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California Extreme 2015
California Extreme 2015
July 18-19, 2015
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
Saturday 11am - 2am
Sunday 11am - 9pm
Get in 1/2 hour earlier by pre-registering!
2015 Speaker lineup posted! Check out the Speakers page for more info!
Pre-registration is now closed. You can still buy tickets at the door the day of the show - please see the ticket page for more information!
Signups for all volunteers is open - visit the volunteer page to sign up!
Hotel Registration is now open! Click here to access the hotel information page and for access to on-line reservations. Book early to get a room!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: We are already sold-out of the contracted block. The Hotel has added more rooms at different group rate to accommodate the increasing demand.
ADDED! We now have rooms at the Marriott hotel for $89 per night and the Hilton Santa Clara for $119 per night. See the Hotel page for more information.
Thank you for your support of the show!!
Thank you to all who made the 2014 show a success!! Click on Pictures for pictures and videos from this year's show!
Why A Game Show?
Arcades were once a fixture on the American urban landscape, and games were plentiful in rural cities too. The closest heir of today is the so-called "Family Entertainment Center", which is populated with a myriad of devices designed only to take your coins quickly and leave you with a pile of tickets, which you exchange for cheap, trashy toys. This is entertainment? California Extreme was born with a desire to share fun coin op games that are in the hands of private collectors, and to hopefully spread the word that pinball machines were once plentiful, and that videogames were not synonymous with "martial arts" and violence. Buy/sell/trade! The show is a great place to bring games you want to sell, and also a good place to add to your collection, or even start it! Not all games will be for sale; many collectors bring games to show (or show off!) that they would never sell. So .. Can I play the stuff? Yeah .. Everything is on free play. You can play from the moment you arrive until we shut off the power at closing -- Play as many games as you want, in whatever order you want to. There are *HUNDREDS* of games, all set to play for free. This is a your chance to try those older games, or the newer games that you'd never put money into in an arcade. There are also many games that never got produced, and are very hard to find.


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Hollywood FL Hotel Near Hollywood BeachEveryone loves the beach; stay at the Quality Inn & Suites and you are in a Hollywood FL Hotel near Hollywood Beach as well as at the heart of popular nightlife entertainment. Whether you are cruising or non-cruising guests, you will be equally impressed with us. Our guest services have been highly praised, over the years. With our strategic location, near Airports and Cruise Ports and the Broward County Convention Center, you will agree, that you made the wise choice. We arrange reliable transportation to safe beaches, and hot spots in South Florida. We are pet-friendly and non-smoking; we accommodate all types of guests. We also offer a heated pool, FREE Breakfast, and FREE High Speed Internet Service.
Quality Inn & Suites, the outstanding Hollywood FL Hotel near Hollywood Beach, Hard Rock Cafe and Gulfstream Village Shops, and Sports Stadiums, has only one goal, and that is customer satisfaction! You are our number one priority! Our skilled staff will do everything to accommodate you, and make your stay with us enjoyable! Every newly renovated, spacious, and beautifully decorated room and equipped with ultra-modern amenities. Our grounds are well landscaped. And our guests can add to our list of amenities and features, extended transportation and Shuttle Service as well! You will get the lowest prices when you BOOK DIRECT; call, or click on "Book Now" Link now! Do not miss out on the great bargains!

subset: commoncrawl


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Nigerians must engage in intense prayer for national stability, the Provincial Pastor, Living Faith, Life Camp, Abuja, Gideon Oyedepo, has said.
Speaking on Sunday at the church's second anniversary, celebration, the clergy said everything in life needs prayer, adding that for the country to come out of the present security challenges, people must pray for peace to reign.
Pastor Oyedepo said the church is celebrating what God has done in the lives of the members .
Some of the worshipers said the celebration is a way of appreciating God for His mighty works in the church.
The church which started in 2011 with few people now has over 3000 worshippers.


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Daniel Chen-Fung is the President of Chen-Fung, Inc. .
Chen-Fung, Inc. filed as a Domestic for Profit Corporation in the State of Florida filed on Monday, September 20, 2004. This corporation is approximately eleven years old according to documents filed with Florida Department of State. Chen-Fung, Inc. also lists Mary Chen-Fung as Treasurer.
Daniel Chen-Fung is connected to other officers through these corporate roles. One of the top connections is Mary Chen-Fung .
Key roles for Daniel Chen-Fung
Chen-Fung, Inc.
President, Director


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Nike's Sports Team Backpack is Ideal for Pool Workouts to Carry-your-Gear and then some! Bag has a Ridged Waterproof Bottom that allows Bag to Stay Up-Right making Accessing Packs Content Easy even on a Wet Pool Deck Side Attached Mesh Pockets can hold your Wet Gear and there are Separate Compartments for Foot Wear and Sunglasses adding to Organization of your Stuff!
Backpack also comes equipped with a Soft Lined Cell Phone Side Pocket to protect your Delicate Communication Devise There's a Key Pocket for better Organization, Backpack is available in Blue color, measures (H x W x D) 18" x 13" x 10" (45 7 x 33 x 25 4 cm) with 2,340 cubic inches (38 35 liters) of volume Backpack has Comfortable Padded Shoulder Straps and a Top Grab Handle for ease of transport


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Despite the modest rise of about 100000 bpd, demand was the second lowest in March since 1997, the API said. Demand for gasoline, the most widely ...
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The North West Redwater refinery is scheduled to start up in 2016. The NWR gasification process will consume oxygen to produce hydrogen, which ...
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These days, attracting new refinery projects isn't a.
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The new Fluor partnership will be named Supreme Modular Fabrication. The 50/50 partnership will own, operate and deliver a full range of unique module ...
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Construction of the refinery, which will be operated by Qatargas, is expected to be complete by the second half of 2016 and will have a total capacity ...
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Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive and uneconomical, and it increases the likelihood of human error—this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. For too long, software vendors have denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with "drag and drop" capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases.
Will previously-planned downstream investments be cut back in 2015 due to lower global oil prices?
Depends how long current prices last
June 2015


text: Set on a rocky peninsula at the southwest tip of England, Cornwall has a Celtic vibe. Its rugged scenery and wild, uncultivated appeal make you feel as if you're approaching the end of the world (and many natives would say it's exactly that). Harboring the remnants of an endangered Celtic culture (Cornish), an extinct tin-mining industry, and a gaggle of visit-worthy sights, this is one of England's most popular holiday regions — especially among the English.


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PT Sunter Agung (the company) is real estate development company which is the holding company of Agung Podomoro Group, a group which has been in the property development business for more than 35 years. The company and its subsidiaries have substantial interests in real estate and property development including residential (housing, apartment, townhouse), commercial (mall, shophouse), office and innovative superblock multi purpose building developments in Strategic Bussiness Districts. The company was established in 1969.
In the course of its growth Agung Podomoro Group has also taken over several real estate development companies in Sunter area which were having financial problems. Altogether, Agung Podomoro Group has developed over 500 hectares of land into residentials, warehouses, and industrial estates.
Starting in the early 1990's the Group expanded to other locations around Jakarta & surroundings, i.e. Sudirman, Tanah Abang, Kebayoran Baru, Marunda (industrial estate), Bojong gede, Tambun, Kebon Jeruk & Bandung.


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|None yet – Submit one!
One of the quest rewards for The Haunting.
This will automatically give you two fluff abilities: a Haunting Kick and a Haunting Spin.
|Nights of the DeadOccurs annually around the end of October.
Nights of the Dead 2014 will run from 10/9/2014 through 11/3/2014.
(Introduced in 2009)


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Yep, you read that right... hubby and I made a game. A Facebook game, to be specific. I know some of you are going to groan and gag at that, but I still have a comment from Tobold rattling around in my head when it comes to Facebook games. It's essentially the perception that Facebook games are bad because they have no actual "game" to them. I like to think that our new game does have an actual game to it and I hope you guys agree.
Our new game is called Song Showdown and it's based on the old "Name That Tune" concept. This game grew out of my personal love for music -- singing is my other main hobby. In recent years I've come to discover that I'm disgustingly good at naming songs and singers, to the annoyance of my family. I'm sure many of you have played this game in the car or in a restaurant where you hear a song and challenge your friends and family to name the song or the artist. About a year ago I tried to find an online version of this game and came up empty-handed. And thus an idea was born :)
We went with the Facebook platform because we wanted people to be able to play with and challenge their friends. A big part of the fun with song guessing is pitting yourself against your buddies and we didn't want to lose that dynamic. Also, I think Facebook gets a bad rap in the game department. The idea of socially networked gaming has a lot of potential, the main problem is that its not being tapped effectively with the lackluster games currently available. Hopefully newer games will start to debut which make better use of the social features while providing a meaningful game experience at the same time.
So I encourage all of you to come and check out Song Showdown and share your feedback. We are currently Beta testing the game and we'd like to get comments from other gamers. Especially if music is a strong interest for you, we'd love to have you stop by tell us what you think. The game has several modes of play and the easiest is Multiple Choice mode. If you don't get enough challenge from Multiple Choice, try Mystery or Total Recall. You can also set the genre, difficulty level (uses more obscure songs), and a decade range to limit the songs to a set more in line with your musical comfort zone. And note that there are two circular buttons on the left of the game screen - these are powerups!
Try Out Song Showdown!
Visit the SSD forums and leave feedback.
Known issues with the game are: Additional weeding out still needed with song data (explicit tracks, bad decade, etc) and one reported error involving Chrome and Windows 7 that we're still chasing. Functionally everything should be in order and we feel it's very playable in its current form.
You can either come back here and leave your thoughts in the Comments section, or you can use our forums on Facebook to contribute your feedback.
Thanks for helping out guys!!
Check out our New GAME!
Posted by Kaliope at Thursday, March 10, 2011
Labels: Random Musings
6 comments:
- AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 4:21 PM
Pretty cool, actually. I've sent invites and challenges to several friends.ReplyDelete
Awesome! Be sure and let us know if you run into any problems :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 11, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Tried with Safari and Chrome. Got the Drat! message with each. Don't know where the song loading is being prevented.ReplyDelete
Thanks for trying it out. I've tested extensively with Safari and Chrome under OS X 10.6.6 and have not had any song loading issues. Would you mind letting me know what OS and browser version(s) you're using? Thanks!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 11, 2011 at 9:26 PM
OS X 10.5.8ReplyDelete
Safari 5.0.4 with ClickToFlash
Chrome 10.0.648.133
Thanks. I'm not sure I have a way to test this myself with OS X 10.5. Hmm, I'll have to think about that. Thanks for the info, though.ReplyDelete
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Minors Report: Portillo to Double-A as Roach shut down
Twenty-year-old right-hander Adys Portillo appears to be headed for Double-A San Antonio to replace right-hander Donn Roach, who is being shut down for hitting the innings limit set by the Padres for 2012.
Portillo allowed one run on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts Thursday night in his final start for low Single-A Fort Wayne. Portillo, who was the starting pitcher for the East Division in the Midwest League All-Star Game, is 6-6 on the season with a 1.87 ERA in 17 starts.
Roach, 22, was a combined 11-2 between the high Single-A California League and Double-A San Antonio with a 1.88 ERA. But had reached 105 1/3 innings, which was 50 percent more than he had thrown before in a season.
Roach was acquired with Alexi Amarista from the Angels in the May 3 trade that sent right-handed reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Angels. Roach was the California League starter in the California-Carolina Leagues All-Star Game.
Around The Farm
Triple-A Tucson (35-62): Reno 4, TUCSON 3 – First baseman Matt Clark (.307) was 2-for-4 with his 17th homer. C Rocky Gale had two doubles in four at-bats with a run scored. SS Andy Parrino (.333) was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Starting RHP Jorge Reyes (6-9, 5.34 ERA) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts in six innings. RHP Jason Ray (4.45 ERA) struck out two in an inning. RHP Neil Wagner (5.16 ERA) allowed a hit with a walk in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. LHP Josh Spence (6.20 ERA) struck out one in two-thirds of a scoreless inning.
Double-A San Antonio (17-9, 46-50):San Antonio 12, FRISCO 10 – RF Rymer Liriano (.207) was 2-for-5 with his first Double-A homer for three RBI and two runs scored. OF Cody Decker hit his 20th homer, a three-run shot, in his only at-bat. LF Jake Blackwood also homered for the Missions. 2B Jonathan Galvez (.331) was 4-for-7 with three doubles, three RBI and a run scored. DH Edinson Rincon (.278) was 3-for-6 with two runs scored. 3B Dean Anna (.304) was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. 1B Nate Freiman (.283) was 2-for-6 with a RBI and two runs scored. RHP Keyvius Sampsom (5.54 ERA) allowed five runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in four innings. LHP Dustin Pease (4.69 ERA) struck out one in two perfect innings. RHP Daniel Strange (2-1, 3.45 ERA) picked up the win by striking out both hitters he faced. RHP Jeremy McBryde (3.20 ERA) allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in an inning.
Single-A Lake Elsinore (18-10, 54-44): RANCHO CUCAMONGA 4, Lake Elsinore 2 – Starting RHP Burch Smith (3.35 ERA) allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings. RHP Jerry Sullivan (5.12 ERA) allowed a hit and had a strikeout in two scoreless innings. RHP Alexis Lara (1-1, 3.00 ERA) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in an inning. LF Donavan Tate (.276) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. 1B Connor Powers was 2-for-4.


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UTSA newsletters
» UTSA Expressions -- Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion
UTSA magazines
» Giving
» Discovery -- UTSA Research
» Innovations -- College of Engineering
» Ovations -- College of Liberal and Fine Arts
» Spectrum -- College of Education
UTSA Disbursements and Travel Services hosts vendor fairs May 8
(April 29, 2013) -- UTSA Disbursements and Travel Services will host travel vendor fairs Wednesday, May 8 at the Main and Downtown campuses. UTSA community members are invited to meet representatives of various travel and car rental agencies and learn about their services.
The fair schedules are:
- 9-11 a.m., H-E-B University Center Bexar Room (1.102), Main Campus
- 2-4 p.m., Durango Building Southwest Room (1.124), Downtown Campus
Participating travel agencies will be Corporate Travel Planners and Anthony Travel. Representatives also will be on hand from the Enterprise/National, AVIS/Budget and Hertz car rental agencies.
For more information about travel services, contact Diana Macias-Ollervidez, assistant controller, at 210-458-6915 or Nora Compean, assistant director of disbursements and travel services, at 210-458-4831.


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Modified Mustangs & FordsFeatured Vehicles
1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback - New Kicks For An Old Pony
Lee Buckner's Former Show Car Has Found A New Place To Play
Unlike the baby your wife brings home from the hospital, the old Mustang that's your pride and joy never grows up and moves away from home. Sure, you can baby it all you want, but eventually risking it in daily driving on the street and only taking it to car shows can get lame. That's the dilemma that Lee Buckner of Powhatan, Virginia, faced with his '68 GT fastback. Fortunately for him, however, he's found a new outlet that's giving him lots of new kicks for his old Pony car.
"My dad always liked cars, so when I graduated from college in 1987, I went looking for a project car," Lee said when asked about the history of his car. "The seller wanted $1,600, but I showed up with $500 less and still came home with it. It was rough, but somewhat driveable. It had to sit for a while until I had the money to get the car back together."
Even so, bringing the car back to life was a bigger job than he had first anticipated. The former owner, who was an electrician by trade, had rewired the car in a somewhat different manner than the factory intended, so Lee was going to have to redo a lot of things. With money being an issue, the only way he would be able to afford the project was to do most everything himself. Undaunted, he jumped right in.
"I had more time than money back then, so nearly every spare moment was spent doing something related to the car," Lee said. "The car gave me the opportunity to learn everything from scratch. I bought a welder and learned how to weld on this car. I struggled to learn how to paint and discovered that you can't get a show-quality job with a $30 spray gun. I learned how to do interior work. It was doubly hard trying to work on something that you didn't want to mess up the first time, but I got it done. With the exception of the engine, I've turned every screw on that car and I'm proud of that."
Barry McKesson rebuilt the little 289 block into a serious 349ci dynamo with the help of a stroker kit. The bottom end uses a Scat forged crank with matching H-beam rods that pump the heck out of the eight lightweight Venolia pistons. Pro Comp heads with 2.05-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves work with a Doug Herbert solid lifter cam to properly fill the combustion chambers. Up top is an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold with a modified Holley 750-cfm carburetor. Behind that engine combination, the factory automatic was swapped out in favor of a four-speed Top Loader transmission with a Lakewood bellhousing that connects to an Auburn locker differential with either 3.25 or 3.55 rear gears.
Once done, Lee showed the car a lot and took it to numerous cruise-ins until other things inevitably got into the way. That meant the car sat dormant for a number of years. Eventually, the memories of how much that car meant to him began calling as he began thinking of heading in a new direction. When his wife, Robin, a muscle car enthusiast in her own right, signed them both up for a road racing event, the next chapter of Lee's affair with this Mustang began.
"I had always been a big fan of road racing," Lee said. "Growing up, one of my favorite things to watch was Trans-Am. I never really was into Formula 1 or NASCAR and the Mustang was never particularly fast on the dragstrip, so I eventually got involved in NASA (National Auto Sport Association) with its High Performance Driving Events. Today, I run in their HPDE-2 run group within the Mid-Atlantic division."


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Missouri Couple Comes Forward to Claim Share of Powerball Prize
Moments ago, a couple from Dearborn, Missouri stepped forward to claim their share of the Powerball prize. Lottery officials say Mark Hill, a 52-year-old mechanic, and his wife Cindy have one of the winning tickets. They will split the $588 million prize with whoever holds the other winning ticket from a convenience store in Phoenix, Arizona.


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At 8 a.m. Monday, Valley City Public Schools announced that it will be among those closed Monday after a blizzard Sunday hit southeastern North Dakota Monday.
Valley City State University, and the Maple Valley and Barnes County North school districts will also be closed Monday.
Valley City Schools were initially delayed two hours but monitored the weather situation throughout the evening and in the morning, announcing the cancellation just before 8 a.m.
Maple Valley announced its cancellation Sunday and Barnes County North announced its cancellation Monday.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday night, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) have closed I-94 from Jamestown to Fargo, and I-29 from Fargo to Grand Forks due to heavy snow, blowing snow and areas of near zero visibility creating hazardous driving conditions. In addition, Minnesota officials have closed I-94 from Moorhead to Alexandria. Motorists should not travel on closed roads as they may become blocked overnight
Saturday, February 9
Bluegrass jam is scheduled from 1-5 p.m. at the Barnes County Museum. The acoustic jam is free and open to the public and beginning musicians are welcome. For more information call John Andrus at 701-762-4891.
Tuesday, February 12
Under the leadership of Project Leader Kurt Eversman, Valley City's National Fish Hatchery on River Road is working to become a destination along the Sheyenne River.
Activities already going strong on the fish hatchery grounds include bird watching, a fishing pond signed for people 16 or under, but "anybody can come and fish," and gravel roads throughout the property.
Said Eversman, "quite a few people walk the perimeters of roads"looking for wildlife, fish, and the river.
Surrounded by friends and relatives from throughout North Dakota, Ted Hochhalter celebrated his 100th birthday Thursday at Legacy Place.
Born Feb. 7, 1913 on a farm south of New Leipzig, Hochhalter farmed all of his life, said his son, Harvey Hochhalter.
Ted's mind is sharp as a tack, but said it is hard for him to hear.
Harvey said his father spent a short time working with apples in Yakima, Wash., then returned to farm in North Dakota.
Valley City police, the city attorney and the city administrator are investigating the alleged illegal access, by a Barnes County employee, of a phone call made to the Valley City Police Department.
The phone call, which resulted in disciplinary action for a Valley City 9-1-1 dispatcher, was made to the police department phone line by a woman reporting an injured deer. The call was not made to 9-1-1.
Valley City police, the city attorney and the city administrator are investigating the alleged illegal access, by a Barnes County official, of a phone call made to the Valley City Police Department.
Alright gentlemen, Valentines Day is just around the corner. And I'm sure many of you have already got a gift for that special someone. But if you haven't, an are planing on getting her something sweet. Instead of buying it why don't you make some yourself? Now don't start rolling your eyes and thinking that I must be nuts for even mentioning this. But there are some really easy recipes that anyone could whip up for their sweetheart. Besides, what girl wouldn't love to get homemade sweets from her guy this Valentines Day?
The United States Postal Service announced Wednesday plans to transition to a new delivery schedule that will end regular mail delivery Saturdays on street and rural routes.
"Right now, the new change at this time is scheduled to start the week of Aug. 5," Valley City Postmaster Sherry Johnson said, adding that the schedule is still tentative to change.
"That being said, mail will continue to be delivered to post office box customers just as is, so if you have a P.O. box, you won't notice a change," Johnson said.
Valley City's Looysen I Care is going state of the art with new equipment for helping diagnose eye problems, said Dr. Steve Looysen, owner of the business on West Main Street.
"I have new technology that's pretty exciting," Looysen said Wednesday.
New technology that recently arrived at the operation include a tonometer, a digital camera for taking photographs of the rear of the eye, and a device called an OCT, or Optical Convergence Tomography.


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A young woman gabs away on her mobile below a walkway decorated with artificial conifer branches baring a message that reads "Merry Christmas" above the side entrance of Edna Mall.
Addis Abeba appears to have blossomed in becoming truly cosmopolitan, if judged by the traditions of Christmas decorations.
A transient but profitable market has emerged in the political capital of Africa, meant to accommodate this very Western decorative culture, both at the household level and on a grander scale in some of the well-renowned hotels and malls across the city.
Edna Mall, on cameroon Street, close to Bole Medhanialem Cathedral, is one of these outlets ablaze with the grander of Christmas decorations. Housing Matti Multiplex, a popular hangout for urban youngsters, Edna Mall had a tall Christmas display on the ground floor and had adorned its terrace with tinsel and stickers with holiday greetings, last week.
The staff members of Bob & Bongo's at the mall, a high-end gaming house for children, were handing out gifts during the weekends. The entire building was adorned with colourful lights, as is customary for every holiday. The fountain lights across the street were also lit.
"A lot of preparation has to be done in advance in order to create a festive mood," says Samrawit Fetewi, marketing executive at Edna. "All the decorations have to be on display two weeks before Western Christmas; planning starts in November."
Edna Mall uses its own staff to set up decorations. The staff of the marketing department brainstormed designs and each contributed an idea about how to dazzle visitors.
The bill for the establishment, this year, is no small fee. Management has spent around 110,000 Br on decorations this year alone, according to Samrawit.
This is despite Christmas trees and some decorations being reused every year, the items imported from the United States and Dubai when the mall was first opened in late 2007.
"We reuse the major stuff," Samrawit says. "But, sometimes, the lights break down, and we need more decorations. In addition, we get new ideas every Christmas."
This year, they brought in tiaras with little Santa figures glued on top, as costumes for their staff.
A portion of the staggering amount was spent locally, according to Samrawit.
"We import some of the major stuff, but, if, for example, the lights break down or we need additional balls, we usually go to Merkato and grab some," she told Fortune.
Mercato, the self-proclaimed largest open-air market on the continent, seems to be the place where most people go in order to buy their Christmas decorations. The small alleyway across the street from Wanza Restaurant, where Metro Hotel is located, usually goes by the name Mestawet Terra. Stores on each side of the street either sell mirrors or trade in cosmetics.
But, for two or three weeks during the holiday season, the place is dubbed Tsid Terra. The sidewalks outside of the shops are lined with Christmas trees made of plastic and complementary trimmings. These are usually for display. Retailers of Christmas merchandise keep their stock in Isuzu pickups or minibuses parked in the middle of the street.
For most of the traders, selling Christmas trees is a part-time job. Some of them run khat delivery services as their regular job, while others sell stockings and merchandise in stores.
Some are students who take part-time jobs to take advantage of this seasonal market.
Efrem Geremew, an 18-year old student at a vocational school, was standing on the trailer of a pickup truck in the middle of Tsid Terra selling trees, on Tuesday, January 3, 2011. The business he runs for Christmas is owned by a close family member.
Youths stroll past a Christmas tree burgeoning with decorations in Bob & Bongo's at Edna Mall.
He hopes to get a portion of the profits for working a couple of days last week. Although there are a lot of people coming to ask and haggle over prices with Efrem, business has been slow compared to last year, he claims.
On the taller trees, the prices are marginally better this year, Efrem asserts. Some of the buyers do not agree. They, rather, discovered prices to be higher when they came to ask for trees.
Prices for plastic trees are determined based height. The shortest, a 70cm tree, was sold for 70 Br. Trees with heights of 1.2 metres, 1.5 metres, 1.8 metres, and 2.1 metres were sold within the price range of 100 to 500 Br. Trees that sold for up to 500 Br were of a thorny texture and are known as Habesha trees.
Aster Mekonen, 23, came to Merkato's Tsid Terra with two of her cousins, Tsega and Yordanos Gebreselassie, to shop for a Christmas tree. She was surprised by the prices.
"I bought yeferenj tsid for 400 Br two years ago," Aster recalled.
Last week, prices for such trees went up almost threefold, she found out.
The retailer she was talking to asked if she was not confusing the type of tree she bought. Since the plastic trees are reusable, most people compare prices from two or three years back, making it difficult to keep track of the market trends.
The trees available in the market with a smoother texture imitating a Christmas tree variety found in Western countries, like the one Aster had purchased, are called. Sometimes these come with pinecones. Their price is steeper.
For a tree that is 1.5 metres tall, the price ranges from 1,000 Br to 1,200 Br. If the tree is 2.1 metres tall, it is sold for a price as high as 1,700 Br.
Aklilu Abera, 34, usually sells cooking utensils near Meerab Hotel in Merkato. But, for Christmas, he also sells decorations, largely trees, but not during this season. He did not bring any trees because of the high prices, a trend he observed with other decorations, too.
After all trees are not all that it takes to decorate homes during Christmas. Decorations that are widely available on the market include balls, tinsel, and lights. Small balls that come in packs of six sell for 32 Br, while bigger ones of a dozen sell for 60 Br. Tinsel sells for four Birr to 12 Br, depending on length and thickness.
The 12-pack balls were sold for 50 Br last year, and there was a two Birr increase in the price of tinsel. Prices for Christmas lights ranged from 50 Br to 150 Br, depending on the colour, variety, and number of bulbs.
These decorations are mostly imported from China, according to wholesalers who supply the retailers in Tsid Terra.
Indeed, 88pc of the 137tn of Christmas trees imported last Ethiopian fiscal year, worth 1.2 million dollars, were bought from China, according to data from the Ethiopian Revenues & Customs Authority (ERCA).
The balance, however, was supplied either from Dubai or Turkey, although with steeper prices.
This almost complete dominance of Chinese products in the market is not limited to Christmas trees alone. Out of the 72tn of Christmas lights worth 164,701 dollars, 71tn-worth at 157,885 dollars, were imported from China. Christmas festive decorations, at 137tn-worth for 170,280 dollars, were also imported from China.
Most are also importers and wholesalers, those in Mercato were reluctant to admit, even though they had vans full of stock, amounting to more than a retailer would keep at one time.
Yonas Mekonen, who was selling trees at the Christmas trade fair, was more forthcoming.
"Prices have increased because of the appreciation in the value of the dollars, and duties on imports," he told Fortune. "People are buying less this year; business is not as good, but because it is the season, we are not as hard-pressed as other businesses are," he said.
Wholesale prices are usually 20 Br to 70 Br lower than what is available at the market price, according to Yonas. The bigger the size of the tree, the bigger the profit margin. Retailers usually start asking to buy in bulk around December 11. The retail market begins by December 21.
Yonas, who has been in the business for almost a decade, usually buys 500 pieces of each type of tree he brings into the country from Shanghai. His business boomed following the implementation of bans by the authorities in 1993 on cutting down trees. People involved in the business appreciate the fact that what they are selling is reusable.
"The artificial ones are not perishable," a retailer in Merkato, who requested anonymity, told Fortune. "Whatever trees are leftover from a given year can be sold in the coming season, usually at the market price of the latter season which increases in most cases."
Buyers also appreciate paying for plastic trees for the same reason. Aster is one such buyer with a preference for plastic trees based on their reusability.
"It also saves our forests from deforestation," she said.
It is a view strongly shared by Samrawit from Edna Mall.
"If we copy cultural customs from the West, at all, we should take the good customs," she believes. "Christmas is about festivities, holiday spirit, and togetherness. It would not hurt to bring that culture to our country, but only if we are not hurting our environment with the decorations."
However, using plastic trees may not be as environment ally friendly as some people might think.
Although plastic trees are reusable, they will be thrown away someday, according to Dereje Taye from the Addis Abeba Environmental Protection Agency (AAEPA).
"These trees take more than 100 years to decompose, because they are not easily biodegradable," he told Fortune.
Alarmed by the growing trend, his Agency held a press conference on Thurdsay, January 5, 2012.
Using natural trees cut from the forest is not an option. Nonetheless and despite strict controls on conserved forests such as those found in Ankorcha, Entoto, and Kotebe, around 17,000 to 35,000 trees are cut each year for holiday seasons, a research conducted two years ago by the AAEPA disclosed.
This is too much of a price paid simply to emulate a Western culture whose origin historians agree was in Alexandria, Egypt, using palm trees, which was changed to conifers when the tradition reached Europe.
"A lot more needs to be done," Dereje believes. "The Christmas trees found in Ethiopia give seed only once in 20 years. It would be much better to conserve these plants rather than cut them down for the holidays."
One idea Dereje throws out is the possibility of people growing a tree in a clay pot and taking it inside during Christmastime, instead of contributing to the deforestation process or using non-biodegradable materials.
Despite the Agency's reservations, however, artificial Christmas trees and decorations look like they are here to stay, with malls and hotels doing grander decorations each year, households being accustomed to celebrating Christmas with decorations, and entrepreneurial spirits taking advantage of fleeting, yet profitable, markets such as at Tsid Terra.


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UFOs over Oakland
By Tony Hicks
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 at 4:11 pm in Uncategorized
Someone named Kevin McCracken in Oakland takes his Sony camcorder and uses some sort of night vision to record the sky over Oakland. Maybe his neighborhood doesn't get cable – I don't know. Read the rest of this entry »


text: Publications Search Results Users may wish to consult What's Included in the Bibliography. Results 1 - 1 Results per page: 25 50 100 Sort by: Pub Date (newest) Title Recent Additions Author Clear All Pub. Year Citation 1982 Gagnon, R.O., DeLozier, J.E., McLemore, T. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: United States, 1979, Summary. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13: Data From the National Health Survey. 66, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Export Options: RIS EndNote XML [1]