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New Los Gatos Public Library opens to community acclaim

February 21, 2012

The new Los Gatos Public Library opened last Saturday with fanfare and flourish, and to widespread acclaim, with hundreds of residents turning out for the community celebration.

The event kicked off with the Los Gatos High School marching band’s drumline welcoming onlookers, followed by a presentation of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 501. The national anthem was sung by 2006 Los Gatos High School graduate Justine Lauren, and Calvary Church pastor Bob Thomas delivered the invocation.

Mayor Steve Rice took the podium to acknowledge all the people who made the library possible, including his fellow council members and town staff. Speaking of the library board and the Friends of the Library, Rice said, “They never wavered in their commitment to a new library.”

Friends’ president Carol Hamilton said, “I feel like a new grandmother–the wait is over.” She noted that when the Friends opened a “Fund for the Future” bank account in 1994, they never dreamed it would help equip a state-of-the-art 30,000-square-foot facility.

The Friends raised more than $2 million for furnishings, fixtures and technology for the new library.

The building itself cost approximately $18.5 million and is LEED-certified gold, a reflection of its environmentally-sensitive characteristics. For instance, there are solar panels on the roof, support piers made from recycled concrete and drought-tolerant landscaping. Rice singled out architects Noll & Tam and Bogard Construction, recognizing the LEED gold certification was due in part to the fact that “they went beyond expectations in bringing this masterpiece to fruition.”

The formalities completed, residents flooded in to gawk at the celestial ceiling in the first floor children’s room, while kids like 6-year-old Ava immediately jumped into the so-called “Nurdle Nooks.” The nooks are colorful little wall cutouts with built-in cushions. “I like all this,” Ava said from her nook. “I like all the decorations and the computers have cool stuff on them.”

In fact, cool seemed to be the word of the day. “It’s so cool. It’s amazing,” Los Gatos High School junior Monica Eng said from a comfy squishy red chair in the teen area. “This is a great area because there aren’t a lot of places to hang out in Los Gatos.”

Jin Kim, who is also a junior at Los Gatos High, said, “I’m going to sit in these chairs every day and do homework.”

A group of teens who had nabbed a table nearby were busy setting up a roulette game. “I like that it has a lot more room and books than the old library,” LGHS freshman Krys Weeton said. His brother, James commented, “It’s big and it’s central.”

The teen center is on the second floor, along with a technology lab that has 12 computers, a quiet room for group study sessions and the fiction and nonfiction book collections. A flat screen TV in the history area flashes photos of old Los Gatos that are part of that collection, which is also located on the second floor.

There are lots of little areas and rooms where people can sit quietly or be a bit noisy if they want, with attractive embellishments here and there. Birch veneer chandeliers, for instance, add interest and beauty to the second floor.

Taking the grand staircase back down to the first floor, visitors are led past a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that was designed to open up the building and let light shine throughout.

Downstairs, visitors can grab a cup of coffee from the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company’s new kiosk or visit the periodical room. New and reserved books and an information desk are also on the first floor. That area was a hive of activity on opening day as librarians issued one library card after another to eager residents.

“This feels like opening presents on Christmas,” resident Veronica Brown said. “They did an amazing job. It gives new breath to the books and the community.”

Resident Brien Wilson agreed. “It’s unbelievable,” Wilson said. “Now that I’m inside I can see that it’s perfect. The amount of light that comes in and the number of computers is impressive. I’m very proud that Los Gatos was able to do this.”

Longtime resident Ed Stahl, who attended the opening of the “old” library in the mid-1960s, said the new building “fits well into the hillside.” He added, “I’m glad they were able to save the heritage trees” that flank the front of the building.

Next to the library, ADA-compliant sidewalks have been installed leading into the old pageant grounds. Some landscaping and a few benches have already been put in place there, but parks and public works director Todd Capurso said it will be late spring before that project is completed. “It will be a nice place for events and weddings,” Capurso said.

Other outdoor spaces have been designed as community gathering areas, too, since this new library is seen as a place that will provide Los Gatos with much, much more than books.

With the opening day theme of “It’s Time to Shine” in mind, a flash mob–including Colleen Wilcox from the arts commission, Peggy Gibbs from Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Los Gatos finance director Steve Conway and Los Gatos High freshmen Kirsten and Kaitlyn Cook–suddenly jumped onto the library’s front steps and, as a wrap-up to the formal grand opening festivities, began singing a Los Gatos version of This Little Light of Mine. They intoned, “All around this town, we’re gonna let it shine … this library of ours, we’re gonna let it shine … every day, every day, every day.”

The Los Gatos Public Library, 100 Villa Ave., is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays-Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

New Los Gatos Public Library opens to community acclaim

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Receiver Roulette

February 20, 2012

The longest offseason in major professional sports has begun. While we wait for the next edition of “As Peyton Turns,” let’s examine a high-profile position group – wide receiver – that offers a substantial amount of talent. Among the group, five upper-tier players – Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, Marques Colston and Dwayne Bowe – are set to receive the Franchise Tag (“Tag”)or hit the open market. Let’s examine:

Wes Welker

Welker had a remarkable 2011 season (122 receptions, 1569 yards, 9 touchdowns) despite the disappointment of his last play. Regardless, his rapport with Tom Brady and prolific work product in New England – 554 receptions in five seasons – speaks for him being retained.

My sense is Welker will return to the Patriots, whether via a long-term deal or the Tag. Bill Belichick had long coveted Welker when he played for Miami and the Patriots will be competitive with Welker as long as his contract demands are not astronomical.

The Tag number for wide receivers is projected to be around $9.4 million and would represent a substantial increase for Welker, who earned $2.5 million last season.

Prediction: a deal gets done with the Patriots.

Vincent Jackson

The contentious relationship between Chargers general manager A.J. Smith and Jackson may finally end. In 2010 as a Restricted Free Agent – due to the uncapped rules in place – Jackson held out most of the season. Smith, who relishes a good battle with a player, responded by placing Jackson on the roster exempt list, suspended him three games and reduced the $3.7 million tender to the minimum – $583,000, prorated to $171,000 for the balance of the season.

In 2011, Jackson unhappily received the Tag once the lockout ended (if one can be unhappy earning $11.4 million). To tag him again in 2012, Jackson would receive $13.8 million – 120% of last year’s salary – and considerably more than the $9.4 million Tag number for receivers.

Prediction: the Chargers are prepared to move on from Jackson, who is said to be seeking a 5-year $50 million deal (aren’t we all?).

DeSean Jackson

After ending his training camp holdout, Jackson arrived in July with an expectation of being compensated for outperforming a contract that paid $600,000 in 2011. That new deal never arrived, and Jackson watched as the Eagles spent cash freely on big tickets such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Michael Vick as well as mid-tier players such as Vince Young, Ronnie Brown and Steve Smith.

Jackson – admittedly distracted by his contract situation – was marred by inconsistency all season.

The Eagles thus find themselves in a precarious position. Jackson’s big-play potential is undeniable yet his attitude, slight build, and concussion history are mitigating factors for a long-term deal. Also, Jackson’s view of his value is in a different sphere than that of the Eagles front office.

Prediction: the Tag, while the Eagles subtly let teams know Jackson can be had for an attractive offer.

Marques Colston

Colston, a 7th round pick out of Hofstra in 2006, has been pure treasure for the Saints, topping 70 catches, 1000 yards and 7 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.

Colston’s stay in New Orleans may be directly related to that of his quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints are in heavy negotiations with Brees and if they cannot secure him by March 5th they will certainly use their Tag.

The team may then be forced to choose between Colston or Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks, also set to become a free agent. Ultimately, with other priorities, a talented stable of receivers and concerns about Colston’s balky knee may rule the Saints decision.

Prediction: the Saints let Colston enter the market.

Dwayne Bowe

Bowe followed up his breakout 2010 season (72 catches, 1162 yards, and 15 touchdowns) with a solid performance in 2011, despite a carousel of quarterbacks slinging the ball his way.

The Chiefs have made it known that retaining Bowe and cornerback Brandon Carr are their priorities. One player will likely receive the Tag; the other a long-term deal. With Bowe naturally wanting a contract reflective of the market set by Santonio Holmes – five years, $45 million, $24 million guaranteed – the Chiefs might prefer to go year-to-year with Bowe, applying the Tag.

Prediction: Bowe receives the Tag.

Stay tuned, more top players in position groups to come.

Follow me on Twitter at adbrandt.

Receiver Roulette

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Changing self and systems for a leaner and greener Japan

February 19, 2012

Year in, year out, it never ceases to amaze me what a difference a day makes.

In an instant, December ends, January begins, and a miraculous transformation takes place. For the reverent and the riotous equally, midnight wipes the cosmic slate clean.

Through some curious combination of tradition, superstition and mass suspension of disbelief, we embrace the conviction that bygones truly are bygones and we have been granted one more chance to start anew — and to do it right this time.

I love this boundless optimism of the human spirit, because it proves that human society can open a window of opportunity, however briefly, to consider change and believe that change is possible.

This faith in human potential is one of the fundamental reasons environmentalists stay on message year after year, even as human population multiplies and our activities steadily degrade the planet.

The Worldwatch Institute in Washington, for example, recently published “12 Simple Steps to Go Green,” so that “each of us can make a commitment to reducing our environmental impacts,” as they put it.

Therefore, in the spirit of new year resolutions and individual change, those 12 steps are listed below, with some brief notes particularly for Japanese readers.

Individual action alone, however, is not nearly enough to effect the substantial changes that are needed, so this column also includes my own wish list for Japan of systemic changes essential to ensure the health and welfare of its residents.

But first, the Worldwatch 12. 1. Recycle … and reduce, repair, reuse and refrain from unnecessary consumption. 2. Turn off the lights … and all other electrical appliances you’re not using. 3. Switch … from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps and LEDs. 4. Turn on the tap … and give up bottled water. “While public tap water is subject to strict safety regulations, the [U.S.] bottled-water industry is not required to report testing results for its products. According to a study, 10 of the most popular brands of bottled water contain a wide range of pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, fertilizer residue and arsenic,” reports Worldwatch. 5. Turn down the heat … and insulate houses to save energy and money, and to cut CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. 6. Support food-recovery programs.

“Each year, roughly a third of all food produced for human consumption — approximately 1.3 billion tons — gets lost or wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),” notes the institute. Need more be said? 7. Buy local.

“Instead of relying exclusively on large supermarkets, consider farmers markets and local farms for your produce, eggs, dairy and meat. Food from these sources is usually fresher and more flavorful, and your money will be going directly to these food producers,” suggests Worldwatch.

That has to be good advice anywhere, but especially for those in Japan concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) hollowing out the nation’s agricultural sector. 8. Get out and ride.

In the aftermath of last year’s Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, which stopped trains and subways and stranded millions of Tokyo residents, bikes have become increasingly popular.

Unfortunately, Tokyo still has shockingly few designated bike lanes, and motor vehicle drivers have yet to acknowledge that bicycle riders are legally entitled to share the road with them. 9. Share a car.

With fewer young Japanese eager to take on the costs, inconveniences and maintenance of cars, Japan may be ripe for the introduction of car-sharing programs, such as Zipcar in the United States. 10. Plant a garden.

While this is often not an option for city-dwellers in Japan, there are community gardens and small plots to rented in the suburbs within an easy traveling distance. 11. Compost.

This, too, can be difficult for city-dwellers, but it’s worth cooperating with landlords, neighbors and city officials to collect kitchen waste for composting locally or by nearby farmers. 12. Reduce your meat consumption.

“Livestock production accounts for about 18 percent of all human-caused greenhouse-gas emissions and accounts for about 23 percent of all global water used in agriculture. Yet global meat production has experienced a 20 percent growth rate since 2000 to meet the per capita increase of meat consumption of about 42 kg,” according to Worldwatch.

And now my short list of three systemic changes I believe are essential for Japan’s future.

In recent weeks, several others writing in The Japan Times have taken up some of the same concerns as I refer to here, and have given them the detailed discussion they deserve. In those cases, I have suggested readers seek out my colleagues’ greater wisdom. 1. A more responsive and independent Japanese media.

Several recent events have reminded us how sloppy and unresponsive Japan’s major newspapers can be: failing to investigate the Olympus scandal until it broke overseas; failing to expose a nuclear power industry that has long suffered numerous accidents and oversight failures; and ignoring for decades the incestuous relationship among national government bureaucrats, politicians and Japan’s all-powerful utilities, including Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), operator of the three reactors that melted down at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in spring 2011.

For excellent coverage of these issues, see the Timeout section of The Japan Times on Jan. 8, in which Tokyo-based reporter David McNeill exposes the media’s easy willingness to turn a blind eye to corporate malfeasance and their collusion with the nuclear power industry.

As McNeill points out, investigative journalism in Japan is generally limited to magazines and journals that have few readers, little advertising and less clout than major printed or other media. As a result, until Japan’s big media break free of their cozy relationship with business and government, Japanese residents will never enjoy the transparency and accountability needed for a vibrant democracy. 2. Restructured power generation and distribution in Japan.

Nuclear power may have a long-term role to play elsewhere, but not on the Pacific Rim where reactors are high-stakes roulette. Eventually someone loses.

For a safe and sustainable energy future, and one that can yield lucrative technology exports, Japan needs to phase out nuclear energy while introducing safe alternatives.

The problem is simple: Japanese power utilities, such as Tepco, which are wedded to nuclear power, control both the generation and the transmission of electricity throughout the nation. This means that entrepreneurs and startups eager to generate and sell electricity from alternative sources can only do so if the major utilities agree to transmit and distribute it — which they won’t, of course, to any substantial degree unless they are legally obliged to do so.

However, the solution is equally simple: For alternative-energy entrepreneurs to promote and sell safe and renewable energy that will eventually replace nuclear power, those entrepreneurs need equal access to the national electric grids.

Unless Japanese citizens demand that electricity generation and distribution are managed separately, the nation’s energy future will be held hostage by Tepco and other utilities. Here, too, transparency and accountability are essential for the safe energy future Japan’s residents are demanding. 3. Revitalize Japan’s forests and forestry industry.

Every spring, when the vast swirling yellow clouds of cedar pollen come blowing across Tokyo from the monoculture forests of the western hills, I swear to myself that I will move to Okinawa or Hokkaido. Instead, I just complain loudly each year.

So, with a deep bow to a man who cares more about the future of this country than most Japanese politicians or bureaucrats, I suggest that the government embrace the wisdom of my JT colleague, C.W. Nicol.

“With such a wonderful natural and employment resource, we must obviously revive the forestry industry here in Japan — but in a way that is sustainable and respectful to wildlife, biodiversity and local culture,” Nicol wrote in his Jan. 1 “Old Nic’s Notebook” column on this page. Amen.

Nic is a respected forestry consultant in Japan, but on my wish list he should have carte blanche to set the forestry industry on its feet and on the right track. Japan’s forests have boundless potential — but that potential is now languishing undeveloped.

The year 2012 has just begun, and Japan’s new-year window of opportunity is open, however briefly, to embrace change. But the belief that change is possible can quickly wilt into defeatism, and a perfect opportunity can easily be lost — again.

“The only time you can get things done is in moments of genuine crisis and catastrophes — (then) there’s a small opportunity to do an extraordinary amount,” Bloomberg View columnist William Pesek wrote in his JT piece on Jan. 9, quoting Malcolm Gladwell, author of the acclaimed bestseller, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,” published in 2000.

Since World War II, there has never been a more profound state of crisis in this nation. That said, there has also never been a better chance for an extraordinary amount of positive change to be brought about . . .

Changing self and systems for a leaner and greener Japan

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

50 new tech tools you should know about

February 18, 2012

Many have referred to Path as the Many have referred to Path as the “anti-Facebook” for its attempts to make social networking more personal .STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • CNN social media savant Victor Hernandez offers his biannual list of 50 new tech tools
  • These apps can help you shoot better smartphone photos or catalog your bottle-cap collection

(CNN) — You may have dozens of apps on your phone and scores of websites bookmarked on your laptop, but that doesn’t mean you have all the latest tech tools at your fingertips.

New mobile apps, services, social networks and other digital tools pop up so frequently that keeping up with them is a nearly impossible task. Just when you think you’re up to date, something newer and hipper comes along.

But before you wave the white flag, let us help. Once again we have sorted through hundreds of new and emerging tech tools to bring you 50 of the most buzzworthy ones. (Last year’s list can be found here.)

These apps and services can help you do everything from shooting better smartphone photos to cataloging your bottle-cap collection to finding the best pad Thai in your city. Not all of them are brand new, but we’ve probably listed some you haven’t heard of. We hope you find them useful.

Which of your favorite new tech tools did we leave out? Let us know in the comments.

360 Panorama (99 cents): Want to enhance your smartphone landscape photos? Android users interested in capturing and sharing 360-degree panoramic photos should check out this app, the first true panoramic-photo app for the Android Market.

Alfred (free): It’s a discovery tool for your palate! Alfred starts off with your location and asks you a few simple questions about restaurants you like to frequent. Then the magic happens and the eatery recommendations start flowing. Judging by my early experiences, this iOS app is uncanny at gauging your tastes.

App.bg (free): This Web tool allows users to easily pull up nearby Instagrams, Foursquare tips and tweets using a Google Map. It offers a somewhat crude yet effective layout, available on desktop and mobile platforms. (No mobile app yet, unfortunately.)

Autostitcher ($1.99): Another interesting piece of software for producing panoramic images on your iPhone. Does a very nice job with its stitching feature for a near seamless quality image and easy sharing with friends.

Can I Park Here ($1.99) Fewer things in life are more confusing that trying to decipher the parking signs around New York City. This new iPhone app allows users to photograph the parking sign for the area in question, then find out if they can park there and for how long. The app even has a timer that starts when the user parks and lets them know how much time they have left in that spot.

CardMunch (free): This mobile app for iOS from LinkedIn converts paper business cards into digital contacts. A new 3.0 update also offers LinkedIn integration for connecting with just one click. A must-have for conference-goers and business trippers.

Catch (freemium; basic version is free but you’ll pay for advanced features): The productivity-app space is fast becoming crowded. Catch is one of the newer kids on the block and it too promises to help users manage the information overload. Freebie accounts let users upload 70MB of new content (text, Web clips, photos, voice memos) per month to a cloud service. Everything else will cost you. Available for iOS and Android, along with plug-ins for the more popular Web browsers.

Clingle (free): This location-based social net comes with a twist: It doesn’t focus the user experience on the public stream. Instead, users share multimedia messages for a specific user or group of users when they check in at a certain location. Those messages can grow into full-length conversations. Think text messaging, but with video and audio, and triggered through GPS. Don’t know if it will catch on, but it’s a very creative application.

Cuttings.me (free): This is a great tool for storing and showcasing your online portfolio. Cuttings.me allows you to upload PDF files or add links of your work in an easy format that also proves quite simple to share.

Evernote Food helps you preserve and share eating experiences.

Evernote Food (free): From the company that brought us the popular productivity tool comes a mini-version of Evernote aimed at storing, preserving and sharing our memorable food adventures. Available for iOS; just be careful not to spill sauce on your iPhone.

Facebook Timeline Apps (free): Facebook recently announced more than 60 partners who provide apps for its new Timeline feature, in such themes as entertainment, fitness, food, giving, music, news, shopping and travel. Timeline’s integration, in a nutshell, posts your activity from these other websites and services on your Facebook page. Whether it provides added value or just more clutter to your feeds is up to you.

Find My Friends (free): Think the Find My iPhone app, but for people. Find My Friends allows iPhone or iPad users to easily locate others via via their Apple IDs and iCloud — totally contingent, of course, upon a close family member or friend agreeing to be tracked. Don’t accept requests from anyone you don’t want to know your whereabouts 24/7.

Fondu (free): Described as Foursquare for foodies, Fondu is a community for sharing bite-sized reviews about places to eat and drink. Users log in/sign up with Facebook before having a palatable digital space to opine about their meals.

Flipboard (free): The world’s first social magazine app has been turning heads (and thumbs) for a few years now. What is new is that this popular e-zine reader for iPad is now available on the iPhone as well. The same great look and feel of Flipboard isn’t sacrificed one bit on the smaller screen.

Flud News(free): One of the newer players in the ever-growing social news reader space is Flud. The app is designed to be your own collection of articles and news, all in a perfect magazine-like interface. Open the app, create your custom profile and start “Fluding.” This iOS app places heavy emphasis on the social influence of the fellow Fluders in your inner circle.

Frametastic (free): There are many mobile apps for framing multiple camera-phone pics, but Frametastic is one of the few free and extensive ones. It features lots of fun options to fool around with, plus easy exporting to Instagram or your other social networks.

Friend or Follow (freemium): Another nifty tool for displaying who’s following you on social media that you aren’t following in turn (and vice versa). It also gives you the option of doing something about it.

Google Currents (free): A ‘zine-like reader for mobile devices, Google’s new application for Android, iPads and iPhones lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger.

GramFeed (free): Instagram has put all of its eggs in the mobile basket. But some Instragram fanatics want to see images on something larger than a smartphone screen. GramFeed is the closest thing I’ve seen to a Google search experience for those gorgeous filtered Instagram pics.

Hipmunk aims to make searching for travel deals fun.

Hipmunk (free): In a sea of travel apps, Hipmunk stands out for its fun, interactive and deal-scoring features. Available for iOS and Android devices, it lets users overlay heat maps on destinations to determine neighborhoods with food, nightlife and shopping that best fit their criteria. Brand new to the app is a hotel search feature.

Instagram (free): Heralded by iTunes as 2011 App of the Year, Instagram (IG) looks to expand its horizons in 2012 beyond the iPhone platform to Windows 7 and Android systems. With 16 million users in a little over a year, and only a handful of employees, IG is proving to be the little social-photo engine that could.

Kyoo (free): This Web service aggregates all the buzz around a specific topic from some of the most popular social mediums. Kyoo collects data from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Google News, Google Blog Search and social bookmarking sites such a Delicious, Digg and Reddit. The interface and video channels are particularly impressive.

LogMeIn (freemium): This service provides anytime, anywhere remote access to your PC or Mac via your iPhone or iPad. A pay version ($39.99 annual subscription) offers HD video access, file manager, cloud integration and 24/7 support.

Mlkshk (freemium): This nifty Web-curation tool allows users to easily sort through the tsunami of images and videos online via shakes. Users can also share and follow the shakes of others. It boasts lots of browser plug-in options, and even the ability to host photos that users post to Twitter.

Muuter (free): Imagine being able to remove certain friends, topics or hashtags (#winning, anyone?) temporarily from your Twitter feed. Well now you can, with Muuter. A timer feature is awesome for eliminating “noise” from your feed just when you think you’ve reached your breaking point.

My Secret Folder (99 cents): The majority of my digital life is like an open book. But all of us have something to hide: For example, my Jonas Brothers uploads are off-limits to the world. My Secret Folder acts as a private, passcode-enabled app that stores pics, movies, notes, contacts and other things you don’t want people to stumble upon. Best part is, if someone opens the iPhone or iPad app and enters the wrong passcode, the app will snap a picture of the culprit, tag a location to the incident and keep it on file for when you return.

Oink (free): This mobile app offers an easy way to rate the things around you. But instead of just rating restaurants, for example, you can rate specific dishes. Oink lets you weigh in on who has the best thin-crust pizza or chicken tikka masala in your city.

Path (free): Is this exclusive, smartphone-centric service the next great social network? Only time will tell. Path 2.0 is elegant and intimate in both design and usability. Many have referred to Path as the “anti-Facebook” for its attempts to make social networking more personal by limiting users’ friend lists and ability to share Web links (self-promote). Since its relaunch last year, Path has experienced a thirtyfold increase in the number of daily users, according to its creators. Although the app is free, users must pay for some features. But the company said it will not include ads on the site. Path is available for iOS and Android devices and integrates with Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Tumblr to allow cross-posting.

Photosynth (free): There are about 20 panoramic-photo mobile apps for iOS on the market, and one of my favorites is Photosynth from Microsoft. Its simple, clean interface provides killer results with 360-degree interactive imagery. The app integrates to Twitter, Facebook and other social nets.

Picscatter ($1.50): Generate beautiful collage Timeline covers for Facebook of your friends, images you’ve liked or your specific photo albums. The app can be finicky in certain browsers, so I recommend downloading it to your computer, then uploading to Facebook directly.

Pinterest helps you catalog your passions.

Pinterest (free): Described as a virtual pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share your passions in a visual way like no other. It’s currently still in an invite-only stage, so you’ll need a friend to help get you in — or you can sign up for the waiting list, which usually takes just a few days. It’s highly addictive, so be warned.

Road Ninja (free): Never travel the interstate alone again. Road Ninja has your back. This mobile app does a solid job of alerting you to food, gas, lodging and other essential roadway necessities by way of upcoming highway off-ramps. Users also have the ability to set up preferences of your favorite chain restaurants so you’ll never miss the comfort food you love even when away from home. For now only available on iOS.

Room 77 (free): Tired of playing hotel room-roulette, and having to guess what kind of view, if any, awaits you upstairs? Room 77 shows you the best and worst room views via Google maps, blueprints and user content to make the most of your next hotel stay.

Slice (free): Attention online shoppers! This digital tool may be your new BFF. Similar to what Mint offers for your personal finances and TripIt for your travel plans, Slice is a simple way to organize your purchases and simultaneously track orders from multiple vendors.

SlowShutter (99 cents): This camera app for iOS lets you fool around with light, blurring images on purpose. It comes with a Live Preview feature, which is helpful because a lot of figuring out what works well using this app is trial and error. I especially enjoy using SlowShutter to experiment with light trails on my phone.

Snapseed ($4.99): This pro-level photo editing software will set you back a few bucks but if you’re serious about your images and don’t want to settle for the many freebies out there, this is definitely the way to go. It performs particularly well on the iPad.

Springpad (free): Another useful productivity tool for curating your personal notes and tasks. One part virtual notebook, one part personal assistant, Springpad helps you remember stuff today so you can make better decisions tomorrow.

Spool (free): This app allows users to save articles and videos for later. No biggie, right? Here’s where it impresses: Spool will access this content later, even if you’re offline. Now you can catch up on kooky cat videos when you’re out of network.

Swackett (free): Sweater, jacket or coat? (Get it?) This neat little weather app for iOS gives you simplified outerwear recommendations so you can hurry up and be on the go. For those interested in more than wardrobe advice, it also provides detailed weather updates via AccuWeather service.

Thumb (free): There’s nothing scientific about this mobile app, but that doesn’t prevent it from proving highly addictive. It’s crowdsourcing made supersimple: Vote thumbs up or down. Thumb offers a good balance of news-ish questions along with some fun escapes.

Total Recall ($7.99): This powerful call recorder app for Android allows users to automatically or manually record phone calls. It also works nicely for recording short voice notes, reminders, lectures, meetings, etc.

TourWrist (free): This is an interesting host for your panoramic images. Upload your 360s to this tool for a highly effective rendering treatment that allows your panos to pop and sizzle in a truly remarkable way.

Tweepi (freemium): Ever feel like your Twitter account could use a tune-up? Tweepi may be just what the doctor ordered. It promises to help make sense of your Twitter account through easy-to-use features for cleaning up followers, lists and activity streams.

Tweetbot ($2.99): This is my newest favorite full-featured iPhone Twitter client: a Twitter mobile app with an attitude. There are plenty of decent Twitter apps for iPhone, including the official version, but none seem to bundle the best of the best features (multiple timelines, smart gestures, native push notifications, customizable navigation) with Tweetbot’s polished feel. Worth a few bucks if you take your mobile tweetin’ seriously.

Tweetsheet (free): This very cool Web tool from Vizify pulls together an instant infographic of your personal Twitter universe: retweet info, geographic impact, best followers, a word cloud of your tweets and more.

TwitWipe (free): Ever wish there was a reset button on life? Now there is for Twitter. TwitWipe deletes all your tweets in one fell swoop. Why would anyone want to do this? Well, maybe you need to clean out an account before handing it over to someone else. Or maybe you’ve just realized how crappy your tweets are.

Unroll.me (free): This service allows users to unsubscribe from unwanted e-mails in bulk. Unroll.me, which is currently in private beta, promises to not store your e-mail address and password. It’s compatible with the major e-mail services in the United States.

Voxer (freemium): Created by a former communications specialist with the U.S Army, Voxer is a walkie-talkie app for smartphones. It allows users to send instant audio, text and photo messages to friends (individual or groups). Messages stream live as you talk, and your friends can join live or access later. Available for iOS and Android.

Zite customizes news sites to create a personalized digital magazine.

Zite (free): Similar to the aforementioned Flipboard, Zite has been around for a while but only recently made its debut on the small screen (iPhone). This news reader goes beyond manual customization and leverages smart technology to intuitively fill up your feeds with content reliably relevant to your interests. (Full disclosure: CNN purchased Zite.com in 2011.)

ZocDoc (free): Think Open Table for physicians. Discover and research medical professionals in your area, then book your in-patient visit online. It even offers synching for your Google or Microsoft Outlook calendars, with text reminder options. ZocDoc is currently only available in 12 markets but should expand as it catches on further.

ZoomSphere (free): Imagine a Billboard Top 100 for social nets instead of songs. ZoomSphere provides especially detailed stats for major social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn — great for keeping up with surging brands and social-media megastars.

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Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

4 ‘Sustainable’ Gaming Stocks

February 17, 2012

   

“You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it,” Albert Einstein once said.

The legendary theoretical physicist likely would have passed on the chance to buy into last week’s Caesars (NASDAQ:CZR) IPO. And considering the subsequent performance of CZR and the headwinds facing the gaming industry right now, the best play might well be to wait for better odds.

While an improving economy and white-hot growth in Macau drove casino stocks to new heights in 2011, the smart money in today’s market will value sustainable returns over eye-popping — but volatile — immediate gains. Consider Caesars, which roared out of the gate with a 58% return last Wednesday but has lost speed in every session since.

One week’s action on an IPO does not a trend make — particularly since the offering represented only a tiny fraction of the casino’s shares. Still, the stock’s quick flash and subsequent flameout illustrates the gaming industry’s abiding truth: The only sure thing about luck is how fast it can change.

The past five years have been a nonstop roller-coaster ride for casino stocks. From pinnacle performance in 2006 and early 2007, major stocks in the sector lost 80% to 90% of their value in less than 24 months. But as the U.S. economy has improved and opportunities have opened up in Macau, a former Portuguese colony now administered by the People’s Republic of China, the industry’s fortunes have rebounded dramatically. Some gaming stocks — particularly casino owners with high-end properties in Macau — saw 50% to 60% share-price growth in 2011.

While Macau remains an attractive opportunity for casinos such as Melco Crown Entertainment (NASDAQ:MPEL), Wynn Resorts (NYSE:WYNN) and MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM), growth is likely to slow from a January level of nearly 35% to a more sustainable 15% to 20% in the second half of this year.

The Securities & Exchange Commission has taken an interest in some casino companies’ Macau operations. While the agency has not charged any company with wrongdoing, it is reviewing documents related to the Macau gaming licenses of WYNN and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS).

A winning play in casino stocks this year will look a lot different than it did in 2011. First, you can’t expect monster returns. Growth in Macau will slow as business operations broaden their focus beyond VIP junkets from China. U.S. regional operators such as Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) and Penn National (NYSE:PENN) will have a better year than they did in 2011, but stronger competition from tribal gaming operations could have a negative impact.

Of course, there are no sure things in the gaming sector. All of these stocks are far from recession-proof and will take a hit if the economy slips. Most operators are carrying quite a bit of debt, and even the high-roller growth in Macau is by no means stable at this point. But if you have a little mad money stashed away, four of the companies mentioned above have relatively sustainable gaming stocks to play now:

Melco Crown Entertainment

If you believe in the China opportunity enough to let it all ride on Macau, MPEL is as much of a pure play as you’re going to get. MPEL blew investors’ socks off last week with news that its opulent City of Dreams Casino posted fourth-quarter earnings of $107.5 million on $1 billion in revenue. That’s nearly six times higher than the profit it posted for the same quarter a year earlier — and revenue was up 30%, too. With a market cap of $6.6 billion, MPEL is trading at $12 — 85% above its 52-week low in April 2011. MPEL has total cash of $1.2 billion and total debt of $2.3 billion. Its one-year return is 66%.

Las Vegas Sands

Despite its old-school name, LVS is a huge player in Macau. It boasts the world’s largest casino — the 3,000-suite Venetian Macau — which dominates the prime Cotai Strip. With a market cap of $42 billion, LVS is trading around $52 — 44% above its 52-week low in March 2011. LVS has total cash of about $4 billion and total debt of $9.7 billion. Its one-year return is 8%, but take note: This stock has been extremely volatile over the past year.

Wynn Resorts

WYNN also boasts a high-roller-friendly facility, the Wynn Macau, with its Sky Casino. It plans to open the Cotai Resort Hotel on the strip in 2015. Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn’s high-profile tiff with right-hand man Kazuo Okada sparked the SEC’s interest and has the potential to become a distraction. With a market cap of nearly $14 billion, WYNN is trading around $111 — 10% above its 52-week low in December. WYNN has total cash of about $2 billion and total debt of $3.1 billion. Its one-year return is -7.8%, but it’s poised to gain if Macau continues to grow and the SEC inquiry is favorably resolved.

MGM Resorts

As Las Vegas casino revenue grows, so do MGM’s prospects. The Nevada Gaming Control Board last week said December gambling revenue on the strip rose by 3.6%, and slot-machine revenue rose over 6%. Convention attendance also rose dramatically last year. While MGM Macau has helped ease the profit pinch, the company’s best opportunity may be a new social-media game inspired by Zynga’s (NASDAQ:ZNGA) FarmVille. With a market cap of $7 billion, MGM is trading around $14.50 — 96% above its 52-week low last November. MGM has total cash of about $2 billion and total debt of $14.5 billion. Its one-year return is -4%, but its financial position is strengthening, and the stock has some upside.

As of this writing, Susan J. Aluise did not hold a position in any of the stocks named here.

4 ‘Sustainable’ Gaming Stocks

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Learning from Sendong’s floods

February 16, 2012

By: Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay Philippine Daily Inquirer

“Who would have thought a flood could bear so much force to bring my house down and wash it out to sea?  I live in a middle-class subdivision in Santiago, Iligan City, called Orchid Homes and it is now leveled to the ground.  The entire row of houses where my neighbors and family dwelled, crumpled against rampaging floodwaters and all that is left are bent steel and debris,” Edward Banawa said as he recounted his ordeal.

An associate professor in Iligan Institute of Technology of  Mindanao State University, Banawa nonchalantly described his family’s misfortune on the tragic day of Dec. 16, 2011. Taken aback, I wondered about his composure. It became clear to me when I asked other victims of the massive flooding brought by Tropical Storm “Sendong.” There was consistency in their reactions, with everyone responding in a similar undisturbed tone. Perhaps they discovered an internal core of strength, their way to cope with shock and exhaustion. Maybe all their tears just dried up.

River watershed

Orchid Homes Subdivision is on a flat area near the mouth of  Mandulog River, a waterway more than 50 kilometers long  that serves as the main drain of the mountains of Iligan. This mountainous area covers about 70,000 hectares of land often referred to as a watershed in textbooks. Hundreds of smaller rivers connect to Mandulog River and form a network of channels similar to the branches of a tree. It is the main trunk where  most of the storm water collected by the mountain watershed passes through before reaching the sea.

Flat areas beside large rivers are called floodplains. They are called such for good reason.  During periods of heavy rainfall, the river channels swell and form overbank flow that encroach on adjacent fields. Floodwaters that inundate the area beside the river are laden with sediments. When the floods recede, mud and sand are left behind in the areas they had swamped. The deposits of mud and sand beside the river during flood events form a flat terrain, hence the name floodplain. Sometimes, these level tracts of land extend kilometers away from the main water channel.

Cradles of civilization

Because floodplains are replenished constantly by floods with nutrients from the mountains, they are naturally fertile ground, ideal for planting crops and bumper harvests. Floodplains are preferred sites for settlements because they are near the source of water. Man has chosen to live on these flat fields because of its practical and economic value.

The great civilization of Mesopotamia was cradled in the Fertile Crescent between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates while Ancient Egypt was beside the Great River Nile.  Descendants of these civilizations have not abandoned these places despite the great floods described in the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Great Flood in Genesis. They still inhabit the land and have grown into even much larger populations. Today, these places are still known to experience disastrous floods.

Floodplains, by the way, are not the only regions that are extremely fertile.  Soil at the foot of volcanoes are also rich. They yield bumper crops and are ideal for habitation. Cities started to develop in these areas because vital agricultural lands were enriched with minerals every time the nearby volcano erupted. Even habitation of the mountains was driven by the need to exploit nature’s bounty. San Francisco,  on the west coast of the United States, flourished because of the gold rush.

The development of Baguio was not purely driven by its vacation value. It was because of gold and copper in the earth.  These metals were brought to the surface along faults, the very same fractures that move and wreck the bountiful land.  The same processes that give Earth its richness are the same processes that devastate the land. For this reason, cradles of civilization are more often than not naturally hazardous.

Geological consent

Man has this tendency to settle in dangerous grounds, not because they choose to live on the edge but because fertile land sustains life. Many realize that they live dangerously only when disaster strikes, but in the hundred-year interim or so between catastrophic events, life is bliss.

In some cases, great civilizations were entirely wiped out by nature’s wrath in a single day, not because nature is fond to take life but because it has been  its disposition for millions of years. Human settlements are fairly recent in Earth time and violent processes that have shaped the planet will not stop because people are in harm’s way. In the words of Will Durant, a poet and philosopher, “Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice.”

Perfect mix for disaster

The 250-350 millimeters of rain dumped on the watershed of Mandulog River by Sendong and the location of the communities in the floodplains were the perfect mix for a disaster. The stream network in the uplands collected rainwater and swelled Mandulog River, generating a flash flood that swept everything in its path.

The river of torrent carried tons of trees and eroded debris cascaded toward the communities of Bayug, Upper Hinaplonan, Hinaplonan and Santiago in Iligan. Floodwaters 7 to 10 meters high rampaged beyond the banks of the river and wiped out villages with incomprehensible force. Little did residents know that such flash floods could be so devastating to completely destroy their communities and shatter their dreams. It took Mandulog River less than five minutes to reclaim her floodplains, land which people appropriated for themselves.

Structural solutions

What could have the residents done to avoid this misfortune?  What could government have done to prevent all this from happening? To stop the destruction of freak nature is a dream for many. Engineering solutions such as dikes work most of the time but not all the time. They fail to protect communities especially during extreme events.

I have seen this everywhere in the Philippines: In Cabalantian, where waters breached the Gugu dike and swamped the town on the early morning of Oct. 1, 1995 as Typhoon “Mameng” ravaged Central Luzon, leaving 100 people dead; in Albay, where several dikes of Mayon volcano were breached upstream and floodwaters and lahar killed 1,266 people in downstream villages in 2006; during Tropical Storm “Ondoy” when dikes built to protect Provident Village in Marikina City failed, killing people; in Pampanga and Bulacan, where the more than P1-billion Pampanga River Delta dike, built to protect Sulipan/Calumpit, contained floodwaters generated by “Pedring” and “Quiel” in Hagonoy and Calumpit for weeks.

The list goes on and on and there can only be one conclusion.  There are limits to technology and human foresight when dealing with the lethal impact of natural hazards.

Dams

One proposal to address the problem of Iligan is to construct a dam upstream of Mandulog River. Dams serve to provide irrigation and electricity, be they  reservoirs for potable water or  flood-control systems. This solution, however, is not feasible for Iligan. Lawrence Cruz, the mayor of Iligan, did not mince his words when asked about constructing a dam to hold floodwaters. His point blank answer was, “No, that is not an option.”

There is good reason for his retort: apart from displacing upland settlers and overcoming political obstacles, current-dam protocol is more geared toward generating income for its operator rather than for the protection of people from floods.  We had problems with the San Roque dam during Typhoon “Pepeng.” The dam released 5,000 cubic meters per second of water for hours, inundating vast areas of Pangasinan. The protocol on the release of water  remained unchanged up to the time of Pedring and Quiel. There seems to be no prospect for change.

Flood-control system

I’ve also seen proposals for the installation of numerous smaller dams to be distributed throughout a network of streams in a watershed.  Aside from generating electricity, the dams will act as a flood-control system. Building many small dams instead of a single dam 100 meters high is less threatening to populations in low-lying areas and more environment-friendly. However, their effectiveness as a flood-control system has yet to be tested in a tropical region, hit on average by 20 typhoons annually.

A dilemma facing the mayor of Iligan is whether to allow resettlement of the devastated areas or to declare them uninhabitable zones. This question is extremely tough for a politician because the land has property value, a factor in the decision-making process that can’t be easily dismissed. By allowing resettlement, survivors can pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and rebuild their homes with hopes that good times will roll again. Chances are the community will be vibrant again and will be for some time until the next deluge comes.

The other option of classifying devastated areas as permanent danger zones and relocating survivors seem more sensible in the long run. Relocation sites, however, must be properly assessed for all geohazards and there must be provisions for displaced residents to earn their livelihood.

Development issue

Disasters result when there is failure in development planning.  Catastrophes are a natural part of the Earth’s system and the only recourse for communities to endure is to be smart in dealing with hazards. By smart we mean that we need to understand, learn from the past and use the best science and technology to promote resiliency against disasters. It is imperative that we settle in places that are identified as least compromised and not in areas that are naturally hazardous. If we insist on living in hazardous places, we must understand the risks and be aware of the consequences!

The Sendong disaster was among the disasters that recently plagued the Filipino people. It was the third big one in 2011. With the Durian, Ondoy, Pepeng, Juaning, Pedring and Quiel disasters, the track of the storm and the watershed where it dumped heavy rainfall were the common factors of the floods.

Awareness

The next perfect storm can strike in any of the watersheds in the Philippines and bring forth a deluge in the floodplains. It’s a Russian roulette, and many are sitting ducks just waiting for the next deluge.

Do you know in which watershed you live and if you are in a perilous floodplain? Have you bothered to look at a hazard map and learn the evacuation plan, if there is any at all? Awareness is the first step.  It is up to you to do the next smart move.

(Lagmay is a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines. He conducts research on natural disasters and strongly advocates the use of advanced science and technology to mitigate natural disasters. You can follow him on Twitter @nababaha.)

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Tags: Disaster , Flood , Sendong , Storm

Learning from Sendong’s floods

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Beach Brother est un magazine crossover : magazine surf, magazine skate et magazine snowboard dans une seule édition. Tout l’univers de la glisse dans un magazine gratuit…

February 15, 2012

C’est indéniable, la Chine s’ouvre de plus en plus et se met à la mode occidentale. Même si l’on n’a pas beaucoup d’infos qui filtrent sur la scène skate Pékinoise (et plus largement chinoise), on est tombé sur cette vidéo, filmé et éditée par un skateboarder local : Lui Chen. Elle retrace l’activité de l’année 2011 dans la métropole, mettant en avant riders locaux et étrangers venus rider à l’est.

On avoue qu’on est tombé sous le charme : pas de ralentis, pas d’effets de fou, pas de bande son qui fait mal aux oreilles. Une vidéo sans prétention, presque innocente, pleine de bonnes vibes et de riders content d’être là, de tricks propres, de slams sympa, de vigiles avec le sourire et de passants curieux…

En attendant de rassembler un peu plus d’infos sur ce qui apparaît comme le prochain eldorado de la planche à roulette, on vous laisse apprécier ce 1/4 d’heure de vidéo qui ne demande qu’à être vu.

ROLLING THROUGH – A Year in the Life of Beijing Skateboarding from Lui Chen on Vimeo.

Beach Brother est un magazine crossover : magazine surf, magazine skate et magazine snowboard dans une seule édition. Tout l’univers de la glisse dans un magazine gratuit…

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway Waves the Green Flag on Red Carpet Gaming Experience at the Track

February 7, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Kan. & WYOMISSING, Pa., Feb 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) —– First Las Vegas-Style Property in the Market –

The green flag is waving today at Kansas Speedway. The thrill of racing, the excitement of gaming and the glamour of Hollywood have come together under one roof with the grand opening of Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, Kansas City’s first land-based, Las Vegas-style casino.

The new casino was developed and is operated by Kansas Entertainment, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture of Penn Hollywood Kansas, Inc., a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, Inc. (penn:Nasdaq) and Kansas Speedway Development Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (isca:NASDAQ Global Select Market)(iscb:OTC Bulletin Board) (“ISC”). All of the casino games at the facility are owned by the state of Kansas.

Penn National Gaming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Peter M. Carlino, and International Speedway Corporation CEO, Lesa France Kennedy, opened the casino at a ribbon cutting ceremony today alongside Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., Joe Reardon, a representative from Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s office, NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne as well as other local elected officials and executives from Penn National Gaming and ISC.

“As the first new casino in the Kansas City market in 15 years, Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway offers guests a state-of-the-art destination with premier gaming, dining and entertainment options,” commented Peter Carlino. “Just seconds from I-70, the facility’s luxurious design, modern grandeur and extensive amenities provides guests with a range of memorable experiences in an unparalleled, high energy setting on Turn Two of Kansas Speedway, a world class motorsports facility and host to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events annually.

“The facility’s 2,000 slot machines and 52 table games are complemented by the extraordinary red carpet service that is the hallmark of the Hollywood Casino brand. The property is another drawing card for Wyandotte County, which is already the top tourist destination in the state with more than 11 million visitors annually. Guests from near and far, including Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa can play in style on a single gaming floor and dine at five different restaurants, several with views of the track.

“We are grateful to the Kansas Lottery Commission and Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission for their efforts in ensuring that Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway is opening on schedule. In addition, we welcome the partnerships we have established with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas and the many other local and state government officials and entities who have worked closely with our team throughout the planning and construction process. The facility opening will result in more than 1,000 new jobs as well as significant tax revenue and other sustainable economic benefits for the community, county and state.”

The casino sits at Turn Two of the Kansas Speedway, overlooking the racetrack and is the first trackside casino in the ISC family of facilities.

“The combination of a world-class sports facility with the premier Hollywood-branded casino will set a new standard in gaming entertainment excellence,” stated Lesa France Kennedy. “We appreciate the collective confidence and support of state and local leaders that recognized the tremendous benefit that Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will provide for the citizens of Wyandotte County and the state of Kansas.

“ISC and Kansas Speedway have been a collaborative partner with the community to increase area tourism and create jobs for more than a decade. We continue to make significant investments in the facility, most recently with the start of the speedway’s permanent road course construction. This partnership started with a mutual vision to create a true destination for visitors and residents, anchored by a premier motorsports racing facility. Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will build upon our successful track record.”

Approximately four million guests are expected to visit Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway annually, bringing increased tourism and tax revenues to Wyandotte County and the state of Kansas. The total estimated economic benefit of the casino is $220 million annually.

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway employs more than 1,000 workers from the greater Kansas City region and is seen as a significant driver of employment in the area at businesses that support the facility.

Slot Machines Throughout the Gaming Floor

The casino offers nearly 100,000 square feet of gaming.

“It’s an inviting and spacious casino floor with easy access to all the games; no turnstiles or space limitations here,” says Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway Vice President and General Manager Bob Sheldon.

Hollywood Casino features many player-popular games including high-profile TV show and movie themes such as Wheel of Fortune, Mission Impossible, The Hangover and Tarzan, as well as the area’s first Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers machines in honor of the casino’s Kansas roots.

Machines span from penny slots up to $25 and $100 denominations with a top award of a $100,000 jackpot. The higher limit machines are located near the Executive Producer’s Lounge, offering VIP players’ club members exclusive amenities and easy access to the slots they desire.

In addition, Hollywood Casino has a wide variety of video poker machines with competitive pay tables, including several located directly at the Sunset Bar.

Table Games and Poker

Blackjack, craps, roulette and carnival-style games are among the 52 live table games featured at Hollywood Casino with a wide range of minimum bets. Specific tables feature Craps-Free Craps, Mini Baccarat, Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Fortune Pai Gow, Let it Ride Bonus and Three-Card poker.

The casino’s tables up the ante by offering a Royal Match side bet on blackjack and a progressive jackpot on select table games — both unique features in the Kansas City market.

The high limit table game area is adjacent to the Executive Producer’s Lounge on the casino floor, making it easy for players to take a break from the action.

Designed for maximum guest comfort, the modern Hollywood Casino Poker Room is trimmed in rich woods, provides drink holders for players at every table and includes seven LCD screens showing sports programming during play. Hollywood Casino’s Poker Room features 12 live tables with games including Texas Hold’em — with a bad beat jackpot — Pot Limit Omaha, traditional 7-card stud and high limit options.

Hollywood Casino’s multi-tiered Marquee Rewards card allows guests to win whenever they play. Players earn points to redeem for downloadable promotional play, rewards, casino promotions and exclusive access to casino events, parking and lounges. Guests who play at Hollywood Casino as well as Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in Riverside, also owned by Penn National Gaming, earn tier points at both casinos and can combine them to achieve a higher tier status faster. Soon after opening, players will have the ability to combine their earned rewards and use them at restaurants and outlets at both casinos.

The casino floor oozes Hollywood glamour. Elegant chandeliers and art deco columns combine with the latest video technology to transport guests to the Golden Age of Hollywood. A giant serpentine video wall projects movie trailers, vintage commercials and animation.

Numerous plasma screens and video trees interspersed between slot machines and table games allow guests to enjoy entertainment programming and live sports as they play.

“The Hollywood name says it all,” according to Bob Sheldon. “From the moment they walk in the building, our guests are immersed in the comfort and sophistication of the classic style of 1930s Hollywood.”

Hollywood Casino’s five restaurants provide great options for a range of tastes. The 103-seat Final Cut Steakhouse takes casino dining to a new level by combining the staples of a Kansas City chop house with a balanced menu of specialty dishes, homemade pastas, seafood and shellfish. The upscale restaurant is under the helm of Chef Marshall Roth, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York who’s worked at several James Beard award-winning restaurants around the world. The fine dining establishment, located right off the casino floor, offers sweeping views of the speedway. Guests dine among elegant glass display cases filled with gowns, tuxedos and accessories worn by Hollywood stars. Final Cut features an intimate cocktail lounge and 20-seat private dining room.

Casual diners will enjoy the variety and made-to-order attributes of the 282-seat Epic Buffet. Guests can enjoy a carving station, homemade pizza station, Asian station, salads, soups and sweets right on the casino floor.

Speedway lovers can have a drink or a meal while looking over the racetrack at Turn Two Lounge, a sports bar easily accessible from escalators on the casino floor. The roomy, 176-seat cocktail lounge is designed to offer every bar patron multiple views of sporting events on numerous flat screen televisions. An outdoor patio offers more than 40 seats on warmer nights. Access to Turn Two Lounge will be limited on race weekends.

Additional dining options include the Marquee Cafe, a casual and contemporary restaurant with 164 seats; the 24-hour Hollywood & Grind Coffee Bar, which also sells a range of speedway and Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway merchandise; the Sunset Bar, where guests can choose from 12 video poker machines located on the casino floor; and the VIP Lounge, an upscale player’s lounge offering food, cocktails and Hollywood’s signature red carpet service.

About Hollywood Casino at Kansas City Speedway

Hollywood Casino sits on Turn Two of the Kansas Speedway and is adjacent to The Legends Outlets Kansas City at Village West. It is the most accessible casino in the Kansas City market, just seconds from I-70 (110th Street exit) with a dedicated entrance that is separate from the speedway and does not require driving through Village West. The casino can also be reached by I-435 (State Avenue exit). With 2,300 gaming positions, Hollywood Casino is the Kansas City market’s only land-based, Vegas-style casino with gaming on one floor. Nearly 3,000 parking spaces and valet service are available. For more information, go to hollywoodcasinokansas.com/ .

About Penn National Gaming

Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The company presently operates twenty-six facilities in nineteen jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National’s operated facilities feature approximately 29,700 gaming machines, approximately 640 table games, 2,400 hotel rooms and 1.2 million square feet of gaming floor space.

Penn National is also developing casinos in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio, with openings targeted for 2012.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may vary materially from expectations. Penn describes certain of these risks and uncertainties in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Meaningful factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to, risks related to the following: our ability to receive, or delays in obtaining, the regulatory approvals required to own, develop and/or operate our facilities, or other delays or impediments to completing our planned acquisitions or projects, including favorable resolution of any related litigation and/or enforcement of contingent settlement agreements; our ability to secure state and local permits and approvals necessary for construction; construction factors, including delays, unexpected remediation costs, local opposition and increased cost of labor and materials; the passage of state, federal or local legislation (including referenda) that would expand, restrict, further tax, prevent or negatively impact operations in or adjacent to the jurisdictions in which we do business (such as a smoking ban at any of our facilities) or in jurisdictions where we seek to do business; the effects of local and national economic, credit, capital market, housing, and energy conditions on the economy in general and on the gaming and lodging industries in particular; the activities of our competitors and the emergence of new competitors; our expectations for the continued availability and cost of capital; the maintenance of agreements with our horsemen, pari-mutuel clerks and other organized labor groups; the outcome of pending legal proceedings; changes in accounting standards; our dependence on key personnel; the impact of terrorism and other international hostilities; the impact of weather; and other factors as discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the SEC. The Company does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

About International Speedway Corporation

International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as well as numerous other motorsports-related activities. The Company owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway(R) in Florida (home of the DAYTONA 500(R)); Talladega Superspeedway(R) in Alabama; Michigan International Speedway(R) located outside Detroit; Richmond International Raceway(R) in Virginia; Auto Club Speedway of Southern California(SM) near Los Angeles; Kansas Speedway(R) in Kansas City, Kansas; Phoenix International Raceway(R) in Arizona; Chicagoland Speedway(R) and Route 66 Raceway(SM) near Chicago, Illinois; Homestead-Miami Speedway(SM) in Florida; Martinsville Speedway(R) in Virginia; Darlington Raceway(R) in South Carolina; and Watkins Glen International(R) in New York.

The Company also owns and operates MRN(R) Radio, the nation’s largest independent sports radio network and Americrown Service Corporation(SM), a subsidiary that provides catering services, food and beverage concessions, and produces and markets motorsports-related merchandise. For more information, visit the Company’s Web site at internationalspeedwaycorporation.com .

SOURCE: Penn National Gaming, Inc.

Penn National Gaming, Inc. Eric Schippers, 610-378-8321 or TBC Public Relations Brent Burkhardt/Pamela Gorsuch, 410-986-1303/1219 /

Copyright Business Wire 2012

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway Waves the Green Flag on Red Carpet Gaming Experience at the Track

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Job seeker uses social media to spread the word

February 4, 2012

“It’s an easy way to cast as wide a net as possible,’’ he said. “You can reach a lot more eyeballs through social media than you can through reaching out to people on a one-on-one basis.’’

In a job market crowded with talented people, resumes and cover letters just don’t cut it anymore. As almost any recruiter, career coach, and human resources specialist will tell you, effective job searches have become marketing campaigns, and social media, as Cutler shows, provide the tools to promote the product: the job candidate.

Social media can increase the odds of getting noticed in the game of “resume roulette’’ that hiring managers play when sorting through endless job applications, said Art Papas, chief executive of the Boston recruitment software company Bullhorn. Employers, he added, are starting to shift their focus from job sites like Monster and CareerBuilder to sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

“If you’re looking for a job, you’ve got to be serious about social media – it’s one of the best ways to cut through the clutter,’’ Pappas said. “Every company we work with, social media is top of their mind.’’

Cutler, 34, of Waltham, sees his efforts not only as a way to stand out, but also increase the odds – as often happens – that a chance meeting can lead to a job. Think of it like a virtual cocktail hour.

“You’re sending out resumes, you’re beating the pavement, you’re networking,’’ Cutler said, “And then you’re at a wedding and you’re at the bar getting a drink and you strike up a conversation with somebody and they say, ‘What do you do?’ and you say, “I’m looking for a job in XYZ,’ and it turns out they know of an opportunity, and that’s how you get the job.’’

Cutler started his social media frenzy a year ago after getting laid off as a graphics production manager at a health care research firm in Burlington. Unemployment, he decided, was the right time to pursue a new field.

He enrolled in a weeklong “mini MBA’’ program in social media marketing at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and then immersed himself in Boston’s social media scene – going to networking events, reading articles, attending panels, and watching webinars about the latest developments in the field.

Job seeker uses social media to spread the word

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

Chinese Soldiers Play Pass the Grenade

February 2, 2012

The Chinese military inspires wonder and fear in some quarters – particularly in this day and age when China and the United States engage in a near-daily mutual bashing over issues ranging from trade and currency policy to Taiwan and human rights.

Today, though, the Chinese military is inspiring…well, a lot of head-scratching. What is it we’re watching here? Is it “military training”? A bizarre form of Russian Roulette? A really dangerous form of “Hot Potato”?

What it most certainly is not  is anything you want to try at home.

This strange, minute-long piece of videotape purports to show a People’s Liberation Army training exercise. A half dozen soldiers toss a live explosive, one to the other, in a small circle.

 Then, not a moment too soon, they toss the grenade into what looks like a sand pit at the circle’s center, and take a kind of synchronized leap away from the pit. Synchronized grenade-diving. The grenade explodes, with six Chinese soldiers safely on their stomachs. And then it’s time to try again.

Chinese Soldiers Play Pass the Grenade

Online Casinos News · Filed Under Roulette News 

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