July 30, 2010
Say hello to…
the California Sea Lion!
(Zalophus californianus)
The California Sea Lion is a coastal sea lion of western North America. Their numbers are abundant (188,000 U.S. stock 1995 est.), and the population continues to expand at a rate of approximately 5.0% annually. They are quite intelligent, can adapt to man-made environments, and even adult males can be easily trained. Because of this, California sea lions are commonly used for entertainment in circuses, zoos and marine parks; and are used by the US Navy for certain military operations. This is the classic circus “seal”, despite the fact that it is not a true seal.
California sea lions grow to 300 kg (660 lb) and 2.4 meters (8 ft) long, while females are significantly smaller, at 90 kg (210 lb) and 2 meters (6.5 ft) long. They have pointed muzzles, making them rather dog-like in appearance. Males grow a large crest of bone on the top of their heads as they reach sexual maturity, and it is this that gives the animal its generic name (loph is “forehead” and za- is an emphatic; Zalophus californianus means “Californian big-head”). They also have manes, although they are not as well developed as the manes of adult male South American or Steller sea lions. Females are lighter in color than the males and pups are born dark, but lighten when they are several months old. When it is dry, the s...
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July 30, 2010
RULES:
1. Put your MP3 player, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag at least 10 friends.
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. Have Fun!
IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Do You Hear What I Hear? – Third Day
(Evidentally I’m not okay.)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Melissa – Porno Graffiti
(… my madness increases, considering that’s not my name)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I Don’t Care – 2ne1
(This explains so much.)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Hold Me Tight – Across the Universe soundtrack
(I just want someone to hooooold me tight)
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
All Around Me – Rebecca St. James
(all around me… is what?)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Waiting – Jake
(Waiting for what? Love? Destiny? The train to Poughkeepsie?)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
The Lioness Chant – Lion King Broadway
(I am a lioness. Yes. Rawr.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Undo – Cool Joke
(That’s kinda sad.)
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July 29, 2010
No matter where she is, 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez is never far from the spotlight.
She's performed on Broadway, as the young lion cub Nala in Disney's "The Lion King."
And she's determined to get back on stage.
In April, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. But that hasn't stopped her from singing to friends, family and even for the nurses she sees throughout her many hospital visits.
"Singing just takes me to a whole [other] place," Tavarez said. "I just feel the song so much that it just takes me away...I just love to do it."
Her mother, Odiney Brown, said she still gets goosebumps when her she hears her daughter sing.
"It just brings a certain emotion to you, it's hard to describe," Brown said. "It's hard to believe [the diagnosis], even now. [But] just seeing her strength really makes me feel like, 'ok, we can get through this.'"
Shannon's best chance for survival is a bone marrow transplant, but because blacks "are underrepresented in the national donor registry":http://www.thegrio.com/news/black-community-in-dire-need-of-bone-marrow-donors.php, nearly 85 percent don't find matches after six months of searching.
Shannon's fellow "Lion King" cast members have partnered with "DKMS":http://www.dkmsamericas.org/, the world's largest marrow donor center, to hold a series of drives this month to help her find a donor match.
"Our communities especially, African-American and Latinos, suffer the most," said, Aletha Maybank, a New York City pediatrician. ...
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July 29, 2010
Deadline: August 27, 2010
Web: www.nypl.org/yl
E-mail address: carolyn_gan@nypl.org
Entry Fee: None
A prize of $10,000 is given annually to honor a novel or short story collection by a U.S. citizen who is 35 or younger. Publishers and agents may submit 10 copies of a book (or bound galleys) published in 2010, a nomination form, an author biography, and book reviews by August 27. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Last night novelist Salvatore Scibona won the $10,000 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award for his novel, "The End."
The awards were hosted by actor Ethan Hawke. During the proceedings, actors Zoe Kazan and Billy Crudup joined him on stage, reading excerpts from the work of the five finalists. Kazan read passages by finalists Scibona and Sana Krasikov; Crudup read work by finalists Jon Fasman and Rivka Galchen. Finally, Hawke read a passage written by finalist Zachary Mason.
As he presented the award, NYPL President Paul LeClerc said he no longer worried that giant bookstores would destroy libraries. "More people are coming to the library system than in the last 50 years," he e...
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July 28, 2010
Tags: after, Brown, election, Gordon, resign, results, should, Thursday
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 2:30 am and is filed under Euro.
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thx 'thete, and yes, I was familiar with that Romer multiplier
by Mike gamecock DeVine
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BINGO!
by bk
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100% spot on.
by rdelbov
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July 28, 2010
The Arcenaux drop and the Robertson fumble took as much as 12 points off the board, by my count (potentially two touchdowns, instead of one conceded safety.) Not only that, they seemed to take the wind out of the Lions sails offensively, as they didn't even come close to scoring after that.
I won't be blaming the play-calling this time, not with ridiculous mistakes like that. (However, I do find it puzzling that our QB is throwing a ten-yard out to the wide side of the field with under two minutes left and a three point lead.) I thought the play-calling showed some ingenuity tonight with the hand-off to Arcenaux, use of the screen pass, and swinging the ball out to Jamall Lee a couple times.
Special teams was a problem, particularly the penalties in the return game. Also, MacCallum's punting was up and down.
The d was stretched pretty thin by injuries. Had some trouble stopping the run, especially after Elimimian was injured. However, they still did alright, allowing just the 17 points.
WCJ, I agree that Elimimian got away with a late hit. However, I disagree with your assessment of Phillips. He was extremely effective blitzing from the blind side. That was a nice new wrinkle in the D. He had a couple of sacks, plus a forced fumble by my count.
Conclusion: too many mistakes to beat even an average team."I'm a guy who can help that defensive unit out tremendously," he said.
Suh joins a young Lions nucleus that inc...
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