Forecast Fun

The Government, through its Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, has reaffirmed its promise of putting an end to illegal file sharing within the next four years, and is proposing strict measures to do so.

All offenders will have caps on their usage or will experience lessened speeds of access initially, but on repeated offences, they will have their internet services discontinued. The Department of Business, Skills and Innovation has confirmed the enactment and enforcement of such legislation and it expects the legislation to be in force from April 2010.

The department further states that the initial legislation will have milder punishment methods, which will be followed by a stricter disconnection law if offenders continue with their misuse. This new law is expected to be in force by spring 2011.

Ofcom has been roped in to provide constant monitoring and requisite statistics to enforce punishment.

TalkTalk, a leading internet service provider, in a recent talk on the BBC, has called this move highly impractical and principally wrong. The company has further stated that it will move court in case of any forceful attempt by the government to implement such drastic measures.

Lord Mandelson, defending the new law, stated that warnings will be the first line of action and that the offender will be given at least two chances to correct his or her actions. However, failure to respond to such warnings will result in disconnection.

The cost of implementation of such measures will have to be shared by internet service and content providers.

There are a number of points to consider when choosing the best broadband for you. If you choose your broadband provider through Broadband Genie, you will be given all the information you need about every supplier, right from cheap broadband to the fastest broadband on their comparative table of UK broadband providers.

Take a stroll through any city, and you’ll see them: lovely brick condos, inviting apartment buildings, gleaming tall skyscrapers, and even historic mill buildings and churches converted into contemporary living spaces. Today’s real estate market is constantly evolving and changing, and as this dynamic streetscape alters, behind the scenes is the invaluable and skilled player: the property manager. Good property management companies like Simarc are hard to find.

One of the fastest-growing careers of the next decade, employment of property, real estate, and community association managers is projected to increase by 15 percent by 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As the mortgage market compels many Americans to rent instead of purchase homes, and baby boomers move into housing and healthcare units, property management professionals will be in high demand. There will also be opportunities with real estate development companies, commercial property corporations, and government agencies that manage public buildings. If you see a well-run, profitable establishment with satisfied tenants, chances are there is a talented property manager handling the day-to-day logistics of that community.

One successful California property management developer, Andrew Gross, vice president at Thomas Safran and Associates, an affordable housing development firm, says his profession has taught him not to be afraid “to dream big.” “Business development is a challenging process, and a developer must possess the creative know-how to put out fires and overcome hurdles.” Gross is a member of the Advisory Board at Fremont College, a premiere degree and career college in Southern California. He says that developing affordable housing has been personally fulfilling, allowing him to change entire areas and “see people truly enjoy their new situations.”

Property management holds the most potential for people like Gross who enjoy blending knowledge of real estate with customer service and sales skills. Being a property manager is like being the mayor of a small city-you manage revenues, make important decisions about management, oversee contractors, oversee residents, and more. “Attention to detail is crucial,” says Gross, who constantly finds himself drawing parallels between work and life in his daily challenges.

Property managers need to have a broad knowledge of business, finance, accounting, and real estate, as well as practical skills such as math, writing, computer, and oral communication. A business administration degree with a concentration in property management will equip you with knowledge of financial and expense control, customer service and marketing, leasing basics, and more. Various professional and trade associations also allow you to expand your knowledge of specialized subjects, such as insurance and risk management, personnel management, and reserve funding. Many fields overlap, says Gross, such as the constant intertwining of property management and real estate.

A saxophone is a musical instrument belonging to the woodwind category. It is one of the youngest musical instruments, invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian, in the 1840s. Later, many people made their own alterations to the instrument. Saxophones were generally used in the military and in big orchestras but are now found in smaller bands as well. They are generally used for big band music, pop music and jazz. There are many kinds of saxophones but the four most common ones are: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones.

Vintage saxophones may not be in great playing condition, but are generally bought for collection purposes. Some suppliers also sell vintage saxophones that are repaired and in good condition. They can also be custom-restored to suit individual requirements. Some manufacturers offer one-year guarantees on restored saxophones.

Otherwise, vintage saxophones are sold in “as is” condition to retain their original and antique value. Vintage saxophones can have frills like hand engravings on them. They are also generally gold- or silver-plated instead of being lacquered like the new saxophones.

Here is a sampling of the vintage saxophones available at one dealer: King - super 20 and zephyr; Selmer - mark VII, mark VI, super balanced action, balanced action, super, radio improved, and cigar cutter; Buescher - true tone, aristocrat, and 400 top hat and cane; Conn - Chu Berry, conqueror (26 and 30M), and lady face (4M, 6M, 10M, and 12M); Martin - handcraft, magna and committee.

Vintage saxophones can be found at local music stores or in antique shops. They can also be found by browsing some special sites on the Internet, which provides hundreds of choices in vintage saxophones. However, some Internet dealers sell fake vintage saxophones. Some suppliers of vintage saxophones offer certificates of guarantee, or even warranties.

Saxophones provides detailed information about saxophones, jazz saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones and more. Saxophones is the sister site of Violins Web.

The music poster has become inextricably linked with the bedroom walls of teen fans and student dorms. A poster can depict a simple glam-shot of a pop chart diva or some obscure image that only those in the know can de-cipher. But what makes hang up those music posters in the first place?

When we put a music poster up on the wall what exactly are we doing? Usually it’s because we have some kind of liking for the artist. It could be the music (Coldplay), the image (Marilyn Manson) or maybe we find them attractive (Beyonce). In any of these cases, we are displaying behaviour associated with being a fan, which is of course short for fanatic.

I have come up with the following list of fanatics, which should cover most categories of poster hangers, but please feel free to add your own.

1. The teeny. These are early teenage girls who, as yet, are unable to find any suitably mature similarly aged boys to fall in love with, so they fall in love with a poster instead. Their main targets are boy bands, ex boy band solo artists and female solo artists if they’re in ‘girlie-crush’ mode.

2. The mid-teen. This is where rebellion starts. For the girls, it’s the biggest, ugliest rap star they can find which will be guaranteed to upset their parents. For the boys it’s the most disgusting thrash metal group they can find which will be guaranteed to upset their parents.

3. The late teen. By now, serious prejudices have been formed and allegiance to one particular type of music is essential. Having, or not having, the right poster on the wall can mean the difference between social acceptance and rejection and will confirm the tribe that you will now be in for many years to come, if not the rest of your life.

4. The student. A little like the late teen, but in a very different way. Has allegiances, but dare not admit them. Will therefore put up ‘ironic’ posters usually only considered by the teeny which thus become cool because they are in a student dorm - a bit like bricks in an art gallery.

5. The obsessed. Can be any age, diagnosed by the fact that all available wall space of their bedroom or study is plastered with posters of one particular band or artist. All possible additional memorabilia will have been purchased and will occupy any available floor space in their bedroom or study. They only come out of their bedroom or study for comfort breaks.

6. The trendy. Can also be any age, but has only one motive for poster hanging - to be in with other people. Easy to spot as there’s no allegiance to anyone other than themselves. Also they often get it completely wrong.

7. The musician. Usually male and will have a select set of ‘heroes’ posters on the wall which reflect his aspirations as a singer, lead guitar player etc. When you go and see him perform he bears no resemblance to these heroes whatsoever.

Some people pass through several, if not all of these categories during the course of their life, I must admit to a couple of them myself. There’s nothing wrong with being a fanatic, but just be aware that it’ll always give other people the opportunity to poke fun at you.

John Webber is editor for http://www.music-on-posters.com where you can find articles on posters, original band biographies and poster merchants in the USA, UK and Europe

“Play us something from home,” shouted a keyed up fan from the back of the audience who hoped to hear some traditional jigs.

I came from home,” growled the soloist. “Our house burnt to the ground. I’ll play something from there, if you want to get schnitty.”

Ashley Mac Isaac isn’t famous for his tactfulness. But he’s a damn good fiddler.

After hearing the request for songs from his native Cape Breton Island, he said, “Most of the music I played (as a child) was for funerals. So I’ll play something up-tempo like that,” he sneered, then a smile cropped emerged. “This next tune is called ‘My Home.’ ” He played a traditional-style Cape Breton song with a rock band backup, an intense mix he created in the mid-90’s.

Once the song was finished, he quickly shot his characteristic and expected middle-finger gesture at the person who had made the request. Then he continued to create some of the most remarkable fiddle music I’ve ever heard! Like many others in the audience, I was confused and awkwardly amused by his startling polarity!

Ashley’s not a “pretty boy” like many other pop stars and teen icons. No sparkling jumpsuits or nose jobs here. He wears a ball cap, sometimes hidden by the hood of his sweater, baggy jeans and big rings. His face is scruffy and his voice is rough, but again, he can sure fiddle.

This performer doesn’t go out of his way to make eye contact and occasionally turned away from the audience during his solos, not unlike Miles Davis’ notorious performances. Come to think of it, I think he was even wearing sunglasses in the dark concert hall! But again, his remarkable fiddling more than made up for his detached stage presence.

Ashley won’t make the audience feel warm and fuzzy inside with stock compliments like, “This town’s the best town I’ve ever played in.” In fact, this east-coaster poked fun at our local British Columbian politics and called attention to the fact that “such a lively crowd” hardly budged from their seats during his high-energy concert opening. I wholeheartedly agreed with him on that point since his fiddling was certainly deserving of some audience participation and not dancing was an insult to the fiddler.

And what a fiddler he is. Ashley has mastered his instrument with marvelous innovation.

Before the concert I expected his backward violin hold and unconventional technique would have gotten in the way of my appreciation of him as a violinist, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. His musicality, phrasing, and sense of style were phenomenal. He was up and down the neck of his instrument with such fluency as to lead a non-player to think it was incredibly easy.

There’s one word to describe Ashley MacIsaac’s playing: INTENSE. From lilting jigs to hard rock with fiddle solos, his intensity was electrifying. He’ll never leap across the stage with enthusiasm and he only grugingly step-danced in the traditonal style, “hobbling and wobbling” as he put it. Even without the typical violinist’s stage presence, he does give an electrifying, intense show and his attitude is fun.

Though his sound is rough and harsh, the subtle nuances like grace notes and other embellishments make his interpretation of traditional Celtic songs priceless. I was captured by his aggressive yet nimble bowing and laughed each time another few stands of hair came loose from his bow. He had to stop a few times to yank out the stray hairs from his balding instrument, during which he would babble on about everyday things.

He explained in great detail about his dinner earlier that night at a Chinese restaurant. “I had the ‘Lovers for Two Dinner.’ I was pretty full by the end of it. I don’t know what that has to with the next song.”

Neither did we.

He’s also a smart-ass. His musical repetoire included musical gags from a violin wolf whistle to the chorus from La Cucharacha. His band didn’t even seem to know what was going to happen next and I swear he played the traditional reel, “Fairy Dance,” twice. No one seemed to notice or care.

Initially I was nervous that he’s go too far with the edgy remarks, but I grew to appreciate his straightforward, honest approach to talking to the audience. His candid and direct remarks helped the audience warm up to him as a person, not just a pop star. It must be a Cape Breton thing: all the players I’ve seen from the island are “what you see is what you get” sort of people.

“I started playing fiddle when I was eight years old,” he said at the end of the show. “I’m 28. I’ve played for 20 years. That’s a good two-thirds of my life. I’ll be darn near one hundred by the time I’ve lived as much as I’ve played.”

Most of the audience was lost at this last remark, but we all nodded and asked for more fiddling.

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed writing for years. She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s “Music Teacher Magazine.” Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be! Rhiannon’s business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca

The Seattle based quintet Pearl Jam has released their first CD since 2002. It’s a self titled affair that with it’s content announces that Pearl Jam has certainly arrived back onto the music scene, and in quite impressive fashion.

Not that they ever really left but four years is a long time to go between releases, especially when you consider the wave of success the group was and has enjoyed.

From the sound of it though the lay off did them a world of good as their last few releases prior to going on hiatus were sounding a bit flat.

This CD launches with a great track, Life Wasted, that you can expect to hear being played on radio stations everywhere, and justifiably so. It’s a very nice tune.

On into the collection, touching on the issues of today, lead singer Eddie Vedder wonders out loud on track 2, World Wide Suicide about the state of the post September 11 world in which we live.

Overall the CD Pearl Jam is very much on par with Peal Jam, the groups now classic early releases. It’s a very good comeback CD and one Pearl Jam fans will enjoy immensely.

While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are World Wide Suicide [track 2], Marker In The Sand [track 5], and Army Reserve [track 11]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in “Stuck On REpeat”] is track 9, Come Back. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Pearl Jam originally released this CD on May 2, 2006 on the J-Records label.

CD track list follows:

1. Life Wasted
2. World Wide Suicide
3. Comatose
4. Severed Hand
5. Marker In The Sand
6. Parachutes
7. Unemployable
8. Big Wave
9. Gone
10. Wasted Reprise
11. Army Reserve
12. Come Back
13. Inside Job

To listen to samples of each song on the self titled Pearl Jam CD go to:
Pearl Jam CD MP3 Samples

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic. In addition to writing CD Reviews like this one for several music related websites he also hosts an internet radio show, and invites you to join him daily for some of the best soul soothing smooth jazz you’ll ever hear at http://www.SmoothJazz247.com