![]() ![]() It is important to get teachers on board with treatment for APD. Some children improve their symptoms and eventually outgrow the diagnosis. It will be important to teach the child to take an active role in being responsible for their listening, learning and communication. Treatment should be highly individualized and may change over time. Speech therapy, use of an assistive listening device (like a frequency modulation or FM system), computer programs, and school and home-based programs may be prescribed. Since children’s auditory systems do not become fully mature until age 15, they can make progress towards improving their listening skills over time. If a diagnosis is appropriate, there are different treatment options that may be recommended. What is the treatment for Auditory Processing Disorder? Auditory cohesion – a skill indicated and measured when the above skills are intact, this is higher-level language/listening: drawing inferences, understanding riddles, processing math problems presented orally.This is a common symptom of other neurodevelopmental disorders, so should be teased out. Auditory attention – maintaining focus to listen to a (developmentally appropriate) activity until its end – like a presentation or lecture.Auditory discrimination – often seen when a child confuses similar sounds, like CH/SH as in chew/shoe, or even coat/tote.Auditory memory – noted when a student has trouble remembering information, lists, or directions.Auditory figure-ground – the ability to filter out background noise and attend to information in the foreground, which is important in a busy classroom. ![]() Typically, when a child is around age 7 and older, in a sound-proof room, an audiologist will administer a series of tests and measures to identify APD, and then determine the nature and type of APD.Īs part of an evaluation for auditory processing disorder, there are 5 areas that an audiologist will assess to determine if a student meets the qualification criteria for APD. Only an audiologist can make a true assessment of the disconnect in the central auditory system and properly diagnose APD. How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?ĭiagnosis involves a multi-disciplinary team – a psychologist can determine a cognitive profile, a teacher or special education team can determine the academic impact, an occupational therapist can look at auditory sensitivity and other sensory processing challenges, and a speech and language pathologist will assess written/oral speech and language processing. When seeking a diagnosis, it is important to identify other symptoms that may be part of the above neurodevelopmental disorders, and rule such possibilities in or out. It is important to rule out the above developmental disorders and mention health disorders before identifying a true APD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and even some anxiety/depression symptoms may co-exist or mask APD. There are many other neurodevelopmental disorders that have similar presentations as Auditory Processing Disorder. Medical professionals have linked some cases of APD to illnesses such as chronic ear infections, head injuries, lead poisoning, prematurity, low birth weight, or genetic causes. To date, there are no known causes of auditory processing disorder. What causes Auditory Processing Disorder? ![]() The impact of this type of breakdown can have a negative social impact, present as a behavioral challenge, and if left untreated, can even lead to learning delays, struggles with self-esteem and anxiety/depression. Often, children with auditory processing difficulties function significantly better in a quiet, controlled environment. This difficulty is most noted in a loud complex environment, like a busy classroom, birthday party, sports event, restaurant or cafeteria, or even on the playground. It does not involve the comprehension of language.Ĭhildren with APD are thought to hear normally, but the breakdown is in how they distinguish the differences in sounds. Auditory Processing Disorder is not a learning disability or a loss of hearing. What is Auditory Processing Disorder?Īuditory Processing Disorder itself is a disruption in the brain/body connection – how the central nervous system processes auditory information (sound). Boys are more likely to be diagnosed than girls. It is noted that APD affects about 5% of school-aged children in the United States. Also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), it is important to realize the clinical nature of this disorder and some its intricacies, as many of the symptoms can present themselves as a subset of several other more common childhood disorders. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in awareness and concern for Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in children. ![]()
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![]() The sofas and chairs are then positioned around the rug, facing the fireplace and TV. A rectangular-shaped rug has been used in the center of the space that echoes the shape of the room. The truly refined soul knows that square feet and an ample budget hardly equate to superior taste, and a studio apartment is standing proof, as well as infinite potential. This living room is a classic rectangle shape, making it quite long and narrow. Not every man needs a sprawling estate or cosmopolitan high rise to indulge in the finer things the interior design world has to offer. ![]() Space may be precious in the studio apartment, but that is all the more reason to use it to its full advantage.Īlong with its cozy intimacy and convenient quarters, these to 60 best studio apartment ideas and designs are a chance to show off your style in a compatible space. Bold or understated, well-appointed or sparse in accoutrements, the limited perimeters of the studio make it an ideal backdrop for your own unique taste and perspective.Įvery wall and surface will take on a new meaning as you carefully select that favorite framed print or objet d’art to attract the eye and spark up conversation. If you have to have storage, stick to sleep or rest related items that are soft, like. design-forward gold-iron hairpin legs, and comes in four neutral shades: black, gray. (Image credit: James Merrell) Room divider ideas are useful for separating spaces, even in a small apartment. (if you want to keep the look of your studio calm then you can opt for 2 colors from the same palette. By painting one area a different hue you can give the illusion of a separate zone. Another way to create different zones is to use your paintbrush. Use built-in furniture to divide and conquer. Divide a studio apartment by using different paint colors. These small flats are ideal homes for the minimalist urban dweller. If possible, for a tiny apartment, avoid any storage under the bed. These desks will give you a tucked-away work-from-home area to fit neatly into a studio apartment, bedroom. As a small living room storage idea, for example, this will allow you to see the floor underneath, something that creates the illusion of space. The studio apartment - is a compact solution for urban living. From the swinging 60’s pads of James Bond to nouveau chic European models, as well as the timeless Manhattan atelier, there is truly no limit to the ways in which you can transform your studio space into a den worth envying. If possible, do all you can to employ the typical feng shui bedroom suggestions like: having your bed in command, get a headboard against a wall, and maintain space on both sides of the bed. Find small cottage layouts, efficiency blueprints, cabin home designs & more Call 1-80 for expert. The beauty of the studio apartment is that one needn’t break the bank to achieve the best in design inspiration. The best studio apartment house floor plans. ![]() (301 square feet) studio apartment in Surgut, Russia, as designed for a young woman. A custom built staircase climbs up to the bedroom, using the same wood that makes up the compact kitchen and breakfast bar. Thanks to stifling rent hikes in America’s biggest cities, along with a new approach to smaller, trendier spaces, the studio apartment is fast becoming the must-have for discerning bachelors and aesthetes alike. A lofted bedroom area might seem like a natural solution for a super small space, but the design here is particularly well executed. Find small cottage layouts, efficiency blueprints, cabin home designs & more Call 1-80 for expert help. If your studio apartment is just one room with no interior walls to separate the sleeping area from the living area, you might be trying to figure out ways to create distinct zones to support your needs.The studio apartment was once viewed as something of a “little sibling” to the grander apartment, but time has proven its juvenile reputation wrong. The best studio apartment house floor plans. ![]() ![]() ![]() It is not over yet - you’ll need to enter the captcha symbols to prove that you are a real human being.You will receive a text message with the code. Using letters in upper and lower cases will help you form a stronger password. If your variant is considered to be weak, you’ll be told what to change, but why waste time if you can make it good right away? Just remember that it should contain at least 8 symbols, including letters and digits. By default, it asks for the mobile phone number.Install the Skype application on your personal desktop or laptop, open it and launch, and here we are: it asks us to log in or to create a new account. By the way, there are versions for different OSs, just choose the necessary one. The first thing that you need is to download the installation file. Creating a new Skype account on computer via the application The first part is about how to set up a Skype account on a laptop or desktop. Still, we’ll describe the process of setting it up in different environments step by step. ![]() In fact, it is easy!Īre there any differences between how to get a Skype account on a computer or to set it up on a mobile device? They are so small, almost non-existent. But is it really necessary? What if you don’t use any of its products at all? Well, this won’t stand on your way, all you need to create a Skype account is a mobile phone number or an email address. Many users do not like the fact that this service is now one of the Microsoft products and it demands a Microsoft account. Thanks to the flexible nature of this application, you can have it on different devices and go on the same talk switching from the desktop to your smartphone. And we can thank it for making the world a closer place and letting people from different sides of the Earth talk to each other as if they are in one room. Though there are alternatives which can be slimmer, better looking or have more options for every definite user, it is still one of the best free messengers. And it will be only fair to tell that it tries its best to go easy on its users. It has history, it has reputation, millions of people stick to it out of habit or because it is a convenient and powerful free tool matching their needs. In spite of all its drawbacks and sometimes weird decisions, Skype remains to be one of the leaders in the communication sphere. ![]() ![]() On top of free ringtone downloads, it is also known for its free themes, wallpapers, and more. Both start out strong, but the new addition ends smoother. Best Ringtones Net Zedge is perhaps the most popular ringtone site. Meanwhile, “Eureka” looks to replace “Popcorn” as the “Default notification sound.” Like the Cast update, Eureka is not as sharp and somewhat less surprising. This refinement is also much longer at 31 seconds. It shares the same structure and can best be seen as a softer evolution. It’s still available, but Google has added “Fresh Start” to the collection. “Bright Morning” is the current “Default alarm sound” and comes in at 12 seconds. Softer and less jarring, it very much reflected the friendly Nest visual and auditory design language.Ī similar upgrade has now come to Pixel phones with version 2.8 of the Sounds app included with Android 12 Beta 3. Original 7/14: At the start of this year, Google introduced a new tone when Cast is initiated on Smart Displays and speakers. ![]() Beta 4 also sees the official Android 12 Easter egg with dynamic colors. Your New Adventure’s availability with this release reflects how Google is finalizing even more user-facing aspects of the operating system before the public launch this fall. It’s a full 10 seconds longer than the previous default (“The Big Adventure”) and a bit more lively throughout. Update 8/11: With Android 12 Beta 4 today, “ Your New Adventure” is now available to use in Settings > Sound & vibration > Phone ringtone > Pixel Sounds. Android 12 Beta 3 introduces a trio of additions to the Sounds app, and they’re very likely the new/next Pixel defaults. Check out our guide explaining how to add new iPhone ringtones through iTunes, or how to create new ringtones on your iPhone.Besides wallpapers, Google lets owners customize the Pixel experience by making available a large collection of ringtones, notifications, and alarm sounds. You can't easily browse the file system like Android, so you'll have to perform some trickery with iTunes on your computer to convert a track into a ringtone. The new audio effects show up when you picking a notification sound for a particular app, too.įor iPhone users, this is a more difficult task. The NIOSH Sound Level Meter app gathers noise readings immediately, but needs several minutes to collect accurate averages. Then, go to Settings > Sound and tap Phone ringtone or Default notification sound to change them. Use a file manager app to move them from their current location (probably Downloads) to the Ringtones or Notifications folder in your phone's storage. On Android, you'll need to place the audio files into the appropriate folders, so the system recognizes them as ringtones and notifications. If you don't want to transfer anything, open this page on your phone and download the files directly on your device. You can use cloud storage like Dropbox, an easy-sharing app like Pushbullet, or just an old-fashioned USB cable. We've looked at the best ways to send files to your phone before. Sonic CD-Stardust Speedway Present (USA). ![]() Some of our favorite Sonic sounds and tracks are: Thus, a YouTube download is probably faster. But they're not named properly, which makes finding the right one a chore. SoaH CITY is another good choice if you need an alternative, though the music comes in ZIP files there.įor sounds, a user on the SonicRetro forums provided zipped files with all the sounds from many early Sonic games. Choose a game from the hedgehog's catalog and you'll find all its tunes ready for download. ![]() Sonic HQ is our destination for Sonic's fantastic music library. You might also enjoy reading up on the history of Sonic the Hedgehog while you listen to these tracks. Those days are long gone, as Sonic games now appear on Nintendo systems.Īnd while most modern Sonic titles don't match up to the classics, you can relive the glory days with some awesome Genesis music. Sega created the Blue Blur to challenge Mario, and the hedgehog with an attitude gave the plumber a stir back in the '90s. ![]() ![]() One of the main appeals of Binance.US is low fees. Fees and discounts can be hard to understand for beginners.Trading fee discounts for users who hold CRO.Users of the exchange’s native cryptocurrency, Coin (CRO), stand to benefit the most from the card.Īnother feature of is that users can earn interest on cryptocurrencies they can loan to other users depending on their loaning and how much CRO they hold in their account. That said, offers a range of features, including a marketplace for non-fungible tokens ( NFTs) and a DeFi wallet.Ĭ also has a prepaid Visa rewards card that makes it easy to add funds to your account with bank transfers, credit or debit card payments, and cryptocurrency. except the state of New York.Īlthough it boasts more than 250 tradable coins, not all of them can be traded in the U.S. Founded in 2016, it’s available everywhere in the U.S. The platform is one of the most popular crypto exchanges around, with 50 million users across 90 countries. “’s mainstream global sports sponsorships and TV advertising campaigns make their platform seem familiar and trusted,” says Joseph Poulose, chief information officer with InterMedia Group of Companies. The platform is also more widely available in the U.S., although it also charges higher fees, on average, than Binance.US. “ is the go-to option for beginners and people new to crypto,” says Ivaylo Yovkov, chief operating officer with Rewards Bunny. Nearly 90% of Binance.US reviews on Trustpilot give the exchange a “bad” rating, while only 64% of reviews give a bad rating.ĭespite it’s less-than-outstanding customer service reputation, is more beginner friendly than Binance.US. But Binance.US ranks particularly poorly on this front compared to. In addition, the company offers free BTC trading for a limited set of pairs.Ĭrypto exchanges are not known for their excellent customer service. Binance.US: Differencesīinance.US is best-suited for more experienced crypto investors who trade often and can rack up savings thanks to the exchange’s tiered fee structure.įor users who trade Tier 1 crypto pairs like ETH/USD or SOL/USD, the maker and taker fees are 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, for trades of less than $10,000 per month. While the Binance.US exchange itself hasn’t been hacked, thieves stole $40 million worth of BTC from their partner,, in 2019 (Binance.US and are separate companies). All in all, total losses were around $34 million, including more than $15 million in ETH, $19 million in BTC and about $66,200 in other cryptocurrencies. In January 2022, nearly 500 than accounts experienced unauthorized withdrawals. Margin trading allows users to borrow money to trade bigger amounts. Users on can hold their crypto in the DeFi wallet.īoth exchanges offer margin trading as an advanced feature. Both exchanges offer cryptocurrency storage options.īinance.US users can select the Binance Chain Wallet, which supports the storage of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Binance Coin (BNB), to name a few. ![]() ![]() The BulkSMS text messaging utilizes JSON for requests which are recommended for most API integration. Mass Text Messaging Service Features Offered By Bulk SMS Payments can be made on a monthly basis (payment plan) or using a pay-as-you-go or pre-paid method, with the more credits purchased, the more low cost per text message. Most mass texting service providers will offer a range of SMS payment methods through a debit or credit card. There is a money-back guarantee on all pricing points with refunds offered for unused credits if a client is unhappy with the service provided. Therefore, American businesses should visit BulkSMS and request a tailored quote to send and receive mass text messages via messaging apps throughout the USA and worldwide. Cheaper mass text message prices are available for larger volume requirements (50,000+ messages). The only additional cost for United States businesses is for incoming long numbers, which are used for text message marketing purposes. The table below displays the prices for BulkSMS, with no hidden fees or contracts. ![]() View Review > Bulk SMS Mass Text Message Pricing Reliable customer support services via email and phone.4/5 star rating from over 1,000 reviews.Network reliability and speed of deliveryīulkSMS is the best mass texting service provider for USA businesses to conduct bulk SMS marketing based on their:.SMS prices – including plans and additional fees.The following aspects should be taken into consideration in order to accurately compare SMS providers: As SMS providers offer marketing software with a range of services at differing prices, there are multiple factors marketers should consider. Knowing how to compare mass text message providers is crucial to ensuring a business chooses a provider’s marketing platform that will best suit their individual requirements. How To Choose & Compare Mass Text Message Providers With mass texting services, small businesses and large enterprises can automate and schedule their SMS marketing campaign messages and send mass texts in form of appointment reminders, upcoming sales and promotions, competitions, and alerts in real-time. Businesses in the USA and worldwide are choosing SMS marketing as the best way to directly communicate with audiences, whether this is to new or existing customers, staff members, or other stakeholders. People can simply reply with one of those words and be instantly opted out.Mass text messaging, or mass texting is a marketing communication tool that enables businesses to send and receive a large volume of bulk text messages (or SMS) to target audiences’ mobile phones. All mass texting services are required to process special "opt out keywords" like STOP and CANCEL. They can fumble with settings or mute conversations but that's a poor experience. ![]() When using a texting app, there isn't always great a way for people to do that. ![]() Lastly, it's important to make it easy for people to opt out of your messages. Those inbound texts flow into an inbox where you can manage each conversation separately. For texting services that offer inboxing functionality, people can reply, but all replies are private. This is arguably the most annoying thing about group texts. Secondly, with messaging apps, if someone replies to a mass text, everyone else sees it. With a mass text messaging service, there's virtually no limit. Typically, this limit is around 10 contacts for most apps. They're actually quite different.įirst, texting apps have a limit to how many people you can reach in a single mass text. ![]() There are a lot of messaging apps out there but they aren't the same as a mass texting service. The Difference Between Mass Texting Services and Texting Apps ![]() ![]() With Starfield being the center of the Xbox 2023 Showcase last week, Bethesda gave us a deep dive into one of the biggest games this generation. Solo players cannot add bots to help them. Try to go it alone and you can't use these shortcuts, making the game considerably more difficult and denying the player the use of these fun devices. Harmony of Despair is definitely designed to be a multiplayer game, so you may find a switch that one player can stand on to douse a fire so that another player can access a new area. The maps are intricate and you'll have to spend some time with them to learn the best path to the boss. It is an addictive formula, but I wish it were even deeper and included an experience system like that of Symphony of the Night. You don't level up, but you're always finding better and better equipment and slowly becoming more powerful. Harmony of Despair is all about finding loot that will make you a little bit stronger for the next time. When you first arrive in an area you will be underpowered and ill equipped to battle Dracula's minions. That review can be found here.Play If six maps don't sound like much, know that you'll have to play each one many, many times before you are able to reach the boss and put it to rest. Part of this is review is adapted from the original review written by Loren Halek for Colony of Gamers. Co-op is where it's at and is an enjoyable experience. If you're in this for only the solo experience you're going to want to skip Castlevania: Harmony of Despair at $15. ![]() Ultimately I feel you can find many hours of enjoyment in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, helped no doubt by the three game modes single, survival and co-op. Once you know the paths to the end boss of each level you may become disinterested in the game, but joining up with other players will usually mix it up a bit as you start at a different Grimoire than you would in single-player. Another plus to co-op is that any item picked up or chest opened will be duplicated for all characters, so the opener is not the only one that benefits.Įven though the game has no real story, this is a fun experience whether playing alone or with up to five other people. Another bonus to playing co-op is the ability to resurrect dead players with the water of life item, although you can also play as a straight skeleton while being dead. Along with this you can also pull of combo moves if other people are playing that result in massive damage (queue robotic history crab). The only problem with playing on your own is that you are going to have a tough time beating the bosses whereas if you had multiple people you’d be able to hit them from all sides. I am very impressed by the level design and even though I wasn’t playing through a game with a deep storyline, there is a lot of fun to be had both alone and with others, at least early on. The negative part of this is that you cannot change your setup at any time, something you can do in most games in the series. ![]() Here you can go in and change your offensive and defensive loadout by pressing the right trigger. There are also points on the map where the Grimoire icon is. There are multiple ways to get to said boss in each level, but it does behoove you at least early on to open up whatever treasure chests you can see on the map to gain money and items. In each level you have 30 minutes to beat the boss of the area and continue on. ![]() ![]() In Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, and InDesign CC, to jump start your creative projects, you can even download artist-designed templates from Adobe Stock right within the New Document dialog boxes.Īdobe Stock is available as a subscription service. The Adobe Stock service is built right into your favorite Adobe desktop apps, such as Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, and InDesign CC, so you can search, browse, and add assets to your Creative Cloud Libraries, and get instant access to your assets across desktop and mobile devices. It’s worth mentioning that Adobe Stock also has a good collection of stock videos.Īdobe Stock is a service that provides designers and businesses with access to 90 million high-quality, curated, royalty-free photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, templates, and 3D assets for all their creative projects. This can be a good choice for people trying to transition from a competing service. With a few simple searches, you will be able to find something suitable for your project or work.Īdobe Stock download comes with a 30-day free trial, which lets you download up to ten images. You can browse through creations and captures from some of the leading photographers in the world. In addition to this, the stock images available in Adobe Stock are high-quality. Unlike other programs, Adobe Stock integrates well with a range of Adobe products, making it possible to work on various projects in the same ecosystem. This ensures ease-of-use and convenience. With Adobe Stock, you can manage the downloaded photos from the image library directly within Illustrator CC, InDesign CC, and Photoshop CC. Once you’re sure, you can download the licensed image with your subscription. If you find an image that could be suitable for your project, you can use a watermarked form to check the placement, quality, visual appeal, etc. The best part is that you can preview images before downloading them. ![]() It stands out from other tools focused on design and graphic projects. One of the most important features of Adobe Stock is the comprehensive image library. Adobe Stock lets you download images in virtually unlimited categories. This gives much better results, and you’re able to browse through a collection of specific images suiting your project. For instance, you can look for stock images of ‘food’ in a category like travel. ![]() With Adobe Stock, you can also combine searches, which lead to filtered results. Adobe Stock download utilizes an AI-powered search engine, which keeps it ahead of the competition. You can look for images with searches like ‘grief’, ‘happiness’, ‘mindfulness’, etc. But that’s not all! With Adobe Stock, you can also search images that focus on harder-to-pin-down concepts, such as emotions. With a simple keyword search and some clicks of the mouse, you can effortlessly track down images of specific items. Whether you want to look for travel-related images or generic illustrations for ad campaigns, browsing through the image library takes only a few seconds. The platform has been ideal for multimedia designers and web page managers. On Adobe Stock, professional content creators and photographers upload their work, which can be viewed by subscribers across the globe. As such, Adobe Stock was created as a full-fledged image library, which instantly started giving tough competition to other players in the industry. ![]() The company aimed to target people who often need high-quality images. When Adobe launched the Creative Cloud, the primary objective was to connect design and graphic professionals with photographers around the world. ![]() Stock images, 3D models, visualizations, and more ![]() ![]() ![]() If that happens, your tree is probably fine! A few ruffled leaves, or broken twigs is just fine for the tree, and can actually help it develop a thicker trunk.īroken pots, or the tree being broken in half, is not good. ![]() Sometimes, a box could get dropped or crushed. When shipping, we take care to pack our trees and supplies to be as safe and secure as possible while they're in transit. We regularly prune all trees as part of their care, and trees look different in different seasons.įor example, you shouldn't expect a maple tree to have leaves in the winter. Occasionally there are small variations in the products as these are live trees, which may slightly differ from the photos. If you're not satisfied with your tree for any reason, contact us and we'll provide you with a replacement, exchange or full refund. ![]() We strive to make ordering from us as fun and stress-free as possible.īonsai is a relaxing hobby, so it should stay that way when you're shopping for them too. We currently ship to the continental USA, and can make some exceptions for Alaska, Hawaii, USVI and Puerto Rico.Ĭlick here to see all of our frequently asked questions. You'll get one that's very similar in size and shape, in the same style, in a pot that we specifically picked out to match the exact shape and size of your bonsai tree. With our master artisan trees, artisan trees, or specimen trees, or anywhere else where it's specifically noted: YES! Those are one-of-a-kind trees, and you will get that exact one.įor all other trees, the photo is of a tree in the same group. ![]() Is the tree I see the tree in the photo the tree I'm going to get? We accept an extensive array of payments including: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover Card, JCB International Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bitcoin. At the point of offering the payment information for a sale, if it has not expired and is valid, it will be pre-approved and charged when the processing has completed. Cultivar name means coral tower (sango meaning sea coral and kaku meaning tower/upward growing) as if to suggest this pink-barked cultivar resembles coral rising upward from a reef.What service do you use to process orders?Īll orders on our site are handles and carried out through a Shopify Payments, PayPal, or CoinBase. Palmate leaves with serrate margins emerge yellow- green with reddish margins in spring, mature to light green by summer and turn yellow-gold in fall. Best pink coloration occurs on young twigs and branches. Pink coloration is less pronounced to almost absent in summer. It is sometimes commonly called coral bark maple in reference to its distinctive and showy pink bark which provides excellent color and contrast to landscapes in winter. Zones 5-9Īcer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ is an upright, slow-growing, vase-shaped form that typically grows over time to as much as 20-25’ tall. While this is typically the first Japanese maple tree for most people, it has also become a necessity in every garden and maple collection due to its amazing red color. A very hardy and vigorous grower ‘Bloodgood’ does well in sun or filtered light. Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ grows upright in habit to around 20-25 feet in thirty years. ![]() ![]() ![]() PB: Andy, can you believe it is more than thirty years since ‘Junk Culture’ first came out?ĪM: Well, it is actually the thirty-first anniversary coming up but It was planned to be a thirtieth anniversary re-master of it, which Is quite amazing when you consider Paul and I were both twenty-three and twenty-four at the time we wrote and made It. Thirty years after I walked the three miles back from town because I'd spent all my money on ‘Junk Culture’, I was actually talking to the man that made it! ![]() Putting me down gently - and I am a big lad myself - I said, “What was that for?” to which he enthusiastically explained that I had the same t-shirt that he had. This gargantuan fellow charged the full length of the VIP enclosure at the front that we were in, and picked me up in a big bearhug and that's when I felt it go. Eight or nine years ago I went to a festival at Knowsley Park on Merseyside, wearing an OMD-T-shirt. ![]() Amazingly they all joined forces again in 2006, and by 2009 they were releasing new material and going back on the road again. The four lads from Liverpool, Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes, were at the forefront of a changing time when they released their first single, 1979's ‘Electricity.’ But It didn't go all to plan as they split In 1989 when the others went on to form the Listening Pool, leaving McCluskey to make the brilliant ‘Sugar Tax’, but by 1996 he had had enough and called It a day. From the self-titled ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’ to ‘Organisation’ (both 1980), ‘Architecture and Morality’ (i981), ‘Dazzle Ships’ (1983), ‘Junk Culture’ (1984), ‘Crush’ (1985), ‘The Pacific Age’ (1986) and on through ‘Sugar Tax’ (1991) and the new albums, such as ‘History of Modern’ (2010) and ‘English Electric’, they have consistently churned out brilliantly catchy pop. Still recording to this day and still out on the road, OMD are to a lot of people the best pop band ever to come out of 80’s Britain. So, imagine my delight when our editor sent me a copy of a new expanded version of OMD's ‘Junk Culture’ to mark thirty years since the making of the original, and then imagine my delight of delights when he told me we had an interview slot with front man Andy McCluskey. I went on to buy everything they ever did, and still now look out for the special promo or foreign copy that I haven't got. I played their eponymous first album and second album ‘Organisation’ both to death. I remember when I was bought my first serious hi-fi the first record I played was ‘Enola Gay’ because no other record I had at that time ( my collection was expanding rapidly ) sounded like that. They caught my imagination back then, and they still put the hairs on the back of my neck on end. One minute I had a fishtail the size of the Market Square, and the next I Ska'd up with a Harrington, and the next I was in a pair of Bowies and a box jacket! But all the way through my teen years and for a long time after I followed Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. As a kid growing up In Nottingham, I had fad after fad and confused myself, never mind my poor mum and dad. For this writer this day was a special day. ![]() |
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