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Opioid receptor antagonists block one or more of the opioid receptors in the central or peripheral nervous system. Opioid receptors are specific transmembrane neurotransmitter receptors that couple G-proteins, which upon stimulation by endogenous or exogenous opioids, lead to the intracellular process of signal transduction.
The most recent classification scheme identifies three major classes of opioid receptors, with several minor classes. The three most clinically relevant opioid receptors are the mu, kappa and delta receptors. Stimulation of central mu receptors causes respiratory depression, analgesia (supraspinal and peripheral), and euphoria.[1] Peripheral mu receptors are tissue-specific with higher concentrations in bronchial smooth muscle and the digestive tract. This is the reason for opioids suppressing the cough reflex and causing constipation.[2] Kappa and delta-opioid receptors also have potent analgesic effects; kappa receptors are known to cause disassociation, hallucinations, and dysphoria and delta receptors also modulate mu receptors.[3][4]
The two most commonly used centrally acting opioid receptor antagonists are naloxone and naltrexone. Naloxone comes in intravenous, intramuscular and intranasal formulations, and is FDA-approved for the use in an opioid overdose, and the reversal of respiratory depression associated with opioid use. Naltrexone is available in both oral and long-acting injectable formulations and is FDA-approved for the treatment of opioid and alcohol use disorders as a maintenance treatment. The most commonly used peripheral opioid receptor antagonist is methylnaltrexone, which is a potent competitive antagonist acting at the digestive tract and is also FDA-approved for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation.[5] Methylnaltrexone comes in oral tablets and as a subcutaneous injection. Nalmefene is another opioid antagonist. Its affinity for mu and kappa receptors is similar to naltrexone through its affinity for delta receptor is greater than of naltrexone. In the United States, it is approved for the reversal of Mu receptor agonist effects by parenteral routes. Nalmefene has a more extended duration of action than naloxone and has increased bioavailability. Nalmefene has approval in some European countries as an oral formulation for the maintenance treatment of alcohol use disorder.
Opioid antagonists such as naloxone have come into the public spotlight with the emergence of the opioid epidemic and the need for readily accessible reversal agents in the setting of an acute opioid overdose. Various communities have experimented with naloxone dispensaries or over-the-counter availability at pharmacies without the need for a prescription. These communities have shown promising results in lives saved.[6] There is also a national movement to arm law enforcement officers, first responders, and schoolteachers with specific training in being able to recognize an opioid overdose, and the knowledge and confidence to correctly administer a reversal agent such as naloxone.
Centrally acting opioid receptor antagonists are potent competitive inhibitors, with the highest affinity for the mu receptor. Naloxone is the most common choice in opioid overdose emergencies, and naltrexone is utilized primarily in opioid and alcohol use disorders to help maintain abstinence primarily by decreasing cravings. The competitive antagonism of the central mu receptors stimulates the respiratory drive, increases alertness, terminates analgesia and euphoria, and causes mydriasis.[1]
Peripherally acting opioid receptor antagonists, do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, but are potent competitive inhibitors at the mu receptor, which are found in high concentration at peripheral nerve terminals in bronchial smooth muscle and the digestive tract. Antagonism of these peripheral mu receptors can lead to intestinal hypermotility.[5] Some studies suggest that up to 60% of opioid analgesia originates from the peripheral opioid receptors and that antagonizing through pharmacologic means may lead to an acute pain crisis.[7]
A precipitated withdrawal from opiates, whether caused by naloxone in the pre-hospital or emergency department setting, or by naloxone or naltrexone during a medically supervised withdrawal treatment can lead to hospital admission or even require intensive care. There are rare, isolated reports of stress-induced cardiomyopathy and organic delusional disorder.[8][9] More commonly, the implementation of intravenous hydration and electrolyte replacement is in order due to significant nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
During a medically supervised withdrawal, often great care is taken in increasing the naltrexone dose gradually over a period of 3-7 days resulting in opiate "washout." This naltrexone-accelerated withdrawal has high complication rates and almost certainly requires the addition of an alpha-2 agonist (like clonidine and lofexidine which requires less concern for hypotensive effects.), and comfort medications such as benzodiazepines, antiemetics, and muscle relaxers.[10]
Accelerated protocols for medically supervised management of withdrawal aim to reduce the transition time to naltrexone treatment, thereby reducing patient inconvenience, lengths of inpatient or residential stay, and treatment costs. This method has not found widespread use. During a supervised naltrexone-accelerated withdrawal, a "naloxone challenge" can be performed to ensure a complete system depletion of exogenous opioids prior to full-dose oral naltrexone, or extended-release intramuscular naltrexone (Vivitrol). A low naloxone starting dose of just 0.1 mg intravenous is given, and the patient monitored for up to 30 minutes for signs of withdrawal. Typically, symptoms present within 1-5 minutes. A doubled dose of 0.2 mg follows, and the patient undergoes observation. Thirty minutes following, a final dose of 0.4 mg is given, and if the patient is asymptomatic, the assumption is that the patient can safely receive naltrexone without fear of withdrawal symptoms. The extended-release injectable version of naltrexone has found increased favor among practitioners for the treatment of opiate maintenance treatment as it only needs dosing every four weeks.[11]
Buprenorphine, a partial mu agonist and kappa antagonist, can be combined with naloxone for effective therapy in a medically supervised opioid withdrawal. Naloxone, when combined with buprenorphine, has poor oral availability,[12] but when crushed and intravenously injected, can precipitate opioid withdrawal symptoms. This can act as a deterrent in opioid users who are physiologically dependent. To begin buprenorphine-naloxone therapy during induction, the patient must have a mild-to-moderate withdrawal (Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale [COWS] of greater than 10 or 12) to receive a net benefit for the opioid agonist-component and relief from withdrawal symptoms. The time it takes to be in a mild-to-moderate withdrawal (COWS > 10 or 12) is dependent on the half-life of the opioid used by the patient. Methadone, for example, has a half-life greater than 24 hours.[13] Buprenorphine can be started for maintenance therapy if the patient has not used opiates for a while but still has a craving (after completing rehab or releasing from prison). On the whole, starting buprenorphine should only take place when there are no signs of opioid intoxication or sedation or some observable signs of opioid withdrawal.
Opioid receptor antagonists block one or more of the opioid receptors in the central or peripheral nervous system. Stimulation of central mu receptors causes respiratory depression, analgesia, and euphoria.
The 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain specifically recommend incorporating strategies to mitigate risk, such as prescribing naloxone in patients with a history of substance use disorder, high risk and/or history of overdose, higher opioid dose (>50 morphine milligram equivalent daily dosing),patients at risk of returning to a high dose to which they are no longer tolerant (eg, patients recently released from prison), or concurrent benzodiazepine use [14]. Some studies have shown a dose-dependent relative risk reduction on the amount of naloxone distributed in the community, whether by prescription or community dispensaries, versus opioid-related overdose mortality [6]. There has also been various legislation passed providing legal protection to laypersons attending to a suspected opioid overdose, and/or initiating early activation of the emergency response system. All healthcare workers including nurse practitioners who prescribe opioids should be familiar with current guidelines for pain management; failure to do so may result in patient harm and loss of prescribing privileges for certain controlled substances.
|Waldhoer M,Bartlett SE,Whistler JL, Opioid receptors. Annual review of biochemistry. 2004 [PubMed PMID: 15189164]
|Sridharan K,Sivaramakrishnan G, Drugs for Treating Opioid-Induced Constipation: A Mixed Treatment Comparison Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials. Journal of pain and symptom management. 2018 Feb [PubMed PMID: 28919541]
|Karkhanis A,Holleran KM,Jones SR, Dynorphin/Kappa Opioid Receptor Signaling in Preclinical Models of Alcohol, Drug, and Food Addiction. International review of neurobiology. 2017 [PubMed PMID: 29056156]
|Varga EV,Navratilova E,Stropova D,Jambrosic J,Roeske WR,Yamamura HI, Agonist-specific regulation of the delta-opioid receptor. Life sciences. 2004 Dec 24 [PubMed PMID: 15567186]
|Thomas J,Karver S,Cooney GA,Chamberlain BH,Watt CK,Slatkin NE,Stambler N,Kremer AB,Israel RJ, Methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness. The New England journal of medicine. 2008 May 29 [PubMed PMID: 18509120]
|Walley AY,Xuan Z,Hackman HH,Quinn E,Doe-Simkins M,Sorensen-Alawad A,Ruiz S,Ozonoff A, Opioid overdose rates and implementation of overdose education and nasal naloxone distribution in Massachusetts: interrupted time series analysis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 2013 Jan 30 [PubMed PMID: 23372174]
|Stein C,Lang LJ, Peripheral mechanisms of opioid analgesia. Current opinion in pharmacology. 2009 Feb [PubMed PMID: 19157985]
|Hassanian-Moghaddam H,Afzali S,Pooya A, Withdrawal syndrome caused by naltrexone in opioid abusers. Human [PubMed PMID: 23690227]
|Fishbain DA,Goldberg M,Rosomoff RS,Rosomoff H, Atypical withdrawal syndrome (organic delusional syndrome) secondary to oxycodone detoxification. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology. 1988 Dec [PubMed PMID: 3235702]
|Bisaga A,Mannelli P,Sullivan MA,Vosburg SK,Compton P,Woody GE,Kosten TR, Antagonists in the medical management of opioid use disorders: Historical and existing treatment strategies. The American journal on addictions. 2018 Apr [PubMed PMID: 29596725]
|Johnson BA, Naltrexone long-acting formulation in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Therapeutics and clinical risk management. 2007 Oct [PubMed PMID: 18472999]
|Comer SD,Sullivan MA,Vosburg SK,Manubay J,Amass L,Cooper ZD,Saccone P,Kleber HD, Abuse liability of intravenous buprenorphine/naloxone and buprenorphine alone in buprenorphine-maintained intravenous heroin abusers. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2010 Apr [PubMed PMID: 20403021]
|Wolff K,Rostami-Hodjegan A,Shires S,Hay AW,Feely M,Calvert R,Raistrick D,Tucker GT, The pharmacokinetics of methadone in healthy subjects and opiate users. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 1997 Oct [PubMed PMID: 9354306]
|Dowell D,Haegerich TM,Chou R, CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain--United States, 2016. JAMA. 2016 Apr 19 [PubMed PMID: 26977696]


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Hey guys!
I thought I would throw up a quick picture post of the dinner party :D A full & detailed post will be going up after the guests leave later this morning.
Me & Hubby
All the booze our fam brought…lol
My spinach dip & pumpernickle bread + Neal Brothers Salsa and Neal Brothers tortillas
The potato smasher :)
Starting with a wonderful spinach salad my sis made
Buffet style lineup: left to right: Salmon, acorn squash, mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus
The most amazing salmon ever. Don't worry I will be posting this recipe!!! Hint: Parsley, pecans, honey mustard, bread crumbs, etc!
Enjoying our meal!!
Would you believe it that I didn't have any cake?! Only one bite of Eric's piece, and boy was it good.
Here is Eric's slice:
Everyone raved about this cake!!!!!!
Playing Wii:
Sketchie being a creeper as usual:
Ok guys, I gotta go make breakfast for everyone now….see you later!!!
Let's get social! Follow Angela on Instagram @ohsheglows, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

subset: commoncrawl


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After checking out the videos, I used a similar shallow kadai, with both ghee and oil mixed for frying these parathas. Though pooris are a regular fare, I still couldn't get myself heat up a huge kadai full of ghee.
Some of the sites that are interesting to check out are this, this and this
Mixed Vegetable Stuffed Paratha
For the dough
Wheat flour – 2 cups
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
For the Stuffing
Gobi – 1/2 cup
Peas – 1/2 cup
Aloo – 1/2 cup
Ghee – 2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Red chilie powder – 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 3/4 tsp
Green Chilies – 1 long
Coriander leaves – 2 -3 tsp
How to make the Mixed Vegetable Paratha
Clean the gobi, soak in hot water for 5 mins. Take Gobi and peas in a MW safe bowl and for 5 mins. MW Potato for 6 mins. Peel, and grate the aloo in a bowl.
Heat a non stick pan with ghee, add cumin seeds. Next add the grated potatoes, gobi and peas.
Saute quickly and then add all the spices. Using the potato masher, mash everything well together.
Finally add the finely chopped coriander leaves.
Cook till the vegetables is dry and well cooked. Adjust the spices if required. Once done, remove and keep it aside.
For making the Paratha wali gali parathas:
Heat a shallow kadai with 2 tbsp ghee, 3 -4 tbsp oil. Heat till it is hot. Simmer.
Now stuff the mixed vegetable into small balls of dough. Follow as you normally do stuffed parathas, making sure that stuffing doesn't come out.
With regular pan cooking, it is fine if the stuffing comes out. However this is more like deep frying, so you have to be careful with rolling out.
Once the oil is hot, slide the parathas, press down with a ladle. Turn over and cook well.
With a tong, remove the fried parathas.
Pumpkin Subzi
Aloo Subzi and Pumpkin Subzi
Aloo – 2 medium
Pumpkin, cubed – 1 cup
For both the subzis, the same masala mix is used.
MW Potatoes for 6 -7 mins, peel skin and mash it roughly.
Clean and chop the pumpkin into pieces. MW for 8 mins.
In a bowl, take 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp cumin powder. Mix everything together.
Add 2 cups water and mix everything well.
In a non stick pan, heat 1 tsp ghee, add cumin seeds, saute.
Next add boiled aloos, and fry well.
Now add half of the masala water and bring to boil. Finally add coriander leaves.
Repeat the same with pumpkin in another non stick pan.
Sweet Lassi
For 1 serving
Thick Curds – 1/2 cup
Cold Water – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 2 tsp
Ice cubes – 2
Beat the curds well and add the water and run in a blender along with sugar and ice cubes.
Serve it chill.
Serve the Paratha Wali Gali Mixed Parathas with Aloo Subzi, Pumpkin Subzi, with Lassi and Raithas.
The entire meal is quite heavy, considering the deep fried parathas. So do not miss out the lassi.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39


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Stella McCartney - Falabella Mini Backpack
Designer: Stella McCartney
Colour: Navy glitter.
Condition: Excellent. Like new.
Features: Front zip pocket with logo disc pull. Adjustable flat back straps.Two-way zip-top closure. Signature whipstitching and curb chain trim.
Material: 100% Polyester.
Measurements: 11" h x 9" w x 5.5" d. Adjustable straps 29" - 32.5"


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Unconflicted: Mineral traceability in Africa's Great Lakes region
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Edition #3 looks at some great horror v. non-horror comparisons + some popular horror paralleling each other.
From Rob Zombie
31: Creeps, Clowns, & Chaotic Terror
31. 2016. Directed & Written by Rob Zombie.
Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Meg Foster, Kevin Jackson, Malcolm McDowell, Jane Carr, Judy Geeson, Richard Brake, Pancho Moler, David Ury, Lew Temple, Torsten Voges, & E.G. Daily.
Bow and Arrow Entertainment/PalmStar Media/Protagonist Pictures.
Rated R. 102 minutes.
I'll defend Rob Zombie to the day I die. You can say you don't like him, you don't dig his brand of horror; that's totally fine. To each their own. You can't say objectively that everything he does is bad. Because that simply isn't true.
31 is a markedly different piece of horror from Mr. Zombie. It's so clearly in his style, from the way he directs to how he writes his characters. At the same time, this is even more savage than his previous efforts with scarier characters, and we're not given too much explanation so as to ruin the effect of his various maniacs. There is the recognisable Zombie directing, the old school 1970s-type freeze frames and his unique brand of dialogue. He's just decided to take it up a notch.
The game at the heart of Murderworld – where Father Murder (Malcolm McDowell), Sister Serpent (Jane Carr) and Sister Dragon (Judy Geeson) bring their victims – is truly terrifying. Not something we haven't seen before. Zombie makes the gimmick worth it. This isn't some kind of Saw building setup with booby traps. No, Father and the Sisters have gathered together the worst of the worst killers, assembled their massive warehouse like a carnival of rooms and let those murderous clowns loose to play. Along with Zombie's dare to be disturbing these clowns are something to behold.
Totally dig the opening scene with Doom-Head (Richard Brake). He's capable of channelling sinister energy, which comes out nicely here. The way Zombie has everything open, before we discover the pastor sitting on the other side of the shot awhile later, it's as if Doom-Head is speaking right to us, the viewer. He tells us a tale before the kill. Of course he's talking to the pastor. But it's a neat way to get things going. Compounded by the fact it's shot in black-and-white, there's something jarring. Essentially, it's the prologue to Zombie's tale of horrific madness. A no-nonsense immersion into the stark terror for which Zombie so clearly aims. We come back to Doom-Head later, as he's the ultimate main villain of the film. When we do, Brake goes into full awe mode, as he quotes Casablanca, Che Guevara, as well as has ferocious sex while watching Nosferatu, among plenty of other insanity; and it works. He's a showstopper. Watching him put on the makeup is a transformation of acting and editing. Brake pumps himself up in terrifying form screaming "I'm not crazy I'm in control" then punching himself in the nose a ton. Meanwhile, the cuts leading up to his little chant flash around, skipping, like a schizophrenic fit, and then Brake's face turns from a smile to a frown; the blood runs cold watching him become a vision of disorder.
The crazy clowns are each pretty gnarly! Sick-Head (Pancho Moler) surprised me. I feel like there was too much time spent on his character. Otherwise, he's nasty. From the Nazi-Hitler fixation to the fact he's a tiny man, it hits that shocking spot just right. The ones who disturbed me most were the pairings: brothers Psycho-Head (Lew Temple) and Schizo-Head (David Ury) wielding chainsaws, threatening sexual violence, looking like the sort of child molester clowns we all feared as children; then there's Death-Head (Torsten Voges) and Sex-Head (E.G. Daily), a walking Freudian horror nightmare. Out of the two pairs, Sex and Death are the most bloodcurdling. Their size is off-putting, Death looming so tall and Sex so tiny. Death is physically intimidating and really strange-looking; Sex is tiny, violent, cute in a way that doesn't make me feel good, and scary as fuck. While I do think Doom-Head steals the show because of Brake's startling performance, the rest of the gang are equally well written by Zombie to give them all their own frightening elements.
Zombie's always guilty of a few writing mistakes. Mostly, he often doesn't trim some of the fat. Like Charly (Sheri Moon Zombie) when she gives us the cliche "You wanna know what's going on inside my head; I'll tell you what's going on inside my head" before, yes, telling us exactly what's on her mind. More than that I also find the character of Panda Thomas (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) poorly written. Could be that Hilton-Jacobs' performance is super forced and annoying, too. Not sure which is the worst part of it. Either way, Panda isn't as interesting as some of the others.
There's lots of gritty, stylish directing on the part of Zombie, though. For all the slack in his writing he makes the whole film visually interesting. Whether it's sticking to that '70s practical effects driven horror and old school editing (those awesome swipe transitions at certain points make the movie feel like a comic book), or stylised sequences such as the showdown with Sex and Death, Zombie finds a way to bring something more than turning the camera on and letting the blood flow. He promised his most brutal film yet. I've seen some reviews out there who don't think he's accomplished that. I disagree. He's definitely done disturbing before. Although, never before has his disturbing material reached such an adrenaline-fuelled, frenzied height of ferocity. In the best horror loving sense, it's beyond fun.
There'll be constant detractors of Zombie because they just don't like him, for whatever reason. There are legitimate horror fans who can't get into his style. I respect all opinions, long as you can back them up. But for me, 31 is a blast. Some of my favourite horror is the more cerebral sort, the kind you can get lost in and think about constantly. In high regard I also hold the horror which purely scares me, to the bone. Doesn't have to be an elaborate, twisty story to make me feel creeped out. Brake, among the other Heads, does enough to get to me, let alone some of the general blood an gore tossed in. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: the ending does it for me, when we see Father Murder and the Sisters change back to their normal lives, and yet Doom-Head can't let go. Yeah, the others are clearly sick, but how Doom can't change back without finishing the game, you see how utterly lost in the delusion he's become. A simple, horrifying conclusion.
I feel there are things Zombie could've easily changed, made better. A couple performances aren't what they ought to be. Once more, Brake saves the day, as do Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Meg Foster (of whom I've always been a big fan). But Brake, he is the supervillain of the Heads, the violently crazy clowns of Murderworld. He gives me an actual fright, in the quieter, more subtle moments. There's a pulsating electronic score at times, not the typical Zombie stuff (with help from John 5), which helps with much needed tension. The camera is chaotic, and also there are beautifully framed shots that linger: later when Doom-Head chokes Charly, their eyes are intercut in closeups, mirrored again right before the final shot. I do think Zombie, amongst all the viciousness, keeps improving as a filmmaker in a lot of different ways.
At the end of the day Zombie sets out to do what he wanted: to get fucked up, disturbing and nasty. He wants to get under your skin. Maybe if you think there's too much violence, he did his job. Maybe if you feel the Heads are all too much, he did his job. And perhaps if you don't feel like there's enough violence, like Zombie didn't deliver on the dripping blood and sloppy gore, then I don't know if we were watching the same film.
Halloween II: Supernatural Michael Myers
Halloween II. 2009. Directed & Written by Rob Zombie.
Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Octavia Spencer, Danielle Harris, Margot Kidder, Sheri Moon Zombie, Chase Wright Vanek, & Caroline Williams. Dimension Films/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films.
Rated R. 105 minutes.
Rob Zombie is a take-him-or-leave-him-type director. You either love him, or can't stand him. Much the same as with his music career. But for me, and I'm sure others, Zombie is one director whose entire film career feels like the last bastion of a time before too much CGI, too many remakes (yes; even though he's done two Halloween flicks). He works like how many directors did during the late 1960s and the 1970s, focusing on performance, practical effects, instead of loading down his horror films with computer generated blood and watering it all down for public consumption. Even if you don't like his movies, you have to admire the fact he lays it all out there. Particularly, The Devil's Rejects and The Lords of Salem are my favourites, and are a great representation of how he goes for it, no matter the subject, themes, or style of the movie. He always leaves everything on the table and gives us to us in his typically Zombie-like fashion.
So then there's Halloween II. Many people I know didn't even enjoy the first one, the remake to Carpenter's classic slasher from 1978. Me, I find this sequel to the remake endearing in its own ways. There are some pieces I don't enjoy. But overall, there's enough in this Zombie sequel to enjoy apart from the first Halloween II. It doesn't come as a faithful remake. It's a furthering of aspects in the Zombie version of Michael Myers. We dive deeper into the mind of the notorious slasher, and the almost supernatural element of Michael, one which came out later in the original series, is on display full force.
After the events of Halloween, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is left wounded. Both physically, and especially mentally. She's living with Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif) and his daughter Annie (Danielle Harris). They do their best to try and understand her, to try and help. But Laurie is damaged beyond belief.
Meanwhile, Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) is shopping his book around and making lots of money, getting famous. Although, people are wary of him, as they believe he's profiting off the death of many.
And then there's Michael Myers (Tyler Mane). He's not dead, and the men transporting his dead body discover that. Michael, driven by visions of his dead mother Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie), keeps looking for Laurie.
And he will find her. No matter who gets in the way.
One thing I do truly love about this sequel to the remake is that, like the original series as it went on, it really pushes the boundaries on Michael's brutality. Later on in the original series, either in the fourth or fifth installment, Myers pushes his thumb through a person's head. Even in John Carpenter's original classic, his power is displayed pretty clearly with him picking up a teenager and pinning him to the wall with his knife. But here in the new Halloween II, Zombie almost goes further. In the opening 20 minute sequence there is some savagery. A nasty decapitation. Lots of raw, brutal force from Myers, as he starts to murder his way back into Haddonfield, one corpse at a time.
Many people, it seems, had a problem with the backstory to Michael with Zombie's remake to start. I understand that. Some fans of the franchise just like Michael as this faceless entity. My argument is that, had Zombie not changed anything and done the same thing, people would likely have ragged on him for copying Carpenter. Instead, Zombie brings a fresh face, literally, to Myers. He gives him humanity, but takes it away. He makes Michael human to make him a monster, an even more vicious killer than the original (even though I love Carpenter's film most). We even get him wandering around sans-mask, which some of course cried sacrilege over. I dig it because that sets him apart as Zombie's own character, as opposed to a simply copy of Carpenter.
There is a further brutal nature to Michael when he's this person that became a unrelenting killer instead of just The Shape. So an extension of this version is that psychology plays a big part in what Michael becomes, who he is as the unstoppable serial killer. The whole white horse deal I found a bit of fun. And I like how Laurie, in her trauma, starts having the same vision of her mother. Very eerie, and supernatural without quite being supernatural. It's like a fever dream.
Now, I don't dig that the same kid didn't play young Michael. It was really off-putting. Not only because they're definitely different looking (and yes I understand the real actor likely changed a good deal in between the films), but the original actor Daeg Faerch has a very perfect charisma and style for the character. So that's one of the aspects of this movie that truly disappointed me. The actor here didn't fit the role and his intensity is starkly different, so the flow of this film with the remake is a bit shaky.
I'm back and forth on Laurie as a character in this movie. Her trauma is very real, I don't doubt she would be a woman torn apart after the events she'd experienced. However, the writing on Zombie's part makes her so whiny and just too unlikeable. The way she treats her best friend, Annie, who went through lots of trauma herself, is difficult to reconcile. Maybe that was the intention. But still, it actually annoys me, Scout Taylor-Compton makes me hate her and I didn't during the first one. I can appreciate characters who are despicable, et cetera, this only serves as a way to make me feel like fast forwarding. And I'm already in the minority of people who actually dig this flick.
In the acting department, what saves Halloween II is the fact Brad Dourif, Daniel Harris, and Malcolm McDowell give us pretty good performances in their respective roles.
Dourif is always a treat, especially when given the proper material. His Sheriff Brackett is even better than Charles Cyphers in the first two original Halloween films. I love the way Zombie writes characters, and it shines with Brackett. Performed by Dourif it is a dream. The whole Lee Marvin bit is some of my favourite banter from any recent horror. So funny, even funnier that the girls have no idea about Lee Marvin, nor do they get the barn part of the joke. Just a great sequence. Dourif and Harris are great as a father-daughter combo. Harris herself is a Halloween veteran. Here, as a grown woman, she does a nice job in the tragic role she plays. Her energy is what's enjoyable, even in films that aren't so great. But the Annie Brackett she plays is equally as fun as Nancy Kyes (billed as Nancy Loomis). Harris doesn't get a huge part before the fate she runs into, but what we get is solid.
Finally, it's McDowell as Dr. Loomis that I enjoy most. I will always love Donald Pleasence and his portrayal above anything in any of the films, truly. He was amazing. What I enjoy here is how Zombie writes Loomis as a fame-whore, a guy who just wants another shot at being well-known, at money and glamour. As opposed to the original, Loomis here is an opportunist, who only after it's too late realizes the error in his ways. So with McDowell acting his ass off and bringing this new vision of the doctor to life, it's a ton of fun. Some of the dialogue with his assistant is downright hilarious. But it's the tragedy of this character, the blind ignorance, which really sells it. McDowell was made for this role, too. He has all the right range to play a man who's got this saccharine sweetness about him in public and, when pushed, a bitter rage that comes out.
With warts and all, I give Zombie's second Halloween a 3&1/2-star rating. There is a great dose of horror and terror within. Not all of Zombie's writing is on par here with the first, or some of his other work. Nevertheless, he gives us a version of the Michael Myers tale that doesn't try and straight-up adapt the original sequel (apart from a nice dreamy sequence in the beginning). The brutality of Myers is always evident, as is the trauma that his serial killing rampaging has caused. Although the script could've been better, I still thought Zombie did some interesting things, as well as brought the savagery required to make this worthy of a watch.
House of 1000 Corpses: Homage and Throwbacks to the 1970s
House of 1000 Corpses. 2003. Directed & Written Rob Zombie.
Starring Sid Haig, William Bassett, Karen Black, Erin Daniels, Joe Dobbs III, Dennis Fimple, Gregg Gibbs, Walton Goggins, Chris Hardwick, Jennifer Jstyn, Irwin Keyes, Matthew McGrory, Jake McKinnon, Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Robert Allen Mukes, Walter Phelan, Tom Towles, Harrison Young, & Rainn Wilson. Spectacle Entertainment Group/Universal Pictures.
Rated R. 89 minutes.
I don't post on message boards. Although, I do frequent them to see what people are saying about films. On IMDB particularly, so many people rag on Rob Zombie. But I love him. His music with White Zombie influenced some of my own music I used to write as a teenager. When I first heard he was making a movie it had me sold before it was finished. All the same, House of 1000 Corpses is not near perfect. There are definitely flaws. What Zombie's debut feature does have is the power of nostalgia.
None of this is ripped right out of other movies, as some will have you believe. The love Zombie has for horror films out of the 1970s shows strong and proud. Equal parts Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, add in a bit of Beetlejuice and Tod Browning's Freaks to boot. Not only is there plenty of horror, but Zombie gives us plenty of his trademark sense of humour, macabre and over-the-top alike.
The night before Halloween in 1977, a group of friends – Jerry (Chris Hardwick), Bill (Rainn Wilson), Mary (Jennifer Jostyn), & Denise (Erin Daniels) – head out on a roadtrip to find roadside attractions that are, let's say… different. When they come across a gas station and proclaimed Museum of Monsters & Madmen, a rough-looking man in clown paint named Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) tells them all about the legend of a supposed Dr. Satan. He even draws them to a map where the doctor is said to have been hanged.
Along their way, a young woman hitchhiking in the rain gets into their car. Her name's Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), and she invites the group to her place a short drive away. A tire blows, so Baby and Bill go on to the house.
Later, once the friends are all there, Baby introduces members of her family. First, Mother Firefly (Karen Black), then her brother Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley). We meet them all. Dirty ole Grandpa Hugo (Dennis Fimple). Even some deformed babies in a jar, as well as the deformed giant Tiny (Matthew McGrory).
From there, the legend of Dr. Satan begins to get all too real.
This movie was never going to be for everyone, not that any truly are. Yet Zombie's style as a musician all but guaranteed his movies would follow similar suit. His style is pervasive, in that it never surprised me how his first horror feature turned out. A lot of the film has a very Tony Scott-MTV-ish sort of feel, which is not necessarily bad. Some people might find that too frantic or fast paced. There are times where it doesn't work, as if we're trapped in a music video instead of a proper film. And then other scenes I'm drawn into the way Zombie uses different choices of edits, between the lavish frames sometimes recalling the technicolor vibe of Mario Bava, and the handheld home movies of the Firefly clan. Some of the Otis digressions in the handheld style are truly terrifying. Both he and Baby are disturbing characters, so seeing them in those little videos is unnerving. I dig it especially because apparently Zombie sort of did that off on his own, just him and the actors. So there's also an admiration I have for his way of indie filmmaking. The commentary on his DVDs is usually pretty great, and he gives insight to some of the ways to try and do things old school, practically, which in turn always helps on the production side of things; no studio or financier could be unhappy with a director who hands money back after wrap. Again, there are flaws, a good deal of them. But House of 1000 Corpses is charming enough to be forgiven. Using homage, Zombie crafts his own version of the creepy house with the even creepier family inside. It comes alive with interesting, weird characters and the use of practical effects to keep things feeling oh-so-70s.
A lot of people don't find this scary. When I say something's scary, it isn't that I'm cowering behind the couch, or staying up at night all due to the terror. Here, I mean disturbing when I say that this is a scary film. Zombie takes his homage, particularly to TCM, to another level. He amps up the strangeness – more TCM2 than the original. But also, there's the end of the film. Once Otis and the family take the remaining victims out to the fields for more madness, things become viciously unsettling. As they lower two of them down into a hole in the ground, Aleister Crowley (I believe) speaks the words "Bury me in a nameless grave" over and over on a recording. And it's incredibly perfect for the moment. After that is when the movie gets totally creepy to the ultimate degree. I won't spoil any further. There's simply something so dark and sinister about it all. Especially once Dr. Satan arrives. Despite maybe being a bit campy, he actually terrified me. The design of the set for his lair, his physical look, all those mechanical contraptions around hi and the laboratory; so morbid, so impressive, too. Great work went into this aspect, I only kind of wish there were more of the nasty doctor. Maybe someday Zombie will revisit him, tell his story in another film. Please, Rob? Please? Terrify me more.
With an ending I actually expected when first seeing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre nearly two decades ago, Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses is a definite 4 out of 5 stars for me. Like I've said, the movie is not at all perfect. There are pieces which could've come off much better, as well as some of the acting wasn't near what you'd hope. Yet the charm and the homage, the creepy eccentricities, all the things we now see as staples of Zombie and his directorial style, they make this a fun modern horror. The actors, particularly Bill Moseley, really do ham it up during some scenes with their darker than dark comedy, but knock you dead with horrific glory during intense moments. Don't be overly critical. Zombie didn't try to reinvent the horror wheel, it's clear he wears his influences on his sleeves, bright and brash, garishly enjoyable. Have a bit of fun with Zombie's house of '70s horror.
Rob Zombie Presents Halloween: The Horrific Origins of Michael Myers
Halloween. 2007. Directed & Written by Rob Zombie; based on the original screenplay by John Carpenter & Debra Hill.
Starring Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Richard Lynch, Udo Kier, Clint Howard, Danny Trejo, Lew Temple, Tom Towles, Bill Moseley, & Leslie Easterbrook. Dimension Films/Nightfall Productions/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films/The Weinstein Company.
Rated 18A. 109 minutes.
I never imagined, listening to White Zombie in the '90s, that Rob Zombie would go on to be one of my favourite horror directors working. He always appeared imaginative, but I couldn't have guessed his love of the horror genre ran so deep. He's given the keys to the slasher horror castle here, reinterpreting the original screenplay for Halloween in 1978 from John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Instead of providing lackluster jump scares and unnecessary gore to overcompensate, Zombie crafts a new vision of Michael Myers. No more is Myers so much a force of evil, like some wandering, unkillable spirit. Now, he is a boy with a face, a child not just hidden behind a mask, who eventually grows into his skin and becomes the ugliest, most vicious serial killer in America (well, the fictional one anyways).
Switch the subtle techniques of Carpenter for a throwback aesthetic mixed with gritty realism, and you've got Zombie's film in a nutshell. Although many want to try and pick one over the other, they're different movies, different stories centered around the same characters. You can say what you want. But for me, Carpenter and Zombie both have their merits. No matter if the original is my favourite, and a perfect piece of horror cinema, Zombie brings savagery to the table, plus an interesting style of directing. This makes it more than worth the watch.
Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) is a young boy with a fairly awful life day to day. Although his mother Deborah (Sheri Moon Zombie) loves him, her sleazy boyfriend Ronnie White (William Forsythe) treats him like shit, all the while sizing up Debbie's daughter Judith (Hanna Hall). At school, Michael gets pushed around and harassed, specifically about his mother being a stripper at a local club. But at home, alone, Michael dissects animals, getting blood all over his hands. Then once a kid at school finally pushes him over the edge, Michael beats him to death in the woods. The transition begins.
On Halloween night, Michael kills Ronnie, then Judith and her boyfriend. This shocks the town of Haddonfield. The law puts Michael in an institution, where Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) picks his brain to try and determine why evil lies in such a young mind. There's also orderly Ismael Cruz (Danny Trejo) who talks to the boy often, trying to relate with him.
Only after 17 years go by, an older Michael gets a visit from a new, less friendly orderly by the name of Noel Kluggs (Lew Temple). He and his equally disgusting hillbilly cousin take advantage of having keys to the place. They rape a female patient after bringing her into Michael's room, when Noel underestimates the now 27-year-old man. Michael kills the men and then begins on a path of destruction carrying him back towards Haddonfield, where his reign of terror is about to begin. As if it already hadn't.
Love the metafictional quote from Dr. Loomis' book. Like a post-modern version of Carpenter and Hill's classic, early slasher. The whole character of Loomis is much different from that of Donald Pleasence's version, and of course that's mostly the way it's written. In the original film(s), Loomis is an underrated psychiatrist whose knowledge of evil, and particularly that of Michael, is unparalleled. Here, McDowell's Loomis is a good man initially. Then he morphs into a fame-seeking, fame-whoring doctor who made his fame and fortune off the dead corpses of a bunch of people in Haddonfield. He's treated as such, too. So apart from the other liberties Zombie takes, or should I say aside from the expanded history Zombie creates, there's this totally new role for Loomis, which I love. Pleasence is a classic, though, Loomis is a completely new beast under McDowell and I dig him, as well.
I don't agree with the stance of people saying oh well we don't want to see Michael Myers as a child, that's the scary part. But wait a minute? Doesn't the original Halloween, which I adore, start with that POV from the perspective of a young Michael? We already see that. Far as I'm concerned Zombie doesn't really leap too far in reimagining Carpenter here. He takes what we've already seen, then elaborates largely. So yeah, maybe you don't want to see the childhood of Michael completely played out, but the seeds were there in the original. So honestly, if Carpenter really wanted to keep his Myers as the almost supernatural, mythical Shape, then there's no need to even show us the beginning of the child Michael; may as well jump right in. Not a criticism against him – I love that film, and it's perfect. Period. That's a criticism against those trying to rationalize their need for a theory on why Zombie shouldn't have done it this way. For me, the best thing Zombie does here is humanize Michael. Because for all those people saying something is scarier about an unstoppable force of almost supernatural strength, I believe there's nothing scarier than human evil, it never stops either. And personally, imagining Michael as a human killer, a kid who grew like weed out of hatred, is far more terrifying.
Carpenter wins overall, obviously. The techniques he used directing, some of those shots they achieved, plus the writing from him and Hill; everything in that movie is perfect. While Zombie's film is not perfect, it wins on horror. There's a more brutal aspect to this Halloween that hooks me in. It'll never beat the quality of Carpenter's original, but Zombie does a fine job crafting a gritty, raw remake. One of the better remakes that's come out of the big Hollywood machine. Probably because Zombie isn't exactly a Hollywood director, he just has the popularity to draw the Weinsteins and such. Regardless, this is miles better than the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street remakes, and that glossed over Texas Chainsaw Michael Bay-produced affair.
As I've mentioned, there is a stern brutality to many of the kills in this remake. Part of why I still enjoyed some of the later Halloween sequels is due in large to the fact they started to up the pure strength of Michael. In one, he simply jams his thumb right through a victim's forehead. After that, he became relentless in power. So even better that he's a real humanized type killer here, coupled with the way he straight up just beats a few people to death. And I'm talking absolutely demolishing people. When he kills the orderly Noel, he repeatedly slams him against the concrete wall until blood starts to fly. It is a savage death. Then he drowns Danny Trejo's character Ismael, which goes to show how brutal he is – no longer does Michael even care for people who show him any compassion. His heart is dead: "I was good to you, Mikey," sputters Ismale while trying not to drown. Then a television gets dropped on the guy's head. So if you didn't already know this is a remorseless killer, he does not discriminate. Doesn't matter who or what is in his way, not anymore. Since his mother died, the last of his humanity left, too. Lots of great kills after this, which Zombie captures in perfectly nasty fashion.
Some of my other favourite moments – the fight with Big Joe Grizzly (legendary Ken Foree) that is just pure unadulterated hypermasculinity, though oh-so-horror-good, and once more showcases that sickly strength in Myers; when Michael makes his way into the neighbourhood and goes mad on the young people it gets bloody and unruly; and when Michael goes to see the Strodes awhile before that, things are pretty rough, as well as creepy, and sad.
On top of everything there's Scout Taylor-Compton in the old Jamie Curtis role. She does a solid job, as she's cute and personable and she plays a nice good-girl, at the same time she's got attitude and can be funny. Also, proper at showing fear. Danielle Harris is great, too, even if she doesn't have a massive role; nice to see her back after the performances she gave as a child in a couple of the original movies. Then there's a bunch of cameos, such as Ken Foree, Zombie alumni Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Leslie Easterbrook, Sheri Moon Zombie (though hers is more than a cameo really), William Forsythe, Micky Dolenz of Monkees fame. Brad Dourif is awesome as the sheriff in all his scenes, too. Love seeing him anywhere, solid character actor.
All in all, I'm giving Zombie's remake a 4&1/2-star rating. I don't care, man. Dig it so hard. Lots of brutal violence in slasher tradition. Good, old school style filmmaking that both technique-wise and design-wise throws back to the 1970's. But it's the reinvention of Michael Myers and his story that draws me in consistently. I can always watch this, right alongside the original. And while I love Carpenter's Halloween most, this one is a solid modern remake that gives us blood, thrills, and even some sly laughs.
THE LORDS OF SALEM: Worship at the Haunted Neon Altar with Rob Zombie
All hail the Lords of Salem!
The Devil's Rejects: Old School Horror a la Manson
The Devil's Rejects. 2005. Dir. Rob Zombie. Starring Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Ken Foree, Matthew McGrory, Leslie Easterbrook, Geoffrey Lewis, and Priscilla Barnes. Rated R. Maple Pictures. 107 mins.
★★★★ (Film)
★★★1/2 (Blu ray release)
I'll start off by saying I really love this movie. Not only that, I think Rob Zombie is an excellent horror director. He has a whole style of his own, as if the 60s & 70s came back to life with more grit n' grime than you could ever have imagined. Personally, I also think he gets better.
I love the film. It's quirky and funny at times. Others it is terrifying. Naturally, Zombie throws in a few good measures of nostalgia such as references to Elvis, the Marx Brothers and specifically Groucho, Johnny Cash, and a few other bits here or there. The Devil's Rejects picks up just after the events of Zombie's first feature film House of 1,000 Corpses: we watch as the Firefly family is laid siege upon by Texas Sherriff John Wydell (whose brother met an untimely end along with Walton Goggins in the first film) and his State Troopers. However, Baby and Otis manage to slip out through the horrific Firefly house, and get themselves onto the road where they escape into thin air. Certainly, Captain Spaulding pops up quickly, and we find out that he is in fact the father of Baby, who is also the brother of Otis- a very interesting and terrible family connection. From there we basically get a slasher road movie with that 60s/70s sensibility. Add in a bit of Ken Foree and Michael Berryman, a climax involving guns and a convertible and Lynyrd Skynyrd, some intense violence, and you've got quite the intense experience all around.
I really love this sequel because it takes a more campy horror, House of 1,000 Corpses, and extends the characters into something much more serious, sinister, and creepy. One scene specifically, in the motel, really gets to me. Bill Moseley said it was a very awful experience for him. Zombie makes a few comments on the Blu-ray about how it was very hard to wash those days of filming off afterwards. Tough to stop filming and all of a sudden go back into a light mood. No doubt. But it goes to show how powerful film can be. This isn't just a raw movie full of violence, it really examines some dark subject matter. I think Zombie did an excellent job taking his weird characters from the first film and transplanting them into something similar yet vastly different. Good job by a solid filmmaker who knows horror well.
That being said I'm not really impressed with this Blu-ray release. I've also got The Devil's Rejects on DVD; it came with a two-disc set, one disc containing a documentary on the making of the film called 30 Days In Hell, which I really enjoyed. It had a lot of great stuff on there. Of course there were also other little bits and pieces. This Blu-ray has none of that. It contains the audio commentary, thank the movie gods, and some deleted scenes. If it weren't for Rob Zombie's commentary in particular this release would get a lower score. Not because of the film itself, just because of the features. This is a big disappointment. Zombie's commentary, of course, is gold. He always has some great stuff to say about the filming process. I really like his perspective on budgets; on the DVD set I have there is an interview with him where he talks about how there's no sense in throwing more money at something when he could just do it practically and in a more interesting way. About 98% of the effects here are practical. One notable exception is the knife Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) throws at one of her hostages, catching the woman in the chest; this is done digitally. Still, even that looks nice. It's cool to hear Zombie talk a bit about these things. Only part saving this pitiful Blu-ray.
As for the film, it looks spectacular. Zombie found the perfect look for The Devil's Rejects. As I said before, it's straight out of the 60s/70s here. A lot of classic looking shots here that remind me of road movies from that period. I had to give this release a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I wish I could give it more. Based solely on the film, I give it a HUGE rating. However, this is a review of the Blu-ray itself, including its "special features". I put quotations around those words because there's nothing much special here. If it wasn't for the quality, I'd probably just opt to throw in my DVD set instead, and get more bang for my buck. Although I only paid $8 for this Blu-ray at HMV, I still think they could have done better. The movie is great, while the extras here do not justify the entire release. I wish they could have included the extras I have on the 2-disc DVD set. Then this would be a full 5-star review. Shame.


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There Can Be Only One November 7, 2012Posted by Within Reason in Skepticism and atheism.
Editorial Note: This post was written by Wes Fenza, long before the falling out of our previous quint household and the subsequent illumination of his abusive behavior, sexual assault of several women, and removal from the Polyamory Leadership Network and banning from at least one conference. I have left Wes' posts here because I don't believe it's meaningful to simply remove them. You cannot remove the truth by hiding it; Wes and I used to collaborate, and his thoughts will remain here, with this notice attached.
Most poly people encounter a phenomenon where a heterosexual couple decide to open up just slightly, so that one or both members can have sex outside the relationship with women, but not with men. Most tend to call this a "one penis policy." I think that term is boring, so I've taken to calling it "Highlander Penis."
Needless to say, I find it incredibly frustrating, not only as a man who slogs through the dating world, but also because it almost always seems to rely on sexist assumptions about the difference between men and women. Whenever I encounter it, I just roll my eyes and think of this:
- 1. Silenus - November 7, 2012
I thought the Highlander Penis had to do with anal sex. At least in MY end there can be only one…
- 2. honestlyopen - November 8, 2012
XD @ first comment.
- 3. Welcome Our America Viewers! | atheist, polyamorous, skeptics - March 5, 2013
[…] My main philosophy on polyamory can be seen in my post Polyamory Isn't All About You. It's about why I became polyamorous, and how my love for my wife meant that I didn't want to deny her the things that she wanted. You can also see one of my more controversial posts where I assert that Polyamory is Not a Sexual Orientation, and give my reasons why I think so. You can also see my view on The Transactional Model of Relationships, and why I'm not a fan. Also, don't miss my more fun posts about Dick Stumps and Highlander Penis! […]
- 4. mellodika.ru - September 2, 2014
These all YouTube gaming movie lessons are really surrounded appealing quality, I watched out all these along along my friends.
Sorry comments are closed for this entry


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Raymond L. Fenio
11-Nov-1999, 22:12
I have a horseman VHR 2x3 camera and am interested in shooting some square (6x6) transparencies to use in a projector. Does anyone make a 6x6 back for a 2x3 ca mera? I have heard there is a graflex back in 120 and maybe in 220 size that is 6x6.


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Long time no writey 'bout comics. Every month, a box of great comics slaps down on my doorstep, every month I'm on the verge of endorsing them from my humble soapbox, and every month that familiar wave of lethargy washes over me. Nah, I think to myself, reviewing comics is a game for people who buy their comics weekly, not monthly. Guys like Jog, and Chris, who when he isn't cracking us up with his funny stuff, produces a weekly roundup I never miss 'cus he reads a lot of bad comics so I don't have to.
Here's another weird and wonderful thing about comics - I can tell when a new package is about to arrive from my comic shop of choice, because those shitehawks at Amazon* decide to bombard me with a ton of items I'd ordered months ago and forgotten about. The sequence usually goes like this - it's a couple of days before payday. My current account is getting low. Bam! Amazon email me to tell me they're sending me those long-lost books. Eek! They've debited my account. A few business days later, some of those familiar Amazon packages get jammed through the letter box. Then, just as my "to read" pile starts tottering precariously, Ace send me a jumbo box of stuff, to push things right over the edge.
Anyway, the moral of this story is: I've just fallen in love with Liam Sharp's art all over again, thanks to Akedah, the first collection of the series TESTAMENT. Liam started at 2000AD in the late eighties, with a lovely fresh style which I thought reminiscent of the long-underrated John "colourist of WATCHMEN & KILLING JOKE" Higgins. This developed into a tight illustrative style, and he became a regular Dredd artist, with the recurring PJ Maybe storyline (recently collected by Rebellion). Then he pretty much disappeared off my radar, working at Marvel UK, Verotik, Heavy Metal and Image, I believe (none of which were venues I frequented, barely reading comics at the time). His name expanded, like Barry Smith before him, and he became Liam McCormack-Sharp, for a while. From what I can tell, his work during this period had a tendency to fall a little too much under the influence of the great Simon Bisley. This is hardly unforgiveable - Bisley was a revolution at the time, melding the anarchy of Sienkiewicz with the muscular charisma of Frazetta. Every upstart British artist was grabbing his brushes and acrylics at the time, and abandoning his faithful 4B. I won't list them all, but most only reached maturity when they returned to pen and ink: like Duncan Fegredo, Sean Phillips, and Kev Walker.
Sharp re-emerged on my radar when I returned to reading 2000AD after a few years break: he did an arc of Pat Mills' A.B.C. Warriors that was bloody awful. Looked like he drew it with a muddy stick. I lamented his decline. Then I came across the excellent anthology he produced, EVENT HORIZON. I've written about it before, but I remember hesitating when I first heard about it. I thought it sounded a little bit too HEAVY METAL for me. The gala list of contributors eventually swayed me, and Sharp's own contributions (the hilariously named Fucking Savages) again were a little bit more-Bisley-than-Bisley. That said, it was well-crafted, slickly painted, and at least it wasn't muddy stickulous.
Which brings me to TESTAMENT. I've often been guilty of that crappy critical standby, the cheesy simile, (artist X) is like (artist Y) meets (artist Z). Hey, it's not like I'm the only one. But as I read this trade paperback, a whole gamut of names came jumping at me. Sharp has developed a new style that has a lot of the old him in it, but which simultaneously reminds me of greats like Quitely, Manara, Moebius, Bernet, Kubert, Druillet, Crumb, Corben...
It really is great to see an artist fulfilling his early promise, and who's really clicking with some great material. Bravo.
*Oh, and buy NEXTWAVE.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
I heart Liam Sharp
Long time no writey 'bout comics. Every month, a box of great comics slaps down on my doorstep, every month I'm on the verge of endorsing them from my humble soapbox, and every month that familiar wave of lethargy washes over me. Nah, I think to myself, reviewing comics is a game for people who buy their comics weekly, not monthly. Guys like Jog, and Chris, who when he isn't cracking us up with his funny stuff, produces a weekly roundup I never miss 'cus he reads a lot of bad comics so I don't have to.
by Mark Kardwell at 9:46 PM
Labels: Event Horizon, Liam Sharp, Mam-Tor, Testament
7 comments:
- geoff said...
nice template marko. all you need to do is change the colour of the "links i haven't visited" from the same colour as the background and it'll be great.
or is it a colourblind issue? or is it my browser?
- saudade said...
bI thought that was some artsy thing I wasn't supposed to understand, like wine, or cheese.
I think you should keep it. It's dark and mysterious.
Both a template and pic change in a few days. Looks nice!
- Mark said...
Yeah, it's an issue with the template change, but I thought it turned out quite funny, so I left it for the time being.
I changed from the old template because it really couldn't take any bandwidth pressure at all without exploding, so I played it safe with a more stable one. But I've got to do some more work on it - it scrambles my wee photo, and ate my links. Dammit!
- Mark said...
Fixed. Oh, and Saudade - "wine and cheese" isn't meant to be mysterious. It's supposed to get me a better class of passing trade.
- Brandon said...
Dammit! Everytime I read your stuff I end up spending about ten bucks buying 2000AD back issues on eBay.
By the way, I love the black. It's so slimming.
- geoff said...
wine and cheese? can you imagine turning up at one of those gigs and getting handed buckfast and coleraine cheddar?
- Mark said...
My sophisticated palette will no longer tolerate Buckfast, though it will always hold a special place in my heart.


text:
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Adoptive T cell therapy using antigen-specific CD8+ T cell clones for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma: In vivo persistence, migration, and antitumor effect of transferred T cells
Communicated by E. Donnall Thomas, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (received for review July 22, 2002)
Adoptive T cell therapy, involving the ex vivo selection and expansion of antigen-specific T cell clones, provides a means of augmenting antigen-specific immunity without the in vivo constraints that can accompany vaccine-based strategies. A phase I study was performed to evaluate the safety, in vivo persistence, and efficacy of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cell clones targeting the tumor-associated antigens, MART1/MelanA and gp100 for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. Four infusions of autologous T cell clones were administered, the first without IL-2 and subsequent infusions with low-dose IL-2 (at 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 × 106 units/m2 twice daily for the second, third, and fourth infusions, respectively). Forty-three infusions of MART1/MelanA-specific or gp100-specific CD8+ T cell clones were administered to 10 patients. No serious toxicity was observed. We demonstrate that the adoptively transferred T cell clones persist in vivo in response to low-dose IL-2, preferentially localize to tumor sites and mediate an antigen-specific immune response characterized by the elimination of antigen-positive tumor cells, regression of individual metastases, and minor, mixed or stable responses in 8 of 10 patients with refractory, metastatic disease for up to 21 mo.
The identification of T cell-defined tumor antigens in melanoma has led to the development of clinical trials that target cancer cells by augmenting the antigen-specific cellular immune response (1). This approach has been pursued by vaccination strategies, in which the antigens are presented in a potentially immunogenic context to induce T cell responses or by adoptive cellular therapy, in which antigen-specific T cells are isolated and expanded ex vivo and then infused to increase the number of effector cells in vivo.
Although some clinical responses have been observed in vaccine trials, the magnitude of the induced T cell response has been generally low or undetectable and has correlated poorly with clinical responses. In contrast to vaccination strategies, adoptive therapy strategies can overcome the in vivo constraints that influence the magnitude and avidity of the targeted response. T cells of a given specificity, function, and avidity for tumor can be selected in vitro and then expanded to achieve in vivo frequencies in the peripheral blood that are higher than generally attained by current immunization regimens and are consistent with levels predicted by murine tumor therapy models to be required to mediate tumor elimination (2, 3).
In this study of adoptive therapy, we target the T cell-defined melanoma antigens MART1/Melan-A (4, 5) and gp100 (6), which belong to a group of tumor-associated differentiation antigens expressed by normal melanocytes. Targeting such self proteins overexpressed by malignant cells represents an increasingly important paradigm in tumor immunology (7) but has potential limitations, including the fact that normal tissues may be recognized and injured. We report results of a phase I study of adoptive T cell therapy using tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell clones generated from patients with metastatic melanoma.
Materials and Methods
Generation of MART-1 and gp100-Specific CD8+ T Cell Clones from Peripheral Blood of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma.
All studies using human subjects received prior approval by Institutional Review at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. After informed consent, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained and antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were generated as described by using autologous dendritic cells pulsed with the A2-restricted peptide epitope of MART-1 (M27: AAGIGILTV) or gp100 (G154: KTWGQYWQV) (8–10). After three cycles of stimulation at weekly intervals, T cells were cloned by and expanded for in vitro testing. CTL clones demonstrating specific lysis of antigen-positive tumor targets in a chromium release assay were selected. Clones were expanded in 14-day cycles by using anti-CD3 antibody (OKT3, Orthoclone; Ortho Biotech, Raritan, NJ) at 30 ng/ml, irradiated allogeneic PBMCs, at 106 cells/ml, irradiated allogeneic lymphoblastoid cell lines (2 × 105 cells/ml), and serial IL-2 (aldesleukin; Chiron) at 25–50 units/ml every 2–3 days (11). All clones were characterized as CD3+, CD4−, CD8+ and expressed the high-affinity IL-2 receptor (CD25) after antigen stimulation.
Adoptive T Cell Therapy.
Ten patients were enrolled in a phase I study of adoptive T cell therapy. All patients met the following entry criteria: histopathologic diagnosis of metastatic (stage IV) melanoma, age <75, no evidence of CNS metastasis and no clinically significant cardiac, hepatic, or pulmonary dysfunction. All patients expressed HLA-A2.
A total of four T cell infusions was planned, the first without low-dose IL-2 and subsequent infusions (second, third, and fourth) coadministered with increasing doses of s.c. IL-2 (0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 × 106 units/m2 twice daily for 14 days; Fig. 1). Patients were monitored closely by physical examination and serum chemistries for evidence of toxicity. Stopping rules included the appearance of serious (≥grade III toxicity by National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria). The dose of IL-2 used is sufficient to saturate high-affinity IL-2 receptors in vivo and, when administered alone, has no anti-melanoma effect and minimal toxicity (12, 13).
Construction of Peptide–MHC Tetramers.
Tetramers were made according to the protocol of Altman et al. (14). In brief, human β2-microglobulin and the soluble domain of the HLA-A2 heavy chain linked at its COOH terminus to a BirA substrate peptide were expressed in Escherichia coli and refolded together in vitro in the presence of peptide and biotinylated. After purification, tetrameric complexes were produced by mixing biotinylated heterodimer with NeutrAvidin–PE (Molecular Probes) at a molar ratio of 4:1. Tetramers presenting immunogenic epitopes of MART-1 (M27:AAGIGILTV), tyrosinase (T368:YMDGTMSQV), and gp100 (G154:KTWGQYWQV) were constructed.
Analysis of Antigen-Specific T Cell Frequency in the Peripheral Blood and Tissue Samples Using Peptide–MHC Tetramers.
To evaluate in vivo persistence of T cells in the peripheral blood, PBMCs were prepared from samples drawn on days 0 (preinfusion), 1, 7, 14, and 21 after each infusion and cryopreserved so all samples could be analyzed simultaneously. At the completion of the study, these samples were thawed, stained for 40 min at 22°C with peptide–MHC tetramer-PE (25–50 μg/ml), anti-CD8-FITC, and "dump" antibodies. Flow cytometric analysis was carried out on a minimum of 50,000 cells. The frequency of antigen–specific CTLs is presented as a fraction of tetramer-positive, CD8+ lymphocytes over the total number of CD8+ cells. This method detects with high specificity a frequency of antigen-specific T cells as low as 0.05% CD8+ cells (9, 15, 16). The median survival of transferred T cells is defined as the day on which one-half maximal frequency of tetramer+ T cells persists.
Immunohistochemical Analysis of Antigen Expression in Skin and Tumor Biopsies.
Staining for gp100, MART-1, and tyrosinase was performed by a peroxidase-labeled streptavidin–biotin method on an automated stainer (Ventana Medical Systems, Tucson, AZ). Paraffin tissue sections were mounted on aminoalkylsilane-treated glass slides and heat treated to optimize antigen retrieval. Immunohistochemical staining involved the sequential application of primary antibody, biotinylated goat secondary antibodies, and then peroxidase-labeled streptavidin. The antigens were visualized by incubation with aminoethylcarbazole substrate in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Nonimmune mouse IgG in place of specific antibody was used for negative control sections.
Study Patients.
A total of 43 T cell infusions were administered to 10 patients with metastatic melanoma (Table 1). Five patients received therapy with MART-1-specific CTLs (22 infusions total), and five received gp100-specific CTLs (21 infusions total). All 10 patients presented with stage IV disease. Patients were enrolled and underwent leukapheresis before beginning conventional therapy (chemotherapy, biochemotherapy, or high-dose IFN) for treatment of metastatic disease so that T cell clones could be generated in vitro and cryopreserved until needed. Only after failing conventional therapy (as documented by disease progression) did patients proceed to adoptive T cell therapy.
Safety of Adoptively Transferred Melanocyte Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cells.
Patients were monitored for signs and symptoms of toxicity, including autoimmunity, because MART1/MelanA and gp100 may be expressed in normal tissues such as melanocytes. No grade III or IV toxicity was observed (National Cancer Institute common toxicity criteria; http://ctep.cancer.gov/reporting/ctc.html). Nine of 10 patients experienced myalgias, fever, and fatigue, which began 4–6 h after T cell infusion and resolved spontaneously within 72 h, symptoms consistent with a cytokine release syndrome.
One patient, 1017-2, developed a targetoid erythematous skin rash surrounding pigmented areas of skin on day 5 after an infusion of MART1-specific CTLs and low-dose IL-2. Detailed analysis of this rash has been previously reported documenting the accumulation of adoptively transferred CTLs accompanied by destruction of MART1-positive melanocytes (9).
Assessment of in Vivo Frequency of Transferred T Cells.
The in vivo median survival of the transferred cells was determined by measuring the frequency of transferred CTLs in serial samples of peripheral blood of treated patients by using peptide MHC tetramers. To affirm the sensitivity, and reproducibility of this approach, the CTL frequency was also determined in the initial 3 patients, by another structure-based assay, semiquantitative PCR with clone-specific primers designed within the hyervariable CDR3 region of the T cell receptor of the infused clone. When either method was used, the T cell frequencies and the duration of in vivo persistence represented by T cell median survival were nearly identical (e.g., 6.66 vs. 6.84 days, Fig. 2).
In Vivo Frequency and Persistence of Infused CTL Clones Either Administered Alone or Followed by Low-Dose IL-2.
In our initial study (protocol 1017.00) of 4 patients who received MART-1-specific CD8+ CTL clones alone, the median survival was ≈6.7 days (data not shown). To improve the in vivo persistence of transferred CD8+ T cells, increasing doses of IL-2 (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 million units IL-2/m2/day) were coadministered with the second, third, and fourth infusions (protocol 1017.01, Materials and Methods).
Among 10 patients treated in this study, analysis of a total of 13 infusions given without IL-2 demonstrated a pattern of T cell survival that was characterized by undetectable levels preinfusion and a peak T cell frequency on day 1 after infusion, comprising on average 1.47% of total peripheral blood CD8+ cells (range 0.64–2.0). This increase was followed by a steady decline to 0.48% (range 0.32–0.76) by day 7 and <0.01% by day 14. The median survival of CD8+ T cells given without IL-2 was 6.68 ± 0.93 days.
Analysis of infusion no. 2 among the 10 patients, which was followed by 14 days of IL-2 (0.5 million units/m2/day), demonstrated a similar peak on day 1 to an average of 1.52% of CD8+ cells, but, in contrast to T cells administered without IL-2, this frequency was sustained at an average of 0.97% until day 14, before falling to <0.01% by day 21.
With higher doses of IL-2 (infusions no. 3 and no. 4 administered with 1.0 and 2.0 million units/m2/day), no further increase in peak T cell frequency or median survival over that seen with the lowest dose of IL-2 was observed. Overall, analysis of the 30 infusions given with low-dose IL-2 (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 million units/m2/day) demonstrated a median survival of CD8+ T cell clones of 16.92 ± 1.37 days (Table 2). Compared with the median survival of infusions given without IL-2, the coadministration of low-dose IL-2 significantly prolonged T cell survival in vivo (P < 0.001 by paired t test analysis). A representative frequency analysis is shown in Fig. 3 for a T cell clone infused alone initially and then followed by 0.5 million units/m2/day of IL-2.
Migration of Adoptively Transferred T Cells to Sites of Tumor.
To determine whether transferred T cells accumulated at sites of disease, tumor samples (biopsies or aspirates) were obtained from 3 patients (1017-1, 1017-2, and 1017-9) who had accessible tumor sites both before and shortly after T cell infusions. Representative results are shown for a core biopsy of a chest wall/axillary mass from patient 1017-2 preinfusion and 3 days postinfusion of MART1-specific CTL (Fig. 4). In the preinfusion biopsy, minimal lymphocytic infiltration was present. Of this infiltration, <5% were CD8+ cells, and none were MART1-peptide tetramer+ (Fig. 4A). By contrast, in the postinfusion sample, MART-1-specific CD8+ T cell clones were found by tetramer staining to comprise 37.7% of infiltrating CD8+ cells (Fig. 4B). Given a simultaneous peripheral MART-1specific CTL frequency of 0.8% (Fig. 4C), these results are consistent with preferential localization of CTLs to tumor. The identity of these tetramer+ CD8+ T cells with the infused clone was confirmed by comparing the sequence of the CDR3 region of the sorted tetramer+ T cells in the tumor sample with that of the infused clone.
Clinical and Radiographic Response.
All patients in this study had, at the time of the first T cell infusion, progressive metastatic disease refractory to conventional therapy. Adoptive T cell therapy resulted in disease stabilization in 5 of 10 patients and minor or mixed responses in an additional 3 patients for periods up to 21 months (Table 1). Patient 1017-8, who experienced a minor response, presented with a progressive right brachial plexopathy secondary to metastasis, which manifested as right arm pain and inability to abduct the arm above shoulder level. After the second T cell infusion, these symptoms completely resolved and full range of motion without pain was restored. Patient 1017-1, whose pulmonary lesions stabilized after T cell therapy, returned to 100% functional status from 70% at time of study entry and full-time work as a nurse for a period of 1 year after treatment. Patient 1017-6 demonstrated a mixed response characterized by resolution of multiple pulmonary nodules and the appearance of a single new nodule on computed tomography (CT) scan (Fig. 5A). Patient 1017-2 experienced a minor response with a postinfusion decrease in paratracheal lymphadenopathy (Fig. 5B). Historically, patients presenting with advanced melanoma failing conventional therapy experience continued progressive disease and a median survival duration of 4 mo or less. Although the number of patients in this study is small, the outcomes suggest a favorable progression-free duration (Table 1).
Appearance of Antigen-Loss Variants After Adoptive T Cell Therapy.
Recurrent or residual s.c. tumor nodules were analyzed for expression of melanocytic antigens and compared with preinfusion tumor biopsies. If possible, the identical nodule was assayed pre- and postinfusion by fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy to eliminate heterogeneity of antigen expression among different nodules as an explanation for observed differences. Tumors from a total of 5 patients were analyzed.
In three of the five patients studied, preinfusion tumor immunostaining demonstrated moderately intense expression of all three antigens (gp100, tyrosinase, and MART1), but the postinfusion relapsing or residual nodules revealed selective loss of the targeted antigen. A representative case is presented in Fig. 6. In patient 1017-2, the preinfusion core biopsy demonstrated expression of gp100, tyrosinase, and MART1. A repeat core biopsy of recurrent chest wall tumor obtained 3 wk after the final T cell infusion demonstrated selective loss of MART1 expression with retained expression of gp100 and tyrosinase. HLA-A2 expression, as determined by flow cytometric staining of single cell suspensions, in all postinfusion tumor specimens (including those without evidence of antigen-loss tumor variants), was also preserved, demonstrating that immune escape was not due to loss of the restricting HLA allele.
Adoptive therapy using ex vivo expanded T cell clones provides a means of treating patients with cancer by augmenting the antigen-specific immune response. This phase I study represents a demonstration that, after adoptive transfer, autologous antigen-specific CD8+ T cell clones targeting tumor-associated self proteins retain IL-2 responsiveness in vivo, traffic to tumor sites, and effect a clinical response in patients with advanced disease. In this study, T cells recognizing the tumor-associated melanoma antigens MART-1 and gp100 consistently attained frequencies of between 0.5% and 2.2% (of all CD8 T cells) after adoptive therapy. By comparison, peptide-based vaccine strategies generally achieved maximal frequencies of between 0 and 0.3% (18–20). In contrast to vaccine studies, where the magnitude and tumor avidity of the induced T cell response can be unpredictable, in adoptive T cell therapy, T cell clones can be selected on the basis of tumor-reactivity and a uniform population of T cells expanded ex vivo to desired magnitude (up to several billion in number) as shown in this study and others (21). Despite high frequencies of high avidity MART1 and gp100-specific CTLs in the peripheral blood, no serious toxicity was elicited in any patient after adoptive therapy.
In this study, the in vivo persistence of transferred CD8+ CTLs was prolonged by low-dose IL-2. In contrast to tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) or lymphokine-activated killer cell (LAK) therapy, in which pharmacologic doses of IL-2 (up to 120 times higher) have been required to support the growth of infused cells, transferred antigen-specific CD8+ T cell clones used in this study respond to the lowest doses of IL-2 administered (0.5 million units/m2/day), thus avoiding serious toxicities associated with high-dose IL–2, such as vascular leak syndrome (22). Additionally, the use of peptide MHC tetramers in this study to track antigen-specific T cells allowed us to document preferential accumulation of antigen-specific T cells at tumor sites and to confirm the identity of these infiltrating cells as the infused clones based on their clone-specific CDR3 regions, in contrast to previous studies of vaccine-based therapies, where lymphocytic infiltration has been observed but the antigen-specificity of infiltrating cells was not well-defined (20, 23).
In part, the effectiveness of adoptive therapy as a treatment strategy may depend on generating and administering antigen-specific T cells in ways that mimic physiologic conditions to preserve normal function. In this study, antigen-specific T cell clones generated in vitro by cyclical stimulation with autologous dendritic cells and very low dose IL-2 retain responsiveness to low-dose IL-2 in vivo and the capacity to traffic to tumor sites. By contrast, two recent studies, using T cells generated by using xenogeneic stimulators (24) or exposed to pharmacologic doses of IL-2 (25), failed to demonstrate in vivo persistence or preferential localization of T cells to tumor sites (24, 25).
Historically, patients with progressive refractory metastatic disease experience a median survival of 4 mo or less (26). In this study, adoptive T cell therapy resulting in minor, mixed, or stable responses, for an average response duration of 11 mo, and as long as 21 mo, provides potential evidence of significant antitumor effects and meaningful clinical responses (27). Although infused T cells were not detectable in the peripheral blood by day 21, effector memory T cells have been shown to reside in extravascular sites (28, 29) where they may provide continued immunoprotection.
The appearance of antigen-loss variants has been sporadically reported (17, 20, 23, 30). In our study, a greater prevalence of this finding (in three of five patients studied) may have been due to the consistently high frequencies of tumor-reactive CD8+ CTLs achieved in all patients. These results demonstrating selective loss of the targeted antigen with continued expression of other melanosomal antigens suggest that expression of these proteins is not necessarily linked and support the rationale for directing therapy against multiple target antigens simultaneously.
In summary, detailed immunologic and clinical monitoring in a trial of adoptive T cell therapy has demonstrated that infused T cell clones targeting melanoma-associated antigens is safe, and that such clones persist in vivo, respond to very low-dose IL-2, traffic to tumor sites, mediate antigen-specific immunity, and can result in favorable clinical responses. Whereas the results of this study support the use of adoptively transferred T cells as a strategy for the treatment of melanoma, they also elucidate potential obstacles to more effective therapy and may be used to establish requirements for antigen-specific immunotherapy in general by defining the desired response quantitatively and validating the safety and efficacy of targeting potential tumor rejection antigens.
We acknowledge the clinical assistance of Drs. Philip Gold and Daniel Markowitz and the invaluable technical assistance of Karla Kenyon, Justyna Tarnawska, J. Zachary Reilly, and Jianhong Cao. These studies were performed with the assistance of the Clinical Research Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA. This work was supported by the Cancer Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and the Damon Runyon–Walter Winchell Cancer Research Foundation.
CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocyte
PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell
- Received July 22, 2002.
- Accepted October 4, 2002.
- Copyright © 2002, The National Academy of Sciences
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On The Internet: Developing For The Web
Get the Authorware Web Player
Get the latest Authorware Web Player, which allows you to view Authorware applications online.
Distribute the Authorware Web Player
You can distribute the Authorware Web Player free of charge. To distribute the player, you will need to complete an online Distribution Agreement. Find out more about Authorware Web Player Distribution, formerly known as the Shockwave Authorware Distribution.
Tutorials and Articles
Authorware Web Player AutoInstall
By incorporating an autoinstall button on your site, your users can automatically receive the appropriate version of the Authorware Web Player. This article outlines the steps you need to follow to implement autoinstall on your site.
Developing for the Web: A primer
If you've never created an Authorware piece for the Web, start with the steps outlined in this article. You'll learn how to package a piece for the Web, add it to an HTML page, and configure your Web server to play Authorware pieces.
The EMBED tag
Learn how to implement your Authorware pieces on the Web.
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text:
Lead author Abe Davis and his team demonstrated that movements in objects like chip packets or pot plants could be recorded by video cameras and then turned back into audible sound, including words, even when the camera is outside the room where the conversation is taking place.
"Using only a video of the object and suitable processing algorithm we can extract these minute vibrations and partially recover the sounds that produced them letting us turn everyday objects into visual microphones," said Davis.
According to the Telegraph, the research means that, "Soundproof rooms are no longer a defence against eavesdroppers," and that surveillance cameras could now double as audio recorders without the need to install additional technology. Intelligence agencies already utilize a form of this technology although up until now, such systems have not been able to penetrate sound proof glass.
The video demonstration shows that by recording the vibrations of leaves on a pot plant, the words from the nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb could be discerned once the vibrations were translated into sound.
"In another experiment we recovered live human speech from video of a bag of crisps lying on the ground," said Davis.
Alexei Efros, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California at Berkeley, said the technology could eventually be used to determine guilt via surveillance footage of inanimate objects within the suspect's home.
The technology obviously represents a huge opportunity for the state to conduct intrusive surveillance, meaning that even private conversations in apparently secure locations may now be fair game for Big Brother.
Companies like Google have already developed programs which detect the ambient background noise of a person's environment to spy on their activities and bombard them with advertising.
As we have previously reported, new high-tech LED street lights being rolled out in major cities across America have the capability to record conversations as well as other "Homeland Security purposes."
Such devices are just one component of a huge network of microphones embedded in everything from games consoles to gunshot detectors that are beginning to blanket our streets and dominate our home life.
In 2012, former CIA Director David Petraeus lauded this development as "transformational" because it would open up a world of new opportunities for "clandestine tradecraft," in other words, government snooping is now a great deal easier due to the fact that people are willingly filling their homes with devices that double as surveillance bugs.
Source: http://www.infowars.com/mit-develops-tech-to-record-conversations-using-inanimate-objects/