M Is FOR MASHUP - November 12th, 2014
BigSammy & the Mashythmics
From DJ Useo
Yes, there's actually a sequel to "DAVIE STENNOX - THE MASHYTHMICS (The Eurythmics Bootlegs - 2013).
( theinstituteofbootleggers.blogspot.com/2014/11/davie-stennox-mashythmics-eurythmics.html )
"Davie Stennox - The Mashythmics II (The Eurythmics Bootlegs Rebooted - 2014)" has 45 super blends, & nearly that many great bootleggers. I was amazingly fortunate to be granted an interview with BigSammy, the talent who arranged this bliss.
01-Now that you've done the impossible twice, in arranging 2 spectacular Eurythmics tribute mashup albums, you must be feeling wonderful. How has your brain processed the information at this point?
*sitting in a corner, drooling, talking to herself, recognizing Useo* Hey Mary, is it lunch time?
:-D
Well, according to rumours, our female brains are only working with information about shoes, cooking, kids and cleaning after our pets called MEN, my brain did pretty well. In fact that mission was not impossible, not this second one. But let's start in the beginning, okay?!
I'm a Eurythmics fan since I can remember, and some years ago that fact had me wishing for a kind of Bootleg Tribute. True, there were some mashies and remixes, but let's say they were unmotivated and unorganized. And maybe unknown. And to be honest, Eurythmics are not exactly mainstream. Annie and Dave were pioneers who invented and established a new style, not unusual for the 80s, but originally they had both already made music in the 70s. Best of both worlds, I guess, so they took the 70s spirit into their common 80s career as the Eurythmics and were idols for the following generations of musicians. Les Rita Mitsouko from France were called "French Eurythmics". Why? Because there wasn't any name for their genre.
But okay, back to my passion for Eurythmics. In winter 1983/84 when I was three and a half years old I couldn't sleep and I went out to the living room where my parents sat, close to each other, in arms, with closed eyes, listening to wonderful music. My dad loved that kind of stuff and bought the latest two vinyls of that band. My mom (Hungarian) and my dad (from West-Berlin) did not send me back to bed that evening, but they took me between them and I felt the warmth and that beautiful music.
Music was important in our family, and yes, it is true, music was my first love! I loved those strange tunes, especially a track called "No fear, no hate, no pain" and my parents had to play it a few times that late evening. This was my first contact with Annie and Dave. And some months later, when my parents died in a car accident on an Austrian Highway close to Germany, they left me alone with a lonely heart and tons of memories and music. That music, those songs from that evening, is/are always with me. It is a warm and beautiful memory. Listening to the Eurythmics means being with my mom and my dad.
Anyway, I became a fan of music. Of music in general, but especially from the 70s and 80s, I started loving remixes and mashies as much as I adore the Rat Pack, Irish Folk Music, Dvorak or Jimi Hendrix, and all those others. Music is good, it is a friend - and it is a common language. There is no good or bad music at all. What was the question? :-D
Well, in the end it meant that I was egotistically organizing the first edition one year ago. It was an experiment and a provocation at the same time, a test maybe: I wanted to know if people could be interested in making such kind of tribute, 30 years after those fantastic two albums SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) and TOUCH. So I created a secret group on Facebook - GYBO ( mashup forum ) did not exist anymore, which is a tragedy - and invited all those people who I thought might be interested. Some gave me an older track, which was okay, some worked on new tracks, some said NO THANKS, which was okay, too, because I did not want to force any of them. The result after a month of listening, pre-listening, pitching, fixing, smart-assing and motivating was more than I ever hoped for: We got our first Eurythmics Bootlegs Album EVER! And moreover, THEY did it!
I only connected them, kicked their asses in a kind (?) way. And it looked like we've had a lot of fun.
A good year later - meanwhile, I collected some bootlegs for the next edition I really never planned - SchniedelWutz, who helped me already making my first dream come true, gave me some pre-artwork and we started the next generation. And within 2 weeks we got twice the SweetDreams tunes than other Eurythmics works. Which is the result of a lack of stems and the fact that SweetDreams is still the best-known track of our beloved duo. This time it was easier to get the guys (and one gal), because they knew about the first edition's success. And we did not think about being better or not, there wasn't any force behind, or target in front of us. Having fun, again, making a cool album, again, that was the idea behind it. The level in 2013 was okay for a first edition which was a test, some people said the sampler was amazing, even Annie and Dave did not ban it :-D, but this time while listening and later when editing the album we could not believe what happened within a month.
Yes, we received some NOs again, but who are we if we may not be fair and honest to each other. Next project, next try.
Strange: While collecting, while fixing and while mastering those tracks you are listening to them with "different ears", we say. You perceive them in a different way. Also with your heart, which is very important, true. But since we released the 2014 edition I'm listening to the tracks more relaxed, not with the mind of a straight torturer telling the guys "Hey, I need your track by NOW, we've got all tracks, we're just waiting for YOU, motherfucker!" *laughing* Now, when I listen to it as a fan, I enjoy it so much and I'm surprised at the level we reached without any pressure. Well, I tried to avoid any. This was not my first production, so I knew about schedules, deadlines and ignoring rules. But it's all about friendship, support, respect and having fun: I arranged it, right, but those incredible artists made the tracks and they should get all the applause for their work! Every album falls or stands with its (invited) artists - sounds very German-ish. Damn, I should finally learn English! :-D
02-What can you share with us about the finer points of corralling all those incredible mixers into a coherent album?
As I said before, it was a test, when we organized the first edition: Would we reach their interest? Well, we did. And as we saw the feedback from Eurythmics fandom, we did everything right. It is not that hard to ask the artists, it is harder to motivate them. No begging required! I really wanted some of the very big guys doing me that favour, making one or more track(s) for the album(s), but it was neither their style of music nor possible due to lack of time. And I have to respect their answers. But I never give up and they know me, I'll bother them next time again. Sorry guys, I'll get you one day.
I don't tell secrets when I say that every artist is a different person, and personality. Some are invited, hardly say "I'm in", and after some days or weeks you get a result. Others ask (Do I like it, what do I think, how is that part…) and we fix it together, sometimes simple things are not heard, some tiny oot ( out of timing ) there, some little ook ( out of key ) here, that's the community: Helping each other, being there for each other. Here it worked: None of us was never ever angry due to a critical comment! Because it was always constructive. And like this, most of the guys follow the rule "let the energy flow" and they gave me NIKE: They just did it.
03-I reckon 2/3rds of the bootleggers around the world are familiar with you, BigSammy, how did you choose which people to work with?
Good Lord, too much honour for me! As GYBO's SpamQueen, the Weird Pepper or Da Goddamn BatSam, I jumped around, gave comments and opinions, posted memes, fixed tracks, helped where I could… BigSammy is authentic and highly annoying. :-D Most of our beloved colleagues and friends are able to deal with me, some (are trying to) ignore me, a few fight me. But I would do something wrong in case of being loved by all 7 billion people crawling around on this planet. And your planet is really nice, just the music could be better… :-D
Hm, let's say it like this: I do not harm, but as a chick in a man's world you must be better than the average. This, my knowledge about music history, my (musical) ears and my weird humour might've helped me being where I am: Trusted and respected. This might sound arrogant, but being open, honest and fulfilling-what-you-promised-mentality are very important. After virtual contacts, I met a lot of our colleagues during my travels in reality, and they were surprised that in reality I was the same bitch as in our communities. Well, it isn't played, I am really like that, I'm (not) sorry! Friendship grows, with trust and honesty. Folks like Colatron or Mixcut are my closest virtual friends - we never met, but we share a lot. Others like SchniedelWutz I've known for years as we first met in reality before common interests came out. So, I'm not sure if I chose THEM, maybe the projects chose the artists. And who am I to steal an opportunity? Mostly there is a hard core which will always be informed about a project, even it isn't their cup of tea. But why should I decide that? Maybe it is exactly what they are waiting for.
In this case of Mashythmics 2 I hoped for some more friends, but some were between two other projects, two retired, a few felt uninspired, some said EuryWHAT?" - imagine, there are still artists who you have to explain (IRONY ON) why Michael Jackson's COME TOGETHER is played by a strange boy group called Buggles or so, and that Lynn Anderson's ROSE GARDEN is not a remake of KonKan's I beg your pardon. (IRONY OFF) And there is much much more, which ends in facepalms. :-D Sometimes it's like teaching and learning at the same time, it is called interacting or simply "communication". And this is why I do it. Exchange of knowledge. Networking. Awesome!
After choosing the projects main theme I look around and ask people if there were interested. Next step was creating a group with a title, collecting and inviting folks. Telling what we would like to reach and receive. Go! :-D No, not that easy. Every artist, every country, every continent's got its own way of making a tune. There is not THE Germans or THE Americans, not THE French or THE Asians, but or especially because of that information you DO make a decision. Sure, you want the best of the best, following those who are great but not that well-known, others who are unknown - and you need some chicks! :-D Talking about a "Female Rate"? Forget it, would be nice, but you'll find an honest politician earlier than 5 female bootleggers on an album. Man's world, but I do not have a single sleepless night because of that fact. Ms Doll is the only chick on our album, who cares?! That's why we made her pink, btw. Oh, and btw 2.0, we hid 3 easter eggs - one I showed you now.
So, really, it is not exactly "choosing them". After getting my invitation they choose being with me and my project - or not. I do not make differences between big names or unknown artists - maybe the big one will be forgotten after 3 years and the now-unknown will a star. And what does it mean in the end? The important thing is the tracks. Every artists is responsible for his/ her own legend, music and story - made with his/ her music. I'll always remember a guy at a gas station when I was listening to "La Donna È Mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto and he said "Oh, cool, ChocoKrossies…" (a famous German chocolate commercial). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53xzUXucMmY
Well, it was the song that survived in his tiny brain… :-D
04-After a successful project like this, I expect your motivated to consider another project in future. Is that the case?
Oh yes. Because being a fan of some kind (or era) of music limits you in a special way because once you heard and collected everything ever existed you reached it, it's over - and that`s it. No NEW stuff anymore. But there's a "going on" and you'll find remixes, reworks and mashies. And there I was myself, many years ago! It was a door which was opened to Bootieland and all borders fell down. That was the time when I realized that there is much more than what they show us in their mainstream charts and on the radio. But at the same time I saw that it would be hard to reach all those artists and releases. Internet became huge and important, and the possibility of getting ALL and EVERYTHING was out of reach. But I never give up. Good for me, bad for those who are working with me. :-D
Later on Gybo, or on Facebook, I got all those amazing tracks made by awesome artists, but I felt like they didn't really know each other. My love is networking. Once an artist on GYBO said "Sammy, you're like a Bootleg-Nokia: Always connecting people". Well, maybe that's it. My passion for music, especially for bootlegs, is channeled from making music or dj-ing to organizing and supporting artists. Sharing, producing, helping - however you call it, it is innovative and creative, too. For baking a cake you need a hand mixer, ingredients, an oven… I am the one who organizes the party where we eat the cake. :-D But YES, there are lots of weird ideas for mashups, for samplers, for so many projects. It is mostly a question OF time, but asking IN time is important. Stay tuned, there'll be more!
05-You're in a better position than many to have a clear perspective of the mashup 'scene'. Any thoughts on how you think it's going at present?
I think we are alive! The scene lives. We've had always good and bad times, we've a lot of freshmen and newbies with excellent skills. Rumours said mashups are dying, but I think this is simple understatement: Many artists are tired, some are influenced by copyright infringements, some artists' muses retired, or are on holidays. The truth is that the scene changed. Not only because of technical equipment and software doing the job of our ears, but also because there is a lack of respect, mostly of communication. We might have forgotten: There was a time when WE were the newbies and the elder ones watched us with a spockish eyebrow. "Fascinating, we are so damn fucked!" But ask our dinos Boris B. or TheVoicedude for example, they are icons and they saw it coming and going.
I'm always optimistic and I believe that changes are normal. I'm not speaking about copyrights and underground status for bootleg(ger)s, about grey zone and deleting our files from soundcloud. THIS is something we all should think about, and splitting our community into dozens of blogs and boards does not help. Unfortunately it is also about power: One gets a MOD position and plays god and talks bullshit instead of helping the others, which is the first rule in Bootieland: Help and support! But I could philosophize about this for hours. I know that most of us think the same way. So, back to topic: We do not need to reinvent the universe, it's good as it is.
I think about it like a normal kind of evolution: What is bad or wrong will go down - and what survives the little bangs is worth it. We do not need to fear, there are so many cool things like Crumplebangers, many bootleggers from all around the world are maturing, day by day. But there is a message:
Newbies: Respect the elders and their work, ask for help and support, and for their opinion. See them as a Jedi, not as a Dark Sith Lord - and the force will be with you.
Dinos: There are fresh and innovative mirrors of yourself, naughty and weird, like you, when you were younger. Guide them when they want to be guided. Make them padawans growing up, be there.
I love the mentor-concept - it always worked. There's so much we all can give each other, so share experience and creativity - and Bootieland will live long and prosper.
06-What type of music, or artist do you prefer not to be mashed? Any?
Surprisingly there isn't any! I listened to Bieber and Gaga mashies which were better than the original tracks.I received titles and I thought "Man, this will be suicide" but it worked so damn good. I wished for less mashies with current hits, but it's normal that bootleggers use current songs. Mostly it's hard to make a mashie when stems are not existing. Imagine our MASHYTHMICS with more Lennox-Steward pellas and mentals. Unfortunately here we're limited, which makes a third edition even harder. But anyway, I'm not the one asking for more A, or less B mashies. Mashups are so creative, the ideas behind them are so unbelievably innovative, and even the weirdest mashie is a great mashie. Crumplebangers? Amazing! So weird that it's cool again. And even German Volksmusik, Mexican Cumbia or any kind of world music can and should be used. Mashies MUST be different, the less rules and borders the better. Because as long as you "may" use any source for a mashie the mashies themselves will not die.
07-Thanks very much for 'sitting' down with me, & granting us this interview. We hope to hear much more from you as our earthly lives proceed.
It's always a pleasure and an honour, my friend. Thank you very much for giving me the chance to annoy and reduce your fandom.
*sits back in her corner and sings an Engelbert Humperdinck melodie*
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Stuart Heritage: "How to be as successful as Obama and Zuckerberg: wear the same clothes every day" (Guardian)
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Emma Brockes: It's OK if 'the cloud' is stressing you out. But your digital life still might evaporate (Guardian)
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Cara Waters: "Alice Waters: supermarkets steal our language, but not our links with food" (Guardian)
Food is a political issue for Alice Waters. "I've always thought of it that way," she says. It's not Australia's cuisine or sights that have finally lured the 70-year-old chef, author and food activist to Australia but a political event on a global stage.
John O'Sullivan: "No Offense: The New Threats to Free Speech" (Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. and Britain have long considered themselves the standard-bearers for freedom of expression. Can this proud tradition survive the idea that 'hurtful' speech deserves no protection?
ROSS POSNOCK: The Salinger Riddle (Public Books)
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Elorm Kojo Ntumy: 5 True Stories Too Unbelievable For the Movies They Inspired (Cracked)
Fictional characters aren't constrained by boring old reality. They don't have to poop or pay taxes or make awkward small talk at bus stops; they just have to embody villainy, hope, or heroism in ways that no stupid mortal could aspire to. They are truly larger than life ... except for when they're equal to or less than life. Sometimes reality is indeed stranger than fiction, and the real people that inspired your favorite fictional characters are actually far more compelling. Like ...
Kristi Harrison, Jacopo della Quercia: 11 Celebrities Who Were Secretly Total Badasses (Cracked)
One of the small comforts of watching a movie is knowing that, yeah, those guys might be idols up on the big screen, but off-camera they're probably just like the rest of us: 30 pounds overweight, living in an abandoned semi-truck cab and selling weed for denture money.
Personality test: what job would make you happiest? (Guardian)
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David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce's Blog
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
wrote:
took the day off.
is back to semi-retired.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Mostly overcast and cooler.
Judges Bow To Corporate Interests
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
First she took on the banks. Now she's lambasting the lobbyists. It looks like Sen. Elizabeth Warren's next target will be federal courts, where the rich seem to play by a different set of rules.
Addressing hundreds gathered at an American Civil Liberties Union event not more than an hour after she landed on the Los Angeles tarmac, Warren leapfrogged from the issue of money and influence in Congress and turned her formidable gaze to the résumés of federal judges.
"Look closely at the composition of the federal bench today, and you will see a striking lack of professional diversity," Warren said Sunday night.
Only 11 of the United States' 850 federal judges have experience from outside either the corporate or the prosecutorial world, Warren said, and that big business background makes many judges unfit to administer justice for people who are more likely to work at a Walmart than to own one. These judges might lack the experience or the empathy to rule fairly on issues that concern the "voiceless," as Warren put it.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Flubs Governor's Name On-Air
Megyn Kelly
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Fox News darling Megyn Kelly not only flubbed Mike Huckabee's name but she turned it into profanity.
In a segment on her Fox News show "The Kelly File," she managed to say the former Arkansas governor's name correctly the first time around but while reading the title of his show, "Huckabee," she replaced the H with an F.
"Joining me now, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who's the host of Fucka… Huckabee!" Kelly said, correcting herself with barely a smile.
Megyn Kelly
Megyn Kelly Literally F*cks Up Mike Huckabee's Name On Air - YouTube
World Record $24 Million
The Henry Graves Supercomplication
A gold pocket watch made by Patek Philippe for a New York banker in the 1930s fetched 23.2 million Swiss francs ($24 million) at auction on Tuesday, smashing the record for a timepiece it previously set 15 years ago, Sotheby's said.
Henry Graves commissioned the famed Swiss watchmaker to produce the world's most complicated watch and surpass one made for James Packard, the American automobile manufacturer.
The pre-sale estimate, set by the auction house, was 15 million Swiss francs. The seller and buyer chose to remain anonymous at the auction at a Geneva lakeside hotel, where bidding continued for 15 suspenseful minutes.
The watch, which was last wound in 1969 and is still ticking, retained the title of most complicated watch for 56 years and was only surpassed by technicians working with the aid of computer technology, Sotheby's said in a statement.
The Henry Graves Supercomplication
Cancelled By TNT
'Franklin & Bash'
TNT has opted not to order a fifth season of the legal buddy dramedy Franklin & Bash starring Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. This happens to be the first major programming decision since Turner Broadcasting last week brought in Kevin Reilly to oversee TNT and TBS. Franklin & Bash got off to a solid start in 2011 but has been slipping in the past couple of years. Its most recent fourth season started with 1.25 million viewers, down -60% from the Season 3 opener. The season and now series finale drew 975,000 viewers.
TNT is going through a transitional period as it is tweaking its drama brand. "We are going to get edgier, we are going to get louder, and we are going to get more dual (male-female), but we also have an existing audience, we have an existing fan base with a lot of our very popular shows," Turner Broadcasting President David Levy told Deadline last week. "It's an evolution, a bridge-type process that will take place as opposed to a turnaround. You are going to see shows like Legends and Public Morals that are going to bring us on a path to a more edgier type of shows; this is a path we are taking."
'Franklin & Bash'
'When You Are Done...'
Canadian's Letter
A Canadian's letter to the editor of the Detroit Free Press is generating buzz across the United States.
In the letter, published on Monday, Richard Brunt - who claims to be from Victoria, B.C. - says that Canadians are confused by the outcome of last week's U.S. mid-term elections, which saw the Republicans retake control of Congress.
"Consider, right now in America, corporate profits are at record highs, the country's adding 200,000 jobs per month, unemployment is below 6 per cent, U.S. gross national product growth is the best of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries," he wrote.
"The dollar is at its strongest levels in years, the stock market is near record highs, gasoline prices are falling, there's no inflation, interest rates are the lowest in 30 years, U.S. oil imports are declining, U.S. oil production is rapidly increasing, the deficit is rapidly declining, and the wealthy are still making astonishing amounts of money.
"So, Americans vote for the party that got you into the mess that Obama just dug you out of? This defies reason. When you are done with Obama, could you send him our way?"
Canadian's Letter
60-Year, $1 Billion NASA Lease
Google
Google has signed a long-term lease for part of a historic Navy air base, where it plans to renovate three massive hangars and use them for projects involving aviation, space exploration and robotics.
The giant Internet company will pay $1.16 billion in rent over 60 years for the property, which also includes a working air field, golf course and other buildings. The 1,000-acre site is part of the former Moffett Field Naval Air Station on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Google plans to invest more than $200 million to refurbish the hangars and add other improvements, including a museum or educational facility that will showcase the history of Moffett and Silicon Valley, according to a NASA statement. The agency said a Google subsidiary called Planetary Ventures LLC will use the hangars for "research, development, assembly and testing in the areas of space exploration, aviation, rover/robotics and other emerging technologies."
NASA plans to continue operating its Ames Research Center on the former Navy site. Google will take over operations at the runways and hangars, including a massive structure that was built to house dirigible-style Navy airships in the 1930s. NASA said the deal will save it $6.3 million in annual maintenance and operation costs.
Google already has a separate lease for another portion of the former air base, where it wants to build a second campus. Page and Brin have also used the Moffett runways for their collection of private jets, under another lease arrangement that's been criticized by some watchdog groups who say NASA gave the executives a sweetheart deal.
Google
AP Demands
FBI
The Associated Press on Monday demanded assurances from the Justice Department that the FBI will never again impersonate a member of the news media, following revelations that an agent in Seattle portrayed himself as an AP journalist during a criminal investigation.
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director James Comey, the president and CEO of the news cooperative, Gary Pruitt, also demanded to know who authorized the 2007 impersonation, what process was followed for its approval, how the requirements to impersonate the media are different from seven years ago and whether such operations are still being carried out.
Comey revealed in a letter to The New York Times last week that an FBI agent had posed as an AP reporter to help catch a 15-year-old suspected of making bomb threats at a high school in Washington state. Comey said the agent posing as an AP reporter asked the suspect to review a fake AP article about threats and cyberattacks directed at the school to ensure "that the anonymous suspect was portrayed fairly."
The FBI director defended the "unusual technique" as legal under agency guidelines at the time, and still lawful "and, in a rare case, appropriate" today, although he said it would now "probably require higher-level approvals than in 2007."
"In stealing our identity, the FBI tarnishes that reputation, belittles the value of the free press rights enshrined in our Constitution and endangers AP journalists and other newsgatherers around the world," he wrote. "This deception corrodes the most fundamental tenet of a free press - our independence from government control and corollary responsibility to hold government accountable."
FBI
'Dark Ice' Speeds Up Melting
Greenland
Ribbons of "dark ice" are exposed on the otherwise white, frozen landscape of Greenland every summer, and researchers think these bands could reveal how climate change will affect the huge island.
Climate scientists Johnny Ryan, from Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom, and Jason Box, from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, camped out in tents for most of the summer in southwest Greenland to measure how well dark ice, which is rich with impurities, can reflect sunlight. Their work is part of the ongoing Dark Snow Project that scientists hope will reveal more about how climate change will influence the melting of Greenland's ice sheet.
A drone captured images of Ryan and Box's tents in August. A patch of dark ice is visible to the right of the campsite. And a close-up provides a look at the team's scientific equipment, such as spectrometers used to measure the reflectivity of the ice. NASA's Earth Observatory released the images on Oct. 28.
The Greenland Ice Sheet covers about 660,000 square miles (1.7 million square kilometers). That's about the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River. The giant ice layer covers most of Greenland year round. The only land that ever thaws out is a narrow strip near the coasts as some glaciers melt and dump out into the ocean. A few streams and melt ponds show up farther inland, along with patches of dark ice.
Greenland
350-Year-Old Artifacts
Rathfarnham Castle
During a survey of an Irish castle, archaeologist Antoine Giacometti stuck his hand into a wet washing pit beneath the floor. He didn't expect to find anything in the pit, much less a golden piece of jewelry dating back to the late 1600s.
The pit at Rathfarnham Castle contained artifacts dating from 1650 to 1700, including pointy high-heeled women's shoes, porcelain plates and teacups imported from China. A Cromwellian armor breastplate and a jar of red material likely used to redden women's lips and cheeks were also found.
Dozens of families have lived in Rathfarnham Castle since its construction in 1583 in south Dublin. The waterlogged washing pit was likely sealed in about 1700, preserving the bric-a-brac, which even include tea leaves, Giacometti told Live Science.
At any rate, the artifacts likely belonged to the household of Lord Adam Loftus (1625-1691), a descendant of the original Archbishop Adam Loftus, who built the castle, Giacometti said. The lord worked with King Charles II and King William of Orange, and oversaw Irish state finances during a time of great tension between Catholic Ireland and Protestant England.
Rathfarnham Castle
On Display in Washington, D.C.
Magna Carta
Scrawled in Medieval Latin on yellowing parchment, an original copy of the Magna Carta is now on view at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The historic charter turns 800 next year. To celebrate, the Library of Congress is hosting a 10-week exhibition, "Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor."
The centerpiece of the show is the Lincoln Cathedral Magna Carta, on loan from its caretaker, the Lincoln Cathedral in England.
The document is one of just four surviving copies from 1215. That year, English barons pressured King John (who was later villainized in the legend of Robin Hood) into signing the Magna Carta. The text had 63 clauses drawn up to limit John's power, but by far the most enduring article was this one:
Magna Carta
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Nov. 3-9. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Chicago at Green Bay, NBC, 18.13 million.
2. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 16.58 million.
3. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 16.56 million.
4. "CMA Awards," ABC, 16.25 million.
5. "The Walking Dead," AMC, 13.53 million.
6. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 13.09 million.
7. "Madam Secretary, CBS, 12.54 million.
8. NFL Football: Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants, ESPN, 12.36 million.
9. "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.16 million.
10. "Football Night in America," NBC, 12.06 million.
11. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 12.06 million.
12. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.51 million.
13. "NCIS," CBS, 11.47 million.
14. "Mom," CBS, 10.8 million.
15. "The Good Wife," CBS, 10.72 million.
16. "The OT," Fox, 10.45 million.
17. "Scorpion," CBS, 10.34 million.
18. "NCIS: New Orleans," CBS, 9.91 million.
19. "Scandal," ABC, 9.82 million.
20. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 9.79 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Carol Ann Susi
Carol Ann Susi, who is best known for voicing Mrs. Wolowitz on CBS's The Big Bang Theory, died early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles after battling cancer. She was 62.
Mrs. Wolowitz was rarely seen on-screen - though eagle-eyed viewers caught a glimpse of the pink-clad parent at Howard's (Simon Helberg) wedding in the fifth season finale.
It is unclear how Susi's passing will impact the show, though it is worth noting Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) does a spot-on impression of her character. Mrs. Wolowitz has had a central storyline this season, in which the gang's friend Stewart (Kevin Sussman) moves in with Mrs. Wolowitz to nurse her through her declining health. Howard becomes jealous, thinking Stewart has replaced him in his mother's heart.
Susi grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s. Shortly after, she earned a spot as Kolchak's secretary, Monique Marmelstein, on ABC's The Night Stalker. Other credits include guest appearances on Cheers, Doogie Howser, M.D., Mad About You, Just Shoot Me, Seinfeld and Six Feet Under.
On the 1992 Seinfeld episode "The Boyfriend" (which famously features a guest-starring stint by New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez), Susi's character, the daughter of an unemployment officer, goes out on a horrible date with George (Jason Alexander).
Susi is survived by her brother, Michael Susi, and his wife Connie, and many friends she considered to be family.
Carol Ann Susi
In Memory
Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson
Big Bank Hank, a member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, "Rapper's Delight," has died of complications of cancer at age 57.
He died Tuesday at a hospital in Englewood, according to David Mallie, a business manager for two former members of the group, and Aree Booker, a funeral director with Eternity Funeral Services.
Big Bank Hank, whose real name was Henry Jackson, was born in the Bronx borough of New York. He was a part of the Sugarhill Gang in 1979 when it had hip-hop's first hit with "Rapper's Delight." The song was released as hip-hop music started to emerge as a genre, and it landed in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It also peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, now called the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The Sugarhill Gang, which was formed in Englewood, also included Master Gee and Wonder Mike.
"Rapper's Delight" became a success thanks to the late Sylvia Robinson, the record label owner who released it on her Sugar Hill Records. Robinson, who was known as the Mother of Hip-Hop, died in 2011.
After "Rapper's Delight," the trio had minor successes with songs such as "Apache" and "8th Wonder" but faded away. Their last album was a 1999 children's rap album, "Jump On It!"
Gee and Mike currently perform under the name Rapper's Delight Experience featuring Wonder Mike and Master Gee, Mallie said. Robinson's son owns the Sugarhill Gang trademark, and Gee and Mike haven't been able to perform under the name since 2010, he said.
Gee and Mike were on good terms with Big Bank Hank before he died, Mallie said.
Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson
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