Steve Ballmer Wants You to Come Over to Windows 8 [VIDEO]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/steve-ballmer-wants-come-over-windows-8-video-123641051.html

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Mother's inflammation raises risk of child's autism, asthma, and ...

While practitioners of functional medicine have long understood the link between the health of a mother?s immune system and the risk of giving birth to a child with autism, asthma, allergies, and other disorders, it is validating to see this information in the New York Times: An Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism.

In this article, the author reports one-third of autism cases are the result of an inflammatory disease that began in the womb, thanks to the mother?s imbalanced immune system. Looking back through 20 years of data, researchers discovered that infections during pregnancy increase the risk of autism. Hospitalization for a viral infection (i.e., the flu) during the first trimester tripled the odds for autism, while a bacterial infection (including urinary tract infections) during the second trimester increased the risk by 40 percent.

Maternal autoimmunity increases risk of autism in children

While viral and bacterial infections have declined over the last 60 years, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders are steadily climbing. Autoimmune disease dwarfs cancer and heart disease combined, now affecting about 50 million people, or 20 percent of the population.

Investigation revealed it isn?t the infections themselves that cause autism, but instead the reaction of the mother?s immune system to infection (her inflammatory response), as well as the overall health of her immune system.

One study of 700,000 births found that a mother?s rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, or Type 1 diabetes more than doubles the risk of autism in her child. Other research has connected additional autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto?s hypothyroidism, with an increased risk of giving birth to a child who develops autism.

In an autoimmune response, the immune system mistakenly creates antibodies to the body?s own tissue, thereby tagging the tissue for destruction. Researchers have found that some mothers of autistic children create antibodies to the brain tissue of their fetus, meaning the child is a born with a brain already developmentally imbalanced by immune destruction. In fact, research indicates that mothers of children with autism are five times more likely to have anti-brain antibodies in their systems.

Chronic inflammation in pregnancy raises risk of childhood disorders

Other risk factors for autism include maternal asthma, allergies, insulin resistance, obesity, and chronic low-grade inflammation. In other words, when a mom?s immune system is in constant overdrive?never getting the opportunity to rest?the development of the fetal brain is adversely affected and the overall risk for disorders is increased.

Western diet and lifestyle behind inflammation and autoimmunity

Unfortunately, the story An Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism veers into the promise of using whip worms?yes, worms?to tame the out-of-control immune system. The theory is that autoimmune disease has skyrocketed in developed nations because we are too clean.

The article fails to mention those other hallmarks of Western civilization besides good hygiene: overabundant diets laden with sweet, starchy, processed foods; chronic stress; a sedentary lifestyle; and daily bombardment of environmental toxins.

Thankfully, practitioners of functional medicine have measures other than the whip-worm therapy to manage autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation, all backed by peer-reviewed science. These include an autoimmune diet and the use of targeted, customized nutritional therapies.

Ask my office how we can assist you in balancing your immune system and, in so doing, help you to lower the risk of giving birth to a child with asthma, allergies, autism, or other brain and immune disorders.

Source: http://michaelruscio.blogspot.com/2012/10/mothers-inflammation-raises-risk-of.html

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What to do with babies while homeschooling | Simple Homeschool

With four kids who are school age and three littles who aren?t, one of the most frequent questions I get about homeschooling is ?What do you do with the babies??

My short answer??Have a plan. Everybody?s plan looks different, but in order to make it through the day, you need an easy routine that ensures all of the needs get met.

A few hints to help you plan:

1. Give your smallest children attention first.

I read this somewhere so I can?t claim credit for this thought, but it?s true. Of course, the baby?s needs have to be met before any of us can function in the morning. He makes sure of it.

But I also try and have a cuddle with my toddlers before school. Ten mintues to read a book makes them feel secure and attended to. This breeds contentment when I need to focus on their siblings.

2. Assign an older child not doing school to play with a younger child.

Of course, this only works if you have more than one older child, but the ?older? doesn?t have to be much older. We begin our mornings all together and then as I split off to work with individuals, I make sure there?s at least one child not doing school that can play with my Littles.

The change is good for my older kids as well as the toddlers. Different siblings play different ways and can change up the activity for everybody. Meanwhile, you?re secretly fostering relationships between all the sibs, you sneaky Mama, you!

3. Include your Littles as much as you can.

We start our day as a complete group, with prayer or some discussion of the day ahead. Then I put the baby on the floor with toys and let the little girls play with their downstairs toys. (Pick quiet toys for the room you do school in. I use Little People.)

I only insist that they stay in the room with us. They do not have to listen to the book I?m reading or participate in any way, unless they seem interested. Sometimes, they get sucked in to the story or are curious about the videos we watch on my laptop.

I also let them play with the math blocks during lessons. It gives us a chance to practice our Clean-Up skills when we?re done!

If they are too loud when they play, I ask them to be quieter until we are done. If they have trouble being quiet, I have them stop playing and sit right at my feet. Sometimes this turns into a battle of wills, of course, but perhaps that is the true lesson we all need to learn that day.

I try not to banish the Littles from the room while I?m teaching my older four all together. They like to be where the action is and I can supervise their activity.

4. Pack ?n plays and baby slings were made for such a time as this.

There?s no shame in using some pack ?n play time so you can have your hands free for a math lesson. It?s a safe, established boundary for your baby. You don?t have to leave them there long if you divide your day into short sessions.

When we adopted our daughter, I couldn?t use a pack ?n play so I strapped her on my back. (I love my Ergo.) She was usually pretty content, although I have taught a spelling lesson or three at a full YELL because I needed to drown out the noise of an unhappy baby. (This would be a good time to keep your lessons short and end with a hug for everybody.)

5. Utilize nap time.

If the subject matter requires your complete attention to teach, naptimes are your friend. I ask myself, ?If I teach this while the babies are awake, will I end up yelling?? If the answer is yes, then it probably needs to wait until there are fewer interruptions (and maybe I?ve eaten a bit of chocolate.)

A word of caution: if nap time is YOUR only break, make sure you don?t fill it completely with school. With our children home all day every day, we need to factor in a mommy break somewhere. This makes us better teachers and better parents.

I strike this balance by doing any teaching with my kids in the morning and then during nap time, they do all of their independent work. I?m still available if they need me individually, but I go to my room and take a break.

6. Retain your sense of humor.

There is no greater comedic relief than a toddler. Don?t forget to enjoy your Littles, laugh with them, and revel in the knowledge that your older kids are getting to enjoy them with you. This is such a gift, to laugh together and enjoy the babies. What precious memories you are giving your children when they spend the days with their siblings!

Homeschooling is a choice you make for your entire family for your current season of life. This means you?ve chosen homeschooling for your school age children and your babies.

Do not view the Littles as a deterrent or an interruption. They are part of your family and part of your school. A day spent with Littles is, perhaps, the most interesting and diverse ?curriculum? you have to offer!

How do YOU keep your Little People entertained during school hours?

Source: http://simplehomeschool.net/what-to-do-with-babies-while-homeschooling/

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PressNewsRoom ? Blog Archive ? Fitness and Nutrition Expert Dr ...

Dr. Rick Kattouf II was recently featured as the focus of the TV show, ?Health and Wellness Today?. The show was seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country.

Greenville, SC ? October 30, 2012 ? Dr. Rick Kattouf II, the creator of 5-Round Fury? Nutrition Supplement and the creator of 5-Round Fury Fitness? workout app., was recently featured as an expert guest on the TV show ?Health and Wellness Today.? The show was seen on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country.? ?The show was filmed in Orlando, FL and was hosted by noted fitness and personal development coach John Spencer Ellis.

?Health and Wellness Today? features segments featuring some of the best health and fitness experts from across the United States.? Dr. Kattouf was a recent featured expert, discussing his ground-breaking 5-Round Fury? nutrition supplement and how he has personally coached thousands of individuals all over the world (USA-Africa-Canada-Netherlands-Sri Lanka-UK-Mexico), helping them to enhance their lives and achieve their goals through proper fitness and nutrition.

Dr. Rick Kattouf II has recently been named as one of America?s PremierExperts? in recognition of his world premier coaching service for Multi-Sport, Running, Cycling, Fitness and Nutrition. Rick is the CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf, Inc. & CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf Nutrition, LLC. Kattouf is also the author of Forever Fit: The Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step Life Plan to Improve Your Body and Mind and also wrote a chapter in Training Tips for Cyclists and Triathletes. Along with his book, he is the host of 3-DVD series, Rx Nutrition: Eating for Improved Performance in Life, Fitness, and Sport. Dr. Rick is also the creator of?TeamKattouf Nutrition Supplements.

?Health and Wellness Today? was produced by Emmy Award winning director and producer, Nick Nanton, Esq. and Emmy Nominated Producer, JW Dicks, Esq., Co-Founders of America?s PremierExperts? and The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency?.

For more information on Rick Kattouf, please visit?http://www.teamkattouf.com. For more information regarding 5-Round Fury, please visit?http://www.5roundfury.com.

About Dr. Rick Kattouf, II:
Rick Kattouf is the Founder of TeamKattouf, Inc. and has spent more than 20 years focusing on health, fitness, nutrition, anatomy, physiology, and human performance. Kattouf is the creator of 5-Round Fury nutrition supplement and has his own workout App, 5-Round Fury Fitness, as well. He is the author of Forever Fit: The Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step Life Plan to Improve Your Body and Mind and also wrote a chapter in Training Tips for Cyclists and Triathletes.

Kattouf is a NESTA Certified Food Psychology Coach, ITCA Triathlon Coach, MMA Conditioning Coach, Sports Nutrition Specialist and a Heart Rate Performance Specialist. He was also a panelist on the 2005 Inside Triathlon magazine Science of Speed Seminar and a top ranked duathlete in the United States.

Fitness & Nutrition Expert Rick Kattouf has recently been acknowledged by America?s PremierExperts? as one of the leading experts in his field. America?s PremierExperts??recognizes leading experts, across a wide array of industries, who are willing to provide information and education to consumers as a public service.

Dr. Rick Kattouf has also been named as one of the World Fitness Elite? Trainers of the Year.

Source: http://www.pressnewsroom.com/index.php/2012/10/30/fitness-and-nutrition-expert-dr-rick-kattouf-ii-featured-on-nbc-on-health-and-wellness-today/

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China eyes rating rules for inter-bank bonds: sources

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is readying new regulations governing credit ratings of bonds traded in the inter-bank market in a bid to boost activity in the fledgling sector, two sources close to the regulator told Reuters.

The new rules, to be published within weeks, cover ratings from firms that charge bond issuers for coverage, as well as those paid for by investors and ratings generated from publicly available information, the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity as they are not authorized to talk to the media.

The National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors (NAFMII), appointed by the central bank to help supervise the inter-bank bond market, is finalizing the new rules. The existing supervision system was launched in 2006 by the central bank and covers only issuer-paid ratings.

"Compared with the broad-brush style of the existing rules, the new guidelines provide a clear specification for three kinds of rating models in the industry for the first time," said one source at a domestic rating agency who said he was aware of the planned rule change.

Critics of the issuer-paid rating model say it prevents objective risk assessment and say its lies at the heart of the 2008-09 global financial crisis, triggered when complex U.S. structured securities turned out to be excessively risky, despite their top-notch credit ratings.

To break with the mainstream western pricing model, China set up its first credit rating firm in 2010 that charges investors rather than borrowers for evaluating a new bond.

China's bond market is divided into three parts: debt instruments in the interbank market overseen by the central bank, enterprise bonds approved by China's economic planning agency, and a small listed corporate bond market overseen by the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The regulatory sources said the new rules are expected to apply only to products trading in the inter-bank bond market. But analysts said increasing convergence of the three bond markets could see effects felt by the other two.

The outstanding value of corporate debt instruments on the inter-bank bond market - including short-term financing bills and medium-term notes - totalled 3.7 trillion yuan ($589.45 billion) as of August, making up 60 percent of all corporate bonds in China.

China has three major ratings agencies - Dagong Global Credit Rating Co, China Chengxin international and China Lianhe Credit Rating Co - that have a combined market share of more than 95 percent, according to local media reports.

Dagong is the only wholly Chinese-owned firm of the trio. The other two are tie-ups with international partners, with Moody's and Fitch Ratings holding 49 percent stakes in each respectively.

Dagong said last week it would form a partnership with U.S. agency Egan-Jones and Russia's RusRatings to build a new international ratings agency to challenge the existing "big three" of Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch.

Foreign ratings firms are not allowed to directly rate Chinese domestic currency bonds.

($1 = 6.2770 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Aileen Wang, Zhang Shengnan and Nick Edwards; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-eyes-rating-rules-inter-bank-bonds-sources-035833044--sector.html

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News Summary: Pandora refreshes apps

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The Eid holiday: What does it celebrate?

While the Eid festival following Ramadan is better known, Eid al-Adha is more significant to the Muslim calendar.

By Ariel Zirulnick,?Staff writer / October 26, 2012

Muslim pilgrims cast seven stones at a pillar that symbolizes Satan during the annual haj pilgrimage, as part of a haj pilgrimage rite, on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca October 26.

Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

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The Syrian cease-fire pegged to the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha has put the annual observance in the spotlight, bringing it to non-Muslims attention for reasons that have nothing to do with the holiday. But the ?Feast of the Sacrifice? is one of the most important holidays on the Muslim calendar, actually trumping the better known festival holiday Eid al-Fitr in importance.

Skip to next paragraph Ariel Zirulnick

Middle East Editor

Ariel Zirulnick is the Monitor's Middle East editor, overseeing regional coverage both for CSMonitor.com and the weekly magazine. She is also a contributor to the international desk's terrorism and security blog.?

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Eid al-Adha is celebrated at the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, which each Muslim is supposed to undertake once in his or her life. It is welcomed at daybreak on the first day with a communal prayer and lasts three days.

The holiday commemorates the day when Abraham was commanded by Allah to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. Abraham?s willingness to obey led Allah to permit him to sacrifice a ram in his son?s stead. (In the Judeo-Christian recounting, it is Abraham?s other son, Isaac, who is almost sacrificed.)

Eid al-Adha is celebrated with the sacrifice of an animal, part of which is kept for the family for a feast, part of which is distributed to friends and the poor. It also includes the distribution of gifts and sweets, visits with family, and, for those not in Mecca for the hajj, visits to local mosques and relatives? graves. ?
Today, much like Christmas, Eid al-Adha is also often marked in commercial ways. Gulf News reports that Dubai shopping malls are holding 24-hour ?shopping extravaganzas? in honor of the festival holiday.

Incompatible with modernity?

In this video interview with StandAloneMedia (scroll to bottom of page), Reza Aslan, a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of California, Riverside, and author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam," shares his views on the misperceptions that abound about Muslims, modernity, and democracy.

Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Gulf News, the Oxford Dictionary of Islam

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/3uL-b788Uoc/The-Eid-holiday-What-does-it-celebrate

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PlayMakers Rep's Premiere of David Ball's Zany New Adaptation of ...

The cast of ?The Imaginary Invalid? includes Kathryn Hunter-Williams (left) as Klytemnestra, Steven Epp as Argan, Molly Ward as Toinette (photo by Jon Gardiner)

The instant Steven Epp as Moli?re steps out on the stage of the Paul Green Theatre to introduce the PlayMakers Repertory Company?s brand-new adaptation of the celebrated 17th century French actor and playwright?s 339-year-old play, The Imaginary Invalid, to a 21st century audience in Chapel Hill, it is clear that this is no average resurrection of a classic. Instead, Moli?re becomes a character in his own play; and the present is woven into the production ? often hilariously and often erratically, but always with an eye on the original story.

The story about Argan (also played by Steven Epp), a wealthy hypochondriac convinced he has every disease known to man (especially those that originate from bowel problems), is rife with sight gags and pratfalls and totally insane characters (spoiler: there?s not a normal one in the bunch). From the moment Argan receives his first shot of antiseptic spray from his nurse (Julie Fishell), it is clear that writer David Ball, who created this adaptation especially for PlayMakers, and director Dominique Serrand have a bona fide hit on their hands, a hilarious and fast-paced retelling of the comedy that was Moli?re?s last play ? and, ultimately, the one that killed him, because Moli?re died onstage while playing Argan on Feb. 7, 1673. Though there?s nothing funny about the French master of comedy dying onstage, there very definitely is something funny happening on the PlayMakers stage with this adaptation.

The play opens with Argan introducing his various maladies while his nurse (Julie Fishell) tells him what his bills are for the various tests. It is fairly certain that most people in the audience could relate to the shock Argan feels at the cost for invasive tests that ultimately tell him nothing about what is really wrong with him ? or how his quack of a doctor, Dr. Wachauvia (played by Jeffrey Blair Cornell), will cure each of the various ills. When Argan has had enough of the bills, he calls (and calls and yells) for his assistant Toinette, played by Molly Ward, and thus begins a constant parade of people in Argan?s life who clearly see through his hypochondria and use it to try to bilk him of his wealth.

?The Imaginary Invalid? cast includes (from left) Jeffrey Blair Cornell as Dr. Wachauvia, Julie Fishell as a Nurse, Steven Epp as Argan, and Nathan Keepers as Dr. St. Judas (photo by Jon Gardiner)

One of those people who couldn?t care less about Argan?s money ? and is just as crazy as he is ? bounces onstage and throughout the play with a delightful zaniness. She is Argan?s daughter Little Angel, played with a zest and wide-eyed craziness by Katie Paxton. Paxton contorts into positions that put a pretzel to shame, and is so adept with facial expressions that it is a disappointment when she turns toward the other side of the stage and her fantastic elasticity cannot be seen.

Katie Paxton?s ability to play the angelic brat with a puppeteer?s deftness and a personality that mimics the monstrous horror of a Chucky doll brings histrionics to the first act that only escalate as the bizarre characters continue to do their pirouettes onstage. Little Angel?s love for Irving Luigi (played by Shakespeare veteran Josh Tobin) is what drives her, and that love (as most loves) is what makes her crazier than she already is. When Luigi finally arrives onstage, the combination of the two of them makes for hilarity personified.

?

Katie Paxton as Little Angel is besotted by Josh Tobin as Irving Luigi (photo by Jon Gardiner)

Argan?s psychosomatic illnesses lend themselves well to jokes that most grade school children find irresistible: fart jokes, breast and sex jokes, pratfalls, and goofy characterizations. They also elicited plenty of laughs from the opening night/world premiere audience, though the loudest guffaws came from a totally unscripted comment made by Argan when a pre-teen made for the bathroom about midway through the first act.

?Where do you think you?re going?? Epp called out, never missing a beat and remaining in character as Argan. Everyone in the audience dissolved in laughter, though the boy didn?t seem to notice; and the play continued without interruption.

Moli?re?s ability to use satire to expose religious hypocrisy translates well to this period in time when most Americans are concentrating on the presidential elections; and David Ball?s new adaptation of The Imaginary Invalid works hard to expose one of the central issues in the current campaign for president: the obsession with the state of health care in the United States. From the moment Argan takes to his bed, nightgown flapping, it is ironically clear that the ?lesser? health-care workers (the nurse and the Bucket Boy, aptly portrayed by Nilan Johnson) are the wisest of the bunch.

The doctors are fools who work for Argan only because of his incredible wealth. They have no idea what is wrong with him, if anything, and simply play along with his imaginary ailments (one of which appears to be easily fixed, according to the nurse. Simply ?wash the dingus,? she says, over and over). Without revealing the ending of this farce, suffice it to say that it is a joke recognizable to all and, ironically, mirrors Moli?re?s own tragic end.

SECOND OPINION: Oct. 23rd Chapel Hill, NC Daily Tar Heel preview by Elizabeth Baker: http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/10/imaginary-invalid and Oct. 28th review by Katelyn Trela: http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2012/10/imaginary-invalid_1028; Oct. 24th Durham, NC Independent Weekly mini-preview by Zack Smith: http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/imaginary-invalid/Event?oid=3168928; and Oct. 10th Raleigh, NC BroadwayWorld.com Raleigh preview by the BWW News Desk: http://raleigh.broadwayworld.com/article/PlayMakers-Presents-IMAGINARY-INVALID-Opening-1024-20121010. (Note: To read Triangle Arts & Entertainment?s online version of the Triangle Theater Review?s Oct. 23rd preview by Robert W. McDowell, click http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2012/10/22611/.)

PlayMakers Repertory Company presents Moli?re?s IMAGINARY INVALID, the world premiere of a new adaptation by David Ball, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, 2 p.m. Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6-10, and 2 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Paul Green Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art, 120 Country Club Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.

TICKETS: $20-$40, except $15 Tuesdays, $10 UNC students, and $12 other students.

BOX OFFICE: 919-962-PLAY (7529) or http://www.playmakersrep.org/tickets/single.

GROUP RATES (15+ tickets): 919-843-2311, miwashin@email.unc.edu, or http://www.playmakersrep.org/tickets/groupsales.

SHOW: http://www.playmakersrep.org/imaginaryinvalid.

NEWS RELEASE: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5623/107/.

SEASON: http://www.playmakersrep.org/season1213.

PRESENTER: http://www.playmakersrep.org/.

BLOG: http://playmakersrep.blogspot.com/.

VENUE: http://www.playmakersrep.org/aboutus/paulgreen.

DIRECTIONS/PARKING: http://www.playmakersrep.org/visitorinfo.

NOTE 1: There will be FREE post-performance discussions with the creative team on Oct. 31st and Nov. 4th.

NOTE 2: There will $8.50 Student Matinees at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 1st and 7th. To reserve tickets, e-mail jwales@unc.edu. For more information, click http://www.playmakersrep.org/outreach/matinees.

NOTE 3: There will be an Open Captioned performance at 2 p.m. on Nov. 3rd. For details, click http://www.playmakersrep.org/outreach/allaccess/opencaption.

NOTE 4: Arts Access, Inc. (http://www.artsaccessinc.org/) of Raleigh will audio-describe an All-Access Performance at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6th, which will also feature sign-language interpretation and Large-Print and Braille programs and ? if requested in advance by e-mail to whitneychapman@unc.edu ? a tactile tour of the set.

NOTE 5: At 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 10th and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11th, there will be FREE post-show ?Mindplay? discussions sponsored by the N.C. Psychoanalytic Foundation (http://www.ncpsychoanalysis.org/), the Lucy Daniels Foundation (http://ldf.org/), and N.C. Psychoanalytic Society (http://www.ncpsasoc.org/).

OTHER LINKS:

The Imaginary Invalid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imaginary_Invalid (Wikipedia).

Moli?re: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moli?re (Wikipedia).

David Ball: http://www.playmakersrep.org/ (PlayMakers Repertory Company).

Dominique Serrand: http://www.playmakersrep.org/ (PlayMakers Repertory Company).

EDITOR?S NOTE:

Dawn Reno Langley is a Durham, NC-based author who writes novels, poetry, children?s books, and nonfiction books on many subjects, as well as theater reviews. She is also Dean of General Education and Developmental Studies at Piedmont Community College in Roxboro, where she oversees the theater program at the Kirby Cultural Arts Complex, and a member of the Person County Arts Council.

This review is reprinted with permission from Triangle Theater Review. To start your FREE subscription to this newsletter, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE TTR in the Subject: line. To read all of Dawn Langley?s Triangle Theater Review reviews online at Triangle Arts & Entertainment, click http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/author/dawn-reno-langle/.

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Tagged as: David Ball, Dominique Serrand, Imaginary Invalid, Moli?re, Paul Green Theatre, PlayMakers Rep, PlayMakers Repertory Company, PRC, Steven Epps, The Imaginary Invalid

Source: http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2012/10/playmakers-reps-premiere-of-david-balls-zany-new-adaptation-of-molieres-imaginary-invalid-is-a-hit/

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Quality Oriented Web Development Services

Miscellaneous Written by Anonymous ??Tuesday, 30 October 2012 05:47 The websites can be described as the online representations of the companies. They offer a means for the online audience to interact with the business. The process of web design and development is given great importance. Many firms offer quality web development services that are in high demand withthe online businesses. The firms are proficient in planning and constructing websites for small companies to large corporate clients. They also have the essential technical knowledge to design and develop reliable websites for various ecommerce sites. The web development firms keep themselves updated about current web development technologies and software platforms so that they can offer efficient services to their clients.

The process of web development is quite extensive and includes several related aspects like coding, server side and client side scripting, web design, networking, security configuration, and testing to mention a few. When choosing a web development firm, it is important to consider the field experience of the firm. A firm with considerable experience in web development is familiar with a wide range of business and industries and so can develop suitable web solutions that can benefit the nature of business of the client. Such a custom designed website can help the business draw the attention of the target audience, and thus stay ahead of the competition.

Ireland is reputed among online businesses worldwide for their quality web design and development solutions. The web design Ireland firms lay emphasis on the visual details of the web applications. They employ qualified and experienced web designers who can handle different types of web designing projects. The designers also give attention to the proper layout and organization of the web pages so that the users can easily navigate through the website. They also make sure that the themes, background colors and designs are relevant to the nature of business. The fonts are also carefully selected so that the users can easily read the content.

The logo of a company is very important for the identification of the business and enables it to stand apart from the competition. The professional company logo design services provided by the firms are very useful in creating a unique and innovative identity for the company. These companies make use of the suitable font, text style, and format, and colors to create and plan impressive company logos that reflect the business in an improved manner. Well-designed company logos are memorable and thus, the company logos serve as an effective marketing strategy.

The author is an experienced Content writer and publisher for Business Development. Visit at http://www.themarketingpod.ie/ to know more about Web Design Ireland, Web Development Services and Company Logo Design.

Article Tags :

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 October 2012 05:47

Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/reviews/miscellaneous/219574-article.html

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Hurricane Sandy Liveblog: Sandy on track for record low barometric reading (+video)

Hurricane Sandy has turned toward the East Coast and intensified with a barometric pressure reading of 940 millibars. Sustained wind speeds are 90 mph up to 175 miles from the eye.

By Staff,?CSMonitor.com / October 29, 2012

Monday 3:05 p.m.

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Hurricane Sandy's barometric pressure has dropped to 940 millibars. Wind speeds are holding at 90 mph, according to the 2 p.m. National Hurricane Center update.?

Sandy is turning toward the East Coast and has sped up to 28 mph. Even as it makes a left turn, "it also is swapping energy sources to become an extratropical cyclone.

The shift from tropical to extratropical tends to intensify the storm for a period, as well as redistribute winds and rainfall in ways that can shift the regions most heavily affected by wind and rain,"?writes Pete Spotts, the science writer for The Christian Science Monitor.

If Sandy retains the current barometric pressure, or it drops further, at landfall, the location would go into the record books as experiencing the lowest barometric pressure of any spot in the US north of Cape Hatteras, according to data compiled by the Weather Underground.

Monday 2:50 p.m.?

Google has put together a crisis map for Hurricane Sandy, which overlays lots of different data about the storm ? including its current position and forecast track, storm surge probabilities, traffic conditions, and emergency shelter locations ? into a single interactive image. ?

Also, be sure to check out this mesmerizing map of wind conditions across the United States. It was developed a few weeks by Google data visualization experts Fernanda Vi?gas and Martin Wattenberg, in part to help people conceptualize the potential of wind energy, but the map is particularly striking on a day like today.?

How does Hurricane Sandy compare with Irene, which battered the East Coast from South Carolina to Maine last year? Take a look at this interactive image from the Wall Street Journal.

Irene was the fifth costliest hurricane in US history.

If you're interested in how Sandy compares to every cyclones recorded since 1851, check out this graphic from the Guardian.?

Finally, if you haven't had enough scenes of reporters getting pelted by sea foam, people buying bottled water, or Fox News weathercaster Janice Dean throwing air quotes, have a look at Poynter's collection of animated gifs of hurricane clich?s.

Monday 1:45 pm

What's all the buzz about Hurricane Sandy's barometric pressure? (And does it have anything to do with inducing labor in pregnant women?)

Hurricane Sandy's barometric pressure is really low, especially for a Category 1 (winds between 74-95 mph) hurricane.

Generally, the lower the barometric pressure, the higher the winds.

Barometric pressure is a measurement of the weight of the air. "Baros" is Greek for weight, and the Greek word for measure is "metron."?A barometer measures the weight of a column of air directly above a given point in terms of inches or milibars of mercury displaced.

The normal sea level pressure is 1013.25 millibars.

Hurricane Sandy's barometric pressure was 943 milibars Monday morning, according to the Hurricane Hunters, the US Air Force pilots that regularly fly into the eye of hurricanes. That reading was a drop from the previous reading, indicating an intensification of the hurricane.

Hurricane Sandy's barometric pressure is now roughly equivalent to the typical Category 3 or Category 4 storm on Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. But Sandy is not a typical hurricane; it is, in the words of ?Weather Channel meterologist Stu Ostro,?a?"meteorologically mind-boggling combination of ingredients."

But we digress from role of barometric pressure. Suffice it to say, Sandy's barometric numbers are low, and they are helping make it a very big storm.

How low are Sandy's barometric readings??The storm isn't (yet) in the US Top 10 most intense (as measured by low barometric pressure) hurricanes. But Sandy's getting close. No. 10 on the list was a Hurricane Carla, a 1961 Category 4 storm with 931 millibars.

The lowest barometric pressure ever measured in a US hurricane was 882 millibars, in Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Wilma had sustained winds of more than 185 mph, making it a Category 5 storm.? The cyclone with the lowest recorded barometric pressure in the world was the 1979 storm Typhoon Tip, in the western Pacific Ocean, with a measurement of 869.9 millibars.

Why does a lower barometric pressure in the eye of the storm produce higher winds?

"Wind is a result of forces attempting to balance. As the pressure lowers in the center, the air spiraling around the eye must spin faster to offset the greater ?slope? (gradient) of the pressure surface," according to Steve Lanore, who uses the analogy of a ball spinning around the edge of a bowl to explain this.

There's also a good graphic of that explains the correlation between barometric pressure and hurricane wind speeds from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Oh yes, is Hurricane Sandy likely to induce labor?

Most obstetricians who have looked at this say no. But the theory has some logic to it. Some have put forth the idea that, as the atmospheric pressure drops, there's less pressure on the amniotic sac membrane, and it spontaneously ruptures ? causing the woman's water to break.

But Dr. Salih Yasin, a practicing obstetrician for 25 years in Miami, who told My Health News Daily that he has not seen any increase in women going into labor during hurricanes. And Florida gets its fair share of hurricanes and tropical storms. He mentions two studies ? one in Houston and one in Miami ? that show no correlation between falling barometric pressure and births.

Monday 12:15 p.m.

?
Forecasters are warning that storm surges will be particularly strong thanks to the high tide, which coincides with the full moon.?
What does the amount of light reflecting off the moon have to do with the tides? Our friends at OurAmazingPlanet explain that the tides are influenced not just by the gravitational pull of the moon, but also that of the sun:

At full moon, the Earth, sun and moon are arranged in a line, with Earth in the middle. Tidal ranges are especially high at this time because the gravitational tugs of the sun and moon on our planet reinforce each other. The same effect is felt at new moon, when the three bodies all line up, with the moon between Earth and the sun.

During periods of high winds, a spring tides makes storm surges more severe. AccuWeather quotes MIT atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel, who calls storm surges "interesting," a word that scientists often use as a synonym for "very bad."

"They are one of the major sources of damage caused by hurricanes," says Emanuel. "They are like tsunamis but they are not generated by earthquakes but by hurricane winds."

Monday 11:15 a.m.

Hurricane Sandy is strengthening, and moving a little slower as it starts its turn west, according to the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center advisory.
Sandy now has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, up from 85 mph at the 8 a.m.

It has slowed its north-northwestern movement from 20 mph, to 18 mph. And is expected to make landfall this evening "just south of the Southern New Jersey coast."

Monday 10:50 am

If high winds and storm surge weren't enough, several states are now experiencing snow as Sandy mixes with the low pressure ridge along the East Coast, in the Appalachian range, some higher elevations of North Carolina and Tennessee are already getting snow.

?And the National Weather Service expect blizzard conditions in some higher elevations of West Virginia.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
625 AM EDT MON OCT 29 2012
...FIRST WINTER STORM IS A BLIZZARD FOR THE HIGH TERRAIN...
.THE REMAINS OF HURRICANE SANDY WILL COMBINE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL
LOW TO PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINOUS
COUNTIES.
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 4 PM EDT
WEDNESDAY...
* LOCATIONS...VERY ELEVATION DEPENDENT WITH THE BEST CHANCES
? ACROSS HIGH TERRAIN...BUT CAN NOT BE RULED OUT IN THE VALLEYS.
* HAZARD TYPES...HEAVY WET SNOW...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...RANGING FROM 1 TO 6 INCHES BELOW 2000
? FEET...TO 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE 3000 FEET.

At 8 a.m. snow was falling in Boone, N.C., according to?WRAL.com.

In the Great Smokey Mountains, there are reports that 6.5 inches had fallen in places and that Highway 441 near the Newfound Gap was now closed. The headline on?Knoxnews.com:
"Snow from 'Frankenstorm' already hitting Smokies; 441 closed."

The National Weather Service report for Morristown, Tenn. in eastern Tennessee, has a Winter Storm Warning through Wednesday morning. The report includes:

_ A deep plume of moister will move over the spine of the Appalacians, result in in the potential for rain showers and snow showers in the valleys and some locally heavier snowfall across the higher elevations.
- Gusty northwesterly winds associated with this strengthening storm system will increase to 25-35 mph, and may gust up to 40-50 mph across the mountains.

The greatest potential for significant snowfall will be along the higher mountains ? with 6-12 inches possible above 3,000 feet.

But the National Hurricane Center is still predicting larger snowfalls in some areas of the Appalachians.

SNOWFALL..SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 FEET ARE EXPECTED IN THEMOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA WITH LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS TODAY THROUGHWEDNESDAY. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 FEET IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS OFSOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA TO THE KENTUCKY BORDER...WITH 12 TO 18 INCHESOF SNOW EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA/TENNESSEEBORDER AND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN MARYLAND.

Atlantic City flooding as storm surge begins

Monday 9:10 a.m.

With the arrival of the morning high tide, flooding has begun in the streets of Atlantic City. There are unconfirmed reports that parts of Atlantic City's boardwalk have collapsed.

In Atlantic City, winds are gusting to tropical storm strength. All 12 casinos were shut down at 4 p.m. Sunday after Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

By 7:30 a.m., the streets immediately around the new Revel casino and hotel were covered with more than a foot of water, witnesses said.
Parts of Black Horse Pike in West Atlantic City, Route 30 and Route 9 in Absecon, Route 559 in Somers Point and Route 322 in Hamilton are already flooded, county officials said. Roads in Hamilton Township and Mays Landing were also impassable, reports NJ.com.

In Cape May the ocean has also breached the main oceanfront drive, Ocean Avenue, near the city's southern end, the Associated Press reports

New Jersey is also seeing power outages. As of 3:30 a.m., PSE&G is reporting 829 customers without power due to the early effects of Hurricane Sandy. Of that total, 794 of the outages are located in Deptford Township in Gloucester County. As of 5 a.m., JCP&L reported about 5,000 customers without power in Burlington and Ocean county, including more than 4,000 in Toms River, reports NJ.com.

RECOMMENDED: Five ways to prep for a hurricane

Monday 8:40 am.

The National Hurricane Center 8 a.m. report indicates that Hurricane Sandy is now starting to pick up speed (moving at 20 mph) and turn west. The blocking high pressure area in the north Atlantic will send Sandy on a sharper turn toward the coast later Monday morning.

Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft have clocked Sandy's sustained winds at 85 mph, with higher gusts, as far as way as 175 miles from the eye of the hurricane. As we've said this is a BIG storm. Tropical storm force winds (above 39 mph) extend almost 500 miles from the center of the storm. That means tropical force winds are now pummeling the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Easter Virginia.

From the National Hurricane Center report: WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...OR GALE FORCE WINDS...ARE ALREADY OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES FROM NORTH
CAROLINA NORTHWARD TO LONG ISLAND.? GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD OVER OTHER PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC
COAST...NEW YORK CITY...AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND LATER THIS
MORNING.? WINDS OF HURRICANE FORCE COULD REACH THE MID-ATLANTIC
STATES...INCLUDING NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND...LATER TODAY.
WINDS AFFECTING THE UPPER FLOORS OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WILL BE
SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THOSE NEAR GROUND LEVEL.

Storm Surge Outlook

?

Monday 8:15 a.m.

As predicted, Hurricane Sandy has strengthened in the last 24 hours. It has begun it's turn toward the? East Coast. The barometric pressure has dropped to record levels, the winds have picked up to about 85 miles per hour, and Sandy has grown in size. Sandy now spans 1,000 miles. While it's still at least 300 miles from landfall, tropical storm strength winds (sustained winds above 39 mph) are already being felt on shore.

Record storm surges are expected, which is why hundreds of thousands of residents from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to leave low-lying coastal areas. Some 375,000 people were ordered to leave lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City.

NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are predicting storm surges of 6-11 feet in the New York City area. How bad is that? For context, during Hurricane Irene last year, the storm surge at Battery Park hit 4.4 feet. The maximum surge during Irene was 4.5 feet in the New York City area, at Kings Point.

Currently, the storm surge is already at 4 feet at Kings Point, according to the Weather Channel.

Here's the National Hurricane Center 8 a.m. outlook on storm surge:

NC NORTH OF SURF CITY INCLUDING PAMLICO/ALBEMARLE SOUNDS...4 TO 6 FT SE VA AND DELMARVA INCLUDING LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY...2 TO 4 FT UPPER AND MIDDLE CHESAPEAKE BAY...1 TO 3 FT LONG ISLAND SOUND...RARITAN BAY...AND NEW YORK HARBOR...6 TO 11 FT ELSEWHERE FROM OCEAN CITY MD TO THE CT/RI BORDER...4 TO 8 FT CT/RI BORDER TO THE SOUTH SHORE OF CAPE COD INCLUDING BUZZARDS BAY AND NARRAGANSETT BAY...3 TO 6 FT CAPE COD TO THE MA/NH BORDER INCLUDING CAPE COD BAY...2 TO 4 FT MA/NH BORDER TO THE U.S./CANADA BORDER...1 TO 3 FT

Check out the predicted storm surge map at Wundergrund.com.

SEE YESTERDAY'S HURRICANE SANDY LIVEBLOG: SUNDAY OCT. 28

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Sandy upends final week of presidential race

President Barack Obama, accompanied by American Red Cross President and CEO Gail J. McGovern, gestures while speaking during the his visit to the Disaster Operation Center of the Red Cross National Headquarter to discuss superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by American Red Cross President and CEO Gail J. McGovern, gestures while speaking during the his visit to the Disaster Operation Center of the Red Cross National Headquarter to discuss superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney lifts bottles of water to load into a truck as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from residents and local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy,Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, after returning to the White House from a campaign stop in Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. gestures while speaking during a campaign event, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 in Fernandina Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds bags of food as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from residents local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

KETTERING, Ohio (AP) ? Superstorm Sandy is upending the final week of the presidential race, with President Barack Obama calling off another campaign day to tour ravaged New Jersey and Republican Mitt Romney struggling to strike the right tone as he tries to close the deal with voters.

The White House announced Tuesday that Obama will not go ahead with a Wednesday campaign swing through Ohio and later said he would tour damage in New Jersey. He plans to remain in Washington to monitor recovery efforts for the storm that practically shut down New York City and spread damage across the East Coast.

Obama visited the American Red Cross near the White House on Tuesday to encourage donations and warned the storm was not done making its impact. He tried to show leadership in only the way a president can, saying he told federal authorities to cut through all red tape to get help to affected areas. "There is no excuse for inaction," he said.

Obama said he had a conference call with affected governors and mayors told them if issues arise "they can call me personally at the White House."

Romney and running mate Paul Ryan initially announced they were canceling events out of sensitivity for the millions of Americans in Sandy's path. But with only a week left to try to toss Obama from office, the GOP campaign was back on Tuesday with events in the critical Midwestern swing states of Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin, albeit with changes to the program.

"We have heavy hearts, as you know, with all the suffering going on, in a major part of our country," Romney said before helping collect food donations for relief efforts. "A lot of people hurting this morning, they were hurting last night. And the storm goes on."

Romney spoke for less than five minutes and avoided politics at what his campaign billed as a "storm relief event" in the same Ohio gymnasium as his previously scheduled political rally and with the same entertainment from country music singer Randy Owen. The event was moved up four hours and there were none of the usual attacks on the president, who was at the White House overseeing the response.

Effusive praise for Obama's leadership came in Tuesday from a surprising source ? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who has been campaigning for Romney across the country and who is a pointed Obama critic. He said in a series of morning television show interviews that Obama was in touch throughout the night as the storm struck New Jersey, including a call at midnight, and effectively expedited much-needed disaster relief.

"The president has been all over this and he deserves great credit," Christie told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." ''I've been on the phone with him, like I said, yesterday personally three times. He gave me his number at the White House, told me to call him if I need anything, and he absolutely means it. It's been very good working with the president."

The White House released a photo of the president receiving an update on the response from the Situation Room. Vice President Joe Biden participated in the video-conference from Ohio, where he spent part of the day holding up in a Columbus hotel before flying to Florida to resume campaign events Wednesday.

As he boarded his plane, Biden said it was unclear when Obama would return to campaigning and brushed off a question about the impact on the election. "Honest to God, I don't think anyone's thought about that," Biden said.

The president's campaign also tried to rise above the political fray in an email to supporters asking for donation to the Red Cross. "Soon enough we'll need to get back to work on the most important campaign of our lifetime," wrote campaign manager Jim Messina. "But the most important thing at this moment is that you and your loved ones are staying safe, and that the rest of us do what we can to help speed the recovery."

Millions were left without power as the deadly storm whipped its way through presidential battlegrounds like North Carolina, Virginia and New Hampshire and sprawled as far as the Great Lakes, where gales threatened Ohio's and Wisconsin's lakeside regions.

Some election centers in the affected states were shut down, but early voting continued in areas outside Sandy's path. Ryan sent an email to supporters in Ohio Tuesday, asking them to take advantage of early voting "to help keep our momentum going."

Romney helped collect grocery bags of donations from lined-up supporters after his brief remarks in Ohio, then headed outside to load bottled water, boxes of diapers and pallets of canned goods on a rented truck for delivery.

Romney refused to answer repeated shouted questions from reporters about how he would run the Federal Emergency Management Agency as president. He said during the Republican primary race that he wants to return control of some federal functions to the states.

Asked whether Romney favors additional federal aid to help recover and rebuild from Sandy, Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg responded: "A Romney-Ryan administration will always ensure that disaster funding is there for those in need. Period."

The storm wasn't entirely off limits from politics. Campaigning on Obama's behalf in Minnesota, former President Bill Clinton resurrected a line from Romney's GOP convention speech to suggest that he was flippant about Obama's advocacy of climate change legislation.

At the late August convention, Romney ridiculed Obama as someone who "promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise ... is to help you and your family."

"In my part of America, we would have liked if someone had done that yesterday," Clinton said, noting how oceanfront cities are coping with rising waters more frequently.

While officials in Obama's Chicago-based campaign had hoped he would be in battleground states every day this week, they said they weren't losing any ground by having him in Washington. Obama was still getting local media coverage because of his work on the storm. And aides said Clinton's active campaign schedule this week was helping to boost Democratic voter enthusiasm.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were no plans to cancel Obama's campaign rallies Thursday in Nevada, Colorado, and Ohio, though officials said they continued to monitor the storm. The president may try to make up for lost time by adding more events to an already busy schedule this weekend and into next week, but those plans were still being finalized.

Romney planned to resume an aggressive campaign schedule beginning Wednesday, with three events in Florida with former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio. He planned to return to Virginia Thursday, after canceling events there Sunday before the storm.

Aides say they are reviewing his plans on almost an hourly basis, but expect the campaign to get back to normal. They are still considering a plan to send Romney to New Jersey later in the week, where he could meet with victims and gauge the storm damage with Christie. The move would follow the path Romney took after Hurricane Isaac threatened the Republican National Convention, when he toured storm damage in Louisiana with Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, also a supporter.

At the same time, Romney aides insist they are serious about expanding their efforts in battleground states largely considered safe territory for Democrats.

The campaign is launching a statewide advertising push in Pennsylvania, which aides say is in play, although Romney had no plans to visit the state. Ryan planned to campaign across his home state of Wisconsin in an attempt to expand the playing field, before heading to battleground Colorado Thursday. The campaign also invited local media to cover Ryan's plane landing Tuesday over the state border in Minnesota, which has been in the Democratic column since 1976.

The Romney camp also announced that a political rally in Des Moines, Iowa, would go on at the same time as previously scheduled Tuesday night, with Ann Romney filling in for her husband as the headliner. Earlier she visited a campaign office in Allouez, Wis., and urged donations to the Red Cross while describing what a compassionate president her husband would be. "I know the character of this man. I know he is such a good person," she said.

Ryan was slated to drop by campaign offices in his home state of Wisconsin on Tuesday to thank the volunteers helping to collect relief supplies.

Ryan spokesman Michael Steel told reporters that the congressman participated in separate videoconference town halls with voters in Iowa, Florida and Ohio. Reporters were not advised of the calls and were not invited to listen.

___

Pickler reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt in Dayton, Ohio, Philip Elliott in Janesville, Wis., Brian Bakst in Minneapolis, Carrie Antlfinger in Allouez, Wis., Matthew Daly and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, and Ken Thomas, Julie Pace and Ben Feller in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-30-Presidential%20Campaign/id-1b1dd7170176463e97676108d28d0f14

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New York's Silicon Alley makes do after Sandy

A man uses his mobile phone to photograph a closed and flooded subway station in lower Manhattan, in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A man uses his mobile phone to photograph a closed and flooded subway station in lower Manhattan, in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. New York City awakened Tuesday to a flooded subway system, shuttered financial markets and hundreds of thousands of people without power a day after a wall of seawater and high winds slammed into the city, destroying buildings and flooding tunnels. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? New York City's fast-paced technology scene, known as Silicon Alley, tried not to lose a step after Hurricane Sandy knocked out power lines, devastated the public transit system and left portions of the city flooded.

On Tuesday, companies from small startups to major players such as Google and Facebook, scrambled to balance employee safety with attempts to conduct business as usual. With laptops, smartphones and a dash of the ingenuity tech companies powered through the adverse conditions? or at least tried to.

Silicon Alley is a booming part of New York City's economy. It is both a location ? many technology startups are housed in the lower part of Manhattan? and a state of mind, since many companies have now sprouted across the East River in Brooklyn and elsewhere.

Like many New Yorkers, scads of technology workers toiled from home or hunkered down with coworkers who still had electricity. That was certainly the case among employees of trendy e-commerce site Fab.com on Tuesday. Fab's headquarters is located in the West Village, which was flooded and without power. At 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the company's 225 or so New York-based employees received an email titled "team together." The message asked whether people with electric power might open their homes to co-workers who were without power. In a few hours, 114 people responded.

By noon, there were 12 people working out of CEO Jason Goldberg's two-bedroom apartment on 42nd Street. Other workers gathered in apartments in Manhattan's midtown Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, in Brooklyn and other parts of the city. Two people, who'd flown in from Germany and India before the storm hit in some unfortunate timing also joined Goldberg after they were evacuated from their hotel rooms.

"No one wants to be sitting around doing nothing," Goldberg said in a telephone interview from his apartment, where his dog barked in the background as more employees arrived. "Everyone wants to keep things going."

Some 20 Fab.com employees planned to host co-workers in their homes overnight on Tuesday.

Google Inc. closed its sprawling New York City offices, located on 9th Avenue between 15th and 16th streets in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The company, which is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., has about 2,000 employees in its New York office. Google said the safety of its employees is its focus. The office will be closed until further notice, the company said.

The online search leader bought the 15-story, 2.9-million-square-foot building ?which has more space than the Empire State Building ? in 2010. In addition to housing its own offices, Google leases out much of the space, hosting many data centers. Data centers house other companies' servers, which store the vast amounts of data found on websites.

Google did not say whether the building had power as of Tuesday afternoon.

One data center flooded in Sandy's wake knocked popular New York blogs, including Gawker.com, off the Internet. The gossip and media blog, and other Gawker Media sites, responded by creating alternate websites where readers could get the latest information, whether they wanted to read about Sandy or the Octomom.

"Our New York City data center is still offline thanks to Hurricane Sandy. We are working as quickly as possible to restore the full site, but in the interim you can view updates at http://updates.gawker.com," read a message on Gawker.com on Tuesday afternoon.

Facebook's office on Madison Avenue was officially closed, with most of the 200 or so New York-based employees working from home. Though the office had power, getting to work would have been a daunting task for car-free city dwellers, and New York's subway system was still shut down.

For Quirky.com, whose users collaborate in designing household products and accessories, Superstorm Sandy left a flooded basement and the loss of power. Though they work on the seventh floor, for now, the site's 70 employees are working from home until power is restored, said Jaime Yandolino in an email.

Brooklyn-based MakerBot, a 37/8D printing company, was closed on Tuesday, but workers logged in from home. CEO Bre Pettis said the office had power and Internet access. The office will be open Wednesday.

"We were prepared for the worst and luckily came out with the best," Pettis said in a telephone interview from home, as his baby cried in the background.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-30-Superstorm-Silicon%20Alley/id-8187a9074df54d7ca62243a6c3fd56c1

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