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" Brand: Kurt Geiger "
When it comes to shoes my one sister and I have a very similar taste and we therefore are often rummaging in eachothers closets for a different pair of shoes. Like me she often purchases shoes without trying them on and hoping for the best. Generally because we both buy from the same brands we are normally fine with sizing. However, my last pair of shoes we're given to me by my sister as they came up too small on her. I paid her in vouchers and had a nice new (well worn once!) pair of shoes at a reduced price!
Now I didn't particularly need another pair of shoes but I couldn't help myself especially as they are in the new summer collection at Kurt Geiger and I didn't pay full price. The pair in question are called Bobbi and are by Miss KG. Now I do have plenty of shoes to choose from but these are new and like most people I can't wait to wear a new pair of shoes out and about. I've worn them several times now and all for evening occasions as I think they would be a little over the top for general day wear.
What Miss KG say:
"Bobbi by Miss KG is an eye-catching court with stud embellishment adorning the platform. Choose from classic black or nude with contrasting metallic heel; either will add a touch of sparkle to your step!"
As stated in the Miss KG description the shoes are available in black, nude and red. My sister had bought them in nude so that is what I got! However, if I had bought them I probably would have had them in nude as I'm not a big fan of bright red shoes and I have far too many black shoes. Miss KG class them as an evening shoe and I think that is very accurate, although perfect to wear to formal events during the day.
The main detail to these shoes is the stud detail on the rather large platform. The studs are small in size and have been carefully glued in straight lines onto the fabric of the platform. Without the studs these shoes would really be quite plain. The studs are only glued on and although quite secure it is best to be careful when wearing them so you don't scuff them making the studs fall off as that would ruin the stud lines.
The main material of the shoe is a synthetic material which is quite typical of Miss KG shoes and I have found with others I own that they can rub when you wear them for the first time. Now although my pair had been previously worn once by my sister they still felt a little rigid and although they kept their shape I was concerned about how they would be on my feet. The shoes do feel quite secure when on the feet especially around the heel which is good although the sides of the shoe are quite low and don't offer as much support as I would have liked so if you do need support from your shoes then these won't be the best purchase.
The shoes do have a lovely deep round toe which provides plenty of room for the front of your feet and is quite roomy ideal if like me you want to wiggle your toes without feeling restricted. The inside lining of the shoe is a lovely gentle gold colour which contrasts nicely against the nude colouring of the shoe. In footbed area of the shoe there is a little padding providing a little comfort for your feet - ideal if you are wearing them for quite some time.
The skyscraper heel comes in at around 13mm which is quite high but I do find that I can walk perfectly fine in such high shoes. The heel is gold in colour with a slight shine to it and just like the lining it contrasts nicely with the nude shade. The platform is rather wide and although it does take a little height off the heel it does take some getting used to even for me and I think this is because of the curved shape of the platform. Practice makes perfect as they say and I found after a few shaky steps I'd mastered walking in these.
As I said above I have worn these several times mostly on evenings out and a very messy hen do and although my sister had worn them they were still incredibly rigid and they were quite uncomfortable and mostly pinching at my heels. Now, I thought I'd persevere as no doubt the synthetic material would give a little and I have to say the last time I wore them they were not as bad but I still ended up with a few red marks around my heel which although not painful they were a little delicate to the touch. The synthetic material didn't give as much as I would have liked and I would have liked them a little more comfortable.
Overall, I like the detail of the shoes as I am a big fan of studs but the fact that they are actually quite uncomfortable to wear. I did persevere and wore them more than once hoping they would suddenly become comfortable to wear but they didn't which was a shame and they have since gone on Ebay and sold so at least I got my money back. Not a pair of shoes I'd recommend and I'm only giving them 2 stars because of the detail.
Useful Info
Availability: Miss KG retailers
Sizes: 3 to 8
Price: £85.00


text:
Help! What colors to paint? Greatly appreciate advice!
Our home was built in 1993 and we chose the stain for our wood trim on the spur of the moment and we have always regretted not using a darker stain or choosing the easy route in painting it white. We spent endless hours sanding and varnishing ourselves so I really hate to paint or redo the stain but I am open to it as well as painting the fireplace. We will be purchasing a couch soon, probably brown leather. I need your expert advice for picking paint colors for our living room and kitchen and any other ideas you may have. Please see pictures of these rooms by clicking (or copying & pasting) this link: http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/th...ID=1913028027/. We would love to use the rugs if possible because even in '93 they cost up to $1,500/rug. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thank you so much!
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
REGISTRATION for reception and dinner only ($99 / person)
Calling all golfers! Come celebrate Global Wind Day 2014 with CanWEA and join us for the first annual CanWEA Golf Tournament Fundraiser taking place on June 16th at the Remington Parkview Golf & Country Club in Markham, Ontario. Funds raised will directly support the grassroots initiative Friends of Wind.
*picture is for illustration purposes only
$250 per person
$800 per foursome
*Includes golf, lunch, power cart, networking reception and dinner
11:00: Registration opens
12:00: Complimentary group golf lesson – open to all players
13:00: Shotgun start (scramble format)
18:00: Networking Reception
19:00: Dinner
For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.com
Hole-in-One Terms and Conditions


text:
Both springs look the same, but one is lighter, which allows you to shoot lower velocity ammo.
I just bought a new sig mosquito. The owners manual stated that two springs were included. Upon reading other Internet postings I learned that the longer spring was for utility loads. I looked at both springs and they were exactly the same length and all. I called sig and they told me that the owners manual had not been updated but that sigs are now shipped with two springs and they are both identical. Has anybody also heard this??
Both springs look the same, but one is lighter, which allows you to shoot lower velocity ammo.
I also recieved 2 springs when I purchased mine , the extra in the box had some white paint on one end, the spring in the gun was unpainted
I assumed the installed (unpainted) is for the Hivol. ammo. This weapon works flawlessly CCI Mini mags and other Hivol.ammo.
They used to ship with 2 different springs but the newer models have 2 springs that are the very same. Be sure and install the spring in the right direction. These guns are not for just anyone to pick up and shoot any kind of ammo. They are very prone to limp wrist and will jam if not held firm. The gun has to be lubed good and run wet with high velocity ammo or you are going to hate it.
Just polish the feed ramp.


text:
Los Altos Hills, CA, USA < change city >
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Freedom Hall & Gardens
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Freedom Hall & Gardens was absolutely AWESOME and so was Sandy, our day-of-coordi...
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210 Oak Grove Ave
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Beautiful Church, very seamless planning and coordination! We enjoyed the pre-mar...
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This is such a wonderful indoor venue for a semi-formal event. My husband and ...
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Unreal setting, and unreal service. Richelle is hands down the nicest wedding coo...
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It's a great space that allows you a lot of freedom to design the event of your c...
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Saint Martin Parish in Sunnyvale is a very nice quiet church nestled in the heart...
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3277 Miranda Ave
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Wow! UCPA ended up being the "perfect" place for us. And my hidden "gem" of a ven...


text:
Zac Efron: Sao Paulo Stud
Enjoying some time in South America, Zac Efron was spotted out and about in Sao Paulo, Brazil earlier today (February 29).
The "Charlie St. Cloud" hunk attended a photocall at John John denim boutique and showed some love to his faithful Brazilian fans.
During a recent interview, Zac chatted about his new movie "The Lorax," which also happens to star the lovely Taylor Swift.
When asked about similarities to his character in the film, Zac noted, "He's sort of a hopeless romantic. He's adventurous, he's persistent, he's stubborn, kind of annoying, pretty funny. He has a big imagination. I'd like to think I'm all those things. He learned that all for me. I taught him everything he knows."
Efron also shared that he's been a Dr. Seuss fan for awhile. "Yea, I started reading them in high school. [Laughs] No, I have a lot of vivid memories of my parents and me reading these books. They would read them to me. It's frozen in my mind, I can see them all. I still have them in what used to be my room. It's been turned into a spare room at my house. I've been kicked out. My little brother took over my room."
Enjoy the pictures of Zac Efron at a fan event in Sao Paulo, Brazil (February 28).
Photo Credit: AKM Images


text: I arrived EWR last night and went to the Hertz garage to pick up my rental. What did I see but a few stalls away from my lowly reserved Altima but a V sedan with a stick shift! I immediately went back inside to inquire about renting it, but it was reserved for someone else. Drat! Anyhoo, I didn't even know Hertz had any of these. So, if your travel plans have you renting a car at Newark, now you know where to look first. :-)


text:
Register now for MIT SDM Webinar: Move Over, Big Data! Monday Sept 8, 12noon ET
Marcellus Mindel 110000B31R Visits (2330)
Webinar: "Move Over, Big Data!
MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
In this talk, managers and policymakers will learn how simple mathematical models of systems can improve intuition and lead to better decisions.
Learn to cut to the chase, see the big picture, and stay out of the weeds!


text:
Hyperhomocysteinemia is regarded as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. Manifestation of these chronic metabolic disorders starts in early life marked by increase in body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that perturbations in homocysteine metabolism in early life could be a link between childhood obesity and adult metabolic disorders. Thus here we investigated association of common variants from homocysteine metabolism pathway genes with obesity in 3,168 urban Indian children.
Methodology/Principal Findings
We genotyped 90 common variants from 18 genes in 1,325 children comprising of 862 normal-weight (NW) and 463 over-weight/obese (OW/OB) children in stage 1. The top signal obtained was replicated in an independent sample set of 1843 children (1,399 NW and 444 OW/OB) in stage 2. Stage 1 association analysis revealed association between seven variants and childhood obesity at P<0.05, but association of only rs2796749 in AMD1 [OR = 1.41, P = 1.5×10-4] remained significant after multiple testing correction. Association of rs2796749 with childhood obesity was validated in stage 2 [OR = 1.28, P = 4.2×10-3] and meta-analysis [OR = 1.35, P = 1.9×10-6]. AMD1 variant rs2796749 was also associated with quantitative measures of adiposity and plasma leptin levels that was also replicated and corroborated in combined analysis.
Citation: Tabassum R, Jaiswal A, Chauhan G, Dwivedi OP, Ghosh S, Marwaha RK, et al. (2012) Genetic Variant of AMD1 Is Associated with Obesity in Urban Indian Children. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033162
Editor: Osman El-Maarri, University of Bonn, - Institute of Experimental Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Germany
Received: October 31, 2011; Accepted: February 4, 2012; Published: April 9, 2012
Copyright: © 2012 Tabassum et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This study was supported by 'Diabetes mellitus-New drug discovery R&D, molecular mechanisms and genetic & epidemiological factors' (NWP0032-OB2) funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India. RT received postdoctoral fellowship from the Fogarty International Center and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development at the National Institutes of Health (1 D43 HD065249). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript."
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Childhood obesity is a growing public health issue worldwide [1]. Prevalence of overweight/obesity has increased from 16% in 2002 to 24% in 2006 in urban school children in Delhi, India [2]. Both genetic and environmental factors play an important role in the development of obesity. Studies investigating the genetic component of obesity have primarily focused on adult obesity and around 32 obesity susceptibility genes have been identified through large scale genome wide association studies (GWAS) [3]. The search for genetic risk factors for childhood obesity and related phenotypes are mainly limited to the replication of variants identified through genome wide association studies (GWAS) in adults [3].
Childhood obesity is one of the major determinants of many chronic diseases in adulthood such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases [4]. Manifestation of these chronic metabolic disorders, which have become pandemic in India [5]–[7], starts in early life [8]. Indian subjects with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes are shown to have typically low BMI up to the age of two years, followed by increasing BMI at the age of 12 years [8]. This suggests that molecular events leading to obesity in childhood predispose individuals to chronic metabolic disorders in later life. This makes identification of factors linking childhood obesity and adult chronic disorders very imperative.
Elevated level of homocysteine, termed as hyperhomocysteinemia, is regarded as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and number of other pathologies [9]–[12]. Homocysteine is a thiol containing amino acid which plays an important role in cell metabolism. The metabolic traffic of homocysteine occurs either via remethylation to methionine or through irreversible trans-sulfuration to cysteine. Homocysteine metabolism involves a series of enzymatic reactions that produce variety of metabolic intermediates which are important for cellular processes such as transmethylation, transulfuration and polyamine biosynthesis (Figure 1) [13]. Perturbations in the activities of enzymes involved in these processes such as methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD), methionine synthase reductase (MTRR), cystathionine bsynthase (CBS) may results in altered levels of homocysteine and thus metabolic disorders.
The genes selected for the study are marked in red fonts. Refer to Table 2 for gene names. Figure is adapted from Souto JC et al. (2005) Am J Hum Genet 76: 925–933 and Finkelstein JD (1998) Eur J Pediatr 157: S40–44.
Contribution of variants in homocysteine pathway genes to susceptibility of diabetes, obesity and vascular diseases has been suggested by previous studies [14]–[16]. Genetic variants of MTHFR, MTR and MTRR have been shown to be associated with obesity [17]. The C677T polymorphism of MTHFR is reported to be associated with hyperhomocysteinemia, type 2 diabetes and related complications [18], [19]. However there is no report of association of homocysteine pathway genes with childhood obesity. Here we hypothesized that genetic variant in homocysteine metabolism pathway genes leading to perturbation in homocysteine metabolism might be a link between childhood obesity and adult metabolic disorders. To test this, we designed the present two stage case-control study to investigate association of 90 common variants from homocysteine metabolism pathway genes with obesity in 3,168 urban Indian children.
Materials and Methods
Ethics Statement
The study was carried out in accordance with the principles of Helsinki Declaration and was approved by Human Ethics Committee of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Informed written consent was obtained from all the participants. Prior informed written consent was obtained from parents/guardians of the children while verbal consent from children themselves was taken.
Study Population
A total of 3,168 children (aged 11–17 years) were recruited from school health survey from four different zones of Delhi (India) after obtaining prior informed consent from school authorities, parents/guardians and verbal consent from children themselves. For stage 1, we selected 1,325 children [862 NW and 463 OW/OB] to identify SNPs showing association with obesity. This was followed by further selection of 1843 children (1,399 NW and 444 OW/ OB) in stage 2 for replication analysis. Subjects were classified as normal-weight (NW) and over-weight/obese (OW/OB) based on age and sex specific BMI cutoff provided by Cole et al [20], that gives BMI cut offs for overweight and obesity by sex for children between 2 and 18 years corresponding to the cut off points of 25 and 30 kg/m2 for adults.
Anthropometric and Clinical Measurements
Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) were taken using standard methods. BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Plasma levels of glucose, insulin and C-peptide were measured as described earlier [21] and HOMA-IR was calculated as described by Matthews et al. [22]. Plasma levels of leptin, resistin and adiponectin were measured using commercial ELISA kits (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN). Anthropometric and clinical characteristics of subjects are provided in Table 1.
Genes and SNPs Selection
We selected 16 genes which have central role in the homocysteine metabolism pathway (Figure 1) [13], [23] and 2 genes (ACE and NOS3) reported to be associated with plasma homocysteine levels [24], [25]. Common variants (MAF >0.05) of the selected genes were prioritized based on previous reports of association with metabolic disorders, tagging and linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern information, and spacing between the SNPs to cover the gene. Finally a set of 90 SNPs were selected for genotyping in stage 1 (Table S1).
Genotyping in stage 1 was performed using Illumina GoldenGate assay (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Stringent quality control (QC) were applied to the genotyping data that included genotype confidence score >0.25, SNP call rate >0.9, GenTrans score >0.6, cluster separation score >0.4, Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) [P>0.01 in NW, OW/OB and all subjects], minor allele frequency (MAF) >0.05. After excluding 35 SNPs based on QC criteria (Table S1), the successfully genotyped SNPs had an average call rate of 98% and concordance rate >99% based on 5% duplication.
In stage 2, variant showing strongest association with childhood obesity and standing multiple testing correction was validated by genotyping in an independent sample set of 1843 children (1,399 NW and 444 OW/OB) using iPLEX (Sequenom, San Deigo, CA, USA). Genotyping success rate was 94% with >99.9% consistency rate in genotype calls in 5% duplicates.
Statistical Analysis
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) was tested using χ2. Pairwise LD between the SNPs and haplotype blocks were determined using Haploview 4.0. Continuous variables were inverse normal transformed and were converted to age and sex specific internal Z-scores by dividing differences of mean value of study population and individual values by standard deviation. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations of variants with obesity and quantitative traits respectively under additive model adjusting for age, sex and Z- BMI as appropriate. A P value of <7.7×10-4 [0.05/(65] was considered significant after Bonferroni correction. Meta-analysis was performed by combining summary estimates while association by combining raw genotyped data of two phases was also tested. β values are presented as Z-score units. For continuous traits, P value of <5.5×10-5 was considered statistically significant [0.05/(65*14)]. Haplotype association analysis adjusted for age and sex was carried out at 10,000 permutations. Statistical analyses were performed using PLINK v. 1.07 (http://pngu.mgh.harvard.edu/purcell/plink) and SPSS v. 17.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA).
Statistical power of the study was determined using Quanto software (http://hydra.usc.edu/gxe/) assuming log additive model of inheritance and 24% prevalence of overweight/obesity (1) at α = 0.05. Sample size in stage 1 and combined analysis provided 44–76% and 76–97% power respectively to detect association of variant with allele frequency of 0.20 and effect size of 1.20–1.30.
Association analysis in stage 1 suggested association of seven variants-rs2796749 (AMD1), rs7768897 (AMD1), rs1985908 (MAT1A), rs9397028 (MTHFD1L), rs1021737 (CTH), rs6693082 (CTH) and rs1801133 (MTHFR) with childhood obesity at P<0.05 (Tables 2 and 3). The association of rs2796749 in AMD1 [OR = 1.41, P = 1.5×10-4] remained significant even after multiple testing correction. Linear regression analysis to assess the association of variants with BMI as continuous trait also revealed association of rs2796749 with BMI [β = 0.16 Z-score unit, P = 4.2×10-4] (Table 3). AMD1 variant rs2796749 was also associated with other quantitative measures of adiposity (Table 4). With increase in per copy of risk allele G of rs2796749, significant increase in height and weight by 0.10 Z-score units (P = 0.02) and 0.17 (P = 1.3×10-4) respectively was observed (Table 4). Similar trend in increase in WC and HC was found with the increase in risk allele of rs2796749 [β = 0.18, P = 3.2×10-5 for WC and β = 0.18, P = 4.4×10-5 for HC]. The rs2796749 was also associated with plasma leptin level [β = 0.14, P = 4.2×10-4].
Because of strong association of AMD1 variant rs2796749 with childhood obesity and measures of adiposity, we attempted to replicate the signal obtained at rs2796749 in additional sample set of 1843 children in stage 2. Association of rs2796749 with childhood obesity was validated in stage 2 [OR = 1.28, P = 4.2×10–3] and was confirmed by meta-analysis [OR = 1.35, P = 2.7×10–6] (Table 3). Similar results were obtained in combined analysis by pooling genotype data from two stages [OR = 1.35, P = 1.9×10–6]. Consistently, association of rs2796749 with BMI was also replicated [β = 0.10, P = 2.6×10–3]. The meta-analysis and combined analysis corroborated the association of rs2796749 [β = 0.12, P = 6.5×10-6 in meta-analysis and β = 0.13, P = 2.5× 10–6 in combined analysis]. Association of rs2796749 with measures of adiposity and plasma leptin levels was also replicated in stage 2 and was corroborated in combined analysis (Figure 2). No association of rs2796749 with other biochemical traits investigated could be detected (Table 4).
Stage 1 analysis also suggested association of MAT1A variant rs1985908 with childhood obesity [OR = 1.28, P = 4.0×10–3], BMI [β = 0.14, P = 1.5×10–3] and leptin levels [β = –0.12, P = 2.7×10–3]. CTH variant rs6693082 which showed nominal association with obesity, was also found to be associated with BMI [P = 9.1×10–4], WC [P = 4.0×10–4], HC [P = 6.3×10-4] and adiponectin levels [P = 4.5×10–3] (Table S2). However the associations of rs1985908 and rs6693082 with obesity and other traits did not remain significant after correcting for multiple comparisons.
Mean Z-scores adjusted for age and sex are plotted on the y-axis for the corresponding genotypes on x-axis for all the traits except leptin for which the mean Z-scores are adjusted for age, sex and Z-BMI.P values presented were determined by linear regression analysis for Z-score change per risk allele of the respective trait.
Further, we investigated the association of all the SNPs genotyped in stage 1 with quantitative traits related to obesity that included measures of glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism and adipokines. We observed suggestive association of some variants with quantitative traits (Table S2). CTH variant rs1021737 showed association with total cholesterol (P = 6.8×10-3]while MAT1A variant rs17677908 and MTR variant rs16834521 were found to be associated with TG [P = 6.8×10-3 and 3.56×10-3 respectively]. Besides AMD1 and MAT1A, levels of leptin were also associated with MTRR variant rs1801394 [P = 6.8×10-3]. However, none of the associations remained significant after accounting for multiple tests. We also performed haplotype association analysis that suggested association of haplotypes of variants SNPs in AMD1, CTH, MTHFR and MTRR (Table S3). None of the haplotype associations remained significant after 10,000 permutations.
Several GWAS and large-scale meta-analysis for adult BMI have identified susceptibility loci for increased BMI, explaining only a small proportion of variation in BMI [3]. Investigation of genetic risk factors for childhood obesity has been restricted mainly to the replication of GWAS findings [3]. Though modern genotyping arrays capture most of the common variations, there remain substantial additional contributions to phenotypic variation from the variants not well captured by these arrays [26]. Investigation of variants prioritized based on their functional and positional significance provides an opportunity to identify those not detected by GWAS. Employing functional candidate analysis, we recently identified association of common variants of IL6, LEPR, and PBEF1 with increased susceptibility to obesity and measures of adiposity in Indian children [27]. Homocysteine metabolism pathway seems to be a promising candidate pathway by virtue of its involvement in important cellular processes. Thus, here we comprehensively examined association of common variants of homocysteine metabolism pathway genes with obesity in children.
The study reveals association of AMD1 variant rs2796749 with obesity, measures of adiposity and plasma leptin levels in urban Indian children. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the association of AMD1 variant with obesity. In our previous study of association of homocysteine metabolism pathway genes with type 2 diabetes and adult obesity [28], rs2796749 did not show association with adult obesity or BMI but was directionally consistent. Further, we investigated effect of this variant on adult BMI using the association data from GIANT consortium GWA meta-analysis which included 249,796 individuals of European ancestry [29]. In this recent meta-analysis also, rs2796749 showed consistency in direction of association with BMI, though could not reach statistical significance (P = 0.19). This suggests that AMD1 variant rs2796749 might have influence on adult BMI also, but with smaller effect size.
AMD1 codes for an important regulatory enzyme adenosyl-methionine decarboxylase 1 (AdoMetDC) which catalyzes the decarboxylation of S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), a methyl-group donor in transmethylation reactions. The imbalances in decarboxylation of SAM might result in disruption of DNA methylation process leading to abnormal gene expressions [30], which is implicated in various metabolic disorders including obesity and diabetes [31]. In addition to its role in transmethylation reaction, AdoMetDC is also a regulatory enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis. SAM is committed to polyamine biosynthesis after decarboxylation and serves as an aminopropyl donar in spermidine and spermine synthesis [32]. The polyamines are ubiquitous and are implicated in cellular growth and differentiation, regulation of adipocyte formation and glucose metabolism [33].
A recent study reported increased levels of polyamines in childhood obesity and their correlation with biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation and leptin [34]. The study supported the role of polyamines on growth and development on adipose tissue. On similar lines, our study demonstrated association of rs2796749 in 5? flank region of AMD1 with obesity in Indian children. The same variant also showed association with quantitative measures of adiposity including weight, BMI, hip and waist circumferences and plasma levels of leptin. Moreover, AMD1 mRNA is shown to increase in response to insulin via insulin response element in 5' flank region of AMD1 [35]. The variant rs2796749 might also have role in influencing the transcription of AMD1 in response to insulin, which needs to be investigated.
MAT1A codes for methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), which catalyzes the conversion of methionine to S- adenosylmethionine (SAM). MAT1A variants have been shown to be associated with hypertension and stroke [36]. Our study also suggested association of MAT1A variant rs1985908 with childhood obesity. MAT1A variants also showed association with the plasma levels of leptin, adiponectin and triglyerides. But these associations could not stand multiple testing corrections, hence further replication in larger sample set and in other ethnic groups are required to substantiate the observations in the present study.
Although the present study design limits the potential to identify the causal relationships, based on previous studies, we can speculate that AMD1 variant might influence the susceptibility to obesity by modulating either the polyamines metabolism or DNA methylation. Dietary habits can affect these processes as nutrients such as vitamin B12 and folate are required as important cofactors in these enzymatic reactions (Figure 1). The plasma levels of folate and vitamin B12 as well as the dietary intake of these are inversely correlated with the plasma homocysteine levels [37]. Moreover, individuals consuming only vegetarian diet tend to have low vitamin B12 and elevated homocysteine levels [38], [39]. Majority of Indian population adheres to a vegetarian diet that predisposes them to vitamin B12 deficiency. Thus diet which can influence the availability of vitamins may modulate the impact of genetic variants on obesity phenotypes. Previous studies including investigation in Indian populations suggested the possibility of interaction between diet and genetic variants of homocysteine pathway genes in influencing the homocysteine levels [40], however no study provided strong evidence for this interaction and its impact on impact on phenotypes. Unfortunately, lack of data on the levels of folate and vitamin B12 and the dietary habits of our study subjects limited further investigation of the interaction of these factors with the genetic variants and their combined effect on obesity phenotypes.
In case-control association studies, limited statistical power and population stratification can lead to spurious association results. Though the sample size of our study is considerable, there is a likelihood of false negative observations for variants with small effect sizes, as the present study is sufficiently powered to capture only large effects (OR>1.3) of the common variants with frequencies more than 0.20. Further, to minimize the effect of population stratification, we have collected samples from a small geographical region that forms a homogenous cluster as reported by the Indian Genome Variation Consortium [41]. Moreover, the multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis using the genotype data for 595 unlinked markers (r2<0.20) for stage 1 samples shows that the study population belongs to one cluster (Figure S1).
In conclusion, we demonstrate here, for the first time, association of AMD1 variant with susceptibility to obesity and measures of adiposity in Indian children. Further studies to confirm the association of AMD1 variant with childhood, its functional significance and molecular mechanism need to be undertaken. Moreover, our study provides a lead for future investigations towards understanding the genetic predisposition of obesity in childhood and exploring therapeutic options for prevention of childhood obesity.
Supporting Information
Figure S1.
Multidimensional scaling for the study population in stage 1. The 595 unlinked markers (r2<0.20) were used to obtain the positions on the first and second dimensions using PLINK.
Table S1.
SNPs selected for the study and their association with obesity in urban Indian children AA: Amino acid; HWE: Hardy Weinberg Equillibrium; MAF: minor allele frequency; QC: quality control; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval. OR and P values presented were calculated with respect to minor allele using logistic regression analysis under additive model with age and sex as covariates.
Table S2.
Association of analyzed SNPs with biochemical parameters in urban Indian children β, L95 and U95 represent change in Z-score units of the parameters with per increase in risk allele with 95% confidence interval. β values are presented with respect to the minor alleles. Analysis for height, weight, BMI, WC and HC were adjusted for age and sex whereas analyses for all other parameters were adjusted for age, sex and Z-BMI.
Table S3.
Association of haplotypes with obesity in urban Indian children OR: odds ratio; NW: normal-weight; OW/OB: overweight and obese.
We are thankful to all the participating subjects, their parents and school authorities for their support and cooperation in carrying out the study. We thank Mr. Kuntal Bhadra from Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences for his help in sample collection. We thank Dr. Anurag Agrawal from CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology for his critical evaluation of the manuscript.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: RT NT DB. Performed the experiments: OPD GC. Analyzed the data: RT AJ OPD GC SG. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: RKM. Wrote the paper: RT AJ DB.
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text:
This year, I'm sending my son to Technical High School as a freshman. My daughter, my youngest, starts seventh grade at South. Like many of you, I mark the passing of time by the first day of school pictures we take, by the number of soccer games left to watch before graduation day arrives. I am a District 742 parent. I share the same hope that my child's upcoming year will be filled with engaging and challenging learning opportunities, and safe and caring school environments.
I am proud of our current students and graduates. Our students are competitive academically and in the work force. Our graduates are community and business leaders and engaged in the work of active civic participation.
I am proud of the work our District 742 staff do. Staff worked countless hours over the summer as we prepared to welcome back students and families. We engaged in learning together to better meet the needs of our gifted learners, our struggling students. We worked together to strengthen our core curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies.I am proud to be a leader in District 742. I invite you to partner with us this year in your child's education. Visit our schools, volunteer in our classrooms. Join me in celebrating the excellent work our students and staff do every day. Join me in saying you too are 742 proud!


text:
Type: Improvement
Status: Closed
Priority: Major
Resolution: Fixed
Affects Version/s: 4.5.1
Fix Version/s: 5.0-milestone-2
Component/s: Old Core
Documentation in Release Notes:
Similar issues:
XWIKI-2055 Move utility APIs from the api.XWiki class to a new api.Util class XWIKI-8841 Add getWikiNames() method to api.XWiki that exposes the previously private XWiki.getVirtualWikisDatabaseNames() XWIKI-4924 Add getId method to MacroDescriptor interface XWIKI-4939 Add getDocumentReference method to WikiMacro interface XWIKI-2905 XWiki#parseGroovyFromPage(page, jarPage) is not loading jars from jarPage XWIKI-6909 Add hasWikiAdminRights method to XWikiRightsService XWIKI-2428 Add renamePage method to XMLRPC API XWIKI-2175 Add reverseList(List) method to the Util API XWIKI-2550 Add standard method to load external configuration files XWIKI-808 Add protected Api.getXWikiContext() method
To find out if the XWiki instance contains other (sub)wikis than just the main wiki (assuming
XWIKI-8841 is implemented), you would have to test if:
$xwiki.wikiNames().size() > 1
For convenience, we could just have:
I really don't like the name hasVirtualWikis. What does "virtual" means now?
I'd much prefer List<WikiReference> getWikiReferences() and the test would be getWikiReferences().isEmpty().
For the name, I would suggest changing it to hasSubWikis(), since that's basically what it is doing. This way we remove the "virtual" concept.
Vincent Massol: are you suggesting that we should add a getWikiReferences() in addition to
Marius Dumitru Florea: You know that I agree with Thomas Mortagne about stopping attempts to "emulate" the single wiki mode. Just going to reiterate that, IMO, it is a bad idea to try to hide the farm actions on the main wiki if there is only one wiki. "Install on farm" does make sense even for a single wiki (since it also applies on future wikis), so it should be displayed.
yes hasSubWikis() is much better, even though its implementation should probably be a one-liner: return getWikiReferences().size() > 1
<brainstorming mode>
It's ok, since it's in api.XWiki it's going to disappear in not long I hope. I think this API may need to move in a rewritten xwiki-platform-wiki-manager module that will be a convenience layer above the new model to perform multiwiki operations.
Actually maybe we won't want to draw this dependency in single wiki mode and have the ability to get this information directly from the Model. Maybe modelContext.getServer().getWikis().size() but since this is an Iterable it would mean sending a query to the DB which isn't that nice. An alternative is to have some other module using the query manager to do some DB queries and cache the results to get the list of wikis. However including multiwikis in the query manager is probably too hard and thus another query module for wikis is probably going to be needed. Something like query-manager-wiki.
</brainstorming mode>
<brainstorming mode>
I`m almost against the wiki-manager module approach because we would be doing the same mistake we are doing now with the current model. The multiwiki model should be part of the model by default and not through some kind of extensions. As we have spaces in wiki, pages in spaces, etc... and AFAIK, we will have spaces in spaces... so we should also have wikis within a wiki. There should be no external API to test for and to use when wanting to create/change/query/etc wikis. It should be a feature of the default model itself.
Anyway, we could move this discussion on the mailing list.
</brainstorming mode>
Yes big -1 for some new wiki manager module, what is supposed to deprecated the current wiki manager plugin is the new model which is supposed to deal with wikis.
Guys, you really need to look at the model in the feature-newmodel branch and provide comments ASAP. ATM what you say is definitely not possible.


text:
Price as reviewed £597.06 inc VAT. OK, so allowing for the VAT rise that is £609.79 now. Still a long way off the "latest price" £727.17. How does this happen on the day the review is published? Surely that must knock the 10/10 value score.
(Who says retailers are looking to profit out of the VAT rise confusion?)
This is effectively Sony's KDL-40EX403U TV, which as this review alludes to is a great value no frills, but does things very well TV, with a built-in highly regarded Sony BDP-S370 Blu-Ray player.
The Sony's KDL-40EX403U may be no frills but you still get Freeview HD and Sony's BIV - others at this price level sometimes don't include these features, and this set was recently available at John Lewis for £399 incl 5yr guarantee (bargin, but now sold out), but elsewhere is still available for £440 at Amazon. The Blu-Ray player is in even bigger bargin - available for £90 at Play.
So you can get the equivalent as seperates cheaper (even if you include a HDMI lead) but not by much. Therefore, Kudos to Sony for giving you a clutter free option by combining them, not loosing any performance, and not charging a premium for it.
Personally, however, I would have prefered the TV with a built in PVR, and I think it would have been easier to produce - just a regular set with built in HDD, a bit of extra software with maybe an additional CODEC chip, and if they were especially nice, a second Freeview HD tuner!
I dont know where else to put this but could TR review some microphones
@J4cK1505: In a word, no. We have done the odd microphone here and there when they have some extra technology but we're not likely to start reviewing normal ones any time soon. It's certainly something we would look to add in the future as we hope to expand, though.
...not sure the reviewed set is the 1st with an integrated Blu-Ray. I've owned sony's own KDL-32EX43B for a few months now.
@ Stewart Thanks for that background info. The KDL-40EX403U is still available at Play.com for £399. To me £328 for a Blu Ray player seems a bit steep, built in or not. Its all down to the price of this telly - is it £597 "as reviewed" or £727 "latest price"?
The KDL-40EX43BU is £597.09 from Southern Electric through Amazon. Amazon's own price is £727.17. (I find Amazon's prices can be pretty fluid, especially during the sales, sometimes changing daily).
So the KDL-40EX43BU for £597.09 or the KDL-40EX403U TV (£399 from Play - good spot) and the BDP-S370 Blu-Ray player (£89.99 from Play) - total £489.98. Enough of a saving for a stonking HDMI cable - or get the same performance from a £2 one ;-)
What price less clutter? I've gone the 'separates' route.
Still, kudos to Sony (and our friendly on-line retailers) for all of these products at these kind of prices - I'd give all of them an easy 10/10 for value.
Again I have to question the overall score of 9/10.
Doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the scores:
2 x 7/10
2 x 8/10
Until you somehow manage to give a better scoring system that reflects the actual product I think your reviews are very flawed - especially as this seems to have been achieved on novelty value and a questionable 10/10 for value.
Thanks Ed for the reply!
This is the site I look to for quality reviews on anything technological. It just seems a shame to not have them when you seem to have all other areas covered. I'd love some high quality mic reviews.
Sorry John to bomb your article like this :s
@Stewart - remarkable, once you actually find Southern Electric's site, there it is, actually priced at £543.14 for the Sony KDL-40EX43B LCD TV with Integrated Blu-ray™ Player. I've cut and paste just to be sure, because they also have the Sony KDL-40EX403 Freeview HD LCD TV at £616.49. Can this be right? That makes the integrated Blu-Ray player cost negative £73.35, bargain! Buy it before they realise their mistake?
Stewart: The KDL-40EX403U is indeed (or was) a bargain at £400. In fact with Freeview HD, BIV, 4 HDMI connections, USB port, and better build and design (albeit slightly bulkier) than equally priced alternatives from Samsung etc, I'd say it has more frills than anyone could reasonably expect for the money. I personally would say £200 more for a built-in Blu-Ray player is not such great value, but then the PS3 serves my Blu-Ray needs quite adequately. Anyway I can't speak for the player but otherwise it's a great TV.
Firstly, it's no innovation. Remember the Amstrad and other cheap and cheerful tvs with a DVD player?
Was it not LG that last year produced a tv with a HDD? So Sony sticks in BD drive!!! Wow.
Secondly, consider this Sony save on chaises/box; AV-connectors (eg HDMI); Power Unit; and few other AV internals of a stand alone. Given you can get a good BD player for around £70 means a factory gate price of £10-20. So work out how much it costs when it is integrated into a tv without most of the components!
If the BD conks out or the TV then you will need the FREE 5 year guarantee.
@"John Lewis for £399 incl 5yr guarantee" that is the right price point. Guess the factory gate price.
Enigma: But what is your point - that Sony dares to try and make a profit on their product? Are they alone in this? £399 (for the standalone TV) remains good value when compared against other similarly featured or similarly priced alternatives, which really is the only sensible way to appraise it. Equally, if a TV with built-in Blu-Ray player is cheaper than buying the two separately, with added benefits (e.g. saving space), then it can be said to represent good value. The fact that consequently Sony are cutting costs and increasing margins is irrelevant to the consumer looking to buy a telly, as it should be. You may disagree but you'll have to level the same complaints at literally every product from every manufacturer featured on this site.
Strange is the world of retail. Suddenly the KDL-40EX403 is priced at stupid money. Play, bless them, lifted the price by £200 and put it in the top spot as the "Pick of the Week"! They must think we are all stupid. Next week maybe it will be advertised as 10% off, bargain, etc? Best Buy have it at £649 in store, just to make Play look good! Remember, this same item was at £399 just two days ago. I've seen it in-store at Comet for £449, and in Curry's next door for about £100 more. The story has a happy ending however - its still on the Best Buy website at £399.99 (mysteriously unavailable from any postcode however) - so that is what I paid for it in store. It pays to shop around.
@MrGodfrey - Hey, if it floats your boat: Be happy, don't worry.
"Best Buy website at £399.99 (mysteriously unavailable from any postcode however)" I have increasingly noticed this practice of Bargain pricing but "Out of stock." and it appears to be one of the retailers latest marketing tricks.
@Enigma I think it's called "Bait and Switch".
@Martin Daler, Yup! Or "fraud"! I first noticed this on the internet a couple of years ago but I have only began to see it in high street stores this year. Obviously given the expression it's not new.
Ironically, I think in one instance it has caught out one leading supermarket which has in response (I guess) reduced it's price to it's rival's same "out of stock" product. Good news for me.
The other trick I have seen is to advertise as reduced price but in fact they have correspondingly reduced the content. Of course the punters don't look at the details and get caught out.
Like this Sony TV: punters (and of course the sale staff) will look at it as getting a TV + BD Player equivalents and see the savings equivalently when they are not as noted above!
Priced at £399 in the latest Richer Sounds flyer. That said the standard definition upsampling is still quite soft.
I got the 403 from John Lewis for £350 in exchange for the money and a very old portable CRT :) Having said that, it could have been an expensive experiment to discover how much I hated LCD had I not been able to sell it on for £400.
The TV under review here is now £604 supplied direct by Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Son...
Sometimes the prices you find via Google are actually Amazon Marketplace sellers - not the same at all :(
Enigma: As I said the Blu-Ray combo doesn't appeal to me, but nor do I see it as a heinous attempt to defraud people. As for obtaining the 40EX403 for £400, that does indeed assist the buoyancy of my dinghy. Not because it appears cheap compared to the ludicrous £600+ prices being charged by other retailers, but because the quality and features stand out in comparison to other sets priced around £400. This was my point, that "value for money" is relative and not simply based on, say, the amount of markup. Naturally if it were possible I would love to be able to obtain all my gadgets at the factory gate price :)
@MrGodfrey - I am happy for you now that your dinghy's buoyant. I hope you are getting the 5 year free warranty too?
However, you contradict yourself: you consider it "value for many" at £400 but not on the basis of mark-up!? Price depends on mark-up and hence "value for money". Clearly if the mark up was higher as in the case of the retailers charging £600+ makes it poor value for money in comparison to the rival's sets. Of course factory-gate price would b nice and even nicer at production cost price!!! but then we might start seeing pigs getting buoyant! ;-)
The fraud issue is something else. You'll have to re-read what I and @Martin were talking about.
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Nov. 20, 2013
For the third straight game, U-M used the starting lineup of Madison Ristovski, Shannon Smith, Nicole Elmblad, Cyesha Goree and Madison Ristovski.
Michigan won the tip for the first time this season.
The Wolverines had four players in double figures for the second time this season.
Siera Thompson scored a career-best 22 points. It is the first 20-point game of her career and bettered her previous best of 12 points, which she accomplished four times.
U-M has scored at least 70 points in five straight games, including 80 twice during that span.
U-M wore its maize uniforms for the third time this season, moving to 1-2 in them.
Val Driscoll set a new career high with three steals.
Cyesha Goree scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, finishing with 10 points.
Nicole Elmblad recorded her fourth double-figure scoring game of the season with 19 points, which tie her career high set against Xavier last Wednesday (Nov. 13).
The all-time series between Michigan and Pitt is now tied at 2-2. The teams had not played each other since 1992.
Michigan shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the first time this season, finishing with a 54.9 shooting percentage.
U-M outrebounded its opponent for the fifth time this season, moving to 4-1 in those games.
The Wolverines made a season-high 22 free throws, marking the first time since making 21 against Northwestern on Feb. 2, 2012.
Head coach Kim Barnes Arico moves to 11-3 all-time against Pitt.
Freshman Paige Rakers has made a three-pointer in all but one game this season.
» Learn about Michigan women's basketball season tickets for the 2017-18 season.


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Bentley has just announced that production of the W12 engine is moving to its home base in Crewe by the end of this year. The shift in production (which follows the migration of the Flying Spur from Dresden to Crewe in 2007) will create 100 jobs in the UK – a country which employs some 142,000 workers in the automotive sector – and produce as many as 9,000 engines per year. That in and of itself would account for the vast majority of the 10,000-plus cars Bentley made last year, but will also make Bentley an exporter of engines for the first time in its history.
Right there at the factory, Bentley will fit the engines into twelve-cylinder versions of the Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur, and send some back to Germany for use in the Audi A8. Applications within the Volkswagen brand itself like the Phaeton and Touareg no longer use the W12 engine, but could conceivably use it again in the future – they'll just have to bring them in from England is all.
- Bentley to become centre of excellence for W12 engines
- Bentley to export engines for the first time in its history
- 100 jobs across the business to be created
(Crewe/London, 19 March 2014) Bentley has firmly reinforced its position as the world's largest producer of 12 cylinder engines after announcing its Crewe headquarters will become the centre of excellence for the Volkswagen Group for all W12 engine production from the end of 2014 onwards. With this decision, Bentley will export engines for the first time in its history, creating around 100 jobs across the business.
Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley Motors, said: "This is an important step, not just for Bentley but also for the UK manufacturing sector. This W12 centre of excellence is recognition of the long standing engine manufacturing expertise we have that has resulted in performance improvements across the model ranges over recent years. The production of this advanced engine and its future generations will bring new technologies and skills to Crewe."
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Our world beating car industry employs 142,000 people in the UK and is worth £11.2 billion to our economy.
"With more than four out of every five cars made in the UK exported to the rest of the world, the news that Bentley will now export engines as well is another feather in their cap. The Government's Industrial Strategy is supporting world-class companies like Bentley to create highly skilled long term jobs and promote exports."
The W12 engine is an advanced 12 cylinder high performance engine in a unique 'W' configuration. The engine offers high levels of power and torque. Bentley expects to produce up to 9,000 engines per year at peak times.


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Walk along Saint-Paul in Old Montreal or the main commercial artery of Sainte-Catherine and you'll discover an abundance of souvenir shops filled with plastic Mountie figurines and Maple syrup. Perfect for your grandmother, but not for the modern traveller. Here are eight unique souvenirs to take home from Montreal…
You obviously can't take a poutine all the way back home – the gravy will curdle and who knows what will happen to those fries. Thankfully there's the P'tit Poutine bowl from Hugo Didier for making those cheese-gravy memories last. Handmade in Montreal, the bowl fits one small poutine and is available from local artisan shops like: Poterie Manu Reva, Fait Ici, and La Boutique du Jardin.
Montreal perfumer Claude Andre Hebert offers some locally inspired perfumes with international influence. Grab his Eaux Trouble, made with Montreal graffiti artist Zilon, the florally "Rue Sainte-Catherine" or the aromatic "Mont-Royal".
The gift that will give just once, but the memories made will last a lifetime: Dieu du Ciel Beer. Bring back a bottle of Montreal's best brew. Dieu du Ciel is located at 29 Laurier West, but bottles are also available all day, everyday at depanneurs (corner stores) across the city.
A sought-after staple of Montreal fashion: The M0851 bag. Designed and produced in the atelier on Saint-Laurent, these leather goods are of fine quality and modern design. The perfect leather bag that will get you the "OMG, where did you get that bag?" where you can casually respond, "Oh this old thing? Montreal."
Once upon a time in 1979 there was a small paper mill established in Montreal's South West neighborhood called La Papeterie Saint-Armand. 33 years later, this paper mill is still churning out the finest handmade paper to artisans and fans year round. You can buy this paper in shops around Montreal, but you can go to Saint-Armand, Tuesday-Friday (9-5) and on the first Saturday of every month, and buy the paper directly from the mill! Note: Cash only.
Love the sandwich, now love the songs! Schwartz's The Musical Soundtrack is the perfect background anthem to play while you scarf down 14 layers of Montreal Smoked Meat between two slices of fresh rye bread, mustard and a big juicy pickle. I hear if you play this while you fall asleep you'll dream of Jewish delis and Celine Dion's husband.
After you've had one St-Viateur Bagel, you'll need the bag to haul three dozen across the border. It's cute, practical, and has a smiling bagel on the front. What's not to love?
Searching the luxury souvenir market? Grab a Bixi and never return it. The Bixi is by industrial designer Michel Dallaire and built in Saguenay, Quebec. Your credit card will be charged $1000, but that's a small price to pay for bragging rights and a "bad-assery" badge for life. Plus, it's a totally solid bike.


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Intel's Santa Rosa Platform - NAND on the Laptop
Tuan Nguyen
March 8, 2006 1:29 PM
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Crestline, Robson, and Merom - Intel is bringing together a host of technologies for Santa Rosa, its next gen platform
Merom, Intel's next-generation is slated for release at the end of 2006. Interestingly, Yonah is still pretty young but the next-generation beyond Yonah is already well under way. What follows Merom's release however, is definitely interesting and in a very serious way, compliments the new architectures to enable such features as instant-on and instant-off. Intel is pushing these technologies as part of its Viiv platform, and while we will see a lot of the neat technologies appear on mobile systems first, plans are underway to bring the same technologies to the desktop.
After Intel's Napa paltform, Santa Rosa is next for Intel along with the release of Crestline, Intel's next-generation mobile chipset. Crestline will bring along new features that utilize NAND flash memory. Intel says the technology, called Robson, is incorporated with Crestline (as part of the Santa Rosa platform) and allows critical OS systems to be cached to the non volatile memory. This way, the NAND memory will be used as a boot drive and may be able to include common applications as well.
Intel demonstrated Robson using OS boot times and application loads. The demonstration took place on a NAND enabled system and one without, and in many cases the one with Robson showed 4 to 5 times the performance of a legacy system. For mobility users, Intel also says that using NAND flash technology, battery power will be preserved because there is a higher performance-per-watt ratio on a NAND-enabled system vs. a legacy HDD-only based system. Intel also recently invested heavily into Micron, to create a new joint venture on producing NAND flash memory and NAND based products.
According to Intel, Robson-enabled notebooks and desktops will start to see the light in early 2007. While Crestline, and Merom will not be launching all together, Intel promises a culmination of all the above technologies in Santa Rosa.
"We basically took a look at this situation and said, this is bullshit." -- Newegg Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng's take on patent troll Soverain
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By Brian Spencer
The NBA D-League is a good thing that has the potential to be a very good thing for professional basektball in the United States. We want to see it thrive, expand, succeed. Unfortunately, like most people, we rarely get to see anything from these games beyond the brief late-night highlights on NBA TV. ESPN and Fox Sports barely touch it, which means that casual b-ball fans barely even know it exists.
Enter writers like Steve Weinman, the thoughtful wordsmith behind D-League Digest who's helping introduce the D-League to a wider audience and revealing its teams, players, and coaches through comprehensive coverage and analysis on the everyday happenings in the NBA's still-developing minor-league system. The guy knows his stuff, and in the wake of the recent D-League Showcase in Boise, we're fortunate to have a two-part Q&A with him here on Empty the Bench.
Let's get to it… stay tuned for Part II.
Empty the Bench: I read a report that said NBA executives left this year's D-League Showcase in Boise saying it was the worst crop of talent they've seen yet. What's your take?
Steve Weinman: I saw that line from Marc Spears as well, and truth be told, I'm not sure what to make of it. As someone who followed the D-League peripherally in previous seasons and has become much closer to it over the last 2 years or so, especially now that I'm covering the league on a regular basis, I'm not I'm the best person to compare the overall talent distribution between this year's Showcase and previous ones.
But what I do know is this: the executives I spoke to certainly sounded positive about the way the D-League is moving. With the Rockets' use of the hybrid model in Rio Grande Valley, GM Daryl Morey and his crew from Houston have been very involved in bringing in the players there, and Morey said the situation with RGV has been fantastic from his perspective.
Between Morey and other executives I spoke with, there was plenty of chatter about an expansion of the D-League's role and a desire to have NBA teams hold player rights outside of their 15 roster spots. One would think some of that excitement would have been tempered if the player crop were all that uninspiring.
None of that, however, is meant to dispute Spears' report. One of the great things about the Showcase is that it simply crawls with team staffers, and I don't profess to have had a chance to speak with all of them. Marc is a terrific reporter, and I have no doubt he talked to plenty of sources on this. Still, I didn't leave the conversations I had with the same vibe that he did.
As for what my own eyes tell me about this year's group of players, I think there are several players around the D-League capable of being at least fringe NBA players right now if the roster spots become available, and a few youngsters who will be at that point before too long as well. Speaking of which…
ETB: Spud Webb, the President of Basketball Operations for the new team in San Francisco that debuts next season, recently said he thinks there are "four or five guys [in the D-League] that are pro players." Name the four or five guys you feel have the best shot at not just getting called up to the NBA, but making an impact and sticking around.
Weinman: Anthony Tolliver would be the easy front-runner for this list, but let's rule him ineligible since he received his second call-up of the season last week, this time to Golden State. Tolliver is a do-it-all big man who posts up, crashes the glass, and defends, but can also handle the ball a little bit and shoot from the outside. Love watching him play.
Of players currently in the D-League, Mike Harris from Rio Grande Valley (he of the recent 48-24 performance) already received one call-up this season (to Houston) and will likely be back sooner or later. He's a bruising forward who loves to bang around inside, pounds the glass (8.9 per game this year in the D-League) and is also developing his offensive arsenal from mid-range and beyond. The big question for Harris right now is position: playing in RGV's three-guard lineup, he's played something of a big-man role at times this year, and he's been successful at it, but he's also just 6-6. Whether Harris has the quickness and whether he will develop the outside game to be a successful small forward remains to be seen, but he does too many things too well to not get another good shot to stick in the Association.
Carlos Powell of Albuquerque is a terrific offensive player who can score from inside and out, and isn't a liability at the defensive end either. In our last edition of the Randy Livingston Memorial Call-Up Rankings, hosted at Ridiculous Upside, I was the only one of four panelists to rank the southpaw as low as second on the list.
Sitting on top of that call-up rankings list before Powell usurped the top spot was Dontell Jefferson from Utah. Widely expected to fill the Jazz's need for a backup point guard before some late-breaking concerns about the health of his knees led to Idaho's Sundiata Gaines getting that call (and please remember to go ahead and ask the Cleveland Cavaliers how that one turned out), Jefferson is a 6-5 point guard with the skills and size to play both backcourt spots. He's a dynamic slasher who also scores from the outside, gets to the foul line with regularity, and distributes the ball unselfishly. His height, length, and quickness allow him to defend ones and twos, and that would allow an NBA team to use him to cross-match defensively if need be.
While four people does not a complete list make, and there are several other guys who deserve to be in this discussion – Rod Benson (Reno) has been around and offers size and defense (though I'm not enamored with him), Morris Almond (Springfield) is a super-dyanmic scorer who we'll get to later, Mustafa Shakur is doing a terrific job in Tulsa, Dwayne Jones (Austin) has NBA size and eats up offensive boards, and I'm sure there are a few noteworthy folks I'm omitting here to boot – I'll stray a bit from the beaten path with a personal favorite for my final selection here: Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Anderson.
He may not be at the top of the call-up list right now, and he has slumped through January after earning performer-of-the-month honors in December, but Anderson's versatility makes him really promising. He's a 6-6 off-guard by trade, but he handles the ball plenty for RGV and is a terrific passer. In fact, Vipers brass believe he'll even be able to get a spot at the next level as a second or third-string point guard.
That's not to mention that the guy who garnered all sorts of defensive accolades during his collegiate tenure at Memphis has made a successful transition to the D-League game at that end of the floor as well. AA needs to become a more consistent outside shooter, but his mid-range game is already improving, and he's just a smart decision-maker on the floor. I'm buying him as a permanent NBA player within the next two seasons.
Much more from D-League Digest's Steve Weinman after the break…
ETB: What's holding Springfield Armor (and former Utah Jazz first-round pick) Morris Almond back, and does he still have a shot to be anything more than a 10-day contract player in the NBA?
Weinman: It feels weird to say that Morris is in a tough spot considering that the guy leads the D-League in scoring and can do just about anything with the ball in his hands. But the truth is, he is.
Almond is a tremendous scorer who doesn't have any glaring-enough-to-keep-him-out-of-the-league-on-its-own flaws, but he also isn't enough of a standout at any other facet of the game to get called up on that alone. Since NBA teams don't call up D-Leaguers to be go-to guys, it's hard to figure out where Almond fits. Can he be dangerous enough simply off catch-and-shoots and in transitions for his scoring to translate to the NBA? Even if so, aren't there other guys who aren't as explosive scorers that might be better at filling that pure shooter role?
I'm not sure of the answers to those questions, which I explored in a bit more depth over at D-LeagueDigest this week, but I do feel strongly that Almond has too much talent to not get another longer look.
ETB: What, if anything, can be done to get more locals to embrace their D-League franchise and actually show up for games?
Weinman: I really believe that it's about staying the course at this point. Some things just need time. The league is only in its ninth season, and both the talent in the league and as a result its importance to the NBA continues to grow. If teams continue to provide fan-friendly environments at affordable prices, blitz the social media world, and promote interactivity with the fans as much as possible, I think the basketball will begin to sell itself.
As more of these players experience even a small degree of success at the NBA and more solid college players who might have otherwise gone overseas stick around to play in the D-League, fans will increasingly buy into a league where they know they may be seeing future NBA players up close, as well as several guys they may have followed closely in college.
Maybe I'm being a bit idealistic here, but we've seen minor league baseball work all over the country with the same formula: fun for the whole family, bargain prices, players who might one day be Major Leaguers. I'm willing to believe that with time, basketball can at least move in that direction.
That's not to say that there aren't changes that could be made to improve the D-League: an improved salary structure might draw more talent, which might draw more fans; more single-team affiliations in secondary regions of NBA teams might appeal more to fan bases; amending the CBA to allow players returning from injury to serve the equivalent of baseball's rehab assignments in the D-League could garner a few extra big crowds a year, and the list goes on. But the primary factor is time: the league really is still in its relative infancy.
ETB: Should every NBA franchise have its own affiliated team in the D-League, like MLB does with the minor leagues?
Weinman: Ideally, absolutely. The primary goal of the D-League is–and I know this comes as a real revelation–player development. To that end, having players in a situations where they are learning and playing in the systems that they will be stepping into should they reach the NBA simply has to increase player readiness to step in and be contributors right away at the next level. Especially when one considers how little practice time NBA teams get during the season due to packed schedules and travel days, it's difficult to pick up a bunch of unfamiliar sets. Further, I expect that if the leagues ever reach a one-to-one ratio, we'll have already seen amendments to the CBA providing for NBA teams to hold rights to non-assigned players on their affiliates.
All that said, like every other part of sports, the D-League is a business, and whether it's economically feasible to maintain a 30-team league, I honestly don't know. As I wrote in a piece on exactly this topic last week, look down the benches of every D-League team and decide how many of those players you think have a legitimate shot to make the NBA… and then consider that getting to 30 teams would require nearly doubling the player pool. That's a tall order.
But as referenced in that piece, Dan Reed and Chris Alpert feel strongly that talent dilution won't be an issue, that as the league continues to gain prominence, it will attract greater talent that might have otherwise played overseas (or perhaps in college). If that proves true going forward, and the league can find enough markets that would support a minor league team anywhere near as well as the folks in Portland, Maine, etc. have, terrific.
From a basketball standpoint, I'd love to see it happen. Maybe it will be possible, business-wise; maybe not. Either way, we have a long ways to go on that front as it will be a gradual process.
That wraps up Part I of ETB's interview with D-League Digest's Steve Weinman; stay tuned for Part II. In the meantime, be sure to get your NBA D-League fix over at D-League Digest.
Recommended Reading at D-League Digest:
– Guest Post from Springfield Armor's Tre Whitted
– Chatter on the D-League's Place in the Global Hoops Landscape
– DVR Focus on Reggie Williams
– Checking in with the Head of the Class in the D-League
– Ruminations from a Weekend in Springfield


text:
Stuck in my neighborhood because of the ice. I know I could go and kill some ducks if I headed out but odds are, I would never make it past my own driveway.
Hopefully this weather does not push all ducks south. I hope the hunting is still good on Sat and Sun.