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As much as I and so many of us have all struggled during our cancer survivorship years, I've wondered from time to time how the guys in decades past managed this, prior to the connected world that we live in and benefit from today. We really do have the world at our fingertips these days, and there are so many wonderful sources of information and support that are just a click away, and people that I've met and bonded with via the Internet that I couldn't imagine having made it through my survivorship journey without. So how on Earth did the guys manage this decades ago in the relative "dark ages", before the Internet and the 24/7 connected world of the 21st century? That perspective came to me the other week in a response to my blog, "Cancer Survivorship - The Fight after the Fight and All of its Firsts". Introducing, Chris Horacek.
Chris Horacek is a 32 year survivor of testicular cancer, and is among the first generation of people out there to have survived advanced stage disease. Chris was diagnosed with mixed pathology Stage 4 (3c) testicular cancer in 1983, and despite this having occurred 30 years in the past, his story is one that will sound very familiar even today. At 24 years old, Chris and his wife of 3 years at the time, Cheryl, were both young, they had no money, and also had no health insurance! Chris had been in graduate school at Oklahoma State, and had noticed a nodule on his left testicle. He was tired all the time, and was experiencing severe weight loss of as much as 5 pounds per week. It was only when he went home for a high school graduation that he happened to hear about testicular cancer and its symptoms, because someone from the town had just died of it. Several people and doctors passed it off, but Chris knew he had it. He returned to school quickly, and talked to advisers about what was going on. He enrolled in a doctorate of education program so that he could get health insurance, and picked up a $10,000 student loan all within a few hours, and was in surgery later that afternoon.
Chris evaluated the options at both Indiana University and MD Anderson, and decided to head to Texas for treatment. He went through 3 rounds of PVB (Cisplatin, Vinblastine, and Bleomycin), and then two additional rounds of Ariamycin and Cytoxin which aren't commonly used for testicular cancer these days. It was later in the 1980's that Vinblastine in the PVB protocol was replaced with Etoposide due to lower toxicity, to form the BEP protocol that many of us have been through today. Chris was fortunate and very lucky to survive, but his tale of survivorship that he shared after reading the blog stopped me dead in my tracks, and is a must read.
Chris' post as follows:
Reading this post gave me goosebumps as I have not thought about the first few post chemo years.
Those first three years were mentally grueling, probably tougher than the actual nine months of treatment, which is hard to believe.
Back in the late 70's / early 80's we were the first survivors of advanced testicular cancer. Successful treatment was associated with a long in patient stay in a cancer ward where people lived and died on a regular basis and successful outcomes were not assured.
When release back into the world there was no counseling and it was assumed that us survivors were so happy to be alive that we would just naturally recover on the mental and spiritual side.
The cold reality after a few months was a life uncertainty on many levels, mental isolation, physical stress and debts that could probably never be repaid.
Within the first three years most of the guys I went through treatment with went through extreme depression, many taking their own lives, which to most people would be unthinkable after given a second chance.
Three years after chemo when I went in for a check up one of my best friends was back in the cancer ward with a relapse. His dad asked me to go see him, I did, he was terminal and died 20 minutes after my visit. Afterwards I flew back home and got into a bad place. Thank God for a great wife and friends who pulled me through. Ended up starting one of the first testicular cancer awareness programs in the country.
32 years later have had a great life, raised a family and am one of the longest survivors of Stage 4 TC. (Ten years ago I was one of 4 out of the 25 in my treatment group that were still vertical).
Am very Thankful for the life I have had and try to help others fighting this disease.
After all of these years I am still somewhat mystified by the lack of awareness of TC in the general population. Just last week I was having dinner with one of my younger colleagues. He is sporting a shaggy beard, which I associated with No Shave November. When I asked him about his beard he confirmed he was participating in No Shave November as a means to promote breast cancer awareness. When I asked him about TC he said yes No Shave is for all cancer awareness.
Did not let him know, but felt a it sad as after all these years our society still has a hard time talking about testicular cancer. At one time I thought No Shave November was all about testicular cancer, I guess not anymore.
Everyday young men and boys are being diagnosed with a disease they don't even know exists, which is a shame because we don't like to talk about the male anatomy.
What a terrible tragedy it was for these earliest survivors of advanced stage testicular cancer to be among the first to beat it in the later stages and have that second chance at life, only for far too many of them to fall to the extreme mental health challenges during survivorship later. It just wasn't understood back then that people, including men, would even need support at all. That's how powerful and traumatizing the aftermath of cancer can be, and what such extreme stress and anxiety and the resulting depression can cause. Whether it's clinical or situationally induced, depression is a disease all by itself. It was a deep depression that claimed the life of beloved actor Robin Williams earlier in 2014.
On one hand it was shocking to hear Chris' story and the fate of some of his peers, but on the other hand I also found it completely believable. My cancer survivorship journey has taken me to some terribly dark places. I'm not ready to say that I've contemplated suicide, but I know a testicular cancer survivor who has, and I've been at the end of my rope myself. I might have contemplated suicide for the briefest fraction of a second at one point, but knew how badly my wife and my family loved and needed me, and that I had to find a way to keep moving forward. It's scary for me to think about where I might have been or what might have happened, had I not had the benefit of so much wonderful support both in and out of the cancer community, and all of the connectedness that we enjoy today. Just knowing that I wasn't alone, and that many felt the same as me helped. Guys back then didn't even have the benefit of that, and then dealt with mental isolation on top of everything else. Cancer will continue to affect you even long after its left your body. It's merciless and won't just push you to the limit of your sanity and ability to cope, and then kindly stop. It will gleefully fling you right off the edge, and you need strong people, the very best people for you, to be a presence in your life to help support you when you fall. It requires support.
Like Chris and many other cancer survivors that I've talked to, so many of us end up feeling the same way. The challenges that we face in life after cancer can easily outweigh the challenges of the physical fight against cancer itself. It is unthinkable. What on Earth could possibly be worse or more challenging than the pure hell we'd just been through fighting cancer for months on end? But I can tell you with a straight face sitting here today, it was harder. So much harder. The extreme stress and anxiety of so much uncertainty is real. The emotional roller coaster of each surveillance appointment and scan is real. The potential hormonal issues, and having our lives turned completely upside down is real. And the perpetual fear of not knowing if there's something still inside of us that's going to try to start killing us again or not is real too, along with the terror of just being afraid of living in our own skin, and the feeling of being trapped in our own bodies with no escape.
We've certainly come a long ways in the past 30 years as far as awareness about testicular cancer. Many people have at least heard of it, and the medical profession is aware of the challenges of survivorship, but there's still practically zero awareness in the general public about the challenges and need for support long after cancer. So much progress has been made, but there's still a long ways to go both on spreading awareness about the disease itself, and the challenges of survivorship. According to TCAF Founder and CEO Kim Jones, social media and especially Facebook has been the greatest single tool in these modern times for getting the word out and helping to spread awareness, and for helping people to find support. A lot of progress has been made even in the past 5 years, and as Kim puts it we're making strides one day, one month, and one year at a time.
Thank you, Chris, for your willingness to share your survivorship story with the TCAF community, and congratulations on being a 32 year survivor of stage 4 testicular cancer! To be able to catch this historical glimpse of what cancer survivorship was like at a time when there was no awareness and no support at all, reinforces just how vital and important our mission is here today, and how much work we've still yet to do. Best wishes to you my friend, and especially to your wife Cheryl on her breast cancer survivorship journey. Here's to many more and continued all clears to you both! Thank you!


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If you are embarrassed by a crooked smile or misaligned teeth, orthodontic care can greatly improve the way you look and feel. Today's orthodontic treatments give patients more control over their desired aesthetic outcome without compromising their oral health. Dr. Robert Milner offers several orthodontic treatments and would gladly discuss your options with you. To learn how orthodontic care can help restore your willingness to smile, schedule an appointment with our Mission Viejo office by calling 949-859-8899.
Can I Benefit from Orthodontic Treatment?
People of all ages can benefit from orthodontics. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have an evaluation by age 7. However, the AAO estimates more than 30 percent of all orthodontic patients are adults. You may benefit from orthodontics if you have:
- Difficulty chewing or biting
- Crowded, misplaced or protruding teeth
- Misaligned bite
- Difficulty speaking
- Facial pain from grinding or clenching of the teeth
Orthodontic Treatment Options in Mission Viejo
Braces consist of brackets that are affixed to teeth and wires that are threaded through slots in the brackets. Dr. Milner offers both traditional metal braces, the standard for straightening teeth; and ceramic braces, tooth-colored brackets that blend into the color of your teeth, making them nearly invisible. Braces are worn 24/7 and are typically worn for one to two years, depending on each patient's dental needs.
Invisible Braces
Aligners are clear, thin, plastic-like trays that are custom-made to fit your teeth. Each aligner is worn for two to three weeks, and moves teeth a fraction of a millimeter at a time. Aligners are removable and the patient will need to remove them during meals and brushing and flossing. The number of aligners needed to correct misaligned teeth varies based on the individual's orthodontic problem and its correction.
What to Expect During Your Orthodontic Evaluation
During your first orthodontic visit, we will use several methods to determine the best treatment for you, including:
- Oral, facial and functional evaluation
- Intraoral and facial photographs
- Panoramic and cephalometric X-rays
- Impressions for models of your teeth and bite
During your consultation, we will also review your dental records and take your preferences into consideration. For instance, if you require extensive correction to your bite, traditional braces may be best for you instead of aligners. If you are concerned about the appearance of metal braces in your mouth, you may opt for clear aligners or tooth-colored braces. The duration of your orthodontic treatment will depend on how much correction is needed.
Why Wait for a Straighter Smile?
The sooner you schedule an orthodontic appointment with us, the sooner you can achieve the flawless, straight smile you have always dreamed of. Dr. Milner is proud to offer only the most advanced orthodontic treatments so you no longer have to hide your smile. Schedule an appointment with us by calling our Mission Viejo office at 949-859-8899.

subset: commoncrawl


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Focus On
- Admission
- The calls for applications for the a.y. 2019/2020.
- Grants and exemptions
- Every students of Collegio Superiore receives a grant.
Calls of competition
Published calls of competition, relevant documentation and archive
Noticeboard (IT version)
- News
- Events
- Conferences, cultural events and meetings organized by the Collegio Superiore.
- The interdisciplinary education
- Classes and seminars complement the University program.


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As the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are shrinking, providers need to turn to state of the art telemedicine platforms that improve home healthcare services. It is pretty evident, to deliver proactive care, powerful telemedicine and remote patient monitoring solutions are the need of the hour!
While a telehealth platform costs an approximate $700 per patient for a 60-day plan of care, re-hospitalizations would have cost the health system roughly $8000 for each patient! A competent digital health platform that also extends the bandwidth for the patients to access health and wellness information in a personalized manner is the need of the hour.
First Health of the Carolinas, a five hospital-based health system based in Pinehurst N.C saved about $ 2 million by using quality telehealth to take care of their high-risk patients. To better home healthcare services, many providers and health systems are using advanced digital tools and streamlined telemedicine platforms to better care possibilities for the patients.
GoTelecare is the only healthcare services company that has integrated telemedicine with a complete revenue cycle management solution! Our fully automated system for monitoring critical patient vitals around the clock sends instant alerts whenever a threshold is breached.
We provide one of the most comprehensive and scalable platforms in telemedicine featuring remote patient monitoring, teleradiology, store and forward, online payment and e-invoices, HD video set up with appointment scheduler ensuring 100% HIPAA compliance and accountability.
Our team will be providing complete support with lead generation, account management, marketing, and training. GoTelecare is looking for channel partners, full-time healthcare professionals, doctors that will be extending our solutions in telemedicine and revenue cycle management. Every franchisee of GoTelecare will be provided a dedicated business manager that will responsible for lead generation and account management.
As a dynamic homecare franchise, we will extend your business potential with our disciplined support. Partner with us and become a part of a champion homecare franchise that believes in an evolving delivery of care management. Our proven marketing communication standards, with a full-fledged expert sales team will be providing you the right support that you need for business closures at zero extra cost!


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CBS won large increases in the fees it will receive from Time Warner Cable in its agreement with the cable operator that ended a month-long blackout of CBS, Showtime and other channels in key cities, analysts said.
CBS was asking for as much as $2 a month in "retransmission fees" to allow Time Warner to carry the CBS network and other channels for each of its 3.2 million cable subscribers in the affected areas. That would be a large hike from the current CBS monthly fee of around 56 cents a subscriber, although any increase would be phased in over the life of the contract.
The standoff between CBS, the top-rated U.S. broadcaster and Time Warner Cable, the country's second-largest cable operator, was seen as a major test of whether Time Warner Cable could withstand price increases for programming that threatens to reduce earnings for U.S. TV distribution companies and raise consumer prices.
(Read more: CBS, TWC end bitter fight on verge of NFL season)
"CBS is the winner. Content owners always win these negotiations, it's just a matter of how much they won," said cable and telecommunications analyst Craig Moffett of Moffett Research.
"They have all the leverage. Consumers don't get mad and trade in their channel when these fights drag on. They go looking for a different satellite or telephone company."
The companies did not disclose terms of the contract, and spokespeople would not comment.


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Writing an Essay for College
Many of us have a dream once to become a student. To attain that goal one must aim the target and move directly towards it fulfilling all requirements. One of such requirements is writing essays for college. Wherever you are going to apply to, any institution will assign to write an essay. Basically, there is nothing hard in such task but still students face a lot of stumbling blocks.
Though nowadays there is a great deal of information about essays online, let's clarify a bit and write it down.
Why assign?
All of us have at least once at a life time written an essay. Most of us even succeeded in such a performance. But none has asked himself "why?" What is the reason and why writing an essay for college is so widely used and popular check of one's knowledge. Is it really that good to examine what a student knows?
Honestly, not. To find out the reasons for assigning an essay as a form of check let's learn the purpose of essay writing:
• learn a particular topic and express your own opinion;
• analyze events and provide findings;
• to see how well, widely and free you can show what's on your mind;
• to find out your writing clarity;
• to trace your train of thoughts.
As you can see the main idea of essay writing does not refer estimating one's store of knowledge. Usually the topic you are supposed to write about is widely known and in some instance you are allowed to use helping sources in the process. Dealing with writing essays for college you are to express yourself.
Though essay writing is rather a creative work than an academic one, there are still a lot or requirements to follow. Most of them discourage students to write and force them to buy essays using paper writing services.
Essay customizing
More often than not a teacher or the professor gives his recommendations to students revealing what is needed. One may state stylistic requirements, appearance form, binding, essay type, form and lengths. Though there exist general rules for essay writing you can face totally different from common tasks to write custom essays. In such case you must follow requirements provided by your mentor and nothing else.
When attending to a university or college one may get a task to write an essay in absentia. In this instance you should apply to institution web page and learn recommendations pointed in appropriate section. If not – use general rules.
If something would go wrong or opposite to your intentions, do not hesitate or worry. Just go online and type write essay for me. Pressing Enter button will leave your problems no chance.


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Bronck Museum
Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2015
Tours begin at 11am, 1pm & 3pm each day
There had already been more than a few frosty mornings. The welcome hours of extra light provided by the harvest and the hunter's moons had already come and gone. The snow moon would arrive soon. Each afternoon as the retreating sun sank in the west, deep shadows crept from corners to envelope the whole house in a dim chill. The attics and cellars are filled with barrels of corn, piles of fat squash and pumpkins. Strings of dried apples dangle from the beams. The cider has been made and stored in the barrel cellar. Sweet and savory pies have been piled in the attic chests to await the arrival of the truly freezing temperatures of winter. Soon it would be cold enough to butcher and to make candles. This was the season the first European colonists knew as "harvest home" a time for celebration.
On the weekend of November 14th and 15th the Bronck Museum near Coxsackie will hold its Chilly Willy Winter's Eve tours a celebration of a series of ancient, but now mostly forgotten celebrations. The venerable Bronck houses will be decorated for the celebrations of Martinmas, St. Nicholas Day and St. Lucia Day. The ancient legends will be told. Visitors will learn how a goose was replaced by a turkey and how one old holiday gave rise to two modern holidays. The Martinmas lanterns are lit, the corn dolly hangs on the front door beside the Lucy bundle. Inside the klompen are ready. The Lucy Kator sits patiently on the parlor stairs and the Lucy crown has been prepared. Visitors will be led by a costumed guide and pass through rooms which approximate the temperatures and light levels present during winters in the 1700s, warm attire is strongly suggested. Swedish and Dutch refreshments will be served. The tours leave from the Bronck Museum Visitor Center at 11, 1 and 3 each day. Seating for this special event is limited and is offered on a first come first served basis. Adult admission for this event is $8, GCHS members and children $4. The Bronck Museum is located just off US 9W 1.5 miles south of the intersection of routes 9W, 385 and 81 near Coxsackie, N.Y., and is easily reached via Thruway Exit 21B. This event is made possible in part by public funds provided by the Greene County Legislature thru the Greene County Cultural Fund administered by the GCCA. For more information about the Bronck Museum or this event visit gchistory.org or call (518) 731-6490.


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We had quite an exciting adventure this past weekend as we traveled to Santa Barbara for the grand opening of Josh's MFA thesis gallery show. The opening was a huge success and Josh' body of work entitled, Exiting Existence, was very well received. Josh's entire show will be on display at Brooks Institute's Gallery 27, October 1st - October 31st, 2009.
Artist Statement: Exiting Existence
We live in a society of great personal freedoms, and yet we imprison ourselves in so many ways. We surround ourselves with false promises, and we create personas based upon our possessions. We have become slaves to the daily grind, devoting our lives to our work and losing ourselves in the process. We trade our identities for paychecks. We worship the gods of progress, but we do not honor our existence.
I created this body of work to express my mounting distress over these occurrences. Widespread acceptance of the status quo continually fuels my need to share these concerns. Photography gives me a lens and a set of filters that help to actively focus how I see the world around me. The power of photography lies within its ability to transform a subject into symbols which reverberate with greater power, and I could not imagine a better tool to use in order to express my views.
I propose that we actually start living, rather than waiting for some entity to come along and define us.


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What can I find in the library?
- Books and eBooks - all the best books around - from board books for babies, picture books and beginner readers to a wide range of children's fiction for older readers.
- Talking Books on CD and eAudiobooks - to listen to on-the-go.
- Search the catalogue for books and talking books on CD
- Access our eBooks and eAudiobooks services
- DVDs - we have a great range of DVDs for children and families. These must be borrowed on an adult library card and there is a small hire charge.
- Homework resources - we have books on all subjects for hobbies, interests and homework. Our children's online reference shelf gives access to a wide range of reference and information sources.
- Computers and Internet - children are very welcome to use library computers, but if they are under 16 years of age they will need a parent or carer to either sign a permission form our use the computer with them.
- Books and websites offering help and advice for families:
How many items can I borrow and for how long?
You can borrow up to 20 items from the library, with a maximum of six DVDs and 12 talking books at any one time.
Books and talking books may be borrowed for three weeks. As long as they haven't been requested by another library user you can renew your books, either by visiting the library, by email or telephone, or online.
There are no charges on overdue children's books borrowed on a children's or young adult's ticket.
What if I can't find what I want?
If you can't find a particular book at your local library, or if it is being borrowed by someone else, you can request a copy from another library. Just ask a member of staff, or reserve it yourself online if you prefer.
It doesn't cost anything to reserve a children's book on a children's library card.
What if I need help finding books and information
If you ever need help finding a particular book or some information, you can:
- Ask a member of staff for help.
- Have a look at the library catalogue either in the library or at home.
- if you need an answer to a particular question, why not ask Digital Services?
What else happens at the library?
- Storytimes and Rhymetimes.
- Pebble Reading Adventure for the under fives.
- Children's reading groups.
- Holiday activities, including the annual Summer Reading Challenge.
- Visits by authors and storytellers.
Ask your local library for details.


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I have actually known Chrystal forever and have been close to her family for almost 30 years now. So you can only imagine how happy I was to hear that she wanted us to be the wedding photographers capturing her and Walt's special day. Chrystal wanted a rustic outdoor reception with fun games for everyone there. The tent was set up on her families land with the Blue Ridge Mountains as their backdrop! You couldn't ask for a better scenic view. Here's just a few photos from that beautiful event. We are very pleased for the two of them and wish them only the best in their journey.
Leave some love for this amazing couple, and let us know what you think.
Daniel Yopp
Better Tie Productions
In this blog:
greenville sc wedding photography, DIY outdoor wedding, blue ridge mountain wedding, Professional party rentals, wine barrel tables, event photographer, event photographer greenville sc, wedding pics, wedding pictures, event photographer


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If you're a strict vegetarian or vegan, you're not getting enough zinc from your diet.***z-below-paragraph-1.html***
This is because the highest amounts of zinc are found in red meat and shellfish.
Another problem is most vegetarians eat a lot of whole grains and plant proteins. These foods are high in phytic acid, which interferes with zinc absorption. If you are like most vegetarians, you may need up to 50% more zinc than non-vegetarians
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that's critical for growth and development. Your body also needs zinc for a healthy immune system, healthy skin, reproduction, blood clotting, vision, taste, smell, insulin and thyroid function, and to fight infections.
"The light-headed feeling of detachment that enshrouds some vegetarians can be caused by hidden Zinc hunger, rather than by some mystical quality of the brown rice or other food consumed."
- Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) depends on your age and sex.
|8 mg
|8 mg
|11 mg
|9 mg
|19 +
|11 mg
|8 mg
The Daily Value (DV) for zinc is 15 mg for both adults and children that are 4 and older. For strict vegetarians that eat a lot of fiber, grains, and legumes, the requirement is 50% higher. This is because these foods are high in phytic acid, which interferes with your body's ability to absorb zinc.
Symptoms of a mild zinc deficiency include slow wound healing, loss of appetite, and a weakened immune system. Severe zinc deficiencies are rare.
|Hemp Seeds (1 oz.)
|3.2 mg
|Crimini mushrooms (5 oz.)
|1.56 mg
|Spinach (1 cup)
|1.37 mg
|Pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup)
|2.57 mg
|Sesame seeds (1/4 cup)
|2.8 mg
|Cashews, dry roasted (1 ounce)
|1.6 mg
|Bran Flakes (1 cup)
|2.0 mg
|Wheat Germ (2 tablespoons)
|2.7 mg
|Adzuki Beans
|2 mg
|1.3 mg
|1.4 mg
|1.2 mg
|Granola (1/2 cup)
|1.3 mg
|Tempeh (1/2 cup cooked)
|1 mg
|Tofu (1/2 cup firm)
|1 mg
Some zinc is also found in sea vegetables, summer squash, cheese, asparagus, chard, collard greens, miso, lentils, broccoli, peas, and whole grains.
Whole grains are richer in zinc than refined grains that have not been fortified. This is because most of the zinc is found in the germ and bran portions of the grains. During the milling process these parts of the grain are lost, and so is up to 80% of the zinc.
Most vegetarians can't get enough zinc from their diets, so they eat foods fortified with it, or take a zinc supplement.
There are different types of zinc supplements, including zinc gluconate, zinc sulfate, zinc acetate, zinc picolinate, zinc citrate, zinc glycerate, and zinc monomethionine.
There's no evidence that there's a difference in zinc absorption or bioavailability between the different types of zinc. But, some are easier on the stomach than others. So if you experience stomach upset, try a different type, like zinc citrate.
Getting enough zinc with plant sources is a challenge. But supplements and fortified foods can easily fill the gap.
Jennifer J. Otten, Jennifer Pitzi Hellwig, Linda D. Meyers, Editors, Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements, National Academies Press
Ann Louise Gittleman, Candelora Versace, James Templeton, Your Body Knows Best, (Pocket, 1997)
The world's healthiest foods, www.whfoods.org
King JC, Cousins RJ. Zinc. In: Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, eds., Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006:271-285.
Linus Pauling Institute at Ohio State University, Micronutrient Information Center http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/Zinc/
Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH
University of Maryland Medical Center, Complementary Medicine www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/Zinc-000344.htm
You've probably heard it a million times; you are what you eat. But what you may not know is the food you eat doesn't just affect your physical body, it also affects your moods. This is because food a…
In my last post, I wrote about the physiological reasons we have cravings for sugar, including the chemicals that are involved, and how emotional eating can cause food addictions. In today's post, we…
More than likely, you're familiar with emotional eating – most of us are. You get this strong craving for comfort foods, especially sweets. And those cravings don't relent until you give in and indulg…


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U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is a public listed multi-state financial banking companies holding company in United States of America (USA). Workers reserve a vehicle online via a smartphone app or a web based reservation platform. Relying on the employer, an organization car can be utilized for only business use or for both business and private use. Individual managers are additionally usually mediators in corporate philanthropy and stakeholder influence. In the present day I was heading to the airport when the automotive fully lost all energy to the cvt.
Merely put, you have no locus standi or legal capability to contract with me. The enforcement of any parking charge is unique to the landowner (2) (3) Furthermore, it's incumbent upon the actual landowner to exhibit that he has suffered precise monetary loss on account of me exceeding any contractual phrases, if any, in what's a free automobile park.
So, in other words, as the PPC has no proper in Regulation to enter into a contract with a land user on behalf of the landowner, then there will be no breach of contract as one would not really exist. At first I was skeptical as any used car buyer must be however once I met them and noticed their stock I used to be quickly reassured.
Purchased it in 2007 with 14000 miles on it. My dream automobile after having 2 main back operations it allowed me the comfort I required. Teachers outline environmental champions as individuals who can attractively express a personal vision about environmental safety that's in tune with both business's needs and wider public concern and who convince and enable organisation members to turn environmental issues into profitable corporate packages and innovations.
As chances are you'll count on, our options are subject to limitations and/or exclusions, so please converse to our call centre or view our policy paperwork online for further details. They took the registered keeper of a car to Courtroom for non-payment of a 'Parking Charge'. One of the newer additions to Guide Rides Online is the enhancement of their on-line reservation type by giving you, the proprietor, the power to arrange pricing tables to supply instantaneous quotes to your shoppers for an even better experience.


text: Homeland Defense Forces provide life-saving capabilities in the event of a national emergency as a result of natural or manmade disasters. Specialists, trained in identification, treatment, containment, decontamination of potential threats and search and rescue techniques, provide life saving capabilities to the local community and country during their greatest time of need. The Air National Guard's Homeland Defense Forces are there in the community ready to respond at a moments notice assisting state and local governments in protecting and safeguarding local communities.


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In celebration of the Kentucky Derby, here's an appropriate song.
Back in the 80s I went to a Dan Fogelberg concert with my friends. It was in Jersey. We got lost and ended up getting there late. (Fact: Anyone who does not live in New Jersey will inevitably get lost when driving in that state. ) Ever since, I have vowed never, ever to attend an event in Jersey unless it was to visit family.
Also in honor of the Derby, we have Mint Juleps. This is because any event that has it's own food or drink is fun. That's why I cook Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo, Cajun food for Mardis Gras, and Chinese food on the Lunar New Year.
I am about to share with you how I make Mint Juleps – bourbon, simple sugar, mint, and ice. You can easily Google it and get 20 different recipes. (If you click on the above image, you'll get a recipe for a batch of 'em.) Here's the secret to mine. It is the same secret I use to mix up fabulous Mojitos. My secret ingredient is mint simple syrup. Simmer a cup of water with 15 or 20 mint leaves. Strain the leaves. Add a cup of sugar. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Use in place of regular simple syrup for minty goodness in mojitos & mint juleps. It makes all the difference. Trust me.


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Dr Sabine Sorgel
Dr. Sabine Sörgel received her PhD in Performance and Media Studies from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany where she taught theory and history of theatre and dance until 2008. In 2003 she was visiting scholar at the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica and conducted field research with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica in Kingston. Her book Dancing Postcolonialism - The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica was published by Transcript Verlag in 2007. From 2008 unitl 2012 she was Lecturer in Drama, Theatre and Performance at the Department of Drama, Theatre and Performance, Aberystwyth University, Wales. In 2011/12 she was research fellow at the International research centre Interweaving Performance Cultures at the FU Berlin. Since 2013 she has been appointed Senior Lecturer in Dance and Theatre at the University of Surrey. Her current research interests include postcolonial theory, cross-cultural corporeality and identity construction in contemporary theatre and dance performance.
Research interests
Postcolonial theatre and performance; contemporary dance and dance theatre; theatre and ritual; identity and performance.
Completed Research Projects
2011-2012: Research Fellow at "Interweaving Peformance Cultures" International Research Centre, FU Berlin. The research project investigated performance in the context of international festivals, globalization and cosmopolitanism. During the fellowship period, the focus was placed on the dance theatre of Faustin Linyekula (DR Congo), Gregory Maqoma (South Africa) and Akram Khan (UK). Outcomes of the research were presented at Tanzkongress Düsseldorf 2013 and are documented online (http://www.tanzkongress.de/tanzkongress2013/en/documentation/video/recordings.html)
2007-2008: Alterity and Performative Knowledge: Contemporary Re-Definitions of Modernity and Modernism in the Atlantic Triangle. Details: Dance workshop "Jamaican Traditional Folk Forms & Yoruba Bata Drumming and Dance" in co-operation with invited guest lecturers Christopher Walker (National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica) and Jeleel Ojuade (Performing Arts Dept. Illorin Univ. Nigeria) ", IPP Summer School "Traditions of Modernity" July 2007 Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz. (http://www.zis.uni-mainz.de/167.php)
2002-2005: Dancing Postcolonialism The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (Transcript, 2007). Details: Visiting researcher at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, School of Dance. Participant in the Summer Dance Workshop "Caribbean Dance in the 21st Century - Caribbean Folk Based Contemporary Forms" 2003. Field research on Caribbean modern and folk dance traditions with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Funding Body: German National Merit Foundation, Doctoral Fellowship and International PhD Programme (IPP) Performance and Media Studies funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and German Research Foundation (DFG). (http://www.transcript-verlag.de/ts642/ts642.php)
DAN2027: The Body in Dance III: Historical Perspectives
DAN032: Dramaturgy: Devising for Dance, Theatre and Performance
DAN3033: Dissertation
DAN3032: Globalization and Performance
DAN3026: Research Methodologies
CPDM010: Physical Performance
Departmental duties
Programme Director BA Dance/ BA Dance and Culture (2013-2018)
My publications
Books & Monographs
Dance and the Body in Western Theatre: 1948 to the Present. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 2015.
Dancing Postcolonialism. The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (Bielefeld: Transcript, 2007).
Co-Edited Volumes
Theater seit den 1990er Jahren, eds. Friedemann Kreuder and Sabine Sörgel (Tübingen: Francke, 2008).
Essays in Edited Volumes
"The Interweaving of Movement Cultures in Gregory Maqoma's Beautiful Me." Eds. Gabriele Brandstetter, Gerko Egert and Holger Hartung. The Movements of Interweaving. London: Routledge, 2019.
"The Global Politics of Faustin Linyekula's Dance Theatre: From Congo to Berlin and back via Brussels and Avignon." Eds. Gabriele Brandstetter and Holger Hartung. Moving Across Borders. Performing Translation, Intervention, Participation. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2017.
"Transnationalism and Contemporary African Dance: Faustin Linyekula." Eds. Gabriele Klein and Sandra Noeth. Emerging Bodies: The Performance of Worldmaking in Dance and Choreography. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 2011. pp. 83-93.
"Like an endless stream of lava and love. Mnemonic Re-Enactment, Autobiography, and the Postcolonial Politics of Performance in Trevor D. Rhone's Bellas Gate Boy." Ed. Alfred Hornung. Auto/Biography and Mediation. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2010. pp. 483-493
"1968: Contextualizing Contemporary Dance and Dance Theatre." In: Politik mit dem Körper. Performative Praktiken in Theater, Medien und Alltagskultur seit 1968. Ed. Friedemann Kreuder und Michael Bachmann. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 2009. pp 223-233.
"Zur Medialität des Performativen im zeitgenössischen Tanz/Theater." Ed. Henri Schoenmakers, Stefan Bläske, Kay Kirchmann et al. Theater und Medien. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2008. pp 319-329.
"Realismus-Variationen: Themen und Tendenzen des Gegenwartstheaters zwischen Glamour, neuer Bürgerlichkeit und Dokumentarismus." Eds. Friedemann Kreuder and Sabine Sörgel. Theater seit den 1990er Jahren. Tübingen: Francke, 2008. pp 111-124.
"Tanz-Genealogien: Tanz(Ge)schichte(n) von Kurt Jooss zu Sasha Waltz." Eds. Friedemann Kreuder, Stefan Hulfeld, Andreas Kotte. Theaterhistoriographie. Kontinuitäten und Brüche in Diskurs und Praxis. Tübingen: Francke, 2007. pp 311-328.
"Staging the Caribbean - Derek Walcott's Theatre in Performance." Ed. Klaus Stierstorfer. Reading the Caribbean: Approaches to Anglophone Caribbean Literature and Culture. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2007. pp 189-210.
"Recovering Folk as Art: The Social Repositioning of Grassroots Culture in Jamaican Dance Theatre." Eds. Huggan, Graham/ Klasen, Stephan. Perspectives on Endangerment. Hildesheim: Olms Verlag, 2005. pp 179-185.
"Spirituality and Epic Memory in Christopher Walker's Fragile, NDTC 41st Dance Season 2003." Eds. Christopher Balme and Meike Wagner. Beyond Aesthetics: Performance, Media, and Cultural Studies. Trier: WVT, 2004. pp 93-99.
"Dancing Cultural Identity - Das Beispiel der NDTC (1962-2003)." Eds. Krassimira Kruschkova and Nele Lipp. Tanz anderswo: intra- und interkulturell. Münster: LIT Verlag, 2004. pp 177-187.
Journal Articles
"Von der Manie zur Melancholie. Tanzhistoriographie im kulturhistorischen Vergleich." Forum Modernes Theater 23.1. (2008) 19-28.
"Tanz(Ge)schichte(n) der Moderne im Tanztheater der Gegenwart am Beispiel von Kurt Jooss, Pina Bausch, Sasha Waltz und Wanda Golonka." Forum Modernes Theater 21.1 (2006) 61-78.
Book Reviews
Foster, Susan Leigh. Ed. Worlding Dance, in: Theatre Research International 36:1 (2011) 83-84.
Briginshaw, Valerie and Ramsay Burt. Writing Dancing Together, in: Theatre Research International 36:1 (2011) 83-84.
Fischer-Lichte, Erika. Theaterwissenschaft eine Einfűhrung in die Grundlagen des Faches, in: Forum Modernes Theater 25:1 (2010) 107-109.
Okagbue, Osita and Christine Matzke. Eds. African Theatre: Diasporas, in: African Performance Review 2010.
Selected International Conference Papers
Nov 2014, conference paper, "Contemporary African or African Contemporary Dance", Re-Generations Conference, South Pavilion Dance, Bournemouth.
June 2013, conference paper, "Dance, Globalization and Capitalism," Tanzkongress, Düsseldorf, Germany.
July 2010, conference paper, "Between Dance and Theatre: Archetype and the Modernist Legacy," Cultures of Modernity, IFTR Annual Conference, Munich, Germany.
Oct 2008, conference paper, "Mediating the Body Politic. Contemporary Dance and Transnationalism," Orbis Pictus - Theatrum Mundi, 9th International Congress of the German Society for Theatre Studies, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sept 2008, conference paper, "Deconstructing Diaspora. Contemporary Dance and Cosmopolitanism," Conference on African and Afro-Caribbean Performance, University of California, Berkeley.
July 2007, conference paper, "Conjuring the Spirit in Contemporary Theatre: An Interrogation of African Aesthetics", Theatre in Africa - Africa in the Theatre, 50th Annual Conference International Federation for Theatre Research, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
June 2007, conference paper, "Embodying Kinaesthetics: Practice/Theory of Caribbean Dance Theatre", Re-Thinking Practice and Theory, International Symposium on Dance Research, co-sponsored by CORD and SDHS, Centre National de la Danse, Paris.
Nov. 2006, conference paper, "Mnemonic Re-enactment and Corporeality in Caribbean Theatre and Dance Performance", ASTR Seminar "In Our Hands: Black Theatre at the Crossroads", American Society for Theatre Research 50th anniversary conference, Chicago.
Aug 2006, conference paper, "The Global Politics of Performance Nomadism: Helena Waldmann's Letters from Tentland and Mohammad Aghebati's Kiss You and Tears at Iran's Fadjr Festival and Abroad", International Federation for Theatre Research (FIRT), University of Helsinki, Finland.


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Abortion Should Be Legal Because an Individual Has a Right To Their Own Life
Good criticism of religious conservatives like Rush Limbaugh on why they are wrong to oppose a woman's right to her own body.
Good criticism of religious conservatives like Rush Limbaugh on why they are wrong to oppose a woman's right to her own body.
The two key issues to focus on are: the nature of a fetus, and the nature of individual rights.
The first issue to grasp is the difference between potential and actual. A fetus is not an actual human being, but is human tissue. A fetus is only a potential human being, just like an acorn is a potential oak tree. That a fetus is potential human being, does not make it an actual one. Once you grasp this point, you need to grasp a much more complex point — which is not self-evident — about the nature of rights.
The second issue to grasp is that rights only apply to actual human beings. Rights only apply to human beings; they apply to human beings because man survives by reason. Men do not survive — at least for long — like animals do in the jungle. Rather then hunting for food like an animal, man grows it. He builds houses to protect himself from hurricanes and storms. He creates clothing to keep warm. He discovers drugs to kill bacteria that may cause him harm. He manufactures refrigerators to keep his food fresh. This is why man has rights — and animals do not — to leave his mind free to think, and his body free to act on that thinking. As a fetus does not use reason to survive; but, rather it survives on the sustenance provided by the body of its' host, a fetus has no rights, and no need for rights. A fetus has no right to life, liberty, property.
The key issue in this context is that a fetus has no right to be inside the body of another human being, because no such right exists. Yet, this is the only kind of 'right' it requires to exist. To grant the fetus such a right, would make its host — the pregnant mother — a slave. Slavery is not a right.
This in essence is the case for a woman's moral right to abortion: a fetus is not an actual human being, but is only human tissue inside the body of an actual human being. Rights only apply to actual human beings (whether a new born child, or a hundred year old grandfather, or a pregnant woman), as they require freedom to act by the use of their mind.
What motivates women who crusade against abortion? I've always wondered this.
I think the American philosopher Ayn Rand identifies their motivation. It is not love, but hatred. Writes Rand:
"I cannot project the degree of hatred required to make those women run around in crusades against abortion. Hatred is what they certainly project, not love for the embryos, which is a piece of nonsense no one could experience, but hatred, a virulent hatred for an unnamed object…Their hatred is directed against human beings as such, against the mind, against reason, against ambition, against success, against love, against any value that brings happiness to human life. In compliance with the dishonesty that dominates today's intellectual field, they call themselves 'pro-life.' "
Writes Onkar Ghate on the relationship between individual rights as the basis for a woman's right to abortion:
Religious conservatives like Paul Ryan have to distance themselves from Rand's philosophy. Theirs is an inconsistent position. Ryan, for instance, wants to be seen as an advocate of individual rights while simultaneously making a mockery of a woman's right to the pursuit of happiness by proposing to force her to bring a pregnancy to term even in the case of rape.
Rand rejects such medievalism. Precisely because raising a child is a personal and immense undertaking, a woman must have the freedom to judge whether and when to have children. To equate an embryo with a human being, a potential with the actual, and then to declare the willful ending of a pregnancy murder, is to abandon reason and science in favor of mystical Church dogmas. No government, Rand argued, should have the power to dictate to a woman in such matters; it's her life and her decision. ["A Liberal Ayn Rand?", 11 November 2012, Onkar Ghate]


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Community Free Democrats put our progressive values into action by endorsing and campaigning for candidates for elected office whom we believe will best embody and advance the core tenets of our beliefs.
We also shine a spotlight on the issues of the day, using our monthly meetings to hear from experts and activists on the front lines of the challenges we face as a City, State and nation.
CFD mobilizes for protests, lobbying efforts, outreach and other events to show support for our causes and for individuals and groups who are caught up in injustice and oppression here on the Upper West Side, throughout our City, and beyond. We use our strength in numbers and our words and actions to influence decision-makers and to comfort and reassure those who bear the brunt of decisions and programs that fail to embody our values.
with like minded activists on the Upper Westside and the rest of Manhattan.
local politicians and representatives through petitions and social media.
Our views in public forums and rallies across the city.


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Comeback(redirected from Come-Back)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms.
Australian breed of wool sheep, bred by crossing Merino with Corriedale, Polwarth or Zenith sheep; wool is 21 to 25 microns. It is a registered breed, but the term is more commonly used in the sense of a type of sheep produced by crossbreeding a crossbred Merino back to Merino.


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An Interview with John Heiss
John Heiss is an active composer, conductor, flutist, and teacher. His works have been performed worldwide, receiving premieres by Speculum Musicae, Boston Musica Viva, Collage New Music, the Da Capo Chamber Players, Aeolian Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, and Alea III. He has received awards and commissions from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, Fromm Foundation, NEA, Rockefeller Foundation, Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, ASCAP, and the Guggenheim Foundation. His principal publishers are Boosey & Hawkes, E.C. Schirmer, and Elkus & Son. Heiss has been principal flute of Boston Musica Viva and has performed with many local ensembles, including the BSO. His articles on contemporary music have appeared in Winds Quarterly, Perspectives of New Music, and The Instrumentalist. Along with Juilliard faculty Joel Sachs, Heiss has designed and written a book/CD-Rom classical music primer for Blue Marble Music entitled Classical Explorer. Starting in the 1970s, Heiss has directed many NEC festivals dedicated to composers or themes, and has spearheaded visits to NEC by many composers, including Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Berio, Carter, Messiaen, Schuller, and Tippett. Microcosms was given its world premiere as a string quartet on June 12, 2015 at NEC; Winsor Music will give the world premiere of the oboe version, created for Peggy Pearson, at its first concert tonight, October 4th, 7pm at St. Paul's Church in Brookline, MA. Tickets are available in advance at discounted prices until 6pm.
Thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I saw in a past interview that you gave about Whimsies that it contains "in-jokes" that makes the performers laugh and that are enjoyed by the audience. Are there these in-jokes in Microcosms, since it's related to Whimsies? Can you explain that relationship?
Microcosms is derived from Whimsies, which I wrote for Fenwick Smith. He commissioned it in 2001; he said: "Make it light-hearted" and I said: Great, that's just the mood I'm in anyway, I'll do that. A Whimsy is a short, kind of epigraphical saying which brings a smile. Benjamin Franklin has many of those. I thought to do some short movements, in fact, some very short movements, and to make something large as a compilation of short things. As I got going, the movements, although they began with things that were quite brief, opened out, and became a little more full. There are eight movements in that piece and there are eight movements in this [Microcosms]. What I thought, for the last thirteen years, when Peggy talked to me about doing a piece, was that this was a good flute and piano piece, and then I thought: Wait a minute! This could make a terrific string quartet! There's a lot of harmony, a lot of what I might call… not just chromatic harmony but sort of poly-triadic harmony, chords that are really groovy but that contain maybe at least two triads, two different ones put together. I thought about the jazz pianist Bill Evans, of course. Ligeti's étude dedicated to Bill Evans, in Volume One of the Études, No. 5, called "Rainbows" — it's a marvelous understanding by Ligeti of the idiom of jazz, which I grew up in. I was a saxophone player, played the piano, and of course played the flute primarily, but I led bands and all that. So I got to thinking about how to set the piece in the new clothing in such a way that, now that it's a string quartet, it really isn't a flute piece anymore, or even close.
Some other composers have done that occasionally — Stravinsky or Ives, two of my favorites, will tend to reimagine a piece of theirs, and provide a different context, a different instrumentation, and a different title! Stravinsky's early five-finger piano pieces called "Les Cinq Doigts" (The Five Fingers), he orchestrated about forty years later for a chamber ensemble, somewhat close to the orchestration of the Dumbarton Oaks concerto. He made a piece that he called 8 Instrumental Miniatures, and now instead of just one player, there are fifteen players. Instead of the sequence of movements that he originally started with, it's a different sequence, and there are segues in between the movements. It's somewhat like the Berio Folksongs: taking a given material and fantasizing about it and inventing something that casts it in a very new light. So I'm very happy about the piece — it sounds great as a string quartet. I was stunned, even. And it really is a string quartet, and it's my first! I waited until I was 75 to write a string quartet, I should have done that fifty years earlier, because this piece has had many performances already! The group that commissioned it has already played it six or seven times; the Borromeo String Quartet is doing it on October 20th here at school; there's a wonderful quartet up in Maine that's going to do it this fall, and then I've had several other inquiries from people that would like my score, and I've sent it out, and I think there are going to be four or five other performances around the country. And then, of course, Peggy asked for a transcription where the oboe takes the first violin part, which is not quite the way it turned out. I gave the oboe those things which are the most oboe-like, and at some point, she's covering for any one of the instruments, really. But you know, I feel like Elliott Carter when he wrote his first percussion ensemble piece (it's called Tintinnabulation) for us in 2008. Well, Elliott Carter was then 100. I sat with him when he was hearing it for the very first time at our dress rehearsal, with Frank Epstein conducting, and he laughed and laughed and laughed. So I turned to him and said: "Elliott, what are you laughing about?" And he said, "Oh, John, it works!"
I feel the same way about my piece here: it does work! And the first performance was here [the New England Conservatory] in June, June 12th, I think it was… nine days, as it turned out, before Gunther [Schuller] passed. It was a very uplifting and happy experience for me, and the women that commissioned it were former students at the Conservatory, and they played it very well. So now all of a sudden there is this firestorm of interest, and I'm going to tell every young composer I meet now, "Write a string quartet, because there will be multiple possibilities for performance!" I came to write something based on an old piece that became a new piece. It gives me great pleasure to think about how it's going to sound with Peggy playing! She even called me this morning, and there's one glissando that she can't do, and she played this magnificent triple stop, and it was four or five notes in the same single sound, and she said: "Would that do?" and I said: "Would it!" and then we were talking about the pitches. Two of those notes that she played in that multi-phonic actually lead right into the last chord, and she wondered how that chord should be scored, if she should take one of the notes in that chord. I said no, we could distribute the strings, two notes for the cello, two for the violin, and two for the viola, so it's a polychord — what I call a poly-diminished chord, with two diminished chords or maybe even three, I can't remember which way it works. When you pile up tritones, you get kind of a buzzy dissonant sound, but this is a very harmonic chord. I think, from the conversation I've just had with Peggy about two hours ago, that the way we just settled on it now is going to sound great in the concert on October 4th.
I'm very happy that piece exists, I'm looking forward to hearing it with different players, and in the new transcription that Peggy coaxed me into, and that's how it came to be. But it has an element of humor, of "whimsy," and there are some in-jokes in it, which I think make it funny to the musicians in ways that the audience will perceive as funny without maybe knowing why. At one point in a movement called "Octatonic" there's a quote from the Symphony of Psalms. It's the figure Stravinsky uses in the first movement, very much sped up, and in a context of humor rather than sobriety, which is not the way Stravinsky imagined it. But people hear that — when Fenwick heard it, he burst out laughing and couldn't play for a minute. I have tended in my music to let little figures, of other peoples' music that I love, just come right in. I don't look for them or try to put them in, they come to my mind while I am composing, and I think "Oh, good, that one wants in." And I say, "Ok, you can come." I say to the musical figure, "Welcome to my piece," and then it becomes part of my piece. What I'm doing in that instance is very important, I'm not borrowing it. Stravinsky said: "Don't borrow, only steal." And when you steal, you get to keep it. And that means it belongs in your piece. He said that's the way to pay homage to something else that you treasure. I've always felt that. It happens in jazz, too. So the piece is going to be played by Peggy and the people in her ensemble on October 4th, and we're going to have a good time finding out about how well that works, but I'm pretty sure it's going to work.
You were comparing the movements in Whimsies to little epigrams…?
A stitch in time saves nine; people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones; a rolling stone gathers no moss; penny-wise, pound foolish; and then my favorite of Franklin's — have great insight before marriage, and have (somewhat) of a blind eye afterwards. That's not quite the quote but it's something like that.
The reaction that is elicited by those epigrams or pieces of whimsy, is it driven because it's something a little familiar, something that plays with our idea of reality?
Maybe, it plays with our idea of what should be happening at that point in time.
So that concept of "whimsy" speaks most directly to the musicians, as you say, because they'll have the reaction that Fenwick did when he heard that quote — or theft? — from the Symphony of Psalms. We as an audience who are not performing or dissecting or even recognizing those musical quips...
You'll still pick up something.
Because we read the musician's reactions?
Right. I'll tell you what I put in the score at one point. There are two people trying to do "cuckoo, cuckoo" and then someone else [a third person] is trying to do it faster and on different notes. And they get into an argument and each one tries to block the other one out. So I wrote in the score, during a little pause, "Quick competitive look at each other." And so they glare and then try it again, and the audience laughed. And they laughed at the performance, of course. So, that's a little touch of theatre. I might add, too, that the whimsies are serious, as epigrammatic humor sometimes is. It's like Ives used to say, "It's very important, if you can achieve it, to be both funny and serious at the same time." Also as the piece unfolds, especially in the latter two or three movements, it begins to be a little more sober, if you will, but it's still embracing the humor element, while looking at it maybe like Haydn would look at it: it's a joke, it's a great joke, but it's part of a terrific symphony.
Let me give you the titles [of the movements] because they tell you a lot. I wrote only in clustered harmony with half-steps and whole-steps in the first movement, so I simply called it "Clustered." The second movement is a little canon, an imitation, just for two voices, but made into four voices with the quartet, of course, so you get to hear it with much more richness via octaves that you wouldn't hear in the original. I called it "Diatonic-Canonic." It's also got a Renaissance cadence at the end that usually makes everyone laugh. All of a sudden, there are Machaut and Landini smiling at you from the fourteenth century! It's the cadence where the melodic voice goes "8-7-6-8" and then "2-1" underneath then "sharp 4-5" in an inner voice, which makes it sound like it couldn't possibly come from anything in the tonal period. I was writing along, I thought, here I need an ancient cadence. So I did that. That, too, made some people laugh. It sounds kind of weird, like it's meant to be, but where did that come from? And I would say, from six hundred years ago.
The third movement is called "Enharmonic," meaning there's a long G-sharp in the beginning of the piece, which changes to A-flat, and back to G-sharp, and back to A-flat, and I have the oboe, or the principal player, first violin, or whoever it is, play melodic lines that consist mainly of tones whose harmony is changing their meaning right while they're being played. As you know, a C# and Dflat are of course the same note, the same pitch on the piano, but they have a completely different universe of color and meaning. So "enharmonic" means the possibility of a tone having different meanings depending upon how it's set. Once you start playing around with that, one note can be harmonized about seven or eight different ways. So I got going on that as an idea, and I wrote the piece called "Enharmonic," which is not as funny, maybe, as some of the other pieces, but it's got a little twist to it.
After "Clustered," "Diatonic-Canonic," Enharmonic," comes "Octatonic" — that's the eight-note scale that pervades the work of a lot of composers from the first half of the twentieth century: Stravinsky, Bartók and Messaien in particular. Then after this, I wrote "Lyric" - a soaring melody with wonderful, strange, jazz-harmony flavors underneath it. Then I wrote the movement that has the cuckoo sound in it, and that movement is called "Stuck." So now, here's a "K." There's a program note for that: "Waltzes are everywhere, but so are cuckoos." Remember, the upper two notes of a waltz figure are the cuckoo's notes; these can be a calling interval in music. So I made a pun on falling thirds and how they beckon you.
Then I thought: we'd better have a different movement, after Clustered, Diatonic Canonic, Enharmonic, Octatonic, Stuck — and the next movement is called "Free." This one is more improvisational and more investigative of odd sonorities. Each player gets to have a little solo and they kind of interact a bit, but it's more about larger spaces between the players and larger spaces between the gestures in the music.
Next, I was wondering how to finish, and it hit me right away what to do. The last movement of Pierrot Lunaire is called "O alter duft," "Oh olden fragrance from days of yore, return to me again, and intoxicate my senses as you did in my youth." It's about the return to, or the desire to have, tonality come back. It's very wistful, and nostalgic, it's a hauntingly beautiful movement. Pierrot is of course, forty-five minutes of the greatest music that's ever been written, and it ends that way, with a kind of haunting nostalgia. It almost makes a cadence in E major, the key of his [Arnold Schoenberg's] chamber symphony, but it doesn't quite do that. So I tried to get the same idea of getting almost in a key, but sorry, not quite. You remember those things, keys, right? I always think of my colleague, Stephen Drury, he would look at a score and say, "Oh look, that's one of these things with key signatures."
So I wrote a movement called "Homeward Bound." Schoenberg's movement is called "O alter duft" but "Homeward Bound" means coming home, as he was trying to imagine doing but knowing that you weren't going to be able to, in the modern world, recover that. I wrote "Homeward Bound" (Fantasy on Pierrot) as an homage to that movement in the Schoenberg and I think I'll be immodest and say that it's maybe even as good as the Schoenberg. It is for me. And I say that with humility. My piece uses quite a lot of his material, but only by stealing it, not by borrowing it. It's illusory and allusive. Perhaps you're thinking: "This is lyrical." There's a sense of the players re-joining after the movement in which they were separated. It has what I will call the harmony of atonality, which is, when there is harmony, and I think there always should be, it is haunting and beautiful and alluring.
I'm glad you mentioned the pull between tonality and atonality, because I wanted to ask you about an interesting quote I saw in one of your other interviews having to do with this negotiation between musical languages at a turning point in history. You referenced Monteverdi as being someone who was moving between languages, and who was using both languages, and very much engaged with both, and also being this pivotal person who defined the shift between them…
Yes, he did that, as a 35-year-old - he was born in 1567, so when he was 32, on January 1st, 1600 the bell rang, and said "It's time for the Baroque!" — and it happened almost that fast. Within a few years, everyone was aware that there was a new current, and something new going on — there's Monteverdi, young enough to be a leader in that development. And that's a macro-development for the whole history of music, from modality to tonality, into bar-lines where it had been more freely notated, the use of continuo, the development of opera, the use of something called a "chord," a much more heightened emotional immediacy than had ever been the case before, and drama!
What we're all trying to do, I think, is to communicate something that we feel strongly about, and something that may have an aspect that's somewhat new. And we hope that we get a good performance, and an appreciative audience, and then art can develop and advance. Monteverdi was a big player in that, Schoenberg was too. He began as a Romantic and ended as an atonalist, so he had to make that change in his mid-life also. I think people who are already in their 30s and have a big change happening right around them at that time (which is what happened to Schoenberg, too) are young enough to be "hip" enough to make the change, but old enough to have the craft to enable them to do it. Look at Stravinsky's development, too, during his life. He was always looking for something new. He was Russian and then he became neoclassic and then he became serial, and the late works, in a way, are the crown of his career — well, a lot of people don't think so, but I do.
It's been my experience that musicians learn a musical language by inhabiting it, that for most of us (with some exceptions) it's not just listening to a new language that imprints it on our ear, it's the doing. If you listen to something your whole life, especially during formative periods, and if you listen to it often enough, you come to live in that language. But for the average or even more-than-average concert-goer, how do they become acclimated to a new musical language when they perhaps don't have the opportunity to inhabit and dissect the music as the musicians do?
Bring an open mind, read the program notes, listen to what the composer had to say, ask the players, and keep doing it over and over and over again. Look for something new and see if you get rewarded for it. Many times if the piece is high quality you will be deeply rewarded by something you never encountered before. We're in a good time right now. There used to be such hostility to the contemporary composer. I think we're getting past that. The opportunity is right out there in front of you, and be motivated — you'll always hear something better, by the way, the second time you hear it instead of the first time. You pick up more. So repeated listening can help a lot. And have faith. I think that's the other thing. Have faith that the composer needs you and is hoping that he or she will have had the chance to be understood, and they're not trying to put themselves above you or put you off. It's about personal expression and outreach, those two things go together.
What exactly goes into making this an oboe version as opposed to a string quartet?
Most composers are in love with the instruments, especially with the voice, which is maybe the supreme instrument of all. I always say to my students: "There is nothing in this life like a soprano." Or a mezzo, or a contralto, or a tenor, or a baritone! Somebody who can open his or her mouth and produce magic. And it touches you immediately. When they are sensitive to what they're saying, their power of evocation is almost like nothing else on this planet. Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish film director, said "I am always trying to capture the mystery of the intangible in life, but I'm only a filmmaker. The people who can do that best, in ascending order of importance, are the saints, the poets, and the musicians." He said "They know something that we don't know! And you ask them to tell you what they know and they can't, they just pick up their instrument and play." I always think of Mendelssohn's great quote about the meaning of music: "A piece of music is not too vague to be put into words, but oh, far too precise."
The oboe is a beautiful instrument and Peggy is a beautiful player of that instrument. She's identified with that, she's one of the great oboists we've ever had. So I think about the instruments and what they sound like and what they can do, and if you treasure that in the right way, you'll make a piece that pays homage to that and utilizes it, to help enhance your own speech. The instrument is the vehicle through which you can speak. And so I was very glad for Peggy's request, and I'm trying to hear my piece in my inner ear now as an oboe piece instead of a full string quartet, and I bet that I'm going to get confirmation when I do. You just listen to Peggy play a little bit, you know what to do with your pen.


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Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood
(Paris: Flammarion, 2009)
I proofread this exhibition catalogue on Dennis Hopper's artistic and cinematographic career.
Press release:
Dennis Hopper's many talents—actor, director, photographer, painter, and collector—are showcased in this monograph on an American icon. Dennis Hopper's role in the seminal film Easy Rider (1969) made him an icon for the greatest directors of modern times, such as Coppola, Peckinpah, Altman, Wenders, Lynch, and Ferrara. Alternately a wonder boy and a pariah of the industry, Hopper's original ideas have transformed film as we know it. Hopper has created and collected art for decades—he was a pioneering collector of major artists such as Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, and Warhol, from whom he bought the very first Soup Can. This monograph presents the art and artists that have inspired his cinematic work as an actor and director. Hopper's own photographs of the silver screen's biggest stars are juxtaposed with paintings acquired by Hopper from renowned artists, on-set shots of his films, and an art installation co-signed with Marcel Duchamp. Complete with an exclusive extended interview of the artist/actor/director, this books offers privileged insight into one of the era's great fringe icons and brings to light the relationship between Hopper's artwork and his cinematographic career.


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You can make a difference!
It's Earth Day...
let's all do our part!
Hand Knit Cosy Cuff
Hand knit cosy cuffs are so much better for the environment than cardboard cuffs.
They are a quick knit and wonderful to give with Starbucks gift cards!
Vintage Embellishments
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers
never threw a button away.
never threw a button away.
It's in-vogue to save buttons and vintage treasures
to re-use and embellish your knits
to re-use and embellish your knits
"Green Crafting"
I love upcycling and green crafting.
It's so fun to take something vintage or thrifted and upcycle it into a new project.
Upcycling is hotter than ever (just check out Etsy) and
saving so many items from going into the landfill.
Be Sweet to Mother Earth
Save the Bees
Be kind to Mother Earth and plant Lavender in your garden. Lavender shrubs attract bees which need our help to maintain our ecosystem.
An added bonus...harvest it and make lavender sachets to ward off harmful insects
from your precious hand-knits.
Every little bit makes a difference.
You can make a difference...
are you?
Every little bit makes a difference.
You can make a difference...
are you?