Book your hotel room now; field trip update; news media registration information and form; Who's coming

Contents of this message

1. Book hotel rooms now at preferential rates
2. Update on earthquake centennial field trip
3. Press Room information
4. New! News Media registration information
5. News Media Registration Form
6. Who's coming

Please see Media Advisory 1 for important information not repeated here, especially regarding visas for international reporters: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0524.html

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1. Book hotel rooms now at preferential rates

AGU has negotiated preferential rates at 14 hotels, from boutiques to skyscrapers, located between one block and two miles [three kilometers] from the Moscone West Convention Center. Rates for single rooms range from $92 to $149 per night, plus tax, with many at $125 or less. If you find a lower rate for these hotels, let us know! Book early to secure the hotel you want.

Full information about each hotel, with photos, lists of available amenities, and a map, as well as the booking form, are at http://www.cmrhousing.com/agu_9u/hotel-list.asp

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2. Update on earthquake centennial field trip

Our News Media Field Trip on Sunday, 4 December, focuses on the upcoming centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. We are planning a full day trip to learn about the devastation triggered by that event, as well as plans to mitigate the effect of the next Big One. Space is limited! We expect to depart around 0830h, so if you are not a resident of the Bay Area, you should arrive in San Francisco no later than Saturday, 3 December.

Among the planned stops (note: the itinerary is tentative at this point and is subject to change):

1) We begin with an overview of San Francisco, weather permitting from Twin Peaks, the highest elevation in the city. We will learn about the impact of the 1906 earthquake, the various faults in the Bay Area, the probability of future earthquakes and their impact, and the obvious dependence of the region on bridges.

2) The Marina District, corner of Divisadero and North Point, an area of post-1906 landfill and the site of extensive damage in the 1989 quake. The 1860s shoreline runs right through this intersection. At one corner, one house tilted 18 inches [46 centimeters] from vertical and was since righted; on a second corner, a house collapsed and burned (as did its neighbors); on a third corner, a house completely collapsed.

3) We cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head for Olema to visit its earthquake trail. We will learn what happened there in 1906 and what we know about past earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault.

4) We then return to the city and cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, part of which collapsed in the 1989 quake. Engineers will describe the design of the new east span of the bridge, now under construction, possibly including a boat tour around some of the pilings, the best way to get first hand view.

5) A visit to one of the area's emergency response centers, to learn what they will do if a quake or other disaster strikes the region.

The field trip is being organized by our colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey. For background on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, see http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/info/1906/index.html

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3. Press Room information

The Press Room is on Level 2, in Alcove 2024 Moscone West, at 800 Howard Street, corner of Howard and 4th Streets. This is the same room as for 2004 Fall Meeting.

The phone number of the Press Room is +1 415-348-4440. Please give this number to anyone who may have to call you in the Press Room. There is no charge for business calls.

The Press room is equipped for wi-fi, as is the lobby area of Level 2. Phone jacks are provided for laptops that lack wi-fi capability, and there will be two computers with Internet access for use by Press registrants.

Breakfast will be served from 0730h, Monday-Friday.
Lunch will be served from 1130h, Monday-Friday.
Coffee, tea, and soft drinks will be available through the day.

Reporters may invite scientists to the Press Room (and Briefing Room when it is not otherwise in use) for interviews, chats, etc.

Press conferences are in Room 2012, same as last year, directly opposite 2024, across the hall. It is equipped with a press (or "mult") box for plugging in recorders to access sound directly from microphones in the room.

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4. New! News Media registration information

Press registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Briefing Room. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.

New: This year, News Media registrants who have preregistered will pick up their badges at a special window or kiosk in the main registration area on Level 1 (street level), not in the Press Room on Level 2, as in the past. Be prepared to show identification (see below).

If you have not preregistered, you may fill out a News Media Registration Form, available at the News Media window, presenting appropriate identification. (Do not fill out the regular meeting registration form.) Your badge will be made on site.

No one will be allowed into the Exhibition Hall (Level 1) or up the escalators or elevator to Levels 2 and 3 without a badge.

Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:

Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of a recognized publication.

Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ; or evidence of by-lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2004 or 2005; or a letter from the editor of a recognized publication assigning you to cover Fall Meeting.

Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.

Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for-profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of any of the above documents. They are not accredited as Press at the meeting.

Scientists who are also reporters and who are presenting at this meeting (oral or poster session) may receive News Media credentials if they qualify (see above), but must also register for the meeting and pay the appropriate fee as a presenter.

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5. News Media Registration Form

The News Media Registration Form is set up for online submission, but includes a link to a version that can be printed out and faxed or mailed. Go to: http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm05/?pageRequest=press_reg

The last day for advance News Media registration, assuring that your badge will be waiting for you when you arrive, is Wednesday, 23 November 2005. You may also register onsite in the Press Room.

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6. Who's coming

The following persons have registered as of the date of this message. If you have submitted a registration form, but your name does not appear below, please resubmit the form (Item 5, above). "Yes" indicates signed up for field trip.

Last Name	First Name	Publication/Organization	Field Trip
Aguilera	Mario	Scripps Inst. of Oceanography	Yes
Amos	Jonathan	BBC News Interactive	Yes
Baier	Agnieszka	Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Blumenberg	Sue	NASA Ames Research Center	Yes
Bortman	Henry	Astrobiology Magazine
Calamai	Peter	Toronto Star	Yes
Chang	Alicia	Associated Press	Yes
Chui	Glennda	San Jose Mercury News	Yes
Cowen	Robert	Christian Science Monitor	Yes
Doherty	Paul	Exploratorium	Yes
Hill	Richard	The Oregonian
Irion	Robert	ScienceNow
Kerr	Dick	Science
Kloeppel	Jim	U. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Yes
Lakdawalla	Emily	The Planetary Society
Lau	Edie	Sacramento Bee	Yes
Leake	Jonathan	Sunday Times (London)	Yes
Levy	Dawn	Stanford News Service	Yes
Lorditch	Emilie	Discoveries & Breakthroughs
Lubick	Naomi	Geotimes	Yes
McKeeking	Gavin	AGU/AAAS Mass Media Fellow
Molnia	Bruce	Freelance	Yes
Nash	J. Madeleine	Time	Yes
O'Hanlon	Larry	Discovery Channel Online	Yes
Perkins	Sid	Science News	Yes
Perlman	David	San Francisco Chronicle	Yes
Pratt	Sara	Freelance/Geotimes	Yes
Reed	Christina	Freelance	Yes
Robertson	Donald	Astronomy Now
Rogers	Adam	Wired
Rowan	Linda	Geotimes	Yes
Wakefield	Julie	Freelance
Weintraub	Rachel	NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr.
Witze	Alexandra	Nature	Yes
Wycoff	Barbara	National Geographic Magazine	Yes

Source: Eurekalert & others

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