Tag Archives: Seattle

Modern, Spiral Christmas Tree (tannenboing) Hits The Market In Time For The Holidays

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Seattle-based tannenboing™ launches a new product, a modern sustainable Christmas tree as an alternative to PVC artificial Christmas trees

SEATTLE, WA — November 21, 2009 — Michele Weingeist, a Seattle resident, has created a modern, spiral Christmas tree for the holiday season. Made from recycled and recyclable aluminum, tannenboing is Weingeist’s solution for a fresh, hip take on an old tradition.
“Like many people, artificial Christmas trees, made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and shipped over from China, don’t appeal to my aesthetic or my ethics. I wanted a modern, sustainable alternative and I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the market. So I set about creating a modern, spiral tree for myself. As I started work on the aluminum tree, people loved it and it grew from being just a spiral Christmas tree for myself, to tannenboing for the public.” said Weingeist. “tannenboing trees are made in Seattle, WA. They are sculptural, contemporary and reusable.”
With room for over 200 ornaments or display items, tannenboing makes a statement in the home, office, or store window. When expanded, the aluminum spiral tree is over 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide at the base, and weighs 20 pounds. tannenboing packs flat in a reusable box making for easy, space-efficient storage when not in use. Made in the USA, tannenboing’s beautiful, sleek lines are crafted from recycled and recyclable aluminum. Each aluminum tree is hand finished by a skilled blacksmith, and is a true work of art.
This year, tannenboing will offer 100 signed and number “first edition” aluminum, spiral Christmas trees for a retail price of $795. tannenboing can be purchased in Seattle, WA at Square Room in Capital Hill, One Earth One Design in North Seattle or online at www.tannenboing.com.
tannenboing’s inception:
For years, Weingeist searched for an elegant, modern Christmas tree with no luck. Finally, she set out to make her own, encouraged along the way by people’s enthusiasm for the aluminum Christmas tree, she turned her idea into a business. It was important to her that the work be done in the USA in order to keep jobs here and to reduce the carbon footprint of the tree. She is thrilled that almost all of the work has taken place within a 30-mile radius of her office. Now, after working for nearly two years with an industrial designer, a mechanical engineer, several blacksmiths and metal fabricators – the modern, spiral Christmas tree, tannenboing, has sprung to life.
About the creator:
Michele Weingeist is a former .com executive, (Vice President of Product Development at AdRelevance, now Nielsen NetRatings). tannenboing marks her return to business after three years off to be home with her daughter. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and daughter.

Source: WEBWIRE

Chicago Cubs Acquire Pair of Prospects from Arizona for Right-Handed Pitcher Aaron Heilman

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The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Maine and first baseman Ryne White from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman.

White is a native of Chicago and is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita of Cascia High School.

Maine, 24, combined to go 4-5 with seven saves and a 2.90 ERA (20 ER/62.0 IP) in 48 relief appearances between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno in 2009, reaching Triple-A in only his third professional season.

The southpaw struck out 61 batters and issued 22 walks in 62.0 innings pitched between the stops, an average of nearly one strikeout per inning and 3.2 walks per nine innings.

He allowed only two home runs in 62.0 innings pitched. Maine last month also made a pair of appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, allowing three runs in 1.2 innings.

Drafted by the Diamondbacks in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft, Maine is 8-7 with 13 saves and a 3.29 ERA (44 ER/120.1 IP) in 88 relief appearances covering three professional seasons.

The six-foot-three, 195-pounder pitched for three seasons at the University of Miami before joining the Diamondbacks organization.

White, 23, batted .266 (111-for-418) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 52 RBI, 65 walks and a .371 on-base percentage in 116 games for Single-A Visalia last season.

He was especially strong against right-handed pitching, batting .298 (78-for-262) with a .405 on-base percentage compared to a .212 (33-for-156) mark and a .313 on-base percentage vs. left-handed pitching.

He is a career .275 hitter (194-for-705) with 13 home runs, 103 RBI and a .366 on-base percentage in 186 professional games the last two seasons.

After graduating from St. Rita of Cascia, White attended Purdue University and was a 2007 Big Ten Conference All-Star after batting .452 (90-for-199) with a .521 on-base percentage in 53 games for the Boilermakers.

The five-foot-11, 205-pounder was selected by the Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft.

Heilman, 31, went 4-4 with one save and a 4.11 ERA (33 ER/72.1 IP) in 70 relief appearances for the Cubs last season. He was acquired from Seattle for left-handed pitcher Garrett Olson and infielder Ronny Cedeno Jan. 28, 2009.

The righthander is 26-37 with 10 saves and a 4.22 ERA (245 ER/522.2 IP) in 375 major league appearances (25 starts) with the New York Mets (2003-08) and Cubs (2009).&/

Source: Chicago Press Release

Kenworth’s Renton Plant Selected To Help Develop Energy Management Standard for Manufacturing

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KIRKLAND, Wash., Kenworth Truck Company’s manufacturing facility in Renton, Wash., has been selected to participate in a co-sponsored U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) project to provide input toward development of an international energy management standard for manufacturing plants.

“Kenworth is honored to be selected to participate in this prestigious Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project co-sponsored by the DOE and NEAA,” said Marilyn Santangelo, Kenworth assistant general manager for operations. “Kenworth’s Renton plant is committed to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources through effective management of energy used to support the manufacturing process.”
“Our environmental efforts are of special importance, and this project offers a significant avenue to contribute to the development of enhanced best practices in manufacturing energy efficiency,” added Reid Nabarrete, Kenworth-Renton plant manager.

Kenworth is just one of five companies in the Pacific Northwest selected for the project. Kenworth’s selection was based on its environmental accomplishments, which include the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Excellence award, and 2009 Green Washington manufacturing award from Seattle Business magazine. Kenworth’s Renton plant holds the prestigious ISO 14001:2004 certification for effective environmental management systems established to help build Class 8 trucks in an environmentally sustainable manner. The plant also earned a 2009 Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction Award from King County’s Solid Waste Division, and a King County Industrial Waste Program Commitment-to-Compliance Award for five consecutive years of outstanding compliance with the plant’s industrial wastewater discharge permit.
Participating companies will be among the first in the United States that may become certified under the pending American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited plant certification, which includes conforming to ANSI’s Management System for Energy standard. This standard will serve as U.S. input for an even more far-reaching international energy management standard known as ISO 50001, which is expected to be released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2011.
Upon successful completion in 2011, project participants will have embedded sustainable energy management strategies and systems that lead to continuous energy savings, reduced operational costs and significant reduction of carbon emissions. These results will showcase the tangible advantages of energy efficiency as a sustainable and profitable business model and bolster the competitiveness of participating companies within the global marketplace. More information about the project is available at www.NWEMDemo.org.

Source: WEBWIRE

Wood costs have remained unchanged for Canadian pulp mills in 2009 despite tighter wood chip supply, reports the North American Wood Fiber Review

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The pulp industry in Canada has sharply reduced production the past two years both as a result of weaker pulp and paper markets worldwide and also because of less competitive pulp manufacturing facilities. Wood costs have increased for many plants as the result of reduced availability of relatively inexpensive sawmill residuals, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review.
Seattle, USA. November, 2009. Wood fiber supply to Canadian pulp mills has shifted from lower-cost residual chips from local sawmills to higher-cost wood chips manufactured from roundwood. The low operating rates for many sawmills has decreased the availability of relatively inexpensive residual chips, which has forced many pulp mills to either reduce production or to furnish their mills with high-cost fiber.
Lumber production in Canada has been substantially lower in 2009 as compared to earlier years. However, production levels in both western and eastern Canada are probable close to the bottom, and with the US lumber market predicted to improve in the latter half of 2010, Canadian sawmills are likely to be running at higher operating rates a year from now.
Because lumber production has declined by about 50% over the past three years but pulp production has only fallen by 25%, many pulp mills throughout the country have increasingly had to rely on more expensive chips manufactured from roundwood.
Residual chip prices, in Canadian dollars, have stayed practically unchanged the past three quarters through all provinces of Canada, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. In British Columbia and Alberta, where softwood residual chip prices are often linked to the market pulp price (NBSK), fiber prices reached bottom this summer and are likely to move up in the 4Q. In the Eastern provinces, wood chip prices have remained flat this year while roundwood costs have declined slightly and were in the 3Q, 5-8% lower than a year ago.
Many Canadian paper companies sell their products into the US market and are therefore competing with the US domestic pulp and paper manufacturers. Pulp mills in Eastern Canada have been at a big disadvantage the past few years, partly because of having substantially higher wood fiber costs. In the 3Q/09, pulp mills in Eastern Canada had approximately 70 percent higher conifer fiber costs than the low-cost region of North America, the US South. As a result, many pulp and paper mills in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces have been forced to reduce production more than other regions of North America the past 12 months.
Pulpwood and wood chip market updates are included in the 24-page publication North American Wood Fiber Review. The report, established in 1982 and with readers in most of the large forest companies in North America, tracks wood chip and pulpwood prices in 15 key markets of the US and Canada.
Contact Information
Wood Resources International LLC
Hakan Ekstrom
info@wri-ltd.com
www.woodprices.com

Source: WEBWIRE

Cities and Allies Combat Childhood Hunger on Many Fronts, New Report Shows

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These challenging economic times are increasing the number of families that are hungry and at risk of hunger, so we must learn from the innovative programs that are working and replicate these good ideas across the country if we are to address the recent reverses in the fight against hunger, said Stephen J. Brady, president of the Sodexo Foundation. Because childhood hunger results in poorer academic performance, increased absences and tardiness, this report can help spread initiatives that break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

The report Childhood Anti-Hunger Programs in 24 Cities focuses on programs in cities including Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, New Haven, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Spokane, and Stockton. Many of these programs are addressing the needs of specific communities within their populations by:

building on existing programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, and existing infrastructure, such as Feeding America and food banks

educating parents and parents-to-be about how to maximize the nutritional value of the meals they do access

providing meals to those in need at locations other than food banks and similar sites, to help reduce the stigma and physical obstacles associated with going to a food bank

distributing food through back packs and other take-home efforts to ensure that children have adequate nutrition over the weekend as well as during the week

In publishing the report, both the Conference of Mayors and Sodexo acknowledge that the ongoing economic recession has worsened hunger problems in the nation, and that the increased pressure on governments and other public and private agencies to provide food to families in need will continue to grow for years to come.

Ending childhood hunger in America by 2015 is an enormous challenge. We need reports of successful models if we are to inspire and motivate people to take action, said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the Conference of Mayors. The Conference’s goal, he said, is to facilitate the exchange of information among mayors on the most effective programs to combat hunger in their cities, and We offer this publication in support of that goal.

Sodexo, Inc.

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md,, Sodexo, Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

U.S. Conference of Mayors

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (www.usmayors.org) is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals Presents Preclinical Data on CAL-120 at The AACR-EORTC-NCI Molecular Targets & Cancer Therapeutics Conference

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Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of
isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for
the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the
presentation of results from preclinical studies of CAL-120, a novel
oral beta/delta PI3K inhibitor, at the AACR-EORTC-NCI International
Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Conference in Boston, Mass.
The PI3K pathway is a target of significant interest for the treatment
of patients with cancer. CAL-101, a delta PI3K inhibitor, has
demonstrated the value of employing an isoform-selective approach to the
treatment of hematologic malignancies. To date the alpha isoform has
been the primary target for the treatment of patients with solid tumors,
but emerging data has indicated that the beta isoform may be equally
important, especially in the common setting of PTEN loss. Therefore,
PI3K inhibitors targeting beta may have therapeutic efficacy while
avoiding the potential toxicities associated with PI3K alpha inhibition.
Calistoga Pharmaceuticals presented observations of consistent
overexpression of PI3K beta and a high level of PI3K pathway activation
in the presence of PTEN loss in a screen of solid tumor cell lines. In
all cases CAL-120 blocked the PI3K pathway resulting in inhibition of
tumor cell proliferation and in a number of cases cell death. In mice
bearing xenografts, oral administration of CAL-120 significantly
inhibited tumor growth or caused tumor regression.
“These data support our hypothesis that inhibition of the PI3K beta
isoform, without inhibition of the alpha isoform, has potential as an
effective strategy for treatment of patients with solid tumors,” said
Neill Giese, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Calistoga
Pharmaceuticals. “We look forward to advancing CAL-120 into clinical
development to evaluate this novel approach.”
CAL-120 is currently in preclinical development. Calistoga
Pharmaceuticals plans to file an Investigational New Drug application
for evaluation of CAL-120 in patients with solid tumor malignancies in
2010.
In addition to CAL-120, Calistoga Pharmaceuticals has a pipeline of
isoform-selective PI3K inhibitors. This includes CAL-101, an oral, delta
isoform-selective PI3K inhibitor under clinical evaluation in patients
with hematologic malignancies, and CAL-263, an oral delta
isoform-selective PI3K inhibitor for treatment of patients with
inflammatory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and rheumatoid arthritis. In 2010, the Company plans to advance
CAL-101 into registration studies and CAL-263 into Phase 2 clinical
studies.
About Calistoga Pharmaceuticals
Calistoga Pharmaceuticals is the leader in developing innovative
medicines targeting selected isoforms of the PI3 kinase pathway to
improve the health of patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Calistoga Pharmaceuticals has a portfolio of proprietary compounds. The
Company’s most advanced compound, CAL-101, a delta-selective PI3K
inhibitor, is under clinical evaluation in patients with hematologic
malignancies. CAL-263, also a delta-selective PI3K inhibitor, is under
Phase 1 evaluation and is being developed for patients with inflammatory
diseases. Calistoga is a private company headquartered in Seattle,
Washington. For more information, visit the Company’s website at: www.calistogapharma.com.

Source: Business Wire

Northern Lights package to Iceland launched in North America

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Icelandair, Iceland’s most popular air company, have launched a Northern Lights package deal for those who wish to view the wonders of the Aurora Borealis this winter. The ‘Aurora Adventure’ is a ‘once in a lifetime’ six-day excursion flying from North America*, split between Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik and Hofn in the south-eastern part of the country.
The Northern Lights are with out a doubt one of the mother nature’s most awe-inspiring spectacles in the world. The natural light displays of the Aurora Borealis occur frequently in the Polar Regions, centred within a 2500 km radius of the geomagnetic pole. Iceland’s perfect location just below the Arctic Circle provides the ideal destination to view the Northern Lights.
The predominant cause for the appearance of the Northern Lights is the amount of sunspot’s on the surface of the Sun. The intensity of the Aurora is relevant to the amount of occurring sunspots as well as clear visibility; these sunspots follow an 11-year cycle that is set to peak between 2011 and 2012. Scientists concur that the conditions for viewing the Northern Lights in 2010 are especially excellent – making this winter the perfect to explore the marvels of Iceland.
To find out more about the ‘Aurora Adventure’ visit the Icelandair website.
*flights from Boston (BOS), New York (JFK) and Seattle (SEA) only.

Source: WEBWIRE

Northwest Retailers Anticipate Consumer Demand for Energy-Efficient Electronics

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A difficult economy coupled with rising energy costs are likely to
impact holiday purchases this year, with many shoppers choosing
energy-efficient electronics to reduce household energy bills. In
partnership with supporting retailers and utilities throughout the
region, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) brings an
energy-efficient electronics program to regional consumers, making the
most energy-efficient televisions on the market available this holiday
shopping season.
“Recognizing that numerous television models are now more energy
efficient than the ENERGY STAR standard, Best Buy is proud to partner
with NEEA and the consumer electronics program to assist our customers
in identifying super energy-efficient television models,” says Thad
Carlson, Sr. Manager, Environmental Affairs, Best Buy.
According to the International Energy Agency, consumer electronics
represent the largest growing category of household power demand in the
world, a trend reflected in northwest regional power consumption
patterns.
“Here in the Northwest, there are now more televisions per home than
people. This, combined with the fact that technology is available to
reduce their electricity consumption by 30 to 50%, makes efficiency
improvements in televisions among the largest single sources of
conservation potential in the region,” says Tom Eckman, NW Power and
Conservation Council.
In addition to household energy savings, an energy-efficient TV purchase
brings significant collective benefits for regional energy use,
resources and ecosystems. “If all consumers in the Pacific Northwest
purchased more energy-efficient TVs over other models, we could save
enough electricity to power all the homes in Seattle for one year,” says
Stephanie Fleming, senior manager of the NEEA residential sector.
“Northwest consumers would save an estimated $60 million in annual
energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of
removing 60,000 cars from the road,” she added.
Shoppers should look for their local utility and ENERGY STAR° logos on
products at major retailers, including: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Costco,
Sears, Sam’s Club and Kmart. Independent community retailers will also
soon begin to participate in the energy-efficient electronics program,
so customers should inquire about the availability of these TVs.
“We believe the simple, in-store messaging adjacent to qualifying
televisions and carrying the ‘Save More’ message will allow our
customers a choice of several top-tier energy-efficient television
models as energy efficiency becomes a more relevant consideration in
their purchase experience,” notes Carlson.
All televisions promoted through this program meet and exceed the
stringent ENERGY STAR° specifications. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of
Energy helping consumers save money and protect the environment through
energy-efficient products and practices. The consumer energy-efficiency
program is the result of a multi-state, multi-partner collaboration
initially launched by California-based utilities, Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E) and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which
have collaborated with NEEA to support the Northwest launch.
For more information about the program and products, please visit: www.energyefficientelectronics.org.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a private non-profit
organization funded by Northwest utilities, the Energy Trust of Oregon
and the Bonneville Power Administration. NEEA works in collaboration
with its stakeholders and strategic market partners to accelerate the
sustained market adoption of energy-efficient products, technologies and
practices. NEEA’s market transformation efforts address energy
efficiency in homes, businesses and industry.For more information about
NEEA, please visit: www.nwalliance.org.
Interview with local retailer and utility representatives
available upon request.
Please contact: Stephanie Swanson, 971-246–1732 or [email protected].
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Source: Business Wire

Chemo-Radiation Before Prostate Removal May Prevent Cancer Recurrence

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Their findings were presented this week at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Chicago.

In men with aggressive prostate cancer, standard therapies such as radiation or surgery often fail to eliminate the cancer completely at the site of treatment. When these cancers recur, they are often fatal, said Mark Garzotto, M.D., principal investigator and Associate Professor of Urology and Radiation Medicine in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; and Chief of Urologic Oncology in the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Previous clinical trials examining the effect of either hormonal therapy or chemotherapy prior to surgery have shown little if any benefit over prostate removal alone. Novel approaches are needed if we are to make advances in this disease, added Dr. Garzotto.

The use of multimodality therapy — combined radiation, chemotherapy and surgery — has resulted in improved outcomes in a number of cancers, but has not yet been studied in prostate cancer.

This study looked at whether radiation therapy and chemotherapy ( docetaxel ) administered before surgery is possible, safe, and, ultimately, capable of preventing cancer recurrences.To answer these questions, Garzotto and colleagues developed a treatment regimen in which radiation and docetaxel were administered together before prostatectomy.

Twelve eligible participants were enrolled in the study between April 2006 and March 2008. The men were given intensity-modulated radiation therapy and increasing doses of docetaxel for five consecutive weeks, which was followed by surgical removal of the prostate gland.

The participants tolerated the treatment well and were able to undergo surgery without any major complications, which was a potential concern in this trial. Specifically there were no rectal or ureteral injuries or blood clots in the legs. Examination of the tumor tissue after surgery showed the cancer margins, evidence of complete removal of all of the cancer, to be clean in 75 percent of patients, which is higher than was expected. Also, the PSA, or prostate-specific antigen levels, a predictor of prostate cancer recurrence, were undetectable after treatment in all patients.

Our study is the first-ever clinical trial in prostate cancer to combine radiation, chemotherapy and surgery given as a combination treatment before prostate surgery to potentially provide higher cure rates than traditional approaches with fewer side effects, said Arthur Hung, M.D., co-investigator and Assistant Professor of Radiation Medicine in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

The researchers concluded this chemo-radiation combination is feasible and safe and potentially may reduce cancer recurrence rates in this high-risk population. Further, they say the development of this approach now opens the door to the study other drugs in combination with radiation.

The study was funded by sanofi-aventis U.S.

About the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

With the latest treatments, technologies and 300 research studies and clinical trials, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only cancer center between Sacramento and Seattle designated by the National Cancer Institute — an honor earned only by the nations top cancer centers. The honor is shared among the more than 500 doctors, nurses, scientists and staff who work together at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to reduce the impact of cancer.

About ASTRO

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on ASTROs 51st Annual Meeting, please visit www.astro.org/Meetings/AnnualMeetings

Source: Media Newswire