Toyota Camry Wins the Edmunds'
Written by Joyce L Chow & William Hoehne April 16 2006
MBN
www.montebubbles.com for more MBN news
INTERNET ADVERTISING IS THE FUTURE
BROADCAST NEWS COMING SOON VIA PODCAST
SUNDAYS ARE NOW PICTURE DAY Staring new weekin: Pictures that we have taken and not published during before will be placed here on Sunday of each week for your viewing pleasure
International news from Asia and Latin news in English and Spanish here now
More exciting changes coming each day.
MONTEBUBBLISM: You never truly see what in front of your own nose.
ENTERTAINMENT, ART, FASHION, TECHNOLOGY
MSN Clarifies Position on Branded Entertainment
LCA and Actor Corey Feldman Vow Ballot Fight Over Elephant Exhibit
RTNDA Urges Stations To Strengthen VNR Policies
The following is a transcript of President Bush's radio address:
Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Global Sources opened two China Sourcing Fairs at AsiaWorld-Expo
Auto Club: Prices Rise above $2.90
Internet's Top 10 Viral Videos of the Week from StupidVideos.com
IN THIS AGE OF TIVO and ad-zapping, TNT is fighting back by premiering three series this summer with no commercials.
FOX HAS BECOME THE FIRST network to strike a major agreement
STRUGGLING DAYTIME PROGRAMMING
Sterling Bank's 5th Annual San Jacinto Event to Offer Preview of Dallas Historical Society's 'Texas Heroes' Exhibit
GOOD SPRING WEATHER AND DAYLIGHT Hurting tv viewing
Mobile Media Now
IT WAS BILLED AS A slugfest
SPORTS & AUTOS
Oakland Dodger Baseball
Toyota Camry Wins the Edmunds' Inside Line Six-Cylinder Family Sedan Comparison Test
Auto Club: The Key to Saving Money is to Save Gas
Parity adds to the racing excitement, Sharp enjoys the 'vacation'
DOD
Two Marines died and 22 were wounded
A Marine assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group died in a motor vehicle accident
Four U.S. Marines were killed in action
Family, Heroes, Knights Bid Medal of Honor Recipient Farewell
NEWS and NEWS now in Spanish
Knights of Columbus agree upon immigration legislation
La Junta Directiva de Los Caballeros de Colón, ha hecho un llamado al Congreso y al Presidente de los EE. UU.
Hundreds of libraries will showcase their multicultural programs and services this April
En momentos en que la población de la nación se hace más diversa
The Holy Father presided at Holy Mass in St Peter's Square for Palm Sunday
Nous saluons Celui qui est venu au nom du Seigneur pour annoncer un Royaume de paix»
Pope Benedict ushered in Easter services late Saturday with a dramatic candlelit vigil
________________________________________________
ENTERTAINMENT, ART, FASHION, TECHNOLOGY
MSN Clarifies Position on Branded Entertainment
Continued MSN Commitment to Advertisers Is Demonstrated by First-Class Branded Entertainment Solutions
On April 11, 2006, the online publication ClickZ incorrectly published an article stating that MSN was "backing away" and "de-emphasizing" its investment in branded entertainment. The article contains a number of inaccuracies, and MSN would like to clarify its position for its marketing and advertising partners.
"Our commitment to branded entertainment is stronger than ever and continues to grow," said Rob Bennett, general manager of Entertainment and Video Services for MSN. "MSN has been a leader in building branded entertainment experiences for our advertising partners, and this year we will be increasing the size of our team and the number of solutions we can deliver. We have never indicated a shift in how MSN is approaching its branded entertainment strategy as was reported earlier this week. It is unfortunate that this publication chose to mischaracterize our conversation to publish a sensational story, and we want our valued customers to understand our commitment to them and to this important and growing space."
Recent examples of branded entertainment experiences delivered by MSN include the following:
-- Warner Bros.
- The companies are in a partnership to offer MSN(R) Messenger
solutions, including Movie Scout and Decisionator. Through Movie
Scout, consumers can view new WB movie trailers and consumers can
look up show times and theatres in their local area. Decisionator is
an MSN Messenger game that enables two consumers to pick movies
through a ranking system.
- With movie theme packs available through the WB campaign, consumers
can download backdrops, pictures and other features from new movie
releases to MSN Messenger.
-- Visa
- MSN powered the online component of Visa's first re-branding efforts
in 19 years: the "Life Takes Visa" campaign.
- The http://lifetakesvisa.msn.com/ Web site exhibited short clips of
everyday Visa consumer experiences and was prevalent during Visa's
2006 Winter Games TV spots.
-- Sprite
- MSN and Sprite created The Wall, a virtual city for consumers branded
through a graffiti design. The user-generated content allows consumer
to express and share their creativity with others in the online
world.
- The Wall artwork can be saved and used as screensavers, desktop
images or an MSN Messenger background, and can be sent to friends
virally. Sprite branding was evident throughout the site, but in
nonintrusive ways.
About MSN and Windows Live
MSN attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live(TM), a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com/ . MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, MSN and Windows Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Source: Microsoft Corp.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/
LCA and Actor Corey Feldman Vow Ballot Fight Over Elephant Exhibit
Inhumane and Fiscally Irresponsible Council Decision Will Lead to Citizen's Initiative
In response to the passage of the Los Angeles Zoo's elephant exhibit expansion proposal by two city council committees last week, Last Chance for Animals (LCA), longtime animal advocate and actor Corey Feldman, as well as other members of the Hollywood humane community, will descend upon City Hall on Monday, April 17th at 2:00 PM. As both a show of support for the Mayor in relocating the elephants to a sanctuary and to announce the formation of a citizen's initiative should the full council approve the zoo's proposal on Wednesday, April 19th, LCA, a Los Angeles based animal rights group, will discuss the Mayor's important role in the current elephant debacle, as well as announcing its plans to introduce a citizen's initiative to combat the reckless spending and inhumane care of elephants that the city council has so complacently approved. LCA will also commit to funding the immediate relocation of the elephants to a sanctuary that will provide upwards of 2,000 acres of open space for the animals, as opposed to the LA Zoo's proposed 3 acre, $40 million dollar "improved elephant habitat."
"Despite numerous public statements by Mayor Villaraigosa blasting the health and safety of the elephants at the zoo, two council committees have approved the zoo's absurd plans for the already outdated elephant exhibit," said Chris DeRose, president and founder of LCA. "Mayor Villaraigosa's action or inaction in the days leading up to Wednesday's full council vote will without a doubt determine whether or not $40 Million is wasted on an inadequate elephant exhibit. Now is the time for the Mayor to do something great for the people and city of Los Angeles."
Bill Rosendahl, the only councilmember to stand up to the zoo's proposal in last week's committee meeting, has set a great example for the Mayor and the rest of the council to follow. If the elephant exhibit expansion is approved, LCA is prepared to introduce a citizen's initiative to allow the taxpayers of LA the chance to voice their opposition to the inhumane treatment of the elephants and the waste of taxpayer money in this great city.
WHEN: Monday, April 17, 2006 @ 2:00 PM Sharp
WHERE: Los Angeles City Hall, 1st Street Steps
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
WHO: Last Chance for Animals, a pioneering international animal
rights organization based in Los Angeles, has been active for
more than two decades. Led by Hollywood actor Chris DeRose,
LCA's roots began in exposing the inherent cruelty of
vivisection. As its reputation and influence has grown, LCA
has staged direct actions to fight for animals' rights as well
as gather substantive evidence in order to send animal abusers
to jail. For more information about LCA, please visit their
website at www.LCAnimal.org
Source: Last Chance for Animals (LCA)
Web site: http://www.lcanimal.org/
RTNDA Urges Stations To Strengthen VNR Policies
In the wake of a report about the use of video news releases without attribution on local television stations, the Radio-Television News Directors Association strongly urges station management to review and strengthen their policies requiring complete disclosure of any outside material used in news programming.
In the wake of a report about the use of video news releases without attribution on local television stations, the Radio-Television News Directors Association strongly urges station management to review and strengthen their policies requiring complete disclosure of any outside material used in news programming.RTNDA’s longstanding policy on the identification of outside material is stated in its Code of Ethics: “Professional electronic journalists must clearly disclose the origin of information and label all material provided by outsiders.”
RTNDA’s Ethics Committee developed guidelines on video news releases to elaborate on questions journalists should address when considering whether to use outside material. The guidelines also state that if such material is deemed to serve a useful journalistic purpose, it should be used only if the origin is clearly identified.
To assist station management, RTNDA is distributing these guidelines to its membership again today.
The RTNDA Code of Ethics is on the RTNDA website at http://www.rtnda.org/ethics/coe.shtml. The VNR guidelines are at http://www.rtnda.org/foi/finalvnr.shtml.
Some have called for government regulation of use of material from video news releases. RTNDA cautions against government intrusion in determining news content because such action would undermine First Amendment values. Determining the content of a newscast, including when and how to identify sources, is at the very heart of the responsibility of electronic journalists, and these decisions must remain far removed from government involvement or supervision.
The public has a right to expect truthfulness, accuracy and fairness in newscasts. Electronic journalists have every incentive to maintain the bonds of trust with their audiences by clearly disclosing the sources of the material they use.
RTNDA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network news executives in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries.
The following is a transcript of President Bush's radio address:
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Monday is Tax Day, and that means many of you are busy finishing up your tax returns. The good news is that this year Americans will once again keep more of their hard-earned dollars because of the tax cuts we passed in 2001 and 2003.
An important debate is taking place in Washington over whether to keep these tax cuts in place or to raise your taxes. For the sake of American workers and their families, and for our entrepreneurs, I believe Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent.
Our economy prospers when Americans like you make the decisions on how to spend, save, and invest your money. So the tax relief we passed cut taxes for everyone who pays income taxes. We cut taxes on families by lowering rates and by doubling the child credit. We also reduced the marriage penalty, because our tax code should encourage marriage, not penalize it. We cut taxes on small businesses, allowing them to expand and hire more workers. And we worked with Congress to phase out the death tax, because government should not tax farmers or small business owners twice -- once when you make your money and a second time when you try to pass the fruits of your life's work on to your loved ones.
So far, the tax relief I signed has left $880 billion with America's workers and small business owners and families, and you have used that money to fuel an economic resurgence. Our economy has added jobs for 31 months in a row, creating more than 5.1 million new jobs for American workers. And the unemployment rate is now down to 4.7 percent, below the average rate for each of the past four decades. Real after-tax income per person has grown by more than 8 percent since I took office. And that means, on average, Americans have an income that is $2,100 higher this year than it was at the beginning of 2001, after adjusting for inflation.
Not everyone agrees that we should let you keep more of your money. Some in Washington said that by cutting taxes, we were "ruining" our economy. On the day that the House and Senate were finalizing the 2003 tax cuts, one Democratic leader said these cuts would "do nothing to create jobs." Since then, the facts have proven that critic wrong -- 5.1 million times over.
Tax relief has done exactly what it was designed to do: It has created jobs and growth for the American people. Yet some here in Washington are now proposing that we raise taxes, either by repealing the tax cuts or letting them expire. These are the same politicians who told us that letting you keep more of your own money would be irresponsible, and reckless, and shameful. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. To keep our economy creating jobs and opportunity, Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent.
There's more to do to maintain America's economic strength. We're working to address rising energy prices and health care costs, which puts pressure on family budgets and the bottom lines of our small businesses. I have proposed practical reforms that would make health care more available and affordable, and I put forward an energy initiative that would make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past. I urge Congress to act on these important priorities, so we can keep America the economic leader of the world and allow more families and small businesses to realize the American Dream.
America's economy is strong and benefiting all Americans. By keeping taxes low and adopting sound policies that help our workers to compete and our businesses to grow and expand, we will keep the economy moving forward and extend prosperity and hope in our country.
Thank you for listening.
END
Source: White House Press Office
Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics
Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window July 1-19, 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Technicians continue closing out areas of Discovery prior to its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building, scheduled for May 12. The right and left payload bay doors were opened earlier in the week in preparation for reinstallation of the remote manipulator system, or "shuttle arm." The arm was transported from the lab in the Vehicle Assembly Building to the processing facility on Wednesday and installed in the vehicle today.
Friday program managers determined the space shuttle main engine in position No. 2 will need to be replaced due to the possibility of a crack in a solder joint in the controller. During the certification of similar controllers, engineers observed cracking after thermal testing of the units. The engine replacement has no impact on the overall processing schedule.
Mission: STS-115 - 19th ISS Flight (12A) - P3/P4 Solar Arrays
Vehicle: Atlantis (OV-104)
Location: Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1
Launch Date: No earlier than Aug. 28, 2006
Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, MacLean and Stefanyshyn-Piper
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Technicians continue performing powered-up system testing on Atlantis for its mission to the International Space Station. The external tank door functional test is scheduled for early next week.
Crane operations removed and reinstalled the orbiter boom sensor system in the payload bay of Atlantis on Wednesday for additional work on the manipulator positioning mechanisms. The positioning mechanisms are the pedestals that hold the boom in place in the payload bay while the boom is not in use. The 50-foot-long boom attaches to the shuttle arm and is one of the new safety measures added prior to the Return to Flight mission that launched in July 2005.
Endeavour (OV-105)
Powered-up system testing continues on Endeavour in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 following an extensive modification period. On Thursday, leak checks and functional tests were completed on the liquid oxygen portion of the main propulsion system.
Technicians continue working on the positioning mechanisms for Endeavour's remote manipulator system in preparation for the arm's installation in the payload bay.
External Tank
Final closeouts continue in the Vehicle Assembly Building on the external tank that will fly with Discovery on mission STS-121. On Tuesday, crane operators lifted the tank from the checkout cell and placed it in a horizontal position on the transporter in the transfer aisle. Lockheed Martin employees are completing final work required to close out the aft area of the tank in preparation for thermal protection system foam application, scheduled for late next week.
Once the foam application is complete, the tank will be lifted from the transporter and attached to the two solid rocket boosters already stacked in high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. That move is scheduled for April 24.
For previous space shuttle processing status reports, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news
Source: NASA
Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/
Global Sources opened two China Sourcing Fairs at AsiaWorld-Expo
-- the largest trade shows ever to be held at the new, state-of-the-art venue. The April 15-18 China Sourcing Fairs are:
-- Electronics & Components -- Hong Kong's most comprehensive electronics
and components show featuring over 1,700 booths with over 1,300 new
exhibitors from Greater China.
-- Fashion Accessories -- Hong Kong's new specialized fashion accessories
trade show with over 500 booths and a wide selection of new suppliers
and creative designs.
Global Sources Chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs, said: ''This is a historic day for Hong Kong and Global Sources. Through the China Sourcing Fairs at AsiaWorld-Expo, we will bring tens of thousands of international buyers to meet the largest group of mainland China suppliers to ever exhibit in Hong Kong.
''The Fairs also mark a new era for Hong Kong's exhibition industry, and represent a new benchmark for buyer and supplier convenience and opportunity.''
Chief Executive Officer of AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited, Nicolas Borit, said: ''With the first series of China Sourcing Fairs, which are utilizing all our facilities at AsiaWorld-Expo in April, we are delighted to welcome all trade buyers and visitors to this largest exhibition and events center in Hong Kong.''
World's largest buyers pre-registered to attend
Tens of thousands of buyers have pre-registered to attend the Fairs, including:
-- Electronics & Components: Representatives from Circuit City, one of
U.S. leading consumer electronics providers; Samsung, the world's
third-largest cell phone maker; Staples, the world's largest office
product retailer; plus 3M, Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard,
Flextronics, General Electric, Best Buy and OfficeMax.
-- Fashion Accessories: Representatives from the GAP, the world's largest
specialty apparel retailer; Coles Myer, the largest retailer in
Australia; plus Walt Disney, Li & Fung, Liz Claiborne, Nike and Tommy
Hilfiger.
One buyer, General Manager of Mueller Electric China, Richard Bao, said: ''I'm looking forward to the shows. They're amazingly convenient and the product scope and supplier selection looks excellent!''
Agentrics members with US$1 trillion in retail sales to participate
Agentrics, an organization representing 50 global retailers with US$1 trillion in annual sales, will also participate in the Fairs. Member companies include Carrefour, the second-largest retailer in the world; Sears, the third-largest retailer in the United States; and Metro, Germany's largest retailer.
Agentrics' Executive Chairman, Christopher Sellers, said: ''This venue is spectacular, and the show is very well organized. The number and quality of the exhibitors offers buyers from Agentrics member companies many new sourcing opportunities -- with great convenience in Hong Kong.''
Global Sources is Agentrics' exclusive sourcing alliance partner in Asia. It provides Agentrics buyer members private sourcing conferences at the Fairs, as well as special access to VIP lounges and priority registration.
Electronics & Components show features 1,700 booths
Suppliers from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and India are exhibiting at the China Sourcing Fair: Electronics & Components.
Product categories on exhibit are:
-- Consumer electronics
-- In-car electronics products
-- Digital imaging products
-- Portable electronic products
-- Computer & networking products
-- Telecom products & accessories
-- Security & safety products
Plus, there are over 500 booths of electronic components and power supplies on display -- the largest in Asia this spring.
One exhibitor, Manager of Qiaohua (Guangzhou) Electronic, Yang RuiXiong, said: ''The China Sourcing Fairs always deliver excellent traffic and quality buyers. We're looking forward to more new sales opportunities with new buyers now that the shows are here in Hong Kong.''
Asia's newest designs on display at Hong Kong's new fashion accessories show
Exporters from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and India are exhibiting at the China Sourcing Fair: Fashion Accessories.
Product categories are:
-- Casual & fashion handbags
-- Hats & caps
-- Special purpose bags
-- Casual & fashion footwear
-- Slippers & sandals
-- Umbrellas
-- Fashion belts
-- Sunglasses & non-prescription glasses
-- Gloves & mittens
-- Ties, scarves & shawls
-- Socks & stockings
-- Fashion watches
-- Children's accessories
-- Luggage
-- Bridal & evening accessories
Fashion Parades, Trend Forum to highlight new designs and color trends
Daily Fashion Parades will be held throughout the Fashion Accessories show featuring stylish models showing innovative new designs from across Asia.
The Trend Forum is sponsored by Pantone -- the world's authority on color and provider of color systems and technology. The Forum will give buyers insights into the hot colors and shades for Fall/Winter 2006 and Spring/Summer 2007.
New Product Galleries will display best new designs
Each Fair includes a New Product Gallery showcasing the best designs from China and Asia.
Unique sourcing events and conference programs featured
The China Sourcing Fairs offer unique value-added buyer and supplier services, including Private Buyer Meetings and Vendor Summits.
These exclusive meetings create opportunities for pre-selected exhibitors to meet face-to-face with some of the world's top buyers, including:
-- QVC, the world's largest direct-sales retailer, and
-- RadioShack, the largest electronics chain in the US
-- Staples, the world's largest office product retailer
The Fairs also features a comprehensive conference program designed to help buyers source more effectively from China. Topics include product trends, logistics, marketing and other trade topics.
China Sourcing Fairs show dates and times
Opening hours for the China Sourcing Fairs: Electronics & Components and Fashion Accessories are:
-- April 15-17: 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
-- April 18: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Easy access to AsiaWorld-Expo by Airport Express Train, Free Shuttle Buses
AsiaWorld-Expo is one minute from Hong Kong Airport and 25 minutes from downtown via the Airport Express Train. Visitors who use an ''Octopus Card'' will enjoy discounted fares for same-day return trips.
Global Sources will provide free shuttle bus service to and from the venue from locations throughout Hong Kong. The venue is also easily accessible by public bus, taxi and private car.
Buyers wishing to visit the Fairs can find more information, including transportation options, at http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ .
The China Sourcing Fairs ( http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ ) are an important part of Global Sources' sourcing and product information services, which include Global Sources trade magazines, Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ) and Global Sources Direct ( http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com/ ). Further information about Global Sources is available at http://www.corporate.globalsources.com/ .
About Global Sources
Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. It provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers.
The company helps its community of more than 479,000 active buyers to source more profitably from complex, overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing as many effective ways as possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in 230 countries.
The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. Suppliers using its four primary channels -- online marketplaces, magazines, trade shows and direct online sales -- are supported by its advertising creative, education programs and online content management applications.
Global Sources delivers information on 1.4 million products and more than 130,000 suppliers annually through 10 leading online marketplaces and monthly magazines, more than 100 sourcing research reports, and 14 China Sourcing Fairs and other trade shows. Buyers send more than 5.8 million inquiries annually to suppliers through Global Sources Online ( www.globalsources.com ) alone. Global Sources Direct is the company's new initiative that helps suppliers sell online.
In mainland China, Global Sources has a 25-year track record and 1,400 team members in 44 locations. Its services are backed by 35 years experience as a trade magazine publisher, 14 years as an organizer of trade shows, and 10 years as an online marketplace operator.
Web sites: http://www.globalsources.com
http://www.chinasourcingfair.com
http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com
http://www.corporate.globalsources.com
Source: Global Sources Limited
Auto Club: Prices Rise above $2.90
Central Coast Average Tops $3 Per Gallon
Prices across the state continued their upward march this week with all factors indicating a $3 per gallon average in the Southland could be reached within a couple of weeks, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. Gasoline prices in a handful of areas, including Santa Barbara, have already topped $3 per gallon.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.914, which is 7.2 cents higher than last week, 31 cents higher than last month and 29 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.918 -- 8.7 cents above last week's price, 31 cents above last month and 30 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.006, up 8.2 cents from last week, 30 cents above than last month and 28 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.938, up 5.3 cents from last week, 32 cents above last month and 29 cents higher than last year.
"Wholesale prices have been rising and retail prices won't catch up for two to three weeks," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "Nationally, production is down and demand is up compared to last year. In addition, many regions of the country are having trouble getting sufficient supplies of ethanol, which is used in new formulas for gas. Uncertainty about supply has lifted gasoline to near-record prices on the spot market and that filters down to the neighborhood gas pump."
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., April 14: -0-
Area Regular Change from Record Price
last week
Los Angeles-Long Beach $2.914 +7.2 cents $2.999 (9/6/2005)
Orange County $2.885 +8.2 cents $2.970 (9/6/2005)
San Diego $2.918 +8.7 cents $3.060 (9/5/2005)
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
Lompoc $3.006 +8.2 cents $3.111 (9/7/2005)
Riverside-San Bernardino $2.938 +5.3 cents $3.030 (9/9/2005)
Bakersfield $2.930 +12.5 cents $3.167 (9/9/2005)
Las Vegas $2.687 +7.8 cents $2.968 (9/8/2005)
Automobile Club of Southern California
Internet's Top 10 Viral Videos of the Week from StupidVideos.com
The Internet's most popular viral video of the week ending April 12, 2006 was "Anti Gravity Laptop," according to StupidVideos.com, the leading user-generated video site for humor and everyday laughter. These rankings are based on tracked on and off network streams from a collective sampling of over one million users.
StupidVideos.com is the first company to commit itself to applying metrics to chart the performance of specific viral videos on the Internet. Viral video viewing has exploded along with general video consumption on the Web. Accustream iMedia Research reported that by 2007, people are expected to watch 29 billion streams of video, up from 18 billion in 2005, and the Online Publishers Association recently reported that 46% of Internet users watch online video at least once a month.
Without further ado, following is the Top 10 Viral Videos for the week of April 5-12, 2006, brought to you by StupidVideos.com: -0-
Internet's Top 10 Viral Videos - Week of April 5 - 12, 2006
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank Video Viewing URL
---- ------------------- ---------------------------------------------
1 Anti Gravity Laptop http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/stunts/
AntiGravity_Laptop/
2 Webcam Chick http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_
stupid/Webcam_Chick/
3 The Speaking Cats http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/animals/
the_speaking_cats/
4 Military Helicopter http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/stunts/
Crash military_helicopter_crash/
5 Dog Tasered http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/animals/
dog_tasered/
6 Water+People=Funny http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_
stupid/WaterPeopleFunny/
7 Live Streaker http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_
stupid/Live_Streaker/
8 Rubber Band Ball http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_
stupid/Rubber_Band_Ball/
9 Not A Belly Button http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/animals/Is_
that_a_belly_button/
10 Slapfest http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_
(Due to its length, these URLs may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
About StupidVideos.com
StupidVideos.com is a user-generated viral video network dedicated to humorous, off-the-wall videos, including wild stunts, wacky animals, sports bloopers, funny commercials, song and dance parodies, and any video that is just plain stupid. The site has a very loyal, tech-savvy fan base that is passionate about humor. Through Personal Video Logs or Vlogs, StupidVideos.com offers members a highly interactive community to discover, share and communicate with others who have the same interests. From viral video producers to comedy filmmakers to aspiring comedians to anyone with a sense of humor, StupidVideos.com allows members to connect and share the content that makes them and others laugh.
IN THIS AGE OF TIVO and ad-zapping, TNT is fighting back by premiering three series this summer with no commercials.
TNT's hit "The Closer" will make its second-season debut in June with a commercial-free episode sponsored by Audi. New drama "Saved" and limited series "Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King" will also debut with ad-free episodes, although Turner declined to name their sponsors.
While David Levy, president of Turner Entertainment Group Ad Sales and Marketing, acknowledged that commercial-free episodes help blunt the impact of DVRs, he denied that was the principal reason behind the moves. "We're looking at innovative ways to get the clients' messages across," he said.
Audi's deal also includes product placement in the show; a presence on wireless and broadband extensions; and mentions in promos.
"The Closer"--a hit last summer--stars Kyra Sedgwick as a CIA-trained detective who works on high-profile murder cases for the Los Angeles Police Department.
TNT, which carries the tagline "We Know Drama," will use "The Closer's" appeal to help launch "Saved," which will follow it on Tuesday nights when both launch in June. "Saved" focuses on the personal struggles of a paramedic.
The eight-episode "Nightmares" debuts in July and features horror stories from King. Stars William H. Macy, Kim Delaney, and William Hurt will star in various episodes.
TNT made the announcements yesterday at an upfront event in New York held along with its sister comedy-oriented network TBS.
The networks are tied for second this season among all cable networks in prime time, with both averaging a .8 in the target 18-to-49 demo. (USA leads with a .9). Both are flat compared to last year.
In this day and age, if you can maintain flat or grow a little, you've done a good job," Levy said.
TBS has a prime-time median age this season of 37.9,up slightly over a year ago. TNT's 47.9, also up this season, is higher than competitor USA, and well above FX.
Last year, TNT generated $1.3 billion in ad revenue--up 20 percent over 2004, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. TBS also saw a revenue bump, rising 16 percent to $952 million.
TBS, which offers such off-net fare as "Friends" and "Sex and the City" and carries the tagline "Very Funny," is producing two original half-hour comedies set to launch this fall. "My Boys" (from executive producers Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses) focuses on a twenty-something female whose sports-loving, no-nonsense approach to dating often rubs men the wrong way. In "10 Items or Less," a son moves back home to take over the family supermarket, but his management style leads to a chaotic workplace.
"We've realized probably the best things for TBS--although they cost more--are scripted comedy series," Levy said.
TNT also announced that the mini-series "The Company" from Ridley Scott is set for summer 2007. The six-hour event focuses on CIA activities during the Cold War.
Other TNT series in development (with no launch date) include a Robert Redford-produced drama about three generations of the same family who have lived in the same house and a series set in the high-stakes world of heart-transplant surgery.
TBS has two additional half-hour original comedies in development.
FOX HAS BECOME THE FIRST network to strike a major agreement
with its affiliates giving them a portion of revenue made from Fox's programming that lands on the Internet, VOD services, mobile phones, or iPods. Other networks are currently working up similar new media deals with stations.
In the six-year deal, Fox affiliates will receive 12.5 percent of the revenue--advertising or from paid downloads--from any program that runs on a 'non-linear' platform after its prime-time broadcast run--that means Internet, VOD, or iTunes program distribution, for example. A cut of this business for stations grows to 25 percent of revenue when it runs before airing on the network.
In 2006, Fox can re-purpose 60 percent of its prime-time programming on 'non-linear' platforms; 80 percent in 2007 year; and 100 percent in year three of the deal. A Fox spokesman did not return phone calls by press time.
"It's a good deal in that they are sharing revenue," said Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming for Katz Television Group. "This continues their 'partnership.' But what it's all going to mean, nobody knows. If it's going to turn out to be significant revenue loss for stations, I see stations wanting to revisit this in six years. If it has a substantial impact for its over-the-air ratings, it's going to be an issue."
Up until this point, Fox hasn't participated in making many wide-ranging new media program deals--because of the lack of an agreement with its stations, only making new media deals in markets where it owned stations.
Walt Disney and NBC Universal, on the other hand, have had the freedom to make deals. For example, each made separate deals with iTunes. CBS Corp. made deals with Google Video and Comcast Corp.
With new media programming deals an obvious threat to TV stations' traditional business of selling advertising revenue from linear network scheduling of programs, networks had to make provisions to keep their traditional, and still major, revenue-producing partnerships. Program analysts assume that as partners, stations will also help in the marketing of non-linear, new media deals.
Other networks are also in the process of making similar deals, according to executives.
CBS, according to executives, has an existing affiliate provision for a new media deal that currently gives CBS affiliates 50 percent of after-market new media revenues. But this deal point was made some years ago--and didn't reflect the current rash of new media program deals currently on the market. Station executives say, however, that those deals will soon expire. CBS is looking to make a new one at a much lower percentage--akin to the Fox deal. CBS spokespersons didn't return phone calls by press time.
ABC doesn't have any provisions for new media sharing revenues with its affiliates, according to executives--thus the freedom it has had to make a wide variety of deals that cut into stations' territories, such as with iTunes Music Store and arrangements that put shows on its own Web site, www.abc.com. An ABC spokeswoman would only say, concerning possible stations' revenue split for new media deals: "We are still trying to figure it out."
STRUGGLING DAYTIME PROGRAMMING
ON THE broadcast networks is now causing some massive end-of-the-season advertising inventory problems for the $1.2 billion business. But for alternative daytime TV sellers such as syndication and cable, there is opportunity.
Daytime shows are down by as much as 19 percent for the year in key demographics. With networks giving make-goods to make whole on their advertiser guarantees, this is causing a squeeze on second-quarter inventory, leaving many networks with little to sell. Others--perhaps looking to drive away business--are pricing what little inventory they have at a whopping 30 percent increase.
NBC, CBS, and ABC spokespersons were not reached by press time.
Through April 2, for the season so far, NBC is off 16 percent among key women viewers ages 25-54, and 16 percent among women viewers 18-49. ABC is down 12 percent in women 25-54 and 11 percent in women 18-49. CBS has lost the least--only off 5 percent in women 25-54 and 6 percent for women 18-49. NBC and CBS are also down in teen viewers, and ABC less so.
Limited inventory has daytime advertisers looking to buy in the scatter market, in syndication and cable.
"In daytime we are writing very healthy increases over the upfront," said Bo Argentino, senior vice president of advertising and media sales at NBC Universal Television Distribution--for shows such as "Maury," "Starting Over," and "Jerry Springer." Argentino did say the ratings and advertising problems in daytime are creating opportunities for daytime syndicated shows.
Media buying executives agree: "Syndication is in a better position than most."
This is because during the last upfront--a soft affair that took most of the summer to complete--syndicators held back more than the usual amount of inventory for the scatter period in an effort to sell daytime shows at a better rate. That has turned out to be true--as many shows are now getting high single- or double-digit percent increase in cost per thousand (CPM) viewers versus the upfront sales period.
"We have more scatter inventory as of late," said Argentino. "Last upfront wasn't as big as in the past."
Some broadcast networks are reportedly adding some extra ad inventory into shows to take care of the shortfall. As a result, networks don't have much to sell to traditional daytime advertisers such as pharmaceuticals--and there are some 30 percent price hikes.
"If you have to be on, you are going to have to bite the bullet," said a media buying executive who refused to be identified."
Media buying executives say there may be a problem in making good all the advertising promised to advertisers for this year--which could spill over into advertisers getting their guarantees fulfilled next season. That said, broadcast networks typically sell most of daytime avails during the upfront period. It typically doesn't sell as much scatter inventory as it does with prime-time shows.
Privately, some TV network executives are complaining that daytime's ratings problems are a possible Nielsen Media Research measurement issue. That's because for more than a few shows, the median average age has grown by nearly two years or more since last season. For instance, NBC's "Days of Our Lives" grew 1.8 years to a median age of 47.0; CBS' "Bold and the Beautiful" rose 2.6 years to 56.8; and CBS's "Young & The Restless" added 2.0 years to 57.0.
"Theoretically, it doesn't make sense," says Jon Currie, president of Currie Communications, a Pacific Palisades, Calif. TV research company. "Shows shouldn't grow [in median age] by two years--unless there are many new viewers coming into all these shows. It seems like it's a sampling issue."
Sterling Bank's 5th Annual San Jacinto Event to Offer Preview of Dallas Historical Society's 'Texas Heroes' Exhibit
Display of Rare Artifacts About Texas Independence Opens April 21 at Sterling's Greenville Avenue Office; 'Alamo Images' Debuts at Bank's New Uptown Location
An exhibit of rare artifacts related to six heroes of Texas independence will open April 21, San Jacinto Day, at Sterling Bank, 4849 Greenville Ave. Sterling and the Dallas Historical Society will expand the exhibit May 27 through Aug. 31 at the Hall of State in Fair Park to explore the lives of these heroic figures and other Texans from historic and modern times in a new exhibition, "Courage, Honor, and Dignity: Defining Texas Heroes."
The Hall of State opened in 1936 as the centerpiece to the state's Centennial Exposition. Six larger-than-life bronze statues there honor early heroes of the Texas Republic -- Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, William B. Travis, James Fannin, Thomas Rusk and Mirabeau B. Lamar.
Visitors to Sterling Bank's office at Greenville and University Boulevard can preview the "Texas Heroes" exhibit and see documents and personal items connected to these six historical figures. One of the rarest artifacts in the exhibit, which runs through May 19, is Mexican Gen. Santa Anna's headquarters flag captured at the Battle of San Jacinto, the final event in the war for independence from Mexico, which established the Texas Republic.
The flag was in poor condition until it was restored recently with funds provided by The Oaks Bank & Trust Co., which merged with Sterling Bank last year.
The annual San Jacinto Day Exhibit is a project of the bank's "Lex Johnston Republic of Texas Collection," which includes documents, flags, maps, art and other items relating to the decade before Texas statehood and named in honor of Oaks Bank's co-founder. Max Wells, who established the bank with Johnston, was recognized by the Texas Bankers Association with its 2005 "Cornerstone Award" for the bank's efforts to preserve and promote Texas history.
"The 'Texas Heroes' exhibition will provide a modern perspective on men whose names are well known, but whose lives and accomplishments are perhaps less so. Sterling is proud to continue the bank's collaboration with the Dallas Historical Society and offer the public a rare glimpse at some of the most important artifacts of our state's history," said Clinton Dunn, regional CEO of Sterling Bank.
Other items in the bank's exhibit are the only signed copy of Gen. Sam Houston's San Jacinto Battle Report and a letter from future Texas revolutionaries Robert McAlpin Williamson and William Barrett Travis. The letter addresses the Austin colony council and the Mexican Congress after Stephen F. Austin was imprisoned while delivering the Convention of 1833 entreaty to the Mexican government. The entreaty called for Texas statehood and several other petitions.
In addition to the "Texas Heroes" exhibit, Sterling Bank's Uptown office at 2525 McKinnon St. (at Cedar Springs across from the Crescent) will have the Humanities Texas exhibit "Alamo Images" during the same dates.
The exhibition was created by the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University to celebrate the Texas Sesquicentennial. Through photographic images and words, it explores what the Alamo means to Texans, the role of Mexican-Texans in the Revolution, and reasons why the Alamo story continues to fascinate people of all ages. Featuring more than 150 photographs, the exhibit traces the history of the Alamo as mission, fort, and shrine; the drama of its siege and fall in March 1836; and the recreation of this drama in poems, plays, novels, games, toys, comics, television programs, films, documents, paintings, and monuments.
Both exhibits are free and open to the public during the bank's business hours Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to arrange group or class tours, please call 214-678-8602. Support for these exhibits has been provided by the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground and the law firm Munsch, Hardt, Kopf and Harr.
Sterling Bank's permanent Republic of Texas collection can be seen year- round with items on display at each of the bank's seven North Texas locations in Dallas, Duncanville and Richardson.
About Sterling Bank
Sterling Bank is a leader in banking for business owners in Texas with 40 offices serving the metropolitan areas of Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. Sterling Bank has earned FORTUNE Magazine's Best Places to Work recognition three times. In 2005, Sterling received its second "Best" Award from the American Society of Training and Development. Sterling has grown to $3.7 billion in assets since going public in 1992 with assets of $265 million. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sterling Bancshares, Inc. , which trades its common stock through the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol SBIB. For more information, please visit
GOOD SPRING WEATHER AND DAYLIGHT
savings time are playing their usual havoc with some TV shows.
Big syndication barter shows sank by almost three million viewers for the week ending April 2. Cable shows also sank somewhat from standard time program airings. Viewers typically move outdoors with more daylight hours and spend less time indoors watching television, according to analysts.
For the week ending April 9, only one cable show--USA Network's "WWE Entertainment"--grabbed 5 million or more total average viewers, getting to 5.3 million. Two weeks before, four cable shows made it north of 5 million--Disney Channel's "Cow Belles," the 10 p.m. Wednesday airing on "WWE Entertainment," Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," and the 9 p.m. Wednesday edition of "WWE Entertainment."
Syndication core daytime afternoon some also took it on the chin. Of the 11 talk shows, only three witnessed gains versus the week before--Buena Vista Television's "Live With Regis and Kelly" grew 3 percent to a 3.3 household rating from a 3.2 household; NBC Universal Television Distribution's "Maury" was up 8 percent to a 2.8 from a 2.6; sister NBC Universal show "Starting Over" improved 10 percent to a 1.1 from a 1.0.
All seven court shows were down but one--Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "The People's Court" rose 8 percent, to 2.8 versus a year ago.
Warner Bros.' "Friends" was somewhat unfriendly this particular week, sinking 30 percent to a 4.6 rating. "Friends" benefited from a big-time TBS weekend marathon that was included in the ratings the week before, where it earned a 6.6 rating. For the year, it's off 12 percent. Also cooling off was Warner Bros.' rookie syndication show "Sex and the City;" it sank to a season low 1.9 rating from a 2.1 the week before.
Some shows bucked the daylight saving time trend.
On the upward swing, Paramount Domestic Television's "Entertainment Tonight" gained 8 percent to a 5.2, now up 2 percent for the year over last year's 5.1 season-to-date numbers. King World's "Everybody Loves Raymond" improved 3 percent to a 6.3--but is still down 7 percent versus last year's season-to-date rating.
Game shows also witnessed climbs--although many are still down versus year-ago numbers. King World's "Jeopardy!" was 1 percent more to a 7.2; Buena Vista's "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" saw a 3 percent hike to a 3.4; Tribune Entertainment's "Family Feud" grew 5 percent from a 2.2.
Mobile Media Now™
a leading global production company for the mobile video experience, today announced at the CTIA convention in Las Vegas that it has launched a weekly sports lifestyle video channel, 6Degrees Action Sports, on 3 UK.
VidZone Digital Media, one of Europe’s leading mobile content providers, will represent 6Degrees Action Sports to 3 UK as well as provide video ringers to the network. 6Degrees Action Sports officially launches on April 7th.
6Degrees Action Sports represents the largest weekly video channel running currently on any global carrier, and highlights Mobile Media Now’s innovative production strategy, which develops and produces high-quality, low-cost digital video content for mobile delivery, including ringtones, wallpaper and screensavers, as well as video ringers, video downloads and streaming content. Mobile Media Now owns all of its content and, as with the 6Degrees Action Sports network, produces original music for each hour-long program.
“6Degrees Action Sports is the first global mobile video channel produced solely for the global active lifestyle, and we have gathered some of the top brands, athletes, producers, photographers and promoters in this area to create fresh, topical and meaningful programming for the growing community of lifestyle enthusiasts,” said Jimbeau Andrews, founder and CEO of Mobile Media Now. “From surfing and wakeboarding to snowboarding, skateboarding and Motocross, 6Degrees clearly embodies the intensity and dedication of the sports that it captures, and we are pleased to debut this channel with 3 UK.”
Juniper Research Juniper predicts that there will be more than 210 million users of mobile sports services worldwide by 2009, including 120 million in Asia.
“The quality of Mobile Media Now’s programming offers the ideal mix of timely, topical content for one of the most desirable niche audiences – extreme sports – for the mobile platform,” said Adrian Workman, CEO of VidZone Digital Media. “The 6Degrees Action Sports network will help define original mobile sports video programming, given the incredible breadth of content and the style with which Mobile Media Now produced these shows.”
The weekly segment packages that Mobile Media Now will deliver to VidZone Digital Media include pre-recorded events, athlete/celebrity expose stories, How-To and Hot Tips features, pre-packaged video from library archives, and special opinion-leader segments.
“We’re not your Dad’s ESPN -- we’re a mobile lifestyle channel that today’s kids relate to well. The audience for 6Degrees Action Sports is powerful, and boasts highly desirable demographics, in the 12-34 age group said John Taglioli, president of sales and marketing for Mobile Media Now.
As with the 6Degrees Action Sports channel, Mobile Media Now is actively signing key brands, athletes, producers, and celebrities in a variety of its targeted categories, enabling compelling opportunities for long-format content development and production.
The 6Degrees Action Sports Network includes the following renowned action sports stars:
§ Skateboarding
· Justin Blake 14-year-old #1 rated Amateur Skater in California
· Van Wastell New School Future star rated 32 most exposed in TWS
§ Surfing
· Chris Ward 5th most exposed Pro surfer in 2005
· Josh Sleigh Aerial Pioneer and _Expression Session Champion
· Karina Petroni High profile female surfer and model – future world champ
· Titus Kinimaka Legendary Hawaiian Waterman
§ Snowboarding
· Tyler Flanagan Emerging 14-year-old with three 1st place finishes in 05
· Sean Palmer Legendary Snowboard Pioneer X Games Gold Medalist
§ Wakeboarding
· Parks Bonifay 5 Time World Wakeboard Champion
· Shane Bonifay Highly exposed Pro rider - Wake Skate Innovator
§ BMX
· Stephen Murray X-Games and Gravity Games Gold Medals – 1st double
backflip
§ Moto-X
· Kenny Bartram Gravity Games Gold Medalist and IFMA World Champ
· Seth Enslow Big Air Daredevil and High Profile Motocross Jumper
Andrews is the founder of Aloha Films Group, Inc a successful high-definition production and post-production media production firm, focused on the Action Sports and Music industries. He is also the founder of the International Freestyle Motocross Association, The Freeride Watercraft Association, The Association of Professional Towsurfers and former Marketing Director of the U.S. Amateur Snowboard Association and The International Snowboard Federation. Andrews is credited with producing the first-ever Freestyle Motocross event and sanctioned series.
MobileMediaNow is a fully-integrated audio visual production company focused on original wireless content. Headed by Jimbeau Andrews, Mobile Media Now combines the technical, managerial and marketing expertise of Andrews and the company’s other founders, including Nicholas Farr, John Taglioli and Rick Riccobono.
The company produces unique, topical sports and lifestyle content for mobile carriers and portals worldwide. Mobile Media Now’s wireless record label produces exclusive downloadable music and represents some of the world's top independent artists and producers. Based in Laguna Beach, California, the company currently provides content for such leading aggregators and carriers as Zingy, Wider Than, Minick, VidZone, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Dobson, and 3 UK. Founded in 2003, Mobile Media Now is comprised of sports and entertainment industry veterans with a wide range of production and marketing capabilities. For more information, visit the company Web site at www.mobilemedianow.com.
About VidZone Digital Media
VidZone Digital Media is the UK’s leading Independent mobile content provider distributing content to 4 UK mobile networks (3, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile and O2). VidZone Digital Media operates two B2C music websites. VidZone, a music video subscription service can be viewed at www.vidzone.tv VidZone has over 5,000 music videos available and can be accessed via Real Networks, Windows Media.com, NTL Broadband Plus, Wanadoo, Blueyonder and in Ireland on Eircom. VidZone Mobile is the company’s new direct to consumer mobile website and is available at www.vidzonemobile.com
IT WAS BILLED AS A slugfest
if not a smackdown, but a public debate among representatives of the leading ad-supported media trade associations proved to be more of a lovefest for one medium: the Internet. Traditional media executives feigned not to be competing with each other, and said they all were adapting the Internet as a new distribution channel for their own medium. That point was underscored by Greg Stuart, president-CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), responding to a question from the event's moderator, Group M Futures Director Adam Smith, about what medium was best suited for a hypothetical new campaign intended to raise global youth awareness for Group M client HP's brand.
"I think that question is probably best answered by the other panelists, because now everyone has a Web presence," Stuart quipped. Audience members attending Monday night's so-called "Battle Of The Media Heavyweights," the third annual cross-media industry debate to be sponsored and hosted by researcher Dynamic Logic, appeared to agree. Utilizing an instant polling devices, 109 audience members cited the Internet as the ideal medium for HP's campaign, vs. only 30 for magazines, 28 for broadcast TV, 17 for radio, 13 for cable TV, 10 for newspapers, 10 for outdoor and nine for direct marketing.
"You're looking for a technology audience, right?" concluded the IAB's Stuart, "If there's ever a case where 'the medium is the message,' this is it."
But Stuart may not have needed to pitch the virtues of the Internet. The other panelists seemed more than happy to do that for him.
With the exception of Stephen Freitas, CMO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, all other panelists cited the Internet, as not just a compliment, but central part of successfully integrated advertising campaigns.
Sean Cunningham, president-CEO of the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, advocated an approach that would "drive productive needs to the Web," explaining "I would just like to have the last two seconds - you can have the first 28, I just need the last two" to affix a web-related message.
Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing at ABC, and the de facto representative of the broadcast TV business, touted parent Walt Disney Co.'s plan to make complete episodes of hit series like "Lost" available free on the Web beginning May 1.
Alan Kuritsky, senior vice president and CMO of the Direct Marketing Association, asserted that getting customers to the Internet is now a critical component of direct marketing campaigns.
"Once you get them to the website ... talk to them about things that are relevant to them... get them information but at the same time show them HP products in many different social situations, in different meaningful ways."
When not gushing over their connection to the Internet, the media reps also made nice with each other, making the "battle" look more like a mutual admiration society.
And when the audience was polled a second time about the ideal medium for a different kind of product - packaged goods brand Ocean Spray - the audience was also far more ecumenical. Newspaper led that poll with 71 votes, followed by magazine (56), Internet (41), cable (40), radio (22), broadcast (20), and outdoor (11).
Not surprisingly, Jason Klein, president-CEO of the National Newspaper Network, used that as an opportunity to pitch the importance of looking beyond the obvious and digging into the merits of each medium.
"I think the important thing is for people in the media industry to go out there and really get under this research," he said, adding, "The data is there."
Other heavyweights participating in the debate included: Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice-president and CMO of the Magazine Publishers of America; and Mary Bennett, executive vice president of marketing for the Radio Advertising Bureau.
SPORTS & AUTOS
Oakland Dodger Baseball
Texas 4, Oakland 5
TEX HR - P. Nevin (3)
OAK HR - M. Bradley (2) E. Chavez (6) N. Swisher (4) F. Thomas (3)
San Francisco 1, Los Angeles 3 at Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles Record: (6-6)
Winning pitcher - Odalis Perez (2-0)
Losing pitcher - Jason Schmidt (0-2)
SV - Danys Baez (3)
Toyota Camry Wins the Edmunds' Inside Line Six-Cylinder Family Sedan Comparison Test
Inside Line, Edmunds.com's high-speed online car magazine, today announced that the 2007 Toyota Camry won the latest six-cylinder family sedan comparison test, which is described in full at V6 Family Sedan Comparison Test:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109710.
.The Inside Line editorial team recently compared three 2006 six-cylinder sedans to the 2007 Camry V6 newcomer. Each promises functionality and value: the Ford Fusion SEL V6, with an MSRP of $25,650, a 221-horsepower engine and six-speed automatic transmission; the Hyundai Sonata V6, with an MSRP of $24,895, a 235-horsepower engine and five-speed automatic transmission; the Honda Accord EX V6 sedan, with an MSRP of $29,850, a 244-horsepower engine and five-speed automatic transmission; and the Toyota Camry, with an MSRP of $30,840, a 268-horsepower engine and six-speed automatic.
"The Camry's point total edged out the Accord's by 0.64, but there really was no dispute as to which of these four cars should win the comparison," reports Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton. "The 2007 Camry is a do-it-all automobile, the one that pleases Mom and Dad and impresses the boss without embarrassing the kids. The V6 Camry makes the dash to 60 mph in less time than a recent BMW 330i did, it was nearly as quiet as a Bentley Flying Spur at idle and wide-open throttle, and its 22 city/31 highway fuel economy rating matches that of a four-cylinder Honda Civic Si. Pretty impressive stuff to say the least."
The Honda Accord came in second and was praised for its feature content, conservative styling, solid performance, undeniable reliability and competitive pricing. The Hyundai Sonata took third place and was particularly impressive on the highway, where it delivers a quiet and luxurious ride. The Ford Fusion, landing in fourth place, offers "bold Buck-Rogers-meets-the-American-family styling...a welcome breath of fresh air in the me-too world of back-swept pointy-tipped headlamps and 'four-door coupe' rooflines," according to Walton. -0-
Vehicle Rankings from V6 Family Sedan Comparison Test
1. 2007 Toyota Camry XLE V6
2. 2006 Honda Accord EX V6
3. 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX V6
4. 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6
To read the review and to get more information on the editors' evaluation and rankings, visit V6 Family Sedan Comparison Test:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109710.
.About Edmunds.com, Inc.
Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. Its comprehensive set of data, tools and services is generated by Edmunds.com Information Solutions and is licensed to third parties and used by over 15,000 cars dealers including 98 of the 100 dealers named to the Ward's Dealer Business "e-Dealer 100" list. Perhaps the most popular consumer product, Edmunds.com True Market Value(R) pricing, is relied upon by millions of people seeking market-reflective valuations for new and used vehicles. The company also supplies content for the auto sections of NYTimes.com, AOL, CNN.com and About.com; provides weekly data to Automotive News; and delivers monthly data reports to Wall Street analysts. In addition, Edmunds.com publishes Inside Line (http://www.insideline.com), a free high-speed online magazine for auto enthusiasts, and CarSpace (http://www.carspace.com), an automotive lifestyle social networking Web site for anyone with an interest in automobiles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated No. 1 in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.
Auto Club: The Key to Saving Money is to Save Gas
Conserving Two Gallons Can Make a Difference
E-mail inboxes have been filling with forwarded messages encouraging motorists to boycott certain brands of gasoline as a response to rising gas prices. The messages claim that consumer backlash against oil producers will force them to lower pump prices. But a reduction of miles driven has proven to be a more effective way of saving money and can help prices to drop, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Statewide, the average price of regular self-serve is $2.91 per gallon, 14 cents below the all-time record high of $3.04 set on Sept. 9, 2005. Los Angeles/Long Beach has an average price of $2.93; Orange County records an average of $2.90; the Inland Empire has an average price of $2.95 and San Diego residents are paying an average of $2.94 per gallon.
"We've seen boycotts encouraged in the past and they have not been successful in moving prices lower," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "Our prices are high for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that demand for gasoline is higher than last year and refiners haven't been able to keep up.
"Californians use 2 million gallons more of fuel every day than we produce in the state. Oil companies have to buy gas from other sources just to keep even with demand," Thorp said. "If every motorist were to save two gallons every week, that would put our demand more in line with our state production."
The average vehicle achieves 22 miles per gallon. A savings of two gallons per week means 44 fewer miles driven weekly. There are about 22 million licensed drivers in California. Conservation by only 5 percent of them would balance the state's supply and demand.
In recent years, 2002-2005, gasoline prices peaked in March and April. New record-high prices were set in each of those seasonal peaks. When record highs were achieved, consumer demand for gas dropped off and prices began to decline.
In addition to supply and demand imbalance, gas prices are rising because of uncertainty about supplies later this spring and because crude oil prices are near an all-time record high of $69.81 per barrel.
The Auto Club recommends the following steps to save on gas:
-- Ride Share. You can reduce miles and cut your fuel expenses by up to 50 percent by sharing commuting expenses with one other person.
-- Plan ahead. Make a list of everywhere you need to go and arrange your route in a circle to save miles.
-- Use an efficient vehicle. Two-car families can save money by using the one vehicle that gets the best fuel efficiency.
-- Check your tire pressure. Under-inflated tires can cut fuel economy by up to 2 percent per pound of pressure below the recommended level.
-- Slow down, accelerate and brake gently and anticipate driving conditions. By going easy on the gas pedal and brake, you can change your ride from a jerky one to a smooth one. That can add up to 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.
-- Clean the junk out of the trunk. Some people carry hundreds of pounds of unnecessary items in their trunk. The more weight the car carries, the harder the engine has to work and the fewer miles per gallon you will get.
-- Shop aggressively for the lowest prices. You can save by paying attention to the prices of stations along your route. But don't go too far out of your way to save a few cents on gasoline, because you'll waste more money than you save. Shopping around encourages retailers to be more competitive.
Credit cards that offer rewards points can help save money. AAA Platinum Visa gives a 5 percent rebate on gasoline purchases made at the pump.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing and buying programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services and highway and transportation safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at http://www.aaa.com.
Automobile Club of Southern California
Parity adds to the racing excitement, Sharp enjoys the 'vacation'
Delphi Fernandez Racing’s Scott Sharp grew up in Connecticut and now calls Jupiter, Fla., home. The 11-year veteran, who won the first IndyCar Series race at Twin Ring Motegi in 2003 and was runner-up last year, has seen and done just about everything in auto racing. He briefly talks about the weeklong trip:
“It's just a great trip. Growing up, I enjoyed Japanese cuisine. My dad a long time ago was a Datsun dealer. I guess I always figured at some point I'd go to Japan. Certainly back in '03 was my first time to go there. Just the outpouring of support we get from the Japanese fans, it's pretty amazing how knowledgeable they are when we all race in their country one time a year. They're so enthusiastic. They're there so early in the morning. It's tremendous.”
Away from the race track, which is at the top of a mountain, social gatherings with principals from sponsors occupy much of his off time.
“There's obviously a large amount of Japanese influence in our series, of course from Honda and Firestone. Certainly on our car, Delphi has a large presence in the Asia/Pacific rim. That's a real flourishing area of the world for them. Futaba is a Japanese company. It's always a really important trip for us.
“I think when we had the chance to go over there and win for our first time out there, that just got everyone super excited, including myself, but it certainly gives you such great feelings about coming back there. I know all of the sponsors I just mentioned got a lot of great publicity and a lot of talk about our win after that event.
“Within our company's ties and our team's ties, it really creates a lot of buzz every time we come back.”
Before the season, everyone talked about potential parity in the IndyCar Series with all cars using Honda engines that teams are not allowed to tweak. Through the first two races, that prognostication is being fulfilled.
Seven teams were represented in the top 10 of the Toyota Indy 300 on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval and the temporary street course of the Honda Grand Prix of St. “I think certainly the competition level keeps rising, no doubt,” Sharp said. “We've all talked about what a great on-track product we have, especially at so many of the high-banked tracks, the bigger tracks. To think we're going to take that kind of a package and make it even more equal for this year, there's going to be some pretty eye-opening races, that's for sure.”
Now you know the rest of the story
Some IndyCar Series drivers answer some of the most asked questions:
What are some of your favorite films?
Sharp: “I would say ‘Gladiator’ because it’s a great comeback story and ‘John Q’ because it shows what a man would do for his own child.”
Sam Hornish Jr.: “My favorite movie would be either ‘Rounders’ or ‘Pulp Fiction.’ My favorite actor is Samuel L. Jackson.”
Buddy Lazier has the state flag of Colorado on his helmet. How did that come about?
“When I am on the track I am representing the state of Colorado, and I am very proud that I am the only Indy 500 winner who was born and raised in Colorado.”
Helio Castroneves, what’s in your garage in Coral Gables, Fla.?
“A 2006 Acura RL, a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo, the 2001 Indianapolis 500 Pace Vehicle Oldsmobile Bravada, and a 50th Anniversary Special Edition Chevrolet Corvette that I received for winning the 2002 Indianapolis 500.”
©2006 Indy Racing League, LLC. all rights reserved. INDY RACING LEAGUE, INDYCAR® & INDY PRO SERIES™ are trademarks of Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. and/or licensed to IRL for use.
DOD
Two Marines died and 22 were wounded
due to enemy action while operating in Iraq's Anbar province April 13, military officials reported, and the Defense Department has identified several other servicemembers who died earlier.
One Marine died at the scene of the Anbar province attack. Another died later at a medical facility in Taqqadum.
Dead are: - Cpl. Salem Bachar, 20, of Chula Vista, Calif. Bachar was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - Lance Cpl. Stephen J. Perez, 22, of San Antonio. Perez was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Eight wounded Marines, all assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, were evacuated by air to a medical facility in Balad. Two were listed in critical condition. Six were listed in stable condition. Ten wounded Marines, all assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, were evacuated to a medical facility at Camp Fallujah.
Four were being held for observation. Six were treated and returned to duty. Four other Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 received minor wounds. "Our hearts go out to the families of the dead and wounded Marines," said Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Salas. "Our wounded Marines are receiving the best care available, and we look forward to their speedy recovery." Meanwhile, the Defense Department has identified several earlier casualties: - Army Spc. Andrew K. Waits, 23, of Waterford, Mich., died April 13 in Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee during combat operations. Waits was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Divison (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. - Two soldiers died of injuries suffered in Misiab on April 12, when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations. Spc. Scott M. Bandhold, 37, of North Merrick, N.Y., and Pfc. Roland E. Calderon-Ascencio, 21, of Miami, Fla., were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. - MarineLance Cpl. Marcus S. Glimpse, 22, of Huntington Beach, Calif., died April 12 as the result of a roadside bomb while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - Three soldiers died of injuries suffered in Taji on April 11 when a roadside bomb detonated near their Bradley fighting vehicle and they came under small-arms fire during combat operations. Cpl. Joseph A. Blanco, 25, of Bloomington, Calif.; Pfc. James F. Costello III, 27, of St. Louis, Mo.; and Pfc. George R. Roehl Jr., 21, of Manchester, N.H., were assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. - Marine Lance Cpl. Philip J. Martini, 24, of Lansing, Ill., died April 8 of a gunshot wound while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. Martini was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - Marine Lance Cpl. Eric A. Palmisano, 27, of Florence, Wis., died April 2 after the truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood near Asad. The incident also resulted in the death of six other Marines. Palmisano was listed in "Whereabouts Unknown" status until his body was recovered April 11. He was assigned to 1st Transportation Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcques J. Nettles, 22, of Beaverton, Ore., is still listed as "Whereabouts Unknown" as a result of the incident, and search efforts continue.
A Marine assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group died in a motor vehicle accident
yesterday in Iraq's Anbar province, military officials reported, and tips from Iraqi citizens continue to result in captured insurgents and weapons. The death was not a result of enemy action, officials said. The Marine's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. In other news, a tip from an Iraqi motorist led to the capture of a kidnapper and the freeing of a woman and her four children April 13, officials in Tikrit said. The motorist stopped at a checkpoint and told soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, that a man in a vehicle behind him had kidnapped a family. The Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers identified the kidnapper's vehicle and detained the suspect and freed the kidnap victims.
The suspect was turned over to the local police. Also on April 13, three suspected insurgents, including two believed to be part of a document forging operation, were captured during a Task Force Band of Brothers raid in Samarra. An Iraqi civilian provided soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, information about the insurgents' locations. The two suspected forgers were found at a house where soldiers seized $2,050 in U.S. currency, more than 500,000 Iraqi dinars, 125 various forms of identification, fake stamps for the IDs and an AK-47 assault rifle. In the Baghdad area, joint patrolling U.S. and Iraqi soldiers captured a wanted terrorist in western Baghdad April 13. The Iraqi soldiers are members of the 2nd Battalion, 9th Iraqi Army Division. The U.S. soldiers are assigned to Multinational Division Baghdad's 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
While searching an abandoned house, members of the patrol noticed three suspicious men atop a building suspected to be an insurgent stronghold. Realizing they had been seen, the men fled. The patrol gave chase and captured two men, one of whom has alleged links to recent terrorist attacks. A third man surrendered as the Iraqi soldiers were detaining the others. A vehicle approached while the soldiers surrounded the building, and when the driver saw the other three suspects in custody, he tried to flee. An Iraqi soldier stopped the vehicle with a warning shot, and the two vehicle occupants were detained for questioning.
Four U.S. Marines were killed in action
yesterday in Iraq's Anbar province, military officials in Baghdad
announced today.
Three of the Marines were assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, and the
fourth was assigned to the 2/28 Brigade Combat Team.
Officials provided no other details. The Marines' names are being
withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Family, Heroes, Knights Bid Medal of Honor Recipient Farewell
Six Medal of Honor recipients and the Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, were among those gathered at Arlington National Cemetery here yesterday to pay their last respects to retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. "Mike" Novosel, a Medal of Honor recipient and former Golden Knight. "It was an honor and a privilege to pay homage to an American hero who served in this unit," said Army Sgt. Maj. Mike Eitniear, Golden Knights sergeant major. Novosel was a pilot for the team following his return from Vietnam in 1970. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and tenacity during the Vietnam War. On Oct. 21, 1969, Novosel received word of wounded South Vietnamese soldiers pinned down by a large enemy force. Flying without air cover, he encountered ground fire so intense it forced him away six times. Despite the ground fire, he completed 15 hazardous extractions. On the last, just as a wounded soldier was pulled into the aircraft, the enemy unleashed a hail if fire directly at Novosel. Wounded, he momentarily lost control of the aircraft, but recovered and flew to safety. In all, he saved 29 men, according to the Medal of Honor Web site.
He took the pilot position on the Army parachute team at Fort Bragg N.C., in April 1970, according to his book, "Dustoff, the Memoir of an Army Aviator." In June 1971, while he was on the team, he received a call informing him that he and his family were to travel to the White House to meet President Richard M. Nixon for him to receive the Medal of Honor. Novosel served with the Knights until 1972, flying them all over the country to perform parachute demonstrations. "Thank you so much for coming," his son, Mike Novosel Jr., told members of the Knights in attendance at the funeral. "Dad loved the team and loved his time at Fort Bragg. I'm honored that the team would travel here today to pay their respects to my dad." Following his retirement from the Army, Novosel spent a lot of time on the lecture circuit, talking about the book and Army aviation. In all that time, he never wavered in his support of the Army or its troops - not even when he became ill with cancer. "Even when he was in bad health, he would constantly honor those calls for appearances and speaking engagements," said Skippy Cassel, a former Golden Knight skydiver and Army pilot. "You'd never know anything was wrong.
He was really an ambassador for Army aviation. He just loved Army aviation." Throughout his long fight, he continued to be an ambassador for the Army, and in his last days at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, he was an inspiration to the wounded troops recuperating there. "He took time during his own battle to serve others," Cody noted. "He is the reason we wrote the Warrior Ethos." The Warrior Ethos is a set of four statements every soldier is expected to live by: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Knights of Columbus agree upon immigration legislation
The Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus has called upon Congress and the President to “agree upon immigration legislation that not only gains control over the process of immigration, but also rejects any effort to criminalize those who provide humanitarian assistance to undocumented immigrants.” It further calls for “providing these immigrants an avenue by which they can emerge from the shadows of society and seek legal residency and citizenship in the United States.”
The board addressed the issue in a resolution adopted at its quarterly meeting in Charleston, S.C., April 7-9, 2006. The statement noted that “the vast majority of undocumented Mexicans and other Latin Americans in the United States are simply trying to build better lives for themselves and their families, but must struggle to do so from the margins of American society.”
The board declared that “legitimate concerns regarding sovereignty and the lawful and orderly control of cross-border travel must not be the only concerns addressed by a new immigration law.”
The resolution stated that the Knights of Columbus “is an international Catholic lay organization that has proudly included brother Knights in Mexico for more than a hundred years, and has thousands of members throughout the countries of Central America and the Caribbean.” It recalls that at the 1997 Synod for America, held in Mexico City, the assembled bishops of the Catholic Church “stressed the solidarity and the common destiny of all of the peoples of the Western Hemisphere” and points out that in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI “stresses the centrality of charity in the pursuit of justice. And charity – the product of Christian love – is the first principle of the [Knights of Columbus].”
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization, with more than 1.7 million members in North America, Asia and Europe.
La Junta Directiva de Los Caballeros de Colón, ha hecho un llamado al Congreso y al Presidente de los EE. UU.
con vistas a “lograr un consenso con respecto a la ley de inmigración que no sólo gane el control del proceso inmigratorio, sino que también rechace cualquier iniciativa de castigo a quienes proporcionan ayuda humanitaria a inmigrantes indocumentados”. El llamado solicita además “que se proporcione a estos inmigrantes una vía mediante la cual puedan salir de las sombras de la sociedad, y buscar la residencia legal y la ciudadanía de los Estados Unidos”.
La Junta abordó el tema en una resolución suscrita y aprobada en su reunión trimestral, que se llevó a cabo en la ciudad de Charleston, Carolina del Sur, del 7 al 9 de abril. Dicha resolución destaca que “la gran mayoría de mexicanos y otros latinoamericanos indocumentados en los Estados Unidos, está tratando simplemente de crear una vida mejor para ellos y sus familias respectivas; pero para lograrlo, deben luchar desde la marginalidad de la sociedad estadounidense”.
Asimismo, la Junta declaró que “las preocupaciones legítimas con respecto a la soberanía y el control apropiado del cruce de la frontera, no deben ser los únicos problemas a los que se les dé solución con una nueva ley de inmigración”.
La resolución patentizó además que Los Caballeros de Colón “constituyen una organización católica laica internacional que tiene el orgullo de contar, desde hace más de un siglo, con Caballeros hermanos en México, y con miles de miembros en las naciones de Centroamérica y el Caribe”; y recuerda que en el Sínodo para América, que se llevó a cabo en la Ciudad de México en el año 1997, los obispos de la Iglesia Católica congregados en el mismo “pusieron de manifiesto la solidaridad y el destino común de todos los pueblos del Hemisferio Occidental”. Asimismo, destacó que el Papa Benedicto XVI, en su primera encíclica, titulada Deus Caritas Est, (“Dios es caridad”), “insiste en la posición central de la caridad en la búsqueda de la justicia. Y la caridad—producto del amor cristiano—es el principio fundamental [de Los Caballeros de Colón]”.
Los Caballeros de Colón conforman la principal organización católica laica en el mundo, y cuenta con más de 1.7 millones de miembros en Norteamérica, Asia
Hundreds of libraries will showcase their multicultural programs and services this April
As the nation’s population continues to become more diverse, hundreds of libraries will showcase their multicultural programs and services this April 30th during national El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day). This year marks the 10th anniversary of the observance also known as Día, and libraries across the country will host Día celebrations with family programs, including bilingual story hours, book giveaways, and other literacy events.
Sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, Día celebrates the importance of advocating literacy for every child, regardless of linguistic and cultural background. It is a celebration of children, families, culture, and reading and is held annually on April 30.
Through literacy events and programs like Día, libraries are working with parents and caregivers to raise avid readers. Current research on early literacy and brain development indicates that it is never too early to prepare children for success as readers.
“Día spreads ‘bookjoy’ by linking children from all languages and cultures with books,” said Kathleen T. Horning, ALSC president-elect. “Libraries are the perfect family destination, offering parents and children an opportunity to explore the world through multicultural book collections, diverse cultural programs and free access to the Web.”
Libraries in nearly 40 states have community-wide Día celebrations planned this year. Maricopa County Library District in Arizona, for example, will host a Día festival offering games, crafts and the viewing of “Tomás and the Library Lady,” a play based on the book by children’s author Pat Mora. The Washoe County Library in Reno, Nev., will offer musical programs that will discuss the history, culture, geography, traditional instruments, music and dances of the Andes and Latin America, and the Des Plaines (IL) Public Library will offer bilingual Spanish and English storytelling.
Día honors children, their languages and culture; encourages reading and literacy; and promotes library collections and programs that reflects the country’s changing populations. For multicultural book lists, Día brochures and tips on how to encourage children to read please visit the Día Web site at http://www.ala.org/dia.
ALSC is the national center for Día. Through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ALSC is working with other national organizations, such as REFORMA: the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, to initiate communication and education efforts that promote Día to families across the United States.
En momentos en que la población de la nación se hace más diversa
, cientos de bibliotecas mostrarán sus programas y servicios multiculturales el próximo 30 de abril, durante la celebración nacional de “El día de los niños/El día de los libros” (Children's Day/Book Day). Este año marca el décimo aniversario de una festividad a la cual también se le conoce con el nombre de “Día”. Las bibliotecas de todo el país llevarán a cabo celebraciones con programas familiares, incluyendo “horas del cuento” bilingües, obsequios de libros y otros eventos de promoción de la lectura.
El “Día”, patrocinado por la Asociación de Servicios de Bibliotecas a la Niñez (Association for Library Service to Children, ALSC), división de la Asociación de Bibliotecas de los Estados Unidos; celebra la importancia de la promoción del alfabetismo para todos los niños, independientemente de su procedencia lingüística y cultural. Es una celebración de los niños, las familias, la cultura y la lectura que se realiza anualmente cada 30 de abril.
A través de eventos y programas de alfabetismo como el “Día”, las bibliotecas trabajan conjuntamente con los padres y el personal de atención a los niños para fomentar el surgimiento de ávidos lectores. Las investigaciones acerca del alfabetismo a temprana edad y el desarrollo cerebral indican que nunca es demasiado pronto para preparar a los niños con vistas a su éxito como lectores.
“El ‘Día’ difunde la ‘alegría de los libros’ vinculando a niños de todos los idiomas y culturas con los libros”, expresó Kathleen T. Horning, presidenta electa de ALSC. “Las bibliotecas son el sitio familiar perfecto, y ofrecen a padres y niños la oportunidad de explorar el mundo a través de colecciones multiculturales, programas culturales múltiples y acceso gratuito a Internet”.
Este año, las bibliotecas de aproximadamente cuarenta estados tienen planificadas celebraciones comunitarias del “Día”. Por ejemplo, la Biblioteca Distrital del Condado de Maricopa, en Arizona, celebrará un festival del “Día” ofreciendo juegos, artes manuales y la presentación de “Tomás and the Library Lady”, obra teatral basada en el libro de la escritora de literatura infantil Pat Mora. Por su parte, la Biblioteca del Condado Washoe de Reno, Nevada, ofrecerá programas musicales que tratarán acerca de la historia, cultura, geografía, instrumentos tradicionales, música y danza andina y del resto de Latinoamérica; y la Biblioteca Pública de Des Plaines, Illinois, ofrecerá narraciones de cuentos bilingües, en español e inglés.
El “Día” rinde homenaje a los niños, a sus idiomas y cultura; estimula la lectura y el alfabetismo, y promueve colecciones y programas de biblioteca que reflejen las cambiantes poblaciones de la nación. Para tener acceso a listados de libros multiculturales, folletos del “Día” y consejos para estimular a los niños a leer, visite el sitio Web del “Día”, http://www.ala.org/dia.
ALSC es el centro nacional del “Día”. A través de una subvención de la Fundación W.K. Kellogg, ALSC está trabajando conjuntamente con otras organizaciones nacionales como REFORMA: the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA: Asociación Nacional de Promoción de Servicios de Bibliotecas e Información a Latinos e Hispanoparlantes) con el propósito de llevar adelante iniciativas de comunicación y educación que promuevan el “Día” entre las familias de toda la nación.
On Sunday, 9 April, the Holy Father presided at Holy Mass in St Peter's Square for Palm Sunday, also World Youth Day.
The Pope began with a tribute to his Predecessor, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, who started the tradition of World Youth Day in 1984, and before the final Blessing, a group of young Germans consigned the World Youth Day Cross to young people from Australia, where the next international World Youth Day will be celebrated in 2008. Referring to Jesus' fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies, the Holy Father focused on the Cross, which he called the "new weapon that Jesus places in our hands", "God's new, true rainbow", "the great "Yes'" and "the true tree of life". The Pope also highlighted three outstanding aspects of Our Lord's Kingship: he was King of the poor, King of peace and a universal King. The following is a translation of the Holy Father's Homily, given in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
For 20 years, thanks to Pope John Paul II, Palm Sunday has become in a special way a day for youth - the day on which all young people across the world go to meet Christ, eager to accompany him to their cities and their countries, so that he may be among us and establish his peace in the world. However, if we want to encounter Jesus and then to walk with him on his path, we must ask: on what path does he want to lead us? What do we expect of him? What does he expect of us?
To understand what happens on Palm Sunday and to know what this means, not only for that hour but for all time, one detail has proved to be important; it also became the key to understanding the event for his disciples too, when they looked back after Easter with new eyes at those tumultuous days.
Jesus entered the Holy City riding on a donkey, that is, the animal of the simple, common country people, and moreover, it was an ass that did not belong to him but one he had asked to borrow for the occasion.
He did not arrive in an ostentatious royal carriage or on horseback like the great figures of the world, but on a borrowed donkey. John tells us that at first the disciples did not understand his action. Only after Easter did they realize that Jesus, by so acting, was fulfilling what the prophets had foretold: that his action derived from God's Word and was bringing it to fulfilment.
It should be remembered, John said, that in the Book of the Prophet Zechariah we read: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on the colt of an ass" (Jn 12: 15; cf. Zec 9: 9). To understand the significance of the prophecy and, consequently, of Jesus' behaviour, we must listen to the whole of Zechariah's text, which continues thus: "He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth" (cf. 9: 10).
With that, the Prophet says three things about the future king.
A King of the poor
In the first place he says that he will be a king of the poor, a poor man among the poor and for the poor. In this case poverty is meant in the sense of the anawim of Israel, of those believing and trusting souls that we meet around Jesus - in the perspective of the first Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount.
A person can be materially poor yet his heart can be full of greed for wealth and for the power that derives from it. The very fact that he lives with envy and covetousness shows that, in his heart, he is one of the rich. He wants to reverse the division of goods so that he himself can take over the situation that was previously theirs.
The poverty that Jesus means - that the prophets mean - presupposes above all inner freedom from the greed for possession and the mania for power. This is a greater reality than merely a different distribution of possessions, which would still be in the material domain and thereby make hearts even harder. It is first and foremost a matter of purification of heart, through which one recognizes possession as responsibility, as a duty towards others, placing oneself under God's gaze and letting oneself be guided by Christ, who from being rich became poor for our sake (cf. II Cor 8: 9).
Inner freedom is the prerequisite for overcoming the corruption and greed that devastate the world today. This freedom can only be found if God becomes our richness; it can only be found in the patience of daily sacrifices, in which, as it were, true freedom develops. It is the King who points out to us the way to this goal: Jesus, whom we acclaim on Palm Sunday, whom we ask to take us with him on his way.
A King of peace
The second thing the prophet shows us is that this king will be a king of peace: he will cause chariots of war and war horses to vanish, he will break bows and proclaim peace.
This is brought about in Jesus through the sign of the Cross. The Cross is the broken bow, in a certain way, God's new, true rainbow which connects the heavens and the earth and bridges the abysses between the continents. The new weapon that Jesus places in our hands is the Cross - a sign of reconciliation, of forgiveness, a sign of love that is stronger than death.
Every time we make the Sign of the Cross we should remember not to confront injustice with other injustice or violence with other violence: let us remember that we can only overcome evil with good and never by paying evil back with evil.
A universal King
The third affirmation of the prophet is the preannouncement of universality.
Zechariah says that the kingdom of the king of peace extends "from sea to sea... to the ends of the earth". The ancient promise of the earth, made to Abraham and to the Fathers, is replaced here by a new vision: the domain of the Messianic King is no longer a specific country that would later necessarily be separated from other countries and hence, inevitably, would take a stance against them. His country is the earth, the whole world.
He creates unity in the multiplicity of cultures, overcoming every boundary. By perceptively penetrating the clouds of history that separated the Prophet from Jesus, we see in this prophecy, emerging from the distant horizon of prophecy, the network of Eucharistic communities that embraces the earth, the whole world - a network of communities that constitutes Jesus' "Kingdom of peace", which extends from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth.
He comes in all cultures and all parts of the world, everywhere, in wretched huts and in poor rural areas as well as in the splendour of cathedrals. He is the same everywhere, the One, and thus all those gathered with him in prayer and communion are also united in one body. Christ rules by making himself our Bread and giving himself to us. It is in this way that he builds his Kingdom.
This connection becomes quite clear in the other words from the Old Testament which characterize and explain the Palm Sunday liturgy and its special atmosphere. The crowds acclaim Jesus: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Mk 11: 9; Ps 118[117]: 25ff.). These words are part of the rite of the Feast of Tabernacles, during which the faithful move in a circle around the altar, holding in their hands branches of palm, myrtle and willow.
Now, their palms in their hands, the people raise this cry before Jesus, in whom they see the One who comes in the name of the Lord. The phrase: "He who comes in the name of the Lord", in fact, had long before become the designation of the Messiah.
In Jesus, they recognize the One who truly comes in the name of the Lord and brings God's presence among them. In the Church, this cry of hope of Israel, this acclamation of Jesus during his entry into Jerusalem, has with good reason become the acclamation of the One who comes in the Eucharist to meet us in a new way. We greet with the cry of "Hosanna!", the One who brought God's glory to the earth in flesh and blood.
We greet the One who came yet always remains, the One who is to come. We greet the One who, in the Eucharist, always comes to us again in the name of the Lord, thus joining the ends of the earth in God's peace.
This experience of universality is an essential part of the Eucharist. Since the Lord comes, we emerge from our exclusive forms of particularism and enter into the great community of all who are celebrating this holy sacrament. We enter his Kingdom of peace and in him, in a certain way, we greet all our brothers and sisters to whom he comes, to become truly a kingdom of peace in the midst of this lacerated world.
All three characteristics announced by the Prophet - poverty, peace, universality - are summed up in the sign of the Cross. Therefore, with good reason, the Cross has become the centre of the World Youth Days.
There was a time - and it has not yet been completely surmounted - in which Christianity was rejected precisely because of the Cross. The Cross speaks of sacrifice, it was said, the Cross is the sign of the denial of life. Instead, we want life in its entirety, without restrictions and without sacrifices. We want to live, all we want is to live. Let us not allow ourselves to be limited by precepts and prohibitions; we want richness and fullness - this is what was said and is still being said.
All this sounds convincing and seductive; it is the language of the serpent that says to us: "Do not be afraid! Quietly eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden!".
Palm Sunday, however, tells us that the great "Yes" is precisely the Cross, that the Cross itself is the true tree of life. We do not find life by possessing it, but by giving it. Love is a gift of oneself, and for this reason it is the way of true life symbolized by the Cross.
Today, the Cross that was recently the focus of the World Youth Day in Cologne is being consigned to a special delegation so that it may begin the journey to Sydney, where in 2008 the youth of the world are planning to meet again around Christ to build with him the Kingdom of peace.
From Cologne to Sydney - a journey across continents and cultures, a journey through a world torn and tormented by violence! Symbolically, it is like the journey the prophet pointed out from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. It is the journey of the One who, in the sign of the Cross, gives us peace and makes us become messengers of reconciliation and of his peace.
I thank the young people who will now carry this Cross, in which we can as it were touch the mystery of Jesus on the highways of the world. Let us pray that at the same time, it will touch us and open our hearts, so that by following his Cross we will become messengers of his love and his peace. Amen.
Nous saluons Celui qui est venu au nom du Seigneur
pour annoncer un Royaume de paix»
Dans la matinée du dimanche 9 avril 2006, Dimanche des Rameaux et de la Passion du Seigneur, XXI Journée mondiale de la Jeunesse, le Pape Benoit XVI a présidé une Concélébration eucharistique Place Saint-Pierre. Selon la tradition, le rite a commencé au centre de la Place, au pied de l'obélisque, et s'est poursuivi par une procession solennelle avec les branches d'oliviers et de palmiers, jusqu'au parvis de la Basilique. Parmi les milliers de pèlerins étaient présents des représentants de l'archidiocèse allemand de Cologne, qui a accueilli la Journée mondiale de la Jeunesse en août 2005, ainsi que des représentants de l'archidiocèse australien de Sydney, où se tiendra la prochaine JMJ. Nous publions ci-dessous l'homélie prononcée par le Saint-Père à cette occasion:
Chers frères et soeurs,
Depuis vingt ans, grâce au Pape Jean-Paul II, le Dimanche des Rameaux est devenu de façon particulière le jour de la jeunesse, le jour où les jeunes du monde entier vont à la rencontre du Christ, désirant l'accompagner dans leurs villes et leurs pays, afin qu'Il soit au milieu de nous et puisse établir sa paix dans le monde. Si nous voulons aller à la rencontre de Jésus et marcher avec Lui sur sa route, nous devons toutefois nous demander: Sur quelle voie désire-t-il nous guider? Qu'attendons-nous de Lui? Qu'attend-il de nous?
Pour comprendre ce qui a eu lieu au cours du Dimanche des Rameaux et savoir ce que cela signifie, non seulement à cette époque, mais aussi en tout temps, un détail se révèle important, qui devint également pour ses disciples la clé pour comprendre l'événement lorsque, après Pâques, ils reparcoururent avec un regard nouveau ces journées tumultueuses. Jésus entra dans la Ville Sainte à dos d'âne, c'est-à-dire l'animal des gens simples et ordinaires de la campagne, et en plus sur un âne qui ne lui appartenait pas, mais qu'II avait emprunté pour l'occasion. Il n'arrive pas sur un magnifique char royal, ni à cheval comme les grands de ce monde, mais sur un âne emprunté. Jean nous raconte que, dans un premier temps, les disciples ne le comprirent pas. Ce n'est qu'après Pâques qu'ils s'aperçurent que Jésus, agissant ainsi, accomplissait l'annonce des prophètes, que son action dérivait de la Parole de Dieu et la menait à bien. Ils se rappelèrent, dit Jean, que dans le prophète Zacharie, on lit: "Sois sans crainte, fille de Sion: voici que ton roi vient, monté sur un petit d'ânesse" (Jn 12, 15, cf. Zc 9, 9). Pour comprendre la signification de la prophétie et, ainsi, de l'action même de Jésus, nous devons écouter le texte tout entier de Zacharie, qui continue ainsi: "Il retranchera d'Ephraïm la charrerie et de Jérusalem les chevaux; l'arc de guerre sera retranché. Il annoncera la paix aux nations. Son empire ira de la mer à la mer et du Fleuve aux extrémités de la terre" (9, 10). A travers ces paroles, le prophète fait trois affirmations sur le roi à venir.
En premier lieu, il dit qu'il sera le roi des pauvres, un pauvre parmi les pauvres et pour les pauvres. La pauvreté doit être comprise dans ce cas dans le sens des anawim d'Israël, ces âmes croyantes et humbles que nous rencontrons autour de Jésus - dans la pers-pective de la première Béatitude du Discours de la Montagne. Une personne peut être matériellement pauvre, mais avoir le coeur empli de soif de richesse matérielle et du pouvoir qui dérive de la richesse. C'est précisément le fait qu'une personne vit dans l'envie et dans l'avidité qui prouve qu'au plus profond de son coeur, elle appartient au monde des riches. Elle désire renverser la répartition des biens, mais pour arriver à être elle-même dans la situation des riches d'avant.
La pauvreté dans le sens où Jésus l'entend - et dans le sens des prophètes - présuppose surtout la liberté intérieure de l'avidité de possession et de la soif de pouvoir. Il s'agit d'une réalité plus grande que la simple répartition différentes des biens, qui resterait toutefois dans le domaine matériel, rendant même les coeurs plus durs. Il s'agit avant tout de la purification du coeur, grâce à laquelle on reconnaît la possession comme responsabilité, comme devoir envers les autres, en se plaçant sous le regard de Dieu et en se laissant guider par le Christ qui, étant riche, est devenu pauvre pour nous (cf. 2 Co 8, 9). La liberté intérieure est le présupposé pour dépasser la corruption et l'avidité qui désormais dévastent le monde; cette liberté ne peut être trouvée que si Dieu devient notre richesse; elle ne peut être trouvée que dans la patience des sacrifices quotidiens, dans lesquels elle se développe comme une véritable liberté. Le Dimanche des Rameaux, c'est Lui, le roi qui nous indique la voie vers cet objectif - Jésus -, que nous acclamons; nous Lui demandons de nous prendre avec lui sur son chemin.
anawim
En second lieu, le prophète nous montre que ce roi sera un roi de paix: il fera disparaître les chars de guerre et les chevaux de bataille, il rompra les arcs et annoncera la paix. Dans la figure de Jésus, cela se concrétise à travers le signe de la Croix. Celle-ci représente l'arc brisé et d'une certaine façon le nouveau, véritable arc-en-ciel de Dieu, qui unit le ciel et la terre et jette un pont sur les abîmes et entre les continents. La nouvelle arme que Jésus dépose entre nos mains est la Croix, signe de réconciliation, de pardon, signe de l'amour qui est plus fort que la mort. Chaque fois que nous faisons le signe de la Croix, nous devons nous rappeler de ne pas opposer à l'injustice une autre injustice, à la violence une autre violence; nous rappeler que nous pouvons vaincre le mal uniquement par le bien et jamais en répondant au mal par le mal.
La troisième affirmation du prophète est l'annonce anticipant l'universalité. Zacharie dit que le royaume du roi de la paix s'étend "de la mer à la mer... jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre". L'antique promesse de la terre, faite à Abraham et aux Pères, est ici remplacée par une nouvelle vision: l'espace du roi messianique n'est plus un pays déterminé qui se séparerait ensuite des autres et qui prendrait donc également inévitablement position contre d'autres pays. Son pays est la terre, le monde entier. En franchissant chaque limite, dans la multiplicité des cultures, Il crée l'unité. En pénétrant du regard les nuées de l'histoire, qui séparaient le prophète de Jésus, nous voyons ici apparaître de loin dans la prophétie le réseau des communautés eucharistiques qui embrasse la terre, le monde entier - un réseau de communautés qui constituent le "Royaume de la paix" de Jésus s'étendant d'une mer à l'autre, jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre. Dans toutes les cultures et dans toutes les parties du monde, partout dans les cabanes misérables et dans les pauvres campagnes, ainsi que dans la splendeur des cathédrales, Il vient. Il est partout le même, l'Unique, et ainsi toutes les personnes rassemblées en prière, dans la communion avec Lui, sont également unies entre elles dans un unique corps. Le Christ domine en se faisant Lui-même notre pain et en se donnant à nous. C'est de cette façon qu'il construit son Royaume.
Cette liaison devient tout à fait claire dans l'autre parole vétérotestamentaire qui caractérise et explique la liturgie du Dimanche des Rameaux et son climat particulier. La foule acclame Jésus: "Hosanna! Béni soit celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur" (Mc 11, 9; Ps 117 [118], 25sq). Ces paroles font partie du rite de la fête des tentes, au cours de laquelle les fidèles marchent autour de l'autel, tenant entre les mains des rameaux composés de branches de palmiers, de myrtes et de saules.
Or, les gens élèvent ce cri avec les rameaux dans les mains devant Jésus, en qui ils voient Celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur: cette expression "Celui qui vient au nom du Seigneur", était en effet devenue depuis longtemps la façon de désigner le Messie. En Jésus, ils reconnaissent Celui qui vient vraiment au nom du Seigneur et apporte la présence de Dieu parmi eux. Ce cri d'espérance d'Israël, cette acclamation faite à Jésus lors de son entrée à Jérusalem, est devenue à juste titre dans l'Eglise l'acclamation à Celui qui, dans l'Eucharistie, vient à notre rencontre de manière nouvelle. Nous saluons avec le cri "Hosanna" Celui qui, de chair et de sang, a apporté la gloire de Dieu sur la terre. Nous saluons Celui qui est venu et qui toutefois demeure toujours Celui qui doit venir. Nous saluons Celui qui, dans l'Eucharistie, vient toujours à nouveau à nous, au nom du Seigneur, réunissant ainsi dans la paix de Dieu les extrémités de la terre. Cette expérience de l'universalité fait partie de manière essentielle de l'Eucharistie. En raison de la venue du Seigneur, nous sortons de nos particularismes exclusifs et nous entrons dans la grande communauté de tous ceux qui célèbrent ce saint sacrement.
Nous entrons dans son royaume de paix et nous saluons également en Lui, d'une certaine manière, tous nos frères et soeurs, vers lesquels Il vient, pour devenir véritablement un royaume de paix au milieu de ce monde déchiré.Les trois caractéristiques annoncées par le prophète - pauvreté, paix, universalité - sont résumées dans le signe de la Croix. C'est pourquoi, à juste titre, la Croix est devenue le centre des Journées mondiales de la Jeunesse. Il y a eu un temps - qui n'est pas encore entièrement terminé - où l'on refusait le christianisme précisément à cause de la Croix. La Croix parle de sacrifice, disait-on, la Croix est le signe de la négation de la vie. Nous, en revanche, nous voulons la vie tout entière sans restrictions et sans renoncements. Nous voulons vivre, rien d'autre que vivre. Nous ne nous laissons pas limiter par des préceptes et des interdictions; nous voulons la richesse et la plénitude - ainsi disait-on et dit-on encore.
Tout cela nous apparaît convaincant et séduisant; c'est le langage du serpent qui dit: "Ne vous laissez pas intimider! Mangez tranquillement de tous les arbres du jardin!". Cependant, le Dimanche des Rameaux nous dit que le véritable grand "oui" est précisément la Croix, que la Croix est précisément le véritable arbre de la vie. Nous ne trouvons pas la vie en nous emparant d'elle, mais en la donnant. L'amour, c'est se donner soi-même, et c'est pourquoi le chemin de la vraie vie est symbolisé par la Croix. Aujourd'hui la Croix, qui a dernièrement été au centre de la Journée mondiale de la Jeunesse à Cologne, est remise à une délégation désignée à cet effet pour commencer son chemin vers Sydney, où, en 2008, la jeunesse du monde entend se rassembler à nouveau autour du Christ pour construire avec Lui le royaume de la paix. De Cologne à Sydney - un chemin à travers les continents et les cultures, un chemin à travers un monde déchiré et tourmenté par la violence! Symboliquement, il est le chemin indiqué par le prophète, le chemin d'une mer à l'autre, du fleuve jusqu'aux extrémité de la terre. C'est le chemin de Celui qui, sous le signe de la Croix, nous donne la paix et nous fait devenir des porteurs de la réconciliation et de sa paix. Je remercie les jeunes qui porteront à présent cette Croix sur les routes du monde, dans laquelle nous pouvons presque toucher le mystère de Jésus. Prions-le, afin que, dans le même temps, Il nous touche et ouvre nos coeurs, afin qu'en suivant sa Croix, nous devenions des messagers de son amour et de sa paix. Amen.
Pope Benedict ushered in Easter services late Saturday with a dramatic candlelit vigil
in St. Peter's Basilica in which he reminded the faithful of Jesus' resurrection.
Benedict entered the darkened basilica in silence, holding in front of him a single white candle. Its flame was then shared with others until slowly the whole basilica began to twinkle with candles held by the thousands of faithful gathered for the service.
The vigil came hours before Benedict celebrates Easter mass in St. Peter's Square, the most joyous day on the Roman Catholic church's calendar of liturgical celebrations when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion on Good Friday.
The crowd is likely to number in the tens of thousands. This year, Easter also coincides with Benedict's 79th birthday.
After mass in the square Sunday, Benedict will move to the central balcony of the basilica to deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi speech - Latin for "to the city and to the world" - and give a blessing and greetings.
His predecessor, John Paul II, who died six days after Easter last year, used the Urbi et Orbi speeches to denounce conflicts around the world and press for peace.
Italy's head of state, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, sent Benedict Easter and birthday wishes in which he praised the pontiff for his work "in radiating spiritual strength for all, believers and non-believers."
Easter "finds the international community in search of solid reference points in the face of the tumult of a world in rapid transformation, in the face of risks that international tensions weigh on stability and security," Ciampi said in his message.
Closer to home, Italy's politics are up in the air, following the refusal of Premier Silvio Berlusconi to concede defeat as demanded by his election rival Romano Prodi after very close April 9-10 parliamentary elections. The Vatican wields considerable influence in Italian politics.
Benedict's vicar for Rome, Camillo Cardinal Ruini, was outspoken during the campaign, pressing the church's opposition to any efforts to legalize gay marriage as well as pushing church teaching against embryo research, euthanasia and abortion.
Benedict led a Good Friday Way of the Cross evening procession at Rome's Colosseum in which he denounced "threats" to the institution of the family and lamented the divide between the world's rich and poor.
The ceremonies are Benedict's first since being elected Pope a few weeks after Easter in 2005.
Last year, the ailing John Paul II was forced to sit out Easter ceremonies for the first time in his papacy, which began in 1978. John Paul tried to speak but failed from his window overlooking the square on Easter 2005. In one of his last public gestures, he blessed the faithful with his hand but was unable to utter a word.
