Character descriptions are pretty common when casting for a TV show or movie, but the latest bit of casting news for FX's creeptastic American Horror Story shows just how wild the creators want to go in season two.

Actress Chloe Sevigny (Zodiac, American Psycho) is the latest addition for season two, playing "Shelly the Nymphomaniac," a major antagonist to Jessica Lange's character. We've seen a lot of character bios over the years, but that one takes the cake. According to Entertainment Weekly, the producers were such big fans of Sevigny that they wrote the role specifically for her.

Year two of the anthology horror series will be set in the past, at an East Coast institution for the criminally insane. If there were ever a setting with more creepy potential than the murder house of season one, that'd be it.

Season one players Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe and Sarah Paulson are all scheduled to return in different roles. Sevigny joins Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine as a new addition for the second season.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Continued here:
American Horror Story S2 has now cast 'Shelly the Nymphomaniac'

After consecutive trips to the Framingham Softball League D-1 playoff finals, the Outlaws finished dead last in the regular season among the D-1/2 bracket clubs.

In the D-2 playoffs (basically just a consolation tourney for the seven teams that fail to finish in the top four) the Outlaws were swept two games to none by Crush.

Despite drilling over 20 hits in each game the Outlaws lost one-run and two-run decisions. It was very embarrassing, said outfielder Colby Rakes. To hit like we hit and to still lose was just unacceptable. When the season kicks off next week we hope that the memories of 2011 will quickly fade.

The 2012 Outlaws will feature four new significant additions to the line-up plus a new sponsor. Said second baseman Mike Coco,

We are all hoping that our new sponsor, Kugels Deli, can help change the negative karma of last season into all good vibes. Our team is very ethnically diverse but none of us happens to be Jewish so I guess it makes sense to be sponsored by a Jewish restaurant. Now our team has a representative for almost every race and religion. Thats pretty cool.

Since the end of the 2009 season, the Outlaw front office had been in ongoing talks with outfielder Will Hardy and utility player Johnny Peguerro. Last September the Outlaws signed both. Said Outlaw outfielder Jerry McCarthy, I played with Will on Nobscot Caf so I know what he brings to the table. Will is a great righty hitter, an even greater defensive outfielder and the kid flies on the base paths.

Peguerro, a lefty slugger, has been in right field the past three years but will play first base this season. Bobby Cotter(.585 last year) has manned the position for six seasons but his elbow is riddled with tendonitis. In 2010 the righty batted .716, the highest average ever compiled by an Outlaw. Cotter will see some action at both first and third but will probably fill the DH slot more often as his batting seemed to not be effected by the ailment during the preseason scrimmages.

Another September signing was Luis Rivera, a 20-something star like Peguerro and Hardy. Rivera is a lefty who hits for both average and power and is a fine defensive outfielder. Said left fielder Jason Ridenour,We are lucky to have Luis aboard. He is going to do big things for us.

Jerry Caico, who for years has shined in the world of South Boston softball, was signed by the Outlaws last month. McCarthy, who hit a resounding .750 in last years playoffs, is excited about the Caico signing.

This guy will hit with the best of them and he is excellent in the outfield and can also play infield. Jerry will definitely help the cause.

Originally posted here:
Can Kugel’s Deli rejuvenate the Outlaws?

PLANO -- One of the world's largest software companies is getting a little bit bigger.

Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant whose North America headquarters are located in Plano, recently announced plans to add on to its campus in west Plano. The new additions will create new jobs and add tens of millions of dollars to the city's tax rolls.

The two-phase expansion will begin with the construction of a four-story, 200,000-square-foot building as well as two multilevel parking garages, said Sally Bane, the city's director of economic development. The property improvements total $17 million, with an additional $2.2 million in business personal property included.

The company will receive a tax abatement for 10 years totaling 50 percent of both the real property and business personal property. In return for the abatement, Ericsson agrees to retain, transfer or create at least 1,000 jobs at its Plano headquarters.

The first phase of construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2013, with the second phase following a year later.

Calls to Ericsson seeking comment were not returned.

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Originally posted here:
Software company expands headquarters: Company receives 10-year tax abatement from city

April 17, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods) Green Bay Bullfrogs FrogVille, Wi- With opening day approximately six weeks away, the Green Bay Bullfrogs 2012 roster has expanded to 24 with the additions of Jeff Brigham and Mac Acker from the University of Washington. The Huskies compete in the Pac-12 conference, which is currently ranked as the 3rd best conference in college baseball.

Brigham is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher for Washington. The sophomore missed the first 14 games of the season while battling an injury but is now healthy and making a big contribution to a very strong Huskies staff. Brigham has made five appearances and carries a 2.89 ERA. Over his last two outings Brigham has faced off with national powers Stanford and Cal and allowed just two earned runs in seven innings of work.

Brigham made an immediate impact at Washington as a freshman in 2011, finishing 2nd on the team with 23 appearances (5 starts). The Federal Way, WA native finished 4-1 with two saves in 51 1/3 innings of work. Brigham struck out 30 batters while walking just 18 on his way to a 4.73 ERA.

Brighams's successful 2011 continued in the summer as the closer of the Bend Elks of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League. Named second team all-league, Brigham posted a 0.82 ERA and six saves in 22 innings pitched. Following the season, Perfect Game named Brigham the league's 9th best prospect. Perfect Game has also ranked Brigham as the 165th best draft prospect nationally for 2013.

Mac Acker is in his first season at Washington following two very successful seasons at Columbia Basin Community College in Washington. As a sophomore, Acker was named the East Region MVP and NWACC player of the year. A dual threat, Acker batted with 13 doubles and 37 RBI's while finishing 5-1 on the mound with a 1.49 ERA.

The Redmond, WA native continues to earn a bigger role with Washington. Acker has made seven appearances (two starts) on the mound for the Huskies, compiling a 2-2 record and 3.27 ERA in eleven innings of work. Acker has also been one of Washington's top pinch hitters in recent weeks and earned his first start as the team's DH against Cal on Saturday.

"We have a tremendously strong relationship with the University of Washington and are excited to continue it this year," Bullfrogs Field Manager Jordan Bischel said. "Jeff is a hard-thrower who will be an impact pitcher for us as either a starter or closer. Mac's versatility will be invaluable throughout the summer. He will make strong contributions as both a left-handed pitcher and outfielder."

The Bullfrogs open up their 6th season in FrogVille, Wisconsin on May 30 at 6:35 against the expansion Lakeshore Chinooks. Please call 920-497-7225or log on to http://www.greenbaybullfrogs.comfor more information.

The Green Bay Bullfrogs are a part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate League in North America.

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Bullfrogs Add Pair From Pac-12 Conference

By Alex Morales - Tue Apr 17 11:00:00 GMT 2012

Wind-power capacity will more than double by 2016 as growing installations in newer markets such as India and Brazil counter weakness in the U.S., where additions are set to decline next year, according to an industry lobby.

World capacity will reach 493 gigawatts in 2016, from 238 gigawatts in 2011, the Global Wind Energy Council said in an e- mailed report today. Installations will jump 8 percent a year on average to 59 gigawatts during 2016, from 41 gigawatts in 2011.

Even with the growth, the biggest wind-turbine makers such as Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA face shrinking margins because of excess world production and Chinese competition. Prices of turbines sold in the second half of 2011 fell 4 percent to $910,000 a megawatt, the lowest since at least 2008, when records began, Bloomberg New Energy Finance says.

The next five years will be especially tough for manufacturers, with chronic oversupply adding to existing downward pressure from general economic conditions to cut margins dramatically, according to the lobbys report.

Growth in installations will stall next year because of the possible loss of a tax credit in the U.S., the second-biggest market after China, it said. New capacity will rise more than 13 percent to 46 gigawatts this year, drop to 45.8 gigawatts in 2013 and resume gains to 49.4 gigawatts in 2014, 55.2 gigawatts in 2015, and 59.2 gigawatts in 2016, according to the group.

The single greatest factor affecting the global market in 2012 will be the debate on the future of the U.S. Production Tax Credit, Steve Sawyer, the secretary-general of the industry lobby, said in the report. Wrapped up in the politics of a presidential election year, anything could still happen.

The credit grants an incentive worth 2.2 cents a kilowatt- hour and expires at the end of the year. When it was allowed to lapse at the end of 2003, U.S. wind installations declined to 397 megawatts in 2004 from 1,670 megawatts the previous year.

Stable policy is needed for the wind industry to begin to live up to its potential, attracting massive new investment and creating thousands of new jobs, according to the report.

Vestas may fire 1,600 workers in the U.S. if the credit expires, Chief Executive Officer Ditlev Engel said in January.

Read the original:
Wind-Power Capacity to Double by 2016 After U.S. Dip, Lobby Says

This is a rendering of the city of Cedar Rapids new parking ramp plus skywalk over First Avenue East that will connect the ramp to the citys Doubletree by Hilton at the U.S. Cellular Center complex, which will consist of the hotel and arena, both under renovation, and the new convention center, under construction next door. (Novak Design Group)

CEDAR RAPIDS The city is preparing to start construction this summer on a new parking ramp across First Avenue East from the city-owned hotel and Convention Complex, a ramp that may be bigger and more attractive with more first-floor retail space and a faster elevator than planned if the city receives favorable project bids.

The city puts the estimated cost of the ramp at $10.5 million and the skywalk at $1 million. Bids will be opened on May 2.

In addition to the basic bids for the ramp and skywalk, the city is asking contractors to provide four alternate bids for additions to the basic project if the base bids are favorable and the City Council chooses to fund them.

The first add-on would provide a more-attractive exterior cladding on the side of the ramp that faces Second Avenue SE, a cladding that is part of the basic bid for the two sides visible to First Avenue SE. The fourth side, next to the Theatre Cedar Rapids building, wont be noticeable.

The second add-on would add a seventh floor to the ramp. The basic bid calls for six floors and 460 parking spaces and the add-on would make the ramp a seven-story one with an additional 75 parking spaces.

The third add-on would provide for more first-floor retail space on the side of the ramp facing First Avenue SE than is called for in the basic bid.

And a fourth add-on would provide a faster elevator.

Sandy Pumphrey, building facilities capital project manager in the citys Public Works Department, on Monday said that the stakeholder group advising the city on the parking ramp feels an attractive facade is an important part of a ramp located in a prime downtown spot. The group is hoping that favorable bid prices also allow for the seventh level to be added to the project, he said.

More here:
Cedar Rapids looking to jazz up new parking ramp

April 16, 2012 - Atlantic League (AtL) Long Island Ducks (Central Islip, N.Y., April 16, 2012) - The Long Island Ducks today announced the final additions to their roster as spring training kicks off for the third consecutive season at Bethpage Ballpark. The team has signed pitchers Randy Keisler and Eric Niesen along with catcher Mike Rivera and announced catcher Mitch Canham has been signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned to Memphis (AAA).

"We are excited to begin our quest for the Atlantic League championship," said Ducks manager Kevin Baez. "I look forward to seeing the team together on the field."

Keisler begins his second season with the Ducks and 14th in professional baseball. The southpaw spent part of 2010 on Long Island, going 5-0 with a 3.65 ERA in eight games (all starts). A native of Texas, he spent six seasons in the Major Leagues with the Yankees, Padres, Reds, Athletics and Cardinals, posting a 4-4 record and 100 strikeouts in 150 and two-thirds innings. The 36-year-old Louisiana State alum was originally drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 1998 amateur draft.

Niesen starts his sixth season of professional baseball and first with the Ducks. He has spent the past five years in the New York Mets organization, reaching as high as Double-A. In 146 games (73 starts), the Wake Forest alum has a 4.54 ERA and 351 strikeouts in 430 innings pitched. The 26-year-old Michigan native was originally drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Rivera enters his 16th season of professional baseball and first with Long Island. He has played parts of nine seasons at the Major League level with four different teams (Tigers, Padres, Brewers and Marlins). In 189 big league games, the Puerto Rico native has 13 home runs, 69 RBI and 32 doubles. The 35-year-old is a veteran of over 1,000 minor league games and is a career .262 hitter with 177 home runs, 691 RBI and 1,001 hits. Rivera was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tigers in 1997.

The spring training schedule will include two exhibition games against the cross-sound rival Bridgeport Bluefish, one game against a Long Island semi-pro team, the Long Island Black Sox, and one against the New York Police Department. Three games are slated to be played at the Duck Pond (complete schedule below). General admission tickets will be issued FREE to Ducks season ticket and suite holders, and a $5 donation to the QuackerJack Foundation will apply to all other fans. Season ticket holders may gain admission to the ballpark by showing their season ticket holder ID card or other form of identification at the box office.

The Ducks will conclude spring training with their annual season ticket holder meet-and-greet barbeque on Wednesday, April 25, allowing fans to connect with the 2012 team on a one-on-one level. To find out more information about season ticket packages, call the Ducks ticket office at (631) 940-DUCK or visit http://www.liducks.com.

The complete spring training schedule is as follows:

Date Time Game

Friday, April 20 10:30 a.m. Ducks at Bridgeport

See the original post here:
Roster Finalized as Spring Training Begins

On Tuesday, Ringer's freshman season comes to a close and it's anyone's guess as to whether or not it will be renewed for a second season.

Why? Ratings haven't been great. Ringer hit a series low two weeks ago with only 1.05 million tuning in. On the surface, it's hard to explain why: Not only was Sarah Michelle Gellar, best known for her Buffy the Vampire Slayer days, returning to TV, but viewers were getting a double dose of her as estranged twins, one of whom faked her own death. There was also whole lot of eye candy (see: Ioan Gruffudd, Kristopher Polaha and Lost alum Nestor Carbonell), and a murder mystery with as many twists and turns as there are Buffy die-hards.

32 bubble shows which will survive?

So why didn't Ringer become the new guilty pleasure hit? TVGuide.com turned to series executive producer Pam Veasey (CSI: NY) to get her take on why the neo-noir thriller never clicked with a big audience. Plus: Veasey discusses how Season 2 would be different should the series get renewed, and how Siobhan and Bridget have become the "will-they-or-won't-they" duo of the show. (Oh, get your mind out of the gutter!)

Now that Ringer's first year is coming to a close, did the first season turn out the way you guys had imagined? Veasey: When you start, you have all these ideas and then you create the stories responding to what the audience is hungry for. As writers/producers, it's not always what you plan when you first sit down because you don't know how the audience will respond. The reasons the sisters were apart was important for us to reveal and we did that. Bridget living in this life, pretending to be Siobhan, with Siobhan being back in New York knowing her sister had taken her role. Those things were planned and those things worked out.

Did the season finale end up being what you guys had planned or was it altered? Veasey: It's a combination of what [co-creators Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder] planned and some additions. A television show is a breathing, living creature. It takes on a life of its own because the audiences respond to certain actors or certain moments or certain things. We knew Andrew (Gruffudd) had an ex-wife, but we didn't know how involved Catherine (Andrea Roth) would be in the stories in the back end. And we knew there would be relationship issues with Bridget learning about her sister's affair with Henry (Polaha) and the complications of that, but we didn't know how that would unfold. It really is an animal unto itself when you're starting the season.

Mega Buzz: Find out who makes a Hitchcockian appearance in the Ringer finale

When the series was in development, it was moved from CBS to CW. How did that change Ringer? Veasey: We only built the pilot for CBS, and then from that point on we knew we were with CW once we got on the air. They are different. I believe CW is more serialized. Their audiences tend to stay with it, and CBS tends to close the stories more. Because I work actually for both networks and I'm aware of that. We just started making the product for CW. I can't say that something changed, we just started developing the stories so they fit better with CW.

Do you think the serialized nature of the show was hard for people to follow? Veasey: I think the audiences who [watched from the beginning] loved the detail and complexity of the episodes, but I think people joining found it difficult to jump right in because you missed some things even though we had recaps. The lesson you learn is that people don't want to have to know a lot. They want to enjoy the episode. We have lots of episodes like that, but others may have seemed complicated for the audience. I get it, because audiences don't want to drop in and understand it right away. And if they've missed the recaps I think there's a little bit of frustration. It was a double edge sword.

Read more:
What Went Wrong with The CW's Ringer?

nathan vanderklippe CALGARY From Monday's Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Apr. 01, 2012 7:00PM EDT

Most years, its an eye-glazing exercise. But calculating reserves how much oil or gas an energy company has buried on its lands has taken on a sudden new importance for an industry in the throes of a remarkable pricing spiral.

Every spring, energy companies update their reserves based on price forecasts done at the end of the prior year. Price is an important consideration in determining the most important class of reserves, called proven, because a company can only say its capable of producing a certain volume of energy if its profitable enough to do so.

Normally, the year-end price estimates are a pretty good indication of whats to come, and make for a reasonable estimate of a companys reserves. But this year, a sudden drop in natural gas prices has raised significant question marks over the accuracy of the reserve figures that have been issued in recent weeks.

Its a safe assumption that a large part of Canadas natural gas reserves are [overstated], said Eric Nuttall, portfolio manager for Sprott Energy Fund.

That has significant ramifications, especially for those looking to evaluate the worth of companies with major gas holdings. Reserves are an important component of calculating the net asset value of a company. And this year, they could be wrong, by a lot. The difference in assumptions is stark, and anyone looking at corporate reports might be led to expect stronger pricing than companies are actually getting. Indeed, gas prices have gotten bad enough that observers expect cash flow for some companies to dip into negative territory.

To illustrate the difference in expectations, take the price assumptions used by GLJ Petroleum Consultants, one of the most important reserve evaluators in the country. GLJs price deck, or forecast, for 2012 assumes second-quarter gas prices of $3.65 (U.S.) per million BTU, and a full-year average of $3.80.

The actual price of gas is far worse. Natural gas for delivery in the second quarter has traded at barely more than $2, while the average of futures prices for the remainder of 2012 is $2.53. Thats fully a third below the figure used to estimate reserves.

Some analysts are even more pessimistic. If gas stays at or below $2 for much of the year a possibility, given the strong likelihood Canadian storage will fill up, and the chance U.S. storage will also near capacity, creating market havoc this years reserve calculations could be substantially off the mark.

Last year they were using $4.50 for the price deck. And weve seen over a 50-per-cent decrease in the price of gas, said Marin Katusa, an analyst with Casey Research. The real [reserve] writedowns are going to be up to 40 per cent.

See original here:
Low natural gas price casts doubt on 'proven' reserves

In order of predicted finish. "Scouts' take" by Bob Nightengale, based on scouts who have watched the teams and requested anonymity for competitive reasons.

1. Diamondbacks

Season story lines: The Diamondbacks, who ran away with the NL West last year as baseball's biggest surprise, made substantial improvements in hopes of going deeper into the postseason. But some plans might be scrapped. Their 3-4-5 starters of Trevor Cahill, Josh Collmenter and Joe Saunders struggled this spring. If that continues, it might force them to accelerate the promotion of prized prospects such as Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs and Trevor Bauer. They also planned to have Gerardo Parra as their fourth outfielder after signing former Minnesota Twins slugger Jason Kubel to a two-year, $15 million deal, but Parra has been their best outfielder this spring. Arizona patiently awaits the return of shortstop Stephen Drew from knee surgery and must rely on Willie Bloomquist for now.

Season stat: 48. The Diamondbacks led the major leagues with 48 comeback victories and were 84-0 when leading after eight innings. Can they possibly rely on the same late-inning magic of a year ago, or will the odds catch up with them?

Scouts' take: They've looked sluggish all spring. Their starting pitching looks like a mess. Cahill looks like he's throwing (batting practice) out there; his ball isn't sinking at all. He was supposed to be a No. 2 starter but looks no better than a No. 4, and that's being nice. I'm not sure Collmenter would make hardly anyone else's rotation. His velocity is just 86 to 88 mph. They have some nice pitching depth, and Skaggs looks like he's close to ready. They have some nice outfielders on the way, too, with A.J. Pollock and Adam Eaton.

Season story lines: The Giants view last year's second-place finish as an aberration albeit an 86-win aberration. Their offense should be improved with the return of catcher Buster Posey, the 2010 National League rookie of the year, and the additions of outfielders Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan. The team resisted temptation to move Posey to first base after he broke his ankle on a play at the plate in May. Patience won't be a virtue with this team. They can't continue to waste superb efforts by their rotation. If first baseman Aubrey Huff struggles, he could be replaced quickly by Brandon Belt.

Season stat: 866. Games missed by players in 24 stints on the disabled list last season. The Giants again don't have the depth to survive major injuries to their front-line starters and will open the year with second baseman Freddy Sanchez and starter Ryan Vogelsong on the DL.

Scouts' take: They've had a good spring, but you still wonder if they'll have enough offense. I wonder about their pitching, too. If Brian Wilson is healthy, they won't have to worry about their bullpen. But you just wonder how healthy he is. I don't know if they're protecting his elbow. They have some nice scrappy extra infielders, but someone is going to have to start at second base for Freddy Sanchez. He won't be ready. The biggest surprise on their team might be (outfielder) Gregor Blanco. He has a nice, compact swing, and he's looking a lot better against left-handers. To me, Brandon Belt should be the first baseman, but they're stuck with that contract for Aubrey Huff.

3. Dodgers

Season story lines: The Dodgers think they have as good a shot as anyone to win the division after the club was sold to a group led by former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson and veteran baseball executive Stan Kasten. It's too late to pick up premier free agents, but they no longer have to worry about resources at the trade deadline. They can beef up their farm system and retain their free agents. The Dodgers can return to being a ballclub again without seeing owner Frank McCourt on TMZ and their club in bankruptcy.

Excerpt from:
NL West preview: Diamondbacks look to repeat