Daily Archives: August 3, 2020

Tom VanOsdol, Guest columnist Published 9:41 a.m. CT July 31, 2020

COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for everyone. Our nation has not faced such a daunting public health crisis since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

Back then, the Daughters of Charity, who founded our health system in Pensacola and Mobile, quickly responded and emerged as unexpected heroes. Today, our healthcare heroes walk in their footsteps. Im extraordinarily grateful for all healthcare workers and particularly those with whom Im so blessed to serve. But we cant do this alone. We need your help.

COVID-19 is easily spread and can have devastating, long-lasting effects, but there are a few critical steps we can all take to reduce the risk of getting it or giving it:

We appreciate the efforts of local businesses and organizations that are implementing plans to curb COVID-19s spread, including mask and social distancing policies. I know these safety measures may seem uncomfortable, but we have a shared responsibility to care for others as if were caring for ourselves or our loved ones.

Again, get the care you need if you get sick, especially if its an emergency. Too often weve seen patients stay home during a health emergency because they were afraid to come to the hospital or their doctors office. Weve made changes to our sites of care to protect you from COVID-19, so dont delay the care you need.

We can and we must work together to beat COVID-19 by following these simple steps and listening to the advice of healthcare and infectious disease officials who provide us with proven techniques to help stop this serious, deadly virus from spreading.

Tom VanOsdol is president and CEO of Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, which includes Ascension Providence based in Mobile, Ala., Ascension Sacred Heart based in Pensacola, Fla., and Ascension St. Vincents, based in Jacksonville, Fla.

Read or Share this story: https://www.pnj.com/story/opinion/2020/07/31/we-can-stop-covid-19-pensacola-but-weve-got-do-together-guestview/5554114002/

View original post here:

We can stop COVID-19 in Pensacola. But we've got to do it together | Guestview - Pensacola News Journal

After a peculiar song-writing journey situated between New York and Monaghan, Ireland, Song Sung (comprised of Irish-born, America-based twins Georgina and Uni McGeough) have finally released their debut LP This Ascension is Ours.

With producer David Holmes producing and arranging tracks, then sending the audio files to the duo to write lyrics and record vocals over, its quite possible that these tracks have travelled more miles than many people. The resulting album is an atmospheric (which, whilst probably the most overused word in indie music reviews, truly does apply here), spooky, and eclectic collection of songs that do a better job of forming a whole than acting as individuals.

Opening with a Lovecraftian invitation to "Come to the water", slow, pounding drums, bass drops, and a menagerie of sound effects and samples range from occult to pop-esque. Its a memorable entrance to the album and effectively sets a tone for the horror-tinged, world-building record to come.

Most tracks stay within the same constructed soundscape but add variety through tone and structure. Telling Tales takes a more traditional song structure than its preceding opening track or following six-minute mini-epic Somewhere. With a weirdly anthemic chorus that's as catchy as it is ethereal, Telling Tales is perhaps one of the more accessible tracks on the record. Lead single Take Some Time and The Minds Eye also make good cases for this title also but arent executed quite as well.

Whilst the duo form typically structured, accessible songs with ease, they undoubtedly shine brightest when allowed to truly veer off into their art-inspired fantasies. Album standout Testimony of Tears combines all elements of the album well, with a post-rock-inspired structure lending itself incredibly well to reverb-laden, breathy vocals, a simple but prominent running bass line and slowly-uplifting instrumentation, all of which combust in a crescendo of atmosphere and sound before fading into nothing.

One caveat with this album is that despite its modest ten-track listing, it feels a little bloated - with running time reaching an hour, the average song length is between 5-6 minutes long. For a group that are still crafting a unique, unrefined sound, this feels like overexposure.

However, This Ascension Is Ours paints a distinctive atmosphere in a genre where many try but fail to craft a sound specific to themselves, accomplishing an interesting and astonishingly unusual composition. This must be applauded, but the goal now for the group is to build something more on the foundation this album has created for them.

This Ascension Is Ours is out this Friday (31st July) viaNight Time Stories Ltd.

Visit link:

In Review: Song Sung This Ascension is Ours - GigList