By ROBERT LEE HOTZ

Researchers on Thursday said they had bred microbes that absorb the notorious poison arsenic into their DNA, in an experiment that could rewrite the rules of life.

Until now, all organisms were thought to have six essential elements in common: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and phosphorus. The researchers say the bacteria they grew in the lab now "very likely" use arsenic instead of phosphorus in critical parts of their working biology, including their spiral backbone of DNA. If the new findings hold up, scientists will have to add noxious element 33 to the construction kit for existence.

Moreover, by depending on an element so toxic to normal life, the microbes are a living demonstration of the exotic substances that biochemistry might, at least in theory, use in other worlds.

"It is building itself out of arsenic," said geo-microbiologist Felisa Wolfe-Simon at NASA's Astrobiology Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey, who led researchers from eight federal and university laboratories conducting the experiment. "All life we know is the same biochemically, and this is a little different. It is suggesting there is another way to be alive."

The researchers conceded that the odd microbes, in and of themselves, don't prove yet that there is a fundamentally different basis for life on Earth. "It is beginning to open the door a crack to possibilities," Ms. Wolfe-Simon said.

Several independent experts were convinced that these unusual organisms weren't so far out of the ordinary. "This is an interesting curiosity, a novel discovery but not a paradigm-breaking one," said New York University chemist Robert Shapiro, an authority on DNA and the origin of life who was not involved in the project. "It is a cousin of known living things that has some peculiar habits."

To be sure, life on Earth knows few bounds. Microbes can be found in rocks a mile underground and in clouds overhead. Some bacteria thrive in toxic waste or survive in brine five times as salty as the sea. Many species of single-cell creatures readily grow in the absence of oxygen, warmth and light.

Until now, however, they were all thought to share the same biochemistry, based on the Big Six, to build proteins, fats and DNA. Even the synthetic cells made in the laboratory, as announced earlier this year, rely on the same six elements. Phosphate is an essential building block for various macromolecules present in all cells, including nucleic acids, lipids and proteins.

"They made their case, and it is quite remarkable," said geo-microbiologist Clara Chan at the University of Delaware, who has studied the findings. "But it remains to be seen how common it is."

The scientists published the research in the journal Science and discussed their work at a NASA news conference Thursday.

"This will fundamentally change our definition of life and how we look for it," said astrobiologist Pamela Conrad at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "This is a huge deal."

Their finding comes as the hunt for Earth-like planets accelerates. With 22 space-based observatories and 100 ground telescopes, researchers are scanning tens of thousands of stars for evidence of a planet that could support life like that on Earth.

Scientists have speculated that an alternative scheme of biochemistry could give rise to other kinds of life in the solar system or on one of the 504 planets astronomers have discovered so far around other stars. In forms too strange to readily recognize, exotic life might thrive in seas of liquid methane, in plumes of exotic gases or in caverns of nitrogen ice.

Indeed, rumors about the pending announcement this week fueled a fever of anticipation among space enthusiasts, with rounds of speculation about the discovery of life elsewhere in the solar system. But the researchers made it clear that their discovery was entirely down-to-earth.

The bacteria were dredged from the briny sludge of California's Mono Lake, where the water is richly laced with arsenic and with bacteria that can survive in it. In the lab, the researchers grew the bacteria in Petri dishes in which phosphate salt normally essential for life was gradually replaced by arsenic, until the bacteria could grow without needing phosphate. They confirmed their finding through a battery of tests with mass spectrometers, radioactive tracers, X-rays and conventional genetic screening.

The researchers weren't able to entirely eliminate all traces of phosphorus, leaving open the possibility that these bacteria were still eking out their existence in a normal way, the researchers said. "There does seem to be a low level of impurity," Dr. Wolfe-Simon said. But the traces of phosphorus were so minute, the researchers said, that no normal microbes could have survived.

"It probably has large implications for the evolution of life on Earth," said USGS microbiologist Ronald Oremland, a senior scientist on the project. "We want to see if there are more kinds of microbes that can do this, and we are trying to find that out.

The Lock it or Lose It campaign is urging people so lock their cars even if they’re dashing into the store.

Some statistics provided by the campaign:

•Auto theft costs Canadians more than $1 billion every year, which includes emergency response, court, policing, legal, and out-of-pocket costs, such as the deductible

•In 2009, 108,172 vehicles were stolen in Canada; of those, 27,175 were stolen in Ontario. This is a 13% reduction in Ontario compared to the previous year

•Auto theft is not a victimless crime — or just a property crime. Every year innocent people die or are seriously injured as a direct result of auto theft

•On average, auto theft costs every policyholder an additional $35 on his or her insurance premium

•Auto theft can mean a 10-year prison sentence, and a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail upon a third conviction

—Source: OACP, IBC

Ontario auto theft statistics | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

Bloomberg's Michele Steele reports on the U.S. Women's Water Polo Team and its recent bare-all cover for ESPN The Magazine. Bloomberg: source

Leo- Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Leslie Neilson

Leslie William Nielsen, OC (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010)^[1] was a Canadian American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in over one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters.^[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Nielsen#

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Daniel Whitney before he started his Larry the Cable Guy acts.



This is Daniels Alter Ego Which Launched Him Into The Multi Million Dollar Redneck Humour

Leo- Sunday, November 28, 2010

The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan is an 1899 book written by Winston Churchill while he was still an officer in the British army.

The book provides a history of the British involvement in the Sudan and the conflict between the British forces led by Lord Kitchener and Dervish forces led by Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, heir to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad who had embarked on a campaign to conquer Egypt, to drive out the non-Muslim infidels and make way for the second coming of the Islamic Mahdi.

The River War was Churchill's second published book after The Story of the Malakand Field Force, and originally filled two volumes with over 1000 pages in 1899. The River War was subsequently abridged to one volume in 1902.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_River_War

About Mohammedanism he wrote:

“

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.[13]

WASHINGTON—Sarah Palin is drawing criticism from around the world after declaring that the United States has to stand with “our North Korean allies.”

Palin’s gaffe, made Wednesday during an interview on Glenn Beck’s syndicated radio show, was quickly corrected by her host. But it drew immediate fire from liberal bloggers, who cited it as an example of the 2008 vice-presidential candidate’s lack of foreign policy expertise.

Newspapers in Asia and Europe are repeating the criticism. The Times of India says Palin “did it again,” while London’s Daily Mail says she “may want to brush up on her geography.”

The conservative U.S. website The Weekly Standard came to Palin’s defence, pointing out that “she correctly identified North Korea as our enemy literally eight seconds before the mix-up.”

I had to share this talent ....
Look at the length of the fingers on this young musician...and enjoy a perfect performnce.

This is amazing!

Liu Wei lost his arms in an accident at age 10, Liu Wei from Beijing never gives up living strong. He managed to do everything with his feet and started to learn to play piano at age 19. His dream is to become a musician. He is now 22 and just won the China's Got Talent Show on Oct. 10, 2010. In the final, he played piano and sang the song "You Are Beautiful", perhaps his vocal is not the best render of this song, but the power and inspiration of his zest for life won him the final. Bravo! Liu Wei's motto is,"I have two options - I can die as fast as possible, or I can live a brilliant life. And I chose the latter."

Leo- Saturday, November 13, 2010

It would be so wonderful to follow the path of least resistance and coast along from success to success, rather than having to endure this incessant battle against the odds. Sadly, winning the lottery is not a viable modus operandi, but walking straight into an amazing opportunity is. Take time out to relax and calm your mind. If you ask the universe for help, it’ll send a search party out to find you!
For the leo's that surround us! You know who you are !

A man in custody is shown with and without his disguise in this handout image released to Reuters on November 5, 2010.

ANDY CLARK/REUTERS

VANCOUVER—An Air Canada passenger says she spotted a man in a silicone mask on her flight, but was ignored when she tried to warn the air crew.

Nuray Kurtur-Balas says the October 29th flight was still on the ground in Hong Kong when she told three flight attendants she suspected a fellow passenger was wearing a disguise.

She was talking about the young Chinese man who boarded the flight disguised as an elderly Caucasian man.

Kurtur-Balas told C-N-N she feared the man was going to blow up the plane and she kept her iPhone close to call her family should anything happen.

The 35-year old clothing retail production manager says she told the flight attendants the passenger’s heavily wrinkled face looked like plastic and didn’t match his young looking hands.

She says one flight attendant complimented her on her observation, another said he’d look into it, and the third said the man might have a medical condition—but no action was taken.

It was only after the flight took off and the man removed his mask that the air crew alerted authorities to meet the plane when it landed in Vancouver.

The 22-year old Chinese man remains in detention while seeking asylum in Canada.

Maritime community hits jackpot as lottery winners give away prize

Elderly couple give away virtually all of their $11.25-million to close family, charity

After decades of living modestly, Allen and Violet Large suddenly had the money to fulfill their dreams.

But with $11.25-million in lottery winnings, the retired couple who live near Halifax knew that their dreams were a little different. No sports car, cruise or mansion for them. Instead, they worked quickly to give it away.

"We haven't spent even one penny on ourselves," says Ms. Large, 78. "Why spend money when you already have everything you need?"

Now, four months after cashing in their winning lottery ticket, the money is largely gone and they have little to show for their winnings. Nothing material, that is. But a long list of charities is reaping the benefits of their decision.

The decision caused a stir in the tiny community of Lower Truro and drew media attention from around the world. But the couple doesn't see it as a sacrifice. It didn't matter that the winnings would have allowed purchases impossible on working-class savings.

The couple drives the same five-year-old truck and 13-year-old car. There is neither microwave nor voicemail in their 19th-century home. The Larges are content with what they have. So when they hit the jackpot in July, it didn't take them long to conclude that others needed the money more.

"We wanted to look after our community and make sure they all had some," explains Mr. Large, who is 75.

The couple kept about two per cent for themselves, in case of emergency, and split the rest between immediate family and charities. They are unclear about the tax implications, but say they will deal with that next year.

They won't get into exact figures but say that recipients range from animal-protection agencies to churches to health-care services. Ms. Large was recently undergoing chemotherapy and facilities where she received her treatment got an extra chunk, her husband says.

A few possible scammers sniffed around but quickly were shut down.

"If anyone phoned, I would say, 'If you're looking for the money, it's all gone,'" Mr. Large says. "I wouldn't be sour or harsh but would say it gently."

On the long list of those groups that did get money is their church, Old Barns United.

"I've been surprised, they haven't even splurged in one instance that I've heard," said Reverend Ian Harrison, who said their gift will go toward keeping up the old building. "That says a lot about their character, their selflessness."

The couple has lived modestly since meeting in Ontario, where both where working at the time, at a dance.

"She was wearing a tartan skirt and I was wearing a tartan shirt and I said I must ask that girl for a dance," Mr. Large remembers.

They married in 1974 and continued working - he as a steelworker and welder and she at a cosmetics factory. They often didn't have much money and would stay home a lot. He'd watch television while she read, romance novels mostly.

The couple eventually retired to their native Nova Scotia. Their rural home is just close enough to town that Mr. Large can "crawl back" if he "gets souped," he jokes. "He never does that," his wife interjects, prompting him to add, a touch sheepishly, "it's a local expression."

In July their number came up on a 6/49 draw worth $11,255,272.70. At the time local media quoted them as saying that the win wouldn't change their lives. Instead it changed the lives of many other people.

It's a sharp contrast to the classic lottery story of a winner blowing through sudden wealth and ending up in penury.

"We're not big livers, we don't live high," Ms. Large says. "We're country. We weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths."

Carys Mills Staff Reporter

A Toronto man has been charged following a police investigation into a so-called “grandparent scam.”

The investigation, which dates back to last year, was started by Peel Regional Police after several complaints were received.

Police said victims in Canada and the United States received phone calls from the suspect, who claimed to be a grandchild or other relative.

The suspect then requested urgent financial help, asking for money to be transferred and for the victim not to tell any other family members, police said.

Later, the investigation expanded to include police in Toronto.

Police are warning the public, suggesting elderly family members be made aware of similar scams.

Johnathan Hunter, 40, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 39 counts of fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, defrauding the public and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

You may be a Budweiser-guzzling ex-cop stripper who worships Buddha, carries a pistol, uses Viagra and supports Barack Obama, fine. Just don’t you dare mention any of those facts on your licence plate.

The provincial government does not allow vanity plates that contain “obscene,” “derogatory” or “racist” language or that refer to drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, criminal activity, law enforcement, public figures, politics, or religion. Bureaucrats who seem abnormally knowledgeable about offensive words — 11-year-old bureaucrats, perhaps? — have rejected more than 2,700 applications on these grounds since 2006, a list obtained via freedom of information request reveals.

Though the transportation ministry accepts more than 95 per cent of proposed plates, it has faced occasional criticism from rejectees who believe its criteria are too restrictive or that its employees apply them overzealously. In 2007, United Church Rev. Joanne Sorrill became a political cause célèbre after the ministry refused to renew her “REV JO” plate because it believed “rev” could encourage unsafe driving and because Rev “is an alcoholic cooler-type beverage.”

Premier Dalton McGuinty eventually stepped in to grant Sorrill the plate, calling the ministry’s behaviour “laughable.”

“This is a difficult job being done by sincere people, but it is an imperfect science,” the ministry said in an email, going on to explain that employees use such resources as Wikipedia and UrbanDictionary.com for research purposes. “Balancing the right of personal expression and community standards is no easy task.”

The Star is a family paper, so we have had to do a fair bit of censoring of the list of censored material. What we can tell you without scarring your children is the following.

MOB.BOSS got whacked. As did WHACKED. GLOCK.18, REVOLVOR, KRUZ.MSL and 22CALIBR were shot down. A.BOM was deemed a reference to violence, as was A.BAUM, which might have just been the first initial and last name of a nice Jewish boy.

OLDFARTS was thought obscene, self-effacing 4NEWFIES, CRZCZECH and SLUMDOG lumped in with the white supremacist ARYNRACE as racist. DRSEX, SHAG.BBY and R.HORNY, among many much-much-more-vulgar references to sex, failed to score plates.

The person who proposed OBAMACAN in 2008-09 was spared some 2010 embarrassment; the people who proposed ARSON, 1POACHER, HAACKER, GRNDTHFT, WARLORDS and GNPOSTAL were spared the attention of fire investigators, wildlife defenders, corporate IT managers, OPP detectives, the International Criminal Court and psychiatrists, respectively. Speaking of criminals and mental health professionals, the unfortunately ambiguous THERAPST was also rejected.

A 2008 advisory panel argued the ministry should allow “positive expressions of religious beliefs, religious titles, references to passages from scriptures, and religious celebrations, symbols and mythology.” Nonetheless, the ministry continues to prohibit all but religious titles, and more religion-referencing plates (740) were rejected than those that referred to sex (592), violence (435), and alcohol (241). Among the “religious” plates rejected were PASTRMOM, GNOSTIC, SOLARGOD, PRAISEJC, BUDDHAFA, ISLMWAY, OM.HARI and . . . HOLI.COW.

The ministry has a 10-member personalized licence plate review committee. It meets weekly.

Plates rejected between 2006 and 2010

Religion: 740

Sample: S8NTJUDE, 4.SAINTS, B4.JESUS, B4CRHSIST, GODGIVEN, 6.DIABLO, AV.MARIA, BLESSED2, BUDDHAFA, DEVLL, FAITH.4U, GODSGOOD, GODSGR8, GODSP33D, HALAUJAH, HEISRISN, HOLI.COW, INFIDEL, JCREEPER, LAZARUS7, MINISTER, NASTY666, OHMYGOD, PASTRMOM, PRAISEJC, PSALM.24, PSALM.34, PSALM.72, PSALM.96, PSALMS24, SAAINTS, SINFUL64, TRYNITY, WRSHPHIM, IAMSAVED, JC.SAVES, ZEN.4, ENG666, 666ALEX, ANGEL.27, ANGEL.57, ANGEL4ME, ANOINTED, BLESSONE, BUDDHA.1, GNOSTIC, ISLMWAY, KAMASTRA, SHIV.SAI, SHIVSHIV, STR84GOD, AVEMARIE, HARERAMA, OM.HARI, SAI.SHIV, AMIEVIL, EVIL.INC, GODLUVSME, GODLUVYA, HADES1, HOLYMARY, KIRISHNA, LMBOFGOD, LOL.OMG, RAMADAN, SOLARGOD, SWASTIK, HEAVEN77. 121PSALM, 310.JOHN

Sex: 592

Sample: D.GROPER, SHAG.BBY, SZEMATRZ, BIG.STUD, NICE.BUT, A.QUICKY, HAVNSEX, HOT.HUMP, HORNDWGS, STRIPPER, SCHAGUAR, LILHOOKR, VIBR80R, MY.GSPOT, DRSEX, F1.PIMP, GRGASM, ORGES, RGASMIC, SEXXX, XXXR8TD, 4PLAY66, FONDL, FRCHKISS, GDONTOP, LIL.SMUT, MAKINOUT, VETDREMS, MYVIAGRA, R.HORNY, FORPLAYY, HOT.BUNZ

Violence: 435

Sample: 1BANDITO, A.BOM, A.BAUM, ARSON, ARTOFWAR, BUCKSHQT, BULLIES, BLOWDART, GLOCK.18, GANGBOSS, MILITIA, MOB.BOSS, TORRPEDO, WITCHHUNT, BLITZKRG, CRMESCNE, CRASHCRS, COLD.WAR, HIJACK3, ILSMACKU, PACNHEAT, EXPLOSIV, GRNDTHFT, SONOFSAM, STALKING, WHACKED, MALLKILR, REICH, TAZED, GN.SLNGR, GNPOSTL, LOCNLODE, REVOLVOR, TASER, SNIPERRR, YUNG.GUN, 1.COLT45, 1.GUNNER, 1.PISTOL, 1.WEAPON, 1POACHER, 22CALIBR, AKATTACK, BASSASIN, KRUZ.MSL, TOMMYGNN, EURO.KLR, KICKRDWN, WARLORDS

Alcohol: 241

Sample: BACRDI, BOOTLEGR, BUDWISER, NOBUDWSR, COORSMAN, GRAPPA.1, GUINNES, GREATALE, MERLOW, RUMRUNER, TQILA, WINETOUR, UNCORKD, ALEHOUSE, AGEDWINE, BREWSKI, MOJITO.1, MOONSHNR, ONDAROX, BUONVINO, MY.THAI, SANGREA, CARLSBERG, DAIQUIRI, DRUNKARD, FINEWINE, MYCORONA, RED.WINE, WINE.GAL, WYNE.GUY, WHISKEY, ABSLOOT, CERVEZA, SLEEMAN

Drugs: 137

Sample: COCAINES, CRACKO, KRACKO, BLUNTZ, SHROOM.3, BLUEPILL, OVERDOSE, REEEFMSTR, GETSTOND, LIQDGOLD, MEHIGH, RIDINHIGH, RX.DEALR, FARMACST, BADFATTY, SMAKDADY, DRUGIST, PRPLEHAZ, QUAALUDE, SNORTER, TRAFKING, 420.TYME, ECSTASY, XXXXTACY, LEXSTASY, MYPROZAK, TRIP.OUT, THE.DUBE

Derogatory slang: 123

Sample: STUPDKID, EPH.U, FPMS, BUTTKICK, U.DONKEY, FUGLYSS, WAR.PIGS, JAKASJIM, SCHWANG, SHAPPENS, SHUD.IT, WTF.LOL, CHIENNE, FMYLFE, GRTYGURL, CRZYBTCH, HABZUK

Criminal activity: 15

Sample: CARJACKD, 1PITBULL, SCOFFLAW, HAACKER, CRYMPAYS, PYROBRAD, DEOFENDR

Political: 44

Sample: TAXESCUT, 44.OBAMA, BH.OBAMA, HOPEBAMA, OBAMA.44, OBAMACAN, AL.GOR, BILL.C38, EL.CHE01, NEXT.PM, ANARKEY, GM.RIP

Dignitaries/Law enforcement: 81

Sample: ICUFFEM, OLD.RCMP, SSGT.RET, CHECKCPIC, K9.UNIT1, GO2JAIL, L8ROFICR, BE.A.COP, PADIWAGN, SHERRIF, CHER.IFF, CIA.FBI1, GOVERNOR, HWYPATROL, LINEIMUP, LILCOPPR, OPP7324, OPP.2747, HYOFFICR, HIOFISER, NO.POPOS, RENTACOP, HARPER59, PMCANADA, OBAMA.09, NO.PIGS, X.RCMP, THEWARDN

Racism: 128

Sample: CYNAMAN, CRZCZECH, GRINGO.1, IGOTRICE, 1SEXYWOP, PIEDNOIR, PACKEE, 4NEWFIES, ARYNRACE, ARYEN, GRINGOGRL, CRACKER7, DRTWTBOY, RCECOOKR, SLUMDOG, A.WHITEY, DTCHGEEK, GYPSY.V, MAMMY.B

Abusive/obscene language: 180

Sample: FRIG.OFF, OLDFARTS, SCHMUCK, OMFG, DAMM.5, FRIGGIT

Reason listed as “Unknown”: 1,075

BALLERRR, BDECEASED, FLYINBYU, GTO.HELL, INTMED8R, NICE.ASH, RDNCKGRL, RED.NEKK, REDNEC55, DUN.DEVL, THERAPST, 12INCHES, BAAAAAAA, BUBBIEZ, KOCKY, PORNKING, RACEGUY, RACEFANN

(CNN) -- A cargo ship seized by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya was freed Monday after one day under siege, and the German-based Beluga Shipping company said its crew of 16 was unharmed.

The pirates were thwarted after the crew of the MV Beluga Fortune locked themselves in a panic room and switched off the main engine, cut off the fuel supply, blocked the bridge and reported the Indian Ocean attack to military forces, said Niels Stolberg, president and CEO of Beluga Shipping GmbH.

The pirates, seeking a million-dollar ransom, were unable to maintain control of the vessel, and naval forces were able to come to the rescue, Stolberg said in a statement. The vessel continued its journey to Richards Bay, South Africa.

"The excellent behavior of our colleagues on board made such a swift and happy ending of the capture possible," Stolberg said.

Every October, people can’t resist the pull of the pumpkin. Carvers go to work on their hand-picked gourds, eager to transform them into something spectacularly scary, or just plain spectacular.

Of course, in this life, there are pumpkin carvers and there are pumpkin carvers. And if pumpkin-carving were to become an Olympic event, Ray Villafane would be a contender for a gold medal.

The sculptor’s Halloween pumpkins are so hauntingly lifelike that they often inspire stunned silence and awe. He’s twice trounced competing carvers on TV on “Food Network Challenge: Outrageous Pumpkins,” and he’s attained a healthy fan base online.

Not bad for a guy who’s allergic to pumpkin. (His skin and eyes get really itchy after a couple of days of carving.) It’s also pretty impressive considering that Villafane’s first pumpkin-carving attempt in his 20s was a disaster.

“Yeah, it was horrible. It didn’t work out at all,” recalled Villafane, 41, of Bellaire, Mich. “I didn’t have the right tools. I used a spoon or something, you know? Really, really bad.”

From schoolteacher to sculptor
But Villafane didn’t give up. An experienced art teacher, he figured there must be a way to approach a pumpkin like a block of clay.

One day a student in the small rural school district where Villafane taught brought a big, homegrown pumpkin to class. He asked Villafane to take a stab at carving it.

“I gave it another try and it came out all right,” Villafane said. “The kids in the classroom all loved it and they started bringing in pumpkins for me. It got to the point where I would come into the school to teach, and I would have pumpkins lined up in front of my door with kids asking me, ‘Can you carve this for me?’ ‘Can you do this?’ ”

This went on for several years, giving Villafane the chance to practice carving plenty of pumpkins without having to pay for any of them. And at a certain point in his pumpkin-fueled journey, Villafane had an epiphany: He loved sculpting.

“I got turned on to sculpting as a different career choice,” Villafane said. “And it was good timing, too. My wife and I had five kids, and teaching just wasn’t cutting it financially.”

He began dabbling in wax and he started sculpting a wax figure of Wolverine from the movie “X-Men.”

“I posted my in-progress pictures online and I got an e-mail from Marvel Comics wanting me to do it,” Villafane said. “My first practice piece was my first job. I’ve never stopped since. I never even had to do a portfolio.”

Villafane stopped teaching about six years ago, and he’s been working from home and sculpting for Marvel, DC Comics, Warner Bros. and other outlets ever since. He’s created all sorts of collectible figurines from “Batman,” “Superman” and other beloved comic-book series, as well as collectibles from movies such as “Terminator,” “Ghost Rider” and “X-Men” and from the role-playing game World of Warcraft.

Two years ago Villafane also entered the sand-sculpting scene, and he’s been making a name for himself there as well. He just placed in the recent World Championship of Sand Sculpting competition in Federal Way, Wash., and he’s done big sand-sculpting jobs in Italy and Moscow.

“One of the things that impresses me most about Ray is his ability to transcend mediums,” said Villafane’s colleague Andy Bergholtz, chief sculptor for Sideshow Collectibles in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “He is not limited by any material. The man could sculpt the statue of David out of a stick of butter.”

So you want to be a pumpkin carver?
Through all the changes in his career, Villafane hasn’t forgotten his love of pumpkins. Even though he doesn’t have as much time these days to devote to pumpkin-carving, he enjoys helping other carvers perfect their craft. He posted a pumpkin-carving tutorial on his website, and in it he shares a couple of key ground rules:

—When strolling through a pumpkin patch, stay on high alert for thick pumpkins. Of course, you can’t actually tell how thick a pumpkin is until you cut into it, but as a general rule, thick pumpkins are heavy pumpkins. “Pick up three pumpkins of the same size,” Villafane advised. “If one feels much heavier than the others, it’s got a thick wall.”

—Go for an oblong shape rather than a perfectly round shape. Villafane finds that a taller, oblong shape is best for carving faces. “The best is oblong and, if you can imagine, compressed,” he said. “Find a pumpkin that’s been lying on its side so it looks compressed, and so it has a ridge running from top to bottom. You sculpt the face along the ridge.”

Another common question Villafane fields: Does he really make such intricate creations out of just one pumpkin? Surely he must be putting at least two different pumpkins together, right?

The answer: Nope. Villafane makes a point of carving just one solid pumpkin. Rarely he’ll use separate pumpkin meat to carve a few extra flourishes — say, the motorized snakes on Medusa’s head, or the tiny spikes on the Predator’s face, or the feather atop a Native American’s head — but other than that, you’re seeing just one pumpkin when you examine Villafane’s carvings. (If you’re intrigued, you can catch Villafane on the Food Network’s “Outrageous Pumpkins” challenge during the month of October.)

“Ray is a terrific problem solver and I think it shows in his work,” Bergholtz said. “He has always been one of the rare few that continues to push his limits and raise the bar for all of us.”

Link:

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience,
raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem..
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
the burden will become increasingly heavy:
and we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water,
you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again..
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down: don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Just accept that, some days, you're the pigeon:
and, some days, you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - ,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

*Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird,
sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp; some are pretty; and some are dull. Some have weird names; and all are different colours;
but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Ask the Legends: Brett Wilson

The Saskatchewan-born “capitalist with a heart” speaks with PROFIT editor Ian Portsmouth philanthropy, networking and raising the profile of Canadian entrepreneurship.

Maxmyspeed.com simply sells a registry cleaner, which in most cases isn't going to double the speed of your computer. There are many free solutions to these problems

Registry Cleaner - http://amltools.com
Anti-Virus - http://www.avast.com Free Version
Spyware - http://www.safer-networking.org Spybot S & D Teatimer is good :)
Root Kit - Combofix from bleepingcomputer.com and GMER from GMER.net
Malwarebytes.org with the quick scan is great too

Source

Ask the Legends: Kevin O'Leary

Kevin O'Leary, 56
Career highlights
Lives much of his childhood in developing nations due to his stepfather’s job with the U.N.’s International Labour Organization.

Earns a degree in environmental studies and psychology in 1977, and an MBA in 1980.

In 1983, he and partner Michael Perik launch SoftKey Software, which PROFIT names Canada’s Fastest-Growing Company in 1992. Subsequently acquires several educational software companies, including The Learning Co. (TLC), which becomes the company’s name.

In 1999, Mattel Toy Co. acquires TLC in an all-stock deal worth US$3.8 billion. O’Leary and Perik are soon let go after TLC proves not to be the cash cow Mattel had hoped for.

The experience sparks a new interest in investing. O’Leary becomes an outspoken critic of poor investment-management practices, earning a regular spot on TV’s Business News Network in 2003.

Joins the cast of CBC-TV’s Dragons’ Den in 2006 and Shark Tank on
ABC-TV in 2009.

Launches O’Leary Funds Management in 2009, which now boasts more than $1 billion under management.

How did growing up in several developing nations benefit you?
I wouldn’t have known it then, but it certainly has become a powerful motivation for what O’Leary Funds has become. It was very easy for a long time simply to buy Canadian assets and hope you could garner a good yield from that. Today, it’s far more challenging. We are going to have a slower GDP growth than the rest of the world because we are an aging population.

When I go to Brazil, India, China, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia—Tunisia, even—these economies are on fire. A massive middle class is emerging. The fact that I know where Phnom Penh is and can actually get around town because I lived there, the fact that I know Cyprus, which is the headquarters of all the shipping licences in the world, makes me very comfortable as an investor in these places.

You’ve been described as someone who, even as a kid, has always had an “angle.” What made you so enterprising at a young age?
If you know you want something, why not ask for it? What’s the downside? All they can say is “No.” I learned early on, if there’s something I want, I’m prepared to ask again and again, and try to find the path to getting it. That’s also, I think, what defines an entrepreneur. You set a goal, you may not succeed the first time, but you keep trying.

Which of your fellow Dragons’ Den co-stars would best complement you in business?
The guy that I’m most in sync with is Jim Treliving [chairman and owner of Boston Pizza International Inc.]. My theme of investing now is far more conservative; I’m a value-yield investor. How much money do you have to tie up for how long before it becomes liquid again is the No. 1 question. I think, out of all the other Dragons, Jim’s the one who focuses on that the most.

Which Dragon would you pick if you were an operator rather than an investor?
I’d pick me, every time. I’ve had a fair amount of success, but I’ve also had a fair amount of failure. People don’t tend to focus on failures, but they are what make me a better investor and a better partner.

I think people spend too much time focusing on success and not enough on failure. I’d much prefer to invest in an entrepreneur who has failed three times than one who thinks he’s going to get it right the first time. The calluses you get, the experience of failure, are powerful things. I see too much vim and vigour in young entrepreneurs who don’t understand how hard it’s going to be.

What has your role in Dragons’ Den in Canada and Shark Tank in the U.S. told you about the difference between the two countries?
What I’ve learned about the U.S. market is that no matter how proprietary you think a deal is, when you get into the due-diligence phase, you’re going to find five other guys doing the same thing. That market is so competitive, so large and has so much potential, if you end up being the winner you often find a very similar business plan to any idea. That puts a lot more pressure on the due diligence in deals on Shark Tank that we don’t have in Canada. In Canada, you’re dealing with an economy that’s a tenth of the size. It’s easier to get stuff done here, particularly if you have an idea that’s groundbreaking. You can lift it off in the Canadian market and know you won’t have a lot of competition for the first two years.

What would you tell an aspiring entrepreneur about investor due diligence, which can be traumatizing?
Dragons’ Den works because it highlights the good, the bad and the ugly of the fundraising process. First, you have to present your idea; second, you have to convince the Dragons that you’re the right person to execute it, which is another huge challenge; third, everything you say—everything—has to check out, 100%. Just think about how often the tendency is for an entrepreneur to embellish a statement, or perhaps add an element of optimism that shouldn’t be there. Think of how much that frustrates an investor later, when they send in their lawyers and auditors. I mean, I’ll tear you apart six times. If one thing falls apart, that’s a huge problem for me.

Others on the panel care about the emotional aspect of this; they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. This is business. It’s war, it’s competitive, it’s hard. And if you can’t take the heat, don’t come in.

What makes for a great leader?
To me, great leadership is being able to stand up in a room full of your employees and say, “This is the goal. It’s the only thing that matters.”

If leaders can’t articulate the short-term, medium-term and long-term goals of their company and stay on message, they’re going to fail.

Even if you have your own personal doubts, they can’t show. Everybody in that room has to say, “He knows what he’s doing, he knows how he’s going to get there and I believe that by following them, I’ll get there, too.” You’re going to have that moment of self-doubt, but that moment is what defines you as a great leader or a weak one. You can’t show your weakness; you can only show your strengths, and modify your goals based on the reality and feedback of what the markets and business do.

When you refused to scrape gum off the floor of an ice-cream parlour you worked in as a teenager, you were promptly fired. What did that teach you?
I considered it a demeaning role I hadn’t signed up for. When I got terminated, I had no say in the matter. That is what affected me. I have to be in control of my environment—and you can’t be in control when you’re an employee. And I think that is the motivational drive of most entrepreneurs.

This is why PETA usually protests women wearing fur rather than bikers wearing leather. Sounds to me like the old saying, "you mess with the bull, and you get the horns". Gee, I guess these characters thought that Bikers were going to be politically correct like the rest of the wimpy world. HERE'S HOW POLICE FOUND ONE OF THEM.

Johnstown, PA (GlossyNews) - Local and state police scoured the hills outside rural Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after reports of three animal rights activists going missing after attempting to protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle gang rally this weekend. Two others, previously reported missing, were discovered by fast food workers "duct taped inside fast food restaurant dumpsters," according to police officials.

"Something just went wrong,"said a still visibly shaken organizer of the protest. "Something just went horribly, horribly, wrong."The organizer said a group of concerned animal rights activist groups, "growing tired of throwing fake blood and shouting profanities at older women wearing leather or fur coats," decided to protest the annual motorcycle club event "in a hope to show them our outrage at their wanton use of leather in their clothing and motor bike seats." "In fact," said the organizer, "motorcycle gangs are one of the biggest abusers of wearing leather, and we decided it was high time that we let them know that we disagree with them using it. ergo, they should stop."

According to witnesses, protesters arrived at the event in a vintage 1960's era Volkswagen van and began to pelt the gang members with balloons filled with red colored water, simulating blood, and shouting "you're murderers" to passers by. This, evidently, is when the brouhaha began.

"They peed on me!!!" charged one activist. "They grabbed me, said I looked like I was French, started calling me 'La Trene' and duct taped me to a tree so they could pee on me all day!"

Still others claimed they were forced to eat hamburgers and hot dogs under duress. Those who resisted were allegedly held down while several bikers "farted on their heads."

Police officials declined comments on any leads or arrests due to the ongoing nature of the investigation; however, organizers for the motorcycle club rally expressed "surprise" at the allegations.

"That's preposterous,"said one high-ranking member of the biker organizing committee. "We were having a party, and these people showed up and were very rude to us. They threw things at us, called us names, and tried to ruin the entire event. So, what did we do? We invited them to the party! What could be more friendly than that? You know, just because we are all members of motorcycle clubs does not mean we do not care about inclusiveness. Personally, I think it shows a lack of character for them to be saying such nasty things about us after we bent over backwards to make them feel welcome."

When confronted with the allegations of force-feeding the activist's meat, using them as ad hoc latrines, leaving them incapacitated in fast food restaurant dumpsters, and 'farting on their heads,' the organizer declined to comment in detail. "That's just our secret handshake,"assured the organizer.

Its A Joke Folks

When TV did not exist this was the Churches communication media..commissioned painters, sculptures who created art that displayed a message to the masses.


The Seven Acts of Mercy

1. Bury the dead; In the background two men carry a dead man you can sees his feet

2 & 3. Visit the imprisoned & Feed the hungry; On the left a daughter visits her imprisoned father and gives him milk from her bosom.

4. Shelter the Homeless; A Pilgrim (you can tell by the shell in his hat 3rd from the left) seeks shelter from an innkeeper on the left.

5. Visit the sick; The beggar being given the robe is crippled and pulls himself along on the ground and St Martin greet him and clothes him.

6. Clothe the naked; St Martin 4th from the left has torn his robe in half and given it to the beggar.

7. Give drink to the thirsty; On the right Samson (second from the left) drinks water from the jawbone of an ass.

Episode

Episode 1

Beginning in Rome, art critic Waldemar Januszczak details the birth of the Baroque tradition as it burst forth in Italy, with footage of St Peter's Basilica and other gems of the Italian Baroque.

Recently I lost a friend named Ed Mielczarek to Cancer at age 64. He never even had a chance to retire and was working hard when he learned of his health crisis with Cancer which claimed him less then 1 year later.

But he lives on in everyone who remembers him. So I wanted to say that Ed was a good friend.
We travelled to New Orleans the year before Katrina with Ed and his wife Donna and another couple. We had a wonderful times together.

And Ed Mielczarek was a true family man , supportive to his kids and grandkids and his marriage lasted for his adult lifetime. He was a gentleman accountant.

He was a hard working , generous, charming, a soft spoken intuitive , funny man, who I would call my friend.