UK: Let's Stop that Heartless Animal Vote!

A Lamb (image via Avaaz.org)

Dear friends across Britain,

MPs just voted that animals can't feel emotions or pain. It's our government at its most cruel and heartless -- but a massive outcry from the public can overturn this outrage.

EU law protects animal welfare, but as we fumble towards Brexit Britain, MPs just voted to remove this vital safeguard, reducing animals to deaf and dumb creatures that exist purely for our benefit.

The vote narrowly passed in parliament and will go to the Lords -- that’s our chance. If we can create a massive outcry from right across the country, we can give the Lords the backing they need to reject this heartless amendment. 

Add your name, with one click, and tell everyone: 

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

To the House of Lords:

"As citizens across Britain, we are horrified by the parliamentary vote that animals aren’t sentient beings. The vote strips animals of the rights they had under EU law -- and so we urge you to amend the EU Withdrawal Bill when it comes to the House of Lords." 

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

Wagging tails, excited little lambs, cats that nuzzle your arm -- it’s obvious to everyone that animals have feelings and are aware of their surroundings. It’s been proven in over 2,500 scientific studies.

There can only be one reason to deny animal sentience, and that’s to exploit them. Strip away that recognition and there’s no reason to worry about animal testing, barbaric hunting games, and gruesome slaughterhouses. But we won’t have it.

When this bill arrives at the Lords, let’s make sure they have the backing they need to overturn this outrage -- we need to make it massive! Let’s show our government want compassion and humanity looks like -- sign now with one click!

⏩Lords: Stop the Heartless Animal Vote!⏪

There are many beliefs that unite our community across the world, but surely one of the most beautiful is the understanding that we don’t own or rule the planet -- we share it with every other being. It’s why time and again we’ve risen to the challenge of defending animals around the world. Let’s make sure this time isn’t any different.

With hope and determination,

Loup Dargent

On behalf of Mike, Alex, Antonia, Bert and the whole team at Avaaz

One cute baby fox (image via cornwalllive.com)

More information:

• MPs vote 'that animals cannot feel pain or emotions' into the Brexit bill (Independent)
• Yes, Animals Think And Feel. Here's How We Know (National Geographic)
• After 2,500 Studies, It's Time to Declare Animal Sentience Proven (Live Science)

In An Extraordinary Event, Eight Eurythmics Albums Will Be Released On Vinyl In 2018

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Photo Credit: Lewis Ziolek)

One of the most revered and respected pop groups of the 1980s, Eurythmics, with over 20 international hits and 80 million albums sold, is in the spotlight once again, both for their nomination for the 2018 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the impending re-release of their eight studio albums on vinyl. 

Spanning their entire career, the albums will be released by RCA/Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment between April and October 2018, starting with In The Garden (1981), Sweet Dreams (1983) and Touch (1983) on April 13, 2018, followed by Be Yourself Tonight (1985), Revenge (1986) and Savage (1987) in July 2018 and We Too Are One (1989) and Peace (1999) in October 2018. 

• This will be the first time that Peace will be available on vinyl, as the original release was only available in two formats: CD and cassette.

➧These vinyl titles are available for pre-order now: smarturl.it/EU_Vinylamz

Also new from Eurythmics: an 11-minute unique video "Eurythmix" retrospective compiled and mixed by DJ Earworm and sourced from 23 Eurythmics videos from 1983 to 2005. 

The songs included are: 

• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" 
• "Who's That Girl?" 
• "I Need a Man" 
• "(I Love to Listen to) Beethoven" 
• "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" 
• "Julia" 
• "Thorn In My Side" 
• "Love Is a Stranger" 
• "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" 
• "Revival" 
• "I Saved the World Today" 
• "Here Comes The Rain Again" 
• "Would I Lie to You?" 
• "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)" 
• "Angel" 
• "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
• "Missionary Man" 
• "When Tomorrow Comes" 
• "The King and Queen of America" 
• "17 Again" 
• "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" 
• "Don't Ask Me Why" 
• "I've Got a Life" 
• and a reprise of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"

"In the early '80s, videos were a new and innovative phenomena, offering musical artists the possibility to feature interpretations of their songs through the combined medium of moving imagery and sound," says Lennox. Eurythmics embraced this concept wholeheartedly as a fresh expression of the creative process which came naturally and easily to them. 

EURYTHMIX by EURYTHMICS is a brand-new long form video piece, using excerpts from their prolific creative outpouring throughout the years, representing the broadly eclectic range of the musical and visual legacy created by the duo. It is classic, timeless and visionary.

The Video:

.

Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox both have a long relationship with the vinyl format. 

"My dad blew my mind when I was six years old because he built his own Gramophone," says Stewart. "He had the albums for every Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and he switched his homebuilt record player on and you heard this crackling sound and then, 'Boom!' I remember walking to school singing 'I Enjoy Being a Girl.'"

"We had a pink, plastic Dansette record player," recalls Lennox. "Someone gave me some birthday money and the first record I bought was Mary Poppins. It was magical and wonderful. Before that, I used to visit my grandparents and they had a 78rpm record player. I'd go in the attic and find their box of records. I was entranced by The Merry Widow."

➧As for the release of the eight Eurythmics albums on vinyl, Annie calls the event "extraordinary." 

Dave adds, "To buy a vinyl album, you have to have a record player and you have to have speakers, and this is a great thing because that means people are going to listen to your music not on a cell phone, but they're going to listen to it out of a sound system, which is what we all did when we were growing up. The important thing about vinyl releases is that people buy them and actually put them on the turntable and listen to a side, because we chose the tracks to be played in a particular order, and that was really important."

"If you're doing a concert, it has to have a shape," Annie elaborates. "Otherwise, it's just disparate. So we gave a lot of thought to the order of the songs. Dave would write his order and I would write mine. We might shift a song but we would come to an agreement so the listening experience had a continuum on one side and then you would flip the album over."

As for the new vinyl releases, Stewart assures, "They will sound better. In the archives, we have the original half-inch masters, which have a fantastic sound. That's what we're going from, not the digital remasters where the sound has been compressed."

• Listening to the career-spanning set of eight albums, one realizes why Eurythmics were so acclaimed by critics and fans alike, and why they won so many awards, including an MTV Music Video Award for Best New Artist in 1984, a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1987, three Ivor Novello Awards, a Brit Award in 1999 for Outstanding Contribution to British music (plus 10 more Brit Awards for Stewart and Lennox), a Silver Clef Award in 2000, as well as the duo's 2005 induction into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame and 26 ASCAP Awards to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" for most performed song of the year.

Now, Dave and Annie are enjoying their nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in America. 

"Being British, we never thought that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had anything to do with us," says Stewart. "So when we were nominated, we thought, 'What?!' And then we saw there were other British acts, like Depeche Mode and Dire Straits. They are incredible legends, and we're honored to be nominated." 

"It's lovely and flattering," adds Lennox. 

➧Fans can vote Eurythmics into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at: bit.ly/1-FanVote

➧The eight Eurythmics studio albums being released on vinyl in 2018 will all feature the original artwork, illustrations and liner notes.

SOURCE: Legacy Recordings

Bonus Videos:

"I Am So Sick Of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience" Launches In Time For Christmas

“I am So Sick of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience” launches in time for Christmas

"I am So Sick of White Guys: The Coloring Book Experience" has launched just in time to hit the Christmas stockings of frustrated Americans everywhere. In fact, the political and social situation has become so confounding that even white guys are now sick of white guys!

Authors Jim Corbett and Tim Jones worked with artist Steve Hartley (all from just north of Seattle) to create a collection of cleverly rendered images that clearly capture the current cultural climate and skewer some sacred cows from history, as well.

Each image is accompanied by witty, sarcastic and, yes, sometimes even snarky comments that just might be the elixir you need to help you cope with what is happening to the greatest democracy the world has ever known. (Remember when our elections were decided by that insane thing called the 'Electoral College,' instead of that even more insane thing called, 'Russia?')

Are you tired of whiny white guys complaining that their gigantic piece of the pie is now being nibbled away by interlopers of other colors, races, creeds, non-creeds and even by people from an entirely different gender altogether? Well, it's about time! Are you offended by the 'Pedophiles for Jesus' wing of the Alabama Republican party? So are we! If you agree that the world is ready to hear from the many other voices that make up our multi-ethnic, multi-faceted society, and if you are getting less and less satisfaction from screaming at your TV, then I am So Sick of White Guys could be for you.

Some people have suggested this might not be a good time for a book such as this, but co-author Corbett disagrees saying, "There is a long and healthy tradition of political satire and parody in the United States, and we believe there is no better time than right now to make sure the voices of hatred and exclusivity are turned back."

Jones supported that sentiment pointing out that, "In order to make sure this book is not mistaken for a vehicle of intolerance, ten percent of the profits are being donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which devotes its efforts to opposing hate groups."

• The coloring book can be purchased for $10 on Amazon

SOURCE: Sick of White Guys, LLC

Duran Duran to Perform Special Concert in Miami Beach for SiriusXM

Duran Duran to Perform Special Concert in Miami Beach (Image via DuranDuran.com)

SiriusXM announced yesterday that GRAMMY Award-winning, iconic British band Duran Duran will perform a special invitation-only show for SiriusXM on Saturday, December 9 at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach.

• The exclusive performance for SiriusXM will feature Duran Duran playing signature music from throughout their career, including songs from their most recent, Top 10 charting studio album, Paper Gods. 

Donald Sutherland at the 2014 Art Basel Miami Beach (Image via HuffPost)

This very special performance for SiriusXM coincides with 2017's Art Basel in Miami Beach, the world renowned premier art show and gathering for Modern and contemporary art. It will also be the penultimate show on the band's two year Paper Gods World Tour before they return to the studio in January 2018.

"As long-time fans of SiriusXM, we are really looking forward to performing this special show at such a beautiful and intimate venue in Miami," remarked Duran Duran's John Taylor. "It's going to be an up close and personal affair, a truly one-of-a-kind evening, and we look forward to getting to know everyone who attends." 

"Duran Duran is one of those bands that has continued to deliver indelible music and style for decades," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. "This intimate concert for their most die-hard fans takes us back to the Faena Theater in the heart of Miami's South Beach. Duran Duran is a great way to kick off the holiday season with SiriusXM." 

• Duran Duran's special concert for SiriusXM in Miami is the latest exclusive performance for SiriusXM subscribers. Previous shows this year include Eagles at the Grand Ole Opry House, Dwight Yoakam at The Stephen Talkhouse, Guns N' Roses at the Apollo Theater and Chicago at Whisky a Go Go.

The private performance will air live on Saturday, December 9 via satellite on The Pulse (ch. 15) and 1st Wave (ch. 33) and through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com.

• SiriusXM subscribers since November 1, 2017 can enter for the chance to win a trip to Miami including airfare, hotel stay and a pair of tickets to the show! 

  ➧See Official Rules for complete details at siriusxm.com/DuranDuran

SiriusXM subscribers with streaming access can also listen to SiriusXM's 200+ channels at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Sony PlayStation, Sonos speakers and more. 

➧Go to SiriusXM to learn more.

• For more information on Duran Duran, visit duranduran.com.
• For more information on SiriusXM, please visit siriusxm.com.

Source: SiriusXM

Bonus Videos:

Proof that Britain is a Nation of Diversi-tea, With 24 Million Ways to Make a Cuppa... and a Bagful of Science in the Blending from Tetley

Academic James Hind (left) & Tetley Master Blender Sebastian Michaelis (right) examine the prefect blend (PRNewsfoto/Tetley)

The YouGov research, commissioned by Tetley Tea to mark its 180th birthday and analysed by mathematician Dr James Hind of Nottingham Trent University, factors in all possible variables when it's time to pop the kettle on.

From brew time, milk levels and dunking behaviour to sweetener choice, water (or milk) first and overall water temperature, the reality is that it all boils down to personal taste.

As for the most commonly drunk cuppa, this involves 60 seconds of brewing, a dash of cold semi-skimmed milk, three dunks of the teabag, no sugar, drunk hot from a mug and made by the drinker themselves.

But according to master tea blender, Sebastian Michaelis, whose taste buds are insured for £1m, all 24 million possible cuppas start with one perfect blend, revealing there is still science behind the art of the individual cuppa.

That's why he has spent months with Dr Hind in the Tetley tea rooms, where over 40,000 cups of tea are tasted every week, developing a mathematical equation for the perfect blend that is the basis for 24 million possible cuppas. 

Missy (Michelle Gomez) drinking tea  (Image via BBC)

The equation for the perfect blend:

Perfect Blend=Sin(Y114.5⁄)√ZB+CS(π−W)(5T⁄) 

• Y = years of experience (180 years for Tetley) 
• W = Weight of tea in the teabag (3.125 for Tetley) 
• T = duration of training for blenders (5 years for Tetley) 
• Z = Zing (1-30) 
• B = Body (1-30) 
• C = Colour (1-45) 
• S = Sparkle (1-50) 

The key variables centre on the process of perfecting a blend from crop to cup, including years (Y) of experience and weight (W) of tea in the teabag.

Also captured is the duration of training (T) for the master tea blenders and the colour (C), size and density of the leaf; the brew's purity of colour (its sparkle - S); the weight of the tea in the mouth (its body - B) and the overall liveliness of the tea on the palate (its zing - Z). 

Madame Vastra's Sontaran butler Strax serving tea (image via Horrorpedia)

Sebastian Michaelis comments: "What I found fascinating is that there are so many possible ways of making a cup of tea, but there is no secret method for the perfect cuppa. Everyone takes their tea a little differently, which is why no one can quite make it as perfectly as you. Whether you add milk or not, drink it weak or strong, what is crucial to a great cup of tea however is the blending. 

The complexity of the equation reflects the many layers required to craft the nation's favourite drink. Blending tea, like blending whisky or champagne, is both a science and an art. Tetley tea blenders spend five years training and honing our ability to be able to taste and grade any of the thousands of different varieties of tea in the world in just 15 seconds. 

Without the right balance of flavours, brightness and body, your tea would taste less like a Grand Cru and more like cheap plonk!" 

With the blend perfected, the nation's nuances and twists on how they take their tea then come in to play. 

• According to the research, 48% brew the teabag for at least a minute, with almost a third of UK tea drinkers considering brewing time the most important factor when it comes to making tea. 

• Whilst one in 10 Brits favour a more traditional take on the cuppa, drunk from a teacup rather than a mug, a small but significant 3% of white tea takers opt for the less traditional in heating up the milk first! 

• 44% of people think they make the best cup of tea and 14% say they prefer ones made by their partners. Meanwhile, office tea rounds could soon be on their way out, with only 1% preferring their colleagues' method of making tea. 

• Despite 'hot' being the most common temperature for tea to be consumed, 24% of Brits prefer theirs 'warm' and a whopping 72% take no sugar, with 17% instead opting for replacements such as honey or sweeteners. 

• As for what makes the worst cup of tea, putting in too much milk comes top (20%), followed by splitting the tea bag by squeezing it too hard (16%) and reheating tea in the microwave (15%). 

SOURCE: Tetley

Bonus Videos: