text:
With their 5-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, the Phillies have lost their sixth consecutive game. The Phillies had a brief run of success in mid-June coming within 3.5 games of the National League East, but have since fallen in a terrible slump leaving them 10.5 games out. The change happened quickly, within just two weeks. The Phillies have now lost ten of their last twelve games.
Cole Hamels had trouble with his command, although his line wasn't horrible. Hamels finished after five innings, allowing three earned runs. He walked four, and only struck out three. Hamels had such a terrific month of June, but he wasn't able to put up those lights-out numbers on Wednesday. It was the first time in 11 straight starts that he didn't make it to the seventh inning.
Meanwhile, the Phillies' offense continues to struggle. Tom Koehler and the Marlins' bullpen shut out the Phillies, limiting them to five hits.
The Phillies face the Marlins again on Thursday, looking to avoid the sweep.
17 Comments
Sigh. At least there is the fact that the Man will be playing in the All-Star, which is something to look forward to in the coming days. That's the only positive I got. Oh, and at least one of Dom Brown's "tools" is connecting. Lol.
Hoping Amaro is, by some act of God, fired before the fire sale, but that isn't happening.
I agree on the All-Star nod that will be something to look forward too. And Dom Brown……He was the key to this season in my opinion. If he took a step forward this year just slightly, instead of going backwards, this season might be going better. It definitely would have taken some pressure off the old guys(Utley, Rollins, and Howard). Lets just hope Amaro has run out of bad moves and makes some good decisions in the near future since he wont be let go.
I know many of the columnists/bloggers predicted the Phils to be bad. I however didnt think they would be this bad. Its a shame that its going down this way as well.
I keep hearing and reading in the papers and the radio that Hamels didn't have a stellar game. I think that's a total crock. Put that line on any other pitcher on our staff and we would be reading how they pitched good. Hamels like Lee are held to such a high standard that when they pitch like mortals they get ripped. Hey if the team actually hit like professionals, or fielded the ball as they are supposed to. Hamels would have more wins! He's had 14 starts. He's 2-5 with 7 no decisions. A 2.98 era. Barkann on the radio yesterday posed the question of trading Hamels or Lee. Because of lee's age and contract he said Hamels would bring the better players. He's only what 30 years old.
Why trade a guy who would be the center piece of the rotation of a rebuilt team. And does anybody trust the man who'd be trading him? I'm glad the Philly media doesn't run this team. They'd make Ruben look like a genius.
Maybe Hamels wants to leave. Why continue to pitch for this mess and hope our AAA lineup can score a couple runs? He'd have 30 more wins over his career on a good hitting team.
The question here is whether the team can be rebuilt soon enough for Hamels to be the center piece of anything that's better than the 2014 Phils.
Personally, I don't see the pieces around to build a contender from this mess before Hamels' extension runs out.
I agree. Based on the past moves, I have absolutely no faith in the front office to make sensible moves for the Phillies going forward. They are back to being irrelevant for the next several years.
Hamels is a good pitcher, but he's not a great pitcher. The ace is supposed to be your stopper. He should have gone out and pitched 8 shutout innings against a lousy hitting Marlins lineup. The guy will make almost a million dollars per start. That's ridiculous.
So, in other words, one less-than-stellar start from Hamels cancels out the ten straight games he did pitch like an ace. A merely "good" pitcher never throws like Hamels did for ten straight games.
First of all, the Marlins don't have a "lousy hitting lineup". I'd take their young outfield over the Phillies' OF any day of the week. And you may want to take a look at the season Casey McGehee is having. Cole Hamels is not the problem. His supporting cast is the problem. Hamels could have pitched 12 shutout innings last night and still lost.
Watch Adam Wainwright pitch and then tell me if Hamels is a great pitcher.
Such a ridiculous argument…..
There's nothing ridiculous about it. Cole Hamels is overrated. The Phillies don't score runs for him either, but he's also not as good as some people make him out to be.
Hey Art, you're welcome to your opinion sir. I don't think any sane baseball fan would argue against Wainwright being a top 20 MLB pitcher, because when healthy, he's very good.
But up until this season he's also been the benefactor of a very, very potent offense in St. Louis.
In addition, his last four season's ERA of 1.89, 2.94, 3.94, and 2.42, all are very much in line with Cole Hamels numbers when considering home park factor. That would indicate that he doesn't throw many 8 inning shutouts. And I agree with the comment above that the Marlins are no longer a "lousy hitting lineup".
They have to keep Cole. Even if they are rebuilding it will be nice to have at least one established Ace in the lineup. I think for now they will wind up keeping him. However, one never knows especially if Amaro is involved. By now most of the GM;s know a fire sale is coming and will attempt to fleece the Phils. If anything its best to wait to after the season to even attempt to trade Cole, not that i recommend such a move.
Everyone except this incompetent FO knew this team was going to bad. Scary thing is, for the most part, the veterans are playing at the level most people expected. I still think 67 wins will be about what they end up with.


text:
Charleston Events
Charleston Area Events and Festivals
Discover a world of possibilities all in one place - Charleston, South Carolina.
Mary Alice Monroe's "The Summer Wind" National Book Release Party
When: 06/15/2014
Wild Dunes Resort is pleased to host New York Times best-selling fiction writer and Isle of Palms resident, Mary Alice Monroe's National Book Release Party for her newest novel The Summer Wind, the second book in her Lowcountry trilogy. Mary Alice will be on the Grand Pavilion during this time with pre-sales of her book, The Summer Wind, that will hit bookshelves nationwide on Tuesday, June 17. Barnes and Noble will be presetn as well, offering many of her prior works available for purchase. Event open to Wild Dunes Resort guests and club members. Guests, please call our Pre-Arrival Concierge Sue Thurber at 843-886-2214 to make a reservation to attend or drop in. Club members, please call Amy Stevens at 843-886-2000.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If you want warm, you've got warm with the Coal The Yukon Beanie. Made from soft wool, and featuring chunky knit details and a fleece band, this is about as toasty as it gets.
Fleece band
Traditional fit
Chunky knit details
Coal suede label
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
Best Uses
Reviewed by 3 customers
Sort by
Best Uses
Comments about Coal The Yukon Beanie:
I was worried that the hat would be itchy because of the material but it has a fleece lining, which prevents itch and provides extra warmth. Overall very happy with purchase but it is a little big on me, but I think I just have a small head.
Best Uses
Comments about Coal The Yukon Beanie:
looks great on
Best Uses
Comments about Coal The Yukon Beanie:
This hat is warm and comfortable. Its a slick design which can be worn on any occasion. The reason why its priced higher than some other hats is because it is made from high quality material. the fleece material makes this hat comfy and not itchy as some other wool hats. COAL puts out some top-notch products!


text:
Retail Sales Relatively Flat in April
Posted on May 13, 2014 by
WASHINGTON-U.S. retail sales totaled $434.6 billion in April, up a bare 0.1 percent from March and 4 percent from April of last year, according to this morning's monthly retail sales report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The sales figures for the channels that sell home furnishings presented a mixed bag last month. Furniture and home furnishings stores posted a 0.6 percent decline in sales from March, but picked up 3.5 percent from April of last year. General merchandise stores increased their April sales by 0.2 percent from March and 2.8 percent year over year.
Department stores (excluding leased departments) pushed sales up 1.8 percent month over month, but saw sales decline 0.3 percent from April 2013. Nonstore sales (which include online and catalogs) punched in with a 0.9 percent falloff from March and a 6.5 percent gain year over year.
Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation, noted that April sales were weaker than expected in spite of the fact that "the fundamentals of the economy, including improving job growth and income gains, remain positive. While the shift in Easter played into the seasonal figures, NRF remains optimistic that retail sales will keep their positive trajectory, albeit in fits and starts, in the second quarter."
Other Articles By Author
Related Articles
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Links
Video: Color Comes on Strong at High Point Market


text:
Michelle Williams Dating Jason Segel?
Actress Michelle Williams is dating Jason Segel, according to a report.
Us Weekly has obtained photographs of the blonde beauty strolling hand-in-hand with The Muppets star after a meal at Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night.
A source says, "He put his arm around her and made her laugh as they walked. (They) seemed very relaxed."
The following day, Segel was snapped looking on affectionately as Williams' daughter Matilda, six, rode on her scooter in Brooklyn.
The magazine also reports the rumored couple dined together in Los Angeles on two separate occasions in recent weeks.
An insider adds, "They are smitten and very serious. She hasn't been this happy in a long time."
You may like
Show Comments ()


text:
It's time again for Basehor Library's annual Scary Stories in the Park. This year our guest storyteller is Jo Ho. Scary Stories begins 7:00pm at the gazebo in the Basehor City Park, 159th & Leavenworth Road.
For your comfort bring lawn chairs or blankets. Plus, enjoy FREE hot chocolate until it… disappears!
Right after "Scary Stories", about 8:00pm, the Teen Advisory Group invites you to stay and visit the Haunted Trail for $1 donation. Children ages 3 and under are free. At the end of the trail (that is IF you make it through the Haunted Trail), you can enjoy a s'more in the shelter house.
All proceeds go toward the library's Teen Programs.


text:
This page comprises one section of
72) As we all know, Steiner described the spirit realm precisely as it really is, thanks to his use of "exact clairvoyance." [See "Exactly".] Nonetheless, he missed a few tricks. I would encourage all occultists to expand their reading beyond Steiner's own books and lectures. Here is a brief recommended reading list, culled from various publishers' catalogues:
As I hope is plain, this installment of Steiner Static is a joke. But it has a serious side. Anthroposophy shares a dark, occult corner with other, equally bizarre belief systems. Naturally, Anthroposophists claim that their occultism is different from other, false forms of occultism. But, then, believers in non-Anthropop occultism would defend their beliefs in precisely the same way. And, in fact, the books I've listed are typical of reading matter that Anthroposophists occasionally dip into when they are not studying Steiner. I've seen many such books on Anthroposophists' bookshelves, including in the homes of Waldorf teachers. [For a survey of Anthroposophists' mystical interests, see THE STEINERBOOKS DICTIONARY OF THE PSYCHIC, MYSTIC, OCCULT, quoted in the Semi-Steiner Dictionary.] Occultists are often indiscriminate, extending at least partial credence to wide swaths of otherworldly nonsense, finding "confirmation" of their own beliefs in the widespread acceptance of vaguely similar beliefs. Indeed, Steiner himself read many books of the kind I've listed, if perhaps at a higher level of occult plausibility. His doctrines are an amalgam of concepts he derived from his extensive reading — he even took some of his ideas from occultist fiction. ("Central to the spiritual work on inner development is what Rudolf Steiner calls (following Bulwer Lytton, who introduced the term in his Rosicrucian novel ZANONI)...." — Christopher Bamford, introduction to START NOW! (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2007), a collection of Steiner's teachings, p. 243 — the reference is to the concept of the Guardian of the Threshold.)
So I'm joking. But I'm also, sadly, serious. Here are a few titles from Anthroposophical publishing houses, books by authors other than Steiner, sometimes mildly at odds with his views, yet far removed from reality, and generally endorsing Steinerish occultism. I'll repeat: These books come from Anthroposophical publishing houses:
That last is my personal favorite. The publisher's description includes this: "The fairyland and its denizens have long been the concern of poets, painters, and storytellers. Not only are these beings [sic: the fairies, not the poets, et al] charged with the maintenance of Nature's household but with her evolutionary plans as well. Our recognition of them and their work helps their efforts prosper and helps the earth be carried forward in its evolution. Marjorie Spock draws aside the veil obscuring the life of the 'Little People' and makes their magic world come alive for us. Included are color paintings of the four races of Little People: Undines or water spirits, Gnomes, the earth spirits, Sylphs, or air spirits, and the Fire-Spirits." As you may know, Steiner taught that gnomes, sylphs, and other such beings really exist. Really.
Is there no limit to human gullibility?
The reasons for our gullibility are plain enough. We want to deny our limitations. Most urgently we want to deny or defeat death. And we want to live in a world that is more magical, more wondrous, and more easily comprehensible than our rational brains tell us the real world is.
What is also plain, although often overlooked, is our capacity to lie to ourselves — and to believe our own sad and silly lies.
Use this link to go to "Steiner Static, Part I",
or use the following link to go to "Steiner Static, Part II".
To go elsewhere, use the links in the sidebar.


text:
The product description on this page is more than a year old and may or may not still be available as described here. Interested FM readers should contact the product manufacturer directly or contact local foodservice distributors to check on its regional availability. HOSHIZAKI Ice Machines www.hoshizaki.com
Register to view this Article
Why Register for FREE?
Registering for Premium Content on Food Management will give you INSTANT access to invaluable articles and media content that industry professionals rely on. You will have access to our special reports, feature articles, and industry analysis. It's FREE, easy and quick.


text:
Because Knetbooks knows college students. Our rental program is designed to save you time and money. Whether you need a textbook for a semester, quarter or even a summer session, we have an option for you. Simply select a rental period, enter your information and your book will be on its way!
ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.
Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.
Used or rental books
If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.
Access codes
Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.
The 5th edition of Mosaicos: Spanish as a World Language provides a fresh, 2lst-century perspective on language teaching and learning in the context of a dynamic introduction to the Hispanic world and its people. Rich contextualization of vocabulary combined with contextualized, functional grammatical instruction gives students an authentic, communicative introduction to the Spanish language. Deeply integrated culture and detailed listening, speaking, reading and writing practice bring all the pieces together for today's students.
020599184X / 9780205991846 Mosaicos, Volume 3 Plus MySpanishLab with eText (one semester) -- Access Card Package
Package consists of:
0205636071 / 9780205636075 Mosaicos, Volume 3
0205979483 / 9780205979486 MySpanishLab with Pearson eText -- Access Card -- for Mosaicos: Spanish as a World Language (one semester access)


text:
Welcome to Flash Cadabra
Windows users are awaiting for the release of Vista, there have been two new themes released for XP that can help to jazz up your desktop. Both of these themes came from notstatic.com that is run by a designer who works for Microsoft.
The first unofficial theme is called Royale Noir, that people within Microsoft have been using for some time.
The official one created for the release of the Zune media player.
The Zune theme as seen in pictured below.
Down Load desktop theme zip


text:
For the second year in a row, goaltending has been a hot topic of discussion during the NHL offseason in Chicago. However, this year the debates have nothing to do with who will be the Blackhawks starter.
26-year-old Corey Crawford had a wonderful rookie campaign and, unlike Antti Niemi in the summer of 2010, there is no arbitration ruling to walk away from. Crawford will be the main man between the pipes in 2011-12.
The real debate is over who will be the backup. We thought this was Alexander Salak's job to lose until Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman invited Ray Emery to try out for the team.
Emery is an intriguing goaltender and an even more interesting human being. The peaks and valleys of his professional hockey career have been as wild and unpredictable as his personality.
On the ice, he went from backstopping the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 to losing his starting job the next season to losing an NHL job altogether and being forced to play in Russia.
Then he came back as the prospective starter for the Philadelphia Flyers, only to be forced out of action and onto the surgeon's table to repair a seriously injured hip.
After sitting out for almost a year, he was then signed by the Anaheim Ducks and miraculously played very well in his 10 regular season games for them.
Off the ice, he's had a propensity for partying, a reputation for showing up late to practice, and a habit of fighting everyone from opponents to teammates to Russian trainers.
But this is why there's such an inordinate amount of buzz over who will be the backup goaltender in Chicago this year. Ray Emery's had the type of career that will cause fans to take notice at even the possibility of him playing for their team.
After all, Emery is only in Chicago on a tryout basis. But there are plenty of reasons to believe he can legitimately win the backup job over Alexander Salak. Here are the top seven reasons why he deserves a shot in net for the Blackhawks:


text:
Do we really need to 'lean in' to land the top job?
It seems everyone has an opinion on why there aren't more women in leadership roles.
We are too quiet, too loud, better at managing down than up, and sometimes just the wrong gender.
Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg is about to add another flaw to that list: women lean out when they need to lean in. In her new book called Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, due out in March, Sandberg acknowledges the impact of chauvinism and corporate obstacles on the gender gap but also suggests women may compound the problem by holding back instead of aggressively pursuing leadership opportunities.
I have no doubt that this is true. I'm guilty of it myself, having grown up believing that great work would speak for itself. But I fear that Sandberg, though no doubt well meaning, is actually highlighting the need for a behavioral change in women. Is the answer to the gender gap that women need to start behaving like men by "leaning in" as they do? I was hoping the thinking had moved on from that.
I have witnessed so many men in my industry 'lean in', land the top job, mess up, head to the competitor, lean in, get the top job again, only to do a very ordinary job of things there too. So I don't dispute the suggestion that this is the path to the top as it stands today. My question is whether it's the best path to a vibrant future for companies.
Something desperately needs to change in far too many industries. The same old, same old just doesn't cut it anymore. Giving bright, visionary women a go is certainly an untapped opportunity but what's the point if the only ones who get to the top are those who exhibit the most male-like behaviors.
In an interview with The New York Times, Sandberg was quoted as saying "Real equality means that women can do anything". I agree with this sentiment but surely that also means we can be quiet achievers too.
I was chatting with a friend recently and she was lamenting the 'squeaky wheel' that is her oldest son. Apparently he has been attention seeking all of his young life. "It's always 'me, me, me'," she said of him.
By contrast her younger daughter is independent and quiet. "She is such a great kid, she just knuckles down and gets things done without needing constant affirmation."
At the end of the conversation we agreed that, as a positive, her difficult son would be CEO material down the line. Many a truth is said in jest.
I will be one of the first to read Sandberg's new book because I have no doubt that the insights she will offer women who aspire to leadership roles will be compelling. And she is probably right about her observation that if women want the leadership roles they will need to have their hands up. I just wish she wasn't.
Do you agree? Has your focus on your job rather than the one above you held you back?
- font size decrease font size increase font size
Marina Go
Marina Go is the former GM of Hearst-Bauer, publisher of Harper's Bazaar, ELLE and Cosmopolitan. She is chair of the Wests Tigers, a director of ASX-listed The Autosports Group, Odyssey House, McGrath Foundation and a member of the advisory boards of the Walkley Foundation, The Remarkables Group and Women's Agenda. She has an MBA from The AGSM and is a member of the AICD. Her new book is Break Through: 20 Success Strategies for Female Leaders.
Twitter: @marinasgo


text:
The trade deadline has come and gone, and there are a number of teams that are really going to be under the gun in the last two months of the season. Join us today at Bang the Book, as we look at some of the best teams that have been protecting their home turf this season.
(Home record and amount of profit based upon a $100 bet listed in parentheses)
Pittsburgh Pirates (36-18, +$1,572) - Damned be all those championships on the other side of the field and damned be our last two decades of losing history! The Pirates are legit this year, and they have proven it by taking four straight games in a matter of just three days against the Cardinals here at PNC Park. Even if this last game is lost on Thursday, the damage has been done, and Pittsburgh will be in first place in the NL Central going into the weekend. The Bucs have been dominating at home all season long, and now, they have won their biggest home series since the early 1990s. There is a buzz right now around the Steel City, and the argument could be made that this year's Pirates are a heck of a lot like the 2008 Rays, which made it all the way to the World Series.
Cleveland Indians (36-19, +$1,540) - Manager Terry Francona won't win Manager of the Year this year, but he probably should be in consideration for it. He has taken a team that has been mediocre at best over the course of the last few seasons and made it a legitimate contender. Not only is Cleveland right on the back of the Tigers in the AL Central, but there is a legitimate chance that this could be a Wild Card team as well this year, a la the Orioles of last season. The Tribe have 36 wins at home this year, tied for the second best mark in baseball, and they have blown through these six home games this week with ease, taking three from the Rangers and the first three of a four-game set against the White Sox. The last home loss for the Indians came way back on July 10th, and since then, they have run off 10 straight 'W's at Progressive Field.
Atlanta Braves (37-15, +$1,365) - The Tomahawk Chop is back, and Braves fans at Turner Field are doing it a lot at this point. Atlanta has the best home record in baseball at 37-15, and there is a good opportunity that it is going to have that crucial home field advantage in the second season as well. At the outset of the season, the Braves were really just tearing teams apart at Turner Field, but they slowed down just a bit through May and June. To end July though, Atlanta was on fire, winning its last six games and outscoring clubs by a combined score of 40-14 in the process. It's not like these were chump teams that were coming to the Peach State either. The Cardinals were whipped 11-3 in three games, and the Rockies were destroyed by allowing 29 runs in three days.
Oakland Athletics (34-18, +$1,119) - Fortunately for the A's, they have been playing in a division that has been self-destructing. The Rangers were trying to blow themselves apart at the trade deadline, and they just haven't been able to keep it together in the second half of the year. Oakland hasn't played well either, but it has at least been maintaining its own. These last two home games against the Blue Jays have turned out disastrous losses, and that could prove to be harmful going into a home series against the Rangers, a series that could ultimately be the one that hands the AL West over to the A's once and for all if it goes well.
Boston Red Sox (36-20, +$719) - The Red Sox are back in control of the AL East after Wednesday night's results, but in the end, they are in a lot of trouble with the Rays right on their backsides. Boston knows that it is going to have to hold serve at Fenway Park, something that it wasn't able to do when the hot Rays came to town. Still, there is no denying the fact that this is a team that has scored 36 victories at home this season, and the offense has been remarkable over the course of the majority of season here as well. The trick is going be figuring out how to keep this going over the course of the rest of the season if the Sox are going to ultimately figure out how to win the AL East and perhaps get the No. 1 overall seed in the American League and the home field advantage throughout the playoffs.


text:
Each month, direct to your email inbox, we'll send the best camping news, tips, recipes and more, to enhance the camping lifestyle that you love so much. Learn More
If you're heading to Florida for the season you won't want to miss these st...
Need a camping stocking stuffer to finish your holiday shopping? This list ...
Discover seven reasons why KOA Work Kamping might be for you!
Plan the perfect trip from home or on the road with the official KOA app. Learn More
Open All Year
Reserve: 888-562-4258
Info: 850-623-0808
8700 Gulf Pines Drive
Milton, FL 32583Get Directions
From I-10: Take Exit 31, then go north on Highway 87 for 1/10 of a mile, turn right into entrance.Get Google Directions
Camper Rating 4.5 out of 5


text:
Pork steaks with gin & coriander sauce
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal557
- fat32g
- saturates10g
- carbs10g
- sugars0g
- fibre0g
- protein41g
- salt0.35g
- 2 juniper berries
- 4 tbsp gin, warmed
Like all safe alcoholic drinks, gin is based on ethanol, an intoxicating liquid chemical that…
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
Rosemary's intense, fragrant aroma has traditionally been paired with lamb, chicken and game…
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 2 x 175g/6oz thick, boneless pork steaks
- 150ml ¼ pint English apple juice, the cloudy varieties have more flavour
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche
- mashed potato and buttered savoy cabbage, to serve
The world's favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of…
Crush the juniper berries coarsely using a pestle and mortar or rolling pin.Warm the gin in a small pan then pour over the juniper berries and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Trim the pork – leave on a little fat for flavour and to keep it moist. Drain the juniper berries, reserving the gin.
In a mini blender, or using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, rosemary and coriander seeds with the juniper berries and 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread the mixture over the pork. Cover and marinate for as long as possible (preferably overnight if you have the time).
Heat the remaining oil in a small non-stick frying pan until very hot. Add the pork and cook quickly on both sides until golden. Pour in the gin – boil fast until it disappears or set light to it and let the flames burn down – this removes the raw alcohol taste. Pour in the apple juice. Scrape the pan to loosen any sticky bits. Bring to the boil.
Half cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until the pork is cooked and the sauce reduced but not too thick. Remove the pork to a warm plate. Swirl the crème fraîche into the sauce. Bring back to boil and boil rapidly for 1-2 minutes until it's syrupy, then season to taste. Serve the pork and sauce with mashed potatoes and savoy cabbage, tossed with butter and finely sliced garlic.
Ads by Google
Comments, questions and tips
Comments (16)
This is a truly great way to liven up a pork steak and turn it into something really special. As my name suggests I love all things Gin and for this recipe I chose the smoothest gin in my collection (Oliver Twist London Distilled Gin).
I found that 5 tbsp of this Gin worked perfectly.
Being a specialist Gin you are best to buy it online. This can be done here: http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-18827.aspx
Why not give it a go - I would love to see what other people think and whether you have a proffered Gin that you would rather use.
I was quite excited about making this with my stepson and we had a giggle about "not telling the others what's in it" and the flame throwing part of lighting the gin! It was quite a nice meal and made a nice change for dinner. The sauce was quite sweet though so there was plenty left over, next time I won't be doubling the sauce ingredients for 4 people.
Sounds complicated but really easy to make and well worth the effort. I make it with pork fillet so the meat is very tender. A really useful recipe to have at hand. Have made this quickly when in a hurry and as a planned meal. Both were tasty but the pork definitely benefits from marinading for as long as possible though to extract the maximum flavour. Delicious and looks very impressive.
Questions (0)
Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we'll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user's question, feel free to get involved…
Be the first to ask a question about this recipe…
Tips (0)
Got your own twist on this recipe? Or do you have suggestions for possible swaps and additions? We'd love to hear your ideas.
Be the first to suggest a tip for this recipe…


text:
The Young and The Restless: Screentest To Be On The Show!
Have you ever wanted to be on The Young and the Restless? If so, now may be your chance, as the soap's team is coming to St. Louis, Missouri to give one lucky actress just that opportunity!
All you have to do is arrive at the Ritz-Carlton at 100 Carondelet Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri on Friday November 14 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Women from ages 18 to 35, who are able to work in the United States are eligible to win and travel to Hollywood California to guest on one episode of Daytime's number one drama! Visit the CBS website to get your registration form today!
Soap Opera Fan Blog wants to wish all who try out the best! Would you want to win this opportunity? If so, tell us why below!
Photo Credit: CBS
Fun fact! Amy Mistretta wrote this story just for you on October 28th, 2008 |


text:
Hunter Douglas Window promotes Sharpe, Hunt
February 20, 2001-- Home Textiles Today,
UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ — Hunter Douglas Window Fashions announced the appointment of George Sharpe to the newly established role of vp, new concept development, and the promotion of Beth Hunt to vp, of the new products business unit.
Sharpe will be directly responsible for the effort to identify new product opportunities for Hunter Douglas' North American operations. He was most recently vp of the new products business unit and has previously held the positions of director of market research, director of the brand group, and vp of new product business development.
"As vice president of the new products business unit for the past five years, George has built the unit into a world-class model of product and business development talent that is capable of launching new products on a simultaneous and recurring basis," said Richard Pellett, vp/general manager, Hunter Douglas Window Fashions Division. "I am confident that he will bring the same leadership and vision to finding new opportunities for the product development teams to work on and bring to market."
Hunt, in her new role, will take charge of the development and implementation of new products for Hunter Douglas North America. She was most recently the vp, operations for the Hunter Douglas manufacturing group. She joined Hunter Douglas in May '99 as vp, business development and formerly worked for Burlington Industries/Precision Fabrics Group in Greensboro, NC.
"Beth's years of experience and considerable talent will undoubtedly lead the new products business unit in valuable new directions," said Pellett.
Related Content By Author
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Links
Featured Video
Previewing Heimtextil 2017


text:
Hey all,
We (the Disc Jockeys) are back with yet another digital short, this time filmed at Ward's Island in Toronto. We've stepped up our game, shooting with a new camera and at full 1080p! Enjoy!
Moderators: Timko, Fritz, Solty, Booter, Blake_T, Frank Delicious
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot] and 3 guests


text:
Story Details
Federal Report Ranks Utah #1 Volunteering State in the Nation for the 5th Year in a Row
Jun. 15, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Lt. Governor Greg Bell, the Governor's Office of Economic Development, Provo City Mayor Curtis, Ogden Mayor Godfrey and Salt Lake City Mayor Becker along with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Utah Commission on Volunteers will release the 2010 Volunteering In America report ranking Utah as the #1 volunteering state in the nation for the 5th year running during a press conference in the Gold Room of the State Capitol on June 15 at 9 a.m.
Collected in partnership with the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the most comprehensive set of data on volunteering in the U.S., and tracks volunteering trends in all 50 states and nearly 200 cities.
This year's report shows the largest increase in volunteering since 2003, with 63.4 million Americans (age 16 and older) volunteering in 2009, an increase of almost 1.6 million since 2008.
"We've seen a renewal in the volunteer spirit of our nation," said Senator Orrin G. Hatch. "It is heartening to see reports that more and more Americans are willingly stepping forward to help in their neighborhoods and communities and, once again, Utah is leading the way."
This report ranks Utah as the #1 volunteering state in the nation with 44.2% of adults volunteering (national average is 22.8%). In addition to this ranking, Utah ranked #1 in eight other categories.
"These rankings solidify what we already knew about the citizens of our great state," said Lt. Governor Greg Bell. "They see a need and solve it and when asked they serve."
Other #1 state rankings Include:
- Volunteer Hours per Resident: 86.9 hours (#2 ranked Iowa averages 40.1 hours per resident)
- Volunteer Retention Rate: 80.1% (national average is 65%)
- Older Adults (age 65 and older): 40.6%
- Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964): 48.9%
- College Students: 42.3%
- Young Adults (ages 16-24): 40.2%
- Teenagers (ages 16-19): 44.5%
- Millennials (born in/after 1982) 39.4%
Service is the key solution to many of the challenges facing our state. On average, Utah's 855,600 volunteers dedicated 168.4 million hours of service with an estimated economic impact of $3.5 billion to our state.
"The number and quality of Utah's Volunteers provide positive tangible and intangible economic benefits that contribute to every Utahn's quality of life", said Spencer Eccles, Governor's Office of Economic Development, Executive Director. "If one looks no further than our corporate citizens you will find innumerable examples of companies and their employees that regularly make significant contributions back into our communities."
The city of Provo leads our nation ranking 1st as the mid-size city with the highest volunteer rate in the country at 63.6% with each resident averaging 149.7 hours of service.
"Provo residents understand the real value of serving one another as evidenced by the results of this study," said Provo Mayor John R. Curtis. "But I find it difficult to truly place a dollar value on what volunteering means to the community. These amazing people sacrifice and serve Provo's residents and by definition aren't paid, yet they are a priceless part of our City."
Iowa City, Iowa ranked 2nd with a 50% volunteer rate averaging just 42.2 hours of service per person. Ogden, Utah ranked 3rd in the nation with 47.7% volunteer rate but averages 90.5 hours of service per person ranking them 2nd in the nation for hours served per resident. Salt Lake City ranked 3rd in the nation with a volunteering rate of 35.8% but ranks 1st within the 51 large cities at 60.8 volunteer hours per resident.
"We congratulate the citizens of our great state for their passion and dedication for serving others," said Shar Lewis, Executive Director with the Utah Commission on Volunteers. "But we still need your service now more than ever and encourage you to recruit your friends, family and associates to find on-going service opportunities that will help our citizens and non-profits in these most difficult economic times."
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES are available after the press conference with:
- Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell
- Spencer Eccles, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Economic Development
- Provo Mayor Curtis
- Ogden Mayor Godfrey
- Salt Lake City Mayor Becker
- Shar Lewis, Executive Director, Utah Commission on Volunteers
- Jake Murakami, AmeriCorps State Program Director, Corporation for National and Community Service
- 2010 State Volunteer and Service Award Recipients
PRESS KIT AVAILABLE at the press conference will include:
- Volunteering in America FACT SHEET
- Volunteering in America FAQs - to include Volunteering and the Economy
- Volunteering in America HIGHLIGHTS FOR Utah, Provo, Ogden and Salt Lake City
- Utah Commission on V olunteers PROFILE
- Volunteering in America ISSUE BRIEF
The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, an office of the Lieutenant Governor, is to improve communities through service and volunteering. For more information or to find volunteering opportunities around the state, log onto www.volunteers.utah.gov.
Access to the Volunteering In America report can be found on the Corporation for National and Community Service's interactive website www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.


text:
Tag Archives: Terry Gou
Foxconn in the Hen House?
At the risk of beating the drum once too often, I again call your attention to the ever-more-grandiose "plans" bandied about regarding Foxconn. The latest: A $7 billion investment into US electronics manufacturing that would lead to thousands of new jobs. … Continue reading
US Commitments
When I heard early this month that Foxconn (Hon Hai) chief Terry Gou offered to train Americans in electronic manufacturing I recalled one of Apple's excuses for putting its production in Asia, much of which went to Foxconn which now … Continue reading
Terry Gou's Latest Obsession
There is no doubt Foxconn founder and megabillionaire Terry Gou is a smart man. But he's also a master manipulator. Take a look at his comments at Foxconn's recent shareholder meeting. As reported by Business Insider, Gou had sharp words … Continue reading
Gou Motors On
Under different circumstances, would Foxconn's Terry Gou be considered the second coming of Henry Ford? This Business Week article suggests so. I'll have to study my Henry Ford history, because while the piece breaks little new ground, it is filled … Continue reading
Jabil's Turn in the Hot Seat
You can forgive — if only slightly — Terry Gou if he is smiling today. One of the chairman of Foxconn's main competitors, Jabil, stands accused today of creating and maintaining a what can best be described as a cruel … Continue reading
Foxconn's 'Dispiriting' Suicide Response
Ten attempted suicides (eight successful) in 10 months has Hon Hai (Foxconn) reeling from yet another round of bad press. Against all odds, the situation has worsened as bloggers have uncovered a video purported to show Foxconn security guards beating … Continue reading
Credit the Wall Street Journal for determination. The paper finally landed — after five years of trying — an interview with Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou. The piece (click here for the link) takes readers inside the Foxconn fortress (aka … Continue reading


text:
U.K. Singer Paloma Faith & Carrot Top - Separated At Birth?
We couldn't help but notice that U.K. pop star Paloma Faith is looking alot like Carrot Top these days.
The singer is currently working on the follow up to her September 2009 debut, "Do You Want The Truth Or Something Special." The album helped make her one of the biggest stars of 2010 in her native land, however she has yet to make waves 'across the pond.'
Paloma is currently nominated for the Best Breakthrough Artist at the UK Festival Awards. She has also crossed over into acting, having made her debut in the 2007 remake of the film "St. Trinian's," and appearing in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus."
Carrot Top was last seen in the closing credit outtakes of "The Hangover." The comedian performs in Las Vegas these days; and is also known to make regular guest appearances with jam-band Widespread Panic. We're not sure exactly what he does during those guest spots though.
More: Celeb Photo Features | Fashion Photo Features


text:
August 2012: Brian Betz Quartet, Featuring Denis DiBlasio
Chris' Jazz Café
Philadelphia, PA
August 31, 2012
Guitarist Brian Betz led his quartet through a set of standards at Chris' Jazz Café in Philadelphia. In a set comprised entirely of standards, the band used its divergent musical personalities to uncover new ground within a familiar framework.
The set began with a fiery rundown of "Secret Love," a piece favored by jazz pioneers such as saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Baritone saxophonist Denis DiBlasio set the mood for the entire band by showcasing his ability to play long eighth note-based lines over several bars. Rather than playing individual phrases or licks, DiBlasio seemed to favor cohesion and aplomb. His solo on this up-tempo rendition may have been aggressive, to say the least, but the intelligence of DiBlasio's improvisation quickly became more apparent than his chops. His ability to link chord changes within lines demonstrated remarkable foresight, especially in comparison to other bebop-based horn players. Every line he played remained completely relevant to the tune's framework, yet the high tempo and demanding nature of the band never seemed to disturb DiBlasio's focus. Every chord change was addressed, and DiBlasio never seemed to fumble through any section of the tune.
In terms of musicians associated with Philadelphia, DiBlasio's approach on baritone is comparable to Ben Schachter's on tenor. Their vocabularies may be entirely different, but both musicians possess the remarkable ability to play lengthy improvised lines which never feel prefabricated, and always remain true to the song at hand.
Several tunes associated with Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn found their way into the set, but it was the group's rendition of "Satin Doll" which perhaps best exemplified Brian Betz's soulful playing. Though the guitarist was more than capable of keeping up with the truculent style displayed by DiBlasio, he seemed far more adept at taking the lead on easy swing tunes. Betz began his solo with several Wes Montgomery-inspired octave-based lines, building to chordal melodies and eventually finishing with a series of double time lines that segued perfectly into another DiBlasio solo. Betz also emphasized a quarter note-based comping style popularized by guitarist Freddie Green. The style is deceptively easy, yet in reality, takes years of both practice and hours of listening to perfect. While several of today's guitarists seek newer, more contemporary sounds as well as vocabulary, Betz remains an authentic voice who has obviously done his homework when it comes to jazz tradition.
Two of Philadelphia's most in demand rhythm section players, bassist Madison Rast and drummer Dan Monaghan, rounded out the group. For someespecially those who frequent the Philadelphia jazz scenethe chance to see them perform together is enough to make any show worth seeing. Their interplay was telepathic from the first note, but was especially strong on saxophonist Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge." Compared to the rest of the set, this seemed like a slightly odd choice, but its inclusion was all the more exciting for that very reason. It's is a particularly dark tune, and is certainly not as popular a standard as "Satin Doll" or "Secret Love." Rast played the first solo, perhaps inspired by the original recording, which also began with a bass solo. Rather than simply playing his own ideas, Rast seemed more inclined to interact rhythmically and stylistically with Monaghan. In a way, it was more of a duet than a solo, which seemed to inspire both players. Monaghan took the last solo, playing unaccompanied. His crisp cymbal work occupied space similar to drummer Billy Hart, but Monaghan took the opportunity to build his solo to a thunderous roar before bringing the band back in.
Betz has several albums of his own, including a recent collaboration with DiBlasio. He can be seen in Philadelphia fairly regularly, and also frequently performs in New Jersey.
About Brian Betz
Live From Philadelphia
CD/LP/Track Review
- Dichotomy by Nic Jones


text:
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Baseball players know the difference between a hit and an error. The trouble is, their opinion doesn't count in the score book. Former Twins slugger David "Big Papi" Ortiz has had his problems with the scorekeeper in Fenway Park.
"Scorekeepers here are always horrible," he said after an error was given on a ball he hit earlier this year to Twins first baseman Joe Mauer. The scorekeeper gave Mauer an error, but later reversed the decision.
There are three official scorers for the All-Star Game — local author Stew Thornley, former Pioneer Press reporter Gregg Wong, and the Star Tribune's Lavelle E. Neal III, who is also president of the Baseball Writers of America.
Thornley and Wong alternate keeping score at Twins games and they'll work together for the first time on Tuesday night. Thornley isn't sure if three heads are better than one.
"Is it going to be easier that you got two other people to consult? Maybe at that point you feel like 'I can just make the decision myself,'" he said.
Teams and players put pressure on scorekeepers to keep batting averages high and ERA's low. That's out on Tuesday, considering the stats don't count toward the regular season numbers. What about a call that could break up a no-hitter?
"That's the thing I love about baseball, you never know about anything, and when you're official scoring, you never know what's going to come up."
The three selected were notified about keeping score last month by the commissioner's office. Thornley said for once the MLB decided to use two of the regular scorers at the host ballpark. Wong and Thornley are working the Future's Game on Sunday, not Neal.
Thornley said this is the number one thrill for him as an official scorer. He said he'll be more relaxed than usual because there are two others helping out, and that this probably won't be any more nerve-racking than scoring a game by himself.


text:
Today The Sun will Rise
By jpblog on Jan 26, 2010
Today as the Sun comes up, we as Sun employees are likely to have our last day as part of the greatest technology company the world has ever seen. I know that all of us will do the right thing and how we behave reflects the legacy of Sun Microsystems. Today our Leader set the tone and I want to publicly Thank Scott for the years of leadership he has shown us all. ( who doesn't have a Scott story ) The thing that we all learned from Scott is was what courage is all about. He pushed us and challenged us all to ask the hard questions, create technology, or not accept the the established answer. 24 yr 4 months and 10 days ago ( I missed 25 yrs, the EU came back to fast ) when I joined Sun I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to be part of this amazing experience to really effect the world forever. I remember clearly after my first week at Sun telling my wife, do not plan on me staying here more than 6 months these people are crazy!
It wasn't crazy it was pure genius ! Let's not forget Sun made systems and operating systems open. We defined open systems in a world where closed and controlled was the standard of doing business. We did opensource before anybody had ever heard the word. We called it NFS !! ( connect-a-thon ) We made window systems truely functional we called that SunView! We opened the world to the idea that Unix could solve business problems. We called that SunOS and later Solaris ! We said chips companies should have competition and RISC made more sense. We called that SPARC ! We said that applications should not be locked to the OS and processor. We called that Java ! ( well Oak at first) The list goes on and on!! We can all agree being part of this is a once in a lifetime experience and one that has effected all of us. No matter what happens tomorrow all of us ( past and present employees) proudly say we where part of Sun and we changed the world. We will all take what we have learned and experienced into our next jobs, challenges, or whatever you choose to do. My family and I have grown and benefited from our time at Sun, this is something that I can not thank you all enough for. To my Sun family past and present, today when the Sun comes up be proud and show the courage that is our legacy. One thing no one can ever take away from you is YOU ARE ALWAYS A PART OF THE SUN FAMILY! All the best and thank you!


text:
Mia Deakin, daughter of Jody Claman from The Real Housewives Of Vancouver got caught up in some gangster shit on Sunday when she was hit during a drive-by shooting at a gas station in East Vancouver.
Mia and the person she was driving with, a 27-year-old male, were the suspected targets. She remains in hospital in stable condition, though reports are that she took two bullets to the shoulder and back! (Yikes! Thank God they didn't hit the gas pump!) Mia's male passenger was also later arrested on an outstanding warrant… so…
Vancouver needs to RUHLAX! With all that good weed, fresh air, mountains, yoga pants, sushi — like…tone down fer a sec! There's no need to go shooting our precious reality stars. Canada hasn't got many!
And another thing — I know what you're thinking! BUT Mary Zilba already has an alibi — She was singing at an opening of a Sears in New Westminister at the time of the shooting. AND she already covered her ass by sending out this well-wishing tweet to Mia, along with that Texan butterfly Robin. The real person police should be talking to is that gold-digger Christina! I mean with comments like these…
[image source]
» share:


text:
The overwhelming technological progress that provided the whole humanity while using signifigant amount of benefits in almost every sphere of human activity, unfortunately became a crucial point in the problem of environmental pollution and brought along with it number of hazardous consequences for peoples health.
<img src="http://www.rea.ca/Services/HygieneImage.png">
Since we are living in the time, when science stipulates more than simply further technological progress but in addition promotes the eco-friendly procedures for human activity, there appeared services that deliver a precise estimation of potential or direct harm for individuals health and also environment, which often can be attributable to the violation of operating standards. The mentioned previously services are called the industrial hygiene services, as they accomplish thorough supervision above the probable thread belonging to the side of industrial segment.
The work of industrial hygiene services are very wide, as it includes all the spheres of human activity without exception that may directly or indirectly motivate the ecological disturbance and even produce incompatible with the human health working conditions. People, who actually produce such a type of ergonomic assessment, are known as industrial hygiene consultants. This profession might be considered as a breakthrough within the present anxiety provoked within the issue of climate crisis plus the appearance and distribution of the latest sorts of viruses.
Usually the people who own huge industrial objects have to be interested in the execution of regularly control over working conditions of their company when using the assessment of air, water, soil conditions in the near of this industrial complex as and also level of possible radiation exposure and produced noise, which may disturb the normal operating conditions and even result in some serious health disorders for people, who are employed in this object or those, who reside in the near of it. These procedures will certainly assist to avoid some irregularities and contribute to the improving of working process for the advantage of employees in conjunction with ecological state within the industrial object.
The assistance made available from the industrial hygiene consultants are important for employee and public health, because they stimulate regulatory compliance, make it possible to avoid lawsuits preventing local disasters, and lastly secure normal interaction between nature and man or, quite simply, ecology and human activity.
So as to preserve the environment in a good state, people must be aware with regard to the presence of industrial hygiene services and don't hesitate applying for their help, if they consider that natural conditions in their surroundings are harmful thus to their health. This matter admits of no delay, for the reason that potential harm which comes from the industrial objects as well as other resources may cause serious problems to yours and your family members' health.
Thus the industrial hygiene consultants can make a complete examination and sampling of the potential cause of danger and can identify its reasons in an effort to eliminate them and stop further spread.
Related posts:
Industrial Hygiene Consultants Review.
Highlights of Industrial Hygiene Services.
Community Authors
More Articles in Community Articles
Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia: The Harlem Nutcracker and "Trane-ing Day" A Tribute to John Coltrane
Karen Brundage-Johnson, PhD.
"A Peter White Christmas" at The Wolf's Den
Marjorie Savoie
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, 44th Annual Christmas Concert, December 10 Emmanuel Church Boston
M.O.D. Technologies Presents Maâlem Mokhtar Gania / Bill Laswell with TAGNAWWIT (First-class Line-up Includes Chad Smith)
Antje Huebner
Chucho Valdes and Joe Lovano Quintet - Collaboration
Karen Brundage-Johnson, PhD.
Vocalist Pauline Jean Releases New Video "Their Blood, Bondye" In Support Of Artists In Her Native Country Haiti
are group


text:
Vivane Sassen, Elvis, 2007 © Viviane Sassen, Courtesy Motive Gallery, Amsterdam.
Viviane Sassen, Now and Then, 2007 © Viviane Sassen, Courtesy Motive Gallery, Amsterdam.
Vivane Sassen, D.N.A., 2007 © Viviane Sassen, Courtesy Motive Gallery, Amsterdam.
Foam_ Fotografiemuseum
Keizersgracht 609
+ 31 (0)20 551 6500
The Netherlands
Viviane Sassen – Flamboya
November 21, 2008-January 18, 2009
Flamboya is an extensive survey of recent photos taken by Viviane Sassen while travelling through various parts of Africa. On one level these photos are an attempt by Sassen to recapture her childhood years in Africa, yet they also pose implicit fundamental questions about image, bias and the constraints of the photographic medium.
Many of the portraits that Sassen made in countries like Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania were realised in intuitive collaboration with the subject. They are remarkable for their use of colour, for the idiosyncratic use of shade and their slightly surreal atmosphere. Sassen's work contrasts sharply with Western stereotypes of Africa and its inhabitants. The exhibition features work for which Viviane Sassen won the 2007 Prix de Rome, together with new and previously unshown work.
Many of the photos in Flamboya are portraits of young Africans in which the immediate setting plays an essential role. Remarkably, however, it is often impossible to see the subject's expression: the face and parts of the body are often wrapped in shadow, turning away from the viewer or only the legs and torso are visible.
This makes it hard to identify with the subject in the photo. The (in)ability to properly register a person's identity, the limitations that prevent the viewer forming a real picture and role photography plays in this is a recurring theme in Sassen's work. She plays an intriguing game with perception, undermining our assumptions and stereotypes.
Viviane Sassen spent part of her childhood in Kenya where her father worked as a doctor. Years later, long after her family had returned to Holland and after Viviane had already begun working as a fashion photographer and independent artist, she returned to the continent of her earliest childhood memories.
Her confrontation with Africa and the many questions that arose as a result led in 2002 to her Cape Flat series, made mainly in South Africa. Later, she produced the series of photos presented here under the title, Flamboya.
The exhibition is accompanied by a volume entitled Flamboya, pulished by Contrasto, featuring a story by Moses Isegawa and an essay by Edo Dijksterhuis.
Viviane Sassen (b. 1972) studied fashion design at Arnhem College of Art and photography at Utrecht College of Art. Besides producing independent work, Sassen has also worked as a fashion photographer and established a name with her own unique work for labels such as Diesel, Miu Miu, So, Kuyichi Jeans, Evisu.
Sassen has also produced work for leading magazines such as I-D, Another Man, Vogue France and Purple. Viviane Sasssen is represented by Motive Gallery, Amsterdam.
Vivane Sassen, Arusha, 2007 © Viviane Sassen.
Vivane Sassen, Dora, 2007 © Viviane Sassen, Courtesy Motive Gallery, Amsterdam.


text:
Injury update
By DAMIAN DOTTORE
The Orange County RegisterANAHEIM -- The status of two of the Ducks' injured players remains the same for Saturday's game in San Jose.
After recently seeing a specialist to get a second opinion on his broken right foot, Brad May is still out indefinitely, listed as "week-to-week" by the team. Doctors discovered the injury on Monday.
Brain Sutherby continues to be day-to-day, nursing a strained grion muscle that has caused him to see limited action of late. Because of the injury, Sutherby has missed the past four games and eight of the past nine.
Most Popular
User Agreement
Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our Privacy Policy Policy & Terms of Use
Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to republish your name and comment in additional Register publications without any notification or payment.


text:
After the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision last week to uphold President Barack Obama's highly controversial health care law, Nation's Restaurant News polled its readers to find out what they thought about the ruling — and their responses were divided. While the poll was informal and represents a very small portion of NRN readers, it still suggests that the restaurant industry's stance on the health care ruling isn't as unified as official reactions would ...
Register to view this article
It's free but we need to know a little about you to continually improve our content.
Why Register?
Registering allows you to unlock a portion of our premium online content. You can access more in-depth stories and analysis, as well as news not found on any other website or any other media outlet. You also get free eNewsletters, blogs, real-time polls, archives and more.
Attention Print Subscribers: While you have already been granted free access to NRN we ask that you register now. We promise it will only take a few minutes!
Questions about your account or how to access content?
Contact: Desiree Torres email@example.com


text:
"Witchcraft For The 21st Century"
Feng Shui Tip of the Day
Saturday, May 7, 2011
For a sense of belonging in the office, put a name plate in your work area. If you can't, tape your name underneath your chair.
Saturday, May 7th, 2011
General Meaning: Flames cling to their source of fuel in order to keep the fire burning. Likewise, in the human world, emotional attachment results from everything that radiates light or warmth is dependent upon something else. Through these dependencies we can see that all things are related, each thing to the other. Awareness of your own dependency on others is the key that unlocks the door to your true place in the world. No woman is an island.
Fire is also a symbol of liberation — sending out crackling molecules that fly away from home. Paradoxically, by clinging to what is balanced and true, we gain inner freedom.
Given perseverance on your part, this hexagram indicates success. In spite of challenges, cling to what is luminous in yourself, in others, and in life itself, never forsaking your belief in what is right. When events seem foreboding, or people seem oppressive, remember the good that has been and is yet to be. Holding to this idea is to cling to the power of the light and love within you.
Your independence is highlighted today. It's time to stand on your own two feet and forge forward, despite a perceived lack of support. You may find yourself starting a new project today, and the possibility of meeting someone new is strong. Guard against forgetfulness.
About the Number 1


text:
Enter your Email address:
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed
to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without
your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Walter, Brandon La; Armitage, Andrew Eb; Graham, Stephen Cc; de Oliveira, Tuliod; Skinhøj, Petere; Jones, E Yvonnec; Stuart, David Ic; McMichael, Andrew Jb; Chesebro, Brucea; Iversen, Astrid KNb
aLaboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
bMRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, UK
cDivision of Structural Biology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, UK
dHRC Pathogen Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
eDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Received 7 October, 2008
Revised 13 January, 2009
Accepted 2 February, 2009
Correspondence to Astrid K.N. Iversen, MRC HIU, WIMM, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK. Tel: +44 0 1865 222498; fax: +44 0 1865 222502; e-mail: email@example.com
Background: Despite the existence of over 50 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms of HIV-1, subtype C dominates the heterosexual pandemic causing approximately 56% of all infections.
Objective: To evaluate whether viral genetic factors may contribute to the observed subtype-C predominance.
Methods: Chimeric viruses were generated using V1–V3 envelope fragments from a subtype-A/C dually infected woman with preferential genital replication of subtype C. Viral adaptation, spread and cell fusion ability were evaluated in vitro using peripheral blood mononuclear cells and HeLa-CD4-CCR5 cell lines, sequencing and cloning. Structural modeling was performed using a crystal structure of gp120-CD4-X5. Phylogenetic analysis was done using subtype-A, subtype-B and subtype-C sequences from blood and cervix of 37 infected women and database sequences.
Results: We identified two envelope motifs, compact V1–V2 loops and V3-316T, which are found at high frequency throughout subtype-C evolution and affect gp120 interactions with CD4 and CCR5, respectively. When a V1-Δ5 deletion or V3-A316T was incorporated into subtype A, each increased viral fusion and spread several fold in peripheral blood mononuclear cell and cell lines with low CCR5 expression. Structural modeling suggested the formation of an additional hydrogen bond between V3 and CCR5. Moreover, we found preferential selection of HIV with 316T and/or extremely short V1–V2 loops in cervices of three women infected with subtypes A/C, B or C.
Conclusion: As CD4+-CCR5+-T cells are key targets for genital HIV infection and cervical selection can favor compact V1–V2 loops and 316T, which increase viral infectivity, we propose that these conserved subtype-C motifs may contribute to transmission and spread of this subtype.
The current HIV pandemic is dominated by subtype C, which accounts for approximately 56% of the estimated 33 million infections worldwide, despite the concurrent existence of over 50 other subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) [1]. First identified in Ethiopia, subtype C has spread through southern and eastern Africa during the last two decades, invading areas formerly dominated by subtypes A and D and is currently causing devastating epidemics in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil, India and China [2–5].
These transmissions are largely through heterosexual contact or from mother to child. Although founder effects probably can explain the more recent subtype-C epidemics in India, Brazil and China, subtyping of early HIV sequences from southern and eastern Africa strongly suggest that subtype C was introduced into these areas subsequent to subtypes A and D (www.hiv.lanl.gov). As no epidemiological studies have shown any subtype-related differences between heterosexual transmission networks, it has been suggested that subtype-C virus may have a transmission advantage over subtypes A and D [6–8]. Moreover, epidemiological studies [9,10] have demonstrated differences between these subtypes with respect to vaginal shedding and in-utero transmission, subtype C associating with increased risks of both. However, no functional mechanism explaining these differences has so far been identified.
Although many studies have successfully focused on identifying human genetic factors influencing HIV-1 disease progression, these seem to account for just around 10% of the variability in disease progression rates and only some have been demonstrated to affect transmission [11]. Viral genetic variation is also likely to influence pathogenesis and transmission, and short V1–V4 loops, and more neutralization-sensitive viruses, have been suggested to be selected during, or soon after, many sexual transmissions caused by subtypes A and C, but not B [12–16].
Here we asked whether conserved, subtype-specific sequence motifs in subtype C could affect viral replication and transmission. Our results highlight the functional importance of two common subtype-C motifs, short V1–V2 loops and V3-316T, and demonstrate that these are found at high frequency throughout subtype C evolution and may be specifically selected in the genital tract of infected women.
HIV-1-infected women were recruited at Rigshospitalet, Denmark, between 1995 and 1996. Most were untreated; however, some had received monotherapy [azidothymidine (AZT) (8/37), didanosine (ddI) (1/37)] or dual therapy [AZT and ddI (2/37)] for over 6 months [17,18]. The study was approved by the Danish Board of Medical Ethics and patients gave informed consent [17].
DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and cervical cell pellets using the QIAamp Blood kit (Qiagen, Valencia, California, USA). V1–V3, C2–C4 and gp160 envelope fragments were amplified by limiting-dilution nested PCR using Advantage 2 Polymerase mix (Clontech, Mountain View, California, USA) and sequenced (sequences are available upon request) [19].
Infectious HIV-A and HIV-C chimeric clones with V1–V3 env fragments obtained from blood or cervix of a dually infected patient were generated as described previously for HIV clones 81A-4 and 49-5 [20–23].
Virus-containing supernatants were samples throughout the PBMC infection experiment. Viral RNA was purified using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, California, USA), reverse transcribed and amplified using the SuperScript One-Step RT-PCR Kit for Long Templates (Invitrogen, Paisley, UK), sequenced and cloned. The reconstructed PBMC-adapted chimeric subtype-A clones were named A20-V1Δ5, A2-T146I, A1-A316T and A1-N302K, according to envelope region and type of mutation.
Proviral HIV constructs were transfected into RC49 HeLa cells and viral stocks were generated for PBMC, HeLa cell and fusion experiments; titers were expressed as focus-forming units (FFUs) per ml [24,25]. Different virus dilutions [multiplicity of infection (MOI) 0.004–0.1] were used to infect PBMC and cultures were continued for 16 days; p24 levels were measured using an antigen capture assay (HIV-1 p24CA) as recommended (AIDS Vaccine Program, National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center). Infected HeLa cell monolayers were stained for p24 and foci counted as described previously [24,25].
293T cells, which do not express CD4 or CCR5, were transfected with subtype-A, subtype-C or adapted-A chimeric HIV constructs and relative envelope expression levels compared using pooled antisera from HIV-infected patients and fluorescently labeled antihuman IgG (Invitrogen). Data were acquired on a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, USA). Transfected 293T cells were subsequently overlaid onto JC37, or RC49 monolayers for 24 h and stained for p24 antigen.
Phylogenetic trees were constructed by maximum likelihood using PAUP* 4.0b10 (Sinauer Ltd., Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA) and phyML software (www.atgc.lirmm.fr/phyml/) [26,27]. Nonparametric bootstrap support estimates were generated using 1000 replicates under neighbor-joining tree algorithm using the maximum likelihood substitution model. Tree figures were produced using FigTree1.1 (tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/). Distance analysis was done using MEGA and Kimura-2 parameters; standard errors were estimated using 100 bootstrap runs [28]. The variation analyses were computed using a counting algorithm (http://bioafrica.mrc.ac.za/JoeTool/counting.html). Frequencies of 316A and T were calculated using 1671 subtype-A and 4165 subtype-C sequences. To decrease the risk of sampling bias in these database-derived sequences, we used only one sequence from each patient or transmission cluster from as many countries as possible (i.e. multiple sequences from known transmission clusters such as wife/husband or mother/baby were excluded). Sequences with translational problems (i.e. frameshift or stop codons) were furthermore excluded as these may either represent nonfunctional virus or could indicate poor sequence quality.
The A316T and N302K single amino acid point mutations were modeled on the crystal structure of gp120-CD4-X5 [29] (PDB ID 2B4C) by manually substituting the individual side chains using Coot [30], ensuring by visual inspection that the resulting model maintained good local stereochemistry (Supplementary Fig. S1). The increase in local positive charge at the region of the N302K mutation was confirmed by mapping the molecular electrostatic potential onto the solvent-accessible surface of gp120 (PDB ID 2B4C) and the gp120 N302K model (not shown) using the Adaptive Poisson-Boltzmann Solver (APBS) [31] plug-in for PyMOL (www.pymol.sourceforge.net/; DeLano Scientific) with default parameters. The propensity of gp120 residues to be disordered was predicted from the sequences of primary isolates and adapted strains using the neural-network pattern recognition program regional order neural network (RONN) [32] with default parameters. Molecular graphics were prepared using PyMOL (DeLano Scientific).
We previously reported preferential genital replication of HIV subtype C in an asymptomatic, untreated woman dually infected by subtypes A and C in blood; her blood-derived and cervix-derived C sequences were indistinguishable and subtype A appeared to have infected her prior to subtype C [33].
We hypothesized that preferential cervical subtype-C infection was associated with viral genetic traits favoring genital infection. To compare the biological characteristics of HIV sequences found in blood and cervix, we amplified and sequenced single-copy V1–V3 envelope fragments from these tissues, as this region contains key determinants of cell tropism, infectivity and chemokine sensitivity [34–36] (Fig. 1a). Sequences were inserted into the pNL4-3ΔV1–V3 vector to generate infectious molecular clones (subtype C: C57, C64, C66, C68, C69 and C85; subtype A: A1, A2 and A20). Infection studies using HeLa cells expressing CD4 and CXCR4 plus or minus CCR5 showed that all virus clones required the CCR5 coreceptor for infection. Furthermore, all viruses were able to infect and spread slowly in monocyte-derived macrophage cultures (data not shown).
Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that these sequences were common subtype representatives as they clustered within their respective subtypes on phylogenetic trees, and the distance and amino acid variation between them and other subtype-A and subtype-C sequences were comparable to the medium intrasubtype distance and variation (supplementary Table S1, data not shown). Thus, the viral sequences from our patient may provide information on how subtypes A and C compare functionally in vivo.
In PBMC cultures, we noted marked subtype-specific differences in live virus production. Whereas subtype-C titers peaked at 4–6 days postinfection, subtype-A titers rose more slowly over the course of 16 days (Fig. 1b). Throughout the PBMC infection experiment, viral supernatants were removed and used to infect JC37 cells, which expressed low levels of CCR5 and high levels of CD4. Regardless of sampling time, supernatants from the subtype-C infections produced large foci (10–20 nuclei/focus; Fig. 1d). In contrast, supernatants from the subtype-A infections at days 4–8 generated mostly small foci (1–2 nuclei/focus). However, subtype-A foci increased markedly in size at days 12–16, coincident with increased replication in PBMC, suggesting that adaptation occurred during in-vitro culture of these viruses.
We examined the ability of the viral envelope protein to fuse with cell lines expressing CD4 and CCR5 by transfecting 293T (CD4−, CCR5−) cells with plasmid DNA of subtype-A and subtype-C infectious clones. The transfected cells expressed similar cell surface viral envelope levels by flow cytometry analysis at 48 h posttransfection. When these cells were overlaid for 24 h on RC49 cells (CD4low, CCR5high), both subtypes A and C induced a high level of fusion (Fig. 1e). By contrast, when they were overlaid onto JC37 cells (CD4high, CCR5low), subtype-A viruses generated small HIV-positive fusion foci ranging in size from 1 to 9 nuclei (mean ∼2 nuclei per focus), whereas subtype-C foci contained from 1 to more than 100 nuclei per focus (mean ∼20 nuclei). Thus, HeLa cells with low CCR5 levels were fused more efficiently by subtype-C viruses than by subtype A viruses, but both subtypes resulted in extensive fusion on cells expressing high CCR5 levels.
During replication in PBMC (Fig. 1b), subtype-A viruses attained the high titers seen early in subtype C infection only slowly, and the early and late supernatants from subtype A infections differed in their ability to fuse JC37 cells, suggesting that mutant subtype A viruses had been selectively amplified during in-vitro culture. To search for evidence of adaptation, we reverse transcribed, amplified and sequenced viral subtype-A RNA from day 16 and found four distinct envelope sequence changes targeting the V1 and V3 loops. Using these sequences, we generated new chimeric viruses, A1-A316T, A1-N302K, A2-T146I and A20-V1Δ5, which, apart from the indicated changes, were otherwise identical to their parental virus (Fig. 1a). These adapted viruses displayed a distinct functional phenotype, which differed from their parental subtype-A clones but was similar to the chimeric subtype-C clones, that is, they spread rapidly in PBMC and produced large foci in JC37 cells (Fig. 1c,f), cell types that both express low levels of CCR5.
To determine whether CCR5 expression levels influenced viral replication in CD4+, CCR5+ HeLa cells, subtype-A, subtype-C and PBMC-adapted subtype-A clones were used to infect JC37 and RC49 cells. In RC49 (CD4low, CCR5high) cells, all viruses gave high titers (2.5 × 105 − 3.7 × 106 FFU/ml) at 5 days postinfection (Table 1). In contrast, in JC37 (CD4high, CCR5low) cells, all three subtype-A clones produced low-virus titers (1.9 × 103 − 1.7 × 105 FFU/ml), whereas subtype-C and all four PBMC-adapted subtype-A clones produced high titers similar to those seen on RC49 cells.
Structural modeling was performed to help understand the molecular consequences of the four subtype-A in-vitro adaptations (Supplementary Fig. S1). The V1–V2 envelope region lies close to the CD4-binding site, whereas the V3 region interacts with two parts of CCR5 (Supplementary Fig. S1a). The V3-A316T substitution may strengthen HIV-CCR5 interactions as the additional polar group is in an appropriate position to form a new hydrogen bond to CCR5, most likely independently of the surrounding genomic context (Supplementary Fig. S1b). Similarly, the N302K substitution adds another positive charge to the V3 stem, presumably strengthening CCR5 binding, as a crystal structure of V3 and the N-terminal negatively charged CCR5 tail has shown it to interact directly with position 302 [37].
The interactions between the CD4 receptor and the V1–V2 envelope region are less precisely understood as no high-resolution structures of V1–V2-containing gp120 envelopes exist. The loss of a V1-glycosylation site in A2-T146I and the A20-V1Δ5 deletion might enhance CD4 receptor contact, perhaps by decreasing steric hindrance. We used a neural-network technique to analyze the propensity for disorder of the envelope proteins, as disordered regions can combine high-binding specificity with modest affinity [32,38] (Supplementary Fig. S1c). We found significant differences in disorder probability between subtypes A, A20-V1Δ5 and C in the V1–V2 region, suggesting variation in the way these sequences might bind to CD4 and/or conformationally mask the CD4-binding site; however, both wild-type-A and wild-type-C chimeric viruses utilized the CD4 receptor efficiently in our functional assay.
We examined the frequency of the four subtype-A in-vitro adaptations in natural HIV infections. Two substitutions were found occasionally in natural infections in some subtypes, however, rarely (146I, 2%) or never (302K) in subtype A (Table 2). By contrast, V3-316T was seen in 68% of all subtype-C sequences, but at much lower frequencies, if at all, in the other subtypes (25–0%) (Table 2, Fig. 2). Furthermore, the V1-Δ5 subtype-A deletion, which shortens the loop, resembled the short V1–V2 loops typically found in subtype C but not in subtypes A, B and D (Table 2). The high frequency of V3-316T and short V1–V2 loops in subtype C, which both increase HIV spread in vitro, suggest these motifs may affect HIV replication in infected patients.
While deletions cannot be incorporated in phylogenetic analysis at present, we could examine V3-316T selection. We generated a phylogenetic tree based on subtype-C sequences from 1985 to 2005 and superimposed the nature of the amino acid at position 316 (Fig. 2a, Supplementary Fig. S2). The earliest sequences are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where HIV is thought to have evolved and diversified. The phylogenetic tree demonstrates that both 316A and 316T could be found in the DRC sequences at the base of the tree. However, the deep lineages and branches of the tree mostly carry 316T, suggesting that this residue has been generally advantageous to subtype-C spread. Whereas 316V can be found sporadically, alanine seems to spread locally, especially in more recent sequences from South Africa and Botswana. We studied the distribution of 316A and 316T in larger alignments of shorter envelope sequences dating from 1990 to 2005 to see if this observation could be substantiated (Fig. 2b). We found that the frequency of 316T indeed had decreased from around 80% in 1990 to approximately 68% in 2005. This suggests that there may be alternate selective advantages for 316A in some situations in vivo and/or that other changes sometimes are sufficient to favor transmission of subtype C.
To analyze the prevalence of 316T in blood and cervix, we obtained samples from 36 additional women infected by HIV subtypes A (n = 3), B (n = 28) or C (n = 5). Whereas single-copy envelope sequences could be amplified from PBMC from all women, no HIV was found in the cervices of four [19].
Most subtype-B infected women carried virus with V3-316A, but four had either 316T, 316T/M, 316S or 316V virus in both samples (Fig. 3a). Moreover, we found V3-316 compartmentalization between blood and cervix in one subtype-B-infected woman (1/28, 4%); all genital viruses carried 316T (5/5), whereas only 316A could be found in PBMC (7/7) (Fisher's exact test, P < 0.001; Fig. 3b).
Of the five subtype-C-infected women, only one carried HIV-316A, and no virus could be amplified from her genital sample; the rest had either 316T or 316T/M in both PBMC and cervix. In one of these patients with HIV-316T, we were able to analyze gp160 from vagina as well as cervix and PBMC (Fig. 3c). Although 28% of the cervical sequences had very short V1–V2 loops (55 amino acids), such short loops were not found in blood; most vaginal sequences had intermediate V1–V2 loops. Overall, V1–V2 loop lengths differed significantly between genitalia and blood when grouped into either short (≤69 amino acids) or long (>69 amino acids) loops (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.02).
While our results demonstrate that subtype-A and subtype-B virus with 316A can replicate in the cervix, they also highlight that selective forces in the genital tract may favor replication of virus with 316T even in subtype-B-infected women. This is reminiscent of the preferential cervical replication of subtype-C virus in our dually infected woman. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in a woman carrying only HIV-316T, selective forces in the genital tract may favor shorter V1–V2 loops than selection in blood.
Subtype C is responsible for an ever-increasing fraction of new HIV infections worldwide, especially in areas where heterosexual transmission predominates, and it now prevails even in regions where subtype A or D or both used to be common [1,2,39,40]. This suggests that there are biological factors favoring transmission of subtype C, but no plausible mechanism has been suggested.
Our study of infectious, chimeric HIV clones carrying V1–V3 sequences from a woman dually infected with subtypes A and C, but with preferential cervical subtype-C replication, combined with the analysis of HIV sequences from blood and cervix from 36 additional women, lead to four findings suggesting that subtype C generally has a relative replication advantage compared with most subtype-A and subtype-B viruses in the female genital tract.
First, we identify a V3-envelope signature sequence (316T) at high frequency in subtype C, which might strengthen the interaction between HIV and CCR5, the main coreceptor in the female genital tract [41–45]. We find that the effect of 316T may be independent of the surrounding genomic context and show the effect of an A316T substitution in subtype A. Second, we find that selection for 316T can occur even in the cervix of a minority of untreated subtype-B-infected women. Third, we demonstrate that a subtype-A V1-deletion augments virus production in cell lines expressing low levels of CD4 or CCR5 and propose that the shortening of the V1 loop increases viral interactions with the CD4 receptor. Fourth, we find that genital selection in a subtype-C-infected woman favors outgrowth of very short V1–V2 loops, despite subtype C already having the most compact V1–V2 loops of all HIV subtypes.
We found that subtype C had a greater ability to replicate in PBMC cultures than subtype A and mediated more extensive virus-induced fusion of cells expressing low CCR5 levels. However, we observed marked changes in subtype-A replication patterns over time and identified adaptations in either the V1 (T114I, V1-Δ5) or V3 (N302K, A316T) region, which are known to interact with the CD4 and CCR5 receptors, respectively. These adaptations enhanced virus replication and fusion comparable to what we found using the wild-type subtype-C clones. Whereas two were found rarely, if at all, in HIV sequences obtained from infected persons, two others (A316T and V1-Δ5) resembled sequence motifs in the subtype C sequences from our patient and in most subtype C sequences from natural infections. In other subtypes, and in most CRFs, alanine is preferred at position 316, with the notable exception of CRF_02_AG, which carries threonine. Analogous to subtype-C spread in southern and eastern Africa, CRF_02_AG has spread throughout western Africa, primarily via heterosexual contact [1,46].
Both subtype-A and subtype-C chimeric viruses interacted efficiently with the CD4 receptor; however, the V1-Δ5 adaptation augmented this interaction and increased infectivity several-fold in both cell lines and PBMC. The CD4-binding region is predicted to be shielded by the V1–V2 loop and shorter loops have been associated with increased susceptibility to antibody neutralization [13–15]. As short V1–V4 loops and more neutralization-sensitive HIV variants have been found in early subtype-A and subtype-C infections, it was suggested that these were either preferentially transmitted or rapidly selected in the recipient [12–15]. We demonstrate that genital selection pressures in subtype-C-infected women may sometimes favor virus with more compact V1–V2 loops than what is commonly found in blood. Consequently, whether transmission of such variants is preferential or at times simply occurs by chance, remains to be elucidated.
Structural modeling suggested that the A316T effect might be independent of the surrounding genomic background, as a new hydrogen bond may form between the polar threonine and CCR5. The importance of position 316 in gp120-CCR5 interactions is indicated by the induction of drug-resistance mutations at this site by two different CCR5 inhibitors (A316T, maraviroc; A316V, AD101) [47,48]. CCR5-binding studies [47,48] have demonstrated that these polar and nonpolar substitutions crucially affect HIV-CCR5 interactions through different mechanisms.
Our phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that 316T must have been favorable for subtype-C transmission. However, it also revealed that 316A seems to spread locally, especially in recent sequences from South Africa and Botswana. This implies that viruses with 316T incur a viral fitness cost even in subtype C, as has been directly demonstrated for maraviroc-resistant subtype-B virus with 316T in in-vitro replication assays [47]. Additionally, in some situations in vivo, there could be selective advantages associated with 316A and/or other changes resulting in effective transmission. The A316T substitution could also affect virus susceptibility to host antibodies or cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses, as the V3 crown is a prime target for neutralizing antibodies and encompasses CTL epitopes restricted by at least five different human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles.
Whereas HIV carrying 316A is fully replication competent and can be found in cervix, virus with 316T may sometimes have a relative replication advantage as CCR5 expression has been found on cells sampled from vagina, ectocervix and endocervix [41–45,49], the proportion of cervicovaginal T cells expressing CCR5 is markedly expanded as compared with peripheral blood [41], HIV primarily propagates in vagina by T-cell infection [50] and cell-to-cell transfer is the predominant mode of HIV spread [51]. This relative replication advantage may be greatest in women with low genital CCR5-expression levels such as premenopausal women with normal genital mucosa, and less in women with high expression levels due to, for instance, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), cellular infiltrates, menopause or oral contraceptive use [42,52]. Indeed, our patients with preferential cervical replication of HIV subtype C or B with 316T had normal genital epithelium and no STD [17].
We propose that the efficient HIV-316T-CCR5 interaction may increase viral transmissibility. That a polymorphism at a single amino acid site can have such profound consequences agrees with the first report of species-specific selection in primate lentiviruses, which demonstrates that efficient spread of SIV cpz in human cells depends on a single amino acid change in Gag [53]. Our proposal is indirectly supported by transmission studies in discordant couples with known CCR5 genotype; if the uninfected partner was heterozygous for the Δ32-CCR5 allele and thus had lower levels of CCR5 on T cells and monocytes [43], HIV transmission decreased during both heterosexual [45] and homosexual [43,44] contact, although one study found no effect [54].
Our results raise the possibility of subtype-specific differences in the efficacy of topical genital CCR5 inhibitors and highlight the need for clinical trials on patients infected with different subtypes. Furthermore, they suggest that the maraviroc-induced drug mutation A316T could result in viruses that are more easily transmitted through sexual contact.
In conclusion, our study suggests that subtype C has evolved in ways compatible with increased sexual transmissibility. Although other envelope regions, additional viral genes and long terminal repeat promotor differences [55] in combination with epidemiological dynamics, such as founder effects, also must be important factors, these subtype-C motifs may contribute to its current dominance in southern and eastern Africa, which facilitated subsequent worldwide spread.
We thank the patients, Andrew Rambaut, Kim Hasenkrug, Rachel Lacasse, Angela Vincent and Nick Willcox for helpful comments; Anita Mora for graphics, Kevin Braughton and Ron Messer for technical assistance.
A.K.N.I. initiated and designed the overall study; A.K.N.I. and B.C. planned and supervised different parts of the project; A.K.N.I., B.C. and B.L.W. analyzed data and wrote the article; B.L.W., A.E.A. and A.K.N.I. performed experiments; S.C.G., E.Y.J. and D.I.S. performed the structural modeling and RONN analyses; T.d.O. and A.K.N.I. performed the phylogenetic analysis; A.K.N.I. and P.S. provided patients, clinical data and reagents; and A.J.M. contributed reagents. All authors discussed the results and approved the final version of the article.
Funding was provided by the Danish AIDS Foundation, the Nuffield Dominions Trust, Cancer Research UK, the EU (LSHG-CT-2006-031220) and MRC, UK. The authors have no competing financial interests. Supplementary documentation can be obtained on request.
CCR5; cervix; evolution; HIV-1; phylogeny; subtype A; subtype C; transmission
© 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Colleague's E-mail is Invalid
Your Name: (optional)
Your Email:
Colleague's Email:
Separate multiple e-mails with a (;).
Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at AIDS.
Send a copy to your email
Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague.
Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time.
An Existing Folder
A New Folder
Folder Name:
The item(s) has been successfully added to "".
Login with your LWW Journals username and password.
Username or Email:
Forgot Password?
Enter and submit the email address you registered with. An email with instructions to reset your password will be sent to that address.
Link to reset your password has been sent to specified email address.
What does "Remember me" mean?
By checking this box, you'll stay logged in until you logout. You'll get easier access to your articles, collections,
media, and all your other content, even if you close your browser or shut down your
To protect your most sensitive data and activities (like changing your password),
we'll ask you to re-enter your password when you access these services.
What if I'm on a computer that I share with others?
If you're using a public computer or you share this computer with others, we recommend
that you uncheck the "Remember me" box.
Save my selection
Article Level Metrics
Keyword Highlighting
Highlight selected keywords in the article text.
Search for Similar Articles
You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may
modify the keyword list to augment your search.


text:
Port security upgrade underway
Local Department of Homeland Security says work began Monday this week to upgrade the port security equipment and facilities at the Department of Port Administration.
The upgrade includes improvements to surveillance cameras and public announcement capabilities, as well as to upgrade communication equipment and properly equip port staff and security personnel in support of the department's day-to-day operations and emergency response capabilities.
In a news release, ASDHS said the most visible part of the project is the demolition of the security gate at the port's main entrance, and building a new security point.
The old security building at the main entrance was made of wood and the structure was rapidly deteriorating.
The new structure is being constructed of concrete block, and will be fortified to last much longer. The new main gate will also be controlled from the security building.
During the construction period, the main gate will be closed and all traffic in and out of the main dock will go through the west gate next to the fuel dock.
Besides the improvements to port facilities in Fagatogo, the upgrade project will include improvements to radio equipment at the Pago Pago International Airport.
Funding for the port improvements is being provided through the federal Port Security Grant Program which is administered by ASDHS.
Construction is being done by Nana's Incorporated, which was the sole bidder on the project. The contract calls for the work to be completed by March 3, 2012.
Source: ASDHS news release


text:
Live news, sports, weather and traffic from the country's most listened to show on radio.
Sinéad Crowley, Arts Correspondent, reports on tonight's Dublin performance from the Moth storytelling project
On Sunday Sabina Higgins, the First Lady of Ireland, will take part in a theatrical commemoration of the 1913 Lock Out, and she joins me now from Áras an Uachtaráin. ...
Late Date
RTÉ Radio 1 Replay


text:
The holidays are usually a stressful and busy time for people. In addition to your normal routine, there are family gatherings, holiday parties and all sorts of special events. It can be very easy to get overwhelmed! I've got a few tips for you on how to beat the stress and feel your best!
Prioritize sleep
Make sure you're taking good care of your body and getting enough energy. You need sleep to fight off illness and keep yourself powered through your hectic schedule.
I'm always talking about drinking enough water. While I never claim that you need 8 glasses a day, you definitely need to make sure that you're keeping yourself hydrated. It helps to flush out toxins and impurities in the body. Keeping a water bottle in your purse
Fruits & Veggies
You should always be eating fresh fruits and veggies. My favorites – blueberries and broccoli – help you fight free radicals and are packed with antioxidants. Packing in healthy foods will give you more energy and let you deal with the unexpected stressors that pop up over the holidays. Also, by sticking to a relatively healthy diet, you can eat cookies, cake or pie without any guilt!
Snack Bars
I always keep healthy snack bars in my purse. I have health issues that cause me problems if I don't eat often enough or well. That's It Fruit Bars and BumbleBars live in my purse. They're small enough to take with you and they're both healthy.
If you can squeeze in a 20 to 30 minute walk, that can really help take the edge off. Of course, you'll probably be doing more running around than that anyways!
I feel it's best to streamline your beauty routine around the holidays if you're going to be busy. I usually choose to wear a killer red lip and go with that. If you don't like bold lips, go for blingin' eyes! Gold, silver or copper eyeshadow paired with a nude lip can really help you shine.
Quality Time
The last, and perhaps the most important thing, is to squeeze in some 'me' time. Get a facial, take a hot bubble bath (with champagne perhaps?), a mani-pedi, a massage or even read a book for an hour. Just an hour to yourself over the holidays will really go a long way to help improve your mental heath.
What are your tips for feeling your best during the holidays?