Ticking News

With Tom Hanks in front of and behind the camera and Julia Roberts his co-star, you’d think “Larry Crowne” would have some A-list Hollywood charm. [1]

It seems that all the cards are stacked against him but Larry Crowne decides to go to East Valley Community College and his life is changed. [2]

Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since his time in the Navy. [3]

So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that on Friday, the Hollywood star is bringing out his newest movie, “Larry Crowne” about a man who loses his job due to the recession, at a time when so many people are out of work. [4]

Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he's worked since his time in the Navy. [5]

Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since his time in the Navy. [1]

You have Tom Hanks as Larry and Julia Roberts as Mrs. Mercedes Tainot whose distinct laughs duel for the most screen time. [2]

But Hanks feels that he and his movie, which co-stars Julia Roberts, are up to the challenge, and he thinks “Larry Crowne” has one key secret for its potential success. [4]

Here’s a movie for adults that’s warm and enjoyable, but has brains and ambition. [1]

The movie tries so hard to create some memorable moments and be charismatic but it falls very short. [2]

In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. [1]

Tom Hanks believes his film, about a man who loses his job due to the recession, offers hope. [4]

The characters don’t evolve enough because they really don’t have any problems at all. [2]

Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. [6]

The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live. [7]

Sources:
[1] Larry Crowne - Rotten Tomatoes
[2] REVIEW: Larry Crowne | advancescreenings.com
[3] Larry Crowne (2011) - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies
[4] Tom Hanks takes on recession in ‘Larry Crowne’
[5] Larry Crowne (2011) - IMDb
[6] MovieMantz Review: ‘Larry Crowne’
[7] Larry Crowne - Trailers, Videos, and Reviews ComingSoon.net Movie …

The purpose of a headline is to attract attention and usually to encourage the reading of the following copy (or, in the case of broadcast, to encourage the listener or viewer to keep listening or viewing). [...] The New York Times uses an unusually large headline to announce the Armistice with Germany at the end of World War I. [1]

The defense rested its case without calling Anthony to testify. [2]

Sentence, phrase, word, or group of words set in large, bold type on a newspaper front page or above a body of text on any page of a newspaper or magazine, or in a printed advertisement (or featured as part of a broadcast commercial). [...] While editor of The New Republic, Michael Kinsley began a contest to find the most boring newspaper headline. [...] A variety of techniques are used in designing headline copy, such as the offer of a reward, the promise of a product benefit, the asking of a question, or the use of key provocative words such as “new,” “amazing,” or “revolutionary.” [...] In print advertising, the headline is considered to be the most important element, because it invites the reader into the advertisement. [1]

Sources:
[1] headline: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com
[2] CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment …

Aaron Carter is the younger brother of Nick Carter, one of the stars of the 1990s teen supergroup The Backstreet Boys. [1]

Former ‘tween idol Aaron Carter, who has not released an album of new material in nearly nine years, says he will sing what he hopes will be his new single when he performs at a benefit show Friday at Allentown’s Crocodile Rock Caf?, he told Lehigh Valley Music exclusively. [2]

Aaron Carter was born in Tampa, Florida. [3]

Only 10 at the time, Aaron quickly became a popular teen heartthrob, and by the time he was 15 he was releasing an album of greatest hits. [1]

He is the younger brother of Nick Carter (the Backstreet Boys) and has three sisters. [3]

His first full-length album was released on December 1, 1997. [4]

It was originally released in December 1997 in Europe and re-released the next year with a new song and a remix, as well as being released in the United States in the summer of 1998. [5]

Teenage superstar Aaron Carter, younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, made a name for himself with the success of his multiplatinum-selling album Aaron’s Party and two popular United States tours. [1]

Three singles were released from the album; “Crush on You “, a cover of The Jets ‘ 1985 song, “Crazy Little Party Girl “, and “I’m Gonna Miss You Forever”. [5]

In a telephone interview Monday from California, Carter said that when he plays Croc Rock, he’ll do the song ‘Turn You Out,’ which he expects to be released ‘toward the end of summer’ as the first single from an album that’s halfway done. [2]

Aaron has made several appearances on the big screen, appeared in the 2001 Broadway version of Seussical and, in 2006, starred with his four siblings (Nick and their sisters, Billie Jean, Angel and Leslie) in the reality show House of Carters. [1]

The song was released by Trans Continental label, with Lou Pearlman as executive producer. [...] Oh Aaron was accompanied by a music video/DVD of the same name, which was released on March 26, 2002 and included footage of his 2001 concert in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as music videos and interviews. [4]

He made an appearance as a contestant in 2009 on Dancing With The Stars… Carter is a twin, having been born just after his sister Angel Carter… The Carters are no relation to the musical Carter Family Singers, in-laws of Johnny Cash. [1]

His next album, Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) was released in the United States on September 26, 2000 under the Jive label. [4]

Sources:
[1] Aaron Carter: Biography from Answers.com - Answers.com: Wiki Q&A …
[2] Former ‘tween idol Aaron Carter to unveil new music at Allentown show
[3] Aaron Carter - IMDb - The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
[4] Aaron Carter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[5] Aaron Carter (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. [1]

Use the AIA Architect Finder to locate architecture firms in your area. [2]

We are continuing to break all membership records at AIA and are maintaining historic retention rates. [3]

This international conference will build on past conferences to celebrate our 39th anniversary milestone and remind us the reasons why we are architects and have such relevance to the future even in these trying times. [...] The California Architectural Foundation, in partnership with the Arid Lands Institute at Woodbury University and the AIACC Academy for Emerging Professionals, announces a call for entries for the 2011-2012 William Turnbull Competition: Drylands Design: An Open Ideas Competition for Retrofitting the American West. [4]

We greatly appreciate your membership and the work we are doing together to advance the aerospace and defense industry. [3]

LA Design Conference, (formerly Mobius LA), successfully finished it’s 5th year as part of Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center. [5]

Honorary membership is one of the highest honors that The American Institute of Architects can bestow upon a person outside the profession of architecture. [4]

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image. [...] The AIA is headquartered at the American Center for Architecture at 1735 New York Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. A design competition was held in the mid-1960s to select an architect for a new AIA headquarters in Washington. [1]

Whether you’re dreaming of a new home or planning commercial space, involving an architect from the start is the key to success. [2]

The Young Architects Award is given to individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession in an early stage of their architectural career. [4]

You can search by city, state, ZIP code and surrounding area (U.S. ZIP codes only), or by firm name. [...] Use the three-character ISO country code dropdown box to locate international firms. [2]

Watch our recap of the 2011 Team America Rocketry Challenge. [3]

Sources:
[1] American Institute of Architects - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[2] The American Institute of Architects
[3] Aerospace Industries Association
[4] American Institute Of Architects
[5] AIA / Los Angeles - Architecture Organization, Jobs and Resources

As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. [1]

It seems like the Oxford comma’s days are numbered. [2]

A University of Oxford Writing and Style Guide has decided that writers should, “as a general rule,” avoid using the Oxford comma. [3]

Seriously though, there are those who would argue that the use of (or lack of) an Oxford Comma between the last two items in the series (in this case, history and science) would be of little consequence, because these words are just words and are all equal in weight and value. [4]

As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write `a, b and c’ not `a, b, and c’. [5]

And yet, even the rumbling of a distant threat to the Oxford comma (or “serial comma”) turns me instantly into an NFL referee, blowing my whistle and improvising some sort of signal ‘ perhaps my hands clasped to my own head as if in pain ‘ to indicate that the loss of the serial comma would sadden me beyond words. [6]

It’s known as the Oxford comma because it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press. [7]

The University of Oxford styleguide has decided that as ‘a general rule’ use of the serial comma should be avoided. [2]

Specifically, I want to talk about a thing known as the serial comma, or, as it’s commonly called in academic circles, the Oxford Comma–okay, okay–if you’re from Harvard, it’s known as the Harvard Comma (Quinion). [4]

Update: The document I linked to above is from a branding style guide for Oxford University. [1]

The Oxford Comma, specifically, is used before the last item in a series to both separate (thereby denoting equality within the list of items) and to remove ambiguity in the author’s meaning caused by mis-grouped words (eat, cow, and pie, vs. [4]

Maximize the impact that Twitter can have on your business or personal brand with AllTwitter’s Lauren Dugan in our Twitter Boot Camp class starting July 13 online. [3]

The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. [8]

“For teaching me that the Oxford comma resolves ambiguity, I’d like to thank my parents, Sinead O’Connor and the Pope,” said Twitter user Aaron Suggs ((at)ktheory), deftly illustrating the potential damage that can be caused to a sentence’s meaning. [9]

Following that, college freshmen, upon successfully completing English 101, should be able to write, “I came to school and studied English, Latin, history, and science,” meaning they studied English and Latin and history and science–all of them, separately, individually, in an unrelated fashion. [4]

Sources:
[1] Oxford Writing and Style Guide no longer …
[2] Oxford Comma Dropped: University of Oxford Styleguide Says No To …
[3] Oxford Comma Dropped by a University of Oxford Style Guide
[4] The Oxford Comma?
[5] Punctuation - University of Oxford
[6] Going, Going, And Gone?: No, The Oxford Comma Is …
[7] What is the ‘Oxford comma’? : Oxford Dictionaries Online
[8] Serial comma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[9] Twitter Oxford comma commotion punctuated by fact