JANUARY CAPTION CONTEST

Congratulations to Dave from Old Forge, PA for submitting the winning caption for our January Caption Contest. There were a lot of great entries submitted throughout the month. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send in their ideas.

Keep reading the Yuengling Blog to stay up to date on the latest news and information about America's Oldest Brewery!

Organizing Across Organizations, Beliefs and Agendas

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Norris McDonald

These are the most exciting times ever in Washington, D.C. I'm glad I stayed. I was going to move to Los Angeles but I figured I had to stay to participate in the exploits of this latest administration. For me the first year included being invited to The White House in record time. Same with meeting with the EPA administrator. I'm impressed.

Last week I participated in an energy forum sponsored by Black Enterprise magazine. This week I attended a press conference and board event by the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) and participated as a panelist at a forum sponsored by the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE). These events and the address given by House Majority Whip James Clyburn at the AABE summit made me think about how we need to organize to get a fair share of resources for the Black community. The notion that this offends many Whites is interesting to me. President Obama cannot even address the needs of the African American community directly without seriously offending most of the White voter base.

Yet Blacks do not own energy infrastructure in the United States. AAEA, AABE, NBCC and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), among others, need to do something about that. Since the CBC has enough votes in the House to help approve or kill energy legislation, they should fashion amendments during all upcoming energy and climate legislation to provide more minority ownership opportunities of traditional and 'green' energy infrastructure, products and services. One concept I am entertaining is 'expensing' tax benefits to companies including minority protege equity partners in future energy projects. Of course, Black Enterprise could publicize this energy renaissance.

​Modern browsers for modern applications

​The web has evolved in the last ten years, from simple text pages to rich, interactive applications including video and voice. Unfortunately, very old browsers cannot run many of these new features effectively. So to help ensure your business can use the latest, most advanced web apps, we encourage you to update your browsers as soon as possible. There are many choices:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0+

Mozilla Firefox 3.0+

Google Chrome 4.0+

Safari 3.0+

Many other companies have already stopped supporting older browsers like Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers. We’re also going to begin phasing out our support, starting with Google Docs and Google Sites. As a result you may find that from March 1 key functionality within these products -- as well as new Docs and Sites features -- won’t work properly in older browsers.

2010 is going to be a great year for Google Apps and we want to ensure that everyone can make the most of what we are developing. Please take the time to switch your organization to the most up-to-date browsers available.

Posted by Rajen Sheth, Google Apps Senior Product Manager

Morehouse Energy Entrepreneurship Conference

Morehouse College is holding its 3rd annual Entrepreneurship Conference "Energy, Economy, Innovation and You!" at its campus in Atlanta, Georgia from February 25-26. The conference will bring together 500 change agents from the public and private sector that are engaged in efforts to support minority/small business development and community growth. This year’s theme builds on conversations at the national, state, local and community levels that have identified energy as a transformative agent to renew and revitalize the U.S. economy.

With more than $70 billion allocated in FY09 alone for energy-related research and development, education, workforce training and related activities, it is imperative that individuals and organizations across all sectors and within all communities be provided with a venue to explore energy within a context that provides personal meaning, professional relevancy and broad stakeholder inclusion.

Richard Branson Wants To Take Us Under The Ocean

Never let it be said that billionaire adventurer Richard Branson doesn't have a flair for the dramatic. Not only is the flamboyant Brit working hard to offer space tourism to the masses, he's also looking to plumb the depths of the ocean too, promising to deliver personal underwater vehicles for the rest of us as well.

According to this story from Popular Mechanics, Branson has joined forces with Hawkes Ocean Technologies to design and build the Necker Nymph (or Deep Flight Merlin), which the entrepreneur will keep on-sight at his resort in the British Virgin Islands. The craft will shuttle two passengers, along with a pilot, around the ocean floor, offering amazing views of the scenery around them. Cost for a week's rental? $113,000. Yikes!

As for Hawkes, they say that they are already at work on their next generation vehicle, which will be able to dive down as low as 35,000 feet beneath the surface. It'll be powered by jet engine technology and will be controlled by a joystick much the same way as a fighter plane. The craft is expected to allow access to ocean depths that have not been readily accessed before. The cost for the prototype has reportedly already already surpassed $670,000 just in builder's fees.

I have to say, these are pretty cool vehicles. Well out of my price range mind you, but I'd love to take one for a spin. What a cool way to explore the ocean, cruising along the Great Barrier Reef or off the coast of Belize would be amazing. I want one! :)

Another inconvenient truth / Immigrants, the work ethic and nativist myth

A good piece talking about the immigrant work ethic and how important they are to our country. - - Donna Poisl

Union-Tribune Editorial

Nativist lore has it that immigrants only come to the United States for the handouts. Supposedly, whether they arrive legally or illegally, their chief ambition is to simply collect welfare, milk social services and otherwise sponge off America’s generosity. For more than 200 years, the narrative has been that newcomers are constantly taking, using and consuming without giving back to the country that received them.

That is just not so. In fact, it is a malicious lie that is often used to justify all sorts of mistreatment of immigrants. For one thing, who has time to take advantage of the system? According to most studies, and lots of anecdotal evidence all around us, many immigrants are too busy working, starting their own businesses and employing others to stand in line and collect benefits. Talk about an inconvenient truth.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Growing through immigration beats shrinking

Every country's economy depends on its population growing, our country needs immigrants for this precise reason. - - Donna Poisl

by Greg Burns

In an economy as bad as this one, it may take nothing short of disaster to bring about even a little immigration reform.

Responding to Haiti's devastating earthquake, the Obama administration is providing Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Haitians living in the U.S. As many as 200,000 people will be invited to stay legally for 18 months, receiving work permits to find jobs.

Even that modest humanitarian gesture has rekindled an emotionally charged debate about whether immigrants hurt the economic prospects of Americans.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Walking The Amazon Update: Ed and Cho into Manaus

It's been far too long since we checked in on the Walking the Amazon expedition. You may recall, this is the unbelievably ambitious project in which British adventurer Ed Stafford, along with his companion Cho Sanchez Rivera, are attempting to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, something that has never been accomplished before. When they've finished this herculean task, they'll have covered more than 4000 miles through thick, oppressive jungle, often referred to as The Green Hell.

Ed and Cho have recently reached the Brazilian city of Manaus, which is the largest city along the Amazon. With more than 1.8 million people, this is a town where they can rest, recuperate, and resupply before returning to the wild. Considering the long days and weeks the pair have spent slogging through the rainforest, it had to have been quite a shock to see an actual large, thriving metropolis for the first time in months. Most of the other settlements they've come across while trekking have been mostly very small villages, although there are occasionally towns of decent size along the river.

According to their most recent blog post, Manaus was indeed a bit overwhelming. Ed writes:

Cho and I wanted a place to recover and rest before our last push to the Atlantic - but Manaus isn’t that place for us. The prices are over double that outside the city limits and the industrial sprawl (now electronics assembly) is dirty and hectic.

Because of this, he and Cho have hopped a bus to another near by town, which is smaller and much slower paced. They'll spend some time there repairing their rubber boats, used to ford streams and rivers, while they regain their strength and prepare to make the final push towards the Atlantic Ocean, which is roughly 900 miles away yet.

At this point, Ed has spent 667 days on this journey, having begun on April 2nd, 2008. I know that the original plan was to end sometime early this year, but the boys have been running a bit behind schedule, and the journey ahead of them will not be an easy one. I suspect they'll be out on the trail for awhile yet.

As I've said before, this expedition continually boggles my mind. It's such a massive undertaking, it's hard to not be impressed with the sense of exploration and adventure. I hope the last long leg of the journey goes well for both Ed and Cho.

Launched: Google Apps Script for Google Apps Standard Edition

Back in August we released Google Apps Script to Google Apps Premier and Education Edition customers. Today we're excited to extend the availability of Apps Script to Google Apps Standard Edition, used by millions of groups, families, clubs and other organizations around the world.

Google Apps Script provides the ability to automate a variety of tasks such as modifying Spreadsheets, creating Calendar appointments, checking stock prices, sending email, looking up Contacts and much, much more. For a more detailed overview, check out the video below:



Getting started is easy. You can take a look at the Apps Script Welcome Page, and then work through some of the Tutorials. Before long you'll be writing scripts to automate all kinds of repetitive tasks like keeping track of group expenses and sending out automated reminders triggered by values in a spreadsheet.

In this example, we're using a Google Docs spreadsheet to keep track of our soccer team's weekly dues. Each player owes $5 per game towards shared expenses. Unfortunately the players can be an absentminded bunch that need frequent payment reminders. In the spreadsheet, every amount entered updates a player's column to indicate which weeks are PAID (in green), and how much is DUE (in red). We've also used Apps Script to add a custom menu:

• 'Refresh' recalculates and colors cells to indicate which weeks are PAID and which are DUE
• 'Send Reminders' emails a polite message reminding players in debt to pay up

Go ahead and take a look at the sample code in this template. After choosing Use This Template, select Scripts... from the Spreadsheet's Tools menu. It's a very basic script, but it gets the job done!

Check it out, and let us know what you think!

Posted by Evin Levey, Product Manager, Google Apps team

Did Israel's army target civilians?

The Israeli Army’s advocate general, Maj. Gen. Avichai Mandelblitt is quoted by the New York Times as saying that the Goldstone report accusing the Army of aiming at civilian targets in Gaza is “a vicious lie.”

Yael Stein, research director of the human rights organization, B’Tselem also told the Times that she does not “accept Goldstone’s conclusion of a systematic attack on civilian infrastructure.”

But the Army cannot check itself, Ms. Stein continued. An independent inquiry is necessary. “The Army needs to explain why so many civilians were killed,” Ms. Stein concluded.

B’Tselem’s research shows that the Israel Army over the years consistently believed in the efficacy of collective punishment and is practicing it today in the Gaza Strip. No resident is allowed out and nothing is allowed in except for a minimum of food and medicine called humanitarian aid. A million and a half residents are being cruelly punished for the actions of the Hamas terrorists.

An independent inquiry into the Army’s actions a year ago is exactly what Goldstone recommended. He said in an interview that his conclusions would not stand up in court because he did not present the views of the Israel Army, which had boycotted his investigation.

World opinion forced the Army to change its mind. It has prepared a detailed brief on the difficulty of fighting armed militants interspersed among the civilian population.

This is a legitimate argument. Take the case of Dr. Abulaish, the Gaza surgeon who serves in Israeli hospitals, lost three of his daughters to a shell that penetrated his parlor. But there were snipers on his roof, he has said in speeches in this country.

But there were no snipers on the roof of the flour mill which supplied the daily bread of thousands of Gazans. There were no soldiers at the destroyed water works, which released thousands of tons of raw sewage. There were no armed militants in the schools, hospitals and other civilian institutions which were systematically wasted, including the only cement plant.

Previous operations of the Israel Army were not part of Goldstone’s investigation. Let me recall what happened in 2006.

On June 25, 2006, Cpl. Gilad Shalit was abducted and held in Gaza for ransom. The release of about a thousand terrorists, jailed in Israel, was demanded for his return. Almost four years later negotiations are ongoing through German and Egyptian mediators.

It took the Israel Army just three days to find a suitable target for its retaliation for the kidnapping. It had to be a significant civilian institution, such as a power plant, for collective punishment. This had nothing to do with negotiations for the soldier’s release.

“Act of vengeance” is the title of B’Tselem’s report. Here is a quote:

“The decision was to attack the only electricity power plant in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli air force bombed the plant in the early morning hours of 28 June. The target of the attack was clear: six missiles were fired at the plant’s six transformers. Two missed, and within minutes, two more missiles destroyed the remaining transformers. The oil within the transformers continued to burn for about one month.”

And so the one and a half million Moslems, who are crowded into the Gaza Strip and who are ruled by the Hamas terrorists, were deprived of 45 percent of their supply of electricity. The remaining 55 percent comes from the Israel Electric Company.

Gaza went on a cycle of 6 to 8 hours of electricity followed by 6 to 8 hours of blackout, The deleterious effect of the blackouts on the health and well-being of the people of Gaza, and particularly those on dialysis, are delineated in the Btselem report.

The destroyed transformers had been custom built in the United States and it would have taken at least eight months to build and install new ones. A faster option was to install less powerful Egyptian transformers. This was done.

The destruction of the Gaza electric transformers was collective punishment of the entire Gaza population whose rulers had dared to kidnap an Israeli soldier. It was also a war crime. The International Humanitarian Act forbids any attack on a civilian institution. But no one, except B’Tselem, noticed it in 2006. All eyes were on the fate of the kidnapped soldier.

Judge Goldstone could not help but notice the systematic destruction of scores of civilian installations. He voices his suspicion and asks for two independent inquiries: one on the attacks on Arab civilians in Gaza and the second on the rocketing of Jewish civilians in Sderot.

The government of Israel, which had boycotted Goldstone’s inquiry, was forced to take notice. Hence a two page report in the Times a week ago on Sunday. The Goldstone report will not go away. It is anything but a vicious lie.

The Rest of Everest DVD Giveaway: Week 3

It's time for the third week in our Rest of Everest DVD giveaway contest, in which you can win a copy of Everest {the other side}, the film that launched the podcast.

Each week of the contest, I ask a trivia question from the most recent episode of the podcast. Then, all you have to do to be eligible to win is e-mail me the answer at KungFuJedi@gmail.com. Before next week's episode, I'll pick a winner from everyone who gives me the correct answer, and ship a DVD out to them ASAP.

This week's question is:

According to Jeff, how many combinations of Yak-Cattle hybrids are in Nepal? (Can be found by Google apparently!)

Good luck everyone!

KNUCKLE'S 1-23-10

Yuengling and our wholesale partner Wright Wisner were out at Knuckle's Sports Bar in Rochester, NY recently, spreading the word about the Yuengling Winter Getaway program. In this market, customers have the chance to win a trip to Lake Placid for a weekend getaway! Yuengling fans who were at Knuckle's for this promotion enjoyed Yuengling specials, including $2.50 for a 23 ounce Lager draught, and $2.50 Black & Tan bottles! The Yuengling girls were on hand giving out some great Yuengling gear as well. Consumers who attended had the opportunity to text-to-win the Lake Placid Getaway that will be awarded in February.

Thank you to everyone who came out to this event. If you enjoy Yuengling in the Rochester area, be on the lookout for the text-to-win information at your favorite Yuengling retailers throughout February for your chance to win a Yuengling Winter Getaway!

Time limit for prosecutions under s.77 of the FOI Act

The ICO's statement that the university at the centre of the 'climategate' email scandal did not deal with FOI requests as it should have done under the legislation has received a lot of media attention. Section 77 of the Act makes it an offence for any person to deliberately destroy, alter or conceal a record after it has been requested with the intention of preventing its disclosure. The offence is triable only in the magistrate's court. However, under section 127(1) of the Magistrates Court Act 1980, proceedings for all such offences must be brought within 6 months of the offence occurring.

In a statement on the University of East Anglia case, the Deputy Information Commissioner Graham Smith said:

The FoI Act makes it an offence for public authorities to act so as to prevent intentionally the disclosure of requested information. Mr Holland's FOI requests were submitted in 2007/8, but it has only recently come to light that they were not dealt with in accordance with the Act. The legislation requires action within six months of the offence taking place, so by the time the action came to light the opportunity to consider a prosecution was long gone.

This problem came to the Campaign for Freedom of Information's attention last year. It was clear that the offence could rarely be detected in time for a prosecution to be brought. It can take several months before an authority responds to a request and carries out the internal review which is necessary before a complaint can be made to the ICO. Once complaints were made, it took on average 8 months before the ICO investigation even began, according to a report we published in July 2009. This means it would usually be impossible for the ICO to detect an offence within 6 months of it occurring.

The Campaign therefore drafted a proposed amendment to section 77 to extend the time limit for prosecutions. The amendment was identical to provisions already found in several other statutes, such as the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Theft Act (amended by the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001), where the government itself had decided to extend the 6 months limit for prosecutions. More recently, in 2008, the Building Regulations were amended following a public consultation, as local authorities had maintained that the 6 month period did not allow prosecutions to be brought where a breach of the regulations only came to light after completion of the building work or where remediation of the work had been promised but not carried out.

The proposed amendment would have allowed a prosecution to be brought within 6 months of the evidence of the offence coming to the Commissioner's knowledge, rather than within 6 months of the offence being committed. The amendment was tabled to the Coroners and Justice Bill by Lord Dubs. However, the government rejected this opportunity to close the obvious loophole - though it was clear then that if an authority deliberately shredded records it would almost certainly avoid punishment.

Responding to the amendment, the minister Lord Bach said:

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force only in 2005, and I have to tell my noble friend that we have no evidence at present that the current six-month time limit presents a systemic problem for the Information Commissioner or any other prosecutor in taking action under Section 77. However, I shall say this, which I hope will give my noble friend some comfort. We will listen to the views of the Information Commissioner and other interested parties on this point, and if there is evidence that the current legislation is causing systemic difficulties, we will look for ways to address the matter, if necessary by means of an alternative legislative vehicle in the future. However, I cannot go further than that today on behalf of the Government.

The full debate on the amendment is here.

AABE Energy and Climate Change Summit

Frank Stewart (AABE), Norris McDonald (AAEA), David Owens (EEI)
The American Association Of Blacks In Energy (AABE) and its partners held a landmark "Energy And Climate Change Summit" on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at the Heritage Center of the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. The theme of the summit was "Implications & Economic Opportunities," the goal was to establish a vehicle to provide a credible voice for people of color on the issues of energy and climate change policy. The Summit focused on economic opportunities and impacts to vulnerable populations, and providing a dialogue to establish a set of principles to be presented to key policy officials in Congress, the Obama administration and other government agencies.

The summit, which was very well attended and successful in achieving its goals, was opened by Frank Stewart, President of AABE and David Owens, AABE Chair and Edison Electric Institute Vice President. Majority Whip James Clyburn was the featured speaker at the morning plenary session. Kevin Bryan, Meridian Institute, served as the facilitator of the morning and afternoon sessions. Mr. Stewart and Mr. Owens also served as stakeholder panelists.

Session 1 with the theme "State of the Debate: Energy and Climate Change Policy," featured Chris Miller, Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Environment for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Session 2 with the theme "Economic Implications of Energy and Climate Change Policy," featured former Congressman Philllip Sharp, President, Resources For The Future (RFF) and Ray Kopp, Senior Fellow & Director Climate and Technology Policy, RFF. Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy & Climate Change delivered the keynote address.

The afternoon Session 3 had the theme "Economic Opportunities from Energy and Climate Policy and featured Barbara Tyran, Director, Washington Relations, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and David Rosner, Senior Policy Analyst, National Commission on Energy Policy. Session 4 was themed " Forging Ahead--Clarifying the Unifying Themes and Identifying Opportunities for Input Into the Political Process and featured Walter McLeod, Summit Secretariat, EcoCapitol, LLC.

Stakeholder panelists included Norris McDonald, President, AAEA, Ms. Marti Doneghy, Senior Legislative Representative, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Dr. Charles Steele, former SCLC President and CEO, Niger Innis, National Spokesperson, Congress of Racial Equity (CORE), Gina Wood, Director of Policy, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Donnell Spivey, Vice President, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Janet Murguia, President & CEO, National Council of La Raza, and Linda Haithcox, President, National Organization of Black County Officials.

The summit was sponsored by AABE, Bonneville Power Administration, American Electric Power, Consumers Energy, American Gas Association, Edison Electric Institute, Blue Diamond Ventures, Inc., General Electric, Nuclear Energy Institute, Peabody Coal, Progress Energy, Southern Company

The Rest of Everest Episode 128: Immortalized In Nepal

The Rest of Everest gets back on the trail to Everest Base Camp this week with the release of Episode 128, entitled Immortalized in Nepal. You may recall that in the past few episodes, the trekking team has been stranded in Dingboche thanks to inclement weather in the region. Those back-to-back rest days could possibly throw off the schedule however, preventing the team from getting up to Base Camp.

The video gets off to a beautiful start when the trekkers step out of their tent to check the weather, and they are greeted with sunshine and clear, blue skies, much to the delight of all involved. After spending a couple of extra days in Dingboche, they all seemed eager to get a move on, and hopeful they'll still make it to their planned destination of EBC. With the skies cleared, we get amazing views of surrounding peaks, including Lhotse, Everest, and Ama Dablam.

A few episodes back one of the trekkers celebrated his birthday while on the journey, and the Sherpa's helped him celebrate it in style. This week, another member of the team gets to celebrate, as Megan turns 25 while surrounded by the Himalaya. Of course, the Sherpa guides couldn't just let the occasion pass without celebrating, and to honor Megan's big day they prepared a little surprise for her on the trail, spelling out birthday wishes in rocks along one of the slopes.

This video definitely gets back to being focused on the trek, with plenty of footage of the team hiking the route up to Base Camp. Not only does this video show the conditions that we can expect on such a trek, but it also shows the kind of camaraderie that these trekking groups experience while traveling (and suffering?) together in remote places. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you're interested in making this trek for yourself, it's definitely worth watching this season of the podcast.

Champion Unveils Super Suit For Use On Everest

At last weeks Winter Outdoor Retailer conference , a lot of new outdoor gear was shown off and introduced to the public. As I mentioned last week, much of what I saw, from afar mind you, was mostly evolutionary and not necessarily revolutionary. One product that did stick out however, was the new "Super Suit" from Champion that will be used by the Climb With Us Team this year on Everest.

What makes the Super Suit special you ask? Simple, it is just 3 millimeters thick. Yep. You read that right. The gear is very thin, and according to Champion's PR, it still manages to provide the same level of warmth as a typical down parka worn on the mountain. Those traditional jackets are as much 40 millimeters thick, so as you can imagine, this is a significant increase in mobility while cutting gear weight at bulk at the same time. To put this into further perspective, Champion says that the suit, jacket and pants, are roughly the same thickness as your mouse pad.

You can find out a lot more about the Super Suit by clicking here. Much of it is marketing stuff, but you'll get an idea of what kinds of gear they'll be offering and what the team will be trying out while climbing on Everest in a few months. The prospects of this thinner, lighter, gear is really amazing, and if it performs as well as expected, it could be a major step forward in keeping us warm in remote places. At this time though, we still don't know when it will be released to the rest of us and how much it is going to cost.

Mt. Washington No Longer The Windiest Place On Earth

For years, Mt. Washington, located in the state of New Hampshire here in the U.S., has been described as the windiest place on Earth, thanks to a 75 year old record for the highest wind speed ever recorded. The mark was set back in 1934, when gusts reached a speed of 231 miles per hour on the summit of the 6,288 foot peak, which is legendary for it's incredibly bad weather.

Now, according to the Adventure Life, that record has been wrestled away from Mt. Washington, and the new crown has been handed over to the Aussies. It seems that when cyclone Olivia hit barrow island back in 1996, it generated winds of 253 miles per hour, smashing those light breezes on Mt. Washington.

Why did it take so long to discover these wind speeds? Apparently a group of scientists were recently combing through weather and climate data, and discovered the mighty wind. Once it was discovered however, the findings were reported to meteorological services, and the new record became recognized, taking a little pride away from those that live on and around Mt. Washington.

Never fear though. The mountain still has plenty to brag about. It is a challenging climb in good weather conditions, and it's notoriously bad winters make it a tough test in the snow. It has even managed to make the list of some of the most dangerous mountains to climb. Not something you'd expect out of a peak that is less than 6300 feet in height.

Trailer Released For Antarctic Skiing Movie

Remember Chris Davenport? I mentioned him and his team a number of times this past Antarctic season, as they set out to visit the frozen continent and make the first descent down some un-skied mountains there. It seems they had a film crew along for the ride, and the project is now being put together for a summer release. The film is called Australis: An Antarctic Ski Odyssey and you can check out the trailer for it below. As you might expect, the scenery is stunning and the skiing looks amazing.

Thanks to the Goat for once again show the way!

Australis: An Antarctic Ski Odyssey from Granite Films Jim Surette on Vimeo.

NeighborWorks Offers Homeowners Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home and Family

As the seasons change, it pays to be more energy efficient, which is why NeighborWorks America is now offering homeowners tips to improve the way your home and family use energy.

From simple tasks like turning out lights not in use and meal planning, to installing ceiling fans and storm doors, NeighborWorks outlines ways your home and your family can become more energy efficient and save money in the long run.

Download the tip sheet.

Obama's weakness to hinder peace effort?

There is legitimate concern (voiced, for example, by J Street head, Jeremy Ben-Ami) that a failure of the Obama administration to deliver on health care, not to mention other aspects of its domestic agenda, is going to hinder or prevent progress on peace between Israel and the Arab world. The notion is that a weakened Obama presidency will lack the credibility or energy to intervene robustly in moving the parties forward in the Middle East.

This may be true, but it should also be remembered that Presidents Carter, Clinton and Bush 43 all made efforts toward peacemaking after their administrations started treading water. Carter even achieved a lasting measure of success (with the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty). Both Clinton and Bush 43 may be criticized for efforts that were too little, too late (a more valid criticism regarding Bush than Clinton), but both made high profile efforts---Clinton at Camp David II and Bush at Annapolis.

It is probably premature to think that the Obama presidency is going down in flames after a mere year in office. But it's interesting that both Israel and the United States are suffering from deadlock as a result of their political systems.

In the case of the US, it's the two houses of Congress, with the more democratic (both small d and, for now, upper-case Democratic) House of Representatives passing bills (e.g., on health care) which are blocked or eviscerated by the more patrician and less popularly elected Senate--- where Alaska has the same two votes as populous California. And now, the need for a 51 vote majority in the Senate has been replaced by an almost impossible, filibuster-proof, 60 votes. Clearly, there's a need for structural change here.

This is parallel with the structural problem in Israeli politics, where the country suffers from a dysfunctional electoral system -- an extreme form of proportional representation that requires unstable multi-party governing coalitions and has reduced the two major parties, together, to fewer than half the votes in the most recent elections. A number of fixes have been suggested, including the possibility of electing at least some members to the Knesset on a geographic constituency basis rather than from a national party list. My favorite is the simplest: raising the threshold of votes needed for a party to get into the Knesset from the current two percent to four or five percent---eliminating most of the small interest group parties at a single blow.

JEREMIAH JAMES 1-30-10

Jeremiah James and Yuengling will be at Michael B's Tavern in Deer Lake, PA this Saturday January 30, 2010. The show starts at 9:30pm and is sure to be a great time! Fans can enjoy great Yuengling specials while listening to the southern rock music of Jeremiah James, a genuine American musician who loves to play and is a great supporter of Yuengling! When you are at the show Saturday, be sure to check out the Yuengling/Jeremiah James T-shirts too! To learn more about Jeremiah, visit his website at http://jeremiahjames.biz/jeremiahjames.htm.

Illegal Immigrants Make 1,500-Mile March to Washington

Florida college students are walking from Miami to D.C. to push immigration reform. Crowds of supporters are cheering them on and joining them on the trip. - - Donna Poisl

Seeking Pathway to Citizenship, Students Shrug Off Risk of Detention and Deportation

By DEVIN DWYER, WASHINGTON

South Florida college students Felipe Matos, 23, Carlos Roa, 22, and Gaby Pacheo, 25, say their lives as undocumented immigrants have become so "unbearable," they decided it was time to take their stories to the nation's capital...on foot.

The trio has embarked on a four-month, 1,500-mile campaign, walking from Miami to Washington, D.C., to advocate for immigration reform legislation that would give them a path to citizenship.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Lack of immigration reform protested in D.C.

A small group in D.C. protested the lack of immigration reform, there will be much larger protests later this year. - - Donna Poisl

By Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post Staff Writer

About 150 activists gathered Tuesday in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters to deliver a "State of the Union" address that protested what they consider a lack of progress on immigration reform.

Holding signs and loudspeakers at a noon rally, the group of community organizers, advocates and faith leaders chanted "Si, se puede" ("Yes, we can") before about 20 of them joined hands across 12th Street SW near Maryland Avenue, blocking traffic. They sat on the road and waited for police to bring out their handcuffs.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Study: County’s immigrant Latinos have highest self-employment rate

This should not come as a surprise, immigrants are usually the most entrepreneurial people. They are willing to take chances and start a business, exactly what their home country needed too, but their chances of success are often too small there. - - Donna Poisl

By Leslie Berestein, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Combined regional census and federal economic data show that in San Diego County, Latino immigrants have a higher rate of self-employment than that of non-immigrant Latinos and even native-born U.S. citizens, according to a new report.

The report was released by the California Immigrant Policy Center, a statewide partnership of immigrant-rights groups that includes the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. It was compiled from U.S. Census data pooled from the American Community Survey from 2005 to 2007.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

College Gender Gap Narrows . . . Except for Hispanics

Only 9% of young Hispanic men have a college degree, the lowest group in a recent study. This is a serious problem, these boys have to be convinced to continue their education after high school. - - Donna Poisl

by Rob Kuznia -- HispanicBusiness.com

The perplexing college gender gap in which 57 percent of all U.S. undergraduates are women has, for the first time in years, failed to grow even wider, with one exception: Hispanic men continue to lose ground on Hispanic women, according to a new study.

The study, released today by a higher-ed organization called the American Council on Education, shows that the overall gap has held steady since 2003. However, among Hispanics, it has grown even wider.
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NBCC "Legacy Project" and New Board Chairwoman

Mike Little, Norris McDonald, Harry Alford, Sherrie Gilchrist

President Obama's State of the Union speech is not the only big event in Washington, D.C. today. The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) had two very important events near The White House today: The first was a press conference at the National Press Club to announce their "Legacy Project," which is an initiative to improve the value of local Black chambers of commerce throughout the United States. The second was a luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel to celebrate their outgoing board chairman Mike Little.

The press conference in the Zenger Room of the National Press Club in Washington, DC was conducted by new NBCC Board of Directors Chairwoman Sherrie Gilchrist and NBCC President/CEO Harry C. Alford. They and other officers of the organization explained the mission and details regarding their new Legacy Project. Sherrie Gilchrist stated:

“The economy is in the tank and our communities are suffering. We must seize the time and use it wisely by providing technical assistance to our affiliates so that they may better serve their communities and improve the economic status, through business growth and jobs. Thus we have devised this comprehensive approach.”

According to Harry Alford:

"There are 140 affiliated chapters of the NBCC. Some are great; some are good and others need much improvement. We can’t have social clubs representing out interests. Each chapter must be trained and prepared to provide assistance in business growth and job creation."

When the National organization was founded in 1993, the US Census Bureau reported 300,000 Black owned businesses doing $33 billion in sales. Today, the Bureau reports over 1 million Black owned businesses doing more than $88 billion in sales. That growth is the fastest growing segment of the US economy and the NBCC believes there is a correlation between the two.

The NBCC will publish training manuals, hold workshops, and will rate local chapters on a 5 star rating system. It should be the goal of each chapter to have a 5 Star rating which would indicate credibility and professionalism in its management. The national organization will have 10 formal regions and will begin implementing the program immediately with committee formation and a specific Strategic Plan.

The luncheon to honor outgoing chairman Mike Little was inspirational. Mr. Little served as chair of the NBCC for the last six years. The current board chairwoman, president and members of the board of directors all praised Little's local, national and international leadership. Mr. Little led trade missions to Nairobi, Kenya, Canary Island, Accra, Ghana and held conventions all over the United States. Bill Kovacs, Environmental Director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also praised Mr. Little for his leadership.

Win A Jacket From First Ascent Courtesy of the Adventure Blog and Summit on the Summit!

Earlier in the month I wrote several times about the Summit on the Summit celebrity Kilimanjaro climb, which saw musician Kenna lead a team that included the likes of actors Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch, adventure photographer Jimmy Chin, and rapper Lupe Fiasco to the summit of the highest mountain in Africa. The group was climbing to raise awareness of the growing global clean water crisis, and to raise funds to deliver water to people in need all over the planet.

The climb might be over, but the cause remains the same. There are ongoing efforts to continue to get out the word about this very important subject. That that end, The Adventure Blog has teamed up with the Summit on the Summit crew to give away a Peak XV down jacket provided by First Ascent.

The rules are simple. First, and foremost, you must be a resident of the U.S. to be eligible to win. If you meet that criteria, all you have to do is head over to the Summit on the Summit blog at Tumblr, and find the answer to one simple question:

What is the minimum standard amount of water that the United Nation’s High Commission for Refugees needs per person per day in liters?

Once you've found the answer, e-mail it to me at KungFuJedi@gmail.com with "Summit on the Summit" as your subject line, and type your answer in the body. I'll collect all the entrants with the correct answer, and pick the winner from a hat. All entries must be received by Midnight EST, February 3rd to be eligible. The winner will get the awesome jacket that is kindly provided by the good folks over at First Ascent, who were instrumental in outfitting the Summit on the Summit expedition. The jacket has a value of $269 and is designed to keep us warm in the most inclement weather. This really is a great prize for whoever wins! Good luck!!

The Rest of Everest DVD Giveaway Week 2 Winner!

This weeks winner in the Rest of Everest DVD give away contest is Rob Marsden of Tempe, AZ. Rob scored himself a copy of Everest {the other side}, which is the film that inspired the podcast that we all enjoy so much. Congrats Rob, the DVD is on it's way!

A new episode of the Rest of Everest is already on iTunes and the website, so I'll hopefully get a chance to review it tonight or tomorrow, and post a new question for this week. The contest will start once again, with your chance to win a copy of the DVD for yourself.

Tourists Stranded At Machu Picchu

Tourists visiting Machu Picchu in Peru have had a little surprise today, as torrential rainfalls in the region have caused massive flooding and landslides, stranding the travelers in the ancient Incan city. According to this story from the Guardian, the train that shuttles visitors to the site has been blocked by more than 40 landslides, effectively cutting it off for the foreseeable future. Rescue operations are underway however, with plans to airlift the more than 1500 people who have been stranded there for the past two days.

Located high in the Andes, Machu Picchu is one of the top tourist destinations in the entire country of Peru, with travelers flocking to it from around the globe. There are two ways of getting into the mountaintop fortress, either taking the 70 mile train ride or hiking for four days along the Inca Trail. Most take the train, although the trail has become increasingly popular with adventure travelers over the past ten years.

According to the story, ten helicopters have been designated to the rescue effort. There are conflicting reports however as to whether or not those efforts have actually gotten underway. Reportedly, the travelers have moved to a nearby hotel, which is booked solid of course. It is also being reported that food and water is now in short supply as well.

Talk about getting more adventure from your vacation than you were hoping for. It seems that everyone is okay at the moment, although two local residence lost their life in the mudslides. Lets hope they can evacuate the visitors in short order and everyone gets out safe and sound.

Climbing In Patagonia Caught On Helmet Cam

While we're on the subject of cool videos, check out the one below that shows climber Colin Haley making an impressive climb in Patagonia. Colin was wearing a helmet cam on his ascent of Aguja Guillaument, one of the peaks he's using as a warm-up to some bigger walls once the weather improves. He's planning on being in Patagonia for three months, and has already taken on some of the peaks in the Fitzroy Group, with even more ambitious climbs on the schedule.

Thanks to the Goat for this one!

BD athlete Colin Haley wears a helmet camera during a solo ascent of Aguja Guillaumet in Patagonia from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Primal Quest Badlands Web Episodes #10

Once more we have another video from Primal Quest Badlands courtesy of Adventure World Magazine and Randy Ericksen. In this clip we hear from a number of racers about what their experiences were like during the race, including what they found the most challenging, what they liked best, and so on.

I'm not sure if this is the last of the web episodes, but it seems to be wrapping up the event with some final thoughts from teams that were already of the course and relaxing at the hotel.

Primal Quest Badlands was a 600-mile long adventure race that took place last summer in South Dakota. It pitted coed teams of four against one another over a ten day period in which they hiked, biked, ran, paddled, and climbed their way through the Black Hills and Badlands. It was one of the most grueling and difficult adventure races ever put together, and certainly something to see.

Everest 2010: Still Searching For Andrew Irvine and that Damn Camera!

With the Everest 2010 season beginning to loom ever closer, we're starting to get more details on expeditions and plans for the spring. But no matter how much things change on the mountain, it remains steeped in history, mystery and legend, holding an allure over the climbers and general public alike.

Of course, one of those enduring mysteries is whether or not George Mallory and climbing companion Andrew "Sandy" Irvine, ever reached the summit when on their fateful 1924 expedition. At the time, the pair were outfitted with the best equipment that was available, but despite their best efforts, the failed to return from the climb, perishing high up on rocky face.

It would be nearly another 30 years before Hillary and Norgay would reach the top of the highest mountain on Earth. But the question has always remained, were Mallory and Irvine first? Did they actually make it to the top? Was it even possible with the gear they had at the time? Experts have weighed in on the matter for decades, with some thinking it was not only possible, but probable, while others dismissed Mallory and Irvine out of hand. The debate was further compounded because the bodies of the two men were never found. Most argued that they would never know the answer for sure, unless we could find the pocket Kodak Camera that the two men carried with them. It could, in theory, offer photographic proof that they had topped out.

The debate went back into full swing back in 1999 when Mallory's body was discovered at high altitude on Everest. It was a major discovery, and gave us some clues as to what had happened to the two men. But unfortunately, there was no camera on the body, and Irvine remains missing to this day.

Fast forward to 2010, and gadget site Gizmodo is reporting that a new expedition in search of Irvine and the camera will get underway this spring. Gizmodo cites Tom Holzel, an "Everest Historian" who claims to have used high resolution satellite photos to scour the mountain looking for signs of the missing climber. Holzel says that he has spotted an "oblong blob" that he believes is the body of Irvine, and he's banking on the camera being on the body as well. The expedition will reportedly climb to the "blob" and determine what it is once and for all. And if it is indeed Mallory's missing partner, Holzel has given them instructions on how to handle the nearly 90 year old camera in order to have the best chance of recovering photos.

As I've said before, the camera has become the Holy Grail of Mountaineering. People have been searching for it for years, and all have come up blank. Of course, Everest is a big mountain, with lots of ground to cover, which hasn't helped in the process. But it's also quite likely that the camera may not even be there any more. It could have been dropped along the way, or exposed to the elements, causing it to corrode and disappear. And even if it is found, it'll take a miracle for the film to not have already been exposed. Still, we all love a good mystery, and it would be fun to know for sure, whether Mallory and Irvine ever stood on top. But again, as I've said before, does it really matter? They may have reached the summit, but that's only half-way. You have to get back down again for the climb to be considered successful in my mind.

JFBB 1-16-10

The ski slopes at Jack Frost and Big Boulder are the place to be in Northeastern PA this winter. Yuengling did a series of promotions at the popular ski resorts recently. While consumers were enjoying the skiing outside, we were inside enjoying the atmosphere at the hot spots of the resorts... the bars!

Our first stop was Jack Frost, then it was on to Big Boulder. We closed out the night at the nearby Boulder View restaurant. All three locations had a great draught selection, including Lager, Light Lager, and Lord Chesterfield Ale. Big Boulder ran Black & Tan specials as well, to go along with the live entertainment by Black Dog, a Led Zeppelin tribute band.

There were great crowds at all of the Pocono resorts that we stopped at. Many fans were excited to win great Yuengling prizes, including the two Yuengling snowboards that were awarded at these events. To complete the day we had Yuengling Girls, Linda and Christi, on hand sampling Lord Chesterfield Ale, one of Yuengling's original brands that is still produced today. The Ale samples were well received and definitely had people heading to the bar to get a pint of their own!

Thank you for everyone who spent time in the lodge warming up at these Yuengling winter promotions! Enjoy the pictures below.

HEFCE must disclose information on state of university buildings

The Information Tribunal has rejected an appeal by the Higher Education Funding Council for England against a decision by the Information Commissioner ordering the disclosure of information relating to the condition of buildings at higher education institutions (HEIs). The information was supplied by the HEIs to HEFCE which maintained a database on the management of land and buildings, known as the Estate Management Statistics database.

HEFCE refused a request for information held in the database on the basis that disclosure would constitute an actionable breach of confidence (section 41). However, the Information Commissioner rejected this claim as he did not believe the HEIs would suffer any detriment if the information were disclosed. As such, they would not have an action for breach of confidence and the section 41 exemption was not engaged.

The Tribunal upheld the Commissioner's decision, but on different grounds. It accepted the risk of damage to any of the HEIs competitive position satisfied the requirement of establishing detriment. But concluded that the public interest factors in favour of disclosure of the information substantially outweighed those in favour of maintaining confidentiality and HEFCE would therefore have a valid public interest defence to any breach of confidence claim:

We believe that there is a very considerable public interest in public institutions of this type, which frequently have a strong connection with a particular town or community, making this type of information available. Certainly no compelling evidence or argument was put to us on why, in general terms, those responsible for such an institution should not have data on this aspect of their stewardship made available to the public as a whole. Guardian News and the Information Commissioner made the additional point, which we find compelling, that if the reason for an HEI having buildings that are unsuitable or in a poor state is that it has suffered from inadequate public funding, then that is an issue on which a properly informed public debate is required.

The Tribunal also considered the meaning of "actionable" in section 41 and whether the exemption is engaged if a claim is merely arguable, or if it is necessary to establish that the claim would be successful.

"Our conclusion on this part of the case, therefore, is that the HEFCE must establish that disclosure would expose it to the risk of a breach of confidence claim which, on the balance of probabilities, would succeed. This includes considering whether the public authority would have a defence to the claim. Establishing that such a claim would be arguable is not sufficient to bring the exemption into play."

The Higher Education Funding Council for England v Information Commissioner and Guardian News and Media Ltd (EA/2009/0036)

Actions to Protect Foreclosed Homes From Deteriorating Your Neighborhood

Vacant or foreclosed homes can diminish an area's quality. As they deteriorate from neglect, these homes become eye sores that drag down the property value of other homes in the neighborhood.

In an article appearing in Yahoo Finance, NeighborWorks America says there's danger in doing nothing. Several measures that individuals and communities can take to stabilize their neighborhoods and protect property values are laid out in this article.

Let us know some of the things you or your neighbors are doing to safeguard and invest in your neighborhood. Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

How should councils cope with Freedom of Information requests

An interesting piece on ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog on 'How should council's cope with Freedom of Information requests?'

On Monday there was a piece in this section by Mark Wallace of the Taxpayers Alliance about all the Freedom of Information requests that Councils have to cope with these days. Conservative controlled Norfolk County Council has complained about the number of them.

A typical council does get hundreds of FIA requests a year and there is a cost involved. But costs could be reduced if there isn't a great effort made to come up for excuses for witholding the information but it is just handed over.
...
On Freedom of Information requests the subject cropped up at last night at the Value for Money Scrutiny Committee in Hammersmith and Fulham, which I chair. We were scrutinising the budget and among the efficiencies was an item proposed to save £42,000 a year. It is: "Cost containment. Freedom of Information improvements achieved by implementing better workflows through using new systems and better information on the website to enable enquiriers to self serve." We also talked about presenting the budget with a more detailed, intelligible breakdown of each section. One of the arguments for transparency, for getting all the information available on the website, is that it would reduce the number of FOI requests and Member Enquries as well as the cost of those that do come in.

SIC guidance on validity of requests following CoS Opinion

The Scottish Information Commissioner has issued new guidance explaining the practical effects for public authorities and applicants of the Opinion of the Court of Session in Glasgow City Council v Scottish Information Commissioner [2009] CSIH 73 (see earlier blog post here). The Opinion addressed some important aspects of the FOI (Scotland) Act, particularly in relation to how information requests should be framed and whether a request made on behalf of another (unnamed) person is valid. The SIC is urging public authorities to read the guidance and review their procedures in light of it.

The guidance states:

Making or receiving requests for documents or copies of documents
"FOISA provides a right to obtain information and not a right to obtain copies of specific documents. However, this does not mean that a request for a copy of a document is automatically invalid, as long as it is reasonably clear from the request that it is the information recorded in the document that the applicant wants. If it is not reasonably clear, the public authority can contact the applicant to obtain clarification."

Providing information in response to a request for documents or copies of documents
"Applicants cannot insist on receiving copies of specific documents, but only receiving information. However, unless the applicant has asked for the information to be provided in a digest or summary, the information provided must be a complete and accurate version of the information contained in the specific documents. This means that it may be easier for public authorities just to provide copies."

The "true applicant"
"An information request must state the name of the applicant. There is nothing to stop someone making a request on behalf of another person. However, the person the request is being made on behalf of must be named. A public authority which receives a request on behalf of another, unnamed, person has a duty to provide reasonable advice and assistance to the person who submitted the request to provide an explanation of what needs to be done in order for a valid request to be made."

A summary of the guidance and a link to the detailed guidance are on the SIC website here.

At Large in Ballard: Life as a second language

This ESL teacher makes her own curriculum and is quite successful. She loves what she is doing too. - - Donna Poisl

By Peggy Sturdivant

She moved from Minnesota to be closer to her daughters. She moved to Ballard from Friday Harbor when her job no longer allowed her to telecommute. Now, Simone Vilandre is one of yet another breed of new Ballardites: a woman over 60 who is reinventing herself.

Simone’s request for magazines in Sustainable Ballard’s monthly update caught my attention.

I am becoming a vicarious collector – drawn to people collecting wood corks, pennies and now magazines.

Simone’s request was for used magazines to use in English as a Second Language classes (ESL).
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Westborough ELL program gets top marks

This school district is passing all the state requirements. 87% scored higher than they did the previous year. - - Donna Poisl

By Scott O'Connell/STAFF WRITER, GateHouse News Service

WESTBOROUGH — Six years ago, there were about 80 English Language Learner (ELL) students here in town. Today, there are 80 ELL students at Armstrong Elementary alone, and 346 in total throughout the district.

Despite the influx of non-English speaking students, however, Westborough’s ELL program continues to surpass state expectations. At the School Committee’s meeting last Wednesday, ELL coordinator Joanne Fridley gave a presentation showing the impressive numbers.
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Tap Your 'Inner Immigrant'

This is a new book, titled "Immigrant, Inc. --- Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (and how they will save the American worker) (Wiley & Sons). The author is an immigration lawyer based in Cleveland, Ohio.

See the following 2.5 minute video, "Tap Your 'Inner Immigrant'"

http://www.youtube.com/user/Immigrantinc2010

Please feel free to share this video link with your friends and colleagues.

Here is a description of the video and the companion book, Immigrant, Inc.:

Want to fall-in-love with America and its abundant opportunities all
over again?

Look through the eyes of an immigrant.

Site creation, sharing management and more with the Google Sites API

Since we launched the Google Sites Data API last fall, we've heard great feedback from businesses and schools using the API to update sites from 3rd party applications, migrate data from legacy workspace solutions into Google Sites and more.

Today, we're releasing several improvements to the API: the abilities to list a user's sites, create new sites, copy existing sites, and manage sharing permissions. You can read more about these updates to the Google Sites Data API on the Google Code Blog.

Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager

Get timely updates on new features in Google Apps by subscribing to our RSS feed or email alerts.

Ethnic cuisine helps bridge cultural divide

A two-year grant is funding this effort to get different cultures to understand each other -- and food and food stories are a great place to start. - - Donna Poisl

Program has students write about, analyze and taste traditional dishes

By Maureen Magee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

EL CERRITO — As a child, Fadumo Aweys sold traditional sambusas at her family’s restaurant in Somalia. As an adult in San Diego, she makes the meat-and-mint-filled dumplings to feed her children and remind them of their African culture.

Aweys and her daughter, Muna Abdirahman, were among several students last week who shared their favorite ethnic dishes — and the stories behind them — with students at Crawford High School as part of a community diversity project.

Sambusas, chile verde, coconut bread and Vietnamese sandwiches were the inspiration for essays, the subjects of science experiments, the source of mathematical analysis and muses for student artists.
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Spelling Suggestions and Thumbnail View in Google Docs

Google Docs lets you create, store, and share work files with teammates and other colleagues. Today we're making it easier for you to search across your files and find your documents with spelling suggestions in Google Docs search results. When you search from your Google Documents List, we automatically check whether your query uses the most common spelling of a given word. If you’re likely to get better search results with an alternate spelling, you'll see a "Did you mean..." spelling suggestion. Never again will you wonder why your search for "agedna" (agenda) came up with zero results!

We also launched a new thumbnail view that displays small previews of your files. When combined with personalized relevance in search results, the thumbnail view makes it even faster to find the file you're looking for. You can toggle between list and thumbnail views using new buttons on the top right of the toolbar.

Finally, we're increasing the maximum file size for the Upload and share any file feature on Google Docs, so now you can upload, store, and share any file up to 1GB in size with Google Docs.

Posted by Nitin Mangtani, Product Manager, Google Apps

Skydiver Set To Break Altitude, Speed Record

Austrian Felix Baumgartner is set to challenge two amazing skydiving records later this year, as he attempts to jump from the edge of space, setting a new record for highest altitude, and while in free fall, he hopes to break a 50-year old speed record, by breaking the sound barrier.

Sponsored by Red Bull (Who else?), Baumgartner hopes to ascend to 120,000 feet with the help of a giant balloon filled with helium. The 600-foot wide balloon will carry a specially designed canister up to where the atmosphere is thin, with Baumgartner tucked away inside. It is estimated that it will take roughly three hours for the skydiver to reach the designated height, at which time he'll rotate the capsule's door open and leap out, setting the new record for high altitude jump in the process.

He'll then proceed to free fall for some time, and with the air so thin at that altitude, Felix's support crew expects him to reach supersonic speeds in about 35 seconds or so. If their calculations are correct, he'll set a new speed record as well. As he descends, He could drift as much as 150-200 miles from his starting point. The team hopes to prove that an astronaut could survive a similar jump were they forced to abandon a spacecraft on re-entry.

As of now, there is no target date set for when he'll make the jump. The team is hoping that it will happen this year, but they are still clearing some logistical hurdles. They will be conducting a number of test jumps at lower altitudes while they work out the final details and look for a proper weather window to make the leap.

For more on the story, check out the Fox News article found here.

Papua New Guinea's Lost World Revealed

Back in September I wrote about a "lost world" that had been discovered near Mt. Bosavi in a very remote section of Papua New Guinea. At the time, the place was just beginning to be explored by a team of scientists and a film crew from the BBC, but they had already discovered some amazing new species, including a giant rat and a variety of new spiders.

Now, nearly six months later, WideWorld Magazine has a follow-up story with more information on the place. The article talks about the logistics of getting to this amazing place, and how the filmmakers went about enlisting the aid of the local tribesmen who had no concept of the technologies they would be using there.

Mt. Bosavi is located in a previously unexplored region of Papua New Guinea. The once active volcano had been silent for some time, and its caldera has collapsed many millennia ago. As a result, a nearly impenetrable wall of rock has been built up around the region, forming a unique ecosystem that has been virtually cut off to the outside world for thousands of years.

This fascinating story from WideWorld not only shows us what it was like to explore this remote area for the first time, it also talks about how the BBC worked to get the footage they wanted and needed to make a documentary about the expedition. While scientists and explorers struggled to penetrate the interior of the lost world, equally talented cameramen came along for the ride, capturing a place that no man had ever looked upon before.

Really amazing stuff. I'm hoping desperately that this documentary will somehow make its way stateside. I'd love to watch this all unfold.

Everest 2010: China Says - "No Traverses For You!"

Alan Arnette had an interesting bit of news posted to his Everest 2010 blog yesterday. It seems just two months before the climbers will descend on Kathmandu, the Chinese have found a way to throw a crimp in some plans for the upcoming season. The Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association, the governing body that oversees the permitting procedure on that side of the mountain, has announced that they will not be issuing any permits that would allow a climber to make a traverse of Everest this year.

For those who are unfamiliar with a traverse, it is an ascent in which the climber begins on one side of the mountain, say Nepal, makes the usual climb to the summit, and then descends down the other side of the mountain into Tibet. Of course it can work in the opposite direction too, going from Tibet to Nepal.

While the vast majority of climbers won't even notice that this restriction is in place, there were several who have been planning to make a traverse. For instance, Australian climber Andrew Lock was hoping to make the first ever traverse without oxygen and Gavin Turner was going to try for the first ever double traverse. In this case, a double traverse would be starting on one side, climbing to the top, descending on the other, then resting for several days before reversing the route back to the summit and returning to where the climber started.

This change in the permits has forced climbers to make some changes to their plans. Andrew hasn't said what he'll do just yet, and Gavin is now jumping over to Annapurna instead. Meanwhile, Alan notes that David Liano and Bill Burke, who were hoping to make a traverse, will instead attempt a double summit, making one climb on the North Side in Tibet, then traveling to the South Side in Nepal, and making a second climb from there. If successful, this will be the first time that that has been done as well.

While this is a fairly minor bump in the road for most, it is a bit disheartening for these climbers who have been planning for a traverse, which have been done a number of times in recent years on Everest. The CTMA hasn't said why they've stopped issuing these permits, but Alan speculates that they're hoping to have a climber from China become the first to make the actual double traverse. Yay for national pride!