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Thursday Evening Classics
Composer Capsules for
November and December 2009
November 12
Alexander Borodin
Birth: November 12, 1833 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Death: February 27, 1887 in St. Petersburg, Russia
An accomplished scientist by trade, Borodin was an important Russian Nationalist composer. He had a particular gift for a distinctive exoticism, quite evident in his most frequently performed work, the Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor. The illegitimate son of a Georgian prince and a doctor's wife, Borodin enjoyed a comfortable upbringing. As a child he learned to play several instruments and tried his hand at composing. He studied chemistry at St. Petersburg's Medico-Surgical Academy, receiving his doctorate in 1858 and pursuing further studies in Europe for the next four years. Upon his return to Russia, he became a professor at his alma mater, but still maintained a devotion to music. Under the influence of Mily Balakirev, Borodin became interested in applying elements of Russian folk music to works for the concert hall and stage. He joined a circle of like-minded composers — Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Cui — famously dubbed "The Five" or "The Mighty Handful." The influence of Balakirev is apparent in Borodin's Symphony #1. Borodin began his Symphony #2 in 1869, the same year he started composing his most important work, the opulent four-act opera Prince Igor. While it took Borodin more than five years to complete the symphony, work on Prince Igor dragged on for decades. Borodin, who had in the meantime completed a number of other works, left the opera unfinished at the time of his death. It was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov, a skillful craftsman and a particularly good fit for Borodin's colorful musical character, and Alexander Glazunov. Glazunov also completed the Symphony #3, which the composer had been working on until the time of his death. Aside from teaching chemistry and conducting research, Borodin helped found a series of medical courses for women in 1872. These activities, as well as the poor health that plagued him in the 1880s, drained the energy that he might have devoted to composition. Still, as a part-time composer, Borodin left a significant body of works, including more than a dozen songs, miscellaneous piano pieces, two string quartets, and the popular tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia.
December 3
Padre Antonio Soler
Birth: December 3, 1729 in Olot, Gerona, Spain
Death: December 20, 1783 in El Escorial, Spain
Antonio Francisco Javier Jose Soler was an 18th century Catalan composer, priest, monk, student, teacher, mathematician, inventor, and organist. His life was spent serving both the Catholic Church and music. He was a prolific composer with over 400 compositions credited to him. Soler spent most of his life at monasteries, particularly El Escorial, the magnificent royal palace, chapel, and monastery built by King Philip II outside of Madrid two centuries earlier. Soler came from a musical family. His brother, Mateu, played bassoon in the monastery of Las Descalzas Reales and then in the court of Carlos III, and finally in the Capilla Real. His musical training began at a very early age. In 1736, he became a student at the Benedictine monastery choir school at Montserrat where he learned organ and composition. Between 1752 and 1757, Soler studied with Domenico Scarlatti, the Italian composer who served the Spanish court of Ferdinand VI and Maria Barbara. Prior to going to El Escorial, where he spent the rest of his life, Soler was the maestro de capilla at Lerida and was ordained subdeacon in 1752. Later that same year, he joined the Hieronymite order of monks at El Escorial monastery. Soler became maestro de capilla at El Escorial in 1757. In addition, he performed as first organist, wrote much of the church music, and taught music. Perhaps his most prestigious student was the son of Carlos III, Don Gabriel de Bourbon. Soler taught the young Don Gabriel keyboard and many of the Soler's harpsichord sonatas were written for him. His musical compositions included over 120 sonatas for harpsichord, six quintets for organ and strings, six double organ concertos, 10 masses, five requiems, 132 villancicos, and many other works. His most famous was a sonata for harpsichord entitled Fandango. Soler also wrote a treatise on harmony, Llave de la Modulación whose concepts remain valid today. This treatise, however, caused considerable controversy and rebuke by some of his peers. He developed another treatise in 1771 that demonstrated his interest and skill in mathematics. This book was on Castilian and Catalan currency exchange and was published in honor of Carlos III. Soler was a man of other talents in addition to those mentioned. He invented a tuning box that was used to demonstrate differences between tones and semitones. He was also expert in organ design and construction. In 1776, he developed the specifications for an organ for the Malaga Cathedral.
Anton Webern
Birth: December 3, 1883 in Vienna, Austria
Death: September 15, 1945 in Mittersill, Austria
Anton (von) Webern was one of the key figures in the Second Viennese School. A pupil of Schoenberg, he became known for his concise and highly individual atonal and serial compositions. In many ways he was more influential than his teacher. In the postwar years leading figures in the avant-garde like Boulez, Stockhausen, and Dallapiccola, found more substance in his music and forms than in those of Schoenberg. His mature style was relatively straightforward, with simple harmonies and transparent textures, silent pauses, and brevity of expression. Much of his music is viewed as difficult and intellectual by the public, though it is comparatively approachable, much less challenging than the works of Boulez, Cage, and others. Webern's family moved to Graz in 1890, then four years later to Klagenfurt, where he would attend the gymnasium for his general education. He showed talent early on and studied both piano and cello during his early years in Klagenfurt. He graduated from the gymnasium in 1902 and enrolled at the University of Vienna. There he studied under Graedener, Adler, and Navratil. In 1904, however, he began his most serious period of study, when he became a pupil of Schoenberg. Schoenberg was then, and remained for some time to come, one of the most progressive figures in musical composition, being among the first to write entirely atonal music, and then finalizing his serial technique in the 1920s. Webern also became a close friend of Alban Berg, another of Schoenberg's pupils. During these years of study, Webern began to focus on vocal composition, turning out several sets of songs. He also wrote some important chamber works, including the String Quartet. In 1908, Webern launched a career as a conductor, taking a position at Bad Ischl. He was not particularly successful in this new endeavor, but acquired subsequent posts at Teplitz, Danzig, Stettin, and Prague, this last assignment ending in 1918, when he returned to Vienna. During these years Webern had continued to write song collections as well as chamber music. After the war, Webern, along with Berg, took part in Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances, an organization dedicated to the performance of modern works. After this, he returned to conducting, but for the most part garnered only secondary posts. He did manage, however, to obtain regular conducting appearances on Austrian Radio. In 1926, he took on a teaching post at the Jewish Cultural Institute for the Blind. After the Nazis came to power, Webern's work with the Vienna Workers' Chorus was ended, and four years later, his relationship with Austrian Radio was terminated. Webern's death nearly a half year after the end of the war in Europe occurred in a freak incident in Mittersill when an American soldier mistakenly shot him while he was on a visit to his daughter.
Nino Rota
Birth: December 3, 1911 in Milan, Italy
Death: April 10, 1979 in Rome, Italy
Like many other concert music composers, such as Prokofiev, Takemitsu, and Herrmann, Rota created a unique film soundtrack style for which he became known worldwide. Rota was born into a musical family. One of his grandfathers was the pianist-composer Giovanni Rinaldi and he studied the piano, on which he was to become known as a gifted improviser, with his mother. He also studied solfège and began to compose at age eight. His oratorio L'infanzia di S. Giovanni Battista was performed in Milan and Lille in 1923, when he was only 12. Rota entered the Milan Conservatory the same year and wrote his first opera Il principe porcaro in 1925, basing his original libretto on Hans Christian Andersen's tale. About this time he established a lifelong friendship with Igor Stravinsky. He studied privately with Pizzetti and Casella, and received his diploma at the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome in 1930. He studied at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and received an arts degree at Milan University. During this time he composed several minor chamber works. He became a teacher of harmony, solfège, and composition at the Taranto music school and the Bari Conservatory where he became director. Rota's first film score was for Renato Castellani's Zazà in 1944. He then went on to create music for many classic films by Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Mario Monicelli, H. Cass, Francis Ford Coppola, and many other directors. His 80 scores for Federico Fellini extended from The White Sheik (1952) to The Orchestra Rehearsal (1979). He also composed the music for many theater productions by Visconti, Zeffirelli, and de Filippo. These film scores have a distinctive "Rota" sound made from clear, directly expressive melodies and rhythms, unusual progressions of tonal chords, and often an earthy humor. Of Rota's 10 operas, the exciting Il capello di paglia di Firenze and the philosophical allegory La visita meravigliosa were the most successful. Of his five choral works, the Mysterium and La vita di Maria are considered especially fine in compositional technique. He also composed five ballets, many chamber and piano works, several symphonies, and other orchestral works including the brilliant Harp Concerto.
December 10
Cesar Franck
Birth: December 10, 1822 in Liège, Belgium
Death: November 8, 1890 in Paris, France
César Franck is an important composer and teacher from the latter half of the 19th century, particularly in the realms of symphonic, chamber, organ and piano music. Born in Liège (in the French region which would become Belgium), he led a group of young composers, among them d'Indy, Duparc, and Dukas, who found much to admire in his highly individual post-Romantic style, with its rich, innovative harmonies, sometimes terse melodies, and skilled contrapuntal writing. This group, sometimes known as "la bande à Franck," guided French composition toward symphonic and chamber music, finally breaking the stranglehold of the more conservative French opera. Franck was a keyboard player of extraordinary ability who toured as a piano virtuoso before moving to Paris to study music. In addition, he was organist at several major churches during his career. His organ compositions stand at the apex of the Romantic organ repertoire. Franck was a man of strong religious convictions throughout his life, which often motivated him to compose works based on biblical texts or on other liturgical sources. For much of his life he was organist at the Paris churches of St.-Jean-St. François and then Ste.-Clothilde, and in 1872 he became a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Individual and instantly recognizable though his music was, it owes a debt to Liszt and Wagner, especially to the latter's Tristan und Isolde and several other late works. He tended to use rather quick modulations, another inheritance from Wagner, and shifting harmonies. There is a Germanic ponderousness in some of his compositions, for example, the opening of the Symphony in D minor, probably Franck's most famous composition. In this symphony, Franck, adapts the Lisztian-Wagnerian tendency toward cyclical structure and melodic motto to an abstract symphonic form. Another characteristic of Franck's music is extended homophonic writing, as exemplified in his choral symphonic poem Psyché. By the turn of the century he had become the leading figure associated with the "Old School" in France, while Debussy came to represent the "progressive" forces.
Olivier Messiaen
Birth: December 10, 1908 in Avignon, France
Death: April 27, 1992 in Clichy, France
Messiaen was a composer, organist, teacher, and ornithologist whose music is distinguished by his deep devotion to Catholicism, exoticism, and nature. At the age of 11 he entered the Paris Conservatoire, studying organ and improvisation with Marcel Dupré and composition with Paul Dukas. In 1930, he became the principal organist at La Trinité Cathedral in Paris, a post he held for more than 40 years. His distinguished teaching career is marked by appointments in Darmstadt, his famous courses in harmony and analysis at the Paris Conservatoire beginning in 1947, and his appointment as professor of composition there in 1966. His impressive list of students includes Boulez, Stockhausen, and his second wife, keyboardist Yvonne Loriod, among many others. In synthesizing an individual style, Messiaen discovered in the music of Debussy the properties of "exotic" modes such as the whole-tone and diminished scales, calling them "modes of limited transposition." The inherent symetricalities of these modes enabled Messiaen to create progressions and melodies free of the tonic-dominant polarity of traditional tonal music, while remaining independent of the twelve-tone system as well. Messiaen was gifted with a strong sense of "synaesthesia" or hearing in colors. He often described his music in terms of "color progressions," also equating key signatures and sets of pitches with specific colors. At an early age, Messiaen developed a strong interest in rhythm, particularly influenced by Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. His rhythmic investigations ranged from Gregorian chant, to ancient Greek poetic meters, to Indian raga, to gamelan music. He soon left regular metric divisions behind, although repetition remained an integral part of his rhythmic vocabulary. All of these elements are explained in great detail in his 1944 publication, Technique de mon langage musical. In 1940, while a prisoner of war of the Nazis, Messiaen composed Quatuor pour la fin du temps. The quartet's unique instrumentation of piano, clarinet, violin, and cello was written for and premiered by Messiaen and three fellow inmates while in detention. It became one of the great chamber works of the 20th century. Messiaen was one of the first composers to apply serial techniques to parameters other than pitch (such as duration, register, and dynamics) in Mode de valeurs et d'intensités for solo piano. His interest in plain chant and rhythm led him to the ancient Greeks and Hindus, where he discovered processes such as nonretrogradable, additive, and subtractive rhythms. The Turangalila-symphonie is the most synthetic of his early works. It features rich orchestration, imaginative use of tonal colors, Hindu rhythms, and a formal scheme that unfolds in large, block-like structures. It also includes one of the earliest uses of the Ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument capable of producing eerie glissandi, as well as monophonic melodies. Messiaen had a deep love of birdsong, and spent much time in the wild making extensive transcriptions, many of which would surface in his works, most notably in an arresting orchestral passage in Chronochromie and the monumental Catalogue d'oiseaux for solo piano. His large body of organ music, composed primarily during his tenure as organist at the Sainte Trinite Cathedral, is highly idiomatic, colorful in harmony and registration, and rhythmically ingenious. His only opera, St. Francis d'Assise, was completed in 1983.
December 17
Domenico Cimarosa
Birth: December 17, 1749 in Aversa, Italy
Death: January 11, 1801 in Venice, Italy
was the prolific creator of over 60 operas
Cimarosa was the son of a working class bricklayer. He studied music at the Conservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto from 1761 until 1772. Among his teachers was the famous Piccinni, Gluck's operatic rival in France. Cimarosa's first opera was Le stravaganza del conte, which premiered in Naples in 1772, and brought Cimarosa immediate recognition. Cimarosa spent the next several years in Rome and Naples, and composed over 20 operas for these two cities. His operas were performed internationally in Paris, Vienna, Dresden, and London. In 1787, Catherine II invited him to St. Petersburg. During his stay in Russia, Cimarosa continued to compose at a remarkable rate. Subsequently, Leopold II of Austria engaged him as court Kapellmeister in Vienna, to fill the position vacated by Salieri. Cimarosa's delightful comic opera Il matrimonio segreto was staged in Vienna and immensely pleased the Emperor. He gave the entire cast supper, and had them perform the entire opera again that same evening. Although lacking Mozart's depth, Cimarosa's music does possess some of Mozart's qualities, in particular, a gift for the comic, buffo style. After the death of the Emperor, Salieri was reappointed Kapellmeister, and Cimarosa was released. He left Vienna and returned to Naples where he entered the service of the King. He was hailed in Naples as a great operatic hero, and his Il matrimonio segreto was performed 57 times running. However, Cimarosa's last years were marked by misfortune. When the French Republican army marched into Naples, Cimarosa enthusiastically declared his support of the revolution. He was immediately thrown into prison and condemned to death. The King eventually released him, but banished him from Naples. Broken in spirit, Cimarosa attempted to return to Russia, but died in Venice in 1801. In addition to 60 operas, he wrote oratorios, masses, and cantatas, and instrumental works.
Dmitri Kabalevsky
Birth: December 17, 1904 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Death: February 14, 1987 in Moscow, Russia
Kabalevsky lived during a notoriously difficult time for composers in Russia. In 1918, Kabalevsky moved with his family to Moscow, where he studied at the Scriabin Music School. At the age of 18, Kabalevsky began to compose, primarily for the piano. His early pieces were studies for his young students. He entered the Moscow Conservatory in 1925, studying piano with Goldenweiser and composition with Miaskovsky. By the end of the 1920s Kabalevsky was gaining notoriety as a composer. In 1928 the premiere of his First Piano Concerto launched him into the forefront of Soviet composers. His music would be hailed by Communist authorities as the finest incarnation of their artistic vision. At the same time, the charming Sonatina for piano brought him international acclaim. From his appointment to the composition faculty of the Moscow Conservatory in 1932 to his death in 1987, Kabalevsky produced a steady stream of works which sought to embody Soviet musical ideals through the use of diatonic tonality and accessible structural contours. He is perhaps best known for the overture to his opera Colas Breugnon which Arturo Toscanini conducted worldwide in the 1940s and 1950s. His suite The Comedians is another well-known work, while the Piano Concerto #2 is perhaps his finest purely musical achievement. A trio of concertos – Violin, Cello, and Piano for young players has greatly enriched the literature for student soloists. In addition to his compositional activities, Kabalevsky was a frequent contributor to educational magazines and he held positions at various State educational organizations. Kabalevsky joined the Communist Party in 1940 and by 1941 he received the Medal of Honor from the Soviet government for his musical prowess. During World War II, Kabalevsky wrote several inspirational songs and battle hymns. Kabalevsky was one of the few well-known Soviet composers who escaped the infamous 1948 condemnation of composers by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The scapegoats, including Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, and Miaskovsky were censured for indulging in "decadent formalism." Later in life, Kabalevsky became more involved in choral music. He was elected the head of the Commission of Musical Esthetic Education of Children in 1962, as well as being elected president of the Scientific Council of Educational Esthetics in the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the U.S.S.R. in 1969. Kabalevsky also received the honorary degree of president of the International Society of Musical Education.
December 31
Ernest John Moeran
Birth: December 31, 1894 in Heston, Middlesex, England
Death: December 1, 1950 in Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland
Moeran was born in Heston (in the London Borough of Hounslow), the son of an Irish clergyman. The family moved around for several years as the Rev. J. W. W. Moeran was appointed to various parishes but they eventually settled in Bacton, on the Norfolk coast. Moeran learned the violin and the piano as a child. He was educated from an early age at home, by a governess. At the age of ten, he was sent to Suffield Park Preparatory School in Cromer, North Norfolk. In 1908, he was enrolled at Uppingham School where he spent the next five years. On leaving Uppingham in 1913, he studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music with Charles Villiers Stanford. Moeran spent most of World War I as a dispatch rider. He was severely wounded in the head and was posted to non-combatant duties. After the war he returned to the Royal College of Music to resume his composition studies, now with John Ireland, who had been a pupil of Moeran's earlier teacher Charles Villiers Stanford. His first mature compositions, songs and chamber music, date from this time. He also began collecting and arranging folk music of Norfolk and other regions. By the mid-1920s, Moeran had become close friends with Peter Warlock (Philip Heseltine) and they lived for some years in Eynsford, Kent, notorious among the locals for their frequent drunken revelry. For the rest of his life, Moeran was to have problems with alcohol, later joined by mental instability. There is some suggestion that these conditions were connected to his wartime injury. In the early '30s, he retired to the Cotswolds to reconsider his style. One of the first fruits of this introspective period was his only symphony. An increased sense of energy is typical of the music written after his stay in the Cotswolds. A more lean though not quite neo-Classical sound appears in his Sinfonietta. His next major work was a cello concerto, written for Peers Coetmore, whom he married in 1945. He died suddenly, probably from a heart attack or cerebral hemorrhage, in Kenmare at the age of 55. He was found in the River Kenmare and it was at first assumed he had drowned. However, an inquest later established that he had died before falling into the water. Moeran was one of the last major English composers to be heavily influenced by English folk-song and thus belongs to the lyrical tradition of Delius, Vaughan Williams and Ireland. The influence of the nature and landscapes of Norfolk and Ireland are also often evident in his music. Moeran was undoubtedly middle-class, but would be at ease in a pub surrounded by villagers from local farms. He was looked upon with affection by all who knew him, and his gauche, bumbling personality belied a very sharp-witted person who was quick to learn and take up new approaches to music. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge of trains and train timetables.
Silvestre Revueltas
Birth: December 31, 1899 in Santiago Papasquiaro, Mexico
Death: October 5, 1940 in Mexico City, Mexico
Silvestre Revueltas' music bursts with energy, instrumental color, and mocking humor. Revueltas began violin studies at age 8 and continued as a teenager in Mexico City. From there Revueltas headed north to Texas to study at St. Edward College in Austin and then to the Chicago Musical College. Revueltas returned to Mexico to give violin recitals in the capital and several states. But Chicago drew him back in 1922 for a four-year course of violin study. In the mid-1920s Revueltas made trips to Mexico for several series of recitals of modern music. His piano accompanist was the young Carlos Chávez. Ultimately, Chávez persuaded him to return to Mexico City to teach violin and chamber music at the National Conservatory and to serve as assistant conductor of Chávez's newly formed Orquesta Sinfónica de México. During this time, Revueltas also became active in the cause of artists' and workers' rights. Between 1931 and 1934, Revueltas wrote six "picture-postcard" pieces for orchestra, ten-minute tone poems usually inspired by Mexican scenes. After a disagreement with Chávez, Revueltas quit the Orquesta Sinfónica de México and, in the spring of 1936, formed the rival and short-lived Orquesta Sinfónica Nacionál. The failure of that ensemble left him free to tour Spain in 1937. He traveled there in his capacity as secretary general of the League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists, supporting the cultural activities of the Loyalist government, directing various concerts and presenting some of his own music. Revueltas returned to Mexico the following year, took up teaching again, and wrote a half-dozen scores for Mexican films. His first such effort, Redes, was released in 1935 as a social protest movie set in a poor fishing village. It became his most frequently played score, after the short, hypnotically brutal Sensemayá. Revueltas was hard-living and self-destructive. Although the official cause of his death was pneumonia, he essentially drank himself to death.
Copyright�WWUH: November/December
Program Guide, 2009
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The Mets like their roster news in bunches, and yesterday was no exception. Ramon Martinez landed on the DL with a fractured pinkie, while Alex Cora should start at shortstop today. Carlos Beltran doesn't have swine flu, but Jose Reyes may spend more time on the DL than originally planned. Tom Glavine's a free agent again, so expect those rumors to start up soon. And so it goes.
One proclamation that came from yesterday surprised me, though. Let's turn the mike over to Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News for J.J. Putz's current job status:
Jerry Manuel met with J.J. Putz Wednesday and informed the ex-Mariners closer that he was being moved from an eighth-inning to seventh-inning role until he can rediscover his form.While I don't necessarily have a problem with the move itself, I do have a problem with the proclamation.
Putz was the primary culprit in a five-run eighth inning Monday night that resulted in the Mets' second loss in 22 games in which they led with sixouts to go. He will be replaced by rookie Bobby Parnell as the primary set-up man. Manuel described the move as temporary.
Is there any benefit to publicly demoting Putz? For as much as the Mets need his arm in the bullpen, he's also theoretically a strong trading chip as he's only signed through the end of the season (the Mets have a team option on Putz for next year). His stats aren't up to the 2007 form, but making a public display of this demotion only hurts his value.
More importantly, this move reeks of concern over Putz becoming Heilman redux. Whether that's a good move or not depends on A) Putz progressing from this point, and B) Parnell not regressing as the primary set-up guy for the Mets. I don't think Putz is THAT bad, but the drop in velocity on his fastball is still present and concerning and is the most likely explanation for his drop in his K/9 ratio.
At least we don't have to wait until this evening to see things develop. Getaway day is a matinee today.
Around the Web
Eric Simon of Amazin' Avenue explores the reemergence of Pedro Feliciano. It does make me wonder what happens if Billy Wagner returns in September... he can't replace Feliciano now, right?
According to Jim Farber of the NY Daily News, a Beatle will play the inaugural concert at Citi Field. Paul McCartney takes the field on July 17th and 18th.
Joe Janish of Mets Today explores the free agent market for under-the-radar players. And after reviewing his list, let's keep them under the radar.

subset: commoncrawl


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Small Business Network Solutions From Cisco
Switching - Network Security - Network Storage - IP Video Surveillance
Between network outages, hackers, computer viruses, break-ins and property theft, you have a lot to think about. You want to stay focused on running your businessnot worry about what a botnet is or how it works. This means finding a simpler way to create a fast, reliable network to connect your computers, printers, copiers, and other business devices, all while safeguarding your company's data and property. Cisco can help you build a reliable, high-performance network and protect your business against theft, data loss and viruses.
Need help deciding which solution is right for your business?


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Macaroni Kid kicks off South Puget Sound Teacher of the Month program
Local teachers will be getting a little more recognition for all their hard work.
Macaroni Kid is teaming up with local restaurant, spa and gift sponsors to bring the community its first Macaroni Kid South Puget Sound Teacher of the Month program.
"We want to honor, recognize and reward all the hard-working teachers/educators out there for the amazing jobs they do," said Auburn's Sarah Beyersdorf, publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid South Puget Sound.
Macaroni Kid has joined The Tin Room Bar & Theater, Al Lago Ristorante, Pink Peony Spa, Serenza Salon & Spa, Staples, Around My Wrist Handmade Bracelets & Jewelry, Winedazzle Magnetic Wine & Cocktails Charms and other sponsors to spotlight teachers from the South Puget Sound school districts, as well as private schools, local preschools and daycare centers. The program rewards them with recognition and some gift items as a thank you.
"If your child has a teacher that they look up to, we hope you will nominate them," said Mary Englin, co-publisher of Macaroni Kid South Puget Sound.
Parents can help their kids nominate their teachers by going to this link.
The September Teacher of the Month will be announced Oct. 3 in the Macaroni Kid weekly newsletter, and will continue throughout the school year, with a different teacher being recognized each month. The winning teachers will receive a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant, as well as a spa gift certificate, a Staples gift card and several other gifts from our sponsors.
Beyersdorf, an Auburn mother of two, launched Macaroni Kid South Puget Sound in July 2009 and Englin, a Burien mother of two, joined in April 2012.
In addition to being one of the largest kid and family-friendly local newsletters and events calendars in the area, Macaroni Kid offers informative articles on parenting, education, product reviews, crafts and recipes.
Parents can sign up to receive their weekly newsletter by visiting www.south-puget-sound.macaronikid.com.
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Publication details
Principles of taxation of nonprofit organizations
|Basic information
|Original title:
|Principles of taxation of nonprofit organizations
|Jarmila Fojtíková
|Further information
|FOJTÍKOVÁ, Jarmila. Principles of taxation of nonprofit
organizations. In Modern and Current Trends in the Public
Sector Research. 2012. ISBN 978-80-210-5715-9.Export BibTeX
author = {Fojtíková, Jarmila},
booktitle = {Modern and Current Trends in the Public Sector Research},
keywords = {Nonprofit organizations; tax models; tax allowance; tax incidence},
language = {eng},
isbn = {978-80-210-5715-9},
title = {Principles of taxation of nonprofit organizations},
year = {2012}
|Original language:
|Conference abstract
|Nonprofit organizations; tax models; tax allowance; tax incidence
The tax system of each country is determined by many factors, which may differently affect the taxation of different types of subjects, incl. non-profit organizations. Taxation of NGOs is not applied uniform model in the world there are many different approaches. Generally, for-profit organizations recommended favorable tax treatment with tax relief. The question is what form of relief, and determine how to define the circle of recipients of concessions. Contribution gives an overview of the different modes of tax preferences for-profit sector and compares models applied in the tax systems in EU countries. The next section assessed the effects of different methods of taxation the tax liability of nonprofit organizations and their donors in the Czech Republic.


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Work due on dangerous Arnold Road intersection near San de Fuca
A stretch of highway known for crashes and spinouts should become safer once an improvement project on Highway 20 is finished.
The Washington State Department of Transportation last week awarded a $2.3-million contract to Interwest Construction for a project on Highway 20 at the intersection of Arnold Road.
Plans call for reducing the sharp curve and leveling the roadway at the intersection of Highway 20 and Arnold Road, an area that is notorious for car accidents. Workers will re-align the west side of the Arnold Road intersection to improve visibility for drivers.
"This has been the site of numerous collisions," said Marco Foster, engineering manager for WSDOT. "We are happy to break ground on these much-needed improvements."
The sharp curves of Highway 20 near Arnold Road have seen numerous collisions over the years. Ninety collisions were counted on Highway 20 between 2005 and 2009. More recently, a two-car accident near the troubled intersection killed a woman last September.
To help reduce delays for the 11,000 drivers who use Highway 20, most required lane closures will take place at night. In addition, the new lanes of the highway will be built next to the current highway. The old lanes will remain open during most of the construction, then closed afterward. Arnold Road will be closed for about a week and a detour will be provided, according to a news release.
WSDOT spokesman Dave Chesson said a start date for construction hasn't been set yet. A meeting will be scheduled for the groups involved to plan out the construction timeline.
Preliminary work in advance of the construction project is currently taking place.
Work crews have spent weeks moving transmission and power poles farther back from the highway, said Gretchen Aliabadi, spokeswoman with Puget Sound Energy. She said the poles have been relocated and workers are now busy moving underground lines.
The Arnold Road project is one of several coming up to improve Whidbey's highway.
Work begins next week to repave Highway 20 in Oak Harbor. In addition, Island Transit will start work on a project at a triangle-shaped property at the confusing intersection of Parker Road and Highway 20.
Transit officials plan to install a transit park and a second access to Island Transit headquarters.
Because the project is part of Island Transit's master plan and it creates a second access for buses, it was best that the transit agency take the lead on improving the intersection around Parker Road, said Todd Carlson, planning and engineering services manager for the department of transportation.
"The motivation to do this is to develop a second access," Carlson said of the need to improve conditions for transit vehicles.
He added planning is beginning on a project to improve Highway 20 around the transfer station, which lacks shoulders. The stretch of Highway 20 between Jacobs Road and Parker Road is the narrowest stretch of the highway on Whidbey. Such a project could take place as early as 2013, Carlson said.
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TEXAS TOWNSHIP – Two electric car charging stations have been installed at Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Texas Township Campus.
The ChargePoint America Electric Vehicle charging stations can accommodate four vehicles. They are located at the southwest corner of the campus near the wind turbine, in the parking lot in front of the Advanced Technology Center.
Director of Facilities and Construction Management Services Daniel Maley said the project has been in the works for about a year and was completed faster than anticipated because of unseasonably mild weather. The charging stations and a building-wide energy conservation program are two ways the college continues its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Maley said.
The KVCC charging stations are two of 35 in the Kalamazoo area.
"Because of our location near I-94, I think we're really going to be an interest point," Maley said. "We're excited about being able to offer this service. People have been asking for it."
The charging stations are free to use, but a ChargePoint pass card is required. For more information, go to www.mychargepoint.net.
Contact Anthony Smigiel at email@example.com.


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IO Interactive layoffs confirmed
Square Enix has confirmed that there has been some layoffs at Hitman developer IO Interactive.
The size of the cuts facing IO are as yet unclear but it is the second round of cuts that the Danish studio has been forced to make this year.
A statement issued to Kotaku: "I can confirm that we have made some internal changes at IO Interactive which has regrettably resulted in the loss of some jobs," a rep said in a statement. "This is a natural part of any studio's existence when you ramp-up and ramp-down on projects to ensure you have the right level of resource and expertise within the studio. We genuinely wish those who have been affected by this, the best of luck for the future."
Hitman 5 is rumoured to be in development at IO Interactive and destined for a a release in time for Christmas 2011.
Latest News
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


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How can my organization apply for funding?
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. We welcome letters of inquiry and phone calls if, after reading our grantmaking guidelines, you believe your organization might be eligible for support.
What does The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation not fund?
We tend not to fund large organizations with multi-million dollar budgets, and the great majority of our grants go to organizations residing in, and working in, the Chicago metropolitan area. We do not fund: arts education or arts outreach; individual restoration projects; community theater and community dance; health care; with rare exceptions public, private, or parochial education, nor do we provide scholarships or tuition assistance.
Does the Foundation offer internship opportunities?
On occasion, the Foundation will accept a student intern whose interests align with its work and mission. Internship inquiries may be directed to Executive Director Kim Coventry (email).
How can I contact the Driehaus Museum?
The Driehaus Museum is located at:
40 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 60611 (click here for a map)
For general information, call 312-482-8933
e-mail email@example.com
or visit www.driehausmuseum.org
Who manages the Foundation's investment portfolio?
The Foundation's investments are managed by:
Driehaus Capital Management LLC
25 East Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611 (click here for map)
Phone: 312-587-3800


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PLYMOUTH, MI – Rick Pracey is the Director of Amateur Scouting for the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche and has been a regular at Compuware Arena for years watching the Plymouth Whalers.
Sunday afternoon – before a good crowd of 3,094 at Compuware Arena - Pracey saw Colorado-drafts Garrett Meurs and Mitchell Heard lead Plymouth to a 7-5 victory over Saginaw for the Whalers' fifth straight victory and their 13th win in their last 14 games.
The Whalers improve to 39-17-5-4, good for 87 points and first place in the OHL West Division and second overall in the Western Conference.
First star Garrett Meurs (taken by Colorado in 5th round in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft) led Plymouth with a hat trick (28-29-30) and an assist and was +2 as the game's first star. Mitchell Heard (taken by Colorado in the 2nd round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft) scored the game-winning goal for the Whalers (13), recorded an assist and was +3 as the game's second star. Vince Trocheck (48), Sebastian Uvira (8) and Connor Sills (first OHL goal) also scored for Plymouth.
Dalton Young scored twice for Saginaw (5-6) with an assist as the game's third star. Garret Ross (43), Eric Locke (44) and Justin Kea (22) also scored for the Spirit, now 31-28-3-3, fourth in the OHL West and eighth in the Western Conference.
Meurs' hat trick is his second in the OHL. His first hat trick came on Feb. 6, 2010 against Owen Sound when he was a rookie. His four-point game is his best offensive game of his Whalers career and he moved into 16th place on the Whalers' all-time career scoring list with 76 goals and 112 points for 188 points in 262 games for Plymouth.
Meurs has played on a line with Heard and Matt Mistele and the line has been effective over the last month or so for the Whalers. On a team that can go 12-deep with good forwards, Mistele leads the Whalers with 32 goals and Meurs right behind with 30.
"They're both great players," Meurs said of linemates Heard and Mistele. "Misty works so hard and that's why he's got many goals. And Mitch is a great worker. The way he can control the puck down low is unbelievable. I just try to work as hard as hard as I can and put pucks in."
Meurs scored his hat trick with three different type of goals. Meurs finished an excellent pass by Stefan Noesen to score on a backhand in the first period, intercepted a clearing pass from Saginaw goaltender Nikita Serebryakov in the second and then banked the puck off Serebryakov - severe angle, beyond the left goal line - in the third.
"It was a great pass by Noesen," Meurs said of his first goal. "He went hard and wide (left wing into the Saginaw zone) and I just went to the net and he hit me. (On the third goal), Riki (Rickard Rakell) tries that all the time. He's had success with that and sometimes, you have to try it, too."
With Plymouth having first place locked up, Whalers head coach Mike Vellucci sat Rakell, along with Tom Wilson and Colin MacDonald. Defenseman Mitch Jones returned to the lineup after suffering an injury on Jan. 5 and played a regular shift.
Vellucci and associate coach Joe Stefan tried different players in various situations. Sills scored his first OHL shorthanded to tie the game at 1-1 at 5:46 of the first period, taking Danny Vanderwiel's pass in the Saginaw zone, stretched as far as he could and re-directed the puck Serebryakov.
The Whalers broke a 2-2 tie after one period when Meurs scored at 3:29 of the second period and Trocheck later at 14:59 to lead 4-2. Meurs gave Plymouth a 5-3 lead early in the third period with his hat trick goal at 0:55. But Saginaw came back to tie the game at 5-5 on third period goals by Young (4:50) and Kea (6:30).
Heard scored the game-winner for the Whalers at 7:44, moving in on Saginaw goaltender Nikita Serebryakov, faking backhand and stuffing a shot, top shelf, to give the Whalers the lead for good. Uvira added an insurance goal at 18:35 of third period to close the scoring.
With Plymouth leading, 7-5, and 29 seconds left, Serebryakov pulled and a faceoff in the Plymouth zone, Saginaw head coach Greg Gilbert called time out to set offensive strategy.
Usually, Vellucci would put veterans on the ice to hold on the the lead. Today, Vellucci employed young defensemen Alex Peters and Jones along with a forward line of Michael Whaley, Vanderwiel and Sills for the final shift (with 17-year-old goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic).
The Plymouth young guys played well over the final 29 seconds and the Whalers continue to roll. Not only that, young players received some experience in a critical situation that could help somewhere in the near future.
Plymouth outshot Saginaw, 39-28.
The Whalers play in Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday (7 pm, 88.1FM WSDP, www.plymouthwhalers.com) before finishing the regular season next weekend against Windsor, hosting the Spitfires on Saturday at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena and then playing in Windsor next Sunday at 2:05 pm at Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.
Plymouth will then start the 2013 OHL Playoffs with home ice advantage for at least the first two rounds of the post season. The Whalers' first playoff game is scheduled for either Fri. Mar. 23 or Sat. Mar. 24 at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena against an opponent to be determine


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There are four Bayonne City Council seats up for grabs during today's runoff election, and Ward 3 incumbent Raymond Greaves is feeling good about his chances.
"The turnout so far is looking pretty good," said Greaves, who is running on Mayor Mark Smith's ticket. "I feel very confident that our vote is going to come out today, unlike the first round where turnout was pretty low."
Greaves is competing against former councilman Gary La Pelusa.
Today's election is a runoff as the previous election on May 13 did not produce a winner in Ward 2. But Greaves, along with the entire Smith campaign, remains confident that they'll be ones to receive good news tonight."We got the message out that in order to continue moving the city forward and in the right direction, you need Mark Smith and his team to do that," Greaves said.
Greaves detailed the previous work of the Smith administration including the Port Authority deal that he says saved the town from bankruptcy. In addition Greaves added that the Smith administration has lowered the city's bonded debt by $200 million and has had a zero percent tax increase this year.
"Everything's headed in the right direction," Greaves said. "We know the administration and the things we put into place over the last few years have been the right decisions for this town."
Greaves said he has no doubt that the Smith administration will be re-elected due to their previous work that also included development that he says "is coming in like never before."
"We've approved more redevelopment plans in four years than the prior four administrations did," Greaves said. "So that's a good sign and we're going to keep Bayonne moving forward and I think the voter's voices will be heard today."
Debra Czerwienski and Terrence Ruane, both running on the Smith ticket, will square off against Davis' running-mates Sharon Nadrowski and Juan Perez, the former Hudson County sheriff, for the two at-large seats.
The last time there was a runoff for an at-large council seat was 1994.
In addition, in Ward 2, Councilman Joseph Hurley will face challenger Salvatore Gullace.


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Friday, June 21, 2013
A 55-acre tract expected to be annexed into the City of Georgetown could be the future site of a Lowes Home Improvement store or other big-box retailers.
Georgetown Mayor Jack Scoville says the city has been approached by Century 21 Grimes and Associates about annexing 55 acres it owns behind and next to Tractor Supply on North Fraser Street across from Walmart.
Scoville said the plans for the property include room for two big box stores and five or six commercial parcels fronting Highway 701.
The annexation must get the approval of City Council. Scoville said it was expected to be discussed in executive session during Thursday nights council meeting but no vote would take place after the closed door meeting.
The city will be aggressively recruiting Lowes and other big retailers, Scoville said.
He said the Grimes are already in negotiations with a banking company for a large headquarters office on the property.
Talks are also underway with a fast food chain and other retailers, Scoville said. He said the city will use the citys economic director, Tee Miller, to put on a full court press to get these types of businesses in town.
The local economy seems to be reviving in a hurry, Scoville said. There are three renovations occurring on Front Street, a new restaurant being built, a new pharmacy on Black River Road, and several other projects in various stages of planning and construction. Once the Grimes project is built out, as many as 400 new jobs may be generated, especially if a big box store can be recruited to the site.
Timing questioned
While the announcement seems to be good news for Georgetown, the timing of making the news known less than a week before a runoff for the Democratic nomination for the mayors seat is being questioned.
Scoville faces City Councilman Rudolph Bradley in the runoff that takes place Tuesday.
The mayor said the city was not contacted about the annexation possibility until Friday, June 14. A meeting was held with city staff on Monday, he said.
I question all of that, Bradley said Thursday.
He said he does, however, support the possibility of new businesses coming to the city.
When Lowes wanted to come in last time, Mr. Scoville was not in support, Bradley said.
By Scott Harper
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Whether you purchased a brand new TV and home theater system or are looking to change your space around, we have the perfect tips to setting up your home for them maximum sound quality.
A couple things to remember:
-Where you sit matters!
-Sound Bars give better sound than TV Speakers
-Don't forget the Subwoofer!
For more […] Read MoreRead More
The photography world has been abuzz with the release of Sony Alpha A7R II, RX10 II and RX100 IV. Since then, tons of great questions have been asked on the world wide web- and we've got answers. In this video, techies Patrick Norton and Chastity Vicencio answer the big and little questions about these three cameras. Check out the video! […] Read MoreRead More
It's one thing to unbox a TV. It's another thing to unbox a TV that's less than a quarter inch thick. Join the SGNL by Sony Team with special host Patrick Norton as we unbox Sony's new 55"class (54.6" diagonal) Ultra Slim 4KTV just in time to hit doorsteps. It's the first TV unboxed! Viewers will get a close […] Read MoreRead More
We've all seen unboxing videos before but rarely this techie. Join us as we watch the SGNL by Sony team take on Sony's new 64.5″ (diag) X850C Android TV (4K Ultra HD) just in time for the model hitting store shelves across the country. It took two people to completely set it up. From two remotes, the many ports, and […] Read MoreRead More
Last week Sony debuted a variety of new gadgets at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. From new 4KTVs so new audio gear. Lots of details were shared and there's a ton of great images on places like Instagram. But we know there's still a lot of questions out there. Well the team at SGNL by Sony snagged many of the […] Read MoreRead More
Watch Live, the Sony CES 2015 Press Conference today, January 5th at 5pm PST.
Directly after the press conference, join us for a live Q&A with Sony product experts.
Ask them a questions by tweeting @SonyElectronics with #SonyCES.
The SGNL crew captured the latest products from the Sony Booth at CES 2015.
New 4K ActionCam FDR-X1000V
New 4K Handycam FDR-AX33
New Hi Res Walkman – NW-ZX2
Sony's New SLIM 4KTV – Only .2 inchesRead More
Another Holiday Season calls for the coolest new gadgets. Tune in with the SGNL team for gift ideas, great for the technologically savvy or curious. Hosts Shannon and Trace take you through the Sony gift guide for this holiday season including gadgets for every price range. Still need some convincing? We suggest visiting review sites for more insight on these […] Read MoreRead More
These days if you get a new camera from a single brand, you're pretty familiar with the settings but if you decide to get a second camera or even make a switch…well while it's not like learning an new language, it can take some time. We heard some feedback from movie makers out there maybe "making the switch" on sharing […] Read MoreRead More
Introducing the HT-ST5 premium sound bar with wireless subwoofer, a 380-watt system that features immersive 7.1 channel surround sound plus full HDMI® connectivity and Bluetooth® streaming with NFC. The new HT-ST5 was designed in collaboration with Academy Award-winning Sony Pictures sound engineers to bring movies and music alive with incredible acoustic detail and thundering bass
For more Info: http://bit.ly/WcekriRead More


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Now I need tips on how to cook it so it's not mushy or really sweet tasting. I like sweet potato 'french' fries, so can I just slice the potato and fry it in a pan like I would a white potato? Maybe in coconut oil and sea salt, until brown on each side?
How do you cook your sweets? Ideas please!


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Makenzie Betts and Dustin Stengel of Marietta announce their engagement and upcoming wedding.
The bride-to-be is the daughter of Brenda Betts of Marietta and David Betts of Carnesville, Ga. She is the granddaughter of William and Anna Jean Huck of Marietta and Vaughn and Linda Betts of Fort Wayne, Ind.
She is a 2010 graduate of Marietta High School and a 2012 graduate of Washington State Community College with a degree in Accounting. She is employed at S.W.A.G.G. in downtown Marietta as well as Giant Eagle in Marietta.
The prospective bridegroom is the son of Denise Stengel-Hoffman and Myron Hoffman of Toledo, Ohio. He is the grandson of June Stengel and the late James L. Stengel Sr.
He is a 2009 graduate of Bedford High School. He is employed at Ohio Valley Spray Foam in Marietta.
The wedding is being planned for Aug. 24, 2013, at Sweetapple Farm.


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Changing teaching with 'professional learning communities'
Marion Mohler
Island Forum
"Teaching matters. We must attract and retain the best and brightest teachers and faculty for our students, and reward the best teachers for their commitment to results." (Washington Learns - Bold Reforms for A World-Class Education System, November 2006)
The fact that "teaching matters" is not a new idea; parents know this, students certainly know this and the Mercer Island community has long supported teachers in the classroom through donations to the Mercer Island Schools Foundation, the PTSAs and through volunteer activities both in and outside of the classroom.
The District Strategic Plan 2001-2006 cited "attracting and retaining teachers" as one of the main priorities for the past five years. Our district provides mentors for new teachers, and compensation for teachers working on committees to improve teaching and learning throughout K-12. But there is something new in this "bold reform" from the state's report on education in Washington today: rewarding the best teachers for their commitment to results. What exactly does this mean? At the state level it means providing additional compensation to teachers completing their National Board Certification — up to $3,500 per year for 10 years. Here, it is reflected in Strategy No. 5 of the Mercer Island District's Instructional Improvement Plan for 2006-2012: Build, implement and support professional learning communities.
Professional learning communities are not about attending conferences, the "sit and get" approach, they are intended to "engage teachers thinking and be transformative in nature."
At a recent meeting of the District Advisory Committee (DAC), Dr. Gary Plano, Associate Superintendent for Instructional Services, explained the concept of "professional learning communities."
"Our goal is to enhance the effectiveness of teachers and administrators so that students benefit," he said.
Examples in the district this year are the elementary Standards-Based Report Card committee and Schools Attuned training. "In the past," said Plano, "teachers have been too isolated from each other and good ideas are not shared enough. Part of the goal is to encourage teachers to become leaders in their school communities and bring ideas to other teachers that will help all students to be successful in their learning."
Mercer Island is now a "clock-hour" granting school district
The other part of professional learning communities is the notion of "clock-hours" (continuing education credits) for teachers. Through a partnership with Seattle Pacific University, the district is offering many of these classes on our own campus, during the evenings and on Saturdays. Some committee work also qualifies for continuing education credits. "We have always compensated teachers for their work outside the classroom," said Dr. Plano, "but now we are adding course credits. We want to support our teachers, not add more to their already full plates."
How do professional learning communities support Student Ends?
All five strategies in the District Instructional Improvement Plan are designed to support Student Ends, but Strategy #5 is the "glue" that holds it all together. End-2 Academic Achievement states that students will achieve in seven content areas, "at individually and appropriately challenging levels of increasing complexity, demonstrating the higher order thinking skills of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation." For teachers, the key words are "individual" and "appropriate." While Mercer Island is not big by public district standards, we are still a community of more than 4,000 students with different learning styles in classrooms of 25 or more students. Secondary teachers work with more than 150 students in five or more classes and elementary teachers are asked to be "experts" in math, reading, writing, science, social studies and art. All of our teachers spend countless hours outside of their school day working on professional staff development and school improvement planning.
Can we really know each student and adjust our teaching to meet their needs?
According to Patti Weber, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development, "Teachers are humanists by nature. They care very deeply about the needs of students and want them to be engaged and confident in their learning. But if I ever hear frustration from teachers it is that they do not have enough time to truly know their students. That's why we as administrators must be very proactive and deliberate on helping to focus teacher time on tasks that will make a difference for students. We believe that professional learning communities are an effective way for teachers to learn from each other, receive clock hours and compensation for their time, and ultimately, bring best practices to the classroom so that all students can be successful."
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In the case of about 18 Long Branch homeowners, time -- and an economic downturn -- was on their side.
More than five years ago, the city deemed 36 modest single-family homes "blighted," and sought to seize the properties under eminent domain. In their place, a private developer would build luxury beachfront condominiums.
With the threat of seizure, half the homeowners struck their own deals with the developer, who paid 40 percent to 50 percent more than their home appraisals, according to Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider.
But 18 holdouts -- many were elderly and had lived there for 40 years or more -- refused to budge. On Tuesday, Long Branch agreed not to use eminent domain to seize the homes, as part of a settlement mediated by Superior Court Judge Thomas W. Cavanaugh.
Ronald Chen, the state's public advocate, who signed a friend of the court brief on behalf of the homeowners, credited the settlement to a 2007 ruling by the state Supreme Court in Paulsboro. Owners of undeveloped wetlands fought the borough's "blighted" designation, and won.
"The city can't take your property based on the proposition that they can make it more profitable," Chen said.
Schneider said there was a big difference between the Paulsboro and Long Branch properties, and he doesn't agree that there's a new definition of "blight," but no matter. He won't fight on, citing the time it would cost to prepare the case, the growing bitterness and acrimony, and "an economy that's falling apart."
The economy was only one factor in the settlement, Schneider said, but it certainly helped push the developer toward a compromise.
The 18 sites that were sold to the developer have been vacant for years as the case was litigated -- ironically, creating the very blight that was alleged by town officials. Now they'll be demolished for a scaled-down condo development. "The economy will determine if they're still luxury, but my guess is they won't be," Schneider said.
The recession has left many cities with arrested development -- sites where construction was abandoned as the money evaporated. Beachfront property will always be desirable, but in this case, we're glad Long Branch homeowners got to keep their ocean views.


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'Twilight' stars (and real life couple) Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were spotted arriving in Vancouver for some 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2' filming. Kristen hid behind bodyguards as best she could, while Robert braved the cameras to stroll out on his own.
Director Bill Condi explained a couple of weeks ago that a little more filming had to be done:
A film is a lot like a puzzle, with each piece – each shot, no matter how brief – needing to fit exactly with the ones around it. Our Part Two puzzle is finally coming into full view, and in a few weeks we'll be heading back north to pick up some additional shots – the last tiny missing pieces. We're not shooting any new scenes or dialogue, just some technical work with some of our cast and stunt actors.
It's too early to start counting down to next fall's release, but I am READY! 'Twihards,' are you with me?
Photos by JKing/FameFlynet


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Public Affairs
Sewald Hanfling knows that every project requires a unique solution and that each company's Public Affairs & Community Relations needs are different.
Lobbying/Government Relations
It is Sewald Hanfling's job to represent your interests and educate lawmakers and their staff about how any proposed legislation or regulation will affect your business.
Business Development
Whether you are moving your business to Colorado, expanding a company that is already here or just want to know about issues that may affect your business, Sewald Hanfling can help.
Sewald Hanfling is a Colorado based public affairs firm founded in 2012 by R.D. Sewald and Joshua Hanfling. They use their combined nearly 50 years of government, business and community experience to help clients achieve their goals at the local, state and national level. They are known as people who "get things done".
Sewald Hanfling works with clients to help influence public policy, grow their business, get zoning and permitting approval, run bond initiatives or simply understand how things work in Colorado. They work closely with stakeholders to achieve their short and long term goals.
Along with consulting, Sewald Hanfling becomes part of your team. From analyzing the public and political landscape, developing a strategic plan, building the right team and crafting and delivering your message to voters, stakeholders and influencers, they are involved at every step.
Their top priority is to effectively manage your profile among the public, the media and key decision makers in the private and public sectors and to make sure your message is effectively delivered.
RD was an invaluable part of our team for nearly seven years at Denver's City Hall and in the State Capitol. He has a keen ability to build relationships and move people toward consensus. We wish RD and his new business partner Josh Hanfling well as they start a new company and continue to serve the community.
Governor John Hickenlooper


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DeWitt, NY -- DeWitt residents will soon pay 18 to 28 percent more for water, depending on where they live.
The town board recently voted 6-1 to approve the rate increase, which takes effect gradually. When residents get their next water bill in April, one month will be billed at the new rate and five months at the old rate. The bill after that will reflect the new rates in full.
The town will now charge one rate for the entire town, rather than splitting it into the northern and southern half. That's because water DeWitt purchased from the city of Syracuse used to be more expensive than the Onondaga County Water Authority, but that's not true anymore, said Matt Reynolds, DeWitt's water superintendent.
Residents in the southern part of DeWitt will see an 18 percent rate increase over what they're paying now, while residents in the northern part will see a 28 percent increase. The increase is necessary because OCWA has imposed a 10 percent increase the past couple of years, and so the town has to pay more for its water, said Supervisor Ed Michalenko.
A water customer who uses 50,000 gallons will pay $206.70 per year under the new rate; up from $158.70 in the town's northern half and $170.13 in the southern half. Most customers use 50,000 to 70,000 gallons a year, Reynolds said.
Charges for minimum usage have decreased, although the minimum number of gallons also has dropped. The new minimum is $47.50 town wide for 12,000 gallons or less. The minimum used to be for 15,000 gallons and was $49.08 for the southern part of the town, and $47.49 for the northern part.
Reynolds said some senior citizens or households without children use the minimum amount of water.
Contact Elizabeth Doran at email@example.com or 470-3012.


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A week to 10 days before planting, add 2 to 4 inches of aged manure or compost and work into the planting site to improve fertility and increase water retention and drainage. If soil composition is weak, a layer of topsoil should be considered as well. No matter if your soil is sand or clay, it can be improved by adding the same thing: organic matter. The more, the better; work deep into the soil. Prepare beds to an 18 inch deep for perennials. This will seem like a tremendous amount of work now, but will greatly pay off later. Besides, this is not something that is easily done later, once plants have been established. How-to : Planting Bulbs Plant bulbs at a depth that is three times their height, and at least 1-1/2 bulb-widths apart. Work a little bone meal fertilizer into the bottom of your hole, and then place the bulb upright in the hole. The more pointed end is almost always the top. If you have trouble telling which is the top, look for evidence of where a stem or roots were last year. If in doubt, plant them sideways. Fill in with soil gently, making sure there are no rocks or clods that would impede the bulb's stem. When planting a great number of bulbs, dig out an area to the specified depth, place bulbs and replace soil. This ensures that ground has been properly prepared and bulbs are evenly spaced.
Plant bulbs in natural drifts rather that formal rows: bulbs can fail or be eaten, leaving holes in a formal arrangement, or will shift with freezing and thawing. If you have trouble with gophers or squirrels eating your bulbs, try sprinkling red pepper in the holes, covering the bulbs with chicken-wire, surround bulbs with sharp shards of gravel or other substance, or planting rodent-repelling bulbs like Fritillaria nearby. How-to : Preparing Containers Containers are excellent when used as an ornamental feature, a planting option when there is little or no soil to plant in, or for plants that require a soil type not found in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior. If growing more than one plant in a container, make sure that all have similar cultural requirements. Choose a container that is deep and large enough to allow root development and growth as well as proportional balance between the fully developed plant and the container. Plant large containers in the place you intend them to stay. All containers should have drainage holes. A mesh screen, broken clay pot pieces(crock) or a paper coffee filter placed over the hole will keep soil from washing out. The potting soil you select should be an appropriate mix for the plants you have chosen. Quality soils (or soil-less medias) absorb moisture readily and evenly when wet. If water runs off soil upon initial wetting, this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think.
Prior to filling a container with soil, wet potting soil in the bag or place in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist. Fill container about halfway full or to a level that will allow plants, when planted, to be just below the rim of the pot. Rootballs should be level with soil line when project is complete. Water well. How-to : Plant Bulbs It's time to plant bulbs.
Prevention and Control: Plant resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation. Clean up all debris, especially around plants that have had a problem. Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night. Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant. Fungi : Leaf Spots Leaf spots are caused by fungi or bacteria. Brown or black spots and patches may be either ragged or circular, with a water soaked or yellow-edged appearance. Insects, rain, dirty garden tools, or even people can help its spread.
Prevention and Control: Remove infected leaves when the plant is dry. Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and disposed of. Avoid overhead irrigation if possible; water should be directed at soil level. For fungal leaf spots, use a recommended fungicide according to label directions.


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HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A controversial 10-unit townhouse pegged for Huntsville's Mayfair neighborhood has people talking about changing the area's zoning to allow only single-family houses.
More than 20 Mayfair residents spoke against the townhouse project at Tuesday's Planning Commission meeting, arguing that it would aggravate parking problems and be a poor fit in a neighborhood of bungalow-style houses dating to the 1930s and '40s.
"It's like putting a round peg in a square hole," said Gerry Hughes, whose home on Pansy Street is three doors down from the construction site.
Developer MB Group wants to build the townhomes on Dawn Avenue between Pansy and Alabama streets, where two duplexes previously stood. The company says the 1,600- to 2,000-square-foot units would sell for between $180,000 and $230,000 each.
Acting Planning Director Marie Bostick said townhomes are an allowed use under Mayfair's Residence 2-A zoning. The medical district neighborhood south of Huntsville High School has carried that zoning since 1963.
Two speakers at Tuesday's meeting said the area should be rezoned to allow only single-family homes in the future.
Bostick said that's possible - if a majority of Mayfair residents sign a petition supporting the idea. However, MB Group would be grandfathered because it has already submitted development plans for the property, she said.
The company suffered a setback before the meeting when city officials realized the company had not set aside enough yard space for the townhomes. Huntsville's subdivision rules require every townhouse unit to have at least 600 square feet of lawn.
MB Group mistakenly included the driveways in its yard calculations for the Mayfair Cottage townhouses, Bostick said.
The company was forced to withdraw its approval request from Tuesday's Planning Commission agenda and will have to tweak the drawings to meet the minimum yard requirements. Bostick said the project could come up for a vote at the commission's Nov. 23 meeting if the company submits the changes by Monday.
Officials decided to go ahead with an already advertised public hearing, and the standing-room-only crowd gave them an earful.
Syd Keel said it's "outrageous" to pack about 20,000 square feet of living space onto a .68-acre lot.
Megan Pockrus of Thornton Circle cried as she told commission members how the townhouses would change the neighborhood where her family has lived for decades.
"I find it a little heartbreaking to see this happening," Pockrus said. "This is not what we want our neighborhood to turn into."
Pansy Street resident Norm Nicastro said zoning laws are meant to protect neighborhoods from the sort of "fundamental change" that would happen if a large townhouse development comes to a quiet residential area.
"Just because it's legal doesn't make it right," Nicastro said.
No one from MB Group spoke at the meeting.


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UNITED NATIONS - Pope Benedict XVI yesterday called for a renewed emphasis on human rights and religious freedom, telling the U.N. General Assembly that protection and respect for the "dignity of the person" will help achieve lasting peace in a tumultuous world.
The pope's morning address to diplomats from around the world kicked off the second leg of his U.S. trip after three days in Washington, D.C.
Later in the day, he visited an Upper East Side synagogue -- a first for any pope on U.S. soil -- and spoke at a New York City church that regularly celebrates Mass in Benedict's native German.
The U.N. speech was meant to be the centerpiece of the pope's visit, and he was greeted with a rare show of emotion by the traditionally staid General Assembly, with every member of the international audience rising in applause.
After discussing the clergy sexual abuse crises for three straight days -- and meeting privately Thursday with several victims -- the pope returned to more familiar ground, giving a nuanced, philosophical address focusing heavily on the need to preserve human rights.
"The promotion of human rights remains the most effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and social groups, and for increasing security," Benedict said. "Indeed, the victims of hardship and despair, whose human dignity is violated with impunity, become easy prey to the call to violence, and they can become violators of peace."
The concept, he said, boils down to an aphorism as old as Christianity: "Do not do to others what you would not want done to you."
He dropped no proverbial bombshells, criticized no country by name and made no specific mention of the world's flashpoints, from Iraq to Sudan to Israel.
But Benedict, who has repeatedly stated his opposition to the Iraq war, appeared to obliquely criticize the Bush administration over its policy of pre-emptively using military force to head off perceived dangers -- the very case made for the Iraq invasion.
"What is needed is a deeper search for ways of pre-empting and managing conflicts by exploring every possible diplomatic avenue, and giving attention and encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation," the pope said.
He used the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, adopted after the horrors of World War II, as a focus of his talk, urging nations to work together to solve problems within the U.N.'s framework of laws.
Unilateral action, he warned, "can sometimes have consequences that exclude the possibility of a social order respectful of the dignity and rights of the person."
At the same time, he argued that nations should be willing to intervene when suffering is apparent. Doing so, he said, "should never be interpreted as an unwarranted imposition or a limitation of sovereignty."
"On the contrary," Benedict said, "it is indifference or failure to intervene that do the real damage."
But the 30-minute address was less political than theological. Benedict stressed that human rights are God-given, "based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts," and should not be subject to whims, trends or the circumstances of the times.
He took the same tack on religious freedom, saying nations must protect the right to worship even if a particular faith is in the minority.
"It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights," the pope said. "The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature."
The comment may have been aimed at countries such as Saudi Arabia, where churches are not permitted. The Vatican in recent months has been negotiating with the Saudi government to change that.
After finishing his address, the pope separately thanked the U.N.'s staff members, from translators to peacekeepers, for their efforts to stop war and to provide relief.
Benedict is the third pope to speak at the U.N. John Paul II did so twice, and Paul VI once.
Following the drama of Thursday's unexpected visit with sex abuse victims, Benedict followed his scheduled agenda yesterday, arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9:45 a.m.
Airport workers outside a hangar watched and waved to the pontiff as he was whisked to the helicopter that would bring him near the U.N., where people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of him.
Today, on the third anniversary of his election by the College of Cardinals, Benedict is to preside over a Mass for bishops and other members of the clergy at St. Patrick's Cathedral. In the afternoon, he will travel to Saint Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., where he will meet children with disabilities and give a speech to seminarians.
The pope wraps up his trip tomorrow night after saying a prayer at Ground Zero and presiding over Mass at Yankee Stadium.


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A few years ago, Willie McCarter never dreamed he would live to see his beloved Drake University return to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Hear his story in the CitCast today.
Read more about today's top stories in the Jackson Citizen Patriot:
• SmartZone bill clears big hurdle
• Cascades fundraising efforts 'alive and well'


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One of the best ways to launch an online retail start-up is by using a dropship model. Dropshipping is the act of partnering with wholesalers who will stock and ship products on a retailers behalf. As a retailer, you take orders from your customers and then order from a supplier who ships directly to your customers for you.
Most wholesalers charge the retailer a small fee (usually under $10) for the processing, handling and shipping of the products on top of the wholesale cost. This dropship fee covers the additional overhead of handling individual orders/products instead of their more profitable bulk orders.
The Dropship Advantage
Whether you're planning on selling on eBay, Amazon or opening your own e-commerce site – dropshipping products is a great way to get started.
While dropship retailers pay a little more, you gain the advantage of not having to order in bulk which reduces your start-up investment. Dropshipping reduces the risk of investing in product lines that may not sell. You can experiment with promoting any product a supplier offers without having to purchase that product in bulk.
You also don't need to warehouse any inventory. This makes it possible for you to operate your online business from anywhere at any time. We all dream of having the flexibility of a "4-hour work week." If you're tied down to your inventory and shipping out products, the chances of jetting off to Bali are significantly diminished. I've never been to Bali, but I have filled orders while in line at Disneyworld's Tower of Terror. That's what makes dropshipping great.
The Perils of Dropshipping
The dropship model is not without its disadvantages. The dropship fee drives your price and cuts into profit margins. This limits the markets you can enter as a dropship retailer. Successful dropshipping retailers focus on products with higher price points ($100 – $500) where the profit margins are good and not eroded by the dropship fee.
It wouldn't make sense to open a niche e-commerce site focused on selling wrapping paper. The profit margin on a roll of wrapping paper would be…well…paper thin. In fact, it's unlikely that there are any wrapping paper supply companies that offer dropshipping. That model just doesn't work.
On the other hand, what if you opened a niche e-commerce site that focused on GPS units that retail for between $150 and $500? A 20% profit margin would mean you averaged between $30 and $100 for every sale. Even with a dropship fee of $10, you would still be making $20 – $90 on every sale. That's a simplified view as there are other costs like merchant fees that need to be factored into the equation, but you can see that products that cost more are better for dropshipping.
Managing customer service in the dropship world presents challenges too. You will be relying on your supplier to manage the timely arrival of your orders. If they do a poor job it's going to reflect on you and your business, not your product source. This has been our company's biggest challenge as a dropship retailer. When you are waiting for tracking numbers to share with your customers and details on the status of orders from suppliers, your customer is likely growing impatient and frustrated.
Some suppliers are terrific to work with and embrace the role of dropshipper. For others, it's an afterthought and their processes aren't structured to support dropshipping effectively. It's a good idea to find multiple sources for your product lines. That way if one supplier ends up being a little flakey, you can still fill your customer's orders.
Getting Started
There are a few ways to find wholesalers who dropship products. In my experience, the two best places to find dropship suppliers are Worldwide Brands and SaleHoo. These two membership sites provide training, wholesale and dropship supplier contact lists and community forums for online retailers.
Your other option is good old Google. Search for the products you're interested in + "dropship" to locate potential suppliers.
Summing it up
For entrepreneurs looking to get into the e-commerce game, dropshipping is a great option that requires minimal upfront investment and maximum flexibility. Focus on a niche where the product cost offers a suitable profit margin and understand that you will need to manage your customer's expectations around product delivery since the shipping process is out of your control.
Worldwide Brands and SaleHoo are a convenient way to find suppliers willing to dropship but require a paid membership. If you're willing to do some online research, you might be able to find suppliers on your own in the search engines.


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A temporary federal spending deal should free up enough money to continue work on hundreds of FEMA reconstruction projects, including 46 in Louisiana, that were either stalled or faced an imminent shutdown as the agency ran short of funding, officials said Tuesday. For the past four weeks, FEMA has been shifting money from rebuilding projects to emergency needs from Hurricane Irene and other recent disasters.
But in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner released Tuesday, Obama Budget Director Jacob Lew said the $2.65 billion allocated for FEMA in compromise legislation adopted Monday night by the Senate should allow FEMA to lift the "immediate needs" funding restrictions the agency put in place a month ago.
The House is expected to pass the bill, which keeps government agencies operating through Nov. 18, early next week.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the fight over Republican demands that any extra disaster funds for FEMA be offset by reducing money for a federal program that provides loans designed to improve car fuel efficiency was worth waging. In the end, the amount of money provided FEMA was reduced, allowing the GOP-led House to drop its demand for offsets.
"When their home is washed away, when their business is destroyed, they expect FEMA to be there and they do not have to scramble around with their congressional delegation or their mayors or their council members or their local representatives to wring their hands and say: 'What program can we suggest Congress cut so we can get our meals today or our shelter for next week?' " Landrieu said.
Landrieu said Americans expect Congress to act quickly in the face of a disaster and find offsets later, noting that a congressional supercommittee is already looking for more than $1 trillion in deficit reduction.
Among the 46 FEMA projects in Louisiana temporarily stalled or about to be halted because of the budget impasse are a $414,000 sewer lift station and a $412,000 police station, both in St. Bernard Parish, a $394,000 playground in New Orleans and $42,000 for new windows in a Jefferson Parish high school. Most of the projects relate to damage suffered during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The funding bill, now pending in the House, also continues the federal flood insurance program through Nov. 18. It was due to expire on Oct. 1.
"Any lapse in this program would have been unacceptable because it would mean lost real estate closings and further economic pain for residents of flood-prone areas," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La. "We can provide them with even more certainty by moving ahead and passing a full five-year extension of the National Flood Insurance Program."
Bruce Alpert can be reached at email@example.com or 202.450.1406.


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Judge William Young instructed the jury in the trial of former probation commissioner John O'Brien that "political patronage is not a crime."
"It's been around a long time," he said. "The very word comes from the Romans." Young traced the history of political patronage through colonial times.
As a society, Young said, "We've always been uneasy with it because we're not all clear political patronage gets us the best person for the job. But for our purposes in this trial, political patronage standing alone is not a crime."
O'Brien and his former deputies, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke, are accused of operating a rigged hiring system that hired employees based on political connections.
But, Young made clear, the crimes they are charged with are not simply hiring based on political preference. Disobeying administrative hiring laws is also not a crime, he said. Rather, the three are charged with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and racketeering, according to RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act).
To get a conviction on the RICO charge, the government must prove that the probation officials engaged in a pattern of crimes, such as mail fraud or bribery, in order to further a particular enterprise that they belonged to – in this case, the Probation Department.
Families from all three of the defendants attended the first day of the trial.
The trial, which is taking place at the U.S. District Court in Boston, is expected to run approximately two months, with two-day breaks both before and after Memorial Day weekend and July 4.
Stay with MassLive.com for further updates from the O'Brien probation trial.


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|[TenTec] FS or T: Ten-Tec 544 HF Transceiver & 252G PS
|firstname.lastname@example.com (Gary Harmon)
|Sun, 14 Feb 1999 22:17:25 -0600
Ten-Tec Model 544 digital HF transceiver with Model 252G AC power supply, 215P mike (no stand) and manuals. Both condition 8. This nice radio covers 3.5 to 29.0 MHz. Listens great and has full output on all covered bands. Smooth PTO. Does not cover the WARC bands. No noise blanker, CW filter, or crystals for the top of 10 meters. Asking $265. Shipping negotiable. Interesting offers or trades considered. For additional details or pictures please send email or call. Satisfaction guaranteed. Best 73, ======================== Gary H. Harmon, Jr. - K5JWK 6302 Robin Forest San Antonio, TX 78239 (210) 657-1549 firstname.lastname@example.com ================= -- FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/tentecfaq.htm Submissions: email@example.com Administrative requests: email@example.com Problems: email@example.com Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
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Grammy Award-winning group to join BC jazz ensemble in March 24 concert
Grammy Award-winning vocal jazz group New York Voices will perform in concert March 24 on a bill that also features Bellevue College's Celebration! vocal jazz ensemble.
Sponsored by the Bellevue College Music Department, the "Vocal Jazz Night" event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Newport High School's 600-seat Performing Arts Center, 4333 Factoria Blvd., SE., in Bellevue.
Tickets, at $25, are available through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006 and at the college's Performing Arts office, room E100b in Bellevue College's Carlson Theatre (425 564-3114).
Pre-paid tickets through Brown paper tickets will be held at the Newport High School Performing Arts Center box office, to be claimed between 6 and 7 p.m. the night of the performance. Tickets not claimed by 7:15 p.m. may be cancelled and resold.
Now celebrating their 20th anniversary, New York Voices has two Grammy Awards and six CDs to their credit. Their style is rooted in jazz, but Brazilian, rhythm and blues, classical and pop influences are infused with equal creativity. The group has appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Blue Note (Japan, NYC), The Austria Opera House and The Zurich Opera House, among many others.
Bellevue College's Celebration! Vocal Jazz Ensemble is a nationally acclaimed award winning group, including multiple invitations to perform at the International Association for Jazz Education Conferences, The American Choral Directors Conferences and the Music Educator National Conference conventions. They have won multiple 1st place awards at The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, The Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, University of Nevada, Reno Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Celebration has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Superdome (New Orleans), Staples Center, and Benaroya Hall.
The 20-member Celebration Vocal Jazz Ensemble is directed by Bellevue College Music Department Chairman Thomas Almli.
For further information contact Lyneen Patnoe at 425-564-3114 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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