New York governor blasts utilities for Sandy outages

Riverhead, NEW YORK (Reuters) - Damage from Superstorm Sandy to the electricity system in the U.S. Northeast exposed deep flaws in the structure and regulation of power utilities that will require a complete redesign, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.

But at least some members of one utility oversight panel later fired back, saying it was the governor who should take responsibility.

"We're going to have to look at a ground-up redesign," Cuomo said while criticizing the utilities he called virtual monopolies run by nameless and faceless bureaucrats.

"The utility system we have was designed for a different time and for a different place," Cuomo told a news conference. "It is a 1950s system. ... They have failed the consumers. The management has failed the consumers."

Sandy, which hit the U.S. East Coast 10 days ago on October 29, had knocked out power to almost 2.1 million New York customers. The nor'easter, meanwhile, left more than 150,000 additional New Yorkers without service and in the cold on Wednesday.

More than 285,000 homes and businesses in New York remain without power after Sandy and the nor'easter.

The power companies in New York are units of Consolidated Edison Inc, the state-owned Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), the state-owned New York Power Authority (NYPA), National Grid PLC, CH Energy Group Inc and Iberdrola SA.

Officials at the utilities were not immediately available for comment.

"I believe the system is archaic and obsolete in many ways. They are basically one of the last monopolies. ...," Cuomo said on Thursday. "If you are unhappy with the utility company, who do you fire? Who runs it? Who owns it? Where do you get them?"

At a separate meeting in Suffolk County on Thursday, some members of a panel set up by the legislature to oversee LIPA took the governor to task for not previously having taken a more active role in the state-run utility.

"The governor needs to take responsibility," said Matthew Cordaro, co-chair of the Suffolk County Legislature's LIPA Oversight Committee.

"He has not appointed the CEO for two years," Cordaro said, adding that "LIPA reports directly to the governor, so he can fire the chairman at will."

CUOMO THREATENS OPERATING LICENSES

Last week, Cuomo sent a letter to the CEOs of the utilities that operate in New York, saying he would take action against those utilities and their management if they do not meet their obligations to New Yorkers in this time of crisis.

For those utilities found to be unprepared for Sandy, Cuomo threatened in the letter to order the Public Service Commission, the state's utility regulator, to commence proceedings to revoke the companies' certificates of public convenience and necessity, which allow them to operate investor-owned power systems.

"New Yorkers should not suffer because electric utilities did not reasonably prepare for this eventuality," Cuomo said.

Sandy hit LIPA harder than any other power company, knocking out more than 1 million of LIPA's 1.1 million customers, and the nor'easter knocked out 123,000 more customers - several of which had their power restored after Sandy.

Combined, Sandy and the nor'easter knocked out more homes and businesses on Long Island than LIPA has customers.

"Part of this is the system. But with LIPA, I also believe part of it is the management, which has been unacceptable. They failed. They have failed the consumers. It is that simple," Cuomo said Thursday.

The governor echoed rumors of power equipment supply shortages that were denied by LIPA and Con Edison on Wednesday.

"We have the material ... the poles, wires and transformers ... we need. There are no material shortages," LIPA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey said on Wednesday.

Hervey said "the governor is a very tough task master and we are doing everything we can to get all power back." He also denied what he said were rumors that repair crews were sometimes idle.

RESIDENTS VENT FRUSTRATION

In Hampton Bays on Long Island's eastern end, longtime residents Ann and Pete Zullo said they lost power twice since the storm, in addition to seeing about $150,000 worth of flooding damage in their home. They say they are now used to losing power at least once a year, if not two or three times.

"We lost half our house, we can't live in our house, we can't do anything, a lot of the furniture's gone, everything's gone," said Pete Zullo, 78. "We want to retire here and enjoy our life, the rest of our life and we can't now."

At the LIPA oversight committee meeting on Thursday, homeowners vented frustration about not knowing whom to speak with at LIPA to get help.

"I'm out of power, and I've got no help," said Patrick Casas, 43, a UPS truck driver from Brentwood, Long Island, who has been out of power since Monday night. "There is no communications, their buildings are closed, there is no one to speak to."

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta, Scott DiSavino and Eileen Houlihan in New York; Editing by Diane Craft, Phil Berlowitz, Andrew Hay and Ken Wills)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yorks-governor-cuomo-blasts-utilities-sandy-outages-030946156--sector.html

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PFT: Rodgers didn't like his '60 Minutes' profile

Getty Images

Randy Moss isn?t making as many highlight reels as he used to.

But that doesn?t mean he?s not making plays.

His 49ers teammates are impressed and amazed by the veteran wide receiver?s blocking ability, something that?s always been obscured his penchant for big-play catches.

Last week, he had a 47-yard touchdown. But he?s had plenty of those. The block he dropped on Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes which released Michael Crabtree for a 30-yard catch-and-run earned him respect.

?I?ve never seen him do that before,? running back Anthony Dixon said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. ?You saw what it did to our sideline. It inspired everybody to see him do that.?

Moss has said part of the reason he enjoys being with the 49ers is learning a new way of offense under coordinator Greg Roman.

?He asks the questions on the smallest details, even in the running game, let alone the passing game that it makes you say, ?That?s the question that should be asked right now,?? Roman said. ?He understands there are a couple different ways to do things. Also, he understands the game well enough, where he says, ?Have you thought about this???

Quarterback Alex Smith said Moss?s attention to detail is most obvious when they?re dissecting the run game on tape, and Roman said his willingness to block and his effectiveness are a big part of the reason they succeed.

?Starting in the Houston the game, in the preseason, Randy was wearing people out, blocking,? Roman said. ?And I can?t stress enough how professional, how team-oriented Randy Moss is.

?All I can tell you, as a 49er, he?s busting tail on everything.?

That hasn?t always been said about Moss either, but you can?t argue that so far, he?s a perfect fit with the 49ers.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/08/aaron-rodgers-didnt-like-60-minutes-profile/related/

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Mood of the Nation: Set back by the housing bust

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) ? On the eve of the 2012 elections, The Associated Press interviewed dozens of Americans to try to gauge the economic mood of the nation. People were asked about jobs, housing, gas prices, retirement and other issues. Among them were Amanda Folk and her husband, Chris, both 33, of Billings, Mont. The Folks have endured financial blows since the housing bubble burst five years ago. She's back in school. He's earning less money. They worry that their ability to regain financial security is blocked by corporations and their allies in Washington.

___

A home in foreclosure. Damaged credit. Vanished savings.

This isn't exactly how the Folks envisioned life would be like in 2012.

Until about five years ago, the Folks were living comfortably with their two children, now 6 and 9, outside Boise, Idaho. They owned a home. Chris made a good living as a self-employed flooring installer. Weekend trips out of town were a pleasurable routine.

Once Boise-area home prices collapsed, though, the Folks' lifestyle did, too. Work dried up for Chris. Amanda quit college. And they moved to Montana to be closer to her family.

An oil boom was boosting the eastern Montana economy, and Chris slowly rebuilt his flooring business. Amanda took a job as a nurse's assistant.

But during the transition, the family's income sank. They could no longer keep up with mortgage payments on their Idaho home. So for the past three years, the house has languished in foreclosure.

The family's credit is shot. They blew through nearly $30,000 in savings, mainly on mortgage payments. Attorneys tell them their only way out is bankruptcy protection.

"Everything I worked so hard for is just slipping away," Chris Folk says. "It just feels so far away to get back to where we were."

The Folks can't afford to save for retirement. They struggle to cover $1,280 in monthly rent. Gasoline expenses sometimes hit $600 a month to fuel Chris' van, so he can reach out-of-town flooring jobs.

They say the economy seems tilted: Big banks wield power. Legislators bow to corporate interests. The rich get richer while the working class fall further behind.

They're voting for President Barack Obama with no enthusiasm. Yet they say their discontent with his handling of the economy is outweighed by Mitt Romney's corporate ties.

Amanda Folk is pursuing a communications degree at Montana State University, Billings. She's "scared to death" she won't find a job in public relations or a related field after graduation to repay $25,000 in student loans.

She hasn't returned to their Idaho house in two years; she can't bear it. Vandals have broken in. A former neighbor has taken to mowing the lawn. The couple is reluctant to rent the house for fear that their lender would end up with whatever money they collected.

They've cancelled their home phone and Internet service. Amanda Folk no longer shops at an organic food co-op.

They're seeking a smaller place to rent. But they don't want to move far. Their daughter has cycled through four elementary schools in the past few years.

"The hardest part is the psychological part of it," Amanda Folk says. "Our kids don't have any sense of security. My daughter still asks, 'Are we going to be here next year?'"

___

For more on this topic, go to: http://bigstory.ap.org/topic/mood-of-the-nation

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mood-nation-set-back-housing-bust-040233007--finance.html

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Let's Call the Meme: the anti-Unicorn (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/260172235?client_source=feed&format=rss

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iPad Mini is fun but you may want to wait

16 hrs.

Wilson Rothman , NBC News

I think the best way to review the iPad Mini is to pit it against competitors in a series of death matches. After all, come holiday time, you'll likely put your money down on just one tablet ? or none. In making the decision, you will consider the iPad Mini against the reduced-price?iPad 2, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Google's Nexus 7 by Asus, and the full-size?iPad, now in its fourth generation. You may even weigh it in against Microsoft's Surface RT.?Let's just get all of?that comparison shopping?out of the way for you right?now.

First, though, let's talk for a moment about what the iPad Mini is. It's a mini iPad. OK, moving on.?

No, seriously, it really is just a miniaturized version of the tablet that's already been sold 100 million times. The biggest advantage of the smaller size that I've found is that it's a lot easier to type on, so you may find it to be a more helpful email companion. It's also nicer to hold when reading, but its screen ? which I will discuss further on ? gets in the way of pure literary immersion.

Before you get into the review, take a look at my video walkthrough:

Vs. iPad 2
Compared to 2011's iPad 2, the Mini has much better front and back cameras.?And because it has the same pixel resolution in a smaller display, the screen density is better, too. It's not a "Retina" screen like the 3rd- and 4th-gen iPads ? you can still see the pixels that make up letters?when you're reading, for instance ? but it's certainly?easier on your eyes than the iPad 2 screen.

The iPad Mini also has Siri, while the iPad 2 (for reasons that defy logic) does not. And if you're going to buy a tablet with cellular connectivity ? not?that I recommend going that route unless you are on the road a lot, or have a corporate expense account paying your wireless bills ? the $459?iPad Mini can give you high-speed 4G LTE connectivity on AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. You'll?be stuck with slower 3G on the $529 cell-connected?iPad 2. I'm just gonna spell this part out for you: Even if you do?buy an iPad 2, for the love of Pete do not buy the one with the cellular connection!

So what are the iPad 2 advantages, for $70 more? Well, there's a roomier display and an old 30-pin connector?? in case you're wedded to older accessories or want to keep using that rat's nest of white cables in your junk drawer.?The new iPad Mini has the new Lightning connector, and so does the full-size?4th-gen iPad.?

WINNER: iPad Mini

Vs. Microsoft Surface RT
The most innovative product of the season comes from Microsoft. The Surface RT tablet packs a lot in for $499, and the re-envisioning of Windows as a matrix of "live" tiles is compelling in the always-connected era.

But despite its elegant design, innovative keyboard and airplane-tray-table-friendly proportions, there is at its core a software challenge that makes it hard to recommend, especially to the huge number of?people who seek tablets because they are easier to use than computers. Until the Surface RT's software gets more user friendly, and until there are enough apps to make it a worthwhile platform, it remains stuck?in the "Wait and See" bin.

WINNER: iPad Mini

Vs. Kindle Fire HD
Amazon's second-generation, $199?7-inch tablet was improved in all ways over the initial product, but the experience is largely the same. That is, fire up your tablet, open your wallet, and Amazon will fill your life with books, videos, music and games till kingdom come. But don't expect to do anything else on this, because productivity is not its strong suit.

Also weighing against the Kindle Fire HD is the fact that?Amazon is smart enough to build a?Kindle reader, Amazon Prime video and a bunch of other apps for the iPad, too. A happy Amazon customer can get pretty far on an iPad, never having to buy a Kindle device.?That's fine with Amazon, because the company makes money on the content, not the hardware.

If you're mainly into watching movies and reading books, there are two key bonuses that the Kindle Fire HD brings to the table, besides a cash savings of $130: a 16x9 screen aspect ratio, meaning movies like "The Avengers" fill up the whole display; and a higher pixel resolution than the iPad Mini, that?you may notice while watching high-def content and can definitely see when reading text.?

So what does paying?$130 more for an iPad Mini actually get you? The iPad has a much better Web browser and email experience, and though Amazon has cloud storage and streaming music (and?even a music matching service like Apple's), the iPad's?iCloud suite promises more, including synced contacts, documents, notes and browser history, not to mention advanced services like?iMessage, Photo Stream and Siri.?

The biggest reason to choose iPad, however, is apps. Apps, apps, apps. More of that next.

WINNER: Draw (because of the $130 difference and the screen resolution)

Vs. Nexus 7
All the nerds love the $199 Nexus 7 hardware, and I get that ? it's a pretty little machine. But unless you are really just?focusing on Web and email, there's just not a lot of directions you can go with it.

Its advantages are on par with the Kindle Fire HD's: the?16x9 widescreen display?with tighter pixel resolution makes it better for movies and books. But with only a few exceptions such as Netflix, it's hard to get movies and TV shows from anywhere but Google itself, and ditto for books.?For now, buying a Google tablet means, essentially, paying Google for content. I, for one, would rather give my content allowance to Amazon or Apple, because they both have strong track records of selling digital media, and Google doesn't have a track record of selling anything but ads.

Worse still, there are seriously zero apps available for Android tablets.?You can put apps on?an Android tablet, sure, but almost?every one is just a stretched-out Android?phone app, even the ones you'd expect to be tablet-ized, like Kindle Reader and the Weather Channel.

WINNER: iPad Mini?

Vs. Fourth-generation iPad
You now know what you get ? and what you lose ? by saving $130 and buying one of the $199 Android tablets. But what do you gain by spending an extra $170 for the full monty? Well, that larger Retina display is the main thing, and let me tell you, it really does make a huge difference in eye-strain, especially for us night-time e-book readers. Movies, too, will look nicer on the high-definition screen. Here's a screen comparison to illustrate what I mean:

In general, you will also?find that larger screen size to be better for many apps that are meant for interaction, like sketch apps, or strategy games that require multiple windows.

Speaking of games, you also get Apple's latest-generation A6X processor, a dual-core chip with quad-core graphics. Game developers are going to be optimizing for that, not the 2011-era A5 that's inside the iPad Mini.

But a larger tablet may not be what you want. Some people have been waiting for something that offers the convenience and app lineup of the iPad in a package closer in size to a paperback book. Well, that's what the iPad Mini is.

WINNER: Draw

Vs. iPad Mini 2
Wait, what?? Apple put out an iPad Mini 2 already?? No, it hasn't. But you know that within 12 months, it certainly will. And Apple will have sorted out a way to jam a higher-resolution screen and faster processor in there. (It'd be nice if Apple lowered the price to $299 while at it, but we're not holding our breath.)

There are many examples of this in Apple's history, but it's easiest to simply look back on the larger iPads. The iPad 2 was a huge step up from the first iPad, because it got cameras and a thinner body. The third iPad basically completed the formula for perfection with better cameras and a high-resolution Retina display. In fact, the third iPad is so good, the only reason the fourth generation exists is to tidy up Apple's own production lines, and perpetuate the Lightning connector.

So then you extrapolate: Is there a consistent complaint about?the iPad Mini, one that holds up even in Apple's world of "we know better than you" design choices? Yes, it doesn't have a Retina screen. Then ask, what's the chance that Apple fixing this particular problem within 12 months? Answer: 100 percent.

So then the calculus is, how much happiness do I sacrifice by waiting a year for an iPad Mini? Is it worth it to buy a cheaper tablet and put the remaining $140 in the iPad Mini 2 fund? Do I even have the willpower to resist a shiny new Apple product??

WINNER: Non-existent future iPad Mini 2 with Retina display ? assuming you can hold out for it.

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science?editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/review-ipad-mini-beats-competition-you-may-want-wait-1C6820707

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Coach Wins $257 Million in Internet Counterfeit Case, Seizes 573 ...

Courts are really starting to crack down on internet counterfeiting, awarding large judgments to brands who have fallen victim to the increasingly common practice. Now Coach just scored one of the biggest settlements yet.

A federal court judge in Illinois awarded $257 million to Coach, almost double the amount Tory Burch, Hermes and Burberry have won, according to WWD.

In addition to monetary damages, courts are allowing brands to seize and shut down domain names that infringe on their copyrights. In Coach?s case, the brand was able to shutter a whopping 573 websites. This is where brands can make the most impact, rather than in large monetary settlements. (Counterfeiters often use actual pictures from a brand?s website?as was the case with Coach?so it?s often hard to know if a site you?re buying from is the real deal or not, making it doubly important for brands to be able to go after these fake sites.)

Coach even has an ongoing (and very James Bond-esque sounding) initiative called ?Operation Turnlock,? in which it is aggressively going after counterfeiters, many of whom operate online. And they?re going to keep fighting, urging other brands to do the same. ?Shutting down the specific domain names themselves is only part of these cases,? lawyer Joseph Gioconda told WWD. ?The other aspects of the case are the PayPal asset seizure, and the ongoing jurisdiction the court now has over new domains and Web sites created by the same defendants in the future. Brand owners definitely need to act very aggressively in this area, as there is a plague of counterfeit Web sites.?

We?ve said it before and we?ll say it again: Don?t buy fakes!

Source: http://fashionista.com/2012/11/coach-wins-257-million-in-internet-counterfeit-case-seizes-573-fake-domain-names/

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Sega Sammy sales and profits down in first half, consumer business ...

Sega Sammy has reported its financial results (PDF) for the first half of its fiscal year, ending March 31, 2012. The company reported sales of over ?136 billion ($1.7 billion) a decrease of ?16 billion ($199,000) over the same period last year. Net income reached ?3.87 billion ($48 million), a slight decrease over the ?3.98 billion ($49 million) reported for the same period last year.

Sega Sammy attributes the decline to "turmoil in the global financial markets, mainly in Europe, and the economic slowdown of emerging nations." As a result, sales of amusement machines (pachinko, etc) slowed, as did the sale of packaged video games.

It's not all bad news, however, as Sega's consumer video game business is one of the few sectors of the company to see some growth. The division posted an operating loss of ?780 million ($9.7 million), a dramatic improvement over the ?6 billion loss ($74.7 million) posted during the same period last year. Part of this growth is attributed to strong Japanese sales of Hatsune Miku Project Diva F for the PlayStation Vita. Phantasy Star Online 2 has also done well, registering over a million players and exceeding Sega's in-game purchase forecasts.

Earlier this year, the company announced plans to restructure and streamline its consumer video game business, resulting in staff cuts in Europe and America and the closure of offices in Europe and Australia. Going forward, the publisher plans to focus on digital distribution and its core brands, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and Aliens.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/02/sega-sammy-sales-and-profits-down-in-first-half-consumer-busine/

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Sadili Oval News: Karen Tennis for Kibera

Karen Country Club will be holding a tennis tournament in aid of the construction of the Kibera tennis play space.?The event is scheduled for tomorrow, 3rd Nov 2012 from 1.30? pm at the prestigious Karen Country Club, along Karen Rd.?

The funds raised are aimed at grading the ground where the kids train in the first phase of the establishment of the Kibera Tennis Center. Together with the Local community, Sadili Oval will be coordinating the project.?At the moment this is just a sloping piece of land that needs a retaining wall and levelling.??Players will also bring any racquets, sports clothing etc that they no longer need.

Why Kibera?Over the years, Sadili Oval Sports Academy has been working to promote tennis as sport to the local people. Through these efforts, Kibera slums has continuously boasted talent to reckon with, especially in the under 18 yrs players. This project will therefore create a more convenient space for more children to develop their talent on the game, as well as source of recreation to keep them away from other social injustices.The surface will be used for tennis, basketball, and volleyball.?

Want to watch the kids play??

Go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9VhDtWnkVw&list=PL8876103436B9F9FF&index=13&feature=plpp_video

Source: http://sadiliovalnews.blogspot.com/2012/11/karen-tennis-for-kibera.html

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Moore: As game budgets grow, everything else ?falls off the cliff ...

Thu, Nov 01, 2012 | 03:31 GMT

Small and mid range development are the inevitable casualties of increasing triple-A budgets, EA COO Peter Moore believes.

Speaking to Wired, Moore said we?ve ?already seen? what happens to the games industry as development budgets grow ever larger.

?The higher-end games that land, land well. Everything else just falls off the cliff,? he said.

?If you think about the industry today, I don?t know what they exact numbers are, but the top 20 games globally probably deliver 80 percent of the revenue. Anything that doesn?t hit that top 20 or 25 finds it very difficult to justify itself, its existence, and you kind of wonder why you did it.?

Moore noted that ?the big games are getting bigger? and the middle market is vanishing, with a ?chasm? in between small and large budget games which used to be taken up by cost-effective games which ?did okay and kept developers in work, and you do a sequel to it?.

?As a company, we made the decision many many years ago to do less is more. When I arrived we had 67 games in development for console and PC, that we were either about to deliver or had just been greenlit or were in alpha or beta. We?re now down to 14 this fiscal year,? he said.

?We?ve added 41 games this fiscal year which are social, mobile, and free to play.?

Moore noted that EA is very different now to when he arrived five years ago; he said the publisher used to throw out lots of games and hope something stuck, whereas now it wants to be sure.

?It was Hollywood. We?re no longer Hollywood. We?re more precise than that,? he said.

?We?re accused of being too safe, but then I?ll point to Mirror?s Edge ? not a commercial success in the broad terms that we look at it, but certainly as an innovation, was brilliant. You take risks ? we don?t get credit a lot for the risks we take.?

?We?re accused of being too safe, but then I?ll point to Mirror?s Edge ? not a commercial success in the broad terms that we look at it, but certainly as an innovation, was brilliant. The art style, the character herself, the idea of taking this kind of parkour thing but a backstory of authoritarianism in cities, it was brilliant. Again, and you take risks ? we don?t get credit a lot for the risks we take.?

Challenged on this point, Moore agreed that when EA narrowed its focus to a few big games, it was experiments like Mirror?s Edge that were cut, but blamed this narrowing of game type on the ageing console cycle.

?The deeper you get in the back end of the generation, the less that a new IP is going to work. You start saving up your creative bullets for when you think the next generation of hardware is going to come along,? he said.

?So you start thinking in those terms. It?s very difficult, if not impossible ? I can?t think of new IP that launches five or six years into a generation of gaming hardware that is successful. It?s just not the time to do it. Over the coming years you?ll see a rebirth of new IP, new genres. With these platforms, you?ve got to be looking to re-imagine the way they deliver games. Otherwise, why would you buy them??

Moore has a lot of interesting things to say about the changing face of the games industry throughout the rest of the interview; clock through the link above for his thoughts on new business models, streaming technology and more.

Thanks, Polygon.

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/01/moore-as-game-budgets-grow-everything-else-falls-off-the-cliff/

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Not Enough Doctors, and Other Links | John Goodman's Health ...

Can you be scared to death?

This reminded me of a story I just recently heard this past weekend (since we just enjoyed Hallooween festivities I figured I would mention it)?apparently there was a woman who died of a heart attack at a haunted house founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, due to a heart attack. I?m not sure how accurate this information is, but I do know that there are many people aware of their weak health condition and still submit themselves to exptreme activities dangerous to their health. If you know you have a weak heart, stay away from haunted houses!

Source: http://healthblog.ncpa.org/not-enough-doctors-and-other-links/

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BCIS Unveils Plans for New Green Early Childhood Center ...

Beijing City International School (BCIS) announced its plan to build an innovative early childhood center that will not only bring innovative and top-tier education to its students, but do so in a facility that meets the highest standards of environmental friendliness. The Yue Cheng Education Board, which runs BCIS, says the center will be not only a model of modern education, but of design and sustainability, as the center will be gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified. The center is slated to open in August of 2014 west of BCIS near the Shuangjing bridge.

Though the Yue Cheng board announced these plans last year, more of these details have not been made widely public until now. In order to ensure that the early childhood center will meet the highest standards of education, the Yue Cheng Research Institute will invite international early childhood education experts to participate in their research. The school will also maintain the same principles of innovative education, sustainable growth, and bridging the gap between education philosophies.

Image courtesy of BCIS

Source: http://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/ellisf/2012/10/31/BCIS-Unveils-Plans-for-New-Green-Early-Childhood-Center

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Halloween ? relax, it's just ONE day! ? Work Out With Di

Ok I?m going to go out on a limb here and probably say things are totally going to shock some people but we aren?t giving away candy this Halloween! Yes we?re going to be the grinches of Halloween Seriously though neither of us will get home till around 7-7:30pm and honestly the whole thing just seems like a lot of work for 30 minutes (it?s usually over by 8pm around here) of giving away of candy. So this year I?m getting home, sitting on the back porch and just blocking the noise out. Call me the halloween grinch, I don?t care.

Every Halloween for the last 11 years, I?ve been conflicted as to the whole candy giving away thing. Afterall?I?m a personal trainer and fitness instructor, health and fitness is my life, my passion. How can I give out unhealthy halloween snacks to trick or treaters? Some would say it?s simple ? it?s Halloween, but lets face it that?s just an excuse to gorge on sugar. One year we gave out Glo-sticks/bracelets?(as well as candy) which were a HUGE hit. Roll on 2 years later and the whole neighborhood is giving out glo-sticks! Now we don?t feel so special

Now if you are having a Halloween party at home, you can control things more and do some fun healthy but scary (ok not really) treats. Honestly I wish more people would do this than go trick or treating but that takes away a lot of the fun for the kids I guess Probably more of an adult thing? Just google ?healthy halloween snack? and tons of things come up, below is a little photo montage.

It?s recommended that people give out items in wrappers, rather than homemade, and I think that?s a good rule of thumb for people you don?t know or don?t know well. If you?re in a small community then perhaps you can give out homemade items however we are in a suburb with LOTS of kids, like ours, going with wrapped food is a must. A typical Halloween night for our neighborhood is around 110 kids! Yes that?s over ONE HUNDRED children knocking on my door! Trust me, I?d love to be the personal trainer that gives out the raisin boxes, or the tubs of mandarin oranges (above with the jack-o-lantern face) but guess what? Kids don?t want that healthy stuff on Halloween when they are trick or treating! They want you to ?ooh? and ?aahhh? at their costume, throw a candy bar (or two!) in their container and then run off to the next house! Sure they are going to end up with 100?s of?pieces?of candy but guess what, you don?t have to keep it all!

Make some rules for Halloween candy and let the kids know BEFORE you go trick or treating! There are so many things you can do to prevent the over-consumption of candy!

Don?t use a pillowcase!

I?ve seen little 3 year olds with pillow cases! No, not happening. Go out with a small container, when it?s full, you?re done! This will make kids more appreciative of what they get, and they?ll be more selective when choosing a treat (if they get the option). This shouldn?t be about who can collect the most, that encourages greed and selfishness. Teach kids to be mindful and respectful.

They?believe?in the tooth fairy, what about the halloween witch?

Every Halloween night at midnight the halloween witch comes and takes half your candy, and replaces it with a toy! The halloween witch is the cousin of the tooth fairy and the easter bunny. This serves two purposes:

You don?t get to keep it all

Help out the needy by giving some to the local food bank. There are organizations that send the candy to the troops overseas. Let the kids choose 10-15 pieces to eat over the next week or so and donate the rest. Remember even those fun-size bars are around 100 calories each. This is a good lesson for kids to learn ? SHARING!?There are organizations that send the candy to the troops overseas. Operation buy-back is run by dentists who have professional concerns over the sugar ?consumed at Halloween and they send the Halloween treats to troops overseas. Awesome! For those local to me, there are 3 in Simi Valley offering this service, go the website I linked and input your zip code!!!

Save it!

If you have a kids birthday post-halloween then save the candy and stuff the pinata with the candy. Save it to make party favors and add 2-3 pieces of candy to the favors. Use them for pass the parcel game at kids parties. Add to christmas presents? the list is endless. It?s ?free? candy, but you don?t want your kids eating it all. Also makes good teachers gifts!

Ice it.

Don?t let the kids eat it all now. Put it in the?refrigerator?or freeze it, then add it to lunch boxes later. If you are an adult, save it for post run snacks Take it to work, take it to school or playgroups. In the freezer you?ll be less tempted to snack on it

Pass on it altogether!

Ask for donations instead. Unicef has donation boxes you can carry for halloween instead. I?d much rather grab some loose change to put in a donation box than spend the $$ on candy! I wish more people would do this. So much?unnecessary?waste and calorie consumption.??I think this year as we?ll miss most the trick or treaters anyway and as we have decided not to give out treats, we?ll donate some $$ to charity instead. Usually we end up spending $30-40 on candy (one year Bob made an emergency trip for more!), that money could be better spent on a charity donation IMO. Maybe I?ll put a poster on the door that we?ve decided to donate to charity instead?

So have a happy Halloween ?tomorrow night! I?ll let you know if our plan to opt out this year works

Are you giving out candy this year?

Do you feel conflicted about it?

What do you do with all your kids halloween candy?

this is a whole other topic

Source: http://www.workoutwithdi.com/halloween-rela-its-just-one-day/

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