Council urged to waive parking charges for key workers.

Marks and Spencer has today called on the Government to create a Bee Action Plan.

Birmingham celebrates 550th birth anniversary of founder of Sikh faith.

On the eve of polling day Dave Woodhall issues a plea to get involved.

Glebe House holds onto its classic looks, its acres and its outbuildings – a perfect package in prime borderland, reports Marsya Lennox

Birmingham Bubble Rush in aid of Acorns this weekend.

Active Black Country Coordinator proves #ThisGirlCan for International Women’s Day 2020.

It's an outlaw country Mother's Day tribute. Continue reading…

"Stay home and celebrate VE Day" says ambulance service.

National Military Service Museums to bring nation together in Virtual VE Day Festival.

Stephen Pennell looks over a photographic record of the coolest neighbourhood in Britain.

Cinetools has released its new Trailer Cue Series sample library Metropia, a collection of dark sci-fi thriller cues that offers you an insight into the new cybernetic world full of avant-garde technology. The pack is geared towards surreal sci-fi projects, suspicious and engaging scenes, and background music for an utopian world. “Metropia” featuring high-end trailer […]

The post Metropia by Cinetools delivers dark sci-fi thriller trailer cues appeared first on rekkerd.org.

Audio Plugin Deals has launched a sale on the Fresh+Dark Bundle by Sampletraxx, offering over 80% off on a collection of three sample libraries. Powered by the full version of Kontakt 5.8, this bundle features the latest sample libraries from SAMPLETRAXX: BRAAMS vol. 2, Rituals and Antisystem. This bundle is perfect for horror, sci-fi and […]

The post Save 82% on Sampletraxx Fresh+Dark Bundle, on sale for $49.99 USD appeared first on rekkerd.org.

Loopmasters has launched a sample pack by Dubmatix and turntablist The Hip Assassin titled Hip Hop & Beatbox – The Style Bots Arrive, a collection of dark synthesized bass sounds, original tight beat box grooves, sci-fi effects and disturbing alien vocals. This unique collection introduces the Style Bots – robots from either the future or […]

The post Loopmasters delivers otherworldly dark sounds with Hip Hop & Beat Box appeared first on rekkerd.org.

Tone2 has announced the release of a new soundset for the Icarus2 synthesizer workstation instrument titled Sparkle. Suitable for Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, Electronic, Dance, Cinematic, Synthwave, HipHop and many other genres, the soundset includes bass, wobbles, arps, keys, leads, pads, atmos, chords, sequeneces, synth sounds and more. Sparkle features 166 patches. Created by […]

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STL Tones has announced the release of Mark Lewis Signature Preset Packs, available in plugin format through STL ToneHub, and also available for hardware units Kemper and Axe-Fx. Mark Lewis has engineered productions and/or mixes for artists such as Trivium, Whitechapel, DevilDriver, The Black Dahlia Murder, Havok, Bury Your Dead, Chimaira, August Burns Red, Unearth, […]

The post STL Tones releases Mark Lewis Preset Packs for ToneHub, Kemper & Axe Fx appeared first on rekkerd.org.

UVI has launched a sale on the Sparkverb algorithmic reverb effect plugin, offering 60% off for a few days only. Sparkverb features an advanced design with stunning sound and CPU efficiency, and intuitive controls and ergonomics for phenomenal ease-of-use. Easily traverse everything from natural sounding spaces to infinite, shimmering ambiences with stunning depth and fidelity […]

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The Bengaluru-based company plans to open 25 such 600-1000 square feet stores over a span of 12 months.

Maaté will offer free samples to all the expecting parents and to the parents who come for a regular check-up for their kids.

The book of poetry “Martin Rising: Requiem for a King” beautifully illustrates events in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s written with a middle school audience in mind, but this collection can be enjoyed by everyone. Each of poet Andrea Davis Pinkney’s poems is accompanied by a beautiful watercolor, gouache, and india ink illustration by Brian Pinkney. The poems about King’s life are labeled with the date of each event’s occurrence and in some cases the time. The book is divided into three sections: Daylight, Darkness and Dawn. Henny Penny, who listeners will remember as the folklore character who declares that “The Sky Is Falling” introduces, predicts, and is an all-knowing narrator of the past, present, and future. In the Daylight section of the book, poems about King’s joyous birth, growth to manhood, and family life are juxtaposed with poems about his work as a scholar, preacher, and champion for basic civil rights and equality. He inspires hope as he arrives in Memphis to

At first, all Sophia Young wanted was to find a job until she could find a husband. Instead, she finds herself working for Scott Kraft, a notoriously unpredictable and demanding tech mogul. She soon becomes more interested in her work in investor relations than in getting married, which she never planned on. She is quickly promoted and becomes an asset at Kraft’s new business, an animation company called Treehouse that’s set to disrupt the movie industry. Fans of Pixar, Apple and Steve Jobs will enjoy the parallels between Jobs and the fictional Kraft. Kraft, who founded a revolutionary technology company called Quince before taking over Treehouse, also creates the first wave of smart phones, known as “Q-phones.” Similarly, author Anna Yen pays homage to Pixar, where she herself worked in investor relations. In the book, Treehouse creates movies like “The Amazings,” and “Treasures,” which seem to be a nod to Pixar’s real-life movies “The Incredibles” and “Toy Story.” As Sophia becomes

History makes a great story when it’s told well. And who can resist a good story? I certainly can’t. Having been a history major in undergrad, I may be particularly susceptible. So when I came across Matthew Kneale’s new book, “Rome: A History In Seven Sackings” in the leisure reading collection at Pattee Library, I had to check it out. There are many histories of long-lived cities. Paris, London, Jerusalem and Rome have all had more than a few treatments. But every so often a writer looks at a history like this in a different way, and that makes it all the more interesting. Kneale’s choice of looking at Rome through seven different times it was conquered over the millennia is a particularly intriguing choice. Beginning with an early, brief occupation in 387 B.C. and continuing up to the Second World War, it is an engrossing tale. Organizing the history of Rome around these seven “sackings” offers fascinating snapshots of the city at specific moments in time. Together, they weave a

As the director of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, one of my favorite tasks is choosing a children’s or young adult title to represent Pennsylvania at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously. I consult with colleagues and search for information about children’s and young adult books by Pennsylvania authors or illustrators. I look for titles with topics that have some connection to the Commonwealth. I’m delighted to share that this year’s selection is a picture book biography—"A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin”written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Horace Pippin was the grandson of a slave, born in West Chester, Pennsylvania on February 22, 1888. He died in 1946 and is buried in the Chester Grove Annex Cemetery. He began and ended life in Pennsylvania. As a child, Horace was always drawing pictures. He won a drawing contest and the cherished prize—colored pencils, a pair of brushes, and a box of

I got Michael Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind” because I am interested in how hallucinogenic drug use influenced the counter-culture of the 1960s. From the full title of Pollan’s book, you know it's an ambitious work. “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence” barely fits on the front of the soft cover edition released in May. And even that doesn’t fully describe what’s inside. “How to Change Your Mind” has three distinct parts: the history of hallucinogens, descriptions of the author’s experiments taking LSD, magic mushrooms and, yes, the venom of the Colorado River Toad, and then accounts of recent research on using hallucinogens to treat addiction and depression and to help terminally ill people lose their fear of dying. That’s a lot to cover in one book. Pollan was at his best writing about the history of LSD. Pollan reports that early research found LSD was a promising

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, it was almost a given that young children watched at least a few episodes of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” And I’m pretty sure I watched more than just a few! I remember well the episode where we saw how crayons were made, as well as the episode where Mister Rogers visited a lighthouse. The Land of Make Believe was a familiar place – both on the show, and the ride at Idlewild Park, which my family and I visited several summers in a row. So it was with no small amount of nostalgia that I started the new book by Maxwell King – “The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers.” My nostalgia was only deepened by the fact that I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by none other than LeVar Burton of “Reading Rainbow,” another touchstone from my childhood. King, formerly the head of The Pittsburgh Foundation, brings us the first full-length biography of Rogers. In so doing, he draws on an abundance of sources, including the recollections of

Talking about mental health issues is daunting. Often just starting the conversation is the hardest part. With his latest book, “Max’s Box,” Brian Wray offers children and grown-ups a way to begin these important discussions. Through simple story-telling and cartoonish illustrations, Wray gives his readers a glimpse into what can happen when emotions are suppressed. He also demonstrates how with the help of people who care, we can learn to express, and then let go of the things that hold us back. The story begins with Max’s parents giving him a very special gift: a tiny, magical box that will hold everything. After putting in his lucky red truck, favorite pirate ship, and beloved stuffed dog, Max discovers the box will also hold his feelings, particularly his negative feelings. For example, when Max is angry, the anger goes straight into the box. When he is sad or lonely, the sadness and loneliness also go into the box. Each negative emotion he feels makes its way into the box, which

“It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had shoved me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to remain calm.” So begins “Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie,” the first book in the “Flavia de Luce” murder mystery series by Alan Bradley. What appears to be a rather violent kidnapping is actually just the latest episode in a running battle between 11-year-old Flavia and her two older sisters, 13-year-old Daphne and 17-year-old Ophelia. Fortunately, Flavia turns out to be quite capable of holding her own against her sisters by using her love of chemistry to inflict the odd rash or occasional bout of indigestion on them. Set in rural England in the early 1950s, the series follows Flavia as she travels the countryside seeking adventure on Gladys, her trusty two-wheeled steed and partner in all adventures. In many ways, Flavia is a youthful reincarnation of Don Quixote. Her ability to imagine all kinds of possibilities in ordinary situations

A few years ago, I read George Packer’s “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America.” It was a haunting portrayal of the slow unraveling of the United States through the life stories of many individuals. Like so many others, I found the book to be fascinating. So, it was with great interest that I saw Packer had published a new book, this time focused on the late diplomat Richard Holbrooke. I recalled the name Holbrooke, but couldn’t say I knew a lot about him. Given how much I had enjoyed “The Unwinding,” I thought this book too would surely be worth a read. “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century” was an utterly engrossing portrait of not only the man, but also the decline of American power from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Through the person of Richard Holbrooke, we witness the follies and unforced errors that have haunted our foreign policy for the last forty years. We also witness the occasional triumphs – most notably Holbrooke’s masterful work in

“What does a landscape dream of in its unsettled dreams?” Todd Davis’s newest collection of poems, titled “Native Species,” opens with this question. The question is gentle and idle. It’s the kind of thing you ask yourself while half-asleep on a streambank on a hot day. But then there’s that word “unsettled.” The landscape may be “settled.” It may be cultivated into farm and town… but its dreams are unsettled, uneasy, perhaps even wild. As the poem winds through images of a flooded house, the reader becomes unsettled, too. And is reminded that landscapes––including the ones that humans shape––can shift in ways that we do not expect or control. Todd Davis excels at this kind of movement––the kind that starts in streambank idling but ends in a landslide. Or, just as often, the kind that begins in an abstract concept and distills into a single, sparkling image. In “Native Species,” his sixth full-length collection of poetry, Davis returns to themes his readers will find familiar:

I work at the Pennsylvania Center for the Book and a new book of poetry by local author Marjorie Maddox came across my desk recently. The title immediately caught my attention: “A Crossing of Zebras: Animal Packs in Poetry.” I thought, collective nouns and poetry? What a great idea! I'm a former elementary school teacher. So, I immediately started thinking about all the possibilities for this book in the classroom. Learning about collective nouns, words that describe groups of animals, individuals, or things is often part of the curriculum. When I wanted a fun way to help children understand the concept of collective nouns, I used to use a book by Ruth Heller called “A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns.” That book just gives you a page with one word, the collective noun, and a simple illustration. So, you can imagine my delight at discovering Marjorie Maddox’s entertaining poems, along with Philip Huber's imaginative scratchboard artwork. This book takes Heller's idea a step

“The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life” offers those who usually read novels a chance to enjoy ‘creative non-fiction.’ This book is a well-told narrative about the molecular building blocks of life and how they evolved. David Quammen accepts the challenge of documenting the advancement of evolutionary life science while revealing its significance to all of our lives. Quammen also gives us insight into the vibrant communities of scientists carrying out similar work. Quammen begins by introducing the image of the Tree of Life. He describes how it has evolved from the image of a ladder-to-heaven in ancient and medieval thinking into Darwin’s branching, upward-growing tree. Quammen closes his introduction with his own surprising proposition. He suggests Darwin’s tree image is no longer the precise metaphor for what life is. Quammen introduces each new evolutionary twist and turn until the new Tree of Life ends up looking more like a web than an upwardly-reaching tree with

Recognizing the author’s name led me to “Hidden Tapestry” by Debra Dean . Her debut historical novel, “The Madonnas of Leningrad,” is one of my favorite WW II novels. “Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One” was like no other book I’ve ever read. It’s a historical biography, but it reads like an unbelievable novel. It’s the biography of Flemish-American artist Jan Yoors, who was known for his giant tapestries. Yoors was born to a family of Flemish artists in 1922. He grew up in a bohemian liberal home with a deeply engrained cultural respect for art. Throughout his childhood his parents accepted his departures every summer to live among the Gypsies, or Romas. He developed deep admiration for this unique group of people, and many years later, he wrote a memoir about his time living with them. His award-winning 1965 book, “The Gypsies,” was hugely popular. It is still the seminal work on the Romas. Dean’s research is thorough, and her writing is

“Lucretia Mott’s Heresy: Abolition and Women’s Rights in 19 th Century America” is a delicious history. The book draws heavily from the letters of Lucretia Mott, which gives the reader the voice of this fiery opponent of slavery and promoter of women’s rights. In the mid-1800s, Lucretia Mott was one of the most popular abolitionist speakers among the Philadelphia-area Religious Society of Friends. As a friend of a Friend, I am interested in the history of Quakers. This tiny religious sect has had an outsized impact on American history. I will also confess that my husband and I take special delight in academic histories. You know, those books with a colon in the title that signifies it will be easy to fall asleep to this one. At night we take turns reading out loud, occasionally asking, “Are you still awake?” For us, “Lucretia Mott’s Heresy” was perfect bedtime reading. But it is not for everyone. Some readers will be impatient with the exhaustive detail of this scholarly tome by

"The Swerve: How the World Became Modern" by Stephen Greenblatt is the biography of a man named Poggio Bracciolini, and the history of a poem titled "On the Nature of Things." Bracciolini began adult life as a scribe, which is the 15th Century version of a notary public. It was a useful, but not unique, position in what is now Italy. Despite his humble beginnings, Bracciolini used his intelligence, charm, and exceptional penmanship to become the personal secretary to Pope John XXII. That was quite an achievement for a person of common birth. But, it was Bracciolini’s avocation as a book collector that gave him a place in history. Bracciolini spent much free time - and money - searching for rare manuscripts in the monastic libraries of Europe. In particular, he looked for manuscripts containing the works of ancient Greek philosophers. In January 1417, he found a manuscript of the poem, "On the Nature of Things.” Written by Titus Lucretius Carus around 50 B.C.E., "On the Nature of Things

How do we love the land, even as we participate in doing damage to it? How do we honor those who have come before us, even as we acknowledge the destruction they advanced? These are the questions that came to me as I read “Pennsylvania Furnace” a new book of poems by Julie Swarstad Johnson. In poems that weave effortlessly, sometimes magically, between past and present, Johnson considers the significance of resource extraction in relation to American lives. Her poems step back and forth across the continent, juxtaposing the Arizona desert-cities of the author’s home with the ridges and valleys of central Pennsylvania. Here in Appalachia, where her parents are from, Johnson finds the remnants of Pennsylvania’s booming 19 th -century ironmaking industry and goes on a journey to learn about those old furnace stacks that stand, as one poem puts it, “like lone towers left from fortresses / by the roadside.” Like students of this local history who came before her, Johnson acknowledges that

The title of the book I am recommending is a mouthful: “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood*: *and What That Means for the Rest of Us.” This book by Dr. Jean M. Twenge serves as a deep, yet accessible analysis of the attitudes, values, and behaviors of America’s newest generation of young adults: iGen. I am a doctoral student studying higher education at Penn State. Although my goal in reading this book was to understand iGen as a student population, I found Twenge’s insights to be timely and relevant to contexts beyond the university, which is why I want to share them here today. The generational label was coined by Twenge herself and describes those who were born between 1995 and 2012. This time span was a period of rapid technological and social change, which included the commercialization of the Internet and the release of the iPhone. In addition to “Internet” and “iPhone,” the “i”

Nearly 90 years after his death, the name Thomas Edison still stands as a synonym for invention and technical wizardry. Yet aside from a short list of his inventions, I couldn’t say that I knew all that much about him. So, when I saw that Edmund Morris had written a new biography—titled simply “Edison”—I couldn’t resist learning more. Morris is perhaps best known as the author of the magisterial three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, of which “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” won the Pulitzer Prize. While not as long as that combined output, at over 800 pages, “Edison” is still a bit daunting. But with a life as long and productive as Edison’s, the book never lagged, presenting a fascinating record of both disappointment and achievement. Morris made a curious choice as a biographer. At the start of the work, we see Edison’s last race against time to come up with a substitute for rubber for tires. From there, each chapter covers a decade of his life, proceeding backwards. From his

There is a point in Colson Whitehead’s novel, “The Nickel Boys,” when you think—when you hope—that things will turn out for the better for his protagonist, Elwood Curtis. Elwood is living in New York, he has a job, an apartment, and a girlfriend. He has developed plans to start his own moving company. At that point, you begin to have hope that all the atrocities and injustices Elwood endured—including the years he spent being abused at the Nickel Academy, a reform school in Florida, were not his undoing, even as you know that probably isn’t the case. “The Nickel Boys” is Whitehead’s ninth novel and is based on the true story of a 1960s reform school for boys. Elwood should have never been at Nickel. Before arriving there, things were going well for him. He was a serious, hardworking, and cerebral young man. His grandmother had shielded him from most external forces. For example, she got him a job at a store to keep him busy, and kept him away from the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King

What makes a book relevant more than twenty years after it was first published? In order to persist, books tell tales that go beyond the experiences of the main character and become relatable to broad audiences across time. “Charming Billy” by Alice McDermott does exactly this while questioning the nature of relevance through an exploration of the titular character. Billy Lynch is an alcoholic. That’s the unchanging reality that leads him to die alone in New York City before the book begins. In the opening chapter, readers meet the community at his funeral, huddled inside a bar and grill ironically drinking the very stuff that fueled Billy’s addiction. It’s through their conversation that we learn of Billy’s goodhearted nature. Billy is willing to help out a friend in any situation and finds ways to make people feel good about life. It’s at that table we meet Billy’s cousin Dennis, who seems to have access to Billy’s life in ways the rest of the family doesn’t. Dennis’ daughter,

We will be having two large size format flagship stores, one in Delhi and one in Bombay (price points between INR 100- 10,00,000) whereas THT gifting will have products ranging from INR.1000 – Rs.5000. Our endeavour is that THT Gifting reaches 50 in terms of the number of stores in the next five years--JJ Valaya

We expect to make up Kerala losses in September, October and November as the state rebuilds its economy.

Tupperware India's managing director Deepak Chhabra talks about how integrating the direct sales force with the retail franchisee model is working for the home and kitchen-ware maker.

According to the statement released by the company, Srivastava, an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad, comes with over 15 years of cross-functional business experience. She has also mentored multiple start-ups and turned around their businesses towards better revenues and growth.

'Our foray into sanitizers is an effort to help the fight against Covid-19'

The home furnishing chain, which currently has 50 stores in 27 cities, also cited longer replacement cycles as reason for low sale of durable big-sized furniture such as three and five-seater sofa sets.

Home audio is not the only segment that the two firms are targeting. Other products in the range include lights, crockery, furniture, and other knick-knacks like a reflective raincoat and a cajón. Some of the devices like the speakers and smart lighting bulbs can be connected together.

French retailer Decathlon’s refusal to do business with customers who refuse to share their contact details has sparked a wave of protests on social media.

While early movers like Rolex, Omega and Tag Heuer entered India in early noughties, a clutch of global luxury watches like Panerai are now placing bets on the Indian market, keeping in mind a longer investment horizon. In a bid to create a deeper connect with the Indian consumers, Panerai launched two MS Dhoni special edition watches on Wednesday.

Kohler would enhance its sales network in the domestic markets by having presence in 200 towns in next three years and become a 1,000 store company in next five years.

Sometimes the online world reveals unsuspected parallel dimensions. This is an unknown restyle of Neural independently (and secretly as we never knew about it) made by NY-based Motion and Graphic Designer, Clarke Blackham. Very nicely made, perhaps only a bit →