The Xbox One hears all, sees all, and steals Google's dreams. But does it also leave the door open for Apple?

While Apple has iAd and aggregates traffic data, for the most part they've thus far been content to merely take our money, give us shiny boxes, and not really bother much about who we are and what we do. Not all companies make their money off of massive hardware margins, however. Google, for their part, wants to catalog the world's information. They want to bring you info before you know you need it. They want to build the Star Trek computer. That kind of omniscient service requires an omnipresent awareness that needs to know as much about who and what you are as possible. Microsoft has been transitioning from software powerhouse to services alternative for years now, and with the newly-announced Xbox One, they're arguably about to take over the living room. With Google on one end and Microsoft on the other, will Apple become an oasis for the more privacy conscious among us?

A picture of you

Google's presence is felt just about everywhere. Google is the dominant search engine on desktops and in mobile. Google builds the operating system that powers an increasing percentage of smartphones. Google offers an email service and a social networking service and instant messaging so much more. Google has fingers in every pot they can reach, though how far they've successfully plunged said fingers varies. When it comes to the living room, however, where Google's fingertips have just barely grazed the surface of the stock, but with the Xbox One, Microsoft is ladling out the soup like it's their job. And with the that ladle is getting even bigger.

To build that omniscient Star Trek computer, Google needs buckets and buckets of data about you. They get a lot of that just by your using Google's services. Your search queries are tabulated and your email contents are collated, and your friend patterns are analyzed. Even just using Google services through a desktop yields a tremendous amount of data about your being. If you're using Google services on your mobile device, such as an Android device or by using Google Now on an iPhone, Google learns even more about you, including where you go, how long you stay there, what you search for on the go, and more. Of course, those settings can be switched off, but the default behavior is for Google to know.

Google's picture of you can be stunningly accurate and prescient.

Google takes all of this data and builds a picture what it thinks you as a person look like. With some massaging of that data - telling Google that, no, I am in fact not interested in more on that topic, it was just a search for article research, thanks - Google's picture of you can be stunningly accurate and prescient. I carry both an iPhone and an Android device (specifically, a Nexus 4) on a regular basis, I use Gmail for work and personal, I search with Google dozens of times a day, and so forth. Google Now has built an interesting picture of me. It knows when I'm going to be flying, it knows when to offer up nearby restaurants and what I'm likely to like, it knows how far it is to my house and how long it will take thanks to traffic, and it knows that the weekends are the most likely time I'm going to go to the theater, and when I do I'm likely to check out the latest science fiction or mindless action flick.

But the behavioral tracking offered by a smartphone only extends to when I use it (excepting location tracking when I'm just carrying it around, of course). To be as omniscient as Google aims to be, more data is required. There's never enough data to accomplish what Google wants to accomplish. That means Google needs to know more about you. By and large what Google knows about us are things that we either tell Google directly (by way of our searches) and what we let Google know (Gmail, smartphone location tracking, etc).

Google's getting more personal with experiments like Google Glass, but even that requires that you be wearing the device for it to be collecting more information. And really right now the Glass experiment seems to be more focusing on delivering content directly to your eyeball than pushing more data about yourself to the Google cloud. That could change eventually, but it's not the reality of Glass right now. Frankly, as with many Google projects, the end game with Glass isn't exactly clear for us, and we aren't certain it's clear for Google either.

Your couch, the beachhead

Where Google has failed to make its mark, though, is beyond the smartphone and the desktop. The holy grail in Google's hardware trifecta isn't Glass - it's the living room. Google has tried time and again to make Google TV a success, but they've run into tremendous roadblocks of poor consumer awareness (and thus adoption) and severe interoperability problems that plague any effort to unify home entertainment with a single device.

Microsoft, for all their troubles, has actually established a covert beachhead in the living room hardware space with their Xbox game consoles. Being the cash-rich technology behemoth with long-term vision that they are, Microsoft has been more than willing to play the long game when it comes to living room technology. To wit, in less than ten years Microsoft's Xbox has become an accepted part of many home entertainment set-ups, getting favorable comparisons to long-time gaming companies like Sony and Nintendo. It cost them many billions of dollars to get it rolling, but now the Xbox is a gaming force with which one must contend.

With Microsoft's just announced and coming-later-this-year Xbox One, they're pushing up off the beach and into full home entertainment domination. It's an impressive piece of hardware - essentially it's a powerful and optimized gaming computer for your home theater stack - with some interesting features. The Xbox One features an HDMI pass-through so you can plug in your home cable box and control it (with IR blasters - joy) and a Blu-Ray drive. Games can be downloaded or purchased in stores, but purchasing in stores is more just like buying a gift card to download it later.

The Xbox One is the omnipresent surveyor of your living room. It sees all and hears all.

But most interesting is the new Kinect sensor. The depth-sensing, body-tracking sensor bar is even more accurate and detailed than before, going so far as being able to detect the movement of your wrists and your heartbeat from a distance. But what's possibly more interesting is that it's always on. If you walk up to your TV and say "Xbox on," Kinect is already listening, it hears you, and it boots up the Xbox. The Kinect camera uses facial recognition to determine who just told it to turn on, and can log you into your account and have all of your games and media at the ready. The Xbox One is the omnipresent surveyor of your living room. It sees all and hears all.

That can sound pretty scary, and in reality Microsoft isn't likely to use this for nefarious purposes. Being evil with all that data can destroy consumer trust in your product, and the dollars all that data was supposed to be used to pry from wallets will go elsewhere. But the ramifications of having an always-on camera and microphone in your living room, and having that attached to a device that knows what you're watching and is connected to the web, can be far-reaching.

See all, hear all, know all

This kind of all-aware technology can offer a massive trove of data on your habits and preferences that a company like Microsoft or Google - or Apple, for that matter - would kill to have their hands on. While Google will use it to better target advertising and maybe sell you some content from the Google Play store, Microsoft and Apple aren't so invested in the advertising game (though they do have fingers dabbling the surface of those pots, so they're not entirely innocent here). Microsoft and Apple are more interested in selling you content - books and movies and television shows and games and music.

Having computers and tablets and smartphones and corresponding software and services ecosystems can go a long way towards building that picture of who you are, what you like, and what you're apt to buy. On a micro scale, Netflix used that kind of data from the viewing habits of their users to construct the House of Cards series to be perfectly-suited to what the average Netflix user is likely to watch, and likely to watch a lot.

They want to take all the data they can to build a picture of you. The end goal for all three is to offer products that better suit your needs.

On the macro scale, Microsoft, Apple, and Google want to take all the data they can to build a picture of you. The end goal for all three is to offer products that better suit your needs, and thus are more likely to remove dollars from your wallet. Google just so happens to be the only one that's really upfront about their ambitions here, with a bravado and willingness to toe up to and even occasionally cross the creepy line in the goal of better serving you. That creepy line act can induce some uncomfortable feelings, however, but that's the price of dealing with Google, it seems.

But the living room has remained elusive to Google and Apple. Google has tried hard and failed to gain a foothold on that beach. Apple treats it like a hobby, offering up just the Apple TV. It's a fine device, but it's merely a portal to content you either already own or have to seek out. Microsoft owns a wide swath of that beach, and with the Xbox One they're going to be able to push deeper into uncharted and unclaimed territory.

If anything, Microsoft has the persistence to pull it off, and things are coming together as far as the Microsoft ecosystem is concerned. Windows 8 may not have been the blockbuster success that Microsoft was hoping for (and Windows RT has been an outright failure thanks to poor messaging and, well, conceiving), and Windows Phone has failed to make a real splash outside of the already tech-aware segment. But Xbox and the living room, Microsoft has succeeded beyond what anybody predicted possible a decade ago when the original black box launched.

Be, know, do

Whether or not the push for environmental awareness from Google and Microsoft is a good thing or bad thing is up for debate, and it all comes down to how its used and your own personal comfort levels with such uses. In the end, it's all going to be geared towards making money, either by directly selling you goods, building a service that's so customized to your needs that switching becomes an unfathomable task and insurmountable barrier, or by selling that data to advertisers to offer you the service at no cost.

You've got to pick your poison with the awareness that the company's awareness of you comes entirely with the goal of lining their own pockets. It's capitalism. And through better data comes better products. There's a reason House of Cards has been such a smash hit for the Netflix crowd, and it's because the data showed Netflix exactly what they needed to make it a smash.

Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all driving to build that next smash hit, be it a gaming console that knows everything about your entertainment habits and preferences and can offer up games, movies, and music that suits your tastes; a predictive cloud service with an awareness of where you are, who you're with, and what you're doing so it can make suggestions of where to eat, when to leave to be on time, and what you'll need to know before you get there; or an integrated software ecosystem that shares and manages your data and has your media ready at a tap.

Whether or not this crosses the creepy line is your own personal call. When it comes to these sort of predictive services, Apple is behind the ball, at least with their publicly-announced products. Where Siri has slowly evolved as a personal assistant at your beck and call, Google's Now has become a personal assistant that's eager to answer your question before you've even asked it. Microsoft's voice controls aren't quite as advanced as Siri and their predictive services fall far short of what Google offers. But they've conquered the beach of the living room and are poised to learn more about you than you might ever have realized. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The price of privacy

If Google or Microsoft's services appeal to you, if you're willing to trade analytics on the web and in your pocket, and eyes and ears in your living room, then you'll have a long and enjoyable future ahead of you, filled with amazing technology like Google Now and Xbox One.

If ads following you around the web, and around the world, bother you, however, if devices monitoring your viewing habits and potentially your every word and movement creeps you out, then currently Apple offers the only real, mainstream alternative. And mostly, only, because right now Apple doesn't care. Their core businesses aren't predicated on us or our data.

For some people, personal information is a much cheaper currency than money. For others, privacy is very nearly priceless. We're lucky to have choice in the market, and we're even luckier that we can make that choice an informed one.

Do you have any concerns about next-generation technology like Google Glass or Xbox One? Let me know, and let me know if you think Apple will keep positioning themselves as a more privacy-concious alternative!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/oDXGcn2mliI/story01.htm

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Minus environment, patterns still emerge: Computational study tracks E. coli cells' regulatory mechanisms

May 21, 2013 ? Environment is not the only factor in shaping regulatory patterns -- and it might not even be the primary factor, according to a new Rice University study that looks at how cells' protein networks relate to a bacteria's genome.

The Rice lab of computer scientist Luay Nakhleh reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that when environmental factors are eliminated from an evolutionary model, mutations and genetic drift can give rise to the patterns that appear. They studied changes that show up in regulatory networks that determine the organism's characteristics.

Nakhleh and lead author Troy Ruths, a Rice graduate student, said their work is an important step toward understanding Cis-regulatory networks (CRNs), which play a dominant role in cells' information processing systems. Cis -- a Latin word for "on the same side as" -- regulators are regions of DNA (or RNA) that regulate the expression of genes located on the same DNA molecule.

The researchers generated 1,000 computer models of random Escherichia coli regulatory networks and watched them evolve through millions of generations. However, they did not program into the models environmental factors that might have prompted change through natural selection. Their results supported other studies that suggested networks might evolve spontaneously through mutation, recombination, gene duplication and genetic drift.

Their "neutral evolutionary" approach sidestepped one taken by other researchers who, Nakhleh said, have tried to understand cellular protein networks by looking at motifs. These motifs are short sequences called subgraphs in the network that appear more frequently than is expected by chance alone. "Biological networks are complex systems, and the community has responded by developing lots of mathematical and sophisticated computational analysis tools to understand these networks," he said. Those researchers argued the emergence and conservation of these regulatory motifs were largely due to adaptation to environment; the Rice researchers argued that isn't necessarily so.

Nakhleh said he and Ruths decided to tie what scientists now know about the genome -- the entire collection of an organism's DNA -- to the evolution of such networks.

"Instead of jumping directly to the network, where we don't understand much, we decided to look back at our broad knowledge about the genome and link it to these networks," he said. "In this paper, we zoomed in on the issue of how much of what we see in the network is a result of neutral evolution, where there's no selection involved. How much of what we are seeing is a side effect, so to speak, of random mutations and genetic drift?"

The wealth of genomic data available for E. coli encouraged the Rice researchers to build a sophisticated model that matched Cis-regulatory networks to their related DNA. "If there is any model in the prokaryotic world that has been studied well and has data, it's E. coli," Nakhleh said.

Their conclusion, put simply by the paper, is that "neutral evolution acting on genomic properties" can indeed explain bacterial regulatory patterns.

"There are two sides to the paper," Nakhleh said. "One is that many of these motifs have nothing adaptive in their origin. They emerge because mutation is a random process.

"The second and, I think, more powerful part of the story is that for the first time, the extent of neutrality in a network has been quantified. ? Our model will never be able to tell you, 'I can rule out adaptation from this.' What we are saying is that you do not need to invoke adaptation to explain what you are seeing.

"Now we can start to understand how changes at the genome level can result in how these networks form, what some researchers are calling the 'design principles' behind these networks," Nakhleh said. "I don't think there is anything being designed here, so to speak. Patterns emerge in response to mutations; genetic drift and selection then affect the frequencies of these patterns. We showed that genetic drift can explain much of these frequencies."

The National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Guggenheim Foundation supported the research. Nakhleh is an associate professor of computer science and ecology and evolutionary biology.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/hKSyMWSyBTE/130521194153.htm

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Xbox One pre-order notification is live: here's where to sign up

How much? When? Where? Who cares? If you aren't exactly interested in knowing how much the impending Xbox One will cost you -- let alone when it'll actually hit your doorstep -- you can sign up to be notified of your opportunity to pre-order the console right now. To be clear, this isn't a sign-up for a pre-order. It's just a sign-up to be notified of pre-orders officially opening up. So really, what's to lose? Hit the source link below in order to share your email address, and you'll get a $10 Microsoft online store credit for your trouble. (Or, you can hit the Amazon link for those needing an excuse to make better use of their Prime subscription.)

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Microsoft, Major Nelson (Twitter), Amazon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-pre-order-notification-is-sign-up/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Police defend officer who shot N.Y. college student

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) ? The president of a New York police union is defending an officer who accidentally killed a Hofstra University student during a standoff with an armed intruder last week.

Nassau County Patrolman's Benevolent Association President James Carver says the only person responsible for Andrea Rebello's death is Dalton Smith, the gunman who was holding her hostage.

Carver says the officer's job was to get inside the house and protect as many people as he could.

Investigators say Rebello was being held in a headlock by Smith when he pointed his weapon at the officer, prompting the officer to open fire.

Rebello was killed by one of eight shots fired by the officer. Smith was also killed.

The officer involved has not been named. He's on sick leave while authorities investigate.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-defend-officer-shot-ny-college-student-184037073.html

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Myanmar Muslims jailed for killing Buddhist monk

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar (AP) ? Six Muslim men and one minor have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from life to two years in prison for involvement in the killing of a Buddhist monk during sectarian violence in central Myanmar.

Thein Than Oo, a lawyer defending the men, said one of his clients was given life in prison for murder. Myat Ko Ko was also sentenced to an additional two years for unlawful assembly and two for religious disrespect.

A dispute at a Muslim-owned gold shop in the town of Meikhtila on March 20 triggered rioting by Buddhists and small-scale retaliation by their Muslim targets. Over several days at least 43 people were killed and 12,000 displaced, most of the victims being Muslims. The unrest later spread to other parts of central Myanmar.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-21-AS-Myanmar-/id-4b4d6b8ec7294ce9bf35c81f15830fb9

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Star Trek Into Darkness writer apologises for underwear scene

Damon Lindelof, the writer of Star Trek Into Darkness, has apologised for a "gratuitous" scene during the new sci-fi sequel in which British actor Alice Eve appears in her underwear.

Lindelof, who is also the co-creator of Lost, took to Twitter after fans pointed out the unnecessary nature of the offending segue, in which science officer Carol Marcus strips down to a bra and knickers while preparing to pull on a special torpedo disarming outfit.

"I copped to the fact that we should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress," he wrote, adding: "We also had Kirk shirtless in underpants in both movies, [but I] do not want to make light of something that some construe as misogynistic. What I'm saying is I hear you, I take responsibility and will be more mindful in the future."

Lindelof's follower Kristen McHugh summed up the general response to the scene when she wrote: "I kinda enjoyed that Dr Marcus told Kirk (and the audience) to put their eyes back in their heads. But overall: less male gaze, more speaking and non-object roles for women, please." User Devon Faraci wrote: "You had [Kirk] shirtless both times in situations where it made sense. Carol's scene was gratuitous."

However, another of Lindelof's followers, Mark Newbold, wrote: "I can't tell if you are being serious or tongue in cheek. I hope the latter. Trek is supposed to be sexy and randy, it always was." And user Chris Blohm added: "Damon, please don't feel as if you have to skimp on future Kirk/underpant situations because of this."

Damon also appeared sheepish in an email to MTV on the subject. "Why is Alice Eve in her underwear, gratuitously and unnecessarily, without any real effort made as to why in God's name she would undress in that circumstance?" He asked. "Well there's a very good answer for that. But I'm not telling you what it is. Because... uh... MYSTERY?"

----------------------------------------------------------

This comes after the recent quote from the film's costume designer, Michael Kaplan, explaining why the shot was included in the film:

Last time, Zoe needed to wear underwear, and this time it was Alice Eve's turn. You know, it's a rather large male fanbase, and JJ wanted to appeal to that.

Source 1
Source 2

Source: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/77984836.html

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up**NEWS$$$$$$$WWE Extreme Rules 2013 Live Streaming How ...

WWE PPV wrestling Extreme Rules 2013 is going to be held on May 19, 2013 at Scottrade Center,St. Louis, Missouri.This will be the fifth Extreme Rules pay per view and the seventh under the Extreme Rules slogan.

Schedule:
Date: Sunday May 19, 2013
Time: 8PMET or 5PMPT
Venue Scottrade Center
City St. Louis, Missouri
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger
John Cena (c) vs Ryback
Brock Lesnar vs Triple H
Sheamus vs Mark Henry

How To Watch :
Here I am telling the ways to watch Extreme Rules 2013 Live . One can watch directly,on TV or online also. You can also listen the Extreme Rules 2013 Live on radio.

Live on TV
Extreme Rules 2013 is going to broadcast by the following TV channels? AT&T U-Verse TV, BrightHouse Networks, Cable One, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast(xfinity), Cox Communications, DIRECTV, DISH TV, Insight Digital Cable, Knology,Mediacom, RCN, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FIOS TV

Live Streaming Online on PC
The action starts Sunday, May 19, at 8PM ET/5PM PT, live on pay-per-view. visit:http://ppv.wwe.com/
You can also watch the event on including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch,Google Play store,Amazon AppStore,Windows 8 AppStore.
One can also watch the show live streaming online free streaming site like Justin.tv, Ustream.tv .
I may try to collect the free streaming video of?Extreme Rules 2013 if find then will provide in this site.
Live on Table & Mobile
The event on the popular and powerful Xbox 360 gaming console. WWE PPV by signing into your Xbox Live account and visiting the Microsoft Store.
WWE?s biggest events are now available for viewing on Samsung 2012-2013 Smart TV?s. visit SamsungApps on your Smart TV.

Watch Live Directly
You can watch WWE Extreme Rules, at 6:30pm (local time) on Sunday, May 19 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. MO.
to watch you have to buy ticket from www.ticketmaster.com/wwe . Please buy tickets & going to the events place on the day of the event watch & enjoy the biggeset WWE PPV wrestling.
So Watch & enjoy the biggest WWE PPV wrestling Extreme Rules 2013 live streaming online on PC, Tablet , Mobile .& keep in touch with us

Source: http://www.articlessquad.com/upnewswwe-extreme-rules-2013-live-streaming-how-to-watch-enjoy-the-ppv-wrestling-show/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=upnewswwe-extreme-rules-2013-live-streaming-how-to-watch-enjoy-the-ppv-wrestling-show

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PWR99 ? Advice On How To Get Good Auto Insurance Rates

Protecting your car is not the only reason to have auto insurance. It?s also designed to protect you and other people that are out there driving. You need to make sure your insurance covers all you need it to. You can use your auto insurance policy to its greatest benefit by applying the ideas in this article.

You need to understand the different coverage types offered when you are searching for an auto insurance policy. There is more involved in the cost of your insurance policy, than just the number of cars you have covered. For example, bodily injury coverage is important, as it covers any injury that is your fault in case of an accident.

If you?re insuring a teenager, check what it would cost to add them to a current policy, and then compare that to what their own policy would cost. Depending on the type of car your teenager drives, it might be cheaper to have them on a separate policy.

Most people incorrectly believe that insurance rates will definitely decrease as a person reaches the age of 25. The fact is that insurance rates actually drop as soon as a driver turns eighteen if he or she is a safe driver.

There are optional protections past legal protections that can further protect you. Your premium might be more expensive, but the extra options are often worth it. If you get into an accident with someone who does not have insurance or you are the victim of a hit-and-run, you?ll be sorry if you don?t have uninsured motorists coverage.

The person who drives the car on the car insurance policy is the only one being insured ? you should always remember that. Sometimes, people allow a friend to borrow their vehicle, but if this friend wrecks, your insurance company will not pay for the damage. You can alter your car insurance policy to cover other drivers that use your car, although you will need to pay an additional charge.

Property damage liability coverage is an important feature of your car insurance policy that you must get. This liability will cover damages your car causes during an auto accident. Most states require this sort of coverage, anyway. If you get in a car accident, you will save money on replacing a vehicle or parts if you have damage liability.

To start saving money right away, raise your deductibles. Although your premiums will be lower each month, this action can be chancy if you don?t have the self-control to save money for your deductible. In the event that you are involved in an auto accident, the out-of-pocket cost can be high. The higher you set the deductible, the lower your insurance premiums will be.

Now that you have learned a bit more about auto insurance, use the skills you have learned to examine your existing policy. It is possible that your policy lacks some coverages you need, and has some that you don?t.

Source: http://www.pwr99.com/advice-on-how-to-get-good-auto-insurance-rates/

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eradicator brian: Top Reasons To Take Up Music Lessons - Arts And ...

Copyright (c) 2013 Louis IEA

Music is significant in getting attention from a large group of people. Music soothes the soul in ways that even the experts cannot explain.This is the main reason why you would find people opting for music lessons simply to ease their life stresses. Music is a course that is offered in almost all the universities all over the world. The good thing about this course is that it is not demanding. Certainly, you would not compare medicine to music. Music is something that you engage yourself fully into it to make certain that you achieve the desired results. Research also proves that most individuals taking up music lessons have the passion to listen to music. So, why should you take up music lessons?

It is a career opportunity

Who said that you cannot earn a living if you took up music lessons as your career path? Many have done it and hence you would also make it in being the best. The fact that it is offered by universities means that there is an opportunity for you to exploit fully. The good thing is that, the market is quite rewarding due to music lovers out there. Hence, marketing your skills would not be a tough task for you.

Entertainment

It is fun to take up music lessons as it would be a good way to entertain yourself as you learn. There are wide arrays of music genre that you would entertain yourself with. From the classic genres to the modern music you would learn al this. This would be a good way to entertain yourself. After all, life is not all about being serious.

Self discipline

Yes music lessons are easy but if you would be taking up lessons on how to play certain instruments, you would have to be disciplined to ensure that you get what is taught. This is a virtue that you get from taking up music lessons. You would know the importance of keeping time and doing homework in knowing hoe to play certain instruments to perfection. Without a doubt, after 3-4 years of doing this, you would emerge a different person that can transform the society positively.

Get to learn about different cultures

In the music lessons that you take up, you would have to learn more about the history of music. In doing this, you would be getting to know more of cultures out there and the instruments that they use to compose their own music. This is a good way to appreciate ones culture and getting to know how other people view your culture from their own perspective.

Lastly, life is always about learning new things on a regular basis. Thus, taking up music lessons even for fun would not be a bod idea after all. You would have something to be proud of knowing that you spent time to learn how to play a certain instrument. Just as the experts would say; learning never comes to a stop. Thus, you should always be ready to learn new things as life moves on.

----------------------------------------------------
Visit our work from home website for a list of music lessons ebooks, or list your service as a music lessons expert and let people buy your service.Visit http://www.freelancepress.net/jobs/category/music-lessons/auto/page/1/

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=328937

Source: http://arts-entertainment-insider-info.blogspot.com/2013/05/top-reasons-to-take-up-music-lessons.html

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Source: http://eradicator-brian.blogspot.com/2013/05/top-reasons-to-take-up-music-lessons.html

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Cannes helps actors Bejo and Rahim cross borders

CANNES, France (AP) ? The magic and glamour of Cannes can be hard to spot on a day when rain is lashing the palm trees, roiling the gray Mediterranean and pooling in puddles along the Croisette.

But the world's leading film festival can transform careers ? something no one knows that better than actors Berenice Bejo and Tahar Rahim, stars of director Asghar Farhadi's festival entry "The Past."

Bejo shimmered on-screen in Cannes two years ago in "The Artist," her director husband Michel Hazanavicius' vivacious silent homage to Hollywood's Golden Age. It went on to win five Academy Awards, including best picture.

Rahim was the breakout star of the 2009 festival in Jacques Audiard's poetic and brutal prison drama "A Prophet," as a youth growing to manhood behind bars.

Cannes exposure helped boost both performers onto the international stage. While once most European actors could choose between stay at home and playing Hollywood villains, their paths suggest a more globalized movie world.

"It was quite a miracle for me," Bejo said Saturday, as rain drummed remorselessly on a Cannes rooftop lounge. "Two years ago my life changed a little bit in Cannes.

"I don't think Asghar Farhadi would have cast me in this movie if I hadn't done 'The Artist.'"

It's hard to think of two movie styles further apart than the flamboyant artifice of "The Artist" and the anatomically detailed domestic drama of "The Past"

Bejo plays Marie, a harried Frenchwoman with two children, a new boyfriend with a young son, and an Iranian ex who has returned after four years to finalize their divorce. Rahim is her boyfriend Samir, a man with complex family ties of his own.

All the characters are trying to move on ? but the past keeps dragging them back.

Bejo said she did a screen test for Farhadi, then didn't hear from him for a month, so initially thought she hadn't got the part.

"He said to me, I was looking into your face if I could see the doubt," she said. "I guess because he saw me in movies where I was quite positive, quite sunny, quite glamorous. He needed to see if I could show another part of myself ? and I guess he found it."

For Bejo, as for Rahim, working with the Iran director was a dream come true. "The Past" is the first film Farhadi has shot outside his homeland, and the actors say they loved his working methods ? two months of rehearsal to delve into character, break down barriers and forge bonds, followed by a four-month shoot.

With its Iranian director and largely French cast, it's one of several border-hopping movies at Cannes this year. French director Arnaud Desplechin's made-in-America "Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian" stars France's Mathieu Amalric and Puerto Rican actor Benicio Del Toro. Another French filmmaker, Guillaume Canet, has a multinational cast including Clive Owen, Billy Crudup and Marion Cotillard in his New York crime drama "Blood Ties."

It's a trend Bejo is happy to embrace.

"In America you have Christoph Waltz, you have Marion Cotillard," she said. "In France we have Italian and Spanish actors. ... I think it's great. We are used to strangers and foreign accents, and it's great that we can see that in our movies now."

Both she and Rahim have been busy since their Cannes breakthroughs. Bejo recently made French heist movie "The Last Diamond" and soon starts filming Hazanavicius' next project, a war movie set in Chechnya.

Rahim's projects include the English-language Roman-era adventure "The Eagle" and another movie appearing at Cannes this year, the nuclear power plant romance "Grand Central."

Coming up, he plays a cop in the French movie "The Informant," and is currently shooting a globe-spanning 1920s-set drama with Turkish-German director Fatih Akin, another pillar of culture-crossing cinema.

Despite the busy international career ? and post-"Prophet" expressions of interest from the United States ? Rahim says Hollywood remains a hard nut to crack for non-Anglophone actors.

"It's not what you expect at first," Rahim said. "You'd like to be with Michael Mann or (directors) like this, but you don't have those parts that easily. Because first you have to speak English, you have to erase your accent."

For now, he's just happy to be back in Cannes, an experience that is easier the second time around.

"The difference is that now I'm not afraid when I come here," he said. "I'm (saying) 'OK I'm going to take every good vibe and keep it.'"

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cannes-helps-actors-bejo-rahim-cross-borders-165726670.html

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Officials warn of commuter chaos from Connecticut derailment

By Richard Weizel

BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (Reuters) - Thousands of Connecticut commuters should brace for travel chaos on Monday as Metro-North workers repair damage on the United States' busiest rail line caused by the collision of two trains, officials warned on Sunday.

Lengthy detours and hours of traffic backups were likely as many train commuters take to the road, officials said. The Friday derailment of a Metro-North passenger train that struck a commuter train between Fairfield and Bridgeport, Connecticut, injured more than 70 people and halted full service on the line indefinitely.

The Monday commute will be "extremely challenging and I am activating the state's Emergency Management System. There will be serious disruptions all week, and I would encourage anyone who can, to stay home, if possible," Governor Dannel Malloy told a news conference.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation was preparing a plan to assist commuters. The agency, Malloy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, urged people to make alternate plans.

"I'm really in the same boat as everyone else, as I plan to head down to Washington to make it clear to the White House that I am deeply concerned about our nation's railway infrastructure," Blumenthal said.

"This accident shows that safety cannot be compromised, and is going to cost tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. We need to find the problems before they lead to accidents like this one."

Malloy said 30,000 daily commuters will be seriously affected on Monday and likely the entire week.

The site of the crash is about 50 miles northeast of New York. Metro-North train service between New Haven and South Norwalk is indefinitely suspended.

Service by Amtrak, the U.S. passenger rail service, also has been suspended indefinitely. Officials reiterated on Sunday that they did not know when service would be restored.

The New York-New Haven line is the busiest rail line in the country, serving 125,000 commuters a day, said Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Regular service will run from the Stamford station and South Norwalk station to Grand Central Terminal in New York. Limited service will run from Westport.

Morning commuter train service would run every 20 minutes from New Haven to Bridgeport on the New Haven commuter line, the state Department of Transportation said.

Two buses will run from Bridgeport to Stamford Station bypassing the site of the accident.

Earl Weener, a board member for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), told the news conference the agency was finishing its probe of the crash site and would turn it over to Metro-North on Sunday.

All the train cars have been removed, recording devices recovered and crews were being interviewed, he said.

Weener said hundreds of pounds of track had been sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington. The track includes a section of fractured rail that may have caused the accident or been damaged by it.

"But it will take a significant amount of time to repair the tracks," he said.

State transportation officials said that more than 2,000 feet of track must be repaired and replaced.

Of the more than 70 passengers and crew members injured, eight remained hospitalized on Sunday. Three were in critical condition, officials said.

(This story has been refiled to remove repeated material)

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-warn-commuter-chaos-connecticut-derailment-020818971.html

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Yahoo to vote on $1.1 billion Tumblr buy: AllThingsD

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc's board will meet on Sunday to vote on whether to offer $1.1 billion in cash for New York-based blogging service Tumblr, tech blog AllThingsD cited sources close to the situation as saying on Friday.

Such an acquisition would be CEO Marissa Mayer's largest deal since taking the helm of the once-iconic Internet company in July 2012. Yahoo is keen on Tumblr because its younger user base would enhance the older website's "cool factor," the technology blog cited the sources as saying.

The news could be announced as soon as Monday, it said. Yahoo has invited press to an event in Manhattan at which it promised to "share something special," without elaborating.

Mayer, who spent 13 years at Google Inc, is trying to revitalize a former Internet powerhouse that in recent years has struggled with declining business. On its home page, Tumblr says it hosts 108 million blogs, with 50.7 billion posts between them.

Yahoo declined to comment, while Tumblr did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yahoo-vote-1-1-billion-tumblr-buy-allthingsd-010904953.html

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RAIDERS FC TRAVELLING SOCCER TRYOUTS | Lemont Sports ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://lemont.patch.com/events/raiders-fc-travelling-soccer-tryouts

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Powerball jackpot at record $600 million

(Reuters) - The jackpot for the Powerball lottery has soared to a record $600 million and the top prize may swell to nearly $1 billion if no one draws the winning numbers this weekend, a lottery official said on Friday.

The potential payout of Saturday's jackpot could mean a one-time lump sum payment of $376.9 million. Officials reported brisk ticket sales across the country.

The top prize grew after no one won a drawing on Wednesday, said Mary Neubauer, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, where the Powerball is based.

The popular lottery, which is played in 42 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has not had a winner in two months.

"If this hasn't caught your attention, I'm not sure what would," Neubauer said.

The previous largest Powerball jackpot record was $587.5 million in November 2012. According to Powerball, the odds of winning the big prize on Saturday are one in 175 million.

If no match is made for all winning five numbers and the Powerball, the jackpot could grow to nearly $1 billion, Neubauer said.

She said that size of a pot could pose some challenges for lottery organizers.

"Our billboards aren't designed to display a billion," she said. "We're not sure how we will display that amount, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

(Additional reporting by David Adams; Writing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-grows-record-600-million-234245176.html

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Quotations of the day

"Listening to the nightly news, this appears to be just the latest example of a culture of cover-ups and political intimidation in this administration. It seems like the truth is hidden from the American people just long enough to make it through an election." ? Republican Dave Camp, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, speaking about the IRS scandal and two other issues plaguing the White House.

___

"If this hearing becomes essentially a bootstrap to continue the campaign of 2012 and to prepare for 2014, we will be making a very, very serious mistake." Democratic Rep. Sander Levin speaking during the Ways and Means Committee hearing on the IRS scandal..

___

"Everybody seemed pretty calm. Everybody was thankful they didn't get seriously hurt. They were anxious to get home to their families."? Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett after two commuter trains serving New York City collided in Connecticut during rush hour, sending 60 people to the hospital.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/quotations-day-070627283.html

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New fracking regulations upset just about everybody

Environmentalists and industry representatives are criticizing?new draft regulations on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling method that has helped spark an oil and gas boom. The shared discontent reflects the complexity of the debate surrounding hydraulic fracturing and natural gas use.

By David J. Unger,?Correspondent / May 17, 2013

A worker checks water levels and temperatures in a series of tanks at a hydraulic fracturing operation outside Rifle, Colo. New draft regulations on so-called 'fracking,' have drawn criticism from both sides of the hydraulic fracturing debate.

Brennan Linsley/AP/File

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New draft regulations on a controversial drilling method are drawing fire from both sides of the hydraulic fracturing debate. The technique, which involves injecting large amounts of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to release oil and gas, has helped to spark a boom in US energy production.

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Why It Matters

Energy: New drilling techniques have created a boom in US oil and gas production.

Environment: Hydraulic fracturing is water-intensive and relies on potentially-dangerous chemicals.

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Environmentalists say the proposal by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ?does not go far enough in overseeing "fracking" on public lands. Citing preexisting state regulations, oil and gas representatives say the federal oversight is redundant and curtails an industry that?supports millions of jobs. ?

?States have led the way in regulating hydraulic fracturing operations while protecting communities and the environment for decades," Erik Milito, director of upstream and industry operations for the American Petroleum Institute,?said in a statement "While changes to the proposed rule attempt to better acknowledge the state role, BLM has yet to answer the question why BLM is moving forward with these requirements in the first place."

The draft allows for states to propose their own rules if they can demonstrate they sufficiently protect local resources from contamination. It requires companies to disclose the chemical makeup of their fracking fluid but allows for "trade secret" exemption. Environmentalists say that process lacks a policing?mechanism?and is?susceptible?to abuse.?

'Frances Ha' star Greta Gerwig is always worth watching

The scenes in 'Frances Ha' featuring Greta Gerwig and her character's best friend ring true in depicting female friendships.

By Peter Rainer,?Film critic / May 17, 2013

'Frances Ha' stars Greta Gerwig (r.) and Adam Driver (l.).

IFC/AP

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Greta Gerwig is a big, gawky actress who is also, paradoxically, quite lithe. She seems to have replaced Parker Posey as the ?It? girl of the indies. She manages to turn her klutziness into a kind of grace.

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As Frances, the dithering, knockabout, perpetually put-upon heroine of Noah Baumbach?s ?Frances Ha,? Gerwig is worth watching even when her scenes fall flat. Frances is a struggling dancer who spends much of the movie moving in and out of digs in Brooklyn and Manhattan and Westchester. She?s always on the go and yet never quite going anywhere. Even when she takes a whirlwind sojourn to Paris, she might as well be slumming in Soho.

Baumbach, who also co-wrote the script with Gerwig (his romantic partner), has a loose improvisatory feel for funky comedy. In the scenes with Frances?s best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), the film seems especially true to the nature of female friendships. It?s a skimpy, overextended riff, but some of the seemingly tossed-off moments are lovely. Grade: B (Rated R for sexual references and language.)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/68KT0uRSAAY/Frances-Ha-star-Greta-Gerwig-is-always-worth-watching

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GPS solution provides three-minute tsunami alerts

May 17, 2013 ? Researchers have shown that, by using global positioning systems (GPS) to measure ground deformation caused by a large underwater earthquake, they can provide accurate warning of the resulting tsunami in just a few minutes after the earthquake onset. For the devastating Japan 2011 event, the team reveals that the analysis of the GPS data and issue of a detailed tsunami alert would have taken no more than three minutes.

The results are published on 17 May in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).

Most tsunamis, including those in offshore Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004 and Japan in 2011, occur following underwater ground motion in subduction zones, locations where a tectonic plate slips under another causing a large earthquake. To a lesser extent, the resulting uplift of the sea floor also affects coastal regions. There, researchers can measure the small ground deformation along the coast with GPS and use this to determine tsunami information.

"High-precision real-time processing and inversion of these data enable reconstruction of the earthquake source, described as slip at the subduction interface. This can be used to calculate the uplift of the sea floor, which in turn is used as initial condition for a tsunami model to predict arrival times and maximum wave heights at the coast," says lead-author Andreas Hoechner from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

In the new Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences paper, the researchers use the Japan 2011 tsunami, which hit the country's northeast coast in less than half an hour and caused significant damage, as a case study. They show that their method could have provided detailed tsunami alert as soon as three minutes after the beginning of the earthquake that generated it.

"Japan has a very dense network of GPS stations, but these were not being used for tsunami early warning as of 2011. Certainly this is going to change soon," states Hoechner.

The scientists used raw data from the Japanese GPS Earth Observation Network (GEONET) recorded a day before to a day after the 2011 earthquake. To shorten the time needed to provide a tsunami alert, they only used data from 50 GPS stations on the northeast coast of Japan, out of about 1200 GEONET stations available in the country.

At present, tsunami warning is based on seismological methods. However, within the time limit of 5 to 10 minutes, these traditional techniques tend to underestimate the earthquake magnitude of large events. Furthermore, they provide only limited information on the geometry of the tsunami source (see note). Both factors can lead to underprediction of wave heights and tsunami coastal impact. Hoechner and his team say their method does not suffer from the same problems and can provide fast, detailed and accurate tsunami alerts.

The next step is to see how the GPS solution works in practice in Japan or other areas prone to devastating tsunamis. As part of the GFZ-lead German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System project, several GPS stations were installed in Indonesia after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami near Sumatra, and are already providing valuable information for the warning system.

"The station density is not yet high enough for an independent tsunami early warning in Indonesia, since it is a requirement for this method that the stations be placed densely close to the area of possible earthquake sources, but more stations are being added," says Hoechner.

Note

Traditional tsunami early warning methods use hypocentre (the point directly beneath the epicentre where the seismic fault begins to rupture) and magnitude only, meaning the source of the earthquake and tsunami is regarded as a point source. However, especially in the case of subduction earthquakes, it can have a large extension: in Japan in 2011 the connection between the tectonic plates broke on a length of about 400km and the Sumatra event in 2004 had a length of some 1500km. To get a good tsunami prediction, it is important to consider this extension and the spatial slip distribution.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ivC5m9wJeyc/130517085819.htm

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Movie review: 'Star Trek Into Darkness' delivers smart action | The ...

"Star Trek Into Darkness" ? Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto, left) and Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine).

Review ? J.J. Abrams? second Starfleet trip stays true to series? virtues.

The first rule of "Star Trek Into Darkness" is that you do not talk about "Star Trek Into Darkness."

There is so much cool stuff in director J.J. Abrams? second film based on Gene Roddenberry?s beloved science-fiction series, and information that should not be divulged, that a moviegoer should go in cold, if such a thing were possible in the age of Internet spoilers.

?

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?Star Trek Into Darkness?

Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the Enterprise crew fly into new adventures, with a formidable enemy in their sights.

Where ? Theaters everywhere.

When ? Wednesday night, May 15, in IMAX theaters Thursday, May 16, everywhere else.

Rating ? PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Running time ? 132 minutes.

So the next two paragraphs are as much synopsis as you?re getting from me.

The movie begins with Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) getting in trouble with Starfleet for violating the Prime Directive, the United Federation of Planets? top rule against interfering with a primitive culture. (It?s a rule William Shatner?s Kirk violated in roughly half of the original series? 78 episodes.) But Kirk is let off the hook because Starfleet has bigger problems: a rogue agent, named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), is attacking Federation facilities on Earth.

Admiral Markus (Peter Weller) orders Kirk to kill Harrison, who?s been tracked to the Klingon homeworld, Kronos. But as Kirk and his first officer, the logical Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), warp toward the Neutral Zone separating Federation space from the Klingon Empire, they discover that nothing about this mission ? including the identity of the fugitive Harrison ? is what it seems.

OK, that?s it for plot details, except to say that Abrams and his screenwriting crew (regulars Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof share credit here) name-drop enough classic "Trek" characters, place names and alien species that a Trekkie or Trekker will be hooting and laughing while those who are less "Trek" literate will be going "huh?" (Again, to give examples would spoil the fun.)

But this isn?t a Trekkie-only experience. Abrams & Co. pile on enough excitement and action to keep any moviegoer, whatever their "Trek" IQ, on the edge of his or her seat.

Abrams was criticized in his 2009 reboot, and will be again here, for mucking about with "Star Trek" canon. For example, in the first film, Spock?s homeworld, Vulcan, is destroyed. But here, Abrams stays true to the main virtues of the series: The camaraderie of the Enterprise crew, the bond of friendship among Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), and the way the old series created science-fiction allegories to explore current dilemmas.

Abrams draws nice moments of tension and comedy from the Enterprise crew, with actors Zo? Saldana (as Lt. Uhura), Simon Pegg (as Cmdr. Scott, the ship?s engineer), John Cho (as navigator Lt. Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as helmsman Ens. Chekov) and Bruce Greenwood (as Kirk?s mentor, Christopher Pike) taking a second ride. Newcomer Alice Eve joining the crew as ? sorry, another spoiler.

Pine brings a decent amount of swagger to Kirk, breaker of rules and horndog of the galaxy. And Quinto finds both the humor and emotional intensity within Spock?s struggle to balance logic and emotion.

story continues below

But both of them have to work overtime to stay even with Benedict Cumberbatch. The British star of "Sherlock" beefs up for this role, bringing muscle and old-school Shakespearean fire to the villain?s role. You?d have to think back to "Star Trek?s" classic characters to find someone to match him.

movies@sltrib.com

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/56304718-223/trek-kirk-star-abrams.html.csp

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Our Guide To The Food, Drink, Fashion And Family-Friendly ...

The ever-popular Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival is set to fill Walnut Street with food, vendors, music and fun this Saturday, May 18.(Photos by E. Mencher for GPTMC)

The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, one of Philadelphia?s most-anticipated and best-attended festivals of the year, returns this Saturday, May 18 from noon to 5 p.m.

More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the daylong fest, which takes over Walnut Street from Broad to 19th streets and showcases the neighborhood?s finest food, fashions and live entertainment.

Come hungry, as dining and drinking are the main attractions. More than 40 restaurants will set up shop along the sidewalks of Walnut Street to serve up samples of spring fare. Beyond the eats, there?s also lots of live music, free wine tastings and more.

Read on for our complete guide to the annual Walnut Street extravaganza.

The Layout

?
Spanning six blocks of Walnut Street, the festival brings street closures from Broad to 19th streets, and to 18th street from Sansom to Locust streets.

Count on every foot of Walnut to be filled with festival fun, and look for restaurants on 18th street to overflow from sidewalks with additional outdoor tables and service on 18th south of Walnut from Devon, Rouge and Parc, plus seating on 18th north of Walnut from a. kitchen, a.bar and Smith & Wollensky.

And for a complete block-by-block lineup to plan your day, see below.

The Food and Drink

?
Graze along Walnut Street with options from more than 40 Rittenhouse-area restaurants and bars. Look for a.kitchen to serve a delicious miso-glazed octopus, Vernick Food and Drink to dish a spread of marinated meat and veggie skewers and Rouge to serve a decadent Kobe beef hot dog.

Also look for fare from restaurants including: 500 Degrees, a. Bar, Alfa, Applebees, Ben and Jerry?s, Capogiro Gelato, Cavanaugh?s Rittenhouse, Corner Bakery Caf?, The Corner Foodery, Devon Seafood Grill, Di Bruno Bros., Happy Rooster, Hip City Veg, Honeygrow, Lacroix, Le Bec Fin, Marathon Grill, Oyster House, The Prime Rib, Pub and Kitchen, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Rotisseur, Rouge, Sbraga, Schlesinger?s, Shake Shack, Smith and Wollensky, Square 1682, Tavern 17, Termini Brothers Bakery, Underdogs, Vernick, Village Whiskey, Wok and XIX.

For wine, beer and cocktails, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will pour tastes of 20 Chairman?s Selection wines with a concierge and onsite store, plus Peroni beer, Rex Goliath wines, Cintron and festive cocktails will flow.

With eight Starr Restaurants in the neighborhood, it?s fitting for the group to host its own festivities within the main event. Sample food, drink and desserts from Alma de Cuba, Barclay Prime, Butcher and Singer, Continental Mid-town, The Dandelion, El Rey, Il Pittore and Parc on the 1800 block of Walnut.

Huge crowds flock to Walnut Street for the annual Rittenhouse block party. (Photo by E. Mencher for GPTMC)

The Fashion

?
In addition to its fine dining opportunities, Rittenhouse houses serious shopping spots. During the festival, seek out alfresco outposts of Joan Shepp, South Moon Under, Knit Wit, Town Home, Kembrel, Hope Chest, Born Yesterday, Heads and Tails, Duke and Winston, The Children?s Boutique, Tumi, The Shops at the Bellevue and others.

The Entertainment

?
But don?t stop with eating, drinking and shopping. A terrific range of entertainment lasts all day for both wee ones and adults. Live music will rock all afternoon from the stage at Sydenham Street between 15th and 16th streets.

On the 1500 block, the Infiniti Lounge hosts author and culinary personality Hope Cohen of Fast, Fresh + Simple, who will be onsite with samples of one of her recipes.

On the 1700 block, check out the Whisper Outdoor Lounge with its DJ and specialty cocktails from G Lounge, Whisper and The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., and snacks from the Corner Foodery.

On 18th street between Walnut and Sansom, bring the kids to the Center City District craft pavilion to get hands-on with make-and-take crafts and create a mock radio newscast with KYW Newsradio. Family-friendly activities are sponsored by such cultural organizations as the Arden Theatre Company, Please Touch Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Historic Philadelphia, Philadelphia Art Alliance, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Walnut Street Theatre and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops.

Finally, check out the Starr Culinary Demonstration Stage at 19th and Walnut, with entertainment from balloon twister and storyteller Allyn Gordon.

Also, Starr Restaurants gives back to Philabundance this year. Bring a non-perishable food items or a monetary donation (10 cans, $10, or both) for Philabundance and to enter a raffle to win one of three dinner and/or getaway prizes. Check out the Starr Smallwares Sidewalk Sale, too, to purchase discounted china, glassware and accessories from Starr Restaurants with the proceeds benefitting Philabundance.

Be sure to follow Uwishunu on Twitter and Instagram for throughout the day for more.

And for the complete block-by-block lineup, see below!

Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
When: Saturday, May 18, noon-5 p.m.
Where: Walnut Street between 19th and Broad Streets
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.rittenhouserow.org

1400 Block
XIX
A Taste of the Bellevue
611
European Wax Center
Philadelphia Orchestra
Dunkin Donuts giveaways
Fado
Flywheel
Zipcar
Duke and Winston
500 Degrees
Corner Bakery Caf?
Applebee?s Neighborhood Bar & Grill
Kings Hawaiin giveaways
J Laxson
American Laser Skincare
The Body Klinic
PNC

1500 Block
Butcher and Singer
Sbraga
Fast Fresh + Simple by Hope Cohen
Schlesinger?s
Elixr
Music Stage by Norma Michaels Entertainment
Sun Myst Tanning
Roxy Theater
Oyster House
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Termini Brothers Bakery
Beneficial Bank
Senator Larry Farnese
City Space
Le Bec Fin
Be Well Philly
Peroni Beer Tasting
Infiniti Lounge: with Hope Cohen

1600 Block
Happy Rooster
Dermacenter
Rittenhouse Womens Wellness Center
Sweat
Adolf Biecker
Helium Comedy Club
Square 1682
Underdogs
Town Home
Joan Shepp
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board-Fine Wine and Good Spirits: Tasting
Capital One 360 Caf?
Capital One 360 Caf?
Rotisseur
Alma de Cuba
Keller Williams Realty
Pub and Kitchen
Rex Goliath Wine Tasting
Wok
South Moon Under
Honeygrow
Sony Electronics
The Market and Shops at Comcast Center
Body Cycle Studio
Capogiro Gelato

1700 Block
The Prime Rib
The Children?s Boutique
DiBruno Bros.
Cavanaugh?s Rittenhouse
Vernick
The Corner Foodery
Whisper: G: Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company
Rouge
Lacroix
Village Whiskey
Marathon Grill
TD Bank
a. Bar
Tumi
Knit Wit
Pure Barre
Shake Shack
Heads and Tails
Kembrel
Alfa
Hope Chest
Hip City Veg
The Prime Rib
Tavern 17
Radisson Blu

1800 Block
Alma de Cuba
Barclay Prime
Butcher and Singer
Continental Mid-town
The Dandelion
El Rey
Il Pittore
Parc
Starr Sweets
Culinary Demonstration Stage
Cocktail tasting Tent
Starr Smallwares Sidewalk Sale for Philadbundance
Philabundance

18th Street South of Walnut
VIP Tent
Rouge
Devon
Parc

18th Street North of Walnut
A. Kitchen
Born Yesterday
Rittenhouse Square Flower Market
Arden Theatre Company
Please Touch Museum
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Koru Yogurt giveaways
Historic Philadelphia Inc.
Philadelphia Art Alliance
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Walnut Street Theatre
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops
Friends of Rittenhouse Square
Center City District
KYW Kidcasting
Ben and Jerry?s truck
Smith and Wollensky-Cintron

Source: http://www.uwishunu.com/2013/05/our-guide-to-the-food-drink-fashion-and-family-friendly-festivities-of-the-rittenhouse-row-spring-festival-taking-over-six-blocks-of-walnut-street-this-saturday-may-18/

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Mother of Kristen Stewart Obtains Restraining Order Against Wolf Howling Neighbor

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/mother-of-kristen-stewart-obtains-restraining-order-against-wolf/

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