PlayStation Store Weekly Update

Description Here's what's new for download to your PSP and PS3 this week. Title PlayStation Store Weekly Update Web link Image Related Links Review Price Updates - Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99) Downloadable Games - Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1 and 2 (Bundle) ($14.99) Episode 1 and 2 Bundle is the first two installments in the RPG-adventure game series based on the web comic Penny Arcade. ESRB Rated M File size: 545 MB - The Tester The Tester Episode 3 “No Cry in Team” Eight contenders remain and in Episode 3, “No Cry in Team,” and they face one of the most demanding challenges in the series. This week, it’s all about teamwork. Wielding a giant slingshot and the “TesterNet”, these contenders must prove they can work together when the pressure is on. File size: 313 MB (SD) 859 MB (HD) Game Demos (free) - Just Cause 2 Demo Prepare yourself for extreme chaos creation in this non-stop adrenalin-fuelled demo of Just Cause 2.Whether freefalling from thousands of feet, hijacking enemy fighters in mid-air or blasting through military compounds, as agent Rico Rodriguez you’re guaranteed to leave your destructive mark on the tropical island of Panau. With 400 square miles of rugged terrain and hundreds of weapons and vehicles, Just Cause 2 completely defies gravity and belief! ESRB Rated M File size: 1.41 GB - Major League Baseball 2K10 Demo Major League Baseball 2K10 brings baseball’s most exciting match-up to life: Pitchers vs. Hitters. Get ready to battle! ESRB Rated E File size: 874 MB - MotoGP 09/10 Demo The new MotoGP 09/10 demo lets you test ride all three bike classes AND experience the challenge of three different game modes, including; ‘Championship’, ‘Time trial’ and ‘Arcade’. MotoGP 09/10 is simply the best racing action on two wheels. ESRB Rated E File size: 1.74 GB Add-on Game Content - MLB 10: The Show – 6 Classic Stadiums ($9.99) Unlock all Classic Stadiums for use in MLB 10: The Show! File size: N/A - MLB 10: The Show – Franchise Funds Increase ($0.99) Increase your Franchise funds by 20 million. File size: N/A - MLB 10: The Show – Road to the Show Training Points ($0.99) Increase your Road to the Show training points by 1000. File size: N/A - Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Quest Pack #1 (free) Quest Pack #1 – Enhance your Strikeforce experience with these new missions and challenges. The following quests will be added to the city’s “Noticeboard”. To learn more about this pack and about Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce go to www.tecmokoeiamerica.com/strikeforce. •Battle of Tong Gate •Defense of Nan Zhong •Martial Contest 1 File size: 101 KB - Dragon Ball: Raging Blast Ultimate Warriors Pack 1 (free) “Dragon Ball: Raging Blast” Character Pack #8 is now available! The eighth release is the “Ultimate Warriors Pack 1!” This pack contains the fighters with ultimate abilities: Goku, Teen Gohan, Piccolo, Bardock and Super Gogeta! These fighters are already strong, but they now go beyond your imagination! See their true powers for yourself! File size: 116 KB - Dante’s Inferno Dark Forest Pack ($4.99) The Dark Forest pack includes the Disco Inferno costume, Stone of Wrath relic, and a prequel level featuring new enemies, puzzles, and storyline! File size: 307 MB - Dante’s Inferno Relics Triple Pack ($2.99) This pack contains three relics: ‘Paolo’s Heart’ for turning souls into mana, ‘Wing of Furie’ to increase the hit counter on your scythe, and ‘Brain of Ruggieri’ to allow you to dodge-roll from any special combo. File size: 222 MB - Resident Evil 5 Costume Pack 2 ($1.99) This costume pack is compatible with the original game. Play with Chris’ completely new take on tactical field armor with Heavy Metal, and give Sheva the sleek elegance of a power suit with Business. These costumes can also be used in The Mercenaries Reunion in addition to the main story. File size: 116 MB - Resident Evil 5 Desparate Escape ($4.99) This is the second installment of new content for RESIDENT EVIL 5. Learn the untold story of Jill’s escape during RESIDENT EVIL 5, and play as Rebecca Chambers and Josh Stone in The Mercenaries Reunion. File size: 539 MB - topatoi: Pillar Of The Skies ($7.99) topatoi for PlayStation 3 brings your screen to life with classic platforming gameplay over a variety of dynamic levels. Continue your journey through the brand new world of Sky Pillar with this exciting new add-on. New environments, a new gameplay experience, new bonus levels playable alone or in co-op mode, are all waiting for you in this, the second episode of topatoi saga! File size: 116 MB - Guitar Hero 5 For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com. •“Adam’s Song” by Blink-182 ($1.99) •“All The Small Things” by Blink-182 ($1.99) •“First Date” by Blink-182 ($1.99) •Blink-182 Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack featuring “First Date”, “All The Small Things”, and “Adam’s Song” by blink-182, Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading. File sizes: 30 MB – 41 MB (singles), 100 MB (track pack) - The Beatles: Rock Band Build your library for The Beatles: Rock Band by purchasing these song game tracks. For music credits, visit thebeatlesrockband.com. •“All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles ($1.99) File size: 20 MB - Rock Band Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit RockBand.com. •“Downfall”— Trust Company ($1.99) •“Panic Switch”— Silversun Pickups ($1.99) •“Sort Of”— Silversun Pickup ($1.99) •“White Falcon Fuzz”— The Mother Hips ($0.99) •“Third Floor Story”— The Mother Hips ($0.99) •“The Game”— Disturbed ($1.99) •“Meaning of Life”— Disturbed ($1.99) •“Voices”— Disturbed ($1.99) •Disturbed Pack 2 ($5.49)- Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Disturbed Pack 02. This pack includes “Meaning of Life,” “The Game,” and “Voices” by Disturbed File sizes: 24 MB – 56 MB (singles), 90 MB (track pack) Game Videos (free) - Pulse 3/4 Edition Join host Christina Lee for PULSE presented by the PlayStation Network. This edition features the next installment in the smash hit role playing series, FINAL FANTASY XIII, the bar-raising MLB 10: The Show, and an add-on that expands the world of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. New video features include 2012, Pirate Radio and Where the Wild Things Are. File size: 255 MB (HD) 431 MB (1080) - make.believe Global Lifestyle Brand File size: 133 MB (1080) - God of War 3 Vengeance Trailer File size: 65 MB (HD) 109 MB (1080) - UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves PlayStation Heroes Trailer File size: 53 MB (HD) - UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack Trailer File size: 45 MB (HD) - Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – Treachery File size: 150 MB (HD) - Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – The Big Game File size: 22 MB (HD) - Fallout: New Vegas Teaser Trailer File size: 92 MB (HD) - BioShock 2 Launch Network Trailer File size: 144 MB (HD) - Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Launch Trailer File size: 49 MB (HD) PS3 Themes - MLB 10: The Show Themes (x11) (White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals) (free) File sizes: 2.46 MB – 2.66 MB - 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Dynamic Theme ($3.99) File size: 11 MB - make.believe Theme (free) File size: 932 KB - Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Theme (free) File size: 6.12 MB - Clover Fractals Theme ($1.49) File size: 5.4 MB - Nightmare Before Christmas Theme ($1.49) File size: 3.36 MB - Vintage Comic Mickey Theme ($1.49) File size: 4.84 MB - Abstract Premium Theme ($1.99) File size: 6.93 MB *** PlayStation Store for PSP *** Downloadable Games (also available from PS3 Storefront) - MLB 10: The Show ($39.99) Get the full major league experience, anytime and anywhere. ESRB Rated E File size: 846 MB - Major League Baseball 2K10 ($29.99) Major League Baseball 2K10 brings baseball’s most exciting match-up to life: Pitchers vs. Hitters. Get ready to battle. ESRB Rated E File size: 1.31 GB - Dante’s Inferno (English and French versions) ($39.99) You are Dante, a veteran of the Crusades who must chase his beloved Beatrice and try to free her soul from Lucifer’s grasp. As your pursuit takes you deeper into the pits of Hell, you must battle ever more fierce and hideous monsters—while also facing your own sins, a dark family past, and your unforgivable war crimes. Go to Hell. ESRB Rated M File sizes: 1.41 GB - Lunar: Silver Star Harmony ($29.99) A classic is reborn! The beloved RPG classic, Lunar: The Silver Star, with its timeless tale of love, betrayal and redemption, is reborn exclusively on the PSP system as Lunar: Silver Star Harmony with all new graphics, added gameplay features, and a re-mastered soundtrack so that a whole new generation of fans can experience this legendary first entry of the Lunar universe, while added story elements will be sure to please returning fans. ESRB Rated T File size: 827 MB PSP minis (also available from PS3 Storefront) - Digi-Tiles ($2.99) File size: 4.88 MB - Vector TD ($3.99) File size: 13 MB - Earthshield ($2.99) File size: 6.01 MB - Legend of Kunoichi ($2.99) File size: 7.41 MB - Smashbreak ($2.99) File size: 5.06 MB Game Demos (also available from PS3 Storefront) (free) - Patchwork Heroes Demo The fate of a city is in your hands! Act quickly in 30 levels to save cities from giant looming warships in this fun action game. Become a hero by controlling a powerful destructive vehicle that can cut enemy ships apart into patches of different sizes that crash to the ground. Dodge enemies, rescue trapped comrades, and use special attacks to beat each ship before time runs out! ESRB Rated E10+ File size: 27 MB Add-On Game Content (also available from PS3 Storefront) - LittleBigPlanet PSP Canyons Costumes (free) PLAY, CREATE, SHARE…Everywhere. LittleBigPlanet’s critically acclaimed “PLAY, CREATE, SHARE” experience, makes its way to the PSP system with a completely new Sackboy adventure. Get two free costumes from the Canyons level of the PS3 version of the game. NOTE: Manual Update required File size: 2.5 MB - LittleBigPlanet PSP Canyons Theme Pack ($2.99) PLAY, CREATE, SHARE…Everywhere. Download a new set of costumes and CREATE materials to create your own Canyons levels! The Canyons Theme Pack includes 2 costumes, 19 materials, 15 stickers, 1 music kit, and 1 background. NOTE: Manual Update required File size: 2.65 MB - BUZZ! Quiz World Sci-Fi Movies Pack ($2.99) Sci-Fi movie questions to stump your competition into outer space — but will you need to phone home to find out the answers? This BUZZ! Quiz World PSP quiz pack features hundreds of questions about science fiction movies to play in any of your favorite BUZZ! Quiz World PSP game modes. Download this quiz pack today and turn your party into the ultimate trivia showdown. Challenge friends and family and “Show ‘em Your Trivia!” File size: 64 MB Game Videos (free) - The Tester Episode 3 File size: 138 MB - Pulse 3/4 Edition File size: 47 MB - God of War 3 Vengeance PSP Trailer File size: 65 MB - echoshift Trailer File size: 12 MB - Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – Treachery File size: 36 MB - Dante’s Inferno The Big Game File size: 5.43 MB PSP Themes (also available from PS3 Storefront) - MLB 10: The Show Themes (x11) (White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals) (free) File sizes: 2.46 KB – 2.66 KB - 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit PSP Theme ($1.49) File sizes: 509 KB - Bad Business 2 – Delinquent Lincoln PSP Theme ($1.49) File size: 688 KB - Bad Business 2 – Roast Master Cleveland PSP Theme ($1.49) File size: 630 KB - Clover Fractals PSP Theme ($1.49) File size: 460 KB

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Download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 For Free From Nintendo Wii Club

Are you looking for a Wii download site to get your hand on Pro Evolution Soccer 2010? Do you want to know where and how you can download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 for free? If you are tired of buying expensive will games you can download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 instantly from Nintendo Wii Club. Click Here and Visit Nintendo Wii Club’s Official Website! Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is one of the most popular Wii games and you can download it form Nintendo Wii Club. If you do not want to buy the game at your local Store you can download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 from Nintendo Wii Club. This is a smart way to get the game for free. In addition, Nintendo Wii Club will show you how to play home brew games and necessary tools for your Wii. Nintendo Wii Club has the largest Wii Download Database. Nintendo Wii Club will show you how to play homebrew wii games, how to unlock your wii and offer your the best download service. It contains around 300,000 available downloads including : Wii Games, Wiiwares, Music Videos, Movies, TV Show, Animation, Software and much more. Nintendo Wii Club contains everything you need for your Wii! Nintendo Wii Club is a membership based and the program has been granted with Nintendo license agreement to distribute their games for download. When download the newest and your favorite game you wouldn’t have to worry about copyrighted materials. You can download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and more Wii Games from Nintendo Wii Club. As a member of Nintendo Wii Club, you will be granted unlimited access to download any of your favorite Wii games, movies. Unlike other similar game download site that charge on a monthly subscription basis. For a one time fee, you can access to Nintendo Wii Club ’s database for life time. Click Here and Visit Nintendo Wii Club’s Official Website! So why pay for expensive Wii Games while you can get every of the games, movies and softwares you want at Nintendo Wii Club at the price of one payment. Nintendo Wii Club contains over 300,000 Downloads making it the Biggest Database for your Wii! Nintendo Wii Club is complete database where you can download the newest and your favorite Wii Games, WiiWare, Movies, TV Show, Software and much more for your Wii! Read online: Download Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 For Free From Nintendo Wii Club

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Wisconsin Kennel Club Show this weekend

It's our own version of Westminster. Only this one is at the Wisconsin Expo at State Fair Park. See more than 1,200 dogs representing over 125 different breeds at the Wisconsin Kennel Club Dog Show. Talk to breeders and handlers about your favorite breed. Visit with exhibitors that will be selling everything from leashes to T-shirts and doggie services. Two best in shows will be awarded this weekend, one Saturday and one Sunday. And there will be special gifts for visitors: a stuffed dog via a drawing by registering at the information booth.

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BCPS News Tips: The Week of February 27 - March 6, 2010: Activities, Events, and News from Baltimore County Public Schools

Saturday, February 27 Rescheduled Black Saga Countywide Competition to take place Teams of knowledgeable students from across Baltimore County will meet beginning at 8:00 a.m. at New Town High School, 4931 New Town Boulevard in Owings Mills, to compete for the title of countywide Black Saga champion. Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston will be among the special guests there to congratulate participating students. For several weeks, teams of elementary and middle school students have been engaging in school-wide Black Saga competitions to determine who will represent individual schools at the county tournament. Black Saga tests students' knowledge and awareness of African American history and culture. All schools participating in the countywide competition can send teams to compete in the statewide tournament to be held on March 13. Contact: Tina Nelson, Office of Social Studies, 410.887.2172 Franklin High School to present 18th Annual Variety Show The PTSA of Franklin High School, 12000 Reisterstown Road in Reisterstown, presents the school's 18th Annual Variety Show at 7:00 p.m. The show highlights the talents of both students and faculty members and has become a perennial favorite in the community. Musical and comedic acts, among others, will be performed. Tickets for the show are available at the door for $5 or at the school. Contact: Lisa Ancarrow or Kathy Schmidt, Franklin High School, 410.887.1119 "Alice in Wonderland" dazzles audiences at Riderwood Elementary School "Alice in Wonderland," this year's annual school play at Riderwood Elementary School, wraps up its two-day performance schedule with a presentation at 7:00 p.m. at the school, 1711 Landrake Road in Towson. Contact: Eugene Monahan or Kathy DeHart, Riderwood Elementary School, 410.887.3568 Monday, March 1 "Read Across America" activities fill the week at Eastwood Elementary Magnet School Students at Eastwood Elementary Magnet School, 428 Westham Way in Dundalk, will participate in a week's worth of learning activities related to the "Read Across America" program and the birthday on Tuesday, March 2, of Theodore Geisel, the children's author known as Dr. Seuss. Each day, special activities, guest readers, and themes will address several learning skills; today, for instance, students will be decorating doors and participating in the "Great Poetry Race." Guest readers include BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe Hairston, who is scheduled to read "Oh, the Places You Will Go" to grade 3 students on Wednesday, March 3 at 10:30 a.m. For additional details and times, please call the school. Contact: Joan Brauner or Colleen Ryland, Eastwood Elementary Magnet School, 410.887.7034 Tuesday, March 2 Victory Villa Elementary School to host Principal's Breakfast Victory Villa Elementary School, located at 500 Compass Road in Middle River, will recognize students who have achieved outstanding performance in academic, effort, or learning skills during the second report card quarter. Selected students will be invited to a breakfast catered by the school's business partner, Chick-fil-A at Eastpoint Mall. Parents, guardians, and students will hear from special guest Dr. Nancy Grasmick, State Superintendent of Schools, who will speak about setting goals and persevering. The event will begin at 9:15 a.m. In addition, the school this week will celebrate literary awareness; during the week, students will answer trivia questions about author, also known as Dr. Seuss, whose birthday will be celebrated on Monday. The weeklong celebration will culminate with students and staff wearing black, red, and white attire on Friday's Spirit Day. Contact: Kathleen East or Pamela McDavid, Victory Villa Elementary School, 410.887.0184 Award-winning children's books author to visit Seventh District Elementary School Laurie Krebs, an award-winning author of children's books, will visit Seventh District Elementary School for a day of discussions with students about the art of writing. During assemblies scheduled throughout the day, Krebs will share with students how she creates her stories, and students will be given the opportunity to purchase her books. Several lucky students also will get to have lunch with the author. At 6:30 p.m., Krebs will be at the school, 20300 York Road in Parkton, to read some of her books and sign students' copies. Please call the school for additional times and details. Contact: Patty Nestor or Glenda Carman, Seventh District Elementary School, 410.887.1902 Halethorpe Elementary School students will kick off Dr. Seuss's birthday with a book project and Hat Parade Halethope Elementary School students will join children from across the United States in celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday by participating in a variety of Read Across America activities.The school, located at 4300 Maple Avenue in Halethorpe, will celebrate with a character parade at 2:30 p.m., and students will have the opportunity to wear their hats during the event in honor of the famous children's book author. Please call the school for additional times and event details. Contact: Cheryl Fearer or Jill Carter, Halethorpe Elementary School, 410.887.1406 Orems Elementary School to host Family Reading Night Orems Elementary School will sponsor a Family Reading Night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The evening's main event will feature Pine Grove Elementary School teacher Justin Pugh performing a "Rock-N-Read" concert from 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of the school, which is located at 711 Highvilla Road in Middle River. The Scholastic Book Fair and BCPS Parentmobile also will be open, and light refreshments will be served during the event. Contact: Michelle Doyle or Marcia Wolf, Orems Elementary School, 410.887.0172 Pinewood Elementary School celebrates "Dr. Seuss Day" Students in grades K-2 at Pinewood Elementary School will celebrate Dr. Seuss Day with a visit from The Cat in the Hat, who will be on hand to greet the students in the morning. Special activities are planned including word searches and sharing favorite Dr. Seuss books. In addition to several special guest readers during the day, students in grades 3-5 will also visit the classrooms to read to younger students. Please call the school for specific times and details. Contact: Ann Vogt, Pinewood Elementary School, 410.887.7663 Windsor Mill Middle School to present STEM Fair Windsor Mill Middle School will host its annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Fair during the day. Students on each grade levels will display their projects and present their work before a panel of judges from school partner the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Please call the school for additional times and details. The school is located at 8300 Windsor Mill Road in Randallstown. Contact: Edwina McKenzie or Deborah Phelps, Windsor Mill Middle School, 410.887.0618 Grange Elementary School to host 24 Challenge Tournament Grange Elementary, 2000 Church Road in Dundalk, will host a 24 Challenge Tournament for students in grades 4 and 5 beginning at 3:30 p.m. The 24 Challenge is an innovative mathematics activity that reinforces students' use of mathematics operations in the context of a motivational game. The tournament will produce a grade 5 champion from Grange who will compete on the county level. Parents are invited to attend. Contact: Pam Scripture or Rosalie Daddura, Grange Elementary School, 410.887.7043 Thursday, March 4 Franklin schools compete in fifth annual "Battle for the Bell" The faculties of Franklin Middle School and Franklin High School will square off in their annual charity basketball game in the fifth annual "Battle for the Bell" beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Franklin High School gymnasium, 12000 Reisterstown Road in Reisterstown. .With this year's theme being, "Five Years, Two Schools, One Cause, the Battle Continues," all money collected from the game will be donated to the Jimmy V Foundation to help in its fight against cancer. The public is invited to enjoy this competitive charity game and help with this worthy cause. Contact: Rachel Holinsky or Lynn Wolf, Franklin Middle School, 410.887.1114 Windsor Mill Middle School students to tour Northwest Hospital as part of program As part of the Building Bridges Mentoring program at Windsor Mill Middle School, students from the school will visit and tour Northwest Hospital in Randallstown to learn about the field of medicine from professional health care workers. The school is located at 8300 Windsor Mill Road in Randallstown. Please call the school for additional times and details. Contact: Edwina McKenzie or Deborah Phelps, Windsor Mill Middle School, 410.887.0618 "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" musical to be presented at Loch Raven High School through Saturday, March 6 "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" opens a three-day run as Loch Raven High School's spring musical, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The lighthearted musical takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from the 2,000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. In the production, crafty slave Pseudolus struggles to win the hand of beautiful but slow-witted courtesan Philia for his young master Hero, in exchange for his freedom. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" will be presented at Loch Raven High School each night through Saturday, March 6, with a 7:00 p.m. show time each night in the high school's auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, children, and senior citizens and are available at the door. Loch Raven High School is located at 1212 Cowpens Avenue in Towson. Contact: Erin Confair, Kevin King, or Ed Goldstein, Loch Raven High School, 410.887.3527 Windsor Mill Middle School celebrates student success with rally Students at Windsor Mill Middle School, 8300 Windsor Mill Road in Randallstown, will receive plenty of inspiration and motivation as the school rallies at 9:30 a.m. in an "Achieve, Believe, Succeed" celebration. Professional athletes, government officials, feeder school principals, parents, staff, and students will rally to reinforce the tone of success for the school's administration of state assessment tests. Contact: Edwina McKenzie or Deborah Phelps, Windsor Mill Middle School, 410.887.0618 Friday, March 5 "Little Shop of Horrors" musical to be presented at Kenwood High School through Sunday, March 7 Kenwood High School will present the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" for its upcoming spring production each day through Sunday, March 7. The show tells the story of a down-and-out floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious and gory craving. Soon, the plant grows into an ill-tempered, singing carnivore who offers fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination. The Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 7:00 p.m., and the Sunday matinee will begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $7 and will be available at the door. The school is located at 501 Stemmers Run Road in Middle River. Contact: Robert Knight or Paul Martin, Kenwood High School, 410.887.0153 Saturday, March 6 Patapsco High School singers to perform with nationally-acclaimed composer Tim Janis on MPT The Patapsco High School choir, under the direction of Jeffery Beyers, will perform with nationally-acclaimed composer Tim Janis in the composer's new "Celebrate America" musical special to be broadcast on Maryland Public Television. The Patapsco choir, along with high school choirs from across Maryland, will perform with Janis and his ensemble at 6:30 p.m. in a new special created by Janis to spotlight the nation's youth and pull communities together in a celebration of music that uplifts and inspires. Tim Janis, well known for his "Music with a Mission" projects, has worked on many philanthropic projects with recording artists such as Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Andre Previn, and The New York Philharmonic. He has also produced fundraising programs for PBS with actors George Clooney and James Earl Jones. Celebrate America was taped at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills in early October 2009. The Patapsco students, who were the only Baltimore County students involved in the project, will sing "Danny Boy" during the special. Contact: Liberty Grayek or Ryan Imbriale, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, 410.887.7060 "Star Trek" the feature at Franklin High School's Movie Night The Franklin High School Music Boosters group will hold a Movie Night at 6:00 p.m. at the school, 12000 Reisterstown Road in Reisterstown. The event is open to all in the school community and tickets are $5 for popcorn and a drink (in addition to the movie presentation of "Star Trek"). Food and music will begin at 6:00 p.m., with the movie to follow at 7:00 p.m. Contact: Brian Frazier or Kathy Schmidt, Franklin High School, 410.887.1119 Loch Raven High School to hold Third Annual Craft Fair Loch Raven High School's Third Annual Craft Fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The entire school, including the PTSA, Booster Club, Senior Post Prom Party, the Junior Class, Relay for Life (to raise funds for the American Cancer Society), and the Forensics Team will benefit from this event, which will feature more than 50 crafters selling unique handmade items. Refreshments and food will also be available. The school is located at 1212 Cowpens Avenue in Towson. Contact: Bonnie Lambert, Loch Raven High School, 410.887.3525 Coming up! College Fair 2010 to showcase 100+ colleges and universities on Monday, March 8, and Tuesday, March 9 The College Fair 2010 event, co-sponsored by Baltimore County Public Schools and The Community College of Baltimore County, will allow prospective students to visit a college marketplace featuring information from more than 100 colleges, universities, and military schools, including CCBC, the University of Maryland colleges, McDaniel College, George Mason University, Morgan State University, Towson University, Stevenson University, Penn State University, and many more. The two-day event will begin on Monday, March 8, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the campus of CCBC Essex, Building D - the Athletic and Wellness Center, 7201 Rossville Boulevard in White Marsh. The event will be continued on Tuesday, March 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on the campus of CCBC Catonsville at Building L - the Athletic and Wellness Center, 800 S. Rolling Road, in Catonsville. In the event of inclement weather, call 443.840.1711 or visit www.ccbcmd.edu. Contact: CCBC Essex at 443.840.2110 or CCBC Catonsville at 443.840.4894 Mock Trial competition finals to be held on Thursday, March 11 Teams from 21 public and private schools in Baltimore and Harford counties will compete in the finals of the annual Maryland High School Mock Trial Competition for the Third Judicial Circuit Courts on Thursday, March 11, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The competition calls for teams of students to debate cases and present arguments to win the mock trial competition for the district; winners will move on to statewide competition. The cases will be heard in Ceremonial Courtroom No. 5 of the old Baltimore County Courthouse at 400 Washington Avenue in Towson. Contact: Timothy Rualo, Office of Social Studies, 410.887.4017 Johnnycake Elementary School's Family Night scheduled for Monday, March 22 Johnnycake Elementary School will host its Johnnycake Family Night on Monday, March 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the school at 5910 Craigmont Road in Woodlawn. The event will feature games such as 24, Connect 4, Scrabble, and Scattergories in the school gym and cafeteria, a PTA presentation on genealogy, and an exploration of how family card and board games can help students sharpen reading and math skills. Contact: Mary Maddox, Johnnycake Elementary School, 410.887.0823 The Spring Concert is coming to Halethorpe Elementary School on Thursday, April 15 The Halethope Elementary School Band and String Orchestra, under the direction of Kristen Trumpler, will perform their Spring Concert on Thursday, April 15, at 7:00 p.m. The band will perform movie themes from the Harry Potter movies, "Stars Wars" and "Pirates of Caribbean." The orchestra will perform themes from the Harry Potter movies, "Willy Wonka" and "Pirates of Caribbean." Halethorpe Elementary School is located at 4300 Maple Avenue in Halethorpe. Contact: Cheryl Fearer or Jill Carter, Halethorpe Elementary School, 410.887.1406 Ongoing! Vincent Farm Elementary School recycles "Cartridges For Kids" Vincent Farm Elementary School students and their families are taking part in an ongoing recycling project by collecting used cell phones and computer ink cartridges. Students at VFES have learned that only 2.3 percent of Americans recycle old cell phones and that the reuse of electronic equipment is an excellent way to help manage some of the world's resources. The used items being collected by Vincent Farm students will help provide those in need with adequate equipment as well as preserve resources. For more information, visit the website www.cartridgesforkids.com/recyclelists.html. Access Computer Products, Inc., the parent company of the "Cartridges For Kids" program, sends money directly to the school for each item sent. The school is located at 6019 Ebenezer Road in White Marsh. Contact: Daylene Booth or Anne Gold, Vincent Farm Elementary School, 410.887.2983 Overlea High School students working on "Empty Bowls" through February Students from Overlea High School, 5401 Kenwood Avenue in Overlea, are among the artists from across the region making and decorating ceramic bowls to donate to the "Empty Bowls" fundraiser later this year. Until March 1, Overlea students who are members of the National Art Honor Society and the Art Club will construct the bowls to be donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the two-day event on March 19-20 at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Empty Bowls raises funds for hunger and homelessness programs at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore. For more information, visit the event's Web site at http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/empty_bowls.html. Please call the school for specific times and details of the project. Contact: Nancy Fishel or Penny Parker, OverleaHigh School, 410.887.5241 Hernwood Elementary School is linking math facts with an Ice Cream Sundae Challenge Students at Hernwood Elementary School in Randallstown are meeting their Math Fact Challenge by getting ready for an ice cream extravaganza. In this ongoing program, each of the school's teachers has identified math fact goals for his or her students. Parents also received a list of suggestions to help their children study facts at home. Students will study and learn math facts through the winter and will demonstrate their knowledge by taking weekly quizzes beginning in January and continuing through March. When students reach their math fact goals, their names will be announced school-wide, and they will be invited to a special Ice Cream Sundae party on Friday, March 26, to celebrate their math mastery. The school is located at 9919 Marriottsville Road in Randallstown. Contact: Denise Kelley or Cathy Gantz, Hernwood Elementary School, 410.887.0732 Two after-school clubs gearing up for competition at Eastwood Elementary Magnet School Two after-school clubs at Eastwood Elementary Magnet School, 428 Westham Way in Dundalk, are busy preparing students for competitions in 2010. The MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) Science Club meets each week to prepare for MESA regional competition in March and April of 2010. Students participating in MESA explore science and math concepts and participate in activities designed to engage students in observation, recording data, problem solving and team work. Meanwhile, the school's Black Saga Club students challenge each other with facts and information about African-American history each week as they prepare for the countywide competition in February. Contact: Rick Wright, Cyndy Wachob, or Joan Brauner, Eastwood Elementary Magnet School, 410.887.1408 Wachovia Bank and Essex Elementary School team up for reading Twice a week, employees at Wachovia Bank in Essex visit kindergarten classes at Essex Elementary School for a very important partnership - reading stories to students from books that will be donated to the school's library. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at about 9:30 a.m., the guest readers visit the school and demonstrate to students their commitment to reading and to Essex Elementary School. The program runs for about four weeks at a time. Essex Elementary School is located at 100 Mace Avenue in Essex. Contact: Dianna Akers or Amy Grabner, Essex Elementary School, 410.887.0117

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Paleyfest 2010: The Vampire Diaries

The 2010 edition of Paleyfest, a celebration of television's rich and diverse programming and the creative process behind the medium, is continuing for another week; and on Saturday night, March 6th, there was a panel for The Vampire Diaries. Very few spoilers have leaked out so far, but there are a couple we can share along with some photos from the event. As you'd expect, Executive Producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec were on hand, as were another Exec. Producer, Bob Levy, and stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder. @PaleyCenter is live tweeting each panel during the Fest, and here's what we learned about TVD from its feed: Kevin Williamson's initial feelings about doing the show after reading the first 47 pages of the book: "I don't want to do this; this is 'Twilight'." Followed by, "Oh, this is 'Dark Shadows'!" after finishing the first book and realizing that he wanted to do the project. "The Vampire Diaries" has the same special effects people as "True Blood". With regard to differences between the show and the books, Williamson said, "We got rid of the fog. In the books the fog follows them around." Plec adds, "We were afraid of letting the fans of the books down" and promises the online and book fans that Damon will peel an orange in an upcoming episode. What can fans expect at the end of this season? "I grew up with the 'Knots Landings' of the world, so I love my cliffhangers!" says Williamson of his favorite writing style; as a result, there will be between 7 and 9 cliffhangers in the final episode. That's about it for the juicy stuff except one other spoiler tweeted by @insidethetube: Viewers will learn the identity of Elena's mom when The Vampire Diaries returns to the CW Network on March 25th. @CW_VampDiaries took over 150 pictures during the course of the evening; here are two of the TVD crew getting ready; that's Kevin Williamson taking his seat in the bottom view. Paleyfest 2010 runs through March 14th at The Paley Center in Beverly Hills, California. - Uncle Creepy VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Write in your diary in the Dread Central forums!

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Army Wife Life March 8, 2010

This edition of Army Wife Life discussion is brought to you in partnership with Lucky Army Wives! (http://www.luckyarmywives.com/) Please leave your answers to the questions below by commenting on this post. Listen for Star and Tara's answers on Show 256: Week of Mar 8, 2010 using our AWTR Player in the right sidebar! Excerpt blog post: As an Army spouse, your acquaintances are generally predetermined by your soldier’s rank, duty station, and function. As a person with your own personality, interests, and activities – albeit heavily influenced by your place in the Army – your friends can actually be of your own choosing! (That’s also a very cool thing about getting older – you realize you can choose your own friends – it’s liberating once you realize you do NOT have to return every phone call, email, dinner invite, luncheon opportunity, etc. – but we digress………) Pearl & Mercedes are "seasoned" Army spouses – and because we’ve climbed on board the USS Friendship and have managed to keep the boat afloat, we’re going to espouse our tried and true methods for finding, vetting and making new friends. (As a side note to our readers, please know that we’ve also had to jump off many a sinking USS Friendship – we will grimace through the mishaps, mistakes, and missteps in a follow-on blog!) As part of our forced geographic expeditions; pioneering and proselytizing of new FRGs, fundraising committees, and volunteer efforts; and the creating - disbanding - and re-creating of social networks (all without Facebook until recently!), we’ve introduced many a “friend” to our families and added (and most definitely removed!) friends from our Christmas card lists. As part of this journey, we’ve architected “the friendship model” – the quest, the meet and greet, the interview, and the vetting and the assigning of a level of commitment to said potential friend. That said, it's time to jump on board and tighten up the Christmas card list! Step 1 - Use Your Spyglass to Scan the Horizon: While at the commander's wife's welcome - you spy an interesting person by the buffet table - someone with a similar clothing style, no sign of a beer gut, and no spinach/artichoke dip in her teeth when she smiles. This initial sighting is generally the first step to a deeper and more meaningful friendship; however, you must beware this generally over-romanticized initial sighting. This “glance” is indicative of a potential friendship only - I mean, what do you really know about her?! This lady could have one too many skeletons in her closet – is she a Redskins fan? Does she have Kanye West tunes on her IPod? Might she spoon Nutella from the jar for breakfast (rather than the preferred organic apple bacon and eggs)? As you surely know (or your teen can explain), unfriending or defriending or nonfriending can result in your ultimately sneaking in a PCS request to the commander’s office with your husband’s signature attached. If you’re feeling confident, know the scales were off (in the appropriate direction) by at least five pounds during the AM weigh-in, have fresh breath and are sure there's no toilet paper stuck to your heel - move on to step two. Step 2 - Step Onto the Deck: As you move towards the buffet table and are inching your way closer to your target, push one of those flash frozen meatballs around on your plate while surreptitiously glancing over the top of your toothpick to see exactly where said target is standing and with whom. Don’t be naïve! Of course we judge you based on your posse! For instance, if you are enclosed in a tight-knit circle consisting of the chaplain's wife, the president of PWOC, and the local mayor’s wife, then Mercedes is already in reverse and falling backwards into the punchbowl. (Per mishaps at a recent Army-sponsored couple’s retreat, God has Mercedes on his "list"; she is afraid of lightning striking those who come in close contact with her.) If Pearl, as another example, notices you standing with a wine glass in your hand, a plate of deep-double-fried cheese and wings, and your heels kicked off under the table, then game on! Step 3 - Grab the Jib: If you’ve scouted, scanned and vetted by association, then you are ready to talk. And let’s pass on the doggy style fire hydrant butt sniffing convo – Pearl demands that you get straight to the point as every single minute of Pearl's time counts when she’s staring down a plate of deep-double-fried cheese and wings. Be a big girl and consider asking the questions which most interest you – no, not questions related to where your soldier works and/or who his commander happens to be! Consider discussing: •Kids: This tells you how much free time she has, how late she can stay up, if she always has to book a sitter, or if she can head out spur of the moment to shop for shoes. •Hobbies: This tells you if she's cool or not; macramé might be good for the soul, but playing blackjack for money is a heck of a lot more fun! •Favorite Army Post: Is she a complainer (eg. Ft. Hood is sooooooo boring!)? Adventurer (eg. Alaska rocked with all that moose hunting!)? Crazy (Ft. Irwin is great for the tan!)? •Favorite Food: This is a significant moment! If the answer is chicken enchiladas, barbecue, cashew chicken - it’s a go! If the answer is frozen pizza, Ramen noodles, or anything from 7-Eleven - your spontaneous dining out options might be limited. If the answer involves herbs, tofu, or Taiwanese delicacies – consider hosting the initial play-date luncheon at your home. You’re almost ready to dock the USS Friendship; return next week to learn of the perils to be avoided on the high seas! Discussion Point 1: Everyone has that person that they said “looks normal” to them – Pearl & Mercedes even had their own list of what makes a person “interesting”. What is it that first attracts you to a potential friend? Discussion Point 2:What questions do YOU ask when you’re meeting someone new? Discussion Point 3:Ever met anyone online and then met in person? Discussion Point 4: Are you guilty of defriending someone on Facebook? This post is from LovingASoldier.com. Loving A Soldier? Living The Life? For more resources visit ArmyWifeNetwork.com!

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Can You Keep the Rhythm Dance Team Challenge: VOTE NOW!

On Sunday, Feb. 28, the Knicks City Dancers hosted their 3rd annual "Can You Keep the Rhythm?" Dance Team Challenge presented by the United States Tournament of Dance. I was in the audience and let me tell you! It was an absolute blast. I watched as five exceptionally talented dance studios from the Northeast battled it out for the chance to dance in the halftime show at Madison Square Garden when the New York Knicks play the Atlanta Hawkes on March 8. A panel of expert judges, including Neil Haskell from Season 3 of "So You Think You Can Dance," selected three finalists: Icon Dance Complex, The Studio and The Star Maker School of the Performing Arts. But the Knicks City Dancers want to know... who's YOUR favorite? Watch the finalists and then decide who you want to dance at halftime at MSG! Visit USTD's homepage to get in on the action. 113 Hits

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ENTER TO WIN TICKETS TO SEE SETH MACFARLANE AT PALEYFEST IN LA

Hey Zune Nation, here's your chance to win tickets to see Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis and the producers from the show Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show in Los Angeles next week during PaleyFest 2010. The Paley Center for Media will present the twenty-seventh annual PaleyFest: William S. Paley Television Festival (PaleyFest2010) from February 26 to March 14, 2010, at its new location, the historic Saban Theatre (formerly the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills) in Beverly Hills, California. PaleyFest2010 is an extraordinary interactive pop culture event, connecting fans with the casts and creators of their favorite series as well as the icons who have changed or are changing the face of media. During each PaleyFest evening, the audience views episodes or highlights of the featured work followed by a panel discussion with the cast and creative team and then has the opportunity to ask questions of those involved in its production. Microsoft Zune is a sponsor for the event, and we have a pair of tickets to giveaway for one lucky winner to attend A Night With Seth MacFarlane and Friends on March 9th, 2010. All you have to do to enter is: - Follow @Zune on Twitter - Reply to @Zune and tweet your favorite quote from the show Family Guy One lucky winner will be selected on Monday, March 8th, 2010. So what are you waiting for? Enter now! MICROSOFT “Win Paley Fest Tickets” SWEEPSTAKES OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES: These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft ”Win Paley Fest Tickets” sweepstakes promotion will operate. This promotion will be simply referred to as the “Sweepstakes” throughout the rest of these rules. In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of the Sweepstakes. “You” refers to an eligible Sweepstakes entrant. WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES? This Sweepstakes starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on March 4, 2010 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on March 7, 2010 (“Entry Period”). Entries must be received within the Entry Period to be eligible. CAN I ENTER? You are eligible to enter this Sweepstakes if you meet the following requirements at time of entry: · You are a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, and are 18 years of age or older. o If you are 18 of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Sweepstakes; and · You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and · You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes; and · You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes. This Sweepstakes is void outside of the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law. HOW DO I ENTER? To enter, you must do all of the following: Sign in to your Twitter account. If you do not have an account, visit www.twitter.com to create one. Twitter accounts are free. Once logged into your Twitter account, follow the links and instructions to become a follower of Zune at http://twitter.com/ZUNE From your own account, tweet your favorite quote from the television show “Family Guy” to @zune. By posting this tweet, you will automatically receive one (1) entry into the sweepstakes drawing. We will only accept one (1) entry per entrant. We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason. We will automatically disqualify: · Any incomplete or illegible entry; and · Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above. WINNER SELECTION AND PRIZES On or around the close of the Entry Period, we will randomly select one winner to receive two General Admission Tickets to Seth MacFarland and Friends Event at PaleyFest on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The prize consists of event tickets only; winner and guest are solely responsible for any and all costs associated with travelleing to and attending the event. Approximate Retail Value $150.00 If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a direct message to the Twitter account provided at time of entry within twenty four (24) hours following the random drawing. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the prize to an alternate, randomly selected winner. If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Sweepstakes . If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release and a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 18 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select an alternate, randomly selected winner. If you are confirmed as a winner of this Sweepstakes: You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner; and If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and If you are otherwise eligible for this Sweepstakes, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions. WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING? Your odds of winning this Sweepstakes depend on the number of eligible entries we receive. WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS ARE YOU AGREEING TO BY ENTERING THIS SWEEPSTAKES? By entering this Sweepstakes you agree: To abide by these Official Rules; and To release and hold harmless Microsoft,and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Sweepstakes or any prize won; and That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Sweepstakes; and That by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Sweepstakes, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law. WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED? This Sweepstakes will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Sweepstakes. WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE SWEEPSTAKES CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED? If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Sweepstakes, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Sweepstakes. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Sweepstakes, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Sweepstakes. If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Sweepstakes by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Sweepstakes, so please play fairly. HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT WHO WON? We will post the names of winners who received a prize worth $25.00 or more online at http://www.zuneinsider.com. This list will remain posted one month after winner selection. WHO IS SPONSORING THIS SWEEPSTAKES? Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052

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Taking a cross-country road trip with The Pluto Files

Neil deGrasse Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, which caused controversy with how it categorized the solar system into three groups, placing Pluto not with the other planets but with the Kuiper Belt objects at the outskirts of our solar system. Dan Deitch photoLast night, PBS debuted a new NOVA episode dedicated to NOVA scienceNOW host Neil deGrasse Tyson’s now somewhat infamous book, The Pluto Files. Having read the book and interviewed Tyson for the “Astro Confidential” department in the magazine, I was excited to see how they’d put his book on screen. I also knew Tyson would be interviewing staunch Pluto supporter and New Horizon’s principal investigator Alan Stern on the program, and I was curious to see how that dynamic went. The show paid, in my opinion, a nice complement to the book, which in paperback contains some still shots from the episode and a variety of appendix material that the 1-hour program includes. If you read the book first, which I recommend you do, you’ll know Tyson’s position on Pluto, but the author doesn’t actually reveal his full stance until the end of the NOVA program. Instead, he spends most of the program explaining the history of Pluto’s discovery and how the controversy started (including some great clips from Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart), debating the pros and cons of its full planetary status, and delving into why people are so passionate about this icy world in the outskirts of our solar system. And he interviews people on all sides, including a pleasant discussion with Stern. The Pluto Files takes readers on a journey of Pluto’s discovery and the controversy around its current planetary status.My favorite part of the show, though, was Tyson’s visit to New Mexico to see Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh’s family. There, Clyde’s son, Alden, showed Tyson some of Clyde’s homemade telescopes. I was as amazed with him as Tyson was with the materials Clyde used (a lawn mower?!). And I loved how gracious and kind-hearted daughter Annette was upon her eventual visit to the Hayden Planetarium in New York, which is kind of the starting point for the Pluto debate. In the end, it was a fascinating program, and I recommend people on all sides of the fence should read the book and/or try to catch the NOVA episode on repeat (check your local listings) — or buy the DVD from pbs.org. We here at the magazine are very much divided on Pluto’s status, but we all enjoyed the program. If you have already read the book or caught last night’s Nova, what were your reactions? Should Pluto stay a dwarf planet or regain its full planetary status? What about Eris and the rest of the dwarf planets? Related: Happy Birthday Pluto('s discovery), by Bill Andrews, assistant editor Pluto in my heart, by Michael E. Bakich, senior editor Pluto's planetary predicament, by Bill Andrews, assistant editor

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Transgender Electrolysis at e3000

Liv said... Let me begin with the statement that I can give no higher endorsement than e3000 (formerly e2000) in Dallas and their beautiful staff. I base this on what I've read, and what I've experienced in the last few years. And I've done it all, from laser to 75 hours of needle electrolysis at a local provider to now this, the world renowned e3000 Electrolysis facility in Carrollton, Texas. The one thing that preceded this trip was lack of information especially on the Internet about what to expect on this trip. The most detailed review of e3000 comes from Suzanne Clayton which I highly recommend taking a look at because she's posted pictures of her face- something, I will not do. Why? Because I look like I went 10 rounds with Rocky Balboa, and unfortunately unlike Suzanne I don't have the self-confidence to post it on the Internet. I can assure you though Suzanne's pictures don't do my face justice at this moment. I am considerably more black and blue, more swollen, and all around generally look like a blow fish. Rather than detail my experiences like previous people, I'd rather share with you my interpretations of how, what & why to get to Dallas, get to e3000, and get home with considerable ease. This is something no one else has posted. How to do Dallas like Debbie (I mean Liv) 1) Call them and book a date. Coordinate this with your favorite airline, mine is American Airlines. (Super friendly staff, and patriotic to boot!) If you live in North Carolina there is a direct flight from Greensboro's PTI airport which generally can be had for as little as $200.00. I booked this flight as an award ticket which cost me $50 fee each way. Remember it's always cheaper to fly midweek (Tues or Wens) and remember E3000 has various hours throughout the week, some days (Thurs & Friday) being shorter. I was lucky enough to book a Thurs and Friday, and flew in on Wednesday, and out on Saturday. Doing this meant flying knackered but I preferred it to staying locked up in a hotel like other reviewers have as I'm a very active person and sitting around isn't my forte. Whats more is you look like crap but who cares? You'll never see any one at the airport again and it's so darn nice just to get home... "Man up Woman" as they say and get in, get done, and get out. On a side note, once you book you'll be required to give a deposit. It's $150 per operator per day. Mine was $600 for the two days. This ensures that you show up and don't flake at the last moment because you read my review last moment and chickened out. 2) Prepare. Get one of those luggage back packs. Wal-Mart $35, and pack comfy clothes, and some jeans and t-shirts. Don't do checked baggage cause that's so 2009! Pack a good GPS unit or enable it on your cell phone or reserve a car with Sat Nav in your car rental. Oh yeah, book your car rental (Go Enterprise as Dollar almost left me stranded) and some hotels. What ever you do, do not go to Dallas without a GPS... if you do and you end up as some cowboy's wife married to Bucky Don Silver, don't blame me. On hotels, Hotwire is great. I ended up staying at both the Hilton (about $100 a night and a 10 mile drive to e3000) and at Holiday Inn Express (about $39 dollars a night and about 2 miles from e3000). To be honest, I thought the Holiday Inn Express was actually nicer. They have a workout room, jacuzzi, in-room Internet, continental breakfast, business center (to print out airline tickets), and free cookies at check-in (Yum). Best of all their rooms have couches, microwaves & fridges... and though I didn't go there, there's a tantalizing London restaurant a few feet away. Since Hotwire of course doesn't show you the name of the hotel in advance I can only suggest that their titles remains the same and tell you the one to book is called "Dallas North - Galleria area Hotel" which is a 3 star and at the time of this posting says $39. There's a similarly titled hotel for about $59 which is a 4 star that is the Hilton. But distance-wise and all that, take the Holiday Inn.... (If you don't expect another $12 parking fee at the Hilton) The other nice thing about the Holiday Inn is that it's on Midway Drive which is where e3000 electrolysis is. You simply pull out of the parking lot and 2 minutes later you're at e3000. You could probably even walk it if you're up to it. I chose to be a fatty and plop my rear in the rented Nissan and drive. 3) Food. Let's talk about where to eat. Mr Jim's Pizza puts out an amazing pizza, (touted as the best in Texas) wings and salad. They deliver to the Holiday Inn, (there's a placard in the room) and is perfect at the end of the day when you want to hide out in the hotel. I would suggest hitting Walgreens (use your GPS- there is one about 4 miles from the hotel) for drinks, microwavable brownies, and Flaming Hot Cheetos too. (Oh yeah and a big bottle of ibuprofen) If you choose the vending machines, they're $1.50 for each drink. The second night I got a bag of Krystal burgers and brought them back to the room. There's a Krystals located in the same block of e3000. I recommend the "Bag of Burgers Combo". It's made for two but ensures you've got nibbles throughout your evening hibernation. Lunch. You'll be taking them each day around noon. I highly recommend Burger Street which is walkable, or can be drived-thru in the car. Amazing Burgers, amazing fries, it's a MUST when you visit Dallas. Taco Bueno is next door to the Burger Street, and has decent fast food Mexican too. I also hit Jack N Box while there (not near e3000). Sadly we don't have in my part of NC, but I use to love when we lived in CA. If you're not familiar with them grab some of their deep fried tacos, jalapeno bites, and Monterrey Jack Burger... it's out of this world. I also looked up, but didn't make it too Miami Subs & Grill which my GPS said Dallas had. They have amazing Steak & Cheese and most locations are drive-thru so you can grab and go back to your blow-fish cavern at the Holiday Inn. 4) Go and Feel the pain. I think I worried more about the pain due to all the reviews out there than I should have. You ask yourself. Can I really survive having lidocaine shoved into my upper lip, ripping the flesh from the muscle? The answer is yes, I survived. You can too. Doing so, I promised I would NOT write about how painful it is like other reviews, and decided to just let it be a surprise. So no it doesn't hurt at all. It's completely pain free. I found the fetal position while clutching the metal arms on the chair sufficiently allowed me to enter a state of zen that prevented me from turning green and rampaging through the city like the Hulk. That said, you can be sure that the room you're in has had many, many other people sit right where you sat and survived. What's more is once the lidocaine kicks in you'll have absolutely no indication that your two electrologist are re-arranging your face to appear like you just experienced spousal abuse by your 500lb inmate husband now out on parole. 5) Experience it. The days go faster than you think and the staff is super pleasant. From the moment you walk in it feels like a family run business and they do all they can to make you feel like you're apart of their family. It's a well run business with talented operators who could remove hair blind-folded if they had to. They know what they're doing. To quote Top Gun, "they're the best of the best." 6) The Day. Basically you show up the first day, and they make you sign some papers and a few disclaimers. They talk you through what the procedure is like, what you'll experience and all that and set you at ease with their medical safety, etc. Then it's lidocaine time. Tell them to "Bring it" and they do. Next thing you know you're hearing pop, pop, tweeze, pop, crack. They insert the electrology tip in both sides of the follicle, remove it, and then zap the base one more time. They do this so fast that this is when you realize how slow your normal electrolysis operator at home is, and begin to come to the epiphany that this place is worth every dime. 7) Lunchtime. After eating something... I would do a few laps walking around the building. Helped get the blood circulating and kept me calmer sitting in the chair. 8) Days end. You'll want to do nothing but get back to your room. So go where you need to go and go rest. Get food and supplies and go back to the hotel. I'll forewarn that it will be rush hour, and Dallas traffic is almost as painful as your face looks. To top it all off, all the streets are divided by medians making them generally one way, requiring u-turns. Dallas is known for their road-rage, and oh yeah, everyone carries a gun... so try not piss anyone off. It is however a wonderful, beautiful city, and everyone is super nice. But there is a lot of birds, though I don't know why. 9) So back at the hotel, you've ordered you pizza (I recommend the "Sticky Fingers"), and you've got drinks (you're going to be super thirsty from the lidocaine and the carbs). You'll find absolutely nothing on TV unless you fly in on a Tuesday and LOST is on. I broke out the web-browser on the cell phone and tweeted some of my adventures. Watched a little Holmes on Homes on HGTV, and then ate till I vomited once the food arrived. Then it's off to the shower where you'll wash the scabs off your face and ooze goo from your pores. Jump back in bed, turned on MSNBC and watched Rachel Maddow. Called home, took sleeping pills and set the alarm. 10) Ground hog day. Do it all over again. Basically the only thing you've got to look forward to is lunch and the fact that at some point you'll be done. Since you look like a great giant chipmunk it's fun to go through the drive thru and order with the voice like one. At days end, you check out and pay. Triple digits go from my account to their's and I'm grateful for it. I was really impressed with their work. Although I'm not rich I wanted to do something nice, so I handed them a $20, and said "have lunch on me." While I couldn't book my next appointment quite yet due to time and money, my experience had left me certain that I would return, and I determined that I would recommend e3000 to everyone because hands down it's the best bang for the buck in electrolysis. 11) Getting back to DFW airport. My flight was out at 8:30 AM on Saturday. I was swollen like the Goodyear blimp, but I didn't care because I was going home. I had everything packed the night before and the car was all fueled up. Though I did refuel about a gallon as there is a gas station at the rental car return entrance after you enter the airport too and didn't want to be charged. I took a shower before I left, but my face continued to ooze and scab. Leaving at about 5:15 AM, it took me about 45 minutes to make it too the airport via GPS. This was with no traffic. If you're flying out at rush-hour, I suspect a much longer drive. Dropping the car off is simple and then I hit the bathroom before getting on the bus to the airport. Since there are separate buses for each terminal it's not bad, and it is only about a 10 minute ride. Then on through security where no one dares looks at you because they all think "she's special." and onward into the terminal. I was at my gate with American Eagle at 7:15. The stores are just opening up, and if you're so inclined, there's a McDonald's serving breakfast. I don't eat generally when I fly, so I had a breakfast of about 8 ibuprofens. An hour later I was boarded and sitting in seat 1A bound for home. Had a lovely chat with a flight attendant on board all the while explaining I'm not really special needs, and that my face usually doesn't require an additional seat to fly. So that's it. All in all, I spent about $1700 with e3000 on two of their short days. This included their special they're currently running which gives e3000 virgins 15% off. I spent about $215 on the hotels which would have been closer to $150 if I hadn't spent the first night at the Hilton. I spent $180 on the car rental, and $200 on incidentals. My flight cost me $100 because it was an award ticket, but expect as much as $500 unless you get a bargain rate. So grand total for me was about $2400.00 which isn't too bad. I spend about a $100 a week locally at an electrolysis, so this represents about 6 months worth of work. Based on their (e3000's) estimations and from what I've seen and heard of others, the fact that their kill-rate is 30%-40% of all hairs, I'd say this is a bargain. I've spent a year getting electrolysis locally and had approximately only a 10% kill of hairs. This is also all over, meaning much more is done.... and again, getting back to what I was saying earlier.... The e3000 girls just know what they're doing. They've done it a million times, it's a tried and true method, and it just works. That my friends is priceless and why I recommend e3000 a million times over. e3000 Electrolysis 2650 Midway Road Carrollton, TX 75006 (972) 713-6799 e3kgirls@yahoo.com map Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Dallas - Addison 4355 Beltway Drive, Addison,TX,75001 (972) 503-7800 map (Just a note of warning my Virgin Mobile GPS sent me left on Beltway Drive when it was right.) Similar Articles: How Do I Comfort My Transgendered Boyfriend? 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