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Ten years ago, on Dec. 2, 2001, the Enron Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in what was then the largest corporate reorganization in U.S. history. Though just a decade ago, the Enron era in some ways seems to belong to another era—a time when failing companies met with bankruptcy rather than bailouts.
According to John Berlau, of the free-market-oriented Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), it was the Bear Stearns bailout in 2008 that "changed everything." Berlau, who directs CEI's Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs, told AdvisorOne the Enron failure "was of course devastating to employees, but it didn't really hurt the larger economy."
In today's "culture of bailouts," Enron might well have been seen as "too big to fail," according to Berlau. Enron had a substantial $63 billion in assets at the time of its Chapter 11 filing. "With Enron," he said, "you could make the case it was as systemically important as Bear."
Though the damage of Enron's dissolution had only a limited impact, Berlau argues the biggest economic damage to result from Enron was the Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory regime that came in its wake. Berlau said Sarbox compliance costs the average public company $2.3 million a year and he cited a 2005 study by former University of Rochester professor Ivy Zhang that tallies a loss in market value of $1.4 trillion as a result of its corporate governance rules.
That's money that can't be used to promote economic growth and employment, said Berlau, yet Sarbox was not effective in preventing the Lehman Brothers, Countrywide or MF Global scandals (nor any other frauds he could identify).
Sarbanes-Oxley's chief effects, he said, have been to limit opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs while ensuring full employment for accountants. "There is an equity shortage in small- and mid-cap [stocks]," he said, which keeps "ordinary investors from the benefits of emerging growth companies. Only the hedge funds and private equity funds get access to these strong growth companies," he added.
Berlau (left) cited the founder of Home Depot, who took the home improvement chain public with just four stores, as saying he could never have gone public under Sarbox. There are far fewer IPOs today than even during the early '90s recession, yet those that come on the market, like LinkedIn, sport billion-dollar market caps. Berlau contrasted this to an earlier era when a company like Cisco launched at a $50 million market cap, affording ordinary investors the opportunity to see their portfolios ride along with the small company's explosive growth.


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The following obituaries were received on Thursday.
Oliver "Pick" Chastain – Bedford
Oliver "Pick" Chastain of Bedford passed away Wednesday monring at his residence at the age 91.
Born in 1920 in Cale Indiana to Grover and Ina Chastain, Pick was a veteran of the US Army.
Pick is survived by his son Oliver, daughters Barbara and Debra, step son Gary, step daughters Linda and Jeanette, eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Jack, Jasper and John, sisters Enid, Mildred and Kathryn and a niece and nephew.
Visitation is Friday from 3pm to 8pm at Ferguson Lee and funeral services are Saturday at 1pm at Ferguson Lee.
Melissa "Missy" Sullivan – Bedford
Melissa "Missy" Sullivan of Bedford passed away Wednesday afternoon at IU Health Bedford Hospital at the age of 41.
Born in 1969 in Bloomington to Lebert and Mary Lou May, she married Scott Sullivan in 1989 and he survives.
Missy was a member of the Women's Auxiliary of the Bedford Boat and Sportsmen Club.
Missy is survived by her husband, father Lebert, sons Adam, Ethan, Ezra, and Elijah, daughter Ashlyn, 3 grandchildren, sisters Sherry and Penny, brother Butch and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother.
Visitation is Saturday from 4pm to 9pm at Day and Carter, and funeral services will be held Sunday at 2pm at Day and Carter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Overcoming common obstacles to realize uncommon results.
Marriage and children. Both are wonderful life experiences, filled with unparalleled rewards, but with those rewards comes personal sacrifice. For car guys, this usually means the sale of a hot car and the subsequent purchase of something decidedly less sporty and much more practical. Fortunately, a few lucky individuals have figured out how to have their cake and eat it too. Michael Turner discovered that working as sales manager of The Horsepower Store afforded him just such an angle to hold onto his 1999 SS Camaro. Using the SS as his daily commuter, Michael can show customers an example of the Horsepower Store's handiwork up close, as well as many of the products they sell at their Plano, Texas location. He has found that customers keep returning, because his knowledge of the product goes beyond a simple sales pitch.
Cars have played a significant role in Michael's life for the last 12 years. From the Dallas street scene, to imports and car audio, to his current position, Michael has experience in a wide variety of automotive realms. Inspiration for his current ride can be found in his previous ownership of two black second-gen Camaros. "I've got a thing for Black Camaros," says Turner. Michael was also very specific about the options he wanted on his car. "I bought this car when it was a year old. It had just what I wanted--it was a hardtop, cloth interior, 6-speed car. I didn't want any frills and it took me six months to find it," he says. Once he found the perfect car, it didn't take long for him to start making changes.
Modifying cars can be a very expensive pastime and strain even the strongest relationships. Even with a job in the automotive industry, Michael still has a wife and two kids at home. This keeps him looking for economical ways to enhance the performance of his SS, without annihilating his family's budget. Searching for answers he turned to an old friend and hit the bottle, adding a wet kit from Nitrous Express.
Although nitrous oxide is an economical means to big performance gains, horror stories of engine meltdowns and exploding bottles have scared more than a few potential users away. The reality is, when properly installed and used responsibly, nitrous can be a safe and relatively inexpensive option for significant performance gains. "I've had nitrous on four different cars," explains Michael. "It's cheap, simple and reliable. I've never broken anything, motor-wise." So far, Michael has made seven "official" passes on the bottle with nary a sign of a mechanical apocalypse lurking under the hood. These haven't been shakedown runs either, as evidenced by his 12.03 ET and 123.6 mph trap speed.
Michael was confident in the engine's ability to handle a 125 horsepower shot of the juice, but he knew the stock clutch would not last long with over 500 lbs.-ft. of torque passing through to the wheels. As a preventative measure, he upgraded to a SPEC Stage 3 clutch, complete with carbon pads and an aluminum flywheel.
In addition to the nitrous-assisted passes, Michael has a stack of nearly 70 timeslips from naturally aspirated runs, with a 12.70 at 112 mph resting on top of the heap. Nitrous has put Michael on the doorstep of 11-second runs, but 12.70s off the bottle didn't come without the help of other well thought out modifications. An LS1 Hot Cam tops the list of motor changes, though the heads have not yet been modified. When asked why the heads remained untouched, Turner again cited budgetary constraints. "As the money comes, I put something on the car," he explains, "and the heads are coming." Headers too are undoubtedly on the wish list, but until those are feasible, Michael runs with the stock exhaust manifolds, mated to a MAC offroad y-pipe and a Borla cat-back exhaust. The bump in the passenger-side footwell is the only visible reminder of the catalytic converters, which have long since been discarded.
In spite of limited resources, Michael did not underestimate the value of suspension improvements during his buildup. Diving head first into the Hotchkis product line, Michael picked up swaybars, springs, an adjustable panhard bar, strut tower brace and rear control arms from the California-based suspension specialist. Bilstein shocks were also added in both the front and rear, as well as a transmission mount and torque arm bushings from Energy Suspension.
When Michael originally started looking for another Camaro, he had his mind set on a first-gen car. However, the reliability of a newer car and the stout performance of the LS1 overruled his aesthetic desires. Still wanting a bit of that older musclecar styling without the archaic performance characteristics, Michael picked up a set of lightweight 17-inch Torque Thrust II wheels. To avoid the traction problems that plagued the original musclecars, Turner added a set of Yokohama A032Rs, with 315/35 series tires in the rear for a slightly larger footprint and more muscular stance. Stopping force for these massive meats is controlled with Power Slot rotors and HPS pads on all four corners.
Rarely is the term "sensible" used when describing high-performance cars, yet we find ourselves doing so in this case. Michael Turner has built a car equally capable of running the quarter-mile at Hallsville or negotiating the turns at Hallett, without finding himself in the poorhouse or, for that matter, the doghouse.


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A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
With Very Sick Infants, Doctors and Parents Often Miscommunicate
Mothers often have different impressions of their babies' condition than physicians meant to convey
Thursday, August 16, 2012
This breakdown in communication could not only increase parents' stress, researchers said, but could also interfere with treatment decisions.
Doctors and parents alike often are unaware of the problem, said researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
"Poor understanding of a baby's prognosis can lead to maternal frustration and dissatisfaction with the treatment plan, which ultimately undermines the goal of teamwork between families and clinicians," lead investigator Dr. Stephanie de Wit, a former neonatology fellow at Johns Hopkins, said in a center news release.
In conducting the study, the researchers questioned more than 100 mothers with newborns in the neonatal intensive-care unit and their children's clinicians about the baby's condition and prognosis.
The study revealed that 89 percent of clinicians, including doctors, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses and respiratory therapists, described their discussions with the babies' mothers as productive. Although 92 percent of the mothers felt the same way, the researchers determined that discussions were not effective.
Nearly all of the mothers could name at least one of their child's conditions, but half of them did not agree with their child's doctor about the severity of their baby's illness, the study showed. Of these mothers, 63 percent thought their child was not as sick as their doctor thought. In some cases, the mothers of infants with a life-threatening condition thought their baby was "not sick," "somewhat sick" or "pretty healthy."
"When it comes to discussing a critically ill newborn's condition, parents and doctors often seem to be speaking the same, yet different, languages," said de Wit, who is now an attending neonatologist at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore. She explained that mothers may associate the word "sick" with vomiting or fever, while a doctor may use it to describe a very serious condition.
To improve communication with parents, the study authors advised doctors and nurses caring for newborns to take the following steps:
- Update parents often about their baby's treatment.
- Be direct and clear about the baby's condition, treatments and prognosis.
- Do not use complex medical terms.
- Be specific and explain even the most basic conditions.
- Show compassion and sympathy.
- Ask parents questions or have them recap the discussion to make sure they understand their child's condition and prognosis.
"We cannot exclude the possibility that the sheer force of hope fueled unrealistically optimistic expectations, even when mothers fully grasped the objective reality of their child's condition," the study's senior investigator, Dr. Renee Boss, a neonatologist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in the news release.
"One thing that we, as clinicians, must always keep in mind is that talk doesn't equal communication, and just because we spoke with a parent we cannot assume that our message got across," Boss said.
The study's authors said their findings highlight the need for doctors and nurses to carefully assess mothers' understanding of their baby's medical problems and communicate regularly with families to help parents become more involved in their child's care.
The study was published Aug. 16 in the Journal of Perinatology.
Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
- More Health News on:
- Talking With Your Doctor


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Winery Tweets Their Newest Release
When releasing a wine, what are the typical process flows? PR to media – check. Email to mailing list – check. Save the date card to mailing list – check. Tasting room party – check. Send dozens of wine writers some samples and have a tweet up? Desert Wind Winery recently released their 2009 Ora (white blend) and utilized relationship marketing to engage writers and influencers virtually. Not everyone had the capacity to go to their beautiful Prosser, WA tasting room, so Amber and Greg Fries send the wine to the people. The result, nearly 500 conversations between 77 people. "It's a success in our eyes," says marketing director, Amber Fries.
The Ora is the newest edition to the growing family of Desert Wind wines out of their estate vineyards in Wahluke Slope. The unique blend of Chardonnay, Semillon, Riesling and Gewurztraminer combine the rich mouth feel of Chardonnay and a crisp refreshing lemon lime flavor of Riesling and Gewurzt. The Semillon shines through with elegant underpinnings of nuts and vanilla. I applaud Desert Wind for integrating social media and relationship marketing into their overall release strategy. I look forward to following up with them to see how the minimal investment paid off in the long term. As part of the release, the Ora (pronounced like hoorah, but OH-rah) is currently on sale for only $12 per bottle out of their tasting room and online.
On the Web – On Twitter – On Facebook
The NectarView
2009 Desert Wind Winery Ora
- The Stuff: 60% Chardonnay, 20% Riesling, 15% Semillon and 5% Gewurztraminer; 8% fermented in oak barrels, a touch of residual sugar at .36 g/100ml; 13.8%ABV; 316 cases produced
- The Swirl: Very golden yellow in the glass, makes me think of "drops of Jupiter" like a sun kissed golden blonde
- The Sniff: Very lively nose with immediate aromas of lychee, tropical fruit, and hints of vanilla, nuts and honey. Maybe this would be a good pairing with Post Honey Nut Oat Clusters for breakfast.
- The Sip: The Ora has a very full mouth feel that provides just a touch of sweetness without being sweet. The flavors are softer tropical and peach with a mild white pepper on the back end. The wine finishes with medium low acidity and a hint of a disjointed aftertaste. If you are a Chardonnay lover but sometimes crave something a little more crisp and tropical, think Ora.
- The Score: At $15 retail the wine is very enjoyable and paired very well on two different nights (first with Salmon and spicy potatoes and second with Carne Asada). We took a second bottle to enjoy at a friend's house and shared it to rave reviews. The Ora leaves me saying hoorah and hoping I can find one more bottle before the end of summer. 3+/5
3 comments on "Winery Tweets Their Newest Release"
Dan I was lucky enough to be at the winery for the release. Had a great time with the Desert Wind Crew, we all ended up going to Picazo 717 for dinner afterwards (accompanied by a few bottles of their Tempranillo, Ruah, and of course the new Ora). Good food, good wine and great people. What more could you ask for on a Tuesday night?
Ben Simons I love seeing wineries embrace social media. It is a great tool to leverage, and you think about the cost effectiveness of this kind of event when it comes to publicity, it is huge. Great post, and great event.
Tamara Belgard Desert Wind did a fantastic job with the Ora release. I was so impressed with not only how they embraced social media but how they did something original and created quite a buzz in the process. Very smart marketing.


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Market Report: Precious metals building a base
Jun 27, 2014·Alasdair MacleodIt is three weeks since the managed money category on Comex placed their biggest bet ever recorded in recent times that silver was going lower, and also bet big-time that gold would sink below $1200. As is often the case when traders are so commonly committed to a price outcome they end up nursing some painful losses.
To add to the bears' misery the technical analysis position is now turning positive for both metals. Silver for example has broken its three-year downtrend on good turnover, as shown in the chart below.
There is some work to be done on this chart before challenging major overhead supply at the $26 level, but it gives good initial scope on the bull tack.
The gold chart may also be finally breaking out on the upside, with the 200-day moving average at $1288 and beginning to trend upwards. For many traders the sequence of a price higher than its long-term moving average, when it is also rising, is the basic definition of a bull trend. The first major hurdle is $1420, and if the gold price can get through that, traders will be looking to take out potential supply at $1520+. This is shown in our second chart.
The shorts on Comex are unwinding quite rapidly, as one would expect. But turning bullish is never a simple matter for hedge funds and algorithmic traders, who often need to become bearish on something else, and here we need to look at fundamentals, particularly the economic outlook.
The most notable news on Wednesday was the sharp downward revision to US 1Q GDP, from an original annualised rise of 0.1% to a huge fall of 2.9%. The sting was made worse by the deflator, which at only 1.3% clearly underestimates true price inflation. Even the Government's fictitious deflator will probably register about 1.8% in Q2, close to the Fed's 2% target. As usual Wall Street analysts continue to be optimistic for Q2, but the signs from recent business and consumer surveys have tended to disappoint. Furthermore, initial official figures for Services Spending for April and May, representing 68% of GDP, show very little growth for the first two months of the current quarter.
On top of this bad news growth of the US$ Fiat Money Quantity slowed to a virtual halt in April, suggesting that underlying credit conditions are rapidly tightening. Tightening monetary conditions are bad news for an economy that appears to be slowing both sharply and unexpectedly, while prices are rising. They had a word for it: stagflation. These were the conditions that prevailed in the 1970s bull market for gold.
A combination of a slowing economy, tightening credit conditions and increasing price inflation also represents growing stress for the financial system. This appears to be taking the Fed by surprise according to recent FOMC minutes, so further intervention may be required. This could be a reason for traders to turn negative on equities and bullish for gold and silver in the coming months.
Next week's announcements
Japan: Housing starts, Construction Orders.
Eurozone: M3 Money Supply, Flash HICP.
UK: M4 Money Supply, Mortgage Approvals, Net Consumer Credit.
US: Chicago PMI, Pending Home Sales.
Japan: Tankan Survey, Vehicle Sales.
UK: Halifax House Price Index.
Eurozone: Manufacturing PMI.
US: Manufacturing PMI, Construction Spending, ISM Manufacturing.
Eurozone: PPI.
US: ADP Employment Survey, Factory Orders.
Eurozone: Composite PMI, Services PMI, Retail Trade, ECB Deposit Rate.
UK: CIPS/Markit Services PMI.
US: Initial Claims, Non-Farm Payrolls, Trade Balance, Unemployment, ISM Non-Manufacturing Index.
US: Public Holiday.


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Opera on DVD: Alice in Wonderland
We have been fairly impressed with the music of Korean composer Unsuk Chin, especially her song cycle Akrostichon-Wortspiel. When both Jens and Alex Ross wrote admiringly of her latest opera, Alice in Wonderland (both with a few reservations), it was clear one had to get to know the work. Happily this DVD, made during the premiere run at the Bavarian State Opera last summer, has just crossed my desk. The music is just as described in reviews of the premiere, a mélange of atonal sounds (often recalling Chin's teacher Ligeti) and more traditional harmonic passages. A vast orchestra, spilling out from the pit to surrounding boxes in the theater according to Jens, interweaves myriad colored threads in often unexpected ways.Available at Amazon:
Unsuk Chin, Alice in Wonderland, S. Matthews, G. Jones, Bayerische Staatsoper, K. Nagano
(released April 29, 2008)
Unitel Classica / Medici Arts 2072418
The sonic allusions include, among other things, spectralism, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and swing. The caterpillar, who speaks his lines through words that flash around him in a circle, plays an extended, bluesy solo on the bass clarinet. It is every bit as surreal and hallucinatory as Lewis Carroll's stories -- written, let us not forget, as an expression of an older minister's odd attraction to and obsession with an 11-year-old girl.
Sally Matthews (Alice) and Stefan Schneider (Caterpillar) in Alice in Wonderland, Bavarian State Opera, 2007 (photo by Wilfried Hösl)
Even more striking, if possible, is the stylish, outlandish staging directed and designed by Achim Freyer (more pictures and videos here). It is abstract, with characters relating to one another indirectly, from separate parts of the geometrically divided set. The stage is mostly a dark background for the colorful masks worn by some characters and the otherworldly puppets, all created by Nina Weitzner, with influences from schizophrenic artists and other Art Brut styles. Some of the strangest images are seen at the open and close of the opera, where Chin and her librettist, David Henry Hwang, altered Carroll's story.
Alice does not come from and exit to 19th-century England: she visits Wonderland by way of the composer's own dreams. Before Alice falls through a hole to get to Wonderland, she is menaced by two men, portrayed by large-headed puppets with phallic noses. At the end of the opera, an invisible man tells Alice to plant seeds in the dead, hard ground. When she does so, flowers sprout up and a bright light fills the stage. Sally Matthews is a piercing, girlish Alice, remarkably singing through the oversized mask for most of the opera. Other fine singing comes from countertenor Andrew Watts (White Rabbit), Piia Komsi (Cheshire Cat), and the redoubtable Gwyneth Jones (Queen of Hearts).
Sally Matthews in Alice in Wonderland, Bavarian State Opera, 2007 (photo by Wilfried Hösl)
The only misfortune about this DVD is in how the performance was captured on video. Instead of allowing the viewer to see mostly from the perspective of the spectator in the theater, video director Ellen Fellmann has the cameras focus too exclusively in close-up on the puppets and performers. This not only draws too much attention to the fakeness of the materials but also spoils the overall effect of the dream-like staging. Worse, overused camera effects like hand-held zoom and rack focus transitions make for a ham-handed attempt to skew the surreal quality of the production, when that was hardly necessary. After watching it once, I preferred afterward just to listen to the sound.


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(CNN) — Tuareg tribesman who reportedly fought for Moammar Gadhafi in Libya have returned to Mali with weapons, stoking violence and forcing thousands to flee, Mali's president said.
The development, announced by President Amadou Toumani Toure in a speech broadcast on state TV over the weekend, is perhaps the most-significant regional fallout to date from the end of former Libyan leader's regime.
The fighters returning from Libya have blended into the National Movement for Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) and renamed northern Mali as the Azawad, the name of the region home to a majority of the Mali Tuareg.
During the address, Toure blamed freshly-armed fighters returning from Libya for attacks on military patrols outside the northeastern town of Aguelhoc, which has become a flashpoint in the struggle between the military and the rebels.
The military was "unable to enter Aguelhoc where elements of Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a group of former fighters from Libya and a group of deserters from our army were well positioned," Toure said, according to the state-run L'essor newspaper.
"The fighting was hard and we lost men, and equipment was destroyed."
The growing insurgency is also raising concerns in Washington, which sees the small, poor nation as an important ally against AQIM, the sub-Saharan al Qaeda group.
"The situation is unpredictable and instability could spread. Private citizens have not been targeted, but the MNLA has indicated via its websites that it intends to conduct military operations across northern Mali," the U.S. State Department said as part of a new travel warning issued last week.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condemned the rebel attacks, saying Saturday that "the United States is deeply concerned by continuing incidents of violence."
The influx of fighters returning from Libya has re-energized the Tuareg insurgency, which seeks to wrest control of three northern regions, according to the global intelligence firm Stratfor.
"Mali has experienced perhaps the most significant external repercussions from the downfall of the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi," it said in a recent analysis.
Gadhafi endeared himself to Malians by funding the construction of a popular mosque in the capital Bamako, and helped pay for a Malian government complex that remains under construction.
He is also accused of backing the Tuaregs in Mali and Niger during the 1990s.
So it came as no surprise that Malian Tuaregs willingly went to Libya to fight for Gadhafi as he fought to keep hold of the reigns of his regime which crumbled in August, Libya's new government has said.
After Gadhafi's death in October, heavily armed Tuareg fighters began returning home and launching attacks on the Malian army, Mali's government said.
The nomadic Tuaregs, who are considered an indigenous tribe in the region, are spread across Mali, Libya, Algeria, Niger and Burkino Faso.
In Mali, the Tuareg have long called for the creation of an independent state — and have risen up against the Malian government a number of times since the 1960s.
The latest uprising began to take root late last year but gained momentum in January when the rebels began attacking towns in northern Mali.
The Malian army clashed with rebels in the Timbuktu region last week, killing 20 people, taking a dozen prisoners and seizing vehicles and weapons, according to the country's defense ministry. It reported no casualties on the government side.
But the rebels claim to have either attacked or seized at least six towns in recent weeks, including some in the Timbuktu region, according to its website. The claims appear to be supported by reports by the International Committee of the Red Cross that thousands have fled the region ahead of fighting.
Malians have taken to the streets in the capital city of Bamako to protest the government response to the MNLA amid rumors that the army, not the rebels, initiated the latest fighting with attacks on the Tuareg, an allegation Toure and others say is false.
The unrest has thrown Toure's administration into turmoil. He sacked his defense and interior ministers last week, and quickly moved to meet with the wives of soldiers who were forced to flee their homes for refugee camps ahead of rebel attacks.
Toure told the families at camps outside Bamako and neighboring Kati that Malian troops did not initiate the fighting in famine-stricken Tinzawaten, which became ground zero in the latest uprising.
"Our military did not go to the north to make war but rather to deliver supplies to our troops in Tinzawaten," he told the wives, according to state-run media.
It was after that that armed fighters attacked the towns of Menaka, Tessalit and Aguelhoc, he told the spouses, according to the report.
"There are many rumors. If we are not careful, we'll fall into the hands of those who are attacking Mali and who want to oppose the government," he said.
Nearly 10,000 Malians and Nigerians have fled because of the fighting, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported last week.
"Some of the refugees have been cared for by (local) villagers, but space has been absorbed very quickly," said Jurg Eglin who heads ICRC operations in Niger and Mali.
"The shelters are sketchy. These people, many of them women and children, suffer from lack of food and especially water."
Another 3,000 have reportedly fled to Mauritania, according to the state-run AMI news agency.
CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Dana Ford, Amir Ahmed and journalist Amadou Timbine contributed to this report.


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NIPSCO Natural Gas Choice Program
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor
6 Things to Know | What is the Choice Program? | Choice: Why?
How Does It Work?
Definitions | Billing & Contracts | Enrollment
What if I feel pressured? | Additional questions?
NIPSCO Choice: 6 Things to Know
1. Before signing any contract, carefully review its terms and conditions (including pricing, contract length and early termination penalties).
2. Enrolling in Choice may or may not save you money.
3. Even with an alternative gas supplier, NIPSCO still provides (and charges for) transportation and distribution.
4. NIPSCO's website includes:
- A list of alternative suppliers accepting new customers,
- Current costs of residential plans, and
- A calculator to help you compare costs between NIPSCO and an alternative supplier.
5. Choice enrollment is voluntary and offered year-round.
6. If you believe you have been improperly signed up with a Choice supplier, you should contact NIPSCO immediately.
What is the Choice Program?
The natural gas Choice program allows a Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) natural gas customer to choose an alternative natural gas supplier. If you enroll in this voluntary program, the supplier you choose will buy gas for you - which NIPSCO will then transport to Northern Indiana and deliver to you through its distribution system.
Twenty alternative suppliers currently participate in the Choice program, and are not prohibited from marketing their products.
The Choice Program: Why?
The Choice program was proposed by NIPSCO in late 1995 as a response to increased competition in the natural gas wholesale market and consumer desire for choices, and to allow the utility to take a lead role in the transition of Indiana's retail gas market to competition. A 1997 Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) order authorized the program following a legal proceeding that included the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) and other parties. Since then, the program has continued under a series of settlement agreements.
How does it work?
NIPSCO Choice is not designed as a savings program, but consumers who enroll could save money. Every gas supplier has a different combination of contracts with competing gas producers and interstate pipelines. As a result, some suppliers may be able to buy natural gas at a lower cost than others, including NIPSCO.
There is, however, no guarantee of lower bills. Consumers should shop carefully and fully understand the terms and conditions of any contract before signing.
If you participate in the NIPSCO Choice program, the terms of your gas supply service (including the price you are charged and length of the agreement) will be dictated by a contract between you and the alternative supplier rather than regulated utility rates. NIPSCO will still charge you for transportation and distribution.
Prices in alternative supplier contracts are not subject to IURC approval or OUCC review.
NIPSCO remains responsible for maintaining and servicing the distribution system, including the existing service line into your home or business. Natural gas will still be delivered to you through that line regardless of the supplier you choose.
Before a gas supplier is allowed to participate in Choice, it is required to meet strict financial and operational qualifications. In the unlikely event that a supplier fails to deliver enough gas, NIPSCO is required to provide gas to you.
Unbundling Your Natural Gas Rates
Natural gas service consists of three parts: supply, transportation and distribution.
- Natural gas producers drill wells that pull natural gas from beneath the earth's surface. This is called the supply.
- Gas supply is then transported through interstate pipelines to a local gas utility's distribution system.
- Your gas utility takes natural gas from the interstate pipeline system and distributes it to you.
Will I Receive More Than One Bill Each Month?
You may. NIPSCO will continue to service and maintain the distribution lines that serve your home and will continue to read your meter. You will continue to receive a bill from NIPSCO for those services. Suppliers have the option of using the NIPSCO bill or sending you a separate bill.
May I Switch Gas Suppliers?
You may switch gas suppliers or return to NIPSCO supply service, subject to the terms of your contract with your alternative gas supplier. After your initial gas supplier selection, you will be charged an administrative fee. If you later decide to return to NIPSCO gas supply service, this charge will be waived (though you must stay with NIPSCO supply service for at least one year after switching back).
How Do I Enroll?
You can enroll by contacting any qualified supplier. For a list of eligible suppliers and their toll-free telephone numbers, contact NIPSCO toll-free at 1-800-464-7726 or visit NIPSCO's Website.
You will need your account and service numbers from your bill to enroll with a new supplier (so that the company you choose can confirm with NIPSCO that you have signed up).
Suppliers can sign you up by phone, e-mail, fax or in person. Regardless of how you are enrolled, the supplier must give you the following information: contract price; billing and payment terms; re-enrollment terms; and contract start and end dates.
If you sign up with a supplier via phone or e-mail, the supplier must mail you this information within five business days of your enrollment. You then have five business days (from the receipt of the information) to review the information. If within that time you determine that the information is incorrect or different than what you had originally agreed to, contact the supplier and cancel the contract. Remember that you only have five business days from the receipt of the information to contact the supplier and cancel the contract. The supplier will provide you with either a toll-free telephone number or a postage-paid postcard to cancel the contract.
If you sign up with a supplier in person or via fax, you will be signing a contract with all of the terms of the agreement. In this case, the supplier is not obligated to give you the five business days to review and cancel the contract. You are bound by the contract you sign. Be sure to review all of the information carefully before you sign it.
What if I feel pressured? What if I think I've been enrolled without permission?
Choice program suppliers are not prohibited from using door-to-door, direct mail, or other forms of direct marketing to promote their services. As a customer, you should remember at all times that the Choice program is voluntary and you are under no obligation to enroll.
If you have not agreed to sign up with a Choice supplier but suspect - for any reason - that you may be enrolled without your consent, you should contact both NIPSCO and the Choice supplier immediately. Be prepared to provide NIPSCO with your account information and ask the utility to note that you have not authorized and do not want any changes to be made.
Who Should I Call In An Emergency Or If I Have Service Questions?
If you choose a supplier other than NIPSCO, questions about the pricing of your natural gas supply or about your contract should be directed to the gas supplier you chose. Other questions can be directed to NIPSCO toll-free at 1-800-464-7726.
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Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Toll-free: 1-888-441-2494
Voice/TDD: (317) 232-2494
Fax: (317) 232-5923
Website: www.IN.gov/OUCC
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Sigma unveils three new MFT and Sony E-Mount lenses
Despite the raves that recent micro four-thirds and Sony E-Mount cameras have received of late, there's still a dearth of lenses for the fledgeling systems compared to their more entrenched counterparts. Luckily, Sigma's just added to the pool of autofocus-equipped models for each system: updated 19mm F2.8 DN and 30mm F2.8 DN models along with an all-new 60mm F2.8 DN telephoto lens. Each Japan-made model has a "telecentric" optical design to minimize CMOS color issues, a metal exterior with silver or black color options, and a linear autofocus motor that Sigma claims is quiet enough to use for video. Meanwhile, the imaging outfit also announced an updated 30mm, F1.4 DC HSM model for Canon APS-C, Nikon DX and its own Sigma mount. All that's great news, though we're still waiting for an AF/electronic F1.4 or faster lens for E-Mount (there's only one on MFT as well) -- though this might tide us over, in the meantime. See the PR after the break for more info.
Show full PR text
Sigma Corporation announces four new lenses at CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2013
January 29, 2013
Sigma Corporation announces four new lenses at CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2013
APS-C format, E-Mount and Micro Four Thirds lenses feature sleek new 'Art' product line design
YOKOHAMA, Japan - Jan. 29, 2013-Sigma Corporation of America a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced the release of four new lenses for the ART product line, including three lenses for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras and one lens for DSLR cameras with APS-C size sensors. This announcement comes at the start of the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2013 this week in Yokohama, Japan.
The new and updated Sigma lenses include the 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, which will be available in Sigma, Canon and Nikon mounts, and the 30mm F2.8 DN, 19mm F2.8 DN and 60mm F2.8 DN lenses, which are available for both Micro Four Thirds and Sony E-Mount camera systems. Pricing and availability on all of these lenses has yet to be announced.
The 60mm F2.8 DN lens is entirely new to the Sigma lineup, while the 30mm F1.4 DC HSM and the 30mm F2.8 DN and 19mm F2.8 DN lenses are existing focal lengths that have been redesigned with enhanced optical performance and included as part of Sigma's new Global Vision category restructuring. All three DN lenses incorporate telecentric optical designs and a linear, auto focusing motor that ensures accurate and quiet focusing for video recording. They also boast metal exteriors and a simply shaped focus ring, with varying textures to distinguish each part of the lens. In addition, DN users can choose between a black or silver finish to match their favorite equipment.
"We're really proud of the super sharp lenses we've produced in the past year and these new Art lenses will continue to impress our fans and critics alike. They're ideal for the landscape, portrait, still-life, close-up and casual photographer who values creative, dramatic outcomes above compactness and multifunction," said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. "The lenses are entirely made in Japan and they boast the new product line's sleek design and enhanced quality control. We're quite proud of these changes – and additions – to our lens lineup; they're further evidence of Sigma's forethought in this fast-moving industry."
Here are more details on these new lenses from Sigma:
· 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Sigma's new USB Dock, which will enable firmware updates and focusing adjustments, is expected to be available in coming months.– Sigma pioneered the large-aperture, APS-C format, standard lens category with its 30mm F1.4 lens in 2005. With new optical configurations of nine elements in eight groups, as well as rounded aperture blades, this updated lens delivers pleasing sharpness and a beautiful bokeh background. Its angle of view is equivalent to 45mm on a 35mm camera (which is similar to that of human vision), its minimum focusing distance is 11.8 inches and its maximum magnification ratio is 1:6.8. The lens' optimized power distribution helps to minimize field curvature, prevent a loss of image quality at the edges of photographs and produce outstanding image quality. Its double-aspheric lens minimizes spherical distortion, astigmatism and coma, and its rear focus system prevents focus-dependent variation in aberration. Together, the new optimized auto focus (AF) algorithm and rear focusing system ensure smooth and accurate focusing. The new 30mm F1.4 is also compatible with Sigma's new USB Dock, which will enable firmware updates and focusing adjustments, is expected to be available in coming months.
· 60mm F2.8 DN- Featuring the natural perspective of mid-range telephoto lenses, together with a shallow depth of field, this lens allows the photographer to capture a single part of a subject with great bokeh effects. It has an angle of view equivalent to 120mm on the Micro Four Thirds system and 90mm on the E-mount system (35mm equivalent focal length). The minimum focusing distance is 19.7 inches; the maximum magnification is 1:7.2. This lens also contains Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass, which helps minimize axial and transverse chromatic aberration.
· Sigma 19mm F2.8 DN – This high-performance, wide-angle telephoto lens has an angle of view equivalent to 38mm on the Micro Four Thirds system and 28.5mm on the E-mount system (35mm equivalent focal length). As a wide-angle lens with excellent mobility, it is ideal for studio photography, architecture and starry skies. Its minimum focusing distance is 7.9 inches and its maximum magnification is 1:7.4.
· Sigma 30mm F2.8 DN – This high-performance, standard telephoto lens has an angle of view equivalent to 60mm on the Micro Four Thirds system and 45mm on the E-mount system (35mm equivalent focal length). This lens, which is perfect for casual and formal portraiture, documentary photography, travelogues and everyday shooting, includes a double-sided aspherical lens that enhances its optical performance. Its minimum focusing distance of 11.8 inches and its maximum magnification is 1:8.1.
For information about Sigma Corporation of America, visit www.sigmaphoto.com. For the full press releases for each of these new lenses, visit Sigma's news section at www.sigmaphoto.com/sigma-news.
About Sigma Corporation
For more than 50 years, Sigma Corporation's expertise and innovation has driven the company's core philosophy of "knowledge, plus experience, plus imagination,"with anemphasis on producing high-quality, high-performance photographic technology. This family-owned organization is the largest, independent SLR lens manufacturer in the world, producing more than more than 45 lenses that are compatible with most manufacturers, including Sigma, Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax. Sigma Corporation also produces digital SLR cameras and high-definition digital compact cameras. The company is headquartered in Japan, with offices strategically located throughout Europe, Asia and North America. For information, please visit www.sigmaphoto.com.


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"Intelligence provided to U.N. nuclear officials shows that Iran's government has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, receiving assistance from foreign scientists to overcome key technical hurdles," The Washington Post reports this morning.
It cites "Western diplomats and nuclear experts briefed on the findings" as its sources and says the claims will be part of a report this week from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Post adds that "U.S. intelligence officials maintain that Iran's leaders have not decided whether to build nuclear weapons but are intent on gathering all the components and skills so they can quickly assemble a bomb if they choose to." Iran leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have maintained the nation only wants to use nuclear technology to generate power and for other peaceful purposes.
Today's report comes at a sensitive moment. As Reuters says, the news "has been preceded by media speculation in Israel of military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites" and will almost certainly lead to a push by the U.S. and other nations "for more sanctions" on Iran.
Israel's Haaretz writes that the IAEA is expected to say "Iranian scientists acquired the [nuclear] knowledge with the help of weapons scientists from Russia, Pakistan and North Korea."
According to The Guardian, after the report is almost surely leaked on Wednesday, "it will be the IAEA and its credibility that will become the center of the political battle. Iran's foreign minister has already rejected the nuclear weapons report as 'counterfeit,' and Tehran is expected to launch an offensive against the agency's director-general, Yukiya Amano."
On Iran's semi-official Press TV website today, there's this headline: "IAEA Documents Against Iran, Forged." In that report, "Iranian scholar and political analyst Dr. Mohammad Marandi" says "there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Iran at any point has ever pursued nuclear weapons and the Iranians have on many occasions refuted these allegations. The documents were forged."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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RFC: A Simple Markdown Table Format
I've been thinking about markdown tables a bit lately. I've had in mind to follow up on my definition list proposal with a second proposal for the creation and editing of simple tables in Markdown. For better or for worse, an aside on the markdown-discuss mail list led to a longish thread about a syntax for continuing lines in tables (not to mention a long aside on the use of monospaced fonts, but I digress), wherein I realized, after an open-minded post from MultiMarkdown's Fletcher Penney, that I needed to set to working up this request for comments sooner rather than later.
All of which is to say that this blog entry is a request for comments on a proposed syntax for simple tables in Markdown. The requirements for such a feature, to my thinking, are:
- Simple tables only
- Formatting should be implicit
- Support for a simple caption
- Support for representing column headers
- Support for left, right, and center alignment
- Support for multicolumn cells
- Support for empty cells
- Support for multiline (wrapping) cells
- Support for multiple table bodies
- Support for inline Markdown (spans, lists, etc.)
- Support for all features (if not syntax) of MultiMarkdown tables.
By "simple tables" in that first bullet, I mean that they should look good in 78 character-wide monospaced plain text. Anything more complicated should just be done in XHTML. My goal is to be able to handle the vast majority of simple cases, not to handle every kind of table. That's not to say that one won't be able to use the syntax to create more complicated tables, just that it might not be appropriate to do so, and many more advanced features of tables will just have to be done in XHTML.
And by "implicit formatting" in the second bullet, I mean that the syntax should use the bare minimum number of punctuation characters to provide hints about formatting. Another way to think about it is that formatting hints should be completely invisible to a casual reader of the Markdown text.
Most of the rest of the requirements I borrowed from MultiMarkdown, with the last bullet thrown in just to cover anything I might have missed. The MultiMarkdown syntax appears to be a superset of the PHP Markdown Extra syntax, so that's covered, too.
Prior Art: Databases
When I think about the display of tables in plain text, the first piece of prior art I think of is the output from command-line database clients. Database developers have been thinking about tables since, well, the beginning, so it makes sense to see what they're doing. So I wrote a bit of SQL and ran it in three databases. The SQL builds a table with an integer, a short name, a textual description, and a decimal number. Here's the code:
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE widgets (
id integer,
name text,
description text,
price numeric(6,2)
INSERT INTO widgets VALUES( 1, 'gizmo', 'Takes care of the doohickies', 1.99);
INSERT INTO widgets VALUES( 2, 'doodad', 'Collects *gizmos*', 23.8);
INSERT INTO widgets VALUES( 10, 'dojigger', 'Handles:
* gizmos
* doodads
* thingamobobs', 102.98);
INSERT INTO widgets VALUES(1024, 'thingamabob', 'Self-explanatory, no?', 0.99);
SELECT * FROM widgets;
My goal here was to see how the database client would format a variety of data formats, as well as a textual column ("description") with newlines in it (and a Markdown list, no less!), as the newlines will force the output to appear on multiple lines for a single row. This is one of the features that is missing from the existing Markdown implementations, which all require that the text all be on a single line.
The first database client in which I ran this code was psql 8.3, the interactive terminal for PostgreSQL 8.3. Its output looks like this:
id | name | description | price
1 | gizmo | Takes care of the doohickies | 1.99
2 | doodad | Collects *gizmos* | 23.80
10 | dojigger | Handles: | 102.98
: * gizmos
: * doodads
: * thingamobobs
1024 | thingamabob | Self-explanatory, no? | 0.99
As you can see, PostgreSQL properly right-aligned the integer and numeric columns. It also has a very nice syntax for demonstrating continuing lines for a given column: the colon. The colon is really nice here because it looks kind of like a broken pipe character, which is an excellent mnemonic for a string of text that breaks over multiple lines. Really, this is just a very nice output format overall.
The next database client I tried was mysql 5.0, the command-line client for MySQL 5.0. Its output looks like this:
| id | name | description | price |
| 1 | gizmo | Takes care of the doohickies | 1.99 |
| 2 | doodad | Collects *gizmos* | 23.80 |
| 10 | dojigger | Handles:
* gizmos
* doodads
* thingamobobs | 102.98 |
| 1024 | thingamabob | Self-explanatory, no? | 0.99 |
Once again we have very good alignment of the numeric data types. Furthermore, MySQL uses exactly the same syntax as PostgreSQL to represent the separation between column headers and column rows, although the PostgreSQL version is a bit more minimalist. The MySQL version just hast a little more stuff in it
Where the MySQL version fails, however, is in the representation of the continuing lines for the "dojigger" row. First of all, it set the width of the "description" column to the longest value in that column, but since that longest value includes newlines, it actually ends up being much too long—much longer than PostgreSQL's representation of the same column. And second, as a symptom of that problem, nothing special is done with the wrapped lines. The newlines are simply output like any other character, with no attempt to line up the column. This has the side effect of orphaning the price for the "dojigger" after the last line of the continuing description. So its alignment is shot, too.
To be fair, PostgreSQL's display featured almost exactly the same handling of continuing columns prior to version 8.2. But I do think that their solution featuring the colons is a good one.
The last database client I tried was SQLite 3.6. This client is the most
different of all. I set .header ON
and .mode column
and got this output:
id name description price
---------- ---------- ---------------------------- ----------
1 gizmo Takes care of the doohickies 1.99
2 doodad Collects *gizmos* 23.8
10 dojigger Handles:
* gizmos
* doodads
1024 thingamabo Self-explanatory, no? 0.99
I don't think this is at all useful for Markdown.
Prior Art: MultiMarkdown
Getting back to Markdown now, here is the MultiMarkdown syntax, borrowed from the documentation:
| | Grouping ||
First Header | Second Header | Third Header |
------------ | :-----------: | -----------: |
Content | *Long Cell* ||
Content | **Cell** | Cell |
New section | More | Data |
And more | And more |
[Prototype table]
There are a few interesting features to this syntax, including support for multiple lines of headers, multicolumn cells alignment queues, and captions. I like nearly everything about this syntax, except for two things:
- There is no support for multiline cell values.
- The explicit alignment queues are, to my eye, distracting.
The first issue can be solved rather nicely with PostgreSQL's use of the colon to indicate continued lines. I think it could even optionally use colons to highlight all rows in the output, not just the continuing one, as suggested by Benoit Perdu on the markdown-discuss list:
id | name | description | price
1 | gizmo | Takes care of the doohickies | 1.99
2 | doodad | Collects *gizmos* | 23.80
10 | dojigger | Handles: | 102.98
: : * gizmos :
: : * doodads :
: : * thingamobobs :
1024 | thingamabob | Self-explanatory, no? | 0.99
I think I prefer the colon only in front of the continuing cell, but see no reason why both couldn't be supported.
The second issue is a bit more subtle. My problem with the alignment hints, embodied by the colons in the header line, is that to the reader of the plain-text Markdown they fill no obvious purpose, but are provided purely for the convenience of the parser. In my opinion, if there is some part of the Markdown syntax that provides no obvious meaning to the user, it should be omitted. I take this point of view not only for my own selfish purposes, which are, of course, many and rampant, but from John Gruber's original design goal for Markdown, which was:
The overriding design goal for Markdown's formatting syntax is to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. While Markdown's syntax has been influenced by several existing text-to-HTML filters, the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown's syntax is the format of plain text email.
To me, those colons are formatting instructions. So, how else could we support alignment of cells but with formatting instructions? Why, by formatting the cells themselves, of course. Take a look again at the PostgreSQL and MySQL outputs. both simply align values in their cells. There is absolutely no reason why a decent parser couldn't do the same on a cell-by-cell basis if the table Markdown follows these simple rules:
- For a left-aligned cell, the content should have no more than one space between the pipe character that precedes it, or the beginning of the line.
- For a right-aligned cell, the content should have no more than one space between itself and the pipe character that succeeds it, or the end of the line.
- For a centered cell, the content should have at least two characters between itself and both its left and right borders.
- If a cell has one space before and one space after its content, it is assumed to be left-aligned unless the cell that precedes it or, in the case of the first cell, the cell that succeeds it, is right-aligned.
What this means, in effect, is that you can create tables wherein you line things up for proper display with a proportional font and, in general, the Markdown parser will know what you mean. A quick example, borrowing from the PostgreSQL output:
id | name | description | price
1 | gizmo | Takes care of the doohickies | 1.99
2 | doodad | Collects *gizmos* | 23.80
10 | dojigger | Handles stuff | 102.98
1024 | thingamabob | Self-explanatory, no? | 0.99
The outcome for this example is that:
- The table headers are all center-aligned, because they all have 2 or more spaces on each side of their values
- The contents of the "id" column are all right-aligned. This includes 1024, which ambiguously has only one space on each side of it, so it makes the determination based on the preceding line.
- The contents of the "name" column are all left-aligned. This includes "thingamabob", which ambiguously has only one space on each side of it, so it makes the determination based on the preceding line.
- The contents of the "description" column are also all left-aligned. This includes first row, which ambiguously has only one space on each side of it, so it makes the determination based on the succeeding line.
- And finally, the contents of the "price" column are all right-aligned. This includes 102.98, which ambiguously has only one space on each side of it, so it makes the determination based on the preceding line.
And that's it. The alignments are perfectly clear to the parser and highly legible to the reader. No further markup is required.
Proposed Syntax
So, with this review, I'd like to propose the following syntax. It is inspired largely by a combination of PostgreSQL and MySQL's output, as well as by MultiMarkdown's syntax.
- A table row is identifiable by the use of one or more pipe (
) characters in a line of text, aside from those found in a literal span (backticks). - Table headers are identified as a table row with the immediately-following
line containing only
or spaces. (This is the same as the MultiMarkdown syntax, but with the addition fo the plus sign.) - Columns are separated by
, except on the header underline, where they may optionally be separated by+
, and on continuing lines (see next point). - Lines that continue content from one or more cells from a previous line must
to separate cells with continued content. The content of such cells must line up with the cell width on the first line, determined by the number of spaces (tabs won't work). They may optionally demarcate all cells on continued lines, or just the cells that contain continued content. - Alignment of cell content is to be determined on a cell-by-cell basis, with reference to the same cell on the preceding or succeeding line as necessary to resolve ambiguities.
- To indicate that a cell should span multiple columns, there should be
additional pipes (
) at the end of the cell, as in MultiMarkdown. If the cell in question is at the end of the row, then of course that means that pipes are not optional at the end of that row. - You can use normal Markdown markup within the table cells, including multiline formats such as lists, as long as they are properly indented and denoted by colons on succeeding lines.
- Captions are optional, but if present must be at the beginning of the line
immediately preceding or following the table, start with
and end with]
, as in MultiMarkdown. If you have a caption before and after the table, only the first match will be used. - If you have a caption, you can also have a label, allowing you to create anchors pointing to the table, as in MultiMarkdown. If there is no label, then the caption acts as the label.
- Cells may not be empty, except as represented by the appropriate number of space characters to match the width of the cell in all rows.
- As in MultiMarkdown. You can create multiple
tags within a table by having a single empty line between rows of the table.
Sound like a lot? Well, if you're acquainted with MultiMarkdown's syntax, it's essentially the same, but with these few changes:
- Implicit cell alignment
- Cell content continuation
- Stricter use of space, for proper alignment in plain text (which all of the MultiMarkdown examples I've seen tend to do anyway)
- Allow
to separate columns in the header-demarking lines - A table does not have to start right at the beginning of a line
I think that, for purposes of backwards compatibility, we could still allow the
use of :
in the header lines to indicate alignment, thus also providing a
method to override implicit alignment in those rare cases where you really need
to do so. I think that the only other change I would make is to eliminate the
requirement that the first row be made the table header row if now header line
is present. But that's a gimme, really.
Taking the original MultiMarkdown example and rework it with these changes yields:
| | Grouping ||
| First Header | Second Header | Third Header |
| Content | *Long Cell* ||
: continued : ::
: content : ::
| Content | **Cell** | Cell |
: continued : : :
: content : : :
| New section | More | Data |
| And more | And more ||
[Prototype table]
I think I've gone on long enough here, especially since it ultimately comes down to some refinements to the MultiMarkdown syntax. Ultimately, what I'm trying to do here is to push MultiMarkdown to be just a bit more Markdownish (by which I mean that it's more natural to read as plain text), as well as to add a little more support for some advanced features. The fact that I'll be able to cut-and-paste the output from my favorite database utilities is a handy bonus.
As it happens, John Gruber today posted a comment to the markdown-discuss mail list in which he says (not for the first time, I expect):
A hypothetical official table syntax for Markdown will almost certainly look very much, if not exactly, like Michel's table syntax in PHP Markdown Extra.
I hope that he finds this post in that vein, as my goals here were to embrace the PHP Markdown Extra and MultiMarkdown formats, make a few tweaks, and see what people think, with an eye toward contributing toward a (currently hypothetical) official table syntax.
So what do you think? Please leave a comment, or comment on the markdown-discuss list, where I'll post a synopsis of my proposal and a link to this entry. What have I missed? What mistakes have I made? What do you like? What do you hate? Please do let me know.
Looking for the comments? Try the old layout.


text:
Kirk Anderson's Cartoon for 6/6/2002
Kirk Anderson
Kirk Anderson spent eight years as staff cartoonist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and his work has been published in over 150 books and seen on ABC's Nightline and The CBS Evening News.
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text:
Alec Ari
- email@example.com
- Homepage
- http://neo-technical.wikispaces.com
- Interests
- learning bits and peices of code all over cgit.freedesktop.org * compiling things * git
Some people refer to me as Neo_The_User as that was my hacker alias back in the day when I was big on PS3 (Playstation 3) hacking. I wrote several different NAND flashers for PSP (Playstation Portable) along with a few other developers. I then started my own Playstation 3 development team along with some other people and then... it kinda just fell apart so now I just tinker with stuff.


text:
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Victoria.
Where did you train?
I started at age 12 in my godparents' French restaurant, Antoine's. I worked in small restaurants and bakeries throughout high school and was running a kitchen by age 18. After I graduated, I decided to visit Paris to stage and learn classic French styles. Back home I eventually worked my way up to sous chef at Feyes and Hobbs Catering under Chef David Feyes before branching out on my own.
How long at your current restaurant?
I've had Saveur for five years. The first two were spent building it from an empty shell. This was a challenging time as the project—of course—came in over budget and almost plunked before it started! It was just me and a few small investors and partners, so we had to work hard to get the space done. Saveur recently celebrated three years of being open for business though, and each year we do a little more to improve our space.
What are you best known for as a chef?
Honestly, I think my vegetarian dishes receive the most recognition. I love working with our local farmers and making vegetables the centre stage in my Tasting Menus. I think a lot of vegetarians are used to their meals being fairly standardized and people are pleased to see some creative options presented.
What are the 10 or so most important ingredients in your pantry?
There's always the basics in the pantry, but I try to get out to the farms at least three times a week to see what's fresh on the stands, and draw my inspiration from there.
What's your favourite dish to cook and eat on a warm summer day?
Chilled soups are one of my favourites. Summer desserts are always fun to play with as well. Last year we did a play on s'mores with loganberry marshmallows, house-made graham crackers and white chocolate "Aero bars."
What's your go-to item when sampling other chefs' fare?
I definitely like to let the chef get creative if that's an option and choose for me.
It's a high demand industry, especially balancing being both the chef and the owner. On my days off I spend time with my family, walk my dog, take my son to the beach. I love home projects and doing renovations. If possible, a glass of wine on the deck with a cookbook is nice!
Anything else we should know?
Well, Saveur is a bit off the beaten track on Herald Street, so if you're local and haven't been in, we'd love to see you! We do specialize in Chef's Tasting Menus in the evening, but also feature a more casual à la carte menu every night, and we recently opened for brunch.
Can you share an easy, seasonal recipe for a quick bite this summer?
My wife would say I'm not capable of doing anything simple for meals! Here's a great sauce that can be used for anything from fish to beef to chicken, and even as a tomato salad dressing.
2 cups fresh mint
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh parsley
2 ounces of canola oil
Juice of 2 limes
½ clove microplaned garlic
Sea salt
Blend all ingredients except basil.
Once blended, add basil and blend again until smooth.
Salt to taste
Use the same day, or freeze to use later. Delicious on fish, chicken, steak, on tacos, or as a salad dressing!
-Story by Angela Cowan
Story courtesy of Boulevard Magazine, a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on Facebook and follow them on Instagram


text:
In their April Issue, Plastics Engineering has shared insight on Instron's investment of analysis for every stage in the plastics lifecycle. As Instron develops new products, a heavy emphasis is being placed on improving efficiency and increasing production without sacrificing quality. Automation, among other things, helps to remove manual errors and in turn, provide more consistency and repeatability.
The AutoX can perform multiple types of tests with high accuracy and travel. The TrendTracker™ is a results management software package that allows the user to search, view, and compare multiple test results generated over time. Responding to customer needs, the CEAST HV500 can be used to test specimens at temperatures as high as 500 °C and a low-cost Carousel Automated Feeding System can carry out tensile, tear, and t-peel testing of thin-film plastics


text:
(Updated 11/12/12): Class 2B of Bash Street School, otherwise known as The Bash Street Kids, have been entertaining us in The Beano since the strip first appeared under its original title of When The Bell Rings in the issue dated 13 February 1954. Beano editor George Moonie was inspired by the antics of the children of the High School Of Dundee, the playground of which could be seen from the windows of the Beano office, and he passed the idea to artist Leo Baxendale whose imagination did the rest.
The street and school as seen in the comic do not exist in reality in Dundee but with the major redevelopment work that is going on in the city at the moment the opportunity has arisen to name a new street and the proposal that will be going in front of Dundee City Council is that it should be called Bash Street.
The consultation letter from Dundee City Council's Street Naming and Numbering Team states: "There is a proposal for a children's soft play area withinthe former works buildings off West Marketgait. As part of this development DC Thomson is in discussions with a local developer re licensing the Beano IP within thebranded children's soft play centre. Planning consent has been granted for thesoft play centre.
"The Bash Street Kids will feature heavily in the new centrealongside Dennis the Menace, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodgerand The Beano logo. Dundee City Council has received a request from DCThomson to allocate the name Bash Street to the street adjacent to 142/144 WestMarketgait which currently has no name. This is to tie-in with the proposed newbuild and to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of The Beano in 2013 in the comic's hometown."
The as yet unnamed new street is beside a Travelodge hotel off West Marketgait and between the West Port Roundabout and Guthrie Street where DC Thomson used to have their printing works. Indeed the area is only a short walk from DC Thomson's Courier Building and the High School Of Dundee itself.
At the moment the name is at the proposal stage however Councillor Fraser MacPherson, who represents the area in the city council, has stated on his blog, "I think this is a superb proposal." He goes on to say, "Dundee having its very own Bash Street seems very appropriate and I'm very pleased that Bash Street will be in the West End Ward!"
There are more details of the High School Of Dundee's connection with The Bash Street Kids over on Bear Alley.
Update, 11th December 2012: The BBC reports Dundee Council has now approved these plans. See: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-20672645
Dave Gibbons teases future "Martha Washington" project at Comics Up Close:
Origin Stories
Sim Leech and Chris Wright report on the recent Comics Up Close event at
Sheffield Hallam University
6 hours ago


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Districts: | Airport | Centro | Chamberi | Gran Via | Puerta del Sol | Salamanca Quarter |
Destination: |
Madrid Three Day Weather ForecastLoading... |
Madrid Climate
Madrid's geographical location, near a mountain range, produces a more extreme climate than in other Spanish cities. Expect summers to be warm with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), whilst relatively cold winters bring an average temperature below 10 degrees Celsius (53 degrees Fahrenheit).
Districts: | Airport | Centro | Chamberi | Gran Via | Puerta del Sol | Salamanca Quarter |
| Hotel Ritz by BelmondPlaza de la Lealtad, 5 � 28014 Madrid - Spain This vibrant gathering spot of Spain�s elite is within walking distance of the old town and major sights |
| InterContinental MadridPaseo de la Castellana, 49 - 28046 Madrid - Spain Heavily influenced by traditional art, sculptures and paintings of Madrid, InterContinental Castellana Madrid Hotel is one of the most beautiful hotels in the city. Situated in the heart of the commercial district and 11 kilometres away from Barajas Airport, the... |
| Best Western Hotel ArosaSALUD, 21 (GRAN V�A, 29), Madrid, 28013, Spain The beautiful Best Western Hotel Arosa is located in the heart of Madrid, just a few steps away from the famed Grand Via Avenue. Situated in Madrid�s principal shopping, tourist and historic area, this Best Western hotel is ideal for the travellers visiting the city.... |
| Best Western Hotel Carlos VMaestro Vitoria, 5, Madrid, 28013, Spain Madrid's tourist and historical center hosts the three-star rated Best Western Madrid Hotel Carlos V, located between Gran Via and Puerta del Sol. The convenient location of Best Western Madrid Hotel Carlos V provides hotel guests with easy access... |
Calle de Hermosilla, 2 - 28001 Madrid - Spain Hotel Description The renovation and refurbishment of the new Gran Meli� F�nix has brought major improvements to both guest rooms and public areas. 215 comfortable guest rooms providing every one of the services and facilities that are expected... more |
Paseo de la Castellana, 57 - 28046 Madrid - Spain General Information: Diplomatic district. Eight kilometres from airport. Services / Facilities / Amenities: Alarm clock Babysitting Business... more |
Calle de Orfila, 6 - 28010 Madrid - Spain Hotel Description: Year built - 1886. Year renovated - 1999. A small palace from the 19th century, the building was built in 1886 as the residence of a bourgeois family. In the era of the 90s the building was converted... more |
Velazquez, 8 - 28001 Madrid - Spain The beautiful Hotel Wellington is brilliantly located in the heart of�Madrid, near the city's financial and business district.�This Madrid hotel is within close proximity to several popular attractions�such as Retiro Park and the Prado Museum.�Barajas Airport is... more |
Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, 36 Madrid 28027 Spain The Melia Avenida America is a deluxe hotel situated two kilometers from the Madrid-Barajas Airport. This hotel is neighbored by the Juan Carlos Trade and Exhibition Center, IFEMA, and the Olivar de Hinojosa Golf Course. Just a kilometer from the hotel is the Auditorium... more |
Capit�n Haya, 43 Madrid 28020 Spain Hotel Description The hotel is located in the modern commercial and financial district of Madrid, parallel to Madrid's main boulevard, the "Paseo de la Castellana". Ten minutes from the airport and the IFEMA Trade Exibition Centre, a short... more |
Madrid Plaza Cortes, 7 - 28014 Madrid - Spain Hotel Description: In the heart of Madrid, just minutes from the Prado and Thyssen museums, The Westin Palace, Madrid is a monument to elegance, combining turn-of-the-century grandeur with new amenities and high-tech touches of a modern world-class... more |
Amadeo de Saboya s/n, 46010, Valencia ES, 46010, Madrid, Spain The Westin Valencia is an exclusive, luxury hotel in Valencia, in the art nouveau district of Meslalla and within walking distance of Valencia's historic center with its numerous cultural attractions and unique shops. The hotel has maintained its original art nouveau... more |
Paseo de la Castellana 152 Madrid 28046 Madrid's AC Hotel Aitana offers its guests a welcoming and refined place to stay amongst the hub of activity of this world-class city... more |
Camino de la Zarzuela , 3 Madrid 28023 The AC Hotel Aravaca offers business and leisure guests a premium stay in and excellent location... more |
C/ Delicias, 42 Madrid 28045 |
Cartagena, 83-85 Madrid 28028 The AC Hotel Avenida De America is located in the prestigious area of Salamanca... more |
Paseo de la Delicias 26 Madrid 28045 The stylish AC Hotel Carlton Madrid is located in the heart of Madrid, one of the world's most glamorous and lively cities... more |
Calle Julian Camarillo 19-21, Madrid, Spain Our brand new Barcelo Torre Arrias*** is the most intelligent choice for a business trip or just for a visit to discover the amazing Spanish capital city. Minutes away from Madrid Convention Center; Juan Carlos I Exhibition Center, with easy acces from Barajas International... more |
Clarion Hotel Rafaelhoteles Atocha Madrid Mendez Alvaro, 30 Madrid Spain City center, close to business district and culture mile. 245 bedrooms including Executive floor. 6 spacious meeting rooms all offering natural daylight fully equipped. more |
C/Dario Aparicio s/n With a modern and elegant construcion and located at the north area of Madrid, the Zarzuela Park hotel is sorrounded by gardens and a swimming pool.There is a Gym, sauna, Jacuzzi, cafeteria and restaurant. Rooms provided of all facilities more | BOOK NOW |
Plaza de las Cortes 10 Madrid 28014 Spain Established in 1989, the Hotel Villa Real was designed to embody the splendour of 19th century Spanish classical architecture. The hotel interior continues the classic theme with period furniture throughout. In addition, there is a magnificent collection of... more |
Claudio Coello, 139 Madrid 28006 Spain Hotel Description Exceptionally located in one of the most important business districts in Madrid, a luxury hotel offering the finest services and facilities for both business and leisure travellers, a great choice of local and international... more |
c/Jos� Abascal 47, 28003 Madrid DescriptionThe NH Abascal Hotel has eleven meeting rooms which are perfectly equipped for any type of event, from conferences, conventions or business meetings, to banquets and celebrations, amongst others. The meeting rooms are designed with various dimensions,... more |
Alberto Aguilera, 18, 28015 Madrid, DescriptionThe centrally-located NH Alberto Aguilera Hotel offers you two comfortable meeting rooms in which you can hold conventions, business meetings, presentations, conferences and banquets for up to 90 people. In addition to the hotels in-house services... more |
Alcal�, 66, 28009 Madrid, DescriptionThe three meeting rooms available to you in the comfortable NH Alcal� Hotel are supplied with all of the services and equipment that you may need for your business meetings, conventions, conferences or any type of festive events such as banquets... more |
Vallehermoso, 65, 28015 Madrid, LocationSituated a short distance from Bravo Murillo Street and very near the Estadio Vallehermoso.ServicesLaundry and dry cleaning service, Car park, Shuttle service, Medical service, Babysitting service, Safe, Car rental.Accommodation75... more |
N��ez de Balboa, 112, 28006 Madrid, DescriptionAt the NH Balboa Hotel, we have the pleasure of offering you three modern convention halls, together with the services and technical equipment that you may need: audiovisual systems (overhead projection, TV, video, projector), direct line and... more |
Catamar�n, 1, 28042 Madrid, LocationLocated at the junction of the Nacional II (Barcelona Highway), the Juan Carlos I business fair grounds (Trade fair) and Barajas Airport.ServicesRestaurant, Caf� bar, 1 Function room (from 1 to 15 people), Business center, Laundry... more |
Bret�n de los Herreros, 29 28003 Madrid Spain DescriptionThe modern NH Bret�n Hotel, located near the Paseo de la Castellana and the AZCA business complex, offers you its Navarra convention hall. This meeting room is versatile and well equipped for business meetings, conventions, conferences, cocktails,... more |
Padre Dami�n, 23 28036 Madrid Spain Description24 halls which can accommodate from 10 to 900 people convince people the NH Eurobuilding the best choice for convention organizers. Named after European capitals, these spacious, light-filled and modern halls create a functional setting for any... more |
Paseo de la Habana, 73 28036 Madrid Spain DescriptionThe NH La Habana Hotel offers you eleven well-equipped meeting rooms for any occasion. The meeting rooms have various dimensions accommodating up to 300 people, and are adaptable to any type of event due to the hotels special design. Your conferences,... more |
Crta. de Villaverde a Vallecas Km. 3,800, Madrid, Spain Situation The NH Mercader is located in the South of Madrid, in the nourishing polygon Mercamadrid: the biggest food market in Europe. 10 minutes away from the hotel is Atocha station and very close to that is the Airport of Barajas and the Fairground... more |
Paseo del Prado, 48, 28014 Madrid, DescriptionThe eight convention halls that are available in the NH Nacional Hotel provide you with all of the services and equipment you might need for your events: audiovisual systems (overhead projection, TV, video, projector), direct-line and coded telephone,... more |
Avenida Ciudad de Barcelona, 113, 28007 Madrid, LocationNH Pac�fico, is located beside the south interchange of the M-30 and "Sur" bus station. Very close to Mercamadrid, the largest food market in Europe. Near Atocha train station (AVE ? high speed train). Easy access to the old part of Madrid. This... more |
Biarritz, 2, 28028 Madrid, DescriptionNH Parque Avenidas has twenty six lounges, with a capacity from 25 people to more than 800. You are able to choose the assembly that you need, and our team will turn it into the most suitable place to celebrate such conventions, banquets, company... more |
Bravo Murillo, 304, 28020 Madrid, DescriptionNear the Plaza Castilla and the Chamart�n station, the NH Pr�ctico Hotel is a fantastic choice to use as a meeting place. Your meeting hall will be equipped with all of the necessary media: audio-visual systems (overhead projection, TV, video,... more |
Pr�ncipe de Vergara, 92, 28006 Madrid, DescriptionThe NH Pr�ncipe de Vergara Hotel offers you large and comfortable different sized halls, enabling you to hold your conferences, conventions, business meetings, and festive events tailor-made for the number of participants and distribution that... more |
Goya, 3, 28001 Madrid, DescriptionThe large and comfortable meeting rooms of the NH Sanvy Hotel allow you to choose the most appropriate distribution for your conferences, conventions, and business meetings, or any type of festive event. There are 20 meeting rooms with various... more |
Santa Engracia, 120, 28003 Madrid, DescriptionThe NH Prisma Suites Hotel has four convention halls completely equipped for any event. With a maximum capacity of 110 people, the meeting rooms adapt with versatility to meet the needs of business meetings, conventions, conferences, or any other... more |
Paseo Infanta Isabel, 9, 28014 Madrid, DescriptionIn front of the Atocha train station, in the heart of the historic centre of Madrid, the NH Sur Hotel has a strategic location for business meetings, conferences, or any type of festive event. In addition to the hotels services, we can offer... more |
Avenida de la Constituci�n, 75, 28820 Madrid, DescriptionThe modern NH Villa de Coslada, located next to the Madrid-Barajas airport, has six magnificent meeting rooms at your disposal. Their multi-functional distribution offers the perfect setting for your work meetings, conventions, conferences, banquets... more |
Zurbano, 79-81, 28003 Madrid, DescriptionAmongst the 8 meeting rooms available in the NH Zurbano Hotel, you will find the perfect loaction for business meetings, conventions, conferences, or any type of festive event. With capacities of up to 180 people, the meeting rooms are designed... more |
Avenida De La Capital De Espana,, Madrid N�10, Campo De Las Naciones, 28042 Madrid, Spain Pullman Madrid Airport Hotel is located within a five minute's drive from Madrid International Airport, providing convenient accommodations to a variety of business and leisure travellers arriving in Madrid, Spain. Pullman Madrid Airport Hotel's close proximity to many... more |
Sofitel Madrid Plaza de Espana Calle De Tutor 1, Esquina Ventura Rodriguez, 28008 Madrid, Spain In the heart of Madrid's historic, business and tourist district situated close to the Espa�a and Mayor Squares, the Prado Museum and the "Old Quarter". Several shops, cinemas, restaurants and parks nearby. 96 rooms and 1 suite, non-smoking floor, TV payper view. "El Patio"... more |
Avda. De Logrono, 100 Madrid 28042 Spain Popular with business people visiting the nearby IFEMA Trade Centre and Palacio de Congresos (Conference Centre), this well equipped four-star hotel offers comfortable bedrooms with large windows, carpeted floors and attractive decor. It's located in a residential district... more |
Alcala, 611 Y 13 Madrid 28022 Spain This newly constructed hotel, completed in January 2002, is of an attractive contemporary design and it offers a full array of amenities. The Alcala 611 has an onsite restaurant and for its guests' leisure, an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel's guest rooms have an attractive... more |
Jose Abascal, 8 Madrid 28003 Spain In the heart of Madrid, in the Chamberi district, just a few minutes from the Paseo de la Castellana, Plaza Mayor and La Cibeles. The hotel has 56 double rooms, 16 single rooms, minibar, satellite TV and direct dial telephone. more |
Cuesta De Santo Domingo, 5 Y 7 Madrid 28013 Spain Hotel Description The elegant 4* hotel is located in the historical city center, close to the Royal Palace, Teatro de la Opera theater, the courts and the Gran V�a. It is located in the old palace of the Duques of Granada de Ega, maintaining... more |
Atocha, 83 Madrid 28012 Spain Brilliantly situated in the heart of Madrid, the Tryp Atocha hotel is a remarkable 18th century structure within easy reach of many popular attractions such as Puerta del Sol, |
Avda. De Logrono , 305,Madrid 28042,Spain The Quiet Atmosphere And Tastefully Furnished Guest Rooms Make The Perfect Accommodations For A Relaxing Holiday Or Business Trip. Situated On It's Own Spacious Grounds, The Barajas Hotel Is Ideally Situated For Visitors To The Area And Has A Welcoming Atmosphere With Friendly... more |
Mauricio Legendre, 16 Madrid 28046 Spain In the residential area of the Plaza de Castilla, a few meters from the metro station "Chamartin". Perfectly comunicated by the ring roads M-30 and M-40, easy approach to the IFEMA fairground. At a short distance from the popular Paseo de la Castellana, a very important... more |
Mauricio Ravel, 10 Madrid 28046 Spain This hotel is a three star complex consisting of a 12-floor hotel with 203 rooms and five conference and meeting rooms. Each room is equipped with thoughtful amenities for your comfort and convenience. The coffee shop and buffet style restaurant will cater to all your needs... more |
C/ Mesonero Romanos #13 Corner With Gran Via Madrid 28004 Spain Hotel Description The hotel is located right in the Gran Via. Close to the Plaza Mayor square, Puerta del Sol, Palacio Real (Royal Palace), Congreso de los Diputados and the famous museums El Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen. It occupies one... more |
Gale�n, 27 Madrid 28042 Spain Description Tryp Diana Solmelia Hotel in Barajas, Spain is especially... more |
Gran V�a, 25 Madrid 28013 Spain Tryp Gran Via offers comfortable accommodations in attractively appointed guestrooms with a tasteful contemporary d�cor. The hotel bar, "Hemingway" is named after the legendary writer who once resided at this hotel. Conveniently located in the center of Madrid's many attractions,... more |
Urbanizacion Las Matas - c/ Martin Iriarte, 2 Madrid 28290 Spain The hotel offers 57 rooms, including 53 double rooms and 4 Junior Suites. All of the rooms have a private bathroom with floor heating and hair-dryer, air-conditioning / heating, TV with remote control, direct dial telephone with modem connection and Internet acces, mini-bar,... more |
Avenida Universidad, 7 Leganes (Madrid) 28911 Spain 12 km from the centre of Madrid. 25 minutes on the M40 from the airport, Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre and Congress Centre. Very well connected by public transport to the business districts in the centre of Madrid. 78 rooms with remote-controlled satellitea... more |
Gran V�a, 74 Madrid 28013 Spain All of the guestrooms at the Tryp Menfis are well appointed with modern comforts and amenities. These rooms are tastefully decorated in a modern d�cor with an attractive color scheme. The hotel has an onsite bar and restaurant. The Hotel Tryp Menfis is just steps from dining,... more |
Gran Via 72 Madrid 28013 Spain All of the Tryp Washington's guestrooms were renovated in 2000. Each of these guestrooms is air conditioned and well appointed with modern comforts. The guestrooms are tastefully decorated and well furnished. The hotel has an onsite restaurant and a bar, for their guests'... more |
Los Libreros 7, Madrid, 28004, Spain The Best Western Los Condes Madrid Hotel is an elegant Madrid hotel that is located in the heart of downtown Madrid. From this convenient location, guests can access the very best of Madrid�s tourist attractions and business points of interest. The accommodations... more |
Trafalgar 35, Madrid, 28010, Spain The Best Western Hotel Trafalgar is situated in the center of Madrid and was totally refurbished in 2000. We are close proximity to the historic part of Madrid and to its business center. There is superb transportation network on hand, as our hotel is close to underground... more |
Best Western Hotel Villa De Barajas Avda De Logrono 331, Madrid, 28042, Spain The delightful Best Western Hotel Villa De Barajas is conveniently located adjacent to the trade fair centre in Madrid, |
Plaza Carlos Trias Bertran, 4 MADRID 28020 SPAIN Description Strategically located in the heart of Madrid's business and financial district,... more |
Antonio Suarez, 8, 28802 Madrid, DescriptionLocationLocated in the Ciudad Empresarial de la Garena, close to the sports complex. Easy access to the National II highway and the city.ServicesCaf� bar, Business centre, Laundry service, Cloakroom service,... more |
Complejo Empresarial Alcorc�n, Parcela, 28920 Madrid, Description4 halls with a capacity from 10 to 180 attendants makes the NH Alcorc�n most suitable hotel on the West part of Madrid to organize your company and personal events. These spacious, light-filled and modern halls create a functional setting for... more |
Alsasua, 5, 28023 Madrid, LocationLocated in a business district, surrounded by gardens and with direct access to the N-VI highway, easy access to the M-40 and in one of Madrids fastest growing business areas. This hotel is located very close to the railway station and large shopping... more |
Avda. de Madrid, 105, 28500 Madrid, DescriptionThere are 3 function rooms, with capacities from 10 to 50 people, spacious, luminous, and modern, which offers an adaptive atmosphere for any type of function or meeting. Due to the style of these areas, the rooms are used to hold meetings, presentations,... more |
Crta. Boadilla del Monte, 28223 Madrid, Spain DescriptionLocationThe hotel is situated in the Ciudad de la Imagen Business Centre, with just a few minutes ride to midtown Madrid and easy access from the Extremadura road and M-40 (exit 36).ServicesCaf� bar, Business... more |
Santa Engracia, 5 28010 Madrid Spain DescriptionThe four meeting rooms at the NH Embajada Hotel are fully adapted for business meetings, conventions, conferences, or any type of festive event. You may choose the most appropriate set-up and capacity, from 20 to 64 people. All the meeting rooms... more |
Proci�n, 12, Madrid, Spain Situation Located in a business district, surrounded by gardens and with direct access to the N-VI highway, easy access to the M-40 and in one of Madrids fastest growing business areas, very close to the railway station and large shopping and leisure... more |
Lagasca, 64 28001 Madrid, Spain DescriptionThe magnificent location of the NH Lagasca Hotel, in the distinguished Salamanca district, near the Paseo de la Castellana, is the perfect setting for your events. The Arg�elles meeting room offers you the services you need to hold business meetings,... more |
Camino Viejo de Madrid, 38,28230 Madrid,,Spain Location Located in a business district, surrounded by gardens and with direct access to the N-VI highway, easy access to the M-40 and in one of Madrids fastest growing business areas, very close to the railway station and large... more |
Esteban Terradas, 17 (Pol. Ind Butarque),,28914 Madrid,,Spain, LocationLocated in the Nuestra Se�ora de Butarque Industrial Park, near the Parquesur shopping centre and with easy access from Madrid to the Toledo Road (A-42). 15km from the Warner Bros. Theme Park and 20 km from the Parque de Nieve Xanad�ServicesRestaurant... more |
Crta. Las Rozas-El Escorial, 28230 Madrid, Spain LocationLocated on the road to El Escorial (18 km from Madrid), close to an industrial park and the new Europolis business development area and Las Rozas Leisure Park. Easily accessible from the N-VI and M-40 (Pinar junction).ServicesCaf�... more |
Avda, Leguario, 2, Madrid, Spain, Situation The NH Parla is situated south of the Parla region, not far from Madrid. Located in a recently constructed area, the hotel benefits from easy access from Madrid on the A-42 highway to Toledo (exit km 23). Near the Warner Bros. Park. Services "nhube"... more |
Paseo de Europa 11, 28700 Madrid, LocationSituated in San Sebastian de los Reyes Business Park, 15 kms from Madrid. Easily approachable roads from the A-1 dual carriageway (N-I) (junction 19 heading towards Burgos and junction 21 heading towards Madrid) and the M-40 to reach Madrid-Barajas... more |
Novotel Madrid Campo de Las Naciones C/Amsterdam, N�3, Campo De Las Naciones, 28042 Madrid, Spain Hotel IntroductionLocated 15 minutes from the centre of Madrid by public transport. Close to the IFEMA exhibition centre and the convention centre. Golf course nearby. 5 km from Barajas airport. Restaurant, bar, conference room, terrace, car park. Free... more |
Novotel Madrid Puente de La Paz Albacete 1, Esquina Avenida De Badajoz, 28027 Madrid, Spain Hotel IntroductionIn the heart of one of the largest business and residential areas. 10 min from Barajas airport and Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre. Outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, bar, meeting rooms and parking. Highly recommended for families.AccommodationNumber... more |
Sanchinarro 15, 28050 Madrid, Spain Hotel IntroductionFour-star hotel with 134 modern rooms. The Novotel Madrid Sanchinarro is located at the northern entrance to Madrid when approaching the city along the A1 motorway. The hotel is 15 minutes away from the city centre via the M30, 10 minutes... more |
Holiday Inn Express Hotels - Madrid-Rivas Avenida de La Tecnica 8 Newly opened in December 2003, the hotel is located to the South East of Madrid near the fast expanding business area of "Rivas Futura".The hotel is ideal for business and leisure travelers alike and is only 20 minutes drive from Barajas International Airport, the IFEMA... more |
Holiday Inn Express Hotels - Madrid-S.Sebastian D/L Reyes Avenida de Los Pirineos s/n Welcome to the Express by Holiday Inn Madrid Sebastian de los Reyes, the ideal location for business and leisure guests visiting the North of Madrid. The hotel is situated in heart of the most important business areas, and is located 17 km to the north of Madrid, 15... more |
Calle Manuela Malasana 6, 28004 Madrid, Spain Hotel Introduction64 room hotel on Plaza de Bilbao right in the centre of Madrid and close to the historic heart of the city. 10 minutes walk from the Plaza Mayor, 5 minutes walk from the Castellana and the Plaza Colon. 20 minutes walk from the Prado, Reina Sofia... more |
Crta.Fuencarral (M-603) Km 15, Madrid, Spain Hotel DescriptionWelcome to Express By Holiday Inn Madrid-Alcobendas your best selection to stay in North of Madrid.The Hotel is located to the Industrial Park of Alcobendas. North from Madrid next to the Rio Norte shopping mall and Motorway A1Excellent... more |
Calle Argentina S/N, Madrid, Spain Hotel DescriptionOpen in May 2005. The hotel is located to the South West of Madrid near Business district area of San Jose de Valderas and Urtinsa Industrial States, 5 minutes to Air Museum, and 15 minutes from Xanadu shopping center with Indoor Ski, also... more |
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