�New research by Aberdeen scientists suggests that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) relates to an ancient timing mechanism in the mind dating back millions of years.
Discoveries by a University of Aberdeen-led team, involving collaborators in Edinburgh and Strasbourg, and published in the latest military issue of Current Biology, pour forth new insights into the mechanisms by which seasonal worker rhythms ar generated.
The researchers studied the primitive Soay breed of sheep, which relies on its strong seasonal biology to survive wild on the N. Atlantic islands of St Kilda.
They identified a new role for a chemic known as thyroid exhilarating hormone (TSH), which is secreted by cells in the hypophysis gland and is already known to control the thyroid secretory organ.
The modern work reveals that a specialised grouping of pituitary gland TSH-secreting cells signal right away to the brain to control the sheep's seasonal behaviour.
This surprising find reverses the "master - slave" relationship between the brain and the pituitary body, found in all vertebrates including humans, in which brain signals control pituitary body hormone secretion.
Dr Hazlerigg, Reader in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen said: "Our research points to an ancient seasonal timing chemical mechanism that survives in new vertebrates. Some humans crataegus laevigata retain remnants of this ancient seasonal worker timing mechanism which would explain wherefore they go through SAD.
It is now hoped that identifying this new role for TSH may lead to better understanding of seasonal or thyroid disorders in human beings.
Dr Hazlerigg continues: "Our next objective is to understand exactly what TSH does when it gets into the brain to cause changes in demeanour and endocrine secretion. By defining these pathways we hope to increase our understanding non only of the control mechanisms in seasonal animals but as well of SAD."
University of Aberdeen
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Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Chicago - Movie Reviews The Longshots
A fate of critics are doing their damnedest to take down The Longshots . Writes Tasha Robinson in the Chicago Tribune " Longshots is one underdog that's difficult to sexual love and harder still to champion." And Bruce DeMara comments in the Toronto Star "Because Longshots never escapes the sense of being overly contrived, it never actually gets the crowd on its feet." But the overwhelming majority of reviews are plus, with whatsoever critics urging parents to take their kids to see it. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times calls it "remarkable," and adds "It includes some of the expected elements of whatever film from this genre, but without the usual Hollywood supercharging." Claudia Puig in USA Today concludes, "The saga is an undeniably heartwarming one about perseverance, hard work, and pride in community. And who could criticize that?" And John Anderson in Newsday cheers, "There are few movies out right now more than genuine than this Cinderella story." �
22/08/2008
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Thursday, 14 August 2008
Christian Bale will not face charges, say British prosecutors
LONDON - Batman star Christian Bale testament not face charges relating to an alleged assault last calendar month on his mother and sister, prosecutors said Thursday, suggesting their decision was based in part on the menage members' wishes.
Britain's Crown Prosecution Service aforesaid there was insufficient evidence to afford a "realistic prospect of conviction," and ordered police force not to take any further action.
The service aforementioned in a statement that while it "treats all incidents which take place in a domestic setting seriously, it is important that the views of complainants are also taken into account when making decisions in such cases."
Bale, who denies the allegement, said through his spokeswoman, Jennifer Allen, that he was sticking the issue had been settled.
The worker "hopes to put the matter hard behind him" and will be providing no farther comment, Allen said in a statement released by Bale's lawyers.
His family had previously declined to gossip, saying the issue was a personal matter.
British media had reported that Bale's mother and sister told police he assaulted them at his suite at the luxury Dorchester Hotel on July 20, a day earlier he accompanied the European premiere of his picture "The Dark Knight." Bale has denied the accusation.
The Sun sheet reported that police waited a day to get Bale so he could attend the film's premier in London's Leicester Square. He was questioned for several hours at a police station before being released on bail.
The Wales-born actor first made a splash in 1987 as the baby star of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun." He has played dark and sometimes sinister roles in such films as "American Psycho," "The Machinist" and "Batman Begins."
In "The Dark Knight," Bale reprises the theatrical role of wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman, a brooding vigilante superhero still scarred by the murder of his parents.
Bale, 34, lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Sibi Blazic, and their young girl.
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Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Gram Parsons
Artist: Gram Parsons
Genre(s):
Rock
Country
Discography:
The Complete Reprise Sessions - Disc 3 of 3 (Alternate Takes)
Year: 2006
Tracks: 18
Gp/Grievous Angel
Year: 1990
Tracks: 20
The Complete Reprise Sessions - Disc 2 of 3 (Grievous Angel)
Year: 1974
Tracks: 12
The Complete Reprise Sessions - Disc 1 of 3 (GP)
Year: 1973
Tracks: 18
Gram Parsons is the father of country-rock. With the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons pioneered the concept of a y the soundbox, solely he was arrested for stealing and burning the casket.
In the two decades following Gram Parsons' last, his bequest continued to grow, as both state and stone musicians reinforced on the music he left behind. Everyone from Emmylou Harris to Elvis Costello has covered his songs and his influence could static be heard well into the next millennium.
'Master Key(R) of Music: For Piano: The Foundation': The First Book of Its Kind to Take a Musical Newcomer Down the Path Towards Learning the True Language of Music
Friday, 27 June 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Friday, 13 June 2008
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Geezer
Artist: Geezer
Genre(s):
Rock
Metal: Doom
Discography:
Black Silence
Year: 1997
Tracks: 8
Black Science
Year: 1997
Tracks: 14
Plastic Planet
Year: 1995
Tracks: 12
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Record labels put the acid on digital music services
DENVER - A stark truth facing any aspiring digital music service these days is that working with record labels is going to carry a hefty price.
The last 18 months have seen the major music labels accept new technological and business models - such as dropping digital rights management and allowing ad-supported free music - that have given rise to a new generation of digital music services. But the flip side of this willingness to experiment is a demand for higher upfront advances for licensing music and in some cases a substantial equity stake in the company.
Ad-supported download service SpiralFrog, for instance, paid more than $3 million (NZ$3.76) in upfront advances to Universal Music Group alone before it even went live, and has paid additional millions in licensing fees since the original term expired. Imeem is said to have paid advances as high as $20 million and gave labels equity in the company. (Imeem disputes that figure but the equity stake is now a matter of public record.)
Sometimes the price is so high it sabotages the deal. A mobile messaging company recently walked away from negotiations in which a label demanded 85 per cent of the company's gross revenue, even though the deal didn't involve any music licensing.
Labels say it's just the cost of doing business in today's music industry. Critics say it's stunting the establishment of a viable digital entertainment marketplace.
With CD sales in continuing decline and digital revenue still not making up the difference, labels are unapologetic about their insistence in mining every new revenue stream to its fullest potential.
"If you were opening up a retail store on Madison Avenue, I think you have to get a lease for the space," one major-label executive says. "If you want to build a legitimate business, there are costs associated with doing it, and that's no different in the virtual world than the physical world."
Truth be told, digital services - or their forebears at least - bear some of the blame for the deal terms getting to where they are today. Just a few years ago, revenue-sharing deals weren't that uncommon. However, according to former EMI digital executive Ted Cohen, labels soon soured on that model as services began gaming the system so that labels ended up with nothing.
That led to labels building "perceived value" of music into subsequent agreements along with various other checks-and-balances and advances designed to mitigate the risk of entering experimental deals. But even Cohen, now a consultant working on behalf of several digital music services, says the practice has gotten out of control to the point where economics are simply unsustainable.
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Professor Murder
Artist: Professor Murder
Genre(s):
Indie
Discography:
Professor Murder Rides the Subway
Year: 2006
Tracks: 5
Professor Murder Vs. The Magazine Culture
Year: 2004
Tracks: 5
New York City based Jesse Cohen (keyboards, samples, postiche drums), Andy Craven (drums), Michael Bell-Smith (vocals, percussion, bass, keys), and Tony Plunkett (bass) formed in 2004 as Professor Murder. The quartet mixes synthesizers and percussion-based workouts in a method acting divine by the post-punk bands of the late '70s and early '80s, patch adding a vD of offbeat, cheerful melodies for good bill. The dance orchestra performed extensively and nearly alone in NYC for various years, eventually earning opening slots for !!! and Radio 4. Their debut EP Professor Murder Rides the Subway was released on the Kanine imprint in July of 2006.
New Wing Luke Museum opens after a decade of planning
For decades, it was just another empty building in Chinatown. But first thing Saturday morning, the lines began to form. The long-neglected East Kong Yick Building had been transformed into the new Wing Luke Asian Museum, and a broad swath of the community was waiting to take a look around.
There were Japanese elders and college-age hipsters; transplants from Guam and white soccer moms; African-American thirty-somethings and youngsters from Taiwan. By 11 a.m., volunteers were apologizing to the newest arrivals and saying that because of the crowds, they wouldn't get in for hours.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise. Saturday's grand opening was the culmination of a decade of planning not just by official museum types, but by the larger Asian-American community.
It has been hoped that the Wing Luke, named for the first Asian American to hold elected office in the Northwest, will be both a tourist destination and a place for locals to connect with the area's Asian heritage. Or, just as likely, with their own.
Howard King, who is so keen on the museum that he plans to work there and volunteer, said that on his first look at the spotlight exhibit, called "Honoring Our Journey" — which showcases the immigrant experience — he noticed a naturalization certificate and thought, "this guy looks familiar."
"I looked closer," he said, "and it was my dad."
It took Albert King nearly 40 years to become a naturalized citizen, after emigrating from China around 1920.
"I was really proud of it," Howard King said, his face lighting up. "I didn't know it existed until I came here."
Though Lien Sandy Lam is from an entirely different generation than King, she, too, hoped to connect with her family's past. Upon seeing a depiction of mythological figures called the Eight Immortals, the 21-year-old University of Washington senior was eager to learn more. Who are they? What do they signify? Lam wasn't exactly sure, even though she's schooled enough in her culture that she speaks Cantonese at home. "I am of Chinese background, but I'm a little more assimilated as an American than as a Chinese person," she said.
Her parents were so busy working, she said, that they couldn't spend much time teaching her about their heritage. Now, the museum offers her that opportunity.
By "inviting people into the International District," she said, the museum can help everyone learn and grow, whether they're Asian American or something else entirely.
Downstairs in the museum, an African-American man was taking instruction on how to make an origami frog from an 8-year-old girl named Quan Huie. A Filipino caregiver was escorting an elderly Chinese man in a wheelchair.
And Ruby Luke, the late Wing Luke's sister, was beaming.
"I know my brother would be very impressed," she said.
Wing Luke, who was elected to the Seattle City Council in 1962, believed that people aren't all that different, no matter their backgrounds. The museum that bears his name is clearly a place where all are welcome.
Ruby Luke helped with Saturday morning's ribbon-cutting ceremony, and halfway through the day was still clad in her "ceremonial" attire — a short dress of green sequins and a feathered hat.
"Since I was going to have my picture taken," she laughed, "I figured I might as well dress up for it."
In a flash, the petite Luke sister was called away by another well-wisher, her white feathers bobbing through the crowd.
Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562
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Harry Bernsen Jr. dies at 82
Chicago native was film, TV, stage producer
Harry Bernsen Jr., a film, television and stage producer and father of actor Corbin Bernsen, has died. He was 82.
Harry Bernsen, who had been in failing health since the beginning of the year, died Saturday at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, spokesman Charles Sherman said Wednesday.
There was no specific cause of death, Sherman said.
Corbin Bernsen remembered his father as "one of the old-school guys."
"He represented a time and era of this entertainment business that really just cared about things, whether it was a client or what a movie was about," Bernsen said. "He so deeply loved the business."
A Chicago native, Harry Bernsen served with the Marines in World War II and then studied acting in Los Angeles. But he decided he would be a better producer than performer and started out by producing local plays, according to a release from Sherman.
Bernsen also took on the role of manager at the Jaffe Agency, working with director Arthur Hiller and actor Jim Hutton, among others.
Bernsen wore "many hats," walking his clients through projects as agent, manager and even publicist, Sherman said.
His credits include the TV miniseries "The Awakening Land" and the films "Fools' Parade" with James Stewart and "Take a Hard Ride" with Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly, Sherman said. On stage, Bernsen joined in producing "The Boys Of Autumn" starring Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.
Corbin Bernsen, whose credits include the TV shows "Psyche" and "L.A. Law" and the film "Major League," recalled the advice he got from his father when he decided to become an actor.
"If I was going to do it, he said, make sure I love it," he recalled.
Harry Bernsen's survivors include his former wife, actress Jeanne Cooper, and their children, Corbin and Collin Bernsen and Caren Bernsen Wilson.
A private memorial service is scheduled for June 28 in Los Angeles.
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Hennie Bekker
Artist: Hennie Bekker
Genre(s):
New Age
Pop
Discography:
Sonic Aid Music To Promote Sleep
Year: 2003
Tracks: 6
Kaleidoscopes: Winter Reflections
Year: 2003
Tracks: 8
Velvet Nights
Year: 2001
Tracks: 10
Salama
Year: 2001
Tracks: 12
After The Rain
Year: 2001
Tracks: 8
Meditation
Year: 2000
Tracks: 4
Meditation
Year: 2000
Tracks: 9
Tranquility
Year: 1999
Tracks: 13
Spa
Year: 1999
Tracks: 6
Silk and Satin
Year: 1999
Tracks: 10
Jabula
Year: 1999
Tracks: 11
Dreaming
Year: 1999
Tracks: 14
African Tapestries Kusasa
Year: 1999
Tracks: 10
A Time For Romance
Year: 1999
Tracks: 10
Mirage
Year: 1998
Tracks: 10
Essence Of Romance
Year: 1998
Tracks: 10
African Tapestries The Smoke That Thunders
Year: 1997
Tracks: 10
African Tapestries Temba
Year: 1995
Tracks: 10
Tranquility Awakenings
Year: 1994
Tracks: 10
Summer Breeze
Year: 1993
Tracks: 10
Spring Rain Solo Piano
Year: 1992
Tracks: 10
Spring Rain
Year: 1992
Tracks: 10
Algonquin Suite
Year: 1992
Tracks: 10
Great Lakes Suite
Year: 1991
Tracks: 11
Harmony
Year: 1989
Tracks: 11
Winter Reflections
Year:
Tracks: 8
Transitions
Year:
Tracks: 8
African Tapestries
Year:
Tracks: 10
New age singer/musician Hennie Bekker issued several solo albums during the '90s; contributed tracks to such albums serial as SolitudesTM, Kaleidoscope, and Tranquility; as well as beingness a member of the Canadian techno/dance outfit BKS. Raised in a Zambian copper-mining ithiel Town tenner miles south of the Congolese border (Mufulira), Bekker became delighted former on by such sounds as tribal chanting and drumming, perking up his stake in music. Shortly thereafter, Bekker taught himself how to play the piano, and at the age of 15, began playing with various jazz nuclear fusion bands in Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. From at that place, Bekker began grading for plastic film, television system, radio, and commercials; before finally moving to London, England, where he teamed up with manufacturer Emil Zoghby and started arranging, conducting, and producing albums for the likes of Freddie Cole, Magna Carta, and Stanley Black. By 1987, Bekker had relocated once more than, this time to Canada, where he focused on commercial form (conducive musical bits to stock-music companies).
Finally, Bekker gravitated toward the musing sounds of new age, where he added soothing melodies to nature sounds compiled by Dan Gibson, which light-emitting diode to the couplet collaborating on a tot up of 14 Exploring Nature With Music releases and to further Bekker musical contributions for the aforesaid Kaleidoscope and Tranquility series. In add-on, Bekker launched another record album series, African Tapestries, which explored the alien medicine of his homeland. Showcasing his versatility, Bekker then turned his attention to techno/dance, working with the grouping BKS, a group that achieved rather a bit of succeeder in Canada (their 1996 acquittance, Astroplane, standard a Juno Award for Best Dance Recording). Bekker besides set up metre to matter his possess solo releases, including such titles as Groovy Lakes Suite, Summer Breeze, Mirage, Tember, Jabula, and Watering place, among others.
Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols Lydon Eyes Spears Collaboration
SEX PISTOLS star JOHN LYDON wants to write a song for troubled star BRITNEY SPEARS - to help her turn her life around.
The punk pioneer - also known as Johnny Rotten - empathises with Spears' personal problems and admits he feels inspired to collaborate with the singer.
Lydon insists he would love to give Spears' musical career a boost.
He says, "I haven't written a song for Britney yet but I would love to. I'd like to help out because there's a girl who needs some help.
"She's been hurt. And hurt is the root core essence of good music."
Over the last year Spears has endured a variety of setbacks including hospitalisation for a bipolar disorder, custody battles over her two sons and career issues.
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