“FW Cultural District Development Brings Congestion - CBS 11 News” plus 3 more |
- FW Cultural District Development Brings Congestion - CBS 11 News
- Religion Invoked To Coax America’s Cultural Surrender - RedState (blog)
- A Cultural Conversation - Wall Street Journal
- African Ancestry Conducts Seminar at African American ... - PRWeb
| FW Cultural District Development Brings Congestion - CBS 11 News Posted: 05 May 2010 06:46 PM PDT FW Cultural District Development Brings CongestionFORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
"We have a lot more residents down here now," said Archie Shugart, a 12 year resident of the Cultural District. "The condos are a big plus for our neighborhood." Four streets meet up at one point: 7th Street, Bailey Avenue, University Drive, and Camp Bowie Boulevard. Each has traffic moving in both directions. "There's so many angles and possibilities for accidents," said Cat Loftis, a bartender at The Grotto, on Fifth and University. In the past seven months, only 10 accidents have been reported at that intersection. Instead, residents said accidents are happening a few blocks away, as drivers attempt to avoid the congestion by sprawling throughout smaller, lesser known roads. "They're using the side roads as a way to avoid the main light here," Shugart said. Shugart lives on Fifth Street. He said drivers are taking his two lane road instead of using 7th Street, and taking big risks by doing it. "All it takes is just that moment of impatience," he said. There have been two accidents this week in front of his home at Fifth and University. "It kind of compacts down here," he said, "and poor judgment on people's part; they're in a hurry." Across the street at The Grotto, employees said the new development is good for business, but bad for many patrons trying to find it. "Between the new shopping center and all the development on 7th Street, the traffic has increased so much," Loftis said. Loftis, who has worked at the bar for about a year, said she has also witnessed numerous wrecks. "[They're] trying to cross University, avoiding that stop light, and just going as fast as they can basically." she explained. Loftis, and many other businesses in and around the Cultural District, said the growth and packed houses are certainly a positive, but the stuffed streets are starting to make them question if it's worth it. Fort Worth's Transportation and Public Works Department said it knows improvements need to be made in that area. Those changes are still a few years out, because the city cannot currently afford to foot the bill. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Religion Invoked To Coax America’s Cultural Surrender - RedState (blog) Posted: 05 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT The March 2010 issue of Sojourners Magazine pictured on its cover an adorable Hispanic child with a caption next to the photograph reading "Citizen or Criminal". Inside the issue were a number of articles expositing how Christians are obligated to basically surrender America to outsiders, most of whom defended by the magazine have no standing to be in the United States to begin with. For example, one pullout quote in red (no doubt playing on the conditioning that the red words in some Bibles carry more weight than the others) read, "If we are truly about family values, how can we argue for a system that separates parents from their citizen children." Notice how the onus is placed on America rather than the Mexican government for the responsibility of family reunification or cohesion. Maybe our neighbors to the south should make it easier for children beyond its borders to be repatriated there with their parents. After all, the likes of James Dobson has in the past lectured Pat Buchanan how the family values of Mexicans are superior to those of the average American. It is interesting how Sojourners, a publication that doesn't really give a hoot about the Word of God any other time given its modernistic and liberal affiliations, suddenly knows all of the verses admonishing the believer to aide the plight of the downtrodden. What about the verse extolling obedience to properly constituted laws (such as those administering the immigration process)? Another column condemned the ethnocentrism of the American church and that "broadening immigration … allows the church to pray and worship in a new way." Frankly, what was so wrong with the old way? Perhaps it should be pointed out that so-called "minority churches" are the ones most mired in the respective ethnicities and cultures of those in attendance. Furthermore, special outreaches and semi-independent "sub-congregations" are not being set up by spineless American congregations for the purposes of preserving the traditional mainstream culture. Rather, these are established because the targeted immigrants are so reenforced these days as to what their particular breed of man happens to be that they won't set foot in a church unless the ecclesiastical authorities fawn all over them and cater to them to the same extent as the other social welfare bureaucracies they are accustomed to dealing with. And when was the last time a minister ever admonished the new arrivals to make up their minds as to whether or not they want to be Americans or remain what they were originally and to go back from wherever they came? It is about time to stop playing both sides of the identity equation where one plays up what nationality that happens to get the largest government or charitable handout or which provides the most rational explanation for one's glaring flaws in terms of character and behavior. But whereas nearly no one — typically liberal but increasingly conservative as well — will tackle the shortcomings of immigrants in regards to ecclesiastical practices and preferences, "Anglos" are being given an earful on this topic all of the time. At one church I stopped going to, after a snafu with the sound system, instead of simply adjusting the volume, the pastor went into a semi-lengthy explanation of how the controls had been fiddled with for the raucous auditory preferences of the immigrant congregation borrowing the facility the night before. The verbal smackdown did not end there. We ignorant rubes learned it was our obligation to relent since the immigrant congregation, rather than the one actually floating the bills, was the one on the cutting edge and thus the "In thing". This was not the only incident of pandering to minorities at this particular church. Following the announcement of the district's ministerial candidates ordained last year, only the Hispanic ones were specifically mentioned in a commemorating prayer. In previously solid churches slowly eroding to the spirit of the age, Whitey and anyone else speaking English is suppose to simply shut up and just keep dropping the coins into the collection plate until the gullible old White people die off. And you had better have a smile on your face with a "please sir, may I have another" attitude or you're not a good Christian anymore. Frankly, I don't remember national weakness being commanded anywhere in the pages of the Bible. Others will insist that since the Bible in general and the Gospel in specific counsels that all who accept Christ belong to the family of God irrespective of nationality or ethnicity, congregations should avoid this characteristic to such an extent that congregations that once sat solemnly in the pews should now do back-flips over them and role around on the floor in testament to just how free of bias the parishioners happen to be. If Americans have to renounce their culture that is probably already about as heterogenous as a nation can be as countries with even lesser degrees of diversity are characterized by regular ethnic bloodshed, then why are Evangelicals putting up with La Razaesque front groups such as the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference having the motto "Empowering the Hispanic Church, Engaging the Hispanic Vision and Enriching the Hispanic Dream". In the mission statement on the masthead of Sojourners it reads, "The mission of Sojourners magazine is to inspire hope and action by articulating the biblical call to racial and social justice." If this leftist rag is really concerned about justice, than they ought to publish another issue on immigration with a tattooed gang member on the cover and articles detailing how unbridled immigration has ruined many neighborhoods and the violence that has been inflicted on Americans either in their homes or through the many that have died in car crashes the result of foreigners that can't even exercise the minutest degree of self-control when it comes to booze. by Frederick Meekins Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| A Cultural Conversation - Wall Street Journal Posted: 05 May 2010 07:29 PM PDT By DAVID MERMELSTEINLos Angeles The young Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel is so personable, unpretentious and full of energy that it's easy to see why even seasoned journalists treat him with kid gloves. Yet as he approaches the end of his inaugural season as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's music director, his first major post, an assessment of his achievements seems in order. He and the orchestra have just concluded "Americas & Americans," a small series of concerts billed as his first festival with the ensemble, and they are about to embark on their first tour: an eight-city trek across the U.S., beginning in San Francisco on May 10 and culminating in New York on May 22. The programs feature works by Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Bernstein and John Adams. On a Saturday afternoon last month, Mr. Dudamel, age 29, looked entirely at ease wearing jeans and an orange rugby shirt while sitting in his bright, airy and still largely unfurnished office at the Walt Disney Concert Hall—a space until recently the private domain of Esa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra's longest-serving leader. Five years ago, Mr. Dudamel was unknown in this city—and most others. But in the summer of 2005 he made an electric American debut at the Hollywood Bowl, leading the Philharmonic in music of Tchaikovsky and Silvestre Revueltas. Intense interest in him followed, reaching a peak in April 2007 when he was named Mr. Salonen's successor. Dudamania has yet to subside. Mr. Dudamel and his wife now rent a house in the Hollywood Hills, and he suggested that life here pleases him, praising Los Angeles's abundance of good food and drink and noting that the weather is similar to Venezuela's. Moreover, plenty of locals speak his native Spanish. But more important, he is taken with this city's appetite for artistic adventure. "I came for a concert of modern music," he said in his still-limited English, referring to attending one of the Philharmonic's new-music programs. "It was all modern music, and it was sold out. I was very impressed. This is a city of new traditions. People are really open to new things, and that is important." Yet he also respects classical music's conservative canon—something that must come as a relief to Philharmonic patrons who considered Mr. Salonen an uncompromising avant-gardist. Mr. Dudamel maintains that his programs will balance old and new. "It's not difficult when you have good music," he said. "On this tour, we will do Mahler's Symphony No. 1 with John Adams's 'City Noir.' Next year we have a Brahms festival, and all the symphonies will be paired with new music, including two world premieres—so it's Brahms, but with new and amazing composers. It's like when you go to eat and try a new dish: You always have it with something you already know. That's the kind of combination I want." This view has already been reflected in the handful of programs Mr. Dudamel led this season. In November, for example, he conducted vibrant, evocative accounts of two scores by the 20th-century Italian composer Luciano Berio that used older material as inspiration. But on the same program he directed a comparatively wan account of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony—especially compared with versions I heard this season from David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic. And on a bill not long after, he sandwiched a dull and diffuse reading of Alban Berg's impassioned Violin Concerto, with Gil Shaham as soloist, between sprightly readings of Mozart's "Prague" and "Jupiter" Symphonies. So the results are mixed. The performances are often thrilling, as with a roof-rattling Verdi Requiem last fall or last month's by turns haunting and snappy take on Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety Symphony" (featured on the coming tour). Yet sometimes his performances are less consistently rewarding than his myriad boosters would have it. The conductor has only praise for his predecessor, Mr. Salonen, who backed him for the job he now holds. But that doesn't mean the Philharmonic's sound will go unchanged. "I arrived to a wonderful orchestra," Mr. Duhamel said. "The fact that they were 17 years with one conductor made a stability in the orchestra. They were having this connection with Esa-Pekka, and he left it in an amazing condition. But we don't have the same way to interpret, or ideas about repertoire. We are now working really deeply on the sound, and it's a different point of view. They already have their amazing sound, but we have to combine energies. And to describe that is difficult. Lighter? Heavier? More sunny? More dark? I don't know. It's more the personality; we are building a personality." Mr. Dudamel is now in his third season as principal conductor of Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and he remains artistic director of Venezuela's esteemed Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, a title he acquired at age 19. So his relative youth is not an issue. "Of course, I don't have the knowledge and the experience of a 60- or 70-year-old conductor," he said. "But I have been conducting for 17 years, starting at 12. When I see the development of my life, I can see that every day has been a new step forward. I'm always crazy to learn. In 10 years I will have more experience and in 20 even more—if God give me life. So I'm not worried about that. When you are focused on the things you want, and you study, and you are open to listening, all of the experience is coming naturally." If Mr. Dudamel appears unflappable, that's because he is. Even mention of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's repressive president, does not faze him, though he quickly steers the conversation toward El Sistema, his country's vaunted and longstanding music-education program for underprivileged youths, from which he himself sprung. "For me to talk about politics is really impossible," the conductor said. "But it's very important to understand that I'm coming from this wonderful program of music, and through music we are building a better country. I'm very proud of my country. . . . As an artist, the main thing is to unify, to stand on the stage and play music for everybody." Mr. Mermelstein writes for the Journal on classical music and film. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| African Ancestry Conducts Seminar at African American ... - PRWeb Posted: 05 May 2010 12:56 PM PDT | Company has been featured on Good Morning America; Traced ancestries for Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitaker, among others (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 5, 2010 -- On Saturday, June 26, the African American Cultural Forum, a brand new event taking place in downtown Hampton coinciding with the Afrikan American Festival, will welcome African Ancestry. The genetic genealogy company, based in Washington, DC, is known for using DNA to create "a vehicle to enable people of African descent to trace their ancestry back to their present-day African country of origin." Afrikan Ancestry will conduct free genealogy and family tree seminars at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel. "We are very excited to welcome Gina Paige and Dr. Rick Kittles, co-founders of African Ancestry, to Hampton," said African American Cultural Forum Committee member Pam Croom. "The duo is renowned for their work in DNA and genealogy. Our attendees are in for a very special treat." African Ancestry has been featured on several television programs, including Good Morning America, African American Lives on PBS, and VH1 Soul, as well as print publications like USA Today, Essence, and Black Enterprise. In addition, the company has also traced DNA for many African American celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitaker, Spike Lee, and Isaiah Washington. The cost to attend the African Ancestry seminars is free. Those wishing to have their ancestry traced via DNA or have family trees researched can do so for an additional fee. During the African American Cultural Forum, African Ancestry will unveil the DNA tests of esteemed Hampton resident Dr. Mary T. Christian. Dr. Christian, who began her academic career at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), later returned to the university as Director of the School of Education, rising to Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Education, before retiring as professor emeritus. In 1985, Dr. Christian was the first African American and first female from Hampton to be elected to the state legislature, post Reconstruction. She served nine consecutive terms representing Virginia's 92nd House District. The results of the Dr. Christian's DNA test will be unveiled at 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 26 (during both African Ancestry sessions at the African American Cultural Forum). The African American Cultural Forum takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 26. Seminar topics include restoration of rights, gang awareness, family trees, and genealogy. Noted poet, author, and literary consultant Nathan Richardson is also scheduled to be in attendance, conducting seminars and workshops. All seminars and workshops are free. The event coincides with Afrikan American Festival, a Hampton 400th Anniversary Signature Event, happening that same weekend in nearby Mill Point Park. For more information of African Ancestry, check out www.africanancestry.com. For further information on the African American Cultural Forum, contact Pam Croom at 757/728-5173 or pcroom(at)hampton(dot)gov. ### Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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