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Two Maricopa Community Colleges Programs are Finalists for 2015 Bellwether Awards

December 13, 2014, 12:06 am
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The Community College Futures Assembly announced the distinguished honorees last week. South Mountain Community College (SMCC) and the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) were chosen from more than 1,000 community college programs.

Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 13, 2014

Two Maricopa Community Colleges programs have been chosen as finalists for the 2015 Bellwether Award. The Community College Futures Assembly announced the distinguished honorees last week. South Mountain Community College (SMCC) and the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) were chosen from more than 1,000 community college programs.

SMCC was selected as a finalist for “From Rhetoric to Reality: Innovating for Success at a Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution.” This program was designed and successfully implemented to support teaching and learning in the community college. MCCCD was also selected as a finalist for its “Maricopa Millions” project for use of Open Educational Resources (OERs).

The program supports faculty to adopt and develop OERs, which saved Maricopa Community Colleges students more than $1.4 million during the 2013-14 academic year. In 2014, Maricopa’s Concurrent Enrollment nursing program was chosen as a finalist. It allows students to get an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in nursing at the same time.

The Bellwether Awards annually recognize outstanding and innovative programs and practices that are successfully leading community colleges into the future. Winners and finalists are invited to join the prestigious Bellwether College Consortium. A panel of national experts will announce the winners on Jan. 27, 2015 at the Community College Futures Assembly annual meeting in Orlando. Learn more about the Bellwether Awards and the Assembly, visit education.ufl.edu/futures.

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About Maricopa Community Colleges
The Maricopa Community Colleges system includes 10 regionally accredited colleges – Chandler-Gilbert, Estrella Mountain, GateWay, Glendale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Rio Salado, Scottsdale and South Mountain, two skill centers, and several satellite campuses and business/ industry, technical and customized training institutes. It also includes the Maricopa Corporate College, which delivers market-relevant, customized workforce solutions and education for students and employees in virtually every industry sector.

Through a strategic business partnership model, MCOR assesses workforce training needs and develops and delivers customized and integrated solutions to meet those needs throughout all levels of an organization.

The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.
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Pirates desperate for points v Ajax

December 13, 2014, 1:04 am
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Pirates desperate for points v Ajax Orlando Pirates will look to return to winning ways in the Absa Premiership when they host Ajax Cape Town at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, kick-off is at 8:15pm. Reported by SuperSport 6 hours ago.
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Miranda Kerr’s break-up heartache

December 13, 2014, 2:20 am
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Miranda Kerr’s break-up heartache MIRANDA Kerr admits it has been very tough breaking up with her Hollywood ex Orlando Bloom. And she says she’s still very much single Reported by Daily Telegraph 5 hours ago.
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Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic game preview

December 13, 2014, 6:35 am
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With a five-game stretch of formidable opponents looming, the Hawks try to run their winning streak to 10 games by sweeping this home-and-home set from the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Reported by FOX Sports 43 minutes ago.
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Apple Pay Now Supports Cards Representing 90% of U.S. Credit Card Purchase Volume

December 16, 2014, 7:52 am
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With the list of Apple Pay-supported companies growing more every week, Apple has revealed that the new mobile payments service now supports cards representing about 90 percent of the credit card purchase volume in the United States. This is up from the 80 percent figure cited at Apple Pay's launch just two months ago.

According to The New York Times, Apple Pay has proven popular with users as the rollout continues. Whole Foods saw more than 150,000 Apple Pay transactions in the first few days after release, and the service accounted for more than 50 percent of McDonald's tap-to-pay purchases in November.
The news comes on the soft launch day of Apple Pay support at TD Bank in the U.S., adding to the growing list of banks supporting the e-payments solution. The U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian bank is just another in a long line of companies with high hopes that Apple's electronic payments solution will be the first widely adopted, according to industry analyst Patrick Moorhead.

“Retailers and payment companies see Apple Pay as the implementation that has the best chance at mass consumer adoption, which has eluded prior attempts,” said Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy, a research firm. “They believe it will solve many of the problems they had before with electronic payments.”

One of the newest retailers to support the service is Amway Center, the home of the Orlando Magic basketball team, which announced support for Apple Pay will launch officially this Friday. Chief Executive of the Orlando Magic, Alex Martins, remarked that long lines keep customers from buying food at concession stands. He has hopes that, "This, and technologies like Apple Pay, will speed up our service.”*Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories*
• 'Launch Center Pro' Developer Releases Quick Messaging Apps 'Group Text+' and 'Email+'
• 'App Santa' Offers Discounts of Up to 60% Off Popular iOS and Mac Apps
• 'Opera Coast' Browser for iOS Gains Discover Feature, Turbo Data Compression
• EA Launches Free to Play 'SimCity BuildIt' for iOS
• Apple's Antitrust E-Book Case Enters Appeals, Outlook Good for Apple
• Google App for iOS Gains Nest Integration
• T-Mobile Looks to Shake Up Cellular Industry Again With 'Un-carrier 8.0' Announcement Tuesday
• BBC One Documentary to Profile Working Conditions in Apple's Supply Chain Reported by MacRumours.com 9 hours ago.
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Cheap BWW Citrus Bowl Tickets: Ticketability.com Featuring Discount Tickets for Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Missouri Tigers Game on January 1 in Orlando

December 16, 2014, 6:59 am
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Ticketability.com is offering sports fans the chance to pick up lower priced tickets for Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Missouri Tigers football action taking place on New Year’s Day. Cheap Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl tickets are expected to be in high demand for the significant college football bowl game.

Oshkosh, Wisconsin (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

New Year’s Day is exciting, but now it can be even more so when football fans acquire tickets for the Citrus Bowl. Even though the game is being televised, nothing beats actually being there for the big event. Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Missouri Tigers football will be thrilling for sports fans to experience live, and they will have their chance if they acquire cheap Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl tickets for the January 1 game.

Visit Ticketability.com to browse the quality selection of authentic tickets at discounted prices.

The competition between two aggressive college football teams will be great at the Citrus Bowl, and sports enthusiasts from all over the country will travel to Orlando for the event. Tickets will be enthusiastically received as will lower prices for stadium seats.

The two teams that will compete in the upcoming January 1 game have met before. In fact, they have competed against each other a total of nine times, but the last time was back in 1970. Sports fans are eager to see Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Missouri Tigers football action once again, and the game is likely to be quite an event.

Cheap Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl tickets are now becoming available just in time to be given to special sports enthusiasts as gifts over the upcoming holidays. Stadium seats will be very popular for the January 1 game, and Orlando is the perfect setting for an event that is taking place in the winter months. Lower priced tickets will disappear as fans look for the best deals they can find.

Ticketability.com has lowered the cost of tickets for the bowl game on New Year’s Day. Cheap Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl tickets will be among the most popular items on the website pertaining to sporting events. All tickets, easy to purchase online, come with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

Disclaimer: Ticketability.com is not associated with any of the teams, venues, organizations, institutions, bands, or artists featured on their website in any way. Furthermore, any names or titles used in this press release are solely for descriptive purposes and do not imply, indicate, or suggest any type of affiliation, partnership, or endorsement.

About: Ticketability.com is a trusted online marketplace serving the secondary market with tickets at reduced prices for all major concerts, sports, and theatre events happening across North America and beyond. Fans and enthusiasts are invited to compare prices against other providers offering similar tickets. Online customers can save big by using Savings Code “COUPON” during any online or phone order.

Ticketability.com
Live Customer Support
Order By Phone Toll Free
7:00am-1:00am EST
(855) 869-6554
support(at)ticketability(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 10 hours ago.
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Solodev Launches New Florida Department of Education Website

December 16, 2014, 7:02 am
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FDOE site features interactive news and video gallery and integrated social media

Orlando, Fla. (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

Solodev, a full-service website and mobile app development company, today announced that it has launched a new website for the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). FDOE serves more than 2.7 million students in the state’s more than 4,200 public schools and 28 colleges. The clean, modern-looking site was designed by Solodev to facilitate the needs of FDOE’s core constituents: teachers, school administrators, students and parents. The responsive design website was developed to be fully optimized for all mobile device types and features an interactive news feed, video gallery and social media integration.

“Education touches everyone and it was an honor to work on such an important site,” said Solodev founder and CTO, Shawn Moore. “It was a true collaborative effort with the DOE staff and the way they were able to quickly take over management of the site is a testament to the power and ease of use of our software.”

The site was built with Solodev’s enterprise content management system and includes several custom functionality modules that make it easy for FDOE staff to keep site content fresh with news, images, videos and announcements.

Solodev migrated 3,500 pages of content from the previous site and 20,000 total digital assets such as documents, images and media files. After the site was initially developed and populated with content, FDOE staff took full ownership by adding new sections and pages in preparation for launch.

The new FDOE site is ADA compliant and the improved navigation makes it easier for users to quickly find the most requested content. Solodev configured and provides ongoing management for the site’s robust hosting environment which was developed to scale in response to demand with capacity to accommodate up to 100,000 concurrent users if necessary. The site currently averages more than 25,000 visitors per day but during peak periods throughout the year that number can rise dramatically.

The site can be seen at http://www.fldoe.org/. It is the latest of several high-profile projects recently designed and developed by Solodev on the Solodev CMS platform, including websites for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, LYNX, Contrax Furnishings and Osceola County. Solodev also launched two mobile apps recently for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and is completing a third.

About Florida Department of Education
The Department of Education serves as the single repository of education data from school districts, state and community colleges, universities, and independent postsecondary institutions - allowing us to track student performance over time and across varying education sectors.

We administer a statewide reading initiative for Florida's public schools, and among community groups and volunteer organizations that support them, with a goal of having every child able to read at or above grade level.

Serving nearly 2.7 million students, 4,200 public schools, 28 colleges, 192,000 teachers, 47,000 college professors and administrators, and 321,000 full-time staff throughout the state, the department enhances the economic self-sufficiency of Floridians through programs and services geared toward college, workforce education, apprenticeships, job-specific skills, and career development. The department manages programs that assist individuals who are blind, visually-impaired, or disabled succeed either in school settings or careers - encouraging independence and self-sufficiency. Learn more at http://www.fldoe.org.

About Solodev
Solodev is an Internet software and website design and development company headquartered in Orlando, FL. Solodev offers its customers a growing suite of powerful yet easy-to-use tools that give organizations total control of their online presence. It’s flagship product, Solodev CMS, is an enterprise-level Website Content Management System. Built from the ground up with SEO, security and scalability in mind, Solodev CMS utilizes a platform-independent code base and merges extensible back-end data processes with a custom user interface to create multifunctional and highly scalable online experiences. Solodev CMS centrally powers intranets, extranets, websites, micro-sites, mobile sites and even native smartphone applications, giving administrators the ability to streamline operations and increase productivity. The power of Solodev enables one person to do the tasks of many and the integrated permissions component allows content to be accessed only by those with the authorization to make changes. For more information about Solodev, please visit http://www.solodev.com. Reported by PRWeb 10 hours ago.
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Orlando Bloom's 5 Favorite Legolas Moments, From 'Lord of the Rings' to 'The Hobbit'

December 16, 2014, 7:54 am
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Orlando Bloom's 5 Favorite Legolas Moments, From 'Lord of the Rings' to 'The Hobbit' Reported by ajc.com 9 hours ago.
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Apple Pay now supports the cards that make up 90 percent of credit card purchases in the US

December 16, 2014, 7:54 am
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Apple has signed up a clutch of new banks and financial services for its mobile payment system Apple Pay, giving the company potential coverage of around 90 percent of credit card purchases by volume in the US. Alongside new support from "dozens" of retail stores and banks (including Commerce Bank, TD Bank, Barclaycard and SunTrust), the New York Times reports that Apple Pay will also be accepted at the Amway Center stadium, home of the Orlando Magic basketball team.

"Apple Pay will be at the core of US consumerism: selling hot dogs & soda"

While a small deal like Amway might be a neat way way to showcase Apple Pay's speed and ease-of-use (perhaps making some mobile payment converts at half-time) it doesn't address one of the... Reported by The Verge 9 hours ago.
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Miranda Kerr dismisses romance rumours

December 16, 2014, 7:56 am
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New Delhi, Dec 16 (ANI): Miranda Kerr has denied being involved in any romantic relationship saying that she's happy to be single. Miranda, who had separated from her husband Orlando Bloom last year, has been linked to various celebrities ever since like Tom Cruise and Justin Bieber, said that she found it difficult to date because of her and Orlando's 3-year-old son Flynn, a leading daily reported. She added that it was important that she didn't confuse her son with her relationships unless it was really serious. Reported by ANI News 9 hours ago.
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The New 'Hobbit' Movie Is Basically A Toned-Down Version Of The Final 'Lord Of The Rings'

December 16, 2014, 8:42 am
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The New 'Hobbit' Movie Is Basically A Toned-Down Version Of The Final 'Lord Of The Rings' *Warning: There are some minor spoilers ahead for "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."*

Two years after the release of the first "Hobbit" movie, this is the one we've been waiting for. 

Dwarves and elves battling orcs, an angry dragon decimating an entire town, and a seemingly ageless Orlando Bloom slinging back arrows and taking names as the sleek archer Legolas.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (BOTFA) is definitely the best of the trilogy. Of course, that may not be saying much overall. The first movie, "An Unexpected Journey," felt like a lot of filler time on screen just to stretch out the franchise into three films. It took nearly the entire second film, "The Desolation of Smuag," for the fearsome dragon to make his grand appearance.

As the (new) title suggests, BOTFA is the one where the majority of the non-stop action takes place. 

If you haven't seen the second film, catch up before heading to theaters or you'll be a bit confused since the movie immediately picks up where the last one left off. They're not wasting any time with this one. 

For those who don't have about three hours to kill, here's the too-long-didn't-watch synopsis:

After stumbling along for much of two movies, the company of 13 (dwarves + hobbit Bilbo Baggins) has finally arrived at the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the treasure of Erebor from a treacherous dragon Smaug. They've chased the dragon from the mountain, setting it loose upon the poor, unexpecting inhabitants of Lake Town.

Thematically, the entire film feels very familiar. Like the third "The Lord of the Rings" movie, "The Return of the King," BOFTA is a lead up to a giant battle. The former is against the dark Lord Sauron. The latter, as the title suggests, is between five armies.

And here's where it gets a little confusing. If you don't follow the books, you'll sit there trying to figure out who these five armies are throughout the film. If you've read the books, you'll instantly know. But the film makes it slightly less clear.

Obviously, the elves are one army and the dwarves another. Then there are the Orcs. The people of Lake Town are another, but do you categorize them with the elves and dwarves since they eventually team up? Then the Orcs have two armies. So does that count as one or two? Later on, the Eagles join in. Are they an army? If so, I'm counting about six. (For the record, the OFFICIAL FIVE armies are the elves, the men, the dwarves, the Goblins, and Wargs in case you're wondering.) 

Army counting aside, the 45-minute battle itself in BOFTA is awesome.

There are fantastic action sequences involving Legolas (Orlando Bloom), his father, the Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace), on a gorgeous elk, and, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly). Once Thorin and his dwarf companions join the fight things really pick up. For fans of the series, director Peter Jackson's immense attention to detail is a plus. Viewers will notice a small reference to Sting, Bilbo's sword that turns blue when Orcs are near. The fight even manages to address one thing that probably bothered many while watching the original LOTR trilogy — how does Legolas never run out of arrows while fighting?

The visuals of Middle Earth continue to astound. It's no wonder why director Peter Jackson has filmed in New Zealand for the better part of a decade.

The main problem is that the stakes never feel large enough. In "The Return of the King," Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gandalf, Legolas, and more all team up to take down the dark force of Sauron. That's a pretty noble cause worth dying for. There were plenty of times where you're on the verge of tears while watching the Oscar winner. It's a classic you can watch over and over again. BOTFA leaves something to be desired. 

Here, everyone's fighting to gain possession of the Lonely Mountain and its many riches after the dragon Smaug abandons it. The story is more about greed and control than necessarily fighting against the forces of evil. 

Since it's a prequel, you more or less go in with a fair idea of where you'll end up by the end of the movie (i.e. you know who will live vs. who may die).

The other main issue with the "Hobbit" trilogy is that many of the characters aren't that likeable. I've said this before in my review of the last film, but they're pretty much all selfish jerks — even Gandalf at times (magnificently played by Sir Ian McKellen) — which makes it difficult to root for many of them. 

- *The (majority of the) dwarves:* At the start of the first film, they show little concern for Bilbo's life. They bust into his home and raid his food before hiring him to work as a burglar to retrieve the Arkenstone, a family heirloom, guarded by the dragon Smaug. They don't care if he dies as long as they get their stone. He's simply a means to an end. Even in the second film, they toss him into the dragon's lair alone. 

- *Gandalf:* The old wizard is in on tricking Bilbo into joining the dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. Nobody actually thinks he'll make it home alive. 

- *Thranduil:* The Elvenking makes it clear in the second film he's only interested in what's best for his own welfare. He's not going to stick his neck out for anyone else. (I get this. He's a king. I can get behind that.) But then, in this film, *mini-spoiler* he wants to go to war with the dwarves over a few priceless glistening heirloom gems. Those are worth risking lives over? Sigh. *mini-spoiler* By the end of the film, he's much more likeable. 
- *Bilbo:* The main protagonist of the film steals the "one ring to rule them all" and then constantly lies about it to Gandalf, who, it turns out *mini-spoiler* knows he's lying to his face about it *mini-spoiler*.

Bard (Luke Evans) Legolas, Tauriel, and Kili are probably the only redeemable characters with Evans playing the one real hero of the series. In many ways, he's the Aragorn of this trilogy and you wish there was more screen time with the widowed father of three.

All of the performances are great. 

The unseen Benedict Cumberbatch returns to voice both films villains, Smaug and the Necromancer.

Richard Armitage's Thorin grapples with an overemphasized illness called dragon sickness that probably could have been downplayed a bit more. This happens in the book, but here it feels a bit weird, forced, and conveniently resolved to move the plot along.

Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Christopher Lee return all-too briefly in one of the film's best scenes *mini-spoiler* to face off with the film's villain and future villain of The Lord of the Rings series, the Necromancer *mini-spoiler*. Blanchett is equal parts enchanting and commanding while exemplifying a horrifyingly haunting side to Elf Queen Galadriel. You wish there was more screen time with them. 

This is one thing that's a bit surprising about the third and final film. It's the shortest of the series at just under two and a half hours and some of the best sequences feel rushed through.

After his menacing presence in the last film, we barely get to see Smaug. As Cumberbatch describes it in the film's production notes, his role is reduced to the likes of "a child having a tantrum" in 15 minutes of BOTFA.

15!? Yes. 15. 

Remember, the first film spent around 45 mins in Bilbo's home introducing us to all of the dwarves for a sing-along dinner. 

It feels like one of those cliffhanger storyline at the end of your favorite show that gets resolved in the next five minutes of the following episode. 

That was highly a bummer because our screening of the film was in the controversial high-frame rate which shows the movie at 48 frames per second (fps). Normally, audiences view films at 24fps. It's definitely an assault on the eyeballs, at least for the first half hour as your eyes adjust to the screen. Unfortunately, this took away from the scenes with Smaug. Everyone from the people of Lake-town to the dragon looked so sped up at points  that some movements started to appear comical. I wouldn't let this deter you, I'd just recommend seeing in another format. 

Overall, are you going to have a good time? Yes. 

This is one of the few big screenings I've attended this year where the audience, filled with critics, gave a round of applause at the film's end. Illustrated caricatures of the actors at the film's end are a nice touch to the end of the series.

"The Battle of the Five Armies," unlike "The Return of the King" just isn't something you're going to sit around and rewatch over and over again. It's "The Return of the King" lite.

The film is in theaters Wed. Dec. 17.

Watch the trailer.

*SEE ALSO: Benedict Cumberbatch rolled around on a carpet to bring the dragon in "The Hobbit" movies to life*

*AND: Here's the scene the MPAA wanted to give "The Hobbit" sequel an R-rating over*

Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 8 hours ago.
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Podiatrist.net to Exhibit at 2015 FPMA Scientific and Management Symposium in Orlando, Fl

December 16, 2014, 9:17 am
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TAMPA, FL--(Marketwired - Dec 16, 2014) - TheDirectory.com, Inc. (OTC PINK: SEEK), an emerging leader in vertical and local search, today announced that its industry leading vertical search directory www.Podiatrist.net will be an exhibitor at this year's Scientific and Management Symposium (SAM) in Orlando, Florida, January 14^th through the 18^th. The conference is sponsored by the Florida Podiatric Medical Association. Reported by Marketwired 8 hours ago.
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Scores

December 16, 2014, 10:35 am
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December 17, 2014 1:34 AM

Basketball: NBA Cleveland 97 Charlotte 88, Indiana 110 LA Lakers 91, Philadelphia 87 Boston 105, Atlanta 93 Chicago 86, Toronto 95 Orlando 82, Phoenix 94 Milwaukee 96, Portland 108 San Antonio 95, LA Clippers 113 Detroit 91. Reported by Straits Times 6 hours ago.
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Aloft Orlando Downtown And Whats2Hot.com Ring In The New Year With A Special “Toast”

December 16, 2014, 10:47 am
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Join Downtown Orlando’s Premiere Hotel Aloft Orlando Downtown and the Voice of Everything Worth Doing Whats2Hot.com for an Unforgettable New Year’s Eve Event

Orlando, Florida (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

Celebrate the start to a New Year in fashion as Aloft Orlando Downtown joins forces with the voice of Everything Worth Doing Whats2Hot.com to bring you a one-of-a-kind New Year’s Eve celebration “Toast” on Wednesday, December 31 starting at 9pm and continuing on until 2am. General admission guests will party in style at Aloft’s ultra-chic W-XYZ lounge and patio overlooking bustling Orange Avenue ($40 per person). VIP event-goers will enjoy unlimited liquor, wine and beer until 1am, plus a private lounge with a champagne fountain, elegant seating, hors d'oeuvres and special musical entertainment ($150 per person, $250 per couple).

For one night only, the W-XYZ lounge and patio will be decked in champagne inspired décor with six fully staffed bars and music provided by Bear Karry. VIP guests get to turn up the volume in the special Miami inspired posh lounge with light food, desserts, a premium craft cocktail bar and Red Bull Thr3style DJ Rincon spinning throughout the night. In true New Year’s fashion, all partiers will get to salute another year with a champagne toast at midnight.

“After an amazing turn out at our ‘Haunted Hotel” Halloween bash and fundraiser this year, we’re thrilled to keep the holiday spirit going and celebrate the New Year by throwing what’s sure to be the best party in Orlando,” says Event Organizer Chris Nault. “New Year’s Eve is all about rejoicing the past and ringing in the future and what better way to do that than at this unbeatable location in the heart of the city,” adds Aloft General Manager Craig Leicester.

Make your last party of the year one to remember and join the finest in the city at the exclusive “Toast” New Year’s Eve Celebration at Aloft Orlando Downtown located at 500 South Orange Avenue. For more information and to purchase advanced tickets, visit http://www.nyetoastorlando.com or contact Chris Nault of Sugarfree Branding at chris(at)sfbranding(dot)com or 407.690.8133.

About Aloft Hotels
With 100 hotels open now and coming soon in 14 countries around the world, Starwood’s Aloft brand delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the ‘always on’ next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visit http://www.alofthotels.com. Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) program, the industry’s richest loyalty program. To learn more, visit http://www.spg.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ilene Lieber, 321-277-7812, ilene(at)passionprconsulting(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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DAE Expands Portfolio With Oaks Group Properties

December 16, 2014, 11:06 am
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DAE Expands Portfolio With Oaks Group Properties

Orlando, Florida (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

Award-winning holiday exchange provider, DAE, has partnered with Oaks Hotels & Resorts to expand its inventory in high demand destinations and capital cities around Australia and New Zealand.

DAE members can now access availability at Oaks properties across Australia and New Zealand through the daeOptions program.

Head of Group Marketing and Regional Manager, Australia New Zealand, Gary Fog, said the partnership gives DAE members more choice and more value out of their membership, with new availability in key, high-demand destinations.

“Destinations such as Western Australia have traditionally been difficult to accommodate our members with limited timeshare availability,” said Mr Fog. “With the addition of Oaks resorts, we can now offer our members accommodation in great destinations such as Perth, Broome and Cable Beach.”

Oaks properties in both Melbourne and Sydney CBD will also be added to the daeOptions portfolio, along with an array of non-timeshare destinations around Australia and New Zealand, including the Hunter Valley, Glenelg in South Australia, and Caloundra and Port Douglas in Queensland, and Queenstown in New Zealand.

Director of Wholesale and Trade for Oaks Hotels & Resorts, Lachlan Rentell, said introducing Oaks properties to DAE’s global network of members would deliver benefits across both organisations.

"Oaks Hotels & Resorts is thrilled to partner with DAE's worldwide timeshare exchange platform and we look forward to offering members the choice of contemporary studios and hotel rooms, and spacious, self-contained apartments in central city locations and premier resort destinations across Australia and New Zealand, as well as more international destinations in the future," said Mr Rentell.

DAE Members with Gold Advantage can book daeOptions weeks on exchange, while all members can have access to low-cost rental weeks at Oaks resort properties using their free DAE membership.

“Oaks are a well-known and well-respected Australian brand, and we look forward to increasing distribution and exposure of their properties through DAE’s global audience,” said Mr Fog.

About Oaks Hotels & Resorts
Oaks Hotels & Resorts is one of Australia's largest, self-contained accommodation providers and a division of global hotel owner, operator and investor, Minor Hotel Group.

About DAE (Dial An Exchange)
DAE has grown significantly since it first opened its doors in 1997. A strong focus on quality customer service has led to their continued growth as over 50% of their new memberships have been the result of personal referrals. Today, the company services over 1 million timeshare owners (including 500,000 direct members) at resorts and clubs through 12 offices worldwide, and is a truly viable option for all timeshare, points and fractional owners to exchange their weeks and points or credits products. DAE’s robust set of membership benefits makes it easy for owners to truly enjoy their vacation ownership experience. Their simple, flexible and innovative direct to consumer approach has evolved into a range of business development and support tools for their business partners such as resorts, management companies and Home Owners Associations who are looking for a competitive edge to support their rapid growth.

DAE offers a value added Gold Advantage benefits program along with low exchange fees, a 3-year credit for every banked week, 24/7 live access to exchange weeks, personalized customer service, worldwide vacation availability, discounted rental weeks in prime locations and informative monthly e-Newsletters providing travel tips, destination ideas and money saving promotions and offers. At DAE, the timeshare owners’ needs come first and foremost and quality of service is never compromised. For more information, please visit http://www.daelive.com Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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FlipKey Reveals the Top 10 Trending Vacation Rental Destinations for 2015

December 16, 2014, 11:34 am
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Florida Dominates List Securing the Top Three Spots

Boston, MA (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

FlipKey, a leading vacation rental website, has revealed the top 10 vacation rental destinations trending for 2015 based on FlipKey traveler demand to date. Florida dominates this year’s list winning the top three spots including Miami Beach, the Orlando/Kissimee area and Key West. Rio topped last year’s list as the host of 2014 World Cup and remained in the top at number seven for 2015, likely because of the attention from the World Cup as well as the anticipation of the 2016 summer games.

“We weren’t surprised to see that Florida took the top three spots as it’s historically been one of the most popular destinations for our travelers,” said Eric Horndahl, Vice President of Marketing at FlipKey. “It’s very likely that Scottsdale made the list due to the Super Bowl in February and Paris is not a surprise either. Our inventory continues to grow in popular European vacation destinations and Paris is one of those high-demand spots.”

Overall, this year’s list demonstrates that warm-weather beach destinations are where travelers are going for next year’s vacation with Florida, Mexico, California and Hawaii all winning spots on the list.

Below includes the full list of FlipKey’s leading destinations for vacation rentals in 2015*:

1.    Miami Beach, FL
2.    Orlando/Kissimee, FL
3.    Key West, FL
4.    Ocean City, MD
5.    Playa del Carmen, Mexico
6.    Palm Springs, CA
7.    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8.    Honolulu, HI
9.    Paris, France
10.    Scottsdale, AZ

Last year’s 2014 leading destinations for vacation rentals included*:

1.     Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2.     Miami Beach, FL
3.     Orlando/Kissimmee, FL
4.     Naples, FL
5.     Key West, FL
6.     Kihei, HI
7.     Panama City Beach, FL
8.     Honolulu, HI
9.     Playa del Carmen, Mexico
10.     Seminyak, Bali

Whether travelers are looking to head half-way across the globe or stay nearby, vacation rentals can offer savings of up to 40% compared to a hotel and provide space, privacy and amenities of a home.

For more information, please visit http://www.flipkey.com.

About FlipKey
FlipKey is a leading vacation rental marketplace that makes it easy, safe, and fun to find and book the perfect place to stay. Our verified guest reviews help you search more than 300,000 listings in 179 countries around the world. Get a great value and stay in a rental with the space, privacy, and all the amenities of a home.

With more than 5 million monthly unique visits, FlipKey is a TripAdvisor company and helps power the vacation rental experience on TripAdvisor.com—the world’s largest travel website.

*Based on 2015 booking requests to date on FlipKey.com.

*Based on 2014 booking requests to date on FlipKey.com. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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Certiport Announces 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship

December 16, 2014, 11:48 am
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Competition to Name Best in U.S. in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Salt Lake City, UTAH (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

Certiport (http://www.certiport.com), a Pearson VUE business, the leading test delivery solution provider for the global workforce and academic markets, today announced the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) U.S. National Championship, the country’s most popular Microsoft Office competition and the only one endorsed by Microsoft. Competitors will showcase their expert skills using Microsoft Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® and the top winners will represent the United States at the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship.

The 2015 MOS U.S. National Championship will be held June 18-20 in Orlando, Florida. U.S. students age 13 to 22 are eligible to participate in one of six competition tracks by submitting a qualified, passing score on any of the following exams by May 1, 2015: Microsoft Office Specialist Word (2013 or 2010), Microsoft Office Specialist Excel (2013 or 2010), and Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint (2013 or 2010). Up to six MOS State Champions with qualified MOS exam entries, one per track, will be named and invited to represent their state and compete at the 2015 MOS U.S. National Championship.

“This year we are thrilled to expand the MOS U.S. National Championship by inviting champions to compete from every state with qualified entries,” said Bob Whelan, president and CEO of Pearson VUE. “We are widening the playing field to make sure every student interested in getting certified and competing has a chance. Earning MOS certification helps students reach their academic and workplace goals, and the competition gives them an extra chance to have fun and showcase their skills.”

In May 2015, invitations to the U.S. National Championship will be extended to top students from around the U.S. who have entered a qualified exam entry. During the 2015 MOS U.S. National Championship event, student competitors will take a unique competition exam in their track, further testing their knowledge of the applications. In conjunction with the event, Certiport will host the inaugural CertifiED, a Certiport educator conference. CertifiED will be a place for teachers who offer certification in their classrooms to share best practices, learn what is new, and learn why certification is valuable.

One winner per track will be named the 2015 MOS U.S. National Champion, and each will win an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the 2015 MOS World Championship in Dallas, Texas August 9-12, 2015.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Technology Associate certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program, the HP Accredited Technical Associate, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User certification program, and the IC3 Digital Literacy certification. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in more than 148 countries and 27 languages worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/certiport.

"Certiport" and "IC3" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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FNC Index: Home Prices Drop Two Consecutive Months

December 16, 2014, 12:09 pm
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Orlando, Riverside, and Las Vegas Show Strong Annual Price Appreciation through 2014

Oxford, Miss. (PRWEB) December 16, 2014

The latest FNC Residential Price Index™ (RPI) shows home prices fell slightly in October, making this the second consecutive month of declines. The continued price weakening emerges amid reports of a rising pace of existing-home sales and ongoing improvement in the labor market. Based on recorded sales of non-distressed properties (existing and new homes) in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, the index dropped 0.1% between September and October. The annual rate of home price appreciation continued to decline in pace, down to 5.7% in October.

Completed foreclosures in October comprise about 12.1% of total existing home sales, up about one percentage point since the summer months. In the for-sale market, the asking price discount and time-on-market have shown a continued uptick in the past six months, partly due to rising inventory. As of November, the median discount is 3.8% while the TOM is 107 days.

FNC’s RPI is the mortgage industry’s first hedonic price index built on a comprehensive database that blends public records of residential sales prices with real-time appraisals of property and neighborhood attributes. As a gauge of underlying home values, the RPI excludes final sales of REO and foreclosed homes, which are frequently sold with large price discounts, likely reflecting poor property conditions.

FNC's national index (a 100-MSA composite index) as well as two narrower indices, 30- and 10-MSA composites show a small decline from September and continued decelerations in the pace of year-over-year growth.

The FNC Composite 30 shows a 50-50 split in October in the number of up- and down-markets. Home prices in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Orlando show the largest increases during October, up 3.3%, 2.5%, and 2.2%, respectively. As 2015 approaches, Orlando, Riverside, and Las Vegas are emerging to be the top growth markets in 2014 by year-to-date changes. While a dozen other cities have seen their annual price appreciation drop to a single-digit pace as the momentum of the housing recovery subsided through 2014, Orlando, Riverside, and Las Vegas continue to show a robust double-digit pace at 18.0%, 14.9%, and 14.3% respectively. Home prices in San Francisco continue to fall, down another 1.0% following September’s 2.6% and August’s 2.1% sharp declines, making the city’s year-to-date price growth only slightly positive at 1.3%. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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Orlando Bloom Is Still In Talks to Return for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'!

December 16, 2014, 12:24 pm
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Orlando Bloom Is Still In Talks to Return for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'! Orlando Bloom gets together for a group photo at a photo call for Pure Beauty on Tuesday (December 16) in Shanghai, China. The 37-year-old actor just revealed that he is still in talks to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with the fifth movie! “I’m not entirely sure that [I'll be back] just [...] Reported by Just Jared 4 hours ago.
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Top Training Sites (Lynda, CreatorUp! and Stage32) Bring Tutorials, Classes to ProductionHUB Members

December 16, 2014, 12:49 pm
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ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - Dec 16, 2014) - ProductionHUB launches the first phase of its 'Training' section of the website, in conjunction with Lynda, CreatorUp! and Stage32. Reported by Marketwired 4 hours ago.
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