text:
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA)
November 15, 2011 6:25 pm ET
Eric F. Brown - Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
Unknown Analyst
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
Today, we're very happy to have Electronic Arts and from EA we have CFO, Eric Brown. Eric, thanks for joining us.
Eric F. Brown
Thank you very much, Neil. It's a pleasure to be with you here this afternoon. Before I lead off, I'd like to remind attendees and listeners to the webcast that before making any investment decisions in Electronic Arts, you should review the risk factors filed in our most recent Forms 10-Q and 10-K.
A quick agenda, I'm going to spend some time talking about industry trends in interactive entertainment, EA's strategy through last fiscal year. Then I'll give you an update on where we are as of the end of the first half of our fiscal '12 year, which is the quarter ended September and spend a bit more time about our overall FY '12 strategy and initiatives going ahead.
Some interesting trends in terms of the market that we operate in. So globally, a couple of key takeaways. The interactive entertainment industry, overall, was in growth mode. We'd estimate over last 3 years, it's a 6% top line growth and 21% growth in all things digital. Traditional packaged goods, we see about a minus 7% CAGR here but if you drill down into the packaged goods software market what you find is that there's growth in the high-definition section of the packaged goods software market so specifically, the Xbox 360, PS3 and traditional PC off by a minus 18% to 19% decline in standard definition software, which include the Nintendo Wii platform and the dedicated PSP and DS handhelds.
On the right-hand side within digital itself, the growth is really being powered by the PC platform and it's what we've called out here is what we expect to be a $20-plus billion digital industry on the PC platform, driven by game types that include massively multiplayer online games, full game downloads, downloadable content and also Free to Play micro-transaction-based games, the casual genre and the social game type. Mobile is also in growth mode here, high-single digit and console digital or console downloadable content is also in growth mode, about a 31% CAGR, actually the strongest growth rate within the digital sector overall.
If you look at the video game marketplace of 5-plus years ago, we used to sell into about a 200 million user core base, defined as people that played video games on dedicated game consoles and the PC. Today, we actually see a significant increase in the number of people playing games across the world and it's a function of the proliferation of devices. So we'd estimate that if you include people that are playing games in social networks, it's 300 million plus gamers worldwide, if you include smartphones, it's 400 million plus people playing games worldwide and Internet and browser-based games, over 1 billion people playing.
Now clearly, there's some overlap within these categories, but I think you get the idea that with the advent of more gaming-capable platforms, and a browser is indeed a gaming platform, it makes gaming more accessible to individuals versus the core base that we saw 5-plus years ago. The data here is backed up by a count of average devices per gamer. This is North American data and what's interesting here is that over the course of about 1.5 years, the average number of gaming devices used by people in the United States went from just over 2.0, call it 2.1, gaming devices per consumer to 2.7. The way to think about this is the following. Just a short time ago, people were gaming on 2 platforms called the PC plus pick your console. Now they're gaming on PC, console and probably a mobile, an iOS-powered device. And so again, this just underscores the trend that we see of more gaming-capable devices driving adoption to a larger number of worldwide gamers.
Within mobile and social, there are a couple pretty important trends to call out. On the left, what we've done is looked at the data from the top 100 grossing iOS games and what you can see here is that the vast majority of the games being sold and played today on iOS devices are casual games. So these aren't hard core shooters necessarily. These are casual that are more approachable games, they're played in shorter sessions. And if we look at social games on the Facebook platform, this is data surfaced out of the top 250 Facebook games as of this month, fully 85% of games are casual in nature on the Facebook platform. So again, thinking about trends in digital where we're seeing growth in social games, we're seeing growth in mobile games, the casual genre is key to being successful on these platforms.
Within mobile itself there are some pretty interesting trends. First of all, again, it's a high-growth industry. Here we see a 3-year CAGR of about 14%, but we see a market that is soon to be absolutely dominated by smartphones. We can go from $1.5 billion industry, which is 2/3, 1/3 smartphone feature phone and we expect it to be 90-plus percent smartphones by calendar year '13.
Now on the right-hand side, you can see EA mobile revenue breakdowns. So we started with a very strong incumbent position on feature phones, we had about 90% of our revenue on feature phones back in FY '09. We finished last fiscal year at 40-60, still more on feature phones. But midway through this year, we're actually past the 50-50 tipping point, so we're at about 56% smartphones versus 44% feature phone revenue. And what we're doing is repositioning our mobile game portfolio as rapidly as possible to address smartphones recognizing that we started with the strongest incumbent leadership position in legacy feature phones. So an interesting platform transition directly within mobile itself.
Okay, now through the end of fiscal '11, EA had 3 principal strategies focusing on fewer, better, bigger packaged goods titles; number two, building all aspects of our digital business; and number three, driving cost efficiencies to produce an increase in operating income leverage. Our scorecard in our actions are depicted here. You can see that from FY '09, we actually had 67 major packaged goods titles. This year, based on our most recently released SKU plan, we'll have cut that SKU count down by a full 2/3 to 22 titles. At the same time, our average non-GAAP net revenue per title is going up dramatically from $55 million to $134 million and, in fact, giving rise to very good leverage in terms of R&D.
And the other thing that we've been doing a very good job on is increasing the average quality of our games and some of the scorecards that we use to measure our business is the number of our titles that we receive a Metacritic score of 80 or better. Metacritic is an independent third-party rating service for video games and other content. In fiscal '09, we had 22% of our 67 titles that received a Metacritic of 80 or better. If you look at our first half fiscal '12 scorecard, we're up to 44% of our games rated 80 or better. So a doubling, as it were, of the percent of high-quality games in our overall portfolio.
Our digital trajectory is illustrated here, and we're operating off the base of about $424 million back in fiscal '09. This year, at the midpoint of the guidance that we gave in our last call, I'm not updating the guidance just commenting on it, we're at about $1.175 billion expected non-GAAP digital revenue. So it's pretty sharp growth with most of it coming organically.
If we drill down a little bit on the first half of the fiscal year, so this would be our September ended quarter. 6 months comparison year-over-year, digital overall was up about 20%. The highest growth rates on the areas of extra content, Free to Play, so this includes, for example, content from our FIFA Ultimate Team game mechanic. So this was basically additional digital content that we sell to a user who's playing the FIFA game on disc on their traditional 360 and PS3 console. It also includes microtransaction revenue from our very successful Sims Social Facebook game.
Full game downloads are driven by a couple things. First of all, titles, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is a game we launched over 1.5 years ago continues to perform well as a full game download, as does Dragon Age 2, a game we launched roughly 1 year ago. Also, it's supported by our digital direct distribution strategy Origin, which I'm going to cover in just a few moments here. Mobile revenue growth is high-single digits, 9% and again, what we're working through is that feature phone to smartphone transition and subscription, digital advertising and other are up about 8% year-over-year for the first 6 months.
Now looking to FY '12 and beyond, our strategy involves the following: Number one, we're really focused on our key intellectual property or brands. We've just recently introduced Battlefield 3, it's been in the marketplace for about 2.5 weeks and we sold in, in excess of 10 million units and as of last week, we've sold through approximately 6 million units. Need for Speed The Run was just released in North America today. It launches in Europe in a couple of days' time, too early to comment obviously on the eve of its release. Star Wars: The Old Republic is our entry into the MMO space in partnership with Lucas. This game will launch simultaneously in North America and Europe December 20 of this year, just in time for the Christmas holidays. And the last major title that we have on deck for this fiscal year in our March-ending quarter is Mass Effect 3, the highly acclaimed sequel to Mass Effect, the Mass Effect 2 are produced by the BioWare team.
In terms of platform game changers, number one, the Sims Social, this is a game that didn't exist 3 most ago. We launched it in August. It moved quickly to the #3 and #2 chart ranking positions in terms of Facebook games. Currently, it sits at #3 in terms of daily average users. This is a perfect example of EA taking a pre-existing intellectual property or brand, the Sims, which has been in the marketplace for over a decade, taking the expertise in terms of social games design and mechanic from the Playfish team, taking the best from both sides of those studio organizations and bringing to market an extremely successful social game title. Sims Social just represents one game launch in the social space; EA is committed to bringing more titles into the social space in the future.
Origin, I referred to this earlier. Origin is EA's direct-to-customer digital delivery system, which wraps content delivery around its social network. A friends list, an achievements tracking mechanism, integrated e-commerce, et cetera. It's a way for EA to bring great content direct to the consumer's desktop to establish a one-to-one relationship and to capture the traditional physical packaged goods retail margins stack. We're also investing heavily in talent. I've already referred to the great collaboration that we witnessed between the Sims team and the Playfish team to bring Sims Social to the marketplace. The Battlefield team in launching Battlefield 3 has heralded a new generation of engine technology with the Frostbite 2 engine tech. The FIFA team has demonstrated success in the packaged goods and the digital front. Overall, our sports titles by way of reference through the October time frame, total revenue for our first 4 sports titles launched this year were up about 20% year-over-year. So that includes 4 titles: FIFA, Madden, NCAA and NHL Hockey.
Now in the future, what we're looking to do is change and modify the way in which we talk about metrics. In the past, and up until today, we've talked about more of a packaged-goods-centric model where success is measured as retail selling prices times quantity, or P times Q. Increasingly as all of our franchises have some type of digital component, and we have many franchises that are purely digital, we'll be talking in the context of rate and quantity and quality of customer acquisition, multiplied by the level of customer engagement, multiplied by the level of monetization. So we refer to this internally as our AEM framework, acquisition, engagement, monetization and so if we're able to get leverage on any one of those variables, we're going to produce more revenue, more bottom line profit from our digitally enabled portfolio.
We're entering the peak selling season. We do about 40% of our revenue in this all-important December quarter. I mentioned Battlefield 3 is off to a great start, 10 million units sold as of the end of October. 5 million sold through at the end of October. Since then, we've updated that to approximately 6 million units sold through and still counting. Talked about the differentiated features based on the Frostbite 2 engine tech. Also, wrapped into Battlefield 3 is Battle Log. It's an embedded social network for the game, which allows you to measure your progress, to post your achievements, to invite friends to your games, to create challenges, et cetera and ultimately it's accessible through other interfaces outside the traditional console or PC. There'll be upcoming, for example, in the iOS, an application that allows you to view and manage your stats and your soldier profile for the Battlefield 3 property.
Star Wars is coming up in about a month's time with simultaneous launch date in North America and Europe on 12/20. To give you a sense of the interest level, we have over 2 million people who have double opted in to Star Wars so that is they registered as being interested and giving us permission to contact to them. Of those,1.6 million people have also volunteered to do free testing for us. We continue to expand the scalability. We started with thousands of testers, moved to tens of thousands; by the end of this month of November, we'll be at 100,000 plus testers and beyond.
Need for Speed launched today in North America, launches in 2 days in Europe. Need for Speed is a car racing game and it's built on the Frostbite 2 engine tech, which is also used in Battlefield 3. And so the interesting point here is that a, it's incredibly good state-of-the-art technology and it's great leverage of the R&D that went into Frostbite 2.0. The fact that we could have a first-person shooter on one hand, leading edge in Frostbite 2.0 and then a couple of weeks later, launch a Need for Speed to run racing -- car racing game on Frostbite 2.0 illustrates the power and the flexibility of that technology.
Digital revenue progress to date, this is measured each quarter on a trailing 12-month basis. So we're targeting at the midpoint of the guidance just in excess of $1.1 billion of non-GAAP digital revenue. So as of the -- our scorecard as of the end of the September quarter, is $904 million on a trailing 12-month basis, this is before we head into the all-important peak season, so it's a 37% growth rate. For the most recent quarter, we grew 30% year-over-year and you can see, for example, how strong growth has been on downloadable content, pertaining to high-definition console products.
If we break out the revenue by mode, again, highest growth segment is the extra content or microtransaction, Free to Play content at 74% growth year-over-year, TTM basis. Full game downloads, this is basically being facilitated by our Origin client delivery service, which has been in the marketplace for approximately 5 months since we launched the E3. Mobile, about 14% growth rate business, again, on a trailing 12-month basis year-over-year and subscriptions, digital advertising, all of that ancillary digital revenue streams is growing at a strong 28% basis.
One of the things we like to talk about is the synergy that we get between having a very good high-quality packaged goods portfolio on high-definition platforms, so PC, 360 and PS3. The evolution of our digital revenue for the FIFA franchise is depicted here. This year, as we look to the end of fiscal '12, we have booked on an actual non-GAAP basis, $77 million of extra digital revenue in FIFA '11, so this of the game we launched 12 months ago. We expect to do about another $5 million of the remaining 6 months for a total of $82 million, cumulative lifetime in FIFA '11 digital revenue.
When we first produced this slide and the forecast for FIFA 6 months ago, rather than $82 million, we were estimating approximately $63 million. So this forecast has gone up, not just in terms of actuals, in fact, we've realized most of the revenue at the $77 million. It's gone up by about 30% in just 6 months, illustrating the traction that we're getting off of downloadable content for FIFA. Now this is admittedly the best example downloadable content attached that we have in the portfolio. Needless to say though, the $82 million here is net revenue to EA, which accrues at a very high margin rate. Similarly, on Battlefield: Bad Company, you can see the evolution of digital revenue. 3 years ago, Battlefield: Bad Company 1 had minimal digital revenue, PC full game download. Battlefield 1943, an interim release, was a downloadable -- full game downloadable console game. So we never printed a single 360 or PS3 disc. We sold net $20 million in revenue there. And currently, we booked about $61 million of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to-date, another $3 million forecasted for a total expected $64 million of non-GAAP revenue digital expected from the Battlefield franchise.
Not clear yet where Battlefield 3 will end up, but we have as at least as equally broad and aggressive a downloadable content plan for Battlefield 3 as we did for the predecessor Battlefield: Bad Company 2 title.
I touched upon Sims Social on Facebook. I think that the success we've had there is a function of 3 key factors: Number one, exceptionally strong brand loyalty to the Sims; it's been out in the marketplace for over a decade, it's a PC-centric product. Exceptional game quality and design. Again, we had a kind of internal partnership approach to us, taking the expertise from the talented Playfish team, measure it -- melding that with the talent and the creativity of the Sims and Maxis team. And we had a very innovative approach to marketing. We're able to put this game into the #3 position without spending money in acquisition marketing. It's all done through viral marketing, activating the preexisting Sims community, et cetera.
Yes, The Sims Social has been lauded in the press as a major competitive force in the industry, and what we've demonstrated is that really no one company can maintain platform dominance in a content creative business, and so I think we've punctuated that quite nicely with the Sims Social. And going forward, what we're going to be focusing on is an ongoing pipeline of new content, new features and that we feel good about the acquisition to date. From this point forward, we're going to be focusing on monetization. Again, kind of the third variable in that acquisition, engagement, monetization equation that I mentioned earlier.
PopCap is a key addition to the EA portfolio. This is the leading independent casual game studio that EA purchased and closed as of the middle of this past August. In the September quarter, year-on-year, PopCap grew approximately 28%. We expect them to be on track with 30% or greater growth for the calendar year '11 compared with calendar year '10. 80% of the PopCap revenue is digital, 100% of the PopCap revenue is casual which plays obviously into the trends in iOS, where 75% of the games sold are casual and Facebook, where 85% of the games sold are casual.
We're already realizing some of the anticipated revenue synergies, for example, their leading franchise Plants vs. Zombies is up and running on Pogo.com. We're cross promoting. We helped drive acquisition of customers in Sims Social by cross promoting with Bejeweled Blitz. We've also launched 5 games from PopCap through our Origin PC client distribution services. So PopCap, less than 6 months since the acquisition is tracking quite nicely.
Okay, so in summary, we talked about a lot of major initiatives for fiscal '12. Origin direct digital distribution is key component of it. PopCap, a key add in terms of its 100% focus on the casual genre with 80% digital. Sims Social, we talked about the success there. Madden is doing very well. FIFA, as well again, first 4 sports titles, up about 20% year-over-year and Battlefield 3 off to a great start. I put a checkmark next to Need for Speed The Run. It launches today in North American, in 2 days in Europe. We have high expectations for that title. It's a perennial favorite. The racing genre is very alive and intact in terms of consumer demand. And next up on deck before we close the calendar year is Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Now one of the things that EA is doing is creating a very deliberate cross-platform approach to gaming. So in the past, cross-platform meant developing a game and publishing it on the Xbox 1, the PS2, and the Nintendo platform. Now the way we think about it is we have 12 core franchises, which are listed here and the teams within the label structure, they have full accountability and control over their brand. And they are bringing their brand simultaneously, not just to traditional packaged goods platforms like HD console, but their SKU plan involves simultaneous or concurrent releases of their franchises on social networks, tablet devices, smartphone, iOS, Android and also PC clients in the form of browser Free to Play games or light download mid-session games.
Our objective is to create worlds where our customers can play anytime, anywhere and on any device of their choice because increasingly, what we're finding is that people get attached to a brand and a franchise. They're not playing on one platform, they're playing 2, 3, sometimes 4 platforms. We want to create a connected experience so that they rank up in advanced on the PS3, check what their friends are doing via an Internet auto-log type feature or Battle Log type feature, schedule a match on their iOS phone and then have the stats update and it creates this virtual cycle, and so kind of cross-platform gaming is something that we're very committed to.
Final before point before I move to questions is some people have asked for an update on Origin. This is the roadmap slide that we put at the beginning of the fiscal year back at AD3 at our Analyst Meeting, and we laid out a series of discrete deliverables for Q1 through fiscal Q4. We're part of the way for fiscal Q3, and what I've done here is I've marked off in -- with yellow check mark, the original feature set and what's actually been delivered by the team on time. There's one or 2 things that haven't yet been delivered and will be delivered later, and there's also a couple of green check marks, which are significant new features that we've added to the roadmap and already delivered. Some of the notable call outs here are Origin is not designed just to distribute EA-developed content direct to consumer. We've now actually signed distribution agreements with Warner Bros., THQ and Capcom to deliver their content on the EA Origin platform. So this is meant to be an open third-party publisher delivery ecosystem.
We also launched in Q3 free casual games, taking the high-quality intellectual property from the PopCap portfolio and making it available in a prompt fashion on Origin. So net, Origin is tracking well, some of the observed average revenue per paying users stats, indicates our PPU in the $45 to $50 range. We have 6 million-plus installs of the Origin client and counting.
So in summary, EA's evolution in terms of the business. Left-hand side of the panel here, you can see that back in circa FY '09, we had 54% of our non-GAAP revenue on high-growth digital and the high-definition console portion of the marketplace. We have evolved the portfolio considerably. And so with 89% of the portfolio on digital, which is growing at a 20-plus percent CAGR and high-definition console software, which is growing at a, call it 3% to 4% CAGR, we have deliberately deemphasized standard definition software as well as distribution software. The resulting leverage that you can observe in our P&L, again this is non-GAAP EPS, went from a loss of $0.30 in fiscal '09 to a profit of $0.70 FY '11 actual and midpoint guidance of $0.825 expected for fiscal '12. So the strategy is working, focus on the growth platforms, cutting the SKUs, digitally enabling it and focusing on the cost structure.
With that, I'd now be happy to take questions from the audience.
Question-and-Answer Session
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
Eric, could you give us an update on how preorders are going for Star Wars?
Eric F. Brown
Yes, I won't give a precise number, but I would reiterate that digital preorders are in the hundreds of thousands, won't give the -- it is the -- in the first week that we opened it for preorders, we had more preorders given the number of weeks prior to release date than we have had for any other property. So the demand is definitely there. It's a highly anticipated title.
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
And then on the mobile side, it seems like a lot of consumers are now kind of expecting games to be free. How can you drive mobile revenue as more of the revenue shifts to the smartphones and people expect games to be free?
Eric F. Brown
Right. It's a -- you're commenting on like a trend within the trend. The macro trend is feature phone revenue gives way to smartphone revenue and what started out 3 years ago as pay by the download has now emerged to a Free to Play model. We'd estimate that 62% to maybe 64% of iOS games are now Free to Play. So a little bit less than 2/3. And the answer to this is quite simple, we are reconfiguring our mobile game portfolio to bring Free to Play games to the marketplace. And the architecture for a Free to Play mobile game is a bit different than a download game, which is more kind of closed in. You maybe have opportunities for levels. Within a Free to Play context, you have to have more microtransaction enablement. The second thing that we're doing is we're, just as we talk about building Origin for the PC, we're also building, and have out there, early versions of Origin mobile which creates incentives for people to share the progress of Free to Play games, create viral reference-ability, et cetera and so it's another way to help drive mobile as it evolves into Free to Play.
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
You talked about digital content, and for Battlefield 3, when will that start kicking in? What kind of series of digital content do you have planned?
Eric F. Brown
Yes, we've already announced the first paid expansion pack, Back to Karkand is the name of the expansion pack. That'll be available right around Christmastime, and so it'll be priced on a per unit basis like we've seen for content packs or mat packs in predecessor titles. We have more content planned beyond that. We just haven't announced exactly what it is or when it is. That information will be forthcoming as we get further into the lifecycle of Battlefield 3. But we did design, the DICE team did design Battlefield 3, the downloadable content plan to be as extensive, if not more extensive than that of the predecessor Battlefield: Bad Company 2 title. So we're heavily invested in DLC for Battlefield 3. No more questions? One more in the back.
Unknown Analyst
Could you just talk about the follow-up to Facebook games beyond Sims and what you're developing and how you can have a consistent revenue stream coming from that other than just the Sims and anything else?
Eric F. Brown
Sure. Again, we don't give a specific forward-looking SKU plan for social games like we do in packaged goods. The reason being that if you tip your hand to the competition, the cost of the acquisition, which is principally Facebook advertising is really a spot market, it can be driven up and manipulated. So it's for that reason we studiously avoid being specific at all about future social game releases. But having said that, again recognizing that 85% or so of the Facebook games today are casual in terms of genre versus say, first-person shooter, the types of things that you could you reasonably expect us would look at the EA play label or Sims label portfolio, Hasbro portfolio, the PopCap portfolio. So likely candidates for future social games would come out of that social genre as far as EA is concerned. We're committed to a number of social game releases. We're not just depending upon driving monetization in the Sims Social and it's only as we get very close to the launch date, not months but more like a week or days that we'll actually talk about what we're going to release on Facebook.
Unknown Analyst
Eric, can you talk about the revenue of kind of rollout, the pricing around Star Wars, what the initial upfront is? And then, I guess, there's an ongoing commitment as well.
Eric F. Brown
Sure. The revenue for that model expected for Star Wars is analogous to what we've seen for other MMOs, and so you use World of Warcraft as an example. Initially, you launch the game, you'll sell the client software, so that is the software that you need to install on your PC to actually play the game. So it's $60 MSRP-type price point. The game will be consumed in 2 different modes. We'll put a physical set of disks in a box to be sold at retail in a traditional fashion. We'll record that as packaged goods. We'll have embedded within that a free month of subscription, and we'll also sell that same game client through digital downloads. We're registering, for example, started registering preorders for digital downloads back at the end of July. And so right out of the gate, you get a combination of packaged goods, client revenue and digital direct client revenue. And thereafter, the monthly subscription for a month at a time, will be a 1-, 3- and 6-month offer, I believe. The one month offer is expected USD $15 per month, per user. And that'll all be -- we'll treat that as digital revenue since it's a digital service entitlement.
Unknown Analyst
And just to follow up, on the Star Wars revenue, how much goes to you and how much goes to Lucas?
Eric F. Brown
Yes, we do have a licensing partner obviously, Lucas, a world-renowned IP. I can't comment on the specifics of the royalty rate in regards to what we pay Lucas, unfortunately. It's confidential. One more, Neil? I know you've got 8 more there. You have 2 out of 10.
Neil A. Doshi - Citigroup Inc, Research Division
Let's see. In terms of your acquisition strategy, do you feel like you have all the pieces in place now or are there more areas where you feel you can acquire and build out?
Eric F. Brown
Our last 2 acquisitions were Playfish and PopCap and Playfish 2 years ago, was a scale acquisition. We bought the #2 player in the social game space, and so we previously had really no exposure to social games. We concluded that it was going to be a very high CAGR growth rate industry, it's certainly proved to be the case today. And so that was a, really a digital acquisition, specifically addressed a recently emerging digital sub-segment. The PopCap acquisition, again, it's 80% digital so there's some packaged goods, but it's predominantly digital. But what is important here is the nature of the long-standing intellectual property, like Bejeweled has been around for a decade and it's worked well on WAP phones and features phones and now, iOS and Android phones. It's really one of these games that just keeps going. But more importantly, everything that PopCap does is casual in nature. And again, the chart that I showed with 75% of what's going in iOS being casual by genre and 85% currently what's going on in Facebook being casual by genre, there's kind of a 2-part play there, it's digital combined with an entry into casual. So that's how it fits into our overall strategy. Other acquisitions that we've done, very small-scale acquisitions, which don't rise to the level of disclosure would be in the iOS game space, acquiring small studios that are developing Free to Play games to address the trend that we were referring to earlier within the Apple market for mobile.
Unknown Analyst
Okay, I think our time is up. Thank you very much.
Eric F. Brown
Okay. Thank you for your time this afternoon.
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Paris was not chosen as the host for the 2012 Olympic Games, but just as the media images of the London Olympics today are raising the profile of British design across the world, in 1925 the city was able to bring the Art Deco style to a global audience. The 'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes' of 1925 was planned as an international display of the decorative arts and used the same location as 1900′s 'Exposition Universelle'. For the exhibition, this site in the centre of Paris was landscaped to create axes along which new temporary pavilions were built. In terms of numbers the actual event was a success, drawing in 16 million visitors. A wider audience was reached through books and photographs reproducing the designs and images of the exhibition, thus exposing the world to the modern architectural styles that were on show in Paris.
RIBA curator Valeria Carullo, in a talk last month at the RIBA, discussed the impact of this exhibition and how it ultimately gave the movement its name. The talk was also an opportunity for members of the public to interact with relevant period items from the architectural collections of the RIBA.
Using the same images shown in the talk is the new online exhibition 'Art Deco Triumphant'. It illustrates some of the daring experiments architects made in 1925 with pavilion buildings and the interior designs which still appeal to viewers now. Images include the Art Deco work of architects like Robert Mallet-Stevens and Victor Baron Horta, to the more boldly Modernist pavilion of Constructivist architect Konstantin Stepanovich Mel'nikov.
Though it shouldn't take international events like the 1925 exhibition or the Olympics to show everyone the attractiveness and benefits of good design, they are useful reminders of the great work that architects can do when given the chance.


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61-year-old placekicker scores for NAIA school
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alan Moore swears he's not crazy.
Still, there is evidence to the contrary — most of which centers on his decision at 61 to attempt to play college football.
The rest centers on the fact he's doing it.
Moore, a Vietnam veteran who played on a national title junior college team in 1968, is the newest/oldest member of the Faulkner (Ala.) football team, earning a spot with the NAIA Eagles as a placekicker.
"I've heard that a few times about being crazy," Moore joked last week. "I've had a few people laugh at me and tell me I'm crazy. But that's OK. For some reason or another, I think this was just meant to be."
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Early in the second half of the season opener Saturday vs. Ave Maria (Fla.) with Faulkner ahead 24-0, Moore got the call from coach Gregg Baker to attempt an extra point.
Moore connected and celebrated with teammates one-third his age. A representative of the College Football Hall of Fame said Moore had become the oldest, by a couple of months, to play in a college game.
"It's not about me, and it's not about being old. It's about the team," Moore said before hugging his grandkids at midfield after the 41-19 victory.
Moore said he never had regrets about not getting a degree and never secretly longed to kick a college extra point or field goal one last time.
However, Moore had a nagging feeling that he walked away from something he needed to finish.
"I can't really explain it right, but it's never been a life-long dream to be a kicker," he said. "That's not what this is about. What I told these coaches and the people here at Faulkner was I wanted to be an example to these kids of how important it is to follow things through, to not give up and never quit. That's why I think I want to do this."
Four decades before he showed up at Faulkner, Moore was a pretty good kicker in his hometown of Taylorsville, Miss. So good, in fact, he earned a scholarship to Jones County (Miss.) Junior College and was a member of its 1968 national title team.
But there was another calling.
In summer 1969, Moore decided to join the Army. A month later, he was in Vietnam.
"I spent 11 months living in a bunker," Moore said. "One of the things we had to do was go out from our camp and scout the enemy, find out where they were, draw fire. The first time, we marched in a straight line, six of us, into the jungle. I was fifth in line and we got separated from the front four. When you got quiet, you could hear people talking, and it wasn't your people. Scared me to death. I never got lost again."
After his discharge, Moore worked construction and started raising a family. Three daughters and five grandkids later, the football feeling returned.
"I was visiting one of my daughters and grandkids in Mississippi and went to see a Jones game," Moore said. "Their kicker wasn't doing too good, and I started talking to the head coach's wife. I told her that I was going to do this. I don't think anyone believed me."
He and a son-in-law erected goal posts in the backyard at a daughter's house, and Moore started practicing. He arranged a tryout with Jones and said he made every extra point and field goals from 30 and 35 yards. But Moore said he couldn't even get an e-mail returned from Jones.
However, coaches at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., gave Moore a tryout, and it went well. A few weeks later, Moore was on the team.
"It was different, playing the game after being gone so long," Moore said. "The biggest thing is the kids. They're so much bigger and faster. And they have iPods. And they have cellphones."
Moore said he tried to earn his teammates' respect. "The coaches at Holmes had the players calling me 'Mr. Moore,' and I had to put a stop to that," he said.
Said Faulkner sophomore quarterback Casey Carpenter: "He's been real positive, but so far the biggest thing is still people asking about him. And then them not believing you when you tell them we have a 61-year-old dude on our team."
Moore landed with the Eagles after learning NAIA rules, unlike NCAA rules, would allow him to play.
Baker and other Faulkner coaches talked to Moore about why he was trying this off-the-wall dream, and they explained how he fit in.
"(W)e know right away that he's not going to be knocking home 55-yarders, but that doesn't mean he doesn't bring something to the table," Baker said. "He brings a very positive message about fighting for what you want to do and never quitting on anything. And he can play. He can make kicks for us."
He's already made one.
Contributing: Wire reports


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Upcoming Dinner Club Dates
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Upcoming Dates
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NEW YORK (Mar. 5)
The Associated Press, in a Rome dispatch today, quoted a "reliable informant just come from Jerusalem" as stating that scores of Jews and British police were injured in recent demonstrations and in one case British cavalry with drawn sabers charged to disperse a crowd. The largest demonstration was in Tel Aviv, with 15,000 Jews participating, the informant said. Ninety Jews were reported hurt in Haifa when police repulsed an attempt to burn a courthouse.


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SYDNEY — A Sydney man entered not guilty pleas Tuesday to a host of offences and will be back in court next month to set a trial date.
Colton Ben Kiley, 25, of Gardiner Road is charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault, forcible confinement, breaching a court order, theft (money) and two counts of uttering a threats. The offences allegedly occurred Jan. 22 in Sydney.
Kiley is also charged with committing sexual assault on Jan. 23 in Sydney.
Other charges include obstruction of justice by threatening the alleged victim of the assault and two counts of breaching court orders by having contact with the complainant when he was ordered to refrain from such contact. Those offences allegedly occurred Feb. 10.
Kiley elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge and jury and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He is scheduled back in court April 7 to set a trial date.
He continues to be on remand at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre.


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Science Hack Day NYC
World Science Festival
Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 10:00 PM (EDT)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
The World Science Festival and New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) team up to launch Science Hack Day in New York City. This two-day event will bring together scientists, designers, developers, and innovators on an unprecedented level of collaboration. Hackers work in groups to mash up ideas, media, and technologies, and create quick solutions to problems big and small. Use bacteria from dollar bills to collect NYC's genomic data, hack micro satellites to reflect sunlight, build a distributed computer simulation of the Large Hadron Collider, and much more. Join us for hacking, workshops, and the opportunity to work side-by-side with scientists. See what you can accomplish in just two days.
How It Works: Groups form after listening to pitches by scientists. All are welcome to stay in one group lead by moderator, or work with others throughout the weekend. Awards for the best hacks will be selected by a panel of judges and presented at the finale of the Science Hack Day weekend.
Anyone interested in science, contributing ideas, or hacking is welcome. No prior experience necessary. Space is limited so registration is required to this free event. When you register, please share your interests and skills, and let us know which hack you may be interested in from our list of confirmed scientists, or suggest your own. Ages 18 and above welcome.
Saturday, June 1
9:00 AM: Check-in and Breakfast
10:00 AM: Lightning Talks (Scientists give brief pitches on their proposed hacks)
11:30 AM - 10 PM: Hacking
Day 1 Workshops:
2:00 PM Mapping for Science Workshop (Andrew Hill / Vizzuality)
4:00 PM 3D Printing Workshop (TBC / ITP)
Sunday, June 2
9:00 AM: Check-in and Breakfast
10:00 AM-8:00 PM - Hacking
8:00 PM: Presentations & Awards
Day 2 Workshops:
2:00 PM Balloon Mapping Workshop (TBC / Public Labs)
4:00 PM Arduino Workshop (Tom Igoe / ITP)
Please note, the building closes at night. There is no overnight access. Participants cannot sleep over.
THE PARTICIPANTS: Check back for updates as this list is growing!
Have an Idea for a hack? Add to the wiki
It's a Dog's Life: Monitor Dog Health and Human Environment with Dog Collars
Kevin Lhoste, CRI, professor at Universite Paris Descartes
Work with a prototype of smart dog collars that have built-in sensors to monitor dog health and human environment. Test sensitivity and make a web page for sharing data.
Big Cicada Data: Map and Classify Cicadas Around NYC
Yasser Ansari, ITP adjunct; Project Noah, CEO
Gather data about the appearance of cicadas in NYC as they emerge after 17 years with the phone app "Project Noah." Sort data based on visual or sound classification.
Genome of New York: Measuring Genes on Dollar Bills and in Sewers.
Jane Carlton and Paul Scheid, Professors at Dept of Biology, NYU
Learn how to grow bacteria collected from dollar bills, extract genetic material from sewage and analyze the resulting DNA.
Virtual LHC: Create a virtual simulation of the Large Hadron Collider
Ben Segal, Honorary Staff at CERN, mentor to Tim Berners-Lee
Build a distributed computer simulation of the Large Hadron Collider. Learn how to install and run virtual machines on computers to simulate particle collisions.
Living Crystals: Why Do Microscopic Particles "Flock?"
Paul Chaikin, professor of physics at NYU
Jeremie Palacci, postdoctoral fellow, Center for Soft Matter Research
Study "artificial life" created using microscopic magnetic particles, make a citizen science app with video-microscopy data.
Mirror, Mirror on the Satellite: Harness Microsatellites to Reflect the Sun
Eric Rosenthal, ITP scientist in residence
Explore a simple way to reflect sunlight from a passing micro satellite so it can be detected in NY. Develop the hardware and software required for this project.
Sensors in the City: Convert City Phone Booths into Environmental Sensors
Ann Chen and Nick Wong, graduate students at ITP and Cooper Union
Explore the potential of city phone booths as environmental sensors. Help build a demo sensor booth, analyze data, and develop a community participation model.
Life of Trash: Track Where Your Trash Goes After the Bin
Nick Johnson, graduate student at ITP
Explore what happens to the trash and recycling you throw away in the Big Apple. Does your effort to recycle count in the end? Build your own trash tracker and harness the necessary software to monitor its route.
Brooklyn Atlantis—Monitor the Gowanus Canal and Manipulate Data
Oded Nov, assistant professor of technology management, NYU Poly
Analyze data from a sensor and a camera raft that floats on the Gowanus Canal.
Meaning of Tweets: Filter and Visualize Tweets to Track Crime and Violence
Patrick Meier, iRevolution & director of innovation, Qatar Computing Research Institute
Luis Morton, student at ITP
Find the best and most efficient way to filter tweets about the Boston Marathon bombing, Hurricane Sandy, and more.
iPad Chemistry: Make Chemical Bonding Easy to Learn
Jin Montclare, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at ITP
Carlo Yuvienco, student at NYU Poly
Add features to an iPad app that is being tested in Brooklyn schools to make chemical bonding something anybody can do. Port it to Android.
Crowdcrafting Research: Contribute to a Variety of Online Citizen Science Projects
Rufus Pollock, co-founder of the Open Knowledge Foundation
Daniel Lombraña González, developer and researcher at the Citizen Cyberscience Centre
Collect, analyze, and simulate your own data, or work on specific Crowdcrafting projects, e.g. in psychology and nanotechnology. Crowdcrafting is an open source toolkit for DIY online citizen science projects.
School of Citizen Science: Build the Structure of an Online Center for Citizen Science
Philipp Schmidt, founder of Peer-2-Peer University and MIT Media Lab
Gather and post information for a Citizen Science course on P2PU, part of the new wave of open course in higher education available online.
When & Where
721 Broadway
New York,
Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 10:00 PM (EDT)
Add to my calendar
World Science Festival
About the World Science Festival
The World Science Festival is a production of the Science Festival Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in New York City. The Foundation's mission is to cultivate a general public informed by science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.
Stay tuned for news about future events and programming.
- You can keep up-to-date by joining our mailing list here.
- And be sure to check out our interactive video library.


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Picking up a cup for joe before tending to her daily duties, Pippa Middleton was seen walking to work in London, England this morning (September 29).
The beautiful Brit looked fabulous as she readied for her workday, wearing a flowing white frock complete with a red leather purse and matching flats as she stopped for coffee with friends before punching in.
In related news, Pippa's rear end is causing yet another craze - a surge in a certain cosmetic procedure now coined the "Pippa butt lift."
According to Miami-based Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Constantino Mendieta, Miss Middleton's backside envy arose when she served as maid of honor for big sister Kate's April 29th nuptials.
"In that wedding gown, she created a stir. People want those dimensions. She's just gorgeous," Dr Mendieta explained during a recent interview with "Good Morning America".
Additionally, Mendieta says that 80 percent of all cosmetic work completed in his office are now butt lifts, with a whopping 20 percent of patients specifically requesting a Pippa-like derriere.
Enjoy the pictures of Pippa Middleton on her way to work in London, England (September 29).
Photo Credit: Wenn.com


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Open auditions for the Utica Zoo's Teen Exhibit will be held on Tuesday, July 8th. All are
welcome to attend the auditions. Back stage assistance may be needed as well for set construction,
design, props, costumes and make-up. Anyone interested in volunteering to be a part of the
production should plan to attend the open auditions or call Melissa Ellis at 315-738-0472 Ext. 22 or
email email@example.com.
Where: The Utica Zoo, One Utica Zoo Way, Utica NY
When: Tuesday, July 8th at 5:15pm
Cast needs:
2 young men (ages 16 – 21) per day
2 young women (ages 16 -21) per day
A possible total of 12 people
Production dates:
Friday, August 15, from 11am-3pm
Saturday, August 16, from 11am-3pm
Sunday, August 17, from 11am-3pm
Planned Giving Workshop with Drew Ward of The Ward Law Firm
The Ward Law firm will be presenting a program on how you can assist the Zoo during its hundredth anniversary while benefiting your own tax planning needs. The strategies to be discussed will include charitable trusts that will benefit not only the Utica Zoo currently and in the future, but you and your family. Such strategies allow you to donate money and receive tax benefits currently, all while benefiting the Zoo. In addition, your family can receive benefits in the future that will assure a transfer of your assets in a secured manner, avoiding creditors and taxes.
Please join us to learn how to protect your family legacy for generations to come.
This one hour, complimentary program will be held Tuesday, July 8th from 4-5pm in the Utica Zoo auditorium. Please call the Ward Law Firm to reserve a seat (315) 797-7300.
* Regular rate admission applies. The Utica Zoo will be open until 7pm on Tuesday, July 8th.
Looking for something to do this Father's Day weekend? The Utica Zoo has a special Father's Day gift for dads! Every father that visits the Utica Zoo on Father's Day with
their family will receive FREE admission! Check out Porter the California Sea Lion father at the daily feeding show at 12:30am and 3pm. Voss' is also open offering their famous hot
dogs, BBQ and more of your hometown favorites! With so much to do, don't get dad a tie again this year! Go to the Utica Zoo where he is sure to have a wild time!
Bring the whole family and receive a discounted group admission! ( Minimum 10 people)
The Utica Zoo will offer extended hours on Tuesday nights again for summer 2014. Tuesday nights begin June 24th and feature extended hours from 10am to 7:00pm. The summer evening hours give guests the opportunity to enjoy the Zoo with the whole family and see the animals in the light of the setting sun. In addition, Voss' will be open during these extended hours offering delicious dinner items and tasty treats.
The Zoo will also be offering a monthly free Tuesday night from 5-7:45pm one Tuesday a month June through August. The calendar is as follows:
EXTENDED HOURS: Tuesdays- June 24th through August 26th Open 10am- 7:00pm
FREE NIGHTS (5 – 7:45pm): One Tuesday a month – June 24th, July 29th, & August 26th
With new exhibits and extended hours, the Utica Zoo has something for everyone!
Throughout the summer the Zoo also offers educational programs and special events, such as the Zoo's 100th Birthday Party presented by Indium Corporation on Sunday, July 20th and the annual Brewfest on August 2nd.
Free admission to the first 500 kids! (12 & under)
Are you looking for a special way to spend Mothers Day, then look no further then the Utica Zoo. All Mothers will receive free admission to the zoo this Sunday May 11th 2014 from 10:00-4:45.
New Hartford Rotary Breakfast to benefit The Utica Zoo & other local charities!
Saturday, May 3 from 7:30-11:30am at the New Hartford First Baptist Church (across from the fire station) 7 Oxford Rd, New Hartford.
$8 ea. or 2 for $15. Kids under 5 free.
See the Zoomobile from 9-11am!
The annual Eggstravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, April 19th from 11am-3pm on the sprawling grounds of the Utica Zoo. Wander through the Zoo to find Easter Eggs in the age segmented egg hunts. Play Easter games while visiting some of your favorite animals during Docent lead animal presentations. Don't forget to say hello to the Easter Bunny with photos available by Whitesboro Fun Pix! With so much to do, celebrate the season at the Utica Zoo!
Members receive free admission to zoo, $3 event wristband fee applies if participating in activities.
Group rate admission and event admission prices:
¨ Children $2.50
¨ Children participating in the event, $3 plus admission of $2.50. ( wristband* will be provided for admission into activities)
¨ Adults $4.25
¨ Seniors, college students with ID and veterans $3.50.
Gates open at 10 am with festivities starting at 11 am. Voss' will be open! Feel free to bring a picnic lunch.
*Limit 5 eggs per wristband purchased
All other visitors: Winter rate admission applies
For every "Like" on Gates-Cole Insurance Facebook Page, they will donate $3 directly to The Utica Zoo – up to $1000.
LIKE Gates-Cole Insurance HERE and support your Zoo, the Utica Zoo!


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Not much of a surprise with all the moves (both on and off the bike) that Tyler has been making… Words from Demolition are below:
"Tyler has been making a name for himself in a big way in BMX the past couple years and there's no question why. Tyler is an awesome example of determination, persistence, creativity, balls of steel, and humility to all young riders in the sport. It's all these reasons and more why we are proud to announce Tyler as the newest pro rider on Demolition!"


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ESAB Knowledge Center
Since Oscar Kjellberg's invention of the covered welding electrode in 1904, ESAB has played an integral part in the discovery and development of more commonly accepted welding processes than any other company.
ESAB's Knowledge Center contains a vast amount of information for the welder, the engineer, the welding inspector and the project manager.
How does the laser process work?
The laser cutting process uses a focused laser beam and assist gas to sever metallic plate with high accuracy and exceptional process reliability. The laser beam is generated by a resonator, and delivered through the cutting nozzle via a system of mirrors.
Advantages of laser technology Laser technology has the following advantages:
High accuracy Excellent cut quality High processing speed Small kerf Very small heat-affected zone compared to other thermal cutting processes Very low application of heat, therefore minimum shrinkage of the cut material It is possible to cut complex geometrical shapes, small holes, and beveled parts Cutting and marking with the same tool Cuts ...
What is Plasma Arc Cutting?
And how does it work? Plasma is defined in Websters as a "collection of charged particles ... containing about equal numbers of positive ions and electrons and exhibiting some properties of a gas but differing from a gas in being a good conductor of electricity ...". You can also think of it as an electrically heated gas stream. I like to think of it as a condition where all of the electrons from every atom are flowing from atom-to-atom, instead of just orbiting. Regardless of what's going on inside a plasma stream, the way to cut metals with it is pretty straightforward. Take that stream of electricity flowing through a gas, and constrict it through a small orifice. Now that stream is really ...
How Does the Oxy-fuel Cutting Process Work?
Most cost efficient process for carbon steel cutting. Can be combined with plasma, or waterjet on the same part. ESAB's experience with oxy-fuel cutting dates back to 1907.
Oxy-fuel cutting is a chemical reaction between pure oxygen and steel to form iron oxide. It can be described as rapid, controlled rusting. Preheat flames are used to raise the surface or edge of the steel to approximately 1800°F (bright red color). Pure oxygen is then directed toward the heated area in a fine, high pressure stream. As the steel is oxidized and blown away to form a cavity, the preheat and oxygen stream are moved at constant speed to form a continuous cut.
Only metals whose oxides have a lower ...
Waterjet Cutting Process Basics
The most versatile process for shape cutting Highest precision cutting on virtually any material Can be combined with plasma or oxy-fuel on the same part Most versatile cutting process Water Jet cutting uses an ultra-high pressure stream of water to carry an abrasive grit. The abrasive does the cutting through a mechanical sawing action, leaving a smooth, precision cut surface.
Waterjet is the most versatile process, because it is able to cut almost any type of material. Limitations include materials that are highly brittle, such as tempered glass and some ceramics.
Water jet is a very precise cutting process. It has a narrow kerf width, allowing fine contours to be cut, and ...
The Basics of Plasma Cutting
Plasma Cutting Process Plasma cutting is the fastest cutting process on carbon steel, aluminum, or stainless steel. Plasma cutting can be combined with waterjet or oxy fuel on the same part. Plasma cutting can be use for precision cutting on gauge material up to 6" thick stainless. ESAB invented plasma cutting in 1955, and we've never stopped developing ways to make plasma cutters better and easier. ESAB's latest innovations in the plasma cutting process automation increase production with more consistent cut quality every time ... regardless of operator skill level: Plasma Arc Characteristics Plasma is defined in Websters as "collection of charged particles ... containing about equal ...
Join the ESAB Nation! Stay connected with ESAB on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and keep up with the latest happenings. Check out our sales promotions, photos, videos, and more. Connect and become friends with other fans or discuss the latest posts and releases.
At ESAB, we believe we can only achieve excellence by supporting our products and services with top quality training. Our training programs include a range of options, all of which offer opportunities to increase machine knowledge, safe operating techniques, and maximize machine productivity. Our course offerings combine instructor-led training with hands-on learning, as well as customized programs, for equipment operators and service technicians. ESAB's modern training facilities offer the best possible training environment using state of the art computer technology.
For course overviews and details on training sessions offered, check out our training calendar.


text: Situated in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the historic Lord Elgin Hotel is recognized internationally for its unique charm and location. Overlooking beautiful Confederation Park and the famous Rideau Canal, it is an easy walk to major attractions, great restaurants, the shopping district, Parliament Hill, and the renowned Byward Farmers Market. The tastefully decorated guest rooms have either one king, one queen or two double beds that comfortably take up to quad occupancy based on sharing existing beds and are serviced with coffee maker, hair dryer, irons and boards, computer link, voice mail, complimentary newspaper, electronic key cards and windows that open. The Lord Elgin also features a new restaurant, lobby bar with fireplace, pool and fitness centre.


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Memorials to coincide with Medal of Honor ceremony for ex-Marine who saved 36 lives
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Dakota Meyer saved 36 lives from an ambush in Afghanistan and the ex-Marine will collect the nation's highest military honor at the White House on Thursday. While he is receiving the Medal of Honor, Meyer's slain comrades will be memorialized in hometown ceremonies at his request.
His hero's moment was his darkest day. Meyer lost some of his best friends the morning of Sept. 8, 2009, in far-off Kunar Province.
It's hard, it's ... you know ... getting recognized for the worst day of your life, so it's... it's a really tough thing, Meyer said, struggling for words.
Meyer charged through heavy insurgent gunfire on five death-defying trips in an armored Humvee to save 13 Marines and Army soldiers and another 23 Afghan troops pinned down by withering enemy fire. Meyer personally killed at least eight insurgents despite taking a shrapnel wound to one arm as he manned the gun turret of the Humvee and provided covering fire for the soldiers, according to the military.
President Barack Obama will bestow the medal at a White House ceremony. The two have also met privately, having a beer on a patio outside the Oval Office on Wednesday.
House expected to pass measure that would undermine labor case against Boeing Co.
WASHINGTON (AP) The House is poised to pass a measure that would undermine the government's high-profile labor case against Boeing Co. by curtailing the National Labor Relations Board's enforcement power.
The bill would prohibit the federal agency from ordering any employer to shut down plants or relocate work, even if a company illegally retaliates against unionized employees.
House Republicans say the board should not have the power to dictate where a private business can locate. GOP lawmakers have vilified the NLRB for filing a complaint in April that alleges Boeing punished union workers in Washington state when it opened a new production line for its 787 airplane in South Carolina, a right-to-work state.
This action is having a chilling effect on businesses all across the country, said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
The bill is likely to pass the GOP-controlled House easily on Thursday, but it isn't expected to get far in the Senate, where Democratic leaders have no plans to let it come to a vote.
Thumbs up? Scientists say hit film 'Contagion' could happen a plausible doomsday scenario
ATLANTA (AP) Yes, it could happen. But it's a stretch.
Contagion, a Hollywood thriller that opened last weekend, rocketed to No. 1 at the box office through its gripping tale of a fictional global epidemic driven by a new kind of virus. Audiences have gasped in horror at what happens to Gwyneth Paltrow.
Before it was out, the movie made real-life disease investigators anxious, too, though for a different reason: They had worried the filmmakers would take so many artistic liberties with the science that the result would be an incredible movie that was ... not credible.
Well, cue the applause.
It's very plausible, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which would investigate such an outbreak.
As the US departure from Iraq approaches, a unit finds itself still in the thick of the war
COS GARRY OWEN, Iraq (AP) Soldiers at this base sleep with their shoes on so they don't cut their feet running under rocket fire. Elsewhere in Iraq the tanks are being packed up, but here they still serve in the hunt for insurgents. And when U.S. troops hand out soccer balls to village children, Apache helicopters circle above.
In a little more than 100 days, the U.S. military is supposed to be gone from Iraq after a war, insurgency and occupation that has stretched across nearly nine years. But in marshy southern Iraq, where Shiite militancy runs strong, the war is still being waged.
At Contingency Operating Station Garry Owen, the last American military base in the southern province of Maysan, Maj. Steven Gventer spells out their doctrine: You don't want to be soft and chewy. You want to be hard and prickly. And we are hard and prickly at Garry Owen. ... focused on getting out and aggressively trying to target bad guys.
Garry Owen, named after the fabled U.S. Cavalry song, sits in treacherous territory next to Iran, near weapons' smuggling routes, in a province whose governor views them as occupiers.
This territory, known most of 2011 as United States Division-South on the military maps, plays a vital role in combating the militias and protecting U.S. convoys heading south on their way home. But the challenges they face hint at the wider problems still facing Iraq and any residual American force that stays beyond the Dec. 31 departure deadline.
Perry asked to halt Texas execution amid questions about role race played in death sentence
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) Attorneys for a man scheduled to be put to death in Texas on Thursday are asking Gov. Rick Perry to halt the execution amid questions about the role race played in the sentencing.
Duane Buck's case is one of six convictions that then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn a political ally of Perry who is now a Republican U.S. senator reviewed in 2000 and said needed to be reopened because of the racially charged statements made during the sentencing phase of the trial. A psychologist told jurors that black criminals were more likely to pose a future danger to the public if they are released.
Perry, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is an ardent supporter of capital punishment. During his 11 years in office, 235 convicted killers have been put to death in Texas. His office says he has chosen to halt just four executions, including one for a woman who was later put to death.
If courts continue to reject Buck's appeals, only Perry could delay the lethal injection by invoking his authority to issue a one-time 30-day reprieve for further review. Perry's actions are being closely watched, particularly by death penalty opponents, after he said during a presidential debate that he has never been troubled by any of the executions he's overseen as governor.
In the five other cases Cornyn said needed to be reopened, prosecutors repeated the sentencing hearings and the defendants were again sentenced to death. Prosecutors contend Buck's case was different from those and that the racial reference was a small part of a larger testimony about the prison population.
AP Exclusive: Official slams corn industry attempt to rebrand high fructose corn syrup
LOS ANGELES (AP) A recent attempt by the corn industry to change the name of a widely used but increasingly controversial sweetener was misleading and could have robbed consumers of important information, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration said in documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The comments came last year as the Corn Refiners Association sought clarity over whether it could change the name of high fructose corn syrup to just corn syrup. That informal request was subsequently withdrawn and in September 2010, the group filed a formal petition seeking a more radical name change: corn sugar.
The corn industry is attempting an image makeover for high fructose corn syrup after some scientists linked it to obesity and other health problems and some food companies started touting products that did not contain the ingredient. High fructose corn syrup is present in most sodas and a staggering array of processed foods.
In response to the Corn Refiners Association's request to use the term corn syrup, Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, told colleagues he was uncomfortable with changing the name and suggested that allowing it would deprive consumers of important information and invite ridicule.
It would be affirmatively misleading to change the name of the ingredient after all this time, especially in light of the controversy surrounding it, Taylor told colleagues in an email dated March 15, 2010. If we allow it, we will rightly be mocked both on the substance of the outcome and the process through which it was achieved.
US officials to face questions about decision not to ban Afghan company accused of corruption
WASHINGTON (AP) The military's battle against contracting corruption in war zones is coming under scrutiny from lawmakers troubled by a Pentagon decision not to ban an Afghan-owned company from doing business with the U.S. after the firm was accused of operating an illicit protection racket.
Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a Sept. 13 letter of his deep concern after the Defense Department elected not to bar the Watan Group and one of the company's former assistant managers, Haji Ruhullah, despite ample evidence of wrongdoing. The failure to hold Watan and Ruhullah accountable for gross violations of U.S. and Afghan law is a troubling example of the lack of effective enforcement that has exacerbated rampant contracting corruption in Afghanistan, Tierney wrote.
In the letter, Tierney summarizes the findings of Warlord Inc., an investigation he led last year which concluded that Watan's owners, Ahmad and Rashid Popal, and Ruhullah bribed local Afghan officials and used heavy weapons prohibited by the Army transportation contract they were working under. They all denied funneling money to the Taliban, Tierney said, but evidence gathered by his staff raised doubts about those claims.
A panel of Pentagon officials will testify Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform national security subcommittee. Tierney is the panel's top Democrat. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is the subcommittee's chairman.
Based on the findings of Warlord Inc., Army officials in December proposed barring Watan's security arm, Watan Risk Management, and Ruhullah from doing business with the U.S. government. Armed with American attorneys, the Popals and Ruhullah separately challenged the actions. Ruhullah won his case. The Army cited his status as a subordinate at Watan and said his inability to speak English meant he could not understand the terms of the contract or the investigators from Tierney's staff who interviewed him.
Tax returns show Texas' Rick Perry supplemented salary with profitable deals
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) When it comes to presidential candidates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a man of modest means.
Perry's state salary peaked at $150,000 after two decades as a public official, and he and his wife earned just over $2 million in wages between 1991 and 2009.
Perry is worth is at least $1.1 million. His chief Republican rival, businessman Mitt Romney, is worth more than $190 million.
Perry became a millionaire through a practice common to many other politicians over the years: taking part in profitable deals involving political friends and their businesses. He made more than $800,000 in 2007 reselling a resort development plot he had gotten from a Republican friend in the Legislature, and he cleared a quick $38,000 in 1995 by flipping stock in a company owned by one of his top campaign donors.
Private deals involving campaign supporters are widely criticized by government reformers as a potential form of backdoor donations or influence-buying. But they are often legal; in Perry's case, the Securities and Exchange Commission did not act on a complaint about his stock windfall.
Palestinians hindered from free movement by Israeli barriers, walls and laws
BIDDU, West Bank (AP) Ahmad Ayyash once had a construction job in Israel, earning good money. Now he is a goat herder struggling to eke out a living, barred from working in Israel and restricted from entering his olive grove next to this West Bank village.
Ayyash's story is familiar to Palestinians, who face a complicated system of travel restrictions that Israel mostly developed during the height of violence between them and Palestinians, hoping to prevent militants from reaching the Jewish state and West Bank settlements.
The lone Palestinian airport was destroyed in the fighting. The seaport in Gaza is blockaded by Israel's navy. In the West Bank, a system of military checkpoints constrains movement between a hodgepodge of autonomous zones. Movement between the two territories the linchpins of a future Palestinian state is virtually impossible.
These restrictions highlight why Palestinians are asking the United Nations this month to recognize their independence in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. It would be a symbolic acknowledgment that Palestinians deserve a cohesive state and give them moral if not legal support in challenging restrictions in the West Bank, which are to ensure the safety of Israeli Jews who live there and not within Israel's de facto borders, in defiance of international opinion.
Still, it won't immediately change realities on the ground, where Israel remains in control.
Phillies become 1st team to clinch playoff spot with Roy Halladay's 1-0 win over Houston
HOUSTON (AP) No champagne. No wild celebration. The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason for the fifth straight year, and that's exactly what they expected.
Roy Halladay pitched his 20th career shutout and Philadelphia became the first team to reach the playoffs this season with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
The NL East leaders clinched at least a wild-card berth and will take another run at a ring in October. Philadelphia won the World Series in 2008 and took the NL pennant in 2009.
That's the beauty of being here, Halladay said. We expect to win. You convert to that quickly, coming from a team where that wasn't the case. We had some big wins last year and come into the clubhouse and that's where we expected to be.
Once the Phillies signed ace pitcher Cliff Lee last winter to round out a dominant rotation, another playoff berth seemed inevitable. They said this week there would be no big party for wrapping up the wild card, and when Halladay finished off Houston he and his teammates barely cracked a smile.


text:
GENEALOGY-DNA-L ArchivesArchiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2010-11 > 1290577057
From: Wilcox Lisa <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] MAC Users and XML Files AMENDED
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:37:37 -0800
References: <email@example.com><firstname.lastname@example.com>
In-Reply-To: <firstname.lastname@example.com>
All my Mac OS stuff is completely updated (10.6.5). I'm using Microsoft Office for Mac 2008.
Here's what works for me:
1. Create an Excel template (.xlt) with headers, all formatted as Text.
2. Highlight and copy all data from the Results page, minus headers.
3. Paste Special into into Word as Unformatted Text.
4. Save Word file as Text (.txt).
5. With your template file open, select Import from the File menu.
6. Locate and select your .txt file
7. Select Delimited; Next; select delimiters "," and other "-"; Next; select Text; Finish.
This thread:
|Re: [DNA] MAC Users and XML Files AMENDED by Wilcox Lisa <>