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Oink, oink: Wild pig-hunting opportunity at Joice Island
Joice Island is in the Delta, inside the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, which is owned, operated and controlled by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
And, there just happens to be a small population of wild pigs that roam the island. The CDFW annually conducts hunts on the property, mainly for herd reduction.
You have to apply for the hunt, and access is on a drawing basis only. Getting the first crack at the pigs will be the junior license holders, those 12 and over, on March 2-3. Then, for the next seven weekends, beginning March 9 and concluding April 21, adults and youths will be allowed to hunt.
You won't be faced with a great deal of hunting pressure. A whole three hunters will be allowed onto the property each weekend. That means 24 hunters maximum will roam Joice Island to roust a pig from its hiding area, something pigs are well able to do during the day.
The deadline for applying is Thursday, Feb. 7. The drawing will be held Friday, Feb. 8.
There is no application form. On a postcard, the CDFW will need the name of the hunter, a valid 2012-13 hunting license number, your mailing address, a phone number and desired weekend hunt date.
If two hunters apply on one postcard, all of the above information must be included for both hunters. If a junior hunter is applying, the card must also include the name of an adult, non-hunting chaperone. Each permitted hunter is allowed to bring one non-hunting partner.
While there is no application fee, don't get creative. You're only allowed to apply for one weekend hunt. Get busted applying for more than one, and you'll get tossed from them all. Your application also will get tossed if it's missing any of the required data.
If you're drawn, you'll receive maps and additional information by mail.
Good luck.
Current fishing
American River: The river is down to a fishable condition, and those trying for fresh-run steelhead are being rewarded. Not everybody is finding their rod doubled over, but those who do are hooking onto quality, big fish. Several are breaking 10 pounds. Fishing pressure tends to be a tad on the heavy side on weekends, especially between the Hazel Avenue Bridge and the dam, and the stretch from Sunrise to Sailor Bar. Early mornings will be your top catching time. If your rod guides ice over, dunk your rod into the water and the ice goes bye-bye. Crawlers, roe, eggs and flies account for the majority of steelies being caught.
Clear Lake: The good thing about this lake this time of year is there's not much fishing pressure and no acres of the green mossy stuff the summer months bring. The downside, if you're a total bass purist, is that live bait, such as big minnows, will tally you the most and biggest fish. There are a few five-pounders falling prey, especially when the afternoon sun warms the water.
New Melones: Trout are super aggressive right now. Schools of rainbows will chase and corner a school of shad against the bank. You can easily tell the trout are there, as many shad will fly out of the water to evade the wide jaws of rainbows coming at them. It's a tremendous sight to see, and that's where you want to concentrate your fishing activity — in close and in the shallows. See the water swirling and shad flying out of the water, and you'll need to start cast-retrieving something that somewhat resembles a shad — and you're going to nail trout. With your second rod, suspend bait — a crawler or eggs — just under the surface, and you can get well bit in the meantime. Those trolling are anchoring at places like Glory Hole and going up the river arm to drop lines, especially around the mouths of coves and where water enters the lake.
As would be expected more due to the time of year, you can get into a fair bass bite. Again, with the lake's shad population, use something that looks like a shad. Cranks and spinner baits are fooling some of the bass into biting, and drop-shotting also is accounting for a decent bite.
Scott's Flat: This is a nice little lake up behind Grass Valley and Nevada City. You can get into a decent trout bite or go after bass. Those top-lining in the top 20 feet with a threaded crawler behind blades will generally get bit. Good areas are where the stream enters the lake and around the dam. Mostly small rainbows, but an occasional German brown is getting ahead of the rainbow to get hooked, too.
Camanche Lake: Management is still putting good numbers of fish in the lake, being delivered all the way from Red Bluff. The latest release was 600 pounds into the lake and 600 pounds into the South Shore Pond. The lake is still rising, so the shoreline you saw last week will have changed when you go up this week.
Trolling will be best in front of either the North Shore or South Shore marina areas or heading down the lake to Hat Island and the dam region. Don't go too deep this time of year, however. Top-lining will get you more fish than anywhere else in the water column.
Shore action has been good at the North Shore area and the South Shore Pond. Limits have been a regular occurrence for those fishing off the Eagle Beach campground using Power Bait. The trick, they say, is to suspend your bait in the top 15 feet, which means either a bobber or a cast-a-bubble. Garlic and rainbow Power Baits have been the top getters for shore casters, but salmon eggs always attract their share, as will marshmallows with a good chunk of a crawler.
Contact George deVilbiss at email@example.com.


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Bangalore: Pune Warriors captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday questioned the match officials` decision to report Marlon Samuels for suspect bowling action, saying that the West Indian has not bowled any differently than in the earlier three games he played in IPL 5.
"I don`t know what different did Marlon bowl in the fourth game. He has been bowling for West Indies for the last three years and bowled in three games of this IPL. He has not been warned. I don`t know what different did he bowl in the fourth game to get the warning," he told reporters at the pre-match press conference ahead of his side`s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Tuesday.
On-field umpires Aleem Dar and Bruce Oxenford, along with TV umpire Vineet Kulkarni, had reported Samuels` action after Pune Warriors` match against Chennai Super Kings on April 14 in Pune.
Samuels` action has been under scanner for quite some time as some of his fast off-breaks created suspicion. The delivery that cleaned up Mumbai Indians` Surya Kumar Yadav was bowled at a lot of pace and against CSK, Samuels bowled one over at a speed of over 122 kmph -- average speed of pacers Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar.
But, Ganguly felt that there were other worse deliveries in this IPL than those bowled by Samuels and authorities should be careful in this issue.
"Whoever has taken the decision should be very very careful as there are few worse actions around this IPL," he said.
"The problem is they have not been able to hit Marlon into the stands," Ganguly said, adding that he has told him to keep bowling yorkers and see what happens.
As of now, Samuels can bowl but if reported once again, he will be debarred from bowling in remaining matches.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Hannah's Question of the Day
In which a conversation starts out with 'Do you believe people can see things that aren't there?' and ends with Dora and Diego. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Hannah: Do you believe people can see things that aren't there?
Mother: Yes I do. (followed by an uncharacteristically lengthy anecdote about a friend and her child who both have had experiences in that area) (it would actually be uncharacteristic if it was short) (but it was a good one!)
H: What about you?
M: Yeah. I remember when my best friend died a few years ago, I got a strong feeling that I should call her. I didn't. She died two days later and I'll never be able to talk to her again. I'll always be sorry I didn't listen. And then last week. I got a feeling that I should call your aunt and chat with her about her pregnancy because she was right at the end of it. I didn't do it and she lost her baby unexpectedly. I'll never be able to go back and give her that love and support right before the unthinkable happened. I'm sorry about that too.
H: Well don't say never Mother, you never know. (in a hushed spiritual voice) You just never, never know. (Apparently 'never' is ok for her to say.)
M: No, I think in this case, 'never' is a fair word to use.
H: (in a reverent voice) Don't say never Mother. You don't know what the future holds. One day a time portal could open up in front of you and BAM! you'll have the opportunity to go back.
M: That's true. That could happen. I shouldn't write that off completely, should I?
H: No. It's a good thing you have me to help you keep your belief strong. When would you go back to if you had the choice?
M: I don't know - I can't decide if I'd go back to a good time to relive it or back to a bad time to try to change it. If you had a time portal open up in front of you, when would you go?
H: That's a hard one. There are so many times. I think I'd definitely go back to before Dora* and Diego were invented.
So that's her Question of the Day :
"If you had a time portal open up in front of you, when would you go?"
Break out of lurkdom and comment so that I can give her your answer. :)
*Dora the Explorer. Hannah calls her 'Dora the Annoyer'.
7 comments:
- CORoots said...
'Dora the Annoyer'. HA! Zane would appreciate that.
If I had a time portal, I would go back to my first pregnancy and do it very, very differently. I would treat that child so much better and with much more compassion.
And I think I'm going to just hold on to Hannah's idea that I shouldn't assume this will never happen. Maybe I can even draw it to me this way! Yesssss. :-)
- August 4, 2011 at 8:00 AM
- Stephanie said...
Good question!
Hopefully she'll get some fine answers! (But not from me... sorry!)
- August 4, 2011 at 8:34 AM
- Natalie said...
Every experience I've had at the time I had it, has been just the perfect experience to bring me to this exact moment and who I am today and I really appreciate all those moments because I love whop I am and who and what I have in my life, so I wouldn't go into the time portal, but if a TRAVEL PORTAL opened, I'd be in it in a shot.
I'd go to Bali, and Hawaii, Nepal and Lake Titicaca, all obver the US West Coast .. and I'd pop over and visit you all.
And I'm totally with Hannah on the Dora the Annoyer thing.
- August 4, 2011 at 1:43 PM
- Lynna said...
From the mouths of babes . . . Hannah seems to know what she's talking about. She's got it all figured out.
- August 4, 2011 at 7:59 PM
- Monica said...
Well, considering getting a divorce was the best decision I've ever made in my life, I'd go back to before I got married and not make the worst decision I ever made! I might not be the same person I am now, but I could deal with that. . .
Hey, you asked! :)
- August 4, 2011 at 11:01 PM
- Katey said...
Hannah, this is such a thought-provoking question! Very Dr. Who.
; )
I'd love to go back and see my girls again at various stages of their growing up. Not to relive them, just to revisit them.
If I could take my daughters along, I'd like to go back in time to when my aunt was living and give them time with her.
I'd like to go back and tell my younger self to "go to nursing school now because you really do want to be a nurse." But only if I could be guaranteed I'd end up where I am now (married to my husband with my daughters). The only difference would be that I'm already a nurse.
As far as a different period of time, wouldn't it be awesome to go back to the origin of the universe and see how it all started?
And she's onto something with Dora the Annoyer. I'll have to tell my girls that one. They'll appreciate it.
- August 5, 2011 at 8:17 AM
- Michelle said...
Hmmm...I would like to go forward and see where I end up--how my kids turned out--if we really do end up living in WYO for forever...I hope I'm not scared by the results! I guess it's all up to me and trusting in the Plan for us from here on out.
- August 5, 2011 at 3:29 PM


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ForumsQuestionsManaging A Team
Managing A Team
Posted: Apr 25, 2008
I am looking at using toodledo to manage a team but I am somewhat baffled at how to assign tasks even in the purchased version. I need to demonstrate this to other team members as a possible solution before purchasing for the entire team.
Toodledo Founder
The first think you should do is go into your account settings and make sure the "Assignor" and "reassign" columns are turned on. This will allow you to reassign tasks to other people and see who assigned tasks to you. To add a task directly to another person's list, you need to switch to their list first (using the collaborators link in the yellow bar) and then add a task like normal.
You can get more info about collaboration here: http://www.toodledo.com/info/sharing.php
Hope that helps
So I can't get a task to "reassign" using the instructions.
I can see the other person's tasks and can switch back and forth with that collaborator, but when I'm in the task list view and the "reassign" column is shown I get a dropdown that shows either "myself" or the other person. If I select "myself" from their view, or them from my view, nothing happens. The task doesn't switch, nothing in my view changes.
Anyone else have this problem?
I should mention that I do NOT have a problem creating a new task and assigning it to this other person. I just can't seem to figure out how the "reassign" dropdown box in the task-list works.
...sorry, adding one more comment:
If I switch to the "classic" mode and reassign using the drop-down, it DOES seem to work. The behavior (in classic mode) is that after you select a different user in the reassign drop-down box, a big red "Save Changes" checkbox appears in the upper right corner of the screen. This does NOT seem to happen in the new (non-classic) version... when you select a different name from the drop-down, nothing changes. (I'm using Firefox 3.0 for reference).
Is this maybe a bug in the new version? Should I submit it, or am I missing something?
Toodledo Founder
You need to expand the width of the "reassign" column. There should be a button adjacent to the drop down list of names. When you click the button, it will get reassigned.
Hope that helps
Ah! That did it, thanks.
That being said, it's a bit awkward. Re-assigning a task is something that I'd do pretty rarely (more likely I assign a task to someone else when I originally create it).
So the re-assign column takes up a lot of space in my 'dashboard' for a function I don't use too often. Either that or I have to turn off the column and turn it back on every time I want to re-assign... that's weird too -- lots of steps.
It would be nice if it behaved more like the delete icon -- just a small icon that doesn't take up much space, which maybe brings up a pop-up window to let me re-assign it when you click on the icon. You could potentially even combine that functionality into one icon (re-assign/delete) to take up even less space for those rarely-used functions.
Toodledo Founder
Thanks for the suggestion.
Posted: Jul 23, 2008
Question on Assigning and Reassigning. As a Project Manager I have tasks that are assigned to other resources (who will not have access to Toodledo). I keep track of all tasks, but I want to be able to have a field that allows me to choose which resource owns which tasks. Is there a way to accomplish the Assign and Reassign without having to give the resources access to Toodledo? For me it's just a reference.
Toodledo Founder
Sounds like a perfect use for the "tag" field. If the tag field is not enabled on your account, you can change this in your account settings.
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West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service
Guidance Notes for Local Archaeological Societies
The West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service∞ as part of its objective to support voluntary organisations in the region and to improve access to the historic environment, has been producing a series of online guides aimed at helping Community Archaeology Groups with their work. The titles already online are:
- Site Location;
- Writing your Fieldwork Report;
- Using Old Maps;
- Guide to Preparing for Archaeological Fieldwork;
- Guide to interpreting historic place names in West Yorkshire;
- Suggested Tool list for Small Scale Archaeological Excavations;
- Looking at Old Photographs;
- Guide to making a Photographic Record of Old Buildings, and
- Guide to Producing a Leaflet
- Archaeological Fieldwalking
- Planning and Delivering a Guided Walk
- Coming Soon Writing a Risk Assessment
All of the Guidance Notes for Local Societies can be viewed by following the link from the listing page at www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/wyjs-archaeology-guidance-notes.asp∞.
We will continue to add to this material as time and resources allow.
Dave Weldrake
Education and Outreach Coordinator
West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service
01924 306797
Website: www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/wyjs-archaeology.asp∞
| CBA, St Mary's House, 66 Bootham, York YO30 7BZ.
tel: +(44) (0)1904 671417 | fax: +(44) (0)1904 671384 | email:


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Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes Sharing Our All New Collection Of Ganesh Chaturthi Qoutes In English For Free All You Need To Do Is Just Copy Paste Quotes & Messages & Share It With Your Frined On Whatsapp , Line ,Wechat and Facebook Here You Can Also Download Some Ganesh Chaturthi Wallpapers For Free In 1080p Full HD Wallpapers For Free
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Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes
God comes to this world In many forms and blesses Us in different disguises. Celebrate God's benevolence Bestowed on mortals like us Through Lord Ganesha! Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!
May Lord Ganesha Gives You: A Rainbow For Every Storm; A Smile For Every Tear; A Promise For Every Care; And An Answer To Every Prayer! Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi Quotes
Wishing you Happines as big as Ganehsji's appetite, Life is long as his trunk trouble as small as his mouse and moments as sweet as his laddus.
The significance of riding on a mouse is the complete conquest over egoism. The holding of the ankusha represents His rule of the world. It is the emblem of divine Royalty.


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Parkhotel Kašperské Hory Pokoje
Wszystkie pokoje są gustownie urządzone i wyposażone w TV + SAT, telefon, suszarkę do włosów, a w apartamencie dodatkowo mini - bar.
Do dyspozycji naszych gości jest basen, fitness, korty tenisowe oraz solarium, zarezerwować można kręgielnię lub jazdę konną, wypożyczyć rowery górskie. Dysponujemy 39 pokojami dwuosobowymi oraz 4 apartamentami.
Szybka rezerwacja
Wszystkie pokoje są gustownie urządzone i wyposażone w TV + SAT, telefon, suszarkę do włosów, a w apartamencie dodatkowo mini - bar.
W cenę zakwaterowania wliczone jest śniadanie podawane w formie szwedzkich stołów w hotelowej kawiarni dysponującej 50 miejscami. Zapewniamy także zaplecze przy organizacji seminariów, szkoleń, prezentacji, imprez firmowych i towarzyskich. Na terenie hotelu znajduje się restauracja z 50 miejscami, sala konferencyjna, winiarnia z XIII wieku, dysponująca 70 miejscami, saloniki konferencyjne (30 i 15 miejsc) oraz bar w recepcji hotelu.
Check-in: 14:00
Check-out: 10:00
Okolica zachęca do pieszych wycieczek po licznych szlakach turystycznych lub wypraw rowerowych. Warto zwiedzić grody: Kašperk, Rabí i Velhartice. W sezonie zimowym są tu znakomite warunki narciarskie, wile tras biegowych i zjazdowych, wyciągi oraz centrum narciarskie z wypożyczalnią sprzętu.
Warunki Hotel.cz
1. Terms
1.1. Hotel.cz Portal Provider - the company HOTEL.CZ a.s., registered seat Lihovarská 1060/12, 190 00, Prague 9. Correspondence address: Řeznická 7, 460 01 Liberec, tel.: 222 539 539 email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
1.2. Accommodation Facility – owner/tenant of the accommodation facility rendering services to the Client in conformity with the Order made between the Hotel.cz Portal Provider and the Client.
1.3. Client – natural person or legal entity ordering services offered by the Accommodation Facility.
2. Introductory Provisions
2.1. These General Business Terms and Conditions (hereinafter refereed to as "GBT") regulate contract relations between the Hotel.cz Portal Provider and the Accommodation Facility when mediating booking of the accommodation offered by the Accommodation Facility at the Provider's website.
2.2. The contract relation between the Hotel.cz Portal Provider and the Accommodation Facility is also governed - besides these GBT and the valid pricelist of the Accommodation Facility (hereinafter referred to as the "Pricelist" ) - by the Intermediary Agreement, the contract relation between the Hotel.cz Portal Provider and the Client is governed - besides these GBT - by the General Terms and Conditions published on the internet portal www.Hotel.cz
2.3. These General Business Terms and Conditions are applied whenever the Contract or another written agreement between the Parties hereto fails to contain another arrangement. Individual provisions of these GBT can be changed or cancelled in the Contract.
3.Governing Law and Legislation
3.1. Contract relations between the Parties hereto are governed by the legislation of the Czech Republic.
4.Process of Ordering Services and Payment for them
4.1. Ordering
The Client expresses his interest in the service by mailing the Inquiry Form. The Hotel.cz Portal Provider verifies free capacity in the Accommodation Facility in the term requested by the Client and notifies information about availability and price of accommodation for the chosen term to the Client. The ordered service is binding at the moment of phone or written confirmation of the order by the Client and the Provider (mailing the Accommodation Voucher to the Client).
4.2. Price for the Service
Price for the service is determined by the Accommodation Facility, the Hotel.cz Portal Provider does not escalate the price for the service. The price depends on the chosen term, number of persons and on other parameters specified by the Client in the Inquiry Form. Prior to mailing the binding confirmation, the Provider informs the Client about the final price and - when approved by the Client - order of the services becomes binding. The prices shown by individual Accommodation Facilities are indicative only and are not binding until booking is confirmed finally by the Provider (mailing the Accommodation Voucher).
4.3. Payment Terms
Payment is done in the Accommodation Facility. In case of certain bookings, in particular in case of group bookings the Accommodation Facility or the Hotel.cz Portal Provider requests guarantee by the credit card or payment of the advance amounting up to 100%o of the accommodation price. During the process of confirmation of the booking the Client is informed about the requested guarantee by the credit card or about the advance payment.
5. Cancellation Policy and Complaints
5.1.The cancellation terms are regulated by the Accommodation Facility itself; if the credit card guarantee is applied, costs of the first night will be charged in case of no-show. If the booking is cancelled (written Provider's confirmation of cancelled booking is understood cancellation of the Client's booking) 24 hours before the guest's arrival, no cancellation fee is charged in case of the credit card guarantee.
5.2. The Client shall inform the Provider about all changes of the booking or about its cancellation in writing.
5.3. Complaints about quality of accommodation and services rendered by the Accommodation Facility shall be raised directly in the Accommodation Facility.
5.4. The Provider's services can be claimed in writing in the electronic form to the email address firstname.lastname@example.com or to the correspondence address HOTEL.CZ a.s., Řeznická 7, 460 01 Liberec.
6. Sending business messages
6.1. Personal Data Processing
The customer agrees to send additional and other information messages to his / her email address by sending the accommodation request on the Portal Hotel.cz. You may also opt out of these news at any time at https://www.hotel.cz/unsubscribe/ and in each individual newsletter. If the customer does not unsubscribe from additional information and news, we have a legitimate interest in believing that he wants to continue to receive similar offers.
6.2. Phone Calls Recording
Phone call recording The customer expressly consents that all phone communication shall be recorded in order to improve services and to record the customer's consent with the terms and conditions and confirmation of booking. The consent shall be directly or implicitly expressed by the customer by continuing in a phone conversation with an employee of the Hotel.cz operator.
7.Validity and Effectiveness
7.1. These General Business Terms and Conditions become valid and effective on 01.09. 2010. The contract relations arisen before the effective date of these General Business Terms and Conditions remain valid and are governed by the business terms and conditions valid when the contract relations were made.
7.2. Valid wording of these General Business Terms and Conditions is available in the registered seat of the Hotel.cz Portal Provider and is published on the Provider's website www.hotel.cz.


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Donna Hutchinson is the owner of On The Edge Fitness Educators, which offers fitness education courses, workshops and seminars focused on assisting fitness professionals in building their careers. She is the president and founder of the International Fitness Network Association, serving to unite fitness professionals from around the world. She has worked in corporate wellness centers, community recreation facilities, private health clubs and as an independent personal trainer. Hutchinson is a media personality in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has become one of Canada's leading speaker in the area of business development. Hutchinson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Have you ever experienced such terrible customer service that you can't believe it? Are you frustrated by businesses that just don't seem to get it? Why does there seem to be such a dichotomy of experiences with respect to customer service? Don't businesses want us to purchase their products or services? Where have all the good service people gone, and when did this aspect of business become so eroded?
Although we may occasionally encounter good service, more often than not, customer service is quite dreadful. Think about the last time you received such outstanding service that you actually gasped, wow, that was incredible. The good news is that with a little bit of thought, implementation, positioning and structure, your business can easily set itself apart from the ordinary. You can create a "wow" factor experience that customers will never forget, just by using four "TIPS" on how to create blow-their-mind, out-of-this-world customer service.
T: Think about the experience you wish to provide.
For your customer service to reach the pinnacle of success, keep in mind what you can do to make the customer feel extra special. Brainstorming with others can help you come up with ideas. Staff and management can work together by sharing their personal experiences about receiving out-of-this-world customer service. Use the ideas generated through the brainstorming sessions and the sharing of stories to pick out ideas that you can implement in your facility.
I: Implement your customer service plan.
Once you have thought about the level of service you would like to provide, create systems to support its implementation. Consistency is paramount to its success. Whatever you decide your new level of customer service will be, you need to ensure that you have the resources available to support its on-going implementation. When you take your customer service to the next level, people will come to appreciate it and then expect it. If you are inconsistent, they will notice, and it will be worse than if you had just provided adequate customer service all along. So when thinking about your new strategy, make sure that staff can actually follow through.
P: Position the right people in the right job.
You need service-oriented management, but where do you find these service-minded individuals? Keep your eyes and ears open when you visit other businesses. If you think the person helping you is doing a fantastic job and they are clearly service oriented, give them a business card. Let them know that if they are considering making a change, you may have an opportunity within your organization. You can also ask your star service people if they know someone who possesses similar skills. Often, like-minded people are attracted to each other. Chances are they have friends who are equally as adept at customer service.
S: Structure a system of feedback and evaluation.
Once you have all your systems in place and the right people to carry them out, it is time to ascertain their effect. You want to understand what impact your customer service plan is having on your bottom line. Accumulate as much feedback as you can from staff and members. Design surveys, post a blog or have a "give us your feedback" contest. Once you have collected enough information, analyze which strategies were a success and why. Drop those initiatives that weren't as well received.
You can benefit a lot when people put their best foot forward and care enough about other people to make their experiences at your club positive. When your facility commits to excellence in customer service, you can change lives. Great service can be achieved throughout an organization if everyone commits to the same vision of excellence.


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Joyce DiDonato and Vittorio Grigolo lead the cast with Antonio Pappano in the pit in Benoît Jacquot's sumptuous production of Massenet's operatic tragedy of duty and desire.
The excellent libretto, prepared by Edouard Blau and Paul Milliet, distills Goethe's Romantic masterpiece – their shortened version intensifies Goethe's depiction of two passionate people each intent on hurting the other. Its spareness affords Massenet the opportunity to make his music not only delve into the psyches of the central couple but also describe the damage they cause to Sophie and Albert. The score displays Massenet's gift for melody, with the 'Clair de lune', 'Lied d'Ossian' and Charlotte's 'Prière' now some of his most loved music. Director Benoît Jacquot's 2004 production for The Royal Opera, with elegant set designs by Charles Edwards, makes manifest the opera's theme of keeping up appearances while torrid passions rage beneath.


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Two Ionia Department of Public Safety officers and a Life EMS Ambulance employee were honored Monday by VFW David A. Huhn Post 12082 and Fowler VFW Post 3733.
Randy Dankenbring, Rod Steel and Richard Church were named Office of the Year, Firefighter of the Year and EMT of the Year, and invited to a banquet and awards ceremony.
IDPS Director Troy Thomas said Dankenbring has served for 12 years and is a hard-working officer who is courteous and respectful to others. In addition, Dankenbring put himself in the line of danger during the 2012 shooting incident on Main Street in Ionia, as he not only used his vehicle as officer cover, but was successful in keeping two victims safe and free from further injury. He also performed CPR on the suspect after the man was shot by a deputy, Thomas added.
"It was an honor to be nominated and awarded the Employee of the Year by my fellow peers. I would like to thank the VFW for the award ceremony and all that they have done. Again, I was deeply honored," said Dankenbring.
Steel has been a member of IDPS for 10 years and is a two-time recipient of the Firefighter of the Year Award. Steel is highly dependable, is quick to respond to emergencies and is the first to volunteer for tough tasks. He also is willing to assist and mentor new officers and stays on task until the job is complete, Thomas added.
"I want to thank the VFW for this award. It is special coming from such an honorable group of veterans," said Steel.
Church has been with Life EMS Ambulance since 2008, worked part-time with Belding EMS and is involved with the Belding Fire Department, according to Jani Millard.
"He's just somebody that we see as an up-and-comer. He's an excellent medic and he's really community oriented," said Millard. "We just felt he's deserving of the recognition."
Church said the award keeps him motivated in the job he loves attending each day.
"I'm elated. I'm very excited that my peers felt I should receive that award," said Church.
David A. Huhn Post Adjutant Phil Patterson said the pair of VFWs honor the local public safety and first responders annually.
"We just want the public to know the VFW appreciates the officers and first responders for what they do every single day," said Patterson. "They are not forgotten for their sacrifices."
The three men received a service pin and a plaque in recognition of the honor.
"I would like to thank Post Commander Phil Patterson and all of the VFW for recognizing our employees and for hosting a dinner and program in their honor," said Thomas.
Follow Karin Armbruster on Twitter @ISSKarin
VFWs honor Employees of the Year
Two Ionia Department of Public Safety officers and a Life EMS Ambulance employee were honored Monday by VFW David A. Huhn Post 12082 and Fowler VFW Post 3733.


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The spring 2009 schedule opens with three consecutive tournaments, four for the regular season.
"Any time we can play several teams in one weekend it is a good situation," said Lady Bisons coach Kristin Peck. "It eventually will prepare us for our conference tournament where we could possibly play more than two games in a day. We are playing against some good quality, tougher competition."
The Lady Bisons, who tied for the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championship last season, open on the road in the Louisiana Classics at Lafayette, La., Feb. 13-15. They will play McNeese State, host Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State and Providence.
Louisiana-Lafayette is a major challenge early in the season. They finished sixth in the nation in 2008 and played in the Women's College World Series. They have won the Sun Belt Conference Championship seven of the last eight years.
"It will be fun to do some research on these teams," said Peck. "Lafayette is a top 10 to top five team."
The next weekend, Feb. 21-22, the Lady Bisons travel to Atlanta to play in the Panther Invitational hosted by Georgia State. They play Eastern Kentucky, Georgetown and Georgia State.
The third tournament is the Chattanooga Challenge in Chattanooga, Tenn., Feb. 27-March 1. The tournament offers a broad level of competition for the Lady Bisons with games with Radford, Rhode Island, UT-Martin, Sacred Heart and Toledo.
On March 4 the Lady Bisons take a brief break from tournament play when they travel to Clarksville to face Austin Peay in a doubleheader.
The Lady Bisons are back on the tournament trail March 6-7 when they play in the Low Country Invitational in Charleston, S.C. The tournament is hosted by Charleston Southern, the first team the Lady Bisons will face. They will also play UNC-Wilmington and North Carolina A&T.
"It is hard for us to get a lot of games packed into the first part of the season at home especially because it is a little bit colder here than some other places in the conference," said Peck. "That's why we like to do the tournaments. All the games are non-conference so we can have a chance to get all of the kinks worked out and be ready for conference games."
The Lady Bisons will play 13 times at Draper Diamond this season. The home opener is March 10 against Tennessee Tech.
"This is a good year for us in terms of scheduling at home," said Peck. We have a great facility here. So anytime we can host games it is a great situation for us."
The home schedule is highlighted by a visit March 11 from Virginia Tech, winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference title the last two seasons and a participant in the Women's College World Series last season. The stop will offer pitcher Kenzie Roark, a sophomore from Mt. Juliet, a chance to pitch in front of a Middle Tennessee crowd.
"It is great to have top 25 caliber teams play here," said Peck. "It is great for the school. It is great for the conference. It is great for Nashville.
"Playing Virginia Tech here is a great opportunity for us. They lost their main pitcher from last year, but they have some great players around her that are coming back. It will be challenge, but we have to play challenging games. Our players know that."
Middle Tennessee visits March 15 followed by Auburn for one game March 17 and Bradley March 18.
After a trip to Western Carolina March 24, the Lady Bisons are back at Draper Diamond for four more doubleheaders in a row.
They open Atlantic Sun Conference play March 27 against North Florida. Jacksonville visits March 28 and Campbell comes to town April 4. A non-conference doubleheader with UT-Chattanooga rounds out the homestand April 8.
"Our conference, top to bottom, is tough," said Peck. "To give you an idea of how tough the conference is, Campbell, the No. 5 seed, won the tournament. We were the top seed, but you throw the seeds out the window."
The Lady Bisons will play Atlantic Sun foes ETSU, USC-Upstate, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast on the road.
"Florida Gulf Coast established itself early as the team to beat last year," said Peck. "USC-Upstate was the other team we finished in the regular season tie with. They have a lot of players back who were freshmen last year.
"Stetson pitches well and they are always up there. Campbell returns a lot of freshmen that helped them get to the NCAA regionals last year. They will be tough again."
Peck also expects Jacksonville, Mercer, ETSU, North Florida, Kennesaw State and Belmont should all be better.
"The conference has really stepped it up in the past couple of years," said Peck. "Every conference game is going to be a challenge.
The remainder of the home schedule includes a visit from Tennessee State April 14.
Atlantic Sun doubleheaders with Mercer (April 17), Kennesaw State (April 18) and Belmont (May 2) will close out the home schedule.
"With our team being young we are going to be relying on quite a few freshmen to fill big roles for us," said Peck. "If they can establish their confidence early on it will pay big dividends in conference play.
"We have taken strides to improve little-by-little every year. Being able to play teams like Louisiana-Lafayette, and to host teams like Auburn and Virginia Tech, will only make us better as we face that next level of competition."
The Atlantic Sun Tournament is scheduled May 7-9 at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla.


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The automotive industry had its beginnings not just in Europe and the U.S., but also worldwide, including parts of Asia. The Mitsubishi Motors company from Japan is one excellent example. This company originally started in 1870 and focused on manufacturing different products that required heavy industrial equipment. It didn't take the executives of Mitsubishi long to decide to make cars and other vehicles. In 1917, they presented the world with the Model A, which was just the beginning.
For quite some time, the Mitsubishi's automotive division spent a great deal of time building cars and vehicles for fleets, such as vans and buses. At some point along the way, Mitsubishi sent select versions of its cars abroad for sale in foreign markets. By the 1970s, there were over 720 authorized dealers in the U.S. alone. Further change came about in 2003, when the automotive division became an individual company, separate from the rest of the Mitsubishi family.
Mitsubishi Motors continues to manufacture a wide variety of cars, vans, and SUVs, including the Raider.
The Mitsubishi Raider is a compact pickup truck offered until 2009. This particular line of trucks is well known for several factors. The Raider tends to stand out from the crowd, considering it's offered by a company better known for its cars and SUVs. It had several things going for it, especially when compared to competitors. In most cases, the Raider was comparable to more popular brands and models, often at a more affordable price. This feature alone helped to make the Raider popular with Mitsubishi fans.
The Raider is also known for its unique body style. This truck was given a distinctive, aggressive look that was popular with many truck buyers. In addition to its attractive exterior, the Raider truck line offered a comfortable and spacious cabin. Buyers looking for a truck because of its towing and hauling abilities found that this was a great feature.
The Raider had striking similarities to other trucks of its class, especially the Dodge Dakota.
The Mitsubishi Raider didn't have a long life in terms of model years. It was only offered from 2006 to 2009. In the final year of the Raider's existence, Mitsubishi reduced some of the truck's features and options. For example, the only engine available for the Raider in the 2009 model year was a V-6 motor offering 210 hp capabilities. The truck came standard with a six-speed manual transmission, though some buyers chose four-speed automatic option instead. The powertrain for this version wasn't bad; it just lacked imagination and variety.
In the 2009 model year, the Mitsubishi Raider was available in two body styles. Buyers could choose from the extended cab or the crew cab designs. The extended cab design featured a 6.5-foot bed that could be accessed from the rear opening doors. In this design, the cabin was comfortable for the pickup class. In many cases, the crew cab design seemed to be more popular. The crew cab design featured a five-foot bed with additional space in the cabin for several passengers. Extras, such as air-conditioning, tinted glass windows, and four-wheel drive were available, though rear drive was the standard.
When it comes to the Mitsubishi Raider's past versions, there aren't too many to consider with a model life from 2006 to 2009. It is interesting to note that Mitsubishi actually reduced features and trim levels in the Raider's later model years instead of the more common practice of starting out a basic model and adding options and features as the model grows. Originally, the Raider truck family was offered in three trim levels, but the 2009 model was offered in just one with two body styles available.
While most automotive experts suggest other comparable brands, such as the Toyota Tacoma, when looking for a used truck, the Raider is thought to be a decent choice, especially those from the 2006 and 2007 model years. They offered three trim levels and either the crew cab or extended cab design. Used truck shoppers will find a variety of options available in these models, including bucket seats, full power accessories, and a strong air-conditioning and climate control system. These trucks in the higher grade trim levels also feature larger chrome or alloy wheels and comfort features like heated seats and leather upholstery.
2009 Mitsubishi Raider
Truck, Utility/Offroad
The Raider is a pickup truck from the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi, which first debuted in 2005 in North America and was discontinued after the final model produced in 2009.
2008 Mitsubishi Raider
The 2008 Mitsubishi Raider is a dying vehicle line.
2007 Mitsubishi Raider
The Raider is a midsize pickup truck from the Japanese carmaker, Mitsubishi, but is actually manufactured at Chrysler plants.
2006 Mitsubishi Raider
The 2006 Mitsubishi Raider is a midsize pickup truck manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors, a Japanese automaker.


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Thirteen-year-old TJ Saccoccio thought his mother was kidding when she told him he won a trip to Las Vegas, but sure enough, last week he was in Sin City for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Saccoccio, who is in the eighth grade at Gorton Junior High School, was one of only seven teens in the country to win the chance to fly to Las Vegas for #UniteLIVE: The Concert to Rock Out Bullying featuring singer Carley Rae Jepsen. Saccoccio and the other winners had the chance to meet Jepsen and other celebrities. Students and educators from the Las Vegas area were also invited to attend the concert.
Jepsen is best known for singing the hit song, "Call Me Maybe."
"My mom just entered my name and e-mail online," said Saccoccio. His was then randomly selected, and Saccoccio and his mom left for Las Vegas on Oct. 2 for a three-day trip.
The sweepstakes was sponsored by USA Network's public service initiative Character Unite, Cox Communications and R&R Partners Foundation's youth anti-bullying campaign Flip The Script. Saccoccio explained that before the Oct. 3 concert at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, he and other teens attended a conference to talk about bullying and increasing tolerance in the community.
"We had a conference with all the kids about cyber-bullying, and what we could do to stop it," explained Saccoccio, adding that Jepsen and the other celebrities also spoke about their experiences with bullying.
"It was kind of cool to hear that everyone got bullied at one time or another," said Saccoccio.
Other celebrities that Saccoccio was able to meet included Nolan Gould of "Modern Family," Mechad Brooks of USA Network's "Necessary Roughness," James Roday of USA Network's "Psych," and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Sheamus.
Saccoccio said he most enjoyed meeting Brooks.
"He was probably the coolest," said Saccoccio. "I actually got to have a conversation with him."
Saccoccio, who turns 14 in just two weeks, also enjoyed getting to visit Las Vegas.
"It was actually really interesting," said Saccoccio. "It's so different in Las Vegas."
The cost of airfare and the hotel were covered by the sweepstakes.
While staying at the MGM Grand Hotel, Saccoccio did have the opportunity to sightsee, and his favorite experience, outside of the concert, was riding the roller coaster at the New York, New York Hotel. Saccoccio said he is a big fan of roller coasters and getting to ride that one was a lot of fun.
Saccoccio also said that even though the flight was long, he got to see something pretty amazing.
"We saw the Grand Canyon from the plane," he said. "That was pretty cool."
USA Network and R&R Partners Foundation are also sponsoring the "Unite Against Bullying Commercial Challenge." Middle and high school students are invited to submit their original ideas for a commercial to air on USA Network during Characters Unite Month in February and online. The challenge runs through Nov. 20. To find out more information, visit unitelive.charactersunite.com.


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Check out the ultimate guide to games retail in the latest MCV
This week's issue of MCV features a full run-down of the UK games retail landscape, including the names of all the buyers working at the biggest chains.
We also speak to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot on Hollywood movies, TV shows and and next generation consoles.
There's a whole lot more, too. Including an analysis on GTA V vs next-gen consoles, and HMV's new games team reveals its ambition of clawing back market share.
The issue will only set you back 1.99, and you can click here to download our iPad app, and click here to read it online.
Here's what you can look forward to in this week's issue:
- Could GTA V harm the launch of Xbox One and PS4?
- Ginx launches in the UK
- INTERVIEW: Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot on transforming Hollywood, TV and next-gen consoles
- Number of UK specialist games stores plummets to below 800
- All of the UK games buyers revealed in one handy guide
- HMV tells MCV about its video game ambitions
- INTERVIEW: Green Man Gaming's management team on pre-owned, Playfire and becoming the home of core gamers
- Plus! Previews of New Super Luigi U, Tales of Xillia and Daleks invade the World of Tanks expo


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Tony Martin (Germany) dominated the elite men's time trial world championship, setting the fastest time at each split, as he powered to his first world title on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 26-year-old German recorded a scintillating time of 53:43.85 for the 46.4km parcours to beat silver medalist Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain) by 1:15.83. Defending and four-time world champion Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland), consistently setting the second-fastest splits throughout the day, overshot a corner late in the race, nearly crashing into the course barriers, and had to settle for the bronze medal 4.76 seconds down on Wiggins.
The world championship has capped off a stellar season for Martin as he claimed overall wins at the Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice plus second overall at the Tour de Romandie. His performances against the clock have been superb season-long as he won time trial stages at the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and the Critérium du Dauphiné, now punctuated by his first-ever world championship.
Martin's ride also delivered Germany its second elite world championship in as many days as compatriot and HTC-Highroad teammate Judith Arndt won her first world title, too, in the elite women's time trial on Tuesday.
We are having trouble displaying this video
Martin's masterpiece
While the sky was overcast throughout the day, the rain held off for the elite men's time trial as 65 riders, competing in four waves for two laps of the 23.3km circuit, vied for the rainbow stripes in Copenhagen.
Alexandr Dyachenko (Kazakhstan), the 20th rider to start, held the hot seat for much of the day until the cream of the time trial stalwarts got on the course in the last of four waves. The first to break Dyachenko's time of 57:03.61 for the 46.4km parcours was Australia's Jack Bobridge, who stopped the clock in 55:57.71, only to have the next rider across the line, former time trial world champion Bert Grabsch (Germany), top that with 55:15.61.
British road champion Bradley Wiggins, fresh off a podium finish at the Vuelta a Espana, picked up his pace throughout the day and became the first rider to crack the 55-minute barrier as he assumed the hot seat with a time of 54:59.68.
Brad Wiggins gets going
Cancellara struggled today to finish third
But Martin, the second-to-last rider to start, was simply on another level as he re-set the best times at each split. The German caught the two riders who started in front of him, David Millar (Great Britain) and Mikhail Ignatyev (Russian Federation), and came close to reeling in a third rider, Taylor Phinney (United States of American), who started 4:30 ahead of the German.
Martin's time of 53:43.85 demolished the effort made by Wiggins, and the only question yet to be decided would be what medal Fabian Cancellara, the final rider off, would claim. The Swiss powerhouse had been consistently in second place at each split, but he started faster than Wiggins and his advantage over the Briton had been decreasing throughout his effort.
Nonetheless, Cancellara looked to have the silver medal sewn up, but an uncharacteristic mistake at a right-hand turn late in the race likely cost him a second place finish. The Swiss rider overshot a turn and came to a complete stop to avoid crashing into the course barrier. He strained to get his big gear rolling again and returned to top speed, but as he made his way down the finishing straight his time of 55:04.44 would result in a bronze medal, 1:20.59 down on Martin and a slender 4.76 seconds behind Wiggins.
This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.


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Generations have gone to Guy's for meat
When Adelle Sandler got off work downtown in the early 1950s, she often made a stop at Guy's Market on Scott Street before heading home.
When the owner opened Guy's Meat Market on Old Spanish Trail a few years later, Sandler started doing her shopping over there.
Nearly 60 years later, the Meyerland resident is still a regular customer.
"If I lived in Galveston, I'd still buy my meat there," Sandler said.
"There are not enough good things I can say about them. The ribs are to die for. They have wonderful barbecue and burgers. Go around lunch any weekday or Saturday - the line will be out the door."
Guy's Meat Market has operated since 1958 from 3106 Old Spanish Trail.
The market carries beef, pork, chicken, stuffed chicken, lamb, stuffed pork chops, Cornish hens, fajitas, oxtails and pork bones, among other selections.
Prepared barbecue, cold sandwiches and hamburgers are available to go.
During the holiday season, the store also carries smoked turkeys and honey-baked hams.
For owner Brad Dickens Jr. of Westbury, entrepreneurship is a family tradition. His grandmother, Mollie Bailey, 1844-1918, owned a circus.
"A woman owning anything in the 1880s and 1890s was almost impossible," said Dickens, 69. "She also was a Confederate spy during the Civil War."
Her son, the late Brad Dickens Sr., worked as a barker for the circus as a youth. Walking around the grounds, he shouted orders to the workers, calling them "you guys."
Eventually, people started calling him "Guy."
After he left home as a young man, he made his way up the East Coast and took jobs at meat markets.
"He learned the meat business the old-fashioned way," Brad Dickens Jr. said of his father.
In 1938, Guy Dickens returned to Houston and launched his own business. Guy's Market was at 5111 Almeda Road, near Hermann Park and the Almeda Stables. Nearby was the Almeda Theatre, now closed.
In the 1950s, Guy Dickens opened a second location on Scott Street, near North MacGregor.
The stores included meat, bakery and produce sections, along with rows of groceries.
The popularity of his barbecue and delicatessen inspired Dickens in the late 1940s to start developing his own seasoning. After several years of tinkering, he perfected the mix in 1952.
"My sister, Linda Dickens, and I were the guinea pigs," his son said.
The family has sold the seasoning to the public since 1958, since opening the market on Old Spanish Trail.
The seasoning is available at the store and online, http://guysseasoning.com.
The meat market is the family's only store today. Guy Dickens ran the operation with the help of family for about 12 years. He died in 1980.
"I took over in 1970 and spent 43 years running it night and day," Brad Dickens Jr. said.
By that point, he had spent most of his life working at the store. There were two exceptions. Dickens earned a degree in industrial management from Texas A&M University, and he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, from 1968 to 1969.
Dickens, a cancer survivor, said he enjoyed every aspect of running the family business.
"I loved the people; I loved the business," he said. "I loved impressing people with the quality of stuff I could do. 'Thank you' made my life."
Dickens has two daughters, a son and one granddaughter, but they have not chosen to go into the family business. So, he found a protégé in longtime employee Steve Free, now president of Guy's Meat Market.
Free's history with the business began 40 years ago when he was 16. He started by sweeping floors and continued working there summers while earning a biology degree from the University of Texas.
"I planned on being a dentist, but I didn't make it into dental school," Free said. "Mr. Dickens took me under his wing."
Later, Dickens gave Free part of the business.
As far as Free is concerned, it's the quality of the product and the service that has kept Guy's in business.
"We try to make sure it's just right," he said. "And we talk to our customers and get to know them."
Sandler said she has great respect for the store's staff, and she considers Dickens a "mensch," a Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor.
"I love him; he's like my little boy," she said. "When I was younger, I was always running my kids to activities. I was up to my eyeballs in things to do. Many a time on his way home from the store, Brad would drop off what I didn't have time to pick up. That's Brad for you."
Sandler said she appreciates Free, too.
"I can pick up the telephone and tell Steve what I need. He knows what I want and I want it. Anything I want, I can get it, and it's done the right way."
Customer Mary Williams has been shopping at Guy's Meat Market for about 45 years.
"I was a career woman," the MacGregor-area resident said. "I'm from a small Texas town. It was like stepping back in time to when you knew the butcher, and the butcher knew you.
"When you go into Guy's, the hamburger you could buy 40 years ago is the same today," she said. "You can take your children, and now the grandchildren, and explain to them about the quality of the meat. It's an extension of being home."


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Presbytera is a Greek title of honor that is used to refer to a priest's wife. It is derived from presbyteros—the Greek word for priest (literally, "elder"). There does not currently seem to be any standard English equivalent, so most English-speaking Orthodox Christians will use the title most common in the old country churches from which their local family or parish finds its origin.
Other languages
Presbytera corresponds to the following equivalent titles:
- Albanian: Prifteresha
- Arabic: Khouria (from the word khoury, meaning "priest")
- Romanian: Preoteasa
- Russian: Matushka (literally means "mama," i.e., the intimate form of "mother")
- Serbian: Papadia
- Ukrainian: Panimatka or Panimatushka ("little mama")
- Carpatho-Russian: Pani (a shortened form of Panimatka)
- Presbytera: The Life, Mission, and Service of the Priest's Wife, by Athanasia Papademetriou (ISBN 0972466142)


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digitalstudio necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 107 diseños de 25 diseñadores freelance.
LaMantia Design & Construction
LaMantia Design & Construction since 1973. Our basic principals are pride in workmanship and customer satisfaction. Adhering to this philosophy, the company has grown to be a well-known and respected builder providing home additions, remodeling kitchens or bathrooms and building new homes as well as some commercial construction.
The company name is: LaMantia Design & Construction
and we use "architects & builders" as a description.
High-end Homeowners looking to invest in their homes.
Mostly Woman 40 - 50 years old.
(vector artwork please)
An image to portray our company as professional, experienced and current and representing our craftsmanship and high end work.
The image needs to work as a small element for biz cards and large for outdoor signs. We are open to colors and elements but like browns and tans.
We are open to a face lift or just an enhancement of our current logo.
If you think you can use the current font and add an element to it ...we'd like to see it. If you think the logo is just too lame and the font is too outdated, introduce us to a new one.
(download current logo as Illustrator file) with this link:
We had a small house above the logo in the past that we liked to use but the download vector art does not have it in it. We are open to having a small house again in the logo.
Thank you in advance for helping us create a proud new image that will represent our company, our employees and our high quality work.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Why Madison Presidential Listening Tour: College of Visual and Performing Arts
President's Journal —
College of Visual and Performing Arts, Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, Nov. 15, 2012
It was a joy to visit with the College of Visual and Performing Arts today as part of the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour. I met with a talented and committed group of artists and educators who came together to reflect on our strengths, our challenges and our future. The Madison Future Commission will deliberate on the input we elicited in our conversations in the strategic planning process as we plan for the future of Madison.
The arts are central in the life of my family
Let me start by saying that the arts are not a tough sell for me, and I told the CVPA faculty and administrators so during my visit. My family is very passionate about the arts. My daughter Eleanor's passion is one of JMU's hallmarks—musical theater. She sings and dances and played the cello for a time. My wife, Mary Ann, has been a pianist her whole life and has accompanied a lot of children's choirs over the years. I grew up playing the trombone and singing. In fact, I've sung throughout my life with choral groups and even toured internationally. If you see me up in the Forbes Center trying to sing along and just sort of biting my tongue, that's why.
JMU is known for excellence in the arts
While the performing and visual arts are really important to my family, they are distinctive strength for JMU. Madison is known for the arts. There are students from where we lived in New Jersey who have set their sights on attending JMU specifically for the arts education we provide. Our arts education will continue to attract top-flight faculty members and students from across the country and indeed from around the world. The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts certainly is a drawing card in the recruitment of students and faculty members. There is a lot of work to do in terms of increasing support, but we are starting from a position of strength. Unlike other parts of the country where you see the arts getting cut back as if somehow they are not essential, I'm very happy that the arts are continuing to be an important priority of James Madison University.
Being the best JMU we can be
As we've looked around the university and reflected on this question of "Why Madison," there are several themes that I think are important to the performing and visual arts, in particular. One is certainly the quality of the educational experience. The mix of the strengths of the liberal arts education on one hand, combined with the strengths you might see at a big research-intensive university, on the other, provides a strong and distinct education for our students. I am pleased to hear that JMU's Research Council has come to understand that scholarship and research also includes performance and creativity. We're not a small liberal arts college like Swarthmore, which I attended, but we do boast its great faculty-student interaction. That's very important to people, and we've heard that consistently as I've visited with alumni, parents and donors on the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour. It doesn't matter whether someone graduated two years ago or 20 years ago; alumni have been consistent on that theme. People also value that we have a rich array of opportunities for undergraduate research and creative projects, and for undergraduates to work at a very high level with faculty members who are doing world-class work here. That's something you might typically find at a larger research university.
Becoming the national model for the "Engaged University"
Our challenge at Madison will be to think about how we combine those elements into something unique and distinctive of our own. We must transcend these self-imposed and obscure classifications and become the best JMU that we can be and take pride in the JMU that is special and different. You've heard me talk about what I am calling "the Engaged University." I believe JMU is that university and has the opportunity to set the national standard for the Engaged University. That means being engaged both with ideas and with the world. A lot of schools talk about being that, but here it is very palpable. There really is a great commitment to engagement, and students are drawn to this university because of that. I think that's another signature strength that we should think about moving forward and what it means.
Task force looking at short-, medium- and long-term solutions
While Madison faces some significant challenges, I was heartened to hear that finances and compensation were not the first items on the lips of the CVPA faculty today. They understand that the budgets for public higher education around the country have been tough recently. Virginia is actually better off than some states. Nevertheless, salaries are very much on our minds. Last spring I asked Jerry Benson and Charlie King to appoint a task force, which today is already at work looking at opportunities and possibilities involved in addressing compensation of our full and part-time faculty and staff members. The task force is delving in fully to understand budgets, revenues and expenses, and what by law and policy can be done. I have asked this task force to propose a mix of short-term, medium-term, and longer-term solutions. If there were a magic bullet, I'm sure we would have already solved the compensation conundrum. This group will need to be creative and to address compensation solutions in a systematic way as we go forward.
Focusing on "the third leg" of the revenue stool
One of the discussion points today was fundraising. It was especially helpful to have the CVPA leadership as well as our University Advancement representative in our conversation today. We talked about not being able to ask Richmond to solve all of our resource issues any more. Nor can we ask students and their parents to meet constantly rising tuition costs. While we will continue to advocate for every dollar we can get in state support, what's left is the third leg of the stool—financial support from alumni, from other private sources, corporations, foundations, and grants. I believe we have an untapped resource in grants, and we must devote some of our efforts to applying for more.
Bringing our 7 percent alumni giving rate more into line with our 97 percent alumni satisfaction rate
One of the things I have been bringing up all along the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour is our alumni giving participation rate. According to our research, 97 percent of our alumni have said they had a great experience at JMU. Well, that's astoundingly high. I've never seen that kind of number in another institution. And, yet, only 7 percent of our alumni give back financially to the university, so there's this huge disconnect. We're way at the top on one rating and we're way towards the bottom on the other. In talking to alumni, there are a lot of reasons. Our history is different. We're a young university. A lot of our growth was in recent decades. Alumni have told us we haven't always asked them to give, or we have communicated our needs wells or alumni just assumed "Oh, JMU is a state university. The state will take care of things." We clearly have a lot of work to do to create that culture of philanthropy as one of our challenges going forward. That's certainly something on all of our minds.
We must work intentionally to open JMU to students from underrepresented backgrounds
As I mentioned in our conversation with CVPA, one of the things I have noticed at JMU is that while we're a very good value for in-state and out-of-state students, we still have challenges in terms of access and opportunity for students, in particular from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds and first-generation students. We have some great programs, like Centennial Scholars, but there's much more we could do when we think of the diversity of our student body and faculty and staff.
Funds for critical mass scholarships
In addition to our diversity scholarship concerns, I heard another term today from CVPA. Collaboration and ensemble playing are so integral to the functionality of this college that Dean Sparks asks that we fund what he calls "critical mass" scholarships. Those are scholarships that CVPA can use to sign those top-performing students to fill critical slots that will complete vocal or instrumental ensembles or dancers or other performers who can help flesh out the retinue needed to perform the sophisticated literature and advance the creative environment worthy of JMU's marquee status in the arts.
A Madison recording label is a promising idea
I was pleased to hear that this faculty is thinking creatively about ways to create new revenue streams in a way that promotes the strengths of our faculty and students. One promising idea I heard today was exploring the possibility of establishing our own recording label. We certainly have the musical talent, a great sound engineer with the technical expertise, phenomenal acoustics, and an enthusiastic audience! Ideas such as these are exactly what I hoped would emerge from the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour. I want us to explore this idea seriously and through our strategic planning process and encourage the Madison community to suggest additional ideas of this caliber.
Drawing stronger relationships with University Advancement
The faculty and administrators discussed ways to draw tighter relationships with University Advancement, perhaps calling on the Center for Faculty Innovation to help educate the faculty about the ins and outs of fundraising and how faculty relationships play a role. It is critical that academic departments and individual faculty members share information about their alumni relationships with University Advancement. The development officer for CVPA volunteered to assist in the transfer of information. One faculty member suggested equipping our development officers with digital books about the Madison Art Collection. I think this is one way to increase the quantity of communications that we can use to reach out to our alumni. They really are interested in what the departments are doing and how they can help. We need to think more about how we can push out more communications to our alumni and donors.
Leveraging faculty-alumni relationships to fund our future
To raise the dollars necessary to create scholarships, we will need to call on our alumni. When I met with alumni during the tour, one of the things they said meant the most to them was their relationships with JMU faculty members; indeed, many alumni continue to be in touch with their faculty mentors. It will be important as we go forward for our academic departments and University Advancement to form a tight partnership so that those faculty-alumni relationships can rise to the forefront during our fundraising efforts and as we prepare for our capital campaign.
Madison's famous friendliness is for real
One of the newest members of CVPA (he arrived at JMU about the same time I did) commented that during his interview process he was taken aback, almost suspicious of how well JMU gets along—the sense of community and affability that exists here at Madison. His story was so striking, that I repeat it here: He said he called up his wife and said, "There's something wrong. I think they're hiding things because everyone gets along. There was an attitude among the students. I'd be walking in the hallways of the music building and a student would say, 'Hi, how are you? There was an attitude that was very open and friendly. Students are working with the faculty. There's not this divide between them." He went on to say that the students all know one another, and they know the faculty and vice versa. It is clear that JMU and CVPA in particular are the kind of places where people want to work together across programs and with other colleges.
We must preserve this core element of the Madison culture
This new faculty member is already in the full swing of interdisciplinary collaboration. He came from one of the largest universities in the country, which he said he found to be very impersonal and almost antagonistic. In my opinion, this welcoming quality, the ability to make a difference—which our alumni as well as our students and faculty talk about—is a core element of the Madison culture that we must preserve and enhance as we go forward. And from his comments and my own experience at larger universities, it appears that the comparatively smaller size of Madison's colleges, schools, departments and programs plays a large role in our educational culture.
Top arts recruits can tell us how to recruit students
Our art faculty commented on how extraordinary it is to have our top arts students want to come to JMU and to want to stay at JMU for their entire education, rather than trying to position themselves to transfer to another arts school. A faculty member called it unprecedented that the four freshmen last year with the top-rated portfolios—who were looking at the top premier visual arts institutions—chose JMU. We must follow up with these students and learn from them precisely why they chose JMU and JMU's arts program in particular. What we learn from them is what we must emphasize during our student and faculty recruitment.
The upsides and downsides of arts learning communities
We spent quite a bit of time talking about the pros and cons of JMU's learning communities, in particular the arts learning community in Wayland Hall. In this setting, arts students can come home from their classes, rehearsals and performances and experience total immersion in additional arts programming and study even in their residence hall. I found this discussion very enlightening, and it will be especially relevant as we think about whether and how to establish additional learning communities at JMU, for the arts, for other programs or for a mix of programs. By most accounts, the arts learning community in Wayland Hall is working. Students who are intensely involved in their own arts program—strings or theater or art history, for example—live with students in other arts programs—like voice, sculpture or dance—which supports the broad arts perspective the College of Visual and Performing Arts faculty is advocating.
Should an arts learning community be more open?
I understand there are some arts students who do not live in Wayland who feel left out of what they feel is an exclusive program. And at least one faculty member would like to explore opening the Wayland program to non-arts majors from other residence halls. The latter would certainly help overcome the faculty concern that we not allow the arts learning community to close off these very talented and singularly focused students from the broader JMU experience. While our music students might want to focus on music alone, for instance, they are not in the position at their age and stage to see how limiting that perspective is. The faculty must constantly look for mechanisms to keep those interdisciplinary doors open so that study of the arts and the broader Madison education have the opportunity to enrich one another.
Ensuring that in-depth and full-breadth education
In fact, I have been hearing that perspective echoed by alumni along the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour. A lot of them have said their GenEd requirements seemed like an annoyance until sometimes years later, when they came to appreciate the value of studying things from different perspectives and the value of acquiring a very helpful set of skills--critical thinking, communications skills, and analytical skills. Employers have also said repeatedly to us that this integrated and holistic perspective is something they recognize and appreciate in our graduates. While the development of core competencies must never be given short shrift, I am hearing that our alumni and our employers are crediting the connections among different fields for really helping people for the rest of their lives. So I'd like us to keep this in mind as we think about how we structure our programs and our intense learning communities. We must make sure people get the in-depth experience in music or whatever it might be, but also the full breadth of a JMU education.
Some students seek a broader experience
On balance, we have a very large contingent of arts students who don't seek that round-the-clock arts experience. For a change of pace, they want to have friends from a broad array of areas and be involved in activities outside of their art study. I find this to be one of JMU's signature strengths. The CVPA faculty must be commended in its commitment and openness to all JMU students interested in the arts. Professors are just as supportive of their arts students who might not make a career of painting or percussion or scene design as they are of the ones who will. The faculty also appears to be very welcoming to non-arts majors who want to participate in the arts. Quite a few of these students perform in our shows.
JMU arts education graduates in high demand
When I asked the CVPA leadership why they chose to come to or remain at JMU, one of our newer faculty members credited this educational and interdisciplinary integration and well-rounded graduates as the main reasons he chose to come to JMU—turning down two other top offers. As fine arts coordinator for Fairfax County, he was responsible for hiring 60 fine arts teachers annually. He said he sought JMU graduates because he knew by direct observation and by reputation that they were going to be well-skilled, masters of their discipline, and also well-rounded. His interest in coming to JMU was to come to the source of these graduates, where he could participate in helping to prepare the best teachers who were professionals in their discipline, but also very well-rounded.
Ability to develop as an artist
Another veteran dance faculty member said she has remained at JMU because she has been supported as she developed as both an artist and an educator. That has meant special projects, interdisciplinary endeavors, international collaborations, service-learning and more. She also mentioned reasons that I have been hearing all along the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour—the collegiality of colleagues; the emphasis on teaching; the one-on-one relationship with students, which she notes becomes harder as the programs get larger; the focus on the creative path for each student, in this case, dance majors; the students who evolve almost into artistic and scholarly colleagues by the time they graduate. I love that phrase, "the creative path for each student." That really resonates with a lot of thing things that I've heard around the university. It's not a cookie-cutter approach to higher education, and it's resource-intensive.
Madison students stack up with the best
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy participating in the arts and patronizing them as well. My family and I have been to a number of student performances already. It's not just the level of individual talent, but when I see how many students are talented in different ways it's just remarkable. I've been at the University of Michigan and Rutgers, both of which had major programs in the arts. I would stack up our Madison students with any I've seen.
A "magical" community of artists
Yet another faculty member emphasized JMU's integrated and collaborative atmosphere as a distinctive feature of JMU, whereas compartmentalization and divisiveness are common in other renowned arts programs. Madison's collegiality produces students who care about one another and their art. He called CVPA's community of artists "magical."
Madison's DMA program unlike any other
Integral to our conversation about our identity and preparing to chart our course for the future will be the role of graduate education here at JMU. We are predominately an undergraduate university in terms of numbers, and yet our graduate programs are very intentionally growing from our strengths. As a state institution we justify these programs carefully. We don't grow for the sake of growth. Our DMA, for instance, is really unlike anything around. More recently Shenandoah University and George Mason have been following in our footsteps, but the emphasis that we place on educating people to be teachers and not just performers has made our program different. Additionally, the DMA program has had a trickle-down effect on the quality of the graduate music program. It really has blossomed as our master's students' level of playing has gotten steadily better every year, along with their intellectual capacity.
Adding graduate programs judiciously
Despite that success, some faculty members have spoken up about the conundrum that has come with the excitement of additional graduate programs and students and without additional resources. New obligations on top of teaching, that hallmark one-on-one attention to both graduate and undergraduate students, service, faculty research, creative activities—are pressing on work-life balance and in danger of diluting the vaunted Madison Experience. Faculty members are straining to handle it all. For instance, the voice program has added a number of voice pedagogy classes and literature classes but still operates with the same four full-time voice faculty members and two adjuncts. I am hearing this from committed, expert musicians who praise the college's collaborative environment, expect to give at the highest level and are at the forefront of where the arts are heading. And yet these caring professors say that despite their enthusiasm for the program, there are not enough hours in the day to mentor doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students.
Someone from the visual arts underscored similar tensions and additionally pressure on faculty morale and retention when art history introduced a graduate program several years ago without additional resources. This faculty member recommends that JMU be very judicious in adding graduate programs.
We shouldn't just emulate other institutions, but pursue what makes sense for JMU
A common thread along the "Why Madison?" Listening Tour has been the lack of resources--whether those that go along with new programs or in terms of faculty and staff compensation. Meeting these obligations will require creative thinking. Those are important points to keep in mind when we think about things like faculty workload and tenure and promotion criteria. In higher education, as I have emphasized along our "Why Madison?" visits with academic units, we're sometimes our own worst enemies. There's no law that tells us the specifics of faculty workload or what the tenure and promotion criteria must be, but a lot of that is developed in higher education and sometimes we get somewhat rigid in our own structures. We get in the way of our own creativity and flexibility and the potential for JMU to be different from other institutions. Provost Benson and I have had some conversations about workload and work/life balance. What I'd really love is for JMU to not just emulate what everyone else is doing, but think about those questions for ourselves and what makes sense for JMU.
The Forbes Center is a top draw for students and professors
One of our gems is the Forbes Center, which not only offers our students a world-class environment to develop their art, but also enables us to reach out and enrich the artistic culture of the surrounding community. Our talented students can go a long way in making bridges to the community as it comes to understand how we're creating these extraordinary artists every day and bringing in a variety of artists and masters to perform and consult and raise all of our horizons.
Pride of housekeeping staff matches that of our faculty
We talked a lot about how our faculty and staff take pride in their art and in mentoring students. And it's worth mentioning that our housekeeping staff at the Forbes Center is known for providing that same level of pride and care in their work. That's true throughout campus. It really is important for a public university. I came from a place where maintenance was one of the first things to go when there were budget cuts. As a consequence, building and grounds staff often felt like second-class citizens, underappreciated and undervalued. Here, it is so different. The pride that people take in terms of the facilities is just remarkable. I want us to think hard about how we sustain community to make sure everyone feels valued and respected, and how we can foster and celebrate people for their contributions.
The visual arts are on the rise
The Forbes Center has been the center of attention of late in the arts culture of JMU, but I want to emphasize the continuing relevance and importance of the visual arts at JMU. At the moment we are renovating and enhancing Duke Hall to serve as the epicenter of the visual arts at JMU. In addition, the arts faculty today put forward the intriguing idea of creating an arts museum at JMU that not only could house our growing collection of artifacts, but also serve as a dynamic educational tool for our students. At the moment our galleries and collections are housed around campus, which does open access to many pockets of the university, but also prevents establishing a clear identity and headquarters for the visual arts. While our students already receive experience in curating through our galleries, an arts museum would offer a sense of identity and permanence to the experience and also welcome the community onto the JMU campus.
Considering an arts museum at the former Rockingham Co-op
One director went so far as to suggest the former Rockingham Co-op, which JMU now owns, as a logical location for an arts museum. It was the place where the community did its shopping and might serve as an important connection between JMU and the community of Harrisonburg. Another faculty member described its potential in terms of public art—perhaps showcasing folk art, the art of our diverse immigrant communities and other unique regional attributes. We will need to create a coherent plan for acquiring and culling our art collection, just as we must with our Special Collections in Carrier Library. Coalescing our galleries and expanding them into a museum would allow us to build a coherent plan for risk management, upkeep, curation and acquisition. Still another faculty member underscored the role a museum at the location could play in expanding our notion of community, culture and diversity. A museum in the former Rockingham Co-op would also assist in transforming the Grace Street corridor into an arts corridor encompassing the Music Building, Duke Hall, the Forbes Center, and the studio spaces on Grace Street. The museum would offer an activity for students on audition days, and be a draw for visiting middle school students. I think this idea is well worth investigating, given its potential for enhancing the academic mission, diversity and community relations.
Both faculty and students appreciate their relationships
I appreciated the comments of one of our administrators who is an alumna and a JMU parent, who reminded us that with 20,000 JMU students, not all of them can have that one-on-one relationship with faculty or conducts research with a professor; it takes a student who has that hunger to explore and connect with a faculty member whom they think can take them to the next level. CVPA interviews prospective professors with those potential relationships in mind, and those are the faculty members who stay here. As I have found as I have spoken with faculty in other academic units during the listening tour, this holds true across the university. Our faculty members are fed by those relationships, just as are our students.
Madison's positive and forgiving atmosphere
We also talked about the predominantly positive and forgiving atmosphere that exists at JMU, despite our recent rapid growth. From procurement to the budget office to the academic program, the first response is not on the mistake but on how to make it right. Coming from quite large institutions, I can attest that forgiveness was not always top of mind there. I like that we don't point fingers and play "gotcha." I really appreciate this environment in which people are not terrified of making a mistake. That's how we make education work. How do we deliberately cultivate and foster that? To create that kind of environment is the responsibility of all of us. That just can't be done with an edict or one person. It must be part of our culture. I think that really helps people learn and grow and feel comfortable with taking risks and making decisions if they know it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them. I would really like that to be a signature strength of the university because I think one of the things that will keep good faculty and good staff members is that that they're not just pigeon-holed when they're here. To create a culture and a climate where that's really fostered and encouraged is something I'd like us all to do across the university.
The role of the arts is critical in a democratic society
I want to thank this creative, talented and joyous group of faculty and administrators. There is an awful lot that we can do collectively. The talent here is extraordinary. And so is the sense of community. The arts are integral. I feel deeply in the importance of the arts in a democratic society and am happy to help serve as their advocate here.
Published: Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 24, 2017