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For Opera Powerhouse Dolora Zajick, 'Singing Is Connected To The Body'

This is FRESH AIR. I’m Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. A week from this Saturday, on October 3, movie theaters around the world will show a live theater-cast of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of the Verdi opera, “Il Trovatore.” It’s the premier of the 10th anniversary season of the Met’s “Live In HD.” One of the stars of the production is Dolora Zajick, who specializes in Verdi. In fact, when Terry spoke with Zajick last year, they opened with a recording of her in an earlier Met production of “Il Trovatore.” We’re going to listen back to that interview. Here’s how Terry introduced it.

Something I couldn't have predicted happened to me recently; I fell in love with opera. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for it. I'd always avoided opera. That changed after I saw the 2011 film "Margaret" that included a scene where the characters go to the Met to see an opera. The opera excerpt in the film was so moving I decided I had to see one myself.

It took a while, but eventually I went to the Met in HD, the live Metropolitan Opera Performances shown by satellite in movie theaters around the world. I've been hooked ever since. My guest, Dolora Zajick, has sung with the Met for 25 years. She's best known for singing Verdi. I love her voice, and she has interesting things to say about singing and teaching. She's the founder and director of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, which is designed for young singers with big or unusual voices. She didn't figure out that she could sing opera until after she was a pre-med student. Let's start with some very dramatic singing featuring Zajick as the gypsy Azucena in Verdi's "Il Trovatore." It has one of those great opera plots. Her mother was burned at the stake on the orders of the count, who believed she bewitched his children. To avenge the murder, Azucena throws the count's son into a fire only to realize that in her blind frenzy, it was her own son she'd burned alive. In this tormented aria, she confesses the truth to her adopted son. This was recorded at the Met in 2009.

DOLORA ZAJICK: (As Azucena, singing in Italian).

GROSS: Dolora Zajick, welcome to FRESH AIR. I love your singing. I'm very new to opera, and I think a lot of our listeners probably haven't heard much opera. So I'm going to be asking you to explain some things that you might take for granted (laughter). But I want you to describe what it feels like physically when you're singing that because there's so much going on. You've got these power chords behind you that the orchestra is playing. You're duetting. You're getting higher and higher notes. It's really big and really deep and dark.

ZAJICK: Well, you know, singing is connected to the body. So there's a – there’s a depth in the body that's necessary to perform this kind of music. And a lot of that expression comes from a kinesthetic awareness. And it's - that's one thing that I think people identify with, and of course there's the moment that you're in. And you don't have time to think. You don't have time to dwell on anything because you're in the moment. You have to be concentrating on what's happening right then and there.

GROSS: But I'm thinking that there must be almost like physical soundwaves that you're feeling because...

ZAJICK: No, no, no, you don't feel that.

ZAJICK: No. The audience hears something entirely different than what you feel.

GROSS: Really? So what are you hearing different than what we're hearing in the audience?

ZAJICK: Well, a singer is listening for focus. You're being expressive. You are – there are sensations that you're feeling physically. It's a very visceral thing. Kinesthetic empathy is a very interesting ability. There was a famous Russian choreographer who went blind, and he was able to tell by how they sounded when he put his ear to the floorboards exactly the positions where their arms and their hands and their feet were. And he could tell exactly what their posture was because he had heard that sound so many thousands of times through the course of his years. And he was able to tell by how it sounded what they were doing with their bodies to achieve that sound. Singers have the same thing. You have to have that to be able to learn a vocal technique. We use - in fact, that's one of the tests we use for younger singers when we're testing to see their ability to absorb a vocal technique. And it involves putting a blindfold on them and having - you sing a vowel and see if they can duplicate it. Like, perhaps you sing an E. And then you do something different. You tighten the upper lip. You go - or you jut your jaw out. So let's say we tighten the upper lip. You start out on E, and then I go E, there's a little bit of difference in the sound. And someone with kinesthetic empathy is going to figure out what you did without seeing. And the more you have of that, either as an audience member or as a singer, the more you're going to connect in that way.

GROSS: From the very little that I know (laughter) about opera, I think of the dramatic mezzo-soprano and the parts that I've seen you in as being kind of, like, a character actor. In most of your roles in opera, you're not the girlfriend. You're the jealous woman. You're not the lovely nymph. You're the witch. You're not the woman having the affair with the king. You're the fortune teller who that woman goes to. You're Lady Macbeth. So do you think of yourself as a character actor in that respect?

ZAJICK: I've become one, and I have enjoyed it. The thing is that mezzo-soprano usually gets the designation of that kind of character in an opera. Usually the soprano is the pure ingenue, and then you've got the, you know, the noble tenor. And it's usually the baritone and the mezzo that have the evil parts. And sometimes, it's the bass. And you get to do all these twisted and interesting people. And that's - I like doing those kind of people. There's an interesting evolution when you're acting a part like that, and it's - you know, it takes a lot of in-depth delving into your own self and finding what's in you. And it takes a harsh, objective look at yourself to be able to come to grips with those kinds of roles in the right way, I think.

GROSS: So what about your range as a dramatic mezzo-soprano?

ZAJICK: Well, dramatic mezzo is very - not quite but almost a soprano in terms of range. It's a high mezzo. But you have to have low notes.

GROSS: And you do.

ZAJICK: I've been very fortunate.

GROSS: So I want to play something else. And this is you with the Metropolitan Opera, recorded in November of 2012. And this is from the Verdi opera, "Un Ballo In Maschera," which translates to masked ball. I asked for everybody's forgiveness with my pronunciations.

ZAJICK: OK, I'll stop you.

GROSS: Yes (laughter). You're not forgiving me, I can see.

ZAJICK: No, no, no, no. It's - I'll do it slowly - "Un Ballo In Maschera."

GROSS: "Un Ballo In Maschera." No, that was terrible.

ZAJICK: No, that's OK. Say maschera.

GROSS: Maschera.

ZAJICK: Now say maschera.

GROSS: Maschera.

ZAJICK: But you want the accent on the ma, maschera.

GROSS: Maschera.

ZAJICK: That's right.

GROSS: Do I have to do this in order to love opera? (Laughter).

ZAJICK: No, you don't.

GROSS: Because I'm going to be hopeless if I have to...

ZAJICK: No, you're going to be fine.

GROSS: If I have to learn how to pronounce things to love opera, I'm going to be in trouble.

ZAJICK: No, you're going to be fine. I'm doing it slow so you'll get it. OK, so it's maschera.

GROSS: Maschera.

ZAJICK: Yeah, you got it.

GROSS: Did you have to go through this when you started singing because you didn't speak all the languages?

ZAJICK: Oh yeah, we all do.

GROSS: Yeah, uh-huh.

ZAJICK: We all do. You know, we all - in fact, the biggest chunk of operatic training is in linguistics and musicianship. It's not in vocal training.

GROSS: No, really?

GROSS: Do you understand everything you're singing? I mean, like...

ZAJICK: Absolutely.

GROSS: I mean, word for word, as opposed to here's the English translation?

ZAJICK: Word for word. Not only what I'm singing but what everybody else is singing.

GROSS: So you have to know a lot of languages but mostly Italian, right? (Laughter).

ZAJICK: You have to know enough to know - I sing in Italian, Czech, Russian, French, German, English.

GROSS: Wow. OK, so back to - I'm not going to say the title again.

GROSS: So in this, like, you're a fortune teller. And introduce the aria we're about to hear.

ZAJICK: Well, this is a very interesting aria because you can play this part one of three ways. And it depends on the slant of the stage director. You can play her as a woman who really believes that she is contacting Satan but isn't; she's just a dingbat. Or you can play her as someone who really is in cahoots with Satan. Or you can play her as a fraud, and she's just part of some intrigue.

GROSS: How do you see it?

ZAJICK: Well, it depends on the stage direction. You see, that's the wonderful thing about opera is when something can be interpreted differently, there's a different take. As long as - that's what's great - when I say that's what's great about the role, it means that each one is equally valid.

GROSS: And in this version we're about to hear, how are you singing it?

ZAJICK: As a dingbat.

GROSS: How come?

ZAJICK: Well, because she thinks she's connected with Satan, and she just got lucky.

GROSS: And what are you singing in this? Translate it for us.

ZAJICK: I'm calling up the devil.

ZAJICK: I'm calling up the devil.

GROSS: Well, I love your, like, warm, dark tone in this. So let's hear it. This is my guest, Dolora Zajick, singing with the Metropolitan Opera in 2012.

ZAJICK: (As character, singing in Italian).

GROSS: That was my guest, Dolora Zajick, singing with the Metropolitan Opera, November 2012, an aria from Verdi's "Un Ballo In Maschera," in which she played a fortune teller.

ZAJICK: Un - no, it's un.

GROSS: You're going to correct me again.

ZAJICK: No, no, ooh, ooh, as in hoo, like an owl.

GROSS: I think you should just give up on me, honestly. I just...

ZAJICK: Well, say masked ball.

GROSS: Yeah, the masked ball, right, because that's what it translates to. Thank you.

GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guest is Dolora Zajick, and she’s a dramatic mezzo-soprano who’s sung with the Metropolitan Opera for over 25 years. Let's take a short break, and then we'll hear some more singing and talk some more. This is FRESH AIR.

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. My guest, Dolora Zajick, has sung with the Metropolitan Opera for more than 25 years. So do you have a favorite or a most calamitous moment on stage that you would like to share?

ZAJICK: Probably the most calamitous incident was the first time that we did "Rusalka," and there was a mechanical cat on my shoulder. And I'm trying to find a motivation for saying hop, my cat, hop, my cat a thousand times. So we thought, well, it's digging its claws into your shoulder, and so - and I've got a spoon, and I'm mixing stuff in the cauldron, so I hit it on the head. And the head would stop for a second, and then it would continue moving, and the tail would keep moving. Well, one day, I hit the head too hard, and the head fell off.

GROSS: (Laughter).

ZAJICK: But the tail kept moving. So I had to do this - I had to finish the scene with this headless cat, and the tail kept - with a moving tail. And I didn't know what to do with the head. So I just picked it up and threw it in the cauldron with the rest of the stuff. That got a lot of laughs.

GROSS: That's funny - because you're the witch in "Rusalka."

ZAJICK: Yes, yes.

GROSS: Now, it's really an interesting story how you became an opera singer because you didn't even start singing until you were 22.

ZAJICK: Almost 22.

GROSS: Yeah, so I thought that opera singers were supposed to start singing when they were very young. And even if they weren't training in opera per se that they were getting some kind of training.

ZAJICK: I think that you will find, if you went around and asked all the opera singers at the very top of their profession how old they were when they started, who they studied with, where they studied, you would get so many different answers that there is no one-rule-fits-all. Singers actually used to begin singing at a much younger age than they do now. I would say for me, I started late. But it's not unusual. I discovered I had a voice. I wanted to be a pianist when I was seven, and circumstances didn't allow that I studied it. So by the time...

GROSS: What does that mean?

ZAJICK: Well, I just, you know, I didn't have access to a piano. So by the time I got to high school, I knew it was too late to be an instrumentalist. So I decided, well, I'll become a doctor and just, you know, sing for fun. And when I was in college, I was in pre-med. And that's when I discovered I had a voice and that I actually had a crack at a singing career. And I decided to take the chance, and this is where I ended up.

GROSS: So when you realized you had a voice, as you put it, and you started studying voice, what appealed to you about opera?

ZAJICK: For me, it was just simply that I finally had a venue where I could be in classical music. If I had started when I was really young, I probably would have pursued the piano. And I probably would have been a coach or a conductor or something - or a composer, although now I'm starting to compose anyway. So I ended up where I might have ended up anyway. So (laughter).

GROSS: Could you demonstrate for us one of the vocal exercises or techniques or something that you learned early on that has helped guide you and helped discover the best qualities in your voice?

ZAJICK: Well, here's a vocal exercise. It's very old. It's called - it's one of the Vidal exercises, and the purpose of it is to connect the support with the focus because they're inextricably linked. So it's a very strange exercise, but it works. So it goes something like this. (Singing). It sounds something like that.

GROSS: It sounds like you're doing it more nasally first and then more through your throat second.

ZAJICK: Yes, it teaches you the difference between nasal and - nasality, nasal resonance, which are two different things. And it also - it helps you isolate what you really need from one thing to the next so that the focus and the support are connected together so that you get a supported sound.

GROSS: Is there another example, too, of something that, like, opened up your voice?

ZAJICK: Well, opening my jaw. One of the things that I was taught is that a lot of modern singing today is - people use their jaws and their lips more than they used to. And they used to more with their tongue in the past. And so I was taught the older method. And the difference would be if you go - I'm going to do it the wrong way first or what some people consider the right way today, and then I'm going to sing the way I do it, which is older-school. So the first way is (singing). And then my way would be (singing).

GROSS: Wow, that's a really big difference. And the second way, the way you do it, is darker, fuller, more resonant.

ZAJICK: Well, the second way, I don't use my lips. I use my tongue to make - create the vowels.

GROSS: Now, you know, I've been asking you to demonstrate a couple of things. You actually direct a vocal institute for young people. It's called the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Who are the young people that you're seeking out for this institute?

ZAJICK: Well, we're looking for singers that can sing - that have the potential to sing Wagner, Verdi or unusual voices, which we would consider basso profundos, true basses, contraltos. And we would take a dramatic coloratura if one came along, but we haven't really heard one yet.

GROSS: So why are you focusing on unusual voices?

ZAJICK: Well, because I think they're often the most misunderstood during their development. And we've got more people on the planet than we've ever had. Why do we have fewer dramatic voices? Something is happening that's cutting them off at the pass somewhere. And I’ve discovered where some of those places are. And one of them - I think we lose the largest amount at the high school level. And I think the reason for that is because they don't sing classical music as much as they used to. And the other reason is that when they do, the voice that matures and has a big sound usually does not fit into a high school chorus, a cappella choir. We had a young man who is a spectacular young bass who, when he auditioned, he had hardly any sound at all until he hit a low note or a high note. And I said, wait a minute, there's something wrong here. So I said, why don't - why don't you try this again. And I found out that there was an actual demarcation as to when it started sounding good again. It turned out, the range where he had shut his voice down, was singing out of tune and singing through his nose, was where he was trying to fit in with his a cappella choir. His voice was simply too big to fit in with adolescent voices.

DAVIES: Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick, speaking with Terry Gross last year. After a break, Zajick talks about performing through illness and injury, including a broken shoulder and a broken rib. I’m Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR.

DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. I’m Dave Davies, back with Terry’s interview with Dolora Zajick, a dramatic mezzo-soprano who’s sung with the Metropolitan Opera for more than 25 years. She’ll be performing tonight as the Met begins its new season with a production of the Verdi opera, “Il Trovatore.” A live theater-cast of that production will be shown in movie theaters around the world a week from this Saturday. Dolora Zajick is the founder and director of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, which is designed for young singers with big or unusual voices.

GROSS: I've seen you in "The Met In HD" in "Rusalka." You know, it's kind of like a show on public television in the sense that at intermission, there's an interviewer, usually somebody who is with or have been with the Met who interviews the leads. And then they interview the conductor and the director. And so, like, you're walking off. It's like, you've just sung an aria, you know, it's the middle of the opera. And suddenly, like, you're being interviewed. And I'm thinking, god, that must be so hard to be in your, like, analytical, reflective frame of mind at the same time that you're in the middle of a performance – ‘cause it's just intermission.

ZAJICK: Well, it's all part of the job.

GROSS: Right (laughter) well, what happened...

GROSS: What happened in "Rusalka" is that you're asked the question, and your answer was something like this (coughing).

ZAJICK: Well, that's because I was sick.

GROSS: Yeah, you were sick. How did you sing?

ZAJICK: Well, if your vocal folds - if the vocal folds themselves are not affected and you can keep your lungs functioning, you can sing. You can have a - if you've got all the rest, you know, stuffy nose, runny nose, if you've got, you know, all the other things - you can even have a - you can have a really bad sore throat. But if your vocal folds are not affected or only slightly affected, you can still sing.

GROSS: Well, first of all, when I have a cold of any sort my voice sounds completely different, and I'm talking about speaking. And second of all, usually when I get a cold, I get hoarse or laryngitis. That doesn't happen to you?

ZAJICK: Well, on occasion. Singers are experts at keeping things from dripping on their throats. Believe me, they're experts.

GROSS: How do you do that?

ZAJICK: Well, antihistamines, you know, making sure that what, you know, the position you sleep in. I mean these things, they become habits. And you learn all the tricks. And usually, the best things are the oldest thing, like hot steam.

GROSS: Inhaling hot steam?

ZAJICK: Hot steam before you sing, tea with lemon and honey.

GROSS: Let me just ask - inhaling hot steam, I don't want to give the wrong impression. You're, you're not...

ZAJICK: You just turn on a shower, you know.

GROSS: Right. I don't want people to, like, burn their respiratory systems.

ZAJICK: No, no (laughter). No, you just turn on a shower on hot water. And it eventually steams up the place, and you just breathe it in. And it helps clear things out very quickly. And also, a lot of vocalizes clear out a lot of phlegm. You know, when I do that Vidal exercise, it basically cleans out my sinuses. And it also, it pushes out phlegm from my lung. And so you basically hack the phlegm out, and you get the nasal congestion gone by draining. And, you know, and then you after, you know, the antihistamine is like when you sleep, so it doesn't drip on your cords when you sleep. But when you're singing, you can't sing with an antihistamine. So...

GROSS: And what position do you sleep in to prevent post-nasal drip?

ZAJICK: On my stomach.

GROSS: No, really?

GROSS: Wow. That seems so uncomfortable.

ZAJICK: Well, not if you have a pillow.

GROSS: OK. Still seems really uncomfortable.

ZAJICK: Singers, you know, it's amazing what can become a habit or what you're willing to put up with if it's part of your job. It's amazing. I mean, I've sung with a broken shoulder and broken ribs.

GROSS: Really?

ZAJICK: Oh, yeah.

GROSS: Like a broken - how can you breathe if you have a broken rib?

ZAJICK: It's easy. You get that...

GROSS: I mean, breathe in the kind of way you have to breathe.

ZAJICK: Well, the adrenaline shoots through your body, and you don't feel it when you're performing. After is whole another story, but (laughter). But a lot of singers get injured on the job. I remember trying to get some insurance once. And they - and I asked, well, why is the insurance so high? And they said, well, opera singers are listed under circus performers.

ZAJICK: Because it's – apparently, there’s a high injury rate for opera singers.

GROSS: Did you injure yourself on stage?

ZAJICK: Oh, yeah. I fell in the prompter box at the dress reversal of "Rusalka."

GROSS: Oh, god.

ZAJICK: The first time we did it. And I broke two ribs and tore a ligament in my leg and...

GROSS: That wasn't this time around, was it?

ZAJICK: No. No, no, no, no. No. This was the first time we did it.

ZAJICK: And then, fortunately, I had a cane in the - a stick in the show. So it didn't matter.

GROSS: Right. Yeah, you had a big stick as a cane in the one earlier this year.

ZAJICK: Yeah. So that works fine.

GROSS: My guest is Dolora Zajick. We'll talk more after a break. This is FRESH AIR.

GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guest is Dolora Zajick. She's a dramatic mezzo-soprano. She's sung a lot of Verdi over the years. She's been with the Metropolitan Opera for over 25 years. Let's hear some more music. I want to play something from your album, "The Art Of the Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano." And I thought we could hear from the Verdi Opera, "Don Carlo," the aria that you sing, "O Don Fatale." Tell us something about this aria.

ZAJICK: Well, this is basically where she curses her fatal gift that got her into trouble, her vanity and her beauty. And she basically is bemoaning the fact that she's got to go to a convent. She's been given the choice of exile or the convent. And the reason for this is that she incriminated the queen by putting a portrait of Don Carlo in her jewelry box, which her husband, Philip, found and accused her of infidelity. And for her punishment, she has been given this choice by the queen.

GROSS: OK. So this is Dolora Zajick, and we'll hear Charles Rosekrans conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

ZAJICK: (As Eboli, singing in Italian).

GROSS: That's Dolora Zajick from her album "The Art Of the Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano." And that is dramatic.

GROSS: I think one of the things that makes your singing so dramatic is the very kind of dramatic rhythms that you sing.

ZAJICK: Well, I did play percussion in high school.

GROSS: Oh, that makes sense.

ZAJICK: So I have a - and I have a good sense of rhythm. And I think that there's a lot that can be expressed in a tempo change and in a tempo itself. And I really believe that rhythms can help create a big presence. You know, sometimes a musical imagination is as important as singing itself, you know, the voice, what you do vocally, the vowels. So there’s a percussiveness that can sometimes be quite energizing and useful in singing as an expressive device.

GROSS: One of the things you have to do when you sing, especially singing that kind of powerhouse stuff that you do, you have to learn how to relax your tongue and your jaw. And it's almost counterintuitive because I think usually if you're doing something that requires a lot of effort, you just kind of naturally tense up. I'm not saying you should tense up, but it's kind of what people do. And probably for untrained singers, it's the same thing, that you just kind of, like, tense up. How did you learn to not tense up and to keep...

ZAJICK: You just don't.

GROSS: Sure, that's easier said than done.

ZAJICK: It is easier said than done, but that's exactly what you do. You learn to let go and stop trying to do too many things and figure out, isolate what you really need in order to function. A perfect example, if you look at a - if you compare an amateur weightlifter with a professional one, the amateur one, his neck is straining. And he's using all these extra muscles. And he's grunting and all kinds of things. And if you look at a professional, his whole body’s relaxed, even the hand that is holding the weight. And yet - but he will be exercising only the muscles that are meant to be worked. And that's the difference that you find - because they're very specific because they want to develop that particular set of muscles over, say, this set of muscles. So what they do is they've learned how to isolate. And that's the real key.

GROSS: Is there an exercise that you give your students to help them learn how to relax and only use the muscles that they need?

ZAJICK: Well, there's two approaches. One is to replace it with something else. And the other one is just to get them to let go. And, you know, and different personalities require different things. You know, for a control freak, getting them to let go is hard, but it's essential. I remember when I finally figured out how simple one aspect of singing was, and I looked at my voice teacher and I said, is that all it is? And he put his head on the piano keys, and he said, why do I do this to myself?

ZAJICK: And then the next time I had a lesson, there was a sign on the piano. It said, thank you for not singing.

GROSS: What was the thing that you figured out?

ZAJICK: Oh, I just figured out I just had to just open my mouth. Now, that is easier said than done. But just to relax your mouth and open it the right way, just let it drop open. I mean, that is more difficult for more people than you would think. Another one is just relaxing the tongue. Now, if your jaw is in the right place, it automatically puts the tongue in the right position, and then just learning to figure out what your tongue is really doing when it's relaxed. The best way to tell somebody how to figure out how to relax the tongue is to just say, well, notice where it is when you aren't doing anything. That's the relaxed tongue. It's not about putting it somewhere. It's about letting it be where it wants to go.

GROSS: One of the exercises you give some of your students is, it kind of sounds to me like Mongolian throat singing.

ZAJICK: Yeah, it is. It's the Khoomei style. And what we've discovered is because it focuses on isolating resonances, is it teaches them about focus - focusing resonance and performance and connecting that with support immediately. It speeds up the learning process tremendously. So we teach - we are now teaching it to all of them, and the results have actually been actually quite remarkable. I had no idea it would speed things up so quickly. Now, there are many schools...

GROSS: Can you demonstrate for us what it is? Because not all of our listeners will know.

ZAJICK: Sure. Well, what you do is you have a fundamental pitch. And then with your tongue - the middle of your tongue - you bring out different resonances, different pitches. So an example would be this. (Singing).

Anyway, that’s a sample.

GROSS: No, that's wonderful. And the overtones that you get from that are so unusual and eerie. And so what does that teach you? And do you want overtones like that when you're singing?

ZAJICK: What it teaches you is that resonance is all manipulated between the middle of the tongue and the hard palate. That's where all the work takes place. Now, you can use sensing devices, but they're not - it's not going something. I mean, some people say sing in the masks, put out in front of your face. There are many different - sing like there's a spot between your eyes. These all focus on sensations. And they're useful, but it's only part of the process. And people have different sensations. I mean, somebody might not feel it between the eyes, but they might feel it in a different part of their body. And they're not always reliable. They shift around on you. But hearing focus is always - you always hear it the same way. So when it comes to focus, you have to shift the gyroscope to the ear. When people say that someone is listening to themselves too much, they're usually talking about other things. Like, they're slowing it down, and they're not keeping up the beat. Or they are - they've gone into the back of their mouth, and it sounds big on the inside. But there's no size on the outside, and it's actually got less focus. So focus is something you have to hear in a very specific way.

GROSS: So you're in your early 60s now. How long do you think you'll be able to sing professionally?

ZAJICK: Well, I've probably got five years of major roles at this present level and then maybe some featured medium-sized roles for another five to 10 years after that, if I choose to do that. I mean, Mother Nature is definitely going to take a big chunk. I mean, that's just inevitable. I mean, we all age, and, you know, I can see it. I can see it coming. And then I will gauge my downsizing accordingly. That's just the nature of the beast. It's not happening now. I don't want people to think that all of a sudden it's happening now. I just see the approaching line coming. That's all.

GROSS: Right.

ZAJICK: And I want to leave in my prime. I don't want to leave a sorry spectacle before people. I want to leave at a respectable level.

GROSS: Yeah. When you're singing onstage at the Met, what is the importance of the conductor for you during the performance?

ZAJICK: Well, of course a conductor is terribly important. He has to be really good at what he does. But to me, the most important person is the audience and the composer. The rest of us - and even the composer is a servant to the audience. And of course, the audience is a servant to the higher art. So, you know, you can argue about that. But the thing is, is that the bottom line, we're serving the audience. So the conductor is serving the audience. The singer is serving the audience. The stage director is serving the audience. Even the composer is serving the audience. That's who he wrote it for. And so that – that is the most important person.

GROSS: Well, Dolora Zajick, it's been great to talk with you. Thank you so much.

ZAJICK: Thank you. It's been a great pleasure.

DAVIES: Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick spoke with Terry Gross last year. The Metropolitan Opera begins its season tonight. And Zajick will return in her role as the gypsy in a production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” A theater-cast of this production will be shown in movie theaters around the world on Saturday, October 3 as part of “The Met: Live In HD” series. Coming up, David Edelstein reviews the new film, “99 Homes.” This is FRESH AIR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Amazon Smile

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support WWA every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible products to WWA!

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. You use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile! Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select “Woodrow Wilson Academy” to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Box Tops for Education

Don’t forget to scan your grocery receipts with the Box Tops for Education app! Earn dollars and points for our school! Every Clip Counts!

Keep clipping Box Tops for Education labels from products around your house! Submit to the collection bin in the WWA Front Lobby until the expiration date marked on the label.

A program sponsored by Longmont Dairy that helps students earn money for their school and students. Longmont Dairy donates 5¢ for every milk cap! Bring your milk caps to school and put them into the collection box located in the front lobby.

King Soopers

King Soopers Community Rewards are another simple and automatic way for you to support WWA every time you shop, at no cost to you.

Instructions on how to link your King Soopers card to WWA can be found here:

My Coke Rewards

Drink coke products?  Enter your coke rewards number, donate your points to the school at http://www.mycokerewards.com/ The My Coke Rewards for Schools program enables our community to support all the ways kids play. You can donate My Coke Rewards points to Woodrow Wilson and help us get things like athletic equipment, classroom supplies, learning aids and more.

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BOSTON (SHNS) – The road that leads to a late January start of in-person sports betting is coming into clearer view for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

The next month will produce even more crucial information for the commission. Now armed with responses to a survey it asked all prospective applicants to fill out, the commission is starting to get into a regulation review rhythm as it eyes its upcoming license application deadline of Nov. 21.

By its Monday deadline, the commission received 29 completed scoping surveys, a required part of the license application process meant to give commission investigators the chance to start determining which companies and people they need to do background checks of. Three of the submissions came from potential Category 1 license applicants (the three current gaming licensees, which can host in-person betting), three came from potential Category 2 license applicants (Suffolk Downs, Raynham Park and a potential horse racing/simulcasting center in Hardwick, which can also host in-person betting) and 23 came from potential applicants for the maximum of seven Category 3 or mobile betting licenses.

“This level of interest in sports wagering licenses demonstrates what I’ve been saying in past meetings, that the commonwealth’s sports market is an exciting one. That also means that there is a great deal of work to accomplish, from reviewing the suitability of the operations and financials of these prospective operators [to] continuing the regulatory process necessary to stand up sports wagering,” Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein said Thursday. “I’m confident, and I know my fellow commissioners join me the saying this, that this team will complete this work without compromise to the integrity of the process the public has come to expect of gaming in Massachusetts.”

Commissioners earlier this month agreed to designate “late January” as the launch date for Category 1 sports betting operators, meaning in-person betting at the state’s two casinos and one slots parlor, and to designate “early March” as the launch date for Category 3 or mobile operators. The process for Category 2, which includes the state’s two simulcasting centers, is on hold as the commission awaits more info from those facilities, officials said.

“Development of the regulatory framework has been our primary objective at the moment. And that includes our collaboration with [hired consultant Gaming Labs International]. They’re, at the moment, going to be focused on developing the technical standards we’ve talked about in the past, working on the internal control series … as well as the development of the sports wagering specific type regulations. So that is or will be shortly underway,” commission General Counsel Todd Grossman said. “There’s also a series of regulations that we anticipate having prepared for your review next week and in the coming weeks, including subject matters like suitability review, temporary licensure, investigation and licensing fees, license conditions, and matters of that sort.”

There was one set of regulations to come before the commission during its meeting Thursday: the detailed rules for sports wagering application requirements, standards, and procedures.

As commissioners dug into the document almost line-by-line, a few stumbling blocks emerged and a friction similar to the kind that marked the timeline-setting meeting returned to the surface. As staff walked commissioners through how the application process would work, some commissioners said they were starting to see some of the things they were concerned about when the implementation timeline was laid out earlier this month realized.

“This is some of the concerns that I raised on that aggressive timeline that we sort of all hashed out a week or two ago,” Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said. “This is some of the minutia that now is cropping up that we need to deal with.”

The part of the debate on the regulation that bogged the commission down the most revolved around whether or what parts of an application process would be administratively reviewed for completeness before being handed off to commissioners for consideration, and whether companies that make mistakes on or omit information from their applications should be given a chance to remedy the situation.

Executive Director Karen Wells said that “the ideal process if we had a lot of time” would be to have the commission staff review each submission to ensure that all information and documentation required to be submitted as part of the application is included, similar to a process that happens now when gaming licensees submit information on new executives. But she also cautioned that doing that kind of review and giving applicants time to fix their errors could slow things down, especially if a high number of applications come in for the competitive process for the seven online betting licenses.

“My concern is that, in looking at the timeline, if the team is doing administrative completeness checks — right now we have [29] that have done the scoping survey — that potentially delays when it gets to the commissioners and that cuts into their time [for] review,” Wells said.

After hours of debate, the commission appeared to settle on a compromise: the commission staff will perform a completeness review for three of the five forms that are part of the application packet, but not of the general application form. The three forms that will be reviewed are the ones that are already used for other gaming licensees and which the commission’s staff is used to reviewing. Companies will have 14 days to fix any issues that are identified, but the commission’s review of the more general application form could move forward.

It was the second time that commissioners got a look at the proposed application process regulation and, for the second time, commissioners decided the document needed more work before they would be comfortable voting to approve it. That’s now expected at a meeting next week.

When the commission voted almost two weeks ago to set targets for the start of legal betting, it put a handful of caveats on its vote, making clear that the “late January” start of retail betting might have to be reconsidered if the staff working behind the scenes to launch betting runs into “extraordinary circumstances” or if significant issues come up in public comments. And the “early March” start of digital betting may be delayed if the commission gets a large number of applications for the seven mobile licenses it can issue.

On Thursday, as the commission was wrestling with what level of administrative completeness review to use, Wells again signaled that the timeline may have to be reconsidered — or the commission may need to hire additional help — if the workload proves too much.

“The issue I see is the number, if all 29 are actually going to submit, we may want to have a conversation about about how long that’s going to take and our resources. But if, hypothetically, only 10 or 11 or 12, that might be different,” she said. “So we may just have to take a pause and be aware that as things progress, we might need to take a look at the timeline and resources.”


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E-Commerce Sales Continues to Climb

The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of 2008, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $33.8 billion, an increase of 0.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007. Total retail sales for the first quarter of 2008 were estimated at $1,024.2 billion, an increase of 0.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007. The first quarter 2008 e-commerce estimate increased 13.6 percent from the first quarter of 2007 while total retail sales increased 2.8 percent in the same period. E-commerce sales in the first quarter of 2008 accounted for 3.3 percent of total sales.

(Click on the graph see the original and enlarged version.)

The above graph shows continuous growth (aka, inflation) in retail and e-commerce. In 2002, e-commerce owned 1.3 percent of the retail market. By the end of the first quarter 2008, the estimated retail market share was the same as the last quarter in 2007: 3.3 percent. That may not be earth shaking but it is still nearly a 300 percent gain in 5 years.

When annual retail and e-commerce sales are compared, the figures get more impressive. From the beginning of 2002 to the end of 2007, traditional venues of retail sales increased 30 percent. Over the same period, e-commerce sales increased by 185 percent–not exactly a feat to be laughed at.

What could increase e-retailing sales even more?
In my opinion, someone needs to invent virtual manufacturing and distribution comparable to the Jettisons–you baby boomers know what I’m talking about. That way, anything you want can be had nearly instantaneously over the Internet, cellular, or by satellite. Think of it in terms of Star Trekk. Instead of “beam me up, Scottie, retail commerce would be something like “download my goodies” or “beam down my order, thank you very much!” Now, such an invention would revolutionize e-retailing.

2002=3135091 44652 2007=4042835 127090 1.289543111 2.846233091

2 responses to “E-Commerce Sales Continues to Climb

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Ohio Governor Strickland Signs Umbilical Cord Blood Bill

On March 31, 2010, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland signed H.B. 102. The new law, which was sponsored by Rep. Todd Book (D, McDermott), requires the Ohio Department of Health to place printable information on umbilical cord blood banking and donation on its website. The Department of Health also will encourage health care professionals to provide the information to pregnant women.

H.B. 102 passed the Ohio Senate by a vote of 32-0 on March 24, 2010. The Ohio House then voted 97-0 to concur in the Senate amendments to the bill. Umbilical cord blood is an ethical and non-controversial source of stem cells that can be obtained with no risk to the mother or child. Stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood have been used to successfully treat over 70 diseases including sickle cell anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma. Unfortunately, most umbilical cord blood is currently being discarded after birth.

Banking cord blood for personal or family use with a private bank can involve significant expense. However, donations to public cord blood banks involve no expense for the donor.

“We are delighted that Ohio has adopted this important life-saving legislation,” said Mike Gonidakis, Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life. “By Improving public awareness about cord blood donation, this law should increase the number and diversity of cord blood donations and thus increase the number of patients who can obtain the match they need,” Gonidakis said.

The new law takes effect in 90 days.

Source:Ohio Right to Life, 4/1/10

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The Hosptial Tax

By State Representative Jarrod Martin

As you may be aware, Ohio faces incredibly important fiscal decisions as an $8 billion budget deficit looms in the next year. With 10.5 percent of Ohioans unemployed and thousands of jobs lost in the past 12 months alone, it is important that lawmakers in Columbus be focused on finding long-term solutions to our state’s budget problems.

House Bill 1, the biennial budget for 2010-2011, included a new hospital franchise fee, which raised taxes on our health care sector. According to the Ohio Hospital Association, this fee will generate approximately $718 million for the state.

Approximately $575 million of the new hospital franchise fee will be reimbursed to hospitals. To correct the disparity between these two figures, Ohio’s hospitals are responsible for about $150 million in new fees. This new responsibility has caused many of Ohio’s hospitals to cut jobs, reduce services, or delay expansion projects.

Hospitals are an important presence in Ohio, as they are among the top employers in the state. They represent a growing sector within the economy at a time when this sort of economic expansion is scarce. As a growing sector, hospitals also generate crucial economic activity. In fact, they are one of the major drivers of Ohio’s economy and provide much-needed jobs for many communities.

The new hospital franchise fee attempts to balance the state’s budget by drawing from Ohio’s hospitals. The goal is to decrease the deficit, but the consequences of this tax must be noted. It has the potential to affect job creation efforts and the welfare of Ohio’s families for years to come.

I am concerned that this hospital tax will not be an effective way to raise revenue for the state. It creates a palpable strain on the health care system. In addition, it adds pressure to Ohio’s taxpayers, as it asks them to take on the duty of balancing the budget.

As a solution, Representatives Terry Boose and Troy Balderson have introduced House Bill 497, which aims to minimize the hospital franchise fee. The proposed bill would subtract the cost of uncompensated care from the tax base, as well as Medicare and Medicaid costs. It would also reduce the tax base from 1.61 to 1.5 percent. These courses of action would follow the recommendations from the Ohio Hospital Association.

By relieving hospitals of taxes on the free services they provide, hospitals could save millions of dollars. This money saved could be used to pay their employees, renovate facilities and maintain stellar service to Ohioans. Ensuring a consistently outstanding health care system promotes the well-being of both the citizens of Ohio and the state’s economy. House Bill 497 is a step in the right direction toward rebuilding our economy and making Ohio a great place to work, live and raise a family.

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Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

One comment

  1. People kept saying the Blink scenes from DoFP drew insperation from Portal, and I was like: Dude, she’s been doing that much before Portal ever came out – both here and in the Exiles series (remember the FIRST time she – spoiler – beat Superman using his own laser beam against him? Good times…)

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The world most largest biography website !

More than THREE MILLION biographies And hundreds of new biographies are added daily

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Mary Fee

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Date of birth March 23,1954
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Mary Fee Life story

Mary Christina Fee is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the West Scotland region since 2011.

News about Mary Fee

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The world most largest biography website !

More than THREE MILLION biographies And hundreds of new biographies are added daily

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Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. The town has a population of 70,628 making it the second-largest town in the county. The town is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby which has a population of 100,500.

People born in Rugby (First 48 people)

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Cybersecurity Resources

Videos, Webinars, and Conference Recordings

Collaborating to assess water system cybersecurity

Building Cyber Security in the Water and Wastewater Industry - SANS ICS Security Summit 2021

Texas Cyber Summit on Securing Over the Air Firmware Updates (FOTA) for IIOT

Weftec: Behind the Scenes of Securing Digital Solutions

October 2021 ICS Security Month in Review with Clay Carter

Cybersecurity in a Digital Water and Infrastructure World

Press Releases

Xylem, Dragos Partner to Bring Cybersecurity Leadership to Water Utilities Oct. 4, 2021

Articles and Whitepapers

Cybersecurity: A Marathon, Not a Sprint – Water Online

CISA Expands the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative to Include Industrial Control Systems Expertise – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Replace 'Air Gap' Cybersecurity With a Multibarrier Approach - You must be a member of AWWA in order to access the complete article

Social Media

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National Rural Water Association (NRWA) - September 26-29, 2022, Maryland USA

External Threat information sources

ISAC: Membership in the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), the international security network created by and for the water and wastewater sector. As a cybersecurity partner, you can learn more about security preparedness at

European sources

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Port Solent flit

Following recent changes at Port Solent for Sunsail and The Moorings, Yacht Sales will be continuing their charter management and brokerage operation from Hamble Point Marina as of April 1 2014.

Owners can buy a charter yacht from either Sunsail or The Moorings which is managed by the company for a 5 year term. Boats can be purchased with 8-9% guaranteed monthly income or an initial lower purchase price.

Owner benefits include up to 12 weeks’ sailing time a year with zero fees and no running costs. This is by far the best-selling option for those with limited sailing time who want to see some of the world’s most stunning cruising destinations without incurring daily expenditure.

Owners have access to over 25 worldwide locations to discover at their leisure, on board a boat similar to their own or choosing from a wide range of styles and sizes to suit their individual holiday party.


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Fossett's team are four days ahead of the record and only need to achieve an average speed of 10.66kts to the finish

Steve Fossett and crew aboard Cheyenne have stretched their lead over the 2002 Round The World Sailing record pace to 1,040 miles, and their relatively direct north-eastly course plotted through the South Atlantic means that they are once again over four days ahead of Orange’s 2002 track. Another interesting fact is that they only have to achieve an average speed of around 15-20kts to the finish line.

They do however have a tricky time ahead, with a low situated out to the east. The Trade Winds should give them a good run before they contemplate the North Atlantic High. Talking from the boat this morning skipper Steve Fossett said: “Today we have a difficult transition to cross a Low trough to the east. This will be very slow. So we will lose ground in the comparison to Orange for today. Then we will enter the Tradewinds tomorrow afternoon and have a good run to the Equator. The North Atlantic is forecast to be dominated by a large High Pressure system which extends far north. We will have to sail a lot of extra miles to get around and over the top of this High. It is likely to be the longest route that any of the previous record attempts have had to take.”

Their current position is 26 59.690 S 40 07.690 W, 394 miles east of Florianopolis in Brazil. To break the current world speed record of 64 days 08 hrs 37 mins 24 secs held by Bruno Peyron’s Orange I, Fossett and crew need to cross the Ushant/Lizard finish line before Sunday 11 April at 13h46 59 seconds.


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Teachers’ Union Leader Says Competition in Education Is Bad for Students

A Virginia teachers’ union leader argued that competition between public schools and private educational options is bad for students during a recent interview.

David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, a local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, which is shepherded by Randi Weingarten, told John Stossel that the public school system should monopolize K-12 education in the United States.

“The best outcome for all students is going to be for the public school system to be as strong as possible,” he said while arguing against making charter schools and other private schools viable options for children through voucher programs.

Fairfax County Public Schools spends, on average, $300,000 per classroom, most of which “disappears into the bureaucracy,” according to Stossel.

Stossel submitted that school choice would allow families to escape failing public schools and find a better education for their kids. “Why not trust the parents to decide what’s best for their kids,” he asked Walrod.

“What you’re doing is you’re incentivizing a lack of collaboration,” replied the teacher. “If I’m competing directly against you, then I have a vested interest in doing better than you.”

“But isn’t that good?” asked Stossel.

“Not in education,” answered Walrod.

Public school systems have come under intense scrutiny in recent years for their delayed transitions back to in-person learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. While many private and parochial schools worked feverishly to return to normalcy in the classroom, many public schools, including FCPS, showed no such urgency.

“There are definitely valid arguments to say that some districts played it too cautious, but we were dealing with an ongoing health crisis,” Walrod said.

Stossel noted that 5,000 students left FCPS during the pandemic, many of whom likely suffered learning loss in critical subjects, to be homeschooled or for private school.

“Doesn’t that suggest that Fairfax Schools didn’t do a good job?” he asked.

“No,” Walrod said. “They were just trying to follow CDC guidelines.”

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YaleWomen DC -- Art Collecting On Any Budget

Join us for a discussion with Andrea Pollan ('84) and Caitlin Teal Price (MFA '09) about art collecting through galleries as well as directly from artists.  Andrea Pollan is a curator, art consultant, and adviser and the Founding Director of the Curator's Office. Caitlin Teal Price is a DC-based fine art photographer and Adjunct Photography Professor at American University.
The exhibition on view at the Curator's Office is a group show entitled " GEOMETRIX: Line, Form, Subversion". It features abstract two dimensional works including works by Yale MFA artists Logan Grider, Sharon Louden, and John Zinsser.
Wine and beverages will be served.  Guests are welcome, space permitting.  Please contact organizer Larissa Leclair (MA '03), founder of Indie Photobook Library, if you have questions:  [email protected].
February 20, 2016 at 2:00pm - 4pm
Curator's Office @ Gallery 2112
2112 R St NW
Washington, DC 20009
United States
Google map and directions
Larissa Leclair ·
$10.00 USD · Purchase tickets

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• Arctic Cat
  • Can-Am
  • Honda
  • Indian
  • Kawasaki
  • KTM
  • Polaris
  • Sea-Doo
  • Ski-Doo
  • Suzuki
  • Yamaha
  • Outboard

Choosing The Right WaveRunner Apparel And Gear

Choosing The Right WaveRunner Apparel And Gear

When choosing the right WaveRunner apparel and gear, it's helpful to first consider where you'll be riding, the weather for the day, and what your personal needs as a rider are. You'll want your ride to be as comfortable, safe, and fun as possible. This could mean you need a wetsuit, rash guard, a pair of high-traction shoes, racing gloves, and more. With the right WaveRunner apparel, you'll have the perfect day out on the water.

Diving and Snorkeling

If you're taking breaks from riding to go snorkeling or diving, you need quality equipment to comfortably and safely explore. Once you've reached your destination, like a cove or cave, you'll need a mask, snorkel, and fins. These will help you move around in the water and see all of the fish, plants, coral, rocks, and other marine sightings with clarity. These items must fit securely to work properly. You don't want your snorkel or mask filling up with water. You also want a snug fit for your fins, so when you kick, they naturally propel you along. Ill-fitting fins won't help you all that much. If you're diving, you won't need the snorkel or a life jacket.

Body Glove® offers fin, mask, and snorkel sets in a spectrum of color options for you and other riders. The tempered glass in the masks meets ANSI standards. The silicone strap and mouthpiece ensure a comfortable fit, so you can worry more about watching the marine life below you and less about an aching jaw from a poorly made snorkel. Many masks even have a GoPro camera mount to record all that you see. These diving and snorkeling options can easily be stored in your bags so when you're ready to move on, you can throw it all into your storage box or bag.

WaveRunner Racing

If you're interested in watercraft racing, there are a few apparel items you'll need to have ready. A full-face helmet is crucial to both head protection and vision. The helmet will keep your eyes protected from overspray so you can focus on the course. Many riders choose to wear wetsuits for competitions. These are available in full body sleeveless and short-sleeve suits, as well as long-sleeved tops. They're ideal for protecting the skin from harmful UV rays and wind chill. To stay locked into place as you're racing, shoes will be needed as well. JetPilot® is a fantastic source for aquatic shoes with reliable traction capabilities. From Ride Socks to Hyro Shoes and boots, you can find the right style and foot protection you need. They'll offer a bit of warmth for your feet and keep them safe from developing a rash. Being able to grip the handlebars can make or break your performance, so a quality-made pair of gloves is absolutely necessary. JetPilot® also has glove options with reinforced thumb stitching and tacky palms for superior grip. For an accidental spill, a life jacket will help keep you safe until you board your WaveRunner again.

Recreational Riding

Whether you're out with a group of friends or the family, there are several ways you can dress for this type of recreational riding. Rashguards will provide extra UV protection and block irritation from both saltwater and the life jacket rubbing your skin. These can be found in short and long sleeve options for adults and teens. If you'd rather not wear a rashguard, a t-shirt will also work well. Your life jacket must be able to fit underneath the shirt. If you're a more experienced rider, you may wish to wear Ride Socks or gloves while you're out on the water. If you're riding on a cool day, you may need to wear a wetsuit or rashguard to help preserve your body heat until the weather warms up. Some riders even wear a heavier coat for windy days.

Ensure you have the storage capacity for your warmer clothing should the day's temperature rise. The same is true vice versa—be prepared for the weather to shift while out on the water as well. If the forecast is calling for rain or winds even if it's sunny outdoors, prepare for it anyway. Getting cold out on the water is a major issue, especially if something were to malfunction on your WaveRunner. While you may only wish to bring along the essentials for the day's outing, it's smart to pack just a bit more for emergencies. You'll also want to pack a dry t-shirt and shorts in a dry bag or other storage box for when you're ready to head home.

No matter where or how you ride your WaveRunner, a life jacket is always mandatory for safety. You can use a standard one or one that perfectly matches your watercraft. However, it must fit you perfectly and be able to hold your weight in the water. Wear your life jacket at all times while the WaveRunner is in motion.


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Carpet Rug Cleaners in Ocoee, TN

Not sure where to start? Let us know what you want to get done, and we'll find the right professional!
Interior Care - Carpet & Rug Repair
(423) 267-5025
624 W Bell Ave
Chattanooga, TN 37405

Very interesting. I am visited this site some time.

Enviro-Clean - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 472-2578
2091 Candies Ln NW
Cleveland, TN 37312

The owner has the poorest customer service I've ever seen. Trying to charge a customer $50 for putting a "not so clean" carpet back in place. Never…

Hewiit Carpet Care - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 476-3778
604 Old Federal Rd SE
Cleveland, TN 37323
Chem-Dry - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(435) 755-0099
165 Goldstar Dr SW
Cleveland, TN 37311
Dry Tech Carpet Cleaning - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 473-6730
3505 Adkisson Dr NW Ste 104
Cleveland, TN 37312
Wiskaway Carpet Care - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 867-4889
459 Flintsprings Rd SE
Cleveland, TN 37323
Coleman George - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 336-5769
817 Lower River Rd NW
Charleston, TN 37310
Customized Cleaning Solutions - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 305-5380
Po Box 4782
Cleveland, TN 37320
American Carpet Experts - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 715-9549
Po Box 502
Cleveland, TN 37364
Carpet Magic - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 331-1679
Cleveland, TN 37312
Nu Life Carpet Cleaning Service - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 339-3017

Serving the
Ocoee Area

Gibbs Clean Carpets - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(402) 284-4518
Cleveland, TN 37312

From Business: Gibbs Clean Carpets gives you top-quality carpet cleaning services in the Cleveland, TN areas. For more information about our pricing, feel free and give us a…

Techniclean Carpet & Floor Care - Carpet & Rug Cleaners
(423) 310-4505

Serving the
Ocoee Area

Pro Clean - Janitorial Service
(423) 472-7399
3325 Davy Crockett Rd NE Ste 118
Cleveland, TN 37323
Quick Dry Carpet and Upholstery - Upholsterers
(423) 331-2569
424 Apache Trl NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
Affordable Carpet Cleaning - Upholstery Cleaners
(423) 309-3114
Cleveland, TN 37311
Cisco Commercial Cleaning - Janitorial Service
(706) 517-0245
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Israelis of all sectors mobilize to help Meron victims

From Arab and Druze communities opening their homes to those caught up in the disaster at a mainly Haredi event, to queues at blood donation stations and offers of free counseling, an often divided nation unites in the face of its worst civilian tragedy

YItzhak Tesler, Kobi Nachsoni, Daniel Salami, Liron Nagler-Cohen|
In the face of the worst civilian tragedy to in Israeli history, citizens from all sectors – Jews and Arabs, religious and secular – rallied Friday to support the victims of the stampede that claimed 45 lives at a Lag BaOmer celebration on Mount Meron attended mainly by the ultra-Orthodox community.
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  • Outside Magen David Adom stations across the country, long queues formed of Israelis from all walks of life hoping to donate blood, until the organization asked people to go home and return another day.
    6 View gallery
    תרומות דם
    תרומות דם
    Israelis giving blood in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Friday following the Meron disaster
    (Photo: Tel Aviv Municipality)
    Private groups and local councils flooded social media with offers of accommodation and food while others offered help to locate missing persons, recite psalms and provide hospitality.
    The Hatzor HaGlilit regional council set up a special municipal center to provide accommodation for people who were stranded in the north. The council said that 43 people who had planned to spend a festive Shabbat in Meron have already signed up.
    Residents of the Druze villages of Yarka, Beit Jen and Yanuh-Jat also offered to host people who would not be able to return home before Shabbat in their own homes or their bed and breakfast facilities.
    6 View gallery
    הלוויה של משה בן שלום
    הלוויה של משה בן שלום
    A mourner weeps as Meron victim Moshe Ben Shalom is laid to rest in Petah Tikva on Friday
    (Photo: AP)
    Many Arab villages in the Mount Meron area also announced that they would offer assistance to anyone who was injured or stranded after the tragedy.
    “Our hearts go out to the families of those killed in the disaster on Mount Meron and we pray for the recovery of the wounded," said Sheik Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel.
    There is great sadness when you hear the news about a terrible event. All citizens of the country share in the pain of the loss," he said.
    "The members of the Druze community and the Druze villages share in the grief of the families who lost their loved ones, and are ready and willing to provide any help in the Mount Meron area."
    While tens of thousands were leaving the site in private vehicles, many people were still stranded on the mountain who were unable to return home before Shabbat.
    6 View gallery
    משפחות מחפשות מידע על יקיריהן באבו כביר
    משפחות מחפשות מידע על יקיריהן באבו כביר
    A bouquet and candles form a makeshift memorial outside the Abu Kabir forensics center in Tel Aviv where the bodies of the victims were taken for identification Friday
    (Photo: Dana Kopel)
    Zarzir local council, which is home to many Bedouin Arabs, set up a refreshment station with water, fruit and cold drinks for those returning from Mount Meron to the center of the country via HaMovil Junction.
    The head of the local council, Amir Mazarib, said that everything was strictly kosher.
    "My heart goes out to the families of the disaster and I hope for better days," he said.
    The Ezer Mizion health support organization opened a command center to help locate missing persons. It also opened a hotline for mental counseling, staffed by professionals from its Mental Health Division (Tel: 1-800-808-100).
    "To our great sorrow, a place of prayer and joy became the scene of a disaster," said Rabbi Hanania Chulak, the director of the organization.
    "Volunteers in the Northern District and throughout the country are helping families at this difficult time," he said.
    6 View gallery
    Lev Chabad members preparing food for those caught up in the disaster
    Lev Chabad members preparing food for those caught up in the disaster
    Lev Chabad members preparing food for those caught up in the disaster
    (Photo: Lev Chabad)
    Volunteers from Lev Chabad, the association that offers help to patients and their families in Israeli hospitals, was distributing food to the families of those killed and injured in the disaster.
    An optician store in Ramla even offered free replacement glasses to people who lost them in the disaster.
    "Our hearts go out to the families of those killed and injured," said Hadar Miller, senior optometrist at Opticnet Barens.
    "There is nothing to obscure the pain, but we have decided to do everything to alleviate it even a little bit. We invite the affected families and those whose glasses were destroyed following the disaster to come to the store and get new glasses at no cost."
    The store also urged more companies to join the venture, saying "Social solidarity is the order of the day." People can get more details by calling 08-9244355.
    6 View gallery
    המתפללים בודקים את חפציהם האישיים
    המתפללים בודקים את חפציהם האישיים
    Collecting the personal effects of those caught up in the tragedy at Mount Meron
    (Photo: AFP)
    The "Tabun and Mangal" restaurant in Givat Shmuel was offering ready meals mehuderet kosher food "for free and with great love" for the families of the victims who could not prepare for Shabbat."
    The Chasdei Naomi charity based in Bnei Brak announced the creation of a special fund for the families of those killed.
    "Our support center will be bolstered these days in order to provide solutions for all the families of the victims of the disaster who were killed or injured," said association chairman Rabbi Yosef Cohen.
    "In coordination with the welfare authorities, we will provide food for those sitting shiva and all the families of those who were injured or killed."
    Cohen urged "all the people of Israel to contribute to the special emergency fund to at least guarantee economic subsistence for the families."
    6 View gallery
    זק"א מפנים את הגופות
    זק"א מפנים את הגופות
    Zaka personnel remove the body of a victim from the site of the Mount Meron disaster
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Israel's four health funds and various health associations have also offered psychological assistance to those whose loved ones were caught up in the disaster.
    Dr. Zvi Fishel, chairman of the Psychiatric Association of the Medical Association, said that "support centers were opened [Thursday night] in Meron and Ziv Medical Center in Safed, as well as in the hometowns of those who attended the event, including Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Modi'in Illit and Ashdod."
    The health funds are also allocating three free mental health treatments to anyone who requires it.

    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.


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Photo: AFP
Georgian troops following Russian bombing
Photo: AFP
Photo: Dana Zimmerman
Yakobashvili. Proud of Israel
Photo: Dana Zimmerman

War in Georgia: The Israeli connection

For past seven years, Israeli companies have been helping Gerogian army to preparer for war against Russia through arms deals, training of infantry units and security advice

The fighting which broke out over the weekend between Russia and Georgia has brought Israel's intensive involvement in the region into the limelight. This involvement includes the sale of advanced weapons to Georgia and the training of the Georgian army's infantry forces.

The Defense Ministry held a special meeting Sunday to discuss the various arms deals held by Israelis in Georgia, but no change in policy has been announced as of yet.

"The subject is closely monitored," said sources in the Defense Ministry. "We are not operating in any way which may counter Israeli interests. We have turned down many requests involving arms sales to Georgia; and the ones which have been approves have been duly scrutinized. So far, we have placed no limitations on the sale of protective measures."

Israel began selling arms to Georgia about seven years ago following an initiative by Georgian citizens who immigrated to Israel and became businesspeople.

"They contacted defense industry officials and arms dealers and told them that Georgia had relatively large budgets and could be interested in purchasing Israeli weapons," says a source involved in arms exports.

The military cooperation between the countries developed swiftly. The fact that Georgia's defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a former Israeli who is fluent in Hebrew contributed to this cooperation.

"His door was always open to the Israelis who came and offered his country arms systems made in Israel," the source said. "Compared to countries in Eastern Europe, the deals in this country were conducted fast, mainly due to the defense minister's personal involvement."

Among the Israelis who took advantage of the opportunity and began doing business in Georgia were former Minister Roni Milo and his brother Shlomo, former director-general of the Military Industries, Brigadier-General (Res.) Gal Hirsch and Major-General (Res.) Yisrael Ziv.

Roni Milo conducted business in Georgia for Elbit Systems and the Military Industries, and with his help Israel's defense industries managed to sell to Georgia remote-piloted vehicles (RPVs), automatic turrets for armored vehicles, antiaircraft systems, communication systems, shells and rockets.

According to Israeli sources, Gal Hirsch gave the Georgian army advice on the establishment of elite units such as Sayeret Matkal and on rearmament, and gave various courses in the fields of combat intelligence and fighting in built-up areas.

'Don't anger the Russians'

The Israelis operating in Georgia attempted to convince the Israeli Aerospace Industries to sell various systems to the Georgian air force, but were turned down. The reason for the refusal was "special" relations created between the Aerospace Industries and Russia in terms of improving fighter jets produced in the former USSR and the fear that selling weapons to Georgia would anger the Russians and prompt them to cancel the deals.

Israelis' activity in Georgia and the deals they struck there were all authorized by the Defense Ministry. Israel viewed Georgia as a friendly state to which there is no reason not to sell arms systems similar to those Israel exports to other countries in the world.

As the tension between Russia and Georgia grew, however, increasing voices were heard in Israel – particularly in the Foreign Ministry – calling on the Defense Ministry to be more selective in the approval of the deals with Georgia for fear that they would anger Russia.

"It was clear that too many unmistakable Israeli systems in the possesion of the Georgian army would be like a red cloth in the face of a raging bull as far as Russia is concerned," explained a source in the defense establishment.

For inctance, the Russians viewed the operation of the Elbit System's RPVs as a real provocation.

"It was clear that the Russians were angry," says a defense establishment source, "and that the interception of three of these RPVs in the past three months was an expression of this anger. Not everyone in Israel understood the sensitive nerve Israel touched when it supplied such an advanced arms system to a country whose relations with Russia are highly tense."

In May it was eventually decide to approve future deals with Georgia only for the sale of non-offensive weapon systems, such as intelligence, communications and computer systems, and not to approve deals for the sale of rifles, aircraft, sells, etc.

A senior source in the Military Industry said Saturday that despite some reporters, the activity of Georgia's military industry was extremely limited.

"We conducted a small job for them several years ago," he said. "The rest of the deals remained on paper."

Dov Pikulin, one of the owners of the Authentico company specializing in trips and journeys to the area, says however that "the Israeli is the main investor in the Georgian economy. Everyone is there, directly or indirectly."

Georgian minister: Israel should be proud

"The Israelis should be proud of themselves for the Israeli training and education received by the Georgian soldiers," Georgian Minister Temur Yakobashvili said Saturday.

Yakobashvili is a Jew and is fluent in Hebrew. "We are now in a fight against the great Russia," he said, "and our hope is to receive assistance from the White House, because Georgia cannot survive on its own.

"It's important that the entire world understands that what is happening in Georgia now will affect the entire world order. It's not just Georgia's business, but the entire world's business."

One of the Georgian parliament members did not settle Saturday for the call for American aid, urging Israel to help stop the Russian offensive as well: "We need help from the UN and from our friends, headed by the United States and Israel. Today Georgia is in danger – tomorrow all the democratic countries in the region and in the entire world will be in danger too."

Zvi Zinger and Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report

פרסום ראשון: 08.10.08, 09:59
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New Laser ZEUS Has 3000 Times the Power of US Grid

NTD News
NTD News
A new laser in the United States will be magnitudes more powerful than the electric grid. Scientists say it could shed more light on how the universe operates at the subatomic level.
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HomeNewsAir pollution tweets from US embassies improved air high quality in cities

Air pollution tweets from US embassies improved air high quality in cities

Satellite tv for pc knowledge from 466 cities in low and middle-income nations reveals that monitoring by US embassies led to raised air high quality in contrast with cities with out public knowledge

24 October 2022

The US embassy in Beijing started tweeting air air pollution readings in 2008

Zihao Chen/Getty Photographs

US embassies’ tweets displaying real-time air high quality knowledge resulted in decrease ranges of air air pollution in cities around the globe.

In 2008, the US embassy in Beijing put in an air high quality monitor and started tweeting hourly readings. By 2020, greater than 50 US embassies in 37 different nations had adopted, creating a big knowledge set that researchers might use to evaluate the influence of disseminating real-time air pollution knowledge.

Akshaya Jha at Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his colleagues analysed satellite tv for pc knowledge on air air pollution in 466 cities in 136 low and middle-income nations, together with 50 cities the place US embassies put in screens.

They centered on air pollution particles with a diameter of two.5 microns or much less, often known as PM2.5. These particles are notably dangerous as a result of they penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular situations similar to coronary heart illness and lung most cancers.

In 2016, it was estimated that outside air air pollution induced 4.2 million untimely deaths worldwide per 12 months, however solely 32 per cent nations within the examine pattern had any type of air high quality monitoring. Fewer nations nonetheless made that knowledge public.

The examine discovered that cities the place US embassies tweeted air contamination knowledge noticed the degrees of PM 2.5 drop by a mean of two to 4 micrograms per cubic metre in contrast with people who didn’t.

The drop is small relative to the excessive ranges of air pollution within the most-contaminated cities – for instance, in New Delhi, the common PM 2.5 degree for 2020 was 89 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Nonetheless, the researchers estimate this may have decreased the variety of untimely deaths attributable to air pollution every year by a median of 303 in every metropolis.

Jha and his colleagues suspect that making the information accessible made folks conscious of low air high quality and ramped up public stress to deal with it by way of coverage change.

The workforce recorded a gentle improve within the variety of Google searches the place the screens had been put in and air pollution ranges subsequently dropped. “As soon as the knowledge is on the market, it could result in extra public press and even worldwide stress,” says Jha.

Varied coverage initiatives might have improved air high quality, similar to proscribing the usage of vehicles or transferring industrial manufacturing additional away from densely populated cities.

The info might additionally give members of native and federal governments the proof they should foyer for greener insurance policies whereas offering journalists with authoritative findings they will use in media protection.

The examine means that publishing info on well being dangers can have a huge impact, says Jha. “The overarching message of the paper is that info alone might help fairly a bit greater than was beforehand anticipated. It speaks to creating air air pollution salient to native populations and getting the opposed well being results of air pollution on folks’s minds.”

“Participating with, and involving the general public in, dialogue on the well being impacts of air air pollution is vital to constructing stress and momentum for authorities to behave on the difficulty, as demonstrated on this new examine,” says Frank Kelly at Imperial School London.

Journal reference: PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201092119

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