>> Aspire – Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

What’s happened to me? Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the Lambo would have raised my heart rate. Today, I’m attracted to the Fiat electric. It’s either ‘Low T’ or I’ve become practical; I’m a little concerned that Low T and practical are the same thing.

When I began shopping for a ‘WordPress Premium Theme’ three names kept popping up – Frugal, Headway and Thesis. I believe Thesis was the first design platform/framework theme and as such had been recommended by any number of big-shot bloggers. That said, it quickly became obvious to me that the newcomers Frugal and Headway were worthy of my very serious consideration.

Background: I’m not an Internet guru or web developer, I’m a retired medical doctor who enjoys the flexibility of creating my own online presence. I wanted a theme that was flexible and powerful, but most importantly I wanted a theme that was straightforward to use; I didn’t want to spend hours playing with CSS, HTML and PHP.

A couple of things grabbed my attention early on. Eric Hamm the guy behind the frugalTHEME, appeared to have a very logical mind and struck me as, not just a clever fellow, but also as a nice guy who was/is determined to help less web-savvy folks and, ultimately, to create a great WordPress framework supported by an active online community.

When I had a close look at the Frugal theme I liked:

• the video tutorials
• the theme support forum
• the very clean default style
• the straightforward SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• after making changes the ability to revert to a previous snapshot
• the options export and import
• the image uploader

In the end, I chose the frugalTHEME because it was user-friendly, and fully customizable (about 600 options organized in a logical way). I purchased what they call the Developer Basic version yesterday (20100605). I’m looking forward to the promised Frugal theme upgrades for life.

Disclaimer: After purchasing frugalTHEME I became a Frugal affiliate, so I’ll earn a little income if you purchase using this link:

>> click here to check out frugalTHEME

‘The 100 Greatest Recordings of all time’ from the Franklin Mint has been called the ultimate private library of fine recorded music. Every recording was selected by a distinguished panel of music authorities (Martin Bookspan, Schuyler G. Chapin, Franco Ferrara, Irving Kolodin, William Mann, R. Gallois Montbrun, Marcel Prawy, Andre Previn, William Schuman and H. H. Stuckenschmidt).*

The library was first announced on the 100th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph. Each recorded treasure was pressed with a special vinyl formulation that enabled a clear, quiet playing surface on a more rigid LP disk. Every record was pressed in an atmosphere controlled “clean room.”

There are 50 library cases. Each library case houses two proof-quality long playing records, with each record resting, fully protected, within its own dust free compartment. The record is firmly supported within the closed compartment in such a way that the grooved playing surface never touches any part of the case. Each library case includes a specially written and illustrated commentary, by a respected music expert. The composers and their works are discussed in detail, and background information is provided on the orchestras, conductors, ensembles, and featured soloists.

>> click here to view or download a PDF reference (Record Number and Side/Composer/Performer/Title)

This is a truly unsurpassed private library of recorded music.

I listened to a couple of disks on my Linn Sondek LP12/Linn Ittok arm. I sold the Linn gear decades ago and I haven’t had a turntable since.

My library has been stored vertically in a sofa table for over thirty years. The vast majority of my LPs have never been played. If you are a vinyl audiophile, you won’t find a more impressive collection.

Franklin Mint – The 100 Greatest Recordings of all time
The complete 100 LP collection is now available for purchase
Price: $2,000 cash

My collection is currently located in Vancouver, BC Canada. I’m open to offers worldwide, but you will have to pay for shipping, over and above the purchase price.

Please use my contact form to express your interest.

>> click here to visit my contact form

* Distinguished Advisory Panel

Martin Bookspan is a leading critic and former commentator for the New York Philharmonic’s vastly popular radio concerts. He has served on the panel of the radio series “First Hearing” and has also been host and commentator for “Composer’s Forum Matinees” and for broadcasts of the Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, and American Symphony Orchestras. For many years, Mr. Bookspan compiled and annotated the Basic Classical Repertoire section for Stereo Review magazine.

Schuyler G. Chapin, Dean of Columbia University’s School of the Arts, served as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1972 to 1975. He was the recipient of an Emmy Award in 1971 as producer of “Beethoven’s Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna with Leonard Bernstein” and in 1975 he was honored with a second Emmy for producing “Danny Kaye’s Look-In at the Metropolitan.”

Franco Ferrara, an outstanding pianist, violinist, conductor and composer, holds a faculty chair at the historic Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. As a conductor, he has directed many concert orchestras in Europe and has taught conducting at musical centers throughout the world. In addition to his symphonic music, quartets, and Sonatas, Mr. Ferrara has written the lyric opera “The Feast of Fire.”

Irving Kolodin, the highly respected music editor of The Saturday Review for many years, has written the definitive history of the Metropolitan Opera and is the author of The Continuity of Music, Interior Beethoven, and The Opera Omnibus. In 1970 he served as a member of the commission to select the White House Record Library for the Presidents of the United States. Mr. Kolodin presently is a member of the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music.

William Mann, senior music critic of The London Times, is a leading reviewer of records and a member of the editorial board of Opera. He is a contributing editor to The Record Guide and The Great Records. Among Mr. Mann’s books on music history are works on Bach, Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss, as well as A Critical Story of the Operas.

R. Gallois Montbrun is Directeur of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris. One of the Continent’s most respected composers, he has been awarded both the Premier Grand Prix de Rome de Composition Musicale and the Prix de Composition Musicale de la Ville de Paris. M. Montbrun also serves as President d’ Honneur de l’Orchestre de Paris.

Marcel Prawy, a professor at the Vienna Academy of Music, also holds a position as an instructor at the University of Vienna and in the United States as a visiting professor at Yale University. The author of The Vienna Opera and Johann Strauss: History in Three-Quarter Time, he is well-known throughout Germany in his role as a television commentator.

Andre Previn is principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. A composer of chamber music and other classical works, Mr. Previn has received four Academy Awards for his musical scores for films and has been awarded the London Critics’ Prize for his work in television. He is the author of the book Music Face to Face.

William Schuman, one of this century’s most distinguished serious composers, was the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music. He is president emeritus of both the Juilliard School of Music and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. His wide-ranging musical works are too numerous to cite. Mr. Schuman has received many honors and tributes, including 20 honorary doctorates from leading American colleges and universities.

H. H. Stuckenschmidt is a member of the Akademie der Kuenste in West Berlin and a professor emeritus of Technische University. He is the author of several books in the field of music and was recognized in 1976 for his contributions to music with the presentation of the Hans von Bulow Medaille.

‘Social’ and ‘Networking’ have been buzz words in the network marketing industry for a few years. I opened Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts a few years ago, but it was only recently that I actually completed my profiles and started communicating.

I joined Twitter in November of 2007, but I didn’t start Tweeting until April 2009. When I made the decision to begin sending Tweets, I attempted to educate myself about Twitter. I purchased a few Twitter training programs, but, in my opinion, the Twitter Power System was head and shoulders above all of the others.

>> click here to check out the Twitter Power System