text:
This is a discussion on [News] [Rival] More Signs That Windows and Privacy Quickly Become a Paradox - Linux ; Cops learning how to extend beats online ,----[ Quote ] | Typically, he says, detectives will transfer a suspect's computer to forensic | examiners who might need months to produce a full report on the contents, | especially with hard ...
Cops learning how to extend beats online
,----[ Quote ]
| Typically, he says, detectives will transfer a suspect's computer to forensic
| examiners who might need months to produce a full report on the contents,
| especially with hard drives ballooning to monumental sizes. In that time,
College Student Gets A's and Federal Indictment
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Stanley A. Boone, who is prosecuting the
| case, Escalera, a student and employee of Fresno State, hacked into an
| unauthorized area of the universityâs computer system in order to acquire
| names and passwords of individuals who had grade changing authority.
Task force aims to improve US cybersecurity
,----[ ]
| This year, the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cyber Security and
| Science and Technology has taken an increasing interest in federal agencies'
| failure to protect themselves against online attacks.
| The Department of State acknowledged in June 2006 that attackers had
| installed remote access software on systems in the agency and abroad, stolen
| passwords and targeted information on China and North Korea. In October 2006,
| the Department of Commerce took hundreds of computers offline following a
| series of attacks aimed at federal employees' computer accounts by online
| thieves that appear to be based in China.
With Linux, you /own/ your PC.
With Windows, you /share/ your PC (with untrust[ed|ing] parties).
The end of Windows, or a security expert gives up
,----[ Quote ]
| And then go and warn others to do the same. Windows is defeated - its days
| are over. It carries the worm inside. So whatever will happen next: RIP,
| Windows.
Austria OKs terror snooping Trojan plan
,----[ Quote ]
| Austria has become one of the first countries to officially sanction the use
| of Trojan Horse malware as a tactic for monitoring the PCs of suspected
| terrorists and criminals. Â*
| [...]
| Would-be terrorists need only use Ubuntu Linux to avoid the ploy. And even if
| they stuck with Windows their anti-virus software might detect the malware.
| Anti-virus firms that accede to law enforcement demands to turn a blind eye
| to state-sanctioned malware risk undermining trust in their software, as
| similar experience in the US has shown. Â* Â*
Schäuble renews calls for surreptitious online searches of PCs
,----[ Quote ]
| In his speech towards the end of the national conference of the Junge Union,
| the youth organization of the ruling conservative Christian Democratic Union
| (CDU), in Berlin the Federal Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble has
| again come out in favor of allowing authorities to search private PCs
| secretly online and of deploying the German Armed Forces in Germany in the
| event of an emergency.
Is My Boss Reading My Personal E-mail?
,----[ Summary ]
| Your employer can monitor all electronic communication
| to and from work equipment, especially when it's sent
| over the corporate network
German spyware plans trigger row
,----[ Quote ]
| The e-mails would contain Trojans - software that secretly installs itself on
| suspects' computers, allowing agents to search the hard drives.
FBI ducks questions about its remotely installed spyware
,----[ Quote ]
| There are plenty of unanswered questions about the FBI spyware that, as we
| reported earlier this week, can be delivered over the Internet and implanted
| in a suspect's computer remotely.
United States Government Online Watchdogs? Part of the war on terror?
,----[ Quote
| Is there anyone in the abandonia community with a US based connection who is
| experiencing this watchdog behavior? Are any foreign Vista users experiencing
| similar attacks from their own countries ministries and governing agencies?"
United States Government Online Watchdogs? Part of the war on terror?
,----[ Quote
| Is there anyone in the abandonia community with a US based connection who is
| experiencing this watchdog behavior? Are any foreign Vista users experiencing
| similar attacks from their own countries ministries and governing agencies?"
Back doors in Windows XP...
Microsoft could be teaching police to hack Vista
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft may begin training the police in ways to break the
| encryption built into its forthcoming Vista operating system.
UK holds Microsoft security talks
,----[ Quote ]
| "UK officials are talking to Microsoft over fears the new version of
| Windows could make it harder for police to read suspects' computer files."
,----[ Quote ]
| Vista--Microsoftâs latest operating system--may prove to be most
| appropriately named, especially for those seeking evidence of how a
| computer was used.
Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems
,----[ Quote ]
| The adware framework would leave almost no data untouched in its quest to
| sell you stuff. It would inspect "user document files, user e-mail files,
| user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status
| messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)," and more. How could
| we have been so blind as to not see the marketing value in computer status
| messages? Â* Â*
Will Microsoft Put The Colonel in the Kernel?
,----[ Quote ]
| "The kernel meets The Colonel in a just-published Microsoft patent
| application for an Advertising Services Architecture, which delivers targeted
| advertising as 'part of the OS.' Â*
New software can identify you from your online habits
,----[ Quote ]
| That is the spectre raised by new research conducted by Microsoft.
| The computing giant is developing software that could accurately
| guess your name, age, gender and potentially even your location,
| by analysing telltale patterns in your web browsing history. But
| experts say the idea is a clear threat to privacy - and may be
| illegal in some places.


text:
Somali Voice, is a registered non-profit organization founded by a team of Somali scholars and professionals to provide strategic research, education, consultation, and training for social, economic and environmental change. It is tailored to build the research and analytical skills of the next generation of movement leaders. Our role has established partnerships with technical assistance groups supporting youth organizing throughout Turkey, North America and Europe. We also conduct research and develop trainings for community-based youth organizations and projects around the country.
Youth voice is crucial to the overall effectiveness of Service-Learning programs
"Youth voice is crucial to the overall effectiveness of service-learning programs. Youth voice has a tremendous impact on program participation and program outcomes, both short term and long term."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The morning in June of 2013 when DOMA was finally struck down by the Supreme Court I sat at my computer desk staring at the screen in incredulity. In a moment, the oppression I had lived under my entire adult life was consigned to history, as though it never existed. It felt like a new door had opened in a room I thought I knew.
People who were unaffected – and that's most people – got on with their day without giving it much more thought. But for my partner and for me it was a watershed. After 15 years of waiting, it allowed us to finally avail of the same rights and protections that other couples took for granted.
One of the rights granted by the collapse of DOMA was the right of LGBT couples to marry – and for their foreign-born spouses to immigrate to the United States. Finally the door that had been barred shut to me for so long had swung open.
We picked July 5 for our wedding day. One day after Independence Day, we chose it because it was a simple reminder that we had waited longer for our own independence.
When we arrived at City Hall we were married by a good humored Irish American man whose mother came from Co. Sligo. He knew how to pronounce my name perfectly, a rare luxury on civic occasions. It cost us just $25 to change our lives.
Later, with our marriage certificate in hand, we were represented by the excellent Irish-run law firm of James O'Malley, whose track record of successful visa applications on my behalf had made them our first choice.
Immigration law for LGBT couples is still new, but O'Malley's firm was prepared for any question that arose and the application procedure was flawless.
It took months after the application was submitted for our green card interview date to be scheduled. O'Malley's firm had given us a comprehensive dress rehearsal telling us what to expect, but on the day itself the actual interview was even shorter than they had anticipated.
After 16 years you end up with a lot of supporting evidence of a long marriage. We had photographs, joint accounts, and years of visa and employment records, everything they needed.
Like a lot of people I had still dreaded the experience. What if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service officer is homophobic? What if they ask for some proof we don't have on the day? What if, what if, what if? The anxiety can be described, but it can't be conveyed until you have the experience yourself.
As it happened we were barely in the office 10 minutes before my green card application was approved. We had abundant supportive material, we had prepared for every question, and we looked presentable. We had arrived that morning at 8:15 a.m. and we were back on the street with the good news a little after 9 a.m.
For the rest of the day we hardly knew what to do with ourselves. So in the end we did what we always do. We had an old married couple day – lunch at the Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights, then back home to tidy up and do laundry. Feed the cats, look out a window.
I baked some Irish brown bread, which I find cures my anxiety, and later we sat down and had tea like any other American family. We were home after all.


text:
Share Photo
Kurt Metzger looks at himself in a mirror near a photo of he & his wife Syrisa taken before they were married. He suffers from severe amnesia, the result of a car crash & has no memory from before the accident.
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego


text:
American Airlines, US Airways seek European approval for merger
The European Commission received an application Tuesday from US Airways and American Airlines for regulatory review and approval for their proposed merger.
We find on the EU site that the "provisional deadline" for a decision on Case M.6607 is July 23.
The deal is also undergoing regulatory review by the U.S. Department of Justice. Quoting sources, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the DOJ review likely won't be concluded by Aug. 15, the date that a U.S. bankruptcy judge is to consider confirming American's plan of reorganization.
On Wednesday afternoon, the aviation subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee will look into the merger. The panel includes:
■ Doug Parker, US Airways chairman and CEO
■ Gary Kennedy, American Airlines senior vice president and general counsel
■ Susan Kurland, U.S. Department of Transportation, assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs
■ Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Government Accountability Office director of civil aviation issues
■ Charlie Leocha, Consumer Travel Alliance director


text:
Degre 7
Snow+Rock first introduced this French skiwear brand to the UK over 26 years ago. Degre7 believe in both style and substance. They create highly technical ski jackets and clothing but with a sophisticated styling unique to them. A Degre7 jacket combines an elegant silhouette with excellent tailoring, refined detailing and industry leading fabrics to deliver chic, high-performance clothing.
This category contains no products


text:
Definition of wet fly in English:
wet fly
An artificial fishing fly designed to sink below the surface of the water.
Example sentences
- Nymph or wet fly fishing is more three-dimensional; dry fly is 2 - D.
- To be a successful all-round grayling angler you need a selection of dry flies, nymphs and wet flies.
- Boat anglers similar methods and also wet flies, wickhams, soldier palmer, silver invicta on floating/intermediate sinking lines, try orange, black, gold and silver lures.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: wet fly
Definition of wet fly in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


text:
This Adjustable Bed has non-medical appearance. Adjustable Homecare Bed with Alternating-Pressure Mattress and Lateral Rotation mode. SpanAmerica APM2 Mattress and Half-Length Deluxe Bed Rails. Wired Remote and no massage.
Non-medical appearance. Twin-size Adjustable Homecare Bed Package includes Leggett & Platt Adjustable Base and Patriot combination Low-Air-Loss and Alternating Pressure Mattress. 300-lb weight capacity.
Non-medical appearance. Available in Twin, Full or Queen sizes. Adjustable Homecare Bed Package includes Adjustable Bed Base and Span-America combination Alternating Pressure and Lateral Rotation Mattress. 350-lb weight capacity.
Hi-Low Adjustable Bed package includes quilt-top innerspring mattress. Great for non-medical appearance in the bedroom. Full Electric, High-Low has separate controls for bed height and head/foot positioning. All sizes Twin - King.


text:
Did you miss Sunday night's epic livesteram of awesomeness? If so, then you weren't able to bask in the calming glow of Schnaars' baby nursery, or the majestic manliness of CC's husband. If you missed it, we highly recommend you fire up "Contracted" on Netflix now, grab a drink, visit that Youtube link and prepare to be violated.
"The Grey" snagged an estimated 20 million and the top spot this weekend according to Box Office Mojo, who points out that that's a win for the distributor:
I'm out of jokes about "The Grey", at least for the moment. I figured I should save some for the show, which we'll be recording this coming Monday. In general, cheesy movies or not, I'm happy to be back in a theater after the doldrums of December. Do this as long as we have, and you gain a new appreciation for the theater experience, content not-withstanding. The week after that is what will hopefully be the first great horror film of the year, Hammer's remake of "The Woman in Black". The buzz is heavy for this one in the BGH offices.


text:
PARKERSBURG - Approximately 30 players, or three-quarters of the roster, showed up for the first practice session for the West Virginia team Friday evening in preparation for the next week's 21st annual BACF (Battle Against Cystic Fibrosis) Ohio vs. W.Va. Football Classic at Stadium Field.
"We'll have a few more kids here Saturday, then I figure Monday, we'll be in the mid-30s and probably close to 37 when it's all said and done," said W.Va. BACF head coach Jeff Campbell following the 90-minute plus practice on the Parkersburg High School artificial turf the game will be played on next Friday night at 7 p.m.
West Virginia has won seven of the last nine games, including a 33-13 victory last year, to surge out to a 13-7 lead in the series.
Article Photos
Photo by Jeff Baughan
West Virginia BACF head coach Jeff Campbell of Parkersburg Catholic, center, directs line of scrimmage work during a team practice Friday at Stadium Field.
Campbell has assembled a trio of LKC head coaches who have all been BACF head coaches in the last 10 years to assist him with the coaching for the game. Wirt County's Jason Hickman is serving as Campbell's offensive coordinator, St. Marys' Jodi Mote is the defensive coordinator and Doddridge County's Bobby Burnside is not only working with the kickers, but also helping with other aspects of the game as well.
"I've been in the game a while, but you can always learn something and these guys are great to be around, not just as coaches, but as people too."
Campbell said he's "excited about being a head coach in this game, and the kids have been very refreshing. They were all excited to come and play. They wanted to play one more game - that's kind of what a lot of their attitude was - and I was watching today to see how well they'd get along, and they were actually getting along pretty good."
Plus, Campbell too isn't a neophyte when it comes to coaching in the BACF game. "I got a chance to coach with (former Catholic head coach) Danny (Tennant) as an assistant in the very first one (in 1994)," said Campbell. "Then, the others coaches sort of all got together as well, so I got to do the first three (BACF games) as a young assistant, and that was pretty neat.
"So when Danny called me about being the BACF head coach, there was no hesitation, because it's for such a good cause - finding a cure for cystic fibrosis."


text:
First impressions of Lowe Alpine's women's-specific backpacking TFX Annapurna ND 65:80 load carrier.
It's not often we're envious of a rucksac, but the recently arrived Lowe Alpine TFX Annapurna ND 65:80 women's-specific pack is the exception to the rule - while we're embracing the British winter, the Annapurna's off to New Zealand for six weeks of Christmas sunshine, backpacking and general travelling.
It's a seriously sturdy bit of kit with an all-up weight of 2400g and a suggested 'Load Zone' of 25-30kg making it a good choice for both multi-day backpacking and, potentially, expedition walk-in use.
Back System Basics
The heart of the thing is the women's specific - ND stands for Nanda Devi and is Lowe's designation for women's packs - ND TFX 8 back system.
It uses a couple of alloy staves to provide support and transfer loads into a hip-belt with a little bit of built-in TorsoMotion swivel for a more natural walking action. The back-length is simple to adjust as well, just fold the lumbar pad forwards and adjust up or down to suit then Velcro the pad back in place.
Just as importantly for women, the whole caboodle is optimised to work with female-shaped bodies, so the ergonomically curved shoulder straps are closer together for women's narrower shoulders, the hip-belt is angled to work with curvier hips and even the lumbar pad has been angled to work more effectively with female contours and allow the hip-belt to wrap better and transfer loads more efficiently.
It's not a dumbed-down version of the men's equivalent at all, just one that's been properly designed from the ground up to work with women's shorter torsoes and different shape. You still get the 'Noggin Notch' recess behind the head to allow unimpeded views upwards - often an issue when wearing helmets in particular - the same fabrics and materials and the same features, just optimised for women.
The heart of the TFX 8 system is a central pad that combines a mesh panel with pre-formed foam ridges for added venting without compromising stability, but in this case it's shorter and narrower to work with the female body.
Pockets, Give Me Pockets!
The same's true of the rest of the pack: you get Lowe's legendary build quality with thoroughly tested fabrics and materials - Lowe has an in-house testing facility - and bombproof contruction. The base is reinforced with a more rugged fabric, then double-layered to be sure, and seams are double stitched and then bound using specially chosen thread while all stress points are reinforced with bar-tack stitching.
We could go on, but what you really need to know is that the pack's been put together with some serious attitude. Not something you might appreciate straight away, but great for long term reliability and durability.
The basics of the lay-out aren't particularly remarkable - you get compression straps, pole/axe holder, floating extendable lid with a built-in rain cover - but again it's been built with women in mind. How's that? Well, a few years back, Lowe conducted some research into women pack users and discovered two main things: first, women generally don't want bright pink fabrics and embroidered flowers and butterflies and second, they like lots of storage compartments and pockets because unlike men, they're organised.
Which will be why the TFX Annapurna ND has no fewer than eight different pockets - two on each side, two in the lid, one on the front and one on the hip-belt - plus a divided main compartment. Amusingly, our tester's first reaction was 'Oooh, pockets, I love pockets...'
The other real stand-out feature is a big front-panel opening which gives easy access to main compartment contents without going through the lid. Handy when travelling or when you've accidentally buried your waterproof or down jacket deep in the main body of the pack and need access RIGHT NOW!
Those access zips, by the way, are reassuringly chunky great things with serious pulls on. We can't imagine breaking them any time soon.
Which is something we could say about the pack as a whole. It's a seriously well built, thoughtfully-designed bit of kit that promises to do the job nicely when the 'the job' is comfortably coping with big backpacking loads day after day.
Or that's the plan. We've asked the pack nicely to report back from New Zealand in the next few weeks before a final post-trip full review and we'll try to let you know how it's getting on.
Price of the Lowe Alpine FX Annapurna ND is £160. More information at www.lowealpine.com.
Posted: 14/12/2012 at 05:47
Posted: 14/12/2012 at 14:40
Good footwear empowers you – to go anywhere and do anything in style, comfort and with protection.
Sets a new standard for compact all-in-one stoves
Waterproof and win with Nikwax #muddymugshot
Become a fan of OutdoorsMagic
Follow us on twitter
Sign up to our free newsletter
Meet partners in our forum
Other Immediate Media Sites
Our eCommerce Platform
About OutdoorsMagic
Ask Us
© Immediate Media Company Ltd. 2016 This website is owned and published by Immediate Media Company Limited. www.immediate.co.uk
Version 2015.21.1.0


text:
Now Playing
Egypt's Draft Constitution Divides Nation
President Mohammed Morsi is facing the biggest rebellion against his rule since assuming power in June. It started with a set of controversial decrees by the president that put him above the law until a constitution is in place. The move has polarized the country and every judge in the country is on strike. Critics say the president is pushing through an illegitimate constitution.


text:
Antibody prevalence studies in laboratory mice indicate that murine norovirus (MNV) infections are common, but the natural history of these viruses has not been fully established. This study examined the extent of genetic diversity of murine noroviruses isolated from healthy laboratory mice housed in multiple animal facilities within a single, large research institute- the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIAID-NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. Ten distinct murine norovirus strains were isolated from various tissues and feces of asymptomatic wild type sentinel mice as well as asymptomatic immunodeficient (RAG 2−/−) mice. The NIH MNV isolates showed little cytopathic effect in permissive RAW264.7 cells in early passages, but all isolates examined could be adapted to efficient growth in cell culture by serial passage. The viruses, although closely related in genome sequence, were distinguishable from each other according to facility location, likely due to the introduction of new viruses into each facility from separate sources or vendors at different times. Our study indicates that the murine noroviruses are widespread in these animal facilities, despite rigorous guidelines for animal care and maintenance.
Citation: Barron EL, Sosnovtsev SV, Bok K, Prikhodko V, Sandoval-Jaime C, Rhodes CR, et al. (2011) Diversity of Murine Norovirus Strains Isolated from Asymptomatic Mice of Different Genetic Backgrounds within a Single U.S. Research Institute. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21435. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021435
Editor: Karol Sestak, Tulane University, United States of America
Received: March 16, 2011; Accepted: May 27, 2011; Published: June 28, 2011
This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
Funding: This study was supported by the intramural research program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Noroviruses, members of the virus family Caliciviridae, are ubiquitous enteric viruses found in a broad range of animal species, including mice [1]. In humans, they are associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever that characteristically last approximately 24–48 hours. They are transmitted via person-to-person contact, or by exposure to contaminated food or water. Outbreaks often occur in settings such as nursing homes and cruise ships, where close contact allows for easy spread of the virus. Long-term illness and shedding of noroviruses have been reported in immunocompromised individuals [2]. The approximately 7.6 kb positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome of norovirus is organized into three major open-reading frames (ORFs): ORF1 encodes a large polyprotein that is cleaved into nonstructural precursors and proteins involved in viral replication; ORF2 encodes the major capsid protein, VP1; and ORF3 encodes a minor structural protein of the virion, VP2 [3], [4], [5], [6]. In murine norovirus (MNV) strains [7], an additional ORF4 has been described that encodes a protein of unknown function [8]. Noroviruses have been divided into five distinct genogroups (GI–GV) [9], with human pathogens belonging to GI, GII, and GIV. The bovine and murine noroviruses detected thus far belong to GIII and GV, respectively. Although genetically distinct from the human noroviruses, the murine noroviruses have emerged as an important model in the study of norovirus biology and replication because, in contrast to the human pathogens, an efficient cell culture system is available [10], [11].
The discovery of the first MNV strain, designated MNV-1, in mice within a U.S. university research facility [7] led to the development of antibody detection assays that quickly showed serologic evidence for a widespread distribution of this virus in laboratory mice [12]. Although most mice infected with MNV appear healthy, the viruses have been associated with severe systemic illness and death in certain genetically engineered mice lacking an intact innate immune system such as STAT1−/− mice [7]. The MNV strains characterized thus far have formed a highly related single genotype within GV, whether associated with asymptomatic infection or disease [8], but recombination events between viruses have been proposed [13]. At our research institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S., serologic evidence for MNV infection was found in several "sentinel" mice in various animal rooms [14], [15], which prompted us to examine the molecular epidemiology of MNV within our animal facilities. We isolated murine noroviruses in cell culture from ten NIH mice and the genomes of these viruses were sequenced. The MNV strains characterized within each NIAID animal facility were distinct from those in other facilities of the institute, suggesting the introduction of the virus into each facility from a separate source. However, the NIH MNV strains showed marked overall genetic relatedness with other murine norovirus strains detected thus far.
By serologic screening of sentinel mice housed in several NIAID animal facilities, we found evidence initially for norovirus infection, and in addition, we were able to detect the virus by RT-PCR in representative mice [15]. This study focused on the further characterization of MNV strains isolated from mice housed in three of the animal facilities (Table 1). While all facilities housed mice from the same commercial vendors, each facility also housed mice received from separate non-commercial sources. Ten MNV strains (designated as the NIH strains) were isolated following passage in RAW264.7 cells, and their full-length genomes were sequenced. The genomes were similar in length (7382 or 7383 nt) and organized into three major open reading frames (ORFs): ORF1 (nt 6–5069) encoding the nonstructural polyprotein, ORF2 (nt 5056–6681) encoding the major capsid protein, VP1, and ORF3 (nt 6681–7307) encoding the minor capsid protein, VP2 (Figure 1). In addition, the genomes contained a predicted conserved fourth ORF (ORF4) spanning nt 5069–5710 that would encode a putative protein of 23.6 kDa [8].
Genome organization of prototype strain MNV-1 [7] and ORF1 polyprotein cleavage sites [6] in comparison with the predicted cleavage sites in the ORF1 polyprotein of the NIH murine norovirus strains. Dipeptide recognition sites that differ from MNV-1 are indicated in bold type.
Comparison of the nucleotide sequences showed a close genetic relationship among the NIH MNV strains, with a range of 87.2–99.7% overall nucleotide identity. The nucleotide identities with the prototype strain, MNV-1, ranged from 87.4–89.1%, and with all other full-length MNV sequences available in GenBank, the identities ranged from 87.4–99%. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences among the NIH strains showed that the proteinase was the most highly conserved protein (approximately 97% similarity), while the VP1 (major capsid protein) showed the most variability (as low as 89.6% similarity). Analysis of the MNV-1 VP1 capsid protein showed that the shell (S) region of the capsid protein (amino acid residues 49 to 218) was 100% conserved among the NIH MNV strains while the protruding (P) region (amino acids 229 to 537) was most variable, consistent with data reported for other highly-related murine noroviruses [8]. The P2 domain (amino acids 278–415) within the P region is exposed predominantly on the surface of the virion and has been proposed as the major site of immune pressure and receptor binding for calicivirus virions [16]. Consistent with this, passage of the virulent MNV-1 strain in cell culture yielded virus in which lysine was changed to glutamic acid at position 296 in the P2 domain. This single amino acid substitution resulted in loss of virulence of the MNV-1 strain in STAT1-deficient mice (17). Of interest, a glutamic acid residue at position 296 was conserved in the cell-culture adapted NIH MNV strains in this study, as well as the NIH-2409 virus prior to adaptation (data not shown) [17]. A leucine residue at position 386 involved in the formation of a neutralization epitope in MNV-1 [18] was conserved in the P2 domain of the NIH MNV strains (data not shown).
The replication strategy for murine norovirus involves the proteolytic processing of the ORF1 polyprotein into several nonstructural proteins by the virus-encoded cysteine proteinase (Pro). The proteinase mediates five cleavages at dipeptide sites 341E/G342, 705Q/N706, 870E/G871, 994E/A995, and 1177Q/G1178 to produce six proteins: NS1-2 (Nterm), NS3 (NTPase), NS4 (p18), NS5 (VPg), NS6 (Pro) and NS7 (Pol) [6]. Alignment of the deduced ORF1 polyprotein sequences of the NIH MNV strains with that of MNV-1 showed that these dipeptide cleavage sites were conserved in location, but with some minor variation in the P1′ positions at amino acid residues 706 and 871 (Figure 1).
A phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome sequences of the NIH MNV strains was performed to compare their relatedness with that of other murine noroviruses (Figure 2). The NIH strains clustered with Genogroup V murine noroviruses, but did not share complete identity with other strains reported thus far. Eight of the strains formed a distinct monophyletic group (NIH- 4421, 2747, 2409, 2411, 2410, 2750, 4428, and 4431, with nucleotide variation not exceeding 1%). Strain NIH-A114 did not cluster with other viruses and formed a distinct branch. Strain NIH-D220 clustered most closely with a phylogenetic group that included several Charles River (CR) and Washington University (WU) strains. The three genetic groupings of the NIH strains corresponded to their isolation from three distinct animal facilities in the institute at different times (Table 1).
Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using Neighbor-joining method, with the evolutionary distances computed by the Tamura-Nei method. The statistical support for tree nodes was evaluated by bootstrap analysis (500 replicates) and values higher than 65 are shown above the corresponding branches. The strains in this analysis and their GenBank accession numbers are shown in the Supplemental Table (Table S1).
A previous study had identified amino acid substitutions in the NS4 and VP1 proteins that emerged during cell-culture passage of the MNV-1 strain. In this study, we followed the evolution of MNV NIH-2409 during cell culture passage to examine whether similar substitutions occurred. Strain NIH-2409 was isolated from a RAG2−/− mouse in a facility (B14) that has operated for more than 20 years, and that accepts vendor animals and transfer animals from within NIH as well as imported animals. The mesenteric lymph node tissue was homogenized and added to a monolayer of RAW264.7 cells and incubated for 7 days. There was no visible cytopathic effect (CPE) in RAW264.7 cells following the initial 7-day infection period. However, an immunofluorescence assay showed the presence of occasional cells with a perinuclear, localized area of positive reactivity with the MNV-1-specific antibodies (as indicated by arrows in Figure 3A) that was not present in the mock-infected RAW264.7 cells (Figure 3B). The passage 1 (P1) material was added to a new monolayer and the visible CPE increased with each subsequent cell passage. After three passages, the material was subjected to plaque purification, and small plaques were observed (Figure 3C). Following two additional rounds of plaque purification (selecting large plaques), the plaque morphology resembled MNV-1 (Figure 3D).
A. Immunofluorescence assay of RAW264.7 cells inoculated directly with a lymph node homogenate from mouse. Medium was removed after 7 days, cells were fixed with methanol, and viral antigen expression was detected with anti-MNV-1 VP1 serum. Representative positive MNV antigen expression is indicated by white arrows. B. Mock-infected RAW264.7 cells incubated with same serum. C. First plaque purification of NIH MNV-2409 following P3 in RAW264.7 cells as described in Material and Methods. D. Plaque morphology after two additional plaque purifications in RAW264.7 cells (3XPP virus stock).
The "consensus sequence" of the genome of the virus in the original MLN specimen (P0) was determined by the direct sequencing of RT-PCR products that spanned the genome. Only a few nucleotide changes were observed between the first two serial passages (P1 and P2) and after three rounds of plaque purification (3xPP), consistent with previous studies of MNV-1 [11] (Table 2). At nucleotide position 2166, a mixed population was detected that would result in either a serine or alanine at amino acid residue 721 in the NS4 region of the ORF1 polyprotein. Following three rounds of plaque purification of P3, an alanine became the predominant sequence at position 721. Of note, no adaptive amino acid mutations were observed in the VP1 (capsid) protein for this strain.
Murine noroviruses are associated with asymptomatic infection and shedding in many mouse strains (both normal and genetically-modified), making the viruses difficult to detect in animals without active screening [13]. We investigated the characteristics of several murine norovirus strains within our research institute (NIAID) in order to gain insight into norovirus diversity and natural history within a single setting. A real-time qRT-PCR assay [19] that readily detects MNV strains in mice housed in the NIAID animal facilities in Hamilton, Montana (data not shown) proved efficient in the detection of MNV strains in Maryland. Ten unique MNV strains (designated MNV NIH) were isolated from tissue and stool samples collected from asymptomatic laboratory mice that were housed in rooms with MNV-positive sentinel mice. The ten NIH murine norovirus strains clustered within Genogroup V, similar to all MNV strains characterized thus far. However, the strains fell into three distinct lineages within Genogroup V. Viruses isolated from mice within the same NIAID facility were distinct compared with those from mice in other facilities on campus. This observation suggests that strains are introduced independently from different sources as they are brought into each animal facility of the institute.
One MNV strain (NIH-2409) was selected for additional analyses in order to identify mutations in the genome involved in cell culture adaptation. Unlike MNV-1, which was highly cytopathic upon its initial isolation in cell culture [10], strain MNV NIH-2409 did not cause visible CPE in early passages. Interestingly, a single amino acid change was detected in the NS4 ("3A-like") protein following adaptation. Serine was the predominant amino acid at residue 721 in viral RNA purified from the original lymph node tissue, but alanine was the predominant amino acid residue after passage and plaque purification. This variation was similar in location to an amino acid residue (position 716) that changed from valine to isoleucine in NS4 of the MNV-1 strain following passage in RAW264.7 cells [10]. The function of the NS4 protein has not been determined, but it is likely that this protein may play a role in interactions with host cells. The majority of the synonymous (silent) nucleotide mutations during cell culture passage occurred in ORF1 and ORF2 in both NIH-2409 and MNV-1. Strain NIH-2409 showed no changes in ORF3 during serial passage, while MNV-1 demonstrated one silent change (nt 6770) during passage and plaque purification.
It is not clear when MNV was introduced into laboratory mice, and whether such strains circulate in wild mice. Recent studies of experimental mouse models found that the presence of MNV did not affect the immune response and recovery from Friend retrovirus [19], or the development of adaptive immunity to vaccinia virus and influenza virus [20]. Murine norovirus did not affect experimental outcomes from murine cytomegalovirus infection, although there was a decreased CD8 T cell response [21]. However, the presence of MNV did increased the length of time have an effect on parvovirus was shedding in Balb/c mice [22] and concerns have been raised for its effect in other murine disease models [23], [24], [25]. Sequence analysis of the new MNV NIH strains described in this study contributes to the growing database of genomic norovirus sequences. Continued analysis of the molecular epidemiology of these viruses should give insight into their natural history and evolution in mice.
Materials and Methods
Cells and viruses
The murine macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7 was obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA). The cells were grown in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) supplemented with penicillin (250 units/ml), streptomycin (250 µg/ml), 1% glutamine, and 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum. Murine norovirus strain MNV-1 [7] was a gift of Dr. Herbert Virgin, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO. Mesenteric lymph node (MLN), hepatic, spleen or duodenal tissues and fecal samples were collected from mice housed in three different NIAID animal facilities on the NIH, Bethesda, Maryland campus [15] (Table 1) under a protocol approved by the NIAID Animal Care and Use Committee. Sentinel mice in these facilities were routinely monitored for serological evidence of infection with several agents, including MNV, and all three facilities reported MNV antibody-positive sentinel mice. Fifty µl of the filtered tissue or fecal suspension was added to a RAW264.7 cell monolayer seeded in one well of a 6-well tissue culture plate (Costar, Corning Inc., Corning, NY), after which the cells were incubated for 5–7 days at 37°C. Cells were then frozen and thawed and 50 µl of the resultant suspension was used to infect a new RAW264.7 cell monolayer. The material was passed between 2 and 7 times, depending on the amount of associated CPE. Fluid from the final passage was collected and subjected to three rounds of plaque-purification. A plaque from the third purification was isolated and amplified to serve as a virus stock for sequence analysis of the complete genome.
Tissue culture adaptation of MNV strain NIH-2409
An MLN homogenate from mouse 2409 was added to RAW264.7 cells in two wells of a 6-well plate. The material from one well was passed three times in RAW264.7 cells as described above. The second well was fixed with methanol and the presence of MNV antigen after 7 days was examined by immunofluorescence assay as described below. Following pass 3 (P3), the isolated MNV strain, designated NIH-2409, was plaque-purified three times (3XPP). Briefly, a plaque was removed from the monolayer with a pipette tip, diluted in medium, and then subjected directly to a second plaque-purification. A second plaque was removed, diluted in medium, and subjected directly to a third plaque purification. The final isolated plaque was amplified in cells and the virus stock was designated 3XPP. The consensus sequence of the genome of the virus present in the original tissue (P0) was determined and compared to that of the virus obtained at P1, P2, and after three rounds of plaque purification (3XPP).
RNA extraction
Tissue samples were placed in 0.5 ml sterile, cold phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and disrupted on ice with either a Dounce homogenizer or an electric high shear tissue homogenizer (Omni International, Kennesaw, GA). Tissue suspensions were then stored at −70°C. Fecal pellets were added to PBS at a concentration of approximately 10% w/v in a sterile microfuge tube, followed by vortexing. The solid material in the feces was pelleted by low-speed centrifugation (10,000 rpm×10 minutes) in a tabletop microfuge and the clarified fecal suspension was filtered and transferred to a sterile microfuge tube. Viral RNA was extracted with the QIAamp Viral RNA mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) using a 100 µl aliquot of either the fecal or tissue suspension. The extracted RNA was eluted in 50 µl of RNase-free water and stored at −70C°.
Sequence analysis of RT-PCR products
The purified RNA was amplified by RT-PCR with the One Step RT-PCR kit (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) in a strategy that produced seven amplicons that were gel-purified and sequenced directly (primers for RT-PCR shown in Table 3). Sequencing was performed with the BigDye Terminator v.3.1 cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction kit in an AB1 3100 Automated sequencer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). The precise ends of the genome were determined with the 5′ and 3′ Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) systems from Invitrogen.
Phylogenetic analysis
Multiple sequence alignments were generated with the ClustalW algorithm in the MacVector, Inc. (Cary, NC) software package. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using the Neighbor-joining method [26], with the evolutionary distances computed by the Tamura-Nei method [27]. The statistical support for tree nodes was evaluated by bootstrap analysis (500 replicates) [28]. Evolutionary analyses were conducted with the MEGA software package [29].
qRT-PCR detection assay
A real-time qRT-PCR assay was adapted for the detection of MNV RNA [19], [30]. Briefly, a forward primer 5′-AATCTATGCGCCTGGTTTGC-3′ and a reverse primer 5′-CTCATCACCCGGGCTGTT-3′ were employed to amplify a region of the genome corresponding to nucleotides (nt) 5585–5646. A Taqman probe with the sequence 5′-CACGCCACTCCGC-3′ (corresponding to nt 5613–5625 of the MNV NIH-2409 genome) was generated with FAM dye linked to the 5′-end and BHQ dye at the 3′-end. Five µl of RNA were added to an RT-PCR mix (Brilliant II qRT-PCR core reagent kit, Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). The reaction was then incubated at 45°C for 30 min, 95°C for 10 min, followed by 45 cycles at 95°C for 30 sec, 50°C for 1 min and 72°C for 30 sec in an ABI 7900 HT instrument (Applied Biosystems). Each sample was tested in duplicate and an appropriate triplicate standard curve for absolute quantification was included in each run.
RAW264.7 cells were infected with virus and incubated 7 days before fixation with cold methanol (100%). The methanol was removed and the cells were rinsed with PBS, pH 7.4. Hyperimmune serum raised in a guinea pig against recombinant MNV-1 VP1 [14] was added at a 1∶100 dilution and incubated at 37°C for one hour. The wells were then rinsed three times with PBS, and affinity purified goat antibodies specific for guinea pig immunoglobulin G (IgG) (ICN Biomedicals, Aurora, OH) and conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate were added at a 1∶20 dilution to detect binding of the primary antibody.
Supporting Information
Table S1.
Murine norovirus strains included in phylogenetic analysis and their GenBank accession numbers are shown.
We would like to thank Tanaji Mitra (Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID) for technical support.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: ELB SVS KB JMW KP KYG. Performed the experiments: ELB SVS KB VP CS-J CRR JMW KP KYG. Analyzed the data: ELB SVS KB JMW KP KYG. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: KH ABC. Wrote the paper: ELB KYG. Supervision of veterinary technical staff: KP.
- 1.
Green KY (2007) Caliciviridae: The Noroviruses; D M K, P H, editors. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 949–979.
- 2. Kaufman SS, Chatterjee NK, Fuschino ME, Morse DL, Morotti RA, et al. (2005) Characteristics of human calicivirus enteritis in intestinal transplant recipients. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 40: 328–333.
- 3. Glass PJ, White LJ, Ball JM, Leparc-Goffart I, Hardy ME, et al. (2000) Norwalk virus open reading frame 3 encodes a minor structural protein. J Virol 74: 6581–6591.
- 4. Jiang X, Wang M, Wang K, Estes MK (1993) Sequence and genomic organization of Norwalk virus. Virology 195: 51–61.
- 5.
Lambden PR, Caul O, Ashley C, Clarke IN (1993) Sequence and genome organization of a human small round structured (Norwalk-like) virus.
- 6. Sosnovtsev SV, Belliot G, Chang KO, Prikhodko VG, Thackray LB, et al. (2006) Cleavage map and proteolytic processing of the murine norovirus nonstructural polyprotein in infected cells. J Virol 80: 7816–7831.
- 7. Karst SM, Wobus CE, Lay M, Davidson J, Virgin HWt (2003) STAT1-dependent innate immunity to a Norwalk-like virus. Science 299: 1575–1578.
- 8. Thackray LB, Wobus CE, Chachu KA, Liu B, Alegre ER, et al. (2007) Murine noroviruses comprising a single genogroup exhibit biological diversity despite limited sequence divergence. J Virol 81: 10460–10473.
- 9. Zheng DP, Ando T, Fankhauser RL, Beard RS, Glass RI, et al. (2006) Norovirus classification and proposed strain nomenclature. Virology 346: 312–323.
- 10. Wobus CE, Karst SM, Thackray LB, Chang KO, Sosnovtsev SV, et al. (2004) Replication of Norovirus in cell culture reveals a tropism for dendritic cells and macrophages. PLoS Biol 2: e432.
- 11. Wobus CE, Thackray LB, Virgin HWt (2006) Murine norovirus: a model system to study norovirus biology and pathogenesis. J Virol 80: 5104–5112.
- 12. Hsu CC, Wobus CE, Steffen EK, Riley LK, Livingston RS (2005) Development of a microsphere-based serologic multiplexed fluorescent immunoassay and a reverse transcriptase PCR assay to detect murine norovirus 1 infection in mice. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 12: 1145–1151.
- 13. Muller B, Klemm U, Mas Marques A, Schreier E (2007) Genetic diversity and recombination of murine noroviruses in immunocompromised mice. Arch Virol 152: 1709–1719.
- 14. Ward JM, Wobus CE, Thackray LB, Erexson CR, Faucette LJ, et al. (2006) Pathology of immunodeficient mice with naturally occurring murine norovirus infection. Toxicol Pathol 34: 708–715.
- 15. Perdue KA, Green KY, Copeland M, Barron E, Mandel M, et al. (2007) Naturally occurring murine norovirus infection in a large research institution. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 46: 39–45.
- 16. Tan M, Hegde RS, Jiang X (2004) The P domain of norovirus capsid protein forms dimer and binds to histo-blood group antigen receptors. J Virol 78: 6233–6242.
- 17. Bailey D, Thackray LB, Goodfellow IG (2008) A single amino acid substitution in the murine norovirus capsid protein is sufficient for attenuation in vivo. J Virol 82: 7725–7728.
- 18. Lochridge VP, Hardy ME (2007) A single-amino-acid substitution in the P2 domain of VP1 of murine norovirus is sufficient for escape from antibody neutralization. J Virol 81: 12316–12322.
- 19. Ammann CG, Messer RJ, Varvel K, Debuysscher BL, Lacasse RA, et al. (2009) Effects of acute and chronic murine norovirus infections on immune responses and recovery from Friend retrovirus infection. J Virol 83: 13037–13041.
- 20. Hensley SE, Pinto AK, Hickman HD, Kastenmayer RJ, Bennink JR, et al. (2009) Murine norovirus infection has no significant effect on adaptive immunity to vaccinia virus or influenza A virus. J Virol 83: 7357–7360.
- 21. Doom CM, Turula HM, Hill AB (2009) Investigation of the impact of the common animal facility contaminant murine norovirus on experimental murine cytomegalovirus infection. Virology 392: 153–161.
- 22. Compton SR, Paturzo FX, Macy JD (2010) Effect of murine norovirus infection on mouse parvovirus infection. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 49: 11–21.
- 23. Achard M, Mahler M, Neumann D, Zschemisch NH, Janus LM, et al. (2009) Impact of Murine Norovirus On a Mouse Model of IBD. Gastroenterology 136: A706–A706.
- 24. Lencioni KC, Seamons A, Treuting PM, Maggio-Price L, Brabb T (2008) Murine norovirus: an intercurrent variable in a mouse model of bacteria-induced inflammatory bowel disease. Comp Med 58: 522–533.
- 25. Paik J, Fierce Y, Drivdahl R, Treuting PM, Seamons A, et al. (2010) Effects of murine norovirus infection on a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Comp Med 60: 189–195.
- 26. Saitou N, Nei M (1987) The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Mol Biol Evol 4: 406–425.
- 27. Tamura K, Nei M (1993) Estimation of the number of nucleotide substitutions in the control region of mitochondrial DNA in humans and chimpanzees. Mol Biol Evol 10: 512–526.
- 28. Felsenstein J (1985) Confidence limits on phylogenies: An approach using the bootstrap. Evolution 39: 783–791.
- 29. Tamura K, Dudley J, Nei M, Kumar S (2007) MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0. Mol Biol Evol 24: 1596–1599.
- 30. Bok K, Prikhodko VG, Green KY, Sosnovtsev SV (2009) Apoptosis in murine norovirus-infected RAW264.7 cells is associated with downregulation of survivin. J Virol 83: 3647–3656.


text: Many Darden professors teach around the world, consult for global companies and conduct research about international business. Some of them are originally from outside the United States, have studied in other countries and collaborate with colleagues at universities worldwide. Beyond their academic expertise in international business issues, many Darden professors are sought-after thought leaders by corporations worldwide. Here are a few examples of Darden faculty members who are regularly involved in global activities as well as examples of recent faculty research. Faculty Profiles Yiorgos Allayannis serves as the Associate Dean of the Global MBA for Executives Program. He has taught in the First Year Finance program and elective courses in Portfolio, Valuation, and Financial Institutions and Markets. His primary research focus is on corporate risk management, exchange-rate risk, capital structure and corporate financial policies. Ming-Jer Chen, Leslie E. Grayson Professor at the Darden School, is a leading authority in strategic management. He is recognized for his pioneering work in competitive dynamics and ambicultural management. Chen has contributed to the East-West business dialogue via keynote speeches at such symposia as the World Economic Forum's China Business Summit (Beijing, 2000) and the US-China Executive Summit (New York, 2004). He is the conference convener for the Strategic Management Society's Special Conference in China (2012). Prior to Darden, he founded and directed Wharton's Global Chinese Business Initiative and served on the faculty at Columbia. In addition, he has held honorary, advisory or visiting appointments at universities in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Pedro Matos is an Associate Professor in Darden's Finance area. His research focuses on international corporate governance and the growing importance of institutional investors in financial markets worldwide. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) and a Ph.D. in Finance from INSEAD (France). Prior to earning his Ph.D., he worked with the Portuguese Ministry of Finance and consulted for the World Bank. Saras D. Sarasvathy is a member of the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Ethics area and teaches courses in entrepreneurship and ethics in Darden's MBA program. In addition, she teaches in doctoral programs not only at Darden, but also in Denmark, India, Croatia and South Africa. In 2007, Sarasvathy was named one of the top 18 entrepreneurship professors by Fortune Small Business magazine. Francis E. Warnock is a member of the Global Economies and Markets (GEM) area. Warnock developed and delivers GEM's First Year core elective "Global Financial Markets" and the year-long "Markets for Human Hope" course. Warnock is an expert on international capital flows, international portfolio allocation and financial sector development. Warnock's work has been featured in Financial Times, The Economist, Barron's, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Faculty Research The Darden faculty members take their global perspectives and experiences beyond the classroom but by conducting critical business research and convening thought leaders from around the globe. In 2014-2015, nearly 50% of full-time faculty members traveled internationally to present at conferences, teach, and share their latest research. A few examples include: 2015 Dennis Yang gave a keynote address on "Effects of FDO Policies and Product Variety and Wage Inequality at the 2nd Biennial Conference of China Development Studies in Shanghai, China. He also presented "Mandatory Retirement and the Consumption Puzzle: Prices Decline or Quantity Decline" at the same event. Pedro Matos presented Asset Management within Commercial Banks Worldwide: International Evidence at Maastricht University (Vienna, Austria), University of Tilburg (Tilburg, Netherlands), and at the CFA Institute (Brussels, Belgium). Paul Farris gave the keynote address, "Measuring Retail Availability of Consumer Products: A Brief History" at the 8th Latin American Retail Conference (CLAV): Competitiveness and Innovation in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Frank Warnock and Veronica Cacdac Warnock served as Academic Visitors at the National University Singapore Institute of Real Estate Studies and presented their new research on housing. 2014 Ed Freeman presented the keynote address Value Creation Stakeholder Theory to a conference on Corporate Responsibility: Stakeholder Management and decision making at the Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Ed also presented "A Conversation on Stakeholder Management" to the ING Headquarters Stakeholder Team, Amsterdam, Netherlands. In Fall 2013, Freeman was awarded honorary doctorate in management science from Radboud University.Gal Raz led a faculty delegation from Darden, Harvard and Ivey to Israel to focus on curriculum development and writing case studies on Israeli success stories in the area of technology. The group met with Israeli companies to learn about innovation, entrepreneurship and technology in the fields of hi-tech, bio-tech and clean-tech. The Darden delegation included: Yiorgos Allayannis, Martin Davidson, Liz Demers, Elliott Weiss and Gerry Yemen.Saras Sarasvathy held a talk in Bangalore with the TIE. She also facilitated a workshop for technology entrepreneurs at Accelerace in Copenhagen, Denmark and led a roundtable of entrepreneurship educators from South Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia. Additionally, she worked on a paper entitled, "An Effectual Approach to International Entrepreneurship: Overlaps, Challenges and Provocative Possibilities" that was published in the top entrepreneurship journal Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice on international entrepreneurship; she co-authored this paper with Darden doctoral alumni Jeff York and two faculty members at the Indian Institute of Management at Bangalore where she has a chaired professorship.Andy Wicks visited Aukland, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia and presented six talks at five different universities. He presented "Stakeholder Theory and Value Creation: Theoretical Development and Executive Engagement" to the University of Aukland School of Business, University of Melbourne's School of Business and to Deakin University's School of Business. At the University of Melbourne, Wicks also presented "Research Ideas and Developments." At the Monash University's School of Business and as part of the ABEN Teaching Business Ethics Series, Wicks presented "Teaching Business Ethics in a Global Environment: Challenges of Integration and Engagement." Finally, at Massey University's School of Business, he spoke about "Reclaiming Business as a Human Institutions: The Relevance of Ethics, Spirituality and Value Creation for Stakeholders." 2013 Pedro Matos presented "Does Institutional Ownership Matter for International Stock Return Comovement?" with J. Faias, M. Ferreira and P. Santa-Clara at the 2013 China International Conference in Finance in Shanghai, China and at the European Finance Association Meetings in Cambridge, UK.Dan Murphy presented "Why are Goods and Services More Expensive in Rich Countries? Demand Complementarities and Cross Country Prices Differences" at the following venues: Penn State New Faces in International Economics Conference, June 2013; Swiss National Bank, Inflation Dynamics in a Post-Crisis Globalized Economy Conference, August 2013; and School of Advanced International Studies, Seminar, September 2013.Anton Ovchinnikov presented "Strategic Consumers, Myopic Retailers" at the EURO conference in Rome, Italy, July 2013 and at the M&SOM conference in Fontainebleau, France, July 2013.Frank Warnock presented at invited seminars at Trinity College Dublin and the Aix Marseilles School of Economics as well as at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Conference on Monetary Policy in Open Economics.Dennis Yang delivered a keynote speech on "Changes in China's Wage Structure" at The 1st Biennial Conference of China Development Studies in Shanghai, July, 2013.


text:
New Online:
Outdoor Photography Blog
Check out our new photography blog
Friends of KurtTeej Online:
Financial Calculators
My Photo Gallery
Learn Digital Photography
Outdoor Photography Community (in development)
Other Great Links:
Nature and the Outdoors- Details of the Selected Park
Details of the selected Park, Monument, Wildlife Refuge, Battlefield.
View By State
View By Type of Park
Fort Union National Monument
Watrous, NM
Superintendent, Fort Union National Monument
PO Box 127
Watrous, NM 87753
The fort, Fort Union, was built in 1851 as the headquarters and supply depot for the Military Department of New Mexico. The name was given to 3 forts constructed near the Santa Fe Trail which culminated with the sprawling installation whose ruins visitors can see today.
Photo Links:


text:
Artist: evian_fork
Beta: jackfan2
Warnings: Language and the usual amount of gore
Word count: 40k
Spoilers: Set in season 8 (somewhere between 'Remember the titans' and 'Taxi driver') so if you've seen it, you're good
Rating: R
Summary: How far can run from yourself? Purgatory changed Dean in more ways than he's aware of, in more ways than he is willing to admit even to himself. Working on a new case that takes them deep into the midst of a series of gruesome murders and an invisible killer, Dean struggles to come to terms with who he is while Sam does his best to figure out his brother's secrets.
Story Notes: This story is set in the same universe as Primal: Sense of self, but all the important information is here as well, so you don't need to read that one at all.


text:
"I can best serve this Church by opening the door for other bishops."
"I can best serve this Church by opening the door for other bishops."
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to concelebrate at St. Alban's, preach at St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
By Steve Waring • "It's a wonderful Easter image of stone moved and a baptismal pool remaining, in the midst of God's wild creation."
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, 1918-2013
By Gary G. Yerkey • Bishop Michael Curry calls racism an addiction that "harms the children of God."
Archbishop Justin Welby conducts series of one-of-one meetings with fellow primates.
Americans are "on all sides of these issues, including those who have not yet clearly discerned an effective or appropriate response."
By Gary G. Yerkey
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori condemns "ancient demons of individualism, materialism, and selfishness."
By Daniel H. Martins
We opted to cut our losses and live to fight another day.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has signed "A Pastoral Letter about Faith, Finances, and the Federal Budget."


text:
The Growing Prostate
There comes a time in nearly every man's life when he'll have to deal with the effects of an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The prostate gland is small early in life, but grows with age. As it grows, it presses down on the urethra, the tube through which urine travels out of the body. That pressure makes it harder for men with BPH to fully empty their bladder, leading to more frequent bathroom visits.
Ways to Treat BPH
Doctors can choose from many different treatments, ranging from medication to surgery, to shrink the prostate gland and relieve urinary symptoms of BPH. Drugs like finasteride (Proscar) block a hormone that causes the prostate to grow.
Other drugs relax the bladder muscle to improve the flow of urine. Heat and concentrated energy can be used to burn off extra prostate tissue. Surgery also removes extra prostate tissue.
Laser Surgery
In the 1990s, doctors started using lasers to remove extra prostate tissue. The laser is thin enough to pass up the urethra, which runs through the center of the penis. Once inside, it cuts or burns off the enlarged tissue. This creates a wider channel for the urine to pass through.
The laser has a few advantages over other BPH procedures. For example, there's very little blood loss, and the recovery time is shorter.
Types of Laser Prostate Surgery
There is a variety of procedures that involve laser prostate surgery, including:
- photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP): uses a high-powered laser to burn off the extra prostate tissue
- holmium laser ablation of the prostate (HoLAP): similar procedure to PVP, but involves a different type of laser
- holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP): uses the same laser as HoLAP, but cuts the prostate tissue instead of burning it
Choosing a Laser Surgery
Your doctor will help you decide whether laser surgery is a viable treatment option for you, and if so, which type of laser surgery is most appropriate for your condition.
Factors that your doctor will consider include how much extra prostate tissue needs to be removed and your general health.
Not every medical center will have access to all types of lasers, so availability of equipment may also determine the procedure you undergo.
What to Expect
The entire laser procedure takes about an hour. You'll receive either general anesthesia to make you sleep, or local anesthesia, which will numb you. Your doctor won't make any cuts directly into your body.
Both the laser and scope will be threaded up the urethra, which is where the cutting or burning will occur. You should be able to go home within a few hours after surgery. Some men stay in the hospital overnight.
Possible Risks
All procedures come with possible risks, including laser surgery. Talk to your doctor before you have surgery to find out what problems might occur.
For example, some men who have had laser surgery have trouble urinating for a few days following the procedure. If this occurs, you might need to have a catheter inserted to help you urinate until you can do it on your own.
Other risks include:
- infections
- narrowing of the urethra
- trouble having an erection or orgasm
After Your Procedure
You'll have to take it easy for a couple of days before returning to your normal routine. Your doctor might recommend that you hold off on exercise and sexual intercourse until you're fully healed.
For a few days, you may have trouble urinating or see blood in your urine. Although these are normal symptoms after laser surgery, you should let your doctor know if you're in a lot of pain, you're running a fever, or can't urinate at all.


text:
A View from the Bridge
by Arthur Miller
A View from the Bridge Theme of Contrasting Regions
A View from the Bridge is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the 1950s. At the time, it was a majority Italian American community. All of the characters are of Italian origin, and some are newly arrived. As you might expect, lots of comparisons are drawn between the two places. The play explores differing ideas of justice, rural vs. urban lifestyles, and the economic differences between the two countries.
Questions About Contrasting Regions
- What does America represent for each character?
- What are the differences between Italian and American ideas of justice?
- How does each character relate to their Italian heritage?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil's advocate.
The climax of the play represents the failure of American law to adequately resolve the conflicts of the people.
Italian ideas of revenge and honor are the real culprits in this tragedy.


text:
JUN 02, 2014 - TechCrunch
A Must Read - Share
Push notifications can be a big distraction because you have to stop whatever you're doing to open them in their corresponding app. But in the upcoming iOS 8, Apple will offer "actionable push notifications" you can respond to in-line. You can confirm a contact request, Like or comment a Facebook photo you've been tagged in, and more without switching apps. Apple demoed… Read More
Editor's Picks
Hey you have no friends!!! Get to work and start inviting friends to help build your Comunitee. Click Here to invite friends.
© 2011 Comunitee, Inc.


text:
15/04/09 General News
Batch charging of all-electric furnaces a technology review
Batch charging of cold-top all-electric furnaces poses completely different problems to those encountered on conventional furnaces, and the technologies are therefore also completely different.
Unlike conventional furnaces, where the charger is mainly used to move the batch into the furnace, in the case of most all-electric furnaces the batch has to be distributed over the surface of the melt, and this is in fact the more difficult part of the job.
The article covers the problems involved and the various solutions that are used, and makes interesting reading for anybody with an interest
As usual, if you are not able to obtain a copy of the magazine and would like to read the article we will be pleased to mail you a copy if you contact us on :
|<< back


text:
Texas Specification No. 485-72-02A
Effective Date: March 1, 1995
Reformatted: February 12, 1996
1. SCOPE: This specification establishes the minimum requirements for lightweight, cotton stick mops for wet mopping.
2. APPLICABLE SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS: References to specifications, standards and test methods shall be to the issues in effect on the date of the Invitation for Bids. Copies of the referenced documents may be obtained from the issuing organizations at the addresses shown. The following documents form a part of this specification to the extent specified herein:
2.1. FEDERAL DOCUMENTS: General Services Administration, Specifications 470 E. L'Enfant Plaza SW, #1800, Washington, D.C., 20407:
2.1.1. Federal Standard 191 A -- Textile Test Methods.
3. CLASSIFICATION: Mops shall be classified into seven sizes with fixed handles.
|Head Size in ounces
|Handle Length in inches
4. DEFINITIONS: Terminology used in this specification is intended to be generic in nature and consistent with meanings that have been defined through general use and/or accepted trade practices. Where variant meanings may exist, the applicable interpretation shall be determined by the Texas Procurement and Support Services (TPASS).
4.1. Commission: Texas Procurement and Support Services (TPASS).
5. REQUIREMENTS: Products furnished under this specification shall meet or exceed the following requirements:
5.1. General: The mop heads shall be uniform in thickness, manufactured in accordance with standard commercial practices for products of this type.
5.2. Construction: The mop heads shall be firmly attached to the handle with wire. The wire shall be firmly secured to the handle with a 3/4" nail passing through a looped end of the wire; the nail or anchor shall be located 1-1/2" from the handle end. The wire shall be tightly wrapped two to three times around the handle at the point of anchor. The cotton yarns shall be uniformly distributed around the handle periphery. the anchored wire shall be tightly, spirally wrapped for six revolutions around the cotton yarns for a linear distance of 2.5 inches. the cotton yarns shall be uniformly folded back at an angle of 180 degrees, thereby covering the spirally would wire and forming the outside surface of the mop. the wire shall pass through the yarn and be tightly and closely wound around the outside of the mop head (four wire strands) within 1.5 inches of the upper folded edge of the mop. The end of the wire shall be anchored by a 1.5 inch nail located at the edge of the outer wire winding.
Yarn construction of mop heads shall be as listed in Table 2.
|Weight (oz.) Minimum
|Length of Yarns (In. not Folded) Minimum
|Length of Yarns (In. not Folded) Maximum
5.2.1. Mop Handle: All stick mop handles shall be smoothly finished with two coats of clear or pigmented lacquers. Diameter shall be 15/16" � 1/16".
5.3. Material Requirements:
5.3.1. Mop Head Yarn: Yarn shall be made from Low Middling or Strict Good Ordinary cotton, or a blend of both, having a minimum staple length of 15/16". The cotton shall contain no mill wastes. The yarn shall be free from sizing or any other loading material. Yarn ends shall be squarely cut. The finished mop yarn shall meet the following when tested by Federal Standard 191 A:
|Plies per yarn
|Yards per pound
|Twists per inch
|Breaking strength, dry
|60 pounds
5.3.2. Mop Handles: Handles shall be straight, straight grained, well sanded, made from seasoned fir or southern yellow pine or hardwood, free from knots, splinters, pitch, splits, and other imperfections. The moisture content shall not exceed 15%.
5.3.3. Mop Wire: Wire shall be galvanized or tinned steel not less than NO. 18-1/2 American Wire Gauge.
6. SAMPLES: Unless otherwise specified in the Invitation for Bids, no prepurchase samples shall be required. Samples tested shall be taken from regular orders.
7. TESTING: Testing shall be done by or at the direction of, the Commission and/or the receiving State agency. Tests shall be performed on products from shipments to ordering agencies. In the event products tested fail to meet or exceed all conditions and requirements of this specification, the cost of the samples used and the cost of testing shall be borne by the supplier.
8. INSPECTION: Products furnished under this specification shall be inspected by, or at the direction of the Commission and/or the ordering State agency either at the destination or place of manufacture.
9. WARRANTY: All mop heads shall carry the manufacturer's standard warranty and shall be guaranteed against defects in materials, workmanship and performance for a minimum of one year. The warranty shall begin on the date of acceptance of the unit by the ordering agency. During this warranty period, the vendor shall repair or replace defective components/units at no cost to the State of Texas.
10. PACKING / PACKAGING: Packing for shipment shall be in accordance with the manufacturer's standard practice and in a manner readily accepted by common carriers engaged in interstate commerce and as specified in the Invitation for Bids. Within the shipping carton units shall be packed in a manner designed to minimize damage during shipment because of rough or improper handling.
10.1. Packaging: Mops shall be tied approximately one inch from the yarn ends to retain shape. Mops shall be packaged 12 to a bundle.
11.1. MARKING: Each shipment container shall be clearly marked with:
11.1.1. Name of contents.
11.1.2. Quantity.
11.1.3. Name and address of the manufacturer.
The container or shipping documents shall include:
11.1.4. Order number or contract number.
11.1.5. Name and address of ordering agency.
11.1.6. Agency requisition number.
11.2. LABELING: Mops shall be labeled with the name or trademark of the manufacturer.
12. BID LITERATURE: All bids shall be accompanied by a description of the product being offered.
13. COMPLIANCE: In order for consideration to be given to the bid on an item under this specification, the bidder must comply with the following:
13.1. PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION: The make, model number, name of the manufacturer, brand or trade name, etc., as applicable, of the item which the vendor proposes to furnish must be stated as part of the bid.
13.2. EXCEPTIONS: Notwithstanding the above, any exception taken by the bidder to the requirements and conditions of this specification must be stated and described in detail as a part of the bid. If no exceptions or deviations are identified in this manner, the items must be furnished exactly as described herein.
13.3. PROOF: The bidder shall bear the burden of proof of compliance with this specification.
14. ORDERING DATA: When ordering products conforming to this specification the requisitioning agency shall specify the following:
14.1. The number of this specification ((485-72-02A).
14.2. The size required.
14.3. Quantity required, in multiples of one dozen.
15. AVAILABILITY OF SPECIFICATIONS: Copies of this specification may be obtained by calling or writing:
Bid Services
Texas Procurement and Support Services
P.O.Box 13186
Austin, TX 78711-3047
(512) 463-3416


text:
Figuring out who's who is all about finding more pictures. There is a picture of Christina with her younger siblings taken in the late 1880s, but it's the older siblings that will help identify that tintype.
Identify your old mystery family photos with these guides by Maureen A.
Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:
I'd start by looking at family history data for collateral lines to see if there is a family with four children close in age.
It's also possible that this photo is someone Humphrey's relatives knew. It wasn't unusual to have multiple tintypes made of the same image to give copies to both friends and family.
The backdrop in this image could be a clue to where it was taken. I'd also contact historical societies in the Grand Forks area to see if they have a photo collection and have images by a photographer that used that backdrop. Start with the Grand Forks Historical Society.
If Leona is on social media, it's definitely worth posting this photograph online, too.
Three of the four images are owned by cousins who descended from James William "Harvey" Dunaway (1829-1880) and his wife Treasy Humphress Bateman (1820-1901). Could this be the link that June's been hoping to find?
June created this graphic to illustrate who owns what.
Contacts In May 2010,
I'd posted about June's detective work trying to identify a cabinet card. That post disproved a caption identifying the couple.
A distant relative saw that blog post and sent June a copy of the exact cabinet card. This couple turned out to be the Newmans. The tintypes above show some other couple. It was an online Family Tree photo reunion.
She had such good luck with the last photo posted here, that she's crossing her fingers that a Dunaway descendant will be able to figure out who is in the tintypes.
I hope so too! I'd love to write another reunion story.
Solve your family photo mysteries with these books by Maureen A. Taylor:


text:
Seven Banks That Could Be First on the Block
Is bank M&A back?
Sure, the markets may fear that the economy is stalling, but there is at least one sign of a return to normalcy from the global financial crisis.
The investment bank KBW has renewed its "Takeover List," an annual look at likely buyers and sellers in the financial industry that had been discontinued since late 2007, when the credit crisis began to take hold.
The drivers of this expected M&A activity: a lack of earnings power, compounded by tougher regulation on capital and leverage; and more clarity into the asset values of commercial real estate and other troubled loans on the banks books. "Lower profitability is going to spark conversations [inside banks] about maintaining independence, especially if a bank can't fund its cost of capital,'' KBW analyst Chris McGratty tells Deal Journal.
The top seven potential sellers include banks many mightn't have ever heard of, all with market caps of roughly $1 billion or less: Abington Bancorp. of Pennsylvania; Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc., of Massachusetts; Cardinal Financial, of Virginia; Encore Bancshares, of Houston; Susquehanna Bancshares, of Pennsylvania.; Western Alliance Bancorp., of Las Vegas; and Wilmington Trust, in Delaware.
Generally speaking, McGratty says these banks are located in lucrative markets, have strong fee income businesses and a high proportion of low-cost deposits. But, they have been buffeted by the financial crisis, making them likely sellers, KBW says. The Takeover List includes a total of 75 banks.
So, who could be the buyers? Well, don't look to the big four: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup. These big banks already are at or near the regulatory limits on the share of total U.S. deposits and have been the subject of intense concern about being "too big to fail," so they aren't likely to be looking to get larger, particularly in the U.S. and particularly right now, he says.
It is the large, regional players such as BB&T, PNC Financial Services Group and U.S. Bancorp that are in the sweet spot for making acquisitions, McGratty says. Their balance sheets are strong, they have raised billions of dollars in new capital, and they "fly under the too to big to fail radar."
Also, such banks aren't likely to be interested in the FDIC-brokered deals for failed banks, as failed banks tend to be too small to help the regional banks significantly add to their deposit base, McGratty says.
But what if the economy veers into what is known as the double-dip recession that is pre-occupying the minds of investors recently? Would that kill any bank M&A before it got started? Not really, McGratty says. In that case, banking consolidation "may occur on the 18-month horizon rather than the 12-month horizon,'' McGratty says.
And so M&A advisers would have to wait a little longer for that fee train to embark.


text:
The Balch Springs Library and Learning Center will host signups Saturday for its summer reading program during a kickoff event lasting from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 12450 Elam Road.
The event will feature free activities, movies, live shows, and performances by jugglers and magicians.
For more information on the event, call the library's main line at 972-913-3000.


text:
Download our free Treatwell app.
Fed up of growing old gracefully? If none of the latest miracle creams are working at ridding you of those wrinkles, a facelift (also known as rhytidectomy) could be the next step. A facelift is a surgical procedure, which means going under the knife to help get rid of lines and wrinkles, a sagging jaw line, and give your face back its youthful appearance.
Here comes the science bit. A facelift usually involves an incision being made from the front of the ear and around the hairline. Once the skin is carefully removed from the muscles underneath, this is when any excess fat can be sucked out, and skin tightened to smooth out those laughter lines once and for all. Once any excess skin has been trimmed off, you will be stitched up and wrapped in bandages for up to two days.
After surgery you should expect some discomfort and bruising, and be prepared to feel numbness in your cheeks and ears up to months afterwards. Your face might look puffy at first but, fear not, this is to be expected and will go down in a few weeks. Any scarring you may have will be easy to hide with some careful make up application or will be handily hidden by your hair. Any planned strenuous activities will have to postponed for at least two weeks, as will any massages or sauna use so you have time to heal.
For those who don't think they're quite ready to take the plunge and have a full facelift, some surgeries now offer smaller versions, involving less use of the scalpel, but only focusing on a specific area, such as lifting the neck and jowls.
And if the thought of going anywhere near a cosmetic surgery clinic fills you with dread, then you will be pleased to know that there are plenty of non-surgical facelift procedures now available, which are becoming increasingly popular.
Yes, if you want to dramatically get rid of wrinkles and saggy skin. However, it's important to remember that how long the effects of your facelift last can vary. Maintaining a healthy body weight, and being prepared to sit in the shade away from the sun will be important in determining how long lasting your new youthful face will be.
It may seem like a recent Hollywood-inspired craze, but the first face lift is claimed to have been performed in 1901.
Accent Radio Frequency Face Lift
Save 30%


text:
Private Cloud InfraCloud, Customers, Just the facts, Locuz way - SIM/CMDB/IDM, News, Trends No Comments »
We are an authority in building Private Cloud Infra. Something that I have been longing to write for a while but wanted to be sure if we were not missing anything. With a tested methodology and deep expertise across parts of a service ready stack, in place, we can help customers transition their Core Technology Infrastructure to Cloud Infra.
Our offering is independent of any Virtualization or Storage or Interconnect technology. We can assist customers chose an appropriate stack that will provide full scale Automation and Orchestration. Resource provisioning thru our self service portal is not only an assured cost effective outcome but dramatically easier – all within a policy framework.
Our Integration capabilities offer the flexibility of using your Private Cloud like any SMT service and add capabilities like charge back.
Over next few posts I wish to elaborate our capabilities and experiences in customer environments.
Cheers! Uttam


text:
Been doing things lately like ironing every single summer dress that has been shoved in a bag for the past two months
Writing up a storm right now, also. Third person is a trip. I keep finishing something and then saying to myself, "Am I allowed to write like this?" I feel like I'm judging every character, which I am! But I have to. I have to have an opinion about all these people, or why bother writing? I find myself pulling back sometimes because it feels too personal, but I know when I let loose I'm at my best.
I've been accidentally reading all these books about the Holocaust, which has been helpful to my work even though my book is set in 2010. It's just good to think about it in terms of mindset. I'll say no more about that, only that last night I dubbed my novel-in-progress, "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Jewishness." A joke, but not. Also lately when people ask me what I'm writing about I say, "Apathetic Jews."
After Will Leitch's book party last night (I think it's like his fiftieth book or something, and his youthful enthusiasm never wanes. He's amazing), which featured a wide array of brooding bloggers (one of those "but if you are all here, then who is running the internet?" parties), and candy canes shaped like baseballs (one of which Goodwillie meticulously sucked for 45 minutes and it never shrank), I had dinner with Kate and Brendan and Patricia over at Patricia's loft. We ate a delicious meal and spent a considerable amount of time trying to come up with a name for Patricia's house in Nova Scotia, most of the suggestions for which were dirty and involved slang for the word "vagina." (Well, mine did anyway.)
But then we got to talking Jews, and Kate told me that I should read the Old Testament because so many of the people in it are super messed up and even god is no sweetheart. I reminisced about how I grew up mesmerized by the Anne Frank story but by the time I actually made it to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam during my junior year abroad I was still so stoned from the night (day, weeek, month) before I remember feeling very little.
I do wonder what I would feel now.
I will judge others and myself from afar and up close in this book.


text:
Steaz Names Linda Barron CEO
Steaz recently appointed Linda Barron as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. With five years of leadership and what the company says is "a proven track record of success with Steaz as the company's Chief Financial Officer," Barron hopes to continue the success of the Steaz brand and further develop the company's triple bottom line business philosophy of people, planet, and ethical profitability.
"I am honored to continue my work of bringing the Steaz brand into greater success," says Barron, who previously held top industry executive positions in Fortune 1000 companies such as Toll Brothers, Inc., Talk America, and Constar International. "I am excited to take this new challenge to accelerate the growth of the company and brand in the North American Market."
"We are proud to appoint Linda as the new CEO of Steaz," says Steaz co-founder Steven Kessler. "Linda's leadership, strategic vision, and depth of experience in the beverage industry and supply chain management will be instrumental in leading the company through its next phase of growth."
Barron holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Kings College and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Pennsylvania. She brings with her more than ten years of financial management experience and expertise, a strong understanding of the organic beverage market, and a passion for developing the new beverage brands to success.


text:
The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
Analysis: Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella's slipper.
Plot Type : Tragedy
Note: Here we present the events of the novel in chronological order – not the order in which we read them.
Anticipation Stage
The whole family is in the car on their way to see The Sound of Music and to meet Sophie Mol and Margaret Kochamma at the airport.
In the anticipation stage, the hero of the novel feels incomplete and hopes for some kind of gratification. For Estha and Rahel, being stuck in the car on a sweltering hot day just trying to get to their favorite movie is an experience full of anticipation. The whole family is apprehensive about meeting Sophie Mol. Despite the distractions on the road (namely, the traffic-stopping march of Communists through the streets), they try their best to keep focused on what's ahead.
Dream Stage
They get to the Abilash Talkies and are about to see their very favorite movie. Rahel feels they are all happy together as family.
In the Dream stage, the hero is set on his or her course, and things seem to be going well. For Rahel and Estha, going to see The Sound of Music is one of the greatest joys they can imagine. They love the movie; they've seen it multiple times and know all the songs. Rahel tries her best to capture this memory and preserve it for the future. This is the last moment of carefree happiness in the novel.
Frustration Stage
Estha is molested at the movie theater. Rahel speaks unkindly to Ammu and worries like crazy that everyone will love Sophie Mol more than her. Both twins start to feel massively insecure.
In this stage, things start to go wrong, almost without warning. Rahel and Estha both undergo experiences that rip them from their comfort zone and leave them feeling unsettled and fearful.
To begin with, Estha has to leave the theater to stand in the lobby because he can't stop singing. While he's in the lobby, the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man molests him – he makes Estha touch him you-know-where. This act fills Estha with extreme shame and unhappiness – he feels that he has done something wrong, and thinks what he's done has made him unlovable. It makes him sick to his stomach. What's worse is that the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man knows that Estha lives in Ayemenem and that his family runs Paradise Pickles and Preserves. Estha figures that the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man might come try to find him at any time. This realization fills him with unspeakable fear.
Rahel's experience is totally different. She speaks to Ammu carelessly and rudely, telling her that she should marry the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man if she thinks he's such a nice guy. For a woman like Ammu – who married a man who treated her horribly and is now looked down upon by society for being divorced – these words are supremely hurtful. She tells Rahel that careless words make people love each other less. Rahel is filled with fear not only that Ammu loves her less, but that when Sophie Mol arrives, Ammu will love Sophie more than she loves her. This fear gnaws at Rahel throughout the novel.
Nightmare Stage
Within the span of a day and a night, Vellya Paapen tells Mammachi about the affair between Ammu and Velutha, Sophie Mol drowns, and the twins watch helplessly as the police ruthlessly beat Velutha.
In the Nightmare stage, things spin wildly out of control. The day Sophie Mol dies is a day of confusion for the whole family, even before Sophie Mol leaves the house.
When Vellya Paapen comes to tell Mammachi about his discovery of Ammu and Velutha's affair, there's no turning back. Mammachi and Baby Kochamma fear the shame such news will bring upon their family. They lock Ammu away in her room until they can figure out what to do. When Ammu blames the twins for her situation, they decide to run away, and Sophie decides to go with them. The catch is, they want to cross the river, and Sophie Mol is not a strong swimmer like the twins are. When their boat capsizes, they realize with horror that Sophie Mol is dead.
In the meantime, Baby Kochamma gets the police to go after Velutha, and they beat the smack out of him with their batons and boots. The twins see the whole violent scene. All of these events are beyond what any of the characters ever could have imagined, and they all happen in the same day. The events of the day are characterized by an extreme sense of loss of control.
Destruction or Death Wish Stage
The family is separated for good. Estha is Returned to Baba. Velutha dies. Ammu eventually dies.
After Sophie Mol's death, nothing will ever be the same for Rahel, Estha, Ammu, or Velutha. The happy part of their lives is over. The four people who love each other the most are separated, for the most part permanently. Velutha dies from his injuries. Estha has condemned Velutha under Baby Kochamma's orders, and, even though Velutha would have died anyway, Estha feels incredible guilt and pain. The family decides to send Estha back to live with Baba. Even Rahel and Ammu are separated, and Ammu eventually dies. Aside from the literal deaths of Ammu and Velutha, a different kind of death is at work here: the permanent loss of the simplicity and happiness that once existed in their lives.