War for the principle of balance
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "songsoverruins" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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01:06 pm
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Recent gerecenseerd
Plumerai - Without Number
Moljebka Pvlse & Seventeen Migs Of Spring - Ravha / Electricity Gardens
Roy-Arne Knutsen - Fjords
Waterbear - Assemblance Of These
Cordell Klier & Datura 1.0 - Repeal Compulsion
Rome - Masse Mensch Material
Violet Tears - Breeze Of Solitude
Narsilion - Namarië
Current Music: Sieghetnar - Todessehnsucht
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12:24 am
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Time is like a bullet from behind
Zoooo... weer een dikke 2½ maand verder. Het geplande experiment met visjes in de kelder in februari-maart werd maart-april. Na wat leek een eindeloze periode van labwerk van de winter, gevolgd door data analyse, werd het tijd om aan dit experiment te gaan beginnen. Niet dat de data analyse al klaar is, maar de tijd raakt wel op, dus ik moet nu aan dit experiment beginnen om het voor het veldseizoen af te krijgen. Ik moet zeggen, het is prettig om weer eens met iets anders bezig te zijn. Kortom, tijd om weer eens wat foto's te plaatsen ; ) Kijk, als je een groep bent die geld heeft dan kun je onderstaande faciliteiten aanschaffen om vissen in te kweken. Dit zijn volledig afgesloten systemen, met automatische verwarming en filterinstallaties die het water filteren en rondpompen in alle compartimenten en . Kosten voor dit soort rekken; € 10.000; en in deze ruimte alleen al staan er vijf.
De Finse variant van de varkensflat (even voor de duidelijkheid, sommige mensen dachten dat deze rekken van mij waren. Nee dus! Deze behoren toe aan een andere en grotere (lees: financieël beter bedeelde) onderzoeksgroep in ons department).
The Matrix, anyone? Hieronder dan ook mijn budget versie van dezelfde setup; een wirwar van slangen en kabels ; )
Plastic bakken van de IKEA en andere containers vormen de aquaria. Er lopen tuinslangen voor de inflow overheen. Met een soldeerijzer heb ik daar gaatjes in gesmolten waar kleine plastic kraantjes inzitten om de inflow te reguleren. Vanuit elke tank loopt er ook weer een slang voor de uitflow, met T-stukken zitten die aan elkaar gekoppeld en lopen naar centrale slangen die naar een afvoer in de hoek van de ruimte gaan. Tussen november en januari heeft deze ruimte in de kou en volledige duisternis gezeten; dit moest een kunstmatige winter voor deze visjes simuleren. Ondertussen is het licht weer aangegaan en de temperatuur opgevoerd en de eerste visjes beginnen te reageren, ze beginnen hun karakteristieke mating colours te vertonen. Uit de categorie ander nieuws; recent alhier Covenant zien optreden. Erg fijn spul : ) Oh, en vorige keer sprak ik over een projectje. Een tipje van de sluier dan; onderstaand was een verrassing voor ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) rosanegra 's verjaardag
Is dit...? Yep, Leon beleeft zijn tweede jeugd >: )
Current Music: Plumerai - Without Number
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01:06 pm
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Recent gerecenseerd
Michigan - Pulse Of Pain
Bardoseneticcube & Noises Of Russia - New Orthodox Line
Gelsomina & No Xivic - Furnace
Hanzel Und Gretyl -2012: Zwanzig Zwölf
Origami Arktika - Trollebotn
Moljebka Pvlse - Dunkla Dunkla Musik
Qntal - Qntal VI - Translucida
David Thrussell - The Fetid Fungi
Aegri Somnia - Nothingness
Electric Bird Noise - Fragile Hearts... Fragile Mind
Remora - Songs I Sing
Elend - A World In Their Screams
Various Artists - Drones, Loves, Honesties And Sounds
Current Music: Bleiburg - Way Of Crosses
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11:43 pm
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Waar blijft die winter toch ?!
Zo, maar weer eens stukje schrijven dan. *lurkt aan biertje*. Zoals jullie wel merkten heb ik dit weblog min of meer verwaarloosd / genegeerd de afgelopen twee maanden. Niet dat ik het medium beu ben. Ik schreef er eerder al over, ik heb voornamelijk in het laboratorium gezeten. En ook Jenny's baan als lerares Engels begint goed te lopen (had ik gezegd dat ze de Finse minister van buitenlandse zaken lesgeeft?). Oftewel, er werd veel en hard gewerkt. Niet dat het leven weinig enerverend was, maar wel enigszins monotoon.
En nog steeds word ik aangestaard door een enorme berg werk. Tot de herfst van dit jaar zit ik eigenlijk helemaal vast. Eerst nog wat data analyse afronden. Dan februari-maart een experiment in de kelder doen met visjes die ik al sinds het einde van het vorige veldseizoen aan het grootbrengen ben. En daarna zal het echte veldseizoen beginnen. Ik moet proberen dit jaar (mijn derde en laatste jaar al!) het experimentele werk af te ronden. Ik ben op dit moment aan het zoeken naar financiering voor het vierde jaar, maar de meeste beurzen dekken enkel levensonderhoud en zo, geen onderzoekskosten.
Maar goed, afgezien van de werk-werk-werk mantra dan; de tasty morcels. Met halloween hebben we hier in huis maar eens een feestje gebouwd wat een groot succes werd. Het eindigde met kotsende Nederlanders en mensen die zo zat waren dat ze onderweg naar huis tassen kwijtraakten en zich niet meer konden herinneren hoe ze gefietst waren. Maffe Hollanders ook.
Ergens in de herfst werd dan trouwens na vijf jaar EINDELIJK mijn artikel gepubliceerd over de stage die ik destijds in Leiden bij Paul Brakefield deed aan de hagedissen en vlinders. Kort daarna werd ik gecontacteerd door een freelance journalist die voor onder andere Nature, Science, New Scientist en The Economist schrijft. Hij wilde het verhaal misschien wel kort bespreken in één van deze bladen! :D
En eind december was er dan eindelijk vakantie. Ik heb velen van jullie kunnen zien, en degenen die ik gemist heb, sorry, maar tien dagen is inderdaad eigenlijk te weinig tijd, zeker in de kerstperiode. Duseuh... kom eens naar Helsinki! Het was ook opmerkelijk te zien hoe een hoop mensen nu dat bepaalde stadium in het leven in gaan wat "settelen" heet. Overal waar ik ging was men aan het verhuizen, of net verhuisd, naar huur- of koophuizen, of was men (alweer) zwanger. Nee, het progesteron was niet van de lucht. Zeker de oud-huisgenoten van destijds die net wat ouder zijn en zo de dertig beginnen te raken zijn ver-schrik-ke-lijk broeds ; )
Eerst hebben we een paar dagen bij mijn ouders gebivakkeerd en heb ik met een aantal mensen na de kerst eens ouderwets magic gespeeld (en work-in-progress van Bartelen, het zombie kaartspel), daarna hebben we in Leiden bij Pieter kunnen logeren (waarvoor nogmaals onze hartelijke dank) en hebben we van daaruit mensen bezocht. Oud en nieuw hebben we in Voorschoten gevierd bij Maarten en Judith.
Ondertussen zijn we hier met een projectje bezig, waarvoor we ook even in Nederland moesten zijn, maar daarover later meer.
Van de zomer zal ik trouwens mid-juli tien dagen in Stanford, USA zijn voor een cursus. Een professor die ik destijds in Alaska op de stekelbaarzenconferentie heb ontmoet organiseert jaarlijks een cursus waar hij in tien dagen allerlei labtechnieken behandelt. Overigens best een gerenommeerd laboratorium, dit zijn de gasten die het stekelbaarsgenoom hebben gesequenced. De cursus is geheel gefinancierd, ik hoef alleen de reiskosten te betalen.
Ook leuk, maar totaal niet relevant. Onze favoriete Aziatische toko in downtown Helsinki heeft uitgebreid en ik zag dat ze nu ook GROOTverpakkingen sambal oelek verkopen. Als in: een emmer van 20 liter. Hmmmm... : D
Current Music: Melek-Tha & 47Ashes - The Earth Abomination
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04:58 pm
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Recent gerecenseerd
Formication - Agnosia
Formication - Icons For A New Religion
Formication - The Condemned Piano (Memory) 100Blumen - In Floriculture There Is No Law!
Current Music: Hills Of Sefiroth & Sapthuran - Heralding The New Song Of Ruin
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10:29 pm
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Red birds will fly out of the east and destroy Paris in a night
Voor zij die denken day er hier weinig gebeurt (behalve een schier oneindige stroom recensies die ik voor Jaap's weblog schrijf), dat klopt... enigszins. De afgelopen twee maanden voornamelijk in het laboratorium gezeten en je zult begrijpen, zo boeiend om daarover te schrijven is dat nou ook weet niet ; )
Maar er zijn wel wat "tasty morcels" om zo eens te vermelden. Het is hier de laatste tijd soort van een hotel geweest met de ene na de andere bezoeker. Eerst was er Jaap met vriendin en kind, daarna twee Australische kennissen van Jenny. Een Duitse collega uit Tvärminne die in Helsinki was voor een conferentie had ook een weekje een plek nodig om te crashen. En mijn ouders kwamen langs voor een lang weekend, tesamen met mijn broer die net terug was van een half jaar stage bij een platenmaatschappij in Barcelona, Spanje. Het was goed ze weer eens te zien, vooral mijn broer die ik al langere tijd niet meer gezien heb. De laatste keer was volgens mij toen hij in Zweden zat voor zijn vorige stage. Tussendoor hadden we ook de katten van Emma weer over de vloer.
Afgelopen weekend was er een optreden van VNV Nation hier in Finland, wat verrassend goed was. Ik heb ze, denk ik, eens eerder gezien op een van die Duitse festivals. Maar dat ze op het podium zulke goede chemie hebben met het publiek was aan me voorbij gegaan. Amusant was vooral het moment waarop de zanger het publiek vroeg of ze, als ze een mooi meisje zouden meenemen uit een club, het daaropvolgende gebeuren zouden filmen en op internet zetten, of genieten van het moment zelf, om daarna iemand op het balkon te verzoeken of die toch verdomme eens zijn camera uit wilde zetten, aangezien hij al de hele tijd stond te filmen.
Komend weekend gaan we, weer, Sedeer verhuizen. Eerder berichtte ik al dat hij een groot rondje had gemaakt over de zomer en terug was in hetzelf blok in Vantaa vanwaar we een half jaar eerder verhuisden. Het wordt nog gekker; dezelfde renovatie die ons dwong te verhuizen naar Kontula, dwingt nu Sedeer zijn nieuwe appartement te verlaten. En wat biedt de HOAS hem aan? Juist, een van de nieuw gerenoveerde appartementen, letterlijk schuin tegenover onze oude voordeur, twee nummers verder. We zijn rond.
Current Music: Golden Dawn - The Art Of Dreaming
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02:03 am
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Recent gerecenseerd
16Volt - FullBlackHabit
Avsky - Silent Decay
Dense Vision Shrine - Lost Time In Oblivion
Various Artists - Desolate Sonorities - Volume One
Schelmish - Moor (Single)
Ka-Baalim & Bunk Data - The Insomniati: One (recommended, available at the .net label Dark Winter, follow this link)
XmH - Time To Play
Datura 1.0 vs. Slutmachine - Alien Cranial Vivisection
Lycia - Cold
MWVM - Rotations
Samsas Traum - Heiliges Herz (DJ-Single)
Various Artists - Projekt 2007.2 (sampler)
Gowland Robert & Etheocles Stevens - Strom
Synapscape - Now
Moving Units - Hexes For Exes
Current Music: Golden Dawn - The Art Of Dreaming
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01:47 am
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There is no peace, no truce, no pause, no end
While rosanegra was enjoying a holiday in Australia, last month saw me busy like never before. After wrapping up the fieldseason there was the inevitable move back to Helsinki. This was combined with moving Sedeer into his new place. After we moved to Kontula earlier this year he moved straight to the fieldstation, storing some of his belongings at our place, others in Aino's place, but basically everything went to Kontula. Fast forward three months and HOAS offers him a place in, exactly, Vantaa, the very same address where we just moved out, in a neighbouring flat. So, in four months time his stuff described a large circle through Helsinki. So, that turned into one long weekend of moving heavy items.
At the same time I had caught young fish on which I hoped to do experiments coming winter / spring. From the past tense you can already conclude that this didn't quite work out; the fish got ill (a microsporidian called Glugea anomala, which causes white, cancerous warts all over and in their body and for which there is no known cure) and several experts advised me to release these fish, desinfect everything and catch new ones, this time keeping them in smaller groups so that any disease outbreaks do not infect all your fish at once. These people go to great lengths to keep this particular disease out of their laboratories and generally avoid catching young fish, as keeping them healthy is difficult. So, I went back two more times together with RosaNegra to catch more fish.
Apart from this I had one month to prepare for a large evolutionary congress in Uppsala, Sweden, where I was supposed to present a poster (the 11th Congress of The European Society for Evolutionary Biology or ESEB XI for short). So, a long month of entering data sheets, analysing data and drafting a poster ensued. Coupled with setting up holding facilities for the young fish and having to return to Tvärminne twice this kept me more than busy. It all worked out though and the poster presentation went well. Spoke to some nice people, and saw lots of familiar faces from my time in Leiden (mostly people from the EEW where I did my work on lizards and butterflies with Paul Brakefield). With several other hundreds of posters and a crowded venue it was hard to stand out though. The venue (the main university building) was very pretty, but as I had decided to travel light I had left my camera at home, so no pictures here...
Of course it was not all work and no play. A welcome distraction was Jaap (of the infamous IkEcht weblog) visiting us in Helsinki with girlfriend and child after having had a holiday on the Finnish coast for about a week. We just had an easy-going two days in a very warm Helsinki and did some sightseeing. I also met up with Janneke again, who is nowadays also doing a PhD in Helsinki and whom I know from my time in Leiden still.
The gang (which nowadays invariably involves me, rosanegra, Sedeer, Aino and Hannele) also went to see Transformers! I remember a certain Bartelen being worried about the movie (big metal robots shooting at the American army... whoopy!), and yes, we got what we asked for; a blockbuster "met veel vechten en schieten enzo...". Nevertheless it was a very enjoyable movie if you parked your brain at the door.
I am now back in the laboratory, analysing this year's data, which should keep me occupied for several more months. In the meantime I should start looking into obtaining additional funding as the project only lasts three years, but I will need at least four years. Other than the work-work-work mantra, there will be several other juicy morcels coming up (not the least a performance of VNV Nation somewhere in October I believe), and I'm looking forward to coming to the Netherlands in December.
P.S.
The whole episode about the EO censoring Life Of Mammals got a nice continuation in Uppsala. On the conference I walked into Gerdien de Jong, the professor from Utrecht who found all this out. The laidback reaction of Sir David Attenborough may be more apparent than real, it seems he is under contract with the BBC and is not allowed to criticise them in matter such as these. An excellent cartoon was put up in Trouw recently, see the blog of Gert Korthof.
And I'd like to leave you all with a view from our balcony. The question whether the cat on this picture has been photoshopped in or not, is one I leave to you.
IM ON UR RAILIN
DEFAYIN UR GRAFFITY
Current Music: Ataraxia - Kremasta Nera
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01:15 am
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Burning the temple of god
Okay, after yesterday's practical joke, time for the real update.
I guess a fair few of you are familiar with Sir David Attenborough's majestic Life Series. Some eight or nine large series have been published since "Life on Earth" in 1979 and Sir David Attenborough has turned into one of the figure heads of the BBC. 2005 saw the release of "Life of Mammals". What struck my eye in the Dutch newspaper NRC earlier this week?
the Dutch EO (Evangelische Omroep or Evangelical Network) is broadcasting it in a censored form, removing all references to the theory of evolution! (article in Dutch)
Or so discovered Utrechtian University lecturer Gerdien de Jong, who initially reported it on the weblog of Gert Korthof. Not only is the EO broadcasting a censored version, they are also selling the DVD box via their webshop, in a censored form as well! They have systematically cut out all references to evolution, shifting of the continents and so forth (anything that potentially clashes with their creationist viewpoints), added dubious Dutch dubbing (with for example "X million years ago" turning into "a long time ago" ... "in a galaxy far, far away" huhhuhhuh) and even completely left out the tenth episode, dealing with men's decent from the apes. Gerdien posted three clips on YouTube showing the modifications the EO made.
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
All the clips have Dutch intertitles, but I think the message will also be clear to non-Dutch speakers.
Now, before going into the discussion of whether the BBC has approved of this, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that nowhere (not in the broadcast, not in the webshop, not even on the packaging of the DVD) it is pointed out the EO version concerns a heavily modified one. That in itself is illegal if you ask me and comes down to consumer deception, something for which they could (and should) be sued. This fact especially makes me wonder whether the BBC gave explicit permission in this case.
To say that I was pissed is a royal understatement; I was frothing at the mouth! The arsonist in me stirred itself, such monkeys. How the hell did they think they could get away with this?
First of all I doubt that the BBC (or Sir David Attenborough for that matter) approved of this. Especially Sir David Attenborough has an outspoken opinion where religion is concerned (also see this section on Wikipedia for a nice quote). Still, the BBC might have approved of this, out of a revenue point of view (I mean, companies are known to go over bodies, so why not this?). However you would expect Sir David Attenborough to open his mouth at that point.
Apparently they have, as an EO spokesman stated they had permission to modify the documentary. What I personally think is that the BBC has a vaguely outlined statement in their contract and they never provisioned for such extreme modifications. With permission for omission they were likely thinking of networks leaving out scenes where King Mufasa and his pride are tearing up Bambi, so as not to traumatise five-year olds. I don't think they were saying "ass-rape our documentary, please". Still, this is all speculation and I have written to the BBC. Gerdien de Jong apparently also sent official letters to both the BBC and Attenborough Productions Ltd. and until I hear the official reactions from them, I'm not putting a single penny on the EO's statements.
I have contacted Gerdien de Jong in the meantime and I'm trying to get the story under the attention of the international press, as the Dutch-speaking press is all over it already. Since it concerns such a prestigious and internationally renowned series this should also interest them (had this been an episode of "Ja Natuurlijk" I doubt there would have been such a public outcry). I have tipped Richard Dawkins (yes, the bible-bashing, creationism-crusader Richard Dawkins), BBC, The Times, The Independent, The International Herald Tribune and New Scientist (if you think of other high-standing and well-known English newspapers or magazines, feel free to tip me; the more can be reached, the better). Simply put, I want to turn this into an all-out crackdown on the EO. This version of the series is either pulled off the shelves, or clearly labelled for what it is as far as I'm concerned.
After two millenia under the Book of Lies, I have just about had my fill with these Crazy Christians™ (and yes, Martijn, this is the point at which you for once are allowed to say "Koest Vlieger, terug in je hok!" ; )
Oh, and a real-life update will follow later...
Current Music: Amber Asylum - Still Point
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10:12 am
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Recent gecensureerd
David Attenborough - The Life Of Mammals
Current Music: Wintermoon - Sorrow & Hate
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11:26 pm
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Recent gerecenseerd
Noyce™ - Our World In Coma
Current Music: Nargaroth - Amarok
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05:31 pm
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There is strife within the tempest, but there is calm in the eye of the storm
Wow, this year's fieldseason went fast! I returned last week already after having been in Tvärminne for barely two months. This time I blame the warm winter as the fish would normally still breed throught July. Those who have been attentive may have read reports of all sorts of plant and bird species flowering or arriving early this year, and it was all attributed to an exceptionally soft winter. Anyway, somehow I managed to get more done with less work this year. A matter of experience and a better understanding of what to focus on? I think so. I'm currently analysing data as I have a poster presentation at a large conference in Uppsala, Sweden, end of August.
This also means that after two months I was able to spent my third night at home, as I left right after our move to Kontula. So far the place seems fine and I have been able to pull some last things together, putting up posters and paintings, fixing my bike (one last part that still needed to be replaced) and wondering where the hell many things went to... We also met one of the downstair neighbours who have a twelve-week old kitten which is very audacious. RosaNegra was just returning after taking the cats for a "walk" when the door opened and out comes a little kitten. I would not say it was oblivious, but just really not afraid of us, the cats or a flight of stairs leading upwards to our apartment (and, incidentally, two bowls of cat food standing outside our door)
The cats have been neutered earlier this week, poor buggers. I'm curious to see if they will be as friendly towards the cat box next time... They are doing fine, the vet took good care of them and I stood outside with two drugged cats 45 minutes later. Them waking up was funny and pitiful at the same time. It took them several hours of falling over, swaggering through the house, trying to jump onto things only to fall down again and sometimes seemingly passing out on a spot (as when I pulled Mischief face-first out of a bowl of kitty litter which had tumbled over), before they were their normal selves again.
We are planning to visit the Netherlands at the end of this year by the way, end of December. So let me know what you are up to and we might be able to meet.
Current Music: Eeriness - A Life Beyond The Shades Of Time
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08:33 pm
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Recent gerecenseerd
Erthad - Gma
Coph Nia - The Dark Illuminati: A Celestial Tragedy In Two Acts
Desiderii Marginis - Seven Sorrows
Reptyle - Consequence
Joel Hinkle - As The Flesh Departs...
VaNi - Strassenunterhaltung
Lily's Puff - Heaven Frowns
Current Music: Dark Lunacy - Devoid
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11:51 pm
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Gevaar: Babelvissen gesignaleerd
Ok, dit is best amusant. Jullie weten waarschijnlijk wel dat ik reviews schrijf voor IkEcht's weblog. Vergelijk deze twee stukjes eens...
Het origineel (in het Nederlands), en hetzelfde stukje nadat een Babelvis er zich in verslikt had
http://www.darkwinter.com/dwr019.html
dw019 - Formication - Pieces for a Condemned Piano
Ikecht (c) 2007
I want to gladly bring this plate to attention. Brought out on the net label Dark winter in 2005, the tale behind this plate is said on its gentle interesting. On a cold august evening, in a not close village, Kingsley found Ravenscroft and leaves Alec Bowman piano. The sounds which they have still can wring the studio vervolgens have been taken and process there to this plate. In three numbers, spread concerning three kwartier, they give their swan song for these piano.
The first two numbers in itself are already interesting ambient composities with quiet gepluk and gehamer on snaren have been woven doorheen. Afterwards the brilliant "Exit", a half hour follows a lasting soundscape which acts on course by means of repetitieve hypnotising and your head continue hang, long after the number has expired. I suggest you listen to this number with an ear-phone on and on high volume to listen. What a fantastic plate!
: )
Ik heb de webmaster al aangeschreven of ie een behoorlijke vertaling wil hebben
Current Music: Desiderii Marginis - Seven Sorrows
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10:51 pm
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Once we learned to speak, we learned to fail
Zucht... round and round and round it goes. In een spelletje "voorkom gezichtsverlies in de politiek" wordt gemarchandeer van de US klakkeloos geaccepteerd.
Een stukje uit de NRC over de G8 top in Duitsland.
Current Music: Windir - Sóknardalr
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11:11 pm
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Happiness in an ashen dress
The 16th Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig, Germany.
For the uninitiated; imagine a middle-sized German town suddenly and without prior warning besieged by a horde of about 20,000 black-clad goths. The inhabitants of Leipzig find themselves outnumbered in trams and buses in a ratio of roughly 25:1 as these people make their way to the various venues all over town to see their favourite band. Yes, have mercy on their souls. However, considering this is already the 16th edition one can tell that Leipzig is a tolerant town and that the invading force is apparently well-behaved.
How does one summarise such an event? Considering that there were about 150 bands attending and that the Treffen is much more than just a music festival, as there are readings of poetry and literature, live role playing events, exhibitions, movies, cabaret and street theatre peformances, and several parties each night, lasting as long as the sun doesn't rise. Not to mention the pagan village and the gigantic market where merchants of all sorts sell clothing, jewellery and other sorts of paraphernalia. And, lest we forget, a spectacular opening show at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal... Yes, how does one summarise such an event indeed?
Well, obviously, with such a diverse programme it is impossible to see and experience everything, so what follows is a very biased account from yours truly. I arrived Friday evening, having missed out on some bands, but nothing major really. From a balmy 10°C in Tvärminne, Finland, I landed in a steaming hot Berlin, Germany, at about 30°C. Luckily, by the time I arrived in Leipzig all hell had broken loose (to such an extent that our train got stranded because of lightning striking the power lines) and it was pouring down. Rosanegra picked me up and told me that we wouldn't have to camp after all! A friend of a friend had offered us to stay at his place (thanks again Frans!) and so about half the contents of my backpack had suddenly become obsolete. Nevertheless, considering it was near Connewitz Kreuz and thus midway between all locations, I was more than happy to accept it ; )
Now, I promised you all spectacular photos and such. Errr, I have a few, but unfortunately my camera was confiscated at several venues, probably on account of looking too professional, so you'll have to make do with fewer pictures than I had hoped for. First up Friday night was the opening act of In The Nursery who would do a grand lightshow at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. Unfortunately, we missed it.
Yes.
We missed it!
Between leaving too late from the communal bar/cafe/restaurant of our friend's friend and getting to grips with the fact that at eleven at night direct public transport between us and our intended location was absent, we managed to arrive (at a considerable distance) when the last tones were resounding. So, basically, we've seen some lights in the sky. This year's programme book came with a DVD with a simulation of the light show, together with the music. Good grief, we have missed one hell of a show! Yeah, I'm still kicking myself in the head over this one...
So, instead of spectacular pictures of a lightshow, a rather mundane picture of the Völkerschlachtdenkmal ; )
The Völkerschlachtdenkmal at dusk
Anyhow... I still had an interesting programme remaining and Saturday would see one of the main reasons I came to Leipzig again this year; Rosa Crvx. First off however in the Schauspielhaus was Ataraxia with a special show of one of their latest albums "Paris Spleen". A thematic album dealing with the cabaret macabres that were popular around the 1900s in Paris and based on poetry by Baudelaire. The music is a strange mix between French chansons and unnerving and grotesque circus-esque music. Now, the Schauspielhaus (which is German for "theatre" or "playhouse") always hosts special performances and shows of bands worth sitting down for. And since the number of seats is limited it's worth arriving way in advance to queue. Considering this, the show was somewhat disappointing. Although the music was well-executed and the show amusing, it was all rather messy and incoherent. I guess they had some sort of story-arc or intention with the various acts on stage, but as it was, the link to the actual time period they were portraying was absent and any context was lacking. For people unfamiliar with the album and the concept I don't think it made much sense.
After a 2½ hour break it was time for Rosa Crvx. This French group of performers (as what they do goes beyond mere music) has been active for the last fifteen years or so and I had heard and read a lot about them. Their shows are a legendary mix between music, ritual performances and strange machinery. As we were allowed to enter the hall again and I sat down I recognised several things on stage that I had read about. I mean, these people had a drum machine. And I'm not talking about Casio's latest. No, they have an actual drum-automaton, if you will, consisting of drums being played by some sort of pneumatic or hydraulic robot-arms. It's appropriately called the BAM (Batterie Acoustique Midi). And imagine the following conversation taking place between the band and the Treffen organisation:"Oh, and we would like to have the sound of church bells, so can we have some space for a small carillon, please? No, no more than four metres wide and three metres high. What? No, just ten church bells..." WTF?? I mean, these people will lock a naked man in a metal sphere and smash him against a suspended metal plate "just because the sound produced is nice to hear"... Add to this banner-bearers, burning candles, a Borg-esque outfit strapped to two girls which produces sound when they moved and their infamous "Danse de la terre", which involves naked people covered in ochre, kneeling down in a basin of fine earth who throw up dust and cover themselves in it as they perform a ritualised dance and you have one hell of a powerful show. Now THIS is what I call art. A celebration of the elements earth and fire. It made for an enthralling live-show and the music (a mixture of medieval and martial music overlaid with post-rock) was fantastic. So if you get the chance to ever see this band, go and see them at all costs. Instead of pictures, I'll have to limit myself to some clips on YouTube (Omnes qui descendunt & Morituri) and I noticed that there are also some clips up of this year's performance, although the image and sound quality are quite poor.
In order to see these two bands we missed out on several good deathrock acts, including The Last Days Of Jesus, but were in time to see Frank The Baptist give an excellent live show. After this there would have been the opportunity to see Vive La Fête, but since Rosanegra retired to bed early, I went and saw Fir§t Law instead, a dark-ambient act on the Loki Foundation label. On stage he was not particularly impressive, but it made for a nice droning end to the first long day.
Sunday started with several Cold Meat acts in UT Connewitz and a... well... rather interesting confrontation between the festival crowd and the local left-wing activists. See, the area around Connewitz Kreuz seems to be a centre for punkers, squatters and other politically left-minded people and UT Connewitz (a tumbled down cinema) is their favourite meeting place. Normally they have a strict policy as to what sort of bands will perform there and what dresscode is being enforced. Of course, with the venue being rented out to the Treffen organisation, this is all out of their hands. And it seems several people were very unhappy with some of the bands performing, but mainly with the audience they were attracting. I'm of course referring to the neo-folk crowd here, who tend to go around in military uniforms and other outfits typical of the era 1920-1950 and emblazon their bags and coats with mystic runic symbols. I will fully admit that I'm no expert on this sub-genre of music and their motives, but I do know that a lot of bands in this genre toy and flirt with ancestral and nationalistic themes and sentiments (which in itself is not a bad thing) and occasionally extreme-right ideologies (with a band like Der Blutharsch being an infamous example. There was a whole row when they performed in the LVC in Leiden). Now, I myself care little for these band's ideologies and all the more for their music, as the music (often floating somewhere between folk-inspired ballads and bombastic, militaristic and martial music) suits my taste.
So... how did I get here again? Ah yes, now, the first band to perform in UT Connewitz was a recent addition to the CMI-roster, the Czech band Stormfågel. From what I had seen and heard a not-so brilliant neo-folk act with rather innocent patriotic themes to their music. Already over breakfast at aforementioned communal cafe/bar/restaurant (nice hummus by the way!) just around the corner of UT Connewitz, I heard people muttering about "protests *mumblemumble* nazis *mumblemumble* noise *mumblemumble* extermination of mankind *mumblemumble* -insert attempt at imitation of powernoise act- *mumblemumble*" So... I was already forewarned. We went there while Stormfågel was playing as I wanted to see the next few bands (Coph Nia, Brighter Death Now and Desiderii Marginis) and ended up in a long queue that was being harassed at the door by a group of left-wing activists. Extra security from the Treffen was already on the spot but this did not prevent them from shouting and affronding festival visitors that in their eyes wore offensive outfits and (from what I later heard) even hurting someone to the extent that a visit to the hospital was necessary. At one point they unfurled this banner just across the street...
Deluded left-wing activists...
Now, as much as I sympathise with their motives, this is simply not the way to do it. This will earn you little respect and will not help your cause. And by showcasing such absolute ignorance and uneducatedness as to the subject matter, you look like monkeys! Little better than the very people you are resisting. If you want to fight an enemy, fine. But know your enemy and do not start attacking a band which is far from a neonazi band. Do your goddamn homework before you come around to play the Neanderthal man! From what I heard and read later it seems this was not even the worst of it. A bus and a tram were hit by bricks thrown by people, injuring several due to flying shards. And it seems a group of 15-20 people started attacking random festival visitors at the Parkbühne somewhere on Saturday. The opinions differ as to whether this was a group of right or left-wing activists, but from what I read on message boards (people were overheard saying "That's what you get for wearing a Death In June-shirt", I know where these attacks came from). It's not the first time the local antifa is causing trouble during the WGT but I do think this is unrivalled so far...
Enfin... an interesting experience. We got through the queue unscathed and entered a steeming hot UT Connewitz where Coph Nia had just started. They gave an excellent show, heavily focussing on their latest album "The Dark Illuminati". This was followed by Brighter Death Now who gave an unrelenting and grating powernoise performance. Although "Kaptain Karmanik" was mainly sitting behind his equipment, his visuals were all the more interesting; an obscure Spanish documentary, somewhere from the 80's, about a man's job in a morgue, interspersed with interviews and his reflections on life and death. Suitable footage : ).
General defiler of things sacred, aka Aldenon of Coph Nia
Brighter Death Now
I skipped Desiderii Marginis to be in time at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal for a semi-acoustic show of Dornenreich (this was reason number two why I came to Leipzig). Dornenreich started out as a black metal act who on their first few albums were not inferior to many a bleak Scandinavian act when it comes to intensity and harshness. They have now moved to a more folk-oriented direction. Fantastic show! Solemn and gripping, with just the singer and a violinist inside of the giant central hall of the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. Added a lot to the sound quality. Yeah, this show left me pretty much speechless.
Dornenreich in the central hall of the Völkerschlachtdenkmal
After this I collected Rosanegra from the Australian act Seabound and we continued to faraway Anker to go and see reason number three I came here; Rome. I have been raving and ranting a lot on Jaap's weblog already about his two new albums, so I will refrain from repeating myself. Suffice to say I was extremely eager to see this infant prodigy from Luxembourg (at only 25, he's younger than me!). The live show was good, but his voice was not as powerful as on the albums, although it quickly improved throughout the show. And again, what a voice... lull me to sleep, please! Unfortunately the show was also plagued by poor sound engineering, as the background tape was hardly audible and only got turned up to a proper volume three-quarters through the show. An immense shame, as I recognised the songs and knew how they were supposed to sound like. I don't know if people unknown with his work were as impressed as they could have been. And who was this monkey drummer? What a poser! At one point they swapped vocal duties and we got an off-key wailing singer who seemed more interested in portraying the Tortured Poet (including dramatic head-flicking motions), which stood in stark contrast to Jérôme's honest, solemn and down-to-earth stage presentation. He was visibly surprised by how well the show was received and gave us an exclusive acoustic encore of a song he's still working on. What a show, what a show. I know Rome will be playing in the Netherlands again later this year (I think on Summer Darkness in Utrecht) so for those going there, I thoroughly recommend you go and see him.
And this brings us to Monday. A day which we spent mostly spending money I don't have (I love creditcards) after which we spent our evening at Werk II where a number of deathrock and gothabilly acts were playing. I peeped out to the Agra Halle in between to go and see Faun at one point, a medieval / Celtic band from Germany. Another powerful performance. I don't know what it is with these medieval acts but they somehow manage to tap straight into some very primitive emotions, to the point where it physically hurts and I want to cry and dance at the same time. It must be the sound of strings, bagpipes and female singing. No wonder every pagan religion features this kind of music. This is music to perform rituals to, to invoke ancestral spirits to, to rip the still-beating hearts from sacrificial victim's chests and... but I'm digressing. Mystical, powerful and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Tree-hugging hippie crap? Absolutely! For those who like Omnia, Hagalaz' Runedance or Corvus Corax.
After this I returned to Werk II for the last act on my programme, Zombina And The Skeletons, a gothabilly act from Liverpool. Take the 60's rock 'n roll spirit, but without the "sugar, baby", and instead add a morbid and theatrical horror show. Four guys looking like 70's rock 'n roll stars made up like zombies who just left the cemetary and a female singer in a 60's dress with a bloody chin singing about "chainsaws for Christmas" and brazenly bantering with the audience in scheisse-German. Amusing and infectious.
We were allowed a scant five hours of sleep before we had to get up and leave in order for me to catch my return flight to Finland from Berlin around 11 in the morning. And as usual it remained funny to see the black hordes scattering over the globe again. On my flight back there were three girls sitting a few rows in front of me. All I saw were three heads of hair, one fire engine red, one jet black and one bright purple. A shame I didn't have my camera on me.
There were many more bands I would have loved to see (Suicide Commando, The Crüxshadows, Haggard, Pink Turns Blue, Moonspell or Grendel are a few names that come to mind) but you always end up having to choose between two or three overlapping things. And then I'd rather go for something obscure I haven't seen yet. I'm content with this year's festival as I saw all three acts I desperately wanted to see. Curious to see what 2008 will bring.
Current Music: The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud - Were You Of Silver, Were You Of Gold?
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10:28 pm
[Link] |
Es gibt keine Schatten in einer Welt ohne Licht
Moi kaikki!
Just a short note to all of you to tell you things are cruising along quite well. I've been at the fielstation now for some three weeks and things are going smoothly so far. Due to the soft winter we are already collecting ripe fish from the sea right now. And with last year's experience fresh on my mind, setting up all holding facilities and experiments took only a few days instead of two - three weeks. Add to that that I'm repeating the same experiment as last year (I need more replicas still, and am adding to an old dataset of Ulrika) and the fact that I've decided to drop some of the less useful observations, I end up spending less time on my current experiment and actually having some time to spare to pilot new things for this autumn.
I hope to provide you with some photos sometime soon (I just need to take my camera out to the greenhouses and take some more pictures). This year we are fishing in Långskär bay. I posted a picture of this over 18 months ago, but will add some more. Suffice to say it's a pretty spot.
Coming up first however is the 16th Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany, about which I'm very, very excited. There are several bands playing which I REALLY need to go and see (Rome, Dornenreich, Rosa Crvx) and there will be a spectacular opening of the festival at the gigantic monument that is the Völkerschlachtdenkmal by In The Nursery, including an enormous light and laser show. So, expect some kewl and spectacular pictures when I'm back, beginning of June : )
Current Music: Erthad - Gma
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01:09 pm
[Link] | Nog wat recente recensies op het weblog van IkEcht, inclusief de nieuwe albums van Rome en Olen'K!
Olen'K - The Floating World
Rome - Confessions D'un Voleur D'ames
Diorama - A Different Life
Funker Vogt - Aviator
Current Music: Renaissance - Novella
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07:31 pm
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We are not what was intended. We do not know what was intended.
We have moved! With help of a small army of willing slaves, I mean friends and a rented van (because of that darned high antique cabinet) we managed to get everything done in one day. We're still pulling together the new place (althought it's mostly done), so pictures will follow. And I'm liking the new place already, apart from some minor design-issues it is an improvement, we now have a balcony and the location is excellent only two kilometres from the nearby shopping complex and metro-station, which gives us a direct connection to the city centre. Pictures will follow, right now we're taking it easy, tomorrow is an official holiday (Vappu) which is an excuse for the whole of Finland to get completely wasted.
Last month has been mainly busy working (I won't bore you with the details ; ) and in the meantime pulling together a new bike. It started innocently with a new frame and my naive assumption that I'd be able to just transfer the rest of the parts. Not so. New model and brand, new standards it turned out. So, after paying basically another time the price of the frame for random parts (forefork, handlebars and other bits) I have a working bike again. This whole operation took more than a month and I've really missed cycling, I hate busrides. I won't have much time to enjoy it though, as I'll be leaving for Tvärminne Zoological Station later this week. Yes, the fieldseason is upon me again...
To round it off, some more silly pictures of the cats, who have adjusted to the new place almost instantaneously.
In Helsinki cats are only allowed outside on a leash... and as you can see, they mightily enjoy that.
Kat in de zak or: how to move your cats
Current Music: Throbbing Gristle - Beyond Jazz Funk
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10:33 pm
[Link] | And yet more Dutch reviews on IkEcht's weblog
V.A. - Crash Frequency 2
Moljebka Pvlse - Sadalsuud
As Lonely As Dave Bowman - POD
Flint Glass & Telepherique - Information Gigabyte
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