Archives for October 2014

Nowhere Cafe is hold a Memorial fundraiser at
454 Colman Street, New London CT., 06320 Sunday 10/19/14 @ 2pm (rain date 10/26/14)
in honor of Marine Cpl. “Ahn” Chanawongse, US Army SSG Edwin Rivera and US Army SSG Ari Cullers; all Waterford servicemen killed in action.
The benefit will consist of food, raffles and a silent auction.

Belle Reception, Talk & Film

6:30 PM
Thursday, Oct. 16
Wadsworth Atheneum
Museum of Art

The true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a British admiral
and an enslaved woman

With introduction by:
Emily Lordi

Assistant Professor of English, UMASS Amherst

More information

Tickets

Presented with The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art,
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture and
The Mark Twain House & Museum

77 Forest St., Hartford, CT 06105
HarrietBeecherStowe.org
860-522-9258

Join Us
Wednesday, November 12

Matisse: The Cut-Outs
at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street.

Depart West Hartford Art League parking lot: 8:15 a.m.
Museum entrance: 11:50 a.m.
Depart NYC: 4 p.m.

Please note:
There will be a short amount of free time before
entrance to the Museum at 11:50.
Museum entrance is timed. We must enter as a group.

Lunch is on your own.
MoMA features a variety of dining options
including The Modern, a fine-dining restaurant
that holds one Michelin star and three stars from The New York Times,
and a pair of cafés, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5.

Group will meet up again at 4 p.m. for departure
at a specified location to be determined.

$65 Fee includes museum admission.
Limit: 50 people.

Please call Tina at (860) 231-8019 to reserve your space.
Payment is required at the time of your reservation.
We accept Master Card, Visa or Discover.

No refunds once a reservation is made.

One “Step” Closer to Completion

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (September 25, 2014) Α The mainmast of the 200-foot Tall Ship SSV Oliver Hazard Perry was stepped yesterday in a dockside ceremony at The Hinckley Company in Portsmouth, R.I., marking a major milestone in the completion of Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel that will serve students of all ages from New England and beyond.  Attending were supporters – including donors and Board members – of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI), the non-profit organization responsible for building and operating the ship.

“The stepping of a mast means it is erected and secured into its ‘step’ within the hull,” explained Perry’s Captain Richard Bailey, who served as Master of Ceremonies and first spoke while the massive 132’ mast hung at-the-ready in a sling held by a giant crane. “Earlier this month, the forward mast was stepped, also here at the Hinckley boatyard, where dozens of riggers and shipwrights have been working on the ship this summer.” (The mizzenmast, the last of the three masts on the square-rigged ship, was erected after the morning ceremony, late in the afternoon.)

The mainmast of Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel SSV Oliver Hazard Perry was stepped Wednesday, Sept. 25 in a dockside ceremony at The Hinckley Company in Portsmouth, R.I. (Credit Onne van der Wal)  Available for download in high resolution by clicking the photo above

(Video by MarineMotion㈢/ RIyachting.com can be viewed at http://bit.ly/1BbHJiX or by clicking image above.)

The mainmast towers 13  stories (or 120’) above the deck of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry.  It is made up of three sections:  the 65’ long lower section made of steel and its upper two sections (called the topmast and t’gallant) made of Douglas fir, which came from a private tree farm in Rainier, Oregon and was turned in Washington State on the largest spar lathe in North America. Collectively, Perry’s 19 wooden spars – including the mizzen, mainmast and royals for each; fore top mast and gallant; mizzen gaff; boom; and jib boom – weigh almost 36 tons and total 25,182 board feet – enough to build a house of over 3700 square feet.

After remarks by Bart Dunbar, Chairman, OHPRI, and Donald Christ, Esq., President, Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust (a major contributor for which the rig will be dedicated when complete), a 1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary Half Dollar, issued to commemorate the 1636 founding of Providence, R.I. and donated by OHPRI Board Member Jim Pickering, was placed in the Perry’s mast step.  Samuel Appleton Treherne-Thomas placed the coin with help from Ben Grenier; both are family descendants of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American hero (and Rhode Island native) in the Battle of Lake Erie for which the ship is named.
The 132’ main mast of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is lowered into place.
(Credit Onne van der Wal) Available for download in high resolution by clicking the photo above

“There is a long and rich history of placing coins beneath masts to address an assortment of superstitions; today we place our coins to bring good luck and to memorialize a significant moment in the process of our ship’s creation,” said Bailey.

While one worker operated the crane, several more helped to position the mast vertically before it was lowered into place.  When the mast was in place, the firing of the Perry’s cannon signaled that all was well with the progress of this privately-funded and publically supported project:  the first full-rigged ocean-going ship to be built in the United States in the last 110 years.

Enlarged framed versions of the 2013 “Perry victory” quarter that sits under the ship’s forward mast, were presented to Vice Admiral Thomas Weschler, USN Ret. and Bart Dunbar in recognition of extraordinary service to the project. Admiral Weschler drew laughter from the audience when he quipped, “This is the most exciting thing I’ve done since World War II.” (The main cabin is named in honor of his brother, WWII hero Lieutenant Charles John Weschler, USN.)

Alluding to the date Perry’s steel hull was bought from a Canadian group, Dunbar added, “It’s a momentous day for this entire enterprise that began in 2008, and some might not realize how significant this particular mast stepping is, as well.  There has not been a rig like this built for a U.S. ship in 110 years, so there was not one person or organization that we could go to and say, ‘We want one of those for SSV Oliver Hazard Perry.’”

Texas and Newport resident Dan Tutcher sponsored the purchase of the lower mainmast section as well as the lowers for the foremast and mizzenmast. Volvo of America and Combined Transport also contributed to the transportation of the spars from Washington.

The shrouds and backstays have been fabricated by a team of riggers employed by OHPRI since March of 2014. The team will spend the next eight weeks completing the rig while the ship remains at The Hinckley Company, which has generously donated dock space.  Seven miles of rope and four miles of wire will be incorporated into the complex system that will support and allow the trimming of 20 sails with 14,000 sq. ft. of sail area.

Donald Christ shared his appreciation for OHPRI’s vision, which he said was presented to the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust “through the good graces” of Admiral Weschler a number of years ago. “He came over and over again to meet with us, and finally we said ‘we can’t say no.’ We have made a serious commitment to this ship, and to me, it makes possible the enthusiasm that we have at the Trust for some of the things that we can do. Many of the projects we fund disappear into the ether, and there’s nothing tangible you can look at, but when you sit here and see this dream-come-true, it’s a miraculous thing.”

OHPRI has raised over $14 million toward the completion of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry and has $975,000 left to raise before the ship transitions into its operational phase for hosting education-at-sea programs next Spring.

SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, when completed, will be a Coast Guard-inspected and approved steel-hulled technologically sophisticated 21^st Century ship. In addition to her three decks, modern galley and Great Cabin (where captains, in days of yore, entertained), Perry sports, among other things, high-end navigation and communication systems, a state-of-the-art science lab (designed under the guidance of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography), and wheelchair accessibility (including accessible below deck staterooms, heads and a wheelchair lift). The Great Cabin will be used less for entertaining and more for education in its capacity as a classroom outfitted with monitors displaying real-time navigation and meteorological data. The other classroom space will house laptop computers (donated by Intel), interactive SMART boards (donated by Shanix Technologies, Inc.) and a well-stocked library.

“This is the flagship of our state of Rhode Island, for our tourism, for our marine industry, for our school and students, and for our citizens who appreciate that we are the Ocean State,” said Dunbar. “That is the statement we are making.”

For more information about SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, please visit www.ohpri.org or contact Jess Wurzbacher at 401-841-0080, info@ohpri.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for current news and developments.

Caroline Bryan, Dr. Brian Clement, Director, Hippocrates Health Institue, Jackie Campisi, OD, Greg Culver, and Dr. Chris Deveau, Chiropractor, East-West Chiropractic…photo by Tim Martin

Thank you for running our story on August 6.  I would like to share all the “good news” and reviews that came to us as a result.

I recently graduated from the Hippocrates Health Institute 3-week Life Transformation program in West Palm Beach, Florida, and lost 50 pounds in preparation for spinal surgery due to 4^th stage metastatic cancer.  My intention was to share what I experienced and to inspire as many people as possible to personally discover the benefits of a living foods/vegan lifestyle.

One couple came after learning about the event at the Yale-New Haven Smilow Cancer Hospital.  This wonderful lady from Darien approached me following the Mystic lecture, explaining she had been the next patient in line after me at Smilow, and I had just shown your article to the radiology staff.  When they saw she was suffering from bone cancer too, they shared it with her.  She and her husband are now in Florida experiencing the Hippocrates program just as I did!

Following Dr. Clement’s lecture, fifteen others also signed up for the Hippocrates program. Many traveled from as far as MA, NH and PA.  One woman from NH who enrolled in the 3-week program said she came to the event because she had a dermatologist appointment in Mystic that day and read about it in your paper.

I met several neighbors I would not have met otherwise. One enrolled for the Life Transformation Experience and just came to our Stonington demonstration luncheon (below). She said that she was apprehensive about the diet change but once she participated in our workshop and tasted the food, she was totally looking forward to her stay in Florida.

Several other Hippocrates graduates purchased tickets and attended the event to provide their support. I’ve been invited to speak on topics from children’s nutrition to Future Societies.  I’ve even been asked to submit my vegan pie recipe to a cookbook co-authored by a New Jersey woman who heard about the turnout.  I was approached by an author to write a review to her book and was even asked to write my own book about this incredible experience.  And Dr. Clement’s staff has already put us on his lecture circuit for next year!

Greg and I are so fortunate to be the instruments of inspiration for others.  Our audience included many health practitioners ranging from audiologists, chiropractors, optometrists, naturopathic doctors, radiologists and RN’s, to medical physicians & surgeons. Reporters, photographers, friends and family gathered to hear that I am recovering from Stage 4 cancer using food as medicine.

The emails and calls of gratitude that Greg and I received told us we had accomplished our goal.  Thanks to this overwhelming response, we have launched a “Mini Hippocrates Immersion” program for those looking for more hands-on knowledge of how and why to grow sprouts.  Our guests enjoy a living-foods lunch/desert along with a 2-hr class on sprouting in Stonington.  Reservations can be made by emailing jackiecampisi@me.com or calling 860 908-7432. (Limited seating).

An audio CD of the “Survive or Thrive” lecture is available for purchase for those who could not attend. Gracelyn Guyol will be interviewing us on her cable TV series, “Restoring Health Holistically,” The series will air on Channel 12 at 7pm on 10/15 and 10/22.  We are so grateful for the donations and generosity expressed by all who made the event possible, including The Resident!

Thank you,
Jackie Campisi
OD
Stonington

REMINDER: Fall Gala Dinner Celebration Fundraiser We also hope that you will join us on October 10th at 7 p.m. at the Country Club of Farmington for the Fall Gala Dinner, a festive celebration of the Virtuosi’s 2014-2015 season. Please RSVP by contacting us  us at info@thevirtuosi.org, or by phone at (860) 351 3135. Season Founder’s Package $5000 Includes 16 Gala tickets, and: full-page advertisements in all 2014/15 Virtuosi publications, on-line logo(s) listings on web page and all e-mail blasts, 10 complimentary tickets to all ticketed events. Season Sponsor’s Package $3000 Includes 10 Gala tickets, and: half-page advertisements in all 2014/15 Virtuosi publications, on-line logo(s) listings on web page and all e-mail blasts, 5 complimentary tickets to all ticketed events. Patron Tickets $1,000 – Includes 6 Gala tickets $ 500 – Includes 4 Gala tickets $ 300 – Includes 2 Gala tickets Single Tickets $125 single / $225 couple Questions and RSVP to: info@thevirtuosi.org | Phone: (860) 351 3135

The Columbus Day Holiday Weekend is a great time to visit Mystic, CT and the popular Mystic Aquarium. With the special Mystic Pass Plus Card this historical and educational family trip is now even more affordable.

Each card includes one free admission to Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Seaport and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, plus a free fountain drink at the Aquarium’s Penguins Café, a free planetarium show at Mystic Seaport, and a free fountain drink at Pequot Café at Mashantucket Pequot Museum.  There are even significant discounts on hotels, restaurants and shopping,

The card is valid until March 31 and can be purchased at http://www.mystic.org/events-discounts/mystic-pass_http://www.mystic.org/events-discounts/mystic-pass.  Prices range from $66.00 for Adults (Ages 18 -64),  $56.00 for Senior (65+), $41.00 for Youth Admission (Ages 6 – 17),  and $20.00 for Children (Ages 3 -5).

The famed Mystic Aquarium, home to New England’s only Beluga Whale Exhibit, will host a “Pancakes with Penguins” breakfast on Columbus Day, Monday, October 13. Join the South African Penguins and special mascot “Petey the Penguin” for a buffet-style breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  Breakfast includes pancakes with assorted toppings, scrambled eggs, sausages and various beverages.  Reserve now at http://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/calendar/details/406-pancakes-with-penguins

Experience the thrill of getting up close and personal with a Beluga Whale or a Penguin as a participant in Mystic Aquarium’s distinctive Encounter Programs.  The Aquarium is a pioneer in offering guests a unique, interactive experience that fosters a deeper appreciation for animals at the Aquarium and in the wild.  Penguin Encounters are held on October 12 and 13 and Beluga Encounters take place October 10 -13.  http://www.mysticaquarium.org/animals-and-exhibits/encounter-programs.  Some restrictions may apply.  Prices for the Encounter Programs are in addition to admission to the Aquarium.

Visitors to the Aquarium can also enjoy the captivating “Titanic – 12,450 Below” exhibit and the entertaining sea lion shows.

After experiencing all the excitement of the Mystic Aquarium, be sure to savor the exquisite scenery and leaf peeping on your way to historic Downtown Mystic and the Mystic Seaport.  While at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center visit the 185-foot, stone-and-glass tower that provides sweeping views of the region. For the more adventurous types, walk along the Pequot Hiking Trails for breathtaking views of the fall foliage.

Make this Columbus Day Weekend a Mystic experience the family will never forget.

About Mystic Aquarium
Mystic Aquarium is a division of Sea Research Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, and is counted among the nation’s leading aquariums with more than 3,000 species and an extensive collection of marine mammals, including beluga whales. Mystic Aquarium has been a pioneer in offering guests a variety of up close encounters with a wide range of marine animals. The mission of Sea Research is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through education, research and exploration.

“Let Me Know” is the first single from her highly anticipated follow-up to 2013’s chart-topping, Grammy Award-nominated Love and War [Streamline/Epic Records]. Once again, her instantly recognizable voice shines with striking power, carrying honest and heartfelt lyrics over captivating R&B production. At the same time, Future adds an otherworldly spark to the track for their very first collaboration.

You’ll know it’s Tamar as soon as you hear it…

Following Love and War‘s massive impact with three 2014 Grammy nominations and a sold out headlining tour, the singer, songwriter, host, and television producer is primed to kick off another banner year. She currently co-hosts and produces the popular new talk show The Real on Fox and BET. Moreover, she stars on Braxton Family Values, and her celebrated series Tamar & Vince begins its third season Thursday, October 23 at 10pm ET on WE tv. She’s been hard at work on her new album though, and it promises to continue the traditions she established on Love and War with a few surprises.

“Let Me Know” begins the next chapter of Tamar. Get ready for one of the most important R&B albums of the year.

Tamar remains one of R&B’s leading divas. Love and War became the #1 R&B album upon debut, selling 400,000 copies since its September 2013 release. In support of the record, she performed to packed houses across the U.S. on a 30-city tour supporting John Legend, engaged in a whirlwind European promo run, and even picked up two 2013 Soul Train Awards, after performing at the event in Las Vegas. She also released her very first holiday album, Winter Loversland. Love and War hit #2 on the Billboard Top 200 upon release, making for 2013’s highest debut from a female R&B artist. Meanwhile, it also topped the Billboard Top R&B Albums Chart and iTunes Top R&B Albums Chart.

facebook.com/TamarBraxtonHer

twitter.com/TamarBraxtonHer

instagram.com/tamarbraxtonher

Season Sponsor’s Package
$3000 Includes 10 Gala tickets, and:
half-page advertisements in all 2014/15 Virtuosi publications,
on-line logo(s) listings on web page and all e-mail blasts,
5 complimentary tickets to all ticketed events.

Patron Tickets
$1,000 – Includes 6 Gala tickets
$ 500 – Includes 4 Gala tickets
$ 300 – Includes 2 Gala tickets

Single Tickets
$125 single / $225 couple
Questions and RSVP to:

info@thevirtuosi.org | Phone: (860) 351 3135