Ouch: $20,000 Bow broken during travel

Famous German cello soloist Alban Gerhardt claims that his cello bow, valued at $20,000, was damaged by TSA inspectors at Washington's Dulles Airport on Feb. 6.

The bow, which Gerhardt places in a travel case along with the instrument, arrived in Chicago snapped in half and possibly damaged beyond repair.

“My bow must have moved out of its cover, and instead of putting it back in, they just slammed the case shut and broke the bow that way over the bridge,” Gerhardt told Strad Magazine.

Gerhardt was on a trip from Berlin to Madison, Wisconsin, where he was scheduled to perform with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

After checking the instrument in Berlin, Gerhardt rechecked it in Washington  D.C. as he passed through customs. It was okay at that time, but he discovered the damage upon arriving at Chicago's O'Hare airport, along with an inspection notice from the TSA.

Read more here:
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/tsa-damages-cellist-alban-gerhardts-20000-bow#

Caffeine in Tea & Coffee

Here's some good information on tea and caffeine -- and coffee.

Caffeine is one the component of tea and all types of tea (except for herbal) contain caffeine. However, the amount of caffeine varies according to type. In general, Green tea contains the least caffeine, Black tea the most, and Oolong falls in the middle range.

A cup of Green tea (6 oz) contains 8 to 36 mg of caffeine.

A cup of Oolong tea contains 12 to 55 mg of caffeine.

A cup of Black tea ranges from 25 - 110 mg.

Coffee generally contains 60 - 180 mg of caffeine.

Caffeine is not all bad. In moderate quantities, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and promotes blood circulation. It stimulates the process of elimination and acts as a diuretic promoting better kidney function. There is some evidence that regular tea drinkers have a lower incidence of kidney ailments and gallstones. Caffeine has also been shown to speed reaction time, increase alertness, and improve concentration.

Read more here: 

http://www.teaspring.com/teafaq.asp?id=3

Webcams -- can check out the Weather & Storms

With Winter Storm Nemo bearing down on New England, we wanted to check out the current status of weather in NYC.  Check out the webcams, thanks to earthcam.com:


NYC Times Square
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/?cam=tsstreetcc

NYC Fifth Ave
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/fifthave/?cam=nyc5th

Top Ten
http://www.earthcam.com/topten.php




Enjoy the snow -- but be safe!  

Mayor Koch: One of the Greatest New Yorkers

The passing of former New York Mayor Ed Koch led us to create a new label on our blog: great people.  Mayor Koch was one of the greatest New Yorkers, in a city of great New Yorkers!  This quote by Ed Koch, himself, says it all:

 "I think my personality was helpful in this job. I always had a great sense of humor, though I am also pretty reserved personally. I mean, I don't go to chichi parties; never did. I don't like going to dinners other than small dinners at the homes of people. But I realized that if I was to harness the energies of the people of the city of New York and give them back their pride, I would have to become bigger than life. And I did."

It's always good to have a sense of humor...  Rest in peace.

CNN reports:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/us/ed-koch-obit/