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The new Acura RL will be available in three trim levels, RL, RL with Technology Package, and RL with Advance Package. Additional standard features will include a Sequential Sport Shift 6-speed automatic transmission, power actuated front seats, leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control system, power windows,Bluetooth connectivity and a Multi-Information Display (MID) that allows easy access to multiple electronic functions.

The RL interior features an assortment of leading-edge technologies for improving passenger and driver experience. Standard on all RL trims is a spectacular Acure/Bose 10-speaker Surround Sound system with DVD-Audio, AM/FM radio tuner,Bluetooth Audio, XM Radio along with USB port and AUX jack connectivity.

“The RL continues to set the benchmark for the innovative use of customer-relevant technology,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales. “There aren’t many cars at any price that offer more advanced technology or drive system sophistication.”

The 2012 RL with also boast an impressive powertrain which includes a 3.7-liter SOHC V-6 engine that develops 300 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque. it will feature innovative VTEC® valvetrain system for both the intake and exhaust valves, a high compression ratio, along with a special dual-stage magnesium intake manifold that enables the intake to function as a single- or dual-plenum manifold design based on engine operating parameters. The RL engine meets the latest EPA TIER 2 – BIN 5 and CARB LEV II ULEV emissions standards.

The Sequential SportShift 6-speed automatic transmission will deliver good fuel economy for the 2012 Acural RL, as it achieves an EPA estimated city/highway/combined fuel economy of 17/24/20 mpg. The transmission is teamed with a multi-clutch torque converter that has an advanced converter lock-up assembly with multiple lock-up disks that generate nearly double the facing area of a typical torque converter. The lock-up assembly not only reduces heat build-up during operation, but also allows for lock-up activation during a much wider range of driving conditions, which is instrumental.

The Sequential SportShift 6-speed transmission can be shifted via a console mounted straight gate shifter or by FI and IndyCar style paddle shifters mounted on the back of the steering wheel.

Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system will provide a thrilling driving experience. it will also handle great in even inclimate weather conditions. The SH-AWD system also utilizes torque vectoring (the increase of rotation speed of an outside rear wheel) to create a “yaw moment” to help the RL turn more effectively while under power. this type of yaw movement reduces the cornering load on the front tires which minimizes understeer, to improve handling balance and to escalate total cornering grip.

Acura engineers gave the RL a rigid yet lightweight Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure. this helps the RL in it’s steering and handling precision, outstanding ride quality, isolation of undesirable road inputs along with excellent safety.

The Acura RL’s body is constructed primarily of high tensile strength steel, but the hood, trunk lid, front fenders and bumper beams are made of lightweight aluminum. this help reduce weight and improve overall performance. A sophisticated four-wheel independent suspension system with double-wishbone (front) and multi-link (rear) architecture, isolated front and rear subframes, large diameter stabilizer bars and heavy-duty steering rack components works in concert with the rigid unit body construction to complete the RL’s chassis layout. many suspension and frame components are made of Aluminum, which makes the RL lighter for improved performance, better fuel economy and more supple suspension action.

The 2012 RL sits on 18×8-inch diameter 15-spoke aluminum wheels which are matched with performance-minded Michelin Pilot all-season tires. The wheels use resonator wheel technology and add a look of visual sophistication, while also delivering mechanical sophistication.

In an effort to quell road noise transmitted to the RL’s cabin, the unique noise reducing wheel uses a polypropylene Helmholtz resonator that encircles the center portion of the inside of the wheel. such resonator wheel technology significantly lowers middle frequency noise (between 100 and 500 hertz).

The brakes are a four-wheel disc brake system utilizing 4-piston aluminum front brake calipers matched with 12.6-inch diameter ventilated front brake rotors. at the rear, 12.2-inch solid brake rotors team with large single-piston calipers. The brake system also features four-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake assist. all this ensures responsiveness and predictability.

When equipped with the Advance Package, linked to the RL’s braking system is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) that uses a grille-mounted millimeter-wave radar unit to monitor the distance between the RL and the vehicle directly ahead. ACC can regulate the RL’s speed to maintain a pre-set following distance interval between it and the vehicle directly ahead. if following distance becomes too close, the ACC system warns the driver and applies the brakes if necessary.

Acura’s Collision Mitigation Braking system (CMBS), could be a potential life saver. CMBS uses millimeter-wave technology and monitors the distance and closing rate between the RL and the vehicle directly in front of it. CMBS then uses the information to continuously calculate the likelihood of a frontal collision as well as to alert the driver in different stages of urgency. if the likelihood of a collision significantly increases, CMBS will take actions such as to apply the brakes and pre-tension the front seatbelts. Unfortunately CMBS is only available with the RL trim-line with Advance Package includes .

The Technology Package features Active Front Lighting system (AFS) for the Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights that can swivel up to 12 degrees laterally in response to vehicle speed and steering wheel input. When cornering, the inboard headlight turns to illuminate the road through the corner, greatly improving visibility and minimizing blind spots.

Inside, the 2012 Acura RL features an elegantly styled interior that includes leather-trimmed heated front seats, comfortable space for rear seat passengers, plenty of storage areas and easy-to-use functionality. like the driver’s seat, the passenger front seat has 10-way power adjustability. As part of the Technology Package, the front seats incorporate six levels of heating and ventilation and the steering wheel and shift knob are trimmed with burlwood trim. The Advance Package adds maple wood trim.

Please contact Adam Yamada-Hanff at – – for comments, questions, or topics. You can also follow him on Twitter @AdamsAutoAdvice

 How long have you been making music – when did you start to write your first songs?

We started to write our first songs collectively when we were around 16-17. Liam however had been writing long before meeting the rest of the band and came to us a fully formed creative powerhouse with a Tesco bag full of lyrics. Officially we have been together with this line up for 5 or 6 years but have always played music together for at least the last 10.

What software and hardware do you use when making music?

“Software and hardware?” We’re a rock n roll band. We plug in and play… LOUD… We have an appreciation for all things electronic and yes, we have dabbled with the odd keyboard and it has to be said love a delay pedal but if you can find us something that sounds better than an Les Paul and an orange amp turned up to 10 we will consider using it… but you wont… cause you can’t!

Who do you work with (Producers, engineers, managers),

We are managed my Martin Byrne (Murray) A true New Zealander who does a cracking impression of Murray from flight of the conchords… at least we hope it is an impression. Mentor, friend, salesman, and financial advisor – he’s got the lot plus his 20%!

We released our last Album ‘Bones’ with ‘Ambiel Music’ and have a great relationship with everyone involved there. We worked with John Astley (Led Zepp, Ash and Tori Amos) to master the album and it was sent to Eoin Russell to mix at plan 9 in New York.

We have written with Pete Brown who famously wrote Sunshine of your love and white rooms and are currently working on new material with John Delf and cannot wait to get back in the studio…

Where have you recorded your music (studios, home studio)?

As mentioned Plan Nine in New York (Although we didn’t get to go there), SSR in Manchester, Pravda in Leeds and currently we are having a go at doing some demos in my old bedroom up at my folks house using garage band and some “Line 6” guitar processor. Joe is the tech head in our band and he’s the drummer which tells you everything you need to know. The next album all being well will be done at John Delf’s Edge studios in Cheshire.

What music do you listen to for inspiration with you creative process?

General question but personally anything and everything. Liam and myself go through phases from Indie and Folk (Wilco, The band, Credence Clearwater revival) to balls out rock (Zeppelin, Sabbath. Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden). I am heavily influenced by Peter green and Fleetwood Mac and I know Liam has always had a Bowie obsession. Ste and Joe keep us firmly grounded in rock from Biffy Clyro to the Foo fighters and Nirvana. We tend to get very excited about a band or song and the next 6 weeks will be spent trying to do something that sounds like that before going on to the next. Currently we are going through a massive Springsteen Phase and oddly enough have recently got very excited about foreigner, grade A rock Balladeering at it’s best!

Do you download or buy physical?  Why?

Physical… Can only talk personally but it is all about the record. The romance is dead and my kids will never talk of buying their first album or first single as they will have 400000 tracks downloaded to there laptop sunglasses before they can talk. Sad really, but the music industry and the bands therein have to adapt with progression the same as any other industry. The feeling I got discovering my dads Sabbath bloody Sabbath on vinyl for the first time, the artwork, the smell, the sense of history, you could still see my dads coffee stains on it for instance, its lived, its breathed, it changed my life… there isn’t an Ipod Nano ever going to that!

What’s the latest news and can we expect any new music soon?

Well we have spent the last 2-3 months writing locked in our rehearsal space. We have come up with the best bunch of songs we have ever written and they are currently going through pre-production, a tweak here and there. Excited doesn’t cut it. That’s going to take us up to the end of the year with a look for a spring release. Fans of Stolen Peace I think are going to be shocked by the development from the last album and we are going for a much more expansive epic sounding record. of course there will be a smattering of gigs as always and playing live is the life blood of this band. It’s where our energy comes from and drives the creative process.

Any big gig’s planned – where are they?

Nothing major booked at the moment. But there certainly will be one or two things leading up to Christmas… Watch this space… And your facebook…. And Myspace… and twitter… and your letterbox… and for carrier pigeons… We’ll let you know put it that way!

What’s the most random gig you’ve ever done?

Stolen Peace don’t do regular gigs… in fact if I ever turn up to a venue and everything is running to schedule with a stage, PA and sound guy I think I will quit and go home… our last tour that ran through April took in been booked to BUSK on the street outside a clothes shop in Ipswich, playing a burger van in Manchester Piccadilly gardens and more recently we played the mezzanine of a shopping mall in Congleton in the coffee shop! I think the king of random gigs has to go to supporting Robert Plants sons band The Black Country Bandits in a back room in Wolverhampton. Robert only went and turned just after we finished playing to an empty room as the bus load of people we bought got ID’d on the door and despite been in there early 20’s got turned away! Planty… As we now know him, was a complete and utter gentleman posing for photos and signing autographs for us… what a night!

Westport volleyball has not packed it in. with just five matches remaining and a playoff berth not in the cards, the Wildcats are still pumped. they showed it on Wednesday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-22) sweep of Diman Regional in their Mayflower League match at Cariglia Gymnasium. Westport (3-14, 3-11 league) had lost to the Bengals last month in Fall River. “it kind of seemed that earlier on we were just trying to get our groove together, so to speak,” Westport coach Kristy Tripp said. “I think we played well against teams, just not enough to be a deciding factor. But now the way we’re playing, the way we’ve been practicing, I really think we can take a lot of the teams, or should be able to play up with them, if we play our game.” Strong serving is a big part Westport’s game, and it was a huge factor in the rematch with Diman (4-12). the Wildcats served 23 aces, five each by Kristen Duarte and Kayla Kirby. “We’ve got a lot of servers,” Tripp said. “we have a lot of capable kids who can play more than one spot, so there’s really not a lot of holes in our lineup. We’ve got different kids who can all set, who can all hit. Strength in serving. Strength in passing. Today we really showed what we can do.” they did do it against an understaffed Diman team that, due to illness and a family issue, was minus its libero and a setter in Cassie Bell and Kelsey Almeida. “when we have a couple people missing, you have to change your lineup a little bit, and they’re not used to playing next to each other,” said Diman coach Cathie Noversa, who last Sunday was inducted into the Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. “But I’ve been playing everybody consistently for the last six or seven games so everybody’s been in. It’s just now who are they playing next to.” the Bengals struggled mightily in the first game but were tough he rest of the way. the second game was tied at 13-13 after a Brynn Pasternak ace. soon after, two Shelby Costa aces helped fuel a 4-0 Westport run that left the Wildcats ahead 19-14. In the third game, Westport led 20-14 before the Bengals scored eight of the next nine points for a 22-21 lead after a Danielle Souza ace. Westport regrouped, tying the game on a high back-row hit by libero Katie Weizman that dropped untouched in the back left corner. Kirby (5 kills) then blocked for the go-ahead point. Brianna Correia served an ace and Diman hit inches long on match point. “we played well. this is how we should be playing,” Tripp said. “We’ve showed spurts like this, but today we actually held it together and stayed really positive and played our game.”

on the cover / By Bob Doran

Collectors battle for pieces of Humboldt’s past

(Feb. 17, 2011)  one Friday night in November as most Eurekans were easing into their weekends, two men sat in front of their respective computer screens preparing to do battle. They were not zombie-hunting online gamers, but postcard collectors, or deltiologists (del-ti-ol-o-gists), bidding against each other on eBay for rare images of Humboldt County.

In the living room of his 1906 classical revival Victorian, Steve Lazar logged in under the handle Warnshuze. Across town, his eBay nemesis, Leon Warmuth, the 77-year-old founder of Leon’s Car Care Center, typed in his then secret moniker 4Luly2.

Lazar, 33, had just finished his week at the Humboldt County Planning Department where, among other things, he’s served as the designated staffer for the new marijuana ordinance. A relative novice at deltiology, his recent purchase of a historic home spurred an interest in local history. That led him down the path to become Warnshuze, a self-confessed “postcard collecting addict.” he doesn’t know exactly how many cards he’s amassed — he refuses to count — but he knows it’s in the hundreds.

Every deltiologist has his or her own reasons for collecting. for some it’s a window into the past. for others it’s about building a valuable collection to pass on to heirs.

Lazar/Warnshuze has a grand plan for the images he’s collecting, a web site he calls The Humboldt Project. “one of my primary interests is to connect the dots between all of these images of the various cities and towns of Humboldt County where people have historically lived  — with places like Eureka, Arcata, and Garberville being the biggies where I have collected the most stuff. I plan on using mapping, aerial photography and other tools to group and consolidate information spatially and provide it in a readily accessible digital form.”

Leon/4Luly2 looks at his large collection as a legacy, something to pass down to his grandchildren. he derived his eBay handle, 4Luly2 from their names. “That’s for my granddaughter and grandson, Emily and Lucas,” he said. “I’m going on 78 and I hope somebody enjoys [my postcards] and keeps them and adds to them.”

One November evening, these rival collectors fought a nine-second bidding war over a coveted card listed by a seller from Santa Cruz. When this deltiological smackdown was done, Warnshuze, the history buff, had beaten 4Luly2, whose secret identity as Leon the Muffler man was not then known — and the title of Humboldt County Post King seemed up for grabs.

The Humboldt Project

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Comment / By Jerry Rohde / Today, 9:59 a.m.

When I gave my recent postcard presentation for the Humboldt County Historical Society I relied on the collections of Dr. Jack Irvine, Ann Hunt, and Steve Lazar. At the time I did not have a personal collection, although now I do. I own one (1) card. This means I was able to give the presentation only because I had access to three private collections that are somewhat larger than my own. about 150 people attended the event and everybody seemed to enjoy it.

I think that Steve Lazar’s plan to make available scans of local postcards is a wonderful way to allow researchers, authors, presenters, and other interested parties access to these images that capture the county’s history and scenery. By making scans of the cards and then having the scans available on the web, Steve allows collectors to have the best of both worlds—they can keep the cards in their own collections but share the scans of them with others

I know that the HSU Library now has at least one extensive donated collection and that other institutions, such as the Humboldt County Historical Society, have postcard images scattered throughout their photo collections. Wouldn’t it be great if we could combine scans from these sources with those from private collections into a single, publicly available set?

I’d like to invite interested collectors and archivists to meet and discuss how we could best bring this about. I’d also like to extend a special invitation to Leon Warmurth to participate. Leon was quoted as saying that his collection is “nothing special” but I believe he is being way too modest. in fact, I’m willing to bet that we could do another postcard presentation featuring his cards exclusively and that it would be terrific. if you’re interested, Leon, let me know.

Shopping bags,also one of the most popular promotional gifts,why? Firstly,plastic bags are not environment friendly,so many people choose to bring a shopping bag with them when go to supper market,so shopping bags are useful in people’s daily life;secondly,when people bring the shopping bags and walk accross streets,the shopping bags will be a moveable advertising board,this can bring very big explosure to the messages and logo which printed on the bags;Thirdly,shopping bags have two side large surface for printing; Last,shopping bags are affordable to many business owners. These factors make custom printed shopping bags become one of the most popular promotional products.

But before buying shopping bags for your next promotion events,you need to know something about shopping bags,here introduce some types of shopping bags:

1.Paper shopping bags,this is the first alternative to plastic shopping bags since they are environment friendly and cheap on price.Although paper bags are biodegradable,they have their own disadvantages.About 15 million trees are cut down every year all over the world for the production of paper bags. What’s more, producing paper bags demands a good deal of energy and causes pollution.Another disadvantage of paper shopping bags is that, they can not be used for many times and unwashable.

2.non woven shopping bags,the advantages of these bags are eco-friendly, reusable,washable and hey also cheap on price, the shortage of these bags is that, they may can not be used by too many times, they are broken easily compare to cotton bags.

3.Cotton and Canvas shopping bags, the advantages of these bags are washable,reusable and durable, of course the price of these bags are much high than the paper and non woven ones.

So, what kind of shopping bags you buy for your campaign depend on your budget and target receipients.

To all the people who wrote you have to know how to protect the card, that is absolute BS.  This card would have faded no matter what.  Just like UD knew the cards in 2007 were using a terrible leather and also terrible pens.  Topps knew the odds of faded cards if inferieor pens were used.  That’s why they only use Staedler pens now for autographing purposes.

Here is the bottom line for Topps, they should (along with other companies) note on the package, autographs may deteriorate over time, some autographs contained in this box may have autographs which may have faded.  Some kind of disclaimer, they know their boxes may sit on a shelf for years (or even decades), there needs to be warning labels on the boxes.  If not they should be held responsible for faded autographs.

I was considering buying a box of older Topps products that contained guaranteed autographs, but was over 5 years old.  How can I buy it now that I know if the card has a faded autograph, I’m screwed.  For all you who this this is a sunlight related problem, you couldn’t be more wrong, I can show you signed baseballs and footballs I have as well as signed cards, that haven’t seen the light of day in many years.  Some of them the autograph seeped into the card, or ball and some have completely disappeared altogether.  It is not a sunlight or UV damage issue.

Late today I will post some of my faded cards and memorabilia that have been in boxes for the past 15 – 20 years.  It’s the pen and the material and almost never sun damage.  What Topps did to the poor guy was just lame.  Two packs of minor league cards sucks, why even bother?  Someone said to send a blaster, I think that would have been a good idea, maybe a mini pack of Finest.  By sending the 18 cards of crap they did, it was nothing more than rubbing the guy’s face in crap and for all intents and purposes, the reader whose card it is is no longer buying anything Topps.  Just a shitty response to shitty problem caused by a shitty pen, that Topps representatives used.

Just my two cents.  Do you think card companies should put disclaimers on the card boxes, if they are going to disenvow themselves from compensation after one year?

Jean-Claude Vannier spent the early part of 2011 setting music to the lyrics of controversial French writer Michel Houllebecq, who after writing on the joylessness of sex in Les Particules élémentaires (or Atomised in the UK) and engendering controversy thanks to an ambiguous relationship with Islamophobia, has taken to singing.

The single, Le film du dimanche, or ‘The Sunday Night Film’, retains Houllebecq’s characteristic pessimism (“France is in good spirits, I am the only one who feels unwell,” he sings) but the musical arrangement, by the much lesser known Vannier, is as characteristic of his style; swinging, choleric, and a little pompous, as well as playful.

It’s a style that can be felt across French pop music. While many in the UK would associate French music with Édith Piaf or Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Vannier, whose influence on the Gainsbourg sound can be felt on his iconic album Histoire de Melody Nelson, on which Vannier worked, has contributed much to the notion of the French pop record as heard by English ears. and just as much as his more famous contemporaries, he’s come to define the Gallic sound, through both his collaborations and his volume of scores for film and TV. In a career entering a sixth decade, Vannier has worked extensively as a collaborator and composer and produced six albums as a solo artist, as well as a collection of short stories – so he’s no idler.

But there wasn’t a famous film made about Jean-Claude Vannier, like there was about Piaf or Gainsbourg. So, to an English audience, what’s to be made of the new collection Electro Rapide, an album of previously unpublished snippets, retrieved from Vannier’s archive of recordings over a five year period between 1986 and 1973?

First, it’s short. Beginning (and ending, in a different guise) with the rattling and rolling piano and the screeching jazz of ‘Bombarde Lamentation’ and hurtling through a further thirteen tracks, the whole experience lasts less than 30 minutes. as such, it isn’t something you can get your teeth into: it really is a collection rather than an album.

As a way of experiencing Vannier’s work though, it’s perfect. there are echoes of Gainsbourg, the cool ‘La Girafe Au Ballon’ sounding like it was designed for Serge to sing over its sexy bass, and Gainsbourg’s deep stylings would fit just as nicely over the more whimsical ‘Saturnin Vaca Vaca’, as well as the spy-thriller sounding ‘Theme 504’ and the sultry ‘Je M’appelle Geraldine’, which sounds slightly like Gainsbourg’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’. and there’s plenty else. these instrumentals, from the child-like ‘Crocodiles’, ‘L’ Éléphant Équilibriste’ and ‘Road to Cuba’ to the percussion-led ‘Le Ballet des Accoucheuses’ and ‘L’ ours Paresseux’, are strong, evocative and varied.

Indeed, Electro Rapide represents an excellent introduction to the world of Jean-Claude Vannier’s music, and the relative shortness isn’t even a problem. After all, a lot of the stuff here works according to the kinds of pop structure that people are used to, so two or three minute songs aren’t a problem. Electro Rapide is also so short that, should somebody want to – and people will, it’s that catchy – the whole album can just go on loop.

While it doesn’t represent the most crafted of works, this is a collection that offers a quick way in to a talent not often talked about in the UK. Maybe get a copy alongside Vannier’s other new album, Roses Red Rouge, on which he sings, performs with some of the session musicians who worked on his Gainsbourg collaborations (as well as his experimental LP L’Enfant Assassin des Mouches) and also offers renditions of his solo work. Rating: 7.5/10

2 Comments

1. Henry B. Springs

   “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ”

   Writer : Norman Vincent Peale

   ” Santa Claus is coming to town. He’s making a list and checking it twice. Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. We’ve been trying to help Santa out with your and everyone else’s Christmas shopping. If you’ve been paying close attention to our great online coupon offers. you know we’ve got your best interests at heart. If you haven’t already registered online, now is as a good time as any to get notifications about all of the current bargains and rebates for personalized stationery. ” Deck the halls with bows of holly” and all those Personalized Stationery gifts for people in your life that you want to get something special for. you know gifts for coworkers, neighbors, club members, family and friends. Quality gifts that look like you spent a lot more time on and money for. Little personal gifts like customized notepads, gift sets or a personalized cards and notes that will surely come in handy in personal or professional correspondence, just when the recipient least expected it.

   you will try in vain this holiday season in not having someone end up last on your list. you will try as best you can to cover as many people as you can with a wide variety of gifts to suit their personalities and needs. If you have a lot of time and limitless funds it won’t be an insurmountable task. If you don’t we have a way to work around that to. Our personal cards and notes : Classic Monogram, Bordered, Traditional Monograms, Classic Frame and Geneva Blossom. If you’re going to buy and give worthwhile gifts you’ll make a few changes to your schedule. You’ll explore a few new options. Your “holly jolly’ Christmas is on the way. If you haven’t bought any cards, notes, notepads or napkins lately you can receive emails about great deals and new products by simply signing up for coupons and emails. We like to think we can make holiday magic happen for all kinds of budgets, all kinds of tastes and all kinds of circumstances.

   ” He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

   Writer: Roy L. Smith

   30 October 2011, 9:49 pm

2. Henry B. Springs

   Have you started shopping for Christmas yet? the answer is most likely no. It’s early. Halloween is officially tomorrow and some folks will be throwing Halloween parties or cocktails at the end of the day, will you? though you don’t have pumpkin pie or tartlets on your list did you mention to set out the Pumpkin Foil Stamped Napkins along with every thing else? you thought this Oct 31 was the perfect time to sit down to a small celebration after most of the big Halloween parties took place this weekend. has someone spread the word around via email, Notable or Capital Notes. Maybe they’ll jot down a brief message regarding a Halloween event at lunch or right after work. There are still some scheduled to occur to night. I think we’ll have a few martini’s along with thinking about who to buy for, what to buy and how much to spend. I’m sure perusing the sites coupons and email notifications will give me more bright ideas.

   Christmas is on its way. a Formal Gift Enclosure will paint your gift in the most flattering light. Pay tribute with a gift enclosure for your special gift, classically enhanced with a personal styled enclosure. Bring tidings of comfort and joy in the most delightful way. make your gift something special, unforgettable in every way. With a Formal Gift Enclosure your gift becomes an unmistakable gesture of personal style. Stamp your gift with an “elegant” three letter script monogram on a white back drop. Your monogram heralds the arrival of the gift as well as the occasion. It personalizes the gift nearly every way you can. the monogram also helps ensure the right package goes to the right person. Our personalized three letter monogram rests on White, Ivory, Blue or Pink 3 x 2.8 and glistens brightly. they make a unique statement, something original with our tried and true Thermographic process that imprints the gift enclosure with a singular branded monogram, an identity all its own. make a special gift, even more special, even more memorable. Choose your own unique color in Navy, Black, Red, Fuchsia and Mocha. make your gift even more special this Christmas with a Personalized Gift Enclosure.

   take the time to prepare for the holidays.“Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence–neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish–it is an imponderably valuable gift.”

   Writer: Maya Angelou

   31 October 2011, 8:14 am

Ryan Adams' "Ashes & Fire" hit shelves last Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Pax-Am Records.

Ryan Adams, “Ashes & Fire” (Pax-Am)

Ryan Adams’ always-fascinating liner notes continue to impress with his latest release, “Ashes & Fire.” in addition to the lyrics to each song, Adams also shouts out to all of the album’s contributors in his most recent notes.

On the ’70s-era AM-tribute “Kindness,” for example, Norah Jones contributes piano work – as she does throughout most of the album. and Jones also lends a backing vocal on the track, as does Adams’ celebrity wife, Mandy Moore.

We never thought we’d hear that – Triple a radio darling Jones and pop princess Moore backing up alt-country hero Adams. and that’s so much of his charm: while Adams is among the most prolific songwriters in the game, he’s also a master of the unexpected – and the band he pulled together for these sessions is as consistent as you’d expect with names such as Jones and Benmont Tench in the mix.

On the flipside of Adams’ prolific nature is the Inconsistent nature of his songwriting. a loose count racks up at least 11 Adams releases in the last decade since “Gold,” and while he’s still adored and revered, he’s also wildly unpredictable with his output.

With “Ashes & Fire,” Adams lyrics are as strong as they’ve been in the last five years – though he leans too hard on the sparse pop-folk ballad that has been his preference in recent years. a couple gems fill the end of the backloaded record – including the pensive, CD-ending “I Love You But I Don’t know What to Say” and the memorably melodic “Lucky now.”

But much of the Glyn Johns-produced record also quietly falls into the same unmemorable territory. As Adams poetry works its magic, his acoustic guitar and Jones’ piano and Tench’s B3 Hammond covers ground that we’ve heard before. Song like “Chains of Love” try to break out of the mold, but it’s clear that Adams has found a comfortable place, and he’s not planning on leaving it anytime soon.

Evanescence, “Evanescence” (Wind Up)

Just how does Evanescence fit into the context of 2011? They don’t, really.

The group’s dated, ’90s rock aesthetics. Singer Amy Lee’s post-gothic tendencies. The albums’ overwrought, overdramatic production. Everything sounds about 10 years too late.

When “Fallen” hit in 2003, that breakthrough album even sounded a little late then – even though hits “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal” made stars out of the group. But the group has its vision, and even after the much publicized departure of guitarist Ben moody, they’ve stayed faithful to that original sound.

With the band’s latest, its eponymous third studio record, Lee’s vocals are still intoxicating and potent (see “Erase This”), and the guitars still sound like they were torn straight from a Korn album (“Never Go Back”). But the band is taking a slightly more rhythmic approach with its first single, “What You want,” and if you thought their earlier blends of rap-metal and pop balladry were strange, this slightly altered sound will take some getting used to.

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Ricardo Baca is the founder and executive editor of Reverb, the co-founder of The UMS and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post.

Jamie takes a look at the recent FantasyCon and focuses on well.. what we focus on with this site!

FantasyCon is an annual convention organised by The British Fantasy Society, where writers of horror and fantasy can meet with their fans over signings, panels and launch parties. or, thanks to Mistress of Ceremonies Sarah Pinborough, on the dancefloor. This year’s event was held in Brighton over the first weekend of October, where special guests included fantasy (and surprisingly erotica) legend Brian Aldiss and John Ajvide Lindqvist of Let the right One In fame. Brian was a true gentleman, and John was everything you would expect. a slight nod to Beetlejuice, Larry Fassenden and a God on the dance floor. Okay perhaps not a God but the boy did have moves. unfortunately John no longer gives interviews but was happy to have the odd picture taken with him and was very approachablefor a chat.

Due to work commitments I missed his panel with crime novel and film expert Barry Forshaw but did get to see the genre film panel chaired by Barry. His guests included Anne Billson, film critic and columnist for The Guardian, Kim Newman, legendary author, critic and TV personality, Stephen Gallagher, a classic Doctor who writer and Philip Palmer, who has worked on various TV and film projects along with script-reading. Philip eloquently stated that out of all the shit films that get made, he knows about plenty more that don’t.

Unfortunately the panel only lasted for an hour, and Sir Barry of Forshaw (as I will forever know him thanks  to Keith Walters) only managed to mention a few films due a few heated discussions, but the following were briefly discussed between the chair and panel:

Troll Hunter: it was argued that its success is mainly due to its timing. Anne Billson claimed that people are getting fed up with found footage films and Troll hunter offers a fresh spin on this genre. she added that there is a huge appetite for non-US films and as a genre film this works as it has a monster and is very tongue-in-cheek.

Black Swan: Kim Newman pointed out that he felt this was the female version of The Wrestler, and as Barry Forshaw added, is essentially a body horror. it makes aninteresting horror as the protagonists are the ones doing all the damage to themselves-not some masked serial killer.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: There was a unanimous and very positive response to this film. Barry quoted that it is as timely as ever, just as it was back in 1968. Anne was thrilled to see the franchise re-booted after Burton ‘cocked it up’.

A Serbian Film: The panel agreed that it was a reasonably effective horror, although Kim said that he doesn’t buy the political allegory. Stephen Gallagher feels that it ‘throws a much larger shadow than it deserves’. we have to remember that these guys have seen it all; Barry was even at the first UK screening of The Exorcist.

Battle Los Angeles: Anne was very clear about her thoughts here: ‘awful, like Skyline but worse’. she stated that audiences are bored with home invasions and added that what is now exciting audiences are clever genre mash-ups such as Attack the Block.

Sadly that was all the panel had time for, though I did catch up with mr. Forshaw later that week and had a bit of a film natter, although mainly about my passion for a certain genre film of 2011. To friends, family, Twitter folk, you will know that I have made no secret about how much I enjoyed Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In. it definitely counts as a body horror and (although I’m very much alone here) a bit of a tragic love story. definitely in in my top three films of the year, if not number one.

We agreed that films like this bring horror to a wider audience, as people as so blinded by gore and slasher films which they think they will hate. I, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the stuff. Be it artistic or a dodgy B-movie, I will watch and no doubt love it. Sneaky Almodovar.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to the lovely genre film panel and organisers of this year’s FantasyCon, which turned out to be the most successful one yet. for more information on the British Fantasy Society please visit www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk.