Canine heroes of 9/11 set example for new generation

Annapolis: While there were hundreds of human heroes in the days following the September 11 attacks, there were four-legged heroes too -- the dogs who searched for survivors and bodies in the rubble of buildings and planes.
A decade later, the 9/11 dogs still alive are long retired, but there's a new generation coming up behind them.
Red, a 12 year-old labrador who searched the rubble of the Pentagon with her handler, is among those retired as an active search dog. Her legs are not as spry as they once were but in her temperament Red still appears to have that same devotion to the search.

Not long after American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, Red was at work. She was 18 months old and only recently certified as a rescue dog, a rookie among more veteran canines.
Red searched the debris pile with an energy that surprised even her handler, Heather Roche.
"I never thought she would be a successful search dog and actually at six months old I found a pet home for her and had found another dog. I thought ... her personality is not what is needed for a working dog," Roche told Reuters TV.
"And then, no matter what I asked her to do -- whether it was climbing up things, going somewhere (as) I stayed far away, ladders, you name it -- she did it every single time and she did it perfectly," Roche said.
For weeks, Red navigated the hazards of the rubble piles amid the clatter and chaos following 9/11. After Red discovered dozens of bodies, Roche was sure that, among the rescue dogs working the pile, hers was one of the greats, though the dogs generally were impressive.
"They worked so hard and it was so hot and we were on a daytime shift, so it melted all of us. Just the work basically -- 12 hour shifts out in the sun."
By the time we were done every day, they slept hard ... but they were willing the next morning. They were rejuvenated and pulling on the leash to go back to work," Roche said.
Ten years on, Roche, who keeps Red with her in Annapolis, Maryland, is still deep in the tight community of canine search and rescue. She and other handlers train their dogs in a simulated disaster environment such as one in suburban Washington with an obstacle course of a fabricated rubble site made of concrete blocks and wooden pallets.
Roche says the experience of 9/11 has demonstrated the importance of training dogs in these hazardous environments.
In her retirement, Red still tags along on some search missions. She wants to work, even if her body has lost a step or two in these past 10 years.
And, just as the human first responders continue to suffer ailments attributed to their work at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the handlers of estimated 300 canine search and rescue teams know the dogs who worked in the days and weeks following September 11, 2001 also gave up a part of themselves.
"With her, you know she's earned the right to do anything she wants," Roche said.

Scarface Returns to the Big Screen for One Night Event!

Scarface comes back to the big screen August 31

Blasting onto the silver screen with the intensity of its original release nearly 30 years ago, the pop culture phenomenon Scarface, starring Al Pacino and directed by Brian De Palma, returns to movie theaters in a one-night Fathom event on Wednesday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Presented by NCM Fathom and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, audiences nationwide will get the opportunity to experience one of the most influential gangster classics ever made like never before - with all-new restored high-definition picture and enhanced audio. Fans who attend this special event will also get an exclusive look at a 20-minute special feature that showcases interviews with popular filmmakers and talent expressing how this epic feature redefined the gangster genre, leaving an enduring influence on cinema.



Tickets for the Scarface Special Event () are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the NCM Fathom website (theaters and participants are subject to change). The Scarface Special Event will appear in more than 475 select movie theaters across the country via the new digital cinema projection systems.



"Almost 30 years after its initial release, Scarface remains iconic and stirs passionate responses from audiences around the world," said Daniel Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. "Now, fans can experience Scarface like never before in theaters with spectacularly updated visual and sound quality, and never-before-seen elements in an historic, one-night event."


Scarface is a 1983 American crime drama and masterful collaboration between acclaimed director Brian DePalma and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone. Produced by Martin Bregman, Academy Award® winner Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams...at a price he never imagined. Scarface was nominated for three Golden Globe® Awards (including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score), and was named one of the Top 10 Gangster Films of All Time by the American Film Institute. 



This one-night, in-theater event celebrates the first-ever Blu-ray release of Scarface on September 6 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Fans of Scarface will enjoy the restored high-definition picture and 7.1 audio plus see exclusive new bonus content that reveals the film's iconic legacy as one of the greatest crime sagas of all time. For a limited time only, the Scarface Special Limited Edition Blu-ray comes with collectible SteelBook packaging, 10 exclusive art cards, a digital copy of the film and a DVD of the original 1932 Scarface, making it a must-own addition to every film fan's library. And, for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast, an elegantly handcrafted Scarface-themed Humidor Blu-ray will also be made available in an exclusive, never-before-available, limited edition.

Scarface was released December 9th, 1983 and stars Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, F. Murray Abraham, Paul Shenar. The film is directed by Brian De Palma.

Giant hogweed has arrived, city and weed expert confirm

hogweed A stand of giant hogweed near Waterloo. The noxious and prolific weed has been found in Guelph. 

 

 

 

GUELPH — Giant hogweed is here.
City staff recently confirmed the noxious plant was found in the front yard of a residence on Dufferin Street in downtown Guelph.
Jessica McEachern, a biologist by training who has conducted plant identification in the past, inspected the weed with Randy Drury, Guelph’s civic weed inspector.
“Both of us, when we saw the plant, knew what we were looking at,” said McEachern, a City of Guelph environmental planner.
François Tardif, an expert in weed science at the University of Guelph, has confirmed two cases within the city limits: the plant at the Dufferin Street address and another stand in nearby Highview Park, where it overflows into a private backyard.
But others are not so certain the Dufferin Street plant is bona fide hogweed.
The resident at the home in question, reportedly an ecologist who has mapped and inventoried hogweed in the past, insists the plant is cow parsnip, and refuses to remove it, McEachern said.
“I believe there was a difference of opinion about what was being observed,” McEachern said. “I don’t think there was any intention of removing it.”
Nigel Finney, a natural heritage ecologist with Conservation Halton who also saw the Dufferin Street plant, said he is “almost certain” it is hogweed.
But whether it’s hogweed or cow parsnip, “they both cause photosensitivity in some people and should be removed,” he said.
Even Tardif said he was only 95 per cent sure. “I may be wrong. Scientists are never 100 per cent sure,” he wrote in an email.
McEachern said she recognized the plant by its height and the purple pubescents on its stalk.
“I mean, no one’s broken the plant to see if it causes photodermititis,” she said. “All I can really say is that both myself and Randy felt very confident with what we were looking at.”
While the city is responsible for destroying hazardous plants found on public property, homeowners have historically been expected to handle plants in their private backyards and gardens.
As public awareness and fear of the plant grows, many residents have mistaken similar plants in the parsley family, such as cow parsnip and wild carrot, for giant hogweed.
Heracleum mantegazzianum, better known as giant hogweed, was carried from Asia to Canada in the mid-1900s and has been spreading throughout southern Ontario in the past decade.
It contains a phototoxic sap that can burn skin, permanently damage the eye or, in extremely rare cases, lead to asphyxiation. A prolific breeder, a single hogweed flower produces thousands of seeds that travel by wind, water or wildlife to adjacent lands.
Asked if the plant is likely to burgeon in Guelph, McEachern said, “It seems to be the general trend in all other locations where it’s been identified. So without proper disposal, I suppose it is a risk.”
The proximity of Dufferin Street to local waterways might be cause for extra concern, Finney said, since the plant could put the floodplain area around the Eramosa and Speed Rivers at risk.
McEachern said the city is “starting to get the ball rolling” on a public education campaign about the weed. “We’re definitely starting to do that now, as we speak,” she said.
Attempts to reach the owner of the house on Dufferin Street were unsuccessful.

Team Fortress 2 'Uber Update' gets more details

Valve says the so-called 'Uber update' will be "the biggest, most ambitious update in the history of Team Fortress 2."

'Timbuck Tuesday' reveals two more new character models following on from day one, this time The Sniper and The Demoman get a going over. Each comes with new weapons and accessories to increase their effectiveness in the field.

The Sniper gets a new rifle and a sword called 'The Shahanshah', while Demoman gets a shield, a sword and 'Ali Baba's Wee Booties' which provide a health boost when worn.

Team Fortress 2 is also free to play this week. Check out all the Timbuk Tuesday details in the screen grabs below.

[ Source: Team Fortress 2 website ]

Top 5 Summer Diets of 2011

Everyone is tired of dieting without getting the results, but fear not, we've found some powerful diets that'll get you in beach-ready shape in no time.
Jenny Craig - With the help of you Jenny Craig personal consultant you will achieve that summer body you have always wanted.  For those of you who are on lower budgets this diet may not be for you since the cost of the program starts at about $600 per month.  The consultant customizes a meal program which includes three packaged meals and one snack per day.  You are allowed to add your own fruits and vegetables after they are approved by your consultant.  So what are you waiting for call Jenny today!

Weight Watchers Diet - Weight Watchers has been helping us slim down since the 1960s. This diet program defines each food you consume as points, and depending on your goal weight you are allowed only a certain amount of points per day.  The program really focuses on portion size and how to forever moderate one's food intake.  Weight Watchers weight-loss support groups, which are both online and in person, help you make this adjustment that can totally change the way you eat. Hey, it is nice to have long lasting results.
17 Day Diet - summer is here and for some it's getting down to the wire to shed those extra pounds before putting on that swimsuit.  Dr. Michael Moreno has discovered a way for us to start shedding the pounds in as little as 17 days as well as speed up the metabolism.  This diet has three cycles and a fourth long-term maintenance cycle. The 17 Day Diet encourages a diet of beneficial eating, without the use of sugar, processed foods, fried foods, and other unhealthy foods.  This new diet has become a phenomenon across America!

Zone Diet - this low calorie diet helps change your metabolism and prevent certain health problems.  When you are on the zone diet you attain in 30 percent calories of your daily intake from protein, 40 percent calories from carbohydrates, and 30 percent calories from fat.  There are many books on the zone diet which tell you what specific foods to eat and stay away from.
Ornish Diet - The diet is definitely for those of you who are going hardcore in the race to stay healthy and lean.  The Ornish diet plan, discovered by M.D. Dean Ornish, is a very low-fat, high fiber, vegetarian diet.  Therefore, the diet eliminates meat, fish, and poultry. Only less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake will come from fat.  With this diet and exercise, you will be on your way to that beach body in no time.

'Green Lantern's Ring' Shines in NASA Space Photo

This glowing emerald nebula seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is reminiscent of the glowing ring wielded by the superhero Green Lantern.

CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech     

A glowing ring spotted in space seems at first more like superhero fiction than science fact. But that's what NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found in the murky clouds encircled by the tail of the constellation Scorpius.

The new photo of the bright emerald nebula, released Wednesday (June 15), is reminiscent of the glowing ring wielded by the comic book superhero Green Lantern, who derives his strength from the band forged by the diminutive Guardians of the Planet "Oa," according to a NASA description. The film version of "Green Lantern", starring Ryan Reynolds as iconic hero Hal Jordan, on Friday (June 17). [See NASA's photo of a 'Green Lantern' nebula]

In reality, the cosmic ring is a region of hot gas and glowing dust sculpted by the powerful light of giant "O" stars, which are the most massive type of star known to exist.

'Green Lantern' Stars: Don't Try Superhero Fashion At Home!

At the movie's Hollywood premiere, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and others weigh in on when it's cool to wear spandex.

HOLLYWOOD, California — No matter how different the characters, costumes and mythology, there are a lot of similarities among comic book superheroes, especially those of the big-screen variety. The latest entry into the comic book movie annals is this week's "Green Lantern," in which star Ryan Reynolds sports a fashion commonly associated with superhero types: spandex.

Well, his co-star Blake Lively insists the Green Lantern isn't wearing a suit of spandex, but rather a suit of "energy." Still, given the fact that these characters seem so comfortable sporting outfits of the stretchy, pliant variety, we asked the stars and attendees at Wednesday's "Green Lantern" premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre when they think it's cool for dudes to wear spandex — outside the superhero realm, of course.
"Ooh wow, that's good," Ryan Reynolds said of our query. "Ballet. Definitely ballet. That's in the top five at least."
Mark Strong, who plays the soon-to-be-evil Siestro, suggested that the appropriate time is "on a bicycle. And that's about it."
"I wear spandex every day," revealed NBA All-Star Blake Griffin. "So I'd say 24/7. I have red, white, blue, green, orange, purple, navy, pink," he joked, before correcting himself. "I just wear white and black under my basketball shorts. I don't really go that far."
Reynolds had a definite idea of when not to wear the fabric: "I don't think when it's sexy time. That's probably not a good idea."
Maybe it depends on what color you wear for said sexy time?
"[Maybe] lavender, with little gold flecks?" Reynolds allowed, with a smile.
"If people could walk around in suits of energy, that would be cool," Blake Lively said, taking our question seriously. "Other than that, I don't think men should wear spandex."
Check out everything we've got on "Green Lantern."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.