Category Archives: Trance

Words by Sam Howard

By taking part in FROCKUP events, listening to their streams, or just exploring the homepage, you can see some of the most humble and talented artists showcasing moments held in time as they convey their experiences via a range of compelling creative executions.

From art, to mixes and poems FROCKUP is about providing people with a place to share their creations in a form most aligned to them. The result is now a community network of creators, who are writing, painting or storytelling by day, then dancing and interacting at night.

We had an opportunity to interview James and Josh for our latest Beats by Beat series who also shared an epic mix fuelled by explorative downtempo tracks, followed by some 90s German prog, trance and techno sounds.

Get to know the best emerging Melbourne DJ talent through our Beats by Beat series here.

FROCKUP has all kinds of creative executions, from art to mixes and poems. How exactly did the platform come together?

Josh: FROCKUP was cooked up deep in the second big lockdown by myself and James along with our two very good friends, Sean and Ivy. The birth of FROCKUP can be traced back to us having a hell of a lot more time on our hands but legally couldnt spend any of it together. Around this time, a few of us dipped our toes into various creative pursuits, whether that be DJing, productions or writing.

So FROCKUP seemed like a great way to stay connected with each other while also providing a platform for people to share their art and creations.

James: Yes exactly what Josh said, its been such an incredible journey. And since weve launched FROCKUP in June 2020, weve met so many lovely people and formed some truly special relationships with them. Everytime I go out its great to see the same familiar faces, we chat about music and what were working on amongst other little things and its always a wholesome experience. I truly value these interactions and seeing how not only talented but genuine people are in the Naarm scene.

Who have been your favourite people youve interviewed or types of art youve had on the platform?

James: One of my favourite interviews was with Signal, a local crew run by Claddy, HipHopHoe and Indicia. Ive really admired them individually as artists as well as collective for a while now and was beyond excited when they asked for an interview.

I originally came across Claddy back in 2017 when I picked up a copy of the GlamouRatz EP on Public Possession from Skydiver Records, which is still one of my fave records to this day. In the interview, Niveen (HipHopHoe) offered some really interesting commentary on the scene and Signals holistic approach to improving accessibility, and working to dismantle the long-standing systemic barriers that continue to work against the inclusion and elevation of queer, POC and femme folk in the music industry.

Niveen expanded on these ideas through discussion on how the approach must go beyond lineup diversity quotas and instead encompass everything that goes into creating nightlife and nightlife spaces, from management, ticket prices, security and beyond.

Josh: For me personally, interviewing Cale Sexton ahead of the release of his SUSTAIN album late last year was a bit of a milestone. Hes one of the first artists I started vibing with when I eventually moved on from my old Melbourne bounce days and dipped into exploring our local house and techno scene.

Beyond that, hes an incredibly talented musician, so it was undoubtedly very interesting to pick his brain in that respect.

Even though youre quite locally focused, youve interviewed artists like Jail Time Records in Cameroon can you tell us about some of the international features?

James: Its been so humbling interviewing people overseas and sharing our experiences in our respective cities. One of my favourite international features was when I interviewed Victor Kubin, a talented DJ and Producer based in Berlin and member of the Riot Collective alongside fellow residents Ady Toledano, Borusiade, Charlotte Bendiks and Mauro Feola.

I was lucky enough to see him play at Renate back in 2018 and was simply blown away by his unique take on New Beat. However, although its been great interviewing international artists and labels, theres also soooo much talent right here in Naarm so were trying to focus on that at the moment.

Josh: Yeah, I feel like the ramifications of the lockdowns caused everyone to look inward a lot more, so in terms of our little dance music scene, it put more emphasis on what was happening locally. This renewed focus on the wealth of talent within our own scene was absolutely a great thing. At the same time though, I feel like a city as small and isolated as Naarm does benefit from the rotation of fresh ideas and energy that international travel brings.

You have a spinoff project called New Neighbours interviewing migrant English students in Victoria, with an intention of celebrating the talented work of students from around the world who now call Melbourne home some of it being presented in their own language. How did that series come about? And is it something youll be continuing with in the future?

James: Working on this project was truly special to me and I still feel so honored to be involved in it. It was led by myself and one of the other FROCKUP members, Sean, where we teamed up with AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program). We were given the opportunity to collaborate with their students and were invited to their classes, where we could hear all their wonderful ideas, talk about their experience in Australia and see their artwork. All of the students were so talented, with classes including a mix of musicians, producers, poets and artists.

In between lockdowns last year, we were able to physically meet all the students at their Croydon Campus and interview them about their favorite music and hopes for the future. It was such a special experience and I would love to continue doing it moving forward.

Across lockdowns youve been putting on live radio nights can you tell us a bit about that?

Josh: Radio has been a core element of FROCKUP since the very beginning. Most of our major milestones were commemorated with radio broadcasts, and weve been keeping it going in various formats throughout our operation.

As both a listener and presenter, something about the radio is just so special. I think the interactive element of it through the live chat, made it particularly valuable during lockdown times. Additionally, the more relaxed, casual affair that it offers as a presenter makes it a lot of fun to put together and play.

The radio was a great way for us to connect with like-minded people, which was great when we were just starting out and didnt really know anyone. For me personally, the ongoing nature of radio broadcasts is particularly important to how rewarding it is to be involved.

It was really touching to see the same presenters and listeners returning month after month to tune into our little radio station.

Whats your thoughts on the dance floor revival since the last lockdown? New and improved? Do we need more venues? Whats your general thoughts on the electronic scene right now in Naarm?

James: Its always good to see the scene popping off, especially after countless lockdowns and an ongoing lack of support from the government. But I think since we came out of the most recent lockdown weve seen so many new and upcoming crews and more raves than ever, with an abundance of events in new and exciting locations.

Miscellania has been an unreal spot and has really gotten it right, even amidst countless postponed and canceled events and unfair liquor license changes. Its definitely my favourite venue right now and I always feel safe and comfortable inside the security, staff, events and bookings are all so well considered.

Some crews/labels Ive really admired at the moment are Daisy Records, Resonance, Her, Luna Blessings, Signal and High Ground.

Josh: Yeah what James said! And to answer your other question, I think we could always use some more venues! I think in particular, we could benefit from more mid-sized venues with generous licensing agreements in place. But thats probably the issue with it all, seeing new venues open up and struggle to reckon with our draconian licensing regulators is certainly going to be a bit of a turn off to anyone thinking of opening up a new venue.

Its a bit ridiculous to force a club to close at 1am on a friday night, meanwhile, the pokies venue 400 meters away is allowed to crack on into the wee hours.

Can you tell us about this mix youve prepared?

James: We made this mix in July, 2021 and it features a lot of trance and techno sounds from the mid 90s. We started things pretty slow exploring some downtempo tracks we were digging at the time before taking the mix in a slightly heavier direction. The first track is an all time favorite of mine, one which Ive always wanted to open a mix with. Its IRM, The Actori, and features a deranged inner monologue of an actor about to take stage, before being slowly consumed by his own hubris.

The final track is an absolute classic Nurse with wound, Landed at Grandmas, another experimental track unpacking the struggles of excessive thoughts. These two tracks act as a nice bookend for the mix and help guide its overall progression.

Another track we absolutely love in there is unreleased by local artist Al Dente (Neurocrank), which features the perfect intersection of dark proggy sounds and psy. Al Dente has had a huge 2021, both with his work for Neurocrank and as one half of Nebula definitely keen for more releases from him over the coming year.

What are three things you cant live without?

Josh: Batch brew, olives, really soft pillows

Window or aisle seat?

James: Perhaps aisle as I usually do little walks around the plane.

Josh: Window so then its easier to just conk out.

Whats inspiring you in life right now?

James: All the great parties happening in Naarm right now. Its been difficult managing FROCKUP with my full time job, so any excuse to blow off some steam is always greatly appreciated.

Whats the best piece of advice youve ever received?

James: Never trust an electrician without eyebrows!

Josh: A falling knife has no handle.

Who would be your dream B2B?

James: I would love to play alongside Tamo Sumo & Lakuti. I saw them play Christmas Night overseas and it was one of my favourite sets of all time! A back-to-back with a local artist would have to be Lizzynice as (like everyone here) Im obsessed with her selections.

Josh: Although it likely would be a deeply humiliating experience for me, itd have to be the late, great Andy Weatherall.

Check out FROCKUP here or follow them on Insta here.

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Beats by Beat: FROCKUP shares an exclusive 90s German techno, prog and trance mix - Beat Magazine

Planning is already underway for one of the biggest career milestones in the Above & Beyondsaga.

One of dance music's most tenured and dependable mix shows,Group Therapy Radio is surpassing 500 episodes this year. To celebrate, the iconic trio is planning a massive show set to take place in Los Angeles.

Launched in 2012, Group Therapy Radio was the spiritual successor to the group's former program, Trance Around the World. Since the launch, Above & Beyond have celebrated each 50-episode milestone with a performance in a different city. Most recently, Group Therapy 450 celebrations took place in London late last year.

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The two-day celebration in Los Angeles will feature two Above & Beyond performances on the opening day, October 15th. The legendary trio are sure to curate a lineup that meets the moment with the most exciting names in trance in attendance. On Sunday, October 16th, Anjunadeep takes the reigns with a full day of programming that'll most likely feature the latest and greatest from the melodic house imprint.

The first shot at tickets to Group Therapy 500 will be on Tuesday, April 26th at 10AM PT. To register for the pre-sale and to stay up to date, visit the official ABGT500 website.

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

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Above & Beyond Announce Two-Day Group Therapy 500 Event In Los Angeles - EDM.com

03/23/2022, 1:10 p.m.2 minutes reading time

Leah Thomas wins historic victory as swimmer at the American College Championships in Atlanta. But no one wanted to recognize her.

Leah Thomas victory at the American College Championships in Atlanta is currently the subject of controversy. The reason: Thomas is a transgender, thus becoming the first transgender athlete to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title in the highest category in the 500-yard freestyle. But this victory should not be recognized by a US government.

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has signed a statement recognizing the success of another woman from his home state. This was reported by Der Spiegel, among others. DeSantis accused the NCAA of destroying opportunities for women: Now the NCAA is trying to destroy the game of women, they are trying to undermine the integrity of the competition, and they are crowning someone else the womens champion, and we think its wrong.

Florida Athlete Fastest Woman

Several media outlets reported that Desantis had denied Leah Thomas success. Instead, Governor Sarasota conferred the title on Emma Wyand of Florida, who was defeated by Leah Thomas in 1.75 seconds in the same match. According to him, the winner of the event is a newcomer to the University of Virginia and an Olympic silver medalist.

She had the fastest time of any woman in college athletics, Desantis said of Wyandot at a news conference. Ron DeSantis, considered a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is still being touted as the 2024 presidential candidate.

Gender debate in the United States

Three years ago, Leah Thomas still competed as a man in swimming competitions. The University of Pennsylvania team questioned his eligibility, saying they had an unfair physiological advantage over Thomas. Prior to the match, a small group of protesters with banners complained about transgender swimming participation. After his victory, Thomas received only a round of applause.

Gender X

Transgender in Pakistan

A transgender man begs for money during a traffic jam in Lahore, Pakistans second largest city. Every night she was sent by her guru to raise money for the Hijra community where she lived. Many Hijras live in well-defined and organized life and economic communities under the leadership of Guru-Thai. He must take care of the material and spiritual needs of his students, i.e. transgender people, in return for the right to faith and a portion of his income.

Further

In February 2022, the US Swimming Association issued new guidelines for USA Swimming. In the future, testosterone limits should also be offered here, but it is not yet used.

Source: Glass

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USA: Wins Trance Girl Swimming Tournament - Recognized as US Governor - Socialpost

Lisette Coly and Anastasia Damalas are at a crossroads.

But, on a recent late-winter morning, they were also in the book-filled storefront of their foundation in the Greenport section of Long Island, when someone knocked at the door.

Ms. Coly, 71, and her daughter, Ms. Damalas, 32, were leery. Their family nonprofit is appointment-only, and no appointments were scheduled.

In walked a woman who said she had driven from Eatons Neck because she was interested in buying the building. She requested a tour, but Ms. Coly told her the foundation was closed for the day.

Still, the woman made her way into the quiet and pristine space, toward the back archive where Ms. Coly had just unveiled 90-year-old photos of her grandmother that had never been shown to the public. The photos feature Eileen J. Garrett, the celebrity medium of the 20th century, deep in trance.

The uninvited visitor surveyed the room and left in a huff.

That was highly irregular, Ms. Coly said afterward. But it was not the only bizarre occurrence that day: lights flicked on when their switches were in the off position, and loud, electrical buzz sounds intermittently came on and off.

Could such events be paranormal related to the appearance of the rare photos? Some might think so. Others might correlate them to the ordinary problems of this mundane world: an aging, 87-year-old building and a cutthroat real estate market.

Because after 17 years in this location, and with a business thats a little over 70 years old, the mother-daughter proprietors of the Parapsychology Foundation are about to lose their lease.

At risk is the enormous, one-of-a-kind Eileen J. Garrett Library, a staggering archive of books, scholarly papers, photographs, letters and some 600 videos documenting the broad and complicated field of parapsychology in the 20th century.

My grandmother used to say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday I believe in the paranormal. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I dont. And Sunday I dont give a damn, Ms. Coly said, relating to the weariness that comes with steering a precarious nonprofit. After all these years, I feel the same way.

Ms. Coly and Ms. Damalass financial predicament their landlord is selling the building in Greenport and they cannot afford to buy it highlights a fork both in their livelihood and the cultural trajectory of the discipline itself.

Parapsychology, a term coined in 1889 by the German psychologist and philosopher Max Dessoir for the scientific investigation of psychic or paranormal phenomena, often refers to the experimental approach to the field. It pursued many of the questions now studied by hard sciences like physics and neuroscience, yet today is wildly misunderstood by the general public. New science and research are either lost in academic echo chambers or reduced to haunted house explorations on TV.

But Ms. Coly and Ms. Damalas believe the foundation and its library can still help people if the study of the paranormal can be reframed in a contemporary light.

Ive been a good soldier. Ive played within the rules of academia. But everything is morphing. We need to move with the times, Ms. Coly said. She wants to save, grow and digitize the library and find a good home for it. I refuse to see it broken up.

Eileen J. Garrett did not have an easy start. She was born in Meath, Ireland, in 1893 and was orphaned over the next couple of months when both parents died by suicide. She was then adopted and raised in Meath by her aunt and uncle.

As a young girl, Ms. Garrett said she started seeing apparitions, hearing voices and predicting future events. When she moved to London at age 15, she found a mentor, the spiritualist James Hewat McKenzie, and attended the school he founded the British College of Psychic Studies in London in the 1920s.

She and Mr. McKenzie determined that she was a trance medium as opposed to a more run-of-the-mill psychic when she began channeling an entity named Uvani, whom she called her control. From that point forward, Uvani performed the role of communications director between the entranced Ms. Garrett and the various entities who wanted to speak through her.

Ms. Garrett and Uvani fit in with the religious trend of the day: Spiritualism. But Ms. Garrett did not subscribe to the Spiritualist doctrine, openly admitting her own disbelief in survival of consciousness.

A skeptic herself, she worried that her psychic sensitivities, as theyre called, were early signs of madness. But after multiple visits to psychiatrists who gave odd diagnoses that her behavior was a stress response to her husbands sexual inadequacy, for example (she was married three times total) she committed to managing her experiences and finding answers on her own.

My grandmother refused to think everything mysterious was a ghost, Ms. Coly said. She thought just as likely that she had multiple personalities, or was using telepathy, or some other phenomenon that wasnt yet understood.

Voice hearing exists on a continuum, said Philip Corlett, a clinical researcher who is leading an N.I.M.H.-funded study of clinical and nonclinical voice hearers with James Gold at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven. So clairaudience or receiving auditory messages in ones head is not necessarily a sign of mental illness.

In a previous study in Connecticut, Dr. Corlett and his colleagues found, after testing patients and nonclinical voice hearers, that psychics did not meet diagnostic criteria for a psychotic illness. The psychics in the study were in fact hearing voices, but well have to agree to disagree on the provenance of those experiences meaning the data doesnt show they have mental illness, but he also doesnt believe they are talking to the dead.

Ms. Garretts own skepticism about her psychic abilities captivated Harry Price, a Spiritualist debunker and psychical researcher known today as the first ghost hunter. In 1930, Mr. Price arranged a sance of Ms. Garretts in which she was asked to contact Arthur Conan Doyle, the recently deceased creator of Sherlock Holmes.

Instead, Uvani brought through the deceased pilot of a crashed blimp, the R-101, that had fallen in France two days earlier. The seemingly sensitive information she channeled that the engines were too heavy; it was flying at too low of an altitude; an oil pipe was plugged caught the attention of reporters in attendance.

Though dismayed by her sudden fame, Ms. Garrett moved to the United States the next year and went on a lecture tour for the American Society for Psychical Research.

In New York, Ms. Garrett worked as a 9 to 5 psychic, as she herself put it, establishing offices at 29 West 57th Street, and attracting high-profile clients and friends, including Aldous Huxley, Salvador Dal, Henry Miller and Anais Nin.

As a teenager, Ms. Coly started helping out around her grandmothers office, getting dispatched to do things like tell Mr. Dal that Ms. Garrett was busy when he came though the door: Hes such a bore, Ms. Coly recalled her grandmother saying.

Ms. Garrett was not your conventional granny: At one point she implored her young granddaughter to take LSD with her and Mr. Huxley. Ms. Coly refused. She didnt exactly say I was a wuss, Ms. Coly said, but she tried to persuade me, saying, Whats the worst that can happen? We cant guarantee you an easy time, but we can certainly get you out of it eventually.

But Ms. Garrett attracted plenty of willing acolytes. Her young administrative assistant, Edward Everett Tanner III, wrote the novel Auntie Mame under the pseudonym Patrick Dennis, and told Ms. Garrett he had based his title character partly on her.

The Parapsychology Foundation, which today is the largest collection of parapsychological research in the United States and one of the largest in the world, was started in 1951 by Ms. Garrett and her close friend Frances P. Bolton, a Republican congresswoman from Ohio.

Their mission was to widely fund the study of consciousness, particularly the aspects known as paranormal or psi. The two women supported decades of scientific and academic research with Ms. Boltons inherited oil money (her uncle was a partner of John D. Rockefeller).

They funded research internationally, including Joseph Banks Rhines early ESP studies and Ian Stevensons examination of reincarnation; the exploration of religious miracles at Lourdes, France; and the United States governments early interest in remote viewing, the now famous declassified psychic spy program.

The foundation has been strictly matrilineal: Ms. Colys mother, Eileen Coly the only survivor of Ms. Garretts three children; two sons had died young assumed the role of president of the foundation upon Ms. Garretts death in 1970. Lisette Coly took over the presidency in 2012.

Over the course of Ms. Colys tenure, she has maintained the library, continued providing grants, brought back the Helix Press imprint and served as the editor in chief of the International Journal of Parapsychology. She has also published proceedings of all of the foundations 41 international conferences, many of which she helped coordinate over the years, featuring experts in neurobiology, dream research, ceremonial magic and areas of pharmacology that included psychedelics.

My grandmother always wanted to bring together various disciplines to look at the phenomena, Ms. Coly said. She didnt want parapsychology talking to itself as a field.

These days, without Ms. Boltons generous check writing, which ended with her death in 1977, the foundation leads a quieter existence for a few dozen visitors a month: students, researchers and laypeople who seek answers to what they think may be paranormal questions. Since 1977, the foundation has subsisted from a modest endowment left by Ms. Bolton and the occasional bequest, but those are few and far between.

The library, perhaps the foundations most valuable physical asset, is a gold mine. Its really an information clearinghouse of vetted, peer-reviewed, quality information and rare primary source materials, Ms. Coly said. You wont find any books on werewolves.

The foundation has moved two times before: First, in 1984, from the 57th street address to a brownstone on East 71st street between Second and Third Avenues Ms. Colys home a move that lasted until 2004, when the collection went into storage. In 2005, the storefront rental in sleepy Greenport came along.

People who are searching in this realm, no matter what level, should have a physical place to go, Ms. Coly said. You dont have to be a card-carrying believer to be curious. The phenomena should be discussed in normal parlance, and information should be available.

Ms. Coly and Ms. Damalas are re-evaluating how to best guide the foundation into the future. The old model was only sustainable with a rainmaker like Ms. Bolton. Conferences and research require money and dont bring in enough revenue alone.

For reasons of quality and reputation, Ms. Coly and Ms. Damalas are reluctant to use the flashier, income-driving models from the spiritual marketplace, like recreational ghost hunting or expensive sessions with mediums.

I dont want to play games with the phenomena on the foundations time, Ms. Coly said. This is not about seeing if there are ghosts in an old building.

Ms. Damalas is busy digitizing materials, building a social media presence, creating YouTube videos and listening in on daily calls about the librarys future location. The foundation has always aimed to serve two audiences: academia and the general public.

Ms. Coly remembered some of the calls she has handled.

Parents call wanting to help their children who they worry might be possessed. Or after 9/11, someone called wanting to know if souls could be trapped on a plane. People need help getting through the experience, whether or not it is paranormal. And that does not mean sending them to a random psychic on the street.

Ms. Damalas, perhaps because of her proximity to the family vocation, has had difficulty handling paranormal questions in her own life. While a new area of research is exploring psychic sensitivity as a genetic inheritance, Ms. Damalas hesitates to embrace trance mediumship, even though shes had incidents her whole life.

When I asked for an example, an amused Ms. Damalas shared a series of stories, one about her childhood realization that a restaurant her family frequented on Long Island didnt actually have a haunted theme.

Upon understanding that no one else saw the macabre atmosphere, Ms. Damalas became perpetually guarded. Like her great-grandmother, she sleeps with the lights on.

In general, I think our materials can really help people find comfort. I could imagine a building in the city, with membership, and a Soho House-like atmosphere, she said of the business model shed like to follow. But do I want spirits in my face? No. I do not.

Link:

The Parapsychology Foundation Fights for Its Future - The New York Times

The Beatles had a tight-knit group that rarely wavered during their decade-long recording process. The four members were joined in the studio by George Martin, along with a small number of engineers, including Norman Smith, Glyn Johns, and Ken Scott at different times. But for most of their most iconic work, Geoff Emerick was the man behind the tape machine and faders.

When Smith was promoted to the role of producer in 1966, the 20-year-old Emerick became The Beatles new engineer. Emericks first album with the band was Revolver, and he remained with them through their most psychedelic phase, including on the albums Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. However, by 1968s The White Album, Emerick began to dislike the tense atmosphere of the studio.

I lost interest in the White Album because they were really arguing among themselves and swearing at each other, Emerick recalled in Mark Lewisohns The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. The expletives were really flying I said to George [Martin], Look, Ive had enough. I want to leave. I dont want to know any more. George said, Well, leave at the end of the week I think it was a Monday or Tuesday but I said, No, I want to leave now, this very minute. And that was it.

That was during the July 16th session when the band were working on John Lennons Cry Baby Cry. According to Lennon, he had come up with the original idea for the song much in the same way that he conceived of Good Morning Good Morning: through an advertisement.

Ive got another one here, a few words, I think I got them from an advert Cry baby cry, make your mother buy, Lennon recalled in Hunter Davies 1968 book The Beatles. Ive been playing it over on the piano. Ive let it go now. Itll come back if I really want it. I do get up from the piano as if I have been in a trance. Sometimes I know Ive let a few things slip away, which I could have caught if Id been wanting something.

Emerick would later return to work as an engineer on the album Abbey Road, for which he won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album. After The Beatles disbanded, Emerick continued to engineer albums for Paul McCartney and Wings, including the LPs Band on the Run and Tug of War.

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The Beatles song that caused their engineer to quit - Far Out Magazine

Soren Lorenson - who says tattoos put him in a "trance like state" - has been getting work done since he was 18. The 28-year-old from Florida, says he will get more work done

A man who has his eyeballs tattooed has been ostracised from his family who make "no effort" to talk to him since he started getting inked.

Soren Lorenson - who says tattoos put him in a "trance like state" - has been getting work done since he was 18.

The 28-year-old from Florida, has been told by his family to "pray for God's help".

The body modification enthusiast - also known as Neon Demon - said his jawline and ribs were most painful tattoos to sit through, the Daily Star reports.

He now has more than 200 tattoos.

He said: When I first started, I hated the pain and it was more of an obstacle to get past in order to earn the design that I wanted.

I've always been very inspired by art and creative expression from across the world. Once I got started I just kept going and I didn't want to stop.

More recently though after getting much bigger work and enduring much longer sessions I discovered that I was starting to enjoy the process and feeling and I'm developing the ability to focus my mind into a somewhat trance-like state.

Its been an interesting process that I'm still continuing to explore.

But to answer the question, each body part is different in terms of pain levels. My stomach, being my first tattoo ever, felt like the worst pain I had ever endured.

It was as if the needle was penetrating into my abdomen.

And he added: My jawline and ribs were similar in a different way.

But despite feeling more like himself now hes heavily inked, his family remain perplexed by it.

He explained: My entire extended family hates my tattoos and makes no effort to ever talk to me or reach out ever since I first got the face done.

My parents love me and support me but have told me numerous times that I need to pray for God's help and that they will never understand me.

I am the oldest out of 10 siblings though and I love all my brothers and sisters more than anything.

I'm open to covering almost the entire surface area of my body with the exception of my genitals - but I'm also not in a rush at the moment," he added.

Although he may look intimidating to some, Neon Demon said his favourite tattoo was a little kitty cat on his arm because of his love of felines.

The body modification fan also compared the process of getting tattooed to a ritual.

Sacred rituals have been around since the beginning of time and they take many forms but for me what makes it so special is the partnership you can form with pain.

Also using pain to achieve something greater and through submitting yourself to it you gain a sense of freedom and strength.

Tattooing to me is an important act of creative expression that allows me to feel like myself and through the years has also helped me learn to better love myself for who I am.

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Man with 200 tattoos including on his EYEBALLS urged to ask God for help by his mum - The Mirror

THESE identical twins claim to have had FOUR UFO encounters including being abducted by aliens.

Philip and Ronald Kinsella, 52, from Kempston, Beds., said their first sighting was of a silver orb at the age of 13.

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Philip, a writer, also claimed he was abducted byaliens in 1989.

He said: I remember sitting in my home and the atmosphere changed and it became static.

The hairs on my back went up and Ronnie went into a trance he froze and raised his head up to the ceiling."

He claimed he was then examined by reptilian aliens on board a spaceship.

The pair also allegedly saw a hovering pyramid-shaped object in June 1998.

Philip said: There must be a reason why this has been happening to both my brother and I.

I think the authorities know about the aliens but dont want to scare people.

The twins shared footage of their fourth encounter in 2016.

Philip said there were three white objects hovering 90 to 100ft up.

He told Daily Star: They were huge and we were amazed.

Ronald added: The sound was muffled like it had snowed heavily.

"We arent gullible and know what we have witnessed.

It is a taboo subject the deeper you dig, the murkier the water gets.

It comes following an incomplete UFO report published by the US Department of Defense.

The report should have clarified the question of the existence of extraterrestrial UFOs.

The nine-page documentwas less than satisfactoryfor many people as it listed phenomena that were already widely known.

However, the document was apparently a shortened version of the report meant for public publication. There was allegedly a secret briefing between Congress members to remove information from public record.

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Twins say theyve had FOUR UFO encounters including being abducted by aliens and seeing a pyramid-s... - The US Sun

"Gamblers describe this as entering the zone, which really just means that they dissociate completely from reality from what's going on around them," says Associate Professor Maria Bellringer, director of Auckland University of Technology's Gambling & Addiction Research Centre.

Prof Bellringer says pokies are designed by psychologists to keep people playing and addicts completely lose track of time.

"[They are] in this trance-like state and forget what's going on around them."

This includes their children, she says, something that concerns her.

Since January 2019, 48 people have been trespassed from SkyCity Casino for leaving a child unattended while they gamble. Police were called in 27 of the incidents

Children have been left alone in cars, hotel rooms, the lobby, or on streets near the casino.

"I suspect it's higher. Parents will be leaving children at home as well," Prof Bellringer says.

Children of problem gamblers suffer from attachment issues and are more prone to substance abuse, eating disorders and gambling themselves - with evidence it can start with just informal schoolyard bets.

"In fact, children as young as nine years old in the country have reported gambling for money," Prof Bellringer says.

SkyCity must report all incidents of children being found alone to Internal Affairs. In the most recent audit - finalised in May last year - it was the one compliance area out of 10 where the regulator was satisfied the operator was meeting its obligations.

SkyCity told Newshub it has a zero-tolerance policy to the issue. It says there are:

"regular sweeps" of car parks and high-risk areas carried out by security

increased staffing at casino entrances during peak times

"enhanced" signage warning of the legal age

regular public address announcements in the car park and lobby stating children shouldn't be left alone.

Last year, 16 underage people gained access to the casino floor.

Internal Affairs says there are "ongoing discussions" with the casino to ensure it's meeting its host responsibility requirements.

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Auckland's SkyCity Casino trespassed 48 people in past three years for leaving children alone in cars, on the street while they gambled - Newshub

On Saturday, thousands of music fans across Europe came together for major fundraising concerts, WE ARE ONE and ASOT1000s #danceforukraine, in Romania and Poland respectively. The people of Bucharest and Krakw gathered for one sole purpose, to raise money and awareness for those affected by the on-going conflict in Ukraine. Across the weekend, a ground-breaking collective total of over 1 million has been raised in support of the Red Cross charities in each of the countries; a sum that will make a massive difference to those refugees in need of urgent aid.

In Bucharest, as many as 50,000 people congregated inside the National Arena for the largest benefit concert in Romania, WE ARE ONE. Organized by the joint forces of SAGA Festival, PRO TV, KISS FM and the City Hall of Bucharest, the 8-hour event saw a plethora of artists invited to participate, including illustrious names such as Armin van Buuren and INNA, who both took to the stage with unforgettable performances in the name of charity. UK star Tom Odell also provided one of the highlights of the day, performing his song Another Love alongside a childrens choir; a song that has come to symbolize the protest for world peace. Another special moment saw Ukrainian artist Jamala take to the stage in a tremendous demonstration of strength, as she recently fled the country with her two children to seek refuge, while her husband remained in Ukraine.

We are extremely proud that we have been able to raise such a nice amount for the Red Cross with both shows, in support of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The power of music was tangible during WE ARE ONE and #danceforukraine. As a festival organiser, we turned our powerlessness into actual help, and that felt like the least we could do.- Allan Hardenberg, director and co-founder of festival organiser ALDA and one of the minds behind each of the fundraisers

Raising money for the Romanian Red Cross, the event garnered world-wide attention as it was also streamed online and via Romanian TV and radio, with over 7 million people tuning in nationally, and around the world. Taking thousands of contributions across the course of the weekend, therefore, the WE ARE ONE total stands at a very generous figure that will benefit the Ukrainian cause immeasurably. Donations can still be made here.

Later in the day, Armin van Buuren engaged in even more fundraising activities, traveling to Poland ahead of the ASOT1000 celebrations in Krakw, that had been newly named #danceforukraine earlier this week. No fewer than 14,000 trance fans assembled inside the Tauron Arena in the Polish city to enjoy live performances from the likes of Ferry Corsten, Ruben de Ronde, Solarstone, Vini Vici and the ASOT frontman himself. During the show contributions were made through ticket proceeds and further donations were processed online, as thousands more joined the cause, watching their favourite DJs perform online via a global livestream. Last Thursdays episode of the A State Of Trance radio show was also dedicated to raising money for Ukraine, as avid listeners also couldnt help but extend their charity. The sheer generosity of the trance community has been overwhelming, raising an incredible total in aid of the Polish Red Cross. Proceeds are going directly to the charity to support them as the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Ukraine. Thousands of refugees have already crossed the Poland-Ukraine border, just 250 km away from the Krakw event, and the number of those displaced by the conflict is set to grow well into the millions in the coming days.

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Over 1 Million Euros Raised During A State Of Trance & WE ARE ONE Events in Poland & Romania - The Nocturnal Times

On March 16, 2022, at approximately 10:15 p.m., I entered a deep fantasy playoff hyperfocus trance.

I never knew what hyperfocus even was until last year. That's when I was finally screened for ADHD. My doctor (correctly) pointed out I'd been getting by on raw hyperfocus in high-leverage situations for decades.

It turns out people who know me all know my hyperfocus tell: I unconsciously close my eyes. I never know when I'm doing it. But when I suddenly open my eyes? When I come to? I find out I've typed 1200 words in 30 minutes. Or pitched three extra scripts. Or see that everyone else in my 10 a.m. meeting has gone to lunch.

So in my zeal to provide you premium playoff waiver wire recommendations? Well... it's 1:15 a.m. and I have 16 Microsoft Excel charts only I will ever understand.

Hyperfocus has struck again.

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Thankfully, hyperfocus also left a tightly curated list of recommended waiver wire pickups. All predicated around one of my favorite fantasy strategies: categorical scarcity.

Because at playoff time, categorical scarcity is vital. Categorical scarcity's importance is evident in roto formats. But at this time of the season, in a points league playoff? Categorical scarcity becomes just as important.

When you find yourself competing for all the marbles across a compressed slate of games? When you're filling every possible nook and cranny in your lineups? When you hit your wire, lead with scarcity.

Why is categorical scarcity suddenly so important in points leagues? It's the stakes, the compressed time frame, and the time of said time frame. Because at this point in the season, you want pickups that can add the most value in the shortest amount of time.

Outside of injuries and shutdowns suddenly pushing bench players over 25 MPG? Your wire will not have difference-makers in points per game and percentages. Because the big scorers, the players who take enough shots to make an impact in percentages... are all long gone.

The same dynamic goes for assists. How do I know? Take a break from me and see if Cameron Payne is available. And if he is? Grab him.

Because one of my 16 Excel charts tells me that the endgame impact tier for assists? Where the difference-making weight of a stat resides? In assists, that heavy impact tier is only 17 players long.

And I crunched this for stats over the last two weeks, so you're getting fresh names here. And out of those 17 names, only Payne is available in over 50% of leagues. (Please. Go check. It'll calm me down a little.)

It's too bad because assists per game is a high-volume, high-impact, low-variance statistic. A pickup like Payne is golden because high APG suggests high MPG, and a high usage rate... which drives solid production beyond assists.

3s, steals, and blocks? These categories stock more impact players on the wire (players available in at least 30 percent of leagues). But while it's easier to find a difference-maker in 3s, steals, and blocks, be wary of two issues.

One: these categories can produce one-trick specialists. Someone who does well in one of these categories (especially late in the year) can be strong in that area and non-existent everywhere else. So don't get locked into playing a 3s/steals/blocks specialist unless you have a roster slot to spare.

Two: 3s, steals and blocks are high-variance, low-consistency categories. Late bloomers on a high amount of waiver wires tend to be less consistent. So if they're making hay in 3s, steals or blocks, they might give you a goose egg at the worst possible time.

But because I care about you, here are the impact players in 3s, steals, and blocks, presently available in at least 30% of leagues:

Bojan BogdanovicMalik BeasleyLuke KennardDuncan RobinsonMax Strus

Herb JonesJae CrowderCameron Payne (go get him)Jose AlvaradoMalik MonkBruce BrownMitchell Robinson (and out-of-position steals make Robinson even more valuable)

Isaiah JacksonJaden McDanielsJalen SmithHassan WhitesideBrandon Clarke

So that leaves us with the category I've been pushing all year. The low-variance, high-volume, high-impact stat that no one ever seems to talk about: points per game. (Kidding. Just seeing if you've gone into a hyperfocus too!)

Rebounds. Like assists (and points per game, and percentages), impact rebounding tends to be linked to impact in other categories.

But there are way more impact rebounders on the wire: Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, Steven Adams, Ivica Zubac and Mo Bamba.

And here's a bonus reason why rebounding is such a fantastic playoff category: it's a hustle stat. The only only hustle stat that gets counted as a fantasy category.

And during the endgame of the season...some teams (cough, Lakers) start mailing it in and getting killed on the glass. An impact rebounding rate begets hustle, which begets late-season overachievement.

Which begets... winning time.

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Fantasy basketball - Key pickups to address 3s, steals and blocks - ESPN