In some parts of the US, there's been reports that trees aren't bearing acorns this year. "We're talking zero. Not a single acorn. It's really bizarre," said Greg Zell, a naturalist at Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington. Then calls started coming in about crazy squirrels. Starving, skinny squirrels eating garbage, inhaling bird feed, greedily demolishing pumpkins. Squirrels boldly scampering into the road. And a lot more calls about squirrel roadkill. But [field botanist Rod] Simmons really got spooked when he was teaching a class on identifying oak and hickory trees late last month. For 2 1/2 miles, Simmons and other naturalists hiked through Northern Virginia oak and hickory forests. They sifted through leaves on the ground, dug in the dirt and peered into the tree canopies. Nothing. Simmons thinks the reason could be that the unusually heavy rainfall in the spring washed the pollen out of the air before it had time to pollinate the acorn blossoms. But Ed Zimmer, a regional forester for the Virginia Department of Forestry, doesn't think that's possible. So far, no one knows for sure what's going on. Where'd all the acorns go? (Via Neatorama)...br style="clear: both;"/ a href="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/ht.php?t=camp;i=56e498058900df1b0f07271e80e2dc37amp;p=1"img style="border:0;" src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/ht.php?t=vamp;i=56e498058900df1b0f07271e80e2dc37amp;p=1" border="0" //a

Li-xiang is a patient, but also more than a patient. He filmed in 2004 a documentary called “our life” about how AIDS patients live, and founded an AID-care NGO named Red-wood, which reaches out to comfort AIDS patients and train health-care volunteers. Outside his sickroom, he is more a social worker than a patient in need of care. As he said

对我æ¥è¯´ï¼Œæ¯å¤©çš„工作就是åšèƒ½å¤Ÿå¸®åŠ©è‰¾æ»‹ç—…毒感染者的工作，以åŠå‡å°‘大众对艾滋病的误解和歧视的工作，大部分时间都是在围ç€è‰¾æ»‹ç—…打转转，åƒä»»ä½•ä¸€ä¸ªç¤¾ä¼š 工作者那样。

To me, my daily work to help AIDS patients, and lift public’s misunderstanding and discrimination against AIDS. I spent most of my time working on HIV issue, as any social worker does.

Now about 30, he contracted AIDS in a blood donation when he was only a high school student. He started blogging in 2005, writing about his life, ideas, and occasionally HIV treatment. He faces the disease with an open mind and never grudges talking about it, and his optimism cheers up many of his fellow patients.

He writes about AIDS treatment and discusses with netizens, many of them fellow patients, the prospect of overcoming the fatal disease; for example, he has entries called “Li-xiang: my point on AIDS medicine”, and “Li-xiang: relationship between anti-virus cure and CD4.” Also, he scolds the quake that swindles fake medicine to anxious patients. Moreover, he deliberated on a trade-off between people’s privacy and a preventive measure against AIDS that have to make any lurking disease open.

以æ供救治为首è¦æ ¸å¿ƒçš„战略，是å¦è¦è½¬ç§»åˆ°ä»¥é¢„防为核心的战略？还是努力救治，也努力预防？过去以救治为首è¦æ ¸å¿ƒçš„战略和实施是å¦ä¹Ÿåªæ˜¯æ¯æ°´è½¦è–ªï¼Ÿå…¨ä¸–ç•Œ6000万艾滋病相关的工作者，是å¦çœŸçš„有效救治了4000万艾滋病感染者和病人？在艾滋病é¢å‰ï¼Œæˆ‘们是å¦éœ€è¦ç‰ºç‰²äººæƒæ¥è¿›è¡Œæ™®é的强制 检测，æ‰èƒ½æ›´æœ‰æ•ˆçš„控制艾滋病的æµè¡Œï¼Ÿè¿™æ ·æ˜¯å¦å€¼å¾—？——æŽæƒ³

Should we shift from a strategy that centers on treatment to another strategy centers on preventive measures? Or should we do them equally hard? Is the measure we are taking now, namely, treatment going first, only takes as little effect as a water drop has to the entire sea? Are the 60 million AIDS workers around the world able to save effectively the 40 million patients? Should we, facing AIDS, sacrifice human rights to impose a forced examination on people to better control the AIDS infection? Is that worth it?

He has been a celebrity. His deeds were widely reported. Southern Weekend, an influential periodical, dedicated one page to him after his documentary was finished. He was said to be so busy that even on bed he has to pick up phone calls to tell his ideas about where the NGO Red-woods should be going for next step. And pictures show that he was planting trees with the Belgium Princess Mathilde in an AIDS-related activity.

(From Li-xiang's blog)

But in all these reports and pictures, one thing remains, that Li-xiang has never shown his face to the camera. The reason he does that, is because he also wants a life of dignity, and tries not to let his parents and friends worry too much about him.

Self

Li-xiang, though with the aura as an extraordinary man, is in nature a common person, who just happened to run into a misfortune. He likes to talk about himself in most daily-life details.

我喜欢打游æˆï¼Œé™¤äº†ç©ºå½“接龙还喜欢打CS，ä¸è¿‡æ‰“的很差。æ¯å¤©ä¸è¶…过30分钟的游æˆæœ‰åŠ©äºŽè°ƒèŠ‚你的生活和心情。

I love playing games, not only freecell (a poker game), but also Counter-strike (a computer game). Playing games for less than 30 minutes a day will help adjust your life and mind.

He talks about what he dislikes:

我最讨厌自己的事情是，我生病时，有人到病房探视。我得åƒç¥¥æž—嫂一样的é‡å¤æ²»ç–—的情况。更令人懊æ¼çš„是，少数人并ä¸æ˜¯ä¸ºè¿™ä¸ªæ¥çš„。

What I hate the most is that when I am sick, people come to look after me, and I have to repeat how my treatment goes time and time again. What disappoints me more is that some one even come bearing other purposes.

Visitor will usually leave one or two comments.

终于åˆçœ‹åˆ°ä½ å‘åšæ–‡äº†,身体好了å—,一定注æ„å•Š,虽然首都医疗æ¡ä»¶å¥½,但还是得é è‡ªèº«æŠµæŠ—力强æ‰å¥½,ä¾é è¯ç‰©å‰¯ä½œç”¨å¤ªå¤š.真心ç¥ä½ ä¸€åˆ‡éƒ½å¥½! 周愿

Finally again I saw your blog updated. Do you feel better? Though Beijing has good health-care hardware, you have to really rely on yourself and a strong immunity. Too much side-effect with medicines. Sincerely wish you the best with everything! Zhou-yuan

Beautiful girls

Li-xiang confessed he loves beautiful girls. He also has a girlfriend named Wu, translated as “Dance”.

ç¨å¾®äº†è§£æˆ‘的人，都知é“这样的传闻，æŽæƒ³å–œæ¬¢ç¾Žå¥³ã€‚
有人å‘我求è¯çš„时候，我也会直接和直爽的说，是的，我喜欢美女。
幸甚至哉，我认识好几个这样的美女。当然ä¸ç”¨è¯´ï¼Œå…¶ä¸­æœ‰ä¸€ä¸ªæ˜¯æˆ‘的女朋å‹ã€‚呵呵。如果连美女都ä¸å–œæ¬¢ã€ä¸æ¬£èµäº†ï¼Œç”Ÿæ´»å“ªé‡Œè¿˜æœ‰ä»€ä¹ˆå¸Œæœ›ï¼Ÿ

Those who know about me all have heard that Li-xiang loves beautiful girls. When people ask me about the rumor, I will give a straight answer, “yes, I love beautiful girls.”
It’s lucky for me to know exactly some beautiful girls. It goes without saying that one of them is my girlfriend. Aha, what hope will life have if beautiful girls were no long liked and appreciated?

But some netizens left on his blog unfriendly comments on his love of beauty.

这个å«æŽæƒ³çš„åšä¸»çœŸæ˜¯éžå¸¸ä¹‹ä¸è¦è„¸äº† 自己明知é“自己的情况 还找什么美女åšå¥³æœ‹å‹ è¿™ä¸æ˜¯æ˜Žæ‘†æƒ³å‘害人家å—？鄙视这样的人ï¼ï¼ï¼ï¼ï¼ï¼è¯·ä¸ºä»–äººå¤šè€ƒè™‘ä¸‹å§ æ–°æµªç½‘å‹

This blogger named Li-xiang is really shameless. He knows how he is but still find a beautiful girl as his girlfriend. Isn’t this meant to be harming her? Shame on him!!!!! Please be more considerate for others. Sina.com Netizen

But the remark met rebuttal from other netizens very soon.

æŽæƒ³.ä¸è¦è·Ÿè¿™äº›æ²¡é“德与良知的人计较,人生有许多的ä¸å…¬å¹³.你这么善良,èªæ˜Ž.å´å› ä¸ºè¾“血而感染.è¿™ä¸æ˜¯ä½ çš„过错,很痛心这个世上还有这些æ¶æ¯’而狭ç¢çš„ 人.他们ä¸çŸ¥é“欣èµç¾ŽåŒæ ·ä¹Ÿæ˜¯ä¸€ç§å–„.他们ä¸çŸ¥é“人与人之间除了肉体,还有精神的爱.他们的无知与å执,他们空洞的精神,是无法ç†è§£ä½ çš„, 新浪网å‹

Li-xiang, don’t bother to argue with this kind of people. Life could be much unfair. You are so kind, wise, but were infected with AIDS due to a blood donation. This is not your fault. I feel painful that there is so malicious a person in the world. They don’t know the appreciation of beauty is also a virtue. They don’t know besides bodily relationship, there is spiritual love. Their ignorance and bigot, are impossible to understand you. Sina.com netizen

Sometimes Li-xiang would disappear for a while. He explained to those care about him:

有一阵没有写日记，也好一阵没在åšå®¢ä¸Šå†™æ–‡ç« äº†ã€‚ä¸æƒ³è¯´æ‰€æœ‰çš„原因都是因为忙碌，也有一些其他的原因，有时候有些低è½ï¼Œæœ‰æ—¶å€™æœ‰äº›èŒ«ç„¶ã€‚是的，我ä¸åƒä½ æƒ³åƒçš„那样有ç€é“œåƒä¸€æ ·çš„åšå¼ºã€‚我åªæ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªæ™®é€šäººï¼Œå¸Œæœ›æ¢¦æƒ³æœ‰å¤©ç»ˆä¼šå®žçŽ°ã€‚

For quite a while I have written no diary and blogs. It’s not all because I was busy, but for some other reasons. Sometimes I felt depressed, and sometimes at a loss. Yes, I am not as strong as bronze. I am just a common person with a belief that some day hope will come true.

Though his blog enhances his popularity, he still takes it as a simple platform for communication, and a window to look at the world.

我åªæ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªå¹³å¸¸çš„俗人，åšå®¢åªæ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªçœ‹ä¸–界的角度，我ä¸æ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªé¡¾å½±è‡ªæ€œè‡ªæ€¨è‡ªè‰¾æˆ–者è¦è¯æ˜Žè‡ªå·±æ˜¯å¤šä¹ˆæ— è¾œçš„病人，我的心ç†éžå¸¸å¥åº·ã€‚更多的时间，我并ä¸ä¼šæ‰®æ¼”病人的角色。我似乎已ç»ç¦»å¼€äº†ç—…人，也离开了公众，æˆäº†ä¸¤è¾¹éƒ½å¾ˆç†Ÿæ‚‰çš„一个中间的人。

I am just a common man. Blogging is just another angle for me to look at the world. I am not a self-pity man to prove how innocent a patient I am. I am mentally healthy. In more time, I don’t play the role of a patient. I depart from the group of patients, and leave away from the public, just to be a man familiar to both groups.

This is Li-xiang life, plain, easy but active. As he said, “Now, though a lot of people think I am greatly unfortunate, I am, however, feeling like having the most meaningful life ever”.

pFiled under: a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag"Ford/a, a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/volvo/" rel="tag"Volvo/a, a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/earnings-financials/" rel="tag"Earnings/Financials/a/pa href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTSzmsqBnIR2g_RjpGhCdwYJCCMg"img border="0" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/volvo_logo_250op.jpg" //aThe Volvo Group, successfully spun off ball bearing company SKF in 1927, no longer has much to do with the Volvo brand of cars. While it does build large commercial vehicles, the automotive unit was sold to Ford all the way back in 1999, and the only real ties the two corporations share is joint-ownership of the Volvo logo and trademark. Unfortunately, things haven't really been all that rosy for the Swedish brand since it was purchased by the Blue Oval. Despite its lack of involvement, Volvo Group doesn't like to see its old auto division in such sorry shape and is reportedly willing to help... up to a point. The Swedish company will not purchase Volvo Cars back from Ford, but would consider funding various joint projects and becoming part of a consortium of owners. br /br /The Volvo Group also opposes calls for the Swedish government's intervention. Some have suggested that both Volvo and Saab should be operated as state-owned brands. Says Volvo chairman of the board Finn Johnsson, "The state knows nothing about the car industry..." If Ford isn't able to keep it up and the Swedish gov't minds its own business, where does that leave Volvo? Johnsson suggests that Renault might be a good fit for potential owner of the brand. Ghosn, are you listening?br /br /[Source: a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTSzmsqBnIR2g_RjpGhCdwYJCCMg"AF via Google/a]p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/30/volvo-not-interested-in-buying-back-volvo-cars-from-ford/"Volvo not interested in buying back Volvo Cars from Ford/a originally appeared on a href="http://www.autoblog.com"Autoblog/a on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:35:00 EST. Please see our a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/"terms for use of feeds/a./ph6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"/h6a href=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hTSzmsqBnIR2g_RjpGhCdwYJCCMgRead/anbsp;|nbsp;a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/30/volvo-not-interested-in-buying-back-volvo-cars-from-ford/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry"Permalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1385653/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email"Email this/anbsp;|nbsp;a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/30/volvo-not-interested-in-buying-back-volvo-cars-from-ford/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry"Comments/a pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/Lp-pMBBIbPjBtXn-Eu04zyUBpK4/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~at/Lp-pMBBIbPjBtXn-Eu04zyUBpK4/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/autoblog?a=gvXS0gj1"img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/autoblog?i=gvXS0gj1" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/autoblog?a=Jhz7Pj9p"img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/autoblog?i=Jhz7Pj9p" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~4/Bl0UG6amjzw" height="1" width="1"/

Category: Games
Released: Nov 22, 2008
Price: $1.99

Description:
Ballmazing is the modern day version of the classic wooden ball bearing game labyrnith with a few new twists to challenge you. As you tilt your iPhone or iPod Touch the ball will weave its way through the maze but watch out for the new twists there are bouncers, blockers, skid pads and slime tanks for you to contend with, not to mention the classic holes you will need to avoid. With 80 levels to play and variable ball speed to match your skill level you will have hours of entertainment.All the levels are unlocked so you don�t need to complete a maze to try the next one.

Website: http://www.cantasoft.com/ballmazing
Support Website: http://www.cantasoft.com/ballmazing

Note: The description above is the official one supplied by the application developer and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of this site or its staff.


Get it on iTunes: BallMazing

The source of a a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20081022_Lifting_the_curse_of_William_Penn.html"recently-broken curse/a, the a href="http://phillyskyline.com/photo/williampenn/"tallest statue/a to adorn the top of any building surmounts the a href="http://weburbanist.com/2008/01/19/the-tallest-masonry-building-in-the-world-philadelphias-beautiful-load-bearing-city-hall/"tallest masonry building in the world/a. A a href="http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Store/store_files/MediaStream_035.jpg"bit/a of a href="http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Store/store_files/MediaStream_039.jpg"perspective/a. a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Philadelphia_City_Hall-zoom.JPG"Too much/a perspective? br / a href="http://www.metafilter.com/62374/Ironworkers-Above-The-City#1741468"[previously]/a