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Dating back to the 1200s and tragically devastated by fire in 1978, Astley Castle in North Warwickshire is now celebrating and looking forward to a safe, bright and exciting future thanks to a confirmed grant of £1.47million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), it was announced today.
Following emergency works to stabilise the building in October last year, the Landmark Trust will now be able to fully put into action their plans to conserve the existing fabric of the castle. In a severe state of disrepair English Heritage has marked the building as one of the 16 most at risk in England.
Often laying claim to being owned by three Queens of England Astley Castle will benefit from a total spend of just over £2.3million giving it a new lease of life as Landmark Trust accommodation with a new build inside the castle walls. Through this project the castle will be open to the public.
Phase I has involved the clearance of fallen rubble, carefully taking down areas that cannot be saved and the consolidation of what is salvageable. For the first time in years, the castle has been carefully analysed and former doors, windows and hearths have been revealed. It has been discovered that more of the central spine wall can be saved than expected and some of vice tower can also be salvaged.
Peter Pearce, Director of the Landmark Trust, said: "Such discoveries at Astley Castle will require the architectural scheme to evolve gently to take account of them, and our team of surveyors, structural engineer, quantity surveyor, archaeologist and project manager have been working with the architects to achieve solutions that mesh best practice in conservation with the vision for the new build. We are delighted that we now have the go ahead from HLF to carry out this work and save as much as we can of this national treasure. We need to raise another £134,000 to complete the fundraising."
The creation of a new structure within Astley Castle will allow the building to be used and enjoyed once again so that it never again falls into disrepair. In addition to the conservation of the remaining fabric of the building, new links and signage will run through the surrounding parkland.
The restored castle will also provide many opportunities for people to visit the site to learn more about the history of this important building. There will be information, guided tours and walks created, and local people will be offered volunteering and training opportunities to get involved throughout the duration of the project, in addition to a learning programme with local schools, and eight annual public open days with interpretation and special activities.
Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands, Anne Jenkins, said: "We are delighted that the Landmark Trust's vision for Astley Castle will now become a reality. An important part of not only North Warwickshire's heritage but that of the nation, it will now be saved for future generations to appreciate and enjoy."
Phase II of the works will start in September 2009 with a completion date of spring 2011.
Notes to editors
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 28,800 projects, allocating over £4.3billion across the UK, with over £300 million granted to projects in the West Midlands alone.
The Landmark Trust is a national building preservation charity which rescues and restores buildings at risk and makes them available to stay in and experience. There are over 180 Landmarks in the UK including castles, forts, follies and towers. www.landmarktrust.org.uk
Astley Castle Facts


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Ruf has announced that they will unveil the third generation CTR3, 20 years after the original CTR was launched in 1987. The CTR3 will be based on the Porsche Cayman and will be powered by a twin-turbo 3.8L flat six engine with an output of 700 hp at 7000 rpm. The CTR3 will have a top speed of 223 mph.
The RUF RGT has been inspired by the legendary 1973 Carrera RS.
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Marsha Weinraub is a Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University and Chairperson of the Psychology Department at Temple University.
A nationally recognized expert on personality and social development in infants and young children, and a frequent consultant on early development to national and local media, Dr. Weinraub has published widely in the areas of infant attachment, gender role development, and family interactions. She is most noted for her studies on the effects of early child care, single parenting and maternal employment on parent-child relationships and child development. Dr. Weinraub is the author or co-author of more than 120 scholarly articles, book chapters and presentations. She has served on the editorial boards of Child Development and Psychology of Women and has reviewed for numerous other professional journals and funding agencies. A national leader in child care research, in 1997, Dr. Weinraub testified before the U.S. Congress concerning the effects of early child care.
From its inception, Dr. Weinraub was a Principal Investigator on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a national longitudinal project investigating variations in early child care in infants and toddlers and the effect of these variations on children's social, emotional, and intellectual development. In 2005, as the children in the study became teenagers, Dr. Weinraub became co-investigator.
Dr. Weinraub was educated at Brandeis University where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was graduated magna cum laude in 1970, and at the University of Michigan, where she received her Ph.D. in Psychology in 1975. She is a member of the University Children's Policy Collaborative -- a Pennsylvania research policy collaboration between Temple University, Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a Charter Member and Fellow of the American Psychological Society. In 1985, Dr. Weinraub received the Temple University's Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, and in 2005, Dr. Weinraub was awarded Temple University's Great Teacher Award. In recognition of her success in obtaining research funding, Dr. Weinraub is a Member of the Temple University Million Dollar Club.
Judith Stull, Ph.D.
Judith Stull is an associate professor of Sociology at LaSalle University where she teaches statistics, research methodology, and evaluation and is a Senior Research Associate at Temple University in the Institute for Schools and Society (College of Education). In the past 13 years, she has produced over 70 articles and presentations focused on improving the educational achievement of at-risk students and the use of educational technology. She has been a CoPI on a USDOE Community Technology Center grant designed to improve mathematics achievement in four Prince George's County (MD) high schools, PA DOE grant designed to evaluate the state of technology expectations and proficiencies in all of the state's preservice teacher programs (92 institutions), and is currently a CoPI on three National Science Foundation projects: a) Science, Mathematics Assessment Research for Teaching (TU-SMART), a five year research grant designed to determine the long and short run effects of embedding formative assessment techniques in university science and mathematics courses, b) Science in the City (SITC) a three year project focused on using community resources to improve achievement of science and mathematics and interest in science and mathematics careers, and c) Scientists as Teachers – Teachers as Scientists, a five year project focused on improving graduate education in science and mathematics and the way scientists interface with high school science teachers.. She has been an evaluator for multi-million dollar U.S. DoE and NSF programs. Dr. Stull holds a BA in history from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in sociology from Boston College.
In addition, Dr. Stull maintains the US Department of Education's license for access to their restricted files.
Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Nicole Sorhagen
Nicole Sorhagen is a first year developmental student, working with Dr. Marsha Weinraub. Her research interests are early child care, academic achievement, and language development. She earned her B.A. from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and her M.S. from Villanova University. A native of West Caldwell, New Jersey, she ardently cheers on the Mets. With her sidekick Annie (a black lab mix), she loves to walk around the city.
Joan Foley
Joan Foley is a fifth year doctoral student in educational psychology working with Dr. Marsha Weinraub to understand the effects of sleep problems on children's self-regulatory and academic functioning. Joan graduated from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, with a M.Ed. in Special Education where she collaborated on research focused on the early identification of children at-risk for learning disabilities. Prior to embarking on a second career in educational research, Joan was Director of Human Resource Development for the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies where she was instrumental in launching the first corporate-sponsored child care center for company employees.
Jackie Keiffer
Jackie Keiffer is a third year undergraduate student expecting to graduate in May of 2011. She is a psychology major who is actively participating in the psychology honors program as well as Temple University's Psi Chi chapter. Under the direction of Dr. Weinraub, Jackie is conducting research for her senior honors thesis on the topic of the effects of maternal employment on the adult daughter's choice to work and the mother-daughter relationship.


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The Last of Us
The Good
The Bad
IŌĆÖm a huge admirer of Naughty Dog, the famed development team behind Crash Bandicoot and more recently the Uncharted series. TheyŌĆÖre a developer that just seems to know how to do everything. One second theyŌĆÖre creating a punishing platformer and the next theyŌĆÖre creating some of the best adventure games out there. Now they have […]
IŌĆÖm a huge admirer of Naughty Dog, the famed development team behind Crash Bandicoot and more recently the Uncharted series. TheyŌĆÖre a developer that just seems to know how to do everything. One second theyŌĆÖre creating a punishing platformer and the next theyŌĆÖre creating some of the best adventure games out there. Now they have decided to take an even more unexpected turn and try to emulate that success with a different genre altogether, that being survival horror. Of course IŌĆÖm talking about hugely anticipated title The Last of Us, a Sony exclusive title that is set in post-apocalyptic America. I guess the question is, can Naughty Dog prove once more that they are one of the best developers out there? Or is this a new low? LetŌĆÖs find out!
The Last of Us takes place in post-apocalyptic America, 20 years after a ferocious fungus known as Cordyceps infected mankind and turned most of the living into deformed, depraved drones. You are set in the boots of Joel a survivor from before the outbreak that is tasked with escorting a young girl born in a quarantine zone after the outbreak named Ellie across the United States in the hopes of finding the Fireflies, a rebel group that offer a hope for survival in a hopeless world.
The storyline in The Last of Us may sound simple but in actual fact itŌĆÖs far from it. Never before has a game grabbed a hold of me completely from the start and held me all the way to the end. ItŌĆÖs a testament to Neil DruckmannŌĆÖs excellent writing and the power of the human emotion. Emotion is what powers every single action on screen and thanks to the excellent characters and the subtlety in the way they are written, half the time you wonŌĆÖt even know that you are connecting to them. The Last of Us has hands down the most dark, cold and saddening opening to a videogame I have ever seen. Never has a videogame completely attached me to its characters so quickly and the best part is that it stays like that till the credits. Honestly its that good.
The characters of Joel and Ellie are so different and contrasting it becomes a marvel just to watch them interact with each other. Joel is a character that remembers and laments the time before the outbreak and is trying his best to survive the harsh world whereas Ellie has only known the world around her. She has never known anything different. ItŌĆÖs astonishing to see how they differ in opinions and react to the individual survivors they meet on their journey. One of the coolest things however is watching how Ellie reacts to relics of the past such as her first sighting of an Ice cream truck. ItŌĆÖs utterly charming and provides a fresh and new perspective on the world we live in today. In some ways it even a light social commentary on the foundations that we build our own lives upon and what we value to be valuable.┬ĀThe Last of Us is refreshing as its rare to see this much work go into character development and the most impressive part is the way it just so easily all gels together without problems or forsaking the story in order to get it right. The Last of Us is first hand proof that Oscar calibre writing can be created for a video game. The fact that The Last of Us is a 12 ŌĆō 17 hour game further exclaims how outrageously perfect the narrative is in building characters and making sure that you are along for every second of the ride. Lets just put it this way, if The Last of Us was a movie it would win best picture quite easily.
In short The Last of Us is the best looking game on the PlayStation 3. The overgrown and forgotten landscape of the desolate post-apocalyptic United States is a bleak sight that is offset by colourful and vibrant colours. Never has a game so dark and gloomy been so pretty. Every single area and environment in The Last of Us has something to behold whether that be the sight of a city in the distance or a flooded 5-star hotel. Every single aspect of the visual aesthetic is clean and polished to the point of perfection. I never once entered a level in The Last of Us where I felt that the talented team over at Naughty Dog could have done better. The lighting is the best I have ever seen in a videogame bar none and the character models are so realistic looking that you may even begin to believe theyŌĆÖre real. Face-captured animations and all animations for that matter are superb and every single action a character makes looks fluid and close to the actual thing.┬ĀI mean you just canŌĆÖt fault the game in the graphics department. Every single aspect is brilliant from top to bottom. The stand out for me though was the designs of the various infected you will meet through the game, from the newly bitten or the terrifying drones known as the Clickers every single one looks terrifying and moves in an unpredictable, horrific way. Kudos to the team at Naughty Dog, you have made the best looking game this generation.
The sound design in The Last of Us is next to none. The voice acting here is unbelievable. Voice actor extraordinaire Troy Baker assumes the role of Joel with ease and instinct creating a character that is unprecedently conflicted while also at the same time finding the drive to whatŌĆÖs right. Everything about the deep, dreary voice that Troy puts on for Joel is encapsulating and for a while youŌĆÖll forget that Joel is fictional because his portrayal is that real. The voice actress newcomer named Ashley Johnson takes the role of the young 14-year-old Ellie and she completely nails the role straight out of the gate. The amount of emotion and naivet├®s she brings to the character really cement Ellie as one of gamingŌĆÖs finest achievements, pure and kind hearted to the core, Ellie is a character that you will not soon forget about.
The soundtrack in The Last of Us is phenomenal too. The composerŌĆÖs mixture of slow pinging guitar strings and fast hyped up tempos really gives The Last of Us a strong feeling of melancholy and age while also allowing it to ramp up when the action begins to start. ItŌĆÖs a soundtrack really plays off the fact that everything we know and love has now aged and become insignificant to us and the amount of loneliness that comes with living a life in post pandemic America. The sound effects are spectacular too with every single hit you make in the game, whether that be a pipe wrench or your bare fists feeling realistic and brutal. Every single weapon you use has a loud thump to it that makes you feel that you are handling something seriously dangerous. Every single aspect to the sound effect design adds to the survival aesthetic, as everything sounds real and believable. Overall the sound design in The Last of Us is some of the best I have ever seen.
The Last of Us has a number of gameplay aspects including melee combat; shooter gameplay, stealth mechanics, crafting and even some light puzzle elements. First of all lets cover the melee combat and shooting mechanics.
To engage in melee combat in The Last of Us all you have to do is continuously press the square button and youŌĆÖll eventually destroy your opponent whether that be infected or human. Now you may think to yourself that the melee combat sounds way too easy and simple to be any fun and it must get boring pretty quicklyŌĆ" well its actually quite the contrary. You see the brutality of every single hit you make mixed with the sound effects and the reaction of your attacks on the enemyŌĆÖs faces and bodies make the combat feel like a scramble for life every single time. The crack of a fist into an enemies face has never felt so good and a pipe to the head has never felt so visceral. The melee combat here is so simple yet so effective and I canŌĆÖt help but love every single fight I get into.
The shooter mechanics in The Last of Us are great too but not because the mechanics themselves are innovative because they are far from it. The main reason why the shooting in The Last of Us is so great is because the cause and effect that goes hand in hand in firing a weapon is so disgusting, bloody and realistic that every single shot fired looks like it was extremely painful. IŌĆÖm not going to lie, the first time I shot an enemy at point blank range with a shotgun and saw his limbs fly off in grotesque fashion I actually felt kind of disgusted. Its so unbelievably convincing and cruel looking that the violence of it all can be hard to watch but like any other violent videogame you get used to it pretty quickly and forget about the horrendous nature of it all.
The Last of Us heavily involves stealth mechanics into its gameplay style but the beauty of the stealth here is that every situation feels organic rather than scripted. Usually in videogames you get sections that are primarily stealth and others that are primarily action but in The Last of Us these sections merge so instantaneously that every single thing that happens is a story of your own. The stealth itself works as normal as any other videogame, you can sneak around and take people out either silently or with a shiv and you can use bottles or bricks to lure your enemies to the dark for a takedown. Hell Joel even has a listening ability that allows him to hear enemies through walls! ItŌĆÖs a great system that works well but the true power of the stealth in The Last of Us is mainly shown in the sections that are filled with the infected. You see the different stages of infected have different types of awareness. The most terrifying of which are the Clickers as they are hugely erratic and can kill you in a single bite. The Clickers cannot see but have a heightened sense of hearing, which means that you have to be extremely sneaky and silent to get to them to take them out or to get past them completely. The stealth works really well here because itŌĆÖs beneficial to your survival and every single encounter with the infected is edge of you seat stuff that is unparalleled in any other videogame.
The crafting system in The Last of Us is a crafting system simplified to its lowest form as you can create anything without a problem by just having the right materials. But thatŌĆÖs okay as it makes things a lot quicker and simpler for the player as the player should be worrying about the serious matters and frightening gameplay at hand and not mixing the right materials together. The Last of Us also employs some puzzle sections that involve either moving planks, moving ladders, moving dumpsters and sometimes even moving Ellie. Let there be said that there is a LOT of moving things in this game and it can get repetitive and boring at points but thankfully the story makes sure that you keep going and move past these sections in speedy fashion as not for them to drag on. Overall the singleplayer gameplay in The Last of Us is unquestionably addictive and a lot of fun. It rare that you see this many mechanics come together to form such a cohesive and fun gameplay experience.
Last of all The Last of Us has a multiplayer mode. When I first heard there was going to be a multiplayer mode for this title I wasnŌĆÖt truly looking forward to it as I just couldnŌĆÖt see how it would work. Thankfully though it works, it really works, so much so that I think itŌĆÖs better than most multiplayer experiences out there. When you first start off you are asked to pick a faction out of either the Hunters (a group of survivalists that only believe in the survival of the fittest) and the Fireflies (a rebel group trying there best to save the world). After I chose the Hunters you then get told that you have to try and keep your clan of survivors to last for 12 weeks in total. Each game takes a day off your 12-week tally and after each game your clan will grow in survivors. If you lose all your survivors you will be forced to pick another side.
There is two game modes to The Last of UsŌĆÖs multiplayer all of which feature 4v4. You have the ŌĆśSupply raidŌĆÖ mode that tasks you with killing the other teams 20 survivors before they do it to you first and you have the ŌĆśSurvivorsŌĆÖ mode where you must eliminate the other team without any respawns. WhatŌĆÖs brilliant about The Last of UsŌĆÖs multiplayer is the fact that almost everything that youŌĆÖve learnt from the singleplayer game can be carried over into multiplayer and will benefit you greatly. You can craft in real time, heal yourself, loot and even use your listen ability to hear the enemies coming. I found myself having fun in every single match, picking other players off and executing them one by one. ThereŌĆÖs something about The Last of UsŌĆÖs multiplayer that gives you a sense of Camaraderie like no other before it. If you loved the singleplayer campaign in the Last of Us then you will find the same adoration for the multiplayer.
The Last of Us if my favourite game from Naughty Dog and is without a doubt the PlayStation 3ŌĆÖs best exclusive. They have really knocked it out of the park with this title. The excellently written and emotional storyline, the best graphics on the PS3 and the brutal and tense gameplay all make The Last of Us one of this generationŌĆÖs best games and for that I am going to give The Last of Us a 9.7 out of 10. The reason why I havenŌĆÖt given it a 10 is because I found that some parts of the singleplayer experience felt really repetitive and sometimes boring (i.e. the moving of various planks and ladders) and the fact that the game only has 2 multiplayer modes can bump down the replay value just a tad. But even with those two problems the Last of Us is still a game of the year contender and is definitely worth your time and purchase if you own a PS3.
The Last of Us was provided to me by Sony Computer Entertainment and is only available on the PlayStation 3. I would like to thank them for sending me this title for review.


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18, 2014
These innovative wall coverings are LEED Material Ingredients Credit or LEED Disclosure Credit eligible, and have been catalogued in the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's certified products registry.Read More
17, 2014
Could a high-speed gondola be New York City's green solution to overcrowded subways?Read More
16, 2014
Sarah House Utah is a small, non-profit organization dedicated to implementing innovative, affordable housing solutions via shipping containers in the Salt Lake region.Read More
Big data could break down daily food consumption, calculate calorie intake and inform refrigerator restocking.Read More
A new ENERGY STAR score introduced by Fannie Mae enables multifamily building owners to compare performance to similar buildings based on data from more than 1,000 survey responses nationwide.Read More
According to recent studies at Cornell University, hotels that enable guests to stay green, also save green.Read More
Solar roads could bring highway maintenance and management to a new level, but is the controversial technology applicable on a grand scale?Read More
A new report from the US Census Bureau shows new homes have more bedrooms, bathrooms and big spaces than homes built in past decades.Read More
15, 2014
Award-winning prefabricated home manufacturer Deltec Homes has started construction on the first net-zero home from their Renew Collection.Read More
The Chicago Bears stole the 49ers' thunder on Sunday night with a 28-20 win in the first game to be played at LEED Gold certified Levi's Stadium.Read More
Movoto identified places across the U.S. with a population of 40,000 to 61,000 and ranked them according to "joy-inducing criteria" including crime rate, income, home ownership, walkability, and other stress-related factors.Read More
In this video, the Green Police look at Icynene's ProSeal Eco, water-blown, closed-cell foam insulation with a low carbon footprint.Read More
10, 2014
These environmentally friendly finishes and systems promote daylighting, the use of recycled materials, and sound dampening.Read More
Make hardwood floors look great with natural oil stains in six color options.Read More
Follow our extensive coverage of this year's winners.
Click here to access exclusive green building videos.
Copyright ©
2014 Hanley Wood Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Why haven't you customized your Facebook profile timeline image? If you haven't, we're about to make it incredibly easy.
We recently noticed a few people asking about the dimensions for modifying their Facebook profiles in our support forum. To make it easier for anyone who wants to create a truly unique timeline header, we've put together a simple, straightforward Pixlr template. This can be useful to help make sure the image you want to use fits the area exactly the way you want it to. Or, if you're up for a little creativity, it can help you make an image that works in tandem with your avatar.
Download the .pxd file.
A few things to note:
Are you up for this creative challenge? You can base yours on the silly one I created with a cloud thought bubble, but there are tons of incredibly wonderful examples out there to learn from. So get cracking. When you're done, let us know. We'd love to see what you've made!
— Eric Suesz, Pixlr community manager


text: It's not yet known if Governor Snyder will sign legislation passed last week during the lame duck session which relaxes Michigan's gun laws. Lansing's MIRS News reports spokeswoman Sara Wurfel says Snyder will review the bill closely, adding the massacre at a Connecticut school on Friday is giving him "pause." The bills relax laws to the point where concealed weapons would be allowed in places long-banned in Michigan like schools, bars, churches, daycare centers and stadiums. State Senator and former Eaton County Sheriff Rick Jones says no law could have prevented what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary.


text:
PantoneLIVE: Cloud-Based Color Management
On March 1st, at a high-profile media and industry event in London's King's Place, color company Pantone unveiled the first cloud-based color bank that enables companies to manage color on a global scale.
PantoneLIVE keeps a company's digital color standards in a secure "ecosystem", accessible on line by designated production partners instantly, 24/7, from anywhere in the world.
So, for example, the color of a product manufactured in Asia will match the color of its packaging produced in Brazil – and both will match the color of the advertising produced in New York. Color is kept consistent, because all of these production partners are accessing the same digital color bank.
Speed to market is also increased, through digital color communication.
"Keeping brand color accurate and consistent is crucial for success in today global marketplace," said Ron Potesky, senior vice president and general manager of Pantone. "Not only for building a brand's presence, but as an assurance of quality and authenticity."
PantoneLIVE was developed in conjunction with Pantone's parent company, X-Rite, a leading producer of color measurement and control devices and systems for industry. You can read more about PantoneLIVE on Pantone's website.
Learn More about PantoneLIVE at: www.pantone.com/live
Click Here
- 09/18 Nuprimary: New York City Textile Studio Wins Pantone's Make it Brilliant℠ Instagram Contest
- 08/25 Fashion Illustrator Marina Gomes Speaks about Winning Pantone's Make it Brilliant℠ Instagram Contest
- 07/16 Barbour and Pantone Collaborate to Bring Color to the Countryside
- 02/28 The Bad Boy of Fashion Invades Brooklyn
- 02/19 Pantone Colorwear Pop-Up Opens in NYC
- 03/14 Color Space
- 03/02 PantoneLIVE: Cloud-Based Color Management
- 11/04 Stories Told in a Single Frame
- 10/25 Electric Paint
- 10/24 iBall


text:
Bad Piggies
Skip ad and play the game >>
Bad Piggies
Control : mouse
Here we have another game from the makers of Angry Birds. Your task is to get the pigs to the right place. This time, you will have to build a vehicle and use it. When driving, try to collect various useful things.
Categories :
Puzzle Games,
Skill Games,
Animal Games
Platform : Flash
Plays : 3524x
Added : Dec 25th, 2012
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text:
Your business process may require that reports be displayed and kept current on your company's intranet site. With the Report Center, you can more easily author, display, manage, and locate your reports. This article introduces you to the main components of the Report Center.
The Report Center is a site template that is optimized for managing and displaying reports, dashboard pages, and key performance indicators (KPIs) (key performance indicator (KPI): A predefined measure that is used to track performance against a strategic goal, objective, plan, initiative, or business process. A visual cue is often used to communicate the performance against the measure.). It can serve as the central location for a team, department, or organization to store, retrieve, and modify shared reports. With the appropriate permissions, anyone can create a Report Center site anywhere in a site collection.
By default, however, one Report Center is created in the top-level site of each site collection, and appears on the top link bar as a tab named Reports.
The Report Center contains a special document library for browsing Office Excel 2007 workbooks, SQL Reporting Services reports, dashboards, and other reports. Use the Report Center to define personalized reports and dashboards, to browse reports by category, or to view a calendar of upcoming reports and to subscribe to ones that are relevant.
To customize what data can be viewed by whom, you can connect a variety of Filter Web Parts to existing Web Parts on a dashboard page to change the view of the data. For example, a sales manager for one region can be presented with a view of sales figures different from the view for a sales manager for another region.
Top of Page
A dashboard page is an important aspect of the Report Center. Dashboards are tools that are used to communicate status and to drive action. An Office SharePoint Server 2007 dashboard is a Web page template that allows you to assemble and display information from disparate sources such as reports, charts, metrics, and key performance indicators. You can create your own dashboard page by using various Web Parts, or you can add Web Parts to pages that already exist in your site. You can familiarize yourself with some of these Web Parts in the following example.
The main component of the Report Center is the home page that appears when you click the Reports tab. This page serves as the main portal to access highlighted or summary business information. Information that you choose to display on this page can be updated from various sources and, as with any page on a SharePoint site, the information is presented through a collection of Web Parts. If you have at least the Designer permission level, you can add, delete, modify or rearrange these Web Parts to quickly view and access the business information you need.
Tip When you first browse to the Report Center home page, Office SharePoint Server 2007 includes links to a sample dashboard, sample data, sample KPIs, and information about the Data Connection Library. You might find it helpful to review the information provided on this page before you customize your home page. Find a link to more information about working with Web Parts in the See Also section.
The following illustration shows the main components of the Report Center home page.
On the Quick Launch of the Report Center, there are several lists and libraries that you can use to manage your reports and data connection sources. Storing resources in separate libraries enables you to configure versioning, workflows, and permissions separately for each resource. For example, you can configure the permissions to allow only members of the IT department to modify or upload data connections. Similarly, you can configure workflows in Office SharePoint Server 2007 to require approval for new reports. These lists and libraries are described here.
The Reports Library is the central repository for two types of files: reports and dashboard pages. Reports are Office Excel 2007 workbooks that contain source data that can be displayed in dashboard pages. Dashboard pages can be created from one or more Office Excel 2007 workbooks and use elements such as KPIs and PivotCharts.
Working with the Reports Library is similar to working with other libraries. You can upload existing documents, create new ones, edit documents, modify columns and views, and set permissions. Permissions for reports are set the same way as for any document or list item. You can set permissions on libraries, folders, or individual files. The Reports Library differs from other libraries in that it provides enhanced support for storing and maintaining Excel Services reports and simplifies the creation of dashboard pages, which can display data from KPIs and Office Excel 2007 workbooks. Any dashboard pages that you create are stored in this library. To learn more about Excel Services, see these articles in the Help and How-to for Excel Services.
After reports are created and deployed to the Office SharePoint Server 2007 site, people can navigate to a report in a report library and modify it simply by clicking the file name. Managing reports is as simple as navigating to the correct report in the Reports Library and clicking the down arrow.
An important part of the Report Center is the Data Connections Library, a shared repository similar to other document libraries, where two different types of data connection files are stored:
One of the key benefits of the Data Connections Library is the ability to reuse the data connections that people are most likely to need access to. For example, when creating an external connection to display a KPI, you can browse the Data Connection Library and select from the available data connection files. If a change occurs on the network that affects one of the connections, modifications can be made one time in the appropriate data connection file on the server. All user connections automatically receive the update the next time the connection to external data is refreshed. Office SharePoint Server 2007 supports connecting to the following external data sources:
The Data Connection Library provides a high level of control and security with the Content Approval feature turned on by default. Members of the site with the Contribute permission level can save files to the library, but only the owner of the file can use the file, from Office InfoPath 2007 for example, unless a content approver has approved the file. By default, all members with the Designer permission level have the Approve Items permission. In summary, you can set up a site collection so that only those whom you designate can approve the UDC files.
Note Data connections should be configured by your administrator or someone familiar with the underlying data sources and your network infrastructure.
The Report Calendar is a calendar list that can contain any date-related information for a report or report schedule. For example, you can use the Report Calendar to indicate on which dates report data is refreshed or loaded and to set a reminder using the Alert Me feature. You can manage and analyze calendar information in Office Excel 2007 or Office Access 2007. You can also connect and synchronize the Report Calendar to your Office Outlook 2007 calendar and, as with other Report Center lists, you can modify views, manage list settings, and so on. To learn more about connecting SharePoint calendars to Office Outlook 2007, see the article View and update a SharePoint calendar in the Office Outlook 2007 Help.
The Reference Library serves as a document library where you store documents that can help people with the navigation and usage of the Report Center. The documents in this library should contain everything people need to know to get around the Report Center that you have customized.


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This is very good. Husband ate 3 helpings and asked me to pack the leftovers for his lunch. Followed the recipe and served it with a salad. It was an easy meatless recipe--perfect for Lent, which is when I made it. Definitely recommend.
Three-Cheese Baked Pasta
The diced provolone creates lovely little pockets of melted cheese throughout the casserole as it bakes. Cook the pasta while the tomato mixture simmers.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
More From Cooking Light
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
- Calories: 459
- Calories from fat: 28%
- Fat: 14.1g
- Saturated fat: 8.4g
- Monounsaturated fat: 4.8g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g
- Protein: 23g
- Carbohydrate: 59.2g
- Fiber: 5.8g
- Cholesterol: 33mg
- Iron: 2.9mg
- Sodium: 810mg
- Calcium: 517mg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups diced onion
- 1/3 cup diced carrot
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup minced garlic (about 12 cloves)
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed without oil)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 pound uncooked penne rigate (tube-shaped pasta)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) diced provolone cheese
- Cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, crushed red pepper, and diced tomatoes; cook 25 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Combine 1 cup Romano, ricotta, parsley, and egg white in a bowl.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; return pasta to pan. Add ricotta mixture to pan, stirring to coat. Add tomato mixture and provolone, tossing just until combined (do not overstir). Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Romano. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.
- Wine note: Here's one of the best-kept secrets in food and wine pairing: Cheese often works better with white wine than red. As proof, try this delicious cheesy baked pasta casserole with a crisp white such as pinot grigio, and watch how the wine's zesty acidity cuts through the richness of the cheeses. A favorite: Bollini Pinot Grigio from Italy. The 2004 is $10. -Karen MacNeil
My Notes
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Three-Cheese Baked Pasta Recipe at a Glance
- COURSE: Casseroles, Main Dishes
- CONVENIENCE: Entertaining, Freezable, Kid-Friendly, Make-Ahead
- CUISINE: American, Italian
- MAIN INGREDIENT: Cheese, Pasta
- DIETARY CONSIDERATION: Meatless
- COOKING METHOD: Bake
- OCCASION: Autumn, Winter
- PUBLICATION: Cooking Light
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The most powerful woman at the Walt Disney Co. — and perhaps in all of Hollywood — said that she would leave her job overseeing the company's $10-billion-a-year entertainment TV networks, leaving Disney to search for a successor in an increasingly treacherous television business.
After 18 years at the Burbank entertainment giant, Anne Sweeney surprised many by saying she would step down as president of Disney/ABC Television Group by next year to work on the creative side as a television director.
Her successor must navigate a business in transition and steer the company's ABC network at a critical time. The once-mighty broadcaster is in fourth place, trailing CBS, NBC and Fox in the ratings. While all the broadcast networks have struggled amid increased competition from cable channels, over the last five years ABC's prime-time audience has fallen nearly 20%.
And Disney's networks, like all traditional television outlets, face an onslaught of competition and new online rivals, including Netflix and Amazon.
FACES TO WATCH 2014: Digital media
Sweeney's planned departure also shrinks the already small number of top female executives in Hollywood. Among women who run large entertainment organizations, Sweeney had few peers — among them Universal's Donna Langley, Sony's Amy Pascal, CBS' Nina Tassler, NBCUniversal's Bonnie Hammer, Fox's Dana Walden and DreamWorks Studios' Stacey Snider.
Sweeney, who worked as an ABC page as a college student, said she began contract discussions with Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Iger last summer. She was offered a three-year contract extension, she said, but soon found herself considering something new.
"The one thing that kept banging at the back of my brain is that I've loved the creative process but I've never really been part of it," Sweeney, 56, said Tuesday. "If not now, when?"
Some Hollywood insiders speculated that Sweeney decided to step down after it became apparent she would not be named to succeed Iger, who plans to exit in June 2016.
Sweeney waved off that suggestion, saying she was not gunning for the top job.
"Other people wanted it for me, but I didn't want it," she said.
Iger is expected to name a successor to Sweeney in the next few weeks to ensure a smooth handoff as ABC enters the important period of TV pilot selection and advertising sales for the new TV season.
"Anne has been a very successful executive in our senior ranks," Iger said in a statement. "Over the years she grew our Disney Channel business into a global powerhouse …built ABC Family into a top cable network here in the U.S.; made ABC a strong, successful content creation engine; and has been a great partner in leading our industry into the digital age."
Iger must now replace Disney's only female head of a business unit. The company's other five division heads are Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Thomas Staggs, Disney Interactive President James Pitaro, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, Disney Consumer Products President Bob Chapek, and Disney Media Networks Group Co-Chairman John Skipper, who also is president of ESPN.
PHOTOS: Upcoming Disney spring films and beyond
Staggs and Disney Chief Financial Officer James Rasulo are considered the leading contenders for Iger's job.
Sweeney's empire includes ABC and cable channels ABC Family, Disney Channel and Disney Junior, as well as Disney's stake in the A&E Networks. (The lucrative ESPN networks are managed separately.) She first disclosed her resignation in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
Known for her steely resolve, her spotless desk and her disciplined morning regimen of swimming laps in her pool, the Harvard-educated Sweeney started her executive career at Nickelodeon and FX before joining Disney in 1996 and quickly making her mark at Disney Channel.
Sweeney is credited with building Disney Channel into a worldwide juggernaut in children's programming, revitalizing the ABC Family channel, and providing a steady hand at ABC amid a tumultuous period at the network and the entire broadcast industry.
Sweeney has played a leading role in turning children's fare, soapy prime-time dramas and mismatched families — think "High School Musical," "Desperate Housewives," "Pretty Little Liars," "Scandal" and "Modern Family" — into some of the hippest and highest-rated programs on television.


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The opening to free agency was obviously going to be met with lots of anticipation with a bit of a circus atmosphere. And when midnight struck, NBA fans were not disappointed. News came flying in from all directions with possible players the Lakers were interested in, the Dwight saga, and a surprise Mitch Kupchak meeting. Let's recap the crazy night.
- Before the night even started, word got out that the Lakers were interested in Matt Barnes, a former Laker himself.
- As the clock struck midnight, craziness immediately ensued, first with reports that the Lakers had inquired about former Knicks big man Chris Copeland
- The flurry didn't stop there as it was reported that the team had been in talks with another former Laker, Jordan Farmar, as well as former Rockets Carlos Delfino and Chase Budinger
- Mark Medina then reported of a conversation he had with Earl Clark's agent about his return to LA. Clark is a free agent coming off a big-time breakout season.
- Next, another flurry of rumors with links to the Lakers included Nick Young, Francisco Garcia, and Wayne Ellington
- And before the night died down, the best news yet came out when it was revealed that, prior to Dwight Howard's meeting with the Houston Rockets, Mitch Kupchak had swooped in and had a word with Dwight #MITCHNINJA.
- Overall at Silver Screen and Roll, they made the case to Dwight Howard as to why he should stay a Laker
- Here at Lake Show Life, we discussed the importance of Howard's decision in regards to the Lakers future
- Earlier in the day, it was revealed that both Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant would be in attendance when the Lakers meet with Howard on Tuesday
Be sure to check in to Lake Show Life throughout the day to see any and all Lakers news and to keep updated on the Dwight Howard saga
Tags: Dwight Howard Earl Clark Free Agent Los Angeles Lakers NBA Nick Young


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{patterns + prada}
Friday 3rd October, 2008
by Roséline
Inspired by the wonderfully cheerful mix of colours and patterns in this workspace, especially when paired with an antique telephone, industrial desk, and {if you look closely}, a pair of Prada blossom-heeled pumps strewn beautifully and carelessly on the floor . . .
That's a workplace? Wow, I wonder what her house looks like. I love how that picture looks against the patterns and colors on the wall.
WOW – I could get LOTS done there!!
Love the drawers…and the bttm photo!
Those shoes in the 2an photo- Love them! The office is very cute too! Have a nice day! Daisy~
I've just fallen in love…
I've never seen anything more stunning than those blossom Prada heeled pumps. *swoons*
I could spend hours, days, weeks in there! Especially if I was able to wear the shoes. :o)
that first photo makes me feel so happy…and excited!
Absolutely awesome post as usual! Oh I truly love that working space.
that work space is beautiful!! thanks for the link!!! have a good day!
Those shoes are so darn great. Such a unique idea. Weren't there some similar to that in spring?
and the lamp, how I covet that lamp!
What great inspiration, love love the bottom photo.
I wish my work space would look like that. I can only dream =) it's a mess really. Wow, those shoes are fantastic!
I just love Prada and your blog! I added you to one of my blog's links (Women Metro)! Hope you can come visit my sites soon! see you around!
I need to stop reading your blog.
I was very smitten with the shower curtain you showed in June (by Balineum). Then you had a give away where one could win it just by leaving a comment. I left one but unfortunately didn't win.
So for the last months I have been trying to forget about the shower curtain with the ruffles. When I couldn't, I tried to find a similar one, to no awail.
Yesterday, I broke down and ordered one. I really need a shower curtain and it seems this is the only one that will do.
Thanks for all the inspiration!
I love the desk, so cool. and those shoes are to die for!
Your Sassy Reporter – thank you
Nikella – so sorry you didn't win the shower curtain, but excited that you ordered the Balineum one! Would love to see photos.
Each detail is wonderful, I love that !
One of the best work spaces I've seen. Inspirational.
Just a few things:
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1. See Lawrence Summers, live from the 92nd St Y via satellite at . 8 p.m. .
2. Help support music and art education by getting involved with HEARTS, a new community organization. .
3. Port's buzzing about the upcoming , with folks wondering which chef is preparing what in the bid for the 2012 SOUPer Bowl Champ. The big event is Saturday, 12-3 p.m. at the . See you there!
4. See "In the Family," a drama by Patrick Wang, and part of the 2012 Furman Film Series. $15. Clearview Cinemas Great Neck Squire Theater, 115 Middle Neck Road. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. for subscribers and 7:15 for ticket holders. Includes Q&A. .
5. Tell the community about your upcoming events by listing them on our calendar.