Sleep State is an American indie pop/rock band based in Los Angeles, California.
Lead singer Troy Ritchie started the band in 2013 while experimenting with the music production software Ableton. According to him, in 4 days he was able to produce 4 demos. The recording binge inspired him to create the name Sleep State and use it as his moniker. He soon shoed the demos to his longtime friend Michael Haua, who had played in bands with him since high school, and invited him to join the band as keyboardist and back up vocalist. The two performed at as a duo until they met drummer Parker Jackson at a show in Huntington Beach. Jackson was in the crowd and was very impressed by the band. Later, the group was joined by David Greenwood as bassist, second songwriter and singer.
After Ritchie’s appearance on NBC’s The Voice, the band recorded their self-titled debut EP in Los Angeles with the sound engineer Adrian Alvarado.
In June 2015, the band’s debut single, “Make A Move”, was released. The single was reviews by the blog Buzzbands.la who said that "its poppy synth, melodic bass lines, Ritchie’s capable full voice, and reassuring lyrics about taking chances against all odds and looking at life with a child’s exuberance, beams with that upbeat positivity reserved for Disney soundtracks and Hulu commercials."
In July 2015, the band’s second single, “Tether” was released as a music video on the blog Free Bike Valet. The video features Sleep State performing in an urban warehouse and exploring the city. On September 28, Sleep State released their self-titled debut EP. In December, LA radio station KCRW said that Troy Ritchie is "a charismatic performer with star power and a genuine approach" and chose the song "Shook Up" to be featured as Today's Top Tune. The song “Tether” was also featured in Starbucks’ November Playlist.
Lead singer Troy Ritchie started the band in 2013 while experimenting with the music production software Ableton. According to him, in 4 days he was able to produce 4 demos. The recording binge inspired him to create the name Sleep State and use it as his moniker. He soon shoed the demos to his longtime friend Michael Haua, who had played in bands with him since high school, and invited him to join the band as keyboardist and back up vocalist. The two performed at as a duo until they met drummer Parker Jackson at a show in Huntington Beach. Jackson was in the crowd and was very impressed by the band. Later, the group was joined by David Greenwood as bassist, second songwriter and singer.
After Ritchie’s appearance on NBC’s The Voice, the band recorded their self-titled debut EP in Los Angeles with the sound engineer Adrian Alvarado.
In June 2015, the band’s debut single, “Make A Move”, was released. The single was reviews by the blog Buzzbands.la who said that "its poppy synth, melodic bass lines, Ritchie’s capable full voice, and reassuring lyrics about taking chances against all odds and looking at life with a child’s exuberance, beams with that upbeat positivity reserved for Disney soundtracks and Hulu commercials."
In July 2015, the band’s second single, “Tether” was released as a music video on the blog Free Bike Valet. The video features Sleep State performing in an urban warehouse and exploring the city. On September 28, Sleep State released their self-titled debut EP. In December, LA radio station KCRW said that Troy Ritchie is "a charismatic performer with star power and a genuine approach" and chose the song "Shook Up" to be featured as Today's Top Tune. The song “Tether” was also featured in Starbucks’ November Playlist.
Mellabes Iron as known as "Mellabes" (born 23 March 1987) is an Israeli rock singer,musician who has released his international song as called A Natural Disaster in UK market and Canada in 2014 and the second single "Hold You Again" from his debut album as called "Standing By Your Side" from 2013,
Mellabes was bron in Petah Tikve near Tel Aviv in 1987,His name is based on the name of an ancient village town area.
Started his singing career officially in 2007 when He finished his job as a cook in the army.
At first, he tried to integrate into the local music in Hebrew, but the attempt failed to succeed in Hebrew music.
In 2011 he started work about his debut album in english in Tel Aviv with a group of musicians and producers which worked with the biggest bands,artists in Israel.the album released in 2013 with 8 tracks
In 2014 he released the second album as called "Mainstream" with 7 tracks
In israel,radio stations played his songs are: Kol Israel network (88FM,Reshet Gimel 97.8fm - National Radio) Radio Darom network 101.5/96FM,The Voice Of The Red Sea 102 FM,Radio Kol Rega,Kol Hacampus 106FM and more
International career
In 2014 he contacted a PR office located in London and released his international debut song as called "A Natural Disaster"(album:Standing By You Side)
In 2015 He released the second single as called "Hold You Again"(album:Mainstream)
under the same PR office
The songs played many times and distributed to all BBC radio
Mellabes was bron in Petah Tikve near Tel Aviv in 1987,His name is based on the name of an ancient village town area.
Started his singing career officially in 2007 when He finished his job as a cook in the army.
At first, he tried to integrate into the local music in Hebrew, but the attempt failed to succeed in Hebrew music.
In 2011 he started work about his debut album in english in Tel Aviv with a group of musicians and producers which worked with the biggest bands,artists in Israel.the album released in 2013 with 8 tracks
In 2014 he released the second album as called "Mainstream" with 7 tracks
In israel,radio stations played his songs are: Kol Israel network (88FM,Reshet Gimel 97.8fm - National Radio) Radio Darom network 101.5/96FM,The Voice Of The Red Sea 102 FM,Radio Kol Rega,Kol Hacampus 106FM and more
International career
In 2014 he contacted a PR office located in London and released his international debut song as called "A Natural Disaster"(album:Standing By You Side)
In 2015 He released the second single as called "Hold You Again"(album:Mainstream)
under the same PR office
The songs played many times and distributed to all BBC radio
The Fellowship of Non-Subscribing Christians (FNSC) is an independent religious community and a missionary and publication society which aims to serve the needs of self-declared liberal or non-dogmatic Christians.
It was founded in 2013 by a group of Free Christians, Unitarians and Non-Subscribing Presbyterians from Britain and Ireland with a view to promoting liberal Christianity that is inclusive of Trinitarian and Unitarian positions. The group also promote the social gospel, the right to religious freedom and the need for ecumenicism as key issues.
Liberal Christianity as promoted by the FNSC is defined by the following principles:
# that Jesus Christ is the sole Head of the One Church to which all Christians are called;
# that Christians are united, not by creed, but by a common standard of behaviour after the example of Christ;
# that the authority of conscience in matters of faith, and in the understanding the Bible, is our sacred right;
# that all Christians, of whatever tradition, and sharing a common baptism, can and should unite on this basis.
The FNSC publishes a magazine known as 'The Fellowship' and holds gatherings in both Ireland and Britain. It is supported by Moneyreagh Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church and Stalybridge Unitarian Church. The FNSC is run by volunteers, containing a mix of ministers and lay people.
The group also seek to provide a network for Non-Subscribing Presbyterians who have left Ireland to work in Britain with a means of continuing connection with the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, though it is not formally affiliated to the NSPCI.
It was founded in 2013 by a group of Free Christians, Unitarians and Non-Subscribing Presbyterians from Britain and Ireland with a view to promoting liberal Christianity that is inclusive of Trinitarian and Unitarian positions. The group also promote the social gospel, the right to religious freedom and the need for ecumenicism as key issues.
Liberal Christianity as promoted by the FNSC is defined by the following principles:
# that Jesus Christ is the sole Head of the One Church to which all Christians are called;
# that Christians are united, not by creed, but by a common standard of behaviour after the example of Christ;
# that the authority of conscience in matters of faith, and in the understanding the Bible, is our sacred right;
# that all Christians, of whatever tradition, and sharing a common baptism, can and should unite on this basis.
The FNSC publishes a magazine known as 'The Fellowship' and holds gatherings in both Ireland and Britain. It is supported by Moneyreagh Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church and Stalybridge Unitarian Church. The FNSC is run by volunteers, containing a mix of ministers and lay people.
The group also seek to provide a network for Non-Subscribing Presbyterians who have left Ireland to work in Britain with a means of continuing connection with the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, though it is not formally affiliated to the NSPCI.
The eThekwini Municipality’s Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department initiated the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project (BLSCRP) in 2008. The initial intention of the project was to offset a portion (approximately 42 000 tCO<sub>2</sub>) of the total carbon emissions (estimated at 307 208 tCO<sub>2</sub>) associated with the Durban 2010 FIFA World Cup mega-event. The proposed carbon offset is to be achieved through the planting of 520 000 indigenous trees, over a five-year period, within the buffer zone of the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site.
The total offset is expected to be achieved over a 20-year period, and will take place in the buffer zone of the Municipality’s Buffelsdraai Regional Landfill Site.
History
Almost 600 of the 809 hectare (ha) Buffelsdraai Landfill Site buffer zone, owned by Durban Solid Waste (DSW) department, was previously leased to private farmers for sugarcane farming. The eThekwini Municipality made a decision in 2008 that the farming would be phased out, in order to rehabilitate the land to indigenous forest. This decision also contributed towards the establishment of a “Conservancy” at the landfill site, in accordance with the required conditions of the environmental authorisation provided. Furthermore, it was recognised that the Municipality could apply the lessons learned, at the BLSCRP, to other existing or new projects within the Municipal Area.
The BLSCRP is expected to deliver a range of co-benefits, considered important in the local context, including: restoration of biodiversity, restoration of ecosystems for improved delivery of ecosystem services, as well as creation of jobs and livelihood benefits for poor communities. The success achieved at the BLSCRP has already catalysed an expansion of the approach to other project sites, all of which offer adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. New perspectives gained, include how best to foster systemic and transformative change through improved equity, social legitimacy and environmental sustainability in the climate-stressed cities of the 21st Century.
Project Benefits
Evolving the Tree-preneur Model
The BLSCRP, through its pioneering and innovative forest restoration approach, has been successful in demonstrating the role that natural ecosystems play in supporting the livelihoods and resilience of people. This is in part due to use of the ‘Indigenous Trees for Life’ model, developed by the Wildlands Conservation Trust, and adopted as the approach for tree production. This approach encourages local unemployed people, known as ‘Tree-preneurs’, to collect indigenous tree seeds which they propagate at their homesteads. The tree seedlings are traded to the BLSCRP in exchange for credit notes, which in turn can be traded for basic food items, clothes, building materials and can even be used to pay for school fees or vehicle driving lessons. Once the tree seedlings are large enough, they are collected and held at a holding nursery where sorting according to size and species. Trees in the holding nursery are hardened-off prior to planting, to ensure a high survival rate. This means that trees in the nursery are not kept under shade-netting, and no fertilizer, compost or mulch are added to the soil. They also receive only the minimum amount of water.
The majority of trees are planted into the buffer zone, some 787 ha in extent, which surrounds the 116.2 ha landfill footprint (solid waste disposal area). Additional trees, planted around the buffer zone boundary, act as a “living fence”. This fence is an alternative to the traditional barbed wire fence, and is considered effective in minimising incursions by vehicles, people and stock animals into the buffer zone area.
Making a difference in peoples lives
The restoration of forest habitats, by resident indigent communities, provides them with both employment, and many skills development opportunities. Ninety percent of people that benefit from this project were previously earning wages below the poverty line, and were considered to be amongst the most vulnerable communities in South Africa. Employment opportunities vary, and include the likes of: invasive alien plant species control; active tree planting; catchment protection; and waste recycling. Involvement in the programme has drastically improved local people’s livelihoods, and some community members have even started trading their trees on the private market. The benefits of the programme vary, but some Treepreneurs have built new homes, and others have enrolled in higher education programmes. Since project initiation in 2008, up until early 2015, a total of 448 jobs (43 full-time, 16 part-time and 389 temporary) were created for local community members. Benefits include improved income within local communities and a more regular food supply for Treepreneurs and their families. Children have received improved education opportunities, and most Treepreneurs report an increase in their available disposable income that can be used for expenses previously beyond their needs. The “ecological infrastructure” now being built, in the form of an indigenous forest on the Buffelsdraai site, is also anticipated to improve local ecosystem services. Such services will also reduce the community’s vulnerability to flooding due to better protection of the local watershed.
Advancing work of the reforestation partnership
Project Achievements
The BLSCRP was previously selected as one of the top 10 global projects as part of the United Nations Momentum For Change programme. It has now also received a Gold Standard Validation Certificate, from the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA). This validation confirms the positive benefits to local communities and biodiversity, as well as ensuring an exceptional climate change adaptation benefit.
Building Partnerships: reforestation research
The Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP), a joint initiative between the eThekwini Municipality (EM) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), was established to help stimulate relevant knowledge generation. The research covers a range of topics but is focused to include the socio-economic, ecological, as well as climate and ecosystem service benefits, that the reforestation project delivers. The partnership has initiated a robust monitoring framework, to ensure continuous monitoring of environmental changes in the reforested area. Suitable indicators have been selected for biodiversity and ecosystem services monitoring (e.g. species, carbon sequestration, water quantity and quality). Anticipated outcomes of the partnership include improved management of projects within the Municipality’s broader Reforestation Programme as well as an understanding of options available for rolling out similar projects in other areas. The Research Partnership provides opportunities for capacity building, by employing interns and supporting student research activities, at the university. Support for - and development of - staff employed by the Municipality is also included. This is important as a means to address South Africa’s severe skills shortage in the environmental and biodiversity sectors.
Buffelsdraai Reforestation Hub: a center of excellence for research
The eThekwini Municipality’s Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department has plans to construct a ‘Reforestation Hub’ at the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project site. The centre will be used by researchers, scholars, community members and tourists that will come to learn about climate change adaptation in a local context. The centre will comprise an extensive tree nursery as well as a building that showcases innovative sustainability technologies, such as solar panels, water capture, storage and reuse, efficient lighting etc. The building will be constructed on the site of a derelict farm building, and much of the original building will be incorporated into the new structure. Green design principles will be used throughout the centre, in order to showcase climate friendly / climate smart construction methods and materials.
The total offset is expected to be achieved over a 20-year period, and will take place in the buffer zone of the Municipality’s Buffelsdraai Regional Landfill Site.
History
Almost 600 of the 809 hectare (ha) Buffelsdraai Landfill Site buffer zone, owned by Durban Solid Waste (DSW) department, was previously leased to private farmers for sugarcane farming. The eThekwini Municipality made a decision in 2008 that the farming would be phased out, in order to rehabilitate the land to indigenous forest. This decision also contributed towards the establishment of a “Conservancy” at the landfill site, in accordance with the required conditions of the environmental authorisation provided. Furthermore, it was recognised that the Municipality could apply the lessons learned, at the BLSCRP, to other existing or new projects within the Municipal Area.
The BLSCRP is expected to deliver a range of co-benefits, considered important in the local context, including: restoration of biodiversity, restoration of ecosystems for improved delivery of ecosystem services, as well as creation of jobs and livelihood benefits for poor communities. The success achieved at the BLSCRP has already catalysed an expansion of the approach to other project sites, all of which offer adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. New perspectives gained, include how best to foster systemic and transformative change through improved equity, social legitimacy and environmental sustainability in the climate-stressed cities of the 21st Century.
Project Benefits
Evolving the Tree-preneur Model
The BLSCRP, through its pioneering and innovative forest restoration approach, has been successful in demonstrating the role that natural ecosystems play in supporting the livelihoods and resilience of people. This is in part due to use of the ‘Indigenous Trees for Life’ model, developed by the Wildlands Conservation Trust, and adopted as the approach for tree production. This approach encourages local unemployed people, known as ‘Tree-preneurs’, to collect indigenous tree seeds which they propagate at their homesteads. The tree seedlings are traded to the BLSCRP in exchange for credit notes, which in turn can be traded for basic food items, clothes, building materials and can even be used to pay for school fees or vehicle driving lessons. Once the tree seedlings are large enough, they are collected and held at a holding nursery where sorting according to size and species. Trees in the holding nursery are hardened-off prior to planting, to ensure a high survival rate. This means that trees in the nursery are not kept under shade-netting, and no fertilizer, compost or mulch are added to the soil. They also receive only the minimum amount of water.
The majority of trees are planted into the buffer zone, some 787 ha in extent, which surrounds the 116.2 ha landfill footprint (solid waste disposal area). Additional trees, planted around the buffer zone boundary, act as a “living fence”. This fence is an alternative to the traditional barbed wire fence, and is considered effective in minimising incursions by vehicles, people and stock animals into the buffer zone area.
Making a difference in peoples lives
The restoration of forest habitats, by resident indigent communities, provides them with both employment, and many skills development opportunities. Ninety percent of people that benefit from this project were previously earning wages below the poverty line, and were considered to be amongst the most vulnerable communities in South Africa. Employment opportunities vary, and include the likes of: invasive alien plant species control; active tree planting; catchment protection; and waste recycling. Involvement in the programme has drastically improved local people’s livelihoods, and some community members have even started trading their trees on the private market. The benefits of the programme vary, but some Treepreneurs have built new homes, and others have enrolled in higher education programmes. Since project initiation in 2008, up until early 2015, a total of 448 jobs (43 full-time, 16 part-time and 389 temporary) were created for local community members. Benefits include improved income within local communities and a more regular food supply for Treepreneurs and their families. Children have received improved education opportunities, and most Treepreneurs report an increase in their available disposable income that can be used for expenses previously beyond their needs. The “ecological infrastructure” now being built, in the form of an indigenous forest on the Buffelsdraai site, is also anticipated to improve local ecosystem services. Such services will also reduce the community’s vulnerability to flooding due to better protection of the local watershed.
Advancing work of the reforestation partnership
Project Achievements
The BLSCRP was previously selected as one of the top 10 global projects as part of the United Nations Momentum For Change programme. It has now also received a Gold Standard Validation Certificate, from the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA). This validation confirms the positive benefits to local communities and biodiversity, as well as ensuring an exceptional climate change adaptation benefit.
Building Partnerships: reforestation research
The Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP), a joint initiative between the eThekwini Municipality (EM) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), was established to help stimulate relevant knowledge generation. The research covers a range of topics but is focused to include the socio-economic, ecological, as well as climate and ecosystem service benefits, that the reforestation project delivers. The partnership has initiated a robust monitoring framework, to ensure continuous monitoring of environmental changes in the reforested area. Suitable indicators have been selected for biodiversity and ecosystem services monitoring (e.g. species, carbon sequestration, water quantity and quality). Anticipated outcomes of the partnership include improved management of projects within the Municipality’s broader Reforestation Programme as well as an understanding of options available for rolling out similar projects in other areas. The Research Partnership provides opportunities for capacity building, by employing interns and supporting student research activities, at the university. Support for - and development of - staff employed by the Municipality is also included. This is important as a means to address South Africa’s severe skills shortage in the environmental and biodiversity sectors.
Buffelsdraai Reforestation Hub: a center of excellence for research
The eThekwini Municipality’s Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department has plans to construct a ‘Reforestation Hub’ at the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project site. The centre will be used by researchers, scholars, community members and tourists that will come to learn about climate change adaptation in a local context. The centre will comprise an extensive tree nursery as well as a building that showcases innovative sustainability technologies, such as solar panels, water capture, storage and reuse, efficient lighting etc. The building will be constructed on the site of a derelict farm building, and much of the original building will be incorporated into the new structure. Green design principles will be used throughout the centre, in order to showcase climate friendly / climate smart construction methods and materials.