Intel ends partnership with One Laptop Per Child program

Friday, January 4, 2008

Microprocessor company Intel Corporation has quit the board of directors for the One Laptop Per Child association (OLPC), a non-profit organization that aims to provide children in developing countries with inexpensive laptops. An Intel spokesman cited a “philosophical impasse” as the reason for the split.

Intel joined the OLPC board in July 2007, agreeing to give financial and technological support to the project. Development began on a new laptop using an Intel processor rather than the current processor made by Advanced Micro Devices, a rival of Intel. A prototype of this machine was expected to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Les Vegas, Nevada, which begins in a few days.

According to Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy, OLPC had repeatedly asked Intel to abandon its support for the Classmate PC, a similar laptop designed for children in developing countries, and focus entirely on the OLPC program. “At the end of the day, we decided we couldn’t accommodate that request,” Mulloy said.

OLPC President Walter Bender said in an interview that Intel’s resignation will have “no impact” on the program. “We never really got much going with Intel to have an impact,” Bender said. He criticized Intel for a “seemingly half-hearted effort” in developing the new laptops and for using the agreement to make “marketing statements”.

Traditonal Healing Remedies Bobinsana And Chuchuhuasi Extracts}

Traditonal healing remedies Bobinsana and Chuchuhuasi extracts

by

Ckint Jhonson

Humans have relied on nature and its wonderful remedies since the ancient of times. Their healing properties are indeed amazing and today they are still used worldwide, either as a tincture or as a decoction. The role of traditional medicine cannot be denied and a lot of people resorts to such products, being confident of their effects and using the Internet to find out more about them.

There are a lot of websites that present natural products, all having various effects and indications. These plants have active biochemical substances, providing the body with beneficial components and boosting the immune system. Bobinsana has been well known from centuries as a powerful healing plant, increasing the vitality and physical energy of the person taking it.

Deep in the Amazon, the tree of Bobinsana grows its leaves and its incredible beautiful flowers. Indians and other people use it as a natural remedy from various types of pain, including rheumatism and arthritis. The tincture prepared can also help with viral infections, illness involving the uterus and even bone afflictions. With the help of the Internet, people have the possibility to find all about such plants and its derived products, with suggested uses and preparations methods.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXJmFyHAYrA[/youtube]

There have been made a lot of studies and clinical reseach on the subject of Bobinsana and other similar plants. It is used in Ayahuasca ceremonies, having a stimulating effect and helping the drinker to reach a certain spiritual level. Its uses are plenty and the Internet can really provide special offers for natural Bobinsana extracts.

The chemicals contained by this plant have active attributes and they are mainly represented by harmala alkaloids, aminoacids and flavonoids. Bobinsana tincture is considered a strong tonic, energizing the whole body and increasing resistance to sickness. Specialists also recommend it for difficult breathing and blood cleansing. Also, there are certain studies attesting its anti-tumoral properties.

The market is full of related products and this is why it is for the best to choose only high-quality products. Condiser with attention every detail presented online, including the ones referring to preparation, uses and actions. Be careful of contraindications, especially if you are planning on getting pregnant. This is especially important as Bobinsana is used worlwide as an effective contraceptive.

The Internet holds a wide range of traditional herbal remedies. All have rich and active ingredients, stimulating the body in various ways and having diverse effects. Chuchuhuasi is considered as one of the best natural remedies for treating arthritis and not only. Its herbal properties are related to the stimulation of the sexual desire, tonic effect and different kinds of pain (muscle, menstrual and stomach ache).

Chuchuhuasi has the same origins as Bobinsana, meaning the Amazon rainforest. The ingredients and recommended use are well presented online, helping people to understand its main actions and why they are so beneficial. It can treat rheumatism, arthritis and accelerate the healing process. The synergy between its active substances can help to balance the body and provide the much-needed relaxation.

The alkaloids contained by chuchuhuasi are known to have stimulating effects on the immune system and help it fight cancer. If we were to describe a couple of its active principles, they would include: anti-tumoral activity, fever-reducing, against menstrual problems and of course pain reliever. More recent researches are related to diabetes complications and digestive stimulation.

The name of Chuchuhuasi is known since long past times as a natural remedy for arthritic pain and as a stimulus of libido. Uses for healing and detoxification, it can be prepared with distilled water and alcohol, having no contraindications or side effects. Online, one can find information and available products not only with Chuchuhuasi but also about various other plants and its enhancing effects.

We bring the Amazong and its wonderful plants closer to you. Choose our

Bobinsana

or

Chuchuhuasi

extracts and learn how to be healthy. We have suggested uses for you and we hope we can entice you with our amazing natural products. Just pay us a visit!

Article Source:

Traditonal healing remedies Bobinsana and Chuchuhuasi extracts }

Comcast Best In Cable Technology}

Submitted by: Jamal Mall

The past twenty-five years have brought America the various advances in technology with cable tv services up in spite of satellite competition. Comcast, with its beginnings in 1963, has continued to over return all obstacles with dignity and cable TV still stands as a rival in home show business. It’s programming has big from analog to completely digital, and this affords a mess of advantages to subscribers – as well as imaging quality and crispness of sound. Technology has enabled the utilization of options and choices once thought not possible to form programs a lot of pleasurable and simple to look at.

Camcast Outlet Store offers viewing flexibility with TiVo and DVR capabilities so these devices change house owners to digitally record and store favorite shows for viewing at a lot of convenient times. The feature-rich remote additionally includes a Parental Guide to permit complete owner management over what’s viewed within the privacy of the house. this enables one to dam inappropriate programming by mistreatment ratings, titles, channels, or content. associate on-screen programming index makes it easy and simple to settle on a program and includes info concerning every program to form selecting a lot of informative. On Demand Pay-Per-View may be a service that lets one choose and examine movies once they want and includes new releases and up to date victory movies and specials.

Live programming could also be paused and resumed for sudden interruptions, and this is often an extra and for those whose families and activities represent distractions. On Demand offers convenience for the viewer because it offers them freedom from visits to video rental stores. Cable TV services aren’t restricted to solely TV services – they supply a lot of to their overall subscriber base by additionally giving high speed web service likewise as phonephone services organized along in one monthly bill. Bundling permits services at more cost-effective rates and makes it easier and a lot of convenient for customers to possess all 3 services for one fee. High speed web services ar from seventy to a hundred times faster than dialup services and change one to transfer video and music additionally to the potential to get pleasure from virtual interactive games and hear digital music.

Broadband services positively amendment web site access and provide a lot of laptop protection from virus-infected software system thus creating laptop experiences a lot of pleasurable and secure for everybody. Phone services ar cheap and an excellent worth and convenient for budget-minded individuals. All the extras choices ar enclosed for one low worth – voice mail, telephony, and display. All native and long distance domestic calls ar free with discounted international prices abundant under different suppliers. Cable technology continues its advancements and showers America with the most effective technology must provide at glorious costs.

Outlet Stores Malls are here to provide you List of all 4 Comcast Factory outlet stores locations in the US, Canada and Mexico Have a look at opening hours, sales, deals, coupons, promo codes and reviews. You can easily get the any stores, Outlet, Malls, Banks, Restuarant stores location at your nearest place. If you’re in any where then you easily to get stores location with the help of Outlet Stores Malls.

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isnare.com

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isnare.com/?aid=1951028&ca=Business }

Firefighters battle fire at Los Angeles International Airport

Thursday, June 1, 2006

A fuel storage tank at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) caught fire today.

The 1-million gallon storage tank caught fire at about 8:30 a.m. local time (PDT) according to Ron Myers, a spokesman for the LAX fire department. Myers said that planes were not at risk and no flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered.

The fire is said to have been caused by a spark from a welder performing work on the tank. Reports say the fuel container was mostly empty, but authorities are still investigating.

Captain and four shipping companies face legal action over 2009 Australian oil spill

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

In light of an oil spill that occurred off the coast of southeast Queensland in 2009, a captain of a cargo ship and four companies are set to appear in court.

In March of last year, the cargo ship Pacific Adventurer, with Filipino national Bernardino Gonzales Santos at the helm, encountered bad weather, which resulted in its fuel tank being damaged by loose cargo, leading to the spillage 270,000 litres of oil into the Pacific Ocean. The oil later washed up on Sunshine Coast beaches as well as Moreton and Bribie islands and was dubbed “one of Australia’s worse environmental disasters” by the media.

Santos and four companies behind Pacific Adventurer face individual counts of discharging oil into the ocean and can be fined a maximum of AU$1.75 million in the case of the companies, while Santos faces a $350,000 fine if found guilty.

Santos is also charged with not taking reasonable action following the incident.

Richard Kendall, an executive of one of the involved companies, Swire Shipping LTD, said today that “[w]e are deeply regretful. But we will vigorously defend the charges […] We stand by Captain Santos, who is a first-class captain”.

Like Swire Shipping, China Navigation Company LTD and Bluewing Shipping LTD, who are both joint owners of Pacific Adventurer, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

However, prosecutor Peter Davis stated that “[t]he prosecution’s case is that the cause of the cargo going overboard was due to faulty lashings […] By failing to maintain the lashings, the defendants acted recklessly,” an act that prosecutors say should see the companies and captain pay.

Stair Lifts}

Stair Lifts

by

Roberto Bell

One of the hardest about getting older is the loss of freedom. It used to be easy to jump up in the air grab the attic door handle and climb up the attic steps with several boxes in your hand. Now, however, there are many areas of your house that are almost seem to be off limits for no other reason than your body is just not able to climb the stairs anymore.

A stair lift can help you open up your entire house. When you buy a stair lift you no longer should feel trapped in your own home because you can not traverse the steps. No longer will you have to rely on your loved ones to help you up the stairs. A stair lift can help you regain your freedom and mobility. There is no longer a need to buy a new home simply because you can no longer navigate the stairs.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nArbkK_0CmY[/youtube]

Stair lifts are generally easy to install and set up and require little maintenance. Quality stair lifts can navigate narrow or winding stairs easily and safely. This prevents tripping or stumbling over the steps, or putting excessive strain on your loved one. This in and of itself is probably the number one reason to get a stair lift.

While new quality stair lifts are not very expensive, used stair lifts are also available at a much lower cost. When purchasing a used stair lift you should still make sure you purchase it from a reputable dealer. A reputable dealer will thoroughly inspect and test the device before shipping it out and refurbish it as well. If you just buy a used stair lift from a private individual you do not get any of these guarantees.

There are many reasons to get a stair lift and once you do you will feel like your whole world has opened up.

www.a1-medical-supplies.net offers a wide variety of new and

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Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

}

Brazil women’s national wheelchair basketball team loses first game in its 2012 Paralympic campaign

Friday, August 31, 2012

London, England — Last night at London’s Paralympic Basketball Arena, the Brazil women’s national wheelchair basketball team kept it close in a game with the Australia women’s national wheelchair basketball team before losing 52–50 to Australia. Brazil trailed by four with 32.3 seconds left in the game, narrowed the gap to two points with 1.3 seconds left but were unable to score in the final second.

4.5 point player Lia Maria Soares Martin dominated for Brazil, scoring over half the team’s points with 27 total. She led her team on defense with half the team’s rebounds, pulling down 14 of them. The Belém native 24 year old who will celebrate her 25th birthday during the Paralympics plays club basketball for All Star Rodas, Belem.

Brazil played aggressive basketball, with five players earning personal fouls including Soares Martin with 4, Debora Crislina Guimaraes de Costa and Lucicleia da Costa e Costa with 3 each, and Cleonete de Nazare Santos and Cintia Mariana Lopes de Carvalho with 1 each. The Brazilians pinched Australian players several times by trying to force them to go over their wheelchairs and lose their balance. Sportsmanship was still on display, with the Brazilians helping to set Australia’s Kylie Gauci upright after Gauci’s wheelchair tipped over.

Brazil competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics where they did not win a single match. They are scheduled to play the next game of their London campaign this Saturday against Great Britain.

Vk Edutech Control Panel Designing Course}

Submitted by: VK Edutech Pvt.Ltd.

VK Edutech is one of leading industrial technology Knowledge Centre, providing hands on practical training in Advanced Industrial Automation(PLC,SCADA HMI,DCS), Process Control Engineering, Electro Hydraulic & Pneumatic,Industrial Electrical and Electronics, AC DC Drives, Environment, Safety & Fire Engineering with high end Hardware, Software & Training Demo Models. The infrastructure setup with core strength of 30 Industrial Professional having more than 20 year experience in Project & Research, More than 20 Industrial PLC brands, More than 5000 PPTs, 15 Industrial Demo Setups and Two Training Institutes with well-equipped Training labs.

These training sessions are conducted periodically on continuous basis. Our professional are expert in delivering tailor made project and conduct training program for ITIs, Diploma,BE/ME and corporate these training module extremely popular among both professional and students for upgrading their knowledge and skills.

VK Edutech training programs provides excellent returns on investment , selling training to Technocrats or Management justifying the cost

VK Edutech is strive for 100% placement and its record moving towards goal to achieve it on continuous basis.

VKE committed for continuous improvement and adopt modern techniques to provide the best training professionals to Manufacturing Industries. The state of art in training with technology excellence to the participants will help good further growth.

Apart from technical training we provide training on personality development, interview preparations, mock interview sessions which will improve their skill set. Training of different PLC hardware and PLC software programming at single roof by Expert and experienced facultys with fully equipped PLC lab facilities, industrial exposure to each participants. Separate systems to every individuals very cost competitive and effective.

Key Features of Training

1.Training in accordance to industrial requirement and hands on experience with live industrial applications

2.Personalized practical facility and good practical exposure

3.Industrial visits for on site exposure

4.Expert Trainers from Industries

5.Best study material

6.Unique lab facilities with PLC SCADA based Kits

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PaqO1sHdN0[/youtube]

7.Placement assistance and guidance

8.Personality Development and Interview techniques

9.Accommodation Facility

10.Practical Exposure at VK Edutech is equivalent to Industry

11.Training comprises of 80% Practical and 20% theory with PPTS and Video animation

ELECTRICAL CONTROL PANELS DESIGNING & MANUFACTURING TRAINING

Electrical Control Panels Designing

Course Start: March 2016.

Course Duration: 21 Days (63 Hours).

Course Details:

1. Industrial Electrical Controls-design and installation:

a. Basics of Relays, Contactors, MCB, MCCB, ELCM, ACB, VCB etc.

. Working details of different types of electric motor.

c. Designing of Control circuits using Contactors, Relays, Timers etc.

d. DOL, STAR Delta starter Designing for 3 Phase motor with specification.

e. Motor Drivers-AC Drivers and DC Drivers.

f. Safety and Management concepts of Designing a project.

2. Control Panel Designing:

a. Different types of Panel & Accessories.

. Wiring details of Panel.

c. Specification and Physical dimension of components.

d. Earthing and cabling of Panels-Standard procedure.

e. Different types of Electrical Tools

f. Electrical Drawing Designing & Reading

g. Trouble shooting

h. Case Studies

3. PLCs & HMI in Electrical controls:

a. Need of PLC & HMI in electrical controls.

. Basics of PLC.

c. Basics of HMI.

d. Architecture – Modules.

e. Designing & Basic of HMI & PLC Compatible to Given Case study.

Venue: V K Edutech, 06, MPJ Chambers, Behind Bombay dyeing showroom, Wakdewadi, Shivajinagar, Pune.

Contacts: 020 26632925/710, 8237070150/153/8275067185

Email: training@vkedutech.com, sales@vkedutech.com

Web: www.vkedutech.com , www.plctrainingpune.in

About the Author: Victorious Knowledge & Edutech Pvt. Ltd.PLC & HMI, SCADA, Industrial Automation Training Institute Pune.

vkedutech.com

, www.plctrainingpune.in

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=1948160&ca=Pets }

Working As An Interior Designer Finding Your Niche

Working as an Interior Designer – Finding your Niche

by

Ruby Sen

There are many exciting careers for those who have an eye for color and an ability to coordinate materials and textures well. With the popularity of new approaches to home d cor and with a little bit of media influence through reality programming, the job of interior designer has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years. If you love rearranging your furnishings, finding new and exciting decorative elements for your living area, and sketching your ideas, then you may have all of the makings of an interior design career.

An interior designer may perform a number of services for employers or clients. These will range from selecting single elements that work within an already existing decorative environment to creating a complete decorative scheme from scratch. An interior designer needs to be able to effectively communicate design concepts in both visual and written format. The design professional should also be a good listener and should be effective at interpreting a client\’s description of what is desired. A multi-modal approach is most effective, and the effective interior designer is capable of pulling ideas from various sources in order to create a pleasing effect.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yihy26dJIco[/youtube]

Interior designer jobs are available in many venues. The interior specialist can work well in an architectural firm, providing expertise in those aspects of design that relate to interior structure. Interior professionals are also excellent team members for construction contractors, providing a vital service when it comes to the finishing of building interiors. An interior designer can work well with companies that market or show materials related to interior d cor, serving in the arrangement of showrooms or the display of products used in home decorating. Other possible career avenues include working with publications that specialize in the design of home interiors. An interior designer can be an essential part of a home building business, facilitating the interior decorating of model homes. There is even a wonderful area of work in the media, with interior d cor being relevant to television and movie set design.

Another important career path for the interior designer is self- employment. The development of your own business can provide extreme fulfillment in that you are able to focus on projects that mesh well with your areas of interest. If your specialty is kitchen design, you can work primarily in this area of design. If your interest is in a certain decorative style, you can focus on this in your pursuit of consulting opportunities. Many interior design professionals even find opportunities in the world of online commerce. While one interior designer will find their online work in the area of blogging and providing instruction to individuals in how to do their own decorating, others may choose to create product based sites with emphasis on relevant materials and furnishings for interior design. There are many directions a career in design can take you, and it\’s important to continually assess your interests and the trends to see how they will play together in forming your career.

Pursuit of a career as an interior designer begins with an awareness of your particular interest in the field. It\’s important to evaluate different options for training, and it\’s important to determine what educational route will enable you to work in the specialties that you love. There are many possibilities in the current market, and a continual willingness to learn will help you to adjust to the ever changing nature of interior work.

Candice is a renowned

interior designer

with many years of experience in working in the interior design industry in London.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Bat for Lashes plays the Bowery Ballroom: an Interview with Natasha Khan

Friday, September 28, 2007

Bat for Lashes is the doppelgänger band ego of one of the leading millennial lights in British music, Natasha Khan. Caroline Weeks, Abi Fry and Lizzy Carey comprise the aurora borealis that backs this haunting, shimmering zither and glockenspiel peacock, and the only complaint coming from the audience at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday was that they could not camp out all night underneath these celestial bodies.

We live in the age of the lazy tendency to categorize the work of one artist against another, and Khan has had endless exultations as the next Björk and Kate Bush; Sixousie Sioux, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O’Connor, the list goes on until it is almost meaningless as comparison does little justice to the sound and vision of the band. “I think Bat For Lashes are beyond a trend or fashion band,” said Jefferson Hack, publisher of Dazed & Confused magazine. “[Khan] has an ancient power…she is in part shamanic.” She describes her aesthetic as “powerful women with a cosmic edge” as seen in Jane Birkin, Nico and Cleopatra. And these women are being heard. “I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws,” said Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke of the track Horse and I. “This song seems to come from the world of Grimm’s fairytales.”

Bat’s debut album, Fur And Gold, was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, and they were seen as the dark horse favorite until it was announced Klaxons had won. Even Ladbrokes, the largest gambling company in the United Kingdom, had put their money on Bat for Lashes. “It was a surprise that Klaxons won,” said Khan, “but I think everyone up for the award is brilliant and would have deserved to win.”

Natasha recently spoke with David Shankbone about art, transvestism and drug use in the music business.

DS: Do you have any favorite books?

NK: [Laughs] I’m not the best about finishing books. What I usually do is I will get into a book for a period of time, and then I will dip into it and get the inspiration and transformation in my mind that I need, and then put it away and come back to it. But I have a select rotation of cool books, like Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés and Little Birds by Anaïs Nin. Recently, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.

DS: Lynch just came out with a movie last year called Inland Empire. I interviewed John Vanderslice last night at the Bowery Ballroom and he raved about it!

NK: I haven’t seen it yet!

DS: Do you notice a difference between playing in front of British and American audiences?

NK: The U.S. audiences are much more full of expression and noises and jubilation. They are like, “Welcome to New York, Baby!” “You’re Awesome!” and stuff like that. Whereas in England they tend to be a lot more reserved. Well, the English are, but it is such a diverse culture you will get the Spanish and Italian gay guys at the front who are going crazy. I definitely think in America they are much more open and there is more excitement, which is really cool.

DS: How many instruments do you play and, please, include the glockenspiel in that number.

NK: [Laughs] I think the number is limitless, hopefully. I try my hand at anything I can contribute; I only just picked up the bass, really—

DS: –I have a great photo of you playing the bass.

NK: I don’t think I’m very good…

DS: You look cool with it!

NK: [Laughs] Fine. The glockenspiel…piano, mainly, and also the harp. Guitar, I like playing percussion and drumming. I usually speak with all my drummers so that I write my songs with them in mind, and we’ll have bass sounds, choir sounds, and then you can multi-task with all these orchestral sounds. Through the magic medium of technology I can play all kinds of sounds, double bass and stuff.

DS: Do you design your own clothes?

NK: All four of us girls love vintage shopping and charity shops. We don’t have a stylist who tells us what to wear, it’s all very much our own natural styles coming through. And for me, personally, I like to wear jewelery. On the night of the New York show that top I was wearing was made especially for me as a gift by these New York designers called Pepper + Pistol. And there’s also my boyfriend, who is an amazing musician—

DS: —that’s Will Lemon from Moon and Moon, right? There is such good buzz about them here in New York.

NK: Yes! They have an album coming out in February and it will fucking blow your mind! I think you would love it, it’s an incredible masterpiece. It’s really exciting, I’m hoping we can do a crazy double unfolding caravan show, the Bat for Lashes album and the new Moon and Moon album: that would be really theatrical and amazing! Will prints a lot of my T-shirts because he does amazing tapestries and silkscreen printing on clothes. When we play there’s a velvety kind of tapestry on the keyboard table that he made. So I wear a lot of his things, thrift store stuff, old bits of jewelry and antique pieces.

DS: You are often compared to Björk and Kate Bush; do those constant comparisons tend to bother you as an artist who is trying to define herself on her own terms?

NK: No, I mean, I guess that in the past it bothered me, but now I just feel really confident and sure that as time goes on my musical style and my writing is taking a pace of its own, and I think in time the music will speak for itself and people will see that I’m obviously doing something different. Those women are fantastic, strong, risk-taking artists—

DS: —as are you—

NK: —thank you, and that’s a great tradition to be part of, and when I look at artists like Björk and Kate Bush, I think of them as being like older sisters that have come before; they are kind of like an amazing support network that comes with me.

DS: I’d imagine it’s preferable to be considered the next Björk or Kate Bush instead of the next Britney.

NK: [Laughs] Totally! Exactly! I mean, could you imagine—oh, no I’m not going to try to offend anyone now! [Laughs] Let’s leave it there.

DS: Does music feed your artwork, or does you artwork feed your music more? Or is the relationship completely symbiotic?

NK: I think it’s pretty back-and-forth. I think when I have blocks in either of those area, I tend to emphasize the other. If I’m finding it really difficult to write something I know that I need to go investigate it in a more visual way, and I’ll start to gather images and take photographs and make notes and make collages and start looking to photographers and filmmakers to give me a more grounded sense of the place that I’m writing about, whether it’s in my imagination or in the characters. Whenever I’m writing music it’s a very visual place in my mind. It has a location full of characters and colors and landscapes, so those two things really compliment each other, and they help the other one to blossom and support the other. They are like brother and sister.

DS: When you are composing music, do you see notes and words as colors and images in your mind, and then you put those down on paper?

NK: Yes. When I’m writing songs, especially lately because I think the next album has a fairly strong concept behind it and I’m writing the songs, really imagining them, so I’m very immersed into the concept of the album and the story that is there through the album. It’s the same as when I’m playing live, I will imagine I see a forest of pine trees and sky all around me and the audience, and it really helps me. Or I’ll just imagine midnight blue and emerald green, those kind of Eighties colors, and they help me.

DS: Is it always pine trees that you see?

NK: Yes, pine trees and sky, I guess.

DS: What things in nature inspire you?

NK: I feel drained thematically if I’m in the city too long. I think that when I’m in nature—for example, I went to Big Sur last year on a road trip and just looking up and seeing dark shadows of trees and starry skies really gets me and makes me feel happy. I would sit right by the sea, and any time I have been a bit stuck I will go for a long walk along the ocean and it’s just really good to see vast horizons, I think, and epic, huge, all-encompassing visions of nature really humble you and give you a good sense of perspective and the fact that you are just a small particle of energy that is vibrating along with everything else. That really helps.

DS: Are there man-made things that inspire you?

NK: Things that are more cultural, like open air cinemas, old Peruvian flats and the Chelsea Hotel. Funny old drag queen karaoke bars…

DS: I photographed some of the famous drag queens here in New York. They are just such great creatures to photograph; they will do just about anything for the camera. I photographed a famous drag queen named Miss Understood who is the emcee at a drag queen restaurant here named Lucky Cheng’s. We were out in front of Lucky Cheng’s taking photographs and a bus was coming down First Avenue, and I said, “Go out and stop that bus!” and she did! It’s an amazing shot.

NK: Oh. My. God.

DS: If you go on her Wikipedia article it’s there.

NK: That’s so cool. I’m really getting into that whole psychedelic sixties and seventies Paris Is Burning and Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis. Things like The Cockettes. There seems to be a bit of a revolution coming through that kind of psychedelic drag queen theater.

DS: There are just so few areas left where there is natural edge and art that is not contrived. It’s taking a contrived thing like changing your gender, but in the backdrop of how that is still so socially unacceptable.

NK: Yeah, the theatrics and creativity that go into that really get me. I’m thinking about The Fisher King…do you know that drag queen in The Fisher King? There’s this really bad and amazing drag queen guy in it who is so vulnerable and sensitive. He sings these amazing songs but he has this really terrible drug problem, I think, or maybe it’s a drink problem. It’s so bordering on the line between fabulous and those people you see who are so in love with the idea of beauty and elevation and the glitz and the glamor of love and beauty, but then there’s this really dark, tragic side. It’s presented together in this confusing and bewildering way, and it always just gets to me. I find it really intriguing.

DS: How are you received in the Pakistani community?

NK: [Laughs] I have absolutely no idea! You should probably ask another question, because I have no idea. I don’t have contact with that side of my family anymore.

DS: When you see artists like Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse out on these suicidal binges of drug use, what do you think as a musician? What do you get from what you see them go through in their personal lives and with their music?

NK: It’s difficult. The drugs thing was never important to me, it was the music and expression and the way he delivered his music, and I think there’s a strange kind of romantic delusion in the media, and the music media especially, where they are obsessed with people who have terrible drug problems. I think that’s always been the way, though, since Billie Holiday. The thing that I’m questioning now is that it seems now the celebrity angle means that the lifestyle takes over from the actual music. In the past people who had musical genius, unfortunately their personal lives came into play, but maybe that added a level of romance, which I think is pretty uncool, but, whatever. I think that as long as the lifestyle doesn’t precede the talent and the music, that’s okay, but it always feels uncomfortable for me when people’s music goes really far and if you took away the hysteria and propaganda of it, would the music still stand up? That’s my question. Just for me, I’m just glad I don’t do heavy drugs and I don’t have that kind of problem, thank God. I feel that’s a responsibility you have, to present that there’s a power in integrity and strength and in the lifestyle that comes from self-love and assuredness and positivity. I think there’s a real big place for that, but it doesn’t really get as much of that “Rock n’ Roll” play or whatever.

DS: Is it difficult to come to the United States to play considering all the wars we start?

NK: As an English person I feel equally as responsible for that kind of shit. I think it is a collective consciousness that allows violence and those kinds of things to continue, and I think that our governments should be ashamed of themselves. But at the same time, it’s a responsibility of all of our countries, no matter where you are in the world to promote a peaceful lifestyle and not to consciously allow these conflicts to continue. At the same time, I find it difficult to judge because I think that the world is full of shades of light and dark, from spectrums of pure light and pure darkness, and that’s the way human nature and nature itself has always been. It’s difficult, but it’s just a process, and it’s the big creature that’s the world; humankind is a big creature that is learning all the time. And we have to go through these processes of learning to see what is right.