College Basketball Programs Have Really Poor Graduation Rates
Division I college basketball programs are really, ridiculously bad at graduating players. According to US News, “Data demonstrate the lousy academic performance of most recent tournament participants. Federal data calculating the rate of graduation within six years for the four classes that enrolled from 1999 through 2002 show that on average, teams from last year’s tournament [...]
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Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre Discounts Spring Rates
Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre is offering guests a 50 percent discount off prevailing rates for their third night booked by April 25 for stays through June 30, 2010.
The rate includes a daily breakfast buffet in the Pacific Lounge; suite accommodations; complimentary wireless Internet and local phone calls; slope-side ski valet and storage at the [...]
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American Safari Cruises Releases 2011 Dates and Rates
In advance of its 2011 comprehensive all-destination brochure due out this summer, American Safari Cruises announces dates and rates through November 2011 for four destinations: Alaska’s Inside Passage, Mexico’s Sea of Cortés, Columbia and Snake rivers, and the Pacific Northwest.
“Because our yachts have small guest contingents and seasonal sailings, space fills up rapidly,” says Tim Jacox, executive vice president of sales and marketing, “and we want to give travel agents plenty of time to secure their clients’ preferred dates and destinations.”
Alaska
In 2011, all three of the company’s luxury yachts will spend two full days in Glacier Bay National Park on eight-day, seven-night cruises roundtrip from Juneau.
• The 145-foot, 36-guest Safari Explorer will sail May 13 through Sept. 2 on 17 departures; prices begin at $4,895 per person double occupancy.
• The 120-foot, 22-guest Safari Quest will cruise May 20 through Sept. 2 on 16 departures, including two Kids-in-Nature sailings geared for families with young children; prices begin at $5,495 per person.
• The 105-foot, 12-guest Safari Spirit sails May 13 through Aug. 26 on 16 departures; prices begin at $6,095 per person.
The three yachts also offer two 15-day, 14-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau: The Safari Explorer departs Seattle April 29 and Juneau Sept. 9 with prices beginning at $8,095; the Safari Quest departs May 6 and Sept. 9 beginning at $8,295; and the Safari Spirit departs April 29 and Sept. 2 beginning at $9,995.
All yachts are available for a full private charter, which includes the crew, fuel, port taxes, from-yacht excursions, food and spirits; prices begin at $78,995.
Mexico
The Safari Spirit’s eight-day, seven-night cruises in the wildlife-rich wilderness of Mexico’s Sea of Cortés run Nov. 20 through Dec. 27, 2010, and Jan. 8 through March 19, 2011, roundtrip from La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. A burro trail ride, snorkeling, kayaking, swimming with sea lions, whale watching and hiking are all included activities. Prices begin at $6,995.
Columbia and Snake rivers
For its eight-day, seven-night cruises on the ruggedly beautiful Columbia and Snake rivers, American Safari Cruises offers six river expedition and seven wine and culinary theme departures aboard the Safari Explorer in spring 2011 and Safari Quest in fall 2011.
The wine and culinary cruises will feature guest sommeliers and executive chefs to help guests expand their knowledge of wines and how to pair them with specific menus; guests will tour five Washington wineries. The river expedition cruises will focus on the plentiful wildlife, Columbia Gorge cliffs and waterfalls, eight lock and dam transits, and the colorful history of the area. Both cruises include a jet boat tour of Hells Canyon; prices begin at $4,295 per person.
Pacific Northwest
The Safari Spirit has five scheduled eight-day, seven-night cruises roundtrip from Friday Harbor, Wash., in September and October 2011. The itinerary includes the San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Princess Louisa Inlet and city stops at Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. Prices begin at $6,095 per person.
American Safari Cruises’ inclusive sailings feature gourmet cuisine; complimentary fine wines and premium spirits; all from-yacht activities; onboard kayaks and motorized skiffs for close-up exploration; and a 2 to 1 guest-crew ratio. Staterooms offer private bathrooms with heated floors (some Jacuzzis), DVD players and Tempur-pedic mattresses.
Hawaiian Islands weeklong yacht explorations to Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island begin Oct. 26, 2011, and run to May 3, 2012. Dates and rates are available now; full details will be released by the end of March 2010.
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Wind hits a new high — setting record generation rates in Texas
Wind is generally considered the front-runner when it comes to renewable sources of energy — both cheaper and more reliable than solar. The government certainly prioritized it last year when it doled out millions in grants, mostly to wind firms. Now news of record-setting wind generation out of Texas confirms that turbines are probably the best bet.
Apparently, early this morning, about 19 percent of the power on the major Texan grid came from wind installations (about 6,272 megawatts) — that’s an incredible amount considering that green-minded states like California are hoping to hit 33 percent from renewable power in general ten years from now. This is also significant given that not all of Texas’ turbines participated — the state’s Panhandle is actually on a different grid.
On a regular basis, Texas derives about 6 percent of its electricity on the grid from wind, reports the New York Times. That’s not very much for a state that is far and away the leader in wind development. Interestingly, however, not all of the wind power generated in Texas is actually transmitted. The necessary infrastructure doesn’t yet exist to deliver it all to consumers. So who knows what could be achieved if this missing link were fixed?
Not that the problem has been neglected. The state is already investing $5 billion in transmission repairs and expansions. The goal is to string many more cables between the wind-heavy western region of Texas and the biggest cities, Houston, Austin and Dallas.
If Texas can successfully (and affordably) build the necessary infrastructure to up the amount of wind-generated power on the grid, it could provide a great best-practice case for states looking to boost their own wind power, like California, Michigan, and other states in the Midwest.
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