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Cohort Study (cohort + study)
Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences 94%
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Distribution within Medical Sciences
Geriatric Medicine 12%
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Oncology & Radiotherapy 5%
Pediatrics 4%
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Diabetes 2%
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Kinds of Cohort Study
aid cohort study
birth cohort study
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child cohort study
cross-sectional cohort study
design cohort study
historical cohort study
hiv cohort study
inception cohort study
large cohort study
longitudinal cohort study
matched cohort study
multicenter cohort study
nationwide cohort study
observational cohort study
prospective birth cohort study
prospective longitudinal cohort study
prospective observational cohort study
retrospective cohort study
single centre cohort study
Terms modified by Cohort Study
cohort study design
cohort study involving
Selected Abstracts
Admission Hyperglycemia and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients With Diabetes and Heart Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 3 2008
Yohannes Gebreegziabher MD
The authors assessed the relationship between glycemia and length of hospital stay (LOS) in a prospective cohort study of patients with diabetes mellitus and heart failure (HF). Of 212 patients with acute HF exacerbation, 119 (56%) also had diabetes. The mean age of the cohort was 63±0.87 years, and the mean body mass index was 29.3 kg/m2. Diabetic patients had significantly longer LOS compared with the nondiabetics (5.0±0.29 vs 3.4±0.19; P<.001). In patients with diabetes, the mean glycated hemoglobin A1c was 8.3%, admission blood glucose (BG) was 169±7.7 mg/dL, and average BG was 196±8.1 mg/dL. After adjusting for age, sex, weight, hypertension, renal function, and anemia, LOS was significantly correlated with admission BG (r=0.31; P<.001) and average BG (r=0.34; P=.001). In patients with acute HF exacerbation, diabetes significantly prolonged LOS. Hyperglycemia correlated with LOS. [source]
Metalworking exposures and persistent skin symptoms in the ECRHS II and SAPALDIA 2 cohorts
CONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 5 2009
Maria C. Mirabelli
Background:, Diseases of the skin are important and often preventable conditions occurring among workers with dermal exposures to irritant and sensitizing agents. Objective:, We conducted this analysis to assess the associations between metalworking exposures and current and persistent skin symptoms among male and female participants in two population-based epidemiologic studies. Methods:, We pooled data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (ECRHS II) and the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults 2 (SAPALDIA 2), two prospective cohort studies in Europe. Each participant completed interviewer-administered questionnaires to provide information about symptoms and exposures related to selected occupations, including metalworking, during the follow-up periods. We assessed associations between skin symptoms and the frequency of metalworking exposures among 676 ECRHS II/SAPALDIA 2 respondents. Results:, Current skin symptoms were reported by 10% of metalworkers and were associated with frequent use, defined as four or more days per week, of oil-based metalworking fluids [prevalence ratio (PR): 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25,2.49)] and organic solvent/degreasing agents (PR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.21,3.50). Conclusions:, Skin symptom prevalence is associated with increasing frequency of oil-based metalworking fluid and degreasing agent use. Our findings justify assessing strategies for reducing the frequency of metal-related exposures. [source]
Assessing immunophenotyping performance: Proficiency-validation for adopting improved flow cytometry methods
CYTOMETRY, Issue 4 2007
Lance E. Hultin
Abstract Background: The continuous improvement and evolution of immune cell phenotyping requires periodic upgrading of laboratory methods and technology. Flow cytometry laboratories that are participating in research protocols sponsored by the NIAID are required to perform "switch" studies to validate performance before methods for T-cell subset analysis can be changed. Methods: Switch studies were conducted among the four flow cytometry laboratories of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), comparing a 2-color, lyse-wash method and a newer, 3-color, lyse no-wash method. Two of the laboratories twice failed to satisfy the criteria for acceptable differences from the previous method. Rather than repeating more switch studies, these laboratories were allowed to adopt the 3-color, lyse no-wash method. To evaluate the impact of the switch to the new method at these two sites, their results with the new method were evaluated within the context of all laboratories participating in the NIH-NIAID-Division of AIDS Immunology Quality Assurance (IQA) proficiency-testing program. Results: Laboratory performance at these two sites substantially improved relative to the IQA standard test results. Variation across the four MACS sites and across replicate samples was also reduced. Conclusions: Although switch studies are the conventional method for assessing comparability of laboratory methods, two alternatives to the requirement of repeating failed switch studies should be considered: (1) test the new method and assess performance on the proficiency testing reference panel, and (2) prior to adoption of the new methods, use both the old and the new method on the reference panel samples and demonstrate that performance with the new method is better according to standard statistical procedures. These alternatives may help some laboratories' transition to a new and superior methodology more quickly than if they are required to attempt multiple, serial switch studies. © 2007 Clinical Cytometry Society [source]
The incidence of anxiety and depression among employees,the role of psychosocial work characteristics
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 11 2009
Helene Andrea Ph.D.
Abstract Background: Anxiety and depression are prevalent among employees and are associated with functional disability and work impairment. To date, little is known about the incidence and possible risk factors for developing anxiety and depression in the working population. Study aims were to (a) determine the incidence of subclinical anxiety and depression in a general working population and (b) identify the psychosocial work characteristics associated with the onset of subclinical anxiety and depression. Methods: This prospective study is based on 3,707 employees participating in the Maastricht Cohort Study on Fatigue at Work. Psychosocial work characteristics were measured in May 2000; anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in April 2002. Results: The cumulative 23-month incidence for subclinical anxiety and depression was 4.6 and 3.3%, respectively. High psychological job demands increased the risk for both subsequent anxiety and depression. Moreover, low social support was predictive for the onset of anxiety, whereas job insecurity increased the risk for the onset of depression. These prospective associations were independent of potential confounding variables and the other psychosocial work characteristics. Conclusions: Adverse psychosocial work characteristics are significant predictors for the onset of subclinical anxiety and depression in the general working population. These findings encourage intervention studies testing whether modifying the psychosocial work environment reduces both anxiety and depressive symptoms among employees. Depression and Anxiety 26:1040,1048, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]
Diameter of Involved Nerves Predicts Outcomes in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Perineural Invasion: An Investigator-Blinded Retrospective Cohort Study
DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 12 2009
AMY S. ROSS MD
BACKGROUND Perineural invasion (PNI) has been associated with poor prognosis in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), but it is unclear how different degrees of nerve involvement affect prognosis. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the diameter of nerves invaded by CSCC affects outcomes of recurrence, metastasis, and disease-specific and overall survival. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients with CSCC with PNI. Dermatopathologists blinded to subject outcomes determined the diameter of the largest involved nerve. RESULTS Data were obtainable for 48 patients. Small-caliber nerve invasion (SCNI) of nerves less than 0.1 mm in diameter was associated with significantly lower risks of all outcomes of interest. Disease-specific death was 0% in subjects with SCNI, versus 32% in those with large-caliber nerve invasion (LCNI) (p=.003). Other factors associated with significantly worse survival were recurrent or poorly differentiated tumors or tumor diameter of 2 cm or greater or depth of 1 cm or greater. On multivariate analysis, only tumor diameter and age predicted survival. CONCLUSIONS The individual prognostic significance of factors associated with poor survival remains uncertain. Small-caliber nerve invasion may not adversely affect outcomes. Defining PNI as tumor cells within the nerve sheath and routine recording of diameter of involved nerves, tumor depth, and histologic differentiation on pathology reports will facilitate further study. [source]
Prenatal growth, postnatal growth and trait anxiety in late adulthood , the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2010
J. Lahti
Lahti J, Räikkönen K, Pesonen A-K, Heinonen K, Kajantie E, Forsén T, Osmond C, Barker DJP, Eriksson JG. Prenatal growth, postnatal growth and trait anxiety in late adulthood , the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Objective:, Trait anxiety may predispose to anxiety disorders and cardiovascular events. We tested whether prenatal growth or postnatal growth from birth to 11 years of age and in adulthood predict trait anxiety in late adulthood. Method:, Women (n = 951) and men (n = 753) reported trait anxiety using the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale at an average age of 63.4 years and growth was estimated from records. Results:, Higher trait anxiety was predicted by smaller body size at birth, in infancy and in adulthood. Moreover, faster growth particularly from seven to 11 years of age and slower growth between 11 and 63 years predicted higher trait anxiety. Conclusion:, We found a pattern of pre- and postnatal growth that predisposed to higher trait anxiety in late adulthood. This pattern resembles that found to increase the risk of cardiovascular events and, thus, points to a shared common origin in a suboptimal prenatal and childhood developmental milieu. [source]
Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and cardiovascular risk factors in the non-diabetic and newly diagnosed diabetic Chinese: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-CVD
DIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 2 2010
Lin Xu
Abstract Background Increased arterial stiffness is an important cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined determinants of arterial stiffness in subjects across strata of glycaemic status. Methods A total of 1249 subjects from a sub-study of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS-CVD) had brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measured by automatic oscillometric method. Major cardiovascular risk factors including glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fasting triglyceride, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and both fasting and post 2-h oral glucose-load glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed. Results In all, 649, 479 and 121 subjects were classified into normoglycaemia, impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) and newly diagnosed diabetes groups, respectively. Both age and systolic blood pressure were significantly associated with increased baPWV in all three groups (all p < 0.001). In both normoglycaemic and IGM groups, hsCRP and HbA1c were positively associated with baPWV (p from 0.04 to < 0.001), whereas current smoking and triglyceride were associated with baPWV in the normoglycaemic and IGM group, respectively (p = 0.04 and 0.001). No gender difference in baPWV was observed in the normoglycaemic or IGM groups. However, in the newly diagnosed diabetes group, men had higher baPWV than women (p = 0.01). Conclusions In the normoglycaemic and IGM subjects, after adjusting for age, blood pressure and other confounders, increasing HbA1c was associated with increased baPWV, suggesting a pathophysiological role of chronic glycaemia that can contribute to vascular disease risk in persons without diabetes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]
The relationship between depression and diabetes mellitus: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study
DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009
R. I. G. Holt
Abstract Aims, To assess the relationship between depression scores and diabetes, glucose and insulin in a cross-sectional population-based study. Methods, One thousand, five hundred and seventy-nine men and 1418 women from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study were assessed for diabetes. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured at 0, 30 and 120 min during a standard 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results, Overall, 431 (14.6%) were diagnosed with diabetes [232 men (14.9%) and 199 women (14.3%)]. One hundred and eight (47%) men and 74 (37%) women had known diabetes. The remainder were previously undiagnosed. Fifty-nine (3.7%) men and 65 (4.6%) women had possible depression (HAD-D scores 8,10) and 17 (1.1%) men and 20 (1.4%) women had probable depression (HAD-D scores , 11). Probable depression was associated with an adjusted odds ratio for diabetes of 3.89 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28,11.88] in men and 1.51 (95% CI 0.47,4.84) in women. In men without previously diagnosed diabetes, fasting insulin (P = 0.035), 2-h glucose concentrations (P = 0.028) and insulin resistance (P = 0.032) were significantly associated with HAD-D scores. With the exception of 2-h glucose concentrations (P = 0.034), the associations were not significant in women. Conclusions, These data support the hypothesis that depression may increase the risk for diabetes. The relationship between depression score and metabolic variables extends across the whole population and is not confined to those with either diagnosed depression or diabetes. This relationship should lead clinicians to consider screening for diabetes in those with depression and vice versa. [source]
Impact of injecting drug use on mortality in Danish HIV-infected patients: a nation-wide population-based cohort study
ADDICTION, Issue 3 2010
Mette V. Larsen
ABSTRACT Objectives To estimate the impact of injecting drug use (IDU) on mortality in HIV-infected patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Design Population-based, nation-wide prospective cohort study in Denmark (the Danish HIV Cohort Study). Methods A total of 4578 HIV-infected patients were followed from 1 January 1997 or date of HIV diagnosis. We calculated mortality rates stratified on IDU. One-, 5- and 10-year survival probabilities were estimated by Kaplan,Meier methods, and Cox regression analyses were used to estimate mortality rate ratios (MRR). Results Of the patients, 484 (10.6%) were categorized as IDUs and 4094 (89.4%) as non-IDUs. IDUs were more likely to be women, Caucasian, hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infected and younger at baseline; 753 patients died during observation (206 IDUs and 547 non-IDUs). The estimated 10-year survival probabilities were 53.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 48.1,58.3] in the IDU group and 82.1% (95% CI: 80.7,83.6) in the non-IDU group. IDU as route of HIV infection more than tripled the mortality in HIV-infected patients (MRR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.7,3.8). Adjusting for potential confounders did not change this estimate substantially. The risk of HIV-related death was not increased in IDUs compared to non-IDUs (MRR 1.1; 95% CI 0.7,1.7). Conclusions Although Denmark's health care system is tax paid and antiretroviral therapy is provided free of charge, HIV-infected IDUs still suffer from substantially increased mortality in the HAART era. The increased risk of death seems to be non-HIV-related and is due probably to the well-known risk factors associated with intravenous drug abuse. [source]
Ethnic Differences in Birth Outcomes in England,
FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2006
Lorraine Dearden
Abstract This paper uses the Millennium Cohort Study to look at ethnic differences in birth outcomes for a cohort of English children born in 2000 and 2001. There is an increasingly large literature showing that longer gestation and higher birthweight are positively associated with cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes later in life, so understanding sources of ethnic differences in these outcomes and identifying factors that may influence birth outcomes has a lot of potential policy interest. This paper shows that even after controlling for background characteristics in a number of ways, there still remain unexplained differences in both gestation and birthweight outcomes across broad ethnic groups. It also suggests, however, that there may be potential policy levers that could be used to narrow this ethnic gap in birth outcomes, such as reducing the proportion of underweight Asian mothers and overweight Black mothers and increasing ethnic minority attendance at antenatal classes. [source]
Non-pecuniary returns to higher education: the effect on smoking intensity in the UK
HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 8 2010
Massimiliano Bratti
Abstract This paper investigates whether higher education (HE) produces non-pecuniary returns via a reduction in the intensity of consumption of health-damaging substances. In particular, it focuses on current smoking intensity of the British individuals sampled in the 29-year follow-up survey of the 1970 British Cohort Study. We estimate endogenous dummy ordinal response models for cigarette consumption and show that HE is endogenous with respect to smoking intensity and that even when endogeneity is accounted for, HE is found to have a strong negative effect on smoking intensity. Moreover, pecuniary channels, such as occupation and income, mediate only a minor part of the effect of HE. Our results are robust to modelling individual self-selection into current smoking participation (at age 29) and to estimating a dynamic model in which past smoking levels affect current smoking levels. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]
Primary Care Quality and Addiction Severity: A Prospective Cohort Study
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 2 2007
Theresa W. Kim
Background. Alcohol and drug use disorders are chronic diseases that require ongoing management of physical, psychiatric, and social consequences. While specific addiction-focused interventions in primary care are efficacious, the influence of overall primary care quality (PCQ) on addiction outcomes has not been studied. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine if higher PCQ is associated with lower addiction severity among patients with substance use disorders. Study Population. Subjects with alcohol, cocaine, and/or heroin use disorders who initiated primary care after being discharged from an urban residential detoxification program. Measurements. We used the Primary Care Assessment Survey (PCAS), a well-validated, patient-completed survey that measures defining attributes of primary care named by the Institute of Medicine. Nine summary scales cover two broad areas of PCQ: the patient,physician relationship (communication, interpersonal treatment, thoroughness of the physical exam, whole-person knowledge, preventive counseling, and trust) and structural/organizational features of care (organizational access, financial access, and visit-based continuity). Each of the three addiction outcomes (alcohol addiction severity (ASI-alc), drug addiction severity (ASI-drug), and any drug or heavy alcohol use) were derived from the Addiction Severity Index and assessed 6,18 months after PCAS administration. Separate longitudinal regression models included a single PCAS scale as the main predictor variable as well as variables known to be associated with addiction outcomes. Main Results. Eight of the nine PCAS scales were associated with lower alcohol addiction severity at follow-up (p,.05). Two measures of relationship quality (communication and whole- person knowledge of the patient) were associated with the largest decreases in ASI-alc (,0.06). More whole-person knowledge, organizational access, and visit-based continuity predicted lower drug addiction severity (ASI-drug: ,0.02). Two PCAS scales (trust and whole-person knowledge of the patient) were associated with lower likelihood of subsequent substance use (adjusted odds ratio, [AOR]=0.76, 95 percent confidence interval [95% CI]=0.60, 0.96 and AOR=0.66, 95 percent CI=0.52, 0.85, respectively). Conclusion. Core features of PCQ, particularly those reflecting the quality of the physician,patient relationship, were associated with positive addiction outcomes. Our findings suggest that the provision of patient-centered, comprehensive care from a primary care clinician may be an important treatment component for substance use disorders. [source]
Tooth Loss and Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity: the Newcastle Thousand Families Cohort Study at Age 49,51 Years
HELICOBACTER, Issue 1 2005
Mark S. Pearce
ABSTRACT Background.,Helicobacter pylori, one of the commonest chronic bacterial infections of humankind, is an important risk factor for gastric carcinoma. It has also been suggested to be present in dental plaque. This study investigated the potential link between the number of teeth lost and H. pylori seropositivity at age 50 years. Methods.,H. pylori seropositivity at age 50 years was investigated among 334 individuals born in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, in May and June 1947 and related to the number of teeth lost, after adjusting for socioeconomic status. Results., The unadjusted risk of being seropositive for H. pylori increased with increasing number of teeth lost (odds ratio per tooth 1.03, 95% confidence interval 1.01,1.06, p = .019). However, after adjustment for socioeconomic status at birth and at age 50 years, the relationship was no longer significant (p = .36). Conclusions., Our results, obtained using prospectively collected data, suggest that any relationship between poor oral health and seropositivity to H. pylori may be due to both tooth loss and H. pylori colonization being associated with socioeconomic status and related factors. [source]
How reliable is an undetectable viral load?
HIV MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009
C Combescure
Objectives An article by the Swiss AIDS Commission states that patients with stably suppressed viraemia [i.e. several successive HIV-1 RNA plasma concentrations (viral loads, VL) below the limits of detection during 6 months or more of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)] are unlikely to be infectious. Questions then arise: how reliable is the undetectability of the VL, given the history of measures? What factors determine reliability? Methods We assessed the probability (henceforth termed reliability) that the n+1 VL would exceed 50 or 1000 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL when the nth one had been <50 copies/mL in 6168 patients of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who were continuing to take HAART between 2003 and 2007. General estimating equations were used to analyse potential factors of reliability. Results With a cut-off at 50 copies/mL, reliability was 84.5% (n=1), increasing to 94.5% (n=5). Compliance, the current type of HAART and the first antiretroviral therapy (ART) received (HAART or not) were predictive factors of reliability. With a cut-off at 1000 copies/mL, reliability was 97.5% (n=1), increasing to 99.1% (n=4). Chart review revealed that patients had stopped their treatment, admitted to major problems with compliance or were taking non-HAART ART in 72.2% of these cases. Viral escape caused by resistance was found in 5.6%. No explanation was found in the charts of 22.2% of cases. Conclusions After several successive VLs at <50 copies/mL, reliability reaches approximately 94% with a cut-off of 50 copies/mL and approximately 99% with a cut-off at 1000 copies/mL. Compliance is the most important factor predicting reliability. [source]
Lipodystrophy and weight changes: data from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, 2000,2006
A Nguyen
Background and Objectives Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is changing, and this may affect the type and occurrence of side effects. We examined the frequency of lipodystrophy (LD) and weight changes in relation to the use of specific drugs in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS). Methods In the SHCS, patients are followed twice a year and scored by the treating physician as having ,fat accumulation', ,fat loss', or neither. Treatments, and reasons for change thereof, are recorded. Our study sample included all patients treated with cART between 2003 and 2006 and, in addition, all patients who started cART between 2000 and 2003. Results From 2003 to 2006, the percentage of patients taking stavudine, didanosine and nelfinavir decreased, the percentage taking lopinavir, nevirapine and efavirenz remained stable, and the percentage taking atazanavir and tenofovir increased by 18.7 and 22.2%, respectively. In life-table Kaplan,Meier analysis, patients starting cART in 2003,2006 were less likely to develop LD than those starting cART from 2000 to 2002 (P<0.02). LD was quoted as the reason for treatment change or discontinuation for 4% of patients on cART in 2003, and for 1% of patients treated in 2006 (P for trend <0.001). In univariate and multivariate regression analysis, patients with a weight gain of ,5 kg were more likely to take lopinavir or atazanavir than patients without such a weight gain [odds ratio (OR) 2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3,2.9, and OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3,2.1, respectively]. Conclusions LD has become less frequent in the SHCS from 2000 to 2006. A weight gain of more than 5 kg was associated with the use of atazanavir and lopinavir. [source]
Hepatitis B virus and HIV coinfection: relationship of different serological patterns to survival and liver disease
MK Osborn
Objectives Eighty per cent of HIV-positive patients show evidence of past or current infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). The impact of chronic HBV infection or the presence of isolated HBV core antibody on survival in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has not been well studied. Methods This retrospective analysis included patients from the HIV Atlanta Veterans Affairs Cohort Study (HAVACS). This cohort comprises 2818 HIV-positive patients followed since 1982. For this analysis, 1685 patients with available HBV serologies were included, based on laboratory records available since 1992. Adjusted survival analyses were performed for patients showing any of four serological patterns for HBV: (1) surface antigen positive (chronic HBV infection), (2) isolated core antibody, (3) surface antibody with or without core antibody (resolved/vaccinated) and (4) no HBV markers (negative group). Risk factors for liver disease were identified. Results A trend was seen for a lower survival rate from AIDS to death in the chronic HBV infection group compared with the negative group [hazard ratio (HR) 1.43; P=0.118]. The only independent predictor of lower survival rate was hepatitis C virus positivity (HR 1.62; P=0.008). Protective factors were use of HAART (HR 0.40; P=0.0003), use of lamivudine (HR 0.36; P<0.0001) and use of tenofovir (HR 0.23; P<0.0001). Survival from HIV diagnosis to death was not different among the HBV groups. Isolated core antibody patients did not have a lower survival rate compared with those with resolved HBV infection. Patients with chronic HBV infection were 3.5 times more likely to have liver disease than those with no HBV infection (P<0.02). Conclusions There is a trend towards a lower survival rate in patients with HIV and chronic HBV infection, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. The presence of isolated core antibody was not associated with a lower survival rate. [source]
Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients over time: the Swiss HIV Cohort Study
TR Glass
Objective Metabolic changes caused by antiretroviral therapy (ART) may increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). We evaluated changes in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and 10-year risk of CHD in a large cohort of HIV-infected individuals. Methods All individuals from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) who completed at least one CVRF questionnaire and for whom laboratory data were available for the period February 2000 to February 2006 were included in the analysis. The presence of a risk factor was determined using cut-offs based on the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP ATP III), the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7), the American Diabetes Association, and the Swiss Society for Cardiology. Results Overall, 8033 individuals completed at least one CVRF questionnaire. The most common CVRFs in the first completed questionnaire were smoking (57.0%), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (37.2%), high triglycerides (35.7%), and high blood pressure (26.1%). In total, 2.7 and 13.8% of patients were categorized as being at high (>20%) and moderate (10,20%) 10-year risk for CHD, respectively. Over 6 years the percentage of smokers decreased from 61.4 to 47.6% and the percentage of individuals with total cholesterol >6.2 mmol/L decreased from 21.1 to 12.3%. The prevalence of CVRFs and CHD risk was higher in patients currently on ART than in either pretreated or ART-naive patients. Conclusion During the 6-year observation period, the prevalence of CVRFs remains high in the SHCS. Time trends indicate a decrease in the percentage of smokers and individuals with high cholesterol. [source]
Birth outcomes in women with eating disorders in the Norwegian Mother and Child cohort study (MoBa)
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 1 2009
Cynthia M. Bulik PhD
Abstract Objective We explored the impact of eating disorders on birth outcomes in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Method Of 35,929 pregnant women, 35 reported broad anorexia nervosa (AN), 304 bulimia nervosa (BN), 1,812 binge eating disorder (BED), and 36 EDNOS-purging type (EDNOS-P) in the six months before or during pregnancy. The referent comprised 33,742 women with no eating disorder. Results Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was lower in AN and higher in BED than the referent. AN, BN, and BED mothers reported greater gestational weight gain, and smoking was elevated in all eating disorder groups. BED mothers had higher birth weight babies, lower risk of small for gestational age, and higher risk of large for gestational age and cesarean section than the referent. Pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain attenuated the effects. Conclusion BED influences birth outcomes either directly or via higher maternal weight and gestational weight gain. The absence of differences in AN and EDNOS-P may reflect small numbers and lesser severity in population samples. Adequate gestational weight gain in AN may mitigate against adverse birth outcomes. Detecting eating disorders in pregnancy could identify modifiable factors (e.g., high gestational weight gain, binge eating, and smoking) that influence birth outcomes. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009 [source]
Chronic Kidney Disease and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Cognitive Study
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010
Kristine Yaffe MD
OBJECTIVES: To investigate cognitive impairment in older, ethnically diverse individuals with a broad range of kidney function, to evaluate a spectrum of cognitive domains, and to determine whether the relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cognitive function is independent of demographic and clinical factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study. PARTICIPANTS: Eight hundred twenty-five adults aged 55 and older with CKD. MEASUREMENTS: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, mL/min per 1.73 m2) was estimated using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Cognitive scores on six cognitive tests were compared across eGFR strata using linear regression; multivariable logistic regression was used to examine level of CKD and clinically significant cognitive impairment (score ,1 standard deviations from the mean). RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 64.9, 50.4% were male, and 44.5% were black. After multivariable adjustment, participants with lower eGFR had lower cognitive scores on most cognitive domains (P<.05). In addition, participants with advanced CKD (eGFR<30) were more likely to have clinically significant cognitive impairment on global cognition (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.0, 95% CI=1.1,3.9), naming (AOR=1.9, 95% CI=1.0,3.3), attention (AOR=2.4, 95% CI=1.3,4.5), executive function (AOR=2.5, 95% CI=1.9,4.4), and delayed memory (AOR=1.5, 95% CI=0.9,2.6) but not on category fluency (AOR=1.1, 95% CI=0.6,2.0) than those with mild to moderate CKD (eGFR 45,59). CONCLUSION: In older adults with CKD, lower level of kidney function was associated with lower cognitive function on most domains. These results suggest that older patients with advanced CKD should be screened for cognitive impairment. [source]
The Poor Outcome of Ischemic Stroke in Very Old People: A Cohort Study of Its Determinants
Licia Denti MD
OBJECTIVES: To assess how much of the excess risk of poor outcome from stroke in people aged 80 and older aging per se explains, independent of other prognostic determinants. DESIGN: Cohort, observational. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand five hundred fifty-five patients with first-ever ischemic stroke consecutively referred to an in-hospital Clinical Pathway program were studied. MEASUREMENTS: The relationship between age and 1-month outcome (death, disability (modified Rankin Scale 3,5), and poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale 3,6)) was assessed, with adjustment for several prognostic factors. RESULTS: Six hundred twelve patients aged 80 and older showed worse outcome after 1 month than those who were younger, in terms of mortality (19% vs 5%, hazard ratio (HR)=3.85, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.8,5.4) and disability (51% vs 33%, odds ratio (OR)=3.16, 95% CI=2.5,4.0), although in multivariate models, the adjusted HR for mortality decreased to 1.47 (95% CI=1.0,2.16) and the ORs for disability and poor outcome decreased to 1.76 (95% CI=1.32,2.3.) and 1.83 (95% CI=137,2.43), respectively. Stroke severity, the occurrence of at least one medical complication, and premorbid disability explained most of the risk excess in the oldest-old. CONCLUSION: Stroke outcome is definitely worse in very old people, and most of the excess risk of death and disability is attributable to the higher occurrences of the most-severe clinical stroke syndromes and of medical complications in the acute phase. These represent potential targets for preventive and therapeutical strategies specifically for elderly people. [source]
Clinical Features to Identify Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Home Residents: A Cohort Study
(See editorial comments by Lindsay Nicolle on pp 111, 1114)
OBJECTIVES: To identify clinical features associated with bacteriuria plus pyuria in noncatheterized nursing home residents with clinically suspected urinary tract infection (UTI). DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study from 2005 to 2007. SETTING: Five New Haven, Connecticut area nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred fifty-one nursing home residents each followed for 1 year for the development of clinically suspected UTI. MEASUREMENTS: The combined outcome of bacteriuria (>100,000 colony forming units from urine culture) plus pyuria (>10 white blood cells from urinalysis). RESULTS: After 178,914 person-days of follow-up, 228 participants had 399 episodes of clinically suspected UTI with a urinalysis and urine culture performed; 147 episodes (36.8%) had bacteriuria plus pyuria. The clinical features associated with bacteriuria plus pyuria were dysuria (relative risk (RR)=1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.10,2.03), change in character of urine (RR=1.42, 95% CI=1.07-1.79), and change in mental status (RR=1.38, 95% CI=1.03,1.74). CONCLUSION: Dysuria, change in character of urine, and change in mental status were significantly associated with the combined outcome of bacteriuria plus pyuria. Absence of these clinical features identified residents at low risk of having bacteriuria plus pyuria (25.5%), whereas presence of dysuria plus one or both of the other clinical features identified residents at high risk of having bacteriuria plus pyuria (63.2%). Diagnostic uncertainty still remains for the vast majority of residents who meet only one clinical feature. If validated in future cohorts, these clinical features with bacteriuria plus pyuria may serve as an evidence-based clinical definition of UTI to assist in management decisions. [source]
Short-Term Mortality in Relation to Age and Comorbidity in Older Adults with Community-Acquired Bacteremia: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Mette Søgaard DVM
OBJECTIVES: To assess 30-day mortality from bacteremia in relation to age and comorbidity and the association between age and mortality with increasing comorbidity. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: North Jutland County, Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: Adults in medical wards with community-acquired bacteremia, 1995 to 2004. MEASUREMENTS: Smoothed mortality curves and computed mortality rate ratios (MRRs) using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Two thousand eight hundred fifty-one patients, 851 aged 15 to 64, 1,092 aged 65 to 79, and 909 aged 80 and older were included. Mortality increased linearly with age. Compared with patients younger than 65, adjusted MRRs in patients aged 65 to 79 and 80 and older were 1.5 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.2,2.0) and 1.8 (95% CI=1.4,2.3), respectively. Mortality also increased with level of comorbidity. Compared with patients with low comorbidity, adjusted MRRs in patients with medium and high comorbidity were 1.5 (95% CI=1.2,1.8) and 1.7 (95% CI=1.4,2.2), respectively. Regardless of the level of comorbidity, MRRs were consistently higher in older than in younger patients. CONCLUSION: Older age and greater comorbidity predicted mortality, and increasing age-related comorbidity did not explain the effect of age. [source]
Lower Levels of Serum Albumin and Total Cholesterol Associated with Decline in Activities of Daily Living and Excess Mortality in a 12-Year Cohort Study of Elderly Japanese
Tomonori Okamura MD
OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between levels of serum albumin and total cholesterol (TC) and risk of subsequent mortality and future decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) in elderly people. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-Communicable Disease and Its Trends in the Aged, 1980. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand eight hundred forty-four Japanese individuals aged 60 to 74 randomly selected throughout Japan and followed for 12.4 years. MEASUREMENTS: Decline in ADLs and mortality. RESULTS: After adjusting for other covariates, the multivariable odds ratios (ORs) of impaired ADLs were highest in the lowest albumin quartile (,40 g/L) for women. The multivariable OR of having a composite outcome of death or impaired ADL for the lowest albumin quartile compared with the highest was 1.56 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.94,2.57) for men and 3.06 (95% CI=1.89,4.95) for women. Serum albumin was significantly and inversely associated with a composite outcome of death or impaired ADLs in the group below the median of TC in both sexes (multivariable OR for 1-g/L increase in serum albumin=0.88 for men (95% CI=0.79,0.97) and 0.79 for women (95% CI=0.72,0.87)), which was not significantly associated in the group with TC at or above the median. CONCLUSION: In the Japanese general population, low-normal serum albumin and TC levels are associated with loss of activity during old age, especially for women. [source]
Age-Varying Association Between Blood Pressure and Risk of Dementia in Those Aged 65 and Older: A Community-Based Prospective Cohort Study
Ge Li MD
OBJECTIVES: To assess variation in the association between blood pressure (BP) and risk for dementia across a spectrum of older ages and to examine BP changes before dementia onset. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A large health maintenance organization in Seattle, Washington. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 2,356 members of a large health maintenance organization aged 65 and older who were initially without dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Dementia diagnosis was assessed biennially, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured at baseline and at four follow-up assessments. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated with baseline BP in different age groups. RESULTS: Within the youngest age group (65,74 at enrollment) a greater risk for dementia was found in participants with high SBP (,160 mmHg) (hazard ratio (HR)=1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.01,2.55) or borderline-high DBP (80,89 mmHg) (HR=1.59, 95% CI=1.07,2.35) than for those with normal BP (SBP <140 mmHg and DBP <80 mmHg). The dementia risk associated with SBP declined with increasing age (SBP-by-age interaction, P=.01). SBP declined similarly with aging in subjects who developed dementia and those who did not. Thus, in this sample, the association between SBP and dementia risk was not dependent on when BP was measured in relation to onset of dementia. CONCLUSION: High SBP was associated with greater risk of dementia in the young elderly (<75) but not in older subjects. Adequate control of hypertension in early old age may reduce the risk for dementia. [source]
More Broken Bones: A 4-Year Double Cohort Study of Young Girls With and Without Distal Forearm Fractures
JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 10 2000
A. Goulding
Abstract Predictors of childhood fractures have not been investigated previously. This study was undertaken to determine whether a previous history of forearm fracture, low bone mineral density (BMD; both areal bone mineral density [aBMD, g/cm2] and volumetric bone mineral apparent density [BMAD, g/cm3]), or anthropometry, influence fracture risk in young girls. At baseline, two cohorts of girls, aged 3,15 years, were evaluated: 100 had recently broken a forearm (group 1) and 100 were fracture free (group 2). Four years later we restudied 170 of these girls (82 from group l and 88 from group 2). We now report the relationships of previous fracture history, baseline BMD (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), baseline weight, and height to risk of new fracture. More new fractures occurred in group l (37 fractures in 24 girls) than in group 2 (8 fractures in 7 girls; p = 0.0007). The independent predictors for occurrence of a new fracture at any skeletal site in a multivariate model adjusting for age, weight, total body aBMD, and fracture history were previous fracture (hazard ratio [HR], 3.28; 95% CI, 1.41-7.64); age (HR per l-year increase, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.99); total body aBMD (HR per l SD decrease, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.31-2.81); and body weight (HR per l SD increase, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.06-2.08). Girls with two risk factors together had substantially greater fracture risk: previous fracture and low spinal BMAD (HR, 9.4; 95% CI, 2.8-32.0), previous fracture and high body weight (HR, 10.2; 95% CI, 2.8-37.6), or previous fracture and low total body aBMD (HR, 13.0; 95% CI, 3.9-43.1). We conclude that previous forearm fracture, low total body aBMD, low spinal BMAD, and high body weight each increase risk of new fractures within 4 years in young girls. Interventions to reduce the risk of fractures, particularly forearm fractures, in girls warrant further study. [source]
Investigation of pre-diagnostic virological markers for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Mary K. Grabowski
Abstract Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a severe neurological disorder due to JC virus (JCV) infection. Pre-diagnostic biological markers and risk factors for PML are not well understood. We conducted a case,control study nested within the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study to examine the association between JCV viruria and viremia and serum antibody to JCV capsids, in relation to subsequent PML diagnoses, 5 months to 12 years later. Other demographic and immunologic factors were also examined. The study population included 28 incident cases of PML, 26 matched HIV-positive controls, and 50 HIV-negative controls. Prevalence of JCV viruria was 37% in cases, 42% in HIV-positive controls, and 28% in HIV-negative controls (P,=,0.43). Among persons with JCV viruria, persistent viruria was more common in cases (89%) than in HIV-positive controls (33%) (P,=,0.02). Presence of JCV viruria was not related to the time to PML diagnosis (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.8,1.4); however, the urinary concentration of JCV DNA increased with proximity to the date of PML diagnosis in cases. JCV seropositivity did not differ between cases or controls (P,=,0.42). Four cases tested JCV seronegative, including one case only 5 months prior to diagnosis with PML. JCV DNA was detected in the serum of one HIV-positive control. Smoking was the only demographic variable analyzed associated with an increased risk for PML (MOR: 9.0, 95% CI: 1.2,394.5). The results suggest that persistent JCV viruria and increasing urinary concentration of JCV DNA may be predictive of PML for some patients. J. Med. Virol. 81:1140,1150, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]
Exploring social mobility with latent trajectory groups
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES A (STATISTICS IN SOCIETY), Issue 1 2008
Patrick Sturgis
Summary., We present a new methodological approach to the study of social mobility. We use a latent class growth analysis framework to identify five qualitatively distinct social class trajectory groups between 1980 and 2000 for male respondents to the 1970 British Cohort Study. We model the antecedents of trajectory group membership via multinomial logistic regression. Non-response, which is a considerable problem in long-term panels and cohort studies, is handled via direct maximum likelihood estimation, which is consistent and efficient when data are missing at random. Our results suggest a combination of meritocratic and ascriptive influences on the probability of membership in the different trajectory groups. [source]
Common Health Hazards in French Pilgrims During the Hajj of 2007: A Prospective Cohort Study
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009
Philippe Gautret MD
Background. The majority of published studies on Hajj-related diseases were based on hospitalized patient cohorts. Methods. A total of 545 Hajj pilgrims from Marseille were enrolled in a prospective epidemiological study to evaluate the incidence of common health hazards. They were administered a questionnaire before traveling addressing demographic factors and health status indicators and a post-travel questionnaire about travel-associated diseases. Results. Respondents had a median age of 61 years and originated mainly from North Africa (81%). A significant proportion of individuals had chronic medical disorders such as walking disability (26%), diabetes mellitus (21%), and hypertension (21%). A total of 462 pilgrims were administered a questionnaire on returning home. A proportion of 59% of travelers presented at least one health problem during the pilgrimage and 44% of the cohort attended a doctor during travel; 3% were hospitalized. Cough was the main complaint among travelers (attack rate of 51%), followed by headache, heat stress, and fever. Few travelers suffered diarrhea and vomiting. Cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, trauma, skin and gastrointestinal problems were not frequently observed in our survey, suggesting that their prevalence among the causes of admission to Saudi hospitals reflects a bias of selection. Cough episodes were significantly more frequent in individuals >55 years. We also evidenced that women were more likely to present underlying chronic cardiovascular disorder and diabetes compared to men and that they more frequently suffered from cough episodes associated with fever during the Hajj. Conclusions. Health risks associated with the Hajj in our experience are much more related to crowding conditions than to travel. Our work suggests that the studies performed in Saudi specialized units probably overestimate the part of certain diseases within the spectrum of Hajj-associated diseases. Our results also suggest that old female Hajjes should be considered as a high-risk population and that preventive measures should be reinforced before departing for Saudi Arabia. [source]
Outcomes in hepatitis C virus,infected recipients of living donor vs. deceased donor liver transplantation,,§¶
LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 1 2007
Norah A. Terrault
In this retrospective study of hepatitis C virus (HCV),infected transplant recipients in the 9-center Adult to Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study, graft and patient survival and the development of advanced fibrosis were compared among 181 living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients and 94 deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) recipients. Overall 3-year graft and patient survival were 68% and 74% in LDLT, and 80% and 82% in DDLT, respectively. Graft survival, but not patient survival, was significantly lower for LDLT compared to DDLT (P = 0.04 and P = 0.20, respectively). Further analyses demonstrated lower graft and patient survival among the first 20 LDLT cases at each center (LDLT ,20) compared to later cases (LDLT > 20; P = 0.002 and P = 0.002, respectively) and DDLT recipients (P < 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). Graft and patient survival in LDLT >20 and DDLT were not significantly different (P = 0.66 and P = 0.74, respectively). Overall, 3-year graft survival for DDLT, LDLT >20, and LDLT ,20 were 80%, 79% and 55%, with similar results conditional on survival to 90 days (84%, 87% and 68%, respectively). Predictors of graft loss beyond 90 days included LDLT ,20 vs. DDLT (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.1, P = 0.04), pretransplant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (HR = 2.21, P = 0.03) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) at transplantation (HR = 1.24, P = 0.04). In conclusion, 3-year graft and patient survival in HCV-infected recipients of DDLT and LDLT >20 were not significantly different. Important predictors of graft loss in HCV-infected patients were limited LDLT experience, pretransplant HCC, and higher MELD at transplantation. Liver Transpl 13:122,129, 2007. © 2006 AASLD. [source]
Methodological challenges when monitoring the diet of pregnant women in a large study: experiences from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)
MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 1 2008
Helle Margrete Meltzer
Abstract The aim of this article is to describe the main methodological challenges in the monitoring of dietary intake in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a pregnancy cohort aiming to include 100 000 participants. The overall challenge was to record dietary patterns in sufficient detail to support future testing of a broad range of hypotheses, while at the same time limiting the burden on the participants. The main questions to be answered were: which dietary method to choose, when in pregnancy to ask, which time period should the questions cover, which diet questions to include, how to perform a validation study, and how to handle uncertainties in the reporting. Our decisions were as follows: using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (in use from 1 March 2002), letting the participants answer in mid-pregnancy, and asking the mother what she has eaten since she became pregnant. The questions make it possible to estimate intake of food supplements, antioxidants and environmental contaminants in the future. Misreporting is handled by consistency checks. Reports with a calculated daily energy intake of <4.5 and >20 MJ day,1 are excluded, about 1% in each end of the scale. A validation study confirmed that the included intakes are realistic. The outcome of our methodological choices indicates that our FFQ strikes a reasonable balance between conflicting methodological and scientific interests, and that our approach therefore may be of use to others planning to monitor diet in pregnancy cohorts. [source]
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Johnson County, Indiana
Johnson County is a county located in the state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population is 115,209. The county's county seat is Franklin, Indiana6.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 833 km² (322 mi²). 829 km² (320 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.42% water.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 115,209 people, 42,434 households, and 31,613 families residing in the county. The population density is 139/km² (360/mi²). There are 45,095 housing units at an average density of 54/km² (141/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.04% White, 0.79% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 42,434 households out of which 37.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.00% are married couples living together, 9.00% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% are non-families. 21.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.63 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the county the population is spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $52,693, and the median income for a family is $60,571. Males have a median income of $42,272 versus $28,181 for females. The per capita income for the county is $22,976. 5.60% of the population and 3.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.70% of those under the age of 18 and 7.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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Categories: Indiana counties | Johnson County, Indiana
This page was last modified 22:08, 12 Dec 2004.
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Charlie Wheeler hangs up his cue
Charlie Wheeler hangs up his cue Feb 26, 2012 23:16:54 GMT
Post by tommo on Feb 26, 2012 23:16:54 GMT
www.getreading.co.uk/sport/bar_sports/s/2108355_wheeler_puts_his_bar_billiards_cue_away_for_the_last_time
Article includes a good bit about the game's early history.
Charlie Wheeler hangs up his cue Jun 7, 2013 21:56:00 GMT
Post by David.G on Jun 7, 2013 21:56:00 GMT
On 26th May at a local nursing home in Reading Charlie wheeler passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Charlie played bar billiards for about 62 years before ill health forced him to 'Retire'. He had spent a number of years playing in Doncaster before returning to Reading.
My thoughts are with his wife Lilly and their children.
Charlies funeral will be held at the Crematorium on all hallows Road, Reading on Monday 10th June at 2.15
times indeed
Post by tommo on Jun 7, 2013 22:09:20 GMT
Thanks for passing on the sad news, Dave.
Although I don't think I ever met him I know that he was very influential in the development of bar billiards and was the person responsible for taking the game up to Yorkshire, with the knock-on effect prompting TV coverage (Indoor League).
A true pioneer who takes his place in bar billiards history.
barbelman
Has whiskers and eats anything......
Post by barbelman on Jun 8, 2013 10:22:45 GMT
That's news of the loss of yet another of the 'old school', Dave. Charlie was a great character in the game, a real pioneer as Tommo says and always had some scheme or other up his sleeve to promote Bar Billiards.
Please pass on our condolences to his wife and family.
RIP Charlie.
When religious people ask me "But don't you believe there's something better than us in the universe?", I answer, "Yes, most dogs." (R.Gervais)
There is an article about Charlie by Eileen Britton here;
www.getreading.co.uk/sport/s/2135298_bar_billiards_legend_charlie_wheeler_passes_away
Last Edit: Jun 8, 2013 10:57:45 GMT by barbelman
Post by Sav on Jun 8, 2013 11:17:23 GMT
Sad news indeed!
A lot of bar billiard history has gone to the great black peg in the sky!
My condolences to his friends and family from Reading.
colinm
Full Forum Member
Charlie Wheeler hangs up his cue Jun 10, 2013 12:13:26 GMT
Post by colinm on Jun 10, 2013 12:13:26 GMT
A event for Bar billiards as a whole, sorry I won't be at the funeral to pay my respects to one of the most passionate people about the game we will ever meet. It's true to say he lived Bar Billiards and I am sure if he can set up a league in the great beyond he will.
He was captain of the Red Lion B team in Cholsey when I started playing Bar Billiards again 5 or 6 years ago and many of us still talk about him and some of the shots he played, a true gent and a great loss to the game.
Highest Break 14,810
Winner of the Bucks Open Plate 2012
BigPhilMac
Apprentice Master
Charlie Wheeler hangs up his cue Aug 11, 2013 22:08:42 GMT via mobile
Post by BigPhilMac on Aug 11, 2013 22:08:42 GMT
Hi all, a while ago i had a thought about doing something, such as a billiards event, for Charlie. What i was thinking was holding a challenge match between Wallingford and Reading, the two surviving leagues that Charlie had such an influence on and was a great friend of both until he passed away.
Ive been meaning to get hold of Phil Hawkins for a while but because of my own work commitments and ive heard that Phil is best to be contacted at certain times, ive found that difficult. Unfortunately Phil doesnt use the forum (to my knowledge!) so would any Reading users like to be on board with my idea? I will also try get hold of Phil too when i can.
Cheers guys
Inter Area Under 22's runner-up for 2012
AEBBA Under 25's winner for 2015
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Fighting Against Creationism in the UK
'Explore Evolution' Exposed
We previously told you about the book that "Truth in Science" (TiS) had sent to all (or at the least very many) UK schools in early December 2009 here and here.
We are now making available a leaflet/resource sheet that analyses and exposes the false claims and misrepresentations that the book contains.
In this leaflet we explain that the book is in fact a Creationist text that promotes non-scientific notions as alternatives to the fundamentals of scientific biology, in direct contravention of the National Curriculum and relevant OCR guidelines.
The leaflet is designed for use by school librarians, teachers and students and is freely downloadable from here.
The leaflet is a 16 page pdf that covers the following areas;
Government Teaching Guidelines
Comment from OCR
What are their motivations?
Scientific Controversy vs Social Controversy
More from one of the authors
Creationist Material in a Scientific Disguise
Creationist tactics;
“Teach the Controversy”
“Mystery Critics” of Evolution
Enquiry-based Learning
What is wrong with the science?
About the BCSE
Recommended reading and web resources
Coverage of the errors and scientific misrepresentations is necessarily brief but still takes up pages 7 to 15. There are a lot of them.
We have designed the leaflet to help in the following circumstances;
For a quick introduction to the issues. Read page one and skim pages two and three. This will tell you who TiS are, what they did, and why it is wrong.
Want to know a little more about the basic tactics creationists use then read pages four and five.
For a rebuttal of all the false claims, corrections to the misrepresented science and a much better grasp of the problems with the pedagogical approach then see pages six to fifteen. Bear in mind that there are so many problems with the science content that we can do little more than list the errors and explain the actual evidence so we do also give you links where you can look into things more deeply if you prefer. These sections should be particularly useful as a starting point if you are a science teacher unfortunate enough to have your class distracted by the misinformation in the book.
The leaflet is designed to be comprehensive enough to be useful as a ready reference for teachers who might be asked questions about the book, but small enough to be easily emailed.
Our thanks to the NCSE for their kind assistance in the preparation of the leaflet which is principally based upon their more comprehensive analysis which can be seen here.
We are also today publishing an open letter to all school librarians.
In the letter we explain briefly about the book, the National Curriculum and Teachers Guidelines.
We end the letter as follows;
We would therefore advise you to show the book, together with this letter and our leaflet, to your senior biology teacher or your head of science, before deciding whether this book has any place at all in your library. It seems likely that OFSTED would object to the book being classified as “science”, and, if you place it in another section (such as religion or history of ideas), we would respectfully urge you to include a copy of our leaflet, in order to alert users to its many gross scientific errors.
This letter can also be downloaded as a one page pdf here.
If you are a science teacher or a school librarian then please tell your colleagues and professional bodies about the letter and the leaflet.
Constance Friday, September 24, 2010
Well done for all of your hard work. When a copy of this was sent to our university library, I was appalled. The book is really slick and looks like a science textbook to anyone with only passing knowledge of evolution. Thanks for helping to disseminate reason.
I recently went into my local library in Glasgow & they had this in the Science section. I mentioned what it was and that it should perhaps be put into the theology section. However, when the request was sent to the Mitchell Library it was turned down with the reason that 'it was already in the correct section'!
I printed your leaflet out and asked them to send in another request with it included. I hope they read it & change their decision.
Free Schools and Creationism
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Creationism In Schools Isn't Science - CrISIS
An Open Letter to School Librarians
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47 posts and columns on Stephen Colbert
All Writers Kara Swisher Walt Mossberg John Paczkowski Katherine Boehret Peter Kafka Ina Fried Liz Gannes Tricia Duryee Arik Hesseldahl Lauren Goode Mike Isaac Bonnie Cha Jason Del Rey
The 13 Most Awesome Moments From Jonah Peretti’s Colbert Show Interview
Peter Kafka in Media on December 17, 2013 at 7:58 am PT
… are contained in this six-minute video clip.
Tumblr’s David Karp Talks to Stephen Colbert About Porn, Profits and Mean Girls
Peter Kafka in Media on July 17, 2013 at 3:52 am PT
“One of the scariest moments of my life” works out pretty well for Yahoo’s most famous new hire.
How to Make Your Own Google Glass
Peter Kafka in Media on May 8, 2013 at 9:43 am PT
Courtesy of Stephen Colbert.
Welcome to Twitter, President Clinton
Mike Isaac in News on April 24, 2013 at 9:49 pm PT
#TweetForceOne?
What Do Facebook “Likes” Really Mean? Stephen Colbert Knows.
Peter Kafka in Social on March 28, 2013 at 6:59 am PT
Bonus content: Look closely and you’ll find a subtle “native ad”!
What Do You Mean There Is No Dairy Queen on This Map?
North Korea has been added to Google Maps, so you can now get biking, driving, or forced marching directions.
— Stephen Colbert, via Twitter
Eric Schmidt and Stephen Colbert on Everything From Politics to Google Play (Video)
Tricia Duryee in Media on December 16, 2012 at 11:15 am PT
What is Google Play? Schmidt tells Colbert: “It’s the competitor to the rain forest.”
One Last Pre-Election Chat With Pundit Slayer Nate Silver
Peter Kafka in Media on November 6, 2012 at 6:52 am PT
Who is pro-Ebola, it turns out.
Sokanu Says Science Can Help You Find Your Dream Job
Eric Johnson in News on October 30, 2012 at 11:01 pm PT
Job placement meets Match.com, with a dash of Stephen Colbert.
McKayla Is Impressed With Stephen Colbert
Peter Kafka in Media on August 17, 2012 at 5:50 am PT
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Jon Stewart on Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng, and The Pie. And, of Course, Fox News (Video).
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Conan O'Brien's Awkward Parting Gift for NBC: An Emmy Nomination
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VA Bizhive: Ventures Africa Releases The Second Edition Of Its Business Series-Is Waste The Future?
LAGOS, Nigeria, January 10, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Ventures Africa, an online news platform and community that produces stories about an evolving Africa, has released the second edition of its business series, Ventures Africa BizHive. The quarterly digital magazine covers news analysis and discussions around entrepreneurship, evolving business trends and innovations around Africa.
This latest issue titled Is waste the future? explores waste management and recycling from a unique angle that could shape Africa’s future for the better.
Waste generated in sub-Saharan Africa alone is 62 million tons a year, with only 4 percent of the waste recycled. Not just that, there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean globally. But even as this is approached using the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ process, the goal is for everyone to actively participate in getting maximum value and use from raw materials, products and waste in order to save energy.
“We are one of the top polluters of the ocean in the world and it’s really sad because there is an unexplored opportunity here, going to waste. But we can solve a lot of issues by tapping into this sector. We can be the first to get plastic recycling right in Africa, we can set the pace,” says Bilkiss Adebiyi Abiola, Founder, Wecyclers.
As we approach this using the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ process, the goal is to get maximum value and use from raw materials, products and waste in order to save energy.
Ventures Africa spoke with Faith Aweko, Naluyima Shamin and Racheal Mema of Reform Africa Bags. A trio who turn polythene bags into durable backpacks in Uganda.
Ayodeji Onikute, the CEO and founder of Dechets a l’or also shares some insight on how African governments can tap into the economic potential of waste to create a sustainable waste sector. Dechets a l’or is a social venture that creates new sources of revenue for communities and improves environmental sustainability through an innovative waste management system in Guinea.
The issue also takes a look at the economic and welfare cost of plastic pollution, waste management policies and the role of the government, countries with a ban or restriction on single-use-plastics, and the potential of e-waste in driving economic growth across Africa.
A world where plastics and other harmful waste no longer pose a threat is a future worth fighting for. Join us as we make a case for the future of waste. Read in full here.
About Ventures Africa
Through award-winning journalism, new school video content, and active community engagement, Ventures Africa stands as one of the most viewed sources of news in West Africa. Beyond commanding an organic audience, its team has worked to weave the company’s story into that of its community. As an online hub for discussion, education, and collective action, the platform provides an energetic and interactive experience for its readers, contributors, and partners.
Since 2015, Ventures Africa has published an annual list of innovators who tell us where the continent is going. Its Digital Issues feature
unique perspectives on important issues. Previous issues have taken a unique angle on innovation in Africa, the recession, and political cultures of shame.
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UFC on Fox 5 Recap - Henderson vs. Diaz Fight Goes the Full 5
Written by Stevie J
We've got five hours of UFC on Fox 5 coverage today, starting with the FX Prelims at 5 PM Eastern, leading up to the Henderson vs. Diaz card on Fox at 8 PM ET! When the recap begins you can press F5 or refresh as often as you like for the latest updates!
5:00 PM ET. "For only the second time ever, the UFC Octagon has touched down in Seattle." And with those words, IT'S TIME to begin 5 straight hours of fight coverage here on AngryMarks.com! Jay Glazer welcomes us to the Key Arena, but he's actually in studio with Brian Stann and Ken Florian as opposed to being in Seattle. He notes that the first UFC on Fox featured the heavyweights, tonight features the lightweights, and Florian notes that first show Benson Henderson was on the prelims and now he's in the main event against Nate Diaz.
Before that though we have three hours of prelims, headlined by Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens. Edwards has won 4 of 6, Stephens has won 4 of 7, so both guys are in need of a win to move up in the rankings. First up though in Seattle is Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver, and they throw to Ariel Helwani in Seattle for coverage. Nam Phan called Dennis Siver "a Ninja Turtle without a neck" in the pre-fight interview, so Helwani takes the opportunity to dub him "The German Ninja Turtle." Somehow I don't think that nickname is going to stick. After another in-studio segment we go to Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan at cageside.
* Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver (Featherweight Bout)
33 to 29, 146 to 145, 70" each from Siver to Phan. Buffer introduces our first fight at 5:14 PM ET. Phan is in the blue corner, 18-11, fighting out of Little Saigon, California. Siver is in the red corner, 20-8, fighting out of Mannheim, Germany. Our referee in charge of this contest is Anthony Hamlett. Here we go!
With a glove touch the fight is underway. Phan is wearing red trunks, Siver is wearing black and white. Siver is working kicks hard in the first 30 seconds. Phan is circling with his hands up and palms open. Siver is fighting like a kickboxer right now. He lands a big right at the one minute mark, and another 6 seconds later, and Phan keeps on eating these shots. Rogan talks about how tough it is to crack his chin and he catches another one at 3:23. The crowd is popping OHHH any time Siver throws a spin kick or a head kick. Siver has obviously rehydrated well - he looks huge in the cage. Phan is sneaking in a left jab here and there but for every one he gives he's taking 2-3. 2:20. Goldberg wonders whether or not Siver could gas himself out at this pace. He throws a front kick a la Machida then sweeps Phan to the ground. Goldberg says Siver has landed "over 50 significant strikes." Nasty body kick by Siver at 1:05. He shoots for a single and then lets it go to punch Phan in the face. 40 seconds. Phan tags the chin with a left jab at 20 then eats a kick to the body. Siver gets one last leg kick before the bell.
R2 kicks off at 5:21 ET. Phan hits a nice leg kick and a couple of hands to the head, though he falls down trying to load up a left hook. Siver is up on kicks 31-4 and counting. FX reminds us that the TUF Finale is a week from now at 9 ET. 3:15. Siver throws so many kicks. Spinning back kick at 2:55 followed by front kicks. Spinning head kick at 2:41 followed by a takedown that puts him in side control at 2:30. Phan is trying to sweep by getting his hooks in but he's eating elbows in the process. Siver is also cracking the temple with right hands. If he takes too many of these in a row the ref could look to stop it. 1 minute. Siver has full mount for a moment and loses it. Phan is unable to escape before the horn.
The replays as we start R3 at 5:28 ET make Siver look like he was absolutely killing Phan - and for the most part he was. Goldberg: "He's been first to engage throughout this fight." Siver takes him to the ground again 35 seconds in. Siver was looking for a head and arm choke for a minute but let it go. He's in half guard now but for all intents it looks like a mount and he's still battering Phan in the face with fists and elbows. 2:15 to go and there's a puddle of blood underneath Phan's head - we can't see the cut but it's probably in his hair somewhere. The announces give a shoutout to Eddie Yagin, who Phan replaced on short notice, and apparently it's a "serious medical condition" to the point Rogan says it would be a shame if it ended his career. Siver continues to maul Phan to the final horn and there's just nothing that Nam Phan can do about it.
We're back at 5:35 ET with Bruce Buffer. THE JUDGES SCORES THIS CONTEST 30-24, 30-25 AND 30-26 FOR THE UNANIMOUS WINNER - DENNIS SIVER. That's fine, but I don't think more than one of those rounds was a 10-8, let alone ALL THREE.
* Marcus LeVesseur vs. Abel 'Killer' Trujillo (Lightweight Bout)
I saw LeVesseur get his first UFC win at a UFC on FX show in Minneapolis this year so I'm looking forward to this fight. He was undefeated as a collegiate wrestler so needless to say he comes with high expectations. 30-29, 5'9" to 5'8" and 70" reach each for the two 155 pounders from LeVesseur to Trujillo. Trujillo is 9-4 and wearing black trunks, fighting out of Delray Beach, Florida. LeVesseur is 22-6 and fights out of Minneapolis in the blue trunks. Our referee in charge is Anthony Hamlett. Here we go!
LeVesseur has a takedown 12 seconds in but can't hang onto it. He keeps on working to get it again as the first minute grinds on. Goldberg talks about the awkward way this fight came together with illness and injury replacements, and is nearly as awkward explaining it. Trujillo has had this stuffed for a good 90 seconds now and I'm surprised the ref hasn't called a stalemate and reset them in the center. He finally breaks them apart at 3:02 to the roar of the crowd. Goldberg gives ISU alum Cael Sanderson his second shoutout during this fight. LeVesseur stays dogged on a single leg, gets Trujillo down, but Trujillo is back up with 2:30 left. Trujillo is up on strikes, but Rogan notes none of these are damaging strikes, they're just making LeVesseur miserable going for takedowns. He finally lands a knee to the head and some good elbows to the body with 90 seconds left in R1. Trujillo turns it up and pops the crowd but LeVesseur weathers the storm. The ref breaks them apart again with 0:46 to go. Rogan: "He must have ate 30-40 hard shots to the body there." TRUJILLO LANDS A KNEE AS LEVESSEUR GOES FOR A TAKEDOWN AGAIN AND NOW HE'S JUST HANGING ON TO A LEG UNTIL THE HORN. A definite 10-9 R1 for Trujillo.
UFC gives a nice slow motion replay of Trujillo's knee to the chin as we come back for R2. Trujillo is in danger of getting choked out North-South 45 seconds into this round. Trujillo is SQUEEZING FOR ALL HE'S WORTH. LeVesseur is wincing but he gets out at 3:52 and both guys get back to their feet but TRUJILLO ROCKS HIM AND KNOCKS HIM DOWN. LeVesseur gives up his back as we pass the 2 minute mark and now he's just covering his ears. He tries to sand up and eats an uppercut. Trujillo is up 30-1 on ground strikes, which is an obvious stat but a noteworthy one all the same. They return to center at 2:20. Trujillo has to feel he could finish this at any time as he pops LeVesseur with a right hand. To the surprise of no one LeVesseur goes for a single leg. It's Trujillo who ends up on top on the ground throwing KNEES TO THE BODY AND SHOULDER. He tells LeVesseur to defend himself or he'll stop the fight. REFEREE SAVES LEVESSEUR WITH 1:03 LEFT IN R2. Goldberg tells us 'Killer' landed 109 strikes with 88% accuracy as we go to break.
OFFICIAL TIME 3:56 OF R2 FOR THE WINNER BY TKO: ABEL 'KILLER' TRUJILLO. No post-fight interview - it would have been nice to get one especially with Rogan saying "I look forward to what this kid has to offer." Commercial.
* Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez (Lightweight Bout)
27 to 29, 5'8" to 5'7" and 72" to 69" reach from Cruickshank to Martinez. Buffer begins intros at 6:15 ET. Martinez has white and black trunks, 9-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cruickshank also has white trunks, he's 11-2, fighting out of Detroit, Michigan. Our referee in charge for this fight is Anthony Hamlett. Here we go!
Goldberg and Rogan remind us Martinez forfeited a percentage of his purse for this fight coming in overweight. The action stalls on the fence at 51 seconds so the ref breaks it up, and both guys start trading shots. Martinez closes the distance for a second time looking for a takedown but Cruickshank keeps his legs spread wide. 3:30. Both men break and trade shots as we move to the 2 minute mark. Martinez is bleeding from his forehead, he eats a spinning backfist, and he keeps on coming. CRUICKSHANK LANDS FIVE OR SIX NASTY KICKS TO THE BODY BUT MARTINEZ COVERS UP AND SURVIVES. 1:15 remains. Cruickshank throws a wheel kic k to the body and comes forward WITH ANOTHER BODY KICK AN UPPERCUT AND A HEAD KICK BUT MARTINEZ WEATHERS THE STORM AGAIN AND SWINGS TO THE HORN.
Martinez comes forward punching to start R2 at 6:23 and immediately drops for a single leg. Cruickshank hops around on one leg to get out then jumps up with a knee. He's ahead on total strikes 52 to 24 but Martinez is still in this. 1 minute gone. He eats a straight right to the face from Cruickshank. Front leg side kick at 2:40. Cruickshank's pace has slowed but he's still ahead. He's got a lot of Martinez' blood smeared on the right leg of his white trunks. CRUICKSHANK DROPS HIM WITH A RIGHT KICK SHOT TO THE HEAD AT 2:04 AND IT IS ALL OVER. Martinez dropped his arms thinking it was a body kick - bad idea. Cruickshank does a backflip to celebrate. Commercial!
OFFICIAL TIME - 2:57 OF R2 FOR THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT - 'DETROIT SUPERSTAR' DARON CRUICKSHANK. This time we'll get a Joe Rogan interview. He says Cruickshank hit Martinez with everything but the kitchen sink. "Henry's a tough guy, there are no pushovers here, and I can't underestimate anyone they put against me." Rogan gives us a replay of the roundhouse kick. "I was always taught if you take out the body, the head will come. Enough body shots made him dip down, then I took his face off." Cruickshank thanks all of of his sponsors as one of his teammates holds up a cue card for him. Break!
* Joe Proctor vs. Ramsey Nijem (Lightweight Bout)
24 to 27, 5'11" to 5'10" and 75" to 72" reach from Nijem to Proctor. In the blue corner, Proctor is 8-1 and fights out of Bridgewater, Massachusetts in the blue trunks. In the opposing corner Nijem is 7-2, fighting out of Orem, Utah in the black trunks. Our referee for this fight is Dan Miragliotta. Here we go!
Our opening round starts at 6:43 ET and after a brief flurry Proctor is going for a guillotine while Nijem is going for a single leg. Goldberg reminds us that Proctor is a member of Team Lauzon. Nihem tries to get out and they tango across the Octagon, with Proctor throwing a knee in the process. They break at 3:52 and start trading shots and for a moment Nijem had the better of him. Goldberg tells us Nijem spent 5 weeks training at the Pit with Hackleman and Liddell and apparently it worked because he knocks Proctor down and pounces. Miragliotta warns him about shots to the back of the head. Nijem's pace slows a little at the halfway point of the round and he decides to take Proctor's back then goes for amount but Proctor hip escapes. You can see that Proctor's face has been bloodied up to a significant degree. Nijem goes for a takedown and Proctor goes for the arm-in guillotine. Nijem pops out and takes Proctor's back. Proctor rolls out to escape and the two start trading shots and PROCTOR HURTS NIJEM WITH A COUNTER SHOT and takes side control. Proctor works elbows as Nijem tries to escape, and he's back up to his knees as time expires in R1.
R2 is underway at 6:49. Proctor comes forward aggressively. Rogan is criticizing Nijem's striking technique. Every now and then when Rogan makes comments like these I wish he'd get in the Octagon and show us "proper technique" if he could. I'm not a fighter, and so far as I know Rogan only does jiu-jitsu, so in my book neither one of us can say Nijem's awkward style doesn't work. After all Liddell was unorthodox and crushed a ton of people with his overhand right. Nijem goes for a single leg again and winds up in full guard with 2:08 left in R2. Nijem tries to back away to throw shots and in the process he winds up with Proctor pouncing on him and going for a front choke. 50 seconds. Nijem takes him back down again and pops hits head out. These are going to be tough rounds to score. Rogan: "This looks good for Ramsey with the judges to be on top at the end of the round."
We're back with R3 at 6:56 PM ET. Nijem completes another takedown as we're one minute into the third with Proctor looking for a kimura he can't get. Nijem gets a warning for back of the head, Proctor tries to explode to his feet but Nijem takes him right back down again. He's in butterfly guard now looking to pass, lets Proctor back up in the process, then Proctor turns the tables and gets his back then goes for a straight armbar. Nijem is holding it off and finally he winds up on top teeing off on Proctor again. 1:20. With less than 30 seconds to go they're both on their feet swinging away, and for the last 5 seconds they measure each other until the horn then exchange hugs. The decision is up next!
7:02 PM ET. Here is Bruce Buffer with the decision. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AFTER 3 ROUNDS WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS FOR A DECISION. THE JUDGES SCORE 30-27, 29-28 AND 29-28 FOR THE UNANIMOUS WINNER: RAMSEY NIJEM. No post-fight interview after this one.
* Raphael Assuncao vs. Mike Easton (Bantamweight Bout)
30 to 28, 5'6" each, 67.5" to 70" reach from Assuncao to Easton. 13-1, blue trunks, Camp Springs, Maryland is Easton. 17-4, white trunks, Alpharetta, Georgia is Assuncao. Referee is Steve Newport. Here we go! The whole first minute has both fighters trying to find their range. Easton seems to have a little more bounce to his step and he's pushing the pace of the fight. He reminds me of Clay Guida, only not nearly as hyper, but he never seems to be not moving. Easton ducks a headkick. Assancao is doing a good job of staying out of Easton's range and throwing the occasional jab or leg kick. Easton does get an overhand right and then stuffs a strong takedown attempt by Assuncao. The rest of the round stalls out on the fence with the ref breaking them right before the horn.
Assuncao is a little more the aggressor in the first two minutes of the second. Easton is trying to complain like he got poked in the eye but the ref isn't buying it. The crowd is getting restless at the Key Arena as we pass the halfway point of the fight. Assuncao starts to work body shots, Easton tries to clinch up, Assuncao unintentionally knees him in the groin as his back is on the fence and we get a ref stoppage. Assuncao is informed a point won't be taken and we restart with under 1:55 left in R2. Goldberg and Rogan have a long discussion about how fighters should use thai cups because they "protect your junk better" and you can visibly see Goldie chuckling at the commentary table even though he must have muted his mic first. Crowd booing is getting louder in the final 15 seconds before the horn.
Our third and final round starts at 6:24. To be honest I'm going to sip on my coffee here until something noteworthy happens. The fact they're booing when it's over at 6:29 should tell you that nothing did. Assuncao probably takes a decision here just by virtue of doing slightly more than his opponent, who rarely if ever laid a hand on him. 29-28, 30-27 AND 30-27 FOR RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO. Crowd boos the decision too.
* Jeremy 'Lil Heathen' Stephens vs. Yves 'Thugjitsu' Edwards (Lightweight Bout)
36 to 26, 5'9" each, 73" to 71" reach from Edwards to Stephens. Buffer intros at 7:41. Stephens is in the white trunks, 20-8, fighting out of San Diego by way of Des Moines, Iowa. Edwards is in the black trunks, 41-18-1, fighting out of Austin. Our ref is Steve Newport.
R1 is underway at 7:42! Stephens tried a flying knee in the first 5 seconds but Edwards saw it coming. Stephens keeps trying to land a big right and Edwards is doing a good job of avoiding it, so he tries a head kick as we pass the 1 minute mark. Edwards responds with one in kind. Rogan: "Yves is being very cautious here... ducked under those shots... playing the counter striking game right now." That he is. 3:15. THUGJITSU ENDS IT WITH ONE SHOT AT 3:10 AND GROUND AND POUND UNTIL STOPPED AT 3:04 LEFT. Rogan: "Unquestionably the hardest and cleanest shot anybody's landed on Jeremy Stephens." The right hand counter to the jaw finished it and the elbows he threw on the ground were just academic after that.
OFFICIAL TIME 1:55 OF R2 FOR THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT - YVES EDWARDS. Rogan compliments him on a "sensational victory." Edwards: "Thank you man. I feel really good. We both trained for a fight in October, it didn't happen, but we got to get it done tonight. Experience played a big part. Early in the fight he hit me with a good shot, that guy has a lot of power." Rogan replays the counter right hook. Edwards: "Sorry I was watching that, damn I'm smooth, I didn't hear what you said. I didn't want to let him recover, so I had to jump on him and take him out." 9 minutes to the main card on Fox!
* Scott Jorgensen vs. John Albert (Bantamweight Bout)
Bonus fight from Facebook! Jorgensen in the white trunks, Albert in the black. Jorgensen winds up on top in the full guard early. Albert has a triangle choke in deep with 2:15 left in R1 and he's pulling down on Jorgensen's head, but Jorgensen is fighting for all he's worth and manages to slip out and get to side control with 1:20 remaining. Albert tries to go for a reverse triangle then puts Jorgensen back in the guard, but Jorgensen blasts him with a few elbows from there. Jorgensen takes his back with 13 seconds left and sinks in the choke RIGHT AT THE BUZZER. JORGENSEN EITHER WINS AT 4:59 OR 5:00 OF R1. Buffer makes it official - 4:59 OF R1 VIA REAR NAKED CHOKE FOR SCOTT 'YOUNG GUN' JORGENSEN. Goldberg reminds us Matt Hughes once armbarred GSP with a second to go in a fight as we throw to Dana White and Joe Rogan at cageside for the final plugs.
8:00 PM ET. We're back at the Key Arena in Seattle, only we've moved from FX to Fox for tonight's top four fights. Henderson and Diaz are shown walking around backstage, as are BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald. "It's live, and it's on Fox!" That throws us to the Fox Sports narrator breaking down the card. Curt Menefee, Randy Couture and Brian Stann are in the Fox Sports studios for the main card. While they do the preamble before the first Fox fight, I'm going to go refill my cup of joe. Fox throws to Rogan and Goldie at 8:13.
* Mike 'Quick' Swick vs. 'Immortal' Matt Brown (Welterweight Bout)
33 to 31, 6'1" to 6'0" and 77" to 76" reach from Swick to Brown. Buffer introduces this fight at 8:21. Brown is in the white trunks, 17-11, fighting out of Columbus, Ohio. Swick is in the black trunks, 15-4, fighting out of San Jose, California. Our referee is Dan Miragliotta. Here we go!
Swick and Brown manage to clip each other once in the first 40 seconds to minimal effect. Brown has a good bounce to his step. He dumps Swick on his back at 3:53, pauses for a second, then jumps on and might be looking for a d'arce choke. Swick is in trouble at 3:20 and he's got to hope Brown tires out or lets go. Swick finally slips out at 2:42 and he's on top. Brown gets a triangle at 1:43 and Swick may be even more trouble now than he was on the last submission. Swick is trying to use his feet to push Brown away. Swick gets out again and goes for a guillotine while Brown is on top but can't get it. Brown comes forward swinging away as they're back to their feet with 15 seconds left. 10-9 R1 for Brown.
We're back for R2 at 8:28. Brown tries a head kick that doesn't land then backs off, then steps forward, then backs off again. He's keeping Swick guessing and cracks him with an elbow as he charges forward. Swick tries to press him against the fence as we pass the first minute. Brown slips out at 3:53. Swick tries to grab a muay thai plum but it's Brown who ends up putting Swick in the fence throwing knees. He hits an elbow too for good measure. Swick tries to press him against the fence again as we pass the second minute. Brown is out at 2:48. Rogan says Swick's mouth is swelling up from the elbows AND MATT BROWN JUST KNOCKED OUT MIKE SWICK. Brown wobbled him with a left then threw a right hook to the jaw as Swick was already falling down. We'll get the official time after commercial.
OFFICIAL TIME - 2:31 OF R2 BY KO FOR MATT 'THE IMMORTAL' BROWN. No post-fight interview with Rogan - I'm honestly not sure why. Instead we go to a video package promoting UFC 155.
* BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald (Welterweight Bout)
33 to 23, 5'9" to 6'0", 168 to 170 and 70" to 76.5" reach from Penn to MacDonald. Buffer begins intros at 8:44. MacDonald has black trunks and is 13-1, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Penn has white trunks and is 16-8-2, fighting out of Hilo, Hawaii and the crowd responds so loudly to him that Fox loses audio TWICE during his introduction. Our referee in charge of the fight is Herb Dean. Here we go!
Penn swarms in right away and MacDonald turns him around and grinds him against the fence. He gets off an elbow as they break apart and then pushes him into the fence again 30 seconds in. They break apart in and dance back and forth across the Octagon. MacDonald is working the jab effectively, which you'd expect with his reach advantage. Now he's throwing leg kicks too and Penn comes back with a right to the head. Penn is circling his hands and trying to close the distance. He pops a right again and the crowd pops for BJ in response. 2 minutes gone by. Penn keeps throwing that right out there - MacDonald needs to be careful because he can hurt him with it. Penn connects with a left and takes MacDonald down at 2:14 but Mac pops right back up. MacDonald spins him into the fence and lands an elbow on the break that makes Penn adjust his mouthpiece. 90 seconds left in the first. MacDonald goes for a single leg that's stuffed. Mac tries to cut off the cage and he wobbles Penn with a punch as he does. Penn needs to get his back off the fence in a big way. 30 seconds. MacDonald is faking and then going for a roundhouse kick, and he goes for a elbow to the head, then hits an elbow as he breaks the clinch. Penn looked strong in the first 3 of the round, Mac finished strong in the last 2.
Rogan is claiming Penn is "noticeably tired" as R2 gets underway at 8:52. Mac keeps getting Penn in the fence and throwing combos, and Penn just has to cover up and survive. Rogan thinks Penn needs to sellout and go for broke. He lands a nice right hand just before the 2 minute mark and avoids a spinning headkick. Unfortunately Mac is cutting off the cage again. Body kick and body shot have hurt Penn and he's just trying to survive. Penn has no movement now. MACDONALD HAS HIM IN BIG TROUBLE AT 2:10. Penn is just hoping he can land a miracle punch at this point. His left eye is swelling shut. MacDonald keeps punishing with shots. Rogan calls it "target practice." Hard to disagree. 1:20 left. You can't deny Penn's heart - he isn't going down and he isn't quitting. MacDonald takes him down with 38 seconds left and rides out R2 on top.
Penn fights like hell for a single leg in the first minute but MacDonald hops around and slips out of it. Dean calls for work as MacDonald leans him into the fence then breaks them apart at 3:45 left. Mac tries a spinning kick and falls down. 101 to 26 on significant strikes landed for Mac. Penn ties up with him at 3:05 and Mac pushes him into the fence. They break apart but Mac is keeping his back to the fence at all times. Solid left jab to Penn. Penn sells out for a takedown again and can't get it. 2 minutes left. Goldberg tells us Penn has just passed Tito Ortiz for most time spent fighting in the Octagon. Dean breaks them apart again at 1:10 when Mac has him on the fence. Penn eats a left jab and a right head kick. Penn tries to throw a big right but Mac clinches to block it. He backs Penn to the fence and drops his hands, trying to goad Penn to throw, then pushes him into the fence for an elbow and a left hook. 10 seconds. MacDonald does a Muhammad Ali dance, then floats like a butterfly until the end of the fight.
30-26, 30-26 AND 30-27 FOR THE UNANIMOUS WINNER RORY MACDONALD. Joe Rogan with the post-fight interview. MACDONALD CALLS OUT CONDIT AND SAYS HE WANTS REVENGE. A lot of the people are booing MacDonald - there's clearly a strong BJ Penn contingent in the Key Arena. He says BJ Penn is a hero to him. Rogan takes us back to R2 for when Penn got wobbled. "Penn is dangerous at all times, so I didn't want to get ahead of myself, rush in and get countered." Rogan congratulates him on the victory even as the lukewarm reception for his win continues.
* Alexander Gustafsson vs. Shogun Rua (Light Heavyweight Bout)
31 to 25, 6'1" to 6'5", 76" to 76.5" reach from Rua to Gustafsson. Buffer intros at 9:20. 14-1, from Stockholm, Sweden in the blue trunks is Gustafsson. 21-6, from Curitiba, Brazil in the red trunks is Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. Our ref is Dan Miragliotta. Here we go!
Wild first minute in this punch - Gustafsson knocked Rua down with a punch, but Rua nearly caught him in a leg lock on the ground. Rua dropped down for another one at 90 seconds but this time Gustafsson smelled it coming. Gustafsson dumps him to the ground at 3:12 and then the Swede gets out of the way of a submission. At 2:54 Rua takes him down and Gustafsson scoots on his butt to the fence and wall walks his way up, though he eats a knee in the process. Rua works to take him down again. 2:20. Gustafsson tries to spin away then hits a knee on the break. Rua is now respecting the reach and backing away any time he sees Gustafsson coming with a shot. His nose is bloody from the ones that have connected though. He's up 17-4 as you might imagine. The two tie up at 50 seconds left and Gustafsson gets a knee off in the clinch. As much as audio on Fox keeps dropping out I have to think somebody at cageside or calling out advice from the corner is swearing. R1 ends with no further damage on either side.
Both men are mixing it up in the first 40 seconds of R2 and Rua is getting off the better power punches. As Rogan just put it, Rua is looking to hit home runs. Gustafsson looks for a takedown at 3:47 but doesn't get it. Things stall on the fence. They are broken apart and restart in the center at 3:12. Shogun tries to take him down but Gustafsson uses a whizzer to get out. Shogun goes for a takedown but winds up on his back, though given he wants a submission he might not mind. In fact Gustafsson lands a left hand and wisely backs out. 2:15. Gustafsson is getting tagged more and more frequently. Gustafsson takes Rua down at 1:50. He's back up 15 seconds later. Gustafsson trips him to the ground at 1:10 and as Rua gets back up he eats a couple of knees. 50 seconds. Uppercut and a knee. Gustafsson avoids the wild right hand. There were times in R2 where Gustafsson seemed to be in trouble but by the end I have him narrowly ahead.
Rua lands a couple of overhand rights in the first 30 but Gustafsson responds with two takedowns, and has his back for a moment on the second before winding up in guard. He's back to his feet at 4:02. Nice jab uppercut combo by Gustafsson and he ducks the power shot of Rua. Takedown at 3:12. We'll see how long Gustafsson wnts to stay in his guard this time. Elbow to the face. He backs out at 2:46 and throws a leg kick, then lets Rua get back up. Rua is hurt by a liver kick and Gustafsson starts to take advantage with rights and knees. Shogun is breathing hard now and looking up at the clock with under 2 minutes left. 57 to 43 on significant strikes for Gustafsson. Both fighters are returned to center with 56 seconds. Gustafsson with a front kick to the face. 30 seconds. Rua circles as Gustafsson tries to cut him off. They clinch up and Gustafsson has another takedown before the horn. This should be a unanimous in the Swede's favor.
30-27, 30-27 AND 30-26 FOR ALEXANDER 'THE MAULER' GUSTAFSSON. No surprise. No post-fight interview. Afterward Ariel Helwani is in the crowd with Jon Jones and Urijah Faber to let us all know that Faber is moving to Metro. The lightweight title fight is next!
* 'Smooth' Benson Henderson {C} vs. Nate Diaz (UFC Lightweight Title Bout)
29 to 27, 5'9 to 6 foot, 155 each, 70" to 76" from Henderson to Diaz. Buffer begins his intros at 9:58. Herb Dean is our referee. Henderson has white trunks, Diaz gray. Diaz is sporting a 16-7 record and fighting out of Stockton, California as the TUF Season 5 winner. Henderson sports a 17-2 record and fights out of Glendale, Arizona as the the former WEC and current UFC Lightweight Champion. Here we go!!
Diaz is trying to pull Henderson to the ground in the opening minute but he's not having it. At some point Dean is going to have to break this up - we're going on 90 seconds of them dancing on the fence. Henderson nearly gets Diaz to the ground just as I say that, then he tries to pull on the head to throw a knee. Two minutes gone in this title fight. Diaz is up on total strikes 28-14 but since the Diaz boys throw those pitter-pat punches that's no big thing. Diaz with an elbow on the break. Henderson single legs him, he gets up, then he takes him down again. Henderson is between the legs for a second avoiding upkicks then throws a few hammerfists. Diaz is back up at 1:56. They dance on the fence again. Dean is looking on closely. Henderson gets a leg kick that knocks Diaz down then lands a few hammers before Diaz can get back up. 1 minute. Knees exchanged in clinch. Henderson lands a nice combo. Diaz goes for a single and can't get it. Henderson has him in the fence at the horn.
R2 is underway at 10:08. Goldie tells us that between rounds Henderson's corner told him Diaz is talking crap because Ben was winning. Henderson gets him to the ground at 4:33 then hits a head kick and a big knee to the body when he gets back up. You can see some purpling on Diaz' face. 1 minute gone. Goldie tells us Henderson grew up 30 minutes away from the Key Arena. 3:20. Another nice over-the-top elbow by Henderson at 3:05 before they break. Diaz lead leg seems shaky and Henderson just kicked it again. 2:20. He's got it in his sights now. He's even jabbing the knee. HENDERSON JUST KNOCKED HIM DOWN WITH A BIG LEFT AND IS ON TOP with 1:45 left. Nate gives up his back to get back up 20 seconds later. Henderson has double underhooks. The Key Arena is loudly chanting BEN-SON now. 60 seconds. Hendo cracks him again. Diaz has him off his feet but only for a second or less. Hendo keeps kicking the lead right leg. His face is a mess. Superman punch by Ben misses right as R2 ends.
And we're back for R3 at 10:14. Diaz' corner got the swelling in his face down between rounds but I doubt they could do much for his right leg. Henderson is now up 60-13 on significant strikes. 30 seconds. You can see Diaz stutter step each time he tries to put his weight on that right leg. Henderson doubles him to the ground with ease 51 seconds in. Diaz gets warned not to grab the fence. They're back to center at 3:43 and Hendo has him down again right away and is in full guard right on the Bud Light logo. It's starting to feel like it's just a matter of time before Hendo finishes. Henderson moves to half guard and Diaz switches it up and goes for a toe hold but Hendersson gets out and takes his back. He winds up back on his feet at 1:54 and Diaz goes for the leg again. Henderson pulls out at 1:17 and they're both on theif feet again. HENDERSON KNOCKS HIM DOWN WITH A BIG RIGHT HAND. Diaz tells the ref he's okay as Henderson takes side control. Diaz tries to roll under again for a leg lock. 30 seconds. Henderson slips out then jumps back on. BIG FOOT STOMP RIGHT BEFORE THE HORN.
R4 starts at 10:20. Diaz looks sluggish now. Those submission attempts in the third were probably his last beest chance to win. 36 seconds in Henderson takes him down and has his back. Referee warning for shots to the back of the head. Diaz is back up at 57 seconds but Henderson takes him down again at a minute and 8 - more like he leaned all his weight on Diaz and Nathan just topped to the ground. He's back up again at 3:26 left in R4. Hendo has him down again at 3:12 but Diaz is up again less than 10 seconds later, and down again less than 10 after that. Henderson is sitting on his legs and punching his body. He closes the distance in half guard so he can elbow him in the face. Half guard seems like the safest place for Ben to be on the ground with Nate. 2 minutes left in this round. Diaz gives up his back, eats a hammerfists, then rolls face up again. Henderson stays on him looking to pass. Diaz keeps looking for an escape sweep or submission but unlike R3 there don't seem to be any available. Henderson starts punching the leg when Diaz tries to stick them up like he's going to throw upkicks. Rogan: "I haven't seen anybody punch calves from a standing position." Neither had I until this fight but if it works go with it. Diaz lazily gets back up seconds before the round ends and Henderson kicks the leg one more time.
R5 begins at 10:27 so even if you set a 30 minute overrun for the Fox show it may run out before that, especially if this goes the distance. Henderson presses Diaz into the fence and throws punches in bunches. If Henderson was looking for a fight where people would respect him as the Lightweight Champion, going five rounds with Nathan Diaz and beating him up for most of that time should do it. Henderson SLAMS Diaz to the ground at 3:28 and pours on punishment. Fans are excited that Henderson is standing between his legs dropping hammers. Diaz gives up his back to get back up. If Diaz makes it to the post-fight press conference his face is going to be one big bruise. 2:20. Henderson wants to get him to the ground again. Diaz wants a kimura. He's not going to get it. Henderson keeps kicking the leg even as they clinch up. Diaz goes for a takedown but Henderson winds up on top. Diaz gets ROCKED by a head kick as we enter the final minute. Looks like we're going to have an exchange on the feet for the last 15 seconds. Diaz can't do anything with it. 50-45 or 49-46 take your pick, Henderson wins either way. We await the judges.
50-43, 50-45 AND 50-45 FOR THE WINNER BY UNANIMOUS DECISION AND STILL UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION 'SMOOTH' BEN HENDERSON. Rogan gives Henderson high praise for the fight. "Seattle, Key Arena, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - can I get an amen? Nate obviously trains his butt off, he's friggin' tough as heck." There's a weird interchange here between Henderson and Rogan about a toothpick in his mouth. "Tonight's fight was with a little bit of a heavy heart. For this fight I really wanted to do well." He talks about various tragedies among his fight camp and their families and how he wanted to do well to honor them. He poses for pictures in the Octagon with his whole team, all wearing Dethrone tees. We see highlights of his dominating win and that's it for UFC on Fox 5!
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Special Guest Star: Justin Bieber - Revenge (revised)
This is a revised version of the original story. I wasn’t all that happy with it in the first place, and your reaction convinced me to do some rewrites. I think this version is better than the first one, and I hope you like how it turned out.
Warning: Can contain traces of cum.
Additional warning: This story is darker and more brutal than most of my stories. If you’re not a fan of permanent damage you might want to skip this one… There’ll be another story feat. Justin Bieber (a more upbeat and playful story without permanent damage) in a couple of weeks.
For the record: I’m pretty sure this fictional version of Justin Bieber bears no resemblance whatsoever to the real Mr. Bieber whose “Love yourself” is one of my favorite songs of the summer...
Previous part:
Justin Bieber awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep in front of the huge TV, watching one of his concerts. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.
He noticed that he was alone in the room.
Where was his entourage? Usually, he was surrounded every second of the day by a group of friends and his bodyguards. Where had they gone?
Justin got up and stretched his limbs.
Suddenly, he noticed a young man standing at the other end of the room.
Justin hadn’t seen him for weeks. Not since he had crushed the poor guy’s testicles, ruining the young man’s manhood and depriving him of the chance of ever being a father.
Justin chuckled when he remembered the nickname he had given him. “Meatballs!” Justin said, a mean smile on his face. Of course he knew the guy’s name. But Justin enjoyed giving people humiliating nicknames. And “Meatballs” was a perfect nickname for a loser like Gio.
Gio looked at him.
Justin chuckled. “Oh, yeah, right. No meatballs anymore.” He laughed. “No meatballs and a limp macaroni.” He chuckled.
Without a word, Gio brought his leg up between Justin’s legs, crunching the singer’s nuts into his body and making him double over and groan in pain.
“What the fuck?!” Justin groaned, cupping his crotch.
Gio looked at him, a grim expression on his face.
The past few weeks had been hell. After waking up in the hospital and learning that his reproductive organs had been damaged beyond repair by his boss, his fiancé had dumped him, citing his inability to father children as the main reason. She had made it clear that she was sorry, but that hadn’t been much consolation for poor Gio. Adding insult to injury, she started dating Gio’s best friend just a couple of days later.
As soon as Gio had left the hospital, angry and frustrated, and with an empty, useless bag of skin between his legs, he had started preparing his revenge. With the help of his extended family, he had learned everything he needed to overpower an opponent, and his uncle had bribed the Justin Bieber’s entourage so Gio could catch his former boss alone.
“What the fuck?!” Justin repeated, looking around, searching for help.
Usually, he was surrounded by a group of people that made sure that his big mouth and his arrogant demeanor didn’t get him into trouble.
Now, he was on his own.
Gio’s fist connected with the handsome singer’s face.
Justin let out an anguished scream and raised his hands.
“My nose!” he yelled frantically. “You fucking broke my nose!”
“Don’t worry about your nose”, Gio said. “I’m gonna break a whole lot of other things…”
Justin’s eyes widened.
Gio snap-kicked Justin’s nuts, making him let out a high-pitched shriek as his tender testicles were rammed into his body.
“Nighty night”, Gio said before knocking Justin out with a hard punch to the face.
The singer slumped to the ground, out cold.
When he woke up, he found himself in the garage, occupying the space where his fancy leopard print Audi R8 used to be.
He squinted against a couple of bright lights. He tried to move but his hands and arms were tied against a wooden framework. The young superstar was stark naked and his legs were spread wide apart.
“Where’s my car?” Justin croaked. “What have you done to my car?”
Gio looked at him, an amused expression on his face. “That’s what you’re worrying about? That ugly piece of garbage?”
“What have you done with it?” Justin bellowed, struggling against his restraints. “I’m gonna sue your fucking ass!”
Gio chuckled and took a step forward. “Don’t worry, your car is fine.” He grabbed Justin’s nutsack and squeezed hard. “You, on the other hand…” His voice trailed off as he twisted his former boss’s doomed manhood hard.
The singer let out an ear-piercing scream. “Help! Help!”
Gio chuckled and let go of Justin’s nuts. “Nobody will hear you. You made sure this garage is soundproof, remember?” He let out a laugh. “I hope you can appreciate the irony: I’m going to take your manhood at the very place that you used to have your orgies.”
Justin glared at him.
“I watched you fuck your girls in those cars dozens of times”, Gio continued with a smile. “When I’m done with you you’ll never fuck anybody ever again.” He balled his fist and sent it down like a hammer, smashing the singer’s nuts into his body and making him squeal in pain.
Gio leaned over and whispered into Justin’s ear. “You’re gonna pay for what you have done to me. You know what the bible says: An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.” He paused, looking Justin deep in the eyes. “A nut for a nut.” He slapped the singer’s famous face hard, making Justin scream in pain. “And maybe I’ll take a little extra…”
Gio turned around and looked at the table that he had set up.
Justin was screaming and yelling obscenities, cursing Gio and threatening him.
Gio ignored him and studied his options, cracking his knuckles.
“Do you think your voice will suffer when I’m done turning your nuts into soup?” Gio said casually, looking at a large knife and weighing it in his hand.
“What!?” Justin whispered.
“You know, maybe it’ll be good for your career”, Gio mused.
“Fuck you!” Justin grunted. “You’re insane.”
Gio turned around, glaring at Justin. “I’m not insane. I’m a freak. You turned me into a nutless freak – and now you’re going to pay for it!” His face broke into a smile as he looked at the naked singer writhing right in front of him. “It’s funny – I’m gonna do what millions of guys all over the world love to do. Maybe I’ll even get a medal for this…” He winked at the singer who stared back at him, his eyes filled with rage.
Gio looked at his watch. “Okay, we haven’t got all day.” He turned to his victim and said casually, “Which nut is your favorite?”
“Fuck you!” Justin spat.
“I think I’ll start with the left one”, Gio said with a shrug. “Someone once told me that nobody ever says ‘the right one’. Everybody likes lefty best.”
He picked up a pair of pliers and held it up for Justin to see. Then he closed the pliers around Justin’s fat nut, causing the meaty orb to bulge on either side.
Justin’s eyes widened in terror. Up until now he had thought that Gio wouldn’t go through with this, that he’d know better than to mutilate a world-famous singer, that his bodyguards would storm in any second and save him, that SOMETHING happened to stop this nightmare.
Now, the reality of his predicament began sinking in.
“Listen, you can’t do this to me!” he shrieked as the pliers closed around his left testicle. “I’ll pay you. How much do you want? I can give you whatever you need!”
Gio chuckled. “Bye-bye, lefty.” He pressed the pliers shut with both of his hands.
Justin shook his head violently, screaming in pain.
“I can give you one of my cars!” Justin yelled, his face contorted in pain. “The Jag or the--- You can take them all!”
Gio ignored him. “Damn, that’s a tough little fucker”, Gio chuckled. The noses of the pliers dug deep into Justin’s left testicle. Gio was grunting with effort as he tried to split Justin’s nut in half.
“Please!” Justin shrieked. “Please don’t do that to me!”
“Shut up!” Gio said sharply. “This is hard work! I’m trying to split a nut here!”
Justin screamed from the top of his lungs as the pain washed through his body.
Taking a little break, Gio winked at Justin and wiped his forehead, inspecting the damage he had done so far. He rolled Justin’s testicle between his fingers. Even though he hadn’t been completely successful yet, his efforts had placed a major dent in Justin’s hefty, plump nut. Just a couple of minutes ago, it had been the shape of an egg. Now it looked more like half-deflated balloon.
Justin was screaming like a banshee. “I’m Justin fucking Bieber!” he squealed. “You can’t do this to me!”
Gio chuckled. “Yeah, you’re Justin fucking Bieber, and your left nut is fucking history!” He applied the pliers again and pressed them shut. This time, it took just a couple of seconds, and Justin’s nut split in half with a sickening SQUICK.
Justin let out an ear-piercing shriek as his left nut was destroyed, his naked body covered in sweat.
Gio smiled. “Lefty’s a goner now.” He looked at Justin’s nutsack with the bisected left nut and the yet unharmed right nut and chuckled. “Looks as if you had three nuts now.” He smacked the bloated ballsack with the palm of his hand.
Justin was panting heavily. “You split my nut”, he whispered incredulously, rearing his head to look at his bruised and swollen nutsack. “You split my fucking nut.”
“Yup”, Gio said. “And I’m not done with you, yet.”
Justin let out a pitiful whimper.
Gio placed the pliers back on the table and looked at the other tools that were waiting to be used. He rubbed his hands and grinned. “Now we gotta make sure that your nut is really dead”, he said with a cold smile. “We don’t want you to find some celebrity doctor who stitches lefty back together again.”
Justin’s handsome face was contorted in pain and covered in cold sweat.
Gio grabbed a hammer.
The sound of the heavy hammer crushing what was left of Justin’s left testicle echoed through the room.
A few minutes later, Justin Bieber’s left testicle was nothing more than useless sludge.
The handsome singer was writhing in agony, his muscular, tattooed white as a sheet.
Gio put the hammer away and thought for a moment. “Now we’re going to ruin your dick”, he said with a smile. “And after that we’ll destroy your last nut.”
“My dick?” Justin groaned. “Please spare my dick. It’s--- Please don’t destroy it.”
Gio leaned over and looked Justin in the eyes. “You don’t need a dick when you don’t have nuts.” His eyes turned sad for a moment. “Trust me, I know”, he mumbled before turning to the table again.
Justin let out a miserable groan.
“Now what are we going to do with your dick?” Gio said slowly. “What are we going to do...?”
His eyes fell on a long, slender metal rod and his face broke into a grin. “Perfect.” He turned to Justin and grinned, hiding the rod behind his back “Oh, you’re gonna love this… But first, I think you deserve one last orgasm.”
Justin’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Gio smiled innocently. “Well, think of it as the last meal. The final moment of pleasure before your dick meets its maker. Don’t you want to shoot your load one final time?”
Justin bit his lower lip. He was in pain, and he knew that his manhood was history. He nodded.
Justin’s eyes closed as Gio grabbed his fat, chubby dick and started jerking it.
“Attaboy”, Gio said in a seductive voice. “Think of all the girls you pleasured with that beautiful cock. Think of your fans sucking you off after your concerts.”
Justin let out a soft moan.
Gio chuckled. He spat into his hand and continued jerking Justin’s cock.
Justin moaned in pleasure as the pain moved into the background.
“You’re never going to have sex again”, Gio cooed. “One nut is gone already, and the other one will be ruined soon. Now enjoy your final orgasm.”
Justin moaned.
Despite Gio’s best efforts, Justin’s superstar cock refused to get hard. Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was the fear – it stayed limp and floppy.
Gio cleared his throat. He needed Justin to be hard.
A disgusted expression on his face, Gio took Justin’s flaccid dick into his mouth and started sucking on the meaty tool, slurping noisily as the superstar’s cock grew in his mouth.
Justin was moaning and groaning as Gio pleasured his doomed dick.
“That’s it”, Justin whispered, his eyes closed, his eyelids fluttering. “Fuck, your mouth feels good.”
Less than a minute later, Gio let the singer’s hard cock slip out of his mouth. “You got a great cock”, Gio whispered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He squeezed the fat mushroom head of Justin’s dick, and a drop of precum oozed out.
Gio smiled and jerked Justin’s meaty dong, eliciting soft moans of pleasure from Justin. His breathing quickened, and his last nut pulled up in his sack, announcing the impending orgasm.
As the first spurt of cum sputtered out of Justin’s dick, Gio rammed the metal rod all the way down Justin’s urethra, causing Justin’s eyes to open wide as he screamed in agony.
His dick was throbbing and spasming but the makeshift sound prevented his sperm from leaving his cock, blocking the exit and causing a painful congestion of spunk in Justin’s twitching cock.
“I hope you enjoyed it”, Gio grinned, casually grabbing a Bunsen burner, lighting it and holding the flame to the part of the metal rod that was peeking out of Justin’s dick. “Because you’ll never have an orgasm again.”
Justin was too preoccupied with his viciously ruined yet ongoing orgasm to notice what was about to happen until he felt the heat rise inside his dick.
He screamed from the top of his lungs, his eyes filled with terror as his dick was roasted from the inside. A couple of seconds later, steam was rising up from his rapidly reddening cock, and the appetizing smell of a barbecued steak filled the air.
“Medium or well done?” Gio grinned, looking at Justin.
Justin’s shaft was as red as a lobster, and the head had taken on the color of ripe tomato, as his dick was thoroughly cooked from the inside.
Justin was squealing like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
“We’ll go with medium, I guess”, Gio chuckled. “Let’s not get carried away…”
He let out a laugh and put the Bunsen burner on the table. He grabbed a pair of pliers and pulled the glowing rod out of Justin’s hot cock.
A stream of boiling jizz ran out of Justin’s dick, coating his half-filled nutsack in a hot, sticky layer of overcooked spunk.
“And there’s the sauce”, Gio dead-panned before bursting out laughing. “Wanna have a taste?”
Justin was writhing against his restraints, screaming from the top of his lungs.
Gio dipped his finger into the steaming puddle of Justin’s ruined jizz and winced. “It’s hot”, he chuckled. “I hope you don’t burn your tongue…” He scooped up a bit of Justin’s hot sperm and wiped on his tongue.
“How does it taste?” Gio chuckled.
Justin gagged and coughed as he tasted his sperm for the first and last time in his life.
Gio with laughter.
Justin’s ruined cock was limp and red, and it was obvious that it would never ever be able to grow hard again.
Justin’s eyes were filled with tears. His naked body was covered in sweat.
“Please”, he whispered in a toneless voice.
“Now we can do your other nut.” He smiled grimly at Justin. “This is going to be special. I want you to remember what it feels like. This is something you’ll tell your grandkids about.” He paused. “Or not.”
He let out a mean laugh.
Gio looked at the instruments on the table, looking like a kid in a candy store. He spotted a bright red cherry bomb and let out a laugh.
“That way your sex life would go out with a bang”, Gio joked.
Justin stared at the bomb, his eyes filled with horror.
“What about this?” Gio picked up a gutting knife and weighed it in his hand.
He went through the various items on the table, trying to come up with the perfect ending for Justin Bieber’s genitalia. The grinder looked fun, but the chainsaw promised a very satisfying result as well. The power drill seemed like a great choice, too, and the electric vise looked like it could destroy a testicle in seconds.
“I just can’t decide”, Gio sighed.
He had gone through every item on the table. Every single one promised a lot of fun and a highly entertaining ending for Justin Bieber’s sex life.
By now, Justin Bieber was a wreck.
He looked nothing like the confident, talented No. 1 artist who was adored by legions of fans all over the world.
He looked nothing like the handsome, sexy player who attracted slutty girls and slutty boys alike.
He looked nothing like the bold and brazen mischief-maker who made headlines whenever he opened his mouth.
He looked like a pathetic, miserable young man with a ruined cock and a destroyed nut who had lost every shred of dignity.
A pathetic, miserable young man with a ruined cock and a destroyed nut who was about to lose his final testicle.
Suddenly, Gio’s face lit up. “I think I know the perfect way.”
Justin barely looked up, his eyes glassy, his face pale.
“I’m gonna take your manhood with my bare hands”, Gio smiled. “I want to feel your nut burst between my fingers. How does that sound to you?”
Justin let out a pathetic whimper. “Please”, he whispered. “Please don’t take my last nut. It’s all I have left.”
“Awww”, Gio mocked him. “You think the girls won’t like you if you’re not a man anymore?” He wrapped his fingers around Justin’s fragile testicle. It felt warm and dense.
“Please”, Justin cried.
Gio closed his eyes. That’s what his nuts had felt like. He remembered rolling them around between his fingers in the shower. It seemed like ages ago.
Now his sack was empty. A useless bag of skin, a constant reminder of what this bitchy boy had done to him.
Gio opened his eyes again.
Justin let out a hoarse groan as Gio’s fingers tightened around his last nut.
Gio bit his lower lip. “I’m gonna crush your last nut.” He squeezed harder and harder, pressing his thumbs into the tender flesh of Justin’s superstar spud. His knuckles whitened as he squashed Justin’s nut flat with all the force he could muster.
A bead of sweat ran down Gio’s forehead. He felt something that reminded him of sexual arousal. A tingling in his loins. His loins hadn’t tingled in weeks.
Gio let out a laugh. “I think I can feel it collapse…”
Justin screamed in agony.
Gio chuckled. He was going to put an end to Justin Bieber’s sex life. He could feel the singer’s nut start to give. It didn’t feel as round anymore. It felt flatter, as if it was starting to submit to the brutal force that was crushing it.
Justin was screaming from the top of his lungs, his eyes clenched shut, his face white as a sheet.
Gio’s breathing quickened. He squeezed as hard as he could, flattening Justin’s nut, crushing it with his bare hands.
“Oh my god”, Gio groaned. “Oh my fucking GOD!”
With a sickening squelch, Justin’s last nut evaporated.
The singer let out a high-pitched squeal.
“Fuck yeah!” Gio’s body was trembling. His eyes were closed. He felt a warm, incredibly satisfying sensation. It was like an orgasm, except that it couldn’t be an orgasm. Or maybe it was?
Gio opened his eyes and looked at Justin Bieber who was squealing and screaming and wailing in agony.
“That felt awesome”, Gio chuckled.
His eyes fell on a shiny bolo knife on the table. He picked up the knife, an evil grin on his face.
Gio stepped up to Justin and grabbed his dick by the tip. After preparing the superstar’s genitalia for the final insult by wrapping a thick piece of rubber band around his dick and cutting off the blood supply to his most prized possession, Gio put the knife to the root of Justin’s cock.
Justin’s eyes widened with horror. “No”, he whispered. “God, no.”
Gio looked at him. “Your cock is ruined already”, he said matter-of-factly. “We might as well cut it off. You won’t be able to use it anyway…”
Justin struggled and screamed as Gio put the knife to his dick and sliced it off with a precise, clean cut.
Justin’s severed dick landed on the ground with a wet splat as the singer screamed like a banshee.
Gio picked Justin’s dick up, holding it with his thumb and forefinger.
Detached from Justin’s body, the piece of meat look small and pathetic.
“So this is what all the fuzz was about”, Gio said, inspecting Justin’s cock. “This is what all the girls went crazy about.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Justin. “I don’t know. Doesn’t seem special to me.”
He threw Justin’s dick at its former owner, and the detached dong landed square on Justin’s face.
The singer squinted, his eyes wide in shock, staring in horror at his cock that was right in front of his eyes.
Gio burst out laughing. He picked up the severed dick and slapped the singer in the face with it.
Justin let out a pitiful moan.
“I bet you always fantasized about sucking yourself off”, Gio grinned.
Before Justin had a chance to say protest, he shoved the cock into his mouth, eliciting a muffled scream of protest from Justin.
“You’re welcome”, Gio said with a grin.
Justin let out an anguished roar and spat his dick out.
It landed on the floor with a sick SPLAT.
Gio chuckled and picked it up. “Now you know what the girls felt when you shoved your dick in their mouths…” He stuffed the cock into Justin’s mouth again and taped it shut.
Tears were streaming down Justin’s face and his head sank back, defeated and exhausted.
Gio packed the tools into his bag and nodded at Justin. “I think we’re even now.”
The singer let out a pitiful, muffled whimper.
Gio turned around and left the garage, leaving his former boss behind, his nuts destroyed, his dick cut off and stuffed into his mouth.
First thing tomorrow, Gio was going to place an anonymous phone call at the local papers.
By noon, everybody was going to know that Justin Bieber, the sexy singer, the arrogant artist, the object of many a teen girl’s desire, was no longer a man.
Labels: Stories 2016, Story: Special Guest Star: Justin Bieber, Warning: Can contain traces of cum, Warning: Contains severe violence and/or permanent damage
I dont know about others, but I just don't like permanent damage stories. But i didnt give you a rate though, cause you did put a disclaimer near the title.
I dont think its most people's cup of tea in my opinion.
Thanks for your feedback! I hope you'll like the other Justin Bieber story (without permanent damage) better. I'm writing it right now and I'll publish it in a couple of weeks. :-))
great job, think it's a lot better than the original.
the viewers into permanent damage stories appreciate it - and I do think we don't make up a majority of your readers, but I think we make up a far larger portion than some would think ... hey, maybe you should do a poll on it?
Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the story! I might do a poll on permant damage in the future but I can't promise you that the results will influence the content of this blog since I'm not a huge fan of total destruction myself... :-))
Corbin Crow said...
Alex I love your stories and I definitely enjoy stories with permanent damage.
I mean this in the most complimentary of fashions, but I get the feeling your heart isn't in perm damage stories.
I love finding new stories with perm in them, and I'm glad you're making an effort to include some darker elements (nice ruined orgasm too!) I feel like I can read your joy and excitement in the regular ballbusting, edging denial draining stories and I didn't feel the same personal investment/touch here.
Thanks for your feedback. Maybe you are right. I do enjoy the writing process for each and every story that I publish. (There are a whole bunch of unfinished stories that I abandoned when I realized that my heart wasn't in it...) But maybe you are right.
Snapshot: The intern
Video links: Long live the Nut Shot Kings!
A painful case of mistaken identity (Brian meets t...
Video links: Nut Shot Kings (updated)
Video links: XXX (2)
My biggest weakness (written by Martín)
Pride and pain: Twinks go nuts
Poll results: Are you into f/m or m/m ballbusting?...
Special Guest Star: Justin Bieber - Revenge (revis...
Prom night (Nick meets Logan)
Justin Bieber: Damage control (updated)
Jonny Firestorm: Ball Bash Olympics 3
Special Guest Star: Justin Bieber - Revenge
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Black Box | fish
The Living Murray Condition Monitoring at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands 2009/10
Henderson, Mark
Walters, Samantha
Wood, David B.
Linklater, Danielle S.
Sharp, Clayton
Vilizzi, Lorenzo
Campbell, Cherie J.
Johns, Caitlin V.
McCarthy, Bernard
Living Murray Condition Monitoring Program
Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands
River Red Gum
aquatic vegetation
Cumbungi
"March 2011".
Project no.
2009-10 Condition Monitoring at Lindsay-Mulcra-Wallpolla Islands - M/BUS/87-2,3,4 BW283
Publication no.
MDFRC Publication 28/2010
This report details the condition monitoring undertaken at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla (LMW) Islands as part of the 2009/10 Living Murray Condition Monitoring Program. Icon Site condition monitoring has been developed to: Determine the change in environmental condition of individual assets resulting from water application and the implementation of works programs under The Living Murray (TLM). Assess whether sustainable native fish, bird and vegetation communities are being maintained across the Icon Sites. The Outcomes Evaluation Framework stipulates that measurable targets be created to unambiguously assess whether a pre-determined level of condition has been achieved. At the time of writing, such targets had not been developed for LMW. In the absence of defined targets, this report focuses upon Icon Site specific objectives. Icon Site specific objectives presented in the Outcomes Evaluation Framework have been further refined as part of the Lindsay-Mulcra-Wallpolla Environmental Management Plan. Together these objectives form the basis for condition monitoring at Lindsay-Mulcra-Wallpolla of which there are six vegetation components and one fish component. River Red Gum The ecological objectives for River Red Gum (RRG) at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla are: Current area maintained. Maintain current condition and extent of River Red Gum communities to sustain species assemblages and processes typical of such woodland. Large scale mapping at regular intervals is required to quantify changes in the distribution and areal extent of River Red Gum at LMW. Currently there is no such mapping program underway, so it is not possible to know if current area of RRG is being maintained. Significant increases in Crown Condition scores between the sampling events of 2008/09 and 2009/10 suggest changes in the conditions favourable for tree growth on the LMW floodplain. This is attributed to environmental watering at Mulcra Horseshoe Lagoon and a break in drought conditions. However, with the notable exception of the relatively small area of extant Red Gum with Flood Tolerant Understorey (RGFTU) at Mulcra Island, the recent improvement observed for RRG trees at LMW represents a change in the previous downward trend in condition rather than a return to acceptable condition. Stand condition modelling conducted by Cunningham et al.(2009) reports that the extent of severely degraded stands was higher in the Mallee (Hattah, Chowilla and LMW) than at other TLM Icon Sites, that the majority of stands were in a stressed condition in 2003 and that this had increased by 4% by 2009. Recruitment must keep pace with mortality for a population to remain sustainable and this must occur within the current spatial context if the present distribution is to be maintained (i.e. ecological objectives are to be met). Size-class frequency distributions for Fringing Red Gum Woodland (FRGW) indicate a relative abundance of trees within the smaller size classes suggesting sustainable recruitment. However, despite indications of recent improvement in the condition of trees on average, population viability assessments suggest there are long-term sustainability concerns for Red Gum Forest (RGF) communities at LMW. Black Box The ecological objectives for Black Box (BB) at LMW are: At least 20% of the original area of Black Box vegetation maintained. Improve condition to sustain species assemblages and processes typical of Black Box woodland. Ecological Vegetataion Class (EVC) mapping conducted in 2005 provides the most accurate and up to date information about the areal extent of Black Box at LMW and is therefore the logical choice for a BB areal standard. However, in the absence of an ongoing program mapping the distribution of Black Box at the Icon Site scale, it is not possible to know what proportion of the original area of Black Box is being maintained. Size-class distributions for Black Box communities do not approximate inverse J-shaped curves indicative of sustainable populations. Further, between 2008/09 and 2009/10 there was a reduction in the relative proportion of Diameter at Breast Hight (DBH) <15 cm individuals indicating a trend away from population maintenance. Robust Reproductive Extent scores indicate a recent lack of recruitment can be attributed to factors other than seed production such as the absence of a suitable water regime for the successful germination, growth and establishment of seedlings. Similar Crown Condition scores for 2008/09 and 2009/10 indicate the condition of BB at LMW has not recovered from an earlier decline. The only exception was for Black Box Swampy Woodland (BBSW) at Lindsay Island where there was evidence of some improvement in tree condition between 2008/09 and 2009/10. The apparent decline in tree condition at most BB communities at LMW between site establishment in March 2007 and the most recent sampling events in January/February 2010 indicates a trend away from achievement of the second ecological objective. Wetlands The site specific ecological objectives for Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla that relate directly to wetland vegetation are: Sustainable communities of wetland and terrestrial plant assemblages. Provide a diversity of structural aquatic habitats and increase diversity and abundance of wetland aquatic vegetation. Maintain and improve the populations of threatened flora that are flow dependent. Restore habitat and community diversity for permanent, semi-permanent and ephemeral wetlands. Re-instate the communities typical of these wetlands. In line with the objectives, pumped environmental water is helping to provide a 'diversity of structural aquatic habitats and increase the diversity and abundance of wetland aquatic vegetation‘, and 're-instate communities typical of ephemeral wetlands.‘ This conclusion is supported by the increased diversity of plant functional groups detected at the group of sites that has received water (which contained a variety of terrestrial, amphibious and aquatic plant species) compared to the group that did not (dominated by terrestrial species). Submerged and emergent aquatic habitats were present in and around some wetlands this year, which created a wider range of habitats for different plant functional groups to occupy. Some sites displayed a transition from terrestrial damp and dry species to amphibious and submerged species, associated with wetting, while others showed the opposite trend due to drying. These successional changes are typical of ephemeral wetland plant communities that experience natural cycles of wetting and drying in a hydrologically variable river system. Pumped environmental water also appears to be of assistance in ‗maintaining populations of threatened flora that are flow dependent.‘ A total of 143 plant species (125 native) were recorded during the 2010 survey. Twelve of those species are listed as rare or threatened in Victoria by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The majority of rare species were recorded at wetlands that had received environmental water in 2009. Floodplain Understorey The site specific ecological objectives for Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla that relate directly to floodplain understorey vegetation are: Sustainable communities of wetland and terrestrial plant assemblages. Provide a diversity of structural aquatic habitats and increase diversity and abundance of wetland aquatic vegetation. Maintain and improve the populations of threatened flora that are flow dependent. Restore habitat and community diversity for permanent, semi-permanent and ephemeral wetlands. Re-instate the communities typical of these wetlands. This year, nine threatened flora species were recorded at the floodplain sites sampled. Of the nine species, four were classified as 'terrestrial damp‘ species and require moist conditions maintained either by rainfall or flow. All four terrestrial damp rare species were recorded at the Often or Sometimes flooded levels at sites on Lindsay Island. These sites had either received environmental water, were adjacent to sites that had, or were sites sampled following good rainfall. While these rare species are not all strictly flow-dependent, pumped environmental water does appear to be aiding in meeting the objective of maintaining and improving the populations of threatened flora that are flow (or rainfall) dependent. Pumped environmental water at Site 2 on Lindsay Island is helping to provide a ‗diversity of structural aquatic habitats and increase the diversity and abundance of wetland aquatic vegetation.‘ This is evidenced by the presence of a diverse and abundant aquatic macrophyte community in both 2009 and 2010 at the Very Often inundation level. While pumped environmental water is clearly important for meeting the objectives at this specific site and providing benefit to the neighbouring Often inundation level, this watering is on a very small scale and more relevant to 'wetlands‘. There has been no recent large-scale inundation of floodplain communities at the LMW Icon Site and the overarching objective of sustainable communities of wetland and terrestrial plant assemblages is not being met in relation to floodplain communities. Works currently underway on Mulcra Island should enable inundation of the floodplain adjacent to the Potterwalkagee Creek but will have no influence on the Lindsay and Wallpolla floodplains. Of interest at the species level is the steady increase in abundance of Round-leaf Pigface (Disphyma crassifolium ssp. clavellatum) at Wallpolla Site 2 Rarely. This species is highly salt-tolerant (>16 ds/m, DPI 2008) and an increase in abundance could be indicative of an increase in site salinity. It is recommended that soil salinity testing be undertaken at the LMW Icon Site. Of concern are the appearances and/or increase in abundance of significant weed species. The highly invasive Parrots Feather (*Myriophyllum aquaticum) was recorded for the first time this year from a site at Lindsay Island. This site supports a diverse and abundant aquatic macrophyte community when inundated and the presence of the highly invasive Parrots Feather is of concern. Lippia (*Phyla canescens) was recorded at all three Islands and its abundance increased in 2010 at Lindsay Island Site 1. This species is highly invasive and is believed to be allelopathic, potentially suppressing the germination of River Red Gum trees. Lignum The site specific ecological objective for lignum at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla is: Improve condition and increase extent to sustain species assemblages and processes typical of lignum communities. Lignum Condition Index scores indicate a general decline in Lignum condition at LMW between 2006/07 and 2009/10. Some fluctuation in condition was observed over the monitoring period and is attributed to rainfall (e.g. spring 2009) and environmental watering (e.g. at Wallpolla Site 1). At present, there is no large-scale environmental watering of water-shed floodplain at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands and the delivery of environmental water to wetlands is likely to affect only a very small proportion of the Lignum community. The vast majority of the Lignum on the floodplain has not received flooding from overbank flows or environmental watering events over the last fours years, which accounts for the poor to moderate condition of Lignum in 2009/10. The reduced flood frequencies through river regulation and extraction upstream remain a significant threat in achieving the ecological objectives for Lignum at the Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands. Cumbungi The ecological objective developed for priority sites (Websters Lagoon and Horseshoe Lagoon) at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands that relates directly to Cumbungi is: Limit Cumbungi growth and promote greater macrophyte diversity. In the past year there has been an increase (at 8 of the 11 reaches surveyed) in the distribution of Cumbungi found in the Murray River channel and anabranches of the Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands. This continues an overall increase in the distribution of Cumbungi over the four years of the study. This trend is away from meeting the objective of ‗limiting Cumbungi growth'. The expanision of Cumbungi is attributed primarily to the altered flow regime caused by the construction and operation of locks and weirs along the Murray River that has provided ideal habitat for the rapid development, growth and expansion of Cumbungi. It could be reasoned that an increase in Cumbungi cover would also be a threat to the maintenance of macrophyte plant diversity. However, the dynamics of a change in Cumbungi upon the macrophyte plant diversity has not been specifically investigated as part of this study. Fish The ecological objectives pertaining to fish at Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla Islands are: Sustainable communities of River Murray channel, non-River Murray channel and generalist fish assemblages. Sustainable populations of Murray cod, Golden perch and catfish and restrict populations of common carp. Increase diversity and extent of distribution of native fish. The decline in abundance of Bony herring during 2008/09 and subsequent recovery in 2009/10 is indicative of a robust population, capable of rapid recovery from natural environmental perturbations. Silver perch were present at low (but stable) numbers between the 2006/07 and 2009/10 surveys. Evidence of recruitment to the young-of-year class was evident within the current monitoring year. This indicates maintenance of sustainable communities of large-bodied River Murray channel, non-River Murray channel and generalist fish assemblages. Large abundances and widespread distribution of Fly-specked hardyhead and Carp gudgeons was evident at all sites surveyed across LMW, exhibiting diverse size-classes indicative of sustainable populations. All other small-bodied fish species recorded, exhibited minor changes in either relative abundance or size-class distribution. Because of the short temporal span of the available data (three years) it is currently unclear if these changes reflect inter-annual variability or are indicative of potential change in community structure. It is therefore unclear if sustainable communities of small-bodied River Murray channel, non-River Murray channel and generalist fish assemblages are being maintained. In 2009/10, a considerable reduction was observed in overall relative abundance of Murray cod compared to previous years. This is a concern that has been raised by several authors that have considered the Mullaroo Creek Murray cod population to be ecologically important to the sustainability of Murray cod at the broader regional level. As such, the objective of maintaining sustainable populations of Murray cod at LMW is not currently being achieved. Murray cod declines have increased concurrently with observed increases in angling effort around Mullaroo Creek. The continuation of recreational angling in Mullaroo Creek warrants consideration as a key threat to the sustainability of the LMW Murray cod population. Length frequency distributions of Golden perch indicate that recruitment to the young-of-year (0+) and juvenile (>1+) age classes has occurred within the region in 2009/10 indicating an improvement in the status of the LMW Golden perch population. This indicates a trend towards achievement of the objective of maintaining sustainable populations Golden perch. Freshwater catfish were not collected during any of the surveys across LMW, suggesting that if this species is present, it occurs in very low numbers. It is not known if sustainable populations of freshwater catfish are being maintained at LMW. Common carp were present and relatively abundant at all reaches surveyed between 2006/07 and 2009/10. The presence of juveniles (<150 mm SL) in all survey years, combined with high relative abundances of individuals greater than the previously recorded size at maturity for males and females, indicate that the population within the Icon Site is robust. This indicates the objective of restricting populations of common carp is not currently being achieved. The influence (both positive and negative) of potential management actions on this population needs to be considered. Of concern is the ongoing presence of a strong population of Eastern gambusia. This introduced species is aggressive, and has been implicated in the decline of a number of native species throughout the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). Ongoing presence of this species could contribute to substantial change in the structure of the native fish community at the Icon Site.
MDFRC funding agency: Murray-Darling Basin Authority
MDFRC client: Department of Sustainability and Environment, VIC
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What is a cooperative gallery?
After three years under private ownership, Art Gallery 505 morphed into the Gallery 505 Artist Co-Op beginning in mid 2016. More than a dozen local artists stepped up to help keep the doors open.
If you are a local artist and are interested in joining our cooperative, please contact us at sales@artgallery505.com or come visit the gallery.
Our Gallery and Gift Shop offers a great selection of one-of-a-kind handmade items, most priced at under $100.
Meet our Co-Op members:
Jamie Cummings ~ metalwork
Marilyn Dove ~ painting
Eileen Eddleman ~ painting
Bob Espen ~ wood working
John Fish ~ painting
John Glasser ~ mixed media, glass
Thelma Hauge ~ painting
Eric Hayes ~ wood working
Curtis Johnson ~ painting
Margaret Kincaid ~ painting
Patty Misch ~ jewelry
Di Morgan ~ fiber arts
Jake Morgan ~ web design, photography
Mike Morgan ~ sculpture, photography
Cindy Samco ~ pottery
Linda Shepherd ~ photography
Janice Sutherlin ~ painting
Pauli Wolfe ~ painting, encaustic
Toledo's Art Gallery 505 Gives Local Artists a Chance to Shine
By Aaron Kunkler, The Centralia Chronicle
Tucked away in the resilient town of Toledo is a regional treasure, the Art Gallery 505 artist co-op, which is run by local artists, and showcases rotating displays featuring art from its members and others.
Located off Cowlitz Street, the humble storefront hides an interior rich with oil and pen drawings, weaved baskets and stained glass artwork.
Large paintings of birds hang from display racks, along with garments sporting signs urging patrons to try them on as bowls of varying sizes sit around the edges of the room on stands.
Mike Morgan and his wife, Di Morgan, opened the gallery around three years ago and worked it themselves until recently, deciding to switch to a co-op model.
“Now that we’ve got 13 of us, we can do it a lot better,” he said.
Read the full story here:
http://www.chronline.com/business/toledo-s-art-gallery-gives-local-artists-a-chance-to/article_2f400e6c-7b67-11e6-9205-1bf6b8e92550.html
‘Treknology:' Toledo Resident Publishes Book on the Science of Star Trek
Humanity Closing in on Futuristic Technologies, Astrophysicist Says
By Graham Perednia, The Centralia Chronicle
When Star Trek first premiered 51 years ago, the world was in the midst of the Cold War while violence from race riots and scenes from the Vietnam War were on the evening news every night. To some, it seemed humanity would not survive.
However, once a week on NBC, thousands of people would tune it to watch stories from a future where humanity survives and thrives in the 24th century.
“Star Trek was always a positive image of the future where people use technology to better humanity,” Toledo resident Ethan Siegel said.
Siegel, who earned a doctorate in theoretical astrophysics from the University of Florida, recently released his latest book, “Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive.” In it, he examines the technology of the series and humanity’s progress in developing it.
“I was taking a look back at what we thought the future would be in the 1960s,” he said at a book signing event on Thursday at the Art Gallery 505 in Toledo.
Read the full story here: http://www.chronline.com/news/treknology-toledo-resident-publishes-book-on-the-science-of-star/article_4ca4d302-c116-11e7-8312-973a80cac902.html
From Discover Lewis County:
The arts are thriving in the small town of Toledo, thanks in no small part to Art Gallery 505, which showcases a wide range of local artists' work.
The brainchild of longtime Toledo residents and artists Mike and Di Morgan, Art Gallery 505 sits right off the highway for which it is named, showcasing art on a variety of media to travelers far and wide.
Each month, there is a new show with a new theme, and artists from across the region display artworks such as photographs, mixed media, canvas and much more. To kick off each new month, Art Gallery 505 hosts a reception and opening the first Thursday of every month from 1 to 7 p.m.
Art Gallery 505 is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission, so stop in, say hello and check out all the gallery has to offer at 205 Cowlitz Street in Toledo.
http://discoverlewiscounty.com/culture/art-gallery-505
Follow us on Facebook and Google+ and share the news with your friends.
Gallery 505 is located at 205 Cowlitz Street in downtown Toledo, Washington, 98591.
Contact us at (360) 864-2789 or by e-mail at sales@artgallery505.com.
Powered by: Morgan Online Media LLC © 2020
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Ultimate Web Site of Doom
Writer Thomas Fleet attempts world domination through blog posts
Chapter One excerpt
Fantasy Subsumes!
THE WAR OF THE FIRST DAY – Read the first chapters!
Review of The Departed
I just saw the 2006 movie The Departed. Initial reaction: Wow, that was awesome!
But the more I think about it, the more I notice serious problems with the plot, as follows.
The setup: Boston. The cops and criminals are infiltrating each other:
• Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson) is the main bad guy, an absolutely cold-blooded killer and all-around psycho. To go undercover in his gang, the cops use…
• William Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio).
• Costigan’s police handlers are Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). For operational security, they’re the only two people in the world who know that Costigan’s an undercover cop.
• While the cops are infiltrating Costello’s gang, Costello’s gang is infiltrating the cops. Costello’s mole is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon).
Summarizing:
Bad guys: Costello, Sullivan.
Good guys: Mainly Costigan, with a side helping of Queenan and Dignam.
Now the plot problems:
1. Costello goes to a lot of trouble to find out if there’s a mole in his gang. This causes tension because he’ll kill Costigan if he learns Costigan’s the mole. But Costello is eventually revealed to be a protected FBI informant (I told you there would be spoilers!). Given that, why the hell does he care if there’s a rat in his gang? He’s untouchable!
2. Furthermore, if he’s a protected FBI informant, then why did he bother to place a mole in the local police? Again, he’s untouchable! Maybe Costello planted the mole in the cops before he became an informant, but if so, that should be mentioned.
3. Costigan assembles a record as a petty criminal as part of his undercover persona. He even spends time in prison. When he gets out, as part of the terms of his probation, has to talk to a psychiatrist on a regular basis. (Remember, no one in the world except Queenan and Dignam knows he’s an undercover cop. The rest of the justice system thinks he’s just another petty criminal.)
This psychiatrist turns out to be… Madolyn Madden, a woman whom Sullivan just happens to be dating. Oh, come on! What are the odds? Especially since she’s a police psychiatrist. Why would they assign a criminal to a police psychiatrist, of all the psychiatrists in Boston? There are all kinds of ethics and operational security issues there! Just imagine the potential for accidental leaks of police matters to criminals and whatnot! She’s exactly the last psychiatrist they’d assign to a criminal on probation.
By the way, a psychiatrist who’s basically named Mad Maddie? Are they trying to say something about her? There is something a little off about her. In particular, she seems to get a thrill from, or at least be excessively dependent on, lying.
4. When Queenan is killed by bad guys, Dignam is the only person in the world who knows that Costigan is an undercover cop. Later Dignam is removed from the situation because he slugs another cop. His punishment is two weeks’ disciplinary leave, and we’re supposed to believe this is a disaster for Costigan because now no active-duty cop knows who he really is. But big deal! All Costigan has to do is wait this out for two weeks.
Later it’s stated that Dignam “handed in his papers” and he may be on indefinite leave. It’s hard to tell. But this doesn’t make sense either. He’d tell some other cop(s) about Costigan; he wouldn’t just leave Costigan hanging.
5. Near the end, Costigan and Sullivan are talking in Sullivan’s office and Sullivan has to step out for a moment. Costigan notices a damning envelope on Sullivan’s desk, revealing that Sullivan is Costello’s mole inside the police. What happens next makes no fucking sense. Costigan sloppily replaces the envelope, so it’s obviously been handled, and leaves! WTF!? That’s basically a flashing red sign telling Sullivan that Costigan knows he’s a mole. Why the fuck would Costigan do that? The only living cop who knows Costigan was undercover is gone for a couple of weeks. And Sullivan, who Costigan now knows is a bad guy, has access to his police file and can erase it, thus rendering Costigan, as far as anyone knows, just another petty criminal. And Costigan knows all this! Why would he let Sullivan know that he knows Sullivan’s a bad guy? Especially since…
All Costigan has to do is wait until Dignam comes back from disciplinary leave. Then Costigan can rat out Sullivan to Dignam, they can arrest him, and there’s someone who knows that Costigan’s actually a cop. What Costigan does just doesn’t make any sense from his point of view. All he has to do is carefully replace the envelope, remain in the room until Sullivan comes back, and then keep acting normal.
And the consequences of tipping his hand turn out to be disastrous for him.
6. There’s no reason for Madolyn to be in the movie. She has no effect on anything. I suspect they wanted to have at least one major female character. But this compromises the tightness of the story.
7. This isn’t an internal inconsistency in the plot, but it’s unsatisfying: The only reason that Our Hero Costigan affects anything is that he accidentally and without realizing it reveals some important info to another character.
Here’s what happens: Costigan meets with Captain Queenan, one of his handlers, in a meeting that both the other cops (who think Costigan’s a criminal, remember) and Costello’s gang find out about. They all rush to the meeting location, and in the ensuing violent chaos Costigan escapes without being made by anyone, but Queenan is killed by Costello’s gang.
As a result of that, there is of course a murder case regarding Queenan, and Sullivan is sifting through the evidence when he finds some of Queenan’s notes about how Costello is an FBI informant. (By the way, why the fuck is Queenan trying to bring down Costello if he knows he’s a protected informant?) Sullivan is enraged and he kills Costello over this.
So the only effect that our hero has on the outcome is the accidental byproduct of a murder investigation accidentally turning up some evidence that makes Costello’s own guy kill him. WTF? That’s not satisfying! The main character should affect something important by intent, not just due to, as it were, accidentally bumping into furniture in the dark.
There’s a lot of tension while the movie is running, and a lot of fireworks and “Oh, shit!” moments, but the more you think about it after it’s over, the more you’re like, “This plot made… no… fucking… sense.” Warn the people! Warn the people!
The critics loved this movie, by the way, which tells you that they had the same reaction that I initially had, but didn’t take the time to think it over more carefully before they wrote their reviews. That’s the problem with writing on a deadline, I guess. BLOGGERS: Thinking the Deep Thoughts the mainstream media can’t!
This entry was posted in Reviews, Writing by admin. Bookmark the permalink.
Copyright 2011 – 2018 Thomas Fleet
Karen Phillips: Awesome book covers
Scott Lynch
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Residential Lighting Design
Restaurant Lighting Design
Office Lobby Lighting Design
Glass Chandeliers
Tag: studio glass
Glass Master of the Universe…
Recently while scrolling through my Facebook feed I came across a video of a young glassblower. This up-and-coming young man started in my shop quite a few yeears ago. And, having been absorbed in my own work, I was startled to see how much he has developed as an artist.
from Jake’s Treasure Series of Vases…
http://www.hotglassalley.com/glassware/glass-series/treasure-series/
https://www.artfulhome.com/artist/Jake-Pfeifer-Hot-Glass-Alley-LLC/8582
In about 2004 or 2005, a father began dropping in to the shop. He said he had a son who passionately wanted to learn to blow glass. And he said his son would do anything, sweep, tidy, pack, if he could just get a chance to be around glass. Mike (the father) told me his son didn’t care if he got paid, he was just on fire to learn about glass. Well, we weren’t hiring at that moment; but, Mike continued to drop by and get to know us all over at the shop. And then, one day, we had an opening and Jake Pfiefer was hired. I have never had an unpaid member of staff. I do believe that if a person is willing to work they should be paid for their efforts.
http://www.sweetheartgallery.com/products/hot-glass-alley-jake-pfeifer-shell-swedish-cerulean-blue-bowl-artistic-handblown-glass
For the next few years Jake worked hard in the cold-working shop processing and packing the glass we had made the day before. But, he always kept his eye on the hotshop. Eventually, Jake’s persistence paid off again and he began to work in the hotshop. First, he worked putting the little glass loops on each ornament or chandelier piece. This is the first rung on the ladder in the hotshop; it’s not a big step up, but it got him in the hotshop.
Over time, as with most employees who are ambitious, Jake moved on to bigger and better things. This doesn’t always happen, most people who start in glass give up somewhere along the way. For many reasons glass is a very difficult medium to master. The pitfalls can be enormous. The heat in summer alone is enough to bar the way for many people. The expense of working in glass is daunting, as is the ability to master technique and find proper instruction and training. But, as is true with so many things, there are always a few who rise to the top and achieve a level unimagined just a few years before. Sometimes they rise because of some innate ability, luck and opportunity certainly have something to do with it and sheer determination will often bring success. Sometimes, its a combination of all three.
http://www.hotglassalley.com/product/wedding-reticello-bowl/
It has been many years since Jake left us to continue on his path as a glass artist. I had never really stopped to imagine how far he would get. Over the years I’ve followed his progress though friends and social media but although I was glad to hear he was still at it and proud of what I knew of his progress it wasn’t until the other day that I got to see how far his work has progressed. Jake has assembled a body of work that utilizes many difficult and complex techniques that only work when done well. He has developed true command over the forms he creates and a great sense of color. Who knows, maybe he will be the next “Glass Master of the Universe” ?
http://www.artsbusinessinstitute.org/artists/artist-profile-jake-pfeifer/
(special thanks to all the staff who have worked with Belle Mead Hot Glass over the years, all success and never stop trying to be the next “Glass Master of the Universe”)
Here is that video of Jake, take a look!
Coming up next?
installations in Florida
Instllations in LA
Installations in Wisconsin
And, “how to train your dragon” or “maintaining a glass furnace!”
Packet Magazine
The author of this article visits Belle Mead Hot Glass's studio to learn what inspires Bob Kuster.
New Jersey Monthly
Learn about the origins of "The Seven Sisters" a large installation built for Acuity - a major insurance firm in Wisconsin.
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From ground sculpture, chandeliers or sconces, explore more works by Belle Mead Hot Glass.
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Learn the history of glass blowing, and experience more art of a Master glass blower.
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Tag Archives: gelatin
MasterChef 4 recap: Huitlacoche and Walmart (S4E13)
Posted on July 11, 2013 | 35 Comments
(PLEASE NOTE: This blog is not endorsed or approved by MasterChef or Fox and they would probably rather you not read it. Contained below are the opinions and maniacal ravings of an MC2 survivor and should not be treated as fact or as inside information.)
After a blessed 2 week break spanning the 4th of July, MasterChef is back. I have sliced down the time I can spend on MasterChef recaps, so I’m blogging while I watch the episodes for the first time, so they may read a bit differently, especially since I don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of this episode as I type these words.
We’re down to 11 contestants, and it’s time for a Mystery Box. A huge one. We know that Eva Longoria is inside from the previews and commercials, but if I was competing, I’d be hoping it was a full cow carcass, ready to be broken down. And I’d want the short ribs!
Lots of folks must be wondering…Eva Longoria? She’s an actress, what does she have to do with food? I thought the same thing until I saw her on a talk show last year promoting her new cookbook. Apparently she’s been in the restaurant business since 2008, when she opened Beso (Spanish for “kiss”) in Hollywood with noteworthy chef Todd English. (They have 3 stars out of 5 on Yelp.) Most of Todd’s restaurants are in the northeast, but he and Eva have partnered up for Beso in Hollywood, along with an additional Beso location in Vegas, which recently filed for bankruptcy and closed. It was replaced early this year by Eva’s new restaurant, SHe, in partnership with Landry’s, a mega-chain restaurant conglomerate which owns Rainforest Cafe, Morton’s Steakhouse, Saltgrass Steakhouse, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., among many others. SHe is a steakhouse that is female-friendly, and is done up in true Vegas excess. Fashion shows commence nightly for the enjoyment of the diners. The back of the menus have mirrors on them so women can easily put on lipstick without having to dip into their purse. The steaks can be ordered in different sizes more appropriate for a “female appetite,” so you can order HE-cuts, SHE-cuts, and WE-cuts for sharing. SHe has 3 and a half stars on Yelp, and the concept is interesting, but Vegas is a very fickle market. A restaurant has to be over-the-top to survive. (Just for reference, Gordon’s BurGR has 4 stars, his Steak has 4 stars, and his Pub and Grill has 3.)
Regardless…Eva knows a few things about food. And her celebrated family history of home-cooked Mexican cuisine means her “hand picked” mystery box is likely to include ingredients that are common south of the border. I’m jealous. We really only had 1 mystery box with ingredients that could easily be transformed into Mexican cuisine, which is one of my favorites in all the world. In fact, if I had to name my single favorite cuisine, I would HAVE to say Mexican. I mean, I was conceived and born in San Antonio…I had Mexican food in the womb almost daily. And while the robust and complex flavors of Thai are a very, very close second…I gotta give it up to Mexican as my favorite.
Inside the box is pork tenderloin, tiger prawns, avocado, mango, corn, Mexican chocolate (an ingredient I love…it’s a low-grade chocolate mixed with coarse sugar, milk powder, and cinnamon typically dissolved in hot water or milk to make hot chocolate, but I cook with it all the time, too), dried padilla chiles, and dried chiles de arboles, fresh jalapeno and Fresno chiles, hot sauce, tomatillos, cotija cheese (pronounced “coe-TEE-hah,” a dry, salty cheese with a flavor somewhat similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano…we’ve used it at FRANK in a Mexican-style polenta), crema de Mexicana (Mexican sour cream), onion, garlic, lime, and the most exciting ingredient of all…huitlacoche.
Pronounced “wheat-la-COACH-eh,” this ingredient is a fungus that infects corn while it’s growing and turns some corn kernels into distended, dark, globular masses called “corn smut.” In the US, when a corn field gets infected by corn smut, the farmer panics and burns everything down, and gets on his knees to pray that it doesn’t happen again next season. In Mexico, when a farmer notices corn smut, he gets on his knees and thanks the good Lord for his fortune, because he can sell this infected corn for 100 times the price. Huitlacoche is delectable and rare. The new culinary movement is to call it “Mexican corn truffles” to make it easier on the American tongue and more attractive than “corn smut.” I first tasted huitlacoche at a restaurant in rural Utah, of all places, Tarahumara. Click that link to read about my experience at that extraordinary restaurant and others in one of my favorite parts of my favorite state. Huitlacoche embodies all the flavor of corn, but with a mellow earthiness, vaguely reminiscent of truffles. (Note that the can of huitlacoche on the show is spelled “cuitlacoche” which is an acceptable alternate spelling, just like “chile padilla” has a more popular alternate spelling: “chile pasilla.” True pasilla chiles, dried chilaca peppers, are nearly impossible to find in the US, and virtually all chiles sold here labeled “pasilla” are actually dried poblano peppers, which should appropriately be called “chile ancho.” Nomenclature for Mexican chiles is a bewildering field which varies dramatically from region to region.)
WHAT a mystery box! I’d have loved to get this one. And I’d be making huitlacoche tamales, for sure…mash up the huitlacoche into a paste resembling masa, which is what tamales are traditionally made of, seasoned with some of the ground chile. I’d braise that pork tenderloin with the chiles, garlic, onion, and lime in the pressure cooker and use that for the tamal filling, wrap up the tamales in the fresh corn husks and steam them up, served with a salsa verde made from roasted tomatillos. If I had time, I might even do a sweet corn and huitlacoche tamal for dessert, drizzled with Mexican chocolate and topped with sweetened cinnamon crema de Mexicana. Oh MAN I’m drooling right now.
Eddie is doing a chile-rubbed pork tenderloin over creamed corn with cilantro verde sauce. Savannah, who grew up close to the border in San Diego and is very comfortable with the cuisine (which automatically makes me scared for her), is doing a crusted pork tenderloin which a chile sauce, along with elotes. If you’ve never had Mexican elotes, you haven’t lived. It’s becoming a much more popular street food around the country, so next time you see a cart with “elotes” on the side, stop by and just ask for everything. You can just say “todo, gracias.” It’s a corn on the cob with the kernels shaved off and mixed with crema de Mexicana and mayo, chili powder, lime juice, cotija cheese, and butter. It is DIVINE.
Fellow Texan James is doing roasted corn and shrimp ceviche with mango gastrique. (A gastrique, pronounced “gas-STREEK,” is a sauce made with caramelized sugar syrup and vinegar.) Bri is also doing elotes but with grilled corn, with cilantro butter poached shrimp with a last minute sear on the grill.
None of the dishes highlighted use huitlacoche and I’m REALLY upset about that. I’m not sure if no one used it, or if they simply didn’t feature the contestants that did.
The 3 dishes that get tasted are:
Bri! Her butter poached and grilled shrimp sit on top of an elote-inspired corn salad, topped with pico de gallo and a cream sauce. Gordon loves it and says it’s the best dish she’s put up in the competition. Eva loves her balance of flavor. The judges seem really shocked that a vegetarian would know how to cook shrimp, which is weird. But maybe not THAT weird, because most people don’t know how to cook shrimp. Shrimp should be BARELY cooked. Still a bit translucent in the center when you cut into them. Brining them for 15-30 minutes before cooking helps prevent overcooking, as does allowing them to come to room temperature before cooking, so they cook more evenly. Cooking them in the shell gives them more flavor and more protection from overcooking. Shrimp should always be delicate and tender when you bite into them. If they are chew or rubbery, they are overcooked. When working with pre-cooked shrimp, NEVER add them until the very end of cooking, and always off-heat. Let the residual heat of the dish warm the pre-cooked shrimp to serving temperature, as additional cooking will turn them to rubber. (Precooked shrimp are already overcooked, so you’ll always be serving an inferior product if you use them in any application.)
Eddie is next, with his chile-rubbed pork loin on roasted cream of corn with mango relish and a green sauce drizzled around the edge of the dish. (Not quite sure I like that sauce presentation for some reason, but I’m the last person to criticize anyone about presentation!) The judges are impressed, particularly Eva, who says his pork was cooked better than anyone else’s. (The judges browse the kitchen while the contestants are cooking, tasting as things are coming together. And when time is called, the contestants actually vacate the set for an hour while their dishes are filmed and photographed, and during that time, the judges sample just about everything on the contestants’ stations, so they already know what it tastes like before they taste it on camera…at which time it is hours old, cold, coagulated, and narsty!)
Savannah is the third choice, and her spice-crusted pork tenderloin perches on a bed of elotes, with a tomatillo avocado salsa. Her pork is quite pink in the middle, and on previous seasons, this would have gotten a contestant screamed at and possibly eliminated. (Though this is a perfectly acceptable way to cook pork in real life.) Eva is intrigued by her use of tomatillo in her guacamole, which I’ve never had before, but they pair well together, so why not? Eva also hesitates a little when she talks about how spicy the dish is…but, it’s good? Give me as much spice as you can cram into a Mexican dish, if my mouth ain’t burnin’ it ain’t Mexican food.
The winner is Bri! I’m super stoked for her. Bri is one of my favorites, not necessarily because they’re showing very much of her (they aren’t), but because I’m sort of intuiting that she and I are very similar based on our backgrounds in theatre. The producers aren’t editing in many moments that truly reveal character this season, so it has been VERY hard to truly connect with ANY of the contestants on screen. And I’m having to resort to fantasy to sort of create what I think each cook is like in real life…so my own personal version of Bri is a truly delightful person, thank you very much, and I’m very happy that she won this challenge.
The next challenge brings back Walmart’s bizarre sponsorship. I’ve talked enough about it, so I’ll just point out that Ramsay never actually says “Walmart” and leaves that to Graham and Joe. There are 2 baskets. One basket will get assigned to 1 contestant. And the remaining basket will go to all the others. Bri will not have to cook.
One basket contains strawberries, a banana, 3 eggs, whole milk, baking powder, butter, sugar, strawberry gelatin, and a lemon, which, theoretically, costs under $5 at Walmart. (Though that must be prorated, because a bag of flour at Walmart is $2, a bag of sugar is $2.50, a package of butter is $2.50, a quart of fresh strawberries is rarely less than $2…and we’re not through the box yet.) That basket comes with a time limit of 1 hour.
The other basket contains sweet potato, cauliflower, tomato, tri-colored mini bell peppers, collard greens, pistachios, cilantro, limes, and other ingredients that don’t get announced…along with one of Walmart’s legendary “choice premium” ribeye steaks. Remember…only 1 in 5 steaks is good enough to be called a Walmart steak! Graham reminds us that Walmart is certified by the USDA for quality. (Along with EVERY establishment in the entire country that processed or sells beef.) Ha ha ha… This basket supposedly costs $25 at Walmart…quite a pricey course for a single person cooking at home for themselves, since there’s only 1 steak there. And the time limit for that basket is 30 minutes.
Bri, who is now automatically in the top 10, assigns the 1 hour baking basket to the entire group, with the exception of Natasha, who is an accomplished baker, and who gets the 30 minute steak basket. Natasha also has the advantage of getting to wait 30 minutes to start cooking, so she can use that time to conceptualize what she wants to make and plan out each and every step. Joe says she’s not even thinking about her ingredients and is spending all her time glaring up at Bri, which is ludicrous. I guarantee you she’s brainstorming like crazy.
If you have this episode on your DVR, fast forward to the spot where Krissi is worried about her muffins not rising (to which she has added strawberry gelatin). You hear Bri saying, “Krissi is not my target, but if she goes home, that’s cool.” This is a PERFECT example of how a contestant’s words can get twisted into something they never actually said. Listen to the audio carefully. It is composed of 4 totally separate sound bytes stitched together. Bri says, “Krissi is not my target, but…” then they patch to a live interview segment where she says, “…if Krissi…” and then a VERY big change in the pitch of her voice when they edit in “…goes home…” and then another pitch change for “…that’s cool.” These four sound bytes could have been pulled from interviews ANYWHERE in the season and stitched together to make Bri sound catty at this particular moment. This happens ALL the time on reality TV, especially on MasterChef. (In your contract, you specifically permit them to twist your words this way, even if it causes public hatred of you.) There’s also another dubious sound byte when Gordon is hollering at Bri to call out the name of the person who isn’t going to make the top 10, and we get a shot of her in the balcony saying, “Ummmm…” and then the camera cuts away before the sound byte “…Krissi?” is edited in along with a shot of Krissi glancing up at the balcony. Could have come from anywhere.
Regarding Krissi’s use of strawberry gelatin to her cupcake batter… Food scientist Harold McGee would be able to tell us exactly what’s going on inside her cupcakes as they bake, and unfortunately, I don’t have a fraction of the knowledge he does. Gelatin is an animal byproduct…a heat conversion of collagen, which is the connective tissue that holds together muscles, connects them to bones, and holds bones together. Gelatin is used to set liquids and prevent ice creams and sorbets and mixed drinks from freezing solid. (I use gelatin more often in cocktails than any other application.) In a batter, I would imagine that gelatin would perform a similar function to gluten, the substance in flour that links together after flour is hydrated and holds in the gas released from the baking powder, causing the muffin to rise. In gluten-free baking recipes, substances like xanthan gum are used to replace gluten, and I did see some recipes on the internet that relied on gelatin as a substitute for xanthan gum. However, in the presence of gluten-rich flour, I’m not sure what the gelatin would do to the final product. Some home cooks online seem to think that it makes the batter “springier” and less likely to crack on top as the cake bakes. This would be an interesting thing to experiment with. Krissi has used it simply to add strawberry flavor and color to the cupcakes.
Time is called and it’s time for tasting.
Luca is first, and he’s worried that his cake is undercooked, but it turns out it’s cooked banana that looks like raw batter. His banana cake with strawberry glaze is “not bad for $5” according to Graham. The other judges give him a bit more praise.
Lynn comes down next, having just been dubbed “King of Plating” and “Mr. Finesse” by Gordon, and Lynn cringes because he’s not happy with his plating. He’s made pavlova (an Australian/New Zealand classic of baked meringue) topped with strawberries, a dark grey banana puree (maybe he didn’t get enough acid in there and it went dark as it sat for an hour or two before being tasted, which is technically not supposed to count against him) and crisp banana chips. Lynn is not happy and offers no excuse for the failure of the dish…a tribute to his integrity. Gordon dubs it the worst dish in 4 years of MasterChef. Not sure if that’s true, but he says it anyway. Joe scrapes the dish into the trash and hands the empty plate back to Lynn, saying it can be a memento of his MasterChef journey.
Savannah is next, with a banana cream pie and meringue on top. It looks pretty nice, but Graham says her pastry cream is undercooked (ie, floury), and her meringue is weeping. (Savannah immediately confessed to her meringue having “broken” when she set down the pie.)
Up next is Jessie, with a shortbread tart, caramelized banana, meringue, and caramel glass. It’s pretty impressive, and the only fault I can see is that the meringue was beaten a little bit beyond stiff peaks, so it didn’t go on smoothly and is more “chunky” in appearance (which means a slightly coarse texture.) Gordon is impressed, but does not discuss the meringue’s texture (or at least it doesn’t get edited in).
James is next, and he has crispy deep-fried banana, strawberry puree, macerated strawberries, and a thin custard. “Macerated” means something that is marinated in its own juices, so get your head out of the gutter! The custard is a little dark, it probably has banana in it, and not enough acid to keep the banana from oxidizing and turning brown. Joe says, “Calling that a custard would be a very, very generous description for what it is,” and isn’t impressed…though I will say that, except for the dark custard, the dessert looks pretty darn good.
Krissi‘s strawberry gelatin cupcakes are next, and she fesses up immediately about the unorthodox addition and says they’re “disgusting.” Joe says, “Of all the people, you’d have nailed a $5 bake sale,” and Gordon says they all expected her to be on top in this challenge. We get a clip of Natasha grinning from ear to ear after hearing this, but this is another one of those edits where she was actually laughing at a joke the judges made earlier, and it gets edited into this position to make her look mean.
Natasha brings her main course up to the judges. She has a pretty stunning sear on the ribeye, and sweet potato fries, which Gordon says is “difficult to nail.” He’s right. The high sugar content in sweet potatoes makes them darken considerably when frying, to the point where they can be downright ugly by the time they are cooked through. (The solution is to pre-cook them, either in boiling water, by steaming, in the microwave, or sous vide, then do a quick flash fry at a lower temp than regular potatoes, to crisp up the outside without causing too much caramelization.) She also has roasted cauliflower and 3 different dipping sauces. Her steak has a perfect rare cook on it, good girl! The judges are impressed.
Jessie is the winner, making this her 3rd bout as team leader, up against…no one, apparently, because there’s only going to be 1 team captain in the next group challenge. Weird.
The bottom 3 are James, Lynne, and Krissi…3 of the strongest competitors in the competition so far. Very strange. The axe falls to Lynn…a big shocker. Always first to be picked for team challenges. Plates that look like they came from a Michelin-starred kitchen. You can tell the judges are upset about this elimination, and his fellow competitors are stunned.
Lynn has been busy since MasterChef wrapped. He has dishes on the menu at Urban Solace, one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego. (The dishes are being featured at least through the 14th, so head over there quick!) Better yet, all the proceeds from the sale of his menu items go to Mama’s Kitchen, a food related charity that feeds those battling AIDS and cancer. (I LOVE seeing MasterChef contestants giving back!!!) He also helps produce The Sam Livecast, an online show with the famous Sam the Cooking Guy, and they just produced their 300th episode! Lynn has some VERY serious talent, and I fully expect to see a prominent and successful career in food for his future. Follow Lynn Chyi on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to send him a message of support! Also, check out his impressive website, and if you’re looking for an expert photographer or web designer, he may be your guy.
Please share your thoughts on this episode below!
Tagged Bri, Chyi, cupcakes, elimination, Eva Longoria, gelatin, Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Ramsey, Krissi, Lynn, Master Chef, MasterChef, Mexican, mystery box, Natasha, pavlova, pork tenderloin, shrimp, sweet potato fries, Walmart, who got eliminated
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