Nation’s travel adjusts to Irene’s path
As Hurricane Irene moves up the East Coast, thousands of flights have been canceled and Amtrak train service adjusted to avoid the area.
Airports all along the East Coast have closed as the hurricane passed into each area, with thousands of national and international flight affected.
Most carriers canceled flights in advance of Irene so equipment would not be stranded, and are planning post-hurricane schedules to recover as quickly as possible. Carriers like United, which uses Chicago as a hub, announced a travel waiver to let customers make changes to ticketed itineraries without incurring fees.
Airlines declined to say how many passengers would be affected by the hurricane, but the numbers will likely reach into the millions because so many flights, both domestic and international, make connections through major East Coast hub airports. Even passengers not flying anywhere near the East coast could be delayed for days as airlines work to get planes and crews back into position.
Passengers are advised to call their airlines, or find more information on the Tribune Travel Page at http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/.
Amtrak canceled many East Coast trains with service reductions beginning on Saturday and no trains operating in the Northeast on Sunday.
Amtrak has deployed crews, equipment and materials to get ready for service recovery once the hurricane moves out and the damage can be assessed, according to the agency website.
Passengers are advised to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and status updates.
Trans World loss narrowed in second quarter
ALBANY -- Trans World Entertainment Corp., the Albany-based music, video and games retailer, said Thursday that its loss for the second quarter of 2011 was $7.3 million, or 23 cents a share. Net loss in the same period last year was $15.8 million, or 50 cents a share.
Total sales in the second quarter decreased 20 percent to $108 million compared with $135 million in 2010. Comparable store sales for the quarter decreased 6 percent. The company operated an average of 442 stores during the quarter and 538 last year, an 18 percent decline.
Shares (Nasdaq: TWMC) were down three cents to $1.89 when the market closed Thursday.
-- Leah Buletti
How the Cloud Can Solve Security Problems
CIO - Ask five different people a question about, say, cloud security, and youll likely get five different points of view.
The cloud phenomenon is moving and morphing so fast that related disciplines, such as security, are hard to keep up with. Cloud-friendly concepts such as multi-tenancy and federated user authentication are challenging security vendors to come up with new and better counter strokes. But by the time theyre ready, the cloud may have generated an entirely new set of security challenges.
Standards may or may not be the answer, since standards have a hard time keeping up with or anticipating fast-moving innovation. Yet there must be a way to standardize something, somewhere, to help bring structure and agreement to key concepts around cloud security.
Continue reading the complete article on CIO.com
International SOS to Share Insights on Mobile Travel Apps, Travel Assistance …
TREVOSE, Pa., Aug. 18, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Experts from International SOS, the worlds leading medical and security assistance company, will discuss mobile travel apps and usage trends among business travelers, distinctions between travel insurance and travel assistance coverage, and Duty of Care during next weeks Global Business Travel Association Convention in Denver, Colo. International SOS experts will be available at booth #1417 during the Aug. 21-24 event to talk about the newly-launched Dialogues on Duty of Care blog, a resource and information-sharing space for travel managers, HR directors and others involved in safeguarding employees who travel. In addition, the following sessions will feature International SOS panelists:
Hurricane Irene snarls local travel
Louisville, KY (WAVE) - The effects of Hurricane Irene are being felt right here in Kentuckiana, specifically at the Louisville International Airport. As WAVE 3s Eric Flack reports, hundreds of miles from the eye of the storm Hurricane Irene is wreaking havoc on local travel.
Casey Freudenberger was one of the lucky ones, able to fly out of Louisville Saturday morning on the last flights out to Washington, DC. Washingtons Regan Airport was expected to be shut down Saturday night as Hurricane Irene takes aim on the nations capital.
Yeah Im a little nervous, Casey admitted. Ive gotten like 10 billion emails from school saying dont move in Saturday its going to be crazy.
The 19 year old from Middletown decided to risk it, headed back to George Washington University. She and her parents expected her flight to be canceled like so many others.
Flights from Louisville to Baltimore, Philadelphia and Newark were all canceled Saturday as airlines looked to protect passengers, crew and equipment from Irenes damaging winds and rain.
Some took precautions early. All five major airports in the new york area were closed to incoming flights on Saturday with other airports along the eastern seaboard expected to follow suit as Hurricane Irene whips her way up the east coast.
The impact could reach travelers nationwide with so many major airports, and flight connections affected. And Louisville airport officials who have been in touch with at least one major airline expect travel headaches will only increase Sunday.
US Airways told Louisville International Airport spokeswoman Trish Burke it expects to cancel all flights to New Yorks LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia Airport on Sunday. And one US Airways employee told WAVE 3 it could be days before travel is straightened back out.
Which is why Casey Freudenberger has no problem trying to sneak in ahead of the storm
It will be an interesting semester thats for sure, she said.
And an interesting couple of days at airports here, and around the country.
Burke said the best advice is to call your airline directly if you think your flight might be impacted because each airline will likely have a different policy on how to handle Hurricane Irene.
Gary Griggs, Our Ocean Backyard: The biggest animals that ever lived
dinosaur footprints in your backyard every day. After showing the photographs to two paleontologist colleagues back at the university, they both told me they were most likely hadrosaur tracks.
Hadrosaurs are one of the large ornithipod bird-hipped dinosaurs that evolved in central Asia about 100 million years ago, spread west across Europe and also migrated east across a land bridge and into North America.
These were duck-billed, vegetarian dinosaurs, and some species were up to 40 feet long. Even at five tons they could walk upright on their large muscular hind legs. They had three toes and the footprints I found were about 16 inches across. These were big animals, but there have been much larger dinosaurs discovered.
While reconstructing a dinosaurs length and weight is difficult, especially when all you have is a few bones, there have now been nearly complete skeletons of most species unearthed so that we have some degree of confidence that we are getting a reasonably accurate picture of their size.
There is some agreement that the largest dinosaur that has been discovered to date is the Argentinosaurus, named after the country where the bones were recovered. It was also a plant eater, and is believed to have been about 120 feet from head to tail, and the best estimate is that it would have weighed about 100 tons -- the equivalent of 40 Hummers. Pretty impressive.
So what do we have around today that even comes close to Argentinosaurus? You might be surprised to know that the largest animal that ever lived that we know of, in terms of weight, is still alive in the ocean today -- the blue whale. A full-grown blue whale can weigh 175 to 200 tons, nearly twice the weight of the largest dinosaur! A blue whale can reach a maximum length of 110 feet, nearly as long as the Argentinosaurus. Interestingly, the female is typically larger than the male.
Everything about a blue whale can be expressed in superlatives. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant; their hearts, as much as an automobile. And they reach this massive size on a diet composed almost exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals, known as krill.
When feeding actively, an adult blue whale can consume 3-4 tons of krill a day. Blue whale calves are huge when born, being about 25 feet long and weighing as much as 3 tons. They feed completely on their mothers milk for their first year and gain an impressive 200 pounds a day.
Blue whales are also among the Earths longest living animals. Biologists have discovered that by counting the layers of a deceased whales wax-like earplugs, they can get a close estimate of the animals age. The oldest was believed to be about 110 years old, although more typically they will live to be 80 to 90, much like us.
Whalers in the 1900s seeking whale oil nearly drove the blue whale to extinction. Between 1900 and the mid-1960s, about 360,000 were slaughtered. The establishment of the International Whaling Commission in 1966 finally provided protection, although recovery has been modest. There are now only about 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales swimming throughout the worlds oceans.
For reasons still unknown, a large blue whale washed ashore near Pescadero on Sept. 6, 1979. After several days of jurisdictional uncertainty, biologists and students from UC Santa Cruz began the long and unpleasant task of flensing, or removing the blubber and flesh from the whale. The task took about a month, and then with a helicopter and a large truck, the bones were transported to Long Marine Laboratory. It took about a year for natural processes to clean away the remaining flesh and oil.
There is more to this story about Ms. Blue that Ill complete in the next column, but at 87 feet long, the blue whale skeleton standing beside the Seymour Marine Discovery Center today is believed to be the largest on display anywhere in the world. So not only is the blue whale the biggest animal that ever lived on Earth, we have the largest displayed skeleton in our own backyard.
Gary Griggs is director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Long Marine Laboratory at UC Santa Cruz. He can be reached at griggs@ucsc.edu.
State Bureau Disciplines Area Licensed Professionals
POTTSTOWN PA Three Pennsylvania-licensed professionals who practiced in the greater Pottstown area were the subjects of disciplinary actions made public for August and July (2011) by units of the state Department of State Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.
Included among decisions most recently announced 10 days ago (Aug. 15, 2011), the bureaus:
- Board of Auctioneer Examiners accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of the license of a Barto man;
- Board of Barber Examiners suspended the license of a Pottstown man; and the
- Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons suspended the license of a Pottstown man.
Disciplinary actions were announced during both months against dozens of state-licensed professionals, Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele said. The bureau's various boards and commissions license more than 780,000 active professionals and businesses.
In the auctioneers case, George Harold Jacob III, license AU003843L, of Barto PA agrees to the permanent voluntary surrender of his license to practice as an auctioneer because he failed to account for or to pay over moneys belonging to others which have come into his or its possession arising out of a sales transaction within a reasonable time; knowingly made a substantial misrepresentation; engaged in an act or conduct in connection with a sales transaction which demonstrated incompetency, bad faith or dishonesty; did not enter into a written contract with the owner or consignor of property prior to conducting a transaction; failed to keep a written record of a transaction; violated law that requires an auctioneer to retain in escrow money belonging to another until the transaction involved is terminated, at which time the auctioneer shall account for the full amount received; and engaged in a continued or flagrant course of misrepresentation, the department reported for August.
In the barber case, Todd A. Phillips, license BL050196L, of Pottstown PA was suspended pursuant to the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County dated April 13, 2011, which the court issued under section 4355 of the Domestic Relations Code. The suspension is effective immediately, the department reported for July.
In the vehicle case, Robert A. Mathias, license MV220421, of Pottstown PA was suspended pursuant to the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County dated April 7, 2011, which the court issued under section 4355 of the Domestic Relations Code. The suspension is effective immediately, the department reported for July.
The three were among more than 20 licensees in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties whose disciplines were listed by the bureau during the two-month period. The remainder generally were located 15 or more miles outside of Pottstown.
Sony Online Entertainment Gives Release Date for Three Upcoming Games
Sony Online Entertainment has used gamescom to announce release dates for three of their upcoming PlayStation Network games. PAYDAY: The Heist, Sideway: New York and Rochard will all be releasing early this fall for download and offer a wide variety of gameplay from Robert DeNiro type robberies to adventures with graffiti. Check out the release dates below, along with details on each title.
Title: Rochard
Release Date: 9/27
Price: $9.99
Rochard has gamers playing as a space miner named John Rochard who uses wits and tools to fight off the space pirates. Missing miners and an ancient artifact cause John to use his tools and gravity to fight back.
Title: PAYDAY: The Heist
Release Date: 10/4
Price: $19.99
PAYDAY: The Heist is a game that many are calling Left 4 Dead with banks, and that description really fits. Grab a bunch of your friends and take down banks, hijack armored cars, and break into safe houses in this action packed game. If you feel inclined, you can take part in the PSN PLAY Program that is currently going on, where, when you buy 4 games, you get PAYDAY for free. DLC expansions for this game will also be released later this year.
Title: Sideway: New York
Release Date: 10/11
Price: $9.99
Sideway: New York is a 2D platformer that is set in a 3D world, where players control a graffiti artist named Nox. Use not only drainpipes and windows ledges to navigate through the backstreets, but also graffiti tags. Tag your way through the levels while listening to an underground hip-hop inspired soundtrack, all while trying to defeat your nemesis Spray.
Now gamers have three very solid and different looking games to look forward to in the coming months. Will you be picking up any of these titles when they release?
Money-saving ways to still go on vacation
Its not too late to sneak in a little summer vacation or plan a post-Labor Day getaway -- despite the jittery economy and higher travel costs that may have kept you home.
GeoTrust SSL Certificates Help Summer Vacationers Keep Their Cool When Booking …
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, Aug 18, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
With summer travel plans in full swing, GeoTrust SSL Certificates
provide security for online vacation and transportation companies
offering safe and encrypted online booking. Companies including
Excellence Resorts, Context Travel and RentSomeWheels.com count on
GeoTrust to secure customer transactions, ensuring that personal and
financial information is encrypted and protected while in transit.
According to the July Alexa Netcraft Index, GeoTrust remains the most
widely used SSL provider among the top one million most visited web
domains globally.
Click to Tweet: More of the top one million most visited web domains
use GeoTrust:
http://bit.ly/rq1S5s #SSL
Customer Quotes
"We work with Excellence Resorts to present a luxury brand for both
travel agents and end users, and in order to maintain this
reputation, Excellence Resorts insists on trust and professionalism,
especially in the online transaction process," said Mirek Nisenbaum,
Principal, Studio Mobile. "The company takes pride in knowing that
its elite client base's information is secure because the entire
transaction process online is protected by GeoTrust. Customers can
clearly see the Web address change to 'https' the moment they begin
booking their getaway and know their information is secure, and with
the Netcraft Alexa index pointing to GeoTrust as a leader in the SSL
space, we feel that Excellence Resorts offers the best."
"When our customers travel abroad, many for the first time, questions
about security arise," said Paul Bennett, co-founder, Context Travel.
"It is our policy at Context Travel to supply customers with
valuable, interesting seminars with knowledgeable and trustworthy
guides, and that trust needs to start at the beginning by presenting
a secure, stable Web experience for our savvy prospective customers.
Our years of experience have given us absolute confidence in
GeoTrust's ability to help us with this, and we know that by using
GeoTrust SSL on our site, our customers' information is secure. After
years with a standard certificate, we upgraded to the EV certificate
to provide added security, which also turns the address bar green and
increases customers' trust in our site."
"We value a partnership that allows us to secure our online
transactions in a cost-effective way," John Lawson, CTO and
co-founder, RentSomeWheels.com. "Our customers depend on
RentSomeWheels.com as a source of reasonably-priced auto rentals
online, and when we save money, we can pass that savings along to our
customers. It goes without saying that cost savings cannot come at
the cost of security, which is why it comes as no surprise that
GeoTrust SSL is a leader in the market. By using GeoTrust SSL on our
site, we can provide total encryption and security of personal and
financial information affordably, which translates to less concern
over security and cost and more focus on serving our customers."
Cost-Effective Transactional Security
GeoTrust's range of digital
certificate and trust products enable organizations of all sizes to
maximize the security of their digital transactions cost-effectively.
The company's world-class SSL certificates offer fast delivery at
cost-effective prices, enable up to 256-bit SSL encryption, and
include a range of GeoTrust(R) True Site seals based on the level of
identity verification.
Compiled monthly by CatapultWorks, the Alexa-Netcraft SSL Index
obtains an accurate picture of SSL certificate usage across the
websites that matter most by cross-referencing the Netcraft SSL
Survey with the Alexa Top Sites list. The Netcraft SSL survey tallies
all public-facing SSL certificates on the Internet. The Alexa 1
Million is a well-known site traffic measurement service that ranks
the 1 million most visited sites in order of popularity.
Related
-- GeoTrust SSL Certificates
-- Video: Who's GeoTrust?
-- Video: GeoTrust is #1
-- Switch Your Go Daddy SSL Certificate to GeoTrust for Free
-- Video: Who's Your Daddy Now? Ad Parody
-- Data Sheet: 5 Reasons to Choose GeoTrust (PDF)
-- GeoTrust Alexa Netcraft Page
Connect with GeoTrust
-- Follow GeoTrust on Twitter
-- Join GeoTrust on Facebook
-- Watch Videos from GeoTrust on YouTube
-- Visit GeoTrust Blogs
About GeoTrust
A wholly owned subsidiary of Symantec, Corp.
/quotes/zigman/78627/quotes/nls/symc SYMC
+2.70%
, GeoTrust is the world's largest low-cost digital certificate
provider solely focused on security. More than 100,000 customers in
over 150 countries trust GeoTrust to secure online transactions and
conduct business over the internet. GeoTrust's range of digital
certificate and trust products enable organizations of all sizes to
maximize the security of their digital transactions cost-effectively.
For more information, visit
www.geotrust.com .
About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in providing security,
storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and
organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our
software and services protect against more risks at more points, more
completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information
is used or stored. More information is available at
www.symantec.com .
NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec
Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at
http://www.symantec.com/news . All prices noted are in U.S. dollars
and are valid only in the United States.
Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.
Technorati Tags
SSL, GeoTrust, Symantec, digital certificates,
digital transactions, security
CONTACT:
Brian Modena
Symantec Corporation
+1 650-527-5527
bmodena@symantec.com
Holly LaRocco
Connect Public Relations
+1 801-373-7888
Hollyl@connectpr.com
SOURCE: Symantec
mailto:bmodena@symantec.com
mailto:Hollyl@connectpr.com
Copyright 2011 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.
/quotes/zigman/78627/quotes/nls/symc
Add SYMC to portfolio
SYMC
Symantec Corp.
$
16.38
+0.43
+2.70%
Volume: 7.41M
Aug. 26, 2011 4:00p