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FLINT League champion Flushing put five players on the All-Flint Metro League Stripes Division girls basketball team selected by the coaches.

Larry Ford was named Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to a 9-0 record.

Despite finishing third in the standings, Fenton put two players on the first team.

Here is the team selected by the coaches.

Korryn Smith (left) as one of two Fenton players named to the All-Flint Metro League Stripes Division first team. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May

Alex Long, Flushing, senior

Korryn Smith, Fenton, senior

Emma Tooley, Holly, senior

Saniaa Walker, Kearsley, senior

Adrie Straib, Fenton, sophomore

Paige Leedle helped Linden finish second in the Flint Metro League Stripes Division standings. (Cody Scanlan | MLive.com)

Sarah Rambus, Flushing, sophomore

Paige Leedle, Linden, junior

Keeli Lindstrom, Flushing, senior

Hunter Weeder, Holly, senior

Kelsey McLennan, Linden, sophomore

Flushing's Larry Ford was named 2021 Flint Metro League Stripes Division Coach of the Year. (Cody Scanlan | MLive.com)

Brooklyn Grissom, Flushing, senior

Kyla Lynch, Fenton, senior

Fabie Andre, Swartz Creek, junior

Jordan Peterson, Linden, senior

Kaleigh Shaker, Fenton, junior

Linnearia Richards, Kearsley, junior

Olivia Mawhinney, Linden, freshman

Mallory Lehmann, Fenton, senior

Lauren Brokaw, Flushing, junior

Alyssa Johnson, Kearsley, senior

Delanie Prince, Linden, senior

Ashley Hubbard, Swartz Creek, junior

Larry Ford, Flushing

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MORE:

All-Metro Stars Division girls basketball team

All-Saginaw Valley boys basketball team

All-Saginaw Valley girls basketball team

All-Saginaw Valley hockey team

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Meet the 2021 All-Flint Metro League Stripes Division girls basketball team - MLive.com

Welcome to The Power of Song, Episode 2, our new podcast celebrating songwriting and the songwriters who do it. For this show there would be few better guests than the great Peter Case, a songwriter who started great and yet keeps expanding. As does his legacy.

Peter, like his pal John Prine and other genius songwriters, started writing quite amazing, brilliant and tuneful songs right from the start. First in his band The Nerves, then with his band The Plimsouls (most famous for A Million Miles Away) and then ever since on his solo journey. And like Prine, the greatness of Peter Case has been something which has been expanding incrementally over the years of perpetual great songwriting. Lest anyone still presume wrongly the great songs were some fluke, here is 30 years of seriously solid songwriting of all kinds to show you whats true.

Along those lines of preserving and celebrating the legacy of great songwriters, its heartening to know that the great director Fred Parnes has teamed up with songwriter-producer Chris Seefried to make a documentary about Peter, which has been in the works for several years. Fred is a serious music lover, as affirmed by his beautiful movie about The Persuasions, Spread The Word. No doubt this will be a great film, and expand further this songwriters legacy of powerful, inspirational and never-boring songs.

We did this interview back in May of 2019, a few weeks after his great 65th birthday concert at McCabes in Santa Monica (which Fred and his crew filmed for the movie.)

The first time I ever interviewed Peter was back in the previous century, more than three decades ago. Which doesnt seem possible, as thats a big chunk of time, and yet it seems like no time has passed. Since then weve had many more of these conversations (which I wisely recorded) about songwriting, music, art and all related issues. Which includes everything. As Tom Waits said, anything at all a songwriter absorbs he will someday secrete.

Yet every time, even if we speak for two solid hours, as we did during this interview we never reach the bottom of the well. Because its an endless conversation. Because, like all seriously great songwriters, hes serious about songwriting. But never has he concluded hes figured the thing out. Quite the opposite. But hes forever fascinated by the process, and by different strategies and routes, or as we call it here ways of tricking yourself into writing songs. Which, in itself, is both serious and a joke. Asked if he always falls for the trick, he said no. Which is when he has to invent a new trick.

And though he puts himself down for not yet cracking this code, its in that very journey that hes written amazing songs through the years, songs which do everything songs can do. He tells stories, he lifts our hearts and he shows us this world now in a way only a master songwriter can do. Had he figured the thing out 30 years ago, it seems hed never have written all these great songs. Because its all founded on the exploration itself: what he will find that he can bring back. Its not about expressing what he thinks at all. Its about realizing what the song is saying.

Youve got to keep going, he said, until you get to some place where its surprising you. See, I like to have a song that surprises me, and tells me something I dont know. I dont want it just to be what I think already, because I already know that.

Thats the essence of a true artist: to always be striving to reach beyond ones own grasp. Not to express ones own understanding, but to use the exploration of making art as a means of expanding understanding.

The brilliant psychologist-author Jordan Peterson, writing about art and artists, expressed this very truth:

The artist shouldnt be able exactly to say what he or she is doing, said Peterson. If you can say what youre doing, youre not producing art. Art bears the same relation to culture that the dream does to mental stability. Your dream doesnt say what its about, it just is. The dream is something that extends you beyond where you already are

Thats one aspect of many covered in our conversation, which you can listen to in our second episode of The Power of Song.

But first a few other highlights from the expansively compelling Mr. Case:

PETER CASE: Being a songwriter, if youre not famous or if youre not exquisitely successful, you have to go through a certain amount of heavy lifting just to even show up at the starting gate.

Ive heard that if you have great fame, for example, that theres a sense of weightlessness. .. because you dont have to convince yourself. The world is doing the heavy lifting on a lot of things.

Theres something the matter with me, because theres a whole side to my mind and my life that I dont have access to even now. Im kind of tongue-tied in the face of life

My dad, he used to go, What do you have to say for yourself? Because I got in trouble when I was a kid I went off the track.

What do you have to say for yourself? And cause of the atmosphere there, I didnt have a lot to say for myself I started writing poetry when I was a kid and songs on things. And I began to get this feeling that I would know what I think, and I would know what I felt when I wrote the song. Like I wouldnt really know what I was doing until I wrote it. And Im still like that. And so thats never changed.

And if I go through periods where I dont write, I really do become kind of alienated from myself. Theres something I lose. Its like I lose the trail. And so I write all the time, not even songs anymore. Im kind of a scribbler, and I got notebooks and I write all this stuff.

Somebody said that music enables you to feel things that you dont know you feel till you hear it in the music. If you listen to Blue in Green, by Bill Evans and Miles Davis and Coltrane, he has these chords.,..They used to tell you in school that happy songs are major key. So what is Bill Evans music saying? And its this mixture of emotions and all these different kinds of chords. And it reminds you of things that you could almost hardly talk about. But then when he says it with those chords, its really revealing. Thats what I mean, I suppose.

Original post:
AUDIO: Power of Song, A Conversation with Peter Case - American Songwriter

Images:PowerulJRE/YouTube, Paper Boat Creative via Getty Images

ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs.

The quest to come up with a successful theory of everything is one of the guiding lights of modern theoretical physics, reconciling general relativity and quantum mechanics. The inventor of such a theory would no doubt be hailed among the all-time intellectual giants of science, and Eric Weinstein really wants everyone to think its him.

Weinstein is primarily an investor, but also a self-styled public intellectual. He graduated with a PhD in mathematics from Harvard, and is currently a managing director of Thiel Capital, which invests in technology and life sciences. He also belongs to and coined the name for the Intellectual Dark Web, largely a crew of reactionaries with public profiles that includes Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro. He is also the inventor of what he calls Geometric Unity, a theory of everything that hes been flogging since 2013.

At that time, Weinsteinby then long out of academia and working as a consultant for a New York City hedge fundmade waves after promoting his theory by giving a lecture at the University of Oxford and scoring a write-up in The Guardian, instead of writing a scientific paper. The Guardian article was titled: Move Over Einstein, Meet Weinstein. Typically, researchers produce a paper containing equations that is then pored over by the wider community of scientists; this element of peer review and discussing ideas and evidence in the open is generally accepted to be a critical part of the scientific process. Weinsteins audacious approach earned as much criticism as the theory itself, and his latest move has ignited furor all over again.

Earlier this month, Weinstein finally posted a paper describing Geometric Unity online and went on Joe Rogans immensely popular podcast to discuss it. Theres even a website called pullthatupjamie.com full of videos and resources on Geometric Unity that was created to make it easy for Rogans tech guy, Jamie Vernon, to pull up videos on the podcast.

The appearance on Rogans podcast, which has been previously used as an uncritical platform, has generated both new interest in Geometric Unity and intense criticism from scientists who remain unconvinced.

On a previous episode of Rogans podcast, in 2020, Weinstein said that his theory is an attempt to go beyond Einstein and push theoretical physics forward that could unlock amazing possibilities or terrible power.

I was somewhat holding this back because Im afraid of what it unlocks, Weinstein said, and now that I know we're willing to elect Donald Trump, not store masks, play footsie with China, be Putin's bitch, all of this stuff to Hell with this.

When Rogan asked what the main fear is, Weinstein recalled that the last time we gained some serious insight into how nuclei worked, nuclear weapons were invented. But, if the theory is correct, it might also give us the needed insight to make humanity into a multi-planet species, Weinstein said.

One of the great dangers is, great power.... I cant tell what the power would be if the theory is correct, it might give us the ability to escape, he said.

Rogan, for what it's worth, didnt seem overly impressed with Weinstein's theory in 2021. In an attempt to explain his complicated theory, Weinstein handed Rogan a water wiggle (one of those cheap toys that looks like a small balloon filled with water), and explained how it symbolizes the mathematical concept of a U(1)-bundle. Rogan looks down at the toy in his hand while Weinstein speaks and gets progressively, visibly confused and angry.

"I don't know what the fuck you just said," Rogan finally says. "How about that?"

So, what is Geometric Unity? At the moment, modern physics has two frameworks that do not nicely unify: general relativity and quantum mechanics, which describe reality at two vastly different scales. Whereas other physicists might try to square this circle by attempting a quantum version of general relativity, Weinstein's proposal was to begin with general relativity and its geometric descriptions of reality to try and discover equations describing the universe in its mathematical reality instead of our observable one.

At its core sits the idea of a 14-dimensional "observerse" which our four dimensions (the three spatial dimensions, and time) lie within. A Guardian article at the time described the interplay between these two dimensional spaces as "something like the relationship between the people in the stands and those on the pitch at a football stadium" in that we are observers who can see and are affected by the observerse, but cannot possibly notice or detect every detail. Weinstein's theory proposes that there is a set of equations in these 14 dimensions that encompass Einsteins equations, as well as several other famous equation sets, that altogether account for all fundamental forces and particle types.

Timothy Nguyen, a machine learning researcher at Google AI whose phD thesis intersects with Weinstein's work, co-authored a paper based on Weinsteins Geometric Unity lecture evaluating the idea in February. The paper identified gaps in Weinsteins theory both mathematical and physical in origin that jeopardize Geometric Unity as a well-defined theory, much less one that is a candidate for a theory of everything.

In a blog post accompanying the paper, Nguyen wrote that the theory does not actually bring in quantum theory, relies on a poorly-defined Ship in a bottle (Shiab) operator of Weinsteins own invention, and contains anomalies as well as a dubious assumption about supersymmetry in 14 dimensions. After Weinstein published his paper, Nguyen wrote on Twitter that it addresses none of the technical gaps presented in our response, although he did describe it as a testament to perseverance.

If youre interested in technical gaps, the gap most glaring arises from the Shiab' operator. It is one of several uniquely idiosyncratic operators of Geometric Unity (it does not exist anywhere else in mathematics), unlike supersymmetry which is already a well-established and well-defined notion, Nguyen told Motherboard in an email. Weinstein fails to define the Shiab operator properly and so his theory does not even make mathematical sense, a more egregious problem than having desirable physical properties.

Nguyen said that Weinsteins initial PR splash was confusing at best, and that the resulting paper didnt clarify the most important points.

Much of Weinsteins Geometric Unity involves using obscure notation for objects that nobody else has defined and which he disingenuously expected others to understand from watching an over 2 hour long YouTube video, Nguyen added. Now that he has released a paper, we find that even Weinstein does not know how to construct the Shiab operator (he makes many qualifications that he no longer has the details).

Richard Easther, a cosmologist and professor at the University of Auckland, pointed out some eyebrow-raising aspects of the idea in a 2013 blog. For one, a Guardian op-ed by Marcus du SautoyWeinsteins chief academic promotersseemed to hint ata dynamic constant in the universe, while most physicists support the idea of a constant that is, well, constant. What Weinstein eventually published didnt impress him, he told Motherboard.

The theory itself has had no visible impact, and what Weinstein actually delivered looked massively undercooked after the buildup it got from du Sautoy, Easther said in an email. A throwaway comment at the time suggested that it might predict a time-varying cosmological constant, but I havent seen any meaningful developments about this.

Weinstein did not respond to Motherboards request for comment.

All of this matters because despite the criticisms, Weinstein only finally released a paper this year after years promoting the theory in public forums while questioning the legitimacy of peer review, lamenting the need to provide evidence, and otherwise dismissing critics or skeptics hesitant to accept his theory with open arms. In a May 2020 interview, he said skeptics that wanted him to publish a paper on his idea for verification were simply irritated and pissed off at themselves.

On Rogans podcast in 2020, Weinstein painted the academic field of physics as being generally untrustworthy and stifling, which is why he didnt share his theory.

I dont trust these people, Weinstein said, referring to physicists at universities. Its an entire system that believes in peer review, it believes in forced citations, you have to be at a university, you have to get an endorsement to use a preprint server. Its too few resources, too many sharp elbows.

Nguyen said he was spurred to evaluate Weinsteins idea after this attitude set off alarm bells. At first, It was refreshing to see a former part of my life being discussed outside the cloistered walls of academia and in the wider context of the world," Nguyen said. But after multiple conversations with Weinstein and watching how he interacted with his fans, Nguyen says he realized none of it was "consistent with my image of how a good-faith scientist engages with his audience."

Many scientists do in fact unveil their work before peer review on popular sites such as arXiv. However, they do it in paper form (preprints) and with the goal of submitting their ideas to the wider community for approval or rejection. Authors do have to have an endorsement from someone in academia to post on arXiv, specifically, but in theory that shouldnt have been an insurmountable obstacle for Weinstein; du Sautoy has posted several papers to arXiv. Besides that, papers can be posted anywhere, even a dedicated website as Weinstein has now done.

Even if the physics isn't interesting, this story does say interesting things about the science.Einstein wrote up his ideas [and] submitted them for peer review just like everyone elsebut many self-described outsiders portray the scientific community as a closed shop, Easther told Motherboard. There is undoubtedly sociology at work in the community at times, but anyone making a serious attempt to sell a new idea knows they are asking for busy people to give them a slice of their time and attentionand one of the ways you do that is by making your work as accessible as possible to the people you want to understand it.

Releasing a paper did not silence the critics. Nor did it vindicate Weinsteins PR-focused approach to sharing his theory. And all of this may well end up being rather pointless, because the paper ends withdisclaimer that Weinstein"is not a physicist and is no longer an active academician, but is an Entertainer and host of The Portal podcast." The paper, the disclaimer ends, is merely a work of entertainment.

Now that Weinstein has finally published a paper describing his theory, its entirely possible that further analysis and investigation may show it to be more interesting than its critics have so far found. As Weinstein said on Rogans podcast in 2020, Ill find out [if] Im wrong.

But for now, it seems the only relevant question is: Are we entertained?

See more here:
Eric Weinstein Says He Solved the Universes Mysteries. Scientists Disagree - VICE

This ended up having to be a double column and a bit late because I spent the last two weeks in self-isolation after a Covid exposure. Now Im back in the world (more or less Im under a stay at home order) and I got to catch up on two weeks worth of comics!

Best Comics of the Fortnight:

Beta Ray Bill #1 Ive loved Beta Ray Bill since I first saw him in Walter Simonsons Thor comics, and have long felt like hes criminally underused in the Marvel Universe. I was really happy to see that hes getting his own miniseries, and that its written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson, who is an incredible creator. This issue ties in with the King In Black event, as Bill attempts to save Asgard from a symbiote-covered Fin Fang Foom. Johnson does amazing work here Bill looks really cool, and he has a strong feel for the characters tragic side. He also recognizes how hes always stuck in Thors shadow. I enjoyed Johnsons recent Wonder Woman Black Label series, but feel like this might be an even better feel for his approach to art and storytelling.

Dead Dogs Bite #2 Tyler Boss is a really impressive creator who we dont get to see that much of (although he did draw the issue of Department of Truth discussed below). This series is whimsical and bizarre, and makes excellent use of Bosss unique sense of design. Basically, hes the Wes Anderson of comics, and I cant think of a better description than that. In this issue, Joe continues to search for his missing friend, and bluffs his way into the mayors office to try to learn where she may have gone. There are bizarre clues, and outsized characters all over the place. This book is a real delight to read.

Quick Takes:

Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #1 Its always a treat when a new Beasts of Burden miniseries launches. This one focuses on Emrys, the Wise Dog, who has been around for a very long time. He tells the usual cast a story from his adventures in the Second World War, involving a strange mystical threat. This issue has a real BPRD vibe to it, if Hellboy were a sheepdog, and its pretty enjoyable. Benjamin Deweys art is really nice, but I still find myself missing original series artist Jill Thompson.

Captain America #28 This issue was trending on Twitter briefly because Ta-Nehisi Coates has been basing some of the Red Skulls rhetoric on the work on Jordan Peterson, the internet mouthpiece. It tracks from what I know of Petersons philosophy, and I found this amusing, but Im also more than ready for Coatess Cap run to close. It has never been bad, but its also never really grabbed me the way his current Black Panther run has.

Crossover #5 This issue is over pretty quickly, as Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw move their characters into position for the arcs big finish. Our heroes find themselves outside the dome around Denver, with a war brewing between some tortured characters from the fictional dimensions and US forces. I like how Cates has pulled in characters from his previous series, and borrowed Madman to make this book work. Its a good read.

Decorum #7 Its been a while since Ive seen this book on the stands. Jonathan Hickman took a long time getting this story moving when the series started, and now, with only one more issue to go, he kicks things into overdrive, as Neha finds the egg that her order of assassins are looking for, and makes off with the being inside of it. As with every issue of this book so far, Mike Huddleston does an incredible job, using a wide variety of art styles across the issue.

Department of Truth #7 We continue to learn a little more about the Departments history, as younger Lee Harvey Oswald gets a lesson on the Men in Black from the very young Doc Hynes, whose research caught the attention of the Department back in the day. Tyler Boss provided the art for this issue, which was a nice surprise, as hes incredible. I like that James Tynion IV is taking some time to provide context to some of the wilder aspects of this series now, and continue to be fascinated by this book.

ENIAC #2 Bad Ideas premier title is really working for me. Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite have a pair of secret agents going up against a sentient computer program from the Second World War that has the ability and motivation to potentially destroy the world. Kindt has them jumping through hoops, trying to gain the information they need to shut the program down. This issue has them rescuing someone from a Russian prison, and we start to learn just how deep ENIACs tendrils really go. This is a very solid series, with a terrific backup story by Kindt and David Lapham. Im thankful that the store I shop at is one of the few in my area carrying Bad Idea books.

Far Sector #11 Things get really exciting in this issue, as Jo has to try to stop a coup that she is still having trouble understanding, and it looks like the City Enduring is ready to tear itself apart. Writer NK Jemisin has created an endlessly fascinating world in this series, and has spent a lot of time exploring its complex society, and its similarities to Earth, and now that shes at the point of wrapping things up, I worry that Im really going to miss it. Jamal Campbells art has been great in this book, and its my hope that these two are not done working together, or with Jo.

Fear Case #3 Matt Kindt, and Tyler and Hilary Jenkins have outdone themselves with Fear Case. I liked the previous Kindt/Jenkins collaborations (Grass Kings and Black Badge), but this series has a lot more going on psychologically. Two Secret Service men have been given a year to solve a case involving a package (aka the Fear Case) that has been passed around for decades, trailing death and destruction behind it. Now, with only a day left on the case, the two agents have differences of opinion, and neither are prepared for the Case showing up on the doorstep of one of them. This is a very suspenseful book, with strong character work. I really like it.

Fire Power #10 Its big fight time in Fire Power, so most of this issue is spent with Owen preparing for battle, and checking in with his family. Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee keep this series kind of decompressed, but also spend a lot of time making the characters likeable and believable, so the balance is just about perfect. Theres a very cool scene with airships and fire catapults, leaving me convinced that this is Samnees best work ever.

Giga #3 I think that Alex Paknadel is one of the most exciting and interesting writers working in comics right now. Giga is a very interesting look at a future society where people live in, and worship, the bodies of giant robots. Paknadel puts a lot of effort into his worldbuilding (check out some of his other books, like Turncoat), and now that we are three issues deep into this Vault Comics series, we can start to see that pay off. I also really like the art, by John L.

Green Lantern #1 Here I am, checking out another new DC series, because I want to like them. Geoffrey Thornes little-read Mosaic was interesting, and this series looks to be spotlighting John Stewart and Jo Mullein (from Far Sector), so that caught my attention. Im not sure that this first issue did much for me. Ever since Geoff Johns opened up the entire emotional spectrum to power rings, Ive found the Lantern books to be a little overly complicated. This issue has someone disrupting the conclave of the new United Planets because they have beef with the Guardians, and that leads to some complicated trouble. I think Id like this book more if it was pared down, but at the same time, there are enough interesting things here to suggest I might want to check out the next issue, and see what Thorne really has in mind. Dexter Soy drew most of this issue, and its remarkable how much hes changed from his debut on Captain Marvel, where his art was scratchy and hard to follow, to being almost completely part of the DC house style. Im not sure I like it.

Hollow Heart #2 Paul Allor and Paul Tucker make things a little more mysterious in this issue, as we start to question whether or not Mateo is helping El, a deeply unhappy cyborg imprisoned in Mateos workplace, or is working his own agenda. Allor is pacing this series really well, and I enjoy Tuckers art. Vault keeps putting out these quiet winners.

I Breathed a Body #3 Things get ever creepier in this new issue, as Zac Thompson leans into the body horror of this series, and we explore how the death and livestreamed desecration of the body of a major influence starts to impact the people around him. Theres a lot more to it than that, and Im not sure Im fully grasping everything. This is a good companion to Thompsons recently finished Lonely Receiver, as he sets out to understand our relationships with our phones and social media.

Immortal Hulk #45 Lately, issues of the Hulk have only moved the story forward in tiny increments, but the quality of the book remains high, and there are so many moving parts in Al Ewings story, that I dont mind one bit. This series is the strangest Hulk story ever, but also one of the absolute best.

Marauders #19 Its Morlocks vs. Reavers in Lowtown, Madripoor, as the Marauders have been told to hang back. Its cool to see Marrow back in action, as this series continues to play with its cast. Sure, we see some members of the core team that we havent seen for a while, but its weird to me just how loose the structure of this series is. Its working for me though.

The Silver Coin #1 I love the concept behind this series. Artist Michael Walsh is partnering with a different writer for every issue, and Im guessing that they are all going to be horror stories like this one, centred around a particular coin. In this issue, written by Chip Zdarsky, its the late 70s, and a small town rock band is finding their audience drying up as the thirst for disco grows. The members of the band find an old silver coin in a box of stuff the guitar players mother left behind, and when he plays using it as his pick, his music moves to a new level. This is a solid story, and Walshs art is terrific. Im always happy to support stranger series like this, and am looking forward to the upcoming issues (with Thompson, Brisson, and Lemire providing future stories). I also like supporting local creators, and three of the people involved in this project live in or are from Toronto.

Strange Adventures #9 Were now three quarters of the way through this series, and I feel like we still dont know the scope of Adams crimes. We do see some of the worst things he did during Ranns war with the Pykkt, but now that Earth is at war with these aliens, public opinion stays on his side. I feel like Tom King might be taking jabs at the Mueller report in this issue, as the Justice League release their rushed and incomplete findings, and TV pundits view it as vindication, even while the League sees it as damning. This series is pretty complex, and I feel like Ill need to see how King sticks the landing to fully assess how I feel about it.

Suicide Squad #2 I decided to take a second shot at this book. Ive read the Future State Suicide Squad books since then, and am worried that this entire series only exists to set up that underwhelming story, but I liked this one. I have always liked Peacekeeper, and his ridiculous costume, and I also liked the dynamic developing between him and Superboy (they dont get along). I might pick up the next issue of this series too, because its drawing me in.

Tankers #1 I think Bad Idea is two for two with their second debut. Tankers is by Robert Venditti and Juan Jos Ryp, and the title refers to a group of soldiers driving large exo-skeleton suits for an oil company that has decided to secure its business by returning to the past and guaranteeing a solid future supply. Much of this issue is given over to people in outfits like the loader Ripley drove in Aliens, fighting dinosaurs, in a glorious amount of detail. Ryp has done great work with this book, and Venditti is having fun with the B-movie plot. I was also very impressed with the backup story, by Venditti and Jorge Monlongo, which has Abraham Lincoln entering into some sensitive negotiations with some aliens. Bad Idea comics are very well put together and attractive, and as much as the companys methods are tiresome, I do like what they are putting into the world.

Two Moons #2 John Arcudi and Valerio Giangiordano are really impressing me with this supernatural historical horror series. Virgil, the Two Moons of the title, is a young Pawnee man who was raised by whites, is about to be tried for killing a superior officer in the Union army, but is rescued by Confederates, of all people. There is a lot of mystery to this book at this stage, and Im very curious to learn more about where this title is headed. Giangiordanos art is detailed and very nice, and his supernatural pages have a lot of depth to them.

USAgent #4 Any good Priest miniseries is kind of like a puzzle box, and I feel like were getting closer to figuring out everything that is going on with John Walker and his sister in this series. I am very interested in the new USAgent, also known as The Saint, and his connection to Watanabe, the guy who has been tagging along with Walker. This is a good, unconventional series that actually makes me want to read more John Walker series, something I never expected Id see happen.

X-Men #19 We continue with the story of the three X-Men who went into the Vault a while back. Sync, Wolverine (X-23), and Darwin ended up spending decades in the sped-up world, and the story of how they spent that time is pretty cool. Jonathan Hickman keeps breaking up the narrative with infographics that fill in the gaps, and that keeps things moving smoothly. Mahmud Asrar is a great artist, but I feel like hes really been levelling up lately; this issue looks terrific. Im also surprised by how much Im starting to like Sync. I never really read Generation X, so I dont know much about him, but hes interesting in Hickmans hands.

Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Werent So Expensive:

Avengers #44

Batman/Catwoman #4

Firefly #27

King in Black #5

Other History of the DC Universe #3

The Fortnight in Graphic Novels:

Dracula, Motherf**ker! Im a big fan of Alex De Campis writing, and the way she switches genres and approaches with almost every project she does. This short graphic novel has her looking at Draculas brides, in 1970s LA. The main character is a crime photographer named Quincy Harker, who ends up being pursued by the revived Dracula when he takes pictures of his latest bride after her death. Draculas original wives have thoughts about this. De Campi and artist Erica Henderson make this a psychedelic and lurid adventure into an LA that doesnt really exist anymore. Henderson has done some great stuff, but she outdoes herself here, making every page a delight. I do wish this was longer it just felt like it was getting underway and then it ended, but its a cool little project worth checking out.

Music of the Last Two Weeks:

Serpentwithfeet Deacon Serpentwithfeet has a lovely, minimalist approach to soulful pop music, reminding me a lot of Moses Sumney, although less ornate. This album is sensitive and warm, and showcases his voice very well. This whole album is about friendship and intimacy among men, and its incredibly warm.

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills Notes With Attachments Pino Palladino and Blake Mills are familiar names if you like to read liner notes carefully (which is not easy to do in the digital age). Theyve worked with a ton of artists I respect, and now have put out an album of their own instrumental music, collaborating with people like Chris Dave, Rob Moose, and the incredible Sam Gendel. This album of, I guess, jazz, is a little hard to define, but it is both thoughtful and it swings. I hope to see more from these guys.

Lana Del Rey Chemtrails Over The Country Club I only ever listened to Lana Del Rey starting with her last album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, but I loved that album. I was utterly entranced by Del Reys voice and sharp songwriting, which put me in mind of someone like Leonard Cohen. I had high hopes for this album, but came away disappointed. It feels like shes trying to recapture what worked best on NFR, but ran out of things to say. Everything seems a little derivative and formulaic. I guess thats what happens when you listen to big name artists though Its pretty, but its not making it to many best of lists at the end of the year.

Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, & The London Philharmonic Orchestra Promises I love the music of Floating Points, who has joined with jazz legend Pharoah Sanders and the LSO to put together this meditative and beautiful piece of music. Usually, a Floating Points song builds slowly and cuts out quickly, leaving listeners with a bit of a jolt. For this piece, which is a single work with seven movements, he slowly builds on a theme, and lets Sanders do this thing over it, mostly on his saxophone, but also with his voice, as the orchestras strings help the music swell. Its perfect headphone music, and its quite moving. This is an early shoe-in for the ten best albums of the year, and I only wish Id get to see it performed live.

Str4ta Aspects I know very little about the history of the British funk scene, but I know that this album, co-produced by legendary radio dj Gilles Peterson, is pretty fantastic. It has a timeless sound and a great atmosphere.

A Winged Victory For the Sullen Invisible Cities This is perfect rainy day music. I dont know anything about A Winged Victory For the Sullen, but their ambient neo-classical album is deeply atmospheric and morose, but in a beautiful way. Its an interesting counterpoint to the Floating Points album that I wrote about above.

Tags: The Weekly Round-Up

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The Weekly Round-Up #591 & #592 With Beta Ray Bill #1, Dead Dog's Bite #2, Fear Case #3, Suicide Squad #2, The Silver Coin #1 & More Plus 2...

Blue Book Artist Management has signed up comediansKonstantin KisinandFrancis Foster, hosts of the worldwide smash hit podcast and Youtube channelTriggernometry.

Triggernometry is centred around "open, fact-based discussions of important and controversial issues," with the widest range possible of guests. The show interviews people from all sides of the political spectrum, who have includedDavid Baddiel, Lord Andrew Adonis, Inaya Folarin ImanandJordan Peterson.

Launched in February 2018, they now average over3 millionmonthly views on YouTube. They have225k monthly downloadsof their audio podcast and234K YouTube subscribers.

Blue Book's clients include Micky Flanagan, Hal Cruttenden and Gary Delaney. They also recently signed up Scott Bennett, who has been doing regular online gigs from his shed over the last year.

Watch Triggernometry below

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Triggernometry sign to Micky Flanagan Management - Beyond The Joke