Jak O' The Shadows Contest
Selected by the Band

Every month, the Band holds a contest to see who can write the best Jack O' the Shadows verse (a maximum of two stanzas) on a specified topic. The topic for this month was Dancing Drunk. This month I am happy to present the winner.

Blade
Banner-Captain of the Archers

I call for a round and the drinks are brought
we remember the battle with danger fraught
a barmaid asks to dance and I am caught
just like my first dance with the Jack O' the Shadows

the round of drinks soon loosen my feet
they fly forth to the rythm of the beat
and I soon collaspe from the drink and heat
and sleep till the dance with the Jack O' the Shadows.

Congratulations Blade! The Band is looking forward to the next competition!

An Analysis of Jak O' the Shadows
By Mushuganna, Banner-Captain of the Infantry

One might think that writing a verse of the famed Jak o' the Shadows would be easy. Just think of a few words that rhyme, put them together, and there you go. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Finally, after hundreds of verses (most of them really good) have been written by our own Band members, the true art of writing a JOS verse is being revealed.

First, one must look at the original Jak O' the Shadows verses written by Robert Jordan himself, in Lord of Chaos. As sung by the Band of the Red Hand, one of the verses goes as follows:

"We'll drink the wine till the cup is dry,
And kiss the girls so they'll not cry,
And toss the dice until we fly
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows."

Now, you can see, the first three lines have 8 syllables each (except the first, but the "the" after "till" is not meant to be accented, so it counts as 8 anyways). Also, they rhyme. So it looks like the verse follows the form "A, A, A, B", with the first three lines having 8 syllables each, and the last line ending in "Jak O' the Shadows". Now let us look at another verse:

"We'll dance all night while the moon runs free,
And dandle the lasses upon our knee,
And then you'll ride along with me,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows."

Now, the syllabic interpretation gets a little confusing. The first line has 9 syllables, and the second 10, and the third 8. But, when put into a Iambic rhythm, it makes perfect sense:

"We'll dance all night while the moon runs free
And dandle the lasses upon our knee" etc.

So, the Jak O' the Shadows verses are written in "A, A, A, B" form, with the first three lines being in Iambic Tetrameter (four sets of alternating unstressed then stressed syllables), and the last line being "To _____ with Jak O' the Shadows" (the blank being an accented word). This last line can be changed according to the circumstances, as long as it fits into the meter.

Basically, if you can sing it, (easily), then you're ok.

Redarms
By Corki, the Marshal-General of the Band

The Band of the Red Hand has added a new feature! I am glad to announce that Redarms have finally been incorporated into the structure of the Band. I know many members wanted this, so I hope they are pleased!

So, what is the aim of the Redarms? They are the 'Police Force' of the Band. They have the power to summon anybody to their boards, if a Redarm feels a wrong doing has been done. The Band member summoned has the chance to plead 'guilty' or 'not guilty'. If they plead 'guilty', the Redarms will come up with a suitable punishment. If the defendent pleads 'not guilty', then a small trial will follow, and the Redarms will come up with a verdict. The defendent then has to the chosen punishment.

The current Redarms are: Adrian44, blackatrocity, Canis Rufus (who is the Redarm Leader), Jaina, Jur Grady and peck. They will hold this office until the Captai-Generals step down after their two months as divisional leader. Then the new Captain-Generals will pick new Redarms. This way, it gives everybody a chance of power!

So watch your backs! And there will be an update on North Star's punishment next month, as she was the first victim of the Redarms! lol! See, no rank is free of the Redarms! So behave!

New stuff to read!
By Canis Rufus, Captain of the Cavalry, and the Leading Redarm

As I drool over my computer screen dancing with the new Robert Jordan Comic pics I hear my Comic shop owners voice on the other end of my cell phone. "See what happened is this," I tune him out knowing that he is going to tell me that its going to be yet another week before I get hungy hands on this comic. "and so I told the shipper that you were waiting for it.." yep steve is feeling particularly talkative today. He is really a good guy a little scattered brained but then most Comic shop owners are. So I keep listening, reaffirm him that I am not up set. So I look at my computer screen dancing a blaze with stricking images and amazing pen work. Mark my calander for next wednesday in hopes that I can finally get my hands on what is bound to be a comic masterpiece. To be con........

The Marshal-General's Monthly Recommendation
By Corki, the Marshal-General of the Band

I had a new idea for an article last night. A monthly recommendation! I would suggest something for the Band to have a look at. It could be anything - a book, a series, TV programme, a CD, a film. Absolutely anything!

So, what is my first recommendation? It is a book series. It is The Banned and the Bannished by James Clemens. You have seen me go on about this fantasy series before, so maybe you are getting fed up about it! Tough luck! I recommend you go and read this series! I picked the book up sometime last year, and have loved it ever since! The first book is Wit'ch Fire, and we get introcduced to the series by a narrator. As the series goes on, we see how the story develops, with each character giving their feelings through the eyes of the narrator. The books get better and better.

The main character of the series is Elena, a youn girl. We follow her life, as she journeys through her days, learning about her magicks, her feelings and her struggle, with both her friends and her enemies. The series begins to climax and quicken in Book 4, Wit'ch Gate, before ending spectacularly in the Book 5, Wit'ch Star, the last book in the series.

I loved James Clemens' writing. I found it fresh after some of the slowness that I have encountered in the later books of Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind. Not that I am saying they are bad authors, but Clemens' text keeps you gripped. The number of nights I read late into it, just to finish a certain section are countless! His description is amazing, as is his story telling.

The books are as follows:

- Wit'ch Fire (book 1)
- Wit'ch Storm (book 2)
- Wit'ch War (book 3)
- Wit'ch Gate (book 4)
- Wit'ch Star (book 5 - last book)

I recommend this series to the Band of the Red Hand. Go out and buy or borrow these books! Read them! They are great! I look forward to what you say about this series!

Fun and Games
By Blade, Banner-Captain of the Archers

Hello everyone and welcome to our first round of what’s what in the fun and games section of our newspaper. Today we’ll be taking a look at the games that the Band members play and how they are shaping up. Our first game today will be the mudpit, where general pain is administered in large quantities. Watch your step, it looks like a mixture of brew and what looks like… yes that is blood spilled on the floor.

OUR FIRST MATCH WILL BE CAM VS. HEATHEN. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO SHOUT BECAUSE THE CROWD HERE IS RATHER LARGE. THEY OPEN WARRILY, CIRCLING, OH THERE GOES HEATHEN WITH AN OPENING MOVE CHOKE HOLD. OHH, AND CAM HAS BROKEN FREE WITH A FOREARM TO THE FACE. HOLD ON A SECOND…I HAVE JUST RECEIVED WORD THAT THIS FIGHT IS AN HONOR BATTLE OVER THE NEW RECRUIT HEATHEN CALLING THE INFANTRY CAPTAIN A JARHEAD. THE KID’S GOT SPUNK AND ALL I’VE GOT TO SAY IS Go Heathen, tear his throat out!

And now, let’s move onto a more quiet sport because I need a chance to recover my hearing. Here in the Chess Area Mushu the Bloodaxe and Blade are locked in a fierce struggle over control of the board. This game seems rather animated with playful banter being thrown back and forth across the board and… Oh, wait Blade looks a little confused. Yes, he is making some big mistakes now and doesn’t seem to realize his king is in check… Oh, there we go straightened out and Blade is back in the game. Well this could be going anywhere so let’s take ONE QUICK PEEK BACK IN ON THE FIGHT. OOH LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY IN THE CROWD HAS SLIPPED HEATHEN THE CHAIR. OH, WAIT TWO PEOPLE TRIED TO! OH YES! IT LOOKS LIKE THIS COULD BE ALL OVER FOLKS. HEATHEN HAS CAM IN A PIN AND THE COUNT IS ALMOST TO THREE. WELL NO SENSE WATCHING THE INFANTRY LOSE again!

Now over to the fight between Black Atrocity and Mushu. It looks like a fairly even match with neither side being able to gain an advantage. It is almost like watching a dance… with a bunch of sweaty guys rolling in the mud. Well, at least I tried. Well a look at the Battleships tournament shows that all of the ships have either been sunk or drifted off course. Sorry folks nothing to see. Well that’s seems to be it for this segment until next time… *off stage* Hey, you’re not aloud in here! * sounds of announcer getting beat up *

N.B. All opinions held within the article are purely the bias of the writer and he has now been taken care of.

Promotions!
By Corki, the Marshal-General of the Band

Belwo is a list of all those recently promoted.

Lieutenant-Captain

Canis Rufus

Captain

Cameronski
North Star

Sergeant

Jur Grady
BeastMasterJ

Corporal

Dark Justice
Dice_Master
Morholt Green
Ethereal_Dragon
heinrich
idennis
heathen666

Well done everybody! Keep up the hard work and more promotions will come soon!

Rank Icons
By North Star, Captain-General of the Archers

I made the icons using a paint program called Marcromedia Fireworks. The images and backgrounds were all off the internet, and by using some of the programs functions, managed to edit the images and  make up the icons. For the Cavalry, I used a spear and a running horse on a black background with a red border. The Banner-Captain and Captain-Generals icons were on a red background, but with the same spear and horse. The Infantry I made up a shield, and a sword image, and for the Archers I used a bow, arrows and a quiver. For the Redarm icons I used the red background once again, but this time with a fist and either a spear, bow and arrow or a sword, depending on the division. For the Commanding Officers, I used the band's logo, along with the bow and arrow, horse head and sword to signify the divisions. I edited the icons with suggestions from various Band members, and they were published at the end of July.