LONDON, ENGLAND, December 21, 2011 (Press-News.org) Tens of thousands of spectators look on as celebrities spanning generations perform at the annual tree lighting event. This year's performers include Neil Diamond, Cee Lo Green, Carole King, American Idol songstress Katherine McPhee, and Canadian crooner Michael Buble. Tony Bennett and teen pop phenomenon Justin Bieber performed on video.
A crane and a specially-built trailer are called for once Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze locates the quintessential evergreen, which historically has been native to the eastern U.S. region. Pauze located this year's blue ribbon spruce in Pennsylvania in March, traveling back and forth from his duties at Rockefeller Center to ensure that the tree remained in perfect health until harvest time.
At the end of November, once a work crew has finessed the spruce into position overlooking the centre's outdoor skating arena, head electrician Charlie Cassely and crew string approximately 30,000 energy-saving LED coloured lights on wires that, end to end, stretch about 8 kilometres. Topping this incredible display is a glittering Swarovski crystal star that tips the scales at a whopping 250 kg.
Visitors to midtown Manhattan can view the towering tree and the surrounding city from the 70-storey Top of the Rock observation deck or from a table at one of 40 dining locations, cocktail bars and coffee shops in Rockefeller Center. Dozens of nearby specialty shops reflect the tree's sparkling glow of yuletide cheer. Most shoppers take a spin around the ice skating rink to complete their exciting and memorable Rockefeller Center tour.
When this year's Norway spruce has played out its time in the limelight, it will continue to preside over the spirit of giving. The tree will be milled into lumber to build homes for families in need through the Habitat for Humanity organization.
For those wishing to participate in the uniquely New York style celebrations, hotels and flights are available from Expedia, as well as a trip to the top of the Rockefeller building to experience the "View from the top of the Rock - visit Expedia Activities for more information.
About Expedia
Expedia, Inc. is the world's leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travellers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travellers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com, hotels.com, Hotwire, Egencia (formerly Expedia Corporate Travel), TripAdvisor, Expedia Local Expert, Classic Vacations and eLong. Expedia, Inc.'s companies operate more than 70 global points of sale in more than 40 countries, with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. is a component of the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit http://www.expediainc.com/ (NASDAQ: EXPE).
With access to 140,000 hotels around the world (including boutique hotels as well as major hotel brand names),over 300 airlines along with specialist tools to help refine these choices, Expedia UK helps travellers to find and create the trip that best matches their individual requirements. Expedia is a registered trademark of Expedia, Inc. in the European Union and certain other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. 2011 Expedia, Inc.
Contact details:
Jill Lloyd - Expedia UK
+44 2070192763
jlloyd@expedia.com
Lighting of the New York Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
An international yuletide tradition since 1933, this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a massive, 23 metre Norway spruce that will preside over the Big Apple's picturesque entertainment hub until January 6, 2012.
2011-12-21
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Stopping Wage Garnishment in Atlanta
2011-12-21
In the current poor economy, many people are having trouble paying their bills. Creditors are aggressively attempting to collect from people who have fallen behind on their payments. Non-stop collection calls can cause people to become afraid just to answer the phone.
When creditors cannot connect with people, they will pursue other means to collect money owed to them. Eventually, creditors will step up their recovery efforts by taking legal action.
Wage Garnishment
When a person falls behind on paying his or her debts, a creditor can sue the person to obtain a ...
SwRI researchers discover new evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface
2011-12-21
The new and highly sensitive Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, providing new evidence that points to the possibility of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules lying on the surface, according to a paper recently published in the Astronomical Journal by researchers from Southwest Research Institute and Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Such chemical species can be produced by the interaction of sunlight or cosmic rays with Pluto's known surface ices, including methane, ...
Which wheats make the best whole-grain cookie doughs?
2011-12-21
This press release is available in Spanish.
Festive cookies, served at year-end holiday gatherings, may in the future be made with a larger proportion of whole-grain flour instead of familiar, highly refined white flour. That's a goal of ongoing studies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Wooster, Ohio.
A study by scientists with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Soft Wheat Quality Research Unit in Wooster was published earlier this year in Crop Science. The research may help plant breeders zero in on promising new wheat plants that ...
Co-Parenting During the Holidays
2011-12-21
Many divorced and separated parents are in the midst of the most emotional and contentious part of the year: the holidays. The arguments and strife that drove the parents apart in the first place usually come back with a vengeance during a time to be jolly. Of course, all parents want the best for their children. They want to include kids in family activities and school functions, and they want their children to have experiences that will last a lifetime. However, they may be too rigid when things go awry, and mountains are created from molehill arguments.
Nevertheless, ...
Breastfeeding saved babies in 19th century Montreal
2011-12-21
This press release is available in French. Montreal -- Breastfeeding increased infant survival rates in 19th -Century Montreal in two major ways, according to research from Concordia University and McGill University. Mother's milk protected vulnerable infants from food and water contaminated by fecal bacteria, while breastfeeding postponed the arrival of more siblings and that improved the health of mothers as well as their subsequent children.
Published in the journal Population Studies, using data gathered from Montreal's civil burial records and the 1881 Census, the ...
Study Finds Serious Medical Errors Are Not Being Tracked
2011-12-21
According to a study conducted by Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson, medical errors that take place in many health-care facilities are not being tracked by state inspectors. As a result, 15,000 medical fatalities each month have not been corrected, and in some cases, the problems have not even been addressed at all, exposing patients to the risk of harm from medical error and medical malpractice.
Levinson analyzed hospitals that participate in Medicare around the country and found that many of the worst medical errors -- including ...
Obesity linked to higher 5-year death rate after esophageal cancer surgery
2011-12-21
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Obesity doubles the risk of cancer recurrence and cancer-related death in patients with esophageal cancer who have been treated with surgery, researchers at Mayo Clinic found. Their 778-patient study, which appeared in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (http://jco.ascopubs.org/), found that five-year survival in obese patients -- those with a body mass index of 30 or higher -- with esophageal cancer was 18 percent, compared to 36 percent in patients of normal weight.
VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources are available ...
Climate sensitivity greater than previously believed
2011-12-21
Many of the particles in the atmosphere are produced by the natural world, and it is possible that plants have in recent decades reduced the effects of the greenhouse gases to which human activity has given rise. One consequence of this is that the climate may be more sensitive to emissions caused by human activity than we have previously believed. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) have collected new data that may lead to better climate models.
"Emissions by plants to the atmosphere are influenced by climate change – higher temperatures can increase ...
Pennsylvania's Car Insurance Workers' Compensation Exclusion Struck Down
2011-12-21
In a case that is sure to have a ripple effect throughout Pennsylvania's public and private employment community, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently ruled that it is against public policy for an employer's uninsured and underinsured motorist automobile insurance to deny payments to victims who are also receiving workers' compensation benefits.
On-the-Job Car Accident
The case dates back to 2002, when a Sugarcreek Borough police officer was injured in a car accident in his patrol car while performing duties consistent with his position as a law enforcement ...
Protecting Your Business in a Divorce
2011-12-21
If your marriage is ending, you might not be thinking about protecting your business interests. You could be caught up in the emotions of the situation, worried about the custody of your children, concerned about new living arrangements or reeling from the blow of an unexpected divorce filing. No matter what the situation, though, if you want your business to thrive after your marriage is dissolved, you need to expend some time and energy taking steps to protect it.
Some steps can be taken to protect the value of your family-owned business or your interests in a larger ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New superconductor with hallmark of unconventional superconductivity discovered
Global HIV study finds that cardiovascular risk models underestimate for key populations
New study offers insights into how populations conform or go against the crowd
Development of a high-performance AI device utilizing ion-controlled spin wave interference in magnetic materials
WashU researchers map individual brain dynamics
Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won’t help the climate
US Department of Energy announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025
PECASE winners: 3 UVA engineering professors receive presidential early career awards
‘Turn on the lights’: DAVD display helps navy divers navigate undersea conditions
MSU researcher’s breakthrough model sheds light on solar storms and space weather
Nebraska psychology professor recognized with Presidential Early Career Award
New data shows how ‘rage giving’ boosted immigrant-serving nonprofits during the first Trump Administration
Unique characteristics of a rare liver cancer identified as clinical trial of new treatment begins
From lab to field: CABBI pipeline delivers oil-rich sorghum
Stem cell therapy jumpstarts brain recovery after stroke
Polymer editing can upcycle waste into higher-performance plastics
Research on past hurricanes aims to reduce future risk
UT Health San Antonio, UTSA researchers receive prestigious 2025 Hill Prizes for medicine and technology
Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars
A chain reaction: HIV vaccines can lead to antibodies against antibodies
Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels
Rotavirus protein NSP4 manipulates gastrointestinal disease severity
‘Ding-dong:’ A study finds specific neurons with an immune doorbell
A major advance in biology combines DNA and RNA and could revolutionize cancer treatments
Neutrophil elastase as a predictor of delivery in pregnant women with preterm labor
NIH to lead implementation of National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act
Growth of private equity and hospital consolidation in primary care and price implications
Online advertising of compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists
Health care utilization and costs for older adults aging into Medicare after the affordable care act
Reading the genome and understanding evolution: Symbioses and gene transfer in leaf beetles
[Press-News.org] Lighting of the New York Rockefeller Center Christmas TreeAn international yuletide tradition since 1933, this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a massive, 23 metre Norway spruce that will preside over the Big Apple's picturesque entertainment hub until January 6, 2012.