July 4, 2007

subterfuge

DEFINITION: (noun) Something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity. SYNONYMS: blind. USAGE: The manner in which he said this made Ned feel sure that Tom had had other thoughts, and that he had used a little subterfuge in his answer.

M. Night Shyamalan

Shyamalan is an Academy Award-nominated Indian-American film writer, director, and producer. The Sixth Sense, a film staring Bruce Willis, grossed over $600 million worldwide and is Shymalan's greatest commercial success. His filmmaking ambitions were encouraged when, at a young age, he received a Super-8 camera. He made his first film, Praying with Anger, while still an NYU student, using money borrowed from family and friends. What do his films have in common with Hitchcock's?

Recessive Genes for Brittle Bone Disease Found

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) refers to any of several types of collagen disorders that result in brittle, osteoporotic, easily fractured bones. While classic OI is caused by an autosomal dominant defect, meaning people who receive the gene from just one parent will suffer from the disease, researchers have now discovered two recessive OI genes. This means that if two healthy parents are carriers of the recessive trait, there is a 25% chance their child will have OI.