| Wis. College to Give Bikes to Freshmen
(AP) RIPON, Wis. - A tiny liberal arts college here hopes it has found an answer to a nagging shortage of campus parking: a bicycle giveaway. If incoming freshmen promise not to bring a car to campus for a full year, Ripon College will give them a Trek 820 mountain bike, a helmet and a lock _ a $400 value. "We're a residential college with a beautiful, historic campus in the middle of a small town," said President David Joyce, an avid cyclist. "Paving it over was not an option I was willing to consider." He hopes the 1,000-student campus' "Velorution Program" will protect it from building more parking lots. "We obviously live in a car culture. That's not about to change," Joyce said. "But if a significant number of students learn that a car isn't a necessity at this stage of their lives, that's good enough for me." Last fall, for the first time in Ripon College history, the number of parking permit applications exceeded the 400 permits available, Joyce said.
Talk of the day
U.S. consumers spent 10 percent less on music in 2007, reflecting declining purchases of compact discs, according to a survey by New York-based researcher NPD. Sales of downloads rose as Apple Inc.'s iTunes became the second-largest music retailer. About 48 percent of teenagers didn't buy a CD last year, up from 38 percent in 2006, NPD said Tuesday. Compact disc sales declined 19 percent in the U.S. last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks retail sales. Downloads and mobile ring tones weren't enough to make up for the drop. Apple's iTunes store became the second-biggest seller of music in 2007 after Wal-Mart Stores Inc., passing Best Buy Co. and Target Corp., NPD said. ITunes has sold more than 4-billion songs, Apple said. Big Ford van gets high-tech tuneup Ford Motor Co., the third-largest automaker by U.S.
TECHBITS: 'DC Smackdown,' Markey Avatar, Online Privacy, New Battery
ORLANDO, Fla. – If you're tired of watching Mitt and Mike, Hilary and Rudy, and Colbert and Coulter limit their swipes to words, pick one and go for it in the new video game "DC Smackdown." Featuring signature moves like the "Intern Trample," "Mormon Conversion" and "Barack Your World," the 17-character game skewers bipartisanly. A pantsless Bill Clinton chases a herd of Monica Lewinskys, Jesse Jackson hurls Hasidic Jews and Anne Coulter has a special "verbal diarrhea" attack. "It's a real simple game – we're talking Street Fighter, circa 1994," said Dave Holbrook, a freelance producer and former Disney animator who made it, with help from friends, in his spare time. "It's nothing crazy, but it's a fun little commentary on what's going on. And everybody's special move has to do with their political stance or what they've said." Now available just for PCs, the game costs $4.99 to download.
Highway closed in Florida after Victorian cyclist dies
Australian tourist Elsise Hoath was apparently looking in the wrong direction for oncoming traffic when she was hit at 12.20pm Sunday US time.She died at the scene. Mrs Hoath and her husband were cycling near the town of Marathon, near Key West in the Florida Keys when the accident happened. The 23-year-old driver of the car that hit her is unlikely to be charged. Lieutenant Pat Santangelo from the Florida Highway Patrol said the pair were attempting to walk their bicycles across the road. They successfully crossed the northbound lanes of the US 1 highway but tragedy struck on the southbound lanes. "Evidently, because the traffic comes from the opposite direction in Australia, apparently she looked at where she expected traffic to be coming from and didn't see anybody coming and walked into the roadway but there was a vehicle coming from her right,'' he said.
Toll road paves way to growth in Orange
The Maitland Boulevard extension, Orange County's first new major east-west route in a decade, is intended to ease traffic by creating a bypass around Apopka as well as provide links between roads such as S.R. 429, U.S. 441 and I-4. (GEORGE SKENE, ORLANDO SENTINEL / February 19, 2008) .
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Advance tickets are available for many Shank shows through TicketMaster.com. You can also buy tickets right at Shank Hall. Our box office is open on Tuesdays from 11am to 2pm and during all scheduled show dates. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and cold hard cash. Tickets must be purchased in person; sorry, but we are unable accept credit cards over the phone. Free parking for shows is available at the Fenwick office lot - 1475 N. Farwell (1/2 blk north of club). There is also plenty of street parking.
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Gorillas and Suitcases in Your Yahoo! Messenger
The Messenger Blog now announces an update to the Avatar Mall, "Drop in on the "Pet Pals" store to find just the right animal to hang out with you. The gorilla and iguana are my favorites, but there are plenty of cats and dogs that need a companion too. Want to make sure you look your best out in this virtual world? Head over to the new Ocean Breeze Salon to find just the right hairstyle, bag and bling," Product Manager Sarah Bacon wrote. I guess I could swap Yoda for a gorilla version of myself but theres not much fun in doing that, I cant imagine fighting the rebel forces with an under evolved Chewie at my side. The update is nice and small, but many people often tell me that they wait for mouthing more from the legend that Yahoo! Messenger has grown to be. .
Be heard tonight on artificial reef rules
Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are crafting a plan for future artificial reef projects, both public and private, and you have a chance to share your input on this matter with Robert Turpin, chief of the Escambia County Marine Resources Division.Turpin has been presented with the initial layout from the FWC and will be presenting his rebuttal today at 6 p.m. at the Reef Fish Restoration Association at 1007 Pine St., Pensacola. All interested parties charter boat captains, recreational anglers and divers, commercial fisherman and those with general concern about the future of our fisheries are encouraged to attend.The initial draft by the Corps is alarming. It calls for drastic changes to the program and could effectively shut down private artificial reef production.Items in the draft call for the minimum weight of reefs to jump from 150 pounds to 500 a weight that would be virtually impossible for a private reef maker to deploy.Changes also are recommended for the size of materials used in artificial reefs.
Warren Gerds column: Country radio rules in area
The 54th annual "Local Cerebral Palsy Telethon" will run from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday on WBAY, Channel 2. At a time, the show to benefit Cerebral Palsy Inc. featured national stars. Lately, the performers have local connections (though their careers carry them far). Entertainers Dan Riley and David Seering will host. The entertainment lineup also includes Let Me Be Frank Productions, the Lovell Ives Orchestra and singer Jenny Thiel. Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy is honorary chairperson. Also appearing are WBAY personalities Jeff Alexander, George Graphos, Bill Jartz, Cami Rapson and Sarah Thomsen. It's the oldest continuing telethon in the nation, and it probably again will raise around $1 million. "Green" Bay indeed: Two Green Bay area plant people will appear on "The Wisconsin Gardener" at 5 p.m.
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