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Sunday, January 27, 2013
West Seattle family to participate in Puget Sound Energy home ...
West Seattle resident Kristen Corning Bedford, pictured here with husband Slade and their children, will participate in Puget Sound Energy's Re-Energized by Design home makeover competition.
Information from Puget Sound Energy
Six PSE customers sharpen their competitive design skills to rumble in an energy-efficient room makeover competition
On Jan. 24 Puget Sound Energy introduced the six contestants for Re-Energized by Design, a design competition in which PSE customers will compete weekly in a series of energy efficiency room makeover challenges. Prizes include light emitting diode (LED) and compact fluorescent light (CFL) lighting from GE, and a full laundry and kitchen appliance suite by Frigidaire. The last contestant standing will win $5,000.
?The stakes are high so we know the competition will be intense,? said Dennis Rominger energy efficiency expert at PSE. ?These six contestants are ready to compete head to head. Sweat will be shed, winners will be crowned and most importantly, we will see creative ways to bring great design and energy efficiency together.?
The six contestants who will compete in Re-Energized by Design rose to the top during an intense selection process, including submitting videos or photo entries, a public vote to select 10 finalists, and final interviews. During the process, each entrant was evaluated on a variety of factors, including the originality and creativity of their entry, their understanding and enthusiasm for design and energy efficiency, and the energy savings potential of their home.
Each Re-Energized by Design contestant brings unique skills to the competition, including West Seattle resident Kristen Corning Bedford.
No challenge is too big for Kristen. She and her husband, Slade, purchased their home from hoarders, moving in with a two-year-old with another child on the way. They have spent the last two years working to make it their dream home.
Slade and Kristen grew up in the Northwest and are proud to call West Seattle home. Together they like to dream of creating things, including how to constantly fix up their home.
?A home should tell a story about the people who live there," Corning Bedford said. "I have a good eye for design and have been creating a vision for the spaces in this home for nearly two years. The work for this contest is the work I've been looking forward to since the day we moved in: bringing better light and color to the space.?
Each contestant?s efforts will be supported by a dedicated design coach who will provide style guidance and encouragement.
Re-Energized by Design contestants will participate in five room makeover projects. After each makeover challenge, local society and events photographer Duell Fisher, 425 and South Sound Magazine editor Lisa Patterson and radio personality Marty Riemer will review and score each contestant?s effort. The lowest-scoring contestant in each round will be eliminated.
Online ?webisodes? that get up close and personal with each contestant as they make their homes more beautiful and energy efficient will begin airing weekly in March, at www.ReEnergizedbyDesign.com. Until then customers can follow Re-Energize on Facebook at Facebook.com/Re-Energize for energy efficient design tips, special product promotions, and to learn more about contestants.
Source: http://www.westseattleherald.com/2013/01/26/features/west-seattle-family-participate-puget-sound-e
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
Global warming less extreme than feared? New estimates from a Norwegian project on climate calculations
Jan. 25, 2013 ? Policymakers are attempting to contain global warming at less than 2?C. New estimates from a Norwegian project on climate calculations indicate this target may be more attainable than many experts have feared.
Climate researcher Caroline Leck of Stockholm University has evaluated the Norwegian project and is enthusiastic.
"These results are truly sensational," says Dr Leck. "If confirmed by other studies, this could have far-reaching impacts on efforts to achieve the political targets for climate."
Temperature rise is levelling off
After Earth's mean surface temperature climbed sharply through the 1990s, the increase has levelled off nearly completely at its 2000 level. Ocean warming also appears to have stabilised somewhat, despite the fact that CO2 emissions and other anthropogenic factors thought to contribute to global warming are still on the rise.
It is the focus on this post-2000 trend that sets the Norwegian researchers' calculations on global warming apart.
Sensitive to greenhouse gases
Climate sensitivity is a measure of how much the global mean temperature is expected to rise if we continue increasing our emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas emitted by human activity. A simple way to measure climate sensitivity is to calculate how much the mean air temperature will rise if we were to double the level of overall CO2 emissions compared to the world's pre-industrialised level around the year 1750.
If we continue to emit greenhouse gases at our current rate, we risk doubling that atmospheric CO2 level in roughly 2050.
Mutual influences
A number of factors affect the formation of climate development. The complexity of the climate system is further compounded by a phenomenon known as feedback mechanisms, i.e. how factors such as clouds, evaporation, snow and ice mutually affect one another.
Uncertainties about the overall results of feedback mechanisms make it very difficult to predict just how much of the rise in Earth's mean surface temperature is due to humanmade emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the climate sensitivity to doubled atmospheric CO2 levels is probably between 2?C and 4.5?C, with the most probable being 3?C of warming.
In the Norwegian project, however, researchers have arrived at an estimate of 1.9?C as the most likely level of warming.
Humanmade climate forcing
"In our project we have worked on finding out the overall effect of all known feedback mechanisms," says project manager Terje Berntsen, who is a professor at the University of Oslo's Department of Geosciences and a senior research fellow at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research -- Oslo (CICERO). The project has received funding from the Research Council of Norway's Large-scale Programme on Climate Change and its Impacts in Norway (NORKLIMA).
"We used a method that enables us to view the entire earth as one giant 'laboratory' where humankind has been conducting a collective experiment through our emissions of greenhouse gases and particulates, deforestation, and other activities that affect climate."
For their analysis, Professor Berntsen and his colleagues entered all the factors contributing to human-induced climate forcings since 1750 into their model. In addition, they entered fluctuations in climate caused by natural factors such as volcanic eruptions and solar activity. They also entered measurements of temperatures taken in the air, on ground, and in the oceans.
The researchers used a single climate model that repeated calculations millions of times in order to form a basis for statistical analysis. Highly advanced calculations based on Bayesian statistics were carried out by statisticians at the Norwegian Computing Center.
2000 figures make the difference
When the researchers at CICERO and the Norwegian Computing Center applied their model and statistics to analyse temperature readings from the air and ocean for the period ending in 2000, they found that climate sensitivity to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration will most likely be 3.7?C, which is somewhat higher than the IPCC prognosis.
But the researchers were surprised when they entered temperatures and other data from the decade 2000-2010 into the model; climate sensitivity was greatly reduced to a "mere" 1.9?C.
Professor Berntsen says this temperature increase will first be upon us only after we reach the doubled level of CO2 concentration (compared to 1750) and maintain that level for an extended time, because the oceans delay the effect by several decades.
Natural changes also a major factor
The figure of 1.9?C as a prediction of global warming from a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration is an average. When researchers instead calculate a probability interval of what will occur, including observations and data up to 2010, they determine with 90% probability that global warming from a doubling of CO2 concentration would lie between 1.2?C and 2.9?C.
This maximum of 2.9?C global warming is substantially lower than many previous calculations have estimated. Thus, when the researchers factor in the observations of temperature trends from 2000 to 2010, they significantly reduce the probability of our experiencing the most dramatic climate change forecast up to now.
Professor Berntsen explains the changed predictions: "The Earth's mean temperature rose sharply during the 1990s. This may have caused us to overestimate climate sensitivity.
"We are most likely witnessing natural fluctuations in the climate system -- changes that can occur over several decades -- and which are coming on top of a long-term warming. The natural changes resulted in a rapid global temperature rise in the 1990s, whereas the natural variations between 2000 and 2010 may have resulted in the levelling off we are observing now."
Climate issues must be dealt with
Terje Berntsen emphasises that his project's findings must not be construed as an excuse for complacency in addressing human-induced global warming. The results do indicate, however, that it may be more within our reach to achieve global climate targets than previously thought.
Regardless, the fight cannot be won without implementing substantial climate measures within the next few years.
Sulphate particulates
The project's researchers may have shed new light on another factor: the effects of sulphur-containing atmospheric particulates.
Burning coal is the main way that humans continue to add to the vast amounts of tiny sulphate particulates in the atmosphere. These particulates can act as condensation nuclei for cloud formation, cooling the climate indirectly by causing more cloud cover, scientists believe. According to this reasoning, if Europe, the US and potentially China reduce their particulate emissions in the coming years as planned, it should actually contribute to more global warming.
But the findings of the Norwegian project indicate that particulate emissions probably have less of an impact on climate through indirect cooling effects than previously thought.
So the good news is that even if we do manage to cut emissions of sulphate particulates in the coming years, global warming will probably be less extreme than feared.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Research Council of Norway. The original article was written by B?rd Amundsen/Else Lie; translation: Darren McKellep/Carol B. Eckmann.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/T3NUeZNN3E4/130125103927.htm
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Crystal Cruises entices bookings through brand ... - Luxury Daily
Crystal Symphony
Crystal Cruises is eyeing affluent travelers by offering exclusive Mediterranean excursions on its spring itineraries that cannot be accessed through other travel brands.
The cruise line?s new collection of experiences called ?Boutique Adventures? will be available this spring for groups ranging from one to 15 travelers on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity ships sailing to the Mediterranean. Guests will have exclusive access to estates, art studios, museums, castles and businesses.
?Our guests are looking for different ways to experience destinations and they relish insider access,? said Mimi Weisband, vice president of public relations at?Crystal Cruises, Los Angeles. ?We are continually challenging our tour operators to seek out the unusual, experiential, intimate, cultural adventures.
?Our guests do not want a mass-market excursion ? they will pay more for something if it is unique and authentic,? she said.
Cruising the Mediterranean
There are seven Boutique Adventures that guests can choose. The cost ranges from $223 to more than $1,000 per guest.
Travelers can book the excursions online up to six months before their cruise.
The Florence excursion comprises a viewing of the Uffizi Gallery?s private Contini Bonacossi Collection, which is not accessible to the public.
In Funchal, Portugal, guests will have lunch with a local celebrity at Reid?s Palace or visit a family-run Madeiran winery where they will dine with the owners.
During the Rome experience, guests will make their own jewelry with instruction from a former Valentino model who now designs jewelry.
The Corfu, Greece, excursion consists of a painting lesson from the president of the Corfu Painters Society.
In Italy?s Vetriano, guests will attend the opera at Teatro Concordia, the?smallest public theater in the world.
Teatro Concordia
Excursions in Sorrento and Taormina, Italy, comprise?cooking lessons and meals with local, Michelin-star chefs.
In Taormina in Italy?s Sicily region, travelers will be served a meal while watching a classical concert at a Sicilian castle.
Crystal Cruises will promote the Boutique Adventures via its Web site, quarterly magazine and the on-board Shore Excursion team, per Ms. Weisband.
In addition, travel agents will also inform their clients about the experiences.
?The cruise industry has been becoming more aware of the large portion of the affluent travelers who shy away from cruises due to many misconceptions and overall lack of desire to be on-board the mega-ships,? said D.M. Banks, director at?DMB Public Relations, New York.
?Crystal Cruises is always looking at ways to provide the luxuries of cruises, while providing a boutique experience for their guests,? he said. ?This is another example of them thinking outside of the box to truly connect with their guests.
?Affluent travelers are more than happy to pay a premium for superior services and, more importantly, unique and personalized experiences. These intimate and semi-private excursions are great ways for guest to feel more immersed into the culture and destinations while at port.?
Story time
The new Boutique Adventures are meant to align with Crystal Cruises? ?Begin a New Story? ad campaign that launched last year, per Ms. Weisband.
The cruise line rebranded itself during the second quarter of 2012 through an all-encompassing campaign that centers on the notion of the travel journal and encourages consumers to share memories from past cruises.
The marketing efforts focus on cruise destinations and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, rather than the amenities of the ship.
Begin a New Story uses multiple channels including print ads with digital watermark technology, brochures, online banner ads, email, video and a smartphone app.
For instance, print ads appear in Cond? Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, Coastal Living, Elle D?cor, Food & Wine and Forbes Life.
Consumers can scan the ads with their smartphones to reveal a 60-second video that shows three travelers? experiences in select Crystal Cruises? destinations through watercolor animation.
The brand asked eight watercolor artists to create images that are used in all aspects of the campaign (see story).
?The trend for affluent consumers is more intimate and incredibly special ? both of which are key to these excursions,? Ms. Weisband said.
?Entering someone?s home, sharing a meal with them and just a few other guests, and being able to hear in-depth stories of living and working in that area from your host ? these are experiences that can be deeply personal, bonding and memorable, really expanding one?s understanding of a culture far beyond any info gleaned from merely sight-seeing,? she said.
?Affluent consumers crave such experiences that go beyond the norm, as so many of them travel at a level well above the basics.?
Final Take
Tricia Carr, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
Tricia Carr is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at tricia@napean.com.
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Tags: Begin a New Story, Boutique Adventures, Crystal Cruises, Crystal Serenity, Crystal Symphony, In-store, luxury, luxury marketing, luxury travel, Mediterranean travel, Mimi Weisband, travel and hospitality, travel marketing
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Arcade video shooting games pulled after massacres
In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo; Richard Reitnauer of Yonkers, N.Y., poses outside the Ridge Hill Showcase Cinema De Lux movie theater in Yonkers, where his complaint about a violent arcade game led to its removal. The theater replaced it with a Pac-Man game. (AP Photo/The Journal News, Colin Gustafson) MANDATORY CREDIT; NYC OUT; NO SALES
In this Jan. 17, 2013 photo; Richard Reitnauer of Yonkers, N.Y., poses outside the Ridge Hill Showcase Cinema De Lux movie theater in Yonkers, where his complaint about a violent arcade game led to its removal. The theater replaced it with a Pac-Man game. (AP Photo/The Journal News, Colin Gustafson) MANDATORY CREDIT; NYC OUT; NO SALES
BOSTON (AP) ? It was 10 days after a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators in Newtown, Conn., when Tracey Hyams and her family came upon a teenager firing a lifelike toy rifle on a video game at a Massachusetts highway rest stop.
As Hyams, her husband and their 12-year-old son walked by, they could hear the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire coming from the arcade game.
"We looked at each other and said, 'Did you see that? How inappropriate,'" Hyams said.
She sent an email to Massachusetts transportation officials, asking them to remove the game. About a week later, they got a response ? the state pulled not just that game, but eight others at rest areas along the Massachusetts Turnpike.
In Yonkers, N.Y., a moviegoer got similar action this month after he complained about a video shooting game in the lobby of the Showcase cinema complex there. National Amusements Inc. removed the game and replaced it with a Pac Man game.
In both cases, owners of the games said they were trying to be sensitive in the wake of the horrific Newtown massacre.
An executive with National Amusements, based in Norwood, Mass., said the theater chain plans to review its theaters to determine whether additional games should also be removed.
"We are going to meet with our vendor who supplies the games, and we're going to review it on a case-by-case basis," said Steve Horton, vice president of operations for National Amusements, a Norwood, Mass., company that operates more than 1,500 movie screens around the world.
Sara Lavoie, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said Hyams noted in her email that Newtown is about an hour away from the rest area in Charlton where her family saw the shooting game on Christmas Eve, 10 days after the school shooting.
"We thought, 'Yeah, we agree with you. We will ask that all of the video games be replaced with more passive video games,'" Lavoie said.
Simon Kubiak, a founding member of the National Video Game Association LLC, an association of video gamers, said he sees the pulling of the arcade games as an overreaction.
"There are billions of copies of games out there, and the incidence of mass shootings hasn't increased. I don't think there's any correlation between the video game industry and the movie industry and mass shootings," he said.
"It's a terrible event, no doubt, but I think the powers that be need to address underlying problems and not cast blame on the video gaming industry."
Richard Reitnauer, the Yonkers moviegoer, said he first noticed the game after seven people were shot to death in July in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. He didn't complain then, but when he noticed the game again days after the Newtown shooting, he called National Amusement's headquarters and asked if the company would remove it.
"I told him that I felt it was inappropriate game in an inappropriate place within view. You can hardly walk into this large theater lobby without your eyes drifting over to the game area. I told him that in the context of the shootings, this was kind of like the last straw. Society needs to become more sensitive," Reitnauer said.
When Reitnauer heard back from the company two weeks later, he was told the game had been removed.
"I feel it was a good gesture for the theater to take the guns out, and if everybody across America decided to take a small step, we just might start getting at some solutions."
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