M Is FOR MASHUP - December 16th, 2015
Four December Mashup Albums
From DJ Useo
One of my favorite things ever is a fine mashup album. Strangely, there's fewer, & fewer of them available nowadays. I'm now presenting to you four new ones that've recently appeared. All four are by established bootleggers with a proven track record when it comes to creating an entire album. Allow me now to briefly describe each album, & link you to their gratis goodies.
01 - "Happy Cat Disco's Litter Box Collection (2015)" . A collection of 30 unpublished mashups from 2015 .
HCD says of his own collection "About 20% of my mashups never get published for various reasons.
I've decided to combine these into a yearly compilation album I call the Litter Box Collection!"
These are all inventive, & memorable mashups that I'm enjoying very much. I think you will too.
( theinstituteofbootleggers.blogspot.com/2015/12/happy-cat-discos-litter-box-collection.html )
02 - S.I.R. - "Strictly 2015: Songs From The Dock" . S.I.R. has been making great mainstream mashups for many years now, so this new album comes very welcome to me. All the tracks are prerelease tested, & wonderful to hear. S.I.R. says "My new compilation album 'Strictly 2015: Songs From The Dock' is OUT NOW! Hope you'll like it and spread the news :) "
( sirremixes.blogspot.com/2015/12/sir-strictly-2015-songs-from-dock-new.html )
03 - DJNoNo - "Ballroom" album . DJNoNo is a fine veteran of the bootleg wars with many a great past release. Of this new record, he says "As part of my last mashups I finished this project, started 10 years ago with 'Stripper Jackson' and 'Cha Cha Like It's Hot'. This presents them in remixed or HQ form and 7 other new tunes. Mixing ballroom music - big band, jazz, bossa nova, exotica, swing, easy listening and classical pops - with hip hop and r n' b years before the term electroswing was invented, I'm surprised no-one has done an album concept like this in the last decade? It's very Crumpl."
( www.mutantpop.net/artists/djnono/final-mashups-4-djnono-ballroom )
04 - ToToM - "Kanye of the Stone Age (album)" .
ToToM is a proven commodity when it comes to inventive, successful mashups. That talent shows thought this swell collection. Each track is instrumentals of Queens of the Stone Age, & acapellas from Kanye West . The melded effect is extremely rewarding. Treat yourself to the best.
( theinstituteofbootleggers.blogspot.com/2015/12/totom-kanye-of-stone-age-album.html )
There you go, four fantastic free records! Mashups do you right once more!
I'll be back next Wednesday with more.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Donald and the Chump Factor (NY Times Blog)
Nobody likes looking like a chump, and most people will go to great lengths to convince themselves that they weren't. Now think about someone who has been supporting Trump since the summer. For the Trump bubble to burst, many people like that would have to slap their foreheads and say, "Wow, he's not a serious person! What was I thinking?" And very few people ever do that sort of thing.
Paul Krugman: The Facts Have A Well-Known, You Know (NY Times Blog)
Somehow there seems to be a pattern in this chart from the editor of PolitiFact, but I can't quite put my finger on it…
Elliot Hannon: Bill Cosby Sues for Defamation Seven Women Who Say He Sexually Assaulted Them (Slate)
Cosby's lawyer, Monique Pressley, released a statement Monday saying Cosby is seeking punitive damages and compensation for the financial hit Cosby has taken, as well as a public retraction and correction from the women.
Elliot Hannon: Ex-Oklahoma Cop Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting More Than a Dozen Women While on Duty (Slate)
"Holtzclaw was accused of preying on women in the low-income Oklahoma City neighborhood he patrolled. Prosecutors alleged that he stopped women on the pretense of checking them for outstanding warrants or drug-related items, then forced them to perform sexual acts. The youngest accuser was 17. All 13 of the women are black. Many had problems with drugs or criminal records." - Associated Press
Christina Cauterucci: Got a Pharmacy Slut-Shaming Problem? Reddit Can Help (Slate)
"There is nothing more contemptible in the eyes of corporate management than a line-worker that exposes them to liability as a result of airing their personal politics," wrote lawstudent2, who says he's counseled companies who've been accused of HIPAA breaches. "I gauran-fucking-tee you that [CVS] will have a whole hell of a lot to say about this, and they have little patience for repeat offenders. … A few complaints about lecturing women about birth control and this woman will have to find a job elsewhere." The pharmacy board could register complaints on the pharmacist's license and levy fines against both the pharmacist and CVS.
Leslie Jamison: "Instead of Sobbing, You Write Sentences: An Interview with Charles D'Ambrosio" (Tin House)
… wondering, always wondering. Wondering what? Why a father wrote poems or a brother jumped off a bridge or an orphanage doesn't have any trash cans. D'Ambrosio follows the wondering rather than trying to resolve it. "Answers are the end of speech, not the beginning," he writes. He is committed to the questions that "salt and preserve life."
Katy Waldman: Kurt and Bernard (Slate)
A double biography of Kurt and Bernard Vonnegut as they planted the seeds of the postwar era.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 80 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
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Writing
David
Thanks, Dave!
The Flooded Apartment - Another Update
The Useos
Hi Marty and readers,
An update on the apt and our situation.
The good news for us is the carpeting has finally been removed, & the tiling installed.
The bad news is after a month the place needs more than just that.
FEMA is supposed to come inspect it tomorrow.
I hope something goes right, as we'll be on the street in about a week.
And our expenses continue to mount.
Please consider our Gofundme page, we welcome anything.
Thank you for continued support thru donations and prayers,
Konrad, Patricia, and the four wee ones, Belle, Jammie, Nadia and Mara.
Thanks for the update!
All too happy to post your gofundme request.
Good luck!
from Marc Perkel
Patriot Act
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
MY WEEKEND WITH DONALD.
FASTER HORSES, YOUNGER WOMEN, OLDER WHISKEY, MORE GUNS!
TAKE THE TEST.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Took over 2 hours to drive home from work. Even missed Final Jeopardy. Ack.
5-Year Deal With Sirius XM
Howard Stern
Much has changed for Howard Stern and SiriusXM since their first deal a decade ago - except for their desire to stay in business together.
The company announced Tuesday its third five-year deal to keep Stern's radio show at SiriusXM, together with a longer-term video arrangement that will allow fans to see as well as hear his program and have access to 30 years of career highlights.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Since it includes a 12-year provision giving Sirius control of Stern's archives, it is likely well north of the $500 million deal made when he moved from terrestrial to satellite radio in 2006, which was then an important step in establishing a fledgling industry.
Once radio's ultimate shock jock known for salacious material, Stern at 61 has grown mellower and the show's signature is becoming its in-depth interviews with celebrities like Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Neil Young, Bradley Cooper, Chris Rock and others.
Specific plans for how use of the archival material will be announced later. While Stern mentioned streaming of his morning show, Meyer said there have been no discussions yet about simulcasting it on television.
Howard Stern
Back on NBC
Brian Williams
Brian Williams was back on NBC Tuesday afternoon when he anchored a special report about a threat that led to the shutdown of Los Angeles County schools on Tuesday.
It was the first time Williams was back on the network as an anchor since he was suspended last February. (He did appear on Today in an interview with Matt Lauer after NBC announced last June that Williams would relinquish the Nightly News anchor chair and become MSNBC's breaking news anchor.)
Since then, Williams has anchored multiple reports for MSNBC, including on Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. last September and the shooting at a community college in Oregon in October. He was not available for breaking news coverage of the San Bernardino shootings because he was recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.
Nightly News anchor Lester Holt -- who has anchored special reports about the Paris attacks and also the San Bernardino shooting -- was out sick on Tuesday. (Kate Snow will sub for Holt onNightly.)
Brian Williams
"HITnRUN phase two"
Prince
Prince, the prolific and often unpredictable pop icon, has put out another album with no prior warning as he rejoices in the possibilities of streaming.
Prince dropped "HITnRUN phase two" over the weekend as an exclusive on Tidal, the service led by rap mogul Jay Z.
The release came just as a younger star, Taylor Swift, on Sunday announced that she would put out a film next week of her blockbuster world tour solely on Apple Music.
The moves show the increasingly fragmented landscape for streaming, a sector that has grown rapidly in recent years by offering unlimited, on-demand music online.
After meeting earlier this year with Jay Z, Prince hailed Tidal as the answer for artists who want greater control -- even though the pop icon famously declared in 2010, "The Internet is completely over," as he released an album as a CD insert to European newspapers.
Prince
Posts Record Warmth
Arctic
The warming Arctic has set another record.
The average air temperature over Arctic land reached 2.3 degrees F (1.3 degrees C) above average for the year ending in September. That's the highest since observations began in 1900.
The new mark was noted in the annual Arctic Report Card, released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Arctic centers on the North Pole and reaches into North America and Eurasia.
Another record emerged for sea ice, which appears when Arctic Ocean water freezes. When it reached its peak coverage in February, it was the lowest maximum extent since records began in 1979. The minimum ice coverage, reached in September, was the fourth lowest on record.
Snow cover in June in both the North American and Eurasian parts of the Arctic was at the second lowest level since records began in 1967. Reduced snow cover lets more sunlight through to the land, which absorbs the energy and gets warmer. Since 1979, the extent of June snow cover has been dropping by 18 percent per decade, the study said.
Arctic
Released Spy's Information Still Top Secret
Jonathan Pollard
Most of the information convicted spy Jonathan Pollard had and passed along to Israel 30 years ago remains top secret and could gravely harm national security, a federal lawyer said Monday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Tinio spoke after U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan cast doubt on the reasonableness of strict parole conditions for Pollard if no one believes the former naval intelligence officer still possesses classified information.
The judge said she will require the U.S. Parole Commission to better state its reasons for parole conditions before ruling on a defense request to relax them. Pollard was released from prison last month.
She said the Justice Department's National Security Division told her that his classified information would be labeled top secret, meaning it could be expected to cause "exceptionally grave damage to national security" if it was released.
The judge is considering Pollard's lawyers' request to relax conditions including monitoring of his computers and his whereabouts, along with a curfew.
Jonathan Pollard
No Hidden Nazi Train
Walbrzych, Poland
Polish geology experts said Tuesday they have found no traces of a train at a site allegedly hiding a World War II Nazi train.
Experts from the University of Science and Technology in Krakow examined the site in Walbrzych, in southwestern Poland, last month using magnetic and gravitation equipment. But the head of the team, Janusz Madej, said "according to our examination, there might be a tunnel there but there is no train there."
The conclusion concerns only one of a number of sites in the Walbrzych area, where explorers claim war-time installations and even a train may be found. During the war, the Nazis built a system of underground tunnels in the mountains surrounding the city. Historians vary in opinion whether they were intended as shelters or secret weapons factory.
Madej spoke at a news conference in Walbrzych. Speaking before him, explorer Piotr Koper said his examination of the site indicated there is a secret tunnel there and some readings on his geology equipment might suggest the existence of a hidden war train. Koper's examinations were made earlier than those by the geology experts.
According to local lore, the Nazis hid a train with gold in a secret tunnel nearby while fleeing the Red Army in 1945, at the end of the war. The area was in Germany at the time but became part of Poland when borders were redrawn after the war.
Walbrzych, Poland
Arms Sales Surge
Russia
Arms manufacturers in North America and Western Europe dominated international arms sales in 2014, but their market share dropped while Russian and Asian companies saw theirs rise, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported Monday.
Total turnover for the 100 biggest arms and military services companies declined for the fourth year in a row, falling by 1.5 percent from 2013 to stand at $401 billion (364 billion euros).
The top company was US-based Lockheed Martin, which saw sales grow by 3.9 percent to $37.5 billion for 2014.
Companies based in Western Europe and the United States continue to dominate the top 100, with 80 percent of the total market share. But sales for Western European and US companies decreased by 3.2 percentage points between 2013 and 2014.
Meanwhile, the 36 companies representing the rest of the world on SIPRI's list saw their sales soar by 25 percent, boosted by an almost 50-percent rise in Russian arms sales.
Russia
Opium Cultivation Drops
Afghanistan
Afghanistan saw a drop in opium cultivation this year for the first time since 2009, a United Nations report said, citing drought conditions as a key reason for the decline.
Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been on the rise in the past decade, fuelling the Taliban insurgency and spurring a growing crisis of drug addiction despite costly US-led counter-narcotics programmes.
But the total area under cultivation dropped to 183,000 hectares (452,203 acres) in 2015, a 19 percent decrease from last year when it hit a record high, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Lower levels of cultivation meant the total opium production dropped to 3,300 tons this year, a 48 percent fall over 2014.
Afghanistan
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Dec. 7-13. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: New England at Houston, NBC, 20.99 million.
2. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 16.25 million.
3. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 15.27 million.
4. NFL Football: Dallas at Washington, ESPN, 14.15 million.
5. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 13.13 million.
6. "The OT," Fox, 13.05 million.
7. Movie: "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors," NBC, 13.03 million.
8. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 12.25 million.
9. "Football Night in America," NBC, 11.95 million.
10. "NCIS," CBS, 11.42 million.
11. "60 Minutes," CBS, 10.65 million.
12. "Madam Secretary," CBS, 10.14 million.
13. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 9.95 million.
14. "Survivor," CBS, 9.91 million.
15. "Chicago Med," NBC, 9.6 million.
16. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 9.52 million.
17. "NCIS: New Orleans," CBS, 9.38 million.
18. "Scorpion," CBS, 9.3 million.
19. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 9.27 million.
20. "Chicago Fire," NBC, 9.13 million.
Ratings
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