Idaho Falls Under Snow Alert

All the snow in recent days has prompted the City of Idaho Falls to declare a Snow Alert effective indefinitely.

That gives the city street department a chance to clear the snow off the roads to make them safer for everyone to get around.

This is only the second snow alert the mayor has declared for the city, but after getting an estimated 8 to 10 inches of snowfall since last Thursday night there's a lot of snow that has to be moved.

Monday morning, the city street department had more than 60 city and contracted workers out removing snow. It is a massive effort to remove piles of snow. Workers will be out clearing the residential and main roads around the clock over the next few days.

Under this Snow Alert, Monday was designated that all cars be off of the north and south streets by 8 a.m. or they are towed.

Seargent Dave Frei with the Idaho Falls Police Department, who was out Monday morning working on ticketing and towing, asks everyone to pay attention to the Snow Alert by moving your car off the roads needing to be plowed.

Sgt. Dave Frei: "Just be aware that tomorrow we're going to be out bright and early doing the east, west streets in the A zones and here if they can just have their cars moved before 8 o'clock it will be easiest for them, easiest for us."

Tuesday the east and west streets will be plowed if your car is in the way, it will be towed around the corner and you will be ticketed 45 dollars.

The mayor is the one who can cancel the snow alert and it will stay in effect until he determines it should end.

For more details on this snow alert including a map of the streets go to the City of Idaho Falls website.

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Obesity Virus

Can you really catch germs that will cause you to gain weight?!

New reports today suggest that obesity can be "caught" -- and that an airborne "adenovirus" germ could be causing the obesity crisis around the world!

According to these reports, up to one in three people who are carrying around extra weight may be able to attribute their obesity to the "highly infectious cold-like virus, known as AD-36."

Allegedly, studies on humans have revealed that 33% of overweight adults have contracted the virus at some point in their lives, while the same is true for only 11% of lean adults.

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Trand Alert : 2009 Sag Awards.

Last night at the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, the red carpet was filled with celebrities from television and film. In true Hollywood tradition, all of the women arrived dressed to the nines in ball-gowns and baubles from big name designers and everyone's hair and makeup was flawless. Some of my favourite beauties were January Jones who looked slightly 70's with her loose waves and gold eye shadow, and Freida Pinto whose soft, smoky makeup enhanced her creamy caramel skin. I also noticed that most hairstyles had body as opposed to looking stick straight. In particular, the elegant and timeless wavy updo reigned supreme. Out of these eight elaborate looks, whose do you like the most?

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SF Opera commissions 3 world premieres

The San Francisco Opera plans to commission new operas by American composers Christopher Theofanidis, Mark Adamo and Jennifer Higdon.

The announcement Monday coincided with the release of the schedule for 2009-10, conductor Nicola Luisotti's first as music director. The company canceled a planned new production of Britten's "Peter Grimes" and a revival of Puccini's "La Boheme" because of finances.

Theofanidis' work will focus on heroism and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. It will have a libretto by Donna DiNovelli and is planned to premiere in September 2011. Adamo's opera, "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene," is scheduled to open in June 2013 and will have a libretto by the composer. Higdon's opera, with a libretto by Gene Scheer, is to open in the autumn 2013. The subject was not announced.

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DeVotchKa mixes up world-beat stew at World Cafe Live

The first thing to notice when watching any audience take in the Balkans-meets-Bolero cabaret of DeVotchKa is how the listeners react.

The rabidly enthusiastic throng that sold out World Café Live on Friday certainly knew the nattily dressed quartet through the use of its music in films such as Everything Is Illuminated and Little Miss Sunshine.

Still, kids and adults in the crowd quizzed their buds as to what country such beautiful, mad, bad, ethno-something music could come from. Slovakia? Greece? Mexico? France?

DeVotchKa's sound of foreign intrigue was born in Denver, in the province of Colorado. Take that, Romania.

Denver's mile-high airiness is probably responsible for giving the band's delightfully melodic arrangements such spaciousness, such epic grandeur.

For, rather than sounding kitchen-sink cluttered, DeVotchKa's combination of world-weary chanson, waltz, rai, tango, mariachi, polka, country and atmospheric pop blended ever so elegantly.

That can't be easy when the guitarist is doubling up on theremin when he isn't busy singing like Bono (at his most supple) and Slim Whitman. Or when the drummer jumps between his kit and his trumpet. Yet DeVotchKa made the whole mess effortless.

Tom Hagerman went back and forth between accordion and violin, crafting rolling, thunderous waltzes such as "Head Honcho" and gypsy-whining ballads. His pirouetting piano throughout "Along the Way" was his most potent contribution - simple and sweet.

Though she brightened the stage with a sousaphone lined in Christmas lights, Jeanie Schroder's coolest contributions came through creating dense, pliable rhythms - not just the oompah-oompah bounce usually attributed to the tubalike instrument, but a genuine, fluid pulse during every song. Schroder played stand-up bass, too, and crafted a swarming-bee buzzing during a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" that was scarier than the original.

But Nick Urata was DeVotchKa's oddest instrument - playing bouzouki like a ragged punk, toying with his theremin like a mad scientist. Mostly, though, his fragile voice was the night's spookiest highlight - cooing the high, yodeling bridges of the plucky, daydreamy "The Clockwise Witness" and haunting stately ballads such as "How It Ends."

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Obama on the world stage

Obama is in the world news. His news is all over the place.
China Daily, China's English-language newspaper: President Barack Obama has portrayed himself as a pragmatist, and empiricist. Then he should not shut his eyes to the most precious diplomatic legacy of his predecessor.

Sino-U.S. relations have been fragile and vulnerable to politicizing, owing to both Cold War ideologies and conflicting interests. Judging from his previous words, President Obama may see China as a competitor his country will have to deal with. The next question is how.

Interdependence between the two economies is beyond description, particularly during this recession. From the financial crisis to regional stability to global warming, they need each other anyway, even if unwillingly. So zero-sum games are simply out of the question.

The good news for Mr. Obama is that his predecessor, through eight years in office, has laid a decent foundation for one of the world's most influential relationships. That is a fine bequest he should generously embrace.

Times of India: Mr. Obama's inauguration party, which has seen millions of Americans pour onto the streets to have a blast, is a fine celebration of democratic ideals and values. Democracy's enabling promises are why Americans and those who share similar values elsewhere are raising a toast as they welcome President Barack Hussein Obama.

Arab News, Saudi Arabia: If Arab and Muslim eyes were less focused on Washington ... it is because the pain of Gaza is too raw. Even so, we too have high hopes that, after eight years of catastrophic American engagement in the region, there will be a more balanced, more intelligent, more collaborative approach from Washington. For more than half a century, the U.S. has treated the region like an errant imperial possession that needs to be taken in hand, but these last eight years have been the worst. ...

Hope unfulfilled can be reborn as bitter resentment. The unavoidable truth is that the new president is not going to be able to deliver on all his promises, let alone everyone else's expectations of him that exceed by far anything he promised.

Yediot Ahronot, Israel: When the festive noise fades in Washington, and in Jerusalem, the joy over the victory in Gaza, the big U.S. and little Israel must - with or without Europe - look for any and all means to strike at Iran's capabilities - military, economic and diplomatic.

In a more pointed note to President Obama: Up to now, your speeches have been fantastic. Now let's see your actions.

The News, Mexico: Our northern neighbor has sworn in a new president amid scenes of joyous celebration. ... The Calderón administration hopes Mexico will be a player in the U.S. foreign policy debate (and not just as a security risk). The hope is that Mexico will be seated at the table as alternatives and solutions are discussed, and not be regarded as the problem. ... Patience and pragmatism will benefit us most. But for now, it is enough to marvel at the transition itself, particularly how it was accepted - and even embraced - by those who were defeated in the polls last November. That aspect of democracy is something we have yet to achieve. Well, that and accountability - and government transparency.

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Obama Reverses Key Bush Security Policies

President Obama reversed the most disputed counterterrorism policies of the Bush administration on Thursday, declaring that “our ideals give us the strength and moral high ground” in the fight against Al Qaeda. But Mr. Obama postponed for months decisions on complex questions the United States has been grappling with since the terrorist attacks of 2001.
Mr. Obama signed executive orders closing the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, within a year; ending the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret prisons; and requiring all interrogations to follow the noncoercive methods of the Army Field Manual. “We intend to win this fight,” he said. “We are going to win it on our own terms.” His actions on the second full day of his presidency won praise from human rights groups and Democrats in Congress, who said the new policies would help restore the United States’ moral authority. Mr. Obama invited to the signing ceremony 16 retired generals and admirals who had spoken out against what they called torture. Their passionate appeal to end harsh interrogations “made an extraordinary impression on me,” he said. Mr. Obama’s orders struck a powerful new tone and represented an important first step toward rewriting American rules for dealing with terrorism suspects. But only his decision to halt for now the military trials under way at Guantánamo Bay seemed likely to have immediate practical significance, with other critical policy choices to be resolved by task forces set up within the administration. Among the questions that the White House did not resolve on Thursday were these: What should be done with terrorists who cannot be tried in American courts, either because evidence against them was obtained by torture or because intelligence is too sensitive to use in court? Should some interrogation methods remain secret to keep Al Qaeda from training to resist them? How can the United States make sure prisoners transferred to other countries will not be tortured?Members of Mr. Obama’s national security team have expressed a wide variety of views on interrogation and detention policy, and there is likely to be robust internal debate before the questions are resolved.

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Obama calls for new manner forwards with the Muslim world

New President Barack Obama of the USA dedicated Tuesday to seek has new in front of manner with the Muslim world after eight years rock under his George W. Bush predecessor, but he also informed that the United States to demolish terror.

In its speech by taking the office, the also made promises echo of countryside of Obama for two principal Muslim nations by saying the United States will start to leave in a responsible way Iraq with its people, and forge a peace gained hard in Afghanistan.

Obama was dedicated to strike operation on the ground its first complete day in the White House Wednesday when the senate, according to a Democratic source of control, votes on its choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the diplomat of the USA of chief.

Confronted with a whole of challenges discouraging through the Muslim world -- Palestinian territories towards Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan -- Obama gave a new tonality and promised a fresh balance under the diplomatic use, the soldiers and other forms of power.

Safety in the post 9/11 America, it pawned, will not come at the expense giving up the ideals of the USA of the freedom and the rule of the right, that the critics in the whole world say the administration of Bush trampled above by leading her war on terror.

In a blow with the unilateral military force that Bush employed to invade Iraq in 2003, Obama indicated the preceding American generations had demolishes the Fascism and the Communism with vigorous alliances and of the convictions of resistance without counting that the recourse to the armed intervention.

These generation knew that the USA safety emanates from justness of our cause, the force of our example, qualities of mixing of, humility and of constraint Obama said, referring to the charges of the arrogance moulded with the administration of Bush.

Its administration will be guided by principles such as it gathering these new threats which require. still larger a co-operation and arrangement enter, of nations Obama declared.

We will start to leave in a responsible way Iraq with its people, and forge a peace gained hard in, of Afghanistan it said.

During its long presidential campaign, Obama was dedicated to repair alliances, in particular with Europe, whose support it seeks to help to stabilize Afghanistan where the Taliban reappeared like threatens after his ousting by forces of the USA in 2001.

With old friends and old enemy, we will work inlassablement to decrease, nuclear power of threat it said.

It referred to has with new approach to both it and Clinton promised towards the control in Iran 'nuclear ambitions of S while diplomatically engaging with the country of Moslems shiites.

And for those which seek to advance their objectives by inducing the terror and the demolition of innocent, we say to you maintaining that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot survive us, and we will demolish you that, it informed.

As a nation of crucible, cannot help us but believe that old hatreds will spend one day; that the lines of the tribe will dissolve soon, it said.

With the Muslim world, we seek a new manner, based ahead on the mutual interest and, mutual of respect he added.

He did not refer any direct to the conflict Palestinian-Israeli which burst on December 27 again when Israel launched three weeks a military offensive against the islamist movement of Hamas to Gaza only to the stall in a precarious truce in end of the week.

Obama and Clinton were dedicated to treat this conflict immediately.

Washington Post indicated plans late Wednesday of Obama to call the former George conciliator of Northern Ireland Mitchell as a its new delegate of the Middle East.

Mitchell, 75, are the son of a Lebanese immigrant mother, and an Irish father who once lost his parents was adopted by a family Lebanese. The choice, if confirmed, seems together to alleviate the Arab and others critical which dispute Washington is eccentric in favour of Israel.

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President Obama makes his way to new office

Inaugural parade heads to White House, celebrating first black U.S. leader

Barack Hussein Obama, 47, made his first journey to the White House as the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday afternoon, leading the inaugural parade after promising a new era of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

The president thrilled the tens of thousands of spectators lining the parade route twice when he and his wife, Michelle, got out of their limousine, first in front of the U.S. Navy Memorial early along the route and again closer to the White House, where they were joined by Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. Wearing broad smiles, they waved to the throng, which chanted “Obama! Obama!”

It was Americans’ first glimpse of their new president, who officially assumed power at noon ET, even though he had not formally been sworn in because the inaugural ceremonies were running behind schedule.

Taken from msn.com

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A New Media inauguration?

Will Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington today prove to be the biggest new media event ever? Maybe - but it could also turn out to be a triumph for the old media. If you want to watch the event live, then there are innumerable ways. Here in the UK you can see it on BBC1 and, if you have multi-channel TV, on Sky News, CNN or plenty of others. But that is just the beginning. If you're at a computer rather than in front of the telly, it will still be very easy to watch the swearing-in of President Obama live, with everyone from Joost to C-SPAN - and of course this site - offering a live stream. Then there is all the social networking and other interactive bells and whistles. So Facebook and Twitter will be alive with comments and links, and just about every other site will be telling you theirs is the best place to be to experience the swearing-in of the 44th President. One of our rivals, CNN, has what sounds like a great idea. It is asking anyone who is attending the inauguration to take a photo at precisely 1200 (1700 GMT) when Obama takes the oath and send it to the cable news station. They will then use a Microsoft program called Photosynth to create what could be an extraordinary 3D image of a moment in history. The BBC website also has all sorts of plans. There will be a live event page, with reports from correspondents in the field, blog posts, and Twitter messages. There will be video reactions sent in by users of services like Seesmic and Qik, and there will be a "mood map" with people around the world invited to say whether they are optimistic or pessimistic about an Obama administration, and their reactions then flagged on the map. I looked back at our online coverage of the inauguration of President George W Bush in January 2001. It looks pretty plain vanilla - lots of text, but no embedded video or social networking. Of course back then in the dim and distant past, nobody had heard of Facebook, MySpace or Twitter - because they did not exist. So, given all of this innovation, how many people will choose to be online rather than on the sofa for President Obama's inaugural speech? Back in 2001, the BBC site was used by around one million people on an average day, whereas these days an average audience is six million, and that rises to 10 million for really big events, like the US Presidential election back in November. But one of my colleagues, who analyses our web traffic, isn't convinced that the inauguration will be a big online event, pointing out that it doesn't play to the strengths of the internet. He told me that big web events involve a lot of data, like an election, or a lot of conflict, with people coming online to argue. With Barack Obama already elected and the sole focus of the event, there is not much information to digest - and not a lot to argue about. What this feels like is a classic television event. Of modern inaugurations, that of Ronald Reagan in 1981 drew the biggest US television audience with around 42 million people tuning in, while George W Bush's second inaugural address in 2005 was watched by just 15 million. There are predictions that President Obama will bust all records - in the US and globally. So this looks like an event that could see the old media - or at least one of them, broadcast televsion - stage a fightback. But the great thing about the online coverage is that it will be around for years to come, as a resource for history students and schoolchildren. I've been looking at YouTube, where I found plenty of videos of President Kennedy's celebrated inaugural address. Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Chicago was the most popular piece of video ever on the BBC site, with 1.7 million views. Perhaps his inaugural address - if he gets it right - will break that record?

Taken from BBC News

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1 of 2 sisters awaiting transplant gets new heart

A girl of the north of Texas the 7 years old girl which was placed on a list of Clerc's Office with his/her sister last spring obtained a new heart Monday.

The sisters, both placed on the list on April 3, had been diagnosed with the restrictive cardiomyopathy, which means that their hearts put 't slacken as they would have between the pumps, thus they put fill correctly of blood.

Emily 's sister 9 year old, Shayde Smith, always awaits a new heart.

After the five hours surgery Monday, Emily was making marvelously, Dr. says Kristine Guleserian, the paediatric surgeon cardiothoracic who carried out the team during the operation to the children's dallas medical centre.

It seems, told to the girls's mother, Natalie Van Noy impressive.

A difference it is already noted is that Emily's hands and feet are now hot. She was , icy of cold she said.

Van Noy said that Shayde went also to see his/her sister in the intensive care and held its hand.

Guleserian, surgical director of the cardiac programme of transplantation to the children 's and the medical centre of the south-west of University of Texas, indicated that the condition the divided sisters is rare, to less one in million diagnosed children.

One to two years after diagnosis, the possibility of survival is only from the 40 to 50 percent, it said. The condition could cause a blood clot or a sudden cardiac death.

While it isn 't rare so that the children of same parents require for Clerc's Offices, it is rare that they would need them at the same time, WFP Silvestri indicated, a spokesperson for the alliance of Clerc's Office of south-west, one of the agencies of donation of body through the country which provides bodies to the hospitals of Clerc's Office.

Two is at the same time, rather unknown it said.

Emily was a higher priority for the Clerc's Office than Shayde because it had more symptoms, including wheezing charms and its lips, toes and ends of the finger turning blue when it obtained the cold too much.

Guleserian indicated that while they prepared with the surgery, it realized that it, Shayde and the girls 'mother were each of the three collars of wearing of heart. When Guleserian noted these was not Emily carrying a collar of heart, they indicated to him that Emily had broken. Guleserian answered: Us about him to today give nine.

Van Noy said that a friend had given him a collar with an angel of guard in a heart during the summer. Then the girls obtained the same collar for Christmas. She said that Emily's chain broke a few days ago.

Van Noy said it maintaining on a mission to obtain in Emily a new chain for the collar.

Guleserian indicated that she thinks that the successful surgery provided a direction of relief for Shayde on what she will undergo.

Van Noy was appropriate. It is still nervous about it, but it said that now that Emily did it through, it knows that it.

He nonknown what because the girls of the conditions. One of the girls the paediatric cardiologists indicated that while the girls condition seems to run in the families, it has not however proven to be genetic. Their mother said that there is no history of the condition in its family or the family of the girls's father. The younger half-brother has a normal heart.

The girls are area of Boyd, approximately 30 miles of the North-West of Fort Worth.

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Inauguration news posted to social-networking sites

The General Services Administration and the Presidential Inaugural Committee are tapping into social-networking technology to provide the public with detailed reports, real-time updates and photos of the festivities in Washington this week.

For example, GSA's Gov Gab blog is offering coverage of the events, including the opening ceremonies, the swearing-in, and the Kids’ Inaugural Concert featuring the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

GSA’s Office of Citizen Services is asking for input from the public about what kind of information should be included in the coverage of the inauguration. In addition to the kids’ concert today at the Verizon Center, GSA plans to cover the swearing-in ceremony Jan. 20 and the Commander-in-Chief Ball that night at the National Building Museum.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is also sponsoring a blog . The site lets people sign up to receive information and updates about free inaugural events via their mobile devices.

Text messages on how to prepare for the inauguration, weather updates, and alerts about buses and trains in Washington are also available.

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Slim May Invest $250 Million in New York Times

The Mexican billionaire thin Carlos is in the talks to invest approximately $250 million at New York Times Co., his newspaper of brought back flagship, because the editor continues the financing to help off-centering a slide of deepening in publicity.

Thin can buy some ten years notes which are convertible in ordinary actions and receive a special annual dividend as high as 10 percent on the investment, times brought back yesterday, quoting people given of the instructions on the talks. The plans of council to meet today to approve the business, which can be announced tomorrow, the newspaper indicated.

NewYork Times, with a facility of the credit $400 million expiring in May, tries to support the money cash and to pay in bottom of the debt while the sales of advertisements dry upwards. The company reduced its dividend in November and tries to raise $225 million an operation of transfer-lease of sale of its head offices of Manhattan. The company also seeks a purchaser for his stake in the team of baseball of Boston Red Sox, according to a person with the knowledge of the talks.

Thin, the man second-rich person of the world according to Forbes Magazine, increases his possessions in the editor of newspapers based in New York on the one hand passive of 6.4 percent as from mean September 4., 68, is outside the investor third-biggest with the company of the family of control of Ochs-Sulzberger.

Per hour of its initial investment, it quoted attractive value of the company. Since mean possessions were reported in a classification of standardization of September, the shares slide 52 percent. They were closed to $6.41 on January 16 on New York Stock Exchange, making the mean value of stake approximately $58.3 million, downwards starting from $121.2 million over September 4.

No right to vote

Wall Street Journal brought back on January 17 which thin was in the talks to invest more with the company, including a possible exit of prefer-actions without the special right to vote.

Catherine Mathis, a spokesperson for NewYork Times, and thin spokesperson Arturo Elias Ayub refused to comment on.

In a note of December to the employees, Jr. of Arthur Sulzberger, the President of company and the editor of his newspaper of flagship, called the 2009 of the financial perspectives discouraging. NewYork Times, the third larger editor of newspapers of the United States, announced a fall of 13 percent in sales of advertisements for the first 11 months of 2008, including a dive of 21 percent in November.

Last month, the company said that it was open options of placement which include the renewable credit, the private public offerings and placements. NewYork Times also indicated that it was in the discussions with lenders and does not envisage to entirely replace the facility of the credit $400 million. The editor finished the third quarters with $1.1 billion in the debt and $46 million cash and the equivalents.

Thin has the mobile supplier of SAB of America Movil and larger Latin of the phone service of America, and the SAB of Telefonos Of Mexico, the largest operator of the land line of this country.

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IBM Lotus Introduces New Portfolio of Integrated Cloud Services

Update news about computer company, IBM. IBM today announced LotusLive, a cloud-based portfolio of social networking and collaboration services designed for business. LotusLive will extend customers' current investments and link to everyday business services. LotusLive.com is now the place to find all of Lotus' cloud solutions including email, collaboration and Web conferencing services. "With LotusLive, we are brining 20 years of experience in collaboration to the cloud," said Bob Picciano, general manager, IBM Lotus software. "We believe our open, integrated platform will dramatically simplify and improve the way businesses interact with their partners and customers. With this offering we're taking Lotus to more people, in more places, than ever before." LotusLive is designed to help companies work smarter by making it easy for them to connect and work together -- with an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use. LotusLive's online services give businesses of all sizes access to Lotus' rich collaboration tools without requiring an up-front investment in IT support resources or infrastructure. "During the open beta I've seen how an open, cloud-based community has the potential to support my organization's rapid development efficiently and effectively, while remaining centralized and manageable," said Darian Hendricks, president and executive director, Robert R. Taylor Network, Inc. "I think there are endless possibilities for building enterprise partnerships with technology that facilitates business relationships around team-based projects." LotusLive is built using open Web-based standards and an open business model allowing it to easily integrate with third party applications. Today Lotus previewed several examples of "Click to Cloud" -- the ability to seamlessly link on-premise solutions with LotusLive services. "Click to Cloud" will help customers extend the value of their existing investments by making it easy to bridge solutions inside the firewall to the cloud. IBM also previewed compelling business partner application integration. IBM announced partnerships with Skype, LinkedIn and salesforce.com that will deliver integrated collaborative solutions to an audience of more than 400 million people worldwide. LinkedIn, an online network of more than 34 million business professionals, announced today it intends to work with IBM to connect the LinkedIn network with LotusLive. LotusLive users will be able to search LinkedIn's public professional network and then instantly collaborate with them using LotusLive services. Salesforce.com today demonstrated integrating LotusLive services within its CRM solutions, helping to simplify and improve customer interactions. Businesses will be able to extend the customer and opportunity management work done in the Salesforce CRM application with the collaborative capability of LotusLive. Skype has announced plans to integrate its voice and video with LotusLive to create a seamless communications experience. This integration will allow LotusLive customers to conveniently call Skype contacts from within their LotusLive contacts. Learn more about the LotusLive portfolio at: www.LotusLive.com. IBM, Lotus, LotusLive, and WebSphere are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries or both. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

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New Dallas Cowboys stadium official ensures a fan-friendly experience

Paul Turner won't get credit or blame for how the Dallas Cowboys play this fall or the design of the team's $1.1 billion stadium.

Paul Turner

But most everything else happening at the new stadium will fall on the shoulders of this former Philadelphia Eagles staffer. As the Cowboys' game day experience guru, Turner was hired to ensure that nothing in the parking lots or concourses detracts from fans' enjoyment of the game.

"We're the team off the field," he said. "We can't affect what happens between the white lines, but we contribute to all the other experiences on game day."

Turner, who was hired last summer as director of event operations to oversee responsibilities ranging from the concession stand to restroom lines, signed on to a job that's mostly invisible to the public.

For his job, he literally traces the footsteps of a hypothetical fan from the parking lot to the seats. He tries to guess where the fans' eyes will naturally go so he can help place the more 3,000 "wayfinding" signs.

So far, he's wandered the construction site, pored over stadium maps and marked the spots where each of the 1,500-plus employees will be stationed on game day.

"Everything is mapped out," Turner said. "It's like diagramming a football play. You make sure everyone has a position and is in position."

Turner was hired from the Eagles, where he worked as event services manager from 2004 to 2008. He also held a similar position at the Portland Trail Blazers' basketball arena.

In Philadelphia, Turner started the year after Lincoln Financial Field opened. This time, he'll have nearly a year to plan for the opening of the Cowboys, stadium. The first event – which hasn't been announced – is expected in June.

Leonard Bonacci, director of event operations and Turner's former boss in Philadelphia, said the Cowboys made a smart hire. He said Turner has the analytical mind and temperament for such a challenge.

"It's like you're the mayor of a small city," Bonacci said.

Unlike a mayor, this job doesn't get much publicity or credit from the outside world. And when it does, that's not always a good thing, said Dexter King, CEO of Coppell-based International Association of Assembly Managers.

"People recognize when they've experienced a hassle," he said. "I don't know that they always notice when everything is so great. You don't want them to experience anything but great. You want everyone to see it as a seamless experience."

Turner said his job requires a combination of experience and the ability to see the stadium with fresh eyes. One of the hardest tasks is stripping away his knowledge of the stadium.

"It's trying to put myself in the shoes of that guest and walk around and see things as they would see them," Turner said.

He said he sometimes watches people in public places to study where they look and how they interact with their surroundings. Those observations as well as practical experience with the ebb and flow of crowds during a football game help him understand the "choreography" of staff placement.

Turner said he knows that fans will rush to the concession stands and restrooms at halftime.

"As people queue up for the restrooms, we want to make sure that's an orderly process and they're not interfering with a concession line," he said.

When additional concession stands open, Turner said he already knows that extra staff will be needed to direct the lines and make sure they don't stretch into the concourses and choke the traffic flow.

"We don't want to invent these things on the fly or react to guest needs," he said. "Our job is to anticipate them and design it into the operations."

Technology also is giving him new tools, Turner said. He is setting up a phone number that will allow fans to send a text message to the Cowboys and report troublemakers at the stadium.

Staff also will have two-way pagers to allow them to quickly call a dispatcher for help.

"All of that activity gets logged, so we're tracking the different things that are happening throughout the course of a game," Turner said. "That gives us the data that we need to analyze our operations."

Turner has been working with sports facilities for nearly a decade, but he got his start in a less rough-and-tumble environment. In the early 1990s, he was house manager for the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Southern California and handled the guest services for people more likely to be wearing ties than football jerseys.

"I went from Martha Graham to monster trucks," Turner said about this switch to arena management a few years later.

The change might sound jarring, he said, but the work is remarkably similar. Sports are entertainment of a different sort.

"Just like a stage, everything is engineered so that you as an audience member only see what was designed to be seen," Turner said about sports. "It's a show. It's a performance."

As entertainment, sports have to compete for dollars and leisure time with many other options from increasingly demanding consumers, King said.

"We're a society that wants it now and wants it in a certain way," he said. "Our culture today is much more sophisticated in how they pick and choose than they were 25 years ago."

Turner said he takes the approach that every detail matters – even the small ones. He said he expects an employee who sees a messy condiment stand to straighten it up, even if that isn't his or her job.

That's an approach made famous by the Walt Disney Co., where Turner graduated from the company's customer service program. At Disney, top executives are expected to pick up trash when they see it on the ground at one of the company's theme parks, although Turner said he adopted that philosophy before he took its classes.

Turner said that in the coming months, the initial planning for the Cowboys stadium will wrap up, and June will be the first chance to test a year's worth of work.

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Ulsterman will see Obama inauguration

Ulsterman is placed to be pilot at the person of the historical inauguration of America of the black president of initially.

Barry Newry-born Turley travels to Washington to be among tens of thousands designed to stripe the streets to observe tomorrow Barack Obama officially sworn in inside like forty-fourth President of the United States.

The consultant in public relations and two friends will join four million people approximately who are tilted for grouiller in the city for the ceremony because of the senator of Illinois of the 'election establishing the record of S and the massive bases vote it justified during the countryside of last year.

Barry, which followed Obama operations political since its inaugural speech to the nomination of the preceding candidate John Kerry de Democrat, waits with interest to test the history in manufacture.

Speaking with the bulletin before its voyage four days about a life, he said that he had always kept an eye on Obama and thought if no matter who were going to upwards shake things in the American policy, he would be the man to do it.

By admitting its possibilities of reaching close to the ceremony in the open air Capitol Hill be rather thin , Barry indicated the day would be not only one terminal limiting for the appointed president.

Inauguration coincides with my fortieth birthday thus it is almost a gift of birthday to me. It will be large right of going and to belong to him and to be there on, of day it said.

It will be probably the largest crowd which forever be in Washington: more than there for Martin Luther King was not and certainly more but the inauguration for Clinton or Bush.

It would be large to be enough narrow to locate it personally, but I think just to be there with an great event in the history of the world will be immense.

After having followed the progress of Obama of the primary educations of election, its epic battle with Hillary Clinton for the candidature of Democrat, through with the decisive victory over John McCain on a promise of change, Barry did not have any intention to miss the glory of crowning of a remarkable history.

I thought if I put 't go to this then the whole sequence of operations that I the VE thus interested will have gone. The countryside will be never identical still when Obama functions in four years time and it is the last event of place-piece in its voyage to be actuated. I just decided that I was not going to miss this unique opportunity.

The event most largely envisaged recent periods was prolonged to include five days of celebrations in the USA. It began Saturday when Obama and its family appeared with various functions while travelling from Philadelphia to Washington by rail.

A concert in the open air yesterday with the described superstars commemorative of Lincoln such as Beyonce, U2 and Bruce solid masses and free Springsteen.

Observed by million around the world, the new president will take the oath of taking up the duties, using Abraham Lincoln 'bible inaugural of S, on the stages of Capitol Hill before addressing the nation.

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Barack Obama: Don't fix Don't Tell

Someone should tell incoming president Obama that it would be a big mistake to change the "Don't Ask; Don't Tell" policy in favor of one that "will allow gays to serve openly in all branches of the military forces." What the excellent "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy -- designed by the late sociologist Charles Moskos - did essentially was tell servicemen and women "We will not ask and we will will not pry if you will not make a point of your sexuality." The issue was one of blatancy, of expressiveness. The military was trying to control for expressive expressions of a homosexual sexual preference, just the way it attempts to tamp down expressions of heterosexual interest in gender-integrated military units. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a compromise and a very sane one, which recognized that military men and women serve in very intimate, stressful conditions and that unwanted sexual attention - even perceived sexual attention - would make those conditions even more oppressive. As someone who has spent a lot of time on army bases, navy vessels, and training camps (as research for a book that was not about gays in the military) I can tell you that gays currently serve in the military fairly openly - in that most servicepeople on a base or a ship can tell you who is gay or who is not. These communities are simply too small and intimate for this to be otherwise.

Opponents of "Don't Ask" say that it forbids homosexuals from, say, keeping a photograph of a partner on their desk. This may be, but the new law is more likely to be invoked in courts when the military tries to discharge a man or woman who acts exhibitionistically and disruptively. The charge will, in effect, be sexual-orientation neutral (he or she was disruptive) but lawyers will seize on the newly created discrimination category to claim that he or she is being discriminated against for being "an open homosexual"... and in a sense they will be right, if "open homosexual" is defined as one who is very blatant about his or her sexuality. In other words, it will be impossible to draw a line between what is too open and what is just normal, garden variety "I want to keep a photograph of my partner in my sleeping-bunk" type open. Once again the people who will profit the most will be lawyers.

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Suspects named in cocaine bust

The agents with the regional work group of the North-West of drug stopped seven people and saisissents approximately 2 kilos (approximately 4.4 books as long as that which wrote the means of release kilogrammes ) of cocaine close to the inn of Hampton on the ordering of Bennett, after testimony of two businesses of drug on Saturday January 17.

Acting on an end, the agents observed four people to make 4:30 TOKEN ENTRY of business towards. When the agents approached the men 'car of S to stop them, a man ran away himself, lt Rick Sucee said. Hoping to elude the agents, it ran to Mike neighbor 'world of S RC on the ordering of airport and hid in top, Sucee indicated.

Unfortunately for him, several customers saw it and when a police officer of Bellingham led after the businesses on the ordering of Bennett to help the agents, these customers decreased in bottom of the car and directed the leader towards the man the 'place of S, Sucee indicated. The leaders stopped the fourth man after a short fight.

While the agents finished to the top initial research on the order of Bennett, they received the information of another business of cocaine approximately to occur in the same place, according to a release of work group. Towards 6:30 TOKEN ENTRY, detectives observed three people to make the deal and stopped them without incident.

In addition to cocaine, the agents seized approximately $46.000 cash and three cars.

Those the seven people who were reserved in the prison of the county of Whatcom on the drug-related expenses are: Jr. movement D. Pablo, Terry L. Phair, Alfred J. Vongs, plaster of Handbook J., Brodie L. Stevens, emeries J. Buford and brewer of Deanna K.

The work group is dubious how the seven suspects are associated. The case was being studied Sunday.

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Obama's Inauguration in Modesto: Plenty to do

If you can’t make it to the inauguration of Obama, downtown Modesto might be the next best place to get a feel for the big day. The State Theatre will host inauguration ceremonies at its Inaugural Gala Event starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, and the Gallo Center for the Arts will host the Community Inaugural Ball at 7:30 p.m. The nearby Fat Cat Music House, along with Tresetti’s World Caffe, Clayton’s and the Barkin’ Dog Grill, also will get in the spirit, offering a place to party and special inauguration dinners. The event at the State Theatre begins with hors d’oeuvres and music at 5 p.m., with the ceremony beginning 45 minutes later with the presentation of colors. There will be guest speakers, including Modesto City Council member Garrad Marsh and Ruby Kennedy of the Women’s Auxilliary. Among the other speakers will be Michael Burtch of the Stanislaus County Democratic Central Committee and Frank Johnson, vice president of the NAACP/Modesto-Stanislaus. Then, on the theater’s big screen, attendees can watch the swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural address from earlier in the day. At 7:30 p.m. at the Gallo center’s ball, people will be able to dance to live music, enjoy refreshments and watch televised events from Washington, D.C. Tickets for the State Theatre event is $10 for general admission and $5 for students and children 12 and under. Tickets for the Gallo event are $20, but that can also get you into the State Theatre event for free. In addition, the Fat Cat Music House will have an Obama Party, which goes from 6 p.m.-2 a.m., and include live music and a projection screen TV. Cost is $5 or for free if you have a ticket to the State Theatre event. Meanwhile, Tresetti’s and Clayton's will offer a special inaugural menu, and the Barkin’ Dog will have music and dining with no cover charge.

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Obama's inauguration: Silverlight coup for Microsoft

Microsoft pulled off a coup for Silverlight when it arranged for the American Presidential Inaugural Committee to use the technology for live streaming and on-demand video of Barack Obama's oath-taking ceremony this coming Tuesday. Prior to the actual swearing-in event, Obama and vice-president-elect Joe Biden will be making a Whistle Stop Tour from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. Video of their stop in Baltimore will also be available via the special website.

Brad Smith, Microsoft directing of the Legal departments, said, Microsoft is proud to be part of this event by the assistance to bring the activities of inauguration on line. For those which cannot employ Silverlight, the inauguration will be run per many of other sources of news in the flash, including the BBC.

Convention 2008 Democratic main road was also emission using Silverlight, although it was also provided by other sources in the flash.

The interest of Obama for transparency in the government is behind such is occupied, and the congress of the USA moved in the same way with the ties of form with Google-had YouTube, as reported here earlier. Criticisms, however, were fast to whether ask such ties of government the companies--and their technologies of industrial property--be in the best interests of the citizens. Questions of intimacy were also increased, since the visitors on such sites were and will leave prints of numerical steps and it is not very clear what will occur of the data collected.

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Opposition to seek information on the Irish crisis anglo

The workers party indicates that it will not support movements to take the Irish bank anglo in the property of state unless the government allows the taxpayer to know what really occurred at the bank.

The legislation of help nationalizing the company must be precipitated by the Whetstone and Seanad this week.

The government had at the beginning envisaged to again inject .1.5bn capital in the Irishman anglo, but had decided to completely take it above last week with last half-turn on its policy to approach the banking crisis.

The trade union leader Eamon Gilmore require to know that exactly what precisely proved to change the government the 'spirit of S and says its part will not cooperate with any legislative dissimulation.

Fine Gael finance the spokesperson Richard Bruton, while waiting, known as whom his part will seek of the insurances that some strategy is provided for the bank will protect the interests from the taxpayer.

He says that there must is a completely new approach with the businesses at the bank, with the improved monitoring and the responsibility.

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Penelope Cruz’s ‘blistering’ rope routine for ‘Nine’

Penelope Cruz has revealed that she was forced to push through pain while doing a rope routine for new musical film `Nine'.

The Spanish actress was left blistered and bruised after performing the sexy dance.

"When something like that happens, you just have to keep going and forget about any physical pain," News. com. au quoted her, as saying.

"I was dancing in the dark with one spotlight on me, so I had to be extremely alert and focused.

"There were other things to think about, so I was not in pain while dancing - I was just praying not to fall," she added.

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Obituaries in the news

Tony Hart, a British television presenter who charmed generations of children with his artsy antics, died Sunday. He was 83.

No cause of death was given but Hart's health had been in decline following two strokes several years ago, Hart's agent Roc Renals said.

Hart's 50-year television career took in everything from lightning-fast magic marker sketches to a giant paint-spattered Jackson Pollock-like composition and an even larger elephant whitewashed onto an airfield.

Throughout it all, Hart's bubbly demeanor and endearing grin kept children hooked. The British Broadcasting Corp., where he worked, said one of his shows, Hartbeat, attracted as many as 5.4 million viewers.

Hart received between 6,000 and 8,000 children's drawings and paintings in the mail every week — some of the best were tacked to the walls of his studio.

Bob May, who donned The Robot's suit in the hit 1960s television show "Lost in Space," died Sunday of congestive heart failure. He was 69.

May died at a hospital in Lancaster, said his daughter, Deborah May.

He was a veteran actor and stuntman who had appeared in movies, TV shows and on the vaudeville stage when he was tapped by "Lost in Space" creator Irwin Allen to play the Robinson family's loyal metal sidekick in the series that debuted in 1965.

"He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit," said June Lockhart, who played family matriarch Maureen Robinson. "It was one of those wonderful Hollywood stories."

Although May didn't provide the robot's distinctive voice (that was done by announcer Dick Tufeld), he developed a following of fans who sought him out at memorabilia shows.

"Lost in Space" was a space-age retelling of "The Swiss Family Robinson" story in which professor John Robinson, his wife and their children were on a space mission when their craft was knocked hopelessly off course by the evil Dr. Zachary Smith, who became trapped in space with them.

May's robot was the Robinson family's loyal sidekick, warning them of approaching disaster at every turn. His line to one of the children, "Danger, Will Robinson," became a national catch phrase.

He appeared in numerous films with Jerry Lewis and in such TV shows as "The Time Tunnel," "McHale's Navy and "The Red Skelton Show." He was also a stuntman in such 1950s and '60s TV shows as "Cheyenne," "Surfside 6," "Hawaiian Eye," "The Roaring 20s" and "Stagecoach."

Taken from : associated press

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Fox News Primes Itself for a Shift

When the White House changes occupants this week, it can also change channels.

The inauguration of Barack Obama Tuesday marks the one era end for the English Channel of Fox News, the network of news of cable of the choice during the years of George W. Bush.

Scott McClellan, the press attach of the White House of 2003 to 2006, said in an interview last week that a certain number of people looked at Fox as left which would be more favorable than other groups of media to the administration of Bush. It stressed that this feeling applied to the preserving commentators of the network, not its correspondents.

But the network does not show any concern concerning the new administration; if something, it seems Re-energized. With a series of changes of program this month, Fox News doubles downwards on the strategy of programming which made him the network of news of cable of number 1 during seven years.

Some of the preserving host centres in front of the network seem strengthened about being back on offence; Sean Hannity, one of the first voices of the television of the opposition to Mr. Obama, introduced a liberal translator on his program premium-time last week.

The world of media will observe carefully to see whether Fox receives the same treatment of a White House of Obama that it received from Mr. Bush. And it will await and see whether Fox can stave with far its two primary education competitors, CNN and MSNBC, in the 25 - at 54 years demographic which imports more with the advertisers.

Fox easily carries out the other cable networks in that demographic on a total basis of day. But during two or three hours important, space narrowed. At least 10 days since the election, the program Hannity of the TOKEN ENTRY of Fox 9 and Colmes was exceeded in competition for viewers in that demographic by Rachel Maddow, the new host of MSNBC.

Hard competition can reflect a sudden rise of interest in Mr. Obama. Nevertheless, Fox always orders a greater assistance than its competitors, making him an important desk for many politicians. And while the defenders of Mr. Obama' S flood this city for the inauguration, they can note a recall of size out of the ordinary of the range of Fox. Number 1 during 7 years, proclaims a billboard supporting the programme of TOKEN ENTRY of Greta Van Susteren' S 10 along an avenue occupied here.

The next month another billboard, this Bret one comprising Baier, will appear in the capital of the nation. Mr. Baier, a correspondent of veteran for Fox, recently replaced the Hume British of anchor on information report/ratio special, the first of three material changes to the program of the day of the week of the network.

One week ago, Mr. Hannity offered good-bye to its 12 years liberal Co-host, Alan Colmes, and started to accomodate acuter one preserving exposure, called Hannity, instead of the format left-against-right. Monday, the vat of dyeing of Glenn, a commentator of right-bending which left last year the chain of information of the title of CNN, will start to accomodate the hour of the TOKEN ENTRY of Fox 5.

By twisting the line and by improving the values of production, Fox seems to try to support its base of the viewers and to reaffirm themselves during the four years to come. Bill O' Reilly, the host centre evaluated better in news of cable, Mr. Hannity and Roger Wings, the President of Fox News, new agreements signed last year which will continue by the end of the first limit of Mr. Obama' S. Mike Huckabee, the former republican presidential candidate, now accomodates an exposure of maintenance of weekend, achieve an assistance of studio.

Mr. Hannity and M.O' Reilly sharpened their qualifications of exposure of maintenance during the presidency of Bill Clinton. During the years of Bush, the mixture with high octane number of the network of the news and the sights started to draw more viewers than CNN, creating a new chief in news of cable.

Will the estimates remain regular with president Democratic? Which is kind of question of million-dollar, the glare of Bill, principal vice-president to program in Fox, indicated in an interview Friday. I obtain asked it much. The expression of optimism says it is very that I know is that during the four years to come, we will do what we really spout out - cover the news in a way right and balanced and puts a very good product above.

Depressed John, executive vice-president for the leading article of news, be in dissension with the notion of Fox like voice of the opposition to Mr. Obama. He said that the correspondents of news of network would cover Mr. Obama objectively, just as they had Mr. Bush.

Will we Give to this entering administration a Greek chorus of exaltation? Not, Mr. Moody said, but that speaks more about the other networks about us. It seemed to refer to MSNBC, whose host centres were criticized by presidents de Fox for their praise of Mr. Obama.

Fox News brought back its estimates never more raised in 2008, with almost 1.1 million people observing at a given time, 35 percent more than the chain of second-high-evaluated information of cable, CNN. But the profits came mainly from the older televiewers who are less attractive with the advertisers.

In the 25 - at 54 years demographic for which Fox sells publicity, the assistance of Fox was 12 percent larger than CNN during one hour average last year, narrowest it took place in seven years. (The assistance of CNN, with a greater degree than of Fox, was inflated by primary discussions and nights.)

Among younger televiewers, Fox does not have dash as much that CNN and the MSNBC. Last year, compared with the former season of election in 2004, Fox 25 - with the 54 years assistance decreased by 7 percent.

Nevertheless, Brad Adgate, principal vice-president for research with the media of horizon, said that the network is on a title closes of financial installation in 2009. Mr. Adgate said that Fox News created the viewing of appointment of the slow days of news, making sure that the viewers grant in each day and raise the estimates of the network. The fidelity of assistance makes it possible Fox to charge with the higher rates, to the advertisers and to the cable television operators who want to carry the channel.

Surely, the years to come will not have any shortage of irresistible news. In an interview, Mr. Beck said that some of the most important stories now - including/understanding the widespread economic troubles - are broader than any political part.

The philosophy of the new exposure is, how to eat an elephant, a bite one moment, he said, in a reference to the giant problems that the country faces. When it was observed that it quoted a symbol of the G.O.P., it added, I think that we will make our consumption and to level of both - of a small ass and a small elephant.

Even some of the vocal critics of Fox think that Fox will thrive in years to come. The Fox is in much better position with a liberalish Democrat in the White House than they were with a republican, said Eric Alterman, the chronicler of media for the store of nation.

He affirms that Fox sells a simple message with its assistance. The things which the faces of Obama are very complicated and very large, and much of things will be badly, particularly with the levels of expenditure we see, it said. There is active to be much of thing which you can direct your finger to and say, ouais, we were right, it said, referring to criticisms of Mr. Obama.

Which is a thing much simpler so that they make, Mr. Alterman added, that to defend a failed war and a failed president.

Mr. Moody said that the administration of Obama would decide if the network would receive the same level of the access that the administration of Bush granted. He said that the office of Washington of Fox had functioned diligently to break news. We had good sources, we had good contacts, and we made the majority, it said.

Under a new president, Fox can lose a handle of influential viewers. Mr. McClellan, who voted for Mr. Obama, said that TV in the White House tended to be granted to Fox in years of Bush.

While Mr. Obama sat down for interviews with M.O Reilly and Chris Wallace, the host centre of Fox News Sunday, last year, equips with Mr. Obama did not show the same preference of viewing during the almost two-year-long countryside.

They certainly will lose a certain market share at the White House, Mr. McClellan said.

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News for chess's fans :'Fantastick' news, except for 'Chess' fans

t's checkmate for the L.A. production of "Chess."

Reprise Theatre Company says it has scrapped plans to stage the 1980s musical at UCLA in May and will instead mount a production of "The Fantasticks," which is already enjoying a revival off-Broadway.

of Gerald Schoenfeld, president of the Shubert Organization, who he said had "commissioned and brokered" the Reprise revival of the musical that features music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, with lyrics by Tim Rice.

"Without his support, our production of 'Chess' simply is not possible at this time," Alexander said in a news release. He offered no other details.

Alexander said the company already had been planning "The Fantasticks" for next season and simply decided to move it up. The show will now run May 5-17 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Tickets for "Chess" will be honored at the same dates and times; individual tickets for "The Fantasticks" go on sale Feb. 24.

Featuring music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, "The Fantasticks" opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse in 1960 and continued running for nearly 42 years, earning the title of world's longest-running musical. A revival has been running at the Snapple Theatre Center in New York since 2006.

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Familiar faces from L.A.'s TV news past disappear

Many faces from LA's TV news disaapear. Here is the news.
Slowly, those names from L.A.'s local news past are disappearing. Last year, Channel 2 fired Ann Martin and Harold Greene. Then, longtime KNBC reporter-anchor Furnell Chapman retired this month after three decades at Channel 4 (see KNBC tribute video). Now, LA Observed is reporting that another big name at Channel 4 is retiring:Laurel Erickson has been a familiar face on Los Angeles television for three decades, most recently as a rotating co-host of KNBC's "Newsconference" and holding down an anchor chair on the station's digital offering NewsRaw. In the media pack at news events, Erickson has been notable for posing argumentative questions and sometimes getting into it with her subjects.These are tough times for local TV news, which has been struggling for viewers and advertisers. That was the reason given for Greene and Martin's ouster. Channel 4, meanwhile, celebrated its 60th anniversary this week with a one-hour special that's mandatory viewing for any veteran L.A. news addicts.

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New York jet plunge data released

More news. Flight data recorders show the engines of the US airliner which ditched in the Hudson River in New York cut out simultaneously, investigators say.

The Airbus A320 reached a top altitude of 3,200ft (975m) after take-off, then apparently collided with birds, the National Transport Safety Board said.

But it was still too early to draw firm conclusions, a spokeswoman added.

All 155 passengers and crew of Flight Flight 1549 survived the landing on the Hudson, which made headlines worldwide.

They were rescued by boats from the sinking aircraft, with its captain the last to leave.

The wreckage of the plane was lifted by crane from the icy waters onto a barge late on Saturday.

'Sound of thumps'

Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed on Sunday that ice floes in the river were slowing the search for an engine thought to have separated from the plane when it ditched on Thursday afternoon.

911 callers describe the crash scene

But she said that the "black box" data appeared to confirm pilot testimony that the plane had collided with a flock of birds.

"About 90 seconds after take-off, the captain remarks about birds," she said, quoting the data recorder.

"One second later the cockpit voice recorder recorded the sound of thumps and rapid decrease of engine sounds. The captain acknowledges that both engines have lost power and he takes control of the aircraft."

Earlier, the plane's pilot, Capt Chesley B "Sully" Sullenberger, and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, described for the Board how they had suddenly seen "big, dark-brown birds" approaching, then registered them hitting the plane.

Capt Sullenberger took the decision to ditch the plane in the river dividing Manhattan from New Jersey.

Apart from one person whose legs were both broken, none of those aboard are reported to have sustained serious injuries.

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