By now‚ it shouldn’t be news to anyone within the guitar community that Greg Koch has immense chops. But for those outside the six-string spectrum‚ despite origins in music that date back to the late ‘70s‚ Koch remains one of the unsung guitarists of his generation. As evidenced by records like Greg Koch and the Tone Controls (1993)‚ Double the Gristle (1997)‚ Mixed Feelings (2005)‚ Plays Well with Others (2013)‚ and Orange Roominations (2023)‚ Koch is a master of blending genres with his low-key heroics. Indeed‚ with a Telecaster (among other guitars) in hand‚ few do it better than Greg Koch. So‚ if you’ve missed his work to date‚ be The post Greg Koch: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you’ve ever peered into the vibrant world of an aquarium‚ you’ve likely been mesmerized by the darting jewel-like tetra fish. As a pet owner‚ one pressing question might be on your mind: how long can I expect my shimmering companions to stay with me? Did you know that the average lifespan of Tetra fish...

Let’s pop on our helmets and climb into our rocket because we are headed to space. These five underrated backlist titles are all set amongst the stars. Advanced tech? Check. Traversing the galaxy? Check. Unicorns? Uh‚ what???   Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotun (The Unnamed Press‚ 2014) This genre-bender is more thriller than science fiction‚ but it’s just surreal enough to count. It does such a good job of taking an SF premise—a Nigerian scientist steals a piece of the moon and witnesses a murder‚ then‚ years later‚ his son invents a new technology inspired by the moon—and using that as a launching pad (pun intended) to talk about colonialism‚ brain drain‚ and who has access to science and technology.   The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard (JABberwocky Literary Agency‚ 2017) Aliette de Bodard can do no wrong‚ as far as I’m concerned. This novella is the third in her Universe of Xuya series where Asia won the space race and the galaxy runs on Vietnamese and Chinese culture and traditions. You get a teleporting citadel‚ a time-traveling engineer‚ a mind-ship who longs for her mother’s love‚ and because it’s de Bodard‚ a queer romance at the heart of it all.   Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry (Angry Robot‚ 2018) The first book in a funny but bizarre duology blends fantasy and science fiction in an intriguing way. Faster-than-light travel is powered by unicorn horns‚ and Gary Cobalt‚ half-unicorn and half-human‚ wants to save what’s left of his. Technically the magical creatures are actually aliens‚ and the spaceship Gary plans to escape on is semi-sentient. And even better‚ just about everyone is queer.   A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna (Sky Pony‚ 2018) Ready for a young adult retelling of the Mahābhārata set in space? An epic space opera with all the teen melodrama‚ messy romances‚ petty gods‚ and court intrigue you could want. Esmae enters a competition to win a sentient spaceship as a way to help her brother win back the crown of Kali after it was taken from him by their usurping uncle. Frankly‚ I’m surprised no streamer has adapted this into a TV show yet‚ it’s that wild.   Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor (Scholastic Press‚ 2019) You cannot convince me that in the future‚ space will be populated by mostly cisallohets. You just can’t. So let’s add in one more YA for my fellow queers. Ana has a clockwork heart. Nathaniel has a chip on his shoulder. Ana‚ who calls herself the Technician‚ uses black market tech to help the oppressed. Nathaniel‚ whose father is the one doing the oppressing‚ needs to capture her to earn his trust. There’s so little YA SF nowadays‚ and even less YA space opera‚ so we must celebrate the few traditional publishing has allowed us to have.   Alex Brown is a Hugo-nominated and Ignyte award-winning critic who writes about speculative fiction‚ librarianship‚ and Black history. Find them on twitter (@QueenOfRats)‚ bluesky (@bookjockeyalex)‚ instagram (@bookjockeyalex)‚ and their blog (bookjockeyalex.com).

Head below for the full list of horror‚ romantasy‚ and other SFF-crossover titles heading your way in December! Keep track of all the new SFF releases here. All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher. Release dates are subject to change.   December 5 Dazzling — Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ (Wildfire) Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure’s daddy died. Haggling for scraps in the market‚ Treasure meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back – but she has to do something for him first. Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can’t be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny‚ to defend her people by becoming a leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honour this was before he vanished‚ but it’s one she couldn’t want less. But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoning wildness and the legacy of their fathers’ decisions‚ Ozoemena’s fellow students at her new boarding school start to vanish. Treasure and Ozoemena will face terrible choices as each must ask herself: in a world that always says ‘no’ to women‚ what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs? Where the Dead Wait — Ally Wilkes (Atria) William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition‚ in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades‚ he returned in disgrace. Thirteen years later‚ his second-in-command‚ Jesse Stevens‚ has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens­­—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past‚ Day must face up to the things he’s done. Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism. Aboard ship‚ Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition‚ as well as Stevens’s wife‚ a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages‚ gaunt bodies‚ and old bones‚ their search becomes more and more unnerving‚ as it becomes clear that the restless dead are never far behind. Something is coming through.   December 12 Aliens: Bishop — T.R. Napper (Titan) The USCSS Patna has been found. Although the synthetic Bishop asked to be shut down forever‚ his creator has other plans. Michael Bishop seeks the Xenomorph knowledge stored in the android’s mind‚ and brings Bishop back to life—but for what reason? No longer an employee of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation‚ Michael tells his creation that he seeks to advance medical research for the benefit of humanity. Yet where does he get the resources needed to advance his work‚ and with whom do his new allegiances lie? The USCSS Patna is pursued by Colonial Marines Captain Marcel Apone‚ commander of the Il Conde and younger brother of Master Sergeant Alexander Apone‚ one of the casualties of the doomed mission to LV-426. Also on his trail are the “Dog Catchers‚” commandos employed by Weyland-Yutani. There are many who would profit from Lance Bishop’s intimate knowledge of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy.

A lot of what you have learned in the many modes of Fortnite can be translated over the Lego collaboration. Aside from crafting‚ and unlocking new recipes‚ you don’t have to learn much. However‚ some things such as emotes may feel like they’re different this time around. To learn how to emote in Lego Fortnite‚ we got the answer below. Lego Fortnite: How to Emote If you know how to emote already in Fortnite‚ then you know how to emote in Lego Fortnite. Just in case‚ I’ll refresh your memory. To emote using a keyboard‚ you can press the B key and your emote wheel will pop up. Navigate to which one you want and press it. You can also type in /dance in the chat the get the same result. Screenshot: PC Invasion For console users‚ you press down on the D-pad of your controller and select the emote. If you want to see the emote before you head into the game mode‚ you can use the steps above from within the lobby. Related: ...

Like many Survival games‚ LEGO Fortnite leaves it up to the player to work things out. Some things are obvious in the Survival genre‚ but others are a little obtuse. If you’re struggling to get your town looking how you want it to‚ let me show you how to move furniture and buildings in LEGO Fortnite. Related: Is there PvP in LEGO Fortnite? Can you move buildings and furniture in LEGO Fortnite? Image: PC Invasion Unfortunately‚ the only way to move builds in LEGO Fornite is to destroy them. The Cuddle Team Leader explains as much if you keep talking to her. Destroying objects is simple; just walk up to it and bash it with your hands. You can break most buildings and furniture in a few well-placed hits. Just remember not to do this with equipment like a Forest Axe equipped. If you hit a building with a tool‚ it takes much longer than doing it bare-handed‚ and you’ll eat through your item’s durability in the process. ...

The Fortnite/Lego collab is going to change how we play the battle royale. Apart from having a new survival-based mode and Lego-based skins‚ it also looks like the world will change as you move around. Are worlds randomly generated in Lego Fortnite? When you create a world — or join one in Lego Fortnite’s universe — you will be placed in a randomly generated world. This is akin to how Minecraft plays as every time the player enters the level‚ it’s never the same as it was before. Since the Lego mode is all about building‚ randomly created worlds make things far more interesting.  Related: LEGO Fortnite: Squad and server size‚ explained Having the level randomly created each time is a good move. Because every match you go into‚ you’ll need to do different tactics. With building and creating‚ the random worlds make you more engaged. This way‚ it can feel like you’re improving the meta of the game overall.  Screenshot: Lego ...

LEGO Fortnite is here! The new open-world survival mode has a ton of content for players to check out‚ including a bevy of crafting options. One component players need to gather more than others‚ especially early on‚ is wood‚ and we’ve got some tips and tricks for farming this precious material. LEGO Fortnite: Best ways to farm wood Materials for making beds‚ shacks‚ and essential village components are all going to require wood. Similar to Minecraft‚ you’re going to want to get a head start on gathering as much as you can. While most of us are going to begin by smacking trees down with our bare hands‚ there are some other methods players will want to take advantage of to get the most wood out of their efforts. Here are some easy methods to farm wood. Craft a Forrest Axe at the crafting bench‚ whether it’s Common or Uncommon‚ and this will be an easy way for players to gather it. The alligator boss‚ which spawns around...

If you want to make crossbows‚ shields‚ and more cool stuff in LEGO Fortnite‚ you need to know how to make Silk Thread and Cord. Here’s how to make Silk Thread and Cord in LEGO Fortnite. For both Silk Thread and Cord‚ you first need to make a Spinning Wheel (after you unlock that building recipe‚ of course). To make a Spinning Wheel‚ you need eight Planks‚ five Wooden Rods‚ five Wood‚ and five Wolf Claw. You’ll get Planks and Wooden Rods from a Lumber Mill and I’ve found Wolf Claws from chests in the Grasslands biome‚ but they obviously drop from wolves‚ too. How to create Silk Thread in LEGO Fortnite Image: PC Invasion Once your Spinning Wheel is built‚ place it in your base. Ideally‚ you’ll place it in an area that has a ceiling so you can still use it when it’s raining. In the Spinning Wheel menu‚ you’ll see Cord‚ Silk Thread‚ Drawstring‚ and Wool Thread. Related: How to Upgrade a Crafting Bench in LEGO For...

Big media outlets‚ including The New York Times and The Washington Post‚ last week called out former President Donald Trump for slamming Obamacare‚ opining that such a move was a big mistake.    Not so fast.   The truth is that Obamacare‚ formally known as the Affordable Care Act‚ failed to deliver on its high-profile promises‚ especially to control health care costs. In fact‚ insurance premiums continue to rise and Americans’ personal choices of coverage options are considerably fewer than before Congress enacted the national health care law.   The facts are stark: In 2013‚ the year before Obamacare took effect‚ the national average monthly premium paid in the individual insurance market was $244. In 2023‚ the average benchmark premium for plans in the Obamacare insurance exchange was $464 per month. For 2024‚ average monthly premiums are expected to reach $483. In other words‚ the results are exactly the opposite of what President Barack Obama promised in 2009 and 2010.   As for personal choice and competition‚ the Obamacare insurance exchanges are still 24% less competitive than the individual market before the Affordable Care Act was enacted. In 2013‚ before Obamacare took effect‚ almost 400 plans offered insurance coverage in the individual market. By 2023‚ there were only 300 plans. While premiums climb and choices narrow‚ the number of Americans dependent on government health care continues to grow. Enrollment in Medicaid (the welfare program for the poor) grew from 36 million in 2013 to 90 million in 2023. And 14 million Americans now depend on government subsidies to offset high premium costs for coverage purchased through the government exchanges. My colleague Edmund Haislmaier‚ a senior fellow in health policy at The Heritage Foundation‚ dug deeper into the details. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.) Haislmaier found that from 2014 through 2021‚ enrollment in individual coverage (mainly subsidized through the exchanges) was about 30% higher than before Obamacare. He found that average Medicaid enrollment was about 20% higher‚ while average enrollment in employment-based group coverage was about 2% lower. Worse‚ the Biden administration’s response is to paper over rising health care costs with more government spending from the pockets of hardworking Americans. That’s not the solution‚ it’s the problem.   Consider‚ for example‚ the inappropriately named Inflation Reduction Act. The new law extended what was supposed to be a temporary COVID-19-related emergency action to make existing health insurance subsidies more generous. The law not only made the subsidies more generous for those who already were eligible; it also lifted the income limit so that almost everyone‚ regardless of income‚ is eligible for a government subsidy. While set to expire in 2025‚ it’s clear the intent is to make them permanent.  Meanwhile‚ the Biden administration continues to push states to expand their swollen Medicaid programs and urges states not to be too aggressive in checking to see who is still eligible for the program‚ post-COVID-19.   The status quo isn’t sustainable. Americans need change. Conventional wisdom says that after the Senate’s miserable failure to replace Obamacare in 2017‚ any serious congressional effort at health reform ended. The conventional wisdom‚ as usual‚ is wrong. Important work is already underway. House Republicans already are moving legislation to incorporate important policies that pick up where the last administration left off. More can be done to expand patient control over health care dollars and decisions‚ to offer more coverage choices and options‚ and to give states much needed flexibility to better design their health care markets.  Congress has taken some important steps. For example‚ House committees advanced major initiatives to make prices transparent and to change health savings accounts to expand patient control. To complement these worthwhile measures‚ Congress also should make it possible for patients to benefit from making cost-conscience decisions. Today‚ an insurance plan (and by association‚ employers and the government) can reap the savings of a patient who chooses a lower cost service option. The limitations that prevent a patient from personally sharing in these savings should be removed. Policymakers also should take steps to expand the number of affordable coverage options available to individuals and families. Employers should be able to band together to form associations and expand those health coverage options to other groups outside employment arrangements. And those who need temporary‚ gap coverage should have the option to purchase limited-duration health insurance. Employer options should be expanded to move from a defined-benefit model to a defined-contribution model to deliver health care benefits. Just as with measures to give parents alternatives to failing public schools‚ individuals enrolled in the Medicaid program should have the choice to enroll in a private health plan of their choice.   Finally‚ Congress should give states more flexibility in meeting the health care needs of their citizens. States shouldn’t be locked into Washington’s one-size-fits-all straitjacket. States should be able to innovate and experiment with the best ways to deliver health care that expands coverage‚ increases competition‚ and lowers costs. The Biden administration‚ however‚ is frustrating change and innovation.   Americans have waited far too long for patient-centered health care. The right policies to accomplish this goal are ready and available.   Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Time to Revive the Debate Over Obamacare appeared first on The Daily Signal.