It’s been said before that there’s nothing new under the sun, and in the field of electronic music, there’s nothing that hasn’t been tried before. In countless instances, there can be found traces of contemporary electronic recording techniques in the body of work produced by Raymond Scott . He’s one of those immensely influential figures who changed everything, although his name doesn’t get a lot of recognition except in the inner circles. In these inner circles, however, he is something like royalty, akin to the Edison of electronic music.

He was born and raised in New York, the city that births so many talented people who often go unrecognized. But it’s not that he wasn’t recognized in his lifetime. After he finished with degrees in technology and a musical pedigree from Julliard, his band, ” The Raymond Scott Quintette ” was wildly successful. His versions of jazz were very popular in the 30s, and his recordings sold like hotcakes. It was here that he started developing his ideas about pre-recorded music. He would edit studio takes himself, re-mixing at a time when no one else would have considered it. He was also at the forefront of Civil Rights, have one of the first integrated jazz bands.

It was in electronic music, however, that he gets the most attention these days. His recordings and performances were famous for his wild sense of humor, and it was heard in the music, too. The Cartoon Network, the Simpsons, and Ren and Stimpy have all used bits and pieces of his songs. They have a feel that is at once classical and futuristic, and reflect a compositional mind that was far ahead of his time.

Today, people visiting New York and relaxing at their boutique Manhattan hotel , may find themselves watching a new cartoon, without realizing that the music is his work. He is also the one who conceived of the first electronic theramin, as well as one of the big sources of inspiration for the moog synthesizer. The world has never been the same, and never been better off.

Raymond Scott Composing Manhattan is a post from: Virtual Villages

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Florida Grand Opera in Miami , announced their 2010-11 70th Season: The Mysteries of Love, beginning November 13, 2010 with Turandot by Puccinin. Followed by The Tales of Hoffman, by Jacques Offenbach – January 2011; in April 2011, Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘Cyrano’ by David DiChiera. Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is located at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts – 1300 Biscayne Blvd.

There’s never been a better line up of 4 of the best operas being performed in one place. Turandot – consists of opera’s most famous music, and the thrill of heroic voices create the theatrical experience whom every opera lover dreams of. Puccini had an unmistakable melodic gift, which has enriched the world’s most beloved operas. Turandot, is his final opera and represents Puccini’s culmination of the Italian tradition of Grand Opera. The story goes: The Ice Princess Turandot, challenges the Unknown Prince to answer her three riddles, and he succeeds where so many others have failed. In the famous aria, ‘Nessun dorma,’ he in turn challenges her to learn his name.

One of the best-loved French operas, ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’, brings the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann to life. Hoffmann regales his friends in the tavern with the stories of his 3 past loves, while at the same time, his current love, Stella, is performing in the opera house nearby. By the time he has told of his romantic defeats, he is overcome with drink. Stella enters, but sees Hoffmann drunk, making him yet again lose another love.

Don Giovanni, by Mozart, is considered, by many, to be the most perfect opera ever written. Even today, Don Giovanni continues to thrill audiences. Don Giovanni is the story of the infamous lover, Don Juan. Another sad romantic opera is Cyrano, about the famous story of Cyrano de Bergerac, who has inspired many interpretations, but composer David DiChiers’a new opera, with libretto, by Bernard Uzan, premiered in 2007 at Detroit and in Philadelphia. This romantic opera received standing ovations and wonderful reviews. Cyrano, a nobleman skilled in both sword and pen, but has a very unsightly nose, has despite his desperate love for the beautiful Roxane, agreed to help his younger rival, Christian to win her heart.

Florida Grand Opera 2010 -11 season is guaranteed, if you’re not already, to make you an avid opera lover. There are plenty of Miami luxury hotels ready for you to make reservations and come to see, if not all, one of these fantastic performances. FGO will not let you down, they haven’t been around for over 21 years for nothing.

A Night at the Opera in Miami is a post from: Virtual Villages

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There are so many things to recommend Princeton as a city worth visiting. It’s been ranked in the top 20 for the country’s most livable cities, and the fact that it’s home to Princeton University plays a big part in that. The University draws some rather interesting characters, including the reclusive author Joyce Carroll Oates, and was home to Einstein for a time. It also has some pretty colorful characters who can name Princeton as their own home town, and perhaps it even seems unlikely that it would be the birthplace of Trey Anastasion , one of the founding members of Phish.

But perhaps it’s not so unlikely after all. Princeton is a city that fosters intense creativity, and specializes in thinking out of the box. There might not be a place further from the box than the great band that’s famous for its long riffs and excursions into musical tangents that can make up the bulk of their concerts. The band formed in the early 80s at the University of Vermont, and had a long and strange career until they broke up in 2004. The breakup only lasted a few years, until 2009, and in 2010 Phish is once again on the road, playing a wild montage of concerts to the delight of their hardcore fans.

Because of their enormously dedicated fan base, they’ve earned many comparisons to the Grateful Dead. The even began by calling themselves a cover band for the Dead, but have gone on to develop their own very distinctive music style, that’s still very much under construction to this day. They seem to reinvent it at every concert, and that’s one of the big appeals for fans, because they’ve never played the same show twice, and rarely play songs the same way. In a city that’s famous for its intellects and the hospitality of its hotels, Princeton really is a perfect birthplace for a phenomenon that succeeds only be refusing to succeed in the usual ways.

Princeton Phish is a post from: Virtual Villages

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It isn’t that hard to find a good cup of coffee in California.  In Los Angeles, it’s rather ridiculously easy, because everyone is super-driven out here, and there’s not much time to sleep.  We depend on the bean to help us get through the days, and it is one of those things that makes life worth living.  There’s been a lot more education lately about coffee, and information available pretty widely about fair trade coffee.  Even the bigger chains have completely changed the way they do things so that they can at least position themselves toward serving fair trade, if they don’t already.

It’s a fantastic day when you can wake up in a hotel in Santa Monica, and head out to the beach with the one you love, stopping for a coffee along the way.  With places like the 18th Street Coffee House, there are lots of options here.  This place is particularly wonderful because of the atmosphere and ambience.  The wifi is a bit spotty, but that kind of makes it nice, because people sometimes get tempted into talking to other people.  This morning, we almost saw the beginning of a community starting here.

Someone there told us that Co-Opportunity is the local co-op (duh), and that’s where you can also buy free trade coffee for your house, and lots of other things as well.  There’s something about being in places like this, where there’s a genuine sensitivity and honest effort toward taking care of the planet.  It just feels so, so very California.  Maybe later on in the day, we’ll take in a yoga class, and then have dinner at an organic restaurant, where they serve side dishes with shredded carrot and ginger.  Or maybe, if we’re feeling more daring, we’ll have burgers and even take responsibility for it.

Green Coffee in Santa Monica is a post from: Virtual Villages

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I have wanted a home spa for a long time. Never wanting to go through the trouble of running high voltage electrical out lets and wiring. I did not want to get in to the plumbing of the spa too. It really was going to be way too much trouble to get that all done where I live. So I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not be having a private spa as long as I lived here.

Then the other day at work a coworker told me about he and his wife getting a portable spa for their house. he said the unit is self contained there is not need for external plumbing and that the spa is powered by a regular electrical out let. I did not know that this type of spa was available. He said it was very affordable and the spas were available in a variety of sizes from two people to three, four and more. He said the filter is self contained as well and easy to get to and clean. All in all he seemed to be very happy with his new portable spa.

i really want to get a spa. I know I would really enjoy the relaxing soak in the hot water and the hot water jets messaging my tense muscles. I know I would get a lot of use from a spa dn that the benefits would be great too. I have read that hydrotherapy is great for dilating the blood vessel and increasing the bodies blood circulation. This is beneficial in many was as it helps the boxy and its organs to release toxins and stress. The relaxing benefits of the spa are relief from headaches, muscle tension and better sleeping. This is all good to me and I really want to get soaking as soon as possible. I think I will get to researching now.

I am getting a portable spa is a post from: Virtual Villages

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Having a spa in your own home makes a statement, to yourself as well as the rest of the world.  You’re putting value on the idea that having a good time and relaxing with your family is very important.  You’re also making pleasure a priority, and giving some necessary props to the good life.  You’re also making a positive move toward better health.  The icon of the spa in the popular imagination is usually related to wild parties rather than wild relaxation, but the fact is that there are splendid health benefits to using a spa regularly.  And interestingly enough, using a portable spa is a form of hyrdotherapy.  It’s a newer therapy, perhaps, but its origins go back for millennia.

Hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat pains and diseases of the body.  It’s often used as an umbrella term to refer to all therapies with water that use streaming jets, massage, or essential oils and salts.  You could decide to get serious about it, then, and turn your portable spa into something very much focused on healing, but if you only use it recreationally, you’ll still get many of the health benefits.  Many people connect hydrotherapy with the bathing practices of the ancient Romans, Renaissance Europeans, and Native peoples in the Americas, connecting especially with their use of hot springs.  Hot springs enthusiasts from all over the world speak about the way the Native peoples used natural spas for the spiritual and physical benefits.  They probably still do.  They’re still here.

Hot springs are particularly interesting for purists practicing hydrotherapy, because the fact of the water coming from the earth has a more immediate effect on the body in terms of healing power.  There are many forces at work in a portable spa, however, that can make the water push and pull against the tired muscles in a way that’s entirely soothing, and aids in deep relaxation.  Its effect is certainly quite similar to hot springs, and sometimes even better for certain ailments.  It’s also certainly part of the same family of therapies, and it’s something you’ll have in your own backyard.

Hydotherapy and the Portable Spa is a post from: Virtual Villages

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