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It was easy to miss a small black-and-white photo on the wall next to the blazing, glossy aesthetic of a deep-orange-and-red Chevy Impala known as El Rey.
The 1963 convertible is regarded as a pinnacle of modern lowrider culture, and even under low light, the car glittered inside a small showroom at surfwear company Hurley's headquarters in Costa Mesa on Saturday.
But almost unnoticed a few feet away, blending into the poster-lined walls, hung a picture that explained why El Rey, which means "the king" in Spanish, was there.
"Lowriders, they used to park on the hills in L.A. and San Diego, and they would watch the skaters bomb the hills," said Hurley employee Dakota Gomez. "Then it would be vice versa; the skaters would watch the lowriders cruise. And it's all by the beach."
He pointed to the picture taken in 1976 that shows a skateboarder balanced on his rear wheels as he rolls by two men leaning on a lowrider in front of a graffiti-covered backdrop.
The ethos of that picture, taken by iconic skate photographer and artist Craig Stecyk, rolled into Hurley's headquarters as part of the Legacy show.
El Rey was at the center of a maze of dozens of lowriders lining the corporate campus. They were the visual thread used to connect other pieces of Los Angeles and Orange County street and surf culture on display.
"Lowrider guys are fascinated with surf and skate, and surf and skate are fascinated with these cars — California all in one place in one day," Gomez said.
Inside a lobby at the front of the campus, exhibitors had blended that shared fascination.
Graffiti, tattoo and lowrider artists — including El Rey's owners Albert de Alba Sr. and Albert de Alba Jr. — had painted six surfboards. The purple and black strokes on the Albas' board evoked El Rey's own lines.
In a nearby room, a wall covered in decades-old skateboards melded surf and skate history.
"These are all sidewalk surfboards," said Jason Cohn.
Cohn and his counterparts at a company appropriately called Scavenger scour garage sales and flea markets for skate relics to help them document the sport's evolution from surfing.
"Skateboarding was basically an activity founded out of necessity or boredom," he said. "When the surf conditions were poor, they needed something to do."
That led to boards like ones Cohn has found dating back to the 1950s made out of fence posts or scavenged planks.
"You take a piece of wood out of your father's woodshed, traced a surf shape around it, take your sister's roller skate, cobble it together, and all of a sudden you are free," he said.
One of Cohn's finds even bridged the gap to the lowriders outside. Its sparkling blue, pillowy deck stood out against the other boards' wood grains and painted reds.
"This is tuck-and-roll fabric you might see in the back seats of the upholstery of cars," he said. "They put barefoot kids on this to show that it's a great surface even when it gets hot and had kids skating these things."
Much like Hurley's show, it represented a beach culture of cars, skating and surfing tied up in one intertwined package.
"It's a celebration of California tradition," Gomez said.
Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck


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makes 18 cookies
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
prep time: 20 min / cook time: 10-12 min
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4c + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
1/2 c butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature and slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c vanilla baking chips
* I chopped up white chocolate
1/2 c macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 c dried cranberries
•Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and butter.
• Beat in the slightly beaten egg and vanilla extract.
• Add flour mixture until just mixed.
• With a spatula, stir in the vanilla chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.
• Scoop our batter with a small cookie scooper and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let cool.
* Cookies will sink slightly.

subset: commoncrawl


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Focus Area: Individual Protection and Survivability
Description: The system provides 7.62 x 54mm multi-hit ballistic protection for commercial sedans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Modular kit components can be installed by three field personnel in approximately 3-4 hours.
Project Cost: $2.711M
Project Duration: 24 months
Operational Impact: Enables end users to complete low visibility missions in areas with small arms threats. Rental vehicles are often used and must be swapped out for operational security purposes. FIVAK can be rapidly installed by field personnel with no special tools and leaves no footprint on the vehicle.
Deliverable: 53 FIVAK kits delivered to end users for operational evaluation
Performer: HazTrain, Inc.
End Users: Special Forces, Department of Homeland Security, and Intelligence Community
Transition: Systems are available for procurement


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Finding the right transportation in a bustling city can really make a huge difference in your day. Whether you need to schedule a flight from one city to another, find a railway express station, or hire a taxi driver for the evening, our directory features the top transportation networks in the area.
We have compiled a large selection of data, companies, and organizations in the region offering transportation services. From the smallest driving services to large-scale operations spanning the entire globe, we have it all.
To take full advantage of our transportation directory, simply scroll down until you find the business or service you are interested in. Then, click the link and read about the business for more information. Each profile consists of the address, website, phone number, and driving instructions for each transportation service provider.
If you own a transportation network in the area, contact us now. We will happily add your company to our directory, where you can enjoy more customers in the region finding your services.


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Dwayne Litteer's Photography
We joined a group of friends for a 11 day tour of Ireland in August 2008. We arrived in Dublin, toured the city and area south of Dublin. Then we headed north to Newcastle on Dundrum Bay on the east coast. From there we toured through Belfast and drove along the beautiful Antrim Coast to Londonderry (Derry). After a city tour we drove through the rugged Inishowen Peninsula to Malin Head in Norther Ireland. We then headed southwest through the countryside to Enniskillen. We then made our way South to Galway, located on beautiful Galway Bay on the west coast. We continued south along the western coast to Killarney. From Killarney, we made a day long tour of the Ring of Kerry which follows the rugged coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula. We then turned east to Cork and the southern port city of Cobh. Turning back north, we toured Blarney Castle and spent our final night at Bunratty Castle. We left from nearby Shannon Airport for the USA.Read More


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IRVINE, CA -- Star Trac has signed a purchasing agreement with Michael Bruno, who will acquire a controlling interest in the Irvine, CA-based manufacturer's parent company, Unisen Inc. Bruno is the owner and founder of manufacturer Land America Health and Fitness Co., Xiamen, China.
The acquisition is expected to be finalized by the end of this week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Last month, Star Trac's vice president of marketing, Randy Bergstedt, told Club Industry that the company was entertaining investors. Star Trac had just laid off about 100 employees and had consolidated its operations into one facility. In May, Steve Nero resigned as Star Trac's president and was replaced by Mike Leveque. Leveque had been Star Trac's managing director for Europe, a post that has since been filled by Matthew Pengelly.
Earlier this year, Land America finalized the purchase of the StairMaster and Schwinn brands from Nautilus Inc. through Land America's affiliate, Fit Dragon International Ltd.
"Becoming a part of Bruno's growing family of fitness companies is a tremendous opportunity for Star Trac," Leveque said in a statement. "His other companies and Star Trac share a strong belief in serving customer needs, and Bruno is committed to supporting the ongoing product innovation investments that are critical for Star Trac to maintain its global leadership position."
For more than two years, Land America has been manufacturing strength and spinning equipment for Star Trac, Bergstedt told Club Industry today.
"He knows us, and we know him," Bergstedt said of Bruno.
Bergstedt also confirmed that Star Trac will be run separately from Bruno's Land America and StairMaster holdings, and that James Doody, the majority owner of Star Trac prior to the acquisition, will retain a small interest in the company.
"Our activities will create the foundation for the company to experience strong growth and profitability," Bruno, based in Youngstown, Ohio, said in a statement. "This reorganization provides the resources for a strong balance sheet and positions Star Trac for long-term success."
Baird, a Milwaukee-based investment banking, private equity, wealth and asset management firm, advised the deal. The company had also advised in the two previous Bruno deals.
"After the two successful Nautilus transactions, we had great insights on who might make a good business partner for Star Trac," Joe Pellegrini, managing director for Baird's consumer investment banking team, said in a release from the company. "Michael Bruno was a logical option."


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- Oct 31:
- Northeast Plains Outreach Team reaching out to flood victims
- Oct 19:
- Disaster Recovery Center closing today
- Oct 16:
- Fellowship of Christian Farmers providing support for those affected by the flood
- Oct 10:
- Parks, Library and Recreation board hears update on flood damage
- Oct 8:
- Flood refunds announced for rifle seasons, property updates
- Oct 4:
- Non-profits, local governments invited to briefing
- Northeastern Junior College reflects on handling of flood situation
- Sep 30:
- FEMA: Disaster Recovery Center still open
- Museum accepting donations to help with recovery
- Sep 28:
- Flood-damaged county roads remain closed
- Center for FEMA, agencies offers 'one stop'
- Sep 27:
- Sterling Livestock helps raise funds for flood relief
- Sep 26:
- Living Center residents happy to return home
- Agencies fill courthouse with resources, personnel
- Sep 25:
- A call for Love
- Sep 24:
- Agencies providing aid, info for those affected by the flood
- Safety hazards remain even after water recedes
- Free legal assistance for flood victims
- RE-1 Valley Board of Education hears update on flood issues
- Sep 23:
- City of Sterling resumes normal operations
- A funeral in the time of the flood
- Sep 21:
- Flood upate: no flush order in effect through weekend
- INFORMATION EXTENSION: Food safety information after a flood
- Sep 20:
- Flood update: Highway 6 reopens as residents take stock
- Flood update: Temporary pipe helping relieve pressure on sewer system
- Flood update: no flush restriction still in effect
- Help available for residents, businesses
- Flood postpones Christ United Methodist Church anniversary celebration
- Gov. Hickenlooper: We will rebuild and come out stronger
- Sep 19:
- Merino Fire Department offering free showers from 6 to 10 p.m. today
- Care facilities coping with flood's impact
- Scam artists exploiting Colorado floods
- Sep 18:
- RE-1 Valley School District superintendent gives details about decision to cancel classes
- City of Sterling says wastewater pumps still not operating
- Northeast Colorado Health Department receiving TD vaccine
- Salvation Army providing canteen truck at Sterling Middle School
- Cancellations and closings due to the flooding
- Sandbags wanted downstream
- Sep 17:
- Northeast Colorado Health Department working to get more personal camp toilets, portable toilets
- Flood issues causing closings and postponements
- Damage to wastewater system forces closure of facilities
- Crook evacuated as river threatens
- RE-1 Valley School District, St. Anthony Catholic School, Northeastern Junior College cancel classes, close campus for rest of the week
- Sep 16:
- Lions Club helping with disaster relief for flood victims
- Community rises to help displaced pets
- Colorado flood map 2013 of rain totals
- Sep 15:
- South Platte river-bottom residents take shelter
- Sep 14:
- Southwestern Logan County under flash flood warning until 10:45 p.m.
- Flooding brings tales of rescues, improvisation
- Colorado floods: "Unaccounted for" fluid, now totals 584
- Colorado floods: Infrastructure repairs a steep climb
- Weather postpones many weekend contests
After further analysis of the river officials are now estimating that the peak of the river will hit Sterling around 8 p.m. today, a big change from the earlier prediction of it hitting sometime Monday morning. Due to the fact that the river gauges have been jostled around with the flood waters, the readings have been inconsistent. It appears now that water near Hillrose and Brush may be receding, which means the crest of the river is closer than anticipated.
At 10:12 p.m. Logan County Sheriff's Office reported water is coming over the bridge at Highway 63 in Atwood and Pawnee ditch is causing issues in Merino, possible flooding from the major ditch in the area. Colorado Department of Transportion has cloased Highway 63 between Interstate 76 and Highway 6.
At 7:52 p.m. the OEM released a statement saying the river has not reached Sterling and is estimated to be somewhere between Messex and Merino.
"So far the water has stayed on the south side of the railroad tracks. If that remains the case the City of Sterling may be in good shape. Officials are watching the water very closely as it moves closer to Sterling, if it gets across the railroad tracks to the west, that is when we may be looking at extending the evacuation areas," the statement says. "This really is an unknown situation and officials are doing the best they can to estimate potential impact. Please stay tuned."
The mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect from the county line north along Highway 6 to Sugar Mill Road in Sterling with perimeters of Interstate 76 and Highway 6 on the east and west, as well as for the towns of Merino and Atwood.
According to Bob Owens, Logan County Emergency Manager, water is currently flowing over several bridges and has resulted in road closures. Those include the bridge at Hwy. 6 and Washington County Road Q, the bridge in Messex at Morgan County Road 59, the Merino Bridge on Hwy. 6 , and the bridge on Logan County Road 25 south of Merino. Also State Patrol Troopers are asking that motorists stay off of Highway 6 from Merino heading east into Sterling as the increased traffic is interfering with evacuation efforts.
The City of Sterling has set up a shelter at Sterling Middle School that is now open, however they are not accepting pets except for service animals. Logan County Fairgrounds is open for large animals but it is not staffed and people need to care for own animals. Small animals may be bought to the north end of the grandstands if they are in cages. For questions regarding keeping your pets at the Fairgounds contact Lydia Kiser, (970) 520-9416.
Residents are asked to stay tuned to local media, the Logan County Office of Emergency Management's Facebook page, or npacinfo.blogspot.com regarding evacuations and updates. Residents are urged to heed these evacuation orders and to help friends and neighbors with evacuations and assistance with housing pets. For more information call (970) 522-8600.
For residents that have been displaced the Red Cross has a website, safeandwell.communityos.org, where you can leave a message for family members. If you've had to leave your home you can log on to that website, leave a message, and your family members can check it.


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AngelStat® Unisex Two-pockets Snap-front Warm-up Scrub Jackets, Hunter Green, Large
Item #: 901-987022MED
Model #: 849NHGL
Brand: AngelStat
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$16.99 Each
Delivery Date:
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The Medline AngelStat Hunter Green Unisex Two-pocket Warm-up Scrub Jacket (Large) has a snap-front closure that makes it easy to wear. Keep your body warm at work with the unisex Medline AngelStat Hunter Green Large Scrub Jacket that is made from a cotton and polyester blend fabric for breathable comfort. This warm-up scrub jacket features two pockets for storing your important tools. One pocket also features a scissor holder for your convenience. This scrub jacket features matching ribbed cuffs that fit perfectly on wrists.
- Hunter green scrub jacket for male and female employees
- Fit Size: 42" - 44" (chest); 36" - 38" (waist); 42" - 44" (hip); 16" - 16.5" (neck)
- 55% cotton and 45% polyester for softness and comfort
- Convenient pockets for storing your essentials
- Large Size
- Hunter Green Color
- AngelStat® fabric gets softer and softer the more it's washed
- Warm-up jacket has a collarless neckline with Snap-front closure and matched rib cuffs
- It includes two-pockets, one with a scissors holder
|Color Family : Green
|True Color : Hunter Green
|Gender : Unisex
|Staff Apparel Type : Jackets
|Brand : AngelStat
|Customizable : No
|Weight : 4.30 lbs. per Each


text: Paul Booth Exhibit to Open at HR Giger Museum in Germany Painter, tattooist, and entrepreneur Paul Booth has become an internationally recognized pioneer in gaining mainstream recognition for the dark arts movement. His first showing in Switzerland, this exhibition presents the evolution of his artwork over the past 10 years - in paint, mixed media, and tattoo. In addition to the exhibition itself, the opening reception features a live painting collaboration with Paul and the co-founders of "The ArtFusion Experiment", Filip and Titine Leu. The painting created at the event will remain for the duration of Paul's exhibit... "In my mid-teens, I spent countless hours obsessed with trying to understand and emulate Giger's art. His books were among my greatest teachers, of the few I had. I became lost in Giger's dark, surreal worlds, and not many artists have since been able to captivate my imagination with such unrelenting force. I have always tried to do the same, in my own way, as I perceive this to be a crucial element to artistic expression. Giger is the reason that light and shade, dimension and texture, have always been a major focus in my art - be it on canvas, skin, or otherwise. Now, 30 yeas later, I find myself honored to be showing my art in Giger's museum. I suppose I chose to treat this show as something of a timeline because it represents a culmination in my life's work thus far. While it closes a circle for me historically, it simultaneously marks the beginning of an entirely new era as I can only evolve from this experience. I can't even imagine where I will go from here, and I think that is what has me most excited." Given his capacity to transform horror and the macabre into dark art that inspires even the most skeptical individual, Paul Booth inevitably translates one's inner-most fears and poisonous experiences into visual exorcisms that ultimately serve to decontaminate the soul. Paul's unique perception of the world around him, combined with an insightful knowledge of art, broadens his scope into many disciplines including tattooing, painting, sculpture, and film. Most known as a tattoo artist, Paul is also revered for his efforts to elevate the medium into the realm of fine art. Widely considered a master, Paul has earned international acclaim, in-numerable tattoo awards, and extensive media coverage, resulting in a global cult following. Notably, Paul was the first tattoo artist ever to be inducted into The National Arts Club. Founded 110 years ago, the NAC is the oldest and one of the most respected art institutions in the United States today. Paul's tattoo art is worn by numerous notable musicians in the metal scene, such as members of Slayer, Slipknot, Pantera, Down, Lamb of God, and many more. Other notable clients include Greg Allman and Nicholas Cage. In 2002, Rolling Stone Magazine featured Booth and crowned him "The New King of Rock Tattoos". His waiting list for a tattoo is currently over 3 years. In 2000, Paul co-founded an international charitable art organization, called "The ArtFusion Experiment", with world-renowned tattoo peers, Filip and Titine Leu. This tattoo-centric art movement focuses its energy on a unique collaborative art concept and demonstrates the strength of the contemporary tattoo artist's ability to work together as a community. This aspect of AFE allows artists to put egos aside and collaboratively fuse individual styles to achieve unequaled works of art. It also gives artists the opportunity to be both students and teachers. The ArtFu-sion Experiment truly speaks the universal language of art in every sense of the word. For more info please visit the HR Giger Museum: http://www.hrgiger.com/museum/museum_gallery.htm


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Zoology, branch of biology that studies the members of the animal kingdom and animal life in general. It includes both the inquiry into individual animals and their constituent parts, even to the molecular level, and the inquiry into animal populations, entire faunas, and the relationships of animals to each other, to plants, and to the nonliving environment. Though this wide range of studies results in some isolation of specialties within zoology, the conceptual integration in the contemporary study of living things that has occurred in recent years emphasizes the structural and functional unity of life rather than its diversity.
Historical background
Prehistoric man's survival as a hunter defined his relation to other animals, which were a source of food and danger. As man's cultural heritage developed, animals were variously incorporated into man's folklore and philosophical awareness as fellow living creatures. Domestication of animals forced man to take a systematic and measured view of animal life, especially after urbanization necessitated a constant and large supply of animal products.
Study of animal life by the ancient Greeks became more rational, if not yet scientific, in the modern sense, after the cause of disease—until then thought to be demons—was postulated by Hippocrates to result from a lack of harmonious functioning of body parts. The systematic study of animals was encouraged by Aristotle's extensive descriptions of living things, his work reflecting the Greek concept of order in nature and attributing to nature an idealized rigidity.
In Roman times Pliny brought together in 37 volumes a treatise, Historia naturalis, that was an encyclopaedic compilation of both myth and fact regarding celestial bodies, geography, animals and plants, metals, and stone. Volumes VII to XI concern zoology; volume VIII, which deals with the land animals, begins with the largest one, the elephant. Although Pliny's approach was naïve, his scholarly effort had a profound and lasting influence as an authoritative work.
Zoology continued in the Aristotelian tradition for many centuries in the Mediterranean region and by the Middle Ages, in Europe, it had accumulated considerable folklore, superstition, and moral symbolisms, which were added to otherwise objective information about animals. Gradually, much of this misinformation was sifted out: naturalists became more critical as they compared directly observed animal life in Europe with that described in ancient texts. The use of the printing press in the 15th century made possible an accurate transmission of information. Moreover, mechanistic views of life processes (i.e., that physical processes depending on cause and effect can apply to animate forms) provided a hopeful method for analyzing animal functions; for example, the mechanics of hydraulic systems were part of William Harvey's argument for the circulation of the blood—although Harvey remained thoroughly Aristotelian in outlook. In the 18th century, zoology passed through reforms provided by both the system of nomenclature of Carolus Linnaeus and the comprehensive works on natural history by Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon; to these were added the contributions to comparative anatomy by Georges Cuvier in the early 19th century.
Physiological functions, such as digestion, excretion, and respiration, were easily observed in many animals, though they were not as critically analyzed as was blood circulation.
Following the introduction of the word cell in the 17th century and microscopic observation of these structures throughout the 18th century, the cell was incisively defined as the common structural unit of living things in 1839 by two Germans: Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann. In the meanwhile, as the science of chemistry developed, it was inevitably extended to an analysis of animate systems. In the middle of the 18th century the French physicist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumer demonstrated that the fermenting action of stomach juices is a chemical process. And in the mid-19th century the French physician and physiologist Claude Bernard drew upon both the cell theory and knowledge of chemistry to develop the concept of the stability of the internal bodily environment, now called homeostasis.
The cell concept influenced many biological disciplines, including that of embryology, in which cells are important in determining the way in which a fertilized egg develops into a new organism. The unfolding of these events—called epigenesis by Harvey—was described by various workers, notably the German-trained comparative embryologist Karl von Baer, who was the first to observe a mammalian egg within an ovary. Another German-trained embryologist, Christian Heinrich Pander, introduced in 1817 the concept of germ, or primordial, tissue layers into embryology.
In the latter part of the 19th century, improved microscopy and better staining techniques using aniline dyes, such as hematoxylin, provided further impetus to the study of internal cellular structure.
By this time Darwin had made necessary a complete revision of man's view of nature with his theory that biological changes in species occur through the process of natural selection. The theory of evolution—that organisms are continuously evolving into highly adapted forms—required the rejection of the static view that all species are especially created and upset the Linnaean concept of species types. Darwin recognized that the principles of heredity must be known to understand how evolution works; but, even though the concept of hereditary factors had by then been formulated by Mendel, Darwin never heard of his work, which was essentially lost until its rediscovery in 1900.
Genetics has developed in the 20th century and now is essential to many diverse biological disciplines. The discovery of the gene as a controlling hereditary factor for all forms of life has been a major accomplishment of modern biology. There has also emerged clearer understanding of the interaction of organisms with their environment. Such ecological studies help not only to show the interdependence of the three great groups of organisms—plants, as producers; animals, as consumers; and fungi and many bacteria, as decomposers—but they also provide information essential to man's control of the environment and, ultimately, to his survival on Earth. Closely related to this study of ecology are inquiries into animal behaviour, or ethology. Such studies are often cross disciplinary in that ecology, physiology, genetics, development, and evolution are combined as man attempts to understand why an organism behaves as it does. This approach now receives substantial attention because it seems to provide useful insight into man's biological heritage—that is, the historical origin of man from nonhuman forms.
The emergence of animal biology has had two particular effects on classical zoology. First, and somewhat paradoxically, there has been a reduced emphasis on zoology as a distinct subject of scientific study; for example, workers think of themselves as geneticists, ecologists, or physiologists who study animal rather than plant material. They often choose a problem congenial to their intellectual tastes, regarding the organism used as important only to the extent that it provides favourable experimental material. Current emphasis is, therefore, slanted toward the solution of general biological problems; contemporary zoology thus is to a great extent the sum total of that work done by biologists pursuing research on animal material.
Second, there is an increasing emphasis on a conceptual approach to the life sciences. This has resulted from the concepts that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the cell theory; natural selection and evolution; the constancy of the internal environment; the basic similarity of genetic material in all living organisms; and the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems. The lives of microbes, plants, and animals now are approached using theoretical models as guides rather than by following the often restricted empiricism of earlier times. This is particularly true in molecular studies, in which the integration of biology with chemistry allows the techniques and quantitative emphases of the physical sciences to be used effectively to analyze living systems.
Areas of study
Although it is still useful to recognize many disciplines in animal biology—e.g., anatomy or morphology; biochemistry and molecular biology; cell biology; developmental studies (embryology); ecology; ethology; evolution; genetics; physiology; and systematics—the research frontiers occur as often at the interfaces of two or more of these areas as within any given one.
Anatomy or morphology
Descriptions of external form and internal organization are among the earliest records available regarding the systematic study of animals. Aristotle was an indefatigable collector and dissector of animals. He found differing degrees of structural complexity, which he described with regard to ways of living, habits, and body parts. Although Aristotle had no formal system of classification, it is apparent that he viewed animals as arranged from the simplest to the most complex in an ascending series. Since man was even more complex than animals and, moreover, possessed a rational faculty, he therefore occupied the highest position and a special category. This hierarchical perception of the animate world proved to be useful in every century to the present, except that in the modern view there is no such "scale of nature," and there is change in time by evolution from the simple to the complex.
After the time of Aristotle, Mediterranean science was centred at Alexandria, where the study of anatomy, particularly the central nervous system, flourished and, in fact, first became recognized as a discipline. Galen studied anatomy at Alexandria in the 2nd century and later dissected many animals. Much later, the contributions of the Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius, though made in the context of medicine, as were those of Galen, stimulated to a great extent the rise of comparative anatomy. During the latter part of the 15th century and throughout the 16th century, there was a strong tradition in anatomy; important similarities were observed in the anatomy of different animals, and many illustrated books were published to record these observations.
But anatomy remained a purely descriptive science until the advent of functional considerations in which the correlation between structure and function was consciously investigated; as by French biologists Buffon and Cuvier. Cuvier cogently argued that a trained naturalist could deduce from one suitably chosen part of an animal's body the complete set of adaptations that characterized the organism. Because it was obvious that organisms with similar parts pursue similar habits, they were placed together in a system of classification. Cuvier pursued this viewpoint, which he called the theory of correlations, in a somewhat dogmatic manner and placed himself in opposition to the romantic natural philosophers, such as the German intellectual Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who saw a tendency to ideal types in animal form. The tension between these schools of thought—adaptation as the consequence of necessary bodily functions and adaptation as an expression of a perfecting principle in nature—runs as a leitmotiv through much of biology, with overtones extending into the early 20th century.
The twin concepts of homology (similarity of origin) and analogy (similarity of appearance), in relation to structure, are the creation of the 19th-century British anatomist Richard Owen. Although they antedate the Darwinian view of evolution, the anatomical data on which they were based became, largely as a result of the work of the German comparative anatomist Carl Gegenbaur, important evidence in favour of evolutionary change, despite Owen's steady unwillingness to accept the view of diversification of life from a common origin.
In summary, anatomy moved from a purely descriptive phase as an adjunct to classificatory studies, into a partnership with studies of function and became, in the 19th century, a major contributor to the concept of evolution.
Taxonomy or systematics
Not until the work of Carolus Linnaeus did the variety of life receive a widely accepted systematic treatment. Linnaeus strove for a "natural method of arrangement," one that is now recognizable as an intuitive grasp of homologous relationships, reflecting evolutionary descent from a common ancestor; however, the natural method of arrangement sought by Linnaeus was more akin to the tenets of idealized morphology because he wanted to define a "type" form as epitomizing a species.
It was in the nomenclatorial aspect of classification that Linnaeus created a revolutionary advance with the introduction of a Latin binomial system: each species received a Latin name, which was not influenced by local names and which invoked the authority of Latin as a language common to the learned people of that day. The Latin name has two parts. The first word in the Latin name for the common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, for example, indicates the larger category, or genus, to which chimpanzees belong; the second word is the name of the species within the genus. In addition to species and genera, Linnaeus also recognized other classificatory groups, or taxa (singular taxon), which are still used; namely, order, class, and kingdom, to which have been added family (between genus and order) and phylum (between class and kingdom). Each of these can be divided further by the appropriate prefix of sub- or super-, as in subfamily or superclass. Linnaeus' great work, the Systema naturae, went through 12 editions during his lifetime; the 13th, and final, edition appeared posthumously. Although his treatment of the diversity of living things has been expanded in detail, revised in terms of taxonomic categories, and corrected in the light of continuing work—for example, Linnaeus treated whales as fish—it still sets the style and method, even to the use of Latin names, for contemporary nomenclatorial work.
Linnaeus sought a natural method of arrangement, but he actually defined types of species on the basis of idealized morphology. The greatest change from Linnaeus' outlook is reflected in the phrase "the new systematics," which was introduced in the 20th century and through which an explicit effort is made to have taxonomic schemes reflect evolutionary history. The basic unit of classification, the species, is also the basic unit of evolution—i.e., a population of actually or potentially interbreeding individuals. Such a population shares, through interbreeding, its genetic resources. In so doing, it creates the gene pool—its total genetic material—that determines the biological resources of the species and on which natural selection continuously acts. This approach has guided work on classifying animals away from somewhat arbitrary categorization of new species to that of recreating evolutionary history (phylogeny) and incorporating it in the system of classification. Modern taxonomists or systematists, therefore, are among the foremost students of evolution.
The practical consequences of physiology have always been an unavoidable human concern, in both medicine and animal husbandry. Inevitably, from Hippocrates to the present, practical knowledge of human bodily function has accumulated along with that of domestic animals and plants. This knowledge has been expanded, especially since the early 1800s, by experimental work on animals in general, a study known as comparative physiology. The experimental dimension had wide applications following Harvey's demonstration of the circulation of blood. From then on, medical physiology developed rapidly; notable texts appeared, such as Albrecht von Haller's eight-volume work Elementa Physiologiae Corporis Humani (Elements of Human Physiology), which had a medical emphasis. Toward the end of the 18th century the influence of chemistry on physiology became pronounced through Antoine Lavoisier's brilliant analysis of respiration as a form of combustion. This French chemist not only determined that oxygen was consumed by living systems but also opened the way to further inquiry into the energetics of living systems. His studies further strengthened the mechanistic view, which holds that the same natural laws govern both the inanimate and the animate realms.
Physiological principles achieved new levels of sophistication and comprehensiveness with Bernard's concept of constancy of the internal environment, the point being that only under certain constantly maintained conditions is there optimal bodily function. His rational and incisive insights were augmented by concurrent developments in Germany, where Johannes Müller explored the comparative aspects of animal function and anatomy, and Justus von Liebig and Car1 Ludwig applied chemical and physical methods, respectively, to the solution of physiological problems. As a result, many useful techniques were advanced—e.g., means for precise measurement of muscular action and changes in blood pressure and means for defining the nature of body fluids.
By this time the organ systems—circulatory, digestive, endocrine, excretory, integumentary, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, and skeletal—had been defined, both anatomically and functionally, and research efforts were focussed on understanding these systems in cellular and chemical terms, an emphasis that continues to the present and has resulted in specialties in cell physiology and physiological chemistry. General categories of research now deal with the transportation of materials across membranes; the metabolism of cells, including synthesis and breakdown of molecules; and the regulation of these processes.
Interest has also increased in the most complex of physiological systems, the nervous system. Much comparative work has been done by utilizing animals with structures especially amenable to various experimental techniques; for example, the large nerves in squids have been extensively studied in terms of the transmission of nerve impulses, and insect and crustacean eyes have yielded significant information on patterns of sensory inputs. Most of this work is closely associated with studies on animal orientation and behaviour. Although the contemporary physiologist often studies functional problems at the molecular and cellular levels, he is also aware of the need to integrate cellular studies into the many-faceted functions of the total organism.
Embryology, or developmental studies
Embryonic growth and differentiation of parts have been major biological problems since ancient times. A 17th-century explanation of development assumed that the adult existed as a miniature—a homunculus—in the microscopic material that initiates the embryo. But in 1759 the German physician Caspar Friedrick Wolff firmly introduced into biology the interpretation that undifferentiated materials gradually become specialized, in an orderly way, into adult structures. Although this epigenetic process is now accepted as characterizing the general nature of development in both plants and animals, many questions remain to be solved. The French physician Marie François Xavier Bichat declared in 1801 that differentiating parts consist of various components called tissues; with the subsequent statement of the cell theory, tissues were resolved into their cellular constituents. The idea of epigenetic change and the identification of structural components made possible a new interpretation of differentiation. It was demonstrated that the egg gives rise to three essential germ layers out of which specialized organs, with their tissues, subsequently emerge. Then, following his own discovery of the mammalian ovum, von Baer in 1828 usefully applied this information when he surveyed the development of various members of the vertebrate groups. At this point, embryology, as it is now recognized, emerged as a distinct subject.
The concept of cellular organization had an effect on embryology that continues to the present day. In the 19th century, cellular mechanisms were considered essentially to be the basis for growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis, or molding of parts. The distribution of the newly formed cells of the rapidly dividing zygote (fertilized egg) was precisely followed to provide detailed accounts not only of the time and mode of germ layer formation but also of the contribution of these layers to the differentiation of tissues and organs. Such descriptive information provided the background for experimental work aimed at elucidating the role of chromosomes and other cellular constituents in differentiation. About 1895, before the formulation of the chromosomal theory of heredity, Theodor Boveri demonstrated that chromosomes show continuity from one cell generation to the next. In fact, biologists soon concluded that in all cells arising from a fertilized egg, half the chromosomes are of maternal and half of paternal origin. The discovery of the constant transmission of the original chromosomal endowment to all cells of the body served to deepen the mystery surrounding the factors that determine cellular differentiation.
The present view is that differential activity of genes is the basis for cellular and tissue differentiation; that is, although the cells of a multicellular body contain the same genetic information, different genes are active in different cells. The result is the formation of various gene products, which regulate the functional and structural differentiation of cells. The actual mechanism involved in the inactivation of certain genes and the activation of others, however, has not yet been established. That cells can move extensively throughout the embryo and selectively adhere to other cells, thus starting tissue aggregations, also contributes to development as does the fate of cells—i.e., certain ones continue to multiply, others stop, and some die.
Research methods in embryology now exploit many experimental situations: both unicellular and multicellular forms; regeneration (replacement of lost parts) and normal development; and growth of tissues outside and inside the host. Hence, the processes of development can be studied with material other than embryos; and the study of embryology has become incorporated into the more inclusive subdiscipline of developmental biology.
Darwin was not the first to speculate that organisms can change from generation to generation and so evolve, but he was the first to propose a mechanism by which the changes are accumulated. He proposed that heritable variations occur in conjunction with a never-ending competition for survival and that the variations favouring survival are automatically preserved. In time, therefore, the continued accumulation of variations results in the emergence of new forms. Because the variations that are preserved relate to survival, the survivors are highly adapted to their environment. To this process Darwin gave the apt name natural selection.
Many of Darwin's predecessors, notably Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, were willing to accept the idea of species variation, even though to do so meant denying the doctrine of special creation and the static-type species of Linnaeus. But they argued that some idealized perfecting principle, expressed through the habits of an organism, was the basis of variation. The contrast between the romanticism of Lamarck and the objective analysis of Darwin clearly reveals the type of revolution provoked by the concept of natural selection. Although mechanistic explanations had long been available to biologists—forming, for example, part of Harvey's explanation of blood circulation—they did not pervade the total structure of biological thinking until the advent of Darwinism.
There were two immediate consequences of Darwin's viewpoints. One has involved a reappraisal of all subject areas of biology; reinterpretations of morphology and embryology are good examples. The comparative anatomy of the British anatomist Owen became a cornerstone of the evidence for evolution, and German anatomists provided the basis for the comment that evolutionary thinking was born in England but gained its home in Germany. The reinterpretation of morphology carried over into the study of fossil forms, as paleontologists sought and found evidence of gradual change in their study of fossils. But some workers, although accepting evolution in principle, could not easily interpret the changes in terms of natural selection. The German paleontologist Otto Schindewolf, for example, found in shelled mollusks called ammonites evidence of progressive complexity and subsequent simplification of forms. The American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson, however, has been a consistent interpreter of vertebrate fossils by Darwinian selection. Embryology was seen in an evolutionary light when the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel proposed that the epigenetic sequence of embryonic development (ontogeny) repeated its evolutionary history (phylogeny). Thus, the presence of gill clefts in the mammalian embryo and also in less highly evolved vertebrates can be understood as a remnant of a common ancestor.
The other consequence of Darwinism—to make more explicit the origin and nature of heritable variations and the action of natural selection on them—depended on the emergence of the following: genetics and the elucidation of the rules of Mendelian inheritance; the concept of the gene as the unit of inheritance; and the nature of gene mutation. The development of these ideas provided the basis for the genetics of natural populations.
The subject of population genetics began with the Mendelian laws of inheritance and now takes into account selection, mutation, migration (movement into and out of a given population), breeding patterns, and population size. These factors affect the genetic makeup of a group of organisms that either interbreed or have the potential to do so; i.e., a species. Accurate appraisal of these factors allows precise predictions regarding the content of a given gene pool over significant periods of evolutionary time. From work involving population genetics has come the realization, eloquently documented by two contemporary American evolutionists, Theodosius Dobzhansky and Ernst Mayer, that the species is the basic unit of evolution. The process of speciation occurs as a gene pool breaks up to form isolated gene pools. When selection pressures similar to those of the original gene pool persist in the new gene pools, similar functions and the similar structures on which they depend also persist. When selection pressures differ, however, differences arise. Thus, the process of speciation through natural selection preserves the evolutionary history of a species. The record may be discerned not only in the gross, or macroscopic, anatomy of organisms but also in their cellular structure and molecular organization. Significant work now is carried out, for example, on the homologies of the nucleic acids and proteins of different species.
The problem of heredity had been the subject of careful study before its definitive analysis by Mendel. As with Darwin's predecessors, those of Mendel tended to idealize and interpret all inherited traits as being transmitted through the blood or as determined by various "humors" or other vague entities in animal organisms. When studying plants, Mendel was able to free himself of anthropomorphic and holistic explanations. By studying seven carefully defined pairs of characteristics—e.g., tall and short plants; red and white flowers, etc.—as they were transmitted through as many as three successive generations, he was able to establish patterns of inheritance that apply to all sexually reproducing forms. Darwin, who was searching for an explanation of inheritance, apparently never saw Mendel's work, which was published in 1866 in the obscure journal of his local natural history society; it was simultaneously rediscovered in 1900 by three different European geneticists.
Further progress in genetics was made early in the 20th century, when it was realized that heredity factors are found on chromosomes. The term gene was coined for these factors. Studies by the American geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan on the fruit fly (Drosophila), moved animal genetics to the forefront of genetic research. The work of Morgan and his students established such major concepts as the linear array of genes on chromosomes; the exchange of parts between chromosomes; and the interaction of genes in determining traits, including sexual differences. In 1927 one of Morgan's former students, Hermann Muller, used X rays to induce the mutations (changes in genes) in the fruit fly, thereby opening the door to major studies on the nature of variation.
Meanwhile, other organisms were being used for genetic studies, most notably fungi and bacteria. The results of this work provided insights into animal genetics just as principles initially obtained from animal genetics provided insight into botanical and microbial forms. Work continues not only on the genetics of humans, domestic animals, and plants but also on the control of development through the orderly regulation of gene action in different cells and tissues.
Cellular and molecular biology
Although the cell was recognized as the basic unit of life early in the 19th century, its most exciting period of inquiry has probably occurred since the 1940s. The new techniques developed since that time, notably the perfection of the electron microscope and the tools of biochemistry, have changed the cytological studies of the 19th and early 20th centuries from a largely descriptive inquiry, dependent on the light microscope, into a dynamic, molecularly oriented inquiry into fundamental life processes.
The so-called cell theory, which was enunciated about 1838, was never actually a theory. As Edmund Beecher Wilson, the noted American cytologist, stated in his great work, The Cell,
By force of habit we still continue to speak of the cell 'theory' but it is a theory only in name. In substance it is a comprehensive general statement of fact and as such stands today beside the evolution theory among the foundationstones of modern biology.
More precisely, the cell doctrine was an inductive generalization based on the microscopial examination of certain plant and animal species.
Rudolf Virchow, a German medical officer specializing in cellular pathology, first expressed the fundamental dictum regarding cells in his phrase omnis cellula e cellula (all cells from cells). For cellular reproduction is the ultimate basis of the continuity of life; the cell is not only the basic structural unit of life but also the basic physiological and reproductive unit. All areas of biology were affected by the new perspective afforded by the principle of cellular organization. Especially in conjunction with embryology was the study of the cell most prominent in animal biology. The continuity of cellular generations by reproduction also had implications for genetics. It is little wonder, then, that the full title of Wilson's survey of cytology at the turn of the century was The Cell: Its Role in Development and Heredity.
The study of the cell nucleus, its chromosomes, and their behaviour served as the basis for understanding the regular distribution of genetic material during both sexual and asexual reproduction. This orderly behaviour of the nucleus made it appear to dominate the life of the cell, for by contrast the components of the rest of the cell appeared to be randomly distributed.
The biochemical study of life had helped in the characterization of the major molecules of living systems—proteins, nucleic acids, fats, and carbohydrates—and in the understanding of metabolic processes. That nucleic acids are a distinctive feature of the nucleus was recognized after their discovery by the Swiss biochemist Johann Friedrich Miescher in 1869. In 1944 a group of American bacteriologists, led by Oswald T. Avery, published work on the causative agent of pneumonia in mice (a bacterium) that culminated in the demonstration that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the chemical basis of heredity. Discrete segments of DNA correspond to genes, or Mendel's hereditary factors. Proteins were discovered to be especially important for their role in determining cell structure and in controlling chemical reactions.
The advent of techniques for isolating and characterizing proteins and nucleic acids now allows a molecular approach to essentially all biological problems—from the appearance of new gene products in normal development or under pathological conditions to a monitoring of changes in and between nerve cells during the transmission of nerve impulses.
The harmony that Linnaeus found in nature, which redounded to the glory and wisdom of a Judaeo-Christian god, was the 18th-century counterpart of the balanced interaction now studied by ecologists. Linnaeus recognized that plants are adapted to the regions in which they grow, that insects play a role in flower pollination, and that certain birds prey on insects and are in turn eaten by other birds. This realization implies, in contemporary terms, the flow of matter and energy in a definable direction through any natural assemblage of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Such an assemblage, termed an ecosystem, starts with the plants, which are designated as producers because they maintain and reproduce themselves at the expense of energy from sunlight and inorganic materials taken from the nonliving environment around them (earth, air, and water). Animals are called consumers because they ingest plant material or other animals that feed on plants, using the energy stored in this food to sustain themselves. Lastly, the organisms known as decomposers, mostly fungi and bacteria, break down plant and animal material and return it to the environment in a form that can be used again by plants in a constantly renewed cycle.
The term ecology, first formulated by Haeckel in the latter part of the 19th century as "oecology" (from the Greek word for house, oikos), referred to the dwelling place of organisms in nature. In the 1890s various European and U.S. scientists laid the foundations for modern work through studies of natural ecosystems and the populations of organisms contained within them.
Animal ecology, the study of consumers and their interactions with the environment, is very complex; attempts to study it usually focus on one particular aspect. Some studies, for example, involve the challenge of the environment to individuals with special adaptations (e.g., water conservation in desert animals); others may involve the role of one species in its ecosystem or the ecosystem itself. Food-chain sequences have been determined for various ecosystems, and the efficiency of the transfer of energy and matter within them has been calculated so that their capacity is known; that is, productivity in terms of numbers of organisms or weight of living matter at a specific level in the food chain can be accurately determined (see biosphere).
In spite of advances in understanding animal ecology, this subject area of zoology does not yet have the major unifying theoretical principles found in genetics (gene theory) or evolution (natural selection).
The study of animal behaviour (ethology) is largely a 20th-century phenomenon and is exclusively a zoological discipline. Only animals have nervous systems, with their implications for perception, coordination, orientation, learning, and memory. Not until the end of the 19th century did animal behaviour become free from anthropocentric interests and assume an importance in its own right. The British behaviorist C. Lloyd Morgan was probably most influential with his emphasis on parsimonious explanations—i.e., that the explanation "which stands lower in the psychological scale" must be invoked first. This principle is exemplified in the American Herbert Spencer Jennings' pioneering work in 1906 on The Behavior of Lower Organisms.
The study of animal behaviour now includes many diverse topics, ranging from swimming patterns of protozoans to socialization and communication among the great apes. Many disparate hypotheses have been proposed in an attempt to explain the variety of behavioral patterns found in animals. They focus on the mechanisms that stimulate courtship in reproductive behaviour of such diverse groups as spiders, crabs, and domestic fowl; and on whole life histories, starting from the special attachment of newly born ducks and goats to their actual mothers or to surrogate (substitute) mothers. The latter phenomenon, called imprinting, has been intensively studied by the Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz. Physiologically oriented behaviour now receives much attention; studies range from work on conditioned reflexes to the orientation of crustaceans and the location and communication of food among bees; such diversity of material is one measure of the somewhat diffuse but exciting current state of these studies.
General trends
Zoology has become animal biology—that is, the life sciences display a new unity, one that is founded on the common basis of all life, on the gene pool–species organization of organisms, and on the obligatory interacting of the components of ecosystems. Even as regards the specialized features of animals—involving physiology, development, or behaviour—the current emphasis is on elucidating the broad biological principles that identify animals as one aspect of nature. Zoology has thus given up its exclusive emphasis on animals—an emphasis maintained from Aristotle's time well into the 19th century—in favour of a broader view of life. The successes in applying physical and chemical ideas and techniques to life processes have not only unified the life sciences but have also created bridges to other sciences in a way only dimly foreseen by earlier workers. The practical and theoretical consequences of this trend have just begun to be realized.


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HRTV's Scott Hazelton and Caton Bredar will be at Laurel to anchor the network's full-day coverage of Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, a popular annual staple on the racing calendar, which features 12 stakes races and $1.23 million in total purse money for Maryland-sired horses.
With a busy day of racing on tap, Hazelton and Bredar will offer the latest developments, and news, involving the
stakes-filled program. In addition, they will offer pre- and post-race analysis, as well as interviews with many prominent personalities surrounding the card.
"We're always pleased to be involved in a wonderful day of racing," said Amy J. Zimmerman, executive producer for HRTV. "Maryland Million Ltd. and the Maryland Jockey Club always combine for a top-class event, and it's fitting that a great day now carries the legendary Jim McKay's name. It's our pleasure to bring it to fans across the country."
Jim McKay Million Day, appropriately dubbed "Maryland Day at the Races," is the second biggest day of racing in the state, topped only by the prestigious Preakness Stakes. The unique day was created by McKay, a staunch racing advocate, in 1986 and the concept has spawned similar formats at racetracks across the country.
A total of 186 horses have been pre-entered, with the headline event, the $200,000 Maryland Classic, having drawn a possible field of 12, including last year's winner, Cuba.


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502 E. Whitmore Ave
Modesto, CA 95358
Phone: 1.800.321.8747
Fax: 209.573.8556
Contact: Krittaya Boonma, Marketing Business Analyst
Web Site: http://www.g3enterprises.com/
Located in Modesto, California, G3 Enterprises was founded by the third generation of the Gallo Family with the vision of expanding services and increasing productivity to better serve the wine and spirits industry. With more than four decades of experience, we deliver results while building partnerships with our customers and suppliers.
While our VISION is to be the supplier of choice, our MISSION is to be a leader in providing integrated solutions for our beverage industry partners by delivering quality packaging products and supply chain services. Our employees leverage G3's proven experience and diverse portfolio to provide creative solutions that enable our customers' success.
We offer exclusive products and services in the following areas:
- Custom and Stock Closures in a wide range of options
- Custom Label Printing Warehousing and 3rd Party Logistics services
- Transportation
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- Bottle Etching and Decorating
- Comprehensive Technical and Lab Services


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Holiday Gift Guide: Love Your State
Celebrate a loved one's pride in their home state (or loyalty to a faraway place) with this roundup of state-centric gifts.
1. State tables from Uncommon Goods, $200.00 ea.
2. Michigan print from The Wheatfield on Etsy, $18.00. New York, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, California, Texas, Alaska, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, Montana, and Illinois.
3. Vintage New Jersey map on a pillow, $58.70 from My Bearded Pigeon on Etsy. Also available in Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Texas, Minnesota, Nevada, California, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oregon, and Alaska.
4. State dish towels (shown in Montana), $20.00 each from Uncommon Goods.
5. A colorful celebration of Ohio. Print, $20.00 from Molly Mattin on Etsy; also available in lots of other states.
6. Typographic California print, starting at $18.00, from Society6. Similar prints (and lots of other state goodies) are available for Texas, New York, Minnesota, and New Jersey.
7. These state frying pans are from FeLion studios. The price will vary depending on the state — Rhode Island is only $150, whereas Texas will set you back a whopping $2,500. (It's still the best.)
8. This cuddly state pillow is available in lots of different states (including Rhode Island, shown here) from Love California on Etsy. (What, no Colorado?)
9. I'm so happy be both showed up here in Utah. Lots of other states available, too. $30.00 from Two Sarahs on Etsy.
10. South Dakota cutting board, $48.00 from A Heirloom on Etsy. Available in all 50 states.
(Images: as credited above)


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I'm closing this thread. You can leave your new papers here.
This designer challenge will run the entire month of April. The goal is to make a paper a day. If you don't have time everyday to participate, that's okay; there will be wiggle room to play catch up. Everyday I will post a theme for you to use. Before we start you can give some thought to what color palette you would like to use and what you'd like to do with your finished product, which should be 30 papers. (Here's a link to my pinterest board for color palettes.)
In this thread you may post:
- Questions and comments on completing each paper theme.
- Finished papers and/or templates. You may of course post small thumbnail images if you are saving the finished product for something.
- I'll post a new thread each week so that things don't get too out of hand.
April Paper a Day Challenge Week 1 Themes
Monday, April 1: Polka Dots
Tuesday, April 2: Stripes
Wednesday April 3: Hearts
Thursday April 4: Flowers
Friday April 5: Leaves
Saturday April 6: Geometric
Sunday April 7: Stars
If you have any ideas for paper themes, please comment here. Also let me know which ones sounds best to you.


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Return to Transcripts main page
Encore Presentation: Ambush at the River of Secrets
Aired November 9, 2007 - 23:00 ET
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Randi Kaye. In a moment, the 360 special report, "Ambush at the River of Secrets." First, a 360 news and business bulletin. It was Michael Mukasey's first day on the job heading a Justice Department said to be in disarray. The retired federal judge was sworn in today, replacing Alberto Gonzales as attorney general. Mukasey's nomination was confirmed by a Senate vote of 53 to 40 late last night. An autopsy report out now on the death of Carol Gotbaum, the woman who died in custody at Phoenix airport in September. A medical examiner has ruled Gotbaum died of asphyxia by hanging. Phoenix police said she tried to escape her handcuffs and somehow accidentally strangled herself. In Washington, the twisted remains after a train derailment that dumped at least five rail cars loaded with coal into the river. Fortunately, no one was hurt. And investigators think the accident caused little environmental damage. An accident on the West Coast is causing serious environmental concern. Workers frantically trying to contain a 58,000-gallon spill that's already coated beaches and birds along the California coast. It's from a tanker that drifted into San Franciso's bay bridge on Wednesday. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the affected area. And Wall Street closed out the week by continuing its downward slide. The Dow moving 223 points to close at 13042. The NASDAQ lost 68 points. The S&P dropped 21. Those are the headlines. "Ambush at the River of Secrets" with Tom Foreman starts right now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: This Veteran's Day weekend falls at a special time for thousands of vets who fought in Iraq. Precisely three years ago, the battle of Fallujah was just getting under way. It was the most intense and the longest battle of this war and a success in military terms. Indeed, many analysts suggest the lessons learned in Fallujah are helping U.S. troops even now to understand the need for things like building alliances between rival tribes. Last night we focused on the battle in Tom Foreman's documentary "Anvil of God." I hope you saw it. Well, tonight, the aftermath. After Fallujah fell, insurgents spread out into the countryside seeking revenge. And that led to the single worst day of this war in terms of U.S. fatalities. Tonight, the "Ambush at the River of Secrets." Here's Tom Foreman. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a story that begins at the end. If nations did not go to war, and young people did not answer the call, there would be no story. But they do, and there is. And this one starts with a picture of the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Charlie Company. From the moment they step on to Iraqi soil, they're on a collision course with the deadliest day of the war. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was something different that night. STAFF SERGEANT BUTCH DREANY, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We were expecting contact. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden, just -- there was just gunfire. STAFF SERGEANT MIKE SPRANO, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Firing back with everything they had. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were taking fire from the mosque. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a huge explosion in the back of the Humvee. FOREMAN: And it will come on the bankings of the fabled Euphrates, for both Christians and Muslims, a great river of secrets. From the start of this conflict, one part of Iraq has refused to be tamed, stretching from Baghdad, up the Euphrates, west to Syria, and south to Saudi Arabia. Al Anbar Province is home to the Sunnis, who had power under Saddam Hussein. More Americans have died here than anywhere else in this troubled country. But, in the countryside of Vermont, in spring 2004, with the war going well, such worries are present, but seem distant for Pastor Nathan Strong, his wife, Vicki, and their grown children, Matthew and Heather. After all, when Jesse, the middle child, is called up with his Marine reserve unit, he assures him his time in Iraq will pass quickly. NATHAN STRONG, FATHER OF JESSE STRONG: It felt like to us that part of his training at boot camp was to not tell mom anything. (LAUGHTER) VICKI STRONG, MOTHER OF JESSE STRONG: Don't -- don't make mom worry. I never, throughout the whole time he was there, thought he would be in a battle or on a front line of any kind. HEATHER STRONG, SISTER OF JESSE STRONG: I think we all just tried so hard to be positive, and not worry. MATTHEW STRONG, BROTHER OF JESSE STRONG: Maybe there was a little bit, you know, just saying, he's coming back, I'm not going to worry about it, and just kind of kept the positive in mind, and didn't think about it. FOREMAN: Jesse Strong is a devoutly religious young man who has attended Liberty University, a religious school. This is him talking to classmates about sin, forgiveness, salvation. JESSE STRONG, U.S. MARINE CORPS: And those sins have been washed away, past, present, and future. The lord has taken care of that for you. And all you have to do is receive it by faith and accept it as a gift. FOREMAN: He's admired for his sense of fun. He loves dancing, telling jokes, being outdoors. He can take care of himself. Jesse's unit, based in Virginia, is a tight group. The guys have known and trained with each other for years. There is Chris Weaver from Fredericksburg, tall, intellectual, quiet most of the time, but wickedly funny at others. His father, David, and mother, Sharon, are terribly worried when he's called up. Still: SHARON WEAVER, MOTHER OF CHRISTOPHER WEAVER: At the time, the death toll was fairly low. The number of Marines over there, he had a -- I mean, his chances of getting injured, even, was less than 10 percent. I mean, that is pretty low. And there again, you know, I thought, he's going to be doing engineering stuff. He's not going to be, you know, with a gun in his hand, fighting battles. Chris' fiancee, Danell Weaver, is worried as well. But she already, coincidentally, shares the same last name. Now she will share this adventure as well. He wants to be a historian someday, with an emphasis on military history. DANELL WEAVER, FIANCEE OF CHRISTOPHER WEAVER: He told me that he knew he would always go into the military since he was a little kid. His father was in the Navy. His uncles and his grandfather and everyone in his family was in the military at one time. And he just knew that it was in his blood, and that's what was going to happen. FOREMAN: From the far west end of Virginia comes Jonathan Bowling. He's also very religious and just as committed to his community. He wants to be a state trooper, like his father, Darrell. Jonathan has already signed on with the police department. And he and his father ride motorcycles together for fun. Darrell feels his son's police training might help him avoid combat. (r)MD-BO¯ DARRELL BOWLING, FATHER OF JONATHAN BOWLING: But, as soon as I started to question him about it, he stopped me cold. And he explained: You know, dad, this is a spot somebody has got to take. If I don't take it, if I don't go, somebody else will be in it. And I'm not going to have that. I don't think you can say anybody wants to go to Iraq. But I think he felt that -- that, if troops were there, it was his duty to -- to be one of them. FOREMAN: Jonathan's parents are divorced. His mother, Robin, shares her fears about her son's departure with his girlfriend, Tonya McFarling, who also hopes one day to marry her Marine. ROBIN FERON, MOTHER OF JONATHAN BOWLING: I knew it was dangerous. And, so, I just prayed and hoped he would come home. TONYA MCFARLING, GIRLFRIEND OF JONATHAN BOWLING: I thought they were training the Iraqis, and, as soon as they get, you know, everybody trained over there, that that will be it. FOREMAN: The families are reassured when their Marines fly from California to Kuwait, and straight to a big, well-protected base in Iraq. But the men know something their families largely do not: Combat engineers destroy enemy fortifications. They clear mines. They engineer battlefields. They will, in fact, be right in the middle of everything. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN (voice-over): Ever since it was invented by the Soviets more than 60 years ago, the rocket-propelled grenade has been a favorite of rebel armies. Lightweight, easy to use, the spiraling flight of the grenade triggers a switch which arms the explosive. And, when it hits something, it blows up. These and Kalashnikov rifles, another Soviet invention, are the backbone of insurgent weaponry. But the combat engineers of Charlie Company spent many days dealing with a much more pervasive threat, the seemingly endless supply of land mines and bombs improvised from old artillery shells. DREANY: They really worked hard and they worked well together. We were really lucky. FOREMAN: Mike Sprano and Butch Dreany were the staff sergeants leading the group, building checkpoints, clearing roadways. They make trips so many trips through the desert, hunting explosives, constantly finding hidden stores of weapons, that Chris Weaver, the aspiring historian, notes in his journal that it was becoming almost routine. "It is kind of fun driving through the desert," he writes. "The ever present threat of mines, however, always makes people uneasy." They are occasionally shot at and sometimes shelled, but they rarely see their enemy. SPRANO: We all had the sense of frustration that comes when you feel like you're fighting a ghost. And, so, whenever we got an opportunity to actually go in and fight somebody, we looked forward to it. FOREMAN: The group looks forward to any break from the tedious, dangerous work: an impromptu dance by the always fun-loving and optimistic Jesse Strong, a wild ride in an Iraqi police car that the platoon had to move from one place to another. They blow the siren at the empty desert, and laugh endlessly. Even Halloween is improvised, anything to relieve the crushing schedule of work and danger. DREANY: We were in the country 217 days, and we did 222 missions. FOREMAN: When a slightly built, quiet young man named Karl Linn transfers to the platoon, Weaver writes in his journal again: "I asked to have him in my fire team, because I wanted some young lackey that would follow my orders without any complaining. But Linn is good at much more than grunt work. It is quickly apparent he knows more about one thing than anyone else. DREANY: Weapons. He became just infatuated with just weapons in general, especially foreign weapons, which became an asset, being in Iraq, because Karl already knew how to break down most weapons that we found. You know, I -- I would look at it and just go: Hey, Linn. (LAUGHTER) DREANY: Here you go. (LAUGHTER) FOREMAN (on camera): That's a pretty valuable guy to have. DREANY: Oh, absolutely. (voice-over): Linn comes from near Richmond, and was studying engineering at Virginia Commonwealth when he was activated. DICK LINN, FATHER OF KARL LINN: He was always writing in the margins or doodling somehow. FOREMAN: His father, Dick, has notebooks filled with his son's drawings and inventions. LINN: Random collection of things here. Haven't sorted through all the -- all the papers and all the -- all the good stuff. FOREMAN: Karl had helped his school establish a robotics team. And he was fascinated with the idea of joining the rough-and-ready Marines, unusual for a young man from a Buddhist home. LINN: I think the idea appealed to him, you know, the -- if you're going to do something, then do the toughest thing, I think. Maybe it was for his -- you know, his own self-esteem or self- discipline. I -- I know he wanted to -- to pay society back for what he had been given. I mean, he felt a -- an obligation to help serve the country. SPRANO: He volunteered for everything, and, within a week or two, you -- you couldn't even tell that he was new. FOREMAN: The group is facing something else new anyway. They're transferred for the Haditha Dam, a large hydroelectric plant on the Euphrates River. Insurgents have just destroyed the police station there, and the area needs help. The engineers' new home is deeper and much more isolated in Sunni territory. Jesse Strong writes a letter to schoolkids back in Vermont about the move to the river. According to Christian history, it once flowed out of the Garden of Eden. And its secret? The Bible says, when it dries up, Armageddon will begin. And Muslim lore says the riverbed hides a mountain of gold. "It is a historic river," Strong writes, "and a lot of people live along its banks" -- a lot of potential enemies. All the coalition troops know, in the towns along the Euphrates, some people live secret double lives, friendly townspeople by day, fierce insurgents by night. Jonathan Bowling tells his father on the phone, and Darrell knows what the move means. BOWLING: They were going out to disarm reported bombs and explosives. That's dangerous stuff, but, then, as you go further out the Euphrates, much more dangerous, much more hazardous. FOREMAN: It is worse than that. One hundred miles southeast of his son's position, coalition forces are pounding Fallujah, an insurgent stronghold. Through November and into December, the coalition kills many insurgents and puts scores of others on the run. So, even as the Marines at the dam celebrate Christmas and the beginning of a new year, a tide of insurgents sweeps up the river toward them, furious over the losses in Fallujah, and intent on stopping the first free elections coming up at the end of January. DREANY: We became a hotbed, if you will, for insurgent activity. And that's when, you know, firefights started to occur, and more mine strikes, and more IED strikes. Our actual engagement of the enemy picked up tenfold. SPRANO: And, then, once January hit, I mean, literally, within minutes of the new year, the base got attacked by mortars. And, then, the -- the next day, our platoon commander lost his arm in an ambush. And it just -- it started picking up like it hadn't before. FOREMAN: With the engineers working furiously to build safe polling places, Chris Weaver sends a note home, saying he might be out of touch a bit. D. WEAVER: And that was a big red flag to me, obviously. But... FOREMAN (on camera): A red flag that told you what? D. WEAVER: If he felt the need to warn me, that there was probably more danger than I wanted to know about at the time. FOREMAN: The tension is palpable. The engineers patrol endlessly. They pass through an area where they plan to put a polling station. Weaver writes in his journal: "It looked like a place where the end fight scene in a movie would take place. At least no one got hurt." It is his last entry. Within days, it will seem as if someone on the river of secrets had been listening. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN (voice-over): Modern militaries run on intelligence. Information about enemy troops, weapons, targets. On January 26, 2005, military intelligence believes insurgent leaders are holed up nine miles south of the dam, in Hoklinya (ph) in a building in a mosque. At three in the morning, the combat engineers join a convoy of a dozen vehicles, 77 Marines preparing for what they call a hard hit. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hard hit. Exactly. We were expecting contact. With a large group of Marines going to a known spot where a high value target was located. FOREMAN: Right before the convoy rolls, a snapshot catches Jesse Strong standing in the bed of an open backed Humvee. Then he takes the tailgate position on the passenger side. Next to him is Karl Linn, then Chris Weaver and Jonathan Bowling is just behind the cab. All four are filling in on this raid for fellow Marines who are sick with the flu. Up front, Sergeant Bill Meyers commands their vehicle. SGT. BILL MEYERS, CHARLIE COMPANY: Our group is combat engineers. We were the bridge team. We were to search for weapons, and we were to assist in the assault of the building. FOREMAN: The convoy rolls, lights out over the open desert, avoiding potential land mines and insurgent lookouts along roads. As they approach, the village of Hoklinya (ph) appears asleep. Joe Tosaro (ph), a photographer with WABC in New York and his reporter, Jim Dolan, are embedded with the unit. JIM DOLAN, REPORTER, WABC: It's about what you would expect from a small village in the dead at night. I don't recall seeing anybody outside or awake. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there were people in the mosque. Definitely were lights coming from the mosque. DOLAN: Seated right across from Jonathan Bowling, Andy Gentry is also taking in the small town. ANDY GENTRY, CHARLIE COMPANY: We kind of got freaked out a little bit because we saw an ambulance that took off and the lights were on, but no sirens. That's strange. FOREMAN: They press on to the house beside the mosque. The convoy arrays itself to watch around the area near the river. This is the actual videotape of that night. Marines spill out of two vehicles and rush the target house. That's Bill Meyers' group leading the charge to blow the door, Bowling, Linn, Weaver and Strong. Surprisingly, the door is open. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go in. FOREMAN: They throw a flash grenade to startle and stun whomever is inside. But the house is abandoned. MEYERS: When you go into a building that's supposed to be housing 10 insurgents and there isn't even any furniture in the building, you kind of -- you kind of wonder what -- what's about to happen. FOREMAN: The team searches every room, throwing flash grenades ahead of them. Nothing. Andy Gentry says no one wants to say it looks like a setup. But... GENTRY: I'm pretty sure all of us saw it. FOREMAN: The Marines load to leave, throwing out flyers promoting the historic upcoming Iraqi elections as they depart. Then -- the lead vehicle is hit. A roadside bomb, followed by rocket propelled grenades. Meyers' group near the back of the convoy is still moving. MEYERS: Being as far back as we were, we heard the explosion. We heard some shots, but we weren't exactly sure what was going on. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then as we drive past the mosque, we hear the first two pops. All of a sudden just, it was just gunfire from everywhere. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is lighting up the sky. And it just seemed to be increasing into exponentially by the minute. FOREMAN: Gentry is right across from Bowling, Weaver, Linn and Strong and instantly realizes, this is an insurgent ambush. GENTRY: We didn't get the command to fire. Everybody else was shooting,. We just decided to join in. You know, we had fire coming from the mosque to our right, but we were taking fire from our left side, as well. You could see a couple of them running around and stuff. They had gun positions set up on us. They know what they were doing. FOREMAN: An electric transformer is hit and explodes, the light exposing what later investigations will find: 75 to 100 insurgents shooting from prepared trenches, rooftops, the mosque. MEYERS: You could hear the -- whoever is on the radio, saying that it's coming from the mosque. FOREMAN: Gentry believes he's about to die. (on camera) None of you guys in the back of the truck had ever been in a firefight before? GENTRY: Not until then. FOREMAN (voice-over): Some say the shooting lasts five minute; some say 20. But finally the convoy breaks free, racing to the edge of town. Amazingly, nobody in the back of Bill Meyers' vehicle is hurt. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure you're all right? FOREMAN: Then a flash comes. From the mosque. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN (voice-over): The gunfire grows sporadic as the convoy roars toward the edge of town. The plan is to regroup in the dark countryside and consider a counter attack. MEYERS: We started pulling out of Hoklinya (ph). We picked up speed. I guess were doing about 50, 55 miles an hour. FOREMAN: In the back of Meyers' Humvee all the men are OK, beginning to laugh over surviving their first fire fight. They're keeping their heads down. And then bam. GENTRY: There was a loud freaking explosion. My ears were ringing. And I didn't know what happened. MEYERS: I didn't know what it was. I had gotten blown over almost over onto the driver. FOREMAN: A rocket-propelled grenade had been fired from the mosque, according to military investigators. In less than two seconds it flew almost 1,000 feet to the very limit of the weapon's range. It landed in the back of the speeding vehicle, just behind Bill Meyers' seat on top of Jonathan Bowling. MEYERS: I yelled at the driver keep driving, keep driving. And there was so much commotion on the radio, I turned back and I looked close at Gentry and said, "What's going on?" GENTRY: He said who is still with us? MEYERS: He said it's bad. It's bad. GENTRY: By the time I got to Strong, I realized we just took our first casualty. MEYERS: He said, "I think Strong is gone. I think Strong is gone." I could look back and I could see that the guys on the right side were all slumped over. I knew it was definitely something bad. FOREMAN: On the passenger side Jesse Strong was the furthest from the blast. As the Humvee finally escapes the range of the insurgent guns and stops, Meyers hurries to check on the others, too. MEYERS: I didn't know they were as bad as they were, for the simple fact that it was hard to tell from my perspective, because the guys were, like I said, they were slumped over. FOREMAN: Meyers has eight shrapnel wounds and a bullet lodged in his chest as he runs to get help from another vehicle. Of the 10 men in the Humvee, only the driver escapes injury. As medical corpsman rush to the stricken truck, the Marines remain hopeful. GENTRY: When I got on the back of the truck, I think you know, we're going to be OK. Yes, we're hurt bad, but we're going to be all right. FOREMAN: Word spreads to Marines in other vehicles. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How bad? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know; they didn't say. FOREMAN: The Humvee is still operable, so it begins rolling as quickly as possible back home. (on camera) What was the ride like in the back of the vehicle? GENTRY: Long. FOREMAN (voice-over): At the dam, the four are rushed into a room where medical teams frantically begin to work. GENTRY: They're all four right next to each other. STAFF SGT. BUTCH DREANY, CHARLIE COMPANY: Jesse was obviously dead to me. Bowling and Linn were still breathing. And Weaver didn't have a mark on him that I could see. But he was motionless. FOREMAN: Jesse Strong and Chris Weaver are pronounced dead. Jonathan Bowling and Karl Linn are loaded onto a rescue helicopter. They die in the air. In a single night, the engineers have lost half their men to injuries and death. They killed and wounded many more insurgents. But that's not on their minds as they gather for a memorial service in the morning sun. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is now going to miss out on what these four Marines had to offer. FOREMAN: One by one, the members of Charlie Company pay their respects. A brief moment to say good-bye and to honor. (MUSIC) STAFF SGT. MIKE SPRANO, CHARLIE COMPANY: These were friends of ours. These were just great, great people. And yet, you know, what they died for was what we were still doing. And they were Marines and we were Marines. And we had to do what we had to do, and that's what we did. FOREMAN: A transport helicopter full of troops will crash that day. And two soldiers will die in Baghdad, 37 American fatalities in all, more than any other day of this war. But the engineers have work to do. They put aside their grief and keep preparing for the Iraqi election. SPRANO: It was -- cry when you had time to cry and then work when it's time to work. FOREMAN: And after four 20-hour workdays, they open, operate and close two polling stations in defiance of the insurgents. Almost no one votes there; it doesn't matter. DREANY: I've never been more proud of a group of individuals and what they were able to accomplish than what our platoon did in the days after the ambush. FOREMAN: But word of the tragedy quickly travels around the globe and touches families that have prayed endlessly for anything but this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN (voice-over): Within hours of the ambush at the River of Secrets, the heart breaking memorial service at the dam, word reaches the other side of the world. In the rolling hills of Virginia Jonathan Bowling's mom, Robin, has been unable to bear watching the news since her son left. But as this morning of January 26 rolled from Iraq over the ocean, she happens to walk past a TV at work. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people. ROBIN FERON, JONATHAN BOWLING'S MOTHER: President Bush was on and they said, "We're breaking for some news," and it actually showed the ambush. And when I watched that, I don't know why but I knew my son was on that Humvee. So I waited, and the Marines came to visit me about two hours later, after I had seen the ambush on television. FOREMAN: Jonathan's girlfriend Tanya is stunned. She just talked to him the day before. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He called me that morning about, between 9 and 10. He was in his jolly mood. It was my birthday. FOREMAN: As a state trooper, Daryl Bowling (ph) had seen tragic deaths hundreds of times, often involving people he knew, but this. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been almost two years. And -- it's the first thing I think when I open my eyes. It's what I'm thinking about when I go to sleep. People say that -- time will help make things better, or it'll heal. I haven't found it to be that way so far. FOREMAN: Chris Weaver's mother made him promise he would play it safe in Iraq. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was on the phone talking to my sister when the military van pulled into the driveway. I immediately started screaming, "No. No." And I wanted them to leave. And they wouldn't leave. My sister's screaming on the phone, "What's wrong, what's wrong?" FOREMAN: Now, a gold star, the age old symbol of a parent who's lost a child in war, hangs in the window of the Weavers' home. They loved being with their son, going places, talking about his future. DAVID WEAVER, CHRISTOPHER WEAVER'S FATHER: We're not doing that anymore. That's -- that's the hardest part for me right now. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Weddings. WEAVER: Right. Weddings. Any of those type of things. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are very difficult. For myself, there are good days, and there are bad days. FOREMAN: The young woman their son was to marry, Danelle (ph)? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not the first person in the world to lose the love of her life. And it's just -- I think that's the most disheartening. Is that it happens and everyone goes through it at one point in your life, just not this young usually. FOREMAN: Dick Linn is driving in the rain on a business trip when the cell phone rings. The Marines are trying to find him. He drives 40 minutes back home, dreading the news he would hear. Then he goes to find his wife at her job. DICK LINN, FATHER OF KARL LINN: It's the hardest thing I've ever, ever had to do. She -- she screamed about four times in a row. And I don't know which is more devastating than, you know -- knowing your son is dead or having to tell his mom. FOREMAN: Karl's mother did not want to talk publicly about his death. But in private, she prays for him every day. Jesse Strong was the first confirmed fatality; his parents, Vicki and Nate, the last to know. They have just returned home late when they hear a knock. VICKI STRONG, MOTHER OF JESSE STRONG: They did not have to say a single word. We knew the only reason there would be two Marines in dress blues at our doorstep at 9:30 at night was because our son had been killed. So I immediately just -- I said, "Oh, Jesse," was my first word. FOREMAN: Vicki calls their other children Heather and Matthew in Pittsburgh. HEATHER STRONG, SISTER OF JESSE STRONG: She told me on the phone. I just said, "Tell Matthew." And I handed him the phone. And I started shaking uncontrollably for basically the whole night. V. STRONG: It's like your life just suddenly stopped. And that everything you knew from the second up until that moment, totally changed. FOREMAN: Jesse's room has not changed. His baseball glove still waits. His watch ticks on the dresser. His Bible rests by his bed. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN (voice-over): The ground in Vermont was frozen when Jesse Strong died, so he could not be buried the day of his funeral. Instead, his parents chose Memorial Day and an old cemetery where Nate used to walk with Jesse and his other children. Nate had already selected a lot there for himself. NATHAN STRONG, FATHER OF JESSE STRONG: We'd go to put flowers on the graves of the veterans, because nobody else went there, because it was so old and -- you know, anybody that was there didn't have any family left. FOREMAN: With birds singing in the woods Jesse loved so well, his family and the rest of the engineers, now back from Iraq, gathered to lay the 24-year-old to rest. His brothers in arms, escorting him to his grave. The military suggested Nate and Vicki not view their son's body. V. STRONG: We decided to do what we were advised and not open the coffin. It was a few months later, when I started really wondering if that was the right thing, if I should have seen him. I never did. FOREMAN: Culpepper Cemetery is about an hour north of Richmond and is the final resting place for veterans of almost every American war. Karl Linn's grandfather from World War II is here. His grave marked the end of a row. LINN: When Karl died, somehow, just somebody pulled some strings or something and kind of just lengthened the row to put him beside my father. So the two of them are side by side. Karl is the first casualty from Iraq in that cemetery. FOREMAN: Karl Linn was the youngest of the four, just 20. Also next to his grandfather, Jonathan Bowling who was 23. He lies beneath the words at peace in heaven. Jonathan wrote those words in an extraordinary detailed letter of instructions covering every aspect of his own funeral to save his parents the pain and worry. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom and dad, if you're reading this letter, then the worst must have happened. I want both of you to know that I love you very much. FOREMAN: But Jonathan could not have anticipated the crowd. Five thousand people turned out in his rural county to pay respects. Signs appeared on every roadway. DARRELL BOWLING, JONATHAN BOWLING'S FATHER: You know, he told us that in the letter. Try not to cry. Know that I'm at peace. And there are days when, I try not to cry and it works. And there are days when I try not to cry and it don't work. His death will forever be with me. And everyone that knew him. FOREMAN: Jonathan wanted to be a state trooper like his father, an honor he received posthumously. His grave is in a small family plot, his dad comes every day. Chris Weaver, who was 24, is buried at Quantico, amid thousands of other servicemen and women who passed into history before him. His study of history taught him to see the big picture in life and death. DANELL WEAVER, CHRISTOPHER WEAVER'S FIANCE: History is made up, he told me one time, of millions of lives. And a lot of times we focus on one. Excuse me. It's just, sometimes it's hard not to focus on that one. FOREMAN: What should history know of these Marines? STAFF SGT. BUTCH DREANY, CHARLIE COMPANY: You know, I don't know what their political beliefs were. And I don't know how they felt about, you know, why we were there. But it really didn't matter. All that mattered was they were serving their country, they were serving their corps, and they were serving their brothers. And -- they will forever be heroes, not just because they died but because of how they lived. FOREMAN: Not a day goes by that members of Charlie Company don't think of how those men lived. SGT. BILL MEYERS, CHARLIE MEMBERS: These guys were brave. They -- they loved what they did. There's not one person in that group that will ever be the same. FOREMAN: Then Corporal, now Sergeant Andy Gentry, keeps a shadow box of Linn, Weaver, Bowling and Strong's chevrons and honors by his front door as a reminder. SGT. ANDY GENTRY, CHARLIE COMPANY: You know, live it to the fullest and do good because I didn't get a chance. FOREMAN: Staff Sergeants Mike Sprano and Butch Dreany, who both have young families, remember the integrity of their men and hope to see glimpses of it in their own children. DREANY: Any of the four are the type of person that I want my daughter to bring home. STAFF SGT. MIKE SPRANO, CHARLIE COMPANY: These are really the -- the best this country has to offer. These are young people who have decided that they want to do more, that being a good citizen isn't enough. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, 40 years from now, what will this -- this turn out to be? Maybe Iraq will be a prosperous, free country. We, just looking at the now, but I'm looking way ahead years from now. I'm looking at the point when someday an Iraqi person will come up and shake my hand and say thank you. Thank you, that you gave your son. And I'll say it was a privilege. And I don't regret it. FOREMAN: There is not enough time in the world to say all that should be said about these four young men. Or the tens of thousands of others who have died or served in Iraq. The future will judge the rights and wrongs of this war. What we know is this, these young Americans did willingly what their country, what we asked of them, with faith and courage. (BEGIN GRAPHIC) In honor and remembrance of all those who have served, and all who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. (END GRAPHIC) (END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com