Another for Casar Ulloa via our facebook page, this time with a Korg Kaoss Pad.
“Plaga CatSynth”
If you would to contribute your own cat-and-music photos (synthesizer or otherwise), you can post them on our facebook page, tweet us @catsynth, or contact us.
Submitted by Cesar Ulloa via our facebook page.
“CatSynth diabolicos.. — with korg X50, cat.korg and Madre.cat”
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I'm finally getting around the first of the promised CD review series here at CatSynth. Just one of many articles waiting in a growing queue while “life happens…”
Remember the Rathergood.com chillin' kittens? Of course not. But it was a cute animation done by folks who brought us the “Viking Kittens”, featuring a jazz combo of cute kittens “chillin' out” on the beach to “We Like the Music (Latino mix)” by John B.
John B is a UK-based electronica artist, more recently known for his remixes of 80s synth pop, 80s-style spiky hair, and working alongside “cutting-edge artists” like Justin Timberlake. However, before selling out, he released several interesting “jazzier” albums between 1999 and 2001 on his Beta Recordings, including Catalyst. This album is not easy to get. The Beta Recordings sight kept giving me SQL database errors (and indeed the entire site acts a little odd in Safari and Firefox). Amazon.com does not appear to carry this release. I did manage to find one via eBay's Half.com store in July.
Catalyst is a 2-disc album featuring John B's, drum&base and “electro-funk” work from 1999, mixing either real or imaged jazz/funk phrases and recordings with electronic beats. Some are extremely fast and high-energy, others are more dreamy, trance, or chill-out music. Somewhere between the two extremes lies the track “We Like the Music.” It's lot more electronica/drum-and-bass than the Latino mix, but it has the same brass licks. I definitely like the Latino mix better used by the Rathergood.com kittens, the latin rhythms and softer feel has a lot more “character” to my ear. Unforunately that version is one the even-more-difficult-to-find Redox – Catalyst Reprocessed. I have also been unable to find it at any of the digital distribution sites. So for now, I'll probably have to stick with the kittens.
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Who doesn't love pictures of cute kittens?
Well, these kittens are in Lebanon, being cared for by members of BETA. Like many places closer to home, it is kitten season, and their shelter is overflowing with kittens who need homes. And this is on top of the cats and other animals that BETA has rescued from the recent confrontations and senseless religious/tribal violence still happening there.
Meanwhile, in Germany, a country famous around the world for its warm and fuzzy nature, animal shelters experience a summer influx of cats for very different reasons. According the the reports accompanying these photos from Reuters, many of these cats are surrendered to shelters, or simply abandoned, during the long European summer vacation season. You can click on the photo below for a second article.
They don't have pet sitters in Germany?
From rathergood.com original home of the “Viking Kittens”, comes this cool “chill-out” kitten combo. It's actually grown on me a bit, and it's been a nice diversion playing on the iMac in my office while I toil away on a nearby PC. Yes, it's been a pretty rough couple of days…
The music is “We Like The Music (latino remix)” by John B.
Thanks to our friend jellypizza for calling this out. Not sure I quite get the Soprano's reference, but ok…
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As if last year wasn't enough, there is more sad news from our friends at BETA in Lebanon:
More than a week has already passed now with, at the beginning, severe clashes between the Lebanese army and some armed groups in northern Lebanon. Immediately following those deadly conflicts, car bombs and hand grenades went off in Beirut and its suburbs, and the first bomb exploded very close to one of the cat shelters in Ashrafieh area. Fortunately, the glass and walls remained intact at the shelter.
As many readers are probably aware, the Lebanese army has been involved in a confrontation with Islamic militants that have taken up residence in Palistinian refugee camps. Nobody likes them in Lebanon, even reliably militant Hezbollah leaders support the Lebanese army moving against them (and of course the Palestinians in the camps are going to suffer more because of them). The attack in Beirut near the cat shelter is either a direct response, or by someone who sympathizes with the militants. I guess it's one I have trouble understanding. These Islamic militants have no redeeming value, even for those who want the US out of Iraq and Israel out of the Palistinian territories. It makes the suffering of people and animals in their path even more tragic, and we're glad the cat shelter was spared their violence.
Another feline story with some hope amidst the current events:
[This kitten was] rescued by a CNBC reporter from one of the mostly bombed Palestinian camp in the north of Lebanon. The reporter was kind enough to pick up the dirty starving kitten. A few days later, she also found the sibling of the kitten and also brought her to us. Both kittens are now boarding at one of the BETA members home, getting lots of food, affection, warmth and care and of course playing with lots of toys.
We at CatSynth are happy that someone cared enough to rescue the kittens, who of course did nothing wrong but ended up in the middle of a useless human conflict.
I should note that the sources for this article were BETA in Lebanon, Agence France-Presse and the BBC, so don't suggest this report is some US-orchestrated media plot. (There are plenty of those to go around already.)
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From AFP: a kitty amidst the rubble in a fishing port south of Beirut. This is essentially the type of image I see in my mind when I think about the situation, or cats in war more generally. It was part of an AFP article that Yahoo! syndicated for their main news page covering the middle east conflict today, right under the news that the Lebanese PM had rejected the cease-fire deal.
I haven't seen or received any updates from BETA or the groups in Israel since my previous article, I will certainly post anything that I receive.
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This is a follow-up to my previous posts about cats in Israel and Lebanon.
First, the following update from BETA in Lebanon:
On the 28th of July, BETA team re-entered the Beirut southern suburbs (one of the war zones) to feed the stray and abandoned pets. On the way, we encountered an abandoned pet shop and were able to retrieve some of the surviving animals – four cats and one puppy .
On the 2nd of August, and for the third time, BETA team, accompanied by a PETA representative who came all the way to Beirut to help our animals, have been able to enter that same area. Again, we put food and water for the strays and fed the rest of the animals at the abandoned pet shop -pigeons, birds, and turtles- We will come back to pick them up as soon as the pet shop owner unlock the cages.
We also visited the small zoo and made sure that the worker is still there feeding the remaining animals.
People are working to help cats and other animals left behind during the evacuations and attacks in northern Israel as well. A reader of this forum responded with the following information about current situation and the groups active there:
Bashan Shelter is located in Israel near the Lebanese border. They are
taking in animals abandonned by people who fled south in search of safety.
At great risk to their own personal safety they are also making the rounds
surrounding communities distributing food and water to the animals that
remain behind and to people also. This totally volunteer organization has
no income outside private donations.
liz at shay.co.il
http://bashan-dogs.orgHaifa SPCA is taking in large numbers of animal war refugees and like with
the above organization their expenses are growing while their income has
almost stopped. Contact info at
972-4-8729696
hspca at netvision.net.il
http://civilsociety.haifa.ac.il/orgDet. … ;orgid=149
Israel Cat Lovers Society is located in the Haifa area. They have been
affected by the war situation here as many pet owners or homeless cats
feeders fled towards the center of Israel leavingthe animals in horrible
conditions. As so we are in great need of fosterhomes for kittens and
massive food donations as well.
www.isracat.org.il
972-4-8244724
Yes, I am partial to kitties that look like Luna…
One of the things that struck me, in addition to the photographs of the animals and the people with them, was the reference to “civil society” among the resources. I fear the civil society on both sides of the border is one the things in danger in this conflict, and indeed in other conflicts as well. The Civil Society of Haifa describes their mission as “to ensure and further participation, solidarity, tolerance, social mobility, basic human rights and honesty [as] a goal that can contribute to the general welfare of all members of society,” including in this case our small and furry members of society. Sadly, such goals seem quite lost in the tribalism, fear and focus on base needs and emotions that seems to dominate much of the fighting in the Middle East and elsewhere…
