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Before heading to university this northern autumn, Gavin Lundy, 17, has plans both ordinary and revolutionary. The young Scotsman wants to make some money working at a cafe. And in his free time, he intends to help forge the world's newest independent nation.
"The people of Scotland have never had this power," says Lundy, a wave of blond hair framing a gaze fixed with intensity. "But now we have the chance to build a radically new and better country."
Or not.
To be young and Scottish this northern summer is to be swept up in the thrall of a once-in-a-lifetime choice: a September referendum that will determine whether Scotland sticks it out with the United Kingdom or jettisons a three-century-old partnership and goes it alone.
With less than 100 days to go, opinion polls show that most Scots agree, even among the 16- and 17-year-olds who will be allowed to cast a ballot for the first time.
But in the gothic streets of Edinburgh, it's the other side, the pro-independence forces, that seems to have the upper hand in energy and enthusiasm, a disparity that's most apparent among the young.
As with independence struggles the world over, this one has attracted armies of true believers. Unlike most, Scotland's separation from the United Kingdom could be achieved without a shot fired as teens and 20-somethings wield IMF reports, comedy skits and Twitter memes to evangelise their case for doing what generations of brawny Scottish warriors couldn't – breaking from London once and for all.
"The independence campaign used to be seen as Braveheart and bagpipes," said Graeme Sneddon, 22, a part-time co-ordinator of the "Yes" campaign's youth wing and full-time grad student who will never be confused with Mel Gibson's depiction of 13th-century Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace. "We've gotten to the point where people can look beyond that and talk about the issues."
Westminster a dirty word
Sneddon, like many independence activists, had no background in politics before the campaign. But he investigated the arguments for and against secession with the same rigour he brings to his long hours in the lab studying plant biology.
"The other side says, 'You're too small. You're too daft. You'll make mistakes,' " Sneddon says. "But certainly the people of Scotland can't be any worse at running our affairs than Westminster."
Westminster, home to the British parliament, is a dirty word among independence advocates – a stand-in for the disconnect between a Conservative-led government that pulls increasingly to the right, and the will of Scottish voters, who vote consistently for parties of the left.
Choosing independence, "Yes" campaigners say, would mean enabling the 5 million people of Scotland to build a more just and egalitarian society.
"Independence gives us the chance to radically transform childcare and to start tackling poverty," says Sneddon, who cites the Scandinavian countries as models of small nations. "We have a wealthy economy but the people of Scotland aren't feeling the benefits of that wealth."
Few doubt that the "Yes" campaign has the more-committed activists, their utopian visions of a reborn Scotland ringing louder than the sober calls for steady as she goes. Independence advocates are likely to dominate the debate at Edinburgh's annual Fringe Festival in August and are already lighting up the web with viral videos.
Yet so far, most Scots remain unconvinced about taking the leap. The independence campaign has gained ground this year, narrowing the unionist lead to single digits in some polls. But there remains a substantial gap to make up between now and September 18.
Surprisingly to many political analysts, surveys show that 16- and 17-year-olds have been among the most hesitant to ditch the United Kingdom. The Scottish Parliament, which already has considerable authority over local affairs and is led by Scottish nationalists, opted last year to lower the voting age for the referendum, reasoning that teens will have to live with the consequences longer than others.
All signs suggest those under 18 are embracing their new powers with gusto – a staggering 80 per cent of the 120,000 newly eligible voters are already registered.
"Young people are very active and engaged because it's going to affect them more than any other generation," says Kyle Thornton, 19, chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, a nonpartisan group that advocates for young people. "They're thinking about the long-term effects of the vote. What will the jobs of the future look like?"
That's what worries John Morgan, a 22-year-old lawyer who's active in the unionist cause. Putting up a barrier between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, Morgan said, will only hurt young people's employment opportunities and limit their horizons.
"It's the antithesis of what we've been taught about globalisation and how we've learned to live our lives," he says.
Harry Potter creator says no
The unionist camp received a key endorsement when author J.K. Rowling – an Edinburgh resident and author of the Harry Potter books on which millions of millennials were reared – dropped close to a million pounds into the "No" campaign coffers and compared some "Yes" advocates to her fictional "death-eaters" for focusing on "the purity of your lineage".
But for the most ardent young believers in Scottish independence, the debate has little to do with ethnic nationalism. Young "Yes" activists mock British Prime Minister
Instead, it's up to each Scot to choose after a debate that, so far at least, has been remarkable for its civility given the considerable stakes.
"I've yet to see a smashed window over this, let alone a pub brawl or a riot," says Michael Rosie, a sociologist at the University of Edinburgh.
"Young people are thinking very carefully. It doesn't fit the stereotype of young people not caring or not thinking about the consequences of their actions."
The Australian Financial Review


text:
Chinese Children Adoption International
User reviews
32 reviews
We Also Fear Fraud
We have been in the process with CCAI for over two years. We were matched with a little girl who's medical records were completely fraudulent and inaccurate, hiding a severe case of brain damage. I understand that many people have adopted successfully with CCAI (that is why we chose them), and are therefore very protective of this agency. I dearly wish we were one of those successful couples. However we have been burned by this agency, are out thousands of dollars, and our trust in their competence is gone.
I have used both CCAI and CCI to bring home two beautiful kids. I would definitely recommend CCAI to anyone looking for an agency to adopt. Yes, we waited 7 years to bring home our daughter. I would use them again if I were start a new adoption. All the teams were helpful through the entire process. They were always available by phone for concerns or questions. They even called us once or twice a year to check on us. We have been home a year now, and no regrets using CCAI. I even got a call from Josh a month after we got home to see how we were doing and ask about our trip. Although we had a successful adoption with Sue and CCI, I cannot say the same compliments. CCAI is the real deal, and would recommend this agency.
CCAI is NOT a scam - shame on that poster!
I have to agree with the other responses to this post describing CCAI as a "scam." That post is downright false, probably constitutes liable. Cannot help but believe somebody has an ax to grind. Maybe it is a competitor? Anyway, I used CCAI twice and they were excellent. Would not suggest any ways they need improvement. I am not affiliated with them in any way other than to have used them in both of my adoptions. They are doing a wonderful service to the children in China.
Cannot be talking about Chinese Children Adoption Internat'l CCA
To "The Biggest Unchallenged . . . " poster - I find it very hard to believe you are talking about Chinese Children Adoptional Internat'l. Must be mistaken. I used them twice and they were very professional and dedicated, quoted fees and stuck to the quotes, did not add one penny. Not sure where you're coming from, and I am sorry you are having problems, but I just don't believe that CCAI deserves your bad post. Borders on slander.
CCAI - absolutely incredible, professional, dedicated
To see the previous post that CCAI did nothing to assist in this poster first adoption is unbelievable to me. Has to be the wrong agency. I used CCAI for both of my adoptions. They were there every step of the way, acting in a totally professional and dedicated fashion. I would highly recommend them without a second thought. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. It is a shame that people are mistaking CCAI and CCI - Sue Hedberg's adotpion agency that is getting all the bad press.
6 years still no child! YES, 6 LONG YEARS!!! In all of the 6 years they have actually contacted us 2xs and only then to tell us virtually nothing! In the beginning they took our money and did nothing but make excuses and short-on words staff. You are never allowed to speak with management, just staff with attitudes that don't want to answer your questions!They speak to you like they are doing you a favor. ANY WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU PAY FOR A SERVICE, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO GET IT...BUT NOT CCAI, WHERE IS OUR REFUND FOR FAILURE TO PROVIDE A SERVICE? MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY THAT'S ALL WE HAVE GIVEN ...JUST RECENTLY THEY HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE NOW INCREASING THERE FEES...FOR WHAT? THEY HAVE GIVEN US NOTHING!!! AFTER 6 YEARS OF WAITING AND YEAR AFTER YEAR OF COSTLY PAPERWORK, HOMESTUDIES, ETC. WE HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT...SCAM AND FRAUD IS WHAT I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF CCAI...WHAT EVER YOU DO...DO NOT TRUST THEM!
Yes CCAI (those intitials) IS a good or Trustworthy agency
I have to say I am very surprised by your comment. I wonder: Are you a CCAI family or are you representing an agency or any special interest groups? Did you talk to them before this posting? You seemed very angry in your message.
CCAI has been very upfront and straight forward with our family and all the CCAI families I have come into contact with about the waiting time and cost of our adoption. They always inform us that the wait for a child with special needs can be as short as a few months and as long as 18 months depending on the medical condition, gender and age of the child a family requests. I just had a conversation with them and was told that they have more waiting children available than waiting families as a result of participating in both shared and designated list.
I highly recommend you to call or write to them to have your questions answered. That is the most responsible and respectful way as we are all here to help children and ourselves, right? No need to be nasty.
Oh, one more thing, I believe this adoption agency rating site is for individual adoptive families who are in or have finished their adoption process. I really feel that is it very inappropriate for any agencies, special interest groups or organizations to participate or try to influence adoptive families?
Yes CCAI (those intitials) is NOT a good or Trustworthy agency
CCAI (Again the CORRECT inititals) is not turstworthy. They keep signing up clients to wait in the Waiting Children/Special Needs Program. There are so many waiting----with no end in sight---but CCAI does not inform these families of the wait. CCAI will sign them up and take their money---smiling the whole time---until you question them. Then the calls go un-answered. They snub the families.
They are not professional. Now, it seems they are even snubbing other agencies. In the China Waiting Child program, the children are waiting too long. In order to place these children, China's adoption office (C*C*A*A*) has allowed families to transfer out of agencies (with too long of a wait and/or unable to match them) and into another agency who may be able to match them to the shared list or their individual list. C*C*A*A* allows the family to use their logged in dossier IF their first agency (they are logged in with) provides a letter agreeing to the switch. Even though this is permitted, would help the family, and definitely help the children waiting, CCAI refuses to provide this letter. They have the beginning fees paid---so, they won't get the travel fees and some random fees regarding matching. That's it. But they refuse.
They have lied about policies. At one time, they were not involved with the shared list and said announced to clients that they felt the shared list was unethical. Now, they are allowed to match off the shared list---and they reported to the clients that it is now an honor to do so. What a twist! Even with the shared list available, they still have a backlog of families waiting and offer no alternatives.
Please ask how long the wait will be for a match before you give an agency a penny. If it is longer than a month, RUN!
I used CCAI in 2007 for my first adoption. Everything from that first phone call to after I got home with my daughter was STELLAR ! They aways returned my phone calls or emails within 24 hours. I'm now using them again for our second adoption and again they they have already went beyond what I expected. For both adoptions I have asked for a video of the girls, before I committed (because of the SN) and both times I had a video of them within 48 hours. They did not have to do that!! Their in China guides are awesome. Jason in guangzhou went out of his way when our daughter got sick. If I could adopt 50 more I would use CCAI for all of them! THEY ROCK!
No Longer With CCAI
We adopted our first daughter from China through CCAI's newly-formed Waiting Child Program in 2001. The agency had been highly recommended to us, but we wouldn't consider using them again. We would've received a discount for facilitating a second adoption through their agency, but we've contracted with a different one as we pursue our second special needs adoption. We've definitely made the right decision to change agencies. There's been no comparision in the professionalism, accessibility, and integrity. We initially found CCAI to be friendly and helpful. Well into the process, they wouldn't return our seldom calls for days, they'd dispense misinformation, and we found the near worship of Lily, the founder, to be most distasteful. It seemed CCAI was very concerned about the printing of numbers, and there were many days we felt that's what we were... a number. Being the biggest doesn't necessarily mean the best.

subset: commoncrawl


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Safety should be given top most priority: CM on Airport Metro
Sheila Dikshit said the committee which is carrying out the third party inspection would soon submit its report to the Urban Development Ministry based on which appropriate action would be taken.
New Delhi: Upset over passing of buck by DMRC and Reliance Infrastructure over suspension of Airport Metro Express line, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday said safety parameters should be top most priority in operating trains on the 23-km high-speed corridor.
"There is passing of buck currently. That is why it was decided to go for an investigation by a third party. We are waiting for the report," Dikshit said.
Noting that the metro line linking New Delhi Railway station with the IGI airport is a "pride" of the city, Dikshit said safety parameters should be given highest priority.
"Safety and smooth train running are the most important issue. There should not be any compromise on safety parameters," she said.
Dikshit said the committee which is carrying out the third party inspection would soon submit its report to the Urban Development Ministry based on which appropriate action would be taken.
Services on the Airport Metro were suspended from July 8 after some faults on the civil structure was detected on the corridor. While Delhi Metro has built the civil structure on the line, Reliance Infra is responsible for operations and maintenance.
As it appeared that the blame was being shifted to Delhi Metro, its chief Mangu Singh dashed off a letter to Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath earlier this week apparently blaming Reliance Infrastructure for the current situation.
The Chief Minister said she has taken up the issue with DMRC chief Mangu Singh and asked him to look into the safety issues carefully.
"I have issued instructions to DMRC," she said. The DMRC is a joint venture between Urban Development Ministry and Delhi government.
In the letter written on July 11, Singh is believed to have blamed Reliance Infra for not detecting the defects in the bearings which are the interface between the pillar and girder.
A committee comprising officials from the Indian Railways, Delhi Metro and Reliance Infrastructure was set up for going into the nature of defects.


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NASHVILLE -- Funeral services will be conducted 2 p.m. Wednesday at Hibbett & Hailey Funeral Home, 429 Donelson Pike, for Mr. Dowdy, 29, of Mt. Juliet. He passed away Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008.
Visitation with the family will be Wednesday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Services will be conducted by Pastor Jerry Smith. Interment will follow at Mt. Juliet Memorial Gardens.
Survivors include: wife Bronwen Dowdy; children Angel Nicole Dowdy and Johnathan James Dowdy; parents Linda Faye and Bob Dowdy; father and mother-in-law Rev. James and Debra Freeman.
Also surviving is brother Brandon (Marci) Dowdy; sister-in-law Holly Tate; also loved and missed by his nieces, Brianna, Marissa and Brenna; aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.
Active pallbearers: Daniel Merritt, Blake Davis, Mitch Lovvorn, Randy Lovvorn, Jeremy Crain and Paul Guinn. Honorary pallbearers: Rev. James Freeman, Jared Crain, Justin Crain.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made at any branch of SunTrust Bank.
Hibbett & Hailey Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.


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Reds lose UGLY to Padres
CINCINNATI -- With two key parts of the offense gone, the San Diego Padres are looking for Will Venable and others to carry them through a tough time and win some games.
It really helps when the opponent makes four errors.
Venable homered for the second game in a row, and San Diego's depleted offense took advantage of Cincinnati's season-high four errors for a 3-1 victory over the Reds on Saturday night.
"Especially being down a couple of guys, everybody needs to do a better job," Venable said.
Third baseman Jack Hannahan had three of Cincinnati's errors -- two on off-target throws to first base, another on a grounder that got through him. All San Diego managed off the errors was two unearned runs.
Venable hit his team-high 15th homer off reliever Manny Parra a few hours after the Padres put outfielder Carlos Quentin on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right knee. It was their second significant setback of the week.
Earlier in the week, All-Star shortstop Everth Cabrera was suspended for 50 games for taking a banned substance. Quentin had missed the last seven games with the injury. He was batting .275 with a team-leading 45 RBIs and 13 homers, second to Venable for the team lead.
Now, the others have to carry on.
"You can't do more than you're able to do," said Venable, who is batting .385 since July 14 and has a seven-game hitting streak. "You know what kind of player you are. Whether it's making a play on defense or getting a bunt down, you've got to do all those little things."
The Reds couldn't do much of anything right, finishing with as many errors as hits.
"Jack just had a bad day," manager Dusty Baker said. "He's known for his defense. We also had a couple of baserunning mistakes. I have no explanation."
Tyson Ross (3-5) gave up Brandon Phillips' RBI single in the first, one of only four hits he allowed over seven innings. Huston Street pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.
Three of Cincinnati's errors came behind Tony Cingrani (5-2), who had to throw a lot of pitches to make up for the extra outs. The left-hander needed 92 to get through five innings while allowing only two hits and two unearned runs.
The Padres have won their last six games against left-handed starters since July 11.
The Reds had a tough time holding onto the ball all around. Catcher Devin Mesoraco threw over Hannahan's head while trying to toss the ball around the infield after a strikeout.
The Padres got sloppy and let in a couple of runs in Cincinnati's 7-2 win on Friday night. This time, the Reds had trouble getting a grip.
"We've been talking about our defense being pretty consistent all year," manager Bud Black said. "Last night was something we haven't seen much this year."
Chris Denorfia singled and scored when Venable singled and left fielder Xavier Paul bobbled the ball. Hannahan then threw wildly to first on Chase Headley's grounder, allowing Venable to score on the second error of the inning. Cingrani threw 32 pitches in the extended inning.
Shin-Soo Choo drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, stole his 13th base of the season and came around on Phillips' two-out single.
The Reds didn't get much more off Ross, who had several nice plays made behind him.
"I know these guys will make the plays behind me," said Ross, who has four straight quality starts. "The key is to throw strikes."
Paul ran the Reds out of a rally in the seventh. Jay Bruce walked and went to third on Paul's single with no outs. Mesoraco flied to Denorfia in right, not deep enough to get Bruce in from third. Paul tagged on the play and was thrown out at second.
(Photo: Getty Images)


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How to write cover letters that grab attention
Ever wondered why you never got that call or email which you should have received after the company looked at your beautifully drafted CV which highlighted all your positive attributes? Why are you not getting any response despite blasting that three page CV which mentioned the awesome projects you have handled and all the extra-curricular activities you have undertaken to 30 different places?
What if no one opened your CV at all? What if no one feels any need to read beyond your cover letter or email?
There is a saying, that the gift is as good as its wrapping.
Why would someone say something like that?
In this context, the gift is your CV and cover letter is your gift wrap. Imagine that you are receiving dozens of gifts every day. So many gifts are of no use to you and you have room for only a few which are the best. After some time, you would not even want to open the wrapper of all the gifts to find out what is inside. You will decide whether to open or not based on the information available on the outside – which is where the quality of the wrapper comes into picture. If the wrapper is lousy chances are high that the gift inside will not be worth opening anyway.
I have been screening CVs and reading cover letters for almost 7 years now. I have seen all types of cover letters ranging from super formal to ultra-casual and sometimes ones with complete indifference towards the interest of their recipients. I have jotted down here the most common and crucial mistakes people commonly make with respect to a cover letter that will leave your application unanswered.
Pay attention to the wrapper when the person you are pursuing is likely to receive thousands of gifts.
Never mass mail
No matter how incredible it sounds, the most common mistake that I have seen students make is mass mailing their CV. Some would just cc: all the email addresses and others will do a bcc: – and both are equally bad. Over a period of time, through network of friends, or courtesy of the placement cell, students create a list of email ids of recruiters they would like to apply, and they will blast applications to this entire list. Please wake up, this is not applying, this is called spam.
What can be easier than this – an excel sheet with email addresses ready to be copy pasted. To top it off, students don't even make the effort of sending individual emails but mark them all in one email. How do you expect to get called for an internship or a job with a start like this? Remember that you may be smart, but so are the people who will be receiving your email. Make the person who is reading your emails feel special. Write a cover letter which is addressed to them personally and not one of fifty identical letters you are sending out without thought or care. You need to demonstrate in your email that you have chosen to apply because of good reasons, not just because you had their email id. You need to show that you are special, and so is the potential employer – and if you send mass mailers, then that opportunity is completely destroyed.
First research, then write
Always do a thorough research about the company where you are sending your application and customize your application as per the organization. The only way for them to know your level of intent to intern or work with them is by knowing how well you understand their organization and why you see yourself fitting in there.
You may not have very different things to say in each email but it is important for the person reading the mail or letter to understand that you have exercised your judgment while deciding to apply there, and that you did not do so mindlessly or desperately. If possible, make sure you have researched about the person who will likely be reading the mail, the correct name of the company, the vision and values of the organization, what you have heard about its work culture and so on. Writing a specific email will make you stand out in the crowd of very similar CVs, and a generic email will simply land you in the general masses.
Avoid being redundant
Your achievements are already there in your CV, so why include them again in your cover letter? Remember that your cover letter should complement and not duplicate your CV. Use it as an opportunity to write what cannot be included in a CV. Explain your career objectives, your achievements so far and what you plan to achieve in the future. Write why you are applying to this specific place. Remember that even if you are in your first year of college and do not have many accomplishments to show for, you have your career objectives, your reason for choosing the particular field that you are in and how you plan to achieve them. Make sure you show your understanding of the organization; have linked your aspirations with the skills required by them and the skills that you possess to be an ideal contributor to them for a period of time. Also specify what you plan to achieve with your association with them – how interning or working with them will contribute to your career objectives. Effective cover letters explain the reasons for your interest in the specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences. At the end of the day, relevance will be determined by the employer's interest and criteria but you should provide all the necessary information required by him/her to make the decision.
Read, read, read again
And before sending it read it one last time. At any cost, avoid grammatical and typing mistakes. High profiled companies reject applications the minute they see such mistakes. They just don't proceed with the application even if there is a smallest typo or one instance of bad grammar.
The universal principle of "KISS"
Keep It Short and Simple. Avoid going round and round about the points you want to make in your cover letter. Do not use long sentences and heavy vocabulary. Do not use jargons; write a very simple, easily understandable but correct and precise language. Use your own words and not formal long-winded clichés. Focus on the clarity of your thoughts and converting them into your message for the recipient.
While writing, simply keep in mind the advice of George Orwell, an esteemed and renowned English novelist and journalist -
- Never use a long word where a short one will do.
- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
- Never use the passive voice (e.g. "Bones are liked by dogs") where you can use the active voice ("Dogs like bones").
- Never use jargon if you can think of an everyday equivalent.
Make it convenient
Provide the details of what you want, such as duration of internship, month, and preference of location in the end. If you want a job – specify what kind of work/ practice area/profile/ location you are looking at. Provide them with all the information at one go and not in bits and pieces. If you are not sure about the duration and month, specify that and mention options. If you are flexible with location, say so. Also provide your contact details, your LinkedIn profile at the end of the email. It will also be advisable to mention suitable days and time when you could be contacted on phone.
In the next article, I will talk about the basics of a CV – what makes and breaks it and what will make it stand apart. Trust me, like devil, God too is in the details.
Provide the details of what you want, such as duration of internship, month, and preference of location in the end. If you want a job – specify what kind of work/ practice area/profile/ location you are looking at. Provide them with all the information at one go and not in bits and pieces. If you are not sure about the duration and month, specify that and mention options. If you are flexible with location, say so. Also provide your contact details, your LinkedIn profile at the end of the email. It will also be advisable to mention suitable days and time when you could be contacted on phone.
In the next article, I will talk about the basics of a CV – what makes and breaks it and what will make it stand apart. Trust me, like devil, God too is in the details.
- By Pallavi Pareek, Co-founder, iPleaders


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Eric Sogard (22) of Phoenix, Ariz., excelled both at bat and in the field for the Lake Elsinore Storm. Sogard led the California League with 42 doubles and ranked second with his 165 hits and 79 walks. He also led all league second baseman with a .973 fielding percentage. The San Diego Padres took Sogard in the second round out of Arizona State University in 2007.
Jim Negrych (23) of Buffalo, N.Y., led Class A players with a .448 on-base percentage while playing for the Lynchburg Hillcats. The Carolina League batting champion also finished second in the classification with his .370 average. Negrych also ranked among the top three in hits, doubles and slugging percentage in the Carolina loop. The Pittsburgh Pirates tabbed him with their sixth round pick in 2006 out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Pedro Ciriaco (23) of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, finished third in the California League, and 10th in Class A, with 161 hits for the Visalia Oaks. Ciriaco also was among the league leaders with his 40 stolen bases and .310 batting average. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him as a free agent in February 2003.
Cedric Hunter (20) of Decatur, Ga., led all Class A players with 186 hits while playing for the Lake Elsinore Storm. Hunter also crossed the plate 98 times, which ranked fourth in the classification. His .318 batting average was third best in the California League. The San Diego Padres drafted Hunter in the third round in 2006.
Kellen Kulbacki (23) of Hershey, Pa., played the first month of the season with the Ft. Wayne Wizards, before moving up to the California League. He hit a combined .304 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs with Ft. Wayne and the Lake Elsinore Storm. Kulbacki's .540 slugging percentage was the 10th best in Class A. The San Diego Padres selected him in the supplemental round (40th overall) out of James Madison (Va.) University in 2007.
Michael Stanton (19) of Sunland, Calif., smacked 39 home runs with the Greensboro Grasshoppers to tie for the classification lead. Stanton's slugging percentage of .611 led Class A players. He also was among the classification's top 10 in extra base hits (68) and runs batted in (97). The Florida Marlins drafted Morrison in the second round in 2007.
Jesus Montero (18) of, Guacara, Venezuela, paced the South Atlantic League with 171 hits, which also placed him third in Class A. The Charleston RiverDogs catcher also led all league receivers with a .993 fielding percentage. His .326 average was good enough for second in the circuit. The New York Yankees inked Montero as a free agent in October 2006.
Brian Dopirak (24) of Dunedin, Fla., ranked among the top three in the Florida State League in hitting (.308), homers (27), runs (77), RBIs (88) and on-base percentage (.382). His .577 slugging percentage with the Dunedin Blue Jays led the league and was third among Class A hitters. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Dopirak as a free agent in March.
Tim Alderson (20) of Phoenix, Ariz., led all California League starters by holding opponents to a .235 batting average. The San Jose Giants right-hander also was tops in the league by allowing only 10.09 base runners per nine innings. Alderson ranked third in the league with 13 wins and fourth with 124 strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants took him in the first round (22nd overall) in 2007.
Madison Bumgarner (19) of Lenoir, N.C., posted a 1.46 earned run average with the Augusta GreenJackets to lead all full-season domestic pitchers. The South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher tied for first in the league with 15 wins and led the circuit with 164 strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants drafted the left-hander in the first round (10th overall) in 2007.
Kanekoa Texeira (22) of Kula, Hawaii, converted 20 of 23 save opportunities for the Winston-Salem Warthogs before being promoted to Double-A in July. Texeira went 3-1 with a 0.93 ERA and fanned 36 in 38.2 innings while with the Warthogs. The Chicago White Sox picked him in the 22nd round in 2006 out of Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College.


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Under the leadership of President George W. Bush, two approaches to American foreign and security policy have emerged. One approach is founded on vigorous, decisive action, including a readiness to use military power, against the terrorist enemy. Its exponents are the hard-liners. You know the names: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Abrams, and so on.
The other approach holds that diplomacy and international organizations like the U.N. are the key to defeating terrorism. Supporting this camp of soft-liners are: the professionals at the State Department championed by Secretary Colin Powell and his deputy, Richard Armitage; some veterans of the first Bush administration, like former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft; and some current and former intelligence and military officials.
There is nothing unusual about divisions of this sort among the president's advisers. And President Bush has made shrewd and discriminating use of the advice he has received. What is unusual is that while the hard-liners have won most policy battles since 9/11, the soft-liners have won nearly complete control of the way those battles are reported. Pick up almost any newspaper account of the war on terror -- such as the worshipful profile of State Department adviser retired Gen. Anthony Zinni in the Dec. 22 Washington Post -- and you'll learn that the hard-liners are "ideologues," bent on democratizing the Middle East through war, heedless of the dangers in their way. The soft-liners are "moderates," "pragmatists," "realists," whose hesitations, fears, and resentments are represented as subtle, nuanced foreign-policy wisdom.
* * *
Yet the truth is the opposite. It is the soft-liners who are driven by ideology, who ignore or deny inconvenient facts and advocate unworkable solutions. It is the hard-liners who are the realists, the pragmatists.
The soft-liners place their trust in institutions and tactics that have consistently failed in the past; it is the hard-liners who have learned from experience. In their devotion to the U.N., their belief in the efficacy of international law, and their nostalgia for the alliances of the Cold War (and Gulf War I), the soft-liners cling to exploded illusions about the way the world should work. They protect themselves from facts with pretenses, insisting for example that negotiated successes -- such as the apparent willingness of Libya to come to terms with the U.S. -- are achieved by coaxing and cajoling, not toughness and credibility.
Three recent examples prove the point.• Mr. Powell's New Year's call for "dialogue" with Iran. Suppose you were a landlord with a tenant who repeatedly broke his promises to pay his overdue rent. After being stiffed again and again, you show up at his door with an eviction notice. He swears he will pay in full next Tuesday. Would it be "realistic" to believe him?
Soft-liners tend to think that so long as we are talking with other countries, we are accomplishing something -- even if everything they say to us is an obvious lie. In 2003, dissidents smuggled out proof that Iran had systematically deceived the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear program. The Iranians replied with more lies -- until those too were exposed by later inspection missions.
Over the last year, the rulers of Iran have confirmed that they are indeed sheltering members of Osama bin Laden's family and the senior leadership of al Qaeda. They continue to sponsor Hezbollah terror. In the summer of 2003, the mullahs unleashed brutal repression against activists calling for democracy.
Since the election of Mohammad Khatami in 1997, Western diplomats have again and again hailed the imminence of "reform" in Iran -- and called for negotiations and Western concessions to hasten those reforms along. Again and again, the Iranian regime has revealed its true character. Mr. Powell's Dec. 30 announcement of a "new attitude" in Iran that opens the way to a dialogue is only the latest episode of this embarrassing story.
Aren't the real "ideologues" the people who refuse to let hard facts and adverse experience alter their thinking or change their behavior?• Tyranny and democracy. Hard-liners are constantly accused of seeking to impose democracy by force out of blind ideological zeal. Against this, the soft-liners congratulate themselves on their prudent emphasis on continuity and stability. But by now it should be clear that there is no form of government less stable than autocracy. On Christmas Day, two suicide car-bombers crashed into the motorcade of Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The blast killed 16 people. Suppose Pakistan's president had been one of those killed? Where would we be then? The U.S.-Pakistani alliance depends on the actuarial chances of one brave man -- how is it prudent to rely on those?
Hard-liners are not bent on imposing democracy on anybody. But it is realistic to notice the connection between Middle Eastern tyranny and Middle Eastern terrorism; and it is realistic too to understand that it is sometimes true that societies that yearn for freedom are denied it by force -- as Iraq was by Saddam's force. The U.S. may not be able to lead countries through the door to democracy; but where that door is locked shut by a totalitarian deadbolt, American power may be the only way to open it up.• The demise of the "road map." In March 2003, the Bush administration presented Israel and the Palestinian Authority with a "road map" to peace. The idea was that Israel and the Palestinian leadership would each take immediate steps to reduce tensions, with an eye to an agreement in principle on a Palestinian state by December 2003 and a final settlement in 2005.
Not one milestone on the road map has yet been traversed. The very first item listed on the text is this: "Palestinian leadership issues unequivocal statement reiterating Israel's right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere. All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel." Well, that has not happened. Nor have the Arab states cut off funds to anti-Israel terror groups. Nor have there been free elections in areas of Palestinian jurisdiction. Nor have . . . well, you get the idea.
Three successive U.S. administrations have sought to broker a peace. All three have made the same assumption: that the Palestinian leadership had abandoned its hope of destroying Israel and was ready to make peace. The job now was simply to negotiate the terms. It is now clear that this assumption was false. The Palestinian leadership's minimum demands, as articulated most recently in last month's Geneva Accord, include control of the Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem and an undefined but ominous "right of return" for the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the refugees of 1948. No Israeli government could accept these terms.
When William James and Charles Pierce coined the term "pragmatism" 150 years ago, they meant something more than mere "practicality." James and Pierce were making a point about the nature of "truth." Truth, they argued, isn't some transcendent thing that exists beyond human experience. Truth is found right here on earth. If belief in an idea leads to positive results, then the idea is true; if belief in an idea leads to negative results, then it is false.
The belief that Yasser Arafat's Palestinian leadership will ever sign an agreement that permits Israel to live in peace and security has been tested over the years. The test has ended in the catastrophe of Arafat's terror war. Yet America's professional diplomats, especially those we hire to be knowledgeable about the Middle East, continue to cling to this belief despite its proven and total and repeated failure. If this is "pragmatism," what do the ideologues believe?
U.S. foreign policy will always be debated from different points of view. That is as it should be. But is it too much to ask for a little truth-in-labeling? We'd recommend that the next time a journalist sits down to report a foreign policy story from Washington, he try it this way: "Washington remains divided between two major factions: the pragmatic, neoconservatives and their opposite numbers, the soft-line ideologues." Of course, this story line too is an over-simplification. But at least it is not an outright rejection of reality.
Messrs. Frum and Perle are resident fellows at the American Enterprise Institute and co-authors of "An End To Evil: How to Win the War on Terror," just published by Random House.


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Dean Grace Hays Riley
The following information addresses the institutional details during her two terms as Dean.
Location of the Law School
June 10, 1925: WCL moves to 2000 G Street, NW; 5 classrooms (3 with capacity for 100 students).
Library, offices, faculty room, tea room, and student lounge
Number of students
1927: 278 students part-time, 91 women, 187 men
1936: 533 students from 46 states, 69 Day Division, 464 part-time
Faculty & staff
1929: 26 professors/lecturers
1939: 4 full-time professors added to meet ABA requirements; 41 part-time professors
1926: High School diploma
1939: ABA requirement adopted: 2 years of college credit (60 credit hours)
Degrees granted
1939: 137 degrees total, 31 women, 106 men
1941: LL.M., M.P.L. programs discontinued
Charter, incorporation, merger
1938: WCL Charter amended, giving WCL general degree-granting powers
1929: Helen E. Jamison, LL.M., becomes law librarian
1932: Library Endowment Fund established
New library at 2000 G Street, N.W., completed to ABA requirements-11,000+ volumes
1939: Rebecca Love Notz, A.B., LL.B., becomes law librarian
Student Publications
The College Grit, student newspaper
The Brief, WCL yearbook
1941: Last issue of The College Grit published
1941-42: Law School Newsletter published
September 1929: Day Division added (9:10am-12noon, M-F)
1940: First-year students take: Contracts, 5 hrs.; Torts, 4 hrs.; Personal Property, 3 hrs.; Domestic Relations, 2 hrs.; Criminal Law and Procedures, 3 hrs.; Procedure, 2 hrs.; Agency and Partnership, 3 hrs.
1939: ABA standards adopted
May 14, 1940: ABA approval granted
Tuition & Miscellaneous
1927: Emma M. Gillett dies
Tuition $180/year, Day Division; $140/year, Evening Division
- Timeline Brochure: Washington College of Law in Celebration of its Centennial: Facts and Events 1896-1996. Compiled by Karen Monroe, '82; Audrey Pia, '84; Di Horvath '86; Lisa Longo, '88; Susan Notar, '90; Melissa McGill, '94; Lycia Watts, '96; under directio of Dr. Paul Purta, Consultant and former Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement.
- Back -


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Spangenberg shines in Javs' loss
Padres prospect making the most of his AFL opportunities
By John Parker / MiLB.com | November 4, 2013 1:15 PM ET
Cory Spangenberg has appeared in just half of his Peoria team's games, but he's been making the most of his Arizona Fall League opportunities.
The 22-year-old second baseman collected three hits -- one of them a homer -- for the second straight game in the Javelinas' 7-4, 10-inning loss to visiting Scottsdale on Monday afternoon.
"I've been getting some good pitches to hit the last couple games," Spangenberg said. "I'm trying to focus on swinging at strikes and not trying to do too much."
The 10th overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Spangenberg batted .292/.346/.407 in 130 games split between Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio during the regular season. After some big games for Peoria, he's now hitting .366 in the AFL.
"I was out here last year as a member of the taxi squad, so I knew what to expect as far as playing every few days," he said.
The Padres prospect capped a three-hit day last Thursday with a two-run homer in the eighth inning of Peoria's 10-2 loss to Glendale. On Monday, Spangenberg went 3-for-5 with a two-run blast and a double, giving him six hits and four RBIs in the two games.
Spangenberg seems to enjoy facing the Scorpions: in four games against Scottsdale, he's 9-for-16 with five runs scored.
After leadoff man Delino DeShields (Astros) grounded out in the first inning, Spangenberg ripped a ground-rule double to right field. He added a homer, also off Scottsdale starter Adalberto Mejia (Giants), in the third, before adding a single in the seventh.
"[Mejia] had been coming in to me, so I was looking for something middle-in," Spangenberg said of his homer. "It was a slider he hung a little bit and I got good wood on it."
Down 3-0 after two frames, Peoria rallied to tie the game at 4-4 with a pair of runs in the eighth. Scottsdale, which had lost eight in a row heading into the contest, scored three times in the top of the 10th to end its skid.
Robbie Hefflinger led off the 10th with a triple for Scottsdale, which also got a pair of singles each from Addison Maruszak (Yankees), Tommy La Stella (Braves) and Cam Maron (Mets).
Shortstop Chris Taylor (Mariners) and first baseman Japhet Amador (Astros) both singled twice for Peoria.
Neither starter fared well, with Mejia allowing two runs (on Spangenberg's homer) in three innings and Javs hurler Matt Heidenreich (Astros) giving up three runs over four frames. Heidenreich had not allowed a run in his first three AFL outings covering nine innings.
Chasen Bradford (Mets) earned his second win for Scottsdale after pitching a scoreless ninth and 10th. The right-hander extended his scoreless streak to nine innings with the effort.
The loss went to Phillies prospect Mike Nesseth, who gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. It was his second straight tough AFL outing after surrendering five runs over two innings last Thursday.
John Parker is an editor for MiLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


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Reeling from enrollment growth, the Wasatch School District is looking to realign its classes and schools in an effort to keep from finding money for more new buildings.
In 2006, Wasatch County voters approved a $59.5 million bond for a new high school. District officials are now reluctant to go back to taxpayers to fund new elementary and junior high schools.
The realignment strategy could save tens of millions in construction costs, said Superintendent Terry Shoemaker.
"We know that we need to do something to provide facilities for our students."
The move would redefine elementary school as kindergarten to fourth grade; fifth and sixth grades would be intermediate school; junior high would be comprised of seventh and eighth grades; the high school would house grades nine through 12.
Without the shift, the district could be faced with building a new elementary -- estimated at $18 million -- and replacing the junior high for $31 million to $36 million.
By contrast, the realignment could be accomplished for about $1 million, Shoemaker said. The proposal would delay by seven to 12 years construction of new buildings.
The school board will determine the specifics of the proposed realignment at its Thursday meeting, according to board member Alan Bluth.
The plan would take effect fall 2009.
Although the new high school is scheduled to open fall 2009, school officials don't want to use the existing Wasatch High as part of the realignment. They plan to sell it.
That strikes resident Tracy Taylor as shortsighted because Wasatch High is adjacent to the junior high and, she said, could go a long way toward solving overcrowding problems.
"We have to live within our means. Let's hold on to the high school for five years and then reassess."
But Bluth said sinking money into Wasatch High to upgrade for the realignment would be wasteful in the long term.
Further, he said, the strategy can be accomplished without the high school.
"This plan is a great financial savings for our taxpayers and I think the value outweighs the challenges."
School-district enrollment has jumped from 3,492 in 1997 to 4,588 in 2007.


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About Arkon
Arkon replied to Arkon's topic in Amplifiers - General DiscussionThank you very much . Stunning values
Arkon replied to Arkon's topic in Amplifiers - General DiscussionWell this was quite exhaustive. Just one last question (I think ^^). How much is power consumption for the xls 1500 (and the xls1000 as you say it's the same)? If you need to know at what power I'd say at 6-8ohm at 50w (as I've mentioned, it's just for home use).
Arkon replied to Arkon's topic in Amplifiers - General DiscussionThank you for your answer, but I fail to understand what "better (outboard) codec" means. Could you please explain it more in detail? I would also like to know if the difference is just this codec, as you say the amps are basically the same. Maybe the xls 1500 has just a more powerful psu that can make better use of the amp section?
Arkon posted a topic in Amplifiers - General DiscussionHello, I would like to use one of the amplifier belonging to the XLS serie for home usage. I don't need much power, as I have my speakers on the desk, and I only listen at 1 meter (I think that's 3 or 4 feet) from them. I'm mostly interested in sound QUALITY though. Does the XLS 1500 sound better (again, not interested in more watts, as I won't be using them) than the 1000? I see on the web that the 1500 has higher damping factor, and 103SNR compared to the 97SNR of the xls 1000. Please help me choose between the two. Futher to that, what is the power consumption of the xls 1000 and the xls 1500? Is the 1500 as silent as the xls 1000 if only little power is used? Or does the xls 1500 heat more than the xls 1000 at the same watt usage? How good is the dsp? Is it a 32bit or 24 bit? As I have an active subwoofer, I plan to use the xls high-pass filter for my speakers, set at 50hz. Will that lower the sound "quality"? Thank you in advance for all the answers.


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Laney TI412S 4x12 Guitar Speaker Cabinet with Celestion Heritage SpeakersProduct #J00135 Laney J00135 HAAA Guitar Amplifier Cabinets https://www.esnapw.com/rses/ESnapServlet?MerchantNumberSent=63655
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Push the air like Tony Iommi.
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It's ruggedly constructed and comes loaded with 4x12" Celestion Heritage G12H for monster tone, and is protected with heavy-duty steel that's punched with Tony's signature cross design. It includes heavy-duty metal castors.
- Power: 120W
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text:
|From: Eli Barzilay (eli at barzilay.org)
Date: Mon Jun 15 18:10:01 EDT 2009
FWIW, building inside the PLT tree should generally be simpler in terms of what you need your scripts to do. This is how the nightly builds are done (and if you want the details, I've put the build script at http://tmp.barzilay.org/build). On Jun 15, Todd Rovito wrote: > Eli, > Thanks that did the trick I removed the spaces from the source tree > and it built perfect. Now I have both CGC and 3m garbage collectors > with a similar build process for Linux and OS X. I appreciate the fast > reply, you are a genius. > > On Sun, Jun 14, 2009 at 10:39 AM, Eli Barzilay<eli at barzilay.org> wrote: > > On Jun 14, Todd Rovito wrote: > >> Greetings, > >> I would like to create a simple build process that creates mzscheme > >> and shared libs for both CGC and 3m garbage collectors. For Linux I > >> perform the following steps with the source tree: > >> ./configure --prefix=/opt/plt-scheme --enable-shared > >> make both > >> make install-both > >> > >> This seems to work and I get .so files for everything I need. On the > >> Mac OSX side I am struggling, admittedly I am less familar with OSX. > >> ./configure --enable-xonx > >> --prefix=/Users/rovitotv/prog/plt-scheme/ --enable-shared > >> --disable-mred > >> make both <--- this step never finishes I get an error. > >> > >> The output from configure and make are below, thanks for the help. > > > > It looks like you're trying to build in one directory, using sources > > from a different directory called > > > > /Users/rovitotv/prog/PLT Scheme v4.2 Source/ > > > > and the problem is the spaces in the name. There are probably more > > than a few places in the makefiles that don't deal gracefully with > > such spaces, but fixing them is pointless since autoconf itself breaks > > with spaces too. If you build inside the PLT tree (eg, make a > > directory called .../PLT/src/build, then in it run ../configure) then > > things work because paths will be relative so they'll have no spaces. -- ((lambda (x) (x x)) (lambda (x) (x x))) Eli Barzilay: http://www.barzilay.org/ Maze is Life!
|Posted on the users mailing list.


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Cold beverages, candy, snacks or gas, whatever your needs may be, Murphy USA is your one stop shop for in and out. This particular day, the kids and I stopped in for a special candy treat. Once inside, we found great specials on the king sized M&M's. They were priced at 2 for $2.44. It was then that I decided we would pick up a few extra bags to make a special Father's Day treat for my … [Read more...]
Did Someone Say S'mores? Yes, I Did!
Hershey's chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers, any guess what I would be making? Of course you do, S'mores! Even if you don't love camping or the outdoors, I am betting S'mores are something you wouldn't pass up. There is something about S'mores that brings family and friends together. I mean I don't think I have ever seen anyone making S'mores alone, though I don't … [Read more...]
Tasty Hershey's Treat Recipe: Cutie Pies
More check-ins at murphyusa Powered by Whrrl This was a compensated post through Collective Bias. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. … [Read more...]
Chocolate, the Perfect gift for the Holidays
Each year at Christmas time my sister, mom and brother-in-law have all come to expect one specific gift in addition to what they ask for. Chocolate! In our house we love the Hershey's Pot of Gold Chocolates. The Premium Collection is one of our favorite, although I really love the ones with the caramel and nuts.As a matter of fact, as we pass out presents on Christmas morning, we always laugh … [Read more...]
A Balanced Lifestyle with Chocolate? GIVEAWAY
Lately I have been much more aware of the portion sizes I am eating. It is probably because I've noticed I eat way more than any adult female should. It used to not affect me much, but that is because I had a nursing baby consuming a lot of my calories. Unfortunately, now things are beginning to change.The website Moderation Nation is a national consumer education campaign sponsored by the Hershey … [Read more...]


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through the lens - landscapes
The photographs of Harold Shore, North Shore Photography
de Harold Shore
Acerca del libro
Seventy (70) pages of Landscape pictures taken in fog, around water and other locations.
Características y detalles
- Categoría Arte y fotografía
Apaisado estándar, 25×20 cm
70 Páginas
- Fecha de publicación nov. 02, 2011
- Etiquetas fine art, Harold Shore, North Shore Photography, sun rise, field, trees, pictures, photography, landscape, fog, water, colourful, colorful, picture, snow, ice, winter, fall, summer, spring, peaceful, lake, valley, mountains, hills, mist
Acerca del creador
I have enjoyed photography for 50 years now. I started with the encouragement of my parents who wanted me to dream and look at the world to discover its beauty. When my children were growing up I took pictures of the at family events and vacations. I have over the years used a Brownie Camera, an Elmo 8mm movie camera, Yashica Matt Twin Lens Reflex, A Canon AE1, to name a few as well as perform my own development and printing . Now I use Canon Digital Cameras for my photography, started with a Canon A530, progressed to a Canon XS then a Canon 50D and now use a Canon 5D Mark II. Lenses; 70-200mm f3.5-5.6, 70-200 f2.8, 2x extender f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 24-70 f2.8. I always carry a Canon G11 with me all the time. I enjoy all types of photography, you can see work I have done on my web site at www.northshorephotography.ca
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News & Events
The Center for Middle East Studies will present a lecture "Education Under Fire: The Iranian Baha'is" on Wednesday, March 27 starting at 12:20 in Maxwell Library's Heritage Room. Dr. Robert Sylvester, assistant professor of elementary and early childhood education at Bridgewater, is the speaker. The event, which is open to the public and the campus community, is part of Middle East Educational Week at the university.


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It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our simple sign up form and login to the site.
This step is up to you but will drastically multiply your chances of getting interest from other over 50s members on the site. Write a little something about yourself, your hobbies and upload any nice photographs of yourself.
Utilise our website's advanced search to locate over 50s members who are up to your requirements. Or just scan through listings and locate singles that you like.
Discovered someone who looks suitable? Send them a few words or just a wink and see what happens next. With a little luck you'll be on your way to uncover your soulmate.
It's quick and easy


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Mathieu87 (328) Brussels, Belgium | October 29, 2012| Updated January 4, 2013
Was doing a wine tasting next door. Dropped by for some quick tasters of their beers. Unfortunatly they only had 2/3 beers. Because of that they offered me the tasting for free, so that was nice... BEAUTIFUL location.
Beershine (850) VANCOUVER, British Columbia | October 17, 2012
This one, and Barrique, have views that are to die for--these are the kinds of places you can have a wedding at. They are among the best brewery views in the world. Unfortunately, the beers are not so good.
jolo (65) Uppsala, Sweden, South Africa | November 12, 2011
This is a restaurant with a fantastic view. The food is excellent and service good. They only have there own beer on tap (three brands when I was there) and a few beers on bottle. Good wine-list. The small brewery is situated downstairs.
bierslaaf (5) Somerset West, South Africa | February 14, 2009
This vineyard, brewery and restaurant has the best location in the Franschoek vally with views that goes forever. The food is good and the beers they brew on site is quite good. Food is good and the restaurant itself is beautiful. You can also have a wine tasting in the cellar. They have been in the wine industry for years with beer as a recent addition.


text: I'm trying to setup Time Machine and I'm having trouble with the following steps from this link. http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=4387985&postcount=50 I just don't know how in terminal to go on the main section of the external drive. Info from disk utility: 465.8 GB ST350063 0A Media Partition: Backup What would be the line to put in to go in the usb backup partition. Thanks.


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Some foods are sexier than others. Spam? So not erotic, not even when nibbled in a Hawaiian setting—and yes, for some reason, Spam very popular in Hawaii. Alcoholic drinks sometimes enhance a character's cool factor (hello, James Bond).
When it comes to sheer emotional impact of food, if we were forced to pick only on item on the menu, I bet most of us would vote for chocolate. In chocolate's case, I don't mean the image factor of food. Usually chocolate's cachet in a romance isn't important—it's not like martinis served in fancy glasses or, for the guys, shaken not stirred. I mean the actual therapeutic or stimulating value of chocolate that shows up in any number or type of story. When chocolate and its near relation, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, makes appearances in romances, its effect is almost as miraculous as a nice cup of tea in a British novel.
We're talking flavor, theobromine's pleasant energizing influence on the characters, and the richness of all that fat and sugar. Chocolate can be the ultimate comfort food or a tool for seduction.
Some writers recognize the magic of chocolate. Laura Florand has a whole series of books with chocolate in a starring role: The Chocolate Touch, The Chocolate Rose, and The Chocolate Thief
Even a love scene in The Chocolate Thief has references to the sweet stuff:
He did not speak. Not one word. His hands closed around her hips, and she gasped and shivered, flooded mercilessly with desire. His fingers flexed into her leather-clad bottom, and he lifted her as her might lift a fifty-pound cauldron of chocolate and set her on the counter.
He stared down at her, the counter bringing her almost to his height. His eyes glittered. He had caught her, and the thrill of it had taken her over until she couldn't think, only breathe, long, clean last breaths that lifted her chest and filled her lungs with scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, chocolate, and human.
Seduction and Snacks, Futures and Frostings, and Troubles and Treats are all part of the Chocolate Lovers series by Tara Sivec, an indie author who writes with a sexy, snarky voice. There might be more chocolate in the titles than the stories but hey, there are plenty of treats in Sivec's stories.
How about an inspie romance with chocolate (and recipes)? Julie Carobini's Chocolate Beach and Truffles by the Sea are fluffy fun books with a Christian background—and lots of chocolate.
If you want some melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness in your reading, you'll have to stick to modern-set books. Other than some passing references to drinking a frothing cup in the morning, I couldn't locate much chocolate in historicals. The one exception is Libby's London Merchant, in which Benedict Nesbitt, Duke of Knaresborough "Nez" passes himself off as a chocolate merchant so he can spy on the Libby in the title. The main reason I recall the role co-star role of chocolate is because of Carla Kelly's charming explanation she added to later editions. Apparently solid chocolate candy wasn't available in the Regency era. Kelly couldn't change the chocolate into the drinking sort they had back then, not without ruining the book.
A couple of authors get their readers to feel the enchantment of chocolate, literally, with magical realism.
The best-selling novel, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, celebrates the magic of food, including, of course, chocolate. (Although using water instead of milk for hot chocolate—hmm. The jury is out on that one.)
And then there's Chocolat by Joanne Harris, another story that recognizes the power of food, especially the decadent wonder of chocolate. The single mother heroine owns a candy shop and you aren't surprised, after reading those descriptions, that people in her village break Lenten vows to eat her treats.
If you are still hungry and want something other than sweets, there are other novels that include food, love, and love of food. Here's one—The Wedding Officer: a Novel of Culinary Seduction by Anthony Capella. Described as a magical tale of romantic passion, culinary delight—and Italy.
Left with a hankering for chocolate? Here's an utterly unhealthy brownie recipe. These are best warm and slightly goopy from the oven.
Ingredients:4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
1 ½ sticks of butter
1 3/4 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips.
Melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave (or melt it on the stove. We're not fussy).
Add the sugar.
Once the mix is cool enough not to cook the eggs on contact, mixed in the eggs.
After the eggs are thoroughly incorporated, add the flour but don't overbeat the batter. Add the chips before the batter is uniform in color.
Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Don't overcook!
These are not fussy creations so you can vary the pan size if you like thicker brownies. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time, add a few minutes if you go smaller. We like them moist rather than dry around here. When it's done it will be solid, but a testing fork won't come out clean (particularly if you put in enough chocolate chips). If you dislike messiness or melty chocolate, go ahead and cool them in the fridge. They'll be more like fudge.
Kate Rothwell set out to write a natural-born do-gooder in her historical Somebody Wonderful. She writes romance using her own name and the pseudonym Summer Devon. Kate lives in Connecticut with four men (three of whom are her sons). You can out more about her at KateRothwell.com and SummerDevon.com.


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Bernie Madoff's cellar nets $41,530 in auction
Remember Bernie Madoff? The most notorious of the white-collar criminals nailed when the economy was going to hell for using the biggest Ponzi scheme in American history to swindle investors -- including several Coloradans -- out of a cool $65 billion?
Well, he's now serving 150 years in the pokey, so he probably won't be needing the collection of vino he waved goodbye to yesterday: The bottles seized from the wine cellar in his Miami vacation home brought in $41,530 at an auction.
The pre-bid cellar value was estimated at somewhere between $15,000 and $21,000; the former investment adviser had a fairly unimpressive collection, save for the case of '96 Mouton Rothschilds (1996 happened to be a pretty good vintage in Bordeaux) that went for $6,800. Even so, a handful of mini-bar bottles, about $20 worth of booze, netted $300 -- apparently you just can't assign a value to a two-ounce conversation piece once owned by a world-class dick who probably pilfered it from an airplane or hotel room.
Still, the auction was all for a good cause: all proceeds go to compensating victims, and while $41 Gs may be a drop in the bucket of $65 billion, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye, right? Right.
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Effect of maintenance on misaligned rail welds
Sutton, Melissa A. & Murray, Martin H. (2006) Effect of maintenance on misaligned rail welds. In Ravitharan, Ravi (Ed.) Conference on Railway Engineering CORE2006, 1 May 2006, Melbourne, Australia.
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The high energy wheel/rail impact forces arising from defects such as poorly aligned welds in rails can in time cause serious defects in track components and deterioration of geometry. Suitable weld straightening operations improve the matter but there is uncertainty about the longevity of the effect and about what degree of misalignment (dip or peak) warrants straightening. Three 2km long test sections were established on the Mt Isa Line in Queensland to evaluate the effectiveness of weld straightening operations. Each section received different levels of intervention to correct the welds and over 15,000 measurements of weld alignment were recorded and analysed over the life of the project. For welds with a dip less than 0.3mm, straightening produced no improvement. Cycle tamping produced an improvement in the alignment of dipped welds but cycle grinding produced a slight worsening of dipped welds. After approximately 4 million gross tonnes of traffic the straightened welds appeared to remain unaltered by and large; those welds which received no straightening showed a minor worsening of both dipped and peaked welds due to the traffic.
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|Conference Paper
|rail, weld, maintenance, grind, straighten
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > ENGINEERING (090000) > CIVIL ENGINEERING (090500) > Transport Engineering (090507)
|Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering
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|Copyright 2006 (please consult author)
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|14 Dec 2006 00:00
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text: John Huehn is founder and CEO of In the Chat, a social media sales and customer service company. John established In the Chat to deliver the next generation of customer service and help companies better serve their customers through social media. He has published an ebook on generating leads and closing sales using social media.


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Founded: 1976
Headquarters: London
Website Link(s): Official Site
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One of the more influential feminist punk bands, X-Ray Spex was formed in 1976 by Poly Styrene. They had a large following even before releasing an album. Their first single, "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" was regarded as an instant classic of the genre, even though original saxophonist Lora Logic left before they had recorded anything. The sound was punk influenced by 1950s R&B records. They had only recorded one album, which wasn't even released in the US until 1992. In 1995, the band reformed (with Lora Logic this time, and recorded a second album, although it couldn't compare to the original. Both Poly Styrene and Lora Logic joined Hare Krishna (separate from each other). Poly Styrene also released some solo records, though nothing did nearly as well as her work with X-Ray Spex.
- Oh Bondage, Up Yours b/w I Am A Cliche
- The Day The World Turned Day-Glo b/w I Am A Poseur
- Identity b/w Let's Submerge
- Germ Free Adolescents b/w Age
- Highly Inflammable b/w Warrior of Woolworth's
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- Jeff Bridges... I Don't Need No Jeff Bridges To Put Music To My Poem!
- And A Bumper Sticker That Says "No Other Possibility"
- Dub Club: I'm Singing For You All Covered In Sequins - Matt


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Vodafone plays down Arcor sale report
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British telecommunications giant Vodafone has played down a report that it has already begun the process that will lead to the disposal of Arcor, its German fixed-line unit, for 1 billion to 2.0 billion ($A1.62 billion to $A3.24 billion).
According to Thursday's Financial Times Deutschland, citing financial sector sources, Vodafone's investment adviser, UBS, had compiled information to give potential buyers an overview of the unit.
However, a spokesman for Vodafone said the group's position on the sale had not changed, and that it was happy to hold on to Arcor for the time being.
"Obviously Arcor is a fixed-line business and because of that it is non-core. However, the business is performing well and we're in no rush to sell it," the spokesman said.
According to Financial Times Deutschland, the potential buyers include financial investors Apax, Permira, Carlyle and telecoms firms France Telecom of France, Royal KPN of the Netherlands and Belgacom of Belgium.
In Paris, a spokesman for France Telecom declined to comment on the report.
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London, UK (SPX) Oct 23, 2008
Geological experts are set to face off on the cause of a disastrous mud volcano eruption on the island of Java, which has displaced 40,000 residents and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Two international conferences are scheduled to discuss the mud volcano; the first in London on October 21 at the London Geological Society and the second on October 28 in Cape Town, South Africa, under the sponsorship of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. These events will be the first time the official data will be presented.
Bambang Istadi, Geologist, Energi Mega Persada, will present to the London Geological Society new evidence and facts that the drilling of the Banjarpanji-1 well could not have been the trigger for LUSI.
The evidence presented will provide for the first time, clear and indisputable facts that none of the four required factors for the well to have been responsible for triggering the eruption occurred.
+ There was no uncontrolled kick
+ The casing shoe was not breached and the well was intact
+ There was no underground blowout
+ There was no sustained pressure to propagate a fracture
On May 29, 2006, two days after a powerful earthquake struck some 260 km away in Yogakarta, killing more than 6,000 and rendering some 1.5 million homeless, a mud volcano erupted on the island of Java, the most populated island in the world. Nearby, Lapindo Brantas Inc., an exploration company were drilling towards a deep sedimentary formation along the Watukosek Fault seeking natural gas.
The incredible eruption has since been dubbed LUSI, a compendium of "lumpur", the Indonesian word for mud, and Sidoarjo, the town near which LUSI erupted. Over the past 2 years LUSI has been venting up to 150,000 cubic meters of hot mud daily.
While most experts concur that the mud volcano is a natural event caused by the earthquake, some have pointed to the Lapindo Brantas drilling operation as a contributing factor in the LUSI eruption.
After extensive field work, a team of leading geologists from Norway, France and Russia, headed by renowned mud volcanologist Dr. Adriano Mazzini from the University of Oslo, concluded that the powerful earthquake in Yogyakarta was the trigger for the mud volcano. They reported their findings in Earth and Planetary Science Letters July 12, 2007:
"It is likely that the [earthquake] redistributed the stress in several parts of Java and in particular contributed to reactivate fractures in this preexisting fault, affecting the fluid pressure and permeability and ultimately triggered the eruption through the already overprocessed subsurface," they wrote.
Ms Yuniwati Teryana, a spokesperson for Lapindo Brantas Inc. commented: "We look forward to the opportunity to engage in an open debate based on the facts. On the basis of the available evidence, we believe that the balance of expert opinion and scientific evidence points towards the Yogakarta earthquake as the most likely cause of the LUSI eruption."
"We take our role as a long-term member of this community seriously. We have already spent $400m on supporting the humanitarian response to this disaster. Our participation in the government-mandated rescue effort is totally based on our commitment to our national interests and the welfare of our fellow citizens," she added.
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Sri Lanka destroys food aid withheld from tsunami victims
Colombo (AFP) Oct 17, 2008
Sri Lanka said Friday it would destroy a consignment of more than five tonnes of rotting rice and lentils meant for victims of the December 2004 Asian tsunami.
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text: flat.rose wrote: > That's great, thanks alot Kris! > Got a simple question - what's the best way to upgrade my system from beta1 > to beta2 without losing any personal and root data? Is it possible without > burning a dvd? > At this point I don't really have an upgrade path for beta and alpha releases, since so much is still in flux. When we start releasing newer versions than 7 though, you will be able to upgrade those, via online update. However, if you want to save your data, here's what I would do: (As root) # cd / # tar cvjf backup.tbz /root /usr/home (save backup.tbz somewhere remote) Then, after installing, just restore in the same way: (pull back backup.tbz from remote) # cd / # tar xvpjf backup.tbz -- Kris Moore PC-BSD Software http://www.pcbsd.com


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Covalent Immobilization of Affinity Ligands
Introduction to Covalent Immobilization
Affinity purification and many assay techniques depend on the binding interactions of target biomolecules in liquid samples with specific chemical groups or macromolecules that are immobilized on a solid material. The latter class of molecules are called affinity ligands, and they can be attached (immobilized) to the solid material (stationary phase) in a variety of ways. Many assay methods, such as ELISA and Western blotting, depend upon strong but noncovalent immobilization of antibodies or other ligands to the solid material (polystyrene microplates and nitrocellulose membrane, respectively).
By contrast, most affinity purification strategies – especially those involving antibodies and other proteins – depend upon covalent chemical conjugation of ligands to the solid support matrix. Affinity ligands that have broad applicability are commercially available in a variety of ready-to-use, pre-immobilized forms. Examples include Protein A agarose resin for general antibody purification and streptavidin magnetic beads for purifications involving biotinylated molecules.
Affinity chromatography utilizes the specific interactions between two molecules for the purification of a target molecule. A ligand having affinity for a target molecule is covalently attached to an insoluble support and functions as bait for capturing the target from complex solutions. The affinity ligand can be any molecule that will bind the target without also binding other molecules in the solution.
Ligands that have been used for affinity separation include:
- small organic compounds that are able to dock into binding sites on proteins
- inorganic metals that form coordination complexes with certain amino acids in proteins
- hydrophobic molecules that can bind nonpolar pockets in biomolecules
- proteins with specific binding regions that are able to interact with other proteins
- antibodies, which can be designed to target any biomolecule through their antigen binding sites
The concept of using immobilized affinity ligands to target biomolecules has extended beyond just chromatographic applications with beaded agarose resins (still the most common). Affinity ligands are now coupled to magnetic particles, latex beads, nanoparticles, macro-beads, membranes, microplates, array surfaces, dipsticks and a host of other devices that facilitate the capture of specific biomolecules. Applications of affinity targeting include purification, scavenging (or removal of contaminants), catalysis (or modification of target molecules) and a broad range of analytical uses to quantify a target molecule in a sample solution.
Designing custom affinity supports that are able to target unique biomolecules requires methods to covalently link a ligand to an insoluble matrix. Regardless of the intended application, the chemical reactions that make possible ligand attachment are well characterized and facilitate the attachment of biomolecules through their common chemical groups. The types of functionalities generally used for attachment include easily reactive components such as primary amines, sulfhydryls, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids. Usually, the solid phase matrix first is activated with a compound that is reactive toward one or more of these functional groups. The activated complex then can generate a covalent linkage between the ligand and the support, resulting in ligand immobilization.
The type of linkage that is formed between the matrix and the immobilized ligand affects the performance of the affinity support in a number of ways. For example, if the linkage blocks or adversely affects the structure of the immobilized ligand, it will limit its effectiveness for affinity purification. A linkage that allows the coupled ligand to leach from the matrix will result in contamination of the purified protein and shorten the useful life of the affinity support. A conjugation chemistry that introduces a charged functional group into the support can cause nonspecific binding by promoting ion-exchange effects. A linkage that alters the structure of the matrix can change the flow and binding characteristics of the support.
Cyanogen bromide (CNBr)-activated supports are informative as an example of these adverse effects on affinity purification. This immobilization method results in a linkage that (1) constantly leaks ligand from the matrix, which then contaminants the purification, (2) includes a charged isourea group in the linkage, resulting in nonspecific binding, and (3) causes extensive crosslinking of the matrix, which reduces the ability of large molecules to penetrate into the interior of the resin.
Several more effective beaded agarose, beaded acrylamide and magnetic bead affinity supports are commercially available in activated forms that are ready to use for coupling many different types of ligands. These activation chemistries and protocols have been optimized to assure excellent coupling yields and to generate stable covalent linkages that will not easily leach the immobilized ligand. The remainder of this article discusses these methods.
The most common functional target for immobilizing protein molecules is the amine group (–NH2): This group exists at the N-terminus of each polypeptide chain (called the alpha-amine) and in the side chain of lysine (Lys, K) residues (called the epsilon-amine). Because of its positive charge at physiologic conditions, primary amines are usually outward-facing (i.e, on the outer surface) of proteins; thus, they are usually accessible for conjugation without denaturing the protein structure.
NHS esters are reactive groups formed by EDC activation of carboxylate molecules. NHS ester-activated resins react with primary amines in slightly alkaline conditions (pH 7.2-8.5) to yield stable amide bonds. The immobilization reaction is usually performed in phosphate buffer at pH 7.2-8.0 for 0.5 to 4 hours at room temperature or 4°C. Primary amine buffers such as Tris (TBS) are not compatible because they compete for reaction; however, in some procedures, it is useful to add Tris or glycine buffer at the end of a conjugation procedure to quench (stop) the reaction.
A reliable and popular method for covalently attaching antibodies or other proteins to beaded agarose resin involves a chemistry called reductive amination. Amines on the protein conjugate with aldehyde groups of the support, which were prepared by mild oxidization of the agarose polysaccharide matrix.
The immobilization reaction using reductive amination involves the formation of an initial Schiff base between the aldehyde and amine groups, which then is reduced to a secondary amine by the addition of sodium cyanoborohydride (NaCNBH3). The cyanoborohydride reducing agent used during the coupling process is mild enough not to cleave disulfides in most proteins, and also it will not reduce the aldehyde reactants–only the Schiff base intermediates. It is best to avoid stronger reducing agents such as sodium borohydride because of the potential for disulfide reduction of the protein and reduction of the aldehydes on the support to hydroxyls, effectively quenching the reaction. Depending on the type and amount of ligand present, a coupling reaction using reductive amination can achieve immobilization yields of greater than 85%.
Coupling to AminoLink Resin can be accomplished in single reaction at pH 7.2. Both Schiff-base formation and reduction by sodium cyanoborohydride occur with good efficiency. However, overall coupling efficiencies can be increased when it is possible to perform the reaction in two steps at different pH levels. At that pH 9 to 10, Schiff-base formation is more efficient, but NaCNBH3 is only effective at near-neutral conditions. Thus, for proteins that are soluble at high pH, high coupling yields are possible when the reaction is performed at pH 10 for one hour, followed by neutralization and addition of NaCNBH3 for the remainder of the time.
Another amine-reactive strategy that can be used for immobilization is the azlactone ring present in Thermo Scientific UltraLink Biosupport. This is a unique, durable polyacrylamide-like resin formed by co-polymerization of acrylamide with azlactone.
A primary amine will react with an azlactone group in a ring-opening process that produces an amide bond at the end of a five-atom spacer. The group is spontaneously reactive with amines; no additives or catalysts are needed to drive the coupling process. The UltraLink Biosupport is supplied dry to assure stability of the azlactone groups until use. Adding a quantity of the support to a sample containing a protein or another amine-containing molecule causes immobilization to occur within about an hour. For most proteins, immobilization is most efficient when the coupling buffer contains a lyotropic salt, such as 0.6M sodium citrate, which functions to drive the protein molecules toward the bead surface. This brings the hydrophilic amines close enough to the azlactone rings to react quickly.
One other option for immobilizing amine-containing affinity ligands is the use of carbonyl diimidazole (CDI) to activate hydroxyls on agarose supports to form reactive imidazole carbamates. This reactive group is formed on the support in organic solvent and stored as a suspension in acetone to prevent hydrolysis. Reaction of the support in an aqueous coupling buffer with primary amine-containing ligands causes loss of the imidazole groups and formation of carbamate linkages. The coupling process occurs at basic pH (8.5-10), but it is a slower reaction with proteins than reductive amination or azlactone coupling. CDI-activated resins are particularly adept at immobilizing peptides and small organic molecules. The reaction also can be done in organic solvent to permit coupling of water-insoluble ligands.
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A form of amine-based immobilization is possible using an amine-to-amine crosslinker when a specific binding interaction can be used to bind and orient a ligand to an already-immobilized molecule. For example, Protein G will affinity-bind to antibodies (IgG), and Protein G Agarose is readily available. If a crosslinker, such as DSS, is added to Protein G Agarose that has been incubated with purified IgG, covalent crosslinks will form between primary amines on the various polypeptide components represented. Some of these will effectively crosslink the IgG to the Protein G (and the Protein G is already covalently immobilized on the agarose bead).
This antibody immobilization method is called "IgG orientation." When the method is used to immobilize antibodies for immunoprecipitation, it is called "Crosslink IP."
The method can be used for other kinds of affinity pairs besides antibodies with Protein A or Protein G. For example, glutathione agarose can be used for orientation-crosslinking of GST-tagged fusion proteins.
Often it is advantageous to immobilize affinity ligands through functional groups other than just amines. In particular, the thiol group can be used to direct coupling reactions away from active centers or binding sites on certain protein molecules.
Sulfhydryls (–SH) exists in the side chain of cysteine (Cys, C). Often, as part of a protein's secondary or tertiary structure, cysteines are joined together between their side chains via disulfide bonds (–S–S–). These must be reduced to sulfhydryls to make them available for immobilization.
Because amines occur at many positions on a protein's surface, it is usually difficult to predict where a coupling reaction will occur. Sulfhydryl groups typically are present in fewer numbers than primary amines and, therefore, enable more selective immobilization of proteins and peptides. Sulfhydryls for conjugation can be added to peptide ligands at the time of peptide synthesis by adding a cysteine residue at one end of the molecule. This ensures that every peptide molecule will be oriented on the support in the same way after immobilization. Thiol groups (sulfhydryls) can be indigenous within a protein molecule or they may be added through the reduction of disulfides or through the use of various thiolation reagents.
Maleimide-activated reagents react specifically with sulfhydryl groups (–SH) at near neutral conditions (pH 6.5-7.5) to form stable thioether linkages. The maleimide chemistry is the basis for most crosslinkers and labeling reagents designed for conjugation of sulfhydryl groups. However, the method is seldom used to immobilize ligands onto agarose beads for use in affinity purification. One exception is maleimide-activated polystyrene microplates; these provide a method to bind sulfhydryl-peptides that otherwise would not coat effectively onto the plate surface.
Iodoacetyl-activated supports react with sulfhydryl groups at physiologic to alkaline conditions (pH 7.2 to 9), resulting in stable thioether linkages. To limit free iodine generation, which has the potential to react with tyrosine, histidine and tryptophan residues, these reaction are usually performed in the dark.
Thermo Scientific SulfoLink Coupling Resin is beaded agarose with an iodoacetyl group at the end of a long spacer arm. Immobilization of sulfhydryls occurs through displacement of the iodine atom. UltraLink Iodoacetyl Resin uses the same chemistry but is built on the acrylamide-based UltraLink Biosupport (see above).
Pyridyl disulfides react with sulfhydryl groups over a broad pH range to form disulfide bonds. As such, conjugates prepared using this chemistry are cleavable with typical disulfide reducing agents, such as dithiothreitol (DTT).
Pre-activated pyridyldithiol resins are not commonly available as ready-to-use supports. However, the mention of this reaction chemistry provides the opportunity to illustrate how many different variations of affinity resins can be prepared by individual researchers using commonly available reagents. In this case, an amine-activated resin (Immobilized DADPA; Part No. 20266), can be modified with a crosslinker (Sulfo-LC-SPDP; Part No. 21650) to make an activated resin for reversible sulfhydryl immobilization.
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Most biological molecules do not contain carbonyl ketones or aldehydes in their native state. However, it might be useful to create such groups on proteins in order to form a site for immobilization that directs covalent coupling away from active centers or binding sites. Glycoconjugates, such as glycoproteins or glycolipids, usually contain sugar residues that have hydroxyls on adjacent carbon atoms; these cis-diols can be oxidized with sodium periodate to create aldehydes as sites for covalent immobilization.
Hydrazide-activated resins and compounds will conjugate with carbonyls of oxidized carbohydrates (sugars) at pH 5 to 7, resulting in formation of hydrazone bonds.
Hydrazide chemistry is useful for labeling, immobilizing or conjugating glycoproteins through glycosylation sites, which are often (as with most polyclonal antibodies) located at domains removed from the key binding sites whose function one wishes to preserve. Coupling antibodies in this manner specifically targets heavy chains in the Fc portion of the molecule, helping to ensure the best possible retention of antigen binding activity by the ends of the Fv regions.
Activated hydrazide agarose support was formerly available as Pierce CarboLink Coupling Gel. That older product has been replaced by Thermo Scientific GlycoLink Resin, which is hydrazide-activated UltraLink Biosupport (a durable acrylamide resin; see discussion above). The coupling procedure has been improved by incorporating the use of aniline as a catalyst.
The carboxyl group is a frequent constituent of many biological molecules. Peptides and proteins contain carboxyls (–COOH) at the C-terminus of each polypeptide chain and in the side chains of aspartic acid (Asp, D) and glutamic acid (Glu, E). Like primary amines, carboxyls are usually on the surface of protein structure.
Carboxylic acids may be used to immobilize biological molecules through the use of a carbodiimide-mediated reaction. Although no activated support contains a reactive group that is spontaneously reactive with carboxylates, chromatography supports containing amines (or hydrazides) can be used to form amide bonds with carboxylates that have been activated with the water-soluble carbodiimide crosslinker EDC (Part No. 22980).
Learn more
EDC and other carbodiimides are zero-length crosslinkers; they cause direct conjugation of carboxylates (–COOH) to primary amines (–NH2) without becoming part of the final crosslink (amide bond) between target molecules. Ligand immobilization occurs when diaminodipropylamine (DADPA) agarose resin is used as the primary amine for this reaction.
Because peptides and proteins contain multiple carboxyls and amines, direct EDC-mediated crosslinking usually causes random polymerization of polypeptides. Nevertheless, this reaction chemistry is used widely in immobilization procedures (e.g., attaching proteins to a carboxylated surface) and in immunogen preparation (e.g., attaching a small peptide to a large carrier protein). In fact, some degree of peptide polymerization is beneficial in antibody production and purification procedures because it increases overall peptide conjugation (loading) and ensures that the peptide ligands are presented in multiple orientations.
For molecules devoid of easily reactive functional groups, immobilization may be difficult or even impossible using the methods discussed above. In particular, certain drugs, steroids, dyes or other small organic molecules often have structures that contain no available "handles" for immobilization. Other molecules have functional groups that have low reactivity or are sterically hindered. However, some of these compounds have active (or replaceable) hydrogens that can be condensed with formaldehyde and an amine using the Mannich reaction.
Formally, the Mannich reaction consists of the condensation of formaldehyde (or another aldehyde) with ammonia and another compound containing an active hydrogen. Instead of using ammonia, this reaction can be done with primary or secondary amines or even with amides. Ligand immobilization occurs when diaminodipropylamine (DADPA) agarose resin is used as the primary amine for this reaction. The Pierce PharmaLink Immobilization Kit was a complete set of reagents with DADPA resin for this method, but that particular product is no longer offered.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.


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