ANIMA MUNDI The Way music review by tszirmay

I really have to force myself not to indulge in my other great passion HISTORY and intro a review from a Cuban prog band without mentioning my thoughts on matters non- progressive. The silly and counterproductive US embargo only serves to solidify a harsh regime that stood the test of time. Lessons hopefully learned, but I doubt it. Well, so has prog withstood near extinction seemingly all over the world, even in countries that used to frown on 'Western musical excesses' to quote Pravda, the USSR's revolutionary but untruthful mouth piece! Poland and Hungary have been stalwart prog banner wavers for decades, so maybe that is how this Cuban band developed its taste for the symphonics they distill with Rum-like gusto. Nothing remotely Latin-tinged here, in fact, these 'compa?eros' can easily pass as westerners (oops!) with mind-music compositions that divulge waves of slippery synthesizers, cascading mellotron , liquid axe leads and passionate vocals in non-embargoed English . The Yes, ELP, Genesis and Camel influences abound with a tinge of RPI romanticism to boot. The result is just jaw-dropping, so go have a cigar and enjoy these 4 humongous tracks!

The resounding "Time to Understand" was the piece that caught both my progressive attention and my capitalist wallet. Guirarista Roberto Diaz' string stretching is overpowering to witness, full of glimmering aptitude, glistening pearls of notes straight from the 'corazon', both his ornate acoustic and soaring electric work are first-rate stuff. As well, the ivory prowess in the deft hands and fingers of Virginia Peraza stands out as an emphatic disposition towards texture and substance. She has the Emersonian ivory poetry down pat, with erupting synths, riveting piano and churning organ! Vocalist Carlos Sosa does the whooping arrangement total justice, his expressive voice fluidly enveloping the sonic scenery. Drummer Jos? Manuel Govin is no slouch, bashing his plethora of drums and percussion with gusto which is no surprise as Latinos in general have the strongest sense of 'ritmo' ever. Finally bassist Yaroski Corredera resonantly booms about, keeping things firmly anchored, the crucial bridge between melody and rhythm. What an opener, phew!

The band wastes little time with dilly-dallying, as they submit the colossal 26 minute + 5 act suite "Spring Knocks on the Door of Men". A sultry bassoon weaves forth, the playful organ waltzes, mingling with seismic bass and then shrilling synths that recall the Flower Kings, Glass Hammer or that other Brit prog relic (Yes) join the fray. Then Diaz rips it up a la Steve Howe (Gates of Delerium) or Mario Neto of Bacamarte, adorning the piece with a wide palette of tones and textures (volume pedal, wah-wah, echoplex etc). Peraza is no slouch caressing her multiple ivories with supreme zeal and confidence within a massive symphonic wall, carousel synthesizers ululating like loco. The extended mid-section quieter part is simply divine, moody pools of reflected revelation and spiritual journey, a sweltering lead guitar screeching towards some surreal azure sky, weaving bass palm trees and searing sandy keyboard beaches expand toward the horizon. And then, a sudden drum hurricane blasts forth, devastating in its fury and swirling density, pushing the musical parameters of time and space further still. The symphonic luxuriance is beyond expectations, grandiose and majestic, very much in the spirit of classic Close to the Edge or the afore-mentioned Gates of Delerium. Easily one of the better 20 minute plus epics ever produced.

"Flying to the Sun" is of a sunnier disposition, scorching mellotron rays bronzing the skin, brooding synthesizer massaged into the raging bass arrangement and a howling butterfly axe solo that spreads its mighty wings effortlessly. Throw in a typical Wakemanesque church organ-synth duet to provide some sparkle. "Muy sinfonico"!

"Cosmic Man" is quite the opposite, more psychedelic/space in its disposition, with a harder edge, perhaps even a tad more accessible (rockier) , garnished with a scintillating synth solo and a vocal chorus you feel you have heard before. Sosa really stretches the limits of his lungs and the middle section evokes fond souvenirs of prog legends from the past without falling into overt plagiarism. The bass solo does have a Squire touch but not the trebly tone and the slippery guitar solo is furry, fuzzy and fantastic, mellotrons on fire in the background.

Montecristos, Ron Cubanos, Boxing, Baseball, Son music and now Anima Mundi. Lovely album cover to boot!

4.5 guantanameras

tszirmay | 4/5 | 2012-5-20

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Am I Asking Too Much of a Friend? | Psychology Today

QUESTION?

Hi Irene,

I've recently been coming to terms with some deeply buried grief, and also struggling with self-injury problems as well. My "best friend" of 19 years has hardly been there for me and only seems to come around when he needs me. He makes it very clear that he does not care about my emotional troubles, and I find it truly frustrating to try and be there for him when he is never there for me.

I try to be supportive of him and he knows that whenever he calls, texts, or emails me, I will answer. On the other hand, it's rare that I can get a hold of him and even rarer that he'll answer in a timely fashion, despite his "open" schedule.

As I've been going through therapy, I've often asked myself if my friendship with him is worth it. Sure, he has his moments when he can say something nice, but those times are far and few, and the time in between those golden moments is filled with unanswered calls and snide remarks,?put-downs, and just plain old disregard for my emotions.?He makes me feel guilty for trying to ask that he be supportive of me in my recovery! It deeply hurts me that even my struggles with self-harm don't even phase him.

He is my only friend at the moment, and it makes me fearful to think of leaving him, even though the cons of staying with him outweigh the pros. What should I do?

Signed, Trish

?

ANSWER

Hi Trish,

Since you are in treatment, I hope you are discussing this problem with your therapist who knows you far better than I. Since my knowledge of your situation is limited, I can only speak in generalities.

You haven't mentioned whether this friendship has always felt one-sided. If it has been this way for some length of time, it has to be disappointing to feel so unsupported by someone you care about and depend upon, especially when that individual is your only friend.

On the other hand, it would be difficult for any friend, even a very good one, to know how to respond to self-injury. Perhaps, you are expecting too much of him.

One suggestion: Your friendship may be more viable if you depend on your friend for companionship, and depend (at least primarily) on your therapist to discuss emotional issues related to your recovery.

Also, given this one-sided friendship, you need to seek out other friends as well. It sounds like you may be overly dependent on someone who isn't capable or willing to meet your needs.

Hope this helps.

My best, Irene

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Six Reasons Why Internet Affiliate Marketing Is Advantageous

Article Directory :: Internet Marketing/Online Business Articles

In layman's term, internet affiliate marketing is simply the sharing of business between online merchants and online sales agents. The former is called the affiliate merchants while the latter is known as affiliates. The sharing of profit in this program is done in accordance to online sale, website hits and website registrations. This practice is famed today due to its attractive benefits. Some of them are the following.

Limitless Income Opportunities - The potential of great income here actually lies in the positive experience of online users. So long as many people are happy to make purchases in the cyberspace, affiliate marketers will continue to thrive in profits. Moreover, there is no limit to the type of products and services that your program wishes to offer through online affiliate marketing. In fact, this practice can be better enhanced by creating additional websites that can hold a great array of merchandise. The good news is this can even pave the way to higher income for you.

Flexible Work Hours - All the efforts that this money-making scheme involves can be done in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a reliable internet connection and the basic marketing skills that will make you survive against competition. By working in your preferred hours, you can enjoy making time for other personal activities. Although this has not provided millions to the majority of its practitioners, it continues to give a good sum of income which is usually higher than a nine-to-five monthly wage.

No Financial Risks - Most programs for internet affiliate marketing is free to join. Interested marketers need not spend a fortune just to start with a personal business using SEO videos. Anyone can join. Since signing up is for free, there are no financial risks attached.

No Need To Create Your Own Product - This goes for the affiliates or marketers. All they have to do is promote the website of their chosen brand or merchant. The merchant himself provides all promotional materials for the marketers' use. The collection of money, shipping of products, creation of SEO videos and customer service are all managed by the business owner. These, by all means, do not need require your advertising expertise.

No Need To Do Interviews - This goes for the merchants or business owners. Anyone can qualify for the task of promoting your merchandise. Provided that he correctly signs up the affiliate form and fully understands its terms and conditions, he is eligible to do the marketing on your behalf. No need to do interviews and to ensure a selection process that may last from days to months. This gives you extra time to carry out other revenue-generating tactics.

Quick Response To Developments - Since everything is done online, internet affiliate marketing gets an easy focus on the things happening around. Thus, marketers pattern their promotional techniques on the current changes and trends that consumers embrace. Having a team of marketers and social media practitioners willing to perform this way gives a win-win situation for both parties. Growing profits can reward the efforts of both the owners and the sales agents.

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Depleted Cranium ? Blog Archive ? Why People are Fat

People are getting fatter, at least in the industrial world.? In fact, it?s become the single largest health problem facing most first world nations.? With increased obesity comes more heart disease, diabetes and other health conditions.?? It?s often been stated that the United States is the fattest nation in the world.?? That?s not actually true.?? The US is near the top, but several are in fact, fatter.? A number of small nations and the nation of Kuwait have higher rates of obesity and heavier populations than the US.? Canada and Mexico are both on par with the US, as is Egypt, while the United Kingdom is rapidly catching up.

In fact, the problem is nearly universal in most first world countries.? Across Western Europe, waste lines are growing.?? Germany, Ireland, Finland, Greece, Spain and others have seen obesity skyrocket in recent years.?? In both Australia and New Zealand, obesity rates are now described as ?epidemic? and continue to rise.?? The nations with the fastest growing obesity rates, however, are those which are still developing industrially.?? Although the overall prevalence of obesity in Chile, Brazil and India are low, they are growing at the highest rates. In China, obesity was once extremely rare, but in the past decade has become common.?? Even Japan and South Korea are seeing rising obesity, despite having had a reputation for generally lean populations.

The common yet false claims:

If you ever happen to watch a youtube video or visit a website claiming dangers associated with food irradiation, genetic modification or the use of vaccines, modern medicine etc etc, you will very often hear claims that it is the reason why the population is obese. Pictures of unhealthy, overweight kids are often shown alongside warnings of the evils of modern agriculture.

Others will say that we need to ?detoxify? to become thinner. That seems to be an odd suggestion, since fat is not toxic but the result of your body absorbing and storing nutrients, which is what it?s supposed to do. Others insist that the answer is eating only organically-certified foods.

NOT reasons why people are fat:

• Vaccines
• Antibiotics
• Chemtrails
• Genetically modified foods
• High fructose corn syrup being used as a sweetener (as opposed to cane or beat sugar)
• Food irradiation
• Bisphenol A
• ?Toxins?
• Insecticide residue
• Fluoridation of water
• A need to ?detoxify? the body

Reasons why people are fat:

• Eating large amounts of high calorie food
• Sedentary lifestyles

Of these the first is by far the most important reason.?? The second does have some impact and may be more true in children, since there has been a very strong shift toward less outdoor play and exertion than in decades past.?? That said, there have long been large segments of the population who get minimal exercise and it is primarily the change in eating habits that is responsible for more obesity.

People in industrialized countries are eating more processed foods than ever before, more calorie-dense snacks and consuming more soft drinks than ever.?? When one says ?processed foods? it might seem to indicate that the problem is that they are a problem because there is something artificial or unnatural about them.? That?s not really the problem so much as it is that these foods tend to be very dense in calories and are easy to consume in bulk.? They also, by and large, are easy for the body to extract those calories from.?? Fast foods and packaged snack foods are widely available and cheap.?? It is very easy to eat a lot of them without even noticing.

Soft drinks are another big culprit.??? It?s not uncommon for someone to drink sodas or sweetened juices with every meal of the day.?? A single can of cola can easily contain 150 calories and it?s quite easy to put away 500+ calories of soda with a meal and hardly even notice it.?? Sodas and soft drinks are so high in calories because they are loaded with sugar.?? Often this is in the form of high fructose corn syrup, but that?s not what matters.? It could just as easily be cane sugar or beat sugar or any other kind of sugar.? It?s not the source of the sugar but the quantity and thus the caloric value.

The problem is not limited to sodas either.?? Sweetened iced teas, sports drinks and other beverages can contain just as much sugar and calories.? Even ?unsweetened? fruit juices can be very high in naturally occurring sugars from the fruits they are made from.

It?s become very common for people in industrial societies to drink large quantities of sodas and soft drinks every day.?? It?s become very common for people in industrial societies to eat large quantities of processed, calorie-dense snack foods like cookies, candy bars and other sweets.?? More and more people are also eating food from restaurants, fast food or otherwise on a daily basis.?? These foods too tend to be high in calories, often being fried.

It?s important to remember that none of these foods are ?bad? in and of themselves, should they be eaten in relative moderation.?? Coca-Cola and Pepsi have both been around for more than one hundred years and were popular and ubiquitous around the world throughout the 20th century.?? If the average person had a Coke or Pepsi every time they went to a ball game or barbecue, then there wouldn?t really be any problem.? If donuts were consumed a couple of times a week, they would not be much concern either.

The problem is that these foods have become staples.?? It?s not uncommon for a person to eat a couple donuts for breakfast, chased with a coffee with lots of sugar then eat a burger and fries, with a large soft drink for lunch, snack on candy bars and soda in the afternoon and then have a large high-calorie dinner.

Why this has happened:

The reason that so many have excessive calorie intake is that they can.? It?s not the fault of restaurants or food producers, they are just filling a demand.?? As a general rule, humans prefer foods that we would generally consider ?unhealthy? by modern standards.

For most of human history, food has been scarce, so it was beneficial to eat the foods with the highest calories in high quantities, when they were available.? Calories are the most important consideration when it comes to nutrition and having a constant surplus is something that has only happened recently.?? Foods with a lot of fat and sugar taste good and are satisfying.?? Other options are there, but given the choice between a salad and a burger, most people will choose the burger.?? Choosing the salad usually means making a conscious decision to do what is healthy, not what is more enjoyable.

Innovations in agriculture, automation and the general rise of more food services has made it easier and cheaper than ever to get these foods.?? Soda machines are common and convenience stores and gas stations are stocked with every kind of sweet confection imaginable, primarily because that?s what people want.? Fast food restaurants can provide a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner with drive-through convince and do it for only a few dollars.?? They often do have healthy options on the menu, but that?s not usually what customers buy.

Given the choice, consumers will also tend to prefer larger portions.? To some extent it is an issue of more value for one?s money, and simple economics come into play here.? The value to a consumer can be increased by either lowering the cost of a product or increasing the quantity.? For a restaurant, it?s more attractive to increase the quantity, since they are then taking in more revenue and have fixed preparation costs.? Additionally, consumers simply tend to gravitate toward greater portions.?? French fries and other high calorie sides are cheap, so it makes business sense to pile them on, since consumers prefer to get more anyway.

There are also some cultural reasons for this happening.? People are more mobile than ever, and being on the go means more opertunity to grab a quick packaged snack.? Eating at home is less common than in decades past, and prepared foods and restaurants are part of the growing service-oriented economy.?? With more women in the workplace and fewer traditional families, the old norm of having a woman spend her afternoon making a pot roast or meatloaf for the family to eat together at the dinner tables is no longer common.

The solution:

There are no easy solutions here.?? Encouraging people to eat more healthy foods and reduce intake can help.? Providing more low calorie options can help too.?? Encouraging more exercise is also helpful.

On an individual basis, we can all decide to eat healthier and do so through willpower, but making the whole population do so is much harder.? To some extent, one is up against human nature, which is generally a losing proposition.?? Making food more expensive or less available is not a good option, because doing so would result in greater burdens on the lower classes and more income going toward food purchases.? Trying to place restrictions on foods won?t generally work either.? Such restrictions are unlikely to be well received and would need to be draconian to have any chance of working at all.

Even if restrictions put in place, there will always be ways to skirt them.?? Creating a ?black market? for high calorie foods might seem like an absurd idea, but it has actually happened.? In Los Angeles, school districts instituted a policies for school lunch programs, replacing most of the high calorie foods with things like salads, whole wheat breads, grilled chicken and other foods generally considered healthy.?? Unfortunately, a large portion of? students don?t like the new menu and prefer sodas, chips and candy enough to create a thriving black market.? More and more students now bring their own lunches, and now are selling to their peers. Food trucks and vendors set up shop around schools to fill the demand.? Now California is mulling banning such vendors, while some districts consider either inspecting bagged lunches or banning them altogether.

Trying to apply such rules and restrictions to greater segments of society would result in similar backlash, although it would likely be even worse.

Disclaimers:

[1]? I know already someone is going to point out that I personally could stand to lose a few pounds.? I don?t dispute this.? That?s not the point.? I?ll be the first to admit that the reason I am overweight is that I my eating habits are sub-optimal.

[2]? A lot of the readers of this blog seem to like hypertechicalities, so to clarify the ?Not reasons why people are fat? should probably say ?Not MAJOR reasons why people are fat.?? It is true that there are circumstances where antibiotics can result in some weight gain.? It?s also possible that one could make the logical connection between vaccines and more obesity by pointing out that vaccination has economic benefits and that these could, in turn, result in a population that could buy more food.

[3] Of course the subject is more complicated and there may well be other factors that come into play, but go beyond the scope of this blog post.

[4] Someone is almost certainly going to bring this up ? it?s true that HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are not identical and that there?s some difference in the dietary effects.?? In general, HFCS is lower in calories than sucrose of an equivalent sweetness which would suggest that it?s actually less problematic. ? Claims have been made that HFCS is more readily converted to fat than glucose, although data to confirm this is, at best weak.?? Regardless of these possibilities, it does not change the fact that the major problem is quantity, not type of sugar and HFCS does not appear to be significantly more prone to contributing to weight gain than other forms of sugar.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 20th, 2012 at 10:24 pm and is filed under Agriculture, Bad Science, Culture, Obfuscation, Quackery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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User:LouisRathbun394 - Kent Ridge Hall Wiki

From Kent Ridge Hall Wiki

Before you start mountain biking you really need to consider the type of riding that you will be enjoying. The are several types of bikes for you to choose from and with these mountain bike tips you will be able to make a knowledgeable decision on which bike is going to be best for you.

You love the idea of purchasing your very own mountain bike but it can become overwhelming when you begin to research which bike is best for you. Some of things you consider are price (of course), size of the bike, color and maybe even ease of use. You have been in a sporting goods store before and noticed that some mountain bikes seem harder to operate than others. But when it comes to purchasing the perfect mountain bike for you, this article has all the details you will ever need.

If you are new to cycling, the first thing you may notice is just how many different types of bikes are available these days. Choosing the right bike can be down right daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Let's try to clear things up. . .

No one bike can do everything. The first thing you need to consider is how you want to use the bike. Are you going to be using it mostly on the road? Do you want to take it off-road? Unless you're looking for a trick bike, beach cruiser, or other specialty type bike, there are really three main types of bikes: road bikes, mountain bikes and hybrid bikes.

There are several different types of mountain bikes currently available and the type you choose will be determined by the type of mountain biking you want to do. So with some research and by making some decisions you will find out what you want and then decide on the perfect mountain bike for your needs.

Firstly you need to learn about which different types of best mountain bikes brands are actually available.

XC Cross Country Mountain Bikes

Probably the most popular mountain bike is the cross country bike. These cross-country mountain bikes are now the favorite bike among many of the newer riders. The reason for this is that XC bikes are built to be extremely light in weight. The advantage of this is that it makes it much easier to ride this type of mountain bike over hills and steeper and rougher terrain, without having to get off and walk.

So it's not really surprising that cross country mountain bikes are so popular and they have become the best selling mountain bike of choice for many. You may even find some bikers using their XC bikes to travel to and from their place of work. Some of these bikes are full-suspension and others may be hardtails and the one you choose really depends on where you will be doing most of your riding.

A couple of useful tips you should remember are that on rougher terrain a full suspension bike makes a huge difference to your ride quality and that hard tails tend to be lighter and faster, but don't provide such a comfortable ride.

DH Downhill Mountain Bikes

For the more experienced mountain biker the attraction of a downhill mountain bike is great. These well built bikes will almost always have heavy duty front and rear suspensions and full-on disc brakes. And you will also find that many downhill bikers will custom build their bikes to their own specifications.

On tip to remember here is that you need to be very experienced before you try downhill mountain biking as it is dangerous and you could get hurt! The guys that do this always wear special protective gear and strong full face helmets and if you want to watch some extreme biking action you should go and see some of these guys perform. As well as riding at hide speed on extreme mountain terrain they will often do high jumps too at different locations on their downhill trail.

PRO Professional Mountain Bikes

And of course, there are also the professional grade specialized mountain bikes built specifically for racing and mountain bike competitions. As you might expect, and just like those built for downhill mountain bikers, professional MTB bikes are bought by the most skilled of all bikers, who are really good mountain bikers with a lot of experience in both riding and competing.

These bikes are made of high quality and very light materials which means they are also very expensive to buy and some manufactures will only provide these bikes to their team riders for racing. These bikes also tend to be very strong and you will require a lot of skill to ride these correctly and get the most out of them.

Recreational Mountain Bikes

For those that don't need the high tech and high spec of a mountain bike from the XC, DH or PRO ranges there are a wide variety of more general use mountain bikes for recreational purposes. These are a good bike to start with and they are especially suitable for families as there will be bikes in these ranges for everyone in the family.

You can get the benefit of full suspension for ride comfort even if you and you kids do most of your riding on the road. With suspension forks at the front and rear of the mountain bike you will be able to go off-road in comfort and try mountain biking in it's real environment and have a lot of fun while doing so!

Consider these mountain bike tips on where to buy what you need. Apart from the professional bikes, you should be able to find most of the other types of mountain bike for sale at your local biking store or go online to find the best deals. Recreation mountain bikes may even be available from your local department store. But for better advice and technical knowledge you should visit a mountain bike shop and also test your favorite bike before you buy.

Mountain Bike Safety

Always remember though that whatever type of mountain bike you eventually choose to buy, you must make sure that your safety is well protected when you are out riding, even for short rides. So make the effort to always wear the proper safety equipment. A helmet is essential at all times!

So choose the best mountain bike for your ability, riding location and budget. Then go out and enjoy yourself, but ride safely!

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Anthony Bourdain Admits That He Would Eat A Human, Offers Instructions For Cooking Unicorn