UCSF's Elizabeth Blackburn wins Nobel Prize

Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, was named the Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine for discovering how chromosomes are protected.
Blackburn will share one-third of the $1.4 million prize with Carol Greider of Johns Hopkins University and Jack Szostak of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The trio found that chromosome-capping telomeres — which Blackburn has compared to the plastic ends of shoe laces — and the enzyme telomerase protect chromosomes as cells divide.
Blackburn and Szostak discovered that a unique DNA sequence in the telomeres protects the chromosomes from degradation while Blackburn and Greider identified telomerase, the enzyme that makes telomere DNA.
If the telomeres are shortened, cells age. Higher telomerase activity, meanwhile, maintains telomeres length.
The discoveries have an impact on cancer research as well as research into aging and other diseases. Blackburn and her UCSF colleagues have found, for example, that telomeres are worn down in people who are stressed for long periods of time, like a parent caring for a chronically ill child.
Blackburn is the fourth UCSF Nobel Prize winner, joining Stanley Prusiner, Harold Varmus and former chancellor J. Michael Bishop.
Blackburn, Greider and Szostak beat out other notable scientists, including Shinya Yamanaka of UCSF and the J. David Gladstone Institutes, whose work at Kyoto University in Japan produced an embryonic-like stem cell from adult stem cells.

Yamanaka last month won the Lasker Award, considered a precursor to a Nobel Prize. It is the same award that Blackburn, Greider and Szostak won in 2006.

Read more »

Dexter Season 4: Episode 2

 Dexter was crazy intense last night.  I was stressed from the first minute to the very last second. The episode started off with Dexter upside down in his car after his serious rollover accident.  He was taken to the hospital and, despite being warned of a possible head injury/concussion, he left with Rita (without telling her how serious the accident was) since he couldn’t remember what he did with Benny’s body.

Meanwhile, Lundy is still investigating the Trinity Killer case which brings him into direct contact with Debra.  It’s clear that there is still some chemistry between them despite the fact that she’s moved on and is currently dating Anton.
She is unsettled by his suggestion that they work closely to solve the crimes which eventually prompts her to confront the issue and is surprised to hear him explain that he’s not in town to pursue a relationship with her but, rather, is hunting for a serial killer.  She’s pretty humiliated by the whole thing and promptly jumps Anton in what looks like an attempt to prove her love for him.
Quinn’s relationship with a local reporter comes to the attention of LaGuerta who warns him to keep his mouth shut when he’s with her.  He was worried that Dexter was going to turn him in after he was spotted taking money from a crime scene but was relieved when the lieutenant merely commented on being discreet with the journalist.  Meanwhile, Quinn goes out of his way to compensate for the bad blood between him and Dexter.
Trinity, of course, has already picked his next target and finds a way to nonchalantly run into her in what seemed like a test run for the real murder.
The dynamics between LaGuerta and Batista gets more complicated since office politics basically pit them against each other.  After some tense exchanges, he suggests they take a break but then it becomes clear that their feelings for each other won’t be easy to just turn off.
Dexter finally remembers where he left Benny’s body and dumps it.  It’s a reality check about how his life has changed and what that will affect his ability to continue killing.  After climbing into bed, Dexter feels like a good night’s sleep is all he will need to feel okay again and he immediately starts snoring – until Harrison starts crying, of course.

Read more »

Meadowlark Harlem Globetrotters Harlem Globetrotters Schedule

lemon meadowlark Meadowlark | Harlem Globetrotters |Harlem Globetrotters Schedule Meadow George “Meadowlark” Lemon born on 25th April 1932 in Wilmington, North Carolina is an American basketball player and actor.

For 22 years, Lemon was known as the “Clown Prince” of the touring Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.

He played in more than 16,000 games for the Globetrotters and is a 2003 inductee of the Basketball Hall of Fame.


In 2000, Lemon received the John Bunn Award, the highest honor given by the Basketball Hall of Fame outside of induction. He was inducted into the hall three years later.

On May 18, 2009, it was announced that Lemon had become the new partial owner of the Smoky Mountain Jam of the American Basketball Association.

Read more »

Ravens' Gaither appears to be good

The prognosis appears promising for Jared Gaither. The starting left offensive tackle returned to Baltimore with his Ravens teammates after suffering what appeared to be a head or neck injury in the second quarter of the team's 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

X-rays at Massachusetts General Hospital on Gaither's neck and shoulder were negative. He collided headfirst with quarterback Joe Flacco'sback while trying to block on a passing attempt. A magnetic resonance imagining is expected today on the 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither, who was too big to fit into the MRI machine at the Boston hospital.

The injury to Gaither, who lay on the turf about 15 minutes before being taken away on a stretcher, affected his teammates.

"It was pretty scary," left guard Ben Grubbs conceded. "Anytime you have an injury dealing with the neck, you want to take precautionary procedures. I saw that his extremities were moving, and that was very important to see. And then when I was walking down [the tunnel inside the stadium], his mom told me that he was good."

Without Gaither, rookie Michael Oher moved from his customary right tackle position to the left side and Marshal Yanda filled the vacancy on the right side.

"It's a tough position, but that's what is expected of you," said Yanda, who hadn't played right tackle since his 2007 rookie season. "When you're the No. 6 guy and someone goes down, you've got to step up. ... It's a tough position to be in, but it's the NFL, and you've got to perform."

Oher played left tackle at Mississippi, but he said he had no plans to take over for Gaither as the primary starter at that position. "He's a great player, so we definitely need him," Oher said. "Can't do it without him."

Brendon Ayanbadejo, second on the team in tackles before Sunday's loss, could miss a significant amount of time - and maybe the remainder of the season - after tearing his left quadriceps tendon.

Ayanbadejo, who was using crutches after the game, was injured early in the fourth quarter when he tried to tackle Patriots running back Sammy Morris and got caught in a massive scrum.

"I've never been injured before," said Ayanbadejo, who made five tackles in his first start at linebacker since Sept. 17, 2006. "If so, this is pretty tough. But at the same time, this is football and things happen. This is the first time this has ever happened in my career. We'll see what happens."

Fumble ... touchdown
Dwan Edwards'first recovered fumble of his career also yielded the first touchdown of his career.

Edwards was the beneficiary of defensive end-linebacker Terrell Suggs'sack and strip of New England quarterback Tom Brady inside the Patriots' 10-yard line. The loose ball tumbled toward the end zone, and Edwards outraced center Dan Koppen and covered up the fumble to trim a 10-point deficit to three in the third quarter.

"It was a sprint to the ball," Edwards said. "I saw the ball, and I couldn't believe it was right there by the goal line. I thought about picking it up, but luckily I fell and the ball crossed the goal line. I was pretty excited about that."

Ellerbe, Kruger play
Tavares Gooden'sloss was Dannell Ellerbe's gain.

With Gooden deactivated Sunday because of lingering issues with a concussion and shoulder injury, Ellerbe, an undrafted rookie, played frequently at inside linebacker alongside Ray Lewis.

"It was amazing just to be out there with Uncle Ray and Ed Reed and them boys," said Ellerbe, who finished with five tackles including one for a loss. "Playing with them in a real game just felt great. The speed of the game wasn't as fast as I thought it was. I was actually moving faster than the other guys. Ray had to tell me to calm down. I feel like I did all right, but I could get a whole lot better."

Rookie linebacker-defensive end Paul Kruger was activated for the first time Sunday. He recorded one tackle but could not get a sack.

"It's always awesome to be on the field," Kruger said, estimating that he had played about 10 snaps. "It's too bad about the outcome, but we're going to work hard. I'm going to keep going in practice and do what I can for the team."

End zone
The Ravens deactivated defensive tackles Brandon McKinney and Kelly Talavou, offensive tackles Oniel Cousins and Tony Moll, running back Jalen Parmele,and tight end Tony Curtis. ... Flacco, wide receiver Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap and center Matt Birk wore pink cleats and wristbands as part of a league-wide effort to raise awareness for breast cancer. The cleats will be auctioned off, with proceeds donated to breast cancer research. Wide receivers Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington, cornerback Fabian Washington, fullback Le'Ron McClain and offensive lineman David Hale wore pink gloves. ... New England deactivated linebacker Jerod Mayo (sprained medial collateral ligament in right knee) and wide receiver Joey Galloway. Galloway, who was not listed on the team's injury report, has caught seven passes for 67 yards in three games. Suggs, Washington and McClain represented the Ravens for the pre-game coin toss.

Read more »

Coal Ash 60 Minutes Report

More pollution we can thank the Bush administration and – more importantly – big business for. Look, I’m far from a green eco-dude, but it is criminal the sort of looting and pillaging we allow big business to do to our planet.

Responses to “60 Minutes Report On Coal Ash”

I live about two miles from one of these wet storage facilities. TVA could have changed to much safer dry storage systems 30 years ago and saved a ton of money, but after the disaster in Tennessee they’re finally doing it at a far more expensive time.

This is why we need public financing of political campaigns. Big coal to big Pharma are destroying this country every time they write a check to a politician

Read more »

Tonya Harding Video / Wedding Video

 Former US figure skating champion Tonya Harding is infamous for her sex video with ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. The video tape is labeled as Wedding Video though it wasn’t, it should have been called a Raunchy video. The so-called wedding video was made sometime in early 90’s and was published by Penthouse in September 1994.

As a biography, Tonya Maxene Harding was born on November 12, 1970 in Portland, Oregon. She is a former American figure skating champion. She got married at the age of 19 but ended after 3 years.
She started skating at an early age and won Skate America in 1989 and did well consistently in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships during the late 80’s . She landed her first triple axel in the 1991 event which won her the title with a perfect score. Her career began falling apart after two years due to injuries and a bigger controversy on the Kerrigan attack.
On 1994, she was involved related to the conspiracy to kill one of her competitors Nancy Kerrigan in the U.S. Championships. Her ex-husband and bodyguard hired Shane Stant to strike Kerrigan on her knee to force her out of the championship. Harding had won that event but was later found guilty.
The tape which was labeled as “Wedding Video” showed Tonya Harding making out with her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly.
Gillooly, when he got over Tonya Harding and marriage, sold the tape to a tabloid show for some extra bucks. Rest as they say is history.

Read more »

Entourage – Season 6 FINALE Video

 Synopsis: As Vince prepares to head to Italy to film his next movie with Frank Darabont, Turtle attemps to move on from Jamie-Lynn with the hot co-ed Brooke, but upon realizing he can’t, Turtle heads for Auckland, New Zealand in a grand gesture to get Jamie-Lynn back. Drama chooses to give up acting, only to head back in for another Melrose audition. Ari faces two obstacles in buying Terrance’s company: his wife, and an addendum to the contract. Eric’s special lunch with Sloan turns sour, resulting in a fight, but by the time it’s over, nothing will be the same between them.

I know i sh!tted on last week’s episode, but this joint was one of the best season finales I’ve ever seen in my life. No joke. It’s dynamic, everybody is involved, Matt Damon is the man, and the music was so fitting for the scenes. Let’s get it. Thanks for swearing by DC to BC each week for the episodes. I appreciate your loyalty, and hopefully you’ll continue to come back for the music, the tomfoolery, and the random articles. Thanks for everything. Enjoy the episode. Oh, and had to bring the Star Wars themed picture back.

Read more »

Parker Lewis Can’t Lose

Loves: Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, good sitcoms
Likes: Tim Stack
Dislikes: ’90s fashion
Hates: Forced hip language
  
The Show
The moment I heard the first notes of the sunny theme music on the pilot episode, I was transplanted back to my youth, an age of garish, yet undeniably comfortable clothes, inexplicably bland music and an upstart young TV network willing to take some chances. After all, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose: The Complete First Season is as representative of the early ’90s as any show on TV at the time, when the country was seemingly stuck in high school, defined largely by youth culture. Looking back in time via my TV screen, it’s fascinating to see a world none too long ago, yet another world away.
For anyone who’s a fan of the John Hughes classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the concept of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose will feel very familiar: Parker (Corin Nemec, The Stand) is a smooth operator who finds himself in the middle of trouble again and again, but he’s able to walk through the flames and come out unscathed. Unlike his cinematic compatriot though, Parker was actually successful on TV (thanks in large part to being a big fish in the small pond of FOX’ early days.) With the help of his “buds,” rock n’ roll rebel Mikey and geeky freshman Jerry, Parker navigates the social maze that is high school with style and sophistication well beyond his time, on a show that frequently feels like a live-action cartoon.



Though very similar in idea with Ferris Bueller, Parker Lewis had an important distinction. While Ferris was a legend in school, Parker was definitely not top dog at Santo Domingo High. He was certainly admired and popular with the girls, but he had to cope with the same issues as his classmates, and existed in a strata that was a step below the coolest kids, befitting his status as a high school junior. There is also an altruistic air about Parker that makes him more likable, as he’s just as likely to pull off a stunt to help others as he is to assist his buds, even if, in the end, he’s the one benefiting from his own good deeds (often when helping the Kube (Abraham Benrubi), an ever-hungry walking force of nature.)
The main trio of Parker, Mikey and Jerry gave the show a bit of everything in its protagonists, but the supporting cast was a big reason the show was so good, especially when it came to giving Parker someone to go head-to-head with. They say a hero can often be judged by his rogues gallery, and Parker has some winners, starting with his arch-nemesis, Principal Musso (Melanie Chartoff) an angry, conniving disciplinarian who today would be labeled a cougar thanks to her libido. Aided by one of the creepiest sidekicks ever in student assistant Frank Lemmer (Taj Johnson), she’s constantly trying to get Parker out of her school, often breaking the glass in her office door out of frustration. Only her power as a school administrator keeps her ahead of Parker’s sister Shelley (Maia Brewton) on his list of enemies, because she’s even sneakier, darker in temperament and more dangerous, living under the same roof as him. Unfortunately for her, she’s got secrets of her own, and Parker knows all of them, and is willing to tell their parents (Anne Bloom and Tim Stack (who, paired with Nemec, might be the perfect fictional father-son pairing.)
Though the plots of these episodes don’t differ tremendously from the usual teen sitcom, covering the bases like fitting in, being a good friend and dating, it’s the way the stories are told that made them entertaining and unique. The directors leading the way were just making their bones, and brought serious creative energy to a show willing to embrace an over-the-top style. The result was a show that utilized extreme camera angles, a variety of special effects and a general sense of anything goes, with characters who can teleport and Jerry’s jacket (a portal to another dimension from which he can pull almost anything.)
Though there’s plenty to enjoy about this series, especially when it comes to the rivalry between Parker and Musso and the oddly compelling character of Frank, not everything works. If you weren’t of a conscious age in the early ’90s, the show will probably feel like high camp, if only for Parker’s loud shirts, while his technologically-advanced schemes seem laughably dated now (along with the rest of the tech in the show, like the video games they play, including the Atari Lynx and Tiger’s monochrome handheld games.) Existing just before the age of moderately-sized cellphones and the Web, it may as well be the 1950s.
Also off-putting are the times when the show takes a shot at something more serious than winning the district science fair, with “Teacher, Teacher” being one of the more egregious examples. Being his usual Parker self, he pulls several pranks that wind up with Ms. Donnelly, his favorite teacher, saving his bacon. Feeling taken advantage of, she leaves the school, crushing her loving pupils and making Parker into Public Enemy No. 1 at school. Parker’s attempt to fix things features some ridiculously earnest dialogue from Mr. Lewis, lines that felt really out place of place. It wasn’t the only time such an attempt was made (Ziggy Marley’s request for Mikey to stay in school is similarly cringe-inducing) and they never worked. Thankfully, when tackling Jerry’s crippling video-game addiction, they remembered it was just a comedy show, and a very good one at that.
Hey, isn’t that…?
This season sports some really interesting guest appearances, including TV vets, pop-culture celebs and up and coming actors, like a very young Milla Jovovich, Kool Moe Dee, Ziggy Marley, former child star Rodney Allen Rippy, Robin Lively, fellow early FOX star David Faustino, Ozzy Osbourne, Barbara Billingsley, Jerry Mathers, Ryan Stiles, Charles Rocket, A.J. Langer, Josh Lucas, Donny Osmond, Josie Bissette and Ray Walston.
The DVDs
A four-disc set, holding 26 episodes, this collection is packed in two dual-hubbed clear ThinPaks with two-sided covers featuring episode descriptions. The cases, along with a 12-page booklet offering a letter from one of the show’s creators and more details about the episodes (including trivia and guest star info,) sit in a colorful slipcase. The discs have animated, full-frame menus mimicking the show’s unique opening titles (particularly the pilot’s) with options to select episodes, play all and extras (where applicable.) There are no audio options, no subtitles and no closed captioning.
The Quality
The full-frame episodes are good overall for their age, but can look rather rough in spots, with some noticeable dirt and damage and rather excessive video noise in darker scenes. The video effects, as dated an element as any on this show, don’t look so hot either, joining with the softness in the details and somewhat muted colors to show the series’ age. After watching for a while though, you’ll start to ignore the issues.
Seeing “Presented in stereo, where available,” never meant much at the time, and it doesn’t mean much here either, as there’s nothing interesting about the mix on these Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks, though everything is clean, with the many music tracks, sound effects and special treatments coming through clearly.
The Extras
I wasn’t expecting much in the extras area, considering the series’ low profile outside of the cult of coolness, but I was happily surprised to see a relatively healthy group of bonus content, starting with seven audio commentaries. The tracks mix creative staff and cast in various combos, including the producers, music composer Denis McCarthy and director Bryan Spicer, as well as the majority of the main cast, revealing background info about the series (though occasionally they get caught watching.) In a nice touch, one episode features the Lewis family on the mics, as Nemec, Stack, Maia Brewton and Anne Bloom sit down to chat about the show.
The other extra is “The History of Coolness: A Look Back at Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” a nearly 30-minute mini-documentary about the series, featuring interviews with almost all of the main players, with the exception of Chartoff, who’s absent from all of the extras. Oddly, there’s not even a mention of her being missing, which normally points to some issue (though that’s certainly just an assumption.) What is included is a lot of discussion about what made the series so unique, along with breakdowns of the characters and concepts, through the insight of the cast and crew. It’s a massive education in the world of Parker Lewis for the uninitiated, but a nice summation of the series for the hardcore fans.
The Bottom Line
I had such fond memories of this series, but didn’t have high expectations for it holding up well. Fortunately, it’s still highly enjoyable, even if it is horrendously dated thanks to the fashions, haircuts, technology and pop-culture references. The video on the DVDs looks a touch worn, but they sound solid, and the extras are rather impressive for a series that’s so cult. If you were between 12 and 20 in the early ’90s, this is a must watch, but it’s likely to appeal to anyone who enjoys a silly, over-the-top good time.

Read more »