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Bay Bridge reopens Sunday night ahead of schedule
OAKLAND — Thanks to clear skies, the westbound Bay Bridge reopened Sunday, more than a day ahead of schedule, according to Caltrans.
Good weather and teamwork by contractors allowed the first car to cross the bridge at 7:15 p.m. Sunday, almost 34 hours early, said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney.
“I was delighted to not have to make other plans,” said Oakland resident Camille Dungy, a professor at San Francisco State. “I will use the bridge now.
“I had a plan set to use BART, but I work late Monday so it was going to be complicated,” said Dungy, who commutes twice a week. She was also looking forward to the approach to the bridge after seeing crews working on Interstate 580.
Drivers crossing the westbound span will see new paving and lane striping for a quarter mile after the toll plaza.
The road now also curves left sooner after the toll plaza, although the turn is not as sharp as the S-curve, Ney said. The road moved between 30 and 40 feet.
The S-curve, where the speed limit drops to 40 miles per hour as drivers cross a temporary bridge section just before Yerba Buena Island, was added to the bridge during its closure over Labor Day weekend in 2009.
In addition to the paving, striping and guardrail work, contractors were also able to finish all the demolition work they could have done this weekend clearing portions of the old spans that are no longer in use, Ney said.
“It’s like a face-lift is being done
to the Bay Bridge while we have it closed,” Ney said Sunday morning.
BART saw its fifth-highest ridership ever for a Saturday — 236,600 riders — with the bridge closed, said BART spokesman Jim Allison.
That is about the same number of riders as BART sees on a quiet weekday, he said. Saturday ridership fluctuates wildly based on events, he said.
Early Sunday morning, during the hours BART is usually closed, 7,100 riders used the overnight trains BART added because of the closure, Allison said.
Anita Goldwasser avoided the Bay Bridge over the weekend for travel from San Jose to San Rafael, and noted the heavy traffic Saturday morning on Highway 101 southbound. And on Sunday afternoon for her return trip, she said there was also slow traffic southbound near the Golden Gate Bridge.
“I think it’s fabulous that the Bay Bridge work was completed ahead of schedule,” she noted. “It’s so unusual for a public works project to be done earlier than expected. Thousands of commuters will be ecstatic.”
Caltrans closed the westbound span of the Bay Bridge at 8 p.m. Friday, and it was scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday. The eastbound span remained open all weekend.
The closure boosted traffic on BART and the Golden Gate Bridge, officials said.
“The weather was a real big determiner of this work,” said Greg Allen of MCM Construction, particularly the paving work.
The most difficult part of the closure was the preplanning and coordination. The initial schedule for the necessary work would have taken much more than three days, Ney said. Several contractors worked around-the-clock to finish the work.
The next time Caltrans plans to shut down the bridge is Labor Day 2013, when the new $6.3 million spans are scheduled to open.
In December, Caltrans contractors began stringing the cable over the new 525-foot tower for the self-anchored suspension span. When finished, that 2.6-foot-wide cable will weigh 5,291 tons.
Celebrity Apprentice Recap: Five Season-Premiere Shockers
The charitable D-listers are finally back in the boardroom!
Celebrity Apprentice returned tonight with its fifth installment of Donald Trump’s theater of the absurd. The ladies team, Fortitude Forté, and the men’s team, Unanimous, (known as the Trumpeteers for a magical moment), were tasked with raising the most money in dueling delis.
Which team shilled the most sandwiches? Who did The Donald sack first? And why did two contestants disappear from the show?
OOPS: Guess Apprentice champ John Rich was drinking more than 7-Up Retro before his Sin City flight
In the end, timid and unhurried cheese slicer Cheryl Tiegs was fired regretfully and without drama. “I don’t know if this [show] is right for me,” she said quietly, and for her sake we have to agree. At least she’ll be saved from the women’s inevitable bullying and catfights.
If the former supermodel’s firing was a foregone conclusion, the night offered plenty of other surprises:
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1. The Men Won: Compared to the women, the men’s sandwich sales were abysmal. They drew a huge crowd thanks to showman Penn Jillette’s theatrics and photo ops with fans on the street—but after adding a celebrity snap for their Facebook profiles, most of the potential customers left without forking over their lunch money. Even with their $35,000 prize for beating the women with their tastier offering (as Arsenio Hall says, a “sammitch” is better than a sandwich”) in a live contest on the Rachael Ray show, Forté spanked them by $65,000 in sales and donations. But Orange County Chopper’s Paul Teutul Sr., who declared a lofty goal of $500 grand, persuaded one of his buddies to donate $305,000. This devastated Forté project manager Patricia Velásquez, who never seemed to recover from the fact that the donations she solicited for her Wayuu Taya Foundation were earmarked instead for Paul Sr.’s designated charity, the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
2. Michael Andretti Bowed Out: After his close friend and racing cohort, Indy 500 champ Dan Wheldon, was killed in a horrific crash while C.A. was filming its premiere, contestant Michael Andretti took a leave from show. But Unanimous weren’t undermanned—legendary racer Mario Andretti took his son’s place in the task. Michael later classed up the final boardroom by rejoining the men and continuing to compete as long as his dignity will allow him.
MORE: Which former Celebrity Apprentice contestant’s “assets” include VHS tapes, tepees and tambourines?
3. Teresa Giudice Didn’t Flip Out: The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, infamous for tossing tables and antagonizing her friends and family, was Miss Congeniality tonight. Also baffling—even for someone famous for mispronouncing words (“ingrediences”; “Norwegian” for “Nor’easter; and, tonight, referring to Andy Cohen as one of Bravo’s “big headhunters”)—is why the Housewife introduced herself as Teresa “Judy-chay” when she, her costars and family have always rhymed her last name with “chewed ice.” The cookbook author also notably failed to impress Rachael Ray with her “secret recipe” of roasted red peppers. Hopefully Teresa will spice up the show soon with one of her infamous violent rages.
4. Friendly Fire: We weren’t exactly expecting a Meat Loaf meltdown this early in the season, but both teams were (disappointingly?) chummy and composed tonight. “Queen of Mean” comedian Lisa Lampanelli ruined her rep by being an absolute sweetheart, and both project managers were reluctant to name anyone to bring back to the boardroom. Paul Sr. caused a mild stir by labeling George Takei as “meek” (really a more surprisingly apt description of Ms. Judychay at this point), but Trump leaped to his defense, pointing out that Star Trek’s Sulu is a leading gay activist and former Japanese internment camp detainee. The contestants may not be BFFs (example: Aubrey O’Day slamming Debbie Gibson after a lunchtime jam session with Wyclef Jean: “She loves her own voice and her own music, but I loved being able to snatch that microphone and sing my little freestyle with Wyclef.” Meow!), but for now both teams could be called Unanimous.
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5. The Mafia Princess Took a Hit: Aubrey O’Day said she “may take a bullet for naming” Victoria Gotti, but none of the women shied away from recommending that mob boss John Gotti’s daughter join Cheryl Tiegs and project manager Patricia as candidates for firing. Victoria didn’t protest, either, acknowledging that going MIA (to treat an eye condition) without notifying her team wasn’t copasetic. “Maybe she woke up in the trunk of a Lincoln Continental,” quipped Lampanelli, who also accused the Growing Up Gotti star of making personal calls instead of focusing on their task.
If the biggest shocker of tonight was this Apprentice’s lack of shock value, funnyman Adam Carolla more than compensated with his wisecracks, which deserve a special shout-out:
• “White Kids Without iPads”—Joking about the name of his charity
• “I like George Takei, but do we actually have to pretend that we like Star Trek? I had neighbors who were Trekkies. They were alcoholics.”
• “He’s asked to pick two guys to bring back to the boardroom and he picks three minority groups to kick off the show. Nice going, Paul.”—On his project manager saying he’d ask Trump to fire either Arsenio Hall or Takei
Are you fired up (sorry) about the new season of Celebrity Apprentice? Who should get Trump’s next pink slip? Sound off in the comments!
Read more: http://uk.eonline.com/news/watch_with_kristin/celebrity_apprentice_recap_five/295228#ixzz1muLfncdu
HTC 7 Mozart Review
There are already many smart phones available in the market thus, making it harder for consumers to choose which one will be worth their money. With the numerous brands and models that they can choose from, users often find it hard to compare the each brand’s specifications and features. HTC however, was able to manage such a dilemma by producing a new Windows 7 smart phone that aside from giving consumers a fast processor, can also give them a portable music player and excellent camera. It is also equipped with a GPS, 8 gig internal memory, HSPA data access and wi-fi. Aside from its amazing features, the HTC7 Mozart is also aesthetically presentable, with its brushed aluminum casing.
The Windows 7 phones available in the market have a strong and stable music credential, which attracted many consumers in the first place. The HTC7 Mozart however, stands above the rest with its SRS WOW HDTM, which allows virtual surround system and better bass compared to other mobile phones with a music player. Aside from an amazing audio player, the HTC7 Mozart also excels when it comes to digital photography. Compared to other Windows 7 phones that only have a 5 megapixel camera and LED flash, the HTC7 Mozart has a whopping 8 megapixel camera, equipped with a xenon flash. Aside from giving you bright and clear photos, the smart phone is also capable of recording HD videos.
Aside from its improved music features and cameras, the Mozart basically is much like the other Window phones released earlier, except for the fact that it is more compact and great looking than the older models. With its rounded case and solid brushed aluminum casing, having one will certainly give you an air of class and quality that you will not get from other brands of smart phones.
However should you wish to sell on your Mozart, then you can use mobile phone recycling websites and comparison services to help you get the best price back for it. Getting cash for mobiles is simple and quick to do, and won’t cost you a penny. So, whether you are a UK resident or are based in the US you can sell used cell phones today, online.
Fun and Play With The BlackBerry PlayBook
The BlackBerry has made its name in the industry by providing consumers with smart phones and unique internet and social media services. Now, it has expanded its market by manufacturing its latest BlackBerry Playbook, which runs on a powerful dual core processor. It has a vivid and clear 7inch display that utilizes an intuitive gesture-based multitouch interface.
The Playbook is Blackberry’s first manufactured tablet and can be compared with the HTC Flyer and Samsung Galaxy tab with its large screen display. It is a quality product that is contrast to the usual style of BlackBerry, with most of its smart phones in a curved style. By having only 10mm of thickness, consumers will surely find this gadget easy to carry.
Apple and Android have been competing over getting the bragging right of being called the best tablet in the market, and it’s a wonder how BlackBerry joined in by releasing a product that gives consumers a genuine choice. It runs on the latest gestural based operating system thus, requiring a little getting used to before you can enjoy the unit. Instead of manually closing an app after using it, you can swipe it upwards with the BlackBerry Playbook after you are done with it. The apps that you are currently using appear in mini screens on the main page and you can swipe between them when opening one after the other.
The resolution of the BlackBerry PlayBook may only be satisfactory at 1024×600 pixels, but its resolution, screen size and color depth makes everything adequate for your mobile needs. The screen is responsive and can be controlled easily, and also supports a 4-finger multi-touch zooming. This feature makes it perfect for web browsing and for controlling the view of apps as well.
Aside from its awesome features and simplistic aesthetics, the BlackBerry PlayBook is proud of its dual-core 1GHz processor, a massive 1GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics processor.
If you are looking to get cash for mobiles online, or want to trade in your BlackBerry Playbook to help fund a new phone purchase then consider price comparison websites and recyclers to help you get the most money back.
The Palm Pre and Its Features
This phone also has a 3.15-megapixel camera, setting a high standard with its competitors. For photos, the maximum pixel resolution is at 2048×1536, which is not bad picture quality-wise. An LED flash is packaged with the Pre for capturing moments during low light situations. The integrated camera however does not take videos, which is another setback in the smartphone industry. While video capture is still not possible for the Pre, shutter-happy people will be pretty satisfied with its camera.
With regards connectivity, this model certainly does not disappoint. A great browser, coupled with HSDPA and WiFi connectivity will allow for fast internet surfing, perfect for those who can’t live without the internet. For music lovers, there is a media player which can play a wide variety of video and audio formats. Need more music? Try connecting to Youtube or the Amazon music store through the dedicated apps to satisfy your musical cravings.
Synchronizing your phone with various websites including Google and Facebook is possible with the Synergy app. The software also has the ability to combine all your contacts from these sites, however management and organization of which proves to be slightly difficult especially to those with a lot of connections on Facebook.
Storage seems to be one setback as the Pre is constructed with just 8GB worth of internal memory. At present, there are no talks of producing varied memory sizes for the Pre, even as it is already present in other competitor phones. There is also no option to expand storage.
While the features are pretty extensive, the Pre is not without major flaws. While its low-quality camera and lack of apps prove to be a letdown for a lot of consumers, these do not compromise the advantages one can garner by purchasing this phone. The efficient operating system and impressive touchscreen make the Pre a winner and can certainly be put up against a number of phones currently available in the market.
If you are looking to sell your Palm Pre then don’t forget to check out comparison sites, as well as the likes of eBay where you are guaranteed a fixed price when you type in sell my cell phone.
