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A Culture of Faux Choice Meets Divine Mercy: Why There's Hope for Life After Abortion
An interview with Theresa Bonopartis, director of Lumina post-abortive ministry.
There's a lot of pain out there. Women and men. Regret and sorrow. But if you've participated in an abortion in one way or another, you can heal. There is mercy.
That's the message of Christianity, and it's for everyone, even the mom who went through with an abortion. Even a baby's father who pressured a woman to get one because he didn't know how to or want to acknowledge that he was, in fact, a father.
Theresa Bonopartis is director of Lumina/Hope & Healing After Abortion, a post-abortion ministry in New York, a project of Good Counsel Homes. At the end of Respect Life Month, she talks about her work, exposing the pain to daylight, so that others may seek God's healing love.
How did you find yourself at Lumina?
David Reardon from the Elliot Institute got a grant to begin a post-abortion outreach in New York because of the rate of abortions here. He asked Chris Bell from Good Counsel Homes to take on the ministry. I had known them both for years, I am post-abortive myself and had been doing post-abortion work, so they approached me to run it.
Is it possible to not regret an abortion?
I think it goes against our very nature as women and all that God intended. Sure, there are women who say they do not regret it, but I think that is a denial, a rationalization. I have had women as old as 93 call [(877) 586-4621) about abortions they had in their 20s. Sooner or later, it catches up to you. It may be when you have other children, or it may come up as a result of some other issue, like a failing relationship or, perhaps when you know your life is going to end. Sooner or later, it is before you.
The other aspect is: Would you really want to be able to kill your child and not have it bother you? I always say I am glad it bothered me. Once, I was interviewed, and the journalist asked me if my faith made me feel guilty. I told her, "No — seeing my dead son made me feel guilty." I was forced to abort by my dad. I was a teenager and, like many teens, had hidden my pregnancy for months, so I had a saline abortion. In a saline [abortion], you go into labor and give birth; in my case, to a dead baby boy. In some ways, as horrific as it was, seeing him was also a blessing, because I always knew the truth of what had happened: an innocent life was taken. I remember when it was over thinking: How in the world can this be allowed? I just could not understand it.
Sometimes having a child is traumatic.
Sure, there are circumstances where having a child is very difficult, but no matter how hard it is, it is never as hard as knowing you participated in taking the life of your own child. We are supposed to be protectors.
Why do you have a pregnancy-after-abortion brochure?
Women who have had abortions oftentimes are tormented in subsequent pregnancies. They often see it as payback time — fear God will get back at them for aborting. They are not able to see that his desire is to heal them, not punish them. One of the women from our ministry who recently had a child was afraid during her entire pregnancy that her baby would die or, surely, something would be wrong.
She suffered panic attacks and was not able to enjoy her pregnancy because of those fears. That is not uncommon for post-abortive women. We have the brochure to try to alleviate those fears in women, to let them know God does not work that way — that he is merciful.
A marriage counselor told you to forget about your abortion. Is that a frequent problem?
Unfortunately, yes. It has gotten much better than it was. At least now there are professional counselors out there who do acknowledge post-abortion stress, but there are still so many who continue to deny the experiences of those of us who had abortions. It is terrible because it keeps the person isolated and alone thinking she is crazy for (having) her feelings. Imagine not having those feelings validated, as if taking the life of your child and having an issue because of it is unacceptable, when, in reality, it makes all the sense in the world. It is just not a normal thing to do.
What is "social abortion"?
Women often feel socially aborted before they ever set foot into a clinic. That is so true. We speak about China, but, in a much more subtle way, there is tons of coercion here. Parents who pressure a child, a husband, boyfriend, pressures at work, unvoiced pressures, colleges that have abortion available but no day care, making girls feel like they have no choice if they want their education. I know I was socially aborted.
I was kicked out of my home with no job, no money, and no place to go. ... In many ways, I was aborted by all those I thought loved me until I gave in to their pressure to abort. Of course, I ultimately made the decision and hold responsibility, but I am not an isolated case. Many women are coerced in many different ways. Most times it is not a "free choice," even though she may be led to believe it is through manipulation and silent pressure. I often say to people who question how anyone can abort, "Be grateful you don't know how."
Why is Our Lady of Czestochowa so important to you and your work?
I never knew who she was until I began this work, then, all of a sudden, she was everywhere. One time, I was even given a novena to her for my penance in confession. Of course, it spiked my curiosity, and I began to read about her. I was already doing post-abortive work. The more I read, the more I felt like it was no coincidence that she had come into my life. In prayer, I felt as though she was telling me she wanted to be patroness of my post-abortive work.
If you know the icon, she has a scar on her cheek. The painting is said to have been done by St. Luke. St. Helena gave it to her son, Constantine the Great, who then erected a church at Constantinople dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary. There, it became very famous, and many graces and miracles were received by all who prayed before it. It was in the reign of Casmir the Great that the icon made its way to Poland and was placed in the Castle of Belz, which was attacked by Tartars. The bow of a tartar warrior entered the chapel and struck the throat of the virgin, a mark that to this day remains. Many attempts were made to restore the icon, but no matter what was done or how various artists covered the scars, they would reappear again. It was obvious Our Lady was making a statement, and it was then that I realized the significance of the icon in my life. Many attempts were made to cover the scars, but they just reappeared. To me, it made such sense. It was like the post-abortive woman. Society denies
her "scars," but no matter how hard she tries to cover them, they continue to reappear; hence, she is our patroness.
Why is Divine Mercy so important?
What is there if there is not Mercy himself? Divine Mercy was so instrumental in my personal healing, which was a very profound experience. It is only in the light of his mercy that I believe we can look honestly at our abortion experience and begin to heal. If we do not know his unconditional love and forgiveness, how can we honestly look at such a horrific thing? It is only in relationship with him, knowledge of his mercy and love for us, that we have the courage to look. I often say to those we serve: Healing is not about us and what we did; it is about him and what he did. He died on the cross for our sins. He paid back the debt; that is where our healing is. It is so easy to get caught up in focusing on ourselves and a million reasons why we are unforgivable or what we deserve. Do we deserve his mercy? No — but that is what makes it all the more precious; it is freely given. Nothing we can do can make up for our abortions, but the beautiful thing is: We do not have to make up for them because he already has.
What does it mean to "Enter Canaan," which is all over Lumina's website?
This was another revelation through prayer. The name of the ministry also came to me before the Blessed Sacrament. At first, I could not figure it out, but then, when I read the story of the Israelites traveling to the Promised Land, it made such sense. The road to post-abortion healing is difficult, and, surely, we face many emotional and spiritual battles, but like with them, God promises to be with us on the journey until we reach the promised land of healing. "I will always be with you. I will never abandon you. Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:5,6, 9b). The neatest part of all of this was when I realized they got to the Promised Land in the book of Joshua, which is the name I gave to my aborted son. God is so good. It was such a confirmation.
How important are the post-abortion retreats?
I think they are critical: time with others who have experienced the same things you are going through; to be able to have feelings validated and to share with one another, especially to share things that help in healing. But, of course, also the time before the Blessed Sacrament and the opportunity for the sacraments.
Is religion the only way to heal?
Of course there can be healing on a psychological level. You can learn about the dynamics of abortion and how it has impacted you, but I do not believe you can be healed to your core unless you go to the only true healer: Mercy himself.
How can we speak with more love about abortion? Why should we?
I think there are so many wonderful people in the pro-life movement, but, sometimes, there is a lot of judgment. There is more than one way to abort someone. Countless numbers of people have left the Church because they felt judged, even though the Church has really been offering God's mercy before anyone else. Still, in many places, we hear about the wrong of abortion all the time, which is okay; but we do not hear about God's forgiveness and mercy with it all the time. People forget that God loves those separated from him because of abortion as much as he loves the babies. We are all his children, and none of us deserve heaven. There but for the grace of God we are all capable of any sin. Of course, that does not excuse abortion, but to those afraid to make known his mercy because they believe that people will then think it is okay to have an abortion, I would say: No one can know more than us how terrible it is. Just because you may not see the suffering, because someone is in denial, etc., does not mean it is not there.
It is wonderful that self-sacrificing people are out there trying to prevent abortion, but we all also need to realize most women do not want abortion and often feel like they could not save their own babies.
Any babies that are saved are saved by an opening of the heart to the grace of God that then gives courage and changes minds.
In the end, abortion ends in the same place as healing begins: the cross of Christ crucified. He is the only one who heals, and he is the only one who can end abortion.
Tell me about the "Hope Memorial," which is an artist's portrayal of Jesus handing a baby to a mother. How does such an image help a woman, a culture?
I love that so much. Years ago, I began a group with some post-abortive moms called "Reclaiming Our Children." I have always felt that it was God's desire for us to be reunited to our children — to reclaim them. Obviously impossible in a human sense in this world, but, surely, spiritually it does happen. They are not abstract children; they are ours. He was my son; she was someone else's daughter. I have always loved that memorial so much because, for me, that is exactly what is happening: He is giving us the chance to reclaim our children by actually handing them to us in his mercy and compassion.
The statue makes clear that the children are not abstract — they belong to a family God created. It is where they belong in his design.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is editor-at-large of National Review Online and a nationally syndicated columnist.


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10 free apps for astronomy fans
The recent lunar eclipse has everyone skygazing. If you have a newfound interest in the stars, these apps will help you spot, name and learn more about celestial bodies. The recent blood moon had sky gazers flocking outside to see the beautiful lunar eclipse, and likely instilled a curiosity about the night sky in many. If you find yourself wanting to know more about stars, planets and other objects in our universe, all you need is a smartphone and one or two of the following free apps.
This app has all the basics you could want in an easy-to-use interface. View the sky in 2-D or 3-D, and navigate simply by moving your iPhone. It will tell you when planets are visible, and even has rotating globes of our solar system's planets and Earth's moon. (iPhone)
Star & Planet Finder
This app features an augmented reality display that guides you to the star you've selected to view. It shows data about each planet, and includes maps for tracking constellations and satellites. There are $0.99 upgrades for additional celestial bodies. (iPhone)
Star Chart
One of the most popular free astronomy apps out there, Star Chart uses augmented reality to look at the sky, and shows you just what you're looking at using a 3-D simulation of the night sky. You can use it during daylight hours to view what constellations are drown out by the sun's light. Planets in our solar system (including 3-D details) and more than 120,000 stars are included. (iPhone and Android)
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Less interested in real-time star-gazing and more interested in simply great images of the universe? This app provides a new photo every day. You can also shake your phone to get a random image, or you can browse through the archives of NASA's high resolution images of space and all its amazingness.(iPhone)
Moon Atlas
Explore the moon in all it's detail using a 3-D globe on your phone. Zoom in to a place to get more details, including labels of objects and locations — over 1,800 features are included. Double tap to get more information about features you're most interested in. (iPhone)
SkyView® Free - Explore the Universe
Using augmented reality, simply point your phone at the sky and you'll be able to identify galaxies, stars, constellations and satellites at any time of day or night. You can time travel to the past or future to see what a sky looked like on a certain date. Because neither WiFi nor GPS are needed.(iPhone)
A great app to use to guide you in where to point your telescope. Just strap the phone onto the optical tube assembly and you'll get a PUSHTO guide that will help you locate different stars or planets you're interested in viewing. (Android)
This great app is meant to be used outdoors, and doesn't need you to calibrate the gyroscope compass in your phone or even hold your phone level to be able to navigate the night sky above you. Planets are shown with relative brightness to stars, and you get a 180-degree display. Information about the objects within view is displayed in pop-ups so you can keep your gloves on during chilly nights. Look up stars by name, distance or magnitude.
Night Sky 2 Lite
With high quality imagery of the constellations and sky tracking, you can navigate the night sky easily by moving your phone or use the search tool to find a particular constellation, planet or star. You can also take part in the Night Sky Community and share or learn more about ideal star-gazing locations around the world. It also provides weather updates so you know the best times for star-gazing. (iPhone & Android )

subset: commoncrawl


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UnNews:Dr Congo opens centre for rapists
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
6 February 2011
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- Dr Congo has opened a new centre to facilitate the rape of many people, females in particular. The new "City of Joy" -- which is essentially a free, government sponsored orgy camp -- is intended to help women become sexual activists and community pleasers. Dr Congo told state media that rape should be better organized. Rather than taking to the streets with machetes, sexually agitated males can relieve themselves in the new rape center.
Due in part to Dr Congo's autocratic approach to rape, the Democratic Republic of Congo is now called the "rape capital of the world." This is because of the high incidence of sexual abuse during its long history. Both rebels and government troops have been accused of mass rapes. But Dr Congo has found the solution in better organizing rape as a government service.
Congo told the media through an interpreter that it was traumatizing for a man to have to rape an unwilling woman – it reflects badly on their sex appeal and gives rise to inferiority complex in males. Women are also traumatized when they are forcibly raped. But with the new rape center men get to rape willing women, and women have a place to go to get willingly raped.
Dr Congo gave the media some examples which demonstrate the need for a rape center:
- Before there was a rape center, a local army commander was arrested last Jan for leading the gang rape of at least 50 women in the town of Fizi.
- In August 2010, rebel forces were accused of raping hundreds of women, girls, men and boys around the town of Luvungi.
- The UN recorded some 411,000 rapes in 2010 - the true figure is believed to be much higher.
The new $1,500 centre, funded by the UN Rape Agency in partnership with Dr Congo, was opened by UN special envoy on sexual violence Margot Wallstrom in the eastern city of Bukavu.
US author Eve Ensler, who wrote the best-selling book and play The Vagina Monologues, helped set up the Vagina-Day movement to better organize sexual violence through proper management of the City of Joy rape center. "The whole idea is to create a place where men who perpetrate gender violence and are often the strongest men, can develop to become the next leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo," she told the BBC.
Ensler said it was not a brothel because there is no charge, and the raped women are free to come whenever they please. Many women have been engaged to staff the centre. About 9,000 girls at a time will serve a minimum of six months in the large communal orgy house. Although free to visit as they please women are not free to leave until their service period is over.
After serving as sex toys the girls will then return to their communities to spread the knowledge they acquired in the centre, especially Internet use, junk mail, and AIDS. The BBC's Thomas Hubert who spoke with Dr Congo says the promoters of the project are confident that it will change the role of women, and the level of violence directed against them.
- Staff "New DR Congo centre for rape victims opens" BBC, Feb 6, 2011


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Every year I wage war against the evil Thrushie Bird, the prize being my delicious mangoes. This year a new and unlikely villain has appeared on the scene.
This fellow is even worse than the thrushie. He has a big beak abnd takes big bites. In this case the thrushie got jealous when it saw the parrot eating a mango and scared it away.
But this year I get up early in the morning (the early bird) and harvest the ripe ones before the "teefs" arrive.


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Bisons take opener in Allentown
All season long, the Bisons have been a comeback team. Apparently, that hasn't changed even if there are no playoffs in the Herd's future.
Comeback victory #33 came on Friday night at Coca-Cola Park as Buffalo rallied from four runs down to defeat the IronPigs, 7-4. All seven runs came with two outs as the Herd fought back from an early deficit the night after their post season hopes had ended.
Simply put, the 2010 Bisons are a team that will fight for all 144 games on the schedule.
Against Lehigh Valley, the Herd trailed 4-0 after five innings before the rally started with a five-run sixth inning where all of the runs scored were unearned.
Russ Adams reached base on a fielding error by second baseman Ozzie Chavez. But Adams was only at first base with two outs as the inning seemed innocent enough. Then, Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew a walk and Mike Cervenak singled to load the bases.
Buffalo followed with three consecutive walks to score runs with Zach Lutz, J.R. House and Valentino Pascucci earning free passes. Jesus Feliciano then singled home two more runs for the 5-4 advantage.
An inning later, Lutz hit his first Triple-A home run, a two-run shot with two outs, to give Buffalo the 7-4 lead.
Michael Antonini worked five innings to earn his second win of the season. Both victories have come in Coca-Cola Park against the IronPigs. Michael O'Connor struck out three in 1.1 innings of work to earn his sixth save of the season.
BISONS NOTES:Zach Lutz finished the game 2-3 with two runs scored and three RBI…Jose De La Torre struck out four batters in two innings of relief for Buffalo…The Bisons are now 10-5 against Lehigh Valley this season, the first time in three years the Herd won the season series.


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Yes, this is an actual medical condition. Purple Urine Bag Syndrome is exactly what it sounds like - patients with catheters are alarmed to find that the urine in their collection bags turns a deep purple. It can last for as long as two years, and it can be set off by turkey. With the holidays coming, can you afford not to find out about this syndrome?
Few people are in a very good mood when they've got a catheter. Even fewer are in a good mood when they're constipated. But the mood provoked by seeing the tube, and then the bag attached to the catheter, turn purple, has to be the worst of all. Doctors have reported people around the world complaining that their urine turned red, blue, and dark purple in their urine collection bags. It came to be known as Purple Urine Bag Syndrome, which translates into Latin as "purpura urina sacculo," in case doctors ever want to dress it up. The two compounds responsible for this syndrome are indigo and indirubin, but they take a circuitous route to show up.
The route starts with tryptophan - yes, the kind found in milk and turkey. As it moves through the digestive system it is turned to indole, and then to indoxyl sulfate. Constipation keeps tryptophan in the intestine longer, and leaves more indoxyl sulfate going through the system. If everything were normal, indoxyl sulfate might stay as it is, and make its way out of the body in the urine. When people have Purple Urine Bag Syndrome, it has to share space with various kinds of bacteria. These bacteria, present in the urine as a result of infection, shear the indoxyl sulfate of its sulfate, leaving indoxyl. If the urine is alkaline, having a pH greater than 7, the indoxyl breaks down into indirubin and indigo. The exact ratio of these compounds decide the color of the urine. With certain bacteria, it has even turned green.
Treating Purple Urine Bag Syndrome is relatively simple in theory - just treat the bacterial infection. But people who have a catheter over a long period of time can be prone to infections, and some patients have the syndrome for two years. Worth it for turkey? You decide.
Amethyst Image: William Warby


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - Personal information Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Personal information Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message haruka730Joined: 11 May 2009Posts: 1Location: Japan Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject: Personal information It is said to personal information should be protected now a days. But, it is not protected at all. Our personal information is flooded. For example, many direct mail are sent. When we register on the Internet site, we must tell own name, mail address, and so on. Moreover, we can't understand how this information is going. If we want to protect our personal information, it can't do as it stands. How is it like in your country? Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Opinions All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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Microsoft's cloud infrastructure and Windows Azure public cloud platform received a Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO) from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board. The board is comprised of representatives from the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the General Services Administration (GSA).
A P-ATO approval eases the process of obtaining federal contracts by ensuring that vendors have gone through the proper security assessment, authorization and monitoring. The authorization covers both infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings.
[ How has cloud computing in government evolved in 2013? See 10 Ways Government Clouds Have Changed This Year. ]
The approval process hasn't been easy for agencies in the past. Complicated security requirements called for reevaluation of already approved platforms whenever a new agency wanted to deploy it. FedRAMP has changed that by creating a standardized approach.
"This not only opens the door for faster cloud adoption, but helps agencies move to the cloud in a more streamlined, cost-effective way," Susie Adams, chief technology officer for Microsoft's federal division, wrote in a blog post.
That addition of Microsoft's offerings comes at critical time as agencies prepare for a June 2014 FedRAMP deadline to meet prescribed security requirements. "It is paramount for cloud service providers and agencies to get compliant ATOs in place," said Matt Goodrich, program manager for FedRAMP's Program Management Office at the U.S. General Services Administration, in a prepared statement. "[Microsoft's provisional authorizations for Windows Azure] demonstrates that different types of cloud services -- public to private and infrastructure to software -- can meet the rigorous security requirements for FedRAMP," he said.
Microsoft received the highest level of FedRAMP P-ATO available, and it's the first public cloud platform with infrastructure services and platform services. Windows Azure is used to build, deploy and manage applications and services through Microsoft-managed datacenters, Adams explained. Microsoft datacenters were also evaluated by the FedRAMP board. "Other Microsoft cloud services are ultimately better aligned to meet these security controls as well," Adams added.
Other companies that have received P-ATO accreditation include AT&T, HP, CGI Federal, Autonomic Resources and Lockheed Martin. Most recently, Amazon was granted authorization in May for AWS GovCloud with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), while Akamai got FedRAMP approval in September for its globally distributed, publicly shared cloud platform for federal agencies.
Despite all the effort to move agencies to the cloud, the already lengthy process could get even longer in light of Tuesday's government shutdown. Members of the House and Senate couldn't reach a deal to fund government operations before Oct. 1, resulting in a closure that will last until a funding bill is passed. The disruption is likely to affect the adoption of cloud services and slow down existing projects, according to industry experts, and could potentially push back projects by several months.


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Eclipse hunters set a new record on July 11 for the longest eclipse ever observed by civilians chasing the moon in an airplane. While hundreds of eclipse enthusiasts flocked to islands in the South Pacific to watch the moon blot out the sun, astronomer Glenn Schneider and colleagues climbed to 39,000 feet to spend 9 minutes, 23 seconds in the moon's shadow.
"We cheated Mother Nature by two minutes beyond what she could normally produce," Schneider said.
Theoretically, the longest total solar eclipse that can be viewed from the ground is 7 minutes, 32 seconds long, a limit set by the geometry of celestial mechanics. Total solar eclipses happen when the new moon passes in front of the sun, casting a round shadow on the Earth that turns day to night. During the few minutes when the moon is directly in front of the sun, called totality, viewers get a rare glimpse of the solar corona, tendrils of gas that dance around the sun's outer atmosphere. Although a solar eclipse is visible from somewhere on Earth every 16 months or so, totality is only ever visible from a narrow swatch of the planet.
The geometry of the July 11 eclipse worked out such that, by chasing the moon's shadow at Mach 0.8, Schneider and his colleagues could stretch totality to from about 5 minutes to nearly 9 and a half minutes.
"It's something we're never going to be able to do again," Schneider said. "It was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up."
Related Stories
The plane also provided "weather insurance," Schneider said. The path of totality for the eclipse crossed the Pacific Ocean, grazing the Cook Islands, Easter Island, parts of French Polynesia and the southern tip of South America. Although there were clear skies for the actual event, the region's annual weather records suggested that the odds of clouds blocking the eclipse were no better than 50/50, even from the best land-based viewing spots. Getting above the clouds guaranteed a clear view, plus superb shots of the corona contrasted against a dark sky.
Schneider's flight took off from Faa'a International Airport on the island of Tahiti at 5:45 a.m. local time. On board were eclipse chasers Rick Brown and John Beattie, NASA eclipse predictor Fred Espenak, about 30 paying passengers who contacted Brown through the website eclipse-chasers.com, and four officials from the Tahitian government.
The group flew in a specially configured jet aircraft from Skytraders Antarctic Solutions, an aviation company that ferries scientists and equipment from Australia to Antarctica. The crew removed all the seats from the left side of the plane to give an unobstructed view from the sun-facing windows.
A few minutes before totality, the plane turned to face the approaching lunar shadow head-on. Schneider and his colleagues watched the shadow zoom toward the plane from a hundred miles away, engulfing the clouds below in darkness.
"It looked like the end of the world, this black shadow coming at us," said Brown, who is a commodity trader by profession but has been organizing group eclipse viewings since 1991. "It was very, very surreal." As the shadow came closer, the observers could see daylight at its far edge, like a miniature sunrise in the middle of the day.
The plane made a right-angle turn to intercept the moon's shadow at about 9:15 a.m. At the moment of totality, the plane fell quiet.
"Normally on the ground there's a lot of screaming, oohing and aahing, and a lot of noise going on, but for some reason it was very quiet in the plane," Brown said. "People were astounded."
The plane flew along with the shadow at 500 miles per hour, about a third of the shadow's speed across the Earth's surface. At that speed, the time in totality stretched from the 5 minutes, 20 seconds visible from the ground to 9 minutes, 23 seconds. It was the longest totality ever observed from a non-experimental and non-military aircraft. Brown said the team is submitting a DVD to the Guinness Book of World Records.
The longest totality ever observed by an experimental aircraft was 74 minutes, captured by a supersonic Concorde aircraft in 1973. Schneider's first attempt to beat celestial geometry would have come close to that. For the June 2001 eclipse, he made plans to fly in the moon's shadow for over an hour in an Air France Concorde plane. But just days before the final planning meeting with the airline, Air France Flight 4590 crashed in Gonesse, France, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground. All Concordes were grounded a few days later.
"That was the end of that plan," Schneider said. "Since then, it was always in the back of my head: When can I do something like that again?"
The July 11 eclipse was the fourth eclipse Schneider observed from the air. Since his first total solar eclipse as a 14-year-old in North Carolina in 1970, Schneider has chased 29 eclipses from Australia to Zambia, catching a few minutes of eerie darkness from land, air and sea. He boasts that he has lost just 3.7 eclipses to clouds. That 0.7 was from partly cloudy skies over Wuhan, China on July 22, 2009, which blocked his view of the longest total solar eclipse visible from the ground for more than a century. Of what should have been 5 minutes, 40 seconds of totality, Schneider caught just a minute and a half.
The next total solar eclipse will be visible from Australia and the South Pacific on November 13, 2012. After that comes an eclipse on the vernal equinox, March 20, 2015, which will be visible from the North Pole. Viewers in the United States will luck out in 2017, when the moon's shadow will cross diagonally from Oregon to South Carolina. Schneider plans to be there for all of them.
"I could not think of missing one. It's more of an addiction than a hobby. I think most eclipse chasers would tell you that," he said. Like many of his fellow eclipse enthusiasts, Schneider is easily prompted into waxing sentimental about the experience.
"You feel your place in the solar system, and the weight of the universe. It almost sounds corny, but it's not," he said. "People think we're fanatical, until they see one themselves. If you haven't seen one yourself, you absolutely have to. It will change your life."
Images: Glenn Schneider and Rick Brown. The top image is a composite of five pictures from the flight.


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Play this simple game.
What you'll need:
- a voice recorder (blackberry, obviously)
- a group of friends (if they're gossiping friends, all the better for the purposes of the game)
- a moral sense of right and wrong (so no psychopaths..or if you want to catch psychopaths then play this game)
The rules are: there are no rules. Just switch the voice recorder on, and put it in the middle of a conversation where everyone can see.
Then talk.
I played something to this effect and the responses were very..intriguing.
"Sshhh, don't say that, we're recorded"
"*not saying anything but looking at the other person with a we're-being-recorded-silly look*"
I wonder how politicians feel. They say silly things on recordings all the time.
"With my kasyaf, I saw the hand of the devil when he wanted to shake hands with me"- member of a political party
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." - bush
"I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." —Barack Obama (duh)
"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." —President George W. Bush
Or maybe they're psychopaths. Which explains a lot of things.
Anyways, try it out with a group of friends..you'll be surprised at what people aren't willing to say on film..and while we were doing this, somebody pointed out
"Aren't we recorded all the time?"
And our recordings, good or otherwise, will be shown on The Day.
(Perghhh. Torn.)
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Friday, December 3, 2010
On loose cannons
Play this simple game.
Posted by The Author at 3:32 PM


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Oil & Gas Accountability Project
Earthworks' Oil & Gas Accountability Project serves drilling impacted communities around the country.
One way we do so is by working to reform government policies at the federal, state and local levels.
Federal reforms
Closing gaps in federal environmental oversight, like the Halliburton loophole in Clean Water Act, or the drilling exemption in the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), are what we work towards on the federal level.
Drill rigs close to homes, like this one in Washington, PA, demonstrate the need
for strong state-level landowner protections. Photo: Nadia Steinzor
The Frack Pack is one of our highest federal priorities.
State reforms
We work at the state level on many issues. That's because, thanks to federal drilling loopholes, the majority of drilling regulation occurs at the state level.
Among our state reform priorities:
- improving landowner protections -- as we have done in Colorado and New Mexico,
- strengthening environmental protections -- as we have done with the "pitless" rule in New Mexico,
- strengthening public health oversight -- as we did in Texas (with the town of DISH and Wilma Subra) by prodding the state environmental agency (TCEQ) into quicker reactions to drilling air pollution complaints.
At all levels we work to provide better enforcement of existing drilling oversight. We also provide model regulations to state and local jurisdictions to provide citizens and regulators a template for better oversight.
For more information:
- Earthworks: Loopholes for Polluters. Fact sheet.
- Hydraulic fracturing and the FRAC Act: Frequently Asked Questions. Joint fact sheet.


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Tips: Choose a size bigger than you usually wear...
All garments are unique, handmade and under the copyright of eFurs.co
They all eligible to global policies of producing and commercing.
Featuring a contoured footbed with grooves in the outsole for flexibility and natural motion. Super confy fur sandals.
Fur: Fox
Color: Lite Green
Made in Greece.
We would be happy to serve you!
Thank you for visiting!!!
1-4 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 14 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.


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Hi every body!
I am writing a java code which creates some signature using SHA1 and I want to store the signature in db. I used MYSQL and I put the signature in a column by VARCHAR type. when I fetch the signature to verify it, the 'Verification=signature.verify(Sign);" make an error which is :
invalid encoding for signature
Variable type of Sign is byte[]. but I fetch String type from DB. then I converted it to byte[] by :
I think this conversion spoils the signature.What shall I do? How can I make the encoding proper?
this is the code:
//create signature Signature signature = Signature.getInstance("DSA"); signature.initSign(privkey); signature.update(datatoSign); byte[] Sign=signature.sign(); mystatment.executeUpdate("UPDATE mytable SET sign = '"+Sign+"' "); //Now I a will fetch the tuple AND verfiy the signature by public key SQL="SELECT * FROM notebooks " rs=(stat.executeQuery(SQL)); Sign=rs.getString("sign").getBytes(); boolean Verification; signature.initVerify(pubkey); signature.update(datatoSign); Verification=signature.verify(Sign); //--------------this the error generating line
I am looking to here from you


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Is Samsung Making a Giant 'Galaxy Mega' Smartphone?
Samsung is reportedly working on a mid-range smartphone even larger than its "phablet," the Galaxy Note.
According to Korea's ET News, the handset will be called the Galaxy Mega, and will sport a whopping 6.3-inch screen, putting it almost on par with some of the smaller tablets out there, such as the 7-inch Nexus 7. ET News claims the phone will come with a dual-core Exynos processor and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, with a 2-megapixel forward-facing cam.
SamMobile is adding a little fuel to the rumor fire, claiming the Mega will have a 960 x 540 display, 1.4GHz Exynos processor, and 1GB of RAM. SamMobile thinks ET News is wrong, however, on the size of the device, suggesting that the Mega will have a 5.8-inch screen, only slightly larger (by 0.3 inches) than the Galaxy Note II.
Samsung announced the Galaxy S 4 during an event at Radio City Music Hall last month. The 5-inch smartphone has a 1920 x 1080 display, quad-core 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor (8-core 1.8GHz Exnyos 5 Octa processor overseas) and has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. Pre-orders for the Galaxy S 4 start April 16.
What do you think about the possibility of Samsung releasing a larger smartphone? Would you want a 5.8-inch or 6.3-inch smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
[via Engadget]
Image by Mashable


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2" x 3½" Business Card - Jam
Stir summertime sweetness into your project with pre-designed Jam templates. The delicious design features a realistic-looking assortment of summertime fruit, including purple grapes, oranges, strawberries, and bright-red cherries, each accented with green leaves and stems. Arrange the fruit together or use separate pieces as stand-alone accents. The design's white or matching-colour overlay provides space for adding custom text in a typed-looking font, while its charming country-chic plaid background (like the decorative fabric found on homemade jars of jam) comes in matching red, orange, or purple. The design works especially well for projects related to food and beverage. What's your jam? Get creative and customize your personal or professional project with printable pre-designed Jam templates today!
Shape: Rectangle
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Every time you pay your cell phone bill, buy a prepaid phone card or pay your cable television bill, you're also paying state and local taxes.
Every time you pay your cell phone bill, buy a prepaid phone card or pay your cable television bill, you're also paying state and local taxes that help fund cities, counties, school construction and university buildings.
This year, the combination of communications services taxes is projected to bring $1.4 billion to the state and $738 million to cities and counties. Another 50-cent-per-line fee provides $123 million for the operation of emergency 911 services.
And although Floridians pay some of the highest communications services tax rates in the nation — one industry analyst pegged it at fourth-highest — the revenue has recently been declining, pressuring local governments and limiting the state's ability to build and maintain schools, state college and university facilities.
Lawmakers are considering changes to clarify a system intended to be "simplified" when it was put in place barely a decade ago. Some now say it's time to streamline the system and make it more current with the rapidly changing phone, cable and communications technology.
But it will be a difficult field to navigate with the plethora of telecommunication companies and lobbyists, city and county governments and education advocates who all have a stake in the taxing system.
State Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, said he hopes to help make the taxing system more "fair and transparent."
Currently, the chairman of the House Finance and Tax Subcommittee said, Florida taxes its communication services "12 different ways from Sunday."
For example:
• There were 122 different local option communication tax rates charged in Florida last year, ranging up to 7.12 percent. Overall, Floridians paid an average of 14.21 percent in state and local taxes last year for most phone and cable services.
• The state charges only 2.37 percent for residential land lines, with local governments charging an average of 5.04 percent.
• There is no local communications services tax on satellite TV services, although the state imposes a 13.17 percent tax.
• More than one of every four wireless devices uses prepaid services, which have been considered exempt from the communication taxes, paying only the 6 percent state sales tax rate plus any local sales taxes.
City and county governments have made the issue one of their top concerns for the 2013 Legislature.
They have seen their revenue from local communications services taxes plummet from a high of $916 million in 2008-09 to a projected $738 million for this year. The local governments say they would support streamlining the system but want to protect a revenue source that is critical for their local communities.
Cragin Mosteller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Association of Counties, said the counties were willing to work on a reform plan that ensured "counties are not harmed."
Mosteller said counties across Florida cut $3 billion in the last five years, adding that many depend on the local communications services tax to fund critical services.
"Counties that have maintained a low CST should not see their citizens penalized with a rate increases or lose the ability to adjust rates should the need for additional revenues arise," he said.
Education advocates are also watching the debate closely because some of the communications services tax — including the gross receipts tax — is used to support borrowing for public school maintenance and construction, as well as for university and state college facilities.
In recent years, funding for the Public Education Capital Outlay program has all but dried up, while public schools are looking for funding to improve school safety and higher-education institutions are looking to revamp facilities for more science and technology programs.
Tax collections have been depressed in part by the Great Recession and its aftermath. But there have been clear trends in the telecommunication industry that have affected state and local revenue.
Increasing competition has driven down prices and therefore tax collections on those services. Others suggest that market saturation — nearly everyone owns a phone — is going to limit future growth.
Another factor is the growing use of prepaid phone services. House analysts said there were an estimated 17.9 million cell phones or other wireless devices in Florida in 2011, with more than 5 million of those — or 28 percent — using prepaid services.
As part of the 2001 telecommunications law, prepaid services were considered exempt from state and local communications taxes, but paid the 6 percent state sales tax as well as local sales taxes.
The state Department of Revenue recently determined those increasingly sophisticated prepaid services — which now include more than basic phone service — should be subject to the communications services tax.
Lawmakers are moving bills this spring to clarify that prepaid services should only be subject to the sales tax. The Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee unanimously approved a bill (SB 290) last week that allows the prepaid services to continue to pay the sales tax.
"We are simply modernizing our taxing system to recognize the changes in technology," said Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, who is sponsoring the measure.
Stephanie Smith, a spokeswoman for AT&T, which supports Galvano's bill, said the bill clarifies what has been an ongoing practice in the state, while preventing consumers from facing a tax increase that could jump from an average of 7.25 percent to more than 16 percent in some communities.
"Prepaid users tend to be lower-income Americans with limited access to credit and this burden would hurt Floridians that can least afford it," she said.
She also said the clarification should "not result in less revenue" for local governments. "It represents the current and widespread practice of retailers that sell prepaid calling arrangements," she said.
Workman wants legislation that will eliminate "guesswork and gamesmanship," and leave "the same tax for everybody no matter how you are getting your communications services."
"That would be my goal, if that is at all possible," he said.


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Demilune table tops #4: Crotch Mahogany Demilune Table
I finaly got the chance to get this table completed. I didn't like the way the legs looked, so I decided to add gold leaf to them. Made a big difference. The table looks much better with it. I used an imitation gold leaf, since I had some on hand. It looks good. Thanks for looking. Lee


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The Herd is a special White House 2012 series covering the obvious and not so obvious names that Mitt Romney may consider for Vice President. Each day, White House 2012 will introduce you to one of the many Republicans which we believe that will at least be considered for the vice presidency by the now inevitable presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
In addition to biographical information and a brief assessment of each potential nominee and their chances of being selected by Romney, White House 2012′s coverage also includes each potential nominee's voting records, as well as a listing of their public statements and links to their web sites.
Today White House 2012 offers a look at Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
|Marco Antonio Rubio (1971-05-28) May 28, 1971 (age 41) Miami, Florida
|Political party
|Jeanette Dousdebes
|Alma mater
|University of Florida (B.A.) University of Miami (J.D.)
|Roman Catholic
When it comes to Marco Rubio the question isn't will he be on anyones shortlist for VP. The question is who in their right mind would not pick Marco Rubio to be their Vice Presidential nominee? The forty year old Floridian is probably one of the three most conservative legislators in both Houses of Congresses but lacks the air of extremism that others like him carry, he comes from a critical swing state, and is the most popular elected figure in the state.
Given that President Obama is unlikely to be able to get re-elected without Florida, getting Rubio on the G.O.P. ticket would greatly limit the number of electoral combinations that will be available for the President to reach the 270 electoral votes needed. But if that wasn't good enough reason to have Marco as your running mate, his Hispanic background is a major plus too. Born to Cuban immigrants, Rubio has the ability to connect to the increasingly important and growing Hispanic voting bloc in America. Winning the Hispanic vote or at least a decent portion of it, will mean the difference between winning the presidency and losing the presidency for Republicans. Rubio's appeal would help in several states with large Hispanic populations, including the important swing state of New Mexico.
Beyond that, Rubio is bright, levelheaded, articulate, passionate, personable, and polished. Some of that polish came from his years as the youngest person to have ever served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. And when it comes to putting that political polish to work in a campaign, you must realize that we are talking about a man who was only 39 years old when he decided to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Florida and to do so by running against the state's popular incumbent Republican Governor who also wanted the nomination. Governor Charlie Crist had been considered the next Senator even as Rubio began his underdog campaign. But in time the underdog turned the tables around so quick, that Governor Crist dropped out of the Republican primary, because he knew Rubio was about to beat him the primary. In the end Rubio was handily elected and along the way, he became a hero to the TEA movement and shot of life in to the G.O.P.'s conservative base.
The only problem is, Marco Rubio has made it clear that he will not run for Vice President in 2012. But that can't exactly be written in stone. If duty calls, it is hard to say no. However, Rubio may just stick to his guns. He knows that he will someday be President, so long as he plays his cards right. I believe that Rubio wants to be sure that he paces himself. He does not intend to be a quick flash in the pan, and as such I really believe that he does not want to play second fiddle to anyone as their vice presidential running mate. He is waiting for the day when he picks the person that he wants to nominate as his vice presidential running mate.
- Rubio can attract Independent voters
- Appeals to younger voters
- Can help the G.O.P. win over Hispanic voters
- Can deliver Florida to Romney and Florida could make the difference between winning and losing the presidential election
- Rubio is an articulate, passionate campaigner
- Is a fresh face in politics
- Helps Romney with T.E.A. movement activists who are not particularly thrilled with Romney
- Being relatively new to national politics, Rubio is not quite as tested and vetted as other possible prospects for Vice President
All things considered, Rubio is probably the best choice Romney can make. However, Rubio has been firm in his declaring that he does not want to be Vice President. But the pressure that could come down on Rubio to take the nomination might be to much to bear. So early declarations may not be quite as definite as they seem and if it is determined that Florida is in fact the key to winning the White House, we could easily see a Romney-Rubio ticket.
Recent Key Votes
S 2343 – Prohibits Increase in Interest Rates for Student Loans (Reid Bill) Legislation (Nay), May 24, 2012
S Amdt 2153 – Prohibits Increase in Interest Rates for Student Loans (Lamar Bill) Amendment (Yea), May 24, 2012
More Key Votes
Bill Sponsorship & Co-Sponsorship
Some of Rubio's most recently sponsored bills include…
- S. 3221: A bill to amend the National Labor Relations Act to permit employers to …
- S.J.Res. 40: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, …
- S. 3083: Responsible Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Act of 2012
- S.Res. 446: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United Nations and …
- S. 2371: RAISE Act
- S. 2152: Syria Democracy Transition Act of 2012
- S. 2115: State Waters Partnership Act of 2012
View All » (including bills from previous years)
Rubio on the Issues
Filed under: Marco Rubio, The Herd, Vice Presidential Contenders | Tagged: 2012 Presidential Election, 2012 presidential election news, Anthony Del Pellegrino, Can Marco Rubio deliver conservatives to mitt Romney, Can Marco Rubio deliver Florida to Republicans, Can Marco Rubio win Florida for Mitt Romney, election news, First Hispanic president of the united states, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, kempite, long list, Marco Rubio, Marco Rubio bio, Marco Rubio Faith and Values Voters Summit speech, Marco Rubio first Hispanic Vice presidential nominee, Marco Rubio for Vice president, Marco Rubio voting record, Marco Rubio youtube, Marco Rubio's public statements, Mitt romney vice presidential screening process, mitt Romney's short list, possible republican vice presidential nominees, potential Republican vice presidential nominees, race for the white house, Republican, republican election news, republican vice president, republican vice presidential long list, Romney 2012, romney Marco Rubio 2012, Romney Rice, Romney to name Marco Rubio as his running mate, romney's vice presidential screening process, veep watch, vetting a potential vice presidential nominee, Vice President Marco Rubio, Vice President Rubio, vice presidential candidates, vice presidential choices, Vice presidential contenders, WH12, White House 2012, white house 2012 republican vice presidential contenders, whitehouse12.com, who will mitt romney pick, who will mitt romney pick to be his running mate, Will Marco Rubio be Mitt Romney's pick for Vice President, will Marco Rubio be on the republican presidential ticket, will Marco Rubio run for vice president, will mitt Romney pick Marco Rubio | Leave a comment »


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Considering a move? Make sure you consider these frugal factors when choosing where you're going to live.
Buying a home can be one of the most exciting things in your life...and the most unexpectedly expensive. Discover nine things you should budget for.
Whether you want plush carpet or gleaming hardwood, you can get high-quality flooring without paying crazy prices — just follow these suggestions.
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If you're in the market for a new home (new to you or new period), make sure you aren't paying premium prices for so-so materials, and don't underestimate the expenses and headache
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CENTERSTAGE and Westport Country Playhouse Announce INTO THE WOODS Team
CENTERSTAGE and Westport Country Playhouse announced today casting for their co-production of Into the Woods, and Broadway fans will be excited to hear that the original Little Red Riding Hood, Danielle Ferland, is making her way back Into the Woods. The production is set to run March 7-April 15 at CENTERSTAGE before moving to Westport Country Playhouse in May. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved fairy tale musical will be directed by Westport Country Playhouse's Artistic Director Mark Lamos.
"Into the Woods is a musical unlike any other," says Lamos. "With a book by James Lapine that veers cunningly between tragedy and comedy, and one of Stephen Sondheim's most sophisticated and playful scores, it re-imagines well-known fairy tales and imbues them with new possibilities. It's a challenging show-Sondheim's lyrics alone are dazzling in their own right-and one that really excites me to be directing, especially with this amazing cast of artists. The show can appeal to a very young theatergoer as well as a veteran. Mature audiences will appreciate its deeper soundings and rich, human colors. Enchantment is not without its dangers, the show seems to be saying; but at the same time, with our capacity to love, we become infinite, whole, meaningful, and truly human."
Danielle Ferland will return to CENTERSTAGE (where she previously appeared in 2001 in Short Plays by Thornton Wilder) as the Baker's Wife. Since making her Broadway debut in the original cast of Sunday in the Park with George, followed by Into the Woods, Ferland has appeared in numerous Broadway productions, including the recent revival of All My Sons with Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, and Katie Holmes; A Little Night Music; and The Crucible. She has also previously appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in The Streets of New York and The School for Husbands.
Lauren Kennedy, who appeared in the original cast of Side Show, will play the Witch. Kennedy has also been seen in Monty Python's Spamalot, Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close, and Cinderella with New York City Opera. Other prominent stage credits include South Pacific at The National Theatre in London; the world premiere of Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy's Waiting for the Moon; and developmental readings of Wildhorn and Murphy's musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure.
Appearing as Jack's Mother is Broadway veteran Cheryl Stern, whose extensive credits include the 2010 Tony Award-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles; The Women with Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Tilly, and Kristen Johnston; Candide with the New York City Opera; and Jackie Mason's Laughing Room Only, starring Kelsey Grammer.
Playing opposite Ferland as the Baker is Erik Liberman, whose credits include Harold Prince's LoveMusik on Broadway; numerous Off-Broadway roles; the North American tour of Fiddler on the Roof opposite Topol, Harvey Fierstein and Theodore Bikel; and Merrily We Roll Along at Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes Award). Jeffry Denman, who plays the Narrator, has been seen on Broadway as Phil Davis in White Christmas (originating the role at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco); the original cast of The Producers; as well as appearing in several productions with City Center Encores!. In the role of Little Red Ridinghood will be Dana Steingold, whose credits include the Encores! production of Anyone Can Whistle; the pre-Broadway workshop of Godspell; and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by James Lapine.
Fresh off the National 25th Anniversary Tour of Les Misérables are Jenny Latimer and Justin Scott Brown, who toured as Cosette and Marius, respectively. Latimer, who will play Cinderella, previously appeared in Westport Country Playhouse's production of She Loves Me, directed by Mark Lamos. Brown, who has also performed in the National Tour of Spring Awakening, will play Jack.
Alma Cuervo, who plays Cinderella's Stepmother, Granny, and voices the Giant, has an extensive list of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional credits, including the original casts of Titanic, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Beauty and the Beast, and Cabaret. She has also previously appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in Dancing at Lughnasa. Cinderella's stepsisters, Florinda and Lucinda, will be played by Nikka Lanzarone and Eleni Delopoulos. Lanzarone's Broadway credits include Velma Kelly in Chicago and the original Lincoln Center cast of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Delopoulos has appeared Off-Broadway and regionally in such productions as Two Gentlemen of Verona; the original cast of A Stoop on Orchard Street; Crossing Delancey; and The Phantom of the Opera.
Nik Walker will play the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince. He has most recently appeared as John in Miss Saigon at the Ogunquit Playhouse, as well as regional productions including RENT and Man of La Mancha. Robert Lenzi will join him as Rapunzel's Prince, having previously appeared in the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific and several films, including M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and The Happening.
Rapunzel and Cinderella's Mother will be played by Britney Coleman, who has appeared in Adam Rapp's production of Stop the Virgens, and the regional premiere of Tarzan: The Broadway Musical. Coleman also starred with fellow University of Michigan students in the internet cult phenomenon A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, alongside Glee's Darren Criss. Jeremy Lawrence completes the cast as the Mysterious Man. Lawrence has appeared in regional productions throughout the country, including at the Abingdon Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Antaeus Theatre Company, and The Mint.
Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, begins previews on Wednesday, March 7. The show opens on Wednesday, March 14, and closes April 15. Tickets are $10-$60, and can be ordered online at www.centerstage.org/woods, or by calling 410.332.0033. This production is supported by M&T Bank and Northrop Grumman, with additional funding from T. Rowe Price and Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann, LLP. The production's media partner is Maryland Public Television.
The State Theater of Maryland, CENTERSTAGE will soon announce its 50th Anniversary Season. The not-for-profit company serves as a local hub and national leader for smart, provocative, and entertaining theater and as a catalyst for conversation with the community. Each year, a consistently broad range of productions in two intimate performing spaces attracts highly diverse audiences of more than 100,000 people-including more than 8,000 fiercely loyal members, many of whom have been with the theater during its entire history. Additionally, CENTERSTAGE offers a variety of dramaturgical, community, and educational programs to broaden access and enhance the theatergoing experience.


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We looked at ten different ways to boost your mileage — and how they interfere with the "American way of life" — earlier. As proof that these techniques can make a difference, Ford claims internal tests show that practicing eco-driving improves mileage by an average of 24%. Ford and Pro Formance professionals coached 48 Phoenix-area residents for four days, recording mileage improvements between 6% and 50%, depending upon what type of driver the subject originally was and how adept they were at learning the new driving behaviors. Ford is rightfully touting their research, but they're also being realistic about its applications: The chances of converting even a small fraction of the general public into eco-drivers is slim. Fleet drivers are another matter, however: Since driving is their job, they can be trained and incentivized toward eco-driving. To that end, Ford recently imported several instructors from its German eco-driving training center to help train Ford fleet drivers. Curt Magleby, Ford's director of Governmental Affairs, explains:
We are talking with fleet owners first, because they have large numbers of vehicles and drivers that could realize significant benefit from such training. Ultimately, all drivers can benefit from practicing eco-driving, and one day it may be considered mandatory as part of all new drivers training.
New driver's training? Can someone tell him we don't do things like that over here. [Green Car Congress]


text: The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms. Throughout their career, they have been led by vocalist an… Read More


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No Bikini Atoll: My Beach Party Blogathon 2015 Post
(Editor's Note: Oowee, got in just under the wire with this one. Thanks to Ruth of Silver Screenings and Kristina of Speakeasy for a neat excuse to write about one of my all-time guiltiest pleasures.)
Oh man, it's literally the eleventh hour for posting a review Speakeasy/Silver Screenings' 2015 Beach Party Blogathon, so here goes…
The Ghostess with the Mostest…
Released in April of 1966, on the tail end of American International Pictures' (AIP) beach party film chronology, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (GitIB) stands as my favorite in the series.
What makes GitIB so much fun is its kitchen sink nature. It feels like there was a tacit acknowledgement that the "endless summer" of the surfin' 60's might actually be waning after all and a pull out all the stops attempt to buoy this baby was required. It shares a "more is better" affinity with the latter Universal Pictures monster rallies of House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.
Couched in the – even then – hackneyed trappings of the "Old Dark House," The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini could pass for a live Scooby Doo episode. It also greatly resembles the previous generation's Kay Kyser vehicle You'll Find Out, (1940) even sharing Boris Karloff as a cast member. The one twist in the script is that the villains have no idea they are being thwarted by real ghosts. Those ghosts are portrayed by Susan Hart, as Cecily, the titular see-thru character, and Karloff as former carnival owner Hiram Stokely, her surprised to find himself deceased beau.
Poe Knows…
The rest of the large GitIB cast is run through a series of the oldest story and sight gags in theatrical history. There's an inheritance at stake, a multitude of revolving walls, secret passages and falling chandeliers, portraits that watch you, an escaped carnival gorilla, damsel in distress on a buzz saw, a grand guignol waxworks, and a string of Mack Sennet style chases. Fans of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films can have a heyday perusing this movie's mis en scene. To my eye Stokley's chamber of horrors was also the set of many an AIP EAP romp. Can anyone help out with specifics here?
Original series leads Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello are replaced by another post-Disney kid, Tommy Kirk, and Deborah Walley in the hero and heroine roles. Beach film stalwart Harvey Lembeck, does mega slapstick throughout, returning for his last ride as motorcycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper.
Other cast members are a convergence of old and new Hollywood of the mid-1960's. It's an aspect the film shares with the contemporaneous Batman TV series, which premiered on ABC TV a few months earlier. Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Patsy Kelly, Jesse Young, and even Francis X. Bushman appear alongside the bevy of beach kids, with Rat Pack scion Nancy Sinatra and Claudia Martin representing a changing of the guard.
Sinatra offers a catchy pop tune "Geronimo," backed by The Bobby Fuller Four. Fuller can be seen gyrating wildly through the instrumental "Swing A-Ma Thing" wielding an awesome Vox white teardrop guitar. The group serves as "house band" throughout the film. All songs are credited to series regulars Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner. The Les Baxter soundtrack is augmented by drip-drop reverb laden sound effects.
SkeletonPete Says…
Historically Ghost in the Invisible Bikini represents a last innocent romp prior to the LSD exploitation and sensationalism of films like Riot On Sunset Strip, Pysch-Out and The Trip. Those films in turn presaged studio system killers like Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider. Think of the cultural gap between The Monkees' September 1966 pilot episode and their cinematic swansong Head and you'll get my point.
I love the film because it incapsulates my late pre-teens with remembrances of the aforementioned Batman and Monkees TV series, The Munsters, Aurora plastic model monster kits, Famous Monsters of Filmland and Monster World magazines, Top 40 from a transistor radio speaker, The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" on the AM airwaves, and begging my pop to take me to see Karloff in AIP's Lovecraft adaptation Die Monster, Die.
2 Responses to "No Bikini Atoll: My Beach Party Blogathon 2015 Post"
I'm like you there's something to like in this type of kitchen sink movie. Just Karloff is a draw for me 🙂 Glad you joined the blogathon.
This sounds like an awesome guilty pleasure, especially if it has Boris Karloff. I really need to check it out!
Thanks for bringing this to the Beach Party Blogathon!


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Today I dug through my all-things-old-and-forgotten cupboard of musical gear and pulled out my Digitech bass effects pedal. Then I connected that bass effects pedal to my Moog Little Phatty and now I am in love! Don't get me wrong, I loved my Moog before. Nothing else sounds quite like it and I have consciously decided to build my sound in Shot in the Dark, my electro-rock project, around the Moog. This just gives it an extra dimension.
Previously I had a T.C.Electronics multi-effects unit attached to the Little Phatty for a bit of chorus and reverb or the occasional delay, but it's a second hand unit and it's outbound signal is dirty, so it's not anything I would want to take to a show and put through a PA. Plus it is a rack unit,and the foot-pedal bass effects just work so much better for me. I'm pretty excited to integrate it into my current set up for my next show with Shot in the Dark which happens on Friday, December 20th.
This will be the first show we've had where we can turn up. Our maiden voyage, when we weren't yet a band, happened in the front room of El Rio in San Francisco and we were a little unprepared when it came to understanding how our live sound needed to be handled. Then we played at Wild Side West and understood we needed keep it down. Finally we'll be able to crank up the bass and drum machine and guitar and play the way we (mostly) play in rehearsals.
This will also be my first time out running Ableton as part of the performance. I feel I use about 5 percent of Ableton's capabilities, so I'm a little self conscious about getting on stage with a laptop and the Akai controller. However, I'm also playing keys and singing so it's not like I have an additional 2 hands to tweak the Ableton tracks on the fly. Ableton is replacing my Roland SP-555 sampler which I had in my set up for a few years. I felt really sure of the sampler. It's been a bit of learning curve, getting the feel of the controller down, and then I'm left with the question – what constitutes live performance? If I'm triggering the samples on the fly, but I have a chance of screwing it up, wouldn't it be better to just sequence everything? And if I'm just sequencing everything, then what is my added value on stage? Before I go spiraling out of control on these questions, I've promised myself to just keep everything as it is right now and worry about making changes after the December show . . . except for adding in the bass effects pedal; and re-recording a keyboard track for the Ableton tracks; and replacing the high hat part on one of the songs; and re-editing the ending on another song. But after that, I'm on lock-down, practice mode only. Really. I mean it.
Post script on the War Horse entry – I actually ended up talking about watching War Horse to my therapist. Isn't that weird? Also, that wasn't even rock bottom. I've discovered Suburban Shootout. I need to get out more!


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Remove RazorQT
Before removing a Desktop Environment like RazorQT, you have to keep a few things in mind;
- Removing too much might leave your system unusable.
- Be sure to have an alternative DM installed. (gdm or lxdm or lightdm)
That said, unless you are running out of hard drive space or have limited bandwidth for updates,
there is no real harm in having RazorQT installed. If you don't use it, it won't hinder performance.
For this to work, the best way of doing this is to first install a alternative Desktop Environment.
In this tutorial RazorQT will be replaced with Mate.
- open a console/terminal and become root. (of course you can also do this with Rigo
- install your alternative Desktop Environment:
# equo install mate --ask
for Rigo: enter:mate in the searchbox, select the metapackage, and click install,
or install directly using a shortcut in the searchbox: do:install mate.
- With removing XFCE, LXDM stays untouched, so we don't have to install a alternative LoginManager.
- When done, logoff, and logon again into the fresh installed Environment. (NOT XFCE)
Removing RazorQT
So now we're logged in with Mate.
- open your favourite terminal, and become root.
- enter following in the terminal:
equo remove libqtxdg razorqt-data --ask
- check the package list before proceeding.
With the "--deep" flag enabled, it could also remove some system files, which deptest and libtest don't recover,so chances are that after a reboot the system is unusable.
final steps
When done, a few final steps, enter equo conf update to check if configuration files needs to be updated, manually.
Eventually, you could perform a equo deptest and equo libtest.


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Results embraces diversity. We understand the differences and similarities that our employees may encompass and utilize those to develop and grow our business. We've set the bar for performance to deliver best-in-class quality and services. And our agents know great service is not just setting high standards, but being friendly, attentive and professional with every contact they make.


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Skillet Pork Chops with Zucchini
Total TimePrep: 15 min. Cook: 35 min.
Makes6 servings
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- In a shallow dish, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt, dill and pepper. Dip pork chops in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess.
- In a large skillet, brown chops on both sides in oil. Top with onions; add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Place zucchini over the onions. Sprinkle remaining cheese over zucchini. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in pork reads 145°. Let stand 5 minutes.
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Mar 2, 2014
I first tried this recipe a few years ago and it is definitely top notch. I use chicken broth instead of the water, and bring it up to one cup, so I can finish in the oven at 350. Amazing dish, always a hit.
Aug 14, 2012
Oh and I think I'd just leave the water completely out of it.
Aug 14, 2012
About half way through I realized this was going to be way too salty. 3 teaspoons??? I should have known better. I added a little more water to maybe cut some of the salt, but it didn't help and the texture of the chops was just horrible, kind of mushy. If I ever did this again I'd cut the salt down to 1 tsp and pound the flour mixture into the chops a little bit.
Aug 13, 2012
This taste as good as an entree from a good restaurant. It is delicious as is but I would cut back on the salt next time. Will definitely be making again since husband thought it was superb!!!!
Aug 9, 2012
Easy, not much watching. The chop was superb - both taste and tenderness. I'd cook the zucchini less; I'll try 15 minutes next time. I only had enough Parmesan for the chops, so I tossed some mozzarella on top at the end and stuck the cover back on for a few minutes - delicious.
Aug 9, 2012
Sorry I forgot to click the stars
Aug 9, 2012
I had my husband cook this for supper. It was delicous!
Aug 9, 2012
I like the blend of spices for taste but not the preparation of the dish. I do not use flour on Pork Chops at all. I spice the chops with a small amount of salt, granualated garlic and fresh ground Black Pepper and then fry them in olive oil on med heat till browned. I prefer squash to be cooked to crisp tender by steaming them about 2 to 3 mins or less and no salt on them. The onions I would saute with sliced mushrooms in a Tbsp of Butter, till the onions are clear and lightly browned. Then make a mushroom gravy using a can of mushroom soup. I prefer fresh mashed garlic potatoes and also green peas as side dishes. The Chops would also be great dipped n Egg and coated with seasoned breadcrumbs and baked in the oven at 350 deg till no longer pink.
Aug 9, 2012
I only used this recipe as a guide. I didn't add the rest of the flour mixture to the skillet at the end, which would have made it too goopy. I cut the amount of salt by 2/3s, 1 tsp is plenty, the cheese has salt in it. Use a smoky paprika, it adds more depth. Also I removed the pork chops the last 5 minutes of cooking, covered it and let the veggies cook down a little. I added a pepper for color too.
Aug 9, 2012
I like the other rater thought this looked delicious, but the zucchini was soggy maybe should only be put in at the last 5-10 minutes. The taste was Ok, but nothing to get excited about. I do not think I will return to this recipe again.


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Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has announced the leadership team of his Hispanic Steering Committee, "Juntos Con Romney". The steering committee will largely help guide the Romney campaign's efforts among Hispanic voters and leading that effort will be its National Chairmen, Former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Former Attorney General of Puerto Rico Jose Fuentes, and Former Administrator of the Small Business Administration Hector Barreto.
Other prominent Hispanic leaders from across the country serving on the leadership team include his national Advisory Board members, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Former Sen. Mel Martinez (FL), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA), Former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Rep. Raul Labrador (ID), Rep. Quico Canseco (TX), Former Interior Secretary and Former Rep. Manuel Lujan (NM), State Rep. Anitere Flores (FL), George P. Bush, Rudy Fernandez, Josefina Carbonell, and Cari Dominguez.
Romney also announced that the honorary co-chars of Juntos Con Romney are Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, all of whom are on White House 2012's long list of possible vice presidential choices for Romney.
The addition of Rubio as an honoracry chair comes just days after Obama chief political advisor, David Axelrod, declared that if Romney chose Marco Rubio to be his vice presidential running mate, it would be "an insult to the Hispanic community".
From my perspective, Republicans having Rubio on their side or their tiicket is not an insult, it's simply an injury to Democrats that they will have to try to endure. But the left is getting used to injuries. The recent defeat of them and their agenda in Wisconsin have helped to highlight the fact that they have been injured quite a lot lately. The Hispanic-American community which has unemployment levels and child poverty levels that are far above the national levels is just one of many groups that Democrats are slowly being hurt by.
Contrary to David Axelrod's contention that Romney joining forces with a respected Hispanic such as Rubio would be an insult to Hispanics, it would seem more likely that many in the Hispanic community are instead insulted by the Obama economic policies and the liberal culture of dependency on the federal bureaucracy, and the lack of opportunity that the Obama Administration has created for people of all backgrounds to improve their lot in life.
In the wake of Romney's announcement about Juntos Con Romney, the campaign released the following statement from Senator Rubio which belied those facts. According to Rubio;
"No community values entrepreneurship and small business more than the Hispanic community.
"Unfortunately, President Obama's failed policies of new regulations, higher taxes, and Obamacare and his anti-business rhetoric have hit Hispanics especially hard. Big government really hurts those who are trying to make it. And with unemployment still abysmally high, the Obama economy is crushing Hispanics' dreams for their children to live a better life.
The Hispanic community cannot afford four more years of double-digit unemployment and higher levels of poverty. Mitt Romney will stop the attacks on job creators, encourage entrepreneurs to chase their dreams, and bring good jobs and a better future to all Americans." said the Florida Senator.
For his part, One of Romney's new steering committee national chairmen, Former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez ,stated;
"The Hispanic community has been especially hard-hit by President Obama's policies. Instead of spurring economic growth and creating jobs, President Obama has only expanded government and hurt job-creation. We need a leader who will bring back jobs, help small businesses, and ensure that the American Dream remains for future generations. Mitt Romney has a proven record of creating jobs both in the private sector and as governor. Together with Mitt Romney, we will be able to do what President Obama has failed to do: fix the economy, create jobs, and get our country on the right track again."
The Hispanic vote is seen as a an importgant part of the Romney formula for victory in November. As the fastest growing population in the nation, if the G.O.P. fails to make significant inroads with a substantial portion of the Hispanic vote, that community's influence in several key states such as Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and New Mexico, could put the all important winning number of 270 electoral votes out of Romney's reach.
Meanwhile, each of the honorary national co-chairs that Romney appointed to his Hispanic steering committee represent some of the G.O.P.'s brightest stars, and not only will they help to advance Romney's agenda among Hispanic-Americans, each would bring their own positive aspects to the Republican presidential ticket if they occupied it with Romney. Which makes it easy to understand why each of them were sought out by Romney and why each of them must also be considered potential Romney running mates.
Filed under: Hispanic Vote, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney | Tagged: 2012 Presidential Election, Axelrod says picking Rubio to romney's running mate would be an insult ot the hispanic community, Barack Obama, Cari Dominguez, David Axelrod, Former Interior Secretary and Former Rep. Manuel Lujan (NM), Former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Former Sen. Mel Martinez (FL), George P. Bush, Ileana Ros Lehtinen, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Josefina Carbonell, Juntos Con Romney, Marco Rubio, Mario Diaz-Balart, Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney's Hispanic Steering Committee, obama, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), Rep. Quico Canseco (TX), Rep. Raul Labrador (ID), Republican, Romney, Rudy Fernandez, State Rep. Anitere Flores (FL), the 2012 presidential election, the shark tank, White House 2012, wordpress political blogs |


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Merlin Entertainments opens Legoland Windsor resort hotel
The 150-bed hotel opened to the public on 17 March and caters for families visiting the Windsor resort as well as business trips, events and conferences.
The venue has become the first Legoland hotel outside Denmark and features over 15m individual bricks in 1,600 Lego models, as well as 6,000 mini figures in the reception area wall. The opening is the latest development of the brand for Merlin Entertainments after opening a new resort in Florida while a new hotel is planned for California.
Growth strategy
Merlin Entertainments, formed in 1999, currently operates six hotels worldwide, three others are also in the UK - two at Alton Towers and one at Chessington. Adding value to the resort brands through other attractions and hotels forms a key part of the strategy for the Poole-based company.
"The development of the Legoland Parks, including adding hotels and second gate attractions to turn them into short break resorts, is a key part of Merlin's dynamic growth strategy. By the end of this year there will be six Legoland Resorts operating around the globe as the latest opens in Malaysia. The company is also looking at several other potential Legoland projects including in Japan and South Korea," a Merlin Enterainments spokesperson said.
The bedrooms in the Windsor venue are all styled in a Pirate, Kingdom or Adventure theme, however the Lego Suite conference and team-building facility is also an important part of the hotel as the company, which also operates the Sea Life, Madame Tussauds, London Eye, and Warwick Castle attractions, aims to attract both leisure and business customers.
Alongside the heavily brand-themed family offering, the conference facility features a creator suite which hosts up to 320 delegates whilst three other rooms seat between 12 and 35 people.
The corporate offering also features dedicated conference and meetings staff, high speed Wi-Fi, a lounge bar and private dining opportunities.
Food and beverage is covered in the hotel by the Bricks Family Restaurant, which includes interactive elements and a performance and play area, and the Lego Skyline Bar which stays open late.
The hotel, first announced in August 2010, was built on a 2.7 acre site at the Windsor resort which opened in 1996.