16-05-2012 06:58 Maryann Hartwick, president and co-founder of the society, explains how the group brings exploration of the stars to the community through 'sidewalk astronomy'.
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The long reach of the Centaur’s dark heart | Bad Astronomy
Every now again I get surprised by a photo, showing me something I didnt know about. And I love it even more when that surprise is from an object I thought I knew!
So check out this incredible image of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, a nearby galaxy harboring a whole slew of surprises:
[Click to galactinate, or get the 4000 x 4000 pixel version, or, if you're feeling frisky, cram this onto your hard drive: an image that's 8500 x 8400 pixels and 29 Mb in size! And trust me: you want to.]
Isnt that stunning? This picture was taken by the MPG/ESO 2.2 meter telescope in Chile, and once you get over its beauty youll realize this galaxy is, frankly, seriously messed up.
Cen A is about 12 million light years away and has roughly the same mass as our Milky Way, containing a few hundred billion stars. The underlying glow of those stars is what makes that round background fuzz in the image, and takes on the familiar elliptical shape of many such galaxies. [Note: All the individual stars you see here are in our on galaxy, since we're inside the Milky Way looking out to Cen A. Also, the little circles next to bright stars are reflections inside the camera itself, and aren't real.]
But check out that wide swath of dark stuff across the middle! That blocks the light from stars behind it, so its a cold certainty thats a dust lane: a thick, flat disk of complex molecules commonly seen in galaxies. But its commonly seen in spiral galaxies like ours, not elliptical ones like Cen A. So somethings weird right off the bat. And note how the ends of the disk seem bent in opposite directions; on the right its bent down, and on the left its bent up.
Most likely, this is because Cen A ate another galaxy. Literally: a galaxy collided with it in the recent past well, like in the past few dozen million years and that galaxy was probably more like our own, rich with dust. As it was absorbed, the dust was stripped from it and settled into that disk. The warping at the ends is a gravitational effect, most likely a distortion from the collision itself. We see it in other galaxies that have nearby companions.
When you observe Cen A using a radio telescope it gets weirder: two huge jets of material are being shot out of the core. The image here shows those jets (click to embiggen). Cen A is a very strong emitter of radio waves; in fact thats why its called Cen A: the brightest radio source in the constellation of Centaurus.
The source of those jets is a gigantic black hole in the core of the galaxy. All big galaxies have one, but Cen As is 55 million times the mass of the Sun nearly 14 times the mass of the black hole in the center of our own galaxy! So its a bruiser. Unlike our Milky Ways black hole, the one in Cen A is actively feeding on material. A huge amount of gas is falling into it. As it does, it forms a flattened disk which gets very, very hot. Millions of degrees hot. Swirling magnetic fields and other forces focus the material into those twins beams which scream out from the disk and create the radio waves. We call these active galaxies.
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UAE's aerospace dream blooms in the desert
By Tim Hepher
AL AIN, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - Ross Bradley welcomes a delegation of aerospace suppliers in from the blistering heat of the Arabian desert and cools them down with some refreshingly candid advice.
"You are too expensive. Please take this message back. We will not put up with prices we are paying today. Unaffordable."
The welcome speech may not always be soothing to the ear but industry visitors keep flocking to the remote oasis town of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates to see one of the world's newest and best-equipped aerospace factories.
They are drawn by the dramatic rise of an ambitious and increasingly powerful player in the fast-growing aerospace industry, which is investing to make jets cheaper to fly.
Flanked by dunes on an ancient Frankincense route from Yemen to Mesopotamia, the factory is designed to help make lightweight carbon jets that will open up the trade lanes of the future.
It sprang from the desert in record time to spearhead Abu Dhabi's ambitions to diversify its oil-dependent economy and produce high-tech jobs for the company's mainly female local workforce.
"We put the first spade into the sand in September 2009 and when we started you couldn't get here in a vehicle; you had to drive by 4x4 and then walk," says Bradley, chief executive of Strata, the aerostructures business funded by Abu Dhabi.
The project is part of efforts by the UAE's main exporting emirate to boost the non-oil economy to 56 percent of GDP by 2020 and 64 percent in 2030, up from 41 percent in 2005-07.
It is trying to do what many have long considered impossible - to challenge the biggest parts industry players from Asia to the United States in a short time and at even lower cost, while developing a previously unproven workforce.
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XCOR Aerospace Announces Lynx Suborbital Flight Winner
MOJAVE, Calif., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- XCOR Aerospace today announced the grand prize winner of a trip aboard the Lynx Mark I suborbital launch vehicle. XCOR Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nelson made the announcement at the Spacecraft Technology Expo (STE) in Los Angeles, CA.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120516/LA08278)
"About two months ago, we were at an event called the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, where together with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) we gave away a suborbital flight," said XCOR Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nelson. "We had a winner, and we had a backup.Unfortunately our main winner was unable to accept the prize.Our backup winner, Jennifer Brisco, is now the official recipient of the suborbital flight."
Jennifer, who hails from the San Francisco Bay Area was flown in to the Spacecraft Technology Expo in Los Angeles to receive the prize. She did not know that she had been selected until presented with the award at the Expo.
"It's been my lifetime goal to take a suborbital flight," said Jennifer."This is an absolute dream ... I am in shock right now, I am speechless."
Jennifer, who is a space enthusiast, will be eligible to fly on the Lynx mark I as a suborbital researcher after passing a medical exam and completing a three day training program that includes altitude and G-force exposure.
"XCOR continues to bring down the costs and barriers associated with commercial human spaceflight," remarked Andrew."Reusable Launch Vehicles such as Lynx will usher in a whole new era of accessibility to space by offering routine, affordable and safe trips outside the atmosphere. We look forward to being on the vanguard of this revolution in affordable access to the cosmos."
XCOR Aerospace is a California corporation located in Mojave, California. The company is in the business of developing and producing safe, reliable and reusable rocket powered vehicles, propulsion systems, advanced non-flammable composites and other enabling technologies like rocket piston pumps that enable full reusability. XCOR is working with aerospace prime contractors and government customers on major propulsion systems, and concurrently building the Lynx, a piloted, two-seat, fully reusable, liquid rocket powered vehicle that takes off and lands horizontally. The Lynx-family of vehicles serves three primary missions depending on their specific type including: research & scientific missions, private spaceflight, and micro satellite launch (only on the Lynx Mark III). The Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-mission (research / scientific or private spaceflight) commercial vehicles capable of flying to 100+ km in altitude up to four times per day and are being offered globally on a wet lease basis. (www.xcor.com).
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Ball Aerospace Submits Solar Electric Propulsion Concept to NASA
BOULDER, Colo., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has submitted its mission concept study to NASA for demonstrating solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies in space.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120516/LA08133)
Ball Aerospace was one of five companies awarded up to $600,000 by NASA in September 2011,to formulate a mission concept to demonstrate the solar electric propulsion technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure required for sustainable and affordable human presence in space. NASA will use the studies to plan and implement a future flight demonstration mission to test and validate those science technologies and capabilities.
"Ball Aerospace recognizes the mission enabling aspect of solar electric propulsion and our customer needs for SEP solutions," said Cary Ludtke, vice president of Ball's Civil and Operational Space business unit. "We believe we're the right-sized company with the right capabilities to take this space technology to the next level."
The current study focused on developing concepts that will be using technology at NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or greater. Ball's mission concept supports NASA's goal to elevate SEP technologies in order to create more efficient and powerful solar-powered flight systems. Ball Aerospace worked with several companies to create an implementable solar electronic technology demonstration mission for NASA including: ATK Space Systems, Busek Co. Inc., Deployable Space Systems, Gray Research Inc., and the Southwest Research Institute.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information visit http://www.ballaerospace.com.
Ball Corporation (BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.
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Ball Aerospace Submits Solar Electric Propulsion Concept to NASA
Global Aerospace and Defence Industry
NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:
Global Aerospace and Defence Industry
This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Aerospace and Defense Industry in US$ Million by the following Major Industrial Sectors: Aircraft Products & Services (Airframe, Aircraft Engine, Aircraft Components, Commercial Avionics, Military Avionics, In-flight Entertainment, & MRO), Missiles (Air-to-Air, Air-to-Surface, Air Defense, Surface-to-Surface, Antiship, Antitank, Bombs (Guided), Intelligent Munitions, & Others), Modeling, Simulation and Training (CBT & E-Learning, Military Training & Simulation, Commercial & Military Visual Simulation, & Commercial & Military Flight Simulation), C4ISR & Related (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Electronic Warfare, Mine Countermeasures, Naval Radar and Sonar, Chemical & Biological Agent Detectors, Infrared Imaging Systems and Components, Military Ground Communications, Land-Based Surveillance Radar, & Others), Space Equipment (Launch Vehicles, Communications Satellites, & Earth Observation Satellites), and GPS (Geotechnologies) (Commercial Satellite Imaging, Commercial Aerial Imaging, GIS Software, Commercial SAR Data, and Commercial SAR Software). Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America. The report profiles 438 companies including many key and niche players such as Arianespace SA, ATR, B/E Aerospace, Inc., BAE Systems Plc, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Bombardier, Inc. Cessna Aircraft Company, CFM International Inc., DAHER-SOCATA, EADS N.V, Airbus S.A.S, Eurocopter, Embraer S.A, Finmeccanica S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A, GE Aviation, Goodrich Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc., Ilyushin Aviation Complex JSC, IRKUT Corporation, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Kaman Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Company, Rolls-Royce Plc, RUAG AG, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Snecma SA, Thales Group, The Boeing Company, and Turbomeca SA. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.
I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS
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Brett Tollman Interview at 2012 World Travel and Tourism Council – Video
15-05-2012 05:03 Brett Tollman, chief executive of The Travel Corporation (TTC), showed his support for a global unification of the travel industry at the 2012 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Tokyo/Sendai. TTC has been a member of the WTTC since 1997, but Brett Tollman (www.bretttollman.biz) has long been an advocate for educating government and industry as to the importance of the tourism industry on global economy, after all, tourism currently employs over 250 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to grow. By uniting under the auspices of the WTTC, TTC and other travel services providers can speak in one voice to educate and influence governments to removing barriers that keep visitors from coming in and out of their countries.
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Brett Tollman Interview at 2012 World Travel and Tourism Council - Video
Al Faisaliah Hotel Gains International Recognition at World Travel Awards
Al Faisaliah Hotel, managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, was recognized as “Saudi Arabia’s Leading Hotel” for the second consecutive year, as well as “Middle East’s Leading Luxury City Hotel”.Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (PRWEB) May 15, 2012 In a demonstration of all-round distinction & superiority, Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel, scooped two international awards at the annual World Travel Awards ...
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Al Faisaliah Hotel Gains International Recognition at World Travel Awards
Travel the Globe With Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales Around the World
My son and I disagree on which Scooby-Doo episodes are the best I side with the classics from the late 1960s and early 70s and he prefers the latest Mystery, Inc. episodes. Im not big on Scrappy-Doo, and thankfully Decker hasnt taken to the little annoying pup, either. I find humor in the old episodes as I watch the same bookcase go by five or six times as the Scooby Gang walks down the impossibly long hallway in the haunted house and Decker finds humor in the many ways that the newest animation techniques show Scooby shake and shiver. It really is a good time to be a Scooby-Doo fan, and my sons 5th birthday party this last weekend had a Scooby theme it makes me smile that he loves the Scooby Gang as much as I do.
As the Scooby-Doo franchise has developed over the years, the Scooby Gang has been around the world and then some. China, Hawaii, Transylvania, South America theyve been everywhere! Ive really lost track of every destination thats sported a mystery for the gang to solve. But I can name at least a dozen exotic locations thanks to the latest release, Scooby Doo! 13 Spooky Tales Around the World from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
This DVD is a collection of older episodes mainly the classics from the early 70s involving trips to the Bermuda Triangle and Venice (remember the Ghostly Gondolier?) and episodes from the mid to late 70s that take them to the jungles of Brazil and a temple in Greece haunted by a Minotaur. Whats great about the episodes selected here is that Decker has seen so few of them and has enjoyed each and every one of them as Ive watched them with him and relived a bit of my childhood.
If youre interested in which 13 episodes are included, Ill give you the rundown here:
Disc 1:
The Fiesta Host is an Aztec Ghost, The Harum Scarum Sanitarium, The Spirits of 76, A Creepy Tangle in the Bermuda Triangle, To Switch a Witch, A Menace in Venice
Disc 2:
Shiver and Shake, That Demons a Snake, Lock the Door, Its a Minotaur, The Ozark Witch Switch, The Jaguaro, Moonlight Madness, Ghosts of the Ancient Astronauts Part I, Ghosts of the Ancient Astronauts Part II
If you have an Ultraviolet Digital Copy account, you can add all of these episodes as they are included with the DVD versions. Ive downloaded them to the iPad 2 so he can watch them on the small screen in the car but be aware that downloading the full 13 episodes can take quite a few gigabytes of storage space!
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Travel the Globe With Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales Around the World
Searchlight, the New Interactive Product and Travel Necessity
SALEM, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
On Call International, the leading provider of medical, security and travel assistance has introduced a dynamic new risk mitigation and traveler tracking tool, Searchlight. This highly anticipated service provides travel preparation, tracking, interactive communications and even social media integration to reduce health and safety risks for students and company employees when traveling anywhere in the world. The Searchlight mobile app grants users full access to the portal including profile, trip details and destination information.
After listening to our customers and researching how we can best help them protect the health and safety of their travelers, we created Searchlight, stated Michael J. Kelly, company CEO. This product does it all for both administrators and the travelers themselves by providing useful and interactive travel information before and during trips, organizing important documents and itineraries and offering a direct line of communication between travelers and administrators. As both a parent of college age children and a frequent business traveler, I am excited to bring something this valuable and unique to the marketplace.
Searchlight is composed of four key components:
Upon booking a trip, users can either add their travel details manually or the trip itinerary can be fed directly from their travel management company. Travelers can easily create a personal profile in the customized online resource center within the secure Searchlight portal, which allows them to designate emergency contacts and store important travel documents such as copies of their passports. The tool then provides travelers with pre-trip advice via email including medical, security and cultural overviews specific to their destination. While the traveler is away, Searchlight also provides tools to locate and communicate with travelers to reduce health and safety risks and can be accessed by a short list of user designated individuals and administrators. These administrators can communicate with the traveler directly via email, two-way SMS text, phone and social media sites, providing complete interactivity between the traveler and the organization.
The global-view dashboard aggregates all of the travelers data into one place. This secured data is available 24/7/365 for a crisis or for regular risk mitigation purposes. All of the travelers data including flight itineraries, hotel and destination information is connected to On Calls risk alerts to provide administrators customizable reporting of travelers exposure by country and region; enabling travelers to receive breaking updates and travel advice.
The information and advisory tools give an overview to travelers upon booking including medical, security, travel and cultural information to help travelers prepare for their upcoming trip. Additional items can include country manner and embassy information. This information can be shared with the traveler via email and is available via the portal at all times granting access to a comprehensive, vetted worldwide provider database. If travel advice changes, Searchlight alerts are issued to travelers before, during and immediately after travel if they are affected by the country or region experiencing unrest allowing travelers and administrators to communicate through the portal or privately through social media sites such as Facebook.
Specializing in worldwide emergency medical evacuations which can cost up to $30,000 domestically and as much as $100,000 internationally On Call Internationals services are designed help fulfill an organizations duty of care obligations and to safeguard employers and educational institutions from unnecessary personnel, legal and financial risk.
Additional medical assistance services range from emergency prescription replacement to worldwide hospital and physician referral and include medical case monitoring and dispatching a physician or specialist in emergencies. The companys 24/7 Nurse Helpline provides medical advice for those traveling and is staffed by U.S.-licensed nurses who assess patient symptoms, identify the urgency of a situation and recommend a plan of care. On Call also provides members with advice related to security concerns, situational security analysis for administrators and assistance during a security crisis.
Ideal for business and academic travelers, Searchlight is an interactive travel risk management platform that combines an online resource center, the global view dashboard, worldwide provider database and automated advisory alerts in a single solution.
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Searchlight, the New Interactive Product and Travel Necessity
Travel with the 'D' around the world, Vol. 23
Going on a trip? Take along the Olde English D, snap a photo and upload it at Freep.com.
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Travel with the 'D' around the world, Vol. 24
Going on a trip? Take along the Olde English D, snap a photo and upload it at Freep.com.
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What's new in the world of travel
The new-look economy cabin aboard Virgin Australia's A330 domestic flights. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
Historic... The refurbished Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney, NSW. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
OUR weekly wrap-up on what's new in travel.
Latest Airbus
VIRGIN Australia's first contemporary new Airbus 330-220 will begin service on domestic routes this week. Two of the planes, which will be used on domestic routes between Sydney and Melbourne and Perth, arrived last month with a third expected later this year. The planes have spacious cabin interiors, lie-flat business class seats, leather seating and mood-lighting throughout the cabin. The airline launched its business class cabins earlier this year.
Hotel rocks on
SYDNEY'S Harbour Rocks Hotel has undergone an extensive refurbishment, with a new 40-seat restaurant called Scarlett, HRH wine bar and a gym. Set in a three-level building and six adjoining terrace buildings built in 1887, the 59-room boutique hotel sits on the site of the city's first hospital. It was turned into a hotel in 1989. Rooms start at $209 a night.
Island by iPod
VISITORS to Norfolk Island will be able to take part in a new self-guided walking tour using an iPod. The tour gives people the flexibility to wander the national park trails at their leisure while listening to recorded, informative commentary about the walk and the plants and birds of the island, off the East Coast of Australia. Construction work has also started on a new purpose-built visitor interpretive centre, which is expected to be open by the end of the year.
Game's on for a conservation trip
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MATCH Hospitality AG appoints Great Atlantic Travel and Tour as Authorized Sales Agent for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ …
MATCH Hospitality AG, the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme, has appointed Great Atlantic Travel and Tour as an Authorized Sales Agent in Canada for the sale of the Official Hospitality Programme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013. Official Commercial Hospitality Packages are being offered by Great Atlantic Travel and Tour to ...
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Mexico To Welcome Leaders From The T20 And World Travel And Tourism Council (WTTC)
MEXICO CITY , May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Mexico's Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board are pleased to welcome this week, the leaders of the T20 and the WTTC, to Merida and the Riviera Maya for two high level events: the 4th T20 Ministers of Tourism Meeting and the WTTC Regional Summit of the Americas.
Mexico's Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara , emphasized that these two events are critical in strengthening the tourism sector as a pivotal driving force for the global economy.
Secretary Guevara stressed that these meetings will benefit the image of Mexico at an international level, and will be an opportunity to flaunt to the world Mexico's rich tourism offering including the Mayan World, the Gastronomic Routes, the Magical Towns, world renowned beaches and archeological sites.
The T20 meeting will be held on May 15th and 16th in Merida, Yucatan. At this forum, the Ministers of Tourism from the 20 most developed economies in the world will discuss the topic of "Tourism: an Opportunity to Generate jobs."
This meeting will be a key part of the lead up to the G20 Leaders Summit which will take place in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on June 18th and 19th. The objective of the T20 Meeting is to devise proposals, harnessing the tourism industry to fuel job creation.
In addition to the Ministers of Tourism from the G20, visiting countries who will participate include: Denmark , Spain , Chile , Colombia , Cambodia , El Salvador , Guatemala , Jamaica and Peru ; as well as international organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), among others.
The UNWTO recently reported that in 2011, there was a flow of 980 million international tourists worldwide, representing a 4 percent increase from the previous year. Forecasts indicate that tourism will experience sustained development in the short to medium terms, reaching one billion international visitors in 2012 and 1.8 billion by 2030.
Mexico will also host the 1st World Tourism and Travel Council's Regional Summit of the Americas, from May 16th through 18th on the Riviera Maya, where more than 500 CEOs from international companies in the tourism industry will gather.
The WTTC is comprised of leaders in the travel and tourism industry globally, and comprises the top executives from the world's main tourism and travel companies.
The WTTC's objective is to strengthen the travel and tourism industry, which is responsible for generating 260 million jobs and contributes to nine percent of the world's GDP.
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Mexico To Welcome Leaders From The T20 And World Travel And Tourism Council (WTTC)
Summer Travel Forecast Sunny For U.S. Travelers
NEWTON, Mass., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of its annual summer travel survey of more than 1,800 U.S. respondents. Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer, up from 81 percent that traveled last summer.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/49265-tripadvisor-summer-travel-survey-2012-leisure-trips
(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120515/MM05990)
(Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)
A separate survey of more than 1,200 U.S. respondents showed that recently declining gas prices will not have an effect on leisure travel plans this summer, according to 86 percent of U.S. respondents. However, 10 percent now expect to take more trips by car this summer as a direct result of lower prices at the pumps.
Summertime Shell-Out
Memorial Day in Motion
Summer Hotspots
The top five most popular summer destination types this year, according to U.S. travelers:
U.S. regions travelers are planning to visit this summer:
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Invention kit for banana pianos, alphabet soup keyboards
The MaKey MaKey Invention Kit enables nutty computer-connected creations like Playdough Super Mario controllers and water bucket Dance Dance Revolution triggers.
Go ahead, MaKey MaKey my day.
For the most part, keyboards just aren't very exciting. They sit there and go clickety-clack. What if you want a keyboard that goes squish-squash or splish-splash? Then you turn to the MaKey MaKey Invention Kit.
MaKey MaKey is a kit that turns just about any object into a touchpad. It consists of a circuit board and a set of alligator clips.
A banana piano. What more could you possibly want? (Click to enlarge.)
Clip those clips onto fruit, people, or pieces of bread. Even pencil markings can work. Open up a Web site or a program, plug the board into your computer's USB port, and you're good to go.
This means that absurd notions like banana pianos, alphabet soup keyboards, and beach ball game controllers can come to life. The only limit is your imagination, what you can fit the alligator clips onto, and a little bit of electrical conduction.
MaKey MaKey works with most recent operating systems. Your computer just sees it as a regular input device, like a keyboard or mouse.
The invention kit is already making a splash on Kickstarter, having topped its $25,000 funding goal with 28 days left to go. The best part of all of this is that a full MaKey MaKey kit will only put you back $35. Banana piano, here I come!
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Supermicro® Launches Widest Range of Server Platforms Supporting Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2
- Advanced Server Solutions Optimized for Low Power 22nm 3D Tri-Gate Processors Deliver Maximum Performance with Highest Energy Efficiency
SAN JOSE, California, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and green computing, announces immediate availability of a wide array of systems and motherboards supporting Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 (Ivy Bridge) processor family. Supermicros new platforms boost system performance with upgraded PCI-E 3.0 bus speed and DDR3-1600MHz memory bandwidth. Server solutions include the high-density 3U, 8x node, MicroCloud (5037MC-H8TRF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/3U/5037/SYS-5037MC-H8TRF.cfm]) providing cost-effective performance for cloud computing, data center and web hosting. A wide variety of other systems include server appliances for networking/embedded applications (5017C-LF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/5017/sys-5017c-lf.cfm], 5017C-MF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/5017/sys-5017c-mf.cfm], 5017C-TF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/5017/sys-5017c-tf.cfm]); mainstream server systems with optional Supermicro Battery Backup Power (BBP) modules (PWS206B-1R) for mission-critical reliability; and gateway/security/DVR/media transcoding and broadcast solutions (5017C-MTF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/5017/sys-5017c-mtf.cfm], 5017C-MTRF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/5017/sys-5017c-mtrf.cfm], 1017C-TF [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/1u/1017/sys-1017c-tf.cfm]), plus server towers for small/mid-size business applications, file/storage serving, and remote desktop applications (5037C-i [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/tower/5037/sys-5037c-i.cfm], 5037C-T [http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/tower/5037/sys-5037c-t.cfm]).
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/AQ06135 [http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/AQ06135])
"Supermicro offers the advantage of diverse product lines with the most earth-friendly, future-proof designs, " said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "Strong engineering expertise allows us to consistently deliver the latest energy efficient computing technologies first to market across the widest selection of platforms. Our Ivy Bridge solutions are optimized and ready for the new 22nm, Tri-Gate microarchitecture delivering higher performance and energy efficiency with lower TDP compared to previous generation solutions. Supermicros current UP Sandy Bridge systems and boards only need a BIOS upgrade without any hardware changes to make these systems capable of supporting the new Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 series processors."
"Customers today are looking for computing solutions that offer better energy efficiency and more flexibility without compromising performance, " said Boyd Davis, VP and GM of Intels Datacenter Infrastructure Group. "Intel welcomes Supermicros new generation of server platforms, which have been built on the Intel Xeon processor familys leadership performance and breakthrough I/O capabilities. Supermicro is able to offer optimized solutions for customers across a broad spectrum of workloads and segments, including Green Computing."
Along with complete systems, Supermicro has a full line of Ivy Bridge based motherboards which provide the foundation of its Server Building Block Solutions. A wide range of motherboards featuring the H2 socket (X9SCD-F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9scd-f.cfm] (for MicroCloud), X9SCM [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9scm.cfm]/-F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9scm-f.cfm], X9SCL/-F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9scl-f.cfm]/+-F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9scl_-f.cfm], X9SCA [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9sca.cfm]/-F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9sca-f.cfm], X9SCM-IIF, X9SCi-LN4 [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9sci-ln4.cfm]/-LN4F [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c202_c204/x9sci-ln4f.cfm], X9SPU-F, X9SAE/-V, C7P67 [http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/core/p67/c7p67.cfm]) are available for server, workstation, desktop and embedded applications. This diverse lineup of products allows systems integrators and resellers to build application optimized solutions that address the widest variety of business, commercial and industrial needs.
For more information on Supermicros complete line of high-performance, high-efficiency server and storage solutions, visit http://www.supermicro.com [http://www.supermicro.com/].
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Supermicro , the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.
Supermicro, SuperServer, MicroCloud, Building Block Solutions and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Original post:
Supermicro® Launches Widest Range of Server Platforms Supporting Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2
Supermicro® Debuts New X9 DP and 4-Way MP Platforms
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and green computing, announces it is shipping server solutions optimized for Intel Xeon E5-2400 "Sandy Bridge-EN" and E5-4600 "Sandy Bridge-EP" series processors.
(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/AQ06162)
"Supermicro leads the industry with the widest range of solutions targeting Data Center, high-end Enterprise, High Performance Computing and entry level SMB applications," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "We've optimized our X9 DP server solutions to meet the demands for cost sensitive applications where customers can retain overall performance, opting for cost effective CPUs and essential functionality. X9 4-Way MP solutions are designed for compute-intensive tasks with support for up to 4 CPUs with 8 or 6 cores, 1TB of memory, up to 8 PCI-E 3.0 and dual 1GbE or 10GBase-T interconnectivity. With Supermicro's first to market products and breadth of application optimized solutions, customers have an immediate path to positively impacting their bottom line."
New X9 Dual-Processor (DP) solutions offer a cost optimized entry point for Data Centers looking for best power usage effectiveness (PUE). Systems built around Supermicro's compact 12" x 10" form factor (X9DBL-3/i(F), X9DAL-3/i) and UIO (X9DBU-3/iF) "B2" socket motherboards are engineered with high quality, cost-effective components delivering customers the best performance-cost ratio. They feature memory capacities of up to 192GB (X9DAL, X9DBL) and 384GB (X9DBU), plus PCI-E 3.0 support. SuperServers based on the X9DBU series motherboard feature Supermicro's innovative UIO architecture that supports full height expansion cards in 1U and 2U chassis making them ideal for data center and network/security appliances (6017B-NTF, 6017B-URF, 1027B-URF, and 2U 6027B-URF). SuperWorkstations based on the X9DAL series motherboard are ideal for CAE/MCAD/ECAD/GIS, video editing, and 3D animation (7037A-iL). SuperServers based on the X9DBL series motherboard are ideal PUE optimized servers for Data Centers, web servers, search engine appliances, gaming systems and ATMs (6017B-MTF, 6017B-MTLF, 6017B-MTRF, 1027B-MTF).
Supermicro'sX9 4-Way Multi-Processor (MP) platforms targeting high-end Enterprise IT and high performance computing (HPC) are also available supporting Intel's latest Xeon processor E5-4600 family. Supermicro will exhibit its new X9 4-Way platform at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) Brazil, May 15. 4-Way servers are built around Supermicro's high-end MP serverboards (X9QR7/i-(T)F+, X9QR7/i-(J)(T)F) which are designed to maximize the performance and energy efficiency, making them ideal for mission critical and data-intensive applications. Supermicro's new advanced 4-Way platforms support a massive 1TB ECC Reg. DDR3 memory in 32 DIMM slots and feature up to 8x PCI-E 3.0 x16 expansion slots, onboard 6Gbps SAS/SATA hardware and host-based RAID controllers, an onboard dual-port 10GBase-T Intel Ethernet controller and redundant Platinum level high-efficiency (94%+) digital switching power supplies. SuperServer solutions are available in 1U (8017R-TF+/7FT+), 2U (8027R-TRF+/7RFT+), 4U Tower (8047R-TRF+/7RFT+) and 4U SuperStorage (8047R-7JRFT/4047R-7JRFT) systems. Engineering, scientific, computational finance and geophysics applications can all benefit from the enhanced CPU, I/O, expansion and networking capabilities of Supermicro's new 4-Way MP platforms.
Supermicro's exhibits at IDF Brazil include the debut of the 4-Way 8017R-7FT+, a 2U SuperServer 2027GR-TRF optimized for Intel MIC and the innovative 2U Twin2 6027TR-H70RF. Also on display will be Supermicro's new X9 MicroCloud 5037MR-H8TRF supporting the Intel Xeon E5-2600 processor family. For more information on Supermicro's complete line of high-performance, high-efficiency server and storage solutions, visit http://www.supermicro.com.
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.Supermicro (SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.
Supermicro, SuperServer, MicroCloud, Building Block Solutions and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SMCI-F
Here is the original post:
Supermicro® Launches Widest Range of UP Server Platforms Supporting Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and green computing, announces immediate availability of a wide array of single processor (UP) systems and motherboards supporting Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 (Ivy Bridge) processor family. Supermicro's new platforms boost system performance with upgraded PCI-E 3.0 bus speed and DDR3-1600MHz memory bandwidth. Server solutions include the high-density 3U, 8x node, MicroCloud (5037MC-H8TRF) providing cost-effective performance for cloud computing, data center and web hosting. A wide variety of other systems include server appliances for networking/embedded applications (5017C-LF, 5017C-MF, 5017C-TF); mainstream server systems with optional Supermicro Battery Backup Power (BBP) modules (PWS206B-1R) for mission-critical reliability; and gateway/security/DVR/media transcoding and broadcast solutions (5017C-MTF, 5017C-MTRF, 1017C-TF), plus server towers for small/mid-size business applications, file/storage serving, and remote desktop applications (5037C-i, 5037C-T).
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/AQ06135)
"Supermicro offers the advantage of diverse product lines with the most earth-friendly, 'future-proof' designs," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "Strong engineering expertise allows us to consistently deliver the latest energy efficient computing technologies first to market across the widest selection of platforms. Our Ivy Bridge solutions are optimized and ready for the new 22nm, Tri-Gate microarchitecture delivering higher performance and energy efficiency with lower TDP compared to previous generation solutions. Supermicro's current UP Sandy Bridge systems and boards only need a BIOS upgrade without any hardware changes to make these systems capable of supporting the new Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 series processors."
"Customers today are looking for computing solutions that offer better energy efficiency and more flexibility without compromising performance," said Boyd Davis, VP and GM of Intel's Datacenter Infrastructure Group. "Intel welcomes Supermicro's new generation of server platforms, which have been built on the Intel Xeon processor family's leadership performance and breakthrough I/O capabilities. Supermicro is able to offer optimized solutions for customers across a broad spectrum of workloads and segments, including Green Computing."
Along with complete systems, Supermicro has a full line of Ivy Bridge based motherboards which provide the foundation of its Server Building Block Solutions. A wide range of motherboards featuring the H2 socket (X9SCD-F (for MicroCloud), X9SCM/-F, X9SCL/-F/+-F, X9SCA/-F, X9SCM-IIF, X9SCi-LN4/-LN4F, X9SPU-F, X9SAE/-V, C7P67) are available for server, workstation, desktop and embedded applications. This diverse lineup of products allows systems integrators and resellers to build application optimized solutions that address the widest variety of business, commercial and industrial needs.
For more information on Supermicro's complete line of high-performance, high-efficiency server and storage solutions, visit http://www.supermicro.com.
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Supermicro (SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.
Supermicro, SuperServer, MicroCloud, Building Block Solutions and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.
All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Supermicro® Launches Widest Range of UP Server Platforms Supporting Intel® Xeon® E3-1200 v2