Allan: 2011

শনিবার, ৩১ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Brain's connective cells are much more than glue

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Glia cells, named for the Greek word for "glue," hold the brain's neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors, but scientists have long puzzled over their prominence in the activities of the brain dedicated to learning and memory. Now Tel Aviv University researchers say that glia cells are central to the brain's plasticity ? how the brain adapts, learns, and stores information.

According to Ph.D. student Maurizio De Pitt of TAU's Schools of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical Engineering, glia cells do much more than hold the brain together. A mechanism within the glia cells also sorts information for learning purposes, De Pitt says. "Glia cells are like the brain's supervisors. By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information and learns."

De Pitt's research, led by his TAU supervisor Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob, along with Vladislav Volman of The Salk Institute and the University of California at San Diego and Hugues Berry of the Universit? de Lyon in France, has developed the first computer model that incorporates the influence of glia cells on synaptic information transfer. Detailed in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, the model can also be implemented in technologies based on brain networks such as microchips and computer software, Prof. Ben-Jacob says, and aid in research on brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.

Regulating the brain's "social network"

The brain is constituted of two main types of cells: neurons and glia. Neurons fire off signals that dictate how we think and behave, using synapses to pass along the message from one neuron to another, explains De Pitt. Scientists theorize that memory and learning are dictated by synaptic activity because they are "plastic," with the ability to adapt to different stimuli.

But Ben-Jacob and colleagues suspected that glia cells were even more central to how the brain works. Glia cells are abundant in the brain's hippocampus and the cortex, the two parts of the brain that have the most control over the brain's ability to process information, learn and memorize. In fact, for every neuron cell, there are two to five glia cells. Taking into account previous experimental data, the researchers were able to build a model that could resolve the puzzle.

The brain is like a social network, says Prof. Ben-Jacob. Messages may originate with the neurons, which use the synapses as their delivery system, but the glia serve as an overall moderator, regulating which messages are sent on and when. These cells can either prompt the transfer of information, or slow activity if the synapses are becoming overactive. This makes the glia cells the guardians of our learning and memory processes, he notes, orchestrating the transmission of information for optimal brain function.

New brain-inspired technologies and therapies

The team's findings could have important implications for a number of brain disorders. Almost all neurodegenerative diseases are glia-related pathologies, Prof. Ben-Jacob notes. In epileptic seizures, for example, the neurons' activity at one brain location propagates and overtakes the normal activity at other locations. This can happen when the glia cells fail to properly regulate synaptic transmission. Alternatively, when brain activity is low, glia cells boost transmissions of information, keeping the connections between neurons "alive."

The model provides a "new view" of how the brain functions. While the study was in press, two experimental works appeared that supported the model's predictions. "A growing number of scientists are starting to recognize the fact that you need the glia to perform tasks that neurons alone can't accomplish in an efficient way," says De Pitt. The model will provide a new tool to begin revising the theories of computational neuroscience and lead to more realistic brain-inspired algorithms and microchips, which are designed to mimic neuronal networks.

###

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: http://www.aftau.org

Thanks to American Friends of Tel Aviv University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116346/Brain_s_connective_cells_are_much_more_than_glue

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Sea Shepherd anti-whaling boat damaged by wave (AP)

SYDNEY ? A conservationist group's boat that was chasing a Japanese whaling vessel off Antarctica was seriously damaged by a giant wave Thursday ? a major setback in the group's ongoing and sometimes violent battle with Japan's whaling fleet, the activists said.

The wave cracked the hull and severely damaged one of the pontoons on the Brigitte Bardot, a scout vessel for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which is chasing the whaling fleet in the hopes of interrupting Japan's annual hunt. None of the boat's 10 crew were hurt, and the vessel was in no danger of sinking in the icy waters, Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said.

"It's not going to stop our attempt, but it is a setback because it takes out one of our boats," Watson told The Associated Press by phone from his vessel, the Steve Irwin.

The Brigitte Bardot was chasing the Japanese ship Nisshin Maru in 20-foot (6-meter) swells when the rogue wave smashed into the port side of the vessel, cracking the hull, Watson said. The pontoon was in danger of breaking off, but the boat was not taking on any water, he said.

"The captain there assures me that everything will be fine by the time we reach them," Watson said.

The Steve Irwin, named after the late Australian crocodile hunter, was making its way through rough seas toward the Brigitte Bardot and was about 12 hours away by Thursday afternoon, Watson said. Once there, the Steve Irwin will escort the stricken boat 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) to Fremantle, Western Australia, for repairs, and immediately return to the waters off Antarctica to continue chasing the whalers.

Meanwhile, the group's third vessel, the Bob Barker, was left to hunt the whaling fleet by itself on Thursday.

Japan's whaling fleet kills up to 1,000 whales a year, an allowed exception under a ruling by the International Whaling Commission. Japan is permitted to hunt the animals as long as they are caught for research and not commercial purposes. Whale meat not used for study is sold as food in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunts. Each hunting season runs from about December through February.

Sea Shepherd has sent boats to the waters off Antarctica for the past several years in an attempt to thwart the hunt. The two sides have occasionally had violent clashes, including a skirmish in 2010 in which a Sea Shepherd boat was sunk after its bow was sheared off in a collision with a whaling ship.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_re_as/as_antarctica_whaling

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Cavalette23: "...When it comes to earning your support, its on us." #Cavs Head Coach Byron Scott

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Source: http://twitter.com/Cavalette23/statuses/152595044258430976

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APNewsBreak: Titanic artifacts headed to auction

FILE - John Zaller, creative director of Premier Exhibitions, discusses objects from the Titanic's Verandah Cafe on display in the "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York, in this June 24, 2009 file photo. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In a Friday, Aug 15, 2008 file photo, currency, part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic, is shown at a warehouse in Atlanta. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - First class tea cup china used by passengers is a part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic which is in a secret hiding place in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo being prepared for shipping to the Georgia Aquarium for the public to see later. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - Third-class tea cup china used by passengers and the crew, is shown as part of the artifacts collection at a warehouse in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

FILE - Third class china used by passengers and the crew, which is part of the artifacts collection of the Titanic which is in a secret hiding place in Atlanta, in this Aug 15, 2008 file photo being prepared for shipping to the Georgia Aquarium for the public to see later. The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck. The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday Dec. 28, 2011 to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary, File)

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) ? The owner of the largest trove of artifacts salvaged from the Titanic is putting the vast collection up for auction as a single lot in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the world's most famous shipwreck.

More than 5,500 items including fine china, ship fittings and portions of hull that were recovered from the ocean liner have an estimated value of $189 million (146 million euros), according to Premier Exhibitions Inc., parent of RMS Titanic Inc. ? the Titanic's court-approved salvor. That value was based on a 2007 appraisal and does not include intellectual property gathered from a 2010 scientific expedition that mapped the wreck site.

The auction is scheduled for April 1 by Guernsey's, a New York City auction house, according to filings by Premier Exhibitions Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Results of the auction won't be announced until April 15, the date a century ago the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg.

The auction is subject to approval by a federal judge in Virginia whose jurisdiction for years has given oversight to legal issues governing the salvage of the Titanic. The Titanic treasures were amassed during seven perilous trips to the wreck, which rests about 2 1/2 miles below the ocean surface in the North Atlantic.

A spokeswoman for the auction house and Premier Exhibitions declined Wednesday to discuss the auction with The Associated Press until a formal announcement in January.

The Titanic's sinking claimed the lives of more than 1,500 of the 2,228 passengers and crew. An international team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard located the wreckage in 1985, about 400 miles (645 kilometers) off Newfoundland, Canada.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who has overseen the case from her Norfolk courtroom, has ruled that RMS Titanic has title to the artifacts and was entitled to full compensation for them. She has not determined how RMS Titanic will be compensated.

Smith, a maritime jurist who has called the Titanic an "international treasure," has approved covenants and conditions that the company previously worked out with the federal government, including a prohibition against selling the collection piecemeal.

The conditions, which accompanied a 2010 ruling, also require RMS to make the artifacts available "to present and future generations for public display and exhibition, historical review, scientific and scholarly research, and educational purposes."

Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions has been displaying the Titanic artifacts in exhibitions around the world. The items include personal belongings of passengers, such as perfume from a manufacturer who was traveling to New York to sell his samples.

RMS recovered artifacts from the shipwreck in expeditions in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.

In its SEC filing, Premier acknowledged any future owner of the Titanic treasures must abide by the covenants and conditions.

In accordance with court's conditions, "The Property will be sold as a complete collection and offered for sale as one lot," Guernsey's wrote in the SEC filing, which outlines the terms of the auction. The auction house's commission is 8 percent of a successful bid.

In 2010, RMS Titanic collaborated with some of the world's leading experts in the most technologically advanced expedition to the Titanic, undertaking the first comprehensive mapping survey of the vessel with 3-D imagery from bow to stern.

Some of the never-before-seen images were shown in Smith's courtroom. The most striking images involved the 3-D tour of the Titanic's stern, which lies 2,000 feet from the bow.

A camera in a remote-controlled submersible vehicle skimmed over the stern, seemingly transporting viewers through scenes of jagged rusticles sprouting from the deck, a length of chain, the captain's bathtub, and wooden elements that scientists had previously believed had disappeared in the harsh, deep ocean environment.

The cameras did not probe the interior of the wreck. But the expedition fully mapped the 3-by-5-mile (5-by-8 kilometer) wreck site, documenting the entire debris field for the first time.

The new images will ultimately be assembled for public viewing, scientists said, and to help oceanographers and archaeologists explain the ship's violent descent to the ocean bottom. It is also intended to provide answers on the state of the wreck, which scientists say is showing increasing signs of deterioration.

"Titanic" director James Cameron also has led teams to the wreck to record the bow and the stern.

The Titanic exhibit is among several operated by Premier Exhibitions, which bills itself as "a major provider of museum-quality touring exhibitions." Its offerings have included sports memorabilia, a traveling Star Trek homage and "Bodies," an anatomy exhibit featuring preserved human cadavers.

___

Online:

RMST Inc.: http://www.titanic-online.com

___

Steve Szkotak can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sszkotakap .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-29-Titanic%20Auction/id-e131a2d4e115421e8dfd0fd76964dfb4

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Kevin Garnett to get limited stake in Roma

Associated Press Sports

updated 8:43 a.m. ET Dec. 30, 2011

ROME (AP) -Boston Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett is about to become a small shareholder in the American-owned Roma football club.

Roma has confirmed to The Associated Press that Garnett accepted an offer from James Pallotta, one of the four Boston executives that closed a deal in August to become the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club.

Pallotta is also a minority owner of the Celtics.

Details of the deal are still being worked out, but Garnett could also be used in the promotion of the Roma brand.

Earlier this year, Garnett's fellow NBA star LeBron James obtained a small stake in English Premier League club Liverpool from the Fenway Sports Group.

New Roma president Thomas DiBenedetto is also a limited partner in the Fenway group, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

More newsAnwar Amro / AFP - Getty Images

Lebanon rallying around team

Ali al-Saadi gave Lebanon a 1-0 lead against South Korea and the sectarian chants echoing across Cite Sportive stadium suddenly gave way to a more hopeful cheer.

Off-field woes

Football in 2011 was dominated by events off the field rather than on it.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45824185/ns/sports-soccer/

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Surveys shows China manufacturing slowing further

BEIJING?? China's manufacturing slowed in December for a second month due to weak global demand amid U.S. and European economic woes, a survey released Friday showed.

The latest HSBC Purchasing Managers Index added to growing signs of strain on China's manufacturers and exporters. They have been battered by a plunge in global demand and lending curbs that have driven thousands of entrepreneurs into bankruptcy, wiping out jobs and raising the specter of unrest.

The index for December stood at 48.7 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate a contraction in activity. It said companies reported a drop in foreign orders due to sluggish global demand.

"Weakening external demand is starting to bite," said HSBC economist Hongbin Qu in a statement with the survey.

The latest data will add to pressure on Beijing to ease spending and lending controls to stabilize growth and spur job creation, Qu said.

"Hard landings should be avoided so long as easing measures filter through in the coming months," he said.

China's export growth declined in November for a third month, falling to 13.8 percent from the 15.9 percent the previous month.

The slump in global demand has battered export-driven southern coastal regions, where thousands of small companies have been driven out of business and the survivors have laid off tens of thousands of workers.

Smaller private companies were hard hit by bank lending curbs imposed to cool inflation and a boom in housing prices. The government has promised to have state banks lend more to help struggling entrepreneurs but says most of its curbs will remain in place.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45821607/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

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WINTER SPORTS TRIBUTE: LEGACY WRESTLING ROSTER

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -

Austin Arnsdorf

Jesse Carlson

Mark Dubberly

Dezmon Fernandez

Jacob Garner

Jeffrey Knight

Gabriel Martinez

Daniel Mitchell

Chad Quick

Collin Randall

Cody Southard

Jacob Southard

Alan Tucker

Chris WesselCoach: Mike Thompson

Assistant coaches: Kevin Krueger, Jeff Harrington, Craig MacPhearson and Dustin Randall

Source: http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/ci_12796717?source=rss_viewed

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শুক্রবার, ৩০ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১১

Putin puts down protesters with physics: What is 'Brownian motion,' anyway?

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin described election protesters as seeking 'Brownian motion.' Here's what the obscure term means.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, during comments before his supporters on Tuesday, said protesters against his 12-year reign were seeking "Brownian motion."? What was he talking about?

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Mr. Putin was referring to a physics phenomenon first described by Scottish scientist Robert Brown in his 1827 paper "A brief account of microscopical observations made on the particles contained in the pollen of plants."

While observing pollen grains suspended in water, Mr. Brown found that the grains jiggled and bounced within the fluid in what he called "rapid oscillatory motion." He could not see any cause of their motion ? they didn't appear to impact any other particles, and he ruled out currents within the water ? but he was able use other substances to consistently replicate the phenomenon, which he dubbed "Brownian motion."

It wasn't until 1905 that the phenomenon was explained, by none other than Albert Einstein. The grains weren't jerking randomly in the water, he wrote, but rather were colliding with much smaller water molecules.? As the molecules hit the grains, the grains would change direction, but since the water molecules were invisible, it would appear that the grains were jittering without cause.? Einstein's discovery was seen as proof of the atomic theory of matter: that all matter is made of tiny particles, or atoms.

So what did Putin mean? Presumably, he was referring to the protesters acting without apparent purpose ? he also said that their proposed individual programs were not "unified," and that their goals "are also not clear."

But there's also a bit of a warning in Putin's metaphor. After all, the point of Brownian motion is that it's not as inexplicable as it seems ? it's only inexplicable because the observer can't see all the molecules in play. Perhaps the same is true of Putin's perspective on the protesters.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/hduEtHtpy30/Putin-puts-down-protesters-with-physics-What-is-Brownian-motion-anyway

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Sony PlayStation Vita sales fall sharply after Japanese launch (Digital Trends)

Vita

Mentioned by Bloomberg earlier today, sales of the PlayStation Vita have fallen by nearly 80 percent during the week that ended on December 25 according to tracking firm?Media Create. Sony sold approximately 325,000 Vita units on December 17 and 18, but only sold about 10,000 units a day during the following week. Sales of the PlayStation Portable beat sales of the PlayStation Vita by approximately 25,000 units. In addition, Nintendo saw massive sales of the 3DS during the same week and nearly sold half a million units. That pushes Nintendo over four million units sold for the entire year, a fact that Nintendo officials mentioned in a recent press release.?

PS-Vita-300x300 Analysts are pointing at the rise in popularity of smartphones and tablets as the cause of the Vita?s poor sales numbers.?The Wi-Fi model of the PlayStation Vita costs about $320 and the?3G/Wi-Fi model costs approximately $385 in Japan. The expensive pricing of the device is likely a stumbling block when it comes to a purchase decision. When the Sony handheld launches in the United States in?February, the?Wi-Fi model will be priced at $249 and the??3G/Wi-Fi model at $299. However, the Vita also requires the purchase of a?Sony memory card that starts at $20 for the 4GB size and ranges up to $100 for the 32GB card. Sony is also planning on selling a $40 ?starter kit? that includes a 4GB memory card,?screen cover, card case, cleaning cloth,?headphones and carry pouch.

With the recent price cut of the Nintendo 3DS, Sony may have a difficult time convincing consumers to purchase the more expensive Vita over the $169 3DS. However, the Vita is expected to launch with a lineup of 25 launch titles in the United States including Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Nintendo struggled initially on the 3DS with a lack of first party titles, but released Mario Kart 7 to please core Nintendo fans at the end of 2011.?

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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New This Week

?For those underwhelmed by the ?Arrested Development? reunion at Fox?s ?Running Wilde? last fall, the good news is there?s a second reunification of ?Development? brothers-in-law David Cross and Will Arnett this fall via an IFC sitcom titled
?The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.?

It?s about a weak-minded temp (Cross) who unexpectedly finds himself dispatched by his half-wit of a new boss (Arnett) to market to the British a vile Korean energy drink called Thunder Muscle. While ?Wilde? is masterminded by Arnett and ?Arrested? creator Mitch Hurwitz, ?Margaret? was co-created by Cross, whose earlier endeavors as a screenwriter include HBO?s ?Mr. Show? and Comedy Central?s animated ?Freak Show.?

I believe Cross one of the funniest comics alive, but not every stand-up transitions to other media as brilliantly as did Woody Allen and Albert Brooks. ?Mr. Show,? a sketch franchise, deserves its following.

?Freak Show? a bit more of a sitcom, was a bit less of a laugh generator. ?Margaret? again demonstrates that writing situation comedies ? even TV-MA ones ? may not be Cross? strongest suit. Todd Margaret is a mammoth boob, smart enough to recognize a good job when it lands in his lap, but too stupid to realize locking his cat in his apartment for a month with a giant dish of tuna and a bucket of water is not preferable to boarding the pet. (Margaret?s new salary is $120,000 annually so he really should have been able to swing that expense.)

Margaret also knows somehow that Leeds is a municipality in England -- but doesn?t know The Who didn?t play there every Saturday.

The character of Todd Margaret, like a lot of sitcom characters, doesn?t always make a lot of sense. Margaret is assigned a cruel and unpleasant young British assistant who seems to take great joy in exploring just how dim his new boss is.

The series is repetitive and often wearing, determined to make the point over and over that Margaret has not much of an intellect. The set pieces that demonstrate this almost always overstay their welcome.?

But it?s not all bad. The thousands of boxes of the energy drink shipped to Margaret?s London office from Korea are labeled ?Bad Sanitation!? I also enjoyed checking in with Margaret?s cat at the end of each episode. American guest stars on the series include Amber Tamblyn and Janeane Garofalo.

Variety says:

Despite the promising talent and amusing title, the poorest decision pertaining to "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" was the one to greenlight it. ? it's a very one-note joke, adding a second creative disappointment (the other being Fox's "Running Wilde") to this fall's Cross-Will Arnett team-ups ? A more fundamental problem lies with Cross, whose mixture of wide-eyed innocent/ugly American/myopic moron has no nuance to engender even a trace of sympathy for his plight. And haven't we seen Arnett play the same blowhard over and over again, to the point of becoming tiresome? ?

The New York Times says:

? though it has moments of sublime satire and a typically memorable performance from Mr. Cross?s ?Arrested Development? colleague Will Arnett, it still has the feel of a dish that has been sitting on the table well past the point of cooling. ? all about its own ad-hoc lunacy, and yet it holds up as a pretty funny take on American corporate arrogance and as a symbol of the shift the workplace comedy has taken in recent years from an emphasis on relationships toward illustrations of dopey mismanagement. ?

The Los Angeles Times says:

? not altogether successful ? His attempts to speak the local lingo ? "Hello, hello, if I could have a wee minute of a brief spot tinkling of your time" ? are as strained as his conversations with women, where he is both elaborately courteous and helplessly gross. ? This is fun at first, but it becomes tiring to see him continually swatted down. It isn't until the glimmer of a plot finally emerges, after Todd stumbles into a Middle Eastern market with a can of Thunder Muscle, eliciting sudden mysterious interest ? that the series inches past mere mockery to the promise of more muscular misadventure. ?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

? by far the funnier of the two David Cross-Will Arnett series airing this fall ? He's an idiot (after he hears a British waitress say "raison d'etre," he says, "Aww, I love raisins") but the situations are pretty funny and hilariously profane whenever Arnett is on screen. ?

The Boston Globe says:

? It?s not must-see, but worth a half-hour, if you like Cross. ?

A new Showtime drama about the family of the rich, lusty fellow who ?ascended? to the Papacy around the time Columbus ?discovered? America, ?The Borgias? was written and directed by Neil Jordan (?The Crying Game,? ?Interview With The Vampire,? ?The Brave One?) and stars Jeremy Irons (?Brideshead Revisited,? ?Reversal of Fortune,? ?Die Hard With A Vengeance?), Joanne Whalley (?Willow,? ?Scarlett,? ?Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis?), Colm Feore (?24,? ?Thor?) and Derek Jacobi (?I, Claudius,? ?The King?s Speech?).

It lacks the full-bodied characterizations that made ?Rome,? set 1,500 years earlier in the same general locale, such a ripping yarn.

I think Jordan means to shock us with these tales of a ruthless, fornicating Pope, but the papers now so bulge with tales of Christian clergy availing themselves of pre-teen genitalia, the idea of a power-driven, mistress-indulging Vicar of Christ is rendered almost quaint.

I will say Irons is fun to watch, but the series drags during the stretches that too often pull him offscreen.

Time says:

? a lavish but joyless affair. Maybe in this kind of drama, trying to be too good is the cardinal sin. ?

The New York Times says:

? Jeremy Irons plays the ruthless head of the Borgia clan with almost campy relish. It may the most villainous fun he has had on screen since he played Claus von B?low in ?Reversal of Fortune? ?

The Los Angeles Times says:

? though Jordan has worked to make the Borgias understandable in human terms, it's hard to deeply care for them ? it doesn't matter, finally, what becomes of them, we watch less in suspense than in wonder: wonder at the cheek and gall of these characters; wondering how true any of it is; and wondering, most profitably, at the performances, the least of which are good and the best of which are good fun. That, more than the story ? which, notwithstanding the curlicues of palace intrigue, is in broad strokes easy to anticipate, so clear are everyone's intentions and options ? is what makes "The Borgias" worth your while. ?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

? a bit pell-mell and almost cartoon-like ? has a somewhat talky, two-hour premiere Sunday night, but it also moves through history at so fast a clip that character motivation is sacrificed. Borgia is crowned pope within the first hour, but the show never bothers to show viewers why, power grab aside, he wants it so badly. Also, he appears to take a mistress within hours of becoming pope when a young woman shows up from seemingly out of nowhere.

HitFix says:

? tiresome ? the ongoing identity crisis of "Camelot" is a tiny bit more entertaining than the more consistent tedium of "The Borgias," which tells the tale of the infamous 15th century Spanish family, whose patriarch Rodrigo became one of history's most controversial popes. That show has a more impressive pedigree - created by "The Crying Game" director Neil Jordan, and starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo - yet it would be hard to imagine a Hirst-penned version being any different, and Irons seems surprisingly bored by the whole project ?

TV Squad says:

? has Jeremy Irons' steely portrayal at its core, and his velvety magnetism allows the viewer to pardon quite a few of this period drama's lesser sins (even if a few serious sins remain). ?

The Boston Herald says:

The name alone conjures up images of depravity and debauchery. So why is ?The Borgias? so dreary??

The Boston Globe says:

? Irons doesn?t bring a lot of nuance to the role, but he nonetheless manages to balance his monster with a hint of godliness and a passion for diversity. But still, the story lines in ?The Borgias?? are terribly flat. ? has all the surface requirements you?d expect from a prestige production. Now all it needs is a beating heart.

USA Today says:

? captured by a sterling cast led in marvelous high style by Jeremy Irons, and presented with all the brio, flair and sumptuous design TV can muster, the infamous family is almost addictively entertaining. ?

The Hollywood Reporter says:

? The fact is, these kinds of grand historical reimaginings can be a scrumptious combination of costume drama acting, soap opera theatrics and pay cable promiscuousness. That?ll make the hours fly by. And it doesn?t mean your pleasure needs to be all that guilty.

?

?Shameless,? Showtime?s American version of a long-running British series, follows the scam-happy family of a hard-drinking, welfare-squandering patriarch. John Wells (?ER?) and John Abbott (?State Of Play?) handle scripting for the American version.

It stars Emmy Rossum (?The Phantom of the Opera?), William H. Macy (?Wild Hogs?), Joan Cusack (?What About Joan?), Joel Murray (?Mad Men?) and Marguerite Moreau (?Parenthood?).

The series is certainly better than its promos let on, though Macy really does chew too energetically on scenery. Happily the pilot puts a lot more focus on the sexy Rossum, who is fetching parading around in her undies in the second scene and indulges some Showtime-style nudity before the pilot?s 20-minute mark.

Some of it is a little predictable; a lot of it is too cute. The photography and direction are strong, as is a lot of the acting. It?s more entertaining on the whole than Wells? ?Southland? over on TNT if that?s any measure.

The critics are all over the place:

?The New York Times says:

? surprisingly appealing, crude, funny and also touching ?

The Los Angeles Times says:

? strangely unlikable ? seems determined to knock viewers on the head by turns with sledgehammers of grittiness and preachiness, never a good combination. ?

The Washington Post says:

? one of the best things I've watched on TV in many months. ? The last dysfunctional family drama I can recall getting off to such a good start was "Six Feet Under," with which "Shameless" shares a certain vibe. ?

The San Francsico Chronicle says:

? Not only is there honor among the members of the nimble-witted Gallagher family on Showtime's "Shameless," but a lot of love, smart writing and simply extraordinary performances ? In its own, yes, quirky way, "Shameless" is irresistibly heartwarming. It's also great television. ?

TV Squad says:

? the family's scams, adventures and predicaments are interesting enough to keep things perking along, though the episodes occasionally feel a bit long (their running time is generally around 52 or 53 minutes). The danger of a sprawling ensemble show is that there are sometimes too many characters to service adequately. Not all of them pull their weight here, but most are at least mildly interesting. Still, if there isn't a season-long arc to pull us in, establishing empathy for a few central characters is even more important. ?

The Boston Herald says:

? a remake of an inexplicably popular British series ? Joan Cusack wastes her talents as a tightly wound neighbor who doesn?t realize what her teenage daughter is doing just inches away from her. ?

USA Today says:

? For all the show's flaws, you can see the attraction for an actor of Macy's quality, with the kind of showy, outsized role that wins awards. But as fine an actor as he is, Frank just comes across as loud and empty. Much like Shameless.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

? excellent, compelling television from the first moment. As long as it stays true to the roots of the original, it's going to be essential viewing.

Variety says:

? wallows in dreariness without offering enough dramatic compensation in return. ? For the most part, there's nothing here to be ashamed of. It's just that at a time when TV drama is so flush with riches, "Shameless" plays like a poor relative. ?

TV-on-Disc Calendar

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My Life As A Teenage Robot 1.x
My Life As A Teenage Robot 2.x
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This Week

Archer 1.x (Blu-ray)

Archer 2.x

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The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret 1.x

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents 5.x
Care Bears: Helping Hearts
Flipper & Lopaka 1.x
Justified 2.x

Justified 2.x (Blu-ray)
Mildred Pierce: The Complete Miniseries
Mildred Pierce: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
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Royal Pains 3.x Vol. 1
SpongeBob's Frozen Face-Off
That's My Boy: The Complete Series

January 10
Boardwalk Empire 1.x

Boardwalk Empire 1.x (Blu-ray)

Columbo 1994-2003
Dennis The Menace 4.x

Doctor Who: The Android Invasion

Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
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Hawaii Five-0 12.x

Hawaii Five-0: The Complete Series
An Idiot Abroad
An Idiot Abroad (Blu-ray)

Looney Tunes Showcase Vol. 1 (Blu-ray)
Pacific Blue 1.x
Pacific Blue: The Complete Series
Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Blowhole
Primeval Vol. 3
Primeval Vol. 3 (Blu-ray)
thirtysomething 1.x Vol. 2 ($9.98)

January 17
Adam 12 6.x
Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipmunk Valentine
Babar: Out Of This World
Delocated 1.x/2.x
George Gently 1.x (Blu-ray)
Mad 1.x Vol. 2
Merlin 3.x
Sliders 5.x
Waking The Dead 6.x

January 24
Ancient Aliens 3.x
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 1.x
Kojak: The Complete Movie Collection
Mannix 6.x
Meet The Browns 4.x
Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated 2.x Vol. 1

January 31
Agatha Christie's Poirot 1.x
Agatha Christie's Poirot 2.x
Agatha Christie's Poirot 1.x (Blu-ray)
Agatha Christie's Poirot 2.x (Blu-ray)
The Comic Strip Presents: The Complete Collection
Diagnosis Murder Movie Collection
Hey Dude 2.x
Leave It To Beaver: 20 Timeless Classics
Poldark: The Complete Collection

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level (Blu-ray)

February 7

CSI: Grave Danger
Curious George Saves The Day
Downton Abbey: The Complete Series

Downton Abbey: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
The Father Dowling Mysteries 1.x
Hell's Kitchen 6.x
Laramie 2.x
Mayday 3.x/4.x (Blu-ray)
New Tricks 6.x
Police Woman 2.x
Rocko's Modern Life 2.x

February 14
The Adventure Of Chuck & Friends: Friends To The Finish
Beavis & Butt-Head Vol. 4
Beavis & Butt-Head Vol. 4 (Blu-ray)

Doctor Who: The Caves Of Androzani

Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe

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Doctor Who: The Sensorites
Dog the Bounty Hunter: Taking It to the Streets
Family Matters 2.x
Frederick Forsyth: Six Movies
Jem And The Holograms 2.x
Murder, She Wrote: 4 Movie Collection
Overland Trail: The Complete Series
Robin of Sherwood Vol. 2 (Blu-ray)
Storage Wars Vol. 2
They Came From Outer Space: The Complete Series

February 21
Borgia 1.x

Fades 1.x (Blu-ray)
Hazel 2.x
Last of the Summer Wine 1991
Matlock 7.x
Matlock 7-Season Pack
Nurse Jackie 3.x (Blu-ray)
Underdog: The Complete Series
Weeds 7.x
Weeds 7.x (Blu-ray)

Young Justice 1.x Vol. 3

February 28
Angry Beavers 3.x Vol. 1
The Brief: The Complete Collection
Here Come The Brides 2.x
Here's Lucy 5.x
French Fields: The Complete Collection
Justice League: Doom

Justice League: Doom (Blu-ray)
Law & Order 10.x
Midsomer Murders Vol. 19

Mission: Impossible '89
Mission: Impossible ?88/'89
My Little Pony: Ponyville Chronicle

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil
Top Gear 17.x
Top Gear 17.x (Blu-ray)

March 6
Adventure Time: It Came From the Nightosphere
Best of Cheers <--- NEW!!
Best of Frasier <--- NEW!!
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Game of Thrones 1.x

Game of Thrones 1.x (Blu-ray)

Happily Divorced 1.x
Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound

Tennessee Tuxedo: The Complete Collection
Tom & Jerry: In the Dog House
Transformers Prime

Transformers Prime 1.x (Blu-ray)

March 13
Come Fly With Me 1.x<--- NEW!!
Come Fly With Me 1.x (Blu-ray)<--- NEW!!
Doctor Who: Face of Evil

Doctor Who: Robots of Death

Doctor Who: Three Doctors

Doctor Who: Tomb of the Cybermen

Hercules 3.x

The Looney Tunes Show 1.x Vol. 3
Picker Sisters 1.x
Superjail 2.x
That '70s Show 1.x (Blu-ray)

The Tribe 1.x Vol. 1

Xena 3.x

March 20

The Adventures Of Tintin 2.x

Batman: The Brave and the Bold 2.x Vol. 2
Hey Arnold 2.x Vol. 1
Kojak 3.x
The Scarecrow and Mrs. King 3.x

March 27
CatDog 1.x Vol. 2

Eureka 4.5

Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXIII

April 3
Eagleheart 1.x
Mayday 3.x/4.x
Regular Show 1.x/2.x

April 10

Logan's Run: The Complete Series<--- NEW!!

April 17
Ben 10 Vol. 5<--- NEW!!
Ice Road Truckers 5.x

May 1
The Invisible Man: The Complete Series
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The Virginian 6.x<--- NEW!!

Wagon Train 5.x<--- NEW!!

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? surprisingly appealing, crude, funny and also touching ?

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