text:
Cold Crash Pictures
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Happy Birthday Kurt Russell! (And BA Thoughts)
Yesterday was Kurt Russell's 60th birthday, and that's worthy of note, because Kurt Russell is awesome. He was born on St. Patty's Day, for one, he married Goldie Hawn, for another, and he is the all-but-biological father of Kate Hudson, which is cool, if you forget Hudson's rom-com career.
I really do love Kurt Russell, not least of all because he is the star of my all-time favorite horror movie The Thing (1982), and that, ladies and gents, is my lead-in for discussing my BA thesis, which is indeed all about The Thing.
I have just completed the first draft of my BA thesis, and now the hard part begins. With editing, all the momentum of drafting is gone. No longer am I making big, bold claims for the betterment of film -- I am arguing with Microsoft Word about restrictive clauses and digging for sources which state common knowledge, simply because I need a citation. Still, the groundwork has been laid, and if even the paper itself isn't stellar (I've never been good at academic writing), the ideas in it are really fascinating, IMHO.
My main claim is that The Thing is a robust cinematic allegory for early the 1980s Cold War fears pervading American culture at the time, and that it takes the union of both psychoanalytical and historical interpretations in order to suss out all that symbolism.
Case in point: protagonist R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) devises a blood test in order to determine who in the group has and has not been copied and replaced by a malevolent alien, a test which closely mirrors America's obsession with national identity and border defense in the early 1980s. That works, doesn't it?
^----Yeah, you wish you partied this hard----^
Another case in point: MacReady is suspected of being infected and so the others try to kill him for the safety of the group. They point flamethrowers at him and prepare to fire, but MacReady grabs a bundle of dynamite and tells them that if anybody attacks anyone now, the whole station goes. This is, in what I think is the gnarliest claim of my BA thesis, almost exactly how Russia and America used their nuclear arsenals to deter attack during the Cold War through the perceived threat of Mutually Assured Destruction. In the early 1980s in particular, recently-elected Ronald Reagan was against the concessions of detente and significantly increased the visibility of America's nuclear arsenal (citation needed, besides simply asking anyone who was alive back then).
The final bit of my BA is a close reading of the first act of the film (just the first act, because it ran eleven pages) looking for how director John Carpenter fosters feelings of paranoia in the audience. Generally speaking, he does it in four different ways: the paranoia evident in the plot, "floating eye" tracking shots which heighten the fear of off-screen space, the graphic presentation of violence, and a near-constant breaking of visual continuity.
That's my BA, in a nutshell. They tell me I need more citations. The intro rambles way too much and the conclusion is only a paragraph long. Some of my language can be tightened up, and my central claim is a little weak by academic-writing standards. The body of my thesis is a little disorganized.
But all of that aside: isn't Kurt Russell awesome?
Some Movie News to Ponder This Weekend
--Andrew Garfield has been cast as Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. And what surprises most people is that he hasn't been in hardly anything. What makes me so excited is that I actually met this guy a few years ago during a screening of Lions for Lambs (2007). He was born in Los Angeles but grew up in England, and I think he's a much more inspired choice than all the other options they were considering. Yes, he looks like a terrible hipster, but he's actually pretty cool, at least in Q&A sessions.
--Twilight Eclipse made $68.5 million on its opening Wednesday, which is the second-biggest opening day gross in history. The number one record is held by Twilight New Moon. As if the news couldn't get more facepalmy, Eclipse indeed knocked The Dark Knight back to third. For the record, though, whenever June 30th lands on a Wednesday and July 4th on a Sunday, a box-office record gets set. No joke: Spider-Man 2 did it in 2002.
--According to the critics, Shyamalan still sucks. The Last Airbender (2010) is getting awful reviews, with one critic going so far as to suggest that this proves Shyamalan made a deal with the devil to make The Sixth Sense (1999).
--Mel Gibson is still racist and sexist, if the reports (and audiotapes) are to be believed. The specifics don't matter, but people are now wondering if Gibson's brief comeback in the not-horribly-received The Edge of Darkness (2009) was way too prematurely announced. Last years hottest spec script, about a man who talks to a beaver-puppet which remains forever attached to his hand (shows you how desperate the studios are for good spec scripts), which Mel Gibson is currently shooting, has been pronounced dead-on-arrival by many a critic. Me? I wasn't gonna see it because of the logline, not the lead.
--Don't ever trust a headline that ends in a question mark.
See? That wasn't so painful. Next week we get Predators, and then the Friday after that comes the big mac-daddy of the summer: Inception *BRAAAAAMH* That was the sound of the epic bass, which must accompany any mention of Inception *BRAAAAAMH*
PS3 Review: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
I have no hard feelings for this game. It's got a good technical presentation and it's fairly fun to play, with varied mission objectives and well-designed levels. For what more could you ask from a first-person shooter?
There's one problem, though. One big problem. When you look down your scope, for some reason, your targeting reticle automatically snaps onto the nearest target. When you're done pumping one enemy full of lead, you simply zoom out then back in, and the crosshairs automatically snap to the next target. What's a first-person shooter without aiming?
I've never encountered this feature in other FPSs... are all the other kids doing it? What think-tank decided that a shooter would benefit from the removal of aiming? It's like Assassin's Creed; they call it a platformer but there's no jump-button. I don't know if it's what automatically happens when money gets dumped into a popular project, but the games, they start to play themselves. So no matter how fun Modern Warfare 2 is to play, it's still just a lazy Saturday afternoon at best. Even Tetris made your mind feel worked.
I'd be remissed if I didn't mention an optional level in Modern Warfare 2 that the game-designers decided was so controversial, you're given the option of skipping it if you find it too extreme. The level sees your character, deep deep undercover with the Russian mob, walking through a public airport mowing down innocent civilians. I believe the level shouldn't have been included simply because it's boring. You walk through an airport with a tommy-gun from room to room until everyone in the airport is dead. They tried for edgy, they delivered blah.
And then the whole false-solemnity of giving the player the option to play the level or not. Honestly, I don't think killing innocent civilians in a game has anything to do with, you know, reality, so I think the developer should've stuck to its guns (*groan*) and either forced the player to play, or not included the level at all. This false-solemnity nonsense is also in Assassin's Creed, which begins with a message which lets the audience know that the game was developed by a staff of varied ethnic and religious backgrounds. They included this, because, as we all know, whenever someone says the word "Muslim," a kitten dies.
So, yeah. I don't know what all the fuss is over this game. It's technically proficient (though the graphics all have that plastic cartoony look this franchise is known for), but it plays itself. Maybe these problems disappear with multiplayer-- I didn't spend too long in multiplayer, but that was because I couldn't tell any of the teams apart.
Award-Giving Time: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 gets the "I'll Have Everything on the Dollar Menu To Go" award-- sure, it feels good, but do you really want something so fast, cheap, and easy? ...And yes, I had originally typed the "drunk prom date award," but kids can find this blog, so....
PS3 Review: Bioshock
Here's to a review three years late. *clinks sarsaparilla bottle*
Bioshock is awesome, but it needs to grow on you. I played a demo of it when it first came out and hated it. I then became a fan of Ayn Rand, read a little about Bioshock's storyline, and then finally ventured back into the waters of Rapture to see what everybody was talking about, and I wasn't disappointed.
That initial hatred no doubt stems from the fact that combat makes you feel a little ineffectual in Bioshock. You hit opponents with your arsenal of conventional weapons and your gene-enhanced abilities, and they don't seem to take very much damage. They certainly don't react to any of your hits until they're dead, and besides a tiny blood-spatter animation, the only way to tell you're even hitting them is to pay close attention to their life-meter. In short, I would unload on even the most basic enemies and they'd just keep coming at me. I guess I was used to the character-animations in HALO, where, as you unload a clip into the face of an Elite, they would stagger back more and more until they finally crapped out. Not so in Bioshock. They're all on PCP.
I said you should stick with it, though, and that's because, once you finally notice that enemies are being killed by your fancy footwork and on-the-fly weapon-switching, taking them down will feel that much more rewarding. And don't even get me started on the Big Daddy fights.
I should mention the story. It's great. Even the box-art suggests some deep world you're about to insert yourself into. What is that honking-huge diving-bell dude, and why is he protecting that little girl? The year is 1960, and you've crash-landed in the middle of the Atlantic. Luckily (perhaps a little too luckily), there's a bathysphere nearby and it takes you down to the underwater city of Rapture, which used to be populated by the world's brightest minds, but now houses a bunch of souped-up genetically-engineered junkies who hunt the chemical ADAM like it was their next fix. Those little girls? They can sniff the stuff out like bloodhounds. Their Big Daddy protectors? Really like their ADAM fixes.
So are you intrigued yet? There's more to the story and more than a few big emotional surprises in store, so when you combine that with rewarding FPS mechanics, fantastic graphics, and a surprisingly lengthy campagin (took me about 20 hours to beat), you've got one of the best FPSs for the system.
Award-Giving Time: Bioshock gets the Fine Red Wine award. I didn't like it at first, but that's because I was young and uncultured, and it only gets better as time goes by.
Top Ten Tuesdays: Television Shows
Credit the three and a half seasons of 24 I have devoured on Netflix in the past three weeks for my sudden renewed interest and faith in television.
There are some conditions for this list: I have not yet gotten around to seeing any of The Wire, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, The West Wing, The Unit, Family Guy, South Park, That 70s Show, ER, M*A*S*H, Sex and the City, The X-Files, Happy Days, or most anything from the 50s, 60s, and 70s like The Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, All in the Family, or I Love Lucy. I'm leaving out talk shows, news shows, game shows, and obviously... reality tv. Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live both suck, and I'm not much of a Simpsons fan.
10. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)-- Hitchcock himself hosted and occasionally directed the suspenseful (or at least ironic) shorts presented in every episode of this seminal series. If you're having trouble understanding what makes this show so awesome, let me repeat: Hitchcock presenting short films every week for seven years!
9. Invader Zim (2001-2003)-- An amazingly unique blending of careful plotting and total irreverence. And it's an animated cartoon! There's no joke in lazy juxtaposition (I'm looking at you, Stewie!), so what Zim gives us is a gleefully insane set of characters with clear-cut motivations working towards exciting but inevitable conclusions. Did I mention sidekick Gir?
8. Arrested Development (2003-2006)-- Again, really, really tight plotting which sets the stage for big surprises. This show suffers for only being half an hour, as a lot of the emotional check-points whiz by. You can also either love or hate the fact that everyone, basically, everyone, in this show is morally reprehensible. Anybody notice how well the characters in AD synch up with the whole family in The Godfather? Michael/Michael, Buster/Fredo, Gob/Sonny, the list goes on....
7. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)-- This show makes the list because it starts off just as clever and well-written as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and then it adds sci-fi!
6. Lost (2004-2010)-- The finale told us that the point of the show was never figuring out the answers to all the mysteries of the island, but figuring out the people involved. In all fairness, if you need to know the meaning and purpose of there being a polar bear on the island, beyond knowing that it was some genetic experiment, and an effective first-episode act-break shocker, then this show is probably not for you.
5. Veronica Mars (2004-2007)-- Gender doesn't matter, unless an antagonist makes it an issue. Try being a top-notch female private-eye sometime and you'll find you're peerless in your field but the boys will be second-guessing you every step of the way. A CSI for people with hearts, there's a reason why the show is named after a character, and not a department. On a separate list, Veronica Mars would be one of my favorite television characters of all time.
4. House (2004-present)-- A roller-coaster of quality from season-to-season, I am currently singing this show's praises because it's last season ended stronger than any other. Everyone's favorite misanthropic doctor is finally growing a heart, and going out with Cuddy! What an arc this poor fella has gone through-- from being the most haphazard misfit to almost exactly who we all want him to be.
3. 24 (2001-2010)-- I've only seen half of this show, but so far it is a mucking fasterpiece. The easiest thing to talk about would be the real-time nature of the show (when I first heard about this show at the age of 12, I thought there was no way they could do that, as he'd need to go to sleep sometime), which keeps the tension sky-high, which is perfectly suited to the subject-matter of the show. And who knew torture could be made to look so agreeable?!
2. Mad Men (2007-present)-- Biologically speaking, males philander in order to distribute their genetic material as widely as possible, and females play coy in order to draw protective males to them. Men will give money to get sex, and women will give sex to get money. Not on any other show is this dynamic explored as thoroughly as on Mad Men, all from within a subtle, hyper-accurate depiction of the 1960s advertising world.
1. Firefly (2002-2003)-- The great martyr of the medium. Cancelled after only 13 episodes and briefly resurrected in Serenity (2005) for some well-foought closure, this show was pitched as "What if Han Solo never joined the Rebellion?" Thus, we get Captain Malcolm Reynolds and company, all with troubled pasts and even more troubled futures, despite the captain's mantra that he just wants to keep flyin'.
Dear Lord, They've Invented a Lightsaber
No, not actually a lightsaber, as the beam of super-hot death-light doesn't actually return to the hilt, but for $197.97, you can purchase your very-own hand-held portable laser which has enough power to instantly blind and burn through skin. Youtube in fact is filled with demonstrative videos. You hear me? For less than the price of a PS3, you can buy a potentially-fatal laser which emanates from a device which looks so similar to an actual lightsaber handle that Lucasfilm is threatening a lawsuit.
The company's website, down at the time of this posting, wickedlasers.com, dedicates an entire paragraph to the various things you should never do with this laser, including operating it without proper eye-wear or aiming it at anything either flammable or possessing nerve-endings. What I find fishy is that the site makes no mention as to what you should use the laser for. Cats of the world, consider yourselves forewarned.
PS: The laser in the video, you will note, is not the Wicked Laser Spyder III Arctic Pro, but rather a homemade version with double the reported power of the Spyder III. So we can all rest easy there-- it will take five seconds for the Spyder III to burn through a CD case, instead of about two, and only slightly longer than instantly to set fire to a match. Whew!
Movie-Link Madness: "Wall-E" and "The General"
For those of you who've followed this blog from the beginning, you might know my undying love for Buster Keaton's 1926 masterpiece The General, and my ire for the popularity surrounding Pixar's worst yet most-lauded film Wall-E (2008).
Everybody says the same thing when I ask them why they like Wall-E: "Oh, for them to evoke so much emotion without saying anything is nothing short of remarkable!" This is a quote for people who have never tried writing a screenplay. And a quote for people who haven't met Old Stone Face.
Old Stone Face is the affectionate nickname for Buster Keaton, who wrote, produced, directed, and starred in The General, a 1926 silent romantic comedy about a disgraced train engineer who must thwart the entire Union army in order to rescue his beloved Annabel Lee. Keaton narrowly escapes death in one gleefully elaborate set-piece after another, and the film culminates in a climactic train-derailment, and of course, the reunion of the two sweethearts. And there are no words.
Sounds a lot like Wall-E, except nobody praises The General because it's silent. Now, first pet-peeve: Wall-E is not silent. It's filled with pontificating talking heads who beat into our terribly deflated skulls that being green is good and being fat is bad! Second pet-peeve: Pixar is supposed to be the studio that doesn't fill its films with pop-culture references and therefore instantly date its films, unlike their rival DreamWorks, but make no mistake-- Wall-E is a proud product of the environmentally-obsessed wanning years of the Bush administration. I agree, Wall-E is adorable, but they should've left out all of the humans. Oh, and he shouldn't have magically come back to life with a kiss at the end of the film. That's ok in Sleeping Beauty, where you're clearly within the realms of fantasy, but Wall-E begged us to take it as serious sci-fi.
But I digress. Where was I? Old Stone Face. Buster Keaton got his nickname in the vaudeville business, when he realized that he got bigger laughs when he didn't guffaw at his own jokes. When he transfered to film, his weary, determined, super-serious visage never changed, and he's all the more hilarious for it.
No, wait, that wasn't the point, either. Oh, yes, now I remember. People don't praise The General for its being silent because everybody who should know something about making movies knows that its never the dialogue which pulls on the audience's heartstrings. Ever! Your favorite rom-com does not get you to love it by talking. A movie is (or at least should be) a series of scenes in which characters do, and in order to make it more realistic, they usually need to talk. To take away dialogue and remain emotionally weighty is not to do something extraordinary. In fact, it tends to clarify one's narrative vision. The best films can still be understood when muted.
So. The unstoppable freight-train of unlicensed praise for Wall-E rolls on while The General remains unpraised (or rather unknown) by contemporary audiences. If you're still reading, I'm sure you're either nodding your head in agreement or sharpening your axe.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Mayweather's five key fights
Originally Published: December 5, 2007By Don Steinberg | Special to ESPN.com
A look at five pivotal fights in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s career:Pro fight No. 18 Opponent: Genaro Hernandez (38-1-1) Date: Oct. 3, 1998, Las Vegas Result: Mayweather by TKO in 8 Why it matters: Mayweather, at 17-0, was challenging for his first world title (WBC super featherweight) and was so cocky that he wore a WBC championship patch on his trunks into the ring. After an awkward slip to the canvas in the first round, he let his hands do the talking. He hit "El Chicanito" from all angles ...
Read full story
You must be signed in to post a comment
You are fully responsible for the content you post. Content that includes profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior (such as "spamming" or "trolling"), or other inappropriate content or material will be removed. We reserve the right to block any user who violates our terms of use, including removing all content posted by that user.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fred Singer, Professor emeritus of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia has been quoted as saying: 'The greenhouse effect is real. However, the effect is minute, insignificant, and very difficult to detect...It's not automatically true that warming is bad, I happen to believe that warming is good, and so do many economists.'
© independent.co.uk


text:
agpgart nforce415d no comment....
View Single Post
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2
Well I don't know how to approach this. On the one hand, I am glad nVidia has released drivers and that they are open source. On the other hand, they sure have made a minimal release that is supposedly based primarily on pre-existing code.
An optimist would see nVidia looking to only provide the most basic support for Linux with the hope that the Linux community will pick it up and finish it. But until they announce an end to Linux driver releases, that won't happen.
The fact that AGP is only supported with nVidia graphics cards is
very fishy
. I have never seen an AGP driver only compatible with specific video cards. It makes absolutely
no sense.
The only conclusion I can come to on that it is planned.
I want to buy an nForce2, but I have a Radeon 8500 so its out of the question. Do they really think consumers are going to spend that kind of money just so they can have an nForce board? Especially Linux geeks? Come on... Looks like I'm going VIA again unless I can find a good SiS board.
Lame nVidia, very lame.
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by kaiser79


text:
- Age / Gender:
- 21, Male
- Location:
- Canada,Ontario
- Joined:
- 12/25/08
- All Stats >
Life is not easy. Espically since you started it. So just don't anything on Newgrounds, e.t.c. Just keep a low profile if you don't want to say something. Just vote. I missed my old Newgrounds account. Cause someday you will be god. Just got back.
User Statshot
- Community Stats
Level 38 Gamer
Normal Whistle
Ranked as Praporshchik
Contact Info / Websites
Latest News
Hey NG I know you're doing great and all. Anyway um, I decided that I'm going to type the questions and answers here so everyone can know about this underrated user, but that's not the point. I didn't come to the forums much, because I was busy with the renovations around upstairs of my house (my room, my sister's, and my mom's). Well I plan to make more posts and play more medal games.
When did you come to NG?
I came to Newgrounds when I fairly new to the internet (I was not much of an interenet user until after 2009). I came here to usually play games, or post on the BBS.
Why did you name yourself LordMartin-Mac?
Well I was fairly new to the internet back then. I was naming that myself, I became a class repsentive at my middle school. I was so goofy like that.
What was your icon from?
My icon was from the Crysis Wallpaper back then in 2007. I was really new to making 46 x 46 icons in photoshop and I was a huge fan of Crysis and I had a crap specs for gaming. I was a huge fan of the game ever since. This icon sort of represents me.
What do you like and dislike about NG?
More questions to be added soon.
Latest Playlists
- 2015 games
- 30 Games
- 2014 games 2
- 35 Games
- 1 Game
- 2014 Games
- 100 Games
Recent Game Medals
Total Medals Earned: 3,149 (From 420 different games.)
Favorite Movies
Favorite Games
Favorite Audio
|Soft Edges
|Video Game Loop
|Dubstep Song
|2004 May 15
|Techno Loop
|Rameyen Castle
|Video Game Loop


text:
A collection of news and information related to Leon Panetta published by this site and its partners.
Top Leon Panetta Articles
Displaying items 45-55
Saturday TV Highlights and Weekend Talk: 'A Warden's Ransom'
Bill O'Reilly, Jeremy Renner: Sunday guests
Obama incapable of admitting error in Iraq
Panetta's revelations come lateStory | Oct 10, 2014 | 8:30 AMAlthough it is a little late, Leon Panetta is now shedding more light on why the world is spinning out of control under Obama's leadership. With the release of his new book, Panetta joins Robert Gates and several other key Obama officials who...
Obama's foreign policy isn't half badStory | Oct 10, 2014 | 9:04 AMLeon Panetta and Hillary Clinton both wrote books criticizing the foreign policy practices of their old boss, President Barack Obama. Though writing independently, they each concluded that Obama's policies were weak, vacillating and lacking in aggression....
Catalogue of woes puts Washington in the doldrumsColumn | Oct 10, 2014 | 2:30 AMWASHINGTON -- Baseball lore recalls that legendary manager Casey Stengel, when running the hapless 1962 New York Mets, forlornly asked his charges: "Can't anybody here play this game?" It's an appropriate question right now in the nation's capital...
Colombian hooker flap a microcosm of administration's problemsColumn | Oct 10, 2014 | 2:30 AMIn news that must have left my friends at the New York Post -- never mind the gang at "The Daily Show" -- with a renewed confidence that ours is a just and beneficent God, the White House has been caught covering up a scandal involving a Cartagena hooker....
Turkey Playing Double Game With KurdsColumn | Oct 9, 2014 | 1:35 PMDuring the 1944 Warsaw uprising, Stalin ordered the advancing Red Army to stop at the outskirts of the city while the Nazis, for 63 days, annihilated the non-Communist Polish partisans. Only then did Stalin take Warsaw. No one can match Stalin for...
Panetta bites hand that fed himColumn | Oct 9, 2014 | 4:30 PMFour of the best years of my life were spent working for California's Jerry Brown, during his first turn as governor. Among my most vivid memories of those days were private sessions, usually late at night, where a few of us staffers would engage with the...
Finally, a president reluctant to go to warStory | Oct 9, 2014 | 4:11 PMTo the editor: I, for one, have been thrilled to have a president who has exercised restraint in going to war and not seeking military solutions to everything. It has made me feel a lot safer. ("Obama still in office, but ex-aides' books and claws are...
Iraq was lost by Obama [Letter]


text:
Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
Mac fans: Download A Free Professional Lens Effects App Now (£7.99 value!)
ventile | Send a Private Message
Thanks for visiting..Hope you enjoy!
ventile's Portfolio
Current Filter:
No tag filter applied


text:
PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week
Latest PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week
Weekend Journal: PAWS Chicago's Beach Party, Teeny's Tour of Pie
Hang with Lisa Dent at the PAWS Beach Party, & bake the best pie of your life with Teeny's new cookbook. Details HERE!
We Need Your Help To Save These Cats!
PAWS Chicago needs your help so these cats won't be euthanized. Learn how to help here!
Adopt a Pet This Sunday at PAWS Chicago's "Angels with Tails" Event!
PAWS Chicago's 16th annual Angels with Tails, the pet adoption event of the year, takes place this Sunday, May 19th, from noon- 4:00 pm on Michigan Ave. and Oak St.
PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week: Pompey
Pompey's story will tug at your heart strings like no other. Sweet and social, you'd never know that Pompey is blind. When PAWS Chicago rescued her from Chicago Animal Care & Control, she was found […]
PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week: Diamond
Diamonds are forever, and this sweet 2-year-old Pit Bull mix is hoping to find her forever home soon! Diamond came to PAWS Chicago over a year ago, after she was turned into the city pound […]
- PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week: Blossom 02/06/2013
- PAWS Chicago Pets of the Week: Popsicle 01/30/2013
- PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week: Mark 01/21/2013
- PAWS Chicago Pet Of The Week: McGee 01/17/2013


text:
Their program was more than 99 percent accurate and correctly identified the ancestry of hundreds of individuals. This included people from genetically similar populations (such as Chinese and Japanese) and complex genetic populations like Puerto Ricans who can come from a variety of backgrounds including Native American, European, and African.
When we compared our findings to the existing datasets, only one individual was incorrectly identified and his background was almost equally close between Chinese and Japanese, Drineas said.
In addition to Drineas, the algorithm was developed by scientists from California, Puerto Rico, and Greece. The researchers involved include lead author Peristera Paschou from the Democritus University of Thrace in Greece; Elad Ziv, Esteban G. Burchard, and Shweta Choudhry from the University of California, San Francisco; William Rodriguez-Cintron from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan; and Michael W. Mahoney from Yahoo! Research in California.
|Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute


text:
The red dress shirt and white tie said it all. Geoffrey Wanjala is one proud Canadian. Or he will be after his citizenship ceremony at the Alberta legislature on Canada Day.
Great travel photos from around the world
Island-hopping Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in the Caribbean is not quite as easy as ABC, but is definitely possible and certainly rewarding.
It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg these days to take a cruise, although the twenty foot-plus crocodile which we encountered on the Tarcoles River...


text:
A collection of news and information related to Dave Smith published by this site and its partners.
Top Dave Smith Articles
Displaying items 12-13
Edmondson's Jones named Ravens' Coach of the Week
D23 Day 1 closes with 'Darby O'Gill' and some luck of the IrishStory | Sep 11, 2009DISNEY'S D23 EXPO The first day of Walt Disney Co.'s inaugral D23 Expo was a loooong one. I had the pleasure of introducing last night's screening of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," but I have to say that I......


text:
Originally written on Fox Sports | Last updated 12/3/12
Notre Dame star Manti Te'o just keeps winning. The leader of the undefeated Fighting Irish found out Monday morning he had won the Butkus Award given to the nation's top linebacker. Then he accepted the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's top defensive player later in the day. He also picked up a trip to New York as one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The energetic senior linebacker from Hawaii helped put Notre Dame back on the national radar this season, leading the top-ranked Irish to a perfect regular season and a date with Alabama in the BCS championship game Jan. 7. Te'o says being mentioned along with former Nagurski winners such as Charles Woodson, Terrell Suggs, Warren Sapp and Champ Bailey is ''something very special to me.''
Comments are closed.
What do you think?To leave a comment, you can:
NFL News
Delivered to your inbox
You'll also receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web. Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!
Follow us on Twitter
|Best of Yardbarker
|NFL News
|MLB News
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers
Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.
Company Info
What is Yardbarker?
Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.
|© 2015 Yardbarker, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (What's New?)


text:
Never buy store bread again?
I'm enjoying my latest bread baking binge, and I'm thinking of issuing a challenge. Can you never buy store bread again?
I wonder how long I can keep this up? I made two 2lb loaves of whole wheat oatmeal bread for toast and sandwiches, and four 1lb baguettes for dinner and lunches over the weekend. That should hold us until later in the week. Maybe I'll make a fresh focaccia for dinner mid-week.
Frances, you are already there. Anybody want to join us? Can we do it?
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I don't believe I'll be able to never by store bread again, but I fired my oven yesterday morning and threw together a big batch of dough. I yielded 7 loaves (approx 450g each) in bread pans, 1 hearth bread @ 900g, and about 10-100g buns. 3 of the 7 loaves I did specialty breads. One with fresh garlic & rosemary, one with chopped roasted hot peppers, and the other with asiago cheese. Before the oven was cool enough to put the bread in I sliced up an eggplant from the garden and put EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic & rosemary and roasted them in the hot oven. They all turned out wonderful.
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I tried that, but ultimately failed. It worked well until the kids got old enough to eat sandwiches -- then nothing except store-bought white bread was "good enough" for them. I'm now trying to convert them to home-made bread by startign with home-made white bread. If I can accomplish that I think I can get them hooked on better breads.
Re: Never buy store bread again?
Hi Brian,
Try King Arthur White Whole Wheat. It's a lighter whole wheat flour that you might slip by them as being real white bread. :-)
Re: Never buy store bread again?
Re: Never buy store bread again?
Where do you get it? Is it in the store, or do you order it online? Also, do you feel OK about the health/wholefood claims? I should read more and give it a try.
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I bought another five pound bag of it tonight:
It's not pure ultragrain, it's a blend, from Eagle Mills, in the supermarket. For quite a while it's been on sale for the price of house brand unbleached AP flour. I like it. When made into bread dough, it has that "whole wheat" smell, but otherwise it acts just like unbleached AP.
I take it on faith that it has whole grain nutrition. It wouldn't be the first time someone claimed bogus "nutrition" values for a consumer product.
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I have been on the same binge! I definitely have cut down on store bought and I have also been handing bread out to family and friends. They all say the same thing. "ancora, ancora"
That Eagles Mills stuff is schifoso! = stinky, as in no good. Yields rock hard product. [e solo la mia opinione]:rolleyes:
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I can't say just when I started, but we have been using home made sourdough bread for some months now. The only store variety we buy is a specialty roll now and again... (some might call these donuts...).
Mostly I cook a whole wheat / oat bread, but tried a straight up white bread a couple weeks ago. Big hit.. but will stick mostly with the wheat bread to increase the whole grain benefits in the diet.
I have started buying flour at the local 'cash and carry' store - specializes in selling to the food service business. They have nearly a dozen different flours to choose from in 50 pound bags. We are using enough flour that we go through a 50 #er every month or two, and the cost ends up about a penny and once lower than the local market options, for a higher protein flour. (Pendleton brand, "Morebread", the spec sheet says 12% protein).
No plans to change this system, we like eating the home made bread..
Re: Never buy store bread again?
I am using Caputo for focaccia and my baguettes and a mix of King Arthur -- whole wheat, white whole wheat, bread and general purpose for my sandwich loaves. I'm getting my King Arthur from Trader Joe's, which gives me the choice of doing mix and match across different recipes.
Great thread all. Thanks.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:24 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2006/10 Forno Bravo, LLC


text:
Quantity Available:
In 1997, The Modern Fan Company was founded by Ron Rezek to produce ceiling fans that provide superior air circulation, comfort and energy efficiency for contemporary-minded homeowners and design professionals. Having originated the contemporary ceiling fan genre, The Modern Fan Company remains the only company of its kind, committed exclusively to modern ceiling fan design.
The Pharos Ceiling Fan with Light is available with the following:
- Matte Opal glass shade
- 5 plywood blades
- Integrated downlight
- Sloped ceiling adaptable up to 33 degrees
- One 5 inch and one 15 inch downrod included
- 12 degree blade pitch
- 3-speed manual reverse AC motor
- Airflow: 5480.28 cfm (high, 44" blades); 5034.75 cfm (high, 52" blades)
- Power usage: 65.1 watts (high, 44" blades); 70.8 watts (high, 52" blades)
- Airflow efficiency: 84.18 cfm/watt (high, 44" blades); 71.11 cfm/watt (high, 52" blades)
- Limited lifetime warranty
- UL Listed for damp locations. Install indoors or in protected, fully covered outdoor locations
- Designed by Ron Rezek
Fan Blade Finish: Maple, Nickel, White
Fan Body Finish: Gloss White, Matte Nickel
Fan Blade Span (inches): 42, 52
Control Option: No Control, Three Wire Fan and Light Control 002, Wall Control with Remote Handset 005, Handheld Remote Control 003, Fan Speed and Light Wall Control 004
Light Option: 120W Incandescent, 39W Compact Fluorescent
View Modern Fan Control Options
- 120W Incandescent option utilizes three 40W 120 Volt Candelabra Base Incandescent lamps (included).
- 39W Compact Fluorescent option ultilizes three 13W 120 Volt GU24 Compact Fluorescent lamps (included).
- Suspension: Length Adjustable From 14", Adjustable To 24"
- Downrod: Length 5", Length 15"
- Canopy: Diameter 5.5"
- Housing: Height 6.5", Diameter 11"
- Blade: Diameter 42", Diameter 52"
Ratings: Based on 17 reviews, this product is rated 4.7 out of 5.Click for this product's energy information.
Need help with some of our terminology? Check out Lumens' Lighting & Design Glossary.
Related Items
Slope AdaptorBy Modern Fan Company$20.008 Finish Options(1){boxId:"comparePAAAIAANPCHKANCH", id:"PAAAIAANPCHKANCH"} See Comparison
Wall Control with HandsetBy Modern Fan Company$60.00(5){boxId:"compareuu154064", id:"uu154064"} See Comparison
Fan Speed ControlBy Modern Fan Company$8.00(6){boxId:"compareuu11452", id:"uu11452"} See Comparison
Custom Downrod LengthsBy Modern Fan CompanyFrom: $8.009 Finish Options6 Size Options(7){boxId:"comparePAAAAANDBPDELLCF", id:"PAAAAANDBPDELLCF"} See Comparison
Stella Ceiling FanBy Modern Fan CompanyFrom: $436.004 Fan Body and Blade Finish Options2 Size Options(7){boxId:"compareuu387911", id:"uu387911"} See Comparison


text:
COLLEGE PLACE — Walla Walla Valley Academy handed DeSales a three-set Southeast 2B volleyball defeat here Thursday.
The Knights won the match 25-13, 25-20, 25-15.
"It was a great effort by the whole team," WWVA coach Scott Schafer said. "There were times in the match when we got down on runs by DeSales, but the girls were able to withstand the rally and keep moving forward."
Amy Arnzen had seven kills for the Knights.
Megan Gregg also had seven kills, was 11-for-11 serving with two aces; Helena Brown dished out 20 assists; Caroline Larson blocked five balls; Ashley Serl picked up nine digs; and Hannah Woolever was 14-of-17 serving with three aces.
"In addition to my starters, Hope Heaton had a solid game as an outside hitter," Schafer said.
The Knights, 6-2 in league play and 8-5 overall, host Touchet at 6 p.m. Monday.
The Irish, 1-6 in SE2B play, host Tri-Cities Prep at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
More like this story
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


text:
Hey guys, I'm about 99% sure I'm going to get lipos for my Summit here in the next month, so I have a few questions. I'm not sure I understand fully how to care for and use lipos, so I'll just say what I know, and if I'm missing somthing, or somthing inncorrect, PLEASE let me know.
Never drain them past the low voltage, always use LVD.
If you don't use them for at least 3 days, put them in storage mode, at 3.8 volts to prevent damage.
Never over charge them, or short them. (DUH!)
If it puffs up, stop using it.
You can charge them at much higher charge rates. (6amps?)
Always balence them while charging.
Ok, now here's some questions.
I have the Traxxas EZ Peak Plus, and the lipos I'm going to get are the SPC 2s 8200mah lipos. Can I charge them both at the same time (using the dual lipo charger thingy) at 6amps? Also, can I balance charge them at the same time? If I'm done using my Summit after it hits LVD, do I need to charge the batterys as soon as I can, or can I wait a day or so to charge them and not hurt them? If I only charge it partly or a little bit, is it safe to leave them for a day or so with a "random" charge on it? Anything I'm missing? I want to know EVERYTHING there is to taking care of lipos. Thanks!


text:
Coast Guard:
Deepwater Program Acquisition Schedule Update Needed
GAO-04-695: Published: Jun 14, 2004. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2004.
Additional Materials:
- Highlights Page:
- Full Report:
- Accessible Text:
(415) 904-2200
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
In 2002, the Coast Guard began its $17 billion, 20-year Integrated Deepwater System acquisition program to replace or modernize its cutters, aircraft, and communications equipment for missions generally beyond 50 miles from shore. During fiscal years 2002-03, Deepwater received about $125 million less than the Coast Guard had planned. In fiscal year 2004, Congress appropriated $668 million, $168 million more than the President's request. GAO has raised concern recently about the Coast Guard's initial management of Deepwater and the potential for escalating costs. GAO was asked to review the status of the program against the initial acquisition schedule and determine the impact of the additional $168 million in fiscal year 2004 funding on this schedule.
The degree to which the Deepwater program is on track with its original 2002 integrated acquisition schedule is difficult to determine because the Coast Guard has not updated the schedule. Coast Guard officials said they have not updated it because of the numerous changes Deepwater experiences every year and the cost, personnel, and time involved. However, in similar acquisitions--those of the Department of Defense (DOD)--cost, schedule, and performance updates are fundamental to congressional oversight. DOD is required to update the schedule at least annually and whenever cost and schedule thresholds are breached. In practice, DOD continually monitors and reports schedules for management on a quarterly basis. Updating the acquisition schedule--including phases such as design and fabrication, interim phase milestones, and critical paths linking assets-- on a more timely basis is imperative so that annual Coast Guard budget submissions can allow Congress to base decisions on accurate information. GAO used available data to develop the current acquisition status for a number of selected Deepwater assets and found that they have experienced delays and are at risk of being delivered later than anticipated. The additional $168 million in fiscal year 2004, while allowing the Coast Guard to conduct a number of Deepwater projects that had been delayed or would not have been funded in fiscal year 2004, will not fully return the program to its original 2002 acquisition schedule. Reasons include: all work originally planned for fiscal year 2004 was not funded and some will have to be delayed to fiscal year 2005; delivery of some assets has fallen so far behind schedule that ensuring their original delivery dates is impossible; and nonfunding reasons have caused delays, such as greater than expected hull corrosion of patrol boats delaying length extension upgrades.
Recommendation for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: In fiscal year 2004, Congress increased appropriations for the Coast Guard's Deepwater acquisition program by $168 million to $668 million. In light of this increased funding, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees requested GAO to determine the status of the Deepwater program against its initial 2002 acquisition schedule and the impact of the additional funding on the acquisition schedule. In June 2004, we reported that we could not determine Deepwater's current acquisition schedule because the Coast Guard had not updated it but that the additional funding would not fully return the program to its 2002 schedule. Based on our experience in reviewing Department of Defense acquisition programs of similar scope, we concluded that maintaining a current schedule is a fundamental and necessary practice, that this lack of such a current schedule lessened the Coast Guard's ability to monitor the Deepwater contractor's performance, and that updating the schedule on a more timely basis would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Congress to make better decisions on Deepwater budget submissions. As a result, we recommended that the Coast Guard update the original 2002 acquisition schedule, which is included in the Integrated Deepwater System Implementation Plan, in time to support the fiscal year 2006 Deepwater budget submission to DHS and Congress, and at least once a year thereafter to support each budget submission. We specified in our recommendation that the updated schedule should include the current status of asset acquisition phases, interim milestones, and the critical paths linking delivery of individual components to particular assets. In March 2005, we testified that the Coast Guard had taken steps since to update the schedule and that it had plans to continue to do so semi-annually to support its budget planning efforts. In April 2006, we reported that the Coast Guard submitted a revised Deepwater implementation plan to the House Appropriations Committee in May 2005, which included a 20-year and a 25-year plan. The Committee directed DHS and the Coast Guard to select a single revised implementation plan to accompany the Deepwater fiscal year 2006 budget request. In compliance to the Committee's direction, the Commandant of the Coast Guard testified in July 2005 to the 25-year revised Deepwater implementation plan. In February 2006, the Coast Guard submitted an updated Deepwater implementation plan to align with its fiscal year 2007 budget submission.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Commandant of the Coast Guard to update the original 2002 Deepwater acquisition schedule in time to support the fiscal year 2006 Deepwater budget submission to DHS and Congress and at least once a year thereafter to support each budget submission. The updated schedule should include the current status of asset acquisition phases (such as concept technology and design, system development and demonstration, and fabrication), interim phase milestones (such as preliminary and critical design reviews, installation, and testing), and the critical paths linking the delivery of individual components to particular assets.
Agency Affected: Department of Homeland Security: United States Coast Guard
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations »
Jun 10, 2015
Screening Partnership Program:TSA's Cost and Performance Independent StudyGAO-15-612R: Published: Jun 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 10, 2015.
Jun 2, 2015
Border Security:Progress and Challenges in DHS's Efforts to Address High-Risk Travelers and Maritime CargoGAO-15-668T: Published: Jun 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 2, 2015.
State Department:Preliminary Observations on the Bureau of Counterterrorism's Resources, Performance, and CoordinationGAO-15-655T: Published: Jun 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 2, 2015.
May 13, 2015
Aviation Security:TSA Has Taken Steps to Improve Oversight of Key Programs, but Additional Actions Are NeededGAO-15-559T: Published: May 13, 2015. Publicly Released: May 13, 2015.
Border Security:Progress and Challenges in DHS's Efforts to Implement and Assess Infrastructure and TechnologyGAO-15-595T: Published: May 13, 2015. Publicly Released: May 13, 2015.
Apr 30, 2015
Southwest Border:Issues Related to Private Property DamageGAO-15-399: Published: Apr 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2015.
Homeland Security:Actions Needed to Better Manage Security Screening at Federal Buildings and CourthousesGAO-15-445: Published: Mar 31, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2015.
Apr 22, 2015
Homeland Security Acquisitions:Addressing Gaps in Oversight and Information is Key to Improving Program OutcomesGAO-15-541T: Published: Apr 22, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 22, 2015.
Homeland Security Acquisitions:Major Program Assessments Reveal Actions Needed to Improve AccountabilityGAO-15-171SP: Published: Apr 22, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 22, 2015.
Apr 6, 2015
Coast Guard:Timely Actions Needed to Address Risks in Using Rotational CrewsGAO-15-195: Published: Mar 6, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 6, 2015.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here


text:
TV Info
CategoryTV Series
Starring :Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Anastasia Griffith, Aimee Garcia, Kevin Rankin, Jamey Sheridan
NBC Orders More 'Trauma' and Other Shows to Fill 'Leno' SlotJanuary 21, 2010 09:01:17
NBC has taken a measure to anticipate the lost of 10/9c hour filler when "The Jay Leno Show" finishes its primetime run on February 11. The peacock is ordering more episodes from its series such as "Trauma" and "Community" and even extending the number of "The Office" and "30 Rock" which have gotten the full 22-episode order.
"Trauma", the new medical drama, receives four more episodes although the show is not doing well in the rating. NBC initially wanted to cancel the show after the first 13 episodes but decided later to bring it up to 16. With the new order, the show gets a total of 20 episodes. Meanwhile, critically-acclaimed but equally not stellar in rating, "Community" gets additional three.


text:
Icebreaker Everyday Half Zip
Where to Buy
sponsored links
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
Featuring a zipper to help you control your comfort, the women's Icebreaker Everyday half-zip long underwear top uses lightweight merino wool to ensure you stay warm when it's cool outside.
An essential base layer made from soft merino wool, Icebreaker's Everyday 1/2 Zip is an odor-resistant alternative to synthetics and a great value. This product will be shipped directly from Icebreaker and will leave their warehouse in 2-3 business days. Eligible for UPS ground shipping only.
Discontinued . Stay comfortable through all of your adventures in Icebreakerand#39;s Everyday zip neck base layer top, featuring soft, luxurious merino wool -- a fiber that naturally wicks moisture, controls temperature and makes an ideal thermal addition to any cold-weather wardrobe. Available Colors: ICICLE, BLACK. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL.
- Sierra Trading Post
Icebreaker Women's Everyday Half Zip
currently retails for:


text:
Originally written on Fox Sports | Last updated 9/7/12
Taylor Martinez's childhood dream to play at the Rose Bowl is about to be fulfilled, even if he's not wearing the uniform he once wanted. The star quarterback from the Los Angeles suburbs leads No. 17 Nebraska (1-0) into the venerable venue against UCLA on Saturday, with both schools hoping to build on their strong starts to the season. Martinez was recruited by the Bruins (1-0), but only as a free safety. He's grateful he ended up with the Cornhuskers, who could take another step forward with a difficult road win in their first trip to Pasadena since losing the 2002 BCS title game. UCLA is eager for the home debuts of coach Jim Mora and quarterback Brett Hundley, who led the Bruins to a season-opening win over Rice.
Comments are closed.
What do you think?To leave a comment, you can:
College Football News
Delivered to your inbox
You'll also receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web. Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!
Follow us on Twitter
|Best of Yardbarker
|NFL News
|MLB News
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers
Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.
Company Info
What is Yardbarker?
Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.
|© 2015 Yardbarker, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (What's New?)


text:
Topic Page
Nation Topics - Regions and Countries
News and Features
The Bush Administration's health policies for Africa basically amount to the moral equivalent of the death penalty for 25 million people.
The former dictator is charged at last, and human rights are the talk of the nation.
His dream is an open northern border. But first, he must end southern poverty.
As Mexican president Vicente Fox begins his historic administration, the most difficult and abrasive issue that both he and the United States must confront is the continuing flow of immigration fr
Estrada is gone, but corruption remains.
Michèle Montas, widow of journalist Jean Dominique, wants justice in Haiti.
Is there a more contemptible poseur and windbag than Elie Wiesel? I suppose there may be. But not, surely, a poseur and windbag who receives (and takes as his due) such grotesque deference on moral questions.
Quite recently yet another of Jasper Becker's indispensable dispatches from China appeared in his newspaper, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. "Every year," Becker reported, "about 10,000 of China's five million coal miners meet gruesome deaths underground." He went on to explain that censorship limits news of industrial accidents, but that conditions have certainly gotten worse in the past two decades, during China's breakneck effort at economic growth.
You have to pause a bit to let the impact of this statistic set in, especially after realizing that it does not include deaths from other industrial accidents, including factory fires, explosions and collapsing buildings, only a fraction making it into the pages of the Morning Post. Chinese workingmen and -women are dying at a higher rate than their counterparts in Victorian England or turn-of-the-century America, and, until now, the world has been paying little attention. By contrast, when an explosion at a coal mine in Monongah, West Virginia, killed 361 coal miners in 1907, the single largest such accident in our history, the disaster attracted national coverage.
You won't see much of Jasper Becker's kind of reporting in the American mainstream press. Over the past decade or so, American journalists, along with their ideological elder brothers at The Economist, have focused on the booming Chinese coastal cities, glorifying young entrepreneurial yuppies with cell phones and marveling at the construction burst of shopping plazas, office towers and upscale housing.
Slightly more conscientious reporters may mention, in passing, sweatshops and pollution, but they imply that these are the unfortunate and temporary byproducts of "economic reform," a phrase normally presented without the quotation marks, suggesting a self-evident good instead of a controversial set of economic policies. This uncritical attitude, best described as "market fundamentalism," has taken over much of the US media. Even Paul Krugman, currently the economic columnist at the New York Times and someone smart enough to know better, wrote an article back in 1997 titled "In Praise of Cheap Labor."
Jasper Becker is different. He is British-born but fluent in Chinese, and he has spent the past ten years in China, most recently for the Morning Post, skeptically tramping into areas of the country and listening to people most other Western journalists disregard. His years of work (some of it is also available on the Internet, at www.scmp.com) provide two tremendous services. First, he introduces us to Chinese people we would never otherwise meet. Second, he raises profound doubts about a core belief of market fundamentalism: that Chinese suffering today will be justified by a developed nirvana in the future.
Becker is not inspired by any nostalgia for the now-departed Maoist era; his last book, Hungry Ghosts (1998), was a powerful account of how the Great Helmsman's arrogance and the undemocratic Chinese Communist system caused more than 30 million people to die in a man-made famine during the disastrous Great Leap Forward (1958-61).
In The Chinese, Becker continues to care about the impact of economic policy on the lives of ordinary people. His book's very structure proves his determination to look beyond the minority of the newly prosperous, the people the Western market fundamentalists and investors find most photogenic. He starts at the bottom, in a village in the Guangxi region with some of the poorest of the 1 billion peasants, and then slowly moves up through the increasingly stratified Chinese society. Local officials shadow and harass him on his visits to the rural poor, who he says "probably constitute the largest unenfranchised group in the world." He goes on: "Forbidden openly to organize themselves to defend their interests against either the central state or local despots, they form secret underground armies, cults and millenarian sects as they have done throughout history. The state seems involved in a continual battle to crush them, and from time to time faint reports of this repression...reach the outside world." He speculates, "Given the chance, peasants would quickly organize themselves into associations or even political parties but at present that seems a remote prospect."
Becker also writes about the several hundred million migrant workers, third-class citizens who flock into the cities for low-paid, dirty work and who have no permanent right to stay or to bring their families, a state of affairs that would be depressingly familiar to black southern Africans. He visits the collapsing old industrial cities of the northeast, with their millions of angry, sullen unemployed. Becker profiles Chinese intellectuals, demoralized by repression after the 1989 Tiananmen uprising and the consequent "depoliticization of so many aspects of life." He explains: "Censors searching for subversive messages have examined everything from slogans on T-shirts to poetry magazines. The propaganda machinery has returned to its traditions." His grim conclusion is that "intellectuals have tried but generally failed to find some independent space within the system."
Becker describes the Communist Party, with its 58 million members, as a privileged minority in a country that now has nearly 1.3 billion people, but he estimates that "the real size of the ruling elite, from county magistrates upwards, is thought to be no more than 4 million." Only toward the end of his quest does he reach what he calls "the apex of the pyramid, the tiny group of self-selecting rulers."
Becker is extraordinarily cautious and measured. He points out that many of the precise-sounding government statistics, including the glowing economic growth figures, are either exaggerated or "simply made up to suit the propaganda needs of the day." Still, his years of experience crisscrossing the giant country have earned him the right to make certain observations, some of which may surprise even experienced China watchers:
§ Inequality in China is widening dramatically. Becker reminds us that the average annual peasant income in China is still only $240, a figure that has actually fallen in the past few years. The growing gap is distorting the Chinese economy; Becker points out that "much of the considerable investment in new housing was aimed at the very top end of the market despite a pressing need for low-cost housing."
§ Health and education for most Chinese are deteriorating. This discovery is perhaps Becker's most alarming. The decline is a disheartening contrast with the Maoist era, which despite its crimes and excesses brought significant progress. Becker even speculates that the Falun Gong religious cult, which continues to suffer vicious state repression, attracts adherents partly because "its leader, Li Hongzhi, promised his followers that if they adopted his system of exercise they need never take medicines or go to [the] hospital for treatment."
§ China today is governed by a kind of lawless authoritarianism. Local party bureaucrats, most apparently drained of any revolutionary idealism, wield unchecked power, arbitrarily imposing hundreds of different kinds of taxes on the rural poor. Quite logically, corruption flourishes.
At the upper levels, "princelings," the offspring of high party officials, commandeer what was once state property for personal gain and, in league with foreign (often overseas Chinese) investors, dominate vast segments of the economy, accompanied by corruption on a grand scale. Becker reports one particularly ominous development; some of the elite--you cannot call them "new" because many are the actual biological heirs of the old rulers--seem to be stashing billions outside China, a variant of Latin American- or African-style rapacity.
Such capital flight is a dangerous break with the East Asian pattern. In places like South Korea and Taiwan, the new industrialists did prosper, but they were required to keep the gains inside their countries, to reinvest in productive growth. Also, in neither place did the expanding economy widen inequality.
§ China's success at exporting from its coastal enclaves may be exaggerated. The inhuman conditions in these sweatshops are slowly becoming known, thanks to courageous Chinese activists and to solidarity movements overseas, but it may still be a surprise to learn that for the mostly female workers "talking is usually forbidden. To go to the toilet or drink a glass of water requires a permission card. Sexual harassment is common and punishments can involve beating, confinement or cancellation of wages."
Becker once again provides a fresh look, by raising serious doubts about the purely economic benefit of all this repression. He points out that the export zones are subsidized by the rest of the economy and that some of the apparent growth is in fact a speculative bubble (the kind of feverish phenomenon that Internet investors in the West have just painfully learned about).
§ China's security apparatus is actually expanding. Becker's revelation comes as something of a surprise, because the surface of Chinese life looks more relaxed after the monochrome, bleak thought control of the Mao Zedong period. But as Columbia University scholar Andrew Nathan explains in his valuable introduction to the recently published Tiananmen Papers, "To be sure, [the regime] has diminished the range of social activities it purports to control in comparison to the totalitarian ambitions of its Maoist years. It...no longer aspires to change human nature. It has learned that many arenas of freedom are unthreatening to the monopoly of political power."
So even though people in Beijing and Shanghai now wear Western-style jeans and running shoes, Becker points out that repression continues; arrests--not just political--are arbitrary, torture is routine and the death penalty is applied more frequently. Bill Clinton's 1998 state visit and China's accession to the World Trade Organization were supposed to be liberalizing influences. The market fundamentalists who insist that increased trade somehow automatically improves human rights have some explaining to do.
§ China is--for now--not a strong military threat to Taiwan, despite Beijing's bellicose threats. Contrary to the alarms of Western conservatives, Becker contends that the Chinese Navy could not--yet--mount an invasion across the Taiwan Strait, adding that "Chinese pilots cannot even fly in bad weather because their radar screens are unreliable."
§ Environmental degradation is perhaps the worst threat to China. The water table in the north is dropping; The Chinese includes a photograph of a forlorn figure trying to pump from a shallow pool in what is left of the Yellow River. China's water and air are polluted, and deforestation and loss of topsoil continue. Much of this is no surprise, thanks in large measure to the pioneering work of the scientist Vaclav Smil. Becker stresses that the environmental catastrophe is linked to China's lack of genuine democracy: "Since almost everything the state says is untrue, and most information is kept secret, there is no real trust or co-operation between its officials and the rest of the population."
Becker points out humorously that even Chinese weathermen have lied: "In 1999 it emerged that meteorologists had for fifty years been under orders never to report that the temperature had risen above 37 degrees centigrade (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), although why no one would explain. Perhaps such an admission was seen as discrediting the Party."
China's environmental failure illustrates one of Becker's most important conclusions: Human rights, democracy and government accountability are not luxuries, worthy ideals to be set aside until economic growth is achieved. In fact, genuine, broad-based, environmentally friendly growth will not happen until there is respect for human rights. Spasmodic government exhortations will not reduce corruption at either high or local levels, but a vigorous free press, freedom to speak out and genuine multiparty elections are the only hope. Continuing government lying will not heal the environment, but independent ecology movements can help, as they have already demonstrated in neighboring Taiwan.
Becker is cautious about the prospects for change. He does recognize that "some foreign and domestic observers have predicted that such an explosive mixture of corruption, poverty and unemployment in China must one day result in a rural revolt. Perhaps." But he also points out that the Chinese bureaucratic state can trace its ancestry continuously back to the first Emperor in the third century BC, making it "probably the oldest functioning organization in the world," one that has been "exercising a tighter grip over its subjects than any other comparable government in the last two millennia."
The market fundamentalists of course assume that change will come as the automatic consequence of economic growth. They have done little to help this evolutionary process along. The great Chinese democratic dissident Wei Jingsheng, released in 1997 after eighteen years in Chinese prison camps, sits in exile in the United States, just about ignored by the mainstream media. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a household word at a similar stage in his career.
Market fundamentalists disregard China's terrible level of industrial accidents and the decline in health and education. They are uncomfortable about Chinese sweatshops, air and water pollution, and corruption, but they justify these ills as an inevitable part of growth, looking back with a kind of misty glow at Dickens's England and post-Civil War America for reassurance that "we" came through the hard times, and so will the Chinese. Jasper Becker's remarkable book ought to raise crushing doubts.
But let us just imagine for a moment that the market fundamentalists are right. Their point of view is still immoral. They are implicitly suggesting that some people, those who gain from the unjust international economic order, have the right to impose suffering on other people, in the name of some ultimate goal. No one asked those 10,000 Chinese coal miners who died last year, men and certainly at least some women, whether they wanted to sacrifice for a greater future. No one allowed them to vote for people who might have protected their rights; no one permitted them to form independent labor unions. Apparently, globalization does not yet mean that members of America's United Mine Workers and other overseas unions can openly visit their Chinese colleagues and share their experience in fighting for safer workplaces. But at least, thanks to Jasper Becker, we are becoming aware that the Chinese miners exist, so they are no longer dying in total silence.
Among Palestinians in the occupied territories, the prospect that Ariel Sharon will be Israel's next prime minister is met with a shrug of the shoulders. The indifference is not from ignorance. Palestinians know well Sharon's history. They have always been the victims of it.
Leading the Israeli army's "southern command," Sharon ruthlessly crushed the Palestinian resistance in what was then the newly occupied Gaza Strip in the early 1970s. And of course it was Sharon, as Israel's defense minister, who was held "indirectly responsible" (by an independent Israeli Commission of Inquiry) for the massacre of about 2,000 Palestinians at Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The commission recommended that Sharon "draw the appropriate personal conclusions" and resign from his post as defense minister.
Rather, the Palestinians' apathy is explained by the comparison they make between Sharon and Israel's present prime minister. "By his actions, Ehud Barak has erased any difference between the two men in the Palestinian perception," says Palestinian political leader Mustafa Barghouthi. Four months after Sharon--with Barak's approval--decided to "demonstrate Jewish sovereignty" over the Islamic holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem by making a provocative visit to the Haram al-Sharif, Palestinian losses from Israel's suppression of the "intifada al-Aksa" are beginning to reach Sabra and Shatila proportions.
According to Barghouthi's Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Palestinian casualties from the Israeli army and settlers now stand at nearly 360 killed and more than 13,000 injured. In addition, according to a UN economist, a military blockade isolating each Palestinian town and village from the other in the occupied territories has caused a 13 percent decline in the Palestinians' GDP and a 50 percent increase in their unemployment and poverty levels.
"The vast majority of Palestinians don't see Sharon or Barak. They see an army, with Sharon and Barak as its generals," says Barghouthi. Some Palestinians see more. They believe a Sharon victory will be a boon for their cause. "He will expose the true face of Israel," says Hussam Khader, an activist in Yasir Arafat's Fatah movement in Nablus, "and force the world, including the US, to address its real responsibilities to the peace process."
This is not a vision shared by the Palestinian negotiators. Perhaps they are aware that the "world" is never so negligent of its "responsibilities" as when Israel is the culprit, but surely they are concerned that the fall of Barak and rise of Sharon may spell the end not only of what is left of the negotiating process but also their own privileged leadership position within it. This may be why Arafat is warning that Sharon would be a "disaster" for the peace process and would increase the risk of regional war.
For most Palestinians--and a few Israelis--the recent "intensive talks" between the two sides at the Egyptian resort of Taba were thus seen not as a genuine attempt to seal an agreement, but as a charade to woo back to Barak's fold two Israeli constituencies threatening to abandon him on election day, February 6. These include some elements of the Jewish left, appalled by his excessive response to the Palestinian uprising, and the million or so Palestinian citizens of Israel who remember that it was Barak (and not Sharon) who gave the order that the police shoot dead thirteen of their kin during October protests in Galilee.
The difference in the appraisal of a Sharon victory is not the only rift between the leaders and the led in Palestinian society. Another is over whether to participate at all in negotiations when Israel is still using lethal force to put down the uprising and the West Bank and Gaza are still under siege. For the various Palestinian factions--including Fatah--the subtext of the Taba negotiations was less "peace" than a joint effort by Israel and the Palestinian Authority to, if not end the intifada, then at least keep it at an acceptable level of violence.
The suspicion was acute because all were aware that Taba was conceived at a meeting in Cairo in early January between Israeli and PA security chiefs, brokered by the CIA. Since then--aided by the quiet resumption of cooperation between the two security forces--there has been a steep decline in the popular demonstrations that marked the initial phase of the uprising and a less pronounced fall in the number of armed Palestinian attacks on soldiers and settlers that characterized the next. The danger is that as the national struggle has ebbed, a wilder, more indiscriminate violence has taken its place.
In the last two weeks of January, four Israeli civilians--as opposed to soldiers and settlers--were killed in the occupied territories, apparently for no other reason than being Israeli in the wrong place at the wrong time. There has been a revival of Palestinian "collaborator" killings similar to those that so blighted the last years of the first intifada. And, most ominous, there has been the return to Palestinian political assassination as distinct from the Israeli army's "precise" (and extrajudicial) execution of Palestinian political and military leaders.
On January 17 the head of the Palestinian Authority's Broadcasting Corporation, Hishem Mekki, was shot by masked gunmen in a Gaza hotel. He was killed for "practicing sex and stealing money," ran a statement from the Brigades of Al-Aksa, a vigilante group made up of disaffected members of Fatah and the PA's intelligence forces. The hit was popular among local Palestinians, who loathed Mekki--and others of his ilk--for his corruption, arrogance and womanizing. But wiser Palestinian heads see in his murder a sign that the struggle for liberation from Israeli rule is being replaced by a struggle for power within the regime.
Given such a scenario, the Palestinians could hardly be in worse shape to confront the "Sharon era." And eighteen years after he was forced to resign from office because of Sabra and Shatila--and 16 to 20 points ahead in the polls--Sharon could hardly be in better shape. Especially as there is no evidence at all to suggest he has changed his ways.
In an interview in early January with a Russian-language radio station in Israel, Sharon reminisced about the methods he had used in Gaza in the 1970s. He plowed vast "security roads" through the refugee camps, shot dead any Palestinian suspected of nationalist activity and conquered the Strip locale by locale. "I succeeded in bringing quiet to Gaza for ten years," he recalled. Would he use the same methods today? "Today the situation is different," he said, but "the principles are the same principles."
Like much of the Western involvement in the former Yugoslavia, the intense and often heated debate in NATO over the possible ill effects of depleted-uranium ammunition largely ignores the people on whom NATO used these weapons. The debate is focused on higher incidence of cancer and leukemia reported by Western troops who served six-month tours of duty in the Balkans. Six Italians, five Belgians, two Dutch, a Portuguese and a Czech have died, while four French soldiers are reported to have developed leukemia.
The former UN administrator for Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, a doctor and former French health minister, has dismissed the fuss as "a wave of irrationality." But Dr. Zoran Stankovic, a leading Belgrade pathologist who has investigated areas where DU contamination is thought to be most severe (Bosnia, Kosovo and southern Serbia), reports that unexpectedly high cancer rates are appearing in the local population. His main study focused on about 4,000 people who had lived in the Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici, which was heavily exposed to DU shells during the NATO bombing of 1995. "That group developed a large number of malignant diseases," he says. "Four hundred of them have died so far. Our initial suspicion was that there was a link to the effect of depleted uranium."
Stankovic does not claim to have established a link between the malignant illnesses and the use of DU ammunition. But his research adds weight to demands for an international investigation into health risks associated with DU. In Sarajevo, the Bosnian government has formed a working group to investigate what the Europeans call the "Balkan War Syndrome." It has also asked NATO to provide detailed information about the use of DU ammunition.
More than 10,000 rounds were fired in Bosnia and 31,000 in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro. Uranium is one of the heaviest metals, which makes it effective in destroying tanks and similar targets.


text:
I'd like to announce the first official release of the Stealth Publish plugin (v1.0).
Prevent specified posts from being featured on the front page or in feeds.
Visit its homepage at:
Details, documentation, examples, and the download can be found there.
This plugin was updated as part of 14 Days of Plugins (new plugin #7).


text:
An exchange on immigration
PeterD Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 9:23 am
This fence is unfortunately the result of anti-immigration tirades by people like the ones that sponsor this website. It's really unfortunate that Mr. Jones does not realize the implications of his words. Furthermore, a case can be made that the so-called NWO is anti-immigration, and has wanted to keep people in their country of origin to take advantage of the wage differentials for manufacturers, etc. It is a very pro-people thing to facilitate the crossing of borders, because people should have the right to travel freely. It is a very anti-people thing to try to impede people's right to travel where they please. So it is not surprising that the antipeople crusade of the anti-immigration people has resulted in a fence that will imprison Americans. Thanks a lot. Hey, let me say it again. THANKS A LOT!
Rusty S. Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Peter, Do us all a favor and move to Mexico….THANKS….THANKS ALOT
Michelle S Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I thought they were building a substandard fence because the ultimate plan will be to remove borders alltogether for the NAU.
Makes sense to me that they'll just build something they can easily remove or worse still, replace at various FEMA camp sites. This is all recyclable fencing.
Did I miss something?? Isn't this why the fence sucks and no one's really all that concerned about borders right now?
Dude Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 11:46 am
The problems with the border with Mexico are bigger than people realize. Many of the immigrants crossing are from as far away as Colombia and further. America cannot cure the ills for the entire South American continent. After America is ruined by this problem and North and South America are both destroyed then what will everyone do try to overrun Greenland? The U.S. should invade Mexico and set up a 50 mile demilitarized zone to push back illegal immigrants,human traffickers, and drug cartels, so that the problems do not spread futher into the U.S. Then the government of Mexico and of South American countries would be foced to enact reforms and make their own countries livable for everyone not just the wealthy. The non criminal element of these countries are not to blame, but corrupt, elite, criminal governments are. This immigration problem should be called what it really is, a refugee movement and a humanitarian disaster. The Mexican and Central American governments should be held accountable for this situation and all foreign aid should be cut until they respond.
FreeinTX Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 11:54 am
If the only thing our government uses to keep us in America is this 370 mile fence, spread out over the 2,000 mile border, with gaps to allow water and wildlife to pass unintruded, then we have absolutely nothing to fear from that. Or, at least as much to fear as the people who are flooding into this country has to fear from it, which is very little.
Now, when the time comes, there may be Mexican military, backed by US military, UN troops, NATO troops, Russian troops, and Chineese troops, along with Blackwater and the other CRIMINAL private militaries helping the NWO accomplish their goals and preventing us from leaving the newly deposed USofA, but as far as being worried about THIS border fence keeping us in, WHAT A JOKE!!!
Now, we have borders, and for your comment about being allowed to travel whereever the h-ll you please including in and out of our country, that's just plain stupid. Our country is being disolved at local levels by a flood of Mexican peasants, Mexican felons, Mexican drug dealers, and Mexican gang members coming into our country and reciving free benefits that are NOT even availible to American citizens. Free healthcare at our emergency rooms. Free schooling at our public schools, paid for by house and property taxes they do NOT pay. Food stamps, welfare, subsidized loans, etc. costing the American taxpayer far in excess of what we have to spend.
Further, they are NOT required to have ID's, or drivers licenses to drive on our roads. No insurance for their vehicles to drive on our roads. No inspection stickers required. No registration on their vehicles required. They are getting preferential treatment, while we, AMERICANS, are taxed and fined into oblivion.
Even the random checkpoints being set up here in Texas to limit our travel inside of our country, has pledged to give illegals a pass at their checkpoints. So they commit multiple felonies to get into this country, multiple misdemeanors driving in our country with NONE of the documents that are required for AMERICANS, yet they go unpunuished at checkpoints illegally set up within our country to catch criminals.
So, while you sit there and insist that it should be okay to allow Mexican peasants, Mexican felons, Mexican drug dealers, and Mexican gang mebers to enter our country unrestricted, you fail to even grasp the concept that these peasants, felons, drug dealers, and gang members are aiding the NWO in tearing this country apart by driving our wages down to below any possible living wage, and forcing us to be dependant on the government for financial aid instead of being able to live free making a living for ourselves.
Get on the side of right, and stop helping these NWO CRIMINAL SCUM!!!
PeterD Says:
December 20th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Thanks for chiming in on my post.
Not all the Mexicans that are crossing borders are the types you describe. But, you know, we have enough of those types among, not just the Mexicans, but the general U.S. population. Mexicans did not invent crime.
Admittedly, I did see a group of Mexicans at the customer service counter of a local grocery where I was about to send a western union money order. The fellow before me tried to send about $300, but a $100 bill was found to be counterfeit. I guess groceries get a lot of those.
Still, we can't say that Mexicans introduced counterfeiting into America. At least these folks work for a living, which is more than one can say about many bona fide Americans. I first became interested in Mexican immigration to America when Bill Clinton threatened us with such an invasion if we did not approve a $40 billion bailout pronto, the reasoning being that without the bailout, the Mexican economy would tank, sending a new wave of workers across the border seeking a living wage. I knew then that such an invasion was actually the solution, not something to be feared.
What floors me, is that you begrudge the Mexicans the privileges that you yourself would like to enjoy–not getting checked out by the cops, not having to have a drivers license, etc. etc. The solution is not to take away the privileges that Mexicans enjoy, but to be treated in a like manner yourself.
The Mexicans have paved the way for all of us.
As far as international troops patrolling America, yes, indeed, that might happen. It is all done on a pretext that America has a nuclear arsenal, and that, in order to make that secure, the American people cannot be permitted to rebel, since it becomes a world security risk at that point. So of course this means that having nuclear weapons is not consistent with a democracy. The weapons should be done away with, not the democracy. But that is not how "they" see it.
One more thing. I have chimed in on the immigration issue before on this site, because it sticks out like a sore thumb, with all the other good stuff here. Some of Alex's closest friends, such as the former governor of Minnesota, disagree with him on this subject. I believe that borders merely define the places where services are to be provided, not places to keep people out. When one is in England, one can take advantage of their medical system. In other countries, Americans take advantage of the social safety nets there. Are you looking at the entire equation, or just taking pieces of it that fit the picture you are stuck on?
Americans are screwed up because the monetary system and the American government has relied on an excessive amount of debt, and the mis-allocation of capital has resulted in their being able to freeload in do-nothing jobs, because it is all based on borrowed money. There is no need to blame some opportunistic, hard-working people from another country. And in the event that foreign military do dominate this country, they will have to deal with the Mexican, Russian, and other gangs that won't roll over and play dead like most of their American brethren.
I hope you understand that all I have said is in the spirit of discussion and debate, and no animus is intended. I am ready to learn, as well as to spout out my opinion.


text:
Amanda Stravinsky
Linda Lange
Dayle Fergusson
Samantha Crespo
Vernon Summerlin
Read more about who our guest bloggers are and what makes their opinions
Become a Guest Blogger
Follow @tnvacation
Celebrate July 4th in Tennessee's oldest town at the 45th Annual Historic Jonesborough Days with a parade, live music, storytelling, kids activities, historic villages and of course, great food.
Where in Tennessee are you planning to be July 4th?
USA TODAY heralds the opening of the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid - and says our famous cradle of rock, soul and blues is "booming" with even more to do and see.
Are you headed to I Love Memphis this summer? What are you looking forward to doing?
This conversation is missing your voice! We can´t wait to hear what you have to say. All we ask is that you keep the conversation positive and spam free. All comments are moderated and innapropriate comments will be removed. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to chat with us!
Required fields are marked *


text:
Can 49ers trust David Akers?
Catch84 7-on-7 Football Camp
Former NFL WR Chris Chambers and his CATCH84 Foundation held a 7-on-7 Skills camp at Bedford (Ohio) High School, inviting some of the top high school players in the state … More »STACK - Thu, 2 Jul, 2015 12:11 PM EDT
What are the most American moments in sports?
Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab and Jay Busbee debate the most patriotic moments in the American sports culture. … More »Yahoo Sports Videos - Wed, 1 Jul, 2015 11:26 AM EDT
Marshawn Lynch Makes Sweet End Zone Dive Into Pool of Skittles
NFL star Marshawn Lynch was on "Conan" and got set up by the host for a sweet stunt involving his favorite candy. "I thought maybe it's a long dream of yours to jump backwards into an endzone filled with Skittles. Is that in fact your dream Marshawn … More »TV In No Time - Tue, 30 Jun, 2015 1:40 AM EDT
NFL Players Talk Women's Body Parts on 'Celebrity Family Feud'
The AFC and NFC sent some of their best football players to compete on "Celebrity Family Feud," and host Steve Harvey had a ball with the athletes answers to the question "What part of a woman speaks the loudest?" The top answers may have been … More »TV In No Time - Mon, 29 Jun, 2015 1:24 AM EDT
A Day in the LIfe with NFL Running Back Zac Stacy
Follow along a typical day with New York Jets running back Zac Stacy. Stacy works hard to improve his game at Chip Smith Performance Systems in Georgia. … More »STACK - Thu, 25 Jun, 2015 5:58 AM EDT


text:
MOVIEmeterSEE RANK
Up 6,007 this week
Bachelor in Paradise (1961)
A. J. Niles is the author of a series of 'Bachelor Books'. These books describe the romantic life of a bachelor in various cities of the world. But when he runs into trouble with the I.R.S.... See full summary »
Director:Jack Arnold
Writers:Valentine Davies (screenplay), Hal Kanter (screenplay), 1 more credit »
Stars:Bob Hope, Lana Turner, Janis Paige | See full cast and crew »


text:
Department Of Water Resources
Farmers Press Lawmakers For More Water Storage Projects
State lawmakers' proposal to build new water storage for the first time in decades died Monday afternoon.
California's Second Snow Survey Set For Thursday
The state Department of Water Resources says it expects to find below-normal snowpack when it carries out the winter's second survey in the Sierra Nevada.
Snowpack Survey Reveals California Snow Depth Still Far Below Average
The state's first annual manual snowpack survey was conducted today and, as expected, found that although California has more snow now than this time last year, the snow water equivalent is still far below the average.
Receding Lake Oroville Waters Leave Artifacts Exposed For Looters
Jana Frazier with the Department of Water Resources is happy to show off tribal and Gold Rush artifacts at the Lake Oroville Visitors Center. But she's worried about artifacts that can be found in a lower-than-normal Lake Oroville.
Delta Tunnels Project Heads To State High Court
The California Supreme Court is set to decide if the state must buy thousands of acres of private property to perform preliminary tests for two massive water tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Water Picture Improves For Some California Towns
List of rural water systems with less than 2 months supply falls from 17 to 3.
Feds To Ease Cutbacks, Giving California Farmers More Water
Drought-stricken California farmers and cities are set to get more water as state and federal officials ease water cutbacks due to recent rain and snow, officials announced on Friday.
NASA Turns Research To California Drought
NASA scientists have begun deploying satellites and other advanced technology to help California water officials assess the state's record drought and better manage it, officials said Tuesday.
Crews Prepare For Wet Winter With Flash Flood Training
The rivers were calm on Thursday, but with a wet winter looming, crews readied for potential flash floods.
Fairfield Fire: Search For Fence Owner At Center Of Dispute Hits Dead End
Hicks says the answer to who owns the fence starts decades ago when the homes were first built. There was flooding behind the homes and the state stepped in.
Final Survey Reveals Calif. Snowpack 17 Percent Of Normal
California's last snow survey of the season is bad news for the millions of state residents who rely on the snowpack for their water.
Department Of Water Resources Prepares For More Rain And Local Flooding
Employees with the Department of California Water Resources are calling this storm the region's biggest in the last six years.


text:
Did you mean?
Get an instant answer from local experts and frequent travelers
21 travelers online now
View all Campoamor hotels
Had a wonderful fortnight in lovely Campoamor. Super soft sand beaches, almost deserted at this time of year, but weather great. Not too hot, nor cold - just right.
Plenty of places to visit within a...
Great place for nice walks and great moments and pictures.
View all rated pages
View newest pages
Build your own Campoamor page
VirtualTourist®© 1994-2015 VirtualTourist.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Resolution: standard / high
Figure 7.
Ultrastructural examination of Whirlin knockout central nervous system tissues reveals organelle accumulation in myelinated axons. Electron micrographs of internodal cross sections (A–C) and nodal-paranodal longitudinal (D–F) regions in spinal cords from wild-type (7 week-old, A, D) and Whrn knockout mice (7 week-old, B, E; 3 month-old, C, F). Overall cellular organization is conserved between wild-type and Whrn knockout and sciatic nerve fibers with tightly compacted myelin around each axon. Enrichment of mitochondria (flat arrowheads) and occasional myelin ruffling is observed in Whrn knockout mice compared to wild-type. At higher magnification, the wild-type (G) paranodal loops have characteristic electron-dense septa (concave arrowheads) and parallel arrays of cytoskeletal elements. In contrast, Whrn knockout CNS fibers accumulate organelles (flat arrowheads), particularly mitochondria and transport vesicles, and have paranodal septa (H, I, concave arrowheads) that are less defined. Also, electron micrographs from mice show cerebellar Purkinje myelinated axons (J–L) running through the granular layer. This region reveals axonal swellings filled with densely-packed organelles (flat arrowheads), particularly mitochondria and vesicles, in 7 week-old (K) and 3 month-old (L)Whrn knockout animals compared to 7 week-old wild-type (J). Scale bars: A–F, 2 μm, G–I, 400 nm, J–L: 1 μm.
Green et al. BMC Neuroscience 2013 14:96 doi:10.1186/1471-2202-14-96