text:
August 9, 2013 (REVISED August 13, 2013) Library of Congress Announces a Season of Extraordinary Artists
2013-2014 Season Includes Oliver Knussen, Rosanne Cash, Randy Newman
Press Contact: Erin Allen (202) 707-7302
Contact: Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or email@example.com.
Website: Concerts at the Library of Congress
The 2013-2014 Concerts from the Library of Congress lineup will exhibit a wide range of programming this season, offering free concerts of world-class chamber music, jazz, bluegrass, country, American music theater, pop, rock and electronica. The concerts are complemented by guest speakers, curators, panels, film screenings and displays of rarely seen manuscripts, letters and memorabilia from the Library's holdings. Concerts kick off Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. with a performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Randy Newman.
The Library's 88th concert season celebrates American history and culture through performances by some of the nation's most eloquent musicians, including Rosanne Cash, who comes to the Library for a three-day residency that includes a live debut of her new album "The River and the Thread," and a conversation with Natasha Trethewey, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Other highlights, continuing the Library's "Songs of America" project begun last season, include appearances by bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Gregory Porter, and a special talk by rock legend Graham Nash about his new autobiography, available for purchase at the Library a day before it is released worldwide.
The Library commemorates the 200th birthdays of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner with a special series of performances and films that feature re-imaginings of their work. Preeminent scholar Alan Walker joins pianist Valerie Tryon in a talk and performance about Wagner and Verdi transcriptions and paraphrases, including some on display from the Library's collections. Acclaimed author Alex Ross will explore Wagner's connections to America and African-American Wagnerism. Two films will be screened as part of this special series, including the U.S. premiere of "Richard Wagner: Venetian Diary of the Rediscovered Symphony," which draws on music held at the Library of Congress.
Contemporary music is highlighted this season with major new commissions and performances by leading ensembles. Renowned composer and conductor Oliver Knussen is in residence for a week of performances by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and "The President's Own" United States Marine Band.
Numerous special projects illuminate a variety of topics, including the first in a projected series of Music and Technology talks presented in collaboration with Stanford University. Other special projects include a vocal recital featuring Italian-American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's settings of poetry by Walt Whitman; a roundtable discussion about the music that came to shape American culture during the 1960s, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington; a "correspondence" course by author Nigel Simeone, author of "The Leonard Bernstein Letters"; a special July program for educators by Thomas Hampson titled "Poets and Patriotism: The 200th Birthday of the Star-Spangled Banner"; and a birthday bash panel discussion on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Blue Note Records label.
The Concerts from the Library of Congress series is made possible through the generous support of endowments given to the Library by private donors. The series is presented free of charge to the public but requires tickets for admission. Tickets for Coolidge Auditorium events are distributed by TicketMaster at (202) 397-7328, (410) 547-7328 and (703) 573-7328. Various ticketing service charges apply. Tickets for events presented at the Atlas Performing Arts Center are available through the Atlas box office at (202) 399-7993 or www.atlasarts.org External
Starting on Sept. 4, 2013, patrons can order tickets for any concert from October through December. Starting Jan. 8, 2014, concert-goers can order tickets for performances scheduled between February and May. A special ticketing policy applies to select programs.
Concerts from the Library of Congress 2013-2014
Unless otherwise noted, all concerts will be held at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. Pre-concert presentations will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion unless otherwise noted, and these presentations do not require tickets. All programs are subject to change without notice.
Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, 7 p.m., Montpelier Room, sixth floor, James Madison Building
Graham Nash's "Wild Tales: A Rock and Roll Life"
Legendary musician Graham Nash, founding member of the iconic bands Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Hollies, speaks about his new autobiography "Wild Tales: A Rock and Roll Life." There will be an exclusive opportunity to purchase the book a day before its official release.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013, Noon
American Musicological Society Lecture
Musicologist Kendra Leonard presents "Meaning and Myth in Louise Talma's First Period Works."
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013
Randy Newman
Following his performance Randy Newman talks with the Music Division's Mark Horowitz about the art of the songwriter.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 7 p.m.
Cameristi della Scala, with violinist Francesco Manar and cellist Massimo Polidori
Verdi Re-imagined
Mancinelli: Fantasia sul "Don Carlo" di Giuseppe Verdi, Fantasia su "Aida"; Sivori: Fantasia sull'opera "Il Trovatore," op. 20; Bazzini: Fantasia su "La Traviata," op. 50
Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, D.C. with the support of the Corporate Ambassadors Eni and Intesa-SanPaolo
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013
Audra McDonald
"Go Back Home"
Spotlighting the riches of the Library's American musical theater collections, the two-time GRAMMY® Award-winner performs an evening of favorite showtunes, including songs by Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Michael LaChiusa and others.
Preconcert Presentation: Music Divison curator Raymond White talks about the Library's rich musical theater holdings.
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, 7 p.m.
Valentina Lisitsa, piano
Rachmaninoff: Six selections from "Preludes," opp. 23 and 32, "Moments musicaux," op. 16, nos. 2 and 5; Prokofiev: Piano Sonata no. 7 in B-flat major, op. 83; Chopin: Selected "Nocturnes"; Liszt: "Totentanz," S. 525
Following her performance, Valentina Lisitsa talks with the Music Division's David Henning Plylar.
Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m., Room G-32, Thomas Jefferson Building
#Declassified: Behind-the-Scenes with Artifacts and Ideas
Conductors Beyond the Podium
Nicholas Alexander Brown gives an exclusive peek into the lives of leading 20th-century conductors through hidden artifacts and treasures from the Library's collection, including Bernstein, Klemperer, Koussevitzky and Stokowski.
Special ticketing policy – see www.loc.gov/concerts/ for more information.
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, Noon
Aloma Bardi, lecturer, Salvatore Champagne, tenor, and Howard Lubin, piano
A special lecture-recital featuring compositions from Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's American years, with a focus on his 10-song cycle "Leaves of Grass" (1936). Drawing on the Library's Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Collection, the program also includes settings of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose papers are in the Library of Congress.
Presented in cooperation with the Italian Cultural Institute and ICAMus (International Center for American Music)
Cosponsored by the Library's Hebraic Section, African and Middle Eastern Division
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Cuarteto Casals with Manuel Barrueco, guitar
Haydn: Quartet in C major, op. 33, no. 3, Hob. III: 39 ("The Bird"); Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 7, op. 108; Turina: "La oración del torero," op. 34; Sierra: "Fantasía sobre la Musica Notturna delle Strade de Madrid de Luigi Boccherini"; Boccherini: Quintet in D major, G. 448, ("Fandango")
Preconcert presentation: The artists discuss their craft.
Presented in collaboration with SPAIN Arts & Culture
Friday, October 25, 2013
Henry Threadgill's ZOOID
Composer-performer Henry Threadgill presents an evening of avant-garde jazz.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, 2 p.m.
Music and Technology
Mark Applebaum and Ge Wang
Mark Applebaum and Ge Wang of Stanford University talk about key issues at the intersection of art and its technologies.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Presented in cooperation with Stanford University's Arts and Humanities Program
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, Noon, Whittall Pavilion
Author Nigel Simeone discusses "Ten-Thousand Intimate Friends: Leonard Bernstein's Life in Letters."
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, 7 p.m.
Founder's Day—Party Like It's 1587
Honoring Music Division benefactor Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Blue Heron, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and Brass Choirs of The United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band: Arrangements of works by Gabrieli and Gesualdo; Piffaro: works by: Agricola, Clemens non Papa, Compére, Isaac, Obrecht, Pevernage, Susato and Willaert; Blue Heron: works by Bourgeois, De Monte, Dufay, Goudimel, Le Jeune, L'Estocart, Ockeghem, Pevernage, Sweelinck and Van Wilder; Piffaro and Blue Heron: works by Des Prez, Fevin and Ockeghem
Special ticketing policy – General Admission, no tickets required.
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, 2 p.m.
The Danish String Quartet
Haydn: String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 76, no. 4, Hob. III: 78 ("Sunrise"); Ligeti: String Quartet no. 1, "Métamorphoses nocturnes"; Abrahamsen: String Quartet no. 1, "10 Preludes for String Quartet"; Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, op. 95 ("Serioso")
Preconcert presentation: The artists discuss their craft.
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, Noon, Whittall Pavilion
Electra Slonimsky Yourke talks with Music Division curator Kevin LaVine about a new collection of letters by her father, renowned musicologist, conductor and lexicographer Nicolas Slonimsky.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Presented in cooperation with the Center for the Book
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, 7 p.m., Mary Pickford Theater
Film: "Richard Wagner: Venetian Diary of the Rediscovered Symphony" (2012)
This film explores Wagner's rediscovery of his only completed symphony (in C major, WWV 29), composed before he turned 20. Presenting the film is director Gianni Di Capua.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, 9 p.m., Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St., N.E.
Albert Camus Lit L'Étranger/REMIX
An interdisciplinary visual and aural experience based on "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, in honor of the Nobel Prize-winning author and philosopher's centennial year.
Tickets available through the Atlas box office at (202) 399-7993 or www.atlasarts.org.
Presented in cooperation with the Alliance Française, Washington, DC
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, 2 p.m.
Wagner & Verdi at the Piano
Lecture: Alan Walker of McMaster University presents "In Defense of Transcription."
Recital: Verdi/Liszt: "Rigoletto de Verdi: paraphrase de concert," S. 434, "Miserere du Trovatore," S. 433; Wagner/Liszt: "Ballade aus dem fliegenden Holländer," S. 441, "Spinnerlied aus dem Fliegenden Holländer," S. 440; Mozart/Liszt: "Confutatis und Lacrymosa aus dem Requiem von Mozart," S. 550; Allegri & Mozart/Liszt: "À la Chapelle Sixtine (Miserere d'Allegri et Ave verum corpus de Mozart)," S. 461; Wagner/Liszt: "Isoldens Liebestod—Schlußszene aus Richard Wagners Tristan und Isolde," S. 447
Part of Wagner 200, presented in association with The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, Noon, Whittall Pavilion
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, Library curators lead an open roundtable discussion about the music that came to shape American culture during the 1960s.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Presented in association with "A Day Like No Other: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington" exhibition / Office of Opportunity, Inclusion and Compliance / Blacks in Government / Daniel A.P. Murray African-American Culture Association / Hispanic Cultural Society / LC GLOBE.
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, 11 a.m., Room G-32, Thomas Jefferson Building
#Declassified: Behind-the-Scenes with Artifacts and Ideas
Finishing Schubert with Sinister Chopin
David H. Plylar showcases Leopold Godowsky's Passacaglia and the left-handed Studies after Frédéric Chopin.
Special ticketing policy – see www.loc.gov/concerts/ for more information.
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, 2 p.m.
Wagner in America
Alex Ross, lecturer, Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano and Daniel Hobbs, pianist
Lecture: Author Alex Ross discusses "'Black Wagner': African-American Wagnerism and the Question of Race Revisited."
Recital: Wagner: "Wesendonck Lieder," WWV 91; Mozart: "Ch'io mi scordi di te?," recitative and rondo for soprano, K. 505; Brahms: "Vergebliches Ständchen," from "Romanzen und Lieder," op. 84, no. 4, "Botschaft," from "Fünf Lieder," op. 47, no. 1, "Ständchen," from "Fünf Lieder," op. 106, no. 1, "Von ewiger Liebe," from "Vier Gesänge," op. 43, no. 1
Preconcert Presentation: A screening of "The Making of Der Ring Des Nibelungen" (2005) is at 11 a.m. in the Mary Pickford Theater. No tickets required.
Part of Wagner 200, presented in association with The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.
December 5 through 7, 2013
Rosanne Cash Residency
"The Long Way Home: Songs of Travel and Longing"
Thursday, Dec. 5: Rosanne Cash Band featuring John Leventhal.
Friday, Dec. 6: Rosanne Cash hosts a round robin with John Leventhal and guest artists.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m., Whittall Pavilion: Rosanne Cash talks with Natasha Trethewey, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013
Antonio Stradivari Anniversary Concert
Parker Quartet with Kikuei Ikeda, viola
Mendelssohn: String Quartet no. 3 in D major, op. 44, no. 1; Adès: "Arcadiana"; Dvořák: String Quintet in E-flat major, op. 97
Preconcert presentation: Curator Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, luthier John Montgomery and a member of the Parker Quartet talk about Stradivari and his instruments.
Tuesday, Feb, 4, 2014
Freiburger Barockorchester
The Complete Brandenburg Concerti of J.S. Bach
Preconcert presentation: Members of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra discuss their craft.
Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, 7 p.m.
JACK Quartet with Ursula Oppens, piano
Please note, this concert will have two intermissions.
Feldman: "Spring of Chosroes" (Library of Congress McKim Fund Commission), "Structures"; Ferneyhough: "Exordium"; Carter: Quintet for piano and string quartet (Library of Congress Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Commission); Anderson: String Quartet No. 1, "Light Music" (U.S. premiere); Adès: Piano Quintet
Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014
Quatuor Ebène
Haydn: Quartet in F minor, op. 20, no. 5, Hob. III: 35; Schumann: String Quartet in A major, op. 41, no. 3; Mendelssohn: String Quartet no. 6 in F minor, op. 80
Preconcert presentation: R. Larry Todd of Duke University discusses the work of Mendelssohn and Schumann.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, 2 p.m.
Mitzi Meyerson, harpsichord
J.S. Bach: Concerto in D major, after Vivaldi (RV230) BWV 972; Purcell: Suite in D major, Z. 667, Ground in D minor, Z. D222 ("Crown the Altar"); Rameau: Suite from "Premier livre de pièces de clavecin"; J.S. Bach: Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998; Croft: Ground in C minor from Suite III, Brit. Mus. Eg. MS2959, attr. Purcell; Purcell: Ground in C minor, Z. T681, "A New Ground" in E minor, Z. T682 ("Here the Deities Approve"), Ground in Gamut in G major, Z. 645; F. Couperin: Septième Prelude ("L'Art de toucher le Clavecin"), Suite from "Pièces de clavecin, livre II, Sixième ordre"
Friday, March 7, 2014
Elias String Quartet
Haydn: Quartet in F major, op. 77, no. 2, Hob. III: 82; Kurtág: "Officium breve in memoriam Andreae Szervánszky," op. 28; Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, op. 59, no. 2, ("Razumovsky")
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Gregory Porter
Baritone Gregory Porter performs jazz, blues and Southern soul.
Preconcert Presentation: Gregory Porter talks with Music Division jazz curator Larry Appelbaum.
Saturday, March 15, 2014, 2 p.m.
Scharoun Ensemble Berlin
Henze: "Quattro Fantasie" for Octet; Schubert: Octet in F major, op. 166, D. 803
Preconcert presentation at 1 p.m.: Nicholas Alexander Brown of the Music Division presents "Henze: The Contemporary German Romantic."
Friday, March 21, 2014
Joan Kwuon, violin, Joel Smirnoff, viola, Sharon Robinson, cello and Sergei Babayan, piano
W. A. Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478; Kay: "Portraits" for violin and piano; Brahms: Piano Quartet no. 1 in G minor, op. 25
Preconcert presentation: The artists discuss their craft.
Friday, April 4, 2014
C.P.E. Bach at 300: "The Hamburg Bach"
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Kuhnau: Sonata IIa: "The Melancholy of Saul Assuaged by Means of Music" from the "Musicalische Vorstellung einiger biblischer Historien"; J.S. Bach: "Chromatische Fantasie und Fuga" in D minor, BWV 903; W.F. Bach: Fantasia in D minor, Fk. 19; C.P.E. Bach: Sonata in E-flat major, Wq. 52/4, Sonata in A minor, Wq. 49/1 ("Württemberg"); Martinů: "Deux impromptus pour clavecin," H. 381; Takemitsu: "Rain Dreaming"
Preconcert presentation: Daniel Boomhower of the Music Division discusses the works of C.P.E. Bach.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
C.P.E. Bach at 300: "The Hamburg Bach"
Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite no. 1 in C major, BWV 1066; Handel: Concerto Grosso in F major, op. 6, no. 2, HWV 320; C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonia in B minor, H. 661, Wq. 182/5, Concerto in E-flat major for oboe, strings and continuo, H. 468, Wq.165; J.C. Bach: Symphony in G minor, op. 6, no. 6, CW C.12
Preconcert presentation: Paul Corneilson, managing editor, and Mark Knoll, editor, of "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works," present a discussion titled "Editing and Performing the Music of C.P.E. Bach."
April 8-12, 2014
Oliver Knussen Residency
Tuesday, April 8, 2014: Birmingham Contemporary Music Group with Oliver Knussen, conductor, Lucy Schaufer, soprano and Andrew Sauvageau, baritone
Stravinsky: Septet; Knussen: "Ophelia Dances," Book 1, op. 13, "Ophelia's Last Dance"; Castiglioni: "Tropi"; Crawford Seeger: Three Songs; Schoenberg: Serenade, op. 24
Preconcert presentation: Stephen and Jackie Newbould of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group discuss their work.
Friday, April 11, 2014: Birmingham Contemporary Music Group with Alexandra Woods, violin, Huw Watkins, piano and Ulrich Heinen, cello
Britten: "Phantasy," op. 2; Carter: "Epigrams" (Regional Premiere); Neikrug: Piano Trio (World Premiere—Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music Commission); Knussen: Cantata ("Triptych," part 3); Bridge: Piano Trio no. 2
Preconcert presentation: Oliver Knussen and Marc Neikrug discuss their musical works.
Saturday, April 12, 2014, 2 p.m.: "The President's Own" United States Marine Band
Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920 version); Lieberson: "Wind Messengers"; Carter: "Wind Rose" (Dedicated to Oliver Knussen); Schuller: "Tre Invenzioni" for chamber ensembles; Sibelius/Stravinsky: "Canzonetta," op. 62a; Mozart: Serenade in B-flat for winds, K. 361
Special ticketing policy – visit www.loc.gov/concerts/ for more information.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Jalbert: "Visual Abstract" for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion; Carter: "Esprit Rude / Esprit Doux II" for flute, clarinet and marimba; Widmann: "Fantasie" for solo clarinet; Rautavaara: Variations for Five: String Quintet no. 2 *world premiere (Commissioned by the Library of Congress Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center); Messiaen: "Quatuor pour la fin du temps" (Quartet for the End of Time)
Preconcert presentation: The Music Division's Anne McLean talks with two of the society's artists and Director of Artistic Programs Michael Lawrence.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014, Noon
American Musicological Society Lecture
Nancy Newman of the University at Albany – SUNY presents "'A Program Not Greatly to Their Credit': Finding New Perspectives on the Germania Musical Society Through the American Memory Sheet Music Collection."
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Daniel Müller-Schott, cello and Simon Trpčeski, piano
Beethoven: Sonata in C major, op. 102, no. 1; Brahms: Sonata in F major, op. 99; Chopin: Sonata in G minor, op 65
Preconcert presentation: David H. Plylar of the Music Division gives a lecture.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Koussevitzky Legacy Celebration
Tony Arnold, soprano; Steven Beck, piano; David Fulmer, conductor; Alan R. Kay, clarinet; Momenta Quartet – Ursula Oppens, piano; Fred Sherry, cello; Marie Tachouet, flute; Mike Truesdell, percussion
Crumb: "Madrigals," Book II; Foss: "Capriccio"; Babbitt: "Phonemena"; Dutilleux: "Ainsi La Nuit"; Thomas: "Eagle at Sunrise"; Copland: Selections from "Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson"; Wuorinen: "New York Notes"
Preconcert presentation: Members of the Koussevitzky Board and Jon Newsom, former chief of the Library of Congress Music Division, discuss Koussevitzky's legacy.
Saturday, May 10, 2014, 2 p.m., Whittall Pavilion
Blue Note at 75
Larry Appelbaum of the Library's Music Division hosts an afternoon celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the prestigious Blue Note Records jazz label, including a rare screening of the 1986 South Bank Show documentary on the label, with guest appearances.
No tickets required; seating will be first-come, first-served.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Steep Canyon Rangers, Dailey & Vincent
Special performance by violinist Jesse Smith and pianist Donna Long
Bluegrass meets country in this performance, featuring Donna Long and Jesse Smith exploring the Celtic roots of America's fiddle music.
Presented by the Music Division and the American Folklife Center
Thursday July 3, 2014, 2 p.m.
Poets and Patriotism: The 200th Birthday of the Star-Spangled Banner
Thomas Hampson
Internationally renowned baritone Thomas Hampson presents a special program for educators commemorating the 200th anniversary of our national anthem, including American music from colonial days to the present, as well as a pre-performance symposium with scholars and Library staff highlighting rare historical documents from the Library's extensive collections.
No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Jazz Film Fridays with Larry Appelbaum
All films will be shown in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the Library of Congress James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E. at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 pm. No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Jan. 10: "Arrows Into Infinity" (2012); Jan. 17: "Mickey One" (1965); Jan. 24: "Black February" (2010); and Jan. 31: "Inside Out In The Open" (2001) and "The Breath Courses Through Us" (2013).
High Noon – Curator Lectures
Music Divison curators present informal presentations and performances showcasing the Library's collections. All lectures are Tuesdays at noon in the Whittall Pavilion, unless otherwise noted. No tickets or reservations are required; seating is first-come, first-served.
Oct. 8, 2013: Nicholas Alexander Brown discusses "'Taps' and General Daniel Butterfield: Tracing the History of America's Bugle Call."
Nov. 5, 2013: Walter Zvonchenko gives a talk on Boris Kochno, Cole Porter and Sergei Diaghilev.
Nov. 19, 2013: Mark Horowitz presents "The Sound of Broadway and Popular Song: How Arrangers and Orchestrators Transform the Songs We Hear."
Dec. 3, 2013: Cait Miller gives a talk on "The Belle of the Ball: An American Opera Student at the Turn of the 20th Century."
Dec. 10, 2013: Sharon McKinley discusses "Dear Major Bowes: The Amateur Hour Collection at the Library of Congress."
Jan. 14, 2014: Karen Moses talks about "Hindemith's 'Kleine Kammermusik': A Study in Musical Democracy."
Jan. 28, 2014: Mike Turpin discusses his work in recording the Library's concerts.
Feb. 11, 2014: Chris Hartten speaks on "The Lost Art of Landowska."
Feb. 25, 2014: Janet McKinney presents a talk titled "Saints on Stage: The Depiction of Mormons in American Musical Theater."
March 11, 2014, Coolidge Auditorium: David Henning Plylar discusses "Remembering Argos: Life and Loss in the Funeral Odes of Franz Liszt."
March 25, 2014: Laura Yust presents "Hidden Figures in American Modernism."
April 8, 2014: Larry Appelbaum discusses "Jazz as a Cold War Weapon."


text:
when: May 10 2020 at 11 am
where: Harley Farms, 205 North Street, Pescadero (map)
available places: 22
price: $35.00
Party name:
I have read and agree to
the Harley Farms Tour Liability Disclosure
Tours last up to 90 minutes.
Please expect some muddy ground.
Tours go ahead in rainy weather.
You may change your booking event up to 3 days ahead of the event. With apologies, we do not offer refunds.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Amidst all the IronRuby hype, you could be forgiven if you didn't hear mention of the Ruby.NET Compiler. But if you use Ruby on Windows -- and you probably do if you're reading this blog -- you owe it to yourself to at least be aware of the work that Wayne Kelly and friends have been doing.
To quote the Ruby.NET page:
Ruby.NET is a compiler that translates Ruby source code into .NET intermediate code. This allows components implemented using the Ruby language to:
* Natively execute on the .NET platform
* Be linked with third party components developed using other .NET languages such as C#.
* Utilize the extensive resources of the .NET platform including visual design and debugging tools, the security framework and an extensive collection of class libraries used, for example, to create Windows forms, web and database applications.
Ruby.NET version 0.9 was released a couple weeks ago and can be installed via a binary installer from here. It requires the Microsoft .Net Framework version 2.0.
There's an optional Visual Studio integration package, which requires Visual Studio 2005 SDK version 4.0.
I've just started tinkering with this, so I can't provide any meaningful analysis or instruction on it yet. But I like the possibilities that it presents...
* Compile your code to a .Net executable
* Use the .NET framework's Forms library for your GUI
* Leverage the vast array of .NET framework libraries
* Work is currently underway to port the win32ole library to Ruby.NET
I'd like to see more documentation and examples, including Windows forms code samples. If you have Ruby.NET examples you would like to share, feel free to email them to me or post in the comments.
There's also a Ruby.NET Compiler Discussion group here.
So check it out and maybe, as Antonio Cangiano recommends, give Ruby.NET some love. I think this is a project that deserves much more attention.


text:
Lindsay Lohan is a mostly free woman.
Lohan returned to court Thursday for her final probation status update stemming from a 2007 DUI case in Beverly Hills and thanked her judge for ending her strict probation requirements.
At the end of the five-minute court appearance, Lohan told the judge she had learned from the experience.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"Thank you for being fair, your honor," Lohan said. "It's really opened a lot of doors for me and I really appreciate it."
The judge received Lohan's final update on the requirements that had her doing cleanup duty at the Los Angeles County morgue and attending regular psychotherapy sessions since late last year. Judge Stephanie Sautner determined that Lohan was in compliance with terms stemming from a 2007 drunken driving case and January 2011 necklace theft.
"She has done everything this court has asked of her," Sautner said.
Lohan's probation for the 2007 case came to an end, but she will remain on informal probation for two more years in the necklace theft case. She will no longer be supervised by a probation officer and judge and no longer be forced to live in Los Angeles, where the actress still faces civil lawsuits over accidents and her bad behavior.
"I know it's kind of hard when people are following you all over the place and you can't get anywhere, but that's the life you chose," Sautner said.
The hearing comes as Lohan's career is showing hints of a comeback. She is due to guest star on an upcoming episode of "Glee," recently hosted a highly rated but criticized episode of "Saturday Night Live" and is set to star as Elizabeth Taylor in a television movie.
"Lindsay is ending one chapter and starting the next," Honig said. "She is very eager to get back on set and dive into her next few projects."
Roles have been hard to come by for Lohan in recent years as she has been in-and-out of courtrooms, admitted to rehab and sentenced to jail. Her failure to complete alcohol education classes in 2010 prompted a judge to sentence her to jail for the first time since the actress served 84 minutes for a pair of drunken driving arrests in 2007. A court-ordered rehab stint was cut short, but Lohan relapsed before year's end and was sent by another judge to the Betty Ford Center, where she was involved in a fight with a rehab worker.
Within three weeks of her release in January 2011, Lohan was accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace from a store near her Venice home and soon landed in Sautner's court. The judge rejected rehab, but did attempt to send Lohan, 25, to jail as punishment. Overcrowding reduced a November 2011 sentence to a few hours, although the actress did serve 35 days on house arrest earlier in the year.
Lohan's tortured four-and-a-half-year journey to complete her case is not entirely unprecedented. Actress Michelle Rodriguez took just over five years to resolve her drunken driving case, which featured many of the same elements as the Lohan saga: extensions, missed deadlines and jail sentences.
Resolving the case will provide the actress with the chance for something Hollywood has bestowed to plenty of other fallen stars: a comeback.
Her career prospects are largely tied to her ability to stay out of trouble, which at times has been a tough task for the actress. Two weeks before her hearing, a nightclub manager in Hollywood accused Lohan of grazing him with her Porsche. The actress denies the accusation and no charges have been filed, but the matter may end up in a civil court, where Lohan is already being sued by two other people for auto-related incidents.
Three men who were in a car that Lohan commandeered and used for a chase along Pacific Coast Highway — leading to her second drunken driving arrest in 2007 — are suing her and the case is scheduled for trial later this year. Lohan is also being sued by a woman who claims she was struck by the star's car while walking in West Hollywood.
She is also being sued by the former Betty Ford worker.
Whether the cases will result in the end of her off-screen drama remains to be seen.


text:
Outcast - Supernaturals #2
Jennifer Reynolds
Publisher: Jennifer Reynolds
Leigh Alexander has lived every day of her life feeling like an outcast amongst her family and the small-minded people of Pine Hollow, a secretive community to which her parents belong. When Danielle, Leigh's younger sister, asks Leigh to come home for her wedding, Leigh's torn between wanting to be there for her sister and saving herself from people who've despised her all of her life. Knowing she'll regret her decision, Leigh gives into her sister and goes home for what she hopes is the last time. Leigh was prepared for people to ignore her, for them to shun her, for them to point out all the ways she didn't belong all because she wasn't a size perfect, but what she hadn't been prepared for was falling for Ryan Hart, a man who she will soon learn knows all of the secrets her family and the town of Pine Hollow refuse to tell her. Revealing the truth about Pine Hollow and the rest of the supernatural world might be forbidden, but to save Leigh's life, Ryan will tell her everything about who she is, or more importantly who she isn't, even if it will forever change her life and the lives of every person in Pine Hollow.


text:
Microsoft Layoff Rumor Gets Mostly Good Vibes
Jul 15, 2014 4:25 PM PT
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella may launch a massive round of layoffs, possibly as early as this week. Some details are still being worked out, unidentified sources with knowledge of the company's plans told Bloomberg.
Layoffs have been widely expected since Microsoft purchased Nokia, and Nadella's recent memo to Microsoft employees was viewed as a hint they might soon be at hand.
The layoffs are long overdue, said Mukul Krishna, digital media senior global director at Frost & Sullivan.
What's more important, however, is what the layoffs are going to achieve.
"Microsoft's structure needs to be more agile," Krishna told the E-Commerce Times. "The focus should be more on cutting-edge technologies delivered in a timely fashion, and Nadella's trying to structure the company so it can deliver effectively on his vision."
What Nadella Wants
Microsoft "will enable organizations to move from automated business processes to intelligent business processes" and "build tools to be more predictive, personal and helpful," Nadella said. The company's cloud OS infrastructure, device OS and first-party hardware will be designed to create a great digital work and life experience "with a focus on dual use."
The emphasis will be on mobile and the cloud.
The cloud will "let you streamline your teams much better," Krishna suggested, "and ... reduce time to market."
Everything's Fair Game
"Nothing is off the table in how we think about shifting our culture to deliver on this core strategy," Nadella said. "Organizations will change. Mergers and acquisitions will occur. Job responsibilities will evolve ... . Tired traditions will be questioned ... . New skills will be built."
Nadella seems intent on dismantling the current dog-eat-dog culture prevalent in Microsoft, where -- like all large corporations -- it is not easy to present new ideas for a hearing.
"The old order might have worked at a particular time, but now the market is changing," Krishna noted, "so Microsoft must prepare for that."
Nadella has said that new hires would be made.
"They might hire others as part of their restructuring," Krishna said. "You have a vision, you have a plan, and now you are reshaping the company. In fact, Microsoft may be rehiring some people."
What the Layoffs Could Mean
Sweeping layoffs may not be a bad thing.
Microsoft "will be better served by a single, well-executed event rather than the continuing cuts companies like HP have instituted," Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, told the E-Commerce Times.
Customers are not likely to be concerned with or invested in layoffs, because "the vast majority of Microsoft's business involves either core Windows or Office assets," King pointed out. "Everything beyond that is, figuratively speaking, small potatoes."
Meanwhile, investors are likely to be happy because "they want to see the stock move up, and that's what it's been doing under Satya Nadella," Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, told the E-Commerce Times.
Best Case/Worse Case Scenarios
Nadella's reforms might play out in a number of ways -- some good, some bad for the company.
The best outcome if massive layoffs are implemented is that Microsoft "gets traction and makes an impact," DiDio said. The worst outcome would be that Nokia's phone business "is a total flop and Microsoft has to exit the mobile phone business altogether."
The best case, according to Pund-IT's King, would be that Nadella "transparently executes a detailed and well-considered plan that impacts its targets in ways that customers, shareholders and employees find understandable and even agreeable," and lets it move ahead successfully.
The worst case would see Nadella announcing a plan that's hard to describe and defend, and that "includes numerous issues to be determined at a later date," King said. "That would leave shareholders distrustful, employees dispirited and partners discommoded, and all of them waiting for the other shoe to drop."


text:
${ alert.message }}
${ alert.message }}
Report Job
Let us know about an issue with this job.
Thanks for submitting a report, we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Something went wrong, please try again.
You need to enter a message.
Report Job
Please login or create an account in order to report a job.
Saved Job
Edit your notes or remove this job from your dashboard.
Save Job
Make notes and save this job to your dashboard for later.
Save Job
Please login or create an account in order to save a job.
Share Job
Copy the link below to share this job.
0 Active Jobs
Toronto Defiant isn't hiring at the moment.
1 Recently Closed Job
Follow us on Twitter!
Receive occasional emails about Hitmarker and the best new jobs.
Something went wrong, please try again.
Please enter a valid email address.


text:
Lower Fishguard, also known as Lower Town to the locals, is the old historic trading and fishing port which served Fishguard Bay before the present day Ferryport at Goodwick was built across the Bay in 1906.
The quay and houses are all on the eastern side of the harbour which dries out at low water, leaving a narrow stream flowing through the muddy estuary to the sea. It is only suitable for bathing at high tide when the quay affords a good diving platform which was once used regularly for regattas and water sports with rowing and sailing races, greasy pole and plate diving competitions. There is good sailing and Fishguard Bay Yacht Club has had its headquarters at the end of the long quay for generations, its Commodores and members traditionally providing coxswains and crews for the local lifeboat.
A few local men fish from the harbour for lobsters, crabs and clams.
For centuries sailing ships and fishing boats were active there for Fishguard was famous for its herrings and also for its advantages as a sheltered harbour between Cardigan and the smaller trading ports along the north-western coast round to Solva and across St Brides Bay to Milford Haven.
It is recorded that Lower Fishguard or Cwm Abergwaun, for it is the mouth of the river Gwaun, whch meanders down the picturesque wooded Gwaun Valley, was already, as early as 1566, "a good harbour" trading with Ireland to the west, Bristol to the south and Chester to the north.
In the late 18th century it had some 50 coastal trading vessels ranging from 20 to 100 tons in general trade, mostly with Bristol, the main exports being herrings and oats and imports being coal from the Pembrokeshire coalfield, slate and limestone for burning in the kilns for use on the surrounding farms. The size of the mid-19th century four-storeyed, hip-roofed stone warehouse on the foreshore on the west side of the river indicates how important the trade was.
The single-arched stone bridge, built in 1875, takes traffic travelling from Fishguard to Newport on the A487 trunk road into one of the worst bottlenecks on any main highway in Pembrokeshire. It bends in a narrow right-angle from Bridge Street into Newport Road with dire consequences for any articulated truck. Plans for a high-level by-pass via a fly-over across the valley have been thwarted for environmental reasons.
Lower Fishguard is described in Pevsner as "more picturesque than architecturally notable," but there is one house of interest, which is Plas Glynymel up the valley, where the 18th century antiquarian and historian Richard Fenton lived, having blasted the rocks to widen the end of the valley to create a site for his mansion and exotic gardens. Its picturesqueness caused Lower Town to be chosen as Dylan Thomas's mythical village of Llarregub when the film of 'Under Milkwood" was shot there some 30 years go with Richard Burton as its major star.


text:
Steven R. Nuss
Associate Professor of Music
Box 5670
Phone: 207-859-5673
Fax: 207-859-5635
Mailing Address:
5670 Mayflower Hill
Waterville, Maine 04901-8856
5670 Mayflower Hill
Waterville, Maine 04901-8856
Areas of Expertise
- Music theory
- Music composition
- World music
- Traditional Japanese music and culture
- Interdisciplinary approaches to music analysis
Professional Information
Professor Nuss received his Ph.D. in Music Theory in 1996 from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A former orchestral conducting fellow of the Aspen Music Festival and faculty member of the Seishin International School and University in Tokyo, his published research is a unique blend of Western and non-Western analytical techniques and theoretical models of form and process. His most recent work has appeared in Perspectives of New Music, The Musical Quarterly, Contemporary Music Review, Music Theory Spectrum, Theory and Practice, and analytical essays in A Way Alone: Writings on T�ru Takemitsu published by Academia Musicae, and in Locating East Asia in Western Art Music published by Wesleyan University Press. Professor Nuss is currently at work on a book that explores the intersections between musical and religious thought, practice, and perception. He is a recent recipient of grants from the Fulbright Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.
More information on Professor Nuss can be found at the website of the East Asian Studies Deparment. nuss east asian
More information on Professor Nuss can be found at the website of the East Asian Studies Deparment. nuss east asian
The directory information is for individual use only, it may not be retransmitted or published for any reason. It is not to be used for mass solicitations by email, mail, phone, or other means. Sale or other distribution of this document is prohibited by College policy.


text:
Healthcare Library
Acupuncture is a treatment based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a system of healing that dates back thousands of years.
Acupuncture gained the attention of the American public after President Nixon's trip to China in 1972. Traveling with Nixon was a New York Times reporter, James Reston, who received acupuncture in China after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. He was so impressed with the procedure's ability to relieve his postoperative pain that he wrote about his experience upon returning to the United States.
Acupuncture was formally recognized as part of mainstream medicine's range of healing options in 1997, when the National Institutes of Health issued a statement documenting its safety and effectiveness for a range of health conditions. Research comparing the effectiveness of acupuncture to other treatments -- including physical therapy, massage therapy, and standard medical treatment -- has not shown a clear benefit, however.
How does acupuncture work?
The effects of acupuncture are complex, and how it works is not entirely clear. Research suggests that the placement of needles, and other modalities used in acupuncture, may produce their complex effects on a wide variety of ways in the brain and the body. For example, it is theorized that stimulated nerve fibers signal the spinal cord and brain to release certain hormones responsible for making us feel better overall and, more specifically, feel less pain. In fact, a study using images of the brain confirmed that acupuncture increases our pain threshold, which may explain its ability to produce long-term pain relief.
As explained by TCM, there is a type of life force, or energy, known as qi (pronounced "chee") that flows through energy pathways in the body called meridians. Each meridian corresponds to one specific organ, or group of organs, that governs particular bodily functions. The proper flow of qi is thought to create health. An imbalance of qi (too much, too little, or blocked flow) results in disease. In acupuncture, needles are inserted at points along the meridians to restore balance to the qi. Acupuncture points, or the specific locations where needles are inserted, are places where the energy pathway is close to the surface of the skin.
What does an acupuncturist do?
In addition to asking questions, the acupuncturist may want to take your pulse at several points along the wrist and look at your tongue to observe its shape, color, and coating. The acupuncturist may also observe the color and texture of your skin, your posture, and other physical characteristics that offer clues to your health.
The acupuncturist then asks you to lie down on a padded examining table, and inserts the needles, twirling or gently jiggling each as it goes in. You may not feel the needles at all, or you may feel a twitch or a quick twinge of pain that subsides as soon as the needle is completely in. Once the needles are all in place, you rest for 15 - 60 minutes. During this time, you'll probably feel relaxed and sleepy and may even doze off. At the end of the session, the acupuncturist quickly and painlessly removes the needles.
How many treatments do I need?
For chronic back pain, one or two treatments a week for 1 to 2 months may be recommended.
What is acupuncture good for?
Acupuncture has been found to help some patients with chronic low back pain.
You can safely combine acupuncture with prescription drugs and other conventional treatments, but it is important for your primary care physician to be aware of and to monitor how your acupuncture treatment may be affecting your conventional therapies.
Should anyone avoid acupuncture?
Some physicians and practitioners may avoid treatment during pregnancy. If you have been seen by a particular practitioner prior to your pregnancy, however, it is generally safe to continue receiving treatment from that practitioner during your pregnancy.
Should I watch out for anything?
Be sure your acupuncturist uses only disposable needles. In addition, if your acupuncturist is qualified to prescribe herbs and would like you to take them as part of your treatment, first discuss this with your physician. Herbs are potent substances that can be harmful if you suffer from certain conditions. They can also interact with drugs you may be taking and cause side effects.
How can I find a qualified practitioner?
Most states require acupuncturists to be licensed and confer a title (LAc) that these acupuncturists can use to identify themselves. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (www.medicalacupuncture.org) can provide a list of licensed physicians in your area who are also trained to perform acupuncture. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons may also have a list of physicians who are trained in acupuncture (www.aaos.org). Your doctor may also be able to help.
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine certifies acupuncturists (Dipl Ac) and practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine (Dipl CH) upon passing a qualifying exam. To find certified practitioners, go to www.nccaom.org.
Does my medical insurance cover acupuncture treatments?
An increasing number of insurance providers and HMOs now cover all or part of the cost of acupuncture treatments, but these providers may have restrictions on the types of illnesses they cover. Check with your insurance company to see what your policy offers.
Reviewed By: Andrew W. Piasecki, MD, Camden Bone and Joint, LLC, Orthopaedic Surgery/Sports Medicine, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Event Calendar
Hunterdon Healthcare offers an array of educational events, including childbirth, healthy living and fitness classes.LEARN MORE
Health and Wellness Centers
Where health and fitness meet to help you stay healthy at every age.LEARN MORE
Heart & Vascular
Heart and Vascular Services Department brings world-class cardiovascular care to our community.LEARN MORE


text:
"Saturday Night Live" took a break -- mostly -- from spoofing candidates with just four days left in the presidential race, and instead focused on local politics and the effects of Superstorm Sandy.
This week's opening segment was an officials' Sandy briefing featuring Fred Armisen as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bobby Moynihan as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Bloomberg said his ban of sugary drinks and trans-fat prevented people from becoming so obese that they could have been swept away by the harsh waters brought by Sandy.
U.S. & World
He also had some choice words for President Barack Obama.
"I also want to thank President Obama for his fast and efficient assistance during our time of need, while also reminding him that we do not want you to come here," he said. "Your motorcade causes traffic headaches. I endorse you for president, but if you come here, I will have you arrested."
Next up was Christie, who also had something to say about Obama.
"On election day, I'm voting for Mitt Romney," he said. "But if I had to pick some guy to have my back in a crisis, it would be Barack Obama. He's been amazing -- so kind, such a leader, a true inspiration. Again, I'll be a good soldier and vote for Romney, but I'm going to hate it. Do you hear me? I will hate it."
Christie tried to comfort the citizens of his state, saying "things are bad, okay."
"They are bad, but we're New Jersey," he said. "We don't get sad in New Jersey. We get even. So sleep with one eye open, Sandy!"
He also continued to criticize Atlantic City mayor Lorenzo Langford for having opened a shelter of last resort instead of enforce a mandatory evacuation before Sandy's landfall.
"You disobey me? You disobey one of my orders? Well screw you, screw your city and screw all the people who listened to you," Christie said. "I'm going to rescue you and then beat you to death, because that's the Jersey way."
Bloomberg and Christie were both flanked by sign-language interpreters.
In real life NYC interpreter Lydia Callis has emerged as a minor celebrity since the storm. Her "SNL" imitator (Cecily Strong) was also wildly energetic, and Bloomberg thanked her for bringing "pizazz" to the role.
"SNL's" gum chewing New Jersey interpreter (Nasim Pedrad) was more standoffish as she illustrated Christie's tough-as-nails persona.
But they both interpreted "Obama" by pulling on the side of their ears.
After both politicians spoke, Bloomberg wrapped up by addressing the city's Spanish-speaking population. He urged them, in rudimentary Spanish, to be patient with white people who have no power, Internet and cannot watch the Showtime hit "Homeland."
On Weekend Update, host Seth Meyers picked up the national politics slack and had fun at the expense of Mitt Romney.
The GOP candidate -- in the form of Jason Sudeikis -- was there to defend himself and make his closing argument to voters.
Romney said that his heart went out to Sandy victims but that "in these trying times" there was something that he thought people were forgetting: "I'm Mitt Romney and I'm still running for president."
He also made one last effort to discuss his platform.
"If there's anything people should know about Mitt Romney at this point is that nothing I've said in the past should be any indication of my positions in the future," he said. "If I'm elected president, I will promise you one thing. I will promise you everything."
This week's host, Louis C.K., got involved in the political fun as well, playing a FEMA officer on a Fox morning show. Later, he starred as Abraham Lincoln on a parody version of C.K.'s FX show "Louis."


text:
Horse Riding Experience
18.06. - 24.10.2020
Whether you want to pursue your favorite hobby on vacation or finally want to learn horse riding: Spend your time in the saddle in a beautiful scenery.
The "Horse Riding Experience" package includes the following:
- 3 nights with half-board
- all Seehof extras
- 2 horse rinding sessions (lunge 30 min. and group lesson 50 min.)
- 1 sports massage (25 min.)
- Kaiserwinkl Card with many reductions
The indicated package price is per person with double room allocation with two full paying adults (excl. toursim taxes). Please note that the number of package offer is limited. The package cannot be combined with other packages, special prices or discounts.
3 nights from € 410,-
per person
per person
Services Included
- Healthy and hearty breakfast served from 7:30 until 10:15
- Five-course gourmet dinner served from 19:00 until 20:30
- Lactose-free and gluten-free options as well as other dietary requirements upon request
- Themed evenings such as Austrian buffet, BBQ evening, Italian evening or four different main courses to choose from
Spa & Relaxation
- Pool area with large indoor and outdoor pools (20x10m each), heated pool open all year and separate children's pool
- 4000m² water adventure world with slides and chill-out area
- Sauna area with infrared lounge, Tyrolean sauna, herb bath, Finnish family sauna, outdoor sauna, etc.
- Quiet zone with waterbeds, heated recliners and tea bar
Sports & Activities
- Three heated indoor tennis courts with weekly mixed doubles
- Heated indoor beach volleyball court
- Full-site football pitch
- Indoor and outdoor riding centre
- Rental of new mountain bikes, city bikes, toboggans, tennis rackets, hiking poles, etc.
- Gym with modrn TechnoGym equipment
- Two bowling alleys
- 127km XC skiing trails starting from the hotel
- Weekly sports & activity programme
- 4000m² water adventure world
- Mini club for chidren aged 4 years and above
- Weekly children's programme
- Separate children's table at lunch & dinner
- Special children's buffet in the evenings
- Pony riding for children up to 6 years (25kg)
- Games room with table football, pool table, etc.
- Underground parking and parking spaces
- Charging station for E-Cars
- Bathrobes for adults and children
- Kaiserwinkl Card
- Daily newspapers
- W-Lan
- Seehof Benefitclub


text:
A quick look at the wikipedia entry on mathematical constants suggests that the most important fundamental constants all live in the immediate neighborhood of the first few positive integers. Is there some kind of normalization going on, or some other reasonable explanation for why we have only identified interesting small constants?
EDIT: I may have been too strong in some of my language, or unclear in my examples. The most "important" or "interesting" constants are certainly debatable. Moreover, there are many important and interesting very large numbers. Therefor I would like to make two revisions.
First, to give a clearer idea of the numbers I had in mind, please consider such examples as $\pi$, $e$, the golden ratio, the Euler–Mascheroni constant, the Feigenbaum constants, the twin prime constant, etc. Obviously numbers like $0$, $1$, $\sqrt2$, $...$, while on the wikipedia list, are in some sense "too fundamental" for consideration.
This leads me to my second revision, which is that the constants I am trying to describe are (or appear to be) irrational. Perhaps this is a clue to what makes them interesting. At the very least, it leads me to believe that large integer counterexamples do not satisfy the question as I had intended.
Finally, if I could choose a better word to describe such numbers, it might be "auspicious" rather than interesting or important. But I don't really know if that's any better or worse.


text:
The Leonardo Royal Hotel London City (Previously Grange City) is a 5 star hotel that's luxury is matched by the superb panoramic views over the city of London. A stone's throw away from the Tower of London and other notable landmarks, the Grange City offer first class accommodation and service in an ideal city centre location. There are 307 en-suite guest rooms, 10 suites and 1 penthouse with all rooms featuring digital LCD TVs, business amenities and private en-suite bathrooms. The hotel has four restaurants and bars, including the Koto II Japanese restaurant, and a state-of-the-art health club, featuring a swimming pool, gym, sauna and health spa
Rating: 81% of LondonTown customers would recommend to a friend - 133 recent customers surveyed out of 5 based on
Booking multiple rooms?
Visit our group bookings page
Room 1
Map for Leonardo Royal Hotel London City
Underground Stations
Railway Stations
Car Parks
Leonardo Royal Hotel London City
Most recent feedback from actual LondonTown.com customers
|Good location and good hotel. Staff always extremely helpful and polite.
Anonymous from Haywards Heath, United Kingdom would recommend this hotel to a friend
|Every member of the staff was very courteous and helpful. We had a snack in the lounge/bar area following our Friday night event and think this area could do with a makeover to make it more intimate and welcoming.
Anonymous from Wokingham, United Kingdom would recommend this hotel to a friend
|Beautiful hotel with excellent facilities and good location.
Anonymous from Craigavon, United Kingdom would recommend this hotel to a friend
|It was a really lovely hotel, all the staff were fantastic, our only negative was our view, we had a view if the air conditioning units, can't be helped I know that tho lol
Anonymous from Chinnor, United Kingdom would recommend this hotel to a friend
|I enjoyed my stay and your hospitality.
Kenneth from Sellersville, United States would recommend this hotel to a friend
TripAdvisor User Reviews
Leonardo Royal Hotel London City Hotel Facilities
Hotel services
Fitness centre
Swimming Pool
Business facilities
Business centre
24hr porter
24hr reception
Laundry services
Dry cleaning
Passenger lift
Accept dogs
Airport shuttle service
Room facilities
En suite bathroom
Satellite and cable
In-room direct dial
Room service
24hr room service
Mini fridge
Tea/coffee making
Air conditioning
In-room safe
Wifi - FREE
307 rooms
For children
Baby cots - FREE
Wheelchair access rooms
Guide dogs welcome
|Check-in from:
|Check-out before:
All rooms
Some rooms
Telephone reservations
To book the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City by phone, call the telephone booking department on 011 44 20 7420 4969. The hotel reservations call centre is open seven days a week from 8am until 11pm (UK time) seven days a week. From USA call 011 44 20 7420 4969
Group booking discounts
Are you booking for a group of people? If you are making a booking for a group of people and require over 10 rooms, you may prefer to speak to the Group Booking Department for Leonardo Royal Hotel London City bookings. Special deals can be arranged for groups, including discounts and arrangements for adjacent and inter connecting rooms if required. Call the Groups Reservations Department on 0207 292 2307. The best way to book a group deal is to complete the online form for group reservations at Leonardo Royal Hotel London City .
Speak to a
London Hotel Expert
My shortlist
Our pick of alternative hotels
Suggestion 1
DoubleTree by Hilton Tower of London
Near the Tower of London & Tower Bridge
Customer rating: 93%
The brand new purpose built DoubleTree Hotel Tower of London is a few minutes walk from To.. more
Suggestion 2
The Tower Hotel
Near the Tower of London
Customer rating: 90%
It's the location on the River Thames that give this hotel next to the Tower of London.. more
Suggestion 3
Club Quarters Gracechurch
Adjacent to Leadenhall Market
Customer rating: 89%
The location of Club Quarters Gracechurch in the heart of the City has made it a favourite.. more
Featured in...


text:
Sodexo in Australia
"Our aim is to be the Quality of Life Services brand that is known, respected and chosen for our leadership in Safety behavior, engaged workforce, service excellence that exceeds client and consumer expectations and for our commitment to creating a better tomorrow for all of our stakeholders." Johnpaul Dimech, CEO Sodexo in Australia
Custom Quality of Life Services fit a unique environment
Given its incredible size and vast areas of desert, Australia poses a singular challenge for any service provider. Rising to that challenge, Sodexo has been improving quality of life for the workforces of client companies and their communities since 1982, most notably through dedicated services in five key segments: Corporate, Seniors, Education, Defense and Remote Sites. In all locations, Sodexo's growing reputation for tailored comprehensive services, innovation and exemplary safety behavior is highly valued.
Maintaining an edge in a competitive economy
Australia's thriving resources sector provides ongoing opportunities for growth in quality On-site Services for the mining, energy, oil and gas industries. Some of these sites present extreme conditions like Australia's largest underground mine, Olympic Dam, established in the desert 560km from the nearest city.
This site is operated by BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company. Sodexo participated in designing and building the two villages created to service the project. Our team ensures a wide range of Quality of Life Services that support workers far from home and contribute to reduce staff turnover. Our programs like the Symmetry Health, Lifestyle and Entertainment help maintain employee well-being through lifestyle initiatives like social events, workout programs and healthy food options.
The ongoing service relationship with mining giant Rio Tinto is another example of Sodexo's skill in remote site logistics. From accommodation management and technical maintenance to catering, landscaping and lifestyle programs, Sodexo provides the services necessary to enhance employee well-being in difficult locations.
Sodexo's reputation for rigorous QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety and Environment) practices has proven beneficial for its clients and employees. Contracts like an expanding multi-service deal with Australian Submarine Corp for several sites in Southern and Western Australia that includes catering, cleaning, grounds maintenance and waste disposal. In addition, Sodexo is setting new standards in workplace safety, with our sites achieving significant safety milestones such as 500,000 hours LTI (Lost Time Injury) free.
A great place to work: career development at the core
A fiercely competitive job market means that in Australia, attracting and keeping talent is a top priority. Sodexo has developed industry-leading strategies that ensure its staff members are well equipped and properly trained so that they can grow within the organization and feel appropriately valued. Internally, our Management Development Program gives structure to individual career paths. And at a national level, our approach to training and apprenticeships involves close collaboration with technical and further education - or TAFE - institutions. For example, Sodexo has formed a partnership with the Sunshine Coast TAFE in Queensland to deliver a nationally accredited Management Diploma.
A virtuous circle
Sodexo's activities are by nature local and that is why contributing to the economic, social and environmental development of local communities is key to success. These goals, detailed in The Better Tomorrow Plan take shape in a number of initiatives. The incredible Australian landscape is a daily reminder of the importance of sustainable and responsible development. Working with clients and employees Sodexo has pursued a commitment to sustainable development by establishing initiatives dedicated to waste management solutions, sustainable supply chain and water efficiency. In 2009, the Department of Mines and Petroleum recognised Sodexo's Resource Recovery Program for leading environmental progress. This recognition reflects the importance of waste management in the mining industry and how Sodexo helps clients reduce their environmental impact.


text:
The Ultimate News is a beautifully designed email template, built with care, passion and detail. You can use it on websites on the news, to sports, to politics and much more. It is easy to edit and change colors & images. You can click to see a live preview of the Ultimate News – Email Template.
- 60 Valid email HTML files
- 6 Colors (Dark-Light Blue, Dark-Light Red, Green, Orange)
- 2 Backgrounds (Light, Dark)
- 5 Themes
- Modern and clean design
- Documentation included
- PSD Files included
- Commented code
- If you find any problem in the email template or want to ask anything else, please feel free to contact me at a firstname.lastname@example.com@gmail.coma.


text:
My takeaway from the movies made of Arthur C. Clarke's novels 2001 and 2010: When you want your computer to do something, ask the computer nicely. (Or, like the HAL 9000, your computer might get homicidal on you.)
It appears that the time has come for someone, perhaps a judge, to ask the state's payroll computer whether it might be able to recalculate employees' paychecks. The intentions and abilities of the computer have emerged at the center of a controversy over whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can reduce state workers' salaries to minimum wage until a new budget is approved.
The courts have said that Schwarzenegger has the right under the law to do just that. But another halted the change, citing uncertainty about whether the computer system could accommodate a change. (State Controller John Chiang, the computer's official handler, seems reluctant to ask the computer to do this, though Chiang's critics suggest he's as worried about public employee unions who oppose the governor's order as he is about what the computer in question might do).
U.S. & World
A ruling on the computer's capacities has been put off until late summer. One problem: I'm told that the payroll computer is old and does not speak (though the system, last redesigned in the '70s, seems to be of about the same vintage as the HAL 9000, a cinematic creation of 1968).


text:
About Kepler
The Adobe Originals program started in 1989 as an in-house type foundry at Adobe, brought together to create original typefaces of exemplary design quality, technical fidelity, and aesthetic longevity.
Today the Type team's mission is to conduct original research and development for type at Adobe, making sophisticated and even experimental typefaces that explore the possibilities of design and technology. Typefaces released as Adobe Originals — fully-featured families and smaller "Concept" projects alike — are the result of years of work and study, regarded as industry standards for the ambition and quality of their development.
How to Use
You may encounter slight variations in the name of this font, depending on where you use it. Here's what to look for.
In application font menus, this font will display:{{familyCtrl.selectedVariation.preferred_family_name}} {{familyCtrl.selectedVariation.preferred_subfamily_name}}
To use this font on your website, use the following CSS:
font-family: {{familyCtrl.selectedVariation.family.css_font_stack.replace('"', '').replace('",', ', ')}};
font-style: italicnormal;
font-weight: {{familyCtrl.selectedVariation.font.web.weight}};
Glyph Support & Stylistic Filters
Fonts in the Adobe Fonts library include support for many different languages, OpenType features, and typographic styles.
Learn more about language support


text:
When 3,200 US marines deploy to Afghanistan this spring, the message it sends is that the US remains committed to the security of the country and its future. But the deteriorating situation there won't turn around until the United States makes changes that recognize the mission's strategic and symbolic importance and raise Afghanistan from "forgotten war" status, analysts and a senior retired officer say.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates had opposed sending more US forces to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, but he reluctantly conceded after failing to get a greater contribution from allies, many of whom say they have little more to give.
But the marines destined for Afghanistan are on a one-time, seven-month deployment that fills a gap only for trainers and combat forces, say analysts. They won't supply the kind of counterinsurgency that country needs, they say.
That would require more resources, a more effective organizational structure for NATO, and smarter thinking about how to strengthen Afghanistan's political and economic systems, says one retired senior officer. It also would probably mean a greater commitment of US troops, perhaps thousands more.
"If we're going to be ahead of the insurgency, then you have to have a substantial-sized force," says a retired senior officer who didn't want to be named due to the political sensitivities of the matter.
A new focus in Afghanistan for the US should also include an "empowered US ambassador" overseeing the nonmilitary efforts – akin to the role of Ambassador Ryan Crocker in Iraq – even as American military forces, still under NATO command, conduct a counterinsurgency where it's needed, says the retired officer.
Perspectives on counterinsurgency
Some 50,000 total forces are currently in Afghanistan, about half of them American. Half of those American forces fall under a subordinate US command that oversees the country's eastern region, where an effective counterinsurgency is being waged, say many analysts in the US. It is in the southern region, including Helmand and Kandahar Provinces, where Dutch, Canadian, and British troops predominate, where a broader new strategy is most needed, they say.
Pentagon strategists are reportedly refining a review of Afghanistan, which will be discussed during a meeting of NATO ministers in Europe this winter. Deteriorating security in Afghanistan, which has seen more suicide bombings and rising violence over the past year, has also piqued the interest of Congress: The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday will entertain ideas for changing strategy.
The US had employed a proper counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, but it began to falter after the 2005 announcement that NATO would take over the mission, argued David Barno, a retired Army three-star general, in an article last fall in the Army periodical Military Review.
"Unsurprisingly, this was widely viewed in the region as the first signal that the United States was 'moving for the exits,' thus reinforcing long-held doubts about the prospects of sustained American commitment," wrote Mr. Barno, who will testify Wednesday before the House panel. The US must revive a counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, he said.
In a separate development that could shape the future of Afghanistan and NATO, Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq and the man credited with creating an effective counterinsurgency strategy there, is being considered for command of NATO later this year, The New York Times reported on its website Sunday.
Unwieldy command structure?
One crucial move is to refine the complex organizational structure for the NATO force, with its bifurcated commands and complex command-and-control relationships.
"If there is an overhaul needed, it is getting a unity of command," says Jim Phillips, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank here. "Unfortunately, the military effort is disjointed, with so many different NATO forces pursuing different strategies."
Secretary Gates, however, has already decided not to push for changes to the organizational structure of the mission, after members of the Joint Staff last year recommended no change. "They ... recommended that we leave it as it is, and that is my intent," Gates said Thursday.
A proper counterinsurgency would include more attention to political, economic, and other nonmilitary issues, some say. Abdullah Abdullah, a former minister of foreign affairs for Afghanistan, said at a Washington think tank on Friday that part of what Afghanistan needs is help strengthening trust between Afghans and their central and provincial governments.
"If the US doesn't make some extra efforts to enable the government ... to gain the trust of the people, this will weaken any military strategy," he said.
Education for all Afghans is the ultimate "prerequisite for strategic success," says Paul McHale, assistant secretary of Defense for homeland defense. Mr. McHale wore a different hat last year, taking leave from his Pentagon job and deploying as a reserve officer to help develop the Afghan National police. He says bolstering education initiatives, opening schools, and giving girls more opportunities to learn will help the country to turn the page.
The military fight will set the conditions for success, but it's not the only thing, says McHale. "Trigger-pulling will not win this war," he says.


text:
Allen completed nine straight passes with two touchdowns to end the first half.
Gerald McCoy finished with 5.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 2019 after Carolina signed him to a one-year contract.
"I couldn't be more thankful for these past nine years here. Just a great place to play. I'm proud of a lot of the things we accomplished, proud of how far we were able to take this team."
Jermaine Carter had a career-best 10 tackles in the season finale against the Saints.
Interim head coach Perry Fewell was emotional as he talked about the past four games as Carolina's interim head coach and what it meant to him as a local North Carolinian.
Watch the highlights from the New Orleans Saints' road win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the 2019 NFL regular season.
Watch every catch from Christian McCaffrey's milestone day in Week 17 as he became just the third player ever to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in both rushing yards and receiving yards in a single season.
Christian McCaffrey scored his 19th total touchdown of the season, one shy of the franchise record.
Wide receiver Brandon Zylstra hauled in a 40-yard catch to set up a Panthers touchdown run.
Christian McCaffrey joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
McCaffrey finished the first half just 22 yards of reaching 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
"When things go wrong, it's really easy to start pointing fingers," Christian McCaffrey said. "At the end of the day, we have to control what we can control."
Will Grier finished with 224 yards on 27-of-44 passing with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Jermaine Carter started in place of the injured Shaq Thompson and tallied two tackles and a quarterback hurry.
"Our product doesn't look like that over the course of the week," Fewell said. "I have to find a way to make sure that product looks better on game day."
Watch the highlights from the Week 16 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts.
Carolina went for it on a fake punt and punter Michael Palardy hit DeAndrew White with a pass for the first down.
Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye drills a 50-yard field goal.
The Carolina Panthers' defense closes the door on Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack for a turnover on downs inside the red zone.
Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Will Grier throws on the run to Panthers wide receiver Jarius Wright for 19 yards.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Will Grier finds Panthers tight end Greg Olsen up the seam for a 28-yard gain.
Ross Cockrell tallied five tackles, including one for loss, in Sunday's home defeat to Seattle.
Luke Kuechly, Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel, Trai Turner and Tre Boston evaluate Carolina's home loss to Seattle.
Watch the highlights from a Week 15 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey rushes for a 15-yard touchdown.
Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston intercepts the pass by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon.


text:
[Beneath The Spin]
Government steals From Employees Through Time Fraud
The time has come for postal employees to start flexing their political muscle.
The record is clear. The United States Postal Service has been abusing, bullying, and robbing their employees blind --through forced unpaid labor-- all over the country for years now, and with complete impunity. So it's time for both Postmaster General John E. Potter and Inspector General David C. Williams to go.
By overlooking the blatant corruption that has been clearly evidenced on their watch, they could both easily be charged with malfeasance at the very least.
The U.S. Postal Service is, literally, running a modern day plantation under Potter. They're forcing some of their employees to work as much as six hours a day without pay, and others to work without lunch or breaks, then their official government clock rings are being falsified to reflect that the employees took three hour lunches. Thereafter, if the employees report the abuse to the Office of Inspector General, instead of investigating the matter (Time Fraud - a federal crime which carries a 6 year prison sentence), the OIG not only turns a blind eye to the crime, but goes so far as to report the complaining employees to their managers.
This is going on routinely all across the country:
"Congressman Paul Hodes called on the United States Postal Service to present a plan to fully reimburse postal workers for the wages they have lost as a result of managers manipulating their timecards."
The congressman went on to say:
"It has been weeks and the hard-working employees at these post offices are still waiting for answers," said Congressman Hodes. "The USPS should immediately present a plan to ensure that workers are immediately reimbursed for their lost wages, and that appropriate disciplinary action is taken.
Those individuals responsible for cheating New Hampshire families out of hard earned wages must be held accountable . . . In May of this year, I wrote to USPS Inspector General David Williams requesting that his office investigate claims that the United States Postal Service had altered letter carriers' timesheets on an electronic time system for the last six years."
And elsewhere: Arbitrator Sherrie Rose Talmadge said in her December 2, 2009 decision that "Management's violations were so egregious over a period of many years that punitive damages were awarded to deter the service from further clock ring violations."
So the record is clear. The Office of Inspector General, politicians, and in some cases, many union officials have been turning a blind eye to unconscionable crimes against middle-class and minority workers. That doesn't bode well for the American worker, because it shows that the government has now embraced the effort to lower the standard of living of the American middle class - an effort that's been promoted by private corporations for some time now (The Role of Minorities, Poor, and the Middle Class in the New World Order).
As pointed out in my previous columns, the unions are a mixed bag. Just as in postal management and the population as a whole, there are many people within the unions who bring a dedicated, ethical, and conscientious attitude to the way they approach their jobs, but there are still far too many who are content to benefit from their members' union dues while they snuggle up with management. That's one of the reasons this situation exists.
With that said, it becomes incumbent upon us to mention how delighted Ms. JoAnn Snow is with the way that President Larry Brown of Branch 24, NALC has stepped up to the plate. Ms. Snow said the following in that regard:
"It took a little fence-rattling, but I'm very happy with the way President Brown stepped up to the plate when he became personally involved in my case. I also want to thank Anita Guzik. She created a legal document on my behalf that looks like Johnnie Cochran came back and wrote it.
"But we have a way to go yet. The postal service was willing to pay me $8000 to drop my case, but they're simply trying to protect their system of corruption by protecting the people who conspired to steal from me, and I'm not going to let that happen.
"If an employee picks up a coupon from waste mail that's been thrown in the trash, that's a removable offense; but managers can steal thousands of dollars from their employees' earnings and the postal service fights to keep those managers in place. That's got to change - and I intend to personally see to it that it does."
These crimes are so easily accomplished by the postal service because the employees and unions have been trying to address them administratively, if at all. Grievances go on for ever, and that places time on the side of the postal service. The time involved allows the PO to harass potential witnesses, and create hardships for the grievant.
The victim of time fraud shouldn't even have to grieve the matter.
Time fraud is not a contractual issue - it's a federal crime, and should be treated as such. So if the postal service was as pristine as it claims to be, all the victim would have to do is contact the OIG and they would take it from there. The OIG would simply investigate the matter, and if the allegation was found to be valid, the victim would be reimbursed and the perpetrators would be fired - and possibly prosecuted and jailed. But unfortunately, justice within the postal service is only an illusion.
But there is an upside to this ledger. Postal employees don't have to beg for justice - they can demand it. They have both the law, and the numbers on their side. There are 600,000 postal employees in America, then when you add all of their family and friends, that's a formidable political group. In addition, in today's political environment up to 76% of the American people are unhappy with incumbents. So postal employees can very easily pull together to make a politician's willingness to fight for workers' rights a litmus test in order to be elected - and that goes for their union officials as well.
In spite of what we've been taught about this country, our actual history demonstrates that justice is not a birthright. In today's America, and throughout American history, citizens have only gotten as much justice as they're willing to fight for. Therefore, as long as postal workers continue to sit on their hands, they're going to remain the victims of injustice.
The only way that postal workers are going to live in comfort and security is to challenge the comfort and security of the powerful. Therefore, postal workers simply must exercise their political clout - and the very first demonstration of that clout should be to contact the number below and demand the firing of the two officials named above, then go right down the chain of command to have everyone removed who has presided over a crime against them. In short, it's time to tell President Obama and everybody beneath him that this is *NOT* the kind of change that you can believe in.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson will be holding a Los Angeles Roundtable on postal employee abuse in the very near future. Postal officials, the OIG, and union officials will all be invited. When a firm date is established it will be published in the Los Angeles Sentinel. If you want to change your working life, please attend. But in the meantime, please contact the number below:
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Chairman Edolphus Towns: U.S. House of Representatives, 2157 Rayburn House Office Building. Washington, D.C. 20515, (202) 225-5051
The document reads, "We the people," not "we the government." This is a covert encroachment on the American middle class that the people simply must repel, or the rights of all Americas will be placed in dire jeopardy. Once the government declares open season on its employees, who's left to protect us from private exploitation?
Please post your comments directly or submit them to firstname.lastname@example.com
"Speaking Truth To Empower."
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and email@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and email@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
All content is copyright Black Star News © 2011. All rights reserved.


text:
ESP-of-the-Year Helen Cottongim Speech
Transcript of Speech Delivered at the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly
Good afternoon.
I am so proud to be here addressing the 2010 NEA/RA on this 4th day of July. I take great pride in being named 2010 NEA ESP of the year.
I want to share with you what a crazy time it was for my family the week that I won this award. I received my award at the NEA/ESP Conference in Las Vegas on March 12th, a Friday night and then flew home on a red-eye the next night to be with my family because my two children were about to undergo surgery.
We were very emotional and excited on that Monday, March 15. My daughter Regina was going to donate a kidney to her brother Jason. The back story is that Jason had been on dialysis for 6 years. Our doctors told us that Regina would not be a suitable donor for him because of some health problems she had in her teenage years.
But then, as Jason's health began to fail last fall, Regina contacted a genetic specialist at University Hospital who told her, if she was a match, there was no reason she could not give him a kidney. Long story short: she was a perfect match. And I am thrilled to tell you that they are both doing very well.
As part of my award I received a check for $10,000 from the Gardner-Rich foundation, so I donated $5000 to the American Kidney Fund. At the time, the Kidney Fund had a matching grant--3 dollars for every one dollar donated--so my $5000 donation was worth $15,000 to the fund. As you might imagine, being honored by NEA has somewhat been overshadowed by what's going on with my children's health, but it's finally starting to sink in that I am the NEA ESP of the Year.
I started driving a school bus in 1972. When I decided I wanted to become a school bus driver, I went to the local bus garage to apply. The application was pretty straightforward: it consisted of a name, address, and a phone number. The salary? A hundred dollars a month. Training? That was my pre-employment road test. The director of transportation went out on the bus lot and started a bus, one that was so old it could have been used to transport our founding fathers.
"Let's take a ride," he said, "and see if you can drive this thing." So we did. We drove around for a few miles, and returned to the bus lot. When I parked the bus, he only had one question: "Can you be here at tomorrow at 6 a.m.?"
Actually, I showed up at 5:45 am, and he sent me to drive for a bus driver who had recently broken his ankle.
The driver stood in the step well and was kind enough to serve as my personal GPS navigator, as he gave me turn by turn instructions.
As my fellow bus drivers know, you never let anyone stand in the step well, right? It's against every safety regulation. But what did either of us know back then? We hadn't received any training.
So as I drove, he navigated along this very rural bus route, and rural, by the way, is a polite way of saying that we were driving on a goat path along a creek bed. The regular driver stood in the step well observing my driving skills; he asked me a question: "How are you shifting without scraping the gears?"
I told him, as a matter of fact, that I was double clutching - everyone knows what that is. He glanced down at my feet and said, "Oh, I didn't know there was another clutch." This was my first attempt at driver training.
I only drove as a sub for about nine days before I was assigned to my own bus route. And I was so excited about driving the big vehicle. And then I realized I had to transport students.
I had no idea what to do with them, let alone keep order on the bus. My only saving grace was that I grew up on a farm and started driving a farm tractor at nine years old. Driving was the easy part.
Being in control of the students was another story. It took me about five years before I realized that I was in charge.
Of course, by then, some of the older students had graduated and I had developed some disciplinary skills on my own. I felt like the first five years I just drove the bus and hoped to get everybody to and from safely. I drove that same bus route for the best part of 25 years.
I have driven three generations of students. I knew their cats and dogs, their grandmas and grandpas, their aunts and uncle. I probably knew much more about their families than their parents could ever have imagined. The kids told me stuff that if their parents knew, they could not have faced me in the grocery store.
I was invited to graduations and weddings and expected to be at funerals. My route was one of those very rural routes that I spoke of earlier.
Oftentimes children had to walk down long lanes to get to the main road. In the wintertime, they did not have hats or gloves. Some did not have lunch money or school supplies. But they knew they could come to me when they were in need.
Once when I was interviewed and was asked "How do you know you are successful in your job?" I thought about it for just a minute and remembered two little girls who were sisters telling me one day that they liked to play school bus driver. And when they played, they fought over which one was going to be me. To me that spoke volumes. As they say imitation is the best form of flattery. Today those little girls are grown women in their thirties with children of their own.
I knew early on that I was destined to do something with this bus driving job, though I had not a clue what it was.
One morning, as I parked my bus in my driveway, I thought to myself, if there is ever any place to go with this job, I'm going. I became a driver trainer in 1984 and I thought I had arrived. In 1990 I received national certification in driver training.
My Association work began in 1985 at a meeting with a teacher/bus driver and a KEA staffer who wanted to organize ESP. I agreed to serve on a task force to put together a plan.
I designed the KESPA logo and wrote the slogan, "The Backbone of Education is Support Personnel." I was elected president of the Kentucky Education Support Personnel Association in 1987 and served as president until 1993. That's when I was elected to the NEA Board of Directors ESP at large. During that time I served on lots of committees (you all know how that goes). I served on the KEA board, lobbied the legislature, and helped to get a tenure bill passed for ESP along with other health care and retirement benefits, for all school employees.
Each time I accomplished a task or won a victory for public education; I felt I had achieved the goal that I set that early fall morning in 1972. But without a doubt, my greatest honor was being named NEA ESP of the year this March. As I stand here before you today, I know I have arrived. But you know-just as I know- just being here is not enough, and each one of us must decide to become an advocate for children and public education. Each of us has had that defining moment, a moment when we knew we had to stand tall for what is important and right.
Today we are faced with the old enemies that keep coming back to hurt us: not enough money to fund our school systems, poor health care, and vanishing retirement benefits. Every time you turn the TV on, the news is bad, the economy has not rebounded the way we would have wanted it to do. We are being asked to do more with less, teach without text books, work in overcrowded classrooms.
Many of our jobs threatened by merit pay and evaluations based on unrealistic test scores that do not reflect the true value of the education that our students receive. ESP jobs are being used to balance budgets. Food service, custodial and transportation are being contracted out. When these service jobs leave our school systems, it is our students who will suffer. Most ESP live in the communities where they work.
Without jobs their children don't have health care and many will be on free and reduced lunches. Many already are. I am not telling you anything you already don't know. What I am telling you is that we cannot afford to rest. If you are not already an Association addict, who cares about kids and public schools, you must become one. And you should encourage everyone you know to get on board.
Public education and the future of America's children are counting on all of us--you and me pulling together--to provide them the best possible education. Now, we must turn our hopes into action.
I want to share with you a poem I read when I ran for my second term on the NEA board. It's called "My Load." When you hear this poem, you will know why you and I do what we do and why I am so honored and proud to be your NEA ESP of the year.
The poem is called "My Load."
- I drive a school bus every day. My route is forty miles.
If asked about my load, I' say, "They're all in need of smiles".
My load consists of every kind-the timid and the strong.
Let me recall them in my mind, as we roll along.
A big, tall strapping, football star; a bandsman in the rear;
A boy with roaches in a jar, a pencil behind his ear.
An addict's child, who quietly cries, along the way to school.
Is later taunted by other guys, insensitive and cruel.
A vagabond; a gifted child sit one beside the other.
A dark-haired youth with manners mild assists his crippled brother.
A mother-soon-to-be just sits and stares. (I wonder what she's thinking.)
An angry young man sits and glares. Remembers mother's drinking.
Some country kids take life in stride: they never seem defected.
A few are leaders—filled with pride and by their peers respected.
A barefoot lad with dirty face-no breakfast has he eaten.
One girl sits quietly in her place- the night before was beaten.
The others, individuals, too: Hispanic, Black, and Asian; three Indians, (who knows, maybe Sioux) the rest of them Caucasian.
I drive a school bus every day. My route is forty miles.
If asked about my load, I'd say, "They are all in need of smiles."
It's up to me to set the pace: To cheer them all the while.
So as they run in Life's great race, they run hard every mile.
Thank you
Helen Cottongim, 2010 ESP of the Year, addresses delegates at the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly.
RA Media Headlines
View All RA Speeches


text:
Crucolo (the cheese) has a moist texture, dotted with holes, and is made from raw cow's milk. This cheese is aged in the cellars of Rifugio Crucolo along with various kinds of cold meats and salami, wines, liqueurs and grappa. These scents and molds give the cheese of the Rifugio Crucolo that sweet-bitter-spicy taste which makes it so unique.
Show Mobile Site


text:
1x2/1x4 RECESSED LENS AIR HANDLING TROFFER
The LEGION-AIRE® series of static and air handling troffers are designed and precision engineered to meet the highest quality standard for today's discriminating specifier. The unit is now offered with the latest LED light engines in numerous lumen and color temperature packages. Options still include a wide choice of shielding media, as well as a variety of mechanical options to suit every project. Available in 1x2, 1x4, 2x2 and 2x4 configurations.


text:
Sophie has written her own problem today. Can you solve it?
Your email address will not be published.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
1.Use your first name and class name when posting a comment.
2. Never post any personal information - such as your phone number, your home address or your e-mail address.
3. Tell your parents or teachers if you come across anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
4. Try and write using full words and sentences - we are trying to become better writers so no text-speak here.
5. Don't post comments that could hurt or upset anyone.
6. Don't make arrangements to meet anyone over the internet.
7. Enjoy Hothfield's blog!


text:
Even before it began, it was obvious that the 2000 season was goi ng to be the beginning of a youth movement in Colorado as the Rapids held three of the first ten picks in the MLS SuperDraft. Adin Brown, Wes Hart and Alan Woods were selected to give the Rapids a burst of youthful energy, and forward Junior Agogo was brought in to try and replace the departed Wolde Harris.
However, all the new faces took some time to get on the same page and the Rapids once again found themselves fighting for a playoff spot. Unable to put together a multiplegame winning streak and hovering right around the eight and final playoff position all season long, Colorado' s postseason aspirations came down to its final match of the season against Los Angeles.
Needing a wi n to ensure a playoff berth, the Rapids were unable beat Kevin Hartman in regulation and the game went to overtime scoreless. But in the 97th minute, Paul Bravo to a pass from Jorge Dely Valdes to score his 7th and final goal of the regular season and send the Rapids to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, setting off massive celebrations amongst the 18,570 fans at Mile High Stadium that night.
But the good times would end there as the eventual MLS Cup Champion Kansas City Wizards knocked the Rapids out of the openi ng round of the playof fs in three games. The game would also mark the end of head coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick who was relieved of his coaching duties during the offseason. In four years at the helm, Myernick guided the Rapids to a 63614 record and four postseason appearances, including the club's only MLS Cup appearance in 1997.