text:
Even though some strains are pathogenic, most E. coli strains still show evidence of being one of God's "very good" creations.
Keywords: E. coli, Escherichia coli, Shigella, mutualism, genesis of germs, interwoven complexity, biomatrix, Theodor Escherich, history of intestinal diseases
Escherichia coli is frequently in the news (Fig. 1). E. coli often gets "bad press" for contaminating drinking water or causing a food-borne infection (via hamburgers, apple juice, spinach, or other foods). Recently a new strain (E. coli O145) has been implicated in contaminating lettuce in the U.S., while another strain (E. coli O157:H7) is apparently in tons of beef and other foods. Pathogenic (disease-causing) E. coli is becoming so common in foods that the government is likely to "beef up" its regulation on the food industry (Dininny 2010). Even though some strains are pathogenic, most E. coli strains still show evidence of being one of God's "very good" creations. E. coli is also a common experimental organism (a laboratory "pet") of biologists, and is valuable for studying genetics and variation in living things.
Newspapers, biology texts and the popular media increasingly discuss "evolution in action." Evidence to support this concept includes emerging diseases, antibiotic resistance, and changes in characteristics of bacteria, especially the work of Richard Lenski's lab. Lenski and his coworkers have shown that bacteria can change rapidly in phenotype (outward appearance) and evolutionists have seized upon this rapid phenotypic change as alleged powerful evidence for Darwinian evolution. Thus, E. coli and "evolution in action" is an important two-fold issue involving empirical (or observational/operational) science and its relationship to the theoretical (or historical) origins issue.
Carl Zimmer (2008), in his book, Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life, uses emerging diseases caused by E. coli to bolster his arguments for molecules-to-man evolution. Zimmer's book popularizes the work of Lenski on emerging (i.e., newly appearing) diseases and increases the appeal of his research as seen in news magazines, general biology and microbiology texts, and at many scientific conferences. Zimmer states that scientists are investigating phenotypic changes in E. coli to demonstrate their ability to undergo "rapid bursts of evolution" (p. 97). Many biologists argue that the wide variation in pathogenicity found in E. coli as support for Darwinian evolution. The typical explanation for the origin of E. coli is that it has been around for billions of years and man only a few millions years. For the mutualistic relationship to have begun between man and microbe, animals and E. coli had to co-evolve in both E. coli and man. The human body had to allow a bacteria to pass through the stomach and reach the intestine (a rapid turnover rate) to become one of the most successful bacteria on the planet (i.e., it's found in every mammal known and even extends to fish).
Increasingly reoccurring themes (examples) are being declared about pathogenic E. coli and its "evolution in action": primarily how new and emerging diseases arise. The origins of new diseases within the same species are really examples of variation and adaptation. We seek to provide an "answer" and alternative to the Darwinian paradigm through investigation of the origin of E. coli and its role in examples of "evolution in action." The purpose of this article is to discuss the possible origin of E. coli from the time of Creation; and its modification since the Edenic Curse. The specific objectives of this article are to provide reasonable explanations for: (1) the origin and purpose of E. coli in the human body; (2) the genesis of new pathogenic E. coli strains; and (3) a reasonable alternative to evolution in regard to past changes in E. coli and similar bacteria. Finally, we discuss how E. coli fits into the historic, biblical worldview stages of Creation, Curse, Corruption, and Contagion.3 It will integrate the topics of modification and displacement for emerging diseases.
We read in Genesis 1 that God made everything "very good." If everything God made was good, where did pathogenic E. coli come from? What is the origin of this frightening germ? Where does it fit into the creation account? Was it created along with the rest of life, during the first week of Creation, or later, after the Fall of man? Is E. coli a result of the "Curse"? These and other questions have been asked by professional creation microbiologists (i.e., Francis 2003; Gillen 2007; Gillen 2008). Their answers may surprise you.
The coliform (rod-shaped, intestinal bacterial) "kind" (including Escherichia and Shigella species) is a rather hardy, Gram-negative bacterial type (i.e. they do not become colored if put into a purple Gram stain, and eventually stain red with a counterstain) that is especially resistant to acid and adapts to a variety of oxygen conditions. These bacteria usually occur as single unattached rods (bacillus) (Fig. 1). The tiny rods measure about 2 µm (micrometers) in length and 0.5 µm in diameter. Coliform bacteria grow at a variety of temperatures and oxygen conditions, but seem to do especially well at normal human body temperature (37 °C), and can grow in aqueous environments (Talaro 2008).
Microbiology research based on the creation paradigm appears to provide answers to some puzzling questions regarding the E. coli "kind" (including Shigella spp.). The genera Shigella and Escherichia probably are from the same original Biblical kind, based on their similar appearance, gut habitat, genome sequence, and biochemical properties. We could call the first set of originally created coliforms, the E. coli prototype. For over a decade (1883–1897) these bacteria were collectively called Bacterium coli, according to Theodor Escherich (1883) (Fig. 2).
We cannot be dogmatic (beyond the biblical text) regarding details of microbe origins during Creation week, but believe that Scripture and biological data suggest something about the nature of microbes in a mature but fallen creation. Diligent research by past creation biologists1 such as Leeuwenhoek, Pasteur, and Lister, were blessed by God as He revealed to them critical insight into His creation (Psalm 139:17; Gillen and Sherwin 2008). We hope and pray to give a reasonable modern analysis.
Although E. coli frequently gets "bad press" for contaminating drinking water or causing a food-borne infection, most E. coli are "very good" creations, even in the present world (Fig. 3). E. coli is a normal inhabitant of the large intestine of vertebrates, including humans, and its presence is beneficial because it helps produce certain vitamins and breaks down otherwise indigestible foodstuffs. E. coli are part of our normal microflora (also called normal flora) in human intestines (Fig. 4).
Without our intestinal flora, we would not survive very well. E. coli and other enteric bacteria supply our body with vitamin K, vitamin B12, thiamin, and riboflavin, which we need for normal body functioning. These intestinal microflora also stimulate lymph node-like structures, called Peyer's patches, which contain lymphatic tissue and provide the intestines with protection, even helping to prevent colon cancer. They maintain an intensely competitive and closed community, which makes invasion from pathogens a considerable challenge. They produce substances to prevent harmful microbes from invading. They can serve as a probiotic, i.e., living organisms that promote health. As for the benefit to E. coli, man's colon provides them a stable nutritional home. In summary, E. coli provides humans with vitamins and body defenses as its "rent money," and, in turn, the human colon provides it with a safe and warm home: it is a mutualistic relationship (Fig. 4).
An interwoven, adaptation package is a biological relationship in which the whole is functionally more than the sum of its individual components. We call this an extension of the interwoven complexity observed in the human body (Gillen 2006). Dr. Joseph Francis calls it the "biomatrix" of life, or "organosubstrate" theory. E. coli (Fig. 2) are the predominant bacteria in the lower intestine, and they constitute about 75 percent of all living bacteria in feces.
Indeed, the intestinal bacteria contribute to the general well-being of both microbes and people by synthesizing a number of the vitamins essential for good nutrition and breaking down various macronutrients. The human body cannot synthesize niacin to make nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) that is necessary for energy conversion in the cell's mitochondria. The B-vitamins, including niacin, cobalamin (B12) biotin, thiamine, and riboflavin, are necessary for normal energy levels, freedom from fatigue, and proper functioning of nerves. A prolonged deficiency in any one of these vitamins may lead to chronic fatigue and inability to lead a normal life. As for the benefit to E. coli (and other enteric bacteria), man's colon provides them a stable nutritional home. In short, both parties benefit from this mutualistic relationship.
The mutualistic relationship between our digestive cells and these helpful microbes shows amazing cooperation and is another example of emergent properties in living things. The large intestine contains the highest numbers of resident flora because of the available moisture and nutrients in the colon. If you take away E. coli and other bacteria, the function of the digestive system is severely impaired. This cooperation among cells is similar to the interdependent parts of a mousetrap and summarized in the table below.
Vitamins and Enzymes | Physiological Role | Disease if Deficient |
1. Vitamin K | Needed in blood clotting | Hemorrhage in newborns who lack gut bacteria |
2. Vitamin B12 (absorbs) | Coenzyme needed in protein formation | Pernicious anemia; lack of energy |
3. Niacin (Vitamin B3) | Part of coenzymes in energy metabolism | Pellagra; lack of energy; fatigue |
4. Vitamin B-Complex (thiamine, biotin, and riboflavin) | Carbohydrate metabolism
Coenzymes in cell respiration | Beriberi, loss of appetite, fatigue, inflammation and breakdown of skin |
Where do the E. coli microbes fit into God's "very good" creation? Most creation biologists believe that God created (Genesis 1 and 2) all bacteria as very good forms of life (Francis 2003; Gillen 2007). Even today, a vast majority of bacteria are beneficial to man and nature. Only about 5 to 10% of all bacteria are pathogenic. Many microbes live in a mutualistic relationship with other microbes, but they also reside with plants, animals, and humans. Mutualism is a type of symbiosis (Greek sym; together, bios, life). It is "normal" and critical for our body's health to be symbiotically inhabited by microbes such as beneficial bacteria. God's very good creation included design features involving important microbes. This internal and external beneficial colonization of the body is termed our normal microbiota.
In some cases the symbiosis is beneficial to both the body and the microorganisms; this relationship is called mutualism. Humans are "covered" outside and inside with millions of microbiotic organisms that maintain normal bodily functions and sustain life in changing environments. For example, many Staphylococcus species live on human skin. S. epidermidis alone makes up 90% of the normal flora on the skin (Gillen 2009). In a brilliant stroke, the Creator most likely wove2 together man's body with staphylococci outside on the skin, and on the inside, enteric bacteria (like E. coli) in the intestine. In Genesis 2, we believe that man was formed fully mature with the appearance of an adult. Somewhat like an embroidered quilt, He likely made humans with bacteria on their skin, and in their intestines.
The normal flora provides clues to the pre-Fall function of bacteria (Fig. 4). The intestine provides a microbiome for many bacteria. Dr. Francis (Francis 2003) suggests that microbes are a natural healthy extension of the body and that bacteria form a biomatrix (technically an organosubstrate) on the epidermis. When God created man, most likely He made the Escherichia/Shigella kind to help maintain the digestive and immune system. Over time, minor changes took place (i.e. variation): some of the enteric bacterial strains came to occupy most of the small and large intestines. Perhaps, the original Escherichia kind diversified into several varieties according to microhabitat: some to live in the small intestine (ileum, duodenum, and jejunum), and some in specialized places of the large intestine (ascending, transverse, and descending colon), and rectum.
Most likely, Escherichia was originally designed to live in harmony with man as a harmless member of the gut flora. It played a positive role in producing vitamins and helping with digestion with other enteric bacteria in 34 genera (~ 5000 species). It is likely this was part of their original good design. As Francis (2009) points out, the gut is a "living city" of various microbes. However, after the Edenic Fall, the Curse of the Creator caused corruption and decay in these living bacteria, including in their genetic code. Today, the term germ specifically refers to disease-causing microbes, or pathogens (Gillen 2007). All "germs" would have had their origin after the Fall (Genesis 3). The Edenic Curse would have profoundly influenced all Creation, including those viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoans that would later become pathogens or parasites.
Clearly, the origin of infectious disease is complex and multifaceted (Fig. 5). This topic is further explored in the book, The Genesis of Germs (Gillen 2007). It provides some understanding into the origin of such diseases. From a biblical worldview, infectious diseases and pathogenesis had become a secondary condition, a result of sin that was not what the Creator had intended. But even in this now-fallen world, God provided humans with defenses such as members of the gut's microbiota that secrete chemicals to interfere with the growth of pathogenic microbiota (Bauman 2009).
S. dysenteriae and E. coli are likely within the same "biblical kind." S. dysenteriae is a species of the rod-shaped bacterial genus, Shigella. (The Shigellae are known as Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, facultative anaerobic, non-motile bacteria.) Like E. coli, Shigella can cause bacillary dysentery (Fig. 6). (Dysentery is bloody diarrhea.) No one knows with certainty the origins of E. coli diarrheal disease. However, it appears that it is a very old disease. The Jews were instructed to dispose of their human waste outside the camp (Deuteronomy 23:12–13). In Deuteronomy 23:12–13, the Lord gave instructions to the Israelites for a sewage system that is not dissimilar to what we use today:
"Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse" (Deuteronomy 23:12–13).
The Creator told His people that they should designate a place outside their camp and relieve themselves; when they go they should take a shovel; then, dig a hole and cover their human waste. Today, in the Western world, this can be practically applied by using toilets and a septic tank, or sewage treatment systems. Throughout history, mankind has not always heeded the advice of Moses and has suffered the consequences of severe diarrhea, dysentery, and other gastrointestinal maladies including severe dehydration, which could even lead to death. On a historic note, it is believed that S. dysenteriae, E. coli, and amoebic dysentery were responsible for nearly 2 million cases of diarrhea (Fig. 6) during the American Civil War. According to Hart (2004), there were 1,739,135 cases; including 44,558 deaths due to Bacillary Dysentery.
Theodor Escherich (1857–1911) was a pediatrician and a professor at German and Austrian universities (Fig. 2). He discovered the bacterium Bacillus coli in children who suffered intestinal diseases. He was driven by a belief that studying bacteriology could solve many of the ailments suffered by children. He studied infant feces for the causative organism and amongst his inventory of microbes was a quick-growing rod-shaped bacterium he called initially Bacillus communis coli. It was renamed E. coli after him, in 1919.
The Coliform Kind Becomes Corrupt (A Type of Germ Genesis)
There are about 500 E. coli strains. Most strains are very good creations and considered to be mutualistic, symbionts (mutually helpful organisms) with humans and many other creatures. As we write this article, more than 43 genomes of E. coli have been sequenced. With every new strain, microbiologists discover new genes that are unique to each strain. Each strain shares some DNA with other strains (maybe 30% of 4–5 million base pairs) and Shigella. The pangenome of E. coli is about 11,000 genes; this is the total set of genes for all E. coli strains currently known (Zimmer 2008 p. 117).
Some E. coli cause traveler's diarrhea and others cause even more severe dysentery. New strains continue to "pop up" with minor variations of the original kind. Most recently, E. coli O145 has been the cause of foodborne illness in those who ate Romaine lettuce. Pathogenic E. coli are usually divided into 5 categories (Nester et al. 2009):
Two strains (E. coli K-12 and O157:H7) are well known and represent the extreme variation. These two show how diverse and adaptive E. coli is as a created "kind." K-12 is harmless under normal, healthy conditions. It is a "laboratory pet" and can easily die in competition with other lab fungi and bacteria. It might be considered a household "kitten" that has been "declawed."
On the other hand, E. coli O157:H7 is a "lion" of a bacterium (Figs. 7 and 8). It has the ability to inject toxins into our cells (specifically kidney and intestinal cells), cause internal bleeding, shut down vital organs, and kill people. This usually results in hemolytic uremic syndrome and a critical care situation in a hospital emergency room. This strain was first recognized in 1982, and since then has emerged as a public health problem. It is now one of the leading causes of diarrhea worldwide. In 1996, some 9,000 people in Japan became ill and seven died. The recent outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 in the U.S., associated with contamination of spinach, undercooked meat and unpasteurized beverages (like apple juice), have alerted public health officials that new methods of testing for bacteria in food must be developed.
Each E. coli strain relies on a network of genes and proteins to survive in a particular niche. These probably have a recent common ancestor probably a 20th century ancestor! Something changed, and this is the so-called "stepwise evolution." It is conceivable that after the Edenic Fall, some of the enteric bacterial kind became corrupted by the addition of genetic material (from horizontal transfer of genetic material from other bacteria); as well as from the loss of chromosomal DNA. Modification of genetic information in the Escherichia kind and displacement thus probably led to its pathogenicity (Fig. 5). (Displacement occurs when microbes that were originally designed to perform beneficial functions in a specific location, spread to other places after the Fall and began to cause disease.) Today, most Escherichia have only a trace of such modification, and therefore most remain beneficial. Conversely, a few strains of Escherichia show large genetic components that seem to have been added and a few genes that have been lost.
The pathway to pathogenicity for Escherichia appears to result from several major traits that have been added, including genes that code for a toxin, virulent enzymes, and traits that help bacteria avoid phagocytosis by white blood cells. These traits may have come from transfer of genes from neighboring bacteria.
E. coli are Gram-negative bacteria (Fig. 1). Some of the same cell wall properties that facilitate their red color with stain also contribute to their variation and virulence. Gram-negative bacteria contain lipopolysaccharides in their cell walls that sometimes contain poisonous "endotoxins." The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria are more complex chemically than those of Gram-positive organisms. The two most critical antigens in E. coli that contribute to its pathogenicity and virulence are the O and H antigens. The O polysaccharide antigen is found within the cell membrane. The H antigen is part of the flagella. There are 50 plus strains of E. coli due to various H antigens. E. coli have fimbriae, or hair-like extensions, to help them attach to the intestine and eventually form a biofilm. Without this attachment and subsequent multiplication within a biofilm, there is no disease. In today's post-fall world, E. coli O157:H7 bacteria are far more virulent than E. coli K-12.
The written history of E. coli is complex (Fig. 4) and has been tracked by thousands of scientists who are "biological genealogists." This history begins with Theodor Escherich in 1885. Today, hundreds of microbiologists follow his diligent and painstaking work. However, they now look primarily at DNA and the genetic "record" of generations of E. coli. When a mutation or horizontal transfer occurs in E. coli, it is frequently passed down to its offspring. That mutation or other change can sometimes serve as a genetic marker that tells microbiologists that particular bacteria may be related (Tortora, Funke, and Case 2010; Zimmer 2008).
E. coli has about 4000 genes and roughly 5 million DNA base pairs (BP). (In contrast, humans have 20,000 genes.) Two strains (E. coli K-12 and O157:H7) share about 75% (3/4) of the same genes (Table 2). It appears that E. coli O157:H7 has gained about 800,000 DNA base pairs, many of which are factors that led to its pathogenicity and its ability to avoid the body's defense system (Seifert and DiRita 2006). As we examine many other important pathogenic bacteria, it appears that a "recipe for corruption" is: the addition of DNA from other bacteria, the loss of DNA, and the mixing of "foreign seed" (DNA from other microbes) with the original kind ("seed" DNA of the original type of E. coli). This change in DNA composition may be beneficial to the bacteria for a season.
Strain | DNA Size (MBP) | Number of Genes | Comments |
K-12 | 4.64 | 4,377 | Nonpathogen; the "laboratory pet" |
O157:H7 | 5.44 | 5,416 | Pathogen; strain that is extremely virulent to humans; has 1,346 genes not found in E. coli K-12 |
Virulence seems to commonly arise via mechanisms of adding DNA through conjugation, transformation, and transduction, and loss of DNA encoding metabolic information (Figure 4). For example, bacteriophages (viruses that infect E. coli in a process known as transduction) are known to carry incomplete or corrupted genes that are inserted into the genome of the host they infect. In addition, pathogenicity islands (Purdom 2009) have apparently been transferred via conjugation from other bacteria, thus adding new virulence factors. The most significant lateral transfer appears to be the addition of chromosomal DNA cassettes (pathogenicity islands) from neighboring bacteria (Seifert and DiRita 2006).
Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) often occurs after a gastrointestinal infection with enteric bacteria like E. coli O157:H7 (Figs. 7 and 8), S. dysenteriae or Salmonella. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is a disorder that usually occurs when an infection in the digestive system produces toxic substances that destroy red blood cells. It often affects the kidneys and is most common in young children. Although at one time it was very rare, it is increasing and is now the most common cause of acute kidney failure in children. Several large outbreaks in the 1990s and 2000s were linked to undercooked hamburger meat contaminated with E. coli, or with children drinking contaminated pool water. HUS often begins with vomiting and diarrhea, either of which may be bloody. Within a week, the person may become weak and irritable. Persons with this condition may urinate far less than normal; in fact, urine output may almost stop. Furthermore, red blood cell destruction can lead to symptoms of anemia. This deadly condition may cause some to ask, "What mechanism caused some of these very good designs to go bad? Did the Creator directly modify E. coli, or did they change over time via mechanisms that were corrupted as a result of the Fall?"
Before answering these questions directly, we need some perspective on microbes, in general. Creation scientists would suggest that pathogenesis is a secondary state in nature. At least three possible changes seemed to have occurred and perhaps a combination of all three took place. These include modification, displacement, and uncontrolled growth. The modification of the "original" genes (DNA that has been added, deleted, or mutated) is how a very good design may have been corrupted. This corrupted message is a result of the Curse. Dr. Francis (2009) defines these processes. Modification is one or more changes in the DNA that differs from the original kind. Microbes were physically modified—through genetic (DNA) addition, mixing, or deletion that lead to pathogenicity (Francis 2009). Displacement (Francis 2009) is where microbes were originally designed to perform beneficial functions in restricted anatomical or environmental locations, but after the Fall they spread to other places and began to cause disease. Some have uncontrolled growth—their numbers were meant (designed) to stay in safe ranges, but now they fluctuate and when overpopulated they cause disease or disruption of a once balanced system.
In earlier discussion within this article, changes have been assumed to have been based upon modification of bacterial genomes. Perhaps over time, the genome of the original E. coli (or ancestral prototype enteric bacterial type) changed, and this "good" bacteria, which provided benefit within its designed host was modified (addition or deletion of DNA) and then displaced. It was dispersed to an originally uninhabited host and the bacterial type was detrimental (disease-causing) in the new host. In the case of the E. coli that became strain O157:H7, the original strain may have originally been intended/created to live symbiotically in the gut of cattle, sheep, and other similar mammals. Recall that in a somewhat analogous way, man was not originally instructed to eat meat; humans were told to eat plants (fruits and vegetables; Genesis 1:29; Genesis 2:9). It was only after the worldwide Flood of Noah's day, that the Creator told man that he could begin to eat meat (Genesis 9:1–4). After that, eating cattle, sheep, or similar mammals may have allowed the strains of E. coli from animals and humans to come into close contact. Movement of genes into the E. coli that inhabited the human gut from E. coli that inhabited the animal gut may have produced the O157:H7 strain that was pathogenic in humans.
E. coli O157:H7 normally lives in mammals other than humans. In contrast, most E. coli and Shigella strains are highly adapted to living in humans and only rarely in other animals. E. coli O157:H7 lives primarily in cattle, sheep and other farm animals. In humans, E. coli O157:H7 is deadly; but in farm animals it is harmless and sometimes even beneficial. E. coli O157:H7 may be designed to make "toxins" to help their animal hosts in some way. Microbiologists at the University of Idaho have found that sheep infected with E. coli O157:H7 do a better job of withstanding a cancer-causing virus than sheep without the strain. They hypothesize that in sheep, E. coli O157:H7 stimulate the animals' immune system, or perhaps even triggers cells infected with a cancer-causing virus to undergo programmed (good) cell death before they form tumors. It is also possible that the bacterial toxins act as a defense for the bacteria themselves, i.e., when protozoans attack E. coli colonies, the E. coli O157:H7 strain fares better against predators. In cattle, E. coli O157:H7 also tends to colonize cattle more than E. coli K-12. This suggests that this strain although dangerous to humans may help cattle obtain enhanced benefits such as increased levels of vitamin K. In any case, E. coli O157:H7 does not appear to harm these farm animals.
So, is E. coli O157:H7 really new and evolving? Yes and No. The specific strain, E. coli O157:H7, may be really new (from about 1982); however, pathogenic strains that are like it are probably not new. E. coli has probably undergone significant change since its creation at the time of Genesis 1. God made all life (including E. coli) to adapt to changing conditions. Therefore, variation through time is the norm in microbes and all other creatures. Much as dogs, cats, roses, and people vary somewhat with environmental conditions, so do bacteria. In this fallen world, all creatures can cause problems for other creatures.
The mutualism among various organisms when viewed from the Christian worldview is evidence for creation, i.e., E. coli and human intestinal tissue are normally intimately in contact and extend the intestines' interwoven complexity. E. coli produces Vitamin K, helps utilize vitamin B12, manufactures other nutrients, breaks down waste, and assists the immune system. It is part of a life-sustaining biomatrix within the intestine. It is yet another example of the organosubstrate theory of microbes and man. It is evidence of a loving Sustainer, Creator, and Maker of life. It is a biomatrix of two complex life forms that promote life for one another.
In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because in God's purpose it has been so limited - yet it has been given hope. And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God! Romans 8:18–21, Phillips Translation.
In conclusion, the relationship between intestinal bacteria and humans is optimal for survival because of the ability for cooperation within this entire "package of parts." In this case, it is a mutualistic, coordinated system of microbes working together with man's gastrointestinal tract. It is adaptive in that it increases the survival of both humans and microbes. In fact, this remarkable unity between these magnificent microbes and our intestines can be logically derived as having its origin in a Creator. This remarkable cooperation is strong evidence for creation because it defies the laws of probability that two very different organisms can live together in such remarkable harmony. They extend the fearfully and wonderfully made design and interwoven complexity of humans (Gillen 2007). The dynamic digestive system with its interacting parts, the small intestine's villi and the colon with their mutualistic bacteria, are part of the Creator's wise design for the human body. No doubt these organisms were a part of the original blueprint for the human body. Since the Fall of man, however, there are a number of pathogens that invade the same niches normally occupied by harmless bacteria. Invading pathogens cause havoc in our body and, in extreme circumstances, may even cause death.
E. coli were made to adapt to a changing world. In order to "survive," they have mutated, changed, and adapted (although they remain the same basic kind of bacteria). Sometimes in the process of changing, they cause disease in their host organism. They do not change to harm their hosts, but they sometimes do because they have themselves become subject to the Curse's law of decay and corruption, as have their hosts.
No doubt, E. coli and other microbes will continue to adapt and change over time. This adaptation is and will always be "within their kind." New diseases will come and go. However, the microbe itself has been designed for stability and continuity. E. coli are still a part of their original created kind. Someday, E. coli and man will be free from the Curse, and we believe that our new body will be free of germs. In the new heaven and earth, disease will be removed, and we will have no worry about pathogenic microbes (Revelation 22:2).
Since his Fall, man has struggled to conquer disease, one of the curses brought by sin. However only in the past two centuries has mankind made great strides curing and preventing diseases. Pasteur, Lister, Koch, Ross, and Reed worked from a creation perspective while trying to understand disease, to spare people from suffering from infections. Their lives were focused on experimental science as it related to infectious disease, but they were also influenced by a Judeo-Christian worldview. Many of the "founders" of modern-day microbiology held a worldview that was consistent with historic and traditional biblical teachings, including those concerning Creation, the Curse, Corruption, Contagion, and Christ (Gillen and Oliver 2009). If we help bring back a Biblical worldview, we may expect to again see even greater medical advances that may again increase mankind's quality of life, and reduce suffering.
Until the Great Physician comes, be sure to wash your hands, clean your garden greens, and grill your hamburgers until they are well done! In this way, you honor the Creator through practical application of science and the Bible.
I would like to express my appreciation for the feedback of Georgia Purdom and Andrew J. Fabich on early drafts of the manuscript.
Bauman, R. 2009. Microbiology with diseases by body system, 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin/ Cummings Pub. Co.
Dininny. 2010. Regulators consider broadening testing for E. coli. Associated Press. www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/15/regulators-consider-broadening-testing-for-e-coli/ (Accessed June 28, 2010).
Escherich, T. 1885. Die Darmbakterien des Neugeboren und Sauglings Fortschr. Med. 3:515–522, 547–554.
Francis, J. W. 2003. The organosubstrate of life: A creationist perspective of microbes and viruses. In, Ivey, R. L. (ed.), Proceedings of the fifth international conference on creationism, pp.434–444. Pittsburgh: Creation Science Fellowship.
Francis, J. 2009. What about bacteria? In Ham, K. (editor). The New Answers Book 3. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books.
Gillen, A. L., Sherwin, F. and A. C. Knowles. 2001. The Human Body: An Intelligent Design, 2nd ed. St. Joseph, Missouri: Creation Research Society Books.
Gillen, A. L. 2006. Body by Design: Fearfully & Wonderfully Made. 5th printing. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books.
Gillen, A. L. 2007. The Genesis of Germs: Disease and the Coming Plagues in a Fallen World. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books.
Gillen, A. L. 2008. Microbes and the Days of Creation. Answers Research Journal 1 (2008):7-10.
Gillen, A. L. 2009. The Genesis of MRSA: A Modern Day "Leprosy" and Hospital Menace. Answers in Depth 4 no. 1.
Gillen, A. L. and J. D. Oliver. 2009. Creation and the Germ Theory: How a Biblical Worldview Helped Shape the View that Germs Make Us Sick. Answers in Depth 4 no. 1.
Hart, T. 2004. Microterrors: The Complete Guide to Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Infections That Threaten Our Health. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books.
Nester, E. N., C. E. Roberts, N. N. Pearsall, D. G. Anderson, & M. T. Nester. 2009. Microbiology: A human perspective, 6th ed. Boston: WCB McGraw-Hill.
Purdom, G. 2009. The Role of Genomic Islands, Mutation, and Displacement in the Origin of Bacterial Pathogenicity. Answers Research Journal 2 (2009): 133–150.
Seifert, H. S. and V. J. DiRita. 2006. Evolution of microbial pathogens. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
Talaro, K. P. 2008. Foundations in microbiology, 6th ed. Boston: WCB McGraw-Hill.
Tortora, G. J., B. R. Funke, and C. L. Case. 2010. Microbiology, an introduction, 10th ed. San Francisco, California: Pearson Benjamin/Cummings Pub. Co.
Zimmer, C. 2008. E. coli and the New Science of Life. New York: Pantheon Books.
Adaptation package – biological organisms are more than the sum of individual structures; their ability to function successfully is due to an entire "package of parts."
Biofilm – an aggregate of microbe cells that are "stuck" to each other and/or to a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular substance. Biofilm is also referred to as "slime," an interwoven mix of DNA, proteins and polysaccharides. It is the "matrix" of life.
Coliform – group of gram-negative bacilli from the Enterobacteriaceae family that produces gas via lactose fermentation. Their presence is commonly considered an indication of fecal contamination. E. coli is an example of a coliform.
Conjugation – a temporary union of two organisms for the purpose of DNA transfer.
Dysentery- an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces with fever and abdominal pain (simplified from Wikipedia).
E. coli, Escherichia coli – an enteric bacterial species used in many biological research projects which inhabits the intestines of humans and other animals. Proliferation can cause newborn meningitis, diarrhea, and urinary infections.
Enteric bacteria – bacteria that reside in the intestinal tract. Most of these bacteria are not harmful to the human body and many are mutualistic with humans, providing valuable vitamins and breaking down nutrients.
Escherichia – bacteria genus belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. E. coli is the most common isolate of this genus and is a part of the normal flora of the intestinal tract. It is, however, capable of causing illnesses ranging from mild food poisoning to severe kidney damage, and even death. The pathogenic serovars (types) of E. coli are divided into four groups, whose identification usually require serological methods.
Lateral (horizontal) gene transfer – any process in which an organism transfers DNA to another cell that is not its offspring.
Mutualism – a relationship between two or more organisms of different species where all benefit from the association.
Pangenome- the full set of genes for a bacterial type (i.e., E. coli) that is contained within all strains. Pathogenicity island – a cassette of genes involved causing infectious disease. This is not the "evolution" of new chromosomal DNA, but was an acquisition through lateral gene transfer.
Phagocytosis – the process by which a cell engulfs foreign substances or other cells; the particle containing vacuole fuses with a lysosome whose enzymes digest the food. An example of this is a macrophage eating a bacterium in the blood.
Shigella dysenteriae – a species of the rod-shaped bacterial genus Shigella. Shigella can cause bacillary dysentery. Shigellae are Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile bacteria. S. dysenteriae, spread by contaminated water and food, causes the most severe dysentery because of its potent and deadly Shiga toxin, but other species (like E. coli) may also be dysentery agents (simplified from Wikipedia).
Symbiosis – a close relationship between two or more species where they live together for a prolonged period of time.
Transduction – the process in which infection by a virus results in DNA being transferred from one bacterium to another.
Transformation – the transfer of a DNA segment from a nonfunctional donor cell to that of a functional recipient cell.
*** Unless stated, otherwise, terms are taken from Gillen (2007).
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.


text:
I was driving through a neighboring town last week and stopped when I noticed blue and white balloons outside an old storefront business. Two young women were having pictures taken as they cut the ribbon for the opening of their new consignment shop. They were excited about owning their own business and being their own bosses.
Everyone who has started their own business has experienced similar feelings.
Over the years both as a business editor and editor of Industrial Distribution, I've interviewed hundreds of business owners and, to a person, they said they had never regretted their decision.
Take Steve Short for example, the president of Updike Supply, who bought his distributorship and 1995 and spent countless hours learning the business and products. That's what being an entrepreneur is: someone willing to invest their finances and time not only to establish a business, but take it through its initial growing pains and beyond.
By virtue of his hard work and commitment, Steve has increased his company's sales ten-fold and has acquired other distributorships.
(Steve by the way, was a panelist on a special webcast ID hosted on the Future of the Independent Distributor. Visit www.inddist.com to watch a replay of the event.)
Owning your own business is a challenge, no matter how you look at it, but small business owners don't regret it – not one single bit.
In the past few years, I've met several new distribution owners, some of whom had been sales managers or branch managers and whose companies had been bought by larger ones. We'll be reporting on how well they're making out in later issues.
History is on their side.
More than eight in 10 U.S. small-business owners say they would still become a small-business owner if they had it to do over again. This sentiment has changed little over the past 11 years, which suggests that the difficulties many small businesses experienced during the Great Recession did not change their minds about starting their businesses, according to a recent Wells Fargo/Gallup poll of small business owners.
One of the key reasons given by many small-business owners is they clearly value the independence they get from their choice of career, which is a part of their satisfaction with their career choice, Gallup said. When asked to name the most rewarding things about starting and running their own business, over four in 10 identified being their own boss and being the decision-maker. Other responses mentioned by more than 10% of respondents include having a sense of job satisfaction, having family time and schedule flexibility, and interacting with the customer.
The survey results, which have not fluctuated over more than a decade, were based on 600 responses of small business owners around the country.
In fact, more people are taking the plunge to start their own business despite the slow economy, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal said a new study from the Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City-based organization, found that an average of 320 out of 100,000 adults created a new business each month last year even as the recession took hold, up from 300 out of 100,000 adults in 2007.
The Journal said that pattern is similar to the last downturn earlier this decade, when entrepreneurship levels also rose during the tech bust. Underlying these increases are layoffs and other job reductions, which can push people to launch their own businesses, says Robert Fairlie, the study's author and an economics professor at the University of California - Santa Cruz.
But there are also some potentially alarming trends. High-value businesses were not the bulk of the new ventures that had been created.
What do you think? If you are a small business owner: would you do it again?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Metal Roofing Chicago
Metal Roofing Chicago: Metal Roof Repair & Etc.
Metal Roofing Chicago is a well-known company. We've been in the business for quite some time and have helped residents of the windy city to stay safe from the elements. We have the expertise to handle all types of contracts, from small residential projects to large-scale commercial projects.
We are able provide quality roofing for people thanks to our expertise in quality metal roofing. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the best roofing solutions.
Our team is skilled in metal roof repairs, replacement, commercial and residential metal roofing as well as metal roof installation and coatings. We offer many types of metal roofs. We can do custom jobs or premium fittings.
Chicago ( (listen) shih-KAH-goh, locally also shih-KAW-goh), officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the third-most populous city in the United States, following New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the fifth-most populous city in North America. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S., while a small portion of the city's O'Hare Airport also extends into DuPage County. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, defined as either the U.S. Census Bureau's metropolitan statistical area (9.6 million people) or the combined statistical area (almost 10 million residents), often called Chicagoland. It is one of the 40 largest urban areas in the world.
Ashburn, Austin, Back of the Yards, Beverly Woods, Bricktown, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Brynford Park, Budlong Woods, Burnside


text:
Using the Chatterbox: Private Messaging
Complete info on private messaging is available in Using the Message Inbox.
PerlMonks users can send private messages to each other. Sending a private message is typically done via one of the Chatterbox clients: simply begin the message text with /msg other_username.
For example, someone could send vroom a message by entering:
/msg vroom This site is great!See /msg for more info.
Private messages can be sent even if the other user is not logged on. The message will show up in their private message inbox the next time they log in.
Note: Private messaging is only available to registered PerlMonks users. If you haven't registered yet, create a new user.
If another user is bothering you, you can block all messages from that user. To do this, enter /ignore other_username. This will block private messages to your inbox from that user. For more info on this, see /ignore. To see a list of users you are currently ignoring, go to Ignored Users.
Back to the PerlMonks FAQ


text:
I have uploaded the parts for the rotational wrist on thingiverse. This is a nice little extra feature.
I also have modified the servo brackets in order to have five movable fingers.
This means the Arduino is going to be set on the arm instead of inside the forarm. This modification also makes it much more easy to access the servos because the cover doesnt' hold any more servos. Which means the cover is a cover and only a cover.(Suggestion of Brian from Pittsburgh).
I will soon upload the new brackets. I made this modification as less invasive as possible. That means if you have already printed the whole thing, you won't have to reprint all the parts but only the new brackets.


text:
The 7 Deadly Digital Sins Knowing, and avoiding, the errors that undermine online marketing is a responsibility leaders shouldn't delegate.
By Simon Lande •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The "Rule of Seven" is well known in marketing and advertising as the number of times a person must be exposed to a brand before the message "sticks." But the rule only works if each touch point gives a consistent, positive impression of the brand. When those impressions happen online, white noise, tactical mistakes and basic operational errors keep you from breaking through to your customers.
Consumers are inundated with more frequent marketing messages across multiple channels. Every chance to create a lasting, positive impression is vital. Every part of the organization is responsible for making the most of those impressions, but particularly the executives who should be leading the effort.
Related: How to Fix 3 Common Online Marketing Mistakes
Leaders must implement digital oversight to turn common mistakes into competitive advantage. That's where a new "Digital Rule of Seven" comes in – seven critical website mistakes (and how to avoid them).
1. Missing the point. The web team is often not at the table when the big corporate decisions are made, so when the new strategy is unveiled, there's no guidance on how the website should serve it.
Take the website out of its silo. Make the web team part of strategy discussions with all departments and teams, at all levels, from the very beginning.
2. Building on sand. Visitors expect to see consistent, accurate information. In a highly crowded landscape, companies that deliver a great user experience can seize competitive advantage.
To avoid a "wobbly" website, define and account from the very beginning the key "pillars" that form the foundation of a robust website - usability, SEO and accessibility.
3. The phantom standard. Managed effectively, website policies and standards can help you protect your brand, reduce your development and maintenance costs, and ensure an optimized user experience. For policies and standards to succeed, you need an end-to-end plan for defining, implementing and managing them throughout the website lifecycle.
4. "That ain't my job." Often, there are far too many cooks in the kitchen. Between web editors, designers, brand guardians, executives and third-party agencies, site management and governance can disintegrate into a sporadic activity. Without individual responsibility, even the best standards will fail to deliver. This responsibility must be clear and explicit.
Related: Avoid Costly Marketing Mistakes, Part 1
5. The issue with stone tablets. Markets evolve. Threats and opportunities emerge. Business plans alter focus. Sadly, for many websites, things just go on as normal.
Effective management and governance processes are always evolving but your website is tied to your business objectives. If your objectives change, so must your site (and possibly the standards you use to manage it).
6. The people problem. People are difficult and brilliant, in equal measure. They are inherently creative. They want to improve things. They want to make their mark.
Unfortunately, sometimes they do so at the expense of your website's effectiveness. Ultimately, getting your website right is not simply about assessing analytics data such as traffic, referrals and conversion rates. It's far more effective to build a culture of best practice.
7. The Estonian microsite problem. Corporate sites in multiple languages. Local office sites. Campaign-specific microsites! Keeping track of all that information can be a nightmare.
Avoid drowning in content by making data your friend. Ongoing measurement is a must if you are to understand how your site is performing against your key performance indicators (KPIs) and your defined policies and standards. It's only then that you can determine whether you are on track or need to take some remedial action.
Achieving all the above used to be much easier, but the amount of content that comes in and out of organizations has exploded. We're producing more content and using many different tools across many different channels. It all affects the brand experience. As a result, maintaining brand consistency has become a very challenging problem.
Only when "digital governance" becomes a priority in the C-Suite will this be effectively addressed. That is, just as upper management provides processes and standards to govern offline communications, they should provide oversight for digital communications, as well. Top-down leadership is needed to set and enforce these vital rules across the organization. That is a responsibility executives simply cannot hand off or ignore.
Related: 8 Ways to Screw Up Your Marketing


text:
Tour de Yorkshire Artist Unveiled
Harrogate-based paper cut artist Anita Bowerman, has been unveiled as an official artist to the first Tour de Yorkshire. She earned global recognition last year after creating a metre-high paper cut map showing the Grand Départ for the Tour de France.
The original is on display in her studio The Dove Tree in Harrogate, and features all the landmarks, attractions, countryside, historical details and even the tiny cyclists wearing their jerseys.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdNow Anita, who has been a professional artist for 20 years, has created a special design for May's inaugural Tour de Yorkshire, featuring 12 cyclists racing around a bike wheel. It has been designed using just a pencil and compass and then hand cut from one piece of paper using just a tiny scalpel.
Anita Bowerman said: "I wanted to take the design further so, together with my brother who is an engineer, developed this cycle wheel in stainless steel, which glints in the sunlight."
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "It's great to have Anita on board as an official artist. Her work is wonderfully intricate and unique, and it's a real thrill to see a piece of Anita's work capture the essence of the Tour de Yorkshire in art form."
Anita has also hand-cut maps of Harrogate, Ilkley and York. The thing that distinguishes Anita's work is the tiny detail. "I love adding quirky touches, the odd rabbit, dog, bird and people generally enjoying themselves, I want my work to tell a story," she said.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdShe added: "I am overjoyed to become an official artist to the Tour de Yorkshire. Last summer, I was inspired to create a new piece by the incredible scenes of the Grand Départ for the Tour de France in Yorkshire, and I'm absolutely delighted to now be involved in the first Tour de Yorkshire. It's a real honour to be an official artist, and I'm proud to be a part of Yorkshire history."
Anita's paper-cuts, as well as her paintings, are available to view at her studio and on her website www.anitabowerman.co.uk
Stainless Steel Wheel is available as a signed limited edition, priced at £350 framed. It is also available to buy as a limited edition giclee print. The unframed 15cm-diameter image costs £30 and framed £49.95. Finally, there is a limited edition of 500 laser cuts, starting at £45.
The Tour de Yorkshire will start on Friday 1st May, in Bridlington and finish in Scarborough. Stage two, on Saturday 2nd May, will start in Selby and finish in York and stage three, on Sunday 3rd May, will start in Wakefield and finish in Leeds.
For more information on the Tour de Yorkshire visit www.letouryorkshire.com


text:
Grassland Rhapsody Engraving
Grassland Rhapsody is the title of this wood engraving by a Kansas-born and bred artist who used the prairie as his subject.
E. Hubert Deines (1894-1967) was a Kansas artist known for his wood engravings. Born near Russell, in the north central part of the state, Deines showed early artistic talent. He studied for several years at the Kansas City Art Institute, and later, after military service during World War I, at the Julian Academy in Paris.
Returning to the United States, Deines joined the staff of the Kansas City Star and Times as a commercial artist. In 1932, he began a free-lance career, specializing in producing wood engravings. Among many career honors, Deines was selected to serve on the midwestern regional committee to select graphic art for display at the 1939 New York World's Fair. He was a member of the influential Prairie Print Makers.
This 12" by 8" engraving is in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History. It is part of a small art collection donated by the Kansas Federation of Women's Clubs in 1983.
Entry: Grassland Rhapsody Engraving
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: November 1998
Date Modified: December 2014
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.


text:
You are here
May 14, 2012
Chromosome Quirks Linked to Aging and Cancer
Large structural abnormalities in chromosomes become more common with age and may be linked to increased risk for cancer, according to 2 large-scale analyses. The findings offer insights into how cancer and other disorders might emerge as people get older.
Previous studies suggest that a type of structural abnormality in chromosomes called genetic mosaicism may play a role in certain health conditions such as miscarriages, birth defects and some cancers. Genetic mosaicism can arise when portions of chromosomes—or even entire chromosomes—are deleted or duplicated as a cell divides. These altered chromosomes might be created during embryonic development or later in life. When cells with altered chromosomes persist, a person can develop a mixture of both normal and mutated cells.
The frequency of mosaicism and its relationship to health conditions in the general population have been unclear. In the 2 new studies, independent research teams analyzed data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and looked for the presence of mosaicism and its association with cancers. The studies appeared together on May 6, 2012, in the advance online edition of Nature Genetics.
One study, led by scientists at NIH's National Cancer Institute (NCI), examined data on 31,717 people with cancer and 26,136 cancer-free controls from 13 GWAS. In the cancer-free group, the frequency of mosaicism increased with age (from 0.23% for those under age 50 to 1.91% between ages 75 and 79). The scientists also found that mosaicism was more common in people with solid tumors than in cancer-free participants (0.97% vs. 0.74%).
The other study examined data from more than 50,000 participants in the Gene Environment Association Studies (GENEVA) consortium. The research was sponsored by NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). The scientists found that the rate of mosaic abnormalities in the bloodstream was low (less than 0.5%) from birth to age 50. After that, the frequency climbed sharply, rising to 2% to 3% in the elderly.
Both studies detected increased genetic mosaicism in a subset of patients who were later diagnosed with certain cancers of the blood, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The GENEVA researchers estimate that having these chromosomal abnormalities might increase chances 10-fold for later developing blood cancer. The scientists, though, stress that these findings will need to be confirmed in additional studies.
"These 2 studies provide large population-based evidence that genetic mosaicism increases with age and could be a risk factor for cancer," says Dr. Stephen Chanock of NCI, a co-author of both papers. "This last point raises an important issue with respect to the stability of a person's genome and suggests that detection of genetic mosaicism could be an early marker for detecting cancer, or perhaps other chronic diseases."
Related Links
References: Nat Genet. 2012 May 6. doi: 10.1038/ng.2270. [Epub ahead of print] Nat Genet. 2012 May 6. doi: 10.1038/ng.2271. [Epub ahead of print]


text:
About Emirates
About Emirates
As the largest airline globally measured by international passengers carried, Emirates plays an active role in aviation policy debates that impact the industry.
Our position on competition, liberalisation and government financial intervention in aviation is strongly focused on consumers and, at the heart of our business model, is a commitment to true international competition and open skies. The notion of protecting of a national carrier simply because it carries the flag of one particular country belongs to the past. Where governments protect flag carriers, competition is weak, exporters suffer, tourism stagnates and passengers are forced to pay some of the highest fares in the world. Robust competition allows more people to fly, and liberalised economies with open market access tend to be the strongest. Dubai is a long-term supporter of open markets with its first open skies type agreement signed in 1937. This policy has played an integral role in ensuring over 100 international airlines have flights to Dubai and that more than 78 million passengers pass through the airport annually.
Similarly, Emirates does not belong to any of the traditional alliances. We choose to chart our own future. In April 2013 we partnered with Qantas in a codeshare partnership, arranged in such a way to maximise benefits for our customers, create cost and network efficiencies for both airlines, and reinforce Dubai's standing as a global hub. We also have codeshare arrangements with other carriers, for example JetBlue, Alaska Airlines in the US, Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air, TAP Portugal and Copa Airlines.
The environmental impact of aviation is an increasingly important topic of debate within international aviation and environmental policy, and an area that we devote a great deal of time to. We are committed to becoming more sustainable and improving our environmental performance. We also believe governments must find a better balance between incentivising responsible corporate behaviour and motivating change, and avoiding more punitive political and policy measures that weaken our industry's ability to invest in sustainable growth and that unfairly impact our customers.


text:
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center's annual Car Raffle was held on Thursday, Dec. 6. As always it was a fun evening of laughter and prizes. We would like to thank all the volunteers and donors that made the raffle a success. Also to everyone that bought a ticket this year, we were able to sell all 500 tickets.
Thank you to all our prize donors: Stanley Ford of Kenai, All Season's Honda, Barb's Video, Center For Alaskan Coastal Studies, The Homer Bookstore, Fat Olives, Homer Ocean Charters, First National Bank Alaska, The Driftwood Inn, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Kachemak Gear Shed/Redden Marine, Timber Bay B&B, Spenard Builders Supply, NMS Lodging, Era Alaska, Captain B's Alaskan C's, Save-U-More, Major Marine Tours, Timeless Toys, The Spyglass Inn, NAPA, True North Kayak Adventures, AJ's Oldtown Steakhouse and Tavern, VBS Heating Supply, Bear Creek Winery & Lodging, Homer Brewing Company, Two Sister Bakery and Fresh Sourdough Express.
These businesses donated more than $1,500 worth of prizes to make this event a success. A special thanks to Monte Davis, for being a great emcee and providing us with many laughs. Lastly a thank you to our wonderful volunteers, without whom we could not put on events such as this: Lynn Beatty and JoJo Molloy for drawing tickets; Madilyn Robinson, Maura Gibson and Lorenda Seifert for tracking each number on our board; Pat Melone for handling all the last minute ticket sales; and Don Cotogno for manning the official computer.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center would like to extend a thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and supported this raffle. These are the funds that allow the chamber to put on community events like Winter Carnival, Clean Up Day and the Fourth of July Parade. By purchasing a ticket you have done your community a service.
Many thanks,
Nyla Lightcap and HCOC Staff


text:
$ 8.00
The Willow Bow, Maple Gauze
This fabric knot bow is a bit bigger than our "Everyday" bow. It comes attached to a clip, but can also be attached to a headband. Please note that this bow will be bigger on little babes heads.
Please note that the bow you will receive will be made out of this fabric, but the placement of the pattern may vary.


text:
Brad McIntosh made the trip from Minnesota to Kelowna this week to celebrate pot history in Canada.
And he had the added bonus of meeting his comedic hero Tommy Chong, who visited Kelowna on Friday to attend a meet and greet public reception hosted by Quick Grow and Diablo Nutrients.
"I am 64 years old and I never thought I would see the day when this would happen," said McIntosh, referring to Canada being the second country to legalize marijuana, following in the footsteps of Uruguay.
"People I know back home in St. Cloud who smoke marijuana think it is really cool to see what Canada has done.
"Some of the old negative stigmas about pot still exist here I noticed since I arrived in Canada on Monday, but pot will put a smile on anyone's face no matter who you are."
RELATED: Cannabis pioneer delayed by passport mishap
As for Chong, he also had a big smile on his face, wanting to join in the celebration of cannabis legalization in Canada.
"It makes me feel good about my country, proud to be a Canadian," Chong said. "We are the first among the western countries to come to our senses."
Chong, who rose to fame in the 1970s and '80s with his comedy partner Cheech Marin writing hit albums and movies about the marijuana culture, jokingly said he is responsible for cannabis being legalized here.
Fans of Tommy Chong toke up prior to the start of his public appearance in Kelowna on Friday. Photo: Barry Gerding/Black Press |
He is fond of Kelowna as well, having first visited the Okanagan back in the 1950s. "It looks different today than when I first came here, but then again everything looks different now that weed is legalized."
Chong said the medicinal values of cannabis can now be better researched with legalization, something he understands the value of from his own personal bouts with cancer and how he feels that aided his recovery.
RELATED: Tommy Chong shares special message with Kelowna
"I'm not saying that marijuana cured my cancer, but it did affect my state of mind. Your mind controls your body. When you mind is full of stress, that affects your body. When marijuana relieves that stress, it allows the body to do its work and it helps you heel."
Chong maintains there is no downside to cannabis use, citing the smiles he sees on the faces of people he meets in marijuana dispensaries to drug addicts who often find marijuana an alleviating agent for heroin and opiate addictions.
He does not feel pot use is a gateway to harder drugs, saying you can't die from an overdose—"believe me I have tried enough times"—and just puts people in a better mindset in life.
"When I was in jail, I had to take a drug education course and I loved it. I learned all about drugs. I learned that alcohol addiction kills more people than anything else and it's legal. Now that dope is legal, maybe it will replace the need for many people to drink alcohol and the world can become a more peaceful place."
Chong added his Kelowna appearance is a reflection if a renewed interest in him since cannabis became legal in Canada, being asked to appear on television shows to articulate his views on marijuana.
"I am in big-time demand again all over, and it is fun. There is nothing comedians live more than an audience. We would do our act in front of a dog if no one else was around. But I love meeting people and to be among those here in Canada to see the intelligence behind this beautiful plant," he said.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter


text:
The home of HYPERION, HELIOS & AURORA
16oz UV Wrap - Starbucks Flowers
16oz UV Wrap - Starbucks Flowers
UV DTFs are white inked backed permanent decals to be used on hard surfaces and can be used on dark colors.
Perfect for Libbey Glass Cans!!!
Read More
Read More
No heat required. Just peel and apply. 3inch Wide Approx
They are permanent and ink-based with a varnish top clear coat, and do not need a further coating.
PLEASE BE AWARE: If using these under Hyperion, on a tumbler, they are thicker than our vinyl decals, therefore will need MORE coats.
If sticky residue is left on surface after placing decal, simply use rubbing alcohol to remove. Since these decals are PERMANENT, alcohol will not remove ink on image.
Follow us on Social Media
Follow us on Social Media
Find links to our social media pages lower down the page
Shipping Information
Shipping Information
Click HERE to see our full shipping policy
Our Distributiors Worldwide
Our Distributiors Worldwide
Looking for a retailer near you? Checkout the link HERE for our worldwide distributors


text:
In a recent review essay, Correlli Barnett convincingly argues that
that the Arnoldian public school, with its high-minded emphasis on religion and the classics, and its late-Victorian successor's vaunting of team games and imperial patriotism, not only helped to create a non-technological intelligentsia and governing elite, but also served as a baneful model for the reformed grammar schools and, after 1902, for the new state secondary schools.
Eric Hobsbawm, who elsewhere also criticizes the British public school for its effect on the British economy, also points to Britain's strange lack of interest in scientific and technological education:
There is no reason why British technical and scientific education should have remained negligible, in a period when a wealth of rich amateur scientists and privately endowed research laboratories or practical experience in production clearly no longer compensated for the virtual absence of university education and the feebleness of formal technological training. there was no compelling reason why Britain in 1913 had only nine thousand university students compared to almost sixty thousand in Germany, or only five day students per ten thousand (1900) compared to almost thirteen in the USA; why Germany produced three thousand graduate engineers per year while in England and Wales only 350 graduated in all branches of science, technology and mathematics with first- and second-class honours, and few of these were qualified for research. There were plenty of people throughout the nineteenth century to warn the country of the dangers of its educational backwardness; there was no shortage of funds, and certainly no lack of suitable candidates for technical and higher training. [160]
According to several historians of British education, Sir Robert Morant, the first Secretary to the new Board of Education who himself attended Winchester and Oxford created "the new state secondary system in the image of the public school and grammar school" at the expense of science and technology.
Sanderson presents fairly the argument of Morant's defenders, that he promoted "liberal" education in the new state secondary schools in order to offer the bright lower-middle-class bookish the opportunity of upward social mobility via university entrance. Yet the fact still remains that Morant created a state secondary system which has served to perpetuate the antitechnological ethos and intellectual snobberies of the Victorian public school and Oxbridge. [Barnett]
Sanderson, says, Barnett, points out another related cause of later British economic decline, which first appeared
in this seminal period of 1870-1914 — the widespread lack of appetite of British employers, themselves often ill-educated "practical men," for recruits with formal technical qualifications, and their preference for people "trained" on the job by the traditional method of "sitting next to Nellie." Here was an abiding double bind: the British system proportionately turned out far fewer technically qualified personnel than, say, America or Germany, and yet more than British industry wanted. [Barnett]
Together with what Barnett describes as "the British distaste for a functionally coherent national system" this bias against technology led to the UK's eventual decline from the position of world leader in economics in 1870 to fifteenth place a century later.
In light of these arguments one should point out that today the United Kingdom places a heavy important tax on computers and related equipment of the kind levied on alcohol, tobacco, and various luxury items; some Asian countries, such as Singapore, have none. What do you think this difference implies about England's attitude toward the newest major technology? its economic future in a digital age?
Barnett, Correlli. The Collapse of British Power. London, 1972.
Barnett, Correlli. "Could do better: The failure to educate Britons to compete." Times Literary Supplement pp. 4-5. [Review Sanderson, Education and Economic Decline]
Hobsbawm, Eric. Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution. rev. ed. New York: New Press, 1999.
Sanderson, Michael. Education and Economic Decline in Britain, 1870 to the 1990s.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Wiener, Matrtin J. English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit, 1850-1980. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
Last modified March 2001


text:
Cardinals, Red Sox set to renew October rivalry
BOSTON — Lance Lynn squeezed through a door leading into the Green Monster, shimmied along a cramped space behind the famed left-field wall and peered out a tiny metal slot in the Fenway Park scoreboard.
"A little snug for me," the burly St. Louis pitcher said.
Plenty of Cardinals got their first look at the century-old ballpark during a workout Tuesday, a day before they opened the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.
Hardly the first time we've seen these old rivals together, however. From Stan the Man and the Splendid Splinter, to Gibby and Yaz, to Pedro and Pujols, the Redbirds and Red Sox have created their own history.
Now, they're set to meet for the fourth time in "that Octobery kind of air," as Cardinals Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright described it.
Jon Lester will oppose him Wednesday night, facing a lineup that got a late boost. Allen Craig, who hit a major league-leading .454 with runners in scoring position but hasn't played since Sept. 4 because of sprained left foot, is set to return.
"I feel like I'm in a good spot," said the cleanup man, who will be the Cardinals' designated hitter.
Weather could be a factor, too. Temperatures are supposed to dip into the low 40s and rain is in the forecast.
Boston was listed as a slim favorite in the matchup between teams that tied for the big league lead in wins. The clubs haven't met in the regular season since 2008, and Red Sox speedster Jacoby Ellsbury was looking forward to this pairing that some are billing as the Beards vs. the Birds.
"It will be exciting to see some unfamiliar faces," he said.
David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and many of their scraggly Boston teammates figure to get a good look at the Cardinals' crop of young arms, led by postseason ace Michael Wacha and relievers Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez and Kevin Siegrist.
Ortiz is the link to the Red Sox team that swept St. Louis in the 2004 Series — Boston never trailed at any point — and ended an 86-year championship drought.
"Obviously I'm aware of the history of the two teams," Ellsbury said. "Once the first pitch happens, all that goes out the window."
The Red Sox are trying to win their third crown in 10 years. St. Louis is aiming to take its second title in three years and third in eight seasons.
"Some of us have some pretty bad memories of being here in 2004, and we're looking to kind of right that ship," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.
Matheny was the Cardinals' catcher that year, backed up by rookie Yadier Molina. Now Molina is considered the best defensive catcher in baseball, charged with trying to stop Ellsbury and a Red Sox team that's run a lot in the postseason.
"It's fun to be part of this history, to be here in Fenway Park, to be part of this Series against Boston," Molina said.
"It's different to play here overall. Playing defense, offense, pitching. It's different, but at the same time it's fun," he said.
David Freese grew up in St. Louis and became MVP of the 2011 Series. He heard about Stan Musial vs. Ted Williams in 1946, knew about Bob Gibson facing Carl Yastrzemski in `67 and recalled watching on TV when Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke fielded Edgar Renteria's tapper to finish off 2004.
"I remember the comebacker that ended it. The sweep. You don't expect a World Series to end in four games," the 30-year-old third baseman said.
Freese said he'd always hoped to get a chance to play at Fenway, and he got his first look Tuesday.
After Matheny stood near the mound and pointed out the particulars of the dirt triangle in center field, Freese stepped in for batting practice. He launched a long drive that hit high off the Green Monster in left-center, the loud thwack echoing all around the ballpark.
"That's my Wall ball," he hooted to teammate Matt Holliday.
Good for a hitter, maybe not so great for a pitcher.
"A ballgame can change with one swing of the bat in this ballpark," Wacha said. "It's pretty crazy. Crazy dimensions, that's for sure."


text: It's that time of year again, deer-hunting season is wrapping up. Thousands of Minnesotan's brave the frosty-cold mornings to sit in tree-stands and ground-blinds each year and wait for a big buck or nice doe to come into range. Over opening weekend alone this year, the DNR had approximately 73,000 registered deer. For anyone who partakes in this tradition or just knows someone who does, you are probably painfully aware that hunting can be anything from stimulating and invigorating to totally disappointing and everything in between. There is no debate that even a good, well-seasoned hunter will have to play the inevitable waiting game, which can be hard work in itself. In the end, the hard work and perseverance pay off and there are a lot of freezers out there chuck-full of venison for the winter months to come.


text:
Tone Candy''s Red Hot, Sweet Drive, Boost and Double Overdrive/Distortion are reviewed
Mike Marino isn't a stranger to the world of guitar electronics, but chances are you've never heard of him. In 1974 Mike was searching for a way to simulate the sound of a totally cranked amp but at a far more reasonable volume. He went to a local electronics store and asked the guy behind the counter how he could do it. The clerk shared that the Muzak machines used in restaurants and department stores at the time used a rheostat to regulate their volume. Mike soon made one himself, plugged it in between his amp's head and its speakers, and—viola—instant attenuator.
Pleased with his results, Mike eventually took out a half-page ad in Guitar Player's 1976 "Django issue." Unfortunately, players just didn't know how to use his invention. "A lot of guys just plugged their guitar right into it then ran it into their heads, so I'd get calls saying it didn't work," Mike recalls. Sadly, as with the case of many first time business owners, things just didn't work out and Mike went to electronics school.
After some electronics training at Control Data, Mike would spend a couple of years at Delco before becoming a mainframe computer tech at Registration Control Systems, where he would eventually help develop magnetic security units for the NAMM show for ten years. He also developed eight prototype guitars for Apogee Sound before the project was ultimately abandoned. Mike later began making his own personal pedals for the R&B band he plays in, The Blues Burners, and other players came up to him and demanded to know how he was getting his great tone. "I didn't have any intentions to start making pedals, but people just kept asking," he says. The demand led him to develop four pedals under the name ToneCandy, and his initial success was so great that he was able to quit his full-time job for a second go at the effect industry.
Mike sent me ToneCandy's four-pedal lineup to check out, each with their own flavors, ranging from mild to wild.
Sweet Drive
First up is ToneCandy's aptly-named Sweet Drive. Mike Marino's goal was to create a pedal that sounds as good at gigging volumes as it does at small room volumes. "That's my problem with TubeScreamers," he says, "They only really sound good when amps are really cranked. I think Stevie Ray Vaughan knew that."
Using the best electronics available, including SwitchCraft input and output jacks, a SwitchCraft on/off switch, true hardwire bypass, a Hammond-cast aluminum shell and back, all metal pots and military-style building techniques, the Sweet Drive is a three stage overdrive unit that allows the player to independently adjust each of the FET-based gain stages.
The Sweet Drive is aimed at players who are looking for a pedal that will take them from purring blues sounds, with its lower gain settings, to classic rock-level overdrive sounds when things really get cooking. With my Michael Dolan-made Strat, I fired up my trusty Princeton Reverb, set all of the Sweet Drive's controls at 12 o'clock and hoped for the best. The tone from the amp was fat, incredibly smooth, organic and extremely touch-sensitive, if a little on the dark side. Turning up the Tone knob to about 5 o'clock cleaned things up quite a bit, but interestingly enough it seemed to act more like a wet/dry knob on an effects loop rather than just a standard Tone knob. The guitar and amp's natural sounds became a little more apparent as the tone knob was turned up, but the Sweet Drive's original signal was still present and supportive.
Switching to a humbucker-equipped Guild Bluesbird, the pedal really came to life. The Sweet Drive churned out sticky sweet, tubelike tones somewhat reminiscent of Mesa's "blue" settings from their V-Twin pedal, only smoother and more refined. Kicking up the pedal's Intensity setting, it was easy to move into Billy Gibbons land with plenty of greasy goodness. This is definitely a pedal for those who don't have any need for ultra-saturated distortion—someone who is looking for something more akin to a totally dimed Gibson GA-40 rather than a Krank Revolution.
Buy if...
you are looking for a flexible pedal that will go from greasy blues to classic rock tones.
Skip if...
you are looking to maximize your face melting fire power.
Street $250 - Tone Candy - tonecandy.com |
Red Hot
I'm going to go out on a limb on this one and say throw away your Marshall Guv'nor pedal now. After playing Tone Candy's Red Hot, you'll never go back. The Red Hot is more naturalistic, had less clipping, is more articulate, but still retains that "stack in a box" feel and sound. In a lot of ways the Red Hot picks up where the Sweet Drive leaves off. The Red Hot's overall vibe is a little more modern in its voicing than the Sweet Drive's and has more top-end sizzle than its milder-mannered cousin.
Like the Sweet Drive, the Red Hot retains ToneCandy's touch sensitivity and cleans up remarkably well when you lighten up on your attack or lower your guitar's volume. While the dirt never quite goes away, the Red Hot is definitely the more rock-oriented of the two pedals. Unlike a Marshall Guv'nor, the Red Hot doesn't get muddy or sputter when the gain setting is rolled back down. Although the Red Hot lacks the "deep" feature found on the GV-2 version, chances are you'll never miss it.
Buy if...
rock and roll is the name of your game.
Skip if...
you think Greg Ginn is the first and last name in tone.
Street $250 - Tone Candy - tonecandy.com |
This is just about as simple as a pedal gets, right? Wrong. Don't let the pedal's straightforward layout fool you, because there is a little more here than meets the eye. Yes, it's a boost pedal—and a very clean one at that— but with the right amp it can also be used as an overdrive.
In order to explore the Boost pedal, I cranked the volume level almost full up and let it rip. The power of the Boost pedal was quite astonishing, and even when the Princeton's volume level was dropped down to about 2, the Boost produced a very natural-sounding overdrive. It'll be a little tricky to be able use this as a drive pedal with a non-master volume amp; I think you would have to leave it full up all the time in order to exploit its dual nature, because when the boost function is disengaged, the volume drop is pretty dramatic. As a boost, it's probably as good as it gets—clean, clear, noise free and without any additional coloration.
Buy if...
your amp needs just a little kick in the pants.
Skip if...
if you have to ask, "What's a boost pedal do, daddy?"
Street $175 - Tone Candy - tonecandy.com |
Double Overdrive/Distortion
If you wondered about the origins of the Red Hot pedal, there's no need to swab its cheeks and send a DNA sample to the GenoGraphic Project—its daddy is right here. The Double Overdrive shares the same threestage gain structure as the Red Hot, but with a couple of twists. The first is that you can activate either the Maximum Boost, which will engage all three gain stages for an increase in volume and saturation or the Medium Boost, which engages only two of the pedal's three gain stages. Pretty tasty.
Another feature is the Fat-4 knob. The Fat- 4 isn't a new holiday added between Lent and Easter, but a four-way rotary switch that selects four different degrees of low-end response. This is a handy feature for players who switch between single coils and humbuckers during the middle of a set, or who switch between using a combo with a single 10" speaker at home and a 4x12 cab live. Obviously a single 10" will respond differently to bass frequencies than a deep 4x12, so increasing and decreasing the bass response from the Fat-4 knob is an easy way to preserve your tone from home recording purposes to live rigs.
There is a marked difference between the tone of the two and three stage Medium and Maximum Boost settings. The Medium setting is a nice sort of rhythm setting and, like the Sweet Drive, it cleans up nicely depending on your attack and guitar's volume. Unlike the Sweet Drive, it seems to take a little more coaxing—the guitar's volume almost full up—to produce its crunch tones. When the Medium Boost come to life it's quite satisfying, but a little anemic compared to the Maximum Boost, especially when you engage the Maximum Boost for a solo. It would be nice to be able to regulate this volume difference a little better; hopefully this will be addressed in future editions.
Buy if...
you switch between combos and full-sized cabinets and want to maintain as consistent as possible tone and distortion sounds.
Skip if...
you only play through one amp and have no need for low gain settings.
Street $295 - Tone Candy - tonecandy.com |
The Final Mojo
Each of the ToneCandy's pedals is made of the finest parts available. Mike Marino is a passionate player and road tests his prototypes on stage for months prior to finalizing his designs, and I think this technology-meetsreal- world approach gives ToneCandy pedals an edge in a somewhat glutted market.


text:
Warriors head to Denver lacking playoff experience
David Lee has worked for eight seasons to be in the NBA playoffs. The last time he even attended a postseason game was between the Bulls and Wizards in Chicago before the 2005 draft.
''It's been a long time to wait,'' said Lee, who spent his first five seasons with the New York Knicks. ''I'm having to do more to calm myself down than to get hyped to be ready for it.''
A lot of Lee's teammates can relate.
Andrew Bogut is the only Golden State Warriors starter who has ever been to the playoffs. Only five players have been to the postseason. Heck, only five players on the current roster were even in the NBA the last time the franchise made the playoffs in 2007.
When the sixth-seeded Warriors begin their first-round series at third-seeded Denver on Saturday, it will be uncharted territory for most involved, including second-year coach Mark Jackson. For the first time, the former NBA point guard will be in a suit on the bench instead of a jersey on the court when the ball is thrown up for the first time.
Jackson was adamant after the team's light practice Thursday that playoff experience matters little. He also recalled when the Boston Celtics - led by Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson - knocked his Knicks out in the first round his rookie year in 1987-88 in four games.
''Experience didn't send us home,'' Jackson said. ''The Boston Celtics, with four Hall of Famers, sent us home.''
Denver's George Karl has Jackson well outnumbered on the NBA sidelines. Karl will be coaching his 22nd squad in the playoffs.
Jackson, who had never coached at any level when the Warriors hired him two years ago, deflected the attention to his players when pressed about how his abilities will be tested.
''Every series I've ever been a part of, the best team has won,'' he said. ''Phil Jackson didn't, to me, outcoach Larry Bird. He won. He did an incredible job. (The Lakers) had the two baddest boys on the floor in Shaq and Kobe.''
Meager expectations also are keeping the Warriors loose.
Lee posted a photo on Twitter in the afternoon of ESPN magazine's preseason prediction, which gave Golden State a zero percent chance to make the playoffs. Even though the Warriors finished 47-35 and made monumental strides on defense and rebounding this season, they are still treating themselves as the underdogs in this season.
Then again, the Nuggets won an NBA franchise-best 57 games and became just the 11th team in league history to lose three or fewer home games in a season. They finished 38-3 at the Pepsi Center, part of the reason Golden State left a day early to adjust to the altitude in the Mile High City.
''I don't think anybody expected us to be in this position,'' Lee said. ''We were talking last night, most of us were deciding (last year) which beach we were going to this weekend, are we going to ship the car out for the summer or leave it here for another week. Last night felt like it was just another game we were finishing with and beginning our new journey. I'm the most excited guy in this gym right now.''
Getting too anxious is also part of the concern, especially in a series where both teams like to push the pace.
Denver led the league with 106.1 points per game this season. Golden State was seventh with 101.2, including Stephen Curry's NBA-record 272 3-pointers this season.
Veterans such a Bogut, Richard Jefferson, Jarrett Jack, Carl Landry and Andris Biedrins - the only player still on the roster when Golden State upset top-seeded Dallas in 2007 - have tried to offer advice to teammates about what to expect in the playoffs. Mostly, it's just to keep doing what got them to this point.
''It's not like you can tell them, `It's this or it's that,''' Bogut said. ''At the end of the day, it's 5-on-5 basketball. You still have to get stops to win games. It's just everything is magnified because there's more media attention and the games are all sold out. I don't think the game changes. I think the environment around the game changes.''
Curry watched his dad, Dell Curry, in the playoffs growing up. The last time he attended a playoff game was in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., when the Orlando Magic swept the Bobcats in four games in 2010.
While he has never played in the NBA playoffs, Curry has often been at his best in the biggest games of his career.
Curry dazzled at Davidson, leading the tiny college to the regional finals in 2008. He has also scored a career-high 54 points in a loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 27 and had 47 points in a loss at the Lakers last Friday.
''For me, it's about consistency and how you approach the big game,'' Curry said. ''You don't get too hyped for the Madison Square Gardens, the Staples Centers, the nationally televised games more so than you do a Tuesday night game against the Phoenix Suns. It all has to be the same mindset so when you get into those situations where the moment is increased a little bit, you're prepared for it.''
Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP


text:
By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) — It looks like the White House may have to weigh in on the Biebs.
A petition calling for the deportation of Canadian-born Justin Bieber surpassed the 100,000 signature threshold, meaning the White House must, by its own rules, issue a response.
Related story: Source: Bieber, facing assault charge in Canada, is turning himself in
Titled, "Deport Justin Bieber and revoke his green card," was created less than a week ago and quickly amassed the required signatures long before the 30 day deadline for the "We the People" petition program.
"We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture," the petition states. "We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked. He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society."
As of 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, it had nearly 121,000 signatures.
Bieber, 19, was arrested last week in Miami Beach and charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license after police saw the pop start street racing.
Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told reporters that Bieber "made some statements that he had consumed some alcohol, and that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication."
Will the White House actually look at it?
State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked about the issue Wednesday in the daily press briefing.
She said the petition program doesn't necessarily mean action would be taken but it's rather "an opportunity for the voices of the American people" to be heard.
But the terms of the program, as stated on the White House website, says if a petition meets the 100,000 signature threshold, "it will be reviewed by the administration and we will issue a response."
Psaki said she would check and see what the criteria was for violating a visa, but noted that individual visa cases are confidential.
The White House has drastically cut back on the number of responses it actually issued in the past year. The Washington Times reports that in the final six months of 2013, only one new petition received a response.
Other petitions, with far fewer signatures than 100,000, have popped up on the website, both supporting and opposing Bieber's deportation.
A competing petition, created on January 25, calls for keeping Beiber in the United States. It has about 1,800 signatures, and at this rate, would need more than 98,000 more by February 24 .
So what do the experts say?
CNN reported on the question earlier this week.
In addition to the charges he faces in Florida, investigators in California are also weighing whether Bieber will face a felony vandalism charge tied to an egg attack there.
Immigration lawyers say convictions on those charges wouldn't generally lead to deportation for someone like Bieber, who has a visa allowing him to legally live in the United States because of his "extraordinary ability" in the arts.
That's because those charges aren't considered to be aggravated felonies or crimes of moral turpitude — the two types of crimes that federal law defines as grounds for the deportation of non-citizen immigrants.
And according to federal law, only violent crimes and sentences longer than a year result in a re-evaluation of a person's visa status.
Translation for those of you who aren't legal eagles: Bieber's probably not going anywhere.
CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report.
™ & © 2014 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


text:
[ad_1]Geek Press template was designed as a flat and responsive Blogger template for News and Magazine websites. Geek Press is very easy to work without touch to code, it will help you publish your small news / magazine projects as the fastest way ever.
Geek Press Features
- 100% Reponsive
- Build home layout by add / drag / drop widgets (very easy change the sorting of the label sections or repeat label sections)
- Smart Resize Thumbnail
- Auto detect social icons
- Build drop down menu without touch to code
- Support shortcodes
- Support reactions and google map in post body
- Support post pagination: allow you break a long post into multi chapters with simple shortcodes
- Custom 404 page
- Allow post previews
- Advance Editor: upload background images, change background color, key colors, fonts.
- Very friendly Admin Panel
- Well Documentation
- Threaded comments with emoticons
- Comment shortcodes to allow you insert video and image in your comment
- Blogger, Facebook and Disqus comment sytems ready and allow your visitors easy to switch, template will auto remember visitors's choice for future.
- Related posts ready.
You can SUBMIT A TICKER HERE, I will try to reply you as fast as I can. If I delay to reply you, maybe your timezone is different with minev(my TZ is GMT+7). Welcome to my support services. Visit Sneeit: Blogger, Blogspot, WordPress, Coding and Webmaster Resource for more useful information.
Below are some useful links:
- Our Official Site
- Our Twitter
- Our Facebook Page
- Blogger Templates
- Blogger Widgets
- Blogger Tips
- Blogger Tools
- Blogger Services
Release Notes
Version: 3.0.4 – Jan 20, 2023
- Fixed: Label Name and Read more link do not stay in place
Version: 3.0.3 – Jan 20, 2023
- New: Allow to change the background color of header - Fixed: RTL menu does not stay on the right side - Fixed: Widget label does not stay on the left side - Fixed: Cannot translate "Menu Text"
v3.0.1 – June 25, 2022
New: add TikTok to social icons
v3.0.0 – Sep 01, 2021
New: compatible with Sneeit Spot
v2.3.0 – Mar 12, 2017
Fixed: Blur images from popular post widget
v2.2.3 – Nov 27, 2016
Fixed: Forever loop on Ticker widget
v2.2.2 – Aug 07, 2016
Fixed: VIEW ALL link not work properly.
v2.2.1 – July 28, 2016
Fixed: popular post thumbnail not display properly.
v2.2.0 – June 10, 2014
- New: Add Instagram into Social List
v2.1.3 – April Fool, 2014
- Fixed: IE8 not work properly
v2.1 – Feb 14, 2014
- Fixed: post pagination not working properly more than 2 chapters - Fixed: post image not display properly in ie 11 - Fixed: json data not display properly with special label
v2.0 – Jan 27, 2014
- Fixed: post pagination not working properly
v1.90 – Jan 26, 2014
- New: post pagination - New: make style for reactions - New: auto replace google maps link to real map iframe - New: support add video and image in comment - New: add zoom in / zoom out for post body text function - New: redesign header to allow add more menu items - Fixed: Reply button now work property - Fixed: too slow when load large Blogger data - Fixed: pagination not display on mobile
v1.80 – Dec 22, 2013
- Fixed : can not get first image if editor post with Ms-Word
v1.70 – Dec 17, 2013
- Fixed : Sometime, template not work properly with large json
v1.60 – November 15, 2013
- Fixed : Menu display front of lightbox image
v1.50 – November 13, 2013
- New : Support right to left languages
v1.40 – November 05, 2013
- Fixed : Facebook comment not load if Default comment load first - Fixed : Reaction not display properly - New : Add youtube and behance into social icons list
v1.30 – October 14, 2013
- Fixed : Feed list not work properly - Fixed : long non-break text not work properly - Fixed : Like box in post item display behind related box
v1.20 – October 7, 2013
- Fixed: thumbnail images not work properly on Firefox
v1.10 – October 4, 2013
- New : Break News section - New : Image Carousel box - Fixed : Youtube Image thumbnail not work properly
v1.00 – September 30, 2013
Initial Release[ad_2] Source