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The Carmi City Council meeting was cut short Monday evening due to the absence of two department leaders who were on the agenda for their monthly reports.
Police Chief Randy Hamblin was called out abruptly just after 6 p.m. on a report of a vehicle versus train crash on Burrell Street. It turned out, however, the crash had actually occurred west of Carmi on County Road 900 East.
City supervisor Mike Buckman was absent due to a family illness.
Mayor David Port reported another strong financial month for the city, with an overall profit of about $175,000 between the light, water and sewer departments as well as the corporate side of the city accounts.
John Acree of LAMAC Engineering was on hand to provide an update on the upgrade project at the wastewater plant. He said the project was about 50 percent completed and on schedule. He said a new non-potable water system had been installed and was due to be switched to this week.
The council unanimously approved the purchase of three thermal imaging cameras for the fire department. Committee members Jack Lamont and Ralph Anselment both said they were surprised to learn other area departments had the devices and Carmi did not yet have any of the devices.
The devices will allow firefighters to detect hotspots in structures and to photograph them. The devices can also prove beneficial for other uses by other city departments.
The council also renewed its employee safety incentive program. City Clerk Don Kittinger, who has headed up the program since its inception in 2008 said a graph shows worker's compensation claims are "trending in the right direction" for the city and encouraged the council to approve the program for another year.
The mayor said he attended the opening ceremonies at the recently remodeled Eckerle Park over the weekend and reported the facility looked "very nice." He thanked those volunteers responsible for raising the funds to complete the work and said more work is coming as the weather allows, including paving the parking area, painting the stands and light replacement.
He also reported a successful grand opening celebration at Gillard's True Value Hardware over the weekend, noting the ownership reported more than 2,200 customers during the two-day event.
Fire Chief Larry Hite reported three in-town runs, including smoke in a mobile home in the 900 block of Cain Street, a CO alarm activation in the 500 block of Woodlawn and a brush fire at Burrell Woods. Hite noted the fire at Burrell Woods was a controlled burn that got out of hand.
Alderman Tim Pollard reported he had received an annual report of electric rates in the area and noted Carmi's 11.9 cent per hour rate is in the middle, with 20 other entities charging more and 20 charging less. Notably, electric coops were the highest chargers, with rates as high as about 17 cents per kilowatt hour.
Location, ST | website.com


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WACO (January 2, 2013)—A carbon monoxide leak early Wednesday at a home at 500 Dunbar St. in Waco sent three people to the hospital, but a fire official says it could have been worse.
A family member who went by to check on the residents Wednesday got them out of the house and called 911 after discovering that one was ill and that all three had headaches.
Firefighters traced the leak to a heating unit.
Waco Assistant Fire Chief Don Yeager said the level of carbon monoxide in the home was four times what's considered dangerous.
"If this would have happened in the sleeping hours," he said, "there's a good chance you're not going to wake up."

subset: commoncrawl


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Black Sails
Starz has revealed that it will hold a fan-only sneak peek screening of the first episode of its Michael Bay-produced new pirate drama series "Black Sails" at Comic-Con on Thursday, July 18th.
The story follows the tales of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his men and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island." The series itself goes to air January 2014.
ABC will hold presentations for their "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" and "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" series during next month's Comic-Con.
Hemlock Grove
Netflix has ordered a second season of its original mystery series "Hemlock Grove". Charles H. Eglee ("The Walking Dead," "Dexter," "The Shield") is also coming onboard as an executive producer.
The second season will consist of ten episodes that will go into production later this year ahead of a 2014 debut. [Source: TVByTheNumbers]
Masterpiece and ITV Studios are set to co-produce the six-part drama "Breathless". Jack Davenport, Iain Glen, Zoe Boyle and Natasha Little star.
The series is set in a busy gynecology unit in 1961, a time when abortion was still illegal, the contraceptive pill only just available to married women and moral codes were shifting.[Source: Deadline]


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Sense and Nonsense: General Lessons from Genetic...
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Sense and Nonsense: General Lessons from Genetic Studies of Autism
The capability to characterize genetic variation across the entire genome in one fell swoop has generated considerable enthusiasm and expectation that the important genes for mental illness will "finally" be found. Whole genome association (WGA) is being touted as the path to genetic success in psychiatry. Is this sensible? Before considering the likely successes and limitations of this new capability, it is worth reminding ourselves of how we got here.
With respect to schizophrenia, over 50 years of studies of twin samples and of infants adopted away at birth have demonstrated that the lion's share of risk for schizophrenia is determined by genes, to the tune of over 70 percent of the variance in liability ("heritability"). Family segregation studies have shown that the pattern of relative risk across relationships is most consistent with at minimum oligogenic inheritance, and more likely polygenic inheritance (Gottesman, I. I., Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origin of Madness, New York: W.H. Freeman.1991). After over a decade of linkage studies, it is clear that across diverse family samples, schizophrenia is not related to a common genetic locus, and no locus accounts for more than a fraction of risk for illness. Because we know that schizophrenia is highly heritable, the failure of linkage to reveal a chromosomal locus providing a highly significant LOD score in most samples is not because there are no genetic variations accounting for the heritability, but because, among other reasons, there is just too much locus heterogeneity across samples.
If we accept that schizophrenia is polygenic and genetically heterogeneous, meaning that in any sample under study, some cases will be ill because they have risk genes W, X, Y, and Z, while other cases will be ill because they have risk genes C, D, E, and F, then any common linkage signals will be diluted by this genetic heterogeneity if these genes are spread throughout the genome. In light of this situation, why, then, have some recent linkage studies of schizophrenia revealed significant and replicable linkage regions? Notwithstanding improvement in ascertainment methods and the informativeness of DNA marker sets, it is likely that linkage has worked in some regions of the genome because some of the genetic heterogeneity is concentrated in these areas, meaning that heterogeneity across families does not necessarily dilute the linkage signal at these loci. For example, in the 8p linkage peak, there are at least five genes that have been found to show association with schizophrenia in various samples: NRG1, PCM1, PPP3CC, DRP2, and FZD3, so if 10 percent of the families have risk alleles in NRG1 that contribute to their risk profile, and even if 10 percent have no NRG1 risk alleles but PCM1 alleles, and the same for PPP3CC and so on, this genetic heterogeneity will not dilute the linkage signal and the 8p locus containing these five genes will be positive in these families. Of course, in a subsequent association study, samples will be positive or negative for any one of these individual genes depending on which alleles happen to be enriched in that sample. This is how heterogeneity affects the prospects for positive linkage and association. Many observers of psychiatric genetics who argue against the validity of linkage and association in psychiatry like to talk about multifactorial medical illnesses such as heart disease and schizophrenia being genetically heterogeneous, but they do not like the walk when it comes to acknowledging the implications for finding association, positive or negative.
Heterogeneity has obvious implications for studies that attempt to survey variation in the entire genome and compare allele frequencies across ill and well samples. Heterogeneity in such studies dilutes the statistical effect of any single DNA polymorphism in the entire sample. Because literally hundreds of thousands of variations may be typed at one time, many of which have no prior probability of being related to the phenotype of interest, it is critical to employ some approach to statistical correction for the possibility of random positive associations. If one were to correct for 500,000 tests, the likelihood that any SNP related to a condition like schizophrenia will survive this level of correction, at least to the extent that the illness is polygenic and heterogeneous, is very small. Based on the strength of the existing data, none of the well-supported candidate susceptibility genes for schizophrenia that have been identified to date (e.g., DTNPB1, NRG1, DISC1, etc.) would survive such correction. It has been argued that the solution to this conundrum is the collection of very large datasets. This may increase power and generate impressive p values for a few genes, but the effect size of the association does not change with sample size, only the p value. It is also important to remember that the larger the sample size, the greater the potential for heterogeneity, because the collection of very large samples often requires multiple collection centers, each with their own ascertainment quirks. Thus, this approach runs the risk of a paradoxical reduction in the strength of linkage and association (see Brzustowicz, 2007).
These considerations have implications for studies of the genetic origins of other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and autism. Two recent important papers related to autism illustrate each of these points and offer important lessons for WGA studies that will be emerging soon related to schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.
The paper by the Autism Genome Project Consortium (AGPC) reports the largest linkage study of families (over 1,490 families) with children having the autism spectrum syndrome and the most informative set of linkage markers yet reported. This study illustrates in dramatic detail the complications alluded to above. Many areas of the genome show evidence of linkage, i.e., locus heterogeneity, but the individual signals are statistically weak. Indeed, using strict criteria for statistical analysis, no region would have been considered positive, and the region that was closest (11p12-13) was not identified as a promising region in earlier linkage studies.
In a series of exploratory post-hoc reanalyses of the data, trying to create more theoretically homogeneous clinical samples (e.g., gender specific, narrower diagnosis), several linkage signals became slightly more positive, but also involving regions of the genome not highlighted in earlier linkage studies. Does this failure to find an impressive statistical result in such an impressively large sample mean that this study is negative? Not if we expect autism to be genetically complex in the ways enumerated above. The results are exactly what would be predicted. Indeed, similar results have been reported before (Risch et al., 1999). The AGPC study also discovered regions where evidence of genomic structural changes, so-called sequence copy number variations (CNVs), might be associated with clinical diagnosis. Their data suggest that as many as 253 CNVs were discovered in 196 cases. The CNVs were found in many chromosomal regions (i.e., locus heterogeneity); involved duplications more often than deletions; varied considerably from one family to another; were spontaneous in most cases but inherited in some; and were most often found only in one individual, though recurrences occurred across ill subjects in some instances. It is very difficult to determine from these data how much of the genetic contribution to autism in this sample is explained by these copy number variations. In a few families, where multiple affected individuals had the same deletion, the data look convincing. However, it appears that CNVs were just as frequent, just as large (average 3.4 Mb) and just as likely to be duplications or deletions in the unaffected siblings of the children with autism.
The paper by Sebat and colleagues surveys the genome exclusively for evidence of structural changes related to variable copy numbers of DNA sequences and uses a putatively more sensitive method. They discovered submicroscopic deletions of 17 chromosomal regions in 14 children with autism spectrum disorder (7 percent of their ill sample). By design, all of the deletions described in this report were de novo, or spontaneous, meaning they were not found in the parents of the affected offspring and were thus not inherited. In other words, these deletions do not explain the very substantial heritability of autism, nor did they map to the regions of the genome that have shown up in linkage studies, which look specifically for loci that contribute to heritable risk (including the regions in the AGPC), nor did they highlight genes that have emerged from linkage studies as likely candidates accounting for the heritability of autism. Moreover, with one exception, all of the deletions were private, meaning they occurred in only one individual. As Sebat and colleagues point out, however, the infrequency of these copy number variations does not preclude them from pointing to more generalizable insights about genetic risk factors that operate in other cases. The genes affected by these infrequent structural variations may in other cases show common variations (e.g., SNPs) that contribute more widely to genetic liability. It is not clear how much overlap there is between the findings of these two studies, but clearly there are major differences.
The bottom line here is that genetic heterogeneity appears to be the rule in autism. While most cases are related to a complex set of inherited risk factors, some may be related to spontaneous genetic lesions, with many different lesions producing a similar clinical phenotype. None of this should surprise us, as diverse congenital encephalopathies can manifest the autism syndrome, e.g., fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis. From a genetic point of view, autism is a syndrome that can be reached from many directions, along many paths. It is not likely that autism is any more of a discrete disease entity than, say, blindness or mental retardation.
So where does this leave us with respect to the goal of fully defining the genetic origins of mental disorders such as schizophrenia? The current list of promising candidate genes for schizophrenia is growing rapidly, and some already are leading to insights about potential pathophysiologic mechanisms and potential treatment targets (Straub and Weinberger, 2006). Genome variation scans will hopefully uncover many more novel genes that contribute to the risk for schizophrenia, and regardless of their outcome, these types of studies will be very important. It is likely that within the next 5 years we will have a good sense of all the common genetic variants that contribute to schizophrenia across many world samples. It is also likely that some cases will be related to structural variations (e.g., the 22q11 deletion associated with the velocardiofacial syndrome [VCFS]), both spontaneous and inherited. But, a phoenix rising from this newest chapter of investigation is not likely. Rather, as the recent autism studies illustrate, many genetic loci and many genes, again each accounting for only a relatively small percentage of ill subjects, will likely be the legacy of these studies. It is the legacy of all the work up to this point, and it is not likely to be different now that we can do many more of the same SNP assays all at one time. I doubt that genes that are discovered via WGA or related approaches will show greater effect sizes than the current top candidates, but there certainly will be more of them. Schizophrenia, like autism, is almost certainly a disorder that can be reached from many directions, along many paths. This being said, is it likely that a few genes with "highly significant" p values will be observed in a few of the multitude of WGA studies that will hit the press over the next year or two? Of course it is. Will these be the most important genes? Not necessarily. The challenge for our using these new data will be to make strategic choices about which of the various signals to pursue further and how to pursue them. The most important genes will be the ones that can be translated into meaningful information about disease mechanisms, therapeutic target identification, and clinical prediction.
Regarding the very high "heritability" of...
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Regarding the very high "heritability" of schizophrenia and autism: these values are usually based on twin studies, and there is good reason to be skeptical about these numbers.
For instance, the frequency of schizophrenia in dizygotic twins is twice as high as for siblings, suggesting a role for the fetal environment. Second, the concordance for monozygotic twins is 60 percent if they share a placenta, but only 11 percent if they have separate placentas, again highlighting the importance of the fetal environment. (Two-thirds of monozygotic twins share a placenta.) It is also relevant that roughly two-thirds of schizophrenia subjects do not have a primary or secondary relative with the disorder.
No one questions that genes play a role in the risk for schizophrenia and autism, but twins share a fetal environment as well as genes. The importance of the fetal environment is very well illustrated by the work of Brown and colleagues in their studies of the risk factor, maternal respiratory infection.
Phelps J, Davis J, Schartz K. Nature, Nurture, and Twin Research Strategies. Curr. Directions in Pyschol. Sci. 1997;6:117-120.
Brown AS. Prenatal infection as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2006 Apr;32(2):200-2. Epub 2006 Feb 9. Abstract
Brown AS, Susser ES. In utero infection and adult schizophrenia. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2002;8(1):51-7. Review.
Ryan B, Vandenbergh J. Intrauterine position effects. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2002;26:665–678. Abstract
The Curious Incident of the Gap in the...
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The Curious Incident of the Gap in the Chromosome
Our bodies are accustomed to a double dose of genes. The cellular ecosystem has been evolutionarily fine-tuned to this baseline of gene expression. Even the exceptions to the rule such as the sex-specific imbalance of X/Y chromosomes or the set of imprinted genes serve to highlight the compensatory mechanisms that have allowed the cell to adapt. Therefore, it is not surprising that chromosomal dosage changes are associated with disease states.
An ever-increasing appreciation of the link between disease and gene copy number has followed closely behind advances in techniques that have enabled the measurement of copy number variation at ever-greater resolution and sensitivity. Starting with Giemsa-stained chromosomes in classical cytogenetics, which identified visible aneuploidies such as trisomy 21, the field has progressed through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies which pinpointed finer abnormalities, including those discovered through comparative genomic hybridization and sub-telomeric analysis, to today's chip-based approaches, which can survey the whole genome at once. (In fact, as an aside, the sensitivity of the current state-of-the-art techniques is only likely to be truly improved upon with the advent of whole-genome sequencing—realistically, that is not likely for a decade or so.)
Despite this progress, the one-off nature and scarcity of many chromosome abnormalities have often led to their dismissal as genetic quirks and not relevant to disease biology at the population level.
Perhaps the tide is now turning in their favor as recent studies of sub-microscopic gene copy number changes have yielded intriguing and provocative discoveries. The two papers summarized on this site asked whether a proportion of autism spectrum disorders are caused by CNVs. The same question could, and doubtless will, be asked of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions and so is worthy of discussion in this forum. The answer for autism seems to be a resounding "yes," and this is likely to precipitate a sea change in autism research, both at the genetic and biological levels.
Sebat et al. (Science, 15 March, 2007) and The Autism Genome Project Consortium ("AGPC," Nature Genetics, 18 February, 2007) used slightly different variations on the chip theme in their studies: the former had the advantage of a more discrete output for copy number compared to the continuous distribution from the latter approach. This had consequences for the setting of statistical detection thresholds, but both groups were quite thorough in the confirmation of many of their findings using secondary detection approaches.
Understanding the Consequences of Experimental Design:
Choice of Samples and Assessment
The samples chosen for analysis by both research groups focused on nominally family-based collections rather than sporadic cases. Thus, the mutations represented are highly likely to be of higher penetrance and relatively rare. In my opinion, the high level of locus heterogeneity that accompanies such a sample set makes the multiple-family linkage approach unlikely to yield practical dividends—indeed, the linkage component from the AGPC group is the least impressive aspect of their paper. The main linkage peak at 11p12-p13 was not a replication of the typical autism linkage findings (e.g., chromosome 7q, etc.; for review see Klauck, 2006). Additionally, above-threshold LOD scores were not significantly improved when diagnostic boundaries were changed or CNV carriers removed from the data. In fact, one of the most impressive features of the Sebat paper was the enlightened subdivision of the samples based not on phenotype, but rather by the nature of the inheritance patterns of autistic spectrum disorders within the families (the same may be true for the AGPC data, but the information is not explicitly categorized). This stratification into "simplex" (single case within the family) and "multiplex" (more than one affected individual) must be telling us something about the genetic architecture of complex genetic disorders. The results indicate that de novo CNVs were four times more common in the simplex families than multiplex. Let's examine a hypothetical explanation for this finding. First, the simplex families may not be, or rather may not go on to be, true "families" in the genetic sense—their mutations are of the lower penetrance, "susceptibility altering" class. Such CNV mutations would not produce the densely affected families that are so attractive to gene mappers and so will never be collected and categorized as "multiplex." The fact that three CNV regions (2q37.3, 3p14.2, and 20p13) are independently present twice in the Sebat simplex group adds weight to these CNVs being "common" risk variants—perhaps they are ripe candidates for a case-control association study in a larger simplex/sporadic cohort? The type of CNVs present in the multiplex families are, by definition, of sufficient penetrance for the multiplex classification to become possible: this class of mutations will probably be rarer. One supportive observation for the distinction between the two CNV types rests on the fact that there is no overlap between identified multiplex and simplex CNV regions—will that remain the case as further studies are carried out? Another, from the AGPC paper, is that many of their familial CNVs lie over previously identified linkage hotspots or known balanced chromosomal rearrangements (breakpoints, see below).
However, two mysteries remain: the predominance of CNV deletions in the Sebat paper compared to the stated overrepresentation of duplications in the AGPC paper. Whether this is a technical or family sample choice issue remains to be elucidated. Secondly, and perhaps more vague a problem, is the seldom addressed nature of the mutations identified in neuropsychiatric disorders. The archetypal mutations we learn about in undergraduate lectures, primarily in the context of neoplasms, include gain-of-function (oncogenes), loss-of-function (tumor suppressors), dominant negative and so on. Chromosome abnormalities in general, and CNVs in particular, seem to suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are diseases in which gene dosage changes are the only pathological mechanism. Is this a real biological phenomenon or merely a methodological ascertainment bias? If the latter, how might we better adapt our gene hunting strategies to target other forms of mutation?
A Gene in the Hand Is Worth 50 Under a Linkage Peak
In the warm afterglow of an experimental tour-de-force, the biological ramifications can sometimes be sidelined. What genes have these CNVs affected and what does this tell us about the biology of autism spectrum disorder, we can ask, not forgetting that this work should be considered in the context of the history of other genetic and biological studies on ASD.
The first, and perhaps most impressive, finding is that of a CNV covering the Neurexin 1 (NRXN1) gene. The protein encoded by this gene interacts with a family of receptors called Neuroligins. Interestingly, Neuroligin 3 (NLGN3) and Neuroligin 4 (NLGN4) have been linked to ASD through chromosome abnormalities and mutations detected in rare cases. Moreover, SHANK3 has recently been identified as an ASD candidate through the study of cytogenetic abnormalities and several point mutations. SHANK3 protein has also been demonstrated to bind to neuroligins. This amazing convergence is reminiscent of another recent celebrity pairing in the schizophrenia field: the discovery of DISC1 and PDE4B through independent chromosome abnormalities followed by the discovery that their proteins functionally interact. The identification of these four ASD candidate genes is likely to stimulate much research into this nascent signaling pathway, particularly in the context of its supposed role in synaptogenesis.
Many of the CNVs affect gene clusters, and only by analyzing multiple overlapping deletions or systematically examining the gene candidates individually will the causative ASD genes be identified. This seems to be the case for the genes ZFP42 and PACRG, which have been found both in large CNVs with multiple genes affected and singly in smaller CNVs. Several additional CNVs were identified which were small enough, or within large enough genes (large size seems to be a anecdotally reported feature of genes identified through a variety of cytogenetic approaches) to implicate just that gene. These include SLC4A10, FLJ16237, A2BP1, NFIA, GAB2, PCDH7, PCDH9, CDH8, C18orf58, FHOD3, C2orf10, MAN2A1, CSMD1, and TRPM3 as a conservative selection. Two aspects of biology immediately spring to mind when viewing these genes. Firstly, the three members of the cadherin family identified fall into the same biological role as the neuroligins, namely cell adhesion. A related gene, FAT, has also been implicated in familial bipolar disorder. Secondly, the identification of MAN2A1 encoding a component enzyme in the pathway which post-translationally modifies proteins through glycosylation adds another gene from this process to a list including ALG9/DIBD1 and MGAT5 , both of which have been implicated in psychiatric illness. Together with the list of genes identified through CNV analysis, one can add USP6, NBEA, ST7, AUTS2, SSBP1, GRPR, and SHANK3, discovered in previous studies of autism spectrum disorder chromosome abnormalities. These candidates (and those identified in the psychoses) provide a wealth of resources for future functional and genetic studies. However, on the journey to a more rigorous biological definition of ASD, it may be a mistake to attempt to squeeze the functions of these genes into one unifying but unhelpfully vague cellular grouping, e.g., "signal transduction" or "metabolism." Rather, biological investigations might benefit from trying to place these disparate genes in the context of their roles in the functioning of the brain regions or subsystems in which they are expressed. A hard task undoubtedly, but an endeavor that is likely to provide us with a more holistic understanding of the conditions.
PRIMARY NEWSAutism Genes: A Handful, or More?


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BELTON (December 12, 2012)—A fire broke out during a Vigil Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe service at Belton's Christ the King Catholic Church that forced an immediate evacuation and left the church heavily damaged.
Parishioners were ushered from their pews just after midnight as smoke filled the sanctuary, but no one was reported injured.
Cynthia Diaz said the service had just started when the alarms began to sound.
"It's really sad because when we were there we were barely starting to pray to the Virgin Mary since it was her birthday today and so we were about to start singing and praying and all of a sudden the fire started and it was really sad because we didn't even get to finish," she said.
"There was smoke coming from above and below and so (the priest) opened the doors to see what was going on and everybody was pointing towards the door and so he opened it and all these flames just came out and all the smoke it just started filling all the church," she said.
"He screamed fire and then we started running out the exits and then my mom went one way and my sisters went the other," she said.
Firefighters were sent just after midnight Wednesday morning to the church at 210 East 24th Ave. where the first units reported smoke billowing from the building.
Belton's fire chief asked for mutual aid from Morgan's Point Fire Department to cover the remainder of the city because every available Belton firefighter was at the scene of the church fire.
One witness said there easily were more than 100 worshipers in the building when the fire started.
It took firefighters several hours to douse the blaze.
Officials had not issued a cause for the fire Wednesday morning, but one parishioner said a likely culprit was a candle.
The fire caused heavy damage, Belton Fire Chief Francisco Corona said Wednesday.
"I talked to the church people and they're going to work hard to...fix the church, but (it caused) severe damage to a big part of the church," he said.
"The people I talked to are glad nobody was hurt (and) they're already talking about rebuilding and fixing the building and fixing it better than it was," he said.
(Chinh Doan contributed to this story)


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Published April 09, 2013
Men carry sacks filled with shellfish on a beach at Diani Beach on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, some 30 km (19 miles) south of Mombasa.
Damaged houses are seen in the earthquake stricken town of Bushehr in Iran. A powerful earthquake struck close to the country's only nuclear power station, killing more than 30 people and injuring more than 800 as it devastated small villages, state media reported.
The wind blows a red flag onto the face of an honor guard before a welcome ceremony for Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China
A man passes under an installation called "Transition", made with lipstick packages, part of the Milan's Furniture Fair, in Milan, Italy, Apr. 8, 2012. The 52nd International Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile) opens in Milan until April 14.
Protesters flee as tear gas explodes in a field during a demonstration near Dicle University, in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Leftist Kurdish students protest after clashes between left and right-wing groups inside the universtiy.
Tortoises climb on a branch of a tree lies in a riverinside the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Kaziranga about 250 kilometers (156 miles) east of Gauhati, India.
Paprika peppers are air dried after a harvest next to a plantation in the outskirts of Ica, Peru.
Workers paint furniture in Karma Gongsong, lhasa, Tibet. (Photo by Tongqi Huang/VOA reader)
A birch gnawed by beavers stands near Lengenwang, southern Germany.


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29 Drag Cars From The 50th Winternationals - Back To The FutureWritten by on June 1, 2010 Contributors: Hot Rod Archives Then And Now: 29 Historic Drag Cars As Seen At The 50th Winternationals.
Even sitting still, the most interesting vehicles participating in the NHRA's 50th annual Winternationals might've been the 80 or so parked just outside of Pomona Raceway's jam-packed pit area. Although nothing on display in this Golden 50 Corral ever rivaled a modern, 8,000hp Top Fuel car for sheer shock and awesomeness, the cookie-cutter conformity of today's 1,000-foot spec racers becomes sadly apparent whenever they share space with the diverse creations that pounded pavement in the '60s, '70s, and even the '80s.
First, though, you had to go find them-beyond the motorcoach-protected private compounds of Pro racers' hospitality areas, out past the last Sportsman trailer, and almost to the finish line in what was previously an overflow parking lot for NHRA officials and their guests.
That long walk was worth it for all those folks-of all ages-who paid their respects to the old cars and the many old racers who sat for hours signing autographs. Canes and aluminum walkers were way outnumbered by spiky haircuts and Converse All-Stars. For once, the biggest crowds at a national event were not surrounding the pit of John Force-who was among the current celebrities seen enjoying the near-continuous cackling that sweetened the Corral's air with 98 percent nitro loads that sound and smell so much better than the NHRA's maximum 90/10 mixture.
Today, many more nitro burners are being built by nostalgia lovers than by NHRA racers, even counting multicar professional teams and the unblown A/Fuelers active in Top Alcohol Dragster Eliminator. Ironically, the best prospect for ensuring the sanctioning body's long-term future may well be exploiting the past. The first clues came in 2004, when golden anniversary U.S. Nationals hoopla, including a display of old race cars, drew the largest crowd in years (and larger than any since). Another stout turnout for Winternationals No. 50, despite a much different economy than 2004's, confirms that old iron attracts new blood, along with countless former fans.
Rather than making us all wait till 2014 for another race to turn 50 (the Springnationals and the World Finals), the NHRA might be wise to extend the nostalgia theme to all of its shows. All areas of the country are by now bursting with real cars and clones of local significance and interest. As long as their owners remain willing to display and fire these crowd-pleasers in exchange for free admission, the NHRA is being handed a golden opportunity to fill some empty seats-without spending a cent. Even those blind to the sport's glorious history should be able to see a path to the future that's coming straight from our past.
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The earliest S-W-C cars ran blown Oldsmobiles; in fact, the Swindler I was an Olds car. It was impressive to outrun the Hemi Gassers with a 394-based Olds, but the team soon swapped to Chrysler power. In an informal online poll, NHRA named the S-W-C Willys the most popular drag car ever. Was it the Olds or the Hemi-powered cars that made the impression? Yes.This was actually the second Swindler II, the first having been totaled in a 1961 towing accident. The car seen here was later painted and became the Swindler B as the team campaigned two cars including the newer Swindler A.Local guys Doug Cook, Fred Stone, and Leonard Woods teamed up to top the prestigious B/Gas Supercharged class in 1962 (seen here), then swept A/GS and Middle Eliminator in 1963. Cookie went 10.02/139.96 in the final.Shown in action at the '67 Winternationals, Hugh Tucker's Chevy roadster may be the only single car that ever three-peated as a Winternationals eliminator champion. Originally Olds-powered, Hugh's highboy won Little Eliminator here in 1962, Junior in 1963, Super in 1966, runner-upped in Super in 1967, and collected a closet full of class trophies...Just as he had in 1963, Jack Williams brought his Syndicate Scuderia all the way from Vancouver, Canada-along with the trophy it earned here as Best Appearing Car......Jack built the beauty in 1958. Incredibly, the car remained competitive in Northwestern Top Eliminator and Top Gas action into the '69 season.Pictured in action at the '64 Winternationals, Del Wiesner's '33 Willys is not only the real deal, but it continues to compete in nostalgia meets with basically the same Scott-injected,...
Dragmaster Co. founders Jim Nelson and Dode Martin became 1962's Top Eliminator with a final-round 8.71/170.13 upset of Adams & McEwen...Seventy-five fuelers fighting for 16 spots in 1965 included the respected Horsepower Engineering Special. After qualifying early in 8.36 seconds (at 200.88 mph), owner/driver Doug Robinson became the first drag racer to run 200, then get bumped......He later traded off the famous KRLA-sponsored fueler, then wisely reacquired it before the recent craze that has sent prices sky high.The Kohler brothers' controversial decision to enter their Anglia Gasser into AA/Altered paid off in dual 1967 wins in class and Super Eliminator, where Ed upset defending champ Hugh Tucker with a final-round 9.42/145.63......Subsequently converted into a street rod, King Kong was rescued in 1980 and restored by Carlos and Mary Cedeno, who brought it back to Pomona from New York....Trophy winners in A/, B/, C/, and S/XS advanced to the handicapped Super Eliminator. One survivor is Arnie Beswick's Pontiac-powered GTO.
Darryl Greenamyer alternately piloted U-2 spy planes, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the Smirnoff Special (also driven by Larry Dixon Sr.). Since making its final runs at the '69 Winternationals, the Steve Swaja-designed, SPE-chassised beauty has been in Darryl's garage. Its 392 Chrysler is among the last fuel motors built by Dave Zeuschel (before Zuch turned his full attention to warbird racing) and possibly the only complete Zeuschel bullet on the planet.Unseen since the late '60s, the 590-pound(!) Morehouse & Krohn Junior Fueler was recently spotted in someone's rafters, complete, by Ken Gillispie. To his surprise, the mystery machine he'd bought turned out to be the lightest V-8 fueler ever raced competitively. Originally developed by Chet Herbert and later refined by Bud Morehouse, the 270-inch stroker Olds (out of an F-85) was drag racing's first all-aluminum nitro motor. Skinny framerails, magnesium body panels, and 130-pound Karl Krohn kept racing weight down to 720 pounds. Dry-sump oiling and through-the-fuel-tank steering were among many innovations.Mike Kuhl (foreground) and driver Carl Olson reunited with their last slingshot for some crowd-pleasing cackling. Mike's fiberglass Mr. Ed trailer amazed fans too young to remember when dragsters were towed behind station wagons and El Caminos.One of the West's last dominant slingshots was the Bakersfield-based Rain for Rent Special driven by James Warren, tuned by Roger Coburn, and backed by the late Marvin Miller.Now owned by Frank Spittle, this revolutionary '64 Dodge 330 left California with full-time-drivers Jimmy Nix and Jim Johnson 46 years ago and never returned, until now. Jim also came back to Pomona to revisit the sole survivor of three Dodge Chargers that toured nationally in 1964, inspiring countless little guys to bolt on blowers and attempt to turn pro. (For the whole Dodge Chargers story, see the May '09 HRM.)Winternationals fans were introduced to all-fiberglass, new-model cars in February 1966, when Bruce Larson towed this tube-framed '66 Chevelle out from Pennsylvania. (Hmmm, had FoMoCo not successfully pressured the NHRA to permit one-piece, lift-off bodies shortly thereafter, Funny Cars might look a lot more like real cars today).Several years after the NHRA killed Top Gas Eliminator for 1972, John Peters shocked his wife with a plan to cut up the car hanging from their rafters. "Do that and you'll see divorce papers the next day!" replied Beverly Peters. Happily, the final Freight Train and the marriage both survived. John was erroneously announced and later listed as the winning '63 Winternationals pilot, intentionally, to prevent the controlling father and employer of Bob Muravez, aka Floyd Lippencott Jr., from learning that his son was defying orders not to drive. (Cooperating media members helped keep the secret until the '67 Springnationals, when Bob's face was nationally televised from the winner's circle-after which the senior Muravez stopped speaking to his only son, right up to his death.)Rich Guasco is another pioneer who's resisted offers for nearly half a century. Whether powered by Guasco's original small-block Chevy or his big Chryslers, Pure Hell was the winningest Fuel Altered of the '60s under Dale Emery's control.
Kids of all ages flocked to this authentic Hot Wheels combination. Don Prudhomme originally acquired the rare, Crew Cab ramp truck as a hand-me-down from Richard Petty's NASCAR operation, paying $3,500. More than 30 years later, he was forced to spend a whole lot more for the rusty remains.Unrestored and unmolested, Mike Bamber's Willys pickup represents typical technology from the Gasser wars era, when Gas coupes and sedans were all unique, though built from production parts.Drag racing's first effective wing may have been the plywood plank that kept Howard Johansen's gas dragster planted on Pomona's asphalt, where Jack Chrisman became the first Winternationals Top Eliminator in 1961 (8.99/170.13)......Although Dave MacKenzie subsequently totaled the original chassis, the late Howard's Cams founder saved some of its parts for sons Donnie and Bobby Johansen to contribute to a tribute project directed by Mike Cook (with major assists from Dode Martin and Roy Miersch, among others).The Ernie's Camera Shudder Bug was also dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World for its ability to outrun Chryslers with either gas or fuel Pontiacs. After Bill Alexander drove it to Top Gas glory at the '62 Bakersfield March Meet, owner Ernie Alverado switched to nitro......Shown running Top Fuel at the '63 Winternationals, Wild Bill later totaled the beauty at San Fernando. Rod Alexander built this dead-nuts reproduction as a tribute to his dad, who joined it in the Golden 50 Corral. (Beyond are clones of the Weekly, Rivero, Fox & Holding AA/FD and the Croshier, Baltes & Lavato fueler.)When fuel came back to Pomona in 1963, Bruce Crower's big wing distracted Don Garlits' competition from the secret engine modifications actually responsible for setting Low Elapsed Time (8.11) and securing Big Daddy's first NHRA Top Fuel title...
...Don Prudhomme dominated the '65 Winternationals and U.S. Nationals; Mike Snively replicated the unprecedented double in 1966. Although that killer car survives in original, as-raced condition, it's been a neglected museum display in Turin, Italy, ever since.Despite this substantial holeshot, Bill Alexander was beaten to Pomona's finish line by Don Prudhomme in 1965's final-round showdown of premier chassis manufacturers (Woody Gilmore versus Kent Fuller), engine builders (Jim Brissette versus Keith Black), and star drivers, 7.92/198.22 to 7.76/201.34......The Brissette & Alexander Back-Motor Car (so named for its extreme engine setback) was accurately reproduced by Roger Lee, right down to its Plexiglas wing and tire-clearanced rear headers.Because Doug Thorley's popular altered-wheelbase Nova-photographed in Pomona's staging lanes in 1966-is long gone,...Younger readers may be shocked to discover that winning a round required a driver to cross the finish line not only first but also under power. Just imagine pushing a heavy, broken altered 1,000 feet by hand. Now imagine doing so twice in the same day, as Wild Willie Borsch did in 1967: first in the AA/Fuel Altered class final and again during Super Eliminator competition (after which he'd evidently had enough and missed the next round)......Longtime partner Mousie Marcellus' latest 200-mph clone came from Keith Burgan's Indiana shop and is expertly wheeled by Mike Boyd (another wild man, widely suspected to be the reincarnation of Willie).
Woody Gilmore built just two Trick Cars with this experimental setup in the late '60s for Jim Dunn and Tommy Allen before reverting to conventional slingshot suspension. Tommy sold the rest of his Trick Car but kept Woody's front end, now attached to a reproduction chassis.The '41 Studebaker sedan that Sonny Messner displayed is a copy of Junior Thompson's first Gasser, but the guy seen priming its injector is the real deal. At age 76, Junior still builds Hemis for loyal customers, sells engine parts, and produces memorabilia (www.jrthompson.net).Now in his eighties, Dode Martin continues to crank out the kit cars that made his and partner Jim Nelson's Dragmaster Co. a leading manufacturer in the late '50s and early '60s. Flanking the original Dragmaster Dart that won the '62 Winternationals are Dode's perfect reproductions of the Martin & Nelson Two Thing and Dean Moon's Mooneyes.


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So a new limited time dragon has been added to DragonVale, namely the Butterfly dragon. I see this is a tri-combination dragon using Air, Lightning and Fire. With the last few dragons however simply matching these elements has proven to not be effective. What is a good combination of dragons to produce this type of dragon?
Popular combinations:
You need to be level 14.
Breeding butterfly dragon takes place in a normal breeding cave or on the breeding island.
Breeding time: 12 hours
Firefly is a requirement
It has been confirmed multiple places that one Firefly dragon is a requirement to breed this dragon. So your options are Firefly + Air or Firefly + Air Hybrid. For Air Hybrids, Sonic and Blazing have both been reported to work. They are probably best, since they do not introduce any new elements.
The answers from @Arremer and @EBongo below contain vital information so I can not accept one over the other, to that end here is that information combined:
Overview information from @Arremer
A specific addition from @EBongo
To breed a butterfly dragon, on the right side, put the firefly dragon, and in the left, the sonic dragon to get the butterfly dragon.
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A car was considered a total loss following a fire early Wednesday morning in Leavenworth, a Fire Department official said.
The fire was reported at 4:34 a.m. Wednesday at 1320 Lawrence Ave. It was extinguished by Leavenworth firefighters. No injuries were reported.
Fire Capt. Shawn Kell said there was severe damage to all areas of the car, which was a Volkswagen vehicle. Due to the severity of the damage, a fire investigator was not able to immediately determine the cause.
Location, ST | website.com


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New York Islanders vs Montreal CanadiensSat, December 14, 2013 - 7:00 PMNassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY
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Solutions for our future
I imagine a common concern for many folks these days is the world our children and grandchildren will inherit. And when you begin to dig deeper into the realities of the various systems, economic, health, food/agriculture, etc., things can look a bit scary.
Yet, there are indeed wonderful solutions to much of our society and world's problems, and the best part is, many of these solutions are based at the community level. Yippee!
Come share visionary documentaries that not only realistically and honestly portray the deeper causes of many of our challenges, but show many examples of positive change around our country and the world.
You are invited to become inspired and empowered. These movies have been great way to facilitate authentic critical thinking for students in our classes at Bok Academy. We want to create a truly sustainable future based on quality of life.
Come to our monthly movie night. Hosted by the Care Center and sponsored by Bok Academy. Location is the Toy World on Park Avenue, Monday, April 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free of charge.
Hunter Lily
Lake Wales


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Entries in 'fifa 13' (4)
PES shows greater price decline than FIFA in weeks following release
It appears that the PES series takes the battle to FIFA on more fronts than simply on the pitch.
FIFA 13 breaks Chart-Track record
Blockbuster FIFA 13 has smashed the record for the longest consecutive stay in the Chart-Track Top Ten on current-gen systems.
FIFA 13 overtakes Black Ops II to regain UK sales crown
FIFA has reclaimed its crown as the UK's most successful video game.
EA Q1: FIFA 13 saw $70m through digital sales in last three months
FIFA 13 has brought in $70m in revenue from digital sales over the past three months, according to EA.


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Assuming their product exists, I can prove that the rank of the product of two equal rank matrices is less than or equal to the rank of either of the initial matrices.
However I'm struggling to find an example of two matrices whose product has a rank that is less than and NOT equal to the minimum of either.
Is there a theoretical way to simplify my search for an explicit case of this?


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Now Is the Time
We should mourn, but we should be angry.
The horror in Newtown, Conn., should shake us out of the cowardice, the fear, the evasion and the opportunism that prevent our political system from acting to curb gun violence.
How often must we note that no other developed country has such massacres on a regular basis because no other comparable nation allows such easy access to guns? And on no subject other than ungodly episodes involving guns are those who respond logically by demanding solutions accused of "politicizing tragedy."
It is time to insist that such craven propaganda will no longer be taken seriously. If Congress does not act this time, we can deem it as totally bought and paid for by the representatives of gun manufacturers, gun dealers and their very well-compensated apologists. A former senior Obama administration official once made this comment to me: "If progressives are so worked up about how Washington is controlled by the banks and Wall Street, why aren't they just as worked up by the power of the gun lobby?" It is a good question.
There was a different quality to President Obama's response to this mass shooting, both initially and during his Sunday pilgrimage to offer comfort to the families of victims. I think I know why. It is not just that 20 young children were killed, although that would be enough.
For some months now, there have been rumblings from the administration that Obama has been unhappy with his own policy passivity in responding to earlier mass shootings and was prepared in his second term to propose tough steps to deal with our national madness on firearms.
He spoke in Newtown in solidarity with the suffering, but pointed toward action. No, he said, we are not "doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm." He added: "We will have to change."
And his initial statement Friday pointed to his exasperation. "We have been through this too many times," he said, reciting our national litany of unspeakable events, and insisting that we will "have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
"Regardless of the politics." That is what it will take. This phrase comes easily to a president who just fought his last election, but he and the rest of us must change the politics of guns for those who will face the voters again. We cannot just be sad. We must be angry. We cannot just shake our heads. We must wield our votes and declare that curbing gun violence is not one issue among many but a paramount concern for our country.
And we will have to avoid the paralysis induced by those who cast every mass shooting as the work of one deranged individual and never ever the result of flawed policies. We must beware of those who invoke complexity not to further understanding but to encourage passivity and resignation.
Yes, every social problem and every act of violence have complicated roots. But we already know that it is far too easy to obtain guns in the United States and far too difficult to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. And we already know that weapons are available that should not even be sold.
What, minimally, might "meaningful action" look like? We should begin with: bans on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons; requiring background checks for all gun purchases; stricter laws to make sure that gun owners follow safety procedures; new steps to make it easier to trace guns used in crimes; and vastly ramped-up data collection and research on what works to prevent gun violence, both of which are regularly blocked by the gun lobby.
After mass shootings, it's always said we must improve our mental-health system and the treatment of those who may be prone to violence. Of course we should. But this noble sentiment is too often part of a strategy to evade any action on guns themselves.
Not this time. Americans are not the only people in the world who confront mental-health problems. We are the only country that regularly experiences horrors of this sort. The difference, as the writer Garry Wills has said, is that the United States treats the gun as a secular god, immune to rational analysis and human intervention.
We must depose the false deity. We must act now to curb gun violence, or we never will.
(c) 2012, Washington Post Writers Group
About the Author
E. J. Dionne Jr. is a syndicated columnist, professor of government at Georgetown University, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His most recent book is Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent (Bloomsbury Press).
17 comments
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- Editor Featured
One solution; I suggest that since the mother bought guns and brought them home and maybe the father supported this with his child support payments, a home with a mental ill child, their estates should be held by tort law to be responsible for damages to 26 children and adults and families. . A multi- million dollar award would have an immediate effect on the gun culture. 'Your guns are libel for all damages they cause, just like your car' and gun insurance is about $3000 a year' Money talks best in our culture. '
We have become a nation of violence. Our culture and media love it, it gives them a grusome story to sell their wares. Just looked thru the Big 5 ads on Sunday: you are invited to buy a "youth .22 rifle" that is named "the Rascal." If you want something more "military" they sell an imitation of the Colt AR14 assault rifle for $499. You can look tough and mean while still just shootiing .22 cal ammunition. At whom? Look also at the configuration of paint guns - obviously meant to train people in the art and science of assault. Scared to be home alone? Buy your loved one a short-barrelled 12 ga. shotgun with a 6 round magazine. Better knock three times before entering your home...
Ed, you may be on to something! Money talks.
Ed does have a very good idea and one that could be supported by gun advocates and opponents. My wife said to me shortly after learning that the guns used in the massacre belonged to the young man's mother, "what was a woman doing with a house full of guns and an obviously mentally disturbed son living there?" Indeed, what was she doing? Having to pay a premium for gun insurance should make people more thoughtful when purchasing guns and more careful as to how they store and use them. A tragedy like that in Newtown might have been prevented as might many others. However, to put emphasis only on stricter gun control would be, in my opinion, a mistake and a missed opportunity to examine broadly and in depth the "culture of violence" that seems to have insidiously blossomed in this country. We should, as some are now suggesting, put together a blue-ribbon, non-partisan panel to examine the issues of widespread automatic and semi-automatic weapons, the effects of violent video games, movies, music and the whole range of popular culture, our poor support of programs to identify and help individuals with mental problems that might lead to violence and, I beleive, the effects of "endless war" on the psyche of our citizens.
Unfortunately the people in Newtown were evidently strong opponents of gun restrictions:
It's very sad that the fallacy of their thinking had to be brought home to them in this manner.
The other thing other countries have is access to healthcare, especially mental healthcare. This is of paramount importance as the mentally ill in this country usually end up in jail as that is the only resource. And what do they learn there, violence. We talk about being a compassionate and caring country. We through money all over the world to prove it. Can we just throw a little at mental health organizations to help these people instead of cutting back on them every time the rich need a new infusion of cash and crash the economy.
Patricia it was under Jimmy Carter, that the left/ACLU, felt that the mentally ill were being denied civil rights, so they emptied and closed many of the hospitals, making it very difficult for even the severly mentally ill to be committed. Consequently, most simply went to the streets. Even worse, CT is one of the most liberal states on mental health, just recently voting down more care for the mentally ill.
Here's a very interesting, sad, and real story that should make us all pause to consider the needs of the mentally ill, and the fine line between allowing them their dignity while at the same time, protecting society.
E.J. Dionne Jr. words of exploitation regarding the catastrophic events in Newtown, CT are more than insensitve, they are cold and heartless. For heaven's sake these little children haven't been laid to rest and he's calling for action? People on the left like Dionne exploit the carnage for gun control while people on the right exploit the slaughter for anti-abortion rhetoric, both say "See! I told you so!!" What about the parents? The brothers and sisters? The grandparents? The neighbor? The classmate? The myopia exhibited by such political commentators serves as a bellwether for pariahs. Bury the precious children. Hug the grieving. And keep your cheap political comments to yourself until the dead are buried, which is a Corporal Work of MERCY.
PS: Mr. Dionne, Jr. Please attempt to follow this class act from of all places Saturday Night Live SNL
Rev Holland wants "time' so the NRA and Gun Manufacturers can get their talking points together and a fund raiser for bribes and campaign contributions. I bet he is a gun owner and " cold and heartless'
Ed Gleason shame on you for such a cruel accusation to a Catholic Priest, which BTW, speaks volumes!
This might be "news" to you Ed but we have a Bill of Rights in this country, allowing ALL of us the right to protect ourselves, families, and human life with guns when and if necessary, and God forbid, if the day ever comes, from a tyrannical government.
One could certainly have a "hey day" on the politics of this, especially on a Catholic blog in a country that just elected a president, again winning the 'Catholic' Vote on a party platform of intrinisic evils.
So I too Mr. Dionne, call you out on an your insensitive article which would even be out of bounds had it been on the Huffington Post this soon after the deaths of 26 souls!
How refreshing it would have been and what an opportunity you had to take this into the spiritual realm of evil and the power of light over darkness, as the two can never coexhist. Only in Catholic Theology can at least some sense be made of the great mysteries of evil, suffering, and the power of healing throught our sacraments, especially the Eucharist/Holy Mass. Perhaps had you done that, we could now be having an intelligent discussion on the "politically incorrect" things like cultural sin and its consequences, and how we are all connected, in the Body of Christ, for better or for worse. Most of all, we would be hitting on the real root of all our problems in this country, many that only Christ can heal.
So, yes, maybe "Now is the time." The time for real men to stand up and be real Catholics. As Fulton Sheen once said (paraphrased): "Even a dead body can float downstream, but it takes a real man, a real Catholic, to stand up and be counted and go against the stream."
Until of if we get enough "real men" to do just that, and spread the Light of Christ, rest assured our probems will not be solved by "gun control." If however, that is how you choose to use your God-given extraordinary intelligence, so be it.
EJ might think guns are responsible; I think people like EJ and me are -- you know, people who've lived most of our lives while a million and a half other innocents are being slaughtered around us every year.
Here is THE answer Patricia [whoever?] "REAL MEN" don't need to have or carry guns.. except soldiers or police. You and the rev.? should be ashamed defending gun ownership. The issue has changed... so gun ownership and defence of it will be like porn..your arguments are exactly like those that want porn freedom.
Wow Ed Gleason you are a very angry individual. I am relieved you do not carry a rifle or pistol.
Rev Holland and Patricia attack personally. I don't own or carry how about you. I say you should be ashamed to defend gun proliferation. I guess Jesus was too angry for you at the temple.. Go to your country club and talk guns with the polite hypocrites there.. .
This is worth reading and considering.
Patricia: let me clue you in on something. Catholic priests or anyone else is NOT immune from criticism when they make statements with which someone disagrees.
The sooner that you and all other Catholics learn this, the quicker you will be come adults in a church that prefers you to remain as a sheep.
With rights come duties. We require people who drive a car to take a test to get a driver's license. We then retest them regularly to make sure they are still capable of driving safely. We require car owners to pay annually for a license for each car they own. All drivers are required to have auto insurance which covers each car they own.
My suggestion is that we follow the same protocol for owning guns as we do for autos. Before anyone can buy a gun, they would have to do the following:
1. Get training in the safe use of guns.
2. Apply for, take a test, and pay an annual license fee to get a license to own a gun.
3. Purchase gun ownership insurance to cover liability if the gun is used in the commission of a crime or accidental shooting.
4. Show their license and proof of gun owner insurance before buying a gun from a gun dealer.
Once people own one or more guns, they would have to pay to renew their license for each gun annually. They would also be retested every five years in order to get their gun owner's license renewed.
In terms of gun sellers, if they sell a gun to someone who does not possess a gun owner's license and has proof of gun owner insurance, they will be in violation of the law. Also, gun sellers will be required to carry liability insurance if one of the guns they sell is to someone who does not have a gun owner's license and liability insurance.
People can still have as many guns as they like. They just have to be trained and licensed to own a gun and pay for insurance which covers the losses associated with the use of guns. This proposal will not stop all of the deaths and serious injuries now inflicted by guns on others. People will still get guns illegally, but with licensing and insurance requirements, it will reduce the number of guns in circulation in our country. And those who violate the licensing and insurance requirements would be fined on an escalating basis up to and including incarceration.


text: Aloha everyone, today is going to be such a fun and exciting tutorial day. Instead of submitting hard or complex lessons, I will be uploading a few 'For Kids' tutorials that are super cute and really fun. Then I have some new chibi characters that I think you will all love, but to start things off I will be uploading "how to draw an octopus for kids", step by step. These strange sea animals are not usually considered to be the most attractive thing to look at. In fact, they are probably one of the ugliest creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean. Even though they have hideous features, the octopus that you will be drawing is as cute as a button. I really love the way this this drawing came out because it really captures the essence on how an octopus should look when being drawn for kids. The lesson is going to be easy, and really fun. I think by now you guys already know how awesome it is drawing animals for kids by now. Well that's it, I mean what else can I really say about drawing an octopus for kids except it's going to be a blast.


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In the same style that made works like "Gone Baby, Gone" and "L.A. Confidential" dark and twisty best-sellers, local professor and writer Barbara Duffey spins her own neo-noir who-done-it.
Duffey, assistant professor of English at Dakota Wesleyan University, submitted her short story 'And All Night Long We Have Not Stirred' to Dark House Press and was selected for its Exigencies Anthology, which will be released in hardcover at a date not yet released.
"My story is about a Midwestern small-town murder; while suspicion focuses on two teenagers caught in a love triangle with the victim, another suspect begins to emerge over the course of the investigation," Duffey said. "The town's one investigator has to solve the mystery while grappling with his own teenage daughter's safety."
She said that her story really falls more under the detective genre, but contains elements that Dark House Press categorizes as neo-noir, which covers a genre that spans from horror to fantasy with noir elements and a modern twist. Noir is defined by a "grim urban setting," often a dark plot with a despairing protagonist who is generally tortured in some way, either by his or her environment, past or inner struggles.
Duffey joined the English department last fall and has had several poems published this past year. She received her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City; a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston; and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Duffey also served as a grant writer for the University of Houston's College of Education; a writer in residence for the Writers in the Schools, Houston; and a reading instructor at the Institute of Reading Development. She has one chapbook, "The Circus of Forgetting," in the process of publishing.
DWU is a private, liberal arts university associated with the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church. For more information about Dakota Wesleyan University, go to www.dwu.edu.


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6 Judges Who Went Completely Insane on the Bench
#3. The Most Sarcastic Judge on Earth
"Before proceeding further, the Court notes that this case involves two extremely likable lawyers ..."
The only conversations that start out this way are break-ups and firings, so when a judge uses this to begin his disposition, you can only assume that what follows is going to be rough.
"... who have together delivered some of the most amateurish pleadings ever to cross the hallowed causeway into Galveston."
Via Foxnews.com
We're pretty sure that left a physical mark on their asses.
It would appear that Judge Samuel Kent had dealt with these clowns before and was thoroughly tired of their bullshit. Whatever these lawyers had done in the past, this case was clearly the final straw, and Kent's disapproval came pouring out in a scathing judicial opinion that will no doubt haunt them for the rest of their careers like a disenfranchised poltergeist.
"Both attorneys have obviously entered into a secret pact -- complete with hats, handshakes and cryptic words -- to draft their pleadings entirely in crayon on the back sides of gravy-stained paper place mats, in the hope that the Court would be so charmed by their child-like efforts that their utter dearth of legal authorities in their briefing would go unnoticed."
Via Abclocal.go.com
We hate to steal from Friday, but DAAAAAAAMN!
"... the Court commends Plaintiff for his vastly improved choice of crayon -- Brick Red is much easier on the eyes than Goldenrod, and stands out much better amidst the mustard splotched about Plaintiff's briefing. But at the end of the day, even if you put a calico dress on it and call it Florence, a pig is still a pig .... It is well known around these parts that [Defendant's] lawyer is equally likable and has been writing crisply in ink since the second grade. Some old timers even spin yarns of an ability to type."
The case itself, by the way, turned out to be pointless -- it was finally determined that no suit could be filed at all because the plaintiff waited longer than two years to sue and exceeded the statute of limitations. Had either of the lawyers merely looked at a calendar, they could have both been spared several pages of condescending humiliation. And trust us, it goes on and on.
"Go ahead and clear your schedules, guys, because I'm not even close to finished."
"After this remarkably long walk on a short legal pier, having received no useful guidance whatever from either party, the Court has endeavored, primarily based upon its affection for both counsel, but also out of its own sense of morbid curiosity, to resolve what it perceived to be the legal issue presented. Despite the waste of perfectly good crayon seen in both parties' briefing (and the inexplicable odor of wet dog emanating from such) the Court believes it has satisfactorily resolved this matter."
#2. Judges Write Poems, Fantasy Epics
It would seem sometimes that certain judges missed their true calling in life and would rather be presiding over a community of like-minded introspective artistes, spreading their creative wings toward important new horizons of self-expression.
But dancing out the terms of a settlement is kind of hard.
These aspirations occasionally bleed through into their professional work, such as in this case about a truck crashing into a tree that garnered the following poetic ruling:
We thought that we would never see
A suit to compensate a tree.
A suit whose claim in tort is prest
Upon a mangled tree's behest;
A tree whose battered trunk was prest
Against a Chevy's crumpled crest;
A tree that faces each new day
With bark and limb in disarray;
A tree that may forever bear
A lasting need for tender care.
Flora lovers though we three,
We must uphold the court's decree.
He then turned himself to stone so he could be frozen in mid "Suck it" for all of eternity.
You might be saying, "So some goose-fucking insane judge wrote a poem once, big deal." And normally we would totally agree with you, but when it happens dozens of times with different judges in different jurisdictions, you start to wonder just how much of the judicial system is made up of creative-writing majors who had to go to law school when their parents quit paying their rent. Have a taste:
United States v. Batson, 782 F.2d 1307 (5th Cir. 1986)
Some farmers from Gaines had a plan.
It amounted to quite a big scam.
But the payments for cotton
began to smell rotten.
T'was a mugging of poor Uncle Sam ...
"The court finds you ... served."
United States v. One 1976 Ford F-150 Pickup, 599 F. Supp. 818
The defendant herein is a truck
The vehicle is a pick-up,
Alleged by a Fed
To be found in a bed
Of marijuana, caught in the muck.
Joe Hand Promotions v. Sports Page Caf, 940 F. Supp. 102 (D.N.J. 1996)
Defendants allegedly exhibited the match
In their respective taverns for their patrons to catch.
Plaintiff's complaint is based on that section
Installed in the Code for easy inspection
Which forbids such transmissions, recorded or live:
47 U.S.C. Section 605.
Oh, DAMN, would you like some side with those burns?
Mackensworth v. American Trading Transportation Co., 367 F. Supp. 373 (E.D. Pa. 1973)
The motion now before us has stirred up a terrible fuss.
And what is considerably worse,
It has spawned some preposterous doggerel verse.
We'll save you the trip to Google.
Some of these poems go on for over a page and, in case you forgot, are legally binding documents in our court system. And if all of this lunacy weren't enough, in the case of Vitaich v. City of Chicago the presiding judge decided poetry could suck his gavel and went straight Tolkien on everyone's ass:
"Around the witching hour our two princes crossed the threshold of the establishment into the moonless night. The princes and the palace's draughtsman exchanged vulgar calumnies as they left. Of a sudden, the princes were set upon by the three of the Dreaded Wearers of the Blue [i.e., police officers] known commonly as Cole, Ignowski and Ogliore. The princes suffered unmentionable tortures at the hands of these rabid beasts. Prince Vitaich attempted to escape on his trusty steed "Harley" but a masked Blue Wearer felled the steed, trapping Sir Vitaich (of Virginia) under it and causing him great pain and anguish."
Via San Antonio Law Review
They were sentenced to 1d20 months in jail.
#1. Man Sues Satan, God
Sometimes a lawsuit is so ridiculous it makes the judge want to climb the bench and hit the plaintiff with a sternum-crushing flying elbow like Macho Man Randy Savage.
Unfortunately, until someone invents a writ of You Motherfuckers Can't Be Serious (or its Latin equivalent), judges usually have to dismiss the crazies with the same calm sobriety they use in real, actual cases. Like in this case, when a man in Pennsylvania attempted to sue the Devil for infringing on his personal rights.
Via Wikimedia Commons
Oh, don't act like you didn't love it.
"We question whether plaintiff may obtain personal jurisdiction over the defendant in this judicial district .... The plaintiff has failed to include ... instructions for the United States Marshal for directions as to service of process."
That's right, Satan has no address and hell does not fall within the jurisdiction of the State of Pennsylvania. That's the reason that the court was required to give for dismissing the lawsuit -- Satan couldn't be properly served. And to be fair, there probably aren't too many process servers that would make the trip to hell.
Via Wikimedia Commons
"Um, maybe just tack it to his door, huh Gary?"
Of course, the system can't play favorites, so when a Nebraska State Senator tried to sue God, ordering the Almighty to "cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats," the court had to dismiss the case on similar grounds, saying:
"... this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant."
Via Wikimedia Commons
Besides, God rarely associates with lawyers.
For more public servants who lost it, check out 5 Horrifying Tales Of 911 Incompetence and 8 Real Grade Schools That Went Completely Insane.


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I'm quite interested in the Scipy/Numpy project which is basically a Python scientific computation/numerical methods library. I'm also interested in testing. What are some good approaches for testing such a library, or any software library? There already are extensive unit tests, which run pretty well. But what would an acceptance test look like? Thoughts?
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An acceptance test is supposed to actually simulate the actual functionality a user would use. For example the acceptance test of using an email application would involve both logging in and opening the inbox. You may have a unit test on logging in, and a unit test on opening the inbox, but the acceptance test says that the two actually work together to give the user some functionality.
Key point: acceptance tests are written by the customer (or at least from the customer's point of view.)
So how is the library being used? When I think of most libraries I use, each piece of the public API of that library is independent of the rest of the public pieces of the API (i.e. I'm not forced usually forced to use one part just so I can use another part. Not usually.)
For most libraries (as opposed to applications) the unit tests will give you the same information as acceptance tests will. It would seem strange for extensive unit tests to pass, and yet the library not be in a user-acceptable state. But, like any product, I would find out how your users are actually using the library and try to write a test around it. You might take some open source applications that use your app and compile against them, and run functional tests on those. If your changes break the app, it's a good indicator that the users would actually be displeased with that build of your library.
Define your view of the term acceptance test first, although it usually agreed to be something like "testing from the customer perspective" each company have variations on it, for example by choosing different customers- a customer can be the end user of a calculator or a developer using the library.


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I am trying to transfer data between linux and windows machines using USB (Using Amkette flash link)cable. Previously i used network protocol (UDP) to transfer data between linux and windows. But now i need to use USB cable to transfer data, is this possible ? If possible which cable we need to Use ? Is there any libraries for USB data transfer or samples ?
You might want to have a look a USBnet.
They have setup instructions for.
Apple Mac
It even allows you to setup a DHCP!
All of the "Easy Transfer" type USB data transfer cables have their own software that is required for use, either embedded in the devices or coming separately on disk. Examples of these devices include the "Easy Transfer Cable" (Software separate) and a heap of Chinese made devices similar to this one and the Amkette device you have which have the software embedded in the device.
I suspect the embedded software is in the form of an autorun that any Windows machine will start up and run to connect to the computer at the other end, which is also running the same software. Cables sold with the claim that there is "no need to install any software or drivers" simply mean that this is embedded and needs no difficult user intervention to connect two Windows computers.
Alternate methods ranging from a simple ethernet cat 5 crossover cable, large storage USB hard drives, Bluetooth, and of course fully networked groups of machines connected via a router are all so readily available that there just doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in this technology however further research (ie Google) yields the following information:
The setup appears to be what is called "USBnet", which connects two computers together as though connected by ethernet. The only advantage For Ubuntu users that I can see here is if you have a computer with a broken RJ45 ethernet port or card, or if you have a device that doesn't have one but does have a USB port you can use.
Devices that might be compatible:
And this would include devices that use the same chip as those listed. I have no idea if the device you have is compatible. This compatibility list is taken directly from linux-usb.org - have a look at this page for more information and instructions.
Further to this, here's some instructions on how this was done on Intrepid Ibis. To quote from message 2:
Then in Network Manager:
It then goes on to give the following instructions for transfer:
Transferring files
It also gives the warning that the file transfer speed was pretty slow.
Warning to others
Don't be tempted after reading this to plug a normal male-male USB cable into two computers to try it. Such a cable would attach each TX and RX pin in the computers in the wrong order (so it wouldn't work anyway) and more importantly will tie the +5 and grounds of the power supplies together. This can potentially short the two power supplies in a way that can damage them or your computer, and cause other problems up to and including having them burst into flames and burn your house down. (OK, I'm being dramatic here, but it's a really BAD idea to do this)