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HISTORY OF AMAZING GRACE, part 1 On February 23, 1807, the British parliament passed a bill banning the nation’s slave trade. In these two articles, we’ll explore the lives of two men and one song that played a significant role in that effort. John Newton‘s devoted Christian mother dreamed that her only son would grow… Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian billpetro.com Subscribe to have future articles delivered to your …

Here are the 2023 awards [connected to my read smd to-read lists]. As the votes were made by participants to the 2023 Chengdu Worldcon, Chengdu, China, censorship later came to light, regarding authors critical of the Chinese government, like Kuang, Zhao, and Gaiman, who did not make it to the shortlist… Best Novel Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher (Tor Books) The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi (Tor Books) …

Steel Empire was a 2-D shooter on the SEGA Genesis. The unique thing about it was the premise, as all the flying vehicles were blimps and steam powered machines. Kind of a Jules Verne steampunk vibe. It got remade on the Game Boy Advance and then again on the 3DS. And now it gets another […]

Leica M + Zeiss 28mmAt one point a couple of years ago I owned both a black and a chrome Fuji X100V. They very nice cameras. The 35mm equivalent lens was very good and the images I could get out of the camera were competitive with anything else even close to the price. I didn't really like the way the camera felt but that was something I'm pretty sure I …

I have a soft spot for Rochdale. That should be made clear from the outset, else nothing good will come of this blog. 1999 and the Cemetery Hotel was the destination. Discovered by chance, My first Good Beer Guide was 2 years away. Marvellous pub. But then a load of Tiger hooligans trashed it, and the guv'nor banned Hull City fans for life. I was sad. So was Daddy B. …

tonyinterpreter:On Translating the Musicality of Sentences From One Language to Another Wow, a very interesting article. Once again it makes me think that translators don’t get enough recognition.

The Lowney Chocolate Factory is a historic industrial complex in Mansfield, Massachusetts and was established there after town officials took advantage of rail access provided by the Boston and Providence Railroad and enticed businesses to establish themselves in Mansfield. The Walter M. Lowney Company was a chocolate and candy business founded in Boston in the early 1880s by Walter M. Lowney, who started his business by manufacturing chocolate bonbons. The …

Hello lovies If you read my post this morning and have picked your preferred card pile, welcome back:) Here are the three card reveals: COMMUNICATION ~ CHOICE ~ SUPPORT Communication Communication is the key to seeing deeper right now. Let your heart lead your voice. Communicating and sharing what's on your heart and mind can sometimes feel daunting. The fear of saying the wrong thing, of hurting someone with our …

Today I am 60 years old. People with uteruses did not have bodily autonomy when I was born nor do they have it now. This is ridiculous. When I was born, everyone was afraid of Goldwater becoming president, then starting an apocalyptic war with the Soviet Union. Now we fear that a man deep in the pockets of the Russian dictator might return to the presidency, and destroy whatever democratic …

The web industry is full to the brim with tales of side-projects that grew into successful businesses and, like many of us, I'll often find myself tinkering away on an idea or three after I've finished with my day-job. Whilst it's definitely an enticing prospect, working on a side-project is not always sunshine and Lambos though – sometimes they just don't work out. If you're reading this, there's a chance …

Two decades as a programmer hasn't made me any better at estimating how long it'll take me to write software, but it's made me MUCH better at estimating how long other things will take. I'm a master at intuitively timing multiple dishes to finish simultaneously, for example.

Who is the most famous person born in Valdez, Alaska? Many would say it's Commander Will Riker of the USS Enterprise, who will be born there in the year 2335. A group of Star Trek fans, headed by Valdez native Cameron Harrison, want to erect a bronze memorial statue of Riker and a commemorative plaque to mark his hometown. They even formed a nonprofit organization called Riker Maneuver to enlist …

Angelic Milk “Diana Ross” “Diana Ross” is a song for anyone who’d say that they’d prefer to desire than be desired. Angelic Milk conjure the sound of early 60s girl group pop, but more importantly they tap into that sort of cosmic longing. Sarah Persephona sings about unrequited love like a highly aestheticized ritual, a personal religion in which whoever she’s singing about is the deity. They come to her …

Mingus Mapp on April 21st, 2023. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland) Portland Transportation Commissioner Mingus Mapps wants to make one thing clear about the revenue generated from the local gas tax: it will not be spent on bike lanes. Unless you’re a bicycle rider who loves bike lanes. Then in that case, yes, revenue from the Fixing Our Streets program will definitely fund bike lanes. Over the course of the last week, Mapps …

Last night, I decided to check out one of Big Finish’s Stargate SG-1 audio dramas. I began with the first title, Gift of the Gods, performed by Michael Shank (Daniel Jackson). The audio drama was released on April 1st, 2008, about a year after the tenth and final season of SG-1 aired. I’m currently watching Stargate SG-1 for the first time. I’m up to season five, so this limits how …