"Trombone Shorty" carries on New Orleans jazz tradition

By Kathy Finn

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Musician Troy Andrews, better known as "Trombone Shorty," witnessed his first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at age 12 - not from the viewing area but on stage.

"I was playing with my brother's brass band," said Andrews, now 27.

At this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Andrews will be given a high honor. He will perform for the first time as the closing act of the final day on the biggest stage. That time slot previously had long been occupied by one of New Orleans' most famous bands, the Neville Brothers.

The festival, which began Friday and ends May 5, has music lovers filling the walkways linking 12 stages arranged across 150 acres of the festival grounds, not far from downtown.

During the next two weekends, some 500 bands will perform at the festival, including a sprinkling of big names from Billy Joel, Dave Matthews and Adam Levine to Jill Scott, George Benson and Willie Nelson.

The stars will help draw some 400,000 people through the gates over the seven days of the festival, but many fans are interested in less famous local performers such as Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Rebirth Brass Band, Irvin Mayfield, Anders Osborne and Tab Benoit, among the 400-plus bands in the lineup that hail from New Orleans and the surrounding area.

"I can't believe the mix of music here," said Keith Oliver, who came to the festival from Richmond, Virginia.

"I don't know where else you could hear great blues, jazz, gospel and all the rest all in one place," Oliver said as he and his wife merged into the sea of flowered shirts and sun hats heading for the next stage.

Festival producer and director Quint Davis said the festival showcases New Orleans' "musical DNA."

"People in New Orleans are wired different for music," he said. "It's not just entertainment here, it's sustenance. It's like po-boys and fried oysters - we can't live without it."

Davis, in his 44th year of producing the festival, said he continues to be impressed by the depth of the local talent pool. That enables him to book one out-of-town headliner per day on each stage and fill all the remaining slots with Louisiana bands in genres including jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, hip-hop, Cajun, zydeco, Latin and Caribbean.

PASSING IT ON

Davis said what distinguishes the New Orleans sound has to do with history.

"No matter what genre they're playing, a lot of this music has been passed through many generations," he said.

Trombone Shorty, one of the hottest musical artists in New Orleans, is an example of that history. His brother gave Andrews his nickname years ago, he said.

Andrews wields a trumpet as easily as the trombone and is also skilled at keyboards, drums and songwriting. His music mingles jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul in high-energy compositions that rev up audiences on frequent tours that take him across the country and abroad.

Andrews has played at the festival nearly every year since his first appearance, and this year, Davis contacted him about performing in the final festival slot.

"Quint Davis sent me a text saying it could be time for the passing of the torch and he asked if I'm ready," Andrews said, recalling how the scheduling came about.

Landing the time slot "is a dream come true" for a young man who grew up among the city's most famous musicians.

Andrews' grandfather, R&B singer-songwriter Jessie Hill, made musical waves in the 1960s working with Ike and Tina Turner, Sonny and Cher and New Orleans artist Dr. John.

Andrews' uncle played in Fats Domino's band "way before my time," he said, "and just about every brass band in the city had a member of my family in it."

As a kid growing up in the Treme neighborhood, Andrews hung out with the Neville family and often "sat in" when the Neville Brothers played around town. "I was put on so many different musical stages growing up that I didn't think about what kind of music we played," he said. "I just thought music was music."

Andrews said he was keenly aware that local musicians have a responsibility to pass musical styles from one generation to another.

"When I was younger, we all wanted to play like Rebirth (Brass Band), but people in the neighborhood said before you can play like that, you've got to learn some traditional music so you can understand how Rebirth got where they are," he said.

Now, he's helping his younger cousins, who are anxious to follow in his musical footsteps.

"It's what we've been taught to do," Andrews said. "We have to let the younger generations take our music - and approach it the way they want - but just teach them where it all comes from."

(This story is corrected to Adam Levine from Adam Lambert in paragraph 5)

(Editing By Brendan O'Brien, Greg McCune and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trombone-shorty-carries-orleans-jazz-tradition-143751844.html

Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing olympics

B. Draper's pair dominating Ladbrokes Scottish Derby 2013 Heat 1 ...

B. Draper?s pair dominating Ladbrokes Scottish Derby 2013 Heat 1

Months of wait comes to an end. Time has come for one of the biggest entertainments of the season, as Ladbrokes Scottish Derby 2013 begins at Shawfield on Saturday, April 27, 2013. A long list of powerful hounds will be seen in the first round, and some real drama is expected.

The opening heat is particularly exciting. Among the contenders are: Ballymac Eske, Eden Star, Teejays Bluehawk, Calzaghe Jack, Rokka Lucy, and Greenwell Thor. The contest will be kicked off at 20:34 GMT. The winner will earn a place in the next round as well as a prize of 150 pounds.

All the six contestants are mighty dangerous, but the real competition is only between B. Draper?s pair; Eden Star and Ballymac Eske. Both dogs are mighty talented, and a thrilling contest is expected.

Our vote goes to Ballymac Eske, who looks simply awesome in full flight and can master kennelmate. The fawn dog was superb in his previous appearance last month, when beating Jaytee Hellcat by seven and a quarter lengths.

The September-10 hound did not relax after an amazing performance, and continued the hard work. He recently made three wonderful solo outings, showing great momentum. Confidence is high, and there is no reason why he should not bag the first prize.

Wearing red jacket, Eden Star is likely to chase the kennelmate home. The black and white suffered a shock defeat in the Trial Stake, but one should not judge him on that. Just have a look at his CV in 2011.

The son of Top Savings also gained good rhythm by making a few nice solo rides lately. All he needs is to take advantage of the first trap. Otherwise, he might find his kennelmate going too far away.

Teejays Bluehawk comes home well, but B. Draper?s duo is unlikely to give him any chance whatsoever. Calzaghe Jack is going the right way, in with the big boys now. Greenwell Thor warmed up for the event with a bold win over T1, but a repeat is unlikely. Rokka Lucy pitched in at the deep end on his debut. It is hard to expect him to make a winning move.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com's editorial policy.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/B-Drapers-pair-dominating-Ladbrokes-Scottish-Derby-2013-Heat-1-a214873

Bram Stoker books Paula Broadwell Photos Veterans Day 2012 Nate Silver stock market stock market Obama Acceptance Speech 2012

Time to negotiate for a raise? Here's how. - Ask Annie -Fortune ...

FORTUNE -- Dear Annie: The article that appeared on your site about Gen Y women closing the pay gap resonated with me, because I am a 26-year-old female e-commerce manager making about 20% less than I'm worth on the open market -- at least, according to all the research I've done (and two recruiters I've spoken with). What happened was, I accepted this job at a low salary in 2009 because I had only about a year of experience at that point and because, in the worst of the recession, I felt lucky to be working at all.

Since then, I've expanded our business significantly, hired and trained some real stars, and made other important contributions, but I've still gotten just the standard 2.5% annual raise everybody here gets, and I think I deserve more. I love working here and would rather not leave, but my negotiation skills are not so great, and budgets are still tight. Can you recommend any specific things to say to my boss, or not say? --?Just Jill

Dear J.J.: You're not the only one who's "not great" at negotiating. Regardless of their position, 36% of men say they "always" ask for more money when they feel they've earned it, says a recent poll by Salary.com -- which is more than the 26% of women who say they do, but still hardly a majority.

Moreover, it seems that tech professionals (including e-commerce managers) leave $4,300 or more per year on the table by accepting the first offer a hiring manager makes, according to a new report from tech job site Dice.com. National average pay for techies is $85,619, and, says this poll of 838 hiring managers, most candidates would get at least 5% ($4,300) more if they just asked for it. Only 18% of the managers surveyed said their initial offer is set in stone.

MORE: Wall Street isn't bowing to caps on pay

"The only explanation for the lack of haggling is fear," observes Tom Silver, a Dice.com senior vice president. He suggests that people calm their nerves by keeping in mind that "a negotiation is simply a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement, which both sides want."

That's especially true since, from your description, you sound like someone your company would prefer to keep around. "But attitude is key," says Stuart Diamond, who teaches a popular course on negotiating at The Wharton School and wrote a book called Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life. "Going in as the injured party and being negative will not work. You have to be positive and upbeat."

You also have to be "collaborative," he adds. "Be ready to acknowledge, at some point in the conversation, that budgets are tight. Say something like, 'I know it must be tough for you with so many people wanting more money.' The last thing you want is to make your boss uncomfortable." A little empathy can go a long way.

Then, Diamond recommends these four tactics:

1. Ask the right questions. "First, ask your boss to tell you her perception of your work," Diamond says. "Then ask whether she thinks you're worth more than you're making. Explain that you know you're underpaid relative to the market outside the company, but are you also making less than other people of similar rank inside the company?"

You should also ask what the company's criteria are for giving bigger raises than the across-the-board 2.5%. "Seek out the standards they use," says Diamond. If that information isn't forthcoming, "focus on the company's needs in the future. Ask, 'What can I do for you going forward that would be worth the kind of raise I'm requesting?' The answer commits your boss to a standard and gives you something to shoot for." It might also be the basis for a performance bonus down the line.

2. Don't make it personal. "Instead of saying, 'I'm worth more than a 2.5% raise,' talk about what the job is worth" -- for example, how much your department contributes to revenues and profits. Says Diamond, "The conversation should center on the work, not on you. The less personal you make it, the easier it will be for your boss to justify a bigger raise to the people upstairs."

3. Be prepared to think incrementally. It's unlikely you'll get a 20% raise all at once. "So try for a smaller amount now and more later on," Diamond suggests. "The best negotiators don't have a home-run mentality. They go for lots of little wins. Bunts and singles are what win ball games."

4. Consider intangibles. Assuming the pay hike you're offered (for now) is a small one, have a few other possibilities in mind. "Be ready to ask for something else besides money that matters to you," Diamond says. Maybe it's extra vacation time, a window office, a health club membership, or the chance to telecommute a couple of days a week -- whatever would help close the pay gap, in your mind, and that would be a relatively easy "yes" for your boss.

MORE: Truck stop royal family falls on hard times

What can you do (besides quit) if you still hear "no"? "Start keeping a list of specific accomplishments -- date, time, and task -- and write down at least two or three items a week," Diamond suggests. "In particular, be sure to include anything that saves the company money." This way, when you ask again in six months or a year, "you'll have a detailed record of your contributions, which is hard for any boss to say 'no' to." He adds: "This is one of the surest ways to hear 'yes,' yet very few people do it."

Good luck.

Talkback: If you've asked for a raise recently and gotten it, what worked for you? Leave a comment below.

Source: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/25/time-to-negotiate-for-a-raise-heres-how/

april fools day pranks ohio state vs kansas daniel von bargen 8 bit google maps kids choice awards 2012 micah true blood diamond

PSY, "Gentleman" Music Video Demolishing YouTube Records

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/psy-gentleman-music-video-demolishing-youtube-records/

tom benson royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez robert kennedy

Wall Street climbs on earnings, but Exxon and 3M drag

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged higher on Thursday, as investors digested a raft of earnings and a drop in initial jobless claims, though declines in Dow components ExxonMobil and 3M Co capped the advance.

United Parcel Service Inc , considered an economic bellwether, advanced 1.5 percent to $84.74 after the world's largest package-delivery company reported a quarterly profit above analysts' estimates.

Akamai Technologies Inc surged 18 percent to $42.59 as the best performer on the S&P 500 after the internet content delivery company posted first-quarter earnings above Wall Street estimates and forecast second-quarter results above analysts' expectations late on Wednesday.

"Investors coming into this earnings season were quite fearful, so even modestly positive news becomes great news and that is what we've experienced for the last several days," said Lawrence Creatura, portfolio manager at Federated Investors in Rochester, New York.

"It's probably a little early in the earnings season to talk about aggregate results but it's important to recognize that earnings are growing and so higher prices are deserved."

But declines in ExxonMobil and 3M Co briefly dragged the Dow into negative territory and curbed gains on the S&P 500.

ExxonMobil Corp dipped 1.4 percent to $88.15. The largest U.S. company by market capitalization said its quarterly profit edged up, helped by its chemicals business, but oil and gas production fell.

Fellow Dow component 3M Co lost 3.7 percent to $103.86 after the diversified U.S. manufacturer posted first-quarter earnings and revenue that missed Wall Street expectations and cut its 2013 profit forecast.

Economic data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits in the latest week dropped 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000 versus expectations for 351,000.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 8.02 points, or 0.05 percent, to 14,684.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> added 4.48 points, or 0.28 percent, to 1,583.27. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> rose 18.60 points, or 0.57 percent, to 3,288.25.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc jumped 14 percent to $20.78 after the iron ore and metallurgical coal miner posted earnings late on Wednesday that were much better than analysts had estimated.

Qualcomm Inc lost 5.4 percent to $62.43 after the mobile chipmaker forecast earnings below expectations late Wednesday.

Companies expected to post earnings after the close include Amazon.com Inc and Starbucks .

Verizon Communications Inc rose 2.1 percent to $52.87 after sources told Reuters it has hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion cash and stock bid to take full control of Verizon Wireless from joint venture partner, Vodafone Group Plc .

Earnings season has been largely positive, with 68.4 percent of S&P 500 companies that have reported results through Wednesday morning beating expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data through Tuesday morning. Since 1994, 63 percent have surpassed estimates on average, while the beat rate is 67 percent for the past four quarters.

Analysts see earnings growth of 3.1 percent this quarter, up from expectations of 1.5 percent at the start of the month.

Revenues, however, have been disappointing, with only 40.1 percent of 119 reported companies having topped expectations, well short of the 62 percent average since 2002 and the 52 percent beat rate for the past four quarters.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-slightly-higher-open-081750934--finance.html

tim tebow jets katy perry part of me video photoshop cs6 beta cate blanchett nfl news tebow tebow jets

Lily Tomlin speaks up for elephants in documentary

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Lily Tomlin's admiration for elephants began when she met Ruby and Billy.

The zoo dwellers also sparked her desire to help improve the lives of elephants in captivity and the chances for survival of those in the wild. "An Apology to Elephants," a documentary produced and narrated by Tomlin, is one result. It debuted this week on HBO.

"I had done some animal activism" and donated money, Tomlin said, but becoming enlightened about elephants prompted her to focus on their plight.

The film is an unabashed polemic, calling for improved treatment of elephants in zoos and an end to the use of the animals as entertainment, which the film contends must invariably involve abuse. Circus operators do not have a say, although a zoo that has overhauled its elephant habitat weighs in.

"An Apology to Elephants" also outlines the animal's importance to ecosystems and the dangers faced by wild African and Asian elephants, including habitat destruction and poachers after their highly marketable tusks.

Last month, leading conservation groups warned that the illegal ivory trade is growing and is hastening the decline of Africa's already endangered elephant population.

"The elephants became so symbolic to me, the evidence (of their treatment) so clear, and I wanted to tie it together and show how inured we are to that around the planet," said Tomlin, an Oscar-nominated actress ("Nashville") and comedian.

Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, said the film misrepresents its practices.

"Clearly, it's a distortion of the animal care we provide 24 hours a day, seven days a week for this magnificent species. We have a team of animal care professionals and veterinarians who spend their lives caring for these animals," said spokesman Stephen Payne.

The film also failed to include the company's conservation efforts that Feld said are international and done in concert with zoos and researchers. "As opposed to people who make one-off documentaries or protest, we put our money where our mouth is," Payne added.

The film's images are dramatic, some by contrast: We see a line of elephants silhouetted majestically against an orange African sun as well as a solitary pachyderm confined within a zoo enclosure. There also are disturbing shots, including elephants prodded by sharp-edged rods and footage of the 1903 death of a Coney Island elephant that, according to the film, had turned violent because of abuse. Thomas Edison agreed to electrocute the animal named Topsy to illustrate a certain type of current.

The film spotlights those who are working for elephants today, including the Oakland Zoo, which has implemented new methods of managing the animals, including more space to roam, and a Northern California wild animal sanctuary that helps remove elephants from circuses and zoos.

The grounds are home to elephants Gypsy and Wanda, who performed for the same circus before being split up. When the pair ended up 20 years later at the sanctuary, they "went crazy and are inseparable," said Pat Derby, the former animal trainer who co-founded the Performing Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS, which operates the sanctuary.

Their new life, in nature and without the demands of performing, represents her dream, Derby says in "An Apology to Elephants." The film is dedicated to Derby, who died in February of cancer at age 69.

"Knowing they have some days or even years of safety and peace and dignity, that's the big reward," said Derby in the documentary directed by Amy Schatz.

Tomlin said her hope is that people take heed of what elephants face. Her narration, written by her longtime partner, Jane Wagner, is measured and eloquent, but she's passionate in conversation as she decries "inequity and injustice and suffering" and encourages others to get involved.

"The first thing is to be conscious of the ivory trade. Don't foster anything like admiring ivory objects or people wanting them," she said. "Just to have that consciousness affects the movement of things. It takes years, but it's like getting people to wear seatbelts."

___

Online:

http://www.hbo.com

____

Lynn Elber is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. She can be reached at lelber(at)ap.org and on Twitter (at)lynnelber.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lily-tomlin-speaks-elephants-documentary-183256770.html

kenny rogers avatar the last airbender david wright cory booker cubs cj wilson ellsbury

Political chaos enables elephant poachers to expand slaughter

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Elephant meat is flooding food markets in villages near a famed wildlife reserve in Central African Republic one month after rebels believed to be involved in poaching overthrew the government, conservationists said Thursday.

The Dzanga-Sangha reserve in the rainforests of southwestern Central African Republic has been home to more than 3,400 forest elephants and features a world-renowned clearing where dozens gather each day.

Now the political chaos unleashed by a rebellion that overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade has enabled elephant poachers to further their slaughter.

"Elephant poaching is on the increase and given the fact that Central African Republic for the moment is also in dire straits we are fearing for the worst in terms of people trying to look seriously for ivory," said Bas Huijbregts, head of policy for WWF's campaign against poaching in Central Africa.

Elephant meat is now being openly sold not only in the town of Bayanga near the reserve, but also in surrounding villages near the protected wildlife area, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, he said.

"Given the total absence of any type of law enforcement and rule of law in the area, there is elephant meat all over the place," he said.

At least 40 elephants have been slain at Dzanga-Sangha since the rebels took power on March 24, said local residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the rebels operating in the area.

However, WWF said it was impossible to estimate how many animals may have been killed because there are currently no patrols going on in the forest to determine where the elephant carcasses may be.

Central African Republic's forest elephants have faced growing threats in recent years from Sudanese hunters on horseback who are making their way further and further south.

The poachers are used to killing elephants in savannah terrain though experts say they are increasingly adapting their methods to hunt elephants in the forest terrain of southern Central African Republic and in neighboring Cameroon.

The Sudanese hunters are now working in tandem with armed rebels from the group known as Seleka, which now has seized control of the federal government, anti-poaching rangers who have fled rebel-controlled areas told The Associated Press.

At least one notorious poacher has declared himself the local representative for Seleka.

Poachers are making greater inroads because of the near-anarchic state that has emerged in many parts of the country since President Francois Bozize was forced from power. Bozize, who himself took control in 2003 after a rebellion, fled into exile as thousands of armed rebels descended upon the capital in late March.

While their leader Michel Djotodia has been chosen to lead a transitional government, critics say he wields very little control over the rebels, who came together from several different groups with a common goal of ousting Bozize.

The rebels are blamed for rampant looting of hospitals and aid groups in the capital, and WWF said it has also had to evacuate its staff from the Dzanga-Sangha reserve after armed rebels looted their offices several times.

WWF said it is working with park staffers who have remained behind to try to secure the key areas inside the reserve despite threats to their personal safety. Those efforts may not be enough to protect elephants though if the situation continues to deteriorate.

"The worst case scenario that we could imagine," said Huijbregts of WWF, "is there would be no change in rule of law, and total anarchy would install itself."

___

Associated Press writer Jose Richard Pouamba in Bangui, Central African Republic, contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Dzanga Sangha Reserve: http://www.dzanga-sangha.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/central-african-republic-elephant-poaching-rises-191329985.html

royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez robert kennedy cardinals