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Birds have frequently evolved to exploit insular environments by becoming adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle and losing the ability to fly, usually via reducing the wings and pectoral girdle. The enigmatic flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus (Threskiornithidae) from the Quaternary of Jamaica provides a rare example of flight loss in ibises. We report on previously undescribed fossils of Xenicibis, and show that the wing differed radically from that of all other birds, flightless or volant. The metacarpus is elongate, grotesquely inflated and has extremely thick walls; phalanges are short and block-like; the radius is distally expanded; and the humerus is elongate. The furcula, coracoid and sternum are all well developed. We propose that the elongate forelimb and massive hand functioned in combat as a jointed club or flail. This hypothesis is supported by the morphology of the carpometacarpus, by features permitting rapid extension of the wing and by the presence of fractures in wing bones. Although other birds use the wings as weapons, none resemble Xenicibis, which represents a unique and extraordinary morphological solution to this functional problem. Xenicibis strikingly illustrates how similar selective pressures, acting on a similar starting point, can result in novel outcomes.
1. Introduction
Birds have repeatedly evolved flightlessness to exploit insular environments where mammalian predators and competitors are absent, and flightlessness is typically associated with reduction of the forelimbs and pectoral girdle [1,2]. Flightlessness has evolved dozens of times in island habitats, and in many taxa, including waterfowl, megapodes, rails, pigeons, parrots [2] and ibises [3,4].
Ibises (Threskiornithidae) are a small, nearly cosmopolitan family of long-billed, long-legged 'wading' birds that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains [5,6]. All extant species are volant, but two extinct species are flightless. These are the kiwi-like Apteribis [4,7], from the Hawaiian Islands, and the peculiar Xenicibis xympithecus, described from fragmentary remains from the Quaternary of Jamaica [3]. Xenicibis was a relatively large ibis; a maximum femur diameter of 8.7 mm predicts that Xenicibis weighed approximately 2 kg [8], roughly the size of a domestic fowl. It was considered possibly flightless based on an incomplete coracoid, a supposition confirmed by the discovery of a complete humerus [9].
Later, a partial skeleton prepared from a block of cave breccia (USNM 460349) included the radius, ulna and a carpometacarpus so utterly strange in morphology that it appeared to represent some inexplicable pathology. However, subsequent discoveries of additional material from numerous additional individuals, including almost all of the skeleton (figure 1), show that the bizarre morphology of the wing represents an adaptation unprecedented among the vertebrates, which we here describe and attempt to interpret.
2. Description and comparisons
The highly modified manus is unlike that of any other bird, flightless or volant (figure 2a–d). The major metacarpal is massive, inflated, strongly bowed and expanded distally. Its diameter is up to 12.8 mm dorsoventrally and 9.9 mm anteroposteriorly, exceeding the diameter of the femur. The bone is hollow, but the anterior wall is broad and thickened (figure 2e), being up to 3 mm thick in this area, whereas the cortex of the femur is under 2 mm thick.
The alular metacarpal has a reduced extensor process. The shaft of the minor metacarpal has a thick cortex and a subtriangular section, unlike the strap-like form seen in other birds, and is unusual in being shifted dorsally to lie directly behind the major metacarpal.
The carpal trochlea has a reduced ventral ridge and the articulation for the radiale is symmetrical, pulley-shaped and extended anteriorly. This joint allowed the wrist to swing forward in the plane of the antebrachium, without the complex pronation and supination that occurs in the wing of volant birds [10], while the anterior extension of the carpal trochlea permitted hyperextension of the manus.
The proximal phalanx of the major digit is a stubby and block-like element (figure 2h). It has a subtriangular section and weakly developed articular surfaces.
The radius (figure 2h) is expanded distally to give it a club shape, and it is unlike typical birds in that its diameter exceeds that of the ulna. Unusually, the ulna is slender and nearly straight (figure 2h). Its proximal articular surface is on the proximal end of the bone such that the elbow can be fully extended, placing the ulna's long axis in line with the humerus. Distally, the shaft is dorsoventrally flattened and the articulation for the ulnare is reduced.
The humerus (figure 2h) is typical of flightless birds [9] except that the shaft is elongate and bowed dorsally. The shaft is slender proximally but expanded distally. The distal end is twisted by approximately 30° such that the articular facets are directed ventrally.
Unlike other flightless birds, particularly Apteribis, the pectoral girdle is relatively well developed. The coracoids (figure 3e) and furcula (figure 3f) are large and robust. The sternal carina (figure 3g), while reduced compared with volant ibises, is large when compared with that of Apteribis or other flightless birds.
Other skeletal elements show modification, albeit less extreme. As in other ibises, the beak is long and decurved (figure 3a,b), but the tip is knob-like, as in Apteribis, rather than spatulate. The parietals and frontals (figure 3d) are thickened by a honeycomb of cancellous bone. The vertebrae and notarium are robust, but otherwise unremarkable. The hindlimb (figure 3h–j) resembles that of Apteribis in being massive, with a shortened tibia and tarsometatarsus. The anterior portion of the ilium is dorsally expanded to form a tall crest and the synsacrum is robust (figure 3k,l), again resembling Apteribis.
Adaptation for a terrestrial, flightless lifestyle is correlated with hypertrophy of the hindlimbs and pelvis, and reduction of the forelimbs and pectoral girdle [1,2]. In this context, the long forelimbs and well-developed pectoral girdle of Xenicibis suggest that the wings were not functionless vestiges. The twisted humerus, short antebrachium and massive, bowed metacarpus make it extremely unlikely that its wing could have functioned in flight; but the extreme modification of the forelimb argues that the wings had been adapted to function in some capacity.
3. Functional implications
Attempts to identify avian analogues are complicated by the unique morphology of Xenicibis. The distally expanded radius does find parallels among steamer ducks (Tachyeres spp.; N. R. Longrich 2010, personal observation) and the extinct Rodriguez Island Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria, Columbidae [11]). In those species, the wings are (or were) used to deliver hammering blows to conspecifics [11,12], suggesting that the wing of Xenicibis may have functioned as a weapon. Perhaps a better analogue is to be found among some of the mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda: Gonodactyloidea); these have a club-like, distally inflated dactyl that is used to strike prey and conspecifics [13], again hinting that Xenicibis may have used the club-shaped hands to deliver blows.
We therefore propose that the wing of Xenicibis functioned as a club or flail. Several features of the limb would have facilitated this function. Kinetic energy is the product of mass and velocity squared; accordingly, weapons such as clubs and flails have a long handle to increase the angular velocity of the club, and are heavily weighted to increase the mass accelerated by the swing, and the centre of mass is near the end of the club, where the angular velocity is highest. Precisely this design is seen in the hand of Xenicibis, where the end of the wing is massive, and the proximal metacarpus and long forelimb could act as a handle. The comparatively weak wrist joint does not preclude such a function, because during impact a club acts as a free body [14]; the hollow metacarpal also allows the hand to achieve greater strength for a given amount of material, much like an aluminium baseball bat [14].
Several morphological adaptations would have further increased the wing's effectiveness as a weapon. Reduction of the extensor process and elongation of the manus would decrease the mechanical advantage of the wing extensors, producing a more rapid wing extension. The retention of long wing bones allows the forelimb to be swung rapidly, while the ability to hyperextend at the elbow and wrist increase the wing's effective length, and therefore its angular velocity when swung.
This hypothesis can be tested by looking for direct evidence of agonistic behaviour in the form of traumatic injuries sustained from delivering or receiving blows. Fractures are common in pugnacious birds such as the steamer ducks and solitaire [11,12], and are therefore predicted to occur in Xenicibis. Two bones of Xenicibis show evidence of healed fractures. The first is a humerus that was broken in two (figure 4a); a fracture callus indicates healing although the bones failed to knit. The second specimen (USNM 460349) is a carpometacarpus (figure 4b) with a massive callus overgrowing the anterior surface of the major metacarpal and extending inside the bone as well; the hand apparently suffered an impact that fractured the anterior wall of the metacarpal.
4. Discussion and conclusions
A number of birds use the wing as a weapon, although none resemble Xenicibis. Some employ sharp spurs, including screamers (Anhimidae), some jacanas (Jacana, Hydrophasianus), the spur-winged goose (Plectropterus), the torrent duck (Merganetta) and nine species of lapwing (Vanellus) [5,15,16]. Other birds bear a bony knob on the alular metacarpal that is used to punch and hammer opponents. These include steamer ducks (Tachyeres), geese and swans (Anserinae), the solitaire (Pezophaps), sheathbills (Chionis), some guans (Crax) and stone curlews (Burhinus) [11,12,15]. The jacanas Actophilornis and Irediparra have, instead of a spur, a radius that is expanded into a triangular blade (fig. 1F in [16]). Although field observations are limited, these structures function for intraspecific combat in jacanas [15], sheathbills [15], waterfowl [5,12] and the solitaire [11], and such conflicts can end in serious injury or even death [5,11,12]. In some cases (e.g. swans), these weapons can be employed in defence of eggs and young [17]. Thus, although the morphology of Xenicibis is unique, the use of the wing as a weapon is widespread in birds, and would not be entirely unexpected.
While no living ibis shows adaptation of the wing for combat, ibises are highly territorial during nesting and feeding [6,18], and disputes frequently escalate to fights. Of particular note is the fact that Plegadis has been seen to grasp its opponent with the bill and then strike with the wings [19]. In many species, intraspecific combat involves access to mates, but ibises are monogamous [5], and there is no evidence that the club is dimorphic. It is therefore likely that intraspecific combat would have focused on securing territory, rather than mates.
Another possibility is that the manus was employed in defence. Xenicibis is unusual in that it became flightless in the presence of predators that could potentially have preyed on its eggs or young. Among these would have been the Jamaican yellow boa Epicrates subflavus (which can reach up to 2.0 m in length [20]), the small, extinct monkey Xenothrix mcgregori [21], and over a dozen species of Falconiformes, including hawks, kites, falcons and caracaras [22]. Xenicibis is also unusual because, whereas in most flightless birds the young are precocial [2], the young of ibises stay in the nest and are fed by the parents until old enough to walk about on their own, although before actually fledging [5]. Given this, the need for Xenicibis to defend its nest and young may have been greater than in other insular birds. It should be kept in mind, however, that the hypotheses of intraspecific combat and defence are not mutually exclusive.
Discussions of evolution often focus on the importance of adaptive determinism, where similar selective pressures tend to produce similar results [23], versus contingency, where chance events cause similar starting points to lead to different outcomes [24]. Although many birds have co-opted the wing to serve as a weapon, in the case of Xenicibis, adaptation of the wing as a potent weapon has produced a design that is not only unique among the thousands of species of extant and fossil birds, but also unique among vertebrates. Although the appendages of vertebrates have repeatedly become specialized for walking, running, swimming, burrowing and flying [25], Xenicibis is unique in having modified its pectoral appendage into a jointed club that can be swung to increase the speed and energy of the blow. Xenicibis therefore strikingly illustrates how evolution can produce radically different outcomes, even as similar selective pressures act on similar morphologies.
We thank Ross MacPhee for the opportunity to study the Red Hills fossils. Discussions with Helen F. James and Richard L. Zusi and guidance from B. Rosemary Grant were helpful in developing this project. N.R.L. received support from an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, an Alberta Ingenuity Graduate Studentship and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. Finally, we thank the reviewers for their helpful reviews of this paper. Fossil specimens are deposited in the Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
- Received October 5, 2010.
- Accepted December 6, 2010.
- This Journal is © 2011 The Royal Society


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1. Dee Gordon SS (5'11, 160 lbs., 21 years old)
Son of Tom, Dee Gordon nearly established himself as an elite minor league prospect after his 2009 season. He was named the 2009 Midwestern League Player of the Year. He has drawn comparisons to Jose Reyes. He is easily the Dodgers' best prospect.
2010 location: High-A Inland Empire ETA: mid-2011
2. Ethan Martin RHP (6'2, 195 lbs., 20 years old)
Martin had some flashes of brilliance (10.8 K/9, 0.4 HR/9, .232 BAA), but still has some work to do. He must improve his control (5.5 BB/9), but there's no doubt the 2008 No. 15 pick has the potential to be a front-of-the-rotation starter.
2010 location: High-A Inland Empire, possible call-up to Double-A Chattanooga ETA: mid-2011
3. Chris Withrow RHP (6'3, 195 lbs., 21 years old)
It's eerie how similar Martin and Withrow are. Both were mid-first-round picks, both have similar arsenals and both had breakthrough seasons in 2009. Withrow earned a late-season call-up to Double-A and actually had better numbers there, albeit a small sample size.
2010 location: Double-A Chattanooga, possible call-up to Triple-A or Los Angeles ETA: 2011
4. Josh Lindblom RHP (6'5, 240 lbs., 22 years old)
Lindblom impressed the Dodgers in Spring Training, but ultimately never sniffed the Bigs in 2009. He worked as a starter in Double-A and a reliever in Triple-A. The Dodgers want to keep him as a starter because they know he can always go back to relieving.
2010 location: Triple-A Albuquerque with a likely call-up to Los Angeles ETA: 2010
5. Aaron Miller LHP (6'3, 200 lbs., 22 years old)
Miller, the Dodgers' 2009 first-round pick, surprised many folks, including myself. He wasn't the typical projectable high school pitcher scouting director Logan White is accustomed to selecting. He was drafted out of college, and some teams liked him for his bat more out of Baylor. Miller has a chance to top this list with a solid performance in 2010.
2010 location: High-A Inland Empire with a likely call-up to Double-A Chattanooga ETA: 2011
6. Andrew Lambo OF/1B (6'3, 190 lbs., 21 years old)
Lambo was my Dodger No. 1 prospect heading into the season, and he was also Baseball America's choice. Lambo got off to a hot start, but was rather pedestrian for a majority of the season. His numbers across the board fell, but is still the best pure hitter in the Dodgers' system. He was playing against older competition in Double-A and he'll need to bounce back from a sub-par performance in 2009.
2010 location: Double-A Chattanooga ETA: mid-2011
7. Ivan De Jesus SS/2B (5'11, 182 lbs., 22 years old)
De Jesus lost most of his 2009 season to a broken leg in Spring Training. He is one of the most polished prospects in the Dodgers' system, but he tends to try to do too much in the field at times. He has the best plate discipline of any Dodger prospect and could be in line to compete for the starting second base job in Los Angeles.
2010 location: Triple-A Albuquerque or Los Angeles ETA: 2010
8. Nathan Eovaldi RHP (6'3, 195 lbs., 20 years old)
Eovaldi is like Martin and Withrow, but not quite on that level. His ceiling is likely as a middle-of-the-rotation guy with a chance to be a decent No. 2 -- at best. However, he made strides this season and could improve his outlook with a good performance in 2010.
2010 location: High-A Inland Empire with a likely call-up to Double-A Chattanooga ETA: 2012
9. Carl (Allen) Webster RHP (6'2, 165 lbs., 20 years old)
Webster is another Dodger prospect who shot up the rankings after his 2009 performance. He didn't pitch a lot, but when he did pitch, he was quite good. He has a long way to go, but could be a sleeper-type prospect. He still hasn't filled out his frame, so he is projectable. Son of current Dodger scout and former Dodger Mitch Webster.
2010 location: Low-A Great Lakes with potential call-up to High-A or Double-A ETA: 2012
10. Trayvon Robinson OF (5'11, 175 lbs., 21 years old)
Robinson has always had the tools and ability, but he never put it together... until now. He had a breakout season in 2009 and has a chance to build on it in 2010. He's the Dodgers' best five-tool prospect since Matt Kemp, but he isn't even close to that level (nor will he ever be). He has a chance to be a regular in the Majors, if he continues to improve.
2010 location: Double-A Chattanooga ETA: 2012
The best of the rest
11. Anthony (Tony) Delmonico C
Could shoot up if his bat stays solid and he sticks behind the plate, has been a .300/.400/.500 guy in the minors; one of my personal favorite prospects
12. Kyle Russell OF
Too many strikeouts, but his power, glove are the best in the system
13. Garrett Gould RHP
First-round talent, fell to the late second round, could be in the top 10 next year
14. Scott Elbert LHP
Former top 10 guy, this is his make-or-break year
15. Xavier Paul OF
A nice fourth outfielder-type; could be a regular on a bad team
16. Blake Smith OF
Opposite of Miller, as teams looked at Smith more as a pitcher
17. Scott Van Slyke OF
Had a breakout year, but is already 23 years old and barely cracked Triple-A
18. Tim Sexton RHP
Probably profiles better as a reliever, but will stick as a starter for as long as he can
19. Pedro Baez 3B
Perhaps the most talented of any Dodger prospect, but hasn't been able to put it all together
20. Jon Michael Redding RHP
No. 4/5 rotation guy with solid control
21. Jeremy Wise C
Has a chance to be good, but he has to get it going now
22. Russell Mitchell 1B/3B
Had a breakout Arizona Fall League season, but is probably nothing more than a AAAA player
23. Javy (Luis) Guerra RHP
Has the stuff, but needs to get his control down; finally in the pen, where he belongs
24. Justin Miller RHP
Fringe-type guy; probably no more than a mi*ddle reliever
25. Austin Gallagher 3B/1B
The guy who fell the hardest from last year; just hasn't hit enough
26. Brett Wallach RHP
Son of Tim, Brett was a 2009 draft pick and is a work in progress
27. Lucas May C
He came into last season as the possible heir apparent to Russell Martin (if there's such a thing), struggled, went back to Double-A and hit well; probably no more than a backup
28. Kenley Jansen RHP
Converted catcher, has a rocket arm and could be a sleeper
29. Brent Leach LHP
Had a taste of the Majors this year, but is just a LOOGY... except he gets right-handers out more often
30. Tae-Hyeok Nam 1B/3B
Big time sleeper here; played in only three games after coming over from Korea; still very young (19 on opening day)
Best of the Dodger System
|Best Hitter for Average
|Andrew Lambo
|Best Power Hitter
|Kyle Russell
|Best Strike-Zone Discipline
|Ivan De Jesus
|Fastest Baserunner
|Dee Gordon
|Best Athlete
|Dee Gordon
|Best Fastball
|Kenley Jansen
|Best Curveball
|Chris Withrow
|Best Slider
|Josh Lindblom
|Best Changeup
Best Sinker
|Brent Leach
Brett Wallach
|Best Control
|Aaron Miller
|Best Defensive Catcher
|A.J. Ellis
|Best Defensive Infielder
|Dee Gordon
|Best Infield Arm
|Pedro Baez
|Best Defensive Outfielder
|Kyle Russell
|Best Outfield Arm
Best Five-Tool Prospect
|Xavier Paul
Trayvon Robinson
Projected 2013 Lineup
|Russell Martin
|First Base
|James Loney
|Second Base
|Ivan De Jesus
|Third Base
|Blake DeWitt
|Dee Gordon
|Left Field
|Andrew Lambo
|Center Field
|Matt Kemp
|Right Field
|Andre Ethier
|No. 1 Starter
|Clayton Kershaw
|No. 2 Starter
|Chad Billingsley
|No. 3 Starter
|Ethan Martin
|No. 4 Starter
|Chris Withrow
|No. 5 Starter
|Aaron Miller
|Johathan Broxton

subset: commoncrawl


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Feng Zhang makes MIT Technology Review's INNOVATORS UNDER 35 List
Broad Institute core faculty member Feng Zhang has been named to MIT Technology Review's list of 35 top young investigators in recognition of his work in biotechnology and medicine.
Each year, MIT Technology Review assembles a list of exceptionally talented technologists whose work has great potential to transform the world. Previous winners include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the cofounders of Google; Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder of Facebook; Jonathan Ive, the chief designer of Apple; and David Karp, the creator of Tumblr.
Zhang, who is also an assistant professor of neuroscience and biological chemistry at MIT and a principal investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, applies synthetic biology approaches to study nervous system function and disease. His lab also develops and applies novel tools using a combination of animal and stem cell models. Zhang has been named a "pioneer" on this year's list, along with researchers from Stanford University, BGI-Shenzhen, CalTech, and elsewhere.
This year's honorees will be featured online on the Technology Review web site starting today, and in the September/October print magazine, which hits newsstands worldwide on September 3. They will appear in person at the upcoming EmTech MIT conference from October 9–11 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


text:
It's finally here. After 12 years, 6 months, and 12 days on the market, Windows XP has hit its end of life. It will receive its last ever set of patches on Windows Update today, and for the most part, that will be that. Any flaws discovered from now on - and it's inevitable that some will be discovered - will never be publicly patched.
How bad is this going to be? It's probably going to be pretty bad. By some measures, about 28 percent of the Web-using public is still using Windows XP, and these systems are going to be ripe for exploitation.
I never liked Windows XP (I used BeOS during XP's early days, and Mac OS X and Linux during XP's later days), so I'm glad to see it go. This terrible operating system should have died out years ago.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
We are not seeking feedback for which hardware should be supported, we're giving our community the option of driving the development of ReactOS towards full support of *their* favorite apps and drivers *first*
Eventually every single app and piece of hardware, that has a Windows driver, would be supported, but the key word here is *eventually* and that's what the Community Edition is mainly about.


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Consensus Report
A Review of the Use of Science and Adaptive Management in California's Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (2011)Water Science and Technology Board
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
Report in Brief >>
California's draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan—a draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened species, while continuing to divert water to agriculture and domestic water users in central and southern California—is incomplete and contains critical scientific gaps. The Bay Delta is a large, complex ecosystem that supplies water from the state's wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions, and also serves as habitat for many species. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan describes a proposal to construct a tunnel or canal to divert water from the northern Delta to the south, thus reducing the need to convey water through the Delta. This report reviews the use of science and adaptive management in the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan and identifies opportunities to develop a more successful plan.
Key Messages
- The Bay Delta Conservation Plan states that an effects analysis—defined as a systematic, scientific look at the potential impacts of a proposed project on endangered and threatened species, and how those species would benefit from various conservation actions—is an important component of a habitat conservation plan. However, the effects analysis for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is still in preparation and was not included in the draft plan reviewed in this report, resulting in a critical gap in the science. Without the effects analysis, it is difficult to evaluate alternative mitigation and conservation actions.
- The purpose of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is not clear, making it difficult to properly understand, interpret, and review the science that underlies the plan. Although the plan states it is an application for the incidental take of listed species as a result of the proposed water diversion project, it also sets out the goals of providing a more reliable water supply for the state of California and protecting the Delta ecosystem. Because different processes would be used to fulfill these different purposes, the panel concluded that it would be difficult to evaluate the Bay Delta Conservation Plan without clarification of the plan's goals.
- Many scientific studies have sought to understand the hydrologic, geologic, and ecological interactions in the Delta, efforts that constitute the scientific foundation of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. However, it is not clear how the authors of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan synthesized this material and incorporated it into the draft plan.
- Adaptive management programs cannot be fully described in advance, because the program must evolve as it is implemented. However, some aspects of the program could be laid out more clearly than they were in the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the panel concluded. The plan developers would benefit from experience with adaptive management efforts in other large-scale ecosystem restoration projects, such as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program.
- The management of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan reflects the differing perspectives of the many stakeholder groups involved. Unless the management structure is made more coherent and unified, the final product may continue to suffer from a lack of integration, and in an attempt to satisfy all discrete interests it may fail to achieve its goals. The panel suggests the agencies responsible for implementing the plan review other examples of large scale restoration programs that have been developed and implemented.


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Grease Traps in Cumbria
Waste water from commercial and residential properties in Cumbria must be properly treated before being discharged into the sewerage system or drainage fields. Failure to do this can lead to environmental degradation and pollution. Furthermore, health and environmental regulations require domestic, commercial and industrial facilities to comply with sewerage treatment guidelines or face legal penalties.
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Premier Tanks stocks every product at high levels so as to meet every domestic, commercial or industrial order in Cumbria. We ensure that our products are of the highest quality and meet every building and environmental regulation in Cumbria.
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text: Welcome to the What's My Line? guide at TV.com! Show Type: Game Show with Panel. First Telecast: February 2, 1950. Last Telecast: September 3, 1967. Producers: Mark Goodson & Bill Todman. Schedule: Currently not being aired on GSN or any other station. Synopsis: What's My Line? was one of network television's longest running and most beloved prime time game shows with a broadcast run of seventeen and one-half years. The game consisted of four panelists trying to guess the occupation of a guest contestant. As the questioning rotated, a panel member asked questions and the guest would answer either "yes" or "no." A contestant received $5 for each "no" answer. Ten "no" answers ended the game in favor of the contestant. A mystery guest segment was also included in which the panelists were blindfolded. The mystery guests were paid $500 as an appearance fee whether they won or lost the game. This was in addition to the maximum $50 game winnings. Guest panelists were paid $750 as an appearance fee. The regular panelists were under contract and were paid "much more" stated Gil Fates in his 1978 What's My Line? book. From 1950-1967, John Daly hosted the "classic" CBS What's My Line?, to which this site is devoted. In September 1968, What's My Line? was revived as a syndicated daily show (M-F) which lasted until 1975. Thanks for visiting us! Enjoy your stay! And now... TIME FOR EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE GUESSING GAME!moreless


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At UH Richmond Medical Center we work closely with patients to make financial arrangements before, during or after their hospital stay as manageable as possible. Some of the online resources we offer patients include:
The hospital bill includes room charges, equipment, supplies, diagnostic and therapeutic testing. We will bill a patient's insurance company directly and send him or her a copy of the bill. Depending on an individual's insurance plan, he or she will be responsible for paying certain expenses directly. These expenses include deductibles, co-insurance and noncovered charges. Patients will receive separate bills from the hospital and from their physician(s).
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Bar Exam Preparation / Virginia Bar - Looking for a Study Partner« on: July 01, 2011, 10:25:54 AM »
I'm in Los Angeles and taking the VA Bar in July. I doubt I'm the only one taking the VA bar who is in CA, but it does feel that way. If you're interested in exchanging emails to go over some of the essay questions from prior exams or potentially meeting in person at UCLA, please be in touch.


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Original journalism from the Center's OpenSecrets News
April 20, 2012 | SOPA is still warm in the grave, but here comes CISPA, a bill that would mean corporations could turn over info about their users to law enforcement without a court order. Privacy advocates are outraged and trying to stir up support before next week's House vote. Companies lobbying on the bill have given lots of money to its original sponsor, Republican Rep. Mike Rogers.
Find Your Representatives


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I was wondering if there's any way to sort forum search results. I've been trying to find recent posts concerning "subtitles" and there seems to be no way to find the most recent posts, or at least no way to know if I am seeing the most recent posts in the first few pages of hits.
Also, searching "All" forums for "Subtitles" results in about 1500 hits, with the first and last hits out of 1500 both dated 2008. I find it impossible to believe that no one has posted on the subject of "subtitles" in any forum since 2008.
A "Sort by Date" option would help a lot in this regard.
What I was trying to find on my own in these forums (and the FAQ), and couldn't, was any info on whether or not there's some kind of "subtitles" or "dubbed" indicator in any of the show listings.
From posts in 2008 and 2009 I gathered that most of the shows in those days were subtitled and a minority of them were dubbed in English and other languages.
However that was at least 3 years ago. Is it still the case? If not, how can we tell if a show in the listings is subtitled or dubbed (and in what language) without having to play at least one or more episodes of the show to find out?
A "subtitle" - "dubbed" - "Language" indicator, as well as some kind of sorting options in the forum search, sure would make it a lot easier and faster to navigate this website.
Thanks for your time,
Alan Mintaka
There isn't.
Actually, the crunchyroll's forum search feature really minimalized since like 2011. I heard mentions of because it's taking too much resources and too much other things, but regardless of the site's reasons, there isn't a "search by date" feature on search; there isn't even a "search by user". It's really basic going by just keywords and actually harder to rummage through than in the past.
As for your SUB V DUB thing, I find this rule of thumb useful. Most, like 98%, of the content here is likely to be SUBBED in English. The other 2%, DUBBED, can be found there: http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-788825/crs-english-dubbed-anime. Now for other languages, well that's a fun treasure hunt that you probably just have to find out by yourself.
There's also this little side bar under the video to tell you what's up-
I think that it's actually better to have the language indicator on the show's page itself than on the forum because it just seems a bit more simple and cleaner that way.
En Español, las chicas llamanme "El Tigre Negro Chino Cabrónisimo". "LÀWL"
Ah, I see it now. Thanks, zendude, that does help.
As far as the forum goes, it does need a lot of work, regardless of Crunchyroll's transparent explanations of "too many resources" to support an advanced search option. The cure is to farm out the forum software and let the other server take the heat.
In fact, when I posted a response to you in my other thread today, I got this message:
"ERROR - reply posted !"
Well, aside from this inane forum software and performance, thanks once again for those notes and sidebar example. Crunchyroll could still make things a little clearer than that without making us search through a semi-crippled forum, but evidently website design is not their strong suit.
I wonder if any of these website design issues and "resource" concerns are related to the sometimes erratic video playback I've been seeing for 1080p streams. The machines and internet connection I use are more than high-powered enough to support real-time hi-def streams, provided the streaming service is any good. Some of my TVs stream HD from other services with no problems at all. So far, only Crunchyroll is the long pole in that tent.
I don't count the Anime Network Online in this context, since their streaming service doesn't even deserve consideration in any category referred to as "quality."
This unsolicited rant was brought to you by a bitter, old, one-eyed (as in "lack of depth perception") fogey.
Have a good one, zendude!
Alan Mintaka


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Quotes about Kids for Parents A mother's Dream.. is to See her Children Grow up to be Healthy, Happy and Successful. Children are the Leaving Messages We Send to a Time We will not See. Nothing You Do for Children is Ever Wasted. The Influence of a Mother in the Lives of her Children is Beyond Calculation. We're all Just …Read More »
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In the past week or two, it's been building. I'm talking about the incessant whining and complaining about fuel prices. Today, the tension seems like it's about to the breaking point. People are really, really angry today. I noticed this in the coffee shop this morning, and now that I've been here at work for a few hours, I've heard non-stop belly-aching about the cost of a gallon of 87-octane gasoline.
I'm seeing it online too. In peoples' blogs, in their forum postings, and even in e-mails. It's not just one place, it seems to be everywhere. People are talking about how many hours they need to work in order to buy fuel to get to and from work every day. People are thinking of asking employers for a raise to cover fuel costs. People are demanding to be allowed one day of telecommuting per week, or flex schedules with four 10-hour days per week.
What are people NOT doing?
Well, for one, I haven't noticed a severe increase in bus ridership in the morning. My bus is usually pretty crowded, but it's a pretty consistent group of people. I don't see many new faces, no matter which of the buses I take.
I don't notice a lot of car-pooling going on, either. The parking lot is just as crowded this week as it was 2 months ago. I can say that motorcycle use has increased a lot, but it's about the same now as it was when I started working here back in July. When the weather is nice, two-wheeled transportation sees a boom. I'm sure motorcycle use won't be much higher this year. It's hard to justify spending thousands of dollars all at once and pay higher insurance to save a few cents per mile when the weather is nice.
Anyways, it seems that there's a lot of complaining going on for nothing. Even if people are driving big pick-ups and SUVs, car-pooling with one other person, and trading off which days they drive will result in about 50% fuel savings. It's like moving halfway closer to work. Adding a third person to the pool will net even more savings. How many people drive vehicles that won't seat 3 adults comfortably? Sure, I see the occasional Miata, Corvette, or Boxster in the parking garage. More than those, I see plenty of Corollas, Accords, Fusions, and other mid-size sedans, then there are the crew-cab pickups and SUVs.
Anyhow, I'm pretty tired of listening to all this pissing and moaning about fuel prices. As long as the demand for fuel is on the rise, the prices will be on the rise. I wouldn't be surprised if bus fares climb an additional 25 cents per trip, either.
People need to learn that actions speak louder than words. 200 years ago, we banded together and fought a ruthless force. We stood our ground in the name of independence. Today, our country is seemingly occupied by a bunch of wussies that only know how to cry in the corner while helplessly surrendering.
The situation is not helpless. You don't need to "shut up and drive." You can do something about it. You won't change oil prices or demand in a week or even in a month by reducing your personal usage. You can reduce the effects of oil prices impacting your bottom line, though. If enough people do it, demand may fall to the point where a gallon of gasoline simply isn't worth $3 to the average person. As it stands, gas could climb to $5 per gallon and the majority of our society would continue to drive, complaining all the way to the pump.
Monday, May 21, 2007
The minions are angry...
In the past week or two, it's been building. I'm talking about the incessant whining and complaining about fuel prices. Today, the tension seems like it's about to the breaking point. People are really, really angry today. I noticed this in the coffee shop this morning, and now that I've been here at work for a few hours, I've heard non-stop belly-aching about the cost of a gallon of 87-octane gasoline.
7 comments:
- Fritz said...
Speaking of independence, I read an interesting comparison recently. A few years ago Unocal was up for sale. A Chinese state-owned oil company made a bid for Unocal; Congressional intervention ensured the Chinese would not own this American corporation.
In the meanwhile, we transfer more than the equivalent wealth of an Unocal to the Middle East every month when we fill up our pickups and SUVs and Mazdas and Corollas.
Just keep spreading the good word and eventually maybe somebody will pick up on it.
- May 21, 2007 3:23 PM
- Brett said...
Why are Mazdas and Corollas in this conversation? Corollas get 34mpg ..Mazda Miatas get 30 mpg? They shouldn't be in the sentence as pickups and SUV's.
- May 21, 2007 5:49 PM
- Frogman said...
Miatas only carry two people. A regular pickup can usually carry 3 or more if it's extended. It's the people-per-mile-per-gallon argument that busses have. Sure a bus gets terrible mileage, but when it's averaged over the number of riders it's pretty good. A Miata is going to maximize at saving 50% of fuel with two riders. (well, a bit less due to the added weight and extra miles to pick up another rider..)
- May 21, 2007 6:47 PM
- Noah said...
Indeed. Why did I mention mid-size cars? The question was about vehicles that can carry at least 3 people. While a Miata or Boxster can only carry the driver and a single passenger, mid-size cars, crew-cab pickups and SUVs do have one thing in common: Easy capacity for a 3-person car pool that could net all participants nearly 2/3 saving on fuel costs.
Let's say a 3-person pool gets started. Each person takes turns. If one person in the car pool drives a Navigator, another person drives a Fusion, and the third person drives a Mazda 3 sedan, each person will still be driving once every 3 days. The person driving the Navigator will still be spending more on fuel than anyone else, but he'll still save a considerable amount of money on fuel costs by car pooling.
If you only car pool with one co-worker or neighbor, any car capable of carrying two people will work. But, when sharing the ride with one other person, you trade off days and only save roughly 50% on fuel.
Remember, my primary motivation for bike-bus commuting is simply to save some cash while getting into shape. People can save cash by car-pooling. Yes, there are environmental and traffic benefits to mass transit and car pooling as well.
I would never presume to be able to tell someone what they can and cannot drive. What I can do is help people utilize the resources that they have in such a way as to save money. It's ultimately your choice. I couldn't care less if someone drives a diesel semi tractor to work 80 miles every day and double parks it on my parking garage, leaves it idling all day while we're at work, and drives it back home, burning 60 gallons of fuel per day. It's not my money. I might ask if they'd considered taking the bus, though. ;)
- May 21, 2007 8:41 PM
I'm convinced that if gas went up to $15/gallon, people might have to live in tents & search dumpsters for food, but they'd still drive to work all alone in large vehicles.
- May 22, 2007 6:56 AM
- Noah said...
I don't know whether to laugh or cry about that, but as pathetic as it sounds, your prediction might not be too far off.
- May 22, 2007 6:59 AM
- A Midnight Rider said...
You make a good case for building a public transportation infrastructure. It's time.
- May 22, 2007 7:46 AM
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Speaking at the 81st annual Carolinas Cotton Growers Cooperative meeting in Rocky Mount, N.C., Adams said projected world stocks for the 2003/2004 marketing year are the lowest since 1994, when prices went above 90 cents.
"The question will be, 'What does this imply for prices for this year?'" Adams asks.
One of the price indicators is the cotton stocks-to-use ratio for all countries except China, which is projected at 37 percent, Adams says. Historically, when this has occurred, world prices as measured by the "A" Index have ranged between 52 and 72 cents per pound.
"Based on the current market indicators, I would say we could have world prices around 60 cents to 65 cents per pound, unless more bearish factors surface," Adams says. "There's not a lot of downside to the market at the present time."
December futures, he says, are in the 58- to 59-cents-per-pound range. Historically, there was an average 800-point difference between the farm price and the New York futures. Adams says.
"This would imply farm prices around the loan rate with counter-cyclical payments at or near their maximum." Adams says. He said the limiting factors on price include the strength in demand, which will be influenced by general economic performance and competition from manmade fibers.
The total supply of U.S. cotton is projected at 22.7 million bales, less than the last two years. After a decline in U.S. retail cotton consumption in 2001, the numbers picked up in 2002 and the first few months of 2003. Most of the increased consumption has been met by imports.
Imports continue to hurt the U.S. textile industry. As little as six years ago, the domestic-to-foreign use of U.S. cotton was 11.3 million bales to 7.5 million bales. That figure has now flip-flopped. U.S. cotton will account for 6.6. million bales domestically while 11.8 million bales could go to foreign mills this year. The domestic numbers could go lower, as imports continue to surge. "Anything above 10.5 million bales exported would give a tightening to the U.S. market," Adams says.
"Chinese imports are up 40 percent from last year," Adams says. "The surge of imports is decimating the U.S. textile industry and continues to shift the market's attention to the export market. The pressure on the mills is not expected to decline."
In the U.S., the yield prospects are reasonably good, with the biggest concern being the northern High Plains of Texas. Outside the U.S., some 78 million bales of cotton are expected to be harvested in 2003, with larger crops in India, Pakistan and China.
On the policy front, there are a number of issues facing the U.S. cotton industry. These include the defense of the farm bill, payment limitations, trade agreements, and a very serious challenge from west African countries over the U.S. cotton program in the WTO negotiations held in Cancun in early September. Brazil is also bringing a challenge against the U.S. cotton program.


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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - One look at Alabama's offensive line last season and it is easy to see how the Crimson Tide steamrolled Notre Dame en route to their second straight national title.
Dominant play up front is crucial to the success of any FBS program.
Here is a list of the top offensive linemen entering the 2013 season:
TAYLOR LEWAN (Michigan): Not many thought the 6-foot-8, 308-pound Lewan would return to Ann Arbor for his senior season. A three-year starter at left tackle, he is as seasoned as they come on the outside. After earning All-Big Ten second-team honors in 2011, Lewan was named an AP All-American in 2012, while being tabbed an All-Big Ten first-team honoree and winning the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award. He is much more polished as a run blocker than as a pass blocker, but should continue to hone his game and secure a spot early in next year's NFL Draft barring injury.
JAKE MATTHEWS (Texas A&M): Another bookend who was projected to be a first- round pick in April, but returned for a senior season is the 6-5, 305-pound Matthews. It doesn't get much better from a pedigree standpoint, as Jake is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews. A complete lineman who excels in both run blocking and pass protection, Matthews, along with NFL first-round pick Luke Joeckel, played a key role in Johnny Manziel's huge season and improbable run to the Heisman Trophy. Add a high football I.Q. and great leadership qualities and Matthews could join Joeckel as a top-five NFL Draft pick.
CYRUS KOUANDJIO (Alabama): Yes, the Crimson Tide have to replace three stud offensive linemen who were selected on the first day of the NFL Draft in April, but for Alabama, the team seems to have a revolving door of talent in the trenches. That's were Kouandjio comes in. It was the 6-6, 310-pounder's potential on the outside that forced All-American Barrett Jones to move to center and Kouandjio rewarded Nick Saban for his confidence in him. Big road graders with supreme athleticism are the norm in Tuscaloosa and Kouandjio fits the mold.
DAVID YANKEY (Stanford): The Cardinal had another strong season, the first in the post-Andrew Luck era, and the 6-5, 311-pound Yankey was a big reason why. Starting all 14 games for Stanford as a junior, Yankey earned All-America honors, was an All-Pac-12 first-team member and picked up the 2012 Morris Trophy as the Pac-12's top offensive lineman. There aren't many weaknesses in his game at this point, and he is adept as both a pass blocker and run blocker. He will have to take his game to another level as a senior, as Stanford's schedule is brutal in terms of pass rush specialists, Yankey will be under the magnifying glass most of the season and how he holds up will determine his overall draft stock.
JAMES HURST (North Carolina): Another veteran who has gotten better and better as his career has progressed, the 6-7, 305-pound Hurst will be an anchor along North Carolina's offensive line in 2013. Hurst earned Freshman All-America honors in 2010, All-ACC second-team honors in 2011 and first-team honors this past season. A natural athlete with the size to dominate on the outside, Hurst is already a potential first-round NFL prospect. Fine-tuning in terms of technique could propel him into the top 10.
CYRIL RICHARDSON (Baylor): At 6-5, 335 pounds, Richardson passes the eyeball test. He played left tackle in 2011, but was moved back to guard in 2012 and really excelled, earning All-America second-team honors, while being named to the All-Big 12 first team. He enters his senior season as three-year starter with 38 career starts, with a explosive stable of tailbacks, headlined by All- America candidate Lache Seastrunk. Richardson's superior run blocking may just help solidify him as the top guard prospect in next year's NFL draft.
XAVIER SU'A-FILO (UCLA): An All-Pac-12 first-team selection in 2012, Su'a-Filo (6-5, 315) showed versatility, playing both guard and tackle for the Bruins. After earning all-conference accolades in 2009, Su'a-Filo took a couple years off to serve on a Mormon mission. He definitely made up for lost time in 2012 and has now positioned himself among the top offensive linemen heading into 2013. His versatility at different positions along with his ability to dominate both as a run blocker and in pass protection will help solidify his draft status and keep the Bruins moving in the right direction.
GABE JACKSON (Mississippi State): The 6-4, 320-pound Jackson was named to the All-SEC second team as a junior in 2012, after earning a similar distinction in 2011. This Bulldog will set his sights a bit higher in 2013 and could very well earn All-America honors as a result. Currently not looked upon as a bona fide first-round NFL draft pick, that could change with another superior campaign. Jackson's strength right now is run blocking. He will need to prove he is equally gifted in pass protection to maximize his potential.
SPENCER LONG (Nebraska): A former walk-on at Nebraska, the 6-4, 315-pound Long has turned himself into a fixture along the Cornhuskers' offensive line. Last year, Long was named to the All-Big Ten first team, while garnering All-America second-team honors. Long has gotten better with each season in Lincoln and that trend should continue through 2013.
TRE' JACKSON (Florida State): He burst on the scene in 2012 as a sophomore, starting at right guard and immediately establishing himself as one of the ACC's top interior lineman. The 6-4, 327-pounder is a big reason why FSU set a school record in 2012 in terms of overall offense (6,591 yards), as the Seminoles got back to a dominant ground attack. With four of FSU's starting offensive linemen returning in 2013, another productive season in Tallahassee is not only possible, but expected. Jumping into the fray last year, Jackson should grow as a player and emerge as one of the nation's best by season's end.
BRYAN STORK (Florida State): A veteran presence along the line for Florida State, the 6-4, 312-pound Stork is regarded as the top pivot in the country after making the transition from guard. He has plenty of size to hold up at the next level, but also maintains great athleticism to be a versatile lineman in a zone-blocking scheme. A talented offensive line at Florida State will be in good hands with Stork in the middle.
RUSSELL BODINE (North Carolina): Bodine took over the pivot in 2012 and helped solidify the interior of the UNC line along with NFL first-round selection Jonathan Cooper. The 6-4, 310-pound Bodine should be able to take the next step in his evolution at the center position after providing superb play in 2012 in both running and passing situations. Some key players are no longer in Chapel Hill (Cooper and Giovani Bernard), but the Tar Heel offense should continue to thrive and Bodine will be right in the middle of it.
TRAVIS SWANSON (Arkansas): With the star power along Alabama's offensive line, there were several dominant players who were relegated to the All-SEC second team last year, including this Arkansas Razorback. The 6-5, 305-pound Swanson has graded out well as both a run blocker and pass blocker. With a new sheriff in town in Bret Bielema, Swanson has an opportunity to really make his case for first-team honors in 2013 and all the attention that comes with it.
GABE IKARD (Oklahoma): This veteran Sooner has moved around the offensive line quite a bit in Norman. The 6-2, 298-pound Ikard started 11 games as a freshman, earning All-America honors. He was named an All-Big 12 first-team member in 2011 and followed that up with the same recognition in 2012. A bit undersized to play guard at the next level, Ikard would be best served to continue manning the pivot for Oklahoma in 2012. With great leadership qualities and a high football I.Q., expect Ikard's last season in Norman to be one of his best.
TYLER LARSEN (Utah State): A two-time All-WAC first-team selection (2011 and 2012), he certainly doesn't garner much publicity playing in Logan for the Aggies, but the 6-4, 312-pound Larsen has been a big fish in a small pond. He racked up over 65 knockdowns as a junior a year ago and is regarded as a true power player. A very disciplined center who knows his role, expect another strong season at Utah State, before heading off to the NFL.


text: Explore the rich heritage of Waco and Central Texas and all it has to offer from our address on historic Austin Avenue – annually voted Waco's most beautiful street. Waco attractions offer something for everyone – from history buffs, sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, shoppers or gourmet enthusiasts. Baylor University, one of the country's leading educational institutions, is just minutes away and Magnolia Market at the Silo's (owned by HGTV's Fixer Upper stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines) is only 1.3 miles away.


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The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas refinery in the Sahara has climbed past 80.
Algerian forces searching the plant for explosives have found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured it is unclear whether they are hostages or militants.
Algerian special forces stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege, moving in to thwart what government officials said was a plot by the Islamic extremists to blow up the complex and kill all their captives with mines sown throughout the site.
In a statement, the Masked Brigade, the group that claimed to have masterminded the takeover, warned of more such attacks against any country backing France's military intervention in neighbouring Mali, where the French are trying to stop an advance by Islamic extremists.
"We stress to our Muslim brothers the necessity to stay away from all the Western companies and complexes for their own safety, and especially the French ones," the statement said.
Algeria said after Saturday's assault by government forces that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed.
On Sunday, Algerian bomb squads sent in to blow up or defuse explosives found 25 more bodies, said a security official.
"These bodies are difficult to identify. They could be the bodies of foreign hostages or Algerians or terrorists," the official said.
A wounded Romanian who had been evacuated died, raising the overall death toll to at least 81.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has supported the Algerian action. "Of course, people will ask questions … but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack."
Three Britons were among the dead and another three were feared dead.
On Monday, Philippine Foreign Affairs officials said six Filipinos were among the hostages killed. The dead hostages were also known to include French workers and at least one American.
Nearly two dozen foreigners were unaccounted for on Monday.
It was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final assault on the complex, which is run by the Algerian state oil company along with BP and Norway's Statoil.
Two private Algerian TV stations and an online news site said security forces scouring the plant captured five militants and learned that three others had fled.
That information could not be immediately confirmed by security officials.
Authorities said the bloody takeover was carried out on Wednesday by 32 men from six countries, under the command from afar of the one-eyed Algerian bandit Moktar Belmoktar, founder of the Masked Brigade, based in Mali.
The attacking force called itself Those Who Sign in Blood.
The Masked Brigade said on Sunday the attack was payback against Algeria for allowing over-flights of French aircraft headed to Mali and for closing its long border with Mali. In an earlier communication, the Brigade claimed to have carried out the attack in the name of al-Qaeda.
Armed with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades, the militants singled out foreign workers at the plant, killing some of them on the spot and attaching explosive belts to others.
Algeria's response was typical of its take-no-prisoners approach in confronting terrorists, favouring military action over negotiation. Algerian military forces, backed by attack helicopters, launched two assaults on the plant, the first one on Thursday.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the terrorists had tried to blow up the plant on Saturday but managed only to start a small fire. "That's when they started to execute hostages, and the special forces intervened," Eide said. Norway's Statoil said five Norwegians were still missing.
An audio recording of Algerian security forces speaking with the head of the kidnappers, Abdel Rahman al-Nigiri, on the second day of the drama indicated the hostage-takers were trying to organise a prisoner swap.
"You see our demands are so easy, so easy if you want to negotiate with us," al-Nigiri said in the recording broadcast by Algerian television. "We want the prisoners you have, the comrades who were arrested and imprisoned 15 years ago. We want 100 of them."
In another phone call, al-Nigiri said half the militants had been killed by the Algerian army on Thursday and that he was ready to blow up the remaining hostages if security forces attacked again.
An organisation that monitors videos from radicals posted one showing al-Nigiri with what appeared to be an explosive belt around his waist.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday on French television: "The terrorists … they're the ones to blame."
David Plouffe, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups remained a threat in North Africa and other parts of the world, and the US was determined to help other countries destroy those networks.
Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Plouffe said the tragedy in Algeria shows once again "that all across the globe countries are threatened by terrorists who will use civilians to try and advance their twisted and sick agenda".


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SEATTLE — The Seattle Times will start charging for online access beginning next month.
Executive Editor David Boardman said the paper simply can't afford to keep giving away full access to its website. In a column Sunday, he noted that since The New York Times put up a paywall two years ago, more than 400 daily newspapers across the country have followed suit.
The digital subscription will be free for readers who already have The Seattle Times delivered at least one day a week, and the paper is offering new subscribers an introductory offer of 99 cents per week for Sunday delivery and unlimited online access. Online-only subscriptions will also be available.
People who don't subscribe at all will still have some access to www.seattletimes.com , but if they visit too many times, they'll be required to pay.
Our View: Homeless youth need more of our attention
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Need a good cookbook for a cold, dark day?
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Tire shops under pressure as snow and holiday travel pump up demand


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|Doug Liman
|John August
|Columbia; R; 100 minutes
|Sarah Polley, Desmond Askew, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, J.E. Freeman, Katie Holmes, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr
Swingers director Doug Liman has taken several cues from Pulp Fiction in the formation of this spirited but soulless comedy. Three interconnected plots tangle together disaffected grocery clerks, drug dealers, and TV cops into fast-paced, pop-culture confusion. Key scenes occur at a supermarket and a rave. Tired cashiers (Sarah Polley and Katie Holmes) are trying to sell off imitation ecstasy while their coworker (Desmond Askew) is getting singed by his own hedonism in Las Vegas. Yes, there's a bit about those cops too, and well. . . plot isn't foregrounded here, but Liman's directorial savvy combined with some decent cinematography (emulating altered states) makes Go a stylistic success. It's a movie about motion, kids, and fast living, but if you stop for a moment, you may realize that Go doesn't.


text:
Product 32/58
Wear the type of socks you would wear with your sneakers and measure your feet in the afternoon (usually your feet swell during the day). Distribute your weight evenly before you measure.
Keep standing and standing on a hard surface with your heel against the wall. Put a sheet of blank paper glued to the floor with tape and taped to the wall underneath the foot.
Ask someone to mark the longest part of your foot (known as the length between heel and toe) on paper with a pen or pencil, or measure yourself if necessary. Do the same with the other foot, as the sizes of the right and left foot may be different.
Use a ruler to measure the length between the heel and toe that you tagged for each foot.
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text: The thin comic appeal of Kevin James is laid on a bit thicker in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," his first solo star vehicle for the big screen. As a chunky loner-loser who can never pass the New Jersey State Police exam and never get the girl, James practically channels John Candy at his most sympathetic in this not-a-real-cop comedy. "Detect, deter, observe, report," that's the mall cop's motto. But Blart, a lonely single dad smitten with the blond who sells hair extensions from a kiosk (Jayma Mays), always goes the extra mile, even when elderly customers are running him over with their scooters and obese women are giving him a beat-down or generally abusing him due to his lack of real authority. Blart instructs a rookie in the ways of the job, "giving the illusion that you have a gun" and the like. He is a master of his domain -- the West Orange Pavilion Mall -- and of the steed that carries him through it, a Segway. James' balletic mastery of the vehicle for this role (he co-wrote the script) is easily the best thing about Mall Cop. The Segway, a pretty good sight gag by itself, becomes an extension of the portly Blart's persona -- underestimated, able to take a licking and keep on ticketing. 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' Pictures 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' Times and Tickets Movie Showtimes, Trailers and More James, a graceful fat funnyman in the Belushi/Jackie Gleason mold, never really transcends the thin story that this lightweight and family-friendly comedy gives us. The movie's rank sentiment is Candy-cloned. He even copies the late corpulent Canadian's self-defensive laugh. Let's feel sorry for the lovelorn hypoglycemic guy with the gut. Watch him slather peanut butter over mom's ( Shirley Knight) apple pie after his latest State Police washout. "Peanut butter. It just fills the cracks of the heart." The movie is about Paul Blart's greatest challenge -- a mall robbery with hostages. Blart must fend off trigger-happy Jersey SWAT cops led by the guy who bullied him in high school (Bobby Cannavale) and pick off a reindeer-named pack of skateboard-riding parkour practicing robbers, one by one, rescue the girl and save the day. Yawn. But the big man still finds big laughs in his character's mall-savviness, his self-deprecating use of his girth (he's the butt of his own butt jokes) and his many Segway moments.


text:
From Okanogan County
Superior Court records
White sentenced
Christian Edward White, 45, pleaded guilty Oct. 31 to two counts of violating a no contact, protection or restraining order and two counts of tampering with a witness.
Dismissed were two other charges.
White, who committed the crimes Feb. 24, was sentenced to 30 months on the first two counts and 27.75 months on the last two counts to be served concurrently.
The sentences were to be served consecutively with other cases, court records said.
Condon pleads guilty
Dakotah Dupree Condon, 21, Malott, pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to second-degree burglary, third-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property.
Condon, who committed the crimes May 23, was sentenced to three to six months.
Ramos sentenced
Luis Alfredo Baez Ramos, 20, pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to possessing a controlled substance and minor possessing or consuming alcohol.
Ramos, who committed the crimes Aug. 24, was sentenced to 30 days.
Welch dismissal
The court dismissed with prejudice Oct. 28 the state's case against Gary Lee Martin Welch.
Valdovinos pleads guilty
Rodolfo Valdovinos, 23, pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to second-degree possession of stolen property.
Dismissed were attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, second-degree possession of stolen property and three counts of forgery.
Valdovinos, who committed the crime July 5, was sentenced to four months.
The sentence was to be served concurrently with a district court case.
Todd case dismissed
The court dismissed with prejudice Oct. 25 the state's case against Mariah Kirsten after the defendant completed the Okanogan County Superior Court Adult Felony Drug Court Program.
Wynecoop sentenced
Charles Daniel Wynecoop, 25, Omak, pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to first-degree trafficking in stolen property and second-degree possession of stolen property.
Wynecoop, who committed the crimes Jan. 12, was sentenced to 50 months to be served concurrently with another superior court case.
In the second case, Wynecoop pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to making a false or misleading statement to a public service and second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission.
Wynecoop, who committed the crimes Jan. 22, was sentenced to 18 months.
Jackson pleads guilty
Jesse Paul Jackson, 24, Coulee Dam, pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to residential burglary, third-degree theft and third-degree malicious mischief.
Jackson, who committed the crimes between March 17 and, 2012, was sentenced to six months, which could be served with electronic home monitoring.
A second case was dismissed with prejudice.
Thompson charged
Joseph Allen Thompson, 36, was charged Oct. 23 with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon, which he allegedly did Oct. 19.
Glassmeyer charged
Albert John Glassmeyer, 46, Tonasket, was charged Oct. 23 with harassment-threats to kill and disorderly conduct, which he allegedly committed Oct. 19.
Maloney charged
Michael Scott Maloney, 26, Tonasket, was charged Oct. 23 with second-degree assault and fourth-degree assault, which he allegedly committed Oct. 19.
Rape, assault alleged
Nicolas Gutierrez Lopez, 56, was charged Oct. 23 with second-degree rape and fourth-degree assault, which he allegedly committed Oct. 20.
McCraigie charged
Melissa Rosa McCraigie, 30, Omak, was charged Oct. 24 with first-degree trafficking in stolen property and third-degree theft, which allegedly occurred Oct. 21.
Heroin possession alleged
Kevin Michael Clark, 32, Okanogan, was charged Oct. 28 with possession of a controlled substance-heroin, which allegedly occurred Oct. 24.
Acasito charged
Gilberto Valenzuela Acasito, 46, Tonasket, was charged Oct. 29 with second-degree assault and first-degree criminal trespass.
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That's "Doctor Vendetta" to you
The Official Fitness FAQ: READ BEFORE POSTING FITNESS RELATED QUESTIONS
This is the FAQ / sticky thread for any fitness and health questions you have.
I will add any knowledge I have as well as any helpful hints I have come across over the years.
I will continually add new information or update this thread to add new research or methods.
The same rules of the Bone Closet apply to this thread, no flaming, no useless comments, and act mature.
PLEASE read this entire thread before starting another thread on fitness, your question may well be answered already somewhere in this thread.
Can I spot reduce fat?
No, you cannot spot target adipose tissue. This means that you cannot do 1,000 crunches a night and expect your gut to go away. You cannot do 1000 squats and expect your leg fat to disappear. YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE FAT. Your body chooses to lose fat from predetermined locations, determined by your genetic code.
When your body loses your fat from your stomach (or anywhere else) is up to your body. Only through healthy eating and effective training will you lose fat—and where it comes from is decided by your body.
Where can I go to have my workout plan or diet plan critiqued?
Post it in the forum with a descriptive title ("please critique my diet/workout plan" works) and we will try to help you.
Note that we are not registered dieticians so we can only help you on nutrition from experience. Same goes for training, no one that I know of (besides me) is a CPT so any recommendations are from experience and personal research—which doesn't mean it's wrong. A lot of people on these boards know their stuff.
Weight Training
Although there are many different ways of training, they all focus around one type of particular goal—muscle building, toning, sport/event preparation, and fat loss.
There are different ways to train to work towards all three of these goals, recommendations are given blow.
How do I train to gain muscle?
Typically, gaining muscle is a simple workout process. You tend to want to pick an exercise that allows you to move the heaviest weight—your best 'leverage'. Additionally, exercises that are called "compound exercises", movements that work multiple muscles, particularly large ones, are preferred for gaining muscle. Typical compound exercises are the squat, the dead lift, the clean/jerk, leg press, etc.
For beginners (I would say less than 2 years of training experience) I recommend a 3 day on, 1 day off program that targets all the muscle groups. An example is found on www.ryanruff.com/documents.
As you get more and more experienced, you can change your split. One preferred method of splitting up for experienced trainers is muscle prioritization.
What is muscle prioritization?
Inevitably, you cannot train one muscle without another. It is impossible. However you can target a muscle as much as possible with one workout, and then give it considerable rest. This is the logic behind muscle prioritization. An example of this workout is as follows:
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back and Abs
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulder and Abs
Day 5: Biceps and Triceps
Day 6&7: Rest
This is only an example, you can split it up anyway, 4 on, 2 off, 4 on, 1 off, whatever. However no matter what, muscle prioritization requires at least a half a week rest for each body part (I prefer a week), and is only recommended for experienced trainers.
How do I train to tone?
Toning is a relative misnomer...you either activate your muscles, or you don't activate your muscles. If you have a relatively low body fat percentage, around < 22% for males, than I would recommend a fat loss program based that also has some hints of traditional strength gaining programs, since the weight you have to lose is not significant.
When you "tone" you train in a fashion to target the red fast twitch muscle fibers, best stimulated by sets of 12-15 reps. But really, gaining muscle/losing fat all gives the effect of what people consider "toning". Set number can vary, but I go from 3-5 sets per body part, including warm-up.
Ideally in this fashion you want as little rest as possible, since the weight you are using is not significantly heavy. An example of this workout method is found on www.ryanruff.com/documents
I want to lose fat but keep my muscle, what can I do?
Inevitably you lose muscle when you diet and train to lose fat. However, after a few trial and error segments I have found a method that seems to both hold onto as much muscle as possible, while burning fat.
When you diet, you need to make sure you get healthy carbs and optimum protein intake, in order to save as much muscle as possible.
Then, I prefer to do a variety of sets…the first 3 or 4 sets in an exercise I go as heavy as I do in a mass gain phase, but the final set I drop the weight down and do a final set of 25 reps. I do this for each exercise, and it seems to help in retaining muscle.
How do I train my core?
The squat and the deadlift
What is "overload training"?
There are many variations of overload training, also known as max-OT training. The one I use is a strength increasing, mass gaining method of weight training.
Essentially, you are doing an exercise and you are lifting 100% of your maximum of a 4-6 rep set (NOT a 1RM). If you can get 6 reps on this set, it is time to increase the weight. The rest of the sets look like 85% maximum for 6-8 reps, and 90-95% max on the second set for 6 reps. Until you reach 6 reps on the heaviest weight possible, stay at that weight.
What is "antagonistic multi-set training"?
I mentioned earlier that it is impossible to train one muscle without inevitably using another. Antagonistic muscle training is a shock method of training muscles that do not impact one another.
When you bench press, your triceps are also working—this is what you are trying to avoid. Antagonistic training is a high intensity hardcore workout, and a typical plan is as follows:
This allows you to 'superset'—doing one exercise followed right by another, because the second muscle group targeted is not doing any work during the first muscle group's exercise. So, doing a bench press and doing a bent over barbell row can superset since the muscles of the back were not targeted during the bench press.
What is a "muscle fibre"?
Muscle fibers (or fibre) make up muscles. They are classified into three categories, white fast twitch, red fast twitch, and red slow twitch. How many of each you have is genetically predetermined, and the percentage of each differs throughout the body.
White fast twitch muscle fibers are best suited for Olympic style weight training and power lifting. Red fast twitch fibers are best suited for speed and endurance, while red slow twitch are best suited for extreme endurance, like marathons.
Although no muscle fiber acts alone when you train, you can 'prioritize' and train for a specific muscle group.
White fast twitch: sets of 4-6 reps
Red fast twitch: sets of 12-15 reps
Red slow twitch: sets of 20-25 reps
So if you are training for a basketball tournament, a game requiring a bit of endurance and speed, you would train your red fast twitch fibers.
What are motor units?
A motor unit is a collection of muscle fibers.
How can I get a 6-pack?
Well you actually already have them; they are just hidden beneath a layer of fat. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. The reason you can't see your abs is because your body fat percentage is not low enough.
Train for fat loss, do some cardio (preferably HIIT) and most importantly, check your diet. With these three things you will see your abs.
Can you shape a muscle?
It is physiologically impossible to shape a muscle. Actually, pain in a particular muscle group can be misleading—for instance, having a pain in your upper chest does not mean the upper chest muscle is being stimulated—muscles grow across the entire muscle fibre, not just where the pain is. In addition to this, you cannot work one muscle without inevitably hitting another. Because of this there is little need for 'isolation' movements for size/strength increase. You can use them for higher rep cutting routines for extra calorie burn.
What is HIIT?
HIIT is a method of cardiovascular training which stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Traditional fat loss methods require slow/moderate pace at a very long duration to ensure calories for energy are taken from fat cells instead of the liver or muscle storage—which typically happens when you quickly do cardio. HIIT combines low-intensity and high-intensity at different intervals of the cardio session, combining the best of both worlds of cardio training.
A good site as an overview on HIIT is
Another: http://davedraper.com/hiit-cardio-training.html
When is the best time to do cardio?
If you want to train for maximum fat loss, it's best to do your cardio in the early morning, on an empty stomach. This is because your body has been fasting all night long while you slept, and your body's glycogen stores in the liver and muscle are quite depleted. When your body looks for energy to fuel the early morning cardio, the only prominent storage facility for that energy is the fat cells.
What is creatine monohydrate and what does it do?
The main source of energy for your muscles is ATP, and it is stored in tissue cells and is used for immediate work, like picking up an object or running 100 yards. Your muscles have roughly 4 seconds worth of stored ATP. Once this is used, creatine phosphate combines with the used ATP (which is ADP) to create more useable ATP. This gives you roughly 25-30 seconds of useable energy after the 4 seconds.
Supplementing with creatine equals more readily available sources of creatine for ADP ATP conversion. This means you can usually lift longer and harder and usually use more weight.
A side effect is water retention, and your muscles act like a sponge with creatine and water is taken in-between them—giving you a bigger look.
What is whey protein?
Usually powder form of milk-based proteins
I heard about 'post workout shakes', what are they and why is it good to have one? What goes in them?
A typical post workout shake looks like below:
50 grams whey protein
50 grams dextrose or 25 grams dextrose, 25 grams maltodextrine
10 grams creatine
10 grams glutamine
5 grams BCAA powder
This is only an example
When you train, your body has used most of the glycogen from your muscles. Now typically, ingesting a sugar is bad because of the insulin spike (meaning fat gain). However, after you train, since your muscles are direly in need of replenishment, you take a post workout shake that includes sugar.
This sugar spiked nutrient shake triggers an insulin response. The insulin shuttles the nutrients into your muscles—and since they are starving, they act like a sponge and take up the nutrients quickly. It's the really only beneficial time of the day to ingest large amounts of sugars.
What are steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. "Anabolic" refers to muscle-building, and "androgenic" refers to increased masculine characteristics. "Steroids" refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.
Today, athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as "cycling"), rather than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again. In addition, users often combine several different types of steroids to maximize their effectiveness while minimizing negative effects (referred to as "stacking"). Source: http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/steroids.html
What is cell-tech? What is nitro-tech?
Cell-Tech and nitro-tech are supplements made by the company MUSCLETECH. They are high quality, decent supplements—but they are incredibly overpriced. They are simple supplements based on simple, effective research/results—and are extremely expensive.
Cell-Tech is simply flavoring, ALA, dextrose/maltodextrine, and creatine. It is a simple formula that you can buy individually and create your own cell-tech for much cheaper. Nitro-tech is just a high quality whey protein.
What are BCAAs?
BCAAs are branch chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These amino acids form roughly 50-60 percent of all muscle tissue. So far, we think these acids are used by muscle tissue to create cellular enzymes for energy production. Since these enzymes are depleted during exercise, they require replenishment. With sufficient BCAA supplementation, other amino acids within the cell can be used by the body for protein synthesis (muscle generation) and energy production.
What are body types?
There are three 'body types', or ways in which your body tends to grow. These three types are ECTOMORPH, or extreme difficulty putting weight of any kind on—muscle or fat (also known as 'hard gainers'), MESOMORPH, the 'blessed' body type in which you gain muscle easily but not a lot of fat, and ENDOMORPH, you gain weight easily, but often a predominance of fat.
People are rarely just one or the other, but often a mix of two.
How can I eat to gain muscle?
This depends a lot on your body type. If you are a endomorph, you have to eat right and follow the same carb and meat choices you should on a cutting diet—you should just eat a little bit more of them.
Same goes for mesomorphs—good, wholesome carb and meat choices (showed in the next question). You can cheat every so often because you have the ideal body type for training.
Ectomorphs have a bit more leeway when it comes to diet. Often times they can't gain weight on normal, healthy foods no matter how much they eat. This is when more calorie-dense foods become more helpful…olive oils, avocados, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.—all are great for adding extra calories. Ectomorphs can cheat often, but this isn't a license to eat junk food whenever you want.
How can I eat to lose fat?
A typical diet:
Meal 1: Post workout shake
Meal 2: Lean chicken breast, 1 piece wheat bread with sugar free jelly
Meal 3: Carb-free protein bar (I'm usually in class)
Meal 4: Can of tuna, one bowl oatmeal (1/2 cup, no sugar added)
Meal 5: 2 slices wheat bread, fat-free/sugar-free lunch meat (so lean lunch meat) and fat free cheese
Meal 6: Chicken breast, 1 cup mixed greens
Meal 7: Pre-bedtime protein shake (egg/casein protein)
Basic diet tips to lose fat:
Cardio on an empty stomach if possible
Eat low-moderate GI carbs, from the GI index. These are oatmeal, wheat pasta, wheat breads, and sweet potatoes.
No carbs after 8 o'clock if possible
Eat every 2.5-3.5 hours
Cycle carbs, I go three days 150 carbs, then one day 300-400, repeat. Sort of tricks your metabolism.
Lean proteins: tuna, chicken, fish, extra lean beef if you can afford it.
Get your EFAs, your essential fatty acids. Avocados, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and natural peanut butter are good sources of this. I also supplement with CLA.
Calculate your BMR, add for your daily expenditures, and eat 400-500 less than that. This should balance out to 1-2 lbs of fat loss a week.
Eat breakfast. Just eat something without sugar in it
What happens when I eat a carbohydrate?
When you ingest a carb, it passes through your system to the small intestine. The amylases enzymes break down the carb into simple sugars (like fructose and glucose) and then these sugars get absorbed through the small intestine into the blood stream.
The first place this sugar goes is the liver, and the liver transforms all these sugars into glucose, the energy source for the body. One of the liver functions is to monitor blood glucose levels. If the supply of the new sugar from the carbs is too high, the blood sugar level is too high and the liver must fix this.
The pancreas then releases insulin which shuttles the sugars elsewhere--the next stop is the muscle. However if the muscle stores are full (which is typically their state) the next stop the insulin carried glucose goes is back to the liver. However the liver can only hold 300-400 calories at one time, and if it's full the insulin must move on. The final place the insulin carried sugar goes is to be stored as fat--and unlike the muscle and liver, fat cells store blood glucose quickly.
What happens when I eat a protein?
When you ingest a protein, it moves to the stomach where the enzyme pepsin braeks the protein down into peptides. Then these peptides move into the small intestine and broken down by proteases, trypsin and chymotrypsin, into individual amino acids.
You need to ingest complete proteins every 3-4 hours to insure the availability of all possible combinations of amino acids for cellular uptake. Since the body cannot store individual amino acids, they are collected and exchanged in the liver, blood, and spaces of muscle fibers.
AMINO ACIDS CANNOT BE USED FOR CELLULAR PROTEIN SYNTHESIS UNTIL THE ENTIRE COMBINATIONS ARE PRESENT AT ONCE. If the missing amino acids for this are not provided within 3-4 hours of their ingestion, the amino acids are deaminated and no longer useful.
What happens when I eat a fat?
Fats are broken down by lipolytic enzymes, and are turned into phospholipids, triglycerides, and cholesterols. These are then packaged into chylomicrons, and then they are then released into the bloodstream (bypassing the liver).
The fat is then either taken up by fat tissue or broken down into their original three forms in the liver. The broken down chylomicrons have different functions--the phospholipids go to the blood to transport cells for structural membrane formation. Triglycerides are either broken down into fatty acids, which are a great source of energy, or converted to glycerol which is stored as glycogen. The cholesterols are released and are responsible for plaque formation in the cardiovascular tissue.
What are 'good fats'?
Also called 'essential fatty acids', "Good" fats include monounsaturated fats, found in olive and canola oils, peanuts and other nuts, peanut butter, and avocados. Monounsaturated fats lower total and "bad" LDL cholesterol--which accumulates in and clogs artery walls--while maintaining levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, which carries cholesterol from artery walls and delivers it to the liver for disposal.
Last edited by Vendetta; 01-27-2012 at 07:28 PM..
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That's "Doctor Vendetta" to you
Omega-3 fatty acids--polyunsaturated fats found in coldwater fish, canola oil, flaxseeds, walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts--also count as good fat. Recent studies have shown that populations that eat more omega-3s, such as Eskimos (whose diets are heavy on fish), have fewer serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. There is evidence that omega-3 oils help prevent or treat depression, arthritis, asthma, and colitis and help prevent cardiovascular deaths. You'll eat both monounsaturated fats and omega-3s in abundance in all three phases of the diet. Source: http://www.prevention.com/cda/featur...1-6559,00.html
What is CLA?
CLA stands for conjugated linoleic acid. It is a free-form fatty acid found naturally in milks, cheeses, and meats. However normal farming processes does not have significant amounts of CLA, so people choose to supplement with it. CLA has been shown to be beneficial for cancer treament, as an immuno-therapy supplement, helps maintain muscle while dieting, and helps mobilize fat for greater fat loss
What is the GI index?
The GI index is a list of numbers that associate to the rate of digestion of carbs and subsequent blood glucose level in the body. The higher the GI rate, the higher the blood glucose level. You want to stay away from high GI sources of carbohydrates, under normal circumstances.
What should I do to stretch?
There are stretching techniques that can be used as part of a warm-up, between sets, and as a cooldown. You can stretch before lifting/cardio activity, but it should be MILD, and held no longer for 20-30 seconds--[I]especially[/] when done before training.
Remember tendons are not elastic, and can be easily injured during dymanic movements when your muscles are cold. So, it is possible (and I do recommend) a light warmup stretching session before activity--not hard, not extensive, and not long.
Moving on to actual warm-up exercises, my organization recommends a simple warm-up routine that can be used before every workout. You can start with an exercise bike for 5-10 minutes, ensuring low-level activity. Secondly you should do a set of slow, concentrated crunches. Finally, compound that with antagonistic exercise the deadlift. Make sure its light. Antagonistic muscle groups are forced to stretch and relax, so combining the two will stretch out your base core.
www.abcbodybuilding.com :: Great site with plenty of research into the actual science of bodybuilding and nutrition.
www.bodybuilding.com :: Another huge site, mega store and forums along with articles about bodybuilding.
www.dpsnutrition.net :: Great supplement distributor site
www.netrition.com :: Slightly more expensive than DPS, but has a great article for each product it sells.
www.planetdepot.com :: Nutrition supplement site
www.americannutrition.com :: Nutrition Supplement site
www.fitnessfactory.com :: Weight training equipment supplier
http://www.fitday.com/ :: Free Fitness Tracking Journal
New Research/Findings:
Not research, but news: President Bush today signed into law a bill banning popular andro supplements, dubbed steroid "precursors" It is no longer legal to manufacture and sell prohormones. This comes just a few months after the ban on ephedra products in the United States.
Last edited by Dominion; 07-12-2007 at 05:48 PM.. Reason: added link
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Just what USC needed, another scandal about players getting paid off by agents.
Don't laugh UCLA fans -- this time it's worse for you. Although nobody is likely to get sanctions as a result.
Los Angeles-based agent Josh Luchs details how he got into the business, how the agent recruiting game works -- and just how much money is out there -- in a controversial cover story Tuesday for Sports Illustrated, titled Confessions of an Agent. And he names names.
Agents usually get their start connected with one school or some other defined space of athletes -- for Luchs that was UCLA. It started with Sean LaChapelle, who played for the Bruins in the early 1990s before spending three seasons in the NFL. However, LaChapelle was one of the players Luchs never paid.
Plenty of players from the 1990s did allegedly get paid, including Bruin quarterback Ryan Fien, Bruce Walker and Vaughn Parker (the latter two did not sign with him), SI reported.
Fien told the magazine he did not receive money from Luchs, Walker confirmed receiving money or extra benefits and Parker said "he knew Luchs but had no comment as to whether he took money from Luchs," according to the SI report.
Luchs took Jonathon Ogden to a Janet Jackson concert ("Instead of going to the concert with my girlfriend, I went with a 6'9" guy who weighed more than 300 pounds and who screamed 'Janet!' the whole night like a teenage girl") but he signed somewhere else also.
Ogden confirmed "receiving money or extra benefits from Luchs," according to the magazine.
Luchs lists a number of local players who said they were paid, including former USC receiver R. Jay Soward, who not only admitted to it but also said he would do it again. Then there is Chris Mims, the late San Diego Charger lineman out of Dorsey High, who was paid $500 a month, says Luchs.
Mims died in 2008 and therefore was unable to respond to the allegations.
Not everyone took Luchs' money. Keyshawn Johnson and J.J. Stokes turned him down, Luchs said.
One of the more interesting stories was that of former Charger draft pick Ryan Leaf, who Luchs recruited and gave money to for years. After Luchs did not pick up a Vegas hotel bill for two other Washington State quarterbacks partying with Leaf the summer before his senior year, the wheels to the relationship came off. But in an interesting twist, after Leaf got his big contract -- with agent Leigh Steinberg -- Leif paid Luchs back, about $10,000.
Leaf did not comment on the allegations, but did tell SI that, "I remember Josh. As I recall, he was an old hometown friend of one or two of my teammates and we all hung out a bit. I don't remember him aspiring to be an agent. We were all about the same age and we were interested in having a good time more than anything else."
Luchs said this still goes on, although now most agents use some kind of middle man to keep themselves at arms length from the NCAA and the law (many states, including California, have laws that make these kind of payments illegal now). Luchs also details how he went "straight" to a more legitimate agency and type of recruiting.
Neither USC nor UCLA is likely to face sanctions over this. Sports Illustrated notes that there is a four-year statute of limitations, an investigation has to start inside that window. In this case, all the violations were before 2005.