'Step out with both hands up. Do not move your hands!'

James “Jim” Seals and Darrell “Dash” Crofts‚ the American soft rock duo known as Seals &; Crofts‚ emerged as prominent figures in the music scene of the 1970s. Their memorable hits‚ including “Summer Breeze‚” “Diamond Girl‚” and “Get Closer‚” not only defined a genre but also left an indelible mark on the era’s musical landscape. Beyond their chart-topping success‚ Seals &; Crofts were noted for their vocal advocacy of the Baháʼí Faith‚ integrating their spiritual beliefs into their music and public lives. Although the duo initially disbanded in 1980‚ they experienced brief reunions in the early ’90s and mid-2000s‚ culminating The post Complete List Of Seals &; Crofts Albums And Discography appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

It’s never a bad time to take a moment and thank our lucky stars for pediatric medicine. These beautiful twin boys were each born with a different form of congenital heart defect‚ and despite dozens of procedures‚ they’re healthy and living their best life; playing Rugby on the weekends. Benson and Albert Tass were each […] The post These Twins Are Thriving 10 Years After Open Heart Surgery at Queensland Children’s Hospital appeared first on Good News Network.

Book Recommendations book announcement A Devouring Fascination: Announcing Nghi Vo’s The City in Glass A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world. By Reactor | Published on March 6‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Tor Publishing Group is thrilled to announce that editor Ruoxi Chen has acquired World English rights to Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo’s next novella‚ The City in Glass‚ pitched as This Is How You Lose the Time War meets Good Omens. The deal‚ for World English rights‚ was brokered by Diana Fox at Fox Literary.  In this new standalone‚ Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo introduces a beguiling fantasy city in the tradition of Calvino‚ Mieville‚ and Le Guin. A demon. An angel. A city that beats like the heart of the world.The demon Vitrine—immortal‚ powerful‚ and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered‚ married‚ and maddened the city and its people for generations‚ and built it into a place of joy and desire‚ revelry and riot.And then the angels come‚ and the city falls.Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel‚ now bound by her mad‚ grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation‚ angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead‚ they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever. Together‚ they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built‚ Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story of death and resurrection‚ memory and transformation‚ redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and make it anew. Buy the Book The City in Glass Nghi Vo Buy Book icon-close The City in Glass Nghi Vo Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful‚ as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle‚ which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Locus Award and the Lambda Literary Award‚ and have won the Crawford Award‚ the Ignyte Award‚ and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois‚ she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick‚ the power of stories‚ and the right to change your mind. Buy the Book The Brides of High Hill Nghi Vo A Book of The Singing Hills Cycle Buy Book icon-close The Brides of High Hill Nghi Vo A Book of The Singing Hills Cycle A Book of The Singing Hills Cycle Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post A Devouring Fascination: Announcing Nghi Vo’s The City in Glass appeared first on Reactor.

Blog nostalgia Ten Classic Books I Read as a Teen That Still Hold Up Sometimes older books are visited by the Suck Fairy–but not all! Here are ten that stand the test of time. By James Davis Nicoll | Published on March 6‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed My Because My Tears Are Delicious To You project recently reached a milestone: 500 reviews of works I read as a teenager. By chance‚ but very appropriately‚ the 500th book was one by Ron Goulart‚ a man whose career was a tribute to what you can accomplish with steady productivity carried out over decades. All it took to get me to Tears Review #500 was one review a week since 2014. I did it and you could do it too! Rereading once treasured books half a century later is not without risk‚ for reasons explained in this venerable Jo Walton essay. Thus‚ the name of that particular set of reviews. Nevertheless‚ the project hasn’t been all regrettable politics‚ egregious sexism‚ courageous grooming choices‚ and cover art I can’t share here without risking an NC-17 rating. In fact‚ there are any number1 of olden-time books I enjoyed revisiting. Here are ten. That number could have been much larger.2 But this is all the news that fits. If you’ve read any of these books‚ congrats! I hope you enjoyed them and that this review has revived pleasant memories. If some are new to you‚ perhaps you’ll consider adding them to your TBR pile‚ otherwise known as Mount Tsundoku… Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen by H. Beam Piper (1965) A paratime mishap catapults Pennsylvania cop Calvin Morrison from the USA he knows into an alternate North America on the brink of war. The greedy priests of Styphon are determined to commandeer some sulfur springs owned by the kingdom of Hostigos. Hostigos is uncooperative and it has been targeted for conquest. Calvin has just the right set of skills to save the kingdom. Too bad that Calvin’s introduction to the kingdom (and its ruler‚ Princess Rylla) was being shot in the chest by the princess. This is a feel-good wish-fulfilment adventure about an underappreciated man who flourishes in a new environment. Otherwhen is also the rare 1960s SF novel in which the women get to do stuff that matters. The Reproductive System by John Sladek (1968) Eager to get that sweet‚ sweet military-industrial complex moolah‚ the venerable Wompler doll company retools itself for war. The only minor sticking point is that the Womplers not only lack the necessary expertise‚ they do not understand that they lack the necessary expertise. Thus‚ MIT grad Cal is hired. He’s in way over his head‚ because the MIT from which he graduated was the Miami Institute of Technocracy. The Womplers also hire the mysterious Dr. Smilax. The good doctor just happens to be a mad genius. Soon the world will cower before Smilax. This is a satire in which appalling childhoods have left virtually everyone incompetent or utterly deranged‚ where even the sympathetic characters lean towards nincompoopery. Yet somehow‚ the novel never descends into nihilism. One wants the protagonists to prevail‚ or at least survive… even if you would not trust them with a plastic spork. The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D.G. Compton (1974) Terminal illness has transformed middle-aged Katherine Mortenhoe from an unremarkable nobody to a commodifiable celebrity. In an era in which everyone enjoys perfect health‚ the bored public will pay good money to watch Mortenhoe sicken and die. Promising reporter Roddie is assigned the task of tailing the dying woman. The public will not be denied their entertainment! While some of the technical details reflect the era in which it was written‚ Compton’s tale of inhuman‚ unethical voyeurism is timeless. Alas. Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact‚ June 1977 edited by Ben Bova (1977) Ben Bova celebrated the soaring numbers of women SF authors with a Special Women’s Issue of Analog—which in 1977 meant that no less than thirteen of the twenty-seven pieces in this issue are by women. Analog is an SF magazine and thus many of the works are echt SF. But this issue also showcased works aren’t the usual Analog fare: deadly aristocratic politics‚ courtroom drama‚ even a non-fiction piece about Michael Ovenden and Tom Van Flandern’s non-consensus planetary science. Two of the stories in this issue—Joan D. Vinge’s “Eyes of Amber” and “The Screwfly Solution” by James Tiptree Jr. (writing as Raccoona Sheldon)—won awards. The other stories are almost as memorable. You could argue that the gender balance in this Special Women’s issue wasn’t quite what you expected (less than half)‚ but if you’re going to hunt down one issue of Analog‚ this is the issue you should seek out. Mind of My Mind by Octavia Butler (1977) Mary is a Campbellian superhuman‚ the product of generations of directed breeding‚ possessed of powers beyond mortal ken. The motive behind the lengthy eugenics program is horrific. Body-hopping Doro finds psychic brains delectable and his powers make him impossible to resist. At least‚ they did until Mary appeared. The series of which this book is a part is formally titled the Patternist series‚ after the human culture that arises after Mary institutes certain reforms. It could just as easily be known as “And Then Things Got Much Worse.” Doro is a complete monster‚ but Mary and her descendants are almost as bad‚ and much better at multitasking. Born to Exile by Phyllis Eisenstein (1978) Alaric the Minstrel has many gifts. His singing voice earns him a living. His ability to teleport would earn him guest of honour status on a flaming pyre‚ if the superstitious bumpkins around him were to find out (and could catch him). Alaric has always wondered where his gift comes from. Some questions are best left unanswered. For reasons I cannot fathom‚ Eisenstein was not one of the beneficiaries of the ebook boom. All of her books appear to be out of print. Quite vexing.3 Nevertheless‚ this fix-up is worth the effort to find. Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre (1978) Expanding on 1973’s “Of Mist‚ and Grass‚ and Sand‚” Dreamsnake is the tale of Snake the healer. Snake wanders a desolate Earth‚ offering its impoverished people precious medical skills. Peasant prejudice costs the healer a precious medical serpent. She might find a replacement at Earth’s last city‚ Centre. While Centre is known for many things‚ charity is not one of them. Dreamsnake shares a setting with McIntyre’s The Exile Waiting and while Dreamsnake can be bleak‚ it is nowhere as bleak as Exile. One might go so far as to say there are moments of hope. There are also interpersonal relationships that were quite daring in 1978‚ although I imagine they might seem commonplace to the progressive youth of today. Eyes of Amber and Other Stories by Joan D. Vinge (1979) As was the custom in those days‚ Vinge focused on short stories before moving into novels. In this story‚ we meet an aristocrat confronting the cost of vengeance‚ a woman questioning her exile‚ a journalist dealing with a murder‚ and more. This remarkable book came in second for Locus’ Best Single Author Collection. The science fiction stories within it earned numerous award nominations and in the case of the title story‚ a Hugo win. It’s quite annoying that the collection has been out of print for so long and that no more recent collection has subsumed the stories within it. The Beehive by Margaret O’Donnell (1980) Thirty years ago‚ Gorston liberated his economically troubled nation from the ravages of democracy and freedom. Society is regimented according to Gorston’s narrow views. This is especially true for women‚ relegated to domesticity or sexless drudgework. Sarah Hillard is determined to deliver revolution…if the secret police do not arrest and execute her first. This gender dystopia is an oddly obscure classic‚ having gone out of print after one edition. Pity‚ because it deserves to be better known than it is. Good news: I’ve heard that a publisher would like to reprint The Beehive‚ if they can track down its illusive author. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Spider Robinson (1980) Jim Baen responded to Spider Robinson’s lament about uncollected classics with an interesting notion. Each author of the stories anthologized by Robinson would suggest another forgotten treasure by another author. The result was a hefty volume filled with a wide range of science fiction and fantasy stories‚ as well as informative ancillary material. In addition to a fine selection of stories‚ this is one of those works whose contributors are so manifestly keen on the project that their enthusiasm is catching. Fun can be contagious and this anthology is proof. It’s clear from comments elsewhere that a second volume was planned. I wonder if the MS survives? These are just a few of the classics I have enjoyed revisiting. No doubt some of the omissions may baffle and confound a few of you. Feel free to query me about the curious absence of such well-known works such as…well‚ naming them is really more your task.[end-mark] As long as that number is equal to or less than 500. ︎No mysteries: sorry‚ Death Comes as the End. No historicals: sorry‚ The Lantern Bearers. No CanLit: so with enormous regret I must omit Marian Engel’s Bear (go ahead‚ google that). No non-fiction: so no The Curve of Binding Energy. No RPGs: so no Cults of Prax. Really‚ there are always far more interesting works than time to discuss them. ︎Reviewing every Eisenstein book (save for those already reviewed) is on my 2024 to-do list. ︎The post Ten Classic Books I Read as a Teen That Still Hold Up appeared first on Reactor.

Blastoise is a brutal Tera Raid opponent with a nasty typing combo that shuts down many traditional counters. If you’re struggling to beat this Gen I classic‚ here’s the best Pokemon for the Blastoise Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Best Pokemon to use in the Blastoise Tera Raid Blastoise has the Steel Tera Type and an extended moveset with some cheeky extras for coverage. Here’s what you’re up against: Blastoise Moveset Tera Type: Steel Withdraw Flash Cannon Hydro Pump Aura Sphere Iron Defense Rain Dance Shell Smash I recommend using Vaporeon for this Tera Raid‚ but the moveset is essential. Bringing a Water type to fight Blastoise may seem counter-intuitive‚ but I’ll show you the moves and why it works so well. Vaporeon Moveset Screenshot: PC Invasion Tera Type: GroundNature: ModestEV Spread: 252 SP Attack / 252 SP DefenseAbility: Water AbsorbItem: Metronome Calm Mind ...

The Guardian Games are all about Collecting Medallions for the glory of your class. Bronze through to platinum can be achieved purely through gameplay. However‚ if you want to get the coveted diamond Medallion in Destiny 2 Guardian Games‚ you’ll need to link your Bungie and Twitch accounts. Link your Bungie and Twitch account To do this‚ you’ll need access to a browser‚ either on your mobile device or on a desktop. Simply head to the Bungie.net website‚ and log in to your account. Bungie has made it very simple to log in‚ allowing you to use any of the platforms you play their games in to access your profile. I personally logged in using my Steam account. Once you have logged into your Bungie account‚ simply click on your profile picture at the top right of the screen and select settings. Here‚ you will see the option for Account Linking‚ which allows you to link your Bungie and Twitch accounts. This page will display all the accounts your Bungie profile is linked ...

And Then There Were Two Johns

Haley Finally Packing It In