Matthias Kronsteiner: Futurism of Bassoon

M   odified #3 is the modification and expansion of sound... a future of what can be done electronically with timbre... a full composition from one sound, manipulated and transformed into many sounds.”
  — Gene Pritsker.

T   he three solo pieces by Till Körber, Christof Cech, and David Lang each push the boundaries of bassoon playing in their own unique way.”
  — Matthias Kronsteiner.

P lease have a listen to ‘modified’, a wonderful CD by bassoonist Matthias Kronsteiner and collaborators Lisa Preimesberger (bass clarinet), Thomas Frey (flute), Ernst Weissensteiner (double bass), Philipp Sageder (voice), and Gene Pritsker (electronics; percussion), a CD to be released this coming Tuesday by CCR/Naxos. The disc opens with two movements from Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasilieras No. 6, W392, but the rest of the recording consists of new compositions by Till Körber, Christof Cech, Gernot Wolfgang, David Lang, Johannes Berauer, and Gene Pritsker.


    [40-sec clip, Matthias Kronsteiner, Heitor Villa-Lobos, ‘Bachianas brasilieras No. 6, W392 – Ária (chôro)’; (track 1), 2011, 1.3MB MP3]

V  illa-Lobos’s entry into the Parisian art world took place in 1922, immediately before Modern Art Week in São Paulo. The composer was invited to a lunch in the studio of the painter Tarsila do Amaral where he met up with, among others, the poet, painter, and film-maker Jean Cocteau. After the lunch, the artists became engrossed in a lively conversation which drifted into a discussion on the art of musical improvisation. Villa-Lobos... sat down [at do Amaral’s grand piano] to improvise. Cocteau, known for his boutades and his playful behavior, sat underneath the piano on the ground, ‘so I can hear better.’ At the end of Villa-Lobos’s improvisation, however, Cocteau returned to his chair and launched a ferocious attack on what he had heard: in his opinion, the music presented by the composer was not futuristic at all, probably no more than an emulation of the styles of Debussy and Ravel. Villa-Lobos immediately began furiously improvising more. Cocteau, though, remained intransigent, questioning this time whether true improvisation could be made in this way, played-to-order. The two artists began a heated ‘discussion’ and thought about exchanging blows. Some years later, David Bowie took up improvising impromptu lyrics and melodies in this manner, the grandeur and menace of ‘Heroes’, and all.”
  — Paulo Renato Guérios, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, 2006.

    [30-sec clip, Matthias Kronsteiner, David Lang, ‘Press Release’; (track 6), 2011, 1.2MB MP3]

T he brilliant pieces that make up this disc are each virtuosic in their own way. Agogic emphases at downward leaps and fast passages with wide-ranging excursions spanning the entire range of the instrument provide lots of dramatic interest. One senses an affectionate irony in writing things that make the bassoon do extremely dangerous leaps, with a high probability of hard landings. The cumulative effect of these essentially asserts the concreteness and everydayness of [virtuosic] bassoon-playing, denying its mystical, expressive side as the performer navigates these hazards. That the attempt is ultimately successful, and that it is carried off with panache, takes it beyond the everyday, though, and turns it into something redemptive or transcendent (something like playing Czerny at-tempo).

T here are lyrical, genuinely lovely passages and other spiky, vehement ones. The quality is incontestable throughout, compositions and performances of excellent artistry. To this are added the promised merits of inventiveness of ‘futuristic’ timbres—both in the individual [analog and digital] sounds, and in the formulas and orchestrations, which at times assemble themselves into pantheistic sonic agglomerations where the Great Unity cannot be separated into constituent parts (esp. the Pritsker piece).

T he minimalism that is evident in several of the works—notably the Lang piece—is like looking at a portrait for many tens of minutes, to understand and enjoy its charm. Beyond a certain limit, it becomes a form of Zen meditation or hypnosis. Whatever it is, it is enjoyable and valuable.

C omposers Concordance Records (link below) production values are excellent. The studio recording and engineering processes have nicely captured the all of the expressive bassoonism here—athletic, taut key-presses; sharp attacks; emphatic articulations—particularly on Kronsteiner’s playing in the pulsatile Lang and Cech pieces. Never too much key-noise or reed and breath sibilants... just enough so that you feel like you are there, as if up-close in a live performance.

T he intimacy of this Studio Weinberg recording is captivating. There are beginnings, middles, and endings in these pieces—they are not entirely linear, and they always have intriguing complexities, but they are not severe ones that diminish their accessibility or joy. This is no priceless ceramic vase or objet d’art or museum gallery! The pieces on this CD invite you to friend them and use them.

• Kronsteiner M. modified_music for bassoon. (CCR, 2011.)
  
• Composers Concordance Records
  
• Matthias Kronsteiner website
  
• Johannes Berauer on MySpace
  
• David Lang website
  
• Gene Pritsker website
  
• Gernot Wolfgang website
  
• Tonstudio Weinberg, Prager Bundesstraße B 310, A-4292 Kefermarkt
  
• Heitor Villa-Lobos free scores for Bachianas brasilieras at IMSLP.org [not public-domain in U.S.]
  
• Heitor Villa-Lobos website
  
• Appleby D. Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life. Scarecrow, 2002.
  
• Béhague G. Villa-Lobos: The Search for Brazil’s Musical Soul. Univ Texas, 1994.
  
• Peppercorn L. Villa-Lobos, the Music: An Analysis of His Style. Stefan De Haan, tr. Kahn & Averill, 1991.
  
• Tarasti E. Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Life and Works. McFarland, 2000.
  
• Wright S. Villa-Lobos. Oxford and New York: Oxford Univ, 1992.

[Matthias Kronsteiner, Christof Cech, ‘New Waves’, 2010]

S   ome years ago, I was interviewing for a quant job on Wall Street and, as one of the provocations to challenge the poise of his interviewee, the head of the firm abruptly asked whether I had ever been with a mulata brasiliera. I did not laugh. I replied, No, I was happily married, but I had been with Bachianas Brasilieras Nos. 1 through 6 and found them deeply intriguing and satisfying. He did not laugh. I do not know if it was a good enough answer.”
  — DSM.

3: Shaun Attwood and Mum Q&A at Aik Saath

4: Shaun Attwood and Mum Q&A at Aik Saath

1: Shaun Attwood and Mum Q&A at Aik Saath

2: Shaun Attwood and Mum Q&A at Aik Saath

1: Shaun Attwood's Mum Speaks to Young People at Aik Saath

2: Shaun Attwood's Mum Speaks to Young People at Aik Saath

Butler Wins!!

I am thrilled to report that my Welterweight Client Ardrick Butler scored a victory last evening at the Arena is South Philly. He prevailed in a unanimous decision over William Williams of North Carolina. Ardrick knocked Williams down hard in the 3rd round and it looked like a KO was imminent. However, Williams has a hard jaw and got up to continue. 5 of 6 rounds went to Butler on the score cards and he looked good throughout the match. his record now improves to 7-4 with 3 KO's and we are on to the next bout...

T-Bone v Anonymous

T-Bone - Radiating power and strength, this deeply-spiritual massively-built African-American towers over most inmates. He is a prison gladiator with more stab wounds than Julius Caesar. A good man to have on your side.

Anonymous wrote: 

Enough with the god nonsense. If a god existed that was even remotely merciful or loving, T-Bone wouldn't be in the situation he or those people are in. God has plans for T-Bone by ruining his life and making him caretaker over sexually abused criminals? I think T-Bone exaggerates his stories and relies on the god bit to garner support or sympathy for being a thug who still gets into trouble and can't keep his hands off people. This is what you get when you deal with irrational thinkers and people who believe in silliness like bronze age bible myths. Playing the god bit to justify violence and being in jail is sickening. If this is what is considered a hero to some readers, they need to get out more.

T-Bone responded:

Why be so negative because I trust in God? I’ve made a lot of stupid mistakes, and I can look myself in the mirror and say I’ve changed. I don’t use people or pretend to be someone I’m not. God has gifted me with abilities, and I allow him to work through me.

Because of your attitude, I believe that you have either been pushed around or you have been pushing people around.

I make no excuses for my behavior, and I’ve made a conscious decision to never come back to being a prisoner. I am into working, finding a decent woman, and living life to its fullest.

Another thing: the guards and administration don’t do anything about rape. I am no hero. Jesus is. He gives me the ability to do right. If Christ wasn’t in my heart, I would just sit back and do nothing like the rest of the naysayers. God is love, and love is action. I believe people should stand up when God calls them to do so. He will protect you and guide you if you trust in him completely.

So whoever you are who doesn’t believe because you “get out a lot,” I’d like to meet you one day, and show you the scars on my body from standing up and being worldly. I hope that will show you that you can’t push the truth aside

Peace to you, Anonymous. I will pray for you.

T-Bone 

Click here to join the T-Bone on Facebook

Click here for T-Bone previous fight story T-Bone v Fierce

Click here for T-Bone rearrested.

Links to the Kindle ebook: T-Bone:
Click here for the UK version. 
Click here for the US version. 
Or download to your PC or any other device from Lulu.com.
All proceeds going to help T-Bone in prison.

Shaun Attwood  

Vintage Lehigh Athletics

One of the admirable things about Patriot League teams: Lehigh, Colgate, Bucknell et al...and to some extent Ivy League teams...and West Point and Annapolis for sure and certainly many others....is the play of "scholar athletes." These teams are made up of kids who actually go to class and have real majors. Not like some Florida Football factory where the running back majors in Wallet Making or Plant Watering and gets cash and cars on the down low from loaded Alums who show up in 200 K RV's on Wed. for Saturday's game.
"Scholar Athletes" at schools like the service acadamies have serious course loads and very rigorous academic standards to maintain....not to mention the Naval/Military sciences they study. If these kids flunk they have to pay back the Government.
I admire these athletes tremendously for their dedication and discipline.

Last Lacrosse Post of the Season

This weekend my son played on the Philly Fever Tournament team at the Patriot Game Tournament in Pipersville, PA. This Tournament is huge and features teams from as far away as Colorado and Connecticut. Our kids finished 5th overall in the Tournament winning 3 out of 5 games. My son scored a "highlight reel" goal in the secind game yesterday for the first goal of the game. He was playing attack in the 1st Quarter and received a well placed pass during a fast break....he buried a blistering shot high to the upper right corner of the cage...over the Goalie's right shoulder. He was the recipient of the requisite chest bumps by his team mates and some praise fromn his otherwise laconic coach. I was practically delirious with pride and received some great comments from other team parents! I was really most happy for the sense of accomplishment this gave my boy as he was trepidatious about this team and in a moment of self deprecation confided to me that he thought all the other kids were better players than him. On the car ride home, I inquired if he still felt that way...he smiled and said he did not. I told him I was very proud of how he played in all 5 games and that the goal (and 2 assists) he had should convince him he is good enough to play at this level and indeed better than a few other attackmen on the squad. I also reinforced that regardless of how I felt...he should be proud of himself and be confident about his skills.Indeed, one of his assists was on a tie breaking goal that ended up winning the game for the team!
It was a blistering hot weekend here in Pennsylvania so we all made sure the kids "hydrated" before,during and after the games and the Coach made frequent substitutions to keep the boys from fatigue. It was sweltering for the spectators as well as the players and the fields were rock hard and dry. The Tournament organizers also shortened the games fro 2 24 minute halves to 2 18 minute halves due to the conditions. It was a well run and organized event and the kids jad a blast. This signals the end of organized lacrosse for the Summer until Fall Leagues and Tuournaments commence in October.

P.S. For those following along on the scorecard, my son is seated on the first row. far right....good looking kid if I do say so myself....takes after his Mom of course!

Attacked by Alan Kurtz

Last month my book, Hard Time, was reviewed at Blogcritics by Greg Barbrick. This week I received an invitation from Blogcritics to submit reviews, which I accepted.

With 1 in 100 adults in prison in America, interest is high in prison memoirs. Having read that genre extensively, I figured it would be in the public interest to write my first review about the prison memoir I enjoyed the most, which happens to be Mother California by Kenneth Hartman. I submitted my review last night, and went to bed.

I woke up this morning to an article written by Alan Kurtz who is banned from Blogcritics. He is accused of creating “a personal site solely to embarrass and diminish the reputation of our writers.” Which is exactly what he has tried to do to me.

By focussing on my crimes and the crimes of the author of Mother California, Alan hasn’t balanced his article out by stating how myself and Kenneth Hartman have and are still presently taking measures to redeem ourselves. Kenneth, who is never getting out of prison and takes full responsibility for his life sentence, is constantly campaigning for human rights. I’m getting emails all week long from students who have heard my talk to schools such as this one a few days ago:

You came into my school this week to talk about your life so far. Firstly your talk was amazing (and so was your life it would appear) it was the highlight of almost everyone’s day. Secondly I have also recently started taking some of the less hardcore drugs as a follow on from smoking. I didn't really see how a few highs here and there could cause a problem, but your story really spoke to me. Thanks for taking the time to come in to my school

Click here for more testimonials.

Alan also seems surprised that my prison blog features stories about criminals. Well, duh! By focussing on BHF’s story as told by BHF, Alan implies that I somehow condone BHF’s acts of violence and torture, which is simply untrue. Alan even extends this implication to the reader comments following BHF’s story.

Alan this may be news to you but Jon’s Jail Journal is a platform for prisoners to share their stories, and for readers to make their own minds up and post their opinions.

Alan, you might stand a chance of getting reinstated as a Blogcritics writer if you stop diminishing the reputation of writers by painting biased pictures of people to suit your own purposes.

Shaun Attwood

Medical Issues (Part 1 by Lifer Renee)

Renee – Only a teenager, she received a 60-year sentence. Now 15 years in, Renee is writing from Perryville prison in Goodyear, Arizona, providing a rare and unique insight into a women's prison.

For the past nine months, I’ve had either an earache, headache, sore throat, light-headedness, or nausea. I’ve lost at least 20lbs. If it ends in ache, I’ve felt it. I thought I had a bug and it would pass, but it hasn’t.

I woke up one morning three weeks ago with an earache and a sore throat. Tired of not feeling well, I decided to report it to Medical. I got a Health Needs Request form (HNR), and sat down at the metal desk in my cell. It was silent and I was alone. I stared at the blank page, unsure what to say, where to start, how to describe what is wrong with me.

The pen hit the paper and my long list of symptoms poured onto the page. I asked to be tested for diabetes, thyroid, anemia, infections and cancer. When I read what I’d wrote, I felt a little like a hypochondriac.

Panic set in. My palms began to sweat. I rubbed my hands on my pants and walked the HNR to the drop box, telling myself, It is better to know you are a hypochondriac than really being sick. I dropped the HNR. My day ended with more questions and concerns than I’ve had in a long time.

Click here for Renee’s previous blog

Shaun Attwood

Aquatic Sportsman

The Archer fish....found in brackish estuaries in Australia and Polynesia....these cool little hunters shoot water from their mouths and zap land based insects. When the prey is hit by the stream and falls into the water, the Archerfish has a meal.
An archerfish shoots water by squeezing its gill covers. That pushes water forward along the roof of its mouth.The roof of the mouth has a small channel or groove to concentrate the hydo-force. The stream of water can fly more than 3 feet (90 centimeters) in the air.
This fish fascinates me as an example of Darwinian adaptation. On a more remedial level, how cool is it that this fish hunts by spitting!

True Stories Told Live

These pics just came in from a story-telling event I did earlier this month in London called True Stories Told Live. I was one of six speakers. I only had ten minutes to talk, not easy to do as I'm used to speaking for one-hour. The event sold out. The audience was about 240 people.

 Impression of T-Bone

Impression of my former cellmate, BHF, a serial home invader torturer who would break into houses and take a hammer to people's kneecaps.

 Impression of Xena about to cut his man parts off.

Video of me high on the buzz of telling my story at TSTL. It was an amazing experience and any raconteurs who would like to give it a go should contact David Hepworth or Kerry Shale at TSTL. 

Shaun Attwood

Helter Swelter

It is hot in the Quaker City today....indeed all over the nation we are getting a simulated Equatorial ass whooping. As Eugene says in "Biloxi Blues"..."like Africa hot..."
I walked across the street to the bank for the morning deposit and the heat pressed up from the sidewalk like a blow torch. Yesterday walking fromn the garage to the office I sweated thru another suit. It really sucks. In an effort to change my perspective I fondly perused pictures from our Family trip last year to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. One of the things we really enjoy as a Family is skiing. I guess I spoiled my kids on the the Slopes of Utah when I took them to the 2002 Winter Olympics. They scoff the icy hard slopes of Vermont and New York where I skiied my entire youth. I cannot really blame them because Utah or Colorado just eclipses the East Coast for downhill pursuits.
It cools me off just to look at these pictures and remember the cold and biting dry Rocky Mountain air and the great Winter atmosphere of Steamboat. So when I am melting on the way back to get my car this evening, I can mentally travel back to a time when I needed Gortex and hollofil to be comfortable. Like my Grandfather used to say: "When it's cold you can always put something else on...but when it's too hot ...once your bare ass there is nowhere to go."

Woking Waterstone's Book Signing

Even with the much appreciated help of my assistant Charlotte, we only sold three copies of Hard Time in the first hour.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Charlotte said.

“I’m praying for heavy rain, so they’ll come to the mall,” I said. “A lot of students from SJB have been sending me messages on Facebook saying they are going to show up, but students are so fickle, you never know.”

Earlier in the week, I spoke at Saint John the Baptist School (SJB) in Woking. Hundreds of students packed into a room with no seats. They ended up being one of the most responsive audiences yet, laughing riotously when I told them about Frankie sticking a love letter under my cell door, proposing we have a gay prison marriage. I departed with a big smile on my face.

Around lunch time, SJB students started to arrive. Followed by more students. Then even more students. Students with parents. SJB students with students from other schools. Students in gangs of four and five. And none of them left. They filled up half of the store. More and more students. So many that the customers had a hard time getting to the tills. Customers watched fascinated as Charlotte shot photos and videos. Some onlookers, infected by the buzz, bought the book. I was signing books solidly for an hour.


Video: talking to students.

Two students, including Kassia (centre) and Anna, dressed up in jail outfits and handed flyers out in the mall.

At least five different parents showed up to thank me for the influence the talk had had on their children.

“My son has being going on about your talk all week,” said a parent. “He never speaks to me right after school. I ask him how his day has been and he just grunts alright. The day of your talk, we couldn’t shut him up. He went on and on and on, and he’s still talking about it.”

Video: Feedback from eloquent SJB student on my talk.

With Daniel from my BodyCombat class.

After the incident with the mechanical cockroach and the security guards at the Watford mall, I was concerned that Kassia and Anna would get told off for handing flyers out by the security guards in the Woking mall. When these two security guards burst into Waterstone's wielding walkie-talkies that were crackling like crazy, I braced to be reprimanded. I was surprised and delighted that they had arrived on the scene to buy the Hard Time.
 

With Hannah (of the palindromic name).

A big thank you to the SJB parents and students who showed up at the signing, especially the students handing flyers out. The store had sold out of books by 2.30pm, almost 50 copies, and we got to leave early.

Click here for the previous signing blog.

The next four book signings are in August: Southport, Chester, Manchester and Guildford. Click here for full details.

Shaun Attwood   

Friday Belt

I am shamelessly stealing a Post Title from The Trad. Well, borrowing actually...and it certainly is not the type of belt Tin-Tin would describe. Here we see the USBA Championship belt carried by the Title holder/Champ last evening at Bally's in Atlantic City.
After a long week toiling in the trenches of the Law, the Sportsman decided it was time for a Sportsman's day. So, I bugged out of the office early yesterday and picked up my faithful buddy and fellow Sportsman, Linc. We headed to Germantown Cricket Club for lunch and an afternoon of tennis and some gym time. Then we lazed by the pool until 5 p.m. and hopped in Linc's limo at 6:30 for a rolling Happy Hour on the way to A.C. The comestibles featured Mount Gay Extra Old on the rocks with a squeeze of Lime, Corona's and a huge bag of cashews. The fights were presented by my good friend and famous Hall of Fame boxing promoter,Russell Peltz of Peltz Boxing. It was a good card and each fight was more exciting than the last. I was lucky enough to get a picture with garret "the ultimate warrier" Wilson the Cruiserweight Champ who was carrying his USBA belt in a special custom suitcase.
We then hit the Craps tables for a few rolls of the bones and headed back to the Main Line with White House Hoagies on board.

Sportsmen's Ethics

The following was written by Joe Hackett and published in The Adirondack Daily Enterprise. I believe this is a quality piece and offers rules and lessons for those of us who take to the outdoors to hunt,fish,camp and explore.It is a bit long for the attention span of most of us Bloggers, but this Sportsman believes it to be worth the time.

ADIRONDACK DAILY ENTERPRISE COLUMN by Joe Hackett on May 28,2011:

There is always room for improvement in our personal outdoor behavior. Ethics are principles we apply to such behavior, even when we know nobody is watching. It is doing the right thing, simply because we know it is the right thing.

The effort may be as simple as picking up someone else's trash, releasing a foul hooked fish, or respecting a fellow hunter's territory. There's no award or pat on the back, just a personal sense of satisfaction.

We should conduct ourselves in a manner comparable to what we expect from others and extend a similar respect for fish, wildlife and the environment.

Many outdoor travelers like to believe they are the first to discover a special waterfall or visit a unique location, even when they know otherwise.

It may be an ancient compulsion retained in our genetic stew, a relic deeply recessed in our psyche that provides a dusty reminder of a time spent as hunter-gatherers.

This urge reveals an unwavering human curiosity to discover what lies beyond the far horizon. It is this inexplicable force that continues to draw climbers to Mount Everest, divers to the deep seas and astronauts into space.

Quite simply, it is our need for adventure and the unique sense of freedom that results from such experiences. However, we must realize that our sense of freedom and the adventures that accompany this travel are often limited by our own actions and the actions of others.

Royal Robbins, a well known climber and kayaker explained it when he wrote, "A simple equation exists between freedom and numbers: the more people, the less freedom."

Regardless of the remoteness or the wild character of the lands we travel, our personal sense of adventure can easily be diminished and even ruined due to the actions of others. If a cigarette butt is found discarded along a lonely trail, a worm container left floating on a remote pond or a banana peel left atop a soaring mountain, it is evidence of the hand of man and an intrusion on the natural landscape.

Whether on a trail, in the woods or on the water, all outdoor travelers should attempt to understand the needs and desires of fellow enthusiasts to encourage a spirit of goodwill and cooperation in the sharing and protection of our precious natural resources.

Passing on the tradition

The first book published on the principles of fishing with rod and reel was entitled "The Compleat Angler." Authored by Izaak Walton in 1653, it addressed the topic of sharing our outdoor experiences.

Walton understood the mentoring process, writing "As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler."

As far back as the 1650s, Walton knew the most effective method of instilling goodwill and cooperation among fellow outdoor travelers is best accomplished by example. This remains true in 2011.

Most outdoorsmen and women didn't just pop out of bed one morning to declare, "I'm going to become an outdoor enthusiast today."

It simply doesn't happen that way. We learn our outdoors skills somehow, somewhere, from someone largely by hands-on experience.

Surveys indicate the vast majority of outdoor travelers acquire original sporting knowledge from experiences with a mentor. Typically a father or a friendly uncle is the cited provider. Angling is the usual introductory activity.

As part of the process, most sportsmen report receiving instruction on the basics of outdoor travel and learning how to bait a hook, cast a line and catch a fish. Rarely is there mention of the ethical aspects of outdoor endeavors.

More often, we develop our personal outdoor and sporting ethics through observation. We are taught to respect our elders and we learn by mimicking their behavior.

Although outdoor travelers comprise a very diverse fraternity of men and women, it is quite surprising to consider our commonality. Most outdoor travelers we meet, whether afield or afloat, share similar interests and/or backgrounds.

We may not be mirror images, but the resemblance is often undeniable. The complete angler of today is an ethical angler, sporting a wide grin.

Etiquette matters

We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home, in towns and cities. -Nessmuk, 1863

I believe the most successful outdoor traveler is the one having the most fun, and the second most successful traveler is the person sharing that experience. Yet sharing often causes problems.

Unfortunately, the majority of outdoor travelers rarely distribute evenly throughout our wild lands. The most concentrated use is typically found within a few specific locations contained in a few specific wilderness areas, where the vast majority of people journey to seek solitude.

In fact, over half of all travelers utilize less than 10 percent of the total designated wilderness in the Adirondacks. Additionally, most backcountry travel occurs on less than 10 percent of the total trail miles.

Research indicates visitation patterns are unevenly distributed and certain seasons tend to be more popular. Weekend and holiday use is always high, with weekends attracting five times the traffic as weekdays. Travelers are likely to find the highest degree of solitude during midweek or off-season.

The ability to get along with fellow outdoor travelers is really a matter of treating others as you would expect to be treated. However, there are a few rules beyond simply extending common courtesy.

Respect privacy and peace of mind by maintaining a sensible distance at all times on the trail or the water and when making camp. Be as quiet as possible and speak in low tones, especially in the evening and near the water.

Travel light, travel right

There are a variety of concepts used to explain the idea of responsible recreation. However, the popular framework established by the Leave No Trace (LNT) program offers some of the finest and most widely accepted principles for enjoying the outdoors with minimal impact.

Originally, the LNT program was established for backpackers in order to provide a simple set of environmentally sensitive methods that, when properly applied, would insure a satisfying and sustainable outdoor experience for everyone involved.

The LNT ethic employs a common sense approach to outdoor travel and incorporates seven basic tenets:

Plan ahead and prepare

Travel and camp on durable surfaces

Dispose of waste properly

Leave what you find

Minimize campfire impacts

Respect wildlife

Be considerate of other visitors

All outdoor travelers, regardless of recreational pursuit, should make an effort to enjoy the outdoors without the risk of spoiling anyone else's experience, or the environment in the process.

Most outdoor enthusiasts understand this concept and they are willing to invest the time to restore, enhance and conserve the backcountry for the benefit of all.

Woking Waterstone's Book Signing This Saturday

I shall be signing copies of Hard Time on Saturday July 16th, 2011 - Waterstone's, Unit 44, The Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6GD (01483 767 564) from 11am until 4pm. Map.

Click here for the previous book signing blog

Shaun Attwood

From Polish Avenger (Letter 4)

Polish Avenger - A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were both committing. Author of the classic "Shit Slinger" series.

Hello there, Old Bean!

Yes, believe it or not, you are indeed reading that most scarce of commodities, that superbly rare item, that additionally overdramatic superlative description – a letter from yours truly! Yes, contrary to rumours and myth, they do still exist. And I do apologize for the exceptional doldrums in my writing.

A number of things all collided and put my mind quite out of the literary mode for a while, no great crises or tragedies, more of a gradual slide into the tamasic realm of sloth, indolence and distraction. But I’m sloughing all that off now, and reinvigorating. It just may be time to re-emerge from out ’neath the proverbial rock I’ve been living under.

The fellows here carry on as they do. T-Bone dropped by to visit us for a short while. Jack’s chemo is coming along quite well. Stubborn old Marine. Foot wheels him out to the field where they park the wheelchair, then Jack proceeds to wear him out with various callisthenics, and walking laps with a cane. We joke that that’s the way they do chemo in the Corps! His spirits are pretty high, too, and we’ve even got him back to painting a little. Leukemia’s a real bastard to beat, but if anyone’s got a fighting chance, it’s our boy Jack.

Click here for Shit Slingers V.
Click here for Letter 3 from Polish Avenger.

Our friends inside appreciate your comments.

Shaun Attwood  

Review of Hard Time by Greg Barbrick at Blogcritics

"English Shaun" Attwood was a British expatriate living the high life as a stockbroker by day, and an Ecstasy-dealing raver by night. The combination of big money and lots of drugs is always a bad one, but it became a nearly fatal one for him. You see, Attwood's crimes took place in Phoenix, Arizona - home of the notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The abuses, graft, violent conflicts of interest, and other crimes committed in Arpaio's jails have been documented before. But never by someone who spent two years inside.

Attwood's new book, Hard Time: Life with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in America's Toughest Jail describes the conditions of the (then) young man's stint in these "temporary" holding facilities. The author was being housed in these jails before being actually sentenced to prison. The reason he was unable to bail out was that his was set at $1.5 million, a figure much higher than Arizona's finest murderers routinely receive. The result of his ordeal is this sickening account of absolute sadism under the guise of law and order.

The jail environment is not supposed to be a pleasant one. But how bad should it be allowed to get? It seems Sheriff Arpaio's mission is to find out just how far he can push things. The inmate death toll under his watch is the highest in the nation. In these jails, an integral part of the food supply is baloney sandwiches, made from moldy bread and a green baloney that is delivered in boxes stamped "Not Fit for Human Consumption."

There is no system of air-conditioning at all (remember, this is Arizona - where temperatures often top 100 degrees), and the medical care is non-existent. Evidently the cockroaches feed off the pus generated by the MRSA-infected sores of spider bites.

While reading Hard Time, I often cringed at some of the situations Attwood described. Some of these instances seem to come straight out of the old HBO series OZ. While the author admits his guilt right up front, and expects to do prison time, we need to remember where all of these deaths and other atrocities are occurring. Sherriff Arpaio's jails are holding people accused of crimes. Nobody there has been convicted or sentenced yet. Have we reached the point where the mere filing of a charge is enough to send someone to this type of hell hole?

Shaun Attwood was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison for his drug activities. He has since been released, and now speaks to teens as an anti-drug crusader. He also says that the two years he spent waiting to be sentenced in Arpaio's jails were far worse than the nine he spent in prison.

What makes Hard Time so readable is Attwood's obvious talent as a first time writer. There is no "woe is me" tone present, or prevarication about his being non-violent crimes. He takes his lumps, but he also shows just how ridiculous the whole situation there is. For example, he claims that he had never seen as much crystal meth on the outside as he did on the inside. Meth is a particularly nasty drug to have floating around in an already extremely dangerous environment. He is very lucky to have survived for two years.

There are also a number of humanizing moments, that he and his various cell mates share over time. These little glimpses of humanity in the midst of such squalor open up this tale to the rest of us. I certainly could not help wondering what I would do if faced with such a situation. Yes, of course, jail is intended as a deterrent, but this is like being thrown into the lion's den.

Hard Time is a fascinating first-time book, and an eye-opening look at what is going on in the Phoenix jail system. This trampling of basic human rights needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, it seems Arpaio has so much power as to be immune. Just ask the former publisher of Arizona's New Times newspaper, who was arrested in 2007 while investigating the abuses of the jail system. The investigation ended immediately.

Hopefully Shaun Attwood's new book will cast more light on this intolerable situation. It is a harrowing, and at times oddly humorous account of life in hell. I only wish it was a fictional tale, because things like this should not be going on in America today. Hard Time is eye-opening, to say the least.

Link to the previous review

Link to the previous review by a prisoner

Sighting In-Careful

My fellow hunter and Club member Sandy sent me these photos. Sandy is a retired State Police Sniper and a Marine who saw significant active duty in Viet Nam. He was a door gunner on a chopper after recovering from taking bullets in the leg during a firefight on the ground. he spent many years with the N.J. State Police. The guy can drive nails with a .22 from 200 yards.
Sandy is a wizard with guns and ballistics and related topics...he is also a damn fine guy with whom to spend time in a duck blind or smoking a cigar with after dinner. These pictures show what happens if one is not methodical and careful. All of us hunters spend considerable time sighting in a deer rifle. This takes time, a good 100 yard firing range, a spotting scope and a steady hand. We also pattern our shotguns and practice as much as possible.
The poor schmuck who sat at the bench to sight in this rifle forgot to remove the bore sighting mechanism from the muzzle...and the result is quite horrible.

Sporting Cigarette Silks

Long before Don Draper was shagging every wench he saw and pimping Lucky Strikes to the masses, Tobacco Companies were employing tricks and premiums to encourage purchase of their smokes over those of the competition. Around the turn of the century...the last one....Cigarette companies offered "silks" featuring various themes. Each theme was usually a series...such as the college athletes from Cornell, Navy and Lehigh noted above. You can see the print add now: "Buy Acme Brand cigarettes and complete your athletic series before your friends!"
These items are becoming more and more rare and are quite sought after by collectors. I have found a few when scavenging around flea markets and antique shows. I was particularly excited to find the Lehigh Cricketeer...though I never saw any cricket going on up in Bethlehem when I was there mid 80's or even heard that it was played back when my Great Uncle was there early '30's.
These silks make a nice conversation piece when framed and displayed...essentially turn of the century baseball cards for grownups and University sports.