And on the 7th day- quick hit AEROS

I am taking to the air to come back from a whirlwind  2 operas experience at Santa Fe, NM.

It will be GRISELDA

(which one you ask: Bononcini's, Scarlatti's Or Vivaldi's...it will be VIVALDI's)

Gian Carlo Menotti. composer

and THE LAST SAVAGE....

more after having seen/heard them.

So what else is new?

Flooding in Iowa.
Flooding in China.

Politics stink...as if you didn't know that already!
The less said the better IMO.

Commenters everywhere are letting fly with expletives deleted....
Just... balance the ins and outs.. so how hard is THAT?

Daily murder, mayhem - nothing IS new much anymore.
Armaggedon...whatever!
Tooo fed up with all that 'hot air' to blog about it!

Re-seeing The Met's Don Carlo On PBS...

my opinion has not changed much from when I posted on it here in January after seeing the Encore at the movies!

Maybe now I am a bit less enthusiastic about Roberto Alagna and bit more positive about Poplavskaia. 

Re Keenlyside I have the same feeling, although looking at a much smaller screen, the details of his tired face were less obvious than on the giant one at the movies.

Finished, too, some 'lite' summer reading fare.

Nothing to rant about..just fun entertainment in adventure and crime.

Some of those kind of novels that if you miss a page or two you have not missed much ...LOL.

The Peloponnese War still looms however ..... am eyeing it with much less fervor.

It sure is a manana kind of project :-). If ever - sigh!

From the AEROS front:
Aeros home opener and full schedule information is not here quite yet.
But  hockey fans listen up:
the following home game dates are
Saturday, October 15;
Saturday, October 29;
riday, November 18;
Friday, December 16 and
Friday, January 20.

Letters - lost in time?

After reading about  this I find it even more diffcult to accept that Snail Mail as we know it may soon be a thing of the past. Postoffices are being shuttered daily all across the USA. 

 David Gilmoure Blythe 1815-1865 "Postoffice"

 A ray of light, perhaps, returning to a bygone era when postoffices were a part of the general stores in small villages.  Seems the USPO wants to start a "new" trend re-inventing the PO in Store concept.

Too much....

Help..
I am unable to take it all in.

Murder, mayhem on book pages is perfectly acceptable.
In real life...it is so sad and infuriating, too.

What makes people flip out?
Being dissatisfied with politics,
disliking certain things,
disagreeing with some decisions...
sure, we've all been there one time or another.
But taking it to the extreme of killing?
Sure we've all dreamt taking on the mantle of Superman to assist in righting wrongs.

I seem to remember grand parents and parents predicting 'this world going to hell in a handbasket'
and they had been through tragedy and 'hellacious' times, already.
But it seems such feelings resurface every generation ...want it or not!

Gibbons "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" comes to mind...

as well as Shirer and others in that vein, about Byzanthium, Germany, and more recently America.
Read this for more.

Remember there was a monumental 'horse and sword' movie? "The Fall of the Roman Empire"

It wasn't a block buster success, and probably destroyed the film empire of Bronston!
But with an array of great actors like Guinness, Boyd, Ferrer, Quayle, Mason, Sharif, Loren, etc. and a well researched plot it was actually an above-average historical drama.

It tried to make sense of the political and other intrigues resulting in the decline and fall of Rome.
And I am sure you will recall other gloom and doom predictions in books and film and TV!

And so...let's get out our crystal balls.
That's as good as it gets anyway, methinks.

Dance Dance Dance

Watch an innovative ballet  here and the beauty of lit lanterns over a city at flight.
 Just a few fun things on this HOT HOT HOT summer weekend.

Overwhelmed, fascinated and a bit ......hmmm...

So Better Half and I went to the MFAH yesterday to feast FIRST on Titian and other Venetian Renaissance Painters.

That exhibit is small, well spaced and can be leisurely viewed in depth, thanks to timed ticket entry.

It is really rather pleasant to be able to stand and admire without hordes of visitors battling for space in front of these luminous masterpieces. And return for a revisit to the one or two that truly capture one's imagination or emotions.

Titian: Diana and Actaeon

There are the two large Diana paintings by Titian who headlines this show.

But there are also 13 drawings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese and other Venetians, often used preparatory to the final work. There are also 10 masterpieces in oil  from the National Galleries of Scotland's collection of Venetian Renaissance works. The paintings includeTitian's Venus Rising from the Sea;

Lotto's The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome, Peter, Francis
with pictorial hints about events (e.g St Francis pointing to stigmata as found on Christ body, the cutting of tree=the future cross of Christ);
Paris Bordone's Venetian women at their Toilette;
Painting of an Unidentified Young Female as St Agatha
by Cariani also known as Giovanni Busi;
Tintoretto's Christ Carried to the Tomb-depicting the sorrow of Mary. 
Veronese's Venus, Cupid and Mars, a somewhat darker toned oil.
and Jacopo Bassano's Adoration of the Magi, quite a favorite theme for
Bassano. All exhibit luminous colors, and fairly true perspective. And the beauty of the (at times nude) human body comes through in most paintings with a clarity and naturalness that's simply etheral.

And that leads me to the next stop. More bodies.
Another timed entry, this one to Helmut Newton's photographs.

Several of these are photos of female (and a very few male) mostly nudes, some are of rather suggestive nature. From Helmut Newton´s White Women (1976), Sleepless Nights (1978), and Big Nudes (1981). Newton was known as a supreme recorder of female nudity in over 200 photographs. 

He also made his name as fashion photographer for Vogue.

Newton, born 1920 as Helmut Neustaedter in Germany– died 2004 in Los Angeles.  The prints on view  from White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes were made specifically for the exhibition.

Some are huge - nearly 8 x 8 feet.

And, as I mentioned earlier, do remind me of the works (in oil) of the Renaissance painters who also depicted nude bodies. Albeit in much less suggestive modes.

But really, how many front, back and side views of female bodies can one view at one visit?
Overwhelmed..... and underwhelmed too! I admit!

And there are many, in black and white, in color, artfully posed in chambers, poolside, totally nude, suggestively clad etc. 

Apropos "clad"  on to the last stop of our Arty Afternoon:

The installations of Charles LeDray listed as workworkworkwork.

And work it sure is!  What a busy bee he must be!
The collecting and/or making of thousand tiny utensils.

The stitching together of mini jackets, pants, shirts,  ties, etc. 

The making of small furniture heaped with painstakingly handmade stuff.

The arranging of buttons, scraps of fabric..and so on.
Tiny books with tiny drawings. Dollhouse tiny pieces of furniture...
Wall hangings reminiscent of quipus?  ...

Glass cases filled with "Throwing Shadows" (2008–10)  more than 3,000 unique minuscule black porcelain pots, each less than 2 inches tall - arranged with military precision.

As are other tiny vessels in 2 vitrines, these however are beautiful copies of colorful ancient vases, pots and more.

Sebastian Smee of the Boston Globe:“LeDray has a poet’s ability to concentrate and lift the imagination. His work registers loneliness and futility, yes, but also togetherness, renewal, and all the endless idiosyncrasies of life"

.
What will people not do to present "art" of their own making? And what will critics not write about it in mystical sentences? But at least it was a somewhat fascinating experience..especially to a doll collector!

That one is my favorite..  it so reminds me of this painting of 

OUR LADY OF THE FORSAKEN
(La Virgen de las Desamparados).
She represents a medieval brotherhood that cared for the insane and disabled, and buried the dead left in the street. On the second Sunday in May her effigy is carried from the Basilica to the Cathedral in Valencia, and is honoured on her return with displays of rose petals..

by Tomás Yepes (c. 1595–1674) sometimes known as Hiepes. He painted this which also shows his attention to minute beautiful details.. It hangs in the Prado, Madrid..

Soft Spot wanted! AHL 2011 Hall of Famers

I have been wishing lately.
Another hockey "Soft Spot" is needed.

A player admired due to talent (real or perceived by me),
looks (a very subjective selection - mine :-D),
indomitable spirits, and of course that certain (so irrational) "IT" (lol).
And taken all together makes a "Soft Spot" and that will be even more reason for going to games.
For me! For sure! Did you think otherwise? Afterall, have done that, been there!

Who might turn into "Soft Spot 2011/12"?

Last season 2010/11 there wasn't one, really!
Talent: Spurgeon but only briefly.  Hackett, Wellman, others from time to time.
Indomitable spirits: there was (and will be again we hope) Ortmeyer.
Looks: well,  Rau had the edge in my book - barely but a  rather elegant edge :-).
That certain "IT": No one.
You laugh? You shake your head?

But truthfully, while that team of 2010/11 did a most admirable job coming from that far behind
to end up  - almost (and what a heartbreaker that was) - the Winner -
it was just a group of nice guys working very hard, being coached hard.


Catching an errant puck (vs Rockford)
artandhockey photo

And Team 2009/10, no "Soft Spot" on it, as well.

More over, there was also no spark that might have lit up an "IT" Man.

There was however the urge to nickname most of the players,

and if you all read my blogs from that year...you'll remember a few, I am sure.

Why I felt that need to invent nicknames?
I have no idea, it just seemed the right thing to do to give that (really rather blah) team an immediate tongue-in-cheek identity!
That urge was absent last season. Why? I have no idea.

So let the new hockey season begin.
Let's observe new talent - maybe there will be a "Soft Spot"and/or "IT"man
and if all else fails, maybe the urge for nicknames, at least, will return.
Which would make posting so much more amusing, trust me.
Who knows.

Inductees to the AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE HALL OF FAME  2011 Mitch Lamoureux As dynamic as he was scrappy, Mitch Lamoureux feasted on American Hockey League goaltenders during a 17-year professional career that saw him become one of the most prolific AHL scorers of his era, including a record-setting rookie season in 1982-83. Harry Pidhirny A durable and reliable centerman whose numbers were as good as any player of his time, five-time AHL All-Star Harry Pidhirny played 1,071 games over 17 seasons in the American Hockey League, the third-highest total in league history. Maurice Podoloff One of the founding fathers of the American Hockey League and its first President, Maurice Podoloff was known as a pioneer whose vision and dedication helped build the foundation for a league that continues to thrive nearly 75 years later. Larry Wilson Arguably the most recognizable figure in Buffalo Bisons history, Larry Wilson enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the American Hockey League, spanning 15 seasons as a player and six more as a head coach.

Artful Tuesday

Do You chers readers believe that classical music could be envious of the visual and tactile arts?

Since Better Half and I go to MOFAH often and see the crowds there,  

this question popped into my mind recently.

Thousands throng to Art Museums, gallery openings, and exhibits of stuff..

 but only few attend modern (Schoenberg etal)  concerts and operas. 

Can a comparison even be made? 

Maybe not, because the art world today isn't really like today's musical world.  "Artists" who create a type of art that would be accessible (mentally and fiscally) might be largely self-taught. Their works might be popular one year, but sunk into oblivion the next.  And yet, these artists may be wealthy. They may have fan-zines, be pursued by papparazzi, become famous as talking heads :-)!

Have their own reality shows - LOL!

It's rather true, in music our world appears utterly dominated by what some may call deviant genre -
acid rock, heavy metal, rap, country etc. all presented by ever more outrageously clad - or not clad - performers with voices heavily augmented even completely changed by digital techniques!
True vocal talent is not necessary, methinks. Other talents - sure!

The 'classics' and their so-called inheritors of the classical tradition, have already or may soon become totally unimportant in our today's culture. What culture, you may ask ;-)?
So how come that music ends up in such poor straights?  
Educated people (yes Virginia - these are elitist thoughts) of the past saw equal benefits in attending art museums and concert halls. A rounded education including art, music and literature was seen as the necessary cornerstone for a life! But slowly the Classics became immovably THE classics and any attempts to widen the field was resisted by the fans. Then.

Take JAZZ. This musical form became quite sophisticated and popular after some humble beginnings.

Jazz flourished despite classical music lovers contempt for it. Then.

Now it appears that it, too, has to contend with the same diffidence that the classics encounter.
It is no longer considered a truly popular art form.  It has become 'highbrow' seemingly surviving only through financial support by foundations, arts councils and private entities. As do Opera, Symphony, Chamber Music and such-if lucky. Vide reports about orchestras going bankrupt, opera companies shutting door, recently.

"Highbrow art"- may it be the 'classics' or 'jazz' - becomes of lesser and lesser importance as the 'popular music' turns out to be economically very successful and widespread via the web and other means. And it is this kind of music most people mean when they say "music".
Classic 'modern' music is despised/misunderstood by conservative listeners even more than 'popular music'.
"I can hum popular music, but I can't do that with 'that modern stuff" is heard in the streets.

In opera to me at least, it seems that Mr and Ms. J. Q. Public goes to the movies, watches overabundant TV and has less and lesser imagination.  Everything is pre-chewed for their easy consumption.
In the past Pavarotti and Caballé, etal came on stage, stood still, sang like Gods or Goddesses and everyone was happy.  Today, well...everything must be like a reality show! Duh, really!
Could the reason contemporary art stays en vogue be because there is no true popular alternative?

Could art photography take its place? I don't know.

With digital cameras that almost do everything....
what IS art photography today?

Do people really love modern art? 
Or are most simply too afraid to admit they have no clue what 'modern art' is all about?
I do include art critics in that statement - none want to be seen as pedestrian or philistine or worse, proletarian, when it comes to art - any kind of art.
So they rant and rave, use obscure words of praise in description, but say....little, really.

Do I have to like stuff scattered on the floor?
As so many may...gullible souls!
Well,  I don't - so does that make me what :-).
Some of us still do think as individuals.
And not as lemmings streaming to their death following a 'charismatic' leader!

INSTALLATIONS?HA!
Hmm,  that one at least has some 'humor' - I think :-) although...

But then 'modern' artist could care less as long as Mr. and Ms. Public show up at galleries to buy, right?

There is an old saying from the bible and perhaps should serve as a warning:

 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall"



Goalie on the Road - Ein Fahrender Geselle ?

Straubing (SID) - Die Straubing Tigers aus der Deutschen Eishockey Liga (DEL) haben den kanadischen Torhüter Barry Brust verpflichtet. Wie der Klub am Sonntag mitteilte, erhält der 27-Jährige einen Einjahresvertrag. Brust spielte in der vergangenen Saison beim AHL-Meister Binghamton Senators.
"Wir sind einfach nur froh, dass der Deal nach langen Verhandlungsrunden nun doch geklappt hat. Wir sind überzeugt, dass Barry alle Anlagen und Fähigkeiten mitbringt, um auch in der DEL eine sehr gute Rolle zu spielen", sagte Straubings Sportlicher Leiter Jason Dunham.

Brust as Aeros  (Jerina photo?)

Straubing (AFP) - The Hannover Scorpions (Hannover Scorpions? Why? The team name is Straubing Tigers!) of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) have committed the Canadian goalkeeper Barry chest - LOL. As the club announced on Sunday, the 27-year-old receives a one-year contract.
Breast - LOL - played in the AHL last season champion Binghamton Senators.
"We're just happy that the deal has, after long rounds of negotiations now worked out yet. We are confident that Barry brings all the equipment and skills to play in the DEL a very good role," said Straubing Sports Director Jason Dunham.

Aus dem Gustav Mahler Zyklus "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen"

In this video the word Brust is NOT about Barry .. just means chest - 

now the line about the blues eyes... well! :-)!

So now Jean Michel Daoust will have another Canadian buddy - albeit from the West - (total of 8 Canadians players with BB, and 1 coach) to play alongside in Straubing, which is a town on the Danube river between Regensburg and Passau (Austrian/Bavarian Border).


 Roman Treasures at Straubing Museum



Straubing, has been settled continously since neolithic times, under the Romans it was a military fort of some importance since the Danube (and other rivers) were "highways of commerce". Although Roman roads provided an opportunity for trade, travel and communication of a scope unknown to the rest of the world, they were primarily built for the rapid deployment of Roman legions. But for the first time one could  receive a letter in Rome, from as far away as northern Gaul, in a few days

(what speed eh?  - A Latin Pony Express :-)! 

Of course military couriers were a considerably more common for letters between commanders, the Senate, the Emperor or various installations, yet a civilian mail service was also booming.



Roman Empire at its Golden Age

Even today Straubing is an important port, plus a hub for German biotechnologies.

And there you have it..
as usual PROPER NAMES and grammar in google translations leaves us (me for sure) chuckling!

Death of a Baritone

Leila Gencer and MacNeil in Rigoletto

Cornell MacNeil  born September 24, 1922 in Minneapolis, MN died this July 16, 2011. He was a baritone known for his exceptional voice and long career which spanned 642 performances in twenty-six roles.  He debuted with various companies from 1953 at New York City, La Scala, and the Metropolitan Opera.  MacNeil's voice was known for huge size with strong notes. Despite some vocal decline in the late 1970s, he maintained a high standard throughout his long career. MacNeil was a regular at the Metropolitan Opera. He debuted March 21, 1959, as Rigoletto. Rigoletto was also the role he sang the most at the Met, 104 times, including the Met's first telecast of that opera in 1977.

MacNeil was also well-known for the role of Baron Scarpia in Tosca (as above), a role he sang 92 times at the Met between November 2, 1959, and which was his last performance with the Met on December 5, 1987. But he also delivered some beautiful lyrical sounds as Pere Germont in La Traviata - from a Japanese performance below

His interpretation of Michele in Il Tabbaro must be counted as one of the most fascinating.

Netsuke time

Thanks to a friend I am now well versed in the life of the Ephrussi family and
their miraculously saved Netsuke collection of 264 pieces.

I read the story last night and did some googling about it, too.
One branch of this wealthy Jewish family lived in Vienna. It gave me a glimpse into the bygone lifestyle of the very well to-do in turn of the century Vienna with all its glamor, but also its problems.  With their summer homes in the (now) Czech Republic, Swiss chalets, French country homes, their extensive art collections, carriages and horses, and connections to other, perhaps even wealthier, families in many countries it's like a step back into a time of presumed 'innocence', of Victorian ideals.
Cultural heights in music, arts, opera, fashions, jewels. Months long family vacations, servants, governesses.
Painters, writers, salons where intellectual minds meet daily.
A life of 'flaneurs' dilettantes, dabblers in spititualism.
Egyptian, Japanese, Chinese art influenced furniture, clothing, decorations...all inspired by newly discovered antiquities - Tutankhamun, Sphinx.
World travelers discovering other worlds and cultures.
And above all the new wealth from international trade, banking, railroads, manufacture.
And not only in Europe, but elsewhere as well - for example Railroad Barons like Flagler.

Amazingly enough, the Palais Ephrussi still stands on the Ring near the University in Vienna. It was designed  by Danish architect Theophil von  Hansen, designer of the
Vienna Parliament
and the Musikvereinssaal (home of the Vienna Philharmonic), to name a few truly outstanding buildings. Growing up in Vienna  I passed by it many times.
It currently houses the offices of Casinos Austria (kinda  apropos, eh?).

Netsuke  are miniature sculptures that were invented in Japan during the17th-century  to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach"). Traditional Japanese robes (kimono) had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines.
Their solution was to place such objects in containers (sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' obis. The containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully crafted boxes inro, which were held shut by sliding beads on cords with fasteners that secured the cord at the top of the sash called  netsukes, carved, button-like toggles made from wood or ivory, preferred. They are tiny. Some modern works today command high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere.

Charles Ephrussi, born Odessa, died France, known art historian collected these tiny works of art and gifted them to his Viennese nephew Victor Ephrussi upon his marriage.
Thanks to a loyal maid, known only by her first name, the 264 pieces of the Netsuke collection were squirreled away from grasping Nazi hands during the Annnexation of Austria in 1938.  The tiny carvings 'slumbered' safely within the maid's mattress (at great risk to her) and were delivered freely, without a even second thought, after the war into the hands of a surviving family member, the oldest daughter Elisabeth. They traveled with an Ephrussi brother (of Elisabeth) to Japan and were finally inherited by one of her grandsons, an artist himself.
Who set out to trace the history of the pieces and thus his family, as well.

And wrote the book I read deep into last night.

Let's misbehave...... Wild News as well ;-)!

...so you think writing or singing about sex is a new thing?
Think again.
Go back to the 1930's and '40's and listen, really listen, to some Cole Porter songs!
Well, yes, the hints are somewhat veiled, but with some imagination you, too, can hear this.

Who in the heck is Cole Porter, you ask...

He was  born on 9 June 1891 in Peru, Indiana and died on 15 October 1964 .
Being very well off he traveled to Europe where he rented the
Ca Rezonnico in Venice. Later moved to Paris where he entertained lavishly. After a horrible riding accident he was often in pain, but continued to write and compose his amusing and often tongue-in-cheek songs such as 'DuBarry was a Lady'

Best known as the Broadway master who wrote "Night and Day", "Kiss me Kate" among others,
he was also known for his catalogue songs and songs which extolled  "THINGs" ;-)!

And "I get a kick out of you" with a verse like this

          Some get a kick from cocaine
(in the Sinatra recording below it was changed to perfume form Spain !!!)

I'm sure that if

I took even one sniff

That would bore me terrifically, too

(and just listen to how he sings the terrifically  ;-)!!)

Yet, I get a kick out of you...

And this,  a somewhat modern version "Let's misbehave"..

And one of my faves.. a great tune to dance to: Begin the Beguine!

Many singers chose to sing his songs, from Irene Bordoni, Ethel Merman, and especially Ella Fitzgerald, Lena  Horne. Eartha Kitt,  to Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, etc, and even opera singers like Shirley Verrett, Katherine Grayson, Eleanor Steeber, Thomas Hampson and others. That to me speaks of a real appreciation of Porter's talent in melding words to music that is pleasant to the ear  of the listener and lies beautifully on the voice for the interpreters.

KD Lang's interpretation of "Love for Sale"

Of course, we need not forget the many bands that played his tunes - here are some noted ones

PAUL WHITEMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA - I Get A Kick Out Of You
RAY NOBLE & HIS ORCHESTRA - Experiment
XAVIER CUGAT & HIS WALDORF-ASTORIA ORCHESTRA - Begin The Beguine
GUY LOMBARDO - Ridin' High
TOMMY DORSEY & HIS ORCHESTRA - Who Knows
WOODY HERMAN - Do I Love You
BOB CROSBY & HIS ORCHESTRA - I've Got My Eyes On You
LES BROWN & HIS ORCHESTRA - Let's Be Buddies
GLENN MILLER & HIS ORCHESTRA - Fresh As A Daisy

 I DO hope that YOU enjoyed this foray into melodious harmonies!

*******************************************************

WILD NEWS FLASH


Airborne :-) Palmer



Jarod Palmer
AND
'Hattrick' Casey Wellman

have signed qualifying offers.



Wellman



Chapter Four: SPHL, USHL and NAHL, and Aeros Update

SPHL
A league with $300,000 cap with a 30-week season (for simplicity's sake) has a $10,000 weekly cap to pay 18-22 players assuming no player movement - about $450-$550 per player per week. Some players earn more than others, and others still are on short-term, 5-game or whatever try-out contracts. So, $200 is not totally out of the question for a fill-in type guy. If this holds true for USHL I don't know.
I assume salaries have increased some over the last couple years.

USHL



NAHL

NAHL teams pay for all players' ice time (practices and games), as well as all travel costs incurred while traveling for games and tournaments, including meals and hotels.
Is equipment supplied and paid for by NAHL teams?
Most equipment is supplied and paid for by NAHL teams, including sticks, gloves, pants, jerseys, socks and helmets.
What is a billet family?
As most players leave home to play in the NAHL, a billet family is with whom a player lives with during the NAHL season. It is where they eat, sleep and study. Billet families are screened and interviewed extensively by the team to ensure a healthy living environment before being allowed to house players.
 For what are NAHL players responsible to pay?
In additional to personal expenses, NAHL players are responsible for a monthly fee,  an estimated $300 a month ­ to cover room and board at the player's billet home. That money is paid to the billet family to cover living expenses (food, etc.)


So now you know... these questions re salaries etc. are always popping up.
One needs to adjust for COLA increases, etc. of course.
But what I have posted in these chapters should answer the most basic questions some of you have posed over time.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


And now another update on the new season for AEROS fans:
According to the latest AHL notice after the new division alignment,
the Aeros will face the following teams, most of which are old 'foes' with the Charlotte Checkers and Rochester Americans thrown in as "new kids on the block".
Judging from last year's Checkers action they look like a formidable foe. 
NHL affiliates in parenthesis

San Antonio Rampage (Florida Panthers) and Texas Stars (Dallas Stars) - 12 games
(lots of road trips looming for fans :-)! )

OKC Barons (Edmonton Oilers) and Abbotsford Heat (Calgary Flames) - 8 times,

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) -  6 times,

Chicago Wolves (Vancouver Canucks), Rockford Icehogs (Chicago Blackhawks), Milwaukie Admirals (Nashville Predators), Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis Blues),
Lake Eerie Monsters (Colorado Avalanche) and Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes) -  4 games each,

and Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs), Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadiens) and Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)  - 2 games each.

Chapter Three: CHL, ECHL. WHL

ECHL

CHL

WHL

Active Roster - consists of a maximum of twenty (20) Players who have signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) or have been assigned or loaned to the Club by an NHL/AHL team. A Player on Injured Reserve is not on the active roster.

 Salary Cap - a weekly Salary Cap to be shared amongst all Players on the Active Roster shall be as follows:
2010/11- $12,000 US. 2011/12- $12,400 US. 2012/13- $12,400 US

 Salary Floor - is the minimum total salary paid by a Member Club to Players on the Active Roster. The amounts are as follows:2010/11- $8,500 US, 2011/12- $8,700 US, 2012/13- $8,900 US

 Weekly Minimum Salary - for a Player who has played in fewer than 25 professional hockey games at the beginning of the Season who has signed a Standard Player Contract and who was not on a team’s End of Season roster:2010/11- $370 US, 2011/12- $380 US, 2012/13- $380 US

Florida Everblades Goepfert in goal vs.SC Stingsrays-ECHL-artandhockey photo

For all other Players:2010/11- $410 US, 2011/12- $425 US, 2012/13- $425 US

 Allocation of the playoff pool - Any Player participating in the playoffs or on the club's injured reserve continues to get paid a salary. The Playoff Pool is payment in addition to Salary, paid by the team from the required contributions of all teams participating in the Playoffs. Each team shall pay for twenty (20) shares for distribution among the Players on the Active Roster or as the Players shall elect- 2010/11- $314,200 US, 2011/12- $322,800 US, 2012/13- $331,450 US. The Allocation of funds is agreed to annually for Wild Card/Play-In, 1st Round Elimination, 2nd Round Elimination, 3rd Round Elimination, League Runner-Up and League Champion teams.

Red Deer's Darcy Kuemper-soon to be an Aeros-WHL

 Per Diem Allowance for each Player accompanying his team while he is away from his home city in excess of 25 miles for the purpose of playing a mandatory practice, regular season, or post-season game is as follows:  2011/12- $37 per day, 2012/13- $38 per day. If the team participates in three (3) road games in three (3) consecutive nights, or is on a road trip of five (5) consecutive days, the team is required to provide an additional dinner or pre-game meal in addition to the payments above. In addition, when a team plays a home game and immediately leaves its Home Arena to play a road game, the team must provide each Player with a meal or a fifteen dollar ($15) per diem payment.

 Training Camp - shall not open prior to fourteen (14) calendar days before the league’s first regular season game, and will end at 11:59PM EST on the day before the first Regular Season game. All players shall receive per diem payment for meals, or 3 meals per day provided by team through the end of training camp, or until the player is released. The team shall provide, at its expense, reasonable and appropriate lodging to all Players and Invitees who participate in training camp.

 Player and his own Moving Expenses during the Season
Any Player who is traded, claimed, or assigned during the season shall receive reimbursement for reasonable moving expenses for the Player, Spouse, and his children from the acquiring team. In the event the Player is traded during a road trip, the acquiring team shall reimburse and allow the Player to return to the prior Home territory in order to secure his personal effects.

Veteran  limit on an Active Roster Each team shall be limited to four (4) Veterans on its Active Roster. A Veteran shall mean a Player, other than a goaltender, who has played in at least 260 regular season games of professional hockey.

Reserve System - Each team reserves the rights to all Players on its Protected List during the Season until 11:59PM Eastern Time on June 15. No player on a team’s Season Ending Roster shall be traded  after June 15 at 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time. At this time, all trades from the previous season, including trades for future considerations, shall be considered final. A team shall only be entitled to reserve Rights to a maximum of eight (8) Qualified Players. Of these eight (8) Qualified Players, no more than four (4) of the Qualified Players to be Veterans. “Qualified Player” is a Player who is listed on a team’s Season Ending Roster who has received a Qualifying Offer from that team. A “Qualifying Offer” shall mean an offer of a Standard Player Contract to a Qualified Player.

Goalie Brett Jaeger, Ft. Worth Brahmas-CHL