“The Sound of Music” turned 50 on March 2, 2015, and is still just as iconic as ever, decades after Julie Andrews starred as Maria in the 1965 classic.
The film, starring JulieAndrews and famous for such classic songs as Sixteen Going on Seventeen and My Favorite Things, is based on the writings of Maria von Trapp who detailed how her family escaped Austria when it was ruled by the Nazis.
Many locations in the movie are instantly recognizable for fans, including the Leopoldskron Castle, now a 67-room hotel, which was used as the Von Trapp residence in the film.
That has led to The Sound of Music fans from around the world visiting the sites and that has made money for local tours.
“After about ten years ago they found out they make money with the movie. It was already since 25 years clear that people, especially English-speaking people, are coming because of the movie, you know.
“And we had the luck that, you know, the owner was married with an American (winks) and he knows about the movie and he said we can make money with that. And so they started in 1976.
Since this time we make the Sound of Music tour and it’s the best tour we have,” said the manager of Bob’s Tours, Eviline Truhlau.
There are many sites in Salzburg that were used in the film, as Truhlau explains, “When they filmed here they really hopped around. They put things together that are not really together, by example the house.
“They used the castle, a Rococo castle, they used a Baroque castle for the front and for the back, you know. The gazebo moved in the meantime but it was built for the movie so it was used for that, it never belonged to the castle – I guess it was just the kind of thing to make something extra in this movie.”
Although The Sound of Music will always be associated with the hills and mountains of Austria, the manager of the Leopoldskron Hotel claims the movie does not have quite the same level of popularity at home as it does in other parts of the world.
There are plans for more Sound of Music celebrations this year and there was even a reference to the film during Lady Gaga’s Oscars performance.
Julie Andrews and Diane Sawyer took a trip down memory lane as they traveled through the hills of Austria.
~Julie Andrews Interview: Lady Gaga’s Oscars Tribute~
~Published on Mar 11, 2015~
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary Edition of “The Sound of Music,” which is now available to own with XFINITY On Demand, Dame Julie Andrews sits down with entertainment editor David Onda to talk about sharing the Oscars stage with Lady Gaga and her upcoming 80th birthday.
GOOGLE has marked Lunar New Year with a Doodle on its homepage.
The animation shows a ram head-butting a tree until a bee flies out – causing firecrackers to go off and a series of fireworks to spell out “Google“.
This refers to the Chinese celebration of Lunar New Year, which marks today as the beginning of the Year of the Ram.
Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in China.
It is also observed in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.
~~GALLERY~~
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There is some confusion over whether 2015 is in fact the Year of the Ram, or whether it is actually dedicated to the sheep or the goat.
This is because in Mandaring ‘yang’, meaning ‘horned animal’, covers all three – so nobody is sure which one it really is.
In Chinese culture the color red is considered lucky.
So the Lunar New Year is celebrated by decorating windows and doors with red colored Chinese paper cuttings, as well as couplets with themes of ‘good fortune’, ‘happiness’, ‘wealth’ or ‘longevity’.
~~Lunar New Year – Google Doodle 2015~~
~~Published on Feb 18, 2015~~
Lunar New Year – Google Doodle – Thursday, February 19 – Lunar New Year 2015 Google Doodle!
Google celebrates Lunar New Year 2015 with an animated Google Doodle in the following countries:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States.
This is Angelika, my oldest grand-daughter, you may have seen her here a few times. She is 9 years old.
She loves music, as much as I do. She’s been keeping me up to date with some of the new songs that are coming out. She knows the songs but doesn’t know the performer most of the time. I’ve trying to teach her it’s important to also know who is singing. Very frequently, we use the “Shazam” app to identify the singer/band.
She returned from her summer trip up north, she has started school. I’m a bit behind. She told me I better get on it. So, here I am!!
“All About That Bass” is the debut single by American artist Meghan Trainor. It was released by Epic Records in June 2014 and was co-written by Meghan Trainor and Kevin Kadish. The song was produced by Kevin Kadish.
All instruments were played by Kevin Kadish (drums, bass and guitars) and David Baron (piano, saxophone, and Hammond B3 organ). Musically, “All About That Bass” is a pop and doo wop song that contains lyrics of body positive themes.
The song was positively received by critics who praised the catchy beat, lyrics, and message. The song has become a commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming her first hit single on the chart. Internationally, it has topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in other countries.
Meghan Trainor sings about not being a size 2. And about magazines not being real with all their Photoshop. Come on now, make it stop! And this is such a great message! Show the world you can be whatever you want to be, in each and every size.
And I love this text:
“Yeah, my momma she told me don’t worry about your size She says, boys they like a little more booty to hold at night”
In his own words …. he’s been singing for 53 years.
Raphael visited Orlando, Florida, for the first time on May 30, 2014. I was among the many fans at the venue. I must say that this artist played a very important part in my life as a young adolescent growing up and learning about love, passion, life and reality.
When I arrived at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center I didn’t know what to expect. This artist is in his early 70s. I wondered if he was going to be able to woo me like he did so many times before. I wondered if his voice would be the same that I remembered and the same that I could listen to in the many CDs that I have.
I started listening to him a bit skeptical but to my wonderful surprise, Raphael was able to pull me into his music world and take me back to my younger years when everyone was pinning for lost love, for future love, for unrequited love ….
It was magical. It was a trip back in time. Down memory lane!
Raphael still has the ability to enthrall and enchant. His voice is as strong and lyrical as ever. I enjoyed his concert immensely. He still provokes the “chill factor”!
Below you will find a link to a concert in Madrid, Spain, where he performed basically the same concert that we enjoyed.
Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez (born May 5, 1943 in Linares, Spain), often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theater actor. A pioneer of modern Spanish music, he is considered a major influence in having opened the door and paving the way to the flood of Spanish singers that follow. His wide-range voice, added to his quality as showman, has entertained and engaged people worldwide for more than five decades.
~~Childhood~~
Raphael was born Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain), on May 5, 1943. As a consequence, he is nicknamed both “El Ruiseñor de Linares” (“Nightingale of Linares”) and “El Divo de Linares”(“The Divo from Linares”). His family moved to Madrid when he was nine months old, and he started singing when he was just three years-old. He joined a children’s choir at age four. When he was 9, he was recognized as the best child voice in Europe at a contest in Salzburg, Austria.
Raphael began his professional career by signing with the Dutch record label Philips. To distinguish himself, he adopted the “ph” of the company’s name and christened himself ‘Raphael’. His first singles were “Te voy a contar mi vida” and “A pesar de todo”, among others. Raphael adopted his own peculiar singing style from the beginning; he is known for acting each one of his songs while on stage, emphasizing his gestures with high dramatic effect.
It is not unusual for Raphael to ad lib lyrics as to localize a song depending on the venue he’s singing at, wear Latin American peasant costumes and dance folk dances within a song, kicking and demolishing a mirror, or doing the moves of a flamenco dancer or a bullfighter onstage. He also possesses a wide vocal range, which he often used in the beginning of his career as to evoke a choirboy approach to some songs.
When he was nineteen, he won first, second and third awards at the famous Benidorm International Song Festival, Spain, 1962, with the songs: “Llevan”, “Inmensidad” and “Tu Conciencia”. After a brief relation with Barclay record label, who produced just an EP, he signed contract with Hispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with the musical director of this label, the late, talented argentinian orchestrator Waldo de los Ríos and intensify the partnership with outstanding Spanish songwriter Manuel Alejandro.
In 1966 and 1967 he represented Spain at the XII and XIII Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, singing “Yo soy aquél” and Vienna, “Hablemos del amor” and placing both 7th and 6th position, although he did not win. It was the first time that Spain obtained a high place in the competition,leaving the door open for victory the following year, which Spain achieved with “La, la, la“, another song of modern style too,which for political reasons still in Spain then was sung instead by Massiel.
This served as a turning point in Raphael’s career, making him an international star. He traveled and performed worldwide in Europe, Latin America, the United States, Russia and Japan. Songs such as “Yo soy aquel” (his signature song), “Cuando tú no estás”, “Mi gran noche”, “Digan lo que digan”, “Tema de amor”, “Estuve enamorado” and “Desde aquel día” cemented his status as a major international singing star.
Raphael also began a lucrative film career, appearing in, Cuando tú no estás (Mario Camus, 1966), which was followed by Al ponerse el Sol (Mario Camus, 1967) Digan lo que digan (Mario Camus, 1968, filmed in Argentina), El golfo (1969, filmed in México), El ángel(1969), Sin Un Adiós (1970, partially filmed in England) and Volveré a nacer (1972).
~~Personal life~~
He married journalist and writer Natalia Figueroa, in Venice (Italy) on 14 July 1972. They have three children: Jacobo, Alejandra and Manuel.
Raphael’s health faced a major setback in 2003, when his liver started failing due to a latent bout with Hepatitis B; he recovered successfully after a transplant. Since then he is an active organ donation promoter.
I have had cats all my life. I know how painful the scratches from those claws can be. I know how destructive they can be on furniture, clothes and any object that would serve as a scratching post. However, never once did I consider the practice of “declawing” even though I didn’t know what it entailed.
For some reason, I never considered that option. I was talking to an animal activist about the dear cat that I have now. She really really pesky and gets into plenty of trouble. Hence the name: Double Trouble.
The kids call her “Kitty“.
However, now that I’ve researched, I know that this would be something I wouldn’t do to any cat.
“DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT…. keep your hands of the mittens of your kittens.”
~~Double Trouble~~
Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to surgically remove an animal’s claws by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal’s toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms “onychectomy” (origin: Greek ὄνυξ onycho, nail + ἐκτομή ektome, excision) and “declawing” imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.
Although common in North America,declawing is considered an act of animal cruelty in many countries (see “Declawing practices” below).
A lot of people take the idea of declawing their cat too lightly. Many do not understand what declawing is, thinking that it is some form of simply clipping the cat’s claws.
Too frequently, vets and clinic staff deliberately misinform and mislead clients into believing that declawing removes only the claws in the hopes that clients are left with the impression that the procedure is a “minor” surgery that doesn’t involve amputation of the end of the toe, ligaments and tendons.
In fact, this is a mutilating surgery that is banned in some countries due to its abusive and inhumane nature. These countries include, but are not limited to England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.
~~8 Reasons Why You Should Never Declaw Your Cats~~
Many people falsely assume that declawing is just like trimming your nails or getting a manicure. In reality, it is a painful and permanently crippling procedure.
The following are eight reasons why you should never declaw your feline friend
Ouch!
Cats scratch to exercise and enjoy themselves, maintain the condition of their nails, and stretch their muscles.
While we hope that your cat remains safely indoors at all times, if he or she were ever to get outside without claws, your cat would be far more vulnerable to predators and abusers.
Many people think that declawed cats are safer around babies, but in fact, the lack of claws makes many cats feel so insecure that they tend to bite more often as a means of self-protection.
Cats are in pain when they awake from the surgery, and the pain continues afterward. Nails can grow back inside the paw, causing extreme pain that you can’t see.
Without claws, even house-trained cats might start “doing their business” outside the litter-box in an attempt to mark their territory.
Our toes are crucial to our balance, and it’s no different for cats! Because of impaired balance after the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn how to walk, much as a person would after losing his or her toes.
Nearly two dozen countries — including Australia, England, and Japan — ban or severely restrict declawing surgeries. And many veterinarians in the United States refuse to perform the procedure.
~~What You Can Do Instead~~
Trim your cat’s nails regularly. When the cat is relaxed and unafraid, gently press on his or her toes until the claws extend. Use a pair of nail clippers, and cut only the tip of the nail, taking care not to damage the vein, or “quick.” The nail hook is what tears upholstery, so removing it virtually eliminates the potential for damage. Buy multiple scratching posts. Ideally, you should have two or more scratching posts in your home. Make sure that they’re sturdy and tall enough to allow your cat to stretch (3 feet or taller). Soft, fluffy carpeted posts won’t fulfill your cat’s clawing needs, so look for rougher posts. Teach your cat where to scratch and where not to scratch. Encourage your cat to use the scratching posts by sprinkling catnip on the posts once a week. Discourage your cat from scratching furniture by using a loud, firm voice whenever he or she starts to scratch—cats don’t like loud noises! Never use physical force. Instead, you might try using a squirt gun full of lukewarm water directed at your cat’s back.
Laws and policies governing onychectomy vary around the world. For example, many European countries prohibit or significantly restrict the practice, as do Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Turkey. It is banned in at least 22 countries. The list below gives an overview of the situation in different parts of the world.
~~Australia~~~
In Australia, declawing has never been common, and for all practical purpose, does not exist. Nationwide legislation was recently enacted that prohibits the declawing of cats except for medical need of the cat. The Australian Veterinary Association’s policy states: “Surgical alteration to the natural state of an animal is acceptable only if it is necessary for the health and welfare of the animal concerned. Performance of any surgical procedure for other than legitimate medical reasons is unacceptable.”
~~Brazil~~
In Brazil, declawing is not allowed by the Federal Council of Veterinary Medicine. [34]
~~Israel~~
In Israel, the Knesset Education Committee voted unanimously to send a bill banning the declawing of cats not for medical reasons. The bill has passed second and third readings on November 28, 2011, effectively making declawing a criminal offense with penalty of 1 year in prison or a fine of 75,000 Shekels.
~~Europe~~
In many European countries the practice is forbidden either under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals or under Local Animal Abuse Laws, unless there it is for “veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of any particular animal.” Some European countries go further, such as Finland, Estonia,[37] the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, where declawing cats for non-medical reasons is always illegal under their laws against cruelty to animals.
~~Austria~~
In Austria, the Federal Act on the Protection of Animals, in Section 7, states, surgical procedures “carried out for other than therapeutic or diagnostic purposes…are prohibited, in particular…declawing.”[
~~United Kingdom~~
In the United Kingdom, declawing was outlawed by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which explicitly prohibited “interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purposes of its medical treatment.” Even before the 2006 Act, however, declawing was extremely uncommon, to the extent that most people had never seen a declawed cat. The procedure was considered cruel by almost all British vets, who refused to perform it except on medical grounds. The Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that declawing was “only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner … the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable.”
~~United States~~
Declawing is legal in most U.S. jurisdictions. It is estimated that 25% of owned cats in the United States are declawed (Patronek 2001).
~~Declawing: Jackson Galaxy Just Says No!~~
~~Published on Jan 6, 2014~~
Is declawing bad for cats? You bet it is! Jackson Galaxy sets the record straight in today’s episode of Cat Mojo.
Welcome to Cat Mojo! Each week Jackson will share his thoughts on everything from cat-related issues like declawing and squirt gun diplomacy to his craziest behind the scene stories as a cat behaviorist. Come join the feline frenzy, feel the mojo, share your love of cats and delve deep into the mind of Jackson Galaxy. We are all #TeamCatMojo!
It Is What It Is 