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Credit Transfer Info
It is very important that you work with your university to ensure that you remain enrolled, and that you are following the necessary credit transfer procedures before you depart for your time abroad. Different universities have different procedures for recognizing students who are abroad. You need to work closely with your institution's International Programs/Study Abroad Office and/or Registrar to make sure you are following the correct procedures to avoid problems with transferring your credit back or reentering your home university!
At some universities, you may pay an administrative fee to your International Programs Office. In return, they may provide various orientation and advising services. Sometimes, similar fees are used to register students for study abroad credit so that they remain enrolled while they are abroad. Other universities may treat your time abroad like a temporary transfer to a different institution and require you to reapply for admission upon your return.
Most institutions have a pre-approval process for classes/credits which involves filling out a form with the classes you are taking abroad. The form normally asks for the signatures of certain faculty stating that specific courses will count for certain course equivalents and a certain number of credits. Only the faculty of your university can determine how many credits your courses abroad count for, and what classes they can count for. You need to consult the study abroad office on your campus to find out exactly who needs to approve credit transfer. But, the following are commonly-used guidelines for credit transfer. (Remember, only your university can have the final say.)
Your advisors/department chair/registrar will need to see course descriptions to tell you what type of credit or course equivalent a certain course may count for. You may acquire most course descriptions from the ISA website. Make sure to save course syllabi and any major written assignments or exams you take abroad. These materials may help you if you encounter any questions about course content when you seek to get credit upon return to the U.S.
Some U.S. universities count all courses earned abroad as pass/fail credit. Others convert the grade you earned abroad to the A-B-C-D-F grading scale. Depending on your institution, these grades may or may not be included in your overall GPA. It is important to note, however, that even if your grades do transfer back to your U.S. university as pass/fail, the grades you earn abroad may still follow you in the future. Graduate and professional schools, as well as some employers, most notably the Federal Government, will often ask for transcripts from all institutions attended for all work completed.
As you near the end of your time abroad, you may have to think about registering for classes for your next term at your U.S. university, depending on your institution's registration dates and deadlines. Either have a friend or family member mail a course catalogue to you abroad, or use your university's internet course information and registration system. At any rate, it is important to keep track of your university's deadlines for registration while you are away.
ISA understands that some students may be required to provide a U.S. university transcript for coursework completed abroad. To learn more about how ISA can assist you with obtaining a school of record transcript, please visit the School of Record information page.


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Nymbler is the smart baby name guide that responds to your personal taste.
Nymbler makes name connections with insights from baby-naming expert Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard.
JaquelinInspire Nymbler with Jaquelin
A girl's name of French origin that has a creative spelling. Jaquelin was most popular in 2000 and is currently not among the top 1000 U.S. girls' names. Meaning: French: a form of Jacqueline.
U.S. popularity statistics:
|Peak year:
|Rank in 2008:
|3-year trend:

subset: commoncrawl


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The Freelancer's Prayer
Confessions of a former meeting attendee
I had an editor once who wore sweat pants to the newsroom.
I did not approve. While I've never been a GQ type of guy, preferring cheap khakis and work shirts to slacks and dress shirts, I always tried to dress well enough to go to court.
When my editor would come in clutching a bag of McDonalds and a lip-balancing a cigarette, decked out in blue or black sweat pants, I couldn't help but scoff (and cringe at the knowledge that a soul-crushing, spirit-trashing staff meeting was soon to steal an hour of my day.) Sure, we are print people, but that's no reason to dress like like one had awakened under a freeway overpass.
I'm not too big to admit that I was wrong. I wrote an article this morning dressed in a t-shirt and boxer shorts. It was heaven. I felt like I had found Jesus after a life in mortgage banking. I have seen the light and been reborn. Hallelujah. Can I get an amen?
I am trying to freelance full time and I think I have just found the first perk among the many terrifying unknowns: no pants. Pants are overrated and a large portion of my operating budget. They have to go.
Lord, I don't ask you for much, and I'm calling in a favor. Bless me with enough freelance work to continue to revel in the unbearable lightness of chortes. Amen.


text:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Weapons assessment efficiencies through use of nondestructive laser gas sampling
New weapons assessment technology engineered: nondestructive laser welding process far less expensive, no underground testing
One of the most difficult and costly processes in nuclear weapons assessment is now easier and less expensive because of a new technology developed by scientists and engineers at LANL.
The new automated testing technology is called Nondestructive Laser Gas Sampling (NDLGS), and is expected to save several million dollars per year. The development is a collaboration of Los Alamos, the Y-12 plant in Tennessee, and the Pantex Plant in Texas, and is currently being deployed at Y-12.
Assessing High Value System
"As part of our nuclear deterrent, we have designed, developed, and fielded high-value, very complex sealed systems that have to last a very long time," said Steve Renfro, NDLGS program manager. "There is a very clear need for the ability to go in and remotely sample those systems without having to tear them down or destroy them."
The NDLGS system's primary capability is assessing the internal gas constituents of weapons components. This is essential for scientists and engineers as they study the aging processes and overall health of the nuclear weapons stockpile. The technology was first used on a W76 Retrofit Evaluation System Test unit on May 3, 2012.
Significant Cost Savings
The cost savings are realized because the technology is nondestructive, allowing weapon components to be placed back into the stockpile after testing, avoiding the cost of new manufacture. In addition, the process greatly improves safety and minimizes worker's exposure to hazardous materials.
"We're continually innovating and working to improve the way we do business, and NDLGS is a big step for us," said National Nuclear Security Administration Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Don Cook. "The new process helps NNSA deliver President Obama's nuclear security agenda and continues to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent without underground testing."
Combined Technologies
The system combines precision laser processing technology with a high-performance vacuum system that detects low-levels of gas constituents within sealed volumes. The result is an accurate gas sample of the weapon component interior. The NNSA also plans to use this capability to improve trending data for aging affects by gas sampling weapon components multiple times.
The laser processing technologies developed for NDLGS have many applications in the areas of industrial manufacturing, waste remediation, and scientific analysis. This technology, known as valveless laser processing, is a joint LANL/Y-12 entry for a 2012 R&D 100 award.


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PORTLAND, Ore., May 15 (UPI) -- An Oregon man said he has officially opened the doors of what he is billing as the world's first non-profit pub.
Ryan Saari said it took nearly three years to get the Oregon Public House up and running in Portland, but it opened Friday without any debt with the help of volunteers and donors, KPTV, Portland, reported Wednesday.
"It has taken thousands of hours, hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteers to make this what it is," Saari said.
He said his unique business model allows customers to choose from one of eight local charities when they order their drinks and about $1 from each purchase will go to the chosen organization.
"Anytime you place an order, you get to choose where you would like your individual proceeds to go from a list of the charities we're partnered with," Saari said.
"We've been open for literally an hour or two," Saari said Friday. "We're figuring out our systems, and all our staff is here. So we're all getting trained together."
He said last Friday was a soft opening ahead of the planned grand opening this coming Friday. He said he hopes the project inspires others.
"Our long-term goal would be that this becomes something that is replicated all over," Saari said. "Where people say, 'That's a great idea. I want to do it, too. How can I be involved? How can I start one of these in my neighborhood or my city?'"


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SOURCE: Quidel Corporation
February 12, 2013 16:05 ET
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 12, 2013) - Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL), a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions and cellular-based virology assays, announced today financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2012.
Fourth Quarter 2012 Highlights:
Fourth Quarter 2012 Results
Total revenues in the fourth quarter increased to $53.9 million from $38.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, an increase of 40%. The increase in revenue was driven by growth of infectious disease products in the quarter, due to the onset of an early and severe influenza and respiratory disease season.
Net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $8.7 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.0 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2011. On a non-GAAP basis, excluding amortization of intangibles, stock compensation expense, and including the income tax benefit of research and development tax credit in 2012, net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $12.5 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, compared to net income of $4.9 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, for the same period in 2011.
"We were pleased with our ability to respond to the sudden increase in demand for our flu tests. While sales of QuickVue Influenza A+B benefited most, the Sofia, D3 Ultra, and Quidel Molecular PCR products were a contributor to the increase in revenues in the quarter as well," said Douglas Bryant, president and chief executive officer. "More importantly, our product development teams achieved several key milestones during the period, and we are now poised to introduce a number of new products over the next several quarters," added Bryant.
Full Year 2012 Results
Total revenues for 2012 were $155.7 million as compared to $158.6 million in 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income was $5.0 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to net income of $7.6 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in 2011. On a non-GAAP basis, excluding amortization of intangibles, stock compensation expense, and including the income tax benefit of research and development tax credit in 2012, net income for the full year 2012 was $19.1 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, compared to net income of $19.8 million, or $0.59 per share, for the full year 2011.
"Even though the revenue impact of an early start to the influenza season was a positive for our quarter and year, our focus lies in diversifying our company's revenue mix and creating other growth opportunities. Our efforts are reflected, noticeably, in the increase in 2012 of R&D and sales and marketing expenses ahead of the launch and commercialization of AmpliVue C. difficile and several other Sofia and Quidel Molecular products in 2013," concluded Bryant.
Non-GAAP Financial Information
The Company's consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., or GAAP. The Company is providing non-GAAP financial information to present net income and earnings per share excluding the effect of stock-based compensation and amortization of intangibles and including the effect of the research and development tax credit in 2012. Although the research and development tax credit relates to 2012, the benefit of the tax credit cannot be recognized until 2013 under GAAP, the result of legislative approval occurring in January, 2013.
Management is providing the adjusted net earnings and adjusted net earnings per share information for the periods presented because it believes this enables a better comparison of the Company's financial performance from period-to-period, and to that of its competitors. This press release is not meant to be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP measures is included in this press release as part of the attached financial tables.
Conference Call Information
Quidel management will host a conference call to discuss the fourth quarter and full year results as well as other business matters today beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time). During the conference call, management may answer questions concerning business and financial developments and trends. Quidel's responses to these questions, as well as other matters discussed during the conference call, may contain or constitute material information that has not been previously disclosed.
To participate in the live call by telephone from the U.S., dial 866-730-5769, or from outside the U.S. dial 857-350-1593, and enter the pass code 75220493.
A live webcast of the call can be accessed at http://www.quidel.com, and the Web site replay will be available for 14 days. The telephone replay will be available for 48 hours beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (4:00 p.m. Pacific Time) on February 12 by dialing 888-286-8010 from the U.S., or 617-801-6888 for international callers, and entering pass code 87777394.
About Quidel Corporation
Quidel Corporation serves to enhance the health and well being of people around the globe through the development of diagnostic solutions that can lead to improved patient outcomes and provide economic benefits to the healthcare system. Marketed under the QuickVue®, D3® Direct Detection and Thyretain® leading brand names, as well as under the new Sofia® and AmpliVue® brands, Quidel's products aid in the detection and diagnosis of many critical diseases and conditions, including, among others, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, Strep A, herpes, pregnancy, thyroid disease and fecal occult blood. Quidel's research and development engine is also developing a continuum of diagnostic solutions from advanced lateral-flow and direct fluorescent antibody to molecular diagnostic tests to further improve the quality of healthcare in physicians' offices and hospital and reference laboratories. For more information about Quidel's comprehensive product portfolio, visit www.quidel.com and Diagnostic Hybrids at www.dhiusa.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve material risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many possible events or factors could affect our future financial results and performance, such that our actual results and performance may differ materially from those that may be described or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Differences in actual results and performance may arise as a result of a number of factors including, without limitation, seasonality, the timing of onset, length and severity of cold and flu seasons, the level of success in executing on our strategic initiatives, our reliance on sales of our influenza diagnostic tests, uncertainty surrounding the detection of novel influenza viruses involving human specimens, our ability to develop new products and technology, adverse changes in the competitive and economic conditions in domestic and international markets, our reliance on and actions of our major distributors, technological changes and uncertainty with research and technology development, including any future molecular-based technology, the medical reimbursement system currently in place and future changes to that system, manufacturing and production delays or difficulties, adverse regulatory actions or delays in product reviews by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the "FDA"), compliance with FDA and environmental regulations, our ability to meet unexpected increases in demand for our products, our ability to execute our growth strategy, including the integration of new companies or technologies, disruptions in the global capital and credit markets, our ability to hire key personnel, intellectual property, product liability, environmental or other litigation, potential required patent license fee payments not currently reflected in our costs, adverse changes in our international markets, potential inadequacy of booked reserves and possible impairment of goodwill, and lower-than-anticipated acceptance, sales or market penetration of our new products. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "should," "might," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. The risks described under "Risk Factors" in reports and registration statements that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time should be carefully considered. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revision or update of the forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Quidel Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Randy Steward
Chief Financial Officer
(858) 552-7931
Media and Investors Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Ruben Argueta
(858) 646-8023Email Contact
Quidel Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Randy Steward
Chief Financial Officer
(858) 552-7931
Media and Investors Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Ruben Argueta
(858) 646-8023Email Contact
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An updated Vatican phone book was finally released this month. Strangely enough, it looked thinner than the last one.
In fact, the 2008 elenco telefonico lost 61 pages, almost 30 percent, from its previous edition. What did they cut out? The answer was apparent to anyone who opened it: most of the names were gone from the listing of Roman Curia offices.
Instead, the phone book now provides names and numbers only for the top three officials of each department. The rest of the Curia did a disappearing act.
Naturally, journalists were upset. We spend a lot of time thumbing through the phone book when we need to contact potential sources, and this seemed to be saying: Don't bother.
And what about Vatican employees who need to exchange information with other departments? In a world not known for cross-communication, the change made it even harder to navigate the labyrinthine Vatican bureaucracy.
It also meant the six nuns at the Vatican switchboard are going to be busier, as more and more callers go through the Vatican's main +39.06.6982 telephone number.
I phoned the head of the Vatican telephone office, Brother Andrea Mellini (who is listed in the new book) and asked him why the change. He said it was a decision of superiors who wanted the phone book to be "more anonymous."
Brother Mellini pointed out that numbers for most Vatican personnel continue to be listed in an alphabetical name-only section. So if you know precisely who you're looking for, it's still possible to reach him or her. But the phone book will no longer serve as a workforce directory for the Roman Curia.
If there are a lot of complaints, maybe they'll return to the old format, Brother Mellini said. But he thinks the simplification could be a good thing, because it will make it easier to produce a new phone book each year.
That would be nice. Before this year's edition, the last time a Vatican phone book came out was in 2004.


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Another day, another strange betting market..!
There's not been many weird little special bets but I did find this one.
Disney now have a habit of adapting cartoons into live action films. Beauty and the Beast is next to be released but Paddy Power are taking bets on the sequel to Mary Poppins.
It's set to star Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep and it will be direct by Rob Marshall. It will tell the tale of Mary Poppins returning to visit a gown up Jane and Mary Poppins following a loss.
There's odds on offered if it will win an Oscar or if it will win an Oscar for it's music. What caught my eye was odds on how much money it will make.
Before you go wagering your mortgage on it, the aim is to make $500 million by the end of 2020. The questions is, can it do that?
Here's how Rob Marshall's last films performed at the worldwide box office in order of most recent release.
Into The Woods $213,116,401
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1,045,713,802
Nine $53,998,866
Memoirs of A Geisha $162,242,962
Chicago $306.776.732
Now here's how Disney's live action remakes have fared, again most recent first.
Pete's Dragon $142,777,149
Alice Through The Looking Glass $299,457,024
Jungle Book $966,550,600
Cinderella $542,351,353
Maleficent $758,410,378
Oz The Great and the Powerful $473,311,825
Alice In Wonderland $1,025,467,110
The Sorcerers Apprentice $215,283,742
Marshall did well with his last fantasy musical Into the Woods that was based upon material not as well known as Mary Poppins. His Pirates film did really well even if the reviews we're that strong. Music Nine didn't do as well as Chicago which first made his name and reputation but sandwiched in between was Memoirs of a Geisha.
Disney live action remakes have been a bit topsy turvey. What I would say is when they go for more well known films such as the original Alice and especially Jungle Book then they have a habit of striking gold. Even when the film isn't as good as they would have hoped such as Maleficent then they still manage to make quite a bit at the box office.
So Marshall can handle big budget musicals and he can handle well established characters. Out of eight live action films so far Disney have managed to hit that total in three attempts with a narrow miss.
I'd say it's worth bearing in mind that Disney have a habit of making strong female lead films just now, from the like of Frozen to Maleficent, they should know how to make something like this. Also, you can imagine the soundtrack being a bit of a stand out.
What Disney need to watch is that it's being released just after another one of their movies, the Han Solo Star Wars spin off. Also film at the end of the year tend to be award driven flicks.
But I think there's a chance it will make over $500 million by the year 2020. You just need to way up if it's worth waiting that long…
Mary Poppins Returns
4 posts • Page 1 of 1
- LustForLeith
- Triple Crown Winner
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- LustForLeith
- Triple Crown Winner
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Re: Mary Poppins Returns
Wit Beauty and the Beast making $170 in its opening weekend, its looking good for Mary Poppins!
Just need to wait!
Just need to wait!
Re: Mary Poppins Returns
Is that all???Wit Beauty and the Beast making $170 in its opening weekend
OLBG Moderator
Royal Ascot Trends for the Handicaps
Royal Ascot Trends for the Handicaps
- LustForLeith
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Re: Mary Poppins Returns
Exactly!Is that all???Wit Beauty and the Beast making $170 in its opening weekend
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text:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Sunday as Iraq continued its assault on Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia in Baghdad and in the southern city of Basra.
Mr. Sadr warned Saturday that continued attacks on his Shiite militiamen could spark an "all-out war." But Ms. Rice sees progress, saying a new political unity was emerging around Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to diminish the power and influence of the Mahdi Army.
"You have seen a coalescing of a center in Iraqi politics in which the Sunni leadership, the Kurdish leadership, and elements of the Shiite leadership that are not associated with these special groups have been working together better than at any time before," Rice said, referring to "special groups" within the Mahdi Army that the US says are rogue elements trained and funded by Iran.
With Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish leaders backing Mr. Maliki, a Shiite, Rice said the combined effort against Sadr marked a turning point that was a "moment of opportunity."
But the ongoing offensive against the Shiite militia, which began last month, didn't start well for Iraq. The government has charged some 1,300 Iraqi soldiers with retreating from and abandoning the initial Basra battle. The fighting spread to Baghdad, and scores of civilians have been killed. Also, in Basra, the situation didn't begin to calm until the United States military sent air power in support of government forces and a cease-fire was brokered in Iran.
On Saturday, Iraqi forces announced they had taken over the last Mahdi Army stronghold in Basra in operations with US and British forces. The Americans have been pressing Maliki for more than a year to confront the Shiite militias that have gained a stronghold over much of southern Iraq.
The brunt of the government's action fell on the Mahdi Army and other supporters of Sadr, who wields considerable power both in his parliamentary bloc and as an extragovernmental influence.
And as if to respond to Rice's high-profile show of American support for Maliki's actions, the Green Zone in Baghdad was rocked by mortar fire during the visit – probably fired from Sadr's bastion of support north of the center in Sadr City. In recent days the US military has built a wall around the southernmost section of the 2 million mostly poor residents in an effort to keep out the teams of rocket and mortar launchers who have used the area to target the Green Zone.
Gunmen also attacked a US checkpoint with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar shells. That strike sparked a battle between the US and the militiamen that left at least seven militants dead. Iraqi forces reportedly killed three men who they said were planting roadside bombs.
"There was an uptick in violence in comparison with the past couple of weeks," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Stover. He declined to link it to Sadr's warning, which was broadcast over mosque loudspeakers inside Sadr City late Saturday.
In his statement, Sadr said "[I am] giving my final warning to the Iraqi government … to abandon violence against the Iraqi people. If the government does not [stop its attacks] we will declare an all-out war until liberation."
But some Sadr supporters say they believe Sadr's principal fight is likely to remain political. They claim Maliki's split with Sadr is really over carving up Shiite support in provincial elections set for this fall. But they also say that Sadr's supporters will rally to him, especially if he is perceived to be under attack from the American-backed Maliki.
"We say that Maliki's troops are Iraqis but they have grown the tail of the occupation," says Sadr supporter Sadek Jaffer, interviewed inside Sadr City on Sunday. "We will not turn away from Sadr just because Maliki tells us to."
Inside the Shiite district, many residents say they are tired of the Iraqi and US military operations carried out nightly over the past week. But some young men faulted the government for pushing Sadr into a corner and said any all-out war between Sadr supporters and the government would be Maliki's responsibility.
"His eminence Sadr has kicked the ball back to the government's side of the field with his statement yesterday," says Settar Abu Ali, an unemployed driver for a food wholesale company. "If the government answers with more attacks on the people, we will join a ground war to liberate our cities."
The Iraqi Army and US forces closed main checkpoints in and out of the vast slum Sunday, slowing activity and leaving the streets unusually quiet. Some shops were open and a section of the enclave that is home to rows of flour distributors was operating, but in most areas residents stayed behind closed doors.
In a no mans land near the local offices of Sadr's movement, Mr. Ali and his neighbors pointed out destroyed houses, a broken water main spewing precious clean water in the dusty street, and bullet holes in nearby shops, all the result of Iraqi Army and American attacks, they claimed.
As gunfire rang out from a main thoroughfare a block away, the men spoke of how that morning Iraqi soldiers had shot and killed two young men pushing a wheelbarrow of cement. A third young man was wounded and died as he was carried away. It was the three men the US military reported were killed by the Iraqis because they were planting bombs.
"Maybe they thought they were planting [roadside] bombs, but that is not true, they were just transporting cement," says Mahmoud Haran, who runs a small candlemaking shop that was destroyed recently when American helicopters attacked the street.
US helicopters, unmanned drones, and in some cases tanks have been called in to the neighborhood in an effort to stop the mortar and rocket fire hitting the Green Zone over recent weeks. That fire picked up sharply in late March when Maliki launched the government operation against Shiite militias in Basra and in Sadr City.
But Mr. Haran says most of the families in his immediate neighborhood had no connection to antigovernment forces. Now about two-thirds of the area's 1,000 families have moved away, his shop, which employed 20 workers, is shuttered, and "those young men who have no job anymore are more likely to end up fighters now."
But Sadr, who has appeared to be on the brink of defeat before, only to bounce back politically, may yet find a way to remain standing without actually launching his all-out war – especially if he sees powers that have been his support increasingly aligned against him.
Not only does Maliki seem to be focusing what the government has dubbed an antimilitia campaign almost exclusively against Sadr, but even the Iranians who have given Sadr succor are making supportive noises toward Maliki's undertaking against "criminal" groups.
That may be one explanation among many as to why an ongoing government sweep in Basra in the Sadr stronghold of Al-Hayaniyah is proceeding with little resistance.
"The operation seeks to disarm these neighborhoods where criminal elements have been storing weapons and attacking government forces," says Brigadier Gen. Mahammed al-Askeri, Iraqi Army spokesman. "The idea of course is also to prevent the fighters there from going out to other nearby provinces and continuing their fight."
Such fighters are thought to have received backing from Iranian-trained groups, what the US military calls "special groups," when the fighting in Basra started.
But if the Iranians are now tempering their support for Sadr – at least for his more militant wing – and if Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish political factions remain behind Maliki, Sadr may have met his match.
Rice said during her Baghdad foray that Sadr was welcome to join in Iraq's way forward as long as his participation is political. The bearded cleric still has the largest single bloc in the Iraqi parliament, the value of which he is no doubt mulling as he decides what to do next.


text: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 PT 2012 Early Bird Registration Closes March 19 Register by March 19 to get the best rates for PT 2012, APTA's Annual Conference & Exposition, June 6-9, in Tampa, Florida. The Annual Conference Web page has everything you need to preselect sessions, register, and book housing quickly and securely online. Belong, interact, and connect with your peers, recognized experts, and leaders for 3 days of valuable, relevant, invigorating professional development and networking.


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How to Enhance Exercise Rehab With Manipulation and Soft-Tissue Therapy
By Marc Heller, DC and Scott Thorsen, DC, CSCS
As chiropractors, we are in a unique position to use our manual therapy techniques to facilitate exercise rehabilitation. Whether we use joint manipulation, soft-tissue therapies or both, these techniques can help reduce the dysfunctional motor patterns that contribute to muscle imbalance and poor motor control.
As effective as our manual techniques can be, they are often not enough by themselves. Correcting the motor disturbances in chronic and recurring musculoskeletal problems requires the patient to move differently. Integrating rehabilitative exercise into our treatment plan is vital in correcting these imbalances.
How Does Manipulation Enhance Rehab?
Before the patient can effectively rehab his/her muscles, it helps to get the whole neuromuscular system working better. Pain is driven by nociceptive input and abnormal mechanoreceptor input from dysfunctional joints and fascia. In chronic and recurring low back pain, abnormal, neurogenically driven feedback loops are often established. Any lasting pain can cause inhibition of key lumbosacral stabilizing muscles, as well as hypertonicity of others. Manual therapies can break these dysfunctional cycles and help normalize motor control.
Research shows that manipulation can wake up the key stabilizing muscles, including the multifidi. Malik Slosberg has written a nice review article on the effects of manipulation on the multifidi.1 He states, "[T]he papers state, perhaps for the first time in the scientific literature, that manipulation results in improved contraction of the multifidus and that this benefit may be further enhanced by incorporating other co-interventions, such as exercise training, which also targets the multifidus. Manipulation and exercise training may work synergistically with manipulation to optimize multifidus recruitment and thereby improve patient outcomes."
De-afferentation is common in these cases and occurs when there is a lack of sensory input to the spinal cord and brain. Joint motion activates the sensors in the joint receptors, which bombard the brain and spinal cord with dynamic information. This stimulates the efferent, motor side of the loop to activate the stabilizing muscles around the joint. When a joint is not moving, the sensors around that joint are not being activated in a normal way. Manipulation can normalize joint receptor input.
Manipulation is part of a spine-sparing strategy, one that keeps the painful areas from moving too much. In the joint-by-joint model, we note that the areas where pain is felt, usually the lumbar spine or SI, tend toward DJD, tend to move too much and need stability. The thoracic and thoracolumbar regions tend to get stuck. The hips often get stuck. These restrictions create compensation, causing the lumbar spine and pelvis to move excessively. Pain generators create more pain if they have to move too much and/or if the movement is not well-controlled.
How Does Releasing Myofascial Restrictions Impact Rehab?
Myofascial dysfunction impairs movement patterns. The fascia is a continuous interlinked structure. This dysfunction manifests as tight and restricted bands, focal adhesions and trigger points. These abnormalities disturb normal muscle function and joint motion. The body has to compensate for this lack of movement. Fascia is rich in proprioceptors, including mechanoreceptors and nociceptors. The muscle spindles are embedded in the fascia, within the endomyceum, the connective tissue that surrounds the individual muscle fibers.
Abnormal fascial densities directly and indirectly disturb normal movement patterns. When the fascia is short and tight, it directly affects the pull of the muscle, as a significant portion of the leverage of the muscle is through the fascia, not just through the direct muscle-to-tendon-to-bone connections. Indirectly, when the fascia is tight, it disturbs the feedback loops through the various proprioceptors, such as the muscle spindles.
When nociceptors are activated, the pain further shuts down the core stabilization muscles. The fascia is not just passive soft tissue. It has significant sensory functions and thus feeds into the whole afferent-efferent loop.
Recent research shows hyaluronic acid is a key player in mediating the sliding of different fascial layers over each other.2 When the fascia is too dense, abnormal sliding occurs. Deep friction changes the state of the hyaluronic acid. This may be a huge part of the puzzle of myofascial pain, and may explain how deep-tissue therapies work by changing the state of the hyaluronic acid.
Remember that any tender point, trigger point or fascial density may be more than just a shortened or tight muscle. It can represent a neurogenically driven hypertonicity. Stretching the muscle is not enough! These points need hands-on treatment. If the points are still not releasing or continue to get tight, expand your search. After you have released the tender point, either training / strengthening and/or stretching the involved muscles will be more effective.
One of the practical take-home lessons we have learned through all of our studies of soft tissue is to search broadly. The pull of the fascia affects areas distant from the site of pain. If you want to get beyond just treating the site of pain over and over, explore the fascial connections.
Improve Motor Control With an Integrated Approach Using All Your Tools
Motor control is often altered in chronic and recurrent low back pain. Spinal manipulation and myofascial therapies can often help break these cycles and resolve the problem, but many cases require exercise rehabilitation to further correct muscle imbalance and reinforce stability.
Acute pain often responds well to chiropractic manipulation. We all have many patients who come in to see us in acute pain. We adjust them and they feel better. If their acute problem continues to recur, they may be good candidates for rehab training and/or myofascial therapies.
Chronic pain is a different animal. Manipulation and soft-tissue work are often not enough. Chronic pain states tend to be more complicated and/or problematic. The anatomy can be relatively intact or can be compromised by degenerative changes in various tissues. The patient may have lost hope and think he/she just has to live with the problem and/or take pain meds. The patient may have developed a fear mentality and become afraid to move. The pain may have become more central, less peripheral; more neuropathic, less nociceptive.
When pain receptors are being fired in an ongoing manner, the nerve fibers begin to multiply and the connections become more easily fired off. In long-standing pain situations, the ability to move efficiently and without pain has been compromised.
Motor control can be improved; patients with chronic pain will function better if they learn to move properly. There is no single magic bullet, magic pill or magic adjustment that will automatically restore normal neuromuscular function. It is going to take work, both on the part of the physician and on the part of the patient. Solving chronic pain is like peeling an onion!
Evaluate and Treat the Joints and Myofascia
Assessment requires a thorough analysis of the surrounding musculoskeletal structures to determine where to apply our treatment. It is not within the scope of this article to provide a comprehensive explanation of evaluation and treatment. What we would like to do is give you a few highlights. We will include both concepts and specific areas.
Remember that the fascia is continuous and interconnected to muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, nerves and organs. When we mention muscles, we are also talking about the fascia around and extending from these structures. Because of the interconnectedness of fascia, it is important to expand palpation beyond the confines of the muscular anatomy. This will often reveal additional soft-tissue dysfunction.
The body will adapt and compensate. As you release fascia and muscles, previously restricted areas will immediately change. Treatment is a dynamic process. If something is not changing, re-evaluate.
5 Areas of Special Consideration
The muscles and ligaments that directly connect to the hip joint, into the lower pelvis and to the greater trochanter, are also important. Muscles would the external rotator group (piriformis, etc.), and the adductors. Significant ligaments include the sacrotuberous ligaments at both their origin and insertion.
The Take-Home
Chronic and recurring low back pain almost always involve a compromise of motor control. Improving this dysfunctional pattern can be accomplished, but it takes attentive and persistent efforts on the part of the practitioner. Thoroughly evaluate what is driving the problem. Create a treatment plan that is tailored to the individual needs of the patient.
A best-practice approach is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Compensatory patterns in these patients often make it necessary for us to modify therapy as we go. Manipulation and soft-tissue therapies can immediately change function and reduce pain, and in turn, improve our rehab outcomes. In our practices, we find that if we start by releasing significant joint restrictions, and assessing and releasing restricted myofascial points, exercise rehab is more effective.
Click here for more information about Marc Heller, DC.
Dr. Scott Thorsen graduated from the University of Western States and has a bachelor's degree in nutrition from Oregon State University. He has been in practice in Southern Oregon since 1996.


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Local laws, bureaucracy, can be a huge barrier to entering this industry.
In every country in the world, business people complain about regulations, taxes, and bureaucracy, regardless of how much regulation, taxes, or bureaucracy there is.
No, it's not an all or nothing at all proposition. Government has its place. But, its place is not everywhere controlling everything.


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1. Re: Disk configurations (again) (and again)JCschild Apr 2, 2012 11:09 AM (in response to jamesp2)
for AVC intra i would want my drives set up like this
1) OS/programs
2) Media drive (2x or more in raid 0, or much larger raid 5,6)
3) export drive same as above but 2 and 3 can be combined in a large (8+) drive array on a good controller
4) external archival/storage (even if you have raid 5,6)
questions 2 and 3 i am not allowed to comment on (Eric will shoot me, wait am i not the boss?) but i will say there is a lot of MYTH floating around.. guys with 5+ drive letters are ill-informed or are left over from many yrs ago advice.
2. Re: Disk configurations (again) (and again)John T Smith Apr 2, 2012 12:42 PM (in response to jamesp2)
My 3 hard drives to edit AVCHD are configured as...
1 - 320Gig Boot for Win7 64bit Pro and all program installs
2 - 320Gig data for Win7 paging swap file and video project files
When I create a project on #2 drive, the various work files follow,
so my boot drive is not used for the media cache folder and files
3 - 1Terabyte data for all video files... input & output files (*)
(*) for 4 drives, drive 3 all source files & drive 4 all output files
Search Microsoft to find out how to redirect your Windows paging swap file
3. Re: Disk configurations (again) (and again)Jim Curtis Apr 9, 2012 5:06 PM (in response to jamesp2)
1) it's not worth striping or putting 2 2TB 7200rmp drives in a RAID0, if significant media playback performance improvement is the goal.
2) PPRO project files and OS swap file should not be on the boot disc
Project files on the Boot disk are OK, if you have the space. Swap file is always on the boot disk, isn't it? You don't have a choice with Mac. But, anyway, that's why you always want adequate free space on your boot disk: for the swap file.
3) media cache files should be on neither the boot disk nor the media disks
Again, if you have space to spare, it's OK to use the boot disk. However, if your media disk is a RAID 0, anything you put there will read and write faster, and therefore that would be my choice.
If all of the above is true, that means at least 4 disks(?)
Not all the above is true. If your needs are for AVCHD, which is HIGHLY compressed low data rate codec, I don't think you even need a RAID. You can probably get by with a boot drive, and a single fast internal drive (or external on eSATA or USB3), unless you expect to do a half dozen layers in real-time, in which case you're going to need a super-fast multi-core CPU more than fast drives, due to the decompression demands from the codec.
AVC-Intra is a more drive intensive codec. I haven't used it yet, but it does 50 or 100Mb/s. If you have a two-7200 drive RAID 0 for media, that's going to give you more options for formats that require more bandwidth.


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i'm in deep shit. donation on the way for your good karma.
Mar 25, 2009
i'm very distressed. i just had protected vaginal sex with a prostitute and after the intercourse, as we chat, she revealed that 10 days ago she had an encounter of spilled semen of another client. i'm extremely worried that my durex extra-safe will fail on me as her being in the early stage, will be highly infectious (if the guy is +ve). dr bob i have two questions. 1) there was no evident breakage in my condom. does it mean my risk is essentially non-existent as in most of your replies to people? pls pls pls advice me thoroughly on this. 2) does receiving rimming carry no risk for HIV transmission at all? i'll be donating more than usual this time for a good luck charm from you. remember to attach enough postage stamp to reach me cuz i really need it! thank you dr!
Response from Dr. Frascino
1. Yep! (assuming the latex or polyurethane condom was used properly).
2. Nope! (See below.)
Dr. Bob-certified good-luck karma has been signed, sealed and sent with my blessings! (Although in reality you really don't need it for this non-exposure.)
Be well. (You are indeed well.)
Dr. Bob
sorry (RIMMING 2008) Jul 26, 2008
Dear Dr. Bob,
Please help.I went to a massage girl, and she did anal licking on me.It was only for a few minutes, 2 times.I have been freaking out now every time I feel an ache or pain, my anxiety has increased tremendously(always have some)....She did it just with her tounge on my anus, and then put a condom on my penis for oral.I know she rinsed her mouth with mouthwash before it as well.....I can't shake the worry of hiv exposure.
Please help me,
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hi Jack,
The reassurance you request was already waiting for you in the archives. See below.
Dr. Bob
rimming Nov 6, 2006
Dear dr. Frascino, Thank you for all the great job that you are doing with all of us confused and in need of professional advice.Well im coming from Croatia and if you could be so nice to answer me shortly on 2 questions. First:If guy preforms rimming to me,are there any chances of contracting the HIV or anything else( im the receiving one). Second question:Can i get amebas by deep kissing with someone who already has them(ameboasis or something like that)? Many, many thanks in advance. Hope to get an answer from you.Greetings from sunny Croatia,Sasa
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello Sasa from Sunny Croatia,
I've enjoyed many sunny days in sunny Croatia, particularly in Dubrovnik and Split!
Regarding rimming, there have been no documented cases of HIV transmission from rimming or getting rimmed. However, other STDs can be passed by the oral-fecal route. See below.
As to your second question, no, amebiasis is not transmitted by deep kissing, but can be transmitted by rimming.
Stay well.
Dr. Bob
rimming May 6, 2006
Dr. Bob,
Can you become infected with HIV if you are rimmed by an Hiv+ guy? Thanks.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Another QTND (Question That Never Dies). A simple search of the archives would have answered your question, saving you the need to post a question and me the time to post a redundant response. But that's OK. We'll forgive you this time.
There have been no recorded cases of HIV transmission/acquisition from rimming or getting rimmed. However, rimming without a barrier does place you at risk for other STDs. Now before you immediately start typing yet another redundant question, if you want a rundown on exactly which STDs I'm referring to, check out the archives, OK?
Dr. Bob
nobody talks about rimming Jan 11, 2006
Dr Frascino, how big is the possibility of becoming HIV+ for rimming? I look for information but nobody talks about it, maybe nobody does it!?
Response from Dr. Frascino
What do you mean no one talks about rimming?? I just checked the archives of this site and found over 250 entries posted on the subject!! Check them out and you'll soon see that there have been no recorded cases of getting HIV from rimming or getting rimmed, OK? However, I should mention other STDs, such as hepatitis A, intestinal parasites and herpes, can be easily transmitted via rimming.
Stay well.
Dr. Bob
rimming-statistics Jan 18, 2007
Dear Doc, You said the statistics is 1 in 10,000 for unprotected oral sex with a +ve partner per episode. Is the odd still the same for a +ve female giving asshole rimming to a -ve partner? Though not very big, I wish to make a donation, can you give me directly the bank account no. or the link? I have to wire money because I live in Hong Kong. Thanks. C.C.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hi CC,
There have been no recorded cases of getting HIV from rimming or getting rimmed. However, other STDs, such as hepatitis A, intestinal parasites and herpes can be quite easily transmitted by rimming without a barrier.
The information for direct bank-to-bank wire transfers for The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation can be found on the foundation's Web site at www.concertedeffort.org. Just click on the "donate" tab.
Be well.
Dr. Bob
risk of rimming and oral Oct 16, 2006
it's always cute when an HIV positive gay man finds ways to justify unprotected sexual activities of another gay man asking for guidance on preventing the spread of his own infection.
HIV is present in ALL body fluids, including saliva. one can listen to the obsolete data that says it would take drinking a gallon of HIV infected saliva to result in infection... OR one can use their head and KEEP ALL HIV FLUIDS AWAY FROM THOSE YOU LOVE, INCLUDING STRANGERS!
Response from Dr. Frascino
Let me guess, I'm the "HIV-positive guy" who you claim is finding ways to justify unprotected sexual activities of other gay guys asking for guidance on preventing the spread of his own infection, right???? Hmmm . . . OK. Now that we've got that straight. First the facts: I'm a board-certified immunologist, HIV/AIDS physician specialist with over a quarter of a century of experience. I have dedicated my personal and professional life to HIV/AIDS awareness, education, prevention, research and treatment. I have personally founded two medical clinics devoted exclusively to the comprehensive and compassionate medical care of people living with HIV/AIDS. I further have founded a not-for-profit charitable foundation dedicated to providing crucial services to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS and promoting awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic through education and advocacy. That foundation, The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation, has now raised well over one million dollars for AIDS service organizations worldwide. With those credentials, I take exception to your characterizing me as just some "HIV-positive gay man." I would say my credentials and accomplishments give credibility to my comments. Now exactly what credentials do you have to question my advice? You certainly are not an HIV/AIDS experts, so perhaps you . . . um . . . what? Stayed at a Holiday Inn last night???
So here's a NEWSFLASH for you: I don't find it "cute" when HIV-phobic, sex-phobic, know-nothing morons attempt to push their nonsensical paranoid fantasies on others. Personally I think "it would be really swell if you made a lifelong commitment" to learning the facts before accusing folks of unconscionable deeds.
By the way, Bozo, even if you did drink a gallon of spit from a "virally enhanced" person, you still wouldn't contract HIV. Don't believe me? Go ahead, give it a try and get back to us, OK?
Bye now.
Dr. Bob
Can I have HIV from rimming and protected anal sex? Oct 12, 2007
Hi, So a year ago about summer 2006 I met this guy online. I was clean and I asked him if he was clean. He said yes. So I went over and all I did was rim his anus but not for a long time I would say 2 minutes. No oral sex was performed on either side. He then penetrated me with a condom. He said he didn't like the feeling because the condoms I brought were too thick so he wanted to do bb. This was after about say 3-5 minutes. So we stopped cause he didn't like using protection and I wasn't about to let him inside me unprotected. Now almost a year later I find him online and he says he is HIV positive and tested on April 2007. I freaked out. My question is should I be worried that I rimmed him and that I performed anal sex WITH a condom (even though he never ejaculated at all because we stopped)? I didn't have any cuts in my ass or mouth at that time. please help?
Response from Dr. Frascino
Why is it that you are freaking out now that you found out a previous partner happens to be HIV positive? Would you be at any less risk if you hadn't recently seen his online profile revealing his status? The take-home lesson is that we must all assume our sex partners are HIV positive and take all the necessary precautions to prevent STD/HIV transmission. Even if someone slaps a lie detector on his Mr. Happy and claims to be HIV negative, you should not trust that information, because 25% of the over one million HIV-positive Americans have absolutely no idea they are infected!
Regarding rimming, there have been no documented cases of HIV transmission from rimming or getting rimmed. However, other STDs can readily be transmitted this way. Check the archives for additional information. Protected sex is indeed protected if the latex condom was used properly and did not break. HIV cannot permeate intact latex. No way. No how. As always, if you or any of our readers, feel you have placed yourself at risk, get a rapid test at the three-month mark.
Dr. Bob
why can't you just spit it out ? Aug 17, 2005
How come you and other sources can say that there is no risk from kissing, grinding and some other sexual activities but, you will not say there is no risk from rimming ? There have been no documented cases and it is essentially saliva on skin, so how come it is not classified in the same way as sucking on toes ? The rim on the butt is skin, correct ?
Response from Dr. Frascino
You don't think there is any difference between rimming and toe sucking??? Hmmm . . . let's hope you never get a job at a shoe store.
Here's the STD scoop on rimming. Hepatitis A, intestinal parasites and herpes can be easily transmitted through rimming without a barrier; however, there have been no recorded cases of getting HIV from rimming or getting rimmed. The risk associated with sucking toes is limited to the ingestion of toe jam. So, like it or not, spit or swallow, that's the information just as plain and simple as I can make it.
Dr. Bob
Fellow Italian Stallion! Aug 21, 2006
Dear Dr. Bob
I've been going crazy lately with the thought of my girlfriend being infected because of my stupidity. I tested negative at 4 and 5 months via the oral Oraquick testing at a free clinic after sexual activities consisting of rimming, etc. with a gay male. Anyhow, my girlfriend has had bad headaches and constant diarrhea for atleast 2 weeks now.
My question is, can I put this episode behind me once and for all from the negative tests results?
Thanks for your education on the very necassary issue of HIV transmission. You've helped many.
Yours truly, Italian Brother
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hey Italian Brother,
You want to put your gay rimming episode "behind" you??? Hmmm . . . that sounds like the right place for it to be!
First, let's discuss your risk. I'm not sure what the "etc." includes when you say "rimming, etc. with a gay male;" however, I can advise there have been no recorded cases of getting HIV from rimming or getting rimmed. Rimming without a barrier, however, can transmit other STDs such as hepatitis A, intestinal parasites and herpes.
Next, your HIV test results: your negative OraQuick tests at four and five months are definitive and conclusive. HIV is not your problem. No way. No how.
If your girlfriend has had problems for several weeks that are not resolving spontaneously, she should see her doctor for an evaluation. There are many causes for headaches and diarrhea. I would also suggest you level with your girlfriend, as it is not only the best way for you to cope with your guilt over this incident, but it is also the right thing to do.
Finally, if your "etc." involved any activities that may have put you at risk for HIV, you should get an HIV test at the three-month mark.
Good luck!
Dr. Bob
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The Manifesto Project
In 1970 a radical document called The Sussex Manifesto helped shape modern thinking on science and technology for development. Forty years on, what kind of science and technology for development Manifesto is needed for today's world?
The STEPS Centre has created a new manifesto with one of the authors of the original, Professor Geoff Oldham. With cutting-edge ideas and some Southern perspectives, the New Manifesto will recommend new ways of linking science and innovation to development for a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future.
The multimedia version of the New Manifesto is illustrated with video, audio and other materials collected during the project, as well as relevant resources drawn from the work of other people and organisations.
The Manifesto is available in various formats. You can view the multimedia version on this site, request a copy of it on CD, download a PDF of the printed version or order a copy from the bookshop. We aim to encourage debate and action and welcome your comments and examples of innovation.


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With over 400 patents specific to structured cabling, from patch cords to patch panels, Siemon Labs invests heavily in R&D and development of industry standards, underlining the company's long-term commitment to its customers and the industry.
Siemon services includes the Siemon Certified Installer program and global and national multisite rollouts
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2013-08-14 / Events & Calendar
Boaters reminded speeding won't be tolerated
While most boaters and personal watercraft riders operate their vessels in a responsible manner, speeding is a major problem. According to Oyster Bay Town Councilman Chris J. Coschignano, speeding will not be tolerated in Town waters.
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The city of Ridgecrest Veterans Advisory Committee voted Monday to become part of the Ridgecrest Nexus Foundation.
The city of Ridgecrest Veterans Advisory Committee voted Monday to become part of the Ridgecrest Nexus Foundation.
The committee is seeking a $7,000 U.S. Department of Labor grant for the upcoming veterans stand down. The event is scheduled for Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kerr McGee Center.
Committee Treasurer Pam Brantley said the committee needs a 501(c)(3) designation as a nonprofit organization.
"In order to do that, there's a lot of work that has to be done, and it's too short a period to get it done between now and the stand down," she said. "One of the things that the grant asks is if we have one."
She said since the committee does not have one, she went to Foundation Treasurer Jan Bennett about going under its umbrella, so that the foundation would receive the funds and disburse as necessary.
"They would take 2 percent of any deposits as their cut for it, and then we're covered under them," Brantley said. "That way we could give everyone who donates a federal ID number to use for their nonprofit so they can a tax write-off on that. As far as their board was concerned, we were a good match for what they were looking for."
She asked who checks should be made out to.
Bennett said checks should be made out to the Ridgecrest Nexus Foundation and designated for the Veterans Advisory Committee.
"If they want a written receipt, they should say so," Bennett said.
Brantley and Assistant Treasurer Nick Coy can authorize the expenditure of funds.


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Thirteen Overlooked and Underrated Episodes of The Twilight Zone
October 2, 2009
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the broadcast debut of The Twilight Zone. I wasn't around in 1959, but I can join in by celebrating a less precise anniversary.
Picture, if you will, a precocious pre-teen with a morbid turn of mind and not enough pop culture fantasies to nourish it. He's seen the show before. Episodes like "The Dummy" and "Little Girl Lost," caught in passing on the way to The Flintstones or The Facts of Life, scared the heck out of him when he was a little kid. But now he's just the right age to groove to Rod Serling's dark imagination. He drags his dad to the local Waldenbooks to buy him the only literature he can find about the show, Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion, which he all but memorizes as he follows the show in syndication, twice a night, once on WGN and then a different episode on the Fox affiliate. It's been twenty years, give or take a couple of months, since I discovered The Twilight Zone.
One thing that occurred to me recently is that most of my opinions about each Twilight Zone were formed as a response to those taken by Zicree in his book. Given the dearth of other reviews or commentaries, the Companion's raves, pans, and pointed dismissals – three or four lines of Pauline Kaelish hauteur directed at the likes of "Hocus Pocus and Frisby" – tended to fix themselves permanently in a Zone fan's consciousness. Over the years, when I've found other Zone aficionados who were sufficiently well-versed to compare notes on individual episodes, the discussion has sometimes played out in terms like: "You know, I liked that one more (or less) than Zicree did!"
Last month I reviewed Martin Grams's The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door and lamented Grams's decision to withhold his own opinions on the show. That made me wonder: who else has weighed in on the subject since Zicree's book came out? Surely, on the internet, there must be a plethora of kibitizing on the subject of beloved (or hated) Twilight Zones. And of course, there is.
There are on-line polls where fans can vote for a favorite episode, and forums and websites where they can explain their choices. The Twilight Zone Cafe is a website devoted entirely to Zone chatter, with a thread for every episode and surveys to determine the best and worst of them. Today, to mark the anniversary, the New York Times got into the act, accruing 172 reader responses within eight hours. (Note that, just as the Times's blogger predicted, only two reader comments were submitted before someone listed an Outer Limits and an Alfred Hitchcock Hour among their favorite Twilight Zones!) Even Facebook, a Twilight Zone-worthy concept if ever there was one, contains a page devoted to the topic. The discussions on these sites sometimes reflect fuzzy memories and unsophisticated ideas, but the affection that viewers continue to express for The Twilight Zone is awe-inspiring.
For a number of reasons, I tend to view the Internet Movie Database's user ratings with skepticism. But I noticed that for most Twilight Zones, unlike episodes of many other TV series, the IMDb has recorded more than 150 votes. Perhaps that's enough to constitute a valid statistical sample, even in the absence of any transparency as to how the system works. Most of the Zones fall within a fairly narrow numerical range on the IMDb's ten-star scale. If an episode scores over a 9.0, it's a masterpiece. Under a 7.0, and the public can be envisioned as holding its collective nose.
In general, the scores are predictable, although after studying them for a while I noticed one intriguing anomaly. Twilight Zones that turn on an especially clever twist ending skew higher than episodes that instead emphasize character or mood. Fair enough, you may be thinking, surprise endings are what The Twilight Zone is all about – until I point out that IMDb users rank "The Shelter" (8.4), "Printer's Devil" (8.3), and "The Masks" (8.3) above "Walking Distance" (8.0). Now that's what I'd call a twist! I think I've found more evidence for my pet theory that American audiences take comfort in clever plotting to the exclusion of all else.
As I mentioned before, thumbing through The Twilight Zone Companion – and now, surfing through all those Zone outposts on the internet – brings out the contrarian in me. I always feel like slaughtering a few of the sacred cows in the Twilight Zone's pens, and sticking up for the underdogs in that fifth-dimensional kennel. I could easily compile a list of both species. But since we're celebrating an anniversary, I'm going to focus on the positive.
Here, then, are thirteen episodes (presented in chronological order) that I think have slipped through the cracks. These aren't my personal favorites, which are probably about the same as everybody else's. They're the Twilight Zone's red-headed stepchildren, the ones that haven't received quite as much love as they deserve from audiences and critics.
1. "The Lonely" (November 13, 1959) Arguably somewhat underappreciated amid the bounty of the early episodes, this is The Twilight Zone's greatest tragic romance. Jack Warden creates one of his most touching everymen, and the location shooting (an increasing rarity as the series wore on) turns Death Valley into a visceral hell-on-an-asteroid. The final twist may play as contrived, but the power of Serling's writing is not in that punchline but in the earlier, emotional double-reversal (Warden hates the robot girl, then can't bear to part with her), which has rarely been executed so skillfully within the confines of a half-hour teleplay.
2. "A World of His Own" (July 1, 1960) Deliberately slight, this budget-friendly bottle show casts Keenan Wynn as an urbane Walter Mitty-ish writer who solves his Betty-or-Veronica dilemma with the help of an enchanted dictaphone. Ending season one with a throwaway gag was a bold, unexpected move, and to overpraise it would miss the point. But Richard Matheson's droll script resounds with an intricate verbal wit that still sounds fresh and unusual within The Twilight Zone, mainly because it was a mode in which Serling (though he seems to have vaguely inspired Wynn's character) could not write.
3. "Twenty-Two" (February 10, 1961) A polarizer. Some fans find it shrill and obvious, including Zicree, who calls it "not one of the more shining examples of The Twilight Zone." Others will delight in seeing comedienne Barbara Nichols pull off a straight dramatic lead, and appreciate the repeated wallop of the spooky stewardess's refrain ("Room for one more, honey": for my money the connoisseur's "It's a cookbook!") The smeary imagery enhances the nightmarish quality of the story, making this the only episode to actually benefit from the second-season humiliation of videotape.
4. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" (February 24, 1961) Horror in the lowest key. Armed with technical advice from his airline-pilot brother, Serling crafts a deliciously slow-building atmosphere of terror out of nothing but flight-crew jargon and offscreen space. Naturally, some find that "boring." As in "Little Girl Lost" (also undervalued), there's an appealing purity to the contest between concerted rationalism and the batshit inexplicable. The casting of non-star underplayers completes the formula (one show-off in the cockpit would have ruined the big reveal), and the uneasy ending provides even less closure than usual.
5. "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" (April 21, 1961) There's something seedy and harsh about this nasty little futurist neo-noir, with its second-rate cast and its jerky narrative, stitched together by a rare intermediate Serling narration. But The Twilight Zone was entitled to – even enriched by – a few tawdry little B-movies to bottom-half a double bill with A-stories like "Walking Distance." (See also: "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up," another great shaggy-dog story that irritates a certain segment of the fans.) The final twist is half-gotcha, half-groaner, but its mean-spiritedness is just right for this "Caper"'s ugly anti-heroes.
6. "Two" (September 15, 1961) A sentimental favorite. Perhaps the spectacle of two future superstars making googly-eyes at each other across a rubble-strewn MGM backlot contains an element of camp that has kept this one off too many of the all-time favorite lists. But giving Charles Bronson all the dialogue and making Elizabeth Montgomery, everyone's favorite motormouthed sorceress, act with her orbs, is irresistible against-type casting (at least in hindsight). Plus, settling the Cold War after it's too late for all but two of us to care is pure Serling.
7. "The Hunt" (January 26, 1962) Earl Hamner, Jr., was The Twilight Zone's most underappreciated writer; he belongs in the "Big Four" in place of the overrated George Clayton Johnson. Nestled at the heart of this script, which plays like a supernatural episode of The Waltons, is the lovely conceit of a man who turns his back on heaven because St. Peter won't let his dog in, too. Some of the execution can be faulted, especially the awkward shifts between locations and faux-exterior sets, but I find Arthur Hunnicutt's sad-eyed performance (which Zicree sees as "leaden . . . and with no range") straightforward and moving.
8. "I Sing the Body Electric" (May 18, 1962) This respectable Ray Bradbury adaptation has one magical scene, in which three newly orphaned children play Mr. Potato Head at the robot factory and come up with adorable uber-granny Josephine Hutchinson. The remainder is perhaps not all it could be, but "I Sing the Body Electric" certainly doesn't fail spectacularly enough to earn the contempt that some fans have heaped upon it; perhaps Zicree jinxed it by reporting the episode's extensive production problems, and Bradbury's negative reaction. To those who find it saccharine, I ask: have you seen that ostensible classic "Kick the Can" (or as I like to call it, "Pass the Bucket") lately?
9. "Jess-Belle" (February 14, 1963) By a wide margin the best of the hour-long Twilight Zones, "Jess-Belle" uses the added length to create an authentic sense of place (Hamner's beloved Blue Ridge Mountains) and mood (a morose fatalism expressed in the performances, the music, and the folk-tune that replaces Serling's closing remarks). Instead of the usual high-concept twists, "Jess-Belle"'s strangeness manifests in the form of a subterranean sensuality – the animal transformations as an expression of repressed desire; the leering flirtatiousness in Jeanette Nolan's startling turn as the old witch – that's atypical both for The Twilight Zone and among Hamner's catalog of folksy backwoods stories.
10. "The Bard" (May 23, 1963) And you thought the modern-day-imbecile-hooks-up-with-historical-genius fantasy genre began with Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. But – no. Granted, the TV-industry satire trotted out here is in no danger of dislodging Network from its pedestal. But Serling's only funny comedy mines more laughs than expected out of a time-traveling Bill Shakespeare, and Burt Reynolds's side-splitting evisceration of Brando may still be his best performance.
11. "You Drive" (January 3, 1964) Edward Andrews, occupying a rare and welcome leading role, exudes maximum smarm in this Duel precursor about an unrepentant hit-and-runner whose car meets out justice. It's a one-idea premise, but director John Brahm executes the driverless car effects so cleverly that nothing more is needed. Modern cinema abounds with tales in which our cars want to kill us (The Car) or fuck us (Crash) or both (Christine). But can anyone think of an earlier version of this technophobic meta-narrative than "You Drive"?
12. "Black Leather Jackets" (January 31, 1964) Associations with schlocky fifties juvenile delinquency films have unfairly shivved the reputation of this alien biker gang saga. Maybe Lee Kinsolving and Shelley Fabares don't quite sell the teen angst, but I love the sheriff (a creepy, pre-Hill Street Michael Conrad) and the all-seeing, Mabusean video device: even before the space hoodlums arrive in their titular garb, humanity is already doomed. "Jackets" channels McCarthyism, but it also looks ahead to the free-floating, anyone-could-be-an-alien paranoia of The Invaders and The X-Files.
13. "Come Wander With Me" (May 22, 1964) Everyone points out, correctly, that this star-crossed backwoods romance makes no sense. And you were expecting what in the Twilight Zone? One viewer's nonsense is another's surrealism, and here the narrative incoherence recedes as the claustrophobic soundstage-exterior sets (which sabotaged other episodes) give the proceedings a unique, otherworldly feel. Bonnie Beecher and Gary Crosby were non-entities, but they're just right for the material: Beecher, who hung out with Dylan and married Wavy Gravy, looks as if she has strummed a guitar barefoot before; and Crosby, always diffident and uneasy on screen, must have felt comfortably in his father's shadow as "Come Wander With Me"'s folkie-poseur.
Now, which episodes do you think are underrated . . . or overrated?
Lost in the Twilight Zone
August 26, 2009
Last year saw the publication of a valuable new book called The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. The author, Martin Grams, Jr., has written or co-written histories of various radio series as well as television shows like I Led Three Lives and Have Gun, Will Travel. Most of those programs had not been the subject of a book-length account before Mr. Grams, a prolific young historian, turned his attention to them.
For that reason I was somewhat surprised to find The Twilight Zone under Grams's microscope, because the show's history had already been ably chronicled in Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion. Zicree's book, which has been reprinted several times since its publication in 1982, offered a highly readable history and appreciation of The Twilight Zone. Indeed, The Twilight Zone Companion launched the television episode guide as a literary genre and established a format that scores of books (some terrific, some worthless) about old TV shows would follow.
Had anyone asked, I would have guessed that little of substance could be added to Zicree's research. Grams has proven me wrong, by unearthing a multitude of previously unreported facts and providing some new insights into how The Twilight Zone was made. Here are a few examples that I found particularly fascinating:
- Two highly regarded third season shows, "The Grave" and "Nothing in the Dark," were actually produced during the second year and shelved, apparently because the network wanted to stockpile some strong shows for the new year.
- Rod Serling and producer Buck Houghton went into a panic after seeing the rough cut of "To Serve Man," an episode that ends on an infamously droll punchline but is, otherwise, kinda stupid. James Sheldon (who was himself replaced, ironically, on a subsequent episode, "I Sing the Body Electric") directed reshoots, the footage was extensively re-edited, and alien giant Richard Kiel's voice was replaced with that of another familiar character actor, Joseph Ruskin.
- A rather absurd legal conflict over a G. E. Theatre episode also entitled "The Eye of the Beholder" is finally revealed as the reason why the rerun broadcast of the famous Twilight Zone segment, and later some syndicated prints, bore the alternate title "A Private World of Darkness." Grams also examines the plagiarism claims, covered vaguely or not at all by Zicree, that led to the exclusion of four episodes from syndication for many years.
- On several occasions where actors played dual roles, a performer of note was engaged to supply an on-stage performance as the "double," one which would be replaced by optical effects and never seen by the public. Joseph Sargent, later a major film and television director, doubled for George Grizzard in "In His Image," and Brian G. Hutton (the director of Where Eagles Dare) filled in as the "mirror version" of Joe Mantell in "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room." And Keenan Wynn, gave the off-camera performances in Ed Wynn's mirror scenes in "Ninety Years Without Slumbering" while visiting his sickly father on the set! (Zicree's book reported the part about Sargent, but the others were news to me.)
Grams has re-interviewed surviving Twilight Zone cast and crew members, albeit somewhat selectively (Collin Wilcox's recollections of the show, for instance, remain exclusive to this blog). His primary source is a trove of correspondence, memoranda, and other paperwork, some of it apparently acquired on Ebay.
The centerpiece of Grams's research shelf was a set of ledgers from Serling's accounting firm, which break down the budgets of most of the Twilight Zone episodes. Grams records these figures and, although he rarely dwells on their significance, the reader can have a lot of fun crunching numbers. Why did some episodes cost far more than others, and were the results were worth it? In the first season, for instance, the classic "Walking Distance" toted up to a whopping $74,485, while the cute season finale, "A World of His Own," cost a meager $33,438. Grams also reports the actual shooting dates of the episodes, and in so doing he confirms one of my long-standing suspicions about Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion: that, apart from grouping them by season, it presents the episodes in no particular order. (Why? I have no idea.)
Much of the above may seem trivial. But Grams also probes into more substantive behind-the-scenes happenings. Extensive quotations from production memoranda and private correspondence offer far more detailed glimpses than we have had before of the personalities of The Twilight Zone's creative minds. Buck Houghton, producer of the first three seasons, seems much the same man as he did in Zicree's account: a sage line producer gifted with an unflappable pragmatism and an uncommonly good story mind. Charles Beaumont, who served as a sort of informal ambassador between The Twilight Zone and the world of science fiction fandom, proved a shrewd salesman for both the series and for his own talent. Richard Matheson was a virtual geyser of grievances who managed to find fault with the execution of nearly all his scripts.
Grams's depiction of Rod Serling has more complex shadings than I expected. His reputation as an all-around nice guy, and an especially generous ally to fellow writers, is confirmed in the many letters quoted in Unlocking the Door. But Serling's correspondence also wallows in an extreme form of self-deprecation that comes across as masochistic in some instances, phony in others. He wasted a great deal of time replying (and often apologizing) to viewers who wrote in with picayune complaints about each week's episode.
But Serling's humility did not extend to his fame. Previous accounts have depicted Serling as a default choice to host The Twilight Zone, but Grams makes it clear that Serling plotted from the start, over the sponsors' objections, to insert himself in front of the camera. There is ample evidence that Serling relished his status as a celebrity; Grams quotes an especially shameless letter to an old teacher in which Serling faux-sheepishly plugs an upcoming appearance on The Garry Moore Show. In some people, an outsized ego might be a small imperfection. For Serling – the frequency of whose media appearances during and after The Twilight Zone can be measured neatly in inverse proportion to the quality of his writing – it was a flaw that took on Shakespearean dimensions.
Grams's coverage of the individual Twilight Zone episodes varies in length and quality, but I admired his attention to some of the tangents and failures that other scholars have neglected. The coverage here of "Mr. Bevis," the unfunny comedy spinoff about a hapless guardian angel, and Serling's distaff rehash of same two years later (as the Carol Burnett vehicle "Cavender Is Coming"), is exemplary. Grams reprints plot summaries for unmade episodes of the "Mr. Bevis" series, and casting suggestions for the starring roles in both pilots. He quotes Serling's lacerating confessions as to why both versions failed creatively, although just why Serling remained so attached to his bungling angel idea as to make it twice remains a mystery. ("Bevis" originated via a sweetheart deal between CBS and a potential sponsor, Prudential Insurance, which may explain how it bypassed the usual common-sense scrutiny that would have vetoed such a slim premise.) In a note to Carol Burnett, Serling admitted that "Cavender" was "lousy," adding that "I feel like Napoleon surveying the aftermath of Waterloo, except at least I get residuals – all he got was Elba." Even in his letters, the poor man wasn't funny.
After three seasons during which it ran smoothly and excelled creatively, The Twilight Zone fell into chaos. Dropped by CBS in the fall of 1962, the series returned the following January in an hour-long format, and limped along (as a half-hour again) for a fifth year. During the half-season in which The Twilight Zone appeared to be dead, both Houghton and Serling took other jobs. Houghton was replaced by three successive producers, none of them as good. Serling, on the other hand, exiled himself in dramatic fashion, taking a teaching job in far-away Antioch College (in Yellow Springs, Ohio) and declaring to the press that he was burned out on television.
In The Twilight Zone Companion, Zicree describes Houghton's immediate replacement, Herbert Hirschman, as a talented producer who disagreed mildly with Serling. On Hirschman's successors, Bert Granet and William Froug, Zicree remains noncommittal. The most important sections of Grams's book are those that expand Zicree's and other sources' minimal coverage of the final two seasons (widely viewed by fans as inferior to the first three) into a dramatic struggle for control of a troubled series.
In actuality, Hirschman fell immediately out of favor with Serling, who began – in exasperated and (for him) harshly worded memoranda – to question Hirschman's compatibility with The Twilight Zone's elements of fantasy and the macabre. Serling was right, I think, based on his specific disagreements with Hirschman over the scripts for "The Thirty Fathom Grave," "The Incredible World of Horace Ford," and "The Bard." In each case, Hirschman favored a more pedestrian approach. Serling lobbied to have Hirschman fired, and after a few months the producer was unceremoniously ousted. But Serling's move backfired. Serling's choice as Hirschman's replacement, executive and sometime director Perry Lafferty, was passed over in favor of Granet, a CBS executive already assigned to the show. (Granet, marking his territory, insisted on the right to recut Hirschman's episodes.)
What's fascinating about this account is how effectively the network took advantage of Serling's physical absence to distance him from his own show. Serling still had to supply scripts and commute to Los Angeles to film his introductions, but the new regime did not consult with him on casting, production, or other writers' scripts. Many key decisions previously made by Serling and Houghton fell not just to the new producers, but to CBS executives above them in the food chain, including Robert F. Lewine, Boris Kaplan, and George Amy (a distinguished film editor who must have been supervising post-production for the network). Kaplan, formerly a TV producer at Universal (of Riverboat and 87th Precinct), seems to have played a critical role, and yet I don't believe his contributions to The Twilight Zone have ever been examined in detail.
Ultimately Serling was reduced to fuming impotently in letters to production manager Ralph W. Nelson, a Houghton-era holdover who loyally supplied back-channel reports from the set. Serling's anger at being exploited as a figurehead on his later series Night Gallery has been well documented, and I think Grams's work recasts Serling's Night Gallery unhappiness as a rerun of his role during the fourth and fifth seasons of The Twilight Zone. That begs the question of why Serling would allow himself to be trapped in the same limbo twice. The answer seems to be that Serling hoped to wield his influence from afar without battling in the trenches; and the tragedy was that television doesn't work that way.
Can a well-researched book that's bigger than two bricks fail to become the definitive account of its subject? Sadly, I think that may be the case here. I remember a great line from a review of David Fincher's Zodiac, to the effect that watching the film was like being trapped inside a file cabinet. That's how I often felt as I macheted my way through the eight hundred pages of Grams's book.
It's a common peril for an author to get bogged down in the minutiae of his topic, and the biggest problem with Unlocking the Door is simply that it contains too much information. In my own work, I have sometimes made the case for detail at the expense of readability. But does anyone really need to know the dates on which "Queen of the Nile"'s hand inserts were filmed, or that the production staff may have failed to pay MGM for the rental of the episode's Egyptian props? Or that Serling's original narration for "Sounds and Silences" gave the protagonist's weight at 217 pounds, instead of 220 in the filmed version? Grams's book is so choked with this kind of junk data that it becomes nearly impossible to read for pleasure.
Some of the trivia is not merely irrelevant, but also, perhaps, misleading. On three occasions, Grams lists names submitted for specific roles in Twilight Zone episodes by a talent agent named Robert Longenecker. As Grams points out, none of those actors (with one exception) landed a part on The Twilight Zone. Judging by the names on his list, Longenecker managed a stable of bit players. Ethel Winant, The Twilight Zone's casting director, had the budget and the clout to attract top actors to the show, and she likely filed Longenecker's correspondence away without giving it serious consideration. But Grams neglects to provide that context, and the casual reader may assume that these were actors in serious contention for major roles on the series.
Both here and in his introduction to the book, Grams takes particular exception to an erroneous figure in The Twilight Zone Companion. Zicree, evidently sourcing only the memory of producer William Froug, wrote that The Twilight Zone purchased the rights to Robert Enrico's short French film "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" for $10,000. Grams documents that the actual figure was $20,000, plus an additional $5,000 in post-production costs. The correction is welcome. But even the $25,000 figure falls well below the halfway point of an average fifth-year Zone episode's budget. In fussing over the amount, Grams distracts the reader from the larger point, conveyed succinctly in Zicree's account, that the acquisition of "Occurrence" was a clever coup that both rescued The Twilight Zone's budget and introduced American audiences to a fine foreign film they would not otherwise have seen.
Perhaps inevitably, Grams compounds this pedantry by organizing his data in a sequence that is only roughly chronological, and often follows no other structure that I can discern. Essential, well-written chronologies of the series' production alternate with gobs of trivia that should have been consigned to an appendix or cut altogether. Chapter Six, for example, begins with an overview of plans for The Twilight Zone's second season, then segues into sections on: letters from agents and actors plying Rod Serling for jobs; Serling's transition into on-camera hosting; the various clothing manufacturers who supplied Serling's suits; Serling's charitable activities; a Shakespearean sonnet sent in by a fan; fan clubs; the soundtrack album; and so on. The introductory material, and even the production histories of some episodes, read as if a clipping file had simply been emptied onto the pages.
It's discouraging to see books on important subjects like The Twilight Zone wind up self-published, or on tiny imprints, for the obvious reason that not enough people will read them. (OTR Publishing, which issued Unlocking the Door, is Grams's own company). But it is equally relevant, I think, that many of those books are not as good as they could be because their authors do not have the input of a seasoned editor.
In his introduction to Unlocking the Door, Martin Grams presents a sort of mission statement that guided his writing. Grams eschewed earlier published histories of The Twilight Zone and consulted only primary documents. He avoided the kind of shorthand that blurs the opinions of historian and subject. Most radically, he decided that he would not attempt "to offer a critical analysis of the episodes."
In an era where many alleged journalists source their information from Wikipedia, I applaud authors who stake out a rigorous methodology for themselves and stick to it. But in Unlocking the Door, Grams's "just the facts, ma'am" approach is too dry. A historian who has immersed himself in his subject for years has earned the right to present reasonable, thoughtfully argued opinions. In fact, he may owe them to his readers. It would be unthinkable, for instance, for the biographer of a major film director not to take a position on which of that director's works are canonical; or for a professor in a media history class to offer only data without context or analysis. Surely Grams, after studying The Twilight Zone so closely, has some interesting ideas on where the show succeeded and failed, and why. It's a shame he felt the need to deprive us of them.
While fact-checking some of what I have written above, I pulled out my copy of The Twilight Zone Companion. Immediately, I found myself getting drawn in by Zicree's clean, witty prose, just as I did decades ago, when I began reading his book for the first time (at a school bus stop, in case anyone cares, on a frigid morning in the winter of 1989). Yes, Zicree's four-line dismissals of some episodes and his overpraise of others can be infuriating, but they are part of why his book is so enjoyable. And, at least during the years before the internet, Zicree's reviews also dominated the conversation about The Twilight Zone; I realize now that my own initial thoughts about the individual episodes formed very much in agreement with or in opposition to what Zicree wrote. Much more than his facts, I would have liked this new Twilight Zone book to rebut Zicree's opinions.
Some of my criticisms of Unlocking the Door may sound harsh. But as a work of scholarship, this is a worthwhile book, a cornucopia of factoids that will delight hardcore Twilight Zone wonks. Luckily, there are a multitude of worthwhile resources on this classic show. For new fans crossing over into The Twilight Zone for the first time, Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion remains the essential intro. For supplemental, multi-media studies, there are Stewart Stanyard's Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone: A Backstage Tribute to Television's Groundbreaking Series (an astonishing trove of behind-the-scenes photos), and the special edition DVDs, which are crammed with new and vintage video and audio interviews with the show's creators. And now, finally, for the advanced scholars who feel ready to begin a post-graduate course in Zoneology, Martin Grams, Jr., has published their textbook.
Martin Grams, Jr., is also the organizer of the annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, which occurs this week (August 27-29) in Aberdeen, Maryland, and benefits the St. Jude Children's Hospital. Part of Grams's presentation on The Twilight Zone from last year's event can be viewed here, here, and here.


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Trinidad James Overated Or Underated: Chuck Norris, The Dentist, Leprechauns Or More
"Trinidad James ponders the merits of Chuck Norris, Molly Ringwald, and leprechauns." - pitchforktv
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