text:
Gavin Rossdale is consistently one of the funniest and most open guys in rock. And here's the proof: I recently sat down with the Bush frontman, 45, to talk about reuniting with the '90s band after 10 years (their latest disc, Sea Of Memories, is out now), plus his uber-cool wife Gwen Stefani, 41, and their equally with-it tots Kingston, 5, and Zuma, 3.
US: What's it like being back with Bush?
GR: It's just fantastic. I'm finally back in the ring with both hands untied, and I'm back with the frosting on my cake. The cool of my beer is back.
US: What led to the decision to reunite?
GR: I've been waiting so patiently for this perfect reunion and I tried to do a solo record and it didn't work… I felt like I'd waited long enough, sort of the grace period for the reunion had expired. I just decided to just go for it and I thought that if I really wanted to have as much fun as possible making music I should do it under Bush rather than anything else.
US: How did you guys decide what direction to go in with the sound?
GR: I had to make it so that you could play that record to somebody who'd never heard Bush before, and they could legitimately fall in love with a band. That was the intent. It is also mindful of how we got there and how it was and what people expect from Bush… You should do one foot in the history of Bush and one foot forward, and that way we remain current and vital to ourselves.
US: Was it hard for the band to pick back up and make music?
GR: No, the reason for the hiatus was just the fact that one guy didn't wanna tour, and that puts a kink in your armor. How can you be a rock band and not tour?
US: How have you been able to balance show business with your family life?
GR: I just accept that those are the sacrifices you make and it's inevitable that anyone who has kids makes sacrifices… And my kids get the benefit of me working at home at the studio… Nothing's perfect and everything has its price. But I think that I will want to instill the value in them of applying yourself and the value of sacrifice, and what it takes.
US: How do you juggle brutal tour schedules with Gwen?
GR: We muddle our way through it. It's just about the communication and also just the space. The one thing that's always been so good for us is to understand each other's timetables and commitments and responsibilities. She's in a huge, high-powered, creative set-up with her band and she's making a great record, and I can confirm it's great. But that takes time and effort, and no one wants to leave their kids for work.. Too much in this world is, people assume that things come naturally, when I think it's an essential life lesson to learn that it takes trying, try again, try again, it takes reworking it, it takes a lot of effort, it's not just a life of dilettante.
US: How do you guys also make time for each other?
GR: I'm so lucky. You just try and give people enough space… It's a mystery to me and all the friends I grew up with — they look at me and laugh. They say, "You're the last person we thought was gonna be in this situation!' But what can I tell you is I married up.
US: How are your kids?
GR: Kingston's been on tour with me, so he's been out this whole month with me, so that's been amazing and very grounding. I never ever thought about being a musician and having my kids on the stage and I never anticipated what a thrill that is
US: Will Kingston and Zuma follow in your footsteps?
GR: I think that they both have a lot of passion for music and playing and drums and loud noises. Kingston gets bored at shows. He's seen enough, but he likes the big ones. I mean any parent would dig the idea of their kids seeing them when they go to work.
US: Do they take after you or Gwen?
GR: You want them to take after you when they do things well. When they do anything bad you wanna blame the other genes, but really they're so phenomenally their own people. That's almost the most incredible part of it, that you can see elements of both of us in both of them… I'm happy to say they're got really good, funny characters and they're polite.
US: How duo you feel about being a sex symbol? What does Gwen think about this?
GR: Obviously it's completely flattering. It's just a statement that you have made, but for me to have any comment over that is just really precarious. It's a compliment, thank you. I don't know what to say, it's very hard to comment and not sound like an idiot.
By Ian Drew for Us Weekly. To read more of Ian's blog, click here.


text:
For more than 50 years microbiologists have warned against using antibiotics to fatten up farm animals. The practice, they argue, threatens human health by turning farms into breeding grounds of drug-resistant bacteria. Farmers responded that restricting antibiotics in livestock would devastate the industry and significantly raise costs to consumers. We now have empirical data that should resolve this debate. Since 1995 Denmark has enforced progressively tighter rules on the use of antibiotics in the raising of pigs, poultry and other livestock. In the process, it has shown that it is possible to protect human health without hurting farmers.
Farmers in many countries use antibiotics in two key ways: (1) at full strength to treat animals that are sick and (2) in low doses to fatten meat-producing livestock or to prevent veterinary illnesses. (It is illegal in the U.S. to sell milk for human consumption from dairy cattle treated with antibiotics.) Although even the proper use of antibiotics can inadvertently lead to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, the habit of using a low or subtherapeutic dose is a formula for disaster: the treatment provides just enough antibiotic to kill some but not all bacteria. The germs that survive are typically those that happen to bear genetic mutations for resisting the antibiotic. They then reproduce and exchange genes with other microbial resisters. Because bacteria are found literally everywhere, resistant strains produced in animals eventually find their way into people as well. You could not design a better system for guaranteeing the spread of antibiotic resistance.
The data from multiple studies over the years support the conclusion that low doses of antibiotics in animals increase the number of drug-resistant microbes in both animals and people. As Joshua M. Sharfstein, a principal deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, told a U.S. congressional subcommittee last summer, "You actually can trace the specific bacteria around and ... find that the resistant strains in humans match the resistant strains in the animals." And this science is what led Denmark to stop subtherapeutic dosing of chickens, pigs and other farm animals.
Although the transition unfolded smoothly in the poultry industry, the average weight of pigs fell in the first year. But after Danish farmers started leaving sows and piglets together a few weeks longer to bolster the littermates' immune systems naturally, the animals' weights jumped back up, and the number of pigs per litter increased as well. The lesson is that improving animal husbandry—making sure that pens, stalls and cages are properly cleaned and giving animals more room or time to mature—offsets the initial negative impact of limiting antibiotic use. Today Danish industry reports that productivity is higher than before. Meanwhile reports of antibiotic resistance in Danish people are mixed, which shows—as if we needed reminding—that there are no quick fixes.
Lest anyone argue that Denmark is too small to offer a reasonable parallel to the U.S., consider that it is the world's largest exporter of pork. Like U.S. farmers, Danes raise pigs on an intensive, industrial scale. If they can figure out how to limit antibiotic use while actually increasing agricultural productivity, then so can Americans.
The American Medical Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Public Health Association, a previous FDA commissioner and many others have advised the U.S. to follow suit. Last year the FDA published new guidelines calling for "judicious use" of antibiotics. Yet it ultimately left the decision on exactly when and where to use antibiotics up to individual farmers. That laissez-faire standard is not good enough, particularly when the health of the rest of the population is at stake.
Of course, the way veterinary antibiotics are used is not the only cause of human drug-resistant infections. Careless use of the drugs in people also contributes to the problem. But agricultural use is still a major contributing factor. Every day that passes brings new evidence that we are in danger of losing effective antibiotic protection against many of the most dangerous bacteria that cause human illness [see "The Enemy Within," by Maryn McKenna=]. The technical issues are solvable. Denmark's example proves that it is possible to cut antibiotic use on farms without triggering financial disaster. In fact, it might provide a competitive advantage. Stronger measures to deprive drug-resistant bacteria of their agricultural breeding grounds simply make scientific, economic and common sense.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"Retired Navy Lt. John Finn—the first American to receive the nation's highest military award for defending sailors under a torrent of gunfire during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—died yesterday. He was 100."
See here: http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20100528_Medal_of_Honor_recipient_defended_sailors_during_Pearl_Harbor_attack.html
Monday, May 31, 2010
Rome Procession with Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Holy Mass and procession at Roman Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere. The icon is kept in the Basilica. The rector led the procession.
Empress of the Americas, pray for us!
Thanks, Barbara!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Fr. Foster's Summer Latin 2010
As has been common knowledge for the last few months, Summer Latin is going ahead in Milwaukee, and interested persons need to contact Fr. Reggie to request the entrance test. The address to write to is here: http://de-tribulis.blogspot.com/.
Note, though, that Summer Latin starts in early June (just about now). Cutting it very fine to start making enquiries at this point!
Fr. Reggie said he's had about SEVENTY applications and the applicants have a very high average level of Latinity (the best it's ever been, he said).
Note, though, that Summer Latin starts in early June (just about now). Cutting it very fine to start making enquiries at this point!
Fr. Reggie said he's had about SEVENTY applications and the applicants have a very high average level of Latinity (the best it's ever been, he said).
First Ever Official Italian Chapter at Annual Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage
St. Philip Neri chapter from Rome.
Forza, ragazzi!
Thanks, Agnese!
Join them in 2011: http://www.nd-chretiente.com/index-eng.php.
The Catholic Artist in Italy: Gloria from Belgium
Gloria's ancestors were artists.
Over twenty years ago she moved to Italy and began to paint non-stop.
May flowers in Lazio!
Pro-Life Efforts in Italy
Papal Arms with Tiara
Papal Arms with Tiara
Resplendence/Brilliance of Antique Vestments
Mons. Guido Marini
Dr. Alice von Hildebrand in Rome
A great honor to spend time with Alice.
Support her latest effort: http://www.hildebrandlegacy.org/.
Her husband, Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand, was a convert to the Faith and the greatest Catholic intellectual of the xxth century.
"Dietrich von Hildebrand is a twentieth century Doctor of the Church."
-Venerable Pius XII
Support her latest effort: http://www.hildebrandlegacy.org/.
Her husband, Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand, was a convert to the Faith and the greatest Catholic intellectual of the xxth century.
"Dietrich von Hildebrand is a twentieth century Doctor of the Church."
-Venerable Pius XII
As the Glorious Legends of Old Retire (Who Will Replace Them?)
Rev. Dr. Al Wilder, O.P. on his last day of class after teaching the sacred science in Rome for thirty-seven years.
A legend has retired and the students honored him with a surprise thank you.
A convert to Catholicism he graduated from Harvard and entered the Order of Preachers to become a Thomist. A wizard at philosophy and theology he remained faithful and through the long and difficult years he taught thousands of Rome students the Faith.
He was one bright light who shined upon many: res accedent luminis rebus (one light shines upon others).
See here: http://vitaperegrinatioest.blogspot.com/.
Thanks for the pic, Mary Ann!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Papal Arms with Tiara
Papal Arms with Tiara
Papal Arms with Tiara on Swiss Guard Flag
Image from the Internet: http://www.shoutsinthepiazza.blogspot.com/
Friday, May 28, 2010
Papal Arms with Tiara
Image from the Internet.
Why is the tiara so important on the papal arms as a symbol of Christian unity?
"In order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, He placed blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and fellowship."
-Vatican Council II (Lumen Gentium, 18).
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Rome Tomb of Blessed Apostles Philip and James the Less
Roman Basilica of XII Apostles.
For years the Americans in Rome were ordained here as the American College was just around the corner on the Via dell' Umiltà.
Today Philip Gerard Johnson was prayed for here:
S. Philippus Apostolus
Rooms of Saint Philip Neri (Sacellum S. Philippi)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Rome Tomb of Saint Philip Neri
Decorated for his feast day today.
A lovely chapel: Templa quam dilecta! (How lovely are Thy temples!).
Today Philip Gerard Johnson was prayed for here:
Old Confessional of Don Pacelli (Future Pius XII)
After ordination in 1899 his first assignment was to this parish, Rome's Chiesa Nuova. This was his confessional box, still in use even today.
Relics of Pope Saint Pius V
Some really special relics of Pope Saint Pius V ended up in the hands of Saint Philip Neri. He and his Oratorians have preserved them and they remain some of the best kept. These can be seen at the Chiesa Nuova in Rome.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Maintain the Tiara on the Papal Stemma
Mos pro lege (usage has the force of law).
Mores are customary usages (unwritten laws). Such was always the case with the tiara on the papal coat-of-arms. Today there is some unecessary confusion as we sometimes see the mitre put in place of the tiara [as seen here] which clearly comes from a confused idea of collegiality.
With the death of Pope John Paul and the quick election of Pope Benedict the new arms of the newly elected Pontiff was printed on a square of white with no tiara and was simply attached over the former embroidered arms of tiara, keys and crest of Pope John Paul [as depicted in photo].
It has been five years already. Commission a new drapery with the new arms of the newly elected Pope embroidered with tiara, keys and crest and tell people why (cf. Lumen Gentium Chapter III: The Hierarchial Structure of the Church).
Study Abroad Program in Rome
"The city of Rome is the most important centre of ecclesiastical studies in the world."
-Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski,
Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
Catholic Pilgrims
Where to Swim When in Rome: Santa Marinella
Monday, May 24, 2010
Rome Sunset from the Mons Caelius
View from the rooftop terrace of the Passonist seminary atop the Caelian Hill.
These ancient Latin words come to mind:
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei (the heavens are telling the glory of God)!
Rome Quotes
"As Father Z says: 'minutatim' (brick by brick)!"
-Rome Priest
-Rome Priest
Prayers for Philip
Philip is a legend.
A fine seminarian.
Please pray for his health: http://philipgerardjohnson.blogspot.com/.
Let us pray for a miracle, Deo volente.
Caelitus mihi vires (my strength is from heaven).
A fine seminarian.
Please pray for his health: http://philipgerardjohnson.blogspot.com/.
Let us pray for a miracle, Deo volente.
Caelitus mihi vires (my strength is from heaven).
Better Tiara Than Mitre on Papal Coat-of-Arms (cf. Vatican II's Christus Dominus)
Tiara: symbol of Christian unity.
Why the tiara and not the mitre?
This is what the Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church has to say:
"In this Church of Christ the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs. Hence by divine institution he enjoys supreme, full, immediate, and universal authority over the care of souls. Since he is pastor of all the faithful, his mission is to provide for the common good of the universal Church and for the good of the individual churches. He holds, therefore, a primacy of ordinary power over all the churches."
Commentary by Fr. Walter M. Abbott, S.J.: "The terms describing different levels of authority fall into three categories: (1) that of the Pope; (2) that of the college of bishops; (3) that of individual bishops in their own dioceses. The Pope in his own right has authority that is supreme - over all the churches; full - over everything pertaining to them; immediate - over all members, including bishops, without intermediary; and ordinary - by the very reason of his office (not delegated). The college of bishops, together with its head the Pope and never without him, has this same authority over the universal Church. In his own diocese the local bishop has the same power, but it is particular to a given diocese, and subordinate (as Karl Rahner put it) to the suprme authority because the universal Church as an event is manifested in a particular diocese, and the bishop embodies the universal Church whose unity is embodied in the Pope."
Earlier Version of the Tiara
Rome Students to Make Holy Hour of Reparation
May 29, 2010
Altar of the Chair
St. Peter's Basilica
10 am: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
11 am: Holy Hour with meditation by Mons. Charles Scicluna
11.45 am: Solemn Benediction
See you there!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Pentecost in Rome
Pantheon: in a once pagan temple, now Christian worship.
Dew of the Holy Spirit through the world's largest masonry vault while the faithful chant Veni Sancte Spiritus.
From Rome's Beloved Shrine of Divino Amore: Usus Antiquior
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Solemn High Mass celebrated by Mons. Guido Pozzo, segretario of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, with faithful from in and around Rome.
Many thanks, Barbara!
FSSP in URBE
Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri: http://www.fssp.org/.
What a Cardinal's Palace Looks Like
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Bean Brand Foods introduces a four-flavor variety line of chips made from beans. Beanitos are gluten free, kosher, high in fiber, and have a low glycemic index. One serving contains four grams of protein, and each flavor is high in fiber. The flavors include Black Bean Chips, Pinto Bean and Flax Chips, Black Bean Chipotle BBQ Chips, and Pinto Bean and Flax Cheddar Cheese Chips.
3006 Bee Caves Rd., Ste. A-315, Austin, TX 78746, www.beanitos.com
Published in WholeFoods Magazine, July 2011


text:
Provided by: nvram-wakeup_1.1-1_amd64
nvram-wakeup - a (small) program that can read and write the WakeUp time in the BIOS.
nvram-wakeup [-l|--syslog] [-D|--debug] [-A|--directisa] [-N|--nowrite] [-d|--disable] [-s|--settime time] [-C|--configfile filename] [-I|--iwname string] [-v|--version] [-h|--help]
nvram-wakeup is a (small) program that can read and write the WakeUp time in the BIOS (via /dev/nvram on kernels >= 2.4.6 or using direct I/O). On this WakeUp time the computer will be powered on automatically from the soft-off state.
If run without options, nvram-wakeup will read the current wakeup settings from the NVRAM and print them on stdout. -l, --syslog This option will let nvram-wakeup log all output via syslogd to the system log instead of stdout/stderr. This option should always be the first one. -D, --debug This option enables printing debug messages. -A, --directisa Use direct I/O port access to access the nvram instead of /dev/nvram. This option must be used if the configuration option upper_method is set. The device /dev/rtc is still used. WARNING: If you use the option --directisa and some other programm tries to access nvram and/or rtc at the same time, you might screw up all your nvram (i.e. all CMOS settings). -N, --nowrite This option disables writing into the nvram and rtc devices. But all the values for the bytes are calculated. Write them down and go set the same date/time via BIOS Setup, run nvram-wakeup and see if the values you written down correspond to the values set by the BIOS. -s time, --settime=time Specify the time on which the computer should be up and running. The time is specified as a time_t value, i.e., number of seconds since epoch (Jan 1 1970, 00:00:00). See EXAMPLES below on how to set a "human readable" wakeup time. Set time to 0 to disable the wakeup feature. You can specify multiple -s|--settime options on the command line, as far as they all have the same time value. See EXAMPLES below. -d, --disable A synonym for --settime=0 -C filename, --configfile=filename Read mainboard configuration from configuration file filename. See nvram-wakeup.conf(5) for information on the syntax of the file. See BOARD CONFIGURATION below for general information on getting board configurations. -I name, --iwname=name If the DMI entries of your mainboard are broken, you may specify a DMI infowriter name here. (it's the name of one of the functions from nvram-wakeup-mb.c) If you specify --configfile as well as the --iwname option, then --iwname is ignored. See BOARD CONFIGURATION below for general information on getting board configurations. -w minutes, --wakeupbefore=minutes Specify how many minutes before the programmed wakeuptime the computer should wake up. The default is to start 5 minutes before the programmed wakeup time. -h, --help Print a help message and exit. -v, --version Display version and author information.
By default, the mainboard is autodetected by reading DMI information from the BIOS. If the DMI entries are broken, you can specify the name of the infowriter to be used with the --iwname option. This only works if the board configuration is aleready compiled into the program. The list of existing infowriters can be found in the source. Example: On my Biostar M6VCG the whole DMI entry is broken (maybe a BIOS update would help, but I never tried it), but the configuration of the board is known, so only the autodetection doesn't work. Thus look up (in boards.yaml) the name of the infowriter to beused, which is 'bio_m6vcg' and call nvram-wakeup --iwname bio_m6vcg If nvram-wakeup doesn't know anything about your board, you can put the board configuration into a file and pass the file name via the --configfile option to nvram- wakeup. Look nvram-wakeup.conf(5) for more information on the configuration file syntax. If you specify --configfile as well as the --iwname option, then --iwname is ignored.
You can specify multiple -d or -s options at the command line, but they must specify the same time, e.g. nvram-wakeup --settime=0 -s0 -s 0 -d -ddds0 # is O.K. nvram-wakeup -s1002722247 -s1002722247 # is O.K. nvram-wakeup -s1002722247 -s1002722248 # is not O.K. nvram-wakeup -s1002722247 --disable # is not O.K. If you want the machine to be up and running in 20 minutes, call nvram-wakeup -s $((`date +%s` + 20 * 60)) If you want the machine to be up and running at 18:30 today, call nvram-wakeup -s `date +%s -d "18:30"` Note that this is really "today" so if you run this after 18:30, the time will be in the past. If you want the machine to be up and running on a particular day, at a particular time, say at 18:30 on Apr. 23rd, call nvram-wakeup -s `date +%s -d "Apr 23 18:30"` For "tomorrow" you can use something like that: nvram-wakeup -s $((`date +%s -d "18:30"` + 60*60*24))
0 Successful program execution. The new date and time were set successfully. 1 Successful program execution. The computer must be rebooted for the changes to take effect. 2 An error occured. Something went wrong.
/dev/nvram NVRAM character device. This one is used for reading/writing the nvram values if the command line option --directisa is not used. /dev/rtc RTC character device. This one is used to determine if the RTC clock is running localtime or UTC/GMT. Furthermore, some motherboards use the RTC alarm time for the wakeup feature. /dev/mem Memory character device. This one is used to get DMI information for board autodetection. nvram-wakeup.conf Configuration file for a mainboard not supported out-of-the-box. See nvram- wakeup.conf(5) for information on the syntax of the file.
Written by Sergei Haller <firstname.lastname@example.com>.
Report bugs at the bug tracking system (see HOMEPAGE) or on the mailing list nvram-wakeup- email@example.com
Copyright © 2001-2004 Sergei Haller. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA


text:
"And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches."— 2 Kings 3:16,17
The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing.
Here was a case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are at their wits' end; they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found.
Still the people were to make a believing preparation for the divine blessing; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them.
This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a singular bestowal of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah's case did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious manner the pools were filled.
The Lord has his own sovereign modes of action: he is not tied to manner and time as we are, but doeth as he pleases among the sons of men. It is ours thankfully to receive from him, and not to dictate to him.
We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply–there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to the armies of the Lord.
What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which thou art so willing to bestow.


text:
Increment the savings. Our family of 6 is now under $300 per month for food. We eliminate or change one thing at a time such as grinding wheat, reducing cold cereal from 5 times a week to one.
Ice cream as a treat instead of a staple. Buy oats, wheat, and honey in bulk, etc.
Over a year or two, changing one thing at a time really adds up.


text:
The Fascinating, Exciting, Mind-Numbing Life Of An Extra
We don't usually feature reader/listener blog posts here at /Film (although I do hope that will change in the future). However, /Film reader, /Filmcast listener, and Tobolowsky Files intern Andrew Goldfarb recently wrote a post about his work as an extra/background artist over the past four years that I could not resist re-posting here. It's informative, funny, harrowing, and kind of riveting.
If you've ever wondered about the fascinating life of an extra, read on. Andrew's post was originally published at his IGN blog. It has been republished here with his permission.
For the past four years, I've worked full-time as a background actor in film and television. I went to school at the University of Connecticut. At the end of my junior year in 2007, there were rumors that the fourth Indiana Jones movie would be filming in New Haven at the Yale campus. With no idea what a disaster the film would eventually end up being, my friends and I excitedly discussed the possibility of catching a glimpse of it filming.
I spent that summer at my parents' house, and in early June my dad showed me an article in the New Haven Register. It announced an open casting call in New Haven in search of a few hundred people to work as extras in Indiana Jones IV. A week later, I found myself on the streets of New Haven at 6 a.m. near the front of a line with thousands of people in it.
I should clarify that I wasn't in school for acting at the time. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted writing to be a part of it. I began my college career as a Journalism major, but soon switched to Film Studies (the closest thing we had to a screenwriting major) and finally settled on English after my advisor told me a broader degree would help me get a job. While I was hugely interested in film and television, acting had never entered into the equation.
My Indiana Jones wardrobe
So, when I was chosen on the spot at the casting call, I had no idea that, for better or worse, it was the beginning of a career. At that time, I'd been chosen as a non-union extra. Working as an extra is under the jurisdiction of the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of TV & Radio Artists (AFTRA), two unions that I've since become a member of, but had never heard of at the time.
Non-union extras are on the lowest rung of a very tall ladder. Without being in the union, extra work is grueling and awful. You earn about $85 for a twelve-hour day and only receive an extremely small amount of overtime if you work longer. You aren't eligible for health insurance, and you don't get paid for meal penalties, wardrobe changes, props, make-up or any of the other benefits afforded to union actors. Basically, not being in the union makes it impossible to do this kind of work full-time.
Luckily, Indiana Jones was an extremely high-budget production, and those of us who worked on it were able to receive SAG waivers. Films and television shows must have a minimum number of SAG members on set. If not enough are available, then non-union actors can get waivers to basically be a union member for the day. Once you've earned three of these waivers, you're eligible to join the union after paying a fee. In big markets like New York and L.A., people can work for a decade and only receive one waiver. During my time on Indiana Jones, I received all three.
My TV debut smiling & clapping in Oprah's For One More Day
That summer was a particularly busy one for filming in New England, and after Indiana Jones, I was able to work on College Road Trip, Righteous Kill and Oprah's TV movie For One More Day, among others. It was the most I'd earned in a single summer, and I went into my senior year with some good stories and every intention of moving on to my career in writing.
The following January, I decided to use my waivers to join SAG. It was my final semester of college, and while I still had no plans to act, I figured a SAG card was at least an interesting resume entry, and my days on set had more than paid for the entrance fee. I soon became a card-carrying union member and subsequently never shut up about it.
As graduation rolled around, that SAG card became as much of a crutch as a bragging right. Each time my mom reminded me that I'd need insurance after graduation, I reminded her that I could get it through the union. When she argued with me that moving in with friends in New York was a bad idea until I had a job, I'd tell her I could immediately get work as an extra to get started, and then I'd have some money to transition. My union membership became a sort of safety net, and as a lazy college kid with senioritis, I was more than happy to fall into it. I graduated in May of 2008 and didn't apply to a single job that summer.
After a few months of commuting back and forth from my parents' house in Connecticut and sleeping on my friend's couch in Brooklyn, I finally moved into my first New York apartment in September of 2008. By the end of the month, I had my first job in New York City: a day on the first season of Fringe.
Getting work as an extra usually requires a site like Casting Networks, where you can upload your headshots, resume, and measurements. Casting companies list jobs and you can submit to each individual job by clicking and submitting your info. If you're right for the part, you'll get a call, which usually means one day of work. Luckily, I was called early on by Gossip Girl and quickly became a core high school student.
On the right as a student on Gossip Girl
Being a "core" extra means recurring as the same character and getting consistent work. Most casting directors take continuity very seriously, so if you portray a bike messenger one day, they don't want to bring you back as a lawyer for the same episode. It's a weird rule since we usually end up out of focus and unrecognizable anyway, but the idea is that if anyone noticed, it would ruin the illusion. Being on a show as core can mean three to five days a week of work, which is exactly what I got from Gossip Girl.
In-between Gossip gigs, I also began getting stand-in work. Of the many times actors rehearse a scene with the director, one is called a marking rehearsal. This is when crew members use tape to mark where the actors will stand during a scene. A stand-in is roughly the same height, weight and complexion as the actor, and after the rehearsal, while the actor goes through make-up or heads back to their trailer, the stand-in will be on the actor's mark so the crew can continue to adjust camera angles and lighting even without the actual actor in the room.
Me in the king's throne on the set of the NBC show Kings
As an average height white guy, I pretty quickly began lining up stand-in jobs for perps or victims on the various Law & Order spinoffs. I joined AFTRA in late 2008, which helped me get jobs I wasn't eligible for before. I also quickly learned that being fairly nondescript was a good thing, since I could play just about anything if you put me in the right uniform.
2008 and 2009 were by far my busiest years, and I loved it. I'd be in a good mood even after 90 hour work weeks. I was seeing amazing things and meeting amazing people. There were weeks where I'd work five days and be in each of the five different NYC boroughs, and I was learning how to get around the city much faster than I expected to. Even though I didn't mind it at the time, this was the beginning of the absolute destruction of my sleep schedule.
To the left of the tree as a 1970's onlooker in Life On Mars. The wig was itchy.
When you get called to be an extra, you're usually not told where you'll be filming or when you'll need to be there. That information comes the night before, usually in the form of a voicemail that you call into. Your call time can be anything. I've worked days that were 4 p.m. to 9 a.m., 5:30 a.m. to midnight, and even just a standard 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., occasionally. Your hours are completely undefined, meaning there's no minimum or maximum. Some days could be one scene and only last a couple hours, or other days could approach the 20 hour mark.
Pay for union actors is scaled based on the length of your day. Depending on whether you're working for SAG or AFTRA and whether you're a stand-in or just an extra, you make roughly $150 (give or take $10) over 8. This means that if you work for any amount of time up to 8 hours, you get $150, which breaks down to $18.75 per hour for an eight hour day (or more if the day is shorter). If you work beyond the eight hour mark up to ten hours, you're making time and a half ($28.13 per hour) for those two hours. Between hours ten and sixteen you're making double time, or $37.50 per hour. In the rare cases where a day exceeds sixteen hours, you enter golden time, which is the full $150 per hour from that point on.
Above Robert Downey Jr.'s fist as a cop in Sherlock Holmes
In 2009 and 2010, I did hundreds of single days on various films and TV shows. I was also given a few other recurring jobs. I continued to work on Gossip Girl even after the characters graduated high school, now playing a college student. For most of season four, I was a recurring page on 30 Rock. I was Macaulay Culkin's stand-in for the run of NBC's show Kings and spent two weeks in a courtroom on the James Franco movie Howl. My most recent core job was two months last summer as a busboy on the Will Ferrell-produced Comedy Central show Big Lake.
As I mentioned earlier, many casting directors don't like to cast you in a project you've already appeared in, so I've worked hard to keep as few credits as possible on my IMDb page. This makes it hard to keep a running list of every single thing I've been in, but if it was filmed in New York between late 2008 and late 2010, I probably worked on it.
Me as Ted Danson's assistant on Damages
Once 2011 began, I made a decision. Working as an extra has been fascinating and I've had some amazing experiences, but it's time to move on. Since every job is on a different set with a different crew, there's never a sense that I'm moving forward or will ever earn any kind of seniority. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, and so it's time to get out while I can.
It's amazing how much a job like this can take over your life. Nearly every piece of clothing I own is in a neutral color with no patterns or logos since that's the kind of wardrobe I needed for work. My sleep schedule, as I mentioned earlier, has been completely destroyed, and it's very rare for me to get more than four hours of unbroken sleep. It's also been impossible for me to make any long-term plans, since I'm never given more than twenty-four or forty-eight hours' notice for work and can't plan ahead.
Out-of-season days have been brutal, too. Many shows shoot during the winter but take place in the summer, meaning long days of exterior shots wearing shorts and t-shirts in thirty degree weather. The opposite also happens, and I've heard far too many stories about extras passing out while wearing heavy winter coats in ninety degree weather.
Me as a sleepy jury member in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Most of all, I find myself starving to be producing something. For as many hours as I've put into this job, all I have to show for it are a few funny stories and some screenshots. It's been nice being paid to stand or walk behind famous people, but it's time for me to have some kind of actual output.
So what's next? I'm not sure, but it will involve writing. I've been applying to as many internships and freelance positions as possible in hopes of building a resume, and with any luck I hope to be actively writing (and being paid for it) by the end of this year. While I'm undeniably going through a quarter-life crisis, I'm excited by the idea that I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing in a year, and at least I have some good stories to fall back on (some of which may be coming to this blog in the future).
If you're interested in seeing more screenshots of my extra work, check out my album on facebook and for more updates be sure to follow me on twitter.


text:
Ryan Leaf moved to state prison
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf is in prison after threatening a staffer and violating his therapeutic plan at a drug treatment center.
Leaf was serving nine months of a five-year sentence at the Nexus Treatment Center after pleading guilty to burglary and criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
Montana Department of Corrections documents released Thursday say Leaf told his roommate he wanted to drag a program staffer by his hair. Leaf also wrote that he wanted to throw the staffer against the wall and smash his glass into the man's head.
Adult Community Corrections Division administrator Pam Bunke writes Leaf was too great a security risk to leave in a community setting.
A disciplinary hearing was held Jan. 9. A hearings officer found him guilty and said Leaf is not right for a therapeutic environment.


text:
|'The shadow over Innsmouth' by Mushstone (deviantART)
Yeah, sure, seems like a sweet deal, right?
Anyway, the progeny of this forced breeding first seemed like relatively normal humans, but as they aged they slowly began to change. By middle age their eyes became large, bulging and lidless, their skin lost its hair, turning scaly and their hands and feet became clawed and webbed.
|For a bit of fun, I painted one of the figures a bit preppy, with a blue sweater with the Miskatonic University crest. :)
The change concludes near old age when the hybrid creature makes its last transformation into a fully fledged Deep One. All the while this physical transformation is 'percolating', the Deep One hybrid follows a similar change in character, becoming increasingly depraved and evil as time wears on.
As a final 'gift', the newly transformed creature is taken back by the Deep Ones to their city on the sea floor to serve as immortal stewards to Father Dagon, Mother Hydra and the Great Cthulhu.
So what you have is one of the first pulp eldritch horror classics and a great, wonderfully creepy little read.
|Deep Ones from Strange Aeons
Next up: Some human pulp adventurers to act as counterpoint to these aquatic fiends.


text:
We always believed size is relative; what might be a lavish, generous home for some ,might seem like a modest, mundane affair to others. A backyard swimming pool is not too different in this regard — those who don't have one, often crave for at least a small pool that allows to cool off on a hot summer day. Adding a petite pool to your small backyard shouldn't be a challenging and complex affair, but the result will often leave you amazed, as you will discover a brand new hangout place just a few steps away from your living room!
With concepts such as 'staycation' becoming even more popular nowdays, small pools have definitely made way into more and more urban backyards. All you need is a hint of ingenuity, smart planning and just enough space to squeeze in a small pool. From health and fitness to rest and recreation, you will soon find that this tiny wonder will change your entire life.
Clean and Contemporary
Since most modern homes adopt a simple, clean design with straight lines and cubic forms ruling the interior, the landscape around your house should be no different. Let the small pool seem like an extension of the home and shape a lovely deck that acts as a transitional zone between the edifice and the pool. Even though you might not be swimming away in a giant lap pool, the classic rectangular design still gives you the satisfaction of having a beautiful pool in the backyard, even if it is far smaller in dimensions. The rectangular, in-ground pool is a classic that never fails, and you can start with one that is as small as 9 by 18 feet.
Fall in Love with Curves!
Not a conformist at heart? Not to worry, as there are plenty of other options that go beyond the classic rectangle. Circular pools, those with semi-circular designs and ones in irregular shapes with cool twists and turns are becoming more popular with each day. Instead of offering a sterile, modern vibe, these pools (when combined with natural stone and the right canopy) can mimic the dreamy ambiance of a tropical retreat right in your backyard! The exotic design along with some amazing lighting will also help you look past the fact that the pool is relatively small in size. Much like in the world of fashion, curves are definitely sexy in the world of small pools!
Think Depth!
I can already hear some of our readers asking us how to fit a pool in a backyard that is even smaller than those showcased in the inspirations above. Well, we have got two words for you all – plunge pool. Plunge pools require very little square footage and rely more on depth than on width and length. Smart modern designers and contractors have come up with several ways that you can easily add a plunge pool to the backyard without worrying about compromising on deck area. While some might prefer a Jacuzzi instead of a dipping pool, we strongly suggest you opt for the latter. They are easy to maintain, aid in improving your health and of course, allow you to relax in style.
Holiday at Home
Do not just think about the small pool while planning your backyard. Work out how it fits into your overall lifestyle, how much deck space you really need for all those summer and fall parties, and how the style of the pool reflects that of the home itself. Even a petite pool does not stand in isolation, so think about a matching deck area, maybe an outdoor dining space or barbecue area for some great family evenings, and even a pool house if you can afford the luxury. A small pool will definitely transform the backyard into a far more happening spot.


text:
Prehistoric Lines Across Malta Defy Explanation: The Cart Ruts of Misrah Ghar il-Kbir
The islands of Malta and Gozo in the Maltese archipelago are scarred with hundreds, if not thousands, of parallel lines seemingly cut deep into the stone. These ancient grooves have puzzled experts for centuries. Some of the strange tracks deliberately plunge off cliffs or continue off land and into the ocean. Who made these enigmatic tracks, and why?
The tracks are gouged into the rock, crisscrossing the islands, most notably at Misrah Ghar il-Kbir, a prehistoric cliff site on Malta. Like the impressive Nazca lines of Peru , or giant stone circles in the Middle East , the mysterious nature of the tracks has confounded researchers for years. However, unlike the desert markings done for ceremonial, or a divinely-directed purpose, the so-called "cart ruts" of Malta are thought to be indications of transportation or industry—railways of the ancient world.
The enigmatic cart ruts of Malta, at Misrah Ghar il-Kbir or "Clapham Junction". Ronny Siegel/ Flickr
Dubbed cart ruts due to their resemblance to tracks left by carts, it's not known for certain how or why they were made. These clearly man-made ruts are dual channels, parallel grooves etched into the limestone bedrock of the islands. The channels measure about eight to 15 centimeters deep, but can be as deep as 60 centimeters. Width between the tracks extends about 140 centimeters, but not in all instances. The tracks measured at the San Gwann site in Malta are said to be half a meter in depth, making them the deepest to be found.
- The incredible sound effects of Malta's Hypogeum Hal Saflieni
- Exploration into why a rich Temple-building civilization died out on Malta
If correct, "it seems impossible that any vehicle – sled or wheeled – could be dragged along them as the platform/axle would have to be over 1 or 2 meters high," notes an article by CartRutsMalta.com
Some of the ruts are narrow and deep, squared off as if cut with tools, while others are wide, V shaped, and shallow, as if worn away by time and use. Does this indicate different vehicles for different uses, or does it simply mean the tracks have been weather-worn differently?
Wide, flat-bottomed tracks at Malta. Dirk Heitepriem/ Flickr
The purpose of the ruts seem to defy explanation, as some tracks surprisingly travel directly off cliff edges, or up and down very steep ridges, and some even drive off the island and into the sea, continuing underwater.
The ruts are so prevalent at Misrah Ghar il-Kbir that the location has been nicknamed "Clapham Junction" by an Englishman named David Trump. The ruts there are so numerous and seem to cause such a traffic jam that they resemble the complex network of tracks found at the busy railway station switching yard in London, England.
The tangle of tracks at Clapham switching yard, London, England. Tadie88/ Flickr
Cart Ruts in Misrah Ghar il-Kbir, Malta. Wikimedia Commons
Similar types of tracks can be found in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, France and Germany, but they're not of the same origins and were created for different and known purposes. Some of those tracks were built purposefully with masonry, and some of the patterns were caused by natural erosion on wagon tracks. These differences make the Malta tracks unique in the world.
Archaeologists presume the ruts in Malta were made by repeated use of carts, skids or sleds (wheeled or on runners) going over the same route over decades or centuries. It's thought that goods may have been transported using this system. Still others wonder if the deliberate channels were a prehistoric irrigation system stretching across the islands. A less accepted theory suggest the lines served an astronomical purpose.
Further complicating the matter is how the carts were moved. If animals were used to draw the carts, their footprints might be evident between or outside the parallel grooves, but there's no evidence of that. Some researchers thus imagine the carts were pulled or pushed by humans.
It is speculated the lines were left by new settlers who came to Malta from Sicily at the beginning of the Bronze Age, about 2000 B.C. However, Maltese archaeologist Anthony Bonanno theorizes that the ruts are Phoenician constructions, which would date them to the more recent seventh century B.C.
The mysterious lines are connected by some researchers to the amazing temples of Malta. It is thought that the tracks might be the remaining evidence of how the temples were built. Could it be that the sleds were used to transport heavy quarried rock from far off to the temple sites?
The temple sites of Malta and Gozo are famous round the world. The more than 30 stone temple complexes and structures date from 5500 to 2500 B.C. They are said to be the oldest known free standing monuments in the world, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt.
Hagar Qim megalithic site in Malta. Source: BigStockPhoto
One proposed scenario includes the idea that the cart ruts were created during this Temple Period as topsoil was transported to and from sites in order to create nearby fields for growing crops.
Archaeologist Anthony Bonanno believes that the ruts are undoubtedly associated with the temples. He cites the Buskett-area group of tracks, which runs next to the largest and most important quarry in Malta. Bonanno surmises they were intended to transport huge construction blocks from the quarry to a road in ancient times. Not unlike during the construction of Stonehenge where some of the heavy stones were transported as far as 225 kilometers (140 miles), could it have been that certain types of stones were preferred by the Malta temple builders, and thus any means necessary were used to get them to a build site?
The ruts to not seem to have obvious starting or ending points at megalithic temples in Malta, and so this remains only a theory for now.
- 2,700-year-old Phoenician Shipwreck Discovered in Maltese Waters
- Hagar Qim, the Neolithic Temple Complex of Malta
- Megalithic Temples of Malta still the oldest ones in the World
Cart Ruts at Misraћ Gћar il-Kbir, Malta. Wikimedia Commons
It has not been proven that all of the ruts were even caused by heavy loads. A number of tracks seem to be so perfect they might have been cut by hand. Author and journalist Graham Hancock writes, "It is certain, too, that they were not simply worn away in the tough limestone by the passage of cart-wheels over periods of centuries, as many have wrongly theorized; on the contrary, there is no proof whatsoever that cart-wheels ever ran in these ruts - which were initially carved out of the bedrock with the use of tools," in his book "Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization".
So many questions remain surrounding the enigmatic cart ruts of Malta. The channels obviously played an important purpose in the lives of the ancient people who lived there but their significance, and the role they played may never be known—the answers have become a secret lost in time.
The mysterious Cart Ruts of Misrah Ghar il-Kbir. Wikimedia Commons
Featured image: Cart Ruts at Misrah Ghar il-Kbir, Malta. Wikimedia Commons
humanist, 2015. Malta Cart Tracks [Online] Available at: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/malta-cart-tracks
Hirst, K, 2015. Cart Ruts on Malta [Online] Available at: http://archaeology.about.com/od/caterms/qt/cart_ruts_malta.htm
CartRutsMalta.com, 2012. Cart Ruts Malta [Online] Available at: http://www.cartrutsmalta.com/
Dmitri, B. 2014. Prehistory Malta: cart ruts & temples [Online] Available at: http://www.newgeology.com/index.php?lang=en&id=malta_1
Coppens, P. Stuck in a rut? [Online] Available at: http://www.philipcoppens.com/cartruts.html
Ancient-Wisdom.co.uk. Maltese Cart-ruts [Online] Available at: http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/maltacartruts.htm
By Liz Leafloor


text:
OWMLabs // Connecting the Dots!
Thank you for your recent purchase or interests in our available items!
We are eager and excited to help you in building your online success!
Buyer Support Forums
Please note that we do not offer buyer support within the Themeforest comments, but rather, you must register on our Buyer Support Forums. Once you've registered you can post your questions and we'll happily assist as promptly as possible. Be sure to read the Forum Post Guidelines to ensure we have all the details in order to speedily resolve your concerns posted.
Buyer Customizations and Developments
Our buyer support is for "as is" and anything exceeds our helping with general use, bug reports or up to 1 line of code is often outside the scope of our free buyer support. Though we are more than happy to help with any customizations you may have. Simply visit us anytime and submit a request through our website.
Installations & Setups
We offer new installations for a one time fee of $35.00 and a guaranteed 24hr turnaround. If you need it sooner than 24hrs, we can happily assist in assuring this is up and running like the demonstration within only a few hours.
All installations and setups are made to replicate the live demonstration to be used as a starting point when building your website. Easily allowing you the ability to reference what we've done in order to understand how it works and how it is being used.
For installations, please contact us privately and we'll happily assist you.
Theme Updates
As long as you've made no modifications to your core theme files, or having to carry over any existing developments, then updates to your theme is a fee of $25.00 per update. We offer a guaranteed 24hr turnaround on this service and in the event there are customizations required to be carried over, we'll review those requirements and propose an added effort.
Theme Change Logs
Change Logs will always be posted publicly to our live demonstration blog.
Pre-Sale Questions
We always encourage you to use the Themeforest comments for pre-sale questions. This way, others potentially interested may see your questions as well. Be sure to also review past comments, as often your questions may have already been answered.
In the event you wish to contact us privately with your Pre-Sale Questions, you can use our website contact form or use the Themeforest comment form here.


text:
Credit card hackers hit Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus says that it's the latest victim of data thieves, who made off with the credit card information of an unknown number of customers.
Credit card hackers might be developing a taste for the finer things in life.
Upscale department store Neiman Marcus confirmed that its database of customer information was hacked last month, independent security researcher Brian Krebs reported on Friday.
The Neiman Marcus hack follows news today from Target that its investigation into its recent hack found that thieves made off with the personal and credit card data of up to 110 million Target customers, 70 million more than previously thought.
The Neiman Marcus breach occurred around mid-December, the same time as the Target attack. Another similarity to the Target attack is that online Neiman Marcus shoppers do not appear to be affected so far, only retail shoppers. So far, these appear to be coincidences.
Ginger Reeder, a spokesperson for Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, told Krebs that details on the hack are sparse. The cause, size, and duration of the attack are currently unknown, pending the completion of a third-party forensics investigation. The company is also working with the Secret Service, as is customary in these attacks.


text:
Patient flow diagram. *Chose not to participate (n = 29): busy lifestyle (n = 13), not interested (n = 6), study too demanding (n = 3), currently on another diet (n = 2), no compensation (n = 2), work-related reason (n = 2), dislike prepackaged foods (n = 1). †Other reasons (n = 44): unable to contact (n = 19), unable to come to clinic (n = 13), away (n = 5), throat surgery (n = 1), bowel resection (n = 1), high potassium concentration and blood pressure (n = 1), high potassium concentration (n = 1), elevated liver function test results (n = 1), not interested (n = 1), medical insurance issue (n = 1).
Weight loss from both diets during the 4 weeks of the study (P = .98) for completers.
Mean (SE) percentage change from baseline in completers for both treatments for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .001) (A), total cholesterol–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (P = .003) (B), apolipoprotein B (apo B) (P = .001) (C), and apo B–apo AI ratio (P = .001) (D) (significance of difference between treatments).
Mean (SE) percentage change from baseline in completers for both treatments for triglyceride concentration (P = .02) (significance of difference between treatments).
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Jenkins DJA, Wong JMW, Kendall CWC, et al. The Effect of a Plant-Based Low-Carbohydrate ("Eco-Atkins") Diet on Body Weight and Blood Lipid Concentrations in Hyperlipidemic Subjects. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(11):1046–1054. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.115
© 2023
Low-carbohydrate, high–animal protein diets, which are advocated for weight loss, may not promote the desired reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration. The effect of exchanging the animal proteins and fats for those of vegetable origin has not been tested. Our objective was to determine the effect on weight loss and LDL-C concentration of a low-carbohydrate diet high in vegetable proteins from gluten, soy, nuts, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and vegetable oils compared with a high-carbohydrate diet based on low-fat dairy and whole grain products.
A total of 47 overweight hyperlipidemic men and women consumed either (1) a low-carbohydrate (26% of total calories), high–vegetable protein (31% from gluten, soy, nuts, fruit, vegetables, and cereals), and vegetable oil (43%) plant-based diet or (2) a high-carbohydrate lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (58% carbohydrate, 16% protein, and 25% fat) for 4 weeks each in a parallel study design. The study food was provided at 60% of calorie requirements.
Of the 47 subjects, 44 (94%) (test, n = 22 [92%]; control, n = 22 [96%]) completed the study. Weight loss was similar for both diets (approximately 4.0 kg). However, reductions in LDL-C concentration and total cholesterol–HDL-C and apolipoprotein B–apolipoprotein AI ratios were greater for the low-carbohydrate compared with the high-carbohydrate diet (−8.1% [P = .002], −8.7% [P = .004], and −9.6% [P = .001], respectively). Reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also seen (−1.9% [P = .052] and −2.4% [P = .02], respectively).
A low-carbohydrate plant-based diet has lipid-lowering advantages over a high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight-loss diet in improving heart disease risk factors not seen with conventional low-fat diets with animal products.
Trial Registration
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00256516
There is a dilemma relating to the proportion and source of fat, protein, and carbohydrate that constitutes the optimal weight loss and cholesterol-lowering diet. Newer dietary approaches for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables but reduce meat consumption either directly as part of the dietary strategy1 or displace meat by advocating increased intakes of fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy foods.2-4 Running counter to this advice has been the promotion of low-carbohydrate diets with increased meat consumption for body weight reduction and also in the longer term for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD). These diets not only challenge the concept that red meat intakes should be reduced but also reverse the dietary macronutrient profile with fat and protein as the major macronutrients and carbohydrates as the minor macronutrient. Such low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to be effective in inducing weight loss,1,5-8 reducing insulin resistance,7 lowering serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations, and raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations.1,5,6 However, the higher meat diets have not resulted in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations, but have tended to increase LDL-C concentrations except when vegetarian sources of fat and protein were included.1 This lack of a benefit for LDL-C control is a major disadvantage in using this dietary strategy in those already at increased risk of CHD.
In view of the apparent success of low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss and the demonstration that relatively high-carbohydrate diets low in animal products lower CHD risk factors,3,9-11 we determined the effect of a low-carbohydrate weight-loss diet, without the use of animal products, on serum lipid concentrations compared with a higher carbohydrate diet.
Fifty overweight participants, recruited by newspaper advertisement and hospital clinic notices, were randomized, and 47 subjects were available to start the study. Of these, 44 (18 men and 26 postmenopausal women) completed the 1-month metabolic study (Figure 1). More than half the participants reported being of European origin (n = 32 [northern, n = 21; eastern, n = 8; and southern, n = 3]). The remainder had their origins in sub-Saharan Africa (n = 4), the Indian subcontinent (n = 4), Latin America (n = 2), southeast Asia (n = 2), and the Middle East (n = 2). Four subjects did not provide their ethnic origins. Race was assessed by the participants using a classification provided by the investigators. Baseline characteristics of the participants are given in Table 1. Study inclusion criteria included healthy men and postmenopausal women between the ages of 21 and 70 years, with a high-normal or raised LDL-C concentration (>131 mg/dL [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259] at diagnosis), TG concentration higher than 44 mg/dL (to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0113) but lower than 442 mg/dL, a body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) higher than 27 and who were not currently involved in a weight-loss program. Exclusion criteria included lipid-lowering medications, hormone therapy, alcohol consumption of more than 2 drinks/d, tobacco use, major cardiovascular event or surgery in the preceding 6 months, diabetes, untreated hypothyroidism, blood pressure (BP) higher than 140/90 mm Hg, renal or liver disease, cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), or any food allergies. At recruitment, 13 subjects were taking lipid-lowering medications; however, these were discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the study after obtaining approval from their family physician. Thirteen participants were taking antihypertensive medications at a constant dose before and during the study. One participant altered the antihypertensive medication dosage during the study. Three participants took thyroxine at a constant dose before and during the study.
The intervention was a randomized parallel study stratified by sex in which participants were assigned to either low- or high-carbohydrate, calorie-reduced diets. The 1-month study was metabolically controlled with all food provided, and participants were seen at weekly intervals. At each visit, fasting body weights and BP were measured. Serum samples were obtained after 12-hour overnight fasts before treatment and at the end of weeks 2 and 4. Body weights were determined, with shoes removed and in indoor clothing, using a stationary beam balance scale (Healthometer; Continental Scale Corp, Bridgeview, Illinois). Blood pressure was measured 3 times in the nondominant arm after sitting for 15 to 20 minutes using an automated digital BP machine (OMRON Healthcare Inc, Vernon Hills, Illinois). Food to be eaten by subjects for the entire metabolic month was prepacked and delivered to subjects by courier. A "no starch" high-protein nut bread was obtained from the clinic at weekly intervals. Participants were asked to hold exercise constant over the metabolic period. Exercise dairies were also completed weekly with type of exercise, duration, and intensity recorded as light, moderate, or vigorous in accordance with the Guidelines of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine, and exercise was calculated as metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs).12,13 Body fat percentage was measured by bioelectrical impedance (Quantum II; RJL Systems, Clinton Township, Michigan) and waist and hip measurements were measured biweekly. Waist measurements were made at the umbilicus and hip measurements at the maximum lateral protrusion of the greater trochanter of the femur.
Subjects rated their overall feeling of satiety for the previous week at each study visit using a 9-point bipolar semantic scale, where −4 was extremely hungry, 0 was neutral, and +4 was uncomfortably full.10 Palatability was rated at the end of the study using a 7-point bipolar semantic scale, where −3 was very unpalatable, 0 was neutral, and +3 was very palatable.
The ethics committees of St Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the Therapeutic Products Directorate of Health Canada approved the study. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants.
Metabolically controlled diets in which all food was provided were consumed by the participants. The low-carbohydrate diet provided the minimum level of carbohydrates currently recommended (130 g/d)14 and eliminated common starch-containing foods, such as bread, baked goods, potatoes, and rice. The protein content was provided by gluten (54.8% of total protein), soy (23.0%), fruits and vegetables (8.7%), nuts (7.5%), and cereals (6.0%). Gluten was provided in the nut bread and wheat gluten (also called "seitan") products and, together with soy, in burgers, veggie bacon, deli slices, and breakfast links. In addition, soy was provided as tofu and soy beverages. Nuts included almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, and pistachios. The fat was provided by nuts (43.6% of total fat), vegetable oils (24.4%), soy products (18.5%), avocado (7.1%), cereals (2.7%), fruits and vegetables (2.3%), and seitan products (1.4%). The diet was designed to provide 26% of calories as carbohydrates, 31% as protein, and 43% as fat. The high-carbohydrate diet was a low-fat lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (58% carbohydrates, 16% protein, and 25% fat) using low-fat or skim milk dairy products and liquid egg whites or egg substitute to ensure a low–saturated fat and low-cholesterol intake.10 All diets were provided at 60% of estimated calorie requirements15 using the Harris-Benedict equation with allowance for exercise.16,17
The low-carbohydrate diet featured viscous fiber-containing foods, including oats and barley, for the relatively limited amount of carbohydrates allowed, and the production of a "no starch" high-protein bread made entirely from ground almonds, hazel nuts, and wheat gluten. The carbohydrate foods and low-starch vegetables, emphasizing okra and eggplant, provided 6 to 7 g of viscous fiber per 2000-kcal diet.10 The bread was provided as part of the diet.
Food preparation by participants was made as straightforward as possible by the provision of commercial dishes or food items, which were ready for microwave or oven cooking or could be reconstituted with boiling water, as with instant soups. Diet foods were packed in a central location and shipped by courier in separate boxes for dry, refrigerated, and frozen goods. Egg substitutes and soy dairy foods were shipped in their commercial packages to be refrigerated on receipt by the participants.
With the low-carbohydrate diet, plant- or microbially derived vitamin and mineral supplements were also provided, including vitamin B12, 1000 μg/wk (microbially synthesized B12; Genestra Brands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and vitamin D (as vegan ergocalciferol), 200 IU/d (VegLife, Park City, Utah). Women were also provided with calcium, 500 mg/d, and magnesium, 250 mg/d (VegLife).
Self-taring electronic scales (My Weigh Scales, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, or Tanita Corporation, Arlington Heights, Illinois) were provided to all participants to weigh all food items consumed during the study and record the weights on the menu plan.
Adherence was assessed from the completed menu plans, and subjects were also requested to weigh any leftover food items. Subjects were asked to record the intake of prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements as a further measure of compliance throughout the study. Supplement bottles were returned at the end of the study. Participants were offered no financial compensation for participation in the study.
Serum was analyzed according to the Lipid Research Clinics protocol18 for TC, TG, and HDL-C concentrations, after dextran sulfate-magnesium chloride precipitation (Bayer Technicon RA1000; Bayer Healthcare, Toronto)19 or by detergent solubilization and measurement of HDL-C (Roche Hitachi 917; Roche Diagnostics, Laval, Quebec, Canada), in the J. Alick Little Lipid Research Laboratory. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was calculated by the method of Friedewald et al20 in millimoles per liter (LDL-C = total cholesterol [TC] − [TG/2.2 + HDL-C ]).20 Apolipoproteins AI (apo AI) and B (apo B) were measured by a nephelometric method (Dade Behring BN ProSpec; Dade Behring Canada Inc, Mississauga, Ontario). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was measured by end-point nephelometry (Dade Behring BN ProSpec; Dade Behring Canada Inc.). C-reactive protein values higher than 10 mg/L (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 9.524) were eliminated21 providing that they spiked more than 5 mg/L above the mean for the individual's series.
Blood glucose was measured in the hospital routine analytical laboratory by a glucose oxidase method (SYNCHRON LX Systems; Beckman Coulter Canada Inc, Mississauga). Insulin was measured by Access Ultrasensitive Insulin Assay, which is a simultaneous 1-step immunoenzymatic ("sandwich") assay (Beckman Coulter Canada Inc). A measure of insulin resistance was derived for fasting glucose and insulin using the homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance model: fasting glucose (in millimoles per liter) × insulin (in milliunits per liter)/22.5.22 Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was measured by a designated high-performance liquid chromatography method (Tosoh G7 Automated HPLC Analyzer; Tosoh Bioscience Inc, Grove City, Ohio).
Diets were assessed for macronutrients, fatty acids, cholesterol, and fiber using a computer program based on the US Department of Agriculture database23 and developed in our laboratory to allow the addition of the macronutrient content of study foods obtained from food labels or directly from food manufacturers.
The results are expressed as mean (SE). Serum lipid concentrations are expressed as absolute values in the Tables and percentage changes from baseline in the article text and Figures, unless otherwise stated. Differences between groups in baseline variables were assessed by the 2-sample t test (2 tailed). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was undertaken with baseline observation carried forward for subjects who dropped out. Unless otherwise stated, ITT data are presented throughout. Time zero was used as the baseline. Within treatment groups, serum lipid concentrations and other measurements were not found to be significantly different between weeks 2 and 4 during the metabolic phase. For these reasons, the respective treatment differences were assessed by the CONTRAST statement in SAS24 using all available data and reported as changes from baseline to weeks 2 and 4. The model specified change from baseline as the response variable with week as the main effect and baseline as covariate, except when percentage changes from baseline were assessed. A significant difference was found between weeks 2 and 4 for body weight and BMI; therefore, the end of treatment values were assessed with baseline observation carried forward using the General Linear Model in SAS.24 Dietary data were analyzed using the 2-sample t tests for mean differences between the 2 treatment diets and at baseline.
Baseline characteristics, obtained at randomization, for the control and low-carbohydrate diets are provided in Table 1. No significant differences were found in any of the variables between the 2 groups. There were no significant differences in the mean macronutrient profiles between individuals assigned to the test and control diets at baseline (Table 2). Both diets were well complied with, with no significant difference between treatments (Table 3). More the 90% of the calories provided were consumed for the test (95%) and control (94%) diets. Of those who started, all but 3 subjects completed the study: 2 withdrew from the control diet and 1 withdrew from the low-carbohydrate plant-based diet for reasons unrelated to the study protocol (Figure 1). The mean weight loss after 4 weeks of the metabolic phase was similar for both treatment diets at 4.7% (0.4%) (3.9 [0.4] kg) for the test and 4.9% (0.3%) (4.2 [0.3] kg) for the control (P = .94) diets. A similar pattern was seen with the completers (Figure 2). There were no absolute differences in calculated change in energy expenditure between the weeks 1 to 4 test and control treatments (−3.6 [2.7] vs 1.4 [1.7] METs; P = .12). Mean absolute subjective satiety ratings were significantly higher for the low-carbohydrate diet (1.5 [0.3] [low-carbohydrate diet] vs 0.8 [0.3] [high-carbohydrate diet]; P = .003). Satiety scores were positive for both treatments, indicating that the diets tended to satisfy participants (scale, −4 to +4).
Both treatment groups had similar lipid values at baseline (Table 1). During the metabolic phase, reductions in LDL-C concentration and TC–HDL-C ratio were greater with the low-carbohydrate diet vs the high-carbohydrate diet (LDL-C: −20.4% [2.8%] vs −12.3% [2.6%] [P = .002]; and TC–HDL-C: −15.6% [3.4%] vs −6.8% [2.4%] [P = .004]). In addition, TC and TG concentrations were reduced with the low- vs the high-carbohydrate diet (TC: −19.8% [2.4%] vs −12.7% [2.2%] [P = .001]; and TG: −29.2% [5.5%] vs −17.8% [4.5%] [P = .02]). Similar patterns of significance were seen with the absolute lipid and lipoprotein concentrations (Table 4) and with the completers (Figure 3 and Figure 4). No treatment differences were seen for HDL-C.
Apolipoprotein AI concentration fell for both treatment diets, and there was no difference between treatments (P = .36). However, both the apo B concentration and the apo B–apo AI ratio fell significantly more for the low-carbohydrate vs the high-carbohydrate diet by −21.1% (2.8%) vs −13.2% (2.2%) (P = .001) and −13.8% (3.4%) vs −4.2% (2.1%) (P = .001), respectively. A similar pattern was seen in completers (Figure 3).
No significant treatment differences in percentage change were seen in hs-CRP concentration (P = .74). Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and insulin concentrations and insulin resistance (calculated using homeostasis model assessment) fell similarly with both treatment diets during the course of the study (Table 4). Small but significantly greater reductions in systolic BP of −2.2 mm Hg (−1.9%; P = .052) and diastolic BP of −1.7 mm Hg (−2.4%; P = .02) were seen for the low-carbohydrate vs high-carbohydrate diet.
The present study demonstrated that consumption of a low-carbohydrate plant-based diet resulted in body weight reductions of 4 kg that were similar to those reported for low-carbohydrate Atkins-like diets.1,5-8 In addition to weight loss, the consumption of a low-carbohydrate diet containing vegetable proteins and oils was associated with significantly reduced concentrations of LDL-C, not reported in the majority of low-carbohydrate diet studies in which the protein and fat are largely of animal origin. These diets result in increases in LDL-C concentrations compared with routinely used higher carbohydrate therapeutic diets.5-8,25 The reduction in LDL-C concentration is a potentially important attribute of the diet in reducing CHD risk.26,27
Our data support earlier conclusions that differences in weight loss between treatments are likely to result from a reduction in caloric intake rather than metabolic changes associated with an altered macronutrient profile,5,7,8,25 despite the possibility that high-protein low-carbohydrate diets might enhance postprandial thermogenesis.28 In addition, the satiating effect of protein on self-selected diets, together with mild ketonemia following low-carbohydrate intake, might also favor weight reduction.29 In the present study, carbohydrate intake on the low-carbohydrate diet met the minimum recommended level14; thus, significant ketonuria is unlikely, although it was not assessed.
Low–glycemic load diets have been associated with greater weight loss in adolescents.30 Increased subjective ratings of satiety were also found for the low-carbohydrate test diet in the present study, which by virtue of being low in carbohydrates was also a low–glycemic load diet. A similar finding of increased satiety was found in a metabolically controlled study using a low–glycemic load weight-loss diet in younger adults.15
High-carbohydrate vegetarian diets such as the original Ornish diet, which emphasized soy and legume protein, have been associated with reduced progression of coronary artery disease, as well as weight loss and reduced LDL-C concentrations.31 However, such diets also lower HDL-C concentrations due to the impressively low intake of fats. Concern has been expressed over the use of high-carbohydrate diets, which may depress already low HDL-C concentrations further.32 The test diet in the present study, while lowering LDL-C concentration, did not depress HDL-C concentration significantly and resulted in a 16% reduction in the TC–HDL-C ratio. These changes would be expected to reduce CHD risk.26,27 Both soy and nuts, as key components of the present study, have been shown to increase HDL-C concentrations when included in low-fat diets.33,34
Triglyceride concentrations were lower with consumption of the low-carbohydrate diet by comparison with the control diet, possibly reflecting the lower glycemic load and the presence of gluten, soy protein, and nuts, all of which have been associated with lower fasting serum TG concentrations.35-38
Most low-carbohydrate diets have not reported the effects on apolipoproteins. The reduction in apo B and the apo B–apo AI ratio observed in the present study is a further confirmation of the potential CHD benefit that might be expected from this dietary approach to body weight reduction.39-41 In some studies, the apolipoprotein concentrations have been claimed to have greater predictive value for CHD events than more conventional lipid variables42
Both diets tended to reduce systolic and diastolic BP as expected relative to the degree to which body weight was reduced,43 but with a greater BP reduction with the low-carbohydrate diet. High-protein diets have been associated with lower BP.44 No treatment difference in hs-CRP concentration was seen in the present study, possibly related to the great variability in this measurement. In other studies, hs-CRP concentration tended to be lowest with the diets containing the highest proportion of carbohydrates,8 although low-glycemic index and low–glycemic load diets have also been associated with a lower hs-CRP concentration.45,46
To our knowledge, no randomized controlled trials have been undertaken to assess the effect of low-carbohydrate diets on CHD events. Nevertheless, a recent cohort study reported that a low-carbohydrate diet high in protein and oil from vegetable rather than animal sources was associated with reduced CHD risk and incidence of diabetes.47,48 The mean level with each decile of vegetable protein and oil in this cohort study was only 4.2% to 5.6% of energy for vegetable protein and 9.6% to 18.9% of energy for vegetable oil, considerably less than used in the present study.47 Had the intakes been similar to the levels in the present study, the effects might have been greater.
In the present study, the high-carbohydrate control diet can be seen as providing a positive control because lacto-ovo vegetarians appear to be at generally lower risk of CHD than nonvegetarians, with notable studies demonstrating reduced CHD events in cohorts of California Seventh Day Adventists and the earlier assessment of British vegetarians.49,50 Furthermore, low-fat dairy diets emphasizing higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Optimal Macro Nutrient Intake (OMNI) diets, have been associated with lower BP and improved serum lipid profiles.3 As such, the benefits for CHD risk reduction seen in the present study might have been much more marked had the low-carbohydrate diet been compared with those from a more typical low-fat diet.
According to the Mensink and Katan equation, the mean (SE) reductions in LDL-C concentration seen with the low-carbohydrate diet (−37.07 [5.79] mg/dL) were greater than predicted (−16.22 [1.16] mg/dL), even when adjusted for weight loss (P < .001).51,52 We believe that the greater than expected reductions in LDL-C concentrations are likely to be due in part to the cholesterol-lowering properties of soy protein and nuts, which have been demonstrated in previous studies.33,37,38,53,54 Furthermore, the small amount of carbohydrates included in the low-carbohydrate treatment diet was associated with viscous fiber in low-starch vegetables and β-glucan in oats and barley. Viscous fiber is also expected to contribute to the overall cholesterol-lowering effect of the diet.26,55,56 Vegetable protein has also been shown to be inversely related to BP in the cross-sectional epidemiological INTERMAP Study of 4680 individuals aged 40 to 59 from 4 countries.57 Soy protein consumption has been associated with lower blood pressure in a number of feeding trials (ie, meta-analysis),58 providing a further reason why vegetable proteins would be expected to reduce the risk of CHD.
In addition to reduction in LDL-C concentration, lower saturated fat intake may have other advantages, including reduced insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and improved endothelial function,59-61 all of which would contribute to the lower risk of CHD associated with reduced saturated fat intake.62,63 However, polyunsaturated fats64 and vegetable oils in general47,63 in epidemiological studies have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of CHD as opposed to saturated and trans fats, which are associated with increased risks. Key characteristics of a plant-based diet include fiber, vegetable oils and vegetable proteins, and foods such as nuts and seeds. These foods and food components benefit CHD risk factors, and it is therefore not surprising that plant-based diets have been associated with reduced CHD events in epidemiological studies.50
We conclude that low-carbohydrate diets emphasizing vegetable sources of protein, such as gluten, soy, and nuts, together with vegetable oils can be used in weight reduction diets to improve serum lipid concentrations. There are, however, currently no trials of diets high in vegetable protein and oils with disease end points. The impact of low-carbohydrate diets in primary and secondary CHD prevention, therefore, remain to be determined. Nevertheless, recent studies indicate beneficial effects of vegetable oils and proteins on both CHD risk factors and CHD risk. Consumption of foods rich in these components including nuts and soy have been shown to reduce serum lipid concentrations, and nut consumption has been associated with lower CHD risk.65
Important questions remain. Can the advantages be maintained if some of the vegetable protein is replaced by vegetable oil, and in this context, can carbohydrate intake be further reduced or is there an optimal carbohydrate load, perhaps determined by an individual's BMI and insulin resistance.66 There may also be certain advantages for higher carbohydrate intakes, providing the carbohydrate comes from high fiber, low–glycemic index foods. Pending answers to these questions, a plant-based low-carbohydrate diet high in vegetable proteins and oils may be an effective option in treating those with dyslipidemia for whom both weight loss and lower LDL-C concentrations are treatment goals.
Correspondence: David J. A. Jenkins, MD, Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St Michael's Hospital, 61 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 2T2, Canada (email@example.com).
Accepted for Publication: February 25, 2009.
Author Contributions: Dr Jenkins, together with those responsible for analysis and interpretation of data, had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Jenkins, Wong, Kendall, Faulkner, Greaves, Paul, and Singer. Acquisition of data: Jenkins, Wong, Kendall, Esfahani, Ng, and Leong. Analysis and interpretation of data: Jenkins, Wong, Kendall, and Vidgen. Drafting of the manuscript: Jenkins, Wong, and Singer. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Jenkins, Wong, Kendall, Esfahani, Ng, Leong, Faulkner, Vidgen, Greaves, and Paul. Statistical analysis: Vidgen. Obtained funding: Jenkins and Kendall. Administrative, technical, and material support: Wong, Kendall, Esfahani, Ng, Leong, and Faulkner. Study supervision: Jenkins, Kendall, and Singer.
Financial Disclosure: Dr Jenkins has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of Unilever, the Sanitarium Company, and the California Strawberry Commission and received research grants from Loblaws, Unilever, Barilla, and the Almond Board of California. Drs Jenkins and Kendall have been on the speaker's panel for the Almond Board of California. Dr Kendall and Mr Vidgen have received partial salary funding from research grants provided by Unilever, Loblaws, and the Almond Board of California. Dr Jenkins has received honoraria for scientific advice from the Almond Board of California, Barilla, Unilever Canada, and Solae, LLC. Dr Greaves was a former employee of Solae, LLC, and is now an employee of Kellogg's. Dr Paul is an employee of Solae, LLC.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by Solae, LLC, Loblaw Companies Limited, and the Canadian Research Chair Program of the Federal Government of Canada. Ms Wong is a recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award.
Role of the Sponsor: None of the funding organizations or sponsors played any role in the design and conduct of the study; in the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.
Previous Presentations: This study was presented as a poster at Experimental Biology 2006, April 3, 2006; San Francisco, California; XIV International Symposium on Atherosclerosis; June 21, 2006; Rome, Italy; XVI International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism; October 4-7, 2007; New York, New York; and Seventh International Symposium on Multiple Risk Factors in Cardiovascular Diseases; October 24-25, 2008; Venice, Italy; and was presented orally at Experimental Biology 2007; April 29, 2007; Washington, DC; and Experimental Biology 2009; April 21, 2009; New Orleans, Louisiana.
Additional Contributions: We thank all the study participants for their attention to detail and enthusiasm. Loblaw Companies Limited (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Unilever Research and Development, the Hain-Celestial Group (Melville, New York), Kraft Foods (Glenview, Illinois), International Tree Nut Council (Davis, California), WhiteWave Foods Company (Broomfield, Colorado), SoyaWorld Inc (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada), Bartlett Farms, Barwell Food Sales Inc (London, Ontario), and Burnbrae Farms Ltd (Naturegg Simply Egg Whites) (Upton, Quebec, Canada) donated the foods used in this study. Sherry Casey and Paul Uys (Loblaw Companies Limited), Gerry Amantea and Wendy Willis (the Hain-Celestial Group), Margaret C. Martini (Kraft Foods), Maureen Ternus (International Tree Nut Council), Brendan Kelly and Mary Peragine (SoyaWorld Inc), Don Bartlett (Barlett Farms, Barwell Foods Sales Inc), and Chris Ireland (Risk Factor Modification Centre) provided assistance on this project.


text:
Pirates 4, Cubs 2
It was hard to tell whether the Pittsburgh Pirates were heading on a road trip or getting ready for a Stanley Cup playoff game after beating the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Thursday for their fourth straight win.
All of the Pirates' players and coaches wore Pittsburgh Penguins' replica jerseys as they got ready to embark on a road trip to Milwaukee and Detroit. The Penguins even sent a custom-made No. 13 sweater to manager Clint Hurdle.
The Penguins lead the Ottawa Senators 3-1 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
''There's nothing much like playoff hockey,'' Hurdle said. ''We're just getting into the spirit.''
Utility infielder Brandon Inge took things one step farther before the game, arriving in the Pirates' clubhouse dressed in a full hockey uniform and rollerblades.
''It's something fun, something to change things up a little bit during a long season. Plus, we've got to support our boys,'' said Pirates second baseman Neil Walker, a Pittsburgh-area native.
The Pirates won for the 11th time in 13 games as Andrew McCutchen had three hits and two RBIs.
Leadoff hitter Starling Marte singled and scored in each of the first two innings as Pittsburgh built an early 4-0 lead. The Pirates moved a season-best 11 games over .500.
''We're playing good baseball and I don't think we've reached our ceiling yet,'' McCutchen said. ''The pitching has been good all year but the hitting has kind of been up and down. The bats are eventually going to come around and we should be even better when that happens.''
The Cubs lost their fourth in a row.
Edwin Jackson (1-7) gave up two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. He gave up six hits and struck out six in three innings and has a 6.11 ERA through 10 starts.
''I got beat with men on base with balls up in the zone,'' Jackson said. ''I had some times when I got it down but in vital situations when I needed to keep the ball down I wasn't doing that, and that pretty much sums up the game.''
Jackson is in his first season with the Cubs after signing a four-year, $52 million contract over the winter as a free agent.
''I think at times he tries too hard to justify his contract and overthrows,'' Chicago manager Dale Sveum said. ''I think he needs to relax and just be Edwin Jackson, the guy we liked enough to sign.''
Reliever Vin Mazzaro (3-0) pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings. He replaced starter Jeanmar Gomez in the fourth inning following a rain delay of 1 hour, 47 minutes.
''I knew about a half-hour before the delay ended that I was going to come in to pitch, but you never know how the long the delay might last, so I tried to stay as prepared as possible,'' Mazzaro said. ''I felt like I was ready to go.''
Gomez allowed one run and three hits in 3 2-3 innings.
''I thought I had really good stuff today and control of all my pitches,'' Gomez said. ''Then it started raining hard and that was it. I think I could have pitched a lot longer but I'm frustrated about it. You can't do anything about the rain.''
Jason Grilli pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and is a perfect 19-for-19 in save opportunities.
Marte led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, stole second with one out and scored on McCutchen's single. McCutchen stole second and scored on Michael McKenry's single.
Marte singled in the second and scored on Travis Snider's triple that rolled to the 410-foot notch in left-center field. McCutchen added his second RBI single.
The Cubs got a run in the fourth when David DeJesus led off with a double and scored on Anthony Rizzo's grounder. The Cubs had runners on the corners when two outs when play was halted, but Mazzaro got Welington Castillo to hit an inning-ending groundout after the delay.
Chicago cut the deficit to 4-2 in the seventh with Darwin Barney singling in Castillo, who had walked.
NOTES: Jackson was struck in the rear end by a line drive off the bat of Marte in the second inning. Castro jammed his right ankle while being thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the sixth inning by RF Travis Snider. Both Chicago players were able to stay in the game. ... The Cubs' road trip continues Friday night at Cincinnati with RHP Scott Feldman (4-3, 2.19) facing Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo (4-4, 3.28). ... RHP A.J. Burnett (3-4, 2.57) is scheduled to start for Pittsburgh at Milwaukee against RHP Marco Estrada (3-2, 5.44).


text:
I am a multi-tasker. I habitually bounce between screens and activities with the twitch of a speeding driver glancing at his rearview window to check for cops. I keep an obscene number of browser tabs open. I am addicted to doing tons of things at once.
It's awful, I know. I'm part of the generation your parents complain about, one of those twenty-somethings who was raised on the Internet and taught from an early age that paying attention to one thing at a time is way boring. I spent my formative years playing point-n-click adventure games on a computer while watching TV, or letting my eyes glaze over a movie while grinding levels in Final Fantasy Legend on my Game Boy. One screen just wasn't enough.
Even today, I play console games with a laptop next to me, taking frequent breaks to check my e-mail or send messages on IM or put on YouTube videos about Thanksgiving. Sometimes, whether I'm driving around the streets of Grand Theft Auto or sneaking through compounds in Mark of the Ninja, I'll load up a couple episodes of Veronica Mars or West Wing and watch while playing, consuming as many things as possible. It's just what I do.
This makes me a perfect customer for the Wii U, the Wii's successor and a console whose main selling point is its GamePad controller, a tablet-esque beast complete with a six-inch screen, buttons, joysticks, and back triggers. You can use that controller to play certain Wii U games using what Nintendo is calling "Off-TV Play," which lets you turn off your television and do everything in your lap—or switch channels so you can play games while doing something else.
And sure enough, when I spent this past weekend playing around with Nintendo's new console, I found myself gravitating toward that smaller screen. While playing New Super Mario Bros. U, which mirrors the action so you jump from platform to platform on both screens at the same time, I found that even while the television was on, my eyes kept floating down towards the tablet controller. I wanted to play on the screen that was in my hands.
Holding the GamePad feels like holding a bigger, more lap-friendly portable system, with a lovely high-definition screen and exceedingly comfortable controls.
Eventually I started flipping the TV to other stations, too. Saturday I watched Iron Chef Michael Symon cook turkey in a vacuum sealed bag while playing through Mario's desert world in my lap. Sunday I used New Super Mario Bros. to distract from the pain of watching the Jets' Mark Sanchez improve his record of completions to the ground. For a multi-tasker like me, it was fantastic.
By the way, if you haven't yet tried out the Wii U's fancy new controller, you should know that it is an excellent piece of plastic. Holding the GamePad feels like holding a bigger, more lap-friendly portable system, with a lovely high-definition screen and exceedingly comfortable controls. Friends and co-workers who have tested out the GamePad have all noted that it's surprisingly ergonomic. Ridges on the back of each side of the controller meld nicely with your hand, and once you get used to the unorthodox shape of the whole thing, it is pleasant and easy to use, not unlike the Wii's remote and nunchuck.
The GamePad screen also seems designed to deliver a crisper, clearer display than your television, and unlike gaming with, say, an iPad for an extended period of time, playing with the Wii U's GamePad has yet to feel uncomfortable. It's light, pretty, and fun to use.
In general, what's exciting about a new video game console is not what it has to offer—what's exciting is that console's potential. What it will have to offer. The Wii U has a great launch lineup—one of the strongest of any console launch in history—but its best games will be the ones that Nintendo and other developers release in the years to come, not in the months to come.
And after playing around with the system over the past few days, I'm even more excited about the Wii U's potential than ever before. I've written before about some of the ways the dual-screen technology can make RPGs better, but maybe video game makers should really be using the GamePad for Off-TV Play. The most important feature of the Wii U—to me, and to other multi-taskers like me—might wind up being the one that makes it portable. If I can play great Wii U games while watching television, or while letting someone else watch television, or even while gaming on my Durango or Orbis, it could be exactly what I'm looking for.
If it gets enough game support, of course.
Which makes it particularly awful that Nintendo won't let us play Wii or Virtual Console games on the GamePad—instead, you'll load them up on your screen using what Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime calls "a Wii within your Wii U." This is a serious missed opportunity, and I hope they realize that one of the biggest draws of this system is getting to play games on the GamePad screen and only on the GamePad screen. Why not support Super Nintendo or N64 games on the Wii U's controller?
Regardless, this is an exciting console. When I first saw the Wii U at E3 2011, I was excited about what two screens could offer. But now, after spending a weekend getting to know Nintendo's new system, I'm even more excited about what one screen could offer. I'm excited to play console games in my lap, on a controller more pleasant and comfortable than any portable system I've used before.
Now let's see if the games can live up.