text:
- Research article
- Open Access
An evolutionary preserved intergenic spacer in gadiform mitogenomes generates a long noncoding RNA
© Jørgensen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014
- Received: 3 May 2014
- Accepted: 5 August 2014
- Published: 22 August 2014
Vertebrate mitogenomes are economically organized and usually lack intergenic sequences other than the control region. Intergenic spacers located between the tRNAThr and tRNAPro genes ("T-P spacers") have been observed in several taxa, including gadiform species, but information about their biological roles and putative functions is still lacking.
Sequence characterization of the complete European hake Merluccius merluccius mitogenome identified a complex T-P spacer ranging in size from 223–532 bp. Further analyses of 32 gadiform species, representing 8 families and 28 genera, revealed the evolutionary preserved presence of T-P spacers across all taxa. Molecular complexity of the T-P spacers was found to be coherent with the phylogenetic relationships, supporting a common ancestral origin and gain of function during codfish evolution. Intraspecific variation of T-P spacer sequences was assessed in 225 Atlantic cod specimens and revealed 26 haplotypes. Pyrosequencing data representing the mito-transcriptome poly (A) fraction in Atlantic cod identified an abundant H-strand specific long noncoding RNA of about 375 nt. The T-P spacer corresponded to the 5′ part of this transcript, which terminated within the control region in a tail-to-tail configuration with the L-strand specific transcript (the 7S RNA).
The T-P spacer is inferred to be evolutionary preserved in gadiform mitogenomes due to gain of function through a long noncoding RNA. We suggest that the T-P spacer adds stability to the H-strand specific long noncoding RNA by forming stable hairpin structures and additional protein binding sites.
- Atlantic cod
- European hake
- Heteroplasmy
- lncRNA
- Mitogenome
One characteristic feature of vertebrate mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) is the economical gene organization. Vertebrates usually lack mitochondrial intergenic sequences of any appreciable size other than the approximately 1-kb control region (CR) and the 30-bp origin of light (L) strand replication (OriL). The CR harbors the origin of heavy (H) strand replication (OriH) and initiation sites for H-strand and L-strand transcription, as well as the displacement loop (D-loop), but does not contain any canonical protein coding or RNA coding genes [1].
Among the 2600 completely sequenced vertebrate mitogenomes, a great majority shares an identical arrangement of 37 genes. However, alternative gene orders due to minor rearrangements and sequence duplications have been noted [2],[3]. A common feature of most rearrangements is DNA duplications that involve tRNA genes and intergenic sequences. Mitogenomes of several snake species contain two CR copies [4],[5], and the four gene orders known in birds differ in CR copy number and CR location [6]-[8]. Related rearrangements have also been noted in bony fishes, and include both CR, OriL and tRNA gene duplications [9]-[12].
A mitogenome intergenic spacer between the tRNAThr and tRNAPro genes (the T-P spacer), located close to the CR, has been reported in a few species representing distantly related vertebrate taxa. Short T-P spacers have been found in ostrich birds [13], in some toad linages including Xenopus[14],[15], and in the mole lizard [16]. Larger T-P spacers have been reported in various species of the salamander family Ambystomatidae [17],[18]. These complex spacers vary in size from 240 bp to 680 bp and tandem repeat sequence motifs appear common, but no functional role has yet been assigned. A T-P spacer in a fish species was first discovered in the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) mitogenome [19]-[21], and later noted in the related Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) [22] and six additional gadiform species representing three families (Gadidae, Lotidae and Phycidae) [23]. These T-P spacers vary in size from 25 bp in fourbeard rockling (Enchelyopus cimbrius) to 99 bp in haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), and contain one or two copies of a conserved 17-bp motif (Box-motif) [23]. T-P spacers demonstrate interspecific sequence variation and have been applied as genetic markers in population studies of both Walleye pollock [22] and Atlantic cod [24]. More recently T-P spacers were reported in two additional gadid species [25]. While Greenland cod (Gadus ogac) contains two size variants of the spacer (73 bp and 102 bp), highly similar in sequence to that of Atlantic cod, the Arctic cod (Arctogadus glacialis) T-P spacer appears more complex and variable in size due to short heteroplasmic tandem repeat motifs [25].
The vertebrate mitochondrial transcriptome (mito-transcriptome) has been investigated in human cells and tissues [26],[27]. The H and L strand polycistronic precursor transcripts are processed into the 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and 11 mRNAs [28]. Here, the L-strand specific promoter (LSP) generates a transcript that gives rise to the ND6 mRNA and 8 tRNAs. The H-strand specific transcription, however, is more complex since two promoters (HSP1 and HSP2) are involved. Whereas the HSP1-specific transcript is short and highly abundant, and is the main source of mitochondrial rRNAs, the HSP2-specific transcript is processed into 8 monocistronic and two bicistronic mRNAs [26],[28]. This organization appears highly conserved among vertebrates since Atlantic cod and saithe (Pollachius virens) mito-transcriptomes are very similar to that of humans [29].
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), typically longer than 200 nt, are highly abundant in vertebrates where they possess key roles in gene regulation linked to tissue specificity, development and disease [30],[31]. The human mitogenome also code for lncRNAs in addition to their 37 canonical genes. The first mitochondrial lncRNA to be discovered was the 7S RNA, transcribed from LSP within the CR [32],[33]. Additional mitochondrial lncRNAs have since then been identified in human cells, and include lncND5, lncND6, lncCytB [27], as well as the prognostic LIPCAR lncRNAs antisense to CytB and COII mRNAs [34]. The lncND5 RNA is of particular interest due to its antisense organization to ND5 mRNA, and the fact that ND5 is the only tightly regulated protein gene in vertebrate mitochondria [35],[36]. Mitochondrial lncRNAs appear highly conserved among vertebrates, and we recently reported noncoding RNA corresponding to lncND5 in the mito-transcriptomes of Atlantic cod and saithe [29].
Here we report two non-overlapping mitochondrial lncRNAs (lncCR-H and lncCR-L) transcribed from opposite strands within the Atlantic cod CR, both terminating at the termination-associated sequence (TAS). While the 500 nt lncCR-L RNA apparently corresponds to the human 7S RNA [29], the 375 nt lncCR-H RNA has not been reported previously. The 5′ end of lncCR-H corresponds to the T-P spacer that apparently adds stability to the noncoding RNA. The T-P spacer was found to be present in all 32 gadiform species investigated (representing 8 families and 28 genera), and feature analysis indicates directional evolution of spacers from a simple organization in early branching gadiform families (e.g. Moridae or Macrouridae) to complex structures including heteroplasmy in Merluciidae and Gadidae.
Complete mitogenome sequence of the European hake
The phylogenetic position of European hake among Gadiformes was assessed from concatenated mitochondrial protein sequences (3814 amino acid positions) derived from complete mitogenome sequences (Additional file 3: Table S1), and a representative neighbor-joining tree is presented in Additional file 4: Figure S3. Eight gadiform families were included in the analysis and European hake (family Merlucciidae) was found to occupy a more basal position compared to Gadidae and Lotidae, but apparenty more recent than Macrouridae, Bregmacerotidae and Moridae. These observations are in general agreement with previous works on gadiform phylogeny [38]-[40].
T-P spacer in European hake contains heteroplasmic tandem repeats
The T-P spacer included in the complete European hake mitogenome sequence (Mm1) was determined to 532 bp. This sequence consists of a 34 bp conserved direct repeat containing the 17-bp Box-motif [23], an optional direct repeat of about 60 bp, and 20 copies of an 8-bp heteroplasmic tandem repeat (HTR) (Figure 1B; Additional file 5: Figure S4A). To investigate individual sequence variations, a T-P spacer region from another specimen (Mm2) was analyzed by PCR amplification, plasmid cloning, and subsequent DNA sequencing. The Mm2 T-P spacer showed extensive length heteroplasmy, varying in size from 258 bp to 430 bp (Figure 1B; Additional file 5: Figure S4B). Size variation was partly caused by the 8-bp HTR motif, which varied from 7 to 23 copies among six sequenced clones. Furthermore, four clones contained an additional 76 bp sequence (Figure 1B). All plasmid clones investigated gave identical sequences, except the HTR copy number and two single nucleotide polymorphic sites (Additional file 5: Figure S4B).
Distribution and variability of T-P spacers among gadiform species
Key features of gadiform T-P spacers
Common name
1Size (bp)
Order: Gadiformes
Family: Gadidae
Gadus morhua
(Atlantic cod)
Gadus ogac
(Greenland cod)
Theragra chalcogramma
(Alaska Pollock)
Theragra finnmarchica
(Norwegian Pollock)
Boreogadus saida
(Polar cod)
Arctogadus glacialis
(Arctic cod)
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
Merlangius merlangius
Pollachius virens
Pollachius pollachius
Trisopterus esmarkii
(Norwegian pout)
This work
Trisopterus minutes
(Poor cod)
This work
Micromesistius poutassou
(Blue whiting)
Gadiculus argenteus
(Silvery pout)
This work
Family: Lotidae
Lota lota
Brosme brosme
Molva molva
This work
Molva dipterygia
(Blue ling)
This work
Family: Phycidae
Enchelyopus cimbrius
(Fourbeaed rockling)
Gaidropsarus argentatus
(Tree-bearded rockling)
Phycis blennoides
(Greater forkbeard)
This work
Family: Ranicipitidae
Raniceps raninus
(Tadpole fish)
This work
Family: Merlucciidae
Macruronus novaezelandiae
This work
Merluccius merluccius
(European hake)
FR751402; This work
Family: Macrouridae
Squalogadus modificatus
(Tadpole whiptail)
Trachyrincus murragi
(Roughnose grenadier)
Bathygadus antrodes
Caelorinchus kishinouyei
(Mugara grenadier)
Coryphaenoides rupestris
(Roundnose grenadier)
This work
Ventrifossa garmani
(Sagami grenadier)
Family: Bregmacerotidae
Bregmaceros nectabanus
(Smallscale codlet)
Family: Moridae
Physiculus japonicus
(Japanese codling)
Laemonema longipes
(Longfin codling)
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Lophiidae
Lophius piscatorius
This work
Lophius americanus
(American angler)
Intraspecific variation of the Atlantic cod T-P spacer
Analysis of mito-transcriptome data from Atlantic cod liver tissue
We report a complex intergenic spacer between the tRNAThr and tRNAPro genes in the European hake mitochondrial genome. The T-P spacer contains HTRs, and significant size variation was observed among specimens. Furthermore, we found T-P spacers to be present in mitogenomes of all the 32 gadiform species investigated, representing 8 families and 28 genera, and the majority of spacers harbor a conserved 17-bp Box-motif. Analysis of the Atlantic cod liver mito-transcriptome identified a long noncoding RNA (lncCR-H) that contains the T-P spacer within its 5′ end.
Higher order phylogenetic relationships within Gadiformes are still weakly supported by molecular data [38]-[40]. Other branching patterns than those depicted here would imply instances of secondary loss of the Box-motif, which can of course not be precluded. However, the Box-motif apparently represents a selective feature, of which the exact functional role is still unknown. It is interesting to note that complex T-P spacers in salamanders [17],[18] contains strikingly similar Box-motifs to those reported in codfishes (Additional file 7: Table S2), suggesting that an evolutionary conserved mitochondrial factor may interact with the motif.
Analysis of the Atlantic cod liver mito-transcriptome identified a relatively abundant lncRNA (lncCR-H) of about 375 nt, that contains the T-P spacer sequence within its 5′ end. The first nucleotide of lncCR-H corresponds to 3 nt downstream the tRNAThr gene, and the 5′ end of the lncRNA was probably generated after RNase Z processing of the tRNA precursor [45]. The 3′ end of lncCR-H appears heterogenous and polyadenylated, and corresponds to sequences in proximity to the TAS box element within the CR. LncCR-H harbours secondary structure elements, including a mirror tRNAPro and tetraloop helices, probably adding stability to the RNA. Interestingly, recent RNA-Seq experiments in breast cell lines identified an expressed human homolog to lncCR-H (our unpublished results), and HeLa cell RNA profiles supported the existence of this mitochondrial lncRNA (see Figure 1B in [27]). Thus, lncCR-H appears conserved at a wide taxonomic range, which implies a functional role in vertebrate mitochondria.
Mitochondrial lncRNAs corresponding to antisense transcripts of mRNAs have been characterized in human cells [26],[27],[34] as well as in Atlantic cod [29]. In that study we identified a second mitochondrial lncRNA within CR, named lncCR-L. The L-strand specific lncCR-L, which corresponds to the human 7S RNA [32],[33], is apparently initiated at LSP and terminated at TAS. Our finding implicates that TAS is a transcription termination site both for H-strand and L-strand specific lncRNAs. TAS in Atlantic cod consists of a perfect inverted repeat motif (UUAUACAUAUGUAUAA) and thus forms identical tetraloop hairpin structures at the H- and L-strand transcripts. TAS-binding proteins have been reported in human, rat and bovine mitochondria [46],[47]. How lncCR-H and lncCR-L are terminated and regulated in Atlantic cod, as well as their biological functions, are currently unknown. However, we speculate that the biological role of the T-P spacer is to add stability to an evolutionary conserved lncRNA where the Box-motif forms an RNA structure signal to be recognized by mitochondrial proteins. lncCR-H may have a role in antisense regulation by premature termination of L-strand transcription at TAS, resulting in a coordination of H and L transcript levels. Anyway, these possibilities need further investigations in different cell and tissue types, and in different species.
Two long noncoding RNA candidates from the mitochondrial control region were described in gadiform fishes. These RNAs were transcribed from different DNA strands, and found to terminate at the TAS region in a tail-to-tail configuration. Whereas the L-strand specific lncRNA (lncCR-L) corresponded to the previously described mitochondrial 7S RNA, lncCR-H was found to be unique by containing a 5′ domain of an intergenic spacer. Analyses of 32 gadiform species revealed that a T-P spacer was present in all investigated species, representing 8 families and 28 genera. Some species contained complex spacer sequences due to conserved motifs, duplications, and heteroplasmy. We propose that the T-P spacer adds stability to lncCR-H by forming stable hairpin structures and additional protein binding sites, but a biological role of lncCR-H is currently unknown.
DNA extraction and PCR amplification
DNA was extracted from muscle tissue samples as previously described [11],[38],[42],[48]. DNA for complete mitogenome sequencing of European hake was extracted from frozen muscle tissue by using the mtDNA Extractor CT Kit from Wako [42]. The PCR and sequencing primers (Additional file 8: Table S2) applied in the European hake sequencing were designed from the published Atlantic cod mitogenome sequence [21] and other available gadiform sequences (Additional file 3: Table S1). These primers were used to amplify the mitogenomes in 1 to 4 kb fragments essentially as described by [11]. The primer pair L15498/H15666 was used for amplification of the T-P spacer from most species. For European hake, a specific primer set (L15498/H15642) was designed for T-P spacer amplifications. The PCR products were treated with exonuclease and shrimp alkaline phosphatase (USB) prior to plasmid cloning and sequencing. The amplified fragments were subcloned into the SmaI-site of pUC18 vector using the Sure-Clone Ligation kit (Pharmacia Biotech).
DNA sequencing
Sanger sequencing of the European hake mitogenome and Atlantic cod T-P spacers was performed directly on PCR products as previously described [11] using the BigDye kit (Applied Biosystems). Sequencing primers are found in Additional file 8: Table S2. Manual sequencing reactions were performed on most T-P spacers using the Thermo Sequencing Terminator Cycle Sequencing kit (Amersham) and [α-33P] ddNTP (Amersham) as the label. Sequencing reactions were run on 7 M urea/6% polyacrylamide gels after denaturation at 85°C for 2 minutes. Roche 454 pyrosequencing of the Atlantic cod transcriptome was performed as a service given by Eurofins MWG Operon (Germany). A poly(A) enriched normalized liver-specific cDNA library (based on total cellular RNA) was generated by random hexamer first strand synthesis. About 1.2 million reads were obtained from pooling equal amounts of total RNA from 10 Atlantic cod specimens [29].
Data analyses
A sequence alignment representing complete mitogenomes of 20 gadiform species and one out-group was generated using T-Coffee v/9 [49] with manual refinements. The alignment was build from the complete set of protein codons (except stop codons) creating a concatenated sequence of 11442 nt positions (3814 codons) corresponding to the 13 protein genes. The tree-building methods of neighbor-joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) in MEGA version 5 [50] were used to reconstruct molecular phylogenies. NJ trees were build using Jones-Taylor-Thornton model. MP trees were reconstructed using the Close-Neighbor-Interchange search option. ML trees were built from best-fit models of protein evolution generated by MEGA 5 and ProtTest 3 [51]. The topologies of the ME, MP and ML trees were evaluated by bootstrap analyses (2000 replications). Analyses of mito-transcriptome 454 pyrosequencing reads were as previously described [29].
Authors′ contributions
TEJ and IB participated in DNA sequencing and design of the study, performed analysis, and contributed in the discussions of the results. AU and MA participated in mitogenome sequencing and transcriptome analysis, respectively. TM participated in the design of this study and in discussions of results. SDJ directed the research, participating in the analysis, and wrote the manuscript in collaboration with all the authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Additional files
We thank Willy Richardsen, Kees O. Ekeli, Odd M. Smedstad, Wim Vader, Stefan Hugel, Jon Einar Hansen, Bjørn Steinar Sætre and Åse Emblem for kindly providing fish samples. We also thank Ragna Breines, Dag H. Coucheron, Marianne Nymark, Bård O. Karlsen, Åse Emblem and Jarle T. Nordeide for discussions. This work was supported by grants to SDJ from the Norwegian Research Council and the University of Tromsø.
Authors' Affiliations
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About the Climate Explorer
The KNMI Climate Explorer is a web application to analysis climate data statistically. It started in late 1999 as a sinple web page to analyse ENSO teleconnections and has grown over the years to more than 10 TB of climate data and dozens of analysis tools. It is now part of the WMO Regional Climate Centre at KNMI, together with ECA&D.
This is scientific tool. Please verify yourself that the data you use is good enough for your purpose, and report errors back. In publications the original data source should be cited, a link to a web page describing the data is always provided.
The KNMI Climate Exoplorer is not operational: if it breaks down it will be fixed during Dutch office hours. Over the last few years the availability has been pretty good, although sometimes a few users slow down the system by doing large computations simultaneously. The seasonal forecast verification page was supported by the EU project ENSEMBLES, the Atlas by another EU project SPECS, the Red Cross / Red Crescent Climate Centre and he Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. The rest is an informal project. We are working on a new version of the software that will become an operational part of KNMI.
The support team consists of one research scientist, next to my day job writing research papers, in practice I spent about a day per week on the Climate Explorer and related projects.
Much of the observational data is updated monthly. Other data is updated when needed. More and more data is pulled from external sites on request, see the link external data. If you have an interesting dataset that you want to publish on the Climate Explorer please send me the URL of a CF-compliant netcdf file and a short description.
The code of the Climate Explorer itself is freely available. Due to its humble origins it consists of a set of shell scripts and Fortran programs and runs under linux and Mac OS X.

subset: commoncrawl


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One weekend last month, while the weather outside was doing this (in the middle of April… really!)
(Wow… so much snow!)
I was inside finishing up this:
The fabric is a lightweight blue chambray (cotton?) fabric that I've had in my stash for ages from Emma One Sock. It's such a beautiful, floaty, soft woven fabric. I remember that it was a really big deal when I purchased it… it was one of my first "higher quality" fabric purchases, and I wanted to make sure that my sewing skills were worthy enough before I cut into it. I knew that I wanted to make it into some kind of button up top and the Banksia pattern looked perfect. I checked the yardage requirements and I had just enough fabric. Whew.
The decision to add the piping happened right before I stitched the collar pieces together and then I added the rest (around the sleeves, placket, etc.) after that. I'm pretty pleased with the result… I think that it gives the shirt a bit of a pop. It also matches the white bias tape inside the collar. Hooray!
You can't see it here in these photos with my shirt tucked in, but I ended up changing the hem from a straight hem to a curved hem. It's something that a couple of my ready-to-wear blouses have and I really like that style. I also sewed an extra band onto the end of each sleeve to make them longer and be able to cuff them up.
This was my first time using bias tape for a collar finishing method like this and I think that it's really professional and clean looking. Megan's instructions for doing this are fantastic! I also used different thread colors for the bobbin thread and the main thread in my machine in order to match the fabric on each side.
These buttons are some of my favorites! I really like them and so does Mr. Sweet… he noticed them right away. Between the piping, the buttons, the fancy inside trim, and the placket, he was pretty convinced that I bought this somewhere and was trying to pull a fast one on him!
When I picked up these buttons awhile ago, I didn't have a specific project in mind… but when I was digging through my button box to try and find a for a few for this top I was like "Ah Ha! Yes!" They are these zigzag buttons from Mood.
I used the faux placket method from the Banksia Sewalong over on Megan's blog and it was super easy to follow (even with adding the piping, which I… errr… decided to do after I'd already sewn on the placket.). I know I've said this a million times, but her sewalong posts are so impressive and such a great resource! I love the little detail at the bottom which makes it look so fancy!
(Yep, that's fancy alright.)
Seriously though, this is another Megan Nielsen pattern that I really like and I highly recommend it!
What have you been sewing lately? Do you have any favorite top patterns?


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WEBSTER GROVES, MO (KTVI)-Students at Webster University are shocked after fliers with racist and homophobic messages were found strewn outside a dorm room of an African-American student.
The University's Dean of Students Office and Department of Public Safety have launched an investigation.
According to a statement Webster released, a custodian found the fliers early on Wednesday morning before classes started. The custodian immediately gathered the fliers and reported them to the university's dean of students and department of public safety.
"Diversity and inclusion are among the core values of Webster University. With a long history of reaching out to under-served and under-represented communities, Webster University has established scholarships, held community conferences, hosted numerous guest lecturers, and encouraged students, faculty and staff to discuss and act on these values," said Nicole Roach, Associate Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement. "When we learn that a member of our community may have violated these values, it strikes us at our core."
Some students question the intent.
If the investigation reveals that a student is responsible for the fliers, that student could face a judicial affairs hearing. Employees are reviewing guest logs and security cameras from the residential hall to find the person responsible.
Webster officials have several meetings planned for the week for all on-campus residents to attend, to reiterate the University's commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity.


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3 Signs That It's Time to Replace Your Roof
Replacing the roof on your home is a massive renovation project, and one that most hope they don't have to do. But if you don't do it on time, then there will be pretty big consequences. When it comes time, it will let you know. Learning more about these three factors can help property owners avoid the stress and exorbitant costs of emergency repairs jobs, and save you from potential home disaster.
Industry experts say that the expected lifespan of a shingle roof is only 15 to 30 years. Generally speaking, it's reasonable for homeowners to expect the average roof to last for 20 to 25 years. However, this time frame also depends on craftsmanship, the local weather, the type of shingles on the roof, and the level of regular maintenance. Other variables to consider include the ventilation system and whether the roof was installed over an existing layer.
Missing Shingles
Replacing individual shingles is relatively easy, but it's the symptom of a bigger problem. Patching in individual pieces can be done, but larger areas and blatant patchwork schemes usually make most homeowners replace the whole thing. Experts all agree, anytime you check the roof for quality or maintenance, look for missing shingles and make sure the shingle tabs are still intact.
Shingles either curl with the edges turning up, known as cupping, or with the middle coming up, known as clawing. These effects are the result of weathering and can become the source of leaks in the roofing. Signs of curling are usually an indication that the homeowner has one to five years before the shingles needs to be replaced. A sign that the shingles are curling will be the loose granules on the ground or missing granules on the roofing. If you begin to see this often, then the time has come.
Putting off replacing your roof could lead to home damage or injury. Although the majority will last a long time, there will ultimately come a time when replacement is needed. These 3 signs that it's time to replace your roof can't be ignored. Make sure you've got the right people to help you get a new one.


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Students on the way!!
Two Park University students, Andria Enns and Keith Taylor, are stepping on a plane as we speak, and are on their way to Uganda. Once here, they'll sit in/assist at my first two peace journalism seminars. The first is in Fort Portal, and the second is in Gulu, in northern Uganda. We'll also have some fun at Queen Elizabeth national park. Stay tuned for updates about their activities.
NEW--Video blog
Click here to see the first of many video blogs about my Ugandan experiences.
Semimars start July 12
The first of 24 (!) Peace, Development, and Electoral Journalism seminars around Uganda will take place starting Monday in Fort Portal, in western Uganda. It looks like everything is planned out and ready to go, thanks in no small part to my smart, dedicated assistant Gloria.
Getting, and giving, the boot
From the Parkville Luminary
KAMPALA, UGANDA—As I reluctantly climbed abroad the boda-boda (a small motorcycle/motorbike), my knees were literally shaking so bad that I thought I'd fall off the bike before the driver even started moving. As the boda-boda began to accelerate, I put my arms around the driver's waist, and yes, he and I spooned. I was too terrified to even ponder the homo-erotic ramifications.
How did I end up on a boda-boda?
This ugly tale begins several hours earlier when I got ambitious, and decided to take my new aircraft-carrier sized SUV downtown to a great coffee shop called 1000 Cups. I was proud of myself as I wheeled through traffic on the left hand side, with no wrong turns, and steered into a good parking space along the road.
I enjoyed a good cup of African tea (similar to the milk-based masala tea) and a meaty slice of pumpkin bread, and took my time perusing newspapers and listening to what sounded like Aretha Franklin on the stereo.
After about an hour, I left the coffee shop, and decided to take a walk around the downtown area. As I walked past my car, I noticed something amiss. My left rear tire was fitted with a boot (called a club here)—a heavy metal device that can't be removed from your car. A boot always means you're in trouble with the parking cops. Upset, I tried to call three different Ugandan friends for assistance, but was unable to reach them. So, I talked to the boda-boda drivers lounging nearby, and asked them what happened to my car. They said that I got a ticket for not paying to park on the street. Of course, I didn't know you had to pay—there were no signs, meters, or attendants who I could see. I've since learned street parking costs about 25-cents.
Anyway, when the meter maid ran my plates, I guess the computer lit up the way a slot machine goes berserk when a lucky player hits a bountiful jackpot. As my plates came up on the screen, I imagine steam whistles tooting gleefully and bureaucrats high-fiving at parking headquarters. It seems that my car had registered a prodigious 34 unpaid parking violations. Remember, I bought the car just a week ago, so none of these violations were mine, save for the fresh one that I just received. Yes, the *&%hole who sold me the car also sold me 34 unpaid parking tickets.
So here I was, in the middle of Kampala, unable to reach help, staring at my booted car. Taking matters into my own hands, I got directions to the parking office about a mile and a half away, and hoofed it there. When I arrived, I was shocked to learn about not only the ridiculous number of unpaid violations, but the cost of clearing things up and getting the boot removed. A polite clerk told me it would cost 103,000 shillings—about $45. That doesn't seem like much to us, but believe me when I say that, for Uganda, this is a king's ransom in unpaid parking tickets.
Naturally, I did not have 103,000 shillings on me. My ATM card was also at my apartment. So, not seeing any taxis around, I hailed a boda-boda, and told the driver to head for Kololo, the Kampala district where I live. I was nervous not only because I'd never been on a motorcycle before, but mostly because Kampala's boda-boda's are notoriously unsafe. Indeed, boda-boda "chauffeurs" usually drive like maniacs, zipping in and out of traffic, cutting off cars, etc. Many Ugandans have told me that the hospitals are full of boda-boda accident victims, and I believe it.
I picked out a driver with a helmet, thinking that at least he might be predisposed to driving safely. As we started out, I told him that I would pay him extra if he went slowly. He took me literally, and went about half as fast as he normally would have, thank God. The driver was very safe as we went to my apartment and back to the parking office to pay the tickets and get the boot removed. My knees stopped shaking after a few minutes on the boda-boda, but I kept hitting my glasses on the back of his helmet. As I said, we were spooning.
I believe that fate allowed me to survive this ordeal so that I might hunt down the former owner of my car like the dog that he is and apply my own boot to a sensitive part of his anatomy. Then, I'll collect my 103,000 shillings.


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Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. Read in July 2011. Published by Scholastic Press. ARC provided by publisher at ALA Annual 2011.
Wonderstruck begins with two different stories. One, told in the text, is about a Ben, a young man in 1977, whose mother recently passed away, causing him to move in with his aunt and uncle and share a room with his cousin. His mother never told him anything about his father, and when Ben comes across some of his mother's belongings, he wonders if he can find his dad.
The other story, set 50 years earlier than Ben's, is told through Mr. Selznick's illustrations. It follows Rose, a young deaf girl who dreams of New York City from her room across the Hudson river. She also keeps a scrapbook devoted to her favorite silent film actress. When she learns that the actress will be appearing on Broadway, Rose decides she must run away to the city and try to see the actress.
There is a reason these two stories are being told in tandem, but why?
Wonderstruck is delightful! The characters are very well-developed and so likable. Ben is a unique boy who likes to collect special treasures that remind him of moments in his life. He is deaf in one ear, and manages to embrace the benefits of it, such as sleeping on his good ear to block out unwanted noise. He is lonely since the loss of his mom and a bit lost in his aunt's house. He needs to find someone who can deeply love him now that his mother is gone. Rose is a brave girl and refuses to be held back by her lack of hearing. Her unstable family breaks my heart and I admire how she can rise about it.
I love how the story unfolds and how the connection between Ben and Rose is slowly revealed.
Mr. Selznick's illustrations are gorgeous. He manages to convey so many emotions in his pencil drawings. Much of the story is character driven and the illustrations allow the author to show, not tell, much of what the characters feel. The book opens with a drawing of two wolves and I fell in love with it. In particular, the second shot of the wolves where the viewer starts to be drawn closer to one is really lovely; I wish I could frame it. Some of settings include museums and those are so well done. Mr. Selznick manages to bring you into each space and allows you to explore the details without ever feeling like you might be lost in a scene from Where's Waldo?
The research involved in creating this book is evident and much appreciated. I enjoyed getting a bit of a history lesson while bringing details to the story. Mr. Selznick also mentions in his notes at the end that the similarity to From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is intentional and that the book is filled with references. I missed most of them and look forward to hearing from those who can point them out.
All in all, Wonderstruck is a delightful book! I'm excited to share my copy with some younger readers I know, and will gladly order it for my high school library. I think it will be easiest for an older elementary student to follow the two different plots, but I think all ages can enjoy the illustrations and the mastery of storytelling displayed in Wonderstruck.