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"If Daryl dies, we riot" has been a familiar refrain from fans of the crossbow-wielding Daryl Dixon. That means Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman could have a melee on his hands if he does indeed off Daryl as he promised on Entertainment Weekly Radio (although we're pretty sure he was kidding). Regardless, Dixon devotees are likely to gasp at this exclusive new image from season 5 of the zombie drama, which returns in October on AMC. (Click on the Full Size magnifying tab to view the full image in all of its high resolution glory.)
In it, we see a bloodied and bruised Daryl, who has also been gagged and bound…and not in a sexy way as legions of ladies no doubt dream about on a daily basis. (Or maybe this is considered sexy. I have no idea. People are into some freaky stuff.)
Who is responsible for this heinous act of heiniosity?!? Are those bastards at Terminus behind roughing up our main man (as played by Norman Reedus)? And how will Daryl get out of such a predicament? Wait, he does get out of the predicament… right? Right?!? Anyhoo, if you didn't already, go click on the Full Size magnifying tab to view the full image. Then keep those fingers crossed.
For more 'Walking Dead' intel, check out Entertainment Weekly's Comic-Con preview package, on stands later this week. Also, follow Dalton on Twitter: Follow @DaltonRoss
|Complete Coverage
|Available For Streaming On


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Please feel free to write and meet new people who plays tennis. The rain is leaving us soon, so let's prepared to meet at tennis courts..
Members: 32
Latest Activity: Nov 4, 2016
Awesome release, the Best of Oscar Modern Tennis Methodology 2 hr DVD. Bring your game to a whole new level. Go to www.tennisteacher.com
Anyone want to hit some on 10/8 (Mon) or 10/10 (Wed) evening?
Hi All,
Getting happy about the 80 degree weather coming up? I live near Juanita Beach, there are public courts across the street. ( a little worn) I've played tennis forever but not lately. Have been rated at about a 3.0-3.5. Would love to whack the ball around a little if anyone is interested. You can email me at [private info removed].
See ya!
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Panino 'PMB' Recipe
The following recipe is from the March 31 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Sandwiches don't usually require a recipe, but I couldn't resist sharing this Panino "PMB" from My Bread by Jim Lahey. This unusual combination of pancetta, slices of fresh mango, and basil leaves is one of the most popular sandwiches with the lunch crowd at Sullivan Street Bakery. Served on Lahey's crunchy, rustic stecca, the sandwich brings to mind both Italian and Thai flavors. The sweet mango pairs perfectly with salty pancetta and slightly anise-flavored basil, and the pinch of red chile powder give this panino just a slight kick of heat. It has many of the same qualities as a great bánh mì: porky, slightly sweet and spicy, and vaguely herbal.
Panino "PMB"
- 2 sandwiches -
- 6 slices (60 grams) pancetta sliced thin
- Stecca or other baguette-style loaf, cut in two and split
- 1 (70 gram) firm mango, not too soft or sweet, preferably the green Thai variety, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 2 pinches hot red chile powder
- 4 large (about 2 grams) fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lay the pancetta slices in a single layer on a nonstick or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast until the slices are crisped and the fat is melted, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how fatty the meat is. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack, with one end of the pan slightly elevated so the fat drains to the other end.
Layer each sandwich with half of the pancetta and sliced mango. Finish with a light sprinkle of chile powder and the basil leaves. Serve immediately.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text: I have setup ISPConfig3 using the manual on 5 servers as per the instructions. Now I would like to setup an email client like RoundCube for my clients that will work with this type of setup. I would like each client to be able to go to http://www.theirdomain.com/webmail to check their email. Is there a How To that works with this type of multi server setup?


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The transport link between two Olympic venues that might not be ready for the Games. ITN's Simon Harris reports.
The world's most expensive cable car is undergoing tests in London – but authorities admit the project, which links two Olympic venues, may not open in time for this summer's Games.
The 1,000-yard gondola lift line crosses the River Thames in east London and is planned to be both a commuter route and a tourist attraction.
It has been enthusiastically backed by London Mayor Boris Johnson, but opponents point out the scheme will use public money despite a huge $57 million sponsorship deal with Dubai-based Emirates Airlines which means the facility will be officially known as the Emirates Air Line.
PhotoBlog: London's new Thames cable car in place - but will it be ready for the Olympics?
It will cost up to $95 million in total, with around $20 million coming from local public funds.
Transit authority Transport for London (TfL), which will operate the cable car, will only say the project will be open "in the summer," raising the prospect that it will not be ready in time for the London 2012 Games in July. TfL insists the route was never part of the Olympic transport plan.
Two 300ft-high pillars will carry more than 30 gondolas across the river from the O2 – the Greenwich concert venue that will host events including the gymnastics and basketball finals – to the Docklands-based ExCel conference center which is being used for boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
The cost of a journey on the Emirates Air Line has not yet been set, but TfL says it will be similar to the frequent Thames River Boat service whose fares are around $8. Passengers will be able to pay with Oyster cards, the pre-payment "smart card" used by millions of Londoners.
A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.
Although the cost will be significantly higher than the equivalent bus or subway journey, the views from the 10-person gondolas traveling 160 feet above the ground are undoubtedly more appealing.
TfL says the system will move 2,000 passengers an hour -- the equivalent capacity of more than 30 buses.
More Olympic coverage from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Now towering over London's Olympic Park: 'Godzilla of public art'
- Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
- Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
- Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
- At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
- Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
- Go behind the scenes with our TODAY in London blog
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Inside Syria rebel stronghold: 'The city is on mute'
- What's behind China's crackdown on foreigners?
- NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin answers Syria questions
- Royal rumble: Spain's queen snubs UK queen
- Italian university to switch to English-only classes
- Germany's Pirate Party rides wave of popularity
- Anxious Greeks withdraw $894 million in a day
- In China, English teaching is a whites-only club
- Beer-swilling bride sparks controversy in New Zealand
- Oh la la! A look at France's fascinating first ladies
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world


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Fitbit Alta Activity Tracker, Plum Large
Price: $80.00
Motivation is your best accessory with the Fitbit Alta, a customizable fitness tracker that's as versatile as your personal style.
- Track steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes
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Acanthus carving className: Acanthus carving classDate: March 19, 2019Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM CDTEvent Description:Acanthus Carving Class at Sons of Norway Lodge member Don Rorvig is teaching a Norwegian Acanthus wood carving class on Tuesday nights at Sons of Norway- Mandt Lodge. The lodge is located at 317 South Page Street. The class is offered from 6:30 to 8pm. The first class on September 18 is free but after that, it is $10.00 per class. Anyone interested can call Don at 235-3521 or contact via email at firstname.lastname@example.com and he will inform them of the chisels necessary for the class. Don will provide a pattern that all first time students will be using. Classes will continue on each Tuesday through spring.
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Alltech New Zealand
The Alltech New Zealand office opened in February 2008 following the acquisition of Cundy Technical Services which represented Alltech products in New Zealand for 20 years. The key goal of Alltech New Zealand is to be recognised as the leading provider of natural animal nutrition solutions.
Alltech's involvement in all segments of the animal feed industry in New Zealand allows us to build resources to meet local demand.


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Where Can I Find a Piedmont Parent Magazine?
Pick up a Piedmont Parent magazine at any one of the 750+ locations throughout Forsyth, Guilford, Stokes, Davidson and Alamance counties. We want to make sure that Piedmont Parent magazine is available at the convenient family locations you visit most frequently. Become a distribution location.


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Same-sex couples won't be able to get married in California on Friday. But it's possible that they could be free to marry, legally, by sometime next week.
We may know more after the U.S. Supreme Court meets Friday. The court is considering whether to hear a host of legal challenges that involve gay rights. One of those challenges is to a U.S. federal appeals court decision that overturned Prop 8, the California constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
That appeals court decision was a narrow ruling that found that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. That would make same-sex marriage legal in California. But enforcement of the ruling has been on hold while Prop 8 supporters ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. The court is scheduled to do that Friday.
U.S. & World
Many legal experts predict the court will decline to take the Prop 8 appeal. There are other legal challenges on gay rights issues that it may take up instead. If those experts are right, the federal appeals court decision will remain in place -- thus overturning Prop 8 and restoring legal same-sex marriage in the state.
It's not clear how long it will take the appeal court to mandate the restoration of same-sex marriage based on its previous ruling.
At least a few days is the likely answer. Advocates for same-sex marriage will demand speedy mandates, while some counties may want a little time to handle any administrative issues involving marriage licenses. But if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't act, it shouldn't be too long.
Because it has been more than four years since those five months in 2008 when same-sex marriage was legal. And for many gay couples, the wait has already been too long.


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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — David Ullstrom scored early in the third period to give the Islanders a big lead, and New York held off the Tampa Bay Lightning fight back — winning 4-3 on Monday.
Coach Jack Capuano returned to the Islanders and guided them to their first win of the season. He missed the opening-night loss to New Jersey on Saturday because of surgery to remove a kidney stone.
Michael Grabner, Matt Martin and Kyle Okposo scored in a 12-minute span of the second period to put the Islanders ahead 3-0. Ullstrom gave New York a four-goal lead 91 seconds into the final period.
Martin St. Louis, Benoit Pouliot and Steven Stamkos scored in a 5½-minute stretch, pulling Tampa Bay within a goal with 12 minutes left. The Lightning couldn't get anything else past Evgeni Nabokov, who stopped 23 of 26 shots.
Anders Lindback allowed all four of New York's goals on 44 shots.
For the first 40 minutes, New York was much tighter defensively than it was in the 2-1 loss to the Devils. The Islanders took away the middle of the ice, forcing the potent Lightning to the perimeter.
The clogging of the defensive zone allowed the Islanders to force mistakes. New York took advantage of those turnovers with goals by Grabner, Martin and Okposo.
Grabner opened the scoring 5:38 into the second period with a power-play goal. His first goal of the season also marked New York's first lead of the season.
Martin and Okposo scored consecutive goals in a 62-second span to make it 3-0. As Martin's penalty for holding expired, Tavares sprung him for a semi-breakaway and the New York forward snapped past Lindback's stickside at 16:23 to give the Islanders a 2-0 advantage.
Okposo then came down on a 2-on-1 and scored his first goal of the season.
Ullstrom's off-wing goal 1:31 into the third grew the lead to 4-0 before the Lightning rallied.
St. Louis' goal was his third in two games while Stamkos and Pouliot got their first. Stamkos scored 60 last season and has twice led the NHL in goals.
NOTES: New York went 1 for 7 on the power play. Tampa Bay was 0 for 3 on the man advantage. … Vincent Lecavalier played his 1,000th NHL game. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Lecavalier has played his entire career with the Lightning. … The Lightning made a minor trade Monday morning, acquiring forward Jean-Francois Jacques from the Florida Panthers for future considerations. Jacques, 27, has played in 166 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. He had seven points (five goals and two assists) in 24 games with the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
Is everyone overlooking the Isles? Let us know…
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)


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Yeeehaw! Okay, it's not that kind of round-up. There are no cows or bulls, no ropes and no manure (although that might be a matter of opinion). What I thought I'd do is re-introduce you to some of the Fabulous Fiction Peeps I've had the honor to host on this blog.
First, you may have heard of this guy. He's the best-selling author of The Warded Man and The Desert Spear, along with The Great Bazaar and Other Stories and Brayan's Gold. His name is Peter V. Brett, and you can find my interview with him from 2009 here. I find his comments about publishing especially interesting.
Next up is an interview with Jeremy C. Shipp. I think he had the best answer I've ever heard about the future of publishing. Although I haven't done a review of "Cursed" yet, it is on my list. Which is about as long as my left leg, right now. *sigh*
My next victim…uh, I mean my next GUEST…was a badass chick by the name of Susan Helene Gottfried, author of Trevor's Song, Shapeshifter: The Demo Tapes – Year 1 and ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes – Year 2. She inhabits the world of rock and roll, kicking asses and taking names.
Of course, I have a soft spot for editors, and I have two I've interviewed here. First is the "Goddess of Flash", Esther Schrader, the Editor-in-Chief for Flashshot. Second is the Mad Aussie, aka Matthew Glenn Ward. In addition to his editor duties (although Skive has been regretfully retired) he found time to compose his novel, John F. Kennedy Lives in the Future! and is one of my favorite people.
Podcasting is a fast-growing portion of the fiction market, and to that end I wanted a word or two with Kate Sherrod who also composes some brilliant sonnets in her spare time. Besides the podcast point of view, Kate is A Very Interesting Person, and you can read the fascinating interview here.
MeiLin Miranda is probably one of the most innovative and hard-working indie authors I know. She's recently won the Preditors and Editors Best Erotic Novel for 2010 as voted by the readers. You can find "Lovers and Beloveds" in a wide variety of formats, and you can find my interview with her here.
Last, but far from least, if you haven't met him, now's your chance. Yes, it's Joseph Paul Haines, author of Ten With a Flag and Other Playthings. He's got a lot to say, and pay attention. He knows what he's talking about.
Quite a stellar line-up, if I do say so myself. Every one of these artists are hardworking, dedicated, twisted, demented and brilliantly talented. The have all inspired me in different ways to become better at my chosen career, they have offered hope that it can be done and lead by example. These guys don't just talk the talk, people, they walk the walk. Every one has marched to their own beat and represents a different aspect of the writing journey. I hope you enjoy the interviews as much as I did conducting them.


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The Central Connecticut women's track and field team completed its first day of competition at the New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday. Senior Shelby Tuttle led CCSU, qualifying for Saturday's finals in two events including the 100m and 400m hurdles.
Tuttle raced a career-best time of 1:02.66 in the 400m hurdles, finishing fourth out of 30 competitors. She was followed closely by sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez, who also qualified for tomorrow's finals, with her time of 1:03.90 (sixth).
In the 100m hurdles, Tuttle crossed the line in 14.65 seconds for an impressive fifth-place finish in a field of 39. She was followed by freshman Melissa Wolliston who finished 15th with her own personal-best time of 15.02.
Freshman Sherise Truman also competed for CCSU. She appeared in two events, the 100m and 200m dash preliminaries. In the 100m, she finished in 12.70 seconds for 29th place out of 40 sprinters. In the 200m, she placed 26th of 31, crossing the line in 25.99.
The Blue Devils are set to return to action tomorrow, Saturday, May 10, for their second day of competition at the New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Westfield, MA.


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The number of Colorado farms and ranches appears to be slipping.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service says there were an estimated 36,100 farms and ranches in the state in 2010. That would be down by 100 operations from 2009.
The agency says about 31.2 million acres in Colorado are in farms, and the average size of each farm is 864 acres.
Nationwide, it says, the amount of land in farms rose last year by 100,000 acres to about 920 million acres. There are an estimated 2.2 million farms nationwide. The number has held roughly steady the last two years.


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Visit our Discord community hangout and have a real-time talk with the regulars, and keep track of UnrealSP.org developments.
Development on a new site is currently in-progress.
Until then, site contents are available on the Legacy site!
Additionally, newer content written by our staff is available in a temporary subforum.
We sincerely apologize for the delays in recreating the site.
Moderators: ividyon, Semfry, zYnthetic
Post Posted: 24 Jan 2019, 06:39
Post Posted: 25 Jan 2019, 12:44
salsaSkaarj wrote:jazz wrote:Thx Jackrabbit for the videos. There were some great exploits in your strategy but you do realise I may have to 'fill those gaps' at a later date to make it more interesting, heh.OMG noooo ?!?.That settles it: No more mentioning of exploits which could be blocked in future updates I'm joking of course but still, how do you define an exploit?Strictly speaking the AI cannot improvise and if the player finds a way to avoid certain death, congrats to the player. Unless it's an error which crept into the implementation of the design, I'ld say leave it as it is.Take Signs and Portents, on Unreal difficulty I tried to go out into the open but couldn't handle the heat so I made use of the inside mountain area which also has its risks (spashdamage from rockets, Flak and blades) but isn't an exploit. The greatest exploit of all is using knowledge from previous playthroughs (e.g. knowing where the armour and health powerups are and not taking them before you know for sure that the point of no return hasn't been passed (after which those powerups cannot be reached anymore). I'm probably the player who takes the most time to beat Xenome, and that's because I don't have the reflexes JackRabbit has, nor the automatisms to change weapons that fast (and getting the correct weapon immediately is a problem for me). But I guarantee that my playing pleasure lasted longer and if I hadn't found some of my "exploits" I might have given up (including some foreknowledge without which some fights are almost impossible except for the UB's and JackRabbits).I'll never complain that an obvious exploit which is so easy to see should be fixed but I didn't encounter any of those (perhaps the trigger exploit in Cobalt with the Spider sisters but even if that is fixed, a rocket or shock jump (thanks UB for teaching me that) can make that part a stroll instead of a fight). I'ld say: leave that for the player to find if the spider fight is too hard at first.I can only speak for myself but the avoidance actions I undertook, although they could be considered exploits, were the result of actively searching for options and trying various strategies (since my head on strategy didn't work) and are an integral part of the funfactor.The videos by JackRabbit, and my posts about Xenome (and UB's) may have given the impression that it's an easy pack. It is not an easy pack at all, perhaps not as difficult as Xidia (which is really at the limit on Unreal) or Zephon (first release) which was unfair, and certainly not ... forgot the name, a large pack with crabs and bots, absolutely unplayable even on Easy). Don't make it so that only the special forces can beat the map, some of those special forces had to learn in dangerous situations and actually learned to look for and use exploits.
jazz wrote:Thx Jackrabbit for the videos. There were some great exploits in your strategy but you do realise I may have to 'fill those gaps' at a later date to make it more interesting, heh.
Post Posted: 26 Jan 2019, 10:48
radios wrote:years ago, and it's possibly still around, there was a site with nice U/UT weapons, one was the nuker, you enter summon nuker.nuker in the console and you get the modified flak gun that shot a nuclear weapon that tracked enemies, no more looking for the best weapon!..
Post Posted: 31 Jan 2019, 14:09
Post Posted: 01 Feb 2019, 10:43
salsaSkaarj wrote:@Sat42Have you played this yet? *awaiting an answer which will determine whether I'll put you on my Foe list or not *
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.
Post Posted: 04 Feb 2019, 20:42
Sat42 wrote:First things first: I must play Project Xenome: First Day.
Post Posted: 14 Feb 2019, 23:58
Post Posted: 09 Mar 2019, 18:26
Post Posted: 12 Jun 2019, 21:13
Post Posted: 22 Aug 2019, 04:44
Post Posted: 22 Aug 2019, 17:46
Yhe1 wrote:Is part 3 of this project still being worked on?
Post Posted: 21 Oct 2019, 03:11
Post Posted: 21 Oct 2019, 03:14
Post Posted: 01 Jan 2020, 23:30
Delacroix wrote:https://mega.nz/#!eCZTxCJa!trllDtdaW5u3R8YFKNqVj-BVGkAJi2NRQJ5IOTsUT6g
Post Posted: 02 Jan 2020, 10:06
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Drug information provided by: IBM Micromedex
Pirbuterol is used alone or together with other medicines, to prevent bronchospasm in patients 12 years of age and older with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases.
Pirbuterol belongs to the family of medicines known as adrenergic bronchodilators. Adrenergic bronchodilators are medicines that are breathed in through the mouth to open up the bronchial tubes (air passages) in the lungs. They relieve cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and troubled breathing by increasing the flow of air through the bronchial tubes.
This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Use of pirbuterol in children younger than 12 years of age is not recommended.
No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of pirbuterol in geriatric patients.
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
Inhaled pirbuterol is used with a special inhaler that comes with patient instructions. Read the directions carefully before using this medicine. If you do not understand the directions or you are not sure how to use the inhaler, ask your doctor to show you what to do. Also, ask your doctor to check regularly how you use the inhaler to make sure you are using it properly.
Use this medicine only as directed. Do not use more of it and do not use it more often than your doctor ordered. Also, do not stop taking this medicine without telling your doctor. To do so may increase the chance of side effects.
Do not stop using this medicine or other asthma medicines that your doctor has prescribed for you unless you have discussed this with your doctor.
When you use the inhaler for the first time, or if you have not used it for more than 48 hours, the inhaler may not give the right amount of medicine with the first puff. Therefore, before using the inhaler, prime it by spraying the medicine two times into the air away from the face, and shaking it well before each spray.
Do not use the inhaler for this medicine with any other medicine.
If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Store the canister at room temperature, away from heat and direct light. Do not freeze. Do not keep this medicine inside a car where it could be exposed to extreme heat or cold. Do not poke holes in the canister or throw it into a fire, even if the canister is empty.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.
It is very important that your doctor check your progress or your child's progress at regular visits. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to check for any unwanted effects caused by the medicine.
This medicine may cause paradoxical bronchospasm, which may be life-threatening. Check with your doctor right away if you are having a cough, difficulty with breathing, shortness of breath, or wheezing.
Check with your doctor at once if difficulty with breathing continues after using a dose of this medicine or if your condition gets worse.
You may also be taking an anti-inflammatory medicine (e.g., corticosteroids) for asthma along with this medicine. Do not stop taking the anti-inflammatory medicine even if your asthma seems better, unless you are told to do so by your doctor.
Hypokalemia may occur while you are using this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have more than one of the following symptoms: convulsions; decreased urine; dry mouth; increased thirst; irregular heartbeat; loss of appetite; mood changes; muscle pain or cramps; nausea or vomiting; numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or lips; shortness of breath; or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Do not change your dose or stop using this medicine without asking your doctor first.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems, and herbal or vitamin supplements.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur:
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2020
Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/pirbuterol-inhalation-route/description/drg-20073563
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The San Jose State University Police Department has scheduled a news conference for Thursday at 10am to address the recent tragedies on their campus.
The Livestream of that conference will be within this story. Below is our original coverage of the double murder, suicide.
A shooting in a San Jose State University parking garage on Tuesday night left three people dead, including the shooter, a school spokeswoman said.
Campus spokesperson Pat Harris said Wednesday morning that the shooting was a double murder suicide, adding the weapon was found at the scene.
The shooting happened at about 8:30 p.m. on the fifth floor of the 10th Street garage at the corner of East San Fernando and South 10th streets.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died later at a hospital.
An initial message was sent out over the university's internal public address system, and was later followed up by an alert sent to students via text message informing students and staff of the incident.
The garage was closed for several hours after the shooting, but at least partially reopened shortly after midnight. Many students waited around in hopes of getting their car out of the garage.
The San Jose Police Department is assisting with the investigation, and sent two homicide detectives and a crime scene investigator to the university Tuesday night, police spokesman Officer Jose Garcia said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the San Jose State University Police Department at (408) 924-2168.
Bay City News


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Apple launched a new holiday TV ad this week that is also going viral online.
The ad features a teenage boy who appears to be engrossed in his iPhone during the entire duration of a holiday gathering with his family. But at the end of the 90 second commercial, he surprises his family with a beautifully crafted homemade video that captured the baking, sledding, hugging, tree-decorating and other tender moments that played out over the course of the previous few days.
The commercial, which was set to the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," both tugs at the heartstrings and shows off the iPhone's spiffy video-making capabilities.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Apple posted the ad to their YouTube page on Monday and it has amassed nearly 3.4 million views as of Thursday afternoon.
Click on the video above to see the full ad.


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I have authored a web application RADIX, which for further optimisation needs to calculate the maximum number of places necessary to precisely represent the fraction part of a number of base $m$ in base $n$ (assuming a precise conversion is possible).
For example, assuming $f$ represents $15$ in base $64$, how many fraction digits are required to represent the number $f.f$ in base $10$?
I know that the maximum number of digits needed to represent the integer part can be calculated by taking the ceiling of $\log_{10}(64)$ * the number of digits (correct me if I'm wrong), but what about the fractional part of the number?
$f.f$ is $15.234375$ in base $10$, so one fraction numeral in base $64$ seems to require up to $6$ fraction digits in base $10$ to represent it, but is there a way I can calculate that in advance for any two bases?
At the moment I am using $\log_2(m)$ * the number of fraction digits of the number in base m, which happens to give just the right answer for the example above, i.e. $\log_2(64)$ is $6$, but it causes me to calculate to an unnecessarily high number of places for other conversions.
Example code, based on ShreevatsaR's expression for d in terms of m and n using prime factorisation.
# assumes float division
m = 288 # base of the number to be converted
n = 270 # base the number is to be converted to
i = 2
d = 0
while m > 1 and n > 1:
e = 0
f = 0
while m % i == 0:
e += 1
m /= i
while n % i == 0:
f += 1
n /= i
# if i is a prime factor of both m and n
if e != 0 and f != 0 and e / f > d:
d = math.ceil( e / f )
i += 1
if d == 0:
# No fraction part of a number of base m has a finite
# representation when converted to base n, and vice versa
# A maximum of d * r fraction digits is needed to represent the
# fraction part of a number of base m in base n, where r is the
# number of fraction digits of the number in base m


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Washington Healthplanfinder is the name of the state's online insurance exchange. But a private insurance agency is using the domain name "washingtonhealthplanfinder.org" to sign people up for policies.
Confused? State officials want to make certain consumers won't be.
"We are aware of this site and … forwarded to our Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner for investigation," said exchange spokeswoman Bethany Frey.
Officials in many states have long been monitoring the Web for look-alike websites that can result in fraud — or simply consumer confusion.
The copycat website in Washington resembles a state exchange, offering plans for individuals and businesses and informing visitors that open enrollment starts Oct 1. But the site is actually owned by a Seattle-based insurance agency. In small print, at the bottom of the site's home page, it says that it "is in no way associated with the official Washington Exchange web site."
Jeff Lindstrom, a partner with the Health Insurance Team insurance agency, said he he purchased the domain name last winter — around the same time the exchange chose Washington Healthplanfinder as its name. He said he told exchange officials last spring he would sell them the domain name but that they declined to negotiate. He refused to say whether his site would be confusing to people searching for the exchange.
Lindstrom said he has applied to become a licensed agency to sell insurance products available on the exchange but is uncertain whether he has that status. "Our website is built with the intent to be where our consumers are," he said.
One clue that the site is not the real deal is its Medicare offerings. The Affordable Care Act exchanges don't offer policies for people on Medicare.
The real Washington exchange says if people are unsure they are on the right site, they should call Washington Healthplanfinder toll-free at 1-855-WAFINDER. If they suspect a site is fraudulent, they should contact the state insurance commissioner's office at 1-800-562-6900.
Experts suggest that to avoid confusion, consumers should first head to the federal website healthcare.gov. On that site, they will be directed to the official marketplace for their state.


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G.Skill hasn't been the most active in terms out putting out SSDs but sometimes slow and steady wins the race. Their latest is the Phoenix Pro line sporting capacities ranging from 40GB all the way up to 240GB. We had the pleasure of test driving the 120GB model to see how it compared to its peers in the marketplace.
Featuring the much lauded SandForce SF-1200 controller, at $249 for the 120GB model, they aren't what would be considered a "value" priced drive. Then again, as you'll see, the benchmarks numbers don't reflect value level performance either. If you've done some reading on SandForce-based drives, you already know that they are some of the best performing drives available and we expect the Phoenix Pro to be no different.
|Model Name:
|SandForce SF-1200 Series
|Form Factor:
|DRAM Cache:
|Interface Type:
|Performance Specifications
|Read Rate:
|285MB/sec(Max)(Tested with ATTO 2.43)
|Write Rate:
|275MB/sec(Max)(Tested with ATTO 2.43)
|Up to 50000(disk aligned ; 4KB random write)
|Access Time:
|Environmental Specifications
|Shock (operating):
|Vibration (operating):
|Altitude (operating):
|Operating Temp.:
|0oC ~ +70oC
|Reliability Specifications
|+2,000,000 Hours
|Data Reliability:
|Built-in EDC/ECC function
|RoHS FCC and CE Compliant
|3 years
|*As used for storage capacity, one megabyte (MB) = one million bytes, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes, and one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment. As used for buffer or cache, one megabyte (MB) = 1,048,576 bytes. As used for transfer rate or interface, megabyte per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second, and gigabit per second (Gb/s) = one billion bits per second.
The packaging was very nice with the drive packed in the usual anti-static bag, tucked snugly into a foam pocket and covered by the 3.5″ to 2.5″ adapter plate which slides neatly into the slots on either side of the drive. Not much chance of damage during transit here – especially as tough as SSDs are. Also included is a user guide that lists the specifications, warranty information and installation instructions which can largely be ignored by all but the most noob of users. One noteworthy item is that the guide in our review sample lists the warranty as a 2 year, but G.Skill recently upped that to 3 years. The retail boxed versions may or may not have this correct so I thought it relevant to point out.
Nothing remarkable about the outside of the drive. It features the typical SATA power connector and a SATA II data connector. Both sides have stickers featuring G.Skill branding, artwork and the ever present part and serial number information. I think this is the first drive I've seen that actually lists the read/write ratings on the drive itself.
Against the advice of the legalese sticker warning us of delicate parts and the voiding of warranties, we cracked open the case to have a look inside for your viewing pleasure. Click on over to page 2 to have a gander.
Comments are closed.


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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has published a new blog on Jrsbarbq.com. Here are some highlights.
Chris Jericho's WWE return: Really enjoyed the Rumble match. Chris Jericho was arguably one of the MVP's of the PPV and Y2J coming out 2nd in the Rumble order of entry gave the crowd life and the match an early hit that seemed to be sustained throughout. Brilliant placement for the future WWE HOFer. @IAmJericho ruled Sunday night.
Bo Dallas entering the Rumble: What a nice welcome to WWE for @TheBoDallas, a 3rd generation talent who many of us have watched evolve for a good while in NXT where I will be this Thursday night.
The Rock vs. John Cena: Rock vs Cena 2 is potentially HUGE money and that is and always has been the bottom line in this genre…money.
CM Punk's WWE title reign: @CMPunk reign as WWE Champion added more stature and credibility to the WWE Title than any other reign that I can recall in recent memory because of the amount of days Punk spent on top. My hat's off to him. Punk was another Royal Rumble MVP in my eyes.
The Rock's performance at The Rumble: @TheRock wrestling the amount of time that he did in a show closing performance considering his lack of in ring time over the past several months was pretty amazing. Ring rust only is removed inside the ring and Rock showed his natural athletic skills and his desire to be the best in the long, physical match with Punk.
Several Live Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View Photos – Rumble Match, Rock vs CM Punk and Much More….


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All you need for this game is a pack of cards. While you play the
game, think about strategies that will increase your chances of
Can you beat Piggy in this simple dice game? Can you figure out Piggy's strategy, and is there a better one?
These red, yellow and blue spinners were each spun 45 times in
total. Can you work out which numbers are on each spinner?


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Organization is the key to being a successful coupon shopper. If you can't find the coupon you need it does you no good!
The biggest tip I can offer to couponers is DON'T CLIP coupons until you need them! I recommend getting multiple Sunday papers. .which means you could spend hours clipping coupons every Sunday! You'll waste a lot of time and probably end up with carpal tunnel. . .so instead, I recommend just filing your newspaper coupon inserts by date, so you can find them easily when you need them!
Here's how to organize your inserts
The first thing I do is take a marker and put the date on the front cover of the insert. For example, these inserts were from the July 11 newspaper, so I put a big 7/11 on the front cover. This makes it easier when you are trying to find a specific insert.
If you are not sure which newspaper a coupon insert came from, check the binding/edge of the insert. In TINY, TINY print you'll find the date and even the newspaper it came in. For example, Tacoma News Tribune, 7/11/10. So now you know when my blog says, "Use $1/1 coupon from 7/11 Red Plum" that you would grab this insert to find the coupon you need!
Then file them by date! You can use a portable file cabinet like this, a regular file cabinet with hanging folders or even magazine holders (see photo below). Have them labeled by date. (I'm lazy, so my hanging folders don't have dates on them in this picture – but you can use post-it notes to easily label the folders. I file mine with the newest ones in front, but you can do it however it works for you.)
It doesn't have to be fancy!!! Use whatever you have on hand to organize your inserts so you can find them by date. That way, when I list a deal and I say, "Use the $1/1 coupon from the 8/2 P&G insert" you know where that insert is and you can go and clip the coupon when you need it!!
Now, you can't obviously carry all your Sunday inserts around, so there are a couple schools of thought in "mobile" coupon organization. Pick the one that works best for you.
These are a few examples:


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The importance of planning
Planning ahead for your own funeral can give you peace of mind. By buying a funeral plan, you will know that your family can turn to your arrangements at a distressing time, and will not have worries about the cost of your funeral.
We will arrange everything on your behalf. You can choose either to be buried or cremated, and you can note readings, hymns or other aspects of the funeral on your plan, so that your family will know your wishes.
Our plans are very flexible so you can simply let us know if you change your mind or would like to add new elements to the plan.
You can call in at any of our funeral directors to find out more and set up your plan, or if you prefer we can visit you at home in Sevenoaks, Ashford, Orpington, Swanley, Staplehurst, Maidstone, Sittingbourne & Larkfield in Kent and the surrounding areas.
Just ring us on 01803 298 243 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
Or visit us for more information Choiceplan
Or call Doves Funeral Directors for Choice Funeral Plans anytime.


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Opera Singer Who Can't Stop Farting While Singing Sues for $2.5 Million
Here's a legal battle you probably won't see anytime soon on 'Judge Judy.'
An opera singer has filed a lawsuit against a hospital, claiming a procedure she had while giving birth has left her unable to sing without passing gas.
Yes, you read that right.
Amy Herbst, who worked with the Nashville Opera Company, is suing Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Hospital because of the incident, which happened when she went there to have a baby.
It's kind of hard to explain -- not to mention somewhat graphic -- so in simple terms Herbst had to be treated for a tear, which did not properly heal and, according to her suit, caused her to struggle when it comes to controlling her bodily functions:
As a result of her incontinence and excessive flatulence, Herbst has been unable to work as a professional opera singer."
Herbst is suing for $2.5 million.
Her prognosis doesn't appear promising. Doctors have told her reconstructive surgery may not help and she may need to undergo a series of other operations.


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In the latest excerpt from The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation, Ken A. Priebe continues his lesson on building puppets, focusing on silicone and plastic casting.
Foam latex has long been a popular material for creating the outer skin or entire body of a stop-motion puppet over its armature. The basic elements that are needed for a foam latex puppet are the sculpt (the official term for the original clay sculpture of the puppet) and a plaster mold formed around the sculpt. The foam latex goes inside the mold along with the armature and becomes a cast replica of the sculpt. Foam latex comes as a series of about five different liquid agents that are mixed together to gel into a soft, spongy material. Once it is cured by baking it in a convection oven, it basically behaves like upholstery foam, which springs back into shape even after touching it. Although foam latex is stinky and tricky to mix properly, it is relatively easy to repair and very lightweight, which are both important qualities for a stop-motion puppet.
Another material that has become very popular in recent years for puppet fabricators is silicone. Silicone is easier to mix than foam latex (only two agents are needed, instead of five) and can be used to create both puppets and molds. The appearance of silicone skin for a puppet has a different quality than foam latex; it can potentially be smoother and more translucent. Although foam latex can be cast and painted to appear very smooth, it will often have a certain degree of texture to it. The smoothness and attention to detail from the original sculpt that silicone provides gives a great deal of creative freedom for different character designs. The other advantage that silicone has is that it will only stick to itself, so it can be worked with alongside a variety of other materials. At the same time, there are some materials that do not react well with silicone, including latex and any sulfur-based modeling clays.
When working with silicone or any other chemicals, it's important to understand what you are dealing with. By law, safety sheets must be provided and sent along with any chemicals you purchase or order, and it's important to read them carefully before cracking the chemicals open. Safety precautions and guidelines will typically tell you to protect your skin, lungs, and eyes from the material, so rubber/latex gloves, masks, and safety glasses are very important to have on hand. The instructions will also tell you how long you can work with the product before it starts changing. The time span for working with silicone before it sets (and is no longer in a pourable liquid form) is referred to as its pot life; its cure time is how long it takes to cure fully. Pot life is usually only a few minutes, and cure time is typically 24 to 48 hours. Silicone comes in at least two liquid parts that need to be mixed together: the inert silicone base and an additional 10% of an activating agent that causes it to solidify. There are also softening or retarding agents you can buy that can be mixed in to change the silicone's consistency or slow down its pot life, but these are only necessary if you want additional control over it. Once these different agents are one uniform color after mixing (in a cup or bucket, with any kind of stirring tool), you know it's ready to start using before it sets.
Another important thing to understand about silicone is there are some types that are better for molding (creating a negative impression of a sculpt) and others better for casting (creating the replica of the sculpt that comes out of the mold). Within these two categories, there will be different brands and varieties, each with their own characteristics. Molding silicone is generally much denser and harder, so if you use it for puppet skin over the armature, you won't be able to bend it easily. It also typically comes in specific colors like pink, purple, orange, blue, or green, which are not very convenient base colors for a puppet. Certain brands of molding silicone include Mold Max, RTV, and many others. Most types of silicone that work well for molding are of the tin-cure variety, but others that are platinum-cure can be used as well.
For casting a silicone puppet, the best silicone products are of the special effects variety. These are mostly platinum-cure, much softer, and will easily bend and flex over an armature like real skin. Casting silicone typically becomes transparent or milky translucent when it cures, and you want to make sure the activator that mixes with the base says it's translucent on the bottle. For this reason, if you want a specific color for your puppet, an acrylic tint must be added to the base while mixing. This step has traditionally been important because silicone does not respond well to being painted afterward. In more recent years, however, there have been new developments made in certain silicone products that enable them to be painted. In those cases, tinting may not be necessary. All the same, tinting in the actual mixing process creates one less step later and ensures a smooth surface in the color you want, and you do not need to worry about hiding brush strokes in applying paint. For skin tones, you can alternatively use just a few drops of oil-based foundation from your local drug store's make-up department. Some popular brands of casting silicones include DragonSkin, Plastil, and EcoFlex. There is also a product by Smooth-On called Soma-Foma, a silicone foam that bonds well with other brands and can help to create extremely lightweight puppets. (It also has an extremely fast pot life, about 30 seconds, so it must be worked with very quickly before concealing it into a mold for curing.)
Many different kinds of silicone, both for molding and casting, can be browsed and acquired through Smooth-On (http://www.smooth-on.com), the Compleat Sculptor (http://www.sculpt.com), Sculpture Supply Canada (http://www.sculpturesupply.com), and other special effects/sculpture service companies that sell these kinds of products, depending on your country of residence.
Casting a Silicone Puppet
The general rule for molding and casting, because the mold needs to come apart, is that if your cast is meant to be soft and flexible (like foam latex or silicone), its mold should be created in a hard material (like plaster). If your cast is meant to be a hard material that does not bend (like plastic or resin), its mold should be created in a soft material (like silicone). There are some methods for using silicone in both molding and casting simultaneously, which are mentioned later in this chapter, but for the time being, let's say you need to cast flexible silicone around the armature of your puppet using a plaster mold. A basic overview of this process, using pictures from the creation of Charlie's hands from Ava, is provided below. (All photos in these molding/casting sections are courtesy of Bronwen Kyffin and Melanie Vachon.)
The first step is to create the sculpt, which can be of the entire puppet or just part of it (Figure 3.58). When creating a sculpt for eventual casting in silicone, it is important to use a modeling clay that is not sulfur based. Silicone is generally sensitive to sulfur materials, which can cause it not to cure properly. Some brands of clay that can be used include Chavant NSP and Prima Plastalina. Before creating a mold for the sculpt, it should be lacquered with Krylon Crystal Clear spray to create a barrier that keeps it from getting damaged or reacting with any other substances to which you'll be subjecting it.
The sculpt is surrounded completely by a bed of a different kind of clay, commonly a brand called Klean Klay (http://www.kleanklay.com), which is not sulfur based and is ideal for the mold-making process (Figure 3.59). Klean Klay is not recommended for creating the actual sculpt, but it works well for making molds. The clay bed is continually smoothed out and wrapped around the sculpt with a palette sculpting tool so that it is airtight and lines up exactly through the midpoint in a perfectly straight line around its perimeter. The point where the clay bed touches the sculpt is where the seam will be located when both halves of the mold are put together and pulled apart. In many cases, this is at the exact equator of the sculpt, but depending on the design of what you are molding, it is useful to find a point on the sculpt where the seam will not be very visible to the camera. In the clay bed, registration points called keys are created using marbles or any other round or square objects, which will help both halves of the eventual mold to fit together (Figure 3.60). It's best to plan ahead when figuring out how you plan to get the silicone inside the mold. It's possible to just pour it into the open molds, but you might prefer to have a hole for pouring it in while the mold is clamped shut. In this case, it's a good idea to sculpt in a pry point for sticking in a tool to help pull it apart later. You also may want some exit channels built in so you know that the silicone is flowing through the entire cavity all the way to the highest point (like the fingertips for a full body cast). The idea behind the mold itself is to make it as perfectly smooth and functional as possible, think ahead to how you will fill it and get it apart, and think of it as two puzzle pieces that fit together around your sculpt.
Next, the sculpt in its clay bed needs a wall built around it in order to hold the shape of the first half of the plaster mold (Figure 3.61). The wall can be built from almost anything, such as slabs of clay or, in this case, large-sized Duplo or Lego blocks. The smooth, square shape created by the blocks provides a nice surface for the mold to be built against. To avoid leakage and air pockets, the corners of the Lego fortress can be patched with more Klean Klay.
Once the wall is complete, plaster (Ultracal or Hydrocal 30, not art-store plaster of paris varieties) is mixed and poured in to create the first half of the mold (Figure 3.62). After this hardens, the Lego wall is taken away, the clay bed removed, and all clay remnants washed away with water. The sculpt remains inside the plaster mold, which is coated with Vaseline to aid in eventually prying it apart from the next mold half. The process with the Lego wall can now be repeated as another layer of plaster is poured on top of the first mold half inside. When this is complete, there will be a two-part hard plaster mold for the original sculpt (Figure 3.63), which can now be removed. As an alternative to plaster, you can also create molds for a silicone puppet from a two-part plastic or resin. This would involve mixing and pouring it over the sculpt in a manner similar to this method.
Now, it's time to get the mold ready to cast some silicone! First, the armature is laid inside the mold, and it needs a way to stay suspended right in the middle because everything around it will be eventually filled in with sticky, gooey liquid silicone. There are a few ways to do this, which may vary depending on the design of what you are casting. It also depends on how you plan to get the silicone into the mold. For Charlie's hands, the armature was held in place by a lump of Klean Klay placed within the entrance hole where the silicone was poured in. Both halves of the mold should be clamped shut as tightly as possible to avoid leakage and to ensure that the mold will be filled up properly (Figure 3.64). As the mixed silicone batch is poured into the entrance hole, the mold cavity surrounding the armature, which is being suspended upside-down, fills up. When pouring the silicone into or onto any space, it's important to avoid the creation of air bubbles as it collects and starts to cure. Bubbles can create unwanted warping in the surface of your puppet. To alleviate bubbles, it helps to first tap the container (with the silicone inside it) firmly onto a flat surface after mixing it; this forces the bubbles out. When applying it or pouring it out, you can also drizzle the silicone in a thin, high pour, raising it slowly about 1 foot above the mold (Figure 3.65). These methods will work well if you're doing this on your own at home, and if you have the means or space, following this process in a specially built vacuum chamber will help to suck any air bubbles out of the silicone as you work with it.
Another method for getting the silicone into the mold is to leave both halves of the mold open, mix a batch of silicone, and start by pouring a thin layer directly into the mold cavity. This is essentially skinning the impression of the sculpt in the mold and creating the outer layer of the cast, so it's important to get into every nook and cranny of the mold and avoid trapping any air bubbles inside. After skinning the mold, more silicone is poured into the mold to fill it up, and the armature is rested on top of the setting silicone in exactly the right suspended position. Within a few minutes, depending on the pot life of the silicone, the first half will begin to cure. Meanwhile, the second half of the mold is skin-coated and filled in with more silicone. Then, the first half of the mold with the armature in it can be flipped over, pressed onto the second mold, clamped shut, and left to cure completely. All of the silicone will bond with itself inside to create the bulk of whatever you are casting.
Once the silicone is cured, the mold is pried open to reveal the cast of the original sculpt, with its armature living inside and totally flexible for animation (Figure 3.66)! The next step is to trim off any extra flash of thin silicone that may have spilled over the mold cavity. This can be done with fine scissors to trim it right up to the edge of the seam. To help conceal the seam a bit more, it may help to cut a groove into the edge and patch it up with a thin layer of silicone. During this setting time before it completely cures, continual patching, smoothing, or texture stamping can still be worked into the surface, depending on the design and look you are after.
In another example, for Ava's neck, an additional piece of silicone is cast to form a shape similar to a shirt dickie to go under her clothes (Figure 3.67). The shape itself is sculpted in clay, and the first part is molded upside-down so that the second half can be molded around it right-side-up. The result is a thin, flexible neck piece that has been shaped to fit around the armature over her shoulders.
Making a Silicone Mold
As I mentioned before, in most cases, a hard mold is required to create a soft cast, but it is also possible to create a silicone mold (using molding silicone) for a silicone puppet (using casting silicone). If it is a two-part mold similar to the plaster ones I just described, the steps for creating it, like using the Lego wall around the clay bed and pouring over it, are basically the same. The big difference in using this method is that you must apply onto your mold and sculpt a universal release agent so that the silicone will not bond to itself and can easily be pulled apart. If you miss a spot, it will bond as one piece because silicone only sticks to itself. If you are casting silicone within silicone, this is very important.
The advantage to a flexible silicone mold is that it is more forgiving than a plaster mold when it comes to undercuts. An undercut is any surface on the sculpt (and resulting cast) where the mold can easily get locked in underneath and cause damage to the cast when pulling it apart. Undercuts on the sculpt can be avoided by always creating shapes that are angled the right way toward it, but if they do occur, a flexible silicone mold is a bit easier to twist around it when releasing the cast. Creating a two-part mold that fits together and comes apart like the plaster mold can be done easily in silicone, and then it can be filled with any material that will create a hard cast. Within a soft silicone mold, you can cast duplicate hard copies of props, toys, and any hard parts of a puppet (Figure 3.68), such as accessories or entire heads. Silicone molds can be filled with resins, plastics, and even melted clay for clay puppets.
For Ava, the heads for both puppets were cast in plastic in a silicone mold. A different approach was taken in creating these molds, which were created as one piece in a bucket instead of a two-part mold created in two halves. The sculpt for the head is first done in sulfur-free plasticine clay, and then attached to a post to hold it in place. For a head or any other object like this, it's a good idea to build the initial sculpt around a ball of foil attached to the post. This will help cut down on the weight and help keep it from slipping off when it's suspended in the mold later.
The next step is to cover the sculpt in a thin skin of molding silicone to create the detailed impression that will be inside the mold. The silicone is drizzled over the top of the sculpt and pushed around with a brush to get inside every nook and cranny, without bubbles. Rather than brushing the silicone on, which creates more bubbles, it's more like pushing it around and into the cracks, without worrying about washing the brush, either. As the silicone drips and collects at the bottom, it can be lifted back onto the top and essentially pushed around to coat it completely. The idea is to skin the entire sculpt in a layer of silicone without bubbles (Figures 3.69 to 3.71).
The next step is to suspend the skinned sculpt upside-down in a bucket (or in a plastic cup for a smaller-sized head). The post to which the head is attached can be attached to a wooden plank that rests over the top of the bucket or suspended in some other way to hold it there. Another solution, to alleviate the possibility of the head falling off the post and into the bucket, is to fill the bottom of the bucket with a layer of silicone and let it cure. This would act as a cushion to rest the head on while it's suspended. Once that is all in place, the rest of the space inside the bucket is filled to the brim with more silicone and left to cure overnight. Bubbles are not as much of an issue in this filler space for the mold itself because they will rise to the surface anyway. The post to which the head or object is attached, suspending it into the surrounding mold, will also serve as an entrance channel for pouring the plastic in during the casting process. As another part of this process, it is important to note on the bucket itself (and later on the resulting mold) the positions of the front, backs and sides of the head inside (Figure 3.72).
Once the silicone is cured, it will be more firm on the surface and much less tacky. The mold can then be pulled out of the bucket or cup, and it will have taken on the same shape of the inside, much like a Popsicle (Figure 3.73). The next step is to get the head out! To accomplish this, an X-Acto blade is used to cut through the silicone as strata-cut layers in a zigzag pattern down a side of the mold (Figure 3.74). The cut is essentially acting as the seam for the mold itself. Therefore, it's important to place this opening near the back of the object being cast, or somewhere the camera won't necessarily notice it, in the event of cutting into the sculpt. The zigzag pattern also serves the purpose of registration keys so that the mold will always go back together in the same place. Cutting a straight seam line will cause it to slide around and could create inconsistencies in the resulting cast. Once the incision is complete, the flexible mold can be pried open to remove the sculpt, leaving a negative impression of the sculpt inside and a spout for pouring in the casting material (Figure 3.75). All remnants of clay that stray inside must be washed away completely with rubbing alcohol and water to avoid any bits of it getting stuck in anything else. Now, it should be ready to fill with plastic for casting!
Plastic Casting Plastic for casting starts as a two-part liquid that is essentially mixed together and allowed to harden inside the mold. Silicone molds are friendly for plastic casts because of their non-porous nature. Plastic is moisture sensitive, so if it is cast in anything porous, it will not set properly, and it may take longer in humid climates. As always, wear protective clothing like an apron, gloves, and safety glasses when using this stuff.
When you have your plastic ready to mix together, the empty silicone mold should also be standing by and resting back in the same kind of bucket or cup in which it was initially created. The two parts of whatever amount of plastic you use should be mixed together equally (1:1) by volume rather than weight. Each part can simply be poured into a separate cup, with a mark drawn on with a Sharpie to find a common point to pour into. Using patterned Dixie cups helps for finding this common point on two identical cups (Figure 3.76).
After reading all safety instructions and having everything you need ready to go, both bottles of plastic are shaken before opening. The typical pot life for most two-part plastics is about 4 minutes, with a cure time of about 30 minutes. In each cup, equal amounts of parts A and B are poured separately up to the designated marker (Figure 3.77). Part B is then poured into part A and scooped out with a stirring tool to make sure all of it gets out of the cup. Both parts are then stirred together for whatever length of time is indicated by the instructions (Figure 3.78). The next step is to simply pour the liquid plastic into the mold's entrance hole so that it can fill the empty cavity all the way to the top (Figure 3.79). A little bit of plastic is left inside the cup so that it can be watched while it hardens and act as a barometer for letting you know when the plastic inside the mold is ready to come out.
At this point, at least two different approaches can typically be taken with the plastic inside. If the plastic is simply left to harden while the mold sits still, the plastic will harden as a solid object inside. One thing to keep in mind in this case is that air bubbles in the plastic will off-gas upward as it cures, so it may not be uncommon to find a huge bubble at the top of the cast when releasing it, which would need some patching up with more plastic. The other method, referred to as slush casting, involves keeping the mold rotating constantly and slowly while the plastic is curing inside (Figure 3.80). This slushes and guides the plastic to the outer wall of the cast, leaving the inside hollow. A hollow head or other such object will allow for an attachment piece to be placed inside for affixing to a body armature, like a K&S tube, which can be attached inside the head with a bit more plastic to root it in there. A hollow head also cuts down on the weight, which is always important. While slushing the plastic around, it is still a good idea to know where the front and back of the head are inside the mold and to spend more time on the front of the head, where the face is. If any part of the cast needs to be patched, it's better to have this happen in the back, where it might not have as much screen time. It is best to plug the entrance hole with some Klean Klay or a cork, and move the mold around over the top of a garbage can in case any plastic leaks out. (The sample shown here in Figures 3.79 and 3.80 are for a smaller head that fit inside a large plastic cup, whereas the same process would have been done in a larger bucket for Charlie's head.)
When the cure time has passed and the remaining plastic inside the cup has turned white and hard, the mold can be taken out and pried open, and then release into the world a plastic cast replica of the sculpt (Figure 3.81)!
Ken A. Priebe has a BFA from University of Michigan and a classical animation certificate from Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts). He teaches stop-motion animation courses at VanArts and the Academy of Art University Cybercampus and has worked as a 2D animator on several games and short films for Thunderbean Animation, Bigfott Studios, and his own independent projects. Ken has participated as a speaker and volunteer for the Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter and is founder of the Breath of Life Animation Festival, an annual outreach event of animation workshops for children and their families. He is also a filmmaker, writer, puppeteer, animation historian, and author of the book The Art of Stop-Motion Animation. Ken lives near Vancouver, BC, with his graphic-artist wife Janet and their two children, Ariel and Xander.
Career Coach: Enjoy the JourneyPrevious Post
Putting a New Face on 'Mars Needs Moms'


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Baseball is coming.
Three days until Pitchers and Catchers report. Fifteen days until exhibition games begin. Fifty days until Opening Day.
But only 28 days before I'm in Florida myself. Four short weeks before I soak in the sun, splendor and hope of a new season.
While the games are nice (and are your only chance to see the major leaguers in action) the real fun for this fan is
down the road at Pirate City. Get there between 10 and 11- maybe earlier if it looks like there will be afternoon rain. You'll be immersed in baseball action, with four fields of hitting, pitching and fielding all withing sight of one another. Bring a media guide, or Tim's book, because the players won't have names on their jerseys. Also keep your eyes up and your ears open because you could be watching one field and get hit by a foul ball hit from another one.
The picture above was taken with my phone, standing right at the backstop. This is how close you get to the action at Pirate City. Closer than at the exhibition games, and way closer than a regular season game.
So if you're a fan and have never been to Spring Training for your team, do yourself a big favor and book it. But while you're there, don't just see the big leaguers. Stop by the practice field while the minor leaguers are playing too. Its totally worth it.
Editor's note: After some feedback I rewrote parts of this post for clarity.
Filed under: baseball, Pirates, Spring Training | Tagged: Bradenton, Pirates, Spring Training | Leave a comment »


text: Josh Egnew: Gomineko Tour Diary (Part II) By Josh Egnew Day 5 Up and at 'em! We hit our local ramen spot and jumped on the train. Today we were going to see the Great Buddha! As we exited the train and made our way through the tiny village, Crystal brought our attention to a vending machine that dispenses fortune poos. Yes, little piles of colored plastic poo complete with faces depicting their moods, each with an accompanying fortune! We had to have them... Finally, we arrived at The Great Buddha Kamakura. The seated Buddha is a National Treasure. Standing at 13.5 meters tall (44 feet) and weighing a respectable 121 tons it is quite a sight to behold. Initial construction of the Buddha began in 1252, and took around 10 years to complete. Beyond the Buddha itself, the surrounding gardens are magnificent and rife with reference material. Every lamp-post is adorned with images of foo dogs, dragons, water, swazi patterns, etc. If you really pay attention you will find so much inspiration here. Next we grabbed some hot green tea for our walk to the Hasedera shrine. (Note: wear comfortable shoes. As Crystal proclaims, you will lose a belt size if you do this tour and she ain't kidding.) Hasedera is basically the most beautiful garden that I've ever seen. Perched up on a hill, overlooking the sea while hawks circle overhead, it is about as peaceful as it gets. The place is littered with statues of the Buddha in all sizes. I'm not kidding there are hundreds of them. Again there was no shortage of imagery to photograph. Not only deities, but nature elements as well. Their collection of flowers was astounding. As we wrapped things up we hit a few local shops along the way back to the train for some souvenirs before heading off to Ninja restaurant for dinner. We got there well before our reservation, so we ventured into the local Hooters next door for drinks and sights. The rest of the evening was pretty reserved as our dogs had taken a beating. Day 6 Today we went back to visit Horiyoshi III again for Foerdl and Matty's appointments. This time we were visiting his newer studio. As we approached the door and read the sign stating that if you are ill to refrain from entering, we were reminded of how lucky we were to have these appointments. Up until we arrived it wasn't certain that we would actually get tattooed due to Horiyoshi III's time and health concerns. Not only was he in good spirits and health, but he was surprisingly affordable. On behalf of our whole group I would like to express our sincere respect and gratification for this man. While Matty was getting his HiHi tattoo we had the good fortune to meet a few of Horiyoshi III's visiting clients. They were very nice gentlemen who let us photograph their amazing hides. The one man had completed his full body suit in just two short years and it was stunning. That's the sort of dedication that most of us only dream of having. Next Foerdl was up to get a little shunga tat. I was pleased to find Horiyoshi III pull out a reference book that I had just acquired a few short days ago. He seemed to have a good time doing these tattoos and we surely had a blast getting them. As we wrapped things up, we parted ways with this incredible man and headed out into the night. Riding high, we decided to hit up the Yokohama amusement park for roller coasters and a Yokai themed haunted house. As we were leaving a couple of small boys ran up to us and gave us a couple of stuffed animals that they had won. It was quite odd receiving these gifts, but we obliged and in return gave them stickers. Carnival prizes in tow, we hopped in a cab and made off for a visit to Slapstick Tattoo where I was to do a guest spot after the tour. Takayuki's shop has got major style. The man is not only an impressive tattooer, but also a collector with an amazing eye. You can spend hours looking through his shop and believe me, I did. We parted ways and made our way back to Tokyo to feast at Godzilla restaurant. I'm not sure if that is actually the name, but they have a statue of the bugger out front, so that name is sticking. The restaurant sits on a canal and it is tops. We feasted on sushi, dumplings, skewers, sake. Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water. After that it was off to bed as the next day was to be a long one. Day 7 We hit the streets early to catch the two-hour train ride to Nikko. As our train weaved through the countryside it became apparent that we were truly going some place special. We had no idea. As we hiked the half hour or so up to the entrance of the Toshogu shrine we noticed many hand-made signs in the shop windows. Upon further inspection each sign had child-like illustrations with messages warning kids not talk to or take anything from strangers. It was quite odd as there were dozens of them through out this tiny town. Soon we were at the shrine. The Nikko Toshogu shrine is a world heritage site constructed in the early 1600s during the Edo period. Five of the eight structures are categorized as National Treasures of Japan. As we paid our entry we were given maps to the enormous grounds and left to roam freely for the next couple of hours. I was surely glad that I had cleared the memory on my camera this morning, as Crystal had suggested because I put a hurting on it. So much so that I eventually killed the battery and closed out the day with cell phone pics. This place is spectacular and the Fall couldn't have been a more beautiful time to witness it. This was a major day in terms of reference material. It is definitely a must-see destination. It felt like I was in a northern California forest in terms of trees, but full of some of the oldest and most amazing structures, sculptures and carvings that I have ever seen. We felt like little kids running around this place, which was unbelievably refreshing. As with any good holy place there was no shortage of good luck and donation opportunities. I took advantage of nearly every one if not all of them. I rang bells, I bought safety in traffic protection stickers and drank from the holy water fountains. Uh, don't do this. I regretted that a bit the next day as I nursed Pepto. If the next time you see me I have some sort of extra appendage growing from my body this will be why. Eh, I grew up in the Microwave Generation anyway, so I'm fucked regardless. As it grew darker we made our way back down the mountain for a fantastic ramen meal and we popped into a shop run by this amazing woman who makes unreal dragon paintings in basically one brush stroke. The entire twisting body complete with exterior and belly scales in one single stroke. She bangs these things out in about 10 minutes, with ease. It turns out that she is related to Horiyoshi III. Go figure! We bought a few paintings, grabbed some road sodas and hopped on the train back to Tokyo. Being that it was 11-11-11 we had decided to end the day with small tattoos to commemorate the occasion. It also happened to be a full moon, so after a bit of a group sketch session we came up with a rabbit-in-the-moon motif and quickly banged them out... Today was a good day. Crystal Morey/Gomineko Tours http://gominekotours.com/ http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000186782884 email@example.com (Josh Egnew is a tattooer and blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine, Josh can be found at Three Kings Tattoo in New York City and his website: www.joshegnew.com.) Related TAM Blog Post: Josh Egnew: Gomineko Tour Diary (Part I)


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How Doomed Are We?
Mankind at the Turning Point: The Second Report to the Club of Rome
Two Cheers for the Affluent Society: A Spirited Defense of Economic Growth
The metaphors of pessimism have been appropriated, in the past year or so, by the most prominent of political orators. People like Henry Kissinger now complain in public about the prospects for industrial civilization. President Giscard d'Estaing declares, "When we examine the great curves that project into the future the phenomena of our time, we see that practically all these curves lead to catastrophe." Fears about the economy and about raw materials, which until recently were expressed only by a few environmentalists, are now commonplace. This new gloom is in large part, of course, a consequence of the recent disturbances which have beset the economies of all industrialized countries. Giscard and Kissinger, seeing recession and wildly unstable prices, scarcity and failures of economic policy, turn to portentous extrapolation.
"Under the impact of worsening world situations, public opinion has greatly matured in the past few years," two executives of the Club of Rome write graciously, presenting their recent Second Report. The Club of Rome is the group of businessmen and scientists who in the early 1970s described a world crisis which they called a "problematique," and who sponsored, as their first report, The Limits to Growth. This study, which was based on the computer models of a group of systems analysts led by Dennis Meadows of MIT, concluded that, unless immense moral and political reforms take place, the world will face catastrophe within the next hundred years: the "modes of collapse" by which growth would suddenly stop included the depletion of nonrenewable resources, an increase in pollution, and shortages of food.
The views of the Club of Rome attracted widespread attention even before the present recession: executives of the group describe "literally hundreds of conferences," many translations of The Limits to Growth, an international meeting on growth convened by Giscard d'Estaing when he was Minister of Finance.1 Yet much of this attention was hostile. The Limits to Growth was attacked by a most exalted selection of orthodox opinion. Optimists associated with, among other institutions, the World Bank, Nature magazine, and the British government considered the study. Social and economic forces, the optimists showed, can prevent catastrophe: for example, changes in prices and the progress of technology. The dispute was joined by more and more critics, as well as by exponents of a revisionist pessimism.
For the executives of the Club of Rome, the events of 1974 constitute some form of vindication of their early fears. Looking back, they write that "the energy and food crises exploded in the meantime with such vicious force that they cut short much of the hasty criticism leveled at this exercise [The Limits to Growth]." To put the issue specifically: in the three years since The Limits to Growth was published, while the argument of the book has been increasingly undermined, many of the troubles that the authors feared "well before the year 2100" have come about, from increased malnutrition to chaos in the world metal markets. Dennis Meadows, asked in a recent…
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Finally after months and months of sewing, then taking and editing over a 1000 photos, and basically learning CSS to get online, Swellyroo Clothing finally went live August 25th, 2013.
After moving to Texas last November 2012, The Texan and I decided that I would officially start to look for work right after the holidays. Since we were financially stable, we could afford this. Between getting all of my stuff here, unpacked, and getting emotionally settled in to a whole new life, looking for a new job was a little daunting. Okay, really though, looking for a new job is probably always daunting. For the next few months, I started sewing anytime I wasn't applying for mental health jobs.
[I will discuss the state that Texas "mental health" is in at a later time…please view this video in the meantime that talks about how Texas is LAST in Mental Health Funding.]
To make a long story shorter, I received so much positive feedback about the items I had sewn for my niece Esmé, I decided that I would try my hand at sewing a line of creative and unique baby clothes. Designed to be colorful, unique, and different-than-what-comes-in-a-three-pack at the store, Swellyroo clothing provides the basics in a beautiful way. If all you pair the items with is a white tee, or some moccasins, your baby will still be fashion forward in a fun way.
I am hopeful about the launch of Swellyroo.com, and I am excited to see what happens next!


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James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar has been nominated for nine Oscars, and will battle for the best film title with nine other titles, including the The Hurt Locker, directed by the Titanic helmsman's former wife Kathryn Bigelow, and itself up for nine statuettes.
The list of potential best movie laureates has been expanded from five to ten for the first time since 1944, and also features The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up and Up In The Air.
Avatar's nods are for Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and, unsurprisingly, Visual Effects.*
JJ Abrams' Star Trek, meanwhile, makes its pitch for Oscar glory in the Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects categories.
The Actor in a Leading Role contenders are Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, George Clooney in Up in the Air, Colin Firth in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman in Invictus and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.
The women hoping their name is in the Actress in a Leading Role envelope are Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan in An Education, Gabourey Sidibe in Precious and Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia.
The 82nd Academy Awards are handed out on Sunday, 7 March at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. There are full lists of nominations by category here, and by movie here. ®
* It's not, we note, in the running for Writing (Original Screenplay) gold.


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To many food lovers, sushi has become a near religion, and a cornerstone of the faith is that the fish is extraordinarily fresh. Its priests are chefs with seemingly mystical abilities to summon fresh fish from all corners of the globe.
But because of health concerns and growing demand, 50 to 60 percent of sushi in the United States is frozen at some point in its journey from the ocean, according to wholesalers. And rare is the sushi restaurant that tells customers upfront that they may be eating fish that has been in deep freeze for up to two years.
Most would be even more surprised to learn that if the sushi has not been frozen, it is illegal to serve it in the United States.
Food and Drug Administration regulations stipulate that fish to be eaten raw -- whether as sushi, sashimi, seviche, or tartare -- must be frozen first, to kill parasites. ''I would desperately hope that all the sushi we eat is frozen,'' said George Hoskin, a director of the agency's Office of Seafood. Tuna, a deep-sea fish with exceptionally clean flesh, is the only exception to the rule.
But tuna is often frozen, too, not necessarily to make it safe, but because global consumption of sushi continues to rise. Frozen fish usually costs about half as much wholesale as fresh. And some cuts, like the prized fatty toro, are not always available fresh.
Naomichi Yasuda, the owner of Sushi Yasuda, the acclaimed sushi restaurant in New York City, said he imported fresh tuna but froze it himself, selling it for $10 a piece.
''American customers don't want to hear that something is out of season'' he said with a shrug. ''People want toro every day.''
At the Elizabeth, N.J., warehouse of True World Foods, a manager, Ken Kawauchi, recently readied a room-size freezer to receive eight more tons of premium tuna frozen with sophisticated technology that chefs say preserves the texture and flavor of the fish.
''This product is better than fresh,'' he said. ''We start freezing it almost before it's dead.''
At 76 degrees below zero, you can feel your hair follicles freeze. A 20-pound chunk of premium bluefin tuna is rock hard and cold enough to burn a blister on your finger.
But all it takes is a band saw, 10 minutes and a bowl of warm water to produce deep red, dewy slices of the finest sushi money can buy, the same toro served at Manhattan sushi shrines.
Sabine Marangosian, who works in Midtown Manhattan, said she ate sushi ''at least once a week.'' ''I guess I would understand that some sushi is frozen,'' she said. ''But I would hope that's not the case at Nobu.''
But Shin Tsujimura, the sushi chef at Nobu, closer to Wall Street, said he froze his own tuna. ''Even I cannot tell the difference between fresh and frozen in a blind test,'' he said.
Even Masa Takayama, whose sushi temple Masa, in the Time Warner Center, charges a minimum of $300 to worship, said he used frozen tuna when fresh is unavailable.
Many sushi bars, in Japan and elsewhere, routinely use frozen fish when fresh is unavailable or more expensive than the market will bear.
''In Japan,'' Mr. Kawauchi said, ''50 percent of the sushi and sashimi is frozen. Only my American customers are so concerned with fresh fish.''
Americans have clearly overcome the initial resistance that greeted sushi when it was widely introduced nationally in the 1980's.
The number of Japanese restaurants across the country has steadily increased in the past five years, according to the National Restaurant Association. And that number does not include the supermarkets, delis, cafeterias, and Costco stores where sushi can now be purchased.
A.F.C. Sushi, a Los Angeles-based sushi franchiser, has more than 1,800 outlets nationwide. It already supplies the Staples Center, in Los Angeles; Florida State University, in Tallahassee, Fla.; and the United States military, which buys sushi for its commissaries. Although the company's Web site refers to ''fresh sushi,'' A.F.C. uses only frozen fish in its products.
According to wholesalers like Dave Rudie, a pioneering sushi supplier in California who sells both fresh and frozen fish, more and more frozen fish is being served as sushi here.
Mr. Rudie said that worldwide, some sushi products are virtually always frozen. ''Ninety percent of shrimp, of course,'' he said, The salmon roe ''and octopus, 99 percent. And you definitely want all your salmon frozen, because of parasites.''
The Food and Drug Administration does not enforce the frozen-fish rule, leaving that to local health officials. The agency says sushi fish can be frozen either by the wholesaler or in the restaurant, and each party likes to believe that the other is taking care of it.
''I always assumed that the fish is frozen at some point before I get it,'' said Jack Lamb, owner of Jewel Bako in the East Village in Manhattan, ''but just for a minute, like an X-ray.''
Ian MacGregor, whose wholesale business, Lobster Place, supplies the sushi hot spot Geisha, in Midtown Manhattan, said he had heard countless euphemisms for frozen fish in restaurants. ''Fresh-frozen, re-freshed, flash-chilled, take your pick,'' he said. ''It's all frozen.''
But ''superfrozen'' fish seems to be in a category by itself. Many top sushi chefs are finding that fish frozen to about 70 degrees below zero, instead of the commercial standard, usually 10 below, can stand up to their rigorous standards.
Tuna, one of the most expensive sushi fish in the world, has been the test market for superfreezing.
Freezing technology that truly preserves the quality of fresh fish is relatively new, said Eric Graham, managing director of ColdWave Systems, a global seafood shipper.
Developed by the Japanese fishing industry in the 1990's to preserve the catch on long trips, superfreezing can reduce the core temperature of a 500-pound tuna to minus 70 degrees in about a day and a half. Packed in artificial snow ground from dry ice and surrounded by liquid nitrogen, that fish can be preserved with no decomposition for as long as two years.
''It's an amazing product,'' said Mr. Lamb, who recently bought a medical freezer, designed to store transplant organs, to keep tuna in his restaurant's basement.
But in places like Los Angeles, where the Japanese Restaurant Association of Southern California has considerable local support, frozen sushi is not a popular notion.
''We try to recognize that sushi has been made with fresh fish in Japan for thousands of years,'' said Terrance Powell, chief environmental health specialist for Los Angeles County.
Mr. Powell and his team of 150 inspectors have held food safety classes for sushi restaurant operators in Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese, but he concedes that most operators, knowingly or not, are probably not serving only frozen fish.
''Frankly,'' he said, ''warm sushi rice that sits out for hours is a bigger public health threat than raw fish.''