Composers Datebook for December 31, 2009

			SPONSOR
Produced in association with the American Composers Forum
Thursday, December 31 Play today's show | How to listen Martinu and Hanson premieres In the 1940's, the Boston Symphony gave the premiere of more than 60 new orchestral works. Most were conducted by the very charismatic -- and very wealthy -- Serge Koussevitzky, the music director of the Boston Symphony. And why not? It was the Koussevitzky Foundation that commissioned most of those pieces in the first place, and certainly Maestro Koussevitzky had the knack for picking winners and advancing the careers of composers he admired. In the 1940's, for example, Koussevitzky premiered no less than four major works by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. On today's date in 1943, one of these pieces, Martinu's Second Violin Concerto, received its first performance under Koussevitzky with Mischa Elman as the soloist. But not all the Boston premieres were conducted by Koussevitzky. Earlier that same December of 1943, the American composer and conductor Howard Hanson led the orchestra in the first performance of his Symphony No. 4, and on today's date in 1948, the premiere of his own Piano Concerto, with the Boston Symphony and the Czech pianist Rudolf Firkusny as soloist. Like the Martinu Concerto, this, too, was a Koussevitzky Foundation commission. And while we're on the subject of music patrons, we should note that George Eastman, the great Kodak film magnate, was so impressed with Hanson back in the 1920's that he put him in charge of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.		Music Played on Today's Program: Bohuslav Martinu (1890 - 1959): Violin Concerto No. 2 Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic; Vaclav Neumann, cond. Supraphon 11 0702 & Howard Hanson (1896 - 1981): Piano Concerto, Op. 36 Alfred Mouledous, piano; Eastman-Rochester Orchestra; Howard Hanson, cond. Mercury 434 370 Additional Information: On Martinu On Hanson About the Program Composers Datebook is a daily program about composers of the past and present, hosted by John Zech. Support Composers Datebook Purchase music from Composers Datebook from Amazon. Or shop Public Radio Market. Your purchases help support the American Composers Forum and public radio. Your support makes our online services possible. Contribute Now. Fostering artistic and professional development
You received this free e-mail newsletter because you previously subscribed or because it was sent to you by a friend. This e-mail was sent to the following address: mybloghaytham@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Contact Us | Forward to a friend � 2009 American Public Media 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN USA 55101

MENAFN Summary- Daily Business News

Dubai sets up judicial panel Dubai set up a judicial committee on Wednesday to ensure protection to all creditors and companies related to the ... GFH puts $300m as net exposure to Dubailand Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House , the leading Middle Eastern Islamic investment bank, on Wednesday announced ... Saudi Arabia- CMA tightens grip on insider trading The Saudi Capital Market Authority , the stock market regulator, has imposed sanctions on five people for insider ... Dubai rent hike contained Rent increases will be contained in 2010, according to a decree issued on Wednesday, which says that rent can only ... Qatar: QR2b boost for banks Qatar yesterday released the second tranche of funds into the local banking system to pick another five percent ... Kuwait- KPC denies reports saying one of its vessels was fired at > A Kuwaiti oil official here on Wednesday denied media reports saying a vessel belonging to Kuwait ... U.S. widens use of full-body scan No Abstract Avoid these Roth IRA conversion mistakes As years go, 2010 is on course to be a blockbuster for retirement-account owners. Starting in January, all Americans ... Madoff victim fights her way back Jeannene Langford is ready to move on, eager to mark the end of a year of misery that Bernard Madoff brought her. The three worst moments of 2009 The time has come to take stock of the past 12 months. With that in mind, here are Simon Constable U.S. trade arm rules against China over steel pipe The International Trade Commission sides with a handful of U.S. steel manufacturers in ruling that China has been ... Obamas voted most desirable neighbors No Abstract Feds banned from texting while driving No Abstract Jordan gov't repeals tax on media advertising revenues Prime Minister Samir Rifai on Wednesday announced a decision to annul the controversial 1 per cent culture tax ... Dubai- Duo jailed for running loan racket The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced a Saudi national and a Sudanese to six months in jail each followed by ... Jordan-Canada FTA will go into force during 1st quarter of 2010 Industry and Trade Minister Amer Hadidi on Wednesday said the free trade agreement between Jordan and Canada ... One of Amman's oldest hotels struggles to preserve its heritage Established in 1950, the hotel is one of many longstanding businesses that stand to be impacted by the recently ...       If you like this newsletter, help us fix your information: click here To unsubscribe click here, for help or feedback send to Admin Is this email going to your junk/bulk folder? Add noreply@menafn.com to your address book and *@menafn.com  to your safe list.   Articles in this newsletter are different than the ones in MENAFN's Arabic Daily Newsletter.

The Writer's Almanac for December 31, 2009

View this message on the Web Thursday Dec. 31, 2009  LISTEN Eleven Addresses to the Lord by John Berryman Sole watchman of the flying stars, guard me against my flicker of impulse lust: teach me to see them as sisters & daughters. Sustain my grand endeavours: husbandship & crafting. Forsake me not when my wild hours come; grant me sleep nightly, grace soften my dreams; achieve in me patience till the thing be done, a careful view of my achievement come. Make me from time to time the gift of the shoulder. When all hurt nerves whine shut away the whiskey. Empty my heart toward Thee. Let me pace without fear the common path of death. Cross am I sometimes with my little daughter: fill her eyes with tears: Forgive me, Lord. Unite my various soul, sole watchman of the wide & single stars. "Eleven Addresses to the Lord" by John Berryman, from Love and Fame. © Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1971. Reprinted with permission. (buy now) It's the birthday of Junot Díaz, (books by this author) born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1968). His first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007), won the Pulitzer Prize. It's the birthday of Nicholas Sparks, (books by this author) born in Omaha, Nebraska (1965). He wrote The Notebook (1996) and A Walk to Remember (1999), and he said: "Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of themost enjoyable moments in life." Today is New Year's Eve, a day to take stock of the old year and make changes for a new year. On this day in 1665, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: Thus ends this year, to my great joy, in this manner. I have raised my estate from 1300l. in this year to 4400l. I have got myself interest, I think, by my diligence [...] It is true we have gone through great melancholy because of the great plague [...] But now the plague is abated almost to nothing, and I intending to get to London as fast as I can. [...] I have never lived so merrily (besides that I never got so much) as I have done this plague time [...] and great store of dancings we have had at my cost (which I was willing to indulge myself and wife) at my lodgings. My whole family hath been well all this while, and all my friends I know of, saving my aunt Bell, who is dead, and some children of my cozen Sarah's, of the plague. But many of such as I know very well, dead; yet, to our great joy, the town fills apace, and shops begin to be open again. Pray God continue the plague's decrease! for that keeps the Court away from the place of business, and so all goes to rack as to publick matters, they at this distance not thinking of it. 1665 had been an awful year in London. The plague began to spread in April, with just a few people dead by the end of the month. But by August, 31,159 people died in that month alone. Overall, about 15 percent of London's population was killed. And Pepys believed that the death toll was even higher than recorded because he had heard first-hand that sometimes clerks were so overwhelmed with names that they didn't bother writing them all down. In late June, King Charles II and his court left London for Oxford, and many rich people did the same, applying for "health certificates" and heading to country estates. A lot of the wealthy doctors went with them. By early July, Pepys had sent his mother and wife away to Woolwich, outside London. But he did not want to leave. He stayed in London to work, and he recorded in his diary how empty the streets were, with all the shops closed, and how sad it was to see corpses abandoned in the street or houses with red crosses on them and the words "Lord Have Mercy On Us" scrawled on the outside. On this day in 1845, Robert Browning (books by this author) wrote a letter to Elizabeth Barrett, (books by this author) and he said: Dearest, whatever change the new year brings with it, we are together — I can give you no more of myself [...] Believe you are my blessing and infinite reward beyond possible desert in intention — my life has been crowned by you, as I said! May God bless you ever — through you I shall be blessed. They weren't literally together on this New Year's Eve. Barrett was still at home, an invalid guarded over by her jealous father who refused to let any of his children marry, and Browning got to see her only occasionally. But they continued writing passionate letters, like the one Browning sent on New Year's Eve. The new year did bring real changes for the couple. By the end of January in 1846, Elizabeth had consented to get married, to leave her father, and go to Italy. Throughout the summer, her health got better. In September, they were married quietly at St. Marylebone Parish Church, with only her servant and his cousin as witnesses. After the wedding, Elizabeth went back home, and still no one in her family knew what happened. One week later, she snuck out of the house, got on a train, and met her husband in Paris. From there they went to Italy, where they lived until her death in 1861. Langston Hughes (books by this author) wrote about this day in 1937: [...] Slowly I walked through the lightly falling snow that had begun to sift down over the Paris rooftops in scattered indecisive flakes. [...] How still it was in this old, old city of Paris in the first hour of the New Year. The year before, I had been in Cleveland. The year before that in San Francisco. The year before that in Mexico City. The one before that at Carmel. And the year before Carmel in Tashkent. Where would I be when the next New Year came, I wondered? In the early 1920s, Hughes spent awhile working on ships and traveling through Europe, and he spoke Spanish. So in the summer of 1937, he took a job for the Baltimore newspaper Afro-American as a correspondent covering the Spanish Civil War. For a few months, he wrote 22 articles about the Spanish Civil War, especially focusing on African-Americans fighting for the Loyalists with the International Brigade (against the fascists). He hung out with Ernest Hemingway (books by this author) and the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. (books by this author) And he worked on translating poetry by Federico García Lorca. (books by this author) In the first days of January in 1939, Tennessee Williams (books by this author) wrote a letter to his mother about his first New Year's Eve in New Orleans. He left home on December 26th and stayed all night with his grandparents in Memphis, and from there he submitted some plays to a contest in New York, and he felt inspired to sign them not as "Tom Williams" but "Tennessee Williams." And so, at the end of this year of 1938, Tom became Tennessee, and arrived in New Orleans, the city that would become his lifelong home and the setting of many of his plays. He wrote to his mother: "The Lippmann's friends have been lovely to me. They invited me to a New Year's Eve party which lasted till day-break and traveled through about half-a-dozen different homes or studios and I met most of the important artists and writers. They are all very friendly and gracious. [...] I'm crazy about the city." Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.® sponsor The Poetry Foundation National broadcasts of The Writer's Almanac are supported by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine for over 90 years. The Writer's Almanac is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. sponsor Contribute $75 or more today and we'll thank you with the official Writer's Almanac mug. The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems Cd Order your copy today. On the Radio Podcast Web Archive Title Author Date Read highlighted interviews of poets heard on the show. Visit the bookshelf now You received this free e-mail newsletter because you previously subscribed or because it was sent to you by a friend. This e-mail was sent to the following address: mybloghaytham@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Contact Us | Forward to a friend � 2009 American Public Media 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN USA 55101

EPA News Release (HQ): EPA Announces Actions to Address Chemicals of Concern, Including Phthalates

 

CONTACT:

Dale Kemery

kemery.dale@epa.gov

202-564-7839

202-564-4355

 

Enesta Jones

jones.enesta@epa.gov

202-564-7873

202-564-4355

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2009

 

EPA Announces Actions to Address Chemicals of Concern, Including Phthalates

 

Agency continues efforts to work for comprehensive reform of toxic substance laws

 

WASHINGTON - As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a series of actions on four chemicals raising serious health or environmental concerns, including phthalates.  For the first time, EPA intends to establish a “Chemicals of Concern” list and is beginning a process that may lead to regulations requiring significant risk reduction measures to protect human health and the environment.  The agency’s actions represent its determination to use its authority under the existing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to the fullest extent possible, recognizing EPA’s strong belief that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform. 

 

In addition to phthalates, the chemicals EPA is addressing today are short-chain chlorinated paraffins, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA.  These chemicals are used in the manufacture of a wide array of products and have raised a range of health and environmental concerns. 

 

EPA also recently announced that three U.S. companies agreed to phase out DecaBDE, a widely used fire retardant chemical that may potentially cause cancer and may impact brain function.

 

“The American people are understandably concerned about the chemicals making their way into our products, our environment and our bodies,” said Administrator Jackson.  “We will continue to use our authority under existing law to protect Americans from exposure to harmful chemicals and to highlight chemicals we believe warrant concern.  At the same time, I will continue to fight for comprehensive reform of the nation’s outdated chemical management laws that ensures a full assessment of the safety of chemicals on the market today and effective actions to reduce risks where chemicals do not meet the safety standard. Chemical safety is an issue of utmost importance, especially for children, and this will remain a top priority for me and our agency going forward.”

 

On September 29, 2009, Administrator Jackson outlined a set of agency principles to help inform legislative reform and announced that EPA would act on a number of widely studied chemicals that may pose threats to human health.  When TSCA was passed in 1976, there were 60,000 chemicals on the inventory of existing chemicals.  Since that time, EPA has only successfully restricted or banned five existing chemicals and has only required testing on another two hundred existing chemicals.   An additional 20,000 chemicals have entered the marketplace for a total of more than 80,000 chemicals on the TSCA inventory.

 

The actions announced today include:

 

·   Adding phthalates and PBDE chemicals to the concern list.

·   Beginning a process that could lead to risk reductions actions under section 6 of TSCA for several phthalates, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and perfluorinated chemicals.

·   Reinforcing the DecaBDE phaseout – which will take place over three years – with requirements to ensure that any new uses of PBDEs are reviewed by EPA prior to returning to the market.

 

This is the first time EPA has used TSCA’s authority to list chemicals that “may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health and the environment.” The decision to list the chemicals further signals this administration’s commitment to aggressively use the tools at its disposal under TSCA.  Inclusion on the list publicly signals EPA’s strong concern about the risks that those chemicals pose and the agency’s intention to manage those risks.  Once listed, chemical companies can provide information to the agency if they want to demonstrate that their chemical does not pose an unreasonable risk.  

 

More information on EPA’s legislative reform principles and a fact sheet on the complete set of actions on the four chemicals:  http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals

 

Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.

 

View all news releases related to pesticides and toxic chemicals

 

 

---

You can view or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems e-mail support@govdelivery.com for assistance.   This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

Superfund & Brownfields News Release (HQ): EPA Identifies Three Industries for Financial Obligations in Cleanup of Environmental Releases

CONTACT:
Latisha Petteway
petteway.latisha@epa.gov
202-564-3191
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 30, 2009

EPA Identifies Three Industries for Financial Obligations in Cleanup of Environmental Releases

Action is a first step to ensure owners of these facilities, not taxpayers, foot bill for the cleanup of environmental releases

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken a significant step in an effort to help reduce the need for federal taxpayers to fund the cleanup of environmental releases. The agency has identified three additional industry sectors for which it will begin the regulatory development process for any necessary financial assurance requirements: the chemical manufacturing industry; the petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry, which primarily includes refineries and not coal mines; and the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industry. 

Financial assurance requirements help ensure that owners and operators of facilities are able to pay for cleanup of environmental releases and help reduce the number of sites that need to be cleaned up by federal taxpayers through the Superfund program. 

The identification of these industry sectors is part of EPA’s effort under Section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as the Superfund law, to examine if financial assurance requirements will help promote better environmental outcomes. The action announced today is not a proposed rule or a final regulation. 

EPA selected these particular industries based on a variety of information sources. These include the types of sites listed on the Superfund National Priorities List, which is intended to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation under the federal Superfund program, as well as data on hazardous waste generation from the National Biennial Report and data from the Toxics Release Inventory.

Last July, EPA issued a notice that identified the hard-rock mining industry as its priority for the initiation of the regulatory development process for financial responsibility requirements. EPA plans to propose any appropriate financial responsibility rules by spring of 2011 for classes of facilities within the hard-rock mining industry. For the sectors identified today, EPA also will begin the regulatory process for developing appropriate financial assurance requirements.

In addition, EPA has identified the following additional classes of facilities that require further study in order for the agency to decide whether to develop proposed regulations: waste management and remediation services, wood product manufacturing, fabricated metal product manufacturing, electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing, and facilities engaged in the recycling of materials containing CERCLA hazardous substances.

EPA will be accepting public comment on this notice for 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/financialresponsibility/index.html

R399

Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.

View all news releases related to Superfund and Brownfields

 

---

You can view or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems e-mail support@govdelivery.com for assistance.   This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

Marketplace Midday Update, Wednesday, December 30, 2009

View this message on the Web

MARKET UPDATE at 1:45 p.m. EST DOW -13.60; NASDAQ -5.19; S&P 500 -2.56 Marketplace Minute With Bill Radke Watch Marketplace Morning Report host Bill Radke cram all the week's business news into a 60-second poem. LATEST NEWS FROM MARKETPLACE Listen to today's Morning Report | Marketplace Death and taxes The estate tax expires at midnight tomorrow night, and according to the Wall Street Journal, some wealthy people on death's doorstep are trying to hang on until it does. Lessons for the New Year I'm sitting here in a thinker's pose, wondering what it is that I learned in 2009. Or what lessons should I have learned? Id love your help on this. LATER TODAY ON MARKETPLACE President Obama's health care reform effort has passed the House and Senate, but that's not the only significant thing that happened this year in health care. Host Kai Ryssdal talks with reporter Nancy Marshall Genzer to find out more. New York City's Times Square is the nation's focal point when the ball drops to ring in the New Year, but this year the crossroads of the world will look a little different. Sections of Times Square are now for pedestrians only. Andrea Bernstein reports. Maybe it's the bad economy or the soaring price of wood, but timber theft is booming. That's led to more regulations to stop the crime and even a backlash against the enforcement efforts. Tanya Ott reports. Tune in to your local broadcast or listen online STORIES FROM MARKETPLACE MORNING REPORT GMAC to get $3.5 billion more from feds The federal government is expected to give about $3.5 billion of TARP money to GMAC so the lender can continue to meet the requirements of earlier stress tests. Bill Radke gets more from Marketplace's Alisa Roth. Premiums to put FDIC back in black The FDIC is collecting three-years' worth of premiums it charges to banks so that it can restore its depleted insurance fund. Mitchell Hartman reports. How to collaborate and not go crazy If you've been in the work force for any amount of time, you have been asked to collaborate. But what if you just want to do things your way? Bill Radke talks with choreographer Twyla Tharp, who wrote a book on collaboration. MARKETPLACE MONEY PERSONAL FINANCE The financial year in review It's still a coin collector's world How to give good gifts 2009 money resolutions: How we fared Investment club tries for a comeback Getting Personal More from Marketplace Money Subscribe to the Marketplace Money newsletter SPONSOR Coverage from Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money plus Web extras. SPECIAL REPORTS AND FEATURES We're on Twitter Get an early heads-up of what's coming up on the show and other tidbits from the business day. Follow us   Working Intimate profiles of real people with real families, real struggles, real dreams and real jobs. Meet them   Conversations from the Corner Office Marketplace goes one-on-one with CEOs, company founders, head honchos. Sit in The Next American Dream Marketplace looks at four pillars of the American Dream and how they're changing. Follow the Dream.

You received this free e-mail newsletter because you previously subscribed or because it was sent to you by a friend. This e-mail was sent to the following address: mybloghaytham@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Contact Us | Forward to a friend � 2009 American Public Media 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN USA 55101