Daily Archives: April 29, 2020

There's a thrill in sitting in a full cinema, hearing the laugh explode around the room, or the simultaneous gasps as the killer leaps out of the screen. There's an almost opulent pleasure in sitting among the audience at one of the great opera houses, observing the rituals of applauding the conductor, and falling silent as the baton is raised. There's a conspiratorial thrill in joining in on Twitter as something truly boggling unfolds on television.

Rock and pop, though, are unique among the arts in being based around the communal experience. From the bobbysoxers assembling to scream at Frank Sinatra, to the sea of humanity that gathers at Worthy Farm for the Glastonbury festival, a huge part of pop's thrill comes from the feeling of being in an unpredictable mass that is as much participant as observer. You never hear Daniel Barenboim note that the concert wasn't that great because the audience were just sitting there listening; you do hear it from rock musicians, with good reason. As Bruce Springsteen put it to me a few years back: "You're dealing with the alchemy of yourself and your audience, and that's a swirling, changing experience from moment to moment. I go out and I both guide and allow myself to be guided by the audience."

What do you do, though, when there's no crowd? The lockdown world has had musicians performing live-streamed shows from their homes, but fun though they are, that's not about a crowd's response. Some club night and DJs have done 'live' DJ sets by putting together Spotify playlists as they go for you to dance to at home; Jarvis Cocker has started doing discos from his kitchen on Instagram on Saturday nights. Hundreds of thousands of people have followed hip-hop stars having online beat battles.

But one of the most heartening and interactive of the new communal experiences has been one of the lowest-tech. Twice a night, usually at nine and ten o'clock, Charlatans singer Tim Burgess puts on an album and invites Twitter users to do the same, using the hashtag #TimsTwitterListeningParty. He is joined, on Twitter, by people involved in making that album usually the musicians themselves, and they Tweet along with each track, explaining what they were doing, while fans tweet in their own observations. It's a genuinely enlightening way to listen to an album, and it's an experience in which both musician and fan are involved.

Burgess first started hosting Twitter listening parties more than a decade ago, but they were occasional events for Charlatans albums or his own solo records. "The idea was inspired by Riz Ahmed," he says. "After a day in the studio, a friend and I switched on the TV to watch Four Lions, the Chris Morris comedy. Riz is in the film, and I followed him on Twitter. So the film started and I saw a tweet from Riz, to the effect of: 'If you're watching Four Lions on Channel 4, just keep an eye on me when I get out of the car in a second. I did 10 takes and started laughing each time. They eventually just used the one with the least laughing, but you'll still see it.' It was like an epiphany, I realised that you could tweet in realtime if everyone was doing the same thing at the same time. I asked my followers on Twitter if they'd be into the idea of playing the first Charlatans album at exactly the same moment all around the world, then I would tweet about the song, guitar solo, drum sound or whatever, as they were hearing it."

It was only with the lockdown that Burgess expanded beyond his own catalogue, and now he has musicians queuing up to be involved hence the two albums a night policy (you can see the schedule here) because they like the fact that people are actually sitting and listening to a whole album.

But there's more to it than that. "Gigs are communal but albums are often solitary, so it's a mix," Burgess says. "People can get anxious if they know they are in a house on their own, and safer with others around, if they don't see them for hours. Like Schrdinger's cat, but with records. You may be listening alone but it brings something to know that someone in Mexico, Australia or Finland is hearing the exact same thing as you are."

The Chemical Brothers are among those who have joined in, talking about their album Exit Planet Dust. Ed Simons of the duo notes that they came from a scene where the shared experience was vital. "People are highly sociable creatures who are deprived of physical proximity," he says. "That's our main thrust to relate and to be touched and to be understood, and to do things together. Rave culture and club culture is about that very close contact and having a similar experience in close proximity to each other."

Then there's the added element that most of these musicians are, one way or another, performers. Even those who, like Simons, are not natural limelight chasers find the sudden absence of the adrenalin rush of being on stage to be discomfiting. "You perhaps become immune to how much you like doing what you do," he says. "It's like when you're a kid and you have a cold and you can't breathe through your nose properly I remember thinking as a kid that when I can breathe again I'll really relish breathing. And there's something of that now. We've missed two shows we'd rehearsed, had a whole new show, and to not be able to do it makes you realise how much you miss it. There's something very nourishing about doing that for people. This doesn't come near that feeling but there's something about bringing people together."

Most of all, Burgess says, it's fun. Fun for him, fun for the bands, fun for the fans. And surprising, too in the number of people going to Twitter to join in (it's often a trending topic). "It was just a thing we did for ten years and now it's a phenomenon it's possibly the longest drawn out overnight sensation internet success of this century."

Originally posted here:

News | INTERVIEW: Tim Burgess On Twitter Listening Parties - The Quietus

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According to 97.1 The Ticket host and long time Oakland Press sports columnist Pat Caputo, he has been laid off by the Oakland Press.

After 37 years at The Oakland Press, I was laid off today. I am so grateful for the wonderful people Ive worked with and for there and the many wonderful experiences. What a privilege. And especially to the readers, I say thank you. I love you all very much. pic.twitter.com/jwtxcfBatZ

Pat Caputo (@patcaputo98) April 28, 2020

We wish Pat the best of luck in the future!

Continue reading here:

Pat Caputo takes to Twitter to announce he has been laid off - Detroit Sports Nation

It was refuted one month ago, but a false rumour about Hillsong and a Liberal MP continues to circulate on Twitter.

The allegation goes like this: Minister for International Development and the Pacific Alex Hawkes in-laws were on the Ruby Princess cruise ship and that is the reason the passengers on that ill-fated voyage to New Zealand were fast-tracked and allowed to disembark in Sydney.

A further embellishment sometimes found in tweets suggests they were connected to the Hillsong Colour Conference because, allegedly, they attended it.

Its perfectly delicious for people who dont like Hillsong, or the Morrison Government or both. The only problem is that it isnt true.

Eternity has traced the earliest mention of it to a post on the medium website by a woman called Elle Black,on April 3.

It was given oxygen in an article on the inner city news site Cityhub the next day. Hillsong link to Ruby Princess claimed ran the headline and the article simply repeated the rumour.

But, by then, Newscorp senior journalist Samatha Maiden had established it was not true.

That was not good enough for some, so Maiden revealed that she had done the logical thing and asked Hawke.

But around and around Twitter the claims still circulate. Weeks later. And not-so-subtle digs about Hillsong and the Ruby Princess are even more prevalent. Check out the date on this tweet.

The idea that the Ruby Princess passengers were disembarked quickly so that a number of passengers, not just the Hawke in-laws, could attend the Hillsong Colour Conference which had its second round on the weekend the ship came back ignores the fact that the Ruby Princess came back earlier than planned.

If it had stuck to the original schedule, it would have arrived after the conference was over.

Another rumour (and there are many others) is that Hillsong visitors were connected to the Barossa valley COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia.

Former ALP MP and SA Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has been chasing down people who spread this one, asking them to provide proof. Crickets. That thread appears to start with a cartoonist for a daily paper (not in SA).

Finally, there is this one

Well, no. Eternity did not get a heads up from Hillsong, but we checked their website, and it tells us that they have cancelled their big conference until 2021. Just like the Olympics. So, nothing to do with schools.

Elle Black, who started the Ruby Princess rumour, provides these interesting stats. The response to this post has been overwhelming with over 68,000 views, along with trending on Australian Reddit and Twitter, all within less than 24 hours. There is certainly a vast appetite for this sort of rumour.

She adds: I consider this post to be a blog post rather than an article and I have done my best to include linked citations to a majority of my claims with the obvious exception of an anonymous source who shall continue to remain nameless.

My hope for writing this was to push the friends I have, who are real journalists, into investigating more and exposing the complete truth.

Samatha Maiden did just that, Elle.

See the article here:

Ruby Princess: the untrue Hillsong slur that Twitter cant let go of - Eternity News

Georgia began to reopen some businesses today under Governor Brian Kemp's plan.

ATLANTA President Donald Trump, once again took Gov. Brian Kemp to task Friday morning over the decision to begin reopening the state's businesses.

"I (or @VP) never gave Governor Brian Kemp an OK on those few businesses outside of the Guidelines," Trump tweeted.

The president insisted that Kemp should "do what is right for the great people of Georgia," in the tweet.

Today is the first day, under Kemp's new guidelines, that salons, spas, gyms, barbershops, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys are able to operate.

During his daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing Thursday, Trump said he was not happy with Kemp and the decision to reopen spas, beauty salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys as early as Friday.

On Wednesday, he said he "strongly" disagreed with Kemp's move.

I didnt like to see spas opening, frankly. I didnt like to see a lot of things happening and I wasnt happy with it, and I wasnt happy with Brian Kemp, Trump said on Thursday. I could have done something about it if I wanted to. But Im saying let the governors do it, but I wasnt happy with Brian Kemp."

Trump went on to say that he wants the people to be safe.

"I want people to be safe and I want the people of Georgia to be safe. I dont want this thing to flare up because you decided to do something that is not in the guidelines.

On Monday, restaurants and theaters are able to open under Kemp's plan.

The governor told 11Alive on Wednesday that he stands by his decision and that he is using the data provided by experts. He also took to Twitter after Trump made the remarks.

11Alive is focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. We want to keep you informed about the latest developments while ensuring that we deliver confirmed, factual information.

We will track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.

See original here:

President Trump slams Georgia Gov. Kemp again, this time on Twitter - 11Alive.com WXIA

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New Toronto franchise to take part in remote draft on 28th and 29th April.

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The National Womens Hockey League (NWHL) has signed a deal with Twitter to live stream the North American ice hockey competitions 2020 player draft between 28th and 29th April.

The social media giant previously had live NWHLrights between 2017 and 2019, before the league signed an exclusive three-year live streaming deal with Amazons Twitch platform last September.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the widespread suspension of almost all sporting events, the NWHL postponed the 2019/20 Isobel Cup final between Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps, due to take place on 13th March.

Having recently added an expansion team in Toronto ahead of the 2020/21 NWHL season, the league is proceeding with a six-team player selection event remotely, following in the footsteps of several other US major leagues.

They include the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA), which saw coverage of its 2020 draft on ESPN more than double compared to last year.

As the NWHL continues to showcase womens hockey and its remarkable players, we recognise that the draft is a cherished and important moment in a professional athletes career, said NWHL deputy commissioner Michelle Picard.

We hope everyone joins us on Tuesday and Wednesday as we announced the drafting of 30 players and celebrate their achievements and their college programmes. We know that many of these players will have important roles on their NWHL teams in the upcoming season.

Go here to read the rest:

NWHL renews ties with Twitter to live stream 2020 draft - SportsPro Media

It was reported earlier this week that Orania not to be confused with Oranjeville in the Free State was not spared from the economic setbacks as the lockdown continues in South Africa.

The Head of Orania Movement, Joost Strydom, told SABC News that schools and businesses are affected, and that residents hope things will get back to normal.

Economy can also cost lives in terms of hunger and so on. What we did in Orania is we stayed inside as the rules of the lockdown, but we also kept innovating. We got multiple people making masks. Also, the agricultural sector, which is very big here in the area, is very important for us as Orania.

This has caused an outcry from South Africans, who took to social media to air their views.

One user known as Blythlie remarked that if Orania is struggling, they should report it using their own journalists, on their own news channels, to their own president, while another netizen added:

Does Lesotho tell us when they are struggling?? Because last time I checked, Orania is an independent state. This is a time for self-sufficiency my skatties.

Another user said that South Africa should only provide food parcels to Orania, if a resident from the white-only enclave can sing Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika in full, including the Sotho and Zulu parts.

On a more serious note, one netizen shared several disturbing images from the previous regime, and asked that these images be explained before they tell us about suffering.

Another added SANDF is afraid of going to Orania. They must be deployed there to put an end to that nonsense, while another user remarked:

Two things that are sad about Orania: 1) It actually still exists because of our Constitution. 2) The population is growing which means that the prejudiced views against non-Afrikaans, non-White, and non-Christians will continue.

For those not in the know, Orania is a white Afrikaner-only enclave that has been operating independently from South Africa since 1991, one year after the late Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

They have their own flag, as well as their own currency the Ora and a public holiday not celebrated in the rest of South Africa. Residency and employment is only approved to white people who define and identify as Afrikaner.

Here is the original post:

Heres why Orania is trending on Twitter again - The South African

You've probably realized this already but there are no sports on. Last week, the sports world got all-in on the NFL Draft as it was the first event one of the major four leagues hosted since the quarantine.

Additionally, sports fans have been eating up the Michael Jordan documentary on ESPN. This past week was the Dennis Rodman portion of the series and naturally, it became a very memeable episode.

One meme is where Jordan is looking at a tablet and makes a face. Twitter absolutely ate that one up and yesterday, the Washington Capitals decided to get in on the action.

For context, after Devon Toews scored against the Capitals to make it 4-1 in the second period of a game on January 18, he did the Evgeni Kuznetzov bird celebration. Well, after that the Islanders completely melted down.

Washington went on to score five goals in the third period to win 6-4 over the Islanders and thus shut up Devon Toews pretty good. It was evident that Toews was embarrassed by what happened, even though he never spoke to Trotz about it there was an understanding that it couldn't happen again.

What you don't want to do is wake a sleeping beast, that's exactly what Devon Toews did in that game and you know what? He deserves the tweet from the Caps.

One, it's a smart move on the Capitals part their fans are going to eat it up and two if you are going to talk, or in this case celebrate, then you better back it up. If you don't, well then I hope you're willing to take your lumps along the way.

Score one from Washington, it certainly got a chuckle out of me even if it was at the Islanders' expense.

Original post:

Islanders: Devon Toews Roasted By Capitals On Twitter - Eyes On Isles

28th April, 2020 by Nicola Carruthers

Smirnoff owner Diageo was the most talked about company among spirits influencers on Twitter during the first quarter of 2020, according to new data.

Diageos pledge to make eight million bottles of hand sanitiser saw it attract a lot of attention on Twitter

Analyst Global Datas Spirits Influencer Platform tracked more than 700 leading industry experts and their discussions on Twitter.

Global Data found that Diageo, producer of brands such as Johnnie Walker blended Scotch whisky and Gordons gin, was the most discussed company by spirits experts on Twitter. This was led by the firms pledge to create more than eight million bottles of hand sanitiser to help frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic.

French firm Pernod Ricard, Jim Beam owner Beam Suntory and Jose Cuervo Tequila were also among the most mentioned companies on Twitter.

Whisky emerged as the top mentioned Twitter topic among discussions of industry experts, followed by cocktails and gin. The exchanges on whisky were driven by the The Whisky Wires Sipping Shed Linkwood competition, which gave away a bottle of The Sipping Shed Linkwood 11 Years Old.

The data also revealed the top 10 spirits influencers on Twitter during Q1 2020 with whisky writer Steve Rush, of The Whisky Wire blog, taking the top spot.

Spirits blogger Inka Larissa was ranked second among the industry experts with 78 points, followed by MacCocktail, spirits and food consultant, in third place with a score of 63.

Mark Gillespie, David Wondrich, Jules Mahon, Charles Arthur Smith, Mike Morales, Caroline Pardilla and Derek Brown were also ranked among the top spirits experts on Twitter.

More:

Spirits influencers discuss Diageo most on Twitter - The Spirits Business