Thursday, January 29, 2009

Frederick teen Jessica Mellott becoming Pop Music Star

As a publisher I'm also in the publicity business.

In my line of business I get to meet people who are important, movers and shakers and upcoming stars. I use many methods to promote people and I'm a hired gun to those who want to be promoted. But I got lucky on this next item.

It seems that right here in Frederick a local hometown "girl next door" is rapidly becoming a Teen Pop Star. I had the chance to interview her and I'm posting it here:

David Bruce talks to Jessica Mellott



(www.jessicamellott.com & www.myspace.com/jessicamellott)

Teen singer Jessica Mellott is a full time college student
at Berklee College of Music. She gigs, writes music and
collaborates with musicians from all over the world.
David Bruce had the opportunity to catch up with her at
her home base in Frederick recently.

David Bruce: Hi Jessica. I read your bio at your
www.jessicamellott.com website, it looks like you started
music at an early age.

JM: Yes, I started private voice lessons when I was five
and over the years trained with several local vocal
instructors. I was also in the Frederick Children’s Chorus
for several years. In high school I took voice lessons over
the phone with a well known vocal coach in California named
Steven Memel.

David Bruce: You took lessons over the phone? How did
that work out?

JM: It was cool! Steven is an amazing vocal coach. I would
play the background music on the computer and sing into the
phone. I learned a lot from him. We met in person when I
visited LA a few years ago.

David Bruce: I notice you have a pretty active MySpace.
Can you share a little about that?

JM: I think Myspace is a great tool for musicians. I was
picked to be in a book about Myspace because I have had so
many plays there. Myspace is a great way to connect with
fans and network. I am on a lot of different sites
including Tagged, Friendster, Tagworld etc. Some of the
sites have featured me and that has been great exposure.
Zorpia.com (www.zorpia.com/jessicamellott) recently did a
feature on me and I ended up with about 1 million plays on
one of my songs in a just a few days.

David Bruce: Are you touring now?

JM: Since I am in college, I can’t really tour, but I do
gig a lot in Boston. I have performed at the Berklee
Performance Center, The Hard Rock Café, The Harvard Club
and a lot of other places there. I am graduating from
college a year early and plan to tour then.

Jessica Mellott and Steven Tyler

David Bruce: You mentioned you work with musicians from
all over the world. Can you tell us more ?

JM: Yes, I love collaborating with other musicians. One of my
co-writers on “Life Grabs You” was stationed in Iraq when
we wrote the song. I have written several songs with Jimmy
Greenspoon, the talented keyboardist from the legendary
group Three Dog Night. I recently recorded with Emmy Award
winning producer Brad Hatfield of the Boston Pops who has
worked with many great artists including Aretha Franklin
one of my influences. Currently, I am working with some
great musicians at school including Matt Baamonde, a
guitarist at Berklee, and many more.

David Bruce: What should we be looking for from Jessica
in the future?

JM: I am going to be featured at AllyKatzz, an internet
site for teen girls. I am writing and performing a jingle
for an energy drink company. Myxertones (the ringtone
company) has asked to feature me again…my last ringtone was
downloaded 6,000 times in 24 hours so they were happy with
that. If anyone wants to download it for free, it’s at
www.myxer.com/jessicamellott. I also have a lot of
performances coming up and I will be putting out some new
songs soon.

David Bruce: Sounds like you are busy! Thanks so much for
taking time with me.

JM: Thank you! I would love David Bruce readers to check
out www.jessicamellott.com, and add me as a friend at
www.myspace.com/jessicamellott. Happy New Year everyone and
best wishes for an amazing 2009!


Jessica's MySpace page statistics: Profile Views: 449180

Jessica's YouTube page statistics Subscribers: 109 Channel Views: 5,440


==========
Issue #50
Life in Frederick Maryland
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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Teen Unemployment

Teen Unemployment near 20%


For workers under 29, the unemployment rate jumped to more than 11 percent in December, compared with under 9 percent a year ago, according to Labor Department figures. That is far worse than the overall rate of 7.2 percent, up from 4.9 percent a year ago. The rate for teenage workers, from 16-19, is far worse -- approaching 20 percent. For workers in their 30s and older, the rate is still under 7 percent, and generally declines as workers get older.


Wow, perhaps that explains why I've received so many applications and inquiries to the job opening I posted here, on Frederick.com, ran in the Gazzette and other online classified ad sites


"(the jobless) rate for teenage workers, from 16-19.... is approaching 20%"


For some reason, many people sending me resumes claim their most recent job payed over $30K a year???? I stated that the opening I'm considering people for is an internship? Useful to put on a resume if you were contemplating a career in journalism.

Issue #49
Life in Frederick Maryland

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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Help Wanted in Frederick Maryland

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-------------------

Jobs Wanted is the overwhelming request from visitors to this Frederick Maryland Online Magazine

Help Wanted Frederick Maryland


Janitor Service based in Frederick Maryland seeking area supervisor immediately

Update March 28 2010:

This position has been filled


Cleaning Janitorial Company Seeking Experienced Supervisor for Montgomery County, Washington DC, Frederick County Maryland and Northern Virginia

Previous Experience in janitorial industry required
Company Vehicle Possible for the right candidate, Vehicle Allowance Possible for the right candidate, Must have clean driving record, no dwi/ dui
Primary area of responsibility is Northern DC metro area, occasionally you will be required to go out of state.
Must have excellent communication skills including legible handwriting.
Bilingual a big plus but not required.

Must pass background check

Successful candidate will possess not only strong customer service skills but excellent interpersonal skills as well.
Experience managing employees required. We will check references.
Duties involved periodic inspection of existing contracts.

Contact Malcolm Carter at 301 695-9655

info@commercialbldgmaintenanceinc.com
cropped-CBMheader.jpg
Commercial Buildings Maintenance Inc
1519 W Patrick St
Frederick Maryland 21702
301 695-9655
The status quo is gone. If you want a better job or want to relocate to Frederick and are looking for a suitable job to finance your move to Frederick you're going to have to NOT do what everyone else is doing.

In the old model when you wanted a job you looked in the local newspapers. How's that working out for you? Are you seeing the type of quality jobs you were hoping to see?

If you wanted to hire someone with college level skills and the appropriate work ethic that goes with a college education would you want to advertise where everyone else is advertising or would you prefer to pre screen your applicants first?
Of course you'd like to pre screen them, after all, that help wanted ad is costing your company a fee.
If you advertise in the local paper the majority of applicants that respond to your ad are going to be from a wide spectrum of the workforce.
If you advertise online ONLY you stand a much better chance of the respondents being more educated.
One often overlooked online employment opportunity reference for Frederick residents looking for job openings is our own Frederick County Workforce Services Website.

January 14th

3:00 to 6:00
From Frederick County Workforce Services Website:
Make the most of your career fair experience by attending the "How to Prepare for a Job Fair" workshop, which will be held on the following dates:
Monday, January 5 from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, January 13 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Job Fairs/General Information:
Job Fairs are hosted several times a year at the Business and Employment Center (BEC). These networking events feature businesses from various sectors of the labor market that are looking to fill job vacancies. The Career Services page contains more information on our job fairs. Also check out DLLR's current job fair schedule.
Recruitment Events:
Visit our Recruitment Events page to learn about businesses that will be onsite at the Business and Employment Center to interview candidates for open positions.


=============================




Technology jobs in Frederick Maryland




Management jobs in Frederick Maryland


==============================


And finally, Frederick Web Promotions is looking for journalism interns and data entry employees.

Journalism Intern will be
  • ghost writing short articles
  • proof reading existing articles
  • summarize website articles down to 250 characters
  • compiling raw data into paragraphs
Data Entry Employee will be
  • repetitive entry of website listings
  • learn how to use software similar to web based email programs
Taking applications for entire month of January. I've been getting 2 applicants per day and some of you look real promising!



Call 240 644-7530
Email David Bruce @ davidbrucejr@frederickwebpromotions.com



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Kemptown Youth wants to start a food drive

Kemptown Maryland Boy Scout wants to start a food bank drive



He emailed me asking for when and where info about Frederick Maryland's Food Bank, part of that email is below:
I am currently enrolled in the Boy Scouts program in Kemptown, MD and I need to complete an Eagle Project in order to advance. For this project I would like to run a widespread food drive for Frederick's Food Bank, because I heard about the lack of food at the moment. I would like to come in to the Food Bank itself and get idea of what goes on in there, so if you could get back to me at any time with hours, location and other important information that would really help. Thanks!


Well, I started to list the Frederick Community Action Agency's hours because that's the food bank I went to when I was not doing well financially and in need of help.

From Frederick Community Action Agency

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-------------------


I live near downtown City of Frederick and this Boy Scout lives closer to Urbana, so I did some research into finding the "When" and "Where" about Frederick Maryland's Food Bank programs and here is what I came up with:

Frederick County
Food Pantries



Brunswick Food Bank
Contact: Sandra Cox Phone: (301) 834-8802
Address: 7 S. Maryland Ave.
Brunswick, MD 21716
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Thursday 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Service Provided: Pantry

Ebenezer AME Church
Phone: (301) 834-8767
Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 5 pm – 8:30 pm
Service Provided: Food

Emmitsburg Food Bank
Phone: (301) 447-3391
Address: 502 E. Main St.
PO Box 10168
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Tuesday, Wednesday 7 pm – 8 pm; Friday 1 pm – 2 pm;
Saturday 10 am – 11 am
Service Provided: Pantry

Frederick Community Action Agency
Phone: (301) 694-1506
Address: 100 S. Market St.
Frederick, MD 21701
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence, proof of income
Hours of Operation: Pantry Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 2 pm – 4 pm
Soup Kitchen Monday – Friday 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Service Provided: Pantry, Soup Kitchen

Jefferson Food Bank
Contact: Nancy Whitney Phone: (301) 834-7020
Address: 3864 Jefferson Pike
Jefferson, MD 21755
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Saturday 10 am – noon
Service Provided: Food Bank, Pantry

Middletown Food Bank
Contact: Carey Thoms Phone: (301) 371-7303
Address: 301 W. Main St.
Middletown, MD 21769
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Wednesday 1 pm – 3 pm; Saturday 9 am – noon
Service Provided: Pantry

Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs
Phone: (301) 631-2670
Address: 420 E. Patrick St. Ste. 150B
Frederick, MD 21701
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday – Friday 10 am – 2 pm,
Tuesday 10 am – 4 pm
Service Provided: Emergency Services only (no food)

Salvation Army
Phone: (301) 662-3211
Address: 223 W. Fifth St.
Frederick, MD 21701
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8 am – 4 pm
Service Provided: Pantry

Thurmont Food Bank – St. John’s Lutheran Church
Phone: (301) 271-7730
Address: 16 N. Church St.
Thurmont, MD 21788
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Tuesday 6 pm – 7:30 pm; Friday 3:30 pm – 5 pm
Service Provided: Pantry

Walkersville.Glade Valley Food Bank – RCEHN
Phone: (301) 845-4229
Address: 21 W. Frederick St. (basement)
Requirements: Picture ID, proof of residence
Hours of Operation: Monday 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm; Thursday 12 pm – 2 pm
Service Provided: Pantry


Source: https://www.marylandsail.org/ElectronicDocs/soupkitchens/Frederick_County.pdf

======================

The Federal Government runs The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)via the USDA

Frederick County Government participates in the The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (DHR) and Frederick County Government have a common interest and goal of providing emergency food resources for families in Frederick County.

The Citizens Services Division in partnership with the Department of Human Resources oversees food distribution to local food banks.
Seven (7) food banks currently operate within Frederick County to distribute food to families in emergency situations.

For more information, contact your nearest food bank or the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs at (301) 631-2670.

For more information about TEFAP, contact Leslie Barnes (301) 600-1447.

Food distributions occur in January, May and September of each year.

Walkersville
Town Hall
21 West Frederick Street
Walkersville, MD 21793
Monday
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Thursday
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Food Bank
(301) 845-4229
Orley & Peg Bourland
Orleyb@verizon.net

Thurmont

St. John's Lutheran Church
15 North Church St.
Thurmont, MD 21788
Tuesday
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Friday
3:30 - 5:00 pm
The Rev. Sally Joyner-Giffin
(301) 271-1090
Sallyjoynergiffin@yahoo.com

Middletown

301 W. Main St.
Community Bldg.
Middletown, MD 21769
Wednesday
1:00 - 3:00 pm

Saturday
9:00 - 12:00 pm
Food Bank
(301) 371-3182
Bthom206@aol.com

Jefferson
St. Paul's Lutheran Church

3864 Jefferson Pike
Jefferson, MD 21755
1st & 3rd
Saturday

10:00 - 11:30 am
Nancy Whitney

Frederick Community Action Agency
100 S. Market St.
Frederick, MD 21701
Monday, Tuesday
Thursday, Friday
2:00 - 4:00 pm


Wednesday
7:00 - 9:00 pm

Saturdays
2nd and 4th of each month
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sarah McAleavy
(301) 600-6263


Emmitsburg
East Main St.
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Tues. & Wed.
7:00 - 8:00 pm

Friday
1:00 - 2:00 pm

Saturday
10:00 - 11:00 am
Phyllis Kelly
Kellyphy@comcast.net
Linda Kraft

Brunswick
1st United Methodist Church
7 S. Maryland Ave.
Brunswick, MD 21716
Thursday
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Sandy Cox

=======================

If I missed one I apologize in advance

Issue # 48
Life in Frederick Maryland Online Magazine
January 10, 2009

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Monday, January 5, 2009

Where are the jobs in Frederick Maryland?

-------------------
I've been getting increasingly involved in employment opportunities in Frederick

Everybody I talk to in the lower rungs of the Frederick Maryland labor pool (I was living in the Cold Weather Shelter on DeGrange St a year ago) people are telling me that they can't find a job.

Traditionally the newspaper is where businesses posted their help wanted ads and people seeking jobs looked in the employment section of the local newspaper... apparently things have changed.

There are jobs out there, and many of those jobs are NOT listed in the papers.

I'm going to have to give an educated guess because there's no way to definitively claim why X is or why Y isn't but I'll tell you what I think:
Employers are looking to cut costs; and the paper just plain costs too much to put a help wanted ad in.
There are tons of places to put up a FREE HELP WANTED ad online and I've been finding them.
You'll recall in previous posts that I'm in the market for an employee. And I'm not too keen on paying for a help wanted ad either.

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Here's my short list of online help wanted ads for you to look for a job in Frederick Maryland:
  • Kijiki.com Frederick Help Wanted
  • Kijiki is a screwy sounding website, apparently it's run by an Australian firm and Kijiki doesn't sound screwy to them

    Here's a little known resource right in our back yard: Goodwill Industries Job training

    I've personally known people that I ate with at the City of Frederick Soup Kitchen that got a job at Goodwill when they had a really hard time getting a job anywhere else. Goodwill of the Monocacy Valley has 3 locations in Frederick, Find out where the closest Goodwill is to you

    ===================


    Employment Statistics for Frederick Maryland:

    Largest Employer in Frederick County is Fort Detrick - 7900 to 13000 employees
    the 13,000 is what I over heard Mayor Holtzinger say at a Downtown Frederick Music Event on Carroll Creek just outside the library. I'm thinking the larger number includes jobs that are related to Fort Detrick but not Federal Employees

    Fort Detrick is located in Frederick, Maryland, in the heart of Frederick County, the third fastest growing county in Maryland. Fort Detrick is the center of the biomedical technology growth that has occurred in the county. We are located approximately one hours drive from Washington D.C. metro area and Baltimore, Maryland, easily accessible by major interstate highways.
    Second Largest Employer in Frederick County Maryland:

    Coming in at #3 largest employer in Frederick:

    Number Four is a private enterprise:

    Fifth Largest Frederick Job center:
    Bechtel Corporation
    2,203 jobs provided by this Federal contractor

    Next largest employer in Frederick:
    SAIC
    1,670 employees
    Followed by:
    Frederick Community College
    1,320 surprised me by the number of people that work there... I'd not have figured it to be that high, but then again when I took UNIX 101 in Catonsville I'd not set foot in a school in 28 years either.
    Next is
    CitiMortgage
    1,300
    And the City of Frederick Government hires 856 people

    All those employees and I only need two!

    Issue # 47
    Life in Frederick Maryland Online Magazine
    January 10, 2009

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    Frederick's famous son and the twinkie defense

    I've been watching the History Chanel's show on the 7 deadly sins. I just found out the son of Francis Scott Key's murder played a pivotal part in the Temporary Insanity Defense.

    Sickles homicide Harpers Weekly Frederick HistoryHarper's Weekly Engraving from 1859

    Feb 19, 1859:
    Daniel E. Sickles, NY congressman, was acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity. This was the 1st time this defense was successfully used. Sickles had shot and killed Philip Barton Key, son of Francis Scott Key, author of “Star Spangled Banner.” Key was serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, was shot in Lafayette Square for having a very public affair with his his wife Teresa Bagioli Sickles.
    Sickles was acquitted, on the basis of temporary insanity, and the sanctity of a man’s home and marks the first precedent of a "Crime Of Passion". The attorney that got Sickles off later became the powerful Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

    ======================================

    In some of the online documents that reference the city of Frederick, it's place in the population pecking order fluctuates from the title of Maryland's second largest city (behind Baltimore) or Maryland's third largest city (behind Gaithersburg). Like it or not I have to develop the skills of a reporter due to this blogs increasing ranking in Google and the resultant exposure it has and how much trouble I can get myself into if I misquote, don't attribute properly, forget to give credit, forget where I found x, y or z or generally fail to act with a modicum of respectability... not to mention legal liability (we won't mention that one)

    So (insert drum roll here) according to the 2007 US census figures:
    Gaithersburg Maryland population: 56,255
    City of Frederick population: 61,719
    We gottcha Gaithersburg... I used to live in Gburg in the 80's Got my first job driving a CDL truck there in 1983.

    Total housing units in Gaithersburg: 22,423
    Total housing units in City of Frederick: 26,173

    So I'm not going to get in trouble for saying we're the second largest city in Maryland (whew!)

    Size of City of Frederick Labor force in 2007: 34,901
    Size of Gaithersburg Labor force in 2007: 31,163

    Some interesting Civil War trivia about the City of Frederick:

    The $200,000 ransom City of Frederick city fathers raised to pay off Confederate General Early in an effort to keep him from entering our fair city would cost in today's money:

    hold on to your inflation adjusted hats...

    $2,722,810.24


    Issue # 46
    Life in Frederick Maryland Online Magazine
    January 10, 2009

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