View Comments Related Shows The Phantom of the Opera Star Files from $29.00 Bravi, bravi, bravissimi! Norm Lewis will make history on May 12 when he becomes the first black actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. But before he dons the mask and brings the “Music of the Night” to his Christine (Phantom favorite Sierra Boggess), the Tony nominee had a date to meet a very important man: Phantom composer Andrew Lloyd Webber! The pair met on April 3 in New York City to chat about the seven-time Tony-winning musical—and if Lewis looks starstruck, it’s because he’s been dreaming of playing the Phantom on Broadway for years! Check out this Hot Shot of these two talents meeting for the first time in front of the iconic chandelier, then see Lewis haunting the Opera Populaire on Broadway this spring. Norm Lewis read more

Winner: Bristol, Virginia/TennesseeIt’s 1927 in Bristol. An ad in the local paper reads, “The Victor Co. will have a recording machine in Bristol for 10 days beginning Monday to record records – Inquire at our Store.” Over the span of those 10 days, 19 different acts recorded 76 songs and spurred what would become known as The Bristol Sessions, or the “Big Bang” of country music.“Really it had an influence that affected everyone all over the country,” says musician and master luthier Wayne Henderson. Henderson was just a kid at the time, but he remembers huddling around the family radio at their home in Rugby, Va., pining to hear what would become the future of country music.“The records the Carter Family recorded there were how all of us kids learned to play music,” he recalls.Those initial recordings from The Bristol Sessions and radio shows like WCYB’s Farm and Fun Time helped bring music to the mountains. Bristol soon became the place to be for up-and-coming musicians looking to get a jumpstart in their career, just like legends Ernest Stoneman, the Carter Family, and Jimmie Rodgers had in 1927.Only 70 years later, another event fueled even greater notice of Bristol’s country music scene: Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. In 2001, the first festival showcased a number of local and national artists but attracted only a few thousand people. This year, however, the festival hosted over 150 bands and over 50,000 attendees, the largest turnout to date. Leah Ross, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, has been with the festival since its meager start and says its popularity will only continue to rise.“Our heritage is rich in bluegrass and old time, and we embrace those roots,” she says, “but you might hear blues or Celtic music or acoustic rock. The town is just alive with all different genres of music.”Carly Booher is a Bristol native who plays in a local band called Annabelle’s Curse. The group, which labels itself as alternative-folk, utilizes traditional instruments like the mandolin but puts a new-age twist on their songs to provide a fresh take on the area’s musical roots. Booher has only been with the band for the past year, but she says nothing beats playing to the hometown crowd, whether it’s at a local bar or on the big stage at Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion.“There’s a really eclectic group of people in Bristol,” Booher says. “We’ve found a really good support system at Rhythm and Roots, and there’s a certain atmosphere that comes with having an audience that genuinely cares about your music and genuinely cares about you.”Throughout the year, Bristol’s notorious State Street bustles with a lively music scene, and the city holds performances practically every night in the wide array of bars and music venues like Machiavelli’s and the Paramount Center for the Arts. Henderson is just one of many big-name musicians who continue to return to Bristol to play in these widely popular settings.“Music is coming out of every corner of that town,” Henderson says, a fact that hasn’t changed much since those Bristol Sessions in 1927. Although Nashville might very well claim to be the country music capital of the U.S., Bristol will always be recognized as country music’s birthplace.Runners-upFloyd, VirginiaFloyd’s residents have had a long relationship with the surrounding countryside, and for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, agriculture dominated the local industry. When the Great Depression hit, construction projects like that of the Blue Ridge Parkway brought much needed work to Floyd’s citizens.Despite the harsh economic times, Floyd residents remained adamant in their dedication to the land. Music became the backbone of the community, and songs were often dedicated to the beautiful mountains in which they lived. Present-day Floyd now has a colorful amalgam of people, from locals who have familial roots dating back eight or nine generations to young artists inspired by the support of local businesses and back-to-the-land homesteading. The annual Floyd Fest brings thousands of music festivalgoers to see four days of live music, ranging from up-and-coming artists like The Whiskey Gentry to big name bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.Charlottesville, VirginiaHistory is particularly crucial to this central Virginia town, and one need only to walk through the Downtown Mall to see remnants of its colonial-era past. Thomas Jefferson, one of three founding fathers and presidents who claimed Charlottesville as home, arguably had one of the earliest influences on the education and cultural scene here. In 1819, he founded the University of Virginia, one of the few universities at the time to be established without any religious affiliation. Instead of offering classes influenced by religious doctrine, Jefferson thought that instructing students in the worldly realms of political science, philosophy, botany, and even music were of more importance, a standard that the university continues to hold to this day.Aside from this innovative approach to education, music would actually become one of the primary attractions of this budding city. Although Jefferson was a musician at heart, it would take the popularity of the Dave Matthews Band in the early 1990s to put Charlottesville on the musical map. With over three million likes on Facebook, this present-day band is a far cry from its humble beginning at the Trax Nightclub downtown. The city’s current music scene has also grown exponentially since then. Now, residents and visitors alike can walk through the Downtown Mall on any given night and find a variety of live performances from local bands such as The Judy Chops and the Astronomers. World-renowned artists like Lady Gaga and The Rolling Stones also make regular appearances in town and attract concertgoers to the city’s plush venues.The Rest of the PackAbingdon, Va.: For a small southwest Virginia town, this place has a big community of artists. Check out Wolf Hills Brewing Company for craft beer and, depending on the day, a local band.Athens, Ga.: This happening Georgia town makes it easy to turn a concert into a vacation. Check out The Melting Point for an intimate performance or, if you’re feeling wild, head to the 40 Watt Club to rock the night away.Atlanta, Ga.: From performing art centers to theatres, bars, music halls, amphitheaters, town parks, street sidewalks, and back alley dumpsters, it seems every square inch of downtown Atlanta has something musical going on year-round.Chapel Hill, N.C.: Head downtown and experience the diversity in people, food, and music. With six different venues within walking distance of each other, your night on the town might include jazz at Memorial Hall and karaoke at Chapel Hill Underground.Galax, Va.: If you’re a fan of bluegrass and you haven’t been to the Old Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, you’re missing out on hearing some of the region’s best pickin’.Greenville, S.C.: You don’t need to go far from town to get a little taste of epic. Reedy River Falls is located in downtown Greenville, a perfect spot for an afternoon walk or a weekend picnic.Hiawassee, Ga.: The Country Music Capital of Georgia boasts Anderson Music Hall at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, which has hosted big name country music artists since 1979.Knoxville, Tenn.: About an hour’s drive from the Pigeon and Nolichucky Rivers, Knoxville makes a great home base for paddlers who live and work in the city, value good music and culture, but want proximity to the stuff that really matters.Morgantown, W.Va.: This mountain town sees the value in outdoor recreation and has a number of parks, facilities, and a rail-trail system available within a short drive of each other. Pair it with a microbrew for the true Morgantown experience.Nashville, Tenn.: Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton are just a few big names who spent a good chunk of time in Nashville recording their greatest hits. You can visit those venues now, like the RCA Studio B and The Bluebird Café.Owensboro, Ky.: The Big O Music Fest is the “party event of the summer,” but if you missed it, there are several other music venues in town. read more

By Dialogo April 01, 2010 A day after the earthquake that shook Haiti, an outpouring of aid and solidarity for the Caribbean nation took place around the world, and Colombia was no exception. Immediately, the national government, represented by the armed forces, along with the Red Cross and the Civil Defense agency, among other national entities, took an active role in supporting the Haitian population. The Colombian Army deployed a sizable team of medical and logistical personnel, in coordination with the Colombian Air Force, which has always been ready to provide the necessary support. Starting on January 13, 2010, when the first group of Colombian military personnel was sent to Haiti, the teams carried out vital humanitarian work. They had four orthopedists, five primary care physicians, an anesthesiologist, a head nurse, 16 combt nurses, eight noncommissioned officers and an equal number of career soldiers with vast experience in war-related trauma. The Army sent three tents equipped with portable operating rooms, anesthesia equipment, operating tables, instrument tables and 50 cots to strengthen the field hospital’s capabilities. The hospital had a capacity for 200 patients a day, with specialized military medical personnel ready to care for the earthquake victims around the clock. “The first thing we did when we got to Haiti was to stay in the airport caring for patients in transit on their way to other countries. Later on, we moved to another location, where a field hospital was set up; we operated there on more than 116 patients with fractures,” Army Col. Daniel Segura explained. It was on a soccer field, in extremely hot conditions, that the military field hospital was set up. This location provided victims access to specialized medical care. The Colombian military doctors became true medical authorities, both for the Haitians and for their foreign colleagues. With the experience gained in Colombia’s internal conflict, they applied their knowledge to a variety of situations in trauma management, surgery, rehabilitation and orthopedics. read more

By Myriam Ortega / Diálogo February 13, 2020 Leaders of the armed forces and Defense ministries of Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and the United States gathered for the Seminar on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law for Regional Experts, held on January 27-29 in Bogotá. The seminar, organized by U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Human Rights Office as part of its Human Rights Initiative (HRI), sought to promote knowledge exchange among its participants, taking as a reference the processes established by the host nation, Colombia.“Colombia is very advanced in terms of human rights [HR],” Army Colonel Claudio Panza Desvars, HR director for the Paraguayan Armed Forces, told Diálogo. “We can learn from their experiences and apply them in our country.”In addition to sharing the policies and doctrines of their countries and militaries, participants analyzed the training of personnel in command positions and their troops, as well as civil-military relations, among other topics. The respect and guarantee of HR and international humanitarian law (IHL) — which regulates hostile action — in the use of force, especially when confronting illegal armed groups, was another topic raised during the seminar.“[This forum] helps identify the different causes of instability, how we [Colombia] have continued to fight against them and attack them from an HR and IHL perspective,” Lieutenant Colonel Fredy Leonardo Galindo García, head of the Colombian Army’s School of Human Rights, International Law and Legal Affairs, told Diálogo.Elements of the Colombian Army simulate an encounter with members of an indigenous community while ensuring respect for human rights, as part of a SOUTHCOM-organized seminar on human rights and international humanitarian law. (Photo: Colombian Army School of Human Rights, International Law and Legal Affairs)The information Colombia shared about the procedures it uses to confront illegal armed groups, in terms of HR, was of great interest to guest nations, since criminal organizations represent a regional threat.“It’s very important to instruct our personnel on the differences in how to treat personnel and citizens on the one hand, and illegal armed groups on the other, with respect to HR,” said Army Colonel Carlos Humberto Villagrán Reyes, HR director for the Ministry of Defense of Guatemala.Strategic communication was another aspect discussed at the seminar. Army Brigadier General Javier Ayala Amaya, commander of the Colombian Armed Forces’ Joint Strategic Transition Command, stressed the importance of facilitating a dialogue between the armed forces and society to shed light on their achievements and flaws with regard to HR.“There’s nothing more important than acknowledging that errors can occur in any business where 475,000 men and women are being led,” the officer said.“It’s important for our community to know that the Armed Forces are the guardians of HR and IHL and that we plan to communicate to the different sectors of the population that the Armed Forces are respectful of HR,” said Army Colonel Héctor Alfredo Alemán, HR director for the Honduran Armed Forces.Lectures included gender integration and how to encourage women’s participation in the armed forces; how to transform the military mindset regarding women; and how to strengthen the institutional role to prevent gender-based violence. The seminar concluded with a visit to the Pedro Pascasio Martínez Rojas School for Professional Soldiers, located 87 miles southeast of Bogotá, where participants attended a presentation by the Colombian Army about their HR and IHL course.“It’s a scenario that allows for the simulation of real-time events on the ground, where we provide a framework for appropriate behavior that respects and guarantees HR,” Brig. Gen. Ayala said about the initiative, which includes situations such as violent protests or encounters with indigenous people, and is considered an international benchmark for hands-on instruction.In addition to its work with military forces of the hemisphere in the framework of its HRI, SOUTHCOM will sponsor three courses on HR and IHL in 2020. Part of the United States-Colombia Action Plan on Regional Security Cooperation (USCAP), the courses — a basic course in Bogotá and two regional courses in Tegucigalpa, Honduras — are planned for service members of the Americas. read more

If you were at that location on October 9th between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. the health department asks you self-quarantine until October 24th. The health department says the positive case was at the Olde Friar Inn, 301 Badger Ave in Endicott, on October 9. The health department says you must self-quarantine if you were at the location on October 9th at these times for 10 minutes or longer. . ENDICOTT (WBNG) — The Broome County Health Department has issued a public health alert regarding a positive COVID-19 case in a person who visited an Endicott establishment. read more

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Indonesia has called on its citizens in Singapore to remain on alert after the city-state moved its disease outbreak response up from yellow to orange on Friday in response to the fast-spreading novel coronavirus outbreak.“The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore urges all Indonesian citizens to follow the orange status precautions on the Ministry of Health’s website,” the embassy said in a statement on Saturday.On Friday afternoon, Singaporean authorities announced three new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 33. While two of the 33 patients are in critical condition and under intensive care, most of the patients are stable, including a 44-year-old Indonesian domestic worker who had been declared coronavirus positive on Tuesday. Two patients have since recovered and were discharged from hospital.Read also: Indonesian maid in Singapore tests positive for coronavirusAccording to the embassy’s statement, the Singapore government has reported that the last three patients who tested positive for coronavirus did not have any recent history of travel to China, where the outbreak originated. The three of them, however, did visit Malaysia for a few days in January.The Indonesian citizen, whose identity cannot be revealed due to the Personal Data Protection Act, also had no recent travel history to mainland China prior to testing positive for the virus. With the orange alert level status, the Singapore government announced several preventative steps to minimize the risk of further virus transmission in the country, including urging the cancellation or postponement of large public gatherings.As of the time of writing, the Indonesian domestic worker remains the only Indonesian national to have tested positive for coronavirus. Despite the rising number of coronavirus cases worldwide, Indonesia has yet to confirm a single case of coronavirus in the country. (hol)Read also: Climate, immunity, incompetence? Indonesia’s zero recorded coronavirus cases raise questionsTopics : read more

Saeful was found guilty of bribing Wahyu and former Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) member Agustiani Tio Fridelina with $47,350 in exchange for the KPU commissioner’s approval for fellow PDI-P politician Harun Masiku to replace a deceased politician in the House of Representatives.Read also: WhatsApp thread ‘implicates’ KPU chair in Saeful Bahri bribery trialWhile KPK prosecutors said they were considering to file an appeal, the defendant said he accepted the verdict.While Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) criticized the light sentence, the antigraft watchdog said the KPK should have filed more serious charges against him. Jakarta Corruption Court judges sentenced Saeful Bahri, a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to one year and eight months behind bars for his involvement in a bribery case implicating General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan.During a verdict hearing on Thursday, the bench also fined the defendant Rp 150 million (US$10,214) or serve an additional four months in prison.The sentence was lower than Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors’ demand of two years and eight months’ imprisonment. “The public can see clearly from this case that the KPK has become soft toward corruptors,” ICW activist Kurnia Ramadhana said on Thursday.“How can the maximum deterrent effect be created against corruption if the punishment is still light,” he went on to say, adding that light sentences in corruption cases should be the focus of the new Supreme Court chief justice.Harun, considered a key suspect in the case, is still on the loose after graft busters failed to capture him during an arrest operation in January. His escape and subsequent disappearance have turned the spotlight on Law and Human Rights Ministry and fellow PDI-P politician Yasonna Laoly.While the KPK added Harun to its most-wanted list in January, the antigraft body decided to go ahead with its case against the three suspects without the key suspect’s testimony.Read also: KPK proceeds with bribery prosecution as key suspect Harun Masiku remains at largeOn the same day, KPK prosecutors also indicted Wahyu and Agustiani in a separate hearing for allegedly accepting the bribe. They were charged under Article 11 of the Corruption Law, which prohibits state officials and civil servants from accepting gifts.Apart from the Harun Masiku case, Wahyu was also indicted for allegedly accepting bribes from West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan pertaining the selection of provincial general elections commission members last year.According to the KPK’s indictment letter against Wahyu, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, West Papua general elections commission secretary Rosa Muhammad Thamrin Payapo allegedly believed Wahyu could help native Papuans be selected as a provincial commission member following a demand from residents.In December, only three native Papuans passed the selection’s initial phase, triggering an uproar among locals. Rosa reported the incident to the governor, who was suspected of sending the money to Wahyu so that the three native Papuans could be eventually selected as commission members.Dominggus then allegedly wired the illicit money to Rosa, who allegedly transferred the Rp 500 million to a bank account owned by Wahyu’s relative in January.Topics : read more

US LNG export project developer, Tellurian has been issued a liquefied natural gas export approval by the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE).The DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy has issued the long-term authorization for Tellurian’s Driftwood LNG to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas from its proposed export facility to non-free trade agreement countries.U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said, “I am pleased to announce the order signed today authorizing Driftwood, owned by Tellurian, to export up to 3.88 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas as LNG, to any country that does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.”Secretary Perry added that the United States is now in its third consecutive year as a net exporter of natural gas, now exporting domestic LNG to 35 countries.On April 18, 2019, Tellurian completed another regulatory milestone as the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order granting authorization for Driftwood LNG, a proposed 27.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) liquefaction export facility near Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the associated Driftwood pipeline, a 96-mile proposed pipeline connecting to the facility.According to the project’s estimated timeline, the financial investment decision is expected during the course of the year 2019 as well as the start of construction. First liquefied natural gas is expected to be produced at the project in 2023 with construction to be completed in 2026.The first production phase is planned to have a 16.6 mtpa production capacity. read more

Last August, India’s central government stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status and imposed a communications blackout until January that virtually cut it off from the outside world. “It has been difficult. Internet and power cuts are bad. I have got used to it and this season was good.” said Robertson. But then came the government proclamation aiming to tighten its grip on the Muslim-majority region. “We couldn’t get back to Kashmir and when we did get back we couldn’t call home for two weeks,” Robertson said. “There are 10 of us here in the hotel. And day by day we don’t even talk of football any more,” he added. Loveday Okechukwu in action Read Also: Serie A: Inter Milan, AS Roma queue up for Atletico Madrid star “So it just shows, that despite football being a big part of my life, when these things happen it doesn’t leave anything really.” Against the odds, Real Kashmir were title contenders in their first I-League season, but finished third. The current season has been abandoned with leaders Mohun Bagan of Kolkata declared champions. FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 Nigeria’s Loveday Okechukwu is among foreign football stars stranded by the coronavirus lockdown in one of the world’s most militarised regions in Indian-administered Kashmir.According to AFP report, other football players affected by COVID-19 include Zambia’s Aaron Katebe, who are no longer kicking a football, but have opted to playing video games or working out in a hotel gym to keep fit.Loveday OkechukwuInterestingly, Katebe is one of four African and six British players for Real Kashmir now stuck in a hotel the region’s main city of Srinagar, after Indian football’s top-flight I-League was abruptly ended by the pandemic last month.Other foreign imports including Scottish coach David Robertson’s son Mason, have helped turn Real Kashmir into a force after becoming the first club from the war-torn Himalayan region to play in the I-League.Real Kashmir players Armand Bazie (left) and Gnohere Krizo of Ivory Coast talk in their Srinagar hotel restaurant during the coronavirus lockdown“It is the first time that I have had to face such a situation,” 28-year Zambian international Katebe was quoted as saying to AFP. “I am in touch with my wife and parents. Connectivity is low here so it is difficult to communicate but I do talk to them over phone. “I am not scared because I believe in God and have faith that everything will be OK. There is gym in the hotel, which I frequent, and I am also on my PlayStation a lot.” Other stranded foreigners include Ivory Coast players Armand Bazie and Gnohere Krizo, the British players, coach Robertson and his wife and son are also living in the hotel. Robertson is anxious to get home to Scotland to be with his ailing mother who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. “We are hopeful of getting a flight from Punjab next week. So keeping our fingers crossed. Hopefully we get to Aberdeen safely,” said Robertson. “I have been in constant touch with my mum and dad despite the internet connectivity being not too good here. “Facetime and video calls are very difficult, so most of the time it is just by voice. There is frustration.” Kashmir has been at the centre of dispute between India and Pakistan with both claiming the whole Himalayan region. Kallum Higginbotham (right) of England, Scottish coach David Robertson (centre) and his son Mason while away the hours stranded at their Srinagar hotel Loading… Promoted ContentThe 18 Most Visited Cities In The WorldTop 10 Tiniest Phones Ever MadeBirds Enjoy Living In A Gallery Space Created For ThemCouples Who Celebrated Their Union In A Unique, Unforgettable WayA Hurricane Can Be As Powerful As 10 Atomic Bombs6 Extreme Facts About HurricanesEverything You Need To Know About Asteroid ArmageddonWho Earns More Than Ronaldo?9 Facts You Should Know Before Getting A TattooWhy Do So Many Digital Assistants Have Feminine Names & Voices?10 Dystopian Movie Worlds You’d Never Want To Live InSuper Recognizable Outfits That Actors Wore In The Famous Movies read more