By Paul Casella The historic Empire State Building will glow in Mets blue and orange on Friday night to mark the start of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week in New York City. Mets legend Mookie Wilson and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith took part in the official lighting ceremony on Friday afternoon. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Joe’s Crab Shack Launches National Partnership with Autism Speaks
Month-long fundraising effort kicks off on World Autism Day
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Joe’s Crab Shack joins organizations across the globe in celebration of World Autism Day today and kicks off its own national fundraiser for Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.
Joe’s, always a supporter of kids and families, raised more than $135,000 for Autism Speaks through local fundraisers in 2012. This year, all 130+ Joe’s locations will get involved. Through the month of April, guests who donate to Autism Speaks receive valuable coupons for free food on their next visit. For every $1 donation, guests receive a free kids meal entree; with a $5 donation, a free order of Crazy Good Crab Dip; and with a $10 donation, a free Classic Steampot. Guests can also visit the Joe’s Crab Shack website to donate electronically and download their coupons.
“Supporting the needs of the autism community is a cause that is dear to me and to many of our guests and team members,” said Joe’s Crab Shack President Jim Mazany. “Many have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who need the support of Autism Speaks, and will benefit from the generosity of Joe’s and our guests.”
Joe’s restaurants around the country will “Light It Up Blue” in honor of World Autism Day, joined by prominent buildings such as the Empire State Building and the Sydney Opera House. Hundreds of individual homes and businesses across the world will also participate.
“We are thrilled that Joe’s Crab Shack, one of our strongest supporters, is partnering with us for this year’s Light It Up Blue campaign,” said Alec Elbert, Chief Strategy and Development Officer of Autism Speaks. “Since the beginning of our partnership, we have been inspired by the support of Joe’s Crab Shack’s caring employees and guests who work to improve the lives of those affected by autism. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with their restaurants across the country.”
Guests can also “Light It Up Blue” with specially made Joe’s signature tie-dye T-shirts available for sale in the restaurant’s gift shops through April 30. Joe’s will donate 10% of the proceeds from all T-shirt sales to Autism Speaks.
About Joe’s Crab Shack
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
WrestleMania
® Takes over New York and New Jersey
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Fans from all 50 states and more than 30 countries will converge on the New York/New Jersey region for a week-long lineup of festivities in celebration of WrestleMania 29, taking place this Sunday, April 7live on pay-per-view at 7 PM ET from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. WWE® will take over New York and New Jersey beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, April 2 with the following events:
WWE‘s Be a STAR anti-bullying initiative was co-founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE in April 2011. (Photo: Business Wire)
By Alex Planes, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
On this day in economic and financial history …
The world’s first modern commercial elevator went into service in a New York City department store on March 23, 1857. Designed by Elisha Graves Otis and installed at the E.V. Haughwout store on Broadway and Broome, this was the first elevator to successfully go up and down with the same smooth motion, avoiding the pitfalls of earlier designs with a specially designed safety brake. Otis’ innovations allowed his Otis Elevator Company to expand rapidly in the largely unchallenged field of lifting people up and putting them back down again inside buildings.
Although Otis himself died only seven years later, his sons continued to manage the company, and as skyscrapers grew on the skylines of cities around the world, Otis Elevator grew with it. The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the original Woolworth Building all used Otis elevators, but the company had already installed thousands of elevators before any of these iconic structures went up. Elevators not only allowed for taller buildings, but they also created thousands of jobs in the early years of the technology. Before automation, a trained operator needed to finesse the elevator into position, lest the doors open midway between floors.
The Otis Elevator Company remains the leading intrabuilding transport company in the world. Roughly 7 billion people — the equivalent of the world’s population — use the company’s elevators, escalators, and moving walkways every three days. Otis has been a part of United Technologies since 1976 and is the company’s third-largest segment by revenue.
Canadian oil sands, eh?
Canada‘s Suncor Energy announced a $15 billion acquisition of Petro-Canada, a former energy arm of the Canadian government, on March 23, 2009. The two companies would combine to become Canada‘s largest energy company, with proven reserves of 7.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent and substantial holdings in the rapidly developing Canadian oil sands. Since Petro-Canada was founded as a Crown corporation (the equivalent of a state-owned enterprise), it contained a unique shareholding structure that had prevented anyone from owning more than 20% of it. That would ultimately not matter to the deal, which went through without a hitch several months later under the very mild regulatory requirement that the augmented Suncor sell off 104 of its gas stations in Ontario.
Suncor has had its ups and downs since then, but it is now firmly placed on the list of Canada‘s largest companies. Three years after the deal, Canada‘s largest oil company was the country’s fourth-largest public corporation, trailing three banks.
The biggest new legislation in a generation
President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, into law on March 23, 2010. At a packed ceremony in the White House, the president remarked: “[T]he bill I’m signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Walgreens Debuts New Flagship Store in the Iconic Empire State Building
Drugstore chain’s second Well Experience flagship store in New York City
DEERFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Walgreens (NYS: WAG) (NAS: WAG) tomorrow will welcome customers to its latest New York City-based flagship store located in the world renowned Empire State Building. The store, which opens to the public at 10 a.m., features an extensive collection of innovative offerings, products and services unexpected from a drugstore.
“We are extremely pleased to provide another revolutionary store that demonstrates how Walgreens is transforming daily living, pharmacy and healthcare experiences nationwide,” said Mark Wagner, Walgreens president of operations and community management. “Walgreens innovative products and services support our commitment to help our customers get, stay and live well.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony will commence the grand opening. Walgreens leadership will be available for comment after the ceremony.
The store’s expanded features include:
What next? On St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish succeeded in casting green spotlights on the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Rio de Janiero’s massive Christ the Redeemer statue, Dubai’s Burj al Arab, South Africa’s Table Mountain, Auckland’s Sky Tower, Sydney’s Opera House, the London Eye, and the White House fountains. Less well known is that they’re also busy conquering Outer Space. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
(Phys.org)—Every great structure, from the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge, depends on specific mechanical properties to remain strong and reliable. Rigidity—a material’s stiffness—is of particular importance for maintaining the robust functionality of everything from colossal edifices to the tiniest of nanoscale structures. In biological nanostructures, like DNA networks, it has been difficult to measure this stiffness, which is essential to their properties and functions. But scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have recently developed techniques for visualizing the behavior of biological nanostructures in both space and time, allowing them to directly measure stiffness and map its variation throughout the network. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
The French “Spider-Man” continues to dazzle Havana with his unassisted, death-defying climbs.
Alain Robert already climbed the 413-foot (216-meter) Habana Libre hotel Monday. On Tuesday it was an elementary school in colonial Old Havana that made up in difficulty what it lacked in height.
The 50-year-old Robert took 15 minutes to ascend the three stories of the graceful stone building, which offered little in the way of hand- and footholds. Tourists and schoolchildren gasped and shouted words of encouragement.
Several youngsters then tried to imitate the French daredevil, but were unable to climb more than a few feet before losing their grip.
Robert has scaled the planet’s loftiest skyscrapers from the Empire State Building to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
The daredevil climber nicknamed “Spider-Man” is famous for scaling the world’s tallest skyscrapers without a safety line.
Now Alain Robert is tackling a slightly less imposing edifice with plenty of symbolism.
The 50-year-old Frenchman is in Cuba to conquer the 27-story former Hilton, which was taken over after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and redubbed the “Habana Libre,” or “Free Havana.”
Fidel Castro set up his personal offices here soon after his triumphant march into the capital.
Robert tells the AP in an exclusive interview that the hotel has “great meaning” for him for its symbolism.
The Habana Libre is dwarfed by others Robert has summited like the Empire State Building. But at 413 feet (126 meters), a fall would still be deadly.
Robert plans to make his attempt Monday.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
A University of North Carolina student wounded in last summer’s shooting outside the Empire State Building is suing New York City police department.
Chenin Duclos and eight other bystanders were wounded by police gunfire, ricochets and fragments. Officers were engaged in a gunfight with a man suspected of gunning down a former co-worker.
Duclos alleges the officers were grossly negligent.
The lawsuit says police should have taken steps to avoid the confrontation. It suggests they should have waited until he moved away from bystanders.
The shooting happened as thousands were on the streets surrounding the landmark on a bright August morning.
There was no immediate comment from city officials.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. It was filed Tuesday in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
A University of North Carolina student wounded in last summer’s shooting outside the Empire State Building is suing New York City police department.
Chenin Duclos and eight other bystanders were wounded by police gunfire, ricochets and fragments. Officers were engaged in a gunfight with a man suspected of gunning down a former co-worker.
Duclos alleges the officers were grossly negligent.
The lawsuit says police should have taken steps to avoid the confrontation. It suggests they should have waited until he moved away from bystanders.
The shooting happened as thousands were on the streets surrounding the landmark on a bright August morning.
There was no immediate comment from city officials.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. It was filed Tuesday in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court.and they face both state and federal bans
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
