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Chapter 14. Biological Rhythms, Sleep, and Dreaming
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by Douglas Main, LiveScience Staff Writer Rock-a-bye owlet, in the treetop … Baby owls and baby mammals, including humans, sleep in an analogous manner, spending a similar amount of time in an awakelike phase called REM (rapid-eye movement), in which dreams are thought to occur, at least during adulthood, new research suggests. In both owls and humans, REM sleep decreases with increasing age. Baby humans spend about 50 percent of their snooze time in this REM phase, whereas that figure decreases to less than 25 percent in adults, according to a statement from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology. (Applying the REM term to owls, whose eyes are fixed in their heads, may seem a stretch, but researchers use the phrase anyway.) In the new study, published in July in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, the researchers attached electroencephalograms (EEGs) and movement data loggers to 66 young barn owls to record how much time the animals spent in REM sleep and how much they moved while snoozing. They later removed the EEGs, which measure brain waves, and found that the birds mated normally and didn't appear to have suffered any negative effects from the devices, the statement noted. (7 Ways Animals Act Like Humans) "During this sleep phase, the owlets' EEG showed awakelike activity, their eyes remained closed, and their heads nodded slowly," said University of Lausanne researcher Madeleine Scriba in the statement. © 2013 Discovery Communications, LLC.
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18534 - Posted: 08.20.2013
By Scicurious It's something we feel we've always known: if you can't sleep, you need to exercise more. Wear yourself out, make yourself good and tired, you'll sleep like a baby! So when I started having trouble sleeping, I just figured I needed to work out more. Of course, it kind of figures that often, you have trouble sleeping because of life stress, which often means you're really busy, which in turn means it probably puts MORE stress in your life just trying to find the time to work out. But that's just details. So sometimes, when I catch myself constantly waking up in a panic over several days, I'll fit in some hard exercise. Maybe I'll go for a long run, or try a really hard new class or something. By the time I go to bed I am WIPED. Physically and mentally. My body is so exhausted that the feeling of lying down is one of total bliss. …so why can't I SLEEP?!?! Turns out I was suffering under expectations that were a little too high for reality. First off, we're not wrong. Exercise DOES improve sleep. It does. But not necessarily immediately. And perhaps, instead, we should ask a different question. Instead of asking how exercise impacts sleep, perhaps we should ask how sleep impacts exercise. The authors of this study were looking at exercise and sleep, especially in the elderly. We all sleep less as we get older, but chronic insomnia is a different beast entirely. When we don't get enough sleep, we get snappish, have trouble concentrating, suffer from daytime sleepiness, and are more susceptible to things like getting sick, or getting in to accidents. © 2013 Scientific American
Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 18533 - Posted: 08.20.2013
By Brady Dennis, Insomniacs of the world: If you think taking a long run today will make you sleep better tonight, think again. While exercise has long been a prescription for insomnia, new research suggests that exercise doesn't immediately translate into a better night's sleep — unless you stick with it for months. A study published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that aerobic exercise can lead to more rest at night for people who suffer from existing sleep problems, but only if they maintain an exercise regimen for roughly four months. "Exercise isn't a quick fix. . . . It takes some time and effort," the study's lead author, Kelly Glazer Baron, a clinical psychologist and director of the behavioral sleep program at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said in an interview. "It's a long-term relationship." Studies have long suggested that aerobic exercise can contribute to better sleeping habits. But much of the research on the daily effects of exercise on sleep was conducted with healthy sleepers. Tuesday's study, by contrast, looked at the long-term effects of exercise in people already suffering from sleep disorders. © 1996-2013 The Washington Post
Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 18526 - Posted: 08.19.2013
NICHOLAS SPITZER is a professor of neuroscience at the University of California. His research concentrates on the ways in which neurons take on specialised functions to enable signalling in the brain. He is editor-in-chief of BrainFacts.org, a public information service about the brain and nervous system, and is instrumental in the BRAIN Initiative, a research project backed by the White House to advance new technologies to help map the brain. What do you know about the brain that the rest of us don't? The structure and function of the brain are determined by genes and environment. We think we know this—it's nature and nurture—but what many don't realise is that this remains true throughout life. People think the brain is malleable only when we're young. But that's just not true. The forms of plasticity we see in the young brain are sustained in the mature brain. By plasticity I mean the ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to changes in the environment. In addition to the classical ways the brain changes (the strength of the connections, synapses and neurons) we now understand a third kind of brain plasticity in which the neurotransmitter molecules—the signals from one neuron to another—can actually switch. What does this mean for human development? Our experiments have mainly been done on adult rats. A finding that is directly related to the human condition is that putting the animals on different photoperiods [day and night cycles] changes the neurotransmitter identity in the hypothalamus [a part of the brain] and this changes the animal's behaviour. When animals are on a short day (rats are nocturnal so a short day is good) they make dopamine, the reward chemical. On the long day the neurons switch from dopamine to somatostatin, which retards growth. © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013.
Keyword: Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 18516 - Posted: 08.17.2013
By KATIE THOMAS The first test for a new sleep drug is — unsurprisingly — how safely it puts people to sleep. Now comes a second test: how safely it lets people wake up. The Food and Drug Administration is taking heightened interest in the issue, as new evidence suggests what many people have long suspected: the effects of common prescription sleep aids like Ambien can persist well into the next day. Of particular concern is whether people who take the drugs before bed can drive safely the next morning. Consumer advocates have warned for years about possible links between sleep drugs and car accidents. In one prominent example, Kerry Kennedy, the former wife of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was arrested last year after tests showed she had taken a sleep aid before swerving her car into a tractor-trailer. The F.D.A.'s actions are part of a robust national conversation about how to cope with the throngs of drivers who take to roads every day under the influence of prescription drugs. Law enforcement authorities have struggled with how to prosecute those who are impaired, especially when they have a prescription. A government survey in 2007 found that nearly 5 percent of daytime drivers tested positive for prescription or over-the-counter medications. Doctors wrote close to 60 million prescriptions for sleep aids in the United States last year, according to the research firm IMS Health, but experts say testing how these drugs affect driving is not easy. Nonetheless, the F.D.A. has been unusually active. Last month, it rejected an application by Merck to approve a new sleep drug, suvorexant, in part because tests showed that some people had trouble driving the next day. In May, the agency warned patients taking common allergy drugs like Benadryl against driving, noting that the sedating effects can sometimes last into the following day. In January, citing similar concerns, the F.D.A. took the unusual step of requiring that all manufacturers of zolpidem, the generic name of Ambien, cut in half the dosage for women. © 2013 The New York Times Company
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18508 - Posted: 08.14.2013
By Bahar Gholipour Girls with anorexia may tend to have traits that are usually found in people with autism, a new study suggests. Researchers compared 66 teen girls who had anorexia with about 1,600 girls who did not have the eating disorder, using questionnaires they had previously developed to assess thinking and personality types in children with autism. Girls with the eating disorder anorexia may tend to have traits usually found in people with autism. The girls with anorexia were found to have more interest in systems and order, and lower scores in empathy — a profile more similar to people with autism than to typical adolescents, the researchers said. The finding suggests the two conditions may share certain features, such as rigid attitudes and behaviors, a tendency to be very self-focused and a fascination with detail, the researchers said. "Traditionally, anorexia has been viewed purely as an eating disorder. This is quite reasonable, since the girls' dangerously low weight and their risk of malnutrition or even death has to be the highest priority" for treatment, said Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge in England. But his study suggests that "underlying the surface behavior, the mind of a person with anorexia may share a lot with the mind of a person with autism," Baron-Cohen said. People with both conditions have a strong interest in organizational systems; girls with anorexia are intensely interested in the system that governs body weight, shape and food intake, he said. © 1996-2013 The Washington Post
Keyword: Anorexia & Bulimia; Aggression
Link ID: 18497 - Posted: 08.13.2013
Some colors humans are exposed to late at night could cause symptoms of clinical depression. That is the conclusion of a study that builds on previous findings that individuals exposed to dim levels of light overnight, such as from a glowing television set, can develop signs of clinical depression. Investigators, curious as to whether the color of light contributed to depressive symptoms in humans, designed an experiment that exposed hamsters to different colors. They chose hamsters because they are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night. One group of hamsters was kept in the dark during their nighttime period. Another group of rodents was exposed to blue light and a third group slept in the presence of white light. A fourth group of hamsters was exposed to glowing red light. After four weeks, researchers noted how much sugary water the hamsters drank. The more depressed rodents consumed the least amount of water. Randy Nelson, chair of Ohio State University's Department of Neuroscience and co-author of the study, said animals that slept in blue and white light appeared to be the most depressed. "What we saw is these animals didn't show any sleep disruptions at all but they did have mucked up circadian clock genes and they did show depressive phenotypes whereas if they were in the dim red light, they did not," Nelson said. Nelson explained that photosensitive cells in the retina, which don't have much to do with vision, detect light and transmit signals to the master circadian clock in the brain that controls the natural sleep-wake cycle.
Keyword: Biological Rhythms; Aggression
Link ID: 18483 - Posted: 08.10.2013
By Bora Zivkovic Sharks are not known for being good at running in running wheels. Or hopping from one perch to the other in a birdcage. Which is why, unlike hamsters or sparrows, sharks were never a very popular laboratory model for circadian research. The study of fish came late into the field of chronobiology due to technical difficulties of monitoring rhythms, at the time when comparative tradition was starting to make way to the more focused approach on choice model organisms – in this case, the zebrafish. But the comparative tradition was always very strong in the field. Reading the old papers (especially review papers and loooong theoretical papers) by the pioneers like Jurgen Asschoff and Colin Pittendrigh, it seems like researchers at the time were just going around and saying "let me try this species…and this one…and this one…". And there were good reasons for this early approach. At the time, it was not yet known how widespread circadian rhythms were – it is this early research that showed they are ubiqutous in all organisms that live at or close to the surface of the earth or ocean. Another reason for such broad approach to testing many species was to find generalities – the empirical generalizations (e.g,. the Aschoff's Rules) that allowed the field to get established, and that provided a template for the entire research program, including refining the proper experimental designs. © 2013 Scientific American
Keyword: Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 18474 - Posted: 08.08.2013
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR Losing sleep tends to make people eat more and gain weight, and now a new study suggests that one reason may be the impact that sleep deprivation has on the brain. The research showed that depriving people of sleep for one night created pronounced changes in the way their brains responded to high-calorie junk foods. On days when the subjects had not had proper sleep, fattening foods like potato chips and sweets stimulated stronger responses in a part of the brain that helps govern the motivation to eat. But at the same time, the subjects experienced a sharp reduction in activity in the frontal cortex, a higher-level part of the brain where consequences are weighed and rational decisions are made. The findings suggested that one unfortunate result of sleep loss is this "double hit" in brain activity, said Matthew P. Walker, an author of the study and a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. A sleepy brain appears to not only respond more strongly to junk food, but also has less ability to rein that impulse in. Some experts have theorized that in a sleep-deprived state, people eat more food simply to make up for all the calories they expend as they burn the midnight oil. But the new study showed that the changes in brain activity were evident even when the subjects were fed extra food and not experiencing any increased sensations in hunger. "Their hunger was no different when they were sleep deprived and when they had a normal night of sleep," Dr. Walker said. "That's important because it suggests that the changes we're seeing are caused by sleep deprivation itself, rather than simply being perhaps more metabolically impaired when you're sleep deprived." Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18471 - Posted: 08.07.2013
By Meghan Rosen A short camping trip could help people rise and shine. After a week living in tents in Colorado's Rockies, volunteers' internal clocks shifted about two hours earlier, transforming night owls into early birds, researchers report August 1 in Current Biology. "It's a clever study, and it makes a dramatic point," says Katherine Sharkey, a sleep researcher and physician at Brown University. People get much more light outside than they do indoors, and that can reset their internal clocks, she says. A master clock in the brain controls the release of melatonin, a hormone that prepares the body for sleep. Melatonin levels rise in the early evening and then taper off in the morning before a person wakes up. But because so many people spend their days indoors and their nights bathed in the glow of electric lights, the body's clock can get out of sync. Melatonin levels ramp up later in the evening and ebb later in the morning — often after a person has woken up. The lingering sleep hormone can make people groggy. Kenneth Wright Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, and colleagues whisked eight volunteers away from artificial lights for a summer camping trip. After nightfall, the campers used only campfires for illumination — no flashlights (or cellphones) allowed. © Society for Science & the Public 2000 - 2013
Keyword: Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 18445 - Posted: 08.03.2013
Sleepless night, the moon is bright. People sleep less soundly when there's a full moon, researchers discovered when they analyzed data from a past sleep study. If you were tossing and turning and howling at your pillow this week, you're not necessarily a lunatic, at least in the strictest sense of the word. The recent full moon might be to blame for your poor sleep. In the days close to a full moon, people take longer to doze off, sleep less deeply, and sleep for a shorter time, even if the moon isn't shining in their window, a new study has found. "A lot of people are going to say, 'Yeah, I knew this already. I never sleep well during a full moon.' But this is the first data that really confirms it," says biologist Christian Cajochen of the University of Basel in Switzerland, lead author of the new work. "There had been numerous studies before, but many were very inconclusive." Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that people's sleep patterns, moods, and even aggression is linked to moon cycles. But past studies of potential lunar effects have been tainted by statistical weaknesses, biases, or inconsistent methods, Cajochen says. Between 2000 and 2003, he and his colleagues had collected detailed data on the sleep patterns of 33 healthy volunteers for an unrelated study on the effects of aging on sleep. Using electroencephalograms (EEG) that measure brain activity, they recorded how deep and how long each participant's nightly sleep was in a controlled, laboratory setting. Years after the initial experiment, the scientists were drinking in a pub—during a full moon—and came up with the idea of going back to the data to test for correlations with moon cycles. © 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18415 - Posted: 07.27.2013
By Scicurious We all know we should get more sleep, we're just not very good at it. In fact, we're so BAD at it that 28.3% of us (as of 2007, anyway) got less than 6 hours of sleep per night. Really, are we surprised? After all, there are kids that wake up in the night, stress that keeps us awake, always more things to do, multiple jobs, and only so many hours in the day. But that lack of sleep can have some not so great effects on our bodies. It decreases things like cognitive performance, increases anxiety, and…it's not good for our waistlines. Sleep loss is associated with higher caloric intake, when you can't sleep you eat. But does this increased caloric intake translate to weight gain? The biggest positive point of this study on sleep restriction was how LARGE it was. When doing human studies that are not large scale surveys (which usually involve phone calls or mail in or online and therefore are less expensive) it costs a LOT of money to bring some people in to the lab to do nothing but hang out and sleep for a week, especially if you are watching for things like food intake (and controlling what they eat). I'm very pleased that they got these numbers, 225 people! The authors took these 225 people, and brought them into the lab. They got two baseline nights (to see how much they naturally slept), 5 sleep restriction nights, and then another 2 recovery nights. But unfortunately, they did not balance the control and sleep restriction, where they were restricted down to FOUR HOURS a night of sleep (ick). They only had 27 controls out of all of these (people allowed to sleep fully all the nights of the study), the rest were sleep restriction. I have to wonder why they did it this way. While the two original nights and the two recovery nights could in theory serve as a partial control, I don't think that those would work. After all, if most people are slightly sleep restricted, the original two nights will be recovery as well, and both sets of recovery nights may not be representative of optimal sleep. © 2013 Scientific American
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18402 - Posted: 07.23.2013
By Scicurious It seems like the worst sort of cycle. The less sleep you get, the less effective you are. Then you have more to do, get more stressed, and stay up trying to get it all done (or lie awake stressing about it). The next day, less sleep, and even more anxiety. The ironic part is that you might not be quite so anxious…if you could just get some SLEEP. The authors of this study wanted to look at anxiety responses in people, and how they were affected by lack of sleep. To do this, you need 19 healthy participants, an fMRI machine, a test of anxiety…and way to keep people up all night. How do you assess anxiety responses? Start with cues, and then give outcomes. You can see the layout of the studies above. The participants were placed in an fMRI scanner. During the recording, they were shown signs, followed by stimuli. If they got a negative sign, they would always get a negative stimuli (a man with a gun, which is plenty good enough to provoke an anxiety response). If they got a zero sign, they got a normal stimuli (a doorknob. Nothing scary there). If they got a question mark, they have a 50% chance of getting the negative stimulus. This question mark gives you an ambiguous stimulus, you don't know what to expect. They had the participants go through the series of stimuli in two conditions: rested and sleep deprived. And when they sleep deprived them, BOY did they. Many sleep deprivation studies will restrict sleep to, say, 4 hours the night before the study, or 5. Not these guys. No, they had the participants pull an all-nighter! © 2013 Scientific American
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18379 - Posted: 07.16.2013
by Kelly Servick It almost seems like a mystical correlation. Babies conceived at certain times of the year appear healthier than those conceived during other times. Now, scientists have shown that the bizarre phenomenon is actually true—and they think they may know why it happens. The work is "a really long-overdue analysis," says economist Douglas Almond of Columbia University, who was not involved in the study. "This is maybe not quite a smoking gun," he says, "but it's much stronger than the previous evidence." As early as the 1930s, researchers noticed that children born in winter were more prone to health problems later in life: slower growth, mental illness, and even early death. Among the proposed explanations were diseases, harsh temperatures, and higher pollution levels associated with winter, when those expectant mothers and near-term fetuses might be most vulnerable. But recently, as economists looked at demographics, the picture got more complicated. Mothers who are nonwhite, unmarried, or lack a college education are more likely to have children with health and developmental problems. They are also more likely to conceive in the first half of the year. That made it hard to tease out the socioeconomic effects from the seasonal ones. Economists Janet Currie and Hannes Schwandt of Princeton University took a new approach to resolving this long-standing question, using data from the vital statistics offices in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania about births between 1994 and 2006. To control for socioeconomic status, their study looked only at siblings born to the same mother. And lo and behold, seasonal patterns persist, they report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. © 2010 American Association for the Advancement of Science
Keyword: Biological Rhythms; Aggression
Link ID: 18363 - Posted: 07.09.2013
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online Late nights and lax bedtime routines can blunt young children's minds, research suggests. The findings on sleep patterns and brain power come from a UK study of more than 11,000 seven-year-olds. Youngsters who had no regular bedtime or who went to bed later than 21:00 had lower scores for reading and maths. Lack of sleep may disrupt natural body rhythms and impair how well the brain learns new information say the study authors. They gathered data on the children at the ages of three, five and then seven to find out how well they were doing with their learning and whether this might be related to their sleeping habits. Erratic bedtimes were most common at the age of three, when around one in five of the children went to bed at varying times. By the age of seven, more than half the children had a regular bedtime of between 19:30 and 20:30. Overall, children who had never had regular bedtimes tended to fare worse than their peers in terms of test scores for reading, maths and spatial awareness. The impact was more obvious throughout early childhood in girls than in boys and appeared to be cumulative. BBC © 2013
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18362 - Posted: 07.09.2013
Melatonin is marketed as a natural sleep aid but it's potentially risky for healthy children to use long term, Canadian pediatricians say. Difficulties settling, falling asleep and staying asleep affect up to 25 per cent of children generally and up to half of those with physical and mental health problems, according to the Canadian Sleep Society. Melatonin is a hormone of darkness that is part of the sleep cycle. People can buy melatonin supplements at pharmacies and health food stores to overcome jet lag or occasional insomnia. But long-term use by healthy, developing children isn't advised, said Dr. Shelly Weiss, a neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, who is studying the use of melatonin supplements for improving sleep in children with epilepsy. "It's being touted as this magic pill," said Weiss. "There's definitely concern that people are going to use it more widely and not appreciate that their child can learn to sleep better without a hormone being given." Melatonin supplements contain between 25 to 50 times as much melatonin as the body makes at night, Weiss noted. "There's definitely potential risk, mostly to delayed puberty or delayed development in children who have taken it for a long time," said Weiss, who is also president of the Canadian Sleep Society and an associate professor at the University of Toronto. © CBC 2013
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18354 - Posted: 07.08.2013
A UC Berkeley study suggests that sleep deprivation triggers anxiety by inducing hyperactivity in brain regions that control emotions. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, suggests that sleep therapy can help patients with anxiety disorders. Stress and anticipation bring anxiety that can sometimes be good; if under control, anxiety might help a person focus and be more efficient. But a patient with anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other disorders and phobias, cannot control it. The feeling of anxiety and nervousness is constant and has major negative impact on their everyday life. The socioeconomic impact is huge as about one in five adults in the U.S. are affected by such mental illnesses. What are the drivers of anxiety disorders? Why can some people control anxiety while others cannot? Research studies have shown over the years that causes can be genetics, personality, social environment and brain chemistry. Scientists have found a network of neurons in the brain that supports affective anticipation and anxiety. More precisely, those with anxiety disorders have hyperactivity in certain regions of the brain that process emotions, including the amygdala and anterior insula cortex. On top of that, sleep deprivation amplifies the symptoms, a setback for patients because it is very common for them to suffer from sleep abnormalities. Looking for more clues about the connection between sleep and anxiety management, Matthew P. Walker, professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley, led a study that looked for differences in the activity of the amygdala and anterior insula cortex in the brains of healthy adults after sleep deprivation and after a good night's sleep.
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18345 - Posted: 07.04.2013
Till Roenneberg Sleep is essential for health, performance and wellbeing. Yet in many countries, people are getting one to two hours less of it each night than their ancestors did 50–100 years ago. Even when people have the opportunity to sleep, many cannot. Sleep pathologies are approaching epidemic levels, affecting an estimated 70 million people in the United States alone (see go.nature.com/6dgqhg). And in some countries, direct and indirect costs of sleep-related problems are thought to approach 1% of gross domestic product1. Despite these alarming numbers, sleep research ranks only 91st in the 235 categories on this year's funding list of the US National Institutes of Health — below, for instance, studies of tobacco (see go.nature.com/ces1rf). Researchers have made great advances in understanding which neurotransmitters and brain regions are involved in sleep2, and how the timings of sleep and wakefulness are controlled by an internal (circadian) clock3, among other things. Yet we still do not have answers to the most basic questions. It is not really understood, for instance, what sleep is for, how much is optimal, how sleep quality can be measured and predicted, or the role of genetic and environmental factors in determining ideal sleeping patterns. One reason for this lack of understanding is that most of what is known about sleep comes from laboratory studies. Subjects in these studies tend to be mice or hamsters that are kept in artificial light–dark cycles, or people who have been instructed to sleep at certain times in beds that are not their own, with electrodes fastened to their heads. Assessments of sleep are also often based on subjective responses to questions about how 'well' people feel after they have slept, or whether they think they experienced a good night's sleep. To learn about sleep in the real world, and to establish how to manage sleep to improve productivity, health and quality of life, we need a multidisciplinary 'human sleep project'. © 2013 Nature Publishing Group
Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 18325 - Posted: 06.29.2013
By Susan Milius After 17 years underground, throngs of ruby-eyed cicadas clawed up through the soil this year to partake in a once-in-a-lifetime, synchronized mating frenzy. Except it wasn't one big insect orgy: It was three. The insects that unearthed themselves to breed in 2013 belong to three distinct species. You need only flip them over to see some differences, written in the varieties of their orange markings. You can hear the differences too, says Chris Simon of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The tymbals on either side of a male's abdomen vibrate to make the racket for which cicadas are famous. A chorus of courting Magicicada cassini males sounds like an electric carving knife revving up. M. septendecula coughs out a series of rasps. And M. septendecim serenades with the whistling drone of a B-movie spaceship. The various thrums and buzzings may mingle in the same neighborhood, but the last time ancestors of these species mated with each other was almost 4 million years ago, Simon says. That's the conclusion of the most detailed genetic studies yet of periodical cicada evolutionary history, which Simon and colleagues published in April in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With DNA plus episodic field observations, the scientists are getting an idea about the odd family tree of periodical cicadas, how the insects synchronize their life cycles and why they breed side-by-side with others unsuitable for mating. © Society for Science & the Public 2000 - 2013
Keyword: Biological Rhythms; Aggression
Link ID: 18321 - Posted: 06.29.2013
By DAVID DOBBS On average, about 700 Americans kill themselves each week — but in the fine-weather weeks of May and June, the toll rises closer to 800, sometimes higher. Every year, suicide peaks with the tulips and lilacs — increasing roughly 15 percent over the annual average to create one of psychiatry's most consistent epidemiological patterns. It may seem perverse that the period of spring and early summer, as the psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison puts it in her splendid book "Night Falls Fast," should contain "a capacity for self-murder that winter less often has." Yet it does. This grim spring growth confounds conventional belief that suicides peak in winter. It also confounds researchers — and fascinates them. As they discover more angles into the biology of mood and behavior, they are finding new clues about why suicides rise with the sun's arc. They hope solving this puzzle will help us better understand why people commit suicide at all — and perhaps reduce the numbers year-round. This effort takes an extra urgency from what Dr. Adam Kaplin, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, calls a "suicide epidemic" — a sharp increase in both absolute and per-capita rates since the recession that began in 2007, particularly among the middle-aged. More than 38,000 people committed suicide in the United States in 2010 — a 16.5 percent jump from the 32,600 suicides five years before, and a new high. The stakes involved in figuring out the dynamics of self-murder seem only to rise with time. The spring surge in suicides is actually the largest of a few oscillations throughout the year. After dropping to an annual low in February (October in the southern hemisphere), rates climb sharply through spring; fall slowly in summer; show a slight rise, according to some studies, in fall; and then begin a steep winter drop. The spring peak generally runs 10 to 25 percent above the yearly average and 20 to 50 percent above the February low. Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company
Keyword: Depression; Aggression
Link ID: 18308 - Posted: 06.25.2013


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Four years after setting box offices ablaze in [[Feature~V7672~Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid~butchcassidyandthesundancekid]], [[Performer~P104390~Paul Newman~paulnewman]], [[Performer~P107758~Robert Redford~robertredford]], and director [[Performer~P94375~George Roy Hill~georgeroyhill]] re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. [[Performer~P107758~Redford~robertredford]] plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman ([[Performer~P36085~Robert...more
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subset: commoncrawl


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How can we sit here and blame one player, when the entire team is healthy?
Let's pretend that Richard Jefferson was injured. Then what? Would anything have been different vs the Lakers? HELLS NO.
Gregg Popovich would have made the exact game time adjustments regardless of Jefferson.
One would think that a Hall of Fame coach would have sense enough to NOT create mismatches that would go against his team. Not with this year's head coach, either he does not know or he is too stubborn to change and neither is good.
Let's take his very first sub. Jefferson missed a defensive assignment on Ron Artest. For Popovich, this was so bad, that Pop hurts the team by pulling Jefferson for Keith Bogans.
Bogans can't stop anyone and he is NO offensive threat either. Keep in mind, on the post Bogans has no chance of guarding Artest in the paint, he can only hope that Artest stays on the perimeter. So why put Bogans in if you are going to make this sub? Micheal Finley would have been better. Finley can't guard Artest in the paint either, but Finley is a threat on the other end and the Lakers can't clog the paint on Tony Parker and Tim Duncan with a spot up shooter like Finley on the perimeter.
Making this sub gives a mismatch to the Lakers.
Just when I thought the Bogans for Jefferson sub was bad, the next sub DOOMed the Spurs in this game and quite possibly killed the rest of the little confidence I had in Pop for the rest of this year.
Matt Bonner for Tim Duncan. Let me say that again.
Matt Bonner came into the game to replace Timothy Theodore Duncan.
All I can say is WHY???
What could Bonner possibly do in this game? If ever I saw a player look bad in an NBA game, it was Bonner trying to guard Lamar Odom.
Instead of getting small with Bonner, lets look at the alternative. Theo Ratliff in for Tim Duncan. Naturally Ratliff guards Pau Gasol and Antonio McDyess would guard Odom. Still a mismatch for the Lakers but McDyess has a better chance with Odom than Bonner^3. If by chance the Lakers miss a wide open shot, Ratliff and McDyess are a better rebounding tandem than McDyess and Bonner.
Besides, isn't that why we brought Theo here, to match up with the Laker's size?
However, again, making the Bonner sub gave another mismatch advantage to the Lakers.
Let's fast forward to the start of the 4Qtr, we open with Blair, Jefferson, Manu, Finley, Hill vs Gasol, Walton, Vujajic, Brown, Farmar.
Where in this lineup is a mismatch for the Spurs? Where???
The only mismatch here is Gasol over Blair. A HUGE advantage for the Lakers.
The Lakers push their lead to 9 points and with our next sub we get even weaker defensively, in comes Roger Mason for Hill. Where is the starting lineup that got us off to a decent start? Duncan, McDyess, Jefferson/Manu, Hill, Parker? Our Closers?
McDyess played 19 mins, least of any starter, yet he almost equals Duncan's 15 rebounds with 12 boards of his own. McDyess was the only player capable of keeping the Lakers off the offensive glass yet he doesn't play at all in the 4th Qtr.
Again, wasn't Dice brought here to match up with the Lakers size?
McDyess was no where to be found when it counted the most, because Pop benches him, for ONLY grabbing 12 rebounds in the first 3 quarters of the game.
With coaching like this, there is no way the Spurs win this game. This team is not done, this head coach is done. You wanna trade someone, trade Gregg Popovich for a real coach. No more Russian mind games, the Spurs need a true basketball coach who isn't out there trying to play mind games with the talent.
When a team is completely healthy and loses games to injured teams like Portland twice and L.A., there is no one to blame but the coach, GREGG "Please Get Me Out Of Here" POPOVICH.


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Shopaholic Natasha's Stockpile
June 20, 2012
Pic #2:
Everything in the Fruit by the Foot box is shampoo. Everythng in the Huggies box is scrubbies.
Notice that your stockpile does not need to be huge and like the show "Extreme Couponing". There is really no need to have a grocery store in your house.Mahalo Natasha for sharing!
If you have a shopping trip, mailbox freebies, or a stockpile you would like to share with Shopaholics, please snap a photo and email email@example.com with a brief description. Every Shopaholic who submits photos with descriptions are entered into a giveaway of an envelope of coupons.
***For the entire month of June, every Shopaholic who submits photos to email@example.com of Shopping Trip pictures with breakdown, photo(s) of their stockpile, photo of Mailbox Freebies with descriptions and photos of great deals you see out in stores will be entered to win 1 of 3 Three Inch Starter Coupon Binders. ***
Happy Shopping


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Human remains were found in a pond in a northwest suburban subdivision on Friday near where a 25-year-old resident missing for more than a week was last seen, South Barrington Police say.
Vance Chidera Nwankwo's mom filed a missing person report with police on Nov. 1, two days after he was last seen, Deputy Police Chief Raymond Cordell said.
On Friday, police reported that the Barrington Fire Department found human remains using sonar equipment, and that a body is being removed. Identification is pending.
Police described Nwankwo as a 6-foot-1 black man last seen dressed in an Incredible Hulk costume.
Nwankwo's friends told the Barrington Courier-Review that his cell phone, wallet and keys were left in his home, and one of his shoes was found outside.
Vance Nwankwo went to a party at a Schaumburg bar called Drink dressed as the Hulk the day before Halloween. He disappeared afterwards.
205 N. Michigan AvenueGround FloorChicago, IL 60601Station Operator: (312) 565-5532Newsroom: (312)565-5533


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Festool 490649 - Replacement 13' Plug-it Detachable Power Cord, 18-gauge
Get FREE SHIPPING on Festool orders over $150!
Replacement 18-gauge power cord is 13 feet long. Delivered as standard equipment with jigsaws, MFK 700 router, Domino joiner, and sanders (note: 16-guage cord is required for use with TS Plunge Cut saws as well as OF 1010 and OF 1400 Routers).
Burns Tools
Contact & Directions


text: Our Auto-Owners Insurance Tip-off Show, with Dave Revsine, Jim Jackson and Gary Williams, was live at Crisler Center before No. 22 Michigan hosted No. 20 Indiana on Wednesday night. During the 30-minute show, we had a feature where Michigan senior Zack Novak gave us a tour of Michigan's new facilities at Crisler Center, formerly Crisler Arena.Read More »


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- Home
- News
- Chevron can sue Patton Boggs over law firm effort to collect $9.5B verdict, federal judge rules
Trials & Litigation
Chevron can sue Patton Boggs over law firm effort to collect $9.5B verdict, federal judge rules
Posted Mar 31, 2014 4:24 PM CDT
By Martha Neil
In the latest salvo in a hard-fought international environmental case, a federal judge in New York has OK'd a request by Chevron Corp. to sue a law firm representing the oil company's opponent in its efforts to collect a $9.5 billion judgment awarded by a court in Ecuador.
Although Patton Boggs is not the lead counsel representing the plaintiffs in the environmental case and hence was not directly impacted by a U.S. district court ruling earlier this month that the $9.5 verdict had been obtained by fraud, the Washington, D.C., firm did attempt to help the Ecuadorian plaintiffs collect their verdict in the underlying case. That resulted in another ruling Monday by Judge Lewis Kaplan in the Manhattan case. He said Chevron could countersue Patton Boggs in the collection litigation, according to Bloomberg and Reuters.
Chevron will seek treble damages, punitive damages and attorney fees in its counterclaims against Patton Boggs, Bloomberg reports.
Chevron contends in a court filing that Patton Boggs partner James Tyrrell agreed to head collection efforts despite doubts about the merits of the environmental case because of "enormous financial pressure at Patton Boggs," Reuters reports. The oil company has also suggested that Patton Boggs may have concealed fraudulent tactics by lead plaintiffs lawyer Steven Donziger, who does not work at Patton Boggs.
Tyrrell and the law firm have denied these claims.
In an earlier court filing arguing against Chevron's efforts to pursue counterclaims, Patton Boggs called Chevron's effort "a bad-faith, legally-futile, and vexatious stratagem designed to divert the resources" of Patton Boggs and pressure the firm to abandon the collection case.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Federal judge rules for Chevron in civil-racketeer case, bans collection of $9B enviro award in US"
ABAJournal.com: "Patton Boggs says latest partner defections don't affect merger talks"
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LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - The Lubbock Fire Marshal's Office is investigating three vehicle fires within a two block radius of the Guadalupe neighborhood. They believe the fires were set intentionally. One vehicle was a total loss. There is nothing left of the steering wheel, and the seats are completely stripped. Before last night, the truck was out on the road. Early Saturday around 2 AM, firefighters say someone intentionally set three vehicles in the neighborhood on fire.
"Something you'd never think would ever happen to you, when it does, it hits hard" Chris Mojica says standing in front of his father's melted, burned truck. "It really looked like it was a tornado coming out of the truck; I mean that's how bad it looked" Mojica says. The flames spread to a tree, but because of Mojica's efforts, it went no further.
"It was a good running truck; my dad had it for many years" Mojica says. His father spent his spare time fixing what is now a completely destroyed truck. "It was his pride and joy, he's trying to stay strong trying to work through it" Mojica says about his father's loss. Financing the loss isn't the only burden the flames left behind.
"It was hard to go back to sleep last night worrying that it might happen again" Mojica says, shocked that something like this could happen right outside his bedroom. He's not the only one. The Fire Marshal's Office says it happened to two other vehicles, in less than thirty minutes. They believe that someone intentionally set the fires.
"It was really scary for the whole family." Mojica says about Saturday morning's events. While the truck is a total loss, Mojica is thankful his family and his neighbors are safe. "It was sitting in the driveway, if it had been any closer to the house, I'm sure it would have gotten to the house" he says.
Investigators say those targeted appear random. They tell us they have identified one possible suspect, but no arrests have been made. The investigation will continue.
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text: Motivational Quote Of The Day Posted by stickyquote on September 14, 2012 Posted in: Motivating Quote. Tagged: Bobby Knight, Motivation, Photo, Prepare, Quotes, StickyNotesQuotes, Succeed, Willingness. Leave a comment The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare. | Bobby Knight | photo credit: heanster via photo pin cc Have A Great Weekend! About these ads Rate this:Share this:Like this:Like Loading... Related Posts navigation ← Like any other living, growing thing, love requires effort to keep it healthy. | Leo Buscaglia | #quotes A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears. | Anne Roiphe | #quotes →


text: 'Power of the masses': Relive Yossi Vardi's talk at Wired 2011 Technology 08 October 12 by Wired.co.uk Staff Tweet w11yossi With Wired 2012 just a few weeks away, Wired.co.uk is revisiting some of the most popular and notable talks from last year's sell-out event, Wired 2011. Each day in October these will give you a taster of what you can expect of this year's event.Yossi Vardi is a veteran of the startup and tech scene and was the final speaker at Wired 2011. Over the past 40 years he's co-founded, led, funded and helped shape over 70 companies. The Israeli entrepreneur spent time advising the CEO's of Amazon, AOL, Siemens Albis and Allied-signal and lent his services to the World Bank and United Nations development program. If you enjoyed this, you won't want to miss Wired 2012 -- a compelling two-day event in London, where we bring the values of Wired magazine to life. For more information and to book tickets, visit wiredevent.co.uk. Comments Read more on Wired 2011 The Wired 2011 event is the next step in Wired's mission to celebrate the ideas, innovations and people reshaping our world Wired Blog Complete Wired 2011 coverage Technology Video: Day 1 highlights Technology Video: Day 2 highlights Culture 'The future of real-time': Relive Juliana Rotich's talk at Wired 2011 Technology Behind Kinect: Relive Andrew Blake's talk at Wired 2011 Culture 'The real world is not ultraconnected': Chris Mikkelsen's talk at Wired 2011 Latest on wired.co.uk


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The Texas Cadet Murder Case
Adler, Jerry & Ginny Carroll, "Young, In Love, In Jail: A Model Couple Is Held In A Brutal Killing, Newsweek, Vol. 128 Issue 13, p63, 1p, 3c.
Gray, A. W., The Cadet Murder Case: A True Story of Teen Love and Deadly Revenge. Penguin Books, New York: NY. 1997.
Hewitt, Bill & Carlton Stowers,"To The Bitter End," People magazine, Vol. 49 Issue 8, p67, 2p, 14c.
Hewitt, Bill & Anne Maier, "Sealed in Blood," People magazine, Vol. 46 Issue 17, p84, 7p, 11c.
Hollandsworth, Skip, "The Killer Cadets. In Texas Crime Chronicles: Outrageous True Stories Of Murder And Mayhem" In The Lone Star State, from the editors of Texas Monthly, pp. 432-465, Warner Brooks, Inc. New York: NY. 1996.
Meyer, Peter, Blind Love: The True Story of the Texas Cadet Murder. St. Martin's Paperbacks. New York: NY. 2000.
Thompson, Mark, "Schools For Scandal" in Time Australia, September 23rd, Issue 39, p118, 1p, 2c.
Newspaper articles & Court TV (courttv.com)


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City of Charlottesville Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Charlottesville City Hall will be closed on Tuesday, December 24 and Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas.
Charlottesville Area Transportation (CAT) will operate as usual on Tuesday, December 24 until 4 pm. More details on the holiday schedule is at www.CatchTheCAT.org. There will be no CAT service on December 25. Service will return to normal on Thursday.
City trash and recycling services. Curbside trash and recycling will be collected as usual on Tuesday, December 24. Curbside trash and recycling will not be collected Wednesday, December 25. For the reminder of the week, each scheduled collection day will be delayed by one day. (Wednesday collection will take place Thursday,Thursday collection will take place Friday, Friday collection will take place Saturday.)
City offices will reopen Thursday, December 26.
A complete list of City Holidays can be found on the City website.
Sign up to receive NBC29 news and weather updates in your inbox daily.


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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's unemployment rate ticked up to 8.6 percent in December.
but even with the one-month rise, the state's jobless rate still decreased the third-most among states in 2012, in percentage point terms. Only Nevada and Florida saw larger drops.
The state's unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in November and 10.5 percent rate in December 2011.
The unemployment rate rose because the state's labor force increased faster than people found jobs. Mississippi reported 115,000 unemployed people in December, up from 113,000 in November, but down from 141,000 in December 2011.
Analysts say Mississippi has resumed growing, though slowly, after the economy stalled in the summer.
A separate survey of employer payrolls shows nonfarm employees fell slightly from November but remained above levels from December 2011.


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Archive for May 8th, 2009
Karzai Demands End to U.S. Air Strikes
8-9 May 09 | AWC News, CNN and LAT
Record toll of Farah Attack renews outrage over bombing villages. Read the rest of this entry »
Sri Lanka: Repeated Shelling of Hospitals Evidence of War Crimes
8 May 09 | HRW
30 attacks reported on medical facilities since December. Read the rest of this entry »
Group Condemns FEMA Move to Evict Thousands of Katrina Survivors
8 May 09 | Raw Story
A Federal Emergency Management Agency deadline at the end of May that will leave thousands homeless in its wake was condemned by the U.S. Human Rights Network on Friday. The group called the move to reclaim temporary housing offered to victims of Hurricane Katrina a "violation of International law." Read the rest of this entry »
UN: Pakistan Unrest Displaces One Million
8 May 09 | PTV
A spokesman for the UN refugee agency says the recent outbreak of violence in northwest Pakistan has displaced a total of one million people.
Obama Renews Sanctions on Syria, Supports Syria-Israel Pact
Despite recent attempts to improve relations with Damascus, a senior official says the Obama administration has extended US sanctions on Syria.
Israel is Just Using Iran to Stall Progress on the Middle East
by Andrew Hamilton
8 May 09 | UKI
Israel is not Iran's primary concern, or target, and never has been. Read the rest of this entry »
U.N. Security Council Members Can't Agree on Gaza Debate
If the UN fails to further investigate crimes committed during the conflict it will ensure stalemate, and more suffering for civilians. Read the rest of this entry »
Fannie Mae Taps Treasury for Further $19bn
8 May 09 | FT
Fannie Mae said on Friday it would draw a further $19bn of assistance from the US Treasury after a seventh consecutive quarterly loss – $23.2bn in the first quarter – drove its net worth below zero. Read the rest of this entry »
Triple Canopy to Replace Blackwater/Xe in Iraq
7 May 09 | AJE
Blackwater, a U.S. security firm, has halted its operations in Iraq, ending a controversial chapter for the company whose guards shot dead several civilians in Baghdad in 2007.
U.S. Military Officials Concede Killing Scores of Civilians in Afghan Strike
7-8 May 09 | AWC News, AJE, AI and PTV
The US military is backing off its previous claims that the Farah airstrike, which Afghan officials are now saying killed 147 civilians, was entirely manufactured by the Taliban and the US attacks only destroyed homes full of already dead bodies.
Pentagon Seeking More Weapons Spending: Afghanistan Costs Will Eclipse Iraq
Budget was originally presented as abandoning wasteful weapons spending, seeks increase. Read the rest of this entry »


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Superdry Mens Vintage Washbasket Bermuda Shorts
- Low stock, selling fast
5 reviews
- Delivery
Superdry Vintage Mens Bermuda Shorts
Sitting just above the knee, these shorts are fitted close to the leg and were originally worn as streetwear by men on the island of Bermuda. Superdry incorporates their knack for retro style on this beachwear staple.
The buttoned coin pocket accompanies the side and rear pockets, offering lots of storage space for when you're on the move. Secured with a button fly fastening, and with cinch back detail to the waist, they're a smart option on long summer days.
In trademark Superdry fashion, a smattering of branded detailing is included with branding to a belt loop and a woven tab to the rear.
Give a boost of colour to your warm weather wardrobe with these Bermuda shorts. Pair them with a printed T-shirt and flat-laced plimsolls when you're enjoying the sunshine.
Useful info:
- Mens shorts by Superdry
- Bermuda
- Vintage wash
- Button fly fastening
- Cinch back detail
- Buttoned coin pocket and back pockets
- Twin side pockets
- Woven tab to rear pocket
- Branding to belt loop
- Available in 3 colours
Lyle & Scott Mens Swim Shorts
- Low stock, selling fast
0 review
- Delivery
Lyle & Scott Swim Shorts
Lyle & Scott offer up swim shorts in two standout colours, awesome for when you're hitting the pool or topping up your tan on the sand.
The elasticated drawstring waist provides a figure-hugging fit; and the fold over pocket to the rear is the perfect place for your hotel key when you're not in the water. Branding is included with the golden eagle proudly positioned to the hem.
These Lyle & Scott swim shorts are perfect to pack in your summer holiday suitcase. Cool down in the sunshine with a dip in the pool.
Useful info:
- Mens swim shorts by Lyle & Scott
- Elasticated drawstring waist
- Logo to front
- Rear fold over pocket
- Perforated eyelets
- Available in 2 colours
Tokyo Laundry Mens Sahara Shorts
- Low stock, selling fast
2 reviews
- Delivery
Tokyo Laundry Baroque Rose Sahara Mens Shorts
Bring on those lazy summer days and grab yourself a pair of versatile shorts from Tokyo Laundry. With a canvas belt included, the Sahara shorts make an instant impact on your casuals this season.
In a rich Baroque Rose colourway, they make a real statement from park to BBQ. The five-pocket Western styling is a suave classic touch and they're given a branded finish with a tab to the rear.
Team the Sahara shorts with a Tokyo Laundry printed T-Shirt and lace-up plimsolls to sharpen up your summer style.
Useful info:
- Mens shorts by Tokyo Laundry
- Sahara
- Cotton twill
- Slant side pockets
- Button-down rear pockets
- Coin pocket detail
- Branded tab to rear
- Striped belt included
- Buttonfly fastening


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According to profootballtalk.com and their sources, Clinton Portis has been giving Jim Zorn a hard time.
Multiple sources have advised us that Portis shows little or no respect to coach Jim Zorn, and that the situation bubbled over at least once during the team's OTA sessions, with Portis telling the coach off in front of other players.
Said one source: "Portis totally has no regard for [Zorn] and thinks he's above everyone."
I seriously hope this isn't true, but I think it's a high possibility that they may have been feuding in some way during the OTAs. We all saw what happened with Zorn and Portis last year so I could definitely see something similar happening again. Also considering the fact that Portis didn't want to be at the OTAs, I could imagine Portis not doing what he was asked and Zorn confronting Portis for it, only for Zorn to be disrespected and blown off by Portis.
We all know that Portis is held on a high pedestal by Snyder so even if he's is in the wrong, Zorn will be the one that is disciplined, possibly by being fired. I like Portis and his high productivity on the field, but if this is true he needs to know that no one is above the team. He needs Zorn and Zorn needs him in order to accomplish our goal of winning, I just hope Portis eventually realizes this.


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Gap Kids want candy
December 6th, 2011 by Rosa
Gap Kids new holiday line is "I want candy" themed. Shrug. At least it comes with a cute music video with cute kids bopping around a candy store. Via AdFreak.
This entry was posted onTuesday, December 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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Number of ratings 57 / Average Grade: N/A Submit a correction
Class can get confusing because of the layout of modules. You can literally skip all the videos and the Intro's/Overviews to the modules and still easily complete the module. He takes the papers very seriously so do a good job on those and you will pass. Try to stay 1 module ahead of the schedule, it pays off.
Loved it, finished it in less than a week! I absolutely hate history, but it was fun since it included literature and music. 15 quizzes (can take quizzes an unlimited amount of times) and 2 essays (only 750 words each), 87.5% = A! It really does make me want to travel to Pont-du-Gard in France, Constantine's basilica in Germany, and much more.
Very rude. Blames missed deadlines and "poor" submitted work that was his fault on the student. Grumpy almost every day when he comes to class. The only good thing is that he responds quickly to messages. Otherwise, take someone else as your English teacher.
Richard's class is not for those wanting to skate through an easy online course. He provides all his own material so you don't have to buy a textbook, and the material is extremely entertaining/informative at the same time. Be prepared to spend a LOT of time studying and writing, but in my opinion it was well worth the money. Great course!
The class isn't difficult but he is. His lectures are all online, boring although he is animated. I tried hard to understand his questions which usually resulted in him telling me I missed the point. I got tired of hearing it and gave up. Not sure what he wanted; very unclear. Lots of work, reading the lectures etc. Take anyone else but him!
Horrible teacher. Not clear on what he wants with papers and discussions. Had us watch many videos in real player format. I hadn't seen real player videos since early 2000's FAR behind the times technologically.
I'm a 3.8 GPA student with 120 college credits. I've completed Freshman-Senior level classes. This is NOT a Sophomore level course. This is a 3-cr course, but the reading/studying required is as though it's a 5-cr course. He says there's a problem with all of us, but if all his students are subpar to his standards, it may be his teaching methods!
Very very poor teacher, grades based off his feelings and how he feels that day, not the work you did. Definantly recommend taking somebody else
Well, he certainly put a lot of time into his modules but there is a lot of material to cover (expect to study for 6-8 hours per quiz and there are a ton of them). Also many test questions have two correct answers which is frustrating but only one will be 'correct'. Grade 'A' students will struggle to get a B. If GPA is important look elsewhere.
Hated this class. Lots of reading, watching videos and writing notes. Tricky multiple question tests that often had two appropriate answers. Trick answers. Difficult to rebuttal online. I wasn't willing to bet my 4.0 gpa on a power hungry teacher who purposely makes his class difficult and makes a wonderful subject into a bad experience.
Professor Felnagle is very clear in his requirements for the class. The synthesis papers are not difficult if you put some thought into the topics: he does not simply hand you the connections you are to make on your own. The reading is much less than what is required in university classes. The study guides are thorough (long), but worth it.
This was a great class. The lecture videos were very entertaining, Mr Felnagle clearly has a great passion for this subject, and he worked very hard on compiling this online course. All instructions are clearly written out in the syllabus and the two required papers weren't that difficult. I would definitely recommend this teacher and this class.
good lectures, he worked hard on his site He is egotistical, you have to write 2 1000 wrd papers, the instuctions are 3 pages, and 15min video* He didnt respond to an emails ina timely maner. In said paper you are to come to you "own" conclusion(that has to match what his is)or you will get no credit. The 2 papers were absoultly ridiculous.3.85 gpa
This guy was a crack-up, loved watching his videos. He was quirky. He clearly worked hard to put the class together so that you don't have to buy a book and he only gave you the important information. The synthesis papers were not hard and he gave great feedback. Nice to have an online teacher that actually taught the class.
If you're looking for an easy online class don't take him. The material was boring, the tests were too short and the synthesis papers were hard and pointless. He doesn't round your grade whatsoever so if you're a point away from the next grade bracket he won't help you out, so be careful.
Like everyone else has said, the 2 papers for this class are difficult. The timed quizzes go by really fast. It is a lot of reading but he is funny and the material is interesting. If you are looking for an easy online class this is not the one for you.
This was the worst class that I have ever taken. The amount of reading that needs to be done is insane, the study guides are awful, and the two synthesis papers that you have to write are close to impossible to write. The points structure also comes with additional strings...Take this class with a different teacher!
Professor Felnagle is extremely passionate about this subject and really wants you to take something away from his class. You don't need a text book but have to read a lot from his study units (which by the way is not a bad thing, he really knows a ton about the subject and it's awesome that he put these units together). Lots of busy work, but easy
Mr. Felnagle is the most interesting lecturer I've heard (for an online course). He really knows (and loves!) his subject. No textbook req'd and as long as you do the homework, you'll pass the quizzes My first college A was in his class.
More English professors at Mesa Community College


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WFP Confirms Dec 31 NOT A DEADLINE
Key quotes: bq. Included in the deal was a deadline of Dec. 31 for a sale to a party willing to keep the team in Glendale. bq.But on Wednesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would not exercise that option. bq."Not at this point. We will still be committed to finalizing the Coyotes transaction," Daly said in an email to the Free Press. bq.Without the $100 million, Hulsizer either can't or won't buy the franchise. It seems like a slam dunk and likely will come to fruition


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J'Marcus Webb
Capsules of NFC teams for NFL free agency
SIZE=300x250 Football Capsules of the ..... Erik Lorig ; OT Jamon Meredith ..... defensive end, offensive tackle , tight end ..... salary cap. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-10-1 ..... Simpson and Joe Webb ; OT J ' Marcus Webb . RESTRICTED
Concordia's Zach Moore getting attention from NFL
season of college football Nov. 17. "I ..... living playing football -- Danny Woodhead ..... Brandon Fusco, J ' Marcus Webb and Joe Berger ..... where the brand of football is stout but the ..... playing primarily offensive tackle . But his raw
Road to MetLife: Week 1 Cheat Sheet
OK for that one moment. Football is back. It's during ..... Brown, a healthy Lardarius Webb and All-Pro linebacker ..... best young quarterback in football : Take your Andrew Luck ..... Cutler. Alas, there's no J ' Marcus Webb to scream at. He was released


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Last evening John "Please Pass The Doughnuts" Kruk predicted the A's will lose to the Royals on Friday. Lima will handle the A's hitters according to Nostradomus.
His affable sidekick, Peter "I Look Like Andrew Jackson" Gammons stated that the Royals will beat the A's on Sunday vs Joe Blanton.
This was after both guys pretty much ripped the Royals for their gosh awful losing streak. Gammons then went on to say he "feels sorry" for the players.
Those players are the reason the Royals blow rhino.
I am sure none of them would want anyone's sympathy.
I know Chavez is "worried" about these "tough Royals" coming to town, but if the A's don't at least take 2 out of 3 than we got some problems.
A sweep isn't being unrealistic as well.
I can't wait until Mr Kruk has to eat his words on Friday night.


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The Division I Board of Directors seeks a more transparent, responsive, participative and streamlined governance system, and is committed to leading a process for governance redesign that:
- Encourages open, transparent and interactive dialogue.
- Allows for broad and open sharing of ideas and positions; ensuring that all voices are heard and are able to hear each other.
- Engages the voice of practitioners and constituent groups with meaningful opportunities for input.
- Is guided by shared values and vision in the identification of issues as well as outcomes.
- Utilizes effective communication (e.g., top down, bottom up; within constituencies).
- Seeks to build community, consensus and trust.
At its August 2013 meeting, the Board approved a plan for soliciting, evaluating and acting on the design of a redesigned governance structure for the NCAA's Division I. Board Chair Nathan Hatch has appointed a steering committee of the Division I Board to guide this effort and this document provides guidelines for the membership on the initial input process.
At this time, the Division I Board seeks input on the following topics:
Division I Membership Structure – What Should The Overall Divisional Membership Structure Look Like?
Key Questions:
- What is the best structure to serve the broad variety of Division I membership needs and deliver value to membership in all sub-segments?
- Can one governance body or structure serve the broad range of Division I institutions, or are multiple governing bodies or structures needed to accommodate the programs that now comprise the division? (e.g. different rules and championships)?
Division I Governance Entities – What Governing Bodies Do We Need and What Should Each Do?
Key Questions:
- How should the Division I Board be structured and how should it function?
- What other structures should exist to support the Board's work? What kinds of sub-structures, including committees, councils, cabinets and other entities would best enable the Division I Board to carry out its function?
- How can the work of those varying groups best be coordinated, and how can those groups be assured that their work and input are meaningful?
Consider these suggested factors in redesigning the governance entities.
Governance Redesign Proposal Principles
Proposals should be developed with these principles in mind.
- Using the information above, membership may submit input and ideas to this special email address: email@example.com
- Members can submit input individually or as part of a group, and may address either or both subject areas (overall divisional structure and governance entities).
- Membership input should be submitted by November 15, 2013.
- Input will be used to frame discussions and shape the agenda of the January 2014 Governance Dialogue Meetings in San Diego, helping to identify areas of common ground, as well as key choices to be made.
Questions on this process may be directed to Jean Frankel of Ideas for Action, LLC (email@example.com) and NCAA Governance Consultant, or David Berst, NCAA Vice President of Division I (email@example.com)


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News: "Love & Hip Hop" Star Responds To Nicki Minaj's Disses
Saturday, Jul 6, 2013 10:20PM
After Young Money's Nicki Minaj put "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star Kirk Frost on blast earlier this week over a controversial decision he made, the reality television star has finally responded.
Instead of taking aim at Minaj for calling him out over cheating, Frost said he completely understood her issues.
But rather than try and makes excuses, Kirk tells TMZ he knows he acted like a terrible person, telling us, "Nicki Minaj is a woman and she was speaking about me doing inappropriate things. I can't fault her for that. Every woman in America who watched felt the way Nicki did." Kirk adds, "Not only was doing it on the show inappropriate ... but it was inappropriate period. And I hurt my wife." FYI -- Kirk says his wife is now "done" with him. They have a 12-year-old kid together, plus the one on the way. (TMZ)
Minaj took to her Twitter page a few days ago and lashed out at Frost.
"Damn my n***a, after 15 yrs u wld embarrass the mother of your child while she's pregnant on nat'l tv like that? cornballs on deck," Minaj tweeted earlier in the week.
"And I dare u to say it ain't none of my business. U done sold it to vh1. It's everybody business." (Nicki Minaj's Twitter)
On the "Love & Hip Hop" episode, Kirk is shown getting overly comfy with multiple women.
Kirk Frost has a perfectly good explanation for why he cheated on his pregnant wife: Someone slipped something in his drink! This week on "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta," Kirk decided to take some time away from Rasheeda and cut up with his boys Benzino and Bobby Valentino. While Benzino thought it was just going to be a guys' weekend, Bobby decided to invite some girls. That's where things went left for Kirk, who kissed another woman on camera and took two girls back to his room. (S2S Magazine)
Following the widespread reactions, the reality show star came forward and blamed his actions on alcohol.
"That was kind of out of hand for me. I was drinking hanging with Benzino and Bobby V. I think somebody put something in the drink. I was like, 'That's not me.' But it happened. That was the liquor -- I'm probably in a lot of trouble right now. I'm going to do my best. Hopefuly time will heal it. I don't have a lot to say." (Hello Beautiful)
Check out the footage:


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Call to Arms is meant to lower wait times by offering additional rewards for queuing as the currently least represented role. To be eligible for the additional rewards you must solo queue for a random level-85 Heroic in the role that is currently being Called to Arms, and complete the dungeon by killing the final boss. Every time you hit these requirements (there is no daily limit) you'll receive a goodie bag that will contain some gold, a chance at a rare gem, a chance at a flask/elixir (determined by spec), a good chance of receiving a non-combat pet (including cross faction pets), and a very rare chance at receiving a mount . . . (Source)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Call to Epic Gems?
7 comments:
Yeah, I see where you could be upset. I think it sucks for guild rep runs, no doubt.ReplyDelete
The lack of tanks and to some degree healers has to be addressed somehow. This might make more people roll a tank.
At what cost though? More crappy tanks hardly seems the trade off that Blizz would be after. It also wouldn't surprise me to have the gems be BoP.
The crappy tanks won't stick around. There will definitely be wave of fail tanking in Heroics, but the bad ones won't stick with it when they aren't getting all the way to the end (Heroic Ozruk alone will weed out a LOT of tanks).
I too wouldn't be surprised if epic gems were BoP and you just had to get them cut through the trade box. It would completely suck, but so does Orbs being BoP.
My prediction:ReplyDelete
Week 1 Call to Arms Role: Tank
Week 2 Call to Arms Role: Tank
Week 3 Call to Arms Role: Tank
Week 4 Call to Arms Role: Tank
Week 57 Call to Arms Role: Tank
Funny thing this is, I was since the beginning Tank, but now I find myself,less and less times be wanting to Tank, since my old guild fall apart I lost all will to tank. I am now going full DPS, and yes I know the long queue. They existed for ever, but this novelty wont change much I think.ReplyDelete
Wend people starting falling over and over in tank they will go back to there primary roll .
I'm with Alberthus on this one. I used to progression raid tank on my pally, got tired of boosting people and went to dps on my DK chica. When you're a dps, the instant que is motivation enough to tank.ReplyDelete
That's how I wound up with full heroic tank gear, not because I wanted it, but because it essentially fell into my lap.
The first month after this I'm goign to tank and not because of the rewards (I'll be taking my gf with me) but because I fear the terribad tanks I'll get stuck with. Maybe a bit later on after they face plant into an axe enough they'll move on.
1) Free flasks have always been profitable and will remain so.ReplyDelete
2) I don't recall the stormjewels that came out before the wotlk epics having a significant impact on epic gems, at least outside of the BiS realm-first progression guilds.
@Sally Bowls:ReplyDelete
1. You have to tank a full random for them, they're not free and are possibly the least profitable way to spend your time.
2. Stormjewels were a random cut and you could maybe get one once per day per character, and that was a very low chance. These however would likely be higher chance (The rare items are to be the mounts and such, with the first mentioned bits being more common) and you may have several shots at them per day. Comparing them to Stormjewels isn't really a great comparison.
If you would like to add "clickable" links in your comments you can do so with proper HTML formatting for links. An example would be: Link Text Here. Here is a raw link tag to copy and paste for use:


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VIDEO OF THE DAY - Deadline
This is brilliant. Not only does it show off some innovative stop-motion animation, it really does convey some of the feelings that creep up when a deadline looms.
It also explains why you can never find a Post-It when you need one.
We like it.
Check out the 'making of' video too.
If you've seen a video online that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.


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In two close swim meets, Eastern Hancock was able to hold of Rushville. For the girls, the Lady Royals prevailed 105-85. For the boys, Eastern Hancock edged the Lions 89-85.
Rushville's Dalton Miller set a personal best 2:20.02 in winning the 200 freestyle. Miller also won the 500 freestyle in 6:42.77 with Austin Greer setting a personal best 7:21.68 to take second place.
Autumn Meece set a personal best :33.36 for second in the 50 freestyle.
Stone Worth won the 100 freestyle in 1:06.09.
The Lady Lions set two "best" times in the 200 freestyle relay. The team of Brenna Hall, Meece, Allison Wainwright and Rachel Sayman took second in 2:20.36 and the team of Courtney Hall, Riko Itakura, Michaela Colestock and Gabriela Camacho was third in 2:50.50.
Megan Clifton set a personal best 1:54.42 to take fourth in the 100 backstroke. Evan Messer took fourth for the boys in the 100 backstroke with a personal best 1:43.21.
Brenna Hall won the 100 breaststroke in 1:30.47.
The Lions' 400 freestyle relay team of Miller, Greer, Sam Cole and Worth took first in 4:39.15.
Team scores
Girls: EHS-105, RCHS-85
Boys: EHS-89, RCHS-85
Rushville scoring
200 medley relay - Girls: 3. Courtney Hall, Riko Itakura, Abby Clark,Autumn Meece — 2:46.54. Boys: 2. Sam Cole, Jacob Fowler, Stone Worth,Caleb Marsden — 2:25.01; 200 freestyle - Girls: 3. Rachel Sayman—2:55.40
(PR), 4. Courtney Hall—3:17.79. Boys: 1. Dalton Miller—2:20.02 (PR); 3.Austin Greer—2:39.98; 200 individual medley - Girls: 2. Brenna Hall—3:33.53. Boys: 2.Stone Worth—2:48.16; 50 freestyle - Girls: 2. -Autumn
Meece—:33.36(PR), 3.Allison Wainwright—:37.36. Boys: 2. Jacob Fowler—:29.26, 3.Caleb Marsden—:31.07, 4.Evan Messer—:33.28; 100 butterfly - Girls: 2.Abby Clark—1:43.99; 100 freestyle - Girls: 2. Rachel Sayman—
1:18.97, 3. Allison Wainwright—1:24.67, 5. Riko Itakura—1:38.86. Boys: 1. Stone Worth—1:06.09, 3. Sam Cole—1:15.43, 4. Caleb Marsden—1:16.61; 500 freestyle - Girls: 2. Abby Clark—8:14.52. Boys: 1. Dalton Miller—6:42.77, 2. Austin Greer—7:21.68(PR), 3. Barry Denton-Nickolas—7:44.19; 200 freestyle relay - Girls: 2. Brenna Hall, Autumn Meece, Allison Wainwright, Rachel Sayman—2:20.36(PR), 3. Courtney Hall, Riko Itakura, Michaela Colestock, Gabriela Camacho—2:50.50 (PR), 4. Sarah Daubenspeck, Nici Martin, Megan Clifton, Shelbie Brown—3:18.41. Boys: 2. Caleb Marsden, Jacob Fowler, Austin Greer, Dalton Miller—2:04.09; 100 backstroke - Girls: 2. Courtney Hall—1:36.50, 4. Megan Clifton—1:54.42 (PR), 5.Shelbie Brown—2:03.80. Boys: 2. Sam Cole—1:31.21, 4. Evan Messer—1:43.21 (PR); 100 breaststroke - Girls: 1. Brenna Hall—1:30.47, 4. Michaela Colestock—1:55.71. Boys: 3. Jacob Fowler—1:28.94, 4. Barry Denton-Nickolas—1:30.15; 400 freestyle relay - Girls: 2. Autumn Meece, Abby Clark, Rachel Sayman, Brenna Hall —5:51.62, 3. Allison Wainwright, Nici Martin, Michaela Colestock, Shelbie Brown—6:55.53. Boys: 1. Dalton Miller, Austin Greer, Sam Cole, Stone Worth—4:39.15.
Contact: Aaron Kirchoff at 765-932-2222 ext. 114


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The Crown Prosecution Service and Met Police paid a family more than £600,000 in damages and costs after a child witness was identified to a gang. The BBC reports: "The 16-year-old boy had been promised anonymity to give evidence about a violent gang attack, but details were inadvertently passed to gang members."The information was disclosed to the BBC after Freedom of Information request.
In a statement, the boy, his mother and her partner told BBC News they had been left with "no option" but to leave their homes, careers, families and friends "without even being able to say goodbye".
In December 2010, the CPS revealed – following a Freedom of Information Act request by the BBC about civil claims – it had made a payment of £350,000 but refused to provide further information.
The BBC appealed to the Information Commissioner and was told by the CPS in December 2011 that the claim related to a "failed request for anonymity at a trial". No other information was given.
It was only after a further request to senior prosecution officials that the CPS agreed to provide fuller details about the case.
BBC wins its legal battle to suppress Israel Report
The UK Supreme Court has rejected an appeal against the BBC's refusal to publish a report into its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lawyer Steven Sugar, who passed away last year, made a Freedom of Information request in 2005 for disclosure of the 20,000-word Balen Report, which examined the corporation's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
His widow, Fiona Paveley, took up his appeal. Her lawyer, Michael Levey, said the family were 'considering their options' after the Supreme Court dismissed the latest appeal after ruling the report was 'outside the scope' of the FoI Act. The BBC argued it was exempt from revealing information it held for the purposes of 'journalism, art or literature'.
Tory MP Mike Freer, vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism, said: 'This is the worst of all outcomes.
'It fuels suspicion they have got something to hide.'
A spokesman for the BBC insisted it did not have anything to hide about its Middle East coverage but had pursued the case to defend its right to protect information about its journalism.
Olympic ticket 'secrecy' criticised
Olympics organisers have been criticised for being secretive about ticket sales, the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Times and The Independent report.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) has been able to withhold information about ticket prices and has refused to share details of sales with the public due to its status as a private company. This makes it exempt from Freedom of Information requests, the London Assembly's economy, culture and sport committee noted.
After a two-year campaign, the committee is still demanding answers to a range of questions about the 8.8 million Olympic and two million Paralympics tickets for the public. In late 2010, London 2012 suggested that out of 8.8 million Olympic tickets, 2.5 million (28%) would cost £20 or less. It has refused to provide information to prove whether cheaper tickets were spread equally across all events, or concentrated in events such as football, where supply exceeds demand.
Committee chairman Dee Doocey said: 'Locog's legal status should not excuse them from the transparency and openness we expect in other areas of public life.' 'It is completely unacceptable that an organisation that only exists because of a huge investment of public money can hide behind its status as a private company to avoid questions it does not like," he added.
Taxi firms get EUR1m for transfers
Two taxi companies each received more than EUR1million from the Health and Safety Executive for patient and staff transport in 2010 the Daily Mirror reports. The payments were part of a total of EUR26million paid to different cab firms. Figures released by the HSE following a FoIA request show National Radio Cabs was paid EUR1.34million and the Corkbased Sun Cabs got EUR1million in 2010. Fianna Fail Health spokesman Billy Kelleher TD said the transfer of patients for treatments "is an essential part of the HSE service". He added: "Equally, the HSE should tighten up and ensure that is no duplication of service or unnecessary trips made."
Despite facing budget cuts across the board, the Ministry of Defence is preparing to invest 750m pounds of taxpayer's money for the construction of an enriched-uranium facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire.
The so-called Project Pegasus will replace an enriched-uranium facility built at the site in the 1950s.
The revelation came earlier this year, after freedom of information requests led to the publication of a 32-page MoD report that was market "Secret UK Eyes Only". Although the report was originally heavily redacted, the Information Commissioner recently deemed the full amount of the 747m pounds investment should be made public.
The hefty investment will benefit AWE Management that has a 25-year non-revokable contract to run the base and comprises US corporations Lockheed Martin, Jacobs and UK's Serco.
As highlighted by Observer's Jamie Doward, other MoD investments in AWE include 500m for Project Mensa in nearby Burghfield to improve its warhead assembly facilities. But AWE's bill, which between 2008-2011 amounts to 2.6bn pounds, includes millions for projects that have now been written off.
Like the 120m pounds spent on a cancelled plan to build a new hydrodynamics research facility at AWE Aldermaston (Project Hydrus), or a project to construct a "Systems Engineering Facility" that was cancelled and the 16m pounds invested written off.
Relatives received £6.7 million to visit inmates over the last three years
According to the Express On Sunday, £2,343,132 was handed by the Assisted Prison Visit scheme last year to family members visiting inmates. Furthermore, in a time when Justice Secretary Ken Clarke's department has to cut £2 billion out of his £9 billion annual budget, 139 jails in England and Wales had new plasma televisions installed.
Scotland's police missing £56,000 worth of equipment
Almost £56,000 of equipment has been stolen from Scotland's largest police force over the last five years, FoIA requests by the Press Association revealed.
Private social workers receiving more than £220,000 from HSE
The Health and Safety Executive handed out huge payouts to social workers responsible for children placed in care after courts appointed them as "guardians ad litem". Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show a top-earning social worked earned even £266,000 year.
Donald Trump asks for American-style protection of new development
Documents released after a FoIA request revealed the tycoon's "unrealistic expectations" from Grampian Police, called to guard his £ 740 million golf resort near Aberdeen while residents opposing the plans see local authorities as Trump's "private security".
Health trusts squander thousands of pounds on recruitment firms
The Daily Mail reports that primary care trusts and strategic health authorities spent nearly 50 million pounds during the last three years in recruitment firms to hire managers, FoIA requests have revealed.


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I included just a small portion. Follow the full link at the bottom for the full story:
"Then dominoes fell. Jacksonville, at seven, traded up ahead of St. Louis to take wideout Justin Blackmon. He would have been the Rams' pick. So now the Rams, at six, lost the player they really wanted and had four players to choose from. Two were defensive tackles -- Fletcher Cox and Michael Brockers. When Jones called, Demoff agreed to the deal. Because the Rams thought they could get one of these players in the group at 14 if they traded down, it wasn't a tough call."
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/04/27/2012.nfl.draft.first.round/index.html#ixzz1tFv5GeHX


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When I started CSR I told the NFL Director I would give it at least five years and here we are, six and still going strong I also said my ultimate goal was to go to the draft (still working on that one but I think 2014 is my year!).
I can remember averaging around 100 hits a day and thinking "If I could only get to 300 I would think I had done something worthwhile." Let's see at the moment we have 5,040 plus members worldwide (add your location here), 10,500 hits per day and just surpassed 8.4M user visits. It took almost three years to get the first million and then only two more years to get the next four million. We have now added 3.4M since our 5th anniversary! Mind boggling for me really.
Best is probably the fact that though CSR was the last NFC South blog to get started we are now number one in all categories, #14 overall within SBN football. That's pretty kick ass. It's a tribute to the hard work everyone puts in, both staff and membership....or shall I call it a labor of love?
The truth is this site only became awesome once I added more authors and editors. James Dator, BW, Evan and Rick are long serving guys. We've added a great group of new guys in the last year (see list via the top bar) that has really given us a diverse viewpoint on just about any topic. Another key lesson for me is finally not tolerating the trolls and keeping them on a short leash so to speak. I really hate to hear when people say they don't give their opinions for fear of getting slammed. For me that is a key thing going forward to always keep an eye on.
Another is I want to keep being on the cutting edge in promoting the community and keeping it fun and entertaining. Though the new platform launch took some getting used to I think in the end we improved upon what was already the best blogging platform on the internet.
So a huge thanks to everyone who helped make this a fun six years! Oh, and I think I'm going to stick around for a few more God willing!
Keep Pounding Panther fans!


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Exeter hit by Whitehead setback
ESPN Staff
December 9, 2012
Chris Whitehead will have surgery on a neck injury © PA Photos
Exeter hooker Chris Whitehead is set to miss the next three months as he recovers from a neck injury.
The 26-year-old, who signed a new two-year contract with the Chiefs recently, is due to undergo surgery later this week.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: "Chris has a relatively serious injury and is going to have an operation on Tuesday, and he is going to be out for ten to 12 weeks.
"Chris has an on-going neck problem, a typical hooker's problem, a bit of a degenerative issue, which we ultimately have to make a decision on. It is either a case of letting it get worse or deal with it now.
"Our other three hookers - Neil Clark, Simon Alcott and Jack Yeandle - are fit and raring to go, so we felt the time was right now. Chris is going to be with us for a long time.
"We don't want to keep playing him when the injury is worsening, and end up breaking him. We feel it is right to get him treated now, get him 100 per cent, and he should be back before the end of the season."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
|Live Scores
Let's hear it for the selectors
As Ray McLoughlin prepares to celebrate his 75th birthday, Huw Richards pays tribute to the man and the selectors who had the wisdom to bring him into the Ireland fold
John Taylor argues the world's best XVs players must be given a chance to play in the Olympics to increase the appeal of the game
The illegal Wallabies scrum technique
The All Blacks' form is not a peaking issue, but Hansen must threaten to wield his axe, to demand improvement, Craig Dowd writes
The tipping point for women's rugby
"It has been the World Cup that smashed down the gender barriers of the sport." Tom Hamilton looks back at a remarkable tournament


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You can everyone that walks past your room. The bathroom was nasty and the bed and furniture was nasty. I went out an bought disinfectant spray and Clorox spray. Needless to say I sprayed and wiped most of everything down before I laid down or touched it.
- Reservation Options:
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Farmers: TB brings 'physical and emotional' pressure
Thousands of farming families living with the constant threat of TB are in favour of the Government's controversial badger cull, despite the division of the general public.
– Gloucestershire dairy farmer Rob Harrison, 36
My life to some extent is planned around TB tests.
I've ended up managing my business because of TB, managing it in a risk averse way because you know you've got TB or you're not far away from having TB.
Read: Facts about the badger cull
– Angela Sargent, a beef farmer from Derbyshire
It's partly financial, but also we've got quite fond of these cows and know how to handle them, and they know us, so there's an emotional pressure.
Also it's quite a physical pressure, we've got to bring cows in for testing that would rather be out at grass, we've got to chase them round the field and then they're stressed out, and the calves are all mixed in and it gets quite dangerous for them and us.


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I must say, WOOOOWWWWW. This man is relentlessly... incredulous. Just when you think it's all over he has to jump right back onto his high horse back into the NFL.
Part of me thinks he was jealous of the media attention Vick was garnering and had to one up the dog fighting kingpin of the world. He saw Vick on 60 Minutes on Sunday night and was like, "Hey, I can do better than that. I'll show you, Mr. Vick."
OK, sorry for the rant. I had to get it off my chest.
Now, will you target Favre in your fantasy league? If so, what is the earliest round you will select him? Will you take a flier on him ONLY if you have Brees, Brady or Manning?
As for me, I will avoid him like the plague.


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The skies were colorful this past weekend in Albuquerque. New Mexico's largest city held its 31st Annual International Balloon Fiesta last week. Hot air balloons fill the Albuquerque skies for nine consecutive days every October.
Years ago, you might recall Lubbock had a balloon rally of its own. It happened for several consecutive years in the late '80's and early '90's -- then stopped. So, whatever happened to Lubbock's balloon rally?
It's been 11 years since Lubbock's last organized balloon rally in 1991. So, was it the gusty West Texas wind or something else that let all the air out of Lubbock's festival? NewsChannel 11 went to Albuquerque this past weekend to find out.
It's one of fall's most spectacular scenes -- Albuquerque's Annual Balloon Fiesta. The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta draws thousands from all over the globe and is consistently a huge success. The rally lifts spirits, but more importantly gives the Albuquerque economy a big boost annually. The event draws more than 100,000 visitors per year. Certainly, the largest rally of its kind. But it's an expensive endeavor to organize, and that's perhaps what deflated Lubbock's rally.
"It grew and grew really well, but the more often we had the rally, the more difficult it became to find sponsors," says Martha Courtney.
Courtney is a member of the Southwest Regional Balloon Club in Lubbock. She says unlike Albuquerque's rally, Lubbock's never really got off the ground, and it never gained enough support to continue on an annual basis.
"A balloon rally takes money. We got tired of begging for sponsorship, and it was simply easier to stop," she says.
Lubbock's rally also faced another obstacle -- the weather. Although, it is possible to fly in Lubbock, conditions have to be just right, and Lubbock's weather didn't always cooperate.
"One of the challenges we have in Lubbock is our weather. It's just not as conducive to ballooning as the weather in Albuquerque," says Barry Ballinger with Plains National Bank.
"We're entirely dependent on the wind. Anything over six to seven miles per hour, and we can't fly," says Courtney.
But that doesn't mean it's not possible to fly in Lubbock. Martha Courtney says Lubbock has some fall and winter days that are perfect for ballooning. With enough volunteers, she says it's possible to organize another rally in Lubbock that would draw at least 50 balloons, and many more if people caught wind of it. That's something Lubbockites who we found in Albuquerque would like to see.
If you'd like to find out more about Lubbock's balloon club, they meet the second Wednesday of every month at Plains National Bank.
5600 Avenue A
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Hockey East Play Resumes For UMass Vs. Providence
The Minutemen will host the Friars on Friday night at 7 p.m. and will play in Providence on Saturday.
Hockey Returns To Action At Dartmouth Tournament
The Minutemen will open up the Ledyard National Bank Classic vs. Bemidji State on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Hockey Heads To #15 Yale On Tuesday
The Minutemen will play their final game before the holiday break at 7 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.
First Half Winds Down For Hockey With Pair Vs. Colgate
The Minutemen will face the Raiders on back-to-back nights this Friday and Saturday in the Mullins Center.
Hockey Faces Northeastern In Home & Home
UMass will play host to Northeastern on Friday before the teams meet in Boston on Saturday.
AS A FRESHMAN IN 2012-13: Game-by-Game Statistics
BEFORE UMASS: Coming off a highly successful season with the Junior Bruins of the EJHL ... Earned a 2011-12 EJHL All-Star nod and finished the year with 18 points on four goals and 14 assists in 35 games ... Attended Wachusett Regional High School where he played for Coach Matt Lane...Also competed in soccer and lacrosse in high school.
PERSONAL: Connor Joseph Doherty ... Born April 12, 1993 ... Son of John and Thea Doherty ... Brother of Brendan and Ainsley ... Intends to major in Business.
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