'I want to let you know that I’m not going to finish my album'

The video‚ which was originally shared on YouTube‚ predates the recent natural disaster and shows a 2011 earthquake that struck Japan in the town of Miyako

'The national conversation ... is more elevated than it traditionally is'

Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett is best known as the founder and original guitarist and vocalist of Pink Floyd. He appeared on their first two albums but was forced out of the band due to problems with drugs and deteriorating mental health. Despite these struggles‚ Syd Barrett released two solo albums of original work‚ The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Both albums were released in 1970. Neither album was particularly commercially successful‚ but they became cult classics in the following years. Unfortunately‚ Barrett’s struggles with mental illness caused him to leave the music industry entirely by the mid-seventies. Syd lived out the rest of The post Top 10 Syd Barrett Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Incredible pictures show Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io in stunning detail in the closest flyby in twenty years. NASA’s Juno space probe came within roughly 930 miles (1‚500 km) from the surface of the most volcanic world in our solar system on December 30th. The space agency explained this pass‚ and others at the start of […] The post Incredible Pictures Show Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io in Stunning Detail appeared first on Good News Network.

Well well well! Here we are in another bright and shiny new year‚ my Cosmere Chickens! And I sincerely hope that this one treats you better than the one before. (If you had a good year‚ I hope that this one’s even better. And if it was a bad one‚ well… same wish.) You may remember that we left off on a bit of a sad place in our reread two weeks ago. Prince Raoden’s still “dead” and stuck in Elantris‚ and the Aons are still stubbornly refusing to work for him. Princess Sarene’s been “cured” of her Shaod‚ but that means that she’s been separated from “Spirit” ::pout:: and thrust back into the politically fraught turmoil of Kaye‚ where Telrii has taken over the throne but refused to convert to Shu-Dereth (as he promised Hrathen he would). Things aren’t quite at a boil‚ but they’re getting close. So won’t you join us as we light a candle and make our way down the streets of Elantris‚ on our way to meet Raoden in a certain dimly lit‚ dusty library… Spoiler warning: This week’s article briefly mentions The Emperor’s Soul and The Lost Metal but contains spoilers from neither. Read on fearlessly‚ chickens! Buy it Now Last time on Elantris: Treason and Trickery… It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you‚ dearest chickens! In our last chapter‚ Sarene is released back into Kaye‚ where she immediately begins trying to gather her friends for an all-out armed insurrection against (now King) Telrii. Meanwhile‚ Hrathen learns that Telrii is even slimier than he’d anticipated. Not only is he demanding more out of Hrathen in order to turn the country over to Shu-Dereth and thereby Wyrn… he’s demanding to be granted a position equal to Hrathen‚ and Telrii has dared to demand it of Wyrn himself! That letter’s not going to go over well‚ and Hrathen knows it. He’s bracing for war as Wyrn inevitably launches a strike force against Kaye… Chapter Essentials POV Character(s): Raoden‚ Sarene Discussion Chapter 49 At first‚ Raoden stayed away from the library because it reminded him of her. Then he found himself drawn back to it—because it reminded him of her. P: Aww‚ this is simply adorable. And people say that Sanderson can’t write romance. Aon Eno‚ the character for water‚ included a wiggling line that matched the meanderings of the Aredel River. The character for wood—Aon Dii—included several circles that represented the southern forests. L: For your visualization pleasure: Why did Aon Mea‚ the character for thoughtfulness‚ have an X that crossed somewhere in the middle of Eon Plantation? L: Years of self-taught photoshop prowess have led me to this‚ chickens. Why was Aon Rii specked with two dozen seemingly random dots? L: Also‚ why does this one not have the dot for the lake‚ and have a diagonal line through there instead? And why does it have FOUR quadrants? This one’s REAL weird. After all‚ the Elantrians had used AonDor to carve permanent symbols into rock and stone—and had even constructed them from wire‚ pieces of wood‚ and a host of other materials. Apparently it was difficult to create AonDor characters from physical materials‚ but the Aons still had their same effect‚ regardless of whether they were drawn in the air or smelted from steel. L: I love the idea of sculpted Aons. They’re so beautiful to begin with! “Stop moping‚ sule‚” Galladon said with a grunt. “It doesn’t suit you—it takes a fine sense of pessimism to brood with any sort of respectability.” L: Yeah! Like Kaladin’s! P: Your comment made me snort laugh. But yes‚ Raoden is not the moping type. Except … When the Reod occurred‚ the land cracked.  “The Chasm!” Raoden exclaimed. “The Chasm?” Galladon said skeptically. “That was caused by the Reod‚ sule‚ not the other way around.” “But what if it wasn’t?” Raoden said‚ excited. L: What indeed?! P: Finally he gets there. He stabbed the Aon and slashed his finger through the air. And a small line streaked across the Aon behind it. Then it struck him. The Dor attacked with a roaring surge of power‚ and this time it hit no wall. It exploded through Raoden like a river. He gasped‚ basking in its power for just a moment. It burst free like a beast that had been kept trapped in a small space for far too long. It almost seemed … joyful. Then it was gone‚ and he stumbled‚ dropping to his knees. L: EUREKA! We have a breakthrough! One thing I’d like to note from Brandon’s annotations on his website is this: If you were wondering‚ most of the explanations we get in this chapter are true. The reason that Raoden was subject to the Dor attacks was because he spent so much time practicing with the Aons. He began to make a bridge between this world and the Dor‚ and because of that‚ he gave the Dor a slight opening into his soul. I imagine that he isn’t the first one to suffer something like this during the ten years that Elantris has been fallen. Other Elantrians probably practiced with the Aons‚ and the Dor eventually destroyed them. When it was done‚ they simply became Hoed. Now back to Raoden: A thin prick of red light appeared in the disk’s center‚ then expanded‚ the burning sounds rising to a clamor. The Aon became a twisting vortex of fire; Raoden could feel the heat as he stumbled back. It burst‚ spitting out a horizontal column of flame that passed just above Galladon’s head. The column crashed into a bookshelf‚ immolating the structure in a massive explosion. Books and flaming pages were tossed into the air‚ slamming into walls and other bookcases. L: Raoden’s a regular Oppenheimer here. Does this make Sarene our Barbie…? P: Definitely! “It’s not as bright as it should be‚” he said. L:  Well‚ drat. I suppose it was too much to hope that this one thing would fix all their problems… after all‚ we’ve still got a ways to go until the end of the book! P: Yes‚ it can’t be easy for them‚ can it? Any Aon‚ for instance‚ that targeted either of them flashed away ineffectually. Their clothing was a valid target‚ but their flesh was not; Raoden broke off the tip of his thumbnail and tried to make that float‚ and was completely unsuccessful. The only theory Raoden could offer was the one he had expressed earlier. “Our bodies are frozen in the middle of being changed‚ Galladon‚” he explained… L: Makes sense. So figure out how to finish that change‚ already! P: I think that knowing it will eventually work makes getting through this bit excruciating. L: Another note from the annotations: By the way‚ there is a little foreshadowing in this chapter. Raoden’s ability to draw with a stick or a quill to do his Aons is very important‚ obviously. Some people still have trouble [with] what is going on at the climax of the book‚ and so I found constant need to incorporate explanations and hints where I could to foreshadow events. As a fellow writer‚ I always find it fascinating how often I needed to drop hints like this in order for my advance readers to get stuff. Some people would be incredibly on the ball and would catch a single mention of something fifteen chapters ago‚ but they were in the distinct minority. So seeing that Brandon also experiences this didn’t surprise me in the slightest. P: Kind of like beating us over the head with it. ::chuckle:: Chapter 50 “His Majesty is quite busy lounging in his palace while half of Arelon’s nobility waits outside‚” the seon said with a disapproving tone. L: Ugh. Telrii might be a step up from the old king‚ but let’s face it. It was a low bar. P: It was a very low bar. And I’m not so sure he is a step up from Iadon. Telrii is vile. “I believe his largest current complaint is that there aren’t enough young women left on the palace staff.” L: Double ugh. Well‚ at least he’s just leering at them (hopefully) and not killing them. P: I can definitely see him leering. I wouldn’t think he’d resort to killing so soon into his reign. “We’ve exchanged one idiot for another.” Sarene shook her head. L: You tell ‘em‚ Sarene. P: She’s definitely not wrong. The entire civilized world would belong to Wyrn‚ a final fulfillment of the Old Empire’s dream. L: I do find this a tiny bit amusing considering the fact that we know that there are other very civilized societies on this planet (see: The Emperor’s Soul and The Lost Metal). Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess‚ she had been something far better—a member of a community where every individual was vital. L: Awww. She got a little taste of being a commoner… and she liked it. P: After feeling so unaccepted by people her whole life‚ I’m not surprised that she liked it! Kaloo was too stereotypical. He represented everything a Duladen aristocrat was said to be—foolishly haughty‚ overdressed and overmannered‚ and completely indifferent when it came to just about everything. This Kaloo was like a cliché that shouldn’t exist‚ a living representation of the idealized Duladen noble. L: Naturally this is Raoden‚ and I just love the fact that he’s here making Sarene blush and being all suave and handsome and… ::sigh:: Brandon’s got some words to say about this scene in the annotations… I’d been wanting to show a real Dula ever since I started writing the book. Galladon is such a ‘bad’ Dula that I was very pleased when I found an opportunity to work Kaloo into the plot. You’ve been hearing‚ through various asides‚ about Dulas for most of the book. Now you actually get to meet one. Or‚ at least‚ someone pretending to be one. P: And I love how suspicious she is of him. This whole scene is just so amusing. I think he would have done much better had they used the safer blades. He didn’t want to hurt his princess.   We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments‚ and hope to join you there! Next week‚ we’ll be back with chapters 51 and 52. Paige resides in New Mexico‚ of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read‚ she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile. Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She’s a professional actress and makes magic wands for a living. If you enjoy queer protagonists‚ snarky humor‚ and don’t mind some salty language‚ check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

Tour Stop One at Vicksburg National Military Park is the location of “Battery DeGolyer.” Named after its commanding officer‚ Captain Samuel DeGolyer‚ the position had the heaviest concentration of guns on the Union lines during the 47-day Siege of Vicksburg—22 in all.   Though four times the size of a standard Union battery‚ the position consisted of the 8th Battery Michigan Light Artillery; Yost’s Independent Ohio Battery; Company L‚ 2nd Illinois Light Artillery; and the 3rd Battery Ohio Light Artillery. Throughout the Siege of Vicksburg‚ each gun fired two shots an hour daily and‚ on average‚ during the siege. The arrangement fired a total of 2‚409 projectiles at the Confederate Great Redoubt. But a quick look around Tour Stop One does not indicate who Captain Samuel DeGolyer was‚ nor does it mention his remarkable performance during the campaign for Vicksburg.   Who was Sam DeGolyer? Born in upstate New York in 1827‚ young Sam and his family (pronounced De-Goy-er)‚ moved to Michigan in the 1830s and settled around the Hudson area in the southeastern part of the state. DeGolyer married Catherine Jeffers of Lenawee County and in 1854 their daughter Kate was born. As a young man in Hudson‚ he was very active in the small farming community and his stout stature and piercing gaze reflected a determined man of action. DeGolyer also held various public posts and positions‚ owned a spoke-and-wheel production operation‚ and when war broke out in April 1861‚ used his popularity with the community to put together a company of volunteers to put down the rebellion.   Company F‚ “Hudson Volunteers‚” with Captain Samuel DeGolyer in command‚ was mustered in as the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry on June 20‚ 1861. A month later‚ DeGolyer and his men eagerly waited on the plains of Manassas‚ Va.‚ for their turn to get at the “secesh.”   The First Battle of Bull Run on July 21 was a strange sight. The movement of units on the battlefield was sophomoric at best. Regiments on both sides attempted to flank one another using parade-ground maneuvers‚ but with the air clogged with lead and metal and‚ moreover‚ inconsistencies between weapons‚ flags‚ uniforms (the 4th Michigan was dressed in gray) and orders‚ the efforts to break each line often resulted in a bloody repulse.   Some units even ran into each other or fired into the backs of their comrades. Many soldiers‚ stripped to the waist‚ passed out from paralyzing fear or heat exhaustion. Fortunately‚ as the green 4th Michigan waited its turn to deploy into the fray‚ the men probably could not see much. Smoke blocked their view‚ but what was going on beyond it favored the Union Army. News from aides dashing all over the field projected victory‚ yet the tide changed as Confederate forces received reinforcements just at the right time. Thomas J. Jackson’s Virginia soldiers and J.E.B Stuart’s cavalry plowed into the exhausted Union lines and scattered the raw citizen-soldiers in every direction.    Through the thick smoke‚ the 4th Michigan could hear the shrieks of horrified Union soldiers blended with the yells of oncoming Confederates. Suddenly‚ groups of panicked federals burst out of the smoke clouds and slammed into the Michiganders’ ranks. A melee erupted and‚ while searching for a better glimpse of the fight‚ Southern soldiers captured DeGolyer and sent him off to Richmond. Following the Union disaster at Bull Run‚ and after hearing of his capture‚ DeGolyer’s hometown newspaper‚ The Hudson Gazette‚ asserted that “the fact is‚ Sam was spoiling for a fight and he wasn’t born to be shot.” But for a personality such as DeGolyer’s‚ such a prophecy was bound to be tested.   A former tobacco warehouse‚ Richmond’s Libby Prison was converted to incarcerate Union officers captured in battle. Like many prisons on both sides‚ it soon became overcrowded and a breeding ground for disease. The windows were barred but open‚ so freezing winds would whip through the structure during the winter. DeGolyer escaped it in August 1861. On August 13‚ 1861‚ Sam DeGolyer escaped Richmond’s Libby Prison‚ and for a week‚ DeGolyer and a companion navigated through the swampy Virginia labyrinths‚ dodging patrols and dueling armies along the way. Eventually‚ they made it to the safety of a tobacco vessel headed to Baltimore. Weeks later‚ DeGolyer met with President Abraham Lincoln and General Winfield Scott. Both made sure to acknowledge publicly the heroic escape from deep within the enemy territory (a much-needed story of redemption for a nation reeling following its embarrassing showing at First Bull Run). With public adulation and inflation of ego‚ DeGolyer headed back to Michigan. He immediately went to work recruiting 100 men for the 4th Michigan and was promoted to major of the regiment upon his return.     Colonel Dwight A. Woodbury‚ however‚ was annoyed with DeGolyer’s promotion. Woodbury‚ a phlegmatic leader who looked and acted every-part of a regimental commander‚ thought DeGolyer habitually hasty in his actions‚ especially following his delinquent escapades at Bull Run and thus judged him a scoundrel and a rogue—indifferent to orders. So‚ in the winter of 1861 and on a short leash‚ Major Sam DeGolyer set out on his daily duties as third in command of the 4th Michigan Infantry. It did not last long.    Colonel Dwight Woodbury of the 4th Michigan thought DeGolyer impetuous‚ and cashiered him from the regiment. On July 1‚ 1862‚ Woodbury was killed at Malvern Hill‚ Va. In December 1861‚ while bivouacked outside Washington D.C.‚ Colonel Woodbury learned that DeGolyer ordered the home of some defiant Confederate sympathizers to be stripped of all windows and doors. Woodbury wasted no time in cashiering DeGolyer and sent him back to Michigan to await further orders. Fortunately for DeGolyer‚ he escaped the “Old Fourth”—the regiment evidently had an officer curse. Four colonels were eventually killed in action‚ including Woodbury‚ and Dexter‚ Mich.‚ native Harrison Jeffords‚ the highest commissioned officer killed by a bayonet during the Civil War.    DeGolyer returned to Michigan and soon was at work with a new plan: raise an artillery battery. But not just any battery‚ a ‘flying battery.’ Napoleon used such instruments of war successfully on the battlefield‚ and so would DeGolyer. Battery H‚ 1st Michigan Light Artillery (aka the 8th Michigan Light Artillery) was mustered into service on March 6‚ 1862‚ in Monroe. The battery consisted of six guns: two 12-pounder howitzers and four 12-pounder James Rifles. These guns were not particularly powerful but were able to quickly discharge rapid salvos while maneuvering around the battlefield with speed. And with that‚ the 1st Michigan Light Artillery headed to the war’s Western Theater.    On May 1‚ 1863‚ after months of failed probes at the defenses of Vicksburg‚ Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his approximately 70‚000 men landed below the bastion on open terrain. His goal: cut off Vicksburg from the supply lines at Jackson‚ Miss.‚ and coax the Confederates under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton out from their defenses and destroy them in detail. DeGolyer and the 1st Michigan Artillery were part of this massive movement. It was during the Vicksburg Campaign that historian Ed Bearss noted DeGolyer began his evolution into “the greatest artillery officer in Grant’s army.”   Immediately‚ DeGoyler and the 1st Michigan found themselves in the middle of a fight. At Port Gibson‚ Grant sought to secure a lodgment for his army to pressure Vicksburg from the south and east‚ and in their first test in combat with Grant‚ DeGolyer’s artillery raked the Confederates unmercifully. Using canister‚ the battery tore up the surrounding area with precision and speed‚ opening the road to Jackson. Two weeks later‚ at the Battle of Raymond‚ DeGolyer was enthroned as Grant’s point man.    On May 12‚ brutal heat slowed the Union’s advance on Jackson. Grant’s columns only made 1½ miles the day before‚ and then Confederate forces appeared. Hearing battle‚ and without orders‚ DeGolyer spurred his guns up the Utica Road. While deploying into position‚ he unlimbered amid the lounging 20th Ohio Infantry. The gunners crashed through the Buckeyes boiling coffee pots and immediately poured relentless shot and shell into the advancing 7th Texas Infantry. DeGolyer’s blood was up‚ and the Confederate attack unraveled in the face of DeGolyer’s guns. The road to Jackson opened and Grant wasted no time in moving on.    Degolyer’s name became synonymous with his battery‚ formally designated Battery H‚ 8th Michigan Light Artillery. The battery proudly used this silk guidon‚ and it was probably specially commissioned for the unit. After DeGolyer’s death‚ Captain Marcus Elliot and then Captain William Justin commanded the battery‚ which served until its July 1865 muster out. Four days later‚ Grant’s columns inched closer to the defenses at Vicksburg. On a bald rise‚ Confederate forces set out to strike at Grant before he could hit them. The collision at Champion Hill was some of the most savage combat of the Vicksburg Campaign. Stubborn Confederate resistance and constant counterattacks during the early morning of May 16 stifled cohesion between attacking Union forces. At 9 a.m.‚ the situation looked bleak for Grant‚ but fortune smiled on him as his wild card surged onto the battlefield.    DeGolyer unlimbered behind a rail fence just as another Confederate push threatened to beat back the Union advance for good. Using his keen gunner’s eye‚ DeGolyer noticed a better position and‚ according to an unnamed New York World correspondent observing the fight‚ “made a wide detour to the right…and opened a terrible enfilading fire upon the enemy.” The Confederate pressure subsided‚ but they came on again in typical fashion. The veteran Alabamians charged pell-mell into the mouths of DeGolyer’s guns. The horrified correspondent looked on as the Alabamians “advanced in solid columns and in magnificent style.” True to his command philosophy‚ DeGolyer waited “till they had reached a point two hundred yards from the mouth of the cannon…and discharged them‚ a terrible volley‚ full in the faces of the advancing columns.” Noticing a more proper undulation for his guns‚ DeGolyer fell back a short distance to the higher ground and behind a rail fence.    Federal artillerymen keep up a barrage on Confederate lines at Vicksburg. The town itself can be seen in the background. In the foreground‚ soldiers inured to the constant chaos await their turn on the line. Sure enough‚ the Alabamians regrouped “as if by magic” and surged out of the tree line. A rail fence—DeGolyer’s first position—hindered the Confederate advance. The Michiganders waited for the exhausted Confederates to climb or pull down the rails and then unleashed a fierce cannonade that shredded the mob. In awe of the carnage‚ the New York World observer summed up the destruction: “It is impossible to convey an adequate idea of the slaughter occasioned on the right and centre of the line. The ground was literally covered with the dead and dying. In the ravines‚ behind trees‚ on the summit of the hills‚ lay the unfortunate men of both armies‚ some of them stiff and cold in death’s icy grasp‚ others with wounds of every description; here‚ an arm cut off by cannon balls; there a leg hanging on by the muscles.”   Indeed‚ DeGolyer and his elite unit were indispensable to Grant. A few weeks later‚ the Union Army approached Vicksburg and unleashed a series of bloody attacks that failed miserably. Grant recoiled and settled in for a siege. At the center of his line‚ he placed Captain DeGolyer and entrusted him with a command of 22 guns.   The Siege of Vicksburg lasted 47 days‚ but DeGolyer did not see the end. On May 28‚ the indispensable Captain Samuel DeGolyer was mortally wounded in the right leg and abdomen while resting in his tent behind his guns. Soon Sam’s wife‚ Catherine‚ rushed to his side and brought him home to Michigan‚ where he lingered for a few months before succumbing to his wound on August 8—just 33 years old.   Tour Stop One at Vicksburg National Military Park was christened “Battery DeGolyer” following the war‚ and his guns remain commanding the area to this day.    this article first appeared in civil war times magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!   Trace Brusco is a Ph.D. student at the University of Alabama. There‚ he studies experiences in combat and community during the Civil War.