PINK EYE

1 YEAR IN PRISON

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on Friday for illegally possessing machine guns and silencers, as prosecutors lauded his anti-violence advocacy since his arrest.

T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, originally faced up to 20 years in prison and the effective end of his career but performing community service as part of his plea agreement with prosecutors reduced his sentence.

T.I., 28, who was sentenced at a federal court in Atlanta, toured the United States in recent months speaking to tens of thousands of young people about the dangers of drugs and gangs, as he completed more than 1,000 hours of community service.

His anti-crime advocacy has been chronicled on cable channel MTV's reality show "T.I.'s Road to Redemption." He posted $3 million bail after his arrest.

The Atlanta-born rapper, whose hit songs include "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life," could have his one year and one day sentence further reduced by 15 percent with good behavior.

David Nahmias, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement T.I.'s community service exceeded prosecutors' expectations and that "there is still more to come when he gets out of prison."

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell agreed to ask prison officials to have T.I. surrender in the coming weeks but not before May 19.

The rapper, who has a 1998 crack cocaine conviction that made it illegal for him to own guns, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

The charges stemmed from T.I.'s October 13, 2007, arrest by federal agents after the rapper had a bodyguard buy machine guns and silencers for him, prosecutors said.

T.I., who won two Grammy Awards in 2006 for best rap solo performance and best rap/sung collaboration, in October released his third consecutive No. 1 album, "Paper Trail."

The father of six also starred alongside Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in the 2007 movie "American Gangster."

fungi

Fungal spores may be actively or passively released for dispersal by several effective methods. The air we breathe is filled with spores of species that are air dispersed. These usually are species that produce large numbers of spores, and examples include many species pathogenic on agricultural crops and trees. Other species are adapted for dispersal within or on the surfaces of animals (particularly arthropods). Some fungi are rain splash or flowing water dispersed. In a few cases the forcible release of spores is sufficient to serve as the dispersal method as well. The function of some spores is not primarily for dispersal, but to allow the organisms to survive as resistant cells during periods when the conditions of the environment are not conducive to growth.

Fungi are vital for their ecosystem functions, some of which we have reviewed in the previous paragraphs. In addition a number of fungi are used in the processing and flavoring of foods (baker's and brewer's yeasts, Penicillia in cheese-making) and in production of antibiotics and organic acids. Other fungi produce secondary metabolites such as aflatoxins that may be potent toxins and carcinogens in food of birds, fish, humans, and other mammals.

A few species are studied as model organisms that can be used to gain knowledge of basic processes such as genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology with results that are applicable to many organisms (Taylor et al., 1993). Some of the fungi that have been intensively studied in this way include Saccharomyces cereviseae, Neurospora crassa, and Ustilago maydis.

Most phyla appear to be terrestrial in origin, although all major groups have invaded marine and freshwater habitats. An exception to this generality is the flagellum-bearing phyla Chytridiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, and Neocallimastigomycota (collectively referred to as chytrids), which probably had an aquatic origin. Extant chytrid species also occur in terrestrial environments as plant pathogenic fungi, soil fungi, and even as anaerobic inhabitants of the guts of herbivores such as cows (all Neocallimastigomycota).

protist

Protists that are classified as animal-like are called protozoans and share some common traits with animals. All animal-like protists are heterotrophs. Likewise, all animal-like protists are able to move in their environment in order to find their food. Unlike, animals, however, animal-like protists are all unicellular.

Animal-like protists are divided into four basic groups based on how they move and live.
Fungus-like protists are heterotrophswith cell walls. They also reproduce by forming spores. All fungus-like protists are able to move at some point in their lives. There are essentially three types of fungus-like protists: water molds, downy mildews, and slime molds.

rob with daughter

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