Saturday, January 20, 2007
Commissioner Leaves SSA After Six Years
Jo Anne Barnhart's eyes welled when she discussed leaving behind the 65,000 employees of the Social Security Administration when she steps down as commissioner on Friday January 19, 2007.
"This agency is an amazing -- it's an amazing place," Barnhart said. "There's no way to really express what the people in this agency are like."
Barnhart's sentimentality may come as a surprise for a Republican appointee at the helm of a social service agency. But Barnhart, the first commissioner to serve the full six-year term since the 1960s, said President Bush has been extremely supportive of the agency.
::Shelley
"This agency is an amazing -- it's an amazing place," Barnhart said. "There's no way to really express what the people in this agency are like."
Barnhart's sentimentality may come as a surprise for a Republican appointee at the helm of a social service agency. But Barnhart, the first commissioner to serve the full six-year term since the 1960s, said President Bush has been extremely supportive of the agency.
::Shelley
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Government's Web Site Gets New Name
The U.S. government's official Internet home has a new name because comments from the public indicated that the old name -- FirstGov.gov -- was confusing and hard to remember.
The site is now USA.gov, according to a notice on the Web site and the site's URL. Last year, more than 600,000 people typed "USA.gov" into their Web browser when searching for government information, the notice stated.
In a 2006 telephone survey, 79 percent of respondents said they preferred the name USA.gov.
Today, Internet users who enter Firstgov.gov into their browsers are redirected to USA.gov.
General Services Administration officials said they could not comment on the alteration, except to say that the site is still in beta phase and the name change "won't be official" until they announce it at a press event Thursday, September 18, 2007.
::Shelley
The site is now USA.gov, according to a notice on the Web site and the site's URL. Last year, more than 600,000 people typed "USA.gov" into their Web browser when searching for government information, the notice stated.
In a 2006 telephone survey, 79 percent of respondents said they preferred the name USA.gov.
Today, Internet users who enter Firstgov.gov into their browsers are redirected to USA.gov.
General Services Administration officials said they could not comment on the alteration, except to say that the site is still in beta phase and the name change "won't be official" until they announce it at a press event Thursday, September 18, 2007.
::Shelley
Labels: government, referral information
Sunday, January 07, 2007
In Memoriam: Sonja Hillgren
Journalist Sonja Hillgren Has Died, Remembered for Her Coverage of Food Stamps and Other Nutrition Programs
A prominent journalist Sonja Hillgren died Dec. 19, 2006, after a long battle with brain cancer at age 58. Hillgren was an influential figure in the anti-hunger community who had given much mentoring on covering agricultural issues, including nutrition, said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center. Hillgren often included food stamp and WIC and other nutrition programs on her beat, Vollinger said. Hillgren was senior vice president of editorial services for Farm Journal Media, the parent company of Farm Journal, which she edited from 1995 to 2004. She also worked for United Press International and Knight-Ridder Newspapers and served as president of the National Press Club in 1996.
Also see http://tinyurl.com/u37vd (“In Memoriam: Sonja Hillgren,” mediabistro.com, December 20, 2006)
::Shelley
A prominent journalist Sonja Hillgren died Dec. 19, 2006, after a long battle with brain cancer at age 58. Hillgren was an influential figure in the anti-hunger community who had given much mentoring on covering agricultural issues, including nutrition, said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center. Hillgren often included food stamp and WIC and other nutrition programs on her beat, Vollinger said. Hillgren was senior vice president of editorial services for Farm Journal Media, the parent company of Farm Journal, which she edited from 1995 to 2004. She also worked for United Press International and Knight-Ridder Newspapers and served as president of the National Press Club in 1996.
Also see http://tinyurl.com/u37vd (“In Memoriam: Sonja Hillgren,” mediabistro.com, December 20, 2006)
::Shelley
Labels: Food Stamps, nutrition
Monday, January 01, 2007
Metropolitan Opera LIVE: The Magic Flute
On Saturday, December 30th, we saw the Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee at the Lincoln Center (The Magic Flute, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) satellited live at the local movie theatre. The theatre was sold out.
The performance was broadcast straight from the stage of one of the world's greatest opera houses into a movie theatre equipped with high definition screen and surround sound. Again, this was a live broadcast. The Met will be doing five more live broadcasts this season.
Celebrated director Julie Taymor, who brought The Lion King to Broadway, casted her spell on Mozart's The Magic Flute. Dancing bears, flying birds, even a giant serpent were brought vividly to life thru Taymor's ingenious use of puppetry. The opera was sung in English and conducted by James Levine.
The audience stayed to applaud the show until the screen went dark. It was a great performance.
::Shelley
The performance was broadcast straight from the stage of one of the world's greatest opera houses into a movie theatre equipped with high definition screen and surround sound. Again, this was a live broadcast. The Met will be doing five more live broadcasts this season.
Celebrated director Julie Taymor, who brought The Lion King to Broadway, casted her spell on Mozart's The Magic Flute. Dancing bears, flying birds, even a giant serpent were brought vividly to life thru Taymor's ingenious use of puppetry. The opera was sung in English and conducted by James Levine.
The audience stayed to applaud the show until the screen went dark. It was a great performance.
::Shelley
Labels: Opera
