In 2020, Shane Codd emerged as one of the most thrilling new producers in the country, with his lockdown-inspired Get Out My Head which hit No.6 on the UK charts, and has since gone platinum in Ireland. He discusses signing to Polydor, the state of the Irish dance scene, and drawing inspiration from his trance-loving mam.

Rising from a little-known SoundCloud sensation to one of the hotly tipped talents on Polydors roster in just a few months, Shane Codd has defeated the odds finding major mainstream success as a DJ, while clubs and venues around the world are boarded-up, and dancefloors remain a distant memory.

After releasing music independently for three years, his track Get Out My Head began generating serious buzz on SoundCloud over lockdown attracting the interest of several major labels. The single, which went on to be re-released by Polydor in late 2020, has since clocked up over 16.5 million streams on Spotify alone, and reached No.6 on the UK charts.

Im just trying to take it all in everyday, Shane says of the tracks phenomenal streaming success. I couldnt really believe it at first, and now the streams are nearly going up by a million a week on Spotify. Its mad.

While the 23-year-old remains remarkably down-to-earth, its clear that his single has struck a powerful chord with people during these uncertain times.

When I made that song, lockdown had just started, and I wanted all of that stuff out of my head all the stress of it, he explains. A lot of people have messaged me, saying, This has helped me during lockdown or, It makes me think about being back in the clubs dancing, or over in Ibiza. That was the vibe I wanted, and it really sat with a lot of people.

Although he did pop an aul bottle of champagne to celebrate signing to Polydor where he joins some of the biggest artists in the world Shane relates that the label initially had a hard time getting hold of him...

When I got the call, I was over with my family visiting the Cliffs of Moher, he recalls. The label were calling me, but the coverage was really bad over there. So I told them, Lads, Ill have to give you a call back in a few days! I knew nothing about labels! A couple of other labels had rang me as well, like Ministry of Sound. All these unbelievable, huge labels but I didnt know anything about them. I remember Ministry of Sound asked me, What do you know about us?

And I just said, I know theres a big nightclub in London called Ministry of Sound, he laughs. I just didnt know! But Polydor were the ones that really stood out to me, because of the success that theyve had. Even what theyve done so far with my song, and me as an artist, is unbelievable. So Im really excited to keep going with them.

Despite the obvious lack of gigs for DJs currently, Shanes deal with Polydor is indicative of the phenomenal talent emerging across the dance music scene in Ireland which is ready to spill out into the mainstream.

As well as myself getting signed, theres loads of people doing so well in Ireland now, like RobbieG, Welshy, Marty Guilfoyle and Conor Bissett, whos been signed as well, he notes. Its great to see it. Theres a huge scene here, and the labels are starting to notice that now.

In addition to his own streaming success, Shanes also proved to be somewhat of a master playlist curator with his Trance Anthems 90s-00s playlist on Spotify having garnered over 82,500 followers. Although he was too young to hit the clubs during the golden era of trance, his appreciation for the genre began early nonetheless.

I wouldve heard my mam and dad playing it mainly through my mam, because I grew up with her, he explains. She was only 18 when she had me, so she was into that music, because that wouldve been big at the time. I just loved it from when I was one or two years old, right the way up. I still love it now. It was a big influence.

Moving from Dublin to Cavan at the age of 11 was also a pivotal moment in Shanes life

Moving at that age was kind of tough at the start, he admits. Im fluent in Irish, because I went to an all-Irish primary school in Dublin. My mam wanted me to keep up the Irish, but there were no Irish schools in Cavan. So I went to school up in Monaghan which was an hour-and-a-half on the bus everyday. It was horrible, but I used to listen to music to pass the time. I was always influenced by music.

Shane is now poised for ocean-transcending stardom with a remix of a really big artist coming out in February, and his next single likely to be released in March. His ultimate goal, he tells me, is to be as big as I possibly can.

I want to bring out as much good music as I can, and have a bit of a legacy, he continues. I want to play all over the world in Ibiza, and all the big festivals. I want to be the biggest DJ to come out of Ireland, and fly the flag.

Get Out My Head is out now.

Order the Hot Press Hot For 2021 Special Issue below:

Continue reading here:

Shane Codd: "I want to be the biggest DJ to come out of Ireland, and fly the flag" - hotpress.com

Logic1000 debuted in 2018 with an undoubtedly excellent self-titled EP, packed with tracks that tip between techno, IDM, and garage. The record put her firmly on the map as a producer to watch, and dance heavyweightsmost notably Four Tetchampioned Logic1000 consistently. But while the EP was a strong introduction to Logic1000 as an artist, she herself has admitted that the production was scattered.

Recently, Logic1000 has been curating her own musical identity through remixes; her work for Lpsley, Christine and the Queens, and Caribou has allowed her to find a throughline in her own sound through the additions of her signature clean garage beats and hook-bolstering harmonies. These act as a strong introduction to her latest EP Youve Got the Whole Night to Go and give a taste of Logic1000 as a producer with a keen ear for melding the underground with pop-worthy hooks. Though just four songs, it shows Logic1000 flexing her stamina and spinning ideas more consistently across the EP.

Central to the feel of Youve Got the Whole Night to Go is a sense of expansiveness throughout, from the wafting trance drones and the vocal samples fed back and forth through a tape machine on Like My Way to the airy, echoing melody and bouncing bassline of Medium that sound as though theyre reverberating around an empty dance floor. This spaciousness unites each track in spite of the EPs varying genre aspirationsI Wont Forget gives lighthearted house; and Medium is eclectic and glitchy, whereas Her ends the EP on a downright dirty, sweaty, techno note. It all grants Logic1000s productions a touch of something bigger that stretches outward and upward, hinting at her ability to reach beyond the underground to break into a wider consciousness.

Youve Got the Whole Night to Go also works as a concept album, tracing the almost forgotten flutters and rushes of a good night out. Like My Way functions as a pregame track, the light trance paired with sharp hi-hats and a cheeky ascending bassline echoing the heady mixture of vague excitement and nerves. The way the muffled melody of I Wont Forget gradually becomes clearer is reminiscent of the sudden clarity of music that hits when the club doors fling open. A strained vocal sample cuts through with I wont forget, but the rest of the sentence is lost in the first muffled voice, as though the remembering is more important than the thing remembered. The immersive hard techno of closing track Her recalls that exact moment halfway through the night when you feel you could continue full-throttle forever. It seems cruel that a release that speaks so potently to the club experience probably wont be played in its proper setting for a while, but for the moment, its a necessary simulation of it.

Catch up every Saturday with 10 of our best-reviewed albums of the week. Sign up for the 10 to Hear newsletter here.

Read more:

Logic1000: You've Got the Whole Night to Go EP | Review - Pitchfork

WandaVision debuted on Disney+ nearly one month ago, and since then, Marvel fans cant stop talking about Marvels newest venture. There are enough hidden details in each episode to fill a textbook, but there is one major detail fans may not know about.

Related: WandaVision Head Writer Speaks out on Fans Impatience for Episodes

Watch out for Agnes. The character Quirky Neighbor, played by actress Kathryn Hahn, is Wanda and Visions mysterious neighbor in Westview. Up until episode four, We Interrupt This Program, no one knew what was going on with her or the entire series, for that matter.

The new episodes real stars were FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and the sassy astrophysicist Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who was last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Thor: Dark World, respectively. The duo acts as the audiences surrogate as theyre piecing together every detail from WandaVisions debut and connecting the dots.

Did you notice anyone missing from the board of New Jersey citizens identified as characters from Wandas sitcom? Like, maybe, Agnes?

Technically, she was on the board, but no one mentioned her actual identity. Shes the only citizen of Westview without a New Jersey drivers license attached to her page.

While its unconfirmed, fans suggest that the nosy neighbor is none other than Agatha Harkness, one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials. According to one Twitter user, theres more than enough evidence from the first episode alone that Agnes isnt your average, friendly neighbor.

Twitter user @steven_becerel points out:

The only way Ralph would remember our anniversary is if there was a beer named June 2nd.

The line was overlooked and quickly forgotten, but theres a tiny detail worth noting. Funny enough, June 2, 1692, is the date U.S. courts first gathered for the Salem Witch Trials. However, whos her husband? We dont yet know.

Related: Does WandaVision Have a Villain? Olsen Hints There May Not Be One!

On top of that, take notice of Agnes brooch, one shes worn throughout each episode. In Now In Color, the character wore it as a necklace and was attempting to censor Herb, Wanda and Visions clumsy neighbor.

Marvel Fans were quick to spot that the brooch shes wearing in WandaVision resembles the one thats drawn onto Agatha Harkness in the Fantastic Four Marvel Comics from 1972. Reddit fans noticed that the pendant looks like the Grim Reaper with two children which is pretty dark on Marvels part. We havent gotten a close enough shot to study her brooch, but if thats the case, it sounds like Agnes is a dark lady.

Whats disturbing is that she hasnt appeared without the pendant and continues to pop-in at pivotal moments.

Related: Kevin Feige Confirms More Avengers Movies to Come

In a WandaVision trailer, the titular Vision was strolling through Westview on Halloween night without a disguise and found himself stopped by his Quirky Neighbor Agnes, who was dressed up like a witch. Bingo, folks.

While the television sitcom is giving a nod to a previous Marvel comic book, Kathryn Hahns character is giving away a huge plot point for Paul Bettanys Vision.

While the television sitcom is giving a nod to a previous Marvel comic book, Kathryn Hahns character is giving away a huge plot point for Paul Bettanys Vision. While its unconfirmed, its reported that the Halloween special will take place in episode six of WandaVision and well hopefully get more context about this scene.

Whats truly chilling is that the witch exclaimed that Vision is dead and cackled. In the trailer, Agnes appeared to be frozen in time or transfixed. As Vision approached her stopped car, he touched the side of her head, and she snapped out of the apparent trance.

Up to this point, Wanda and an adult Monica Rambeau, who functioned as an undercover SWORD agent in Westview, are the only characters aware that Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War. It was a low blow by Rambeau to mention Quicksilvers death by Ultron, but it doesnt seem like shes the only one who knows.

Its unknown if Wanda herself or some otherworldly power is in control of WandaVision, but Agnes seemingly has a part in orchestrating the augmented reality.

While Herb is trimming his hedges, for example, he slices into a brick wall. Im not sure if that blade was made out of Virbranium, but something is going on with the citizens of Westview. Herb then trips over his own words and repeats himself like a broken record when Vision asks whats going on. Herb snaps out of the trance and shrugs it off.

Okay, but whats the big idea? Later in episode three, Agnes suddenly popped up at the Vision residence and was whispering with Herb. Vision asked if everything was all right and Herb nearly spilled the beans until Agnes shut him down.

She then switched the subject to Geraldine an undercover Monica Rambeau from the outside world. It was a pivot, but one that hid what Agnes and Herb were whispering about. Geraldine was then put into question by both Wanda and Agnes.

While its unconfirmed, Agnes knew Geraldines true identity and whereabouts. And, not wanting to spoil the fun, made it appear that Geraldine was a bad apple. Thanks to Wanda, shes wiped from existence, and the case is closed. For now, at least.

In the Fantastic Four and Avengers comics from 1972-1974, Agatha Harkness is somewhat of an anti-hero. While shes not against the Avengers, her history and powers are darker than what some would like to see in a Marvel story.

While its uncertain if the Quirky Neighbor is, in fact, Agatha Harkness and what role she plays in the Disney+ series, Agatha was Wandas mentor in the comics. Quickly forming a strong bond, the two shared their powers for the good of humanity.

Unfortunately, Harkness was killed by New Salem citizens and later appeared as a ghost to Wanda throughout the comics.

Marvel hasnt released any information about Agnes for a reason, but if she is who fans suggest, then theres something scary going on in Westview.

Who do you think Agnes is? Let us know in the comments below!

Here is the original post:

'WandaVision' Easter Egg May Reveal Agnes's True Identity - Inside the Magic

Still from I Was a Simple Man. (Photo by Eunsoo Cho | Courtesy Sundance Institute)

Dying isnt simple, is it? asks Grace (Constance Wu) constantly throughout this story. The question sticks to Masao (Steve Iwamoto) as his impending death forces him to confront complicated and haunting scenes of his past, present and future in rural Hawaii. Directed by Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Makoto Yogi, I Was a Simple Man premiered on Jan. 29, 2021, at the Sundance Film Festival.

Provocative landscape shots of Oahu collaborate with close-up shots of Masaos daily life to induce viewers into a trance. There is little dialogue and even less of a score. Yogi uses both as very intentional tools to guide our near-hallucinogenic experience only as necessary. Instead, what we hear is what Masao hears: wise trees, excited birds, unforgiving rain, angry construction, whispers from the people he disappointed decades ago. What we see is what Masao sees: plants that need watering, pill bottles, plates and beer cans from family picnics, glimpses of a future beyond the United States dominance over the land. This unique sound mixing and cinematography make for a magical meditation.

The plot of I Was a Simple Man flows more like a stream of memories and dreams than a structured narrative in the same way that the rain trickles effortlessly through the leaves and into Masaos home. The film is also very slow, as the entire second act transpires without any single event that can be easily described. This pacing paired with a surrealist feeling can be disorienting at times, but the more I paid attention while watching, the more I saw that this film knows intimately where it is going and what it wants to offer to viewers. The story is as rooted and alive as the sacred Hawaiian trees that Masao and Grace promise to never leave.

I Was a Simple Man manages to communicate a volatile history of colonization with mindfulness and gentleness. We are not given a history lesson nor told to be angry or sad; instead, Yogi asks us to pay attention to how these scenes feel how these questions of human suffering and resilience feel. What is it like to be torn between loyalty to ones homeland and loyalty to ones family, who have been uprooted from the land by violent external influences? What is it like to struggle to forgive, while begging for forgiveness? What is it like to die?

As viewers, we are not allowed to ignore these questions just because they might beuncomfortable. Painfully long shots force us to join Masao in the depths of his isolation even after the scenes seem like they should have ended. Intense and overwhelming sounds of urban development beg us to understand that the land is being carved out by hands who do not love it as we listen, we are aware of this in our own bodies. We feel it the way Masao and generations of real-life Indigenous people feel it. But we also feel Masaos and Graces timeless spiritual tie to the environment; we see that our symbiosis with nature outlasts everything else. I have never been to Hawaii, nor is the disruption of ones native culture something I have personally experienced, yet Constance Wus magnetic depiction of a messenger frozen in time and space still felt like it was meant for me specifically.

What makes I Was a Simple Man remarkable is that it is not just a ghost story or a social commentary or a practice in mindfulness. Its all of these, and simultaneously something more that I have yet to accurately put words to.

[emailprotected]

@enyafanaccount

Read more:

'I Was a Simple Man' is a Hypnotic Meditation on Colonization, Mortality, and Nature - Daily Utah Chronicle

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a wide spectrum of rhythmic, percussive and melodic electronic music genres created primarily for clubs, raves, and festivals. These beats are often made in the style of hip hop, jazz and techno and feature an assortment of synthetic drum beats and sounds as well as synthesizers and other electronic instruments. As the genres popularity has grown, so too have its different subgenres which include jungle, hardcore, and urban.

In the United States, the biggest EDM festival is the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) which is held in Las Vegas each January and attracts thousands of ravers from all over the country to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The next biggest event is the Ultra Music Festival, which takes place in Miami each year and is known for featuring the biggest names in the electronic dance music scene. In Europe, the biggest electronic dance music events include the Tomorrowland Festival in Holland and the Electric Zoo Festival in Germany.

Although there has been recent criticism directed at the quality of some EDM artists such as Porter Robinson and Skrillex, this is becoming a relatively new genre to many listeners and critics. Instead, rave and warehouse parties are being targeted by many critics and radio DJs. This has resulted in a shift away from the mainstream towards underground and free dance styles and has lead to the rise of underground DJs, producers, and artists including the likes of Diplo and Kode9.

However, there is also a growing number of mainstream fans of electronic dance music (EDM). Although this is primarily down to the rise in popularity of major labels such as Ultra, it has also been a result of the availability of quality music online and via the internet. With more people having access to the internet at home, clubs have become more prevalent around the world, and dance clubs have become less exclusive.

Dance clubs are also becoming more popular for their music and their DJ sets. Although they are often regarded as club music, there is also a growing amount of EDM that can be found at a house party held at someones home. House party.

Rave and warehouse parties tend to have a lot of music that is similar to EDM, and a large amount of it is made up of hard drum and bass (drum and bass). music. The main difference between rave and warehouse party dance is that the ravers will typically dance non-stop while the warehouses may only be able to dance for a few minutes before they stop dancing.

Dubstep, techno, and garage music have a lot of percussion and are very fast paced and often made up of distorted sounds. There is often a lot of low-end vocals and heavy bass in these types of beats. Although not as fast as most other forms of music, these beats often have a lot of variety and a good beat will create a nice backdrop for many of the dance songs played on top.

Finally, you will also find that dance music is not always strictly made up of drum and bass or hard techno, as there are lots of other types of styles and genres in the world of electronic dance music. Many other genres include breakcore, techno, pop, and jazz.

In the end, though, what you will find when you take a look at different kinds of dance music, is that the majority of the music is made up of drum and bass or harder music. Although there are a lot of hard music and a lot of slow music, most of the music is actually somewhere in between these two.

This is a good thing, because many people enjoy dance music a lot and will continue to listen to it for years to come. Although many people who first began listening to the dance music were not familiar with it at all, many of the current generation has continued to listen to the music for quite some time.

So the next time you go to the club or even to your local music store, try not to leave your ears on the ground. because there is a chance that you might hear something that you dont expect.

Read more from the original source:

Who are Trance Music And What Is It? - One EDM

Incoming spoilers from Starfleet.

It's finally here. It's been one year, five months and 27 days since we saw Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the USS Discovery defeat the evil A.I. called Control, save the sphere data and use the tortuous red signal time travel technology to jump 950 years into the future in the disappointing second season finale of "Star Trek: Discovery."

During that time of course, we've been treated to two new incarnations of "Star Trek" on the streaming service CBS All Access: the often entertaining "Lower Decks" and the nostalgia-serving "Picard."

And while the first season finale of the former offered us an enjoyable, unexpected surprise, the season finale of "Picard" was sadly yet another crashing disappointment. So it's with some trepidation that we turn the pages of another new chapter of "Trek."

However, it is worth remembering that season two of "Discovery" at least started strong. In fact, the second episode, "New Eden" (S02, E02) was far and away the best installment of the entire 14-episode second season. And with that, it gives us great pleasure to say that season three has also started strong.

Entitled "That Hope is You, Part 1," we pick up more or less exactly where we left off one-and-a-half years ago. But before we get to see exactly what happened, we're introduced first to a gentleman far in the future, waking up each morning courtesy of his er, alarm parrot and each morning placing what looks like an antique, Starfleet-branded box on a table in a minimalist, sterile room; a little like the end of "2001" meets the Armistice Station notion, from the first episode of the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot.

Each and every morning, it seems, the well-dressed gentleman sits at his desk and patiently activates what appears to be galaxy-wide signal search. The accompanying classical music (Mozart's Symphony No. 45 in D major) adds a sophisticated, dignified air. We could surmise that, whatever he's looking for, he has not found it yet despite repeating the process every single day.

In a sudden, dramatic change of pace, we cut to a debris field and a dogfight between two ships of unknown design. The pilot of one is using a peculiar looking control interface as his viewscreen is filled with the face of a very angry alien who is hurling insults and demanding the return of something that was stolen.

That pilot is Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) and in the very next instant his ship computer warns him that a time anomaly has been detected. A wormhole of sorts opens up on the starboard bow and in hurtles Burnham in her time travel suit, colliding with Booker's ship.

Burnham spins chaotically through the debris field and plummets to the planet below. With thrusters malfunctioning and her heat shield only partially operational, she tumbles out of control towards the surface. We see Booker's ship is also in a similar dilemma, with both craft leaving smoke trails and creating a sonic boom as they fall from the sky.

A desperate Burnham reboots her suit's systems and manages to fire reverse thrusters and activate the impact shield just seconds before she crashes. She emerges from the crater (whcih she's just created) and looks a little worse for wear as one would hitting the ground at about 120 mph.

Her spacesuit failing and the faceplate cracked, Burnham struggles to her feet and gazes over the Icelandic alien landscape. Assuming the USS Discovery is right behind her, she tries to reach them on a communicator, but to no avail and the reality of her situation begins to sink in.

With little energy remaining in her suit, Burnham is able to determine that she's arrived in the year 3188 just one year off and that there are multiple life signs on the surface; a fact that she's happy about to say the least. But her elation is short-lived as the suit's sensors indicate that the wormhole she just travelled through is collapsing. She frantically reprograms it to fly toward said wormhole, broadcast her coordinates for as long as it's still open and then self-destruct.

Now, with nothing except the wind, the wilderness and the most basic of survival kits, emotion overcomes Burnham and she attempts to re-gather and compose herself.

If there was an alien in "Star Trek" that was the opposite to a Vulcan, in that they embrace over-emotion, then it's entirely possible Burnham is a descendant. We saw an abundance of excessive sentimental outpouring at the end of season two, but when used in moderation with selective placement, it can be quite effective. And that's what we were seeing here, thankfully.

She proudly places her Starfleet badge on her flight suit and, with some Beatrix Kiddo-inspired self-motivation, makes her way toward the other plume of smoke in the sky the crash site of Booker's ship, far off in the distance. And the opening credits roll and we get to once again count how many different types of producers there are, with new titles like consulting producer, supervising producer and co-executive producer joining the vast number of executive producers already on the show. The sequence itself has had a tweak, with a few new images added to the existing ones, including a transporter pad and a robot drone-of-sorts that looks a little bit like EVE from "WALL-E."

Burnham approaches Booker's downed ship and he springs a surprise attack from behind. Fortunately, they're both rational people and are able to talk things through but only after Burnham unleashes a can of whoop-ass. Naturally, Booker notices her "antique" phaser and, with a few other clues, he deduces that she's "not from around these parts."

The character of Booker and indeed David Ajala could very well be one of the best things to have happened to "Trek" in a long time. (We shall see more of his awesomeness later.) There is an undeniable resemblance to a young Idris Elba, but possibly more in mannerisms than appearance and yes, they even sound very similar, especially since they have the same accent as both were born in Hackney, in East London.

At first Booker's not interested in where Burnham came from as she tries to deduce what exactly has happened. It turns out that this planet is not Terralysium, but one named Heem. She pleads with him to help her and, naturally, he caves. At this point, so much more than we want the return of the USS Discovery, we want these two to team up and become a cosmic crime-fighting couple in the 32nd century.

They enter his damaged ship and Burnham marvels over the technology. Booker makes reference to a dilithium recrystallizer (clearly the technology pioneered on Xahea eventually found its way into mainstream use) and even quantum slipstream, first referenced in the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Hope and Fear" (S04, E26). And then we meet Grudge, his catand it's official: Booker's been onscreen for less than 10 minutes and already we want a dedicated spin-off series. Hey, it worked for Captain Pike.

Booker or just Book, as he prefers to be called explains they have to get to a place called Mercantile in order to trade for dilithium. He engages a cloaking device for his ship and they set off on foot. The banter between the two is entertaining and Burnham begins to learn tiny truths about this intriguing character and in particular, about the temperature sensitive cargo in his ship that he "repatriated."

It's also at this point that the conversation turns to Burnham's Starfleet badge and Book, calling her a "true believer" first makes reference to the fact that the Federation no longer exists. Naturally, this comes as something of a shock to Burnham. She presses him for more information and he talks about "the burn," but of course she knows nothing of this either. Only now does Book seriously consider the notion that Burnham truly might not be from anywhere around here.

And we get to the explanation of what in fact caused the calamity that destroyed the Federation; an event known as "the burn,"when every dilithium crystal aboard every starshiper, exploded, for a reason that remains unknown. This probably isn't going to turn out to be a natural phenomenon and obviously has links to the first round of "Short Treks," specifically the episodes "Runaway" and later "Calypso." It just sounds bizarre.

A gamma ray burst or a war with a race from another galaxy or possibly even a link back to "The Next Generation" episode "Force of Nature" (S07, E09) where scientists claim that constant warp travel by starships is destroying the fabric of subspace would've sounded more plausible than having every starship's warp core suddenly exploding.

We will no doubt learn more about this inexplicable event, but already sensors are detecting trace amounts of a ridiculous, nonsensical plot. You know, like the whole second season Control thing that we're trying so hard to put behind us. Granted, this could be considered a preemptive criticism and hopefully it will turn out to be a plot element that's imaginative, well written and most importantly, believable, but we've been given ridiculous, nonsensical plots quite a lot in the past, so we're wary.

And this is really our only grumble with what is otherwise arguably one of the best episodes of "Discovery" that we've seen so farso stick with it, the best stuff is still to come.

Still reeling from the shock, her brow furrowed and her bottom lip shaking like an Orion belly-dancer, Burnham mutters, "No, the Federation isn't just about ships and warp drive, it's about a vision and all those who believe in that vision."

They continue on until they're able to look down upon their destination; a vast sprawling city laid out in front of them that's less like Mos Eisley and more like Stardust City. To gain access, they must first clear security and of course Burnham doesn't have any identification. Book, using his heavenly Hackney accent convinces the Andorian guards to grant them entry.

The dimly lit streets of this backwater city are illuminated only by countless neon signs and holograms and as far as futuristic cities go, the production design department has done a really excellent job. Book explains that he makes his living as courier, a job title that probably also includes a little bit of smuggler and maybe even swindler, when the occasion calls for it.

Burnham offers her "vintage" tricorder for Book to exchange for dilithium when he springs a double-cross. Instead of taking her to the communications array where she hoped to send another message to Discovery he leads her instead to "the vault" and she suddenly finds herself trapped in a confinement beam. Book snatches the rest of Burnham's gear as at first she pleads with him and then promises to kill him. But Book's only concern is completing his current assignment and he hastily exits before enforcement drones arrive.

An Orion and an Andorian begin questioning Burnham and give her a dose of a truth drug, which results in some thoroughly entertaining side effects. It's great to see more of Martin-Green's range beyond Emotional and Very Emotional and she's clearly having fun with it, racing through a variety of mental states before settling on "chatterbox."

"It makes people truthful, they talk," explains the Orion security guard.

"Yes-yes-I-feel-that-I-feel-you-I-get-that-I-have-a-friend-with-red-hair-you-cannot-give-her-any," Burnham blurts.

It's a really fun set piece that adds to the fresh feel of this episode. The SnorriCam shots are used sparingly and to good effect. Burnham is still prattling on and eventually identifies Book, who meanwhile is having difficulty trying to sell the vintage tech before his day gets even worse and he runs into Cosmo Traitt (David Benjamin Tomlinson) the alien who was trying to shoot him down at the beginning of the episode.

"What cargo was he hauling?" the Orion security guard asks.

"I-don't-know-but-it-was-temperature-senstitive-and-realy-valuable-so-it's-probably-ice-cream," Burnham jabbers on.

The guards take Burnham to find Book and they find him getting a pummeling from Cosmo. Pouncing on the opportunity to vent, she also unloads a hefty right hook that connects perfectly with the already battered courier. Just about everyone is aching to blast poor Book Cosmo, the Orion guards and the Andorian guards.

Burnham sighs, Book winks at her and in the blink of an eye, they've both disarmed two guards and are blasting at the remaining ones. We know what's going to happen and we want it to happen which is precisely why it had to choreograph in as much of an unclichd manner as possible and for the most part, that's accomplished. Thus begins a beautiful relationship.

Poor Burnham is still suffering from the effects of her alien-acid-amphetamine truth drug while Book is left doing most of the defensive work. But she spies some dilithium crystals in what looks like an antique dealer's storefront and makes a dash for them. Dodging blaster fire, Book follows behind her, but the incoming fire is intensifying and despite some disagreement over their priorities, he activates a personal transporter and they materialize far away from the city on the precipice of a stunning waterfall. You have to give credit to the location scouts for this episode, they've excelled themselves.

Burnham and Book hardly have time to argue before a handful of Andorian guards beam to their location having tracked the personal transporter. Working in perfect harmony together they dispense with these guards before beaming out once again, adopting a shoot-'n-scoot strategy. By beaming ahead, they can ambush the incoming guards, the only problem is the personal transporter needs 30 seconds to recharge. What follows is a well-written, well-filmed set piece that yet again makes this episode stand head and shoulders above almost everything we've seen up until now.

Pinned down and unable to stem the onslaught of Orion and Andorian guards, Book grabs Burnham and they leap off the edge of the cliff and activate the transporter as they fall. Thankfully, they land in a different lake and Book helpfully provides the exposition that they can't be tracked underwater and we'll let that one go since the rest of this episode is so freakin' fantastic. Plus, in the next scene as they dry themselves off, Book does a Kirk and gets his shirt off.

During the firefight, Burnham caught a glancing round in the shoulder (it's always a glancing round in the shoulder) and Book performs a routine where he recites a prayer and a blue plant emerges from the water's edge that he gently squeezes to produce a healing gel-like liquid that Burnham applies to her wound. This is our first indication that Book shares a symbiotic relationship with the planet and we'll see more evidence soon. He gives her a communications device and she tries to call the Discovery once again with no luck.

As they share this peaceful moment and we can see each character shares more in common with each than perhaps they first realized: they are both true believers in their own way. Burnham confirms that she is indeed a time traveller and we learn that all time travel technology was destroyed after the Temporal Wars an event referenced in the "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode "Storm Front" (S04, E01).

Burnham and Book eventually reach his cloaked ship, but are suddenly ambushed by Cosmo, the Andorian and Orion guards and even a Lurian. In a surprising twist, the guards turn on Cosmo, blasting him before demanding Book open his cargo hold, which they intend to keep for themselves. A giant slug emerges and eats everyone much to Burnham's surprise. Then it turns on Burnhamand eats her. Thankfully though, it doesn't chew, or swallowand Book talks to the slug in the same language that he spoke at the lake. Now, considerably less aggravated, the trance worm as its called begins to calm down and eventually spits out Burnham.

When she comes to write her personal log for today, it's going to be an interesting read.

We're back on Book's ship, now repaired and at warp speed. Burnham and Book, together with Grudge, share another intimate moment and he explains how the trance worms used to thrive in their natural environment when the Federation existed. He talks about his connection to life forms and a little about his family, explaining that they are all poachers, but he is different and as such, he is not welcome at home.

Then we finally see what his motivation was and what the "mission" was all about; the trance worm is released into its natural environment and seen happily thrashing about in water. It's hard to describe the scene to be honest, because my eyes were so full of tears. It's been a while since "Star Trek" has provoked such an emotional response, to paraphrase a certain Vulcan, but this is truly a beautiful moment. And we love Book even more as a result.

Again we see that both Burnham and Book have many traits in common as they're both willing to make sacrifices in an attempt to ensure a future. The saving of the trance worm invokes fond memories of "The Voyage Home" and reflecting on important socio-political issues of the time is something "Star Trek" can often do and has done to great effect.

Burnham shares a little more of her story, explaining that she wasn't the only one who made the sacrifice. She makes a throwaway remark about not having a clue on how to start searching for her ship and her crew, when Book suggests that he might know someone who could help. They fly to an enormous, wrecked space station that Book explains used to be a Federation relay station. Having docked, they make their way to the attendant's desk where we see the well-dressed gentleman sitting at his desk from the beginning of the episode.

"Hello, welcome to Starfleet. May I help you?" he asks.

Burnham is gobsmacked, understandably. "I'm Commander Michael Burnham, Science Officer, USS Discovery, serial number SC0064-0974SHN," she says.

It is the turn of the well-dressed gentleman to be gobsmacked and he introduces himself as Aditya Sahil (Adil Hussain) a Federation liaison. Together they scan for the warp signature of the USS Discovery, but are unable to locate it. Sahil explains that he only has limited scanning range now as both he and the Federation were cut off from the other sectors long ago.

Despite not being a commissioned officer, Sahil has watched and scanned for over 40 years in the hope that someone, like Burnham, might be out there, for he too is a true believer. "Today is that day," he says, "And that hope is you."

He produces his aged container and we see that it's the flag of the Federation, minus a few stars. "It has been in my family for generations," Sahil says. "Only a commissioned officer may raise it."

And for the second time in one episode, we're struggling to hold back tears. Burnham stands proudly and says, "We need a Communications Chief to monitor for Discovery. Will you accept this commission?" And so they raise the flag.

"Our numbers are few," Sahil says, "But our spirit is undiminished."

Belief in something better is clearly going to be a big theme in Season 3, a sentiment that rings true now, more than ever before. Next week's episode will obviously look at the events that unfolded for the crew of the USS Discovery, but the focus on just Burnham and Book this week has been a joy to watch. Intertwining the two plot elements into one episode would've been a disaster. The development of this relationship was perfectly paced, as was their gradual reveals about themselves.

This marks a return to form for "Star Trek" and could perhaps be considered a re-birth of sorts a recurring theme in this franchise leaving all that nonsense of the previous season far behind. Along with "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" (S01, E07) and "New Eden" (S02, E02), this episode joins our list of the best of "Discovery" and since it's the season premiere, we have high hopes that this high standard will continue.

Rating: 9/10

CBS All Access subscription is the home of "Star Trek: Picard," "Star Trek: Discovery," "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and a host of other original and archival CBS television shows. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month. You can try CBS All Access for a week free here.

Follow Scott Snowden on Twitter @LorumIpsum. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Go here to read the rest:

The 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 3 premiere is one of its best episodes yet - Space.com

DEVOTEES parade through the streets with metal spikes piercing their faces for a gruesome ritual in Thailand.

Others slice their tongues open with axes in a test of endurance at Phuket's annual Vegetarian Festival.

9

9

9

The holiday island's nine-day festival honours the Nine Emperor Gods of Taoist beliefs.

Through the festivities, followers abstain from eating meat and having sex in an effort to cleanse their souls.

Some also prove their devotion by taking part in ritualistic self-mutilation and pain trials.

As well as piercing and cutting their faces, participants will run over coals and climb ladders with razors on the steps.

The beating of drums helps them enter a trance like state in which they say they are possessed by gods and feel no pain.

In previous years devotees have also pierced their cheeks with bizarre objects such as bicycles, guns and badminton rackets.

Many believe that the pain from the piercings is a way to absorb the ills of their community and bring good luck.

Phuket's gruesome tradition emerged in the 19th century when a group of Chinese singers were struck down with malaria while visiting.

The musicians were healed when they began worshipping the Nine Emperor Gods and cleansed their bodies by avoiding meat and practising self-flagellation.

This year's event has taken on extra significance because it the first festival allowed in Thailand since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BRITS ON BRINK21million Brits to be under Tier 3 or 'circuit-breaker' lockdowns in weeks

BABY DEATHMum, 18, charged with killing baby daughter 'left her home alone for six days'

BIRTH HORRORBaby's head torn from its body and fell on floor during botched pregnancy

CLOCK'S TICKINGManchester must strike Tier 3 deal by MIDDAY or be forced into lockdown

LOCKED UPIreland plunged into full lockdown & people must stay within 3 miles of home

Exclusive

IT'S ALL GRAVYBrit pub's Sunday roast is so popular there is a THREE-YEAR waiting list

Phuketairport is expected to receive nearly 15,000 domestic travellers on each of the nine days.

Authorities wanted it to go ahead to boost the hard-hit economy on the island, which is heavily reliant on tourism.

Tens of thousands of people there are unemployed after the virus forced visitors to stay away.

9

9

9

9

9

9

Read more from the original source:

Devotees ram spikes through their faces and cut tongues with axes to appease the gods at Phuket Vegetarian - The Sun

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotakus daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool sounds they make. Today, as we rapidly approach the launch of a new mainline PlayStation, lets take a trip back in time and celebrate a game that anchored the launch of the last mainline PlayStation: Resogun, the ostensible alien shoot em up thats more or less a lights-and-music show.

Summer is usually the season of raves. You know: cramming into an incandescently lit space, surrounding yourself with people wearing glittery crop tops and sequined butterfly wings, and shedding your insecurities while listening to loud tunes pumped out of a MacBook Pro. Its the best. Summer 2020, for reasons that neednt be explained, was not the season of raves. To cope, I listened to electronic music more or less nonstop between the hours of when I achieve cognisance and when I lose it. Ive carried this habit on.

This week, I discovered or, rather, rediscovered one of the more transcendent electronic video game soundtracks in recent history: Resogun (YouTube / longplay / VGMdb), the not-quite-side-scrolling shooter that launched alongside the PlayStation 4. Composed by Ari Pulkkinen, a Finnish composer with a devilishly handsome first name, Resoguns soundtrack is just the sort of thing Id want to hear on a Saturday night. Just take a listen to Acis, the song for the first level:

It starts out like any other trance or deep house track thats right, I just heroically conflated two subgenres that, face it, are indiscernible with that trademark 138 bpm and onslaught of synths. Then, at 4:07 (well, in the video above), the melody kicks in. It sounds a whole lot like something youd hear on, say, Above & Beyonds Group Therapy or Armin van Burens A State of Trance, two popular weekly internet radio shows dedicated to trance music. Both shows have a sort of song of the week segment, in which the hosts play, in their minds, the best trance track released that week. If I heard Acis show up during one of those segments, I wouldnt be surprised.

The same can be said for much of the rest of Resoguns soundtrack. Songs like Decima, Avernus, and Febris are all rooted in breakneck BPMs and melodic compositions. Youll hear these during Resoguns main stages, and they pair fantastically with all the laser beams and hordes of exploding extraterrestrial vessels. But the boss fight tracks flip the script to a degree. Heres the song for the second boss, Stormruler, which shows up at the end of Ceres:

Like the rest of the boss-fight tracks, Stormrulers music slides into downtempo, bass-heavy house overtones. (Hey, every good setlist needs a chill track or four.) You might hear these songs at a show as well, though theyd inspire less dancing than the level tunes. I, for one, would use the opportunity to temporarily step away from the shiny happy people, maybe head to the bar for a refill or hunt for the requisite plush sofa.

The way Resogun bounces between songs that make me want to move my feet and songs that make me want to give them a rest takes me back to brighter, louder days. Its not the same as experiencing this stuff in person. Its not even the next best thing. But it sure gives me something to look forward to next summer (if were being optimistic).

And thats it for todays Morning Music. What have you leaned on to fill the live music gap? If life resumed business as usual tonight, who would you want to see in concert? Let me know in the comments!

Go here to see the original:

Resoguns EDM Is An Ode To The Parties We Missed This Year - Kotaku Australia

In this article well be looking at some of the more popular genres and styles of electronic dance music in 2020. Although there are a lot of genres and styles available, its very important to remember that what might be considered bestpopular by some people may not necessarily be the same as others. Whats most important is that you have fun.

Electronic music has always been a staple on rave parties and clubs, so if youre planning on throwing a party then its important to make sure your DJ has some experience playing this style of music. You may also want to consider hiring someone whos not a club or rave DJ.

As well as being one of the most popular styles of dance music of all time, drum & bass has become extremely popular with clubbers and ravers as well. One of the key reasons for this is the fact that its extremely hard to get any decent sound from anything other than a DJ turntable without the assistance of the right equipment. As such, its no surprise that drum & bass has become one of the most popular styles in electronic music.

Techno is another popular style of electronic music, which tends to get its name from the sounds it produces. Often times techno is used to describe music which sounds very similar to house music (which is what it actually is). It is very much like house music in that it features fast tempo beats, along with some kind of drum pattern.

Jazz music was a hugely popular genre of dance music throughout the late 90s, but its never really managed to catch on over the last few years. It does however remain one of the most popular styles in electronic music.

Rave music tends to be one of the most intense styles of music around. The term rave itself comes from the fact that it often incorporates a lot of noise and a lot of energy, but at the same time it doesnt try to rely on anything else. This is an important distinction between rave music and any other form of music, as the energy and the volume of the music is what makes it so special.

Trance music is basically music that incorporates slow beats and heavy bass sounds. Trance music tends to be less about intensity and more about relaxation and tranquility.

Electronic music has taken many different forms over the years and has had a lot of music producers try to make it their own through the years. Hopefully this article has given you some ideas as to whats out there.

In todays music industry there are many genres which you can choose from. Some people tend to go for dance music while others are more into hip hop and other genres.

It seems that theres always something new to try out in the electronic music world. There are always plenty of new ideas and new technology coming out, which means that the styles of music are always changing.

Of course, electronic dance music also covers a lot of genres. So if youre looking for dance music in 2020, then you should definitely check out some of these.

With a lot of the genres of music changing, it makes sense that traditional styles are also moving away from some of the more traditional styles. For example, the big UK dance labels are not putting as much focus on dance music as they used to. This may mean that the next big thing in dance music may come from somewhere other than the UK.

View post:

Which of These Is the Best Electronic Dance Music 2020? | One EDM - One EDM

Every once in a while, a character says something so profound it makes the viewers fall into a trance; here are some of these inspirational sayings.

Its no breaking news that shonen series arent exactly the most impressivewhen it comes to summoning divine inspiration upon its viewers. If anything, shonen would be the adrenaline junkie equivalent of anime. Fans usually watch them in order to feel rush and hype, not to learn life lessons.

RELATED:One Piece: 10 Luffy Quotes that Still Inspire Us

But with all said and done, nothing in this world is absolute. Eiichiro Odas masterpiece, One Piece, has a little something for everyone. If the series just followed the conventional shonen route without expanding to unknown areas, it wouldnt have stayed relevant for more than two decades. Yes, One Piece still lives true to the shonen spirit-- thats undeniable. But every once in a while, a character says something so profound it makes the viewers fall into a trance; here are some of these inspirational sayings.

Kicking it off is one of Luffys most notable quotes. Though he sells himself for an unreliable captain, fans know when push comes to shove, Luffy will showcase a side of him that is usually slumbering.

This quote was directed to Vivi, who was so worried about the lives of her people she lost her vision. It served to give her a wake-up call.

Back in Marineford, Doflamingo made a major appearance. He was still a fuzzy character for the most part, but he made it very obvious that he wont be a minor character. And boy! Oh boy! Did he deliver.

His speech about justice not only applies to the world of One Piece, but it also reflects the various battles of real-life as well.

As deplorable as he is, Blackbeard is one of the few characters who follow a noble philosophy. Its just that he uses evil as a means to live by said philosophy.

This quote aligns so much with Luffys ideals; another proof that highlights the true nature of Blackbeard--that being Luffys other side of the coin. During their encounter in Mock town, both of them knew it wouldnt be the last time they meet.

Zoros dream is, of course, becoming the worlds strongest swordsman. And he wouldnt let anyone mock it, not even his future crewmate/rival, Sanji.

RELATED:One Piece: 10 Best Zoro Quotes

This quote was said in Baratie. Back before Sanji decided to follow his own foolish dream. Little did he know that just a few episodes following that incident, he will join a crew of dreamers.

In all truthfulness, Blackbeards entire speech back in Mock town was inspirational. It is unarguably one of the greatest speeches to grace One Piece. And the fact that it came from a completely random drunkard -or so everyone thought at the time- makes it the more striking.

For preference, Crocodile stated that he personally murdered everyone who laughed at him/ his dream. Blackbeard, on the other hand, only shrugged it off when the entire Mock Town was mocking his speech.

Dr.Hiriluks bits added so many layers to Choppers backstory. Choppers backstory, which was already sad enough, became even more tragic with the passing of Dr.Hiriluk, his father figure.

But before departing this world, Dr.Hiriluk delivered a line so powerful it made the face of Dalton-- as well as the fans-- covered in tears.

During the last meeting between the Pirate King, Roger, and his right-hand man, Rayleigh, Roger stated this. For the ignorant, this might seem like Roger denying his inevitable death.But for the knowing ones, its so much more.

Roger knew he was dying more than anyone. But he also knew that he, the Pirate King, wont be forgotten anytime soon.

Freedom and dreams are the two concepts that shape up the moral structure of the world of One Piece. A pirate, who is essentially an outlaw, can be viewed in a much better light if they pursued these two things.

RELATED:One Piece: 10 Characters Who Can Rival Whitebeard, Ranked By Strength

Those of Roger and Whitebeard viewed piracy as a pursuit of freedom. So when death lurked, both of them made sure to make their last message to the world a meaningful one.

After the tragic death of Ace, Luffy almost lost touch with reality. His shock stemmed mostly from the passing of his brother and partly from the reality check he was exposed to. He fully believed that he would be able to save Ace, and he believed wrong.

It was Jinbei who knocked some sense into the crumbling Luffy. An emotional moment that sent grown adults into a marathon of tears.

Lastly, is Rogers introductory speech prior to his execution. In his mini-speech, he clearly conveyed his thoughts about dreams and freedom. For the people to pursue dreams, they need a motivator. And what bigger motivator is there than One Piece?

Roger name-dropped One Piece and single-handedly started the Pirates Grand Era. An era where everyone seeks One Piece; where everyone seeks freedom.

NEXT:Hunter x Hunter: 10 Best Quotes From The Anime

Next Naruto: 9 Powers You Never Knew Naruto Uzumaki Had

Suliman is a writer, or so he likes to think. his hobbies include gaming, reading, writing...etc; all that you would expect from a self-proclaimed writer.

Read more from the original source:

One Piece: 10 Quotes From The Series That Inspire Us | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

The following analysis has spoilers (and potential spoilers) for Discovery season three.

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery features new characters, some of whom were introduced in the premiere just a few days ago. The biggest new addition is David Ajala, as Cleveland Book Booker, who will be a sort of guide for the crew in the 32nd century.

Book is a courier who has teamed up with Michael Burnham to assist her as she seeks to find the USS Discovery. Book has his own ship, which will play a part in season three, and he has already shown himself to be a bit mysterious. One of Books peculiarities is his companion, a large Maine Coon cat, named Grudge, who we also met in the season premiere.

David Ajala as Book, with Grudge

There is nothing new about pets in Star Trek: Spock had IChaya the sehlat, Picard had Livingston the fish, Archer had Porthos the dog, and of course, Data had a pet cat named Spot. But we think there is something extra special about Grudge

We first took note of Grudge on Star Trek Day in early September. CBS went out of their way to highlight this new and furry member of the cast with a special behind-the-scenes video about Grudge as part of the Discovery panel. They also launched social media accounts for the cat on Instagram (@grudgecat) and Twitter (@Grudge_Cat).

Working with Grudge (actually the two cats that play Grudge) was a topic of David Ajalas interview this week on The Ready Room, the official Star Trek aftershow hosted by Wil Wheaton. Initially CBS released 10 character images for Discovery season three, then they sent out four more just for Grudge. Earlier in the week during the invite-only virtual premiere, Grudge was one of the members of the cast interviewed at the virtual after party.

Grudge interviewed by Bobak Ferdowsi during CBSs Discovery virtual premiere

Certainly, CBS wants to promote the show and they may dream that Grudge could become as meme-worthy as Baby Yoda, but could it be they also want us to pay more attention to this cat?

Domesticated cats have always been mysterious, going back to early history in many cultures around the world. Cats were especially revered by the ancient Egyptians who made it a capital crime to kill one, and some Egyptian gods were depicted as cats. The ancient Egyptians saw cats as protectors, and some nobles were entombed with mummified cats.

We have also seen many examples of special cats in more modern popular fiction. In the film Men in Black, Orion the cat was revealed to be the protector of an entire galaxy, which was the main focus of the film. Over in the MCU, Goose the cat from Captain Marvel turned out to be a very powerful alien, responsible for Nick Furys famous eyepatch.

And we have seen something like this before on Star Trek. In the TOS episode Assignment Earth, Gary Sevens companion Isis appeared to be a regular black cat, but could actually communicate with him telepathically and was able to transform into a human woman.

Isis in cat and human form in TOS Assignment Earth

We believe that all this attention on Grudge is another example of a cat that is more than just a cat.

One thing for sure, Grudge is big for a cat. When we first meet Grudge on Books ship, Michael notes the cats size, and Book explains this away by saying the cat has a thyroid condition. Things may be bad in the 32nd century after The Burn, but are thyroid conditions still a problem for a guy with a spaceship that uses controls based on programmable matter? When asked why the name Grudge, Book says, Shes heavy and all mine.

But maybe Grudge is even bigger than we realize? Later, Books rival courier Cosmo confronts him at gunpoint and threatens to roast Grudge to feed her to the starving. Cosmo add, Shell feed a whole planet. Maybe this was just an insult about the cats size, or maybe he really meant it: Books first response to this taunt was Keep her name out of your mouth, indicating he has a very personal bond with Grudge.

Cosmo threatens Grudge

Book then declares, She is a queen! Sure, that could be affectionate rhetoric, but it seems possible that Book is quite serious and Grudge is literally a queen, a higher-level life form, and a leader of others for real.

Im just a cat or am I?

Taking this further, its possible that the cat we see is only one manifestation of Grudge. The simplest Star Trek possibility would be that Grudge is some kind of shapeshifter. In addition to Isis, we have seen many different kinds of shapeshifters, most prominently Odo and The Founders from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, although they needed to return to a liquid state regularly, or at least they did back in the 24th century. But there are many others including Chameloids (like Martia from Star Trek VI) and Vendorians (from Star Trek: The Animated Series and Lower Decks). And there could be many more kinds of shapeshifters we just havent seen yet on Star Trek.

TrekMovie first talked about this shapeshifter possibility for Grudge on our All Access Star Trek podcast. But the day after that podcast episode went out, Grudge (who follows TrekMovie on Twitter) seemed to pour cold milk on the idea, proclaiming she was no shapeshifter.

Of course, this could be misdirection as fans start speculating on the shapeshifter theory weeks ahead of a big reveal. Remember in season one the people behind Discovery invented a fake actor in order to keep the Voq=Tyler secret. (BTW, TrekMovie called that theory exactly three years ago today.)

But even if Grudge isnt a typical shapeshifter, there could still be something more going on. Grudge could simply be a being that looks like a cat, but has greater intelligence and abilities. In episode one, we saw that Book had a special connection with other forms of life, including both plants and animals. He was able to communicate with the trance worm as well as summon a healing plant for Michael after shed been shot.

Book bonds with trance worm

On Books ship, Michael talks to Book about his connection to various forms of life and his personal mission. She notes after the Federation fell there is no one to enforce the Endangered Species Act, except you. Immediately after that, the camera cuts to Book who then glances over to Grudge, then cuts to Grudge, whos paying attention to the conversation. This could be telling. Book may be protecting Grudge from his family, who he describes as killers and poachers. Perhaps Grudge is the last (or one of the last) of her kind. We have seen this before in the first Star Trek episode to air (The Man Trap), when Robert Crater protected the shapeshifting M-113 creature, said to be the last of her kind.

Grudge watches as Michael and Book talk about his mission to protect life

Its also possible that Grudge could be a type of technological lifeform. Star Trek: Picard has explored the advancements in sentient AI. Who is to say how advanced they could be eight centuries later? Imagine what is possible by combining extremely advanced AI with programmable matter.

Michael checks out the programmable matter controls on Books ship

With just one episode, we dont have enough evidence to come to a final conclusion, but we do believe there is something special about Grudge. She is more than just a cat. And we believe Book when he says she is a queen.

Grudge on her throne

New episodes ofStar Trek: Discoverypremiere on Thursdays onCBS All Accessin the U.S. andonCTV Sci-Fi Channelin Canada, where its also available to stream onCrave. Episodes will be available on Fridays internationally on Netflix.

Keep up with all the news and reviews from the new Star Trek Universe on TV at TrekMovie.com.

Here is the original post:

'Star Trek: Discovery' Theory: There Is Something About Grudge - TrekMovie

It's hard to believe, butArmin van Buuren's legendary A State of Trance radio show is about to hit its 1000th episode. Over the span of the past twenty years, the veteran Dutch producer has maintained the love and care for arguably one of the most rewarding electronic genres, premiering tracks from renowned and sometimes unknown producers alike, bringing friends and thousands of listeners along for the journey.

To celebrate this commemorative moment, van Buuren has asked fans to vote for their favorite ASOT-featured record of all time via the ASOT 1000 voting. Voting closes on October 17th, but before that, he invites Ferry Corsten into his studio to play a one-hour long vinyl back-2-back set, as an inaugural kick-off of the celebration. The set will be livestreamed on ASOT's Twitch, YouTube and VK channels on October 15th.

The rest is here:

Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten to close ASOT 1000 voting with a classic B2B set - EARMILK

Representative image of the human brain: Alina Grubnyak/Unsplash.

The gang-rape and murder of the 19-year-old woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly by four upper caste men, has sparked outrage around the country. After reports of the incident hit the national headlines, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered narcoanalysis tests of all the people connected with the case.

That the order also applies to the victims family has led to considerable controversy, together with attempts by state police to elide evidence of rape altogether and claims by the government that the incident was manufactured to tarnish its reputation.

Narcoanalysis as an investigative tool has been a controversial topic for decades. The test presumes to place its subject into a hypnotic state by injecting anaesthetic drugs of specific dosages. It is assumed that in this state, the persons imagination is neutralised and that she will then divulge information that she believes to be true to her knowledge. Its seen as a means of obtaining information in circumstances that require an urgent response from the person.

The test is usually conducted by a team comprising an anesthesiologist, a psychiatrist, a clinical/forensic psychologist, an audio/videographer and supporting nursing staff (source). They monitor the patients vitals, including blood pressure and pulse rate, throughout the session and the entire procedure is documented for the record. And before beginning the test, it is mandatory that the person being tested has consented to it and knows and understands the entire procedure.

Those who conduct these tests have been known to prefer thiopental sodium (PDF download) as the narcotic agent since it is also frequently used as a general anaesthetic. It is a fast-acting drug: a person who receives an intravenous dose (of suitable quantity) typically loses consciousness within seconds.

Its important to maintain an appropriate dosage of the drug to ensure the person remains at a particular stage of anaesthesia.

There are four stages of anaesthesia. In the first stage, the person begins going under and to feel the drugs effects. In the second, the person becomes semiconscious and enters a trance-like state. If the drug is being administered continuously, the person will subsequently enter the third stage complete unconsciousness. If the dose is increased beyond this point, the fourth stage begins, of coma and eventually death.

During narcoanalysis tests, the person is to be maintained in the second stage a hypnotic state. Researchers have hypothesised that, in this state, thiopental sodium produces an effect akin to hypnosis as well as, through certain neurological processes, makes it harder for the person to lie. The interview begins when the persons speech begins to slur.

Thiopental sodium belongs to a class of drugs called barbiturates, which depress the central nervous system and slow down brain activity. They have these effects because they imitate one of the chemicals that the human brain produces naturally when it wants to calm the body: gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The barbiturates bind to the GABA cell receptors and induce the person into a trance-like state by dialling down their fear and anxiety. At this point, the idea is that it will be hard for the brain to carry out complex thought processes, including deciding which question to answer and lying.

Although members of the criminal justice system, and other others, have been excited by the prospect of a drug that can prevent people from lying, there is a more considerable body of literature that encourages skepticism about the methods efficacy.

Several critics have expressed concerns that the test isnt 100% accurate. For example, a person addicted to drugs or alcohol is expected to also have a high tolerance of thiopental sodium, may pretend to be in a semiconscious state and could retain the ability to deceive. It is also quite complicated to maintain an exact dose of the drug according to an individuals will-power or attitude. Finally, innocent subjects could become suggestible and even share information they are not required to.

In addition, many medical professionals deem thiopental sodium to be dangerous if not administered in judicious amounts. An inappropriate dose or use of the drug could suddenly lower blood pressure and cease respiration, so narcoanalysis is very risky for people with respiratory ailments like asthma.

Narcoanalysis tests also pose several legal, ethical and medical questions. As a result, they have also received considerable attention for straddling two distinct worlds and distinct goals: efficient investigative practices and the preservation of individual liberties. So in May 2010, the Supreme Court of India held that involuntary administration of such lie-detecting tests intrudes on ones mental privacy.

Niranjana Rajalakshmiis a veterinary microbiologist.

Original post:

What Is a Narcoanalysis Test? - The Wire Science

By Rick Hinton

Paranormal jargon will not only put you in the know, but also help you to appear paranormal savvy when discussing the topic with friends and family, if that discussion ever comes about. As we inch toward the end of October, and Halloween, lets go over a few key terms:

Ghost/SpiritMany feel these are one and the same, however, on my journey I now feel differently. I believe aghost is a playback a blast from the past of someone, or something, that once existed. Thinkof it as a film: you can view it, but there is no interaction because, frankly, its a movie. Its an imprint that has somehow been absorbed in a house or environment, and then for reasons unknownplayed back for your viewing pleasure. One example is the continued sightings of Union andConfederate soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield. Theyre ghost. Spirits, however, are of a moreintelligent nature not a playback and sightings reported in the majority of hauntings. They are inreal time. They keep their once human personality aspect after passing (mischievous, foul, etc.) andgenerally are the ones who take great joy in messing with you. They become a member of the familywhether you like it or not; unless you give them their walking papers.

Residual Haunting/Intelligent HauntingThis directly relates to the aforementioned ghosts and spirits. A residual haunting is a continuousfilm loop of the past containing images of a life once lived. This would involve a ghost. They usually go through the same motions over and over. Sit back and grab the popcorn. On the other hand,an intelligent haunting involves spirits that interact and make their presence known in more waysthan one. They are most often upset about something you have done. Time is of no matter to them,and whether its your family, or two families after yours, theyre usually there for the long haul. Andyes its not unusual to have both ghosts and spirits in one location.

Paranormal/ParapsychologyThe term Paranormal means just above or outside the normal order of things. This could also applyto shopping at Walmart during the late hours on a Saturday night. Parapsychology is a branch ofscience (a loose science anyway) delving into a dissection of psychic phenomena trying to arriveat absolutes. Ok. They had to come up with some term to call it.

Medium/Trance MediumMany investigative groups use a medium. They are people professing the gift of the ability to communicate with spirits on various levels. They feel things and are also called sensitives. They can detect bad mojo in a location and work to get a read on the past. My wife, Laura is one of these. A trancemedium is on the next level, acting as a transmitter for the voices of disembodied spirits. They alsofeel any pain dealt with in their past life. My wife, Laura has no desire to venture into this realm.

OrbsInteresting circles of colored lights that appear in photographs. They are often caused by bugs,moisture or dust, so dont get too excited about them. Now, if you see them with your own eyes,that may be quite something else.

Ouija BoardTalk about some bad mojo! Dont mess with it; its not just a childs game. You wont like the potential outcome.

See the article here:

Explaining the difference between ghosts and spirits, and other paranormal jargon - Southside Times

Students return to campus for the first day of the fall semester on Monday, August 24, 2020 at the University of Cincinnati's main campus.

Living on campus at a public university is a hard decision to make during a pandemic. Being a freshman and craving that sense of freedom became a risk I was willing to take. With that high risk in place, after all the caution I took, I still wound up with COVID-19.

Although the sickness is different for everyone, I have had a pretty stereotypical experience for the average college student. It has been quite the 10-day isolation, and I am here to give you a breakdown of that time.

Two weekends ago, I felt homesick and decided to take a little trip home for the weekend. I was planning on distancing from my family to be safe, but little did I know I was bringing the virus home with me.

That Saturday night, I started getting cold chills and feeling awful. The next morning, I got up and immediately made an hour and fifteen-minute drive to get rapid test results. As I felt in my gut, the results were positive.

I drove home in shock and sadness, knowing I could not go back to school for over another week. I had to come home to my parents' basement and quarantine in my little brother's bedroom since it is the farthest away from the rest of my family.

The beginning of the week was a little scary. On the second day, it honestly felt like I was in a dream. I was in a loopy and exhausted trance, and I could barely get myself to move. All of that happened on top of cold-like symptoms.

After I got over the second day, though, the days to follow slowly got better and better. There was humor in being in the basement because of my parents' constant need to yell down the stairs to check on me. My mom and sister would FaceTime me to cure boredom pretty consistently. I found myself completely engaged in binge-watching old "Big Brother" seasons and comparing competitors who were on the show years ago as if I was watching it live.

I would get sudden bursts of energy and walk around my basement, but they would always be followed by a crash and need for a nap. I spent a lot of my time sleeping, trying to get in any bit of schoolwork I could do and begging my mom for more snacks. I was super lucky not to lose my taste or appetite at any point.

Overall, my experience with COVID-19 seemed to be pretty average for a symptomatic case at 18 years old. I am fortunate to have endured a pretty bad cold, but nothing too severe. Living in my parent's basement again was a blessing in disguise in an odd way. After feeling homesick for a little bit, it is safe to say I got the full dose of my home these past ten days. I am happy to be returning to UC, and my heart goes out to those who have faced much worse consequences due to the virus.

As someone who was not prepared for more than two days back at home, I would love to guide others with quarantine essentials to avoid complete boredom. Also, some things I needed to get me through the sickness in general.

1. Your wallet

I made the mistake of somehow leaving the most essential thing in my dorm, and trust me, online shopping is necessary when you are alone for ten days.

2. Lip balm

I recommend anything by the brand Vaseline. Having lip balm kept me from getting to the point where even my lips were driving me insane.

3. Streaming services

Netflix? Hulu? Disney+? It doesn't matter. Find the show you're going to binge, and I promise you will amaze yourself by how fast you get through it.

4. A journal

I may have a writer's bias, but I think writing about your time in quarantine, or at least jotting moments down, is crucial.

5. A good book

I passed a lot of time reading. It's also a good time to start reading if you haven't in a while because what else is there to do?

6. Cases on cases of water

I'm serious. I went through more water bottles than you could believe.

7. A TV tray

Getting homework done when you feel like you can't get out of bed is a struggle. I recommend investing in a TV tray now to make that a lot less difficult.

8. Vitamins

Keep that body as healthy as you possibly can.

9. Lots of blankets

Having a pile of blankets on demand is exactly what you need for the virus's hots and colds.

More here:

A letter from the inside of quarantine | Life and Arts | newsrecord.org - The News Record

By Wenbo WuOct. 8, 2020

When I was young, I used to dream of a little boy on the moon. And when hed dream, hed hope and wish that dreams didnt end so soon. Hed walk a little crater and sing a little greater of another on earthen ground. Oh how nice it must be, how calm and at peace, it must be to finally be found!

The boy often wished upon a star, the only one he knew. His turning world phased him none, though oft he caught the blues. In the dark hed ponder away, unknowing of his worth. Hed wish that there would come a day when his star would face him north.

He wandered searching, looking for something, oh what a lonely sight! Hed call out forever into the darkness and far into the night. The darkness followed, and he encircled, he put on quite a chase! He once caught his shadow, but it slipped from his fingers, before it flew away.

He could hardly be real, not seeing himself, in palms or on the floor. He used to pine for a wizard or elf, to lift him from this chore. Hed stand, then fall, then rise again, in his task to chase the light. For the darkness loomed above his head, and filled him quite with fright.

I paced like him as nomads do, from Dallas to New York. I questioned him with longing eyes, For whom do you fall short? I calmed my dreams with poetry, yet lingered on the words. I placate minds in twos or threes, and hummed between the chords.

Like the phases of the moon, my heartstrings waxed and waned. How I yearned to keep it full, to leave pain sick with vain! The shadow glued to my figure ran, as I fled the darkened street. I tossed and turned and wept again, all within my sheets.

But came a day when I converged, upon happy happenstance, a field of dreams from a movie scene enraptured in a trance. I sat me down and beside me found the prettiest path of ground, and upon inspection discovered confections of the clover most prettily profound.

Its quadruplicate leaves left me no longer bereaved, for luck saw someone too. I looked into his very eyes, and thus proclaimed it true. The boy on the moon awoke with a start, and in his heart a fire grew. Beside him bloomed a silent companion, maybe hes like me too.

Thus hands were held and natures felt in many exclaims of glee. Realitys reprieve from depths of dreams is that its not temporary. In six months felt, in six months past, the moon had danced thus forth. Even in the umbra of the newest moon, Id know its joy henceforth.

So I ask of dreams, and dreamers alike, to raise a glass tonight. I hope you sleep well, and I hope you stay strong, for the love thatll come to light. And I hope when you look up, youll see what I see, perhaps someone dreaming too. And them not so lonely, with their company, and a marvelous breathtaking view.

Go here to read the rest:

When you wish upon a moon - The Tech

Fabled trance trioAbove & Beyondhave once again taken to their Anjunabeats banner to unveil a riveting a new single.

"Diving Out Of Live" is taken straight out of the iconic Above & Beyond playbook with classic trance leads and spacey pads, which combine to create a hypnotic verse section that also features vocals from band member Jono Grant. The track eventually heads into a tense build before crescendoing into an electro-inspired drop that belongs on the main stage of a music festival.

The last time Grant sang on one of Above & Beyond's songs was back in 2018, when he contributed his airy vocals to "Is It Love?" from the group's fourth studio album,Common Ground."Diving Out Of Love" is the final single to be released from Above & Beyonds "Group Therapy 350" celebrations as they revel in Anjunabeats' illustrious 20th anniversary.

Above & Beyond also recently joined forces with EDM.com to curate a playlist containing the most legendary Anjunabeats tracks in the imprint's storied history, which you can check outhere.

Listen to "Diving Out Of Love" below and find it on all streaming platforms here.

Facebook: facebook.com/aboveandbeyondInstagram: instagram.com/aboveandbeyondTwitter: twitter.com/aboveandbeyondSpotify: spoti.fi/3fHhX1z

The rest is here:

Listen to Jono of Above & Beyond Sing on the Group's New Single, "Diving Out Of Love" - EDM.com

Frankie and the Witch Fingers, the psychedelic four-piece, consists of Dylan Sizemore, Josh Menashe, Nikki Pickle, and Shaughnessy Starr. You might ask, Well if these are the Witch Fingers, then whos Frankie? Well, Frankie, as it turns out, is Sizemores cat. Anyway, the band is back with their sixth album, Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters, which is out now via a co-release between The Reverberation Appreciation Society and Greenway Records. We recently invited Sizemore to create his own Talkhouse weekend playlist, and he came back with these atmospheric and instrumental tracks to create to. Think a rock version of those lofi hip-hop beats to chill out to YouTube streams.Keenan Kush, Talkhouse Operations Manager

I enjoy creating visual art while listening to music; for me they go hand in hand. I think music is a great tool for zoning out the noisy outside world in order to fully immerse yourself into the art you are creating. I find this especially true with music that is equally atmosphere, and not too demanding of your attention. These are some artists I find to be that perfect sweet spot for creative journeying.

Dylan Sizemore

Bitchin Bajas Angels and Demons at PlayBitchin Bajas is the side project of the group Cave from Chicago. Cooper Crain and his crew make really beautiful pieces that are both dynamic and transportive. Ive played this album on loop multiple times over, its perfect for dissolving your concept of time.

Dang Olsen Dream Tape You Always Find MeDang Wayne Olsen is an amazing visual artist, so it only makes sense that he would create music that is just as mind-altering as his visionary cartoons. I love this album because it is quite experimental in the way that it blends synths and other conventional instruments with what sounds like field recordings and other found sounds. This album is a tape looped trip to say the least.

Krater LabyrintI discovered this band by complete accident, and I still dont know much about them. When I first heard this track, I assumed it was from the 70s until further investigation suggested they were a contemporary group. This song has so many great choices when it comes to melody and the overall mood is like being in some kind of extraterrestrial womb floating through the cosmos.

Hiroshi Yoshimura GREENThis album is the perfect balance of ambient and melodic for me. I love when music sounds like water; its soothing and serene.

Mort Garson PlantasiaOne of the finest electronic composers to date. This album brings me so much joy every time I listen to it. The melodies are so iconic and catchy, and the layered arrangements are so tasteful and fantastical. His other albums can be quite experimental and fun to listen to as well, but Mother Earths Plantasia will always be my favorite to drift off to.

Piero Piccioni Easy LoversTalk about melting into a song this piece is one of the most sexy, warm feeling songs to swim around in. The instrumentation is so dreamy sounding, and the flute solos perfectly hover above the band like a feather blowing in the wind. I love listening to vintage soundtracks from foreign films when Im in need of some cinematic atmosphere.

Dorothy Ashby Afro HarpingAn amazing album with Dorothys stunning and very original jazz style harp playing at the center of some really awesome compositions. The instrumentation and tones are so organically rich and alive on this record. Dorthy Ashby is a new obsession of mine, I find her music to be perfect for diving deep into, or for just having on in the background. Its smooth, funky, and light.

Tom Dissevelt SyncopationDissevelt is an electronic composer with similar-sounding compositions to Mort Garson but a little more primal and avant-garde. I like how experimental and far-out his stuff gets, especially when you think about it existing in the 50s. He has a great album of wild space tones called Fantasy in Orbit: Round The World With Electronic Music.

Ashra 77 Slight DelayedCaught somewhere between Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd, theres the group Ashra. They make these wonderful repetitive guitar melodies that change over time accompanied with some awesome synth voices. It sounds like a race car video game in space to me. I get lost going around the track with this album very easily.

Cave Sweaty FingersHeating things up a bit and bookending the first song with another one of Cooper Crains projects is the ever so krautrock influenced Cave. They blend aspects of some of my favorite three-letter band names, CAN and NEU, and sprinkle their own funky tendencies in as well. I love all of Caves work, theyre super consistent. They have these hooky melodic motifs that repeat over and over and build over time in a very dynamic way. Cave is the perfect recipe for getting sucked into swirling rhythmic trance.

(Photo Credit: David Fearn)

Read more here:

Talkhouse Weekend Playlist: lofi instrumental beats to create to - Talkhouse

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led regime has yet not finalised the much-awaited Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) despite being in power for the last two years. At the twilight of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led regime, the initial draft of STPF was prepared, but during the tenure of the caretaker setup in 2018, it was decided that the crucial policy level document should be deferred till coming of elected government after the general elections. Although, Advisor to PM on Commerce undertook policy reforms especially on front of tariff rationalisation after stretching powers of the Ministry of Commerce by reducing the domain of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the STPF could still not be finalised. Now the government is seriously thinking over unveiling STPF for five years from 2020-25 despite this fact that the PTI led tenure will end in 2023.

The government envisages jacking up exports to $46 billion over the next five years till 2025. The STPF for the next five years envisaged basic ills of Pakistans trade sector, and illustrated that during the last two decades, the global epicentre of growth gradually shifting to Asia, specifically in Pakistans proximity.

Since 2003, India, China and Bangladesh have increased their market share by 111 percent, 120 percent and 163 percent respectively. The South Asian region has also increased its share in the world market share by 88 percent. On the other hand, Pakistan has been an outlier in the high export growth zone, as its share in the global market has decreased by 23 percent since 2003.

Had Pakistans exports grown at the SAARC regions average growth rate, its export value should have been $ 66 billion in FY2019, instead of $23 billion.

In the global ranking of exporting countries, during the last 15 years, China has improved its ranking from 4th to 1st, India from 30th to 18th and Bangladesh from 68th to 54th. On the other hand, Pakistans ranking has dropped from 59th in 2003 to 69th in 2018.

Pakistans export performance during the last decade has been inconsistent. During 2008-10, the exports remained at around $18-19 billion; in 2010-11, the tailwind of international commodity bonanza (cotton and rice) enabled a quantum leap in exports from $19.3 billion to $24.8 billion; for the next three years (2011-14), the exports remained range-bound between $24 and $25 billion.

During 2014-17, exports declined by 19 percent to $ 20.4 billion, primarily due to 16 percent contraction of global market, 43 percent slump in global commodity price index and a sustained currency overvaluation of around 15 to 20 percent. During FY2018, exports had an impressive recovery of 14 percent, affected mainly by the 12 percent expansion in global trade, 10 percent recovery of commodity price index and the Prime Ministers Export Package.

In FY2019, exports remained stagnant at $23 billion. During the fiscal year 2018-19, the fundamentals of the export sector have significantly improved due to a set of policy measures.

First, the gradual rationalisation of exchange rate has improved the export competitiveness, by decreasing the cost, in dollar terms, of rupee- denominated inputs eg energy, wages, overheads and indigenous raw materials.

Second, the export sector remained insulated from hike in electricity and gas prices, though the impact has been passed on to the commercial and domestic consumers in the wake of price hike in the global energy market.

Third, the interest rates under export schemes ie Export Refinance Scheme and Long-Term Finance Facility have been retained at the previous level, despite the multiple rounds of policy rate increases by the State Bank of Pakistan.

Fourth, the import duties have been reduced on more than 2,000 raw materials of export-oriented industries in the two supplementary budgets (in October 2018 and March 2019) and the Annual Budget FY2020, with a cumulative annual relief of Rs40 billion.

Fifth, the support provided under the Prime Ministers Export Enhancement Package has been extended for three-years to lend predictability to the export-oriented investment.

Despite the above-mentioned tailwinds, export growth remains sluggish because of the offsetting impact of equally strong headwinds. First, the contractionary monetary policy has gradually increased the cost of capital, especially for the small and medium enterprises, which cannot secure concessionary finance under the export schemes.

Second, the availability of exportable surplus has shrunk as a natural corollary to the slow GDP growth. Third, despite a partial relief of customs duties on 1,635 raw materials in the Finance Act 2019-20, the tariffs on all other imports have been further increased, in turn, escalating the cost of doing business and generating anti-export bias.

Fourth, the volatility of exchange rate during the first half of 2019 increased exchange-rate risk for the exporters, since at the time of quoting the price they did not know how many rupees would be realised for a dollar when the export proceeds arrive after 6 to 9 months of production.

During the last 15 years, Pakistans imports have increased from $15.6 billion in FY2004 to $54.8 billion in FY2019 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.7 percent.

During FY2019, the imports declined to $55 billon, mainly due to (a) exchange rate rationalisation making the imports expensive, (b) reduction in one-time imports of capital goods under CPEC projects, (c) tightening of regulatory controls on non-essential imports and (d) the demand compression due to sluggish GDP growth. The trend of import compression continues during the current financial year (FY2020) as well.

Though balance of payment remains an endemic concern for the economy, Pakistans imports-to-GDP ratio of 19 percent compares favourably with the comparator countriesChina 19 percent, India 23 percent, Bangladesh 23 percent, Thailand 56 percent and Malaysia 63 percent.

It means that for an economy of the size of above $300 billion, the import bill of $53 billion is not outrageous. The problem, however, remains the composition of the imports. A meagre four percent of total imports are used as inputs in the export-oriented production; whereas, 96 percent are either consumed directly as finished products or the raw materials for the goods consumed in the country.

Pakistans exports have remained range-bound between $20 and $25 billion during the last decade. The product portfolio remains constrictively concentrated few products exported by few exporters to few markets. The trade policies have not been able to alter the export paradigm over the decades.

The investment in industrial production has remained predominantly market- seeking and has seldom leveraged the domestic economies of scale to become competitive for export. Therefore, the policy advocacy by the industry remains protection-seeking rather than improving competitiveness and efficiencies.

The trade policy operates at three levels. At the bottom of the policy spectrum is the enterprise level interventions, which aim at creating entrepreneurial culture, supporting the SMEs to internationalise, and providing strategic short-term financial support through targeted time-bound incentives to boost their competitiveness.

The trade policies in Pakistan have predominantly focused on this policy level, with little planning for sunset scenarios. Though the cash transfers were able to win the buy-in of the policies by the exporting enterprises, such cash support is known to engender corruption and endemic inefficiencies.

The second policy level is the institutional framework which usually has a gestation period of 3-5 years. As the institutional inefficiencies and gaps increase the unease and cost of doing business, the policy interventions seek to optimise the performance of the existing trade support institutions (TSIs) and create new ones, wherever institutional gaps exist. Successive trade policy frameworks in Pakistan have attempted the reform of TSIs with mixed success.

The restructuring of existing institutions eg Trade Development Authority of Pakistan has encountered strong resistance to change and the establishment of new institutions eg EXIM Bank, Land Port Authority has taken longer than anticipated, due to internal bureaucratic impediments.

The third and most important trade policy level is the structural one that defines the strategic vision of exports. Trade policies in Pakistan at this level have been at their weakest to cover supply and demand sides.

On the supply side, there has been little appetite to invest in long-term structural reforms which extend beyond the tenures of political governments and government functionaries. On the demand side, the stakeholders of existing export sectors have a vested interest in continuation of financial support to the existing sectors and resist the structural reforms, which seek to supplant the existing sunset sectors with futuristic ones.

The writer is a staff member

See the original post here:

Policy trance - The News International

First of all, Trance is not a name you hear every day. Second, Trance, we need to address how you act at a standup show.

I know this video is old, but I just stumbled onto it this past weekend. Steve Hofstetter is a standup comedian who performed right here in Wichita Falls at the end of last year. Steve is a great comedian, but he is most famous for his videos that he posts online. The videos are of Steve berating hecklers. He does have his standup routine on there as well, but a lot of his videos are of his heckler interactions.

So I was actually watching a lot of his videos over the weekend and the next video up I hear. 'So we were performing in Wichita Falls.' My first thought was s***, this can't be good. Knowing our city, of course we had a video on his page. I also love how he said they did thirteen cities in Texas. Wichita Falls was the only one to have a heckler. Once again, good job Wichita Falls, you never disappoint.

So, let's talk about Mr. Trance. Steve ends his set by talking about his book he has for sale. It's about growing up in high school as a ginger kid. He tells a joke about someone asking him if it has sexual content in it. Basically, is the book safe for a younger kid to read? Trance decides to give his two cents and say, 'I hope so'.

via GIPHY

Awesome, Wichita Falls is now known for wanting to read about minors having sex. Thanks Trance! Don't worry, this will not be the last we hear from him. The other stand ups have other merch they're selling that has to do with their jokes. A shirt that says cream pie and hat that says cocktown. Steve asks how many people would walk around Wichita Falls with a hat that says cocktown?

Trance yells out, "Only if the cocktown hat says creampie on the back!" Oh, thanks again Trance. Steve makes a joke about Trance not being allowed out often. Strike two. Trance then decides to ask a question during the Q&A. Oh, this will be good. "Have you ever met anyone named Trance?" Steve says no and Trance says, "Now you have". Awesome question Trance, I'm sure you finished at the top of your class at Rider or Old High.

Boy oh boy, just many awkward interactions throughout the show. Friendly reminder to Trance and the rest of Wichita Falls. I know you make think that standup comedian is talking right to you, but they're not. You should not be saying anything to them during a set. I thought this was known, but apparently in Wichita Falls we need reminding.

See original here:

Who the Hell is Drunk Trance in Wichita Falls? [VIDEO] - 1063thebuzz.com