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Neural Implants
A new electrode developed at the University of Michigan can focus on the electrical signals of just one neuron. It may help researchers understand how electrical signals...
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Neural Implants
A new electrode developed at the University of Michigan can focus on the electrical signals of just one neuron. It may help researchers understand how electrical signals...
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Extreme weather arising from a climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean will get much worse as the world warms, according to climate modelling. - Extreme weather arising from a climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean will get much worse as the world warms, according to climate modelling. Parts of the world will have weather patterns that switch between extremes of wet and dry, say scientists. The US will see more droughts while flooding will become more common in the western Pacific, research suggests. The study, in Nature Climate Change, adds to a growing body of evidence over climate change and extreme weather. The latest data - based on detailed climate modelling work - suggests extreme La Nina events in the Pacific Ocean will almost double with global warming, from one in 23 years to one in 13 years. Most will follow extreme El Nino events, meaning frequent swings between opposite extremes from one year to the next. Lead researcher Dr Wenju Cai from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, said this would mean an increase in the occurrence of "devastating weather events with profound socio-economic consequences". "El Nino and La Nina can be a major driver of extreme weather," he said. "We are going to see these extreme weather [events] become more frequent." El Nino and La Nina are complex weather patterns arising from variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. They can have large-scale impacts on global weather and climate. La Niña is sometimes referred to as the cold phase and El Niño as the warm phase of this natural climate phenomenon.
The researchers explored ways to improve "vertically integrated nanogenerator" energy-harvesting chips based on ZnO. They inserted an aluminum-nitride insulating layer into a conventional energy-harvesting chip based on ZnO and found that the added layer increased the output voltage a whopping 140 to 200 times (from 7 millivolts to 1 volt, in one configuration). This increase was the result of the high dielectric constant (increasing the electric field) and large Young's modulus (stiffness).
Sir Tim Berners-Lee calls for net access to be treated as a basic right, following a report suggesting great inequalities online. - The web is becoming less free and more unequal, according to a report from the World Wide Web Foundation. Its annual web index suggests web users are at increasing risk of government surveillance, with laws preventing mass snooping weak or non-existent in over 84% of countries. It also indicates that online censorship is on the rise. The report led web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee to call for net access to be recognised as a human right. The World Wide Web Foundation, led by Sir Tim, measured the web's contribution to the social, economic and political progress of 86 countries. Other headline findings from the report include: 74% of countries either lack clear and effective net neutrality rules and/or show evidence of traffic discrimination62% of countries report that the web plays a major role in sparking social or political action74% of countries are not doing enough to stop online harassment of womenThe index ranked countries around the world in terms of: universal accessrelevant content and usefreedom and opennessempowermentFour of the top five were Scandinavian, with Denmark in first place, Finland second and Norway third. The UK came fourth, followed by Sweden. "The richer and better educated people are, the more benefit they are gaining from the digital revolution," said Anne Jellema, chief executive of the World Wide Web Foundation, and the lead author of the report.
Technology will eventually become self-aware and supersede humanity, says astrophysicist
Limitless movie poster (credit: Virgin Produced) Is it possible to rapidly increase (or decrease) the amount of information the brain can store? The study is described in an open-access paper in Cell Reports. Funding was provided by he Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Neuroscience seems like a hot topic, but a series of interviews with members of the public finds that they see brain science as largely irrelevant to their lives.
A paper that claims that smoking causes cancer or that terrorism is caused by poverty is valuable only if it turns out to be a good explanation of cancer or terrorism. As recently noted by Philip Gerrans at the University of Adelaide, "[It] is why an original and true explanation is the gold standard of academic markets."
Natural selection isn't nearly enough to explain how life created so many innovations so fast. Fortunately for us, writes SFI External Professor Andreas Wagner in a new book, Nature had something else up her sleeve: robustness. Even in organisms with relatively few genes, the number of possible combinations of those genes is unimaginably enormous — many, many orders of magnitude greater than the number of hydrogen atoms in the Universe. Even 3.7 billions years isn't enough to search all those possibilities at random and find all the forms of life we have today. In Arrival of the Fittest: Solving Evolution's Greatest Puzzle (Current Hardcover , October 2, 2014), Wagner shows how robustness, long a subject of interest at SFI, helped solve the problem. Metabolic systems, protein interactions, and gene regulation networks share a particular kind of robustness: even drastic changes to the underlying structure leaves their operations unchanged. For example, the complex of chemical reactions that metabolize glucose in E. coli can overlap by as little as 20 percent and still function perfectly well. Read a review of Wagner's book by Mark Pagel in Nature (October 1, 2014)
In the September Scientific American, devoted to human evolution, paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall discusses how a capacity for toolmaking and other cultural developments worked in conjunction with luck to foster the success of Homo sapiens. Luck came in the form of the climate shifts that served to accelerate the rate of evolution and the adaptation of beneficial traits among certain of our archaic forebears. In the video here Tattersall describes how his field has changed since he first entered it nearly 50 years ago. Students of human evolution long believed that the story of our species origins was linear, "from primitiveness to perfection." Scientists now know that the evolutionary path from apes to modern man was far more convoluted, populated with many rival hominins (the group including modern humans and their extinct relations) whose survival was periodically challenged by unpredictable climate shifts. He also speaks of what makes Homo sapiens special. That our species is the only surviving hominin in the world is testament, he says, to how exceptional we are. We are unique in that we use symbols to represent the world, moving them around and recombining them to create "alternatives to existing reality." This cognitive faculty also means we are able to ponder where we came from. The study of human evolution, Tattersall notes, holds "a special fascination for human beings, who, of course, are a very egotistical species."
It may be possible to train the brain to prefer healthy low-calorie foods over unhealthy higher-calorie foods, according to new research. - It may be possible to train the brain to prefer healthy low-calorie foods over unhealthy higher-calorie foods, according to new research by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and at Massachusetts General Hospital. Published online today in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes, a brain scan study in adult men and women suggests that it is possible to reverse the addictive power of unhealthy food while also increasing preference for healthy foods. "We don't start out in life loving French fries and hating, for example, whole wheat pasta," said senior and co-corresponding author Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D., director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA, who is also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. "This conditioning happens over time in response to eating -- repeatedly! -- what is out there in the toxic food environment." Scientists have suspected that, once unhealthy food addiction circuits are established, they may be hard or impossible to reverse, subjecting people who have gained weight to a lifetime of unhealthy food cravings and temptation. To find out whether the brain can be re-trained to support healthy food choices, Roberts and colleagues studied the reward system in thirteen overweight and obese men and women, eight of whom were participants in a new weight loss program designed by Tufts University researchers and five who were in a control group and were not enrolled in the program. Both groups underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans at the beginning and end of a six-month period. Among those who participated in the weight loss program, the brain scans revealed changes in areas of the brain reward center associated with learning and addiction. After six months, this area had increased sensitivity to healthy, lower-calorie foods, indicating an increased reward and enjoyment of healthier food cues. The area also showed decreased sensitivity to the unhealthy higher-calorie foods.
A project recently unveiled at the Sao Paulo Design Weekend turns feelings of love into physical objects using 3D printing and biometric sensors. "Each product is unique and contains the most intimate emotions of the participants' love stories," explains designer Guto Requena. |
The original planetary boundaries were conceived in 2009 by a team lead by Johan Rockstrom, also of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Together with his co-authors, Rockstrom produced a list of nine human-driven changes to the Earth's system: climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, alteration of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, freshwater consumption, land use change, biodiversity loss, aerosol and chemical pollution. Each of these nine, if driven hard enough, could alter the planet to the point where it becomes a much less hospitable place on which to live.
We call it white matter because the axons are wrapped in a fatty layer, the myelin, which ensures better neuronal communication – the way information is transferred around the brain. The myelin functions as an "insulation" that prevents information "leaking" from the axon during transfer.
The incorporated entity has a fancy name and all, but it's less a standard company than a group of about 100 engineers all over the country who spend their free time spitballing ideas in exchange for stock options. That said, this isn't a Subreddit trying to solve the Boston Marathon bombing. These gals and guys applied for the right to work on the project (another 100 or so were rejected) and nearly all of them have day jobs at companies like Boeing, NASA, Yahoo!, Airbus, SpaceX, and Salesforce. They're smart. And they're organized.
Owing to the extreme conditions on the Venusian surface, it's going to be quite some time before a human ever steps foot on that planet. That's why NASA is developing a plan to deploy human-occupied airships in Venus's upper atmosphere. And yes, permanent occupation is the ultimate goal. Via Alessio Erioli
Stem-cell technology is being used to grow fresh human blood in the laboratory – but don't hand in your donor card just yet- In 2007, a team of researchers from the UK and Irish Blood services responded to an oddly specific call from the US military. They wanted scientists to help them build a machine, no bigger than two and a half washing machines, that could be dropped from a helicopter on to a battle field and generate stem-cell-derived blood for injured soldiers. The team's application was not successful, but they refocused their efforts and set off on a more utopian mission – to develop a similar technology to create a limitless supply of clean, laboratory-grown blood for use in clinics around the world. Using blood made from stem cells would unshackle blood services from the limits of human supply, and any risk of infection would be removed. They've been working with embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells, which, given the right culture conditions, can differentiate into any type of cells. Still at least a year from human testing, the team have tweaked their protocol to select only red blood cells. "Because we make them from human cells they are as nature intended," says Joanne Mountford, of the University of Glasgow, who leads the project along with Marc Turner, the medical director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. "It's the same thing your body makes but we're just doing it in a lab."
Kurt Andersen wonders: If the Singularity is near, will it bring about global techno-Nirvana or civilizational ruin? . Artificial intelligence is suddenly everywhere. It's still what the experts call "soft A.I.," but it is proliferating like mad. We're now accustomed to having conversations with computers: to refill a prescription, make a cable-TV-service appointment, cancel an airline reservation—or, when driving, to silently obey the instructions of the voice from the G.P.S. But until the other morning I'd never initiated an elective conversation with a talking computer. I asked the artificial-intelligence app on my iPhone how old I am. First, Siri spelled my name right, something human beings generally fail to do. Then she said, "This might answer your question," and displayed my correct age in years, months, and days. She knows more about me than I do. When I asked, "What is the Singularity?," Siri inquired whether I wanted a Web search ("That's what I figured," she replied) and offered up this definition: "A technological singularity is a predicted point in the development of a civilization at which technological progress accelerates beyond the ability of present-day humans to fully comprehend or predict." Siri appeared on my phone three years ago, a few months after the IBM supercomputer Watson beat a pair of Jeopardy! champions. Since then, Watson has been speeded up 24-fold and fed millions of pages of medical data, thus turning the celebrity machine into a practicing cancer diagnostician. Autonomous machines now make half the trades on Wall Street, meaning, for instance, that a firm will often own a given stock for less than a second—thus the phrase "high-frequency trading," the subject of Flash Boys, Michael Lewis's book earlier this year. (Trading by machines is one reason why a hoax A.P. tweet last year about a White House bombing made the Dow Jones Industrial Average suddenly drop 146 points.) Google's test fleet of a couple dozen robotic Lexuses and Priuses, after driving more than 700,000 miles on regular streets and highways, have been at fault in not a single accident. Meanwhile, bionic and biological breakthroughs are radically commingling humans and machines. Last year, a team of biomedical engineers demonstrated a system that enabled people wearing electrode-embedded caps to fly a tiny drone helicopter with their minds. Machines performing unimaginably complicated calculations unimaginably fast—that's what computers have always done. Computers were called "electronic brains" from the beginning. But the great open question is whether a computer really will be able to do all that your brain can do, and more. Two decades from now, will artificial intelligence—A.I.—go from soft to hard, equaling and then quickly surpassing the human kind? And if the Singularity is near, will it bring about global techno-Nirvana or civilizational ruin?
Wildcat2030's insight:
An important and well written read..
A Mediterranean diet is a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors say. - A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said. Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And they said it may be better than low-fat diets for sustained weight loss. Official NHS advice is to monitor calorie intake to maintain a healthy weight. Last month NHS leaders stressed the need for urgent action to tackle obesity and the health problems that often go with it. The PMJ editorial argues a focus on food intake is the best approach, but it warns crash dieting is harmful. Signatories of the piece included the chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Prof Terence Stephenson, and Dr Mahiben Maruthappu, who has a senior role at NHS England. They criticise the weight-loss industry for focusing on calorie restriction rather than "good nutrition".
Analogue" and "digital" are the two polar opposites of our modern world. The word "analogue" has become our catch-all term for what we see as slow, one-way and limited in functional possibilities; while "digital" is our synonym for the dynamic, interactive and fluid. Conductive inks such as those produced by the British firm Bare Conductive mean that pen and ink can be used to make circuits – and a piece of paper could feasibly become a circuit board, much like that in a computer but infinitely more flexible and versatile.
Investor Peter Thiel has inspiring advice for wanna-be entrepreneurs, but he is unrealistic about where technology really comes from. Is the technology investor Peter Thiel brilliant, or is he just strange? He is nothing if not industrious. Since he cofounded PayPal, in 1998, Thiel has had a hand in some of the most important and unexpected tech companies of our era. His success has made him an oracular presence in Silicon Valley. Thiel's contrarianism is notorious, and he appears to delight in saying or doing the unexpected, even at the risk of ridicule. Each year, his nonprofit gives a handful of college students $100,000 to drop out of school and pursue a risky startup. He has declared himself to be not only against taxes but against "the ideology of the inevitability of death." And when the Seasteading Institute—a utopian group intent on building floating cities so as to escape the intrusions of government—sought funding a few years ago, Thiel ponied up half a million dollars. If one wanted to emulate Peter Thiel's success, would one have to do more than just the opposite of everyone else? His new book—a polished version of some lectures he gave at Stanford for aspiring entrepreneurs in 2012—suggests that there is such a creed as Thielism. His theories on what makes a good technology company and how such companies can improve society are by turns brazen, thoughtful, and precise; the challenge lies in separating the truth from the truthiness. Thiel insightfully diagnoses the failings of today's technology (see Q&A), but the cures he suggests are questionable. According to Thiel, most startups funded by his fellow Silicon Valley investors shouldn't exist. All prospective entrepreneurs, he suggests, should ask themselves a simple and essential question: "What valuable company is nobody building?" If they don't have an answer, they should do something else.
Squid and other cephalopods control their skin displays by contracting color-filled cells. A team of engineers attempted the same using elastomer and electrical pulses. Displays are becoming flatter and flexible, so why not stretchable as well? A study published today in Nature Communications describes a paper-thin, elastic film that lights up when stimulated by an electric pulse. It's a technology that could some day be used to make fold-up light sources, on-demand camouflage, or possibly even the Tron jumpsuit you've always wanted. The engineers of the film were inspired by the skin of octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish, which can change color using tiny, ring-shaped structures called chromatophores. Each chromatophore is pigment-filled and ringed with tiny muscles. By contracting or expanding the chromatophores in different patterns, the cephalopods can create dazzling displays, or camouflage themselves from sight. The new soft, stretchable elastomer is chemically combined with artificial, fluorescent-color versions of chromatophores, called mechanophores. Electrical pulses activate the mechanophores and create flourescant patterns. Different pulse strengths change the colors, and once the pulse is shut off the pattern instantly clears.
"Algorithm" is a word that one hears used much more frequently than in the past. One of the reasons is that scientists have learned that computers can learn on their own if given a few simple instructions. That's really all that algorithms are mathematical instructions. Wikipedia states that an algorithm "is a step-by-step procedure for…
The future will not be like the past. The future will be built by those who will take risks and action to invent the world they want. Our civilization's needs are expanding rapidly, as seven billion people reach for the lifestyle of the 700 million most well off while our physical resources cannot keep pace.
Wildcat2030's insight:
necessary read.. |


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Michigan Wolverines Gear
Michigan Wolverines Kids
Michigan Wolverines Kids Sweatshirts & Fleece
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Product ID: 915057
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Order now, receive no later than Thursday, February 5th. Some limitations apply.
Your kiddo is learning what it means to be a dedicated Wolverines fan. His wisdom has already shown him that the best day of the week is Michigan game day! He'll show off his young fan style in a big way when he wears this Throwback hoodie. It boasts the style that you'd expect from a longtime, devoted fan and has all the comforts of a hooded sweatshirt! It features printed stripes on each sleeve, a printed school name and logo on the chest, as well as a contrast team-colored hood lining for an extra pop of Michigan pride! When your youngster wears this hoodie, he'll be setting the standard of fan style for the next Wolverines generation!
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09-13-2013 01:59 PM - edited 09-13-2013 02:07 PM
Alexx: I have one child, she will be 11 months old tomorrow, and I love her very dearly. I was so sure I only wanted one child, until I saw the way Layla interacts and reacts to other children and I begun to feel like only having one would be cheating her out of a sibling relationship. (her step brother is 14 years old --my DH's child from his first marriage..he had him at 19 and he is now 34. I am 25.) So we may or may not be TTC again in May-June, as I graduate with my 2 year degree in July. It took us 45 days to concieve my daughter after having endometriosis, a laparoscopy, and being on birth control. We were lucky, it normally takes up to a year to ttc for healthy couples. I can't do a progestin only bcp because they made me bleed for months, and cant do a combo bcp while breastfeeding, so right now I am using fertilityfriend (aka temping, charting, or natural family planning) as a method to avoid getting pregnant! I plan on weaning Layla shortly after her first birthday next month.
Alix is correct, www.fertilityfriend.com is an excellent place to gain knowledge about your cycle and understand whats going on down there. They also have a downloadable 80 pg book for free, or you can watch a 25 minute video. The twinges you feel sound like O pain to me. You actually wouldnt feel a baby move until 18-20+ weeks of pregnancy. I felt the first moves around 14 weeks so roughly 4-5 months along..and at that point you would definitely have other indicators that you were pregnant
Alix: The things people will do! it simply astounds me!! they never did anything about my neighbors, but apparenetly they are trying to sublease it, and they'd have an answer today. Only one call to the police and they are getting an eviction notice though, so there is hope. have you continued your vitamins at night?
Tara: Hoping you will O here soon!! Question for you, what happens if your thermometer dies and you buy a new but different brand all together one and they give different temps?
Simone: Im sorry your interview didnt go well.. ive never heard of a group interview! that'd make me nervous! I've only had one interview...ever! 8 years ago!! I was 17! I dont remember much but i was dang sure nervous..even though i already had the job..lol
afm- Had my "well woman exam" today. I hate breast exams..and not because my bb's are full of milk still, but because omg they tickle me so badly!! LOL. I can't help but giggle and wiggle on the table like a 2 year old! LOL. Pap went ok. I told her about the decrease in supply after only taking ONE of the lo loestrin tablets, and i told her I was mid cycle now, so I wanted to go ahead and get a birth control that my insurance covers, that I can begin on October 21, which Layla should be weaned then. So, she gave me the generic for loestrin. She also wants me to begin a regimen of diflucan during my period because i keep having issues there everytime i've had AF the last 2 months, for the next 6 months. I also spoke to her about possibly (the major "POSSIBLY") Ttc again in May-June, since im graduating TCC in July. She sat for 5 minutes to tell me how proud of me she was to be a mom, and a great student, and for not giving my education up. It makes me feel really good that someone else recognizes my hard work and encourages me! She said I do have a green light for ttc in may and recommends I continue my prenatals to keep my energy up We also have been good about using protection this month as well, she gave me kudos and her blessing to do that until October.
She also offered to take Layla home with her... lol.
Scarlett turned one on wednesday! And I ordered Layla's first birthday onesie yesterday! its so cute! I am making the tutu and bows for it, so I really saved money there. exciting!
Oh and slightly worried about tomorrow's temps.. My thermometer kicked the bucket, its been giving me random temps and its taking temping twice or three times in order to get the "normal" temps.. I bought a new and completely different brand thermometer, so idk what that will do to my chart tomorrow, I made notes on FF, but i hope it doesnt mess it up too bad.
09-13-2013 02:17 PM - edited 09-13-2013 02:20 PM
Layla the other day:
I am missing my little girl...
Thank you Alix! We arent sure about another baby, we agreed we are open to the idea, but not until i graduate, which will be July and I dont mind getting PG again may-june (and will be due in the cooler months! ). However, we've both agreed to prevent for now with condoms til I can get on bcp next month, and then the pill. Then in May, we are going to have another talk and see how we stand with financials and etc. If we do decide for another, I will probably go ahead and get a tubal done afterwords. I've always only wanted one child, DH wants a big family. He wanted two with me for years now
TCC is Tallahassee Community College. I live in a town surrounding Tallahassee, FL, its a wonderful school. Im almost sad to graduate. lol
09-13-2013 06:10 PM - edited 09-13-2013 06:12 PM
Hey Ladies!!!
Alix - Congrats!!
Brie - Can't believe Layla is almost one!! She is adorable.
Tara - Rooting for you over here! Does anyone know how Nicole is?
AFM - Lucas is doing so much better. We had a rough couple of months with his reflux but we finally found a medicine that works. He also aspirates so we have been thickening his feeds and he hasn't spit up or aspirated for weeks now. He started gaining weight again and is 15lbs and 5oz. The girls are doing good, we just moved to a new house last week so we are all adjusting. Hope everyone is doing well!
Oh my dh is getting a vasetomy in 2 weeks. No more babies for us! 3 is the magic number and more then a handful for sure!
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October 3rd, 2013 by KerrilynnI love weddings: the over the top dresses, the pre-ceremony jitters, the toasts (and roasts!), the free-flowing drinks, the crazy dancing, and the very public and exciting declaration of love and commitment. Earlier this month I went to a wedding that had it all – my friend, Sunny Ozell, was marrying Sir Patrick Stewart in Lake Tahoe. John and I headed out with our close friends, Jason and Alexis, and met up with some other soon-to-be great friends for a weekend of festivities that included ridiculous amounts of nachos, brutal games of Celebrity, swimming in the glorious water, and absurd amounts of time debating whether or not we should all just up and move to California already.
We shared our cabin in the woods with some extremely talented culinary geniuses. Betsy Devine, the wonder woman behind Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta showed off her prowess in the kitchen — and her prowess in dressing – I wish you could have seen what she was wearing. Too good. Nekisia Davis, the mastermind behind Early Bird Granola, was wowing us at every turn with her wit, general awesomeness and mad queso-making skills. I can't stop thinking about that stuff, but who the hell makes queso when they're not on vacation? I don't think I can bring myself to do it just for two of us at home, but next time I'm away it will be the first thing I share with loved ones. Danny Amend, the chef at Marco's (formerly of Franny's) engaged us in conversation and made food with an attention and love that was inspiring, and the results were of course delicious. As if that wasn't enough food love, the esteemed food writer Melissa Clark of the New York Times was staying a mere couple towns over with her husband and daughter, Dahlia, who acted as flower girl extraordinaire.
The wedding took place in one of the most beautiful spots I've ever been, The Thunderbird Lodge, on the Nevada side of Tahoe. After the gold rush, George Whittell, Jr., bought 29 miles of lake front property for $6 an acre and the only property built on the land is his home, where the wedding took place. We watched the ceremony at what felt like the edge of the world – the sun was shining, the lake was twinkling and Aperol fizzes were in-hand. We were ready for a performance and that's exactly what we got. Sunny walked down the aisle to "How Could I Love You More" by Arkestra One, chosen for her by another talented friend, Lori Hon, who makes her living creating fantastically cool playlists. After the extraordinary entrance of the bride in her Temperly gown, followed by the world's cutest nephew as ring-bearer, her best friend, Jillan LaVinka stepped forward to give her reading. I assumed we were in for some common quotes about love, patience and kindness but I was dead wrong. Hidden between the pages of her Bible was the most original, funny and loving speech cobbling together song verses as disparate as " She was a fast machine she kept her motor clean" with "And you can hear it in my accent when I talk, I'm an Englishman in New York" to " You, you make loving fun, and I don't have to tell you that you're the only one" only to end with "She shook me all night long". I'm not used to wedding speeches making me laugh till I cry but that was clearly a theme at this wedding because next up was Kate James of Second City fame, ready to enlighten us on what love is all about. I imagine it can be a blessing or a curse to have a seriously funny comedian give your toast at your wedding but this one was all blessing. Watch the video where she shares with us all the misconceptions surrounding love. I'm pretty sure that the most desired favor to take home in your luggage (besides the Maggie Bracelets and The Graces, which we were honored to have included in the festivities) had to have been a hard copy of her toast to be hijacked and used at all future weddings.
The post-speech merriment inevitably led to insane dancing – Harper Blynn made a surprise appearance and we danced like maniacs until Sunny got on the mic and sang "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Genius. The party moved to the lakefront gazebo where I begged Ben to woo us all with one of my favorite songs, Lovely Day. For weeks John and I had become obsessed with the idea that Sunny's friends would serenade her with this most perfect of love songs. Once we discovered Ben's exquisite voice at the bachelorette party a few weeks prior we decided he was the voice we'd been waiting for — it wasn't super hard to convince him – I'd sing on command if I had that voice like that too. I'll remember that scene for the rest of my life – looking out on that spectacular lake, surrounded by new and old friends and listening to one of my favorite songs being sung by one of my favorite voices made me happy to be alive. And, in my book that's what weddings are all about — being alive and celebrating the whole of what that means.
All photos: John von Pamer
Video: Freja Mitchell


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The bride is the daughter of Jeffery Kevin McCarthy and Margie Rilla Highsmith, both of Waycross, Ga. She is the granddaughter of Norman and Carroll McCarthy, Judy Dixon of Blackshear, Ga., and the late Revis Dixon.
The bridegroom is the son of Thomas Richard "Tom" and Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Leach of Cleveland. He is the grandson of Virginia Leach of Cleveland, the late Wayne Leach and the late William and Ruby Taylor.
The wedding was officiated by the Rev. T.J. Green of Virginia. Nuptial music was provided by Rhonda Mullis, pianist; Jessica Johnson, violinist; and Lauralee Tison; solist. After the couple exchanged vows, Dr. Freddie Smith, pastor at Sweat Memorial Baptist Church, gave them communion.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride was attended by her sister, Sarah Elise McCarthy of Waycross, as maid of honor. Christen Lea Maxwell, also of Waycross, was her matron of honor. Bridesmaids were cousins Jenni Smith of Waresboro, Ga., and Marie Reyes of Atlanta, Ga., sister-in-law Laura Leach of Cleveland and Amanda Howell of Waycross.
Flower girls were two of the bride's triplet 4-year-old siblings, Bella and Cayla Highsmith, and a cousin of the bride, 4-year-old Olivia McCarthy, all of Waycross. The ring bearer was Eli Highsmith, the third triplet sibling of the bride.
The bridegroom's best friend, Justin Ownby of Cleveland, served him as best man. Groomsmen were Tanner Hysinger, Chris Shope, Brandon Varnell and Jon Wilson, all of Cleveland, and Chris Black of Athens, Tenn. Ushers were the bride's cousins, Alex McCarthy and Kevin McCarthy, both of Athens, Ga.
The parents of the bride gave the reception at the church. Bonita Moye and Suzi Tison of Waycross served as wedding directors. Martha McClain served as the caterer for the reception. Ashley and Brenna Thomas of Waresboro and their sons, Joshua and Caleb, served as program attendants, along with Maggie Smith of Waycross.
After the wedding trip given by the bridegrooms' parents to St. Augustine, Fla., the couple is at home in Cleveland.


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Cite as "AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 11061072 (posted Jul. 15, 2011)"
On May 24, 2011, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on H.R. 1932, Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2011 (Lamar Smith, R-TX), a sweeping detention bill. Although supporters of the bill characterize it as narrowly tailored to target a few, dangerous individuals, the bill would both greatly expand the use of indefinite detention for people who cannot be deported and explicitly authorize DHS to hold individuals during removal proceedings, without a bond hearing, no matter how long they last. The bill would impact asylum seekers fleeing persecution as well as lawful permanent residents, including those with very old criminal convictions.
On July 14, 2011, the Judiciary Committee held a markup of H.R. 1932 and approved the amended bill by a 17-14 vote.


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Unretouched, original image – architectural drawing for Montauk Point Lighthouse.
Montauk Point Lighthouse drawing after digital restoration.
Montauk Point Lighthouse architectural drawing restored and formatted as a 16×20″ print.
MPR Studio offers a variety of high-end digital photo and image restoration, repair, retouching and manipulation services. Do you have an old damaged family portrait, piece of art or document that is important to you and your family? We have vast experience repairing all kinds of images, including: old family and individual portraits, historical documents, patent and architectural drawings, old sketches and illustrations, and much more. In addition, we have extensive knowledge in formatting artwork for all types of media, from commercial custom displays to frame-ready wall art for the home or office. We have restored and formatted photographs and illustrations of world-renowned archives, including: Time LIFE, The Associated Press, National Geographic, George Eastman House, and The National Archives of the United States, among others.
Vintage photos & artwork digitally-restored and formatted by MPR Studio have sold at many well-known retailers, including: HomeGoods; QVC; PBS (e-commerce website); The History Channel (e-commerce website); Barnes & Noble; National Geographic catalog; and many galleries throughout the United States and Europe. Our professional digital photo & image restoration services are second-to-none and client satisfaction is guaranteed on all jobs. Whether for a museum in search of document restoration services, or someone looking to repair an old family portrait, we have the skills and experience to get your digital restoration, retouching and manipulation projects done with utmost care and quality each and every time. Image Editing Pricing
Image Restoration Photo Gallery
Vintage Polish Catalog Cover
Antique Polish catalog cover, before and after digital restoration. This was a rather tricky job, as I had to re-create the ornate border where it was missing and clean-up many areas of the piece.
Typewriter Patent Drawing
Left: badly damaged and discolored original patent drawing for the typewriter. Right: retouched typewriter patent drawing formatted as a 16×20″ print.
Steve McQueen in Sports Car
Actor Steve McQueen sitting in sports car in Los Angeles, California. The original image (left) was overexposed and lacking in contrast. The restored photograph on the right is properly exposed with enhanced contrast. Image Copyright The Associated Press.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gives Speech
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during speech, original and edited photographs. The original image (left) was faded and had numerous diagonal markings. I added contrast and removed the lines, creating the image seen at right. Image Copyright The Associated Press.
Elvis Presley and Liberace Backstage
Elvis and Liberace backstage at the Frontier in Las Vegas, Nevada. The original photo (left) was slightly discolored and had some unwanted markings and spots. I corrected the color and removed the damage, creating the image at right. Image Copyright The Associated Press.
The Beatles Arrive at JFK
Original and restored photographs of The Beatles arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Before restoration (left), the photo was faded and had some dust spots. The restored image (right) has improved colors and contrast, and no spots. Image Copyright The Associated Press.
Abe Lincoln Portrait
United States President Abraham Lincoln poses for a portrait at Mathew Brady's studio. The original photograph (left) was slightly lacking in contrast, had numerous dust specks and writing on the curtain. To create the restored version on the right, I added contrast and used the clone stamp to remove the dust specks, as well as the numbers on the curtain.
1939 World's Fair in Queens, New York
1939 World's Fair in Queens, New York. The original photograph (left) was badly damaged with extensive damage throughout. To create the retouched image on the right, I removed all damage in the sky area and significantly darkened the photo. Image Copyright The Associated Press.
Soemmerring's Copper Pheasant Illustration
Original, unretouched Soemmerring's Copper Pheasant illustration scanned from book.
Retouched illustration of Soemmerring's Copper Pheasant formatted as a 11×14″ print. I had to straighten-out the edges of the illustration and replace the background with a new textured one.
Vintage Baseball Illustration
Vintage baseball illustration, before and after restoration. I did this job for a client who wanted this illustration of her father repaired. To start, I converted it to black and white. I removed unwanted markings with the clone stamp and got rid of the tape mark behind the player's name.
Antique Portrait
Antique portrait, before and after digital restoration. The original image (left) had stains throughout and was slightly faded. To retouch this photo, I removed all the markings on and around the man, then replaced both backgrounds – the one immediately outside the photo and the card background – with new textured ones.
Am I proud! World War II poster
"Am I Proud!…" World War II poster before (left) and after (right) digital restoration. For this job, I replaced the entire green background, removed numerous creases and slightly brightened the overall color of the illustration.
Wheat Whiskey Patent Drawing
Patent drawing for Simon Crow's Pure White Wheat Whiskey label before and after retouching. The original scan (on left) had extensive damage throughout the circular illustrated part, as well as on the background. I fixed all damage to the illustrated part and replaced the background with a new textured one. The final print was formatted as a 16×16″ print.
Vintage Family Portrait
Vintage portrait from the early 1900s of two guys and an old automobile. The original image (top) was discolored and full of stains and other imperfections. To create the restored image (bottom), I removed all the damage using the clone stamp in Adobe Photoshop, converted the image to black & white, then finally added a sepia-tone. By converting the image to grayscale and then to sepia-tone, I am effectively removing the uneven discoloration and making the color uniform throughout.
Tiddledy winks Board Game Artwork
Original (left) and restored (right) versions of Tiddledy Winks boardgame cover artwork from the early 1900s. This piece required a good amount of work – I did extensive clean up to the damaged background (behind the cats); I brightened the colors of the piece; and fixed the most badly-damaged areas of the border. The client wanted the piece to retain its old look, so I left most of the tattered border and gave the illustration a complementary textured background. The final print was formatted as a 16×20″ and printed on matte paper.
Aetna Works Table Cutlery Label
Original (left) and restored labels for Aetna Works Table Cutlery by J.D. Frary from 1874. This is a piece from the extensive collection at The National Archives of the United States. Due to its age, it was badly damaged. My goal with this piece was to make it more commercially-appealing. To achieve this, I did the following: removed the stains and discoloration from the center illustration; got rid of the glue markings that held the colored part to the background; added two textured backgrounds (one immediately behind the colored illustration, the other outside the tooling line; and formatted the piece as a 16×20″ print, ready to insert into a frame without the need for a mat.
Sicily Lemon Sugar Patent Drawing
George F. Gantz & Co's Sicily Lemon Sugar label before & after digital image editing. This is also from The National Archives of the United States. The area near the glass and lemons on the inside was badly damaged and discolored. I sampled a blue color and texture from near the cross at the top of the illustration and fixed the entire background, giving it a uniform look and feel throughout. I also repaired part of the tooling line by the seal at top left by getting rid of the label and cloning other areas of the line. This illustration also had glue marks from where it was affixed to the paper back in 1870. I removed all of these, and created a complementary textured background to format the piece for printing. It was laid-out as a 16×20″ print and inserted in a frame without the need for a mat.
American Sailboat on the water
Original two-part scan (at left) and digitally retouched (at right) images of an American sailboat at sea. The original was badly faded and needed to be reconstructed as it was in two pieces. I combined the two scans in Adobe Photoshop, repaired all other damage and color-corrected this piece, creating the vibrant final image at right. It was printed as a 11×14″ photograph on semi-matte paper.
Game of Bicycle Race Board Game Artwork
Game of Bicycle Race boardgame cover artwork from the New-York Historical Society. This piece was faded and had markings throughout. I removed all the damage, adjusted the color to make it a little more vibrant and added a textured complementary background. The final image was formatted as a 16×20″ and inserted directly into a frame without matting.
Technical Info
To produce the best results for our clients, a high-quality original (either good scan or hard-copy) is ideal. Old photographs/artwork come in all shapes and sizes – so we can help you decide what final image or photo size will yield the best results.
The best procedure in figuring out what size image you need is to contact us and tell us what the original media is. Is it an 8×10" photographic print, a negative or slide, an image captured on a digital camera? If so, what kind and how many megapixels? Once we know the file size information, we can determine a good size for your printed image so as not to lose image quality.
Before any digital restoration work is started, we will collect information about your digital or physical image. What size do you want the final print to be? What kind of borders, if any, would you like: small, medium or large? Perhaps you would like a textured background for your image. Do you want your photo printed as a sepia tone, black and white or in full color? All photo/image restoration jobs come with free custom layout, ensuring that no matter how you display your image, it will look amazing. Do you already have a frame for your photo – if so, what are the dimensions of the glass in it? What are the outer frame dimensions?
We have extensive, hands-on experience dealing with a wide variety of professional image retouching & restoration projects, so just tell us what you want… and that's exactly what you'll get.
Scanning Services
Don't have your image or photo scanned? Simply send us a hard copy of your document, photo or artwork and we'll scan it for you, then return it in its original shape, along with any prints you may have ordered. We recommend sending your original via USPS registered mail, FedEx or UPS so you can track it along the way.
All scanning services are included for FREE with our digital restoration/retouching services. If you don't feel comfortable sending the original, you can easily scan it yourself by going to a local FedEx Office or UPS Store. The staff there will be able to help you.
If you plan on scanning an image/photo yourself, please scan as a high-resolution color file even if the original is black and white or sepia-toned. A full-color file yields more options for the digital photo retouching stage. If you are scanning an old document with text, doing so as line-art will give you sharper results (especially with the text), but will be a black & white file. In this case – with an old document – it is best to scan individually both as color photograph and line-art, producing two files. You can save both files as JPEGs at maximum quality (12). We can later copy elements from the grayscale image and paste them onto the the color file, giving you the best possible results.
Scan at 300 pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi) – highest quality setting if ppi or dpi is not visible in the scanning software. If you have questions and would like us to walk you through the process, we're more than happy to help.


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Classic aviators with a stylish twist: prong-detailed frames give these shades an added stylish accent. Team them with your favorite denim and a bomber jacket for a weekend look with rugged attitude.
• Rimless aviator frames with prong detail. "GUESS" debossed logo with epoxy fill at temple. Double injection rubber tips.
• Ideal for oval, square, triangle and diamond faces
• Polycarbonate lens
• 100% UVA and UVB protection
• Excellent impact resistance and scratch resistant
• Includes signature case
• Three year warranty
Shipping Options:
Orders are shipped via UPS using the following rate scale:
Standard 5-7 Business Days - $8.95
Second Business Day - $14.95
Next Business Day - $26.95
NOTE: No Saturday or Sunday deliveries.
No shipping to P.O.Boxes. A.P.O and F.P.O addresses are automatically shipped via
USPS Ground.
Orders placed during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST) are typically processed and shipped within one business day.
We do not offer international shipping at this time.
For complete details, click here.
Easy Return Options:
Take it back to your local GUESS store for FREE or ship it back to us.
GUESS gladly accepts unworn, unwashed or defective full-priced merchandise for up to thirty days after purchase date. Original receipt, hygiene strip and tags must be attached. Unfortunately, pierced jewelry, innerwear, fragrances, lotions and items marked "final sale" are not returnable. Sale merchandise may only be returned to a store for an exchange. Shipping charges are not refundable.
For complete details, click here.
Contact Us By Email:
Use our online contact form for quick, personalized assistance. Click here.
Contact Us By Phone:
Toll Free: 1-877-44-GUESS (48377).
Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. (PT)


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Main Content
The best thing about having a hard ride at the beginning of the day is that it gives you a great excuse to be lazy for the rest of the day. Still, you can't hit up the convenience store wearing only your boxers — that whole, "no shirt, no service" thing. The solution is simple. With the help of Alpinestars' Gomez tee, you can shop for snacks with impunity with as little extra effort as possible. Not only does it clothe you and your manly torso, but this slim fit shirt also displays sweet Alpinestars crest graphics that give you just a little je ne sais quoi. Tish, that's French!
- 100% Combed ringspun cotton
- Alpinestars screen print
- Alpinestars slim fit T-shirt
- Made in the USA
- Tagless collar
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game
or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are
received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items
are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite
number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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24 hours: Quickest guide to Milwaukee's weekend
5 p.m. Friday
Former Riverdance musician Derek Byrne brings the Irish music at "Frantic Friday Eve" at Cedar Creek Settlement, where you can shop and listen at the same time. »Read Full Article
LA jury awards $5 million to funk legend Sly Stone
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Funk legend Sly Stone was awarded $5 million on Tuesday in a breach-of-contract suit that claimed his business partners and his own company cheated him out of royalties.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled for the 71-year-old performer in his action against his ex-manager Gerald Goldstein, attorney Glenn Stone and Even St. Productions Ltd. »Read Full Article
Churches and nonprofit groups, will you be serving Lenten fish fries?
Churches and other nonprofits, it's that time of year again. Send me details about your fish fries during Lent: dates, times, address, a phone number for publication, the price and what's included.
Enter "fish fry" in the subject line, and send your email to firstname.lastname@example.com. Emails are due by Feb. 12; the listing is planned for publication Feb. 20. »Read Full Blog Post
Milwaukee County plans a 2nd Traveling Beer Garden Tour
Sit still. Enjoy nature. The beer will come to you.
A second Traveling Beer Garden Tour will be added this summer, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is announcing Wednesday. »Read Full Article
What! Facebook's down? No storm selfies during brief outage
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - No storm selfies, hookups, status updates. With Facebook and Instagram down for nearly an hour overnight, what were legions of users to do?
Turn to Twitter, of course. To talk about Facebook. The hashtag "#facebookdown" generated a cascade of tweets, including an image of a T-shirt with the words "I survived #facebookdown." Companies such as Coca-Cola took it as a viral marketing opportunity. »Read Full Article
Pasta Tree is launching happy hour Tuesday with small plates and drink specials
Today is the debut of a happy hour at the Pasta Tree, 1503 N. Farwell Ave., that emphasizes small bites alongside drink specials, Italian aperitivo-style.
Happy hour will be 4:30 to 6: 30 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays, with $5 glasses of wine from Vines & Rushes wine from Ripon, $3.50 bottles of beer and other drinks like negroni, spritz and Americano cocktails, Prosecco and limoncello for $5. »Read Full Blog Post
Imagine Dragons to give surprise performance on plane
NEW YORK (AP) - Imagine Dragons is ready to rock you - in the sky.
The Grammy-winning band and Southwest Airlines announced Monday that the group will perform a surprise Live at 35 concert at 35,000 feet on a Feb. 24 flight. »Read Full Article
New DVD releases: 'Fury,' 'The Judge,' 'Book of Life'
FURY (Sony) In the waning days of World War II, the U.S. Army tank crew tries to stay alive — and save the day. Violent, unglorified war movie with Brad Pitt as the crew's tough commander; also starring Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal. (R; war violence, some grisly images, pervasive language) »Read Full Article
Kevin Hart coming to the Riverside Theater in April
Comedian Kevin Hart is coming to the Riverside Theater to perform not one, not two, but six shows April 2 to 4.
That may seem like a lot of gigs; combined, they add up to about 15,000 tickets. But there's still a strong chance Hart's Riverside residency is going to sell out. »Read Full Article
On Tap Today: Stitching History from the Holocaust at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee
Janurary 27, 1945 is a date we should never forget: the liberation of Auschwitz and known now around the world as Holocaust Remembrance Day. And on the 70th anniversary the liberation, its only fitting to take in "Stitching History from the Holocaust," a new exhibit at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.