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PurpleTrail wants to hear from you! Share how you create personalized holiday cards and win a gift code for use on PurpleTrail.com!
Every person and family has unique styles and holiday traditions. We want to know how you incorporate these traditions and styles to create your personalized holiday cards. We invite you to share with us 5 ways you make your holiday cards unique. From photos showcasing the family in ugly Christmas sweaters to featuring the family dog as one of Santa's elves; what do you do to create truly unique holiday cards?
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All entries posted by Midnight, Pacific Standard Time, October 14th, 2010 will be eligible to win. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
The grand prize winner will be selected by a committee of PurpleTrail staff. The winning blog post will be selected based on the content of the blog post. The winning post will have many, if not all, of the following qualities:
· Has unique and creative Ideas
· Includes images of PurpleTrail designs customized by the blogger
· Includes personal experiences sending holiday cards
· Includes description of how you designed the card using the PurpleTrail design center
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What do we do if we never received our code? I just double checked my inbox and there is nothing, I'd like to make our holiday cards. Thanks


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subset: commoncrawl


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(Corrects paragraph 5 to say budget to be revised later this year instead of budget to be revised in March)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's government on Tuesday issued its first estimate of public spending on projects related to Rio de Janeiro's 2016 Olympic Games, though the 5.6 billion reals ($2.3 billion) price tag is set to swell as more projects receive approval.
The initial estimate from Brazil's Public Olympic Authority (APO) includes spending by federal, state and municipal governments for 24 approved projects carried out through both public-private partnerships and by the government alone.
The number does not include spending on 28 planned projects that still require approval.
The total estimate, which is due to be revised later this year, also excludes projects such as airports and pollution control, which are not dedicated strictly to holding the Olympics.
Last week, officials said the operating budget for the Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2016 had jumped 27 percent from prior estimates to 7 billion reals, citing factors such as inflation and costs for new technology.
The operating budget was originally set to include up to 1.4 billion reals in public funds, but officials later reduced that figure to zero in response to public outcry over the high cost of stadiums and other projects required by the Olympics and 2014 World Cup, which kicks off in June.
APO officials contradicted that pledge on Tuesday, saying Brazil's government could indeed take on some of those costs if necessary.
The Rio 2016 organizing committee estimated the games would cost 28.8 billion reals when it bid to host the event in 2009.
$1 = 2.41 Brazilian reals Reporting by Pedro Fonseca; Writing by Asher Levine; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Amanda Kwan


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The HuffPo-ization of the Right
Come for the Obama bashing, stay for the busty slideshows and viral videos.
"We have no right to be boring or irrelevant," Tucker Carlson says. "The Washington Post already has that covered." Beneath the bluster, Carlson, the conservative pundit and former Crossfire co-host, has reason to brag: The Daily Caller, the news site he founded in 2010, has defied insider snickering to become a major news source for the right. "What I despise most about the legacy media isn't just that they're mindlessly liberal, though they are," Carlson says, "but that they're conventional and boring and unwilling to report unfashionable truths. That's death."
The Caller will never be called boring. Carlson and his staff of 50 draw visitors to the site with a blend of high-energy reporting (especially on anything having to do with the Obama administration), right-leaning opinion columns and a hearty dose of semi-SFW slideshows of the female form. "We care about traffic," Carlson told me unapologetically.
Story Continued Below
The Caller is more than click-bait, though: It's a gamble that right-leaning readers hunger not only for opinion pieces written by their own—the bread and butter of established conservative magazines like the Weekly Standard and National Review and the Wall Street Journal opinion page—but that they're looking for news reported by their own as well. In recent years, a whole new media ecosystem has sprung up around this premise, bringing new energy and digital savvy (and a lot more busty slideshows) to compete with the occasionally stodgy old outlets of the right.
The energy behind the moment, without question, is the hardening opposition to President Obama and the glimpse of life beyond his second term. As the Obama era slouches wearily into its sixth year, conservatives see the chance—the mandate, even—to torment, debunk and distract from his agenda, even to effect its failure. That might feel familiar. As Ben Domenech, who co-founded RedState and, more recently, a new conservative site called the Federalist, pointed out to me, it's "kind of the same way there was a proliferation of folks on the left starting up places" like the Huffington Post and Think Progress at a similar point in President George W. Bush's tenure. In the eyes of the left, the media herd had fatally discredited itself by accepting the Bush administration's Iraq intelligence. The time seemed right for a more activist era of journalism, and the new liberal blogs—back before blogs were declared over—took as a founding principle the notion that they could be both opinionated and purveyors of news.
That philosophy has since been enthusiastically embraced by media entrepreneurs on the right, who see in what Sarah Palin famously called "the lame-stream media" an establishment hopelessly biased against their cause. The new outlets range widely in size, scope and bent. Smaller, more targeted sites like the Washington Free Beacon and Domenech's Federalist seek to go deep on the issues and sway the conversation in Washington. The Blaze, founded by Glenn Beck in 2010, sees enormous traffic—more than 20 million unique visitors over the last month, dwarfing its competitors—and is far more omnivorous, almost as if Yahoo! were reimagined by a fierce conservative. (The site's " About" page concludes: "We answer to God and you.") The elder statesman of the group, Breitbart.com, which was founded in 2007 by the late provocateur Andrew Breitbart, seems to be the outlet of choice for Tea Party activists. "If you're going to be carrying a 'Don't Tread on Me' flag outside the Capitol building, you're probably going to Breitbart first," a Republican press strategist told me. The Daily Caller, for its part, sits somewhere in the middle, playing both the inside and outside game.
All together, these outlets add up to a movement with sufficient mass to make a measurable difference in how politics is reported. "Our coverage of proposed immigration reform/amnesty, the attack on gun rights, and the Obamacare debacle shaped both the debate and the outcome," Alex Marlow, Breitbart's editor in chief boasted in an email. "We also fought back, successfully, against various media outlets that are hostile to those with Judeo-Christian and conservative values."
As another conservative put it: "You could spend $5 million on a week of ads, and what do you get for that? For $5 million you can launch a newspaper and beat up the administration all year."
Certainly Carlson, Domenech and the rest have done their share of beating up on Obama. But the idea is to go beyond landing punches and build an actual readership by getting people to stay on the page. So, hours after Obama announced that newly canceled health care plans would be un-canceled for a year, the Daily Caller led with a grabbily headlined news item: "If You Don't Like My Plan, You Can Tweak It." But also featured on the site that day were " Here's the newest Playboy playmate" and a listicle touting " 15 hottest moments from the Victoria's Secret fashion show." Carlson is unapologetic about the high-low vibe; he just hired gossip columnist Betsy Rothstein from the media water-cooler site FishbowlDC, and he plans to add more sports coverage, too. As for the salacious stuff, Carlson defends the more titillating fare as "celebrating pulchritude in a way that's edifying and uplifting"—before conceding the more relevant point: "In any case, readers love it."
Apparently. According to Carlson, the Caller had more than 9 million unique visitors in October, rivaling websites like Slate and, well, Politico. He's circumspect about the Caller's financials but said the site has been making money for a little more than a year. "I'll put it this way," he said, "in contrast to virtually everyone else in Washington, we aren't a nonprofit."
The news organization that Carlson built reflects his own attributes—cavalier, colorful, at times impolitic—occasionally to a fault. In June of last year, Neil Munro, a Caller reporter, interrupted Obama during a Rose Garden speech on immigration, shouting, "Why'd you favor foreigners over Americans?" The outburst earned the Daily Caller a round of finger-wagging from the White House, and from frustrated competitors. Carlson stepped in to cover for his man, saying, "This is what reporters are supposed to do. They're supposed to get their questions answered." Then in March, the Caller found itself in hot water over a shaky story about two Dominican women who claimed that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) had paid them for sex, which Menendez denied outright, satisfying most other outlets that there was no story. A lawyer for the women came forward to say that someone from the Caller had paid him to find prostitutes who would fabricate such a story. Carlson denied the lawyer's charges.
"I think the Caller's work over the years has been decidedly mixed," said Jon Ward, a former White House correspondent for the Daily Caller who now works at Huffington Post. "But I'm cheering for them to keep moving closer to the bar Tucker set in 2009, when he talked about a conservative outlet with the same kind of accuracy and depth and insight in reporting as the New York Times." In an email, Ward credited Carlson with encouraging him to "swing for the fences more often, to punch hard (my emphasis to him was that I wanted my punches to connect), to not be so worried about angering a government official or a politician." Carlson, Ward said, "taught me to give fewer fucks."


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As 2016 gets into full swing, Dundee is preparing to be invaded by dozens of giant Oor Wullie sculptures set to wreak havoc and mischief.
Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail, the biggest mass participation public art event ever seen in the region, is set to arrive in the City of Discovery this summer.
As preparations gather momentum, organisers are continuing to appeal to businesses across Dundee, Perth and beyond, to help bring the art project to life and create a lasting legacy for the region by sponsoring an Oor Wullie sculpture.
Organisers, The ARCHIE Foundation, DC Thomson and Wild In Art, are hoping to see over 50 individually designed Oor Wullie sculptures beautifully decorated by an array of local and national artists. As well as providing an opportunity to showcase the wealth of creative talent in the area, organisers are appealing for businesses to be part of a project which will contribute to the economic, cultural and social life of the area.
After 10 weeks of posing for selfies and making thousands of new pals, each Oor Wullie sculpture will be sold at a special auction in Dundee. All the proceeds will go to the ARCHIE Foundation's Tayside Appeal to raise funds to create a brand new twin theatre suite for the Tayside Children's Hospital at Ninewells.
A range of local businesses have already signed up to sponsor an Oor Wullie statue including local motoring company, Barnetts Volkswagen, John Clark Motor Group, Avian and Dundee's Apex hotel. As part of their sponsorship agreement, Barnetts Volkswagen's fleet of courtesy cars will be branded with Oor Wullie and The ARCHIE Foundation branding to create visual awareness of the Bucket Trail. The Apex are providing use of their facilities for some of the art events during the project as part of their collaboration with the initiative.
Perth-based marketing and PR agency, Volpa, have also joined the Bucket Trail this month as a sponsor and PR partner for the project. Team Volpa will provide their services over the next ten months, helping Oor Wullie shout about his adventure as loudly as he can to help to raise money for the ARCHIE Foundation's Tayside Appeal.
There are many ways that businesses and organisations can get involved in Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail and organisers are keen to emphasise that no business is too big or too small to be part of the adventure. As well as giant Oor Wullie sculptures being available to sponsor, there are exciting educational opportunities for schools to receive 'mini' Oor Wullie's for pupils to design, paint and then display too.
Cassie Thompson, head of fundraising at The ARCHIE Foundation, said: "This arts project offers a unique opportunity for businesses, community organisations and schools to be part of something incredibly special and engaging for people in Dundee and across Scotland. We hope our fleet of Oor Wullie's will capture the public's imagination and create a buzz around the city and surrounding areas.
"We are not solely looking for financial sponsorship. We want to welcome as many organisations as we can to join in the project and there may be opportunities for businesses to contribute through their services as well. In any partnership there is a healthy balance of give and take and we want businesses of all shapes and sizes to be part of our summer to remember."
To find out more about Oor Wullie's Bucket Trail, visit www.oorwulliebuckettrail.com


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2012 ©Mariana Musa for Floating Lemons
Original cute, whimsical illustration of a red owl, looking slightly grumpy or bored!
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If you're interested, there's a pdf at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8B1lf5NIBtYYjRTWldZc1NZWVE/view?usp=sharing, and here are the first few paragraphs:
The Widow's Tale
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" ~ Corinthians 13.1
I hadn't noticed him at the funeral, or at the house afterwards, but others had. 'Skulking around,' was how one of the twins had described him, although now of course she doesn't remember him at all.
His absence from my recollection of that day is not, I suppose, that surprising. I had been in the front row in the church, counting the broken panes in the stained glass and watching a minute spider make its way across a prayer book. Anything but look at my daughter's coffin.
I doubt he'd have stepped inside a church anyway. Not welcome. I know he was there for the burial because of the adders' teeth, but I never saw him, peculiar as he was – a bone-thin crow with a bone-white face in a ragged black coat. Perhaps he was like a shadow without an owner, insignificant until noticed, but after that you wouldn't dare look away.
So, the service, the graveyard, a clod of wet earth on a trowel handed to me like a gift, the heavy clump as it fell onto the dark wood, and then the walk back along the lanes to the house, eyes straight ahead as I passed the silly little shrine that had sprung up outside it – damp messages and dead flowers and a teddy bear that wasn't even hers – and then inside to take the cling-film off the sandwiches and open the wine. The rest of that afternoon I can only remember in fragments. I remember watching my daughters move amongst the guests, tearful and poised and theatrically solemn. I remember a motorbike going past and everyone shuffling nervously and either falling silent or talking too much, too loudly. I remember looking at the photograph of my husband on the mantelpiece and thinking "well, this is just getting silly," just to see what a joke tasted like, and remembered something from the bible about a mouthful of ashes. I remember people trying to say the right thing to me, and saying the wrong thing because what else was there?
"We're going to ask the council to put up a sign."
"A sign?" For a moment I thought she meant a memorial.
"About speeding."
"But he wasn't speeding," I said, more confused than anything. "I wish he had been." Now it was her turn to look confused. "Then he wouldn't have hit her," I added, worried that she'd misunderstood me. "The timing would have been all wrong."
She looked a bit thrown by this, and decided to change the subject. "It must be nice to think she's so close," she said nervously. "You're very lucky." Then she clasped her hands to her face, and I wondered for a moment if I'd hit her. I didn't think so. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, and I tried to laugh to show that it really didn't matter, and I remember something breaking inside me, a cog, a spring, something slipping loose, and I needed my daughter to be alive so badly, I needed to smell her and hear her and shout at her for taking her sisters' clothes and makeup, and none of those things would ever happen again, and I couldn't see how it was possible to bear it for a moment longer or why I would want to.


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Any seasoned gamer who owns a Wii is probably familiar with this scenario. Family has come to visit and so you bust out the "Wii Sports" and start in with a round of boxing. You, with years of gaming under your belt, hold the motion controllers in your hands and punch the air with careful precision and thoughtful timing. Meanwhile, your 6-year-old niece grips the controllers with pint-sized zeal and flails her arms with all the thought and precision of a goose on fire … and thusly proceeds to beat you at this game time and time again.
Playing goofy games with friends and family is fun and watching people flail about is always amusing. But if you're a gamer's gamer, it's not exactly the kind of experience that's going to sell you on motion controls. As soon as your niece leaves, you may just shove the Wii into the closet to gather dust.
Nintendo's motion controls have done the seemingly impossible: They've turned non-gamers into gamers in droves and they've made video gaming a social, family affair like never before. But meanwhile, seasoned, adult gamers — the hardcore gamers specifically — have abandoned the Wii in droves, aggravated by the lack of precision in the controls, not to mention the lack of games that cater to their interests.
But Sony executives insist they'll soon be able to do something Nintendo hasn't been able to do — make motion controls appealing to hardcore gamers. Sony says it will achieve this feat when it launches its own motion-control system — called PlayStation Move — sometime this fall.
"The motion controller for PlayStation 3 will be the solution for both casual and hardcore gamers alike,"Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida vowed at last month's Game Developers Conference. "Tracking one-to-one to your body movement, nothing has ever been this precise, responsive and ultra-sensory."
But many gamers remain skeptical — to put it kindly. Discussing the topic at gaming site Escapist.com, a player going by the name "Rainboq" responded to Sony's assertion that Move will be embraced by hardcore players with this: "BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *sniff* That's a good one."
Wii too?
2010 is starting to feel a lot like the Year of Motion Control. Not only is Sony gearing up to launch Move, but Microsoft is gearing up to launch its own motion control system called Natal.
Both are following the path paved by Nintendo , but Sony's motion controls seem to be having a harder time escaping the Wii shadow. That's because while Microsoft's Natal is going completely controller-free, Sony's Move system is made up, in part, of two wand-like controllers — the Move motion controller and the Move navigation controller — which at first glance look a whole lot like the Wii's Remote and Nunchuk controllers.
There are differences, though. Not only do the Move wands have more buttons, the Move controller has this squishy lighted ball on the end of it that can change colors. More importantly, that ball is used in conjunction with the third and probably the most interesting component in the Move system — the PlayStation Eye camera.
Having the PlayStation Eye camera involved not only allows for increased precision, it adds augmented reality into the mix. That is, you can see yourself right there on the screen, ensconced in the game world. While here in the real world, you may be holding a Move controller, what you see on the screen is yourself holding a sword, or perhaps a tennis racket, or maybe a paintbrush. Swing that controller in your living room and you swing a sword in the game.
While the Wii reads basic gestures (sometimes correctly, sometimes not so much), Move moves with you one-to-one. Wave the controller, spin it in the air, jab it at the television and you see those actions replicated precisely there on screen. And for those of us with HD TVs on our walls, it's a delight to see the PS3 mix motion gaming with high-definition graphics — something the Wii just can't do.
But how will all this flashy technology be implemented in games? And how will it be implemented in games in a way that convinces core players to give up what they know so well — the dual analog stick controller?
Move over to motion
"I think it's not that hardcore gamers are against motion," says Anton Mikhailov, a Sony R&D software engineer who's been working on Move. "I think they don't want easy games and they don't want games where somebody who's played for five minutes can beat somebody who's played for a year." (Hello "Wii Sports: Boxing.")
Jeff Rubenstein, Sony's social media manager, agrees. He believes the big issue core gamers have had with motion controls up to this point is that the lack of accuracy ruins what they love best — being able to get better at a game the more they play it.
"It removes your skill from the game," he says. Move, on the other hand, with its high degree of accuracy, "is something you can not only pick up and play, it's something you can get better at."
But Owen Good, a reporter for games site Kotaku.comand an avid sports gamer, thinks there's another reason core players are put off by motion control: It means developing an entirely new skill set.
"We've spent years gaming on twin analog controllers," he recently wrote. "There's a comfort zone. There's in some cases a personal style that's built up. And there's an intuition about what the face buttons usually mean in certain types of games. That's completely out the window with motion control."
Good also writes the sports gaming column Stick Jockey. He says he has a hard time envisioning how motion controls will be implemented in serious team-based sports games in an authentic way.
He wonders: How will gamers command an entire digital football or soccer team by swinging wands around — and how is swinging wands around a more realistic way to simulate controlling a sports team than pushing buttons or analog sticks? Meanwhile, with Move's accurate motion sensing, will gamers be asked to pantomime the highly skilled movements of elite athletes — and if so, how would that not be either too difficult for the average person to do or so simplified that it's just plain gimmicky?
Indeed, many of the Move games Sony has shown off so far haven't been aimed at core gamers — "Move Party" (a wacky party game that puts players right into the picture) or "Slider" (a wacky racing game that finds players racing atop wheeled office furniture).
But there's also "SOCOM 4," the third-person shooter from Zipper Interactive. When it hits the PS3 sometime this fall it will give players a choice — play with the standard controllers, or play with Move motion controls.
"Move is one more step toward transporting you from your living room to the war zone," says Travis Steiner, Zipper Interactive's lead designer for "SOCOM 4," while demonstrating how the Move controller can be pointed at the screen like a gun and fired like a gun to take out enemies with a high degree of accuracy. The controller can also be used to draw out customized tactical plays for your fellow soldiers and it can be quickly swung through the air to rifle-butt an enemy.
"I think to convince core players, they just have to try it," Steiner says.
Of course, the question Sony will have to answer is: How do you get players who think they don't like motion to even try it?
"I'm not hostile to the idea, I'm just skeptical about whether this is for me," he explains. "My first reaction is, 'What is this going to cost?' because I know that a game is going to cost $60…but how much is this going to cost on top of that and then is there going to be a game that's going to be special enough to warrant that purchase?"
Though Sony hasn't announced the price, Move is expected to come in a variety of bundles around the $100 mark.
Skeptical as he may be, Good says there is one game that would definitely convince him to run out and buy PlayStation Move:
"If they had a 'Star Wars' light saber game that just absolutely kicked ass with light saber combat, I'd be all over that in a heartbeat."
Did you hear that Sony?
Winda Benedetti can be found in motion right here on Twitter.
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints


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I often tease my friend who will run for president some day that our friendship will end up costing him dearly. Reporters will dig up our connection and will explain what a freak I am and how that disqualifies him to be president. That's kind of how it goes now if you run for office, apparently, no matter where you fall politically. We see this kind of guilt by association throughout a new piece on Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) from The New Yorker, a much talked-about profile that includes some bizarre connections and strange inferences.
Apparently this is the week for targeting Bachmann, as there is much talk about the notorious Newseek cover, which we'll deal with in a later post. Some of you may resonate with Slate's Jessica Grose when she says, "I hate it when Michele Bachmann makes me defend her," but hold on to your hats for a Leblancian edit (bolded phrases are my own) of the religion-related parts of New Yorker's smear by Ryan Lizza.
Bachmann belongs to a generation of Christian conservatives whose views have been shaped by institutions, tracts, and leaders not commonly known to secular Americans, or even to most Christians.
Oh really? What's his basis for this claim?
Her campaign is going to be a conversation about a set of beliefs more extreme than those of any American politician of her stature, including Sarah Palin, to whom she is inevitably compared. Bachmann said in 2004 that being gay is "personal enslavement," and that, if same-sex marriage were legalized, "little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and that perhaps they should try it."
Bachmann wasn't the first to consider sin enslavement, even if you might agree or disagree with her interpretation. How does Lizza know that her campaign will be focus on a set of beliefs? Is the media making this the focus?
...The trip [to Israel] gave her a connection to Israel, a state whose creation, many American evangelicals believe, is prophesied in the Bible. (St. Paul, in the Letter to the Romans, says that Jews will one day gather again in their homeland; modern fundamentalists see this, along with the coming of the Antichrist, as presaging the Rapture.)
Who are modern fundamentalists and what do they have to do with Bachmann? Is there any evidence that Bachmann holds the idea of pretribulation, midtribulation, or posttribulation rapture? Or maybe she's postmillennial or even amillennial.
These ideas get complex, so things get muddy while trying to summarize an entire belief system on eschatology in a paragraph when the reporter doesn't offer evidence for those beliefs.
In the fall of 1975, Bachmann enrolled at Winona State University, a small school in southeastern Minnesota, where she became more devout and tried to lead her dormmates to Christianity.
Regular readers know we hate the d-word. And, of course, part of being an evangelical often means evangelism, so this isn't exactly breaking news or terribly unusual.
Then the reporter examines the beliefs of the late Francis Schaeffer, who was kind of a big deal for many evangelicals. Now, Bachmann has said before that Schaeffer has strongly influenced her views, so the association here makes sense. What's strange is how the reporter portrays him as fringe. Here's the reporter's explanation for part of a video Schaeffer produced.
In the sixth episode, a mysterious man in a fake mustache drives around in a white van and furtively pours chemicals into a city's water supply, while Schaeffer speculates about the possibility that the U.S. government is controlling its citizens by means of psychotropic drugs.
How much of that video consisted of speculation? Is there any indication that Bachmann holds this belief?
Lizza uses Schaeffer's son Frank to explain his father's beliefs, but he should at least acknowledge that Frank has also taken his own ideological shift. For example, Frank recently blamed the shootings in Norway on conservative evangelicals and warns that evangelicals could be planning similar attacks in the U.S. Hmm.
In 1981, three years before he died, Schaeffer published "A Christian Manifesto," a guide for Christian activism, in which he argues for the violent overthrow of the government if Roe v. Wade isn't reversed.
I'll defer to Ben Domenech.
... I find this depiction of Schaeffer's position is just a vicious smear.
What Schaeffer called for were acts of civil disobedience if Roe v. Wade was not overturned. He repeatedly and specifically stressed that violence was not justified – "overreaction can too easily become the ugly horror of sheer violence", he wrote.
Oops. You don't have to agree with Schaeffer to wonder whether he is unfairly maligned in this piece. The reporter then jumps to Bachmann time at Oral Roberts' former law school.
For several years, the school could not get accreditation, because students were required to sign a "code of honor" attesting to their Christian belief and commitment.
Does anyone know whether this is really the reason why the school couldn't get accredited? This surprises me, considering that lots and lots of colleges that have variations on a religious "code of honor" are accredited (BYU anyone?).
The law review published essays by Schaeffer and Rousas John Rushdoony, a prominent Dominionist who has called for a pure Christian theocracy in which Old Testament law—execution for adulterers and homosexuals, for example—would be instituted.
Here are more attempts to prove guilt by association. I'm guess that, for example, our friend Mr. Brad Greenberg does not believe everything a professors who write for a law review from UCLA produces, but maybe he does. Did the law review publish essays calling to execute homosexuals and adulterers? Did she believe these claims in any way?
Lizza quotes professor John Eidsmoe whom Bachmann worked for at Oral Roberts (ORU).
When I asked him if he believed that Bachmann's views were fully consistent with the prevailing ideology at O.R.U. and the themes of his book, he said, "Yes." Later, he added, "I do not know of any way in which they are not."
That's a pretty generic question he's answering. It doesn't get into if she believes in criminalizing adultery or homosexuality, which seems to insinuate. Then Lizza touches on Bachmann's foster parenting.
Bachmann's motivation seems to have been to save the girls, in the same way that she had been saved.
Again, not terribly shocking for a Christian foster parent, but even if this was her motivation, how she did this would be more relevant. Is there any evidence that she coerced the children in any way?
In the late nineteen-nineties, William Cooper, a wealthy bank executive and conservative activist, became chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, and started to demand more ideological purity. "He began a purge of people like me," Laidig said. "No abortion, so if your daughter is raped or if you find out your child is going to be permanently a vegetable you have the kid. Not every abortion is birth control, O.K.? So really hard-core stuff."
Maybe he did, but did this Republican leader really want to "purge" people that supported abortion in cases of rape and if child is a permanent "vegetable?" How does this apply to Bachmann?
Here's another journalist using guilt by association with a very tenuous basis on reality to take shots. I could go on and on about the problems in the piece and how it could have been improved, but for now, we'll ponder why these sections weren't edited more thoroughly.
Pieces like this do little to illuminate Bachmann's beliefs or how they apply to her policy stances, but NPR doesn't mind highlighting it (audio will be available later today). Better watch out who you're friending on Facebook. You never know what they said 20 years ago that will come back to haunt you in your next job interview.


text: Corneal Transplant What is a corneal transplant? Is it safe? A corneal transplant involves replacing a diseased or scarred cornea with a new one. When the cornea becomes cloudy, light cannot penetrate the eye to reach the light-sensitive retina. Poor vision or blindness may result. In corneal transplant surgery, the surgeon removes the central portion of the cloudy cornea and replaces it with a clear cornea, usually donated through an eye bank. A trephine, an instrument like a cookie cutter, is used to remove the cloudy cornea. The surgeon places the new cornea in the opening and sews it with a very fine thread. The thread stays in for months or even years until the eye heals properly (removing the thread is quite simple and can easily be done in an ophthalmologist's office). Following surgery, eye drops to help promote healing will be needed for several months. Corneal transplants are very common in the United States; about 40,000 are performed each year. The chances of success of this operation have risen dramatically because of technological advances, such as less irritating sutures, or threads, which are often finer than a human hair; and the surgical microscope. Corneal transplantation has restored sight to many, who a generation ago would have been blinded permanently by corneal injury, infection, or inherited corneal disease or degeneration. What problems can develop from a corneal transplant? Even with a fairly high success rate, some problems can develop, such as rejection of the new cornea. Warning signs for rejection are decreased vision, increased redness of the eye, increased pain, and increased sensitivity to light. If any of these last for more than six hours, you should immediately call your ophthalmologist. Rejection can be successfully treated if medication is administered at the first sign of symptoms. Are there alternatives to a corneal transplant? Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is one of the latest advances in eye care for the treatment of corneal dystrophies, corneal scars, and certain corneal infections. Only a short time ago, people with these disorders would most likely have needed a corneal transplant. By combining the precision of the excimer laser with the control of a computer, doctors can vaporize microscopically thin layers of diseased corneal tissue and etch away the surface irregularities associated with many corneal dystrophies and scars. Surrounding areas suffer relatively little trauma. New tissue can then grow over the now-smooth surface. Recovery from the procedure takes a matter of days, rather than months as with a transplant. The return of vision can occur rapidly, especially if the cause of the problem is confined to the top layer of the cornea. Studies have shown close to an 85 percent success rate in corneal repair using PTK for well-selected patients. The Excimer Laser One of the technologies developed to treat corneal disease is the excimer laser. This device emits pulses of ultraviolet light--a laser beam--to etch away surface irregularities of corneal tissue. Because of the laser's precision, damage to healthy, adjoining tissue is reduced or eliminated. The PTK procedure is especially useful for people with inherited disorders, whose scars or other corneal opacities limit vision by blocking the way images form on the retina. PTK has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Information provided by the National Institutes of Health) Contact Us Today! 617-523-7900


text: Department of Natural Sciences and MathematicsThe Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Shaw University prepares students for employment and graduate programs in the fields of life and physical sciences. The department strives to provide students with a sound background in mathematics and science, give extensive and specialized training to ensure future success, and produce highly competitive students ready to address the shortage of science professionals at the national level. Main Areas of Study Biology Chemistry Mathematics Departmental GoalsAs a multidisciplinary department, the goals are varied. However, the general objectives, unique to biology, chemistry, mathematics are: To provide each student with a sound understanding of our environment, with insights as to how each major influences their day-to-day lives. To assist the students in their application of their knowledge to their work. To give extensive and specialized training to the departmental majors to enable them to succeed in graduate school, professional school, or in careers in industry. To greatly increase the number of students who major in the sciences to meet the increasing needs for minority scientists, technicians and professionals. To strengthen the relationships between the department, governmental agencies and the private sector in accepting our majors for internships and employment.What Students Can ExpectThe department emphasizes small class sizes and undergraduate research to better train and prepare students for graduate school, professional school or careers in a variety of fields, including environmental science, biotechnology, computational chemistry and pharmacy.


text:
Your woodlot goals can include:
Harvesting timber for profit
Restoring degraded areas of your woodlot
Seeing more wildlife
Increased recreation opportunities
All of the above
Objectives are very important in meeting woodlot management goals.
A good woodlot management plan will give you direction and purpose.
A forest professional can help you set priorities and get work done.
A forest professional should set your woodlot management goals.
Natural Resources


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What's happening in Historic Perryville?
Bookmark us to keep up with what's going on in Perryville, Kentucky.
Archive for December, 2010
The first thing you will need to do is choose the side you will fight for, or if a civilian impression might be what you want to do. I would highly recommend actually finding the unit you wish to join before buying anything! Most units will have a person in charge, or at least a list, to instruct new recruits on what to purchase and where to purchase it. If you go out and buy a lot of equipment that is not right for the particular unit you will be representing, you will have wasted a lot of money. Hopefully, you will want to be as authentic as possible and wearing a uniform or carrying equipment that is incorrect will ruin your impression.


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If you're looking for an apartment in a growing community known for its thriving economy, excellent schools and breathtaking parks, then you'll love living in Plano.
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Apartment Hunting / Money & FinanceWhat You Can Expect to Pay in Additional Fees When Renting an Apartment


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Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research
versión On-line ISSN 2219-0635
versión impresa ISSN 0030-2465
Onderstepoort j. vet. res. vol.79 no.1 Pretoria ene. 2012
Diversity of metazoan parasites of the Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852), as indicators of pollution in the Limpopo and Olifants River systems
Grace N. Madanire-Moyo; Wilmien J. Luus-Powell; Pieter A. Olivier
Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, South Africa
Aquatic systems are affected by a variety of anthropogenic activities that decrease water quality through the introduction of organic and inorganic pollutants. To investigate the relationship between fish parasite communities and water quality, metazoan parasites were examined in 140 specimens of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) sampled in three lakes in the Limpopo Province, namely the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams (regarded as unpolluted), the Flag Boshielo Dam (regarded as moderately polluted) and a return water dam on a mine site (regarded as polluted). The monogenean parasites Cichlidogyrus halli, digenean larval stages of Clinostomum and Diplostomum spp. and a gryporynchid cestode were found in or on O. mossambicus in all the sampled sites. The distribution of monogeneans (Cichlidogyrus sclerosus, Cichlidogyrus dossoui, Cichlidogyrus tilapiae, Scutogyrus longicornis and three Enterogyrus spp.), metacercarial stages of two digeneans (Neascus and Acanthostomum spp.) and nematodes (an unidentified nematode, Contracaecum sp., Paracamallanus cyathopharynx and Procamallanus laevionchus) was limited to the unpolluted and moderately polluted lakes. Larval stages of Diplostomum sp. were present in O. mossambicus collected from the unpolluted and polluted sites. The variability of the calculated infection indices (prevalence, mean abundance and mean intensity) and the parameters of species richness and diversity suggest that the structure of parasite communities are affected by the pollution levels of the water. The unpolluted reference site had the highest species richness and the highest overall parasite abundance values.
In recent years there has been an increasing awareness that parasitism should be investigated in view of undesirable environmental conditions such as organic and inorganic pollution arising from anthropogenic activities (Marcogliese 2005). Environmental conditions are important for a host's survival and well-being (Sures 2008). A number of studies showed that a close and highly susceptible link exists between environmental conditions and parasitism (Khan & Billiard 2007; Madanire-Moyo & Barson 2010; Marcogliese 2005; Marcogliese et al. 2006; Oros & Hanzelová 2009; Schmidt et al. 2003; Thilakaratne, McLaughlin & Marcogliese 2007). For heteroxenous (indirect life cycle) metazoan parasites, environmental conditions must be favourable for all host levels (i.e. intermediate and final hosts) and for free-living stages of the parasites (Dzikowski, Paperna & Diamant 2003). Monoxenous (direct life cycle) metazoans, which are normally ectoparasites, are in constant contact with water, suggesting that poor water quality may adversely affect their diversity to a greater extent (Avenant-Oldewage 2001; Pietrock & Marcogliese 2003). As a result, populations of both heteroxenous and monoxenous parasites are expected to be affected by changing environmental conditions.
Some approaches for the use of parasites as bioindicators of environmental degradation are identical to those applied for free-living invertebrates (Kennedy 1997) and fishes (Fausch et al. 1990):
Community data, especially diversity indices, are used to assess environmental health. The underlying hypothesis is that parasite diversity is highest in unpolluted waters, whereas pollution stress leads to a loss of species, change in dominance and reduction in diversity (Blanar et al. 2009). In calculating diversity indices species richness and the abundance of each species are taken into account. The advantage of this approach is that knowledge on the identity of a species, its biology or susceptibility to pollutants is not required. A change in the index can therefore indicate a change in water quality, but it cannot provide any information on the nature of the change or on the identity of the pollutant (Fausch et al. 1990).
Another method is the use of multivariate analyses to assess pollution. This technique incorporates a number of factors, but has the disadvantage of requiring more expertise in calculation, and especially in interpretation. Biotic indices are favoured for their low cost and simplicity (Kennedy 1997).
The present study was carried out to ascertain the relationship between metazoan parasite species composition and pollution levels. The Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852), was chosen as the model fish because it is a hardy species with a remarkable tolerance for organic (Noorjahan, Dawood & Nausheen 2003) as well as inorganic pollution (Somanath 2003).
Materials and methods
Fish were caught in gill nets of mesh sizes 30 mm - 110 mm over four seasonal samplings: April 2009 (autumn), July 2009 (winter), October 2009 (spring) and January 2010 (summer). Fish were collected from one reference site and two polluted lakes of the Limpopo and Olifants River systems. The reference site, the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams (22º39.492'S, 30º25.342'E), are twin lakes within a 10 170 ha nature reserve and are connected by a channel (2.5 m deep). The lakes are relatively unpolluted owing to the absence of intensive agricultural, industrial and mining activities close to the lakes (Oberholster, Ashton & Macmillan 2009). The moderately polluted site, the Flag Boshielo Dam (24º49.057'S, 29º24.509'E), is situated in the middle region of the Olifants River, the biggest tributary of the Limpopo River. The Olifants River has been gradually impaired because of an increase in agricultural and mining activities, industrial development and urbanisation (De Villiers & Mkwelo 2009).
The polluted locality was a return water dam (23º59.622`S, 29º24.509`E) located within mining premises in the Mogalakwena River subcatchment of the Limpopo River. The mine uses sewage effluent from Mokopane's wastewater treatment plant as processing water in its mining operations. The water from the mine's processing plants is pumped to the tailings dam, from where it overflows into the return water dam. The water quality at this locality is affected by industrial, sewage and agricultural activity upstream and mining effluents from the plant.
Examination of sacrificed fish for parasites, fixing, preservation, whole mount preparation and identification of parasites followed standard procedures used by authors such as Douëllou (1993) for monogeneans, Barson et al. (2008) and Chibwana and Nkwengulila (2010) for digeneans, Anderson (1992) for nematodes, Khalil, Jones and Bray (1994) for cestodes and Avenant, Van As and Loots (1989) for Dolops ranarum.
Water quality parameters
Surface water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) content, salinity, pH, conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS) were determined in situ using a handheld YSI multi-parameter instrument. Subsurface water samples were collected in acid-treated sampling bottles at all sampling sites. Samples were frozen immediately and taken to an accredited laboratory for analyses of selected water parameters (ISO 17025, SANAS, Laboratory no. T0391).
Data analyses
Levels of parasite infections were analysed according to Bush et al. (1997). Shannon-Wiener and Margalef (diversity), as well as evenness (equal distribution) biotic indices were calculated to compare the three communities of metazoan parasites. Increasing values of the Shannon-Wiener and Margalef indices indicate an increase in diversity. Values of evenness can range from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating a completely uneven distribution of parasites in a sample and 1 indicating a totally even distribution. All indices were calculated according to Magurran (1988).
All infection data were normalised with (χ) transformations to guarantee normality of distribution. All physical variables were standardised to zero mean and unit variance to make them dimensionless. Principal components analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the pattern of distribution of parasite species amongst the sites. Results were considered significant at the 95% level (p < 0.05). Ordination was achieved using CANOCO version 4 (Ter Braak & Smilauer 1998).
Ethical considerations
The protocol was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the University of Limpopo. Fish were killed by severing the spinal cord whilst covering the eyes with a damp cloth. Handling and treatment of animals were in accordance with the guidelines of the South African Council on Animal Care (South African Bureau of Standards 2004).
Water quality
Conductivity, total alkalinity, and concentrations of nitrate, sulphate, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium were higher in the moderately polluted site and the polluted site, typical of areas receiving sewage input and agricultural, industrial and mining effluents (Table 1). At both sites, levels of heavy metals such as aluminum, iron and lead surpassed the South African target water quality range (TWQR) for aquatic life (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 1996). Furthermore, the return water dam had the highest concentrations of nutrients (ammonium, nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate) amongst all sites and were consistently above the levels set by the South African TWQR (Table 1).
The results of the PCA analysis of environmental variables in the three lakes are presented in Figure 1. The first two axes explained 32.7% of total variation of the environmental characteristics. The Flag Boshielo Dam was positively associated with DO content and iron level but negatively associated with arsenic level (Figure 1). The return water dam was significantly associated with increasing gradients of nutrients (nitrite, nitrate, sulphate, orthophosphate and ammonium) and inorganic constituents (magnesium, calcium, potassium, chloride, sodium, TDS, conductivity and turbidity). This lake was negatively associated with DO content (Figure 1).
Parasite species composition, diversity and distribution
A total of 140 specimens of O. mossambicus were collected and examined from the three localities (Table 2). The metazoan parasites encountered included 20 species, comprising eight monogeneans [Cichlidogyrus halli (Price and Kirk, 1967), Cichlidogyrus sclerosus Paperna and Thurston, 1969, Cichlidogyrus dossoui Douëllou, 1993, Scutogyrus longicornis (Paperna and Thurston, 1969), Cichlidogyrus tilapiae Paperna, 1960 and three species of Enterogyrus Paperna, 1963], five larval digeneans (Neascus Von Nordmann, 1832, Tylodelphys Diesing, 1850, Diplostomum Nordmann, 1842, Tetracotyle Diesing, 1858 and Clinostomum Leidy, 1856), four nematodes [Contracaecum Raillet & Henry, 1912, Procamallanus laevionchus (Wedl, 1862) and Paracamallanus cyathopharynx (Baylis, 1923) and an unidentified nematode larva], a gryporynchid cestode larva, a branchiuran, Dolops ranarum (Stuhlmann, 1891), and a copepod, Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 (Table 3).
Mean parasite species richness and diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener, Margalef and Evenness of Shannon-Wiener) decreased from the reference site to the polluted site. The heteroxenous parasite species corroborated the general pattern seen for diversity indices. The reference site and the moderately polluted site had an equal number of monoxenous parasite species (Table 2). The dominant species were metacercariae of Tetracotyle and Neascus spp. and a gryporynchid cestode at the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams, the Flag Boshielo Dam and the return water dam, respectively (Table 2).
Prevalence values for the monogeneans were greater at the Flag Boshielo Dam than at the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams, except for Enterogyrus sp. 1 and Enterogyrus sp. 3 (Figure 2a). Prevalence values for metacercariae of a Tylodelphys sp. were relatively similar in fish collected from the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams and the Flag Boshielo Dam and the same trend was noted for Diplostomum sp. larvae in fish collected from the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams and the return water dam (Figure 2b). Prevalence values for all nematodes encountered were higher in fish sampled from the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams than in fish sampled from the Flag Boshielo Dam (Figure 2c). The prevalence values for the larval stage of the gryporynchid cestode were relatively similar in fish collected from the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams and the Flag Boshielo Dam, but highest in fish collected from the return water dam (Figure 2d).
The mean abundance values for all monogeneans encountered were higher in the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams than in the Flag Boshielo Dam (Figure 3a). The mean abundance values for metacercariae of Clinostomum sp. were relatively low in fish collected from all localities (Figure 3b). Larvae of the unidentified nematode and P. cyathopharynx were more abundant in the Flag Boshielo Dam than in the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams (Figure 3c). The gryporynchid cestode larvae were most abundant in fish from the return water dam (Figure 3d). The mean intensity values for most metazoan parasites were highest at the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams, except for species such as C. halli, C. sclerosus, Enterogyrus sp. 2, P. cyathopharynx and the larvae of the gryporynchid cestode (Figures 4a-d).
The eight most dominant parasite species from O. mossambicus comprised 80.7% of the total individual parasite specimens encountered (Table 3). The proportional abundance of the six main taxonomic groups collected during the study revealed that metacercariae of digeneans and larval cestodes were more cosmopolitan than monogeneans (Figure 5).
The first two factors in the PCA accounted for 36.2% of the observed variance, which was based on the relative abundance of the parasite species (Figure 6). All monogeneans, metacercariae of the digeneans (Clinostomum and Neascus spp.) and the nematodes were closely associated with O. mossambicus sampled from the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams and the Flag Boshielo Dam. D. ranarum, metacercariae of Tylodelphys and Tetracotyle spp. were unique to the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams whilst larvae of Diplostomum sp. were common in the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams and the return water dam. The gryporynchid cestode larvae were, to a greater extent, strongly associated with the return water dam (Figure 6).
The spatial distribution of water quality variables showed the pollution gradient differed amongst the sampling sites (return water dam < Flag Boshielo Dam < Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams), especially for trophic status variables (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, orthophosphates and sulphates), turbidity, conductivity, TDS and metals (lead and aluminium). The Luphephe and Nwanedi tributaries flow through areas of natural grassland, interspersed with areas of subsistence cultivation. There is very little urbanisation; as a result, the waters are relatively uncontaminated. Results from this study were consistent with previous work describing the Luphephe-Nwanedi Dams as essentially unpolluted (Oberholster et al. 2009) and the Flag Boshielo Dam as impacted by a combination of mining and agricultural effluents (Ashton 2010; De Villiers & Mkwelo 2009). The results further demonstrate that the return water dam is a polluted site, with high levels of nutrients and metals.
Parasite communities at the polluted and reference sites showed some trends consistent with predicted parasite diversity in stressed environments (Blanar et al. 2009). The reference site had the highest species richness and the highest overall parasite abundances. Similar to the polluted site, the moderately polluted site had lower mean abundance and mean intensity values for most parasite species than the reference site. In addition, these two sites revealed a total absence of the branchiuran D. ranarum and metacercariae of Tylodelphys and Tetracotyle spp. Fish from the polluted site had the lowest total parasite numbers, species richness and parasite diversity as reflected by the indices used in the present study.
Decreases in species richness and diversity in the helminth parasite communities of fishes can indeed result from aquatic pollution (Marcogliese 2005). This naturally occurs through the loss of ectoparasitic monoxenous species that are in direct contact with organic and inorganic pollutants (Pietrock & Marcogliese 2003) or through the loss of heteroxenous parasites that use intermediate hosts sensitive to pollution (Marcogliese 2005; Pietrock, Meinelt & Marcogliese 2008). For example, the ectoparasites C. halli, C. sclerosus, C. dossoui, C. tilapiae, S. longicornis, D. ranarum and Ergasilus sp. seem to be sensitive to pollution as they were not found in the polluted site. Although the three Enterogyrus spp. are endoparasitic, they were also absent from the polluted site, demonstrating their sensitivity to pollution. Metacercariae stages of the digeneans (Neascus, Tylodelphys and Tetracotyle spp.) and the nematodes (unidentified nematode, Contracaecum sp., P. cyathopharynx and P. laevionchus) were absent at the polluted site, indicating their possible intolerance to pollution.
These patterns in parasite communities are consistent with several similar studies of substantially disturbed environments (Dzikowski et al. 2003; Khan & Billiard 2007; Madanire-Moyo & Barson 2010; Marcogliese 2005; Marcogliese et al. 2006; Oros & Hanzelová 2009; Schmidt et al. 2003; Thilakaratne et al. 2007). For example, indirect life cycle helminth parasites that were present in a nearby reference estuary were missing from the parasite communities of the grey mullet (Liza aurata and Liza ramada) collected from a nearby polluted estuary (Dzikowski et al. 2003).
Exposure to urban effluent was reflected in lower species richness of macroparasite communities of the flounder fish (Platichthys flesus) in German Blight in the North Sea (Schmidt et al. 2003). Marcogliese et al. (2006) established that fish downstream of sewage outfall had lower total parasite abundances than fish collected from reference localities in Lake St. Louis. Thilakaratne et al. (2007) reported a lower diversity of helminths at sewage effluent and metal-polluted sites than at a reference site in Lake St. Louis. Winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) in the vicinity of a pulp and paper mill had significantly lower abundances of intestinal helminths than those at a nearby reference locality (Khan & Billiard 2007). A fish community in a river in southern Slovakia, polluted with cyanide and heavy metals, had half the diversity of gastrointestinal helminth parasites as a comparable community in a nearby reference river owing to a loss of species that exploit sensitive invertebrate species as obligatory intermediate hosts (Oros & Hanzelová 2009). Component species richness and diversity of parasites of the sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus), decreased with organic pollution in the Manyame catchment of Zimbabwe (Madanire-Moyo & Barson 2010).
The gryporynchid cestode larvae were evidently associated with the polluted site. The first intermediate hosts of most cestodes are oligochaetes and these worms can tolerate organic pollution because they feed on organic particles (Sibley, Dixon & Barton 2000). Kostarev (1980) found high numbers of Caryophyllaeus laticeps and attributed this to increased oligochaete populations where household sewage was discharged directly into reservoirs. Thus, the increased abundance of these intermediate hosts in this study may be due to the high organic enrichment of the sediments that are suitable for the oligochaete intermediate hosts (Sibley et al. 2000). In addition, a few endoparasitic cestodes are able to accumulate and tolerate higher levels of metal contaminants than their fish hosts (Retief, Avenant-Oldewage & Du Preez 2007).
There were no substantial differences between the moderately polluted site and the reference site with regard to parasite component community species richness and diversity. Prevalence values of some parasites (e.g. most monogeneans) were comparatively lower in fish from the reference site than in those from the moderately contaminated site, although no significant trends were detected. A large percentage of the differences between these two sites was due to higher mean abundances of most parasite species at the reference site. Thus, it appears that although moderate levels of contamination may affect parasite communities, the responses of parasites may be subtle or absent if a disturbance or pollution level is moderate (Marcogliese et al. 2006). It may be difficult to detect in part because the responses of all parasite species are integrated in community analyses (Kennedy 1997; Marcogliese 2005).
The results suggest that parasite species composition and richness of freshwater fish parasites are influenced by environmental factors. However, the responses of parasites may be subtle or absent if a disturbance or pollution level is moderate. Heteroxenous parasite species are transmitted through invertebrate and vertebrate hosts acting as intermediate or definitive hosts. Changes in the structure of a parasite community mirror differences in the composition of the aquatic species, such as macro-invertebrate fauna, commonly used as indicators of water quality. These findings also suggest that monoxenous parasite species decrease in numbers in disturbed environments, as they are directly exposed to the effects of water quality. Thus, parasite communities can be used as an early warning system for monitoring ecosystem degradation.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationship(s) which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this paper.
Authors' contributions
W.J.L-P. (University of Limpopo) was the project leader, P.A.O. (University of Limpopo) the project co-leader and G.N.M-M. (University of Limpopo) was responsible for experimental design and performed most of the experiments and calculations.
Anderson, R.C., 1992, Nematode parasites of vertebrates: Their development and transmission, CAB International, Wallingford. [ Links ]
Ashton, P.J., 2010, 'The demise of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as a keystone species for aquatic ecosystem conservation in South Africa: The case of the Olifants River', Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20, 489-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.1132 [ Links ]
Avenant-Oldewage, A., 2001, 'Protocol for the assessment of fish health based on the health index: Report and a manual for training of field workers to the Rand Water Board (report no. 2001/03/31)', report, Rand Water, Vereeniging. [ Links ]
Avenant, A., Van As, J.G. & Loots, G.C., 1989, 'On the hatching and morphology of Dolops ranarum larvae (Crustacea: Branchiura)', Journal of Zoology (London) 217, 511-519. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1989.tb02506.x [ Links ]
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Blanar, C.A., Munkittrick, K.R., Houlahan, J., MacLatchy, D.L. & Marcogliese, D.J., 2009, 'Pollution and parasitism in aquatic animals: A meta-analysis of effect size', Aquatic Toxicology 93, 18-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.03.002, PMid:19349083 [ Links ]
Bush, A.O., Lafferty, K.D., Lotz, J.M. & Shostak, A.W., 1997, 'Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et al. revisited', Journal of Parasitology 83, 575-583. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3284227, PMid:9267395 [ Links ]
Chibwana, F.D. & Nkwengulila, G., 2010, 'Variation in the morphometrics of diplostomid metacercariae (Digenea: Trematoda) infecting the catfish, Clarias gariepinus in Tanzania', Journal of Helminthology 84, 61-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X09990083, PMid:19619367 [ Links ]
De Villiers, S. & Mkwelo, S.T., 2009, 'Has monitoring failed the Olifants River?', Water SA 35, 671-676. [ Links ]
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 1996, South African Water Quality Guidelines: Aquatic ecosystems, 2nd edn., Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria. [ Links ]
Douëllou, L., 1993, 'Monogeneans of the genus Cichlidogyrus Paperna, 1960 (Dactylogyridae: Ancyrocephalinae) from cichlid fishes of Lake Kariba (Zimbabwe) with descriptions of five new species', Systematic Parasitology 25, 159-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00007007 [ Links ]
Dzikowski, R., Paperna, I. & Diamant, A., 2003, 'Use of fish parasite species richness indices in analyzing anthropogenically impacted coastal marine ecosystems', Helgoland Marine Research 57, 220-227. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10152-003-0138-2 [ Links ]
Fausch, K.D., Lyons, J., Karr, J.R. & Angermeier, P.L., 1990, 'Fish communities as indicators of environmental degradation', American Fisheries Society Symposium 8, 123-144. [ Links ]
Kempster, P.L., Hattingh, W.H.J. & Van Vliet, H.R., 1980, 'Summarized Water Quality Criteria', technical report (TR 108), Directorate of Water Affairs, Pretoria. [ Links ]
Kennedy, C.R., 1997, 'Freshwater fish parasites and environmental quality: An overview and caution', Parassitologia 39, 249-254. [ Links ]
Khalil, L.F., Jones, A. & Bray, R.A. (eds.), 1994, Keys to the cestode parasites of vertebrates, CAB International, Wallingford. [ Links ]
Khan, R.A. & Billiard, S.M., 2007, 'Parasites of winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) as an additional bioindicator of stress-related exposure to untreated pulp and paper mill effluent: A 5-year field study', Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 52, 243-250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0082-7, PMid:17160488 [ Links ]
Kostarev, G.F., 1980, 'The effects of pollution on the fish parasite fauna in the Kama reservoirs', in Biologicheskie resursy vodoemov zapadnogo Urala, Mezhyuzovskii Sborrnik Nauchnykh Trudov [Allow phonetic typing Biological resources of the waters west of the Urals], pp. 147-153, Perskii Gosudarstvennyi Universitet, Perskii. [ Links ]
Madanire-Moyo, G. & Barson, M., 2010, 'Diversity of metazoan parasites of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus as indicators of pollution in a subtropical African river system', Journal of Helminthology 84, 216-227. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X09990563, PMid:19761628 [ Links ]
Magurran, A.E., 1988, Ecological diversity and its measurement, Princeton University Press, Princeton. [ Links ]
Marcogliese, D.J., 2005, 'Parasites of the superorganism: Are they indicators of ecosystem health?', International Journal for Parasitology 35, 705-716. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2005.01.015, PMid:15925594 [ Links ]
Marcogliese, D.J., Gendron, A.D., Plante, C., Fournier, M. & Cyr, D., 2006, 'Parasites of spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) in the St. Lawrence River: Effects of municipal effluents and habitat', Canadian Journal of Zoology 84, 1461-1481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z06-088 [ Links ]
Noorjahan, C.M., Dawood, S.S. & Nausheen, D., 2003, 'Impact of dairy effluent on biochemical constituents of fish Oreochromis mossambica', Journal of Ecotoxicology & Environmental Monitoring 13, 227-231. [ Links ]
Oberholster, P.J., Ashton, P.J. & Macmillan, P.M., 2009, 'A water quality reconnaissance investigation of the Nwanedzi Dam, Limpopo Province', report (GWDMS 175044), CSIR (Natural Resources and the Environment), Pretoria. [ Links ]
Oros, M. & Hanzelová, V., 2009, 'Re-establishment of the fish parasite fauna in the Tisa River system (Slovakia) after a catastrophic pollution event', Parasitology Research 104, 1497-1506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1356-6, PMid:19214574 [ Links ]
Pietrock, M. & Marcogliese, D.J., 2003, 'Free-living endohelminth stages: At the mercy of environmental conditions', Trends in Parasitology 19, 293-299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1471-4922(03)00117-X [ Links ]
Pietrock, M., Meinelt, T. & Marcogliese, D.J., 2008, 'Effects of cadmium exposure on embryogenesis of Stagnicola elodes (Mollusca, Gastropoda): Potential consequences for parasite transmission', Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 55, 43-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9083-4, PMid:18166987 [ Links ]
Retief, N.R., Avenant-Oldewage, A. & Du Preez, H., 2007, 'Ecological aspects of the occurrence of Asian tapeworm, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934 infection in the largemouth yellowfish, Labeobarbus kimberleyensis (Gilchrist and Thompson, 1913) in the Vaal Dam, South Africa', Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 32, 1384-1390. [ Links ]
Schmidt, V., Zander, S., Koerting, W. & Steinhagen, D., 2003, 'Parasites of the flounder Platichthys flesus (L.) from the German Bight, North Sea, and their potential use in ecosystem monitoring', Helgoland Marine Research 57, 236-251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10152-003-0159-x [ Links ]
Sibley, P.K., Dixon, F.G. & Barton, D.R., 2000, 'Impact of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent on benthic community structure in relation to environmental factors', Journal of Aquatic Stress and Recovery 7, 229-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009987123319 [ Links ]
Somanath, V., 2003, 'Impact of tannery effluent on bioenergetics of fishes', Journal of Ecotoxicology & Environmental Monitoring 13, 161-173. [ Links ]
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Sures, B., 2008, 'Host-parasite interactions in polluted environments', Journal of Fish Biology 73, 2133-2142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02057.x [ Links ]
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Correspondence to:
Wilmien Luus-Powell
Postal address Private Bag X1106
Limpopo 0727, South Africa
Email: email@example.com
Received: 28 July 2011
Accepted: 12 Oct. 2011
Published: 16 Feb. 2012


text:
This article originally appeared on WCSH6.com
BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Only the hardiest of souls are out biking during these coldest days of winter, but the planning is well underway right now for the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's 'Bike Maine 2013 Inaugural Ride.' The 7 day ride will begin and end in Orono, and will feature scenic rides through several communities including Dover-Foxcroft, Belfast, Castine, Bar Harbor and Ellsworth. Cyclists will camp each evening in the various communities and enjoy meals prepared by local organizations that use locally sourced foods. Organizers hope the ride will showcase local comunities, and promote healthy lifestyles.
"There are several other successful week long ride programs in other parts of the country and some of our coalition members have been on those rides in other parts of the country, most notably cycle oregon and ride the rockies," explained Kim Andersen True, the Bike Maine 2013 Ride Director.
The ride will take place from September 7th through the 14th.
For more information, visit https://www.bikemaine.org


text:
Start Your Day With Cake Wrecks
My typical post-rising morning routine is boil water for my steel cut oats (yes, every single day), turn on my computer to check email, pour a cup of coffee and sit down with the New York Times (paper version, thank you). Wednesday is my favorite NYTimes day because it includes the Dining In section and since I am a foodie, this is exciting reading for me.
Today there was an article about a blog called Cake Wrecks; When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hysterically Wrong. The blog features pictures of cakes that have gone awry–like this one. Read it carefully–see the problem? Oy Vey.
Here's another, which has a missing word problem.
Who would think a cottage industry would be born based on cakes gone awry. This was an amusing way to start my day!


text:
And while coaches at many schools don't look beyond the physical skills of their players, Hastings continually fine-tunes an overall approach that he believes builds the whole person. His players are expected to be good students and role models on campus and helping members in their homes. Hastings often shares the successes, community contributions and leadership roles of former players.
A look at the 2013 Pointer schedule confirms that Hastings wants his team to prepare against the best opponents before Western League games begin in October.
First up, in the home opener, is South Bay's surprising Olympian, which administered a 38-10 whipping of the Pointers in Week 2 last season. The Eagles went on to an undefeated season before losing to Lincoln 20-7 in the CIF Div. III semifinals.
Lincoln and Point Loma also had two memorable battles last season, with the Hornets defeating the Dogs 19-14 in Week 3 before eliminating them from CIF playoffs by a 21-17 margin in a second-round match Nov. 16. Both games were played at Lincoln, which later won the CIF championship.
Returning Pointer players have undoubtedly had these two games circled on the schedule for months along with a regular season final Homecoming game against Western League, CIF Div. IV and state champion Madison.
The three foes accounted for all four Pointer losses in 2012.
New to the schedule this season is a trip to Ramona on Sept. 6. The Bulldogs are coming off an 8-5 season that ended with a loss to Lincoln in the CIF finals.
Another newcomer, Santana, visits the Pointers Sept. 28 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
As the season opener approaches, Hastings takes a look at his 2013 team.
"This group has bought in (to our program) and they've come together," said Hastings. "If they stay healthy and improve each and every day, each and every week, by the time we get into our league schedule we'd like everything clicking on all cylinders. Staying healthy is key, but with kids growing and learning every day, which they will, I'm looking forward to this being a very good team."
The Pointers put up 28 points a game last season in going 8-4, with a second-place finish to Madison in the Western League. Last year's 9-0 junior varsity and 8-1 freshman teams, both league champions, should provide players who know how to win. Last year's varsity was undefeated (5-0) on its new turf field but were 2-4 away from Pete Ross Stadium against three top-tier teams (Olympian, Lincoln and Madison). The Pointers play all three at home this season.
Quarterback: "At the quarterback spot, we have junior Gavin Grady and senior Quinn Bohannon," said Hastings. "They've both worked really hard this off-season getting ready. It's been a battle, and since neither played varsity quarterback last year they're going to be tested early and the one who does best will win the job."
Halfbacks: "We've got some good running backs when you consider a returning kid like D.J. Lacy (735 yards, 6.8-yard average) who is an exceptional player. As a senior, we're expecting great things from him. A.J. Smith is also a very versatile athlete who plays our sweeper position but can also play running back and a 'wild dog'-type of quarterback to give us more versatility and a different look. Malik Riddle and Drake Gill give us depth."
Fullbacks: "A couple of kids who helped our junior varsity go 10-0 last year are coming up," said Hastings. "Romeo Epperley and Jacob Ehm are both doing very well in camp and will be competing for playing time along with Alex Dillman and Julius Agho."
Wide receivers: "One of our most consistent players is senior Drew Rutledge, a kid who has worked extremely hard all four years he's been here. Now it's his year to shine and move forward. He's being pushed by another senior, Miles McGinley, who took last year off due to injury. Along with Alejandro Grande, Dijion Salgado and Jalen Griffin, there should be a very good rotation."
Tight end: "We have a really good kid in Jake Wambaugh, who plays both ways, and Austin Wilson, coming up from junior varsity, is making good strides. Also, Cole Kidd is learning the position along with defensive end Jake Virissimo, so we have quite a group that can play the position and all of them have decent hands as well."
Offensive line: "The guys that make this a team strength are juniors Seth Irby at center and Tim O'Brien, along with seniors Mike Serrano, Jared Polonitza, Zack Zugovitz and Sean Gardocki," said Hastings. "Andrew Caparell, Quin Gaughan, Devon Knox, Ty Gutierrez and Nick Solia give us great depth here."
The traditionally strong Pointer defense yielded an average of 15 points per game last year. It produced several all-league players, including defensive player-of-the year Jamal Agnew. Three of the Pointer losses were by a total of
23 points against two CIF champions. The 2013 group will be focused on stopping their opponents and returning possession to their offensive teammates.
Defensive line: "This group has some kids that played last year in the secondary or backup roles who now move forward," said Hastings. "A returning starter who had a very good year is Pedro DaSilva. Then there's a big kid, Jared Polonitza, who plays on the offense but is a very good defensive lineman. Also in that mix is Pedro Durant, a kid who played when he was younger and has come back. We also have other kids on offense like Serrano and Irby who can rotate in if called upon."
Defensive ends: "I think we're pretty strong up front on defense. We lost some key pieces there but our very effective defensive ends Wambaugh and Virissimo come back."
Linebackers: "Our linebacking corps is really headed by third-year varsity player Tanner Manion. Dan O'Beirne, a very good one, moves here after playing there as a freshman. And there are some others we can rotate in at that spot."
Defensive backs: "This will be a real challenge, but coach Joe Radovich is doing a good job working hard with the new kids and the ones who were second string last year. We have some good athletes who will play a bigger role on defense, kids like Smith and Lacy will be in the secondary, along with one of our seniors, Adrian Bueno, who should do some good things for us. Jonathan Cook, up from the junior varsity, has been impressive in practice. Frankie Lopez, returning to football, and a newcomer, basketball player DeAndre Benson, are there. And a couple juniors, Sergio Gallegos and Joel Bracamontes, will also be in the secondary. It's a good group and they are making progress each day."
Special teams: "We have a couple young kids moving up. Jason Shoemaker is a very good placekicker, and another one, a lineman with a good leg, is Luke Legerton. We're expecting a good competition with those two and both can punt, but also in the mix is Jamie Medina. Lopez also has a very live leg as a punter."
The 2013 roster includes four sophomores who earned roster spots: wide receiver/defensive back Griffin, kicker/punter Medina and a pair of fullback/linebackers Dillman and Agho.
The team's seniors realize their prep careers end in just over three months. Each has dreams of winning a Western League banner and CIF championship for their school. Each week, they'll battle as a team, fighting through fatigue and pain in an effort to realize that dream.
The quest begins Aug. 31 at 3 p.m.


text:
Nokia 6300 Review
posted by Nanko R. / Mar 02, 2007, 2:49 AM
The phone set includes:
- Nokia 6300;
- A charger;
- Leather case;
- Stereo headphones;
- 128 Mb micro SD memory card;
- Software CD;
- Instruction manual.
The small leather case is elegant and adorned with graphic details, known from previous Nokia phones. It cannot be hung onto anything but simply contains the 6300 in order to safeguard the unit from scratching. At the beginning, the leather was rather tight and after inserting the phone in, it was quite difficult to pull it out.
12 Comments
1. unregistered
So when is this going to arrive in the U.S.? It's not even on the Nokia site (U.S. version).
posted on Oct 20, 2010, 1:55 AM 0
12. jerryx2000
Posts: 1; Member since: Jan 23, 2010
HTC is not Nokia!
posted on Jan 23, 2010, 8:50 AM 0
2. Joar unregistered
Apparently the 6300 will come with Opera Mini preinstalled at least in some regions. For those that wont get in bundled it is free to download and use, so no worries.
posted on Mar 07, 2007, 1:38 PM 0
11. noblefuwad unregistered
please i will like to get the opera mini but i dont no were to get it,nd you said some one can get it free,from nigeria
posted on Oct 04, 2008, 10:21 PM 0
3. unregistered
May not come to US at all. Nokia rep says IF not WHEN if you call Nokia USA. Definitely not Q1
posted on Mar 07, 2007, 2:28 PM 0
4. Adnan unregistered
One of the sleekest sets Nokia has produced till to date. Classy and stylish with brilliant 16.7 million colours screen. Decent screen size. Excellent functionality for people who are looking for a simple phone with not so extravagant E and N-Series like features. Beware of finger smudges and scratches on both the plastic and metal covers. I suggest keeping it in a protective casing. Original leather case is bundled but not for all regions and preloaded softwares also differ by region. It has an N-Series type thin charging pin connector so old Nokia chargers wont work unless you have a converter. Solidly built …. No creaks. Boasts a radio with a nice music player although the quality of the bundled stereo ear buds is average. Mini SD slot available up to 2 GB. Phone's internal user available memory is a meagre 7.8 MB which is considered quite lame these days (now we know how companies save money) although it does come packed with a 128 MB card. Nevertheless, you will end up buying a bigger card sooner than you think. Poor camera results especially in low light as compared to other 2MP cameras in the same price rang. No flash and lens protection cover. Video recording also pitiable. Camera is by far the weakest feature on the phone as far as I am concerned. Loud but mono speaker at the back. Below average battery life as compared to other 6 series models (mega talkers beware!). Volume buttons on the side hard to press especially when held closer to the ear during a conversation. No 3G. Earphone above the screen could have been louder; a definite problem in a crowded place (I tried pressing the phone as close to my ear as possible in a restaurant to hear the person on the other side of the line but it was hard). Average navigation key functionality especially the upper key is hard to press as it is quite close to the screen and you invariably end up either smudging the screen with your thumb or to save the screen, accidentally pressing the center button (I recommend using the nail of your thumb to press the upper navi key correctly). Not recommended for people with above average size fingers. The blue lights on sides of the phone only blink twice for an incoming message alert but not indefinitely. Weird! This seems useless since one already gets to find out about the incoming message through the sound and/or vibration alert. The cool blue lights should do more like continue to blink and remind me about my unread messages till I read them. In my opinion this can be fixed with a software upgrade by Nokia. There seems to be some software issues on some sets. For example I cannot delete a Gmail account I made earlier on my 6300. The option to delete does not exist on my set whereas it does on some other sets. I can edit the account or make another one but can't delete it. The painted red power sign on the plastic power button on top will not last long; mine lasted a week with only decent moderate use.... it just vanished with the touch. So painting quality on the plastic is an issue (it may be an individual problem). Nevertheless, I wasn't expecting it from a device like this especially after paying more the $330 for it. Shame! All in all, the 6300 can be called ''A fit phone down with a mild case of flu''. For looks I give it 8.5 out of 10. Camera gets a poor 5.5. Battery gets a mediocre 6. Functionality gets a decent 7.8. Screen colour gets a whooping 9. Overall a well above average 7.5 to an 8 for its class. Despite some of its shortcomings, you are quite likely to end up calling it "My Precious!" Recommended!
posted on Apr 24, 2007, 5:08 AM 0
5. Ellen unregistered
So far happy with the phone, but still would prefer Sony Ericsson. Nokia 6300 is a good allrounder, but has a rubbish battery life. Need to charge approx ever third day and that is with hardly any use (About 15 min talk time per day, no radio etc used) Have complained and got a new battery, but same problem.
posted on Apr 24, 2007, 6:04 AM 0
6. Melvin Rice unregistered
i felt good with it and i bought few utilities from explorepda.com which helps great working with this device
posted on Jul 24, 2007, 3:17 AM 0
7. unregistered
the nokia 6300 is available from the us nokia website.
posted on Jan 08, 2008, 1:24 AM 0
8. sooraj unregistered
i bought this phone in the last month. o like this phone very much. but it is a very chance of scarch in its body,some times it hangs and the sound is very low
posted on Apr 28, 2008, 8:29 AM 0
9. unregistered
this is available in canada for long time with a new wi-fi version from Fido, which is owned by Rogers Wireless (it used to be a division of T- Mobile International).
posted on Jun 09, 2008, 8:14 PM 0
10. unregistered
Thank You For Educating Me On This Phone,Because I'm Going To Buy this Phone.
posted on Aug 05, 2008, 1:27 PM 0
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- Display 2.0" 240 x 320 pixels
- Camera 2 MP
- Processor
- Memory
- Storage 0.009 GB
- Battery 860 mAh(3.50h talk time)
Recent articles


text:
WASHINGTON – Holiday visitors frequently come bearing gifts, but sometimes they also bring holiday mishaps – like stains.
Whether it is red wine on the carpet, bright lipstick on cloth napkins or a number of other accidents, there are simple home solutions to help you get through your holiday entertaining, mess-free.
Consumer Reports writes about the ways to avoid stains in a recent article, and even features a video showing readers how to best remove stains.
One key thing to have on-hand at your next holiday gathering is a simple water-based solution that will help to remove a variety of stains.
To make the solution, mix a teaspoon of clear dish-washing liquid, no bleach and a cup of warm water. Blot the stain with a little bit of water and then tackle it with the home remedy.
For a full list of other stain removing tips, including how to remove water rings from a hardwood table and candle wax from a fabric tablecloth, see the complete article.
WTOP's Rosemary Frisino-Toohey contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)


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