WHAT HOT NOW: 2008-02-10

Friday, February 15, 2008

Did you mess up Valentine’s Day?

There’s a lot of pressure on Valentine’s Day to make sure your lover is happy. Guys, you think you might’ve won her over tonight, but the true test is tomorrow when she tells her friends at work how you fared. If you think for a second that she thought you were a little slack, here are some tips on how you can make it up to her. Or him, for that matter.

Lastminute.com: Sabre Holdings Corp., which owns Travelocity, bought Lastminute.com last year for a little more than $1 billion. So now they both specialize in travel packages for this weekend (and next). But you could pick out something for this weekend and pretend it was all a part of the plan. Flight and hotel packages to Mexico and Central America start at $402 per person, including taxes and fees.

United E-Fares: When considering last-minute travel, I also check United’s E-fares. Right now there are flights across the U.S. for less than $150 each way (pre-tax). Get away from the usual big hubs and try other locations, such as Yellowstone, Monterey, Vail or even Sioux Falls, S.D.

10 ways to get out of town: Even though this was written with Valentine’s weekend in mind, you can use these resources anytime. If you need to, write an IOU card toute de suite—check out this page with great short weekend escapes ranging from Catalina Island to Sequoia National Park.

Things to do in Los Angeles (on Valentine’s Day and beyond): From having no budget to breaking the bank—here are a whole bunch of things for couples and singles to do in and around Los Angeles.

10 amorous trips to know: Expedia has a page full of romantic ideas for you. These ideas are for travelers who have slightly bigger budgets as hot ballooning in Cairns, Australia, and a gondola ride in Venice are on the list. If you’re looking for a deal, try its last-minute Vegas deals.

U.S. Military Will Shoot Down Falling Satellite

The plan to "engage" the decaying, uncontrollable satellite is intended to reduce risks to human lives.

The U.S. Department of Defense will shoot down a satellite that experts predict will land on Earth in late February or early March.

The department announced Thursday that it will "engage" the decaying satellite, which it earlier deemed to be low risk. The department said this week that the chances that the "uncontrollable U.S. experimental satellite" will hit a populated area are small, but "the potential consequences would be of enough concern to consider mitigating actions."

The NROL-21 USA-193 satellite was launched for the Defense Department in December 2006 and failed within hours. The solar arrays never deployed, and in January 2007, U.S. officials reported that they were unable to communicate with the spy satellite, said GlobalSecurity.org, a military information Web site.

The satellite, estimated to weigh 7,000 pounds, is expected to continue disintegrating upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Government experts and GlobalSecurity employees said that the odds of debris landing on solid ground, instead of in the ocean, are about one in four. That's because about 75% of the Earth's surface is covered by water.

Now government experts believe about 2,500 pounds of it could survive disintegration during re-entry. That includes 1,000 pounds of propellant fuel (hydrazine), a hazardous material, the Defense Department said. Amateur satellite watchers have said they believe the satellite is headed toward North America.

"The president has decided to take action to mitigate the risk to human lives by engaging the nonfunctioning satellite," the Defense Department explained in a news announcement. "Because our missile defense system is not designed to engage satellites, extraordinary measures have been taken to temporarily modify three sea-based tactical missiles and three ships to carry out the engagement."

The Defense Department said it had to make a decision to shoot the satellite down before choosing the best time and place. The department will use modeling and analysis to do that, and military experts said they are confident their mission will succeed.

"Contact with hydrazine is hazardous," the Defense Department explained. "Direct contact with skin or eyes, ingestion or inhalations from hydrazine released from the tank upon impact, could result in immediate danger. If this operation is successful, the hydrazine will then no longer pose a risk to humans."

U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, has acknowledged that re-entry of space debris is an inexact science because of limitations on tracking equipment and environmental factors, like variations in gravitational fields, solar radiation pressure, and atmospheric drag.

Several government agencies are involved in monitoring and planning for re-entry of the satellite.

"In the event the engagement is not successful, all appropriate elements of the U.S. government are working together to explore options to mitigate the danger to humans and to ensure that all parties are properly prepared to respond," the Defense Department said. "In the unlikely event satellite pieces land in a populated area, people are strongly advised to avoid the impact area until trained hazardous materials teams are able to properly dispose of any remaining hydrazine."

Rampage at Northern Illinois University leaves 6 dead

Six people are dead after a gunman opened fire on a classroom at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. He shot 21 people before shooting himself.

On its Web site, NIU confirmed five fatalities, not including the shooter. Kishwaukee Community Hospital, located about 10 minutes away from the campus, said it admitted 18 people who were victims of the attack.

NIU said police found the gunman dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although the University hasn't released the identity of the shooter, President John Peters said in a press conference that he was enrolled in Spring 2007 as a graduate student in sociology.

The shooter, who Peters said was dressed in dark clothing, opened fire on a classroom in Cole Hall around 3 p.m central time. He used a shotgun and two handguns, shooting at students and the professor before he turned one of the weapons on himself. NIU campus police believe one of those handguns remains a the scene. Authorities have not discovered a motive.

NIU said four of the unidentified victims were female and one was male. On its Web site, Kishwaukee Hospital said six critical patients were airlifted to three different area hospitals. three remain in the hospital and eight have been discharged.

According to a CNN report, a hospital spokesperson said most of the victims were shot in the head.

Peters said campus police arrived on the scene within minutes of the report and campus was locked down at 3:07 p.m central time. The University issued an "all-campus alert" at 3:20 p.m., Peters said, and officials contacted students about the threat using the Web, e-mail, voicemail, a crisis hotline and an alarm system.

The University is shut down Friday while NIU campus police continues its investigation, which Peters said may take some time.
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"We have many, many assets on campus," Peters said. "We anticipate them being on campus for a while."

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich declared a state of emergency because of the shootings, opening his office's disaster relief fund, according to a press release. That will help local emergency personnel pay for the response to the shooting.

The University is located 55 miles west of Chicago and has an enrollment of about 25,000 students.

In December, the NIU campus closed down after graffiti was discovered in a campus residence hall bathroom, according to a letter from Peters posted on the University's Web site. Peters said the message contained a "credible threat against the NIU community," and Reuters reported that the graffiti threat included a reference to the Virginia Tech shootings in April. NIU opened after a day under heightened security and students resumed exams, the Reuters article said.

In the press conference Thursday night, Peters said he didn't believe the threats in December were related to the shootings. He also said the University examined its security procedures as well.

"Security was completely reviewed," Peters said. "The aftermath is that we've had a dialogue about being in these new situations."

There are six phone hot lines available at NIU for students and parents, the numbers for which were posted on the campus alert Web page at 4:10 p.m. central time. NIU is also offering Counseling services in the campus residence halls.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The History of Valentine's Day

"Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred....

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap"."

The above article taken from the History Channel

How Real Is Your Love?

Genevieve Grossmann is a prolific secret admirer. So much so that she anonymously sends dozens of virtual gifts to her Facebook friends simply to see their reactions. And with so many Valentine's Day gifts to choose from -- roses, kisses, flowers, chocolates -- the gifter plans to be busy today.

"Some people say that paying for one of these is a waste of a dollar, but I disagree," said Grossmann, 24, of West Chester, Penn. "The cost of sending a gift is a dollar; the cost of driving someone crazy? Priceless!"

Valentine's Day has become a hot seller when it comes to virtual gifts, a growing part of online commerce. They range from cartoonish images on social networking profiles to three-dimensional-looking objects that people exchange in virtual worlds and on Web sites.

These virtual gifts hardly exist without a computer or mobile phone to display them, but as people place more value on their online presence, a bottle of champagne, diamond earrings and even lingerie have real-world prices and meaning.

"Sending a virtual flower is a way of showing lightweight attention and affection to someone online," said Susan Wu, a partner with Charles River Ventures and Menlo Park, Calif., who's been following the growth of virtual gifts. She estimates that the virtual-goods market is worth about $3 billion today. "It's become commonplace behavior on social networks."

Virtual goods have been a form of currency within video games and Web-based worlds such as Second Life for some time. But the latest wave of gift-giving began a year ago when Facebook began selling $1 graphical icons for members to exchange. Facebook says more than 24 million gifts have been given in the past year, and about 280 million gifts are currently available. MySpace offers Valentine-themed videos and other graphics users can exchange.

But does a collection of pixels have as much value as a physical gift?

Adrienne Miller, 27, said it's "cute" to receive online trinkets from friends on holidays, "but they're not a substitute for something tangible that required some offline effort."

What would she do if a romantic interest gifted her a graphic of a diamond instead of the real thing?
"Let's just say there wouldn't be another date," she said.

Nonetheless, Valentine's Day has mass appeal among social networking addicts, said Tammy Nam of Slide.com, the maker of interactive applications and widgets for users' profiles. One of the most popular features, called the SuperPoke, lets people blow a kiss, cuddle, have a candlelit dinner, or fall in love with other members.

Valentine's Day resonates with people more than other holidays partly because "the concept of love and self-expression go hand in hand," Nam said.

Companies like Gaia online are making a significant portion of their real world revenue stream from the creation and exchange of virtual goods, said Forrester Research analyst Jeremiah Owyang. "Like real life, inanimate objects --physical or virtual-- can hold value for consumers," he said.

Virtual entrepreneurs can also cash in on the holiday. Sales at Dianne Marshall's Second Life flower shop doubles on Valentine's Day with as many as 11,000 transactions. In the virtual world There.com, members plan on taking part in a scavenger hunt and Valentine-themed pajama party. Clothing is the most popular type merchandise traded on the holiday, said Ben Richardson, vice president of business development at There.com's parent company Makena Technologies.

"For the younger demographic, the line between the virtual and real world is fairly blurred," Richardson said. "The value of receiving a virtual gift can have more meaning because it has such a novel experience associated with it."

Giving such gifts may be easy, but they still cost real money. Grossmann said she might send her boyfriend a Valentine token today, but she doesn't expect one in return.

"If I send him a free one, he'll probably retaliate," she said. "But I don't think he'll actually spend a dollar."

Jane Fonda Shocks Today Show with 'C-Word'

Jane Fonda may be 70, but she's not too old to have her mouth washed out with soap.

No stranger to controversy, the actress used a vulgar word to describe a body part on Thursday morning's Today show – which later prompted a statement of apology from the program's cohost, Meredith Vieira.

Fonda and The Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler were having a Valentine's Day conversation with Vieira about the 15th anniversary of Ensler's best-known work – and the 10th anniversary of "V-Day," founded by Ensler to end violence against women and girls around the world – when Fonda let the "c-word" slip.

Video courtesy Today

"We were talking about The Vagina Monologues and Jane Fonda inadvertently said a word from the play that you don't say on television," Vieira said after a newsbreak on Today. "It was a slip and obviously she apologizes, and so do we. We would do nothing to offend the audience. So please accept that apology."
– Stephen M. Silverman

Storm aftermath: Snow clogs traffic, closes schools -- and more to come

A major snowstorm overnight translated to a stop-and-go commute for many Utah motorists Thursday as left many schools either closed or starting late. And, forecasters warned, winter woes are expected to continue today.

The storm warning remains effective until 11 a.m. from Interstate 80 south to Cedar City. Half a foot or more of snow is expected during the storm.

Overnight snow totals ranged as high as 21 inches in the Tooele Valley and a foot at spots in the Salt Lake Valley. Mountain snow totals were in the foot to foot and a half range at various ski resorts. The Utah Highway Patrol said there were about 90 crashes from 8 p.m. Wednesday and

5:30 a.m. Thursday. UHP reported another 30 cars slid off roads in that span.

Nearly 200 students were stranded overnight at Ridgeline Elementary School in Highland, and classes there were closed today as parents made their way to the campus to pick up their children.

Utah County seemed to get the brunt of the storm overnight, where some students at Harvest Elementary School in Saratoga Springs also were stranded Wednesday, said Rhonda Bromley, public information officer for the Alpine School District.

"They are with administrators and teachers, are warm and have food," she said.
Ten buses with 60 to 70 students each were stranded because of road closures or weather conditions Wednesday afternoon, but were later back on the move.

Thirty students were taken off a stranded bus to an LDS Church in Lehi. Parents were being called to come pick them up, Bromley said.

Teachers and administrators notified parents of their children's whereabouts, and had telephone lines open at district offices where parents could check.

Two jack-knifed semitrailers blocked several northbound lanes near Point of the Mountain, about 5:30 p.m., said UHP spokesman Cameron Roden. Traffic remained bumper to bumper throughout the evening on I-15 and State Road 92 near Alpine.

As the storm blew in late Wednesday, many motorists were caught off-guard. More than a dozen vehicles piled up in a chain-reaction crash on State Road 73 in Utah County near Saratoga Springs, but no major injuries were reported. Ten-foot snowdrifts buried some cars on that road, which remained closed into the night, said Utah County sheriff's Lt. Wally Perschon.

At one point, search and rescue crews on snowmobiles were going car to car checking on motorists, he said. Snowplows were beginning to make their way through the area at the same time.
As the cold front moves to the Colorado mountains today, a high pressure system takes hold in Utah, Seaman said. High temperatures will be about 27 in Salt Lake City today. Sunny skies will warm the air a few degrees each day through the weekend.

"We should see a dry transition through the weekend and into next week," he said.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Shannon Price: Size Doesn’t Matter in Marriage to Gary Coleman

Shannon Price and Gary Coleman were quietly married in Nevada last August. Price says it doesn’t bother her that her husband is only 4 foot 8 and 18 years older than she is. “That doesn’t really matter to me. He was 10 feet tall to me because he was sweet and I really liked his personality,” said 22-year-old Price who is 5 foot 7.

Coleman, 40, says this isn’t only his first marriage; it’s also his first romantic relationship. “In the middle of the night I’m wondering: ‘Gee, what made me get married to this woman?’ And I just say love,” says Coleman. “I never got the opportunity to be romantic or feel romantic with anyone before Shannon. I wasn’t saving myself. She just happened to be the one.”

As for why they kept their marriage a secret, Price says she wanted to keep her “own identity.” “I just want my own identity as well because I don’t want to be known as Gary Coleman’s wife,” she said.

Uno the Beagle Wins Best in Show

NEW YORK (AP) - America has a new Snoop doggie. Barking and baying up a storm, Uno lived up to his name Tuesday night by becoming the first beagle to win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.

The nation's new top dog was clearly the fan favorite, and drew a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden when he was picked.

Uno got right into the act, jumping up on handler Aaron Wilkerson and confirming his other title: noisiest in show. Years from now, he'll be known for the "ah-roo" heard 'round the ring.

The only dog consistently listed among America's most popular breeds for nearly 100 years, a beagle had never won in the 100 times Westminster picked a winner. That changed when judge J. Donald Jones pointed to this nearly 3-year-old package of personality.

Good ol' Snoopy, a champion at last.

Uno was numero uno, beating out two perfect poodles, a top Sealyham terrier, a sleek Weimaraner, a lively Australian shepherd and a sprightly Akita.

"We knew he was going to be No. 1," Wilkerson said.

More than 169 breeds and varieties were represented at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club event, and the competition brought 2,627 entries.

Barks echoed around Madison Square Garden as the crowd cheered its favorites, among them a Neapolitan mastiff that lumbered around the ring, a Chihuahua that spun in circles and a miniature pinscher that plucked a piece of food off the green carpet without missing a beat.

Formally known as K-Run's Park Me in First, Uno came into this competition with 32 best in show ribbons overall. Yet he was surely an underdog—make that an Underdog—because no beagle had even won the hound group since 1939.

But Uno fixed that, breezing in the 15-inch breed judging on Monday morning and taking his group several hours later. So while other dogs tried to reach the final ring Tuesday, Uno spent the day going on a brisk walk around Manhattan and taking a nap underneath his warm, fuzzy blanket.

But when it came time to show, Uno was as precocious and precious as ever.

With fans calling out his name and clapping, he soaked in the cheers as he walked around the ring. And when he made his final stop in front of Jones, Uno went to town, baying over and over.

Even when he returned to sidelines as other dogs were judged, Uno kept going. Quite a win it was for Eddie Dziuk of Columbia, Mo., and the other three co-owners.

"My sister called me today and said she's always turned off the dog show on TV because she's tired of all those poodles winning," Jon Woodring, one of the other co-owners, said earlier in the day. "But she watched last night. I think Uno winning would show that an everyday dog can do it."

Longtime dog expert David Frei, the paw-by-paw announcer for USA Network's coverage of the Westminster Kennel Club show, went even further.

"If he wins best in show, I'll rent him an apartment in New York City because I'll be traveling with him all year, so many people will want to see him," he said. "If he won, it would be the greatest thing for our show."

Better get that first rent check ready—Uno is here to stay.

Yoko Ono Sues Lennon Murphy Over Name

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Yoko Ono, the widow of slain Beatles star John Lennon, is filling a lawsuit against singer/songwriter Lennon Murphy for using the name "Lennon" as the name of her band.

An attorney for Ono filed a petition last week with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office seeking to cancel a trademark Murphy took out in 2003 for "Lennon" as the name of her band.

Lennon is a very common name in Ireland.

Murphy, whose birth name is Lennon, said she spoke to Ono and her attorney in 2000 when she first signed to Arista Records.

According to Murphy, the label was concerned about the name issue and sent her product manager, Justin Shukat (reportedly the son of Ono attorney Peter Shukat), to approach Lennon's widow. Ono supposedly gave her approval, clearing the way for the Tennessee-born Murphy and her eponymous band to release their album, 5:30 Saturday Morning.

According to Murphy, Ono's change of heart came two days before the statute of limitations was due to run out.

Murphy has expressed her distress with the situation on her blog on MySpace and on her website, www.lennononline.com.

Murphy has one key person in her corner.

Julian Lennon, John's son from his marriage to first wife Cynthia Lennon, himself a singer-songwriter who has had his own run-ins with his stepmom, posted Murphy's message on his MySpace blog and expressed sympathy for her situation.

"This is NOT about me but about a girl named 'Lennon,' " writes Julian, 44. "She has my full support."

Online giant asks students to ‘Doodle 4 Google’

Company holds contest that will feature winner’s drawing on home page

Google on Wednesday announced the launch of “Doodle 4 Google,” a competition that invites school children to design a Google logo inspired by the question, “What If ...?”

The winning student’s doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage on May 22, 2008; the champion “doodler” will also win a $10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for his/her school.

The “Doodle 4 Google” competition is open to U.S. students K-12.

Participating classrooms can use accompanying lesson plans to help students start dreaming and doodling, while also integrating the project into classroom learning.

Students’ doodles will be judged on artistic merit, creativity and representation of the theme. Panels of regional judges will select 40 top doodles across age groups, from which the public will help select the final four. The grand-prize winner will then be selected by Google and announced at an event hosted at Google’s headquarters on May 21, 2008. The doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage the following day.

The customization of the Google logo started in 1999, and is now designed almost exclusively by Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang, whose work is seen by millions every time he exhibits on the Google homepage. The 29-year-old calls his drawings “doodles.”

Dennis has creatively depicted worldwide events, anniversaries and holidays with doodles that incorporate the Google logo for the world of users to celebrate.

Doodle 4 Google

Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a competition where we invite K-12 students to play around with our homepage logo and see what they come up with. This year we're inviting U.S. kids to join in the doodling fun, around the intriguing theme "What if...?"

At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same. So we hope you'll gather those art supplies and some 8.5x11 landscape paper and encourage your kids to enrich us all with their creative visions of our world, as it is and as it might be.

You'll find everything you need to get started here, including detailed lesson plans to incorporate the competition into your curricula. Registration closes on March 28th, and entries are due by April 12th. A panel of judges will select 40 finalist doodles, from which the public will help select a favorite to be featured on our homepage on May 22nd, 2008.

P.S. We'd be thrilled if you spread the word to your fellow educators.