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Preview: “Shipping containers” have yet nothing to do with “housing” in Romania. Is there any chance that they will soon? Belonging to Eastern European block, released in 1989 from communist oppression, Romania has already experienced 15 years of less and less stunning freedom.

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I read a few articles about shipping container housing. It took me about five minutes to realize this subject makes your mind frolic endlessly on an imaginary (however not utopian) land. Those articles belong to some very respectable gentlemen (at least that was the impression they made on me, at first reading) – that praise living in shipping containers.

Let’s go cheap

A 40 foot-long shipping container could reach to $1,500-2,000. I started asking myself questions about how this subject could become a solution for homeless people in Romania (that’s where I live), where flats cost (at least) $20,000. And they’re not 40 foot-long.

At the same time, Romania has a lot of peripheral categories: the poor, the old, the young, the unemployed, the pitman, the gypsy, the orphan, the student.

Could they benefit from this recent discovery that living in some kind of shoe-boxes can be really cool and trendy? I’ll try to answer that.

A few advantages from a Romanian point of view: for peripherals it’s cheap, for artists it’s unconventional the subject is quite green you can “camp” anywhere you want (Romania has not few spectacular landmarks) the result you get using shipping containers can be anywhere between “plastic” and “platinum”, practical and fantasy, serious and ludic - you can move your “house” around. At least that’s what LOT/EK people are trying to prove by their “mobile dwelling unit” project. Earthquakes, floods and sliding land are some serious problems in Romania, so being able to leave the place at a snail’s pace may be useful. - most Romanians live in blocks of flats that pretty much look like overcrowded shipping containers (and usually inadequate to modern standards: water supply, heating, insulation, comfort etc). Could shipping container houses actually mean a reasonable escape? Maybe, if they are properly transformed and adapted to living conditions. - A sad fact is that few Romanians actually have the possibility to pay $2,000 cash for a house-to-be.

If you are not a Romanian 2007 could be, in the optimist version, the year that Romania will join EU. Compared to Western standards, Romanian land properties are very cheap. Land-purchase conditions are the same for both Romanians and foreigners.

A few observations to Mr Doug Casey’s reportage about his Romanian adventure ( escapeartist.com/efam17/Romania.html” target=”_new escapeartist.com/efam17/Romania.html).

Given the reasons Mr. Casey liked Romania, I quickly made some “counts″. The average Romanian needs to work (at a medium economy salary rate of $11 per day) 2272 days to buy an apartment; or, 103 months (I excluded weekend days of course, they don’t pay); or 9 years. This without considering any interest. And supposing that this particular individual doesn’t eat, dress or pay rent. Just work his butt off. In real terms, he needs more than nine years, probably 25. That’s pretty much for an average ephemeride that lives an average 75 years life.

Mr. Casey’s mentioning of the brief trial and execution of the Ceausescu couple has suddenly brought to my senses a smell of a Dogville atmosphere that I have never before associated with Romania. Of course, I′m talking about the movie dog-ville, not the real one.

That takes me back to the initial idea that shipping container housing is a subject that gives you some chalk drawn-squares (or parallelepipeds in our case) that make you want to play like kids do with their Lego pieces.

But here are a few more questions:

Where do you find those imaginative grown-ups that are able to play with shipping containers in a coherent / artful manner?

What would their work be worth in the end?

How much do utilities cost (water, energy, gas supply etc.)?

Would the authorities be open to hear this as an alternative solution to traditional housing?

About The Author

Iulia Pascanu

E-mail address: mailto:iulia.pascanu@neomedia.ro iulia.pascanu@neomedia.ro

Iulia Pascanu writes for shipping-container-housing.com shipping-container-housing.com where you can find information about building with shipping containers and shipping containers industry.

A direct descendent of Latin, Spanish belongs to the Romance group of languages together with Portuguese, French, Romanian and Italian. Spanish is the most popular of this group, having almost four hundred million native speakers across the globe.
It is used in Spain, in the Americas and to a smaller extent in Africa and Asia Pacific, thus gathering over five hundred million speakers worldwide and climbing to the fourth position in the top of the most widely spoken languages.
Spanish is the official language of twenty independent countries (including Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru) and one of the six official working languages of the United Nations.

Although called ‘Castilian’ in the Spanish Constitution of 1978 (name taken from the region of Castile), the generic name of the language remains ‘Spanish’. In Spain the Castilian dialect is regarded as the national standard and it is based on pronouncing the words exactly as they are written. Here one can find several dialects such as: Canarian, Andalusian, Murcian, Extremaduran and Northern Spanish. Over twenty more are spoken in the Latin American lands.

Spanish uses the Latin alphabet to which it added the letter “ñ” (eñe). Another particularity of the Spanish alphabet is that the digraphs “ch″ and “ll″ are considered single letters, each of them representing a single phoneme.

The language of explorers and of the powerful Inquisition, Spanish began to be more extensively used in diplomacy only in the 18th century. That was also the period when Spanish grammar was formalized. Ever since the language has continued to develop, borrowing more and more foreign words.

Famous for its speakers (writers like Garcia Marquez, Llosa and Cervantes) but also for the beautiful countries it is spoken in, Spanish has become one of the most popular languages in the world. More and more students sign up for Spanish language courses nowadays and the people’s interested in it is shown in the massive request for translations from and into Spanish.

Ioana Mihailas is a linguist for Lingo24 lingo24.com/contact_us.html translation agency London, a leading provider of high quality Spanish lingo24.com/ translation services.

History can be a very boring subject. I still have memories of high school teachers raving on about subjects that just didn’t interest me at all. So I′ve decided to produce the lazy mans guide to Spanish history. After reading this short article, you will know enough about it to sound like a pro.

The Roman Empire conquered what we now call Spain in the 2nd century BC. While the Iberians were fierce warriors, they never stood a chance against the armies of Rome. You may be interested to know that after taking control of Spain, the Romans took on the Iberian swords for their own armies. It was mostly peaceful in Spain for the next few centuries. Spain supplied Rome with supplies and men and there are very few examples of uprisings, unlike other parts of the Empire. However, with the fall of Rome, Spain was about to go through some changes.

As Germanic barbarians swept through former Roman outposts, they eventually came across Spain. Even though they came over in great numbers, they tended to live within their own communities and most the most part, kept themselves separate to the local population, who still lived under Roman laws.

The next part of Spain’s history is much more significant. In 718 AD, the Moorish invaders conquered the Spanish mainland. They had originated in North Africa and had come to seek new lands. While the Muslims initially were a minority, conversion rates increased due to better opportunities for the average person. Things had not always gone well for the muslims. They had faced significant opposition in the north of Spain and after several centuries, cracks began to appear. By 1248, only a fraction of Spain was held by the Muslim factions and by the 15th century, all of Spain was under Christian control once again. It was around this time that the Spaniards also began to explore the seas for a new world and Spain’s rise as an empire was about to begin.

The 16th and 17th centuries were known as Spain’s Golden Age. It was the most powerful Empire in all of Europe. Wars and economic strain eventually led to a downfall and the French Bourbons took advantage of this and put their own king on the throne. Following several wars, Spain finally got back on it’s feet in the 18th century. The steel and shipping industries began to boom which helped the Spanish economy greatly.

While plenty of things went on in the next couple of centuries, they would take quite a lot of time to explain and, for brevity’s sake, I might have to include it in another article.

Anthony Dwyer runs the popular and free website, JiffySpanish.com Learn Spanish which has free lessons on how to speak Spanish, information on grammar, verbs, adjectives, culture and much, much more.

The age old beginners question of which type of guitar should I buy to start off with, is best answered by asking yourself which type of music you want to play. Here is a brief lowdown and the points to look out for when choosing a suitable acoustic.

There are two main categories here - acoustic and electric guitars. Acoustic guitars are great for accompanying yourself singing in a singer-songwriter role and also can be used in a band situation for “virtuoso” style group playing, say in a soloing jazz style. Electric guitars are mainly used in a band or group situation for guitar solos and rhythm work.

The description “acoustic guitar″ covers all types of guitar, designed to play and sound without further or necessary amplification. They come with either steel or nylon strings. Steel stringers sound very much different to their more rounded and mellower cousins. They can be heard on all types of music too, from Pop to Elvis, to swampy old bottle-neck blues licks, to the mighty Travis. Great for banging out moving tunes or dropping it down to subtle finger-style chicken-pickin’. They are versatile to say the least, and the most common amongst bedrooms I would imagine.

Nylon stringed guitars are typically suited to and heard in Classical, Spanish and Flamenco style music. For a wonderful example of nylon-stringed magic check out Paco De Lucia or John Williams. These guitars are also to be heard in many other popular styles, such as Sting’s wonderfully simplistic but effective fret work, in the well known and beautiful song “Fragile″.

Tip: If you want to play traditional classical or flamenco style guitar, get a good graded teacher ASAP.

An important point to note here is that strings are the lifeblood of any guitar so make sure to invest in a quality brand at all times. Start off with a set of medium gauge (12s or 13s) and see how you get on. The heavier the gauge the more “body″ in the sound. The price? Harder on the fingers to play but you get used to it. A typical medium size acoustic set would contain the following size strings in a set.:

E string .013
B string .017
G string .026

D string .038
A string .048
E string .058

Experiment over time until you find a good set that suits YOUR style. Go with a respected brand-name such as “Martin” or “Fender”.

Acoustic guitars can also be amplified on stage and recorded in various ways if desired or necessary. The simplest and most direct way is to mic them up with a microphone or install/stick on a pickup. Acoustic/Electro guitars as their name suggests, are simply acoustic guitars with the ability to plug into a suitable amplifier. This just means that they can be heard over say, a noisy pub racket of cheering…yeaahhh. Normally this feature is used for live gigging. In the recording studio it’s usual to use the studio’s recording facilities to capture a guitars sound to tape. It’s far superior, but feel free to experiment in your own time.

A good tip is that when looking out for an Acoustic Electros, or a “Semi-Electric” as they are also commonly called, is to make sure that the guitar sounds great un-amplified as well as great when plugged in. If the guitar sounds weak un-amplified, chances are it could sound weak amplified too.

Also watch out that your chosen guitar has a nice playable “action”. This relates to how high the strings come up off the fretboard. A cheap and badly made guitar has a very high action, and is therefore very hard to play. This is to be avoided like the plague! If you simply lower the action on a cheap guitar it will buzz and fret out (not sound)
all over the place. And so onto Electric guitars which we can have a look at next - in the meantime happy strumming.

David O’Toole is a guitar player, music fan, and musician from Ireland. He is the webmaster at the universal-total-guitar-plus-center.com UniGTR­ Center and editor at the bellaonline.com/site/musician BellaOnline Musician Site

A keen player and experienced guitar teacher, he is also the author of the popular standard, lefthand, reverse guitar, and piano / keyboard series of universal-total-guitar-plus-center.com/basic-chord-families.html Basic Chord Families — Not just another random selection of 1000s of chords, but the key to fast learning and playing 1000s of songs with under 60 chords!

This article may be freely reproduced as is, provided it is keep it intact, and that the above resource box is maintained - thank you.

Brainchild of cinematic genius Steven Spielberg, The Goonies is a thrilling fantasy adventure film for younger audiences - although adults will find it enjoyable as well. Foreshadowing the success of the Harry Potter films, The Goonies involves a series of tests and obstacles that a group of young kids must overcome in order to save the day. In a lot of ways, the film is like an Indiana Jones for kids - produced in such a way that kids can envision or fantasize about being in just such a situation.

The film follows the exploits of a neighborhood group of kids who call themselves The Goonies. Upset that they will soon have to part ways because of the forced commercial development of their neighborhood, the kids are enjoying what they believe will be one of their last meetings together.

But while Mikey, Chunk, Mouth, and Data (the nicknames of the Goonies respectively) are exploring Mikey’s attic, they find a treasure map hidden in the back of an old picture frame. Purportedly, the map leads to the long lost treasure of the famous pirate “One-Eyed” Willy. Banding together with Mikey’s older brother Brandon and two neighborhood girls, Andy and Stef, the group sets out to uncover the pirate’s vast riches and thus save their homes from the wrath of the wrecking ball.

But a small problem stands in their way. The treasure map’s starting point rests underneath an old abandoned house used as a hideout by the notorious Fratelli crime family. Brothers Jake and Francis, coupled with their deformed yet gentle brother and mean Mama Fratelli, are quite an intimidating force. When the Goonies manage to uncover the entrance to the cave that harbors their treasure, Chunk is left behind. The Fratelli’s viciously interrogate the boy in an effort to find out what happened to his friends. But it takes a freak accident (spilled water falling down the hole in the fireplace) before they find One-Eyed Willy’s secret passage.

With the Fratelli family hot on their heals, the Goonies must pass through a series of mental and physical obstacles set up centuries before by pirates intent on keeping undesirables away from their precious bounty. Interspersed in the action is a number of clever and humorous one-liners that add to the overall audience enjoyment of the film.

In the end, the kids discover One-Eyed Willy’s monstrous treasure. But can they stave off the greedy ambitions of the Fratelli family? Will they manage to save their neighborhood with the newfound treasure? You’ll have to watch to find out, and trust me, this movie is a lot of fun…

Each of the stars contributes to the film in his own way. Chunk provides many moments of comic relief with his endless whining, and Data’s constant deployment of quirky homemade inventions, although stretching the limits of reality, are a welcome addition to a fantasy adventure film tailored for a young audience.

With the introduction of The Goonies DVD, an entirely new generation can discover the thrill and wonder of this instant cinema classic. Given its wide range of appeal to audiences of all ages and the exciting quest for hidden treasure, The Goonies passes the test as a definite must-see film. If you haven’t seen it, or even worse - if your children have been deprived of seeing it - then I highly recommend renting this one…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a thedvdreport.blogspot.com movie review site where you can find more reviews like this one of thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/goonies-dvd.html The Goonies (DVD) Review.

Bingo is a game that has whipped off the game fanatics by storm. The popularity of the game have sky-rocketed. On top of that, Bingo free online is just what these Bingo enthusiasts were yearning for. Yes, Bingo free online has taken the center stage. This gaming sensation has hit off and players are literally flocking to chance themselves at Bingo bash. There are many free online sites that cater this game in full swing. What’s more you can feel free to join, as these sites do not consider any kind of monetary deposit. It is an ideal pastime that you cannot do without, once you are avid about it.

Now, playing Bingo online is quite a riveting experience altogether. But before you enter the site make sure that you register yourself. And once you are through with that you will never look back again. You will notice that the sites are segregated into a number of halls with separate characterization. There are innumerable players from all round the world having a blast at this super game. As for the game, three cards are usually handed over to each of the players at the onset of the game. Next, the computer will start drawing the numbers displayed on the top left corner of your screen. Since Bingo is primarily a game that demands skill and speed, you will have to concentrate heavily on that.

The player who hits the Bingo button first is the victor. Mind you the computer is savvy enough to keep a track of the numbers of your cards and as a result false calls are out of the question. Bingo free online has a lot to offer. To begin with lets acknowledge the offers of a jackpot that most of these sites have at their disposal. Again, cash prizes if any are given on a regular basis. If that not quite enough then Bingo chat comes your way. This allows you to interact with the other players whilst you play.

Playing Bingo online is fun right from the word go. In fact, it is also a cheap means to extract full entertainment. You can enjoy playing with your friends and family and not to mention your foe on the Internet circuit. In simple words, Bingo online is simply a game meant for all.

Go wild while playing the wildest game of all. And it’s free. So give it a shot.

Gordon Jacobs is a successful writer and publisher of bingo related issues, for more informative articles go to freeonlinebingogames.ballreport.com freeonlinebingogames.ballreport.com

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Ricochet gets. Ricochet put simply is one of Richard Elliot’s best CDs to date.

Unfortunately, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Ricochet. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Ricochet is a pleasantly varied, mix of 10 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly outstanding artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are his own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Smooth Jazz isn’t your favorite style you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

Overall Ricochet is a solid release. Quite possibly Richard Elliot’s best to date. Really spectacular from beginning to end. If you′re even mildly into Smooth Jazz music you′ll enjoy this album.

Ricochet Release Notes:

Richard Elliot originally released Ricochet on Apr 29, 2003 on the GRP record label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Corner Pocket
2. Ricochet
3. Rendezvous
4. Sweet Memories
5. So Good
6. Seven Sacred Pools
7. Slam
8. You Make Me Feel Brand New
9. Sake For Two 10. Sly

Personnel: Richard Elliot (tenor saxophone); Phillip Jackson (vocals); Brandon Fields (saxophone); Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Nick Lane (trombone); Jeff Lorber, Nelson Jackson, Rex Rideout, Ron Reinhardt (keyboards); Robbie Nevil, Tony Maiden, Dwighht Sills (guitar); Ronnie Garrett (bass); Michael White, Lil’ John Roberts, Dave Reinhardt (drums); Luis Conte, Lenny Castro (percussion). Producers include: Steven Dubin, Richard Elliot, Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout, Ronnie Garrett.

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at ilovesmoothjazz.com iLoveSmoothJazz.com

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. smoothlee.com SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic, smooth jazz in particular, and does a daily online radio show featuring smooth jazz music that can be heard at chicagosmoothjazzradio.com ChicagoSmoothJazzRadio.com

Roulette casino game, like slot machines, is a game of plain luck where no skill or strategy is able to influence its outcome. Every spin of the casino roulette wheel is totally independent of all previous spins. No mathematical formula can be applied to explain and to predict the unpredictable behavior of the ball on the casino roulette wheel. Do not expect one of the numerous “roulette winning strategies” would work for you simply because there is none!

But there is one strong theory that a a roulette player can increase his chances by playing the single zero roulette. The European or French roulette casino game table has 37 numbers including zero, while the American roulette table has 38 numbers including zero and double zero. Casinos almost always have both types of roulette casino game tables. According to this theory, which some people claim has been mathematically proven, players should only play the French roulette gambling game with a single zero. It should make their chances better by a few percent comparing to the American roulette casino game.

When you are going to play the French roulette casino game, ask if the casino uses the “En prison” rule which increases a player’s odds. According to the rule, an even money bet (Red, Black, Odd, Even, 1–18, 19–36) that results in a spin of zero gets “imprisoned”. If this imprisoned bet wins on the next spin, the original bet is released and returned to the player.
Casinos with the American roulette casino game sometimes use a version of the “En prison” rule called “Surrender”. With this rule in use, player placing even bets only loses half of his bet on a spin of 0 or 00.

Learn how to play the roulette casino game for FREE at WebGrandCasino.com, no download needed.

Try your luck, hope for the best and have fun!

We do not claim that these roulette tips will help you win money, this article is for information purpose only.

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While the hip-hop industry tends to balk at Gospel emcees, DJ’s remain unsure about what to do with hip-hop’s inspirational subgenre, Gospel rap. Earlier this month, the Recording Academy provided a solution–adding a new music category titled, “Best Rock Gospel or Best Rap Gospel”. Nominees and an award that will represent what is more commonly known as holy hip-hop (HHH), will make its debut during the 49th annual Grammy Awards on February 11, 2007. The category will include Christian emcees that specialize in hip-hop music. The addition is a viable move given HHH’s growing appeal.

One of the most influential advocates of holy hip-hop is rap pioneer, Christopher “Play” Martin. Martin is best known for his role in the Kid’n Play rap duo and as an actor in the House Party trilogy. From executive producing video projects to gaining exposure for the genre, Martin lends his full support to the holy hip-hop movement. In addition to working with a myriad of premier holy hip-hop artists, Martin’s HP4 Digital Works & Solutions ( hp4digitalworks.com/” target=”_blank www.hp4digitalworks.com) production company released a movie titled, Holy Hip-Hop, which made its DVD debut in March.

“I am excited for the artists and feel that [they] can finally be recognized for their efforts,” Martin commented.”

Although a little known fact, holy hip-hop has a 20 plus-year history that has seen exponential growth in recent years. The Gospel Music Association (GMA) estimates that Christian rock and hip-hop music accounts for 25% of all Gospel music sales. According to the GMA, double-digit sales growth is largely due to churches embracing diversity in music to appeal to youth and adults.

Holy Hip-Hop’s A-List

Two Atlanta based churches: World Changers Church International and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church help fuel the holy hip-hop community. With close to 55,000 members between them, the churches play host to many holy hip-hop supporters and industry A-listers. Dr. Creflo A. and Taffi Dollar are pastors of World Changers Church in College Park, GA and New York, NY. Mrs. Dollar is also the CEO of Arrow Records the recording label for Canton Jones. A Grammy Award nominee, Jones has amassed appeal in churches across the U.S. Africa, and Europe. The most musically diverse of his holy hip-hop peers, Jones is also the president and CEO of his own company, CAJO International. Jones’ versatility and crossover appeal grants him access to such events as the Vibe Music Fest, the Miami Spring Fest, the Bobby Jones’ Gospel Industry Retreat, and Bishop T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest. Notably, Jones was the only holy hip-hop artist represented at David Banner’s Heal the Hood concert in Atlanta last fall.

A HHH industry first, Jones kicked-off his 2006 concert tour and live DVD recording with a pre-concert Purple Carpet (versus red) event. The sold-out concert featured a slew of HHH artists based primarily in the South. The concert was a landmark production hosted by comedian, John Gray ( mannagod.com/” target=”_blank mannagod.com) and chocked full of dancers, actors, and guest artists. Jones has three albums to his credit to include his latest release: The Password: Access Granted. Like his counterparts, Jones has an entourage of HHH affiliates who include independent recording artists Big Ran, Da Fam, Mouthpiece, and Kay Bizzy, all of whom are members of World Changers.

New Birth is the home church for four key supporters of the holy hip-hop movement: Minister eDDie Velez, Fatima Hall, Edward “Young Dirty” Long, and Lil iROCC Williams.

In addition to being a rapper, TV and radio personality, eDDie Velez is also the senior director of Youth Development at New Birth. Velez started on the HHH circuit in 1998 when he debuted on Hot 97.5’s holy hip-hop radio pilot. He lends 25 years of experience to the HHH movement. Currently, “Da Preachin’ Puerto Rican,” is the host of the syndicated Holy Hip-Hop radio and TV program. He is also the host for the annual Holy Hip Hop Artist Showcase & Music Awards held in Atlanta.

Fatima Hall is the founder and publisher for IMAGE Magazine, a nationally distributed print medium geared towards youth and young adults. Although faith-based, the magazine has grown to appeal to a broad and international audience by focusing on universal interests like music, fashion, and social trends. Hall frequently highlights the accomplishments and influence of HHH artists such as Canton Jones and Lil iROCC both of who have graced the magazine’s cover. In addition to having magazines that advance the genre, HHH also boasts popular audio outlets.

Edward “Young Dirty” Long is the son of New Birth’s senior pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long. To his credit, Young Dirty is the CEO and host of The Good Life Radio as well as the vice-president of Represent Entertainment, LLC. Like his father, Young Dirty has a groundbreaking ministry that reaches the masses. The Good Life Radio is a nationally syndicated radio show that airs in over 17 markets and via the Internet. The broadcast provides a diverse listening experience to include rap, R&B, contemporary Gospel, pop, urban hip-hop, and holy hip-hop. In addition to being a radio host, Young Dirty is also an inspirational speaker and an emcee that collaborates often on recording projects with mainstream and holy hip-hop artists.

Though little in stature, Lil iROCC has a big impact on the holy hip-hop community. At 16, he is both the youngest HHH artist and the youngest music executive. In 2004, iROCC, along with his dad and mentor, “Big ROCC,” established their own label, Authority Music. Since his debut album, iROCC has received numerous accolades and awards that reflect his skills and accomplishment. Like Jones, iROCC has crossover appeal and has garnered national and international acclaim with his peers and adult audiences. Although his approach is diverse (he collaborates with a variety of music artists), he remains predominately rap in terms of content. Duly mature for his age, iROCC sets a standard for HHH emcees.

Among other characteristics, holy hip-hop’s A-listers have the uncanny ability to reflect the lifestyle they lead without loosing the art, form, flavor or feel of hip-hop–a telltale sign that holy hip-hop’s present affect is sure to impact the music industry for years to come.

hhnlive.com/features/more/94.html hhnlive.com/features/more/94.html

On January 2, 2006 Sago Mine in Upshur County, West Virginia, exploded, killing 12 good men and critically injuring Randal McCloy. This was the worst coal mining disaster in West Virginia in years.

It is said that coal is the backbone of this nation. If this is true, then why must these miners work in unsafe conditions? Why is safety not a major concern? Why does it take an explosion like Sago for those in charge to begin to look at safety issues. The Sago Mine explosion brought out facts such as mines in the Appalachian coalfields are 20 years behind in communications. It was said that we can communicate with someone on the moon but we cannot talk to a trapped miner a mile away.

During the Sago Mine Disaster the entire nation became obsessed with West Virginia coal miners and their families. It appeared miners in the West Virginia coalfields were discovered for the first time. News media came forth with questions such as why would anyone go in a coal mine to work?

For those of us living in the coalfields, the answers are pretty simple. For one thing, it is a job. Sometimes the pay is more than what can be expected from other industries in West Virginia. People here have deep roots. This as close as you can get to many of the old countries. The remote area has kept the traditions and mountain heritage alive.

Workers do not want to leave the West Virginia coalfields, uprooting families to live in unfamiliar surroundings. Miners say they will crawl in two-foot coal so that they can raise their families here, hunt, fish, raise gardens and stay close to relatives. The traditions of the mountain people are special and different. When people do leave they are often dissatisfied and long for the simple mountain life. Appalachia is a subculture.

The narrow hollows where the people live are surrounded by beautiful tall green mountains which act as a shelter for the people – emotionally as well as physically. The remoteness of the area brings the people together as a family. Strong religious convictions give these people the strength to survive tragedies such as the Sago mine disaster.

Mining is often a family tradition, grandfather, father and son. It is the only life they know. They love the coolness of Mother Earth. The humming machines are music to their ears. The physical demands are considered manly traits of which they are proud.

The Appalachian coalfields are filled with black gold and a mysterious group of people called miners. The Sago Mine Disaster gave the world a view of this special group of mountain people who are strong, resilient, and depend on each other and their strong religious convictions to get through the struggles and tragedies they face.

SAGO MINE DISASTER
BY: B. L. Dotson-Lewis
Jan. 28, 2007

B. L. Dotson-Lewis, Author of Sago Mine Disaster (Featured Story) Appalachian Coalfield Stories
PO Box 313
Summersville, WV 26651
mailto:bdlewis@access.k12.wv.us bdlewis@access.k12.wv.us or mailto:lewis_betty@hotmail.com lewis_betty@hotmail.com