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Harvey Frommer Reviews: Duke vs. Kentucky, Hack Wilson, Summer of '68 & More Who would have thought about it? The Irish and their impact on the national pastime? I did in my book Old Time Baseball. Now along comes The Emerald Diamond by Charley Rosen (Harper, $25.99, 305 pages). Its subtitle says it all: "How The Irish Transformed America's Greatest Pastime." Rosen, known for his writings about the NBA, is in top form here dishing out data and passing out anecdotes about many of the known and under-publicized facts and factoids as well as another area of important Irish contributions in sports. The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds that Changed Basketball by Gene Wojciechowski (Blue Rider Press, $26.95) is a riveting inside look at the legendary game in 1992. The gang's all here and we can all enjoy the flashbacked, riveting read and the talented writing of Gene Wojciechowski. Especially for college hoop fans. Hack's 191 by Bill Chastain (Globe Pequot Press, $24.95) is a look back to the epic 1930 season of slugger Hack Wilson and his Chicago Cubs team. A good friend of Al Capone, an imbiber of booze and good times, Wilson was one of baseball's most colorful all-time characters. The "Hacker" comes to life in this splendid book, as does his day-by-day RBI record exploding to a still-unbroken 191. Wheels of Change by Sue Macy (National Geographic, $18.95, only 98 pages) is a slim volume that packs a lot of charm and content. It offers the point of view that before the bicycle in the 1880s, the lives of women were restricted. With "wheels," women became emancipated. They set records cycling and explored the world. Page after page of archival images and apt observations make this tome terrific--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Tim Wendel's Summer of '68 (DaCapo ($25.00, 272 pages), like the Hack Wilson book and many others, is a look back at one specific baseball season and the events in the culture surrounding it. The year was one of tragedy, broken dreams, horrible events and turning points--rioting in major American cities, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. It was also the "Year of the Pitcher" (Tiant, Gibson, Drysdale, McLain and others). The times today are fraught with peril. Back then, things were even worse, but baseball was a constant support for many. Full disclosure: As the author of Remembering Fenway Park: An Oral and Narrative History of the Home of the Boston Red Sox, I was looking ahead to read Richard A. Johnson's Field of Our Fathers (Triumph, $35.00, 288 pages). It does not disappoint. Whereas my book focuses only on baseball at Fenway, the Johnson tome includes non-baseball events. I leaned heavily on oral history with 140 individuals telling the story of the oldest MLB park. Johnson features clippings, ephemera and mini essays from folks such as Bob Ryan and Glenn Stout. Wilt, 1962 by Gary M. Pomerantz (Three Rivers Press, $16.00, 267 pages) is a slim tome that slam dunks the story of the much misunderstood and unappreciated Wilt Chamberlain.
This blog is run as an addition to my www.HistoryOfTheYankees.com website. My main website is an in-depth historical and biographical look at the New York Yankees. The blog is to serve as a place for postings and current happenings on the Yankees. I look forward to your visit and insight and hope you enjoy the season. Thanks for visiting.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Harvey Frommer Reviews: Duke vs. Kentucky, Hack Wilson, Summer of '68 & More
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Dezeen's top ten: student projects
Dezeen's top ten: this month's top ten features the most popular stories about student work that have been on Dezeen. In first place is SkipWaste by Goldsmiths University graduate Oliver Bishop-Young (above), a project presented at New Designers in London in July and which involved converting empty skips into public spaces such as skate parks, swimming pools and gardens.
2: Another project shown at New Designers this year: Book Vases by Laura Cahill are made from discarded books attached to test tubes.
3: We spotted Yarn from old newspapers by Greetje van Tiem at the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show in 2007. A graduate from the academy's Man and Leisure department, van Tiem turns old newspapers into yarn that can be woven into carpets, curtains and upholstery.
4. At the Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design degree show earlier this year graduate Kacper Hamilton presented Seven Deadly Glasses, a set of seven wine glasses inspired by the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath (above), envy and pride.
5. Asemic Scapes - Rehabilitation Center Rainberg is a concept for a medical rehabilitation centre in the Austrian Alps designed by architecture gradute Sarah Schneider as her Diploma project at Studio Lynn, an architecture course run by American architect Greg Lynn at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
6. Limited Edition Design Dolls by Olivia Lee is a series of three figurines of famous designers, featuring Zaha Hadid (above), Jaime Hayon and Karim Rashid. Lee graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London this summer.
7. Tableware by Kathryn Hinton, displayed at the Royal College of Art Show One in London earlier this year.
8. Type the Sky by Lisa Rienermann is an alphabet formed of shapes buildings make against the sky when photographed from below. The alphabet was created by Rienermann while studying at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
9. Swedish automotive design graduate Jon Rådbrink presented a concept for a catamaran-shaped car called Lexus Nuaero at the Royal College of Art graduation Show Two in London in July this year.
10. More from the Royal College of Art: Asimov's First Law scales by Alice Wang - a range of weighing scales that allow you to deceive yourself about your weight - were on show at the Work in Progress show in February.
That's it for now; another top ten next month.
See also:
Most popular stories during our first twelve months
Top ten Dezeen stories from December 2007
Dezeen's top ten skyscrapers (February 2008)
Dezeen's top ten: houses (March 2008)
Dezeen's top ten: Milan 2008 (April 2008)
Dezeen's top ten: stories with most comments (June 2008)
Dezeen's top ten: interiors (August 2008)

subset: commoncrawl


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The above pic isn't a new Wii U controller from Nintendo – it's the product of the 2013 Portable Build-Off Challenge over at the Made By Bacteria forums. Every year the Bacman forums hold a contest to build the best portabalized console, and like every year this year's entries are top-notch.
One of the more interesting projects this year is a handheld PlayStation 2 put together by [Gman]. It uses a PS2 Slim motherboard and a dualshock 2 controller along with a 4-inch screen to stuff an entire PS2 into a convenient handheld gaming device. [Gman] ditched the CD drive and opted to play games off the USB drive, a clever substitution that really reduces the size and power consumption.
In our humble opinion, the best looking console mod is the one shown above by [Bungle]. It's a portable GameCube stuffed inside a handmade case with a WiiKey Fusion that allows games to be played off an SD card. It's an amazing build, and we can only hope [Bungle] will make a few molds of his case.
The entire contest has an incredible display of console modding expertise, and is well worth a look.


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The college student who shot the video of Miley Cyrus smoking a bong has been receiving threats online.
The girl who filmed Miley Cyrus hitting the bong has been getting threats since TMZ posted the video -- and now we've learned, she's gone into hiding.Jacked from TMZ
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ the video was shot by one of Miley's best buds -- a girl named Anna Oliver -- who has been getting threats from Miley fans via Twitter ever since the bongtroversy began.
Messages include:
-- "What would you do if you met Anna Oliver? -- Probably kick her teeth in"
-- "Anna Oliver.....I HATE YOU"
-- "We should find Anna Oliver and feed her to the lions!"
-- "Dear Anna Oliver, I know you want to be a little fame whore, but you're not good at it. We hate your guts. Love, EVERYONE."
Anna eventually deactivated her Twitter account.
We tried calling her ... she hasn't gotten back to us.


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Patagonia M10 Jacket
I have long owned a Patagonia wind shell, and recently had the pleasure of getting a second jacket from Patagonia - the M10 Rain Jacket.
I love this jacket for a few simple reasons:
- it fits close to the body, leaving you free to move as you want (and not feel like the Michelin Man or like you're wearing a tent...)
- it is SUPER light weight — there's little more to it than an outside shell and a few zippers.
- it's robust - I haven't taken it climbing yet, but the material makes a very solid impression, especially considering its light weight
- it's nothing more than it should (or needs to) be: elastic cord pulls, sealed zippers, one pocket (and two under-arm vents that double as reserve pockets), a thin visor (just enough to give the hood some shape) and a teeny bit of fleece just where you need it.
I looked a few alternatives from Jack Wolfskin, Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardwear and even Arc'teryx - and only Arc'teryx came close in terms of the total solution. But they were a bit more expensive, and the fit wasn't as close-cut. I'm a slender guy, so this was a key selling point for me. That means there's not much room underneath, but enough for a down sweater or a light insulating layer.
I wear the jacket with a wool T-Shirt, and that's usually enough in spring/fall. In summer the jacket can get a bit sticky, particularly if you're working hard. But it dries out fast, too. Wearing a full-length thin layer (like Nike's compression underwear (4 stars) or Icebreaker's lightest shirts (5 stars)) prevents this, though, and lets the jacket do its job better.
Yes, it's expensive, but it's well made (Patagonia, right?!) well thought through and looks good in addition!
Price Paid: $329
Owned the M10 for a couple of months and have used it canoeing, trekking and cycling. Very satisfied with breathability, and it keeps heavy rains outside.
Only drawback is that the armpit vents are a bit too difficult to pull down using only one hand, but that's pretty common I guess.
Looking forward to testing it on some rough climbs and powder skiing in winter.
Price Paid: $399
Your Review
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Men's | |
Price |
MSRP: $399.00 Historic Range: $139.65-$399.00 Reviewers Paid: $329.00-$399.00 |
Weight |
11.4 oz / 323 g |
Fabric |
3 Layer, 2.2 oz 15-Denier 100% Nylon Ripstop / Waterproof/Breathable H2No® Barrier / Deluge® DWR Finish |
Women's | |
Price |
MSRP: $399.00 Historic Range: $159.59-$399.00 |
Weight |
11 oz / 311 g |
Fabric |
3 Layer, 2.2 oz 15-Denier 100% Nylon Ripstop / Waterproof/Breathable H2No Barrier / Deluge DWR Finish |


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Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already know how great omega-3 fats are for you. These "wellness molecules" are associated with healthier brains and hearts, improved mood, lowered inflammation, fewer cardiac arrhythmias, reduced joint pain, lowered triglycerides, and healthier skin and hair. What's not to like?
You probably already know that the best sources of omega-3s are fish oil and flaxseed oil. But you might be wondering, which is better?
The Great Debate: Fish or Flax?
Let's start at the beginning. Omega-3s are a category with three members. It's entirely true that omega-3s are found in both flaxseed oil and fish oil. But the dirty little secret about omega-3s is that the two found in fish and the one found in flax are quite different and may be anything but equal in their effects on human health. Let's take a closer look.
ALA, EPA, and DHA: the Most Important Omega-3s
Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil contain a particular omega-3 fat called ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Fish and fish oil contain two very different omega-3s—EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The vast majority of the research on the health benefits of omega-3s has been done on DHA and EPA. They are the true superstars of the small omega-3 kingdom. The health benefits of ALA (found in flaxseed) are less clear.
To give you an idea of the controversy, consider the following: The European Union instituted new labeling rules that established levels at which omega-3s must be present in food for them to bear the legend "source of omega-3s" or "high in omega-3s." These labeling rules drew stern criticism from a prominent group of scientists studying omega-3s. Why? Because the scientists feared that food manufacturers would take advantage of the fact that most people couldn't distinguish among the various omega-3s. They feared that manufacturers would add plant-based ALA to products such as energy bars and cereals, allowing them to legally claim these products were "high in omega-3s." But scientists feared that this would be misleading to the public, since the benefits of ALA are not as well documented as the benefits of EPA and DHA.
Now don't get me wrong. It's not that flaxseed oil—with its high concentration of ALA—isn't a good fat. It most certainly is. And it's not that there aren't huge differences in quality among flaxseed oils. It's simply that the omega-3 in flaxseed oil, ALA, hasn't been convincingly shown in research to be as powerful a health modulator as the two omega-3s found in fish.
See Also: MCT Oil vs. Coconut Oil: What's the Difference
Doesn't ALA Get Converted to EPA and DHA?
Proponents of flaxseed oil like to point out—quite correctly, I might add—that the body can actually take the ALA found in flaxseed and convert it into the more "valuable" fatty acids, DHA and EPA. It does this by the action of enzymes known as elongases and desaturases, and the end result is that some of that ALA you consume in flaxseed oil actually does get converted to EPA and DHA.
The big question is how much actually gets converted. And the answer is not so much. There's a range of figures shown in various studies on conversion, but the consensus is that it's never higher than 9 percent and usually considerably less. Truth be told, the actual percentage is a little squishy. Some studies have shown that consuming a lot of ALA does indeed boost blood levels of EPA, but hardly moves blood levels of DHA. This is important because DHA is one of the most important fats for the brain. Both EPA and DHA keep cell membranes nice and fluid, which is one of the reasons that fish oil, which contains both EPA and DHA right out of the box, is so protective of the heart.
How Omega 6 Fats in Vegetable Oils Mess Things Up
One thing that works against the conversion of ALA into DHA and EPA is, believe it or not, vegetable oil. Omega-6 fats—which are predominant in most vegetable oils (such as corn, cottonseed, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils)—actually work to prevent the conversion of ALA into DHA and EPA. Interestingly, saturated fat does not seem to have this dampening effect. One study on ALA conversion concluded that with "a background diet high in saturated fat, conversion [of ALA] … is approximately 6 percent for EPA and 3.8 percent for DHA, [but] with a diet rich in omega-6, the conversion is reduced by 40 to 50 percent."
This can be a real dilemma for the average vegan or vegetarian, who is extremely unlikely to be consuming a "background diet high in saturated fat" and very likely to be consuming a ton of omega-6s from vegetable oils in his or her diet. A vegan or vegetarian who is getting all her omega-3s from plant foods or flaxseed oil should be very careful to reduce the amount of omega-6 fats in the diet while boosting the amount of flaxseed oil consumed. The ideal ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in the human diet is somewhere between 4:1 and 1:1. Most Americans consume a ratio of around 20:1. Since omega-6s are pro-inflammatory and omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, this ratio isn't healthy—whether you're a vegetarian or not.
See also: How to Start a Vegan Diet
Should You Use Flaxseed Oil or Fish Oil?
So if you put a gun to my head and asked me to choose between flaxseed oil and fish oil, I'd have to go with the fish oil. The research on DHA and EPA is too compelling, and the research on ALA alone—while it does exist—is just not as strong and clear.
That said, flaxseed oil still has valuable properties of its own. Flax contains plant chemicals called lignans, which have profound anti-cancer effects. Oils such as Barlean's Organic Lignan Flax Oil provide these lignans in addition to ALA, and products like Barlean's Organic Forti-Flax Flaxseed contain a trifecta of valuable compounds: lignans, omega-3s, and fiber to boot.
All things considered, it seems to me fish oil is the better choice for nonvegetarians. But vegetarians can get a great deal of value from flaxseed oil, provided they use it correctly. Forget about one or two capsules; take at least 1 to 3 tablespoons. That way you'll be sure to get at least 0.5 gram of EPA and DHA. And cut back on the vegetable oils high in omega-6s. Which, come to think of it, is a good idea for everyone.
Tip: Keep Your Omega-3s Oils From Spoiling
All omega-3 oils (including fish oils, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and walnuts) will last longer when stored in a cool, dark place—keep them away from the microwave, stove, windowsill, etc. For maximum freshness, keep them in the refrigerator after opening.


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Read on for results from the main card of UFC 170, held February 22 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas....
As the Winter Olympics were taking place across the globe in Sochi, two past Olympians entered an Octagon in Las Vegas to decide the UFC women's bantamweight championship. In the end, Ronda Rousey, a bronze medalist in judo, TKOd Sara McMann, a silver medalist in wrestling, to defend her UFC gold. More notably, the win was the undefeated Rousey's seventh in the first round, and her first-ever by TKO, with all of her previous wins coming by armbar. Plus, Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier kept his own perfect record intact with a first-round TKO of his own.
Rousey vs. McMann
McMann charged at the bell, getting in a solid right hand as the two tangled with fists flying. As they clinched against the cage, both got in knees and McMann landed another right, but McMann was able to fend off Rousey's signature takedown. So Rousey settled for striking, landing a particularly nasty elbow before the finishing blow.
A knee from Rousey buckled McMann, who hit the deck, and as Rousey followed up with right hands from the back, referee Herb Dean waved it at 1:06 of the first. The crowd booed but McMann was gracious in defeat, pointing out that no amount of training can strengthen your liver for a shot.
Rousey's record remains unblemished, as she now stands at 9-0 with a nearly-ridiculous number of finishes (nine) and armbars (eight). McMann, who said afterward she'd be up for a rematch, moves to 7-1.
> Watch: Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann's Post-Fight Interview
Cormier vs. Cummins
A coffee shop worker two weeks ago, Patrick Cummins made the most of his Cinderella opportunity to join the UFC, offering to fight former training partner Daniel Cormier after Cormier's original opponent, Rashad Evans, dropped out. But in the process, he also made the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Cormier mad by bringing up past wrestling-room gossip, an unspoken gym no-no. Cormier responded by running to the Octagon during his walkout, then scoring a first-round TKO (and his first UFC finish) in his light heavyweight debut.
After some leg kicks, Cummins went for a takedown right away. Olympic wrestling team member Cormier was having none of it, dotting Cummins with shots from every angle as Cummins clinched more often and more recklessly.
A left-right from Cormier put Cummins on ice skates, and from there Cormier followed up with more shots. Cummins tried to stand but fell back to his hands and knees. Cormier pounced on Cummins' back and fired away with big fists, with the bout being waved off at 1:19.
Cormier (14-0), who was ranked 4th at heavyweight, no doubt broke into his new division's rankings with the performance; Cummins, who'd struggled to fight fights on the local circuit, sees his record tick to 4-1 but did, at least, break into the UFC. "I feel good because it's my first finish in UFC," said Cormier, who was once unable to compete in the Olympics due to a botched weight cut. "Training camp was long and hard and I prepared for a long fight. I'm going to stay in this cycle and be this healthy in every camp."
> Watch: Daniel Cormier's Post-Fight Interview
MacDonald vs. Maia
Top-ranked welterweights Rory MacDonald (ranked 4th in the division) and Demian Maia (6th) went to war for fifteen minutes, with the younger MacDonald using his strength and technique to outpoint Maia's heart and tenacity.
Round one was all Maia. After having his first takedown attempt shrugged off, he grabbed a leg and got it to the mat 20 seconds in. MacDonald defended in butterfly guard, but fourth-degree black belt Maia used shots to the body to loosen up "Ares" and pass into mount. He threw punches and elbows from top as MacDonald bucked and struggled. MacDonald did manage to stand again with a minute left, and the two traded kicks with Maia landing another right.
At the start of round two, Maia looked tired while MacDonald looked motivated, as MacDonald fired off a series of kicks to discourage Maia's takedown attempts. Maia had early success with cracking fists, but soon he appeared desperate, shooting over and over as MacDonald pushed him off. MacDonald teed off, mixing rights, lefts, uppercuts, body kicks, straights and head kicks that seemed to have Maia injured. Maia slowed and even wobbled – particularly from a pair of right hands at the end of the round -- but MacDonald held back from going for the kill.
MacDonald's left jab and right hand held Maia at bay early in the third. Maia tried fewer takedowns, but his strikes bacame slow and sloppy, leaving him generally offenseless. Maia finally closed the distance and grabbed MacDonald against the fence, using a bodylock to lift MacDonald and plant him on the ground. Eventually MacDonald used a butterfly sweep to get back to his feet, and Maia landed another shot, but he then went back to futile takedown attempts, looking slower each time he stood. Still, MacDonald moved backward, and though his punches had less power, Maia's still came first and hit their targets more than MacDonald's.
The 24-year-old Canadian's win ups his record to 16-2, with all three judges giving it to him 29-28 over Maia (18-6). "I showed myself out there today and I didn't hold anything back," he said. "Demian shoots really low so after the first round I altered my posture and leaned in. It helped prevent his shot and made all the difference in the fight."
Pyle vs. Waldburger
After having his four-fight win streak halted by Matt Brown last summer, 38-year-old welterweight Mike Pyle jumped right back on track, TKOing fellow brown belt TJ Waldburger in the third round.
Keeping their distance from one another and trading leg kicks, it was Waldburger who controlled the standup, slipping in and out and connected repeatedly with his left hook. From a clinch, Pyle got an easy trip takedown backward, and moved into side control. In between short punches, Waldburger snuck out, controlling Pyle against the fence. But Pyle grabbed his beloved clinch and landed a solid knee to the head before tripping Waldburger backward again at round's end.
Pyle switched to a front-kick tactic in the second, before charging forward and getting a takedown. Waldburger grabbed for a heelhook, but Pyle rolled and landed on top as Waldburger used butterfly hooks to get his feet back underneath him. Back on the feet, Waldburger's nose was bleeding and Pyle looked tired, with both men taking more space. The best blows in that round came via Pyle's knees, which tagged Waldburger twice. Another scramble on the feet gave Pyle the bodylock, and he rolled Waldburger to the mat before standing back up, this time both men looking weary.
Waldburger led with fast hands in the third, but Pyle had found his rhythm, paying back Waldburger with counters nearly every time. Pyle injured Waldburger twice in the middle of the Octagon, once with a big right and once with a spinning back elbow that dropped him. Waldburger retaliated by pushing in for a takedown against the fence, but Pyle got in a knee to the head and an elbow on the break. Waldburger shot in, but met another knee, and Pyle followed him to the mat. He used a guillotine to reverse into mount, then dropped a series of ruthless elbows until referee Herb Dean waved it off at 4:0
Las Vegas-based Pyle, who was ranked number 15 going into the fight, now boasts a career record of 26-9-1. Texan Waldburger loses his second in a row via TKO, sliding to 16-9.
Whittaker vs. Thompson
In an exciting welterweight bout, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson (9-1) returned to highlight-reel form in UFC 170's first main card match, TKOing TUF Smashes winner Robert Whittaker (12-4) in the first round.
For all of Thompson's kickboxing pedigree, Whittaker's own karate and Hapkido black belts let him hold his own in that realm. Whittaker made contact first, and his left jab connected over and over. Thompson tossed off a body kick and a flashy snap kick, mixing it up with uppercuts and body shots. Early on, Whittaker's forward pressure and boxing limited Thompson's previously-seen kicking combinations.
But once Thompson found his range, it was a plain old left hand that first stumbled Whittaker. The Aussie stood, but Thompson kept at him with lefts and rights until a monstrous right hand dropped him again. Thompson pounced into back mount and kept the big blows coming until the bout was called at 3:43. "I can't even describe how good I feel right now," said Thompson. "Whittaker is a very tough opponent so I was careful to stay away from his power and use my speed."


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Sexual assault victims often praise the compassionate services of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, and a new study of two SANE programs confirmed that they contribute to higher prosecution and conviction rates.
The study focused on SANE programs in a large Midwestern county, carefully measuring how far sexual assault cases progressed through the criminal justice system during the years before and after the programs started. Researchers found statistically significant increases in various case progression measures, including the percentage of cases that eventually resulted in guilty pleas or convictions.
Led by Rebecca Campbell, professor of psychology at Michigan State University, the research team looked at adult sexual assault cases treated in county hospitals and processed by the county's five largest law enforcement agencies for the five years before the launch of the SANE programs. The researchers also looked at cases treated by SANE teams during their first seven years of operation.
Campbell and her colleagues excluded cases that were not processed by the criminal justice system. These included stranger rape cases in which nobody was ever identified as well as cases in which law enforcement officials concluded that the assault allegations were unfounded. This resulted in a sample of 156 pre- SANE cases and 141 post-SANE cases. All victims received complete medical forensic exams, and the exam results were analyzed by the state crime laboratory for DNA evidence.
SANE nurses receive a minimum of 40 hours of classroom training and 40 hours of clinical training. The training covers evidence collection, injury detection methods, chain-of-evidence requirements, ways to avoid re-traumatizing a victim during an examination and other topics. Most SANE teams use specialized equipment such as a colposcope, a lighted magnifying tool that can detect small cuts, bruises and other injuries. The colposcope is also equipped with a camera to document any injuries.
Historically, sexual assault cases have been underreported and had low prosecution rates. These particular SANE programs — and perhaps many others — are contributing to higher prosecution and conviction rates. To discover how the programs led to increased prosecution, the researchers looked at the details of cases and interviewed law enforcement officers, prosecutors and assault victims.
SANE programs provide forensic evidence that is critical for successful investigations. One supervising detective noted that the quality of the evidence produced by medical forensic exams is higher with the SANE program. "I know the quality of documentation has improved from what we've seen in the past. Particularly with the addition of … photographs of injuries; we never had that from an ER."
Participants in the study were granted anonymity and will not be identified by name or agency.
Another detective noted that the SANE program produced evidence quickly and made it available to law enforcement. "SANE information is received rather quickly, if not the same day, the following day ... With the hospital it took time to go through their records to obtain any additional reports, which made it difficult for us to proceed with our investigation."
In addition, once a law enforcement agency knew that evidence would be forthcoming, it became more confident about building a case. The researchers found that in cases where the victim had a medical forensic exam, police collected more kinds of other evidence from the crime scene and from interviews with the suspect and possible witnesses. "Evidence begets more evidence," the researchers report. The cumulative effect was that more cases progressed further through the criminal justice system.
A prosecutor noted that the evidence collected helped to elicit guilty pleas in some cases and trial convictions in others. "I'm sitting here thinking to myself, I've got a good case. I've got corroboration, I've got medical, I've got a good case, and I'll use that with talking to the defense attorney."
Besides providing forensic evidence, SANE teams are also available to testify in court as expert witnesses. SANE programs in this county do not pressure their patients to contact law enforcement and pursue prosecution. Nurses and advocates strive to minimize victim trauma, and they focus on providing high-quality patient care and attending to the emotional needs of the victim. The nurses and advocates take the time to answer all the victim's questions about evidence and the legal system. One victim told researchers that the SANE program's involvement played an important role in her decision to file criminal charges. "That's part of the reason [that I continued] … Because that will just show that he did things to me, and I have proof." By not focusing on legal concerns right away, victims were more willing and able to continue with a criminal case.
Some assault victims said the SANE experience was a turning point. "It was the first time where I felt … human, after going through such a horrendous experience and made to feel I was just a bitch in heat … or a pig being led to the slaughter … and people like the advocates and the nurse examiner, they … make you feel like they're more interested in you, in helping you cope with what happened, and that makes it easier, too, because they're looking at you like a person … I didn't feel like another body on a slab."
SANE programs may help solve longstanding problems associated with sexual assault cases. The programs provide quality evidence in a timely way that can help shape the course of an investigation, the researchers concluded. "With the medical forensic evidence safely in the hand of SANEs, law enforcement put more investigational efforts into other aspects of the case. The training and ongoing consultation provided by SANEs often suggested investigational leads that law enforcement could pursue to further develop a case. As a result, the cases that are put forward to prosecutors reflect the collective efforts and expertise of law enforcement and SANEs, and not surprisingly, the cases are stronger. Consequently, prosecutors are more inclined to move forward with charging cases, and over time, the prosecution rates did increase," the researchers report.
The National Institute of Justice funded the study. The complete study is available (pdf, 202 pages).
See "Virtual Training and Other Sexual Assault Resources for Professionals."
Sidebar: SANE Facts
- SANE programs now exist in every state of the union, with about 500 programs in all. The programs treat adults and adolescents, and about half treat children as well. SANE programs typically handle sexual assault victims of both sexes.
- Most SANE programs are based in hospitals, although a few are based in rape crisis centers. In some places, mobile SANE teams are set up to go to various hospitals or other locations as needed.
- Although some SANE programs have relied on grant funding to get started, they often become selfsustaining because they provide reimbursable medical services.
- SANE programs have grown partly because the need is great. A 1998 report by the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included results of a survey of 16,000 adults of both sexes. Some 17.7 percent of women and 3 percent of men reported being the victim of a completed or attempted rape at some point in their lifetimes.
Sidebar: Virtual Training and Other Sexual Assault Resources for Professionals
- A comprehensive and inexpensive training tool is helping advance skills in collecting sexual assault forensic evidence and preparing it for trial. It was developed by the Office on Violence Against Women in partnership with the National Institute of Justice and Dartmouth Medical School. The Sexual Assault — Forensic and Clinical Management virtual practicum DVD takes viewers through an interactive virtual forensic facility where distinguished faculty, practitioners and legal experts explain the process from first meeting through pretrial to courtroom.
- The Department of Justice's National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (pdf, 141 pages) provides details on the roles of responders to sexual assault as part of a coordinated community response. The protocol was developed with help from relevant disciplines, such as medical providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates and crime lab personnel.
- The National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners (pdf, 33 pages) is a companion to the national protocol. It offers specialized education for health care providers who wish to practice as sexual assault forensic examiners. The training standards include recommendations for training objectives and topics that will enable a sexual assault forensic examiner to carry out the guidelines outlined by the protocol.
- See toolkit for evaluating the effectiveness of SANE programs (pdf, 145 pages).
About This Article
This article was published as part of NIJ Journal issue number 264, published November 2009.


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Shepard Fairey was in Boston on Friday for his new exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
Police Officer James Kenneally says the department had Jan. 24 warrants alleging the Los Angeles artist tagged property with graffiti.
Here's a slide show of Fairey's work from the Institute for Contemporary Art. Here's an old post of mine that includes a photo I took of the old Andre the Giant "Obey" image, without knowing what it was or having ever heard the name Shepard Fairey. I called it "an unrecognizable face on a lamppost":
And really, why should an artist get away with appropriating public property like this? I love Fairey, but it seems that he's committed a lot of crimes along his path to fame. Does he belong in prison for it? Should a man who stomped on a kitty go to prison for a year? But Fairey's crimes were fabulous (and his warrants were outstanding). It is not fabulous to stomp a kitten.
IN THE COMMENTS: Zachary Paul Sire says:
I wonder how everyone here would react had Fairey's subject and object of affection been Sarah Palin.Oh, that's easy. Then he would belong in jail for a year, just like the kitty stomper. Fairey's more like a cockroach stomper. See the difference? Your sentence depends on whether we love or hate you.


text: Attention: To Members and Friends of DC SIGAda Next Meeting: Our Next Meeting is scheduled for 8 February 2001 as a Joint Meeting of the Baltimore and DC SIGAda Chapters. Bill Pritchett, of the from DCS Corporation will be speaking on Applying Object Oriented Measures to Software Projects. The presentation will start at 7:30 P.M. (Refreshments and Social at 7:00 P.M.) at the Lockheed Martin Corporation in Rockville, Maryland. Snacks and soft drinks will be served at 7:00 PM, the general meeting will start at 7:30 PM, followed by the program. Abstract: Applying Object Oriented Measures to Software Projects Traditionally, software has been designed using a top-down hierarchy of functional units. The emphasis of measurement for functionally developed software has centered around the four common categories of size, coupling, cohesion, and complexity. In the last decade, object-oriented development has become the predominant methodology for developing software. Here software systems are developed as structured collections of abstract data type implementations. Though certain aspects of traditional software measures can be applied to object-oriented software, by and large the measurements lose their original intent and are therefore no longer applicable. The chief reason being that the properties and relationships among object-oriented software are fundamentally different from those of functionally developed software. Object-oriented software utilizes the principles of localization, encapsulation, information hiding, inheritance, and abstraction. The fundamental module in object-oriented systems is the class. These classes may inherit state information and relevant operations from other classes, enabling designers to extend the definition of a class to form a new, related class. This presentation will describe measures that can be used during development of object-oriented modules to help identify those that may be error-prone or may require additional testing to achieve quality goals needed by an organization. Presenter: Bill Pritchett Bill Pritchett is the manager of the Embedded Systems Section for DCS Corporation. At DCS, Mr. Pritchett supports the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in the development of future ground combat vehicles. He is also the Product Development manager of AdaSTAT, a static analysis tool for Ada 95. Mr. Pritchett holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an M.S. in Computer Science from George Washington University. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Information Technology from George Mason University where he is researching object-oriented metrics for Ada 95. His email address is: [log in to unmask] Venue: Lockheed Martin Corporation 9211 Corporate Boulevard Rockville, Maryland 20874 Directions: >From all points: Get to I-270 West from the I-495 Beltway, Take I-270 West to Shady Grove Exit; Turn left at light; Turn right on Corporate Dr (at light); Turn right at end of access road (can only turn left or right); Go to end of driveway. The building for the meeting is on the right, across the open courtyard area. It is building #9211, as marked. Parking lots are on the left and right. Enter main lobby. Stop at guard desk to check in. Also, to obtain a map of the location, visit http://www.mapquest.com/, select Driving Directions for the destination address: "9211 Corporate Drive, Rockville, Md." DC SIGAda Home Page and Maillist Please visit the DC SIGAda Web site at http://www.acm.org/sigada/locals/dc/ Please provide suggestions on the Web site and its contents. We are particularly interested in ways the DC SIGAda Home Page can serve you better. Consider subscribing to our e-mail list. Simply send an email to: [log in to unmask] with the body containing: subscribe SIGAda-DC Your Name Detailed instructions to subscribe and signoff are provided on the DC SIGAda Home Page. Business: We will have snacks and soft drinks at 7:00. The meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Please forward this message to people who might be interested in attending. We welcome all new members as our attendance and interests grow. Many thanks to all earlier participants, contributors, speakers, advisors, and friends, who are involved in helping to produce and attend the meetings. Jeff Castellow, Chair, DC SIGAda


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Jane* is part of a church-planting team with SIM in Central Asia hoping to start a church amongst a minority people group. She and her team mates look for ways to introduce Jesus that are culturally resonant. Over the past few months, I have felt God prompting me to fast, so I began fasting one day a week. As this year's Ramadan season approached, I felt prompted to fast in a more significant way. I decided, following the practice of our local Muslim minority group, to abstain from food until the evening.
I did not have any expectations of what would happen during this time, but God surprised me. We live in an environment where local people are rarely open to considering the Gospel. We are intentional with sowing spiritual seeds, by rarely have - or expect to have - the opportunity for in depth conversations about Jesus or religion or spirituality. But during this time I had the opportunity to tell a friend I was fasting during Ramadan - just like her. She was elated and we engaged in a 45 minute conversation about Jesus. We discussed what fasting meant to her, and I shared what it meant to me. She noted that her people fast out of duty, where as I fasted out of love. I am usually not a dreamer, but following that discussion I had a dream where I decided to cut my hair. In my dream, as I turned my head sideways, my face became the face of one of the local Ewe* people. My friend often shares dreams with me, so I shared this strange one with her. She was touched. People here take dreams very seriously and she instantly saw the meaning.
"Clearly you have a true love in your heart for my people", she said. "Maybe you realised this while fasting."
Indeed, God has given me a love for her and her people, which she could discern through our conversations. The dream has been the start of more conversations with my friends about dreams, evil spirits, and a relationship with God. I believe that fasting created the bridge to these conversations, and I have prayed for more opportunities to arise in the weeks and months ahead.
*Names changed
Jane invites others to join her in praying and fasting for her Muslim friends and Muslims around the world this Ramadan. Click here to find a prayer guide to help you pray.


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Beyond Islamism
Issue 88 January 2012
I have often argued that the word 'Islamism' is not a helpful one, as it is confusing and not specific enough. Here, I would argue that we need to move away, not just from the term itself, but also from the substance of what it has come to represent in the popular debate.
At the time of writing this article the elections in Egypt had just began after some months of instability following the changes ushered in by the 'Arab Spring'. The results will not be known until after publication, but the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is expected to win around 40% of the vote and the Noor party of the Salafis around 20 per cent.
While some are hailing this as a success of 'Islamism', I would like to suggest—perhaps counter-intuitively—that it is actually an indication of the demise of Islamism; at least old style, traditional Islamism of the type that sought to create an 'Islamic state', an Islamic version of a Hobbesian Leviathan to govern society. Such a scenario can be seen in Afghanistan in recent years, or Iran, where the clerics sit above politicians elected by the people. But the Arab Spring mandates an altogether different vision: a transition towards a free, open, democratic and secular politics—a more Rawlsian direction.
There are no certainties here. It is difficult to say precisely where the parties mentioned will head, and indeed what impact the tension between the Noor Party and the Freedom and Justice Party will create. But in recent years the success of the AKP in Turkey, and the model evolving there, has had an important influence on democratic, Islamist politics across the world. There must be few things in the world as sobering as the reality of having a country to run—mouths to feed, jobs to create, borders to defend and the media to hold you to account (now including social media). That is when election slogans evaporate, and reality hits home.
Whatever happens in Egypt, the public debate will create (entirely natural, and largely healthy) tensions for another generation as a new public culture evolves under a more open form of governance. At the same time, it is likely that (if relative freedom prevails) more secular and liberal political parties will establish a stronger presence within the political spectrum and enhance their campaigning abilities (which were no match for the organised infrastructure of the Muslim Brotherhood, or the finances at the disposal of the Salafis at this election). If this is true, then what we are seeing now is the starting point of a journey towards greater liberalisation and freedom, not the opposite.
But looking at events 'over there' in the Middle East automatically begs the question: what does that mean, if anything, for Muslim activists here in the UK, Europe and other parts of the West? For decades now, some activists have looked to the Islamist movements for inspiration. But with the recent developments post-Arab Spring, the evolution of the AKP in Turkey, and the natural process of settlement, some are arguing that the stratification developing within the Islamist movements is just as important as the split between Islamists and non-Islamist Muslim activists. If the old slogans of 'Islam is the solution' are being replaced with notions of 'freedom and justice', an insistence on a politics of 'national unity' and compromise, and talk of a 'civil state' (dawla madaniya) as opposed to an 'Islamic state' in the Muslim world, what does that mean for Islamist-influenced movements and their agendas in the West?
We stand at a crucial moment, at which the cracks that have been appearing for decades may lead to new glaciers being formed. Some people, increasingly disenfranchised with the 'old politics' of Islamism and its irrelevance, are looking for a new vision that is more rooted in the West; one that is more local, and is concerned with thinking about, and engaging seriously with, the question of what it means to be a Muslim living in modern Britain; and being honest in the process of that quest without presuming that we have ready-made solutions to take off the shelf to deal with our challenges. This calls for integrity and soul-searching, and crucially, for people to work together—be they Muslim or not—to think, analyse, evaluate and to find lasting solutions to the real issues we all face collectively.
This, a more open and embracing vision of who we are, and what Islam means to us will be realised when there is a shift towards a post-Islamist paradigm among activists in the West. But can this happen?
I would argue that it must. l
Dilwar Hussain is President of the Islamic Society of Britain.
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 24, 2003
Statement on Congressman Bob Stump
Statement by the President
Congressman Bob Stump lived a distinguished life of service as a World War II Veteran, an Arizona State Legislator and a United States Congressman. He was a gifted leader who remained true to his principles and made an indelible mark on those who were fortunate enough to know him. As one of the few Members of Congress who served as Chairman of both the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee, he was admired for his tireless efforts on behalf of the men and women in uniform. Laura joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to Nancy and the entire Stump family during this difficult time.


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Los Angeles, CA – All Kobe Bryant wanted a month ago was to make the playoffs.
He finally has his Los Angeles Lakers back on the right side of the standings.
Bryant tallied 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the Lakers' 90-81 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers began the campaign 17-25, but have rebounded by going 16-6 since to leap frog the Utah Jazz by a half-game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
"We're playing much better," said Bryant. "We read [Chicago's] defense today and we found a better rhythm."
Dwight Howard added 16 points and 21 boards for Los Angeles, which has won six straight games at Staples Center.
"Howard set the tone and dominated the paint," said Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. "Kobe came out as a playmaker. Give them credit, they played good defense. Rebounding was a huge factor."
Joakim Noah finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped three of their last four tilts. Nate Robinson recorded 19 points and eight assists in defeat.
LA headed into the break with a 44-40 edge, but began to pull away in the third.
Luol Deng's running hook shot pulled the Bulls within 49-44 with 9:47 left in the third before the Lakers countered with a 16-3 surge. Steve Nash had seven points during the swing, which was capped on back-to-back 3-pointer by Bryant and Jodie Meeks for a 65-47 margin.
LA took a 73-61 advantage into the fourth and led by at least eight throughout the final frame.
The Lakers led 20-16 after a period of play.
Game Notes
Chicago had won three straight in the series ... Nash scored 16 points ... Los Angeles was just 5-of-26 from beyond the arc and 7-of-14 from the foul line ... Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past
the 50,000 mark last month, as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier
in the pandemic.
At the end of June, the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had reached at least 52,649, an
increase of 8% from the week before, according to data compiled by the Marshall Project, a nonprofit
news organization focusing on criminal justice, and The Associated Press.
Of those, at least 35,796 have recovered, and at least 616 inmates have died, the data showed.
Among staff, more than 11,180 cases of coronavirus have been reported, including 43 deaths.
As of June 30, only Wyoming and Hawaii still had not identified any confirmed cases of coronavirus among
New cases in prisons began to drop last month, with less of the rapid growth seen in the spring when
Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and other states began mass testing of prisoners, the data shows.
But by the end of June, new outbreaks in Arkansas, California and Texas began to push the numbers up
The rising cases in prisons is mirroring a large increase in cases across the U.S., where there have been
some 50,000 total per day over the past few days and hot spots are exploding in multiple states,
including Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Prisons have been of specific concern because of social distancing worries, and the fear that outbreaks
inside crowded facilities can affect surrounding communities as employees and vendors come and go.
The federal Bureau of Prisons recorded the most inmate deaths at 94. Ohio led states with the most
deaths, with 86 reported through the end of June. More than 5,000 federal inmates have tested positive.
Coronavirus outbreaks in prison are an indictment of mass incarceration in the U.S., with many systems
warehousing people in situations that make social distancing impossible, said Nicole Porter, director of
advocacy for The Sentencing Project.
Porter said the response by governors has been inadequate, with only minimal releases of inmates in most
states in an effort to free up space. At the very least, authorities should be moving to release all
inmates scheduled to get out this year, she said.
In Louisiana, for example, a state panel tasked with examining up to 1,100 inmates for release ultimately
approved just 100, of which 63 will be released, The Advocate reported.
"A global pandemic creates a level of urgency that people should not be kept in prison one day
longer than necessary," Porter said. "Many of those people pose absolutely no threat to public
safety and their liberty would have been restored anyway this year."
California saw a setback this week in its efforts to control the virus, when a third of the 3,500 inmates
at San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco tested positive after officials transferred 121 inmates
from the heavily affected California Institution for Men in Chino on May 30 without properly testing
them for infections.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has defended his administration's handling of the pandemic in prisons, noting that he
has ordered about 3,500 early releases, plans about 3,500 more, and halted transfers from local jails to
create more space in prisons for social isolation.
Six states — Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee — now have infection rates
higher than one of every 10 inmates, according to the Marshall Project data.
In Ohio, cases have now been reported in nearly all prisons, but two account for the majority of cases:
Pickaway Correctional Institution in central Ohio, which includes a medical wing, and Marion
Correctional Institution in north-central Ohio, where virtually all inmates tested positive.
Thirty-six inmates died at Pickaway and 13 at Marion, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation
and Correction.
Prison advocates in Ohio are using the pandemic to promote legislation working its way through the
Statehouse that would reduce the number of people sent to prison for drug crimes.
"They could save lives by reducing the prison population as the COVID-19 death toll continues to
rise behind bars," said Piet van Lier, a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio.
The state says it reduced Ohio's prison population by 3,170 inmates — a 6.5% drop — since March through
several measures, including releasing inmates early, the normal expiration of sentences, and temporarily
suspending intakes of male prisoners from county jails, though that policy has since ended.
The population of around 47,000 is now the lowest since 2006. The Ohio prison system's goal in responding
to the pandemic "was to reduce the prison population in a manner which maintained public
safety," spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Friday.
Associated Press data journalist Meghan Hoyer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.


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Latest Article|September 3, 2020|Free
::Making Grown Men Cry Since 1992
5 min read
Ben Eberle is what you'd call a YouTube-made celebrity. In the past year, the video of Ben slaying Guitar Hero II's "Psychobilly Freakout" on expert level has attracted more than 8 million hits. Its appeal is immediate: Ben's fingers flying across the color-coded buttons of his video game guitar, his back turned to the television screen, playing from memory while bobbing his head in true rock-star fashion.Questions of the video's authenticity dominate the comments posted by disbelieving YouTube viewers. But the video's no fake. Nine-year-old Ben is a bona fide Guitar Hero expert, and he has the professional video game contract to prove it.Ben is just one of many professional video game players in the nation, contracted by corporations or companies to do what they do best in front of large crowds. Ben's under contract with the National Video Game Association (NVGA), a grassroots organization for console-game enthusiasts looking to take their gaming experience outside of the home and into the competitive realm.Since the NVGA formed three years ago, its members have worked to create a platform for console video gaming competition on a national scale. This weekend, May 22 through 25, Albuquerque plays host to the first annual Super Con, which includes the National Video Game Championships and the Game Design Workshop, at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Ben will compete for the title of National Champion in Guitar Hero, but you don't have to be a pro to take him on. Game Time Albuquerque is no stranger to video game tournaments. The New Mexico chapter of the NVGA, X-topia, hosted regional tournaments for nearly 10 years before becoming a founding NVGA chapter three years ago. But taking the competition to a national level is what prompted X-topia leader Jason Montoya (from Albuquerque) to band together with Gregory Richardson (Colorado) and Morris Hunter (Texas) to form the NVGA, which has since expanded to include eight chapters across the nation."The best players seek out competition," Montoya says, and the NVGA plans to give those players the opportunity to find out who's the best Tekken, Guitar Hero or Halo master in the U.S. "There's the Super Bowl. The NHL has the Stanley Cup. There needs to be something like that for video games," he says. "So we want to create that in Albuquerque."Open registration allows anyone to enter the National Video Game Championships, making the event different from other video game tournaments that often require qualifiers. "How would you like to be a basketball player and go to an NBA game where Kobe Bryant is playing and say, Hey man, I'm going to get on the court and test my skills. You can't do that," Montoya says. "But that's what's really unique about video games and the way we run tournaments. There could be a legendary player coming here, and you could say, You know what, I am going to get on the court with you. We're going to see where I stand, and even if I don't stand well, I'm going to have a helluva fun time." Beyond Competition The National Video Game Championships aren't just competitions. Gamers who want to play without the pressure of the tournament bracket can bring their own consoles to play pickup games in the BYOC room, Richardson says. There will be speakers, anime viewing and a Game Design Workshop to introduce video game fans to the industry behind their hobby. "We want to expose gamers to more than just playing video games," Richardson says. "Gaming is more than just pushing little buttons and playing on the TV for hours."The Game Design Workshop and Challenge, hosted by the Rio Grande Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), offers a hands-on workshop with local game professionals Luke Nihlen of 10 th Artist (who, for full disclosure, is married to News Editor Marisa Demarco) and Jonathan Whetzel of Sandia National Labs. Participants will be broken into teams and taught aspects of game development such as choosing an interface and basic visual elements, Whetzel says. "This workshop is geared to those who love video games but are also curious about what goes into making them," he says. Then, teams will use a freeware program called Game Maker to create as much of their game as possible before pitching their idea to members of the IGD. The team with the best concept will win a minimum $100 cash prize. Eric Renz-Whitmore, the program coordinator of UNM's ARTS Lab, worked with NVGA to merge the National Video Game Championships and the Game Design Workshop to form the basis of Super Con. "We're really hoping to grow the overall industry and these kinds of activities here," he says. "We're hoping to make this a successful event." Bring It Ten years from now, Montoya hopes the number of competitors in the National Video Game Championships will grow from the anticipated 300 to 500 at this year's inaugural event to 10,000 or more. "I have a grand vision," he says. " E3, which used to be the big video game event, closed its doors. It used to pull 70,000 people. There is an opportunity for someone to fill in that gap, and I think Albuquerque can."
The National Video Game Championships run May 22 through 25 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Registration is $20 in advance at www.nvgaonline.com/SuperCon or $30 at the door. Open gaming starts on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m., and runs 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24. Final tournament play will take place Sunday, May 25. For a full schedule, visit the NVGA's website.The Game Design Workshop and Challenge starts at noon on Saturday, May 24, at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Registration is $5 at www.nvgaonline.com/SuperCon.


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All 143 members of the Federation Council present voted to support the bill, which has sparked criticism from both the United States and from Russian activists who say it victimizes children by depriving them of the chance to escape often-dismal orphanages.
The bill is one part of a larger measure by angry lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Putin hasn't committed to signing the bill, but has referred to it as a legitimate response to the new U.S. law.
Some top government officials, including the foreign minister, have spoken flatly against it, arguing the measure would be in violation of Russia's constitution and international obligations.
But Senator Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Council's foreign affairs committee, referred to the bill as "a natural and a long overdue response" to the U.S. legislation.
"Children must be placed in Russian families, and this is a cornerstone issue for us," he said.
Several people with posters protesting the bill were detained outside the Council before the vote. "Children get frozen in the Cold War," one poster read.
There are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia, according to UNICEF. More than 60,000 Russian children have been adopted in the United States in the past 20 years.
The bill is named in honor of Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler who was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Russian lawmakers argue that by banning adoptions to the U.S. they would be protecting children and encouraging adoptions inside Russia.
Russian children rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov told the Interfax news agency that 46 children who were about to be adopted by U.S. citizens would stay in Russia if the bill is adopted - despite court rulings in some of these cases authorizing the adoptions.
The ombudsman supported the bill, saying that foreign adoptions discourage Russians from adopting children.
"A foreigner who has paid for an adoption always gets a priority compared to potential Russian adoptive parents," Astakhov said. "A great country like Russia cannot sell its children."
The Russian law allows foreign adoptions only if a Russian family has not expressed interest a child in question.
Margelov said that a bilateral Russian-U.S. agreement binds Russia to notify of a halt in adoptions 12 months in advance.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that the president would consider the bill within the next two weeks.


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Ohio wild animal stampede ignites vast law review
May 1, 2012, 6:59 PM
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Of all the beasts set free by the suicidal owner of an exotic animal farm in Ohio last year, few were as scary or as lethal as the big cats.
Tigers, leopards and lions _ more than two dozen _ were loose before being hunted by sheriff's deputies.
While the slaughter was chilling, it was truly panic-inducing that an unstable owner had accumulated such a collection of dangerous animals.
Yet, by some estimates, there are thousands of tigers in captivity in American backyards _ more than there are in the wild on the planet.
No one knows the number for certain because there's only scattered regulation for such pets. In fact, it's easier in some states to buy a tiger or lion from a breeder than it is to adopt a kitten from a shelter.
That's likely to change after the Zanesville stampede drew the attention of lawmakers around the country.
Legislation has been proposed in Congress that would ban private ownership of exotic cats. Ohio and other states are also looking to outlaw the animals or to keep them more tightly controlled.
One leader of the cat fight is actress and animal activist Tippi Hedren, best known for being terrorized by crows in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
Hedren has devoted much of her life to rescuing big cats at her Shambala Preserve north of Los Angeles, home to 53 seized or abandoned exotic cats, and she doesn't think they make good pets.
"It is the job of the predator to take out any old, sick or lame animal. What quality there makes for a good pet?" she asked. "If you get near its food, it will kill you."
The Zanesville animals may have forced the issue into the open, but it certainly isn't the first tragedy involving private cats.
Since 1990, 21 people, including five children, have been killed and 246 mauled, according to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fla. Over that period, 254 cats have escaped and 143 have been killed.
There have been other federal laws proposed over the years, but most have failed.
Deputies shot nearly 50 wild animals freed on Oct. 18 at Muskingum County Animal Farm near Zanesville. Owner Terry Thompson opened their cages before committing suicide. Some believe it was one last act of retaliation against neighbors and authorities.
Reps. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., and Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., introduced the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act in February to require owners of tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, panthers and other cats to register with the Department of Agriculture. Breeding would be banned except at accredited zoos and research and educational institutions. Penalties would include seizures, fines and jail.
"When accidents happen and these wild cats are released into our neighborhoods, it causes panic, puts a strain on our local public safety responders and is extremely dangerous," McKeon said. He believes his bill will protect the public and the cats.
In Ohio, the state Senate recently passed a bill that would ban new ownership of lions, monkeys and other exotic animals, but allows current owners to keep their animals by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and meeting other strict conditions. It now goes to the House for consideration. Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced Monday that it will return five surviving exotic animals, including two leopards, to Terry Thompson's widow, Marian Thompson.
Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and Oklahoma are also considering exotic animal bans, according to Uappeal, an exotic animal lobbying group.
Currently, no single agency oversees how big cats are kept or treated. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and USDA have some regulations. Some states, counties and cities have laws but many don't.
The federal bill has the backing of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Born Free USA and other groups. But fans of the majestic beasts are in an uproar.
"All a ban law will do is force all these people to go underground and it will not help the animals at all," said Joseph Schreibvogel, president of the United States Zoological Association, which advocates on behalf of wild animal owners.
Lynn Culver, executive director of the Feline Conservation Federation, thinks the number of people who keep exotic cats as pets has been hugely inflated by proponents of the House bill. She says the bill will interfere with captive conservation and bring an end to circus and stage acts and cats in movies and on television.
"Independent zoos will be allowed to keep their existing animals but when the cats die, there will be zoos without big cats and that's tragic," Culver said. "Big cats are charismatic species, key to the success of any zoo or wildlife exhibit."
There are as many as 20,000 privately owned cats in the U.S. and about half are tigers, according to groups like the World Wildlife Fund and the AZA. The WWF says there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild in Asia.
How the backyard population swelled while dwindling in nature is partly attributed to an unregulated industry, where a tiger cub can be bought for as little as $300 without any permit or registration.
Yet someone trying to adopt a kitten from a shelter might have to undergo a home inspection and have the pet sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped and licensed, said WWF senior policy adviser Leigh Henry.
In just months, a cub can weigh 400 pounds, cost $5,500 a year to feed and need room to roam. Defanging and declawing them doesn't make them safe, said AZA spokesman Steve Feldman.
Backyard breeders sell the big cats for pets, parts, game ranches, canned hunts, sideshows, photo booths and roadside attractions.
Overwhelmed pet owners often turn to sanctuaries to rescue them from mounting bills and potential danger.
Bobbi Brink, owner of Lions Tigers and Bears outside San Diego, started her sanctuary in 2002 after rescuing tigers Raja and Natasha from a Texas man who was ordered to upgrade their 6-foot-by-12-foot cages or find new homes for them.
She spent $250,000 on a tiger habitat with a pool and plenty of running room on 94 acres.
Brink recently said no to three 8-year-old Texas tigers seized from a man with dementia. She doesn't have room.
Accredited and established sanctuaries across the country are reaching capacity and some have been forced to close because donations dwindled during the recession. Accredited zoos will no longer take privately owned tigers. Their goal is species preservation and privately owned or "generic" tigers can't be traced to their wildly caught ancestors.
If the McKeon-Sanchez bill succeeds, some worry there will be a glut of displaced tigers and too many will be euthanized.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Zatoichi: Blind Swordsman - Sonatine
With 2003's Zatoichi, the multi-tasking Takeshi "Beat" Kitano took on his most commercial film in his directorial career as well as a beloved Japanese film icon. Kitano insists he (as well as most of the modern Japanese film going public) was only vaguely familiar with the 26 film and tv series legacy embodied by actor Shintaro Katsu as the signature blind masseur, gambler, and swordsman, thus he found the project was worth tackling. Well, he still has guys like me, who have seen every Zatoichi film and hold the jidia geki series very dear, to contend with.
Zatoichi follows the formula of the films that came before it... Ichi (Kitano), the wandering scoundrel, happens to enter a town in turmoil due to feuding gangster factions. The first person he meets is a simple village woman who gives him a roof to sleep under and, like everyone else, is feeling the pinch of increased payoffs to the local thugs. He makes his way into the gambling parlors and befriends an amiable but luckless gambler named Shinkichi. The two meet a pair of geishas who are not what they seem and have come to the town with murderous intent. Ichi's profitable gambling and sticking up for the locals puts him on the gangsters radar and they hire a deadly ronin, who is in need of cash for his ailing wife, to combat the blind swordsman. The crossed paths of all of these figures converge with Ichi finally dueling it out and trying to uncover the secret boss behind it all.
Takeshi Kitano proved himself to be the perfect guide for a new Zatoichi film. While I don't think it lives up to probably a tenth of the original films legacy or Shintaro Katsu's enigmatic performance (honestly, how could it?), it is still a highly entertaining film. It is a deft blend of tight pacing, multiple colorful characters, and welcome bursts of comic goodness and thrilling violence. Kitano's sensibility, that fluid blend of comedy, shocking violence, and serious emotion, is perfect. He also injects the film with a beautiful sense of rhythm, in both the score and actions, from the framers working in the fields, to Ichi's sword fights, to the rousing village festival dance finale.
Kitano's approach to the character is unique. While the basic prexisting elements of the man and the samurai period film are there, Kitano adds many touches throughout that definitely make this a reinterpretation with a slight grasp of the original. In the Katsu Zatoichi films, he was the sun the other characters revolved around. Kitano takes a backseat approach, and the biggest surprise may be how little focus and screen time the title character gets. Kitano gives himself few close ups, keeps his head bowed or his back to the camera, and often gives the other actors more prominence on the screen. But, it serves a purpose and he isn't just meekly melting into the background. This Ichi is well dressed and assured. The character, in comparison to the others around him, is almost motivationless, making him more of an enigma. While still quiet, comical, and deadly, this Ichi isn't as tattered and helpless looking, suggesting that Kitano was much more interested in heightening the ambiguous nature of a antihero who can only solve problems with his sword.
The first time I saw Sonatine (1993), I hated it. At the time, Takeshi Kitano was just a guy I had heard about as a new voice in Asian cinema, a name fanzines mentioned in the same breath as the likes of John Woo and such. My problem was, knowing it was a yakuza gangster film, I expected it to be exploitative and, at the least, have some action. Thus, I entered the film expecting an entirely different kind of movie. I was geared up for the pacing of Ringo Lam or Kinji Fukasku not Jaques Tati. It wasn't until I saw Kitano's two previous films, his great directional debut Violent Cop and his so-so sophomore film Boiling Point that I woke up and digested his poetic style and realized its purpose- as well as the fact that my own stupid preconceptions expecting some bullet ballet are what made me dislike the movie.
Sonatine is an amazingly simple and effective reflection of violence and moral corruption. A yakuza boss with a small section of turf, Murakawa (Kitano), is sent away by the higher-ups to mediate a dispute between two rival clans. He makes his reluctance apparent but he and his men do as they are told. The situation soon becomes clear- the entire assignment was a ruse to lure him away and steal his turf. He and his men hide away at a beach, and it is here that the film springs to life. While waiting for some course of action to emerge, be it to attack or be attacked, the wizened and weary men become kids again. The same male bonding is going on, but with that element of duty and fear removed, their situation becomes utopian. But, reality isn't far away, and the real world shines cruelly.
Kitano captures a surreal beauty to how this life of violence transforms in their secluded natural setting. The hint of violence is still there, it just evolves, like in a nighttime fireworks fight where Murakawa trumps the opposing team by shooting a pistol at them. Though on the surface it is a act of fun, it is also a symbolic sign that this isn't some moralists view of redemption. The immorality of their life is still at hand- the gun isn't thrown away, just used as a toy. The conclusion hints at a bleaker realization that they have lead a life of violence that is inescapable.
The DVD: Miramax. Billed under a banner that reads "DOUBLE FEATURE COLLECTION." I don't know if Miramax is going to make a habit of these double features, but is certainly a welcome idea.
Picture: Zatoichi and Sonatine are both presented in Anamorphic Widescreen. In comparison to the Japanese release, which I have, Miramax's Zatoichi transfer is far more colorful and sharp. There is a muddiness and muted tone to the Japanese release and all of the other DVD releases. I guess the muted look is intentional, though I'm not sure why, since the more vibrant colors on the Miramax transfer seems to fit the mood and tone of the film quite well.
Sonatine is a tad rough around the edges, some minor print spots, grain, and softness lead to a mediocre, but acceptable, transfer. The night scenes get the worst of it, with contrast details coming across very weak. Colors appear well balanced, from healthy flesh tones to the sunny beach locale.
Some minor aliasing is present on both films. In general, both get b grade transfers that are relatively decent, but still show room for improvement, especially the higher budgeted and newer Zatoichi.
Sound:Zatoichi has two Dolby 5.1 tracks, either original Japanese language or a lousy English dub with optional English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese subtitles. The synth score works surprisingly well, As I said before, the film is full of rhythmic sequences where the score and ambient sounds merge. The action, where the swords clash sharply, has force and good deep bass response. Sonatine is much more simple and basic Japanese or French stereo tracks with optional English or Spanish subtitles.
Sonatines subtitles have a slight lag. It isn't more than a second but it is a bit bothersome. Subtitles should always pop up the moment dialogue is spoken, not only is it easier to match the voice inflection with the words, but it also makes it easier to keep up with dialogue heavy films- luckily Sonatine isn't one of those, otherwise the sub lag would be more than just an annoyance.
Extras: Zatoichi-- Behind the Scenes Featurette (39:53)-- Interviews: Cinematographer (6:58), Production Designer (5:40), Costume Supervisor (6:58), and Master Swordsman (4:25)-- Sneek Peaks.
Sonatine-- Quentin Tarantino Intro and Outro, dated and fairly worthless clips used on the video release.-- Conversation with Takeshi Kitano (10:45). While this interview does glean some good insights, questions like "How did you feel about Quentin Tarantino picking up the film?" definitely skew this as a Miramax fluff piece.-- Sneak Peeks.
Conclusion: Well, it does have its fair share of grumbles (be it ugly menus, Sonatines subtitle lag,
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Learn at-home cooking tips—such as why to soak onions and the secret to perfect salad dressing—from a five-star resort chef.
Learn at-home cooking tips—such as why to soak onions and the secret to perfect salad dressing—from a five-star resort chef.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Salute to Escoffier food and wine event at Colorado Springs' Broadmoor resort. (Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.)
Out of several fabulous events showcasing the resort's talented food and wine tastemakers, I think my favorite session was the cooking demonstration hosted by chef Aaron Haga.
While Haga's recipes were outstanding, what I found myself writing down were his off-the-cuff cooking tips. Here are some of his clever ideas that you can use in your own kitchen.
1. Peel portobellos. Before sauteeing portobello mushroom caps, Haga peels off the dark brown and relatively tough top layer. I'd never seen this done before, but it does make for a more tender and just as delicious mushroom. (That's one in the photo at right.)
2. Soak onions. Crying over cut onions? Haga suggests soaking peeled onions in ice water overnight to reduce their acidity.
3. Semi-freeze bread before slicing. You know how baguettes tend to squish when sliced? Pop the loaf in the freezer for 20 minutes until slightly frozen; then slice easily with a serrated knife.
4. Substitute shallots. These teardrop-shaped, small alliums "are a little sweeter than regular onions," says Haga. "You can use them to replace part or all of the onions in a recipe."
5. Add oil last. When making a salad dressing, whisk all ingredients together except oil; and then add the oil slowly, whisking thoroughly as you go. "If you add it all at once," says Haga, "it won't emulsify, and all of your flavors will be at the bottom with the oil on top."
6. Use honey. "I prefer honey instead of sugar for dressings because it's already liquid, it's not as processed as white sugar, and it dissolves better than sugar," says Haga. "Sugar won't sweeten a dressing right away because it doesn't break down until one or two days after you stir it in."
7. Cheat on stock. "Good stock is the basis of good cooking," says Haga, who says that the Broadmoor chef team makes 50-60 gallons of homemade stock—which takes 12 hours—every single day. Here's his clever trick for the home cook: "Get beef bones from your butcher and roast them in your oven until dark; add them to canned broth and let simmer for an hour. You'll end up restaurant-quality stock in a fraction of the time."
8. Keep butter cold. When making a sauce, be sure butter is cold when you add it in so that it emulsifies correctly. "Otherwise your sauce will be greasy," says Haga.
9. Get a Vitamix. OK, this isn't exactly a tip, but Haga gushed persuasively about this top-of-the-line blender appliance. "The Vitamix is one of my favorite pieces of equipment," he said as he used one to emulsify a vinaigrette. "I've asked for it for the past three Christmases but my mother still hasn't gotten the hint."


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Kylie Minogue Big Curly Hair
The UK's Mirror recently shared some photos of rock icon Kylie Minogue with big curly hair. Her gigantic tresses could beam her back into the 60s or the 80s in a snap of the fingers or a click of the beaming machine buttons.
The Mirror was covering the news that Stylist magazine let 25 fashion designers, including Tom Ford and Chanel, dress Kylie up in a variety of stunning fashions.
The beautiful outfits were finished with eye popping, mouth dropping make-up and hair including Kylie rocking big bad hair studded with curls around the edges.
Kylie appears on the cover of Stylist Magazine for February 2012 which celebrates her amazing career spanning 25 years.. Ironically this world famous talent is being celebrated while the world mourns the passing of Whitney Houston.
Celebrating 25 Years Of Great Success As Recording Artist
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968) — often known simply as Kylie — is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, showgirl, and actress.
After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987.
Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman.
Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten.
Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.
Kylie's Career Played Out In Her Hair
The beautiful singer who has endured her own personal trials and tribulations (cancer, personal loss, public scandals involving lovers) during the course of her amazing career has always thrilled fans with her ever changing hair colors, lengths and hair styles.
Kylie has had ever imaginable hair style from her shaved head during her highly publicized cancer battle to stunning permed corkscrew curls in the 80s. She's had every imaginable color of hair over the years and continues to surprise fans and the media with her always changing style.
Using Kylie as a celebrity paper doll and dressing her up in a dizzying array of glam fashions with matching accessories, hair and lips was truly inspired.
World famous hairstylist Danilo who has worked with many rock princesses including Lady Gaga created the stunning hairstyles to go with the drop dead fashions.
Interview Questions With Kylie And Other Celebs
Accompanying the stunning array of fashions and accessories including Jimmy Choos were interview questions presented to Kylie by other celebrities.
Wisely Kylie explained why she no longer provides answers to every question she's asked. Forget about asking her nosy personal questions about her love life, whether she's going to have kids and her health. Kylie learned that she has the right to say none of your business. Good for her.
As far as her hair goes Kylie might be more willing to answer questions if it's appropriate and not too personal.
Or maybe not. After all, sometimes talking about hair can be even more personal then asking about their procreation plans for the future.
Please follow us on Twitter at: https://Twitter.com/HairBoutique. I look forward to meeting new people from all walks of Twitter and learning from their Tweets.


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Communications cut in major bushfire zone
Communications cut in major bushfire zone
26 January 2013
published by www.theage.com.au
Australia — Communications at one of Victoria's major bushfires have been cut after fire crews accidentally damaged a Telstra fibre-optic cable on Friday afternoon.
The loss of the cable affects 1000 landline services to Swifts Creek, Hotham Heights and Dinner Plains, all Telstra internet, and Telstra mobile services.
Other mobile providers are not affected.
The loss of internet means Telstra customers are not able to access the CFA website or app, twitter, or other web-based bushfire information.
Telstra spokesman James Howe said crews were trying to locate the damage which was somewhere near Harrietville and have it fixed by Saturday evening, despite some reports it could take weeks to fix.
"It was damaged by a bulldozer doing fire works," said Mr Howe. "It's dangerous and inaccessible terrain…it could take some time to find, but once they find it, they've got all the gear with them ready to make the repair."
Mr Howe said the best-case scenario for repair was "early evening" on Saturday. He said he "would be surprised" if it took weeks to fix.
He said Telstra mobile customers would still be able to call triple-zero on their phone.
A Country Fire Authority spokeswoman said that CFA communications were unaffected. A mobile communications tower had also been brought in, she said.
There had also been damage to a power cable. Comment is being sought from the electricity provider, SP Ausnet, as to the extent of blackouts.
Graham Symons, the CFA fire chief at Omeo, said internet and mobile services had been restored to the town shortly after noon. Landline coverage had not been affected, he said, as Omeos services were not connected with the fibre optic cable.
Theyve just come back on, he said. It went out yesterday at about 5.30pm.
People were being told it was going to take three weeks to restore and I think thats what got people a little bit angry.
Sharon Wells who was holidaying in Omeo, said the fire alert system was designed around mobile coverage.
SMS alerts were set up as fire alerts, the CFA apps give warnings and notifications, and mobile generally gives the ability to call and get calls, she said.
Last night the lightning started all around us. I realized if a fire started we are seven kilometres out of town we couldnt call anyone, said Ms Wells, of Melbourne.
As I drove out of Omeo through bush I had no idea of whether there were fires – we were going blind. A photographer from Bairnsdale said he saw a tree on the road smoking this morning and couldnt call. The lightning obviously started it.
The 3138-hectare fire at Harrietville has been burning throughout the week and is still not contained.


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And now we turn to the Mississippi River. The drought has brought parts of the Mississippi to near record low water levels. Those shallow conditions pose difficulties for barge traffic on the river and we turn now to Mark Mestemacher who is co-owner of Ceres Barge Line. It's based in East St. Louis. Welcome to the program.
MARK MESTEMACHER: Thank you.
SIEGEL: And how low is the river in East St. Louis?
MESTEMACHER: Well, right now, they're sitting at a three-foot river stage. Two months ago we were probably around 20-foot river stage, so we've lost quite a bit here in the last four weeks.
SIEGEL: From 20 feet to three feet? Is that what you're saying?
MESTEMACHER: Yes, sir.
SIEGEL: And how does that affect your ability to run barges on the river?
MESTEMACHER: Well, for probably the first six months of this year, we were able to load to a 12-foot draft, which basically means that the barge is 12 foot underneath the water. And right now, we're restricted to a nine-foot draft, so we've lost three foot of draft, which equates to about 600 tons of product that we no longer can put on that barge.
SIEGEL: Well, does that mean that to transport the same amount of cargo, you've got to use that many more barges?
MESTEMACHER: Right. We were loading around 2,200 tons, 2,300 tons in a barge and currently we can only load between 1,600 or 1,700 tons. So we've seen about 600 tons less, really a third of the capacity we no longer can load in a barge.
SIEGEL: But how does it affect your business? Do you get paid by the ton or by the barge?
MESTEMACHER: Yeah, we get paid a dollar per ton, so if the market was $12 a ton to move it from St. Louis to New Orleans and we were putting 2,200 tons, you know, that's the revenue we're generating. And right now, we're generating a much less revenue because we're only - say, the rate's still $12 a ton, but we're only putting 1,600 tons, so we're losing because we can't load as heavy.
SIEGEL: What do you hear about the outlook for the river in the coming week or two?
MESTEMACHER: It's not optimistic. You know, we're seeing a lot of shippers, St. Louis and south, that all of a sudden can't even get the barges, the empty barges into their dock to load because of shallow areas. So we're starting to see more and more shippers that are saying don't even bring us a barge because we can't get it to our dock and we can't load the product in the barge.
We're also seeing that the towing companies, the ones that move the barges from point A to point B, they're being restricted. St. Louis and south, four weeks ago they were moving 42 barges to a tow or somewhere in that area, 42, 45 barges to a tow. Now they're down to 30 barge tows and some of them have already cut back to 25 barge tows. So a towing company that, you know, is getting paid to tow our barges, they've lost a minimum of 40 percent of their revenue. And in some cases, as much as 50 percent of their revenue they've seen disappear because they can't tow as many barges.
SIEGEL: No rain in the forecast.
MESTEMACHER: No. We haven't seen - I mean, they continue to say we've got 10 percent or 20 percent spot, you know, spot showers, but in reality, we haven't had any rain for 30-plus days. And even if we got a two-inch or three-inch rain in this area, it is so dry that the ground will absorb that so quick we won't see that have any impact on the river stage here in St. Louis.
SIEGEL: Well, Mr. Mestemacher, good luck to you and thanks for talking with us.
MESTEMACHER: All right. Thank you.
SIEGEL: Mark Mestemacher is co-owner of the Ceres Barge Line. He spoke to us from East St. Louis, Illinois. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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New iPhones prove Steve Jobs right on high-end gadgets
Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, who emphasized high-end consumer gadgets over cheaper ones, may have been right all along.
Last month, chief executive Tim Cook introduced the colorful iPhone 5c, a less-expensive version of Apple's smartphone, to "serve even more customers" around the world. It turns out people so far are more interested in its pricier, feature-rich cousin, the 5s.
Three surveys in the past two weeks said the company's new high-end model is outselling the 5c by at least 2 to 1. KGI Securities Co., a brokerage firm, slashed its quarterly estimates for 5c sales by a third, and retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. have reduced the phone's price. The Wall Street Journal reported Apple's orders to suppliers for the iPhone 5c have been cut by a third.
Customers are shrugging off the $99 iPhone 5c even as Apple spends heavily to advertise the handset, which is last year's model repackaged in a colored plastic case. The 5c, which costs $100 less than the souped-up iPhone 5s, is Apple's attempt to lure buyers in developing markets like China, where Samsung Electronics Co. and other Android phone makers lead. Even so, big sales of the pricier model are a boon because they carry fatter profit margins.
"Apple customers are still interested in premium products from a premium brand," said Laurence Balter, an analyst at Oracle Investment Research in Fox Island, Wash. "If anything, the 5c is a failed experiment in trying to please the masses. Apple should stay focused on the premium and let Samsung take the lower end of the market."
Too Pricey?
A survey released this week by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners LLC found that 64 percent of U.S. iPhone customers were buying the iPhone 5s, which sports a better camera, faster processor chip and fingerprint-reading security features and starts at $199 with a carrier contract. While the company has let loose a barrage of television and other advertising, the iPhone 5c, which doesn't have the same upgrades, was favored by 27 percent of buyers.
The early results give credence to concerns from investors and analysts that Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple priced the iPhone 5c too high to appeal to more budget-conscious customers. The device is struggling with the perception that it's lower-quality than the iPhone 5s, as well as its $550 price without a wireless contract, said Brian Blair, an analyst at Wedge Partners.
"In China, I've heard the joke that the C stands for cheap," Blair said. "Investors have had concerns since the pricing was announced."
Teresa Brewer, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment.
First Wave
Consumer Intelligence's numbers, along with findings by Pacific Crest Securities LLC and Canaccord Genuity Inc., suggest that customers are viewing the 5c like they would older iPhone models. The first wave of customers typically flock to Apple's latest device, rather than buying the cheaper version. That was the case on the first day of sales last month, when customers were disappointed to find retailers sold out of the expensive model with the newest features — yet with plenty of 5c handsets to spare.
"To its detriment, it was targeting a certain subset of the consumer base," said Josh Lowitz, co-founder of Chicago-based Consumer Intelligence.
Lackluster demand, including discounts to as little as $50 being offered by major retailers, led Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities, to lower his projection for fiscal fourth- quarter iPhone 5c sales to 11.4 million from 17 million. Apple gets about half its revenue from all models of the iPhone, and the device's performance with customers affects the company's financial results and stock price. The company is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Oct. 28.
Margin Benefit
Demand for the higher-end iPhone 5s appears to be making up for tepid 5c shipments. Apple said it sold a record 9 million iPhones upon the debut of the new models last month, and deliveries of some 5s handsets still take weeks. Apple also is slated to introduce new iPad models at an Oct. 22 event.
More sales of the iPhone 5s than the 5c also will bolster Apple's profit margins, according to report by Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity.
Jonathan Rosen, 34, was waiting in line for the 5s at Apple's San Francisco store. The thinner and lighter design of the 5s outweighs any price difference, especially because he'll be locked into a contract for two years, he said.
"Most people will err towards the one with the better feature set," said Rosen, who works in marketing. "The price difference just isn't substantial enough to want a 5c."
5s Production
Blair said Apple is ramping up production of the 5s, though that increase won't be enough to make up for lower-than-expected 5c sales. He cut his total iPhone estimates for the quarter that ends in December to 53 million to 54 million, from 58 million.
The network of manufacturers that supply Apple with components for the iPhone 5c have been hurt as well. Career Technology MFG Co., TPK Holding Co. and FLEXium Interconnect Inc. are among companies that have seen shares fall in recent days because of concerns about weak iPhone 5c demand.
The worries may be overblown because the ultimate success or failure of the iPhone 5c won't be known for months, said Benedict Evans, an analyst at Enders Analysis in London. Apple's most dedicated customers always rush out to buy the newest product, leading to a surge in sales. Purchases of the iPhone 5c will be more slow and steady, he said, because the handset is targeted at consumers who now own an Android phone or an older feature phone.
'Slow Burn'
"By definition, the 5c would not sell well to customers who queue overnight on launch day — it ought to be more of a slow burn," Evans said in an email. "That means that it could be selling according to plan and still be outsold by the 5s this month. The question is what happens in six months' time — does it fall off with the 5s or remain steady?"
Apple's marketing strategy for the iPhone 5c has been global, with television advertisements featuring people from around the world talking on different models that come in green, yellow, pink, blue and white. "For The Colorful" is the slogan that has adorned billboards and print advertisements. Last year, Apple spent $333.4 million on iPhone advertising, according to research firm Kantar Media.
Customers haven't yet been persuaded by the ads because the phone shares many of the same components and features as iPhone 5, which was introduced in September 2012, said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos. in Minneapolis.
"The iPhone 5c is a new phone technically, but it's really an old phone," he said. "The iPhone 5s is selling significantly better."
Updated 26 minutes ago LI prices at the pump lower ... Nurses reach tentative deal ... Smithtown house fire ... Wrestler beats cancer
Updated 26 minutes ago LI prices at the pump lower ... Nurses reach tentative deal ... Smithtown house fire ... Wrestler beats cancer