The Home Phone Experience Changes Forever
New Verizon Hub Puts a Communications Command Center in the Home; Available in More Than 2,500 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores
Households across the nation can now experience for themselves the most talked-about new consumer electronics device on the market, the Verizon Hub. The Verizon Hub is an intuitive device that puts a communications command center in the home that bridges wireline and wireless connectivity and runs on any broadband connection — whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.
Starting Sunday, Feb. 1, all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation will have live Verizon Hubs available to test out. The Verizon Hub, the first-ever VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) home telecommunications system featuring fully integrated connectivity with family members’ wireless phones, gives busy families information at their fingertips from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons. With the Verizon Hub, adults and kids get on-demand access to customized and family-specific information and entertainment by just touching the screen:
- Manage the family calendar and send reminder texts to family members’ mobile phones — and text updates when appointments change;
- Look up a business address and send a place-message to family members who use VZ Navigator(SM) to help them easily access GPS turn-by-turn directions to the business;
- Find recipes and watch instructional cooking shows for those recipes from the best names in cooking;
- Check local traffic conditions and get the latest weather forecasts for cities you choose;
- Catch up on the latest news, sports and entertainment of the day with V CAST videos; and
- Read a summary of an upcoming movie, watch a movie trailer, find local theaters and show times, and purchase tickets.
The Verizon Hub’s Web management site gives families the freedom to view customized information and share content on their Verizon Hub from any Internet connection. By logging into the Web site, family members can check missed calls, listen to voicemail and quickly upload favorite pictures to display on the Verizon Hub’s digital photo frame.
Full Integration with Verizon Wireless Phones
The Verizon Hub is the first VoIP phone designed from the ground up to be integrated with popular Verizon Wireless services: messaging, Chaperone(R) and VZ Navigator functions are all available on the Verizon Hub. For text, picture and video messaging-happy families, users can send and receive multimedia messages between the Verizon Hub and messaging-capable Verizon Wireless handsets and other Verizon Hub devices.
The Verizon Hub makes it a snap to use and manage the company’s Chaperone child location service. Parents can view a list of family members using Chaperone directly from the Hub’s home page, and hit “Locate Now” to see a map showing the Chaperone device’s location. Then, by hitting “Send to VZ Navigator,” a parent immediately has directions to that Chaperone phone sent to their own mobile phone. A subscription to Chaperone is required.
Several VZ Navigator-based services are available — after looking up an address, it’s easy to send a place message from the Hub to any VZ Navigator-enabled mobile device. Verizon Wireless customers without a VZ Navigator subscription receive just a text message with the location information, but not GPS turn-by-turn directions.
A True Communications Command Center
The Verizon Hub is a family communications command center, helping busy families manage their lives. From the touch screen, there’s access to:
- Calendar (with Text Message Reminders) — View a monthly calendar, navigate forward and backward from the current month, set Calendar Alerts with a subject field for a specific time and date and reminder notification to appear on the Verizon Hub. Calendar Alerts can also be sent as a text message to any Verizon Wireless mobile phone.
- Contact List — Create a personalized address book by storing contact information for friends, family and businesses. Contact list entries are synchronized between the Verizon Hub, Verizon Hub handsets and the Verizon Hub Web management site for quick and easy access.
- Movie Listings, Show Times and Ticketing — Find out what’s playing at local theaters, view show times, play trailers and purchase movie tickets directly from the Verizon Hub’s touch screen.
- Ringtones — Customize the Verizon Hub with a selection of free embedded ringtones.
- Traffic — Get current video reports of slowdowns and accidents in top metropolitan areas.
- V CAST News and Sports — Watch video of headline, financial and sports news, check sports scores and schedules.
- V CAST Entertainment — View entertainment and celebrity news, kids’ entertainment and horoscopes.
- V CAST Food & Dining — Access and view recipes (some with video demonstrations), tips and techniques, and healthy eating information.
- V CAST Lifestyle — View tips and information on parenting and family, home and garden, going green, beauty and fashion, health and wellness, and travel.
- Verizon Relay — View photos received via picture messaging from family and others, all in one place.
- Visual Voice Mail — Browse voicemails in the voicemail box through a graphical interface, view message information before choosing which message to play, prioritize message playback order.
- White Pages and Yellow Pages — Perform name-based searches of white page directory listings by city and state and search the entire Yellow Pages by keyword or business name, along with the option to browse by category.
- Weather — View five-day forecasts for a location right from the home screen (multiple city views available).
The Verizon Hub has added features that make it the go-to consumer electronics device in the kitchen: a full-screen calculator, intercom and handset paging, a variety of screensavers and custom slideshows for customizing when the base is in an idle state, wallpapers, plus time and date shown on the home screen with a shortcut to the calendar. Family members can use call logs to view missed, incoming and outgoing calls, look up contact information with reverse number lookup, call control for managing popular calling features and settings, and message status to get alerts for new calls, voicemails and messages.
Voice Features
The new Verizon Hub reaches beyond plain old voice, but families still need a reliable way to make and receive calls at home. With a Verizon Digital Voice plan, Verizon Hub customers get unlimited calling to numbers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, as well as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus access to many features available on traditional home phones or phone service. The Verizon Digital Voice plan includes call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, caller ID with name, caller ID block, incoming and international call block, anonymous call rejection, remote access to voicemail, 10-number speed dial, and three-way calling.
In addition, the Verizon Hub offers a variety of advanced options and features for voice calls:
- 10-Digit Dialing — The Verizon Hub uses standard American 10-digit dialing behavior so the “1″ will not have to be dialed in order to make domestic calls. For international calls, customers will dial 011 before the country code and number.
- Back-Up Number — Allows customers to designate an alternate number (e.g. wireless or office number) where calls would be automatically forwarded in the event of a power outage or failure of the broadband connection.
- Call Logs — Lists the caller’s telephone number, date, time of day, physical location, and duration of every incoming, outgoing and missed call made during the current billing cycle; allows customers to quickly scan calls to determine which are domestic or international.
- Contacts — Create a personalized address book by storing contact information for friends, family and businesses. The contact list entries are synchronized between the Verizon Hub, additional Verizon Hub handsets and the Verizon Hub Web management site for easy access.
- Do Not Disturb — Using two separate menu options, customers can either send all calls directly to voicemail or receive calls only from those they have identified as an “accepted” caller (all other calls will receive a Do Not Disturb message and be rejected).
- Return Call (*69) — Quickly return any incoming call, even if the customer didn’t answer the call.
- Simultaneous Ring — Incoming calls can ring on up to three unique phone numbers plus the Verizon Hub number, and the first phone that’s answered connects to the caller.
- Visual Voice Mail — Subscribers can view voicemails in their voicemail box, plus delete, reply and forward their voicemail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.
Customers can view Visual Voice Mail from both the Verizon Hub and from the Verizon Hub Web management site.
Pricing and Availability
To get and use the Verizon Hub, potential customers need:
- 911 service in the location they plan to use the Verizon Hub (virtually the entire nation);
- A home broadband connection of any sort — from Verizon or any telecommunications or cable company;
- A wireless router in the home;
- Verizon Wireless service;
- Verizon Digital Voice plan: $34.99 a month for unlimited calling in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories and Canada, and unlimited messaging to and from Verizon Wireless phones with Unlimited Messaging.
The Verizon Hub costs $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement; additional cordless handsets, which can be used throughout the home, will be available for $79.99 each. For customers who do not have a wireless router, Verizon Wireless will also offer one for $69.99.
For more information on the Verizon Hub, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hub.
Watch Punxsutawney Phil’s Big Prediction Live
VisitPa.com to offer live Web cast of Groundhog Day prognostication
On Feb. 2, join Groundhog Day celebrants for Punxsutawney Phil’s annual weather forecast through a live Web cast from Gobblers Knob at visitPa.com/groundhog.
Each year the famous groundhog emerges slightly after 7 a.m. from his stump to predict the fate of winter. According to folklore, if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Again this year, the entire world will be able to watch the prediction live at visitPa.com/groundhog.
“Each year millions of people await a signal from the prognosticator of all prognosticators – will winter continue or is spring just around the corner?” said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary of tourism for Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. “With this unique Web cast, fans from anywhere in the world can make a virtual visit to Punxsutawney to watch Phil’s prediction live.”
The celebration begins Jan. 30 with events in Punxsutawney and throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds. On Jan. 31, the Groundhog Wine Trail Food & Arts Fest will be held at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds, www.groundhogwinetrail.com. On Feb. 1, health-conscious Phil fans can take part in the four-mile Groundhog Jog, www.runpunxsyrun.org. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.groundhog.org.
The Pennsylvania Tourism Office, under the state Department of Community and Economic Development, provides travelers with the information and resources they need to plan and enjoy the activities, attractions and destinations that are uniquely Pennsylvania.
Source: Pennsylvania Tourism Office
New Analysis Finds African-Americans are Markedly More Religious Than Overall U.S. Population
On the eve of Black History Month, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life released a new analysis that paints a detailed religious portrait of African-Americans. The analysis finds that African-Americans are markedly more religious than the U.S. population as a whole on a variety of measures, including reporting a religious affiliation, attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer and the importance of religion in people’s lives.
Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation, with fully 87% of African-Americans describing themselves as belonging to one religious group or another. The analysis also finds that nearly eight-in-ten African-Americans (79%) say religion is very important in their lives, compared with 56% among all U.S. adults.
These are among many findings of the new Pew Forum analysis detailing the unique nature of religion in the African-American community. Other highlights include:
- A large majority of African-Americans who are unaffiliated with any particular faith (72%) say religion plays at least a somewhat important role in their lives; nearly half (45%) of unaffiliated African-Americans say religion is very important in their lives, roughly three times the percentage who says this among the religiously unaffiliated population overall (16%).
- African-Americans express a high degree of comfort with religion’s role in politics, with roughly six-in-ten saying that houses of worship should express their views on social and political topics and roughly half saying that there has been too little expression of faith and prayer by political leaders. At the same time, most African-Americans support certain restrictions on the mingling of politics and religious institutions, with nearly six-in-ten (58%) saying that churches and other houses of worship should refrain from endorsing political candidates.
- The link between religion and some social and political attitudes in the African-American community is similar to that seen among the population overall. For instance, just as in the general public, African-Americans who are more religiously observant are more likely to oppose abortion and homosexuality and more likely to report higher levels of conservative ideology.
- On a variety of other questions, including political party identification and opinions about the proper role of government in providing services to the citizenry and assistance to the poor, there are few differences in the views of African-Americans across religious groups. Perhaps most strikingly, the partisan leanings of African-Americans from every religious background tilt heavily in the Democratic direction.
The analysis is based on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Forum in 2007 and released in 2008, as well as other Pew Research Center surveys.
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Pew Forum is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy organization and does not take positions on policy debates. Based in Washington, D.C., the Pew Forum is a project of the Pew Research Center, which is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Source: Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life
Government Programs Disastrous for American Small Business
Thriving entrepreneur Scott Baxter weighs in
In today’s doomsday economy, few CEOs can boast of creating jobs and increasing profits. Scott Baxter, the recession-busting founder of SA Baxter (http://www.sabaxter.com/), a high-end manufacturer of architectural hardware, had the most successful business quarter ever and is thriving both domestically and internationally. He successfully launched his third venture by combining a passion for design with an impressive track record in media, telecommunications, and information technology.
Baxter exemplifies the business formula that is needed to reboot the American economy and speaks from experience on driving entrepreneurship and renewing the U.S. manufacturing base.
While the rest of the luxury market is spiraling downward, with record numbers of companies downsizing and declaring bankruptcy, SA Baxter is fielding orders from the U.S. and around the world, including China, Russia, India, Turkey, UK, Germany, Canada, South America, and the Middle East. Baxter could well represent a blueprint for starting a new company in the worst economic climate since the Depression.
As the debate over the Obama administration’s $800 billion stimulus plan to revive the moribund economy heats up, Scott Baxter brings a unique perspective to the debate. Unlike academics and heads of financial institutions so often featured in the news, over the past 15 years, Baxter has actually created hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in the small-business sector.
Baxter added, “The stimulus package could be disastrous for the nation’s small businesses – the backbone of the U.S. economy. With credit markets now frozen, most entrepreneurs can’t get their business off the ground.” Baxter notes that without any part of Obama’s stimulus package targeting the small-business sector – which employs roughly 60% of the nation’s work force – entrepreneurship in the U.S. will suffer. In light of the growing competition in global markets, this could be lethal.
He believes the government programs set hurdles that make it impossible for new businesses without his financial resources, including the program he participates in through the New York Empire Development Corp. He fears that the entire program will cost him more than the benefits he is deriving due to additional bureaucracy and pending changes proposed by the current Governor. With an SBA loan wholly out of the question, Baxter personally financed his architectural hardware firm, SA Baxter, where all production is done domestically in an eco-friendly state-of-the-art foundry in the New York Hudson Valley.
Understanding markets, branding, and the need for green manufacturing, Baxter’s application of advanced technology has placed him at the forefront of fusing the old-world economic business model into the new economy. His astute business acumen is clearly illustrated by his two-year-old architectural hardware company, which has quickly earned the reputation as among the best in the world. SA Baxter’s unique approach to design and manufacture is the reason its products are sought out by the world’s top designers and architects.
In addition to his architectural business, Scott Baxter runs Baxter Investments LLC, a strategic investment and consulting firm that he uses as his investment vehicle for his own ventures, public equity, corporate debt, advisory services to other individuals and entities, and most recently exploring the gold markets with perhaps yet another venture he thinks will change the fundamental efficiency of the market.
While Baxter started off in design school, he was among the early visionaries drawn to technology and acquired a B.S. in Information Management in 1980. After a short stint as a computer operator and engineer, he moved to the business side of technology, working in sales and marketing for Data General Corporation and Sun Microsystems. Baxter’s entrepreneurial path started in 1991 with ICON, which began as a local technology consultancy technology company. After only five years Baxter took ICON public and sold the company to Qwest Communications for about $500 million. Baxter later served as President of QIS, a division of Qwest Communications in 1998. He later co-founded and served as Chairman of Hawk Holdings, a technology incubator which launched Teoma Technologies, acquired by Ask.com in 2001 for approximately 10% of Ask stock trading at .82 cents a share and rose as high as $40 per share in the following months, giving it one of the best returns on any stock listed on the NASDAQ.
Source: SA Baxter
Economic Stimulus Package Offers Little Help to Seniors in Poverty
Workers Making $75,000 Would Get $500 in Relief; Seniors with Average Social Security Income of $13,836 Would Get Just $300
The U.S. Senate version of the economic stimulus package would provide Social Security recipients and disabled veterans a one-time extra payment of $300.
The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) supports the $300 payment to seniors, but maintains that amount is insufficient to truly help the nation’s poorest seniors. The average Social Security beneficiary receives just $13,836 per year, and more than 10 percent of seniors live below the poverty line.
TSCL is advocating for as much as $1,000 in relief for the nation’s poorest seniors – the same amount couples earning up to $150,000 per year would receive.
A recent study released by TSCL found that seniors lost 51 percent of their buying power since 2000, a result of costs increasing more rapidly than the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment.
“It’s difficult to understand why the Senate would give the least money to the most vulnerable group in our economy,” said Daniel O’Connell, chairman of The Senior Citizens League. “It seems clear that seniors – especially those barely getting by – are precisely the people that will stimulate the economy by spending their stimulus checks.”
“We receive phone calls from seniors every day who are having a tough time paying for their prescriptions, groceries, and rent – these are the very people who need the stimulus most,” said Shannon Benton, executive director of TSCL.
TSCL is concerned with one part of the Senate proposal: since workers would not pay a portion of their Social Security taxes, the Social Security Trust Fund would go into deficit spending as soon as 2010. TSCL encourages lawmakers to take the money required for this tax relief from the general treasury rather than the Trust Fund.
With 1.2 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors groups. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit www.SeniorsLeague.org for more information.
Source: The Senior Citizens League
2009 Earned Income Tax Credit Benefits Working Families With up to Nearly $5,000 in Individual Tax Refunds
Los Angeles EITC Partnership Supports Families with Refund Filing, Free Tax Preparation, and Financial Counseling throughout Los Angeles County
The Greater Los Angeles Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign Partnership, led by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, today announced its annual effort to help qualified low and moderate-income families reach financial stability during a press conference held at Magnolia Place Family Center. In attendance at the conference were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, State Controller John Chiang, United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Vice President of Community Investment Alicia Lara and past EITC recipients. The EITC partnership is part of a widespread national effort to drive public awareness about the tax credit and other services provided by participating organizations.
EITC has become one of the largest anti-poverty programs for working families, bringing an estimated $1.5 billion in refunds to qualified taxpayers and helping to drive the local economy in Los Angeles County. For 2009 (the 2008 tax year), the credit can translate to a refund of up to $4,824 for low and moderate-income families with two or more children – a figure equal to nearly two months of income for many families.
EITC provides the following benefits for qualified working families:
- Families with two or more qualifying children who earn less than $38,646 (or $41,646 if married filing jointly) are eligible for up to $4,824;
- Families with one qualifying child who earn less than $33,995 (or $36,995 if married filing jointly) are eligible for up to $2,917; and
- Workers between the ages of 25-64 who earn less than $12,880 (or $15,880 if married filing jointly) and have no qualifying children are eligible for up to $438
“More than ever, we need to help our working local families gain a foothold and reach financial stability. As one of the largest financial resources for low and moderate income families, EITC helps us get closer to that goal,” said Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “With costs associated with housing, food, healthcare and childcare continuing to increase, it is important that we educate the public about this vastly underutilized credit, and assist families in claiming the over $250 million in EITC credits that was left on the table just last year.”
Qualifying families with two or more children — including those in nontraditional situations — may be eligible for refunds. Those who qualify, but have failed to claim the credit in prior years, may apply for the EITC retroactively for a period of up to three years. Additionally, the IRS will offer a Split Refund Option, giving taxpayers the option of having refunds directly deposited in up to three financial accounts, such as checking, savings, and a retirement account, helping them build assets and financial security.
In addition to the refund available through EITC, the Child Tax Credit also provides families earning over $8,500 with dependent children under 17 years old, the opportunity to receive credits of up to $1,000 per child. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, supported by the EITC partnership, can help families apply for these credits. Last year, the partnership supported and promoted VITA and AARP Tax-Aide sites that helped residents collect approximately $11 million in EITC (a 59% increase from the previous year) and $25 million in total tax refunds (a 35% increase from the previous year).
To qualify for EITC services and tax credits, claimants must be qualified working U.S. citizens and legal residents with Social Security numbers. If a legal resident meets all of the qualifications, they are also able to retroactively claim the EITC for a period of up to three years.
“With about 20 percent of eligible Californian’s missing out on this valuable credit, it is our job to educate people about this benefit and help them claim money that is rightfully theirs,” said Mark Ridley-Thomas, Supervisor Los Angeles County. “We need to support our residents’ futures and, in term, bolster the financial stability of Los Angeles County as a whole.”
For more information and to see if they qualify, individuals and working families can call L.A. County’s “2-1-1″ line or visit the EITC Partnership’s web site at www.eitc-la.com to find one of over 100 free tax preparation sites.
Source: United Way of Greater Los Angeles
New Survey Raises Consumer Online Privacy Awareness
Data Privacy Day tomorrow, opportunity for consumer education on privacy issues
Consumer Policy Solutions released a new survey examining consumer awareness and understanding of online privacy. With Data Privacy Day tomorrow, this is an especially timely survey intended to help raise consumer awareness of privacy issues and give consumers the knowledge and tools needed for the privacy they desire online. Many consumers are not fully aware of the implications of their online activity and the “virtual breadcrumbs” they inadvertently leave behind when roaming from site to site.
This survey, which follows closely on the heels of a Consumer Policy Solutions survey released in May that revealed protecting personal privacy is a top consumer concern, takes a closer look at consumers understanding of online privacy. Many respondents were unaware of the tracking, collecting and sharing of information that occurs as a result of online activities.
“Consumers care about protecting their privacy on the Internet, but they do not necessarily know how to protect themselves nor do they understand how the process works,” said Debra Berlyn, president of Consumer Policy Solutions. “Today is a great day to raise awareness of what the issues are for consumers. I think our survey serves as a good gauge of how consumers view their privacy online.”
In response to the findings of the survey, Consumer Policy Solutions is launching a website www.ConsumerPrivacyAwareness.org dedicated to educating and informing consumers about online privacy issues.
The survey found that:
- Consumers think they are knowledgeable about online privacy, but many are unaware of how their activity and behaviors can be followed and collected online.
- 70% of Internet users say they are very or fairly knowledgeable about how to protect their personal privacy online
- 42% are unsure whether their online activity is tracked and recorded by companies for commercial purposes
- 12% believe that tracking by companies for commercial purposes does not happen at all
- Consumers do not always read privacy policies.
- 32% say they have read their ISP privacy policy closely
- 30% have read online retailers’ privacy policies closely
- 18% have read search engine privacy policies closely
- Parents know less than they think about their children’s privacy online when it comes to sites tracking their children’s online activity.
- 69% of parents say they are very or fairly knowledgeable about how to protect their children’s privacy online, but 29% are not even sure whether the websites their children use have privacy policies and just 31% have read the privacy policies of the websites their children visit closely.
- 56% are unsure whether children’s online activity can be tracked by companies for commercial purposes.
From November 10 through 14, 2008, Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., conducted this online national survey among 804 home Internet users.
For more information on the survey go to: www.ConsumerPrivacyAwareness.org
What is the Story Behind the Symbol on the Headgear of the Pittsburgh Steelers?
What do Troy Polamalu, Coca-Cola and Steel have in common? As fate* would have it, Steelers safety Polamalu will appear in a Coca-Cola ad Super Bowl Sunday — and not only bring back memories of the 1980 commercial where “Mean Joe Green gets comforted by a kid who hands him a coke(1)” — but will carry two strong brands and the crushing strength of the Steelers’ defensive line with him.
The Pittsburgh Steeler’s famed three-star logo is one of the most familiar symbols in sports, partly because steel’s inherent strength and toughness is a perfect match for the Steelers’ highly-touted, bone-crunching defense. Only the Steel trademarked logo found on the Steelers helmet brings worldwide recognition and appreciation for these strengths.
Seven decades after Art Rooney purchased the NFL franchise and five Super Bowl victories later, it has come to symbolize the strength of the team and the Steel City it represents. But how many fans know what the starlike figures mean and where the logo came from?
In fact, the three four-pointed starlike figures within the circle, called hypocycloids for their geometric origin, made it to the NFL in 1962, when Rooney adopted the Steelmark for his football team. The Steelers logo is based on the Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The Steelmark was originally created for United States Steel Corporation to promote the attributes of steel: yellow lightens your work; orange brightens your leisure; and blue widens your world. The logo’s meaning was later amended to represent the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal; orange for iron ore; and blue for steel scrap.
Back in the early 60s, the Steelers had to petition the AISI in order to change the word “Steel” inside the Steelmark to “Steelers” before the logo was complete. Cleveland’s Republic Steel suggested to the Steelers that they use the Steelmark as a helmet logo.
The Steelers are the only NFL team that sports their logo on only one side of the helmet. At first, this was a temporary measure because the Steelers weren’t sure they would like the look of the logo on an all-gold helmet. They wanted to test them before going all-out.
Equipment manager back then Jack Hart was instructed to put the logo only on one side of the helmet — the right side. The 1962 Steelers finished with a 9-5 mark and became the team with the most wins in franchise history to date. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the Playoff Bowl. They wanted to do something special for their first postseason game, so they changed the color of their helmets from gold to black, which helped to highlight the new logo.
Because of the interest generated by having the logo on only one side of their helmets and also due to the team’s new success, the Steelers decided to leave the helmet that way permanently. Today’s helmet reflects the way the logo was originally applied and it has never been changed.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 25 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent over 70 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.
*Coca-Cola planned the commercial before they knew the Steelers were going to the Super Bowl.
(1) USA Today, Troy Polamalu is the New Mean Joe Greene, by Tom Weir, November 21, 2008.
Source: American Iron and Steel Institute
Tens of Thousands Crowd San Francisco Waterfront, Rally Against Abortion
Tens of thousands of pro-life supporters filled the boulevard along San Francisco’s waterfront for more than a mile in the 5th Annual Walk for Life West Coast today, walking behind a 10-foot-long “Abortion Hurts Women” banner.
The Walk came four days after President Barack Obama’s inauguration and one day after Obama reversed the Bush administration’s ban on federal funding of international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information.
“We shall overcome!” Frank Lee of Asian Americans Against Abortion, said, addressing the crowd in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Lee joined Walk organizer Eva Muntean to urge opposition to the proposed Freedom of Choice Act which would eliminate all restrictions on abortion.
“Women deserve better, men deserve better – we all deserve better than abortion,” Feminist for Life speaker Karen Shablin, an African American, told the crowd. Shablin, a former member of the National Abortion Rights Action League who had an abortion in her 20s, said that 37 percent of abortions are done on black women – who make up just 13 percent of the population.
“President Obama puts a face on black genocide,” declared Rev. Clenard Childress, a Baptist pastor and founder of BlackGenocide.org who has spoken at the Walk since its inception in 2005. “President Obama is the fulfillment of what the abortion industry always wanted and that was a black face to validate abortion.”
But Childress said that Obama’s election is not the end of the pro-life movement – to the contrary.
“We thank God today for this moment. You’re not going away, I’m not going away. This is our moment,” Childress said.
Also speaking at the event were Diana Nagy, a singer who placed her son for adoption after becoming pregnant at 15, and Sister of Life Mother Agnes Mary. “We’ve made a lot of progress,” Nagy said, noting that 36 years after the Roe v. Wade decision, “abortion is at an all time low.”
“Let us pass on the love,” Mother Agnes Mary said. “Let us tell the truth, let us change the world.”
The Walk was founded in 2005 by a group of San Francisco residents to reach out to women who have had abortions and to show support for them and for women in crisis pregnancies.
For downloadable photos http://www.walkforlifewc.com/.
Source: Walk for Life West Coast
USA Network Spies Online Success – Launches COVERT OPS 2.0 With Second Season of BURN NOTICE
Interactive Game Turns BURN NOTICE Fans into Spies with Seven New Action-Packed Video-Based Missions
USA Network announced today that its digital team will continue its aggressive push into the online gaming world with the launch of COVERT OPS 2.0, an alternate reality game (www.burnnoticeops.com) themed to the #1 scripted series on cable, BURN NOTICE. Developed in conjunction with the show’s creator Matt Nix, USA Network is once again partnering with GM’s Saab USA around the second installment of the most successful online game in the channel’s history. The game enables the show’s fans to get more involved with the franchise by turning users into spies and challenging them to conduct surveillance, clone a phone and plant evidence, all while behind the wheel of a Saab 9-3 Convertible.
“COVERT OPS 1.0 surpassed our expectations in creating an engaging new experience for our fans as well as extending the reach of our sponsor,” said Jesse Redniss, vice president, USA Network Digital. “In response to demand, we wanted to provide our fans with more of what they enjoy — challenging game play, character interactivity and great prizes. GM was a seamless fit for the brand, the game and its new missions in 2.0.”
Last season, the USA Network team shook up the industry with the launch of BURN NOTICE COVERT OPS 1.0, which immersed fans of the show into the action-packed life of a spy who has been ‘burned’. The game garnered more than 7.6 million page views from over 300,000 users during the course of the campaign. For the length of the summer run (nine weeks), COVERT OPS 1.0 accounted for 26 percent of total BURN NOTICE site traffic and engagement time, which was an astounding 12 minutes per entry (does not include pages per visit and uniques).
“We got involved because GM is always looking for innovative ways to engage current customers and attracting new ones. COVERT OPS provided a non-intrusive approach that allowed us multiple touch points with these customers and our product,” said Dino Bernacchi, branded entertainment director, GM. “While we knew the show was a big success, the online activation component was still unknown. The great story telling, engaging activities and the in-depth involvement with our product ensured success for GM in almost every category measured. USA knows what its fans want and provides partners like GM the opportunity to interact with them on multiple levels.”
COVERT OPS 2.0 not only builds on the adrenaline-fueled adventures the fans loved from the original game, but also includes seven new video-based missions featuring the recurring BURN NOTICE character Seymour (Silas Weir Mitchell). Each week, following an all-new episode, users will be able to go online to take part in a new daring mission and help Seymour retrieve a valuable microchip. The players who complete all seven missions are eligible to win a deluxe home entertainment system.
BURN NOTICE COVERT OPS 2.0 was developed in conjunction with Omelet (www.omeletla.com), a Los Angeles based full service advertising and entertainment company. The game will be the digital centerpiece of a robust online microsite for the series. Additional elements include video spy tips, full episodes, behind the scenes and more.
BURN NOTICE is a sly take on the spy genre starring Jeffrey Donovan (“Changeling”) as Michael Westen, a burned operative who finds himself stuck in the tropical paradise of Miami. Also starring Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless. Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) guest-stars. BURN NOTICE was the #1 new show on cable of 2007 and the #1 scripted show on cable in 2008 in the coveted P18-49 demo.
USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in 94 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com.
Source: USA Network