French Companies Offer New Tennis Products

Feb 03, 2011 – Babolat, the inventor of tennis strings and currently the No. 2 manufacturer of racquets, is proud to announce the start of a new collaboration with Roland-Garros in 2011. These two internationally recognized French brands are joining together to serve the game of tennis at the highest level of competition. Exclusively dedicated to the manufacture of racquet sports equipment and offering products used by the most well known champions on courts around the world, Babolat is passionately and proudly aligning for five years with Roland-Garros. Supplier of the official ball of the French Open, Babolat will also provide stringing services for all players in the tournament and offer tennis fans a complete line of Babolat Roland-Garros products.

“Part of our history is written on the clay courts of Roland-Garros through our team of players who have often distinguished themselves in this tournament. In the past, we have also provided stringing service here,” explains Eric Babolat, president and CEO of Babolat. “Now, a new chapter in French tennis history is opening. All the players in the tournament, without exception, will play with a ball developed by Babolat and will benefit from our stringing service. For tennis fans, we will offer our first collection of Babolat and Roland-Garros products. This collaboration perfectly illustrates the positioning of Babolat: an expert brand offering tennis equipment for all types of players.”

“We are particularly proud of this partnership between Babolat and Roland-Garros, for whom excellence has been a trademark,” says Gilbert Ysern, general manager of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and tournament director of Roland-Garros. “In becoming the official supplier of the French Open for the next five years (2011 to 2015), Babolat will bring know-how, expertise and experience in an extremely specialized technical area. Babolat’s arrival alongside Roland-Garros means we’ll be able to offer the best service possible to the participants in our tournament. Babolat is also a great success story of a world-leading French company—a fast-growing family business that is faithful to the values we share with the French Tennis Federation: our focus is on the game.”

BABOLAT IN STEP WITH ROLAND-GARROS
The official ball of the Roland-Garros tournament, used by the best players in the world, will be a Babolat ball. Entrusted by the FFT with the development of the official ball, Babolat has conceived a superior quality ball that meets all the technical criteria imposed by the FFT and is specially designed for playing on clay.

Babolat has invested on all fronts to serve the champions of this tournament. The equipment manufacturer will also be responsible for stringing service during the entire competition. For this, Babolat will gather the top stringers in the world and install stringing machines in the heart of the Roland-Garros stadium.

BABOLAT & ROLAND-GARROS: A NEW LINE OF PRODUCTS
In 2011, Babolat is launching its first line of Roland-Garros branded products. The Babolat Roland-Garros line also includes all essential equipment for playing tennis: racquets (adult and junior), balls, racquet bags, backpacks, strings, grips and dampeners. The Babolat Roland-Garros products will be available starting May 2011 in stores and in the Roland-Garros boutique.

AN EXCLUSIVE MEETING OF TWO BRANDS LINKED TO THE ORIGINS OF TENNIS
Since 1875, Babolat has been inventing, innovating and designing new products—sources of improved performance. This passion for serving tennis players, and now for serving Roland-Garros, seals the coming-together of these two strong brands that have made tennis history. This unique clay court encounter has spawned the “Ultimate Tennis Experience”: innovative, high-performance and demanding tennis combined with the elegance and physical endurance of the game.

Roland-Garros and Team Babolat professional players have always inspired the brand. From the Four Musketeers and Suzanne Lenglen equipped with Babolat strings in the 1920’s, to the first Grand Slam victory with a Babolat racquet in 1998 by Carlos Moya—without forgetting the numerous victories of Rafael Nadal—Babolat supports its players to help them win on clay. Babolat’s commitment to the French Open reflects the long-term vision for the brand, offering innovation to the evolving sport of tennis.

In addition to innovation, performance and competition, Babolat and Roland-Garros are driven by a unifying, common value: passion for tennis. Roland-Garros represents one of the most coveted tournaments of professional players, one of the most prestigious in the tennis world. As for Babolat, “Tennis runs in our blood” for 135 years. The equipment manufacturer is THE brand of all tennis aficionados, from international players to club players. This association presents an opportunity for all players to enjoy and share in the “Ultimate Tennis Experience” by Babolat and Roland-Garros: an experience to enjoy during the fortnight of the tournament and to share on the court thanks to the line of Babolat Roland-Garros products available starting in May 2011!

ABOUT BABOLAT
Founded in Lyon, France, in 1875, Babolat is the first company to have specialized in racquet sports and the world leader in the production of natural gut strings. Easily recognized by its trademark “double-line” (two stripes on the racquet frame and black on the stringing bed), Babolat is still family-owned. Today, with U.S. operations in Boulder, Colorado, the company also manufactures synthetic strings, shoes, accessories and a best-selling line of racquets. Babolat equips 20% of the top 100 players in the ATP and WTA including Rafael Nadal (SPAIN, #1! ATP), Andy Roddick (USA, #8 ATP), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRANCE, #18 ATP), Kim Clijsters (BELGIUM, #2 WTA), Francesca Schiavone (ITALY, #4 WTA) and Samantha Stosur (AUSTRALIA, #5 WTA). To find out where Babolat products are sold, log on to www.babolat.com or call (877) 316-9435. Follow us on Facebook.com/babolat or Twitter.com/babolat.

College Station Bat Removal

College Station Bat Removal
College Station Bat Control by United Bat Control, Incorporated
College Station Bat Removal has been specializing in removing bats with professional bat exclusion experts since 1998. The College Station Bat Removal experts have vast experience in operating in commercial buildings, industrial complexes and every residential neighborhood in the College Station, Texas area.

College Station Bat Removal has been removing bats from homes and commercial buildings since 1998 and is still actively helping families and businesses today in 2010 and will be doing so in 2011 as well. If you have a College Station, Texas problem with a single bat or a bat colony in your neighborhood, we can assist you in the removal of the College Station bat in the most humane way possible. We understand that College Station Texas bats are very important to our planet and the Great State of Texas. We are doing everything in our control to make sure that once removed from a College Station dwelling the bats are safe, healthy, find a new home and keep the Texas ecological system balanced.

College Station Bat Removal utilizes our patented devises enabling us to humanely exclude College Station bat colonies numbering from a few bats in number to thousands of bats, sometimes as big as the State of Texas! After a proper College Station Texas bat exclusion is performed it is necessary to bat proof a College Station structure so that the bats’ colonies cannot return. The ecological materials that are used to bat proof a Texas structure are applied in a professional manner so as to conform to the aesthetics of your College Station structure.
College Station Bat Removal provides multi-year warranties to protect you against a re-infestation.
College Station Bat Control
College Station bats serve an important role in Texas. Bats are responsible for eating a significant amount of College Station insects and this is extremely beneficial to the city of College Station, Texas. Yet, if your home or building has a bat living in it, bats roosting around humans or animal pets is a major health risk for your family. College Station bats around homes with College Station children create unacceptable risks for bat bites or exposure to harmful bat guano.

When College Station bats are found in your home or commercial building they need to be removed immediately. Rabies becomes our number one concern with bat roosting. It is a bat virus that is spread by the saliva of infected bat that is in the last stages of the disease. Usually rabies is passed on through a College Station bite.

The Tadarida is the most common bats found in College Station, Texas. This College Station Texas Bat is also known as the Mexican Free-tail bat. The College Station Bat is the official "flying mammal" of the state of Texas!

RSA Conference February 14 - 18, 2011 in San Francisco

NEI, a provider of application platforms, deployment solutions and lifecycle support services for software technology developers and OEMs worldwide, will be offering a series of presentations involving its technology partners, security solution providers, and industry analysts that will discuss current trends in cybersecurity and solutions, along with demonstrations of new products offering improved sophistication of network monitoring, and strengthened protection against threats to the enterprise computing environment, a press release announced.

The RSA (News - Alert) Conference 2011 will take place from February 14-18, 2011, in San Francisco, CA.
First on the roster- is Jonathan Penn, who is currently vice president of Forrester Research (News - Alert). Penn will speak about new IT security realities and how to adapt, at NEI booth #2539. His presentations will discuss current trends in IT and business that are challenging controlled assets within corporate boundaries, and how leading organizations are implementing new ways to maximize the impact of their security controls to minimize business risk, all while maintaining a more open IT environment.
Different types of security practices that embrace the IT shift without sacrificing protection will be on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 11:30 a.m. and again on Wednesday, March 16, at 11:30 a.m.
Jim Greene, product marketing engineer in Intel’s Data Center Group, will discuss new data and platform protection technologies for servers that work alongside new computing models such as the cloud. Topics also to be discussed include how they are used, and how benefits can be realized and measured on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. and again on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.
Franklin Flint, enterprise technology evangelist at Dell (News - Alert), will explain what it means to fully grasp the server technology adoption curve to drive innovation and efficiency at OEMs on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. and again on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m.
Brian Girardi, vice president of product management at NetWitness, will speak about a new way to enable network monitoring that can enhance visibility of a network, precise, real-time intelligence, and the ability to address security issues immediately, even as the threats diversify on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.
Jeff Rhodes, communications server sales manager at Kontron, will highlight a new appliance specifically engineered for deep-packet inspection and IDS/IPS systems running applications that demand high performance computing power and extensive storage on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. and again on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.
Stuart Wilson, CTO of Endace, will examine next-generation, high-speed network traffic capture and analysis solutions by detailing how to monitor and protect mission-critical networks with consistent capture and analysis of every packet even in large enterprises, telcos, and other high-throughput networks on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.
NEI will also hold a reception event in its booth on Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 4 - 6 p.m. During the event, NEI engineers and program managers will be on hand to address emerging security concerns for the cloud, SaaS (News - Alert), and other growing computing models that require new approaches to IT security.

Money for Children's Hospital

If Franciscan Hospital for Children, struggling in recent years due to state funding cuts, can raise $500,000 by year’s end, a fellow Brighton-based organization will match the figure in a fundraising challenge aimed at aiding the hospital’s day school for children with multiple, complex physical and cognitive disabilities.

The New Balance Foundation named Franciscan Hospital’s Kennedy Day School the beneficiary of the challenge, said a recent press release.

“We are so pleased with the generosity of the New Balance Foundation,” Paul DellaRocco, the hospital’s president and CEO, said in the release. “Make no mistake, the challenge to raise $500,000 will not be easy, as we typically raise about 2 million dollars annually. But I’m optimistic we can leverage New Balance’s support to secure major gifts from our friends and the local corporate and foundation world.”

Several donors have quickly demonstrated support, collectively committing around $150,000 to the challenge, or about a quarter of the way toward's the goal Franciscan hopes to reach by December so that New Balance will add another half million, said the hospital's Chief Development Officer Steven Snyder.

New Bakery in Minturn Colorado

MINTURN, Colorado — Sage Pierson grew up in East Vail, and always wanted to live in Minturn. After making that dream happen Pierson owns a downtown business, too.

In December, Pierson opened the Sticky Fingers bakery in the the old railroad town's small downtown district.

“I like it here,” Pierson said. “You're kind of off the beaten path.

Sticky Fingers' opening brought to eight the number of new businesses that have opened in downtown Minturn in a little more than a year. And the revitalization of the town's business district isn't through yet. Eric Cregon, who made Mango's in Red Cliff a high-elevation hot spot, is ready to open the former Chilly Willy's restaurant, which has been vacant for the last several months.

The new businesses fill several categories, from music to food to outdoor recreation and even a new tattoo studio.

Karen Funnelle-Harkins was among the first in the latest wave of new businesses in Minturn. Her clothing store, Jayded, just celebrated its first anniversary, despite a struggling local and national economy.

“We're doing all right,” Funnelle-Harkins said. “I can look into the next year now.”

Funnelle-Harkins said she's long been in love with the building Jayded now occpies, hard against the Harold Bellm Bridge at the entrance to town. Long-timers will remember that Cowboys & Indians occupied the building for many years.

“I've loved that building forever,” Funnelle-Harkins said.

And, like the other new business owners, she loves Minturn, and has sung its praises to anyone who will listen.

A chance meeting

One of those people is Shawn McKeown, owner of Minturn Music. McKeown and his wife were in Jayded one day last year, and began talking to Funnelle-Harkins. McKeown mentioned that he was looking around for a new space for his Avon store, formerly Mojo Music.

Funnelle-Harkins mentioned that some retail space was available across the street, McKeown made some calls, and Minturn Music opened last fall.

“She helped convince me to come downtown,” McKeown said.

And, so far, things seem to be working out.

“I do like being here,” McKeown said. “It's nice being on a main street.”

While Minturn has a traditional main street, McKeown said he doesn't get as much walk-in traffic as he did when the store was in Avon.

“But people who need us are finding us.”

Like many long-time residents, people who have recently arrived in Minturn love the place. It's not Vail, and doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is — and old railroad town that finds itself surrounded by the Vail Valley.

The town's age has its problems — it's been less than 20 years since the last of the old wooden water lines were replaced, and it's hard to get an accurate land survey because the old survey points move as Meadow Mountain continues to shift.

But people in town are working to keep the place vibrant.

“We're trying to upgrade as we can,” Minturn Town Manager Jim White said. “We're trying to feed on the energy of the new businesses as well as the existing businesses.”

The town has received some advice about economic development from Downtown Colorado, Inc., and has some firm plans to spruce up downtown.

A sidewalk replacement project will start this year, and the town is looking at improving downtown's lights. There's also a plan for a bike-sharing program for the summer.

Ultimately, though, the private sector is fueling this resurgence the old-fashioned way — Minturn's a pretty good value for a store owner.

Location, location, and rent

Tim Simon has owned the Minturn Music and Sticky Fingers retail spaces for years. With that length of ownership comes some flexibility when it comes to working with tenants. And, given the times, he knows he has to compete with other landlords in other communities, too.

“Everybody I've talked to has been shopping,” he said of potential clients.

That's why Simon has helped out his new tenants as much as he could, with new paint and other fix-ups needed to get his new tenants' spaces as presentable as possible.

“We spent a lot of time working things out,” Simon said.

Funnelle-Harkins' landlord is the company that owns the Battle Mountain property between Minturn and Red Cliff, site of a proposed ski area and upscale housing development. She said her landlords were willing to work with her, too. The Jayded building got a new coat of paint, some improvements to the indoor plumbing and other improvements. And the fixed up building came at what Funnelle-Harkins calls a “favorable” rent.

“I just kept bugging them and we worked it out,” Funnelle-Harkins said.

While Minturn has its charms, it is out of the way for most valley residents. That's why many of Funnelle-Harkins' friends told her she needed to open her store somewhere else.

“People said ‘go to Edwards,'” she said. “But I'm not going to spend $4,000 a month for rent.

“Besides, we're becoming more of a destination,” Funnelle-Harkins added. “You can come her for a pair of jeans, grab a coffee and even get a tattoo.”

Business Editor Scott N. Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930 or smiller@vaildaily.com.

Strawn Family Restaurant

Last fall, the Strawn family moved their popular but far-flung Kingston Springs restaurant to Cool Springs' Camden Commons, at the crossroads of Moore's Lane and Franklin Road. The move from a small town's Main Street to a mixed-use "lifestyle center" is bold, but they brought with them the rustic yet elegant charm that has long defined dining at MacK and Kate's Cafe.

Cafe tables and chairs under a sheltered porch dress up the restaurant's exterior, reminding us that springtime al fresco seating is not far away. Inside, old steamer trunks stacked with plants create a path to the reception. The dining room is cozy, a study in warm browns. Natural burlap curtains soften the front windows. Wooden tables are draped in white linen with chocolate linen napkins. Ladderback chairs surround most tables, and a plush taupe banquette lines the back wall. Families can gather at the harvest table.

There's a bar, too, with country appeal, made from reclaimed barn wood, enameled washtub buckets and a zinc countertop. A section of brown-painted rail fence separates the bar from the main dining area. Monofilament bulbs, new but old-timey in feeling, suspend from the ceiling.

Familiar flavors

The Strawns also have brought back Michael Czapleski to serve as MacK and Kate's executive chef (a function he also serves at Green Hills sister restaurant Macke's).

Together with lead chef Caleb Philips, he has designed a seasonally driven menu. Like the restaurant, the menu melds upscale elements with down-home comforts.

The bold move seems to be paying off. Business was brisk on both visits, the restaurant filled with couples wining and dining and friends gathering for after-work cocktails and snacks. Regardless of the direction you choose for your MacK and Kate's experience, be sure to enjoy the extraordinary biscuits your server brings to your table. Warm, with just-baked freshness, these airy rounds are flecked with crushed black peppercorns.

Spread them with a smidge of honey butter, the right complement to the peppery bite.

Starters are portioned for sharing. The house onion rings are substantial, beer-battered cuffs that practically tumble out of the serving bowl, served with a rosy horseradish ketchup. Crunchy-tart fried green tomatoes come with sides of pimiento cheese and chow-chow, both perennial Southern favorites.

Soups are prepared daily, using of-the-moment ingredients. If that happens to be roasted cauliflower, be sure to get a cup. The lush bisque is laced with cheddar, which heightens, rather than masks, the earthy sweetness of the vegetable.

Seafood is succulent

Fruits of the sea dominate the menu, in intriguing, artful preparations. Grapefruit, mango and avocado bring vibrant color and flavor to the crab salad. The organic grilled salmon entree is served with an innovative fennel and Bing cherry-studded quinoa. Three jumbo shrimp, smoked and seared in a citrus glaze, are topped with entwined ribbons of pickled carrots and shiitake mushrooms in the grilled smoked shrimp salad. All are arranged on a bed of baby lettuces awash in orange-scented thyme vinaigrette, bright, with a hint of ginger heat.

Four seafood dishes lead the list of small plates, including the indulgent lobster mac-and-cheese. In concept and execution, however, the seared scallop trio is the star.

Colossal, these sea scallops have pork-cracklin'-crisp edges that yield firm yet fork-tender interiors. Ocean-perfumed and succulent, each is placed on a sweet potato griddlecake and drenched in sorghum-bourbon reduction. The griddlecakes repeat that crisp-edged texture, dissolving into dulcet, cinnamon-spiked softness on your tongue.

Jewel-like cubes of roasted beets are stacked and scattered across the plate. Visually, it dazzles. The griddlecakes could almost be a dessert, but the array of sweet ocean and earth notes is balanced by salt and spice. It's a memorable dish.

Entrees are meaty

Vegetarians will find few choices on the menu, but the kitchen will accommodate needs or augment recipes. The wild mushroom ravioli, enrobed in fresh spinach and shiitake mushroom cream, includes slices of grilled chicken, but it would be equally satisfying without them

Meat lovers will find classic dishes in generous portions. The blackened rib eye has a toothsome crust of salt, peppers and thyme, and a dollop of blue cheese butter melting over the meat delivers creamy pungency. Bistro-style fries and a timbale of broccoli casserole, charming and retro in its toasted breadcrumb crust, round out the entree. Be clear, though, about your desired level of doneness. Our medium-rare beef had trespassed into medium.

Mammoth in size and heft, the bone-in pork chop has a bulging, "Henry VIII feast" quality about it. Its center is slit open to make a pocket, then stuffed with gouda cheese and sage. Wrapped in prosciutto and pan-roasted, the chop is rich and hearty, presented with Parmesan risotto and sauteed green beans.

While the pork was, indeed, well prepared, we were disappointed in those accompaniments. Timing issues were part of the problem. The risotto had cooled and firmed up, eliminating that wonderful inherent creaminess. The green beans were bland, green filler. A saute of winter greens or broccoli rabe would have been a worthier and more seasonal accompaniment.

Still, these are modest complaints. The food is very good, and stellar in some instances. MacK and Kate's vibe is friendly, if no longer small-town neighborly. Service is informed and pleasant, though slow on occasion. This should even out as this talented kitchen and staff come into rhythm with the demands of the new neighborhood.

Nancy Vienneau is a chef and retired caterer with 25 years of experience. She cooks and teaches at Second Harvest and blogs about her adventures with food at http://nancyvienneau.com. Reviews are written from anonymous visits to restaurants. Negative reviews are based on two or more visits. The Tennessean pays for all meals.

Special Teacher - Special Music

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com.

As conductor Eve Montague introduced each singer, the chorus rehearsal took on the tone of a pep rally.

“And then we have Linda,” said Montague, welcoming her with an infectious smile amid cheers and applause. “We have five new people.”

Montague started SSC Community Voices two years ago, and its special-needs teens and adults met recently at Ellison Center for the Arts in Duxbury to start preparing for their May concert.

“We’re going to do a little warming up and get right to the singing,” said Montague, who made her singers laugh when she patted her cheeks. “And then I want you to guess the theme for our spring concert.”

Some of the singers could read the words, some could not. Some sang boldly, a few just listened. But all seemed to enjoy themselves.

“I wanted them to be able to come together and make music, and I knew they didn’t have an opportunity to do that,” said Montague, a music therapist and voice instructor who directs South Shore Conservatory’s music therapy and community partnership programs.

Montague loves music and said she believes everyone of all abilities can experience its joy. Her singers have Down syndrome, developmental delays, physical impairments and Asperger’s syndrome.

During the hour of rehearsal, she led the singers in “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “The Ash Grove,” “Fields of Gold” and “True Colors.” Many knew the “Wizard of Oz” classic, but not the Welsh folk tune, which Montague told them was about walking peacefully among “ash trees,” not ashtrays.

Montague’s playfulness is part of what wins her singers’ devotion, said Laurel Shea, whose daughter, Lucy, 20, joined the chorus last year.

“Eve always keeps them laughing, but she’s also teaching them and respecting them,” said Shea, of Plymouth. “She’s gifted and has a big heart.”

Lucy suffered uncontrollable seizures that required the removal of half her brain at age 2, but she bounces to the beat and sings with musicality. Another singer can’t speak but moves to the music, while another has a vocal range of only four notes. But many singers easily and heartedly carry the tunes.

“We can accommodate anyone,” said Montague, who gives a CD to students so they can practice on their own for the two or more concerts a year. “Music can be for everyone, no matter what their ability. I know it’s a cliche, but music really is the universal language.”

The South Shore Conservatory is the rare music school that offers music therapy, and Montague has expanded the program in her three years there.

“There’s a much better understanding of music therapy now than years ago, but most of it still happens only for the elderly,” said Montague, who formerly worked at the Massachusetts Hospital School. “People still say, ‘What does music really do other than make you feel good?’ I want people to see that it’s not a fluffy thing, that there’s science behind it.”

From her own experience and from academic studies, she knows that music therapy can help people with speech, mobility, and social development. At nursing facilities in Hingham, she said she has seen music help people with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other conditions.

“I want to be a resource to the community that doesn’t cost a lot of money,” said Montague, 50, who lives in Pembroke with her husband. “I don’t want people to not participate in music because they get stuck on how to do it.”

To that end, she works with special-needs students in the Pembroke public schools and advises music teachers on ways to integrate special-needs children and adapt instruction and music. She speaks to parent groups and service agencies to raise awareness about the opportunities to pursue music. Proficient in piano, guitar and percussion, she also does individual evaluations and therapy.

Montague also creates service opportunities for high school students. Ilve Bayturk, a ninth-grade student at SSC, accompanied the group on piano, and Marshfield High School student Ashley Rossi was a second pair of hands for Montague.

Montague hopes to start a similar chorus in the Quincy area. And she’d like to create internship opportunities for music therapy students at Berklee College of Music and Lesley College.

Montague, who grew up in Toronto, originally wanted to be a social worker until she realized she could combine her love of music and service as a music therapist. In addition to her job at the conservatory, she is the music director at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson and sings with Opera by the Bay, most recently in the November production of “Hansel and Gretel.”

In March, she becomes president of the New England chapter of the American Music Therapy Association.

“I have one of the greatest jobs,” she said. “I get to see the power of music to affect change in individuals.”

Mother Daughter Real Estate Team

EUGENE, OR - January 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) — Geri and Karen Sexton have enabled the premier IDX, Inc. software on their website, giving them an IDX solution that automatically extracts raw California Real Estate Technology Services (CARETS) listings and displays the information directly onto their search page. The innovative IDX Broker software helps to simplify the online real estate market for both home seekers and real estate agents and brokers, like the Sextons. Their website now hosts one of the most dynamic property search features available online, making their website a great place to begin the online property search process.
Beach front homes and properties in the city are all possible to search for on the website the Sextons host. Potential buyers can scan the CARETS listings to find the home best suited to their needs and budgets. Additional tools, supplied by IDX and supported by the Sextons, allow home seekers to connect with sellers and listing agents once they find a property they like to gather more information or schedule showings of a home. The mortgage calculator and virtual tour options also give potential buyers other tools to personalize their search and educate them about the home buying process. Never before have so many tools been available to home seekers throughout the online home search, nor have these tools been so accessible.
The Sextons have their own new level of accessibility, this time to the amazing and thorough online administrative page they receive with their IDX solution. Here, they can create RSS feeds and dynamic XML codes to syndicate their properties around the online real estate market, including social media sites and larger real estate search engines. With the immense tools these Realtors receive as benefits of adopting IDX Broker software, it is no wonder that their online business solution is so helpful and successful for matching buyers with properties.

Voting for Inventor Awards

Autodesk Opens Voting for 2010 “Inventor of the Year”

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, has kicked off the company’s official “Inventor of the Year” voting process. Autodesk is encouraging interested members of the manufacturing community to visit the community website and vote one of the 2010 Autodesk Inventor of the Month recipients as “Inventor of the Year.”

The Inventor of the Month program recognizes the most innovative design and engineering advancements made among the hundreds of thousands of users of Autodesk Inventor software -- technology that takes manufacturers beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping. Simply put, a digital prototype helps users design, visualize and simulate how a product will perform before it is built, which in turn helps to reduce costs, speed time to market and increase competitive advantage.

The Inventor of the Year is chosen from the monthly award winners for 2010. The monthly winner with the highest rating from community members will be named Inventor of the Year. Voting is under way and closes Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. eastern time.

Inventor of the Month Winners for 2010

January 2010: ideas*, an Australian engineering services firm, used Autodesk Inventor to design and develop the world’s most advanced construction recycling facility. The massive facility in Victoria, Australia, is capable of recycling one million tons of demolition materials a year.

February 2010: StructureCraft, a custom design-builder based in British Columbia, Canada, used Autodesk Inventor to design and develop the innovative WoodWave roof for the Richmond Olympic Oval long-track speed-skating venue.

March 2010: RND Automation, a manufacturer of custom factory automation, robotic work cell, packaging and material-handling equipment, uses Autodesk Inventor to effectively design customized automation solutions for a wide range of customers, including manufacturers of hydraulic valves, contact lenses and insulated beverage containers.

April 2010: Vindby, a Danish supplier of renewable energy solutions, used Autodesk Inventor to develop the Vindby 1A, the first wind turbine approved for home use in Denmark.

May 2010: Preciosa, a Czech-based producer of cut crystal chandeliers and lighting fixtures, uses Autodesk Inventor, in conjunction with AutoCAD Mechanical and Autodesk Vault Professional software, to design, visualize and simulate its products in 3D and easily share digital prototypes with customers — helping them design their dazzling wares in half the time and with 70 percent fewer mistakes.

June 2010: West Hills Construction uses Autodesk Inventor to deliver energy efficiency, management, storage and distributed generation solutions. Using a combination of technologies, West Hills Construction helps customers not only reduce their energy use, but also generate energy on-site from renewable resources. The result has both environmental and economic benefits for all involved.

July 2010: Brookhaven National Laboratory, a national research laboratory overseen by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy, relied on Autodesk Inventor to design the innovative, next-generation nanotechnology equipment in National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) II facility, one of the world’s most widely used scientific user research facilities.

August 2010: Mark Richey Woodworking, a high-end architectural woodworking firm, used Autodesk Inventor in developing and installing the precision millwork required for a new performing arts center. Without Inventor software, fabricating and installing the woodwork in Helzberg Hall would have taken two to three times longer — and cost three times as much.

September 2010: Joy Mining Machinery, a leading global supplier of underground mining systems, used Autodesk Inventor Digital Prototyping software to develop its JOY 14ED25 continuous miner-bolter machine that helps promote zero harm in the underground mining environment.

October 2010: A Stanford University team of graduate students used Autodesk Inventor to develop a prototype of the recyclable Bloom laptop. Creating 3D digital prototypes of the hardware components in the laptop aided in creating a readily accessible laptop design that is also easy to disassemble.

November 2010: Ritter Sport, Germany’s producer of the square chocolate bar of the same name, uses Autodesk Inventor software to more quickly change its candy bar designs. While the company’s famous 100-gram chocolate square remains an unchanging staple of its product lineup, Autodesk Inventor helps the company create new designs 30 percent faster than previously to more quickly respond to market trends.

December 2010: Pi Mobility used Autodesk Inventor to more efficiently design the Pi Cycle, a new generation of sturdy, long-lasting electric bicycles. Producing a 3D digital prototype of the Pi Cycle showed that by increasing the diameter of the bike’s tube by a half an inch, the company could immediately save a significant amount of money.

About the Autodesk Inventor of the Month Program

Each month, Autodesk selects an Inventor of the Month from the users of Autodesk Inventor software. Winners are chosen for engineering excellence and groundbreaking innovation. For more information about Autodesk Inventor of the Month, contact IOM@autodesk.com.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries – including the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects – use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Editorial Note:

HVAC in Las Vegas

Very few, if any, of the 2 million people living in Las Vegas could bear one summer without air conditioning. That's what makes Ken Goodrich's business somewhat recession-proof.

Goodrich, a graduate of Clark High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, founded Yes Air Conditioning and Plumbing, a company specializing in air conditioner repair and service.

When the weather heats up, so does his business.

"We generate most all of our profit from April 15 to September 15 and the whole goal is to hold on to it for the rest of the year," Goodrich said at his new 20,000-square-foot office and warehouse in the Buffalo-215 Business Park.

Goodrich has built a small empire in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, industry in Las Vegas. He started Racee Air Conditioning in 1986, then purchased Lang Refrigeration and Economy Air Conditioning, turning the faltering businesses around and selling them for $3.5 million to competitor American Residential Services in 1997.

During a noncompete period with ARS, Goodrich developed several commercial projects in Las Vegas, and bought and restored more than 100 foreclosed homes.

He founded Yes Air Conditioning in 2000, acquired two other HVAC businesses in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and again sold them to ARS in 2008 for roughly $35 million. Goodrich was retained as

Eighth Grade Wonder

SPANISH FORK, Utah, Jan 20 (Reuters Life!) - The world' most frequently downloaded free iPhone application, a engrossing mini-video game called "Bubble Ball," is th creation of a 14-year-old boy who spent weeks developing it a a public library in Utah.

Eighth-grader Robert Nay, who also happens to be a youn musical prodigy -- he plays piano, trumpet and mandolin -- sai he was inspired by his enthusiasm for electronic games i general and his interest in tinkering with computers.

"I just wanted to make an iPhone app. I thought it would b cool. And I wanted to see if I could do it," Robert said in recent interview with Reuters. "I played games that wer similar to it. I just took what I liked from different games and, like, add my own stuff."

But Robert's "Bubble Ball," a puzzle and game of strateg that involves the principles of physics in moving a floatin bubble from one point to another, is anything but a knock-of of other apps.

"He spent countless hours working on it, and the fina product includes more than 4,000 lines of code. He sent it t the Apple app store on Dec. 22. It appeared for download at th app store Dec. 29," said his mother, Kari Nay.

Robert first began working on his invention in November.

Ski Resort Sold

Denver-based KSL Capital Partners has acquired almost all the shares of the Squaw Valley Development Company, which includes all aspects of Squaw Valley ski operations, the village at Squaw Valley in California and related real estate holdings.

“Squaw Valley is the birthplace of the modern mountain resort in the United States with a heritage, history, amenities and perhaps most of all, extraordinary terrain that can never be replicated,” said Eric Resnick, KSL’s managing director.

Recently appointed Squaw Valley president and CEO Andy Wirth will continue in his role. Wirth came to Squaw Valley in August 2010 after working for Intrawest, based in Vancouver, and Colorado.

KSL is a private equity firm based in Denver dedicated to investments in travel and leisure businesses. Its portfolio includes ClubCorp, the world’s largest owner of private golf and business clubs.

Squaw Valley was founded in 1949 and hosted the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, the first televised Olympics. The valley received record snowfalls in November.

San Mateo Plumbing

Although homeowners know that the best way to avoid plumbing problems is through preventative maintenance, many forego annual system checkups due to the expense. That's why Rescue Rooter®, a privately held, nationwide provider of plumbing, drain cleaning, air conditioning and heating, is now offering customers an affordable San Mateo plumbing Home Service Plan.
"All too often, we're called to people's homes only to find mid- to large-sized problems that, if they had been caught through an annual inspection by a plumber in San Mateo, could have been minimized or prevented altogether," says Edwin Crouch, Rescue Rooter General Manager. "So to make those critical home inspections more affordable, we developed the Home Service Plan, which provides clients with professional services at a great rate."
The plumbing Home Service Plan includes:
Annual inspection of your home's plumbing systems
Annual water heater safety inspection
One-year warranty on repair parts and labor
Priority emergency service within two hours of your call
Preferred pricing on services, repairs, installations and more
National flexibility, which allows you to move anywhere within the company's services areas and continue to utilize your plan

The annual fee for the Home Service Plan is $132, which provides clients with substantial savings over standard pricing.
The company's San Mateo, CA, plumbers serve customers throughout the Bay Area, including those in San Francisco County, San Mateo County and Marin County. For additional information about the Home Service plan or to schedule an appointment with a professional plumber in San Mateo, please visit please visit http://www.rescuerooter.com/locations/SanFranciscoBayNor

Mysteries in the Sky

In a study that pushes the limits of observations currently possible from Earth, a team of NASA and European scientists recorded the "fingerprints" of mystery molecules in two distant galaxies, Andromeda and the Triangulum. Astronomers can count on one hand the number of galaxies examined so far for such fingerprints, which are thought to belong to large organic molecules, says the team's leader, Martin Cordiner of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Figuring out exactly which molecules are leaving these clues, known as "diffuse interstellar bands" (DIBs), is a puzzle that initially seemed straightforward but has gone unsolved for nearly a hundred years. The answer is expected to help explain how stars, planets and life form, so settling the matter is as important to astronomers who specialize in chemistry and biology as determining the nature of dark matter is to the specialists in physics.

Cordiner is presenting the team's research at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 10, 2011, and the results from Andromeda were published in an Astrophysical Journal paper on Jan. 1. The findings provide some evidence against one of the top candidates on the list of suspects: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of molecules that is widespread in space. The research also reveals that some of the signatures found in Andromeda and the Triangulum are similar to ones seen in our own Milky Way, despite some big differences between those galaxies and ours.

"We have studied DIBs in incredibly diverse environments. Some have low levels of UV radiation. Some have radiation levels thousands of times higher. Some have different amounts of 'ingredients' available for making stars and planets," Cordiner says. "And throughout all of these, we see DIBs."

Missing in action

Until now, only two galaxies beyond our own have been investigated in detail for DIBs. Those are our nearest neighbors, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which lie 160,000 to 200,000 light years away. (Researchers have conducted selective studies elsewhere, however.)

Andromeda and the Triangulum are located much farther away, at about 2.5 to 3 million light years from Earth. "At those distances, individual stars are so faint that we need to push even the largest telescopes in the world to their limits in order to observe them," Cordiner says.

That statement might seem strange to anyone who has looked into the night sky and seen either of these galaxies with the naked eye. Under favorable conditions, the galaxies appear as smudges in the constellations that bear their respective names.

But to study DIBs, researchers need to do much more than see that the galaxy is there. They have to pick out individual stars within the galaxy, and only a few telescopes worldwide are powerful enough to gather sufficient light for that. (The team used the Gemini Observatory's telescope in Hawaii.) This is why most DIBs found so far have been in the Milky Way.

Whichever galaxy an astronomer chooses, though, it will be made up of tens to hundreds of billions of stars. "The first step is choosing which stars to observe," Cordiner explains.

Cordiner's colleagues at Queen's University in Belfast, U.K., took the lead on finding good targets. They picked blue supergiants—stars that are very large, very hot and very bright. Supergiants also burn very clean: unlike our sun and other cooler stars, they contribute little background clutter to the observations being made.

To look for DIBs, an astronomer points the telescope at a star and scans through a rainbow made up of thousands of wavelengths of light. This rainbow, or spectrum, is extended a bit beyond visible light, into the UV at the blue end and into the infrared at the red end.

DIBs are not defined by what astronomers see while doing this, but by what they don't see. The colors missing from the rainbow, marked by black stripes, are the ones of interest. Each one is a wavelength being absorbed by some kind of atom or molecule.

A DIB is one of these regions where the color is missing. But compared to the nice, neat "absorption lines" that are identified with atoms or simple molecules, a DIB is not well-behaved, which is why it stands out.

"Astronomers were used to seeing quite sharp, narrow bands where typical atoms and molecules absorb," says Cordiner. "But DIBs are broad; that's why they are called 'diffuse.' Some DIBs have simple shapes and are quite smooth, but others have bumps and wiggles and may even be lopsided."

Roman Shades Encino / 424.235.0224

Roman Shades Encino is a Roman Shade mobile business second to none. They will come out to your home and business and provide insight and elegance to make any room special and significant.
Roman shades Encino are multi-purpose window treatments that are very effective in blocking sunlight from entering a room. Roman shades Encino often times have the look and feel of draperies, but can be as practical a window treatment as a cellular blind. Roman shades Encino are designed for their convenient ability to be raised and lowered like a blind. Roman Shades Encino come in a variety of materials, including woven fabrics, faux wood, wood and bamboo to name a few. They are able to create privacy within the room while allowing light to come in from the outside. Roman shades Encino will fit nearly every setting, whether you are looking for the elegant or casual décor.

Purpose and Function

Roman shades Encino are made up of a series of panels of various materials that whenever their pull cord is lifted (pulled), the shades are evenly stacked together. Roman shades Encino are very effective in blocking sunlight, a primary function which proves very useful in rooms where sun glare interferes with the utility of a room, whether it is a television room, dining room or office. The height of Roman shades Encino is easily adjusted with its easy-to-operate pull cord. It is also important to note that as Roman shades Encino are effective in keeping sunlight out of room, they also prevent people from looking into the room from the outside.

Variations

Roman shades Encino come in a variety and assortment of colors and materials, and there are some Roman shades Encino that will feature a picture that is fully revealed whenever the pull cord is lifted. Roman shades Encino are usually made from a multiplicity of fabrics, but Roman shades Encino are also made from wooden variations, particularly bamboo-based Roman shades Encino. Fabric Roman shades Encino will give a home a distinctly cutting-edge feel, wooden bamboo Roman shades Encino will give any area where they are placed a very high end natural vibe.
Roman shades Encino can be a beautiful window treatment for any room. They will add texture, vibrancy, and color to that room. Roman shades Encino are a practical choice to provide insulation, light filtration, and privacy for the users. They will turn a bland room into an exciting, noticeable room and give it a feel that a decorator has been at work.

Teenager Wins School Award for Helping Others

David Hines, a twelfth-grade student at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, recently returned from Atlanta, Georgia, after attending People to People International’s (PTPI) ninth annual Global Youth Forum (GYF). Hines was one of more than 200 students worldwide, ages 13-18, who took part in the forum, which was devoted to the theme “Global Health – Can you help PTPI find the solution?” Hines was the only delegate from the U.S. selected to serve on the conference's International Student Panel (ISP) and was honored to receive the coveted PTPI CEO Award.

GYF delegates are committed to PTPI’s mission of promoting international understanding and friendship among the world’s people, and arrived at the forum prepared to learn how they can work together with peers from around the world to create a better, brighter and greener future. During the course of five days, delegates worked through a curriculum that broadened their understanding of various health-related issues and the impact they have on communities around the world. This was Hines’ third year of participation in GYF.

The ISP was comprised of seven students who shared their worldviews with GYF delegates during the ISP session. Hines' fellow ISP panel members hailed from Cambodia, Egypt, Morocco, Poland, and Serbia. Students spoke about their lives and the culture and health-related customs of their countries before participating in a question and answer session with GYF delegates.

A variety of speakers joined the delegates to share their expertise. Conference attendees also spent a day volunteering at MedShare, where they helped prepare huge amounts of medical supplies for shipment to people in need all over the world.

Following PTPI, Hines was awarded a scholarship to participate in the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) Citizen Diplomacy Program for Emerging Leaders. As a participant, Hines will attend the NCIV 50th Anniversary Gala, as well as the National Meeting in Washington, DC, at the JW Marriott Hotel. In addition, Hines will assist in hosting a foreign Washington, DC-based diplomat at the annual NCIV Luncheon. The students will be asked to create a short film defining citizen diplomacy to be used to attract the next generation of citizen diplomats.

Hines is the sole recipient of the 2010 CEO Award, an award given by the PTPI CEO to an individual or group within or outside the organization. There is no nomination process and the selection of recipients of this award lies entirely in the hands of the CEO, Mary Eisenhower. Previous recipients include Ambassador & Mrs. Charles Hostler (2008) and the Central and Eastern European Law Institute (1996).

“I’m truly honored to have had the opportunity to participate in the Global Youth Forum, ISP, NCIV Citizen Diplomacy Program for Emerging Leaders, and to be recognized with the CEO Award,” said Hines. “We think we have to go to formal conferences to debate and discuss diplomacy, when in reality, we can get involved right in our very own communities. During my time at Pacific Ridge School, I’ve learned that you can go out into the world and experience global issues first-hand. I have ambitions to be a diplomat or an ambassador. My time at the NCIV Citizen Diplomacy Program for Emerging Leaders will be an incredible opportunity to learn about the many careers available in Washington, DC, where I would someday like to call home. I feel passionately about leadership and about putting a face to diplomacy.”

Hines has applied for both a scholarship through PTPI and a trip to South Africa in summer 2011. For more information about People to People International, visit www.ptpi.org. For more information about Pacific Ridge School, visit www.pacificridge.org.

About People to People International:
People to People International, with World Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 11, 1956 to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. Today, as a [501 (c)(3)], PTPI has a presence in 135 countries with more than 80,000 families and individuals actively participating in People to People International programs. Visit www.ptpi.org for more information.

About Pacific Ridge School:
Opened in the fall of 2007, Pacific Ridge School is a non‐profit, independent middle and high school located in the North County, San Diego. With the distinctive mission of building a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement, Pacific Ridge offers a first-rate educational experience to prepare students for college and a purposeful life. For more information, visit www.pacificridge.org. Pacific Ridge School does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other administered programs.

Air Conditioning & Furnace Cleaning in Texas

Richardson, TX, Jan 03, 2011 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) --
Service Experts begins a 2nd annual furnace and air conditioning clearance sale today on HVACClearance.com. Consumers can save thousands of dollars on new residential heating and cooling systems through instant savings and rebates, and learn 'how hot they are' via a new social HotnessQuiz.com web site.

During "Sam's Great Winter Sales Event," consumers may save thousands of dollars in discounts and rebates on the purchase of brand new heating and cooling systems for their home, and may also significantly reduce their home's energy consumption at the same time. A web site, HVACClearance.com, explains how consumers can save more money and home energy during the three-month event.

During the winter sale, Service Experts is also providing heating and A/C tune-up services valued at over $99 for free. A tune-up may help a home's furnace operate as much as 30% more efficiently, and can also help discover Carbon Monoxide leaks in the heating system. Homeowners within the service area of any Service Experts location may receive their furnace or A/C tune-up on their existing system simply by mentioning the Promo Code SAM when setting their free appointment. The free HVAC system estimate can be scheduled by calling 1-888-HEATCOOL (888-432-8266). Internet users will get an extra free item: a $5 gourmet coffee card they'll receive by mail after scheduling their free systemestimate on the company's web site and receiving their quote.

In addition to Sam's Great Winter Sales Event, the company has launched a unique social web site. Through the site, anyone can discover how "hot" they are via a simple quiz. The humorous "Hotness Quiz" divulges the web user's level of "Hotness," and can be shared with the user's friends on Facebook, Twitter, or via email. The HotnessQuiz.com web site also displays local coupons which can be shared with friends, printed or saved for future use.

For more information about Sam's Great Winter Sales Event, heating, air conditioning and indoor air quality, or to locate a Service Experts center, consumers may log onto the company's furnace and A/C clearance web site at http://www.HVACClearance.com.

Service Experts LLC is a retail HVAC sales and service company in North America, providing home energy-efficiency solutions, installation, maintenance and the repair of heating, air conditioning, ventilation and indoor air quality systems. Service Experts furnace and air conditioning technicians are certified by NATE (North American Technician Excellence), the leading certification program for technicians in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry. The company is known for their exclusive Five Standards of Excellence and a written, one-year 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Service Experts has formed an extensive network of high-quality, well-established locations throughout North America. To locate a Service Experts center or arrange for heating, air conditioning and indoor air quality products, service or maintenance, consumers may access the company's HVAC clearance website, http://www.HVACClearance.com, or call the Service Experts toll-free number at 1-888-HEATCOOL (888-432-8266). Useful heating and cooling information can also be found at the Blog of their spokesperson, Sam The Service Expert, at http://www.ServiceExperts.com/SamsBlog.

Auto Team Goes Solar

MANKATO — Running an auto repair shop can be a messy job, but Joe Miller will tell you it doesn’t have to be a dirty business.

Most of the waste that flows through Miller’s Modern Garage, the Madison Avenue shop Miller owns and operates, finds a green destination. Old tires and drained antifreeze are recycled. The black gunk left over after oil changes is poured into a burner and used to heat the building.

“The amount of garbage we haul out of this business is less than the average household,” he said.

Business has been decent this year. After Miller balanced the books, there was more than enough left over to fund a trip to Las Vegas. He decided there was a better use for his money.

As he thought about it, Miller’s answer came from above.

“I have this bunch of flat empty roof that wasn’t doing anything so I thought I should get solar panels,” he said. “I have kids. I’m doing it for them because I believe we should stop using so much energy.

“It’s just the way I think and this fits in with that.”

With his skills as a mechanic, Miller could have easily purchased a few panels and installed them himself. But he was concerned about buying “the Yugo” of

solar panel systems so he looked for professional guidance.

That paid off. He learned there were enough incentives available to fill his roof with panels. They should provide enough power to fill his shop’s electrical needs, which include power lifts, power tools and bright lighting.

“I intended to go in just wasting the money, but the incentives will cover two-thirds of the cost,” Miller said.

Those incentives include a 30 percent tax credit and a rebate paid through Xcel Energy’s Minnesota Solar Rewards program, said Jamie Borell, sales manager for Innovative Power Systems in St. Paul. That’s the business Miller hired to install his solar panels and the other equipment used to convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

“People want clean power and the cost of things have come down tremendously over the past few years,” Borell said. “Solar equipment costs have come down about 50 percent.”

The incentives are available for commercial and residential buildings, but Borell is seeing more interest for business owners than homeowners right now. That’s likely due to the struggling economy and the added incentive businesses have with being able to depreciate the equipment for tax purposes, he said.

Borell estimated that it will take less than 5 years for Miller to recoup his equipment costs. The pay back time is much longer for equipment installed in homes.

As electricity rates continue to rise, Borell expects more homeowners will start looking at solar power.

John Wold, Minnesota Solar Rewards portfolio manager, said about 160 solar systems qualified for Xcel’s rebate this year. He expects that number to double next year, which would use the $4.6 million that is budgeted for the program. The rebate is paid up front by Xcel after the system is installed, inspected and approved.

“We’re seeing more commercial customers using the program, but we encourage everyone to look at it — both residential and commercial,” Wold said.

Another incentive, called the Minnesota Bonus Rebate program, was passed by the Minnesota Legislature last spring. It provides additional funding for solar projects that use panels and components manufactured in Minnesota. Only one business, tenKsolar in Bloomington, currently fits that requirement, Wold said. The panels manufactured by that business work best on flat roofs, so more businesses are also able to take advantage of that incentive.

Xcel is encouraging anyone considering the Minnesota Solar Rewards program to first invest in an energy audit at their home or business. It’s quicker and easier to save money by replacing an old furnace or adding insulation, Wold said.

“We also encourage customers to get multiple installation bids,” he added. “That keeps everybody honest and helps drive down the cost of these systems all the more.”

Women Mechanics

As a pneumatic wrench grunted nearby, three students labored over a brake rotor in Norfolk Technical Center's auto shop. One boy maneuvered pliers; another tugged on the caliper.

The third student strained a ratchet wrench against a bolt. Slim hands and long nails grimed, her brunette hair in a bun, Ilene Baker concentrated on the job.

Working on cars is quintessentially a guy thing - think Fonzie on "Happy Days" or the hot-rod boys of "The Dukes of Hazzard." Ilene and the other two girls in the technical center's automotive program know this. They work alongside 60 guys. And none of them cares.

"Every time my mom gave me a Barbie doll, I'd rip it apart," said Baker, 17. "Every time she gave me a toy car, I'd keep it forever."

The two-year auto technology course plunges students into the guts of motors and complex repair jobs, on the shop floor and the classroom.

This recent morning, Pierre Howard, one of the two shop instructors, had some students breaking down engines. Crankshafts, pistons and alternators were strewn across workbenches. A scent of motor oil hung in the air.

Howard said the typical first reaction from his male students is, "Why is she in here?"

"But by week two," he said, "the ladies are digging into those books, learning the intricate parts of the engine, and they're answering the questions the guys can't answer. I shake my head and say, 'That's why they're here.' "

Tony Molla, communications vice president of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, said that for years, about 1 percent of the country's auto mechanics have been women.

Many are particularly adept at diagnostics, and some own repair shops, often with a spouse, he said. Car dealers also are posting women at service write-up counters. "They listen better and are less threatening to women, who are 50 percent of people bringing cars in for service," Molla said.

At Norfolk Technical Center, all three of the auto shop girls have at least two things in common: They like working with their hands, and they don't mind getting dirty.

Brittney Muse, 16, may have motor oil in her blood. The high school junior was 5 when she helped her father put a new engine into a 1968 Mustang. To this day, she loves Fords.

At the technical center, she's learned a lot about engines and is masterful with brakes and tires.

"When you have a car that's not working and you work on it for a week, when it starts up it's such an exciting moment," she said.

Looking at her nails, Muse added, "sometimes you get grease and oil under them. The tips turn black. It's pretty cool!"

Baker's mother, a nail care professional, wanted the same manicuring career for her daughter, but Baker had different plans.

"You know how Bill Gates is big with computers? I want to be big with cars. I want to learn about everything with cars," Baker said.

Baker previously took auto shop at a U.S. military base school in Japan, where her father was deployed. Transplanted to Norfolk a year ago, she's changed the spark plugs, swapped out wiring, put in a thermostat and repainted much of her own car, a 2002 Hyundai Accent.

To Baker, the joy of auto mechanics is problem-solving with her mind and hands.

"I like doing it all manually, where you have to get on your hands and knees and take it apart without using computer diagnostics," she said "That's what makes it more fun."

Like Baker's mother, Kristiana Barnard's dad has warmed up to the idea of a grease monkey daughter. Initially, he was concerned about the cultural bias that claims only men make good mechanics, but he ultimately gave her his backing.

These days, "I'll come home and say, 'Dad, we took our pistons out of our engine and cleaned it,' and he'll say 'I remember when I did that!' " said Barnard, whose favorite car is the muscular Challenger. "He's happy, because none of my siblings have an interest in cars."

Of the three girls in Norfolk Technical Center's class, Barnard, 16, had the least experience in mechanics or the jargon. "He'll say certain things all the guys know about in a car and I'm like, 'Hold on, what's that?' "

That's why she hits the textbooks, sometimes reading ahead, as Howard has noticed in class.

"Instead of just giving me what I ask, she can elaborate on it," he said. In fact, Barnard's average score on written tests and hands-on assignments is 100.

Barnard, though, is the only one of the shop girl trio who isn't committed to an automotives career. She likes art, playing the guitar, reading history and writing.

Classmate Tyree Pugh said he never believed girls could work on cars until Barnard joined the class. He's since changed his mind.

"They can all do a great job on what they do - better than half the guys in the class," he said. "I give them the most respect."

Elk and Elk Top Attorneys

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio Super Lawyers Magazine has selected Jay Kelley, Steve Crandall, Gary Cowan, Egan P. Kilbane, R. Craig McLaughlin and William J. Price to be included in its prominent annual ranking of top attorneys.
The personal injury attorneys of Elk & Elk are featured in Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Edition 2011. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers.
Jay Kelley and Steve Crandall have the largest verdicts in numerous counties throughout Ohio and have each been named to the top 100 Super Lawyers list the last three years. Jay Kelley is the only personal injury lawyer to be named to the top 10 Super Lawyers' list in Ohio. In addition, no other firm has more attorneys named to Super Lawyers.
For several years, the Ohio attorneys at Elk & Elk have continued to meet Super Lawyers' meticulous selection criteria. With expertise in all aspects of injury law, Elk & Elk has achieved for clients some of the largest verdicts, including a $10 million medical malpractice verdict in Toledo for a young man who suffered paralysis from a surgical error, a $9.88 million medical malpractice verdict in Ravenna for a child injured at birth and a $6.3 million medical malpractice verdict in Dayton for a woman who suffered brain damage following routine surgery.
In recent years, Super Lawyers also recognized the following Elk & Elk attorneys: R. Craig McLaughlin, Ohio Rising Stars 2009, 2010; William J. Price, Ohio Rising Stars 2010; Amy L. Papesh, Ohio Rising Stars 2010; Egan Kilbane, Ohio Rising Stars 2010; Jay Kelley, Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers 2010, Top 50 Cleveland Area Super Lawyers 2009; and Steve Crandall, Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers 2010, Top 50 Cleveland Area Super Lawyers 2009.
The selections for this esteemed list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters, Legal division based in Eagan, MN. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

Toll Free: (800) ELK-OHIO
Local: (440) 442-6677
Toll Free Fax: (877) 355-1355
Local Fax: (440) 442-7944
www.elkandelk.com