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Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Thor: The Dark World: Film Review
Nobody gives good sneer like Tom Hiddleston, back once again in the pleather leggings and goat-horned helmet to play bad guy Loki in Thor: The Dark World and pretty much steal the whole show. Amiable hunk Chris Hemsworth may play the title character in this subset of Marvel's meta-Avengers franchise, but this well-intentioned "witless oaf," as his evil foster brother describes him at one point, is practically a guest at his own party here, as scads of new characters and millions of dollars worth of CGI crowd the screen. Most of it pales into insignificance when Loki takes the stage, which isn't often enough given how wildly uneven the sections without him are. Although director Alan Taylor manages to get things going properly for the final battle in London, the long stretches before that on Asgard and the other branches of Yggdrasil are a drag, like filler episodes of Game of Thrones but without the narrative complexity, mythical heft or all-pervading sexiness.
PHOTOS: Exclusive Portraits of Chris Hemsworth
In a year when so many box-office sure bets, especially sequels, have been a bust, it's harder than usual to predict how well Thor: The Dark World will do. Tracking numbers are predicting an opening weekend somewhere in the $75 million stratosphere. Meh word of mouth could diminish returns over the subsequent weeks, but who knows. There are a lot of die-hard fans out there, especially for the Marvel-verse, but then again they can also be a very discerning and exacting audience.
The opening sequence provides backstory on the Dark Elves, sharp-beaked, pointy-eared meanies from Alfheim who date back to before the beginning of time and claim a black, gaseous substance called Aether as their all-powerful weapon of mass destruction. They're seen being vanquished (but, of course, not quite) by Thor's grandfather. Thereafter, the story basically picks up where The Avengers left off, with Loki in manacles back on Thor's home planet -- or "realm," they call it -- Asgard, after trying to take over our world and trashing New York in the process. His glass-walled, whited-out cell in the dungeon bears a striking resemblance to similar baddie-holding pens in films past, from the X-Men franchise to Skyfall; there he reads books and has heart-to-black-heart chats with his adopted mother, Frigga (Rene Russo, finally getting more to do in this installment than just standing around smiling).
In uppity other realms, Thor has been putting down insurgents alongside his warrior buddies -- the Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and the "Warriors Three," Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Fandral (Zachary Levi, stepping in for Josh Dallas) -- and preparing to take over from dad Odin (Anthony Hopkins) as king. Since the Bifrost bridge that connects Asgard to Earth was destroyed two films back, Thor has no means to travel to our world to see Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), the fetching lady scientist he became smitten with in the first movie but barely mentioned in The Avengers.
Luckily, omnipotent bridge-keeper Heimdall (Idris Elba) can see she's basically fine, albeit mightily annoyed with Thor for not staying in touch. Based in London now, she's trying to heal her wounded pride by having a blind date with nice but decidedly non-godly Richard (Chris O'Dowd, criminally underused). She dumps him unceremoniously as soon as her intern Darcy (Kat Dennings), who now has her own intern (Jonathan Howard), interrupts their meal with evidence of a space-fabric disturbance that seems familiar. While investigating the weird phenomenon, Darcy is sucked into another realm and infected with Aether, which sometimes give her scary white-free eyes, evoking happy memories of Black Swan.
PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of 'Thor'
It turns out that The Convergence, the incredibly rare astronomical alignment of all nine realms, is beginning, hence the possibility of Bifrost-free travel between Earth and Asgard. Thor comes to collect Jane, gets slapped a few times for not calling her, and they commute back to Asgard to see its intricate landscape of cavernous assembly halls and gleaming golden towers, fashioned in the forge of many a mainframe, all impressively conceived and executed by production designer Charles Wood and visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison. That said, some of the more barren landscapes look decidedly less convincing with their papier-mache boulders and screen-like backdrops when Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), the leader of the surviving Dark Elves and his crew, come to try and collect their Aether.
The middle section is mostly a muddle, with endless cross-cutting between the Dark Elves plotting, attacking and then retreating to plot some more, earthlings Darcy and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) worrying, and the Asgardians bickering over what they should do. The latter finally decide -- despite manifest evidence provided by two previous films that it would be a very bad idea -- to release Loki from jail so that he can fight on their side. Once Loki is back in play, magisterially sneering and loftily dispensing one-liners, the whole thing perks up again. Until, that is, he's off the scene again for reasons which can't be revealed.
The final showdown in Greenwich, London, squares off the Dark Elves and their unleashed Aether against the Asgardians and humans, managing in the process to grind most of Sir Christopher Wren's exquisite 17th century Royal Naval College buildings into a fine, powdery digitally rendered pixel dust. It's here, in this stretch, that the film finally gets its mojo back, finding the requisite balance between bombast and wise-cracks that made the first Thor work in its finest moments. Admittedly, nothing Loki-unrelated in Thor: The Dark World quite matches the hilarity of the scene in the first film where Thor strides into a pet shop and demands a horse, but the finale pleasingly gives the hardworking supports a chance to josh around, the stereoscopy comes into its own, and the editing, credited to Dan Lebental and Wyatt Smith, finds its groove. What a shame the script up until this point is too often so ramshackle and plodding, like the writers were finishing off the dialogue in between catering breaks.
With a project so firmly supervised by its studio, it's hard to tell how much director Alan Taylor should be credited or blamed for the finished result. The Dark World is certainly a far cry from the jaunty little indie crime caper Palookaville (1995) he started his career with. Since then, he's directed some great episodes on some of the very best TV series, including The Sopranos, Mad Men, and, most germane of all in this context, Game of Thrones, on which he also serves as a co-executive producer. Perhaps it's unfair to compare Thrones with The Dark World given the former has so much more scope to build its world over hours of programming, but for all the budget spent on lavish visual effects in The Dark World nothing in it quite compares to the White Walkers marching relentlessly through the snowy Northern wastes at the end of the Taylor-directed episode "Valar Morghulis."
Viewers are advised to not make for the exit as soon as the end credits start rolling and stick it out until the very end if they want to see a postscript that reveals a character who may prove central to the next film. Indeed, the end credits have two Easter-egg scenes, in keeping with the trickle of in-jokes aimed at Marvel aficionados that provides a flash-quick cameo for one of Thor's superhero companions from The Avengers.
Production: Marvel Studios
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings
Director: Alan Taylor
Screenwriter: Christopher L. Yost, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, based on a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat
Producers: Kevin Feige
Executive producers: Nigel Gostelow, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle, Alan Fine, Louis D'Esposito
Director of photography: Kramer Morgenthau
Production designer: Charles Wood
Costume designer: Wendy Partridge
Editors: Dan Lebental, Wyatt Smith
Music: Brian Taylor
Not yet rated, 112 minutes
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Airblaster's Gone Wild: Montana Part 1
Posted by: Evan Litsios / added: 10.22.2013 / Back to What Up
The Airblaster crew put together this Gone Wild video series to show how they get down on their snowboards. This installment takes the gang to Lost Trail Resort in Montana, where Tucker Andrews, Ben Lynch, and Tyler Carlton rip the terrain with percision and gusto. Get with the program and have some fun!
Airblaster: Gone Wild - Montana Part 1 from METHOD on Vimeo.
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Study: Flavored small cigars are popular with kids
ATLANTA (AP) — Small cigars flavored to taste like candy or fruit are popular among teens, according to the first government study to gauge their use.
About 1 in 30 middle and high school kids said they smoke the compact, sweet-flavored cigars. The percentages rise as kids get older, to nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The results — based on a 2011 survey of nearly 19,000 students, grades 6 through 12 — were published online Tuesday by the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Since 2009, the government has banned cigarettes with candy, fruit and clove flavoring, though it continued to allow menthol flavoring. There is no restriction on sales of cigars with such flavorings except in Maine, New York City and Providence, R.I.
The sale of cigarettes and cigars to those under 18 is illegal, but according to an earlier CDC report, about 16 percent of high school students were smokers in 2011.
Health officials say sweet flavoring can mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make smoking more palatable.
"The so-called small cigars look like cigarettes, addict as much as cigarettes and they kill like cigarettes," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.
Tobacco companies have said they oppose smoking by those under age 18. But the marketing of flavored cigars suggests companies are trying to interest kids in smoking, Frieden and others said.
"The tobacco industry has a long history of using flavored products to attract kids," said Danny McGoldrick, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.
Sales of regular and flavored cigars have boomed in the last 12 years, from 6 billion to more than 13 billion annually, according to calculations by his group.
The CDC survey also asked about menthol-flavored cigarettes. When those were included, more than 40 percent of kids who were current smokers in the survey said they were using flavored cigars or cigarettes.
- Health
- Addiction & Substance Abuse
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Nokia's Refocus Lens camera app promises infinite depth of field control
Nokia's just announced a new camera app called Refocus Lens at Nokia World that brings a Lytro-like variable depth of field to Lumia cameras. Likely to be the fruits of that Scalado purchase from a while back, it'll let you change the focus of a snapshot using "clever algorithms" while adding ...Tags: Ink Master jimmy kimmel Sons Of Anarchy Season 6 lamar odom Beyonce Haircut
Jersey Shore's Pauly D Has A Daughter! Surprise Love Child Revealed!!
Congrats!! Fatherhood is so special!!
We've just learned that 33 year old Pauly D has a daughter playing blocks around the Jersey Shore — and she's only a few months old! Aww!!
The mother, now 26, began hooking up with the MTV star when he was DJing in Vegas last year.
Though she's filed court documents to formally establish paternity as the daughter lives with her, Pauly's DNA test already proves he's the father. And he couldn't be happier about it, saying:
"I'm proud I'm a father. I am excited to embark on this new part of my life."
So wonderful!!
Congratz again, boo!! We hope everything works out peacefully and happily!!
[Image via WENN.]
Tags: baby, baby blabber, daughter, father, jersey shore, pauly d
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Whitney Houston Gets Wax Treatment in London
Her untimely death is still fresh in the air, and Whitney Houston was immortalized in wax thanks to Madame Tussauds.
The “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” songstress’ likeness was unveiled in London on Monday (October 21), and a choir of 30 gospel singers also showed up to provide a proper welcome.
Madame Tussauds’ Nicole Fenner told press, “We are very excited to be welcoming Whitney Houston on to our London music stage for the next eight weeks. This is a very special figure as it was created after Whitney’s very sad and untimely death with the close co-operation of her family, who were delighted by the results.”
Colin Vassell of the London Gospel Factory Choir added, “Whitney Houston is one of the most talented singers of her – or any – generation and we were delighted to welcome her wax figure to London. She is a personal hero of mine so to get to stand alongside her and sing was a slightly surreal but awesome experience. We chose a song she performed in the film ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ because it is so uplifting and great fun to perform. We hope we did her justice.”
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/whitney-houston/whitney-houston-gets-wax-treatment-london-946791
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House building picks up across Britain, but not fast enough - RICS
LONDON (Reuters) - House building in Britain is making its strongest recovery in more than 15 years, but supply is still failing to keep pace with demand, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
In the third quarter of this year, a net balance of 41 percent of surveyors reported a rise in privately-funded housing projects. That was up from 31 percent in the second quarter and the highest since the survey began in 1998.
The government is likely to seize on the survey as evidence that its controversial "Help to Buy" mortgage subsidies are boosting supply, and not just prices. But the industry body reckons the sector is merely recovering from a low base and still playing catch-up with the growth in household formation.
"While it's certainly good news that construction - and especially house building - is finally on the rise right across the UK, we are certainly not out of the woods yet," said the institution's chief economist, Simon Rubinsohn.
"Critically, we're still way behind in terms of building enough homes to meet the nation's growing housing need and overall construction projects are at a historical low."
The construction industry was the part of the economy worst hit by the financial crisis, and housing completions are still running more than 40 percent below their early 2007 peak.
Britain has strict planning regulations and homebuilders have blamed a scarcity of land for development as the main obstacle to new building work.
The survey published on Tuesday also showed skill shortages and difficulties in sourcing building materials, highlighting the industry's relatively slow response to demand.
A shortage of affordable housing has become a major political issue at a time when house prices are rising twice as fast as inflation. Property prices in London are rising even faster, at an annual rate of more than 10 percent, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The opposition Labour party has pledged to double the current rate of house building to more than 200,000 a year. Economists believe the annual rate of household formation is between 220,000 and 240,000.
(Reporting by Christina Fincher; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-building-picks-across-britain-not-fast-enough-230517392--sector.htmlCategory: Miss World 2013 Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball Electric Zoo will smith tesla model s
Suicide Bomber Strikes Russian Bus, Killing 6
MOSCOW (AP) — A female suicide bomber blew herself up on a city bus in southern Russia on Monday, killing six people and injuring about 30, officials said. The attack in Volgograd added to security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The suspected bomber was from the North Caucasus, a region in southern Russia where an Islamic insurgency has been simmering for more than a decade following two separatist wars in Chechnya. A local official said the suspected attacker was married to an Islamic militant.
Volgograd lies 650 kilometers (400 miles) to the northeast of the North Caucasus, while Sochi sits to the west along the Black Sea.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide bombing, but it was the first outside the North Caucasus since Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov three months ago called for a resumption of attacks on civilians and urged militants to target the Sochi Games, which are to be held in February.
Russia in past years has seen a series of terror attacks on buses, airplanes and other forms of transportation, some of them carried out by suicide bombers. The last suicide attack on a bus was in 2008.
Twin bombings on the Moscow subway in March 2010 carried out by female suicide bombers killed 40 people and wounded more than 120. In January 2011, a male suicide bomber struck Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, killing 37 people and injuring more than 180.
Umarov, who had claimed responsibility for the 2010 and 2011 bombings, ordered a halt to attacks on civilian targets because of the mass street protests against President Vladimir Putin in the winter of 2011-12. He reversed that order in July.
The suspected bomber was from Dagestan, one of the predominantly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus, said Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Investigative Committee, Russia's main investigative agency.
In a statement, he identified the suspect as 30-year-old Naida Asiyalova. Russian state television showed pictures of Asiyalova's passport.
In Dagestan, the center of the insurgency, bombings and shootings occur almost daily. Most of them target law enforcement officers, not civilians. The Tsarnaev brothers, accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings, have roots in Dagestan and Chechnya.
Rasul Temirbekov, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee's branch in Dagestan, said the suspected bomber was married to an ethnic Russian, Dmitry Sokolov, whom she had met while both were university students in Moscow.
She encouraged him to become a rebel, and he quickly gained a reputation as an expert in explosives, Temirbekov said. Sokolov, whose nom de guerre is Abdul Jabbar, has been on the run.
Temirbekov said that the suspected suicide bomber had a fatal bone illness.
Video broadcast on state Rossiya television showed that Monday's explosion occurred as the bus was moving in the far right lane of a divided six-lane road. The video, taken from a vehicle traveling behind the bus, showed a burst of flame and gray smoke. Fragments of what appeared to be window frames and other parts of the bus were left scattered across the road.
When the bus came to a stop, the video showed many passengers jumping out.
Markin said seven people died, including the suicide bomber, and 33 asked for medical assistance, 28 of whom were hospitalized. Emergency officials said about 40 people were on the bus.
The local government on Monday placed security forces in the Volgograd region on high alert for 15 days.
___
AP writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Arsen Mollayev in Makhachkala contributed to this report.
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Watch: Britney Spears Talks About Her Album ‘Britney Jean’ To ‘The Showbiz 411′
Another Fun Interview from the UK
Our dear Britney Spears was bizzy as heck when she was in London last week and even tho she’s been back home in the US for a few days now, the interviews she participated in while she was in the UK are still coming to light. The embed above features an interview that Britney gave to The Showbiz 411 and even tho she may be a tiny bit awkward, it seems to me that she is warming up and getting back into the swing of doing these sit down chats. She looks great, she sounds cute and it gives me hope that she will get better and better as new promo opportunities present themselves as her Britney Jean album nears release and her Las Vegas residency Piece of Me gets closer. Wee!
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Monday, October 21, 2013
Samsung's Protection Plus trademark hints at new take on extended warranties
Samsung already has extended warranties, but you'd be forgiven if you didn't notice them -- they're not exactly well-advertised. That may soon change, as the company has quietly filed for a catchier "Samsung Protection Plus" trademark in the US. There's little to reveal what would come with ...Category: Bosses Day Captain Phillips Prisoners Amanda Rosenberg justin timberlake
Roma couple say mother gave up mystery girl to them in Greece
By Karolina Tagaris
LARISSA, Greece (Reuters) - A Roma couple accused of abducting a mystery four-year-old girl dubbed the "blonde angel" by Greek media told a court on Monday that her biological mother willingly gave her to them as a baby because she could not look after her.
The discovery of the girl, known as Maria, has riveted Greece and prompted thousands of calls with leads from across the world as authorities try to track down her real parents, as DNA tests have shown she was not born to the Romas.
The case has raised questions about whether children are being stolen to order and whether the couple were part of a wider child trafficking ring - in addition to deepening mistrust between the Roma community and the Greeks.
They were arrested after police, who raided a Roma camp in central Greece last week in search of drugs and weapons, found the girl with pale skin and blue eyes who did not resemble the family she was living with.
The couple deny they snatched the girl and say they took her under their care after her mother handed the girl to them shortly after giving birth.
"It was an adoption that was not exactly legal but took place with the mother's consent," Constantinos Katsavos, one of the lawyers representing the 39-year-old man, told reporters, adding that is what the couple testified in court.
The Roma couple were ordered held in custody pending trial after responding to charges of abduction and procuring false documents behind closed doors as more than a dozen policemen stood guard outside.
So far more than 5,000 people, from Texas to Sweden, have phoned the charity looking after Maria to offer clues or search for their missing children.
Based on her characteristics, police believe Maria, who utters just a few words in Greek and Roma dialect, is eastern or northern European.
Parallels have been drawn to the case of Britons Madeleine McCann, who vanished while on holiday in Portugal in 2007, when she was three, and Ben Needham, who disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in 1991, when he was a toddler.
In the sunny, bustling square outside the court in the city of Larissa where the Roma couple faced magistrates, members of the Roma community gathered to show their support and said they were being unfairly stigmatized.
"They are completely innocent. These are all fairy tales and we're going to prove it to society," Babis Dimitriou, the head of the local Roma community, told Reuters.
"They accuse the Roma of everything - of stealing, of snatching kids. Do these things only happen among our race? This is a huge insult for us," he said.
Police have found the woman had two different identification documents and other papers suggested the couple had up to 14 children, but six were registered as having been born within less than 10 months.
"It's unfair," a Roma woman who gave her name as Kyriaki said outside the court on hearing the decision to hold the couple in custody. "She raised this child since she was a baby."
(This story is corrected with year when Ben Needham disappeared to 1991 from 2001 in 10th paragraph)
(Editing by Deepa Babington and Alison Williams)
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Fostering community gardens in an area with historic soil contamination
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
[
]
ShareContact: Susan V. Fisk
sfisk@sciencesocieties.org
608-273-8091
American Society of Agronomy
Oct. 17, 2013The soil in industrial cities is often an overlooked resource. Years of manufacturing or other industrial processes can leave contaminants in the soils and scare residents away from using the land. As the local food movement grows, though, planners and gardeners must reconcile the desire to grow food in cities with the fear that the soils are contaminated.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 10:35 am, Kristen McIvor of the Pierce Conservation District will discuss the challenges and benefits of urban gardening. Her talk, Fostering Community Gardens in an Area with Historic Soil Contamination, is part of is part of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America Annual Meetings, Nov. 3-6 in Tampa, Florida. The theme of this year's conference is "Water, Food, Energy, & Innovation for a Sustainable World."
In Tacoma, Washington, a copper smelter operated for nearly 100 years contaminating the soil in some areas of the city. While remediation has improved soils, residents have become hyper-aware of the threat of soil contamination. But often, that fear is misplaced.
In her effort to establish community gardens, McIvor has worked with soil throughout the city. "We test all of the soils before we start building a garden," she explains. "None of the tests have shown any results to be concerned about. Even though there is the perception of soils being very toxic here, our experience is that that is not true."
While testing has shown that there is little to fear in the soils of Tacoma, residents are still hesitant to dig in and start growing food. And without dedicated growers and organizers, urban agriculture can't flourish. So McIvor and her colleagues work hard to educate growers and help them manage their gardens in ways that eliminate any contamination fears.
Raised beds are often built on top of existing land and filled with new soil or compost. And the city of Tacoma does its part to help. TAGRO, a biosolid-based soil product that contains nutrients that plants need, is provided to growers free of charge. Raised beds and TAGRO help growers feel comfortable with the soil and build productive gardens. And residents are taking notice.
"With TAGRO, you can turn a beginning gardener into someone who has a garden plot full of food," says McIvor. "When people see the amazing yields, it's not a hard sell."
The number of urban gardens in Tacoma has increased from 14 to 34 in just three years. Other cities can follow that lead and find ways to educate people about soils and contamination while encouraging growers. These efforts will give people access to fresh, local food regardless of the history of their soil.
###
Media Invitation
Contact:
Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org. Please RSVP by October 25, 2013 Members of the media receive complimentary registration to the joint meetings. If you would like a 1-on-1 interview with McIvor, contact Susan Fisk at the email above.
[
Share]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
[
]
ShareContact: Susan V. Fisk
sfisk@sciencesocieties.org
608-273-8091
American Society of Agronomy
Oct. 17, 2013The soil in industrial cities is often an overlooked resource. Years of manufacturing or other industrial processes can leave contaminants in the soils and scare residents away from using the land. As the local food movement grows, though, planners and gardeners must reconcile the desire to grow food in cities with the fear that the soils are contaminated.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 10:35 am, Kristen McIvor of the Pierce Conservation District will discuss the challenges and benefits of urban gardening. Her talk, Fostering Community Gardens in an Area with Historic Soil Contamination, is part of is part of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America Annual Meetings, Nov. 3-6 in Tampa, Florida. The theme of this year's conference is "Water, Food, Energy, & Innovation for a Sustainable World."
In Tacoma, Washington, a copper smelter operated for nearly 100 years contaminating the soil in some areas of the city. While remediation has improved soils, residents have become hyper-aware of the threat of soil contamination. But often, that fear is misplaced.
In her effort to establish community gardens, McIvor has worked with soil throughout the city. "We test all of the soils before we start building a garden," she explains. "None of the tests have shown any results to be concerned about. Even though there is the perception of soils being very toxic here, our experience is that that is not true."
While testing has shown that there is little to fear in the soils of Tacoma, residents are still hesitant to dig in and start growing food. And without dedicated growers and organizers, urban agriculture can't flourish. So McIvor and her colleagues work hard to educate growers and help them manage their gardens in ways that eliminate any contamination fears.
Raised beds are often built on top of existing land and filled with new soil or compost. And the city of Tacoma does its part to help. TAGRO, a biosolid-based soil product that contains nutrients that plants need, is provided to growers free of charge. Raised beds and TAGRO help growers feel comfortable with the soil and build productive gardens. And residents are taking notice.
"With TAGRO, you can turn a beginning gardener into someone who has a garden plot full of food," says McIvor. "When people see the amazing yields, it's not a hard sell."
The number of urban gardens in Tacoma has increased from 14 to 34 in just three years. Other cities can follow that lead and find ways to educate people about soils and contamination while encouraging growers. These efforts will give people access to fresh, local food regardless of the history of their soil.
###
Media Invitation
Contact:
Susan V. Fisk, 608-273-8091, sfisk@sciencesocieties.org. Please RSVP by October 25, 2013 Members of the media receive complimentary registration to the joint meetings. If you would like a 1-on-1 interview with McIvor, contact Susan Fisk at the email above.
[
Share]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/asoa-fcg101813.php
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'Pandora's Promise' Director Talks About Fukushima
TOKYO (AP) — Dressed in white hazmat coveralls and carrying a dosimeter, documentary film director Robert Stone ventured into the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant's exclusion zone a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns in three reactors.
As he encountered abandoned homes, shops and toppled cars in the scene in his new film "Pandora's Promise," Stone asked a traveling companion, "So, are you still pro-nuclear?"
Stone, a British filmmaker based in New York, confronts viewers with the thorny question of whether nuclear energy should be abandoned because of the Fukushima disaster. His answer is no, because he believes nuclear energy can help solve climate change.
Stone was clear about that when he started making the film before the March 2011 meltdowns at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. He raises the question as he interviews respected environmentalists who are pro-nuclear, and visits Chernobyl and Fukushima himself to see the aftermath of their disasters. He also travels to major cities around the world, carrying his dosimeter and comparing radiation figures.
"As somebody who was making a documentary that is advocating for more nuclear power, going to Fukushima was deeply disturbing and very emotional," Stone told The Associated Press in a recent interview during a visit to Japan to promote his film ahead of its Japanese opening in February.
"You read the dosimeter, you take the readings around and it's not what it should be," he said of his Fukushima visit. "What disturbs people there is that they want everything to be as it was, and it's not."
He found himself torn between his rational half which said nuclear energy makes sense, and his emotional half which warned him of radiation and told him he should leave the zone immediately. He compared that reaction to the people he met in Fukushima during his visit, including evacuees who nonchalantly smoked cigarettes outside their temporary homes but refused to let their children play outdoors.
The film incorporates such mixed feelings "because those are my own feelings as well," he said, acknowledging that he used to be anti-nuclear until he decided that the movement against climate change wasn't going anywhere. His 1987 Academy Award-nominated first documentary "Radio Bikini" was an anti-nuclear film.
Stone said many people expected him to abandon his latest film after the Fukushima disaster, but he continued with it "to say what a lot of people believe but they haven't stood up and said." He now thinks that the Fukushima crisis even reinforces his case.
In the 87-minute film, environmental activists, authors and experts including Stewart Brand, Gwyneth Cravens, Michael Shellenberger and Mark Lynas argue that nuclear power can be safer and more pro-environment than fossil fuel. Anti-nuclear activists like physician Helen Caldicott are portrayed as alarmists and given little space.
He urges Japan to use the Fukushima crisis as a chance to refine its technology, science and engineering to build the world's best reactors instead of withdrawing from nuclear power.
Stone said he hopes the film, which was much talked about at the Sundance film festival in June, will be well received and prompt a discussion in Japan.
"I suspect there are a lot of people in Japan who will quietly acknowledge that this is the way to go, but they are just waiting for somebody to stand up and say it. So I think we'll get support," he said.
___
Online:
http://pandoraspromise.com
Category: Avril Lavigne Michelle Rodriguez Bill De Blasio engadget George Alexander Louis
Managing children's screen time: What parents need to know
Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
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Contact: Dawn Fuller
dawn.fuller@uc.edu
513-556-1823
University of Cincinnati
In our increasingly fast-paced world, the Internet, video games, smartphones and TV programs are continually competing for consumers' attention. But what are the effects of screen media on infants and young children, when it's exchanged for the playtime of generations past? Brenda Greenert Judd, an early childhood education specialist at the University of Cincinnati's Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center, will present her review of the national research on the topic during a 10:45 a.m. session on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Early Childhood Education Symposium at The Summit Country Day School.
Judd says, "Children, even infants, are engaging in more screen media, and a review of the national literature suggests that by substituting screen media for traditional, creative play, children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional development can be affected."
"Parents and educators need to question the skills, brain and language development that is taking place in the early years and decide when and how to introduce screen media into children's lives," says Judd.
Judd cites the world's leading early childhood theorists in emphasizing that young children gather and process information through physical, social and creative play. Through traditional play that includes running, jumping, building with toys and pretend play, children not only build their physical strength in bones and muscles, but also strengthen their fine motor skills and learn social skills through their interactions with other children.
Judd's review of screen media research indicates that the saturation of screen media among children some as young as infancy can impact speech and movement (fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination), plus the isolation factor of screen media can affect social development. The fast-paced music and flashing lights of video games can lead to irregular sleeping patterns. Judd says the sedentary factor of screen media has been blamed in part for the nation's growing obesity epidemic in children. She says the research also has shown that the violent content popular in video games also has led to aggression, fear and anxiety in young children.
Judd says she wants parents to be aware that screen media time needs to be monitored, but adds that some programs or games hold positive value for children. Games that teach skills by drill repetition have resulted in positive learning outcomes for some children. For children with special needs, particularly children with autism, Judd says iPads have opened up a world of communication.
"Skype has served as a wonderful tool for children keeping in touch with grandparents and other relatives who live far away," says Judd. "Some games involving physical activity have indicated some health benefit for children who are inside the home because of the weather, or for other reasons that inhibit playing outside.
"So, there are benefits for children when screen media is used appropriately," says Judd. "Parents just need to set limits to keep children from being saturated with it. Parents also need to be aware of what their children are watching and whether the program is age-appropriate for their children."
"The research has not kept up with the progression of the technology, so we're not really sure what young children are gaining through screen media game-based learning, and it could take generations to find that out," says Judd.
Judd earned her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), as well as a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. She also holds a special education license endorsement. As an early childhood education specialist at UC's Arlitt Center, she teaches the center's preschool-age children and serves as a mentor to UC's students who are aspiring to become future teachers.
###
The sixth-annual Early Childhood Education Symposium at The Summit Country Day School is themed "Parenting Matters." Free and open to the public, the event gets underway at 8:30 a.m., and features national, regional and local experts in childhood learning, health and wellness.
Early Childhood Education Symposium Website
http://www.summitcds.org/symposium/index.cfm
About the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center
http://cech.uc.edu/centers/arlitt.html
The UC Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center is nationally recognized for its approach to teaching and research. Providing more than 85 years of educational excellence for children 3 to 5 years old, the center is one of the oldest and most diverse preschool programs in the United States. It was the first Cincinnati preschool staffed by teachers who were specifically trained in early childhood education. The center has a blended Head Start and tuition program, serving children of varying cultures, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
[
|
Share]
Contact: Dawn Fuller
dawn.fuller@uc.edu
513-556-1823
University of Cincinnati
In our increasingly fast-paced world, the Internet, video games, smartphones and TV programs are continually competing for consumers' attention. But what are the effects of screen media on infants and young children, when it's exchanged for the playtime of generations past? Brenda Greenert Judd, an early childhood education specialist at the University of Cincinnati's Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center, will present her review of the national research on the topic during a 10:45 a.m. session on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Early Childhood Education Symposium at The Summit Country Day School.
Judd says, "Children, even infants, are engaging in more screen media, and a review of the national literature suggests that by substituting screen media for traditional, creative play, children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional development can be affected."
"Parents and educators need to question the skills, brain and language development that is taking place in the early years and decide when and how to introduce screen media into children's lives," says Judd.
Judd cites the world's leading early childhood theorists in emphasizing that young children gather and process information through physical, social and creative play. Through traditional play that includes running, jumping, building with toys and pretend play, children not only build their physical strength in bones and muscles, but also strengthen their fine motor skills and learn social skills through their interactions with other children.
Judd's review of screen media research indicates that the saturation of screen media among children some as young as infancy can impact speech and movement (fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination), plus the isolation factor of screen media can affect social development. The fast-paced music and flashing lights of video games can lead to irregular sleeping patterns. Judd says the sedentary factor of screen media has been blamed in part for the nation's growing obesity epidemic in children. She says the research also has shown that the violent content popular in video games also has led to aggression, fear and anxiety in young children.
Judd says she wants parents to be aware that screen media time needs to be monitored, but adds that some programs or games hold positive value for children. Games that teach skills by drill repetition have resulted in positive learning outcomes for some children. For children with special needs, particularly children with autism, Judd says iPads have opened up a world of communication.
"Skype has served as a wonderful tool for children keeping in touch with grandparents and other relatives who live far away," says Judd. "Some games involving physical activity have indicated some health benefit for children who are inside the home because of the weather, or for other reasons that inhibit playing outside.
"So, there are benefits for children when screen media is used appropriately," says Judd. "Parents just need to set limits to keep children from being saturated with it. Parents also need to be aware of what their children are watching and whether the program is age-appropriate for their children."
"The research has not kept up with the progression of the technology, so we're not really sure what young children are gaining through screen media game-based learning, and it could take generations to find that out," says Judd.
Judd earned her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), as well as a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. She also holds a special education license endorsement. As an early childhood education specialist at UC's Arlitt Center, she teaches the center's preschool-age children and serves as a mentor to UC's students who are aspiring to become future teachers.
###
The sixth-annual Early Childhood Education Symposium at The Summit Country Day School is themed "Parenting Matters." Free and open to the public, the event gets underway at 8:30 a.m., and features national, regional and local experts in childhood learning, health and wellness.
Early Childhood Education Symposium Website
http://www.summitcds.org/symposium/index.cfm
About the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center
http://cech.uc.edu/centers/arlitt.html
The UC Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center is nationally recognized for its approach to teaching and research. Providing more than 85 years of educational excellence for children 3 to 5 years old, the center is one of the oldest and most diverse preschool programs in the United States. It was the first Cincinnati preschool staffed by teachers who were specifically trained in early childhood education. The center has a blended Head Start and tuition program, serving children of varying cultures, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
[
|
Share]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoc-mcs_1101713.php
Category: melissa mccarthy james franco national coffee day Talk Like a Pirate Day constitution day
American Airlines' Parent Earns $289 Million In 3Q
DALLAS (AP) — After years of losses, American Airlines is making money by boosting revenue and cutting labor costs.
The nation's third-largest airline is doing well enough to add dozens of new planes to its fleet, announce new flights to China, and set aside money for profit-sharing with employees.
The results, plus an upgrade from J.P. Morgan, fueled a rally in shares of parent AMR Corp.
AMR said Thursday that it earned $289 million, or 76 cents per share, in the third quarter. That's a turnaround from a loss of $238 million, or 71 cents per share, a year earlier. AMR's adjusted profit was a record $530 million. That figure doesn't include bankruptcy-reorganization costs and other special items.
Revenue rose 6 percent, as passengers paid more per mile to fly. Labor costs fell 13 percent from a year ago, as the company cut jobs during its makeover under bankruptcy protection.
American expects to add about 60 new planes this year to its fleet of more than 600 aircraft. It just announced plans to start flying from Dallas to Hong Kong and Shanghai next year, and it is expanding ties with partner airlines in Latin America. All of those things are either helping to improve the company's financial performance now, or will in the future, Chairman and CEO Tom Horton said in an interview.
"But the most important thing is day-to-day execution," Horton said. American has long struggled with high rates of delays and cancelations, but so far in October there have been eight days with no canceled flights, he said.
Airline officials feel confident enough that they plan to boost passenger-carrying capacity by 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with the same period last year.
Horton said the airline's improved performance creates momentum for its planned merger with US Airways.
The airlines had expected to close the merger this summer but were delayed when the U.S. Justice Department and several states filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal. A trial on the lawsuit is scheduled to start Nov. 25, and Horton said, "We remain open to a reasonable, common-sense settlement" that would allow the airlines to combine.
The Justice Department has pointed to American's improving fortunes as evidence that it doesn't need a merger to succeed. However, the attorney general of Texas pulled out of the lawsuit two weeks ago, and more than 60 House Democrats wrote to President Barack Obama this week to urge the administration to allow the merger.
AMR filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 after losing more than $10 billion over the previous decade. It has used bankruptcy to renegotiate deals with labor unions and suppliers, which showed up in a reduction of $248 million, or 4 percent, in third-quarter operating costs. Labor, the airline's second-biggest cost after fuel, fell $237 million.
AMR ended the quarter with $7.7 billion in cash and short-term investments, compared with $5.1 billion a year earlier.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based company set aside $59 million for expected profit sharing next spring. American Airlines employees haven't received such payouts since 2001.
Before the earnings report, J.P. Morgan upgraded AMR shares to "Overweight" from "Neutral." Analyst Jamie Baker said he saw a 60-percent likelihood of a merger, up from 50-50. Even without a deal, the downside for AMR shares might not be as bad as feared because of improvement in the airline industry, he said.
The shares, which have traded over the counter since being removed from the New York Stock Exchange in January 2012, jumped 48 cents, or 9.3 percent, to close at $5.62.
AMR was the first big U.S. airline company to report third-quarter numbers. Analysts expect that United, Delta, Southwest and US Airways will all report larger profits than a year ago.
___
Follow David Koenig at http://www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
Category: brandon marshall silk road tampa bay rays eagles Ios 7 Release Date
Insight: Hard work, long hours: French find Chinese recipe sour
By Alexandria Sage and Nicholas Vinocur
PARIS (Reuters) - A newspaper open on the bar of this Paris cafe tells of a row over France's Sunday trading rules. But the bar owner, Zhang Chang, says he has little time to follow such debates. He's too busy working.
While French workers worry the country's long economic downturn could mean the end of laws banning Sunday trading and enforcing a 35-hour week, Zhang and Chinese immigrants like him are quietly getting ahead the old-fashioned way - 11 hours a day, six days a week.
"As I see it, when you work, you're paid. So why stop at 35 hours?" he asks, perplexed by France's landmark law which shaved four hours off the statutory working week in the late 1990s.
Zhang owns the Cafe Le Marais in central Paris and is part of a wave of entrepreneurial migrants from China's coastal Wenzhou region who are taking over France's "bar tabac" business. They are doing it by sweat and sacrifice - and by navigating restrictive labor rules, focusing on the bar and restaurant sector that is exempt from the 35-hour rule and the Sunday trading ban, unlike many other industries.
That approach, and their work ethos, runs counter to the work-life balance long treasured by many French and vigorously defended by their unions over the past century - but it chimes with others who say it may be time for a change.
Some 71 percent of French said in a recent Ifop poll they would be willing to work Sundays if their pay was boosted. And many white-collar French workers and business-owners say that in reality they already work much longer than 35 hours a week.
However President Francois Hollande, unwilling to raise the unions' ire, has so far defended the ban on Sunday trading and, despite a reform this year that eased some rigidity in labor rules, has sidestepped the issue of the 35-hour work week.
While the debate continues, the Chinese plough on.
"We the Chinese think all the unemployment is because people can't work enough," said Xiao, a restaurant owner who declined to give her last name as she dished out Wenzhou specialties such as chewy stir-fried rice cake and beef hot pot to young Paris professionals.
Even the dining habits of the French reveal a lack of get up and go, she added. "I have people who linger for three hours after they're done eating. It drives me crazy!"
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
The success of Zhang and Xiao is just another sign of China's growing presence in France, alongside the Asian nation's ownership of famed vineyards, its billion-euro holdings in blue-chips such as energy firm GDP Suez and the daily busloads of Chinese tourists spending hard in Paris department stores.
Zhang arrived in 1996 without working papers and - like most of the 150,000 Wenzhou immigrants who came in the 1980s and 90s - worked off-the-books jobs until he obtained his green card. That's a classic pattern among Wenzhou immigrants, who have formed the economic engine of France's Asian community, says researcher Richard Beraha, author of "China in Paris."
"They don't expect anything from the French state, since they learned to stay hidden, often arriving without papers," he said. "Unemployment in France is of little concern, because essentially they're all entrepreneurs. It's a state of mind."
Wenzhou, a port city 500 km south of Shanghai, is known for a culture of private enterprise, which the immigrants bring with them. Family members furnish labor and capital - it takes seed money of just 50,000 euros ($67,800) to start a takeout food shop, said Beraha, and staffing it with relatives keeps labor costs low.
Many are pouring their energies into bar-tabacs - a focal point of French life where locals can drink, buy cigarettes and bet on horses that is being abandoned by many French owners on the grounds it is too labor-intensive for too little profit. Sixty percent of the businesses for sale in Paris are being purchased by Asian buyers, most of them Chinese, said Gerard Bohelay, head of the Paris federation of bar-tabac owners.
"I'm the only one left," sighed Patrick Loubiere, whose parents were among many French country people from the central Auvergne region to seek a better life in Paris. They set up Le Celtic bar-tabac, near Zhang's Le Cafe Marais, that he now runs.
"The younger generation doesn't want to do it," added Loubiere, who doubts his son will take over the business. "It's too early in the morning for some, too late at night for others. They're getting lazy."
Says Yves Boungnong, another bar-tabac owner whose parents emigrated from Laos in the 1970s: "It's not the French who want to work here, it's the immigrants."
JEALOUS NEIGHBOURS
The takeover has irritated some locals who say it's easier to find bok choy than baguettes in some areas, and protest the reluctance of some Chinese bar-tabac owners to serve French food along with beer and cigarettes.
Right-leaning magazine Le Point picked up on this feeling in a recent article about Chinese entrepreneurs which asked "How the devil do they do it?" then listed "five commandments": 1) work 80 hours a week 2) sleep in your shop 3) don't pay your employees as they are family members 4) don't contribute to the system and 5) don't pay taxes.
Although an investigation into illegal activity in the Paris bar-tabac industry was opened last year, Beraha said tax evasion is no more prevalent in the Chinese community than in others.
Pierre Aidenbaum, mayor of the Third Arrondissement, where the Chinese took over empty Jewish textiles storefronts in the 1950s, attributes such feelings to envy in tough times: "It's jealousy towards your neighbor, who has made it."
Conflicts a decade ago between locals and Chinese were resolved after wholesale businesses agreed to shut on Sundays and workshops stopped using sewing machines after 8pm, he said.
"We have more problems today with the noise from the cafe terraces than the noise from the Chinese workshops," he said.
Still, abuses exist. A 2005 report for the Geneva-based International Labor Organization found workplace rules were regularly flouted in Chinese restaurants and sweatshops and that many used subcontractors hiring illegal immigrants.
Those immigrants further down the ladder are often the ones who are really struggling. Often recent arrivals from northeast China, lacking family in France, they are looked down upon by those from Wenzhou and scrape by as nannies, cooks, delivery men and manicurists. Many women struggling to support a family turn to prostitution in order to repay the cost of being smuggled into the country - often more than 12,000 euros - police say.
"Economic success does exist, but for a small minority," said Donatien Schramm, who teaches French to new Chinese immigrants. "So many who don't have shops - they have to work in small factories, restaurants, take side jobs."
One woman, "Aiyim," said she regretted having made the long, expensive journey to France 12 years ago. Unable to get working papers, she supports herself and a son in China working illegally as a nanny and maid for a French banker, who pays her the equivalent of the minimum wage for around-the-clock work.
Asked how she sees her future, Aiyim smiles sadly: "I can't even think about it. I have to focus on working every day."
There are signs that French attitudes to longer working hours are starting to shift. In a first for the country, workers from home improvement (DIY) chains recently took to the streets to protest a court ruling ordering them to close on Sunday, when many other stores are also banned from trading. Employees of cosmetics store Sephora are also campaigning to overturn another ruling, which forbade its Champs Elysees outlet to stay open until midnight.
But that urge to work is something Bohelay of the bar-tabac group warned needed to be more in evidence in France.
"People aren't hungry here anymore," he said. "But they're going to have to get back to work, because the new immigrants are ready to work twice as hard, for twice as long, and they will end up being the bosses."
($1 = 0.7373 euros)
(Editing by Sophie Walker)
- Labor Issues
- Politics & Government
- France
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Citrix CEO takes leave of absence due to son's death
(Reuters) - Cloud computing software maker Citrix Systems Inc said Chief Executive Mark Templeton is taking temporary leave of absence due to the death of a family member.
Templeton's son Pierce, the youngest of three children, recently passed away at the age of 27, a company spokesman said.
Chief Financial Officer David Henshall would serve as acting CEO during Templeton's absence, Citrix said in a statement. The company did not say when Templeton would return to his role.
"He now needs to step back from his executive responsibilities for a period of time to be with his family and heal from the impact of this loss," Citrix Chairman Thomas Bogan said in the statement.
Last week, Citrix estimated quarterly results below analysts' expectations, citing delayed contracts.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bangalore; Editing by Robin Paxton)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/citrix-ceo-takes-leave-absence-due-sons-death-222737792--sector.html
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Sunday, October 20, 2013
'Breaking Bad': Walter White Funeral Raises $17K Amid Controversy
AMC
Bryan Cranston as Walter White in "Breaking Bad's" series finale
Walter White has officially been laid to rest -- at least, as part of a fake funeral for the Breaking Bad character who died in last month's series finale.
The funeral took place Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., where the show was set and filmed. It included a procession led by a hearse and White's RV. "Mourners" paid money to attend and throw dirt across an empty coffin, which was placed in a real gravesite with a headstone.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that about 200 people attended the event, with BreakingBad set decorator Michael Flowers delivering the eulogy to cheers from the crowd.
The "funeral" was actually a fund-raising event to benefit Albuquerque’s Healthcare for the Homeless organization. Nearly $17,000 was raised, according to local TV station KOB, but the event wasn't without controversy.
According to KOB, the event was protested by some people upset over the possibility that Walter White's tombstone will draw tourists to the cemetery.
"My son is buried about 15 yards from where the makeshift gravesite is," Manuel Montano told the station, adding: "This is a place of mourning. It's not a spectacle."
PHOTOS: Beyond 'Breaking Bad': What's Next for the Show's Stars
A petition also has been created to remove the grave, with the author noting that Walter White's home draws up to "10,000 cars full of fans a month, according to the homeowner."
"Adding a psychical grave site will encourage tourists to visit a sacred burial site of hundreds and hundreds of loved ones," the petition reads. "Cemetery officials say if crowds start gathering at the grave site of Walter White, they'll consider getting rid of his headstone. But the 'officials' should not put the family members through such disrespect during the process of them deciding if too many people are visiting the make shift grave."
Meanwhile, a planned YouTube livestream of the event was blocked for copyright reasons, leaving many fans disappointed after seeing this message:"This video contains content from WMG, BMG_Rights_Management, Sony Pictures Movies & Shows and EMI, one or more of whom have blocked it on copyright grounds."
Organizers had hoped that streaming the event online would help bring in more donations. According to local station KING, thousands of people had logged in to watch the funeral.
PHOTOS: What's Next for 'Breaking Bad's' Vince Gilligan
The event came two weeks after fans ran a fake obituary in the Albuquerque Journal that included a mug of actor Bryan Cranston.
"A private memorial was held by his family," read the obit. "In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a drug abuse prevention charity of your choice. He will be greatly missed."
The Breaking Bad series finale aired Sept. 29 on AMC, drawing a record 10.3 million viewers.
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