Author: Serkadis

Earlier the NAR released the existing home sales data for January; here are a few more graphs …

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows NSA monthly existing home sales for 2005 through 2010 (see Red column for Jan 2010).

Sales (NSA) in January 2010 were 7% higher than in January 2009, and slightly lower than in January 2008.

The second graph shows existing home sales (left axis) and new home sales (right axis) through January. I jokingly refer to this as the “distressing gap”.

The initial gap was caused by the flood of distressed sales. This kept existing home sales elevated, and depressed new home sales since builders couldn’t compete with the low prices of all the foreclosed properties.

The recent spike in existing home sales was due primarily to the first time homebuyer tax credit.

The following graph shows the same information as a ratio – existing home sales divided by new home sales – through January 2010.

This ratio is just off from the all time high in November when existing home sales were artificially boosted by the first time home buyer tax credit.

Eventually this ratio will return to the historical range of around 6 existing home sales per new home sale. Right now this graph shows that the housing market is far from normal.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Home Depot Sees Housing Rebound Across All Regions
• Another Big Miss: Existing Home Sales Down 7.2% In January
• Rosenberg: Don’t Believe The Fishy Case-Shiller Numbers, Home Prices Are STILL Falling

I’ve made my stance on bottled water quite clear before, but I’ll go ahead and reiterate: bottled water is a joke. It’s completely unnecessary, unless you’re in a nation with unsafe water quality, and the plastic bottles make for excellent landfill fodder. You could reuse the bottles, but then you’ve gotta worry about the plastic leaching into your water, especially the more you refill and reuse them (and don’t ever stick ‘em in the dishwasher). Poor taste is one thing – I can’t expect a person to happily drink tap water that tastes terrible – but tap is perfectly safe to drink, especially if used with a simple filter. And if it weren’t, most bottled water wouldn’t be any better, since it’s often just repackaged tap (check the label or cap – if it says “from a municipal source” or “from a community water system” or anything along similar lines, it’s tap water). Sparkling water in glass bottles is justifiable (tap isn’t bubbly, after all, although you could make it so at home, and the glass bottles are definitely reusable (I like filling them with homemade salad dressings).

But if you’re just after fresh drinking water, the tap will be fine. You can buy a filter if you like – I do, myself – or you could locate a nearby freshwater spring, if tap isn’t cutting it. The best water I’ve ever tasted came from a campsite faucet in Lake Tahoe. You could taste the minerals; it was like drinking from a fresh water stream before it got dangerous. I swear, if it didn’t mean a eight-hour drive each way, I’d get all my water from that tap. Oh well. I’m getting off topic. Just don’t buy crate after crate of water in plastic bottles is the essential gist of my spiel.

Still, bottled water is undeniably convenient, which is why it’s probably so popular (along with unfounded fears regarding tap water safety). I can’t ignore the convenience factor. I like it myself. Most people just reuse their old plastic bottles, those simple, unassuming polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. It’s an environmentally friendly gesture, but it’s one that may promote health issues, including the leaching of DEHP – a potent carcinogen – with repeated use. And, of course, there’s always our old friend, Bisphenol A, to contend with when plastics are involved. He turns up in the darndest of places, but that doesn’t mean you should simply throw in the towel. Avoid those old plastic bottles. Then there are the glass bottles. Safe? Yeah, but they’re also heavy and fragile – not the ideal water vessel for active individuals like our readers.

A better option is to go with a permanent water bottle expressly designed for the purpose. There are dozens on the market, but it usually comes down to a standoff between bottles made of polycarbonate plastics, aluminum, and stainless steel. Let’s see if we can find a clear winner.

Polycarbonate bottles

These are the “safe” plastic bottles; the permanent ones. They’re incredibly durable, and they exude an air of impermeability. They don’t wither under heat, like the PET bottles, and they maintain their shape. Plus, they often come in neat colors and attractive mesh shoulder slings. All the cool kids are using them, but should you?

I’d stay away. Polycarbonates have been proven to leach BPA into drinking water. There are no good reasons to take any chances considering the reams of animal data showing definitive deleterious effects outlined in the last BPA post.

But what about “BPA-free” plastic water bottles? Despite BPA-free claims I remain skeptical of plastic water bottles. With misinformation and the unregulated state of bioaccumulating pollutants, for my money there are much safer options.

Aluminum bottles

Aluminum is a solid choice. They’re pretty durable and very light, but they’re also expensive. Aluminum water bottles have become pretty damn trendy, if that weighs on your decision at all. Sure, trendiness can be annoying and all, but at least it shows people are becoming more aware of the folly of buying several plastic bottles of water a day – and that’s always a good thing. Is aluminum the way to go?

I hesitate to give my unequivocal affirmation. While the newest (post 2009) aluminum water bottle models from Sigg are claiming to be free of BPA, all their earlier stuff has it in the interior lining. So, the most recent Sigg bottles are probably safe, but as for the bottles from other, less reputable companies? I wouldn’t take a chance. Sigg is the biggest name in the aluminum water bottle game, and if they’re only just now ditching the BPA (a move momentous enough for the president to turn into a public statement) in their bottles, I’d be careful about buying aluminum bottles from other companies. And definitely avoid filling an aluminum bottle with acidic liquid (not that PB folks are big lemonade drinkers or anything), which can cause the aluminum itself to leach.

Stainless Steel bottles

Stainless steel wins, in my book. Sure, it’s a bit heavier, but it’s a proven material, and it won’t leach (and if it could, you’d have pure steel running through your veins – a net win, if you ask me). If you’re attacked by a mountain lion, your stainless steel water bottle becomes a dangerous weapon. You can fell the vicious beast, wipe the blood off, then immediately take a sip of refreshing water. You think polycarbonate and aluminum bottles could do that? Please. Wild animals in this country have (sadly) seen more than enough used condoms and faded cans of Budweiser to last them a lifetime. They’d laugh at your plastics and pseudo-metals (who ever heard of a metal that a ten year-old boy could crush underfoot?). If you tried to face down a big wild cat with a polycarbonate bottle, you’d better hope that feral felines are highly sensitive to trace amounts of BPA.

Seriously, though, stainless steel is the best choice, followed closely by reputable aluminum bottles. With steel, you don’t have to worry about weird chemicals, nor do you have to spend a ton of cash to keep up with a trend, making it the clear choice for anyone interested in a durable, reliable permanent water bottle. Kleen Kanteen appears to be a trusted manufacturer.

What do you use to transport your H20? Is there anything I’ve overlooked? Any additional safety concerns? Share your infinite wisdom in the comment board!

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts Delivered to Your Inbox

Related posts:

1. Are Plastics Safe?
2. Blinged Out Water?
3. Is Canned Food Safe to Eat?

Twitter has managed to create quite a bit of hype with its long awaited ad platform. There haven’t been any actual details on how the company plans to implement ads on the site but, if you take Twitter’s word on it, they will be “fascinating,” “non-traditional” and “really cool.” But if the latest leaked details are to be believed, most people … (read more)

You want a serious home theater. One that will rattle the windows, and ensure movie night is always at your house. But you don’t want to spend more than $600 on the thing that ties it together. Cuz you’re smart.

You’ve got the big screen flat panel, you’ve thrown that cheap HTIB system in the garbage, and you’ve picked out an awesome speaker system. You just need one more component to tie it all together: a surround receiver with enough muscle for Aliens vs. Transformers, and enough ports to handle your Blu-ray player, Xbox and/or PS3, and all of the other black boxes in your living room.

Spending $500 to $600 will get you a receiver that will use a microphone to listen to itself, configuring and equalizing up to seven speakers and a subwoofer. It will switch between at least four HDMI sources and a lot more analog devices, and send everything off to the TV upconverted to HD resolution through a single HDMI cable. The feature sets of competing models are so similar that it can be tough to tell them apart, so I called in the four best in this price range—from Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer and Yamaha—to help you make your decision. As it turns out, the decision was easy.

A side note, before we continue: None of the tested receivers—and no receiver currently shipping—features the HDMI 1.4 required to pass 3D video signal to a 3D TV. If 3D is a must-have feature for you, you’ll have to stay tuned, as all of the major electronics makers announce and eventually ship their 2010 models. But a new crop of models may actually mean better deals on the receivers reviewed here, and don’t forget, even if you’re a big enough spender to get a first-gen 3D TV, you can always route video directly from 3D Blu-ray player to 3D TV, using the receiver for audio alone.

I tested each model in my 7.1 channel theater—a $5300 Mirage OM Design system which has the resolving power to highlight minute differences in sound between amplifiers. This also gave me the chance to test each model’s two-channel music and multi-channel film soundtrack performance against my reference Pioneer Elite 49TXi—Pioneer’s $4500 flagship from 2005—a yardstick to hold up in order to see how far mid-priced receivers have come since then.

In addition to sonic prowess, I also judged each model in the areas of design and build quality, ease of use, and video conversion/scaling ability. Here are the full results of my tests:

The Onkyo, with superior sound quality and a multitude of HDMI inputs, put up a very tough fight against the Pioneer. But ultimately the Pioneer’s class-leading user interface, superb auto calibration system and built-in USB and iPod/iPhone support gave it the win.

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K: First Place

At first I wasn’t sold. The Pioneer’s music performance without EQ engaged was disappointingly dull and flat. Switching on EQ really kicked the amp into life, though, bringing detail and staging into proper focus. I found that the default curve was overemphasizing the upper midrange and treble, but fortunately the 9-band EQ is user configurable, and with a few adjustments I was able to dial in a nicely balanced sound that was fairly close to my reference, save for a persistent artificial coloration in the mids and highs. The Pioneer includes a technology called “Advanced Sound Retriever” which claims to restore compressed music files to near CD quality. (It may not surprise you that the others also feature similar abilities.) To test this, I loaded an iPod Touch with tracks encoded at moderate bitrates. ASR definitely did its job, as every track I tried sounded significantly more lifelike and enjoyable with ASR engaged. I connected the iPod to my more expensive reference system with a mini-jack cable and felt it still had the edge, but ASR made the difference between $4500 receiver and $500 receiver considerably smaller.

Movie audio performance with EQ was very good, with realistic portrayals of the cannons in Master and Commander and the drum sequence in House of Flying Daggers. Analog video scaling from my DVE test disc was decent, though the Pioneer struggled a bit in the jaggies test.

The VSX-1019AH-K is $100 less than the model that it replaced, and it appears that Pioneer was able to hit the $499 price point by chopping out 10 lbs. of power supply and much of the multi-channel analog connectivity. From bench tests that I’ve seen, being the shortest and lightest of the group has not affected the Pioneer’s ability to compete in terms of horsepower. While it can no longer serve as a surround preamp—the Yamaha is the only one of this group that can—the Pioneer’s user interface is simply in a different class than the competition at this level. Combine that with the forward thinking built-in USB and iPhone connectivity, and you’ve got a winner.

Onkyo TX-SR607: Second Place

The Onkyo loses in the looks department with its blocky styling and ancient pale green display, but give it some music to play and things turn around rather quickly. Without EQ engaged, the Onkyo produced the best, most transparent sound of the group, with realistic soundstaging and natural timbre that was surprisingly close to my reference. Switching on EQ mostly made everything sound artificially forward and aggressive, so I left it off for the majority of my music listening. Onkyo’s “Music Optimizer” with the iPod just about equaled my reference, which shows just how effective this technology is.

The Onkyo also did very well with movie sound, though without EQ the bottom end was not quite as strong and impactful as the Pioneer in the cannon and drum sequences. Only five bands are available in the EQ, but this was enough to improve the bass response for action sequences without throwing off the rest of the range. I tested several movies in both the Onkyo-exclusive Dolby Pro-Logic IIz “height speakers” mode and with my speakers in their regular back surround configuration. (The Onkyo is not a 9.1 receiver, so your choice is either one or the other.) I preferred the standard configuration, as I mostly couldn’t tell whether the height speakers were even on. A few weather effects perhaps sounded slightly more realistic, but I certainly wouldn’t go to the trouble of permanently mounting and wiring extra speakers high on the front wall for a bit of rain or wind.

The Onkyo firmly embraces digital audio and video with a total of six HDMI inputs, and completely ignores multi-channel analog connectivity. Analog video scaling was by far the weakest of the group, with poor results in DVE’s resolution, jaggies, and 2:3 pull-down tests. The front panel HDMI input is great, but the Onkyo really needs a USB port and a full GUI to put it over the top.

Denon AVR-1910: Third Place

The Denon’s performance with music was solid, besting the Pioneer but not quite matching the Onkyo. Without EQ its sound was a bit leaner than the Onkyo’s and slightly dry, with mids lacking a bit in body and warmth. As with the Onkyo, the default EQ curve just pumped everything up without any finesse. The Denon offers nine bands of EQ to play with, and by applying much more mild adjustments than the default curve, I was able to achieve a sound close to the Onkyo’s un-EQed performance. As with the Pioneer and Onkyo, Denon’s “Compressed Audio Restorer” significantly improved its performance with the iPod, though not enough to best the Onkyo or my reference.

Movie performance let the Denon down a bit. The cannons in Master and Commander had a distinct lack of impact compared with the Pioneer, even with EQ engaged, and the Flying Daggers drum sequence sounded a bit flat, particularly when I turned off the subwoofer and let the main channels run full range. Things picked up for the Denon with analog video scaling, where it aced all of my DVE tests.

The Denon was the most stylish of the group, but the plastic front panel and controls did not have the precision and quality feel of the others. The front panel display was also the smallest and hardest to read from across the room. The Denon’s biggest problem though is that it just doesn’t seem to have changed much compared to its predecessor, the AVR-1909. One more HDMI input and one less component video input seem to be the extent of the major changes. The user interface is functional, but still looks 15 years old. With the Pioneer now offering a full GUI at the $500 level, Denon needs to do the same.

Yamaha RX-V765: Fourth Place

Music from the Yamaha sounded much like Denon without EQ. It titled quite a bit towards the lean and dry side, with forward and slightly grainy highs that became tiring at higher volume levels. Two EQ curves are available, and the “natural” curve was able to tame some of the excessive brightness. I also tried adjusting the 7-band EQ, but I was never able to get the Yamaha to sound as good as the Onkyo or Denon.

Yamaha’s “Compressed Music Enhancer” brought similar improvements from the iPod as the other receivers, but couldn’t overcome the Yamaha’s inherent weaknesses with music. It did perform one trick that the others can’t: I was able to stream Last FM from my Nokia via the Bluetooth dock.

The Yamaha fared better with movies. It delivered a realistic amount of punch to the cannon and drum sequences, though I still preferred the Onkyo’s more neutral tonal balance. Analog video scaling performance was average, with poor results in the jaggies and 2:3 pull-down tests.

The Yamaha shares nearly all of its chassis components with the $900 RX-V1065, and due to that its build quality is a considerable notch above the rest of the group. It looks and feels like a $900 receiver, which is why it’s such a shame that the terrible UI completely lets it down. Setting up the Yamaha was aggravating; partly due to the un-assignable inputs, the badly designed remote and the cryptic way that Yamaha labels most functions, but mostly due to the UI. The four “Scene modes” are an attempt to replicate the Activities function of a Harmony remote, but they don’t really work in practice. Unless all of your components are made by Yamaha and support the Scene control ability, pressing a Scene button can do little more than switch the receiver to an input and select a sound mode, which the others can do just as easily with their own source buttons. In the end you’re going to end up using a universal remote anyway, making the Scene abilities completely unnecessary. The optional Bluetooth streaming support is great for many people who use their cellphone as an audio source, but the Yamaha is just too much of an incomplete product to recommend.

And Now For Something Completely Different…

The Onkyo produces surprisingly decent stereo sound for a mid-priced receiver, but what if stereo is all you are interested in? What if you don’t need HDMI switching, or Dolby Pro-Logic IIz, or Audyssey equalization, or any of the other stuff crammed in to a modern receiver? Can you do better for $500? Indeed you can, with something called an integrated amplifier.

Integrated amplifiers are a stereo preamp and amplifier combined into one component, and they offer maximum sound quality for the dollar as they basically only have one function. The NAD C-326BEE and Cambridge Azur 550A integrated amps both cost around $500, and both will outperform any of these receivers in stereo. Since there’s no need to worry about having the latest sound mode or HDMI version number, you can stretch your dollar even further by looking on the secondhand market. A range of $500 to $700 can buy a Musical Fidelity, Primare or Arcam on audio trading sites like Audiogon that will be able to challenge $2500 AV receivers in stereo mode. Add a second hand pair of bookshelf speakers from PSB or Monitor Audio—or maybe even a pair of Magnepan 1.6s if you’re feeling adventurous—and you’ve got truly high-end sound for around $1500.

David Kay is a veteran home-theater enthusiast, tech writer and all-around audio fanatic. He is currently Senior Editor of the audio news and feature blog Audio Junkies, and is on a never-ending quest to build the ultimate sound system, wallet be damned.

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Ripping off the CTA, just because they could.

That’s the explanation Chicago high school students gave school officials after CBS 2 aired video last week of the youths failing to pay for their train rides on the Brown Line. A dozen of them — Von Steuben high school students — were suspended.

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine says some of their peers weren’t amused. The CTA wasn’t, either.

The transit agency is working to correct design flaws at renovated Brown Line stations. Some doors are designed as exits, but they’re used to enter by those who don’t want to pay. That adds to a CTA budget deficit that has cut service and cost jobs.

More than a week after CBS 2’s first report, canine units still patrolled the Kedzie-Spaulding station. There are now new signs on doors everyone once used to leave the station. They say: “Exit through turnstyle only.”

Immediately after the video of student pushing their way onto platforms without paying through doors opened by others, police patrols were there to prevent that. They were still there Thursday.

“The security is a temporary measure,” Chris Bushell, CTA chief infrastructure officer, said. “What we’re doing at the moment is working with the Chicago Fire Department to come up with a safer, long-term solution.”

The students who snuck in the door were not only breaking the law, they were also violating a school policy designed to promote responsible behavior in the community.

Von Steuben Metro Science High School is a math and science magnet school with a proud history and dedicated educators.

“The great majority of the students that are coming here are very respectful, fine students, scholars that are doing really well, so I wasn’t happy to see that being reflected on television. That doesn’t truly reflect our students,” principal Pedro Alonso said.

The actions also don’t reflect on the good work and study habits being taught in one college prep class at Von Steuben.

“I was kind of ashamed,” sophomore Toi Davenport said.

“They thought it was funny. I just thought it was immature and made a bad representation of Von Steuben,” sophomore Christian Cazares said.

According to the schools’ code of student conduct, “Students may be subject to disciplinary action for violations of inappropriate Behavior that occur either on or outside of school grounds.”

Principal Alonso and Dean of Students Joaquin Stephenson viewed the video, visited the station and questioned the students. They suspended 12 of them for one day each.

“We wanted to make sure we sent that message that this was serious and that we are taking it seriously,” Alonso said.

Back at the Brown Line, old habits die hard. Many exiting commuters are still using the old doors, though some say when they see people waiting to sneak in, they now go through the turnstyle. And the CTA says these exit doors will soon be a thing of the past.

“We hope the new doors will prevent people from letting others in and cheating the system,” Bushell said.

Many were cheating the system last week. Now the CTA’s cracking down. And tightening up. Its not just the students who’ve learned their lesson.

Contributing: CBS 2 Political Producer Ed Marshall.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (CBS) ― A struggling restaurant in south suburban Country Club Hills is getting a second chance, thanks to the municipal government.

The Country Club Hills city council will pay the $7,200 overdue electric bill for the Chatham Pancake House, located at 18348 S. Pulaski Rd.

Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch tells the Chicago Tribune these are “unusual times” and local business is precious, so the community has to get creative.

Two of the eight aldermen on the city council opposed the loan, one of them complaining that the municipal government already gave pancake house owner Leslie Noel $50,000 in tax incentives to help open his business, the Tribune reported.

There may be other political problems with the electric bill bailout. CBS 2’s Susan Carlson said on Monsters & Money in the Morning that Welch’s move could set a precedent that would lead other businesses to ask for help from the city government.

“It turns out the mayor is a longtime customer of this particular restaurant, so is he playing favorites? He goes there all the time. He’s always seen there,” Carlson said. “That’s going to be the problem for him is it sets a precedent, and he’s going to get criticized for it from all the other businesses who are going to say, ‘Pay my bill.’”

The pancake house operated for more than 20 years near 87th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the South Side’s Chatham neighborhood, but moved to Country Club Hills in 2008, the Tribune reported.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

It’s no secret that the IMF is looking to sell off 191 tons of gold this year. And if you’re wondering who will buy up most of those holdings, it’s probably going to be China, at least according to Dennis Gartman.

Gartman notes that China has plenty of catching up to do with other countries like the U.S., Russia, and France in terms of its gold holdings. China will no doubt continue to buy gold, but it’s not going to do it very fast.

The Gartman Letter: What then do we think about these Chinese rumours? We think that China does indeed intend to buy a good deal more gold for its reserve positions, for its holdings of gold are miniscule compared to that of the US, Germany, Russia, England, France, the EU et al, and China intends to ramp up its holdings… over time. Might it take all of the IMF’s gold for sale at present?

Certainly it might, and we shall not be surprised to find out that they already have done so. But rumours are rumors are rumors, as Gertrude Stein might have said were she a gold trader rather than a long deceased writer in Paris.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Gartman: Gold Just Got Taken To The Woodshed, But You Should Still Hold It
• Gartman: Here’s How To Go Long Gold In Another Currency
• Gartman: Here’s How The Chinese Tightening Could Prick The Real Estate Bubble, But Help Inflate Stocks

Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of people get mad and sue Google over getting either dropped from Google’s index, or simply ranked really low on certain searches. And, of course, for some there are always totally unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Google purposely “punishing” a company or individual it doesn’t like. To date, however, there’s been no evidence at all that Google acts in such a capricious manner when it comes to rankings. If the company did so, and it ever came out, the hit to Google’s reputation would be something fierce. It’s even more ridiculous when you consider that all of the accusations of such personal attacks seem to come from tiny companies — hardly any kind of threat to Google, anyway.

That said, if you want even more evidence that Google’s ranking decisions aren’t personal, but actually are based on what its system feels will give the best possible results, witness the story of Google employee Jason Morrison, who recently discovered that his own personal site had be delisted from Google. It actually took him a few weeks to notice this, but once he did, and dug into the issue (using Google’s public tool and his own site’s admin tools) he quickly realized that he had made a mistake that caused Google’s crawlers to believe that his site was no longer up.

Now, that certainly doesn’t preclude the possibility that Google takes revenge on sites it doesn’t like, but it’s at least more evidence that the ranking system really is pretty algorithmically focused — and even Google employees aren’t immune to being delisted for screwing up. If your site gets delisted from Google, it’s not personal.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

North Central College leaders envision a new science center; additional classroom, office and living space; and maybe even a new pool in the school’s future.

The college near downtown Naperville is laying out potential projects in its 2010-2020 master land-use plan, which is meant as a guide for the projects.

“It’s very flexible,” college President Harold Wilde said. “It throws out a lot of good ideas. Ideas that would be good not just for North Central College, but for the neighborhood and Naperville in general.”

Paul Loscheider, vice president for business affairs, jokes that it is the “2020 perfect vision of the college.”

College leaders and nearby residents alike agree there aren’t as many large – or controversial – projects as some past plans, although neighbors do have some concerns regarding potential building heights and locations.

Among the college’s top priorities in the plan is a new science center. Currently, science classes meet in Kroehler Science Center, built in 1969. In addition to physical deficiencies that need to be remedied, the building is not conducive to the latest methods and technology used in teaching science, college leaders say.

While the college has not drawn up any blueprints for such a center yet, Loscheider said new science centers are typically 80,000 to 125,000 square feet. In addition to the usual science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics, the new facility also would be home to computer technology, math and psychology.

“The science faculty is starting to look at how are we going to teach science in the next 20 years – what do we have to have for that,” Loscheider said.

The college has narrowed the possible locations for the building to four. On the north side of campus it could go just west of Kiekhofer Hall on the site of the Larrance Academic Center and adjacent parking lot. It also could be placed just east of Loomis Street on the site of Kimmel and Seybert residence halls.

If officials decide to go with a mid-campus location, the prime spot would be adjacent to the existing Kroehler Science Center, or even replacing the current building.

On the far south side of campus, a dry pond site is another possibility.

Loscheider said if the college builds a science facility, it would stay within the 50-foot height restriction.

Carol Schmidt, president of the nearby East Central Homeowners Organization, said a science center likely would have the greatest impact on the neighborhood of anything in the plan.

“People do get concerned about (the idea that) this is a great big building in my neighborhood,” Schmidt said.

Even with a new science center, Loscheider said the college may need additional academic space and faculty offices.

The current classrooms, he said, are not conducive to group work, while many offices are located in college-owned houses.

Possible locations for academic buildings include the block just south of Van Buren near Loomis and the southwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Brainard Street.

School leaders also anticipate the potential need for more student housing in the years to come.

The college currently has about 2,800 students, including about 2,333 full-time undergraduates. It recently opened its new Res/Rec center with both residential and workout components, bringing the number of beds available to 1,361.

If demand for beds grows, the college still can build out the fourth floor of the Res/Rec Center, providing another 104 beds.

Many of the school’s current dorms also need renovation or replacement. If the need for more beds arises, leaders have identified several potential locations for new student housing, including the site of the current Student Village or just north of it. The southwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Brainard Street is another possibility.

Another new facility in the 10-year plan is a swimming pool. The current pool has four 25-yard lanes and is not up to standards to host an intercollegiate swim meet. The college is considering creating a larger pool between the Res/Rec Center and Merner Field House. However, officials say a “highly motivated donor” would be needed to make the pool a reality.

Despite the proposals for new facilities around campus, Loscheider said the college plans to stay within its current boundaries. However, leaders are open to expansion if a worthwhile opportunity arises. One possibility may be the Little Friends site on Wright Street. Loscheider said if the group ever decides to relocate, the college may consider buying the property, which it once owned.

Leaders also don’t plan to fill every last nook and cranny of the campus with concrete.

“One of the things we said was we’ve got to keep green and open space in here,” he said. “Let’s not just put buildings all over the place.”

The 10-year plan also includes rehab work to existing buildings like Oesterle Library, Merner Field House and Pfeiffer Hall.

The plan does not include an increase in parking on campus.

“Is there the ability to create more parking? Yes. Is there a desire to? No,” Loscheider said. “The desire is to manage parking to reduce that. In addition, it’s part of our sustainability as well.”

North Central has been using All Saints Catholic Academy property on Aurora Avenue as a remote parking lot and shuttling students to and from campus. A shuttle is also available to get to the Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center and other stores.

The college also rents out Zipcars by the hour and has increased the price of campus parking permits to discourage students from parking there.

Schmidt said neighbors sometimes have trouble finding a parking space near their homes. While she’d like to see more parking, she also admits it’s a bit of a Catch 22 in that more parking means more traffic congestion.

While the college may have big dreams for its campus, the plan is by no means set in stone. Loscheider said the biggest challenge in making the plan a reality will be money. He anticipates much of the funding would come from gifts. The college would rather not borrow money for projects like the science center that won’t produce a revenue stream to repay the loans.

In addition to getting donors on board, the college also will seek approval from Naperville’s plan commission and city council this spring.

Loscheider said there have been numerous meetings with neighbors, faculty and city staff to try to alleviate concerns early on in the process.

“There’s still some things people won’t agree with and we know that,” he said. “We’ll work out whatever differences we can, or at least agree to disagree, but we’re not being disagreeable. That’s the important part.”

Schmidt is encouraging her neighbors to pay close attention to the projects as the plans evolve. But she agreed with Loscheider that the process, thus far, has been better than in past years.

“The college is a great organization, it does great things for the neighborhood, it’s a great neighbor to us,” she said. “They’ve worked hard over the last few years to build that relationship, maintain open communication so there aren’t surprises.”

The full plan is available online at northcentralcollege.edu/Documents/business_office/master_land_use_plan.pdf. The plan likely will go before Naperville’s plan commission in April, then to the city council.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Yesterday we predicted that next week the EU would try some stunt to bring pain to the gather bears.

Well it looks like the shorts aren’t eager to hold their positions into the weekend.

It would see that if there’s some kinf of “event risk” right now, it’s the risk that some event will happen and everything will go smoothly.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Big Hedge Funds Team Up To Bet Against Euro, Predict It Will Fall To Parity With The Greenback
• Here’s What The Next Leg Of The Euro Debt Crisis Will Be
• Careful Euro Bears, Greece Will Try To Dropkick You Next Week

By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, Feb 26 (IPS) Russian efforts to acquire oil and gas fields in Africa and prospect for minerals on the resource-rich continent have yielded little success over the past decade due to lack of a coherent national strategy, experts say.

Questions are being asked as to how China has scored in Africa with its resource exploration policy, infrastructure projects and three international summits on the continent since the turn of the 21st century.

Andrei Petrov, chairman of the ‘New Africa Initiative’ non-profit organisation, told IPS that Russia lags critically behind China, India and some countries in Western Europe in promoting its interests in Africa.

Petrov said there appeared to be a lack of coordination among Russian ministries, agencies and private companies when it comes to dealing with Africa.

"As competitive advantages over other countries have been effectively foregone, other players, notably China and India, have secured strong positions of dominance in the region by pursuing their long-term economic policy on the continent consistently. Such policies have primarily targeted the strategic sectors of the economies in the African countries, notably transport, power, natural resources and telecommunications," Petrov explained.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin spearheaded a powerful economic delegation to select resource-rich African countries in 2006, but it was followed up by President Dmitry Medvedev only June.

Medvedev has admitted to tardiness in returning to Africa to pursue agreements on exploring natural resources.

Prof. Tom Wheeler, a research associate at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, believes that Russian involvement in the exploitation of resources would bring balance to the current control of African oil and gas by Western, Chinese and Indian oil companies.

"Russia, one of the world's largest sources of oil and gas, has sought to strengthen ties with two of Africa's largest oil producers, Nigeria and Angola, the current chair of OPEC. If this delegation succeeded in creating a strong link with Nigeria's parastatal, that will give Russia another lever in its aim of controlling access to the gas that heats western and central Europe," Wheeler told IPS.

"Is all this attention to Africa and the rivalry between countries outside of the continent in the interest of Africans? That is for each country to decide. It is important that governance structures and legislation be put in place which will enable African governments to judge whether proffered cooperation and contracts are truly to the benefit of their countries and their populations," he asserted.

According to Wheeler, Africans must control their own destinies and their leaders must ensure that the poor and hungry also enjoy the advantages that can flow from the exploitation of the natural resources their countries have been endowed with.

Unlike China, Russia currently has little need of African resources but is desirous to sell Russian nuclear technology and possibly armaments to African countries, he explained. He added that Russia's objective seems to be to control the access that other countries have to Africa’s resources by forming cartels with African oil and gas producers.

‘’Given its own financial problems, Russia has not been able to contribute much financially to Africa's development,’’ said Wheeler. ‘’This contrasts with China's insatiable appetite for Africa's resources and its provision of infrastructure of various types without conditionalities."

China's role in Africa, however, has not been uncontroversial. China has been heavily investing in Sudanese oil developments, ignoring human rights issues there.

For their part, Africans tend to look at Russia and India as "a third force" to counterbalance Western and Chinese investment, Ivetta Gerasimchuk, director of the Trade and Investment Programme at World Wildlife Fund-Russia and author of the book ‘Rethink Russia's Investment Policy in Southern Africa’, told IPS in an interview.

‘’China is hungry for virtually all raw materials, offering a guaranteed market and financial pledges for importing the African oil and gas, therefore its expansion in Africa covers almost every extractive industry,’’ said Gerasimchuk. ‘’In contrast, Russia itself is an important oil and gas producer and exporter.’’

"An explanation of Russia's investment efforts in Africa could be the fact that our country has to a considerable extent depleted its deposits of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, diamonds, and uranium. Therefore, Russia's interest in the African resource base has been primarily focused on these sectors," she added.

Russia is strongly interested in Africa's growing demand for manufactured goods, although the focus has been mainly on arms sales.

"Importantly, the financial crisis has also changed the rules of the game as China is one of the few countries in the world that continues its economic growth and has enough financial resources to support its expansion," Gerasimchuk observed.

Basically, China has better access to financial resources, which is backed by the state and also influenced through an effective Africa policy determined through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) process, Sanusha Naidu, research director at China/Emerging Powers in Africa Programme, FAHAMU – Cape Town (South Africa), told IPS.

Perhaps, through the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India and China] bloc, Russia could carve out better relationships through joint ventures and other investment relationships to get into the mineral sector in Africa, Naidu suggests.

The Washington-based Centre for International Strategic Studies has projected that Africa would provide up to 45 percent of China's oil by 2010 and China is determined to outspend Russia and the other foreign players in Africa to raise its stature on the world stage.

I wrote a review of GroceryIQ just over a year ago and I have continued to use it frequently. The new GroceryIQ 2 expands on the original concept by taking advantage of the power of a connected mobile device that can tap into the cloud. These significant improvements have pushed the app from “frequently used” to “indispensable” on my own iPhone. I’ll run down the features for you and then share some comments from the developer on how the cloud and the iPhone have come together to create great software.

What’s New in Version 2

The big update in version 2 is list syncing between multiple iPhones. In practice, this feature is incredibly valuable. Whenever my wife updates the list with something that we need, I get a push notification that something has been added to GroceryIQ. When I get to the store, I open the app and it quickly syncs my lists so that I am sure to not miss something we need. In addition, my wife instantly benefited from the effort I had put in to organize the aisles to match the layout of our store as well as the history and favorite items that I use to quickly build shopping lists.

GroceryIQ 2 also adds some features related to its acquisition by Coupons.com. You can find coupons on your iPhone and print them straight from the phone to a supported HP printer. I have a Canon printer so I use the email option to send the list of coupons I selected on the iPhone and print them from my computer. The list categories show logos for items that have coupons available as another reminder.

The gee-whiz feature in this release is barcode scanning to add items to your shopping list. You take a picture of the barcode using the iPhone camera and it will look up the item and add it to your list.

Frankly, I love this app because it actually makes shopping easier than using pencil and paper.

Jason Boehle from Coupons.com

I spent a little time catching up Jason Boehle from Coupons.com to talk about how the 2.0 release came about and how technology has made the simple task of making a shopping list even better.

Tell me about how you decided on the feature list for Version 2.

List sharing between devices has been a big request by users and was part of the original vision for Grocery iQ 1.0. We’re pleased to finally deliver it to our loyal customers. The new couponing features are another exciting addition to Grocery iQ and allow our customers to easily find coupons and savings directly related to what they’re shopping for. Barcode scanning is an incredibly useful feature for list building that many customers have requested, and we delivered one of the best barcode scanning experiences on the iPhone.

How is list sharing implemented?

List sharing is implemented using secure web services on the proven Coupons.com high-availability infrastructure. Apple’s push notification service is used to get list updates to your phone in real-time, while still taking it easy on device battery life. In addition to sharing a list between multiple devices, single devices can use the service as an online “backup” of their Grocery iQ data. One of the coolest things about doing all of the list sharing in the cloud is that we’re able to leverage this work to implement web-based list editing and sharing to devices as well as sync lists between other versions of Grocery iQ on other mobile platforms like Android, etc.

How does printing direct from the iPhone work?

We worked closely with HP to enable coupon printing directly from the iPhone to HP printers connected to wireless networks. In addition to loading coupons directly to your store savings cards, this is another feature that enables our customers who are away from their PC to still save money using Grocery iQ. The coupon printing feature is another example of highly leveraged work that is available in our Coupons.com iPhone app in addition to Grocery iQ. It also makes use of cloud-based services for all of the imaging and assembly of the retail-ready coupons.

How did the trend towards using cloud services impact the development of GroceryIQ 2?

The “cloud” has helped to enable all these new features in Grocery iQ 2.0. List sharing, coupon display, printing, and even barcode scanning all benefit from the power of a very sophisticated web service infrastructure. For example, we have an incredibly rich on-device product database which we use for barcode scanning and lookup. However, if we don’t find the product you just scanned in our on-device database we have the full power and extensibility of a web service that will search many other online databases to locate the item.

A cloud-connected device enables a whole host of scenarios. For example, your significant other can add items to your shared shopping list, load coupons to your savings card, and then send you to the store on your way home from work—and even make changes while you are there by scanning a snack box because the kids just finished it off. The built-in database enables a detailed shopping list, so you can be sure you’re getting the right items, and when you checkout, and the coupons are automatically applied when you swipe your savings card. Welcome to the digital age of grocery shopping!

Grocery Shopping Made Better

I know some of you may be wondering why I spilled this much digital ink on a grocery list app. Let me tell you, I use this app at least once a week and the list sharing features have really helped my wife and I keep up with the shopping demands of our large family. It really is better than keeping a paper list at home.

I also think that Jason’s comments about the cloud services that are leveraged in the iPhone app are important for the future of the platform. I think the next wave of iPhone development will show a lot of innovation in taking simple concepts that worked great in software and improving them by reexamining what is possible with a mobile device that is always connected to the cloud with push notifications. GroceryIQ is a great example of a cloud-connected app done right.

Sony announced it will be moving any DVD production efforts occurring at its DADC Pitman plant to Terre Haute, Indiana, where a majority of DVD manufacturing is taking place already. The move means 160 of the plant’s 570 employees will be losing their jobs, though the plant will remain open in other manufacturing capacities, continuing to produce CDs and video games. Sony can produce up to 15 million DVDs and 18 million CDs per month at the facility. The plant’s last DVD rolled off the line Thursday.

Profits from disc-based operations have been steadily declining for most major CE manufacturers in the wake of on-demand methods, downloadable content and other instant services. The Pitman facility will still continue to manufacture Music CD’s and Playstation game discs.

Lisa Gephardt, Sony’s Senior Director of Communications, said the decision was made to “take advantage of operating efficiency and lower costs.”

“We have very little manufacturing in Gloucester County and to lose even more jobs is devastating,” said Michael Batten, mayor of Pitman. “I think about single parents, people who need to put food on the table, and I wonder where they will turn next.”

In a written statement released by Sony, “economic hardships and the current competitive landscape,” made the move a necessity.

Navigating Job Fairs

With unemployment still at near-record levels, job fairs have become jammed with hopeful applicants. Harper College this month will hold its first-ever seminar on navigating the daunting events. The new Pre-Job Fair Workshop is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, a week ahead of the College’s Spring Job Fair. “We’ve found that people often come to these fairs unprepared. They walk in and are lost as to how to proceed,” says Kathleen Canfield, Harper’s Career Center Director. “Our goal is to provide participants with proven tips and tricks so they can seize the opportunity for success and get the most out of meeting face-to-face with employers.” The Workshop, held at the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine, will include 10-minute resume reviews – performed by qualified Harper staff, career experts and volunteers from other colleges – and a series of job-related workshops covering interviewing skills, resume building, job search resources, common job-hunting mistakes and current job market opportunities. The event is free and open to all; no registration is required. Parking is available in Lot 13. The College’s Spring Job Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 12 in the Wellness and Sports Center, in the lower level of Building M. The Fair features more than 50 employers from various career fields, including public safety, finance and healthcare. That event also is free and open to all. Visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Media Note: Harper experts are available to offer tips for making the most out of job fairs. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Promoting Peace (Corps)

After graduating from college, Harper College Associate English Professor Richard Johnson spent two years working at a school in Burkina Faso, teaching English, coaching volleyball and soccer and launching a student playwriting group that involved toting students across the border to Ghana to perform. He says the Peace Corps experience was life-altering, and he’s encouraging others to sign on now. Johnson will share his adventures and provide a Peace Corps overview to students and prospective volunteers as part of a 49^th Anniversary celebration next week. Peace Corps – which has logged some 200,000 volunteers since its 1961 inception, including several Harper employees  – has now been expanded to allow those with associate degrees to work overseas as volunteers in areas like information technology, skilled trades, youth development, health and agriculture. A session explaining how to access Peace Corps via an associate degree is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 in Room A243, Building A; that event will feature other former Corps volunteers who, like Johnson, now work at Harper. Johnson will deliver his program at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, also in Room A243. “I think people should know what an amazing experience it is to remove oneself from this country and get a good look at who and what we are from the outside. We become better people, and ultimately better citizens, of this country and this world,” Johnson says. “I am a teacher now because of the Peace Corps, and I’m a better teacher for it. It’s in my blood.” Harper’s two Peace Corps sessions, part of the national Peace Corps Week observance, are sponsored by the College’s International Studies Committee. It’s the first time in several years that the group has hosted events on the Corps, and Eric Bohman, one of the event’s organizers, says there couldn’t be a better time. “There’s a lot of discussion in education now about growing career fields that focus on international relations and nation-building,” Bohman says. “The Peace Corps is an excellent opportunity for students to launch a profession in this area.” Nationally, Peace Corps Week is an opportunity for thousands of current and former volunteers to celebrate the agency’s legacy, share insights from their experiences and encourage others to continue the program’s success nationally and abroad. Harper’s sessions are free and open to all. For details, contact Johnson at 847.925.6429 or [email protected]. For more on the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov/thirdgoal.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Green Kids

Going green isn’t just for grown-ups. This summer, Harper College will launch a new kids-only certificate program focused on all aspects of green living, from recycling and composting to alternative energy sources and organic gardening. The program, part of the 2010 InZone kids’ enrichment camp, allows students to visit green farms, grow and taste-test their own green foods, try their hand at green yoga and examine green products they can use at home. The classes culminate in a “Green Warrior” certificate. “Being green actually is easy, and it’s just as important for children as it is for the rest of us,” Youth Program Coordinator Kevin Hahn says. “Our Green Warrior certificates will represent children who are dedicated to learning new techniques designed to help make a difference in the world, one community at a time.” The Green Warrior program is open to kids ages 11 to 14; registration begins Friday, March 5. Harper’s Summer 2010 InZone also includes other sophisticated offerings, including in-depth courses in graphic design and sculpting that mimic college classes. A new Film Academy also is on the menu, giving students a chance to explore acting and make a professional movie with help from a film company at the course’s end. InZone annually features about 250 courses to pique kids’ interest; classes cover sports, fishing, music, fashion, dance, cooking, reading, science and more. The camp is open to kids ages 8 to 14. “InZone is designed to help children experience brand-new activities and further develop existing skills in a variety of real-life areas,” Hahn says. Courses run Monday through Thursday; the Green Warrior certificate program, like the other class offerings, begins June 14 and runs through mid-August. Before- and after-camp care is available. To register for Green Warrior courses or other InZone programs, or for more details, including a complete schedule, call 847.925.6300 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/youth.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Free Ultrasounds

The Harper College Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is seeking volunteers interested in receiving free ultrasounds. Available tests include obstetrical ultrasounds (participants must be at least 18 weeks pregnant; they will receive a copy of the images), carotid artery ultrasounds (participants must be at least 50 years old), venous ultrasounds of the lower legs (participants must be at least 18 years old) and echocardiograms (participants must be at least 18 years old). All exams will be performed by students on state-of-the-art equipment, under the supervision of a registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The free tests, lasting about an hour each, are non-diagnostic. Volunteers will not receive a medical report, but will be instructed to follow up with a doctor if abnormalities are suspected. Volunteers are needed through May 1. Ultrasounds have been used since the 1950s and have no known harmful effects. Harper’s program conforms to all patient safety regulations. To schedule a free ultrasound appointment, call 847.925.6104.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

President Chairs Rotary “Classic”

New Harper College President Dr. Kenneth Ender is wasting little time becoming involved in charitable causes in the northwest suburbs. Dr. Ender will serve as the honorary chair and featured speaker of Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates Rotary Club’s annual “Classic” fundraising dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at The Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows. “We are very pleased to have Dr. Ender serve as honorary chair and lend his expertise and passion to our fundraising efforts,” says Bill Kelley, Chairman of the Classic Committee. “Since he’s new to the area, we were a bit unsure about asking him to serve as chair, but he jumped right in, which shows his commitment and support for worthy causes in the district.” The Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates Rotary Club raises funds for a variety of causes throughout the northwest suburbs. Past Rotary grants have been awarded to Alexian Brothers to help build a Children’s Hospital wing, the Woodfield Area Children’s Organization, the Children’s Advocacy Center, the Kenneth Young Center and the Hoffman Estates Police Department, for its Childcare Seat Program. The Rotary also funds college scholarships and P.A.L.S., a literacy program for at-risk children. “The Rotary plays a crucial role in extending a helping hand to families and children in need here in the northwest suburbs,” Dr. Ender says. “I am honored to be asked to assist with their fundraising efforts.” To buy tickets to the “Classic,” become a sponsor or learn more about the Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates Rotary Club, visit http://www.rotarysweepstakes.com or call 888.768.2796.

Press Contact: Phil Burdick, Assistant Vice President for Media and Government Relations, 847.925.6183, [email protected].

Bilingual Financial Aid

Harper College is offering a series of sessions aimed at helping potential students navigate the murky waters of financial aid – whether they speak English or Spanish. The dual-language Financial Aid Workshops, geared toward high school juniors and their parents, will feature information on financial aid eligibility, the FAFSA application process, deadlines, the varying forms of federal and state aid and Harper scholarships for new freshmen. Those who aren’t eligible for financial aid will get tips for researching other scholarship options online. Participants also can receive onsite help filling out the FAFSA. The workshops, offered in both English and Spanish, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 6 in Room Y203, Building Y on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine; 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11 at Palatine High School, 1111 N. Rohlwing Road in Palatine; and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18 and Thursday, April 22 in Room Y203, Building Y. “Financial aid can be intimidating even for the savviest person. Offering the pertinent information in Spanish can be helpful to parents, in particular, when it comes to understanding the details,” Harper Recruiting Specialist Juanita Pérez Bassler says. “We offer these workshops to let high school students know that college really is an option, and to let them know we’re here to help.” The workshops are free, but seating is limited. For details or to RSVP, visit www.harpercollege.edu or contact Pérez Bassler at 847.925.6940 or [email protected]. To complete the FAFSA at the event, participants must bring a driver’s license, social security card and 2009 tax information (tax returns should be completed first).

Media Note: Harper’s Director of Student Financial Assistance, Earl Dowling, is available for interviews on financial aid topics. His answers to frequent questions, including details on the new FAFSA form changes, are available via on Harper’s web site, www.harpercollege.edu, under the Financial Aid tab. For interviews or for more Harper financial aid information, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

President’s Ball

A dinner-and-dancing gala aimed at raising tens of thousands of dollars for Harper College student scholarships, programs, and educational experiences will be held on Saturday, March 6 in Schaumburg. The President’s Ball, hosted by Harper’s Educational Foundation, will feature live music and remarks from both a Harper scholarship recipient and College President Ken Ender, who will discuss how student success can bolster an entire community. Bob Fiorani, an Educational Foundation board member and a retired vice president at Square D/Schneider Electric, also will address attendees. Tickets are $250; tickets for a live raffle, which boasts a $2,500 grand prize, are $25. Sponsorship opportunities also are available. Since its inception in 1973, Harper’s Educational Foundation has supported the College and its students with dozens of scholarships, programming and other financial contributions. “Today, our Foundation is working even more diligently in the face of decreased state funding and increased demand for higher education opportunities,” says Catherine Brod, Harper College Educational Foundation Executive Director. “Our success has come from building strong relationships with others in our community. Our President’s Ball is another excellent opportunity to make new connections and bring our community together for the purpose of championing the College and our students.” The College’s most recent Foundation gala, held two years ago, raised $500,000 for Harper students. The ball will start with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Drive North. Dinner and dancing will follow. Event Co-Chairs are Fiorani and his wife, Roberta, of Barrington; Mike and Sue Gilfillan of Arlington Heights; and Jack and Linda Lloyd of Palatine. To RSVP, or for more information on gala sponsorships or other donation opportunities, visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Photo Opportunities

Event: “Tide of Poseidon” massive balloon art aerial sculpture, created by visiting artist

Date: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through Thursday, March 18

Location: Art Exhibition Space, Room C200, Building C

 

Event: Pre-Job Fair Workshops and Resume Reviews

Date: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 3

Location: Wojcik Conference Center

 

Event: President’s Ball

Date: 6 p.m. Saturday, March 6

Location: Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center

 

Event: Spring Job Fair, featuring more than 50 employers

Date: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 12

Location: Wellness and Sports Center, lower level of Building M

 

Event: Computer Kids Program. Elementary District 21 students whose parents are in Harper literacy courses are able to learn digital concepts and computer technology in this new class.

Date: 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through March 17.

Location: Harper College Northeast Center, 1375 Wolf Road in Prospect Heights

 

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, Lexus, Reviews, Luxury

The love affair with batteries begins as a child. By the time your fifth Christmas rolls around, the moment you unwrap an electronic gadget your mind is already processing the thought, “Santa better have brought batteries…” Not only does that relationship continue as an adult, but what was once a simple tryst – “Mom, I need batteries for my Coleco Football” – has turned into a full-on romance (with every associated frustration) of our beloved battery-powered gizmos.

Like, for instance, the Lexus GS450h. One of the sleepiest of sleeper sedans, its batteries aren’t responsible for keeping it running, only for supplementing the power of its 3.5-liter V6. And while hybrids have generally left us tepid, after a week with the Lexus, we’re almost ready to ask automakers for another Christmas gift: Put batteries in everything, and do it just like this.

Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: Lexus GS450h uses electrons for fun

Review: Lexus GS450h uses electrons for fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The markets have been very volatile today, with no clear direction of which way they’ll turn. Currently, the Dow is up 17 points to 10,337, the NASDAQ Composite is up 4 points to 2238, and the S&P 500 is up 2 points to 1104.

Rosetta Stone (RST) is killing it, up 26% to $21.95 a share off better-than-expected Q4 earnings.

Oil is back on the rise and headed to $80 a barrel. It currently sits at $79.75, up $1.58.

Gold is up $8.10 to $1116.60 an ounce. Silver is up $0.22 to $16.36 an ounce.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Think Gold’s Been A Dog? Here’s Why It Could Really Collapse
• You Thought Gold Was Looking Ugly? Gold Miners Are Trading At Levels Not Seen In Years
• How The UK’s Financial Crisis Could Lead To The Falklands Becoming Much More Than An Oil Dispute

This poem by Rumi is one of my favorites – and so wanted to share:

Rumi – Guest House

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Feeling challenged, stressed or depressed? Check out my book – THE BOUNCE BACK BOOK – which has been praised by Tony Robbins! Just click this line, right here right now!

MOST PEOPLE settle for an average life. If you’re not MOST PEOPLE and want to LOVE YOUR LIFE be sure to sign up for my famous and FREE Be Happy Dammit newsletter by clicking this line, right here, right NOW.

Seeking fun, motivational, empowering connections and friends to help you live your happiest life? Join me at my FAN PAGE on FACEBOOK clicking this line right here, RIGHT NOW.

del.icio.us · Slashdot · Digg · Facebook · Technorati · Google · StumbleUpon · Yahoo

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Lexus, Luxury

We’ve heard a few figures bandied about since the Lexus LFA was introduced, but now the official price tag for the U.S.-bound supercar has been announced. Base price: $375,000. And that’s not including the unspecified destination and handling fees.

That MSRP has the potential to swell when you start adding the options, but for the 552-horsepower supercoupe’s discerning clientele, it won’t matter. In stock form (Configuration 1) buyers have the option to coat their thrones in either leather or Alcantara, with Configuration 2 bringing navigation and the stellar Mark Levinson surround-sound system. Option up for Configuration 3 and all the aforementioned goodies are yours, along with the Lexus Enform system with Safety Connect.

Of the 500 LFAs set to go into production this December, less than half are slated to make their way to the States when deliveries begin in January, and even if you’ve got a cool $400k burning a hole in your pocket, you can’t buy the LFA outright. To thwart speculators, Lexus is only making the LFA available on a two-year lease with a firm intent to purchase. If you’ve got the means, make the jump for the official details.

Continue reading Officially Official: 2012 Lexus LFA priced at $375,000*

Officially Official: 2012 Lexus LFA priced at $375,000* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

In another unfortunate turn of economic events for Alabama, Sony announced last week that they are closing down their Dothan-based Sony Magnetic Products, Inc. after 33 years of being in business. Established in 1977, the facility manufactures Sony’s professional, consumer and data storage magnetic tapes, print media products, as well as coating material for optical disks. The closure wasn’t really a surprise to the 320 full time employees working there. Workers have been flexible with their schedules in recent times to keep the plant viable. The company runs some departments 24 hour a day, but operations had declined from seven days a week to four or five over the last several years. Operations will be phased out starting in April 2010, with the closure planned to be completed by September 2010.

Spokesperson Elizabeth Boukis, Public Relations Manager for Sony USA, said “this strategic business decision is designed to strengthen Sony’s cost-competitiveness by consolidating production.” Boukis said employees will receive severance and other benefits as the operation of the plant ceases. In regards to job transfers, she said all employees who have been given notice “are encouraged to find out about job openings within Sony Electronics and at other Sony companies by reviewing current internal and external job openings.”

I found a great historical perspective of the plant, courtesy of the Dothan Eagle, which describes how the Mayor (Grant) of Dothan, Alabama at the time convinced Sony to put the plant in his state instead of Florida:

Grant was instrumental in getting the electronics giant to re-evaluate its decision to open a plant in Florida, after reading about Sony’s plans in the newspaper.

“We found out they were looking to locate in Tallahassee, but they were having trouble with the property rezoning in their location,” Grant said. “We called Sony and they said they were not interested in going anywhere but Tallahassee. We begged them to come up here.”

Grant said Sony officials did come and he took his personal motor home and loaded it up with city officials representing utilities, engineering, fire, police – virtually every city department – to answer any questions Sony representatives had. But none of the properties officials showed was acceptable to Sony, Grant said.

“I realize we needed something stronger. I called Governor Wallace and asked him to call the president of Sony in Japan and ask him to locate in Dothan. We knew they were having a hard time in Tallahassee.”

George Wallace made that call, at 3 a.m. local time. Sony officials from Japan came in the spring of the year in 1974 or 1975.

“They flew in here and we picked them up in the motor home. We couldn’t speak Japanese and they couldn’t speak English. As we rode down the road, the president asked me through an interpreter what people do after work, on weekends and for vacations. I answered him what I thought people did, and then he asked to go to a golf course.”

The motor home turned from Montgomery Highway down Cherokee to the Dothan Country Club.

“We walked over to the ninth green and he saw all the azaleas and dogwoods in bloom and he said, ‘We come to Dothan.’ We went back to the motor home, took him back to the airport and he went to Naples to play golf.”

Sony officials wanted the plant located “in a nice neighborhood” with lots of trees, so they built the plant adjacent to Chapelwood.

The plant opened at its current location on West Main Street in 1977 with an anticipated 1,200 employees, but by the time it was set to open, Jimmy Grant, who was mayor at the time, said Sony had already expanded and had 2,000 employees on the payroll.

The plant has had multi-million dollar expansions twice in the past 11 years. In 1999, Sony completed a $34 million expansion, involving a new metal evaporation process for producing computer date storage products. In 2003, the Dothan plant invested $8.8 million and planned to add about 80 jobs over a three-year period as part of company requirements to produce two new products – a data storage LTO (linear tape open) and a digital video cassette media.

The workforce has declined steadily since the ‘90s and the company has reconfigured itself as consumer interest has driven market changes. According to an official statement, the Dothan plant currently manufactures professional, consumer and data storage magnetic tapes, print media products, as well as coating material for optical disks.

The Dothan plant just started its print media component in January, as a 30-day trial.