Please Touch to reveal secrets of the trees | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/22/2010:
By Monica Peters
For The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Families can discover the wonders of trees through the exhibit 'Exploring Trees Inside and Out,' offered Saturday through May 2 at the Please Touch Museum.
The exhibit allows children and adults to have fun in an interactive way while experiencing the sights, sounds and scents of trees.
In larger-than-life tree parts, visitors can take a walk through the inside of a tree trunk and through the veins of leaves. Families can watch a simulation of light filtering through leaves, and they can listen to the sound of water as it travels from roots through leaves. The goal is for visitors to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of trees and their role in our daily lives.
The exhibit, designed by the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, is sponsored by Doubletree Hotels.
'Exploring Trees Inside and Out' opens Saturday and continues through May 2 at Please Touch Museum, Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, 4231 Avenue of the Republic. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $15 for everyone age 1 or older; free for museum members and children younger than 1. Information: 215-581-3181 or www.pleasetouchmuseum.org."
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Saturday, January 23, 2010
Summerfest organizers launch new “alternative rock” music festival
Summerfest organizers launch new “alternative rock” music festival:
By on January 22nd, 2010
"Another music festival for your festival-going pleasures: The organizers behind the enormous Summerfest have announced plans for a new “alternative and modern rock” two-day festival, set to take place from June 4-5 at the Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, WI." Sphere: Related Content
By on January 22nd, 2010
"Another music festival for your festival-going pleasures: The organizers behind the enormous Summerfest have announced plans for a new “alternative and modern rock” two-day festival, set to take place from June 4-5 at the Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, WI." Sphere: Related Content
Decades after his death, Django Reinhardt is a star - latimes.com
Decades after his death, Django Reinhardt is a star - latimes.com:
"This year's centennial -- he was born Jean Baptiste Reinhardt in Belgium and grew up in Gypsy camps outside Paris -- has spurred a wealth of live performances and recordings celebrating his spirited transformation of American jazz into a hard-swinging pan-European-flavored potpourri."
"Reinhardt, a self-taught player, lost the use of two fingers on his left hand when he was 18 in a caravan fire, yet still became one of the most dazzling instrumentalists of the 20th century, as well as the composer of more than 100 songs."
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Give the Anarchist a Cigarette: Counterculture legend Mick Farren reads at La Luz de Jesus Gallery | Brand X | Los Angeles Times
Give the Anarchist a Cigarette: Counterculture legend Mick Farren reads at La Luz de Jesus Gallery | Brand X | Los Angeles Times:
"In his 60+ years on Earth, Mick Farren has worn many hats. He's one of the founders of the 'underground' press in Britain, he was the doorman at the psychedelic UFO Club (where Pink Floyd and the Soft Machine got their starts), a political activist, a well-respected science fiction novelist, a TV and media columnist, a poet, and, not least, he was the lead singer of the proto-punk band, The Deviants. His autobiography 'Give the Anarchist a Cigarette' is an indispensable volume in any library about the '60s and '70s. In short, the man is a counterculture legend, and one of the last of the 'gonzo' journalists."
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"In his 60+ years on Earth, Mick Farren has worn many hats. He's one of the founders of the 'underground' press in Britain, he was the doorman at the psychedelic UFO Club (where Pink Floyd and the Soft Machine got their starts), a political activist, a well-respected science fiction novelist, a TV and media columnist, a poet, and, not least, he was the lead singer of the proto-punk band, The Deviants. His autobiography 'Give the Anarchist a Cigarette' is an indispensable volume in any library about the '60s and '70s. In short, the man is a counterculture legend, and one of the last of the 'gonzo' journalists."
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HANS NIEDERMAIR - St. Catharines Standard - Ontario, CA
HANS NIEDERMAIR - St. Catharines Standard - Ontario, CA:
Posted By SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD
Posted 19 hours ago
"It's not often that classically trained vagabonds drift into town.
Combining elements of Bohemian cabaret, neo-classical opera, Paris hot jazz, tangos, klezmer, Balkan and Arabic stylings, gut-bucket swing and their own personal flair, Vagabond Opera has carved its own niche into the world of music and entertainment.
The Portland, Ore.-based sextet will take the stage Jan. 28 at Brock University's Sean O'Sullivan Theatre. It's their first tour of southern Ontario, which will include stops in Oakville, Toronto and Kingston."
"Founded by tenor, pianist and accordion player Eric Stern, Vagabond Opera also features bassist Jason Flores, drummer Mark Burdon, Robin Jackson on sax and vocals, cellist Skip vonKuske and Ashia Grzesik on cello and vocals. "
"Some of the band's musical influences come from German- American composer Kurt Weil, Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, French singer Edith Piaf, Frank Zappa, "any of the operatic composers, such as (Giacomo) Puccini and any of the stuff that's coming out of Eastern Europe," Stern said. "
Posted By SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD
Posted 19 hours ago
"It's not often that classically trained vagabonds drift into town.
Combining elements of Bohemian cabaret, neo-classical opera, Paris hot jazz, tangos, klezmer, Balkan and Arabic stylings, gut-bucket swing and their own personal flair, Vagabond Opera has carved its own niche into the world of music and entertainment.
The Portland, Ore.-based sextet will take the stage Jan. 28 at Brock University's Sean O'Sullivan Theatre. It's their first tour of southern Ontario, which will include stops in Oakville, Toronto and Kingston."
"Founded by tenor, pianist and accordion player Eric Stern, Vagabond Opera also features bassist Jason Flores, drummer Mark Burdon, Robin Jackson on sax and vocals, cellist Skip vonKuske and Ashia Grzesik on cello and vocals. "
"Some of the band's musical influences come from German- American composer Kurt Weil, Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, French singer Edith Piaf, Frank Zappa, "any of the operatic composers, such as (Giacomo) Puccini and any of the stuff that's coming out of Eastern Europe," Stern said. "
Who:Vagabond Opera
Where:Sean O'Sullivan Theatre, Brock University
When:Thursday, Jan 28, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets:Call 905-688-5550, ext. 3257
Article ID# 2273173
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Almanac : Saturday at Kepler's: 'My Nepenthe'
Almanac : Saturday at Kepler's: 'My Nepenthe':
"Romney 'Nani' Steele will talk about and sign her book, 'My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur,' at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park.
Ms. Steele is the granddaughter of the owners of Nepenthe, the restaurant perched on the cliffs of Big Sur. She says she grew up at the restaurant.
The book includes 75 recipes from the Fassett family, who started the restaurant.
Get more informtion from keplers.com." Sphere: Related Content
"Romney 'Nani' Steele will talk about and sign her book, 'My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur,' at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park.
Ms. Steele is the granddaughter of the owners of Nepenthe, the restaurant perched on the cliffs of Big Sur. She says she grew up at the restaurant.
The book includes 75 recipes from the Fassett family, who started the restaurant.
Get more informtion from keplers.com." Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 22, 2010
Is Jimi Hendrix still the future of the electric guitar? – Telegraph Blogs
Is Jimi Hendrix still the future of the electric guitar? – Telegraph Blogs:
"‘Valleys Of Neptune’ (out in March) has 12 tracks, sixty minutes of music, mainly recorded by Hendrix and The Experience (bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell) over four months in 1969, with the guitarist exploring new musical avenues in the wake of his (last) double album, ‘Electric Ladyland’. These are the turbulent sessions that led to Hendrix breaking the group up and briefly forming the Band Of Gypsies (with whom he released one live album). Some of this material has previously been available in dubious versions of poor sound quality on illegal bootlegs, but it presumably took the death of the last surviving member of The Experience (Mitchell passed away in 2008), a lot of contractual wrangling and technological improvements in audio mastering to get it to a stage where anyone but an obsessive collector would want to hear it.
Sonically spruced up and sympathetically edited, what you get is an album of jazzy psychedelic experimentation. Hendrix was going through his Miles Davis phase, trying to create a rock guitar equivalent of ‘Sketches Of Spain’. It is probably not for the faint of heart, yet there are at least three tracks where it really comes into focus, studio versions of Elmore James ‘Bleeding Heart’ and Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ and the seven minute title track, a psychedelic funk epic. It all points in directions Hendrix would attempt to explore more fully on what should have been his next album, posthumously assembled as ‘First Rays Of The New Rising Sun’." Sphere: Related Content
"‘Valleys Of Neptune’ (out in March) has 12 tracks, sixty minutes of music, mainly recorded by Hendrix and The Experience (bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell) over four months in 1969, with the guitarist exploring new musical avenues in the wake of his (last) double album, ‘Electric Ladyland’. These are the turbulent sessions that led to Hendrix breaking the group up and briefly forming the Band Of Gypsies (with whom he released one live album). Some of this material has previously been available in dubious versions of poor sound quality on illegal bootlegs, but it presumably took the death of the last surviving member of The Experience (Mitchell passed away in 2008), a lot of contractual wrangling and technological improvements in audio mastering to get it to a stage where anyone but an obsessive collector would want to hear it.
Sonically spruced up and sympathetically edited, what you get is an album of jazzy psychedelic experimentation. Hendrix was going through his Miles Davis phase, trying to create a rock guitar equivalent of ‘Sketches Of Spain’. It is probably not for the faint of heart, yet there are at least three tracks where it really comes into focus, studio versions of Elmore James ‘Bleeding Heart’ and Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ and the seven minute title track, a psychedelic funk epic. It all points in directions Hendrix would attempt to explore more fully on what should have been his next album, posthumously assembled as ‘First Rays Of The New Rising Sun’." Sphere: Related Content
America's new touchy-feely war on drugs | Reuters
America's new touchy-feely war on drugs | Reuters:
"Four decades and billions of dollars later, this war -- based on law enforcement and a crackdown on production, distribution and consumption -- has produced unspectacular results, at best.
So more and more states have been turning to alternative approaches like drug courts, which target consumption among probationers using a combination of frequent tests, the threat of jail time and plenty of moral encouragement.
And it seems to be working. Over the past 20 years drug courts have cut crime rates and proved far cheaper than prison. They are also expected to be part of a drug strategy report the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is due to issue in February." Sphere: Related Content
"Four decades and billions of dollars later, this war -- based on law enforcement and a crackdown on production, distribution and consumption -- has produced unspectacular results, at best.
So more and more states have been turning to alternative approaches like drug courts, which target consumption among probationers using a combination of frequent tests, the threat of jail time and plenty of moral encouragement.
And it seems to be working. Over the past 20 years drug courts have cut crime rates and proved far cheaper than prison. They are also expected to be part of a drug strategy report the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is due to issue in February." Sphere: Related Content
National Briefing - West - California - Court Rejects Marijuana Limit - NYTimes.com
National Briefing - West - California - Court Rejects Marijuana Limit - NYTimes.com:
"The State Supreme Court struck down a law that sought to limit the amount of marijuana a medical patient can legally possess. The court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that state lawmakers were wrong to change provisions of a voter-approved proposition in 1996 that allowed patients with a doctor’s recommendation to possess an unspecified amount of marijuana. The Legislature mandated in 2003 that each patient could have a maximum of 8 ounces of dried marijuana. The Supreme Court said only voters could change amendments that they have added to the State Constitution through the initiative process." Sphere: Related Content
"The State Supreme Court struck down a law that sought to limit the amount of marijuana a medical patient can legally possess. The court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that state lawmakers were wrong to change provisions of a voter-approved proposition in 1996 that allowed patients with a doctor’s recommendation to possess an unspecified amount of marijuana. The Legislature mandated in 2003 that each patient could have a maximum of 8 ounces of dried marijuana. The Supreme Court said only voters could change amendments that they have added to the State Constitution through the initiative process." Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 21, 2010
West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio
West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio:
Staff
Raleigh County
"Three environmentalists took to the trees Thursday morning to protest mountaintop mining.
They've set up tree-top platforms 60-feet in the air next to where Massey Energy is blasting at its Bee Tree Strip Mine in Raleigh County.
Twenty-three year-old David Smith, 19-year-old Amber Nitchman and 28-year-old Eric Blevins are all members of Climate Ground Zero. They've hung banners from their platforms that read 'Save Coal River Mountain,' 'EPA Stop the Blasting' and 'Windmills Not Toxic Spills.'
The three say they intend to remain on their platforms for as long as it takes to end mountaintop mining." Sphere: Related Content
Staff
Raleigh County
"Three environmentalists took to the trees Thursday morning to protest mountaintop mining.
They've set up tree-top platforms 60-feet in the air next to where Massey Energy is blasting at its Bee Tree Strip Mine in Raleigh County.
Twenty-three year-old David Smith, 19-year-old Amber Nitchman and 28-year-old Eric Blevins are all members of Climate Ground Zero. They've hung banners from their platforms that read 'Save Coal River Mountain,' 'EPA Stop the Blasting' and 'Windmills Not Toxic Spills.'
The three say they intend to remain on their platforms for as long as it takes to end mountaintop mining." Sphere: Related Content
Litchfield County Times - In Bantam, Art for Peace
Litchfield County Times - In Bantam, Art for Peace:
"By last count more than a year ago, the international combat-tracking agency Uppsala Conflict Data Program recognized 36 armed conflicts worldwide. Though the program sets an annual benchmark of 1,000 battle related deaths for a war status designation (by that measure, only five conflicts are wars, two of them being Iraq and Afghanistan,) deadly conflicts are prevalent.
No continent enjoys peace, except for Antarctica and, perhaps, Australia.
Amid the chaos, it is difficult to envision an Earth free of such bloody discord. But with the help of a home-based art class and an involvement in the Global Art Project, Fran Clem of Bantam is cutting through the fray, doing her best to illustrate the path to peace.
Indeed, with a creative mind, an open heart and a basement full of students, both adolescents and teenagers, Ms. Clem has become an indelible soldier in this international, passive-resistance fight against war. It's a role she wants her students to embody." Sphere: Related Content
"By last count more than a year ago, the international combat-tracking agency Uppsala Conflict Data Program recognized 36 armed conflicts worldwide. Though the program sets an annual benchmark of 1,000 battle related deaths for a war status designation (by that measure, only five conflicts are wars, two of them being Iraq and Afghanistan,) deadly conflicts are prevalent.
No continent enjoys peace, except for Antarctica and, perhaps, Australia.
Amid the chaos, it is difficult to envision an Earth free of such bloody discord. But with the help of a home-based art class and an involvement in the Global Art Project, Fran Clem of Bantam is cutting through the fray, doing her best to illustrate the path to peace.
Indeed, with a creative mind, an open heart and a basement full of students, both adolescents and teenagers, Ms. Clem has become an indelible soldier in this international, passive-resistance fight against war. It's a role she wants her students to embody." Sphere: Related Content
China's champion of peace | Václav Havel et al | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
China's champion of peace | Václav Havel et al | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
On Christmas Day last year, one of China's best-known human rights activists, the writer and university professor Liu Xiaobo, was condemned to 11 years in prison. Liu is one of the main drafters of Charter 08, a petition inspired by Czechoslovakia's Charter 77, calling on the Chinese government to adhere to its own laws and constitution, and demanding the open election of public officials, freedom of religion and expression, and the abolition of "subversion" laws.
For his bravery and clarity of thought about China's future, Liu deserves the 2010 Nobel peace prize. Sphere: Related ContentJD Supra: Legal Articles - USPTO Implements the Green Technology Pilot Program to Accelerate Review of Green Technologies
JD Supra: Legal Articles - USPTO Implements the Green Technology Pilot Program to Accelerate Review of Green Technologies:
"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is implementing a pilot program to accelerate the examination of certain “green” technology patent applications. Normally, patent applications are taken up for examination in the order that they are filed and take over three years to receive a final decision. Under the Green Tech Pilot Program, for the first 3,000 patent applications related to green technologies in which a proper petition is filed, the Office will examine the application on an accelerated basis, which should reduce the time it takes to patent the invention by an average of a year. The deadline for filing petitions under this program is December 8, 2010." Sphere: Related Content
"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is implementing a pilot program to accelerate the examination of certain “green” technology patent applications. Normally, patent applications are taken up for examination in the order that they are filed and take over three years to receive a final decision. Under the Green Tech Pilot Program, for the first 3,000 patent applications related to green technologies in which a proper petition is filed, the Office will examine the application on an accelerated basis, which should reduce the time it takes to patent the invention by an average of a year. The deadline for filing petitions under this program is December 8, 2010." Sphere: Related Content
Learn What it Means to Go Green at the 2nd Annual EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival -- BROADLANDS, Va., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ --
Learn What it Means to Go Green at the 2nd Annual EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival -- BROADLANDS, Va., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ --:
"BROADLANDS, Va., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the highly successful inaugural EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival that drew more than 2,000 families in 2009, the Broadlands Wildlife Habitat Committee is gearing up for this year's event that will likely leave an indelible eco-impact on Loudouners. The 2nd annual EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival will take place on Sunday, April 25th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Willow Creek Farm in Broadlands, VA. This admission-free festival will offer virtually everything for the eco-conscience including more than 75 exhibitors, a Green Marketplace offering earth-friendly products and services, hands-on educational activities for all ages and many other entertainment options."
RELATED LINKS
http://www.earthdayatloudoun.org Sphere: Related Content
"BROADLANDS, Va., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the highly successful inaugural EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival that drew more than 2,000 families in 2009, the Broadlands Wildlife Habitat Committee is gearing up for this year's event that will likely leave an indelible eco-impact on Loudouners. The 2nd annual EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival will take place on Sunday, April 25th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Willow Creek Farm in Broadlands, VA. This admission-free festival will offer virtually everything for the eco-conscience including more than 75 exhibitors, a Green Marketplace offering earth-friendly products and services, hands-on educational activities for all ages and many other entertainment options."
RELATED LINKS
http://www.earthdayatloudoun.org Sphere: Related Content
Rising plastic problem in oceans | mydigitalfc.com
Rising plastic problem in oceans | mydigitalfc.com:
"In an open ocean, currents and wind combine to form massive, swirling vortexes called gyres. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is one of five major gyres on earth and stretches between the coasts of Japan and California. In this area, a combination of high atmospheric pressure and the earth’s rotation slows ocean currents and moves them in a clockwise spiral. Historically, the Northern Pacific Gyre (NPG) has created a rich concentration of plankton and other organisms.
Recently, however, the gyre has become home to plastic waste drawn from all over the world, particularly from Pacific rim countries. The result is two enormous masses of plastic trash. One, dubbed the western garbage patch, is located west of Hawaii and east of Japan. The second is the eastern garbage patch, near the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Together, these masses are known as the Great Pacific garbage patch (the Patch). Ocean currents carry plastic trash to the patch from all over the world, and debris that ends up in territories of the US may have originated thousands of miles away." Sphere: Related Content
"In an open ocean, currents and wind combine to form massive, swirling vortexes called gyres. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is one of five major gyres on earth and stretches between the coasts of Japan and California. In this area, a combination of high atmospheric pressure and the earth’s rotation slows ocean currents and moves them in a clockwise spiral. Historically, the Northern Pacific Gyre (NPG) has created a rich concentration of plankton and other organisms.
Recently, however, the gyre has become home to plastic waste drawn from all over the world, particularly from Pacific rim countries. The result is two enormous masses of plastic trash. One, dubbed the western garbage patch, is located west of Hawaii and east of Japan. The second is the eastern garbage patch, near the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Together, these masses are known as the Great Pacific garbage patch (the Patch). Ocean currents carry plastic trash to the patch from all over the world, and debris that ends up in territories of the US may have originated thousands of miles away." Sphere: Related Content
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