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Verizon Invested More Than $752 Million in Virginia's Wireline Communications, IT Infrastructure in 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – Continuing to meet the growing broadband, communications and information needs of Virginia consumers and businesses, Verizon invested more than $752 million in its Virginia wireline networks and information technology infrastructure in 2012.
"The economic health of Virginia and its residents is increasingly tied to robust and modern communications networks, and Verizon's significant infrastructure investments provide a prescription for growth," said Chris Childs, area president for Verizon's Potomac region, which includes Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. "Advanced networks spur innovation, commerce, business development, learning and communication at an accelerated pace.
"Our infrastructure investment breaks down traditional technological boundaries, empowering people and businesses to connect however, whenever and wherever they want. This creates opportunities that are borderless and bring great benefits to our customers, employees, suppliers and communities," said Childs.
More than half of U.S. consumers say Internet service is their home's most important convenience, according to the recent Verizon FiOS Innovation Index – a series of consumer research surveys. More than 50 percent of all survey respondents also indicated an interest in remote health monitoring and virtual medical visits, which are enabled by ultra-high-speed networks and innovative applications.
"Whether it's touring the Louvre from your laptop, watching TV on your tablet, or monitoring blood pressure online, our networks are helping consumers and businesses advance their own agenda and remove technological boundaries," said Childs.
Innovation That Creates Consumer Choice, Delivers Rich Customer Experiences
Verizon's major wireline infrastructure programs in 2012 included:
- Continued deployment of the company's award-winning, 100 percent fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services. At year's end, FiOS services were available to more than 1.23 million Virginia homes and businesses.
- The introduction of breakthrough speeds with FiOS Quantum Internet for consumers and small businesses, featuring download/upload speeds of 50/25, 75/35, 150/65 and 300/65 megabits per second (Mbps). The two highest downstream speed offers – 150 and 300 Mbps – and the new 65 Mbps upstream speed are some of the nation's fastest mass scale Internet speeds available. (This FiOS Internet speed grid shows specific examples of the benefits of faster downstream and upstream speeds.)
- Continued FiOS innovation:
- FiOS TV anytime, anywhere, on a variety of devices, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, to which Verizon added 12 new brands, representing more than 50 channels, including Showtime, FOX, VH1, NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
- TV beyond the set-top box, featuring 75 live, linear channels delivered via Xbox, iPad and an array of Samsung and LG smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
- Content enhancement by adding 28 new channels, such as BBC HD and Cartoon Network HD; more than 17,000 video-on-demand titles, including free VOD from NBA TV; and a significant expansion to our free on-demand offerings from TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Showtime. FiOS TV now offers more than 50,000 VOD titles each month.
- Investing in superior customer experiences: More than 200,000 Verizon customers nationwide who had repeat repair calls on their landline phone service moved their service from Verizon's copper network to the company's all-fiber infrastructure, which is less susceptible than copper to moisture and water damage and offers a better service experience.
- Continued deployment of fiber-optic links to wireless providers' cell sites throughout Virginia as these carriers expand their infrastructure to meet ever-growing demand for wireless broadband and advanced 4G services. In 2012, Verizon deployed fiber optics to connect 790 of these sites in the state.
Next-Generation Business Solutions Delivered Today
Verizon Enterprise Solutions oversees all of Verizon's solutions for large business and government customers in Virginia and globally, including a portfolio of cloud and IT, enterprise mobility, security and advanced communications offerings. It also offers specialized solutions for key industries such as health care, retail, energy and utilities, and financial services. In addition, Verizon Enterprise Solutions includes the company's full range of global wholesale offerings.
In 2012, Verizon acquired Hughes Telematics to further the company's delivery of advanced automotive fleet telematics and machine-to-machine (M2M) services. This acquisition is enabling Verizon to accelerate new industry-specific solutions to the health care, automotive and transportation sectors.
The company also delivered new Terremark cloud services to enterprise customers, including private and hybrid cloud solutions that offer enterprise clients more flexibility, security and seamlessness in their cloud deployments. Verizon also expanded its cloud-enabled data centers in Dallas; Denver; Bogota, Colombia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and London.
In Latin America, Verizon launched a comprehensive portfolio of managed and professional security services aimed at helping enterprises and government agencies to better manage and protect their data.
In addition, Verizon enhanced its enterprise video capabilities by deploying an "Open Video" platform, where enterprises can conduct secure, high-quality video meetings across private and public networks on multiple video platforms – including telepresence and video conferencing – on desktops and tablets. This innovative solution makes it possible to link video systems that were previously incompatible.
The financial industry benefitted from Verizon's introduction of a service that enables companies in New York and Chicago to execute trades, securely and reliably, at some of the fastest possible speeds available today. This service reduces latency – the time it takes for data sent from its entry point in the network to reach its destination.
Providing a secure platform for conducting business, the company's multiprotocol label switching-based (MPLS) private IP network expanded into six additional African countries, as well as Bahrain and Qatar in the Middle East. The expansion will make it possible for Verizon clients with locations in these emerging markets to more effectively exchange data and run global business applications.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 98 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 183,400. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.


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yukon fitness equipment
Yukon Fitness Equipment Home Gym, Leg Press, Hack Squat, Weight Bench and Squat Rack - Yukon Fitness has been a manufacturer of home and commercial fitness equipment since 1991 and provides a lifetime warranty on all their welded structures, pulleys and bushings to the original owner. All machine cables are a 3/16" nylon coated aircraft quality cable that is tested to a breaking capacity of 2,000 lbs. Steel frames are first dipped in a phosphate coating to prevent corrosion and then electrostatically coated and baked to a high gloss finish that is chip resistant. Each steel frame is constructed from 2" x 2" heavy gauge tubing and mig-welded for the highest possible strength capacity. High quality nylatron pulley wheels are fitted with sealed ball bearings to insure each cable has a silky smooth travel while the machine is in use. And the high density foam padding and moisture resistant marine grade vinyl make for a comfortable workout, even on heavy lifting days.
Yukon Fitness has positioned its product line well over the years and today is capable of providing complete equipment packages for garage gyms and training studios. This product line is extensive and includes cardio and inversion machines, home gyms, dumbbell and Olympic weight benches, Smith machine home gyms, abdominal exercise machines, seated calf machines and leg press hack squat combination machines.
Need a fast custom quote today? Call 1-888-758-7527 or email firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Soon to return
Hello, everyone. You may have noticed I've been taking some time off from the blog. My son-in-law built a new, spiffy, fast computer for me, so I've been copying my files, moving them, and organizing them. For the first time in years, I'll have everything in one place. There are a great number of duplicate files, so this is a tedious process, but Windows 7 makes sorting them easier than I had expected.
I had a great victory mid-week when I finally got the new computer to connect to the internet via the wireless router. I learned on an internet forum that the anti-virus program was preventing the computer's network adapter from working. It seems this is a fairly common problem with Windows 7. I should have looked on the internet for answers earlier, instead of driving myself crazy trying to modify the settings.
I'll probably be back to normal blogging next week. Meanwhile, my best wishes to you and yours for a happy Easter!
|Along a Christian County roadside


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Star Wars R2-D2 Lunch Bag with Sound
My buddy the droid
- Your favorite astromech droid, in lunch bag form
- Push button for beeps, boops, and lights
- 100% PVC and BPA free for your nomming safety
In our secret fantasy universe, we are again wee geeks, but instead of the sons and daughters of business people, homemakers, accountants, and teachers, we're the offspring of powerful Jedi who just happen to be fabulously wealthy. When we go to school, we ride in an X-Wing and we have a protocol droid to carry our belongings and an astromech droid to keep us company, just because we are amused by its bleeps and boops.
Alas, we're stuck here in our normal Earth lives, so we'll have to carry this lunchbag instead. Made by the quality folks at Thermos, the R2-D2 lunchbag is nearly a foot tall and made of food-safe, BPA-free materials. Foam insulation keeps your food fresh from morning packing until lunch time, when you'll want to push the button and show off the lights and sounds for all your friends.
Product Specifications
- Astromech droid lunch bag, complete with lights and bleep-boop sound effects
- Includes push button for light and sound effects
- 100% PVC and BPA free for your nomming safety
- Superior quality closed cell polyethylene foam insulation keeps food fresh
- Comfortable, padded carrying handle
- Durable, easy-clean fabric
- Officially licensed Lucasfilm collectible
- Love your bag: Wipe interior and exterior with damp sponge and mild soap after each use.
- Dimensions: 5.75" x 5.5" x 11.25"


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Experience premium photo printing with this e-All-in-One's 3.45-inch (8.7 cm) gesture-enabled touchscreen & automatic photo paper tray with peek window. Print from virtually anywhere with HP ePrint,[1] share wirelessly,[7] and scan & copy with ease.
Ideal for:
Express yourself and impress with ease.
Print wirelessly[7] and stay connected - on the go.[1]
Boost your printing possibilities.
Easily save paper and energy.
Dimensions & Weight:Dimensions (W x D x H): 17.32 x 21.73 x 6.3 InchesMaximum Dimensions (W x D x H): 17.32 x 22.24 x 17.17 InchesWeight: 13.67 PoundsPackage Weight: 17.08 Pounds
[1]Requires an Internet connection to the printer. Feature works with any connected Internet- and email-capable device. Requires HP Web Services Account Registration. Print times may vary. For a list of supported documents, and image types, see https://www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter. And for additional solutions, see https://www.hp.com/go/mobile-printing-solutions.
[2]Fade resistance based on paper industry predictions for acid-free papers and Original HP inks; colorant stability data at room temperature based on similar systems tested per ISO 11798 and ISO 18909.
[3]Compared with HP 564 ink cartridges. For more information, see https://www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies. High-capacity cartridges not included; please purchase separately.
[4]Not included; please purchase separately.
[5]Requires a wireless access point and an Internet connection to the printer. Services require registration. App availability varies by country, language, and agreements. For details, see https://www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter.
[6]Not available on all printers. Mobile device must be wireless-enabled. Printer must be HP ePrint-enabled. Feature may require driver or apps, available for download at https://www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter.
[7]Wireless performance is dependent upon physical environment and distance from access point.
[8]HP Auto Wireless Connect may not be available for all system configurations. Wireless performance is dependent upon physical environment and distance from access point. For information on compatibility, visit https://www.hp.com/go/autowirelessconnect.
[9]Requires access to third-party app stores. See https://www.hp.com/go/mobile-printing-solutions for details on compatible devices.
[10]Supports the following devices running iOS 4.2 or later: iPad, iPad 2, iPhone (3GS or later), iPod touch (3rd generation or later). Works with HP AirPrint-enabled printers and requires the printer be connected to the same network as your iOS device. Wireless performance is dependent upon physical environment and distance from the access point. AirPrint, the AirPrint logo, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
[11]Google and Gmail are trademarks of Google Inc. Feature requires Google Cloud Print ready printer or existing printer connected to a PC with Internet access. Print times may vary. Currently only Google apps are supported.
[12]Program availability varies. Original HP cartridge return and recycling is currently available in 47 countries, territories, and regions in Asia, Europe, and North and South America through the HP Planet Partners program. For more information, visit https://www.hp.com/recycle.
[13]Compatible with most popular email services. Check https://www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter for more information.
[14]Water resistance based on HP internal testing, using paper with the ColorLok logo.
[15]Display-permanence rating by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc., or HP Image Permanence Lab. For details, visit https://www.hp.com/go/printpermanence.
[16]Web-based fax service requires an Internet connection to the printer and registration with third-party service. Up to 20 inbound and 20 outbound pages per month. Service available only in North America. Additional terms and restrictions apply. See https://www.hp.com/support for details.
Receive Our Latest Deals
Connect With Buydig


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FREE SHIPPING-Fabulous-Made In Italy-Giuseppe Armani-616-C-Lady With Parrot-Limited Edition-217/5000-Sculpture
This listing is for one, Gorgeous, Giuseppe Armani, Made In Italy, Limited Edition, 217/5000, 19" Tall With Wooden Base, 616-C, Lady With Parrot, Figurine. Item is fully hallmarked throughout. Figurine is in exquisite condition free of any chips, cracks, crazing, or repairs. This truly is a eye catching piece.
If for any reason you are unsatisfied with the purchase there are a few ways we can work out a resolution. If the item arrives damaged or broken from shipping we will put in an insurance claim. Every item leaving our store will be fully insured and appropriately packed. Another approach for returns is our no questions asked policy. You can quickly return the same item in the same condition as pictured in my listing. It must be postmarked no later than three days after tracking declares drop-off date. I will issue a full refund upon obtaining my original item in the same condition as pictured. You are responsible for the cost of return shipping and insurance, so know the risk before you buy. If more than three days pass we require an explanation in order to work out a decision, sincerely trying to satisfy both sides of the conflict. We can easily be reached by telephone between 10:30am and 4:00pm central standard time 7 days a week excluding major U.S. holidays, or email anytime. Please don't hesitate to contact us and ask questions.


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Jewish World Review Dec. 23, 2013/ 20 Teves, 5774
Godfathers of the Capitol
By Dana Milbank
The era of good feeling is over, its duration measured in days, or perhaps hours. On Wednesday, 36 Senate Republicans — 80 percent of the caucus — voted against the budget compromise drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, last year's Republican vice presidential nominee.
Already, Republicans, including Ryan, are making noises about another showdown early next year over the federal government's debt limit. You might say they've returned to their default position.
By Thursday morning, Senate leaders were back to petty bickering. Harry Reid, the majority leader, called Republic
ans "very shallow" and said "obstruction has become a bad habit ."
Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, accused Democrats of an "incredible abuse of power" and of running the country like a "banana republic." The Republican said he was discouraged to "see the way the United States Senate deteriorated under the current leadership."
McConnell proposed that Reid drop his demands that the Senate approve a slate of what the Republican leader called "non-urgent" presidential nominees.
"I object," Reid answered.
Reid asked that the Senate take up a tax bill passed by the House.
"I object," McConnell replied.
In retrospect, how could it have been otherwise? These aren't conventional political rivals we're talking about. They are more like warring mafia families. James Gandolfini may have left us in 2013, but the spirit of the mob boss still dominates in the Capitol. Not only is it legal to put contracts out on each other, it is expected.
The political killings are accomplished by syndicates known as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), run by the senators themselves with the goal of unseating rivals across the aisle: not just disagreeing with them, but taking them out. (Similar committees exist in the House, but it's less of a problem there because district lines have left so few incumbents in jeopardy.)
Earlier this month, when bipartisanship was still in the air, Reid told Bloomberg's Al Hunt that he wouldn't campaign against McConnell, who is facing a difficult reelection. "I'm a traditionalist here, and that isn't anything I've ever done and will not do," Reid said.
That was a bit disingenuous, because Reid had already hosted a fundraiser in Las Vegas for McConnell's Democratic opponent, and Reid's political action committee had already given her money. The candidate, Alison Lundergan Grimes, would probably be hurt politically by appearing with Reid, anyway.
But in calling himself a traditionalist, Reid was arguing against the mafia culture that has gripped the Senate since 2004, when Bill Frist, then the Republican leader, went to South Dakota to campaign, successfully, for the defeat of then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle. The DSCC, under Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, retaliated by running TV ads targeting McConnell in 2008. In 2012, the NRSC, run by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, raised money to try to defeat Reid in Nevada. The political committees are under the de facto control of the majority or minority leader, and several senators have used the chairmanships as steppingstones to leadership.
When they aren't ordering hits on each other, the senators use the committees to taunt each other. Monday morning, the Republican committee issued a statement saying: "Harry Reid will tell you he's not concerned about losing the majority — hell, Reid will say just about anything on most days, but his actions speak louder than his words." Wednesday, the Republican group declared: "Vulnerable incumbent Senate Democrats — from Kay Hagan to Jeff Merkley, Mary Landrieu to Mark Pryor, Jeanne Shaheen to Mark Begich all lied to their constituents."
When your day starts with trash talk from people who are trying to kill you politically, is it any wonder things quickly devolve?
Reid, on the Senate floor this week, accused Republicans of "hostage-taking" and ridiculed McConnell for delaying what the GOP leader called "non-essential" confirmations: "Does the Republican leader consider the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security — the individual tasked with protecting us from terrorist attacks — 'non-essential'?"
McConnell, in turn, told reporters he "can't imagine" Republicans would agree to increase the debt limit without more spending restrictions. And he delivered a broadside against Reid for stripping Republicans' right to filibuster nominees: "As we end the year, it's a tragedy the way the Senate is being run into the ground by basically one person. . . . It's going to be hard to get the Senate back to normal."
But he's wrong there. Going to the mattresses is the new normal.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
© 2013, Washington Post Writers Group


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No clue of my rating. Grew up playing several times a week in my childhood and cant get time with a friend of mine who is pretty good but ... work/side of town conflicts. Getting a lot of exercise chasing balls into other courts when hitting around with my wife but looking to play with someone who knows which court to keep the ball in. Will easily advance again with a week or two of solid practice. Main area im near is Bering/woodway courts at the dog park. Can ditch the wife and the dog there anyways for a while each night. Anyone open to evenings after work or weekends?
Views: 105
Replies to This Discussion
hey do you want to hit this tues around 5:00pm at the dog park?
I would be willing to play on some weeknights or weekends. Where do you hit? I'm near the Galleria/West University area.
easiest way to reach us is by phone. im realizing after checking my junk mail folder that ive completely forgotten that ive posted as I havent noticed i was getting mail.
Chad and Megan
© 2019 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


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Doug Leibrant's Near Perfect '37 Chevrolet Pickup
In a sea of candies, pearls, and chrome, it's tough to stand out from the crowd; however, at Goodguys' 2006 Northwest Nationals, one pickup really caught our attention. With its navy blue body, black fenders, and near-stock stance, it was actually pretty nondescript, but it had a certain quality that quietly beckoned. Furthermore, the closer we looked, the more it rewarded us with near obsessive detailing and conscientious modifications.
Most people would probably wonder why someone would go to all that trouble to build something typical car show crowds overlook. Then again, Doug Leibrant isn't trying to please any crowds. The group he's used to impressing is considerably smaller and far tougher to impress: Pebble Beach judges.
Even though he admits falling for the '37 Chevrolet design decades ago, this particular truck beckoned to him, too. "I found it hard to leave," he said. "The more I looked, the better I liked it…very few bolts or screws had been turned since it came from the factory."
Despite the seller's rather dear asking price, this pickup proved worthy of an AACA restoration, as Doug found out during disassembly. His initial observations bore truth, as the pickup effortlessly yielded buckets of untouched hardware and virgin, shiny tin. I won't bore you with the details of a straightforward restoration, so let me relay what I think makes it unique.
The truck's color is stock Boatswain Blue and Black, and even though Doug says he laments not painting the body with a base/clear process, the single-stage DuPont formula doesn't look inappropriately shiny for a restoration, as most base/clear jobs do.
The pickup's interior is equally detailed. Instead of spraying the cab panels body color, Doug commissioned Northwest Powder Coatings, Inc. in SeaTac to replicate Chevrolet's brown wrinkle finish in powder. While he restored the stock instruments, he replaced the oil pressure and ammeter with higher-capacity '37 GMC pieces. Cedardale Auto Upholstery's Paul Reichlin reskinned the bench in appropriate vinyl; Doug equipped it with '40s accessory Greenfield Co. belts. Other goodies include an NOS heater and a '70s Realistic FM radio detailed to match the cab.
Since the early Stovebolt engines lack full crankshaft oiling, insert bearings, and displacement, Doug rebuilt a later 235 circa '60. While it's stock internally, it has a number of external go-fast goodies, including a vintage Edelbrock 2×1 manifold. In period fashion, he split the exhaust manifold and plumbed it to dual 2-inch pipes, each with its own glass-packed muffler.
The stock trans sports improved '41 gears, and the rearend spins a stronger hypoid-style 4.11:1 ring-and-pinion; however, it's the BorgWarner overdrive spliced into the torque tube between them that makes this truck a real driver. "The performance far exceeded my expectations," Doug notes, adding, "The noise factor greatly decreased, too!" Up front, Doug removed a few leaves to give the truck the right stance and added NOS Delco dual-action shocks to improve control and ride characteristics. The artillery-style wheels are stock, yet not to this application; they're desirable 15×5 1/2 hoops for cars rather than the 16×4 pie-cutters the truck came with.
If you're still unconvinced of this truck's legitimacy, consider the following: Doug used very few reproduction parts in its restoration-in fact, one key still operates the ignition, glovebox, door, and spare-tire locks. Of all the pristine hardware that came off this pickup, every bit went back on, either plated or coated in its original finish. In fact, a few items, like one of the taillight bezels, still wear the surfaces applied to them back when FDR was in office. Not even the most ardent restorer could knock the truck's modifications, either, for the parts Doug used were common during this truck's first life, even if some of the combinations weren't.
As a result of its understatement, Doug Leibrant's pickup appeals to a very discerning and historically aware group, and admittedly that is a very select group. Does it bother Doug? Nah-it's the way he likes it. Anyway, all that candied, pearled, and chromed stuff looks the same after a while.
Facts & Figures
Doug Leibrant
Seattle, Washington
1937 Chevy 1/2-ton
Frame: stock
Rearend / Ratio: stock / 4.11:1
Rear suspension: stock leaf-over
Rear brakes: stock drum
Front suspension: stock leaf-over
Front brakes: stock drum
Steering box: stock
Wheels: Kelsey-Hayes artillery-style,
15×5 1/2
Tires: radial, 235/75R15
Gas tank: stock
Engine: 1960 235cid L-6
Head: stock
Rocker cover: early 216 two-bolt
Manifold / Induction: Edelbrock 2×1
/ dual Carter W-1
Ignition: Delco variable-timed
Exhaust / Mufflers: split manifolds,
2" pipe / dual glasspacks
Transmission: stock 4-speed
Modifications: BorgWarner overdrive
Shifter: stock
Style: 1/2-ton pickup
Fenders front / rear: stock
Hood: stock
Grille: stock
Bed: stock
Bodywork and paint by: Doug Leibrant
Paint type / Color: DuPont /
Boatswain Blue & black
Headlights / Taillights: stock
Outside mirrors: modified Joma
thermometer-equipped w/accompanying passenger-side mirror
Bumpers: stock
Dashboard: stock
Gauges: stock w/'37 GMC oil &
Stereo: reconditioned '70s FM radio
Steering wheel: NOS '37 Chevy
Steering column: stock
Seat: stock bench
Upholstery by: Cedardale Auto
Material / Color: vinyl / brown
Other interior items: OE-like wrinkle
finish by Northwest Powdercoating, Greenfield Co. seatbelts


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chairman Gilbert F. Casellas will be honored tomorrow by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations for his work in eliminating barriers to equal opportunity and opening doors to minorities in the legal profession.
Casellas will be presented the Clarence Farmer Service Award at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, 1201 Market Street. Last year's recipient was former U.S. Congressman and Special Advisor to President Clinton on Haiti Rev. William Gray.
PCHR Chairman Kevin E. Vaughan said Casellas is being honored for "his life-long commitment to promote intergroup harmony and minority involvement in the field of law."
A former partner at the Philadelphia law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, Casellas has been EEOC Chairman since October 1994. He was previously General Counsel of the Air Force.
In his brief time at the EEOC helm, Casellas has bolstered his reputation as a consensus builder by involving the agency's diverse constituency in reforming and strengthening the commission's enforcement operations. Chief among his accomplishments have been the revamping of EEOC's charge processing system, including the adoption of alternative dispute resolution, the settlement of longstanding labor-management disputes within the agency and the forging of a new relationship with state and local fair employment practices agencies.
Throughout his legal career, Casellas has been a leader in local, state, and national bar association activities. Among his many accomplishments, he served as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association, a member of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates and Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, and National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Casellas was also on the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and served as Special Counsel to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.
Civic activities of Casellas include serving on the boards of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, the Community Legal Services, Inc. of Philadelphia, and the Free Library of Philadelphia, as well as serving on the Mayor's Commission on Puerto Rican and Latino Affairs.


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March Madness -- Gonzaga makes its case for a No. 1 seed
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Coach Mark Few has heard all the arguments about why No. 1 Gonzaga doesn't deserve a No. 1 seed when the NCAA tournament field is announced Sunday.
And he realizes the issue is now out of his hands.
"We did a great job of controlling what we could control," Few said this week after Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference's automatic bid to the Big Dance. "We've done an amazing job and that's all we can do.
"Watch us and what we've done," Few said. "Look at our results."
The results are pretty impressive. Gonzaga (31-2) played a tough nonconference slate, went undefeated through the WCC, posted the first 30-win season in its history, and dusted two opponents in the league tournament. Their only losses came to Illinois in December and at Butler in January, and they have the best record of any Division I team.
Sports Videos
Critics of the Zags have one major argument: the WCC is a middling league, meaning Gonzaga doesn't face the type of tough conference schedule that teams in the Big Ten or ACC endure. It's been a constant argument almost since Gonzaga burst onto the national scene in 1999.
Few doesn't buy it.
"I don't know how many of those (major conference) teams would go undefeated in our league," Few said, noting that BYU and Saint Mary's, not to mention Spokane, are difficult places to win. "And maybe if we get put into their leagues, maybe we'd only have three losses. I don't know."
Since their rise to prominence, the Zags have always played a brutal nonconference schedule to try to build a resume for March. This year was no different.
In a scheduling quirk, they played five teams from the Big 12 -- West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State -- and beat them all. They also beat Clemson of the ACC and Washington State of the Pac-12, plus a bunch of opponents from lesser leagues.
"Our body of work speaks for itself," guard Mike Hart said recently. "We've had a great group of games and a schedule that has been tough."
The result is that Gonzaga ranks No. 6 in the RPI -- behind Duke, New Mexico, Louisville, Miami and Indiana -- but only 72nd in strength of schedule among 347 teams.
The coach of archrival Saint Mary's believes the Zags deserve a top seed.
"How couldn't they be?" Randy Bennett said. "They have two or three losses less than anybody else."
"They don't have any holes," said Bennett, whose 27-win team lost three times to the Zags this season, including 65-51 in the WCC tournament title game Monday. "They're legit."
Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyk said the Zags deserve a No. 1 seed.
"In my opinion, we should be," Olynyk said after scoring 21 points to beat Saint Mary's Monday.
While critics may not like the WCC, the Zags really have no other conference that is a natural fit. The WCC for decades has been a collection of small, religious-based colleges that don't play football, and are based in California, Washington and Oregon. Only the recent addition of BYU skewed that profile.
Other western leagues would be problematic for the Zags. The Pac-12, for instance, is made up of large research universities with big football programs. The Mountain West is also primarily a league of large public universities where football is king. No other conference in the West -- not the Big West, the Big Sky or the WAC -- offers any more prestige than the WCC.
But conference affiliation is not what is on the minds of Gonzaga players.
"The end-all is the NCAA tournament title," Olynyk said. "That's the goal of every team playing right now."


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Twitter and Status Updating, Fall 2009
One in five internet users are now on Twitter or another status update service
Some 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others. This represents a significant increase over previous surveys in December 20081 and April 2009, when 11% of internet users said they use a status-update service.
Three groups of internet users are mainly responsible for driving the growth of this activity: social network website users, those who connect to the internet via mobile devices, and younger internet users – those under age 44.
Social network users
Internet users who already use social network sites such as MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn are likely to also use Twitter: 35%, compared to 6% of internet users who do not use such social network sites.
Statistical analysis of the Pew Internet Project's September 2009 survey data shows that internet users who use social network sites are more likely to use Twitter or another status updating service, independent of other factors such as that group's relative youth or propensity to go online via mobile devices.2
Mobile internet users
As of September 2009, 54% of internet users have a wireless connection to the internet via a laptop, cell phone, game console, or other mobile device. Of those, 25% use Twitter or another service, up from 14% of wireless users in December 2008. By comparison, 8% of internet users who rely exclusively on tethered access use Twitter or another service, up from 6% in December 2008.
Statistical analysis also shows that wireless access is an independent factor in predicting whether someone uses Twitter or another status update service. It is not simply because this group is likely to be young or tech-savvy. Owning and using a wireless internet device makes an internet user significantly more likely to tweet.
In April 2009, the Pew Internet Project asked wireless internet users why they value their mobile connections.3 Not surprisingly, Twitter scratches an itch among mobile internet users to stay in touch with other people and to share or post content online.
Indeed, the more devices someone owns, the more likely they are to use Twitter or another service to update their status. Fully 39% of internet users with four or more internet-connected devices (such as a laptop, cell phone, game console, or Kindle) use Twitter, compared to 28% of internet users with three devices, 19% of internet users with two devices, and 10% of internet users with one device.
Younger internet users
Age is another strong, independent predictor for use of Twitter and other status updating services. Internet users age 18-44 report rapid uptake of Twitter over the last nine months, whereas internet users ages 45 and older report slower adoption rates. For example, 37% of internet users age 18-24 use Twitter or another service, up from 19% in December 2008.
The median age of a Twitter user is 31, which has remained stable over the past year.4 The median age for MySpace is now 26, down from 27 in May 2008, and the median age for LinkedIn is now 39, down from 40. Facebook, however, is graying a bit: the median age for this social network site is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008.
Further research
Twitter has attracted the attention of other researchers, who find that it is a widening network with as many listeners as contributors:
- comScore's continuous surveys of internet users and real-time network data capture confirm our findings: Twitter traffic exploded over the last year, going from about 2 million unique visitors per month in December 2008 to over 17 million in May 2009.5
- Harvard Business School researchers analyzed a random sample of 300,000 Twitter accounts and found that "the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets."6
- Sysomos analyzed 11.5 million Twitter accounts and found that most people post just once per day (and one in five have never posted).78
It will probably become more difficult to track status updating as an independent activity as social network updates feed into Twitter and vice versa. For now, it is clear that a "social segment" of internet users is flocking to both social network sites and status update services. This segment is likely to grow as ever more internet users adopt mobile devices as a primary means of going online.
- Amanda Lenhart and Susannah Fox, "Twitter and status updating" (Pew Internet Project: February 12, 2009). See: https://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Twitter-and-status-updating.aspx ↩
- The median age for an internet user is 41; the median age for a wireless internet users is 37; the median age for a social network site user is 34. ↩
- John Horrigan, "Wireless Internet Users" (Pew Internet Project: July 22, 2009). See: https://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use.aspx ↩
- Lenhart and Fox, 2009. ↩
- Personal communication on October 16, 2009, with Sarah Radwanick, Senior Marketing Communications Analyst, comScore, Inc. See also: http://www.pcworld.com/article/162785/twitter_use_explodes.html?tk=rel_news ↩
- Bill Heil and Mikolaj Piskorski, "New Twitter Research: Men Follow Men and Nobody Tweets" (Harvard Business Blog: June 1, 2009). See: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/06/new_twitter_research_men_follo.html ↩
- Alex Cheng and Mark Evans, "An In-Depth Look Inside the Twitter World" (Sysomos: June 2009). See: http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/ ↩
- See also: danah boyd's list of research studies related to Twitter and microblogging: http://www.danah.org/TwitterResearch.html ↩


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Items where SHU Author is "Brereton, Louise"
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MORRELL, C. J., WALTERS, S. J., DIXON, S., COLLINS, K., BRERETON, L., PETERS, J. and BROOKER, C. G. D. (1998). Cost-effectiveness of community leg ulcer clinics: a randomised controlled trial. British medical journal (BMJ), 7143, 1487-1491.
COLLINS, K., MORRELL, J., PETERS, J., WALTERS, S. J. and BRERETON, L. (1998). Variations in venous leg ulcer care in the community. British Journal of Community Nursing, 3 (1), 6-12.
BRERETON, L., MORRELL, J., COLLINS, K., WALTERS, S., PETERS, J. and BROOKER, C. (1997). Patients' tolerance of leg ulcer treatments. British journal of community health nursing, 2. (9), 427-435.
COLLINS, K., MORRELL, J., PETERS, J., WALTERS, S., BROOKER, C. and BRERETON, L. (1997). Problems associated with patient satisfaction surveys. British journal of community health nursing, 2 (3), 156-163.


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Biomass equipment
HARVESTING ENERGY crops will require a new breed of equipment that will harvest not only the kernel or grain, but the biomass around it. This will include combines that can harvest more than one material at a time. Other equipment options will include tow-behind wagons that will separate the grain from the chafe and industrial screens parked at the end of fields to separate the food from the fuel material.
Energy crops
GROWERS NOW can purchase commercial seed from Ceres Inc. to grow energy crops like switchgrass to feed new ethanol plants that use cellulose instead of grain. Ceres is the first company to offer the new energy seeds, but governmental mandates will help the energy crop business grow. Both Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred have partnered with other seed companies to develop energy crops. And Dow AgroSciences has focused on a line of silage corn that is a top ethanol producer.
Cab comfort
INFOTAINMENT WILL come to the cab with integrated HD video, surround sound, heated leather seats, and high-speed wireless Internet, on top of the automation already built into the vehicle.
Horsepower-boosting technologies
THE NEED for more powerful engines is driving new technology to boost horsepower. One method is to put two engines into one vehicle, like the "double six-engine" in the Jaguar 980 and 970 forage harvesters. Another is to add a second turbocharger. produce 830 hp in these two models. One engine controls hydraulic and cooling and the other is switched on when the harvester needs more power. Another method is to add a second turbocharger.
Tier 4 engines
OFF-ROAD DIESEL engines must go through a design overhaul to meet the Tier 4 EPA emission standards required starting in 2011. Engine manufacturers are pursuing two paths to meet Tier 4: EGR/DOC (exhaust gas recirculation/diesel oxidation catalyst) recirculates gas exhaust through a filter to eliminate emissions; and SCR (selective catalytic reduction) injects a urea product into the exhaust stream to neutralize harmful emissions.
Smart tillage
IN THE future, tillage equipment will develop a brain. Sensors placed on shanks and other ground-breaking mechanisms will automatically control soil depth depending on soil type and compaction. Expect variable tillage based on soil maps.
High-speed implement braking
AIR OR hydraulic brakes may soon be standard on implements and trailers. High-tech solutions are an antilocking braking system (ABS) or hood sensors that automatically slow down an implement as the tractor or truck brakes.
Electric drives
EXPECT ELECTRIC drives to replace mechanical and hydraulic drives in tractors and other ag equipment. John Deere was the first to add an electric drive to its E-Premium series tractor, which produces its own electricity. Electric motors feature a long service life, little noise, and low wear, and they are unaffected by temperature.
FLEET MANAGEMENT combined with remote diagnostics is called telemetry, which involves measurement from a distance. On the farm, telemetry systems allow vehicle tracking and monitoring of machine functions such as fuel level and engine temperature. Dealerships also can remotely watch the vehicles for potential breakdowns.
GNSS WILL soon replace the generically applied term GPS. High-end positioning receivers now are able to receive both U.S.-developed GPS signals and Russian GLONASS signals. Some are even ready for signals from the European Union's Galileo positioning system, which is scheduled for operation around 2015, as well as signals from other countries like China and India.
Universal display
THE "DUMB" terminal that populated many tractor cabs in the early stages of precision technology has evolved into a universal display that operates like a computer. The latest models have become the master controllers of guidance and implement functions.
By-the-row control
AN OFFSHOOT of the new precision application technology is the ability to control planting, spraying and fertilizing by the row. Soon growers will be able to not only turn the row equipment on and off, but also adjust the rate at which inputs are applied.
FREE CORRECTION signals for operating agricultural guidance systems are becoming available through CORS (continuously operating reference stations) RTK networks set up by some state transportation departments to survey their transportation systems. Leica Geosystems recently provided the technology for the Iowa DOT's new CORS RTK network. Although the correction signals are free, users must pay for the cost of receiving the signals.
Precision application
PRECISION GUIDANCE partners with advanced control systems and farm management software to provide a new, high level of management. Growers will see many new packages available to more precisely apply inputs like seed and fertilizer, thereby saving money. Plus, these new systems track what, where, when and how much product is applied, while automating office jobs like ordering, billing and payroll.
Quantitative analysis
TRAIT DISCOVERY in seed has benefitted from quantitative analysis, the ability to use a computer to analyze piles of data.
Zinc fingers
THE ZINC fingers technology promises to cut a year or two off the time to develop a genetically modified crop through more precise gene targeting. Zinc fingers are proteins that turn genes on or off and they also can remove or insert genes. The protein is naturally occurring in all cells.
Dihaploid breeding
THE DISCOVERY of a corn line with only one set of chromosomes (instant inbred) has led to dihaploid breeding. Instead of crossing corn lines for eight to nine generations to obtain a pure inbred line, the breeding takes just two generations and about four years less time. Most major seed companies now use dihaploid breeding to bring new lines to market faster.
THIS INTERNET site promises major monetary awards to researchers who can solve specific scientific problems. Technologies in crop protection and seed have come from problem solving on the site, which serves a wide range of professional researchers.


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Festivals are funny beasts to summarise in the form of a review, but with a music awards ceremony seemingly every other day we thought that format was something you'd be familiar with. DiS has covered Iceland Airwaves many times - and in many different ways - over the past few years, and it's grown to become one of the most influential festivals of the winter season, not to mention one of the best at exposing an international audience to a wealth of local talent. We put on a few extra layers and headed out in search of some good stuff, and forty or so gigs and several pints of our spiritual sponsor Viking later, here's what we liked the most...
Best New Band:
Sudden Weather Change
When DiS stumbled into the back of a little coffee shop we expected to see some barely there folkster doing their best troubadour impression. Instead we got whooped upside the head by the lo-fi fizz of young post-hardcore loving boys Sudden Weather Change. Comparisons range from The Promise Ring and Braid (but the too-serious tone replaced by the exuberance of Burning Airlines, Les Savy Fav and, er, Less Than Jake - although praps only a line drawn cus of topless kids "pogoing") to the unfurling art-rock of Wolf Parade and Sonic Youth. Well SY at those moments when they hit that apex point of life-affirmingness when your writhing is body possessed by the beat and those warm rushes of guitar fuzz gush through you and stroke your cortex (i.e. 'Teenage Riot'). Add in a lyrics about hating Nicholas Cage, all sung by the three different kinds of geeky frontman and you have one of the most refreshing new bands around. (Their MySpace tracks don't quite do them justice but have a listen here.)
Runner Up: The Hot-Chip-with-big-synths-and-a-member-of-Mum fun that is FM Belfast (MySpace).
Best New Epic/Post-Rock/Instrumental band:
Olafur Arnalds
On first impressions he makes incredibly subtle soundtracky modern classical music but the sound builds and builds and grows humungous electronica-sprinkled balls, not unlike Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I - IV (get it for free here) meets some of the darker moments of Sigur Ros' ( ). Projections of birds rising and the huge string section bring these seemingly slight piano tinklings to cataclysmic conclusions. Olafur makes something incredibly humbling, haunting and harrowing: a definite must see for any discerning music lover. (MySpace).
Runners up: For a Minor Reflection who're taking their Explosions in the Sky-esque lushness on tour across Europe this Autumn, including dates with Sigur Ros (MySpace).
Best Rock Act; sponsored by ThrashHits.com:
Agent Fresco
ROCKjavik's got a lot to offer in this category and Agent Fresco blew us away a bit. Sounding like a less-than-bizarre mix of Dillinger Escape Plan and System of a Down, they made us dance a bit with their stuttering dynamics then sing along to their stunning track, 'Eyes Of A Cloud Catcher'. We were shielded our eyes from the frontman's… interesting trousers. (MySpace)
Runners Up: We Made God's massive experimentalism (MySpace) and the desert rock of Cliff Claivin (MySpace)
Best Icelandic Party; sponsored by Raz's Liver:
Saturday night's always the night to party and nobody knows how to party like the islanders do. A totally unofficial gig at a Thai karaoke bar (they needed to build the stage), next to Reykjavik's strip club (yes, the strippers joined us) is always going to be interesting. With the kings of Faroese indie, Boys In A Band (MySpace) as well as hard-touring natives Skatar (MySpace) and Bloodgroup (MySpace) on the bill, this was a showcase of the finest the country has to offer.
Runners Up: Every night at Dillon and the Sirkus exhibition in London, annoyingly at the same time.


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Rick G
- Fleetwood's on Front St: Rooftop 744 Front St Lahaina, HI 96761 USA (map)
Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
Daily Sunset Ceremony at 5:45pm on the Rooftop
Hawaiian Kumu: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
Scottish Piper: Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun
On Saturdays enjoy both the Hawaiian Kumu and Scottish Bagpiper for a full Ceremony starting at 5:30pm.


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JACKSONVILLE � Doc Doolittle�s journey is more than a calling; it�s an obligation.
JACKSONVILLE � Doc Doolittle�s journey is more than a calling; it�s an obligation.
An obligation to the fallen, the survivors and the families involved in the 1983 bombing in Beirut, Lebanon.
Last Tuesday, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Swansboro, Doolittle began a daily 12.5-mile walk in and around Jacksonville � and he will continue over the next 22 days, ending at Lejeune Memorial Gardens on Oct. 23. On that day, he will have walked more than 273 symbolic miles � one for each service member who died during the terrorist attacks in Beirut.
�These guys need to be remembered, and I feel as though they are forgotten for the most part,� said Doolittle, 52, of Centennial, Colo. �In Jacksonville, it is well known, but even in the young part of the Marine Corps, there�s not a lot of people who remember what happened 30 years ago. And even fewer people know across America. It needs to be brought to people�s attention.�
At 22 years old, Doolittle was a Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., when the bombing erupted. When he thinks about the bombing now, he still can feel his fury on that day. Doolittle said he and some fellow Marines all wanted to fly to Lebanon and get revenge. According to him, the bombing in Beirut was a major start of hostility in the war on terror � something that should require a moment of silence across the United States.
�The bombing is still a pretty tragic event,� Doolittle said. �Unlike many other notable historical events, it seems as though it�s lost in the blur, but in 1983, it was a pretty big deal. The reason to do this is because of that loss � to recognize everyone involved.�
A sense of accomplishment is all Doolittle said he expects to get out of the walk, but if it brings attention to the anniversary or inspires one person to reflect, then it will be worth it. Doolittle believes that attacks like the one in Beirut should be taught in schools, but fears they are not.
�Twelve and one half miles per day doesn�t really sound like a lot, but it�s going to cause a lot of wear and tear on my body,� Doolittle said. �If I can do more miles each day in the beginning to make it easier in the end then I will, but we will see. I know what�s going to happen to me. It�s going to be tiring.�
Doolittle has been planning the event for more than four years and has received nothing but support from Lockheed Martin and Argus, his two employers who allowed him to take a month off of work to complete the walk, he said.
In 2008, Doolittle completed a similar walk for the 25th anniversary that began in Virginia Beach, Va., and ended in Jacksonville after a total of 246 miles. He is confident that he will complete the additional mileage required to reach his 273 mile total, he said.
�The Marine bond drives this,� said Doolittle, whose son is a Marine with 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines aboard Camp Lejeune. �The Corps is a bond that should never be broken. We should always recall our past. Marines do the things we do because of what others have done before us. We do it for the guy next to us. We do it for the guys who died in combat or in other ways and to push the Marine Corps in a better position. The Marine Corps is a fraternal order that has an indescribable bond. We take care of each other and we never forget.�
For those interested in following Doolittle�s progress, follow him on Facebook by searching for #Beirut or by emailing him at email@example.com.


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School Leadership (II-A-5-2151(B))
The School Leadership program is a new discretionary grant program that supports efforts to recruit, retain, and provide training and continuing professional development to principals and assistant principals to create a high-quality school leadership force. As schools are held accountable for increasingly higher academic standards, it is vital to have high-quality principals leading schools. A recent report by the Education Research Service cites studies that find that the one attribute of all high-performing schools is a dedicated and dynamic principal. However, it is anticipated that at least 40 percent of our nation's principals will leave the profession in the next 10 years. Those who do remain will be faced with highly complex responsibilities. The School Leadership Program will help fill the need for high-quality principals by supporting the recruitment and professional development of effective school leaders who guide their teachers and help their students achieve.
How It Works
This program funds competitive awards to high-need local school districts, consortia of high-need school districts, and partnerships of high-need districts, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education.
Key Requirements
Grantees must carry out activities to recruit, retain, and train principals and assistant principals, through such activities as: (1) providing financial incentives to aspiring new principals, (2) providing stipends to principals who mentor new principals, (3) providing professional development in instructional leadership and management, and (4) providing effective incentives for the recruitment and retention of individuals in other fields who want to become principals.


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VANCOUVER — At Vancouver's Chutzpah! Festival later this month, Suzanne Snizek and a team of musicians she has assembled will perform music composed and performed in internment by musicians Hans Gál and Franz Reizenstein.
This is music that has never previously been performed in Canada and it represents not just the musical ability of its composers, but the way their internment during the Holocaust moved them and informed their work.
Snizek, a faculty member at the University of Victoria's School of Music, became interested in suppressed music in 2006, when she was a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia.
"I'd always been interested in the issue of detaining people without charge and internment in general. When I googled 'internment and music' up popped Hans Gál and his experience in British internment camps," she recalled. "It was completely shocking to me because, though I was aware of the Holocaust and its historical context, I didn't know about the British internment camps."
The 46-year-old teacher read about Gál and his personal history, listened to his music and loved it. "Suppressed music," by composers who were persecuted or driven into exile, became the subject of her doctoral thesis and is a course she teaches today.
Hans Gál was an Austrian refugee of Jewish origin who had fled to the United Kingdom, only to find himself among thousands classified as "enemy aliens" in 1939. In the spring of 1940 there was mass internment of these individuals, 50-year-old Gál included. At the time he was an established composer who had experienced major success in Germany in the 1920s. He was director of the Mainz Conservatory of Music in Germany until Nazi anti-Jewish legislation forced him to step down.
During his internment, Gál wrote a technically challenging trio for flute and two violins.
"The strange instrumentation reflects the limited instruments and competent players he had in the camp," Snizek said of Gál's Huyton Suite, named after the internment camp where it was written. "Even in a non-internment concert situation, the piece is musically difficult."
The trio was performed several times in Central Promenade Camp, an internment camp on the Isle of Man.
Gál also wrote and co-performed a musical revue titled "What a Life!" to reflect the overall internment experience. "It's a fascinating first-hand portrayal of internment from the internees' viewpoint," she said.
Snizek and seven other musicians will perform "What a Life," the Huyton Suite and a partita (an instrumental suite) for flute and piano by Franz Reizenstein. Before his internment in U.K. camps, Reizenstein had studied in London with a leading English composer, Ralph Vaughn Williams. Williams later helped secure the release from internment of many of the musician internees, including Reizenstein, his former pupil.
As part of her doctoral research, Snizek travelled to London and met with Reizenstein's son, who had just come into possession of 15 large boxes of music manuscripts and concert programs.
"It was his father's entire paper legacy," she said, adding that the first box they opened contained concert programs from the internment camp. "It was quite amazing."
Listeners will find "What a Life!" to be particularly interesting, Snizek said, because it demonstrates the actual conditions of internment. "Each movement represents an aspect of their day-to-day life in internment. One is the ballad of the German refugee, another is the barbed wire song, the women's song, the cleaning up song and the keep fit song," she said. "The ballad is very contemplative, but the whole revue, though it has its serious moments, was intended to entertain, so the tone is pretty light."
The three pieces by Gál represent the work of this should-have-been-famous composer, Snizek said. "It was only because of the Nazis dismissing him that we don't know of him today."
The performance will take place at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
After she catches the ferry back to Victoria, though, Snizek plans to continue learning about suppressed music.
"I'm hoping I can get funding and time to go back to the Isle of Man and continue to do research, hopefully for a book on the subject," she said.


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Saturday, April 25, 2009
The last Saturday of April
Opening day at Churchill Downs, Withers day at Aqueduct, the 135th Kentucky Derby a week away and spring is in the air.
When what would become the greatest tradition in American sport was first run, Ulysses S. Grant was president of the 37 United States, the total population of which was about 45 million.
In New York, the conviction of "Boss" W.M. Tweed on fraud charges marked the beginning of recovery from the financial panic of 1873 and the catcher's mask was introduced to baseball. Congress was considering authorization of the minting the 20-cent silver piece and gold was discovered in Deadwood and Wildwood gulches in South Dakota. Aristides, on May 17, the third Monday of May, defeated Volcano and 13 others, one of which was identified only as "brown colt by Baywood."
It has inspired great literary figures.
"This Kentucky Derby, whatever it is—a race, an emotion, a turbulence, an explosion—is one of the most beautiful and violent and satisfying things I have ever experienced."
—John Steinbeck
'It is now about to be the one 30 minutes past 4 o'clock out of all possible 4 o'clocks on one Saturday afternoon out of all possible Saturday afternoons.'' The 10 horses parade to post - the 10 animals which for the next two minutes will not just symbolize but bear the burden and be the justification, not just of their own individual three years of life, but of the generations of selection and breeding and training and care which brought them to this one triumphant two minutes where one will be supreme and nine will be supreme failures.
"Only a little over two minutes: one simultaneous metallic clash as the gates spring. Though you do not really know what it was you hear: whether it was that metallic crash, or the simultaneous thunder of the hooves in that first leap or the massed voices, the gasp, the exhalation--whatever it was, the clump of horses indistinguishable yet, like a brown wave dotted with the bright silks of the riders like chips flowing toward us along the rail until, approaching, we can begin to distinguish individuals, streaming past us now as individual horses--horses which (including the rider) once stood about eight feet tall and 10 feet long, now look like arrows twice that length and less than half that thickness, shooting past and bunching again as perspective diminishes, then becoming individual horses once more about the turn into the backstretch, streaming on, to bunch for the last time into the homestretch itself, then again individuals, individual horses, the individual horse, the Horse: 2:01 4/5 minutes."
--William Faulkner, Sports Illustrated, 1955
Interesting that Faulkner failed to mention the outcome: Swaps beat Nashua in that Derby.
And it has inspired others …
"On our way back to the hotel after Friday's races I warned Steadman about some of the other problems we'd have to cope with. Neither of us had brought any strange illegal drugs, so we would have to get by on booze. 'You should keep in mind,' I said, 'that almost everybody you talk to from now on will be drunk. People who seem very pleasant at first might suddenly swing at you for no reason at all.'"
--Hunter S. Thompson, Scanlan's Monthly, 1970
The Derby has inspired many voices over the last 135 years and some literature on deadline. Most of all, it has inspired people to chase an almost impossible dream fueled by the desire to wake up on a first Saturday of May and think: I've got a horse running in the Kentucky Derby today and he has a shot."
Check out Paul Moran on Blogspot At the Races