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Microbiome Project: 'We are 90% bacteria'
Smith studied the dust-smudged tip before breaking it off into a plastic tube labeled "floor."
"A good sample for us," said Smith, securing the tiny vial in a box chilled by dry ice. "Although you can't see them, there are literally billions of (bacteria) cells on these surfaces."
Like scientists who began classifying the world's plants and animals centuries ago, Smith and his colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory are embarking on a similar exploration, only in the micro realm.
Over the next year, they plan to trace the ebb and flow of the hospital's microbiome - a vast wilderness of viruses, fungi and, perhaps most importantly, bacteria - to better understand how it may affect human health in an environment where about 100,000 people die nationally every year from acquired infections.
The effort, known as the Hospital Microbiome Project, follows similar surveys of bacterial communities in the human body, where the single-cell organisms outnumber human cells by 10 to 1. It is also part of a growing area of microbial research, bolstered by recent advances in molecular biology and computer science, that has led some scientists to wonder whether the strongest forces shaping human life may not, in fact, be human.
Or, as California Institute of Technology microbiologist Sarkis Mazmanian likes to tell people, "We are 90 percent bacteria."
"If you think about the way we function on a cellular level, all the activities that confer health and disease are not just encoded in our own DNA. Some of those are encoded in our bacterial DNA," Mazmanian said.
"So how much of the way we function, even maybe the way we think, is from our own doing? How much of us is really human?"
Since at least the late 17th century, when Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek scraped scum from his teeth and observed tiny "animalcules" in the plaque samples beneath his microscope, humans have had an inkling of the microbial world in and around them.
But that understanding has been overly simplistic, according to Jack Gilbert, a microbial ecologist at Argonne and head of the laboratory's microbiome endeavors.
Human beings are blanketed by microbes from the moment they emerge into the world. A vast majority of the human microbiome, comprising 10 trillion to 100 trillion cells, thousands of species and at least 8 million unique genes, is not only harmless, but vital to life. By breaking down food, bacteria produce essential vitamins, anti-inflammatories and compounds that fuel the human metabolism.
Yet the overriding premise has been that microorganisms are the ecological foes of humans, meant only to be destroyed.
The arsenal of microbial warfare — antibiotics, vaccines, and simple soap and water — has saved millions of lives, and Gilbert and his ilk do not recommend the retirement of such vital weapons.
Instead, their mission is more nuanced: By sifting through microbe genomes, they hope to sort out the complex interactions that make some landscapes beneficial while turning others more destructive.
The work, in part, builds on the Human Microbiome Project, which began in 2007 to sequence the microbial DNA in healthy humans and those suffering from a variety of medical conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
The project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, concluded that certain microbiomes appear to be associated with or even precede specific diseases.
"It isn't just the human on this side and microbes on the other side," said NIH project coordinator Lita Proctor. "It helped us think about microbes not as single entities, not as a single germ or pathogen, but as whole communities interacting with each other and their environment."
Scientists are still defining that relationship, but recent studies have shown that changes in the microbiome may impact health in varied ways.
To underscore that point, Dr. Alexander Khoruts often mentions a patient who contracted a persistent Clostridium difficile infection in 2009. The rod-shaped bacteria typically take up residence in the colon after normal bacteria have been wiped out by antibiotics. Left unchecked, the bacteria can cause diarrhea, inflammation of the colon and, in about 14,000 cases a year, death.
By the time the patient came to him, Khoruts said, she had already lost more than 60 pounds and had to use a wheelchair.
"She was, essentially, slowly dying," said Khoruts, a gastroenterologist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.
With dwindling options, Khoruts recommended that the patient's husband provide his wife with a sample of bacteria from his colon.
Shortly after the procedure, called a fecal transplant, testing indicated the patient had a flourishing composition of bacterial species in her colon. The infection was gone.
Experts caution that microbiome research and the use of probiotics — or live bacteria believed to be beneficial to humans — are still very much in their infancy.
Despite claims attached to varying brands of yogurt, scientists are still trying to make sense of how, exactly, various bacteria may function when ingested. And though fecal transplants have appeared to work for some infections, certain live bacteria may actually harm patients who have weakened immune systems.
"It's still super early days," Proctor said. "We're just really at the census level. What we really want to know from the biomedical perspective is, what are the microbes doing? And when do you have a good microbiome? And when do you have one that's gone south? We're still struggling with trying to figure out even how to measure" that.
More and more scientists, however, are now seeking answers to those questions.
From his spare office at Argonne, Gilbert helms the Earth, Home and newly launched Hospital microbiome projects. He also spearheads other microbial efforts, exploring whether bacterial sprays and other products can boost crops or help soldiers mask their presence from mosquitoes.
"This is the microbial century," said Gilbert, who launched the Earth Microbiome Project in July 2010.
The thrust of the endeavor, which colleagues have warmly deemed "a huge, crazy project," is to identify and determine the function of all the Earth's microbes, "for the benefit of the planet and mankind."
By understanding the microorganisms in various environments, Gilbert, 35, hopes to understand where the microbes living on humans come from.
"You can't, literally, just isolate humans and say, 'I want to know about human health,'" Gilbert said. "You've got to look at the environment that humans interact with."
Many people, however, spend more time indoors than outdoors. So, Gilbert also started the Home Microbiome Study, peering into microbial outposts in houses and apartments, and, most recently, the Hospital Microbiome Project.
Over the next 13 months, Daniel Smith and others will collect about 15,000 samples from the top two floors of the University of Chicago's new hospital, the Center for Care and Discovery, slated to open in February. They will swipe sterile swabs across floors, counters, faucets and patients and staff and collect hundreds of air filters.
The microbial DNA will be taken to Gilbert's lab at Argonne, where scientists will run it through high-powered sequencing machines that are able to read hundreds of billions of base pairs — the building blocks of DNA — every couple of days. Just five years ago, it would have taken more than a year to do the same amount of work, according to Gilbert.
Preliminary runs have shown that similar types of surfaces harbor similar bacteria and that bacteria living in the hospital regularly hop onto the shoes of visitors, who then track them outside.
Whether that is good, bad or even relevant to human health remains to be seen. But by building on that knowledge in the coming months and years, Gilbert would like to be able to provide hospitals with information that can be used to prevent certain infections, and ultimately, related deaths.
"Our hope," Gilbert said, "is that this data will be able to tell us how health care-associated pathogens affect people in these buildings and how transient they are, how persistent they are, and what we can do to stop them."
©2013 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
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PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): MICROBIOME
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Celebrate the TRUE meaning of Christmas
New sweatshirts and socks will be given FREE to children in need; infants through eighth grade on Saturday, December 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, Kentucky and Sycamore Streets, Gridley.
Come and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas—sharing the joy of giving and the love of Jesus Christ throughout the community. Hot chocolate, cookies, live manger scene with petting zoo, Gideon Bibles table, bounce house and music are planned for all families with children (weather permitting). Children, with parents, who are in need of a warm sweatshirt and socks are asked to check for the sweatshirt table area (inside if raining).
For more information, call Nancy Weinzinger, 846-3003 or Ruth Rush, 846-2032. Sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Gridley.
Location, ST | website.com

subset: commoncrawl


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similar thing happened to me at HB Pier one summer. They were getting really close and breaching repeatedly within feet from me. I climbed on one of their backs and it lept out of the water and we flew through the sky together. We sailed the jetstream and joined up with a pack of unicorns and the blue dudes from the Avatar movie. It was an amazing experience. Pandora was beautiful.
this may be a faulty impression but on a number of cases where I have encountered dolphins, it was correlated with the larger swells of the day. they will mess around and feed, but when a set rolls in, its time for them to surf and jump. anyone else observe this?
i've had one fully breach 10' out and one swim under my SUP so close that its wave rocked my board.
funny story. last weekend i was out solo and i saw a fin so paddled out for a closer look. then some big fish started jumping out of the water and i spotted the fin, but it wasnt moving in the usual up-down of a dolphin, more the straight line of a you-know-what. I got spooked and booked it for the shore. when i got to shallow water, the dolphin showed himself more fully with a little jump. so i felt a little silly and paddled back out.
magic times when they come to play
I see dolphin fairly often. Had a first time experience last weekend...a manatee surfaced right next to my board while I was sitting in the line-up. This guy was one foot away and it caught me by surprise. Never seen one out in the ocean.
fun to watch, but i find dolphins to be pretty f'cking intimidating, once you get within about 5 or 6 feet of them. all that warm fuzzy Flipper stuff goes right out the window when you realize you're facing a fish bigger than you, on it's own turf. :eek:
dolphins come in close and ride waves with us all the time here in central CA. Just my last session, a pod of 3 rode a wave in so close to me, one had to flick out at the last second just to not run into me (pretty sure he/she knew what they were doing and just being playful).
It can be really dangerous though because some of the dolphins out here are giant. In Morro Bay, I had a 10 ft+ dolphin jump out and almost land on me.


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Main Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With PMS | Resource Guide
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder marked by physical and behavioral symptoms that occur in a cyclical pattern. They appear 1-2 weeks before an expected menstrual period and improve with the onset of menses. The nature and severity of symptoms vary. If your symptoms are so severe that they interfere with daily activities, talk to your doctor about treatment options.
The Menstrual Flow
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Many women of reproductive age have discomfort prior to menses, but a small number cases are thought to be categorized as PMS. This problem is most commonly seen between the ages of 25-34. An even smaller percentage of women with PMS have a very severe form called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Although the cause of PMS is not known, the cyclical pattern that parallels the menstrual cycle has directed the focus of study to hormonal changes. These changes are thought to act with other factors in the nervous system, as well as the environment, to trigger the symptoms of PMS.
What are the risk factors for premenstrual syndrome?
What are the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome?
How is premenstrual syndrome diagnosed?
What are the treatments for premenstrual syndrome?
Are there screening tests for premenstrual syndrome?
How do I reduce my risk of premenstrual syndrome?
What questions should I ask my doctor?
What is it like to live with premenstrual syndrome?
Where can I get more information about premenstrual syndrome?
Premenstrual syndrome. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated June 14, 2012. Accessed August 20, 2012.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-syndrome-pms.html. Updated August 2010. Accessed August 20, 2012.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) fact sheet. Office on Women's Health website. Available at: hhttp://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/premenstrual-syndrome.html. Updated May 18, 2010. Accessed August 20, 2012.
Last reviewed September 2015 by Andrea Chisholm, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.
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Darting here and there ...
Û Sure glad we got that Brian Wilson business out of the way early so we can spend the rest of the weekend focusing on Russell Wilson.
Û Colin Kaepernick shouldn't have to worry. Even if he loses the eyebrow shaving bet, he can always just get a tattoo of a new one.
Û Seattle QB Wilson said this week that the eyebrow wager was just a joke and added "we'll probably do something digitally" to settle it. That would have to play out on Facebook, you think?
Û It probably didn't dawn on Anthony Dixon, but "She-Hawks" actually sounds more menacing than "Seahawks" to some. Of course, it helps to have dated a few.
Û This Seattle game is so huge that many folks haven't yet realized Andrew Luck comes back to the Bay Area next week to face his old college coach. Yowsza, this 49ers schedule has a better lineup than Lollapalooza.
Û Short-term memory dept.: Seven months ago, every 49ers fan despised Anquan Boldin. Today, they adore him. And if he tears up Seattle? Statue, for sure.
Û We love the commercial of Jim Harbaugh coaching those kids. Wonder if there's a director's cut.
Û Asked this week about last year's game at Seattle in which he didn't play, there was a distinct Dirty Harry tone to the way Justin Smith said, "That was last year."
Û The 49ers and Raiders don't play this season, but perhaps we could arrange a Kaepernick-Terrelle Pryor foot race at some point?
Û The Raiders still might not win many games -- better beat Jacksonville, fellas -- but with Pryor under center, no one will be dozing in the Hole.
Û Cal gave up 30 points to Portland State? What, is Neil Lomax's kid playing there now?
Û And now for the Bears: The Ohio State/Oregon back-to-back. This stretch could qualify as a new Dr. Seuss book title: "Yikes, Mr. Dykes."
Û Saturday might be one of those rare days when a majority of the nation roots for Alabama -- even Charles Barkley is on board -- as it attempts to let the air out of Johnny Football.
Û If we go by the NCAA's recent penalties rendered against Oregon and Johnny Manziel, Oklahoma State might be facing a severe reduction of hostesses.
Û The Bovada sportsbook calculates the odds at 11-10 that Lane Kiffin will be fired before next season after USC's 10-7 home loss to Washington State. Lock of the year? Yes, says the overhead projector.
Û Wonder what the Bovada odds were before the baseball season that Coco Crisp would have more home runs than Buster Posey or Pablo Sandoval in 2013?
Û There are cats out there wishing they had as many lives as Daric Barton has had with the A's. Good to see he's making the most of his latest one.
Û The A's might not be selling out, but at least Ken Korach's book on the late, great Bill King is. Deservedly so. "Holy Toledo" is a fabulous, engaging read.
Û He won't win Manager of the Year in 2013, but Bob Melvin has been every bit as good this season as last, maybe better. It's always harder to back up a miracle.
Û Amusing that there have been so many fan suggestions that Barry Zito return to the A's next year. What, as the eighth starter?
Û It makes perfect sense that Brian Wilson wouldn't talk to the media after beating the Giants. He's never been one to draw attention to himself.
Û If you believe the Giants' consecutive sellout streak is real, we have a new half of a bridge to sell you (for only $6 billion).
Û Warriors center Andrew Bogut proclaimed himself 100 percent this week and said -- you might want to go get a pair of scissors to clip and save -- "I expect to play a lot of minutes."
Û Finally, hockey's starting already? Didn't the season just end on Wednesday?
Contact Carl Steward at email@example.com. More darting on Twitter @stewardsfolly.


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University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler is touting progress made at the university in the past year.
Kaler delivered his second State of the University address Thursday. He says the school has made progress on ideas he pitched during his first address last year, including a year-round academic calendar.
Kaler also noted savings in energy, technology and administration. The university has been criticized at the state Capitol in recent months over its administrative spending.
Kaler says the university has done a lot but says "we must and we will do more."
The Star Tribune (http://bit.ly/WoLPGt) reports Kaler noted progress on new "entrepreneurial leaves" to allow faculty to explore business ideas. That program will start this fall.
Kaler also says the university has boosted funding for graduate students' fellowships by $750,000.
Location, ST | website.com


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Tibetan Sandalwood 3.5 oz Scented Oval Jar Candles
Color: Amber
Candle Scent: TIBETAN SANDALWOOD
Product Form: 3.5 OUNCE OVAL JAR
Dimensions: 3.5 oz
Product InformationRelated ItemsRecently Viewed Items
Surround yourself with radiant amber, rich woods, and sensual sandalwood. Exclusively sold by Colonial Candle, the unique and elegant 3.5 oz oval jar is a beautiful accessory for any home. Crafted from our premium wax and all cotton wicks, our 3.5 oz oval jar burns for up to 21 hours.Fragrance Notes
Top: Ginger, Cardamom - Middle: Cedarwood, Guaiacwood, Jasmine - Bottom: Leather, Sandalwood, TobaccoReviews


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FAA subsidy of Nashua air traffic control tower to continue through fiscal year
The office of U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., released a statement in response to the news Friday, saying the Nashua native �led the fight for control towers� to highlight their importance before lawmakers and Department of Transportation officials.
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Accelerate Your Computer's Performance
The SanDisk Solid State Drive provides faster computer performance and greater reliability at an affordable price. With solid state architecture from the global leader of flash memory storage, this solid state drive (SSD) lasts longer and consumes less energy than a traditional hard-disk drive**. And thanks to its fast data speeds, the drive lets you enjoy quicker bootup and program loading than ever before.
- Read speeds up to 475MB/s for quick bootup
- Capacities of 128GB to accommodate robust files
- Enables smoother PC performance and faster file transfer
- Reliable solid state design with cool operation
- Lower power consumption places less strain on your system.
Fast Data Speeds Accelerate Your Computer's Performance
Featuring read speeds of up to 490MB/s, the SanDisk SSD helps unlock your PC's potential. You'll enjoy faster operating-system bootup, quicker program launches, and smoother overall performance with games and other multimedia applications. And thanks to the SanDisk Solid State Drive's 6Gb/s SATA interface, you'll spend less time waiting for files to transfer.
Reliable, Solid State Design
Unlike traditional hard-disk drives (HDDs), the SanDisk Solid State Drivehas no mechanical parts. This makes it more resistant to wear and degradation than a traditional hard drive. The SanDisk SSD is tested to last up to 4.1 million hours mean time before failure (MTBF)**. The drive is also shock resistant, vibration proof, and temperature proof, giving your data extra layers of protection.
Energy Efficient and Cool Operating
Thanks to its solid state design, the SanDisk SSD consumes less power and produces less heat than a traditional HDD. This lightens the load on your PC's power supply and cooling system, lengthening your system's lifespan.
Generous Data Capacity
The SanDisk SSD has enough space to accommodate your OS and your favorite games and applications. The SSD can also hold all of your most important data, including photos, office documents, and family videos.
Compatibility and Warranty
The SanDisk Ultra SSD is compatible with SATA 6Gb/s ports and is backwards compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s ports. It is backed by a three-year limited warranty.
- Capacity: 128GB
- Dimensions: 0.28 x 3.96 x 2.78 in (7.00 x 100.58 x 70.61 mm)
- Operating temperature: -32ºF to 158ºF (0ºC to 70 ºC)
- Storage temperature: -67ºF to 203ºF (-55ºC to 95ºC)
- Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s
- Shock Resistant: 1500 G @ 0.5 m/sec
- Vibration (Operating/Non-operating): 2.17g RMS, 5-700MHZ / 3.13 RMS, 5-800MHZ
- Power Consumption (active): 0.6w
- Sequential Read (up to): 475 MB/s
- Sequential Write (up to): 375 MB/s
- Random Read (up to): 8100 IOPS
- Random Write (up to): 4500 IOPS
- MTBF: 2.0M hours
- Product Description
- SanDisk SSD - solid state drive - 128 GB - SATA 6Gb/s
- Type
- Solid state drive - internal
- Capacity
- Form Factor
- 2.5"
- Interface
- SATA 6Gb/s
- Dimensions (WxDxH)
- 70.61 mm x 100.58 mm x 7 mm
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 3 years warranty
- Device Type
- Solid state drive - internal
- Capacity
- Form Factor
- 2.5"
- Interface
- SATA 6Gb/s
- Width
- 70.61 mm
- Depth
- 100.58 mm
- Height
- 7 mm
- Internal Data Rate
- 490 MBps (read) / 350 MBps (write)
- 4KB Random Read
- 4KB Random Write
- 3,000,000 hour(s)
Expansion & Connectivity
- Interfaces
- 1 x SATA 6 Gb/s - 7 pin Serial ATA
- Compatible Bays
- 1 x 2.5" - internal
- Power Consumption
- 0.6 Watt ( active )
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support
- Limited warranty - 3 years
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature
- Max Operating Temperature
- Shock Tolerance
- 1500 g @ 0.5ms
The following resources are available for the Sandisk 128GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive
Customer reviews
Write a review for the Sandisk 128GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive here!
Mac Compatible
Reviewed by Ross. Review Posted 20/07/2015
Can not fault this product. Bought this to replace a HDD in my mid 2007 MacBook Pro. After contacting Sandisc direct I could not get a clear answer as to how compatible the drive would be. However I am building a new Windows machine so bought anyway.
Can report that the drive is 100% compatible (obviously not running to advertised speeds) and has greatly increased the units boot time and overall speed.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Reviewed by Joe. Review Posted 06/10/2012
Easy installation, but no bracket came with it, luckily my case did. windows 7 professional boots in less than 13 seconds! programs boot amazingly fast!!
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Amazing value SSD!
Reviewed by Mike C. Review Posted 11/07/2013
I bought this SSD to replace an OCZ SSD that didn't even last me a year in my laptop! (Full refund from the eBay seller, phew!)
Happily however, this drive has brought back that quick, snappy and instant on experience that my now six year old laptop once had when I first installed an SSD.
Installation was a doddle and Windows 7 loaded onto it fine and recognised the drive with no issues.
Boot times are around 15 seconds depending on how fast I can type my bios password.
Seeing as this computer is mainly used for web browsing or editing word documents this drive has saved me the £200 I would have forked out on a Chromebook to replace it.
Very happy!
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
SSD for Vaio FE21B - win7
Reviewed by Maz. Review Posted 20/10/2013
Replaced old HDD with this SSD and works like a treat. As other reviewers mentioned, boot-up time circa 15secs compared to many minutes before - AWESOME!!
Only snag is: this SSD it not recognised in BIOS, and sometimes get "No Operating System" error on boot up, need to turn-it off and try again... and boots up after couple of attempts :(
I've got similar SSD in Vaio FZ35G which works like a dream - no issues there whatsoever!
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Detected by the Z97-K no problem...
Reviewed by Steve. Review Posted 07/07/2014
I just plugged it in, it was detected in the Z97-K's BIOS and then loaded windows onto it. Blazingly fast with the i5 on startup. About 7 seconds from on to desktop.
4 stars for value for money as these drives are still expensive.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Sandisk 128 ssd
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Posted 20/06/2015
I must echo the other reviewers - my mother-in-laws Compaq laptop took 10 minutes to start up, 8 minutes to open IE, 20 minutes to shut down. I had recommended it originally and there were threats about being cut out of the will. But since the SSD was installed, runtimes are reduced to about 10% of the original. This is singularly one of he most effective devices I have ever installed. At £39.99 it's great value for money.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
cute liitle drive
Reviewed by sean Bannon. Review Posted 07/09/2013
I built my first custom pc using a normal hdd because of cost was able to upgraded to ssd and what a difference it makes. due to the limitations on storage i would not reccomend this for that but for running an os it's great also the cost you can't complain.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Revitalise old Dell laptop
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Posted 05/01/2015
Bought this to upgrade an old Dell latitude laptop. Used disk cloning software (not supplied)to copy the old disk to the new disk, took about 40 minutes using USB caddy for the new disk. The only problem I had was fitting the disk into the laptop. The old disk is thicker than the new. The SSD does not come supplied with a plastic spacer to increase it to the same thickness as do some others SSD so I had to improvise with some cardboard. Once that was done, laptop boots much much quicker and has a new lease of life.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
Compatibility issues with XP and windows 7
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Posted 06/06/2014
Windows XP and Windows 7 do not have the drivers to support this drive when booting up from a CD. In XP you are prompted to press F6 to install 3rd party drivers and windows 7 asks you to insert a CD with the drivers. Cannot find an appropriate driver anywhere. The advert says it's compatible with XP and windows 7 - not the versions I have.
- Overall
- Ease of use
- Value for money
The opinions expressed in this reviews section are those of our customers and not of BT Shop. Nothing contained herein amends BT Shop's terms and conditions.


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VMware and Salesforce.com launch VMforce. Red Hat provides Cloud Access. And more.
Follow 451 CAOS Links live @caostheory on Twitter and
"Tracking the open source news wires, so you don't have to."
# VMware and Salesforce.com launched VMforce, a platform for developing and deploying Java cloud applications.
# Red Hat Cloud Access enables enterprises to use their Red Hat Enterprise Linux …[Read more...]


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Hornets' Davis injured vs. Kings
Published: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 2:22 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Hornets rookie forward Anthony Davis has injured his left ankle and sat out the second half against Sacramento.
Davis scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and had six rebounds in the first half when the Hornets took a 64-39 lead Monday. It was unclear when the injury occurred, but Davis limped to the locker room at the break.
A stress fracture in the same ankle forced Davis to miss 11 games earlier in the season. He is averaging 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds. Davis was the first pick in last year's NBA draft.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Definition of sacrifice in English:
1An act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to a deity: they offer sacrifices to the spirits [mass noun]: the ancient laws of animal sacrifice
More example sentences
- Churches that have not been abandoned entirely are used for occult rites, animal sacrifices, and Black Masses.
- Among the expressions of this religion are fire walking, animal sacrifices, and rituals of possession by a deity or ancestor.
- Of course God does not need offerings from humans; the entire process of animal sacrifices and offerings is about using the physical to access the spiritual.
ritual slaughter, hecatomb, immolation, offering, oblation;
self-sacrifice, self-immolation
1.1An animal, person, or object offered in the act of sacrifice: a flat cake offered by the Romans as a sacrifice to their gods
More example sentences
- Abraham is commanded to take his son Isaac on a journey to a mount in the land of Moriah and there offer him as a sacrifice to God.
- Well, I'll just be patient and hope and pray and offer up sacrifices to whatever god is willing to help us out.
- And the Greeks believed in their gods, they worshipped their gods, they offered up sacrifices, and they were very real to the Greeks.
(votive) offering, gift, oblation, victim, burnt offering
2 Christian Church Christ's offering of himself in the Crucifixion.
Example sentences
- Christ's oblation, his total gift by the sacrifice on the cross, is the act of initiation for himself definitively, and it is valid with regard to all human beings.
- Christ was a man of peace who gave himself as a sacrifice for the world's sins - let himself be crucified rather than offer violence.
- Mrs James, whose parish includes Minety, Leigh and Ashton Keynes, has even gone as far as to try and change the shape of the crucifix a symbol of Jesus's ultimate sacrifice.
2.1The Eucharist regarded either (in Catholic terms) as a propitiatory offering of the body and blood of Christ or (in Protestant terms) as an act of thanksgiving.
Example sentences
- Debate also began in the late Middle Ages, developed in the Reformation, and continues to this day on the extent to which the Eucharist is a sacrifice.
- We are committed by that Baptism to share in the celebration of this faith in a common sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
- The point is what God has done, and is doing in the Mass, reconciling the world to Himself through the sacrifice of Christ.
3An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy: we must all be prepared to make sacrifices
More example sentences
- Other veterans spoke about serving our country during peacetime and how important it is for citizens to make sacrifices for their freedom.
- For its part, Britain has to demonstrate that it considers the project so important that it, too, is prepared to make sacrifices.
- That dynamic is important because it spurs the individuals to make sacrifices for the good of the team.
giving up, abandonment, surrender, foregoing, renouncing, renunciation, renouncement, forfeiture, loss, relinquishment, resignation, abdication, signing away, yielding, ceding, waiving
renunciation, relinquishment, loss, self-sacrifice;
sacrifice something, give up things
3.1 Chess A move intended to allow the opponent to win a pawn or piece, for strategic or tactical reasons.
Example sentences
- The pawn sacrifice throws the black pieces off guard and the white rooks are ready for an invasion.
- He followed up blundering a pawn with a piece sacrifice of the desperate sort.
- Watson spends a chapter looking at positional pawn sacrifices, with particular attention given to its handling by Kasparov.
3.2 (also sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly) Baseball A bunted or fly ball which puts the batter out but allows a base runner to advance.
Example sentences
- In 1926, the rule was changed, giving a batter credit for a sacrifice fly if any base runner advances on the catch.
- The next batter, pitcher Don Wilson advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
- Stacey Nuveman started the eighth inning with a sacrifice bunt to push designated runner Amanda Freed to third base.
3.3 (also sacrifice bid) Bridge A bid made in the belief that it will be less costly to be defeated in the contract than to allow the opponents to make a contract.
Example sentences
- Sometimes, a player will make a sacrifice bid and the leader will 'meld out' anyway.
- The Jack is your Knight and as such can always be played from a target player's hand as a sacrifice defender.
- We have constructively bid in a game-forcing auction, when an opponent makes a sacrifice bid that forces us to bid our suit at the 5-level.
verb[with object]
1Offer or kill as a religious sacrifice: the goat was sacrificed at the shrine
More example sentences
- Muslims may not eat any food that has been sacrificed to idols, but kosher is fine.
- Then there is the Dakshinkhali Temple, where goats and chickens are sacrificed to a hungry goddess.
- The Bible warns against idol worship, of Moloch, for example, in which human beings, especially children, are sacrificed to appease or please a god.
offer up, immolate, slaughter
2Give up (something valued) for the sake of other considerations: working hard doesn't mean sacrificing your social life
More example sentences
- Salem has made it clear that it won't sacrifice its values for profit, even stating so in its annual report.
- Today, the privatisation of social services means that children are sacrificed for the sake of profit more than ever.
- We can never sacrifice democracy and the values of liberty in favour of social change.
give up, abandon, surrender, forgo, renounce, forfeit, relinquish, resign, abdicate, sign away, yield, cede, waive;
prostitute, betray
2.1 Chess Deliberately allow one's opponent to win (a pawn or piece): he sacrificed his queen on the 34th move
More example sentences
- Maybe this explains why Kasparov sacrificed two pawns straight out of the opening - he probably felt he could do anything and still beat this guy!
- White sacrifices a pawn in order to open the opponent's castled position.
- The Bulgarian got the party going at an early stage by sacrificing a pawn for central domination, and Kasparov had to play very accurately to maintain his balance.
2.2 Baseball Advance (a base runner) by a sacrifice: Doyle was sacrificed to second
More example sentences
- He learned from his father, Sandy, a player who made a career out of doing little things like sacrificing runners and stealing bases.
- Lee led off with a single, and after Gonzalez struck out, Penny sacrificed the runner to second.
- Luis Aparicio then sacrificed runners to second and third followed by a Nellie Fox intentional walk.
2.3 [no object] Bridge Make a sacrifice bid: in that event East-West would sacrifice in six spades
More example sentences
- And when he sacrificed in four spades on the next round, he made it much easier for the opponents to judge whether to bid higher or, as here, to double for penalties.
- You may raise to put pressure on the opponents, to compete for the contract or to sacrifice.
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin sacrificium; related to sacrificus 'sacrificial', from sacer 'holy'.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: sac¦ri|fice
Definition of sacrifice in:
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SAN LEANDRO -- The city and its police department are being sued in federal court for allegedly violating the civil rights of gay men by having officers conduct undercover sting operations in hopes of stopping sexual activity in a restroom near the San Leandro Marina.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two men arrested during an undercover sting, could eventually represent dozens of gay men who were arrested for attempting to conduct a lewd act in public but never charged with a crime.
Prostitution was not a factor in any of the cases cited in the federal lawsuit.
Claims against the city and police department stem from city officials' attempts to thwart an activity commonly known as cruising, in which gay men congregate in a public area in hopes of finding a partner for sexual activity.
While it's technically illegal to engage in sexual activity in a public place, targeting only gay men for the activity is troublesome and could be a valid example of discrimination, legal experts said.
In the lawsuit filed against San Leandro, Steven Mengel and Michael Woody accused city officials of purposely targeting only gay men in its effort to stop sexual activity in public places.
Furthermore, the men claim that the city caused emotional distress by distributing news releases identifying them and notifying the public that they had been arrested for attempting to conduct a lewd act in public.
Mengel was arrested and charged with a crime in June 2012 but had his case dismissed by an Alameda County judge in November. Woody was also arrested in June 2012 but never charged with a crime.
Bruce Nickerson, the attorney representing the men, said he has found no proof yet that San Leandro has conducted similar undercover operations against heterosexual couples. If that is the case, Nickerson said, then San Leandro is discriminating against gay men.
"They only make these arrests for male-male conduct," Nickerson said. "It's outrageous. It's discriminatory."
Peter Renn, a staff attorney with Lambda Legal, which advocates for gay and lesbian causes, said that if there is no evidence showing that San Leandro has targeted heterosexual couples in a similar manner then it's likely discrimination.
"If there are no arrests for heterosexual lewd conduct then that is certainly eyebrow-raising. If that is what is happening it's illegal," Renn said. "All of us have the right to equal treatment from the government."
Renn said it is also troubling that San Leandro would publicize the arrests even though there was not even enough evidence to convince the district attorney to file criminal charges.
"Publicizing the arrest has the effect of harassing and publicly humiliating someone who may very well be innocent," he said. "People shouldn't be tried and convicted through press releases."
San Leandro officials did not return requests for comment.


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Wolcott Frisbie School took the time to honor veterans
Last year, Congress passed a law allowing veterans to salute when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, the national anthem is sung or played, and when the American flag passes.
As a veteran, I would like to give a salute to Frisbie School in Wolcott, the elementary school my grandson, Anthony, attends. On Nov. 16, Frisbie School put on a Veterans Day program to honor area veterans. It was such a wonderful event! The time and work the students and staff put into this production was overwhelming. To say it was a job well done is an understatement!
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Felicia wrote on Dec 10, 2012 12:33 PM:
" My son attends Frisbie as well and I was present at the Veterans Day celebration. It was by far the best school function that I have attended todate. What a wonderful idea this was to do for our Veterans. Truly was a wonderful function that Frisbie students put on for our Veterans. "
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At its most recent meeting, the PCC approved final standards for the accounting for goodwill and for a simplified hedge accounting model for certain interest rate swaps.
At its meetings held on September 30 and October 1, 2013, the Private Company Council (PCC) voted to finalize two standards that would provide private companies alternatives for accounting for goodwill and, separately, for a simplified hedge accounting approach for certain interest rate swaps.
One proposed GAAP alternative – Accounting for Goodwill Subsequent to a Business Combination – would allow private companies to amortize goodwill over a period of ten years, or less in certain circumstances. In addition, a simplified impairment model would be applied.
The other proposed GAAP alternative – Accounting for Certain Receive-Variable, Pay-Fixed Interest Rate Swaps – would allow private companies that are not financial institutions to use a simplified hedge accounting approach to account for certain interest rate swaps. In addition, the alternative would extend the private company exemption from certain fair value disclosures when such swaps are the company's only derivative instruments.
The two approved alternatives are now subject to a final endorsement vote by the FASB. If endorsed, the final Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) would likely be issued before the end of the year to allow for implementation in 2013.
In addition to moving forward with these two alternatives, the PCC directed the FASB staff to conduct additional research on alternatives related to accounting for identifiable intangible assets in a business combination, and also on the combined instruments model for certain interest rate swaps.


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- Jun 26:
- Same-sex marriage: Evening rallies unleash jubilation after court rulings
- DOMA repeal will keep Orinda husband from deportation to Mexico
- Prop. 8: Bay Area's gay rights advocates celebrate same-sex marriage rulings
- Gay marriage: Proposition 8 appears doomed in California after Supreme Court ruling
- Gay marriage: How TV helped nudge society on the issue
- Prop. 8, DOMA: Q-and-A
- Bay Area lawmakers' reactions to marriage rulings
- Timeline: Key dates in the American gay rights movement
- Prop. 8: Obama calls to congratulate California gay marriage plaintiffs, hails court's rulings
- Prop. 8: Supreme Court ends California ban on gay marriage but fight remains
- Obama on DOMA: 'Supreme Court has righted a wrong'
- Document: California Attorney General Kamala Harris addresses marriage licenses
- Document: U.S. Supreme Court ruling on DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act
- Raw Video: Prop 8 Supreme Court decision reactions
- Document: U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8 and gay marriage
- Jun 25:
- Same-sex marriage: Bay Area events planned after high court releases decision
- California gay marriage ruling: Supreme Court has many options
- U.S. Supreme Court to decide gay marriage cases today
SAN FRANCISCO -- Nikolas Lemos wasn't shy about his jubilation.
Dressed this morning in a green gown and Statue of Liberty headpiece, Lemos stood on the steps of San Francisco City Hall waving a rainbow flag as the U.S. Supreme Court announced it had struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.
"Greeks can be dramatic," the 42-year-old immigrant from Athens said of his costume.
"If I find the right person, I too can get married -- imagine that, enjoying equality under the law," said Lemos, a UC San Francisco professor and the San Francisco Medical Examiner's forensic director. "I feel vindicated. This was the way it had to go."
Inside City Hall -- where the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004 helped spark the legal battles that led to today's rulings -- a packed crowd of hundreds initially stood silent as the decisions were announced, and then began cheering as the effects became clear. The crowd wore a rainbow of rainbows, from boas to leis to scarves to shirts; at least one pair of brides-to-be embraced as others waved "I do" placards.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who as mayor had ordered the marriage licenses issued in 2004, received a hero's welcome.
He praised San Francisco as a city that "celebrates our diversity each and every day." And he said today's rulings prove that citizens exercising moral authority can change the world. "It's messy, it's complex, there are good days and bad days, but it's worth this journey that we're on," he said.
Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, was more succinct.
"F--- you, Prop. 8," she said, eliciting wild cheers from the City Hall throng.
Jenni Chang, 31, of San Francisco, wore the wedding dress in which she had her non-legal marriage ceremony three weeks ago; her spouse, Lisa Dazols, 34, stood with her, and they embraced and kissed as the rulings were announced.
"We won't be discriminated against anymore," Dazols said, beaming.
"How did we get so lucky to be born at the time we get the same rights as everybody else?" Chang marveled.
Jennifer Grant, 49, of San Francisco, got married in 2008 and has three kids. She said DOMA's downfall potentially clears obstacles for same-sex couples on a range of issues such as immigration, medical care and adoption, noting. "We're going to be able to file (taxes) like every other couple."
Caroline Dessert, 30, of San Francisco, was a regional field director for the campaign against Proposition 8. She recalled the night the measure passed in November 2008.
"That day was one of the saddest of my life -- I had to go in front of thousands of volunteers and tell them ... that their rights to marry had been taken away by a vote from their neighbors," she said.
But, she added, that sadness is now eclipsed by joy: "It's five years late, but we did it."
Natasha Litt, 40, of San Francisco, and her partner arrived at City Hall today with their 9-month-old twins, believing they could get married immediately. City clerk's office workers turned them away, saying it's not yet clear how the rulings will be applied.
They had made a bet between them over whether gay marriage would be legalized before you could buy a marijuana brownie at a convenience store.
"I lost," Litt said. "I was the skeptic."
Ashley Harlan, 28, of Oakland, was in the crowd and had been trembling and anxious until the rulings were announced.
"I'm overwhelmed still," she said afterward. "It'll be a while until I come down. We'd hoped for a 50-state win, but we will take this."
The Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 8 applies only to California, not to similar constitutional amendments in other states.
Proposition 8's proponents took comfort in the fact that the high court had ruled against them because it found they lacked legal standing to defend the measure in court, not because the measure itself was unconstitutional.
"We are pleased that the Supreme Court has reversed the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' misguided decision that sought to invalidate Proposition 8," said Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, the measure's official proponent. "For the more than seven million Californians who have seen their vote stripped away from them, little by little, over the course of five years, that decision is gratifying.
"While it is unfortunate that the court's ruling does not directly resolve questions about the scope of the trial court's order against Prop. 8, we will continue to defend Prop 8. and seek its enforcement until such time as there is a binding statewide order that renders Prop 8. unenforceable," Pugno said.
Revelers filled the streets in San Francisco's predominately gay Castro District. Enrique Chavez of Alameda waved his giant American flag on a hot pink pole, eliciting honks from passing cars while yelling, "We got it!"
Asked why he brought the flag as a symbol of this day, Chavez replied, "I get to believe in my country again."
For Leo Gkimisis, who originally is from Greece and has lived in San Francisco for five years, the rulings mean a world of new possibilities for many of his friends: bi-national gay couples who have been forced to live in separate countries because their marriages are not legally recognized in the U.S.
"Many people have to decide whether to move away with their loved one or live here and pay the consequences," said Gkimisis, who has seen at least three couples torn apart by various visa and green card issues when one was forced back to Latin America, Europe and Canada. "Now they have the opportunity to come back if they want to."
"They said we couldn't get married until pigs fly," said 28-year-old Safiya Delaney, wearing a pig hat that flaps its wings when she pulls on a string. "Well, the pigs are flying today."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, issued a statement saying the Supreme Court "bent the arc of history once again toward justice."
"Soon, the federal government will no longer discriminate against any family legally married in the United States. California will join 12 other states and the District of Columbia in recognizing the fundamental rights of all families. Our country will move one step closer to securing equal protection for all of our citizens," she said. "Nearly 44 years to the day after the Stonewall Riots turned the nation's attention to discrimination against LGBT Americans, the fight for equal rights took a giant step forward."
San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr said his department is fully staffed for this weekend's Pride celebration, expecting even bigger crowds given today's rulings and on the lookout for any potential clashes with gay-marriage opponents.
"We want to do everything in our power to make sure no one does anything that spoils it for anyone else," Suhr said. "If anything, this is a day you'd want to be on duty in San Francisco."
In San Jose, Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager -- the first openly gay person ever elected to an office in the county -- said he's "thrilled with what happened, but we still have a ways to go."
"I've being doing gay rights in this county a long time, and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back. You have victories and defeats. It's just not the history of civil rights movements to win all at once," Yeager said, "A sweeping victory would have been that we have a constitutional right to get married. That will wait another day. Until then, gay marriages can resume in California, and that's a big step. But it's not the final step."
Karen Schneider, the head librarian at Holy Names University in Oakland a former U.S. Air Force captain, said she was thrilled with the rulings. "As a taxpayer and a veteran, justice has been served. My country is doing for me what I, as I citizen, have always tried to do for it."
Schneider wedded the Rev. Sandra Hulse, her long-time partner, in 2004 in San Francisco only to see the nuptials voided a few months later. "It was very hard to have our marriage invalidated. It is a very powerful piece of paper, that marriage license," she said.
In Walnut Creek, gay marriage supporters stood atop the Treat Boulevard overpass at Interstate 680 during the morning commute, waving rainbow and American flags as cars and trucks honked their horns in support. Will McGarvey, 45, of Benicia, said he sees this as a religious-freedom issue.
"I know a lot of folks use a religious rationale for withholding gay marriage," said McGarvey, pastor of Pittsburg's Community Presbyterian Church. "We live in a democratic republic with the division of church and state."
McGarvey -- who has 11 gay couples in his congregation and is ready to officiate weddings for three of them, including his sister-in-law -- wished the ruling would have gone even farther. "To be able to see so many folks around the country get federal equality is historic ... but I wish the Supreme Court would go further to ban discrimination in every state."
Mark King, 56, a single gay man from Dublin, took a personal day off from his commercial lending job and drove his motorized cart onto the overpass with a rainbow flag tucked into his basket.
King has married gay friends who must file three separate tax returns: one for California as a married couple and then individual returns federally. Those couples have lost out on married tax benefits, he said.
"It's been a long time coming but it's the best news I've heard all year," he said of today's rulings. "I have so many friends who want to get married and to have so many of the rights that their straight counterparts have. It's a great thing."
Staff writers Mark Emmons, Matthias Gafni and Thomas Peele contributed to this report. Josh Richman covers politics. Contact him at 510-208-6428. Follow him at Twitter.com/josh_richman. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.


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- Jan 16:
- San Jose serial arson suspect arrested
- Jan 14:
- San Jose: Second night without arson fire; search for suspect continues
- San Jose's arsonist: Strolling the streets of his targets
- Jan 13:
- Mystery deepens about identity of San Jose arsonist
- San Jose arson: Two more suspicious fires investigated early Sunday morning
- San Jose: No suspicious fires Monday morning, but hunt for serial arsonist continues
- Jan 11:
- San Jose on edge as police, fire departments hunt for arsonist
- Jan 10:
- San Jose: String of fires investigated as possible arson
SAN JOSE -- He struck large, incinerating an enormous warehouse that spanned city blocks. He struck small, twice lighting up a trailer behind a church. He struck often, 12 times in five days.
He struck at the heart, destroying the longtime home of a couple scraping to get by and terrorizing neighbors in a huge swath near downtown San Jose.
So it was not surprising that the suspected perpetrator had a prolific past as a firebug, a history that includes setting fires both near and as far as the Grand Canyon, according to court records and authorities.
Patrick William Brennan, 48, of San Jose, who is also a registered sex offender, was arrested about 8 p.m. Wednesday after authorities, who had been shadowing him for a few days, descended on his mobile home on East San Antonio Street, nestled amid the neighborhoods he reportedly targeted. He surrendered quietly and was so cooperative that police said they are "certain" they have their man.
His capture ended a harrowing week that put residents and businesses east of downtown toward Highway 101 on constant guard against someone who, despite being caught on surveillance video and depicted in a police sketch, eluded investigators for days.
"We've been on edge, lots of sleepless nights," resident James La Vigna said. "We didn't know if this guy was going to come back. We didn't know if he would come after my house, too."
La Vigna's low-income parents -- Vince and Sharon La Vigna -- were rescued by neighbors after a fire that started on the couple's back porch quickly engulfed the whole house.
"When we found out that he was arrested, it was a sigh of relief," La Vigna said.
Brennan is jailed on $1 million bail after being booked on two counts of arson, though additional charges are expected.
Police didn't immediately release details about his occupation, but they said he may have had money from a conservator. His background includes an arrest and conviction in 2001 of one count each of sexual battery and assault for molesting an underage relative of his girlfriend at her Sunnyvale home.
In another high-profile local arson case, Brennan was convicted over a decade ago for setting 16 fires in the Santa Clara County foothills in 1999. He admitted to setting some fires near hiking trails, according to a story by this newspaper that year. At the time of that arrest, Brennan was a car wash employee who for a time lived in Campbell.
He also had a misdemeanor arson charge four or five years earlier for setting fire to forest debris in and around Grand Canyon National Park.
Because two of his convictions were felonies, Brennan is eligible for life imprisonment under the state's three-strikes law if he is convicted of the latest arsons.
Police said that a search of Brennan's trailer Wednesday turned up "items that definitely link him" to the arsons and that there is nothing to suggest he worked with anyone else.
"We're extremely certain we have the individual responsible for all the arsons that occurred in the city," said Eddie Garcia, assistant chief for the San Jose Police Department. "We're confident he acted alone in this."
The arrest followed exhaustive efforts by San Jose Fire Department arson investigators working with police, who boosted patrol staff in the areas of the fires as soon as arson investigators sensed a pattern.
On Saturday night, officers in the neighborhood saw someone they deemed a "person of interest" and notified their supervising sergeant, Sgt. Jason Kidwell. Kidwell started looking through an arsonist registry -- an internal law-enforcement database that culls information on convicted arsonists -- and ran across a photo that resembled home surveillance images and a police sketch generated after the week's incidents.
"The videos were crucial. They assisted us in identifying someone," Garcia said.
Police began tracking Brennan on Sunday night, and soon after, they coordinated with the fire department. On Wednesday night, members of SJPD's Covert Response Unit descended on Brennan's mobile home, where he lived alone, and arrested him. He appeared to be resigned to the outcome.
"He was very forthcoming, not agitated at all," Garcia said.
No specific motive for the fires was revealed. But for the time being, officials were glad they had removed a significant public threat.
"We're thrilled that the effort we put forth to stop what he was doing is finally coming to an end," said Barry Stallard, SJFD division chief.
The firebug's targets appeared to be random -- a church storage trailer, old houses, a warehouse. Some blazes erupted hours apart, usually between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Among them were fires set at Sal Madrigal's business, MGM Drywall on Jan. 9 and 10 -- small fires that fizzled out or were put out by someone before major damage could occur. Madrigal and his employees spent several nights guarding their business after the incidents and other fires set by a serial arsonist operating in their neighborhood near downtown.
Madrigal said he called off the stakeouts Wednesday night after San Jose police told him they were increasing their presence in the area. He woke up Thursday morning to the news that San Jose police had arrested their prime suspect.
"It's the last thing you think before you go to sleep and the first thing when you wake up," Madrigal said. "It's definitely a relief it's been resolved."
Staff writer Tracey Kaplan contributed to this report.


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In Theaters This Week
Making "Quartet," a film about life in the spotlight and the drive to stay in the game, doesn't seem like much of a stretch -- or a risk -- for Dustin Hoffman. With a storied career that is still lively, the 75-year-old certainly knows the terrain.
Instead of delving into the human psyche, as he's done so unflinchingly in too many roles to mention, the actor's first turn in the director's chair is a genteel comedy.
Not to get xenophobic about it, but "Quartet" is a quintessentially British production from a quintessentially American actor. It's set in a refined "Masterpiece Theatre"-styled world of aging musicians playing out their final days in a British retirement home that has the elegant comfort of a squire's country estate.
Rather than fading flowers, they are a spirited bunch busy rekindling old flames and settling ancient grudges in between practicing scales. Add a mischievous rake and a diva or two, and you've got a delightful ensemble piece that hums along nicely, but lightly.
No doubt it was "Quartet's" heavy-on-the-acting, easy-on-the-action foundation that drew Hoffman's attention. He certainly has stacked the deck in the casting department, cherry-picking from the U.K.'s upper crust: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and Pauline Collins.
The film, which Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood adapted from his 1999 play, begins with a day in the life of Beecham House's various eccentrics. The tightest bond is between three opera singers, who were once part of a quartet. Cissy (Collins) is a daffy delight. When she is not rushing to a forgotten meeting, she's got music playing through her headphones.
Reginald (Courtenay) is the scholar of the group, trying to make opera relevant for rap-devoted local youths; his interaction with the teens is one of the film's best moments. Wilf (Connolly) is the resident rake. Young Dr. Lucy Cogan (Sheridan Smith), the on-staff medic and current object of his affection, is more amused than irritated by the hopeless flirt, his indiscretion chalked up to a mild stroke.
In a theme that seems ever present in movies these days, Beecham House is in financial straits and facing closure. The remedy is the proverbial "let's get the gang together and put on a show," albeit with more panache. The gala will celebrate Verdi's birthday with some appropriately challenging selections from "Rigoletto" and "La Traviata" in this excellent score. The bursts of energy that accompany practices and performances are woven throughout and give the film much of its vigor.
However, the house is in desperate need of a new star. Prayers are answered in the form of reluctant new resident and famed soloist Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). That she was once Reggie's wife adds another layer of tension.
Jean's complexities represent much of the source material for the way the film deals with the ravages of age. Worried that she won't shine quite as iridescently as she once did, she refuses to sing. She's forever checking the mirror, pensive when she finds that the face isn't quite what she wishes anymore.
But the real grist is regret about her career-over-marriage choice that led to her divorce from Reggie. He is still nursing those wounds, and news of her arrival puts him in a royal funk. Courtenay saturates his character with such sadness, anger and affection that he tends to steal any scene he is in.
"Quartet" is very much a performance piece, which plays to Hoffman's strength -- as an actor he knows when to allow this excellent ensemble breathing room and when to tighten the belt. The script has some nice turns of phrase and a lot of sentiment, but never reaches the emotional heights Harwood has in his best work, the Oscar-winning "The Pianist" topping all the rest.
At the end of the day, "Quartet" is about final acts and in that it seems a film with modest aspirations -- no big bang here, just a troupe of old friends trying to put on the best show they can.
* * ½
Rating: PG-13 (for brief language and suggestive humor)
Cast: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes


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Children's Health
Trampolines Not Worth the Risk, Doctor Group Says
Sept. 24, 2012 -- Bouncing on a backyard trampoline is a lot of fun for kids, but a doctors' group is warning parents that the risks may not be worth it.
An updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says trampolines can cause serious injuries to children. The group says it strongly discourages parents from letting their kids use a home trampoline.
The statement is published in the October edition of Pediatrics.
"One-third to one-half of all trampoline-related injuries happened with an adult supervising trampoline use," says Susannah Briskin, MD, a co-author of the policy statement. "If injuries are still occurring, adults are likely not appropriately monitoring behavior on the mat."
A Closer Look at the Risks
The data in the policy statement show that little children are more likely to get hurt on trampolines. But older children are more likely to try some of the more risky moves, like attempting somersaults. These moves can cause serious harm to the neck and may lead to paralysis.
The AAP found that some injuries -- including broken bones and bruising -- were caused by kids trying to do flips or falling on the frame or off the trampoline.
The policy statement also reports that:
- In 2009 there were 97,908 trampoline injuries that resulted in 3,100 hospitalizations.
- Smaller children were 14 times more likely to get hurt than bigger children.
- Head and/or neck injuries accounted for up to 17% of all trampoline injuries and can cause the most damage; permanent neurologic damage occurs in 1 out of every 200 trampoline-related injuries.
- About 75% of trampoline injuries occur when multiple people are jumping on the mat.
- Forty-eight percent of injuries among children age 5 and younger were fractures and dislocations.
- Twenty percent of trampoline injuries were caused by hitting the frame or the springs. Researchers say trampoline pads deteriorate quickly, putting children at risk of hurting themselves on the frames and springs.
- Netting around the trampoline did not protect kids from injury.
More Advice for Parents
The AAP says that trampoline parks may not follow the same rules and recommendations suggested by the AAP, and that trampolines used for instructional sports need appropriate supervision and safety measures. The AAP also suggests homeowners with trampolines should check that their insurance policies cover trampoline injury-related claims.


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Knitter's Review
April 22, 2010
Cascade 220 is arguably one of the most popular yarns on the market. This simple, worsted-weight Peruvian wool comes in a bajillion colors, felts beautifully, and costs a mere $7 per 220-yard skein.
No wonder the editors of Sixth & Spring Books created an entire book around Cascade 220. Called 60 Quick Knits, it features (you guessed it) 60 quick-knitting projects in this perennially popular yarn.
Swine Skeins?
This Weekend in Philadelphia
In the Forum: Knitting and Airbags
Need help logging into the Forums?
As always, I thank you for your readership and your support.
Happy knitting, and I'll see you in the Forums!
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Men's Reebok Patriot T-Shirt
Keep your focus on excellence in the Men's Reebok Independence T-Shirt. A bold screen print graphic across the front speaks for itself, while an athletic fit gives you room to move without excess material getting in your way during a tough training sesh. Made of soft cotton, this T-Shirt will keep you comfy and cool as you run, jump or lift your way to glory.
- FABRIC: 100% cotton
- FIT: Athletic
- CARE: Machine wash


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Buy for$10.56(5 items)
Written by Guest on 07.02.2013 at 03:10
A lesser Kreator (Pleasure to Kill). I thought they were decent at some points.
Written by Guest on 06.08.2012 at 21:18
I agree. And how is this technical? I think the Sex Pistols were more technical than these guys. Crap album.


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Creative play is a wonderful way to build hand, arm and shoulder strength, encourage fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and other pre-writing skills!
- Build hand, arm and shoulder strength. Encourage your child to draw, paint and create on a vertical surfaces–like an upright easel, the walls of the bathtub (try watercolors or bath crayons!), or a refrigerator or magnetic board. This position helps strengthen hand, wrist and shoulder strength, all of which are needed for writing.
- Strengthen fine motor skills. Lay the groundwork for proper pencil grip by strengthening the pincer grip now. Threading beads on a shoelace or pipe cleaner is one great skill-builder. Others include: jigsaw puzzles, peg puzzles, scissor crafts, fastening buttons, and sorting coins.
- Hand-eye coordination. Give your child lots of opportunities to pour, scoop and spoon objects from one container to another. Keep enthusiasm high by trying this with a variety of materials, such as water, sand, pompoms, dried beans, rice, flour and more.
- Build sensory awareness. Exploring letter forms in different ways helps the brain reinforce each shape in memory. Use texture to help highlight each curve and line as your child gains familiarity with the forms of the alphabet. Try having your child make lines, shapes and letters in shaving cream, sand, pudding, clay or salt!
- Strengthen visual spatial awareness. In writing, we have to be constantly aware of our hand's position in relation to the paper, the relative position of letters and words and more. It's a lot to coordinate! Strengthen this important skill with action songs like "The Hokey Pokey," playing Follow the Leader, drawing an object in the room and playing with pattern blocks.
At Melissa & Doug we strive to produce the highest-quality educational toys for children. From puzzles to puppets, plush to play food, magnetic activities, music and more, Melissa & Doug is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of educational toys and children's products. Started in 1988 in their garage, Melissa & Doug has something for everyone, with over 1,000 unique and exciting products for children of all ages.
Shop the Story
Deluxe Wooden Standing Easel
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Magnetic Chalk Board and Dry-Erase Board
Wooden Bead Sets
Jigsaw Puzzles
Peg Puzzles
Basic Skills Board
Play Money Set with Sorting Case
Seaside Sidekicks Nesting Pails
Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Cone Playset
Shape, Model & Mold Clay Play Set
Pattern Blocks & Boards


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7 Winter Diet Tips Nutritionists Swear By
Prevent unwanted padding this season with the diet tips experts rely on to save their own waistlines
Work low-fat cottage cheese into pasta casseroles, such as lasagna and stuffed shells. Eliot also pumps up protein and decreases the fat in some hearty dishes and desserts with non-fat Greek yogurt. Instead of sour cream, put a dollop of the Greek stuff over chili or mix some into mashed potatoes.
SEE NEXT PAGE: Don't slack on sipping
Older comments
by Nicole2814 Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 01:13PM Report as inappropriate
already do these
by aishak55 Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 01:38PM Report as inappropriate
Good soup can be very filling!
by EricaF123 Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 12:34PM Report as inappropriate
I really like the two bite strategy, will have to try. hopefully i could stop myself :)
by justmilly Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 10:32AM Report as inappropriate
I already do all of these.
by nicky22 Monday, December 10, 2012 at 11:04AM Report as inappropriate
i already know/ do this ... year round :/ kinda just a refresher nothing new
by Sohee Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 12:14PM Report as inappropriate
Definitely going to try some of these - more fluids is always good.
by schien Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 10:03AM Report as inappropriate
Ready for the winter and definitely going to try these tricks!! Excited about the soup one ;]
by Lamexicana1 Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 08:58PM Report as inappropriate
Love the clear soup idea and greek yogurt filling suggestions!
by dawnrager Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 08:39PM Report as inappropriate
Aren't these our tips for the whole year? (veggies and water???)
by alictasia Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 03:25PM Report as inappropriate
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Christmas is coming, so sneak a holiday treat at a preview performance of "The Winter Wonderettes" at Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
The show, a sequel to the summer 2011 hit Cabaret show "The Marvelous Wonderettes," previews at 8 p.m. today and Thursday, then opens Friday and runs through Dec. 31. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, and matinees will be at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Preview tickets cost $19. Other tickets cost $32 for weeknights, $36 for Fridays and Saturdays, $30 for Saturday and Sunday matinees and $26 for Sunday evenings. Bistro seating is available for $18.
For reservations and tickets, call 541-488-2902 or see www.oregoncabaret.com.
Location, ST | website.com


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Health Hints: 6 Surprising Energy Zappers
If you're sick and tired of feeling, well, you know, find out why your energy levels are so low and vow to make a health change -- or six
Do you necessarily need to drink those mythical eight glasses of water a day? No. But do make sure you are getting enough of it, especially if you are sweating or are exposed to excessive heat or dry air (e.g. airplane flights). Sports drinks and designer waters are fine (studies have shown that, paradoxically, sodium helps your body rehydrate), but be aware (and beware) of the sugar and calories many of these beverages contain.
Also, Simpson notes, "If you are consuming water, choosing foods in their natural form, such as fruits and vegetables and minimizing diuretics such as coffee and alcohol, then [you] can generally attain a healthy water balance." So, you can get your water flat or bubbly or from fruits and their juices, just don't count the water in your coffee or your scotch and soda.
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Zapper: Clutter
Older comments
I agree. With all this.
by Squidney Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 03:09PM Report as inappropriate
Not my technology. But I definitely got to do work on these things. I need the energy.
by Chica181 Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 01:17AM Report as inappropriate
by mariasemuel Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 12:46AM Report as inappropriate
So true!
by Monique3 Monday, February 4, 2013 at 08:40AM Report as inappropriate
Can't deal with clutter at all. It drives me crazy.
by EricaF123 Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 10:38AM Report as inappropriate
No more phone in the bed! I say it now, but I know it won't stick. :S
by robyne00 Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 10:13AM Report as inappropriate
So true about dehydration! When I drink enough water during the day I can go so much longer at night.
by schien Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 10:47AM Report as inappropriate
now I know why I have NO ENERGY!
by gerrsbabe Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 03:24PM Report as inappropriate
I need to use my computer less.
by andyv1217 Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 10:14PM Report as inappropriate
deydration, huh?
by asiagirl4ever Monday, July 16, 2012 at 08:37PM Report as inappropriate
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The women who currently represent the United States in the rafting world make up the Teva-sponsored team out of Eagle County, but the Red Ladies seek to change that.
Based mostly in Chaffee County, the Red Ladies recently added Frisco's Heather Byrne to their team, making it a six-woman crew that hopes their passion and determination will pay off to send them to the world competition in New Zealand in 2013.
It's not going to be easy to overtake the current national team, Byrne said.
At the national championship on Clear Creek in Idaho Springs this summer, the Red Ladies competed against the Teva team, and beat them in the highest-valued discipline: the downriver race. It's worth 400 points of 1,000, with the slalom (300), the head-to-head (200) and the spring (100) comprising the rest. The Teva team came out ahead in the other three disciplines.
There aren't many races in which the teams meet each other in competition, Byrne said. The Red Ladies were scheduled to attend the Pan-American Championships in Quebec, Canada, but the Teva team wasn't planning to attend.
Where they will meet is in Gore Canyon during a race slated for late this summer. Then they'll meet again at nationals, with a possible handful of events in between. At nationals, the decision of who will head to New Zealand will be made.
There aren't many rafting teams in the United States, and few who compete for the national title, but at the world championships, several dozen countries are represented, Byrne said.
She's looking forward to seeing that competition from a paddler point-of-view rather than a spectator's. She previously traveled with her boyfriend, Todd Toledo, a member of Behind the Eight Ball, the Teva-sponsored men's team based in the Summit County area.
Byrne was among two selected during try-outs two weeks ago, during which four women showed their paddling skills to the existing four-woman team. The national competition rotates between four- and six-woman crews each year, so the team had to add two more paddlers for the 2013 events.
Byrne said she felt at home right away.
"We all have a common interest and passion for the river," she said. "We have a great team dynamic and ultimately want to have fun on the river. Winning would be amazing, but we just want to have fun, though racing internationally is our goal."
Though Byrne - who hails from Cadillac, Mich., and moved to Summit County 10 years ago - works full time at the Ritz Carlton in Vail, she's signed onto four practices per week this summer. Earlier this week, she was on her way to Salida to run the slalom gates, stay the night, and practice the downriver race the following morning before returning to work.
Competing as a team - and potentially competing abroad - not only takes hard work, practice and teamwork, it also takes money. Due to low finances, the team is likely not heading to Quebec. Instead, they'll focus on the Gore Canyon race, and possibly look for money to attend an event on the Gauley River in West Virginia this fall.
As for taking over the national team role, Byrne and her team want it - bad. But they don't expect it to come easily.
"There's no assumptions we'll go out there and beat the U.S. Women's team, but with hard work and the dedication we do have, we'd like to be competition for them and hopefully go to New Zealand as the national team in 2013," Byrne said.


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The London Renaissance
About six months ago, in one of my blog posts at beverageworld.com, I wrote about the bizarre experience of having an English brewery tour guide tell me that the U.K. craft beer scene is still about 15 years behind that of the U.S. Most of my visits there had been driven by the romance of immersing myself in British beer and pub culture and tradition—one that, on many levels, had influenced the craft movement in the United States.
I returned to London last month and figured I'd adhere to my usual itinerary—typically, it's all about the pub crawl for me, having a pint or two of real ale from some traditional breweries at a variety of neighborhood locals that tend to be light on the tourist element (the way I like it). I had planned to do the same, but a friend had recommended that I integrate into my circuit one of the newer breweries that have been popping up in the city over the past few years.
I've been aware of the small boom in craft beer startups in the U.K., in large part influenced by what craft's accomplished in the states. But I'll admit I didn't have a firm grasp on just how explosive it's been in the past few years just in the capital city alone. So I decided to hit the Camden Town Brewery, a great little spot not too far from the Kentish Town tube stop. With brews like Gentleman's Wit and Hells Lager, a wheat and a pale, it hits on most of the popular styles of European origin that inspired U.S. crafts. But Camden wears its U.S. influence most on its sleeve with USA Hells, a twist on its Hells Lager with American hops. While there, I ran into Mark Dredge, author of the just-released "Craft Beer World," who noted that during each of the past handful of years, the number of craft breweries opening in London has been in the double digits and that I can't leave town without stopping by at least a few of them. So, next I headed over to the Swansea district to Sambrook's Brewery, one of the veterans of the new class—having opened "way back" in 2008. Sambrook's kind of bridges the gap between the old and the new. Sambrook's brews mostly cask real ales in keeping with the British tradition, but with an appeal to the younger generation of craft enthusiasts.
Next stop was a couple of brewers only open to the public on Saturday. Luckily, they were within a half mile of each other in the Bermondsey district. First was the Kernel, whose brews use a lot of the hops popularized in American crafts A real standout is Kernel's Export India Porter, which successfully merges roasty with hoppy. The Kernel experience had a sort of Brooklyn Brewery vibe, circa a decade ago. The final stop was Partizan, one of the newest breweries in London, having just opened about six months ago. It's London's answer to nanobrewing, located in a garage-size space down what locals once considered a sketchy little alley. It, too, plays up hop varietals popularized by U.S. West Coast craft brewers and sports some of the most artfully rendered label designs on either side of the Atlantic.
So, before I knew it, my expected pub crawl had morphed into a brewery crawl as a whole new London—bathed in craft beer—has awakened.


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text:
Just read this on YahooSports blog:
"On "FedEx Appreciation Night," the Memphis Tigers were granted NCAA permission to wear FedEx's colors (but not their logo) against SMU. Upon further review, though, and among a few complaints, Memphis decided to stick with the traditional blue and white.
The plan was scrapped because of both Memphis and FedEx, according to Gary Parrish at CBS Sports, "fearing a backlash both locally and nationally about an NCAA team blurring the lines between amateur sports and commercial revenue."
It seems that the line between amateur sports and commerical revenue is already blurred as it is. What do you make of this--smart move or unecessary?
The whole idea of FedEx Appreciation Night, just irks me. FedEx gets appreciated more in a single day than most get in a lifetime. Every time we ship a package that's appreciation, and FedEx doesn't need anything else. Further, look when the women's basketball teams want to change uniform colors and sport the pink to support breast cancer, I'm OK with it. Breast cancer is a good and just cause. Plus when men's teams do things for Coaches v. Cancer that' all well and fine. If FedEx was going to support a cause like that then fine, but instead call it "FedEx presents...". Bottom line corporations can sponsor any events they want, but for a team to have a whole appreciation night for that company is a bit much. Plus changing a team's colors to support a company is ridiculous. Support a cause or just shut up and play.
right on right on. Its bad enough these corporate ginats own the arenas many teams play at so why the more need for the more publicity. Does the school need the money that bad? Couldnt Fedex find a way to distirbute their money better in this recession than to a college basketball team.
I dont think it would have been that big of a deal. And maybe memphis does need the money. Plus how nasty would those jersey's have been. It would have great promotion for fedex and it would give memphis some money, Both sides win, whats the big deal.
Cherokee, the big deal is simple. By doing this Memphis and the NCAA as a whole would be sending mixed messages to the players. But that's nothing new. See if Memphis can take money from FedEx then why can't Tyreke Evans or any other player? Because they are amateur athletes? Well then the institutions should treat the situation as though they have amateur athletes. I mean why should the schools being getting rich if the players can't? Players leave college early for more money, but now while they have to be at college for a year, places like Memphis are going to use them for big corporation gains and yet the kids can't even get paid. It's just a double standard that seems terribly wrong to me. Plus, let the orange unis to 'Cuse.
Think about how bad it is considering how corporations run the professional leagues with money. The last thing we need is the college game being run by these huge corporate giants.
Yeah pretty soon college basketball players will all have uniforms like these guys:
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


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Is American Eagle's Ad for Spray-On Jeans Too Cheeky?
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) is suggesting skinny jeans should be just a bit, well, skinnier.
In a tongue-in-cheek online campaign for spray-on "skinny skinny jeans," the teen retailer took to Twitter, Facebook and email Wednesday to launch its newest product–literally two cans of spray paint, which are, conveniently, out of stock.
In the last year, American Eagle Outfitters has transformed itself into a more fashionable retailer as the need to stand out and appeal to fickle teens becomes more important in an increasingly crowded market. However, as the teen apparel retailer looks to push the envelope a bit further in its marketing, there's always the risk a little edge can backfire.
The video on the company's website that advertises the skinny skinny jeans features young adults talking about their love of really skinny jeans, while wearing what appear to be revealing painted-on pants. The video has generated chatter on social networking sites, with the general consensus forming that the campaign is an elaborate company-sponsored joke.
"When we fail to push things further, we become safe and don't cut through the industry," said Bob Holobinko, American Eagle's vice president of brand marketing.
In addition to traditional teen-retail peers Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Aeropostale (ARO), American Eagle has to contend with life-style focused companies like alternative and action sports retailer Zumiez (ZUMZ) and fast-fashion competitors Forever 21 Inc. and Hennes & Mauritz (HM-B.SK), called H&M.
While American Eagle won't confirm whether or not the product is a gag, it acknowledged the campaign is part of an evolution toward a slightly edgier viewpoint, which the company started last year.
"We don't ever want to become safe or expected," Mr. Holobinko said.
Of course, there are risks involved with edge, and a joke that falls flat or a campaign that's too risque can create the wrong kind of buzz.
For more than a decade, higher-priced rival Abercrombie & Fitch has generated chatter with its sexy image, including bare-chested male models in stores and controversial images that featured young models in provocative positions.
"People find various aspects of the Abercrombie brand offensive," said Craig Johnson, president of retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners.
A representative for Abercrombie wasn't immediately available for comment, but before last year's slowdown in sales, the company saw enormous popularity among teens and saw its share price nearly triple in the three years leading up to the recession.
While American Eagle's skinny skinny jeans video isn't nearly as sexualized as those Abecrombie ads, the clip does feature some revealing shots of prominently displayed young male and female backsides.
"Visually, it tip-toes to a line," said Stephanie Wissink, a specialty retail analyst with Piper Jaffray. "It doesn't cross the line, but it leans over it."
It's a risky move for a teen retailer given that most retailers have to strike a balance between a young adult target demographic and teenagers' parents who in many cases control the purse strings.
Unlike Abercrombie, with its fragrance- and loud-music-filled stores that appeal primarily to younger shoppers, American Eagle's environment "is very safe for parents and teens to co-shop," Ms. Wissink said.
With skinny skinny jeans, American Eagle is entering "an area that can be risky to a brand when a large percentage of its committed loyal spending base is parents and not just teens," she said.
American Eagle, for its part, acknowledged there is always a wide range of opinions when it comes to more tongue-in-cheek marketing, whether it be men's boxers printed with innuendo or humorous graphic t-shirts.
"We always have to have guide rails and think of what's acceptable, but we need to step out of the comfort zone," Mr. Holobinko said.
Whether American Eagle continues down an edgy path no doubt will depend on customer response. So far, Mr. Holobinko says the company is "pleased with what we are seeing" after one-day of the skinny skinny jeans campaign.
For now, said Mr. Holobinko, the company is happy to be, well, cheeky.
Write to Anna Prior at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Texas A&M chemical engineers believe that the technology that turns biodegradable substances into fuel will become commercially viable in about ten years, and when that happens it will make a big impact on production agriculture.
"That'll probably take us, oh maybe 10 years or so to eat through all of the municipal soild waste and sewage sludge. Then once that's exhausted, the next logical thing to do is say let's go after agricultural residues and agricultural wastes."
Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Professor Mark Holtzapple says the next step would be to start growing crops for the purpose of making bio-fuels.
"So that it means higher agricultural income. You can grow food, you can grow fiber, now you can grow fuel, and so it just creates a greater demand for agricultural products."
Holtzapple believes turning food like corn into fuel is not sustainable, and the process he's been working on shows promise for creating an alternative feed for cattle as well.
"That's the very first step in our process, is to take the biomass and essentially beat it up so that it becomes digestible. Now at that point you can do two things with it. You can put it into our fuel process to make it into gasoline or you can say now I have a digestible product, I could feed it to cattle which could be used to make beef or milk."
Chicken feathers ar almost 100% protein.
"We can take that protein, chicken feather protein, and make it essentially 100% digestible in a rumen environment, so again we're taking a waste material and transforming it into something that's useful. You could take corn stover which normally is left on the field to rot, well you could gather that up and transform it into something that's almost as digestible as the corn grain itself, and if you take the chicken feather syrup and combine it with this corn stover you get a balanced feed."
Holtzapple believes that this is part of the technology that will both fuel and feed the world of the future.
"This, in my opinion is the next phase of that green revolution that Norman Borlaug started 30 or 40 years ago."
I'm Kailey Carey, tracing the journey our food, fiber, and fuel makes, From The Ground Up.


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Holocaust Denial on Trial, Trial Judgment: Electronic Edition, by Charles GrayTable of Contents
|Evidence of the truth/fal... >
Claims made by Irving
8.19 The extracts relied on by the Defendants include the following:
- (i) ABC Radio 3LO - March 1986 'millions or hundreds of thousands liquidated in WW2 by Germans (or Latvians or Ukrainians) were victims of large number of nameless criminals into whose hands they fell on the Eastern front..acted on their own impulse, their own initiative within the general atmosphere of brutality' (p10-11).
- (ii) Toronto ... 13 August 1988 'individual excesses and atrocities and pogroms in places like Minsk and Kiev and Riga' [were] 'crimes conducted for the most ordinary and repugnant motives of greed and thievery. Whatever happened, were the crimes of individual gangsters and criminals who deserved to be individually and separately punished (p 23).
- (iii)11th IHR Conference - 11 October 1992 'Now you probably know that I'm a Revisionist to a degree, but I'm not a Revisionist to the extent that I say that there were no murders of Jews. I think we have to accept that there were My Lai-type massacres where SS officers - the Einsatzkommandos - did machine-gun hundreds if not thousands of Jews into pits. On the Eastern Front, at Riga, at Minsk, and at other locations, this kind of thing did happen' (p21-22).'Most of these SS officers - the gangsters that carried out the mass shootings - were, I think, acting from the meanest of motives. ...[refers to Bruns..] And two days later the order comes back from Hitler, "These mass shootings have got to stop at once." So Hitler intervened to stop it. Which again fits in which my theory that Hitler was in the dark that this kind of mass crime was going on. I suspect that the SS officer concerned [Altemeyer] was only 23 or 24. That was the age of the gangs that were carrying out these kinds of crimes. Rather like [US Army] Lt. Calley in My Lai. I don't know why people do that kind of thing' (p24).
- (iv) 12th IHR Conference - September 1994 'Here I want to mention something that I'm always very adamant about. Although we revisionists say that gas chambers didn't exist, and that the 'factories of death' didn't exist, there is no doubt in my mind that on the Eastern front large numbers of Jews were massacred by criminals with guns - SS men, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, whatever - to get rid of them. They were made to line up next to pits or ditches, and then shot. The eyewitness accounts I've seen of this are genuine and reliable' (p15-16).
- (v) Oakland, California - 10 September 1996 'The people who were pulling the triggers were on one level and the people who were taking the top level decisions were on the highest level and there wasn't necessarily perfect communication between them and anyway who cares because it's only the Jews and nobody liked them. This is the kind of atmosphere in which the decisions would have been taken'(p 26).


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Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō
6,176pages on
this wiki
this wiki
|Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō
|Naruto: Tree Leaf Book of Ninja Arts (ナルト-木ノ葉忍法帖, Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō)
|Video game info
|Playable on
|WonderSwan Color
|Release Date
|March 27, 2003
Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō was the first Naruto game, released on March 27, 2003 in Japan. It was the only Naruto game to appear on the Bandai handheld console - WonderSwan Color. This Role-Playing Game has little to no chance of localisation to North America, because the WonderSwan Colour was never released outside of Japan.