Happy Opening to Broadway’s Holiday Inn!
Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical It’s a lovely day today! The rainbow bright Broadway musical Holiday Inn opens officially on October 6 at Studio 54. Based off of the Oscar-winning 1942 film that starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, the Gordon Greenberg-helmed tuner has already been extended through January 15, 2017.To celebrate the new Irving Berlin musical’s Great White Way bow (and Christmas and the Fourth of July and Easter), Broadway.com Resident Artist Justin “Squigs” Robertson created a kaleidoscopic, colorful sketch of the dazzling cast. Break out the balloons because stars Corbin Bleu, Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Lee Wilkof, Megan Sikora, Megan Lawrence and Morgan Gao are dancing across this wonderful caricature!Broadway.com wishes the vibrant cast of Holiday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical a happy opening, a wonderful stay on the Main Stem, Christmas presents, Easter treats and fireworks galore. View Comments About the Artist: With a desire to celebrate the magic of live theater and those who create it, and with a deep reverence for such touchstones as the work of Al Hirschfeld and the wall at Sardi’s, Squigs is happy and grateful to be among those carrying on the traditions where theater and caricature meet. He was born and raised in Oregon, lived in Los Angeles for quite a long time and now calls New York City his home. Lora Lee Gayer Corbin Bleu Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 15, 2017 © Justin “Squigs” Robertson! Star Files Related Shows Bryce Pinkham
View Comments Denzel Washington & Viola Davis in ‘Fences'(Photo: Paramount Pictures) Denzel Washington Star Files The 2017 Golden Globe nominations were announced on December 12, and a number of stage favorites picked up nods, including three actors who reprised their Tony-winning performances on screen.Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, who both won Tony Awards for their star turns in the 2010 revival of August Wilson’s Fences, received nominations for their performances in the Washington-helmed big screen adaptation. Additionally, Bryan Cranston picked up a nod for the HBO motion picture All The Way; he took home a Tony in 2014 for the Robert Schenkkan play.The movie musical La La Land led the pack with seven nominations including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Broadway alum Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling received nominations for the flick, as did director and screenwriter Damien Chazelle.The La La Land number “City of Stars,” featuring music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Dear Evan Hansen team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, was nominated for Best Original Song. Also in that category is Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda for the Moana tune “How Far I’ll Go.”Additional stage names and alums to receive nominations for film performances include 2016 Tony nominee Michelle Williams for Manchester By the Sea (playwright Kenneth Lonergan also picked up nods for directing and writing the film), Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, Jessica Chastain for Miss Sloane, Annette Bening for 20th Century Woman and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins.Meanwhile, on the small screen, current Les Liaisons Dangereuses star Liev Schreiber picked up another nod for Ray Donovan. Sarah Paulson and Tony winner Courtney B. Vance, who both won Emmys earlier this year for The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, received nominations. Rachel Bloom and Gael García Bernal picked up second nominations for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Mozart in the Jungle, respectively, having won Golden Globes last year for the two series.The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will be held on January 8, 2017. Click here for a complete list of nominees.
Having studied termites for the past 11 years, Brian Forschleris constantly making new discoveries about them. His most recentresearch shows how deceptive termite control can be.Forschler, an entomologist with the University of Georgia Collegeof Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is studying the useof control populations. One group of termites remains untouchedthroughout the research project.Do-nothing Approach”If you look at one of our control groups and use thecriteria the industry uses to claim success, we can successfullycontrol termites by doing nothing,” he said.How can that be?”They see termites. They put out a bait,” he said.”And if the termites aren’t there two to three months later,they claim they’ve eliminated them.”Forschler’s research shows that not all termites in home lawnsare eliminated when baits are used.”Sure, the baits will kill termites if they’re placedwhere termites are,” he said. “But we’ve found thattermites move around a lot naturally. If you do nothing, they’llmove and come back.”Industry Uses Zero-Tolerance LevelOn farms, entomologists monitor row crops for pests, Forschlersaid. And when the population count gets to a certain level, theymake control decisions. This method isn’t used when controllingurban pests.”The pest control industry sticks baits in the groundand records the presence or absence of termites,” he said.”They have a zero tolerance level when it comes to termites.They’re treating wherever they find termites.”Forschler says killing termites at the site of the termitebait doesn’t control termites that may be found just a few feetaway or termites that may arrive later.”There’s no doubt the baits kill termites. But do theyimpact the termites in your yard that aren’t in your house?”he said.”I can find termites in every yard in Georgia becauseI know where to look,” he said. “But what is the valueof killing these yard termites? Does this make a difference asto whether your house is going to be infested?”Forschler is working to answer these and many more questionscentered around controlling termites.Termite Control is an On-going Process”People think you can control termites by calling someoneto come out, treat your house and go away,” he said. “Termitecontrol is an ongoing process. Not an event. The mind-set hasto change.”Termite control should be centered around a home inspection,he said.”The pest control operator should come out, look reallyhard — using all of his experience and tools — and find allthe areas of the house that are vulnerable to termites,”he said.”Then when the termites show up,” he said, “differenttreatments should be used for the conditions present. It’s justlike a doctor prescribing medicine. The same medicine doesn’twork in every case.”Forschler and other UGA CAES entomologists share their researchfindings with the pest control industry through training programsat the Georgia Household and Structural Pest Control TrainingCenter in Griffin, Ga.
Female cicada killers, also called giant cicada killers or sandhornets, use their stingers to paralyze cicadas, noisy insectsthat live in nearby trees. The best control is prevention. Because cicada killers nest inopen areas without vegetation, healthy turf won’t be attacked.The best way to prevent having cicada killers around is tocultivate a lush healthy lawn without bare patches. Although virtually harmless, cicada killers can invade your homelandscape and make a mess with their horseshoe dens. If controlis necessary, locate the nests during the daylight hours andtreat after dark when female wasps are in their nests. Rememberto wear protective clothing. People who have caught female cicada killer wasps claim the stingis less painful than that of a wasp or bee, she added. Lone flyers Measuring almost two inches long, sporting yellow markings acrossa robust body and patrolling the ground with red wings and yellowlegs, cicada killer wasps look intimidating. Although they lookfierce and threatening, they’re more buzz than bite. Before deciding to do away with the insects, Hinkle urges you toremember, “as is apparent from their name, they are predators oncicadas, so they provide good biological control of these pestsof ornamental trees and shrubs.” “So, remember, the more aggressive cicada killers are males,which are all show and no substance. They hope to be able toscare you away by bluffing, but when it comes down to it, there’snothing they can do to you – or any other predator,” she said.”The females are otherwise occupied and can’t be distracted, sopose no threat. Because they are so innocuous – and so beneficial- it is best to leave them alone and just enjoy their beauty andfascinating behaviors.” By April ReeseUniversity of Georgia
“Cicada killer wasps show up around the first of August inGeorgia and may be seen for about a month,” she said. “BySeptember, adult cicada killers will have mated, provisionedtheir burrows with cicadas for the larvae, laid their eggs, anddied.” “As big as female cicada killers are, they still have a hard timelumbering through the air with a cicada, so often they paralyzeit, drop it from the tree, and then drag it along the ground,”Hinkle said. “Although these wasps are very large, they usually ignorepeople,” said Nancy Hinkle, an extension entomologist with theUniversity of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Theindividuals patrolling the ground are males, which cannot stingand are harmless. Females are rarely seen because they are busyhunting cicadas and must be provoked to sting.” “Females are rarely seen because they are busy up in the trees,looking for cicadas to bring back and bury in the ground fortheir larvae to feed on,” she explained. “While the females arecapable of stinging, they are shy and must be forced to sting.” “These strikingly colored wasps are particularly noticeablebecause of their size and the fact that they fly close to theground,” Hinkle said. Cultural control Cicada killers are solitary wasps, unlike most other wasps, suchas hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasps who live in socialgroups. Cicada killers live in solitary units where each femaledigs her own burrow, six to 10 inches deep and as much as sixinches horizontally, to lay her eggs. They prefer to burrow in well-drained or sandy soils, making ahorseshoe shaped mound beside the hole. Each burrow can have asmany as 20 eggs, each in an individual cell, and each egg canhave as many three cicadas to feed on in its cell. 
University of GeorgiaKeeping foods safe, nutritious and delicious can be challenging for food businesses. To help meet the needs, the University of Georgia Food Science Extension Outreach Program has three short courses in Athens this summer.The first, “In-Plant Control of Microbial Contamination of Refrigerated and Processed Foods,” will be June 26-27. It will teach how to control pathogens in food processing facilities through sampling the processing areas’ environment, ingredients and finished product and showing how to analyze microbiological data. The deadline to register is June 15.On July 10-12, the “Meat and Poultry Marination Short Course” will go over the science of marination involving substrates and ingredients, their response to marination techniques and recent advances in the technology. The deadline is June 29.Finally, “Statistical Process Control for the Poultry and Food Industry” will be Aug. 15-17. It will use industry-based examples to help attendees see how graphical tools can save processing operations money and increase profits. The deadline is July 27.For more information, fees and registration, visit www.efsonline.uga.edu. Or call Marian Wendinger at (706) 542-2574, or e-mail her at marianw@uga.edu.
University of GeorgiaThree universities are teaming up to help beef cattle producers better compete in today’s tough cattle market. The all-day Southeast Beef Cattle Management and Marketing Schools will be held May 12-14 throughout north Georgia.The schools will have experts from UGA Cooperative Extension, Auburn University and Clemson University. They will talk about the beef cattle outlook, price prediction using season trends, factors that affect calf and feeder cattle prices, marketing plan development and practical management and marketing ideas for small and medium-size producers.The schools will be held on May 12 in Blairsville at the Mountain Research and Education Center, May 13 in Crawford at the Oglethorpe County Extension Office and May 14 in Griffin at Stuckey Auditorium on the UGA Griffin campus.Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. at each location. The program begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. For registration information, call (229) 386-3512 or the local county UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.
If the recent warm weather has given you a fever to plant shrubs, trees and flowers, you are not alone. With the promise of spring in the air, it is hard to sit still as the days become longer and the temperatures begin to rise. I love days like this and really enjoy getting out and experiencing the fresh start as plants wake from their winter dormancy.If you are going to add to your landscape, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialists recommend keeping a few things in mind before you dig your first shovel-full of dirt. Sample the soilIdeally, you should take a soil sample before you plant new additions. Soil test results from your local UGA Extension office will list what your soil needs to provide the best balance of nutrients for your new plants.If lime or fertilizers are recommended, mix in the recommended amounts to the soil you removed to make the hole. Do not add lime or fertilizer at the bottom of the hole. This could potentially burn the plant’s roots and cause more harm than good.When you bring home new trees and shrubs, keep the rootball moist and out of the sun so it does not dry out and stress the plant. This is especially important if it is going to be a few days before you are able to find a permanent home for the plant. Check the rootsWhen you are ready to plant, take a close look at the rootball. If the roots are bound and tangled, score the rootball to loosen the roots from each other or tease them apart.Only dig the planting hole deep enough so the top of the rootball is level with the top of the soil surface. Be sure to maintain or build a solid base at the bottom so the rootball has a firm place to sit. This will keep the plant from settling deeper in the hole.Once you have determined your depth, loosen the soil two to three times the diameter of the rootball. This will provide lots of growing room and help the plant become established quickly.Add mulchDrought stress can kill transplanted trees and shrubs, so do everything you can to give the plant all the water it needs to make it through the first growing season. Add mulch to reduce moisture stress and help cool the soil in the heat of summer. When you irrigate, be sure to water slowly and deeply about once a week. A soaker hose placed around the drip line of the tree is ideal. Take the time to follow these steps, and you will enjoy your new landscape addition for years to come.
Vegetable gardens and compost piles are usually located in the sunniest part of the landscape. Unfortunately, fire ants like sunshine as well. They often invade compost piles and vegetable gardens seeking food, warmth and moisture.In the gardenAnts are usually of little or no concern to most vegetable plants, but during periods of hot, dry weather they will sometimes feed on select plants — either nibbling on okra buds and developing pods or even tunnel into potatoes. Ants are considered beneficial insects that prey on garden pests like caterpillars. However, seeing ants on your plants may be a clue of another more serious insect problem — aphids. Some ants protect other sap-feeding insects, like aphids, by keeping their natural enemies away. The ants then harvest honeydew from the aphids as a food source. This interaction between ants and aphids is known as a “symbiotic relationship.” In the compost binFire ants most often invade compost bins after someone abandons or neglects the composting process. Fire ants usually avoid places that are disturbed. A compost pile that is frequently turned won’t be attractive to these biting critters. Ants in a compost pile can also be a sign that the pile is too dry. This can slow down the composting process. Compost piles stay hotter and are more productive when frequently turned and proper moisture levels are maintained. A compost pile that reaches higher temperatures in the early stages of composting may also discourage fire ants. RemovalOnce the ants become established in a garden or compost pile, it may be difficult to remove them. If they persist or become a nuisance, pour boiling water on the nest. Use extreme caution as this method can potentially be very dangerous to you and your garden plants. This rarely eradicates the colonies, but it may cause them to move to a new location. As a last resort, use fire ant bait killer near — but not in — the compost pile or garden. Insecticides applied to a compost pile may kill other beneficial insects that are involved in the composting process. Avoid direct application of pesticides on the compost pile and follow the pesticide label’s instructions. Use pesticides labeled for the location or site you want to treat. For example, do not use a product in a vegetable garden unless the product is labeled for use in vegetable gardens. Carbaryl, pyrethrins and spinosad are common insecticides labeled as safe for use in vegetable gardens. When the exact location of a fire ant colony is unknown, treat the area of greatest ant activity around the perimeter of your garden or compost pile with a fast-acting bait product containing hydramethylnon, abamectin, indoxacarb or spinosad. In time foraging ants both inside and outside the garden will collect the bait and take it to their colonies.Removing fire ants from your garden and compost pile will protect you from being bitten.For more information on fire ant control, see the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension publication “Controlling Fire Ants in Urban Areas” at www.caes.uga.edu/publications.
You can spend the morning of March 15 living the life of a pioneer at Rock Eagle 4-H Center through the Saturday at the Rock program.This session will meet at the center’s historic Scott Site where participants will roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty and work on the early 1900’s-era homestead. Activities will include cutting shingles from tree rounds with a froe and maul, shaving wood with a drawknife, sawing trees with a cross-cut saw, using a spoon gauge to create a bowl and more. Wearing period attire, Rock Eagle’s guide will also lead a tour of the site including the saddlebag farmhouse, the blacksmith shop, the smokehouse, the chicken coop, the outhouse and gardens. Visitors will also be allowed to use simple machines and tools from the turn of the century. This program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and includes admission to Rock Eagle’s Diane Davies Natural History Museum. The session is appropriate for all ages and costs $5 per person. Advanced registration is required. For more information or to register, call Laura Kent at (706) 484-2881 or email her at lmkent@uga.edu. Different programs take place each month, excluding December. A complete list of Saturday at the Rock sessions may be found online at www.rockeagle4h.org/ee/community/SaturdayattheRock.html.
June is National Healthy Homes Month, and as we spend more time at home, many of us have become more aware of the air we breathe indoors.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor pollutant levels can be two to five times higher than outdoor pollutant levels. There are several sources of indoor air pollution, including tobacco products, fuel-burning appliances, building materials, excess moisture, household cleaners and radon.Radon is a radioactive gas that is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers. It is harmless outdoors but can be very dangerous when found in high quantities in a confined space, such as your home.High levels of radon can be found in new and older homes. Radon is a gas that is formed naturally when uranium in rock, soil and groundwater breaks down. Most of the time, radon harmlessly dissipates into the atmosphere outdoors; however, when radon concentrates inside your home it becomes a problem. It seeps into your home through cracks and crevices, and can even enter through your well water. The EPA estimates that each year around 21,000 people die from radon-induced lung cancer.You can order a radon test kit from University of Georgia Cooperative Extension for $15. The kit is hung in the lowest livable level of your home for three to seven days, then mailed off for analysis. If the test results are above four picocuries per liter, you can either test again or consult a radon professional about installing a radon mitigation system to fix the problem. The EPA action level is four picocuries per liter, which is the equivalent radiation dose of receiving 200 chest X-rays per year.Radon is an indoor air problem that can be fixed, so don’t delay — test today.In addition to radon testing, other steps to take to make the indoor environment healthier include not smoking indoors, repairing appliances, using a carbon monoxide detector, repairing water leaks, using kitchen and bathroom fans, following the directions on household cleaners and choosing less toxic products.To learn more about National Healthy Homes Month, visit hud.gov/healthyhomes. For an interactive map of radon levels in Georgia, visit radon.uga.edu. You may also contact your local county Extension office by calling 1-800-ASK-UGA1 or visiting extension.uga.edu.
Today, Notre Dame Food Services and student government will bring back the “Circus Lunch,” a famed dining hall special event of the 1980s and 1990s. During lunch in both North Dining Hall and South Dining Hall, students will find various circus-themed food and decorations. The event was coordinated by the Circus Lunch Committee of student government’s Department of Constituent Services. Sophomore Mary Tomasik, head of the Circus Lunch Committee, and sophomore Heather Eaton, director of Constituent Services, helped coordinate the event. “We thought it would be a fun event for students, especially during midterms,” Eaton said. “I love cotton candy just as much as the next person.” Constituent Services went forward with the idea to hold a circus lunch after an administrator from the Student Activities Office (SAO) helped convince them to bring back the traditional event. Basic circus foods like hot dogs, cotton candy, cracker jacks and popcorn will be served in both dining halls. North Dining Hall will also have snow cones and elephant ears. The Circus Lunch was one of the most popular dining hall special events of the 1980s and 1990s, Eaton said, because back then the dining hall did not serve the large variety of food that it does today. “Circus lunch was a way to give variety,” she said. When the dining halls added more foods to the menu in subsequent years, the circus lunch was no longer necessary and occurred less often, she said. The circus lunch will not interfere with the regular lunch menu and will last for the regular lunch period — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Circus Lunch Committee decorated both dining halls Wednesday night. Along with food, there will also be balloon animals, face paint and circus-themed temporary tattoos. Lollipops will be provided next to the mints at the exits. Eaton said the Circus Lunch Committee met with dining hall managers and they agreed to assist with the event. If the feedback is positive, Eaton said student government hopes to hold more circus lunches in the future. “We’ve put in the work to make sure that it could be a yearly event,” she said.