Pet Owners Asked To Please Help Stop The BITES

Posted on May 18, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Approximately 5,600 Postal Service employees were victimized nationwide by dogs last year.  In 2011, Orlando ranked #24 nationally in dog attacks on carriers.  Awareness and community wide involvement are critical to reducing this number.

For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has taken a leadership role in preventing animal attacks because letter carriers are the third most likely group to be bitten by a dog.  Children and the elderly rank number one and two, respectively.  The Postal Service is not anti-dog, but pro-responsibility and is working to help educate dog owners on “responsible ownership”.  Responsible pet ownership includes making sure your pet is properly restrained to protect our letter carriers as well as other service workers, children, and anyone who may come near your dog.

Here are some facts and figures related to dog bites and attacks:

  • Dog attacks are the most commonly reported childhood public health problem in the United States.
  • The number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps, combined.
  • Many of the recordable bites came from dogs whose owners used those famous last words “my dog won’t bite.”

How to avoid being bitten:

  • Don’t run past a dog.  The dog’s natural instinct is to chase and catch prey.
  • If a dog threatens you, don’t scream.  Avoid eye contact.  Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, and then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.
  • Don’t approach a strange dog, especially one that’s tethered or confined.
  • If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.

How to be a responsible dog owner:

  • Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dog in any situation.
  • When the letter carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside, away from the door, in another room, or on a leash.
  • Don’t let your child take mail from the letter carrier in the presence of your dog.  Your dog’s instinct is to protect the family.
  • Spay or neuter your dog.  Neutered dogs are less likely to bite.
  • Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized, receive little attention or handling, or are left tied up for long periods of time frequently turn into biters.

Sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 19-25, is a public service campaign that offers safety tips and emphasizes the need for increased pet owner responsibility in the prevention of dog attacks.

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IMPRINTS: 20 Years Of Flying Horse Editions At the Mennello Museum

Posted on May 17, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

 

Barbara Sorenson, “Des Papier II,” 2012. Collagraph and mylar. 20x20x4 inches.

Since the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1440, the process of transferring ink to paper has continued to evolve and integrate the latest cutting-edge technology. Here in Orlando for the past 20 years, the University of Central Florida has nurtured Flying Horse Editions, a collaborative research studio committed to creating significant works of art by leading and emerging artists who fuse traditional and innovative print-making processes.

Artists come to Flying Horse Editions to work in the graphic media of intaglio/etching, woodcut, lithography, letterpress and silkscreen, and the results are highly collectible, limited-edition, handcrafted fine art prints and books. There are only a dozen or so fine art presses in the country, and Flying Horse Editions is one of the most distinguished on the East Coast.
 
IMPRINTS celebrates the legacy of the printing press as well as Flying Horse Editions’ artistry of printmaking techniques and craftsmanship of bookmaking. In addition to a display of prints, books and objects, there will be an installation of videos about the different processes of printmaking. Plus, one of the museum’s galleries will be transformed into a print studio for a series of workshops, which will be held throughout summer.

Consultants Mary Palmer and Susan Rosoff have worked with the staff of both Flying Horse Editions and the museum to create a varied series of print workshops, taught by UCF art students, most of them members of the UCF Print Collective.  The exhibit is on display at the Mennello Museum of American Art located at 900 East Princeton Street.  For more information please visit www.mennellomuseum.com.

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Director Emeritus Of The Cornell Fine Arts Museum To Speak At The Italian Embassy

Posted on May 16, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

A group of Central Florida art lovers are accompanying Dr. Arthur Blumenthal of Rollins College to Washington for a three-day trip that includes a visit to see Rep. John Mica’s (R-FL) art collection in the Capitol and visits to the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and others.

Dr. Arthur Blumenthal, founder of Loving Art Partnerships, an international museum consulting firm, and director emeritus of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College will make a presentation on “Francesco de Mura in America” hosted by the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on May 18, 2012. The special event, which includes Neapolitan music, honors the Neapolitan artist, who was once the most famous in Italy.

A noted Italian Renaissance and Baroque art historian, Dr. Blumenthal has researched Francesco de Mura (1696-1782) for many years in preparation for a major exhibition of his works.  While at the Cornell Museum, Blumenthal became interested one the collection’s De Mura masterpieces, “The Visitation.”  While De Mura is represented in major museums in Naples, Rome, Paris and the U.S., he has never had an exhibition.

Dr. Blumenthal has traveled often to Italy to research De Mura, studying the artist’s magnificent Neapolitan frescoes and frescoed ceilings.  “I am fortunate enough to collaborate with the Contessa Maria Grazia Leonetti, former director of Naples’ Pio Monte della Misericordia, which holds the world’s largest collection of paintings by De Mura,” Dr. Blumenthal said.

Giving an Italian Old Master artist his due in art history is not new to Blumenthal.  While director of the Cornell Museum, he curated an international exhibition titled Cosimo Rosselli: Painter of the Sistine Chapel that featured important Rosselli works from throughout the globe. Like De Mura, the Florentine Rosselli had never had an exhibition of his work.
 

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Chef’s Gala – Central Florida’s Prestigious Culinary Event Of The Year

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

By Scott Richardson, The Educated Palate

The 20th Anniversary of the Chef’s Gala benefitting the Heart of Florida United Way is almost upon us.  On Saturday May 19th, 2012 inside the Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort, twelve Disney restaurants and twelve restaurants from the central Florida area are expected to wow guests with tantalizing items from their menus.  This year will be my fourth year attending… each year seems to be getting better from a culinary and participatory point of view.  Michele Plant, the Director of Marketing and Communications does an impeccable job at putting this event on each year and does it with a small but energetic staff.  This event is the top culinary event in the area that truly offers those who attend a WOW experience.

Proceeds from Chef’s Gala help fund local health and human service programs supported by United Way that provide food, shelter and other services to Central Floridians in dire need. United Way supported programs annually serve nearly 364,000 tri-county residents. Last year’s Chef’s Gala, attended by nearly 1,000 guests, raised more than $185,000.

For a complete listing of participating restaurants and how to purchase tickets, click the link below.

http://www.hfuw.org/Chefs_Gala.php

Photo Caption: Participating chefs at last year’s gala – photo courtesy of Heart of Florida United Way

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A Different Kind Of Fringe

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

By Barbara Solomon
Tired of the usual Fringe fare?  Try something different for a change.  My favorite was “Kirikou and the Sorceress,” an African folktale told through dance and music.  Also not to be missed is “Blood Sisters, The Musical,” an unusual kind of musical about a mother with five daughters in a house full of chaos.  Keeping within the theme of different musicals we have “Fosgate the Ferret Loan Officer,” conceived and written by the same great team of Chris and Ned who brought us “Julie Bunny Must Die!” a few years ago.  If I could only see one show this year at the Fringe, I would have to pick Fosgate! The “Monkey King” employs physical theatre rarely seen at The Fringe, and promises to be a first-rate experience of pantomime and acrobatics.  “Spinzophrenia” regales us with a color guard flag show performed to 80’s music; quite unusual.  But possibly the most creative of the dance shows is “Connected:  An Interactive Experience,” including the audience in its psychological introspection.  The most interesting drama is “Mysterious Skin,” Chase Padget’s tale of a young guitar prodigy.  The funniest one-man show promises to be O.B.’s “Jitters,” an irreverent look at theBostonO. B. grew up in.

And of course we have the usual suspects:  Janine Klein in John Ryan’s “Gay Bar Star;” Doug Ba’asr’s “Joan Crawford’s House Party;” Michael Wanzie’s “Celebrity Squares;” Blue and Tod’s blend of music and dance, “Sport:  3rd Strike!,” Larry Stalling’s “Poking Fun,” and Yow Dance’s “Classically Demented,” a fairy tale told in dance, which reminded me of one of my favorite TV programs, “Once Upon A Time.”

If you can avoid all the zombie shows this year and just see one, it should be PRT’s “2013:  Finding Love in The Zombie/Cannibal Apocalypse.”  And on that note I’ll leave you with my favorite Fringe tag line:  See ya in the beer tent!

Fringe runs from May 16-May 28 at Loch Haven Park, Princeton Street.  An expanded Kid’s Fringe is May 19, 20, 26 and 27.  For more information visit www.orlandofringe.

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Amway Center Named Finalist In 2012 “Venue of the Year”

Posted on May 12, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins - Photo by Fernando Medina/Orlando Magic

The Amway Center received international recognition, being named a finalist in TheStadiumBusiness Awards “Venue of the Year.”  TheStadiumBusiness Awards, in its third year of existence, honors the entire spectrum of achievements from across the global stadium industry.  The awards acknowledge venues and events of the year along with individuals from behind the scenes and successful local community projects.

With the nomination, the Amway Center joins exclusive company as thousands of nominations were whittled down to create the shortlist.  That list is then judged by an independent panel of industry figures. The winners will be announced at the Gala Awards Evening, held during TheStadiumBusiness Summit at the Museo dell’Automobile in Turin, Italy on May 15.

Joining the Amway Center as a finalist for 2012 “Venue of the Year” are Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS; Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China; Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand; and The American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, UK.

The Amway Center was recently named a finalist in the Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily’s annual Sports Business Awards in the category of “Sports Facility of the Year” for the second consecutive year. The Sports Business Awards annually recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of sports.

TheStadiumBusiness Awards also named Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins as a finalist for “Executive of the Year.”  The Amway Center received additional recognition being named to the shortlist for the “Customer Experience Award.”

The Orlando Magic served as the developer of the Amway Center. Opened in the fall of 2010, the Amway Center was designed to reflect the character of the community, meet the goals of the users and build on the legacy of sports and entertainment in Orlando.

The building’s exterior features a modern blend of glass and metal materials, along with ever-changing graphics via a monumental wall along one façade. A 180-foot tall tower serves as a beacon amid the downtown skyline.

At 875,000 square feet, the new arena is almost triple the size of the old Amway Arena (367,000 square feet).

The building features a sustainable, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified environmentally-friendly design and unmatched technology, featuring 1,100 digital monitors, the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue and multiple premium amenities available to all patrons in the building.

Every level of ticket buyer has access to: the Budweiser Baseline Bar and food court, Gentleman Jack Terrace, Jernigan’s, Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience and Orlando on Demand, STUFF’s Magic Castle kid’s zone presented by CLUB WYNDHAM and multiple indoor-outdoor spaces which celebrate Florida’s climate.

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One Lung Is No Hurdle For 5K Runner

Posted on May 10, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Heissam Jebailey, a 2000 UCF graduate, is on a roll these days as founder and speaker for Press On Events, managing partner at Jebden, LLC, and developer at Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt of Winter Park. On May 12, Jebailey will be running in a class by himself during the American Lung Association Fight For Air 5K Run/Walk in Baldwin Park. Out of the hundreds of runners that day, Jebailey will be one of the few doing it with only one lung. When Jebailey was only 22 years old he suffered a nearly deadly case of pneumonia that became so severe it filled both lungs with fluid and required the removal of one that was permanently damaged. His doctor told him he was lucky to survive and that he would most likely never be able to run a marathon or even a 5K with just one lung. Now, Jebailey says the 10″ scar across his back serves as a kind of “goal line.” He says, “This is a reminder to me that this year I will prove to myself and anyone else that thinks they can’t, that we can.”

Everyone is invited to join Jebailey and hundreds of others starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 12 at the Annual Fight for Air Run/Walk Orlando, presented by Florida Hospital. Registration for the event begins at 6:30 a.m. at Harbor View Park in beautiful Baldwin Park, Orlando with great music, food and plenty of fun for the whole family.

Last year over $76,000 in funds were raised as well as awareness for asthma, COPD, lung cancer and other lung diseases.  Janelle Middents, regional director for the American Lung Association, says, “The funds we are raising through this event will have a profound impact on the residents of Central Florida. The funds raised through the Run/Walk allow us to put lung health programs in schools and hospitals to educate children and adults on lung disease, as well as  fund vital lung disease research projects.” Middents  continues, “over 580,000 Central Florida residents are suffering from some sort of lung disease. The support through this event will help us provide the local critical resources these individuals need.”

Hundreds of participants have signed up already hoping to make an impact for the nearly 22 million Americans currently suffering from lung diseases. One of those is Karen Deitemeyer, a volunteer at the American Lung Association’s Baldwin Park office who suffers from COPD and asthma. Karen carries a portable oxygen generator with her most of the day and participated in last year’s event.  Says Deitemeyer, “Events like the Run/Walk help to raise funds to fight and promote lung health in an effort to save lives.”

The American Lung Association is working to place a lung health education program for 8 to 11-year-olds in every Central Florida elementary school by 2015 and welcomes teams to run from all of those schools. For more information, go online to www.FightForAirRunWalk.org or call (407) 425-5864.

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Art Crimes Cop Robert K. Wittman Will Deliver 2012 Hugh F. McKean Public Lecture On May 10

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Robert K. Wittman - Photo courtesy of Robert Wittman Inc.

Robert K. Wittman has been called a “living legend” by The Wall Street Journal and “the most famous detective in the world by the London Times.  And no wonder. From an original copy of the Bill of Rights to a Rembrandt self-portrait, Wittman helped to recover more than $300 million in stolen art and cultural property from around the world.

Wittman, the author of a best-selling memoir about his years as the FBI’s senior art crimes investigator, will be in Central Florida May 10 for the Morse Museum’s Hugh F McKean Public Lecture series.  He’ll share the thrills and chills of his undercover sleuthing on multiple continents..

“Every country has a different cultural heritage and saving these things brings us closer together as human beings,” Wittman says. “When it comes to art, it’s visceral. It affects us in a deeply emotional way.”

Produced in association with Rollins College, the museum’s McKean Public Lecture is being held at 7:30 p.m. in the John M. Tiedtke Concert Hall at Rollins College. Admission is free. A reception, also open to the public, will follow the lecture. Parking is available in the SunTrust Parking Garage in Winter Park, which is accessed via Lyman or Comstock Avenues off of Park Avenue.

Wittman, a high school piano prodigy whose father published an agricultural newspaper and later was an antiques dealer, spent 20 years with the FBI, retiring in 2008. Trained in art, antiques, jewelry and gem identification, he was instrumental in creating the FBI’s Art Crime Team after the looting of Bagdad Museum in 2003. Wittman’s 2010 memoir, “Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures” (Crown), which he coauthored with investigative reporter John Shiffman, relives some of the most exciting moments from his long career.

Through careful investigation, tightly-planned undercover operations, and a little bit of right-place-right-time luck, Wittman and his FBI Art Crime Team returned valuable art objects and antiquities to their proper place. The recoveries included works by Francisco Goya, Auguste Rodin, Rembrandt Van Rijn and Norman Rockwell, plus such treasures as Geronimo’s eagle-feather war bonnet, a 2,000-year-old golden pre-Columbian piece of body armor, the original manuscript of Pearl S. Buck’s “Good Earth” and one of the 14 original copies of the Bill of Rights.

Wittman today continues to provide art security, protection, and recovery services as an independent consultant in Philadelphia, where he was based with the FBI. He speaks frequently at museums, universities and collectors groups about security techniques and art theft recovery processes.

The Morse initiated its Public Lecture in 2004 to bring speakers to the community whose specialty in art holds relatively broad public interest. The more popular  subject matter of these lectures distinguish them from others presented at the Morse, which are also free to the public but more narrow in topic.

These special presentations of the Morse honor Hugh F. McKean’s career as an educator, his love for art, and his vision for enriching the community through the museum with a knowledge and appreciation of art. McKean was president of Rollins College from 1951 to 1969 and the museum’s director until his death in 1995.

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Tips To Safely Enjoy Activities In And Around Water

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Dan Ickes, executive vice president of Operations for the YMCA of Central Florida

By Dan Ickes
 
Central Floridians are fortunate to enjoy abundant, year-round access to water. Aquatic activities such as swimming, diving, and water sports are popular pastimes for fun and fitness. And it’s critical that our children are prepared to enjoy water in a healthy way with the foundation to develop the confidence and skills they need to swim safely.
 
Statistics show that Florida loses more children under age five to drowning than any other state. Safe Start was launched ten years ago by the YMCA of Central Florida, in partnership with Infant Swimming Resource and Dr. Phillips Charities, to teach children survival swimming techniques that would prepare them for the unexpected and provide families with water safety education to reduce the risk of accidental drowning. There are steps that we can all take at home and on-the-go to keep our families safer around the water for the rest of their lives—and staying active is key.
 
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents to take a layered approach to water safety. Enrolling in swimming lessons alone will not “drown-proof” a child. Parents must supervise their children in and around water at all times, and should be trained to perform CPR in the case of an emergency. Safe Start and expert swim instructors at the Y know that active supervision is the most critical line of defense against drowning. Although it’s easy to get distracted with all of the fun of aquatic activities, parents can designate one adult to provide his or her undivided attention to supervising children as the “Water Watcher” for a segmented period of time. This helps divide responsibility and ensure there are no questions as to who is in charge of keeping everyone safe throughout the day. Pools supervised by certified lifeguards provide an additional layer of supervision that is helpful, but sometimes these pools are hard to find. That’s why the Y is committed to providing a safe place for families to swim with certified lifeguards on deck at all times during the normal operating hours for each Family Center.
 
Swim instructors strongly encourage parents to install safeguards at their home pools and hot tubs to enhance their supervision. Permanent four-sided pool fences with self-locking gates are recommended to keep children away from the pool when it is not in use. Spas and hot tubs can be secured with hard top covers that feature a locking latch. Parents should also be aware of one commonly overlooked hazard – doggie doors. Curious children may stray through the doggie door to an unsupervised, unprotected area near the pool, which can lead to trouble. Experts recommend finding an alternative solution to your pets’ needs such as providing an enclosed space for them to use rather than allowing them to travel through a doggie door.
 
Combining active supervision with these childproofing tips enhances the effectiveness of swim lessons. Children enrolled in swim lessons learn safe ways to have fun in the water. Families are encouraged to begin with survival swimming lessons such as those provided by Safe Start, which teach children techniques to save their lives should they accidentally fall into water. Follow up with swim lessons to advance your child’s skills as they grow. Many children who start early with swim lessons grow up to enjoy aquatics for their entire lives with access to competitive swim and dive teams, and popular sports such as water polo. Continuing to support their interest in these activities will help keep children safe by reinforcing water safety skills learned with swim lessons.
 
Together, we can develop a safer generation of swimmers by sharing these tips with our friends in the community. We can prevent accidents and look forward to a bright future where all enjoy the water that makes Central Florida such a beautiful place to live.

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Rollins College President Leads Online, Inter-Institutional Learning Initiative

Posted on May 4, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

Rollins College Students sharing some resources for highly specialized curriculum

In an effort to both maximize resources and accommodate demands for highly specialized curriculum, the 16 liberal arts colleges of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) recently joined forces to offer online, interactive, upper-level courses through any ACS campus. Current ACS board chairman and President Lewis Duncan of Rollins College is leading this collaboration, dubbed “The New Paradigm Initiative,” which utilizes a combination of face-to-face and online instruction across all ACS campuses.

Creating an alliance of 3,000 faculty and 30,000 students, the “blended learning” approach of the New Paradigm Initiative uses video conferencing technology for inter-institutional courses while maintaining the distinctive, interpersonal nature of the resident institutions. Approximately 20 online projects have been initiated or are currently being planned. These include courses, webinars, tutorials and modules in the following academic areas: Chinese studies, German, global health, mathematics, music, physics, religion, research ethics and writing.

“The Initiative gives students broader options for in-depth study in the areas of their choice,” said President Duncan. “This collaboration gives our students the best of both worlds — an assortment of courses beyond what is available at their home institutions, while maintaining the small class-size and personalized education that distinguish liberal arts colleges.”

The New Paradigm Initiative affords opportunities for students in typically small departments to benefit from expanded curriculum usually found only at large institutions. Take Arabic, for example. Among the 16 ACS colleges, only Davidson College and the University of Richmond offer courses. In the past, students with a passion to learn the language would have to transfer or develop an independent study without the benefit of classroom interaction. The New Paradigm Initiative enables any ACS student interested in learning Arabic to pursue study without setting foot off his/her campus.

“This gives faculty the chance to expose our students to a wider range of subject matter and experts than would otherwise be possible,” said Li Wei, Chinese lecturer at Rollins College, who recently taught a Chinese art and literature class not only to his students in Winter Park, Fla., but also to Southwestern University students located in Texas but enrolled in his virtual classroom.

With the continued support of the ACS and President Duncan, who believes this kind of collaborative teaching is critical to the continued enrichment of the liberal arts education, course offerings are expanding.

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