On Mar. 11, 1985, Harold and Thelma Swain were shot in the vestibule of a Baptist church in rural southeast Georgia during evening Bible study. Witnesses from the black congregation described a white man with shoulder-length hair who fled the scene. Despite years of investigation by both the local sheriff’s office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the case had gone cold by the end of the decade; even the leads generated by a 1988 episode of Unsolved Mysteries about the case proved false.

While the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Sandra Bland galvanized the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the killings of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery have forced America to reckon with centuries of racial injustice and police brutality in unprecedented ways. Not only have protests demanding change been widespread, but major corporations — which, until now, have been largely silent and hesitant to embrace Black Lives Matter — are pledging to fight racial injustice and declaring their support of the nearly seven-year-old movement.

It's dark, it's late, you're drunk, and you're ready to admit to MetaFilter that you're really a famous cult filmmaker. But if you're not sure, follow this handy flowchart by Adam Fromm: Which Contemporary Film Snob Director Are You? It's funny, it's clever, it's easy to navigate, it's a giant JPG image.

Here's a discussion on the Criterion Collection subreddit about an earlier version of this flowchart.

P. S. I am Agnès Varda.

To glance at some of the political news this week, you'd think it was October. Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta did Meet the Press over the weekend to talk about Russia hacking the DNC's emails. Hillary Clinton aide Brian Fallon took to Twitter on Tuesday to question the FBI's investigation into Clinton's emails. Donald Trump and Bill Clinton sniped at each other. But it's mid-December. The voters and electors alike have cast their votes. And while millions of Americans are doubtless more than happy to have Election Day well behind them, they can still plan on hearing still more about the election in the coming days or even weeks. There's good reason for some of the continuing concern over the election. The FBI and CIA alike say they are now confident Russia hacked the DNC's emails, that Putin was involved, and it was all in an attempt to influence the election in Trump's favor. That could have very real repercussions. President Obama told NPR's Steve Inskeep that Russia's

In November, the typically straitlaced Office of Government Ethics surprised observers with a series of tweets mimicking Donald Trump's bombastic style, exclamation points and all: "Brilliant! Divestiture is good for you, good for America!" The controversy was two-fold: (1) The OGE doesn't typically air its positions publicly, advising White House transition teams behind the scenes. (2) Trump hadn't promised the total divestitures of business interests implied by the tweets. New records shared with NPR on Friday show that behind the curious tweets was the head of the OGE himself, Director Walter Shaub Jr. In two emails, dated Nov. 30, just several minutes apart, Shaub sent to OGE Chief of Staff Shelley Finlayson the nine tweets that took the Internet by storm that day. He then followed up with a link to a legal document referenced in one of the tweets and writes: "Get all of these tweets posted as soon as humanly possible." The emails were part of a 365-page document shared with NPR in

Bernie Sanders thinks he has a pretty good idea why Hillary Clinton and Democrats lost in the 2016 election. "Look, you can't simply go around to wealthy people's homes raising money and expect to win elections," the Vermont senator, who gave Clinton a surprisingly strong run for the Democratic nomination, told NPR's David Greene in an interview airing on Morning Edition. "You've got to go out and mix it up and be with ordinary people." That picks up on a criticism of Clinton devoting too much time to fundraising — and not enough to on-the-ground campaigning in traditionally Democratic states, like Michigan and Wisconsin. In the general election, Clinton never visited Wisconsin after she became the nominee and visited Michigan late in the game. The two Upper Midwestern states swung narrowly to Trump: Wisconsin by slightly more than 20,000 votes and Michigan by slightly more than 10,000. During the primary, Sanders boasted of his small-donor donations. "The Democratic Party swallowed

Updated at 9:22 p.m. ET The president has fired FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and possible ties to the Trump campaign and top aides. The White House pointed to Comey's handling of the probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server while secretary of state as the reason for his dismissal. But Democrats were quick to call the move " Nixonian ," saying that the decision by Trump was part of an effort to impede the Justice Department's Russia investigation which, in the view of many leading Capitol Hill Democrats, could now only be managed by a special prosecutor going forward. "Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said

A former Trump campaign official has withdrawn from consideration for a job at the U.S. Department of Agriculture after being pulled into the imbroglio over Russia's interference efforts against the U.S. in the 2016 presidential race. Sam Clovis said on Thursday that he would not go forward in trying to become the USDA's undersecretary for research, education and economics. That news followed a quick series of connected developments in the Russia investigation being conducted by the Department of Justice special counsel: first, a guilty plea — announced Monday —by a former campaign adviser who worked for Clovis, and then, reports that Clovis has been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in the Russia case and also testified before a Washington, D.C., grand jury. George Papadopoulos, the foreign policy adviser who has pleaded guilty, was approached by Russian agents early in his tenure and offered "dirt" on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and meetings with Russian

A lot of people collect things, and in Paul Sherman’s family, that thing is campaign memorabilia. Paul’s new book is called “Look Away: Documenting Crude and Sexist Items From the Trump Campaign Trail.” It includes several pictures from rallies in Georgia. We recently caught up with three members of the Sherman family.

Republicans had watched Donald Trump unleash powerful forces inside their party for more than a year. On Election Day last year, the question for many inside the GOP was how to deal with those forces once Trump had lost. Few had figured out what it would mean for the party if he won. Democrats were planning. There were lists of cabinet secretaries and the challenge of breaking the deadlock that set in between President Obama and the GOP Congress once President Hillary Clinton was in office. Few had figured out what it would mean for the party if she lost. Over the past year, Republicans have struggled to come together and govern effectively. Democrats have struggled to unite around a common cause, or move on from bitter infighting. But both parties may finally be figuring out how to exist in the Trump era. Republicans 'No if, ands or buts,' it's Trump's party New York Rep. Chris Collins made the smartest bet of his political career when he became the first House Republican to endorse

Updated at 3:36 p.m. E.D.T. on December 4. President Trump may have been involved with a change to the Republican Party campaign platform last year that watered down support for U.S. assistance to Ukraine, according to new information from someone who was involved. Diana Denman, a Republican delegate who supported arming U.S. allies in Ukraine, has told people that Trump aide J.D. Gordon said at the Republican Convention in 2016 that Trump directed him to support weakening that position in the official platform. Ultimately, the softer position was adopted. Denman is scheduled to meet this week with the House and Senate Intelligence committees to discuss what she saw, said two sources familiar with the briefings. Investigators in Congress and elsewhere want to ask the San Antonio-area woman about how her proposal supporting Ukraine changed in the course of last year's convention. People familiar with the story described it to NPR. Robert N. Driscoll, a Washington-based lawyer for Denman

I joke that since I’m not very handy, after the apocalypse my main utility will be sending out a community newsletter. It occurs to me I can also, when duty calls, serve as a DJ in the no doubt much-needed chill-out room. Let’s kick things off, then, in our virtual decompression zone, with the album […]

Pop-Up Music is in need of authentic Brazilian music. All styles - Samba/Bossa nova/Afoxe/Maracatu/Brazilian Metal/Brazilian Rock.

Please submit your best material for consideration and a member of the Pop-Up Music team will listen and respond.

This opportunity is for an exclusive contract with a term - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

Many many thanks,
The Pop-Up Music Team

Seeking instrumentals for all genres. We're not looking for wallpaper or bland outtakes, but top quality music that will cut it in commercials. Please note, YOU MUST control master and publishing to submit.

This opportunity is for an exclusive contract with a term - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

- Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Seeking Electro Pop/Indie Folk/Indie Electro. All contemporary styles of Pop welcome.

This opportunity is for an exclusive contract with a term - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

The Pop-Up Music team look forward to your Pop submissions.

Seeking songs with a Summer vibe.
All genres welcome - Pop, Indie, Rock, Folk, Singer songwriter, Synth Pop, Funk, Soul, Electro…. we need tracks that evoke the summer with a feelgood vibe.

This opportunity is for an exclusive contract with a term - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

We look forward to your submissions - many thanks The Pop-Up Music Team.

Robomagic is seeking charismatic, amazing new acts (solo or groups) with infectious music people want to hear. Acts should have an eye toward working hard to make it in the music business and come to the table ready to get involved with experienced teams that know how to make it happen.

Acts can be based anywhere but relocation to London may be necessary, depending upon a range of variables and circumstances. But if you've got the goods, we'd got the team, the know-how, and the resources to help make it happen.

We look forward to hearing your best material.

- Rob Hallett - Founder / President - Robomagic

Bobby Springsteen is seeking an EDM Artist/DJ that already has a completed single. Please submit your best track(s) for consideration and state if you are a writer or producer.

Dreamwire is a multi-media company focusing on management, artist development, production, and publishing.

Compensation: Co-publishing and/or Record deal with Dreamwire Ent. - $1,000+

- Bobby Springsteen / Dreamwire Entertainment

We're looking for new dance music artists to sign on Meska Music record label. If you produce house music - progressive, techno, deep house, you are welcome to submit your production for this opportunity!

Meska Music is record label with the goal of spreading the vibration of electronic dance music. After a good start in 2013, the company now is looking for new artists, producers and singers. Genres: House, Deep House, Tech House, Indie Dance / Nu Disco, Electronica, Progressive.

- Kathy Tom - A&R - Meska Music

Deal Type: Collaboration/Song Placement
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Mark Knight, David Guetta, Deadmau5

Major Beer Company Seeks music for advertising campaign 3 Slots $15k

The opp is for several different pieces of music as it will cover 3 major tv / film ads and several web-blog adverts and music to show off a new product. They have asked for intense and dramatic songs, positive songs, friendship songs, and holiday and travel themed songs. Once again they are choosing different songs for different territories so there are many slots they are looking for me to fill.

The videos and ads will be seen by over a million people across the globe.

All styles of music and genres will be considered as the company are looking top quality songs but also lyrical substance and they are also looking for top quality standout attention-grabbing, meaningful songs whether softer emotive ballads or harder more powerful driving tracks as the range covered by the company is huge.

THEY JUST NEED BE TOP SONGS!!

Please submit your best work, radio ready, mastered songs. You must own 100% copyright. Only songs with cleared samples. I will accept demos as I am also a music producer / studio owner so if the song is a 'no brainer' and has enough potential to fit the opp then I would consider re-cutting it for the client.

Grand Northern Sync has worked closely with companies such as: Apple, Honda, Reebok, Samsung, BBC, ABC, New Show Media, Massive Films, Rickety Shack films, Seat, H&M, Busch,

Payouts and rights: If selected you will keep 100% of your rights, royalties and payments dependent on the number of times the tracks are used. Payout is $25k dependent on usage and length of use.

If selected the songs will be passed to the company and they will have the final say, Grand Northern Sync will be on hand to help the artist all the way through the process with chosen artists (at no financial charge).

All songs submitted will be considered for all the other opps we have.

I am looking forward to hearing your music.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND US TRACKS TO OUR SOUNDCLOUD, EMAIL, LINKEDIN OR ANY SOCIAL MEDIA....Please?

- Alexander Johnston / Grand Northern Sync

We are seeking covers - not replicas of the original but an original twist on a well-known song. All styles welcome - take us by surprise!
Chosen tracks will be pitched for Film/TV trailers plus TV commercials. Please only submit tracks for which you own the master recording rights.
We look forward to hearing your tracks.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

Thanks in advance,
The Pop-Up Music Team

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Songs: Think - The White Stripes, ‘Jolene’ - The Ramones: ‘California Sun’ - Jeff Buckley, ‘Hallelujah’ - Johnny Cash, ‘Hurt’

Award-winning Women of Substance Radio celebrates talented female performers of every genre with great songs. The music we feature is vocally excellent, has depth of character and emotion, and has lyrics that leave a lasting impression. WOS Radio has been around for 10 years and has become the trusted source for quality music by female artists in all genres for both listeners and Industry pros.

Our #1 New & Noteworthy Podcast can be heard on iTunes, YouTube, Tunein, Stitcher and many more popular platforms every 3-4 times per week.. Heard by over 10,000 monthly listeners and promoted to our social media base of over 60,000, the show is nearing 300,000 downloads and is continuing to grow. The Podcast features all Indie artists including interesting tidbits about the artists and the songs. Check it out at www.wospodcast.com or on iTunes or the Mobile Podcast App for Apple devices. Visit our website for more info at www.wosradio.com

We have many outlets available for promoting our Indies like you including our Video Blog and in-show advertising spots. Visit our website to find out more: www.WOSRadio.com

We are taking song submissions from quality Independent Artists in all genres so submit your music today for consideration.

Female artists, female fronted bands or female vocalists only please.

Please note that we are using the song to opportunity match (S₂O). If you are a male performer and the song matched yours it is because it sounded like the seed songs but it can not match by gender.

We are seeking Rock/Hip Hop songs with clean lyrics and no uncleared samples. High quality productions please. Think along the lines of Beastie Boys - Sabotage.

This opportunity is for a non-exclusive contract - all submissions must be 100% owned by the writer/writers. We look forward to your submissions.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

- Mark Garfield / Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Our Clients are independent and multi platinum artist(s) Seeking high quality, energetic trap, pop, & R&B style beats for production placement on upcoming releases. We are looking for industry quality production to shop throughout our network, as well as to consider signing new talent for production management opportunity. We will provide you with feedback & rate your submissions!

: Please submit your best work. Songs will go through the review process and if selected you will receive negotiated compensation. We look forward to hearing what you have to offer. 
- The Administration

Deal Type: Producer / Production Management Decision Maker: We are the final decision makers Deal Structure: Negotiable Compensation: Negotiable Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully Mastered, Broadcast Ready Similar Sounding Artist: Future, Migos, The Weeknd, Drake, Ty Dolla Sign, 2Chainz, Gucci Mane, Tory Lanez, Chris Brown, Cardi B, Lil Baby

We are seeking epic Dream Pop songs and instrumentals. Think big/airy/dreamy songs that also have a driving pulse and a commercial appeal - for pitching to Ads, Movies, and Film & TV.

We need fully completed and mixed songs, no demos please.
All songs must be written and owned 100% by the submitter.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

Many thanks,
Pop-Up Music Team

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable based on final placement
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready

Cool Tracks Wanted for Fashion Campaign

Our client is looking for an interesting, cool track for the upcoming campaign for fashion brand. While the visuals feature tropical scenes, young adults having fun and splashing in the sea, the creative team wants to stir away from the typical Summer banger. Tonally, the track should feel fun and energetic, while retaining a level of surprise and sophistication. The focus of this search is hitting the right tone, the track can be old, new, featuring female or male vocals. We are open to several directions, however something with a timeless, vintage inspired sound would contrast the visuals well.

Good luck and please DO NOT contact us directly or via Social Media as this will not be read or listened to.

Much Love
Alex
Grand Northern Sync

Currently seeking “beats” for use in TV & Online advertising campaigns in South Korea!
,br> When I say “beats”, I mean any tracks that are driven by a breakbeat, as one, if not the most dominant part of the track. Ie, Drum & Bass, Hip-Hop, Dubstep, Electronica, Edm, Trap, Grime, Experimental etc.

All tracks must be upbeat and have a “Phat Beat”, “Killer Beat”, “Sick Beats”, “Dope Beat” or whatever your preferred description would be.

Music must be well produced, high-quality, mixed and mastered. Instrumental tracks preferred please, but great vocal tracks can be accepted too (if you can supply instrumental versions even better) and all tempos considered.

Artists must own all rights to their music 100% on both sides and there must be no copyright infringement. All music will be listened to, reviewed and feedback given.

The average cost of TV advertising commercial in Korea is $800 to $1,500 per track, and for worldwide rights up to $14,000.

The average cost of Online & YouTube advertising in Korea is $500-$2500 (geo restricted for single country of Korea), and worldwide use for $3000-$5000.

Selected tracks be sent to clients in South Korea and music licensed on a non-exclusive basis (so you maintain all rights to your music), we simply go 50-50 on deals we get and you're paid quarterly.

The South Korean market is built on a unique structure, which is not the same as any foreign market structure around the world. Because of this Korea has a higher advertising music fee than most other countries. This may be due to systemic limitations that the performing royalties cannot be collected, but also because there is no subsequent secondary payment after the initial payment of music fees. The total amount paid in Korea is 100% mechanical payout.

Clients who will be using music in South Korea; Korea's major advertising agencies including the CHEIL and INOCEAN and brands such as; Samsung, LG, Hyundai and SK to name a few.

If you make “beats’ I really look forward to hearing from you !

All the best,


- Giles Gale - Music supervisor, sync & Licensing Manager - Resonant Music Licensing

My husband's (trauma-based?) anxiety runs to paranoia, and he occasionally makes angry and hurtful accusations at me. None of the accusations are true and are not really based in reality. Could this get better? My husband has been seeing a therapist who specialises in narcissistic abuse since spring of this year, following a set of realisations about past relationships and then decisions to cut contact with his best friend, his parents, and finally his only sibling. He tells me his therapist has tentatively suggested he may have cPTSD. Before he started therapy, he would in effect try to use me as his therapist and I have listened to him talk for many, many hours. I am sad that he has so few people in his life now but consider that he is better placed than I am to decide on the kind of relationships he should have with his family and friends.

My husband has also experienced IBS-related agoraphobia for about 8 years rarely leaving the house, and is entirely dependent on me financially. He came out to me, and my friends and family as bisexual early in the year. He is not engaging in any medical care except for his weekly therapist appointment on Zoom. We have sex very infrequently (and this is a mismatch for him) but otherwise have a very affectionate and loving relationship. He has always been supportive of me and been proud of my accomplishments inside and outside work. Before these very occasional accusations started happening, I felt generally like the character in Alanis Morrissette's Head over Feet.

He clearly has symptoms of anxiety including physical symptoms such as feeling dizzy and sometimes expresses paranoid thoughts about eg tradespeople that come to the house. Very occasionally he is angry at me. Sometimes this will be with a raised voice, other times with what feels to me like quite cold-blooded venom, sometimes it will be preceded by an obvious short period of silent treatment. It is always a long, confusing monologue, with vague insinuations and an insistence that I know exactly what he is talking about. He frequently claims that people say things 'subtextually' and sometimes specifically that I have clearly communicated something related to his insinuations 'subtextually'. Although I have never felt at risk of violence, when this anger happens I feel very physically frightened. I tend to remain silent, and my thoughts are focused on escape and the risks of escalation. I find his train of thought very difficult to follow, it is not concrete or specific and I am sometimes in panic mode. I am often very literal and am not sure that I really know what he means when he talks about things being 'subtextual'. Eventually he will make a specific accusation, or I will say something and that will lead to an accusation.

The accusations so far have been
•I am withholding sex deliberately to manipulate him
•I lack empathy and am manipulative
•I treat him badly in general and would be unhappy if he was no longer agoraphobic
•I have been having casual relationships with other people since we met 12 years ago
•I have at some point had a 'secret relationship' with a particular female friend.

The accusations are both unexpected and untrue.

After I have denied the accusation, eventually the anger will blow out and dissipate. There might follow another confusing monologue about his state of mind and the trauma he has experienced. Usually, we will then have a decent conversation (either immediately or the next morning) in which he provides some reasoning behind his accusation. They are generally based on very convoluted trains of logic and some snippet of a real-life event or comment. He interprets his accusations and my denials as a way of providing reassurance that I am not going to cause trauma like 'everyone else' has. He has some real sympathy for my being upset by them, but I am not convinced he understands how much they distress me. He has told me that wants me to have more empathy for his trauma and accept that he does not mean the accusations personally.

I find each anger and accusation event frightening at the time and destabilising afterwards. They have happened four or five times in this calendar year. Although I love him very much, I think that if they kept continuing, I would eventually want to leave. I am holding out hope that by continuing to work with his therapist they will stop at some point. Am I being wildly unrealistic? I recognise that I have a strong reaction to any anger. Is there anything I could do to reduce the impact it has on me in the meantime?

I unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to go to therapy for a very long time, and in the end, it was a friend of mine who convinced him, so my chances of talking him into any specific actions are low. But if he were asking for advice, what advice would you give?

In terms of my own real-life support, I have my own therapist that I have been seeing weekly for the past two years, mainly to help me cope with my husband's ill health and related issues. I am honest with my therapist about what is happening. One of my close friends also knows what is happening and I have a supportive colleague who knows some things. I have access to more than enough money to leave him in the short-term if I needed to and divorce would be expensive but not absolutely impoverishing.

The aim of this week’s lesson is to reveal the coming conflict over worship. This week’s study emphasizes Jesus’ strength to take us through earth’s final conflict. *Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 35 and 36 of The Great Controversy.

In this quarter’s final lesson, we will see Christ’s steadfast love during the most exciting time in the history of the universe and His complete and total triumph in the great controversy between good and evil. The Bible’s last book, Revelation, gives us hope for today, tomorrow, and forever. *Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 39-42 of The Great Controversy.

AILSA CHANG, HOST: Two female firsts in the Supreme Court are retiring. We're talking about the marshal of the court and the reporter of decisions. In 2001, Marshal Pamela Talkin became the first woman to oversee security. Christine Luchok Fallon has been at the court for 31 years, the last nine as the reporter of decisions. NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports. NINA TOTENBERG, BYLINE: Pam Talkin had been at the Supreme Court in the top security job for less than two months when 9/11 hit. Her first task that morning was to evacuate the building. But Chief Justice Rehnquist was in a conference room conducting his annual meeting with the chief judges from around the country. Talkin sent in a note to no avail. Finally, she walked into the room to get everyone out of there. A month later, the anthrax attack cross-contaminated all the mail in the Capitol complex. And this time, the court had to do something it had never done since the Supreme Court building opened in 1935.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit AILSA CHANG, HOST: The United Kingdom is banning Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, from developing Britain's 5G network. The U.S. welcomes this decision. It's just the latest move in a global struggle between the U.S. and China over technology, business and political power. As NPR's Frank Langfitt reports, it's also a sign of how China's increasingly assertive diplomacy has backfired. FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: The British government will forbid companies here from buying Huawei equipment for 5G beginning next year and require the removal of all Huawei equipment by 2027. The government says the decision was triggered by U.S. sanctions on Huawei suppliers that could make the company's equipment easier for China to use for spying. Oliver Dowden is the U.K.'s digital secretary. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) OLIVER DOWDEN: The security and resilience of our telecoms networks is of paramount importance. We have never and will never compromise that

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The University of Michigan is forging ahead and working towards being a leader in generative artificial intelligence with its U-M-GPT program. As it does, there are environmental concerns to be addressed. The initiative is part of Michigan’s broader effort to integrate AI into its academic and administrative infrastructure, enhancing learning, teaching, and research. But, AI consumes a great deal of energy. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at U-M, Dr. Ravi Pendse, about how U-M is dealing with the environmental ramifications of AI.

Amazing Facts International is excited to announce that the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) will hold its fall 2024 complete course in Granite Bay, California, beginning in August!

The three-month program aligns with Pastor Doug Batchelor’s upcoming Prophecy Odyssey evangelistic series in New York City in September. The class will help local congregations prepare for the reaping event through intensive training in outreach, including giving Bible studies, answering difficult Bible questions, organizing effective pre-work, discipling new believers, and much more.

However, the training provided for this series is not meant to benefit only our friends in NYC. Carlos Muñoz, AFCOE director, says, “We invite everyone, from everywhere, to come train and work for this event and learn how to replicate it in their local congregations. What you learn and practice here will help you grow your community of faith wherever you live.”

AFCOE is designed to help Christians from all backgrounds speak persuasively for Christ in public settings, develop a vibrant devotional life, confidently share their faith with others, and identify their specific calling in ministry. AFCOE can even teach you how to start and grow your own ministry.

Students will get winsome, empowering instruction from Pastor Doug and other experienced soul-winners, including Jëan Ross, vice president of evangelism; Carlos Muñoz; Daniel Hudgens, AFCOE assistant director; Dr. David Shin; Dwayne Lemon; Anil Kanda; and many more. Our instructors and guest speakers have excelled in their ministry fields and will give you a wider breadth of outreach and Bible knowledge.

Students will also go beyond the classroom to win souls for Jesus, working directly with Amazing Facts and churches to gain valuable outreach experience that will make an eternal difference. Says Pastor Doug, “AFCOE is about learning while doing. Students do real work in real communities and with real people, bringing real results for the Master.”

[PQ-HERE]

Is God Calling You?

Would you like to be a part of this amazing experience? Do you desire to become a better soul-winner, Bible worker, missionary, health evangelist, or whatever else God has called you to be? We invite you to learn more at afcoe.org today. Prayerfully ask God whether He wants you to receive this empowering, life-changing outreach training and win souls for Christ in these last days!

Quick Facts:

• Three-month outreach training course (August 15 to November 16).

• Classes are held in Granite Bay, California.

• Your AFCOE fee will cover airfare and lodging to New York City for Prophecy Odyssey outreach.

• Space is limited—housing enrollment deadline: July 18.

Apply today at afcoe.org!

Every five years, the Pathfinder Camporee draws church youth from around the world for an unforgettable time of worship, learning, prayer, and fellowship. This year was no different, with over 55,000 young people and sponsors attending the gathering, which was held in Gillette, Wyoming. 

And for the first time ever, Amazing Facts and Pastor Doug Batchelor, president, attended the weeklong event—which included hosting a booth and offering kids a chance to earn an exclusive honor badge.

Over the first few days, many young people crowded around the Amazing Facts booth and attended a special class called “Preach It!,” taught by Daniel Hudgens, evangelist and assistant director of AFCOE, who taught school-age kids how to share their faith. Says Daniel, “It was a delight to see so many young people realize that they preach a sermon every day by the life they live.” Those who attended received a free book and could get a Preach It! badge after returning home.

Amazing Facts also produced a commemorative puzzle that incorporated this year’s camporee theme, “Believe the Promise.” The colorful artwork consisted of events from the life of Moses and the Exodus.

Later in the week, a storm severe enough to produce a tornado warning doused the camp with rain and even blew down tents. No significant damage was done, but when the chance of more severe weather threatened to strike camp during the final Sabbath, Camporee leaders made the difficult decision to end a day early for everyone’s safety.

Since all official Camporee activities were canceled, most attendees began to pack up. Still, with nowhere else to go, many at camp decided to stay through to the end.

With no Sabbath programs scheduled, Pastor Doug asked Camporee leadership if Amazing Facts could use a tent and microphone to host a worship service for anyone who wanted to attend. He got approval on Sabbath at 8:00 AM! The Amazing Facts team jumped into action, driving through the campground with a megaphone to invite everyone to join in the impromptu Sabbath service.

Says Pastor Doug, “There were only three or four people in the tent when I walked in, but we got started anyway. Someone offered to lead out in a song service. Then, a Pathfinder group showed up and offered to do special music. By the time we finished, 500 people were in the tent worshiping Jesus! There was still time before lunch, so we opened it up for the kids to ask their questions about the Bible.”

[PQ-HERE]People then began asking if there would be a vespers service. “I honestly didn’t know if anyone would come to that since we’d already met in the morning,” Pastor Doug shares. “I guess my faith was small because a thousand people showed up that evening for a message, prayer, and singing.”

Pastor Doug reflects, “It started with an idea Friday night, and by Sabbath evening, a thousand people were worshiping together. The youth there were so hungry for spiritual connection. I believe God worked a little miracle to make it happen.”

By God’s grace, the severe weather never materialized. And for one Amazing Facts worker, the unexpected turn of events pointed to the promise found in Romans 8:28: “God took something the devil had meant for harm and turned it into something good. We serve an amazing God!”

Copyright 2020 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. Our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has a review of trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire's new album with his longtime quartet. Akinmusire is from the Bay Area. He broke out in jazz over a decade ago. He won the Thelonious Monk Competition, started recording a series of ambitious records for Blue Note and made an appearance on Kendrick Lamar's landmark album "To Pimp A Butterfly." Here's Kevin's review. (SOUNDBITE OF AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE'S "YESSSS") KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Ambrose Akinmusire's quartet from their new album poetically titled "On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment." This singular trumpet player has a keen sense of musical drama, using space and shading to good effect. He's hardly the first improviser to choose a few notes or gestures with care. But he can really push the idea without giving up the vocal quality that jazz soloists prize. (SOUNDBITE OF AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE'S "YESSSS"

Here, in my neighborhood, life is a mix of re-revised rules for living and reality checks. Every day the local authorities publish new data on the where of illness. Daily a new national atrocity snaps a klieg light on us. Reading these days is a necessary escape from, and immersion into, reckoning. And so it is with Asako Serizawa's stunning and visceral debut, The Inheritors . Every page speaks to our current zeitgeist. Each character in these stories is occupied and occupier, trapped in a moral and existential crisis that's unnerving because it's evergreen, because the nature of human tragedy is our own making and the lessons we keep learning never seem to take. The book is a labyrinth of collected stories which follow a Japanese family's history over 150 years, beginning in 1868 and emerging into a future set in the 2030's, and connecting one family's multi-generational experiences living in a colonial and post-colonial world — in Japan, China, and the United States. The inheritors

Here's a seemingly simple question: Can musicians in quarantine play music together over an Internet connection? We've migrated birthday parties, happy hours and church services to video calls these days, so couldn't we do the same with band practice? Across ubiquitous video conferencing tools like Zoom, FaceTime and Skype, it takes time for audio data to travel from person to person. That small delay, called latency, is mostly tolerable in conversation — save for a few overlapping stutters — but when it comes to playing music online with any kind of rhythmic integrity, latency quickly becomes a total dealbreaker. This video follows pianist and composer Dan Tepfer down the rabbit hole. Tepfer often occupies the intersection of music and innovative technology (just check out his Tiny Desk concert ), and by proxy has served his fellow musicians as a tech support line of sorts. A public inquiry on Twitter led him to jazz trombonist Michael Dessen, also a researcher at the University of

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit NOEL KING, HOST: There's something happening in the U.K. right now that is reminiscent of Prohibition in the United States. You remember those old pictures of bar owners pouring out gallons and gallons of booze? STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Oh, yeah. Well, British pub owners today are dumping all the beer that's gone bad during the months they were in lockdown. DUNCAN SMITH: During the 14-week shutdown, a significant amount of our beers and lagers became out of date. KING: That's Duncan Smith (ph). He's been a bartender for 33 years, and one of the pubs that he operates has been around for 250 years. SMITH: It's been serving the community for that long and, you know, been through world wars and all the rest of it and, obviously, very different times that long ago. And something comes along like this, which could wipe it out, and we've got to take any benefit we possibly can, thrown out by the government and the suppliers, in order to survive. INSKEEP: The

For years, Matt Harris dreamed about building a treehouse out behind his back fence in Knoxville, Tenn. He never got around to it, though, until the pandemic hit. "It was just a matter of finding time," Harris says. "And that didn't come until everything kind of shut down for a little bit." When the coronavirus canceled youth sports for the season, Harris suddenly found his weekends free. And his children — ages 8, 7 and 4 — made a willing construction crew. "They were good measurers and markers of the wood," Harris says. "You don't let small children use power tools, necessarily. But in terms of things they could help [with], they were enthusiastic about it." As he set about buying supplies, Harris noticed a lot of other housebound families seemed to be working on their own projects. "There were definitely some days when we went to Lowe's where it looked like a swarm of locusts had come through," says Harris, an economist at the University of Tennessee. "I think the lumber industry

President Trump has won at least a temporary reprieve from a judge's order to release his tax records as part of a criminal investigation into his business dealings. Those records could be released to investigators as litigation continues. Tax experts say the documents could reveal a lot — or not much at all — about Trump's financial history. "Numbers tell stories," said Kelly Richmond Pope, who teaches forensic accounting at DePaul University. "So following those numbers can help piece together a story." The returns could prompt further investigation by prosecutors in New York, who are digging into Trump's business dealings around hush money that his organization allegedly paid to two women who say they had extramarital affairs with him. And whatever the returns contain, they're a matter of public interest, given that Trump has bucked precedent by not releasing them. Here are a few things that tax experts say they'll be watching for as litigation over Trump's tax records continues:

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: It is time to bring home U.S. troops from Syria. That was a tweet from the president this morning. It made many people think the president was acting on his longstanding goal of getting U.S. forces out of long-running wars in the Middle East. He also appeared to be clearing the way for Turkey to cross the border into northern Syria. But what has followed today has been confusion and criticism of the president, followed by more tweets from Trump, including one in which he threatened to destroy the economy of Turkey. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre is here. Hi, Greg. GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise. KELLY: It feels like it might be a good idea to just back us up 24 hours or so. We know that President Trump had a phone call with President Erdogan of Turkey, and then all this unspooled from there. What happened? MYRE: Right. Well, these presidential phone calls with foreign leaders continue to be highly problematic. Trump spoke with the Turkish

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A bipartisan delegation of Congresspeople is just back from Ukraine. It was a trip designed to strengthen the U.S.-Ukraine alliance, and it was planned before news broke of the whistleblower complaint against President Trump involving that same country. Congressman John Garamendi led the delegation as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. And the Democrat from California joins us now. Welcome, Congressman. JOHN GARAMENDI: Good to be with you. SHAPIRO: One central question in the impeachment inquiry is whether President Trump demanded help investigating a political rival in exchange for U.S. aid to Ukraine. And I know that aid was a central topic on your trip, so what did you learn about Ukraine's reliance on American assistance? GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, Ukraine is an extraordinary country. These citizens of that country are determined to be independent. They have been fighting a war against Russia for the last five years. They've lost 13- to 14

this is a long, chaotic, dissonant track that just goes and goes into space

supposedly this is some kind of creature that lurks around southern ottawa county and likes to stalk windmills and howl a lot - or is it northern allegan county? sagautuck? macatawa, where in the early 20th century, mr baum took dictation of their legends to create the oz series? they're out there fortunately, i'm only close enough to transcribe their radio transmissions

the melonhead goes to the big town - more ambient, chaotic stuff for the other half of the album

For those able to do so, donating or fundraising for charities seems like a good idea, especially with the holidays coming up. For USAmericans, this has the dual function of denying your tax $$ to the incoming government and helping the people that government wishes to harm. I thought it might be nice to crowdsource a thread of charities which do useful work for the communities under threat. Below are a few to start us off:

RAICES - Texas-based group helping immigrants and refugees United We Dream - working for immigrant youth Trans Lifeline - phone hotline, microgrants and legal help for trans folk The Trevor Project - helping LGBTQ+ youth NAACP legal defense fund - among other things, very useful for arrested racial justice protesters Southern Poverty Law Center - social, racial and economic justice National Network of Abortion Funds A couple of election integrity charities, since that will be crucial in the near future: Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - civil rights, election integrity, voting rights VoteRiders - Election integrity, voting rights But that's just a few! Please post the orgs you know of doing good and useful work.

MLRv is a great tool for live performance, as proven by a number of talented button mashers such as Galapagoose and Daedelus. It creates an immediate feedback loop between button presses and sounds that audiences just “get”. But if you’re only using MLRv for button mashing, you’re missing out on a ton of potential it has […]

In my last post, I suggested that MLRv could be used to enhance your production workflow, outside of its abilities as a live performance tool.  In this post I’ll cover the configuration necessary to get MLRv set up for automation with Ableton.  In the post following this, I’ll give an example of how this setup […]

In post 1 and post 2 of this series, I talked about why it’s worth trying MLRv as a production tool, as opposed to a live performance tool.  Let’s get to some examples of what this really means. A couple months back, I was approached by Edison to do a remix of his track My […]