by Jeff Lunden
NPR Music News

November 5, 2009 - Opening night of New York City Opera’s new season is Thursday. A longtime scrappy alternative to the plush Metropolitan Opera, the company has struggled to make a comeback after financial and artistic turmoil.

The New York City Opera makes its home on the plaza of Lincoln Center, right in the shadow of the Metropolitan Opera. But New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini says there’s always been room for two opera companies in town, because both have been so different…But recently, New York City Opera has fallen on hard times. Last year, there was no season at all. The company closed its theater for a costly renovation. Then, the Belgian impresario hired to lead City Opera, Gerard Mortier, bolted when he couldn’t make his ambitious plans happen. And finally, the stock market — and the opera’s endowment — plummeted. With a $15 million deficit, the company almost closed down.

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By Harriet Baskas
Travel writer
MSNBC

Airline passengers are getting dinged for everything from checking a bag to upgrading beyond the middle seat.

As carriers nickel-and-dime their customers, it’s hard to believe they would offer a cool new amenity at no cost. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Several airlines with Wi-Fi-equipped airplanes are letting passengers try out the service for free.

Last Saturday, on her connecting flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C., Pam Scott of Spokane, Wash., got her first chance to try in-flight Internet service. She surfed — for free — thanks to a promotion offered by Delta Air Lines and Aircell, the provider of the Gogo in-flight service. “Loving it,” Scott wrote in a message sent from the skies, “Nice to be in touch on such a long flight.”

Austin, Texas-based event planner Nichole Wright’s first taste of in-flight Wi-Fi was also free. She was on her way to New York City on business when a Delta flight attendant handed her a free pass. “I was thrilled,” says Wright, “and it worked very well; a huge time saver. I think I would pay for it in the future.”

Food blogger Alejandra Ramos would probably pay, too. Access to in-flight Wi-Fi was complimentary the day she flew with United Airlines from New York’s JFK airport to San Francisco. It was an extremely turbulent flight, so Ramos focused on e-mailing with her online friends. “I told them all about my nervousness and it was nice to have several dozen of them giving me their tips for staying calm while flying.”

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By ANTHONY TOMMASINI
Published: November 4, 2009

WASHINGTON — Wednesday was classical music day at the White House. The festivities and performances were sponsored by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, created by executive order in 1982. The first lady serves as honorary chairwoman of the committee, and Michelle Obama, fully embracing that function, has created a White House Music Series.

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Sun Tea Fundraiser

Making tea with natural sunlight is not only eco-friendly, it’s delicious too. Your group can get donations for large gallon glass jars and tea bags. Pre-sale orders for a gallon of sun tea and then arrange a day to make all of the tea. Drop off the tea at a pre-determined day along with a thank you card attached to the glass jar.

Silent Auctions

Although this fundraising idea isn’t exactly new, it’s definitely green! By having items donated from community businesses and running a silent auction, your organization can make a lot of money.
Hold the auction yourself by placing a clipboard with room for the bid amount and the person’s name. People can walk around, look at items and place their bids.
Alternatively, the bidding can be done in secret with each person donating a specified amount. Whoever pays the most gets to keep the item and the rest of the funds are collected as a donation for the organization.
You can give your silent auction a green theme by getting donations from gardening shops or by using recycled materials.

Green Cookbook Fundraiser

Help your community eat better and use locally grown produce, all while getting donations for your organization. First, collect recipes from your local community or look online for organic and eco-friendly recipes that use locally grown items. Spread the word about the recipe collection and you’ll be sure to have a lot of submissions.
Once all the submissions have been collected, have the students or members of the group type up the cookbooks. You can get them printed very cheaply on recycled paper and spiral bound. Once the books are created, hold a bake sale with recipes from the book and sell your cookbook. You may also be able to put a few books for sale at local shops.

Planting Trees

Taking donations and planting trees is probably one of the most eco-friendly fundraisers there is. Although you could do the planting yourself, there is a much simpler way to fundraise. An organization called Help the Planet (just do a quick Google search for the URL) will plant one tree for every bookmark that is sold by your organization. The bookmarks are sold at $3 each and you can keep 30% of the money raised. In addition, a tree will be planted. Talk about win-win!

Fundraising Ideas from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Green-Fundraising-Ideas—Raise-Money-the-Eco-Friendly-Way&id=3063988

Green Holiday Wrapping Paper - With the holiday season just around the corner you can raise money by wrapping presents with waste materials. If you contact your local AAA office they will be glad to give you hundreds of out of date maps.Maps have too much ink to be recycled and the AAA tosses thousands of them every year. They are large enough to wrap most boxes and you can also fold them into gift bags.

Your group could be wrapping for donations. I’ve heard of groups take in several hundred dollars in a single day and your only expense will be tape!

Another great Green Holiday Fundraising Ideas is Selling Christmas Trees!

Things to remember when planning your Christmas Tree Fundraising event:

•Recruit plenty of volunteers
•Price it right
•Advertising is the key
•Make your Christmas tree lot stand out

Recruiting Volunteers – Have volunteers sign up in shifts. You’ll need volunteers to sell the trees, cut stumps and load the trees on cars, and others to make wreaths to sell from the trimmings.

Pricing – Know what your competition has and how it is priced. Price your trees and wreaths accordingly. Make sure potential customers know that all profits are for a good cause.

Don’t skimp on advertising – Your Christmas fundraising efforts will only be effective if people know you are there! Take advantage of newsletters, email lists and even TV and radio.

Stand out from the crowd – Make your tree lot visually appealing. Use twinkle lights, yard ornaments and pretty signs. If your budget allows, get a snow making machine or one that blows bubbles that look like snow.

Additional information
We have hundreds of articles with fundraising advice on the best ways to raise funds. Read this article for more details on fundraising with Christmas trees and this one to add Christmas carols to your holiday fund raiser event.

Christmas Tree Fundraising Idea from: http://blog.fundraiserhelp.com

The Lee High School Orchestra is proud to announce its sixth annual “Million Dollar Duck Race,” set for 9 a.m., Saturday, November 7, at the C.J. Kelly Park, 5500 League Drive. Orchestra students are selling ducks for $5 each. The winner of the duck race will receive a $1,500 prize, and runner-up prizes include tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins game, a $500 gas gift card and a PlayStation. One lucky duck will be insured for $1 million. If that duck finishes first, the buyer of the duck will receive a $1 million prize. Jay Hendricks will emcee the vent.

Karen McAfee, LHS Orchestra director, said her students sold 4,000 ducks last year, and hope to sell 5,000 ducks this year. “The kids really work hard to do a good job,” she said. “The fundraiser will help pay for our spring trip to Colorado Springs, and for the extra things we do.” Private lesson scholarships for economically disadvantaged students, college scholarships, and more are made possible by the funds raised.

The first Exhibition of Aerial Locomotion was held at the Grand Palais, Paris in 1909. In 2007 the International Paris Air Show again provided the opportunity to meet all the players in the sector, with over 150,000 trade visitors. In 2009 (held every two years), the Show marked a hundred years of technological innovation in aeronautics and space conquest with an event that continues to look to the future of the industry.

For touring groups wishing to visit Paris, we highly suggest avoiding the city the dates of June 18 - 27, 2011. The official dates of the Show are June 20 - 26, but we need to allow a couple days on either end so hotels can empty out. During this time, the hotels in Paris increase their rates for the thousands of business travelers in the air industry.

By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

It was my last day in Athens after spending several weeks producing two exciting television shows on Greece. My brain was fried. I was concerned I was getting a cold, and I felt that getting sick was God’s way of telling me to slow down. Instead of heading out on a shoot, I ditched work and spent the day lounging poolside on the rooftop of my hotel. Thankfully, it worked. The next day, I felt recharged.

After 30 years of travel, I’ve figured out what I need to do to stay healthy when traveling. For me, wellness starts at home. An early-trip cold used to be a given until I learned this trick: Plan as if you’re leaving two days before you really are. Keep that last 48-hour period sacred (apart from your normal work schedule), even if it means being frenzied before your false departure date. You’ll fly away well-rested — and 100 percent capable of enjoying the bombardment of your senses that will follow.

Anyone who flies through multiple time zones has to grapple with jet lag. It’s simple to spring your wristwatch six to nine hours forward, but body clocks don’t reset so easily. After crossing the Atlantic, your body wants to eat when you tell it to sleep and sleep when you force it to go to the Louvre. You can’t avoid jet lag, but you don’t have to condemn yourself to zombiedom either. On the flight over, I eat lightly, drink lots of water, avoid coffee and alcohol, and minimize sugar. The in-flight movies are good for one thing — nap time. With two or three hours’ sleep during the flight, you’ll be functional the day you land.

On arrival, plan a good walk. Jet lag hates fresh air, daylight, and exercise. Stay awake at least until the early evening. You’ll probably awaken very early on your first morning. Get out and enjoy a “pinch me, I’m in Europe” walk, as merchants set up in the marketplace and the town slowly comes to life. This will probably be the only sunrise you’ll see in Europe.

As in the United States, Europe is also dealing with the H1N1 flu. Just be smart and heed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, regularly wash your hands with soap and water, try not to touch your eyes, nose and mouth, and get vaccinated if the shot is available to you.

To stay healthy, it’s crucial to get enough sleep. Most people need seven to eight hours a night. It’s tempting to go, go, go while you’re in Europe. As if channel-surfing on a great TV with an infinite number of channels, there’s always something enticing beyond what you can comfortably experience. The best way to stay healthy is to pace yourself and know your limits. Rather than a marathon of museum visits, I punctuate my sightseeing with cafe stops.

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by Sharon King Hoge

Ireland’s second-largest city after Dublin, Cork draws big business with a warm Irish welcome.

It may be only a tenth the size of Dublin, but Ireland’s second-largest city offers such a wealth of arts, education, history, recreation and commerce that proponents score Cork City with a “perfect 10.” Situated on an “island” embraced by two channels of the River Lee, the city which originated on marshland (hence its Irish name, Coraigh, from corcach, meaning swamp) has transformed itself into a major metropolitan center.

An important trading hub since the Middle Ages, Cork sent hides, wool and cloth around the globe and famously became the world’s largest exporter of butter. When the potato famine struck, its port saw the departure of thousands of immigrants overseas, and during the civil wars fierce battles between British and Irish left this “rebel town” burned and pillaged. Late in the 20th century, when the shipbuilding industry and local Ford and Dunlop plants closed down, Cork turned to other opportunities. With the emergence of technology it has successfully attracted major international corporations.

Full Article Here

by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers and Stillman Rogers

Nestled in the German countryside, Heidelberg is an Old World city with a decidedly cerebral twist.

Mark Twain was enchanted by Heidelberg, Goethe fell in love here, and composer Sigmund Romberg chose it as the setting for his much-loved operetta The Student Prince. Allied forces spared it during bombing raids and, after World War II, chose it as the location of the U.S. command headquarters, USAREUR. This combination of visitors (and in the case of the bombers, non-visitors) and romantic fancy has made Heidelberg almost a legend, vying with Munich as the most popular German destination for American travelers.

First-time visitors still fall quickly under the spell of this atmospheric old city, just as writers, the fictional prince and post-war GIs did. Today, international meetings and conventions fill the hallowed halls of Heidelberg’s university during the summer, creating new waves of devotees to spread its fame.

Full Article Here

By SETH KUGEL
Published: October 25, 2009

THE map showed two obvious ways to get from Catas Altas, a sleepy village in the foothills of southeast Brazil, to our hotel at Serra do Cipó National Park, a highland steppe with vertiginous canyons and cave paintings. There was the wimpy way, a roundabout route that would take us over smooth asphalt and trusty highways. And then there was the manly path: a direct shot along rutted dirt roads that wound through lazy towns like Taquaraçu de Minas and Jaboticatubas.

I couldn’t blame my travel companions, Adam and Neil, writer friends from New York City, for leaning towards taking the easier route. Our rental car, a silver Chevy Prisma with a low-hanging chassis, wasn’t exactly fit for dusty rural shortcuts. But we were in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where bumping along dirt roads is part of the thrill. So straight ahead we went.

The first stretch took us through green pastures and cornfields demarcated with fences made from barbed wire and jagged wooden stakes. Then, around one bend, a whitewashed, red-tile-roofed mansion appeared like a mirage in the dust. Curious, we pulled up, wandered through the out-of-place manicured lawn and found a gentleman farmer from the city examining his banana orchards. Rather than shoot us for trespassing, he invited us in for coffee and homemade guava paste.

For me, that was a typical moment in Minas Gerais, Brazil’s second-most populous state but considered by many to be its rural heartland.

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EVliving.com

Ford Motor Company and Drive One 4 UR School Event Raises $3,540 for Dobson High School

Mesa, Ariz. – Dobson High School students and families participated in Ford Motor Company’s Drive One 4 UR School program on Sat., Oct.3, and raised $3,540 for the school’s Band Programs. In all, 177 people each raised $20 for Dobson High by test-driving a Ford vehicle provided by Berge Ford.

Drive One 4 UR School, which launched in 2007, demonstrates Ford Motor Company’s commitment to supporting local communities in good times and in bad.. During the past two years, Ford Motor Company has provided more than $1.3 million to high schools that have participated in the program, with further plans to continue this fun, engaging way to help high schools raise money to support their sports and extracurricular activities.

“We loved being able to sponsor the Drive One 4 UR School event, and we’re so glad the community turned out to support Dobson High,” said Steve Countryman, General Sales Manager at Berge Ford. “We know the money will be put to good use, and we’re pleased with the responses we got to our vehicles — especially the Ford Escape and the Ford Fusion. We heard nothing but great feedback about these two great vehicles.”

“Events like Drive One 4 UR School really show how much this community cares about our students,” said Glenny Carter, Band Program Parent Advisor for Dobson High “We can’t thank Ford Motor Company and Berge Ford enough for sponsoring this event. Our kids really had a great time and appreciate all the support”

Published on behalf of Dobson High School
Dobson High Band Programs are planning a huge trip to China in June 2010. They have been selected to participate in the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Music Festival with further participation in the 2010 American Celebration of Music in China. For more information, visit http://www2.mpsaz.org/dobson.

The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir has admitted it can no longer get enough male recruits.

And so, after 400 years, the choir is finally set to open its doors to female singers.

The boys in the choir live at the imposing Palais Augarten boarding school and are all individually interviewed before being accepted for a place.

Many famous composers have worked with the choral group, including Mozart, Hofhaimer and Bruckner, and the choir perform nearly 300 concerts each year in front of a staggering 500,000 people.

But the pressure of not having enough regular recruits has finally told.

It comes just months after the Austrian Times reported that Vienna’s Spanish Riding School has also lifted its 436-year-old men-only tradition.

After you practice for years and get to Carnegie Hall, it’s almost better to move music stands than actually play the piano.

Depending on wattage, a star pianist can receive $20,000 a night at the 118-year-old hall, meaning he or she would have to perform at least 27 times to match the income of Dennis O’Connell, who oversees props at the New York concert hall.

O’Connell made $530,044 in salary and benefits during the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. The four other members of the full-time stage crew — two carpenters and two electricians — had an average income of $430,543 during the same period, according to Carnegie Hall’s tax return.

At Carnegie Hall, which has featured on its three stages such varied musicians as Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan and the Berlin Philharmonic, only Artistic and Executive Director Clive Gillinson makes more than the stagehands.

Gillinson earned $946,581 in salary and benefits in the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. Chief Financial Officer Richard Matlaga made $352,139, while General Manager Anna Weber received $341,542.

The stagehands benefit from a strong union: Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees demonstrated its clout in November 2007 when its members walked off their Broadway jobs and closed 26 shows for almost three weeks. The strike ended after stagehands and producers agreed to a five-year contract that both sides called a compromise.

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By Kate Erickson · Daily Trojan

On the wall of Trojan Marching Band Director Arthur Bartner’s office hangs a photograph of an 800-piece band packed on the grass of the Coliseum in the shape of the United States.

As 2.5 billion people from across the world watched, the band — including 150 members from USC — played for the Opening Ceremony in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, under Bartner’s guiding hands. Twenty-five years later, Bartner is still leading the self-titled “Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe,” marking his 40th year at the helm this year.

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By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY

American Airlines flight attendant Gailen David dreads the pre-takeoff ritual that’s becoming as irksome as taking shoes off at security checkpoints.

Passengers laden with carry-ons resemble a scene from Survivor or The Amazing Race. They scramble to stow gear before others fill overhead bins, drag bags heavier than allowed, slip aboard with more than the two items typically permitted — and clip seatmates while cramming in belongings.

Because the number of flights has decreased and planes are flying fuller, and because major U.S. carriers except Southwest Airlines and JetBlue now charge fees of $15 and up to check a bag, planes’ overhead bins are bulging.

“The worst we’ve seen in the past couple of decades,” says Corey Caldwell, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Flight Attendants. The Transportation Security Administration and carriers don’t track carry-ons, Caldwell says, “but many more people are flying on the average flight, and the bins are filling up faster than before.”

The problem has become so pressing since major airlines began imposing fees for the first checked bag on domestic flights in mid-2008 that Congress is considering legislation to limit and standardize carry-on size and ensure enforcement at TSA airport checkpoints.

“It’s a fight for the overheads,” says veteran flight attendant David, who answers questions about luggage and more on his website, dearskysteward.com. By the time the last boarding group races for space in the compartments on a typically packed flight, “everyone has started to panic,” he says. Some passengers are left standing in the aisle with no place to put their belongings.

“It makes me mad that I have to rush to get on the plane just to get a spot to stick my carry-on,” says Matthew Luft, 25, an ATM technician from Midland, Mich.

Leading U.S. airlines usually limit carry-ons to one bag (of varying dimensions) and one smaller item such as a purse or computer case; infant seats and musical instruments may be excluded from the limit. Travelers increasingly flout the rules, passengers and flight attendants say.

The sprint to squish in carry-ons has both groups huffing with anger, or puffing from overexertion. And the busy holiday travel season ahead promises more battles for cabin luggage space.

“This time of year is worse, because we have coats and jackets” to store, says 20-year US Airways flight attendant Steve Schembs, an Association of Flight Attendants officer.

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By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) — If you’re like most Americans, your image of Spain is the region of Andalucia, famous for windswept landscapes, whitewashed hill towns, flamenco and gazpacho. While visitors gravitate to the region’s big cities of Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba, Andalucia’s hill towns — a charm bracelet of cute villages perched in the sierras — offer a taste of wonderfully untouched Spanish culture.

Ronda, 60 miles southeast of Sevilla, is one of the largest white hill towns. It’s also one of the most spectacular, thanks to its gorge-straddling setting. Ronda is easy to visit because it’s one of the few hill towns with a train station. The real joy for travelers lies in exploring the winding back streets and taking in the panoramic views, whitewashed houses, and exuberant flowerpots.

Ronda’s stunning ravine divides the town’s labyrinthine Moorish quarter and its newer, noisier, and sprawling Mercadillo quarter. The New Bridge, massive yet graceful, has mightily spanned the gorge since the 18th century. Look down (carefully) into the ravine — it’s 360 feet deep and 200 feet wide.

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updated 5:14 a.m. MT, Tues., Oct . 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - Michelle and Barack Obama sat one table over from J. Lo and Marc Anthony, and all four of them were rocking in their seats as Sheila E. shook the house — well, really the tent.

The latest installment of the White House music series was too big for the East Room, so a high-wattage assortment of Latin musicians sent pulsating, can’t-help-but-bob-along rhythms tumbling out of a giant tent on the mansion’s South Lawn.

As it happens, music of all sorts — rock, jazz, country, classical — has been busting out of the White House all year long.

Presidents have long used the White House as a platform to showcase the best of music and the arts: Chester Arthur staged the first formal East Room concert in the late 1800s.

But the Obamas are demonstrating a commitment to use the White House to promote the arts in a huge way. And they’re not just tapping safe, living legends: Fresh faces like bachata band Aventura and Mexican pop sensation Thalia (who lured Obama on to the dance floor briefly) shared a stage with gray eminence Jose Feliciano at last week’s Fiesta Latina.

The Obamas’ musical push started on Day One, when the Wynton Marsalis Quintet played for a private inaugural celebration party of 100 at the White House.

A month later, the White House brought in Earth, Wind and Fire to entertain visiting governors. And days later, the Obamas hosted an East Room tribute to Stevie Wonder that featured Tony Bennett, Martina McBride and Wonder himself. The president called it “the most accomplished Stevie Wonder cover band in history.”

Full Article Here

By Adrian Bridge
Published: 2:40PM BST 15 Oct 2009

I still experience a frisson of excitement whenever I see the gold-plated roof of the National Theatre in Prague, at its brilliant best just after nightfall.

It is a magnificent building in a city that is dripping with magnificent buildings (Gothic, modernist, art nouveau, baroque…). But the National Theatre is the one that caught my eye on my first visit, and the one I always look for when I return.

It is at the end of Narodni, a lively tram-lined street that runs from Wenceslas Square down to the River Vltava. Stroll down Narodni to pick up the pulse of Prague and then pause beside the theatre. Look across the flowing water. There, high on a hill in all its illuminated glory, is Prague Castle, the fairy-tale Prague Castle (or, to Kafka fans, simply “The Castle”).

It blew me away on that first visit and it has blown me away ever since.

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By Paula Newton
CNN

FUMICINO, Italy (CNN) — Under a canopy of elegant Italian pines, the foundations of a mini Roman Coliseum are at once unmistakable and exhilarating.

The structure at “Portus,” the Romans’ ancient Mediterranean port, has remained undiscovered for eighteen centuries until now.

University of Southhampton archaeologists have just this summer uncovered the remains of an amphitheater, a Roman warehouse and the ruins of an Imperial palace even though archaeologists have been digging at this site since the 19th Century.

“It’s true I think also to say that we have kind of rediscovered it because the great Italian archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani reported the discovery of a theater in the 1860s but nobody could actually find it,” says Professor Simon Keay, a leading expert on Roman Archaeology at the University of Southhampton.

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“The other day my parents came home to find their lawn covered in pink, plastic flamingos. They found a note on the door explaining that they could pay $5 to have the flamingos removed for good, or $10 dollars to have them moved to the neighbor’s yard. Turned out it was a class fundraiser. I love my school. ” -Unknown student, MLIA.

I read this story and thought it was a charming and fun way to fundraise. We all know what a challenge it can be to motivate students to fundraise. Unfortunately, some students are motivated and some are not. Providing unique fundraising opportunities, like such, will help bring an interest and excitement to students who are not highly motivated to fundraise. I hope this helps and please, take pictures and be safe.

by Karl Paulnack

“One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not properly value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than I would be as a musician. I still remember my mother’s remark when I announced my decision to apply to music school—she said, “you’re WASTING your SAT scores.” On some level, I think, my parents were not sure themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they LOVED music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t really clear about its function. So let me talk about that a little bit, because we live in a society that puts music in the “arts and entertainment” section of the newspaper, and serious music, the kind your kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with entertainment, in fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit about music, and how it works.

The first people to understand how music really works were the ancient Greeks. And this is going to fascinate you; the Greeks said that music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us. Let me give you some examples of how this works.

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