33. Les Vampires (Feuillade, France, 1915-1916)
34. Goodbye to Language (Godard, Switzerland/France, 2014)
35. The Ballad of Narayama (Imamura, Japan, 1983)
36. Seven Samurai (Kurosawa, Japan, 1954)
37. The Band Wagon (Minnelli, USA, 1953)
38. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (Mizoguchi, Japan, 1939)
39. Pandora's Box (Pabst, Germany, 1929)
40. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pasolini, Italy, 1964)
41. Chinatown (Polanski, USA, 1974)
42. The Red Shoes (Powell/Pressburger, UK, 1948)
43. Bigger Than Life (N. Ray, USA, 1956)
44. Charulata (S. Ray, India, 1964)
45. The Phantom Carriage (Sjostrom, Sweden, 1921)
46. The Arch (Tang, Hong Kong, 1969)
47. The Crowd (Vidor, USA, 1928)
48. Citizen Kane (Welles, USA, 1941)
49. Some Like It Hot (Wilder, USA, 1959)
50. Humanity and Paper Balloons (Yamanaka, Japan, 1937)
Third 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
51. Lucky Star (Borzage, USA, 1929)
52. Singin' in the Rain (Donen/Kelly, USA, 1952)
53. Ordet (Dreyer, Denmark, 1955)
54. Unforgiven (Eastwood, USA, 1992)
55. Spring in a Small Town (Fei, China, 1948)
56. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford, USA, 1962)
57. Park Row (Fuller, USA, 1952)
58. Nouvelle Vague (Godard, France, 1990)
59. Two Lane Blacktop (Hellman, USA, 1971)
60. Certified Copy (Kiarostami, Italy/France, 2010)
61. Boyhood (Linklater, USA, 2014)
62. The Awful Truth (McCarey, USA, 1937)
63. Army of Shadows (Melville, France, 1969)
64. Floating Clouds (Naruse, Japan, 1955)
65. Boy (Oshima, Japan, 1969)
66. Anatomy of a Murder (Preminger, USA, 1959)
67. Last Year at Marienbad (Resnais, France/Italy, 1961)
68. The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (Rossellini, France/Italy, 1966)
69. All That Heaven Allows (Sirk, USA, 1955)
70. Stalker (Tarkovsky, Russia, 1979)
71. Satantango (Tarr, Hungary, 1994)
72. A Fugitive from the Past (Uchida, Japan, 1965)
73. The Docks of New York (Von Sternberg, USA, 1928)
74. The Roaring Twenties (Walsh, USA, 1939)
75. The Best Years of Our Lives (Wyler, USA, 1946)
Fourth 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
76. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Akerman, Belgium, 1975)
77. The Long Goodbye (Altman, USA, 1973)
78. Au Hasard Balthazar (Bresson, France, 1966)
79. Le Boucher (Chabrol, France, 1970)
80. Brightness (Cisse, Mali, 1987)
81. The Strange Case of Angelica (De Oliveira, Portugal, 2010)
82. Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II (Eisenstein, Russia, 1944-1958)
83. Lonesome (Fejos, USA, 1928)
84. Isn't Life Wonderful? (Griffith, USA/Germany, 1924)
85. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hawks, USA, 1953)
86. Goodbye South Goodbye (Hou, Taiwan, 1996)
87. Come and See (Klimov, Russia, 1985)
88. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, USA, 1968)
89. Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (Lang, Germany, 1922)
90. Trouble in Paradise (Lubitsch, USA, 1932)
91. Mulholland Drive (Lynch, USA, 2001)
92. A Moment of Innocence (Makhmalbaf, Iran, 1996)
93. The Naked Spur (Mann, USA, 1953)
94. My Night at Maud's (Rohmer, France, 1969)
95. Raging Bull (Scorsese, USA 1980)
96. Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (Straub/Huillet, Germany, 1968)
97. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (Sturges, USA, 1944)
98. Detour (Ulmer, USA, 1945)
99. Vagabond (Varda, France, 1985)
100. In the Mood for Love (Wong, Hong Kong, 2000)
Fifth 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
101. The Passenger (Antonioni, Italy, 1975)
102. The Unknown (Browning, USA, 1927)
103. Los Olvidados (Bunuel, Mexico, 1950)
104. Love Streams (Cassavetes, USA, 1984)
105. Day of Wrath (Dreyer, Denmark, 1943)
106. Hindle Wakes (Elvey, UK, 1927)
107. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Fassbinder, Germany, 1974)
108. Zodiac (Fincher, USA, 2007)
109. Pierrot le Fou (Godard, France, 1965)
110. Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (Hawks, USA, 1932)
111. Psycho (Hitchcock, USA, 1960)
112. A City of Sadness (Hou, Taiwan, 1989)
113. Vengeance is Mine (Imamura, Japan, 1979)
114. The Housemaid (Kim, S. Korea, 1960)
115. Naked (Leigh, UK, 1993)
116. The Earrings of Madame de . . . (Ophuls, France, 1953)
117. Late Spring (Ozu, Japan, 1949)
118. The Third Man (Reed, UK, 1949)
119. Mon Oncle d'Amerique (Resnais, France, 1980)
120. L'amour Fou (Rivette, France, 1969)
121. Germany Year Zero (Rossellini, Germany/Italy, 1948)
122. Taxi Driver (Scorsese, USA, 1976)
123. Black Girl (Sembene, Senegal, 1966)
124. Senso (Visconti, Italy, 1954)
125. Touch of Evil (Welles, USA, 1958)
Sixth 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
126. Red Desert (Antonioni, Italy, 1964)
127. Pickpocket (Bresson, France, 1959)
128. L'age d'Or (Bunuel, France, 1930)
129. Anxiety (De Oliveira, Portugal, 1998)
130. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, France/Denmark, 1928)
131. The Quiet Man (Ford, USA/Ireland, 1952)
132. Weekend (Godard, France, 1967)
133. Rio Bravo (Hawks, USA, 1958)
134. Rear Window (Hitchcock, USA, 1954)
135. The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (Ingram, USA, 1921)
136. Brief Encounter (Lean, UK, 1945)
137. Once Upon a Time in America (Leone, USA, 1984)
138. Heaven Can Wait (Lubitsch, USA, 1943)
139. Touki Bouki (Mambety, Senegal, 1973)
140. Some Came Running (Minnelli, USA, 1958)
141. The Life of Oharu (Mizoguchi, Japan, 1952)
142. Floating Weeds (Ozu, Japan, 1959)
143. A Nos Amours (Pialat, France, 1983)
144. The Music Room (S. Ray, India, 1958)
145. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Resnais, France, 1959)
146. Blade Runner (Scott, USA, 1982)
147. The Ascent (Shepitko, Russia, 1977)
148. Out of the Past (Tourneur, USA, 1947)
149. The Emigrants/The New Land (Troell, Sweden, 1971)
150. The Goddess (Wu, China, 1934)
Seventh 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
151. The Young Girls of Rochefort (Demy, France, 1967)
152. Beau Travail (Denis, France/Djibouti, 1999)
153. Vampyr (Dreyer, Germany/Denmark, 1932)
154. The Sun Shines Bright (Ford, USA, 1953)
155. Hail Mary (Godard, France, 1984)
156. North By Northwest (Hitchcock, USA, 1959)
157. The Taste of Cherry (Kiarostami, Iran, 1997)
158. Peppermint Candy (Lee, S. Korea, 1999)
159. Blue Velvet (Lynch, USA, 1986)
160. Sansho the Bailiff (Mizoguchi, Japan, 1954)
161. Early Summer (Ozu, Japan, 1951)
162. Laura (Preminger, USA, 1944)
163. In a Lonely Place (N. Ray, USA, 1950)
164. Stromboli (Rossellini, Italy, 1950)
165. Goodfellas (Scorsese, USA, 1990)
166. Mr. Thank You (Shimizu, Japan, 1936)
167. Mr. Hulot's Holiday (Tati, France, 1953)
168. Life Without Principle (To, Hong Kong, 2011)
169. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, France, 1959)
170. Turkish Delight (Verhoeven, Holland, 1973)
171. The Blue Angel (Von Sternberg, Germany, 1930)
172. Ashes and Diamonds (Wajda, Poland, 1958)
173. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene, Germany, 1920)
174. Chungking Express (Wong, Hong Kong, 1994)
175. Yi Yi (Yang, Taiwan, 2000)
Eighth 25 Runners-Up (Listed Alphabetically By Director's Family Name):
176. Killer of Sheep (Burnett, USA, 1977)
177. The Piano (Campion, Australia/New Zealand, 1993)
178. Holy Motors (Carax, France, 2012)
179. Children of Paradise (Carne, France, 1945)
180. Daisies (Chytilova, Czechoslovakia, 1966)
181. The Magic Blade (Chor, Hong Kong, 1976)
182. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Davies, UK, 1988)
183. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Demy, France, 1964)
184. The Assassin(Hou, Taiwan, 2015)
185. Notorious (Hitchcock, USA, 1946)
186. A Touch of Sin (Jia, China, 2013)
187. A Page of Madness (Kinugasa, Japan, 1926)
188. Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick, USA/UK, 1999)
189. Time of the Gypsies (Kusturica, Yugoslavia, 1988)
190. Centre Stage (Kwan, Hong Kong, 1992)
191. Days of Heaven (Malick, USA, 1978)
192. Sans Soleil (Marker, France, 1983)
193. The Headless Woman (Martel, Argentina, 2008)
194. The Road Warrior (Miller, Australia, 1981)
195. Groundhog Day (Ramis, USA, 1993)
196. Johnny Guitar (N. Ray, USA, 1952)
197. Antonio das Mortes (Rocha, Brazil, 1969)
198. Our Neighbor, Miss Yae (Shimazu, Japan, 1934)
199. People on Sunday (Siodmak/Ulmer/Zinnemann, Germany, 1930)
200. The House of Mystery (Volkoff, France, 1923)


text:
Ancient Chinese Sauropod; Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.)
This the 39th page of this section, dealing with evidence that dinosaurs existed in the past with man. We've been doing that by looking for such evidence in the literature, art and history of the past.
For believers, the surprise should not be that we have actually found such evidence; we would instead have been surprised if we had not found such evidence. But what about those who accept the current scientific position that man and dinosaur missed each other by millions of years?
If someone like that perused each of these 39 pages, could they still believe that the paradigm is true? Of course they do! I'm not sure that anyone who takes that view could actually make it through the full section--but if they did--and still remain unconvinced...
I'd venture to say from the mail we recieve that there are believers who have muddled through these pages and still don't believe.
The non-believers knock down each example one by one and convince themselves still that there is no evidence that man and dinosaur co-existed. As an example, the obvious stegosaurus at Angkor Wat has been described as simply a rhino with plants in the background.
Oh, well, maybe by page 40 they will all have been won over. Of course, if they are unconvinced by Genesis...
How to Dinosaur Hunt
Step 1. Assume the Bible is true. This means that "dinosaurs" were created with man. This means that along with artifacts of other animals that lived with man-you're going to find evidence for these animals as well; if the Bible is true and if they are not concealed from you for some reason. We looked for them in the ancient art of ancient people, recognizing that the pieces are often labeled; zoomorphic, mythological, unknown, fabulous, grotesque or dragon.
But, don't get it twisted. If there had been 100 foot plus dinosaurs (from head to tail) running around in ancient times it would have been unconcealable--and this wouldn't be an issue.
On the other hand, there is no evidence of dragonflies with 2 foot wingspans, or armadillos the size of a Volkswagon or of an 8 foot roly poly, either. Yet fossilized animals of this size and type have been found. See the MegaFuana section beginning here.There was a period of giantism for many animals that still live today.
We believe that there was a time before the flood when conditions for life on earth were perfect. After death entered the picture and especially after the flood these animals, including dinosaurs still lived but were not nearly as large and robust as they had been under perfect conditions.
The dinosaurs we see in ancient art were probably only a shadow of their former selves. --But look--don't quote us on that. It's just how we reconcile the Bible, the fossil record and the occasional, spectacular example of the animals we call dinosaurs in ancient and near current era art.
Our Feature
This Ancient Chinese piece cannot be anything but a sauropod dinosaur. The artist has clearly seen one and what is more had plenty of time to study it. Not only that, if you think about the fact that many of the objects on these pages have been stylized, as indeed this one has--its a technique that would only be effective with subjects with which both the artist and the art viewer are very familiar.
And, for those who like or need to debunk, it does have those little wings, which could tempt one to insist that its simply a mythological creature, however those same little wings appear on many obviously real creatures such as the Han tiger above. Read up on the meaning of wings in Chinese culture if you've got some time on your hands.As for us, we believe tigers actually existed!
Huebei Provincial Museum, China.Tomb of Marquis Yi. A bronze instrument support. approximately 2,500 years old.Right: Carnegie Museum's Dippy the diploducus, approximately 2,500 days.
Marquis Yi's Tomb
The Warring States Period (475-221 BC) was a time of turmoil and violence, with constant warfare between the regional states, but it was also a time of great intellectual and artistic activity, when the intellectual traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism originated.
As military conflict became more frequent and more deadly, one by one the smaller states were conquered and absorbed by the half dozen largest ones.
One of the more successful such states was Chu, based in the middle reaches of the Yangzi River. It defeated and absorbed fifty or more small states, eventually controlling a territory as extensive as the Shang or Western Zhou dynasties at their heights.
Evidence of the distinctive style of Chu court workshops can be seen in the objects found in the tomb of Marquis Yi. Dated around 430 BC, this tomb is located in present-day Hubei Province
Inscriptions on the bronzes found at the site identify the tomb as that of a marquis of the state of Zeng, a small state then under the domination of Chu.
Huebei Provincial Museum, China.
The tomb is 21m long, 16.5m wide, and 13m deep, making it 220 square meters in area. It has four chambers.
The eastern chamber contained the marquis's lacquered double coffin, the coffins of eight young women, and a dog in its own coffin.
The chamber also contained weapons, a chariot, and many personal items, including furniture, a zither, silk, and vessels -- but no bronze vessels.
The central chamber seems to have been a ceremonial hall, with a large set of bronze bells and other instruments, as well as bronze ritual vessels.
The northern chamber served as an armory and storeroom, the western chamber, where thirteen more young women were buried, as servants' quarters.
Closeup of Head.
Closeup of very similar Nordic dragon head.
The young women were all between the ages of 13 and 25. The eight in the eastern chamber were probably musicians who had entertained the marquis at court while the other 13 might have been concubines. The practice of human sacrifice or "accompanying in death" was already unusual by this time.....Source: http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
Please Support the Research of S8int.com!
Since 2002, Chris Parker has done the majority of the research and writing of articles for s8int.com. If this site has been an encouragement to you, please donate to support Chris's ongoing research. (S8int.com is not incorporated and your donations may not be tax deductable.)


text:
Turn it Up!
Live Concert . . . keep your eyes open . . at about the 50 second mark, as the camera pans to the audience, you will see a young johnnyirishxm (yellow shirt/frizzy hair) whooping it up with his date:
Music with Lyrics:
Last edited by Sirius Roadkill; 03-23-2011 at 05:12 PM.
What's "Smoke on the Water" about?
There is indeed a story behind this, undoubtedly Deep Purple's most well known song.
The lyrics actually tell the story of the recording of Machine Head . Deep Purple were originally all set to record the album at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. They were just awaiting a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert to be held before the recording could begin. But the Casino burnt down during the concert, after some stupid had fired a flare gun into the Casino's ceiling. (Purple were in the audience. The actual Zappa concert has turned up on one of the Beat the Boots discs, I think.)
They ended up at the Grand Hotel, closed for the winter season, where the recording eventually commenced during December 1971. They recorded the album with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, also mentioned in the lyrics.
Who's "Funky Claude" ?
Funky Claude in the lyrics is Claude Nobs, who helped them out. He's still involved in the Montreux Jazz Festival, and seems to be a very important man in the music business in the Swiss town.
As stated in the lyrics, he helped saving some kids during the fire at the Casino. He was also the man who found the Grand Hotel for them. There's a picture on him on the gatefold sleeve on the original LP release of the album.
"Break a leg , Frank!"
Actually, these were troubled times for Frank Zappa, who first lost all of his gear in the fire in Montreux. A couple of days later, when he played in London, a fan tore him off stage, and Zappa broke his leg as he fell into the orchestra pit.
This, again, led to Ian Gillan dropping the comment "Break a leg, Frank!" near the ending of Smoke on the Water at a March 1972 concert recorded for the BBC, available on the excellent EMI 2CD set Deep Purple in Concert.
The song itself was created more or less spontaneously; Roger Glover had the picture of the smoke spreading over the Lake Geneva in his head, and the line Smoke on the Water eventually stuck. He suggested to Ian Gillan that they should use it as a song title, but Ian shrugged it off, saying people would believe it was a drug song. Then Ritchie suddenly came up with the later hierostratically famous (and notorious!) riff, and things fell into place.
Here's the story about the lyrics and the title, in Roger Glover's own words:
"The only deviation to the story that IG has sometimes claimed is that it was written on a napkin as the fire burned. Actually it came to me in a sort of dream 1 or 2 mornings after the fire: I was alone in my bed (in the Eurotel, not the Eden Au Lac as IG insists although it's a better sounding name for the story) in that mystical time between deep sleep and awakening, when I heard my own voice say those words out loud. I woke up then and asked myself if I actually did say them out loud, and I came to the conclusion that I did. I pondered upon it and realised that it was a potential song title.
"This is how I characterized it later to IG but we both came to the conclusion that it sounded like a drug song and it was promptly filed away under "drug songs - not to be used." (what clean living boys we were!)
"Only later did it suggest itself as the vehicle by which we could tell the story of the fire. Even now, I've no idea where it came from but it's difficult not to start believing in some divine providence when one considers the subsequent history of the song.
"All I know is that I have always listened to my random thoughts ever since."
Roger Glover, Tue, 20 Aug 1996 21:35:12 -0400
Deep Purple themselves didn't seem to notice that the song had any potential, they hardly played it live early in 1972, and Never Before was chosen as the first single from the album. (An edited version of Lazy was chosen in the US.) It wasn't until 1973, when a single consisting of two edits of Smoke on the Water, studio version one side and Made in Japan version on the b-side, was released in the USA, that the song became the rock anthem that it later has become, and helped Deep Purple sail up as on of the world's biggest selling artists.
The events behind Smoke on the Water are also detailed in Ian Gillan's autobiography; "Child in Time : The Life of the Singer of Deep Purple".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_on_the_WaterThe lyrics of the song tell a true story: on 4 December 1971 Deep Purple had set up camp in Montreux, Switzerland to record an album using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio - referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "the mobile" in the song lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric). On the eve of the recording session a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert was held in the casino's theatre. In the middle of Don Preston's synthesizer solo on "King Kong", the place suddenly caught fire when somebody in the audience fired a flare gun into the rattan covered ceiling, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...ude-nobs-0716/This was one of the concerts I was doing besides the festival in the summer. I had Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and one time I had Frank Zappa. And at the end of the concert someone threw a flare gun at the ceiling and everything started to be on fire.
It was actually not that difficult because we had big bow windows in the concert hall overlooking the swimming pool. Frank Zappa took his guitar – a Gibson, a very strong one – and he smashed the big window down with his guitar. Then a lot of people could go out through there. The people went out through that exit, and within about five minutes, the 2,000 kids were out. And the people were watching the fire thinking, "Oh, you know, Frank Zappa is just doing an incredible ending to his show."
Last edited by Sirius Roadkill; 03-24-2011 at 01:15 AM.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...ude-nobs-0716/Deep Purple were watching the whole fire from their hotel window, and they said, "Oh my God, look what happened. Poor Claude and there's no casino anymore!" They were supposed to do a live gig [at the casino] and record the new album there. Finally I found a place in a little abandoned hotel next to my house and we made a temporary studio for them. One day they were coming up for dinner at my house and they said, "Claude we did a little surprise for you, but it's not going to be on the album. It's a tune called 'Smoke On The Water.'" So I listened to it. I said, "You're crazy. It's going to be a huge thing." Now there's no guitar player in the world who doesn't know [he hums the riff]. They said, "Oh if you believe so we'll put it on the album." It's actually the very precise description of the fire in the casino, of Frank Zappa getting the kids out of the casino, and every detail in the song is true. It's what really happened. In the middle of the song, it says "Funky Claude was getting people out of the building," and actually when I meet a lot of rock musicians, they still say, "Oh here comes Funky Claude."
http://www.deep-purple.net/features/...the-water.htmlThe group set up the Rolling Stones Mobile and began recording in another hall, and the first backing track they laid down was the Smoke On The Water riff, before police closed down the session after neighbours complained about the volume. Ritchie Blackmore had come to the sessions with a few ideas in his head, and the famous Smoke riff was the first one he suggested that they jam with.Finally Deep Purple hired the nearby empty Grand Hotel and recorded the rest of the album in a cordoned off area of the corridors with mattresses to deaden the noise. Ian Gillan who wrote the lyrics about their experiences over the Smoke On The water backing track.
Heard a radio ad this morning that Deep Purple is touring eastern U.S. in June; had no idea when I started this thread . . . I really just started the thread for my own entertainment. Was shocked to hear the ad.
Anyway, ad said tickets go on sale at livenation on Saturday. They are playing 2 dates at Beacon Theatre in NY


text:
There's a new top dog on Glee, and for once it has nothing to do with one of Coach Sue's nefarious schemes to take down the New Directions. This Tuesday (8/7c, Fox), when Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) goes to Washington, former glee club star Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) temporarily fills his dancing shoes. Finn may have logged three years crooning Journey and Queen, but he's still got a lot to learn about how to truly lead the glee club, especially with sectionals right around the corner. So to help him out, we compiled some of the most important lessons from Will's bumpy, but fun tenure thus far:
Glee spoiler photos: Get a sneak peek at what's ahead
1. DO the things you love in small doses Fans know all too well that Finn loves his classic rock (The Pretenders, Rick Springfield, etc.), but he needs to know when to pick his moments to make everyone jump on the bandwagon or else he'll have another Journey situation on his hands. Like remember when Mr. Schue used to rap everything from Kanye to Vanilla Ice? If he had just known when to pull back, maybe we would still be enjoying his sweet beats today.
2. DON'T pick glee club favorites Mr. Schue wasted valuable rehearsal time managing the egos of the club's stand-out vocalists like Rachel, Kurt, and most memorably Mercedes (Amber Riley), who deflected to Shelby's Troubletones group last season when she didn't get enough solos. Imagine how much more intolerable Rachel (Lea Michele) would be if she hadn't been knocked back down to earth every once in a while.
Gleeks? Trekkies? Which TV show has the best fans? Vote now!
3. DO keep your focus on the kids Sure, Finn is going through a hard time right now what with losing the love of his life and getting kicked out of the army. But any time Mr. Schue started working on himself, New Directions suffered. Remember when Will considered leaving Lima to star in April Rhodes' (Kristen Chenoweth) autobiographical Broadway musical, and consequently Finn and Rachel ruined New Directions' shot at the Nationals trophy? Or when Will's competition with former classmate Bryan Ryan (Neil Patrick Harris) almost cost the glee club their funding? And as much as we loved the smooth vocal stylings of the Acafellas, Will's after-school project left the New Directions vulnerable to major Cheerios sabotage courtesy of Quinn and Santana.
4. DON'T underestimate your opponents It's bad enough that Coach Sue (Jane Lynch) seems to spend every waking moment trying to think of new ways to get rid of New Directions', but the rival glee clubs have gone to great lengths to secure their own victory. In Season 1, Jane Addams Academy's show choir director Grace Hitchens (Eve) had no qualms about using the New Directions' set list that Sue leaked to her — they did "Proud Mary" in wheelchairs for crying out loud! In Season 3, soprano saboteur Sebastian (Grant Gustin) not only stole the New Directions' idea to do Michael Jackson songs, but he then tried to use an obviously fake nudie photo of Finn to blackmail Rachel into dropping out of sectionals. We do all realize that is all just for a glee club trophy, right?
Ian Somerhalder? Sofia Vergara? Make your picks for TV's sexiest eye candy now!
5. DO watch your back — and your job — at all times As if worrying about rival Streisand wannabes wasn't enough, Will has always had the added pressure of having to watch out for his job specifically. When it's not Sue trying to get glee club cut completely, it's the looming threat of a new teacher coming in to take his place, say for example, one who boasts an impressive Mary Todd Lincoln impression, or a Spanish teacher with great chair-dancing skills. Even the seemingly can't-miss opportunities — i.e. that big mattress commercial the New Directions filmed in Season 1 — have come back to bite Will in the butt.
6. DON'T be afraid to ask for help Does Mr. Schue always know best? Not so much. In Season 1, when he tried to get the young New Directions to do the dated "Le Freak" at a rally, they rebelled with a raunchy performance of "Push It," which nabbed the group three much-needed new members. And Emma (Jayma Mays) has always proven wise beyond her limited musical knowledge. Once, Artie (Kevin McHale) practically forced him into co-directing Grease, Finn has always proved he has no qualms about asking others, like Mercedes and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.), for their two cents.
7. DON'T get on Coach Sue's bad side Hmmm, it's probably a little too late for this one.
Glee airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Fox. How do you think Finn will do as the new head of New Directions? What advice do you have for him?


text:
The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards are upon us!
In just two months — on March 14th to be exact — the biggest names in music will descend upon the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2018.
This year's nominees were recently announced and leading the pack are hip-hop heavy-hitters Drake and Cardi B, each earning more than half a dozen nominations.
Check out the rest of the hip-hop and R&B nominees below:
Song of the Year:
"Better Now" - Post Malone
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
"God's Plan" - Drake
"Perfect" - Ed Sheeran
"The Middle" – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Female Artist of the Year:
Ariana Grande
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Dua Lipa
Male Artist of the Year:
Ed Sheeran
Kendrick Lamar
Post Malone
Shawn Mendes
Best Collaboration:
"Finesse (Remix)" Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
"I Like It" - Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin
"Meant To Be" - Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Hip-Hop Song of the Year:
"God's Plan" - Drake
"I Like It" Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin
"In My Feelings" – Drake
"Nice For What" - Drake
"Psycho" – Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:
Cardi B
Kendrick Lamar
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Best New Hip-Hop Artist:
BlocBoy JB
Juice WRLD
Lil Baby
Lil Pump
R&B Song of the Year:
"Boo'd Up" - Ella Mai
"Finesse (Remix)" - Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
"Medicine" - Queen Naija
"Sky Walker" - Miguel featuring Travis Scott
"When We" - Tank
R&B Artist of the Year:
Daniel Caesar
Ella Mai
Best New R&B Artist:
Brent Faiyaz
Ella Mai
Queen Naija
TK Kravitz
Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category
"Delicate" – Taylor Swift
"Dura" – Daddy Yankee
"Finesse (Remix)" - Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
"Freaky Friday" - Lil Dicky and Chris Brown
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
"God's Plan" - Drake
"I Like It" - Cardi B featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny
"One Kiss" - Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa
"Psycho" - Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign
"Taki Taki" - DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B
"thank u, next" – Ariana Grande
"This Is America" – Childish Gambino
Social Star Award: *Socially Voted Category
Agnez Mo
Bhad Bhabie
Dylan Minnette
Lele Pons
Loren Gray
Mason Ramsey
Queen Naija
Tana Mongeau
Trixie Mattel
Best Solo Breakout: *Socially Voted Category
Ally Brooke
Dinah Jane
Lauren Jauregui
Tiffany Young
Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
"Consequences" - Camila Cabello
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
"God's Plan" - Drake
"thank u, next" – Ariana Grande
"Without Me" - Halsey
Song That Left Us Shook: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category
"Here Comes The Change" - Kesha
"I'll Never Love Again" - Lady Gaga
"One Day" - Logic featuring Ryan Tedder
"thank u, next" - Ariana Grande
"This Is America" – Childish Gambino
"Youth" - Shawn Mendes and Khalid
See the full list of 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards nominees HERE.
Social voting begins on January 9th and will close on March 7th. Fans can vote via Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags, or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on January 16th at 10am PT via axs.com.
Find out who will be taking home an iHeartRadio Music Award this year by tuning into FOX on March 14th where the show will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 8-10pm ET/PT.
Photo: Getty Images


text:
So last night I had a great night having travelled to London to the Orenda Books Roadshow at Waterstones Piccadilly. As well as hearing from 15 fabulous authors and listening to them reading extracts from their brilliant books, I also managed to top off my signed book collection. Whilst there I was informed I had made a pregnant woman cry (in a good way) and I had another author bowing at my feet (in jest btw) in thanks for my review. It was a good night all round.
Today, I travelled down to Bristol to attend Crime Fest for the second time. I had a great day attending two brilliant panels and then meeting up with an author for a quick chat early evening.
I say I had a great day because that where the wonder ends. In the day. As always with these events my issues start at night.
I'm a funny old soul really. And unlike my nomination for funniest blogger, this time I can categorically say I mean funny strange. If people saw me last night I was engaged in conversations with people I didn't know, approaching authors quite happily (ish) and generally having a wonderful evening. But then last night I had a secret weapon, of sorts. Last night I wasn't alone. I had my sister with me. Rightly or wrongly, this fact kind of changes who I am a little as she is far more open and probably in truth, a lot friendlier than I am. She is happy talking to people and she can do chat. In short, all the things I can't do and am not. Having her there kind of gave me the strength to give it a whirl too.
Today I am on my own, therefore I am a big fat failure of a whimp. I managed short conversations with people today because they were fleeting. Just snatches in passing on the way to a panel. I managed a long conversation with the author because it was prearranged. It still took a lot of strength for me because I do not know how to do small talk, one of the negative side effects of being an introvert, but somehow I managed it and had a really good time too.
But tonight, even though I had been invited to join another couple of people in the bar I couldn't do it. Couldn't face it. It was nothing to do with them and I sincerely hope they understand that. I had every intention of joining them. I even walked down all five flights of stairs and made it as far as the lifts before doubt overtook me and I turned back and went straight back to my room.
I just couldn't face it. The noise coming from the bar. All of those people who know each other or perhaps had just met but had more courage than I did to stop and have conversations about books, life and any old random shit that they felt like. When I heard it, it made me freeze and I started to physically shake. It makes no sense at all because I sort of know the people I was going to meet (in social media terms at least) but I still could not move past the lifts. And why? Because I felt like my presence would be an imposition. That my turning up was a burden on them to entertain me because I'm too chicken to speak to people on my own.
Because, that ladies and gents is who I am.
I surpassed myself this year. Crying into my pillow on day one. I think I at least made it to Friday before bursting into tears last time lol.
It is not easy when you suffer from crippling self doubt and self loathing. When the feeling of being worthless is bred into you and is all you know. I know when I put myself down that many people probably think that I am just fishing for compliments to inflate my ego but nothing could be further from the truth. I hate being complimented. It doesn't feel right or natural to me. I'd me more accepting if you all just told me my reviews were a pile of f'ing shite and to do one. That I would believe and understand.
It should be easier to be at CrimeFest second time of asking really shouldn't it. After all, since I was last here I have started a blog so there is a sort of validity at least in my presence. And for the author panels and the day time events I will breeze in and out of them without a care in the world. To many I will probably just seem a bit ignorant as I sit at the back or in a corner saying nothing. From some I will likely get a nod or a hello as they have a vague inkling they may know me from somewhere. From anyone unfortunate enough to read these ramblings tonight I shall probably get a wide birth when they try to avoid the mad woman in the attic (well I am on the top floor of the hotel).
This is not about being lonely. I have been a 'one' for as long as I can remember. Even in a house of seven people I was alone. We all were. Being on my own is my default position and on home soil I am absolutely fine with it. I know how to interact with me, it is finding anything within myself that I think others might actually find interesting or want to be around that I struggle with. There is probably something deep in there somewhere but I'm buggered if I know what it is.
So why don't I just pack up and go home? Why do I continue to torture myself (which I will be doing until Sunday)? Simple really. Because if I ever want to get past this self loathing, this doubt and absolute hatred that I have for myself, if I ever want to get to a point where I feel even the remotest bit worthy of the faith people put in me when they ask me to do their blog tours or review their books, or to find the 'nice and lovely' person that people seem to think I am from my mad interactions on social media, then I have to push myself beyond where I am comfortable.
I have to do this.
Lets face it. Living a life, or a lie, on Social media is easy. Living a real life? Well that's a whole different ball game and even after nearly 42 years I still don't have a scooby about the rules.
How did that song go? One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do. Uh-huh. One in a room of one hundred. That's way worse.
Thanks for listening folks. Cathartic to let it out and cheaper than therapy.
Have a peaceful night all


text:
In a companion volume to his best-selling biography John Adams (2001), David McCullough closely examines a year of near-mythic status in the American collective memory: 1776. It was the year that the Continental Congress, meeting in steamy Philadelphia, decided, "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states." It was also the year that the American Revolution began in earnest and was nearly lost. With his strong sense of narrative and his gift for capturing the humanity of his subjects, McCullough leads readers through a well-known story with both style and grace.
McCullough structures the book into three large subdivisions. The story opens in England, October 26, 1775, with King George III of England addressing the British Parliament on the war in the North American colonies. McCullough takes issue with the commonly held notions of the king, often more known for the madness of his later years (thought to have been brought about by porphyria triggered by arsenic ingestion) than for his intelligence and hardworking leadership of his country. McCullough offers the British perspective on the events in faraway North America first, re-creating the debate in Parliament over the king's decision to quash the rebellion.
From his description of the situation in Britain at the end of 1775, McCullough turns to the situation in Boston. After the opening Battles of Lexington and Concord in April, 1775, the colonials had engaged the British in what was commonly known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. Although technically a British victory, there were one thousand British casualties in the skirmish. In July, 1775, when George Washington arrived to take charge of the colonial troops, the British soldiers were under siege in the city, with supplies and food running dangerously low.
McCullough uses his opening chapters to summarize the state of the opposing armies and to introduce some of his major characters: Washington, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and William Howe. Washington, a Tidewater planter, was also an experienced soldier and surveyor, serving with distinction under Edward Braddock in the French and Indian War. McCullough reminds readers of Washington's background: "Like other planters of the Tidewater, Washington embraced a life very like that of the English gentry. English by ancestry, he was, in dress, manner, and his favorite pastimes, as close to being an English country gentleman as was possible for an American of his day, and intentionally." That Washington would risk so much to take command of what appeared to be no more than a "rabble in arms" speaks to his deep commitment to the American cause.
Greene, according to McCullough, was an unlikely candidate as a general: he was a Quaker, had a limp, and had never been in a battle. He was just thirty-three years old. Although he had little formal schooling, he educated himself through reading. His correspondence is rich with description of Washington, the war, and the meaning of life. Some of McCullough's most memorable passages in 1776 are from Greene's pen. Likewise, Greene's friend Knox, a well-known Boston bookseller, had a damaged hand, a Loyalist wife, and no experience as a soldier. Yet Knox proved to be one of the most ingenious and intrepid among Washington's force, bringing cannons from the captured Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York across many miles and in terrible weather to the battle at Boston.
McCullough is not content to focus solely on the Americans, however. He writes evenhandedly about the British generals Howe, Henry Clinton, John Burgoyne, and Charles Cornwallis. Howe had served under General James Wolfe, who called him "the best officer in the King's service." As commander of the British troops in Boston, he showed great courage. As McCullough writes, "At Bunker Hill, assuring his troops he would not ask them 'to go a step...
(The entire section contains 1643 words.)
Unlock This Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this 1776 study guide. You'll get access to all of the 1776 content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
- Analysis
Already a member? Log in here.


text:
If you have an active ad, simply go to your Account page (http://epage.com/js/account), click on the "Active Ads" tab, and hit "Delete" next to the ad you want to stop. If you have a pending ad (one with unpaid fees due), you can cancel it from either the Stopped Ads tab, or the Account tab.
No refund or credit is provided for a paid ad that is deleted before it's natural expiration.
1994-2003, EPage®
EPage® is a registered trademark of EPage


text:
DiS had a blast at Beacons last year. With its classy combination of major artists from the leftfield, minor artists from the future and noisy punk bands from the best DIY spaces in the north of England, the festival that nearly never was became pretty much the best live music event Yorkshire's had in ages.
Needless to say we'll be going back to Skipton's Heslaker Farm again when Beacons returns on Thursday August 15th - Sunday August 18th 2013. And with headline slots being filled by Django Django, Local Natives and Bonobo, DiS is head over heels with delight to be able to offer you the chance to join us there.
To find out how you can win tickets to the festival, records and merchandise from a bunch of bands on the bill, and awesome headphones courtesy of Philips, Noisey and You Need To Hear This, scroll down for a bit or click here to play Beacons Or Bacons!
For the more attentive of you, here's a few suggestions of who to check out now that the timetable's been announced, ready for us to smudge with runny highlighters.
Big Deal, Loud And Quiet, 3.20pm
The first band that's jumping out at us from this year's schedule is Big Deal, who with the release of their second album June Gloom earlier this year have grown up from being tearful (if terrific) two-piece into a proper riffs-and-beats rock band. You won't find anywhere better for these choruses than a (hopefully) sunny field near Skipton.
NOPE, You Need To Hear This, 5pm
One of last year's noisy DIY bands making a welcome return, NOPE come from Leeds and Bradford and play krauty psych-rock really loudly, really excitingly, and just really fucking well. The line-up features members of other great West Yorks types That Fucking Tank, Cowtown and Runners which, if you know any of those bands, you'll recognise that's quite a seal of approval.
John Talabot, Resident Advisor, 12pm
The festival's still a few weeks away but we're already torn between Fucked Up (You Need To Hear This, 11pm) and Bonobo (Loud And Quiet, 10.45pm) so let's skip ahead to where we're sure we'll be at midnight – that is, drowning a big ol' lovely puddle of John Talabot sophisticated Spanish house.
Spectrals, Loud And Quiet, 3.30pm
Making the trip from Dewsbury, on the other side of the M62, Louis Jones will provide a lovely bit of Saturday afternoon sunshine if the festival site is starting to get soggy. His second album as Spectral's, Sob Story came out a few months back, and while it's far from cutting edge, it's a strikingly contemporary take on old fashioned pop. Lovely.
Dutch Uncles, Loud And Quiet, 7.40pm
Now we're getting exotic. Coming all the way from Marple, Dutch Uncles are doing something this summer that we thought couldn't be done – throwing together Steve Reich and 70s disco, and turning wonky, nerdy, awkward pop songs into bona fide festival anthems. Unmisssable.
Wire, You Need to Hear This, 11pm
The band that was post-punk before the Pistols had even packed in – IT'S WIRE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.
Hookworms, Loud And Quiet, 3.15pm
You might have noticed we went a bit mental for Hookworms' Pearl Mystic in March. That's because it's completely brilliant, bringing together abstraction and intensity, psychedelics and subtlety, fury and restraint. This is a band that makes every show career-defining.
Savages, You Need To Hear This, 9pm
Another one from this year, but this time without having to face the cynicism that every next big thing has to fight against. The challenge Savages faced when making Silence Yourself was capturing the irrepressible energy of their gigs – the challenge they face now is working out how they can possibly get any better at playing live. We can't wait to find out.
Django Django, Loud And Quiet, 9.40pm
You're cold, you're tired, you're hungry and you're probably a bit too pissed. Is there anything in the world that's going to cheer you up any more than dancing your ass off to 'Default'?
Competition time! Beacons Or Bacons…
So, if all of this is sounding pretty great to you, join us in playing a quick game of Beacons Or Bacons and you could be going to the festival. Here's what we've got to give away...
FIRST PRIZE: A pair of tickets to Beacons, a pair of Philips Fidelio headphones courtesy of Philips, Noisey and You Need To Hear This, a Bonobo XL tee-shirt, Wet Nuns – 'Broken Teeth' on 12" and Esben & The Witch – Wash The Sins Not Only The Face on CD
SECOND PRIZE: A pair of tickets to Beacons, T.Williams – 'Dreaming' on 12", Jaws - 'Milkshake' on 12" and Moon Duo – Mazes on CD
THIRD PRIZE: A pair of Philips Fidelio headphones courtesy of Philips, Noisey and You Need To Hear This, T.Williams – 'Dreaming' on 12", Jaws - 'Milkshake' on 12" and Mikal Cronin – MCII on CD
And here's how it works... Below are four photos – one of them is Beacons, the others are Bacons. As in, one of them is an act who is playing Beacons, the other three are famous people whose surname is Bacon. All you have to do is tell us which one will be taking to the stage at Heslaker Farm and we'll pick winners at random from whoever gets it right.
Tweet your answer – picture one, picture two, picture three or picture four – to @robertcooke_ or comment below before noon on Friday 2nd August and you could be going to Beacons.
For more information, hit up www.greetingsfrombeacons.com.


text:
It is the policy of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion to respect the privacy of all Web site visitors to the extent permitted by law. The HUC-JIR's main Web server does not collect personal information about visitors. In particular, we do not use "cookies" to collect information. However, we feel you should know that when you access the HUC-JIR Web site, the HUC-JIR's Web server automatically gathers information regarding browser type, operating system, IP address and the domain name used by the visitor. HUC-JIR may use this information to analyze trends, to create statistics for the purpose of determining technical design specifications and to identify system performance or problem areas. Personal information that you provide by e-mail or through other online means, such as a response to an inquiry or a request for information, is used only for purposes necessary to serve your requests. This may involve redirecting your inquiry or comment to another person or department better suited to meeting your needs. HUC-JIR will only release personal information, when legally required, to help law enforcement investigations, legal proceedings, or internal investigations of HUC-JIR rule and regulation violations. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, HUC-JIR has put into place appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. Our site may contain links to external Web sites. HUC-JIR is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of such Web sites. If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policies, send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com or write to:
Quick Links:
Choose Destination:
Student Information System (SIS)
Jewish Studies Portal(JSP)
Financial Aid
IT Help
The HUC-JIR website is supported, in part, by the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, the Golden Family Foundation, and the Irma L. and Abram S. Croll Center for Jewish Learning and Culture.
© 2013 Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion Contact Us | Privacy Policy | About Our Website


text:
Run & Ride is a friendly, community orientated cycling and running company based in Staffordshire, right on Cannock Chase. The business is run by cycling, running, walking and general outdoor sports enthusiasts. We all have a true passion for the outdoor and we feel that this always transfers into how we operate the business. We don't just talk shop, we get out there and enjoy it and it's this that's so important when dealing with you the customer, this enables us to offer expert and honest advice.
Our bike shops are located on either end of Cannock Chase forest, AONB. With shops in Hednesford and Milford. Along with sales and expert advice, these stores offer bike repairs and bike hire. Our Stafford store concentrates soley on running, offering shoes, clothing, accessories and more friendly expert advice.Our brands include Scott, Cannondale, Whyte, Frog, Merida, Garmin, On Running, Hoka, OTE and Madison, plus much more. We stock them because we love them. We've been out and tested them or we own products from them ourselves.
We have numerous ways for you to complete your ransaction, including Click and Collect and Online finance. We also have a fantastic customer rewards program to support those who support us.
Finally we'd like to touch on our pricing policy. We understand that we need to be competitive therefore we offer a price match policy on hundreds of items. It's really simple, just click on the option on the page and send us the details. Couldn't be easier.
Signing up for our newsletter is free & easy. Pop your name in the box above & click the submit button.
28 Day No Quibble Returns
*Free UK Shipping over £35
Free Click & Collect
Earn Rewards Points
On Womens 7/8 tights are super stretchy and flexible for a all round comfortable fit. They've also got loads of technical features such as reflective detailing, phone pocket and an easy on waistband.
Season :
Code : 207.00148
Weight : 0KG
Our Tights 7/8 gently hug the legs and waist. They're engineered with an easy-on waistband that makes it quicker to get out the door, before offering comfort and support once you're out there.
Shine bright after dark with reflective elements inspired by the night sky. The subtle print is on the outside only, so you'll see it not feel it. Talk about standout performance.
These ultralight tights are packed with practical features. Like the rear pockets with room to keep your phone snug and secure while you run. Or a key loop built in so you never get locked out.
Feedback tells us 7/8-length tights are the perfect fit for runners. Long enough for colder days, short enough for when spring arrives. So for comfort, and style, you're covered.
soft and stretchy polyamide/elastane blend for breathable warmth and comfort ++ 360° reflective print
Stay warm and dry in On's weatherproof running gear. It is crafted from premium materials and applies function where you need it. Bonded where needed, protective fabrics blend with ventilation. This means the right balance between protection, breathability and freedom of movement.
We've tried to give you as much information as possible but if there's something missing that you need to know, you can get in touch with us below.
01785 662769
UK orders received before 14:00 are dispatched the same day
There is free postage available on all orders over the value of £35, excluding large items such as bikes (including all kids bikes), where shipping is £10. We send orders either via Royal Mail (small items) or via a recorded delivery courier, which will require a signature on receipt. If there is nobody available at the delivery address to accept the delivery a card will be left to inform the recipient and the courier will re attempt the delivery once more. After the 2nd attempt the courier will leave a card explaining how and where the customer can collect the parcel from. Unfortunately we are unable to request the courier to leave the goods without a signature. We are sorry but we are unable to leave a message "such as leave in the shed" for Royal Mail deliveries
Please ensure you enter a valid email and mobile number for us to send you tracking details for the product you've ordered
All bikes are fully checked and serviced before they leave the store. We do our best to make the bikes as ready to ride as possible. They will arrive in a large sized box and once unpacked the bike will require the user to turn the handlebars and tighten the stem bolts. Don't worry if you're unsure abut how to do this as you find directions on how to do this within box along with a "new bike guide" detailing information on how to look after your new bike.
PLEASE NOTE: A working day is Monday - Friday and doesn't include bank holidays.
View our full delivery information
View our full Returns Policy
Our Click & Collect service offers all the benefits of shopping online combined with specialist personal retail experience in one of our stores. Simply order your items, select Click & Collect and pick up your item at a time that's convenient for you. Best of all the service is completely FREE!
1. Add your items to your basket
Use our website to browse our catalogue of products with stock availability. When you find the item you want simply add it to your basket like you usually would.
2. Checkout using Click & Collect
Scroll down and choose Click & Collect as your delivery method. Enter your postcode at the checkout to find your closest store.
3. Choose the store of your choice and collect your items
Choose a store of your liking, click continue and complete the rest of our standard checkout steps and you're ready to collect your item in store.
When can I collect my order?
For items in stock at the chosen collection store, we will normally have your item ready to collect within 1-2 working days.
For items which are at the warehouse your order will be ready to collect in the time indicated on the website; or if at another store approximately 3 working days – please call in advance if you are making a long journey, just in case!
If you order a bike we will contact you and arrange a collection appointment. All bikes go through a PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) delivered by one of our accredited mechanics, this means that getting your bike ready for collection may take a little longer.
How will I know when my order is ready?
For every order we will send you an e-mail to let you know when your order is ready to collect. If you've ordered a bike we will contact you once you have placed your order to arrange a collection time.
What do I need to collect my order?
Please bring with you your confirmation e-mail, a photo proof of ID (i.e. passport, driving licence), and proof of address.
We will hold your order in store for 10 days, if you have any problems with getting to the store to collect your order please feel free to contact the collection store and we will happily extend this time where possible.
Can Someone Else Collect My Order?
Please contact the store you have chosen to collect from in advance and we will do our best to accommodate any changes relating to collection.
How do I cancel/change my order?
If you wish to cancel your order or make any changes please contact the store directly, contact information can be found here. Please note, full refunds will be made via the original transaction made with our online team.
How do I return my order?
Our normal returns policy applies to all Click & Collect orders, for more information see our returns policy. You can also return directly to the store.
With Pre-Order, you can purchase the latest items added to our store in advance of them arriving with us.
You Pre-Order is prioritised (at no additional charge); meaning that, as soon as the product arrives with us, we can wrap it straight back up and get it sent out to you - it often never even hits the stock room shelves!
With Pre-Launch, the date when we expect to receive the product ourselves is still a little too hazy to be confident in accepting Pre-Orders.
So, instead, you can submit your email address against the item you are interested in and we will email you as soon as stock arrives on the system.
Estimated Delivery Dates are given on Pre-Order and Pre-Launch products. They are for indication purposes only and can change at any time without notice.
The dates we provide are based on indications given by our suppliers. Whenever we get updated information from our suppliers we will endeavour to update the Estimated Delivery Dates provided on product pages.
Thanks for choosing his item ...
Would you like to see the special offer we have for you?
No thanks, I'll check out now
16 The Green
01785 662769
My message Close


text:
Video shows pair of brutal downtown beatings
Man says 3 teens attacked him at 4th and Main
Police released graphic video Tuesday of two violent beatings downtown in hopes someone will recognize the three teen attackers.
"They shoved me down, hit my back against one of the side of the planters, knocked me unconscious for a few minutes," said Chadwick Laudmann, one of the victims.
Laudmann was robbed and brutally beaten June 19 near the corner of Fourth and Main streets after getting off of the bus. Video shows three teens repeatedly kicking and punching Laudmann, then the teens took his wallet and ripped his pants.
"My face was really bruised up. My jaw was swollen. I couldn't eat solid foods for a couple of days," Laudmann said. He said the teens only quit beating him after he told them their every move was being recorded by a camera.
Police say Laudmann isn't the only victim. Two others were also attacked near the same street corner in June. While the video of a second attack isn't as good, three teens can be clearly seen running away afterward.
Laudmann is hoping people will take a close look at the video. He'd like to see his attackers behind bars before they can attack again.
"They said, 'Get down on the ground or we'll hurt you,' (and) one said they had a gun," said Laudmann.
Anyone with information about the attacks is asked to call Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.