Seven Southland Counties Under Wildfire Siege

Southwest United States satellite photo, taken at 8:45am PST, showing the smoke trails of at least eight fires burning out-of-control causing a state of emergency to be declared throughout seven California counties. Image Credit: NOAA

Damage Assessed - Last Updated 10-30-2007

Per San Bernardino County: 352 Properties Destroyed, 59 Damaged;
The County of San Bernardino has released information on properties damaged or destroyed by the Slide and Grass Valley Fire.

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The County Assessor's Office has released damage reports.
Lake Arrowhead
Green Valley Lake
Running Springs, Enchanted Forest, Smiley Park, Crab Flats


Source: http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/assessor/
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Seven Southland Counties Under Wildfire Siege

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Grass Valley And Slide Fire Daily Posting Links:

SEVEN SOUTHLAND COUNTIES UNDER WILDFIRE SIEGE – DAY 1
(updates for 10-22-2007)

WILDLAND FIRE WINDS WHIP LAKE ARROWHEAD - DAY 2
(updates for 10-23-2007)

WILDLAND FIRES RAGE IN RUNNING SPRINGS - DAY 3
(updates for 10-24-2007)

WILDLAND FIRES CONTINUE IN SAN BERNARDINO – DAY 4
(updates for 10-25-2007)

WILDLAND FIRES IN SAN BERNARDINO Turn A Corner – DAY 5
(updates for 10-26-2007)

WILDLAND FIRES IN RUNNING SPRINGS SMOLDER - DAY 6
(updates for 10-27-2007)

RUNNING SPRINGS SMOLDERS DAMAGE ASSESSED - DAY 7
(updates for 10-28-2007)

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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven counties late Sunday afternoon. He said California was reaching out to other states, including Nevada and Arizona, for firefighting resources as Santa Ana winds create an in-controllable firestorm situation that will not let up for the next couple of days.

As reported here a few weeks ago, Big Bear Lake Butler II fire was a result of Santa Ana winds threatened the small resort town of Green Valley Lake. It turns out that of the ten fires that have started in this Santa Ana condition, Green Valley Lake, as well as North Lake Arrowhead is once again in harms way.

Fire officials state that we are in the middle of a perfect firestorm condition through Tuesday afternoon.


Click Here For A List Of Sothern California Fire Information Links - Image Credit: Kithbridge.com


Green Valley & Slide Fires as seen this morning from Gilner Point on Big Bear Lake, California - Image Credit: Moose Drool, Socalmountains.com Forums

This from The Daily Green -

10 California Wildfires Burning 84,135 Acres
Santa Ana “Devil Winds” Whip Up Ferocious Fires
Posted By the daily green 10-22-2007 – 9:45am PDT

The Santa Ana “Devil Winds” continue to whip up fires in California. This weekend, 10 new fires were added to the National Interagency Fire Center’s list of new fires — all of them in California. All told, the 10 fires are burning 84,135 acres, and they’ve claimed at least one life, left dozens injured, and burned several structures, including a landmark estate in Malibu.

Sedgewick - Los Padres National Forest: 710 acres. 50% contained. Two hundred residents in the Woodstock area are under an evacuation warning, and 250 homes in the Brinkerhoff Road area are threatened.

Ranch - Angeles National Forest: 29,000 acres. 10% contained. This fire is six miles north of Castaic. Currently evacuations are in effect in the Hasley Canyon, Oak Springs, Val Verde and Piru area. State Highway 126, petroleum fields, a condor sanctuary and the Sespe Wilderness are threatened.

Canyon - Los Angeles County: 2,400 acres. 10% contained. Mandatory evacuations were implemented in Monte Nido, Malibu Colony, Malibu Road, Sweetwater Canyon, Puerco Canyon, Carbon Canyon, Carbon Mesa, Rambla Pacifica, Big Rock and Topanga Canyon tactical zone 8. Several roads in the area are closed.

Buckweed - Los Angeles County: 20,000 acres. 0% contained. This fire is near Mint Canyon Road and the Sierra Highway. Communities of Santa Clarita, Castaic, Leona Valley, Green Valley, Acton, Agua Dulce, Mint Canyon are threatened.

Santiago - Orange County: 7,500 acres. 30% contained. This fire is near Irvine. Several communities along the Santa Ana Canyon corridor are threatened. Strong winds with gusts of up to 73 miles per hour were reported. Hwy 241 is closed from Santiago Canyon to Hwy 133.

Witch - San Diego County: 10,000 acres. 0% percent contained. This fire is east of Ramona. The community of Ramona under evacuation. Hwy 78 is closed from Ramona to Santa Ysabel, Wildcat Canyon is closed, and Hwy 67 is closed from Poway Road to Ramona.

Roca - Riverside County: 125 acres. 20% contained. This fire is near Aguanga, east of Temecula.The Jojoba Hills Resort and Rancho California RV Park are threatened with the mandatory evacuation of 700 residences.

Grass Valley [& Slide]- San Bernardino National Forest: 100 acres. Percentage contained is unknown. This fire is north of Lake Arrowhead. Mandatory evacuations are in effect for the entire Deer Lodge Park area, and all streets north of Brentwood in the Trinity Area.

Harris - San Diego County: 14,000 acres. 5% contained. Strong winds are hampering suppression efforts. Fire is burning around the Potrero CalFire station and structure protection is in place.

Coronado Hills - San Diego County: 300 acres. 0% contained. The communities of Discovery Hills, Coronado Hills and San Elijo Hills are threatened.

Reference Here>>

Throughout the day, we, at MAXINE, will place updated posts on fires that are burning in the San Bernardino National Forest that may have an effect on Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas.

This from Socalmountains.com -

Monday 22 October 2007 - 10:01:56

rotw.net....Lake Arrowhead - As of 10 AM, there are reports of structures on fire on Brentwood and Pinehurst in Lake Arrowhead and near Grass Valley Golf Course. At 9:45 AM, a flare up was reported in the Deer Lodge Park area sending up a large smoke plume. At 9:53 AM, a resident reported fire at the rear of residences along the 26000-block of Amador Lane in Lake Arrowhead with no firefighters nearby. Firefighters near Amador and Trinity were driven back by the fire and had to retreat to a safe zone.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 10:38:59

Lake Arrowhead - There are multiple reports of structures on fire on Brentwood and Pinehurst in Lake Arrowhead and near Grass Valley Golf Course. Residents are calling from the area reporting that their homes are on fire. Dispatchers are telling them to evacuate. There are insufficient fire fighting resources in the area to extinguish the structure fires. At 9:45 AM, a flare up was reported in the Deer Lodge Park area sending up a large smoke plume. At 9:53 AM, a resident reported fire at the rear of residences along the 26000-block of Amador Lane in Lake Arrowhead with no firefighters nearby. Firefighters near Amador and Trinity were driven back by the fire and had to retreat to a safe zone. The fire is crossing Brentwood as of 10:03 AM. The next threat is to Sandalwood.

Update As Of 11:45 - Socalmountains.com

THE GRASS VALLEY FIRE IS BURNING WEST OF LAKE ARROWHEAD AND HAS CONSUMED APPROX 300 ACRES. MANY HOMES HAVE BEEN LOST IN WEST LAKE ARROWHEAD (LAST ESTIMATE WAS 20-30).

THE SLIDE FIRE IS BURNING IN THE GREEN VALLEY LAKE AREA. LAST REPORT IS THAT 10-12 STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN LOST THERE. THIS FIRE HAS CONSUMED APPROX 200-300 ACRES AT LAST REPORT.MANDATORY EVACUATIONS FOR: GREEN VALLEY LAKE, ARROWBEAR, RUNNING SPRINGS, AND MOST OF LAKE ARROWHEAD.HWYS 330, 18, 138, 173 ARE CLOSED HWY 18 IS CLOSED AT THE BIG BEAR DAMEVACUATION CENTER HAS BEEN SETUP AT THE JERRY LEWIS CENTER IN HIGHLAND

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:11:17
300 acres burnt in arrowhead

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:14:04
Per Scanner: The Devore fire is moving into Lytle Creek. Having to redeploy resources and try to protect structures down there.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:14:07
per scanner cajon ic ,fire is making a hard run up glen helen road, having all rescources head there but the roads are jamed,

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:15:07
per scanner in devor 3 fires going on now , air attack ? is making one large circle around them , hitting them as they can,

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:15:13
Starting to get smokey here in Mt. Home. It's coming from the SE across Yucaipa Ridge. Anybody know of anything close by south of here?

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:15:57
Hey, the only fires in the area are the two up here (Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake) and a new one which has grown a lot at the 215/15 split (Devore).

Green Valley Fire - Google Maps with redline overlay of outline of fire. [right-click copy, save and enlarge in computer photo viewer] Image Credit: scottpage, Socalmountains-Forum

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:45:40
per scanner( update gvl structure group and edge clif torching into some trees trying to hold it at brentwood and trying to keep it from sandle wood , mulitple spots,,

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:46:21
helen we are the safe zone at this time no danger to the big bear valley at all its headed the other direction down the mountain

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:52:08
You can more or less consider everything west of the Bear Valley Dam evacuational. Running Springs, Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake, Arrowbear.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 12:58:12
Regarding Lake Forest-EVACUATIONS: A mandatory evacuation is in place for Santiago Canyon and Hangman Tree Road (Thomas Brothers page 832 D6). No evacuations at this time in Foothill Ranch, Lake Forest, or Irvine

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:04:16
Per Scanner: Units on scene in Lake Arrowhead (Sonoma and Black Oak) have lost all water pressure. Need to notify the community services district.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:08:19
When I consider how many fire fighting resources we had on Butler #2, from all over the state working and what it took to control and get it out I am in awe. Now consider that we have almost 20 fires going in Socal. We are in deep trouble folks. Be ready to evac. Think NOW of what you would pack if you had 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 30 minutes to get out. Write it down! Post it where you will have easy acceess to it in a stress situation.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:16:38
per chp log road closures nb 15 is closed, at sierra due to a fire
nb 215 is closed at devore
sb15 is closed at the 138
nb 15 closed at glen helen
nb 215 closed at devore being rerouted south on the 15 fwy from devore
sb 15 closed at the 138
nb 15 closed at glen helen
18 at waterman closed
and 330 at highland due to fire no upbound traffic allowed

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:30:05
Kelley - From ROTW:
"At 10:05 AM, firefighters report at least three structures burning in the Green Valley Lake area. Another 400 homes are threatened in the Green Valley Lake Area."

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:36:28
grass valley and green valley should be spelled out to avoid confusion. no more GVL.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:43:39
per socalfires - fire in orange county , fire is now driven over a ridge below santiago canyon road, and moving towards communites of foot hill ranch and portola hills, air attack and 6 air tankers now have been ordered, , also order for 9 + engins, or what ever they can get for structure protection - latest up date from orange county

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:49:18
about an hour ago per scanner ( slide fire green valley was going to do some structure protection , lost a couple of homes so far this was a post from 12:40 pm

Monday 22 October 2007 - 13:49:37
Lk Arrowhead/Grass Valley fire report just on Ch 7, said they counted at least 70 homes destroyed.

Photo from the Slide Fire, which was reported at approximately 8am this morning. Image Credit: KBHR93.3FM

This from KBHR 93.3 FM news website–

Grass Valley and Slide Fires Update, as of noon

There are two fires burning, one in the Grass Valley area, and another in the Green Valley Lake area.

Just after 5am this morning, a fire in the Grass Valley area was reported and has burned 200 acres in the area northwest of Lake Arrowhead. We have unconfirmed reports that 12 structures have burned in the Grass Valley Fire.

As of 8am this morning, a second fire, referred to as the Slide Fire, is burning along the ridgeline above Green Valley Lake, in the vicinity of Forest Service Road 2N13. The Slide Fire has burned over 200 acres, and there are also reports of structure loss in this blaze.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following: Green Valley Lake and North Lake Arrowhead, including Deer Lodge Park and residences on Edgecliff Drive, South Lake Arrowhead, Arrowbear and Running Springs. There are voluntary evacuations now in place for Rim Forest and Twin Peaks.

John Miller of the U.S. Forest Service has told us that there is no threat to Big Bear at this time.

Per the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, the county is implementing the Telephone Emergency Notification Systems, or reverse 911, to alert residents in this area, though we have reports that some power lines may be down, which may affect service.

All highways west of the Big Bear Dam are closed to all traffic, except for those evacuating. A CalTrans official tells us that southbound highways from the burn area are in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Again Highways 18 and 330, and all those west of the Dam are closed – access is only allowed to those who are evacuating the Slide and Grass Valley Fires.

Incident Command has been stationed at the middle school in the Grass Valley Lake area, but will eventually be moving to Rim of the World High School, which is closed today.
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Monday 22 October 2007 - 14:53:12
per scanner ( 20 homes lost and more being lost , fire has slopped over crab flats road , not a lot in lower evelations where its losing wind power so far not in the deep creek drainage if you see the need to shut off gas or edision and get the reps to set up what ever you need - 2 homes lost on klondike,, - spots on fairway

Monday 22 October 2007 - 14:55:24
I saw at lest 30 homes burning 2 hours ago from the Grass Valley fire on 7 news, I'm afraid there are alot more since then.

Monday 22 October 2007 - 15:07:23
20 homes consumed near golf course

Monday 22 October 2007 - 15:12:14
Yes, there is only one golf course in Lake Arrowhead. Grass Valley Rd goes right in front of it and Grass Valley Lake is a small lake next to the golf course.
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On the scene of the Slide Fire: Structures are burning on Holcomb Creek Road, in the Green Valley Lake area. Image Credit: KBHR93.3FM

4:07pm PST - Audio Report On KRLA 870AM by Hugh Hewitt stated that about 125 homes in total had been damaged by fire in Southern California and there is little the firefighters can do to control or limit damage. Wind, and the lack of resources due to the amount of fires burning out of control. San Diego may actually be having the worst fire in its history. Rancho San Bernardo seems to be getting hammered.

Twin Peaks and Blue Jay near Lake Arrowhead are in the path of the Green Valley fire.

5:50pm PST - West Shore Road reports that for the last hour. red helicopters are dropping water from the lake on the fires around Lake Arrowhead.

Final Update From KBHR 93.3 FM news website -

Three Fires Burning West of Big Bear Valley -- Update as of 5pm

As of this afternoon, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reiterates that the fires burning west of Big Bear Valley do not pose a threat at this time. According to Sergeant Jim Bergendahl at the Big Bear Station, earlier this afternoon, “We are not concerned about a threat to the Big Bear area at this time. We will be monitoring wind conditions over night.”

The Grass Valley Fire has burned approximately 300 acres in the area northwest of Lake Arrowhead, since being reported at 5:08am this morning. So far, we have unconfirmed reports of 113 burned structures in the Grass Valley Fire.

The Slide Fire, which has been burning in the vicinity of Green Valley Lake, particularly along that ridgeline, has also burned a reported 300 acres as of this afternoon. Sergeant Bergendahl (who, following a conversation with KBHR was going to evacuate his own home, which is in the area of the Slide Fire) tells us that accurate reads on burned acreage have been difficult to obtain due to the heavy smoke. As for the Slide Fire, we have reports of at least 16 homes that have burned and/or been completely lost due to the blaze. This fire has been very spotty, according to our eyewitness reports, and the Slide Fire blaze has been heading west, away from Big Bear.

A third, unnamed fire, was also reported today, and is burning in the vicinity of yesterday's small fire, off Bear Springs Road and Highway 18.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following: Green Valley Lake, North Lake Arrowhead, South Lake Arrowhead, Arrowbear, Running Springs and, as of this afternoon, portions of Twin Peaks. There are voluntary evacuations in place for Rimforest and other areas of Twin Peaks.

All schools in the Rim of the World School District, under the direction of interim Superintendent Ron Peavy, will be closed both Tuesday and Wednesday. This school closure does not affect students of the Bear Valley Unified School District.

At a press conference in Malibu today, Governor Schwarzenegger said, “I've proclaimed a state of emergency in seven counties, and CalFire officials are using whatever resources they need in order to put out those fires. I urge everyone to follow the directions and evacuation orders issued by the emergency personnel.”

All highways west of the Big Bear Dam are closed to all traffic, except for those evacuating. A CalTrans official tells us that southbound highways from the burn area have been in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Again Highways 18 and 330, and all those west of the Dam are closed-–access is only allowed to those who are evacuating the Slide and Grass Valley Fires.

The U.S. Post Office has closed seven Post Offices in San Bernardino County today, due to fire evacuations, no access or power failure. Updated contingency plans for mail delivery and conditions will be reevaluated tomorrow morning, for those who receive mail from Post Offices in Green Valley, Running Springs, Arrowbear, Twin Peaks, Cedar Glen, Rimforest and Spring Valley Lake, near Victorville.

So, to recap, there are three fires burning west of the Big Bear Valley, though officials tells us that there is no threat to the Big Bear at this time. All highways west of the Big Bear Dam, including 18 and 330, will remain closed to all traffic.

And, here in Big Bear, all are welcome to join the First Baptist Church at 6:30pm this evening. The Church, located across the street from Summit Plaza, will be offering up a group prayer for emergency personnel, families affected by today's fires, and for the safety of our Valley.

Photos Of The Day From The San Bernardino Sun

Wildland Fire Winds Whip Lake Arrowhead - Day 2

Harry Reid Takes Credit For EBAY Auction Idea

Senate Leader Harry Reid as he delivers a speech that gives himself a connection and credit for the success of the EBAY auction of the SMEAR letter sent to the president of Rush Limbaugh’s EIB syndication partner, Clear Channel. Image Credit: CSPAN via Rush Limbaugh website

Harry Reid Takes Credit For EBAY Auction Idea

In a speech broadcast on CSPAN from the Senate floor at 12:00pm EST, Harry Reid takes credit for EBAY auction idea.

Harry Reid makes this all about HIMSELF!

Signatures Of Shame - Democrat Party Presidential Nominee Candidate Signatures - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Hussein Obama, and Senator Christopher John Dodd - From The Original Harry Reid/Rush Limbaugh Smear Letter - Image Credit: The United States Senate via EBAY

He takes credit for the letter ... and its monetary value ... when this (the letter's value) is more about the letter and the act it represents, not who wrote, or signed it.

Transcript Here (notice the term "WE", and tries to ride the coat-tails of the Rush Limbaugh EBAY effort):

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT - Video Here>>

RUSH: Here's the transcript of what Dingy Harry said and we're looking for it, we'll have the audio, but this is what Dingy Harry said on the floor of the Senate at noon Eastern time today:

HARRY REID: "Madam President, earlier this month I came to the floor to discuss some comments made by Rush Limbaugh. Following my remarks, more than 40 of my Senate colleagues and I cosigned a letter to the chairman of Clear Channel, Mark May, telling him we wanted him to confer with Limbaugh regarding the statements he made." Is that not audacious? The United States Senate getting hold of the CEO of a private corporation to confer with me over words that I had uttered. "I've since spoken to Mark May about this. Mark May in fact called me regarding this letter. This week, Rush Limbaugh put the original copy of that letter up for auction on eBay. Mr. President, we didn't have time, or we could have gotten every Senator to sign that letter."

RUSH: What is that? Yeah, if we only had time, we could have gotten everybody to sign. How come not one Republican signed it? They had a couple of days to do this. I tell you, that's an amazing statement. Had we had more time, well, was it not worth taking the time, if this was such an important issue? If you would have taken the time, Senator Reid, wouldn't a hundred signatures really have had an impact on Mark Mays, the CEO of Clear Channel, more than 41 and totally partisan signatures since it was all Democrats.

HARRY REID: "He put the letter up for auction on eBay," [continued Mr. Reid] "and I think very, very constructively, let the proceeds of that to go to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. That provides scholarship assistance to Marines and federal law enforcement personnel whose parents fall in the line of duty. What could be a more worthwhile cause?" Rehabilitating Senator Reid is a worthwhile cause, which is I think what this is. "I think it's really good that this money on eBay is going to be raised for this purpose. When I spoke to Mark May, he and I thought this probably wouldn't make much..."

RUSH: So he's been involved in it now, huh? (laughing) He's now wormed his way into this! He's not matching. I don't think he's going to match, and he hasn't apologized for this, by the way.

HARRY REID: "When I spoke to Mark May, he and I thought this probably wouldn't make much money, a letter, written by Democrat Senators, complaining about something. This morning, the bid is more than two million for this. We've watched it during the week. It keeps going up and up and up. There's only a little bit of time left on it, but it certainly is going to be more than two million. Never did we think that this letter would bring money of this nature," said Senator Reid. "And for the cause, Madam President, it's extremely good. Now everybody knows that Rush Limbaugh and I don't agree on everything in life. Maybe that's kind of an understatement. But without qualification, Mark May, the owner of the network that has Rush Limbaugh, their auction is going to be something that raises money for a worthwhile cause. I don't know what we could do more important than helping to ensure that children of our fallen soldiers and police officers who have fallen in the line of duty have the opportunity for their children to have a good education."

RUSH: Think of this. He's using the word "we". He has inserted himself into this, ladies and gentlemen! It's going so well, it's something nobody by his own admission ever imagined, they want in on it! We've got the audio now. Let's just listen to it rather than me read it.

HARRY REID: Earlier this month, I came to the floor discussing comments made by Rush Limbaugh. Following my remarks, more than 40 of my Senate colleagues and I cosigned a letter to the chairman of Clear Channel, Mark May, telling him that we wanted him to -- to confer with Rush Limbaugh regarding the statements he made. I've since spoken to Mark May about this. Mark May in fact called me regarding this letter.

RUSH: It's Mays.

HARRY REID: This week, Rush Limbaugh put the original copy of that letter up for auction on eBay. Mr. President, we didn't have time or we could have gotten every Democratic Senator to sign that letter. But he put the letter up for auction on eBay. And I think very, very constructively, let the proceeds of that to go to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. What is the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation? It provides scholarship assistance to children of Marines and federal law enforcement personnel whose parent dies in the line of duty, as well as health care assistance for disabled children of fallen troops. What could be a more worthwhile cause? And I think it's really good that this money on eBay is going to be raised for this purpose. When I spoke to Mark May --

RUSH: Mays.

HARRY REID: -- I think that he and I thought this would probably not raise much money, a letter by Democratic Senators complaining about something. This morning, the bid is more than two million on this. We've watched it during the week. It keeps going up and up and up, and there's only a little bit of time left on it. But it's certainly going to be more than two million. Never did we think that this letter would bring money of this nature --

RUSH: Stop the tape here, stop the tape. Do you see what's happening here? This is a clever move, rather transparent, to totally take the credit for this. Had he not sent the letter -- "we" didn't think it would ever generate this kind of money, "we" think it's great to raise this kind of, "we" think this -- he's hoping that this is the angle the Drive-Bys will cover. Harry Reid is taking credit for writing the letter that gets this money raised for the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. Resume tape.

HARRY REID: -- the cause, Madam President, extremely good. Now, everyone knows that Rush Limbaugh and I don't agree on everything in life, and maybe that's kind of an understatement. But without qualification, Mark May, the owner of the network that has Rush Limbaugh, and Rush Limbaugh should know that this letter that they're auctioning is going to be something that raises money for a really worthwhile cause. I don't know what we could do more important than helping make sure that children of our fallen soldiers and police officers who have fallen in the line of duty have the opportunity for their children to have a good education. Think about this. More than $2 million, this is going to really help. And that's, again, an understatement. There's only a little bit of time left.

RUSH: Wait 'til you hear what's coming.

HARRY REID: -- so I would ask those that are wanting to do more, that they can go to the Harry Reid, search -- actually go on say "Harry Reid letter," this will come up on eBay. I encourage anyone interested in this with the means to do so to consider bidding on this letter and contributing to this worthwhile cause.

RUSH: Hang on here.

HARRY REID: I strongly believe that when we can put our differences aside, even Harry Reid and Rush Limbaugh, we should do that and try to accomplish good things for the American people.

RUSH: Okay. Put our differences aside? Has he apologized? He is trying to horn in and act like he's part of this whole thing, folks. This is unbelievable! And now he's out there soliciting contributions on eBay, and believe me, this is what he hopes, of all of the past two weeks, that the Drive-Bys pick up on. Well, I wasn't going to do this. I wasn't going to go back in time. But let's go back, Monday, October 1st, 17 days ago, on the very same Senate floor, Harry Reid said this.

HARRY REID: Last week, Rush Limbaugh went way over the line, way over the line. While I respect his right to say anything he likes, his unpatriotic comments I cannot ignore. During his show last Wednesday, Limbaugh was engaged in one of his typical rants. This one was unremarkable and indistinguishable from his usual drivel, which has been steadily losing listeners for years, until he crossed that line by calling our men and women in uniform who oppose the war in Iraq, and I quote, phony soldiers. This comment was so beyond the pale of decency that we can't leave it alone. And yet he followed it up with denials and an attack on Congressman Jack Murtha, who was a 37-year active member of the Marine Corps, a combat veteran.

RUSH: I wasn't going to go back and relive this because it's ancient history, and we've been moving forward. Senator Reid, you did not mention that I am matching whatever the final total is. That is "we." You were offered an invitation to come on this program and say to my face what we just replayed you saying, that I am unpatriotic, and all of the other smears and lies that you believed from Media Matters for America or whether you knew were smears and lies and just went ahead with it anyway. So now all of a sudden this is "we"? You and I have buried the hatchet? You haven't even apologized for this yet and now he wants credit for helping raise this money, as though he's been involved in it all along. It's Orwellian. It's surreal. It's alternate universe. It continues. Senator Reid, I asked you, I suggested that you and Senators in the Senate who could afford this match it. I haven't heard whether you want to match the final total. I pledged to do so from the get-go. By the way, one more time, it's Mays. It's Mark Mays. There's an S on the end of his name.

HARRY REID: Rush Limbaugh took it upon himself to attack the courage and character of those fighting and dying for him and for all of us. Rush Limbaugh got himself a deferment from serving when he was a young man. He never served in uniform. He never saw in person the extreme difficulty of maintaining peace in a foreign country engaged in a civil war. He never saw a person in combat. Yet he thinks that his opinion on the war is worth more than those who have been on the front lines. And what's worse, Limbaugh's show is broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, which means that thousands of troops overseas and veterans here at home were forced to hear this attack on their patriotism. Rush Limbaugh owes the men and women of our armed forces an apology.

RUSH: Right. And he wants to pretend now that he's all supportive of this and very happy about it, and that this is "we" and we've buried the hatchet. I still haven't been apologized to for any of this.

RUSH: This attempt by Harry Reid to take to the floor of the Senate at 12 noon Eastern Time today to personalize this and make it about himself, you just know the mainstream media, the Drive-Bys, will get on this story now and Reid will end up being very positively portrayed. He has quotes about how "we" never thought that the letter would generate this kind of money. "We" never thought...? "Mark May and I..." It's Mays! "Mark May and I talked about this, and Mark May and I..." Senator Reid, let me be clear about this one more time -- actually, as many times as it takes. It wasn't your letter that raised this money. It was your abuse of power that is responsible for raising this money. No other letter you have written would be... People wouldn't pay a dime for it, Senator! This one represents an abuse of power: a federal government official, a US senator, getting hold -- after besmirching me and smearing me by name personally from the Senate floor, gets hold -- of the CEO of my syndication partner and asks him to "confer" with me about something Senator Reid thought was said that was improper? Words? First Amendment? Free speech? That, sir, is an abuse of power. That is why your letter is historic, not because you signed it, not because 40 other people signed it, not because you wrote it. It is because of what that letter represents: a full-fledged, undeniable, 100% abuse of power, and that's how this letter will be remembered by historians forever.

RUSH: Translation for Harry Reid's speech on the Senate floor today: "You win, Rush."

END TRANSCRIPT

Rush Limbaugh, after reading the transcript and hearing the remarks (in context), called the statement read on the Senate floor and broadcast on CSPAN "Brazen", "Insidious", and "Unbelieveable".

After listening to the remarks replayed on the radio show (11:20am PST), we, at MAXINE, would have to agree with Rush. Oh ... and there was not a hint of an apology (or Rush's matching contribution of $2,100,100) for what had been written in the SMEAR letter.

The Senate "IMUS-ing" (an abuse-of-power out-of-context smear hammered on by the media to create a firing) of Rush Limbaugh did not work.

Rush - 1

Senate (Harry Reid and 40 Senate Democrats) - 0

This abuse of power action was as successful as this current session of Congress (while spending time on stuff like this and deriding our troops, they have not been able to pass a thing).

The Real Survivor Fiji – Payin’ The Piper

Sunset Wallpaper, Coral Coast, Fiji - A Photo of an amazing sunset over palm trees on the Coral Coast of Fiji, set for use as desktop backgrounds or wallpaper [the best way to see Fiji while the military is still in control]. It has been resized, scaled at 1152x864 pixels - perfect for backgrounds or wallpaper for your desktop. Go to link - right click the image and select - "set as background" - Image Credit: Alistair Watters

The Real Survivor Fiji – Payin’ The Piper

Drop a stone into a pool of water and watch the ripple wave transverse across the calm surface.

For every action taken in haste, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Please tell this to the soldiers of Fiji who lost their guaranteed government jobs because the government is not bringing in enough money.

A nation under military siege is not a country people really want to visit. There are other beautiful Pacific Ocean island destinations that offer culture, gorgeous weather, and serenity that do not have a Commodore as its supreme leader in the middle of an action that will show itself as a major mistake.

I am sure that in another week or two, the former soldiers who are now citizens (and still others who will be on a rations diet) will see the light and wonder … what the heck did we do, and what were we thinking when we illegally took control of a democratically elected government?

In time, everyone has to pay the piper for the tune he plays.

This item from Reuters -

Fiji's military blows budget on coup, cuts troops
Source: Reuters - 16 Oct 2007 01:41:12 GMT

Coups can be expensive. Just ask the Fiji military, which has been forced to cut troop numbers and slash rations after breaking its 2007 budget due to the extra costs involved in toppling the government.

The South Pacific island nation's military was allocated F$80 million (US$57 million) for 2007, but a bloodless December 2006 coup and subsequent "mobilisation" [read "clamp down" and "control"] were not budgeted for, the army told local media.

The army has now reduced rations by more than half, slashing a soldier's daily pay from F$7 to F$2.50, to sustain operations, the news Web site fijilive.com said.

"Yes, we did bust our budget, but that was a national necessity for us," Military Land Force chief of staff Lieutenant-Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga told fijilive on Tuesday.

"We had to ask for an extra provision but we were not given any so we had to look from within. We had to cut on our rations."
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To trim costs the army said it made soldiers redundant because it could not pay their wages, disbanded its reserves in July and cut a lot of training programmes.

"We did not buy any vehicles this year. We had to go borrow all the government vehicles. There were a lot of cost-cutting measures," Tikoitoga said.

The army is in talks with the country's interim government, headed by coup leader and military chief Frank Bainimarama, on a new budget, which will be announced in November.

Bainimarama staged Fiji's fourth coup on Dec. 5, toppling the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, arguing his government was corrupt and soft on those involved in a 2000 coup. (F$1 = US$0.7152)
Reference Here>>

The phrase in the article we, at MAXINE, like the most is ... "To trim costs the army said it made soldiers redundant" ... Hey, what is a military coup without military soldiers or the rations (slashed by more than half) to maintain them?

Why don't we just make the coup effort REDUNDANT?

Can anyone say ... "Reverse Coup?" ... we knew you could.

The United Nations (& Al Gore) Are Bestowed The Nobel Prize

Former Vice President Al Gore [trying to look Japanese] waves to the media at the Japanese premiere of his documentary film 'An Inconvenient Truth' in Tokyo in this January 15, 2007 file picture. Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on October 12, 2007, for raising awareness of the risks of climate change [while actually doing completely NOTHING for world peace]. Image Cerdit: Kiyoshi Ota/File/Reuters

The United Nations (& Al Gore) Are Bestowed The Nobel Prize

The Nobel prize committee makes marginal the importance of its charter, again, by awarding its once impeccable reputation with a stretch of a bestowment for its 2007 “Peace Prize.”

The esteemed inventor of Dynamite, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, must be rolling over in his grave.

Please educate us at MAXINE, what does bad climate science prediction have to do with the effort of reducing violent difference resolution between organized human beings around the world?

Rajendra Pachauri, the head of U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, delivers a speech in front of Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (L) during the opening ceremony of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Brussels, April 2, 2007. Pachauri, who chairs the U.N. panel on climate change that won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore, said on October 11, 2007, he was overwhelmed by the news. Picture taken April 2, 2007 REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File (BELGIUM)

We are not naive, we understand the European calculation and thinking behind this particular bestowment. We know they had to have trouble with just giving the award outright to Al Gore alone. After all, it was the same calculated thinking that gave Al Gore an Oscar for his now legally, and offically discredited quasi-documentary and PowerPoint Presentation, “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Elite Europeans and Hollywood have an inbred thought process as it relates to the freedoms the United States has for its citizens. From capitalism, to gun possession, to health care, the template is the same - Hate Freedom, Embrace Socialism ... at any price and level of discredit.

This item from the Associated Press via the International Tribune –

British judge says Al Gore's climate change film contains 9 scientific errors
The Associated Press - Published: October 11, 2007

LONDON: Al Gore's Oscar-winning environmental documentary contains nine scientific errors or omissions, a British judge said, ruling on a challenge from a school official who did not want the film shown to students.

High Court Judge Michael Burton said he had no doubt that the points raised in "An Inconvenient Truth" about the causes and likely effects of climate change were broadly accurate, but in a ruling published Wednesday he wrote that they were made in "the context of alarmism and exaggeration."

Gore's film "is substantially founded upon scientific research and fact," Burton said. "Albeit that the science is used, in the hands of a talented politician and communicator, to make a political statement and to support a political program."

The government's plan to show the film in English secondary schools violated laws banning the promotion of partisan political views in the classroom, Burton said. But he said the screenings could go ahead if they were bundled with written guidance to teachers designed to prevent Gore's views from being promoted uncritically to children.

The Former United States Senator & Vice-President, Oscar Winning, Nobel Laureate - Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. - Cartoon Credit: Gary Varvel

Burton's ruling follows a challenge from a part-time school official who complained that Gore's film was inaccurate, biased, and should not be shown to pupils.

Stewart Dimmock, who works part-time on a school governing board, said he was fighting to have his children educated in an environment "free from bias and political spin."

Burton outlined nine errors — including Gore's claim that sea level rises of 7 meters (23 feet) might occur in the immediate future — something Burton characterized as "distinctly alarmist." Other errors, he said, included the claim that Hurricane Katrina, the evaporation of most of Lake Chad and the melting of the snows of the Kilimanjaro were all the result of global warming. Burton said there was insufficient evidence to back his claims.

While "An Inconvenient Truth" will still be shown in English schools, the judge said teachers will have to be careful not to endorse Gore's political views when they present it to pupils.
Reference Here>>

By the way, Al Gore donates the Nobel Peace Prize money to a non-profit organization - HIS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION!

Let the persistent accolades begin - "I can't think of anyone who deserves it more ... due to his sacrifices ... than Al Gore!"

We can't wait.

Kid Nation - When Growing Up Is Hard - Guylan Speaks

Photo of the "Pioneers" of Kid Nation. Guylan: Age 11 lays-in-wait at the back of the hall to time his move (he is the one in the knit cap next to the kid with the black hair). Image Credit: Kid Nation (Manhattan Project) - CBS

Kid Nation - When Growing Up Is Hard - Guylan Speaks

Kid Nation is an interesting concept IF it were as advertised ... but it is not.

The producers want you to believe that NO ADULTS are involved in the way these volunteer kids (at $5,000 apiece if they stay - and the possibility of a $20,000 Gold Star if they are liked by others) decide the influences of their Bonanza village experience.

This just is not true. In every episode, a new twist is introduced via a faked up town journal known as the Pioneer Journal that the producers represent to the viewing audience and to the kids as being left behind by the original members of the Town Council of Bonanza City of 1885. The Pioneer Journal is a pure invention of the producers on which they base the episodes events.

This week is the episode we all (the viewing audience) are introduced to the wild card kid of the bunch – Guylan: Age 11.

To really understand why this show needs Guylan: Age 11 is to begin to understand that a group of kids usually find their own way without much confrontation. Most kids want to conform because they would like to feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves … but not Guylan: Age 11. Guylan: Age 11 is a professed admirer of Fidel Castro and he is an atheist.

The producers need him on which to build interest and drama because he does not feel anyone else – no person, no higher power, no higher natural order, no other power of people – nothing is more important to ones destiny than oneself.

Guylan: Age 11 is finally introduced to the viewing audience in the first minutes of episode #104 (the fourth episode). His first words are as follows:

“Really? What? That’s understandable, yeah.”

Producer’s video diary with Guylan: Age 11 –

“Personally, I don’t want religion to be a large part of my own destiny. I think the only person in charge of your own destiny is yourself.”

Reading of the "Pioneer Journal". - Image Credit: Kid Nation (Manhattan Project) - CBS

The producers purposely placed this dialog and video diary in front of the reading of the Pioneer Journal because it became a little less inflammatory as it relates to the subject dictated by the producers via this episode’s reading of the “1885 Pioneer Journal” - RELIGION!

This episode was designed to challenge the way each of these kids were raised – their perceptions, their customs, their ethics, their religion, their culture – all of which had been passed down to them with varying degrees of success by these kids parents.

This excerpted/edited from the Kid Nation website –

Bless Us And Keep Us Safe
[episode #104 recap]

Religion and issues of faith are on the minds of many of Kids in Bonanza City.

While Morgan poses the question of whether God brought the Kids to Bonanza City for a reason, Jared shares with Guylan how he has been called terrible things because he is Jewish.

At breakfast, Colton, Eric, Zach, and some other Kids get into a heated discussion over Christianity and Judaism.

Religious and political strife come to Bonanza City when the Council dictates that all of the Kids attend a group religious service [the idea as dictated to the Council through the 1885 town journal]. When the Towns Kids refuse to attend the service, the Council Leaders are left disappointed.

As Kids of different faiths bicker with each other, it seems as though the town might fracture until Morgan unites the arguing groups by holding a relaxed town bonfire where Kids of different faiths bond together in common prayer.
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“Do you think God put us here for a reason?”
[episode #104 producers narrative detail]

Religion and issues of faith are on the minds of many of Kids in Bonanza City. While Morgan poses the question of whether God brought the Kids to Bonanza City for a reason, Jared shares with Guylan how he has been called terrible things because he is Jewish. At breakfast, Colton, Eric, Zach, and some other Kids get into a heated discussion over Christianity and Judaism.

After bringing a little law and order to Bonanza City in the form of a town curfew, Anjay, Laurel, Mike and Taylor are nervous to see what the Pioneer Journal says next. Their next challenge presents itself in the form of a passage about the Pioneers’ problems with religion in the 1880s. The Journal suggests the Town hold religious services to feed the soul, but the Council must decide whether to hold one large service for all religions, or to split the services up by religion.
Reference Here>>

This sequence-of-events are not natural. Religion and bigotry do not pop-up out of nowhere. Kids generally do not ask about ones religion unless the subject is introduced. Enter the Pioneer Journal!

It is easy to notice right away that the producers do not want facts to get in the way of the drama – where is video journal dialog from Guylan: Age 11 in the preceeding text? Where are the attitude and beliefs of Guylan: Age 11 in the opening scene description?

NOWHERE!

The reading of the Pioneer Journal and the casting are the tools by which Kid Nation will eventually “TEACH” the viewing public what the producers want to “TEACH” the viewing public. The truth about Kid Nation is that this effort is not about the kids … it is about what the producers want to “TEACH” the viewing public.

What we need to be taught is that religion is what kills all humanity!

What we need to be taught is that a simple religious service is not that simple.

What we need to be taught is (inadvertently) fear and selfishness come from ignorance and the lack of a defined and developed spiritual core belief.

So, Okay, Jonathan, the Jeff Probst wanna-be non-ADULT organizer of the district (team) showdown (competitions), opens up the scene with this quote:

“Pioneers, gather up! It’s time for your next showdown.”

“You guys have thought a lot about religion, lately, and that is part of what this showdown is about.”

Who introduced the subject of religion to these kids and their experience at Bonanza City in the first place? (the producers)

The showdown is about to begin and we are treated to another video diary entry by none other than Guylan: Age 11 ... and he says:

“I want that dang reward! I don’t know what it is, but I want the reward!

The showdown is completed by all districts in the allotted time so the reward is earned, however it comes down to a Town Council choice between a miniature golf course set up in the middle of town.

Cut To Guylan: Age 11 in video diary:

Bingo! Coooool! (in excitement)

Or a library of “Holy Books” (Torah, Bible, Koran, Hindi text, and etc.).

The Town Council did what all great leadership organizations do – they abdicated their decision to a vote of the rest of the kids of Bonanza City.

To the surprise of most of the kids, the kids voted to have as a reward the religious text. They were able to be entertained way beyond a simple game of miniature golf.

Last excerpt from the Kid Nation website –

Morgan (green bandana) leads pioneer kids in Bonanza City in a group prayer meeting. The Town Council takes note of Morgan’s leadership and continuing hard work for Bonanza City, awarding her the fourth Gold Star. Image Credit: Kid Nation (Manhattan Project) - CBS

“That’s a lot of buffalo nickels.”

The Kids wipe away tears as they mourn Cody’s departure from Bonanza City, but the mood in the Town Hall quickly brightens when the Council selects Morgan as the fourth Gold Star Pioneer! Overwhelmed with gratitude, Morgan tells the other Kids, “I think that I have the best friends in the world and I’ll never leave you, I promise.” Everyone is happy for Morgan as all of the Kids applaud the success of the kind girl from the Green District.

Morgan excitedly calls her Mom and Dad with her wonderful news; her parents are proud of her accomplishment, but are mainly overjoyed just to hear her voice. Morgan’s Dad says, “I would think that Morgan got the Gold Star because of her helpfulness. That’s just who she is.”
Reference Here>>

Guylan: Age 11 is shown again for one last time in a preview as the voice over describes the focus of the next episode – Politics!

With great conviction and determination, Guylan: Age 11 states in yet another video diary:

“It’s time for a change!”

We, at MAXINE, believe that there is a larger power working here and it is the agenda of the production staff of Kid Nation. We can not wait to see what we know is coming.

“Knockout Mountain” – Mouse Ranching UPDATED

A scientist looks at genetically modified mice that replicate human diseases. Scientists Mario Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Martin Evans have won the Nobel Medicine prize for their work in creating "knockout mice" -- the 21st-century testbed for biomedical research. Image Credit: AFP/File/Roslan Rahman

Original Posting - March 5, 2006

Of Mice And Men - The business of raising mice for medical research is not just an enterprise where a student researcher “finds” a rare mouse with a peculiar genetic characteristic anymore. It has become “ranching” on steroids where genetic outcomes can be created and delivered through a process called Knockout!

Here is an excerpted article from AP via Yahoo News -

Mice Are Key Tool in Quest for New Drugs
By MATT CRENSON, AP National Writer Sat Mar 4, 12:39 PM ET BAR HARBOR, Maine -

When it comes to the price of mice, you pay more for defects. A mouse with arthritis runs close to $200; two pairs of epileptic mice can cost 10 times that. You want three blind mice? That'll run you about $250. And for your own custom mouse, with the genetic modification of your choosing, expect to pay as much as $100,000.
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As many as 25 million mice are now used in experiments each year. Where do they come from? From the mouse industry, of course.
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Yet the mouse business is a challenging one. What was once a relatively simple business of breeding and shipping animals has become an extremely challenging enterprise that requires cutting-edge technology and a mastery of difficult logistics.

"It's not just putting two animals together any more," said Terry Fisher, general manager for business development and surgical services at Charles River Laboratories, a Wilmington, Mass., which offers laboratory animals and services to pharmaceutical companies and researchers.
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Mice gained their new significance not long after the completion of the human genome project in 2001. Scientists rushed to finish sequencing the mouse's DNA sequence the following year, and when they put the two genetic codes side-by-side they found something they'd always suspected — the genes of mice and humans are virtually identical. The obvious differences between us and them lie not in the genes themselves but in where, when and how those genes are activated.
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Lab mice live the ultimate hothouse existence. They are kept in special rooms with filtered ventilation systems and air locks, or in cages known as "isolators" that keep them completely free of contamination from the outside world. Any technician who comes in direct contact with mice has to go through a thorough decontamination process beforehand that involves a shower and a full change of clothes. All the food, water and bedding for mice is sterilized by heating, irradiation or both.
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Over decades, researchers created inbred lines of lab mice by repeatedly mating siblings to one another until every member of the strain was virtually the same genetically. That standardization made it possible for a researcher in Japan to replicate the experiment of a colleague in California without having to worry about genetic variation affecting the result.
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Now researchers — and increasingly biotechnology companies — can create their own mutations, inserting or deleting genes at will.
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And the award for sheer weirdness goes to Xenogen, an Alameda, Calif., outfit that can hitch the gene of interest to one that codes for the protein that makes fireflies glow. The result: Whenever and wherever the gene being studied switches on inside the mouse, it glows.
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The Knockout Mouse Project would record information about the characteristics of each strain in an enormous public database that would allow researchers to link genes with their functions.
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Good targets are hard to come by. But knockout mice are virtual target factories, because they are missing a single gene, and thus a single biological molecule. For example, if researchers found a knockout mouse that stayed skinny no matter how much it ate, they would immediately have a promising target for an obesity drug.
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Still, it remains to be seen whether a leap can be made from mice with knocked-out genes to therapies for humans. In the past, discoveries that looked promising in rodents have often failed in human patients.

"These mice are not going to tell us everything, and sometimes they tell us nothing. But as a starting point," Austin said, "mice play a central role."

Read It All>>

So, if you are one of the people in our Human race that believes in the equivalence of all life on Earth … this story may disgust you. You will become, or already are, a member of PETA.

For my money, if my grandchild has a life threatening ailment, and animal research can find a cure, or ease the effect of the ailment, and thus extending her life (or anyone else who contributes to Human society for that matter) … Let’s go ranching!

UPDATE - October 9, 2007 - Excerpts from AFP via Yahoo! News -

Microscopic view of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells are seen in this undated handout photo. Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies won the 2007 Nobel prize for medicine or physiology for their work on stem cells, prize awarder the Karolinska Institute said on Monday. Image Credit: Handout/University of Wisconsin/Reuters

"Knockout mice" earn US-British trio Nobel Medicine prize
AFP - Mon Oct 8, 6:42 AM ET

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies of the United States and Martin Evans of Britain won the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for their work in creating "knockout mice," the 21st-century testbed for biomedical research.

The trio were honoured for discovering how to genetically manipulate mouse embryonic stem cells, leading to lab rodents that replicate human disease, the Nobel jury said in its citation.

Their "ground-breaking discoveries concerning embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals ... led to the creation of an immensely powerful technology," the committee said.

The discovery is technically called gene targeting but is commonly known as gene "knockout."

Engineered mice provide researchers with a lab model that is yielding insights into the fundamentals of diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer and the response to new drugs, the jury said.
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To date more than 10,000 mice genes -- approximately half of the genes in the mammalian genome -- have been knocked out.
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The medicine prize is the first award to be announced in this year's Nobel season.
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The Nobel prizes, founded by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, were first awarded in 1901.

Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died childless in 1896, dedicating his vast fortune to create "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."

Laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma and 10 million Swedish kronor (1.53 million dollars, 1.08 million euros) which can be split between up to three winners per prize.

The formal awarding of the prizes will take place in Stockholm on December 10.
Reference Here>>

Kid Nation - When Growing Up Is Hard - Party Nation

Guylan Age 11 - Makes it on to the home page of the Kid Nation website. He is the one in the "black" hat. Image Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

Kid Nation - When Growing Up Is Hard - Party Nation

Bonanza's very own "Town Journal" circa 1885 - Image Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

Ok! Now get this … the “Pioneers” are given a journal that was left behind from the original town fathers back in 1885 … right.

It Is Written! - The curfew order. Image Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

One of its primary suggestions is to have the “town council” set a curfew.

The Bonanza Town Saloon - Image Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

This is discovered when the “town council” opens this journal after one of the teams (districts) decides to have a party for its recent "showdown" challenge victory.

The party gets started in earnest. Bonanza Bar Images Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

The victory party was held at the Bonanza town saloon until late into the night. Faux drinking behavior ensued!

Do these producers actually think we, the viewing public, are all that gullible?

What example does faux drinking games and behavior bring to this experience?

So about half way into this third episode in the series, the non-Adult “Jeff Probst” wanna-be character narrates the challenge and hands out the rewards - giving instructions all the way.

One of the team/districts decides to choose a microwave oven and cocoa over pizza.

Does Bonanza have electricity? Yes!

That evening the whole town was back in the bar playing faux drinking games when one member of the town council reminds everyone that curfew is at 9:30 pm. Dang - we were just gettin' this party started!

This image sums up episode #3 (#103)Image Credit: Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

Through three episodes, our infamous socialist-communist, Fidel Castro admiring, Guylan: Age 11 is a relative no-show.

The $20,000 real gold star is awarded at the end of the night’s episode and this results into more drinking games at the saloon - fade to black.

Other than the introduction of "curfew", drinking issues were not explored.

Next week, issues of religion are explored, say the “tease” preview of episode #4. The producers warn that this issue nearly tears the Kid Nation apart.

Guylan: Age 11 ... Laying-In-Wait - up in a tree. Image Credit: Bio Photo - Kid Nation (The Manhattan Project), CBS

We, at MAXINE, believe that the producers are playing a lay-in-wait strategy to introduce this counter-culture character of Guylan (prove us wrong). Trust me, with a bio of nearly a page and a half long, these guys are not going to waste away a chance at making a liberal, socialist, and secular POV!

Really, this is such a cheesy attempt to cash in on … (fill in your choice at comments)

On TV, Gossip Girl is the real kid nation!

Media Matters Batters Media

A quote from a fund-raising email by David Brock, President of Media Matters - "Media Matters has already exposed more than 6,000 instances of conservative misinformation in just two years -- and not just from right-wing news outlets such as Fox News Channel, but from sources like CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times." (The site, called Media Matters, was devised as part of a larger media apparatus being built by liberals to combat what they say is the overwhelming influence of conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly) Image & Caption Credit: NewsBusters

Media Matters (targeted attacks) Batters Media

In a stepped up effort to control the freedom of speech and censor talk radio, Media Matters targets leading radio hosts for a smear campaign of words.

What is really sad about this effort is that the current power structure in Washington are willing soldiers in this effort to take out-of-context words (not actions or fully articulated ideas) and characterize them as a form of “Hate Speech”

Many people think that this effort is designed to be a political Left vs Right thing but the real effort is to try to control the last bastion of free media and education that remains here in these United States.

This effort by Media Matters is currently focused on “Talk Radio” but it will be only a matter of time that this ugly smear campaign will be targeting the platform it broadcasts from – the internet.

The leadership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate are already using these out-of-context attacks and reading them without further investigation on the Congress and Senate floor … what is going to stop them from labeling an effort to shut down the internet as an agenda to “Protect Our Children”?

We, at MAXINE, are becoming very suspicious of the joining-of-forces between a George Soros funded, reputation-smearing website and the lawmaking leadership in Congress.

Eventually in years to come, when these elite world governors have the technology, they will only need a workforce large enough to sustain them and their families. Everyone else will be superfluous to requirements, and if you have no useful employment for the Elite, you will starve also. The Alpha Elite, or whatever they call themselves, will be like you and me who enjoy the beach freely when no-one else is there, but feel that their freedom is being restricted if they have to share it with anyone else. For them, who have aspirations of god like proportions, the beach is the world. Anyone who is not there to serve their benefit, will have no rights to exist anywhere. Caption & Image Credit: lockstockandbarrel.org

The reason this targeting activity is happening at this time and against Talk Radio is that the leadership in Congress already control Network Television, daily major market Newspapers, our University and education systems, and most other broadcast outlets through the issuance of licenses and intimidation. Talk Radio is the last bastion of free speech … callers call in and the governmental leadership can not stop it. This effort is advertiser supported and with great success. The minute someone tries to control the outcome of the freedom of speech (see Air America) the effort fails miserably.

Heads Up! Everybody – this is only the beginning of a fascist-socialist media control effort from the funding and influence of billionaire George Soros (Chairman of Soros Fund Management, LLC and founder of The Open Society Institute).

With the current leadership in Congress – Get Use To It!

A XEROX That Is NOT ... Lost In Translation

The Auto-Translating Photocopier - Fuji Xerox’s secret lies in networking the unnamed copier to a dedicated translation server and combining this with algorithms that can distinguish between text, drawings and lines for maintaining page layouts. Image Credit: Fuji XEROX via Digital Tokyo

A XEROX That Is NOT ... Lost In Translation

XEROX takes the “branding” tagline - The Document Company - seriously.

Earlier this year, XEROX introduced the concept of the “transient document” where the image from the original that was placed on the photocopy would only last a little longer than the average hours in a full working day. The concept here being that many printouts have a life-span of only a few hours (think of the number of emails that are printed out just to read, or the developing content one uses to proof read), the specially prepared paper will preserve its content for up to 16 hours. After that, the paper can be reused for another round of temporary, but tactile, communications.

Now XEROX R&D has come up with a new bit of magic. How about taking the printed images of Japanese, ... or Spanish, ... and etc. on the paper and have the copy come out translated in English?

Presto Change-O!

This item from Digital Tokyo –

Photocopier translates Japanese to English at touch of button
Posted By: J Mark Lytle - Digital World Tokyo - September 20th, 2007

Specialist translators could soon be heading for job centers across the world if Fuji Xerox makes good on the technology it has developed for its latest prototype photocopy machine.

The device, currently on show [Subscription link] only in Japan, can scan a printed sheet of Japanese text from a newspaper or magazine and churn out a translation of it in Chinese, English or Korean while retaining the original layout. Flip a switch and the linguistic parsing works in the opposite direction too.

Fuji Xerox’s secret lies in networking the unnamed copier to a dedicated translation server and combining this with algorithms that can distinguish between text, drawings and lines for maintaining page layouts.

While the concept of a one-touch translation machine is a wonderful idea for anyone who regularly works in multiple languages (guilty…), let’s hope the technology moves on from the current generation of machine-translation (MT) software that can be seen mangling sentences on sites like Babel Fish and Google Translate.
Reference Here>>

So, in 2007, XEROX document photocopy magic gives us “disappearing ink” and the equivalent of changing dimes into nickels (and presumably back to dimes again) … what’s next?

Documents that escape from the bondage of a straightjacket after being locked in a trunk and lowered into a lake?
(ht: Symblogogy)

Avian Magnetic Field Sensing Visualizes Direction

A hermit thrush. Songbirds may be a familiar sight, but studying their migration patterns is difficult. They travel at night — thousands of feet in the air — defying scientists' attempts to track them. Image Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Avian Magnetic Field Sensing Visualizes Direction

Here on planet Earth, many forces exist that aid in our collective experiences. Animals of every stripe have developed specialized senses on which to take advantage of these forces in their own special way.

It is suspected that the Hammerhead Shark evolved the way it did, eyes perched at each end of a wide and flat front nose end, so that it could better sense the low level electronic field of living animals the shark considers food – a hunting strategy.

It turns out that migratory birds have a tool in their eye that allows it to sense the geo-magnetic field of the Earth so that flocks could migrate to where food is plentiful through the seasons and survive – a different type of hunting strategy.

Avian Magnetic Field Sensing - Neuronal tracing reveals that Cluster N receives input through the thalamofugal visual pathway. Schematic side view of the bird's brain indicating the locations of tracer application. Retrograde tracer (BDA, shown in green) was iontophoretically applied into Cluster N (shown in magenta). Anterograde tracer (CtB, shown in red) was injected into the vitreous of the contralateral eye. Image Credit: Image courtesy of PLoS and article authors, Heyers D, Manns M, Luksch H, Gu¨ ntu¨ rku¨n O and Mouritsen H.

This from a study submitted to the Public Library Of Science via Science Daily -

Do Migratory Birds 'See' The Magnetic Field?
A visual pathway links brain structures active during magnetic compass orientation in migratory birds.
Science Daily - September 26, 2007

Every year millions of migratory birds fly towards their wintering quarters and come back in next year´s spring to breed. Behavioral experiments have shown that the Earth´s magnetic field is the main orientation cue on their journeys.

Nevertheless, surprisingly little is known about the neuronal substrates underlying these navigational abilities. In recent years, it has been suggested that sensing of the magnetic reference direction involves vision and that molecules reacting to the Earth´s magnetic field in the birds' eye form the molecular basis for a vision-dependent compass mechanism.

Cryptochromes, which fulfill the molecular requirements for sensing the magnetic reference direction, have recently been found in retinal neurons of migratory birds (Mouritsen et al., PNAS, 2004).

Furthermore, studies investigating what parts of a migratory bird´s brain are active when the birds use their magnetic compass showed that the cryptochrome-containing neurons in the eye and a forebrain region (“Cluster N”; Mouritsen et al., PNAS, 2005; Liedvogel et al., EJN, 2007) are highly active during processing of magnetic compass information in migratory birds.

Sensory systems process their particular stimuli along specific brain circuits. Thus, the identification of what sensory system is active during magnetic compass orientation, provides a way to recognize the sensory quality utilized during that specific behavior.

In the current study the research group from Oldenburg, Germany and their collaborators traced the neurons from the eye and from Cluster N. The results “link” the recent findings by demonstrating a functional neuronal connection between the retinal neurons and Cluster N via the visual thalamus.

Thus, the only two parts of the central nervous system shown to be highly active during magnetic compass orientation are linked to each other by a well-known visual brain circuit, namely by parts of the so-called thalamofugal pathway. For the first time, clear neuroanatomical data suggest which specific brain pathway processes magnetic compass information in migratory birds.

These findings strongly support the hypothesis that migratory birds use their visual system to perceive the reference compass direction of the geomagnetic field and that migratory birds are thus likely to "see" the geomagnetic field.

Citation: Heyers D, Manns M, Luksch H, Gu¨ ntu¨ rku¨n O, Mouritsen H (2007) A Visual Pathway Links Brain Structures Active during Magnetic Compass Orientation in Migratory Birds. PLoS One 2(9): e937. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000937
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