Ball Dropping tomorrow in Times Square said to have more lights this year yet is more energy efficient

At the beginning of this week, my article on the science of Snow Crystals was published here on the Guest Blog. If you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out here. This weekend millions of eyes will be focused on another type of crystal.

In honor of New Year’s Eve, let’s switch gears from checking out crystals made by nature (snowflakes) and focus our attention on the spectacular Waterford crystals and lights adorning the Ball that will be dropping to mark the end of 2011 in NYC.

The tradition of the Ball dropping in New York’s Times Square dates back to 1907. The first ball used was made of iron and wood and had only 120 25W light bulbs on it, but check out…

…THE SPECS on this year’s ball:

BIG: The Geodesic sphere is 12 feet in diameter and weighs in at 11, 875 pounds. That is about “the length of an average SUV” and “the weight of four compact cars,” according Lighting Science Group Design Works who did the ball’s most recent makeover in 2008.

BRIGHT: 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles of various sizes, some with intricately carved facets, shapes and motifs with different themes like joy, love and friendship.

MORE COLORFUL THAN EVER: This year’s ball has 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs (three times more than last year). Philips Lighting says that its red, green, white and blue LED modules help to create a color palette of over 16 million colors and billions of color patterns.

MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT than last year: According to the Times Square Alliance’s website this year’s ball is “10-20% more energy efficient than last year’s already energy-efficient Ball, consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens.”

So since it has been sort of a mild winter and we haven’t had a chance to see snow crystals drop from the New York City sky yet, we will at least be able to see that exquisitely luminous ball of white and colored crystals drop this Saturday night. And now you know some of the specs and science behind it. The science hidden in plain sight. Happy New Years, everyone!

Sources: Times Square Alliance and Lighting Science.

Photo Credit: (Energy Efficient in 2012) stock photo by Raja R/raja4u on stock xchng, Author pic by Erica Angiolillo

Five…Four…Three…Two…One… It’s almost New Year’s 2012 and time to watch that glitzy ball drop to signal the beginning of the new year.

The New Year’s Eve Ball successfully dropped during a “dress rehearsal,” as The Associated Press called it, at noon on Friday while organizers continued to prepare for the most magical night of the year, inflating balloons and throwing confetti.

This year’s six-ton ball with the theme “Let There Be Friendship” has 238 new Waterford crystals to the 3,000 crystal triangles from past years. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Lady Gaga will do the honors of dropping the back at the “Crossroads of the World.”

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said security will be heightened, with checkpoints situated at each of the 16 entrances to Times Square in addition to cameras, helicopters, mounted horses, bomb-sniffing dogs and men on foot.

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“We operate under the assumption that we’re at the top of the terrorist target list, and we’ve had 14 attempts at terrorist-type attacks,” the commissioner said.

The ball will be raised at One Times Square at 6 p.m. EST and dropped at 11:59 p.m. EST. Here is all the information you need to see the Times Square Ball Drop online or to watch live in person on New Year’s Eve. As an added bonus, we’ve added some tips for those of you brave enough to be part of the most magical night of the year in New York City.

Online

There will be a live webcast of the Times Square Ball Drop which you can watch here, at TimesSquareNYC.org.

T.V.

If you still have a television set, you know, the primitive form of watching moving images before the Apple iPad, then you can catch “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012.” The 40th anniversary “Countdown To 2012″ special begins at 11 p.m. Saturday on ABC Network. Pitbull and Hot Chelle Rae will be performing live along with Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Festivities will begin at 8 p.m. ET with a special two-hour event hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Fergie for the 40th anniversary special.

In Person

An estimated one million people flock to New York City every year to watch the New Year’s Eve Ball drop from One Times Square, located in the heart of New York at Broadway and 43rd Street. However, it can be seen from 43rd Street to 59th Street on Broadway and 7th Avenue.

The New York Police Department will begin closing down access to Times Square starting at 43rd Street and Broadway. Viewers can enter from Sixth or Eighth Avenue and are encouraged to arrive early.

Access Points for entrances into Times Square and nearby areas:

To Access Times Square South of 41st Street

37th & 7th Ave
37th & Broadway
38th & 8th Ave
38th & 6th Ave

To Access Times Square North of 43rd street

46th from 8th & 6th Ave (press access)
Emergency Vehicle Route (48th, 5th-9th Ave)
49th from 8th & 6th Ave
52nd from 8th & 6th Ave
54th from 6th Ave
55th from 8th Ave
57th from 7th Ave
57th from Broadway
58th from 8th & 6th Ave
59th from 8th & 6th Ave

Pedestrian/Subway Chutes:

39th – Broadway to 6th Ave
41st – 7th Ave directed westbound to 8th Ave
49th – 7th Ave directed eastbound to 6th Ave
50th – Broadway directed westbound to 8th Ave
53rd – Broadway directed westbound to 8th Ave
55th – 7th Ave directed eastbound to 7th Ave

Events at Times Square

Here is a list of events to take place at Times Square during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

Want to attend one of New York City’s hottest parties while ringing in the new year? Here’s a guide to NYC’s 10 Best Party Spots to Ring in the New Year.

Tips

According to the Times Square District Management Association, here are some tips you should follow if you choose to watch the Times Square Ball drop in person.

1.       There will be no public restrooms.

2.       Public drinking will not be tolerated by NYPD.

3.       Food and Beverage vendors are not allowed to post in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

4.       No large bags or backpacks allowed.

5.       Those who leave the area once the part begins will not be allowed back in.

So the 27-year old NFL passing record falls, and so did the Atlanta Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints, behind Drew Brees’ 307 yards passing and four touchdowns, beat NFC South rivals Atlanta 45-16 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Brees broke the NFL single-season passing mark of 5,084 set by Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins in 1984. Brees has 5,087.

The Saints won the division with the win and are at worst the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. They can get the two seed with a win against Carolina next week at the Dome, and a loss by the San Francisco 49ers, who play the St. Louis Rams.

The Saints are 12-3, the Falcons fall to 9-7.

The record-breaking catch was by Darren Sproles on a 9-yard touchdown pass late in the game.

ALBANY — A charitable organization with good intentions fell far short of the number of children’s Christmas toys it promised to purchase for Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region.

As a result, it was shaping up to be a super-sad Sunday morning with a lack of presents under the Christmas tree for dozens of impoverished kids whose families rely on Trinity to make the holiday bright.

Harris Oberlander, Trinity’s CEO, managed to rescue Christmas for the kids by purchasing dozens of toys for children ages 3 through 9 at the last minute after a $5,000 check arrived last week from the Times Union Hope Fund.

“It’s hard to describe what that money meant for us,” Oberlander said. “We always end up with emergency needs this time of year, but being able to buy those Christmas presents was very special.”

The money will also help enhance a holiday camp program for about 40 children during the school break between Christmas and New Year. “The kids are here with us because their homes are too fragile to allow them to be at home for that period of time,” Oberlander said.

In addition, the cash will be used to purchase winter coats for kids after a Coats for Kids drive this year yielded just 37 coats and many more are needed, Oberlander said. The funds will also help restock shelves at Trinity’s food pantries in Arbor Hill and the South End, which help feed thousands of poor kids.

“We are deeply appreciative of the Hope Fund,” he said.

The $5,000 represented an additional gift to Trinity, along with two other $5,000 grants sent last week to Unity House of Troy and YWCA of Schenectady. The $15,000 in additional grants was made possible from a fundraising event featuring $2 movies at the November grand opening of the new Regal Cinemas at Clifton Park Center. The fund also awarded $33,000 this fall in its regular grant cycle.

“We’ve always felt that when donations like this come in, we should turn around and send the money out as quickly as possible,” said Ruth Fantasia, features editor and president of the Times Union Hope Fund.

The newspaper’s all-volunteer employee organization has no administrative costs and 100 percent of donations go directly to groups that provide after-school and summer camp programs for disadvantaged children in the Capital Region. Since its inception in 2008, the Times Union Hope Fund has distributed $332,380 to more than 50 programs that work with needy and at-risk children. The money comes from outside donations, employee contributions, a Times Union corporate match and a variety of fundraisers including donor events, bake sales, a book sale, ice cream sale and a sale of a special edition of the newspaper.

After a rigorous vetting process of applicants, the fund makes its grants in partnership with The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region.

Because the Hope Fund was a beneficiary of two large donor events — the Regal Cinemas partnership and $52,500 raised by the Travers Celebration in Saratoga Springs in August — the group had a stellar 2011 at a time when the recession has beaten down fundraising efforts of many local not-for-profits.

“We’ve been very fortunate with our fundraising this year, but there also seems to be an enormous need out there because of the economy and the storm damage,” said Sandi Costello, publishing integration manager at the Times Union and vice president of grants for the Hope Fund.

“When these agencies told us they really needed funds to be able to purchase warm clothes, food and toys for kids, we decided we needed to make the additional grants,” Costello said.

In 2012, the Times Union Hope Fund will continue to build a long-term investment fund at the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, an idea developed by publisher and CEO George R. Hearst III. His goal is to develop a $250,000 fund that will generate interest to level out peaks and valleys in annual fundraising by providing a supplemental revenue stream while preserving the principal.

Hearst and Fantasia have set up a series of private dinners to solicit donations for the fund “to help us ensure that the Times Union Hope Fund will be around for many years to come.”

Reach Grondahl at 454-5623 or pgrondahl@timesunion.com.

Hope Fund

A contribution to the Times Union Hope Fund will support after-school programs and summer camps for needy children.

For more information, including how to contribute, go to http://timesunion.com/fund/.

Gifts by mail: The Times Union Hope Fund, Times Union, Box 15270, Albany, NY 12212

Hope Fund

A contribution to the Times Union Hope Fund will support after-school programs and summer camps for needy children.

For more information, including how to contribute, go to http://timesunion.com/fund/.

Gifts by mail: The Times Union Hope Fund, Times Union, Box 15270, Albany, NY 12212

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Now that The New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 20 free clicks a month. For those worried about hitting their limit, we’re taking a look through the paper each morning to find the stories that can make your clicks count.

Related: Trimming the Times: Budget Battle Rages; Making Sense of the Census

Top Stories: After the furor over distracted drivers and iPads in cockpits, another danger is getting attention: distracted doctoring, with technicians, nurses, and surgeons using smartphones while they’re supposed to be doing operations. A British, Jewish, conservative talk radio host is playing unlikely kingmaker in Iowa.

Related: Trimming the Times: Tripoli Bombed; Space is the Place

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Related: Trimming the Times: Boehner on the Budget; Google in Japan

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Related: Trimming the Times: Holding Tripoli; Musical Chef

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Sports: The town of Yaroslavl, Russia, is trying to rebuild its beloved hockey team after a plane crash took the lives of 37 players and coaches three months ago.

Health: A new generation of cosmetics come in pill form, rather than creams that get rubbed on the skin. More and more studies are examining the benefits of drinking caffeine before workouts. 

Arts: Stephen Merchant, the quieter (and arguably funnier) partner of Ricky Gervais, is doing his first stand up shows in the United States.

Technology: A list of tech gifts that aren’t your usual gadgets.

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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/11/ap-suspect-in-white-house-shooting-arrested-111711/

By Brett Zongker and Jessica Gresko – The Associated PressPosted : Thursday Nov 17, 2011 8:12:07 EST

WASHINGTON — A man with an apparent obsession with President Obama has been arrested in Pennsylvania after the Secret Service discovered two bullets struck the White House while the president was away, authorities said Wednesday.

One bullet smashed into a window of the living quarters of the executive mansion but was stopped by ballistic glass.

The arrest of Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, came days after reports of shots fired on Friday night near the White House while Obama and his wife Michelle were on a trip to California and Hawaii. The president has since traveled on to Australia, the second stop on a nine-day Asia-Pacific tour, and the White House had no comment on the unfolding events.

The U.S. Secret Service said it discovered Tuesday that the two bullets hit the White House. U.S. Park Police had earlier linked Ortega, a 21-year-old man from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to the reports of gunfire.

A U.S. Park Police crime bulletin issued before Ortega’s arrest said he is known to have mental health issues, adding “Ortega should be considered unstable with violent tendencies.”

Authorities are investigating his mental health and say there are indications he believed his attack on the White House was part of a personal mission from God, according to a law enforcement official. There are also indications the man had become obsessed with Obama and the White House, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities said the bullets discovered Tuesday by the Secret Service have not been conclusively connected with the reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday night. On Friday, authorities found an abandoned vehicle with an assault rifle inside.

Ortega, 21, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a hotel near Indiana, Pa., some 55 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Secret Service said. He was in Pennsylvania State Police custody. A tip from someone who saw and identified Ortega led to his arrest, Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said.

Ortega did not resist arrest, said Pennsylvania State Trooper Lt. Brad Shields. State troopers said Ortega had visited the hotel in recent days, and investigators believed he was back in the area Wednesday. The Secret Service passed out photographs, and a desk clerk recognized his picture and stalled him while notifying police.

Ortega’s first court appearance is scheduled Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh, according to the staff of U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy.

Ortega was reported missing Oct. 31 by his family. On Friday morning, he was stopped by police in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va., while investigating a report of a suspicious person. Police took photos of him but didn’t have any reason to arrest him, Arlington police Lt. Joe Kantor said.

A message left for Ortega’s mother Wednesday at an Idaho Falls restaurant where she works was not returned. Phone listings for family members in Idaho were disconnected.

Ortega has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, U.S. Park Police have said. Police searched the Occupy D.C. encampment Monday after callers said they had seen a man matching Ortega’s description, but the search turned up nothing.

Witnesses on Friday reported hearing shots and seeing two speeding vehicles on Constitution Avenue near the White House. Authorities said they found an abandoned car, with the assault rifle inside, near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River to Virginia.

The bullet that hit the White House window was stopped by ballistic glass. The Secret Service didn’t disclose the location of the second bullet, saying only that it “was found on the exterior of the White House.”

Obama and the first lady had traveled without daughters Malia and Sasha on Friday to San Diego en route to Hawaii for a summit, prior to flying to Australia. The White House had no immediate comment on the shooting or on who may have been home at the time.

On Wednesday, officials took photographs of a window on the executive mansion’s south face. The window is in front of the so-called Yellow Oval Room, according to the White House website. That room is in the middle of the family’s living quarters on the floor that includes the president’s bedroom and the Lincoln Bedroom.

In 2010, there were a series of pre-dawn shootings at military buildings in the Washington area, including the Pentagon and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Police charged a Marine Corps reservist with those shootings earlier this year. The suspect, Yonathan Melaku of Alexandria, Va., remains in custody.

In the last shooting at the White House in October 1994, a Colorado man sprayed the mansion with at least 27 semiautomatic rifle bullets from Pennsylvania Avenue in an attempt to assassinate then-President Bill Clinton, who was home at the time. Bystanders subdued the suspect, and no one was injured. Francisco Martin Duran was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison for that shooting.

The next year, Pennsylvania Avenue was closed to traffic to bolster security.

———

Associated Press writers Jessie Bonner in Boise, Idaho, Joe Mandak in Pittsburgh, Kevin Begos in Indiana, Pa., Matt Apuzzo in Washington and AP photographer Haraz Ghanbari in Washington and Eric Tucker in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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