Donna Summer (Ethan Miller/Getty) / Prince (Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty)

Plus: 'Rapper's Delight,' Prince and the Revolution's 'Purple Rain' soundtrack, 'A Charlie Brown Christmas,' and many more

For a lot of people, disco never died. For others, it came back to life in the past 15 years, as James Murphy's DFA label and production team, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton's essential history Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, and the rediscovery of eclectic dance savant Arthur Russell combined to help free the pioneering sounds of long-shuttered New York City spaces like the Loft and the Paradise Garage from Comiskey-demolition backlash. And yet when Donna Summer, the queen of disco, died last week at age 63 after suffering from cancer, some obituaries failed to mention perhaps her most influential hit: 1977's "I Feel Love."

The record is about to be set straight. The Library of Congress has announced it has chosen "I Feel Love" and several other classics for induction into its National Recording Registry. Other recordings being honored include Sugarhill Gang's 1979 "Rapper's Delight," Prince and the Revolution's 1984 Purple Rain soundtrack, Parliament's 1975 Mothership Connection, Vince Guaraldi Trio's 1970 A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, Dolly Parton's autobiographical 1971 "Coat of Many Colors," Love's 1967 Forever Changes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s 1962 "Green Onions," and the Grateful Dead's 1977 show at Cornell University's Barton Hall (which you don't have to be a Deadhead to love, for what it's worth). Two Bo Diddley songs also made the cut, along with various pre-rock recordings.

With its completely synthetic backing, "I Feel Love" paved the way for house, techno, and the electronic pop currently dominating the charts. Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Beloitte used four cabinets of Moog synthesizers to achieve the instrumental arrangement, at a time when using a synth was, compared with today's software-based environments, almost a live performance. The Library of Congress points out that Brian Eno once said the track would "change the sound of club music for the next 15 years." He might have been understating things.

As you can see from the names above, Summer's smash has some illustrious competition in the latest round of National Recording Registry inductees, from the hit that helped popularize rap to a classic Stax soul instrumental. Check out the full list below, in chronological order, after a clip of Patrick Cowley's 15-minute "I Feel Love" remix, and find out more about the Registry's new additions at the Library of Congress' website.

Donna Summer, RIP: Hear Her Legacy in 15 Tracks

1. Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888) 2. "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," Lillian Russell (1912) 3. "Ten Cents a Dance," Ruth Etting (1930) 4. "Voices from the Days of Slavery," Various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation) 5. "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935) 6. "Fascinating Rhythm," Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938) 7. "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton & and his Orchestra (1943) 8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (November 14, 1943) 9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s (1944-1946) 10. "The Indians for Indians Hour" (March 25, 1947) 11. "Hula Medley," Gabby Pahinui (1947) 12. "I Can Hear It Now," Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948) 13. "Let's Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953) 14. "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958) 15. "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man," Bo Diddley (1955) 16. "Green Onions," Booker T. & the M.G.'s (1962) 17. "Forever Changes," Love (1967) 18. "The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings," Gregg Smith Singers (1969) 19. "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970) 20. "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971) 21. "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975) 22. Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977) 23. "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977) 24. "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979) 25. "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984)

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Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' Honored by Library of Congress

RACINE, Wis., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 180,000 bugs[i] will pass through your yard this summer, and with this year's abnormal weather conditions, bugs may be even more prevalent than ever[ii]. On top of that, seasonal weather damage gives some bugs an easy entry point into your home through cracks and other areas.

To educate families on the best ways to identify and beat bugs this summer, Raid is partnering with Steven Kutcher, who has 35 years of experience as an entomology consultant in Hollywood and worked on more than 100 movies involving bugs, including "Spiderman," "Arachnophobia" and "National Treasure 2." Known as the "Bug Guy" in Hollywood, Kutcher has learned quick and easy ways to keep bugs under control.

"Working with bugs on the big screen is one thing, but dealing with a bug problem in your home is no laughing matter," says Kutcher. "Atypical and fluctuating weather conditions have caused the bug season to start earlier, leaving many homes vulnerable to unwanted bug infestations."

With Raid and Steven's easy tips, homeowners can help protect their home and attack unwanted bugs. In addition to the already robust lineup of Raid products, Raid has added Raid Max Bed Bug & Flea Killer and Raid Ant Gel to its portfolio.

"With the new offerings from Raid, our focus this year is to provide homeowners with the education and tools they need to be prepared for bug problems they may face this season," says Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson.

Steven's Bug Smarts To help families keep their home safe from unwanted insects and pests, Kutcher offers a few of his favorite tips:

Raid has a wide array of reliable products to help families attack bugs inside the home. The latest bug-fighting additions include:

Additional products include:

For more information about the full Raid product line, visit http://www.raidkillsbugs.com

[i] Number of bugs passing through the yard are attributed to an experiment conducted by Entomologist Steven Kutcher over the summer months

See original here:
Abnormal Weather Conditions and Seasonal Weather Damage Leave Homes at Risk for Unwanted Pests

by Preston Tolliver The Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

The sale, which started 12 years ago to help match grants the city received for the renovation of the Historic Depot, now raises money used to pay the annual escrow payment on Depot Park, as well as any upkeep or maintenance at the depot.

This year looks like it could be a potentially great year, Main Street Russellville Executive Director Betsy McGuire said. Its amazing how much stuff weve had donated.

Passers-by of the depot may notice workers preparing for the sale outside, and are likely to see an array of televisions, furniture, office accessories, books, old doors and window frames, art, bikes, clothes, and just about anything else.

This year, it is literally amazing, McGuire said. We have some really nice furnishings, some nice decorative items and some really wonderful clothes.

Francis Parker, who has coordinated Rummage since its first sale, said she anticipates having more items than last year.

The furniture end is really full, and we still lack several deliveries, Parker said. We have so many books, were having to bring them inside.

Last year, the sale brought in a little more than $5,000, according to McGuire. McGuire said the most the sale has made was about $10,000, with the least falling just short of $5,000.

The cost of the annual escrow payment on Depot Park is $4,888, McGuire said.

While those working the sale wont accept donations after 10 a.m. today, Parker said those wishing to donate beforehand are welcome to bring just about anything but clothes, due to an over-abundance of such items.

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'Rummage' around

Sock Development has opened another park to enhance the lifestyle at Paseo, the 2011 Community of the Year.

According to Tim Clark, vice president of sales for Paseo, the new park is located on the east side amid Paseo's multifamily homes.

"These are simply the latest additions we've made to our award-winning lifestyle," said Clark. "There are four chickee huts with seating for shade, a sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits, grilling areas, a grass play area and two pickle ball courts."

The park is open to all Paseo residents. It joins a lakefront park with a chickee hut, seating and hammocks on the west side of Phase I.

"Residents love the first passive park," said Clark. "They gather in the evenings to relax and watch the sunset over the lake and Six Mile Cypress Preserve. This is an active, sporty park. These amenities make Paseo a special place."

Paseo's village center has won numerous Pinnacle Awards from the Lee Building Industry Association for Best Clubhouse Exterior, Best Clubhouse Interior and Best Pool Design. The community has won six consecutive Community of the Year honors, as well as Developer of the Year honors. Prices begin in the $170s.

The Paseo Village Center includes a full-service concierge, a bistro, an ice cream parlor, a pub, an internet caf, a coffee shop, a 4,000 square foot fitness center, a business center and library, as well as spa services and a 90-seat theatre with a projection room and comfortable elevated seating.

The free-form pool includes waterfalls and rockscapes, as well as a poolside gazebo serving refreshments. Adjacent to the main pool is a spa, a fitness-oriented lap pool and a children's water playground. There is also a sports complex with six Har-Tru tennis courts, bocce ball courts, a basketball court, a fishing pier and restrooms.

The private, gated 444-acre community of Paseo is surrounded by the environment of the Six Mile Cypress Slough.

Flats and town homes, including two- and three-story designs, are available in 14 floor plans with two, three or four bedrooms and two or three baths. These homes range from 1,227 to 2,084 square feet under air and include a one- or two-car garage. Paseo also offers six casita floor plans ranging from 1,531 to 2,080 square feet under air. Each casita features two or three bedrooms, two-and-a-half or three baths and two floors of living space.

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New lifestyle park opens at Paseo

Phil Fernandes helps people design new houses from the ground up, but for his own dream home, he's going with South Walkerville vintage.

"An investment into a house, in a neighbourhood with that much character, just seems to be a lot more rewarding," he said.

Phil and his wife Amanda, who works for a civil engineering firm, have been living on Lincoln Road in the Lincoln in the Woods area for about 10 years. They were looking for an upgrade and knew they wanted to stay in the neighbourhood, with its mature trees, big lots and unique architecture.

When the owners of 2450 Lincoln Rd. decided to put their house on the market after living there since the mid-1940s, Phil and Amanda pounced. But it needed a lot of work - about $200,000 worth of work - or about as much as the price of the house itself.

Phil was up to the challenge. He drew up plans for an ambitious renovation that brings the house up to date while keeping its character, with additions above the garage and off the back, an expanded kitchen and three small bedrooms converted to four.

"It was a good project, because it was very challenging, to me, anyway, to make a floor plan for a house that wasn't really working for the modern family and revise it so that it could be utilized, reused, re-adapted to what we need today."

Phil said the most difficult part has been keeping the house's original charm. The couple has gone to great lengths to do so, salvaging and cleaning the original bricks to use on the additions and moving the hardwood floors from the first floor to the second.

Phil said the previous owner of the house is particularly pleased with a plan take the original etched glass from a vestibule and use it for the laundry room. "She loved that. It's really fun meeting somebody who loves their home so much," he said.

The couple is on track to finish the project in July, about eight months after buying the house on Nov. 25. They've done some of the work themselves, with Phil's experience as a contractor for Paul Davis Systems coming in handy.

They've also received a lot of help from Phil's father, who often comes all the way from Wallaceburg on weekends, and Tony Martell of Roofing With Integrity, who helped with demolition as well as the roof. Amanda is blogging about the project as she goes, keeping track with posts and pictures at pfernandesdesigns.com/blog.

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Challenge, charm

New home construction in Franklin County is holding steady through the first four months of 2012.

The county building department issued 10 permits for new single-family dwellings last month, down from 11 issued in April 2011.

The county issued 57 permits total in April out of 59 applications received.

On the year, 32 single-family home permits have been issued. Through the first four months of 2011, 29 permits had been issued.

The county estimated an average construction cost of $212,500 for the homes issued permits last month.

On the year, the average is $181,831.25. The same average, for slightly fewer homes, from January through April of 2011 was $207,001.90.

The 10 permits issued is the lowest for the month since 2010, when only eight were issued. In 2009, 14 permits were issued in April. In 2008, the number was 11. In 2007, two dozen single-family home permits were issued.

Other permits issued by the county in April and the estimated construction cost estimates were:

Other nonresidential buildings, three permits, $85,500;

Structures other than buildings, one permit, $8,000;

See original here:
County Up on New Home Construction So Far This Year

Between putting out the fire that destroyed a century-old warehouse early Wednesday morning and returning Thursday when it rekindled, firefighters went to the factory across the street to put out a fire they say the warehouse fire likely caused.

The cause of the initial fire remained undetermined, Alliance Fire Inspector Guy Aumend said.

Firefighters from at least 10 departments were called to the Alliance Wholesalers building at 321 Rush St. at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

They were still dousing hot spots at 5 p.m. Wednesday in what had been three large brick buildings that stretched at least a block. The fire did about $200,000 damage to the building, which was mostly vacant.

A pest control business was leasing the office area with four trucks and a car parked in a nearby fenced area outside the building, and a Sebring man was storing a pickup, a motorcycle and a car in the buildings nearby garage.

While parts of a few walls remained standing, most of the structures were reduced to rubble.

The blaze also damaged PTC Alliance, a factory across the alley, Aumend said. Dozens of employees were evacuated from the factory, which manufactures steel tubing.

SPREADS TO NEARBY FACTORY

The Alliance Wholesalers fire was so hot it melted the blue or gray paint from the aluminum siding on the PTC buildings.

Hot embers carried far enough, Aumend said, that they landed on PTCs rubber roofing. The PTC factory is located at 640 E. Keystone St. but its buildings stretch from Keystone to Webb.

More here:
Warehouse fire spread to roof of PTC Alliance

VOL. 127 | NO. 95 | Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The blue banner that hung until recently at the curved atrium at Cooper Street and Madison Avenue and read Returning in 2012 will soon ring true for Overton Square and its developer, Loeb Properties Inc.

In the coming months and years, the firm will invest about $20 million to revive the arts and entertainment districts footprint to about 115,000 square feet. Loeb is expected to close on nine acres near the Cooper-Madison intersection from its Colorado owners by mid-June.

Loebs plan, first and foremost, is to redesign seven existing buildings on the north and south sides of Madison.

This is 2012, we want to lease this stuff up and have it open by the end of the year, said Bob Loeb, CEO of Loeb Properties. The north side of the road will be leased and hopefully open, 100-percent occupied by the end of the year.

Loeb announced its first lease for the Square two weeks ago with the signing of Local Gastropub in the space that housed Yosemites Sams for nearly 40 years at 2126 Madison. Yosemite Sams was the longest-running existing business in the Square before closing its doors last August. Local will have a patio on the north side of its 6,000-square-foot, two-story building.

Moving westward from the Cooper-Madison intersection, Loeb is in discussions with Boscos Squared about an expansion and enclosure of its patio.

Boscos wants to enclose their patio so itll be year-round, and they want to increase their brewing capacity, Loeb said.

The next two adjoining spaces west and only spaces left to fill this year are the gingerbread house next to the old Paulettes restaurant, as well as the old Paulettes at 2110 Madison. Loeb hopes to fill the house with a coffee shop and breakfast provider because thats what it looks like.

Loeb said his company has a couple of prospects it's working for the actual Paulettes space, and there are plans for an eastside patio. The restaurants parking will be enhanced, as well as the addition of a grass courtyard, because we want people out on the street, Loeb said.

Read the rest here:
Loeb Makes Progress on Square Plan

He was loyal and compassionate and tough, a teacher and counselor and promoter, one of the rare who influenced so many in a positive way.

Those words describe the late Jim Hunter, who, yes, in his younger days, walked on the wild side, too.

But more than nouns or adjectives or verbs can say, he was Darlington.

Yes, that Darlington, the race track that annually stages one of the states oldest and most captivating sports spectacles.

The timing is perfect: Another Southern 500, this one the first sponsored by Bojangles, unfolded Saturday night at Darlington Jim Hunters Darlington and 48 hours later he will be among the inductees into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies tonight.

The two are entwined; if Jim Hunter had not come along at the pivotal point in the raceways history, stock-car racings first super-speedway which staged the first Southern 500 in 1950 would almost certainly be gone with the wind.

But like the cavalry in a John Wayne western, Hunter rode to the rescue of the track he fell in love with while listen to radio reports of races at his boyhood home in North Charleston.

Put it this way, said Mac Josey, the tracks vice-president and general manager: Jim gave this place a second chance on life. He was the key to keeping the track open. We wouldnt be here (on race weekend) without him.

His track-saving work represents only the tip of his contributions to the racing world, said NASCAR vice-president of competition Robin Pemberton, who noted, Theres not a life in the garage that he has not touched.

Those touches could be one-on-one sessions or the trickle-down result of conversations with others, but he always delivered the message in his special way to young and old alike.

See more here:
Inductee Hunter: ‘He was Darlington’

After a long wait, Starhawk releases this week. The game, a third person shooter and spiritual successor to the game Warhawk, features a rich single player campaign and a deep multiplayer experience. To find out more about the game, we talked to Dylan Jobe, president ofLightbox Interactive, who developed Starhawk for the Playstation 3. Read on to find out more about the games inspiration, why its the best shooter for younger players, and what Starhawk feature is the best addition to any shooter game in years.

Banks:Starhawk has an old-west-in-outer-space feel, reminiscent of Firefly and other great shows, movies, and books. What were your inspirations for the story in Starhawk?

Jobe: We had a lot of inspiration from classic westerns and classic sci-fi. We were privileged to work with a guy who worked on Star Wars characters with George Lucas, a conceptartistnamed Ian McCaig. He designed Darth Maul and a number of other characters. We brought him in and he helped us on the world and universe in the early stages.

When we got into more nitty gritty development of the actual screenwriting with dialogue and the actual story, we brought in a writer from Austin, who had a lot of experience with westerns, a guy named Koen Wooten. His family helped as wranglers for Last of the Mohicans. He did prop work for True Grit and Appaloosa. He was very familiar with the genre, but we were fortunate to work with him because he loves games very dearly.

We often referred to classic westerns when we wanted to tell a story about a man and his family, even though it takes place in the vastness of the frontier. In many respects, the classic western tale pertains to a white half, black half kind of structure, isolated small town in the vast expanding west in the United States. So there were a lot of classic American western influences in the conflict between Emmett and his brother Logan to the industrial expansion of mines and towns throughout the frontier. There were many, many parallels to American history.

Banks:The betas been out for a while now and one of the great things about games, video games especially, is seeing all of the organic things that happen. Was there anything that you saw in the beta or didnt anticipate people doing with the game?

Jobe: On the good side, we were pleasantly surprised to see people build and battle pretty quickly, so that was a good thing. One of the things that was tricky was that not all players were doing good building. A lot of players were excited to build, but they were kind of being dumb when they were building.When youre playing the team mode online, if you go off and build stuff for your personal enjoyment, but not building with a tactical mind or a smart mind for your team, then youre not doing well for the rifters or outcasts, depending on which team youre on.

So, we decided to help combat this by changing the single player campaign. We added the concept of specific beats throughout the story where Cutter, your gear man, might give you a hint as to things you might want to build. We put a faint wire frame in the world, to give you an idea as to where structures should be built. Things like If I want to build a choke-point, this is a good place to do it or I can build my auto-turrets on the ground, but I can see the wireframes up on the top of the bunker, I could put them out of harms way. So we decided to seed the single player with hints to help players build more appropriately for their teams.

The other thing was we saw in the beta was that some players didnt build at all. They like to play purely as shooters. We would see these players get Starhawkand play online, reaping all the benefits of Build & Battle, even though they didnt build a single structure. But their teammates like to build, so they get the benefit of it, which was a pretty cool thing to see. Truth be told, the fusing of RTS and shooter elements isnt standard first person shooter recipe. So, we were concerned it would be off-putting to pure shooter fans. But to see pure shooter players enjoying the game and being successful, even though they werent actively building. Its good to see those kind of players still have a home in this kind of game.

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GeekDad Interview: Starhawk Developer Dylan Jobe