S. Williams beats defending champion at Wimbledon

Serena Williams of the United States follows the ball during a quarterfinals match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Serena Williams of the United States follows the ball during a quarterfinals match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Serena Williams of the United States plays a shot to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic reacts during a quarterfinals match against Serena Williams of the United States at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Serena Williams of the United States reacts winning against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Serena Williams of the United States, right, is congratulated by Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic after a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) ? Thanks to a bit of advice from her big sister and a bunch of aces from her big serve, Serena Williams is back in the Wimbledon semifinals.

With two more victories, Williams will be holding a Grand Slam trophy for the first time in two years.

The thud of racket-against-ball reverberating under the closed Centre Court roof, Williams smacked 13 aces at up to 120 mph and overpowered defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Tuesday at the All England Club.

Beforehand, Williams' father and coach, Richard, asked his other title-winning daughter to relay some suggestions.

"I went and had Venus talk to her, because Venus can get (through) to Serena better than anyone in the world. So I told Venus, 'I'm not going to talk to her. You talk to her.' So Venus went and talked to her. When the match was over, I told her, 'Venus: Good coaching! Good coaching!'" Dad said after snapping photos of Serena's victory from his front-row perch in the guest box above a scoreboard.

"I wanted Serena to move her feet a little bit more and to not concentrate on what the girl's doing, but concentrate exactly on what she wished to do," he continued. "And that was the only message."

Consider it delivered.

The 30-year-old Williams, bidding to become the first woman at least that age to win a major title since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1990, turned in her best performance of the tournament against her most difficult opponent. After being stretched to 9-7 and 7-5 third sets against less-accomplished women in the two previous rounds, the No. 6-seeded Williams was on top of things from the get-go against No. 4 Kvitova.

"You can't play a defending Wimbledon champion or Grand Slam champion and not elevate your game," said Williams, who produced 27 winners and only 10 unforced errors. "I had to weed out the riffraff and just get serious."

Kvitova had won 16 of her last 17 matches at Wimbledon, including 11 in a row since a loss to Williams in the 2010 semifinals. Two days later, Williams went on to win the championship ? her fourth at Wimbledon, her 13th at a Grand Slam tournament and her most recent to date.

Within a week, Williams cut her feet on glass at a restaurant, leading to a series of health problems, including being hospitalized for clots in her lungs, then the removal of a pocket of blood under the skin on her stomach.

"No one tries to have ups and downs. Some things happen sometimes, and you have absolutely no control over it," said Williams, whose only first-round loss in 48 Grand Slam tournaments came at the French Open in late May. "So I think it's how you recover from that, and how you handle the downs even more than the ups can really (reveal your) character."

On Thursday, Williams will play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, who defeated unseeded Tamira Paszek 6-3, 7-6 (4) under the roof at night to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the second straight year. The other semifinal will be No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland against No. 8 Angelique Kerber of Germany.

A little before 10 p.m. on Centre Court, Radwanska finished her 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory over No. 17 Maria Kirilenko ? whose boyfriend, two-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, was in the stands. Earlier, the match was forced off Court 1 because of showers, tied 4-all in the third set.

"Today was for me, like, 40 hours," Radwanska said after reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal. "I was on and off all the time, waiting pretty much all day."

Kerber was a 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-5 winner over No. 15 Sabine Lisicki in an all-German matchup. Lisicki saved three match points in the second set, but then let a 5-3 lead slip away in the third against Kerber, also a semifinalist at last year's U.S. Open.

Williams owns, by far, the best resume of any woman in action Tuesday. She was participating in her 33rd major quarterfinal; the other seven players have been in a total of 29.

Not surprisingly, Kvitova expects Williams to win the title.

Asked how difficult it is for anyone to beat Williams when she plays the way she did Saturday, the Czech replied: "It is big difficult."

Impossible?

"I can't say 'impossible.' She's human," Kvitova said.

Both played impressive grass-court tennis, hitting powerfully, serving well and returning dangerously. Williams simply was superior doing all of it.

After losing the first two points of the match, Williams buckled down and took 20 of 23 on her serve in the rest of that set. Kvitova hung tough in the second, though, yelping louder to punctuate winners. Then came a key moment, with Kvitova ahead 5-4 and Williams serving at 30-all. Kvitova whipped a cross-court backhand winner to earn her only break point of the day.

But Williams delivered a 109 mph serve, and Kvitova's backhand return slapped against the net's white tape. From there, Kvitova shanked a forehand off her frame, and Williams hit a volley winner after both wound up at the net.

In the next game, with Kvitova serving at 5-all, 30-love, she fell apart, making four consecutive miscues. The last, which gave Williams a break and a 6-5 lead, was the most egregious, a forehand into the net off a floated return.

That gave Williams a chance to serve it out. Did she ever. The four points she won, each serve loud on impact: 117 mph ace, 117 mph ace, 116 mph ace, 113 mph service winner.

"I loved the sound. It was really cool. I've never played under the roof," Williams said. "It's kind of like a 'whoosh' and a 'pop.' ... It's almost like a video game, but you're playing. It kind of flies through and you hear it when it lands."

With more rain in the forecast, the roof could be shut again Wednesday, when the men's quarterfinals are No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 31 Florian Mayer, No. 3 Roger Federer vs. Mikhail Youzhny, No. 4 Andy Murray vs. No. 7 David Ferrer, and No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. No. 27 Philipp Kohlschreiber.

While defending champion Djokovic, six-time champion Federer and Youzhny got a chance to rest Tuesday ? particularly important for Federer, whose back ached during his fourth-round victory ? everyone else slogged through a start-stop-start-stop afternoon of rain delays with the temperature in the low 60s.

The last two American men in the draw were beaten: 10th-seeded Mardy Fish wasted the one-set lead he built before play was suspended Monday and lost to Tsonga 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4, and 126th-ranked qualifier Brian Baker's surprising run ended against Kohlschreiber 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

"I went to bed last night, and I thought I could maybe win the tournament, the way I was playing," said Fish, who hadn't played a match in 2? months before Wimbledon because of an accelerated heartbeat.

Murray eliminated No. 16 Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 to prolong Britain's hopes for its first male champion at Wimbledon since 1936; Ferrer easily got past No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to earn his debut trip to the quarterfinals at the All England Club; Mayer defeated No. 18 Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to return to the round of eight for the first time since 2004.

"I can play everything. I can play serve-and-volley. I can play drop shots. I can play with slice. I can play fast. So I will try to irritate him, maybe, a little bit," Mayer said about Djokovic. "You never know in tennis. Everything is possible."

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-03-TEN-Wimbledon/id-3513d56bfbb44745bc78df169eaed688

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Timeout Newsletter ? Blog Archive ? Wellbeing at Monash ...

Read about the latest Wellbeing and Monash Sport events, services and activities. Monash aims to assist staff in achieving a healthy work/life balance using a holistic approach ? mind, body, spirit and the community.

Contact us at wellbeing@monash.edu

In the July edition:

Wellbeing events & news

Monash unites for Men?s Health

Members of the Monash University community across Victoria?joined in the GLOBAL walk/run to support men?s health week. Held on Wednesday 13 June ?more than 600 participants from?Parkville, Gippsland, Berwick, Peninsula, Caulfield and Clayton campuses as well as at the Alfred Hospital and Bendigo Regional Clinical School.

On the day participants made more than $700 in gold coin donations?to Andrology Australia, which will be used to continue the program?s men?s health education initiatives.

At the Clayton campus, the day also featured a group fitness warm up for participants led by former Olympic Swimmer and BUPA health ambassador Matt Welsh, who re-enforced the message of Andrology Australia to ?get active and talk about men?s health?.

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10,000 Steps Challenge is coming!

The 10,000 Steps Challenge is coming to your office in October! Registrations open from mid September, keep an eye out for more details!.

Start getting your steps up today, take the stairs instea of the lift, download campus walking maps or schedule a walking meeting today.

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Join the Monash Health Revolution and make a change

Staff are invited to join the health revolution and commit to making a healthy lifestyle change.

The Health Revolution campaign launched by Wellbeing at Monash-OHS and Monash Sport asks staff and students to commit to making a change in one of four key areas: physical activity, mental health, nutrition/food or general health.

The Health Revolution campaign further supports the University?s commitment to providing a healthy workplace and study environment for all staff and students.

For further information and to make your commitment visit the Health Revolution.

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How does your health rate?

The Wellbeing at Monash online portal Wellness Record assesses your current health in order to develop plans that best suit your individual needs.

The Wellness Record gives you a score out of 100 for your current health ? and enables you to return as often as you like to update your information and review your score. It?s great motivation to see just how much you can improve your health!

Register for the online program then complete your wellness record.

You will also be invited to complete a risk assessment survey including: Lung Health Risk, Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Back Care Checklist?or Heart Health

Interactive preventative health?programs for the whole family:

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Choose HealthSmart / EarthSmart for lunch

You can now make a healthy and environmentally sustainable choice when purchasing food from outlets on campus.

The HealthSmart logo on a food item means the item is a healthier food choice, mainly consisting of fresh ingredients and no added salt or sugar and higher nutritional quality.

The EarthSmart logo on a menu means the item is an environmentally sustainable food choice, as well as being good for you.

Look for the HealthSmart or EarthSmart logo at your campus food outlet today!

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Get active in your Monash office!

Now is a great time for your colleagues to get active?and energise their bodies using the Staff Wellbeing and Activity Program (SWAP).

SWAP has been designed to bring on campus activity to your office! With 30, 45?or 60 minute yoga, zumba, boxing and pilates classes from just $8 per person, get your colleagues together and organise a class at a time that suits you!

Staff participation in a SWAP program will contribute to your 30% wellbeing participation KPI.

Download the new SWAP brochure for all pricing and program information.

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Ready to make a change? Join the Get Well Challenge

If you are you ready to make a change to your health and wellbeing, now is the time to join the Get Well challenge!

Suitable for beginners and those returning to exercise, the 6 week program will help you to increase your health and fitness by participating in two Get Active sessions per week at lunchtime.

Dates: Program to commence at Clayton the week of 23 July. 45minute Get Active sessions will be held twice a week (Tuesday and Friday, 12.15-1pm).
Cost: $10 per session ($120 payment for 6 week program)

Register your interest: Email wellbeing@monash.edu with Get Well in the subject line, you will then receive more information. You may also register your interest for a program at your campus.?

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Free Mindfulness Program for people with Parkinson?s

Live better with Parkinson?s! Monash University and Parkinson?s Victoria are seeking 60 Volunteers living with Parkinson?s disease.

Volunteers will participate in an ?Essence? mindfulness program, which is free to suitable participants! Essence stands for Education, Stress management, Spirituality (meaning), Exercise, Nutrition, Connectedness (social support) and Environment.

The program will introduce you to simple strategies that can help you live with Parkinson?s disease and be encouraged, but not pressured, to apply aspects of the Essence model that are most relevant to your own life.

Sessions will run for approx. 90 minutes each week over a 6-week period and will be held at multiple locations across eastern Melbourne. Both day and evening sessions will be available.

For more information visit the program website?or contact Brooke Vandenberg 99024920,? brooke.vandenberg@monash.edu

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Tense Up?To Relax!

Want a tried and tested relaxation technique used by everyone from commandos to Olympic athletes? It?s time to try Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR).

PMR is a way of recognising tension in your muscles and consciously switching it off. As you release the tension, the pressure in your mind eases simultaneously. Read thet full article on the Wellbeing at Monas online portal

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Enhance your concentration,?peace of mind and knowledge of mental health

Monash offers a range of programs and services for employees, including:

• On campus counselling service available at many campuses
• EAP: External counselling service available free-of-charge to all employees and their immediate family members
• Manager Assist hotline: to help managers and supervisor lead, manage and support their team
• Mental Health First Aid training: learn how to help people in the early stages of mental health problems
• Self help fact sheets: Motivation and procrastination, Memory and concentration, Managing stress, General wellbeing and Dealing with a crisis
• SafeTALK a half-day internationally recognised training program delivered by HR and the Safer Community Team which increases suicide alertness, and helps you become active in preventing suicide and promoting life.?
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Programs and services available at Monash campuses

Parkville

Free Get Active classes including Boxing: Mondays 5pm at Cossar Hall, Boot Camp: Wednesdays 7.30-8.30am, meet at the Flagpole, Mindfulness meditation: Wednesdays 12-12.30pm, pharmaceutics meeting room, Pilates: Thursdays 5pm, Cossar Hall. Enquiries: Contact Michael Jones, Monash Sport x51073

Gippsland
Get out and about at lunchtime and join the Gippsland Walking Group. Monday?s 12.30 ? 1pm, meet at the Knuckle ? 1st floor, outside of eSolutions. Leaders: Shane Paynter, Audra Glavas, Vonnie Boreham

Box Hill
Krunchies Boot Camp, Nelson Rd, opposite Box Hill Hospital. Monday and Wednesday 6-7pm, 6 weeks $129, visit Krunchies for more information

Berwick
Free lunchtime meditation class, Tuesday?s 12.30-1.30pm, Building 930, Health and Wellbeing Hub

Peninsula
Have you visited the new Monash Peninsula Activity and Recreation Centre (MPARC)? Facilities include a weights gym and cardio zone, group fitness classes including Les Mills and Zumba, Sport competitions including basketball, Futsal and netball and Court hire including badminton, basketball, netball and volleyball.

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Lunchtime Weight Watchers at Work Program ? commencing at Clayton

Staff the opportunity to enrol in a new Weight Watchers Program. With the convenience of weekly meetings on campus*, you?ll get the guidance that you need to succeed and stay on track to achieve your weight loss and lifestyle goals.

About the program: The program consists of one weekly lunchtime meeting for 13 weeks, commencing Wednesday 4 July 12-1pm

Cost: $18.90 per session for 13 week program (payment must be made upfront by cash or card at the first meeting). Some private health insurance providers provide a partial refund.

How to register: Send your interest to join a program to wellbeing@monash.edu with WW and your campus in the subject line. 12 participants are required for the program to proceed.

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Competition winners and your chance to win

For your chance to win a Village Cinemas movie ticket tell us what you think of the new layout of the newsletter or provide a suggestion for Wellbeing at Monash or Monash Sport (or any wellbeing service you would like to see) Provide feedback via email wellbeing@monash.edu

Monash Sport news and offers

Monash Games Staff Challenge ? Friday 20 July

The annual Monash Games Staff Challenge offers staff the opportunity to play sport?and have fun with colleagues over a lunch break.? Sports offered include; netball (mixed & women?s), soccer, dodgeball, badminton, basketball and volleyball.

Hurry, registrations close Tuesday 10 July!??For more information or to register contact clarissa.au@monash.edu stating your faculty/department and your preferred sport.

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Customer Satisfaction Survey ? win a $20 Rebel Sport voucher

Would you like?a $20 Rebel Sport gift voucher or a free 1 month membership with Monash Sport? Simply take our short online survey about customer satisfaction for your chance to win!? Complete the survey online?

Exercising with a cold or flu

Exercising with a cold or flu research is limited, but the majority of experts argue that because exercise may help to boost immune function, it?s usually safe to exercise with a cold. However, it is important to listen to your body. If you have asthma and a cold it is not advisable to exercise because it may cause shortness of breath. If your symptoms are from the neck up, meaning you have sniffles, a runny nose, headache and perhaps a very mild cough, it?s probably OK to perform a mild workout. If you have a blocked nose, it can be helpful to inhale the steam from the gym showers to clear out congestion and if you?re well hydrated, exercising can break up your congestion. Monash Sport offers an array of group fitness classes such as Body Balance which combines Yoga, Thai Chi and Pilates to offer you a mild work out that will help you feel centred and calm. For a group fitness timetable or more information, please visit our website.

If you?re symptoms are primarily neck down, that is you?ve got a deep chest cough or a fever of 38.5 or higher, you should make yourself scarce from exercise ?altogether until you feel much better. The only way to fight infection is to let your immune system recover by resting and letting your body recuperate. If you have extreme fatigue, aches, and pains you should give your body a rest. However, it doesn?t mean staying away from the gym. Water therapy in water that is kept at 86 degrees or above can loosen the muscles and as a result reduce some tension. It is important to warm up the joints by water walking, jogging or swimming laps for 7mins before doing any deep stretching. Monash Sport Clayton offers a newly refurbished 25 metre heated pool, in addition, a spa, sauna and steam room. It may also be useful to try out Aqua Zumba, which is currently being trialled for 4 weeks at the Doug Ellis pool in Clayton. Please visit our website for?further information.

If you have a sore throat, this is the first sign that you might have a cold. However, if the severity of your sore throat is mild to moderate you can still exercise. Monash Sport is offering a fun way to exercise by participating in fit camp. This allows you to work together with other like minded individuals to reduce body fat, increase strength, gain muscle tone and increased cardiovascular fitness. If your sore throat is severe then it is best to contact your doctor for further guidance.

And lastly, it is recommended that if you are on bed rest due to a cold or flu, symptoms are the worst during the first 2-3 days of illness and may last up to 5-8 days. But some symptoms such as cough and tiredness can last up to 2 to 3 weeks. Although, every illness is different so it is important to contact your doctor for guidance of when the best time to start exercising again would be.

Social Sport, commencing 6 August

Semester 2 social sport competitions start Monday 6 August. Hurry to get your team together as registration close on?Wednesday 1 August. Social Sport competitions are an affordable way to have fun, keep fit and take a much deserved break! Sports on offer are indoor soccer, basketball, women?s and mixed netball and badminton. For more information, please visit our social sport hub.

Nutrition consultations now available at Caulfield!

Take charge of your health one bite at a time! Our new Nutrition service available at the Caulfield campus is a great simple way to kick start your path to a healthier lifestyle. Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) Rebecca Hall will help you achieve your nutrition goals by:

• Creating individualised meal plans
• Coaching you through weight loss
• Healthy eating education
• Management of chronic diseases

To introduce this new service, we are offering a discounted fee as per below. These 30 minute sessions will book out, so get in quick:

• Every Monday from 3:00pm to 6:00pm
• $20.00 for an individual consultation, or
• $10.00 for group bookings (minimum of 4 people)

Call now for an appointment ? 9903 2358 or email: fitness.caulfield@monash.edu

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London Bound!

In the lead up to the 2012 Olympics, Monash Sport is challenging our members to Olympic themed training activities such as 1500m run on the treadmill, 100m swim sprint, hiring out a squash, badminton or tennis court, just to name a few.

Members will go in the draw to win a new iPad for the gold prize, a $200 Rebel sport voucher for silver prize and a one month free membership extension for the bronze prize. For more information visit?the London Bound Challenge

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5 quick and easy tips to get active

With busy lifestyles, many people find it hard to find time to exercise, especially during winter. Here are?5 quick, easy and fun training tips:

1. Walk your dog: According to a new study from the University of California, owners who walk their dog once a day have less body fat, tend to be healthier and? their risk to many cardiovascular illnesses are reduced. So, if you have a dog and you aren?t walking it, ?or if you don?t have a dog, just get out there for a quick walk after work every day!

2. Drive or ride your bike? Put a sticky note on your front door reminding you whether you really need to drive to go buy bread or milk at the local supermarket or drive 3km to a friend?s house when you can ride your bike.

3. Exercise can be fun. Create a sporting team with your friends and register in a social sport competition or join a sporting team. What better way to get fit and increase your endurance then participating in your favourite sport while bonding with friends or team members. It won?t feel like exercise and you?ll be keeping fit and healthy in the meantime. Monash Sport offers a Fitness Connect service, which is a great way to join a team or find someone with similar exercise goals.

4. Listen to music-create a good playlist. Statistics show music can increase your exercise endurance by 15 per cent!

5. Gently stretch while watching your favourite show, do push-ups, sit-ups or lift light weights during the commercial breaks. You will be surprised how many repetitions you can do in the span of just one episode.

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Sport at Monash Calendar

Don?t know when key events are? There are no more excuses with the Sport at Monash calendar exclusive to Monash staff.

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Conveniently feeding times, dates, locations and web links to everything ?sport at Monash? directly into your Google calendar, the Sport at Monash calendar is perfect for fitting in a planned or spontaneous sport and activity into even the busiest schedule!

?To access the Sport at Monash calendar, login into the my.monash portal, select the Sport at Monash tick box and update your subscription. The Sport at Monash calendar will now appear overlaid on your personal Google calendar.

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Fitness Connect

Fitness Connect is a service which allows users to find and workout with someone of a similar fitness level and ability in exercise and/or sport. Exercising with a friend makes working out more enjoyable with many studies indicating the benefits regarding motivation, support and exercise longevity. The service can be found here.

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Discounts for staff

New salary packaging option?for staff at the Book & Merchandise Shops

From Monday 9 Kuly Monash staff can?now?salary package items at the Book and Merchandise Shops.

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Staff?benefit by receiving a reimbursement of GST paid and can reduce?gross taxable income through salary packaging.

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Items available for?salary packaging?include (but are not limited to) all books, stationary, general gifts, cosmetics, Kodak products, Monash apparel, Oxfam and Fair Trade products. Salary packaging does not apply to services including dry-cleaning and special items such as discount movie tickets and gift vouchers.

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How can I save??For full and part-time Monash University staff earning within the $37,001-$80,000 per annum tax bracket:

1. Spend $1,000 at Monash Retail
2. GST Reimbursement ? $90.91
3. Maximum income tax concession ? $295
4. Maximum Saving ? $386.36

For more information, and to collect your free salary packaging booklet and receipt holder, visit the??Monash Retail website.

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BUPA (HBA) health insurance staff discount offer

Monash staff who sign up as a new member with BUPA on the Monash University Corporate Health Plan receive access to a specially designed corporate suite of Health Insurance products.

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These products contain built-in savings that are not available to the general public. Corporate benefits include:

More info: Visit a BUPA Retail Centre or call 1800 649 406 and quote the Monash University corporate group number ? 122265. For detailed pricing information see health insurance discounts.

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Save up to 54% at Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree Resorts

Ready to escape the cold Melbourne winter? Staff have access to the exclusive Departure Lounge with discounted rates at selected Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree properties throughout Australia and New Zealand. Rates are best when searching for 3 night stays.

July?specials:
Save up to 54% off room rates book during July and?travel 1st August?to?31st September! Resorts include:? Magnetic Island, Broadbeach, Port Douglas, Moolooaba, Caloundra, Melbourne and Adelaide

Hervey Bay: Book during July and travel between August and October?a nd?enjoy whale season in Hervey Bay, at either Peppers Pier Resort, Mantra Hervey Bay or BreakFree Great Sandy Straits

To book: Visit Departure Lounge and enter the password: monashstaff

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Doncaster MINI & BMW corporate program

Donaster BMW is delighted to offer Monash staff access to the exclusive corporate program. Benefits include:

Contact: Marior Giannattilio, Corporate Sales Manager, Doncaster BMQ, ph 88480000 or corporate@doncasterbmw.com.au

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Feel back or neck pain? Free initial visit

Are you suffering from: back pain, neck pain, recurrent headaches or sports injuries? You may benefit from visiting a chiropractor. Azari Chiropractic, located in Mt Waverley (5mins from Clayton campus) is offering staff a free initial visit. Ph: 9802 1112 or visit Azari Chiropractics for further information.

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Lite n? Easy

Lite n? Easy offer a $25 discount off their 7-day meal pack to new customers. Call 131512 and quote ?Monash Uni discount offer?.

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Milk, bread, fruit and vegies delivered to your door

Monash staff, family and friends, receive $20 off your first order. Aussie Farmers is a 100% Australian owned fruit and vegetables, groceries and organic food, delivered to your door free! Visit the discounts for staff for full details.

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Dell computer specials

Save up to 15% off a great range of products from Dell. Visit the website for the latest? July?specials.

Visit the Dell website and enter the sales code: AUEPP and your organisation name. Use the featured coupon codes to redeem your discount at the checkout. Alternatively, call 1300 730 755.

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10% off magazine subscriptions

ACP magazines are offering Monash University staff members a 10% discount on the following magazines titles:

APC, Australian PC User, Australian Geographic, Australian Women?s Weekly, Cleo, Cosmo, Empire, Good Health & Medicine, Madison, Money, Motor, Shop Til You Drop, Wheels.

To receive the 10% discount on subscriptions, visit Magshop or order by phone and quote discount code: P10MUNI

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The Convenient Kitchen ? We create, We shop, We deliver!

The Convenient Kitchen is a healthy food delivery service. No more thinking of what to cook or where to get the ingredients from. It?s all in the bag. Convenient Kitchen offer a weekly menu of recipes with all their matching raw, market fresh ingredients so you can create healthy, delicious meals at home. They deliver to your home or office a blend of fish or seafood, meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes. Monash staff receive 10% discount off the introductory price of your first bag using the coupon code MONASH. Visit Convenient Kitchen

Travelling soon? Discounted Airport Lounge access

Sign up for a discounted airport lounge membership and enjoy the benefits! Lounges include Priority Pass: access to 600+ lounges worldwide Virgin Blue The Lounge Qantas Club Lounge. Visit Airport Lounge discounts for more information.

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Other discounts available to Monash staff: ? Avis car rentals ? Hot Air Ballooning Visit discounts for staff for more information

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Source: http://blogs.monash.edu/timeout-newsletter/2012/07/02/wellbeing-at-monash-monash-sport-newsletter-%E2%80%93-july/

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Islamists continue destroying Timbuktu heritage

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Muslim extremists continued destroying the heritage of the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu on Monday, razing tombs and attacking the gate of a 600-year-old mosque, despite growing international outcry.

The International Criminal Court has described the destruction of the city's patrimony as a possible war crime, while UNESCO's committee on world heritage was holding a special session this week to address the pillaging of the site, one of the few cultural sites in sub-Saharan Africa that is listed by the agency.

The Islamic faction, known as Ansar Dine, or "Protectors of the Faith," seized control of Timbuktu last week after ousting the Tuareg rebel faction that had invaded northern Mali alongside Ansar Dine's soldiers three months ago. Over the weekend, fighters screaming "Allah Akbar" descended on the cemeteries holding the remains of Timbuktu's Sufi saints, and systematically began destroying the six most famous tombs.

Reached by telephone in an undisclosed location in northern Mali, a spokesman for the faction said they do not recognize either the United Nations or the world court.

"The only tribunal we recognize is the divine court of Shariah," said Ansar Dine spokesman Oumar Ould Hamaha.

"The destruction is a divine order," he said. "It's our Prophet who said that each time that someone builds something on top of a grave, it needs to be pulled back to the ground. We need to do this so that future generations don't get confused, and start venerating the saints as if they are God."

Among the tombs they destroyed is that of Sidi Mahmoudou, a saint who died in 955, according to the UNESCO website. In addition, on Monday they set upon one of the doors of the Sidi Yahya, a mosque built around 1400. Local legend held that the gate leading to the cemetery would only open on the final day at the end of time.

Local radio host Kader Kalil said that the members of Ansar Dine arrived at the mosque with shovels and pickaxes and yanked off the door, revealing a wall behind it. Kalil said that they explained they were doing so in order to disabuse people of the local legend and to teach them to put their whole faith in the Quran.

"Since my childhood, I have never seen the door on the western side of the mosque open. And I was born in 1947," said Kader, a longtime resident of the city. "When we were children, we were told that the door would only open at the end of time. These religious people want to go to the source, to show us that this is not true. .... Of course our population is not happy. The women, especially, are crying a lot."

Shamil Jeppie, who heads the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, says that the destruction in Mali is analogous to the demolition of the Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan. The Wahabi interpretation of Islam that Ansar Dine ? like the Taliban ? espouses is a narrow version of the faith, and stands in contrast to what he says is the history of Islamic learning.

"It's a real loss for people in the town, in the region and on the continent," said Jeppie. "Timbuktu was a center of Islamic learning, a very significant center ? there is lots of internal and external evidence of this. But Ansar Dine is ignorant of this. For them, there is only one book and it's the Quran. All this other (Islamic) learning is inconsequential to them," he said.

The U.N. cultural agency has called for an immediate halt to the destruction of the sacred tombs. Irina Bokova, who heads the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, reported in a statement issued Saturday that the centuries-old mausoleums of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya had been destroyed. Meeting in St. Petersburg in Russia, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, last week placed the mausoleums on its list of sites in danger due to earlier attacks by the Islamists, said UNESCO spokesman Rony Amelan.

On Sunday during a stop in Senegal, Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, said that the destruction of the city's patrimony constitutes "a possible war crime," according to private radio station RFM. And on Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condemned the destruction, telling reporters in Washington that the United States calls on all groups to enter into a ceasefire.

For years before the north of Mali became a base for an offshoot of al-Qaida, Timbuktu was a must-see for backpackers and package tour groups. Much of the city thrived on tourism, from young men who memorized the history of the tombs and details of the ancient manuscripts to in order to act as tour guides to the numerous hotels, nearly all of which are now shuttered.

Hamaha said he didn't care about the impact that their actions will have on tourism. "We are against tourism. They foster debauchery," he said.

Scholars held out hope that the Islamists would not also attack the city's 20,000-catalogued manuscripts, some dating as far back as the 12th century. Beyond the tombs, the manuscripts are considered to be the real treasure of the region and library owners have succeeded in spiriting some of the manuscripts out of the city, or else buried them in secure locations.

"We're talking about generations and generations of culture being destroyed," said New York-based Michael Covitt, chairman of the Malian Manuscript Foundation. "It's an outrage for the entire world."

___

Associated Press writers Rukmini Callimachi and Sadibou Marone contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal. Baba Ahmed contributed from Bamako, Mali.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-continue-destroying-timbuktu-heritage-114159042.html

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Screen It Sunday - Mom Knows It All. - New Jersey Mom blogger on ...

I?m frequently sent information on upcoming television, DVD/Blu-ray and movie news. I?ll be compiling and sharing the best and most interesting news with you here each week.

MARVEL?S THE AVENGERS NEW BLU-RAY TRAILER

America?s Favorite Super Heroes Come Home!

Visit Yahoo! Movies to see the new Blu-ray Trailer for Marvel?s THE AVENGERS: http://movies.yahoo.com/

Marvel?s THE AVENGERS is Available September 25th on Blu-ray Combo Pack!

Tinker Bell secret revealed

Walt Disney Pictures today launched a new trailer for the upcoming Disney Fairies Secret of the Wings.

The new trailer reveals a magical secret ? Tinker Bell has a sister ? Periwinkle!

Periwinkle (aka Peri) is a sparkling winter fairy, voiced by Lucy Hale (ABC Family?s ?Pretty Little Liars?). She joins Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman of TV?s ?Parenthood?), one of Disney?s most beloved and iconic characters, on an amazing journey of discovery, into the forbidden Winter Woods.

A magical fairy adventure for the whole family, ?Secret of the Wings? features a spectacular voice cast, also including Academy Award?-Winner Anjelica Huston (TV?s ?Smash?), Timothy Dalton (TV?s ?Chuck?, The Living Daylights), Lucy Liu (TV?s ?Southland?, Charlie?s Angels), Raven-Symon? (TV?s ?That?s So Raven?), Megan Hilty (TV?s ?Smash?), Pamela Adlon (TV?s ?Californication?), Matt Lanter (TV?s ?90210?) and Debby Ryan (TV?s ?Jesse?).

?Secret of the Wings? is an all-new, original full-length CG-animated feature film, debuting on Blu-ray? Combo Pack, DVD and Digital on October 23, 2012. The film marks the first time ever Tinker Bell will fly on Disney Blu-ray 3D.

A DisneyToon Studios production, the film is directed by Peggy Holmes, co-directed by Bobs Gannaway, and produced by Michael Wigert. John Lasseter serves as Executive Producer.

In addition to the all-new feature film, the spectacular animated release includes a host of exciting bonus features that extend the viewing experience, taking audiences deeper into the magical world of Disney Fairies.

Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TinkerBell

BRAVE ? THE LORE ? WILL O? THE WISPS

Travelers?particularly those who venture out after sunset on unfamiliar pathways?beware of the will o? the wisps.

It is said?though by whom is a bit of a mystery?that on certain days for certain travelers in certain parts of the world, little lights dance on the horizon, whispering tempting invitations? pledging the answers to lifelong questions, the realization of dreams, a key to secret treasures?a change of fate.

Charmed and curious, unsuspecting travelers follow the floating lights, mesmerized by their whispers, their promises. Yet no matter how long or how fervently they follow, they never quite touch the beautiful beacons whose flickering lights eventually fade and disappear? leaving the inquisitors, the dreamers and the treasure seekers lost? and alone.

In ?Brave,? Merida spies tiny blue lights after escaping into the forest in search of a change of fate. Forming a path that dares her to follow, the lights lead Merida to a mysterious location that holds the power to change her destiny?just not in the way she imagines.

?The will o? the wisps are in a lot of Scottish folktales,? says ?Brave? director Mark Andrews. ?They were said to lead you to treasure or doom?to change your fate?but they?re an actual phenomenon of swamp and bog gas seeping up through the earth and interacting with the natural resources to create the blue flames. People would follow these lights thinking they were little fairies, and basically drown or get sucked down into the bogs.

?We made the wisps like actual little spirits,? Andrews continues. ?They?re almost like Marley?s ghost in a way, because Marley?s ghost isn?t an evil spirit?even though he?s frightening, he?s trying to warn Ebenezer to change his ways. That?s what the wisps are doing. There?s a duality to them, because they?re either good or evil?they lead Merida into more and more trouble, but in the end, they?ve led her exactly where she needs to go.?

TRANSFORMERS PRIME ? ONE SHALL STAND

FEATURING THE 7-PART STORY ARC SPANNING THE FIRST TWO SEASONS OF EMMY? AWARD-WINNING SERIES SEAMLESSLY EDITED TOGETHER IN THIS SPECIAL PRESENTATION PRODUCED BY HASBRO STUDIOS

OWN IT ON DVD JULY 31, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

This summer, get ready for a special presentation of TRANSFORMERS PRIME for home entertainment. On July 31, 2012, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Studios, will debut TRANSFORMERS PRIME ? ONE SHALL STAND DVD, featuring the compelling story behind the most iconic AUTOBOT ever, OPTIMUS PRIME, and an epic tale of deception, sacrifice, loyalty and triumph. Produced by Hasbro Studios, ONE SHALL STAND highlights the story that spanned the first two seasons of the acclaimed CGI animated series TRANSFORMERS PRIME, which currently airs on The Hub television network in the U.S and Teletoons in Canada. This action-packed story arc is edited together in a seamless, riveting special presentation for this home entertainment release. Packed with exciting bonus content, TRANSFORMERS PRIME ? ONE SHALL STAND DVD delivers spectacular CGI animation and captivating family entertainment for all ages. This highly collectible DVD is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $14.97. Fans can pre-order now on Amazon.com

TRANSFORMERS PRIME boasts an all-star voice cast, including Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Steve Blum, Jeffrey Combs, Ernie Hudson, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres, John Noble, among other notables. TRANSFORMERS PRIME is produced by Hasbro Studios, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Kline serving as executive producers. Kurtzman and Orci served as writers for the feature films TRANSFORMERS and TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen.

With UNICRON?s awakening, extreme measures needed to be taken. An unlikely alliance formed between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS to defeat UNICRON, a foe who could spell the end of the Earth. The action unfolds as the AUTOBOTS battle alongside MEGATRON against the evil UNICRON. Enemies became allies, allies became confidantes, and with the Matrix of Leadership, the planet Earth was saved.

Though at immeasurable personal cost, when OPTIMUS surrendered the Matrix, he lost more than the collective wisdom of the PRIME. He lost himself. With the power of the Matrix no longer within him, it would stand to reason that OPTIMUS has reverted to his pre-PRIME state as the historical archivist ORION PAX. MEGATRON manipulates the impaired OPTIMUS into joining the DECEPTICONS. But does the OPTIMUS and AUTOBOTS? true key to salvation lie in the trusted hands of a teenaged boy named Jack?

DVD Bonus Content:
As excitement builds for this DVD, Shout! Factory and Hasbro Studios will announce in-depth bonus features and additional news in forthcoming months.

MARIO LOPEZ TO JOIN THE CAST OF SPROUT?S UPCOMING ORIGINAL SERIES, ?THE CHICA SHOW,? AS THE VOICE OF STITCHES

Lopez to also appear on The Sunny Side Up Show, Sprout?s live morning program, on Friday, June 29

Philadelphia, PA, June 25, 2012 ? 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout announced today that Mario Lopez (Extra, Dancing with the Stars) will join the cast of its newest original series, The Chica Show, as the voice of Stitches. Premiering exclusively on Sprout later this year, The Chica Show is a mix of live action and animation, starring Chica the Chicken, the popular host from Sprout?s hit The Sunny Side Up Show. Viewers can also tune-in to The Sunny Side Up Show on Friday, June 29 at 9:00 a.m. ET when Mario will be joining his future co-star for a guest appearance.

Designed with Lopez?s personality in mind, Stitches is a lovable rag doll who springs to life via animation as a warm, vibrant and fun-loving boy. Stitches is a loyal friend to Chica and the other characters on the show, as they take viewers on imaginative adventures that promote social-emotional development in preschoolers through creative play.

?I?m so excited to be on The Chica Show!,? said Mario Lopez. ?Sprout is my daughter Gia?s favorite network and she absolutely loves The Sunny Side Up Show. We?re big fans of their programming and I hope to be working with Sprout for years to come.?

?It?s been wonderful working with Mario to bring Stitches to life,? said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming at Sprout. ?Sprout?s programming is designed for parents and their preschoolers to enjoy together and we know that viewers of all ages will love the eclectic mix of funny, charismatic, charming characters in this new original series.?

The Chica Show is a mix of live action and animation that follows the Chica the Chicken and her cast of friends as they explore all the whimsical, humorous costumes and accessories in the Costume Coop ? a playful shop filled with every costume imaginable ? where Chica helps her parents. When it closes, she and her friends magically transform into animated characters and set off on adventures that offer teachable moments for preschoolers ? whether it?s embarking on a voyage with Vikings to discover why manners are important, or jetting off to a rock star concert to discover why practice makes perfect. Each episode takes viewers on a journey into Chica?s imagination where problems are solved, questions are answered and faraway lands are explored.

Chica first became a superstar on The Sunny Side Up Show, Sprout?s live morning program, and has quickly become one of preschool television?s most beloved characters. As host of the show, Chica receives thousands of interactions from fans every month in the form of emails, photos, birthday cards and weather reports.

For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, or to play games, download free coloring pages or find great activities for kids, visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to SproutPlease.com.

About Sprout?
Available in over 55 million homes, Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers. The 24-hour digital channel, which launched in September 2005 along with the website (SproutOnline.com), is the only channel that follows the day of a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted blocks. Sprout?s VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for younger children with over one billion views.

Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, PBS, Sesame Workshop and Apax Funds. Its program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based preschool shows includes: Sesame Street?, Bob the Builder?, Barney & Friends?, The Wiggles?, Caillou?, Pajanimals?, Thomas & Friends?, LazyTown?, and more.

DisneyNature ? CHIMPANZEE on Blu-ray & DVD 8/21!

Experience the Spectacular Imagery and Stunning High-Definition Visuals on Disney Blu-ray? Combo Pack, Digital & On-Demand August 21, 2012

Disneynature Will Donate a Portion of First-Week Sales to the Jane Goodall Institute Through the ?See ?Chimpanzee,? Save Chimpanzees? Conservation Program

BURBANK, Calif. (June 22, 2012) ? On August 21, 2012, Disneynature?s most unforgettable and heartwarming adventure yet, ?Chimpanzee,? debuts as a Blu-ray? Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD), Digital and On-Demand viewing. The inspiring film follows the True-Life Adventure of Oscar, a young chimpanzee whose curiosity and zest for life showcase the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom.
To celebrate the in-home debut of ?Chimpanzee,? Disneynature is proud to continue the ?See ?Chimpanzee,? Save Chimpanzees? conservation program initiated with the film?s theatrical release. For every purchase of the movie through August 27, 2012, Disneynature will make a donation through the Disney Worldwide ConservationFund to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to conserve chimpanzee habitat, educate the next generation, and provide care for orphaned chimpanzees.

The conservation program tied to the theatrical release will help protect 129,236 acres (202 square miles) of wild chimpanzee habitat throughinfrastructure investments in the expanded Tchimpounga Nature Reserve in the Republic of Congo (Congo); educate 60,000 schoolchildren about chimpanzee conservation; and provide food and medicine for nearly all of the orphaned chimpanzees at JGI?s Tchimpounga chimpanzee sanctuary for at least the next year.

In addition to the remarkable story filmed in the depths of the African forest, the ?Chimpanzee? Blu-ray Combo Pack is filled with spectacular bonus features, including in-depth behind-the-scenes footage showcasing the filmmakers? amazing efforts to document the making of the film; a music video for the song ?Rise,? written and performed by McClain Sisters; a feature on Disney?s conservation legacy; and much more.

Film Synopsis:
From Disneynature, the studio that brought you ?Earth,? ?Oceans,? and ?African Cats,? comes ?Chimpanzee? ? a remarkable story of individual triumph and family bonds. Journey deep into the African forest and meet Oscar, an adorable young chimp with an entertaining approach to life. The world is a playground for little Oscar and his fellowyoung chimps who love creating mayhem. His playful curiosity and zest for discovery showcase the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom. Stunning hi-definition images bring you up close and personal as Oscar and his family navigate thecomplex territory of the forest. It?s an inspiring and life-changing adventure that overflows with courage and charm. And it will capture your heart.

Social Media:
Stay connected with the latest ?Chimpanzee? information:
?Like? the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Disneynature
Follow on Twitter www.Twitter.com/Disneynature
Website and Mobile Site: www.Disney.com/Chimpanzee

ABOUT THE JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall?s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior started more than 50 years ago?research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall?s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian program for youth of all ages, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

ABOUT DISNEYNATURE
Disneynature was launched on Earth Day 2008 with the mission of bringing the world?s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire, and entertain theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards?. Earth (2009), Oceans (2010), African Cats (2011), and Chimpanzee (2012) are four of the top five highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with Chimpanzee garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Conservation has been a key pillar of the label, and Disneynature films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening week attendance, Disneynature has planted 3 million trees in Brazil?s Atlantic Forest; established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas; protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya; and contributed to efforts to educate schoolchildren, care for chimpanzees, and protect 129,236 acres of wild chimpanzee habitat in the Republic of Congo.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA PARTNERS WITH EPA?s ENERGY STAR ON ?THE LORAX PLEDGE DRIVE? TO HELP FAMILIES SAVE ENERGY AT HOME

The Lorax Pledge Drive seeks to help families energy at home. Also, check out the new bonus clip from the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD: Dr. Seuss? The Lorax ? ?Designing the Trees? Bonus Feature

?Designing the Trees? is the ?Seuss to Screen? bonus feature on Dr. Seuss? The Lorax, coming to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on August 7, 2012 with three all-new mini-movies.

Initiative Aligns with the Blu-ray?/DVD Release of Dr. Seuss? The Lorax on August 7 To Get Youth Engaged in Energy Saving Efforts

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 ? Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) announced the launch of ?The Lorax Pledge Drive,? based on Universal Pictures? Dr. Seuss? The Lorax movie, to engage Club members in helping their friends, families and communities save energy, money, and make a difference for the environment. ?The Lorax Pledge Drive? is part of BGCA?s participation in EPA?s Team ENERGY STAR? initiative to educate American youth about the benefits of saving energy. The effort also extends EPA?s collaboration with Dr. Seuss? The Lorax, currently the biggest animated film of the year, coming to Blu-ray? and DVD on August 7.

EPA?s Team ENERGY STAR empowers kids to help protect the climate through easy-to-implement, money-saving actions and provides them an outlet for sharing their passion for preserving the environment. With Dr. Seuss? The Lorax as the engaging theme for Team ENERGY STAR, kids can learn and have fun at the same time.

BGCA, which serves nearly four million young people through some 4,000 Clubs, have joined EPA in this effort by running their own Team ENERGY STAR Challenges. Club members are encouraged to participate in energy-saving projects and are recognized by EPA and provided additional rewards donated to BGCA from Samsung Electronics America. ?The Lorax Pledge Drive? is their latest challenge. Clubs collect pledges to save energy among their friends, families and others. Top pledge drivers will win an ENERGY STAR qualified Samsung LED TV and a library of Universal movie titles. The top pledge driver also wins a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood.

?This partnership with EPA?s Team ENERGY STAR is a valuable part of our many successful initiatives to inspire good character and citizenship in the young people we serve,? said Romero Brown, Vice President of Program and Youth Development Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. ?I can?t think of any better opportunity than the widely anticipated Blu-Ray/DVD release of Dr. Seuss? The Lorax to show the world how we?re empowering young people to make a difference in the fight against global warming.?

?EPA is proud to work with The Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help engage America?s youth in protecting the climate by providing them with ways to help their families save energy at home,? said Jill Vohr, Director of Marketing, EPA?s ENERGY STAR Labeling Branch, ?Effectively reaching the next generation of environmental protectors is critical to the future health of our planet and bringing together the Boys & Girls Clubs and Dr. Seuss? The Lorax is a great way to do that.?

?With his classic book, The Lorax, Dr. Seuss found a compelling and hopeful way to teach kids about the importance of being good shepherds of the environment by conserving natural resources,? said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. ?Universal is extremely pleased to join with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and EPA?s Team ENERGY STAR to continue educating young people and spread Dr. Seuss? message, which is just as important today as it was 40 years ago.?

About Dr. Seuss? The Lorax
The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure from the creators of Despicable Me! Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees. Featuring the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White, Dr. Seuss? The Lorax is filled with hilarious fun for everyone!

Top Family Rentals from Redbox

With the 4th of July ahead of us, it?s time to celebrate with our families this weekend! Check out any of Redbox?s 30,000+ kiosks nationwide to find movies perfect for bringing on any family outing, or for watching around the family room TV.

Make sure to check out the top family movies this week including Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Hop and Happy Feet Two.

Below are the top rented family movies from the past week. Find your nearest Redbox location by visiting www.redbox.com or via the Redbox iPhone? or Android mobile apps.

Tags: Brave, Chimpanzee, Disney, Disneynature, Marvel's The Avengers, Redbox, Screen It Sunday, Secret Of The Wings, Sprout, The Lorax, Transformers Prime

Category: Announcements

Source: http://www.valmg.com/index.php/2012/screen-it-sunday-47/

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No universal approach to wooing Hispanic voters

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? In New Mexico, Tomasita Maestas says she will pick the presidential candidate who has the best plan to fix education and the economy.

In Arizona, Mexican immigrant Carlos Gomez backs Republican Mitt Romney because he's more conservative on social issues than his Democratic opponent.

In Miami, Colombia native Luna Lopez probably will vote for President Barack Obama now that he's decided to halt the deportation of many illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children.

The reasons that Hispanics give for choosing between Obama and Romney are just as diverse as the countries that they or their ancestors once called home, suggesting there's no one-size-fits-all approach to courting the nation's fastest-growing minority group.

The Latino vote isn't monolithic or, really, a voting bloc. It includes a range of people with varying opinions. Among them are Republican-leaning Cubans in Florida, new Mexican immigrants and longtime descendants of Spanish settlers in the Southwest, and Democratic-tilting Puerto Ricans in the East.

Immigration policy would seem to be the natural top issue for these voters, except that nearly two-thirds of Hispanics are born in the U.S. Their priorities are the same as the general population ? jobs, the economy, education and health care.

"We need to see more jobs here, that's my No. 1 priority and what I want to hear about," says Stefan Gonzalez, an almost 18-year-old from Denver, whose heritage includes Spanish, Mexican and Native American roots. Gonzalez, who works in a suburban Denver pawn shop, says he plans to vote for Obama this fall.

In Albuquerque, Ernest Gurule, an 84-year-old whose ancestors settled New Mexico in 1580, says his main issue is the federal health care plan upheld by the Supreme Court last week, and that he'll back Obama in part because of it. Also, the Democrat, adds: "It's too expensive to change horses midstream."

Democrats and Republicans are in a fierce race to figure out how to best reach Hispanics.

In the short term, these voters could decide the outcome in Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere. The long-term stakes are even bigger because Hispanics are projected to account for roughly 30 percent of the population by 2050, doubling in size and, potentially changing the national political landscape.

Like most minorities, Hispanics traditionally have leaned Democratic. But a recent Pew Research poll indicates that Hispanics also are the fastest-growing group of independent voters, with 46 percent now shunning a party label compared with 31 percent six years ago. Such results only underscore how diverse Hispanics are and the challenges for the political parties.

"It is going to be a very hard fight to win," says Jennifer Korn, the executive director of the Republican-based Hispanic Leadership Network, which was established to help bring more Hispanic voters to the GOP. "The more they assimilate, the more sophisticated they become and that's when they start dividing between parties."

For now at least, Obama and his Democrats have an advantage, with the latest polls showing 65 percent of Hispanics back Obama and 25 percent back Romney.

The Democrats' campaign has worked to keep that edge, helped by Obama's new immigration policy and the Supreme Court's decision to side with the administration on most of an Arizona law that many immigrants viewed as overly harsh.

His campaign has spent the past year setting up offices with grassroots outreach to Hispanic communities in the Southwest, as well as in important states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Mindful of the diversity among Hispanics, Obama has custom-tailored his outreach, including tweaking Spanish dialect for different regions.

For instance, in Florida the campaign has two distinct outreach plans. One focuses on Cuban-Americans in Miami who tend to lean Republican and are less concerned about immigration; the other speaks to traditionally Democratic Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens from birth, as well as new immigrants from Central America.

Obama also has promoted the new health law, which can resonate in states such as New Mexico, which has one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country.

Romney has plenty of ground to make up after a bruising primary season filled with tough rhetoric that even Republicans acknowledge turned off many Hispanics. He recently established a Hispanic advisory group that includes top elected Republican Hispanics.

During the primaries, the former Massachusetts governor pledged to veto legislation, known as the DREAM Act, that would give a path to citizenship to young immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children but have since attended school or served in the military. He has since toned down his anti-immigration stance, which included self-deportation, telling a Hispanic leadership gathering in Miami that he would address illegal immigration "in a civil but resolute manner."

Alexandra Franceschi, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee's Hispanic effort, made clear that the GOP outreach will focus broadly on the economy. "Hispanics are Americans and are facing the same issues as everyone else, chronically high unemployment, lower pay and rising health care costs," she said.

Republicans have noted that under Obama, the Hispanic unemployment rate is higher than the national average. And Hispanics' median household income fell 7 percent between 2000 and 2010, from $43,100 to $40,000, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

What drives Hispanics to vote depends on who's asked.

Lopez, a 20-year-old new citizen and college student from Colombia, cites Obama's policy shift on deportation as reason she's likely to pick him when she casts her first vote in the country.

"The issue didn't directly affect me, but I have many family members and friends who it did," she said.

In Arizona, Gomez, a 43-year-old priest who immigrated to Phoenix 15 years ago, backed Obama's policy change. But Gomez says immigration isn't his priority because "immigrants will continue coming across the border no matter what we do." He says he's voting for Romney because, like him, the Republican opposes gay marriage and abortion rights.

In Albuquerque, Maestas, a 37-year-old mother and office manager, is focused intently on pocketbook issues. Immigration, she says, is only important to "a certain point" because "If you can't take care of your own, how are you going to take care of others?"

___

Associated Press writers Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami, Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-one-size-fits-approach-wooing-hispanics-122521731.html

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Karen Klein Bus Bullies Slapped With One-YEAR School Suspension

No one can accuse the Greece (N.Y.) Central School District of looking the other way when it comes to its disciplinary response to students bullying others.

The kids who harassed Karen Klein with a 10-minute barrage of vile verbal taunts that went viral were suspended for the entire 2012-13 school year.

If you haven't seen it, this video was the reason why ...

Making the School Bus Monitor Cry

The four seventh grade boys who bullied the 68-year-old grandmother to tears were all issued a one-year suspension from school, a one-year suspension from bus use and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service with the elderly.

They must also complete a bullying prevention program.

The four kids will be all sent to the District Reengagement Center - a special alternative education program - as the town is required to provide an education by law.

Klein received national attention after the video of the boys bullying her went viral. Sympathetic viewers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to her.

She said from the beginning she did not want to press criminal charges, and that she felt sorry for the kids ... though she does not accept their apologies.

What do you think of the kids' punishment?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/06/karen-klein-bus-bullies-slapped-with-one-year-school-suspension/

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Obama pledges federal aid on Colorado wildfire visit

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday promised federal assistance for Colorado's worst-ever wildfire as he toured damage caused by the blaze, which has killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of 35,000 residents in and around the state's second-largest city.

Obama began his three-hour visit with an Air Force One fly-over of the area left devastated by a blaze that has raged for a week near the base of the famed Pikes Peak mountaintop, while fire crews, taking advantage of more favorable weather, gained additional ground against the flames.

The so-called Waldo Canyon Fire unleashed its greatest fury on Tuesday night when, stoked by strong, erratic winds, it roared into foothill communities in the northwestern corner of Colorado Springs and threatened the U.S. Air Force Academy campus in town.

Lighter winds since then have helped firefighters, numbering over 1,000 by week's end, make greater headway in corralling the flames. By Friday afternoon, they had managed to carve containment lines around 25 percent of the fire's perimeter, up from 15 percent on Thursday.

As of Friday, the fire had scorched nearly 17,000 acres of timber and brush, much of it in the Pike National Forest west of Colorado Springs, a city of more than 400,000 inhabitants about 50 miles south of Denver.

While fire officials said 20,000 homes remained threatened by the blaze, evacuation orders were lifted for some of the estimated 35,000 residents chased from their dwellings earlier this week.

But progress against the blaze was accompanied by grim news as authorities confirmed the full extent of destruction from Tuesday's firestorm - 347 homes destroyed, most of them in the upscale subdivision known as Mountain Shadows.

The tally of homes consumed by the Waldo Canyon blaze ranks as the most on record for Colorado, surpassing the 257 homes destroyed recently by a much larger blaze north of Denver.

Aerial photos of devastation unleashed by the fire showed large swaths of neighborhoods reduced to gray ash - one house after another obliterated while adjacent dwellings survived mostly unscathed.

Also on Friday, Colorado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey said a second body was found in the debris of a burned-out home. The discovery of the first was announced late on Thursday.

Their deaths bring to six the number of people who have perished so far this year in a Colorado wildfire season described by the governor as the worst ever in the state.

FIRE ACROSS THE WEST

"This has been a devastating early fire season for Colorado. This community, obviously, is heartbroken by the loss of homes," Obama said to reporters as he walked along a street of burned-out houses. "We're lucky, because of the quick action that's been taken, that we haven't seen a lot of loss of life."

Obama's motorcade drove through a neighborhood dotted with houses that remained intact next to others that had burned to the ground, rolling past the melted remains of a children's play area and shells of cars destroyed in the inferno.

The president capped his trip by visiting with evacuees at an emergency shelter operated by the American Red Cross.

One of them, Angi Stoffel, 39, recalled the terrifying moments before she and her family were forced to flee.

"The grass back behind our house has been burned, so I guess we're kind of close," she said. "That first night was horrible. It was very scary, so we went all the way to Pueblo just to get away and try to get our thoughts together and get a game plan."

Waldo Canyon was among nearly 50 large, uncontained wildfires being fought across the United States, the bulk of them in 10 western states - Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and even Hawaii, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

As of Thursday, 21 heavy airplane tankers continued to fly in and out of firefighting action across the Western states, joining 170 helicopters, 550 fire engines and more than 8,800 personnel on wildfire lines around the country, said White House spokesman Jay Carney. He said about half of all active federal wildfire-fighting resources were currently staged in Colorado.

Obama announced that federal money would be made available to local agencies and individuals affected by the fire.

"We have been putting everything we have into trying to deal with what is one of the worst fires we've seen here in Colorado," Obama said, speaking at a fire station where he shook hands with firefighters and praised them for their courage. But he added: "We've still got a lot more work to do."

While authorities began allowing some evacuees to return Thursday night, hundreds of residents from neighborhoods caught in the heart of a major firestorm on Tuesday remained displaced.

The FBI is investigating whether any of the wildfires were started by criminal activity, but the cause remains unknown.

The fire menacing Colorado Springs follows a recent string of suspected arson fires in a neighboring county, but officials said they had no indication the blaze was deliberately set.

Although federal authorities say the fire season got off to an early start in parts of the Northern Rockies, the number of fires and acreage burned nationwide is still below the 10-year average for this time of year, according to fire agency records.

(Additional reporting by Joseph O'Leary and Ellen Miller; Writing by Mary Slosson; Editing by Paul Simao and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-pledges-federal-aid-colorado-wildfire-visit-034602761.html

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