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Watching Split Second: Indian Paintings get installed into the gallery this week has been a real thrill for me. I believe it is vital that digital projects inhabit the museum in real space, not just sit online and I'm privileged enough to work at an institution that sees this also.
Whenever we start a project that is digitally born, we wonder if will find a local audience. In Split Second's case participants came from 59 countries with most traffic coming from the United States, but there was an overwhelming majority of participants coming from NYC and they were the most dedicated of the bunch. On average, a participant spent 7 minutes and 33 seconds in the online activity, but if you were from NYC the average was 15 minutes. I'll never forget seeing this map in Google Analytics, which so clearly visualizes what happened online—a local audience found us and they took this project very, very seriously.
Even knowing that we reached a local audience, the challenge with this show would be to create an installation that would make sense to every visitor coming in the door, whether they participated with us online. Only time will tell if we effectively accomplished this, but I feel lucky to work with a talented team of editors, designers and interpretative materials staff who could take this material and help shape it while keeping every visitor's perspective in mind.
At the end of the 10-week online activity 4,617 participants created 176,394 ratings and this resulted in an incredibly rich data set to explore. In the gallery, we followed Joan Cummins' mantra..."But, what's the so what?" and we took the most conclusive findings—the things we thought would have the most impact—and installed the works that illustrated those points. On the web, you can review the results by exploring a visualization comparing works, data stories and a profile of each painting using the data gathered. Saying there was a lot of nuanced data to explore is putting it lightly and in the coming weeks Beau Sievers is going to be blogging about the incredibly complex findings.
In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Gladwell isn't endorsing or disputing the quick decisions we make on the spur of the moment—he just explores the notion of them through a lot of different avenues. Our data very much supports his theories; rapid cognition does have an effect on what we see and how we process the art before us, but it shifts and changes under various conditions.
If you took part with us online, I can't thank you enough for your contribution. We hope you can come see the installation, explore the website and stay tuned for Beau's analysis of the data.


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The best health insurance Texas options for your family are provided by a local agent who understands the Texas market. The companies that serve consumers in Texas must follow state rules, and your agent will help you find the companies that respond best to those rules. The policy additions you make with the help of your agent will make your policy safer and more affordable. Your health insurance Texas policies will protect your family from major and minor illnesses alike.

subset: commoncrawl


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The NordicTrack C9.5 Elliptical machine is fully customizable with an array of options available to personalize your workout. Ranging from an adjustable stride to a power adjustable incline, this model has it all. You will get a reliable and incredibly smooth stride along with fantastic exercise programs, thanks to the 32 preset workouts. Did we mention that it is also significantly compact?
The C9.5 is a complete home training treadmill, but you can also check out some of the other models and their features offered by NordicTrack.
Nordictrack C 9.5 Elliptical At A Glance:
- Touch Screen Color display: that is 7-inches long and is web-enabled.
- Preset Programs: There are 32 built-in workouts that are categorized according to different requirements like speed, incline training, endurance etc. to burn calories and increase your heart rate.
- The Adjustable Incline: You can have an easy run or challenge yourself with the range of inclines available between 0-20 degrees
- Tablet Holder: Who says working out has to be boring? Entertain yourself with the latest videos on your tablet by attaching it to the treadmill.
- 24 Resistance Levels: As if the built-in workouts are not enough, the multiple resistance levels give more training options.
- OneTouch Controls: User-friendly controls that operate simply with a gentle touch.
- Adjustable Stride: Between 18-20 inches.
- Warranty: A lifetime warranty on the treadmill's frame, 3 years for the parts and 1 year on labor.
Nordictrack C 9.5 Elliptical In Detail:
The C9.5 by NordicTrack is a front-drive exercise trainer which can support a maximum weight of 350 pounds and has a 25 pounds' flywheel. The design of this elliptical trainer has an adjustable stride from 18 to 20 inches and the entire unit is very high-quality. There is also a power adjustable incline that ranges between 0-20 degrees.
The pedals are oversized and cushioned. The SoftTouch upperbody grips are ergonomically installed and cushioned strategically for added stability and comfort. The stationary handlebars have dual CardioGrip monitoring sensors that will keep track of your heart rate. Be mindful about the fact that there is no wireless heart rate monitoring functionality.
Moving on to the console, users can select from 32 built-in workout programs, specially designed keeping certain needs in perspective, on a 7 inches' large color touchscreen display. This feature, combined with OneTouch controls and web functionality, make for an attractive and fun display. You can also connect your iPod to this machine and listen to audio through the 2-inch speakers. Lastly, if you are subscribed to iFit, you can access its features and enjoy unlimited workouts on this trainer.
To make your exercise routine as convenient as possible, there is a water bottle holder and a large Autobreeze fan built-in to the contraption.
The NordicTrack C9.5 is built to help you attain your workout goals, no matter what they are. The many options and workout features, along with built-in workouts make building endurance and burning fat easy, as well as toning and/or weight loss. There are only a couple of cons to this model. However, if you want an extremely accurate read out, you may want to consider whether the lack of a wireless heart rate monitor is going to be an issue for you.


text: If you are looking for the perfect flatware caddy for your summer BBQs or Spring picnics then look no further. This cottage chic flatware caddy is perfect. Features At a Glance 6 compartments Metal handle for easy movement 12 inches long Made of distressed tin What I Like About … [Read More...]


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Biographyread full story
Sabelo Richmond Makapela a.k.a Skeleton Blazer was born in the Eastern Cape and moved to the Vaal in the early 90s. He was raised by his mother and his step farther from whom he gets the Rastafari influence. He started singin at dub session in '97, and in 2002 he started writting his first song. He released his first album ( Man of a battle ) in 2008, and in 2009 he gave us a 10 track promo album. Now in 2010 the journey continues....BIG UP YOSELF!!! With the rush of international artists flooding the country, Skeleton Blazer has had the priviledge of rubbing shoulders with the best in the business, the likes of Sizzla Kalonji; Jah Mason; Lutan Faya; Tony Rebel and more. 2012 has been even better, Anthony B blessed him with a jingle, he has recorded a song with Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Preacher, available from the 2012 single "survivor" produced by Fresh of Street Symphony records. He has ha the priviledge to share the stage with the King of Fire himself, Capelton. On the upcomin album he features the cream of the crop of the South African reggae and dancehall industry, Nathi B and Black Dillinger.


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New York: As in every year in preparation for the UN summit, the city removed homeless people who sleep on the platforms and parks around the UN headquarters, both for security and to keep up appearances.
People who sleep in cardboard boxes or just on the ground or outside storefronts have been moved by police and social workers away from the area.
Some were moved into shelters and others just hsutled away to different areas.For all the latest World News, download NewsX App


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Not strange, but I ran over a bunny on Saturday.
Bunny hopped the front wheel, but it was squished by my back one.
As a mark of respect, I rode extra hard for the last 15km.
Riding home from work on Friday I met a young roe deer walking along the road in front of me - this was about a mile from the centre of Bath on a relataively busy suburban street. I've seen plenty of deer before out riding my bike, but never in the city - it was a special sight to see and It made me wonder what's the strangest, most out of the ordinary thing you've seen riding to and from work?
(the deer was okay btw, it legged it in to a large garden just as the people in the car behind me got their phones out to take pictures)
Clocked a roe deer on the way to work at 5am on the outskirts of Paisley. Regularly get followed by a Barn Owl as well. I think it has sussed out I flush out mice as I pass by (freewheeling fulcrums before anyone suggests a creaky chain or soft tyres :D) love my pre-dawn commutes.
I see deer and rabbits all the time on my ride.....normally lying decomposed at the side of the road. But thats Scottish country cycling for you. I tend not to see anything strange.
But i did see this one on facebook
This is the kind of thing i see
Although i once rode along with a couple of little Bambi's last year who were my lead out men for a few hundred yards before they jumped the fence
No deer or hedgehogs downunder.
I have raced a kangaroo on my morning commute, it was winning until it came to the fence. Have also stopped mid ride to convince a kangaroo that should go back to the bushland and avoid the cycleway and the motorway that runs parallel to it.
Bandicoots are our equivalents on the hedgehogs (no spikes or anything like that), have to dodge then on dawn or dusk rides.
Most commonly encountered animal in spring, summer and autumn, snakes. The 3rd and 8th most venomous land snakes in the world like warming themselves on the cyclepath. I have rule if it looks like a stick it is probably a snake. It works, have yet to run over a snake commuting (have MTBing).
This, back in 2005 when I used to commute along the Thames from Greenwich to EC1 (among other things it left me a bit 'meh' when there was all that stuff in the news last week about A Helicopter Carrier! On The Thames! For The Olympics!)
ps Camera phones were a bit crap back then, weren't they
pps It's HMS Invincible, sister ship to the Ark Royal
This snake crossed my path on the towpath near Aldershot last Friday.
OK, it's a slowworm but they can dislocate their jaws you know!
I saw a BMW driver using the indicators once. Badoom tish!
Many years ago back in my London days I was riding back at night through a quiet road in Highgate and encountered the road completely covered in randy frogs en-route to the ponds of Hampstead presumably. I stopped and tried to shepherd and transport as many of the amphibians across as I could between passing Range Rovers but eventually had to give up and head home. Rode past the next day and it was not a pretty sight.
Hopefully this has given me a small stock of karma because unfortunately I have had a grouse and a pigeon meet an untimely demise in my front wheel. And a vole.
Due to living and working in a built up area i dont get to see much wildlife whilst commuting but we do get a boat load of Foxes running about the streets.
Best i've seen, outside the nick was a tom cat with a large fox either side of it - the cat was not happy !!! it possibly got to close to the foxes den and pups
At work though seen a load of deer and a badger in the nearby park during the night.
no ones mentioned squirrels yet, they're probably my most common near miss, they seem to panic and run alongside my bike, had to bunny hop one recently. Not very odd I know, especially in London. Have had races with various small birds though, they top out at about 25 ish =)
To add to the commute dramas.
There I was tumping down the hill from the A370 Long Ashton by-pass (Bristol) when suddenly from out of the hedgerows comes a pidgeon at high speed and as straight as an arrow for me. Due to the proximity of this suicidal bird there was nowt I could do - as I hear the sound in my head, BRACE, BRACE, which I did.
Thud was the horrible noise from the impact, lucky for me (not the bird) it hit me square on the stem/handlebar junction and just exploded. There was feathers everywhere and bodily bits and fluids abound - I was covered. I pulled in where a car stopped to see if I was OK (I think) as he was laughing like hell and said he had never seen anything like it, just a huge, feathery explosion in front of him when I was engulfed by bird.
I was in hell of a state and looked a picture when I got to work - my colleagues thought I had been beaten up until the still stuck feathers in my helmet gave the game away. I did have some 'strange' looks from others whilst navigating my way through the city.
There is something 'eery' though - I dread to this day what could have happened if it had been a few inches higher.... I go cold at this point.
Once again on the towpath in Aldershot on Tuesday I witnessed a male swan attack a man and woman in a canoe 3 times as they passed his mate and 5 cygnets on the opposite bank. I've been bitten on the thigh by a dog but, if anything, this looked more frightening because of the persistence and other-wordliness of the attacker. I don't think much damage was done. The swan basically flew at the man's back (he was in the rear position) with much wing-flapping and squaking - 3 times. Still, I don't expect man will get much of a response to his next 'I've got an idea. It's a nice day...why don't we...'
I was cycling back from the gym a few months ago when I saw a purpley piece of paper on the floor. I wouldn't even usually have come on that particular route except for the fact I didn't need to call at the supermarket on the way home.
"Is that a 20 quid note I thought? Can't be. Must be just a leaflet" - it was near old street where there is a lot of flyers on the floor."
at the risk of looking stupid, i got off the bike and picked it up. as i unfolded it, i realised it was an extremely scrumpled up new £20 note.
well worth the stop and the risk of looking like an idiot. first time in 10 years i've ever found any money on the floor whilst cycling in London.
Was riding through moorland and then woodland (via the road) on Saturday and nearly ran over what I think was a snake. It was about a foot long and brown. I would of went back and had a proper look but I was struggling to get up a 20% gradient at the time and just managed to swerve out the way before running over it.
1st time I have seen a snake and think it might have been a Grass snake.
Found a frozen chicken in the road once; prepped and packaged up on a country lane, 4am in the morning. But best was I had a large moth heading towards my helmet light; big enough that I thought it would hurt if it hit me in the face. Suddenly a bat came from nowhere and took it; result! Made my day!
I used to cycle round chicken farms to lock them up at night and often found bats would perform flypasts and generally fly alongside me. They weren't particularly careful though: I twice headbutted one, although I'm not sure the extent of the injuries I caused it...
I once had a pheasant fly out from the hedgerow and bounce off my helmet.
...and also had a small bird (finch, I think) fly thru my front wheel as I cycled along a country lane...I guess having low spoke count helped...still don't know how it didn't get hit/caught...was doing >20kph at the time...(me not the bird...)
In no particular order I've spotted squirrels, rabbits, hares, foxes. Also encountered badgers which are much bigger in than I expected, it was the claws I heard before I saw it. I was followed by a bat briefly on one night time commute judging by the shape I saw, not an owl shape object above me, could it have been the LED pulses it was 'hearing'?


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Biographies of Poets & Composers:
Main Page
Bach & Other Composers
Gustav Mahler (Composer, Arranger)
Born: July 7, 1860 - Kaliště (Kalischt), Bohemia
Died: May 18, 1911 - Vienna, Austria
Gustav Mahler was a Bohemian-born Austrian composer and conductor. He was best known during his own lifetime as one of the leading orchestral and operatic conductors of the day. He has since come to be acknowledged as among the most important late-Romantic composers, although his music was never completely accepted by the musical establishment of Vienna while he was still alive. Mahler composed primarily symphonies and songs; however, his approach to genre often blurred the lines between orchestral Lied, symphony, and symphonic poem.
Gustav Mahler was born into a German-speaking, Ashkenazic Jewish family in Kaliště (in German, Kalischt), Bohemia, then in the Austrian Empire, today in the Czech Republic, the second of 14 children, of whom only six survived infancy. His parents soon moved to Jihlava (in German Iglau), where Mahler spent his childhood. Having noticed the boy's talent at an early age, his parents arranged piano lessons for him when he was six years old.
In 1875, Mahler, then fifteen, was admitted to the Vienna Conservatoire where he studied piano under Julius Epstein, harmony with Robert Fuchs, and composition with Franz Krenn. Three years later Mahler attended Vienna University, where Anton Bruckner was lecturing. There he studied history and philosophy as well as music. While at the university, he worked as a music teacher and made his first major attempt at composition with the cantata Das klagende Lied. The work was entered in a competition where the jury was headed by Johannes Brahms, but failed to win a prize.
In 1880, Mahler began his career as a conductor with a job at a summer theatre at Bad Hall; in the years that followed, he took posts at successively larger opera houses: in Ljubljana in 1881, Olomouc in 1882, Vienna in 1883, Kassel also in 1883, Prague in 1885, Leipzig in 1886 and Budapest in 1888. In 1887, he took over conducting Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen from an ill Arthur Nikisch, firmly establishing his reputation among critics and public alike. The year after, he made a complete performing edition of Carl Maria von Weber's unfinished opera Die drei Pintos, the success of which brought financial rewards and contributed to his gradually growing fame. J. Brahms was greatly impressed by his conducting of Don Giovanni. His first long-term appointment was at the Hamburg Opera in 1891, where he stayed until 1897; it was while Mahler was at Hamburg that his youngest brother Otto, also a composer, committed suicide in 1895 at the age of 21. From 1893 to 1896, Mahler took summer vacations at Steinbach am Attersee in Upper Austria, where he revised his Symphony No. 1 (first heard in 1889), composed his Symphony No. 2, sketched his Symphony No. 3, and wrote most of the song collection Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (Songs from 'The Youth's Magic Horn'), based on a famous set of heavily redacted folk-poems.
In 1897, Gustav Mahler, then thirty-seven, was offered the directorship of the Vienna Opera, the most prestigious musical position in the Austrian Empire. This was an 'Imperial' post, and under Austro-Hungarian law, no such posts could be occupied by Jews. Mahler, who was never a devout or practising Jew, had, in preparation, converted to Roman Catholicism. As a child, he had been a chorister in a Catholic Church where he had also learned piano from the choir master. As the years passed Mahler found much to attract him in Catholicism, and Catholic influences are observable in his music, for example his use of the hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus" in his Eighth Symphony. Still, there is ample evidence of a Jewish spirit manifest in his works, as in the Klezmer-like theme and textures of the third movement of the first symphony. In 1899 and 1910 he conducted his revised versions of Robert Schumann's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4.
In ten years at the Vienna Opera, Gustav Mahler transformed the institution's repertoire and raised its artistic standards, bending both performers and listeners to his will. When he first took over the Opera, the most popular works were Lohengrin, Manon, and Cavalleria rusticana; the new director concentrated his energies on classic operas of Christoph Willibald Gluck and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and, in collaboration with the painter Alfred Roller (Brno 1864-Vienna 1935), created shadowy, transfixing productions of Fidelio, Tristan und Isolde, and Der Ring des Nibelungen.
In Mahler's time, Vienna was one of the world's biggest cities and the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was home to a lively artistic and intellectual scene. It was home to famous painters such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Mahler knew many of these intellectuals and artists.
Gustav Mahler worked at the Opera for nine months of each year, with only his summers free for composing at various komponierhäuschen (composing huts). These summers he spent mainly at Maiernigg, on the Wörthersee and in that idyllic setting he composed his fifth through eighth symphonies, the Rückert Lieder and Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children), both based on poems by Friedrich Rückert, and Der Tamboursg'sell, the last of his 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' settings.
In June 1901, he moved into a new villa on the lake in Maiernigg, Carinthia. On March 9, 1902, Mahler married Alma Schindler (1879-1964), twenty years his junior and the stepdaughter of the noted Viennese painter Carl Moll. Alma was a musician and composer, but Mahler forbade her to engage in creative work, although she did make clean manuscript copies of his hand-written scores. Mahler did interact creatively with some women, such as viola-player Natalie Bauer-Lechner, two years his senior, whom he had met while studying in Vienna. But he told Alma that her role should only be to tend to his needs. Alma and Gustav had two daughters, Maria Anna ('Putzi'; 1902-1907), who died of diphtheria at the age of only four, and Anna Justine ('Gucki'; 1904-1988), who later became a sculptor.
The death of their first daughter left Mahler grief-stricken; but further blows were to come. That same year he was diagnosed by Dr. Emanuel Libman of New York's Mount Sinai Hospital with a heart disease (infective endocarditis) and was forced to limit his exercising and count his steps with a pedometer. At the Opera, his obstinacy in artistic matters had created enemies, and he was also increasingly subject to attacks in anti-Semitic portions of the press. His resignation from the Opera, in 1907, was hardly unexpected.
Gustav Mahler's own music aroused considerable opposition from music critics, who tended to hear his symphonies as 'potpourris' in which themes from "disparate" periods and traditions were indiscriminately mingled. Mahler's juxtaposition of material from both "high" and "low" cultures, as well as his mixing of different ethnic traditions, often outraged conservative critics at a time when workers' mass organizations were growing rapidly, and clashes between Germans, Czechs, Hungarians and Jews in Austro-Hungary were creating anxiety and instability. However, he always had vociferous admirers on his side. In his last years, Mahler began to score major successes with a wider public, notably with a Munich performance of the Second Symphony in 1900, with the first complete performance of the Third in Krefeld in 1902, with a valedictory Viennese performance of the Second in 1907, and, above all, with the Munich premiere of the gargantuan Eighth in 1910. The music he wrote after that, however, was not performed during his lifetime.
The final impetus for Mahler's departure from the Vienna Opera was a generous offer from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He conducted a season there in 1908, only to be set aside in favour of Arturo Toscanini; while he had been enormously with public and critics alike, he had fallen out of favor with the trustees of the board of the Met. Back in Europe, with his marriage in crisis and Alma's infidelity having been revealed, Mahler, in 1910, had a single (and apparently helpful) consultation with Sigmund Freud.
Having now signed a contract to conduct the long-established New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler and his family travelled again to America. At this time, he completed his Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), and his Symphony No. 9, which would be his last completed work. In February 1911, during a long and demanding concert season in New York, Mahler fell seriously ill with a streptococcal blood infection, and conducted his last concert in a fever (the programme included the world premiere of Ferruccio Busoni's Berceuse élégiaque). Returning to Europe, he was taken to Paris, where a new serum had recently been developed. He did not respond, however, and was taken back to Vienna at his request. He died there from his infection on May 18, 1911 at the age of 50, leaving his Symphony No. 10 unfinished.
Mahler's widow reported that his last word was "Mozartl" (a diminutive, corresponding to 'dear little Mozart'). He was buried, at his request, beside his daughter, in Grinzing Cemetery outside Vienna. In obedience to his last wishes, he was buried in silence, with the gravestone bearing only the name "Gustav Mahler" and a simple Jugendstil monument. Mahler's good friend Bruno Walter describes the funeral: "On May 18, 1911, he died. Next evening we laid the coffin in the cemetery at Grinzing, a storm broke and such torrents of rain fell that it was almost impossible to proceed. An immense crowd, dead silent, followed the hearse. At the moment when the coffin was lowered, the sun broke through the clouds" (Bruno Walter 1957, 73).
Alma Mahler outlived Gustav by more than 50 years, and in their course, she was active in publishing material about his life and music. However, her accounts have been attacked as unreliable, false, and misleading. This became so problematic, it became known by musicologists and historians as the "Alma Problem". For example, she tampered with the couple's correspondence and, in her publications, Gustav is often portrayed more negatively than some historians might like.
Mahler is generally recognized as the last great German symphonist. He sought to expand the scope and breadth of the symphony to the greatest possible extent, believing that the symphony should "take in the whole world." This expansion of scope can be seen not only the great length of his works, but also in the explosion of orchestral forces employed and in the aesthetic goal of maximum expressive impact. He saw himself in a line of Viennese symphonists extending from the First Viennese School of Haydn, Mozart, L.v. Beethoven and Schubert to the Romantics Bruckner and J. Brahms; he also incorporated the ideas of non-Viennese Romantic composers like Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. The major influence on his work, however, was not a symphonic composer at all but rather that of Wagner, who was, according to Mahler, the only composer after L.v. Beethoven to truly have "development" (see Sonata form and History of sonata form) in his music.
With the exceptions of an early piano quartet, Das Klagende Lied, an early cantata, and Totenfeier, the original tone-poem version of the first movement of the second symphony, Mahler's entire output consists of only two genres: symphony and song. Besides the nine completed numbered symphonies, his principal works are the song cycles Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (usually rendered as 'Songs of a Wayfarer', but literally, 'Songs of a Travelling Journeyman') and Kindertotenlieder ('Songs on the Death of Children'), and the synthesis of symphony and song cycle that is Das Lied von der Erde ('The Song of the Earth').
However, much of Mahler's music generally expands and blurs the lines of these traditional genres. He originally described his Symphony No. 1 - the "Titan"- as a "symphonic poem." All the first period symphonies have some degree of programmatic content, in contrast to the ideal of "absolute music" espoused by Eduard Hanslick and exemplified in the symphonies of J. Brahms. Mahler's Symphonies 2-4 all employ vocal soloists and texts. The Symphony No. 8 pushes the limits of the definition of the symphony; with its 8 soloists, multiple choirs and combination of both sacred and secular texts, it is emblematic of Mahler's maximalist, inclusive conception of the symphony. In contrast, Das Lied von der Erde could also be considered a symphony, in that it is a multi-movement orchestral work, except that Mahler chooses not to label it as such.
The spirit of the Lied (German for song) constantly rests in his work. He followed Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann in developing the song cycle, but rather than write piano accompaniment, he orchestrated it instead. Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) is a set of four songs written as a rejected lover wandering alone along the earth; Mahler wrote the text himself, inspired by his unhappy love affair with a singer while conducting at Kassel.
Keenly aware of the colourations of the orchestra, the composer filled his symphonies with flowing melodies and expressive harmonies, achieving bright tonal qualities using the clarity of his melodic lines. Among his other innovations are expressive use of combinations of instruments in both large and small scale, increased use of percussion, as well as combining voice and chorus to symphony form, and extreme voice leading in his counterpoint. His orchestral style was based on counterpoint; two melodies would each start off the other seemingly simultaneously, choosing clarity over a mass of sound.
Often, his works involved the spirit of Austrian peasant song and dance. The Ländler - the Austrian folk-dance, which developed first into the minuet and then into the waltz - figures in several symphonies, as indeed do the minuet and the waltz. (All three historical stages - Ländler, minuet, and waltz - are represented in the 'dance movement' of the Ninth Symphony).
Mahler combined the ideas of Romanticism, including the use of program music, and the use of song melodies in symphonic works, with the resources that the development of the symphony orchestra had made possible. The result was to extend, and eventually break, the understanding of symphonic form, as he searched for ways to expand his music. He stated that a symphony should be an "entire world". As a result, he met with difficulties in presenting his works, and would continually revise the details of his orchestration until he was satisfied with the effect.
He was deeply spiritual and described his music in terms of nature very often. This resulted in his music being viewed as extremely emotional for a long time after his death. In addition to restlessly searching for ways of extending symphonic expression, he was also an ardent craftsman, which shows both in his meticulous working methods and careful planning, and in his studies of previous composers.
Mahler's harmonic writing was at times highly innovative, stretching the limits of conventional tonality. Still, tonality, as an expressive and constructional principle, was clearly of great importance to Mahler. This is shown most clearly by his approach to the issue of so-called 'progressive tonality'. While his First Symphony is clearly a D major work, his Second 'progresses' from a C minor first movement to an E-flat major conclusion; his Third moves from a first movement which begins in D minor and ends in F major to a finwhich ends in D major – while his Fourth in G major dies away in a serene E major. In harmonic theory; ending a composition a "third up" or a "third down" from its supposed key is known as "mediant/submediant relationship," so his first four symphonies were conventional to some degree however: things change with the fifth symphony; it moves from a C-sharp minor funeral march, through a desperately conflict-ridden A minor movement, a vigorous dance movement in D major, and a lyrical F major 'Adagietto', to a triumphant finale in D major – while the Sixth, very much by contrast, starts in A minor, ends in A minor, and juxtaposes a slow movement in E-flat major with a scherzo in A minor. The Seventh is tonally highly 'progressive', with a first movement that moves from a (possible) B minor start to an E major conclusion, and a finale that defines a celebratory C major. In the Eighth Symphony, the composer's expressive intentions led him to construct a work that both starts and ends in E-flat - whereas the 'valedictory' Ninth moves from a D major first movement to a D-flat major finale. The Tenth, insofar as we can be sure that Mahler's ultimate tonal intentions are discernible, was to start and end in F-sharp major.
Mahler's symphonic output is generally divided into three 'periods'. The 'first period', dominated by his reading of the Wunderhorn poems, comprises his first four symphonies. Within this group, the cross-fertilization from the world of Mahlerian song is considerable. His Symphony No. 1 uses a melodic idea from one of the Gesellen songs in its first movement, and employs a section of another in the central part of its third. (The third movement of the first symphony also contains a version of the round 'Bruder Martin' - known, in its French version, as 'Frère Jacques' - presented in a minor key.) The third movement of the Symphony No. 2 is a voice-less orchestral amplification and extension of a Wunderhorn song, and is followed by a Wunderhorn setting incorporated completely. The third movement of the Symphony No. 3 is another orchestral fantasia on a Wunderhorn song, while the fifth movement is a Wunderhorn setting composed especially for the symphony. In the Symphony No. 4, the finale is a pre-existing Wunderhorn setting (earlier considered as a possible finale for the Symphony No. 3), elements of which are prefiguratively inserted into the first three movements.
The symphonies of Mahler's 'second period', Nos. 5 to 7, manifest an increased severity of expression and a growing interest in non-standard instrumentation. Mahler used somewhat unusual instruments such as a post horn (in the third symphony) in his earlier symphonies. However, in the 'second period' his use of non-standard instruments became more striking with a whip in the Symphony No. 5; cowbells, deep bells and a hammer in the Symphony No. 6; and cowbells, cornet, tenor horn, mandolin and guitar in the Symphony No. 7.
Although the symphonies in the 'second period' have no vocal component, the world of Mahlerian song is hinted at in the first movement of the fifth and the slow movement of the sixth, in which phrases from one of the Kindertotenlieder are briefly heard, and in the finale of the fifth, which incorporates material from the 1896 Wunderhorn song 'Lob des hohen Verstandes.'
Mahler's symphonic 'third period' is marked by increasing polyphony and embraces Nos. 8, 9, and 10 (unfinished), as well as Das Lied von der Erde. Credible connections to freestanding songs are difficult to demonstrate in these works – perhaps, unsurprisingly, as Mahler's last non-symphonic songs were the Kindertotenlieder, completed in 1904. A striking example does come, however, with the intervallically exact reminiscence, on the final page of the Symphony No. 9, of the line 'The day is fine on yonder heights' from Kindertotenlieder No. 4.
Few composers freely interconnected their work so completely as did Gustav Mahler. Musical interconnections can be heard to exist between symphonies and symphonies, and between symphonies and songs, that seem to bind them together into a larger 'narrative.' For example, material heard in the third symphony recurs in the finale of the fourth symphony. A trumpet line from the first movement of the fourth opens the fifth symphony. And a 'tragic' harmonic gesture repeatedly heard in the sixth symphony (a major chord declining into a minor) makes a striking reappearance in the seventh symphony. The same gesture can 'prophetically' be heard at the end of the first movement of the second symphony. The rising melody line from the adagietto on the fifth symphony makes an appearance in its finale, and again in revised form in the finale of the seventh symphony. Furthermore, a theme heard in the first symphony is restated in the first movement of the ninth, the last complete symphony Mahler wrote.
Symphony No. 1 in D major (?1884-1888; rev. 1893-1896; 2nd rev. 1906).
Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1888-1894; rev. 1903)
Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1893-1896; rev. 1906)
Symphony No. 4 in G major (1892, 1899-1900; rev. 1901-1910)
Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor/D major (1901-1902; scoring repeatedly rev.)
Symphony No. 6 in A minor (1903-1904; rev. 1906; scoring repeatedly rev.)
Symphony No. 7 in E minor (1904-1905; scoring repeatedly rev.)
Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major (1906-1907)
Das Lied von der Erde (subtitled A Symphony for One Tenor and One Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra, After Hans Bethge's "The Chinese Flute") (1908-1909)
Symphony No. 9 in D major (1908–1909)
Symphony No. 10 (1910–1911) (unfinished; a continuous "beginning-to-end" draft of 1,945 bars exists, but much of it is not fully elaborated and most of it not orchestrated.)
Vocal works:
Das klagende Lied, cantata (1880; rev. 1893, 1898)
Drei Lieder, three songs for tenor and piano (1880)
Lieder und Gesänge, fourteen songs with piano accompaniment (1880-1890)
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, for voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment (1883–1885)
Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (The Youth's Magic Horn), for voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment (1888-1896; two others 1899 and 1901)
Rückert Lieder, for voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment (1901–1902)
Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children), for voice and orchestra (1901–1904)
Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) for alto (or baritone) and tenor soloists and orchestra (1908-1909)
Other works
Piano Quartet in A minor (1876)
More Photos
Source: Mostly Wikipedia Website
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Gustav Mahler
Links to other Sites
Gustav Mahler (Wikipedia)
Gustav Mahler (Classical Music Pages)
Gustav Mahler (mFiles)
Gustav Mahler (Karadar)
Gustav Mahler (Greshes)
Gustav Mahler (Classical Composers Database)
Gustav Mahler Biography (Naxos)
Gustav Mahler (Britannica)
Gustav Mahler (Classical Net)
Gustav Mahler (WW Norton)
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International Gustav Mahler Society [Engl/German]
The Mahler Archives
The Mahler Society (UK)
Gustav Mahler - Settimane Musicali
The Gustav Mahler Society of New York
About Gustav Mahler
Classical Composer Biography: Gustav Mahler (Lesson Tutor)
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Many of my brides have commented at one time or another on how ironic it is that after months and months of careful, sometime grueling planning, the wedding day itself seems to go by in a flash. That as soon as the dress is on and it all sinks in, the next thing they know they are saying goodbye to their guests with their husbands (gasp!) by their sides. All of that seemingly endless design and organization, and the day itself is a whirlwind of activity. And it's true!! (Which is one of the reasons photographs are SO important).
Which is why one of my favorite times of a wedding day is the time BEFORE the dress goes on. Watching a bride and groom and the men and women they love get ready for her wedding day is something entirely different and special in and of itself. The emotion, the energy of anticipation and the excitement that is shared by everybody make these moments so precious!!!
Julie and Shawn were so full of excited anticipation before their ceremony at Ashbury First United Methodist Church, that when he first saw her coming down the aisle, I was sure he was going split at the seams. Julie and Shawn were so. much. fun! Their reception at Irondequoit Country Club was stunning.
And I think this last image pretty much sums it up…the love and the laughter these two share. Julie and Shawn, thanks so much for sharing your day with me!
It's October and the leaves are changing, the breeze is growing crisp and clean and my incredible mother has been putting this season's apples to good use (P.S. My mom makes the BEST apple pies. EVER.)
School has started up again which means it's that time…senior season has come to an end.
All the lovely young women I was lucky enough to work with this summer are back in school, applying for college, so excited to graduate and embrace the next stage of their lives. And let me tell you…these girls are going to take the world by storm.
I had such an amazing time working with my seniors this year!!! What a gorgeous, talented group!
Congratulations, Ladies!!! You rock my world.


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It's way too early to predict how successful Jimmy Fallon will be at replacing Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, but his first week is certainly off to a strong start. After teaming up with Will Smith to teach us about hip-hop dancing on Monday, Fallon aired a mashup video of NBC news anchor Brian Williams rapping Rapper's Delight last night, and it is hilarious.
Williams is in Sochi covering the Olympics--the only thing stopping him from rapping live, we're sure--so Fallon's tech team put together a series of clips from old broadcasts to form the cover of The Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight. NBC's Lester Holt joined Williams in the video, making the funny video even more over the top.
Check out the Brian Williams cover of Rapper's Delight below.
It might be tough to wrap your mind around the words "to the bang bang boogie" coming out of Williams's mouth, especially if you've never seen any of Fallon's other Williams rap videos, but it certainly makes for some good laughs. Judging from the late night host's Twitter account, Fallon was quite pleased with this one.
Tonight on @FallonTonight is one of the best Brian Williams raps we've ever done. Tune in tonight (first 10 minutes).
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) February 20, 2014
If you enjoyed Rapper's Delight, check out a couple more Williams rap mashup videos below.
Since being uploaded to YouTube, the Rapper's Delight video has been viewed more than a million times. That's a far cry from the seven million hits Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing has gotten so far, but the view count will probably pick up a bit as the video continues making its way around the Internet.
In what will likely be the highlight of Jimmy Fallon's first week as The Tonight Show host, First Lady Michelle Obama will appear on tonight's episode. The last time Fallon and Obama teamed up we were given the amazing Evolution of Mom Dancing, so one can only imagine what the First Lady will be up to tonight.
Image via YouTube


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In carrying Minnesota as part of his re-election bid, President Barack Obama extended to 10 the string of presidential contests in the state that have been won by Democratic candidates.
With 99 percent of Minnesota's precincts reporting Wednesday, Nov. 7, Obama led Republican Mitt Romney by a margin of 52.6 percent to 45 percent.
Obama's win fell short of the 10-percentage point victory over Republican John McCain in Minnesota during 2008. Still, it continued a streak for Democratic presidential candidates in the state that goes back to 1972, when Republican Richard Nixon carried the state.
"The president has done a lot in tough times," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, speaking to Democrats gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown St. Paul on Tuesday evening. "I'm completely confident the best is yet to come."
In Ramsey County, voters favored Obama by a margin of 66 percent to Romney's 31 percent. Obama won Dakota County with 50 percent of the vote to Romney's 47 percent.
The incumbent also squeaked out a victory in Washington County, where both candidates captured about 49 percent of the county's vote. Obama received 70,203 votes in Washington County to Romney's 69,137.
On Tuesday, a preliminary exit poll conducted in Minnesota for the Associated Press found economic worries outpaced health care reform, foreign policy and the federal budget deficit as state voters' main concern. About six in 10 Minnesota voters said the economy is the most important issue facing the country — three times more than any other issue.
The economy was a key concern for Paige Krieger, 54, of Mendota Heights, who said she voted for Romney on Tuesday. Krieger also liked Romney's choice of Paul Ryan from Wisconsin as his running mate.
"I think it's important to have some change," Krieger said. "I think that Obama had enough time."
But Mark Stewart, 43, of St. Paul's Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, voted for Obama and said he thinks the president hasn't received enough credit for bringing the country through the economic crisis that hit in earnest during 2008.
"I'm more of a centrist," Stewart added, "but I think the Republican Party has moved so far to the right I can't in good conscience vote for it."
Minnesota has "traditionally been a sucker bet for Republicans — close enough to bring in money and resources, but not close enough to win," said Steven Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.
In the weeks leading up to the election, polls in Minnesota suggested that Romney was closing the gap with Obama — likely because some voters thought a post-election Romney might be more moderate than his campaign rhetoric suggested, said former U.S. Sen. David Durenberger, a Republican from Minnesota.
"But the reality is that you can't get there from here with a Republican Party that is so far to the right," Durenberger said. He pointed out that Romney would have drawn more Minnesota voters by emphasizing his record as a moderate governor of Massachusetts.
Katie Weilgos and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Christopher Snowbeck can be reached at 651-228-5479. Follow him at twitter.com/chrissnowbeck


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Bringing Light to the World through Creative Works
Welcome to our website of free multimedia spiritual resources, where you can read spiritual books, play devotional music, and watch inspiring videos
Books by Sharon Janis, aka Kumuda
Click on a cover to read excerpts or the full books online
Excerpts from Spirituality For Dummmies:
Finding the Deep Calling of Your Soul
Liberation, Enlightenment, and the Cosmic Joke
Death: Where Will You Go Next?
The Spiritual Science of Universal Creation
(based on Kashmir Shaivism)
About Night Lotus | About Sharon Janis
Click here to enjoy our videos on YouTube
"Amazing Grace" with Sanskrit Mantras at the end:
Chanting Vedic Mantras at the Sun Valley Opera House:
Read Sharon's interview about "Living More Spiritually" at First 30 Days
Watch Inspiring Videos
Produced and edited by Sharon Janis
Watch inspiring videos on our
Night Lotus Productions Video page,
View our videos on:
A Recent Night Lotus Video project:
A 16 minute promo in support of the in-progress Peace Pilgrim Movie
Watch the 1-hour documentary
Peace Pilgrim:
An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk
Scripted and edited by Sharon Janis and Night Lotus Productions
This is a powerful documentary about an extraordinary woman, At age 44, Mildred Norman left her life circumstances and became Peace Pilgrim -- walking coast to coast for peace for nearly 30 years, living on faith and sharing her wisdom and exhuberance generously with people across the land. This 60-minute documentary is a poetic and musical exploration of her life and message, which is as relevant today as ever. Also included are interviews with Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, John Robbins, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, and many of Peace Pilgrim's friends, admirers, and relatives, along with newsreel footage from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, when Peace was on her walk for peace.
You can find more information or order a copy of this video from: www.peacepilgrim.org
Chanting and Devotional Singing Page
With streaming audio of singing and chanting
from Indian, Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi traditions
A few quick music links:
Watch a video of "Ave Maria" sung at the Sun Valley Opera House
Click on a CD cover to listen to the CD online:
Visit our "Sanskrit Spiritual Scriptures" page:
With streaming audio of wonderful ancient scriptures in Sanskrit and English
Listen to Sanskrit and English aphorisms from the "Shiva Sutras"
Watch a video of Sanskrit chanting with English translation of the "Bhaja Govindam"
CLICK HERE for more information about Night Lotus Productions
Home Page | Contact | Site Map | Books | Secrets of Spiritual Happiness | Links | Chanting and Devotional Singing | Inspiring Videos | Sanskrit Spiritual Scriptures | Nityananda | Workshops | Photographs | Kirtan Chanting | Chai | Sacred Music Concerts | About the Artist | Facebook | Disclaimer | About Night Lotus | Purchasing Our Works | Gifts for You


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Watchdog Report Vol.11 No.44 March 27, 2011 Est.05.05.00 – I go when you cannot
Argus Report: House Foreign Affairs Chair Ros-Lehtinen questions what "security interests are at stake" with attack on Libya by U.S. lead military coalition
Florida: Sen. President Haridopolis goes to bat for JMH with Gov. Scott, but what about $140 million in reduced LIP funding in the future?
Miami-Dade County: Six charter questions to go on ballot, with Mayor & commission race, but critics balk at 12-year term limits ending in 2024
Miami-Dade Public Schools: Board member Diaz de la Portilla wants analysis of cost to administer the 90 charter schools in Miami-Dade, 450 such schools statewide
Public Health Trust: Dueling PHT leadership boards, current one and new one of Lapciuc, Arrizrieta, Zilber and incumbent Ford
City of Miami: Miami makes $27 million reconciliation adjustment, for current year only $8 million below revenue budget, but reserves running out
City of Miami Beach: Mayor Bower frustrated at difficulty in getting to Beach from mainland on causeways, hassle for residents, hurts business as well
City of Coral Gables: Clock ticking for candidates for mayor & commission – how low will they go until Apr.12 election?
>>> Other stories around Florida
Broward County: Physician charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics
Leon County: Gov. Scott today taps Kelvin L. Lawson, Rufus N. Montgomery Jr., and Belinda R. Shannon to the Board of Trustees, Florida A&M University.
Marion County: Gov. Scott taps Anthony "Tony" Tatti of Ocala to the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court.
Monroe County: Chief Administrator Gastesi on Monroe's legislative priorities approved by commission in Tallahassee
Community Events: Tribute to Women Awards at Biltmore Hotel – Downtown Bay Forum Luncheon — How to run a clean political campaign forum held by county ethics commission – Baptist Health CEO Keeley speaking at Greater Miami Chamber luncheon – Ethics forum
Editorials: Elected leaders and staff playing with fire by accepting free gifts and tickets — Candidates should realize their past life is a narrative that includes good and bad
Letters: Reader on Affordable Care Act one year anniversary — Reader on how Canada deals with children
Sponsors – Publisher's mission statement & Subscription information is at the bottom of this issue
>>> Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you. –Pericles (430 B.C.)
>>> If you wish to be deleted, just e-mail me with that message and you are free to e-mail this on to friends.
>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding the University of Miami's Knight Center of International Media http://knight.miami.edu within the University's School of Communication www.miami.edu to financially support and maintain my webpage.
>>> If you think it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider becoming a supporter or sponsor. For there is no trust fund and I do have to live. I almost did not write this week because of my financial condition. And while I as so many others are facing tough times. I hope you or your organization will consider helping in a small or larger way and help keep another voice on line and in the media. A convenient form is at the bottom of this week's Watchdog Report with all the instructions on how to support this newsletter and news service that will start its 12th Anniversary on May 5.
>>> I will be on WLRN/NPR 91.3 FM Monday Mar.28th on Topical Currents hosted by Joseph Cooper from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and here is the promo piece for the radio show www.wlrn.org/topicalcurrents . Topical Currents discusses pressing Miami-Dade issues, with Watchdog Report publisher Dan Ricker. A special election will be held to elect a successor to Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Many candidates vie for the job, so a subsequent run-off is probable. There's also a clamor for county charter amendments . . . especially for Commission term limits and county-wide representation. And more. Governor Rick Scott wants to divert tax dollars from public to private hospitals . . . which could greatly impact Jackson Memorial Hospital.
>>> CORRECTION: In last week's Report, I referenced recalled Gov. Grey Davis of California with the wrong last name.
ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street
>>> House Foreign Affairs Chair Ros-Lehtinen questions what "security interests at stake" with attack on Libya by U.S. lead military coalition
With the U.S. military taking the lead in trying to stop Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi killing his rebellious people after a U.N. resolution supported by the Arab League gave NATO and its allies political cover to try to stop the massacres of civilians. After the strongman said rebels and cities residents supporting the uprising would be wiped out when his forces reoccupied the towns. President Barack Obama made the decision to launch cruise missiles and jets on the policy fly believing that a Rwanda type genocide could take place if the Libyan army prevails. But the Congress is not happy, and this discontent crosses both party lines about the new involvement in a third war in a Muslim nation.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami told the Watchdog Report Monday in an exclusive interview that she did not believe Obama had really built a case for the U.S. to take on Libya and its leader Muammar Gaddafi. She said these remarks after meeting with the local Miami Coast Guard officials Monday afternoon to discuss the possibility of a Cuban oilrig off the shores of Cuba, funded with other countries help. Which she thought was unacceptable, given the Deepwater Horizon spill last year that gripped the nation, as the crude oil gushed out and was seen by a camera to the world's horror, and the money that would go to the Castro brothers' regime.
What about Libya?
"I think the president needs to be more forthcoming [about the Libyan strategy] with the American people and let us know what U.S. security issues are at stake here," said Ros-Lehtinen, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Obama said, "We could not stand by" and watch this massacre of civilians, but the congresswoman said that "has never been true" and we don't have the military assets to police the world, she said. The 22-year congressional representative also challenged the president's logic because "there is unrest in Yemen and Bahrain, counties allied to America where we can't do it [intervene]," yet "in Libya," we can and it just does not make sense, she thought.
Obama is going to lay out his reasons for the new conflict to the nation on Monday night that has liberal Democrats wondering why this third war was initiated and Congressional leaders are fuming for the lack of a heads up before the attack began. Though Obama says, it was because of the urgent need before Gaddafi's troops got to the cities and started to butcher the residents as they closed in on protestors and rebel forces, that are now generally holding their own or forcing back the army. Further, the cost of this intervention is estimated to be costing the United States around $100 million a day though Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense on Sunday said that plans are already being worked on to withdraw and lessen America's participation that will have Great Britain, France and Turkey providing more military firepower as this very fluid situation evolves over the coming weeks.
What about the recall of Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Seijas?
Ros-Lehtinen, first elected in 1989 said the county voters have spoken and they are mad and elected leaders that ignore the vote and the will of voters, now and in the future, will do it at their political peril, she thought.
>>> Ros-Lehtinen was on Michael Putney's show This Week In South Florida today and she discussed Libya, the presidents actions, what is the national strategy and are we recommending regime change or not. www.wplg10.com
>>> Ros-Lehtinen Says Attack in Jerusalem Sobering Reminder that Israel Under Siege
Press release: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the attack at a bus stop near Jerusalem's central bus station, and the growing rocket, missile, and mortar attacks by Hamas and other violent extremist groups against civilian targets in southern Israel, are sobering reminders that Israel remains under siege by extremist elements. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: "This attack in Jerusalem, and the continued attacks on Israel from Gaza, are sobering reminders that extremist groups and their state sponsors continue to pose a clear and growing threat to Israel.
"Violence against Israel perpetrated by extremist groups is relentless, and illustrates the need for the U.S. to continue to provide robust security assistance to our key ally. The same extremists who seek Israel's destruction also seek the destruction of the United States. Strengthening Israel's security against our common enemies also strengthens U.S. security. "We must also provide strong and unequivocal political support for Israel by opposing efforts to pressure Israel into making concessions, as well as efforts to deny Israel and other democracies the right to defend themselves against extremist threats."
>>> Press release: Zogby Interactive: Majority Supports No-Fly Zone in Libya with Most Being Open to the Possibility of Further Engagement Obama Approval at 45%
A small majority backs the U.S.-led no-fly zone in Libya, including a third who would consider taking additional military action according to the latest IBOPE Zogby Interactive poll. These results are from a poll of 2,168 likely voters conducted from March 18-21, 2011. The United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action and the imposition of a no-flight zone on March 18 and an ensuing air campaign led by the U.S. began the next day. A total of 57% approve of the no-fly zone. This consists of 24% who favor only the no-fly zone and another 33% who also support it "with an open possibility of further engagement." A fifth thinks the U.S. should be offering only humanitarian help. Please click the link below to view the full news release on our website:
>>> Getty photographer Raedle freed from Libyan army soldiers, keen eye and good man
The Watchdog Report wants to welcome back photojournalist Joe Raedle after his release from captors in Libya where he was covering the rebellion-taking place and has a coalition of nations militarily participating trying to level the playing field. His wife Nancy San Martin, a Herald journalist wrote a great story and account regarding what happened to her husband and it ran today in www.miamiherald.com Joe is a hard working affable man who I have gotten to know in the field locally and he has a keen eye as a shooter for Getty Images. Welcome back Joe and the community is glad you are safe and sound. See you at a future news event that clearly won't present the same risk.
>>> Press release: BARRY MINKOW CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO MANIPULATE COMMON STOCK OF FORTUNE 500 COMPANY
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and William J. Maddalena, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the filing of a criminal Information charging Barry Minkow, 44, of San Diego, CA, with conspiracy to manipulate the stock price of Lennar Corporation (Lennar), a former Fortune 500 company doing business in Miami-Dade, by making false and misleading statements about Lennar's business operations and management. Minkow is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court next week. According to the charging document, Minkow operated Fraud Discovery Institute, a for profit fraud investigation firm based in California. In this way, Minkow developed ties with federal law enforcement agencies as a purported fraud-finder. Today, Minkow was charged with making false and misleading statements alleging wide-spread improprieties in Lennar Corporation's financial reporting and business structure, and attacking the personal character of Lennar's management.
According to the Information, Minkow was hired to put economic pressure on Lennar to pay money demanded by a business partner in a prior land deal. To this end, beginning in January 2009, Minkow used the Internet, press releases, e-mail communications, Youtube.com videos, and the U.S. mail to broadcast false and misleading statements about Lennar, with the intent of artificially depressing Lennar's stock price. In addition, the Information alleges that Minkow abused his relationship with federal law enforcement agencies to report false allegations of criminal conduct purportedly committed by Lennar and its management. Once Minkow confirmed that his allegations had successfully induced law enforcement to open a criminal investigation, Minkow allegedly used that knowledge and information to trade Lennar securities for his own benefit. U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer stated, "In this case, Minkow's manipulation of the market and his relationship with the FBI for his personal gain caused a severe drop in the stock prices of a large local corporation. This type of deceit and abuse of trust will not be tolerated.
Together with the FBI and the cooperative efforts of the SEC, we will investigate and prosecute stock manipulation cases to help protect the integrity of our capital markets." William J. Maddalena, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Miami Office, stated, "When false statements are disseminated to deceive the investing public, whether they're designed to prop up a company or tear it down, the FBI will dedicate all available resources to bring disseminators of such falsehoods to justice." >> If convicted, Minkow faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the cooperative efforts of the Miami Regional Office and the Washington DC Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Dwight O'Quinn and Cristina Perez Soto. An Information is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
>>> All photos in the Watchdog Report are taken from public government sites, and the Report goes on line at www.watchdogreport.net on Monday sometime during the day usually. >>> If you believe it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider supporting the Watchdog Report for I am a low cost news service yet I do have to live, thank you! Further, I have been honored over the years by being named a WFOR-4 Hometown Hero in 2000, being profiled in a major way by The Miami New Times, The Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel which ran as a nationwide story on me in the Tribune papers on Jan. 2003 and UNC Chapel Hill naming me one of the top columnists in Florida in a multi-state study of the media back in 2004. I also thank Joseph Cooper for the opportunity to be on the WLRN/NPR showTopical Currents on www.wlrn.org since 2000, including yearly election coverage since then, and also numerous times over the past decade.
>>> Sen. President Haridopolis goes to bat for JMH with Gov. Scott, but what about $140 million in reduced LIP funding in the future?
State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R- Melbourne (Net worth $233,000) has written to Gov. Rick Scott (Net worth $218 million) www.miamiherald.com./editorial asking that the $35 million appropriated for Jackson Memorial Hospital in last year's budget be released and the health trust has fulfilled the required conditions attached to the money. The senate president is a U.S. Senate candidate in 2012 and knows the 1.2 million voters in Miami-Dade are needed for any successful candidate. However, Scott a former healthcare executive who ran over 300 hospitals before leaving Columbia/HCA in the late 1990s (the company later paid a $1.7 billion federal penalty to settle Medicare fraud charges) has been reticent to discuss in depth many of his plans for some of Florida's public institutions. And he caught the state's public hospitals administrators by surprise, when he formed a commission to review taxpayer funded tax districts last week. Locally Jackson Memorial Health system is faced with the biggest challenges, while trying to give around $700 million in charity care, mainly funded by about $320 million in sales tax, county general funds and further augmented by state and federal Medicare/Medicaid payments.
What about the memo from Roldan to Miami-Dade Commission Chair Martinez, re the LIP program?
Jackson has also seen other funding cuts and in a Mar. 21 memo written by PHT President Eneida Roldan, M.D. who will leave at the end of June, after she resigned months earlier and a search is being done for her replacement that has five people being interviewed on Wednesday. She writes to Miami-Dade Commission Chair Joe Martinez that the Low Income Pool (LIP) program and its reimbursement model must be "preserved to insure the availability of services to this large and vulnerable population." The physician notes in 2010 to 2011 the program along with the disproportionate share program (DSH) brought to the institution $273 million, but the pool has "encountered a deficit situation" forcing all beneficiaries to take a reduction, but public hospitals are the most effected by this situation. These reductions include up to an $86 million reduction based on the current LIP Council recommendation and includes a one-time payment of $35 million in the current year, she wrote. Roldan also notes the legislature is moving "to managed care to control costs of this population," Medicaid was never designed to cover the full costs of care and thus, "cost of services exceed the reimbursement" and have to be covered and would reduce funding by up to $140 million, she wrote.
>>> Press release: Today, Governor Rick Scott signed Executive Order 11-63, creating the Commission on Review of Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts. The Commission will consider whether government-run hospitals are in the best interest of taxpayers and recommend a cost-effective and efficient model for providing Florida with a health care safety net. The Commission's focus will be to identify efficient models for how government-run hospitals are: Providing access to care for the broadest population. Compensating physicians. Ensuring predictable costs to taxpayers. The Commission will also review sale or lease proposals of public hospitals to ensure taxpayers get the best return for their investment and that the competitive process is fair. "I am confident this new Commission will protect Florida taxpayers," Governor Scott said. "At the same time, the Commission's guidance will help provide Floridians a high-quality health care system."
>>> Press release: Please find attached Executive Order 11-68, regarding a special election to be held in House District 110, to fill the vacancy that now exists in the state House of Representatives. A special primary election shall be held on May 24, 2011, and a special general election shall be held on June 28, 2011 to select the State House Representative for House District 110.
>>> Press release: Gov. Scott today announced the reappointment of Claudia Puig and the appointments of Dr. Jose J. Armas and Mayi De La Vega to the Board of Trustees, Florida International University.
Puig, 58, is senior vice president and East Coast regional manager for Univision Radio. She is reappointed for a term beginning March 22, 2011, and ending January 6, 2016.
Armas, 52, is the chief executive officer and president of MCCI Group Holdings LLC. He succeeds Albert Maury and is appointed for a term beginning March 22, 2011, and ending January 6, 2016.
De La Vega, 56, is the founder and owner of ONE Sotheby's International Realty. She succeeds Albert Dotson and is appointed for a term beginning March 22, 2011, and ending January 6, 2016. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
>>> Six charter questions to go on ballot, with Mayor & commission race, but critics balk at 12 year term limits ending in 2024
In what was considered an agonizing long all day Special Commission meeting to discuss whether to hold an election for a new county mayor and commissioner for District 13, along with proposed county Charter Changes. The commission went from perhaps asking voters to take a straw vote of any charter changes, to actually crafting six questions that would be on the same ballot as the mayor's and commission race. The questions, if passed will include 12-year term limits, pay a $92,000 salary, restrict lobbying for two years by elected leaders, end the strong mayor form of government (Passed by county voters in early 2007), and put the county's Office of the Inspector General in the Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter giving the office more independence. The IG currently is the creation of the county commission by an ordinance in the mid 1990s. The election is likely to be set for May 24 and that will be done at an Apr. 11 commission meeting.
However, critics such as Victor Diaz, Jr., and Norman Braman, the billionaire auto dealership magnate who spear headed the recall of Mayor Carlos Alvarez (Net worth $1.74 million) removed from office on Mar. 15 after 88 percent of the 17.2 percent of county's 1.2 million voters took out the mayor and Natacha Seijas (Net worth $617,000), the district commissioner since 1992. The two men are saying after the commission meeting Thursday www.miamiherald.com these charter questions were not enough and specifically took aim at the term limit question saying it should only be two terms in office, which is eight years, and could leave current commissioners in office until 2024. Diaz an attorney who chaired the 2007-2008 Miami-Dade Charter Review Committee told the Watchdog Report Thursday. "They don't get it," regarding what he believes county voters are looking for when it comes to their governance and any reforms. Braman and the former Miami Beach Commissioner for a year, are planning to announce a 'major statement' and 'Our actions will go beyond urging voters to reject these proposals,' the art's philanthropist is quoted in the paper saying last week.
What about the question of removing the strong mayor position?
Commissioners are also trying to get back some of the powers stripped from the body when the strong mayor of government passed in 2007 and they discussed possible looking at a Council form of government, where the mayor essentially just gets to set the agenda, but also only has any power given to the office, by the commission, said Commissioner Carlos Gimenez (Net worth $871,000), who does not support a strong mayor form of government. He says it gives one person too much power, and while he had no ethics beef with Alvarez during his time since it passed. The former Miami manager wondered what would happen if someone were not so straight and they could do considerable "damage" to county government if left unchecked. That comment surprised commission Chair Joe Martinez (Net worth $245,000), a mayoral candidate in 2012 and he has bristled that the media and Braman were trying to highjack the board and what it does. At a previous Sunshine meeting with PHT trustee Jorge Arrizurieta recently. Martinez used the acronym "WDBW or What Does Braman Want," when discussing the relationship between the PHT board and the county commission though Martinez noted that when he speaks or votes on the PHT board. "I speak for myself," he said. Other commissioners disagreed about the governance model and this is one of the key questions that will have to be answered if voters agree to dissolve the strong mayor legislation in the coming months. And if that is the case, county government will have gone through two types of governance in only four-years, after Alvarez did not make the position what voters thought it would be when it was approved back then. When he kept county Manager George Burgess continuing running the bulk of the county administration.
>>> Charter Chair Diaz goes on offensive on Issues
Victor Diaz, Jr., was on Helen Ferre's show Issues www.wpbt2.org/issues over the weekend discussing the Miami-Dade Charter questions. Diaz is the past chair of the 2007-2008 Charter Review Committee.
What about the mayoral candidates?
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, state Rep. Marcello Llorente, R-Miami, Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and on Friday former county District 12 Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Cancio, Sr., has also thrown his hat into the ring. Other candidates include former 2 Live Crew rapper Luther Campbell. Cancio a former commissioner appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush filled in from May 2002 after ex Commissioner Miriam Alonso was suspended, later convicted and went to jail. He would only be an interim mayor and not run again in 2012. Further, Gimenez, Llorente and Robaina had their first candidate debate at a Latin Builders luncheon Friday and the candidates are feeling each other out looking for a political opening. The race likened to an election sprint given the short time to campaign and political pundits say the only way to win is to go negative, tear down your opponents, because there won't be time to really discuss issues of policy that would connect candidates with voters, so political attack ads will be the order of the day.
>>> will Suarez & Robaina go head to head for District 7 vacated seat?
The race for commission District 7 is heating up now that Miami-Dade Commissioner Carlos Gimenez is running for county mayor. The active candidates so far are former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and former state Rep. Julio Robaina, R- South Miami (Net worth $661,000) and a former South Miami mayor.
>>> Press release: Ethics Commission Sets Timetable to Select New Director
Members of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust Monday set a May 13th deadline to accept applications for a new executive director with hopes of having that person in place by July first. Robert Meyers, who has served in the position since the Ethics Commission was created in 1998, last month announced his resignation, effective April 30th. However, today he said he would be able to stay on to help his successor through what is expected to be a challenging budget process. The Commission approved the language of an advertisement that will be published in many print and electronic listings. To be considered, applicants must be members of the Florida Bar. Management or administration experience in public policy, knowledge of local government, and a background in education or outreach are considered highly desirable qualifications.
>>> In other action today, the Commission selected member Charlton Copeland as Vice-Chair. The University of Miami Law School faculty member was appointed to the Ethics Commission in May 2010.
>>> The Ethics Commission determined that a company which provides specifications that will be included in a County Request for Price Quotation may also bid on that Request. The question (RQO 11-5) comes from the Design and Construction Division of the General Services Administration, which is seeking to modernize lighting systems at two libraries to make them more energy efficient. Since the system has to be compatible with the existing infrastructure, GSA asked Delta Controls to provide technical information for the solicitation. Commissioners ruled that Delta may also submit a price quotation and proposal to install the new system, since the information the company provides to GSA will be available to all proposers for the job.
>>> However, a company that provides consulting services to the Miami-Dade Solid Waste Department to oversee the clean-up of the former Munisport Landfill in North Miami may not simultaneously serve as Owner's Representative for the Winson Water Treatment Plant for the City. The Ethics Commission opined (RQO 11-8) that ADA Engineering would have an impermissible conflict under the two roles if the firm works for the City at the same time it is evaluating the City's remediation plans and payment requests.
>>> Teenagers who were sworn in last week as members of the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission will not have to file annual financial disclosure forms, as is required by other advisory board members. The County Commission created the 26-member group of high school students to provide them an opportunity to learn about local government while advising elected officials on issues important to tenth through twelfth graders. The members serve one-year terms and do not have any delegated authority nor will they perform oversight of any County function. For those reasons, and because it's unlikely the members own property or have clients to report, the Ethics Commission ruled in response to a question from the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners (RQO 11-7) that the students don't have to file the annual financial statements. >>The Ethics Commission was created in 1996 as an independent agency with advisory and quasi-judicial powers. It is composed of five members, serving staggered terms of four years each. Through a program of education, outreach and enforcement, the Commission seeks to empower the community and bolster public trust.
>>> New IG report: County Vendor Arrested for Forging Documents, IG09-77, March 16, 2011.
>>> Beacon Council press release: Miami-Dade County's February 2011 unemployment rate drops to 11.8 percent from 12.1 percent in January 2011
Miami-Dade County's seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for February 2011 was 11.8 percent, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to January 2011 (12.1 percent). This is the second month in a row that the unemployment rate dropped, although it is too early to know if this trend will continue. The unemployment rate for February 2010 was 11.2 percent, 0.6 percentage points lower than February 2011. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (taking in consideration seasonal fluctuations in the labor force) for February 2011 was 13.1 percent compared to 13.3 percent in January 2011. Miami-Dade County is the only county in Florida that has seasonally adjusted rates. Therefore, the following county data are not seasonally adjusted.
The February 2011 unemployment rate for the State of Florida was 11.0 percent, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to January 2011. The United States unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in February 2011, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from January 2011.
For neighboring Broward County, the unemployment rate in February 2011 was 9.7 percent, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to January 2011 and a decrease of 0.2 percentage points compared to February 2010. For Palm Beach County, it was 11.1 percent, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points compared to January 2011 and a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to February 2010. The overall unemployment rate for the tri-county area in February 2011 was 10.9 percent, down from 11.5 percent in January 2011. The South Florida region (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA) added 11,600 non-agricultural jobs between February 2010 and February 2011. Between January 2011 and February 2011, the region added 16,800 new jobs. Non-agricultural companies in Miami-Dade County added 9,400 new jobs between February 2010 and February 2011, an increase of 1.0 percent. Between January 2011 and February 2011, 8,000 jobs were created or a 0.8 percent increase. Major sectors that added jobs between January 2011 and February 2011 included Wholesale Trade, Financial Activities, Hospitals and Leisure and Hospitality. The only major sector to lose jobs was Retail Trade (1,400 jobs lost or 1.1 percent decline between January 2011 and February 2011).
|January 2011 – February 2011 Job Change
(% Change)
|Leisure & Hospitality
|3,400 (+3.3%)
|Professional & Business Services
|1,900 (+1.5%)
|Wholesale Trade
|1,400 (+2.1%)
|Leisure & Hospitality
|1,100 (1.0%)
|900 (+3.0%)
|Financial Activities
|600 (+1.0%)
|Ambulatory Health Care Services
|600 (+1.2%)
|600 (+1.4%)
|State Government
|400 (+2.3%)
|100 (+0.3%)
|Air Transportation
|100 (+0.7%)
Between February 2010 and February 2011, several sectors saw improvements, including Wholesale Trade (1,000 new jobs or +1.8%), Retail Trade (1,100 new jobs or +0.9%), Financial Activities (200 new jobs or +0.3%), Professional and Business Services (600 new jobs lost or +0.5%), Ambulatory Health Care Services (1,700 new jobs or +3.4%), Hospitals (1,200 new jobs or +2.9%), Leisure and Hospitality (3,100 new jobs or +2.9%) and Total Government (1,000 new jobs or +0.7%). Both Construction and Manufacturing lost 1,100 jobs between February 2010 and February 2011. Even with the positive drop in the February unemployment rate after record unemployment levels in 2010, the community needs to continue to focus on job creation projects in order to create new job opportunities for people looking for jobs. >>> The Beacon Council continues to aggressively work on attracting new companies to our community and working on the expansion and retention of existing business. We promote Miami-Dade County as a global business center through our "Miami: Where Worlds Meet" campaign. We strongly urge that a top focus of both the public and private sector continues to be on the retention and recruitment of new jobs.
>>> Board member Diaz de la Portilla wants analysis of cost to administer the 90 charter schools in Miami-Dade, 450 such schools statewide
The school board Audit Committee is meeting this Tuesday and one of the items is to elect a new vice Chair of the committee. Frederick Thornburgh is the chair, this board is the oversight firewall for the public, and is the watchdog looking at how public tax dollars are being spent to the tune of $4.3 billion. It is this body that also reviews the audits of the 90 Charter Schools the nation's fourth largest public school district has, while also educating over 346,000 students in some 390 public schools throughout Miami-Dade. In this audit committee agenda is an item sponsored by school board Member Renier Diaz de la Portilla asking that the district do an analysis of how much it is costing to administer these charter schools. Currently state statuettes provide that five percent of the funding going to full time students at charter schools can go towards district administration costs. In the item, it notes these schools were created by the Florida legislature in 1996 and since that time, there are 450 charter schools in the state.
Any new AC board members?
The audit committee will get a new member on Tuesday, Jose I. Rasco, CPA.
>>> To see the agenda and back-up materials go to: http://mca.dadeschools.net/AuditCommittee/AC_March_2011/Agenda.pdf
>>> Dueling PHT leadership boards, current one and new one of Lapciuc, Arrizrieta, Zilber and incumbent Ford
There will be two options for the PHT board to vote on Monday at its monthly meeting, either to keep the current officers or go with a new slate selected Friday at the 2011 PHT Nominating Committee chaired by board Secretary Georgena Ford, RN. The other members on the committee are trustees Jorge Arrizurieta, Gladys Ayala, Ernesto de la Fe (a former PHT chair) and Joaquin del Cueto. The debate at the past meeting of the group was whether to keep the current leadership, since the organization is searching for a new President and CEO, and also facing financial issues while going through $4.5 million in cash a day, or try some new people to lead the charge to right the health system and make it sustainable, in a changing healthcare world that the institution is behind keeping up with. The current PHT board leadership is Chair John Copeland, III, Angel Medina is the vice chair, Marcos Lapciuc is the treasurer and Ford is the secretary.
However, the nominating committee noted their job was to provide a slate and they voted to recommend making Marcos Lapciuc the new PHT board chair, Jorge Arrizurieta the vice chair, Martin Zilber would become the new treasurer and Ford would continue as secretary of the 17-member board that includes two county commissioners as voting members. The board if they want to continue with the incumbents whose time in this capacity ends at the end of March must have a super majority vote by the PHT board to be retained, said Gene Shy, the assistant county attorney assigned to the Trust. Lapciuc has been the previous treasurer and has done a yeoman's job in this tough capacity, knows the numbers cold and has been a rock solid PHT trustee over the years and Zilber said he would help mentor him in this major leadership capacity if they are selected Monday. Zilber also confirmed to the committee he had the time for this expanded responsibility and thought is was important for him to meet with Miami-Dade Commissioners where he said he "had a relationship" with the body. Zilber, an attorney said he was a "government policy practice" consultant, has worked in mergers and acquisitions in the past and wanted to work "on finding a [new] funding source" and noted he sees the urgent need since he chairs the facilities committee and the institution having such a "capital need." He also thought the "treasurer should be going out to the community" and explain to residents the true situation and that "people understand our true fiscal picture," he told the committee.
What about trustee Zilber?
Zilber as has been reported in past Watchdog Reports for years has been a disappointment, I called him once a Citizen Lite, takes his duties in many ways with a casual nature and is always on his communication devices (now two) during meetings, and dresses like a carnival barker even when meetings are televised including the joint PHT/BCC meeting last month where every other man on the dais had a tie on. Something he apparently rarely wears even though he represents almost 200,000 Miami-Dade residents by being on the board. Further, for three years after his appointment to the PHT he continued on the Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council even though on the PHT trustee application at the end where the applicant signs their name. It clearly states the applicant agrees they would resign immediately if confirmed by the county commission from any other county board, but failed to comply with that requirement. He finally did when I forced the issue when he was up for renewal after three years and he wrote to county attorney Shy his resignation from the Council and why he had not resigned earlier and I ran his lame excuse about his desire to just do public service, and I got one email asking if English was his first language. I would not go into any of this, if he was just a board member but as many people that know him say.
He is "oblivious," said one older respected person who has known the man since he was five because he inherited millions from his father Ziggy Zilber; a local taxi magnate after the father sold the business, and he just does not care what others may think or how it looks in this public office capacity that now could be a significant leadership position as the trust fights for its financial life. Further, Zilber in a news article after the sale of the taxi business in the late 1990s said when it came to future ambitions. He wanted to get involved in "politics," and even ran to become a county judge in 2000, but voters shot down that move when he got only around 25 percent of the vote. He has since been on the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council and a member and Chair of the Coconut Grove Village Council, an advisory board that looks after the Grove. Further, at the PHT in the past, he has said he was late because he was interviewing a new head of personnel, even though that function does not really apply to a PHT trustee. Whose only management job is to vote on who should be at the top of the $1.9 billion health system as its president and CEO, and approve contracts and other policy decisions but he is doing this other activity as well. And the man's own mother, Linda a former municipal mayor and now Chair of the Miami-Dade CITT board once told me that she told her son when he was a teenager that he would have a family "of mutants" since he was on the phone so much. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Miami law school but he must demonstrate a greater concentration and time commitment to the trust if the public is to be served by him in this new financial position. Editor's note: I take no pleasure in writing the above story; I have no animosity toward Zilber, but even after county commissioners chastised him years ago. He just ignores any advice to improve his public persona and concentration on this very important public board.
>>> The five candidates short-listed to be selected, as the new President and CEO of Jackson Health System are Carlos Migoya, Jodie Mansfield, Ram Raju M.D., Bill Vaneski and Myles Lash. The candidates will be brought in for interviews in the future after an extensive background check. For more go to www.miamiherald.com
>>> Former state Rep. Mike Abrams, D-Miami was on www.wpbt2.org/issues hosted by Helen Ferre and he discussed Jackson Memorial Hospital, some past history, why the trust was created, but is now facing huge financial challenges and readers should check out the show.
Upcoming public meetings dealing with PHT
>>> March 28th -Televised PHT Board of Trustees Meeting -3 p.m., Stephen P. Clark Center, Board of County Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor, 111 N. W. 1st Street, Miami, FL 33128
>>> March 30th -President's Search Committee -10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Location TBD
>>> A initial M-DC Hospital Governance Taskforce is being held Mar. 28 starting at 8:30 a.m. at The Beacon Council office located at 80 SW 8th Street, Suite 2400 and the contact person is Donna Palmer at 305.375.4573 The Taskforce's mission is to study and report on alternative governance models for the Public Health Trust.
>>> Miami makes $27 million reconciliation adjustment, for current year only $8 million below budget, but reserves running out
The city made a $27 million reconciliation adjustment to its 2009-2010 close out budget and in the current year, it is an $8 million negative correction said Commissioner Francis Suarez last week in city hall. I had reported this weeks ago but I could not get the number firmed up but commissioners dealt with it at Thursday's commission meeting. The city has seen its reserves dwindle over the past few years under Mayor Manuel Diaz (Net worth $1.8 million) and Mayor Tomas Regalado (Net worth $5,000) and unless the financial hemorrhaging ends. There will be no reserves to tap into and is the concern of commissioners, the administration and residents. The reason the financial red lights are on is because Miami in the mid 1990s had a financial meltdown. And its governance was done by a small state financial emergency board made up of leaders of South Florida but did not live in the city. This oversight entity for five years watched over the rebuilding of the city's reserves with a financial blowtorch, but ended up well over $100 million back then but that amount has shrunk substantially to less than $10 million.
>>> Readers should stay tuned and catch the meeting on the city's cable station channel 77. >>> Stream Channel 77, for all City of Miami meetings, (Commission, PAB,CIP, Code, etc. hearings) http://videos.miamigov.com/
>>> Mayor Bower frustrated at difficulty in getting to Beach from mainland on causeways, hassle for residents, hurts business as well
Mayor Mattie Herrera Bower attended a Sunshine meeting with Miami-Dade Commissioners Audrey Edmonson and Jean Monestime along with city manager Jorge Gonzalez and while the talk concerned the expansion of the county's NW 79th Street CRA and the 7th Avenue CRA. Her issue is with the Port of Miami tunnel being built, repairs on the Venetian Causeway and getting to the island city was becoming much more challenging and is hurting business and making it difficult for residents as well. The Beach
has a population of about 88,000 residents but it is a major tourist mecca and these visitors are the lifeblood of the city. She noted these two main arteries going onto the Beach are critical and any other way to get over to Miami Beach must be enhanced so that people have alternative causeways to get to their beach destination that had traffic backed-up on the MacArthur Causeway for about 25 minutes when I shot over Friday.
>>> Press release: County ethics commission ruling: The Ethics Commission revisited a Request for Opinion (RQO 10-24) to a business associate of a City of Miami Beach advisory board member. In the opinion provided today, Russell Galbut was advised that he may lobby the city, except on behalf of entities in which he and Planning Board member Seth Frohlich have a business connection. Currently, Frohlich has a financial interest in the Mondrian Condominium Hotel, and Galbut is employed by an investment company that has a partial ownership of the Mondrian. The Ethics Commission stated that even though the men do have a business relationship, Galbut may appear before the City on matters unrelated to that relationship. Additionally, Frohlich must recuse himself on all matters that come before the Planning Board involving the Mondrian.
>>> Press release: Miami Beach city commissioner Jonah Wolfson will be the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club speaker, March 29, 2011, 8:30AM – 10:00AM, David's Cafe II, 1654 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach.