Dodger Stadium Renovations Reveal A Facelift For Opening Day

LOS ANGELES _ Dodger Stadium opened its gates to fans for the first time in nearly six months Friday, unveiling a $100 million range of renovations to the 51-year-old ballpark.

They’re not quite done yet, though. With opening day Monday, construction workers will be working on the stadium through the weekend to ensure regular-season readiness.

“It was no small feat,” team president Stan Kasten said at a Friday news conference marking the changes. “We do still have tweaks to make, but we have, I think, enhanced the experience of fans on every level of this park.”

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Apple fanboys mercilessly tweaked in cider ad

The Genius, um, Bar.

(Credit: Somersby Cider UK/YouTube Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

We’re in an Apple store.

All the employees are terribly agitated. They’re wearing green. Is it St. Patricks’ Day? Not quite. It’s a new ad — sent to me by reader Marrec Selous — that tweaks, pokes, teases, and tickles at Apple’s softer parts.

The ad is on behalf of a British cider called Somersby. And the excitement within it mirrors that of an Apple product launch.

Yes, this cider has a new operating system: Pump.

Its wireless, comes in 16- and 32-pip, and it works in your normal docking system.

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Adviser recommends MetroPCS shareholders vote against T-Mobile merger

It looks like T-Mobile will be facing an uphill battle come April 12th. On April 12th, the shareholders will be voting on whether or not MetroPCS should form a merger with T-Mobile USA. T-Mobile needs the shareholders to vote for the merger in order to complete the deal. It has already received the go-ahead from the Department of Justice as well as the FCC. However, one proxy adviser is looking to make sure the deal doesn’t go through.

Adviser recommends MetroPCS shareholders vote against T-Mobile merger

The adviser, Institutional Shareholder Services, which is an adviser to many big shareholders, has recommended that shareholders not go through with the deal. The ISS stated that the MetroPCS shareholders are getting the short end of the stick and would do just fine without T-Mobile. It states that there is also a potential to thrive without T-Mobile, which could prove to be true considering it offers very affordable plans with unlimited data.

Many investors are already planning on voting against the deal. Paulson & Co., MetroPCs’s biggest shareholder, which currently has 9.9% of the company’s shares, has stated that the company should look for alternative options because the T-Mobile merger would result in too high of a debt for MetroPCS. The ISS also states that MetroPCS shareholders will only have a 26% stake in the shared company and they will only receive $4 a share.

T-Mobile, however, is optimistic that the deal will go through. T-Mobile’s CEO, John Legere, stated that the deal will go through “despite the several greedy hedge funds that are trying to take a double dip out of that process.” We shall see if that’s true in the next two weeks. In other news, T-Mobile has just launched its new uncarrier plans, as well as 7 new LTE networks. It’s looking to take on the other 3 major carriers, and if it had MetroPCS on its side, it would definitely pose as a major threat.

[via The Wall Street Journal]


Adviser recommends MetroPCS shareholders vote against T-Mobile merger is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Obama Attends Syracuse vs. Marquette Elite Eight Game In NCAA Tournament (PHOTOS)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama attended one of the weekend’s big college basketball games after playing a round of golf Saturday.

Obama’s motorcade took him directly from a golf course at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland to Washington’s Verizon Center to watch Syracuse and Marquette play for a berth in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament. He left shortly before the end of the game, which Syracuse won 55-39.

With less than 11 minutes remaining in the first half of the East Regional final, Obama appeared on the Jumbotron suspended above the Verizon Center court. He sat with Reggie Love, his former personal aide at the White House and a member of the Duke team that won the NCAA championship in 2001. At least one other friend, Marty Nesbitt, also sat with the president. Also joining Obama was NCAA President Mark Emmert.

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These Awesome Floating Vases Are Practically Invisible

An expensive, ornate vase can be as much of a centerpiece as the flowers that are in it. These floating vases designed by the Japanese group oodesign take things in the opposite direction by making them look like water ripples. More »

The GypsyNesters: 12 Things You Don’t Know About Amtrak

12) Amtrak serves full, cooked-to-order meals served on real dishes aboard all long-haul routes. These always include a vegetarian selection and often feature regional specialties. No airplane food zapped in a microwave in their dining cars.

The full service kitchen on Amtrak's Empire Builder
The full service kitchen on Amtrak’s Empire Builder. Elevators are used to send the entrees up to the dining room so every dish is fresh and piping hot.

11) The Empire Builder and Coast Starlight host wine and cheese tastings. The samplings are always from farms and vinyards along the route.

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Pope Francis Holds First Easter Vigil Service In St. Peter’s Basilica

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis celebrated a trimmed back Easter Vigil service Saturday after having reached out to Muslims and women during a Holy Week in which he began to put his mark on the Catholic Church.

Francis processed into a darkened and silent St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the service, in which the faithful recall the period between Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

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‘Violeta Went To Heaven’ Arrives In U.S., Telling Story Of Legendary Folksinger Violeta Parra (VIDEO)

Actress Francisca Gavilán grew up listening to the music of folksinger Violeta Parra in her home, quietly. Parra’s music wasn’t exactly forbidden during Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship, but the authorities frowned upon it.

“We sang it silently,” Gavilán says.

Now, as the star of the biopic “Violeta Went to Heaven,” Gavilán sings Parra’s music professionally. The film opened Friday in New York, bringing the story of one of Latin America’s most famous musicians and iconic figures to the big screen in the United States. The movie will also play in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities.

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Syracuse Final Four Berth Secured With 55-39 Win Over Marquette In Elite Eight (PHOTOS)

WASHINGTON — When played to perfection, there’s nothing quite like Syracuse’s aggressive, half-court 2-3 zone defense.

It’s 40 minutes of trapping and shot-challenging, of closing off angles, of trusting teammates.

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Ohio State vs. Wichita State LIVE UPDATES: Elite Eight Matchup In West Region

Wichita State better hope its Elite Eight matchup with Ohio State doesn’t come down to the final seconds. The Buckeyes have already had plenty of practice — and success — in those situations already.

No. 2 Ohio State reached the final of the West Region thanks to a pair of late game-winning shots. Aaron Craft sank Iowa State in the Round of 32. LaQuinton Ross sent Arizona home in the Sweet 16.

In the wildest region of the bracket, Thad Matta’s team faces the Shockers of Wichita State with a spot in the Final Four up for grabs. No. 9 Wichita State shocked No. 1 Gonzaga in the third round and then overwhelmed No. 13 La Salle in the Sweet 16.

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