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|Personal Info
16-17 years old
172.1 cm
53.3 kg
|Blood Type
November 25 (Sagittarius)
Sagittarius ♐
|Current Status
|Professional Status
|Previous Affiliation
|Previous Team
Team One (Anime only)
|Base of Operations
|Ninja Rank
ANBU (Part II)
|Ninja Registration
|Academy Graduation Age
|Chūnin Promotion Age
|Voice Actor(s)
|Japanese Voice Actor(s)
|English Voice Actor(s)
Sai (サイ, Sai) is an ANBU-level shinobi of Konohagakure and is from the disbanded faction: Root. He later became one of the main supporting characters of the series, and is a member of Team Kakashi, having replaced Sasuke Uchiha.
Sai has short, black hair, and black eyes which contrast with his very pale skin. He is usually seen carrying a small backpack with his brush, scrolls, and ninja ink in it. He wears a short black jacket with red straps — as customary of all Root members, to most likely show his allegiance to the organisation. He also carries a tip-less tantō on his back. The rest of his outfit consisted of a high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals and gloves with his index and thumb fingers exposed, most likely to facilitate the use of his drawing based techniques. When first seen with Team Kakashi, his shirt had a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve.[2] He had Danzō's cursed seal on the back of his tongue until Danzō's death, which caused it to disappear.[3][4] Naruto, Sakura, and Ino said he physically resembled Sasuke, despite his shorter hair and paler skin-tone.[5][6][7]
When he's not on missions, Sai wears a casual outfit consisting of a long-sleeve shirt with a high collar, matching pants, and his regular shinobi sandals. This outfit was first depicted as being purple in colour and later, navy blue. He doesn't wear his forehead protector or gloves with this outfit.
In the anime, when Sai uses the Sealing Technique: Tiger Vision Staring Bullet and his negative emotions surface because of his use of "emotional energy", his eyes turn a translucent red colour and his sclerae turn black. This is apparently ink, as when Danzō countered the symptoms, ink splattered from Sai's body.[8]
When first introduced, Sai was distinguished by his total lack of emotion which he often masks with a false, cheerful, yet transparent façade. After much mental conditioning and training while in Root, Sai had suppressed almost all of his emotions, laying all of his loyalty to whoever commands him, and thus making it easier for him to accomplish dangerous, unpleasant, or unethical missions. Due to this training and his lack of social experience and personal initiative, Sai has great trouble in understanding how bonds between people can motivate others. He often showcases this confusion after thinking about why Naruto would go so far to save Sasuke, a traitor, even though Naruto had not been ordered to do so.
Sai's social awkwardness tended to get people angry, because he would often speak without considering his words and their effects on people. This was due to his inability to realise the difference between a rude statement and a true statement. Sai had read somewhere in a book that giving somebody a nickname would bring you closer to that person and develop your friendship, this resulted in Sai hurting Sakura Haruno's feelings, because he called her ugly, stating the first true character trait that came to his mind. This also nearly led to enraging Chōji, while eating barbecue with Team Asuma and Team Kakashi he nearly called him "fatso". Luckily Naruto covered his mouth before he could finish.
After spending more time with Team Kakashi, Sai comes to appreciate bonds, particularly the bond that exists between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. This causes him to break out of his emotionless shell and he starts to remember the times he had with his own "brother", Shin. In doing so, Sai was able to start giving genuine smiles. Wanting to experience personal bonds for himself, Sai sets out to make as many friends as he can. However, since he is learning most of this out of books and by trial and error, he often accidentally ends up offending people with his nicknames and conversation. He has come to develop a more genuine, pleasant and thoughtful personality, while also showing signs of more emotion, such as enthusiasm and occasionally nervousness. After his first time with Team Kakashi, Sai is seen being friendly towards others, helping companions when they need it, referring to peers kindly, and having fun in social situations. The greatest change in his personality, however, came after he encounters his reincarnated brother. When Shin is used as a living bomb by Deidara, Sai becomes enraged and attacks Sasori and Deidara mercilessly, showing genuine rage on his face. Sai also displays genuine sadness, shedding tears when his brother is freed from the technique and disappears.
Sai is very observant, and is always focused on his missions. He pays a lot of attention to detail, allowing him to quickly notice if something is not as it appears, as shown from how he easily sees through Yamato's tricks. This awareness spans beyond the trials of duty, as Sai was later quick to understand the nature of Naruto's inner burden. What he failed to understand, however, was that Naruto was not trying to save Sasuke just for Sakura. Sai holds Naruto in high regard, and tries to assist Naruto whenever he's going through hardships.
Sai was orphaned as a child and recruited into Root, a secret branch of the ANBU. There he was raised and conditioned to have no personality, personal connections, or a name; "Sai" being given to him for the purposes of joining Team Kakashi. Though largely successful in this regard, Sai retained an interest in art. When Shin, an older Root member, discovered Sai's drawing ability, he encouraged Sai's talent and they became very close.
Over time, Sai came to think of Shin as an older brother and looked up to him. Unfortunately, Sai and Shin were supposed to fight to the death by Root regulations, in a final step to eradicate emotions. Before that happened, however, Shin died of an unnamed illness and Sai's Root training suppressed most of the memories he had of him.[9] In the anime, Sai and Shin were forced to fight by Danzō Shimura but Shin died before the battle could be finished. Shin told Sai to report to Danzō that he killed him in battle and before succumbing to his illness, told his brother that he had to suppress his feelings and that he should live for the both of them.[10] Before Shin's death, Sai created a picture book that would depict all the opponents they faced and illustrate the feelings that they shared for each other. Sai organised the book so that his and Shin's portraits would be located at opposite ends of the book, and in the centre pages would be a picture of them holding hands. Some time after the loss of Shin, Sai forgot that this was his intention, and the picture book was left unfinished, though he could never bring it upon himself to discard the book. But after bonding with Naruto Uzumaki, Sai remembers and completes the book, causing him to give his first genuine display of emotion in a long time: a smile.[11]
Before his appointment to Team 7, Sai — under Root's orders — had been eliminating individuals that worked against Konoha. The last assassination he performed was of Unmo Samidare.[12] In an attempt to gain a powerful fūinjutsu after seeing the Third Hokage sacrifice his life in an attempt to defeat Orochimaru, Danzō supervised Sai while he learned how to use the Sealing Technique: Tiger Vision Staring Bullet, noting that it would be dangerous as he would have to use "emotional energy" in order to make the technique stronger. Sai struggled greatly with this endeavour as it conflicted with his training and, consumed by negative emotions, his training was seemingly left incomplete.[8]
Part II
Sasuke and Sai Arc
Sai was assigned to join Team Kakashi by his superior Danzō to assist in meeting with a spy in Orochimaru's ranks to find out about Sasuke Uchiha. Sai was confrontational with his new team-mates upon their first meeting, exasperated both Sakura and Naruto. On their way to the rendezvous point, Sai once again aggravated them, questioning Naruto's manhood and insulting Sasuke. The latter caused Sakura Haruno to punch him in anger. As they continued on to the meeting point, Sai questioned why Naruto was loyal to a traitor like Sasuke, to which Naruto stated he was not a traitor, but a friend.
Upon reaching the designated meeting place, Yamato went ahead disguised as Sasori so that he could meet the spy. When the spy, Kabuto Yakushi, arrived with Orochimaru to kill Sasori, Sai, Naruto, and Sakura were called in for help. When Naruto and Orochimaru began fighting, Sai left the rest of the team to begin his real mission. He briefly observed Naruto's fight with Orochimaru, unconcerned with the danger he left Yamato and Sakura in, and approached Orochimaru after he had repelled Naruto with a proposition from Danzō. Orochimaru accepted, and Sai accompanied him and Kabuto back to their hideout.
Once arrived at Orochimaru's hideout, Sai was introduced to Sasuke, who had been training under Orochimaru for the past two-and-a-half years. When Sai mentioned that he might get along better with Sasuke than he did Naruto, Sasuke fixed him with a stare, startling Sai due to the amount of fear it gave his emotionless self. He was led to his own room afterwards by Kabuto, who locked Sai in upon leaving. Soon afterwards, Team Kakashi tracked Sai down and confronted him about his real mission. Having been caught, Sai explained that he had been assigned to ally with Orochimaru on Danzō's behalf so that the two may join forces in destroying Konohagakure.
Disgusted by the ramifications of this plan, Team Kakashi restrained Sai before setting out to find and retrieve Sasuke. Sai, however, doubted their success, stating that Sasuke no longer cared about them. Naruto, in response, stated that he also used to hate Sasuke, but over time he had formed a bond with Sasuke through their shared experiences, and as such he would do whatever it took to bring Sasuke home. Naruto's dedication to retrieving Sasuke struck a chord with Sai, who was left without words as a result. When Kabuto arrived and freed Sai, Sai instead helped them capturing Kabuto, hoping to accompany Naruto to find out more about bonds.
Naruto and Sai split away from Sakura and Yamato to go looking for Sasuke. They were soon found by Orochimaru, and as a result, Naruto distracted him so that Sai could have a chance to scout on ahead. When Orochimaru retreated and Naruto reunited with Sakura and Yamato, Yamato went through the belongings that Sai had left behind. In doing so he discovered Sai's actual mission: to kill Sasuke as a traitor to Konoha. Team Kakashi raced through the base to find and stop Sai, but Sai had already found Sasuke. Sai, however, truly had a change of heart, and instead, tried to capture Sasuke in order to protect his bond with Naruto.
Irritated by Sai's reasons for bothering him, Sasuke attacked Sai, drawing the rest of the team to their location. When they found out what Sai was trying to do, they all teamed up to restrain Sasuke. Although Sai was able to land a successful attack, Sasuke's abilities were too much for them and he prepared to kill them all. He was soon stopped by Orochimaru and Kabuto, who convinced him to spare the team before leaving. Defeated, Team Kakashi returned home. Sai requested that he be allowed to stay as a part of the team and, with Danzō's approval, began to spend time with his new friends.
At one point, Sai began to visit the Konoha library to read about relationships in the hopes of making some for himself. In the anime, this had begun before and continued throughout the Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc. When he read that nicknames were a good way to make friends, Sai made the mistake of using nicknames that describe how he actually saw a person. When calling Sakura "ugly" earned him a beating, he concluded that women liked to be called the opposite of what was true. To that end, he called Ino Yamanaka "beautiful", something that got him another beating from Sakura.
Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc
Main article: Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc
Sai, Yamato, Naruto, and Sakura were sent on a mission near the Fire Temple. When the party didn't meet the group, they decided to split up to find them. After grouping with Yamato, Sakura and the monks, Sai saw Sora, a monk in training, fighting Naruto who also appeared to have wind release. This turned out to be a misunderstanding on the behalf of Sora thinking Naruto was trying to invade the temple.
After clearing up the confusion, the monks lead Team Kakashi to the Fire Temple. Upon reaching the temple, the monks explained to the team the situation regarding the sacred tombs' mysterious disappearance. After seeing Naruto and Sora bickering, they headed off only to return to the temple hearing news that another tomb was robbed. Soon after that, Team Kakashi, accompanied by Chiriku and Sora, moved out to find the perpetrators. They soon spotted four other tombs moving across a field by themselves. They found that the tombs were heading up a cliff where four ninja named Furido, Fudō, Fūka, and Fuen were. Fudō quickly used earth release to create a rocky canyon maze, which separated Team Kakashi and Sora. Sai tried to escape by using a ink bird but, unfortunately, got sealed up. He along with the others were confronted by the ninja. He was confronted by Fuen who mocked him for not being able to escape. Sai, awared that the enemy knew the area, attempted to leave and plan. Though he did get away, the enemy had the blue prints to the area knew exactly where he went off to and tried to kill him.
He later saved Sakura from a a giant spider. He was able to kill it only to get his arm broken in the process. Sakura tended to his wound. After the two had met up with Yamato, they found Naruto being drained off his chakra by a kiss from Fuka. They tried to help but got trapped by Fuen and Fudo. After the the area caved in, they all got away. It was soon figured out that they might be after Sora. When the group returned to the village, Sora went with them. While Sai left to take a rest, Naruto introduced Sora around the village per Sakura's request. Later, Sai, from the hospital, saw that the village was being attacked by a jutsu used by Fudo and his fellow members. He later snuck out of the hospital to help Asuma fight Kazuma.
Hidan and Kakuzu Arc
Sai and the rest of team Kakashi were later sent as backup for Team 10 during their battle with Akatsuki. Because Shikamaru Nara was separated from the rest of the group, Sai and Sakura were sent to his aid, though upon arrival they found that Shikamaru had already defeated his opponent. Sai returned with everyone else to Konoha, having not taken part in the battle. Because Naruto was injured during the battle, he has difficulty eating when they got back. Sai, wanting to ameliorate their friendship, attempted to feed Naruto which angered him since he had wanted Sakura to feed him and Sai had interrupted her doing so. Neither has their way as Kakashi himself took up the task of feeding Naruto instead.
Three-Tails Arc
Main article: Three-Tails Arc
Sai was placed on Team One along with Kakashi, Shino, and Naruto. His team's duty was to fight any enemies who closed into the area so they wouldn't disrupt the sealing process. After he had introduced himself to Shino, he found that Shino had a bit of a grudge towards Naruto, since it turned out that though Sai only knew Naruto for a few months, he knew much about him, in fact more than he did. Also, he was reminded how Naruto didn't recognise him when he returned from the Kazekage Rescue mission.
Sai's team ran into Guren and Gozu. Sai was soon put the battle Gozu who proved to be quite capable in fighting. Sai tried restraining him with ink snakes but he eventually broke free. He also tried holding his ground by deflecting some of Guren's crystal shuriken with his tantō. At some point while the Konoha took a break from trying to seal the beast after failing, he was punched by Sakura and Ino. He mistakenly got in between their bickering and overheard nicknames they called each other, thinking it'd be okay to repeat. Those being "Forehead Girl" and "Ino-pig".
Itachi Pursuit Arc
Along with Team Kurenai, Sai and the rest of Team Kakashi set out to find and capture Itachi Uchiha. When Kakashi summoned his ninken to assist them on the mission, Sai was partnered with Ūhei and Urushi and wondered to himself whether or not he could become friends with dogs. He and the others were later confronted by Tobi, who stalled them long enough to prevent them from locating neither Sasuke nor Itachi.
Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc
Main article: Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc
Invasion of Pain Arc
When Naruto entered the Hokage's office, he was seen with Sakura, the toads, Shizune and the Hokage as Naruto learnt of his master's demise. During the invasion of Pain, Sai was away with Yamato and Anko Mitarashi, tracking down Kabuto Yakushi. He used a special tracking technique that could not be detected by Kabuto. Anko even congratulated him for that. They stopped the search just after a surprised Yamato had informed the group that Naruto had reached the six-tailed form of the Nine-Tails.
Five Kage Summit Arc
After the invasion, Danzō is made Hokage. He summoned Sai before him and instructed him to keep an eye on Naruto. Sai asked why, so Danzō explained that Naruto, having defeated Pain, was now the village's hero and thus more popular than Danzō himself. However, he was still the village's jinchūriki and therefore must be kept in check. Sai was satisfied with his explanation and went to meet with Naruto and Sakura. The two immediately confronted him about Danzō, asking him to tell them everything he knew. Sai said that he could not, as the cursed seal Danzō had placed on his tongue prevented him from revealing anything about Root. Sakura remarked it was cruel, but Sai explained that it was for the best since Root had done a number of questionable things to protect the village.
Sakura refuted his claim, pointing out that Danzō had ordered Sasuke be killed as a traitor. Sai was surprised since Danzō had not told him that during their meeting. They were immediately confronted by Kumogakure ninja who, after their brief skirmish, demand to know what they knew about Sasuke. Naruto, seeing that this upsetted Sakura, volunteered to tell them all that he knew. Sai secretly watched the meeting and how Naruto could not bring himself to sell out Sasuke.
Naruto allowed Karui to take out her anger on him. Karui happily accepted and proceed to beat him up, but Sai stepped in once she started to overdo it. When Karui left, Sai brought Naruto to Kakashi and Yamato and then tended to his wounds. Naruto asked that Kakashi and Yamato help him find the Fourth Raikage. When they had agreed, Kakashi told Sai not to tell Danzō what Naruto was doing. After hearing such a request Sai looked rather upset and asked Kakashi if he didn't trust him because he was from Root, but Kakashi answered that he believed in him because he was also a member of Team Kakashi. Hearing these words made Sai happy and drove him to act more resolutely. Sai later approached Sakura, telling her about what Naruto had gone through with Karui for her benefit. He surmised that Naruto deeply loved Sakura, and that trying to make her happy, such as bringing Sasuke back to the village, caused him constant pain.
Following the Konoha 11's decision to eliminate Sasuke themselves to prevent a war, Sakura asked Sai to help her track down Naruto so that she could speak with him. They found him in the Land of Iron and Sakura confessed her love to Naruto, so now he didn't need to bother fulfilling his promise of retrieving Sasuke. When Naruto didn't believe her, Sakura left with her group. Because she didn't mention the decision to kill Sasuke and that he felt responsible for what she was about to do because of what he had told her back in Konoha, he left an ink clone behind to tell them what Sakura had not. The clone also added that Sakura was likely planning to kill Sasuke personally, and mentioned that Sakura was still in love with Sasuke and wanted to stop him from sinking any lower.
The ink clone helped Kakashi locate Sakura. The real Sai, meanwhile, stopped Sakura from knocking him out and her other escorts, having suspected that she would try to get rid of them so she could fight Sasuke alone. Sakura convinced Kiba and Lee that Sai was a traitor and they started to fight him, but this only made it easier for her to knock out all three. As the ink clone dispersed it warned Kakashi of Sakura's actions. Sai and the others were later woken following the meeting with Sasuke, and as they return to the village they were met by three Root members. They inquired about what had happened. Sai affirmed that the seal disappearing was proof that Danzō had died. He then encouraged them to speak with Kakashi whom he addressed as the "new Hokage" about Root's future.
Chikara Arc
Main article: Chikara Arc
Adventures at Sea Arc
Main article: Adventures at Sea Arc
Shinobi World War Arc
When the Fourth Shinobi World War began, Sai was placed in the Surprise Attack Division. He created birds with his Super Beast Imitating Drawing for his Division to head into battle. When they entered the enemy's territory and the rest of the division began making a base camp, Sai took to the air to provide back up in case they were attacked. When he later spotted several explosions near the camp, Sai rushed back, eliminating one enemy as he arrived. Despite having a broken neck, the target got back up, revealing himself to be a reincarnated Shin. Shin apologised to his brother for being forced to fight him, unable to control his own movements because of the technique he was reincarnated with and because he was also being manipulated by Sasori. Sai and Shin traded blows until the rest of ambush team could come to help. Hoheto Hyūga revealed that there was explosive clay stored within Shin. They navigated him into one of Kankurō's puppets before he could detonate, weakening the explosion.
However, the force was still great enough to knock Sai over, causing some of the belongings from his bag to fall out. Shin regenerated from the damage and Deidara promised to use Shin as a human bomb again and again. Enraged, Sai quickly navigated behind Deidara and Sasori and drew two ink warriors that knocked them both into two more of Kankurō's puppets, where they were confined and neutralised. Sai then prepared to fight Shin again, but Shin told him there was no need; Sai had dropped his picture book earlier, and seeing the finished product had unbound his soul, freeing him of the regrets that he had had in life. Tears flowed from Sai's eyes as Shin's body turns to ash and dust.
Sai, Omoi, and Zaji were sent out to find other Akatsuki cells. When they came across a group consisting of Haku, Zabuza, Gari, and Pakura, Sai created several ink birds with explosive tags attached to bombard them with. Although the revived ninja recovered from their injuries, Sai continued the assault until backup could arrive. Haku managed to destroy the birds they were riding on, causing them to fall to the ground. Before they could be killed, fortunately, the Third Division arrived to help. They later joined the division in protecting Kakashi as he executed his strategy.
After Zabuza and Haku had been dealt with, Kakashi asked that Sai back him up with the sealing techniques he had learned from Root. Sai was reluctant, but Kakashi insisted that, as one of Danzō's most prized soldiers, Sai needn't hold his emotions. Later, Sai was seen among the rest of the Third Division as they recuperated after the first day of war.
The next morning, Sai alongside the Third Division restarted their assault on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Drawing a gigantic tiger, Sai launched his Sealing Technique: Tiger Vision Staring Bullet at Fuguki Suikazan who had been incapacitated by Kakashi. As the tiger dragged Fuguki back into the drawing, a noticeably winded Sai told them that he could still go on. Lee told Sai to just concentrate on sealing the enemies, he would protect him while Sai's at it. As a new wave of White Zetsu Army clones approached, Sai looked on as Naruto's shadow clone arrived on the battlefield to confront them. In the anime, Sai also used this technique to seal away Jinin Akebino, and a number of other reincarnated shinobi as well. After being informed by Inoichi from HQ that Naruto and B were fighting the "masked Madara", Sai and the Konoha 11 rushed to his aid. As he ran, he stated that if it were not raining, he could use his Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique to get to Naruto faster. After Lee had, however, spurred him on, Sai thought to himself that he finally and completely understood what it meant to have friends.
Ten-Tails Revival Arc
Upon arriving at the battlefield, he apologised to Kakashi for their late arrival and later stood alongside the remaining members of the Allied Shinobi Forces to face their opposition. When B had regained enough chakra, Sai flew him towards the Ten-Tails atop one of his birds, allowing B to get close enough to launch a counter measure against the beast.
Later as the Ten-Tails matured and the Alliance launched a counter assault, Sai attempted to attack the Ten-Tails' body from above, avoiding its copies, but was soon spotted and knocked out of the sky. After being saved by Naruto, Sai concluded the only way to reach the beast was to take out the larger enemies first and slither past, but that would require a method to get into range quickly and once they were there they would be without healers. His team-mates of Team Kakashi responded by summoning a snake, a toad, and a slug respectively.
While the Allied Shinobi Forces and the deceased Hokage marvelled at the original Team 7's combined performance, Sai questioned Jūgo about Sasuke's true motives, to which he replied that even he himself didn't know. He would later tell Sakura that since he didn't know Sasuke much he could observe him without friendly feelings involved and that he couldn't trust him. He proceeded to question Sakura how she truly felt about Sasuke, to which she replied that she was happy Sasuke had returned and that they could trust him. Sai then thought that sincere as her words sounded, her smile was fake.
After the Ten-Tails transforms into its true, tree-like form, it ravaged the Alliance in an attempt to consume their chakra. Sai, seemingly having avoided the assault, crouched and tended to a wounded Sakura. Thankful that Sakura was all right, their attention is soon drawn to Shikamaru's predicament. When Katsuyu noted that it would not be able to remotely assist him because its clones had been killed as well, Sai and Sakura rushed to Shikamaru's side to help their fallen comrade. Responding when Naruto called for them telepathically, Sai the Konoha 11 shinobi are shocked when Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode mantle forms around them as well when he enters one of Kurama's tails. His directives clear, Sai and the others used the Rasengan, which Naruto had formed to break down Obito's defence and give Sasuke and Naruto a clear shot at attacking their opponent. He and his comrades later also aided Naruto in wresting control of the tailed beasts' chakra from Obito in order to stop the Shinju from blooming.
As a member of Root, Sai is a highly capable ninja, considered by Danzō himself to be the strongest member of his generation. Danzō even had enough faith in Sai's abilities to task him with single-handedly killing Sasuke Uchiha. As a Root ANBU, Sai has keen observation skills and is also skilled in kenjutsu and wields a tantō in battle.
Ink Techniques
Sai's most notable talent is his skill as an artist, and he claims to have drawn thousands of pictures. Despite the great quantity and magnitude of the things he has drawn, he has never given any of his works a name, his lack of emotion making it impossible for him to form a significant enough attachment to his art to give titles. Even so, Sai's drawing talent is also the source of his technique, known as Super Beast Imitating Drawing.
To be able to execute his Super Beast Imitation Drawing technique, Sai carries around a specialised custom scroll to draw on, the scroll's roller has compartments for Sai's ink brush and to hold a supply of ink. A distinct advantage of this technique is that he can perform it with a single hand, leaving the other free for enemy counter-attacks. In the anime, Sai gets his ink from a supply store, which he says is the ink that works best for his Super Beast Imitation Drawing techniques. By infusing his chakra into the ink beforehand and drawing objects with a brush on his scroll, which he can do very quickly, Sai is able to bring his creations to life by animating the ink directly off the page. These creations grow to life-size once they have been brought to life — similar to Deidara's explosive clay constructs.
Sai typically creates giant birds for long range transport for himself or others,[13] and lion-like monsters or giants for attack,[14] or objects like umbrellas for everyday use. He can create snakes and use them as strong bindings on enemies, or mice to quickly scout an area. Sai can make clones of himself for reconnaissance. For discreet communiques when he is undercover, Sai is able to turn the words he writes into small animals, allowing them to travel to their intended target unnoticed. He has also demonstrated the ability to create large scale drawings as shown during the battle of the two ambush squads; he created two large human beings which resembled the Benevolent Kings (仁王, Niō). These had enough physical strength to completely destroy Deidara's clay bird as well as send him along with Sasori plummeting to the ground. Sai can create explosive tags with his ink technique. He can draw long lines of tags attached to small birds, allowing him to bombard enemies from the air.[15]
As noted by Kakashi, Sai is one of Danzō's prized soldiers and as such, his Root training also included learning fūinjutsu.[16] His sealing technique allows him to trap people within his paintings by drawing a tiger on a large scroll with a giant paint brush. Since it takes time to draw the tiger, he needs allies to protect him while in battle.[17] In the anime, it is stated that Sai uses "emotional energy" to bolster the technique. This is a double-edged sword as Sai becomes susceptible to his negative emotions.[8]
Despite not being his speciality, Sai has shown to be proficient in taijutsu. He was able to react and block Naruto's attempt to stab him with a kunai very easily with his tantō.[18] He also was able to subdue Kabuto Yakushi very easily[19] and block Sasuke Uchiha's attempt to stab Naruto, with Sasuke commenting that he blocked the attack in the most appropriate manner.[20] During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he was able to break Shin's neck with a flying knee kick in mid-air.[21]
He is also very proficient with the Body Flicker Technique, and is capable of surprising even highly-skilled shinobi with it.[20][22]
|Hand seals
Naruto Shippūden 2: Bonds
Sai, due to his ability to create flying mounts for himself with his Super Beast Imitating Drawing Technique, served a double function as a scout and first counterstrike against the Land of the Sky attackers by using taijutsu to jump and wreck different the Land of the Sky shinobi wing sets. He admits, soon after, that he is actually bored with the incompetence of the Sky ninja.
Naruto Shippūden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire
Although not officially given a mission, after recovering from previous injuries, Sai pursued the Konoha 11 on their way to Hiruko's base. Temporarily blinding San with a flashbomb, he picked up Naruto and Sakura in order to get them ahead of the following teams, leaving Shikamaru and his team-mates to deal with San.
Naruto Shippūden 4: The Lost Tower
When Naruto and Yamato are taken into the seal Mukade broke, Sai saves Sakura from being pulled into it as well. When Naruto and Yamato reappear, they all go back to Konoha.
Naruto 5: Blood Prison
Main article: Naruto 5: Blood Prison
Naruto 6: Road to Ninja
The alternate world's Sai, compared to the Sai that Naruto and Sakura know, has more emotions within himself and is more outgoing. His passion for art is the same, the only difference is that his alternate self is horrible at it. Also, due to the alternate Sasuke still being part of Team 7, the alternate Sai never became a member of Team 7 nor does he know the others.
Video Games
- As an ANBU member, Sai refers to Kakashi as his Senpai out of respect.
- According to the databook(s):
- Sai's hobbies are drawing and calligraphy.
- Sai wishes to fight Kakashi Hatake.
- Sai's favourite word is "Comrades" (仲間, Nakama).
- Sai's favourite food is momen tofu, while his least favourite is mitarashi dango.
- Sai has a frank, obedient and submissive personality.
- In the seventh Naruto Shippūden opening, Sai is shown fighting Asura Path, though in the manga, they do not fight; in fact, he isn't even present in Konoha when Nagato and Konan attacked.
- In the seventh character poll, Sai placed 12th place, alongside Sakura, with 2,188 votes each.
- (To Naruto) "The way you fight, are you a boy or a girl?"[18]
- (To Sakura) "A smile can get you out of a tough situation, even if it is fake."[23]
- (To Sakura) "I've drawn hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures so far… other pictures have the situation at the time, and the artist's feelings… like portraits have the person's name… but don't pictures usually have titles…? To be more precise, even if I try to give them titles, I just can't do it. I don't feel anything… they don't put me in mind of anything."[24]
- (To Sakura) "…I don't have any of what you'd call "emotions"."[25]
- (To Sasuke) "Even when I force myself to smile. It seems I'm the type of person who ends up being hated."[26]
- (About Sasuke) "…yet by just looking into his eyes, does this mean I fear Sasuke deep within my heart, despite being unable to recognise it myself…?"[27]
- (To his team) "Sai is the name I was given for this mission… I'm nobody. I am a tool for Lord Danzō. I don't exist."[28]
- (To his team about his adoptive brother) "We weren't connected by blood, but he did compliment me on my drawings quite a bit."[29]
- (To his team about the picture book) "The centre of two pages were the ones I wanted to show my brother the most, but since he's dead, I can't remember what I wanted to draw on them."[30]
- (To Kabuto) "If people change… then so can I. But some things never change. Bonds. I'd like to learn more about them."[31]
- (After finishing the picture book) "This is what I wanted to show my brother. The picture of our dreams."[32]
- (To Sakura) "Lately when I look at Naruto I've been able to feel it… his sadness. And when he thinks of Sasuke there's a heat coming from his gut and I know that's anger. For Naruto's sake, for Konoha's sake, we need to do something ourselves instead of always relying on him."[33]
- (To himself) "This… is what it means to have friends… I understand it perfectly… Naruto."[34]
- ↑ Naruto Third Databook, pages 76-79
- ↑ Naruto chapter 286
- ↑ Naruto chapter 452, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 488, page 9
- ↑ Naruto chapter 286, page 3
- ↑ Naruto chapter 285, page 5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 312, page 7
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Naruto: Shippūden episode 284
- ↑ Third Databook, page 95
- ↑ Naruto: Shippūden episode 263
- ↑ Naruto chapter 304, pages 15-17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 305, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 516, page 16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 518, pages 13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 520, page 19
- ↑ Naruto chapter 524, page 14
- ↑ Naruto chapter 559, pages 7-9
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Naruto chapter 283, page 19
- ↑ Naruto chapter 304, page 7
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Naruto chapter 308, page 2
- ↑ Naruto chapter 517, pages 14-16
- ↑ Naruto chapter 518, pages 12-13
- ↑ Naruto chapter 286, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 287, page 6
- ↑ Naruto chapter 288, page 17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 301, page 4
- ↑ Naruto chapter 301, page 8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 303, pages 4-5
- ↑ Naruto chapter 303, page 10
- ↑ Naruto chapter 303, page 11
- ↑ Naruto chapter 304, pages 7-8
- ↑ Naruto chapter 304, pages 16-17
- ↑ Naruto chapter 459, pages 6-7
- ↑ Naruto chapter 573, page 13


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Lexington residents who rise early on a Saturday can venture downtown to see if a potbellied pig predicts an early spring.
Lexington residents who rise early on a Saturday can venture downtown to see if a potbellied pig predicts an early spring.
Uptown Lexington, Inc., will sponsor its Ninth Annual GroundHawg's Day on the Square starting at 7:35 a.m. Feb. 2. Miss Charlotte, the pig who serves as Uptown Lexington's official mascot, will appear and see if she sees casts a shadow to predict six more weeks of winter. Chris Klim will play the French horn to accompany her appearance.
Taking just a slight liberty with the traditional Pennsylvania observance of Candlemas, the celebration of the midpoint between winter and spring, Uptown Lexington, Inc. added a twist to Punxsutawney, Pa.'s celebration of Groundhog's Day by using the symbol of Lexington, a pig, based on the city's barbecue heritage.
The Candlemas tradition says that if on this day it is fair, bright and sunny such that an animal can cast its shadow, it is an omen winter will last six more weeks. However, if the day is cloudy and shadowless, it is a sign of spring's arrival.
The festivities begin just past sunrise around 7:35 a.m. About 7:45 a.m., Miss Charlotte will come out to see if she can see her shadow. Official GroundHawg's Day representatives, donned in tails provided by Bruce's Tuxedo, will lead the celebration. They include Uptown Lexington Board President Tim Ragan, Lexington Mayor Newell Clark and Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Alley who will announce Miss Charlotte's official weather forecast.
"This year, since GroundHawg's Day falls on a Saturday, we hope more families will attend," said Jo Ellen Edwards, Uptown Lexington's executive director, in a press release. "Much like the public brings signs to wish someone a happy birthday to the street 'set' of NBC's 'Today' show in New York, we invite the public to bring signs to show their desire — or wish — for an early spring or winter weather."
The sign with the best message and artwork will win a $25 gift certificate to Caf� 35.
"Since 2005, the GroundHawg's Day prediction in Lexington has been optimistic with a prediction of an early spring each year," Ragan said. "Come join us this year to see if the tradition continues."
For more information about the Ninth Annual GroundHawg's Day, contact Uptown Lexington at 249-0383.

subset: commoncrawl


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Al Davis: No Apologies
To anyone familiar with his career it seems fitting that Raiders Owner Al Davis would die on Yom Kippur. It's the Day of Atonement, when Jews are supposed to ask forgiveness for wrongs they have done to others and offer forgiveness for those that wronged them. Forgiveness was never Al's style, as he did what he wanted regardless of who it would offend. Lessons learned working his way from an assistant college coach to the head coach of the Raiders were reflected in the ruthless way he approached his job as Owner and General Manager.
Over the course of his life Davis managed to offend fellow owners, commissioners, his own coaches, other teams' coaches, the city of Oakland, the city of Los Angeles, current players, former players, his business partners and we have to assume most of the people he ever met. It was easy to forget over the last decade, as the Raiders faltered on the field and Davis' health declined that he was once the most formidable man in the NFL and not merely a punchline.
While there has been a rush to canonize Davis for all the good he did as an owner, including the hiring of the first hispanic and black head coaches in the league along with the first female general manager, we shouldn't forget all the things he did that offended, outraged or just general insulted people. While praised by some of the great names in the league (he introduced nine different Hall of Fame inductions) Davis also is hated for many of his moves, not that he minded.
With that in mind, we present a list of some of the boldest and most controversial moves of Al Davis' career, and their results.
Hired as AFL commissioner in 1966, Davis immediately broke an informal truce with the dominant NFL, signing a number of high profile players to expensive contracts.
- This was the first direct assault by the upstart league and eventually led to the 1970 merger. Al of course had no interest in merging and resigned the commissioner's job after only a few months running the league.
In 1972, Davis maneuvered to turn his minority ownership stake into a controlling interest in the team, drafting a new agreement that made him the managing partner.
- This move led to a lawsuit from his now deposed partner, the first of many times that Davis would find himself in a courtroom.
In 1980 Davis traded QB Ken Stabler (who had spent 12 years with Oakland) to Houston for daring to try to renegotiate his contract.
- While the player he received back, QB Dan Pastorini, did nothing for the Raiders, Oakland still managed to ride backup QB Jim Plunkett to victories in Super Bowl XV and XVIII.
- Stabler never won another playoff game in his career
Also in 1980, Davis sued the NFL and commissioner Pete Rozelle for anti-trust violations for refusing to let him move the team from Oakland to L.A.
- Davis prevailed in Federal court, moving the team to Los Angeles in time for the start of the 1982 season. This was the first significant franchise in the NFL since the Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960.
- This opened the door for franchise relocation, including the Colts leaving Baltimore for Indianapolis and the Cardinals moving to Arizona.
Davis ordered the benching of future Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen following a 1989 holdout.
- After averaging over 200 carries a season his first seven years with the Raiders, Allen only topped 70 carries once in his last four years.
- Allen moved to division rival Kansas City in 1993, where he returned to his Pro Bowl form.
In 1989 Davis fired second year Head Coach Mike Shanahan with a career record of 8-12
- Following a few years with market rival San Francisco as a coordinator, Shanahan jumped at the opportunity to take over fellow AFC West team Denver.
- Fueled in no small part by a dispute over unpaid salary Shanahan delighted in beating the Raiders, often keeping his starters to run up the score. Shanahan won two Super Bowls and had a 21-7 record against Oakland during his tenure in Denver.
In 1995 Al had enough of Los Angeles refusing to upgrade his stadium and moved the team back to Oakland
- Another lawsuit against the NFL resulted, though this one was eventually decided against the Raiders.
- Davis also sued the NFL for television rights to L.A. after the team was moved back to Oakland, this suit was another loss for the Raiders.
Unwilling to give Head Coach Jon Gruden the large contract extension he wanted after the 2001 season Davis traded his coach to Tampa Bay for four high draft picks and $8 Million in cash.
- Gruden coached the Bucs to the 2002 Super Bowl, where they defeated the Raiders convincingly, 48-21.
- The Raiders have not had a stable head coach since Gruden left.
- The four players picked combined to appear in no Pro Bowls.
Following a 1999 season in which the Raiders lost a number of close games Davis shocked the NFL by drafting troubled placekicker, Sebastion Janikowski, with the 17th overall pick in the 2ooo draft.
- Janikowski has gone on to become the Raiders all time leading scorer and the one constant in Al's last decade of ownership.
Following the 2007 season Davis hired 31 year old Lane Kiffin as his new coach. Kiffin had been the Offensive Coordinator at USC for only two seasons prior to his hiring in Oakland.
- Davis reportedly tried to force Kiffin out after only one season, pressuring him to resign following a 4-12 record in his first season. Kiffin refused, as he knew Al was trying to avoid paying off his contract.
- After a 1-3 start to the 2008 season Kiffin was finally fired. In a bizarre press conference the Raiders accused him of dishonesty and disloyalty and announced that he would not be paid for his remaining contract. A letter stating this was also sent to Kiffin's next employer, the University of Tennessee
- Kiffin sued the Raiders, and Davis, for breach of contract, but lost as the court found that Davis had enough cause to dismiss him.
- Davis received some vindication when Kiffin left UT for USC after only one season, leaving the school in turmoil and under NCAA investigation.


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Nu Jerzey Devil (Feat. Mysonne & Juice) - Over Freestyle
"Check out Nu JerZey Devil - Mysonne - Juice as they put their BWS splash over Drake's Over beat!" - BWS
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Tech Sets Correction Course
Sector is a 'Canary in the Coal Mine' For the Market, Signaling Deeper Declines
In just six weeks, the stock market has gone from flirting with record highs to the brink of a correction.
After extending their slumps last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index are now down more than 7% from their recent peaks. A decline of 10% or more is commonly known as a correction.
As investors...


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Hello, I just got back from a fashion event in New York City where a publicist said I looked like I was 18 and couldn't be a mom (I love her). However, I am a mom! Here, 11 things that prove it:
1. Someone says "you smell amazing" and you realize they are totally getting a whiff of the anti-lice rosemary leave-in conditioning spray you compulsively spray in your hair thanks to that preschool note.
2. You turn on the TV and it's automatically on a cartoon channel.
3. You never leave home without antibacterial wipes, a juice box and snack.
4. The pediatrician is on speed-dial.
5. Your feet have been injured by Lego. Multiple times.
6. You're a human tissue.
7. You know the name of Elmo's fish and prevail at bar trivia as a result.
8. You say "No" a lot. (And these other things on a daily basis.)
9. When you're eating sushi your child warns you that Mater hurt his tongue eating too much wasabi.
10. Other kids think your name is "Jack's Mom."
11. You spend real time looking for a Lego man's torso. HIS TORSO. And you get really excited, like, I published a book excited (!!!) when you find that itty-bitty piece of plastic. Score!!!
Share some of your own you know you're a mom moments!
Tomorrow is my last blog here on parenting.com Thank you for reading for the past 2 years and total, 5, if you count my run with glamour.com
******* MORE NEWS IS COMING so friend me on Facebook & follow me on Twitter @JDSMOM2007 to keep up—this isn't the end, only the beginning. Order a copy of my single mom memoir, Rattled! or download it @ iTunes. It's now available on audible.com Check out ChristineCoppa.net for more info.
Full disclosure: I DO NOT ENDORSE LEGO FOR PROFIT.


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Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan have scoreless debuts with Tigers in 5-3 win over Braves
- Image 1 of 2
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LAKELAND, Fla. – Detroit newcomers Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan each pitched a scoreless inning Thursday, helping the Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2.
Chamberlain and Nathan were brought in to solidify a Tigers bullpen that struggled through much last season. Chamberlain, the right-hander who foundered with the Yankees in 2013, had a strikeout. Nathan, who had 43 saves for Texas last year, struck out two. It was the Tigers debut for both.
Rick Porcello started for the Braves and allowed one run in two innings. He struck out three.
Kris Medlin allowed one run in two innings in his spring debut for the Braves. Jason Heyward hit a long homer off of Duane Below in his second at-bat.


text:
1. Jenny Davies
2. Lowri Harries
3. Catrin Edwards
4. Jenny Hawkins
5. Shona Powell Hughes
6. Rachel Taylor
7. Nia Davies
8. Sioned Harries
16. Carys Phillips
17. Megan York
18. Caryl Thomas
19. Catrina Nicholas
20. Sian Williams
21. Amy Day
22. Rebecca de Filippo
23. Laurie Harries
1. Karen Dunbar
2. Lana Skeldon
3. Tracy Balmer
4. Deborah McCormack
5. Emma Wassell
6. Rachael Cook
7. Tess Forsberg
8. Jade Konkel
16. Lindsey Smith
17. Heather Lockhart
18. Lisa Robertson
19. Ruth Slaven
20. Lyndsay O'Donnell
21. Louise Dalgliesh
22. Katy Green
23. Sarah Smith
Robyn Wilkins converted Tuttiett's effort and slotted a penalty but that was as good as it got for Wales as Scotland prevented them from scoring after the break.
Despite a pointless second half, Wales ended their Six Nations campaign with their first win while defeat for Scotland meant they went the whole tournament without a win.
Wales got off to the perfect start as a try from Davies in the first minute saw them race into a 5-0 lead before lock Powell Hughes doubled it seven later.
A third Wales try inside the first 15 minutes was scored by Tuttiett with Wilkins slotting the conversion - the first points of five points she would record in the first half.
Wing Bowen made it 22-0 with Wales' fourth try six minutes before the break with Wilkins kicking a penalty on the stroke of half-time as Scotland trailed 25-0.
Scotland made changes at the break and, despite failing to register any points in the second half, they did prevent Wales from adding to their tally further.
Lindsey Smith and Heather Lockhart came on in the front row while Louise Dalgliesh was deployed at scrum-half and, in contrast to the first half, Wales couldn't find a way through.
Scotland's defence remained resolute throughout and they will take positives from their second-half performance despite failing to win a game in the tournament.


text:
San Francisco, CAUSA
January 13, 2011
No introduction yet
The purpose of our group is: join together to have fun and save money on everything about skiing and snowboarding. We get discount on lift tickets, equipment rentals, lesson packages, lunch vouchers, etc. Moreover, we can share the ride and lodging, learn each other about skiing and snowboarding skills. And above all, have fun.
We'll schedule bus trips on monthly basis at different resorts in Tahoe area like Northstar, Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Bear Valley, Boreal, Diamond Peak, Squaw, Mt. Rose, etc.
If you live around the Bay Area, including San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Sacramento or somewhere in between, bring friends and join us.
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text:
Mormans Quit Church in Mass Resignation Ceremony
(Reuters) - A group of about 150 Mormons quit their church in a mass resignation ceremony in Salt Lake City on Saturday in a rare display of defiance ending decades of disagreement for some over issues ranging from polygamy to gay marriage.
Views: 376
Nice! You guys rock!
Congrats! Welcome to the club!
This is great news, if for no other reason than that it shows a break in the veneer of the LDS church. One wonders how many other such breaks have happened with less press coverage.
It has to be so much easier on them to have the support of the group and maybe that will spur others onward! Here's hoping! I had always heard that the LDS Church uses all sorts of nasty techniques to bring one back into the fold if you try to leave on your own, I have no experience with it to know whether or not that is true.
On the other hand, I know that JW's often force the family to ostracize former members, my grandmother and some of my aunts and uncles were JW's and for all their outward 'love and desire to share' (door to door....) they are a very closed society and I often wondered if that was why my aunt and uncle originally moved away from the rest of the family as they were the last practicing JW's and the rest were either Baptist or Evangelical. I have heard that things are much the same for the Mormon church.
Kayla congrats to you! This is a profound message to the community.
This is great news! I have had the experience of belonging to both the JW's and the LDS! Lol! What would one call that...a Mormon Witness or a Witness of the LDS?
About 15 years ago my family and I were members of the LDS. And, were so for about 3 years! I struggled with being a Mormon constantly! Especially, with the so-called "Articles of Faith". And, then the "Holy Garments" {Underwear}. It was really when our family was getting ready for a Temple recommend in Columbus, Ohio that I really started getting really concerned about things. Talking about secret handshakes and things that you were to do and say. Then, I get pulled in to the Branch Presidents Office and they wanted to conduct a fiscal audit on me for the past two years! The reason given was that I was at the time the owner of a Htg. & Cooling company and they didn't feel that the $250.00 per week that I was giving in tithing was enough. They asked me if I gave tithes on gross or net earnings! And, then a week later the branch president steps down and moves away because he secretly had a second family in another city!
So, after a few weeks I asked to have my name, my wife's and sons name removed from the records in Salt Lake!
Witness'...144,000 make it to heaven. Meek shall inherit the earth. No voting, no holiday celebrations {except wedding anniversarys.} Spent three years with these lunatics too!
So, I really gave each of them a honest try. And, it just kept getting more and more crazy with time! I found myself chasing this deity or sense of comfort in the feeling of love from a superior something! But, it never developed, he never showed the least bit of presence in my life or interest. I know that may sound selfish and it is but, that is part of the traits or values that is somehow sort of ingrained into this mindwashing. Oh sure there were times of real gratitude and a real sense of helping someone with the things that we were doing. But, I can still obtain the same feelings of satisfaction with helping my fellow man without religion or god! I didn't know this at the time!
I went through several years of guilt, mild depression, mad and a sense of worthlessness! Until about three years ago did I start feeling better about myself and the world and the people that I shared this planet with.
Just three months ago I found a video of Christopher Hitchens on YouTube! I started watching more and more of the videos of his, Sam Harris and others; reading more and more articles on the internet. And then, I found this web-site by accident! And, I am going to say this...this site is one of the greatest sites I have ever discovered! This site has put me in touch with other great sites and information and with some of the greatest people I think in this world! These people are like family and I am so thankful to have a place to come to and talk to friends and family.
Jeff Dempsey - Recovering Theist
@Jeff - We need a thousand more like you! Thank you for sharing your experiences with these two groups, the more we know of their tactics, the more we can help others looking for a sane, safe place to land.
Tell 'em to stick their "dire eternal consequences" where the sun don't shine!
And congrats on getting FREE!!!
© 2018 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Mon 18th Dec 2006 22:28 UTC
"Recently there has been a lot of discussion bubbling up regarding the possibility that Ubuntu will ship proprietary 3D drivers by default for some video cards. My aim here is not to discuss the specifics of that decision, which is still being fleshed out and ratified, but to instead define my views on the bigger picture behind the discussion - features vs. freedom."


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Fri 24th Nov 2006 19:48 UTC, submitted by jayson.knight
Microsoft is beating Oracle hands down with the security of its database, according to a new report. David Litchfield, a security researcher with NGS Software, published a whitepaper entitled Which database is more secure? Oracle vs. Microsoft on 21 November comparing the number of software vulnerabilities patched by both vendors in their respective products in the past six years.


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2014 D.C. White Research and Mentoring Award Laureate
Winner of the 2014 D.C. White Research and Mentoring Award is Edward Leadbetter, Ph.D., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts. Presented in honor of D.C. White, who was known for his interdisciplinary scientific approach and being a dedicated and inspiring mentor, Leadbetter's career epitomizes these characteristics. Former graduate student, Lisa Gorski, U.S. Department of Agriculture, says, "All students came to him for advice and his door was always open. He helped countless microbiology students over the years to move on in the field."
Leadbetter graduated from Franklin & Marshall College where he was mentored by long-time ASM member Ralph Slepecky. He received his Ph.D from the University of Texas, Austin, where he met his wife of 57+ years, Gloria. Leadbetter spent almost 20 years at Amherst College, mentoring dozens of exceptional undergraduates. In 1978, he moved to The University of Connecticut, where he continued to mentor before retiring in 2005.
During his career, Ed enjoyed pursuing novel microbial activities: from hydrocarbon oxidation, to the utilization of novel electron donors by sulfur and non-sulfur phototrophs. He has been an active ASM member and also spent a year at the National Science Foundation as a program director.
In 1971, Leadbetter was asked to join the summer faculty at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, recently honored as an "ASM Milestones in Microbiology" site. Leadbetter remained active with the program for many years, influencing numerous students. Now retired, he has enjoyed being a guest investigator in the laboratory of Virginia Edgcomb at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.


text:
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 11th Nov 2009 13:20 UTC, submitted by SReilly
As most of you will know, the GNOME team is hard at work on GNOME 3.0, the first major overhaul of the platform since 2002. The release of GNOME 3.0 was originally planned for March 2010, but it has now been pushed back for six months to September 2010.
Thread beginning with comment 393996
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Does anyone care what version number they tack on to their next release? The actual release schedule does not change.
It matters, because 3.0 is the point where they're free to break compatibility where necessary, ditching deprecated code that's accumulated since the early days of the 2.x series. It's also likely to be the point where something like Gnome Shell might become the default desktop shell, replacing the current panel.
So the original goal had been that the next 2.30 release would be that big one. It now looks like 2.32 will be the big one, and 2.30 will be just another progressive release like 2.28 was - a few feature changes, and a lot of background work...


text:
Through the generosity of GeoCities, we bring you a small sample of the submissions to this mailart call, heard throughout the world and ignored by most of it. The main dood in charge is the one, the only, the Art Pope o'
Sacramento, let's hear it for Leo duuuuuuuuh Fitchi! Rusty Clark, editrix of Tabloid Trash, provides basic page design and is the doodess in charge of hanging the pictures straight. Your email will be read by both jokers. We're giving you email/page links for the mailartists included here - and encourage you to visit and/or write them for further info on their work.


text:
Norton 500, 600, 650 & 750 Twins (57-70) Haynes Repair Manual
Product description
Complete coverage of your Norton 500, 600, 650 & 750 Twins (57 - 70)
With a Haynes manual, you can do it yourself…from simple maintenance to basic repairs. Haynes writes every book based on a complete teardown of the motorcycle. We learn the best ways to do a job and that makes it quicker, easier and cheaper for you. Our books have clear instructions and hundreds of photographs that show each step. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, you can save big with Haynes!
--Step-by-step procedures
--Easy-to-follow photos
--Complete troubleshooting section
--Valuable short cuts
--Color spark plug diagnosis
Norton 500, 600, 650 & 750 Twins (57-70) Haynes Repair Manual
Table of contents
Chapter 1: Engine
Chapter 2: Gearbox
Chapter 3: Clutch
Chapter 4: Fuel system and carburetion
Chapter 5: Ignition system
Chapter 6: Frame and forks
Chapter 7: Wheels, brakes and tires
Chapter 8: Electrical system
Wiring diagrams


text:
(apologies to anyone who got half of this post in their google reader earlier today, I hit the wrong button.)
It's Monday afternoon, the girls are asleep, Nye is working. I'm enjoying 10 minutes of quiet.
There is a river of snot flowing in our house and a constant cacophony of coughs (nice alliteration, huh?) It's that time of year when we notice it's starting to get lighter in the evenings after months of interminable darkness, then exactly 24 hours after the observation: BAM, the lurge. It happens every single year.
I don't have words for how amazing Widdle and Puke have been (we call them Pickle and Moo now. Sometimes Spickle and Moomin). The last few weeks they have gone through so many changes and have become so much like people. And I have fallen in love with them three hundred million times more.
They have words now. Not many but enough to make them distinctly Not Babies. Babies don't talk, kids do. Ella's words are: doh (dog), duh (duck), baba (baby), ahbee (Ammie), nana (any type of fruit), noh (nose) and Azerbaijan. Ammies are doh (dog), duh (duck) and noh (nose). Ammie doesn't need words because she has the most expressive range of noises in the world. She jabbers away all day, chirping and chirruping and babbling and squawking and bellowing and yelling and snuffling and exhaling. Ella chats too occasionally, but Ammie's commentary is near continuous. I didn't know that anyone could express so much with a purse of the lips and a vigorous exhalation.
They walk. Ammie start in November, a couple of weeks after their first birthday. In a move that seems to have released a tonne of frustration and irritability Ella caught up last week. And she is so pleased with herself. Every time she stumbles across a room she is all 'look at me! look at me! I rock!' Yes kid, you totally totally do.
They kiss and they hug too. Mostly Nye and I (which is nice after a year of being yelled at) but as of last week, each other too. I can't tell you how huge this is. Since they were only a couple of months old people have been asking us if they interact and play with each other and we have been snorting back laughter. Up until nine months they barely acknowledged each other's existence, why would they? When you're a baby another baby is of absolutely zero use to you and their 'interaction' was limited to waking each other up and competing to cry the loudest. Then at nine months they added pushing each other over and stealing each other's food/toys/milk, the natural conclusion of which was scratching, bashing and eye gouging. Sometimes they did scratching, bashing and eye gouging without the precursor of theft, sometimes it was just fun to whack your sister in the face. After that came wrestling over my lap or arms, depending on whether I was sitting or standing, and then recently some much more sophisticated fighting. Ella quickly became a master of swapsies: instead of 'you have the toy/food/parent I want, I'm having that and I'll poke you in the eye when you resist' it became 'You have the toy/food/parent I want, here, have a chewed up piece of cardboard and while you're contemplating its worth I'll have that toy. Bye!' Amelia caught up with that game eventually and now they are both excellent at it. Of course they don't fall for it with each other any more but anyone else is fair game. Recently in the airport Ammie toddled up to a teenage boy and in a truly admirable move attempted to swap her complimentary (and thoroughly dribbled upon and ripped up) airline magazine for his iPad. I was so proud.
Over the last few months they've started interacting in a way that is actually nice though and it's been incredible. It started with Ammie lying down beside Ella while she was in the middle of a tantrum and patting her on the head. When that didn't work she got up and left to play with some toys but still, it was the first time either of them had shown any sign of empathy towards the other and that was HUGE. It took a few months for Ella to return the favour but now they're all about patting each other on the head, offering cups and occasionally even toys or food and as of last week, hugging. Guys, they actually like each other! I won't pretend that we weren't starting to wonder...
They also hang up laundry, pat dogs, make animal noises, dig in soil and wear shoes (which they bring to us to put on their feet, even when they're in their pyjamas). They eat curry and chilli and chickpeas have a bizarrely high currency in our household. They've started trying to put themselves into their sleeping bags at night and occasionally they show signs of knowing that sleep and bed are good things and not the work of the devil. They dance, although more Ella than Ammie, man that kid has some moves. She likes 80s pop and 70s reggae.
I don't want to give the impression that they're perfect, I know how much I hate all those perfect blog babies. They are also still occasionally mental. For the first five days that we were in France they were both teething and both cried almost constantly. Ella developed an instantaneous and unprecedented bath-aversion the night we arrived and went absolutely ballistic daily when we so much as approached the bathroom. . I had stopped drinking wine 3 months earlier because I thought it was making my endometriosis worse. Yeah, that didn't last long once we hit France. Tantrums are daily and they are extreme: exorcist extreme. Sometimes when we go out for lunch one will only eat crisps and the other will only eat ice cubes. Every night for three months they screamed and kicked and writhed while having their pyjamas put on. They are now down to doing it 4 nights out of 7. Their nappies stinks like they live on a diet of microwave burgers. At least once a week Ammie head butts me so hard I wonder if she has broken my nose.
Whatever, I still think that they're the most amazing kids that ever lived.
And with that I'll leave you, it's time to go and play with my most excellent kiddos.


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Nets still jockeying for playoff position, host rival 76ers
The Brooklyn Nets will try to improve their playoff positioning on Tuesday night when they host Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets trail the New York Knicks by six games for the Atlantic Division title. With only six games left, and the Knicks on fire at the moment, that doesn't seem to be too realistic a proposition.
But the Nets occupy the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are only two games ahead of the Chicago Bulls for fifth and for homecourt in the first round of the playoffs.
"We're still playing for position, there are still a lot of scenarios, most of them unlikely, but, if nothing else, you're still playing for homecourt," said interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Brooklyn has won two of its last three and Tuesday's game will end a three- game homestand. They had played eight in a row on the road, but will head back out for three straight.
On Sunday, at home, the Nets bested the Charlotte Bobcats, 105-96. Deron Williams was awesome with 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Brook Lopez (19), Andray Blatche (16), Joe Johnson (15) and Reggie Evans (14) also scored in double figures.
The Nets only committed nine turnovers on Sunday.
The Sixers will play the finale of a four-game road trip on Tuesday. They are 1-2 thus far with a win in Atlanta sandwiched around losses to the Bobcats and Heat.
Philly was competitive with the Heat through three quarters on Saturday, but the defending champs busted the game open in the fourth. Miami took the final period, 29-11, to win, 106-87.
"I thought we got a little tired in the fourth quarter, three games in four nights," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "They came out, jumped us. We fought back in there. We hung around, we fought."
All-Star guard Jrue Holiday led the way with 18 points. Evan Turner was next with 14 points, followed by 11 points and 11 rebounds from Spencer Hawes, and 10 points apiece from Nick Young and Dorell Wright,
The Sixers will miss the postseason after reaching a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals one year ago.
The Nets took the first two meetings this season with Philly, but the Sixers won, 106-97, at home, on March 11. The Sixers have won seven of their last 10 on the road in this series.


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Thomas R. Beaudoin
Thomas R. Beaudoin, 64, found peace Sunday, July 20, 2008, after a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
He loved fishing, antiques, casino trips, bingo, estate and rummage sales and was an avid reader.
Thomas was the dear brother of James Beaudoin and JoAnne (Joe) Dietz; loving uncle of Robert Beaudoin and Beth Beaudoin (Jay Reyes); and great-uncle of Nathan Repka. He is further survived by other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Frieda Beaudoin, and his nephew, Joey Dietz.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the 11:30 a.m. funeral service Tuesday, July 29, at Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, 6080 S. 27th St., Milwaukee. Entombment will follow at St. Adalbert Cemetery.
Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, (414) 483-2322, is serving the family. Online condolences and directions can be found at www.pkfuneralhomes.com.


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CAASP Helps Students Succeed at 4-Year Institutions
The San Diego City Athletic Academic Support Program (CAASP) was created "to provide the necessary resources and guidance that will aid in the successful transfer and matriculation of the City College student-athlete to four-year institutions." The program has helped City College earn a solid reputation for athletic and academic success. More importantly, it has helped literally hundreds of athletes move on to compete at four-year programs while finishing their degree work.
The program's offerings include:


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Eddie Van Halen donates guitars to schools
- Bang Showbiz
- 12 January 2012
Eddie Van Halen has donated 75 of his guitars to schools in Los Angeles, to be used by students studying music
Eddie Van Halen has donated 75 of his guitars to charity.
The 'Jump' rocker - who's band are poised to make a comeback with original singer David Lee Roth- has given the instruments to Los Angeles area schools through charity Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, which will distribute them to music departments for use by pupils.
Eddie said: "Music is the universal language. It has the ability to transcend and convey every human emotion that exists without saying a word. Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.
"If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that's a wonderful thing. Music has provided a good life for me and hopefully it can help make life better for others with this donation."
Van Halen have are set to release their 'A Different Kind of Truth' album on February 7, their first album with David since '1984'. The group performed their first show with David back in the group in New York last week and the first single from the album, 'Tattoo', was premiered on Monday (10.01.12).


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"A trusted, hardworking custodian like
TD Ameritrade is an invaluable asset."
Richard S. Brown, JNBA Financial Advisors, Inc.
We never forget that it's your business and that we are here to support you in making it thrive. You tell us what you need, how you work, and what you wish was better - and we work hard to refine solutions to exceed your expectations. You can count on TD Ameritrade Institutional to put you first, so you can do the same for your clients.
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We believe the fiduciary standard gives advisors and their clients the best chance at a successful relationship, so we've made it our mission to do everything we can to stand up for the RIA industry.


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October 2011
Libya, slightly larger than Alaska, is located in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, Chad, Niger, and Sudan. Libya is fourth in size among the countries of Africa and seventeenth among the countries of the world. The official name of Libya is Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. In theory, Jamahiriya is defined as a state of the masses governed by the people through local councils.
Libya has a small population in a large land area. Population density is about 50 persons per sq. km. (80/sq. mi.) in the two northern regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, but falls to less than one person per sq. km. (1.6/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. More than half the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the two largest cities: Tripoli (capital), and Benghazi. Thirty-three percent of the population is estimated to be under age 15.
Native Libyans are primarily a mixture of Arabs and Berbers. Small Tebou and Tuareg tribal groups in southern Libya are nomadic or semi-nomadic. Among foreign residents, the largest groups are citizens of other African nations, including North Africans (primarily Egyptians and Tunisians), West Africans, and other Sub-Saharan Africans. Arabic is the primary language. English and Italian are understood in major cities.
Libya's climate is Mediterranean along the coast and dry in the desert interior; more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert. The country's terrain is mostly barren with flat to undulating plains, plateaus, and depressions. The lowest point of elevation is Sabkhat Ghuzayyil (47 m) and the highest point is Bikku Bitti (2,267 m). Natural hazards consist mainly of the hot, dry, dust-laden southern winds known as ghibli, which last one to four days in the spring and fall; other hazards include dust storms and sand storms. Libya's main natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, and gypsum.
CIA World Factbook; U.S. State Department Background Notes, 07/2011; 10/2011
This map has also been used:
- Libya, September 2011


text: ...can be a challenge for others. Many seasoned riders wouldn't think of using the side stand for normally parking their bike, and pulling up and popping it on the center stand is second nature. For others it looks like a daunting task and can be very confusing and the fear of dropping the bike looms large. But like almost any other motorcycle topic, the answer can be found somewhere here on the BMW MOA forum. Wonder how? Check it out.


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China's growth rebounds to 7.9 percent in final quarter of 2012 as consumer spending rises
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BEIJING – China's economy rebounded in the final quarter of 2012 but optimism was tempered by warnings the shaky recovery could be vulnerable to a possible downturn in global trade.
Economic growth rose to 7.9 percent in the three months ending in December as a recovery from China's deepest slowdown since the 2008 global crisis took hold, data showed Friday. That was up from the previous quarter's 7.4 percent rate and raised total growth for the year to 7.8 percent — China's weakest annual performance since the 1990s.
Forecasters expect China's growth to rise to 8 percent or above in 2013 but say the recovery still could be vulnerable to a downturn in trade or if the communist government fails to keep investment rising.
"We see growth rising above 8 percent in the first half of 2013," said Mark Williams of Capital Economics. "I don't think China is an economy in need of further stimulus at this point."
This week, the World Bank cut its growth forecast for China this year from 8.6 percent to a still-rapid 8.4 percent.
Chinese growth could suffer a setback if its high investment rates slacken or global trade weakens, the bank said. It said a 5 percent decline in investment could knock 1.4 percentage point off this year's economic growth and 6 percent off imports.
The economic slowdown was due largely to government controls imposed to cool a real estate boom and surging inflation fueled by Beijing's massive stimulus in response to the 2008 crisis. The decline worsened as global demand for Chinese exports dropped unexpectedly, raising the risk of job losses and unrest.
The recovery comes as new Communist Party leaders under General Secretary Xi Jinping take power in a once-a-decade political transition that began in October.
Stronger quarterly growth was widely expected after earlier data showed retail sales, factory output and other indicators rising.
In December, retail sales growth accelerated to 15.2 percent compared with a year earlier, up from the previous month's 14.9 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. Factory output growth rose to 10.3 percent over a year earlier from November's 10.1 percent.
National Bureau of Statistics of China (in Chinese): www.stats.gov.cn


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Style # 213723
Metallic Gold Clutch is rated out of 5 by 2.
Rated 4 out of 5 by des10ey from Beautiful! This purse is beautiful, bigger than what I thought.
Date published: 2013-11-12
Rated 5 out of 5 by MorenoTink from Gorgeous Bag I had been searching for a perfect gold clutch and came across this one online, this Clutch is just gorgeous!
Date published: 2013-10-07


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California poised to adopt first-in-nation energy storage mandate
Oct 16, 2013 - Dana Hull - mercurynews.com
A California law that requires utilities to get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind is widely credited with accelerating the state's cleantech economy. Now state regulators are poised to compel utilities to invest in "energy storage," which could jump-start technology long considered the holy grail of the electricity industry.
On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission is expected to vote on a groundbreaking proposal that would require PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric to collectively buy more than 1.3 gigawatts of energy storage by 2020 -- roughly enough electricity to supply nearly 994,000 homes.
The first-in-the-nation mandate is expected to spur innovation in emerging storage technologies, from batteries to flywheels. Once large quantities of energy can be stored, the electric grid can make better use of solar, wind and other technologies that generate energy sporadically rather than in a steady flow, and can better manage disruptions from unpredictable events such as storms and wildfires.
"There's plenty of sun out there, and it's going to take storage," Gov. Jerry Brown said in a speech at a solar industry conference in San Francisco this summer. "We need to bottle sunlight."
With the U.S. economy more dependent than ever on a steady supply of electricity, and as climate change creates more extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, experts say electric grids need to be equipped with tools to better manage volatility and unpredictable outages. And as more renewable energy comes online, utilities face a growing problem of "intermittency" because the sun doesn't always shine and wind largely picks up at night, when demand from households and businesses is low. Grid operators are eager to find ways to store energy during off-peak times for use during peak hours, to avoid having to boot up "peaker" power plants that run only in times of high demand.
California's policy innovation on energy storage is being closely watched around the country.
"This is transformative," said Chet Lyons, an energy storage consultant based in Boston. "It's going to have a huge impact on the development of the storage industry, and other state regulators are looking at this as a precedent."
Utilities, leading energy companies, Silicon Valley startups and researchers at the nation's top universities and national labs have been searching for cost-effective ways to store energy for future use. Several different kinds of storage technologies are being developed. Pumped storage projects move water between two reservoirs at different elevations. When demand is low, electricity is used to pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir; when demand is high, the water is released through a turbine to generate electricity.
Flywheel energy storage accelerates a rotor to high speeds, creating a kinetic battery. And there is a lot of focus on stationary batteries, from lithium-ion to sodium-sulfur.
But the market has been slow to develop. Several utilities have small pilot projects in the works, but nothing on a large scale. PG&E's Yerba Buena Battery Energy Storage System Pilot Project, based in East San Jose, charges batteries when demand is low and sends stored power to the grid when demand grows, allowing operators to balance supply and demand. The project, which cost $18 million, uses the sodium-sulfur batteries made by NGK in Japan that have 4 megawatts of capacity and can store electricity for roughly six hours.
Ratepayer advocates, utilities, environmental groups and several storage companies, including Primus Power of Hayward and MegaWatt Storage Farms of Los Altos, have filed comments about the proposed storage mandate and offered various suggestions for how to improve it.
What is unclear is how the storage mandate will impact the rates that consumers pay for electricity; the full impact on bills won't be known until after the procurement process begins. California's proposal requires utilities to look at cost-effectiveness when evaluating storage technologies, considered key because the storage market is so new and still developing.
"This is forging new ground," said Chris Shelton, president of AES Energy Storage in Arlington, Va. AES, which uses lithium-ion batteries as its storage technology, is a leading player in the industry, with 100 megawatts of energy storage installed in the United States. "California is saying that storage isn't an add-on. It's saying that these new solutions have to be cost-effective, which is key if storage is really going to be viable."
The proposed energy storage decision was written by PUC Commissioner Carla Peterman, who was appointed to the agency by Gov. Jerry Brown in late 2012. She notes that storage devices are commonplace: Think about the batteries in consumer electronics, or Tupperware, or the fat cells in our own bodies. But the ability to store electricity on a large scale to save it for when it is most needed has been elusive.
"Integrating renewables is complex, and the complexity is increasing as more solar and wind comes online," said Peterman, who previously served on the California Energy Commission. "Storage has a lot of potential, but there's no one solution. We need to develop this market to see what the potential is."
Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.
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Now that much of the nation's corn has been harvested and the impact of this year's drought is clear, analysts say demand rather than supply will drive the feed market, and prices could potentially move lower to gauge where buying interests may be.
Any kind of price relief would be welcomed by California livestock farmers, who saw feed prices soar to record levels this summer as scorching heat and parched conditions withered crops in the Corn Belt.
The state's dairy farmers, particularly, have been hit hard. Many of them were already struggling with financial problems brought on earlier by the recession and the milk price collapse in 2009. Skyrocketing feed costs have added to their plight, with a growing number of producers reportedly closing their doors and filing bankruptcy.
To call attention to their troubles, California dairy farmers staged a rally last week at the state Capitol to ask the California Department of Food and Agriculture to raise milk prices. It was the second such demonstration in the last two months.
Milk producers are not the only ones being squeezed by surging feed prices. Zacky Farms, the second-largest turkey producer in the state, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month, citing rising feed costs for the Fresno company's "extremely difficult liquidity crisis."
Despite U.S. farmers having planted 97 million acres of corn this year—the most since 1937—the drought ravaged yields to their lowest average since 1995. U.S. corn production is now forecast at 10.7 billion bushels, the lowest in six years, according to this month's projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Joel Karlin, market analyst for Western Milling, a feed company in Tulare County, said high corn prices have definitely hurt livestock producers, and that is now tempering demand for the commodity. He noted that since prices peaked in mid-August, they have come down in the last two months—in part because the market has gotten a good handle on the size of the U.S. crop.
"The high prices have definitely rationed demand," he said. "Whether it's beef cattle, dairy cattle, hogs or poultry, they're all liquidating their herds, feeding less corn. Ethanol margins are very poor, so you've had a lot of plant shutdowns. There's cheaper corn overseas, so exports have been abysmal over the past few months."
Poor economic health around the world is another factor that could drive down demand, Karlin said, noting Europe's ongoing recession, China's slowest economic growth in 15 years and the limping U.S. economy.
But he also warned that while demand for corn may continue to be relatively lackluster, prices can only drop so low, because stocks remain very tight. Based on historic trends, Karlin said when corn begins selling at around $7 a bushel, "buyers usually come out of the woods and start purchasing." He said prices may continue to stay between $7 and $8 a bushel until early spring, when the market has a better sense of the size of the South American corn crop and how much corn U.S. farmers intend to plant next year.
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said while Zacky Farms' bankruptcy is an unfortunate outcome of escalating feed costs, he does not "foresee any other (poultry) companies having an issue right away."
About 80 percent of the state's poultry ranches are owned by companies such as Zacky Farms and Foster Farms. The other 20 percent are contract growers who raise birds for the poultry companies, which provide the feed. Contract growers are paid on their production efficiency but are generally not affected by feed costs, he said.
"The ones who are affected right away are the major companies that have to stay in business and make a product," Mattos said, adding that as far as he knows, those companies have not cut back on contracts.
Since about 70 percent of the cost of raising a chicken or a turkey is feed—most of which consists of corn—Mattos said the Midwestern drought and the resulting price spikes for corn "put everything into havoc." To help pay for some of the increased feed costs, poultry companies have had to ask supermarkets and retailers that sell California-grown products to allow them to raise prices, he said, noting that in the past year, most chicken and turkey prices have gone up about 15 percent.
But not all livestock sectors are able to raise prices and pass along the increased production costs, said Doug Dickson, commodities director for Harris Ranch who oversees grain purchases for the company's feedlot. He pointed out that while companies such as Foster Farms may be able to raise prices on its finished products, it's much harder to do for feeding operations such as Harris Ranch, because beef prices are established by market trade.
"You can raise prices," he said, "but you won't sell enough to get your revenue high enough to cover your expenses, because you may end up selling less (product). That's the dilemma that the ag producer has."
He said one problem he has encountered as a grain buyer this year is the increased competition in the market. He noted that several of the states where he normally sources his corn were also hardest hit by the drought, and that drove prices of available corn even higher.
There were hopes that the newer, drought-tolerant corn varieties that farmers planted would offer some protection against this year's dry, sweltering conditions. But Dickson said these new varieties are not miracle workers and cannot turn a crop in areas that were completely deprived of rain and subjected to intense heat.
"Even with the best genetically advanced seed, it's very difficult to overcome stressful environmental conditions as bad as they were this past summer," Karlin said, adding that had farmers not used drought-resistant corn, "it could have been worse."
(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.)
Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.


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