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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Board of Education is delaying the release of a new system that grades Oklahoma's schools.
Officials had planned to release the new grades Monday, but the Board of Education voted to delay the release until its next meeting on Oct. 25.
The new system evaluates schools on an A-to-F grading scale.
Several school officials and superintendents oppose the new system and question the formula that's used to determine a school's letter grade.
The new system was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011 as a way to provide easy-to-understand information to parents.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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A Week on the Western Front
Visit major World War I battlefields in France and Belgium before next year's centenary crowds you out
AUGUST 2014 MARKS the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of what came to be known as the "war to end all wars"—a reference that is now used ironically, because the devastation was soon overshadowed by the near-Armageddon of World War II.
When the first war ended, some nine million combatants were dead, and in the parts of eastern France and western Belgium that made up the Western Front it can seem like every road leads to a cemetery. But it is also a beautiful region, with gently flowing rivers, picturesque villages and noble Gothic cathedrals.
The areas where some of the most famous fighting took place—Verdun and Somme in France and Ieper (also known as Ypres) over the Belgian border—can easily be toured by car over a week, with side excursions to Champagne houses in Épernay and cathedrals at Amiens and Reims. Starting next year, big commemorations will be held, perhaps for the last time. Go soon to avoid crowds, or at least start planning—many hotels in the Somme are already booked for July 2016, the anniversary of the Somme offensive.
Views of Verdun
In February 1916, the Germans attacked the fortress at Verdun, gateway to the heart of France, and nearby strongholds. Knowing that the war's outcome could hinge on the area, General Erich von Falkenhayn planned "to bleed every drop of blood from the French army." Both sides suffered horrendous losses; when the bloodletting was over, 300 days later, 300,000 were dead.
The tourism office in Verdun, near the city's grand gate, offers a bus tour of surrounding battlefields. Skip it—the tour allows for just one hour at the main museum. Built in the 1960s and financed by veterans' families, the Mémorial de Verdun explains how the French were able to retain one last, lone supply road to Verdun, dubbed the Voie Sacrée (Sacred Route). In the middle of the museum is a life-size diorama of a soldier holed up in the fortress, with shell-churned earth above him and a rat waiting menacingly nearby.
Next head to Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. The former, with its claustrophobic, primitive conditions, gives a sense of what soldiers endured. Fort Vaux is better lit and furnished, with barracks and a field hospital (now with dummy patients). There is a memorial to the carrier pigeons used during the war, including a tribute to one released before the Germans overran Fort Vaux that held a plea: "…we are being attacked by gases and smoke of deadly character. We are in need of immediate relief…"
Finish the day at the French National Cemetery and Douaumont Ossuary. This majestic cemetery commemorates the 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers killed at Verdun. The ossuary, which houses the bones of the unknown, has a bell tower that soars above rows of white crosses.
Where to Stay: Opt for lodging in Verdun—or drive about 30 miles east to the 11th-century Château de Jaulny. A suit of armor guards the door, rooms are in the old keep, and lore (and some documentation) has it that Joan of Arc stayed there. The castle isn't modern or posh—don't expect high-speed Wi-Fi. From about $120 per night, jaulny-chateau.com
Shrines in the Somme
The Somme is a region of sloping fields, woods and quaint villages. It was also the site of the bloodiest offensive of the Western Front. There were some 620,000 French and British Commonwealth casualties at the Battle of the Somme, with 600,000 Germans killed or wounded.
After the war, a decision was made not to repatriate British bodies. As a result, there are some 280 graveyards and memorials in the area, honoring the dead from South Africa, Newfoundland and other regions.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a must. Its red brick arches can be seen for many miles, towering over the farmland. The names of more than 72,000 missing soldiers are engraved on the memorial's walls.
The Museum of the Great War, an impressive collection of artifacts in a castle in Péronne, emphasizes the lives of soldiers and the war's effect on the homefronts. Jay Winter, a history professor at Yale University, said he and the other museum founders tried to do something different: "No nostalgia. The notion of the glory of battle is simply not there."
Where to Stay: The simple, tiny B&B Les Alouettes is owned by British expats with a passion for the Great War. It's filled with paintings, postcards, sketches and books. From about $90 per night, lesalouettes.net
Ieper Salutes
Five major battles were fought in and around this once-sleepy medieval cloth town. The Third Battle of Ypres, in 1917, also called the Battle of Passchendaele, represents the folly of World War I. The British suffered appalling losses to gain control of the muddy ridges near the village from the Germans, only to abandon them a few months later. Tyne Cot (Commonwealth) and Langemark (German) are the area's most famous cemeteries.
Named for the famous war poem, the In Flanders Fields Museum, housed in the reconstructed Cloth Hall in Ieper, may be the best World War I museum in the region. It uses films and reenactments to give visitors a vivid sense of what battle felt like. (Bring your handkerchief.) Actors are used to tell the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. The German soldiers could be heard singing in the trenches and the French responded with "Adeste Fideles" (O Come, All Ye Faithful). Soon the soldiers had climbed into each other's trenches and were sharing smokes and candies.
The Menin Gate in Ieper is a memorial to the missing from the bloody battles in the region. Every night at 8 p.m., a Belgian bugle corps—established in the 1920s to thank the Commonwealth for rescuing the Belgians from occupation—plays "Last Post." Afterward, groups representing different members of the Commonwealth place poppy wreaths at the gates, a memorable cap to the trip.
Where to Stay: Kasteelhof 't Hooghe is a lovely inn with sizable rooms and an excellent restaurant. Trenches and munitions from the war remain on the property. From about $80 per night for two guests, hotelkasteelhofthooghe.be

subset: commoncrawl


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Call for Papers The 1st Int. Workshop on Multilateral/Multiuser Privacy in Pervasive Systems will be held in conjunction with The Fourth IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad-hoc and Sensor Systems Pisa, 8 - 11 October 2007. All relevant dates, location, and travel information are available from the MPPS Workshop site: http://www.ihp-ffo.de/~langend/MPPS/ 1st Int. Workshop on Multilateral/Multiuser Privacy in Pervasive Systems collocated with The Fourth IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad-hoc and Sensor Systems Pisa, 8 - 11 October 2007 The advent of pervasive systems is going to render the precondition made by privacy enhancing technologies researched so far inappropriate. More precisely, in pervasive systems users are no longer interacting with one or just a few entities. Further, sensing devices will be capable to retrieve some data without users consent. In addition, different users may require different settings from a pervasive system at the same time and at the same place, so interference of users has to be solved somehow. Privacy is a hot research topic for several years, but research that addresses privacy in pervasive systems is still in its infancy. The goal of this workshop is to provide a platform for presenting and discussing novel ideas to preserve privacy in pervasive systems. We especially want to foster discussion between scientist form industry and academia working in different fields such as middleware platforms and low power security solutions. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: - Privacy related management of pervasive systems. - Security means as key enablers for privacy for computing devices with weak resources. - Information flow analysis. - Privacy aware applications. - Privacy preserving middleware approaches. - Balancing privacy requirements between users and users and service providers. - RFIDs and privacy. Paper Submissions The workshop seeks original research contributions of high quality. In addition to regular papers position papers that discuss hot topics or future research directions, and work in progress papers presenting interesting preliminary results are accepted. Full papers should not exceed 10 pages, and work in progress and position papers should be limited to a maximum of 5 pages. All papers shall be formatted as single-spaced, two-column pages using at least 11 point size fonts on 8.5 x 11 inch pages. All accepted workshop papers will appear in the MASS 2007 Proceedings published by IEEE. Please refer to the conference web site for details on formatting and to the workshop site for submission instructions. Important dates Submission deadline: May 31, 2007 Notification of acceptance: July 15, 2007 Camera ready papers due to IEEE: August 10, 2007 Workshop Chairs: Prof. Dr. Denis Trcek, firstname.lastname@example.com Dr. Peter Langendörfer, email@example.com Organizing Committee: Michael Maaser, Krzysztof Piotrowski, Steffen Peter
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 19:36:55 UTC


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|Rocky Hill, Conn.
|High School:
|Kingswood-Oxford School
|Previous Team:
|Conn. Polar Bears
2011-12 Ended the most storied goaltender career in program history with another fantastic season, serving as the Beacons backbone … Tabbed UMass Boston women's Ice Hockey MVP … Named to the Women's ECAC East All-Academic Team … Honored as the ECAC East Women's Goaltender of the Week for the week of January 2-8 … Appeared and started in 20 contests to increase her program-records to 84 starts and 86 appearances … Played for 1202:19 minutes, the second most in program history, to extend her career and program-record mark to 5022:14 … Collected 639 saves, second most in a single-season, to finish with a program-record 2,667 stops … Set a new program record with a .939 save percentage and finished second in the record books with a 2.35 goals against average … Landed third in the ECAC East Conference and 12th in the nation with her .939 save percentage … Racked up a 4-14-2 record to extend her program mark to 37 wins … Picked up her sixth career shutout to finish tied with Amanda Boucher (2003-06) for most in UMB history … Recorded 18 saves January 2 in the Codfish Bowl Opening Round to shut out Wesleyan … Racked up 48 saves in two separate contests, including a 1-1 tie at Colby College on November 27 … Reached at least 30 saves in five straight contests between November 11-December 2 to lead UMB to a 2-2-1 record … Stopped at least 30 shots in six straight games to conclude the season from February 3-25 … Knotched at least 30 saves in 13 of her 20 contests … Allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of her 20 starts.
2010-11 Played in 20 games last season for the Beacons, totaling 1,174 minutes of action ... Combined for 618 saves to earn a .927 save percentage ... Recorded a 10-9-1 record at the end of the season, while also picking up one shutout ... Finished the year ranked fourth in the conference in save percentage with a .918 mark ... Recorded a season-high 53 saves in the ECAC East game with Norwich University on November 20 ... Managed a three-game win streak, in which she totaled 96 saves respectively ... Her lone shutout of the season was the result of a 28 save night against Williams College (MA) on February 15.
2009-10 Played in all but 176:34 minutes of action on the season, while making 25 starts ... Earned All-ECAC East Honorable Mention honors and was named the ECAC East Goalie of the Week a league-high-tying four times ... Broke the single-season school record, previously held by Amanda Boucher (2003-06), with her 10th save vs. Saint Michael's on January 30 ... Proved to be one of the best stoppers in the nation with a school-record 829 saves to rank first among Division III leaders, while posting a program-record .923 save percentage, which ranked 22nd in the nation and was the second highest mark of any Division III goalie with 750 or more saves ... Was one of the most durable netminders in the country with a school-record total of 1448:16 minutes played to place fourth in the nation and second among ECAC East leaders ... Put together a school-record of 483:24 consecutive minutes without a break in net from November 20 to January 8 ... Posted a 2.86 goals against average, while compiling a 15-10-0 record for the most wins in school annals and the third-most in the nation ... One of her 15 victories came in a 43-save effort in the Beacons' 3-1 win over Lake Forest in the 3rd Annual Codfish Bowl where she was named to the All-Tournament team ... Stopped 42 of 43 shots in the team's 2-1 win over national finalist Norwich University ... Compiled impressive league play statistics with a 2.64 GAA and .927 save mark against ECAC East opponents ... Turned away 30 or more saves on 18 occasions, including 10 outings with 40-plus ... Allowed two or fewer goals 13 times, including a pair of shutouts to rank tied for 21st in the nation.
2008-09: Seized her opportunity as the Beacons' primary goaltender in her first season ... Started 19 of 21 games that she appeared in and registered a .905 save percentage to rank eighth among ECAC East goalies ... Broke the school-record for minutes played with 1197:37, while matching the program's standard for games played ... Turned away 581 shots on the year for the second-most in school annals and owned a 3.06 goals against mark for the fourth-lowest average in school history ... Allowed two or fewer goals in 11 starts, including a pair of shutouts to become just the third UMass Boston goalie to post at least two in a season ... Enjoyed a stretch from January 20 to February 17, where she allowed just 11 goals in 430:12 minutes of play over parts of nine contests for a 1.53 goals against average ... Earned her first career shutout with 19 saves in a 4-0 victory over Castleton State College on December 5 and was named the ECAC East Goalie of the Week for the week of December 1-7 ... Did not allow a goal in a 26-save effort to lead UMB to a 4-0 win over New England College on February 20 and was named the ECAC East Rookie of the Week for the week of February 16-22 ... Made 30 or more saves on seven occasions, including a school-record of 56 vs. nationally-ranked Middlebury College on January 20.
Personal/High School: Played ice hockey for U-14, U-16 and U-19 teams and junior ice hockey for the Connecticut Polar Bears ... Helped the Polar Bears to a third-place national finish in 2005 and was a member of the national runner-up squad in 2007 ... Four-year letter winner for Kingswood Oxford Prep School ... Finished second in the conference in overall save percentage in 2008 ... Named team Most Valuable Player in 2005 and 2008 ... Also played goalie for the KOPS Lacrosse team all four years ... Received the Most Improved Player award her freshman year and MVP award her senior campaign ... Was selected as a team Captain for Wyverns' ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer squads during her senior year ... Born June 13, 1990 ... Daughter of Kathy and Craig Hallett ... Majoring in history and anthropology ... Enjoys all sports, reading, traveling, and doing community service ... Helped build a new school in Paraguay in the summer of 2008.


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Snack Manufacturers Drive Packaging Innovation
Snack food manufacturers are some of the most innovator packagers. Portion control, convenience and sustainability are driving their changes.
Three divergent issues — healthy eating, demand for convenience and sustainability — are motivating new ideas for snack food packaging.
Blue Diamond's almond package was innovative just on looks. But the company added a transparent strip calibrated in 1-oz. increments down the side of the package to teach consumers how much was one full serving of almonds.
The growing number of single-serving, portion control and easy-to-use and -tote packages is the most noticeable shift. On the sustainability front, snack processors are lightweighting their packaging and focusing on wrapper recycling.
In the nut category, Blue Diamond Growers, Sacramento, Calif., is leading the way in packaging innovation. The canister for Blue Diamond Natural Oven Roasted Almonds is portable, offers one-handed opening and has a built-in portion control mechanism.
Describing the development of the package, Blue Diamond Growers marketing manager Maya Brown says, "One of the key drivers was that not a lot of people know how much a serving of nuts is. Typically it's a handful a day. That's what drove us to come up with the flip-top lid — you can shake out a handful."
Further, the package's full-body shrink label features a transparent, unprinted vertical strip down the side of the package that is calibrated in 1-oz. increments. Consumers can quickly see when they have shaken out one serving, or roughly a handful, of almonds.
Completing the concept, text on the back of the package explains that "a handful of almonds a day is a healthy snacking choice." In addition to standard nutritional data, percentages of micronutrients such as selenium and copper are included in the Nutrition Facts panel.
Designed to appeal to women, the shapely 8-oz. plastic canister "is an ergonomic package with an hourglass shape designed to fit a woman's hand," notes Anna Frolova-Levi, director of marketing at Twinsburg, Ohio-based Weatherchem Corp. The dome-shaped closure, supplied by Weatherchem, extends the curved profile of the container. The shrink label extends over the lid, providing tamper-evidence.
Also with an eye to portion control, Blue Diamond Growers has introduced a 100-calorie bag of almonds. Weighing 0.625 oz., the bags are sold in multipacks of seven.
Likewise, Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, has launched a 100-calorie pack for Pringles Reduced Fat Potato Crisps. The primary package is a plastic tub with foil seal; secondary packaging for the eight-packs is a paperboard sleeve. The packaging is structurally similar to that of Pringles Snack Stacks, a product for on-the-go consumers.
Earlier this year, Frito-Lay, Plano, Texas, introduced 100-calorie packs for two new snacks, Lay's Cracker Crisps and Cheetos Cracker Trax. The company also added single-serving bags to the line-up for its Flat Earth crisps. The Flat Earth bags are sold in five-packs.
For on-the-go and individual-portion snacking, Sara Lee launched Bites, bite-sized portions of its cheesecake. Eaten right out of the freezer, they borrowed packaging from poppable ice cream snacks.
Sweet snacks also are jumping on the portion-control trend, although they are not necessarily packaged as individual servings. In the frozen food category, Sara Lee Corp., Downers Grove, Ill., launched Sara Lee Bites, a bite-sized version of its cheesecake. A "poppable" snack, Each ready-to-eat "bite" has 20 calories.
Designed to be eaten straight from the freezer, the bites are packed in a recloseable, tapered round paperboard tub. Graphics are livelier than those used on the packaging for full-size Sara Lee desserts to position the product as a snack food and to appeal to children as well as adults. The package holds 7.5 oz., or 40 bites.
The convenience aspect
In many instances, snack processors are targeting both portion control and convenience with a single package design. The Blue Diamond canister and the 100-calorie packs, for example, tuck easily into a gym bag, briefcase, backpack or purse, providing convenient, controlled snacking on the go.
Other package designs focus solely on convenience, with an emphasis on portability. Such is the case with the Cheerios on-the-go pack from Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc., which makes it easier to feed snacks to babies and toddlers away from home.
Holding 1.1 oz. of Cheerios, the refillable plastic jar is topped with a closure that has openings of two sizes for easy dispensing. The package, in Cheerios yellow, fits easily in a handbag, diaper bag or stroller and is merchandised in the baby aisle.
For older snackers, P&G has extended its assortment of on-the-go Pringles packages with the Pringles Grab and Go! can, which holds 1.52 oz. of product vs. 6 oz. in the original can.
Convenience also has come to packaging for snack seeds. With an eye to the special requirements of sunflower seed eaters, Spitz International Inc., Medicine Hat, Alberta, has introduced a sunflower seed package that doubles as a spittoon for seed hulls.
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Roughly two months after its release, Google+ has become a serious competitor in the social space. Google's version of what a social network should be reached 25 million unique visitors in just over a month, making it the fastest growing social networking service ever. As far as social products made by Google go, Google+ certainly seems to be on the right track to success.
The service, even in its beta phase, shows a lot of potential. If Google+ was publicly released today, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone complaining about huge bugs or privacy leaks. That said, Google is taking it slow. They're not in a rush. In fact, they have all the time in the world. They'd rather get Google+ right from the get go than face another Buzz-like privacy nightmare.
Meanwhile, the company has more than 25 million people going through Google+ every day, digging out every little bug and privacy leak they can find. These people can't rightfully complain about Google+, because they freely decided to sign up for a service that's still in field trial. It's a win-win situation for Google, who will soon have a social network as polished and airtight as it gets.
However, most of those 25 million people are interested in technology, social media or both. They're not what we call the average consumer. They're the early adopters. The influencers. The ones who tell their friends and family which phone, email service, antivirus and computer they should use. And while 25 million users is still a pretty respectable number, even for Google, it's not "average consumer" big. That's more like 750 million (the number of users Facebook has).
Despite Google telling us otherwise, Google+ is aimed directly at the heart of rivals like Facebook and Twitter. Googlers might tell you Google+ is all about making Google better (which is true), but the real target here is reaching that 750 million unique visitors mark. In order to do that, Google+ needs to appeal to the average Joe–not just us tech-savvy people. Here's how they'll do just that.
Google+ everywhere you look
Google.com is currently the most popular website in the world with more than 1 billion visits a day. As a result, everything you put on Google.com is going to catch a lot of eyeballs. Google has already used its search engine to promote other products. (Like when it launched the Nexus S, the Nexus One and Chrome OS). However, these "promotions" often consist of just a small sentence with a link underneath the Google search bar. Not really what you'd call eye-catching. What's more, they only appear for a few days before Google pulls them out.
That won't be the case with Google+, which will be heavily promoted on Google.com–probably forever. How will Google do that? They already showed us. The company will place a +You tab right next to the Search tab on the universal navigation bar. However, if you're logged in with your Google Account, you'll see your name instead.
I don't know about you, but there's nothing that catches my attention more than my name. In fact, the first time I visited Google after signing up for Google+ my eyes went directly to the +Alberto tab. It was like my brain noticed my name was somewhere on the page and told my eyes to look for it. And just like that, everyone with a Google Account will automatically sign up for Google+. People just won't be able to resist clicking on a link that has their name on it. It's as simple as that.
Then there are other Google products like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Android and Chrome. All of them are powerful channels through which Google will push its social network. And all of them, except Chrome for now, require a Google Account to use them. And as I said, every person with a Google Account will eventually have a Google+ account. That's hundreds of million of people.
Celebrity Hangouts
Celebrities on Google+. Yuck, I know. But hear me out for a second. People love celebrities. Whether it's Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Oprah or Kobe Bryant. Most of us have a person that we'd love to "hangout" with. For us Android enthusiasts it might not be a Hollywood celebrity. But maybe you'd kill to be able to talk endlessly with Andy Rubin, Vic Gundotra or Steve Kondik about Android. You see? We all have celebrities.
However, most of us Android fans already use Google+ — celebrities or not. But that's not the case with most people. For the average person to join Google+, there has to be a strong incentive for them to do so. And what's a stronger incentive for a Bieber fan than the chance to talk face to face with their beloved idol?
It's all a matter of convincing celebrities (paying them) to schedule Hangouts with their Google+ fans. As soon as word gets out that Bieber is Hanging out on Google+, Google's servers will be put through their worst nightmare as millions of female tweens rush to sign up for Google+. Those tweens will then tell their friends and family to join Google+. And before you know it, the average adult person is signing up for Google+ because their little niece or daughter is now using it. Which brings us to…
The domino effect
Why do millions of people sign up for Facebook every month? Is it because they heard about it on TV? Maybe. Is it because of the addictive Flash games? Could be. Is it because they've heard great things about the service? Not likely. The main reason people sign up for Facebook is because somebody they're interested in is already using it. Be it the hot girl they keep stalking, the daughter who never calls or those old friends they'd like to see again one day.
Initially, college kids signed up for Facebook because it was the easiest way to meet hot girls and guys and because most of them despised MySpace. Coming back to the "strong incentive" issue I mentioned, there's no stronger incentive than sex. Naturally, "cool" teenagers signed up because the older college kids were using it. The rest of the teenagers followed the "cool" ones. The parents followed the kids, and now even grandma is on it because how else will she able to see photos of her grandson? That's the domino effect for you.
Meanwhile, MySpace was abandoned overnight. Mainly because most people don't have the time to manage two social networks. That's why Facebook is so scared of Google+. If enough people sign up for Google+, the rest will follow. And Facebook could very well become the next MySpace.
Will the same domino effect happen with Google+? I truly think so. It's probably already happening. In fact, I'd say Google+ feels very much like the early days of Facebook. The social network has a strong and loyal user base that won't leave because they believe that the alternative (now Facebook, then MySpace) is deeply flawed. As a result, you have a small, but hugely influential group of people using a service, while the masses are using another. Which group do you think will win this tug of war?
Up next: Games, Google's pace, and user-friendly strategy


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Web browsers and Windows have a troublesome history. Internet Explorer was supposedly tied so deep into Windows, it couldn't be removed, according to Bill Gates. This put the competition - Firefox, especially - at a severe disadvantage. So much so, even, that the European Union forced Microsoft to implement that silly browser ballot box thing.
In trying to bring the restricted iOS-like environment from Windows Phone 7 to the desktop, Microsoft ran a risk of pissing off the European Union again. Since the Metro environment imposes numerous restrictions that would hinder the development of a decent browser, Microsoft has created a new application class, called "Metro style enabled desktop browser".
This type of browser will work in both the traditional desktop, with a traditional interface, as well in Metro, with a fancy modern Metro interface. The user then gets to decide which variant of the browser he uses - similar to how Internet Explorer 10 currently works in Windows 8.
Aside from the new WinRT APIs, such a Metro style enabled desktop browser also has access to the full Win32 API, which it needs for things like optimal HTML5 support, as well as support for multiple background processes, JIT compiling, and other browser-specific stuff (like background downloading of files). A Metro style enabled desktop browser runs at the medium of low integrity level.
As great as this all sounds, there is one downside: such a browser will not work in Metro unless it is set as the default browser. This is an artificial limitation set by Microsoft. For what it's worth, Internet Explorer 10 also suffers from this limitation - but there's no word yet on if, say, an OEM could opt to ship a different browser as default.
This stuff all came out because the Firefox team has announced it's working on implementing such a Metro style enabled desktop browser. However, Microsoft has provided very little information on this obscure third application class as of yet, making it very hard for browser developers to properly target it. Of course, Windows 8 is still in development, but considering the company's past behaviour, it's easy to assume they're doing this on purpose.
"As a developer, your job gets pretty hard when you do a Google search for topics surrounding this barely supported third Metro application type and consistently get zero, one, or if you are lucky, two search results. All results being only slightly on topic," Mozilla developer Brian R. Bondy writes.
Another uncertainty at this point is the ARM version of Windows 8. A Metro style enabled desktop browser must be distributed the old-fashioned way as opposed to through the new Windows Store, and since the traditional desktop is locked down on the ARM version (i.e., it is not possible to install applications outside of the Windows Store on ARM), this currently means Mozilla and Google will not be able to distribute Firefox or Chrome for the ARM version of Windows 8.
All this illustrates just how troublesome it is to implement a locked down iOS-like My First Operating System™ on a versatile, general-purpose computer. What about the HTML rendering engine inside an email client? Or do we need another application class for Thunderbird, a "Metro style enabled desktop email client"?


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text: Hmm, blog stuff, been a long time. Still building though still with limited resources. Having fun at various robot help/messaging sites, such as LetsMakeRobots.com and others. New toys include an Arduino, and an actual oscilloscope, some ShapeLock, and finally hot glue even though this is Texas. Been thinking over outdoor robots, a possible biped Mech Warfare robot., and an in home helper-bot. And what shop tools might be good to have use of. Was recently told of the virtues of a bandsaw, in shaping as well as cutting. Little more handy than the scroll saw I'd thought of though a bigger space taker. Ah well, build with what I got for now. And maybe make some flashy lights?


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POLL: Which Dunk Is Better DeAndre Jordan NBA Slam or Chris Roberts NBADL Jam
The best stories are those that have a wide gulf between the combatants. History has given us the great battles such as David the lowly shepherd versus the battle tested giant Goliath. Mongrel Americans dueling with the mighty British. Villanova against Georgetown. Ah yes, basketball where the bedlam over two successive days knock 32 teams into next season at the college ranks.
One would think that the professional level would be where the skill and athleticism span is not so wide amongst the competitors. We present to you a different sort of big versus little. Choose your favorite throw down with the big, bad NBA on one side and the upstart NBA Development League on the other. Note the contrast, though with the smaller player getting the best of the bigger man on the D-League clip. Dunk of the year candidate DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers posterizing Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons or Chris Roberts of the Austin Toros slamming on the 7 foot 5 inch Will Foster of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.


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MIAMI (AP) - Cameron Bell came off the bench for 17 points to lead four players in double figures in Florida Atlantic's 65-52 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday night.
Bell made 5 of 8 shots, sank all six free-throw attempts and grabbed eight boards in just 23 minutes of action. Jerome Fink added 13 points, Deric Hill 12 and Tymell Murphy 11 for the Panthers.
FIU (15-12, 10-8 Sun Belt Conference) shot 48 percent (13 of 27) in the first half but Arkansas-Little Rock answered with a 47.6-percent (10 of 21) clip to keep it close at the break, 29-25.
The Panthers fell to 45 percent (9 of 20) after intermission but held the Trojans to 12-of-35 shooting and made 15 of 16 free throws to pull away.
Michael Javes and John Gillon scored 12 apiece for the Trojans (15-13, 9-10), whose 22 turnovers led to 25 points for FIU.


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product description
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text:
I do love me some arcade marquees. The colours, the hand-drawn art, it's all so very Roger Dean.
This set are from Namco, before the company merged with Bandai, and could just as easily have worked as the logos for mid-80s thrash bands. Which is equally awesome.
Namco Arcade Logos [VGJunk]
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends. You'll find Total Recall stories every Tue-Fri between 1am -2am Eastern.


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Animal Species:Sydney Funnel-web Spider, Atrax robustus
Probably the most notorious of all spiders, Sydney Funnel-webs have a fearsome reputation. Most of this is deserved, but some is exaggerated.
Standard Common Name
Sydney Funnel-web Spider
Alternative Name/s
Sydney Funnelweb Spider, Funnel Web Spider
Sydney Funnel-webs are shiny, dark brown to black spiders with finger-like spinnerets (silk-spinning organs) at the end of their abdomen. Males have a large mating spur projecting from the middle of their second pair of legs. If threatened, Sydney Funnel-webs show aggressive behaviour, rearing and displaying their impressive fangs.
Size range
1.5 cm - 3.5 cm
The Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Atrax robustus) occurs in New South Wales, from Newcastle to Nowra and west to Lithgow. They especially favour the forested upland areas surrounding the lower, more open country of the central Cumberland Basin. This includes the Hornsby Plateau to the north, the foothills of the Blue Mountains to the west, and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Funnel-web occurrence is low in much of central-western Sydney, and also the sandy coastal parts of the eastern suburbs and the Botany Bay area. They do better in areas of sandy clay, shale or basaltic soils that can retain moisture more effectively.
Distribution by bioregion
Terrestrial Bioregions: Australian Alps - NSW, Australian Alps - VIC, Flinders - VIC, Murray Darling Depression - NSW, Murray Darling Depression - VIC, Naracoorte Coastal Plain - VIC, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Coastal Plain, South East Corner - NSW, South East Corner - VIC, South Eastern Highlands - NSW, South Eastern Queensland - NSW, Victorian Midlands, Victorian Volcanic Plain - VIC
Distribution by collection data
Biomaps map of Sydney Funnelweb Spider specimens in the Australian Museum collection
Urban areas and forests.
Habitat type
Vegetation Habitat: closed forest
Feeding and Diet
Funnel-webs burrow in sheltered sites under logs and rocks where they can find a cool and humid climate. Funnel-webs rush out of their burrow when potential prey, such as beetles, cockroaches, small lizards or snails, walk across silken trip-lines that the spider has placed around the outside of its burrow. They then return to their burrow to eat their meal.
Feeding Habit
Other behaviours and adaptations
Male Sydney Funnel-web spiders have a habit of wandering into backyards and falling into suburban swimming pools, where they can survive many hours. They also sometimes enter and become trapped in houses. Again, it is true that Sydney Funnel-webs have one of the most toxic venoms (to humans) of any spider. However, it is not true that all funnel-web bites are life-threatening. The venom of juvenile and female Sydney Funnel-web Spiders is much less toxic. Nor do they jump onto, or chase people, or live in houses - these are all urban myths.
Dry daytime surface conditions will dehydrate funnel-web spiders and also expose them to birds and lizards. This is why males that have spent the night in search of a female have to seek cover at dawn. This can be any suitable hideaway that is dark, moist and cool, like a cavity under a rock, or even in a shoe left outdoors.
A number of other spiders are often mistaken as funnel-webs, including mouse spiders, trapdoor spiders and even Black House Spiders.
Life history modes
burrowing, terrestrial
Mating and reproduction
Males leave their burrows and wander over summer and autumn to find females and mate.
Danger to humans and first aid
Funnel-web bites are dangerous and first aid should be given immediately using the pressure bandage/immobilisation technique (as for snake bite) and the victim taken to hospital and given antivenom if necessary. The venom has a neurotoxin component that attacks the human nervous system and, in the worst cases, can result in death. However, there have been no fatalities since the introduction of antivenom.
- Species:
- robustus
- Genus:
- Atrax
- Family:
- Hexathelidae
- Order:
- Araneae
- Class:
- Arachnida
- Phylum:
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- McGhee, K. 1999. Funnel-webs, Aust. Geog. 53: 80-95
- Gray, M. 1992. Funnel Webs: separating fact from fiction, ANH 24(3): 32-39
- Meier, Dr. J and White, Dr. J. (eds) 1995. CRC Handbook of Clinical Toxicology of Animal Venoms and Poisons CRC Press Inc, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
- Gray, M. 1987. Distribution of the Funnel Web Spiders, in Covacevich, Davie & Pearn (eds), Toxic Plants and Animals: a guide for Australia: 313-21
- Gray, M. 1984. A guide to Funnel-web spider identification, The Medical Journal of Australia, December 8/22
- Gray, M. 1981 Getting to know Funnel Webs, ANH 20(8): 265-270
Dr Mike Gray
Last Updated:
Tags spider, funnelweb, funnel web, funnel-web, dangerous, araneae, mygalomorpha, invertebrates, arachnida, venomous,
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text:
Mother, Can You Spare a Room?
As Rachel Zahn's three children were growing up, she liked to warn them, half jokingly, not to overstay their welcome. "Checkout time at this hotel is age 18," the 56-year-old nonprofit director would tell them.
It hasn't worked out that way. A year and a half ago, Ms. Zahn's oldest son, Sam, 25, asked if he could move back to the family's home in Solana Beach, Calif.—near San Diego—with his girlfriend in tow. He wanted to save money when attending graduate school while his girlfriend worked full-time.
Ms. Zahn and her husband agreed. Sam and his girlfriend moved into his old bedroom.
"We made that decision to let him save money," Ms. Zahn says. "The cost of living in San Diego is crazy."
The Zahns are hardly alone. As an expected 1.8 million college graduates descend on the real world this month and next, many of them will move back in with their parents. The trend is keeping the graduates from assuming responsibility for their own finances.
Parents, meanwhile, are finding themselves stuck caring for children, sometimes for much longer than they planned, with no exit plan in sight—often damaging their own financial health and retirement savings.
Financial advisers say hosting an adult age child back at home can cost between $8,000 a year to $18,000 a year, depending on how much parents are shelling out for extras like travel and entertainment.
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"It is one of the biggest problems affecting our clients," says Benjamin Tobias, president of Tobias Financial Advisors, a wealth-management firm in Plantation, Fla., that oversees about $200 million.
Financial advisers and industry experts say there are many ways parents can protect their finances if their kids move back home. Parents should be firm with their kids, say advisers, by making them pay for rent and other expenses if possible, setting a limit for how long they are allowed to stay, and avoiding the temptation to offer extra financial help, like loans.
According to the most-recent U.S. Census Bureau figures, 22.6 million adults between the ages of 18 and 34 were living at home with their parents in 2012, about 32% of all people in that age group. That is up from 18 million, or 27%, a decade ago.
The percentage of young adults between 18 and 24 years old living with parents has increased the most, to 56% in 2012 from 51% a decade ago.
" 30% "
The weak economy—and the lack of jobs available for recent graduates—is the biggest reason kids are moving back home, says Zhenchao Qian, professor and chair of the sociology department at Ohio State University, who led a 2012 research study on the subject.
All of this is weighing on parents' finances. A 2011 study by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that 26% of parents with adult-age kids living at home have taken on debt in the process, either to help their child with a loan or for their own spending needs. Thirteen percent delayed a life event like buying a house, and 7% delayed retirement.
Even parents who can afford to have their kids return home without significant financial strain should be worried about the consequences. When kids move back home with parents, it puts parents in the complicated position of wanting to support their children while trying to help them launch their own lives. The line between support and coddling can be blurry, experts say.
"The parents are frustrated by it, but they're also embarrassed by it," says Clarissa Hobson, a financial adviser at Carnick & Kubik, a wealth manager in Colorado Springs, Colo. "It's really hard to say no to your kids sometimes."
Here are ways to make a moving-back-home situation work for parents and kids alike.
Make Them Pay
When an adult child says he needs to move back home, parents should come up with a financial plan that includes a detailed budget of the child's expenses and what the child is expected to pay. Those expenses typically include rent, utilities and food.
While parents might balk at the idea of shelling out money for their kids on top of room and board, parents are likely to have to help with some expenses such as car insurance and cellphone payments, at least initially, to help their kids find work, advisers say.
The best way to handle expenses outside of room and board is a weekly or monthly allowance, says Ms. Hobson, whose firm has $275 million of assets under management. That teaches kids how to manage their own money and sets a strict limit for how much the child will be able to spend.
"If you're constantly being asked for $20 here and $50 there, that adds up," she says.
Once a child has a job—or if they move home with one to begin with—they should be expected to pay for their expenses, and their rent as well, if possible, say advisers.
Most important, parents shouldn't be paying for extras that a child can live without: new cars, trips or entertainment, for example, even if they can afford it. "Then there's the problem of kids having this entitlement and having no ambition to get off their butts," says Mr. Tobias.
Some advisers even say parents and children should draw up a contract and sign it, so that everything is in writing and expectations are clear.
"Children are notorious for saying, 'We never agreed to that,'" says Ann Gugle, a principal at Alpha Financial Advisors, a wealth-management firm in Charlotte, N.C., with about $68 million in assets under management. "It makes it more of a serious thing."
Set a Time Limit
The biggest mistake parents make is failing to establish a time frame right away for how long their child is allowed to stay, experts say.
Without any kind of parameters, kids get comfortable at home and parents can find themselves stuck.
As a rule of thumb, parents shouldn't allow their kids to live with them longer than, say, a year and a half, unless there are extenuating circumstances, many financial advisers say. Some advisers recommend no more than six months. The longer children stay, the harder it is for them to leave, and the more the cost to parents soars.
Erik Daniels, a financial adviser at Ronald Blue & Co. in Roswell, Ga., a wealth-management firm with about $7 billion in assets, recommends his clients use what he calls a "glide path" approach to encourage their kids out of the house.
Mr. Daniels says parents should put their child on an initial allowance that will slowly decrease over time. Another way to do it: start by paying some of the child's expenses and then gradually stop paying them—say, car insurance or a cellphone bill.
It's a strategy he is employing with his own daughter, Kelsey, 23, who moved home late last year after graduating from the University of Georgia.
Mr. Daniels and his wife agreed to give her $400 a month for six months to cover many of her expenses, in addition to the rent, utilities, auto insurance and food they already were paying for. After six months, Mr. Daniels and his wife began reducing that allowance by about $50 a month.
"As that amount goes down, she is taking on more responsibility," Mr. Daniels says. "She needs to understand the ultimate goal is to be independent."
Make Them Work
It's also important to establish early on the expectations for a child's job situation, advisers say.
Often children move home directly after college with no job in the field they majored in. But children should at least find a part-time job, even if it means they're underemployed, to help contribute to their expenses while they look for something more permanent. And parents should take an active role in making sure their child is searching for full-time work.
" 25% "
Some parents go so far as to help their child research job leads, but financial advisers say even asking regularly about the job search and discussing possible leads can be helpful. That makes children accountable and reminds them that they are working toward the goal of living on their own.
If the child is having trouble finding a job, he or she should find another way to contribute around the house by doing chores or cooking meals, says Ms. Hobson.
When Greg Zandlo's daughter, Kristen, 24, said she needed to move back home to Minneapolis two years ago after graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Springfield College, he and his wife sat down with her to lay out the ground rules.
The most important: While the Zandlos were happy to help, and they could afford to do so with no impact on their own finances, they wouldn't pay for Kristen to sit around the house. She had to have a job, even if it wasn't in her field. Mr. Zandlo also checked to make sure his daughter was regularly applying for career-oriented jobs.
"We wanted to make sure she was on the path toward gainful employment," Mr. Zandlo says.
Kristen wound up taking two part-time jobs, at a local coffee shop and an American Eagle store. Last year she was hired as the marketing and communications director for the People's Center Health Services, a nonprofit community clinic.
She moved out of her parents' house in January, a year and a half after she had moved in. Her parents "set expectations for how it would go at the very beginning," Kristen says. "I think it went pretty well, and the fact that they did let me live rent-free was amazing."
Think Before You Cosign
Parents, regardless of their financial situation, should resist letting a child "borrow" their credit card—or even cosign for a card for the kid. It's too easy for the child to be tempted to use it, particularly when it's in a parent's name.
Parents also should avoid taking on any debt to help out their children—no cosigning of auto loans, say advisers. That thinking should apply even if a child isn't actually living at home, but a parent is still helping with expenses.
You might be tempted to help your children establish their independence by cosigning a mortgage. That can be a drastic mistake. One of Ms. Hobson's clients, for example, cosigned for a townhouse for his adult-age child, only to have the child stop making payments after six months without telling her parents. The parents were then left on the hook for the payments.
"They were forced into a situation where they had to sell a property they should have never owned," Ms. Hobson says. "There was no remorse on the child's part."
When They Won't Leave
Many parents and children have trouble making and sticking to budget and exit goals, and sometimes kids end up living at home for much longer than their parents anticipate.
Mr. Tobias recommends that his clients give their kids a dose of reality. He asks them to come in with their adult-age kids and show them exactly how much money they have in retirement and bank accounts. Mr. Tobias then calculates projections, showing how the parents' retirement will be affected as they pay more for the kids.
While that might feel awkward for some parents who aren't used to detailing their finances, it's the starkest way to illustrate to the child how his or her actions affect everyone involved.
"It tends to wake up the kids and also, to an extent, the parents," says Mr. Tobias.
In worst-case scenarios, where parents can't seem to get their children to leave after a year and a half or more, Mr. Tobias has recommended family therapy, aimed at encouraging the kids to become self-sufficient, without the help of their parents. He also has sent sternly worded notes to his clients showing his probability projections for when they'll run out of retirement funds if they keep supporting their children.
"We sit down and have heart-to-heart meetings," Mr. Tobias says.
It also can be hard to take advice—even your own. Ms. Zahn, the nonprofit executive director, has often advised people on her parenting blog to make a contract with their adult-age children before they move home. But that's something she didn't do when her son and his girlfriend moved home, although they had an initial conversation about budgets and expenses.
She also recommends making children pay rent, another suggestion she didn't employ herself.
Still, Ms. Zahn says the experience of having her son and his girlfriend stay for about a year and a half has generally been positive, largely because she and her husband initially set expectations.
"I think in many ways it was harder for them living with us then it was for us," Ms. Zahn says.
Sam and his girlfriend plan to move out in June.
Write to Kirsten Grind at firstname.lastname@example.com
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text: �Tell your story through a mask. Community members and residents of the Homeless Shelter are invited to a one-day workshop to create a mask as a form of storytelling from�1 to 3 p.m., Oct. 13 at Bethel CollegeEach participant in this workshop will create a mask to his or her face, and then design it to tell?his or her own story. Participants will be able to share stories and experiences while creating.?There will be three different workshops. Following the third completed masks from all?of the workshops will be displayed locally. Participants are encouraged to bring art supplies or?items that mean something to them to include in the design of their mask.Those wanting to attend this workshop, are able to donate supplies, or are wanting more?information can contact Bethany Busenitz 283-7711 or Libby Baumgartner, MS, Art?Therapist� 841-2427. Seating is limited, please call to make a reservation.�


text:
Nature doesn't always know when to quit--and nothing says that quite like a hurricane. The atmospheric convulsion that was Hurricane Katrina had barely left the Gulf Coast before its sister Rita was spinning to life out in the Atlantic. In the three weeks between them, five other named storms had lived and died in the warm Atlantic waters without making the same headlines their ferocious sisters did. With more than two months left in the official hurricane season, only Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma are still available on the National Hurricane Center's annual list of 21 storm names. If the next...
Global Warming: The Culprit?
Evidence mounts that human activity is helping fuel these monster hurricanes
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text:
Saturday, November 5, 2011
My days are numbered. No, not in terms of life, in terms of continuing to be faster than my boys. David and Graham ran the Granby Gutbuster 5k over the summer. Their previous 5k PRs were both in the 37 minute range but they managed to complete it in 30:13 and 33:20. That was good enough to put David (age 8) 3rd in the Under 12 age group and Graham (age 6) 5th. Our families keep telling us that we obviously passed on the running talent to our kids but I'm starting to suspect that these aren't my children because I don't have any running talent. I have to work very hard at running to be this mediocre. I'm the 99% of running talent.
Finally, Candis and I ran the Denver Half Marathon last month. Naturally, I managed to roll an ankle right in the middle of my training and couldn't run for a month (see first paragraph). I finished in 2:08 and Candis in 2:12. Those are hardly the times of 'talented' runners. We are middle-of-the-packers for life, not to be confused with the extremely talented Green Bay Packers.
6 comments:
You once said, "Bigger is better." Does that also pertain to injuries? Cheers!ReplyDelete
Wow. A 5-day-old Vanilly post with only one lonely comment on it. (Good think you've got comment moderation turned on! Otherwise, you might have TWO comments.) I guess people are not just blaming faceless bankers for the mess they made of our economy; they're blaming you personally, and therefore shunning you, staying away in droves.ReplyDelete
Not me, though!
Don't get me wrong: I do blame you personally, but my tactic?
OCCUPY HALF-FAST! (Hashtag: #OHF)
I just thought it was about time somebody gave Teh Lamestream Librul Media something marginally new to ignore.
I bet they ignore you AND this occupation, too. Sooooo typical.
Your stupid prophetic poem didn't see this coming, did it?* (Ahem ... That's what she said.)
* O, wait. I missed this verse somehow:
People were ignoring me -
I sat right down and cried
Till, like a filthy Port-O-Pot,
My blog was occupied.
Typical. Now comment moderation is turned off.ReplyDelete
Will you stop at nothing to make a liar of me?
Joke's on you. I was a liar before I even got here.
Those are some sweet times your boys got at the 5k. An 8 and 6 year old running a 5k is really impressive. I am laughing because my 9-year-old just ran the 1-mile Turkey Trot at school and you'd think she ran a marathon. She was exhausted but quite pleased because she came in 14th place, out of about 100 kids (but she keeps telling me it was 2 miles...I don't have the heart to tell her otherwise.)ReplyDelete
Don't let age or injuries get you down. You are handed certain cards and those are what you have to play with. Don't try to be anyone else but yourself. If you are a certain speed, be a certain speed. Keep up the training and keep your head up.ReplyDelete
Well, looky looky, look who stumbled in to give us an update. At least its filled with signs of a midlife crisis. Your virtual tears will fuel me for another few months!ReplyDelete
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Looks like the U.S. Supreme Court will rule Wednesday on the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8, the court's long-anticipated rulings on gay marriage.
Looks like the U.S. Supreme Court will rule Wednesday on the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8, the court's long-anticipated rulings on gay marriage.
United States v. Windsor, the case where an octogenarian widow from New York had to pay more than $300,000 in taxes on the estate of her late wife — taxes she would not have paid had she married a man — addresses the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Under DOMA, the federal government recognizes the traditional definition of marriage — one man, one woman. How that "defends" marriage in reality, I don't know.
Back when New Paltz Mayor Jason West started marrying gay and lesbian couples in 2004, all those newlyweds sure looked happy. I can't quite grasp what threat they presented to other people's marriages. And local wedding-related businesses are enjoying the expanded customer base since New York legalized same-sex marriage.
Hollingsworth v. Perry is the California Proposition 8 case. California had first defined marriage as one man-one woman in a 2000 law. In 2008, California's Supreme Court tossed that law as out of whack with the state constitution. And voila, later in 2008, California passed Prop 8, amending the state constitution to define marriage to one man-one woman. Both cases face procedural hurdles before we get a ruling by the Supremes: In each case, the government — the Obama administration in Windsor, and the state of California in Perry — decided it agreed with Court of Appeals rulings that invalidated the man-woman definitions. So the top court must first rule on whether the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (in Windsor), a House of Representatives group, and the Prop 8 proponents (in Perry) have legal standing in the respective cases. Analysts at SCOTUSBlog, a legal blog sponsored by Bloomberg Law and dedicated to the Supreme Court, believe the high court will reach decisions on both; the consensus is that the court will likely toss DOMA and uphold Prop 8, essentially on the ground that marriage is an issue for the states, not the federal government.
I'd like to see both laws declared unconstitutional, because I think the arguments against same-sex marriage essentially amount to religious arguments.The opponents of same-sex marriage argue in their court papers in Perry that the there are four rational purposes for keeping a traditional definition of marriage as one man, one woman: "promoting responsible procreation and child rearing; proceeding with caution when considering fundamental change to a vital social institution; protecting religious and other fundamental liberties; and preserving a valued and ancient tradition."
They do not expound on whether childless straight couples should be allowed to marry, or whether same-sex couples with kids should be allowed to marry. They do not explain how allowing same-sex couples to marry would threaten someone else's religious liberty.
Change is coming. Maybe not today, but soon.


text:
Nickel is a naturally occurring, lustrous, silvery-white metallic element. It is the fifth most common element on earth and occurs extensively in the earth's crust. However, most of the nickel is inaccessible in the core of the earth.
Nickel metal's key characteristics are:
Reflecting these characteristics, nickel is widely used in over 300,000 products for consumer, industrial, military, transport, aerospace, marine and architectural applications. The biggest use is in alloying - particularly with chromium and other metals to produce stainless and heat-resisting steels. These are used for pots and pans, kitchen sinks etc, as well in buildings, food processing equipment, medical equipment and chemical plants.
About 65% of the nickel which is produced is used to manufacture stainless steels. Another 20% is used in other steel and non-ferrous alloys - often for highly specialized industrial, aerospace and military applications. About 9% is used in plating and 6% in other uses, including coins, electronics, and in batteries for portable equipment and hybrid cars. In many of these applications there is no substitute for nickel without reducing performance or increasing cost.
Nickel is essential for healthy plant life. As a result, it is found naturally in most vegetables, fruits and nuts, and in the food products derived from them, for example – chocolate and wine.


text:
As noted in the Coldwater Outreach Conservation forum topic, GRTU is assisting the Hiawatha Chapter of Trout Unlimited to raise money to fund stream improvements on Trout Run Creek in southeastern Minnesota. At the January meeting, GRTU pledged $3,320 towards this project, which will cover about 10% of the materials and contracted services needed to make the improvements. So far, we have raised about $600 from GRTU members into the Coldwater Outreach Conservation Fund but would like to raise enough money to offest the Trout Run Creek project costs, so that we can fund additional projects next year.
If you would like to know more about the Trout Run Creek project, you can link to the application that they filed with GRTU asking for our funding assistance at the following location:
http://www.viacoustics.com/recordings/H ... -18-06.pdf
If you would like to make a donation towards GRTU's COC Fund and the Trout Run Creek project, please send them to :
Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited
Coldwater Outreach Conservation Fund
P.O. Box 536
Austin, Texas 78767
Jeff Schmitt
GRTU NLC Representative
Trout Run Creek Project
This forum contains information about the COC fund activities. It is linked to the web site.
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text:
A superb nine-minute period saw Lucien Favre's side claim a dramatic victory, as Hamburg and Stuttgart both continued their recent runs of good form
|Hamburg bounced back from their defeat to Stuttgart last week by claiming a 2-0 victory over Augsburg in Bavaria.
The visitors got off to the perfect start, with Son Heung-Min superbly stepping inside his marker on the edge of the area, and firing an unstoppable shot past Simon Jentzsch and into the corner of the net.
The South Korean's strike was enough to give his side the lead heading into the break, and shortly after the restart they doubled their advantage, with Artjoms Rudnevs beating the offside trap to latch onto Rafael van der Vaart's pass and smash the ball home.
This result sees the high-flying visitors move within touching distance of the Champions League places. Augsburg, meanwhile, sit in 17th spot.
|Schalke kept up pace with the top of the Bundesliga with a narrow 1-0 victory over Nurnberg at the Veltins Arena.
The hosts have been in excellent form of late, but it was the Bavarians who came close to taking the lead early on, with Hiroshi Kiyotake forcing an acrobtic save from Lars Unnerstall in goal.
However, Huub Stevens' side soon registered a couple of great chances of their own when Jefferson Farfan headed Atsuto Uchida's cross straight at Raphael Schafer, before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar fired over from close range.
After the break, Ibrahim Afellay came close to breaking the deadlock from distance, but the opener finally came on 77 minutes, when Farfan volleyed Christian Fuchs' left-wing cross into the corner of the net.
Schalke's recent run of form has seen them move to second place in the table, with Nurnberg just above the relegation zone in 15th spot.
|Hoffenheim's poor start to the season continued as they suffered a 3-0 loss to Mainz at the Coface Arena.
Adam Szalai was on form for Thomas Tuchel's side last weekend against Bayer Leverkusen, and continued his scoring run by giving his team the lead with a stooping header on 21 minutes.
The Hungarian's strike was enough to separate the two teams at half-time, and Szalai soon doubled their advantage by slotting home after some good work from Elkin Soto.
And Szalai's hat-trick was complete just after the hour mark when he headed home Nicolai Muller's header.
Mainz now sit in sixth place in the table. Hoffenheim, however, are level on points with 16th-placed Wolfsburg.
|Werder Bremen's inconsistent form continued when they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Greuther Furth in Bavaria.
The hosts have found life in the top flight tough so far, but raced into a surprise lead when Edu tapped Zoltan Stieber's cross into the net from a matter of yards. However, the visitors were back on level terms just before the break, when Nils Petersen diverted Marko Arnautovic's cross into the back of the net from close range.
Both sides pushed for a winner after the restart, but to no avail, ensuring a share of the spoils.
Greuther Furth remain bottom of the table, level on points with fellow Bavarians Augsburg, with Bremen sitting comfortably in 11th place.
|Wolfsburg began life after Felix Magath with an impressive 4-1 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf at the ESPIRIT Arena.
A dire run of results under the former Schalke boss saw the visitors slip to bottom place in the table, but they took the lead here on 50 minutes when Bas Dost tapped home Ivica Olic's cross at the far post.
Just minutes later, it was 2-0. Diego dragged a shot across the face of goal, and Olic was on hand to divert it into the net at the far post.
Dost grabbed his second of the game shortly after, flicking Makoto Hasebe's cross over Fabian Geifer, and although Dusseldorf were gifted a path back into the match through Jens Langeneke's penalty, Wolfsburg soon restored their three-goal advantage.
Oliver Fink dragged down Diego in the box, and was promptly sent off for the challenge, with the Brazilian sending Geifer the wrong way from the spot.
|Stuttgart continued their recent revival with a 2-1 win over high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt at the Mercedes Benz Arena.
The hosts found themselves ahead after a matter of minutes. Ibrahima Traore's cross was headed into the path of Christian Gentner, who drove the ball home from a narrow angle between the legs of Kevin Trapp.
Stuttgart were dominating proceedings, and were unlucky not to go two ahead when Martin Harnik's shot hit the post seconds after the restart. However, they were soon pegged back by a terrific equaliser from Alexander Meier, who bent a beautiful shot into the far corner.
But, Bruno Labbadia's men got their reward seven minutes from time when Vedad Ibisevic continued his hot streak by heading Harnik's cross into the back of the net.
|Borussia Monchengladbach followed up their European triumph in midweek by coming from behind to beat Hannover 3-2.
After a goalless first-half, Jan Schlaudraff opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range effort which flew past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, bounced off the post and into the back of the net.
Five minutes later, Mame Biram Diouf doubled the advantage by flicking home Konstantin Rausch's cross, but the game then took a sudden turn.
Alvaro Dominguez pulled one back following a Ron-Robert Zieler error on 70 minutes, and a Roel Brouwers header levelled things up soon after. And, on 79 minutes, the turnaround was complete when Juan Arango curled a free kick into the corner of the net.


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London is perhaps the most child-friendly city in the world. There are playgrounds, amusement parks, fairs, toy stores, museums, leisure pools and zoos. There are also theatres with performances specifically for children. Your kids will have fun experiences with a comprehensible edition of Shakespeare or an entertaining puppet show. Here are the 3 best children's theatres in London.
London boasts around 230 theatres in all shapes and sizes, with performances for every possible target group and a total of over 100,000 seats. This count doesn't even include the many amateur theatres. Several theatres focus specifically on children, offering a wonderful afternoon or evening outing for the whole family. There is no need to worry about a possible language barrier: these performances are so visually appealing that even the little ones, who may not understand any English, will have a great time.
The Unicorn Theatre has been hosting performances for children and young people since 1947. In 2005, the theatre moved into a custom-built award-winning facility on the South Bank near Tower Bridge. There are 2 halls - the Weston Theatre with 300 seats and the Clore Theatre with seats for 120 people. The Unicorn Theatre has hosted child-friendly versions of classics such as 'Henry V' by Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler' and 'The Dwarfs' by Harold Pinter. Every day there is either a performance, a backstage tour or a workshop for the whole family.
The Broadway in Wimbledon features a children's theatre that is just as cheerful as its façade. The Polka Theatre has been staging plays, musicals and sitcoms for children from 0 to 14 years for the last 30 years. There are 2 halls – the larger one seats 300 people and the smaller one holds 90 people. The selection of plays ranges from cheerful adaptations of Shakespeare to an opera performed by marionettes. The venue also hosts talk shows and workshops. Before or after the show you can enjoy coffee, sandwiches, juices, fruit, tea and cupcakes in the theatre café.
The Puppet Theatre Barge is exactly what the name suggests: a puppet theatre on a river boat. Since 1982, the boat has hosted a repertoire that ranges from Disney's Brother Rabbit and Punch and Judy, to the Fables of Aesop and adaptations of Shakespeare, Lord Byron and Dickens. The stories are played by puppets and shadow puppets, accompanied by atmospheric music and wonderful sound effects. The boat, which seats up to 50 children, is moored during the summer months on the Thames in Richmond and for the rest of the year in Little Venice near Paddington Station.
Puppet Theatre Barge, opp. 35 Blomfield Road, Little Venice, London,www.puppetbarge.com


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LONDON (AP) On an indoor court, Roger Federer can win even when he's not playing his best.
He proved that again Thursday at the ATP finals, beating David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (5) and advancing to the semifinals with a match to spare despite struggling with his serve and scrambling to stay in long rallies.
Federer, a six-time champion at the season-ending event for the top eight players in the world, made only 53 percent of his first serves at the O2 Arena. And in his first two service games alone, he was forced to save six break points.
But he did save them, and three others, while getting broken only once.
With the victory, Federer improved his record over Ferrer to 14-0. In 10 years of facing each other, Ferrer has won only three sets against the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
That looked like it was going to change on Thursday.
The retriever Ferrer got to ball after ball to extend the rallies and keep Federer on the move. In the opening game, the Spaniard quickly took a 0-40 lead but failed to convert any of his three break chances.
He had three more chances in the third game - minutes after Federer had broken Ferrer's serve - but again Federer was able to hold.
Ferrer did finally manage a break to get back on serve at 3-2, but Federer didn't allow another.
Federer is 2-0 in the ATP finals, putting him into the semifinals. However, he still has to face Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday.
Del Potro will play Janko Tipsarevic in the other Group B match later Thursday. Ferrer and Tipsarevic will meet on Saturday.


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Players on the WardsAuto Dealer 500 differ in many ways but share something in common: As auto retailers, they are among the best of the best.
Collectively, they sold a total of 1,373,275 vehicles last year with revenues of $45.3 billion.
Some of them, such as California's Galpin Ford (No.4) sold many more new vehicles than used cars: 6,823 and 2,704, respectively.
On the other hand, C&O Motors in West Virginia specialized in selling used cars. It delivered 4,189 pre-owned units, 663 fewer than the new vehicles it sold.
Because the WardsAuto Dealer 500 ranks dealers by total revenues, it is not necessary to sell massive numbers of vehicles to land on the list. For instance, Porsche of Downtown LA delivered only 692 units. But because they are pricey super-sports cars, the dealership managed to place No.356.
That ranking is one better than a dealership named after a well-known NASCAR race-car driver. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet placed No.357 with total vehicle sales of 1,592. Don't expect to find Johnson at the San Diego store. He lent his name to the dealership owned by the Hendrick Automotive Group.
Stores owned by entrepreneur Herb Chambers appear on the WardsAuto Dealer 500 the most often: 16.
Chambers dropped out of high school at age 17 and joined the Navy. He returned home to work in his parents' bar. As the story goes, his mother fired him for showing up late, although Chambers says it was a misunderstanding.
Afterward, he got a job repairing photocopiers, switched to copier sales and ultimately saw dealerships as a profit opportunity.
Another self-made dealer is Norm Braman with five stores on the big list. He is a tough cookie who is suing General Motors for its programs that prod dealerships to upgrade facilities.
He is frank in giving one of the reasons he is suing: "I can afford it."
Deep in the heart of Texas, April Ancira is a top manager in a dealership group founded by her father, one of the nation's first Hispanic dealers. Three Ancira stores appear on the WardsAuto Dealer 500.
She sees herself as more than a purveyor of cars. Fulfilling customer transportation needs is an important role in society, she says.
One of the listed Ancira stores is Ancira Kia at No.405. For a Kia store to make the list shows how far that South Korean brand has come. Same goes for Kia's sister brand, Hyundai. Today, five Hyundai stores and three Kia outlets are on the WardsAuto Dealer 500, now in its 26th year.
Early on, the most stores on the list were Chevrolet and Ford dealerships. Those two brands would annually slug it out for most-mentions.
Now, there are 45 Ford and 40 Chevy stores. Those are healthy numbers. But the leaders are Toyota with 70 and Honda with 58.


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DETROIT >> Justin Verlander had no way of knowing what Detroit's offense was about to do, so when he gave up five runs in the first inning, his goal was simply to prevent more scoring and hope for the best.
"That first inning's tough, but as a starting pitcher, you have to have the ability to turn the page," Verlander said. "It's a nice feeling when you're able to go out there and keep your team in the game, when at other times, maybe when I was younger, it turns into a two-inning or three-inning and eight-run affair."
Verlander settled down after his terrible first inning, and the Tigers rallied in emphatic fashion for a 14-5 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday night. The Dodgers managed only one hit off Verlander after the first, and Detroit quickly tied it with five runs in the second.
The Tigers added two runs in the third and four in the fourth to pull away. Miguel Cabrera was one of five Detroit players with three hits.
Verlander (8-7) allowed five runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-5) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 2 1-3 innings.
"I felt like I really let my team down," Ryu said through a translator. "We had five runs in the first inning off a great pitcher, and I gave the lead away. That's the worst part of tonight."
Juan Uribe hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers in the first, but Verlander retired 13 in a row after that.
The Tigers' 14 runs set a season high, as did their 20 hits.
Detroit managed its offensive outburst without a single homer, but broke through for eight hits in the second against Ryu. Torii Hunter led off with a double — he was initially ruled out at second after a nice throw from right fielder Yasiel Puig, but the call was overturned on replay.
"That's how replay has changed the game," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "It probably changes the entire inning, really. They have one out and nobody on as opposed to a runner on second, no outs."
Nick Castellanos, Alex Avila, Eugenio Suarez and Rajai Davis followed with consecutive singles, and Avila scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3. Ian Kinsler added an RBI single with one out, and Cabrera followed with one of his own to tie it.
"It shows what we're capable of," Avila said. "It's a good team win as far as being able to come back, and Justin going out there and throwing up zeros after the first inning. That was a very good win for us."
Davis hit an RBI single in the third to chase Ryu, and Austin Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly for a 7-5 lead.
What once looked like a Los Angeles rout turned into a blowout for Detroit in the fourth, when the first six Tigers reached base against reliever Jamey Wright.
Castellanos singled home a run, and a bases-loaded walk by Avila forced in another. Suarez's RBI single made it 10-5.
Davis added a sacrifice fly, and in the fifth, J.D. Martinez tripled and scored on Hunter's single.
Detroit scored two more runs in the seventh. Cabrera hit an RBI triple, reaching third when Puig's throw from the wall in right-center sailed over two cutoff men. Hunter drove Cabrera home with a single.
Verlander's ERA increased to 4.84, but he won his 12th straight regular-season decision against a National League team. Martinez, Hunter, Castellanos and Davis also had three hits apiece for the Tigers.
Los Angeles opened the scoring on a two-run double by Adrian Gonzalez, and Matt Kemp added an RBI single to make it 3-0. Uribe's homer was his fifth of the year.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was ejected in the sixth.
NOTES >> The Dodgers put pitcher Josh Beckett on the 15-day DL with a left hip impingement. Mattingly said a baserunning mishap Sunday may have led to Beckett's latest problem. The team recalled right-handed reliever Pedro Baez from Triple-A Albuquerque. It wasn't immediately clear who will start in Beckett's place Saturday against the San Diego Padres. … Kemp had three hits for the Dodgers. … Detroit RHP Max Scherzer (10-3) faces Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (11-4) on Wednesday.


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Deputy Manager - McColl's - Forth
Deputy Manager
As a Deputy Manager you will support the Store Manager with all the daily tasks that are involved in running a busy store. It is also about inspiring the team and making sure all colleagues are motivated and well trained.
Other responsibilities include maintaining exceptional store standards, preparing our food to go products, merchandising, stock management and implementing daily cash controls.
It is a varied and challenging role and we are seeking customer focussed individuals with excellent leadership and communication skills along with a hands on approach.
You will also need to be numerate with basic computer literacy and a flexible approach to working hours as you will be required to work early mornings and some late nights.
This role offers the opportunity to progress and develop your career within a fast paced retail environment.
- Colleague discount
- Generous colleague saving opportunities and pension scheme


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Diego Contreras, MD, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
Department: Neuroscience
Graduate Group Affiliations
Contact information
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Department of Neuroscience
211 Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
211 Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Fax: (215) 573 2015
Lab: (215) 573 8780
Lab: (215) 573 8780
Education:Permanent link
University Autonoma of Madrid, Spain, 1988.
Laval University, Quebec, Canada, 1996.
University Autonoma of Madrid, Spain, 1988.
Laval University, Quebec, Canada, 1996.
Description of Research ExpertiseKEY WORDS:
cortex, thalamus, optical, information, coding, epilepsy
Representation of information in corticothalamic networks. Epilepsy.
Intracellular and optical recordings in vivo and in vitro.
My lab's focus is on how the nervous systems encodes information. In particular, we are studying: (i) the possible role of oscillatory activity in the gamma band (20-80 Hz) for encoding visual stimuli in corticothalamic networks; (ii) the role of corticothalamic feedback. Responses to visual stimuli are recorded from cortex and thalamus with combined intracellular and optical recordings using voltage sensitive dyes and calcium indicators. These two methods are also applied to brain slices in order to understand the dynamics of visual cortex microcircuitry.
We also study the mechanisms by which neural networks engage in the abnormal, paroxystic activity that characterizes epilepsy. We are exploring: (i) the interactions between temporal cortex and hippocampus for the generation of temporal lobe epilepsy; (ii) the role of GABAB responses in cortex for the generation of various patterns of epilepsy, particularly spike-and-wave; (iii) the role of corticothalamic feedback in generation and synchronization of seizures.
Selected PublicationsHigley M.J., Contreras D.: Integration of synaptic responses to neighboring whiskers in rat barrel cortex in vivo. Journal of Neurophysiology 93: 1920-1934, 2005.
Traub R.D., Contreras D., Cunningham M.O., Murray H., Lebeau F.E., Roopun A., Bibbig A., Wilent W.B., Higley M., Whittington M.A.: A single-column thalamocortical network model exhibiting gamma oscillations, sleep spindles and epileptogenic bursts. Journal of Neurophysiology 93: 2194-2232, 2005.
Wilent W.B., Contreras D.: Stimulus dependent changes in spike threshold enhance feature selectivity in rat barrel cortex neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 25: 2983-2991, 2005.
Cardin J.A., Palmer L., Contreras, D. : Stimulus-dependent gamma (30-50 Hz) oscillations in simple and complex fast rhythmic bursting cells in primary visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 25: 5339-5350, 2005.
Zou Q., Rudolph M., Roy N., Sanchez-Vives M., Contreras D., Destexhe A.: Reconstructing synaptic background activity from conductance measurements in vivo. Neurocomputing 65-66: 673-678, 2005.
Civillico E.F., Contreras D.: Integration of whisker responses in supragranular barrel cortex studied with optical recordings in vivo. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 31, 2005.
Cardin J.A., Palmer L., Contreras D.: Contrast-dependent variability of the membrane response in primary visual cortex neurons in vivo. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 31, 2005.
Finkel L.H., Contreras D.: Mechanisms of neural computation. Neural Engineering. B. He (eds.). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Page: 263-288, 2005.
Fisher J.A., Civillico E.F., Contreras D., Yodh A.G.: In vivo fluorescence microscopy of neuronal activity in three dimensions by use of voltage-sensitive dyes. Optics Letters 29: 71-73, 2004.
Wilent W.B., Contreras D.: Synaptic responses to whisker deflections in rat barrel cortex as a function of cortical layer and stiumulus intensity. Journal of Neuroscience 24: 3985-3998, 2004.
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Last updated: 09/17/2018
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Last updated: 09/17/2018
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


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Executive Summary
Insurance in Argentina industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market size (value 2010-14, and forecast to 2019). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market. Essential resource for top-line data and analysis covering the Argentina insurance market. Includes market size data, textual and graphical analysis of market growth trends, leading companies and macroeconomic information.
The insurance market consists of the non-life insurance sector and the life insurance sector. The value of the market is shown in terms of gross premium incomes. The life insurance sector consists of mortality protection and annuity. The non-life insurance sector consists of accident and health, and property and casualty insurance segments. The insurance market depends on a variety of economic and non-economic factors, and future performance is difficult to predict. The forecast given in this report is intended as a rough guide to the direction in which the market is likely to move. This forecast is based on a correlation between past market growth and growth of base drivers, such as house price growth, GDP growth and long-term interest rates. All currency conversions have been calculated at constant annual 2013 average exchange rates.
The Argentinian insurance market is expected to generate total gross written premiums of USD 20.6bn in 2014, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% between 2010 and 2014.
The non-life insurance segment is expected to be the market's most lucrative in 2014, with total gross written premiums of USD 16.6bn, equivalent to 80.3% of the market's overall value.
The performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 11% for the five-year period 2014-2019, which is expected to drive the market to a value of USD 34.7bn by the end of 2019.
Key Findings
Save time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the size, growth, and leading players in the insurance market in Argentina
Use the Five Forces analysis to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the insurance market in Argentina
Leading company profiles reveal details of key insurance market players' global operations and financial performance
Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the Argentina insurance market with five year forecasts
Macroeconomic indicators provide insight into general trends within the Argentina economy
Reasons To Buy
What was the size of the Argentina insurance market by value in 2014?
What will be the size of the Argentina insurance market in 2019?
What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the Argentina insurance market?
How has the market performed over the last five years?
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Company Brochure


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Justin Guarini and Kerry Butler to Host Times Square Tony Awards Simulcast
Clear Channel Spectacolor, a brand division of Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO), in partnership with the Times Square Alliance and the City of New York, announced today the sixth annual simulcast of the Tony Awards on June 8th in Times Square. Clear Channel Spectacolor is Co-Producer of the 2014 simulcast and an official media partner of the 68th Annual Tony Awards. The event will be co-hosted by past Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler and singer Justin Guarini.
"Clear Channel Spectacolor has been a producing partner of the popular Tony's Simulcast since its conception," said Harry Coghlan, President, Clear Channel Outdoor New York. "The Broadway community is the heartbeat of Times Square, and we are proud to offer this uniquely New York outdoor viewing experience to resident and visiting Broadway fans in celebration the best of the best along 'The Great White Way'."
The Times Square simulcast event will commence at 7:00pm and will air portions of the Tony Awards Red Carpet courtesy of NY1. The entirety of the Tony Awards show, including the Creative Arts Awards which can only otherwise be seen live inside Radio City Music Hall, will also be broadcast at the event. The outdoor celebration of Broadway will also feature special guest appearances.
NY1's extended red carpet coverage, On STAGE's Live Red Carpet to the Tony's kicks-off the star-studded evening with hosts Donna Karger, Patrick Pacheco, Frank DiLella, and Stephanie Simon, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., available to TWC NEWS, NY1. From 7:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., Stephanie Simon keeps the energy high in Times Square with guests from The Great White Way and feature stories in advance of the Tony Awards' viewing party.
The 68th Annual Tony Awards will broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on CBS, on Sunday, June 8th, 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay) and are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
Theatre lovers will have a front seat to all the action as the NY1 lead-in programs and CBS' telecast of the Tony Awards will presented in Times Square. The simulcast will take place rain or shine, with full audio and seating for 1,000 guests starting at 7:00 pm on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd Streets. The event is free and open to the public.
"We are thrilled to once again be hosting the Tony Awards Simulcast in Times Square. The event has become a New York tradition and a destination for theatre fans to celebrate the Tony Awards along with their favorite Broadway stars," said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing. "There is truly nothing like the experience of celebrating Broadway's biggest night in the heart of Times Square."
Co-host, Kerry Butler was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2008 for her role inXanadu. Currently, Butler is starring in Under My Skin at The Little Shubert Theater. Co-host Justin Guarini was first runner-up on the debut season of American Idol and is now starring in Broadway's Wicked as Fiyero.
"Times Square has always been known for two things - the spectacular signs and the Broadway theaters. This event brings the two together to showcase the Broadway's biggest night right here in our Town Square," said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance.
For up-to-the-minute news follow Clear Channel Outdoor on Twitter.com/CCOutdoorNA
Visit TonyAwards.com, and follow the Tonys at Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards, @TheTonyAwards on Twitter, and Instagram.com/TheTonyAwards. #TonyAwards
Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski


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Galler.ee offers professional photographers unlimited access to hundreds of fully customizable stationery pieces and business tools for $20 per month - a price low enough to cause a disruption in the notoriously inflated industry.
(PRWEB) January 24, 2013
Online startup Galler.ee Inc. announced the launch of their new website last month, featuring some of the photography industry's most visually stunning and content-rich graphic design templates. The site offers professional photographers unlimited access to hundreds of customizable stationery pieces, business tools, as well as unique written content in their templates, all for $20 per month—a hallmark low-price amidst a notoriously inflated industry.
At the head of Galler.ee is the international award-winning designer Rebecca Shostak, 27, and a tiny team of creative talent. Their vast experience in the design-for-photographers market has led Galler.ee into the photographic industry spotlight. "I wanted to do something groundbreaking," said Shostak, "I created a business whose product was so quality and whose price was so low photographers would have to think twice before believing their eyes. It worked."
Shostak attributes her company's success to a strong customer service experience. "I heard Galler.ee's customer service is legendary, and it's true!" agreed Photographer Beverly Bestpitch. Industry mogul Mark Lutz (of Digital Wedding Forum) confirms, "One thing is for sure. When you buy a Galler.ee template you're buying professional quality backed by some of the best customer service in the entire photo industry."
Galler.ee's fresh approach to design has not gone unnoticed in the photographic community. "We're seeing a lot of competitors coming out with strikingly similar products to our own," says Shostak, "but the quality isn't there and the price is much higher. We were the first to offer marketing magazine templates with fully written articles for photographers to customize and present to their clients. Now everyone's trying to do it. We also come out with new products every single week and our competitors can't keep up in terms of new content or pricing. Photographers just starting out don't have a lot of capital to work with, and we're very sensitive to that. We give them the best bang for their buck."
Galler.ee customers, such as Photographer Cynthia Olkie, agree. "After discovering Galler.ee...I knew I had found a treasure. I have seen many others make templates...but not the way Galler.ee does it. They are beautiful, timeless and classic; and to top it off the service is outstanding. They will be seeing more of me."
Shostak has big plans for her small team in 2013. "We're going to keep raising the bar in terms of quality and quantity this year. Some of our clients consider us their 'best-kept secret'; that won't last for long!"