Election officials, judges and courts must have independence that is respected by politicians. To ensure that elections have integrity, other factors outside of the electoral institutions themselves need to be taken into account and strengthened. The Election Integrity Partnership was formed 100 days before the 2020 presidential election as a coalition of research entities who would focus on. Largest Submission of Election Inspectors in Wisconsin Politics Indefinitely Confined Voters Fighting Voter Fraud Democrats look to cheat by tilting election. Still, democratic governments and technology. We work hard to meet the highest standards for security and integrity, and weve done that in a variety of ways, whether thats through pre- and post-election. It is not enough to reform institutions citizens need to be convinced that changes are real and deserve their confidence. Election interference is a major threat to the universal right of people to take part in democratic elections. TikTok isnt a go-to hub for breaking news, but we are committed to combatting the spread of misinformation, including through supporting our community with. Aschieris: Well, Art, thank you so much for joining us. Integrity depends on public confidence in electoral and political processes. There is an ongoing debate over a single, universal definition of electoral integrity, but it can generally be defined as any election that is based on the. Create election integrity groups to fight what ranked choice is. Link Copied A volunteer tears OHIO VOTED stickers from a roll so early voters could grab one. Electoral integrity allows for peaceful resolution of conflict, open dialogue, debate, and information sharing among leaders and the public. Ohio becomes sixth state to leave voting integrity group targeted by Trump and conservative groups. Without electoral integrity, leaders and officials lack accountability to the public, confidence in the election results is weak, and the government lacks necessary legitimacy. There is an ongoing debate over a single, universal definition of electoral integrity, but it can generally be defined as "any election that is based on the democratic principles of universal suffrage and political equality as reflected in international standards and agreements, and is professional, impartial, and transparent in its preparation and administration throughout the electoral cycle." (Kofi Annan Foundation, 2012)
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Their products are used by hundreds of thousands of professionals thanks to the versatility of their tools and the different possibilities offered when it comes to creating.Īmongst their different applications, we have to point out Adobe Illustrator for Mac, the vector graphic editor aimed at drawing and painting for illustrations understood as a branch of digital art applied to graphical design and technical drawing.īut there's one thing you should know about this software: it's aimed at professionals. This is a complete offline installer standalone setup for Windows.Adobe is one of the most renowned companies in the world in terms of the development of software for graphic design and artistic creations. To begin the Adobe Photoshop 2023 Free Download, click the link below. Processor: A multicore Intel® or AMD CPU (2 GHz or higher with SSE 4.2 or later) with 64-bit compatibility.Hard Disk: 4 GB of available space is required.Windows 10 64-bit (version 20H2) or later LTSC versions are not supported.System Requirements for Adobe Photoshop 2023 The most updated version was released on March 21, 2023.Setup Type: Offline Installer / Complete Standalone Setup.WIN APS V24.0 AP ZNT.Zip is the name of the setup file.Complete Software Name: Adobe Photoshop 2023.Improved Performance: Photoshop 2023 is tuned for enhanced performance, employing GPU acceleration to accelerate numerous activities like rendering and filter applications.īefore beginning Adobe Photoshop 2023 Free Download, make sure your system meets the requirements stated below.Improved Camera Raw: The Camera Raw ui has been redesigned to give a more simple and more efficient editing experience for photographers.Pattern Preview: This tool lets you see repeated patterns in real-time, making it easier to build seamless patterns and textures. Live Blend Mode Preview: Get live previews of blend modes as you hover over them, making it simpler to pick the best blending choice for your project.Improved Object Selection: The Object Selection tool has been updated with greater precision and the ability to pick several items at once.Enhanced Sky Replacement: The Sky Replacement tool has been upgraded to provide more realistic results, improve edge recognition, and provide a more extensive library of the sky to pick from.You may quickly change photographs with tools like Skin Smoothing, Colorize, and Smart Portrait. Neural Filters: These artificial intelligence-powered filters enable you to perform complicated tweaks and alterations like never before.New Features and Improvements in Adobe Photoshop 2023Īdobe Photoshop 2023 includes a variety of new capabilities and improvements that will increase the productivity, creativity, and overall satisfaction of your workflow. Launch Photoshop: When the installation is complete, you may open Adobe Photoshop 2023 and begin exploring its capabilities during the 7-day trial.Install Photoshop: After installing the Creative Cloud app, find Adobe Photoshop 2023 in the available programs and select “Install.” You will be alerted when the download and installation procedure is finished.This tool handles the installation and updates of all Adobe products, including Photoshop. Download the Creative Cloud app: The Adobe Creative Cloud software will be downloaded and installed on your machine.For the time, choose the “Start free trial” option to access the 7-day trial. Choose your plan: Once logging in, you will be provided with several subscription plans.If you don’t have an existing Adobe ID, you’ll be requested to create one.
Profiles of the countries with the most serial killers 1. Due to this this mismatch in duration, as well as the aforementioned differences in per-country reporting, the statistical relevance of the resulting data is uncertain. However, such computations can be misleading because they compare a country's population at a certain date with the total number of documented serial killers throughout that country's history, not the number of serial killers active at that same moment in time in said country (which is admittedly unknowable). It is tempting to combine the Radford totals with population data to determine the number of serial killers per unit of population (1,000,000 people, etc) in each country. However, as of 2023, the SKIC had not updated since 2016, so other sources may be more current, if also less comprehensive overall. Arguably the most definitive collection of per-country serial killer data is Radford University's Serial Killer Information Center, which began in 1992 and includes data regarding 4,743 serial killers. Finally, some countries may be more secretive than others-the US, for example, is likely less guarded about its national serial killer data than are North Korea or China.Īnother concern is the fact that, while many agencies track each country's gross national income, oil reserves or cancer rates, fewer agencies are tasked with tracking per-country serial killer data. Similarly, the law enforcement agencies in some countries are less adept at identifying and tracking down serial killers, which could make their serial killer numbers appear abnormally low compared to those in countries with more skilled law enforcement agencies.Īdditionally, some countries' records of serial killings date back many decades earlier than others, making their numbers seem higher by comparison. Chief among these is the fact that differences between one country and another can impact their data and make country-to-country comparisons non-parallel.įor example, one country may have a different definition of a serial killer-such as requiring a minimum of two victims rather than three-than other countries, which would obviously affect their totals. While the above data comes from a reputable academic source, the process of tracking and comparing serial killer data for each of the world's countries is fraught with significant challenges. Challenges in determining which countries have the most serial killers Definition of a serial killerĪt a 2005 symposium in San Antonio, TX, the FBI officially defined a serial killing as "the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events." Other sources may raise the minimum to three victims and offer a more detailed timeline, such as requiring a cooldown period between murders and a total passage of time of at least 30 days. * Data source: Radford University Serial Killer Information Center. 20 Countries with the Most Documented Serial Killers:* The United States is the runaway leader in this category, with more documented serial killers in its history than the next ten closest countries combined. While the origin of the term "serial killer" may be slightly ambiguous, it is quite clear which country is home to the highest number of serial killers. Which country has the most serial killers? The first step of answering that question is defining the term "serial killer," whose origin is credited to multiple sources, including former FBI agent Robert Ressler, LAPD detective Pierce Brooks, and German criminologist Ernst Gennat. County Sheriff Department, 13851 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, at 31 or click here to visit their website. My Location: Marina del Rey, CA Current Time: 12:01:33 PM PST 23 Weather Alerts. For local regulations on boating, harbor, and live-aboard issues, contact the Harbor Master at the L.A. For other information, contact the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors, which has overall management and operational responsibility for Marina del Rey, at 42. This symbol indicates that the marina has qualified for the Clean Marinas California Program Certificate.įor slip vacancy information, contact the dockmaster at each marina. Download the anchorage map to see a listing of the wet slip anchorages in our community. (Weather station: Los Angeles / USC Campus Downtown, USA). A designated dockmaster is in charge of leasing slips in each marina. Marina del Rey 14 Day Extended Forecast Time Zone DST Changes Sun & Moon Weather Today Weather Hourly 14 Day Forecast Yesterday/Past Weather Climate (Averages) Currently: 55 F. Individual marinas are managed by a number of public and private organizations, including yacht clubs, hotels, and apartment management groups. Báo cáo này hin th thi tit trc ây cho Marina del Rey, cung cp lch s thi tit cho tháng. Precipitation (in) 12AM 3AM 6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM 12AM 0 5. Los Angeles County Department of Beaches Harbors oversees all anchorages in the Marina. 12AM 3AM 6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM 12AM 55 60 65 70. The largest man-made small craft harbor in North America (and at one time, the world), Marina del Rey has over 4,600 boat slips in 22 anchorages. â Cross legsâ cross legs, standing firmly on both feet (this can be modified for students to remain seated) â Press tongueâ press tongue to the roof of mouth. The Brain Gym program provides a series of simple movement activities that optimize brain activity, while integrating the mind and body.â Foldâ fold arms under so clasped hands are resting under chin. Put.Teachers who incorporate the Brain Gym movements within their daily classroom routine rediscover that joy of teaching for which they originally chose their profession. Put one hand so that there is as wide a space as possible between the thumb and index finger. Having students drink some water before and during class can help “grease the wheel”. Children can hop in lines, a circle or randomly as they touch the right hand to the left foot and the left hand to the right foot.Brain Gym Exercises Drink Water. These are simple free brain gym exercises that require no materials. Since this program isn’t as intense as weight training or running, you can do it more Brain Gym for.Cross lateral exercises are ideal for active children to perform at the beginning of the school day either in the gym or outdoors. They’re meant to Brain Gym Exercises Help Children. There are 26 Brain Gym exercises, according to the company’s website. Video taken from the channel: Zonya Foco, RDNīrain Gym Exercises for the Classroom The Development of Brain Gym. My content is not sponsored nor do I work with any kind of affiliate program. Let me share my experiences and know-how with you! I was raised bilingual and now I’m raising my children trilingual. My name is Andrea Breitenmoser and I’m a teacher, specialized in languages. Welcome to Multilingual Family, your space to discover how to raise multilingual kids successfully. → HOW TO SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE WITH YOUR CHILD. → FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SING WITH YOUR MULTILINGUAL CHILD. → LANGUAGE STRATEGIES BEST METHODS FOR YOUR MULTILINGUAL FAMILY. → IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO RAISE MULTILINGUAL KIDS? Related topics: how to improve concentration, brain exercises to improve concentration, brain gym, brain exercises, brainteasers, brainpower. → A BONUS that I’ll explain at the end of the video. → Brain exercises to improve concentration. → 5 practical brain gym exercises to try out right away. This week I’ll be sharing with you a CORONAVIRUS MEMORY. Subscribe to my EMAIL list to get videos and FREE GAMES to develop your child’s language skills (no matter what language) here. They help them focus and improve their concentration.ĭownload your FREE Guide to help you raise your multilingual children successfully here. (An ISO 9001:201:2004 OHSAS 18001 certified Institution).Ĭorp Office: -C-933, Basement, Sushant-Lok-1, Gurgaon.įor details visit our website *Join us at.īrain gym and coordination exercises are great for multilingual children when they need a break. *Proven Track record* with more than 285 video testimonies from students & parents speak volumes of result oriented work done to ensure the guaranteed result assured to each student enrolled at its various centers.įor such motivational videos subscribe to its You tube Channel **. *ASCENT Abacus & Brain Gym* has been focusing an offering a credible teaching system that emphasizes on *total brain development*. With *6 Limca records 20132017 World Memory Champion 2014-15 APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Awards 2017-2018*, *CBSE X Class Topper 2018 Prakhar Mittal*, along with continued *Spell Bee top ten topper ranks even in 2019* the institute imbibes the creativity & memory skills among children making them reach the zenith and itch their foot prints on the sands of time with a deep positive learning graph in each enrolled student… The team is headed by Nationally & Internationally acclaimed faculty offering an incredible teaching methodology with strategic & energized endless research making its program powerful and result oriented day in and day out. BRAIN GYM EXERCISES BY ASCENT ABACUS STUDENTS INCLUDE NECK ROLLS, THINKING CAPS, LAZY EIGHT,BELLY BREATHING, CROSS CRAWLS, BRAIN BUTTONS & HOOK UPS which have tremendous effect on positive energy, concentration, focus, reasoning & analytical skills, reading & comprehension skills of any individual especially children.Īscent Abacus & Brain Gym is an Educational Organization working for the *techniques to improve IQ, Concentration & Focus among children* mainly in the age group of 3.5 to 18 years through its various time tested and proven track record programs for the last 14 years. The video was posted in March 2022 and in less than six months has garnered more than 16 million views. In the video above, you see a video posted by a US-based cleaning service called Change Cleaning Services. My favourite example of YouTubers are carpet cleaning videos, especially those with ASMR audio layer. Taking a cue from carpet-cleaning videos and other YouTube stars What I would suggest, and not that I’ve seen anyone doing this, is that for the smaller outlets it would make more sense taking a page out of the playbook of single-person YouTubers who have broken through with much lower production videos, and yet are watched by millions. a tiny 5-million strong Slovakia in my case), you can only dream of having such resources. Looking at it from the perspective of a midsize or even a national news organisation in most of Europe (e.g. Keep in mind, these publishers have over a dozen or two dozen people working on a video team and there are only a handful of news outlets that are able to build up such a big team. While Vox relies heavily on animation and visual anchors that show the topic discussed (a style which The New York Times has also been using for their visual investigations series), Sun’s and Guardian’s videos resonate more with a traditional TV approach with video hosts and a documentary style. The Vox video team even produced a video celebrating the milestone and shared many of their favorite resources.įor years now, whenever I was speaking to various newsrooms, many watched what Vox had been doing, and it was almost like the North Star. The Sun’s video team also has over two dozen people. This July, Press Gazette wrote the team stood at 20. The team had 31 producers, animators and story editors at the time. It took them seven years to cross this threshold. Their channel reached the 10 million subscriber milestone in October 2021. The U.S publisher has spent years building up its video offering on the Google-owned video platform. The first piece revealed the US-based Vox has by far the most average views per video. The British-based Press Gazette recently published three extensive looks at who are the biggest English-speaking news publishers on YouTube, a second one looking at the YouTube strategy at The Sun and The Guardian and another one looking at the growth of Vox’s channel. So, with this in mind, the logical question would be – what’s your newsroom’s YouTube strategy? YouTube for publishers: Should you copy the most successful ones? Can you? The survey data basically says that if you are a teen and you have a smartphone and access to mobile internet, you are using YouTube all the time. Still, it’s safe to assume YouTube is really popular among teens all over the world. Again, this is US data and we only have bits and pieces regarding Europe and elsewhere. What I have not seen people freak out about as much was the fact that YouTube is literally used by every teenager (95%). I suspect the trend is very similar in Europe and elsewhere we are all just a bit behind the US that tends to lead. Meanwhile Facebook has dramatically sunk in popularity. But carpet cleaning videos might be a better inspirationĪ recent Pew Research survey of American teens (ages 13 to 17) shows that TikTok is one of the leading social media platforms that has everyone talking about it. Why does it work so well? How difficult was it to film someone walking around set wearing a Pteranodon costume? Is Grant a jerk? Let's discuss.įollow on Twitter and Instagram. Jurassic Park 3's aviary sequence gets so many things right, including the proper amount of suspense with carefully placed buildup of tension. I remember the day I found out I couldnt go to see Jurassic Park in. Steven Ray Morris, the See Jurassic Right podcastĪlso, follow Legacy Effects and Stan Winston School on Instagram!Ī glimpse at what the entire film could have been. This weeks episode of Mousterpiece Cinema has just the movie to create a great. Other highlights include a Spielberg encounter, Joe Johnston up in a tree, and maybe we'll hear about an earlier draft of JP3.maybe.įollow on Twitter and Instagram. Bold filmmaking or pure nonsense? We discuss the spino vs t-rex fight and the challenges facing the crew when trying to film the sequence. “And it’s these fantastic creatures that have been made that are going to be the stars.20 years later and still recovering from the death of the t-rex. “There’s no question this is a dinosaur show,” he says. “The slime-managing…” Despite all the human star power, Neill sees his prehistorical pals as the MVPs. “I may have begged at one point to participate in the slime-brushing,” she laughs. The actor was keen to get just as hands-on as her character. And it’s delicious.”īeyond the legacy cast, there’s also the major return of animatronic dinosaurs – including the adorable baby Nasutoceratops that Dern’s Sattler is tending to in the above exclusive image. “We discover what it would feel like if these three characters came back together, and how they would feel about each other. Along with The Wire and John Wick star Lance Reddick dying at the age of 60, it’s been revealed that Jurassic Park and Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Sam Neill has been diagnosed with blood cancer. “Colin was really keen to make it matter,” she says. Today brings more unfortunate news concerning popular actors in Hollywood. “He’s inventive, enthusiastic, always energetic.” Dern, too, felt the magnitude of the proposed reunion. And I don’t say that lightly – I really don’t,” he says. For Neill, Spielberg was exactly the comparison. And so I really had to start from scratch in convincing these people that I was going to be able to guide them through the return to these characters that mean so much to them.”Īs it turned out, Trevorrow needn’t have worried. “At the beginning of that, probably was looking at me with a certain amount of skepticism and side-eye,” says Trevorrow. While director Colin Trevorrow had worked previously with Goldblum, he met personally with Dern (over lunch in Santa Monica), and Neill (at the Sitges film festival in Spain) to try and convince them aboard. And they’re not just cameos – we’re talking major roles. This is a reunion 29 years in the making. While Ian Malcolm took centre stage in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (also popping up in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom for a brief cameo), and Alan Grant was the lead in Jurassic Park III (with a small supporting appearance from Ellie Sattler), they’ve not shared the screen since. Now, they’re all back together for the first time since that original film in this summer’s Jurassic World Dominion, joining Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing. Ian Malcolm ( Jeff Goldblum) have a certain magic to them – with magnetic performances, ever-shifting character dynamics, romantic tension, comedic chemistry, and a sense of three ordinary (but very smart) people caught up in the most extraordinary of situations. Ellie Sattler ( Laura Dern) and chaotician Dr. Alan Grant ( Sam Neill), paleobotanist Dr. The film’s central trio of paleontologist Dr. Rex rampages and vicious Velociraptor attacks, there’s another reason why Steven Spielberg’s 1993 adventure remains such a classic: the human characters. When you look back at the original Jurassic Park, it’s understandable that the dinosaur set-pieces got the most attention. Thank you so much for this! Since I've first seen the Mega Man 7 and 8 Famicom demakes I wished somebody would demake X4-X8 since in my personal opinion X1-X3 were not only the best looking but also the best sounding and feeling X games ever made. I really hope you don't cancel this project anytime in the future since history shows that all the outstanding projects got cancelled sooner or later :( It's the pure Mega Man X experience I need and always needed. X's animations don't look like he is made of Jelly (seriously, the PS1 titles look like if he was soft af) no shitty sidekicks who interrupt you every 5 steps THIS is how X4-X8 always should have looked like from the beginning! For as long his game has been in development, it better be able to blow yours out of the water, but from what I've played so far that doesn't seem to be likely any time soon. The armors were amazing too, with smooth animation and amazing abilities to match the set completion bonus (Though you might want to give the Hermes set a bit of a Flaming Mammoth red on the parts that change color and change the cyan of the upper arms and legs to gray.)! I hope you add the parts combo abilities as well as the Neutral and Ultimate armors as well.Īll in all, it scratches the itch that JKB's MMX: Corrupted has taken more than 5 years (and on going) to take care of. It gave me a reason to replay a stage more than twice.). Though I do miss the currency system that allowed me to upgrade my character and the other 5 character choices, I believe you are heading in the right direction regardless (But please, bring back shop and currency. This game is an improvement to the original and it brings me back to a simpler time when MMX was just a run and gun with secrets, but also has the potential to have the animation qualities of MM8 on the Playstation. The current build reaches up to the intro boss, with Avalanche Yeti available via the Debug Options.Life-Ups and Health pickups are implemented.Still need to work on their special abilities. The armor parts have been implemented.X is fully functional, with his starting abilities from X8 recreated to feel similar to the SNES games.Icarus foot parts now lets you double jump.Icarus body parts now lets you recover energy for a brief time after getting damage, by destroying enemies.Hermes foot parts now makes you invulnerable while dashing on the ground.Hermes buster parts now charges faster.Some Icarus and Hermes armor parts have been reworked slightly:.The Neutral Armor will not be unlocked all at once anymore - rather, the armor parts will be displayed over X's body, similar to classic games.Jakob Elevator will not be just an elevator level! Expect something similar to Boomer Kuwanger's stage from X1.It also has the damaging airdash from X4. The RideChaser will work similar to Mega Man X2, but is now more responsive and can be stopped at any point.Both Avalanche Yeti's and Gigabolt Man-O-War's RideChaser stages are going to be reworked to play similar to Overdrive Ostrich's stage from Mega Man X2.Axl will be completely absent and Zero will appear in the game. No medals, shop, retry chips or intermissions - look forward to a vanilla experience similar to X1~X3!. Now, You Are Done With Installing The Game. Inside The MMX 8 Folder, You Will Find " SetupREG ". Inside The Folder, You Will Find Two Files. There's A Folder Named " MegaMan X8 Trainers " In It. After Extracting The File, You Will Get A Folder Called " MMX8 ". After The Join Process Is Complete, There Would Be A Rar File On The Desktop. Choose " Source Chunk " As " 2 " And " Destination File " As Desktop. On Top, There Will Be Two Tabs, Split Files And Join Files. Now, Save The Files " 2 " And " 3 " In A Folder. Clicking On It Will Start Your Download.Īfter Downloading All Three Files, You Would Get These Files. You Will Get A Message - " Processing Your Download Request " Then Will Automatically Change To " Click Here To Download ". After Entering The Password, Click Unlock. Now, If You Click A File, It Will Ask For A Password. ? Means I Forgot The Size After The Point. The Link Will Take You To My Own File Sharing Web Page. Would you have me mount into my Master's place? Said I not unto you, I am not the Christ? The Bride is not mine, why should the people stay with me? Mine it is to point the burdened to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, to tell them there is Balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. A man, &c.-"I do my heaven-prescribed work, and that is enough for me. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary27-30. And, if our diminution and abasement may but in the least contribute to the advancement of his name and honour, let us cheerfully submit to it, and be content to be any thing, yea, to be nothing, so that Christ may be all. But let us especially rejoice to observe the glory of Christ increasing, and eclipsing the lustre of all other glory, as the increasing light of the morning causes the glory of the morning star to decline, and at last entirely to disappear. Let us know how to set as well as how to rise and let it comfort our declining days, to trace, in those who are likely to succeed us in our work, the openings of yet greater usefulness. Thus they who are now like John, burning and shining lights, must, (if not suddenly eclipsed,) like him, gradually decrease, while others are increasing about them as they in their turns grew up amid the decays of the former generation. Thus John speaks of Christ’s increase and his own decrease, not only as what was necessary and unavoidable, and that which could not be prevented, and therefore must be borne but as highly just and agreeable to him: and he is entirely satisfied with it, nay, and rejoices in it. He that cometh from above is above all - As if he had said, It is fit he should increase, while I decrease for he is a person of infinitely greater dignity than I am, possesses far more knowledge of the divine will, and the discoveries which he makes thereof as far transcend mine as heaven exceeds earth. He must increase - And appear continually more and more glorious, like the growing moon but I must decrease - Must gradually wane and decline, till I disappear: for the end of my ministry is now, in a great measure, answered, and therefore I quickly expect to be dismissed from it. What do you think needs to be decreased in your life particularly during the season of Lent? In what area of your life does God look at you with love and ask you to set something aside for a closer walk with Him? Come share with us! Join the conversation below.Benson Commentary John 3:30-31. Want to learn more about the book? Take a look inside… Your Turn Watch the Video for the book, 40 Days of Decrease May our decrease likewise increase our generation’s view of Jesus.Įxcerpted with permission from 40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. John decreased so that the Messiah would be revealed in John’s lifetime. John decreased so others could follow the One who preceded and surpassed him (John 1:30). John decreased so others could see the Lamb. Those who steward attention as means and not end stand tall and serve strong, knowing that all gifts come from God and can therefore draw attention to God. It becomes evil when used as a self-serving end instead of a God-serving means. By willingly decreasing, John increased others’ view of the Savior.Īttention is not innately evil. From John’s perspective, the true value of people seeing him was that people would then be positioned to see through him and gaze at Jesus. His longing was to draw his generation’s attention and allegiance to the Messiah. But decrease for John was less about assets and more about attention. His diet was narrow, his possessions were minimal, and his focus was eternal. In many ways, John lived a Lenten lifestyle 365 days a year. make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). Gabriel had announced John’s life-calling to Zechariah before John was even conceived: John was the one who, “in the spirit and power of Elijah. John’s understanding of “less is more” was spiritually profound. John the Baptist was the first among Jesus’ followers to grasp its counter-cultural power. Because much of the reason we’re here on earth is to see Jesus and have others see Him through us.” Be blessed by this exclusive excerpt…ĭecrease is a spiritual necessity. 40 Days of Decrease invites you to thin your life to thicken your communion with God.Īs Chole writes, “Our focus is uncluttering our hearts from the stuff that weighs us down and blocks our, and others’ view of Jesus. Editor’s note: While the tradition of Lent and fasting (or giving something up) is not traditional for most evangelical Christians, there is a growing interest among many believers to use these weeks before Easter to draw closer to Christ, remember His sacrifice, and ready our hearts to celebrate His Resurrection! In her popular book 40 Days of Decrease, Christian author Alicia Britt Chole invites us to consider Lent as a kickoff to a season of decrease, a different type of fast. Hug´s innovative musical-visual solo performances in distinctive locations and her interdisciplinary work have created an international furore. But then, strange things can happen in the night, to performers as well as listeners."Charlotte Hug: musician (viola & voice), composer, teacher, media artist, visual artist, This focused, febrile performance was the highlight of Pollini's concert his playing of three Beethoven sonatas after the interval was weirdly disappointing – the textures of the Waldstein, Appassionata and Op 54 sonatas submerged beneath a chiaroscuro of pedal and played at speeds often too quick for his hands to keep up with. The ending was most memorable, as Pollini tolled a single note into silence after a huge explosion from the whole ensemble. The result was an unpredictable musical dreamscape that veered between violence and warped lyricism. Setting four nocturnal poems by Blok, Trakl, Chlebnikov and Zanzotto, Manzoni's piece was a song-cycle that interleaved solos for Pollini between duets for Prohaska, the percussionist and the violist. This was night reconfigured as a place for flights of wild creativity, even if Hug's hour-long performance was more about moment-to-moment energy than dramatic structure.Īll that, and pianist Maurizio Pollini too, who played the world premiere of Giacomo Manzoni's Il Rumore del Tempo with the dazzling soprano Anna Prohaska and three players from the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Her performance was far from soporific, as she deconstructed her bow and wrapped it round the viola, and screamed and sang into the sheets of paper hanging from the ceiling. In the art museum of Lucerne, surrounded by the vivid visual detritus of her sleep experiments, she created an improvised performance, interpreting her drawings as "son-icons" – scores, basically – for her vocal and instrumental imaginings. She recorded her bodily activity and created gigantic scrawlings on vast rolls of tracing paper about her experience. Hug, who is this year's artiste étoile in Lucerne, spent 40 hours without sleep in a Zurich laboratory. Violist-composer-artist Charlotte Hug's installation Insomnia and her performance piece Slipway to Galaxies were both inspired by the night. Listen to it here – just make sure you close the curtains first. Schubert and Mahler, at least, achieved something similar in their sonatas and symphonies. Haas realises the idea brilliantly, even if I felt the return-as-catastrophe idea was more common in earlier Austrian music than Haas admitted. You hear it throughout In Vain, as the opening shimmer chillingly returns after a section of gigantically slow music. It's an inversion of more conventional Austrian music – such as Anton Bruckner's symphonies – as Haas himself said before the concert. The idea at the heart of In Vain is that the musicbecomes progressively more catastrophic, rather than more celebratory – evoking the dark return of an idea or ideology. But unlike many pieces of agitprop, Haas finds a way of making his music reflect on what happened when Jörg Haider's party achieved dangerous political success, and so much more. In Vain was composed in 2000 as a protest against the return of rightwing politics to his homeland, Austria. Instead, the music's drama was amplified in this manufactured night, building to a thunderous climax in a second section complete with flashes of lightning. The brilliance of the orchestra was not diminished by the invisibility of their notes on the music stands. Thanks to Swiss health-and-safety regulations there was complete darkness in the Luzerner Saal – not even an exit sign was visible in the murk. The "night" element of In Vain was most obvious in two long sections played in complete darkness in the auditorium. The Ensemble Phoenix and conductor Jürg Henneberger began Haas's piece with a gloomy instrumental tremor, and things only got darker after that. But at the Lucerne festival this year there was that rarest of phenomena: a theme, in this case Night, that actually meant something when it came to the concerts.Īustrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas's In Vain was an hour-long ensemble work that made a shattering nocturnal impression, even after an earlier concert in the evening ended with Abbado's performance of Mahler's death-haunted 10th Symphony. Maybe the largest white elephants in the festival programmer's bestarium of musical ideas. |