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Follow us
Follow along as the Cupcake Sisters and their special TLC guest (hint: it's Monte.) make a super easy holiday peppermint bark.
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Peppermint Bark
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Gingerbread Cupcakes
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Red Velvet Cupcakes
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Chocolate Truffles
UP NEXTDC Cupcakes: Wedding Cupcake Woes
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Babee's Baklava
UP NEXTDC Cupcakes: Greek Pumpkin Phyllo Triangles
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Greek Butter Cookies
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Mommy's Greek Stuffing
UP NEXTHoliday Hostesses: Greek Thanksgiving Leftovers
UP NEXTDC Cupcakes: A Cupcake Wedding Dress
UP NEXTDC Cupcakes: Katherine's Surprise Bachelorette Party
UP NEXTBakin' with the Boss: Buddy's Surprise Visit
Bakin' with the Boss: Cake Boss for a Day
Find out what it's like to be the Cake Boss for a day.
DC Cupcakes: Mommy Splits Her Pants
With the help of Mommy and Sophie's nuclear engineer husband Steve, they set out to bake a one ton cupcake, first finding an oven huge enough for all 2000 pounds of homemade batter, and then baking it to perfection.
Cake Boss: Freezer Burn
The guys teach Buddy Castrano a little lesson in work ethic after he tries to get out of cleaning duties. Let's just say cooler heads prevail.
DC Cupcakes: A Cupcake Wedding Dress
Katherine wants to look like a cupcake on her wedding day, but Mommy likes a sheer, sexy dress. Will Katherine find the right gown?
Cake Boss: Mauro Faces His Fear
In this exclusive clip, Mauro is forced to face one of his fears.
Holiday Hostesses: Babee's Baklava
Sophie and Katherine share their grandmother's recipe for baklava, a Greek staple at Thanksgiving.
Cake Boss: Jurassic Cake
Why did the dinosaur-cake cross the road? Well... maybe "how" is a better question.
Candy Queen: We're Having a Baby Boy!
Jackie and her husband reveal the gender of their second child to her parents.
My Strange Addiction: Addicted to Drinking Gasoline
Buddy's cousins, also known as the pizza guys, explain the importance of Italian food and family bonds.
Cake Boss: Big Boss Anthony
Joey is away from work, and Cousin Anthony is in charge of the baking lines. Mary is worried that Carlo's is running out of pastries, so she comes to crack the whip.
Bakin' with the Boss: Meet Buddy's Crew
Buddy has a dedicated behind-the-scenes team that helps run the show.
Midnight Snack: Pink's of Los Angeles
Steven Smith visits Pink's, a restaurant that serves 2,000 gourmet hotdogs a day.
History: Top Craziest Facts About Beer
Beer has a lot more to it than suds and bubbles. Daron Taylor takes a look.
My Strange Addiction: Don't Let Friends Drink Urine
Meet Buddy's main camera operator -- the guy responsible for following Buddy's every move on set.
Kitchen Boss: The BLEEP of the Sea
While some people think of sea robins as the garbage of the sea, the Valstro clan uses them as a base for many fish meals. If you can get past its ugly mug, this is one delicious fish.
Kitchen Boss: Buddy the Matchmaker
Buddy explains why his cousin is also his brother-in-law. Let's just say it has a little something to do with him being the Romance Boss.
Kitchen Boss: Making Kitchen Boss
Ever wondered how a cooking show gets made? Learn from the best in this exclusive look behind the cameras of Kitchen Boss.
Holiday Hostesses: Chocolate Truffles
Who knew homemade truffles could be so simple? Sophie and Katherine from DC Cupcakes take you through a step-by-step process for this delectable recipe.
Holiday Hostesses: Red Velvet Cupcakes
Now you too can learn the secret ingredients for Georgetown Cupcake's popular Red Velvet cupcake -- just in time for Valentine's Day.
Kitchen Boss: Buddy's Strawberry Shortcake
Buddy works on making a delicious strawberry shortcake with the help of his cousin and uncle.
Kitchen Boss: Buddy's Italian Cookies
Buddy works on baking some delicious Italian cookies. The cookies remind him of when he was young and working at the bakery.
Cake Boss: Lisa and Buddy's Clashing Wedding Themes
Don't miss an exclusive look as Buddy and Lisa compromise on their second wedding theme.


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Kruger leads Hong Kong Open, pays tribute to Mandela
Jbe Kruger of South Africa paid tribute to Nelson Mandela after taking a one-shot lead at the Hong Kong Open on Friday.
"Our country has lost a real-life hero and wearing this (black ribbon) is a real honor for me," said Kruger, who wore black ribbons on his chest and arm while shooting a 4-under 66 in the second round.
"I don't think our country will ever have another leader like Mandela. He has been sick and in hospital for a long time yet it was sad when I heard this morning of his passing away. Unfortunately I never met him but I know his death will affect everyone, white and black, in my country."
Kruger made seven birdies and three bogeys for a 7-under 133 overall at the Hong Kong Golf Course. He is one shot ahead of Stuart Manley (67), who bogeyed his final hole.
"It wasn't the finish I wanted. But it's OK, I'm still in the mix," Manley said. "I started slowly, maybe (I had) too much coffee, but then began to control the ball well."
Alex Cejka (67), Shiv Kapur (66) and Wade Ormsby (68) were tied for third at 5 under.
Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez (67) began the second round with a flurry of birdies but lost momentum and finished at 137.
Chinese teenager Guan Tianlang, who made the cut at the Masters in April, failed to make it through to the weekend after a 75 left him at 6 over, five shots below the cut.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm crazy for oysters, always have been. At Hog Island Oysters near Bodega Bay, I've been known to down three or four dozen at a time, all shucked, slowly, by me. Wherever I'm headed, you can be sure I've got the oyster bars mapped out ahead of time. So when news came that a new oyster bar was about to open across from LA Mill in Silver Lake, I was thrilled. Even sweeter, the partners in the new spot are Dustin Lancaster and Matthew Kaner, the duo that brought Los Feliz the quality wine bar Covell. That meant not only oysters, but also, in all likelihood, some seriously interesting wines to go with them.
I worried, though. Just how many oyster lovers could there be in these vegan-rich parts? Just the week before, I had the sorry duty of informing an appalled vegan friend that oysters on the half shell meant the mollusks were alive when the shucker pried open their shells. Would L&E; Oyster Bar even have a chance?
I thought it might take a while to catch on. Well, let me just say that when I tried to stop by a couple of Thursdays ago after 9 p.m., I couldn't get in. The space is small, so they don't take reservations — and the wait was estimated at half an hour to 40 minutes. I would have been happy to crowd at the bar with a craft beer or a glass of white wine, but the rest of my party wanted to go home and eat leftover bollito misto instead of waiting for some Quilcene or Pope's Bay oysters.
I fare better on a slightly drizzly evening when a friend and I luck into two seats at the bar. Next to me, a guy in a pork pie hat and goatee ferociously attacks his "knife and fork" fried oyster po' boy. Hungry? I guess so. How is it? He gives me a thumbs up. Meanwhile, the bartender pours us a glass of cool granitic Semillon from Australia. And oysters — the daily dozen — arrive: This is L&E;'s outstanding deal, four each of three different kinds, which vary day to day. That night was Kumiai from Baja and two from Canada: Kusshi from Vancouver Island and Hurricane Island from New Brunswick. Another time, it could be Chefs Creek and Deep Bay, both from Vancouver Island, plus the happily named Naked Cowboys from Long Island Sound, and always a mix of East and West Coast oysters served at the perfect temperature. A wedge of lemon, a little horseradish, that's it.
Oyster nirvana
Sheer happiness.
Look around the room. Everybody's having them. Once ordered, the oysters come out pretty fast too, thanks to the skilled shuckers behind the scenes.
Owner Lancaster, former barman at Café Stella in Silver Lake, has a knack for creating a look on a lean budget. He covered the walls of Covell Wine Bar with pages of an old French encyclopedia he found at a flea market. Here, he's transformed the former Domenico's with a paint job, wiggy lighting fixtures, a long tufted banquette and vintage bait signs that list the day's oysters, anywhere from $2 for Bahia Falsa from San Quintín, Mexico, and $2.50 for Luna from Carlsbad to $3.50 each for Hog Neck Bay oysters from Peconic Bay in New York.
Some people love oysters, just not raw and slippery. To that end, L&E; has fried oysters, crunchy and not a bit greasy, big ones, to dip in sauce gribiche. (The po' boy is essentially the same thing in sandwich form.) And while you're at it, order up some fried onion rings too. There are also grilled oysters, four to an order. Especially nice is the oysters casino adorned with a little butter, paprika, thyme, shallots — and crisp nuggets of Nueske's bacon.
But the menu is not all oysters, all the time. You can get salads, notably grilled Little Gems doused in a vinegary dressing and embellished with white anchovies. And crostini topped with crumbled chorizo sausage and house-smoked Prince Edward Island mussels and capers fished from a jar. It's rustic, but great, and one of the few dishes that goes with a red wine, such as a really quite decent Grenache blend from San Diego County. The other would be the skirt steak sandwich with watercress, tomato and aioli amped up with horseradish. Blackened catfish is about as fancy as a plate gets at L&E;, piled high with blistered shishito peppers and a pepper and celery slaw.
New wines to try
Kaner's wine list is restricted to those that go with oysters. He doesn't have the space to do as much with wine as he does at Covell. It's a storage issue. He does switch out the wines frequently, so there's always something new to try, if not that Australian Semillon, then a new Prosecco or Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc, and many of them by the glass.
Some dishes, like the clam chowder (too floury), need tweaking. I can't recommend the muddy-tasting Cajun crawfish pie too enthusiastically either. But in the end, it's not about the food, it's about the oysters. And this congenial spot is just what local oyster lovers needed.
L&E; Oyster Bar
A crack team of shuckers gets out the oysters at this smart new Silver Lake oyster bar from the team behind Covell Wine Bar. They've got them fried and grilled, too, plus the wines to go with them.
Location: 1637 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 660-2255; http://www.leoysterbar.com/
Price: Oysters, market price; daily dozen, $28; seafood and starters, $6 to $14; plates, $15.
Details: 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Corkage fe2, $20. Street parking, or valet, $5. No reservations.


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Johnson Controls, Inc. and Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Appliances, Inc. (collectively referred to as Hitachi) have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for a transaction in which Johnson Controls will obtain a 60-percent ownership stake in Hitachi's global air conditioning business, excluding sales and service operations in Japan and certain other assets.
The companies expect the joint venture to begin operations in 2014, subject to final due diligence and board approvals, definitive agreement on terms, required regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
The partnership will include key products such as variable-refrigerant flow (VRF) and inverter technologies supporting both the commercial and residential markets. The joint venture will combine Johnson Controls' global reach with Hitachi's technology expertise.
"Technology leadership derived from its ongoing investments in research and development have established Hitachi as a key contributor to the global HVAC industry," Alex Molinaroli, president and chief executive officer, Johnson Controls, said. "The addition of these capabilities adds key technologies to our product portfolio. Combined with our existing $15 billion building technologies and services business, this investment positions Johnson Controls as the world's largest commercial air conditioning provider.
"This is great news for our customers who will benefit from the full range of solutions, equipment and service that Johnson Controls and Hitachi can offer them on a global scale," Molinaroli said.
A global home appliances and air conditioning solutions provider, Hitachi Appliances, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading global electronics and infrastructure solutions provider Hitachi, Ltd., supplies air-conditioning solutions across the globe, from inverter-based residential room air conditioners to variable-refrigerant-flow systems, and other air conditioning equipment for commercial and industrial use.
"Both companies have a long and proud history of innovation and growth in the industry with similar values and cultures," Hiroaki Nakanishi, president of Hitachi, Ltd., aid. "As the worldwide air conditioning business environment continues to evolve, we believe Johnson Controls and Hitachi's partnership can supply integrated solutions to fulfill the needs of customers around the world.
"Alongside with this joint venture, we look forward to exploring further opportunities to collaborate with Johnson Controls and Hitachi's broad building solution business capitalizing on IT-related technologies," Nakanishi said.
For more information about Johnson Controls, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.
For more information on Hitachi, visit www.hitachi.com.


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Beyond Hero Worship
Supporters of social entrepreneurship often cite examples of "heroes" who have successfully built organizations to solve social problems on a global scale. But social entrepreneurship also includes many efforts to fix targeted, local problems rather than working toward large-scale global change. An increasing number of social entrepreneurs are experimenting with ways to use commercially generated revenue to grow and maintain their social impact.
These findings are part of one of the most robust quantitative studies of social enterprise to date. Undertaken by Harvard Business School Associate Professor Julie Battilana and her colleague Matthew Lee, a doctoral student at Harvard Business School, they analyzed 6 years worth of applicant data from Echoing Green. The purpose of the study is to expand the field of vision beyond "heroic stories" that dominate the discussion on social entrepreneurship. In this interview, they share some initial findings from their research.


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Book (LIAB)
Page by page (6)
Panel by panel (6:1)
Page Info [edit]
|Turn Number:
|Side's Turn:
|Gobwin Knob
|A close-up of Wanda, with Jack partially in the frame, and Ansom approaching the pair on his carpet. Wanda's expression is focused. Also visible are part of the pink dwagon Wanda is riding and the Arkenpliers at her hip. Flying among the clouds in the background are a large number of grey-brown Archon and Dwagon forms.
Wanda Firebaugh: You must conserve your remaining juice.
Wanda Firebaugh: What can you do cheaply?A simple displacement?
|A close-up of Jack, with Ansom behind him on the left side of the panel. Both have their heads turned to the left side of the panel. Jack has a somewhat bored expression, while Ansom appears bewildered. Also visible is part of the blue dwagon Jack is riding. Flying among the clouds in the background are a large number of grey-brown Archon and Dwagon forms.
Jack Snipe: If we use a flash to cover the casting, it ought to do.Ansom: I haven't ordered this.
|A close-up of Wanda from the left side, with the back of Ansom's head in the lower left of the panel. She has turned to speak to Ansom, and she appears to be slightly surprised and attempting to pacify him. The handles of the Arkenpliers are visible at Wanda's hip. In the background are a few grey-brown Dwagon forms.
Wanda Firebaugh: We will conduct a one-hex recon sortee. Parson says we need to gather more intelligence.Ansom: Parson says!
|The back of Wanda's pink dwagon takes up most of the left side of the panel, and Ansom on his carpet take up the right side. Only Wanda's head and shoulders are visible in this panel. Her expression shows annoyance, and Ansom's shows stubbornness and a touch of anger. In the background are the gray-brown forms of three dwagons and three archons.
Ansom: Mistress, we have spoken of this.
Lord Hamster is no son of Jetstone.
Wanda Firebaugh: Stack up.
You will lead.Wanda Firebaugh: Your bonuses are our only match for Ossomer's.
|In the foreground, Wanda's pink dwagon is in profile as Wanda, her face serene, leans over to speak to an archon with light brown hair in dance-fighting raiment. The Arkenpliers are clearly visible at Wanda's hip. Behind her, Ansom on his carpet and Jack on his blue dwagon are flying side-by side. Ansom's facial expression is not clear but seems bewildered, and Jack is turned slightly to look at him. In the background are several grey-brown archon and dwagon forms, and one of the dwagons is clearly mounted.
Wanda Firebaugh: Form a flash mob[1] over the bridge.
Archon: Oooh!Yes, Mistress.
|A close view, looking up over Ansom's right shoulder at the underbelly of Wanda's pink dwagon. Neither Wanda nor Ansom have their faces visible, but Ansom's hand is outstretched towards Wanda in a gesture of supplication. The archon from the previous panel is visible flying away underneath Wanda's dwagon, and two others in flight-attendant raiment are hovering near Wanda. Several dwagon and archon forms are visible in the background.
Ansom: You want to attack a Royal chief warlord, leading a stack of Noble warlords, in a hex full of casters?
We couldn't possibly win!Wanda Firebaugh: We won't win.
|A narrow view from behind and to the right of Ansom, with Jack and his blue dwagon facing Ansom. Ansom has one hand on the reins of his carpet and the other held outward as if making a point, while Jack is speaking with an amused expression on his face. Above and behind Jack, Wanda and her pink dwagon are visible as two archons in flight-attendant raiment hover near her with a net. Several dwagon forms are visible in the background.
Ansom: Nets? She's not thinking capture!
Jack Snipe: Oh indeed.Here.
|A narrow view from behind and to the right of Jack on his blue dwagon, his hand outstretched to the right. He is gesturing towards his illusion of the attack plan, eight pink dots with several blue lines leading to six purple and one blue dot. Behind the illusion is Ansom riding on his carpet with both hands on the reins, examining the plan with a serious expression on his face. In the background are several grey-brown dwagon and archon forms.
Jack Snipe: See it, O Chief.
We fly in under my misdirection.
The lovelies shock the target stack.
You disarm and disable the target.They net the fish...and we all fly away laughing.
|A close-up of Ansom from his left as he sneers, his hands forward in a riding position. Behind him, Jack has turned his head to the right to look at Ansom, his expression somewhere between a grin and a smirk. A small portion of Jack's blue dwagon is visible, and in the background fly a number of grey-brown archon and dwagon forms.
Jack Snipe: It's quite a smart little tactic, really.
|A wider view from above, behind, and to the left of Wanda as she rides her pink dwagon. To her left the back of the head of one of the archons carrying the net is visible. Below and in front of them Jack is flying the same direction as they are on his blue dwagon, while Ansom flies up towards Wanda on his carpet. Ansom's face is visible, but his expression is indecipherable. Below, in the background, several dwagons are silhouetted against low green hills.
Jack Snipe: I was at hand when someone smarter than you invented it.Wanda Firebaugh: You are free to cast.
|A wide view of Expository Bridge from the air, facing the Jetstone side of the bridge. Five archons are hovering and in a horizontal line in the foreground; from left to right, one with red hair and pigtails, one with short black hair, one with darker skin and short brown hair, the one with light brown hair from the fifth panel, and one with long blond hair tied in a ponytail. The leftmost, center, and rightmost archons are in flight-attendant raiment, while the other two are in dance-fighting raiment. Those in flight-attendant raiment appear to be holding their jackets open. In addition, the left-most flight attendant also appears to have the front of her skirt hiked up to the waist.. The left-side archon in dance-fighting raiment is bent over so that her rear is facing the Jetstone army and she has pulled her skirt up. The right-side one is holding her right leg up.[2] At the foot of the bridge on the other side of the river the Jetstone army has formed up into a column. Ossomer and Tramennis are distinguishable at the front of the column, and two Cloth Golems are visible in the column. Pink, radish-shaped tents are visible on the left side of the road. In the far background, partially hidden by the archons, the city of Spacerock is visible.
|Wanda Firebaugh: The enemy can see nothing else in this hex.
- ^ A flash mob is a group (generally composed of strangers, organized by a small group or individual) who meet at a prearranged place and time and enact an unusal behavior long enough to attract the attention of and/or confuse passersby, then disperse.
- ^ 'Flashing' is the act of pulling aside clothing to reveal one's genitals, breasts, or buttocks.


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S Fashions For Men
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Come Sail Away
In our home town just about 2 miles off the coast we have had a rare and majestic sight for the past few months. Beautiful Blue Whales have come here to feed on krill and the gentle giants are causing quite a stir in the quiet beach towns. Our ocean has been much colder than normal for this time of year, it actually never warmed up to summer temps so it was perfect for the Blue Whales to come and feed. Blue Whales are mostly never in these parts of the ocean and never at least in about 50 years been this close to shore. We have had the opportunity to go out sailing a few times this past month on my brothers sail boat and view the giant creatures. I can not even begin to explain how huge they are, I would say the ones we saw were close to 80 feet long. All the photos are by Camilla and Emmett taken while my brother sailed the boat and I needed to not move around too much because I get terribly seasick. These are some of my favorite shots that Camilla and Emmett took on various trips to sea.
We Hope everyone has been having a wonderful weekend.
The weather has finally turned to Summer even though now all we want is Fall. It is like we were jipped on our Summer and hopefully now we won't be jipped for Fall. Oh Mother Nature! I guess I really can't complain it is nice way to enjoy your Sunday:)
Camilla and I have been busy with a photo shoot for Lori's Shoes and will be posting the photos next week, so stay tuned!
XX Valerie and Camilla
Labels: photography
10 comments:
i love your picture's!
- September 26, 2010 at 12:21 PM
- soph (owl vs. dove) said...
These are some fantastic photos! Being that close to whales would be spine tingling stuff.
Can't wait to see the photos from the shoot :)
- September 26, 2010 at 1:11 PM
- sarah. said...
so beautiful!
- September 26, 2010 at 3:01 PM
- The Photodiarist said...
What a very different post from your usual . . . but I enjoyed it. Thank you.
- September 26, 2010 at 3:02 PM
- Juliet said...
So funny little creatures!
juliet xxx
- September 27, 2010 at 1:43 AM
- daisychain said...
oh my goodness, wow.
- September 27, 2010 at 5:53 AM
those pictures are really good! gah!!
- September 27, 2010 at 7:11 AM
The the color on that cute duck
very inspiring
- September 27, 2010 at 4:15 PM
cute love your photos!!!
- September 28, 2010 at 4:21 AM
- Beckerman Girls said...
UNBELIEVABLE!!! I've never seen whales before in "REAL LIFE"hahah...it looks like you guys were SUPER CLOSE!!! Your pics are soooo special and gorgeous! And those seals!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!
xoThe Beckerman Girls
- September 29, 2010 at 3:44 PM
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LaMay and Reese to Join SCC Theatres Fall Production
|Joe LaMay amp; Sherrie Reese
Accompanying the college productions cast of Somerset community members, SCC students, faculty and staff will be the well-known local duo LaMay and Reese.
We are very fortunate and honored to have the talents of LaMay and Reese as a part of our production of Spoon River Anthology, states SCC Theatre director Steve Cleberg. Their willingness to take part in our amateur performance reflects their commitment to the Somerset community.
Joe LaMay amp; Sherri Reese label themselves an American Folk Music Duo because their music has grown out of a love of our nation's rich musical heritage. From the old songs carried over the seas and processed through the Appalachians, to their original compositions, the music of LaMay amp; Reese resonates with a sound rooted in tradition.
LaMay amp; Reese performances are always entertaining and fun. With Joe on guitar and Sherri on banjo, they present a collection of traditional and original songs that are sure to inspire the novice and please the traditionalist.
More information regarding their music can be found on their web site at www.lamay.com/lamayrees.
The cast of Spoon River Anthology is under the musical direction of Theresa Jean Kibby and includes Jane Correll, Greg
Moore, Misty Gibson, Chris Harris, Katie Lowe, Nicholas Kidd, Caitlyn Wheeler, Mark
Isham, Tonya Brown, John Alexander, Susan Elmore, Alyssa Burrows, Cheyenne Willis
and Pam Bowman.
Cleberg will direct and Dana Floro will serve as the productions stage manager. Tonya Marcum will run the lights and sound.
Further information regarding SCCs production of Spoon River Anthology can be obtained at SCC Theatres box office at (606) 451-6766, or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com. The box office and Stoner Little Theatre are located in Stoner Hall on the SCC Somerset Campus, 808 Monticello Dr., Somerset, Kentucky.
FollowSomerset Community College Theatre amp; Film program on Facebook.


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By ,
Published January 13, 2015
At this point, it can be readily agreed upon that coach David Shaw and the Stanford Cardinal have not suffered much of an Andrew Luck/Jim Harbaugh hangover.
In the two seasons after the departure of that coaching/quarterback duo, the Cardinal have gone an impressive 23-4 and made back-to-back trips to BCS bowls.
Despite the success, the Cardinal are still residing in the shadow of other programs in the country, including fellow Pac-12 squad Oregon. That would be the same Oregon team that Stanford handed a 17-14 defeat in Eugene which ended the Ducks' run at No. 1 in the country last season.
This season will be really crucial for Shaw and Co. It could very well spell the difference between being a good program and becoming a great one. The difference between a Virginia Tech or Wisconsin and a LSU or Oklahoma.
As it stands, Stanford is a team, like the Hokies or Badgers, that consistently find its way into the top 15 of the country but is never among the teams mentioned in the same sentence as Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon. The type of team that you can lock in for 10 wins and a New Year's Day bowl game but not the big game held a few days later.
By no means are those types of accomplishments anything to scoff at, but this season Stanford will be taking aim at much more. The Cardinal aren't the only ones thinking a trip to the BCS title game is within reach as the Sporting News had Stanford ranked No. 2 in its first preseason Top 25 released at the end of May.
One of the more intriguing and prime rationales behind such an argument is just the type of team that Stanford has become over the last few seasons.
Unlike conference foe Oregon, which has relied on flashy offensive schemes, Stanford is a team that hangs its hat on strong defense and a power running game. Some might go so far as to call it "old school."
Perhaps it's not the type of strategy that lights up the scoreboard or stuffs the stat sheet, but it is the proven way to win championships in the current college football landscape. It's the type of game plan that they play in the SEC - the conference that owns the last seven BCS titles, including back-to-back championships for defending champs Alabama.
Each of those Alabama teams was ranked No. 1 in the country in total defense. The two teams Alabama played in the title game - Notre Dame (No. 7) and LSU (No. 2) - were each among the top 10 defenses in the country as well.
Last season, Stanford was 20th in total defense (336.2 yards per game) and fifth in rushing defense (97.0 ypg). The year before that, the Cardinal ranked 28th and fourth, respectively, in those categories.
Though the heart of last season's defense, inside linebacker Chase Thomas, was lost to graduation, the Cardinal still have a number of their most productive players on that side of the ball in 2013.
There's 2012 leading tackler Shayne Skov (81 total tackles, nine tackles for loss), sack machines Trent Murphy (10 sacks) and Ben Gardner (7.5 sacks) as well as ball-hawks Jordan Richards (three interceptions, 15 passes defended) and Ed Reynolds (six interceptions). That is quite a returning cast.
During the spring game, Shaw saw what he was hoping to out of his acclaimed unit that could very well give Alabama and the rest of the SEC a run for its money in more ways that one.
"I thought that defensively we ran to the ball and hustled. I thought we were physical," Shaw said. "I thought that the feeling of the practice was good. It was as physical as we wanted to be."
While the defense looks poised to keep the clamps down on just about any offense it will face, the other half of the Cardinal's equation is much less certain.
A year ago, Stepfan Taylor was the Cardinal offense. While the quarterback situation was as rocky as any in the country, with Josh Nunes and Kevin Hogan spending time under center, Taylor was a constant force. However, Taylor and is 1,530 yards and 13 touchdowns will be helping the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL this fall.
Replacing Taylor will be difficult. There are six running backs on the roster right now. In the spring game, five of those players had at least four carries, which indicates there will likely be more of a spreading of the load this season. However, Barry Sanders, who had a team-high seven carries in the spring game, is the most intriguing back in the stable. His genes certainly don't hurt.
While the running game retools, Hogan will be called on to show some progression in his junior season as he takes control of the starting job. Hogan threw for two touchdowns and completed 14-of-23 passes in the spring game, but Evan Crower (26-of-35, 197 yards, two touchdowns) may be breathing right down his neck if Hogan should stumble.
"I'm going to push for balance. I think we had that two years ago and I don't think we had it this year," Shaw said, while also indicating a need to adjust the offensive playbook from the tight end-heavy sets of a year ago with Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo, also lost to the NFL.
Having so many concerns and relying on so many ifs and hopes in one entire phase of the game isn't a good thing. Thankfully for Stanford, its defense will allow it to stay close in just about every contest, meaning if the offense can improve just slightly, the Cardinal won't be a team playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day. They'll be playing there five days later.


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When he announced that he's planning on taking some time off from acting for a bit, most of us assumed we could forget Channing Tatum playing Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie.
I, for one, was a bit disappointed with the news, because he's a major piece of eye candy and I'd have absolutely no problem staring at his chiseled muscles and rock-hard body thrusting all over Anastasia Steele for a good two hours or so. (Whew. Is it hot in here?)
But after hearing that he and wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum are expecting their first child, it's understandable that Channing would want to take a step back from acting for a bit. Although that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be a part of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie.
A list of possible Fifty Shades of Grey movie directors has emerged, and yes, Channing Tatum made the cut. OMG. Now that he's becoming a dad, it's the perfect time for him to give directing a try, don't you think? He'd probably have a lot more time with Jenna and the baby too.
He managed to snag the number four spot as far as favorite potential directors go, and here's how the entire list worked out. (In case you're curious as to who else is on it.)
- Angelina Jolie
- Mark Wahlberg
- Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike)
- Channing Tatum
- Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman)
- Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook)
- Paul Greengrass (Bourne movies)
- Gary Ross (Hunger Games)
- Robert Luketic (Legally Blond)
- Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight)
- Jason Reitman (Juno)
Who do you think would make the perfect director for Fifty Shades of Grey?
Image via Pacific Coast News


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Learn songs not scales
If you ever go to a jam or a rehearsal no-one will ever – EVER! – ask you what scales you know. They might ask you if you can play Superstition in E though. Or Cocaine in D. Or Good Times in E.
That's what how-to-play-bass.com is all about…learning songs.


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A bug lets a simple C program crash the kernel, effectively locking the whole system. Affects both 2.4.2x and 2.6.x kernels on the x86 architecture.
Not good at all and what makes it worse........
Using this exploit to crash Linux systems requires the (ab)user to have shell access. The program works on any normal user account, root access is not required.
Not all distro's affected
Full article -


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23 Home Care Services for Seniors Serving Kemblesville, PA
Caring.com offers a free service to help families find senior care. To help you with your search, browse the 72 reviews below for homecare agencies in Kemblesville. On average, consumers rate home care in Kemblesville 4.8 out of 5 stars.
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Provides: Home Care
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Interim HealthCare of Exton, PA
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Comfort Keepers Home Care of Chadds F...
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"About Us & Our Home Helpers and In Home Senior Care Welcome to Comfort Keepers of West Chester and Chadds Ford In Home Senior Care. Our home helpers are proud to serve the area of Chester and..." MoreServing: Kemblesville, 19013, 19039, 19311, 19316, 19317
Caring Heart Health Care Services
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Partners In Care At Home LLC
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Pure Melody Home Care
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Comfort For All
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Next Generation Care
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"" MoreServing: Kemblesville
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If you're choosing a caregiver for an aging parent or loved one, you've probably heard the advice that your caregiver should be licensed and bonded. The implication is that being licensed and bonde...
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This is the gallery of Digilife, a closed post-Digimon Adventure/02 RPG on Livejournal set in the real world.
Rather than being a gallery for Adventure art in general, this gallery reflects the RPG. Any art submissions which are unrelated to the RPG will be rejected, especially art for other Digimon canons.
Also, this being an Adventure-based game, any affiliation requests from groups about characters who are not part of the Adventure-verse or for different Digimon canons entirely will be declined.
The RPG is closed, but for more information, please check out our About Us page or the game itself.


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Mimicry, in biology, phenomenon characterized by the superficial resemblance of two or more organisms that are not closely related taxonomically. This resemblance confers an advantage—such as protection from predation—upon one or both organisms by which the organisms deceive the animate agent of natural selection. The agent of selection (which may be, for example, a predator, a symbiont, or the host of a parasite, depending on the type of mimicry encountered) interacts directly with the similar organisms and is deceived by their similarity. This type of natural selection distinguishes mimicry from other types of convergent resemblance that result from the action of other forces of natural selection (e.g., temperature, food habits) on unrelated organisms.
In the most-studied mimetic relationships, the advantage is one-sided, one species (the mimic) gaining advantage from a resemblance to the other (the model). Since the discovery of mimicry in butterflies in the mid-19th century, a great many plants and animals have been found to be mimetic. In many cases the organisms involved belong to the same class, order, or even family, but numerous instances are known of plants mimicking animals and vice versa. Although the best-known examples of mimicry involve similarity of appearance, investigations have disclosed fascinating cases in which the resemblance involves sound, smell, behaviour, and even biochemistry.
A key element in virtually every mimetic situation is deception by the mimic, perpetrated upon a third party, which mistakes the mimic for the model. This third party may be the collective potential predators upon the mimic, potential prey of a predacious mimic, or even one sex of the mimic's own species. In some cases, such as host mimicry by parasites, the organism deceived is the model.
Because of the variety of situations in which mimicry occurs, a formal definition must rest upon the effect of certain key communicative signals upon the appropriate receiver and the resultant evolutionary effect upon the emitters of the signals. Mimicry may be defined as a situation in which virtually identical signals, emitted by two different organisms, have in common at least one receiver that reacts in the same manner to both signals because it is advantageous to react in that manner to one of them (that of the model), although it may be disadvantageous to react thus to the counterfeit signal.
The distinction between camouflage and mimicry is not always clear when only the model and the mimic are at hand. When the receiver is known and its reactions understood, however, the distinction is quite clear: in mimicry the signals have a special significance for the receiver and for the sender, which has evolved the signals in order to be perceived by the receiver; in camouflage the sender seeks to avoid detection by the receiver through imitation of what is neutral background to the receiver. For information on camouflage, see also coloration: Camouflage.
Basic types of mimicry
Batesian mimicry
In 1862 the English naturalist Henry W. Bates published an explanation for unexpected similarities in appearance between certain Brazilian forest butterflies of two distinct families. Members of one family, the Heliconiidae, are unpalatable to birds and are conspicuously coloured; members of the other family, the Pieridae, are edible to predators. Bates concluded that the conspicuous coloration of the inedible species must serve as a warning for predators that had learned of their inedibility through experience. The deceptively similar colour patterns of the edible species would provide protection from the same predators. This form of mimicry, in which a defenseless organism bears a close resemblance to a noxious and conspicuous one, is called Batesian, in honour of its discoverer.
Müllerian mimicry
Bates observed, but could not explain, a resemblance among several unrelated butterflies, including danaids (see milkweed butterfly), all of which were known to be inedible. There seemed to be no reason for these species, each of which had an ample defense with which to back up the warning coloration, to be similar. In 1878 Fritz Müller, a German zoologist, suggested that an explanation for this so-called Bates's paradox might lie in the advantage to one inedible species in having a predator learn from another. Once the predator has learned to avoid the particular colour pattern with which it had its initial contact, it would then avoid all other similarly patterned species, edible and inedible. The initial learning experience of the predator often results in death or damage to the inedible individual that provided the lesson; there is thus some cost to the species that teaches the predator of its inedibility. Evidence indicates that there is little or no inherited recognition by certain predators; each individual learns of noxious or inedible species by sampling them. Other inedible species resembling the first, however, do not have to sacrifice individuals to teach this same predator, and the number of individuals sacrificed in educating the entire predator population is spread over all of the species sharing the same warning pattern. The tendency of inedible or noxious species to resemble each other is called Müllerian mimicry.
Aggressive mimicry
In some situations it is of advantage to a predator to resemble its prey, or a parasite its host. Aggressive mimicry, for which the phrase "a wolf in sheep's clothing" is an apt description, does not involve warning mechanisms. The mimic adopts certain of the recognition marks of its model in order to secure advantage over the model itself or over a third species that interacts with the model. The model may be mimicked during only a single stage of the life cycle, as in the case of parasitic cuckoos, the eggs of which resemble those of their hosts (see below The occurrence of mimicry among plants and animals), or the model may be a prey of the mimic's victim, as in the case of anglerfishes, which possess rodlike spines tipped with a fleshy "bait" to lure other fishes within reach.
The phenomenon of automimicry involves the advantage gained by some members of a species from its resemblance to others of the same species. Males of many bees and wasps, although defenseless, are protected from predators by their resemblance to females that are equipped with stingers. Some butterflies are able to gain protection against predators through the ability to absorb, tolerate, and retain in the immature (larval) stage, poisons from the plants on which they feed. Individuals or even subpopulations of such butterflies may fail to acquire such protection, as a result of feeding on nonpoisonous plants, but they are avoided by predators that have sampled protected individuals of the same species.
Other forms
Many forms of mimicry do not fit neatly into any of the above categories. The roles of mimic, model, and receiver may be juxtaposed and multiplied to provide intricate and remarkable relationships, the unraveling of which may take years of study. One such case involves the South American coral snakes (Micrurus), long recognized as dangerously poisonous—which possess a brilliant red, black, and yellow ringed pattern—and several genera of nonpoisonous and mildly poisonous "false coral snakes" with nearly identical colour patterns.
Warning systems
The chemical basis for repulsion
Many plants are characterized by the production of large amounts of metabolic end products, often called secondary metabolites—complex chemicals that include alkaloids, terpenes, phenylpropanes, resins, lignins, saponins, flavonols, and anthocyanins—stored in the plant tissues. Many such substances are also found in animals that feed upon such plants. Some animals produce substances similar to the secondary metabolites of plants; they store these substances in glandular pockets (as in toads, salamanders, and some insects) or in musk glands (as in beavers and muskrats). Arthropods, particularly insects, are notable for the production of excretory substances that serve as means of defense. Millipedes of the family Glomeridae, for example, secrete a bitter substance (a quinazoline) that repels birds; similar substances, differing only slightly in molecular structure, are found in palms. The fact that a certain chemical substance is restricted to a specific function, such as sex attraction, does not necessarily mean that it was evolved solely for that purpose. It seems rather that natural selection follows the easiest course and makes use of substances already present and sometimes widely distributed. If so, the appearance of such substances in other organisms is not too surprising.
Among the chemical compounds that protect certain plants from insects or other animals that might feed on them are the cardenolides, or cardiac glycosides. These substances have a highly specific toxic effect on the vertebrate heart and also activate the nerve centre in the brain that causes vomiting. Because the amount necessary to cause vomiting is about half the amount necessary to cause death through heart failure, an animal that samples a plant containing cardenolides is not killed but survives with the knowledge that the plant is inedible. Certain milkweeds (Asclepias) that contain cardenolides are the primary food of the larvae of danaine butterflies, including the familiar monarch and queen butterflies (Danaus plexippus and D. gilippus). The larvae consume the poison without ill effects and retain it through the pupal stage to adulthood. As adult butterflies, they enjoy protection from vertebrate predators.
There is, of course, no such thing as complete protection. Just as danaine larvae are able to eat the protected milkweeds, some predators are able to prey upon the protected butterflies. Birds of the Old World bee-eater family (Meropidae) and a few other birds are able to eat bees because the horny beak protects them from being stung while the insect is being killed and because they have evolved behavioral mechanisms for removing the stinger (usually by wiping the insect on a perch) before swallowing the prey. Rabbits are able to eat the extremely poisonous mushrooms of the genus Amanita without ill effects. The larvae of the Florida feather moth (Trichoptilus parvulus) consume the insect-trapping glands on the leaves of the sundew (Drosera).
The evolution of warning systems
The selective advantage of warning
When an organism possesses a mechanism that provides protection from predators, there is a further advantage in preventing the potential predator from even sampling the protected organism. By the act of learning of the danger, the predator may well kill or maim the individual if, for instance, the protected species must be tasted for its inedibility to become known. Many protected insects are provided with tougher skins than their unprotected relatives, but the sampling by a vertebrate predator is almost sure to do some damage. Many noxious organisms have evolved warning (aposematic) mechanisms that serve to identify them clearly to a predator who has had prior experience with the same or similar species.
Warning systems often rely primarily on bright colours, but these may be supplemented by olfactory, acoustic, or behavioral means. The New World skunks, for example, have a prominent black and white pattern that renders them clearly recognizable to potential nocturnal predators. When threatened, skunks perform a highly stylized display dance, thus ensuring that the predator will see and recognize the warning coloration.
Acoustic warning signals are often favoured over visual ones because they allow the animal the option of remaining hidden. The rattlesnakes (Crotalus and relatives), which need protective coloration to avoid alerting their prey, are able to provide acoustic warning to large animals that threaten them. Many moths of the families Arctiidae and Ctenuchidae are foul-tasting but would be vulnerable to nocturnal predation by bats were it not for the emission of a series of high-pitched clicks, audible to bats, made when the moths hear the bats' own ultrasonic navigational pulses. That the moth clicks actually do serve as warnings is borne out by the fact that captive bats ignore thrown mealworms (which they normally eat) when the mealworms are accompanied by recorded moth clicks. Several species of edible moths also produce clicks and may be regarded as Batesian mimics of the unpalatable species.
The role of the receiver
In some cases, the animal who serves as the receiver of the warning signal reacts by means of an innate system that exists independently of experience. Generally, however, a predator must learn the significance of the warning signal through experience. If the predator is a slow learner, or if the warning signal is not sufficiently distinct to avoid confusion with beneficial sensory impressions that the predator receives, several experiences may be necessary. Natural selection, therefore, will favour warning systems that are devoid of ambiguity. Experimentation has shown that certain birds and mammals, at least, are capable of acquiring and retaining knowledge of some aposematic mechanisms from a single experience.
Combination of warning systems with concealing coloration
It is of obvious advantage for an aposematic organism to be able to control the display of the warning system, partly to minimize the amount of sampling, with its concomitant liability of injury, by naive receivers. Acoustic and chemical warning systems allow this. Many protected animals are coloured to match their backgrounds but provided with flash areas of warning coloration. Examples of these organisms are the tiger moths (certain of the Arctiidae), in which the hind wings are yellow or orange but are kept under the streaked brown forewings until the moth is molested.
The occurrence of mimicry among plants and animals
Batesian mimicry
The stinging Hymenoptera (particularly the bees, wasps, and hornets), well protected from most predators and usually equipped with conspicuous warning coloration, are mimicked by insects of many other orders. Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) and leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) are inedible and are provided with prominent colours and usually with contrasting spots. A whole group of Philippine cockroaches of the genus Prosoplecta mimics these beetles, having undergone profound modification to achieve the similarity. To simulate the short rounded form of the ladybirds, the large hind wings of the roaches are rolled and folded in a manner unparalleled in other insects.
The order Lepidoptera abounds with Batesian mimics, the best known of which is a swallowtail butterfly, Papilio dardanus, a widespread African species. In many populations of this species the females are polymorphic; i.e., a number of different types (morphs) of coloration are found, each morph being a mimic of a species of inedible butterfly of another genus (either Danaus or Amauris). In all populations, the males are nonmimetic, retaining the same yellow and black pattern throughout. The presence of polymorphism, coupled with the ability of the lepidopterist to breed and rear this species in the laboratory, makes this an apt species for the study of colour inheritance (see also heritability). Investigators have found that mimicry in P. dardanus depends upon the action of certain primary genes, the expression of which is switched on or off by modifier genes. The modifier genes reduce the number of possible morphs to the restricted number of mimetic forms. The effects of modifier genes are not carried to the offspring when members of different geographic races are crossed. This finding suggests that each set of modifier genes is adapted to the gene complex in which it normally occurs and in which it probably evolved.
Müllerian mimicry
Müllerian mimicry often occurs in groups of unrelated species, all noxious or inedible and all possessing the same conspicuous warning coloration. Such groups, called mimicry rings, often have associated Batesian mimics. It is not always easy to evaluate the palatability of members of such rings, and thus to distinguish Müllerian from Batesian mimics. Parallel Müllerian mimicry rings are known from South Africa, Borneo, and the tropical Americas; each contains such unrelated insects as malacodermoid and longicorn beetles, butterflies, true bugs, and spider wasps. In South America inedible butterflies of many distinct nymphalid subfamilies (Danainae, Ithomiinae, Acraeinae, and Heliconiinae) share the same warning coloration. Certain species show a highly perplexing divergence from the usual mimicry principles, however. It is axiomatic that maximum protection is gained by Müllerian mimics when all individuals employ the same signal, a principle known as signal standardization. Two species of Heliconius (H. melpomene and H. erato) are polymorphic, however, with each morph in one species duplicated by one in the other and with the morphs of each pair having virtually contiguous geographic ranges. Ecological and genetic evidence indicates that the racial divergence within these species was produced by differences in the abundance (or degree of protection) of different mimicry rings in different refuges, as have lasted for several thousand years, with the species coming to mimic whichever abundant, protected species was within reach by a single mutation.
Aggressive mimicry
Examples of aggressive mimicry are abundant and varied; each demonstrates its own particular variation of basic mimicry principles. The examples cited below illustrate a few of the remarkable extremes in the evolution of mimicry.
Parasitic worms
The flukes (Trematoda) are a class of parasitic worms belonging to the phylum Platyhelminthes. One species, Leucochloridium macrostomum, resides principally in the intestine of songbirds. The eggs of the parasite pass to the outside in the feces of the birds and are readily ingested by a terrestrial snail, Succinea, an inhabitant of waterlogged meadows and riverbanks. The parasite eggs hatch into the first larval form within the snail. The next stage, called the sporocyst, is strikingly green in colour and bears yellow-brown rings. The sporocyst develops in the snail tissues and carries several sacs of "spores," one of which is placed into each of the snail's tentacles, or eyestalks. The sac then begins to pulsate violently, at about 40 to 70 beats per minute. The tentacle of the snail becomes greatly enlarged and eventually is transformed into a transparent covering over the pulsating sporocyst. Succinea usually avoids light, but specimens with this parasite do not. When the snail appears with its conspicuous, pulsing eyestalks, birds mistake the eyestalks for insect larvae, bite them off, and eat them. Within the bird, the sporocyst then hatches into the final larval stage, which grows into an adult worm. In the meantime the snail's eyestalk regenerates, and the cycle is repeated when another sac passes into the new eyestalks. Because the sporocysts of other trematodes are neither brightly coloured nor mobile, it can be concluded that the colour and pulsation of Leucochloridium are adaptations for arousing the interest of the insectivorous birds. Under normal circumstances the host birds do not eat snails, so the sporocyst must imitate the bird's proper food in order to be eaten and to complete its life cycle in the bird host. The process represents an unusual case of aggressive mimicry, for the parasite manipulates its hosts and causes the bird to infect itself with the parasite.
Another trematode, Cercaria mirabilis, is notable for its unusually large larvae form, called a cercaria. The size of this cercaria and its hopping mode of locomotion cause it to resemble a small, swimming crustacean or mosquito larva, with the result that fish mistake it for food and swallow it. Research on parasites of this kind is much easier when it is recognized that the larval stages often mimic the food of their respective hosts. Examination of the parasite often provides a suggestion as to the probable host.
Insect-luring plants
Newly hatched flesh flies (Sarcophaga), blowflies (Calliphora), and greenbottle flies (Lucilia) are attracted to glistening droplets or imitations of droplets. The grass of parnassus (Parnassia palustris) has flowers with five nectar petals, which bear glistening buttons but no nectar. They attract flies, nevertheless, and reward them with nectar in two depressions on the upper surfaces of the petals. The insectivorous sundew (Drosera), on the other hand, presents a deceptive lure, consisting of glistening secretory droplets on the glandular leaves, which trap insects that are then dissolved with digestive juices. The pitcher plants (Nepenthes, Darlingtonia, Sarracenia, Cephalotus) have juglike leaves, which may bear flowerlike markings near their openings. Some have a flap or hood that enhances the resemblance to a flower and prevents filling with rainwater. One form, Nepenthes, secretes nectar at the lip of the pitcher. A foraging insect landing on this apparent flower slips on the edge and falls in. A band of gland cells below the slippery region secretes an enzyme that digests protein. The lower part of the pitcher contains a watery mixture of digestive fluids.
The cleaner mimic
One of the few cases of mimicry reported among vertebrates is that of a so-called cleaner fish. This example involves a particularly close model imitation involving shape, coloration, and behaviour. The model, a wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, is known as a cleaner fish because it removes and eats externally attached parasites and, occasionally, damaged skin fragments from other marine fish. It occupies specific sites, or territories, on coral reefs, where, within a six-hour period, the individual cleaner may be visited by up to 300 other fish seeking its services. The other fish are attracted by the conspicuous black and white coloration of the cleaner and by its dancelike swimming pattern, in which the tail fin is spread and the posterior part of the fish oscillates up and down. The fish undergoing cleaning acts as though it were in a trance, while the cleaner fish cleans its body, including the inside of the mouth and gills. Even large predatory fish allow themselves to be cleaned, and the much smaller cleaner almost invariably emerges uninjured from their throats. It is quite apparent that the cleaners are protected from these predators although neither inedible nor capable of self-defense.
At the cleaning stations of the cleaner fish, there is often found quite another fish, the sabre-toothed blenny (Aspidontus taeniatus). It is similar to the cleaner fish in size, coloration, and swimming behaviour, and it even exhibits the same dance as the cleaner. Fish that have had experience with the cleaner position themselves unsuspectingly in front of this mimic, which approaches carefully and bites off a semicircular piece of fin from the victim and eats it. After having been repeatedly bitten in this way, fish become distrustful even toward genuine cleaners. Observations in the wild indicate that younger fish are the principal victims of the mimic, whereas older fish avoid it whenever possible. It is unlikely that the ability to discriminate between the mimic and the model develops automatically with age and is independent of experience; this is borne out by the finding that adult fish kept in an aquarium and not previously exposed to the mimic confuse cleaner and mimic just as younger fish do. If such adult fish are kept with the mimics for a certain length of time, however, they eventually avoid these and the genuine cleaners.
The obvious conclusion from these experiments is that other fish cannot distinguish between the model and the mimic without having had experience with both. Evidently, victims of the mimic seek out and learn characteristics that enable them to distinguish between reliable and unreliable cleaners—that is, between the model and the mimic, respectively. The most successful individuals among the mimics, therefore, are those that most confuse their victims. As a result, the further development of the mimic is steered in the direction determined by the characteristics of the cleaner; for example, the model occurs as a number of local races within its area of distribution, each of which shows its own peculiarities in coloration, such as a small or large black vertical stripe at the base of the pectoral fins or an orange-red spot on the flanks. In every case, the local population of the mimic shows the same special coloration as does the model in that particular area.
One of the interesting and highly unusual aspects of the cleaner–mimic relationship is that the individual characters of the mimicry pattern, especially the behavioral ones, have been traced to their origins. Certain characteristics, such as body size and shape and swimming pattern, amount to chance similarities. The mimic's drive to approach other fish, for example, is a specialization of a more general pattern, observable in non-mimicking relatives of the blenny, involving searching for food on suitable surfaces. The basic colour pattern of light and dark horizontal stripes is characteristic of fish that swim in open water, but the actual coloration of the mimicking blenny, owing to the forces of natural selection, bears a close resemblance to the cleaner wrasse. Interestingly enough, the blenny alters its coloration with its motivational state and adopts the appearance of the cleaner only under the specific conditions of self-confidence and intent to attack. As a group, blennies tend to wriggle while swimming, in order to counteract a strong tendency to sink at the tail. The sabre-toothed blenny, however, when confronted with danger holds the body stiffly without wriggling, allowing the hindquarters to sink somewhat, and advances solely by the use of the pectoral fins, in the manner common to wrasses. Superimposed on this motion is a nodding of the blenny's head, which is typical of approach-retreat conflict behaviour in blennies but which results in a simulation of the swaying dance of the cleaner. The combination of coloration and behavioral signals has a particular significance for the experienced visitor to the cleaner's station and causes it to adopt the posture that invites cleaning. In so doing, the visitor gives the mimic an opportunity to take a bite from a fin.
A form of aggressive mimicry that relies entirely on behaviour occurs in certain North American fireflies (Lampyridae). Males of these familiar nightflying beetles emit light bursts in flight according to highly specific patterns. The females, usually stationary, respond to the flash patterns of males of their own species with specific patterns of their own. The flying male responds to the appropriate female signal by approaching, landing, and courting. Most adult fireflies are short-lived and do not feed at all, but females of the genus Photuris have been found to feed on other beetles, including males of the genus Photinus. Upon perceiving a flashing male Photinus, the female Photuris responds with a flash that mimics the slower response time of the female Photinus. As the male Photinus approaches, the female Photuris even reduces the intensity of her flashes, to resemble more closely the weaker signals of the smaller female Photinus. The hapless male, after landing, is seized and eaten by the Photuris. In response to males of her own species, of course, the female Photuris gives a flash response quite different from that of Photinus.
Host mimicry by parasites
Another form of mimicry, sometimes considered an extension of aggressive mimicry, is mimicry of a host by its parasite. Most of the best-known examples occur among birds, representing some of the few known instances of mimicry in that class of animals (see also parasitism).
The European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a brood parasite; i.e., it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, which act as foster parents for the young cuckoos. The most frequent foster parents are various species of small songbirds. Although the eggs of the various host species span a great range of colours and spotting, there is a striking correspondence in appearance between the eggs of the cuckoo and those of the host. Most small birds react unfavourably if they perceive a foreign egg in the nest and either abandon the nest, build another nest right over the first, or eject the strange egg. Each female cuckoo consistently lays eggs of one colour pattern and must therefore parasitize a particular host species. One survey has shown that of 1,642 cuckoo eggs laid in the nests of the correct (matching) hosts, only 8 percent were lost, whereas of 298 in the nests of the wrong hosts, 24 percent were lost. It is logical to conclude, therefore, that a cuckoo that lays its egg randomly, leaving the survival of the eggs to chance, would produce fewer offspring than one that selects hosts whose eggs match her own. Although the control of egg coloration is probably genetically determined, the choice of correct hosts is believed to be the result of a learning process that takes place when the female cuckoo is a nestling and learns to recognize her own foster parents.
Parasitic weaverbirds
Brood parasitism is also found in African whydahs, or widow birds, of the subfamily Viduinae of the weaverbird family, Ploceidae. Each species of whydah parasitizes a single species of estrildid (a waxbill or another small finchlike bird in the family Estrildidae). In this case, egg colour does not seem to be a factor in acceptance of the parasite's egg, because both groups have pure white eggs. It has been argued that the whydah, many relatives of which have spotted eggs, has evolved white eggs in order to match those of its estrildid host.
More significant than the mimicry of egg colour, however, is the highly specific pattern of spots and protuberances at the corners of the mouth (gape) and on the palate, tongue, and lower mandible of the nestling. This pattern, which varies from one species of finch to another, serves as a releaser for feeding behaviour on the part of the parents, which ignore any nestling that does not display the proper pattern for the particular species. In every species of parasitic weaverbird studied, the nestling has been found to match perfectly the mouth pattern of the estrildid host. In addition to mimicking the mouth patterns of their hosts, whydah nestlings also duplicate the specific begging calls and peculiar head movements of their hosts. The coloration of the juvenile plumage of the young whydah is identical to that of the host species, ensuring that the whydah will be fed after fledging. The digestive system of the young whydah is closely adapted to the particular type of food utilized by its host species, unlike that of the young cuckoo, which seems to be able to accept a variety of foods, from insects to mouse meat.
With each species of parasitic weaverbird closely committed to a single species of estrildid, it is obviously important that whydah species not hybridize, for the hybrid offspring would certainly not match either possible host in all of the important features. It is surprising to find seven forms of the paradise whydah (Steganura) so similar in appearance that they were once considered races of one species. Each of the seven, however, has its own estrildid host species, indicating that seven species of paradise whydah are represented.
As is frequently the case with closely similar bird species, hybridization is effectively prevented through the use of species-specific vocalizations by the males. An unusual feature of this situation is that each whydah species uses the same vocal pattern as its estrildine host. The young parasitic weaverbirds learn the songs of their host species during the critical learning period common to songbirds generally. As adults, the male whydahs use these estrildid vocalizations and gain response only from females that have been reared by the same foster species. This example is the only known one of a species-isolating mechanism consisting of vocalizations learned from another species. Vocal imitations by some bird species that have not been shown to give rise to mimicry systems are nevertheless frequently called mimicry.
Mimicry to effect pollination and dispersal
In some instances, plants have been found to rely on mimicry to attract insects as aids in pollination or in the dissemination of seeds or spores.
Many angiosperms (flowering plants) lure insects through the use of bright colours that indicate the presence of nectar. Some orchids mimic other flowering plants without offering any nectar, relying on those plants that do provide nectar to reward the nectar seekers.
A group of orchids, often known by such descriptive names as fly orchid, bee orchid, and spider orchid, carries the deception further, actually mimicking the insects themselves. The best-known orchids of this type are members of the genus Ophrys. The labellum (lip) of the Ophrys flower is a specialized median petal that acts as a dummy female of a species of bee or wasp (depending on the species of Ophrys), the resemblance being so close that males visit the flower in an attempt to copulate with the dummy female. In the course of precopulatory and copulatory movements, the visiting insect acquires the pollen sacs (pollinia) of the orchid and subsequently transmits them to other blossoms. A similar situation occurs in an Australian orchid, Cryptostylis leptochila, which bears a sufficient resemblance to the female of the ichneumon wasp Lissopimpla semipunctata to induce copulation by the male wasp.
An important feature in the mimicry of female insects by orchids is flower size. Flowers that are too small do not provide adequate stimulus for the copulatory attempts necessary to plant the pollinia on the insect. Conversely, if the flower is too large for the insect, the insect's head does not reach the stigma of the flower (the female receptor site for pollen), and the pollinia are not deposited on the insect.
The colour of the orchid's labellum is also important in attracting and properly orienting the male insect. The males are more attracted to dark than to light colours and to a contrasting dark spot on a light background. A velvety surface is a more effective attractant than a shiny one. The centre of the labellum of Ophrys insectifera bears a dark red spot, almost black, whereas the lateral lobes of the labellum are a somewhat lighter purple-red. Female wasps of the genus Gorytes, males of which are highly attentive to this orchid, are black dorsally with dark purple wings. Where the folded wings overlap over the female's body, there is a glistening area closely resembling the shiny central spot on the flower. The overall effect is further enhanced by movements of the flower in the wind.
Odour plays a particularly strong role in attracting male insects to the mimicking orchids. Some female bees (Hymenoptera) secrete odoriferous substances (pheromones) that initiate search behaviour in the males and guide them to the stationary females. Such attractant chemicals are usually limited in effectiveness to the producing species and perhaps a few close relatives. Ophrys flowers give off odours similar to, if not identical with, those produced by females of their associated insects. In a few cases the odour of the flower is a more potent attractant for the male than that of the appropriate female.
Carrion flowers, stinkhorn mushrooms, and mosses
A group of flowers are able to attract dung beetles (certain of the Scarabaeidae) and carrion flies (Calliphoridae) by mimicking the odours of dung or rotting flesh used by these insects as guides to sites for egg deposition. In some carrion flowers (e.g., Stapelia) the deception is so complete that blowflies actually lay their eggs in the flowers. The cuckoopint (Arum maculatum), which has a metabolic level unequaled among plants, spreads its odour over a wide area by an elevation of temperature that increases the vaporization rate of the volatile odour substance. An elaborate mechanism in the cuckoopint ensures that a pollen-laden visitor remains long enough to deposit the pollen. The sheath of the floral structure, upon which the insect lands, is made slippery by oil droplets with the result that the insect slides down into a cup equipped with a ring of spines to prevent escape. In trying to climb out, the insect deposits pollen on the tiny female flowers, from which the insect receives nectar. During the night, the male flowers mature and cover the resting insect with pollen. Then the spines shrink, and the insect is released. The production of the attractant odour occurs at midday, when many carrion-seeking insects are active, on the day before the male flowers mature; the timing of the cuckoopint's odour production is controlled by a substance produced by the male flowers six to 18 hours before maturity.
A similar situation is found in stinkhorn mushrooms of the genus Phallus, found in woodlands and meadows of the Northern Hemisphere. The cap of the young stinkhorn is covered with a thick, greenish-black, shiny layer of gelatinous spore slime (gleba), which is eaten by blowflies and other insects attracted by the carrion-like odour. The spores pass through the digestive tracts of the insects and are voided with the feces, thus ensuring dispersal.
Some mosses (e.g., some members of the genus Splanchnum) have flowerlike structures that are designed to attract flies to aid in spore dispersal. Insects are attracted by the mimic of a nectar-bearing true flower and by a carrion-like odour.
Defensive egg dummies
Several species of passion-flower (Passiflora) and cruciferous plants (Streptanthus) decrease their attractiveness to ovipositing female butterflies (thus reducing predation from butterfly larvae) by producing pigmented callosities that mimic the eggs of those insects. Prior to ovipositing, females visually assess the egg load on individual host plants, avoiding parts that are already "occupied." Removal of the egg mimics significantly increases the probability of an oviposition relative to similar, intact plants.
Mimicry within species
The three essential participants in mimicry—model, mimic, and receiver—need not always be members of different species. In mimicry of the host by a parasite, for instance, the host species provides both model and receiver. In another type of mimicry the mimic and receiver are members of the same species. An example of this type of mimicry is found in the small South American characoid fish Corynopoma riisei, in which the gill cover of the male is elongated into a thin, whitish stalk that terminates in a small, blackish plate. During courtship, the male raises the stalk and waves it jerkily in view of the female, who mistakes the tip of the stalk for an edible object, such as a tiny crustacean. As the female nears the male to grasp this supposed prey, mating takes place.
Another remarkable form of mimicry within the same species occurs in the African mouth-breeding cichlid fish of the genus Haplochromis. The female takes the eggs into her mouth immediately after they are laid, even before the male can fertilize them. The male, however, carries conspicuous yellow or orange spots near the base of the anal fin, which closely resemble the eggs of the particular species. Although the female is inhibited from eating while carrying eggs, she is strongly motivated to pick up loose eggs in her mouth. The male displays the fin spots to the female while releasing sperm; the female, as she attempts to pick up the false eggs, takes in sperm that fertilize the eggs in her mouth. In this case the model (real eggs), mimic (false eggs), and receiver (adult female) are all of the same species.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
community ecology: Mimicry complexesA different kind of convergence has occurred in the evolution of mimetic butterflies and other insects. Mimicry occurs when two or more species evolve to resemble and sometimes behave in ways similar to another species (
see alsomimicry). The most famous examples of…
coloration: MimicryAs mentioned above, deception may be accomplished by providing false information through mimicry. Aggressive mimicry occurs when a predator resembles its prey or a harmless third party. For example, the American zone-tailed hawk (
Buteo albonotatus) is nearly black and has long narrow wings, and…
evolution: Diversifying selectionSometimes an organism mimics the appearance of a different one for protection. Diversifying selection often occurs in association with mimicry. A species of swallowtail butterfly,
Papilio dardanus, is endemic in tropical and Southern Africa. Males have yellow and black wings, with characteristic tails in the second pair of…
reptile: Display of colourMimicry of dangerous species by harmless ones is a passive defense; however, its validity as an actual mechanism of defense is sometimes challenged. Nonetheless, evidence of mimicry appears among different groups of snakes. For example, the venomous American coral snakes (
Micrurus) have various ringed patterns…
insect: Protection from enemies…qualities may gain protection by mimicry—developing a conspicuous colour pattern similar to that found in distasteful species.…
More About Mimicry20 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
- pollination of orchids
- seed and fruit dispersal
- work of Bates
- In H.W. Bates
characteristic of
- crows
- In crow
- frogs
- heteropteran nymphs
- insects
- leaf insects
- In leaf insect
- animal communication


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The Root of Our ProblemsPosted: March 9th, 2010 | Author: Gregg Stutts | Filed under: Difficulties, Fitness, Other, Relationships, Truth | Tags: confusion, Fitness, God's power, God's word, pain, progressive overload | No Comments »
When I was 16-years-old, I began weight training to get in shape for football. I immediately fell in love with it and have kept at it for most of the past 31 years. Except for the previous 11 months.
A year ago, we moved which made it much less convenient to get to the health club where I used to train. A few months after moving, we let our membership lapse. While I tried to keep up with running, I didn't continue weight training.
Just after the holidays this year, I was feeling the effects of not training. I'd gained some unwanted body fat. My lean mass (muscle) had decreased dramatically. So while the scale hadn't changed much over the past year, my body composition had changed.
I was also starting to notice some physical symptoms related to stress. For most of the past three decades, my body had a way to relieve some of the stresses of life, but without weight training, I was feeling the ill effects.
I knew I needed to do something.
Several weeks ago, we joined the fitness center on campus, which is just a short walk from our house. In just a few short weeks, I'm seeing my body (and stress level) return to what I've been used to.
Even though I'm getting older, I keep telling myself year after year that I want to be in the best shape of my life. While it'll be tough to top my condition at the age of 19, it doesn't mean I can't try.
That's the problem though. Sometimes I can try a little too hard.
To build muscle (and lose fat), it's necessary to push the body beyond what it's comfortable with. That principle is called, "progressive overload." You place more load on the muscle or cardiovascular system than it's used to handling, which forces it to adapt by getting stronger. If you don't push, you don't grow. At least not very much.
A year ago, I was experiencing pain in both elbows–the result of lifting heavy loads during my training. I tried adjusting the exercises I did, but the pain didn't actually go away. The only thing that really helped was resting for the past 11 months.
So now at the age of 47, my fitness training is a balance of pushing myself and listening to my body tell me when it's had enough. Continuing to ignore the pain (injury type pain, not just the discomfort of a burning muscle) is just foolish. I've learned from my mistake. You can't just manage symptoms if you really want to fix something. You need to get to the root issue.
Which leads me to this question: what's at the root of most of the problems in my life? How about your life?
I'm not talking about exercise any more. I mean problems with relationships, work, finances, emotional health and any other issues you want to name.
What's at the root?
In Matthew 22, there are two different groups of people who are trying to trap Jesus in His words. If they could trap Him, then they could arrest Him or discredit Him. The Pharisees gave it a shot by asking him a tax related question, but Jesus aced it. "So they left him and went away."
That same day, the other group came and asked a question related to marriage and heaven. I'm sure they thought they could stump Him, but He began His answer by saying:
"You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."
Isn't that the root problem for most of us? We're in error, we make wrong choices, because we don't know the Scriptures (God's word to us) or His power that's available to us?
If my elbows begin to hurt again, I could try ice and ibuprofen. I could try different exercises. I could keep pushing and hope the pain goes away. Or I could go to the root of the problem and make a real change.
Maybe the pain in your life is pointing to a root issue. Maybe it's the result of not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. Why no let the pain and confusion press you into God's word?
Get to know Him. Learn what He has to say about your life and your choices. Discover the power that's available to you if you'll simply surrender your life to Him.


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Off the Grid
August 2011
8 years
Barbershop of Second Chances: The Story of Eddie Lopez and Xclusive Cuts
Alex Kotlowitz talks to an ex-gang member who gives the barbers at his Cicero shop second and third—even fourth—chances to turn their lives around.
8 years
The Fiction of the American Dream: An Afternoon at Chicago Pawners
Alex Kotlowitz spends a few hours at a Near West Side pawnshop, where the customers are folks who "are walking—sometimes running—one step away from losing a home, or a job, or a lover, or a way of life."
8 years
The Trauma of Violence and Our Broken Communities
Alex Kotlowitz, our inaugural writer-in-residence, tells the story of Eddie Bocanegra, one of the characters in the new documentary The Interrupters, and discusses the effects of violence on individuals and communities.
8 years


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The New Low-Maintenance Garden: How to Have a Beautiful, Productive Garden and the Time to Enjoy It
Countless books have espoused a low-maintenance approach to gardening. None have been as engaging, practical, or inspiring as this latest of Easton's contributions to the gardener's bookshelf.
Pacific Horticulture
Do you ever lament that you'd love to be able to garden more, but just don't have the time? The demanding pace of modern life leaves little space for the pleasures of gardening. On the other hand, gardening itself could be the culprit: elaborate, traditional perennial borders; water-hungry or disease-prone plants; needy lawns; and high-maintenance plants that require staking or clipping all suck up precious hours.
Simply put, we need to start gardening in a whole new way. In this inspiring book, Val Easton shows exactly how to have a low-maintenance garden that doesn't sacrifice style. You won't have to give up your favorite plants or settle for expanses of ugly bark nuggets. You just have to unlearn some bad old habits and pick up some good new ones.
The New Low-Maintenance Garden doesn't just tell you how to garden in a whole new way — it shows you, through profiles and beautiful photographs of real gardens that embody low-maintenance techniques. The pressures of life are not likely to ease up anytime soon, but the lessons of this timely book will help you banish guilt over undone garden chores and revel in your garden successes.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 284 pp.
- Book dimensions: 8 x 9 in. (230 x 205 mm.)
- Images: 230 color photos
- Product code: 689166
Book preview
Want to see inside the book?View book preview.
Media reviews
"If you'd like a beautiful garden but find yourself on the treadmill called life, this book just might help you understand it's doable. ... Provides inspiration while steering readers away from traditional elaborate perennial borders, water-hogging and disease prone plants, high-maintenance lawns, and time consuming plants that require deadheading, pruning, and constant care."
—Jean Ann Van Krevelen, Newsday
"Over the years, countless books have espoused a low-maintenance approach to gardening. None have been as engaging, practical, or inspiring as this latest of Easton's contributions to the gardener's bookshelf."
—Barclay and Sharon Simpson, Pacific Horticulture
"A handy guide to a garden you can raise without a corresponding increase in your blood pressure. ... Handsome and informative."
—Metropolitan Home
"As we gardeners of a certain age look for ways to simplify our lives but still keep our fingers in the dirt, I can see Easton's book being referred to again and again."
—Fran Durner, Anchorage Daily News
"Will be embraced by gardeners facing the limitations of an aging body or the time constraints of a busy career; by gardeners who want an inviting place to enjoy being outdoors; and, not least, by designers who are asked by nearly every client for a low-maintenance garden."
—Pam Penick, Digging
"The book is not a how-to manual, but through examples of real-life gardens, offers inspiration for turning gardens into beautiful, sustainable, easy-to-care-for outdoor spaces."
—Susan Condon Love, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A well-informed and useful guide that ... will appeal to gardeners all over the country. Recommended."
—Jenny Contakos, Library Journal
"This book is an invaluable addition to the garden library — destined to be a classic for many years to come."
—Jane Berger, Garden Design Online
"If you're looking for photographic inspiration, key tips for garden victory, additional books and resources, or success stories from other gardeners, you'll find it all in this well-written, easy-to-navigate guide."
—Amber K. Stott, Sacramento Book Review
"Easton shows us how to garden reasonably without feeling overwhelmed. ... A long overdue cry for gardening sanity, with guidelines for restoring balance to our lives."
—Barbara Blossom Ashmun, Portland Tribune
"Shows authentic beauty achievable by regular folks like you and me, as opposed to gardening super-heroes who spend every waking moment plucking dead blades out of their chive plants."
—Fern Richardson, Life on the Balcony blog
"You look and say 'I want this,' realizing that your desire has everything to do with the sanctuary garden that Easton is calling you back to. Low maintenance is just the part of the equation that gives you the time to enjoy the sanctuary you create."
—Jim McCausland, Fresh Dirt blog
"The interesting tidbits in the book leave me smitten with The New Low-Maintenance Garden. This book will be in my mind as we embrace the beauty that is the edit."
—Garden Punks blog