Category: Q&A’s

Rosanne Cash to Perform at Fundraising Event for the South Street Seaport Museum


New York, NY (PRWEB) February 21, 2013

The South Street Seaport Museum today announced a gala concert starring singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash to raise funds to restore the schooner Lettie G. Howard. The gala event will be held on Monday, April 8th at the New York Academy of Medicine on Fifth Avenue.

Ms. Cash’s ancestors arrived in Salem, Massachusetts aboard the ship Good Intent in 1643, and many of her ancestors were whalers and fishermen.

“I’m honored to support the restoration of Lettie G. Howard, a treasure of maritime history, a completely unique teaching vessel, and a precious fixture in New York Harbor,” Ms. Cash said.

Tickets to the performance – which will begin at 8 PM – can be purchased online at http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/rosanne-cash. Those purchasing tickets at the $ 500 “Jib” level or above will be invited after the performance to a private reception with Ms. Cash at the Museum of the City of New York.

The event is being held to raise funds to repair and renovate the 120-year-old Lettie G. Howard, which in recent years has served as a sailing school vessel for the New York Harbor School, the New York City public high school on Governors Island that trains students for maritime careers. Repairs to make her seaworthy again are estimated at $ 250,000; $ 140,000 has been raised to date.

“It is clear that Lettie is as tough as she is beautiful,” said Susan Henshaw Jones, Ronay Menschel Director of the Museum of the City of New York and President of the South Street Seaport Museum. “But today she needs help. She has developed rot in her keelson, the interior spine that holds her together, and we will have to take her apart in order to repair her. The project is estimated to cost approximately $ 250,000.”

About Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash is one of America’s pre-eminent singers and songwriters. Over the past 30 years she has recorded 12 albums, and has had 11 #1 singles. In that time she has navigated her own path between country and rock, roots and pop, writing songs that are finely-wrought vignettes, both highly personal and universally appealing.

She was born in Memphis, Tennessee on May 24, 1955, the eldest child of Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto. After her parents separated she was raised by her mother in Los Angeles. Her father went on to marry singer June Carter, who also had an influence on young Rosanne’s musical path.

After high school, Cash joined her father and stepmother’s road show, working her way up from laundry duty to backup singer to soloist. Before starting a full-time career in music, she studied drama at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University and at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles.

Ms. Cash’s recordings included “Right or Wrong,” “Seven Year Ache,” “Rhythm and Romance,” “King’s Record Shop,” “Interiors,” “The Wheel,” “10 Song Demo,” “Rules of Travel,” and “Black Cadillac.” Her most recent album, “The List” was released in the fall of 2009. The songs on it were selected from a list of 100 great American songs that her father told her she had to master and know if she were to become a musician.

Ms. Cash has also made her mark as a writer. She published a collection of short stories called “Bodies of Water” in 1995 and a children’s book: “Penelope Jane: A Fairy’s Tale” in 2000. Her essays and fiction have appeared in various collections and publications, including “The New York Times,” “Rolling Stone,” “Time Magazine,” “The Oxford American,” and “New York Magazine.”

Ms. Cash lives in New York City with her husband, producer and guitarist John Leventhal. She is the mother of five children.

About the schooner Lettie G. Howard

Built in 1893 at Essex, MA, in the yard of Arthur D. Story, Lettie G. Howard is a type of fishing schooner once widely used along the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Texas. Her deep wooden hull, subtly curved from a faintly hollowed bow and fine entrance to a long powerful run, is a good model of what was known the world over as the “Gloucesterman.” Today, she is one of the last of her kind.

Named for the daughter of her first captain, Frederick Howard, Lettie fished out of Gloucester, MA, for her first eight years. In 1901, she was purchased by owners in Pensacola, FL, for use in the red snapper fishery off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. After surviving two major hurricanes, she was thoroughly rebuilt in 1923 by a new owner—Thomas Welles of Mystic, CT—who installed her first auxiliary engine and renamed her Mystic C. She continued to fish under sail for the Welles Company for 43 years, until it disbanded in 1966.

That year, she was sold to the Historic Ships Association in Gloucester, and in 1968 she was purchased by the year-old South Street Seaport Museum. She traveled from Gloucester to the Museum’s pier at South Street largely under sail. By then, she had been renamed twice, and her long working life had obscured her origins; research into her background led to a docking book that confirmed her identity as Lettie G. Howard.

Since 1968, Lettie has been a proud and beloved resident of South Street, where scores of fishing schooners like her used to dock to bring their catches to the Fulton Fish Market. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and between 1991 and 1993 she was completely restored to her 1893 appearance.

Lettie has operated as a certified sail training vessel since 1994, taking student crews on trips in New York Harbor and waters further afield—teaching history and ecology along with the skills and crafts of sailing, and celebrating the legacy of the North Atlantic fisheries and the Gloucester fleets.

About the South Street Seaport Museum

Created in 1967, the South Street Seaport Museum’s mission was to celebrate New York’s maritime past through its collections, including vessels, and through exhibitions and school and public programs. Financial issues forced the Seaport Museum to close in early 2011, but the Seaport Museum was re-opened in January 2012 under the management of the Museum of the City of New York, which has sought to make use of the Seaport Museum’s assets to pave the way for a stable future. The Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Admission is $ 10 and free for children under 9. Visit http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org for more information.

The Seaport Museum seeks support for this repair project so that Lettie can again take students to sea. Anyone wishing to make contributions to help the Lettie G. Howard can visit http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Gift-1.







Author Nigel Britton, Cousin of Tv Celebrity and Presenter Fern Britton, Releases New Book HP Sauce My Ancestors Legacy


Cheshire, England (PRWEB) August 02, 2013

In his first book “HP Sauce My Ancestors’ Legacy” (published by AuthorHouse), author Nigel Britton relates the amazing story of the world famous condiment, from its creation in the backyard of a grocery store in Nottingham, to it reaching its iconic status across continents.

Britton delves into the mystery behind the name and traces the history of its maker. The story is spread over 139 years, and starts with how one of the author’s ancestors acquired HP Sauce.

Britton has painted a vivid picture of the family owned corner shops, and small business enterprises or factories of the Victorian and Edwardian eras that over time developed into business conglomerates worth millions. It records the contribution of the Eastwood, Moore and Britton families to industry, and their legacy from 1874 to the present day, particularly the establishment of the Midland Vinegar Company by Edward Samson Moore, which later acquired the HP Sauce. In its final chapter, it relates how Warren Buffett, the well known investor, bought over Heinz, which owned all the HP brands, for an estimated $ 28 billion, making it the largest business deal in the history of the food industry. “HP Sauce My Ancestors’ Legacy” will surely be an inspiration to those keen on tracing their antecedents and genealogy.

An excerpt from “HP Sauce My Ancestors’ Legacy:”

HP will always mean that little bottle of brown sauce, that condiment of comfort, that irreplaceable doyen of British cuisine, which can be found in millions of kitchen larders and cupboards across the land. It will forever remain a part of Britain and its great traditions that are known and respected throughout the world today.

“HP Sauce My Ancestors Legacy”

By Nigel Britton

Hardcover | 6 x 9 in |253 pages | ISBN 978-1-4817-9702-3

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 253 pages | ISBN 978-1-4817-9703-0

E-Book | 253 pages | ISBN 978-1-4817-9704-7

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Nigel Britton was born and educated in Cheshire and Cornwall. He worked in several businesses for 35 years. He is a keen gardener and an avid football fan. His interests include home improvement designs and buildings, writing and politics. He has held the posts of school governor and local councilor.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry’s only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011. For more information or to publish a book, visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.







Most Britons have lied about the books they read; maybe…but wasn’t Orwell’s ‘1984’ a staple diet in schools?

Question by Harry R: Most Britons have lied about the books they read; maybe…but wasn’t Orwell’s ‘1984’ a staple diet in schools?
Remember writing various essays about ‘Airstrip One’, ‘Oceania’, ‘Unpersons’ and ‘Winston & Julia’ – and after leaving school, reading it often.
Realise there are some books in the ‘top ten’ that would be hard work for anyone who wasn’t in either Oxbridge, or the top red-bricked universities…’War and Peace’ and ‘Ulysses’ to me was like climbing Everest backwards in a bearsuit – hence me only reading between ten and thirty pages of either – and that was in the days when I still had all my braincells (between 17 and 20).
Orwell’s ‘1984’ was top of the fib-list, which surprised me…does this mean the book is no longer used in schools – for during the time I was in my last year at school, Orwell was seen as ‘fairly easy’.

Best answer:

Answer by 12345678
yep i did 1984 at school. back in good ‘ole 1995. Yessiree times change.

Answer by executioner_bolan
At one time it was on the curriculum for many schools but not recently.I also remember reading it at school but never since.I never lie about books I`ve read ,except to say I haven`t read a book sometimes (but this is often out of embarassment LOL).I read so many different genres of book but never claim to have read something if I haven`t.

Answer by Heather J
I did ‘O’ Level English and ‘A’ Level English Literature.

I’m pretty hazy on what we read but the ones I remember are: Measure for Measure, Romeo and Juliet, A Winters Tale, I’m the King of the Castle (Susan Cooper) Animal Farm and Wilfred Owen. There was also The Rainbow and Lord of the Flies.

There must have been others but 1986 was a long time ago!

Of these the only ones I have read again are Orwell and Golding.

Classics have gone out of the window now. I prefer Pratchett 😉

I know my 15 year old neice is reading a book called Journey’s End as part of her GSCE’s but I’m not familiar with it.

Answer by Lee H
Certain books have been on school curriculum or reading lists for years, but there has never, not that I am aware of, a list of required reading for ALL schools at specific ages. It is up to the individual school and teachers to set the texts they want to teach, even more so within the wide and varied state/public systems of education we have had over the last 50 odd years. There is usually a requirement for some Shakespeare, but outside of “some”, whether that be a play or sonnet or whatever there is no further requirement. That said, though, I suspect this is usually a “governor” requirement rather than a legal requirement.

So, as for 1984, absolutely not… Animal Farm would be higher up the list, imho anyway, as an Orwell book as it is both far more accessible to the age range and also has the cross-subject focus, what with the allegory and all.

The flexibility is there to enable the school to have some decision in the curriculum, for example: down here in the south/south west we read a fair bit of Thomas Hardy… which we could then incorporate into the landscape around us, school trips etc.

I would also have to say, and not sure it is still the case, as we were often one of the pilots for the GCSE when it started… but after 14/15 or so, we were basically reading our own books and having to relate them to the central themes. There were some texts we read as the class, but more often than not, these were short stories or poems to lead us onto our own reading.

This is not to say that 1984 is no longer used in schools, more that I dont think it was ever used in all schools and may still be used in others. There are much better books for whatever purpose, imho.

Floppity: if it wasnt for Labour governments, there wouldnt be ANY books in schools, and probably no schools to put them in anyway.

Answer by Steve J
hi Harry.
Just because a book was in school, doesn’t mean the kids read it!
It is a grim book as harsh as life in Airstrip 1, lots of people give up on it very quickly.
“Ulysses” i absolutely hate, when i finished it i took it outside and threw it away, swearing never to touch it again.
“War and Peace” however, when i came to reread it, is wonderful! Give it another go, it doesn’t need Oxbridge or any such thing. Same turned out to be true of “Vanity Fair”, “Middlemarch” etc. I just wasn’t mature enough to appreciate them fully at the time.
cheers, Steve.

Answer by floppity
It isn’t in schools anymore – this is a labour government, we won’t be having books like 1984!

I always thought I was pretty good with my book list, but I started 1984 a few years ago and just didn’t get past the first few chapters. I think I’ll try it again soon. And I’ve never heard of the first four you mention, and War and Peace and Ulysses I haven’t even attempted!

For my GCSEs (only four or five years ago) we studied ‘The Inspector Calls’, ‘Of Mice and Men’ and extracts of ‘Great Expectations’ but we didn’t actually read the whole book – and this was a grammar school – talk about dumbing down of education!

What do you think? Answer below!

Year nine student (13 year old) his school work is easier than the work he got in primary school. Education?

Question by Goat Whacker: Year nine student (13 year old) his school work is easier than the work he got in primary school. Education?
I was thinking of writing to my son’s head teacher about the low standards in his schoolwork and his lack of homework. Any ideas about what I should include in my letter?
Other schools his pals go to seem to be of a much higer standard.

Best answer:

Answer by Jenni
Tlak to the teachers.

In youe letter say about how long it takes him, example of what he gets, what it is about, how it isn’t acceptable etc.

Answer by D
Send him to Friends a good School.

Answer by dreaming_serpent
I would recommend asking for an appointment with your son’s year leader and form tutor first off. That way you can ask them to explain why they feel the work is suited to your son’s ability, ask to see any SAT check points and any other assessments results since starting this school.
Different students bloom at different times and you may find they are underestimating his potential ability which could hold him back.
If they are saying he is set this standard of work as it is based on his ability you could ask them what can you do at home to help him advance quicker. It could be he is struggling in class and just needs a bit of extra help. Every school has a SEN CO special needs co ordinating officer who should be able to offer assessments and additional support in school if need be.

Answer by bloo4
Talk to him, consider changing schools. Drastic action is sometimes called for.

Answer by Victor B
Talk to his teacher , about the academics, she will not comment and suggest much about changing school , then speak to the principal or head teacher, that you feel your kids memeory is not been train fully . they might accept it directly or indirectly , or will explain you wether thats the case or not . then on your gut feeling , try the best school for your kid , from next year onwards . be prepared for that .

Answer by richard b
Don’t bother to write! All this will do is allow the head of the school to come up with a reasonable-sounding excuse for the situation as you see it.
Arrange an appointment with the Head of Year for the year in which your son is at present “learning.” Make sure that s/he knows that you will need a reasonable amount of time for this meeting (so s/he can’t try to blind you will science and get rid of you.) And then prepare your questions carefully, write them down and refer to them during the meeting. You MUST not allow yourself to be brushed off with glib, technical answers. You should try to find out what your son SHOULD be learning, especially in maths, English, I.T., and Science. This may be difficult to do but the effort will be worth it. I had similar trouble with my step-son’s education but things soon were put right when his teachers found that I myself was a deputy head teacher and knew what I was talking about. Try to talk to similar aged children from different schools to see what they are working on. The National Curriculum is very prescriptive as to what is taught in each year and your son should be being taught the same as in other schools. If this is not possible try to consult some educational work books or teachers’ planning books. There are books available at WHSmith’s called “100 Literacy Hours” or “100 Numeracy Hours” (and others) with one book for each year group. These are what are often used by teachers to plan lessons. They contain, not only lesson plans, but half-termly schemes of work as delineated by the National Curriculum. If you could go to the school and say, “According to the National Curriculum a boy of my son’s age should have covered X and Y and Z last term and should now be working on A and B and C,” the teacher facing you will not be able to argue with you. S/he should be impressed by your knowledge, research and interest.
Anyway, this is what I would do, but them I am a (retired) teacher.
P.S. Again, homework is more or less compulsory according to the National Curriculum.

Answer by snowding
lazy teachers are everywhere. they teach (if that is a “teach”) easy things in class, and let you, parents teach complicated things at home, or let students work out difficult things which their teachers havn’t mentioned in the class at all. that is the reality of our education. you can swallow, not blame because we already accept the system. havn’t you found that your son’s teachers have been very keen in a lot fun activities? I tell you schooling is not all about funs. learning is a training, sometimes needs your tolerance and patience and a lot of brain energies, that means boring sometimes.
shake your hands buddy, I have the same feeling about my kids.

Answer by John M
1) Is this “across the board” or in one or two specific subjects?
2) Is the work appropriate to your son’s ability? Are the low standards in the work set or in your son’s ability to do it?
3) Have you carefully examined his school books and (a) the standards of his work and (b) the standards of the teacher’s marking? [This will give a clue as to whom is at fault – pupil or teacher.]

I ask this, because, as a teacher myself [in a school that had a near perfect inspection recently] I would recommend you don’t address the school’s specific curriculum but, instead, how appropriate and challenging it is to the learning needs of your child.

Irrespective of any wider school issues [which are the responsibility of the LEA and Inspectorate], the issues you must raise are those that relate SPECIFICALLY to the progress your son is making. The work he receives MUST enable him to make PROGRESS appropriate to his ability. If this is not the case, the school is failing HIM, and this is an issue the school must address with a parent.

To criticise the school in general is to invite a defensive response or dismissal of your points as “a matter for the Governors” .

Talk to the Year Tutor, note the responses [and let him/her see you are writing down the responses], give it a term, then if necessary write to the Head with a cc to the Chair of Governors.

What do you think? Answer below!

How Does A Parent Go About Making A Complaint About Their Child’s Head Teacher?

My husband and I have this morning been to see our son’s headteacher about an incident that happened where he got out of the school gate and into the street. The headteacher said that they are not allowed to lock the gate, it is only bolted with a slide bolt and no padlock. Is it going to take the death of a child before they step up the security? Any school governors out there for some good advice please.

What Are The Main Issues Effecting Children At Schools In The Uk Today?

Looking into getting into Theatre in Education, and myself and my partner are just gathering more information on the big issues at schools today.
Obviously there’s the ever presents: Bullying, drugs, alcohol, sex.
Are there are websites or places to go for information? Is it worth trying to arrange meetings with teachers/school governors to get first hand information direct from specific schools?
Any assistance is greatly appreciated. By the way this is for secondary schools.