Picaresque novel

The picaresque novel (Spanish: "picaresca," from "pícaro," for "rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction which depicts the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. Picaresque novels typically adopt a realistic style, with elements of comedy and satire. This style of novel originated in 16th-century Spain and flourished throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. It continues to influence modern literature.

According to the traditional view of Thrall and Hibbard (first published in 1936), seven qualities distinguish the picaresque novel or narrative form, all or some of which may be employed for effect by the author. (1) A picaresque narrative is usually written in first person as an autobiographical account. (2) The main character is often of low character or social class. He or she gets by with wit and rarely deigns to hold a job. (3) There is no plot. The story is told in a series of loosely connected adventures or episodes. (4) There is little if any character development in the main character. Once a picaro, always a picaro. His or her circumstances may change but they rarely result in a change of heart. (5) The picaro's story is told with a plainness of language or realism. (6) Satire might sometimes be a prominent element. (7) The behavior of a picaresque hero or heroine stops just short of criminality. Carefree or immoral rascality positions the picaresque hero as a sympathetic outsider, untouched by the false rules of society. However, Trall and Hibbert's thesis has been questioned by scholars interested in how genre functions, rather than how it looks on the surface.

Rock Stars (documentary series)

Rock Stars is a documentary/reality television series that follows a team of rock scalers from a slope stabilization/rock remediation company. The series is produced by Echo Entertainment for the National Geographic Channel. Ten episodes have been created so far, the first airing on November 22, 2011.

Plot

The series portrays a group of rock remediation technicians whose primary objective is to protect the public and their communities from rockslides. As trained professionals, these men suspend on the sides of cliffs that are anywhere from 25 to 200-feet high and remove any unstable rocks or boulders that could pose a potential threat to unsuspecting drivers and hikers below. The crew use scale bars, a crow-bar type of tool with an angled tip, to bring down most of the rock. Often they also utilize rubber airbags inflated by an air compressor to bring down the larger masses of rock. The company also specializes in rock bolting, wire mesh installation, rock net installation, shotcrete, slope monitoring and slope blasting. The company has been around since 1968 and has long been a leader in the rock remediation world.

Kill Rock Stars

Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission. Overall, though, the political sensibilities of the label can be said to be left-wing, feminist, and anti-war, and the label initially showed a commitment towards underground punk bands and to representing artists in the Olympia area music scene.

History

Sampson and Moon initially started the label because in his words, "I just wanted to put out my friends’ records because nobody was putting out my friends’ records. And to put out spoken word 7" records." KRS-101 (the label's first release) was in fact a split 7" spoken-word record with Kathleen Hanna and Slim Moon; other "Wordcore" releases followed. The first major release was a compilation of Olympia-area bands simply titled Kill Rock Stars (Stars Kill Rock and Rock Stars Kill would follow in the same compilation series) and featured Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Unwound, Nirvana, The Melvins, as well as singer-songwriter Elliott Smith.

The Decemberists

The Decemberists are an American indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, accordion), Nate Query (bass), and John Moen (drums).

The band's debut EP, 5 Songs, was self-released in 2001. Their seventh full-length album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World was released on January 20, 2015, by Capitol Records, and is the band's fourth record with the label.

In addition to their lyrics, which often focus on historical incidents and/or folklore, The Decemberists are also well known for their eclectic live shows. Audience participation is often a part of each performance, typically during encores. The band stages whimsical reenactments of sea battles and other centuries-old events, typically of regional interest, or acts out songs with members of the crowd.

In 2011, the track "Down By the Water" from the album The King Is Dead was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Out Now Consulting

Out Now Consulting is a marketing agency that provides specialised gay marketing services to large companies by researching gay lifestyles and using the information to develop strategies to target gay and lesbian consumers.

Origins

Although Out Now is a Dutch company, its origins lie in the formation of an Australian company, Significant Others, which after its establishment in 1992 became known in Australian media over subsequent years for its work as a specialist gay marketing agency.

Significant Others presented the Keynote address at the world's first gay marketing conference in 1994.

Following the establishment of an office in Amsterdam, Out Now became the first business of its kind with agencies in more than one country.

Activities are now undertaken in the US, UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland and The Netherlands markets.

Out Now's role in the development of gay marketing in various countries has been discussed in the Dutch language edition of 'Principes van Marketing' (Principles of Marketing) - a marketing textbook - by Dr. Philip Kotler.