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Genetic techniques have role in future of dental care
A visit to the dentist could one day require a detailed look at how genes in a patient's body are being switched on or off, as well as examining their pearly whites, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide.
In a new paper published in the Australian Dental Journal, researchers from the University of Adelaide's School of Dentistry have written about the current and future use of the field of epigenetics as it relates to oral health.
Speaking on Dentist's Day (Thursday 6 March), co-author Associate Professor Toby Hughes says epigenetics has much to offer in the future treatment and prevention of dental disease.
"Our genetic code, or DNA, is like an orchestra – it contains all of the elements we need to function – but the epigenetic code is essentially the conductor, telling which instruments to play or stay silent, or how to respond at any given moment," Associate Professor Hughes says.
"This is important because, in the case of oral health, epigenetic factors may help to orchestrate healthy and unhealthy states in our mouths. They respond to the current local environment, such as the type and level of our oral microbes, regulating which of our genes are active. This means we could use them to determine an individual's state of health, or even influence how their genes behave. We can't change the underlying genetic code, but we may be able to change when genes are switched on and off," he says.
Associate Professor Hughes is part of a team of researchers at the University of Adelaide that has been studying the underlying genetic and environmental influences on dental development and oral health.
He says that since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2007, epigenetics has had an increasing role in biological and medical research.
"Dentistry can also greatly benefit from new research in this area," he says. "It could open up a range of opportunities for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
"We know that our genome plays a key role in our dental development, and in a range of oral diseases; we know that the oral microbiota also play a key role in the state of our oral health; we now have the potential to develop an epigenetic profile of a patient, and use all three of these factors to provide a more personalised level of care.
"Other potential oral health targets for the study of epigenetics include the inflammation and immune responses that lead to periodontitis, which can cause tooth loss; and the development and progression of oral cancers.
"What's most exciting is the possibility of screening for many of these potential oral health problems from an early age so that we can prevent them or reduce their impact."
The full paper can be found at the Australian Dental Journal's website.
(Source: The University of Adelaide, Australian Dental Journal)
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"The ShareSpace is a squat box with a minimalist dark-grey metallic look that's rather more sober than the shiny silver styling of rival NAS boxes like Netgear ReadyNAS NV+, or iPod-like consumer-oriented black and white the WE II comes in."
So now anything white or black is 'Ipod-like'? You do know that consumer gadgets has been shipped in white and black colours before the Ipod, and likely way way after?

subset: commoncrawl


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With this post, I'm joining a group of rabbis who are blogging from three days ago (1st of Nisan) to the beginning of Passover: Blogging the Exodus. If you want to find some great rabbinic blogs, or some interesting things to ponder as you clean up the chometz, you can locate those blogs via the Twitter hashtag #BlogExodus. Today's theme is "Learning and Teaching."
When I am meeting a new person, they often ask me what I do. I always say, "I'm a rabbi." That doesn't really answer the question so usually they try again, this time by saying, "What congregation do you serve?" and then I say, "I'm a teaching rabbi."
That's a partial truth. I teach classes for Lehrhaus Judaica. I teach classes at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. I occasionally teach in odd venues, like Catholic churches, when they invite a rabbi in to explain something about Judaism. Next month I'll teach a class on Food Ethics at Temple Sinai, and I'll teach for a whole weekend about Jewish Time at the congregational retreat of Temple Emanuel in Tempe, AZ. Sometimes I even teach in coffee shops (hence the moniker.)
The real truth is that I am a learning rabbi. I bring information to people, and then we talk and learn things. That's how Jewish learning works: you begin with some raw material, like a text, you put in on the table among you, and then by pulling and pushing at it, talking and listening, everyone at the table learns. I love learning, so I love my work.
What does any of this have to do with Passover? Passover is a learning holiday. The Passover seder is one of the greatest pedagogical devices in history: it's been used to build Jewish community and transmit a sense of Jewish peoplehood for close to two thousand years. Once a year, we sit at the table. We bring some raw information: a haggadah, a few songs and stories, our own perceptions and thoughts. If we seize the opportunity to share them, really share them, to pull and push and talk and listen, then we come away from the table with new thoughts, perhaps with new plans.
They say that at a certain seder in Bnai Brak in the year 132, five rabbis stayed up all night, moving from discussing the Exodus to planning a revolution. The revolution failed, but we still read about the seder every year at our seders. Maybe they left the table a little too early. Maybe they needed to plan some more.
If you are reading this and saying to yourself, "I never learned anything at a seder!" let me suggest very gently to you that perhaps you were not listening enough. Or talking enough. Or perhaps you were so hungry that you forgot to pull and push at the text with the others at the table. It happens.*
But when, this year, you hear someone read "How is this night different from all other nights?" Say to yourself (or, heck, say it aloud): "This seder is different because we are going to talk and listen and push and pull and exchange ideas and make some plans!"
I dare you.
For more information on making a great seder, check out Rabbi Noam Zion's writings about Passover and seders on My Jewish Learning, or the haggadah and guide he co-authored with Mishael Zion, A Night to Remember. Ira Steingroot's wonderful book, Keeping Passover has all the essential information and some more as well. Or go to your local bookstore and browse the many haggadahs available . (If you have a local Jewish bookstore like Afikomen, lucky you, but even luckier, they also do mail order.)
*About that "too hungry to learn" problem: Karpas (the greens on the seder plate) was not meant to be a few strands of parsley wet with salt water. Think of it as a salad course: have a nice salad of lettuce, or endive, or whatever green thing you love to eat. No need to starve on this night of all nights, when we celebrate moving from slavery to freedom!
Related articles
- Seven Ways to Be a Great Passover Seder Guest (coffeeshoprabbi.com)
- What is your question this Passover? (bejewish.wordpress.com)
- Passover and the courage to change (midlifebatmitzvah.wordpress.com)


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Sunshine Act Meeting.
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94-409, that the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies will hold a public meeting on Friday, February 1, 2013, in Multi-Purpose Room LL-006 at the Commission's headquarters, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. (EDT) and will be open to the public. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. Visitors will be subject to security checks. The meeting will be webcast on the Commission's website at www.sec.gov.
On January 9, 2013, the Commission published notice of the Committee meeting (Release No. 33-9379), indicating that the meeting is open to the public and inviting the public to submit written comments to the Committee. This Sunshine Act notice is being issued because a majority of the Commission may attend the meeting.
The agenda for the meeting includes consideration of recommendations and other matters relating to rules and regulations affecting small and emerging companies under the federal securities laws. For further information, please contact the Office of the Secretary at (202) 551-5400.
Kevin M. O'Neill
Deputy Secretary
January 10, 2013


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The tabloids are always turning to nutritionists, trainers, plastic surgeons and other experts who "don't treat" the stars but aren't too busy to make determinations about people they don't know. We can play that game!
Meet Tiara Dew Dots, our "expert." She knows exactly what Brad and Angie are thinking, solely based on the red carpet photos from Cannes that are all over the internet.
TDD: There is tension here. Brad is trying to "Walk Away," just like the magazines report. Angelina is physically restraining him. Her stance is closed up and powerful; his limbs are all over the place — scattered, like his feelings for her. His brow is riddled with lines; he's worried he won't be able to escape. The one hand raised up is a cry for help.
TDD: Despite the smiles, there is pain in their eyes. She is reaching out to him, and he is recoiling. He would like to pluck her hand from his waist — see how his hand hovers? But he's afraid. His won't let his heels touch the ground, in fear of being literally stuck somewhere with her.
TDD: Angelina turns her back on the cameras the way she turns her back on men, when she's done with them. She's pivoted away from Brad and scanning the crowd for a new victim. Although one of Brad's hands attempts to cling to her, his other hand makes the old comic gesture, "Take my wife. Please."
TDD: They are looking — and moving — in different directions. Need I say more?????
TDD: Hmm. Odd. Here it almost looks like they're in love.
TDD: Her eyes are heavy-lidded with contempt. She is looking at his mouth like she can't believe the bullshit coming out it. She's thinking, why don't the tabloids ever accuse me of walking away? I am the one putting up with the epic vapidity that is your brain. And I hate how I'm always willing to watch whatever you want, but you can't sit through ten seconds of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." Oh, wait. Sorry. I'm talking about Mr. Dew Dots now. Where were we?
TTD: His eyebrows show that he is in the moment, enjoying the attention. Her smooth, calm face shows she has checked out, emotionally. In fact, a faraway gaze like that could mean she's remembering that time she had sex with Billy Bob in the back of a limo on the way to the Ocsars. Maybe.
TDD: She looks at him with the same weary bemusement one would offer a tap-dancing monkey. She's so over it. She lets him clasp her hand, but sends a message with her eyes: "You'll never control me." He may or may not be passing gas. One foot is pointed toward her; the other away: Should he stay or should he go? The lady behind them has never been so psyched to have a picture of someone's shoulder.
TTD: You'd think that his arm, placed over hers, means that he is the dominant one. But no! The fact that her arm is sneakily snaked under his proves that she is a back-stabbing husband stealer. Look closely and you'll see that while his hand is relaxed lightly on her back, her hand is spread like a claw across the back of his jacket — she will quickly snatch him away to a hut in a difficult-to-pronounce country should Megan Fox suddenly materialize.
TTD: You can almost hear her whispering, "You're not going anywhere, mister."
TTD: Um. Hmm. Strange. This looks like… Love. But it can't be! I read In Touch, I know what's up.
Getty." />


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Jennifer Capriati
Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
- Born:
- March 29, 1976 (age 47) New York City New York
- Awards And Honors:
- Australian Open French Open International Tennis Hall of Fame (2012)
Jennifer Capriati, in full Jennifer Maria Capriati, (born March 29, 1976, New York, New York, U.S.), American tennis player who first achieved success as a teenage prodigy. Her play later suffered amid various personal issues, but she staged a comeback, winning the Australian Open (2001 and 2002) and the French Open (2001).
Capriati was born in New York City and lived in Spain until age four, when her family moved to Florida so that she could pursue a tennis career. She quickly attracted attention with her innate talent and bubbly personality. By the time she turned professional in 1990, she had earned more than $6 million in endorsements. During her first year on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour, Capriati set a number of records, including becoming the youngest player to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam event (the French Open) and to win a match at Wimbledon. In late 1990 she won her first professional title, the Puerto Rico Open, and finished the year ranked in the WTA top 10—the youngest player ever to do so. With powerful strokes and incredible consistency, Capriati continued to impress in 1991, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open. In 1992 she defeated Steffi Graf to capture a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
The pressures of professional play and her parents' divorce, however, began to take their toll on Capriati. After an unexpected first-round loss at the U.S. Open in 1993, she took a break from the tour. Her troubles continued, however, as she was arrested for shoplifting and later for possession of marijuana; she was not convicted in either case. Though she returned to the tour in 1994, she lacked commitment, was not in shape, and faced intense media scrutiny. Playing well only sporadically, Capriati managed to win just one match at a Grand Slam tournament between 1994 and 1998.
In 1999 Capriati dedicated herself to getting fit and that year claimed her first title since 1993. She finished 1999 ranked number 23 in the world, and the following year—with her father as her coach—Capriati climbed in the rankings to number 14. At the 2001 Australian Open, in her first Grand Slam final, she upset top-seeded Martina Hingis 6–4, 6–3. With that victory Capriati entered the top 10 for the first time in seven years. Her comeback continued at the French Open. Two points from defeat, she rallied to overcome Kim Clijsters in a three-set thriller (1–6, 6–4, 12–10) to take the title. Her bid for a Grand Slam (winning all four major events in one year), however, ended with a semifinal loss at Wimbledon. Capriati successfully defended her Australian Open title in 2002 with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Hingis, but a series of wrist and shoulder injuries sidelined her after the 2004 season, and, in spite of multiple surgeries, she was unable to return to professional play. In 2012 Capriati was selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.


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Rants from the Hill: Hunting for Scorpions
"Rants from the Hill" are Michael Branch's monthly musings on life in the high country of western Nevada's Great Basin Desert.
Our seven-year-old daughter, Caroline, is a tireless athlete, while her older sister, Hannah, is the family intellectual. This is why my wife, Eryn, and I were surprised when Caroline chose for her weeklong summer camp class "Ancient Egypt," while her big sister also defied our expectations and decided on "Rock Climbing." So while Hannah was learning belay knots and finger holds, little Caroline immersed herself in the culture of an ancient people who, like her, were fearless, hard-core desert dwellers. On the afternoon of her third day in camp, Caroline brought home her freshly made drawing of an Egyptian goddess whom I did not recognize.
"What is that cornucopia looking thing on top of this lady's noggin?" I asked Caroline.
"Come on, Dad. Can't you tell? That's a big ol' scorpion!" she replied with genuine enthusiasm.
"No kidding? Weird place for a scorpion. What's her name?"
"It gets spelled different ways, but basically it is S-E-R-K-E-T. Around six or seven thousand years ago she was supposably the goddess of stings and bites. A lot of the old Egypt people thought she could protect them from scorpion stings. There was even a gold statue of her in there along with King Tut!" she explained. "Pretty epic, huh bro?"
I may have been in detention in the principal's office during the ancient Egypt unit in my own educational past, but somehow the scorpion on the head thing struck me as improbable, especially coming from a kid whose favorite beast—one of her own invention—is "Evil Unicorn." In addition, seven thousand sounded like too many years, even for so ancient a culture. But a little research convinced me that Caroline had her story straight, and that Serqet (or Serket, or Selket) was indeed a powerful goddess dating all the way back to the Predynastic Period of Egyptian culture, which flourished between about 5500 and 3100 BC.
As a deification of the scorpion, Serqet represented genuine power in a culture for whom lethal scorpion stings would have been a very real threat. Her full name, "Serket hetyt" contains an intriguing dual reference to the gruesome asphyxiation that can be caused by a bad sting. The name may mean "she who tightens the throat," a reference to the toxic power of the scorpion and its representative goddess; or, Serket hetyt may mean "she who causes the throat to breathe," which instead suggests her power to protect or restore those who might otherwise perish from a sting. The scorpion is common in ancient Egyptian art, appearing painted on pottery, carved into schist palettes, and sculpted in metal. One of the very earliest hieroglyphic signs was the scorpion ideogram, which is found written in papyrus texts, carved into ivory and wood, and chiseled into stone monuments.
The evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane once observed that the Creator must have "an inordinate fondness for beetles," because beetle species are so impressively numerous. He might well have added that the Creator seems to like scorpions a lot too. More than 1,700 species are known, and they exist on every continent except Antarctica. The fossil record is also rich in scorpions, and we know that this fascinating animal has existed in some form for around 450 million years, making it one of the oldest terrestrial invertebrates on the planet. There are scorpions in caves, in jungles, on prairies and savannahs, even high in the Andes and Himalayas. However, as the goddess Serqet reminds us, scorpions are most abundant in deserts. Of the 90 or so species in the U.S., almost all are found west of the Mississippi, and most live in the arid and semi-arid regions of the West. Here in Nevada we have something on the order of 20 species, and while some of those exist only down in Mojave country, up here in the Great Basin we have scorpions and plenty. They range from little tiny guys all the way up to the Northern Desert Hairy Scorpion (Hadrurus spadix), which can be almost six inches long—large enough to eat mice, lizards, snakes, and other scorpions.
We humans specialize in being afraid of things (and people, and ideas) that we don't understand. While this spontaneous fear may retain some modest adaptive value, often it causes us to act like small-minded dummies and, even worse, to miss out on a lot of things that are remarkably cool. Many people would include scorpions, along with their cousins the spiders (both are arachnids and neither is an insect), in the category of "The one and only thing I know about this animal is that I'm scared of it." Yes, it is true that all scorpions sting and that all are venomous. And, yes, they like to hide in places where they're difficult to detect and then ambush their prey—or your foot—in a vicious attack. And, sure, they brutally crush their victim in their pinchers while stinging it with a paralyzing toxic soup of neurotoxins and enzyme inhibitors before subjecting it to a tissue-dissolving acid spray, after which they coolly slurp it up. But is this treatment any worse than what we rural westerners are subjected to by our local county commissioners? Of course young children (other than county commissioners) are at greater risk. The Mayo Clinic reports that after receiving a sting little kids may experience "convulsions, drooling, sweating, and occasionally inconsolable crying." If this is an accurate description of symptoms, I hereby submit that all five-year-olds everywhere are being stung by scorpions all the time. I'll allow that anyone who is allergic to scorpion venom is likely to have a rough time of it, but why malign these little arthropods when the same might be said of a damned peanut?
Actually, not many scorpions in the U.S. have a very potent sting. Southern Nevadans have to worry about the famously toxic bark scorpion, which likes to crawl up walls, hide behind framed pictures, and then creep out at night to drink your best whiskey before attacking and devouring you as you sleep. (Or something like that.) But I doubt even this fate could crack the top ten list called "Risks of Visiting Vegas." Here in the northern desert, our scorpions all have friendly little stings that are something between a harvester ant bite and a bee sting. And since we have almost no gnats, chiggers, ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, wasps, yellow jackets, or hornets, we need something that can sting us just to keep us from getting soft.
One of the many amazing things about scorpions is that they glow in the dark. Or, to be more specific, they glow under ultraviolet light. There has been considerable debate about why a scorpion should have in common with a 1970s fuzzy poster of a ghost ship in your parents' basement that it ignites under what stoners used to call "black light." Some have maintained that this glow trick is a random accident of evolution, which is a theory that strikes me as unlikely and also just plain lazy. Others have wondered if the fluorescence is used to help scorpions hunt, but there's no evidence to support this theory. Nor does it seem likely that the glow warns predators or allows communication between scorpions, though both explanations have intuitive appeal and do remain possible.
The current and most persuasive explanation for scorpion luminescence is far more incredible. Start with the fact that although scorpions have a pair of eyes on top of their cephalothorax (their "head-chest") and another two to five pairs of eyes along the front sides of their cephalothorax, they have lousy eyesight. Or, to be more precise, they have decent sight within the blue-green spectrum and truly crappy vision outside of it. Now add to this that the main hazard of being a scorpion is that you might be spotted by moonlight (they're nocturnal, after all) and get picked off by a predatory lizard, snake, rodent, or bird. The best way to avoid this is obviously to take cover. But how can the poor scorpion know whether it is being illuminated if its (many) eyes are unable to detect the wavelength of light that emanates from the moon and stars? It appears that their elegant solution has been to evolve a cuticle that is charged with beta-carboline and other luminescent chemicals. When the scorpion's exoskeleton is struck by moonlight—which, as a reflection of sunlight, contains some of the same UV rays you use sunscreen to protect yourself from—it glows. In this sense the scorpion's entire body functions as an eye, one that is highly sensitive to very small amounts of UV light. If a scorpion sees itself luminescing—which it can only because the wavelength of that luminesce falls in the blue-green spectrum—it knows that it is exposed and must seek cover. Somewhere deep in its 450-million-year-old nogginchest, the scorpion says to himself (or, to be fair to you ladies, herself): "Dang, my ass is glowing again. Better head for the sagebrush!"
The scorpion's fabulous luminescence also means that desert rats like me can go traipsing about on moonless nights, UV flashlight in hand, looking for them. I should confess that it doesn't take much to get me hiking around the desert in the middle of the night, but the experience of scorpion hunting is so special that I'd want to do it even if there were no wind in the sage and no stars in the sky.
Last night my buddy Steve—who, along with his wife, Cheryll, has the distinction of having been stung by scorpions—rolled up to the Ranting Hill to lead me on a land lobster expedition. It is essential that one have the proper high-tech equipment before undertaking this challenging and dangerous adventure. Please listen to me carefully, dear reader, because your life could depend upon being properly outfitted. You must have all of the following gear: a UV flashlight (ten bucks at the hardware store) and beer. To go afield lacking either could be risky.
Steve and I set out just after dusk, knowing that we had only 90 minutes before the rising of the full moon, which would flood the desert with light and send scorpions into hiding (remember the glowing ass epiphany?). It was also a breezy night, which is not ideal for a scorpion search. Because the animal stalks insects by detecting vibrations through sensory organs in the tips of its legs and specialized hairs on its pincers, wind can disturb its hunting strategy. Despite all this, it took only a minute or two for scorpions to pop out in the purple beams of our flashlights. Steve found one at the base of a native shrub I had planted a few days before. Another was by the woodpile, and a third near the girls' treehouse. As we headed out into the open desert, we discovered others near juniper snags, around sage and bitterbrush, in the rice grass, and even out on sandy flats between patches of mule's ears, whose dry leaves finned and scraped in the night breeze. Some of the scorpions held motionless like tiny lobsters. Others crawled along slowly. Yet others scurried with surprising speed to avoid us and tuck into their burrows, which are marked by small, arched holes in the desert floor. The scorpions glowed beautifully in otherworldly splashes of bright purple and pink beneath the UV beams as our lights tunneled through the darkness. When I looked up from one of our finds to survey the moonless sky, I noticed reddish Mars and bright, blue-white Spica unusually close to each other in the West. Hanging low in the South was Scorpio, the giant, gracefully curved constellation known since the time of the Babylonians as a scorpion. The unmistakable reddish gem of Antares (which means "rival of Mars") shone brightly from the center of its celestial cephalothorax.
I am only slightly ashamed to admit that the high point of the evening was ogling scorpion sex. After all, this isn't the kind of thing you see every night. Steve called me over to witness two scorpions doing what arachnophiles call the promenade à deux, which is a classy, Frenchified, non-pornographic term for the unique mating "dance" of the scorpion—an elaborate process that can take many hours and is highly ritualized. First the male grasps the female's pedipalps (little mouth claws, like those seen in spiders) in his. Then the dude dances the lady scorpion around looking for a good place to deposit his spermatophore, the sperm packet that she will hopefully take into her genital operculum, thus triggering release of the sperm. This courtship dance can also involve "juddering," in which the scorpions shudder and convulse, and the "cheliceral kiss," during which the male uses his pincers to hold the female's pincers in a gesture that looks to my human eye like holding hands. When this ritual dance is complete, the male retreats quickly, probably to avoid being gobbled up by his partner. Scorpions are ovoviparous, which means that the young are hatched within the female and only afterward born into the world. Once outside the female, the tiny scorplings will crawl onto her back and hang on there until they've moulted once and are ready to light out on their own.
I have neighbors who say that in many years of living out here in Silver Hills they have never seen a scorpion. In 90 minutes of night hiking, Steve and I found 80 scorpions, two of which were dancing for the future, and each of which is an amazing, glowing little packet of 450 million years of evolutionary brilliance. I find it fascinating that in all this wide, wild, windy desert, nothing glows under UV light but the scorpion. What if we had a flashlight that emitted a beam that illuminated only spiders, and another that ignited only snakes, and another that revealed only rodents—or, better yet, separate wavelengths for ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, and bushy-tailed packrats? What if we were capable of matching the mind-boggling diversity, density, and richness of life here with a mode of perception that was equally rich?
After thinking deeply about our ability (and inability) to perceive nature, Henry Thoreau concluded that "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Those who dismiss my Great Basin landscape as "empty" may be looking at it, but they aren't seeing it. This desert is emitting its spectacular beauty in a wavelength that their eyes have not yet evolved to detect. To say that this place is barren is simply to admit a profound ignorance that is the perceptual equivalent of blindness.
Down at the mailboxes this afternoon I told one of my fellow Silver Hillbillies about last night's scorpion safari. "Where in the world do you find scorpions out here?" my neighbor asked.
I paused before answering. "Everywhere."


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'Dark Knight Returns' Sneak Peek: Go Behind the Scenes of the New Batman Film
While you were busy getting excited for Chris Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises,' there's been another 'Dark Knight' film in the works. Join us for a sneak peek at DC's animated adaptation of Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns.'
One of the greatest graphic novels ever written, Frank Miller's 'The Dark Knight Returns' tells the story of an aging Bruce Wayne (voiced by Peter Weller in the animated film) who's become a boozy, reckless shell of his former self. His beloved city, and the one he swore to protect, has finally turned on itself, with gangs of violent criminals ruling the streets and any hope for salvation almost completely snuffed out as the public has shunned superheroes and driven them to retirement.
It's one of the darkest Batman stories ever told, featuring the return of Two-Face (whose face is now fixed) and the Joker, who awakens from a catatonic state in Arkham and manipulates the system and the media with his feigned sanity in an effort to finally break the Batman down. The Joker's arc is the most nerve-rattling, as he finds an older Selina Kyle, dresses her in a Wonder Woman costume and gags and beats her within an inch of her life.
But it's also a moving tale of redemption. When Batman rescues young Carrie Kelley from a gang attack, she decides to become his new Robin, and the two fight their way to a better Gotham, putting criminals on their side and training them to be non-lethal agents of vigilantism.
It's hard to say how this new animated film will tackle some of the hard(er) stuff, but this 12 minute sneak peek shows some early, rough animation that has us incredibly excited for what we consider to be more than just another animated Batman film. This is a legendary story, and one many fans (of Batman, comics, and superheroes) hold near and dear to their hearts.
'The Dark Knight Returns' is scheduled for release this fall.


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NATO Transformation Chief Encourages Smart Defense Strategy
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2012 – Despite fiscal challenges, NATO members should work together to develop the right capabilities to adapt to future challenges, NATO's top transformation officer said here today.
At a Pentagon news conference, Gen. Stephane Abrial of the French air force, NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, encouraged the use of the alliance's "Smart Defense" strategy for the future.
The strategy calls for pooling and sharing capabilities, setting priorities and coordinating efforts better.
"What we need to do is to make sure that through transformation we continue to enhance the alliance's cohesion, [and] we continue to work hard on our interoperability, our ability to work together side by side and to collaborate," he said.
The French general noted NATO already has an "intellectual and technical flexibility" to adapt, as evidenced by a "string of strategic surprises" in the world's history.
"We cannot think that we can imagine everything, but we must make sure that we can adapt to every new environment," Abrial said.
Two ways to be prepared, he said, are the main initiatives endorsed by the alliance's heads of state and government at the Chicago Summit last May – initiatives NATO officials call Smart Defense and connected Forces.
"Smart Defense is the will to do more things at the multinational level in the field of capability development," Abrial said. "Again, when we are faced with the fiscal difficulties in all our nations, there are more and more things that a nation cannot do alone anymore. Therefore, we need to find how to do it more together. This is the spirit of Smart Defense, how to be more efficient in developing capabilities and the best of ways of doing things together, and it works well."
Abrial said the mindset on addressing capability is changing, and NATO is proving the validity of the concept through projects and proposals already under way.
"We've got 24 projects which are now agreed by the nations and being implemented, and we have good hopes that at least 10 more will be agreed before the end of the year," he said. "All together, we have more than 150 proposals on which we work now, hard, to deliver with capabilities needed in the future."
In pursuing Smart Defense, he added, the alliance has worked hard and closely with European Union institutions.
The European Union, he noted, has a similar initiative called "pooling and sharing." This, he said, makes it necessary for the respective staffs to work closely to avoid duplication and provide complementary capabilities to an enduring effort.
The Connected Forces concept, Abrial said, is "totally complementary" to the Smart Defense initiative.
"We need to emphasize the way we enforce the human interoperability and the technical interoperability," he said. "How do we improve education and training? How do we enhance exercises? And how do we make a better use of technology?"
Connected Forces means using the capabilities developed through Smart Defense efficiently, the general said. "These two initiatives are totally complementary and look way ahead into the future of NATO and will help us maintain visibility to face emerging challenges and to meet the level of ambition which our nations have decided upon," he added.
A strong relationship with industry is important in the two concepts and part of NATO's efforts to make them succeed, Abrial said. Though his organization does not deal with procurement, he said, it must work closely with the defense industrial base on both sides of the Atlantic to understand coming capabilities and what can be delivered in the future.
"[This way, the] industry is as informed as possible about our vision of the future strategic and operational environments," Abrial said. "And the combination of the two will help us develop capabilities in the best way."
Abrial, who assumed his post three years ago, will relinquish it later this month. During his tenure, he said, he has worked to keep NATO's focus on tomorrow.
"Transformation means prepare for whatever could happen tomorrow," the general said. "And tomorrow can physically be tomorrow, the day after, or could mean 30 years from now."
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Eye Catchy Features Distinguishes Fossil Smart Watches
Fossils, a pioneer in watchmaking, have just launched a series of new watches as part of their Smart series. Watches, which are part of this collection, have been created keeping in mind the changing preferences of people who follow fashion trends with deep interest. Fossil Smart watches from the new lineup have been made seriously and have aesthetic that is between traditional and modern. Some men's watches of this type come with white luminous markers and day-dated windows that add visual contrast to the gold box.
The men's collection also includes stainless steel watches that match the type of clothing. Therefore, they can be used by men in the office and even on social occasions. This watch has quartz movement type and has water resistance up to 5 ATM. They have higher accuracy than other watch mechanical movements. The electronic clock movement of the timepieces has a quartz crystal that moves when a current is applied to it. The watch comes with a very durable stainless steel rope. This rope can last a lifetime.
Eye Catchy Features Distinguishes Fossil Smart Watches
Fossil watches for women who have gained popularity lately were created along with changes in women's preference today. Roses can be worn with a type of formal and causal clothing. They form part of the Scarlette collection and are equipped with durable stainless steel rods that hold the test of time. These watches come with glittering beaded muscular bezels and glowing steel coatings. This watch is ideal for women who like to experiment with their appearance from time to time.
Hybrid watch fossils have different styles and designs and therefore are the right choice for people who like to try different kinds of timepieces. Some of these watches come with a built-in fitness tracker and therefore can be used while exercising in the gym. Someone who wears them will get app alerts, calendar alerts, text, email and social media updates. They show several time zones as well. Someone who uses this watch control music, swapping his watch, taking pictures and keeping track of his sleep. These watches function like smart and sleek & adjustable watches.
This watch is supported by the Fossil Q app and is compatible with phones running on Android OS 5.0+ or iPhone 5 / iOS 9.0+. To meet the varied tastes of women, Fossils have also created gold watches. These timepieces are for women who want to look brave wherever they go. The watch is waterproof and therefore can be worn while swimming in the pool as well. Prices of these watches tend to vary according to the model. Looking closely at different offers can help buyers choose the best deals. Checkout the latest Fossilwatches collection at Prime Watch World.
About Prime:
India's largest retail retail brand Prime has over 25 years of experience in retailing. It deals with watch brands like Omega, Tissot, TAG Heuer, Longines and more. They pay special attention to Omega watches because of their worldwide reputation, and also have the most watches in the country. The brand has showrooms located in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Jaipur. Users always want to buy watches from their stores because of their innovative spending and also because of their unimaginable bid on every purchase. The last thing to mention is their after-sales service. They handle this section beautifully so the buyer does not experience any difficulties. Eye Catchy Features Distinguishes Fossil Smart Watches


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So this is great. Google might have the smartest new gesture we've seen in a while: a smart, simple way to zoom in and out with one hand. Just double tap the screen with your thumb—anywhere on the screen is fine—and on the second tap, hold your finger down. Now slide your finger up and down. Zooming!
It's so simple and so good, and works on Android and iOS. And no, not an April Fools joke. (And it's possible it's been around, but we haven't seen it, and are guessing a lot of you haven't either.) Really, this is the slickest new gesture since Apple introduced five-finger-pinch to go to the homescreen on tablets a few years back. Especially on a super widely used app like Maps, which everyone uses one-handed while they walk in circles and pretend they aren't lost.
There are plenty of hidden features in all of Google's stuff, sure, but man, this one is quite great, especially since Google hasn't really spent much time playing it up. This gesture is genius. Replace pinch to zoom with this on as many things as possible, please and thanks. [Carl Sednaoui via Hacker News]


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NASA has been working on creating a new, cheaper method to launch spacecrafts. Their latest proposal involves train tracks, a rail gun and a scramjet. Here's what they're trying to do:
In April, President Obama urged NASA to come up with, among other things, a less expensive method than conventional rocketry for launching spacecraft. By September, the agency's engineers floated a plan that would save millions of dollars in propellant, improve astronaut safety, and allow for more frequent flights. All it will take is two miles of train track, an airplane that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound, and a jolt of electricity big enough to light a small town.
The system calls for a two-mile- long rail gun that will launch a scramjet, which will then fly to 200,000 feet. The scramjet will then fire a payload into orbit and return to Earth. The process is more complex than a rocket launch, but engineers say it's also more flexible. With it, NASA could orbit a 10,000-pound satellite one day and send a manned ship toward the moon the next, on a fraction of the propellant used by today's rockets.
It may sound too awesome to ever be a reality. But unlike other rocket-less plans for space entry, each relevant technology is advanced enough that tests could take place in 10 years, says Stan Starr, a physicist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA's scramjets have hit Mach 10 for 12 seconds; last spring, Boeing's X-51 scramjet did Mach 5 for a record 200 seconds. Rail guns are coming along too. The Navy is testing an electromagnetic launch system to replace the hydraulics that catapult fighter jets from aircraft carriers. "We have all the ingredients," says Paul Bartolotta, a NASA aerospace engineer working on the project. "Now we just have to figure out how to bake the cake."
How To Fly Into Orbit:
Rev Up The Rail Gun
A 240,000-horsepower linear motor converts 180 megawatts into an electromagnetic force that propels a scramjet carrying a spacecraft down a two-mile-long track. The craft accelerates from 0 to 1,100 mph (Mach 1.5) in under 60 seconds- fast, but at less than 3 Gs, safe for manned flight.
Fire The Scramjet
The pilot fires a high-speed turbojet and launches from the track. Once the craft hits Mach 4, the air flowing through the jet intake is fast enough that it compresses, heats to 3,000ºF, and ignites hydrogen in the combustion chamber, producing tens of thousands of pounds of thrust.
Get Into Orbit
At an altitude of 200,000 feet, there isn't enough air for the scramjet, now traveling at Mach 10, to generate thrust. Here spaceflight begins. The two craft separate, and the scramjet pitches downward to get out of the way as the upper spacecraft fires tail rockets that shoot it into orbit.
Stick The Landing
The scramjet slows and uses its turbojets to fly back to Earth for a runway landing. Once the spacecraft delivers its payload into orbit, it reenters the atmosphere and glides back to the launch site. The two craft can be ready for another mission within 24 hours of landing.
Popular Science is your wormhole to the future. Reporting on what's new and what's next in science and technology, we deliver the future now.


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This guy needed some work done on his old diesel VW, so he took it to his friend's shop. When he came back, he found a little surprise.
Yep, his buddy had welded on a tractor-style exhaust stack, complete with a flapper.
This popped up on Reddit's fantastic r/Justrolledintotheshop, which you should already know is probably the best subreddit there is. User carmeat posted a picture of his new shakotan-style exhaust with the headline "Picked up my car from my buddy's shop this morning and found this installed..."
Carmeat quickly explained that yes, the exhaust was welded on when he got there. Also, the shop didn't charge him for the repair at all, as he explained in this exchange.
Rolling_Go: Your reaction?
carmeat: They didn't charge me for the repair that I brought it there for, so yes, exactly.
Basically, this guy has the best mechanic friend there is.
He went on to explain that he's not terribly worried about the exhaust now blowing back into the cabin and while, yes, the exhaust is a conversation starter, that's not why he likes it so much.
And here's video of the car running. Dig that sweet tractor flap action.
It's a 1990 with 420,000km on the clock and it gets "5.6L/ 100km in the summer. It equates to about 44~ish American MPG," as he says here.
I suppose this is a lesson to us all — if your friend is a mechanic and has a bit of a streak for pranks, don't drop off your car with him unless you're ready for something like this.
(Hat tip to ThisnThat!)
Photo Credit: Reddit/carmeat


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Will Budget Cuts Lead to Lawsuits?
So apparently there's some sort of budget shortfall in Texas. You may have heard a news report or seven about it.
The new and improved Republican majority in the Legislature (now 101 House members and counting) will enter the 2011 session in a budget-cutting mood. GOP leaders have made clear they intend to cut every program in sight rather than raise taxes.
With Texas facing a shortfall that may reach $24 billion, according to some estimates, it's likely that we're about to see major reductions in spending—in a state that already spends less per resident than any state in the nation.
There's one major potential problem with that strategy—you know, a problem besides the ones created by laying off teachers and depriving vulnerable Texans of state services. The problem I speak of is lawsuits.
Texas is under legal obligation not to reduce spending in two major areas. One is Texas' institutions for the mentally disabled (formerly state schools, now called state-supported living centers). After a major abuse scandal, the state reached a deal in 2009 with the U.S. Justice Department. The feds agreed not to sue us, if the Legislature boosted funding for the facilities and improved conditions. We're still being held to that agreement. The Legislature can't reduce funding for state schools without risking a court battle with the Justice Department.
The state is also under federal court order to improve its children's Medicaid program. This is the so-called Frew lawsuit settlement reached in 2007. It's unlikely the Lege could make reductions in children's Medicaid without being dragged back into federal court.
Then there are the many other programs that, while not subject to a lawsuit right now, very well could be if deep cuts were implemented. Those include Child Protective Services, the Texas Youth Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the entire public school system.
The GOP may be eager to cut spending. But it comes with a lot of legal risk.


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Our Charlotte MLS Search tools are the easiest to use and can help you plan ahead to find homes you are interested in before you call us or before you have us take you to tour available properties.
When you sign up with us, your contact information will never be shared or sold to anyone else. Occasionally we might have an exceptional property to show you or some news we'd like to share through email, but we will not barrage you with offers or mail that you don't want.
You can save your searches, mark the Charlotte homes and properties that you want to watch, and if you want, we can automatically email you with new listings that match the criteria you fill in. You may continue this service for as long as you like or stop it at any time.
We think you'll love our MLS search tool, along with large, clear photos and neighborhood information we've given you on the website. Use it at your leisure and feel free to share the link with friends or family who might be interested in Charlotte real estate. Have fun with it, and call us with any questions, for additional information, or to set up an appointment for viewing the properties you want to see!


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The Bernzomatic® Outdoor Utility Torch Kit includes our Outdoor Utility Torch and one 14.1 oz Bernzomatic Propane cylinder. The torch offers an adjustable, high-intensity webbed flame and hassle-free, trigger-start ignition. It is ideal for basic outdoor tasks such as lighting grills and smokers, DIY projects and light soldering. For optimal performance, use upright. Limited 3-Year Warranty.
Bernzomatic warrants to the original purchaser that this product is free from defects in material and workmanship for three years from the date of purchase. This warranty is valid for all purchases of this product on or after June 1, 2016. This warranty does not apply to product that has been damaged as a result of improper maintenance, accident or other misuse, or which fails to operate due to normal wear and tear. This warranty is void if the product is repaired or modified in any way by anyone other than Bernzomatic.
Bernzomatic will repair the product if it proves to be defective in materials or workmanship. At the choice of Bernzomatic, a replacement product may be provided instead of repairing a defective product. The sole obligation of Bernzomatic and your exclusive remedy under this warranty are limited to such repair or replacement.
To make a claim under this Limited Three Year Warranty, contact any Bernzomatic retailer or contact Bernzomatic directly at 1-800-359-9678. A service representative will assist you. Please provide proof of date of purchase when making a claim.
Bernzomatic makes no other warranties concerning the product, and limits any implied warranties to the length of this Limited Three Year Warranty. In no event shall Bernzomatic be liable for incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
This product can expose you to chemicals including carbon monoxide, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
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547 Main St
Middletown, CT 06457
Open Skate
Mon - Thurs:
Parties on these times will share the rink with other parties plus the general public.
Prices for open skate parties
1 table for 12 skaters for $240
over 12 skaters $10 for each additional skater.
Skates are included, roller blades are $2 extra.
We require a $40 reservation deposit on the date of booking. we can accept Visa or Mastercard for reservations only. Balance due at the end of the party. Cash only please. Deposits are Non refundable but we can re schedule your party so you wont loose your deposit.
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A good jigger should be accurate, account for commonly-used measurements, be easy to read and use, never break, and bring delight and satisfaction to the ritual of cocktail craft. The Napier Jigger has it all.
Choose from OZ or ML measurements.
The stepped Napier Jigger with Handle is also available in Copper and Gold finishes.
Stainless steel, 1.3 oz, 2.75" tall x 2" diameter at widest.
We've noticed that most jiggers just aren't as easy to use as they could be. Double-sided jiggers often have unclear measurements or aren't easy to read, and can be messy (especially for home bartenders without a sink nearby). Quality jiggers are hard to find; most frequently break due to poor product design and manufacturing techniques.
With the Napier Jigger, we wanted to solve some of those problems while also designing a breathtaking, beautiful tool that is an absolute pleasure to use. It pays homage to a stunning stepped jigger vintage design from the 1930's, and adds extremely useful elements like internal markings (available in ML as well).
We manufacture all of our products with three things in mind: utmost utility, beautiful design, and uncompromising quality. With the Napier Jigger, we ensure that measurements are accurate, markings are clear and precise, the handle is securely attached, and any plated finishes (as with copper and gold) are extra-thick to ensure a durable finish that will last a lifetime.
Shawn Michael & Rachel Eva


text: O2/CO2 Bio- Respirometer We developed very sensitive O2/CO2 respirometer intended to measure respiration of bacteria , algae, fungi, bacterial response to antybiotics and toxins, respiration of soil, etc. Up to 80 sample chambers ( variety of sizes) can be connected to Respirometer which is equipped with O2 and CO2, analyzers Optional CH4 and H2S, NH3, H2 are also avilable. Due to the exceptionally high sensitivity 0.2 uL of gas /h, can be used for testing biodegradation of plastics, hydrocarbons, explosives, creozote as well as respiration of insects, aquatic plants and fish. If you need more information and published papers on its applications please reply with your street address. Jan Czekajewski,Ph.D. janzcek at aol.com


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Cap Haitien, Haiti (CNN) -- Haiti's government appeared Tuesday to have lost control of Cap Haitien, where demonstrators angry over what they see as the United Nations' role in starting the ongoing cholera epidemic controlled many of the streets for a second consecutive day.
At the airport in the country's second-largest city, commercial flights were suspended Tuesday. Police were not wearing uniforms in an apparent attempt to elude the wrath of Haitians, who had torched at least one police station on Monday.
The only way to get from the airport into town was by motorcycle. Barricades composed of burning tires and vehicles blocked cars from traveling on many of the roads.
As the sun set, smoke from the many fires mixed with tear gas fired by peacekeepers, and hovered over the city.
The office of Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive had said early in the day that it was sending a delegation of government ministers by helicopter from the capital city of Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien in an attempt to orchestrate a return to order, but by nightfall they were not visible.
In Cap Haitien, at least one demonstrator was killed in riots Monday by a U.N. peacekeeper.
At a hotel, guests were hunkered down, unwilling to brave the chaos of the streets.
The focus of the the Haitians' ire centers on their contention that the cholera outbreak blamed for more than 1,000 deaths was started when untreated sewage from a Nepalese contingent of peacekeepers entered the water supply.
That assertion has been denied by the United Nations.
Protesters have demanded that the U.N. forces pull out of Haiti.
Cap Haitien is in Haiti's North Department, which has had the nation's highest rate of cholera deaths. Of the 1,578 people hospitalized in the department from cholera, 119 have died. The 7.5 percent death rate is the nation's highest, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ministry of Public Health.
The U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti charged that the riots may be politically motivated in advance of elections set for November 28.
"The way in which the events unfolded leads to the belief that the incidents had a political motivation, aimed at creating a climate of insecurity on the eve of the elections," the U.N. mission, known by the acronym MINUSTAH, said in a statement Tuesday.
"MINUSTAH calls on the population to remain vigilant and not let itself be manipulated by the enemies of stability and democracy in the country," the statement said.
Imogen Wall, a spokeswoman for the United Nations, said at least one U.N. warehouse has been looted and that a flight that was to have carried cholera supplies intended for Cap Haitien was suspended.
"Cap Haitien is very serious for cholera right now," she said. "You can't run cholera response in this atmosphere."
In the town of Hinche, northeast of the capital, about 400 demonstrators protested the peacekeepers, six of whom were injured, said Vincenzo Pugliese, a spokesman for MINUSTAH.
"This is a situation that began with a child who was in agony with cholera," said Lesley Voltaire, a former minister of education and presidential candidate who was campaigning for the upcoming elections. "They were calling ambulances and MINUSTAH but nobody came. The kid died in front of many people and made the people furious."
Voltaire insisted the protests were spontaneous. "The Nepalese [peacekeepers] are their target," added Voltaire, who said he was stranded at a local hotel overnight after the riots erupted on Monday and the airport shut. "People believe the cholera came from Nepal."
In Quartier Morin, a municipality in the Cap Haitien arrondissement, a protester was killed after he was hit by a peacekeeper who fired in self defense, the U.N. said. An investigation is underway.
The cholera outbreak, which was confirmed last month in northwest Haiti, has killed 1,034 of the 16,799 people who had been hospitalized with the disease, the Ministry of Public Health reported.
It has been confirmed in seven of the country's 10 departments.
So far, the government has been keeping track of the outcome only for those patients who have sought treatment in hospitals.
"We are now trying to ramp up the collection of data from the communities so that we can get a more realistic figure," Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator Nigel Fisher told reporters Monday at the United Nations in a teleconference call from Port-au-Prince. "We expect to have, once that data comes in, a significant increase in recorded cases."
But counting the deaths that occur in the community will be difficult, said Pan American Health Organization spokesman Dan Epstein.
He noted that care is being provided by "tons of NGOs," each with their own hospitals and health centers. "We're trying to integrate everything so we have one main source of information for Haiti, and that's a real challenge."
The government was trying to halt the spread of rumors and to educate the populace via radio and television programs about how to stem the spread of the disease, which experts say is relatively easy to treat through oral-rehydration therapy, and to prevent, through good hygiene.
Both are often in short supply in much of Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest country. Its already fragile infrastructure was worsened during last January's earthquake, which killed more than 200,000 people. Since then, more than 1 million people have been living in makeshift camps in and around the capital.
Still, many of the camps are equipped with latrines and most people in the camps are getting clean, chlorinated water, Fisher said. "Our concern has been, I must say, less for the camps than it has been for the slums," he added, citing the Cite Soleil slum in the capital as an example. It has neither latrines nor access to clean water, ripe conditions for the spread of the disease. "It is moving more rapidly in the slums than in the camps," he said.
Despite the dire conditions and the mounting death count, he said, "the government strategy, which we support at the moment, is to look at ways in which the (November 28) elections can go ahead -- even with the situation of cholera."
Planning has begun on how to disinfect polling booths between voters, he said. The situation has gone far beyond one of health or sanitation, he said. "It's an issue, obviously, of national security."
Efforts are under way to get 10,000 to 12,000 more "cholera beds" in place, and plans are being put in place to transport the sickest people to treatment centers, which some residents don't want, he said. "One of the demonstrations in Port-au-Prince was against the transport of sick people from a triage center to a cholera treatment center," he said.
The government has asked Haiti's mayors to handle the disposition of bodies, but city authorities need help on how to do that, he said.
The team leader in Haiti for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's anti-cholera effort said the agency determined that the strain of the bacteria is found not only in South Asia but elsewhere. "This is not an uncommon strain," Dr. Jordan Tappero told CNN in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince. "It's around the world."
He described the bacteria, orginally found in the Artibonite River in the country's northern region, as "like a hitchhiker," having arrived in Haiti through contaminated food, water, or in an infected individual who may have had no symptoms.
"Trying to figure out who did it and what country they came from, I think, is extremely challenging to do, probably not possible," Tappero said. "What we should focus on, as we have been, is preventing deaths."
Those prevention efforts include training health care workers, few of whom have experience treating patients who may be losing up to a liter of water per hour. "It requires some training" to manage them well, he said.
The goal, he added, is to get mortality to less than 1 percent, "and we're not there yet." Indeed, as of Tuesday, the death rate among hospitalized patients with cholera was 3.9 percent nationwide, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
The United Nations, which has appealed to international donors for $164 million in aid, said it anticipates as many as 200,000 Haitians will be sickened with cholera over the next six to 12 months.
Symptoms of the acute, bacterial illness, which is caused by drinking tainted water, can be mild or even nonexistent. But sometimes they can be severe: leg cramps, profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause rapid loss of body fluids and lead to dehydration, shock and death.
CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this story.


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Can any bassoonist play my favourite song?
Professional bassoonists will often take requests, but you will need to give them plenty of notice. Please also keep in mind that bassoonists may ask for an small additional fee to prepare songs that aren't already on their song list. You can view the bassoonist's song list on their Encore profile.