World Fiddle Day

Schedule a lesson or find a performance to enjoy one of the classic  instruments of the working class, the fiddle. Or sit down to watch  Fiddler on the Roof!

World Fiddle Day is an annual music celebration day celebrated on the  Third Saturday of May. This year it will be observed on May 19. Even  though World Fiddle Day was created in 2012, it gained popularity all  over the world within a few years. It was created to celebrate and to  teach the playing of bowed string instruments throughout the world by  conducting participatory and inclusive events. The fiddle is a bowed  string musical instrument, used by the players in all genres including  classical music.

World Fiddle Day happens once a year and is meant to celebrate  everything that everyone loves about the chirpy, fun and feisty art of  fiddle music. You’ll see it being celebrated on the third Saturday of  each May. The fiddle is always known to be something positive, with all  the songs and notes it produces high energy, entertaining, and bringing  something positive. Making the room dance, wherever the sound of a  fiddle is played.

Around the world, this day is celebrated with dancing, music, and of course plenty of fiddle playing!

History of World Fiddle Day

Before we speak about the day, it may be best to get a better idea of  the Fiddle that is being celebrated! The fiddle is a four-stringed  musical instrument of the string family, also often referred to as a  small type of violin. Like the violin, it is also played with a bow. The  terms fiddling or fiddle playing actually refer to a style of music,  most commonly folk music. The origins of the name ‘fiddle’ are not known  but is believed to be derived from an early violin or the Old English  word ‘fithele’. The fiddle is common to English folk music, Irish folk  music, Scandinavian music, Austrian, French, Hungarian, Polish,  American, Latin American, African, and even Australian music. There is  no difference between the fiddle and small violin aside from the name  and type of music the instrument is used for.

A fiddle has many parts including the neck, fingerboard, tuning pegs,  scroll, pegbox, bridge, soundhole, strings, fine tuners, tailpiece,  bass bar, soundboard, chinrest, button, backplate, and bow. The earliest  fiddles (or violins) were derived from the bow instruments from the  Middle Ages.

When it comes to building a high-quality fiddle, it can take as many  as 200 hours for craftsmen to handcraft a professional fiddle, showing  that for a relatively simple looking and fun instrument, a lot of craft  and workmanship has to go into building one.

Traditional fiddle strings were made of pig, goat, horse, or sheep  intestine. Today they are made from steel or aluminium over a nylon  core. Now, the last fiddle fact that you may want to take down for your  next game of trivia, is that the fastest fiddler/violinist on record is  Ben lee who played ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ in just over a minute in  2010. He played an average of 13 notes each second for a total of 810  notes in all. Now that is pretty impressive, so now the fiddle has been  explained, what about the day?

The day was founded in 2012 by one Caoimhin Mac Aoidh, a professional  fiddler from Donegal in Ireland. The day was birthed from a deep  respect for one of the most expert and revered violin makers in history.

This month was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the death  of the Italian violin craftsman Antonio Stradivari’s way back in 1737.

Stradivari is today considered the most significant creator of  violins in history, with his surviving instruments today seen as the  most prized and finest ever created. Although he also made the larger  string instruments cellos and violas, it’s the violins that he lovingly  crafted that he is most well-known and remembered for.

Though only a couple of hundred of his works still exists, they have  been known to capture some huge prices at auction and are especially  sought-after amongst professional violin players.

How to celebrate World Fiddle Day

If you ever learned how to play the violin in school, or you  frequently play it either for pleasure or for work, today is a great day  to get out your fiddle and play a couple of tunes! Perhaps play a  little for friends or family, or show your children how to play some  simple themes. If you do not own one, or do not know how to play it,  then this could be a great time to learn. It is always fun and engaging  to learn a new musical instrument, so why not start to learn the art of  the fiddle, and maybe at next year’s celebrations you can play to the  world what you have managed to learn!

If you aren’t lucky enough to have learned how to play this string  instrument, you can celebrate its day by listening to some of the  fantastic performances by string artists easily found on Youtube or  Spotify. Add a spring to your daily commute with some Mozart, Barber or  Brahms!

And if you’ve always fancied trying your hand at the violin, perhaps  today you could take a trial lesson learning how to play? Who knows – by  the time the next World Fiddle Day comes along, you could be able to  play along with everyone else who is fiddling away!

Whatever you get up to, have a great World Fiddle Day!

Source

mouse's attempted B;APO timeline

aka i was writing an irrelevant detail in a silly little fic and it occurred to me that oh wait i could actually think about this!!

credit where credit's due - i am using this timeline right here (from @hearmyvoicee) as a base, but i have some particular thoughts/interpretations of my own + felt like using 2001 dates! (bc why not, ya know? keep it basically of the time it opened) so this whole thing is mostly for my own reference, but if it makes sense to any of y'all as well? great <;3 [keeping it under the cut for my own sanity + yours]

.✨.

Sunday, January 7 [the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, or the closest Sunday to that date - in the case of 2001, that's the 7th]

Epiphany

Monday - Friday, January 8 - 12 [ i swear on my life someone mentioned to me once that it's generally accepted that You & I spans several days?? i cannot find who or where but someone tell me i'm not going insane ]

You & I

Friday, January 12 [the friday is entirely arbitrary, just seems the type of day you'd hold auditions - give it a week to stir interest, cast on friday, start up your rehearsals from the next monday onwards] [i have never been in theater though, so don't hold me to that]

Role Of A Lifetime

Auditions

Plain Jane Fatass

Thursday, February 22 [to me the phrase "we'll meet in Tanya's room on Friday night" implies that it's not yet Friday + in theory the song takes place during study hall, so an actual weekday? so to that end it could be any day monday-thursday, the specifics not mattering in particular, but i arbitrarily went with thursday so that Ivy’s birthday lines up right]

Wonderland

Friday, February 23

A Quiet Night At Home

Rolling

Best Kept Secret

Wednesday, February 28 [borrowing from the previous timeline for this one - the Lent + Ash Wednesday significance makes sense] [to that end, Ash Wednesday 2001 was in fact February 28th]

Confession

Portrait Of A Girl

Thursday, March 1 [in Wonderland they reference the fact that "Ivy's birthday's in a week", ergo wonderland date + 1 week]

Birthday, Bitch!

One Kiss

Are You There?

911! Emergency!

Friday, March 2 [peter mentions 911! Emergency as being "last night"]

Reputation Stain'd

Ever After

Saturday, March 10 [generally, the Spring Break week is from March 11 to March 17, so in my head it makes sense for them to be leaving for their spring break the day beforehand - ergo, March 10th]

Spring

One

✨ spring break / intermission ✨

Sunday, March 17 [the sunday makes sense in my head to mirror Epiphany]

Wedding Bells

Monday, March 19

In The Hallway

Monday, March 26 [ as claire says - "gone a week, i miss you already". so if classes started again on the 19th + 1 week is the 26th ]

Touch My Soul

See Me

Warning

[sidenote, easter 2001 was sunday april 15. to that end, to account for the Easter Monday holiday, likely they had the 16th off also]

Friday, May 18 [okay listen!! i know it crowds A LOT of act 2 together but!! the way sister chantelle says here "if you decide you want to get together one more time" implies to me that they aren't going to be having more Official rehearsal time before the play actually gets performed] [it all has to occur between monday may 14 & sunday may 20 for jason's "graduate next sunday" line to be technically correct] [rory's decided that they'll "meet back here. seven o'clock" - which i was always under the impression is the supposed to be rehearsal that sets up Promise] [Nadia's "call me tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever" to me implies that she won't see him tomorrow? so probably they don't have any classes or rehearsal the next day]["i know it's late" in Cross is such a little detail, but to me it just ties it all up]

Pilgrim's Hands

God Don't Make No Trash

All Grown Up

Promise

Once Upon A Time

Cross

Saturday, May 19 [saturday night seems a reasonable time to put on the show, right? like in order to make it accessible to family + friends outside of the school?]

Two Households

Bare

Queen Mab

A Glooming Peace

Tuesday, May 22 [a {catholic} person is buried between 2 and 7 days after their death, typically around 3. i always got the vibes that Absolution was supposed to take place on/around jason's funeral, ergo the play + 3 days]

Absolution

Sunday, May 27 [going with the assumption that they graduate on the last sunday in may, in 2001 that date was the 27th]

No Voice

.✨.

wanna make it super clear that i a) am australian and b) am not catholic and c) have never been to boarding school or in theater so a lot of dates were found via google search, and/or arbitrarily assigned weekdays

also also at the end of the day i'm not sure the specifics of the timeline super duper matter, it was mostly just for fun - but like. feel free to share ur thoughts!

On 19th February 1980 Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott died.

Ronald was born on July 9, 1946 in Kirriemuir, Bon’s parents hailed from musical families; his father, Charles, known to friends and relations as Chick, played drums in the Kirriemuir Pipe Band and performed with the local light-opera company. In 1952, the Scott family relocated to Australia.

The Scott’s first resided in Melbourne before settling in the Adelaide suburb of Sunshine. In 1956, Bon’s brother Graeme was diagnosed with asthma and the Scott family relocated to Fremantle. Scott who rose to fame as the leading singer and songwriter of the hugely popular hard rock band AC/DC during the 1970s. He loved music from a young age and was a highly creative and rebellious youngster.

Scotland’s Fife Free Press reported in 1962: “One of the side drummers in the Fremantle Pipe Band, who played at the opening ceremony of the Empire Games in Perth, was Ronald Scott, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Scott, who formerly resided in Roods, Kirriemuir.

As is common with unruly teenagers, he often found himself in trouble with the authorities. He dropped out of school at 15 and had brushes with the law which had him sent to the Riverbank Juvenile Institution. Labelled as a social misfit, he was denied a position in the Australian army. He worked at several odd jobs to support himself after leaving school.

Scott started playing drums during his adolescent years and formed his first band The Spektors, in 1964. He played for some other bands as well before joining AC/DC as their lead singer. The band’s popularity reached new heights after Scott joined them; their debut album ‘High Voltage’ was a big hit. Within a year the band brought out the single, ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)’ which soon became known as the quintessential rock anthem.

On 19th  February 1980, Bonn passed out after a night of heavy drinking in a London club called the Music Machine 1980, he was left to spend the night by a friend. The next day he was found lifeless and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The official cause of his death was listed as acute alcohol poisoning. His grave is considered the most visited grave in Australia and the National Trust of Australia has included it on its list of classified heritage.

Fans of the singer flock to Kirriemuir, pandemics allowing, for an annual 3 day  celebration of his life called Bonfest.

It was originally held in July on the weekend closest to his birthday but had moved to May because of other events in the local area during July, however this years Bonfest will be held on  Friday 28th April • Saturday 29th • Sunday 30th April 2023  https://www.bonfest.com/

The most anticipated sporting event in the wizarding world is coming to Britain!

The Departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have been hard at work to make this year’s Quidditch World Cup the best yet. A shining, new stadium has been constructed in the remote reaches of Connemara National Park in Ireland, and devoted fans have been camped out since mid-July in anticipation of the August 24th match. This cup has been dubbed “the Battle of the Under-Crups” by many commentators, referencing the surprising shake ups that have led to Brazil and Mali facing off, a pairing no one saw coming! The match will be commentated by James Potter of the Wizarding Wireless Network, and former Holyhead Harpies chaser, Rolanda Hooch. To celebrate the occasion, the Department of Magical Games and Sports is hosting a Team Pride contest, where the individual with the best costume will have their picture taken for the special commemorative edition of the Daily Prophet. Additionally, in an effort to discourage illegal gambling, the Wizarding Wireless Network is gathering predictions on the final score, and the winner will receive a voucher worth 93 galleons to Quality Quidditch Supplies! 

OOC Description

For this event, we will be celebrating the Quidditch World Cup! The event begins today, Saturday, August 19th, and will end on Monday, August 28th. Threads that have already been established (i.e. open starters that have been replied to and closed starters that have been posted) may continue past the end of the event, but we ask that you not post new replies to open starters after the 28th. More details about the event can be found under the cut.

As always, make sure to tag any relevant posts with ‘fracturedrpevent’, and most importantly, have fun and happy writing!

How to Participate

You can create an edit, pinterest board, or written description of your character’s team pride costume to enter the DMGS contest! A winner will be chosen from the characters who participate at random.

You can make a prediction on what the final score will be! The admins have already come up with the final score, and the player with the closest guess will win nothing but bragging rights.

You can post starters during the game, or in the days leading up to it. 

Things To Do

A variety of vendors have set up stalls around the stadium, selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and fan merchandise, as well as traditional Irish food and drink, and some Brazilian and Malian fare. 

Like in the fourth book, there is a campground near the stadium for people to stay and visit. For those unaccustomed to roughing it, and with the right social standing, Eamonn Burke has opened his nearby family home, Burke Lodge, to select guests.

The costume contest will take place on the day of the match, and predictions opened the week before, both in game. 

The match itself lasts 23hr, from 8:30 pm on Tuesday, August 24th, to 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 25th. 

The Teams

Brazil; This is the first time in over 100 years that Brazil has made it past the quarter-finals. It was predicted that they would do middling-well in the tournament, but when a doping scandal overturned the final ruling of a game, the team grabbed their second chance with both hands and have been fighting tooth and nail to keep it. In their semi-final match, which lasted a grueling four days, three players suffered injuries. This is team Captain Beatriz Alves’ fourth time on the national team, but her first time in the finals; at 38, many expect this to be her last shot at the cup. 

Colors; green and yellow Players; Beatriz Alves—chaser and team captain, 38, female, suffered a torn rotator cuff in semi-final match. Aline Oliviera—chaser, 33, female. Tiago Martins—chaser, 24, male. João Almeida—beater, 28, male. Felipe Borges—beater, 30, male, suffered a fractured collarbone in semi-final match. Mariana dos Santos—keeper, 26, female. Bruna Carvalho—seeker, 29, female, suffered two dislocated fingers in semi-final game.

Mali; This is Mali’s first appearance in the tournament, and no one expected much from them. However the team has been steadily climbing their way to the top with a series of decisive victories. Many credit the team’s success to the talent of beaters Hawa Toure and Miriam Kieta. At only 19, Toure is the youngest player to ever make it to the finals. 

Colors; sky blue and white Players; Adama Malle—chaser, 28, male. Sekou Fane—chaser, 22, male. Sidi Bagayoko—chaser, 24, male. Hawa Toure—beater, 19, female. Miriam Kieta—beater, 27, female. Moussa Berthe—keeper and team captain, 29, male. Ibrahim Sidibe—seeker, 25, male.

As Heart Breaking As It Is My Dog Had A Near Perfect Death

This is going to be me talking about the death of my dog, my service animal, my baby Chandler. TRIGGER WARNING I’m talking about the death of my dog and won’t be sparing the details so...

On Saturday Nov 19th we came home from grocery shopping and minutes later my baby boy was dead. At the time I was pretty angry at God but as the week has gone on I have come to realize that if Chandler had to die this was almost the perfect way for him to go. 

Everything will be explained under the Keep Reading Link!

Before I explain how he died I need to give a little background. When he was a puppy there was an accident at the vets, they never told me exactly what happened but Chandler gained a life long fear of strangers. He became a reactionary dog. When people he didn’t know came over we would have to enact the ‘Chandler Protocols’. This would be, he’d be gated in the kitchen and our guest would sit at the dining room table with their hands on the table. During these protocols everyone was to ignore Chandler. Five minutes later Chandler would be let out of the kitchen and for a few minutes he would bark up a storm. If you didn’t stick your hand in his personal space bubble all he would do is bark. After a few minutes he’d go quiet and just watch the person, during all of this we would just talk, start playing a board game or whatever. About ten minutes later the stranger would be given Chandler’s ball by me specifically and then they would drop it. Repeat two or three times and that’s it Chandler has accepted you and would be the sweetest suck ever.  The reason I bring up all of this is because the vet’s required a sedative before hand though he would be wide awake still and my husband and I would have to both hold him. If we did that he wouldn’t like the vet and vet techs being near but he wouldn’t do anything.

When Covid came we weren’t allowed to go inside if our dog needed to see a vet, this included emergency vets. So basically Chandler was given a denial of service mark n his file.  That got me thinking, when Zayne my previous dog died it was because he was put down due to an illness that got too bad to fight. If Chandler ended up in the same fate what would I do? Where I live no vet will come into the home to put him to sleep here. We don’t have access to guns and even if I did I wouldn’t just shoot him! Now come to the present, his death.  We had come home, he came out got some attention from my spouse, got his typical hello and kiss on the top of the head from me. My spouse threw the ball for him a couple of times as I took off my coat and normally what would happen is I would sit at my computer, Chandler would come over and I would give him love. As he started to come over his back legs just gave out and stopped working, a moment later he was laying down on his side as my husband held him , pet him and tried to rub his legs to help circulation. We thought that he may be having a stroke.  I’m on the phone calling my vet which is a couple of minutes away, and though they are still open they will not give him emergency care. Things had been slow, the on duty vet was bored and had left for the day. The next closest emergency vet is 25 minutes away and you have to call them to get permission to bring your pet in. I’m telling Chandler I love him and that it’s okay, crying my eyes out as I find the number for this place and call it. Apparently losing the use of the legs and laying down isn’t enough of an emergency as they already have a bunch of pets in. I hang up and plan to just take him to the emergency vet that is thirty minutes away without calling and hope.  He starts to have trouble breathing, I’m coming towards the kitchen now and call back the closer place and they say, “Oh yeah you should be bringing him here already.” (MOTHER FUCKERS) This has now been a little over a minute to a minute and a half since the first symptom ad Chandler voids his bowels and bladder.  I run over and try to pet him, there is no going back from this. It looks like he is still breathing, I scritch the top of his head and tell him I love him and I’m so sorry. I don’t know if he heard or felt me by this point and that will haunt me forever. (I know this is when science twitter or random people will try to insert their opinion and I don’t want to hear it. Please and thank you, keep it to yourself.) He did one final full body stretch and shudder and...that was it. 

We still took him to the emerge, traffic was shit it took thirty minutes but for some reason we decided we had to try just in case there was even a 0.001% chance. We got there and he was confirmed to be dead. 

This sounds really fucking awful doesn’t it? Well it was for us but honestly it was perfect for him. Here’s his cause of death.  There is a type of genetic cancer his breed is susceptible to that affects the spleen though rarely it can go after the heart. From beginning to end is only a few weeks and the first symptom is death. You have to do a special test looking for this specific thing cause all other screens will miss it. A cyst forms on the outside of the heart the heart is surrounded by a sac to give it room to do it’s thing and all that. The cyst grows rapidly then ruptures filling the sac drowning the heart as the heart no longer has room to move. This type of death is believed to be pretty painless, you go into shock before things shut down so you aren’t even really aware of what’s happening.  How was this an almost perfect death then? He was eating, playing, drinking, sleeping, pooping, peeing, and getting love like normal right up till the fatal moment. It was so, so quick. He was at home with his husky brother next to him, being held and loved by my spouse and maybe he heard and felt me. It happened in a place of comfort, no suffering, no prolonged illness, no fear. He died just coming in from one of his favorite things in the world, playing with his ball, tail wagging on his way over to get his normal welcome home love.  For a dog that had the stranger fear issue, was terrified of the vet how could it really get any better? It wasn’t perfect because I wasn’t the one holding him, I was stupidly trying to find some way to possibly save him not understanding what exactly was happening till it was too late.  Sure he loved my spouse but I was the one he came to whenever he was not feeling well, or scared due to fireworks, or anything like that.  That’s gonna haunt me forever. But as weird and twisted as this will sound I thank God that if Chandler had to die he got to die in the way that was best suited to give him the most peaceful experience I love you Chandler! I miss you so much!

WHAT IS SPACE-TIME MADE OF??

Blog#98

Saturday, June 19th, 2021

Welcome back,

People have always taken space for granted. It is just emptiness, after all—a backdrop to everything else. Time, likewise, simply ticks on incessantly. But if physicists have learned anything from the long slog to unify their theories, it is that space and time form a system of such staggering complexity that it may defy our most ardent efforts to understand. Albert Einstein saw what was coming as early as November 1916. A year earlier he had formulated his general theory of relativity, which postulates that gravity is not a force that propagates through space but a feature of spacetime itself. When you throw a ball high into the air, it arcs back to the ground because Earth distorts the spacetime around it, so that the paths of the ball and the ground intersect again. 

In a letter to a friend, Einstein contemplated the challenge of merging general relativity with his other brainchild, the nascent theory of quantum mechanics. That would not merely distort space but dismantle it. Mathematically, he hardly knew where to begin. “How much have I already plagued myself in this way!” he wrote. Einstein never got very far. Even today there are almost as many contending ideas for a quantum theory of gravity as scientists working on the topic. The disputes obscure an important truth: the competing approaches all say space is derived from something deeper—an idea that breaks with 2,500 years of scientific and philosophical understanding.

Down the Black Hole

A kitchen magnet neatly demonstrates the problem that physicists face. It can grip a paper clip against the gravity of the entire Earth. Gravity is weaker than magnetism or than electric or nuclear forces. Whatever quantum effects it has are weaker still. The only tangible evidence that these processes occur at all is the mottled pattern of matter in the very early universe—thought to be caused, in part, by quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field.

Black holes are the best test case for quantum gravity. “It’s the closest thing we have to experiments,” says Ted Jacobson of the University of Maryland, College Park. He and other theorists study black holes as theoretical fulcrums. What happens when you take equations that work perfectly well under laboratory conditions and extrapolate them to the most extreme conceivable situation? Will some subtle flaw manifest itself?

General relativity predicts that matter falling into a black hole becomes compressed without limit as it approaches the center—a mathematical cul-de-sac called a singularity. Theorists cannot extrapolate the trajectory of an object beyond the singularity; its time line ends there. Even to speak of “there” is problematic because the very spacetime that would define the location of the singularity ceases to exist. Researchers hope that quantum theory could focus a microscope on that point and track what becomes of the material that falls in.

Out at the boundary of the hole, matter is not so compressed, gravity is weaker and, by all rights, the known laws of physics should still hold. Thus, it is all the more perplexing that they do not. The black hole is demarcated by an event horizon, a point of no return: matter that falls in cannot get back out. The descent is irreversible. That is a problem because all known laws of fundamental physics, including those of quantum mechanics as generally understood, are reversible. At least in principle, you should be able to reverse the motion of all the particles and recover what you had.

A very similar conundrum confronted physicists in the late 1800s, when they contemplated the mathematics of a “black body,” idealized as a cavity full of electromagnetic radiation. James Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism predicted that such an object would absorb all the radiation that impinges on it and that it could never come to equilibrium with surrounding matter. “It would absorb an infinite amount of heat from a reservoir maintained at a fixed temperature,” explains Rafael Sorkin of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario. In thermal terms, it would effectively have a temperature of absolute zero. 

This conclusion contradicted observations of real-life black bodies (such as an oven). Following up on work by Max Planck, Einstein showed that a black body can reach thermal equilibrium if radiative energy comes in discrete units, or quanta. Theoretical physicists have been trying for nearly half a century to achieve an equivalent resolution for black holes. The late Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge took a huge step in the mid-1970s, when he applied quantum theory to the radiation field around black holes and showed they have a nonzero temperature. As such, they can not only absorb but also emit energy. Although his analysis brought black holes within the fold of thermodynamics, it deepened the problem of irreversibility. 

The outgoing radiation emerges from just outside the boundary of the hole and carries no information about the interior. It is random heat energy. If you reversed the process and fed the energy back in, the stuff that had fallen in would not pop out; you would just get more heat. And you cannot imagine that the original stuff is still there, merely trapped inside the hole, because as the hole emits radiation, it shrinks and, according to Hawking’s analysis, ultimately disappears. This problem is called the information paradox because the black hole destroys the information about the infalling particles that would let you rewind their motion. If black hole physics really is reversible, something must carry information back out, and our conception of spacetime may need to change to allow for that.

SOURCE: www.nature.com

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021)

“WHAT IS SPACE-TIME MADE OF?? PT.2”

You said not to ask so please ignore this if you don't want to explain, but could you elaborate on your March 19th / May 1st theory? thanks!

ahfkafhksfh yeah no problem. its not a theory its just ... brain worms that have taken a specific shape but thats not new this is just the latest form. under a cut because i hate like. getting peoples hopes up over something ive entirely made up

greentext format but make it wordy

> i think frank has been like. suspicious lately. i dont know how to explain it beyond that. he’s done a LOT of press-but-not-press in the last month or so. sure, he’s definitely bored and stuck in his house like the rest of us, and he had a new EP come out, and the EP is technically the reason for the press. but it also ... isnt. like the bulk of it has been AFTER the EP came out, and none of it has been wholly focused on the EP. and to me, at least, it feels like, i dont know, easing the band back into public consciousness thru a press circuit without the band ACTUALLY doing a press circuit because MCR been pretty hard and fast about the ‘we dont need or want ur press’ when it comes to the reunion. 

> continuing off the last one, in the ... jim ward interview he did, i think? one of the more recent ones, at least - he got asked about his writing process and mentioned working with gerard in present tense. very very likely it meant nothing at all, but also like ... i dont trust him LOL part of me thinks it was on purpose. Im just suspicious of him after the broken clock thing. 

> not only did frank mention working with gerard in the present tense, for Months now, but especially during his recent mini press tour, frank has been really vague but consistent in talking about working with people on music remotely. id have to go looking for it and i dont feel like it, but it’s been something along the lines of ‘working with new people And people you know’. suspitcheous. 

> ONTO GERARD. Gerard like never uses social media. but then a couple days ago he pops up to mention franks EP (which is sweet) and makes sure to sign it so its like, obviously not something his social media manager wrote up for him. and in that post he mentions being down in the lab. and LORD KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK THAT MEANS besides the fact that he’s working on something. but hey, its gerard, when isnt he. 

> But Gerard’s also doing that charity stream on the 2nd. and we havent seen gerard in MONTHS. since august, maybe? and he’s not just speaking, hes PERFORMING. besides the shrine show, the last time he performed was for the muppet charity thing with ray in 2016, and before that, it was the last hes alien leg in 2015. None of us even expected him to perform when it got announced - it had to be confirmed by the event organizers. and that just ... pings something in my brain, same as franks little press tour. It’s gerard emerging from his cave, Being A Musician, you know? 

> SPEAKING of the last time we saw gerard, he teased us back in the summer by mentioning that he has something he’s been working on thats not comic book related that he cant talk about. maybe its a fucking line of hot sauces or a tripp collaboration. 

> Or maybe its music. 

> this is where we depart from reality a little bit more: 

> this has been trotted out again and again on here as a talking point, and i dither between agreeing with it or not, but: MCR spent two years planning their return. they had a plan, for whatever the fuck was supposed to happen - even if all that was supposed to happen was the tour. 

> and their plan got pissed on, doused in gasoline, set on fire, extinguished, and thrown into the mouth of a lion. But They Had A Plan. And theyve been fucking radio silent except the hipdot collab, and before that, rescheduling shows. I ASSUME their almost-year of silence has been them, in part, reformulating their plan. Changing whatever it was going to be to fit the new timeline, or making a back up plan in case things get worse. 

> But the original plan had them all free - as far as we know - after november of 2020. so they wouldnt have had active MCR stuff happening for the national anthem comic book release, the electric century album + comic release, the you look like death tua comic release. But those things still happened, because they didnt require having to be in the real world where the plague is. 

> so, what the worms hinge on, is that whatever the New Plan Is, Whatever They Are Doing Now, it involves waiting until all their obligations and projects that SHOULDNT have interfered with MCR stuff - but had to the potential to because of covid - ended. 

> and thats now. thats the next couple weeks. you look like death just finished up, mikeys album and comic are out, and national anthem finishes up in like a week in a half. 

> and then theres nothing (that we know of) until the rescheduled shows happen, or *knocks thrice on wood* they have to reschedule again. 

> and this is where we really enter crazy town:

> so i was thinking about all of these things, and the imagery / themeing for the return (what little we got of it) and how a year ago everybody was pulling out the wheel of the year trying to figure out what they would do next, and when. 

> and March 20th (i know i said march 19th originally, i’ll get into that) is Ostara. 

> if youre not vaguely witchy, its basically a festival for the spring equinox. light and dark are in balance, yadda yadda yadda. and i could go into full on insane depth about the black and white aspects of the return, the witchiness of an offering + a summoning but i wont. it boils down to: its the closest festival to when all of MCR’s calendars are clear as far as we know, and its almost a year to date of when they had to reschedule the shows. 

> and March 19th is a Friday. which is new music release day. Ostara / the equinox are technically on saturday, but its at 5am on saturday morning so ... technicalities. 

> so the worms in my brain say new single on march 19th. or Something on march 19th. or 20th. one of those days. 

> and the worms in my brain also say MCR are a bunch of cruel little shits, and theyre gonna make us wait before they give us anything substantial. 

> so we move to May 1st. 

> May 1st is also known as May Day, also known as Beltane. (We’re back to the wheel of the year for this one) Its the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. And its a Saturday. which is NOT new music release day - but hey, its close enough. 

> may day is also like, similar to halloween / samhain in that the veil is supposed to be thinner on those days, and i think theres a connection the imagery and over-all plan wise between coming back on halloween, and possibly doing something on mayday. i dont think they just came back on halloween as a birthday present to frank. 

> so second single on may day, or album? or announcement that theres gonna BE an album? maybe they wont give us a single on ostara but just tease us with something. i dont know. but i think theres something here. 

> im aware this was a lot of words and i basically gave you nothing, but i can only give you what the worms give to me. 

> sorry for being the way i am. hope this helped. 

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 Preview: 15 Can’t-miss Acts

black midi; Photo by YIS KID

BY JORDAN MAINZER

While yours truly won’t be attending Pitchfork Music Festival this year, SILY contributor Daniel Palella will be covering the actual fest. If I was attending, though, these would be the acts I’d make sure to see. 5 from each day, no overlaps, so you could conceivably see everyone listed.

FRIDAY

Armand Hammer, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

Earlier this year, New York hip hop duo Armand Hammer released their 5th album Haram (BackwoodzStudioz) in collaboration with on-fire producer The Alchemist. It was the duo’s (ELUCID and Billy Woods) first time working with a singular producer on a record (though Earl Sweatshirt produced a track), and likewise, The Alchemist actually tailored his beats towards the two MCs. Haram is the exact kind of hip hop that succeeds early in the day at a festival, verbose and complex rhymes over languid, cloudy, sample-heavy beats, when attendees are more likely to want to sit and listen than dance. And you’re going to want to listen to Armand Hammer, whose MCs’ experiential words frame the eerie hues of the production. “Dreams is dangerous, linger like angel dust,” Woods raps on opener “Sir Benni Miles”, never looking back as he and Elucid’s stream-of-consciousness rhymes cover everything from colonization to Black bodily autonomy and the dangers of satisfaction disguised as optimism. (“We let BLM be the new FUBU,” raps Quelle Chris on “Chicharrones”; “Iridescent blackness / Is this performative or praxis?” ponders Woods on “Black Sunlight”.)  There are moments of levity on Haram, like KAYANA’s vocal turn on “Black Sunlight” and the “what the hell sound is this?” type sampling that dominates warped, looped tracks like “Peppertree” and “Indian Summer”, built around sounds of horns and twirling flute lines. For the most part, Haram is an album of empathetic realism. “Hurt people hurt people,” raps Elucid on “Falling Out of the Sky”, a stunning encapsulation of Armand Hammer’s world where humanism exists side-by-side with traumatic death and feelings of revenge.

You can also catch Armand Hammer doing a live set on the Vans Channel 66 livestream at 12 PM on Saturday.

Dogleg, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

It feels like we’ve been waiting years to see this set, and actually, we have! The four-piece punk band from Michigan was supposed to play last year’s cancelled fest in support of their searing debut Melee (Triple Crown), and a year-plus of pent up energy is sure to make songs like “Bueno”, “Fox”, and “Kawasaki Backflip” all the more raging. Remember: This is a band whose reputation was solidified live before they were signed to Triple Crown and released their breakout album. Seeing them is the closest thing to a no-brainer that this year’s lineup offers.

Revisit our interview with Dogleg from last year, and catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Oso Oso and Retirement Party.

Hop Along, 3:20 PM, Red Stage

Though lead singer Frances Quinlan released a very good solo album last year, it’s been three years since their incredible band Hop Along dropped an album and two years since they’ve toured. 2018′s Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek), one of our favorite albums of that year, should comprise the majority of their setlist, but maybe they have some new songs?

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Metro with Varsity and Slow Mass.

black midi, 4:15 PM, Green Stage

The band who had the finest debut of 2019 and gave the best set of that year at Pitchfork is back. Cavalcade (Rough Trade) is black midi’s sophomore album, methodical in its approach in contrast with the improvisational absurdism of Schlagenheim. Stop-start, violin-laden lead single and album opener “John L”, a song about a cult leader whose members turn on him, is as good a summary as ever of the dark, funky eclecticism of black midi, who on Cavalcade saw band members leave and new ones enter, their ever shapeshifting sound the only consistent thing about them. A song like the jazzy “Diamond Stuff” is likely impossible to replicate live--its credits list everything from 19th century instruments to household kitchen items used for percussion--but is key to experiencing their instrumental adventurousness. On two-and-a-half-minute barn burner “Hogwash and Balderdash,” they for the first time fully lean into their fried Primus influences, telling a tale of two escaped prisoners, “two chickens from the pen.” At the same time, this band is still black midi, with moments that call back to Schlagenheim, the churning, metallic power chords via jittery, slapping funk of “Chondromalacia Patella” representative of their quintessential tempo changes. And as on songs like Schlagenheim’s “Western”, black midi find room for beauty here, too, empathizing with the pains of Marlene Dietrich on a bossa nova tune named after her, Geordie Greep’s unmistakable warble cooing sorrowful lines like, “Fills the hall tight / And pulls at our hearts / And puts in her place / The girl she once was.” Expect to hear plenty from Cavalcade but also some new songs; after all, this is a band that road tests and experiments with material before recording it.

Catch them doing a 2 PM DJ set on Vans Channel 66 on Saturday and at an aftershow on Monday at Sleeping Village.

Yaeji, 7:45 PM, Blue Stage

What We Drew (XL), the debut mixtape from Brooklyn-based DJ Yaeji, was one of many dance records that came out after lockdown that we all wished we could experience in a crowd as opposed to at home alone. Now's our chance to bask in all of its glory under a setting sun. Maybe she’ll spin her masterful remix of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” from the Club Future Nostalgia remix album, or her 2021 single “PAC-TIVE”, her and DiAN’s collaboration with Pac-Man company Namco.

Angel Olsen; Photo by Dana Trippe

SATURDAY

Bartees Strange, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

One of our favorite albums of last year was Live Forever (Memory Music), the debut from singer-songwriter and The National fanatic Bartees Strange, one that contributor Lauren Lederman called “a declaration of an artist’s arrival.” He’s certainly past arrived when you take into account his busy 2021, releasing a new song with Lorenzo Wolff and offering his remix services to a number of artists, including illuminati hotties and fellow Pitchfork performer (and tour mate) Phoebe Bridgers. Expect to hear lots of Live Forever during his Pitchfork set, one of many sets at the fest featuring exciting young guitar-based (!) bands.

Catch him at a free (!!) aftershow on Monday at Empty Bottle with Ganser.

Faye Webster, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

Since we previewed Faye Webster’s Noonchorus livestream in October, she’s released the long-awaited follow-up to Atlanta Millionaires Club, the cheekily titled I Know I’m Funny haha (Secretly Canadian). At that time, she had dropped “Better Distractions”, “In A Good Way”, and “Both All The Time”, and the rest of the album more than follows the promise of these three dreamy country, folk rock, and R&B-inspired tunes. Webster continues to be a master of tone and mood, lovelorn on “Sometimes”, sarcastic on the title track, and head-in-the-clouds on “A Dream with a Baseball Player”. All the while, she and her backing band provide stellar, languorous instrumentation, keys and slide guitar on the bossa nova “Kind Of”, her overdriven guitar sludge on “Cheers”, cinematic strings on the melancholic “A Stranger”, stark acoustic guitar on heartbreaking closer “Half of Me”. And the ultimate irony of Webster’s whip-smart lyricism is that a line like, “And today I get upset over this song that I heard / And I guess was just upset because why didn't I think of it first,” is that I can guarantee a million songwriters feel the same way about her music, timely in context and timeless in sound and feeling.

Catch her at an aftershow on Saturday at Sleeping Village with Danger Incorporated.

Georgia Anne Muldrow, 5:15 PM, Blue Stage

The queen of beats takes the stage during the hottest part of the day, perfect for some sweaty dancing. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound), the third album in Muldrow’s beats record series, was put together with “calls to action” in mind, each single leading up to the album’s release to be paired with crowdsourced submissions via Instagram from singers, visual artists, dancers, and turntablists. Moreover, many of the album’s tracks are inspired by very specific eras of Black music, from Boom Bap and G-funk to free jazz, and through it all, Muldrow provides a platform for musical education just as much as funky earworms.

Revisit our interview with Muldrow from earlier this year.

Angel Olsen, 7:25 PM, Red Stage

It’s been a busy past two years for Angel Olsen. She revealed Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) in August 2020, stripped down arrangements of many of the songs on 2019′s amazing All Mirrors. In May, she came out with a box set called Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories (Jagjaguwar), which contained both All Mirrors and Whole New Mess and a bonus LP of remixes, covers, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. She shortly and out of nowhere dropped a song of the year candidate in old school country rock high and lonesome Sharon Van Etten duet “Like I Used To”. And just last month, she released Aisles, an 80′s covers EP out on her Jagjaguwar imprint somethingscosmic. She turns Laura Branigan’s disco jam “Gloria” and Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” into woozy, echoing, slowed-down beds of synth haze and echoing drum machine. On Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave”, her voice occupies different registers between the soft high notes of the bridge and autotuned solemnity of the chorus. Sure, other covers are more recognizable in their tempo and arrangement, like Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell ballad “Eyes Without a Face” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young”, but Aisles is exemplary of Olsen’s ability to not just reinvent herself but classics.

At Pitchfork, I’d bet on a set heavy on All Mirrors and Whole New Mess, but as with the unexpectedness of Aisles, you never know!

St. Vincent, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

Annie Clark again consciously shifts personas and eras with her new St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista), inspired by 70′s funk rock and guitar-driven psychedelia. While much of the album’s rollout centered around its backstory--Clark’s father’s time in prison for white collar crimes--the album is a thoughtful treatise on honesty and identity, the first St. Vincent album to really stare Clark’s life in the face. 

Many of its songs saw their live debut during a Moment House stream, which we previewed last month.

The Weather Station; Photo by Jeff Bierk

SUNDAY

Tomberlin, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

While the LA-via-Louisville singer-songwriter hasn’t yet offered a proper follow-up LP to her 2018 debut At Weddings, she did last year release an EP called Projections (Saddle Creek), which expands upon At Weddings’ shadowy palate. Songs like “Hours” and “Wasted” are comparatively clattering and up-tempo. Yet, all four of the original tracks are increasingly self-reflexive, Tomberlin exploring and redefining herself on her terms, whether singing about love or queerness, all while maintaining her sense of humor. (“When you go you take the sun and all my flowers die / So I wait by the window and write some shit / And hope that you'll reply,” she shrugs over acoustic strums and wincing electric guitars.) The album ends with a stark grey cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s “Natural Light”; Tomberlin finds a kindred spirit in the maudlin musings of Owen Ashworth.

Get there early on Sunday to hear select tracks from At Weddings and Projections but also likely some new songs.

oso oso, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage

Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown), the third album from Long Beach singer-songwriter Jade Lilitri as Oso Oso, was one of our favorite records of 2019, and we’d relish the opportunity to see them performed to a crowd in the sun. Expect to hear lots of it; hopefully we’re treated to new oso oso material some time soon.

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Dogleg and Retirement Party.

The Weather Station, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

The Toronto band led by singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman released one of the best albums of the year back in February with Ignorance (Fat Possum), songs inspired by climate change-addled anxiety. While the record is filled with affecting, reflective lines about loss and trying to find happiness in the face of dread, in a live setting, I imagine the instrumentation will be a highlight, from the fluttering tension of “Robber” to the glistening disco of “Parking Lot”.

Revisit our preview of their Pitchfork Instagram performance from earlier this year. Catch them at an aftershow on Friday at Schubas with Ulna.

Danny Brown, 6:15 PM, Green Stage

The Detroit rapper’s last full-length record was the Q-Tip executive produced uknowhatimsayin¿ (Warp), though he’s popped up a few times since then, on remixes, a Brockhampton album, and TV62, a Bruiser Brigade Records compilation from earlier this year. (He’s also claimed in Twitch streams that his new album Quaranta is almost done.) His sets--especially Pitchfork sets--are always high-energy, as he’s got so many classic albums and tracks under his belt at this point, so expect to hear a mix of those.

Erykah Badu, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

What more can I say? This is the headliner Pitchfork has been trying to get for years, responsible for some of the greatest neo soul albums of all time. There’s not much else to say about Erykah Badu other than she’s the number one must-see at the festival.

Hi darling, I've been following you on Instagram for a while and I truly love how you always stay true to marilyn and never post anything other than the truth. She's one of my role models and she's always been a part of me, so I greatly appreciate it. I did have a question though. I mentioned to my mother that there's no proof on the JFK scandal and she doesn't believe me. Am I going crazy and there is proof or is there no proof like I was lead to believe. Lots of love, liv 💋

Hi Liv ! <3 

Thank you so much for being so kind about how true I stay to Marilyn and in sharing her life and legacy, it means very much to me.

It really depends on what one defines as proof. I would personally say there’s little to no proof of an affair. Of course, everyone is going to weigh in their own opinions, but here are some bits & pieces I’ve pulled from credible sources.....

Michelle Morgan:

“Rumours of an affair between Marilyn and both Jack and Robert Kennedy have been rife since the 1960s. The general feeling is that she was romanced by Jack, then later passed along to Bobby when the President became bored. There is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove these rumors, but she certainly met both on several occasions, including at a party at the home of Peter Lawford and his wife, Patricia Kennedy, in October 1961, when she bombarded Patricia’s brother, Bobby, the Attorney General with questions supplied by Daniel Greenson. Then Whitey Snyder drove Marilyn to the Lawfords’ home in February 1962, where there was a party held for President Kennedy, while Ralph Roberts was said to have received a call from her on March 24th 1962 as she was spending time with the President at the home of Bing Crosby.”

Donald Spoto:

“A passionate love affair between Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy has been assumed for so long that it has achieved as solid a place in public awareness as almost any other event in the man’s presidency. But if the phrase “love affair” describes a protracted intimacy sustained by some degree of frequency, then such a connection between these two is impossible to establish with any of the rudimentary tools of historic-critical studies. In the absence of such evidence, no serious biographer can identify Monroe and Kennedy as partners in a love affair. All that can be known for certain is that one four occasions between Oct. 1961 and Aug. 1962, the president and the actress met, and that during one of those meetings they telephoned one of Marilyn’s friends from a bedroom; soon after, Marilyn confided this one sexual encounter to her closest confidants, making clear that was the extent of their involvement. In October 1961, after a photography session for a magazine story, Marilyn asked Allan Snyder to deliver her to a party at Patricia and Peter Lawford’s Santa Monica beach house. The occasion was a dinner party honoring Pat’s brother, President Kennedy, and among the other guests were several blond movie stars- Kim Novak, Janet Leigh, and Angie Dickinson, for all of whom the president had a keen appreciation. All contrary allegations notwithstanding, this was the first meeting between Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy; hearsay about any earlier introduction simply cannot be substantiated. Before this, the schedules of Monroe and Kennedy since his January 1961 inauguration reveal wide geographic distances between them. That October night, Marilyn was driven back to her apartment by one of the Lawfords’ staff. The second encounter occurred during February 1962, when Marilyn was again invited to a dinner party for the president, this time at the Manhattan home of Fifi Fell, the wealthy, socialite widow of a famous industrialist. She was escorted from her New York apartment to the Fell residence by Milton Ebbins, who also saw her home. The third meeting occurred on Saturday, March 24, 1962, when both the president and Marilyn were houseguests of Bing Crosby in Palm Springs. On that occasion, she telephoned Ralph Roberts from the bedroom she was sharing with Kennedy. “She asked me about the solus muscle,” according to Ralph, “which she knew something about from the Mabel Ellsworth Todd book [The Thinking Body], and she obviously been talking about this with the president, who was known to have all sorts of ailments, muscle and back trouble.” Ralph clearly recalled not only the origin and detail of Marilyn’s question but also the ease with which Kennedy himself then took the phone and thanked Roberts for his professional advice. “Later, once the rumor mill was grinding,” according to Ralph, “Marilyn told me that this night in March was the only time of her “affair” with JFK. Of course, she was titillated beyond belief, because for a year he had been trying, through Lawford, to have an evening with her. A great many people thought, after that weekend, that there was more to it. But Marilyn gave me the impression that it was not a major event for either of them: it happened once, that weekend, and that was that.” The fourth and final meeting took place in May 1962, at the legendary birthday gala for Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, an event that included a party afterward at the home of a movie executive Arthur Krim and his wife Mathilde, a scientist later renowned for her great work against AIDS. This May meeting was the briefest of them all, as the president, his brother and his family were mobbed by friends, admirers and the press all evening.”

From The Marilyn Encyclopedia by Adam Victor:

“Marilyn Monroe famously sings “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy. We know for a fact that Marilyn Monroe and JFK met on four occasions: October 1961: Marilyn and other female stars were invited to Peter Lawford’s beach house to attend a dinner in honor of his brother in law, JFK. Early 1962: A dinner party for the President in NY. March 24th 1962: A gathering at Bing Crosby’s home in Palm Springs. May 19th 1962: JFK’s birthday gala. It was encounter number three, at Bing Crosby’s home, that Marilyn and JFK shared a bedroom and this ‘affair’ most likely happened. Marilyn made a call to Ralph Roberts, her masseur, who later said: “Marilyn told me that this night in March was the only time of her ‘affair’ with JFK. Of course, she was titillated beyond belief, because for a year he had been trying, through Lawford, to have an evening with her. A great many people thought, after that weekend, that there was more to it. But Marilyn gave me the impression that it was not a major event for either of them: it happened once, that weekend, and that was that.” Two more of Marilyn’s close friends agree. It is Susan Strasberg’s opinion that, “Not in her worst nightmare would Marilyn have wanted to be with JFK on any permanent basis. It was ok for one night to sleep with a charismatic president - and she loved the secrecy and drama of it. But he certainly wasn’t the kind of man she wanted for life, and she was very clear to us about this.”

I’ve also answered this question in a few different posts, here are some links [x], [x].

I hope this was helpful!

Along with her death post (which I promise to have finished very soon), I’m going to make a page dedicated to the Kennedy family where you can read all there is to know on the subject. xo

World Fiddle Day

World Fiddle Day is an annual music celebration day celebrated on the Third Saturday of May. This year it will be observed on May 19. Even though World Fiddle Day was created in 2012, it gained popularity all over the world within a few years. It was created to celebrate and to teach the playing of bowed string instruments throughout the world by conducting participatory and inclusive events. The fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, used by the players in all genres including classical music.

World Fiddle Day happens once a year and is meant to celebrate everything that everyone loves about the chirpy, fun and feisty art of fiddle music. You’ll see it being celebrated on the third Saturday of each May. The fiddle is always known to be something positive, with all the songs and notes it produces high energy, entertaining, and bringing something positive. Making the room dance, wherever the sound of a fiddle is played.

Around the world, this day is celebrated with dancing, music, and of course plenty of fiddle playing!

History of World Fiddle Day

Before we speak about the day, it may be best to get a better idea of the Fiddle that is being celebrated! The fiddle is a four-stringed musical instrument of the string family, also often referred to as a small type of violin. Like the violin, it is also played with a bow. The terms fiddling or fiddle playing actually refer to a style of music, most commonly folk music. The origins of the name ‘fiddle’ are not known but is believed to be derived from an early violin or the Old English word ‘fithele’. The fiddle is common to English folk music, Irish folk music, Scandinavian music, Austrian, French, Hungarian, Polish, American, Latin American, African, and even Australian music. There is no difference between the fiddle and small violin aside from the name and type of music the instrument is used for.

A fiddle has many parts including the neck, fingerboard, tuning pegs, scroll, pegbox, bridge, soundhole, strings, fine tuners, tailpiece, bass bar, soundboard, chinrest, button, backplate, and bow. The earliest fiddles (or violins) were derived from the bow instruments from the Middle Ages.

When it comes to building a high-quality fiddle, it can take as many as 200 hours for craftsmen to handcraft a professional fiddle, showing that for a relatively simple looking and fun instrument, a lot of craft and workmanship has to go into building one.

Traditional fiddle strings were made of pig, goat, horse, or sheep intestine. Today they are made from steel or aluminium over a nylon core. Now, the last fiddle fact that you may want to take down for your next game of trivia, is that the fastest fiddler/violinist on record is Ben lee who played ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ in just over a minute in 2010. He played an average of 13 notes each second for a total of 810 notes in all. Now that is pretty impressive, so now the fiddle has been explained, what about the day?

The day was founded in 2012 by one Caoimhin Mac Aoidh, a professional fiddler from Donegal in Ireland. The day was birthed from a deep respect for one of the most expert and revered violin makers in history.

This month was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the death of the Italian violin craftsman Antonio Stradivari’s way back in 1737.

Stradivari is today considered the most significant creator of violins in history, with his surviving instruments today seen as the most prized and finest ever created. Although he also made the larger string instruments cellos and violas, it’s the violins that he lovingly crafted that he is most well-known and remembered for.

Though only a couple of hundred of his works still exists, they have been known to capture some huge prices at auction and are especially sought-after amongst professional violin players.

How to celebrate World Fiddle Day

If you ever learned how to play the violin in school, or you frequently play it either for pleasure or for work, today is a great day to get out your fiddle and play a couple of tunes! Perhaps play a little for friends or family, or show your children how to play some simple themes. If you do not own one, or do not know how to play it, then this could be a great time to learn. It is always fun and engaging to learn a new musical instrument, so why not start to learn the art of the fiddle, and maybe at next year’s celebrations you can play to the world what you have managed to learn!

If you aren’t lucky enough to have learned how to play this string instrument, you can celebrate its day by listening to some of the fantastic performances by string artists easily found on Youtube or Spotify. Add a spring to your daily commute with some Mozart, Barber or Brahms!

And if you’ve always fancied trying your hand at the violin, perhaps today you could take a trial lesson learning how to play? Who knows – by the time the next World Fiddle Day comes along, you could be able to play along with everyone else who is fiddling away!

Whatever you get up to, have a great World Fiddle Day!

Source

Find the Best Spots for Downtown Austin Parking

Downtown Austin parking is usually not a big challenge in a car-friendly city. Still, even long-time Austin residents would need some help figuring out the best spots near popular attractions and busy neighborhoods.  

Downtown is the heart of Austin, pulsing with vibrant destinations like the Sixth Street, Rainey Street, and Red River district. Late 19th Century architectural landmarks blend with modern museums, high rises, bars, clubs, and theatres to give the thriving neighborhood its distinct identity. Apart from the rich history and renowned LIVE music hubs, Austin's government and business centers are also a part of the downtown area; there are residential sections like Judges Hill too. To the south, it is bordered by Lady Bird Lake, while the central business district is located along the Colorado River's north bank. The Interstate 35 to the east, Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north makes downtown Austin quickly accessible from all directions. The University of Texas is also close by. You can always expect high demand for parking spaces in downtown Austin, especially for those conveniently located close to popular destinations.  

Although street parking and off-street public parking facilities are fairly easy to find, the best option for a hassle-free experience is finding the perfect Downtown Austin parking garage near your destination. Make it one step easier, and book your spot in advance to save more time and money. How do you do that? Use an Austin parking app or a website that helps you to pre-book a garage space online. Austin downtown parking rates can be cheaper when you book your spot online in advance, rather than paying drive-up rates at the gate. All you need to do is download an app on your smartphone!  

Check out the best parking spots in some of the most popular neighborhoods and attractions in downtown Austin:  

Parking near Congress Avenue Austin

Austin's most prominent street is well-known for the Congress Avenue bridge, where tourists and locals hang out to watch spectacular sunsets. But did you know that Congress Avenue is also a historic district stretching from North First Street to Eleventh Street in downtown Austin? You will find the Texas Capitol building, the iconic Paramount Theatre, the Telephone Building, and other famous landmarks here.  

If you are driving out to watch Mexican free-tailed bats take flight at sunset, remember to book your parking spots at a garage near the Congress Avenue Bridge. It can get pretty hectic close to sunset hours, especially from May to October, when the seasonal urban bat colony nests under the bridge. Even when there are no bats, the view from the bridge is worth a quick stop. Finding a parking space close to the bridge could get tricky at the last minute; you can try your luck at Cesar Chavez Street or downtown Austin parking lots nearby.  

The Austin Convention Center is just a three-minute drive or 10-minute walk from the Congress Avenue Bridge. Down Austing parking space demand is always high around this event hub, with a steady flow of visitors throughout the year. Onsite parking at the Convention center lot costs $5 for two hours – you find entrances to this lot at 201 East Second Street and 601 East Fifth Street. There are around 1500 parking spaces at this garage, which might not be enough to accommodate all visitors during a large event. So, it's better to keep your options open with a pre-booked spot at an off-site parking garage nearby. It's possible to find street parking in the area, but due to time limits, it's not a good idea when attending an event.

The Texas Capitol on Congress Avenue is only a 4-minute drive from the Austin Convention Center and Congress Avenue Bridge. It's is popular on downtown Austin tours as visitors are allowed to explore the 22-acre grounds and see the monuments. It's easy to save on Austin downtown parking rates here – parking is free for the first two hours at the Texas Capitol Visitors garage on weekdays. Every additional hour of parking costs $1, with a daily maximum of $12 – overnight parking isn't allowed at this garage.  When special events are held during weekends, a pre-paid parking fee is charged, and the daily maximum can go up to $25. Check out Trinity Street and Colorado Street for more cheap downtown Austin parking lots nearby.  

Downtown Austin Parking near Sixth Street  

The most famous street in Austin is a downtown landmark and entertainment district stretching from Mopac Expressway to Interstate 35. When Austin is referred to as the "Live Music Capital of the World," it's the Sixth Street historic district that gets the honor. It's a complete package with excellent restaurants, cheap bars, speakeasies, and world-class hotels – mainly within a nine-block area between I35 to the east and Lavaca Street to the west.  

On weekends, holidays, football home games, and special events, traffic is typically closed on East Sixth Street. Vehicles could also be prohibited between Brazos Street and Red River Street from 9 pm to 3 am, from Thursday to Saturday. The Sixth Street neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly, and you'll find good parking lots on nearby blocks. Check out San Jacinto Boulevard, Sabine Street, East Seventh Street, and Brazos Street for some of the top-rated downtown Austin parking garages.  

Parking in Rainey Street Historic District Austin  

Just five minutes away from Congress Avenue, the Rainey Street Historic District has many old bungalows with backyards and porches, now converted into stunning bars, lounges, and eateries. The trendy nightlife district is next to Lady Bird Lake and I35 on the southeastern side of downtown Austin. You might not find many parking lots on-site, but 1-17 Rainey Street Parking and LAZ parking at 703 River Street are the closest. There are a couple of parking garages near Driskill Street too. Rainey Street is less than a mile from Congress Avenue; if you are into walking, no better option than to leave your car at the cheapest downtown Austin garage and explore on foot.  

When parking on the streets in downtown Austin, make sure to check signage for time limits or any restrictions to avoid a ticket. Keep an eye on street cleaning schedules and other regulations. At parking lots, it's best to book your space ahead of your visit for a guaranteed spot that saves you time and money.   

About Losers Club Birthdays

So I made some birthdays for the losers. It’s for a astrology project. I’m also giving them birth times which I have not finished with.

I chose Ben’s Birthday to be in March. March 17th 1976 (this is 2017/19 losers specifically as Ben in the book canonically has a October birthday but the movies do not add up with that birth month)

I almost put his birthday later but his comment in chapter 1 during the Neibolt house breakup “I’ll be 40 and far away from here”. Doesn’t work with giving him a Autumn or end of month Winter birthday. So I put him at March 17th.

My birthdays I picked for them aren’t canon but would you still celebrate and accept them? Cause I might still make a Happy Birthday Ben post on March 17th.

If you will go along with my headcanons here are my selected birthdays for the others

Bill Denbrough: October 19th 1975

Why?: On the wiki and first script for IT, Bill Denbrough was labeled as 13 years old during the Georgie incident and still 13 next year in June and supposedly didn’t turn 14 during June through September. If his birthday was the same as his actor, January 4th then he would already be 14 in June. Yet he’s not labeled as 14. So his birthday has to be either in September or October. If it’s in October it has to be BEFORE the Georgie incident, maybe even yesterday 🤷🏼‍♀️. I saw him more as a Libra than a Virgo. I chose his moon as Aries which put him as October 19th so that’s why I chose that!

Eddie: September 14th 1975

Why?: Line in chapter 2 “Who defeated a killer clown before he was 14?” Therefore I think Eddie’s 14th birthday was that year anywhere after August. I ALMOST used his canon birthmonth in the book (November) but figured Virgo fits him better than Scorpio or Sagittarius Sun.

Stan: August 26th 1976

Why?: While Stan is labeled in both scripts as 13 during the first scene in June. His bar mitzvah isn’t until August. (As seen in chapter 1 deleted scene) a bar mitzvah happens when a Jewish boy turns 13. He got a heads up earlier that month probably that “hey, it’s a new month, means your gonna be a man eventually so——better start studying Hebrew so you don’t shame us all. You got a good amount of months to prepare so get studying” as I spoke with a Jewish guy and he said that they do get a heads up ahead of time so it doesn’t mean Stan recently turned 13 before June or the bar mitzvah might be in July. I tried to put together a cohesive timeline for the 2017 movie and I headcanon that the Pennywise fight in the first movie took place August 31st but that doesn’t mean the loser montage takes place that same day. So Stan turned 13 August 26th (double Virgo☀️🌙) and had his bar mitzvah on the closest Saturday after. (Bar mitzvah happens on the weekends)

Mike Hanlon: May 9th 1976

Why?: I wanted to put his birthday in June a couple days before the summer break scene but Gemini Scorpio moon didn’t fit as well as Taurus sun Virgo moon. Mike’s grandfather mentioned his father was the same age when he started helping out on the farm. So having Mike pull his weight is probably a new thing that recently happened via 13th birthday. Which had to be pretty recently.

Beverly Marsh: February 2nd 1976

Why?: Almost put her as November Sagittarius but February was closer and the placements fit better. I figured I could use her period in the movie as a way to figure out her birthday. At first I thought it would have to be pretty soon after her 13th birthday but apparently period day can vary. I did find something that girls with summer birthdays are likely to have their period at a earlier age so that definitely means she’s not a summer baby. My reasons for Bev aren’t that good but February 2nd has her at the same sun and moon as her actress so there’s that!

Once these days come, even if they aren’t canon would you still celebrate them?

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I didn’t know anything about this brand when I first bought it it was a Great Dane 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts good price and I needed some things so since I was there I picked a few stuff amazingly I really like the products the eye liner does wonders I love it. In response to last week s tatoosday post we got so many tattoos from last unicorn fans around the world that it will take months to showcase all of them to help make things go slightly faster than that and because it s neat to compare and contrast we re going to make today a two tattoosday post take a look at these very different approaches to showing the human and unicorn versions of peter s classic character in one image ashley knight schroeder s tattoo is beautifully stylized I just got this done on saturday the last unicorn has touched my life and helped me through many a rough patch even my sons will watch with me and sing talk along to the movie rippy s tattoos did the work I have no idea who did the original design I saw it and feel in love would love to find the original artist brittni lynn martin and her artist phil meyers from california opted for classic heartfelt look this movie has been my favorite since I was little and is now my favorite book and I have a 3 year old daughter who also loves it and we watch it together so it’s been a huge part of my life so beautiful both of these. The only way to protect your body from these dangerous toxins and reverse the damage that has been done is to use a natural nutritious cleansing program one that will give you exactly what your body needs to flush out all of the toxins that shouldn t be there and boost your metabolism at the same time an easy 3 day program with a complete shopping list and simple recipes that you can make from home without punishing depriving or starving your body start now 3 day cleanse with danette may detox program detox beauty diet fashion cleanse smoothie

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Great to have time to visit anton’s retrospective at bucerius kunst forum hamburg until january see you tomorrow night larr the Great Dane 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts no edge adam u2 u2eitour antoncorbijn. Diane kendal for nars cosmetics thakoon really wanted girls to look healthy and very american this beauty look is inspired by the 80’s super models cindy claudia linda and christie found in peter lindbergh’s photography skin is gorgeous makeup is fresh and beautifully groomed face concealer sheer glow foundation cheeks deep throat blush eyes last frontier velvet eyeliner smudge across eyes and lower lashline goddess velvet shadow stick audacious mascara brows matte eyeshadow shades blondie bali bengali coconut grove brow gel lips sex machine velvet matte lip pencil. Yesterday was a busy day of meetings and airplane travel for peter and connor but last night peter took some time to share his thoughts on the passing of the great christopher lee christopher lee was the tallest actor I ever knew he was also by far the most literate when we first met in a los angeles studio where he was recording his lines as king haggard in the last unicorn he had just recorded haggard’s speech about his first sight of unicorns and I mentioned that it was probably my favorite speech in the book he immediately wanted to know well did I do it properly we can always redo it right here of course he’d handled the lines perfectly but writers and writers’ opinions about their work mattered intensely to christopher that same afternoon we discovered that between the two of us we we could call to mind just about all the lines of g k chesterton’s poem the rolling english road we also discovered a mutual need to hit the men’s room and my son dan in his mid teens at the time still has a very clear memory of christopher simultaneously peeing while declaiming in that voice which no one could ever keep from imitating after fifteen minutes with him before the roman came to rye or out to severn strode the rolling english drunkard made the rolling english road a reeling road a rolling road that rambled round the shire and after him the parson ran the sexton and the squire I leave it to the reader to imagine that voice in the tiled acoustics of a hollywood bathroom we met a second time in munich where the last unicorn was being dubbed into german most of my memories of that time and of chris lee have to do with books and authors he had known both j r r tolkien and a writer who mattered more to me t h white we had a long ongoing argument in munich about a chapter of the sword in the stone that appears in the english edition of the book but not in the american one he turned out to be right he usually was he never failed to mention the last unicorn as one of his very favorite books and as one of the movies he was most proud of having made indeed he left my whopperjawed as mark twain would have put it when we were being interviewed together on austrian television and he announced oh yes I simply couldn’t resist a chance to play king haggard one more time even in another language after all and he looked straight into the camera it’s the closest they’ll ever let me get to playing king lear the camera swung toward me to catch my stunned reaction and chris looked across the studio at me and winked but my most vivid memory chilling as it remains to this day has to do with the day that I and michael chase walker associate producer of the last unicorn and the one who really got the film made in the first place somehow found our way out to dachau I can’t now recall how we managed it considering that neither one of us spoke german and that you had to take both a subway and a bus to get there from the hotel where the crew were staying but we got there somehow and spent a good half of the day roaming with other tourists around a legendary concentration camp peering blindly into the huge crematoriums but staring with equal horror and fascination at the endless rows of filing cabinets containing every record of every human being who was ever imprisoned starved gassed or simply worked to death in this place michael and I grew quieter and quieter that afternoon until by the time we started back to munich we weren’t speaking at all I think we both felt that we might say anything in words again the first person we met in the hotel lobby was christopher he took one look at us and announced you’ve been to dachau we nodded without answering chris strode toward us looked all the way down from his six foot five inch altitude lowered his voice and inquired still smells doesn’t it with the end of world war ii christopher as a member of the special forces and whose five or six languages included fluent german had been assigned to hunt down and interrogate nazi war crminals and had been present at the liberation of dachau and yes the smell of death had undoubtedly faded somewhat since 1945 but it was still as real as michael and me wandering dazedly between the ovens and the filing system we just didn’t know what it was but christopher did and i’d know it again I never saw him again after munich though we spoke on the telephone a few times on the last occasion when I had called to wish him a happy 90th birthday I remember him assuring me that if by the time you come to make your live action version of your movie I have passed on do not let it concern you I have risen from the dead several times I know how it’s done he worked almost to the last as the real artists of every kind do they work to be working because that’s what they do and they die when they stop I always regarded him as the last of the great 19th century actors that bravura larger than life style went with him no modern rada trained performer would ever attempt it today nor should they it would inevitably come out parody however earnestly meant yet there was always more to christopher lee as an actor than dracula or the mummy or saruman or sherlock holmes for that matter though he was very proud of having played not only both holmes and watson but sherlock’s brother mycroft as well lord summerisle of the original the wicker man probably his favorite of his own movies is most likely closer to chris’s dark benignity than any other role he ever inhabited I believe this because lord summerisle sings a surprising amount in that movie and chris passionately loved singing if there is any such thing as an afterlife or reincarnation I truly hope no believe that christopher lee will return as a wagnerian opera singer if he hadn’t been considered too old in his 30s to be accepted for formal vocal training he might have been in his own eyes at least a happier more fulfilled man but we would have been deeply poorer for it and never have known See Other related 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The arrest of the apparent billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein at a New Jersey airport on Saturday on federal charges for crimes he was accused of during the Bush administration should not be surprising to anyone who has followed the news carefully. He may have escaped in 2008 with a ludicrous one-year stint in a county jail that he was allowed to leave six days a week, but his name has never quite been out of the headlines. Between 2008 and 2015 Epstein reportedly settled more than a dozen lawsuits from Jane Does alleging sexual assault; the youngest of his alleged victims was 14 years old.

The only question is why did it take this long? Why was the ludicrous deal that gave Epstein and his fellow conspirators immunity in exchange for a slap-on-the-wrist jail sentence ever allowed to go through in the first place?

The most obvious answer is, of course, that Epstein knows people. Lots of people. A list of his reported friends, business associates, and legal counselors reads like a #MeToo and Manhattan sleazebag All-Star team, with a few stringers pulled in from the media and both political parties: Woody Allen, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Mort Zuckerman, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Ken Starr, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, the current president of the United States. The obscene deal that kept Epstein out of what could easily have been a life sentence in prison was negotiated by Alexander Acosta, the current Secretary of Labor, who was then a federal prosecutor in Florida. In 2002, Graydon Carter, the longtime editor of Vanity Fair, removed references to Epstein's sexual activity from a profile, including testimony from alleged victims, according to the article's author. "He's sensitive about the young women," Carter is said to have explained. Won't somebody please not think of the children?

It will be at least another week before 2,000 or so pages of documents related to Epstein's exploits will be released following the order of an appeals court last week. When we finally see them we will likely be able to answer questions about the identities of the "numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well‐known Prime Minister, and other world leaders" who have also been accused of sexual abuse by Epstein's alleged victims. Is one of them a Razorbacks football fan? Who was the "famous prime minister"? Was Trump speaking from personal experience when he said in 2002 that Epstein "likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side"?

We should keep all of this in mind the next time we feel inclined to sneer at so-called "low-information voters," especially the kookier sort. You know the people I mean. Wackos. Gun nuts. 8channers. Conspiracy theorists in Middle America who watch InfoWars (one of the few journalistic outlets to discuss the issue of pedophilia regularly) and post about QAnon and "spirit cooking" and the lizard people. The news that a globalized cabal of billionaires and politicians and journalists and Hollywood bigwigs might be flying around the world raping teenaged girls will not surprise them in the least because it is what they have long suspected. For the rest of us it is like finding out that the Jersey Devil is real or turning on cable news and finding Anderson Cooper and his panel engaged in a matter-of-fact discussion of Elvis’s residence among the Zixls on the 19th moon of Dazotera.

Among other things, the Epstein case forces us to ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions about the real meaning of "fake" news. There is, or should be, more to being informed than fact-checking formalism. If you have spent the last few years earnestly consuming mainstream left-of-center media in this country you will be under the impression that the United States has fallen under the control of a spray-tanned Mussolini clone who is never more than five minutes away from making birth control illegal. If you watch Fox News and read conservative publications, you no doubt bemoan the fact that Ronald Reagan's heir is being hamstrung by a bunch of avocado toast-eating feminist witches. Meanwhile, Alex Jones's audience will tell you that America, like the rest of the world, is ruled by a depraved internationalist elite whose ultimate allegiance is not to countries or political parties or ideologies but to one another. These people believe in nothing. They will safeguard their wealth and privilege at any cost. They will never break rank. And they will commit unspeakable crimes with impunity, while anyone who dares to speculate openly is sued or hounded out of public life as a kook.

Which of these worldviews is closest to the truth?

On 7th May 1544 the Earl of Hertford invaded Scotland.

Dates vary for this, wiki has May 3rd, the dates aren't important, this was a brutal invasion, the trail of destruction was considerable. Edinburgh, with the exception of the castle, was almost totally destroyed in May 1544. The prosperous towns of Musselburgh and Dunbar were similarly set ablaze by troops sent north by the aging Henry VIII.

Yet despite winning a decisive battle against the Scots at Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, and occupying several castles for prolonged periods, the English crown achieved little during the campaign other than spending considerable amounts of money and causing misery for the local populace.

The reason for this was Henry VIII wanted his son, Edward. The war became known as the 8, or 9 year war, years later it has become more well known as "The Rough Wooing" 

To understand this further we have to look back to Mary's father James V  the last great catholic king of Scots. He inherited the crown aged 17 months when his father, James IV, was killed at the battle of Flodden in 1513.

He dismissed his regents and assumed power in 1528. By then, the Protestant Reformation was already underway in continental Europe. Scotland was unaffected by this upheaval until 1533 when its closest neighbour and oldest rival, the kingdom of England, broke with Rome.

While Henry VIII shut down monasteries and seized church property, the old religion continued as normal north of the border. Initial relations between James and Henry were cordial. Henry’s sister, Margaret, was James’ mother. But relations soured as the 1530s wore on, with the two monarchs increasingly at loggerheads over religion. The Scots king’s refusal to meet his uncle in person at York ended any relationship between the two men.

War broke out between the two countries in 1542. An initial Scots victory in August at Haddon Rig was crushingly reversed in November on the border at Solway Moss. Although there were few soldiers killed, more than 1200 of James’ army were taken prisoner. James, already ill, died two weeks later at Falkland Palace. The crown passed to his baby daughter Mary, born just six days before. Scotland had yet another infant monarch, and another Regent ruling in place of her,  James Hamilton, Earl of Arran.

It appeared a personal union between Scotland and England through the marriage of Mary and Edward was now inevitable.  Henry was determined to impose his will on the weakened Scottish kingdom and permanently end its alliance with catholic France.  A treaty signed at Greenwich in July 1543 agreed the infant Mary would marry Edward, Henry’s only son. 

I like getting quotes from the day, and this is said to be the response to the proposed marriage from the noted Scottish lawyer and diplomat,  Adam Otterburn, who had been Kings Advocate to the late James V and was secretary to Mary de Guise and Arran. 

" Our people do not like of it. And though the Governor and some of the nobility have consented to it, yet I know that few or none of them do like of it; and our common people do utterly mislike of it. I pray you give me leave to ask you a question: if your lad was a lass, and our lass were a lad, would you then be so earnest in this matter? ... And lykewise I assure you that our nation will never agree to have an Englishman king of Scotland. And though the whole nobility of the realm would consent, yet our common people, and the stones in the street would rise and rebel against it." 

Scotland’s nobility was divided between a pro-English protestant faction and catholics loyal to Mary of Guise, James’ widow. Regent Arran was initially a protestant, but dramatically switched sides after a meeting with Cardinal David Beaton. He agreed to a rival plan to send the Scots queen to France to marry the dauphin, Francis.The Scottish Parliament renounced the Treaty of Greenwich in December 1543.

A furious Henry declared war that same month. The Scots could scarcely have predicted the savagery that would follow.  An English army, under the command of the Earl of Hertford, attacked Edinburgh. Contemporary accounts suggest every building in the capital, including Holyrood Abbey and the palace, was burnt. Only the castle held out against the invaders. English ships were filled with looted goods at Leith and sailed south. The English army retreated over land, burning villages as it went.

Meanwhile, pro-English agents were instructed to spread the word that the invasion was solely the fault of Cardinal Beaton, who was accused of leading Arran astray. The aim was to ferment anti-catholic feeling and bolster the protestant faction. The Scots gained some revenge the following year at the battle of Ancrum Moor. An army led by Arran routed an English force, which had been marauding in the Borders. An uneasy truce held for 18 months.

Henry VIII died in January 1547 and the teenage Edward VI ascended to the English throne. Edward’s uncle, the Duke of Somerset, became regent. He was keen to resume the campaign in Scotland and break its association with France, as well as capture the young Queen Mary.Arran was pre-warned about the English military build-up and told to expect invasion. Preparations to defend Edinburgh began. Somerset’s army, numbering around 17,000, could call upon the latest technology from across Europe, including muskets and modern artillery. His troops were further strengthened by battle-hardened Italian and German mercenaries. The Scots force, although numbering around 30,000, relied on much the same tactics used 30 years before at Flodden. The two sides met by the River Esk near Musselburgh on 10 September 1547, a day that would become known in Scotland as Black Saturday.

The battle  of Pinkie Cleugh was a comprehensive victory for Somerset. A combination of superior weaponry, position and discipline made the difference. Scots casualties were estimated at 6,000-15,000.

Despite such a resounding defeat, the Scottish nobility, still led by Arran, refused to come to terms. Queen Mary, now aged four, was safely hidden at the island priory on Inchmahome while preparations were made for her escape to France. Somerset garrisoned troops across the east of Scotland and made his headquarters at Haddington, but could not break the political deadlock.

The Scots hardened their attitudes and refused to negotiate. As time passed, with no resolution in sight, the financial cost of the occupation became increasingly hard to justify. Meanwhile, Mary of Guise appealed for help from France and troops eventually arrived to fortify Leith and maintain resistance. The young queen was finally smuggled out of Scotland in August 1548 to France.

With Mary safely out of Somerset’s reach, and increased help from French troops, Arran’s position was secure. The English abandoned Haddington in September 1549. A peace treaty between France and England in March 1550 effectively ended the conflict. A formal peace was agreed with Scotland the following year.

The idea of the war as a ‘wooing’ was popularised by Sir Walter Scott. By the mid-19th century the term had began to appear in history books.The phrase ‘Rough Wooing’ is thought to derive from a remark attributed to George Gordon, Earl of Huntly by Patrick Abercromby. “We liked not the manner of the wooing, and we could not stoop to being bullied into love.”

Modern historians have noted the inappropriateness of such a jocular name to describe such a savage war.

The pic is a facsimile of a contemporary sketch showing the deployment of Hertford's forces before they burnt Edinburgh in May 1544

DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY

Blog #10. Saturday, August 15th 2020

Welcome back,

Well today we will go into the Dark.......

Dark matter and Dark energy are the yin and yang of the cosmos. Dark matter produces and attractive force (gravity), while dark energy produces a replusive force (anti gravity)..... Astronomers know dark matter exits because visible matter doesn't have enough gravitational muster to hold galaxies together.

And what's the difference between Dark matter and dark energy? In short, while dark energy speeds it up..... This is because dark matter does interact with gravity, but it doesn't reflect, absorb, or emit light.

So, now we know a little about Dark matter and dark energy.... Let's get into this in detail.

Our universe may contain 100 billion galaxies, each with billions of stars, great clouds of gas and dust, and perhaps scads of planets and moons and other little bits of cosmic flotsam. The stars produce an abundance of energy, from radio waves to X-rays, which streak across the universe at the speed of light.

Yet everything that we can see is like the tip of the cosmic iceberg — it accounts for only about four percent of the total mass and energy in the universe.About one-quarter of the universe consists of dark matter, which releases no detectable energy, but which exerts a gravitational pull on all the visible matter in the universe.

Because of the names, it’s easy to confuse dark matter and dark energy. And while they may be related, their effects are quite different. In brief, dark matter attracts, dark energy repels. While dark matter pulls matter inward, dark energy pushes it outward. Also, while dark energy shows itself only on the largest cosmic scale, dark matter exerts its influence on individual galaxies as well as the universe at large.

In fact, astronomers discovered dark matter while studying the outer regions of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

A ring of possible dark matter highlights this Hubble Space Telescope image of a distant galaxy cluster.

The Milky Way is shaped like a disk that is about 100,000 light-years across. The stars in this disk all orbit the center of the galaxy. The laws of gravity say that the stars that are closest to the center of the galaxy — which is also its center of mass — should move faster than those out on the galaxy’s edge.

Yet when astronomers measured stars all across the galaxy, they found that they all orbit the center of the galaxy at about the same speed. This suggests that something outside the galaxy’s disk is tugging at the stars: dark matter.

Calculations show that a vast "halo" of dark matter surrounds the Milky Way. The halo may be 10 times as massive as the bright disk, so it exerts a strong gravitational pull.

The same effect is seen in many other galaxies. And clusters of galaxies show exactly the same thing — their gravity is far stronger than the combined pull of all their visible stars and gas clouds.

Are dark matter and dark energy related? No one knows. The leading theory says that dark matter consists of a type of subatomic particle that has not yet been detected, although upcoming experiments with the world’s most powerful particle accelerator may reveal its presence. Dark energy may have its own particle, although there is little evidence of one.

Instead, dark matter and dark energy appear to be competing forces in our universe. The only things they seem to have in common is that both were forged in the Big Bang, and both remain mysterious.

RECENT NEWS!!!!

The origin of how the Universe created its voids and filaments can now be studied within seconds after researchers developed an artificial intelligence tool called Dark Emulator.

This tool uses an aspect of artificial intelligence called machine learning. By changing several important characteristics of the Universe, such as those of dark matter and dark energy, ATERUI and ATERUI II have created hundreds of virtual Universes. Dark Emulator learns from the data, and guesses outcomes for new sets of characteristics without having to create entirely new simulations every time. When testing the resulting tool with real-life surveys, it was able to successfully predict weak gravitational lensing effects in the Hyper Suprime-Cam survey, along with the three-dimensional galaxy distribution patterns recorded in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to within 2 to 3 percent accuracy, in a matter of seconds. In comparison, running simulations individually through a supercomputer without the AI, would take several days.

The researchers hope to apply their tool using data from upcoming surveys in the 2020s, enabling deeper studies of the origin of the Universe.

A team of researchers, including Kyoto University Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics Project Associate Professor Takahiro Nishimichi, and Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) Principal Investigator Masahiro Takada, used the world’s fastest astrophysical simulation supercomputers ATERUI and ATERUI II to develop the Dark Emulator. Using the emulator on data recorded by several of the world’s largest observational surveys allows researchers to study possibilities concerning the origin of cosmic structures, and how dark matter distribution could have changed over time.We built an extraordinarily large database using a supercomputer, which took us three years to finish, but now we can recreate it on a laptop in a matter of seconds. I feel like there is great potential in data science. Using this result, I hope we can work our way towards uncovering the greatest mystery of modern physics, which is to uncover what dark energy is. I also think this method we’ve developed will be useful in other fields such as natural sciences or social sciences,” says lead author Nishimichi.

FUN FACT!!!!!

Scientists have created dark matter ‘maps’

Scientists have been able to piece together maps of space, indicating where they think dark matter is hiding.

By studying ‘relic radiation’ left over from the Big Bang, scientists can identify areas in space where more radiation exists – and more radiation means more matter. In this way, we can identify ‘hotspots’, where higher levels of dark matter may be concentrated.

COMING UP!!!

(Wednesday, August 19th 2020)

"All about Pluto, and why it's NOT a planet"