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Blessed at the pole
As I am sure most of you have read this past week that Wednesday was the global See You at the Pole student-led day of prayer.
Students, family, faculty and anyone else who wants to participate, gather at the flagpole of the local school to pray prior to the start of the school day.
I attended the event at both Panther Valley High School and Middle School to pray and to photograph for the Times News.
I have to say that I was very impressed with the youth from Church on the Rock for stepping out to arrange the event at their schools and then to stand out there, holding hands and pray in front of their peers as the buses rolled in. This was the second year that they arranged for it at the high school and the first year at the middle school.
To give you an idea of what happened at See You at the Pole:
The kids (and adults) present gathered around the flagpole, held hands and prayed for safety and protection for all of the students and faculty, which, in light of past events, I think all parents want for their kids. They prayed for strength for the kids to stand against temptation, and bullying and for a desire to learn. They prayed for the teachers and asked for blessings on them as they go about the business of educating our children, which can often be a very stressful and frustrating job. Of course, there were other prayer intentions that were spoken as well, which were then followed by the singing of the first verse of Amazing Grace.
As happy as I was for those who came out, I must admit that I was a little disappointed that there were not more people there at the high school.
I think it would have been an even more beautiful and meaningful experience had some of the local priests and pastors come out to join them, and better still, to have encouraged the youth and parents of their congregations to attend as well.
This wasn't a Catholic or a Protestant thing, this was a come together thing because after all, they are all our children and the future parents, businessmen and leaders of our communities and we all know the challenges our youth face every day.
For many, school is a dark place and it can be really difficult just to show up.
When it came time to go to the middle school, I was feeling a little dejected but wanted to be sure I supported the young lady who organized the event as she was a little nervous.
There was a little more participation at the middle school than the high school and I was happy to see the number of kids who came out.
I noticed one little boy watching us as we waited by the flagpole prior to starting.
He kept inching his way closer and closer and so I asked him if he would be joining us.
"I don't know. What are you doing?" he asked.
I explained that we were there to pray for all of the kids and teachers in the school.
I truthfully expected him to walk away but was delightfully surprised when he said, "Ok, I will do my best to help you out."
I think he was smiling just as much as I was.
When it came time to begin, he wasn't the least bit reluctant to hold hands with me and it was endearing.
We went around in the circle, each one of us speaking our prayer requests. When it was his turn, I fully expected him to not utter a word and was prepared to continue on myself.
Again, I was delightfully surprised when this little boy began to pray out loud.
It was simple and brief, but genuine and from the heart.
My eyes welled up and my heart was filled with joy and any disappointment that I previously felt was completely shattered by the unexpected blessing I received from this child.
I was almost too choked up to speak when it became my turn.
When we had finished, I opened my eyes to look at the little boy standing next to me and he was just beaming.
I thanked him for coming out, told him how awesome he was for praying with us and asked him to bring a friend next year.
"I'll do what I can," he said with a smile; and I believe him.
I would like to encourage the Panther Valley area priests and pastors to consider joining us next year and to encourage your congregation to participate as well. You know the power of prayer and that "Wherever two or more gather in my name, there I am with them." (Matthew 18:20, NIV).
Our schools and communities are hurting and struggling and we need to stand together and support each other.
So mark your calendars for Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014 and come on out and be blessed at the pole.


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Justin Bieber New Eagle Tattoo (Photo): Singer Posts Picture on Twitter
Justin Bieber recently added another tattoo to his left arm sleeve in the form of an eagle.
Bieber, the 19-year-old Canadian crooner, is currently on his "Believe" tour in Australia. After a concert stop down under, Bieber let fans know that he was going to get another inking. This time it would be an eagle on his left shoulder.
"Just got off stage bout to get tatted," Bieber tweeted to millions of fans.
He followed the tweets with several images giving fans a glimpse of the process with the captions "Fresh new tat," "eagle," and "Yep."
While it is not yet clear what the tattoo means to Bieber, the Christian singer has inked many religious themes on his body. Last September, Bieber got a tattoo of Psalm 119:105 on his shoulder that reads: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
In July, he got a tattoo of an eye on his arm which was inspired by his mother Pattie Mallette.
Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, the New York City-based tattoo artist behind Bieber's eye tattoo explained the singer's fascination with body art. The singer who has over 20 tattoos may be addicted to getting the body art, according to McCurdy.
"I'm not sure what his next tattoo will be, but we both joked about how we are addicted to tattoos," he previously told E! News. "He joked, saying he's only 19, and he already has this many tattoos.
After one of Bieber's many inkings this year, Mallette admitted that she wasn't always informed about his decisions to get new tattoos. Bieber's mother found out about his "X" tattoo in the media the same way many of his fans did.
Mallette went on WLNY-TV's The Couch earlier this year where she expressed surprise concerning her son's tattoo.
"See, sometimes I find out things like this … the same way as everyone else," she told WLNY-TV host Carolina Bermudez. "I saw that like seriously five minutes before I came on [The Couch]. I was looking at something and I said, 'Is that a new tattoo?'"

subset: commoncrawl


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"Tribal Convergence is an intentional gathering of Visionary Leaders from diverse regional conscious communities coming together as one human family to cultivate right relationships between ourselves, each other, and the Earth. We are an interconnected network united by our commitment to creating and implementing new living systems to generate peace, healing,and sustainability in service to the greater service of all life…" ~ Tribal Convergence Mission Statement
.:Tribal Convergence:.
Tribal Convergence EVOlution from Akira Chan Arts on Vimeo.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]ribal Convergence has arrived at a very important time in the human story…a time where people are seeking to return to a more conscious and compassionate lifestyle. A lifestyle which honors creativity, reciprocity, and a common sense of unity with all creation. Solpurpose is honored to sit with Jamaica Jai Ma, creative director of Tribal Convergence and Convergence network – speaking on behalf of an ever expanding sacred tribe of conscious cocreators. Can you speak on what lies at the heart of this sacred gathering of kindred spirits? How did this momentous event emerge?
We are an ancient people, whose lineages dates back through the wispy veils of time beyond memory. To a time of tribal roots, living symbiotically with creation ~ Honoring reciprocity and open exchange as children of the world. In our hearts, we yearn for this shared sense of connectivity ~ of belonging to something deeper and more sacred than the broken social systems and conflicting ideologies prevalent in contemporary culture. Do you feel that being a part of a tribe is part is an innate part of our anatomy?…that sharing this world in a cooperative community is imprinted within our very DNA? And perhaps much of the worlds ails stems from fighting against this natural instinct to honor our bond?
Jamaica: Whether or not we act consciously, we are intrinsically connected to the Earth and to each other. We share this home and an innate similarity as a species. Even as our cultural perspectives change how we express ourselves in the world there is a root that we share collectively as humans, and that root is absolutely imprinted in our DNA. Science has confirmed what we intuitively know- we are creatures of connection-we naturally seek to form into groups – communities and families. This intrinsic desire to live "within the herd" is not only a human experience, all life operates on an inter-dependant web. As we have evolved in our complexity of consciousness, so have our ways and reasons for "being in a herd" also evolved. Now more than ever we are deeply woven together as One Human Family, each of our actions affecting the whole of the system. We have become inexorably linked in a way that has never before existed on this planet before …although many fail to realize this profound truth.
Many aspects of modern technology and Western Culture have become deeply disconnected from the natural world – leading us towards a rapidly decreasing quality of life for all beings on this planet. Along with the the natural world, we have become disconnected from each other. Intolerance, prejudice, and fratricide has been seen throughout history, yet it's impact on the very fabric of our existence is far more potent in these modern times due to the shear volume of occurrence. But there is an uprising of humans reclaiming the ancient ways, coming out of isolation and courageously remembering and reforging our connection to each other. We gain so much more collectively when we all offer our piece to the puzzle – our mastery and our passion. We thrive by sharing our joys and our challenges, by feeling our purpose and our value within the tribal family. We experience so much more vitality in our life when we feel in our hearts that we are at home.
The Hopi speak of this time as the return of the Rainbow Tribe. A time where the children of all races and ethnicities, social and cultural lineages, all paths and perceptions will remember their sacred connection to each other and our Mother Earth. What are your thoughts on the Rainbow Tribe prophecy? Do you feel that this powerful prophecy is coming into fruition? How does Tribal Convergence play into this calling – to return to an open hearted collective accepting of all walks and relations?
Jamaica: I KNOW with every cell of my being that this Rainbow prophecy is indeed being fulfilled, through us and through many other communities who are coming into right relations with ourselves, with each other, with the indigenous, and with the ancient new – with the Earth. Tribal Convergence is a family encompassing many different cultures, religious and spiritual practices – different ages, races, and orientations. We ARE the RainbowTribe – remembering how to live in balance again, learning how to uplift and honor our beautiful diversity. As well we are finding our common truth – a constant within all walks – to live in peace, to thrive, and to consciously sustain our families with integrity. The West Coast, as one of the last established civilizations in particular, is a melting pot and cross section of SO many Eons of ancestry and of multicultural influences. We celebrate this collective intelligence and wisdom that we carry through our bloodlines, our youth, our experience, our stories. We are re-weaving the tapestry of the One Human Family by joining our collective threads together in support, acceptance, and cooperation. At this monumental time in history, when the world is SO deeply in need of peace – we are working together to heal and make right relations again – and we know in our hearts this work matters…and Mother Earth hears our call.
The trees are dancing, the flowers whispering sweet blessings, the birds singing songs of healing and celebration…the sacred symphony of life is continuous ~ ever-present. Yet many have forgotten how to hear this timeless song…most unfortunately through no fault or choice of their own. It is difficult to learn to listen to that which has never been embraced or honored with any importance by the voices of the day. How can we open up more deeply to the blessings of nature? How can we connect more intimately to the life force of this world when many of us have grown up in a society that has forgotten or lost its connection?
Jamaica: Our first step to reconnection is Presence. By creating practices that bring us back to our present moment, allowing the mind to quiet and silence the stimulus that our current culture bombards us with – we find a deepening of our breath and the pulse of our heart again. We feel the life force, the vitality of our living body burn within our spirits ~ there with us in that timeless presence. From that space we can begin to feel gratitude once more, which is our bridge back to our connection with source and all life. When we become present and simply give thanks for this AMAZING blessing of life, for the beauty that we exist in everyday, for the opportunity to experience all that our human life offers us, something shifts fundamentally within the very core of our being. A compassionate love for all and a deeply felt connection to creation emerges from within. When we connect with the miracle that life is, the beauty of the water, the sun, the forests, the bird's song, the spiral dance of all life – every living moment becomes precious. The THINGS that seem so important and demanding of our attention begin to fade into the background as we reconnect with our truest most sacred self.
This is a time of monumental dreams and paradigm transcending visions – awakening to our highest sacred potentials of the spirit… Yet it is also a time of rediscovering the importance of simple eternal truths – the power of friendship, family, and honoring the journey and process of others with an open heart free of judgment… The importance of self-care and living as stewards of this beautiful planet? Can you speak on the importance of these simple nourishing steps on our journey of self and community realization?
Jamaica: Thriving, when we are sustained, when we are connected to our selves and our communities in a healthy, positive and balanced way, we become more generative, creative, and centered. From this, we free up our energy to offer ourselves in service to help others in turn be more creative, generative, and balanced. We see the sacred gift of the world around us and naturally want to take care and nurture what we authentically Love. We have to start first with self care and good healthy practices. When we are sick, when we are run down, we have no energy to offer to anyone else. When we start with caring for our central being and then, like concentric rings, then we may offer our energy to bring others within our communities into balance and health. As our tribe becomes more healthy and positive, we have more energy to offer to other communities.
The truth is that although some of us live an abundant life, there are MANY who are still struggling. To think that this somehow is separate from our reality or to focus our energy too much on our small groups, and say, "Well I'm fine, so let them figure it out for themselves" – is forgoing our sacred responsibility to care for our One Human Family. We have such a capacity to uplift, to bring knowledge, resources, aid, and healing to many. Until all communities thrive – then we are still collectively suffering. Even if you have peace in your land, as long as their is injustice in the world, we will all continue to live in fear. Most conflict arises from a scarcity mentality, a need to get more because of the notion there is not enough. Often this feeling is unfortunately furthered by corrupt systems and our leaders, not solved. When we redistribute and share our resources, when we offer our hands in honest service, we are ensuring that all beings have the same opportunity to prosper.
We live in a micro and macrocosm. First we sustain our own being and connect that with Source, then we link up with other beings who are also on this path of Self Love. Then we link hands with all beings and continue to support each other through honoring our individual blessing, which organically creates a collective experience of thriving. I am not going to personally solve the problems in say, Africa, yet by affecting my own self and my own circle, and continuing to expand that circle in a sustainable way to others creating vitality in their circles, we can see how our collective reality can truly transform. Yet EACH individual MUST start with the self. From that FULL place of self Love we offer our overflow for the benefit and service of others. The Chinese have a simple but potent saying; "If we all swept in front of our own door the whole world would be clean." I say, if we swept in front our door and then realized we are strong enough to assist with our neighbors, then we can get their a whole lot faster!
We dance, we sing, we laugh, we create – in a life that seems so heavy at times – in truth we are children at play. The ancients say we are the blessed eyes and voice of the universe – why is it so important to live in gratitude and celebration? How does sharing with those we love, our tribe, bring fullness to this life experience? What has Tribal Convergence helped solidify your about the need for joyous sharing?
Jamaica: So much of this life can be hard or challenging, so much that we have endured and continue to inflict upon ourselves is heavy, burdensome, and troubling. Yet, even in the midst of this struggle, it is VITAL to keep gratitude for the beauty of life in our hearts. Our perspective and thoughts shape our reality, what we focus on becomes what the predominance of this experience of life entails. There is a real need in the face of so much adversity and grief over the state of certain atrocities in the world to HONOR the beauty, to recognize our gifts, to express our creativity and our joys, to say YES to our lives!! The more that each day is imbued with a sense of celebration- of each moment being an opportunity to rise up collectively singing our the love in our hearts – the more it blossoms…and the more our life reflects and mirrors back this truth to all we know. Not every day will be "rainbows and unicorns", but to cultivate joy brings us strength through the rough patches, brings us a way to honor what is right with the world and also what we have endured along the way.
Truly I believe that we are GOOD at our core, that LOVE is the very essence of our being. Celebration through song, through dance, through ritual, through laughter is what connects us to that Love, that Source of our being. It is Love that makes this life a miracle. And it is within a tribe of compassionate hearts, in this space of trusted sharing and infinite potentiality, that we recognize the truth meaning of being alive…to share in this blessing together…and to THRIVE.
.:Convergence Network:.
Throughout the globe many visionary pods are taking form ~ offering conscious sustainable platforms for living in harmony with each other and our world. However, due to perhaps the lack of supportive mediums to proliferate these beautiful contributions to humanity in a more expansive light ~ many of these projects fall into relative obscurity, isolated within small communities. Yet recently you along with an amazing tribe of visionary minds and compassionate hearts have introduced a new platform designed to branch together these conscious communities together under one network. Can you tell us about the Convergence Network? How did the ideas for this innovative platform first take root?
Jamaica: The Convergence Network mission is to weave a synergistic web of social architects activated in their individual organizations to bring about generative living systems for the benefit of all.c Through web services, conscious media, inspiring events, leadership councils, and alliance partnerships – we are in service to educate and empower communities to live in right relation with the earth and our global human family. We serve as a hub space for organizations and leaders to align, creating an opportunity to collaborate on projects and share collective intelligence about new systems and ideas. We hold solution sessions to bring leaders and innovators together and then offer a host of projects and services to support community development.
The idea for this Network came from my work with Tribal Convergence and all of the amazing leaders I was meeting. What I found was that there are so many people and organizations working on similar projects and ideas. I felt it was of vital importance to bring these elements together – to catalyze, synergize and exponentiate their efforts as One Family.
How can we successfully unite creative initiatives throughout the globe while still honoring the integrity of each others work and reciprocating abundance and support in a balanced fashion?
Jamaica: What appears to be emerging is the remembrance of how to support the macrocosm by anchoring in the sustainability of the microcosm. What I mean is, that if on local or individual organizational levels, we are sovereign, generative, holistic, and thriving, then we can begin to share from our full cup with our neighbors and other communities. From that place of expansion and abundance, we can link arms and support broader outreach efforts in a balanced fashion. Concentric rings of support always from the wholeness of the center. Because of course, what we are collective rediscovering is that we are all DEEPLY interconnected and need eachother to thrive. We are awakening to the truth that this planet is an interdependent realm in its conception, whether it's our environment, our commerce, our resources, we are woven together in such a way that our thoughts, words, and actions directly affect all life.
We are like the human body, each individual cell or organ or vessel is unique and sovereign unto itself with a particular function that is necessary for the viability of the whole. Yet, we are currently opperating as a dis-eased organism, fighting eachother and not communicating, not cooperating for the sake of the whole. This simply has to end as a way of being on this planet- or we will not survive. Good news is that like a wildfire, humans all around this globe are awakening to this fact and choosing to come into harmonious balance – choosing to collaborate, cooperate, create solutions, and reach across lines and barriers to welcome and embrace the commonality within the beautiful diversity ~ which is essential for a sustained way of living. The short is, when we work together, we all benefit. Convergence Network is just one example of people and organizations choosing to share their efforts to be in service to unity. And the key is sharing within a platform that at its very foundation has been developed with a model based on higher principles of integrity and respect – to ensure all who take part in the exchange are honored with adequate resources.
"The Convergence Network is a synergistic web of social architects activated in their organizations to foster and collaborate on new living systems for the benefit of the Human Family. Through web services, inspiring events, leadership councils, and alliance partnerships, we are in service to educating and empowering communities to live in right relations with the earth and our global human family." ~ The Convergence Network Mission Statement
What steps does a visionary organization have to take to become a part of the Convergence network?
Jamaica: First by an organization simply needs to agree to the core root principals of being in right relation. Essentially having an organization that operates under a core mission to be in service to empowering, educating, and inspiring. Then, an organization would visit theconvergencenetwork.org and tribalconvergence.com.
In these websites you can get a better understanding of who we are. On the Convergence Network site in particular there is a tab for affilites that gives futher information about what we offer and how to participate.
An initiative of such immense proportions certainly needs some form of organizational or governing body. What approach have you taken to incorporating a sustainable system of responsible and honorable leadership at the heart of this program?
Jamaica: We operate with a base structure following the Dynamic Governance and Holographic model, which are organizational tools that use Sacred Geometry and nature as guiding principals. We work with a core council of 8-9 people that shares accountability and responsibility for various aspects of our creative mapping, decision making, and organization of initiatives. Each member of Core Council is "holding" a particular function and acts as the voice representing that area in our meetings, yet we also weave and collaborate on eachothers areas, sharing our ideas and creative solutions with the collective. This core council works intimately with a Lead council of 8-9 people that supports the implementation and vital functioning of different facets of our organization, acting as liaisons or team leads to the various "Actions" or programs that the Convergence Network offers. They help inform the decision making of the Core Council by representing their team. We have various Action Teams that are responsible for co-creating and carrying out the actions or projects of the Network, informing the Lead and Core Councils of key issues or needs, and receiving guidance and support in return. We also work with a Source council that creates the energetic and spiritual support to our grounded action based work.
Along with this core 3 part concentric council and Action Teams we support regional groups to self govern and create sovereign regional nodes of leadership that then have a voice in our shared interest and alliance. We utilize Convergence Network and the Tribal Convergence as hub spaces to support, empower, educate, inform, and cohesively align these regional actions within the context of a larger system. By supporting the microcosm of individual teams or regions and creating feedback systems that carry information back to a centralized place that then links the collective intelligence to the macrocosm – we have a top down, bottom up approach to empower collaborative and accountable action without a traditional hierarchical leadership system. While we don't operate by traditional political models or pure consensus decision making, we do operate on trust and respect, which allows us to disagree or offer varying opinions and to find our way to cooperative decisions that most of the Councils can support as being mutually beneficial.
Tribal Convergence from Akira Chan Arts on Vimeo.
Many are feeling an immense call to link arms in solidarity ~ to reach out to brothers and sisters who share common dreams and goals and begin collaborative efforts bringing a vital new culture of trusted sharing into the hearth of our story. Yet it seems that perhaps these groups may not have to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak in getting a solid footing on how this can be accomplished with integrity and love at the core. A deep bow in love and gratitude to the efforts of Tribal Convergence and Convergence Network for fulfilling this pivotal role! What projects does Tribal Convergence hold for the near future? What are the long term goals of this initiative? For those that are interested, what ways can communities assist in aiding the dreams of Tribal Convergence and Convergence Network come into fruition while simultaneously supporting the manifestation of their own visions?
Jamaica: Oh my! There is SO much happening. We have our first in a series of Convergence Network Solution Sessions in March which are focused work sessions to inform, strategize collective solutions, collaborate on projects,and fortify the relationships of various Affiliates and CN leaders.
- We are working on producing a Global Wisdom Council in alliance as a programming partner for the Global Summit happening this August focusing of global solutions to human flourishing.
- We are implementing the Visionary Forum Program which brings Tribal Convergence and Convergence Network leaders & wisdom keepers to West Coast festivals in the form of workshops based on sharing our models/ methodology/ values, empowering emerging leadership, creating collaborative sessions for participants, and creating an opportunity for networking.
- Along with the Visionary Forum, we are offering Tribe Talks, a video sharing platform allowing festival participants an opportunity to personally share their projects, their passion, their visions with the world.
- We are working on producing our next Tribal Convergence event which will gather West Coast leaders together in British Columbia this June.
- We are taking Tribal Convergence and Convergence Network to Burning Man by collaborating with Red Lightning and running the Entelechy workshop programming and the sacred tipi's in August.
- We are actively engaging and supporting several conscious media projects, along with some innovative social technology projects to be unveiled as they develop.
- We are creating virtual platforms for networking and sharing collective intelligence and using our web presence to cross pollinate many exciting projects, festivals, and organizations.
- We are working on some alternative education platforms, community development projects, and alternative currency initiatives to offer through our Network.
- We are working with an Organization in South America that is doing very similar works to build the international bridge of collaborative alliance and global partnership.
Truly, there are many other endeavors that are being sparked by the Convergence Network. As an emergent organization we offer a fresh template for many seasoned innovators, creators, visionaries, conscious organizations to bring their mastery and wisdom to the formation of this hub space innervating networks within networks.
We are always looking for allies and affiliates who want to join our efforts. We are inviting communities, organizations, transformational festivals, and leaders of the new paradigm to participate in the network and share the mutual reciprocity of collaboration. We are actively seeking sponsors, donations, and funding sources to continue to offer our projects in a generative way that supports the people who are devoted to bringing this Network forward in service to the whole.
For more information on how to support our efforts, people can write to theconvergencenetwork@ gmail.com
On behalf of Solpurpose, I offer our sincere love and gratitude to you Jamaica Stevens, and to all of the compassionate hearts and minds guiding Tribal Convergence and the Convergence Network forward at this critical juncture in the human story. At the core of our being, we believe this is a great and sacred opportunity in the maturation of our species – to rediscover our inherent bond with one another, our world, and the source light that guides our footsteps before they manifest – and take that sacred fire and create in balance for greater good of the whole. S0 in the spirit of common~unity, we salute your efforts with a cheer of solidarity in assisting this momentous cause in any capacity we are able moving onward. And we look onward with great love and joy to all the wondrous initiatives to come!
Interview By Ehren Ehren of Solpurpose and Jamaica Jai Ma of TC and CN


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Managing Life on a Budget
Living on Your Own: Managing Life on a Budget
For many new college grads, one of the hardest transitions is to the real world is living on a budget.
Think you don't need a budget? Consider these typical living expenses you'll be facing:
- Apartment/Housing costs (rent/mortgage payments — and never more than 2 weeks of your salary)
- Phone (land-line, mobile) monthly charges
- Electric/Gas monthly (and set-up/deposit)
- Cable/Satellite monthly (and set-up)
- Daily transportation costs (car payments, parking, public transportation, gas, tolls, maintenance, etc.)
- Insurance payments (car, home/renters, life, health)
- Personal/healthcare expenses (health clubs, co-payments, etc.)
- Clothing budget
- Furnishings budget
- Credit card monthly payments
- Student loan monthly payments
- Entertainment/Social budget
- Food/living budget
- Business/Professional Fees/Memberships
- Investing/Savings plan
- Taxes
- Misc./Other expenses
Most experts give the following percentages as guidelines for budgeting. In terms of annual spending…
- Housing: 25-30 percent
- Food: 20-25 percent
- Transportation: 10-20 percent
- Personal Debt: 10 to 20 percent
- Insurance and Taxes: 5 to 15 percent
- Clothing/Personal Care: 5 to 10 percent
- Utilities: 5 percent
- Entertainment: 5 percent
- Savings: 5 percent
- Miscellaneous: 1-5 percent
Lost? Go to the Map of the Real World Tutorial: A Guide for Achieving Success After College.
Have you checked out the rest of the great free career and job-related tutorials offered on Quintessential Careers?
Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.


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Okay, I'm better now.
Anyway, any big plans? Camping? Picnics? Just another weekend for ya?
Let's get down to Five Question Friday!
Welcome to Five Question Friday!! You've come to the right place if you want a fun, easy post or if you've suddenly discovered your muses have up and run away, being it's the last weekend of summer and all.
Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!
Oh, and remember (pay close attention...this is the important one)...HAVE FUN!
Questions for Friday, August 31st: (Special thanks to Pam (@trooppetrie) from Troop Petrie (TWO questions!! Pam is always an awesome question offerer upper, thanks Pam!), Ellen (Tracy) (@StandandbStrong) from , Kristin (@kasmith03) from The Smith Family Journey, and Scott (@thisdaddys_blog) from This Daddy's Blog for these 5QF question suggestions! I would love to link you in a future 5QF, so come on over to my community or watch for my Thursday afternoon shout out for questions on Twitter and offer up your best question suggestions! Remember to @5crookedhalos me and use hashtag #5QF if you go the Twitter route!)
1. What do you enjoy doing the most with your spouse?
2. How do you eat your taco? From the top or from the side?
3. Have you ever shut off the basement light and ran like a fool because you knew someone was down there and would get you?
4. If you could change one thing about you what would it be and why?
5. What age do you think is appropriate to have the "bird and the bees" talk with your children?
1. What do you enjoy doing the most with your spouse?
Um. Ahem. Folks, this is a family show. We can't talk about things like that. ;)
Kidding. Well, not really, but you know.
I love talking with him. Hashing out the world's problems and concluding that the only thing that is right in this world, is us. ;) Kidding.
Being married is really one of the most wonderful (and difficult) things in the whole world. Spending everyday with your best friend, the person who knows you best, the one with whom you can totally and completely be yourself...it's amazing.
I guess, really, what I love most is just being with him. Spending time in silence or talking, just being. I love it.
2. How do you eat your taco? From the top or from the side?
Ha! What a fun question...from the side. Mostly. But my mouth isn't big enough to take down the top with each bite, so I need to go at it from the top every so often, too.
My favorite way to eat a taco is as a salad. I have a little secret to tell you...something that you will thank me for forever and ever. The next time you have a taco salad, put a little Western dressing and some Miracle Whip on it.
So. Delicious.
Great. Now I want a taco salad.
3. Have you ever shut off the basement light and ran like a fool because you knew someone was down there and would get you?
Wait. This isn't normal behavior? You mean, not everyone does this?
Heck yes, I do!! Seriously, that serial killer is just biding his time, waiting to grab your ankle and make you his next victim if you don't move too quickly.
What's even worse? Shutting off the light and then getting to bed because HELLO!! That serial killer is now UNDER your bed, just waiting to grab your leg as you leap (oh, come on...you're telling me you don't LEAP into bed when it's dark? Liar.) into bed.
So, yes. Always I run like a fool. And look?! I'm still alive.
4. If you could change one thing about you what would it be and why?
One physical thing? I'm "mole-y". My skin is yucky...all speckled and mole-ful (not to mention break out prone). So, one physical thing is to change my skin.
Or my short legs.
One "me" thing? I'd like to magically become less lazy overnight. I know, I CAN change this (and believe you me, it's something I fight daily) but it's just so much better to lounge on the couch than it is to scrub the floors.
5. What age do you think is appropriate to have the "bird and the bees" talk with your children?
This was in interesting Twitter debate.
One upon a time my BIL and SIL told me that they read that 9 is the best age and I thought they were high on crack. NINE?!?!?!? But then, I considered their reasoning...because, as a parent, it is better to give your child the CORRECT information first than for them to hear the INCORRECT information from school friends.
Now, let me tell you...Belle and Dubya had been hearing the "s" word on the bus and at school, at ages 9 and 7, and because I firmly believe in the above theory, I brought it up to them and we had a very good (and thorough) discussion on sex. Did I want to tell my 7 year old about sex? No, but because of the situation, I wanted him to be informed by ME, not the bus kids or the school kids.
Me. His parent. The person from whom he can trust to get correct and complete information from.
Establishing a foundation of trust for the future. And let me tell you, this "organic" conversation was WAY easier than the "forced" one I had with Pal at 11, because he had never brought it up or asked, I felt it was time for him to know.
I have always been very open with my kids on matters of the body...I never shriek or yell or jump all over them if they walk in on me in the bathroom, even if it's mid-tampon change (sorry, men, for that word) so since they've been very young, they've been given information on women's bodies, how they work and why we bleed every month.
A period is a matter of fact. It's a bodily function...so in my book, not talking to your kids about it or hiding it or sugar coating it or ignoring it is just like not talking about pooping. Or farting. Or burping.
A period isn't a bad thing. It's a natural thing. A NORMAL thing...and I treat it that way.
It's lead to very open discussions with my "pre-pubescent" daughter on what she can expect from her body. It's allowed us to shop for her "emergency kit" to be prepared for that time, and to shop without embarrassment or shame.
Ultimately, it has to be at the parent's comfort level...but "too early" is way better than "too late" in my book. Within reason, of course...I wasn't about to give Baby Girl more details when, at 4, she asked and was persistent about "but mama, HOW does the daddy help get the baby in there?".
Yeah...four was too young for me!
And with that, I hope y'all enjoy your last weekend of summer!


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This section contains the procedure you need to verify that you installed and configured your data service correctly.
On a cluster member, become superuser or assume a role that provides solaris.cluster.modify RBAC authorization.
Ensure all the Samba resources are online.
# cluster status
Enable any Samba or winbind resource that is not online.
# clresource enable samba-resource
Switch the Samba resource group to another cluster node.
# clresourcegroup switch -n node samba-resource-group


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Ajax Messages
Main Employee Record in ERP.
Assist in day to day operational Task.
should able to handle issues of junior staff (sweepers, Guards)
knowledge of dealing with international clients, customer is preferable.
International Petrochemicals (Private) Limited specializes in international trade and distribution of petrochemical products. We are dedicated to helping customers meet their requirements of industrial raw materials. We work with leading manufacturers in the field of marketing & distribution. Intern ...مزید پڑھیں


text: Last night in the chatroom, Suzanne Revy, jnanian and I discussed the possiblity of another NE-APUG get together. I offered the use of the Valley Photo Center, here in Springfield, as a meeting placce. The possible dates for this was Sat. Nov 19 or Sun. Nov 20 (I forget which day they both thought was better). We can meet and show each other our prints; figure out some place local to ply our photographic skills or just hang out and throw the bull about! So how abouts it... anyone interested? Let me know by posting here. I have meet a few of the NE-APUG'ers, but there are many more out there that I haven't have the pleasure of meeting. Thanks in advance. gene


text: Donald Davidson, Astros executive, on the dastardly charge that Yogi Berra looks funny in an Astros uniform: ''Yogi looks funny in any uniform.'' . . . Little Bird Dept.: Impending move of Florida Citrus Bowl to New Year's Day exposure has Disney World interested, thankfully, in producing the game's halftime show. Disney did the show a couple of times, and all subsequent attempts have come off amateurish by comparison. . . . Sentinel staffer Russ White kiddingly suggested to Ted Williams that James Garner should be the actor to play Ted in the forthcoming movie of his life. ''He's awfully good- looking,'' responded The Splinter. ''He may not want to play me.'' . . . George Steinbrenner, who wowed them as usual at the Boys Club dinner here Wednesday night, tells this story about the headache of athletes/agents: A certain Yankees player pulled George aside and asked for help in landing a job for his wife. George arranged for the wife's job and then sent word that he wanted to talk with the player. Instead, the player's agent called. ''I understand you want to talk to my client.'' Said George: ''Well, I did, but you can tell him to forget it.''


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Members of both the Bladensburg Fire Department and Police Department are mourning a local hero.
Police say Officer Brian Johnson was driving eastbound on Route 100 in Pasadena, Md., Saturday morning when he crossed the median and struck a car traveling westbound. He was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police say the other driver was treated and released at the scene.
The medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound to the chest and the manner of death a suicide.
Johnson was a nine-year veteran of the Bladensburg Police Department. He was also a volunteer firefighter for Bladensburg for 15 years.
The Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department released the following statement:
It is with the deepest of regrets, through heavy hearts and many tears our family has lost a great fireman and Bladensburg Police Dept. has lost a great Police Officer/Detective. We shall forever remember the great times and the many things that you have taught to so many of our firefighters over the years.
Our deepest condolences to Keri and the children, Mom and Dad, Brother and all the rest of the family, extended fire department family and our Brothers in Blue who protect us. Bladensburg Police and police family.
May God shed his light on you as a shining star, watching over all of us
is a huge challenge but one we know you'll fill with tremendous
confidence. Till we meet again.....
Bladensburg Police Chief Charles Owens also spoke on Johnson's death.
"Today, our family lost a cherished member," he said. "Private First Class Brian Johnson was a dedicated public servant to the Bladensburg community. He will be missed by all."


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Sanaa, Oct 6 (IANS) At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday when a rocket-propelled grenade hit a hotel which houses members of the government of Yemen's deposed President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in the port city of Aden, the media reported.
According to officials, 12 people, including several soldiers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were killed in the attack.
So far, no Yemeni government officials were confirmed to have been among the dead, security sources in Aden told CNN.
Prime Minister Bahah is among the officials who reside at the Al Qasr Hotel in the southern port city. It was not immediately clear if Bahah was at the hotel during the attack.


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In an unexpected move, DirecTV has opened up its NFL Sunday Ticket broadband package up to everyone, even non-DirecTV subscribers.
The catch? Fans can expect to pay $350 for the privilege of watching all of the NFL games on their computer, iPad or iPhone this season.
Still, it is a vast improvement over previous years, which required a DirecTV subscription with the NFL Sunday Ticket package-an investment of thousands of dollars.
The move puts the NFL slightly more in line with what Major League Baseball offers online via its MLB.tv service. Both Sunday ticket and MLB.tv feature all out of market games live and in high quality, via both computers and mobile devices.
MLB.tv has the advantage of costing about half as much, and features far more games, considering the 30 teams and 162-game season.
Still, for hardcore NFL fans that could not or would not get DirecTV, the new plan lets them follow their favorite team wherever they are. For many, that is a very big deal.


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One of the good things about the NIKE Training Camps is that it gives many underclassmen a chance to see where they stack up against some of the best senior talent. That was the case for St. Louis DeSmet Jesuit star athlete junior Wes Kemp.
Kemp, who measured in at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, looked great at Friday's Columbus NIKE Training Camp, but a slightly tweaked groin kept him from starring in the one-on-ones and running his best times. Still for Kemp, it was a great opportunity to see where he stacks up.
"I learned there is more competition outside of St. Louis," Kemp, who managed to still run a 4.70 40-yard dash time despite the injury, said. "Back home, I'm the big fish in a little pond, but on the national scene like the camp here it's a whole different story because everybody is just as big and just as strong as you.
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"This showed me that you have to stay hungry and humble."
Kemp averaged almost 25 yards a reception as a sophomore, putting him on the map as quite possibly the top prospect in the Show Me State for the class of 2008. He was hoping to show coaches and observers at last Friday's camp that he was for sure No. 1 but he said that injury slowed him down too much, and he wasn't able to do one-on-ones.
Nonetheless, there's little doubt the strong, physical and fast receiver will be a big-time prospect to keep your eye on next fall.
"I'm very excited to be known as one of the top players in Missouri, but I just want to try and stay humble," he said. "This really made me hungry because I know now what it's like on the national scene. I'll take that back to St. Louis and keep working hard and try to be one of the best in the nation."
The recruiting attention has already started.
"I get letters every day from," he said. "I really like Notre Dame, Stanford and Mizzou, too. Mizzou says that I'll be an early offer guy. My dad, my brother and my sister went there, so there's some pressure to go there. I just want to pick a school that I'll fit in the best at."


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Doxorubicin (Dox) is a chemotherapeutic agent that causes significant cardiotoxicity. We showed previously that Dox activates p53 and induces apoptosis in mouse hearts. This study was designed to elucidate the molecular events that lead to p53 stabilization, to examine the pathways involved in Dox-induced apoptosis, and to evaluate the effectiveness of pifithrin-α (PFT-α), a p53 inhibitor, in blocking apoptosis of rat H9c2 myoblasts. H9c2 cells that were exposed to 5 μM Dox had elevated levels of p53 and phosphorylated p53 at Ser15. Dox also triggered a transient activation of p38, p42/p44ERK, and p46/p54JNK MAP kinases. Caspase activity assays and Western blot analysis showed that H9c2 cells treated with Dox for 16 h had marked increase in the levels of caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, -12, Fas, and cleaved poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP). There was a concomitant increase in p53 binding activity, cytochrome c release, and apoptosis. These results suggest that Dox can trigger intrinsic, extrinsic, and endoplasmic reticulum-associated apoptotic pathways. Pretreatment of cells with PFT-α followed by Dox administration attenuated Dox-induced increases in p53 levels and p53 binding activity and partially blocked the activation of p46/p54JNK and p42/p44ERK. PFT-α also led to decreased levels of caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, -12, Fas, PARP, cytochrome c release, and apoptosis. Our results suggest that p53 stabilization is a focal point of Dox-induced apoptosis and that PFT-α interferes with multiple steps of Dox-induced apoptosis.
- p53
- phosphorylated p53
- mitogen-activated protein kinase
- caspases
doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has been widely used for the treatment of acute leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and solid tumors (16, 34, 61). Unfortunately, its effectiveness is limited by its severe cardiotoxicity (21, 45). The prevailing hypothesis for the mechanism of Dox-induced cardiotoxicity includes free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation and alteration of membrane integrity (51, 60). Recent studies suggest that apoptosis plays an important role in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity (1, 8, 20, 54, 65).
Although there are many factors that could mediate apoptosis in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity, we showed in a previous study that Dox-induced apoptosis is at least partially mediated by p53 (32). p53 is a pivotal transcription factor that is involved in cell growth and differentiation (46). In response to stresses such as ionizing radiation, hypoxia, or DNA-damaging agents, p53 mediates cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, or apoptosis to eliminate damaged cells from the organism (11, 41, 58). Proapoptotic proteins Bax, Puma, Noxa, and Bid have been identified as p53 target genes (37, 40, 44, 55). An oligonucleotide array analysis revealed a number of p53 target genes that can be categorized as cell cycle arrest related (p21, GADD45, 14–3-3σ), apoptosis related (FAS, DR5), or oxidative stress related (superoxide dismutase, Pig 3) (71).
The stability of p53 is controlled by posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation and acetylation. Multiple phosphorylation sites have been identified on the NH2-terminal end of p53. However, the most well-studied phosphorylation site is Ser 15, which is known to be essential for the transactivation of p53. Phosphorylation of p53 could be mediated by DNA protein kinase (26, 66), ATM (2, 5), ATR (62), p38 (17, 57), p42/p44ERK (49, 69), p46/p54JNK (4, 36), Chk1 (59), and Chk2 (15).
Pifithrin-α (PFT-α) is a reversible inhibitor of p53 that has been shown to mediate antiapoptotic effects in several in vitro and in vivo systems (13). It was first reported by Komarov et al. (22) to block p53 transactivation and protect mice from the side effects of cancer therapy. Subsequently, Culmsee et al. (7) showed that PFT-α protected neurons from excitotoxic and ischemic insults by blocking Bax expression and mitochondrial dysfunction. Most recently, our study showed that PFT-α could protect cardiac functions in mice by inhibiting apoptosis (32).
The present study was designed to examine the consequences of p53 inhibition by PFT-α on Dox-induced apoptosis in rat embryonic myocardial H9c2 cells. These cells were chosen because they have been used to study the cellular mechanisms and pathways that are involved in oxidative stress and energy deprivation. They have also been used to study the mechanism of Dox-induced cardiotoxicity (27). We hypothesized that PFT-α can attenuate Dox-induced apoptosis by inhibiting p53 phosphorylation, thus preventing the activation of p53 downstream events such as caspase activation.
Cell culture and materials.
Rat embryonic ventricular myocardial H9c2 cells were obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA). Cells were cultured in DMEM (GIBCO, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2 mM l-glutamine, and 25 μg/ml gentamicin at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. Dox was purchased from Sigma Chemical (St. Louis, MO). Fetal bovine serum was obtained from Biosource International (Camarillo, CA). PFT-α, digitonin, SB-203580, PD-98059, and SP-600125 were products of Calbiochem (La Jolla, CA). Antibodies against phospho-site-specific p53 at Ser-15, active caspase-3, active caspase-9, poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP), phospho-site-specific p42/p44ERK, total p38, total p42/p44ERK, and total p46/p54JNK were obtained from Cell Signaling Technology (Beverly, MA). Monoclonal caspase-8, caspase-2L, p53, Fas, phospho-site-specific p38, and phospho-site-specific p46/p54JNK antibodies were obtained from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). Rat monoclonal caspase-12 antibodies were from Dr. Junying Yuan of Harvard Medical School. Mouse monoclonal cytochrome c and actin antibodies were purchased from Molecular Probes (Eugene, OR) and Sigma Chemical, respectively. Secondary antibodies were obtained from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories (West Grove, PA).
Western blot analysis.
Near confluent H9c2 cells (4 × 106) in 100-mm dishes were incubated with DMEM containing 0.5% FBS for 16 h so that the cells were semiquiescent. Dox was added directly to the conditioned medium at a final concentration of 5 μM for a designated period. In experiments that involved PFT-α, cells were pretreated with 20 μM PFT-α during the serum starvation period. Cells were harvested in a buffer containing 20 mM Tris·HCl (pH 7.8); 137 mM NaCl; 15% glycerol; 1% Triton X-100; 2 μg/ml each of leupeptin, aprotinin, and pepstatin; 2 mM benzamidine; 20 mM NaF; 10 mM sodium pyrophosphate; 1 mM sodium vanadate; 25 mM β-glycerophosphate; and 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Protein concentration was determined by Bio-Rad protein assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). Aliquots of 30 μg of lysates were electrophoresed on 12% SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Western blot analysis was carried out with primary antibodies at 4°C overnight. Appropriate secondary antibodies conjugated to horseradish peroxidase were then added for 1.5 h. Antigen-antibody complex was detected by using enhanced chemiluminescence reagent (Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ). Band density was measured by AlphaEase Image Analysis Software (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA).
Caspase activity assays.
H9c2 cells (4 × 106) in 100-mm dishes were treated with 5 μM Dox and/or 20 μM PFT-α for 16 h. Cells were scraped into ice-cold PBS, washed twice with PBS, and resuspended in a lysis buffer containing 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 0.1% CHAPS, 0.1 mM EDTA, and 5 mM dithiothreitol (DTT). Protein concentration was determined by Bio-Rad protein assay. Caspase-2, -3, -8, and -9 activities were assayed using fluorogenic substrates (Ac-VDVAD-AMC for caspase-2, AcDEVD-AMC for caspase-3-like, AcIETD-AMC for caspase-8, and AcLEHD-AMC for caspase-9). Reaction mixture contained 70 μ1 of 1 × reaction buffer (50 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 100 mM NaCl, 0.1% CHAPS, 10 mM DTT, 1 mM EDTA, 10% glycerol), 20 μl of cell lysates (30 μg protein), and 10 μl of substrate (0.3 mM). Reaction was carried out at 37°C for 3 h. On cleavage of substrates by caspases, free AMC was read in a Tecan fluorescence plate reader (excitation 360 nm, emission 465 nm). Results were expressed as relative fluorescence units per microgram protein per hour.
Cytochrome c release.
Cells (6 × 105) grown in 35-mm dishes were treated with Dox and/or PFT-α for 16 h. Mitochondria were isolated by the digitonin permeabilization method as described by Leist et al. (28). This method avoided the disruption of mitochondrial membrane by mechanical grinding. Digitonin is a weak nonionic detergent. At low concentrations, it can permeabilize plasma membrane and release cytosolic components from cells. Briefly, H9c2 cells were permeabilized with a buffer containing 210 mM mannitol, 70 mM sucrose, 10 mM HEPES, pH 7.8, 5 mM succinate, 0.2 mM EGTA, 0.15% BSA, and 80 μg/ml digitonin, on ice for 5 min. Cells were centrifuged at 12,000 g for 10 min, and 5 μg of the supernatant was separated on 12% SDS-PAGE. Western blotting was carried out with cytochrome c antibodies. A duplicate blot was probed with actin antibodies to check for protein loading.
Electrophoretic mobility shift assays.
H9c2 cells (4 × 106) in DMEM containing 10% FBS were treated with or without 5 μM Dox and/or 20 μM PFT-α for 5 h. Nuclear extracts were prepared by a Nuclear Extraction kit (Active Motif, Carlsbad, CA), and protein concentration was determined by Bio-Rad dye-binding method. Synthetic consensus p53 binding sequence (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was end-labeled with [γ-32P]ATP by T4 polynucleotide kinase (Promega, Madison, WI). Binding reactions were carried out in a final volume of 10 μl containing 5 μg of nuclear extract, 10 mM HEPES, pH 7.9, 4 mM Tris·HCl, 60 mM KCl, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM DTT, 10% glycerol, and 32P-labeled probe. Reactions were incubated at room temperature for 30 min. DNA-protein complex was separated on a 5% polyacrylamide gel in 0.5 × TBE (1 × TBE: 0.045 M Tris-borate, 1 mM EDTA). Gel was dried and exposed to Kodak BioMax films. For supershift assays, 1 μg of anti-p53 antibody (clone Ab421, Oncogene Research Products, San Diego, CA) was included in the reaction.
Apoptosis assays.
Quantitative analysis of apoptosis was performed with a Cell Death ELISA plus kit (Roche, Indianapolis, IN). Cells (5 × 104) were plated in 48-well dishes, changed to DMEM containing 0.5% FBS for 16 h, and treated with Dox and/or PFT-α for 7 h. Cells were lysed with 0.2 ml lysis buffer provided in the kit at room temperature for 20 min. Quantities of histone-associated DNA fragments (mononucleosomes and oligonucleosomes) were determined by absorbance at 405 nm with a Tecan microplate reader.
Statistical analysis.
Statistical analyses were performed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple comparison test to show differences between means. Data were represented as means ± SE. P < 0.05 was considered significant.
To explore the effects of Dox on p53 levels, serum-starved H9c2 cells were treated with 5 μM Dox for different time periods. This concentration was chosen because it reproduces the plasma peak level achieved in patients receiving standard infusions of Dox (12). In our study, Dox triggered a time-dependent increase of p53 (Fig. 1A).
Because the stability of p53 is regulated by posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation, and because phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 is known to be essential for the transactivation of p53, we studied the effect of Dox on the level of phosphorylated p53 at Ser15. Western blot analysis was carried out with a specific antibody against phospho-p53 at Ser15. Figure 1B shows that Dox treatment led to a time-dependent increase of phospho-p53 at Ser15. Densitometric analysis demonstrated an increase of 3.3-fold and 4.7-fold after 30 min and 4 h of Dox treatment, respectively.
To determine whether MAP kinases (MAPKs) are affected by Dox administration, Western blot analysis was carried out with antibodies against phospho-site-specific MAPKs, including p38, p42/p44ERK, and p46/p54JNK. In addition, Western blot analysis was carried out with antibodies against total p38, p42/p44ERK, and p46/p54JNK. We found that Dox induced a transient increase in phosphorylation of all three MAPKs. Phosphorylation of p38 reached a peak 10 min after Dox treatment, after which phosphorylation returned to baseline. Pretreatment of H9c2 cells with 20 μM of a specific p38 inhibitor, SB-203580, completely blocked the elevation in phospho-p38 level (Fig. 2A). This concentration of SB-203580 was chosen according to the experimental design of a previous study (6).
Phosphorylation of p42/p44ERK and p46/p54JNK reached a peak 30 min after Dox treatment, after which phosphorylation returned to baseline. The elevation in p42/p44ERK and p46/p54JNK levels was abolished by 20 μM PD-98059 and 10 μM SP-600125, which are specific inhibitors of p42/p44ERK and p46/p54JNK, respectively (Fig. 2, B and C). The concentrations of these inhibitors were chosen according to the experimental design of previous studies (3, 47). These results indicated that Dox can transiently activate all three MAPKs. It is noted that 20 μM PD-98059 by itself induces the phosphorylation of p42/p44ERK. In addition, 10 μM SP-600125 seems to have a slight effect on JNK protein content.
We next explored the effect of PFT-α, a chemical inhibitor of p53, on Dox-induced levels of p53 and phospho-p53. H9c2 cells were treated with Dox in the presence or absence of PFT-α for 8 h. The levels of p53 and phospho-p53 at Ser15 were determined by Western blot analysis. We found that Dox-induced upregulation of p53 and phospho-p53 (Ser15) could be attenuated by PFT-α (Fig. 3).
To identify which MAPK is affected by PFT-α, we treated H9c2 cells with Dox in the presence or absence of PFT-α for 10 min or 30 min. Densitometric analysis revealed that at 30 min of treatment, PFT-α partially blocked Dox-induced phosphorylation of p42/p44ERK and p46/p54JNK (Fig. 4). However, PFT-α had no effect on the phospho-p38 level (results not shown).
Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that p53 binding activity was induced after Dox treatment for 5 h (Fig. 5, lanes 1 and 2). PFT-α itself did not affect DNA binding activity of p53 (Fig. 5, lane 3). The addition of PFT-α attenuated Dox-induced p53 binding activity (Fig. 5, lane 4). In the presence of p53 antibody Ab421, a supershifted p53 complex was generated (Fig. 5, lane 5).
The effect of Dox on caspase activation was studied in H9c2 cells that were treated with Dox with or without PFT-α for 16 h. In these experiments, caspase-2, -3, -8, and -9 activities were measured by using specific fluorogenic substrates (Ac-VDVAD-AMC, Ac-DEVD-AMC, Ac-IETD-AMC, and Ac-LEHD-AMC). Results revealed that Dox activated caspases-2, -3, -8, and -9 by 3.77-, 2.1-, 2.2-, and 4.7-fold, respectively. The addition of PFT-α along with Dox partially suppressed these enzyme activities (Fig. 6, A–D). It is interesting to note that PFT-α by itself could significantly block the endogenous level of caspase-3 (Fig. 6B).
To investigate the expression of caspases and other apoptosis-related genes at the protein level, lysates were prepared from H9c2 cells treated with Dox and/or PFT-α for 8 h. This time point was chosen because there was some caspase activation in the control cells at 12 or 16 h as a result of low serum; this basal level of caspase activation would have interfered with the interpretation of any results derived from Dox-treated lysates prepared at 12 or 16 h. Western blot analysis was carried out with specific antibodies against caspases-2L, -3, -8, -9, -12, PARP, Fas, and actin. Caspases-2, -8, and -9 are initiator caspases (10, 38, 64) and caspase-3 is an executioner caspase (42), whereas caspase-12 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated caspase (39). Activation of caspases-2L, -3, and -9 was detected with antibodies that recognize the 12-, 20-, and 17-kDa fragments of the respective active enzymes. Activation of caspases-2L, -3 and -9 was attenuated with the addition of PFT-α (Fig. 7). Procaspase-8 was barely detectable in untreated cells. After Dox treatment, there was an elevated level of 55-kDa procaspase and 44-kDa and 42-kDa activated fragments. The band density was decreased when PFT-α was added.
PARP is a substrate for caspase-3, and cleaved PARP has been shown to be an important marker for apoptosis (30). The pattern of PARP paralleled the pattern of active caspase-3. Caspase-12 was present as 60- and 54-kDa bands in untreated cells. On Dox treatment, the cleaved 54-kDa band was intensified. PFT-α could partially suppress the activation of caspase-12 (Fig. 7).
Fas is a cell surface protein that mediates apoptosis through a caspase-8-dependent pathway (67). Dox-upregulated FAS expression could be attenuated by PFT-α (Fig. 7).
Cytochrome c release is a marker for mitochondria-related apoptosis (29). H9c2 cells were permeabilized with 80 μg/ml of digitonin, and cytochrome c in the supernatant was subjected to Western blot analysis. Figure 8 shows that the release of cytochrome c was elevated after Dox treatment and that PFT-α partially blocked this elevation.
Quantification of apoptosis was performed by cell death ELISA assay. As shown in Fig. 9, Dox increased oligonucleosome formation by 1.8-fold. Cell death was inhibited by the addition of PFT-α along with Dox.
In this study, we present evidence that Dox rapidly upregulates p53, phosphorylated p53, p42/p44ERK, p38, and p46/p54JNK. We also demonstrate that Dox increases the activity of caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, and -12, leading to apoptosis. Most importantly, we demonstrate for the first time that PFT-α attenuates the apoptotic process by blocking Dox-induced expression of p53, phosphorylated p53, p42/p44ERK, p46/p54JNK, and the caspases listed above.
In our study, we found that Dox has an immediate effect on cell signaling pathways. Within 5–10 min, Dox rapidly phosphorylated all three MAPKs (Fig. 2). These results are in line with a study on the effect of daunomycin on the MAPKs in cardiomyocytes by Zhu et al. (72). In addition, we also found that Dox induced an upregulation of p53 level.
Given that Dox triggered an increase in the proapoptotic p53, it is reasonable to assume that Dox has proapoptotic effects. In line with this hypothesis, our study showed that Dox induced a p53-dependent activation of caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, and -12 (Figs. 6 and 7) and triggered cytochrome c release (Fig. 8). This indicates that Dox induces both mitochondria-related and death receptor-related apoptotic pathways. Furthermore, in line with the results of Jang et al. (18), we also found that Dox activated caspase-12, indicating that Dox induces the ER-related apoptotic pathway. Caspase-12 resides in the ER and is activated on ER stress, including free radicals and disturbances of the intracellular calcium level (25, 39). Previous investigations have shown that Dox treatment leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (27, 68) and an increase of calcium influx (24); this ER stress is hypothesized to activate caspase-12 and the ER-dependent apoptotic pathway. On activation, caspase-12 is translocated from the ER membrane to the cytosol where it may activate caspase-3 directly (52).
In our study, we also showed that Dox increased the level of caspase-2L (Figs. 6 and 7). Two isoforms of caspase-2 exist as a result of alternative splicing: caspase-2S and caspase-2L (9, 64). Recent studies indicate that these two proteins have opposite effects on apoptosis: caspase-2L induces apoptosis, whereas overexpression of caspase-2S is antiapoptotic. There is strong evidence that caspase-2L serves as a direct effector of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by releasing proapoptotic proteins, such as cytochrome c, or by cleaving Bid (14, 53).
Previous studies have demonstrated that p53 represses the expression of Bcl-2, PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10), and survivin and upregulates the gene expression of proapoptotic proteins such as Bax, Noxa, and Puma (50). Bax translocation induces cytochrome c release and allows the formation of apoptosomes, which contain caspase-9 and Apaf1. Caspase-9, in turn, activates caspase-3 and caspase-7, which execute the death program (35, 43).
A novel finding in our study is that PFT-α blocks the effects of Dox. First, Dox-induced elevation of p53 levels was partially blocked by PFT-α (Fig. 3). Previous studies have shown that PFT-α inhibits p53 accumulation in various cell systems subjected to ultraviolet radiation, cisplatin, or resveratrol treatment (19, 22, 31, 70). To our knowledge, this is the first study that has shown that PFT-α can block Dox-induced p53 levels in H9c2 cells.
Second, we found that PFT-α was able to suppress Dox-induced apoptosis. Specifically, PFT-α partially blocked the induction of Dox-induced Fas in H9c2 cells (Fig. 7), a result that is in agreement with a previous study in human umbilical endothelial cells (33). In addition, PFT-α suppressed the activation of caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, and -12 (Figs. 6 and 7).
A reasonable question to ask is whether PFT-α blocks Dox-induced apoptosis through a p53-dependent mechanism, a p53-independent mechanism, or both. PFT-α has been reported to suppress other p53-independent effects. For example, Komarova et al. (23) found that PFT-α can suppress heat shock and glucocorticoid receptor signaling. In addition, PFT-α affects the transcription of a number of genes involved in DNA repair, apoptosis, and cell growth (48). In our study, PFT-α partially blocked the activation of p46/p54JNK and p42/p44ERK (Fig. 4), the activation of which are both p53 independent. Furthermore, in our study, PFT-α did not completely suppress the caspase activation and the overall apoptosis induced by Dox in H9c2 cells (Figs. 6 and 9), supporting the notion that there exists a p53-independent apoptotic pathway as described by Tsang et al. (63). It is possible that a p53-independent pathway plays an important part of the antiapoptotic effect of PFT-α, although this hypothesis needs to be explored further.
In summary, our results suggest that Dox induces apoptosis by upregulating p53 and caspases-2, -3, -8, -9, and -12 in H9c2 cells. We also present evidence that PFT-α partially attenuates these proapoptotic processes, although it is unclear whether the mechanism of this attenuation occurs through a p53-dependent pathway, a p53-independent pathway, or both. In our previous study, we demonstrated that PFT-α attenuated Dox-induced cardiac apoptosis in mouse hearts and had no effect on the tumor-killing activity of Dox in human prostate PC3 cells (32). As such, it is possible that combination therapy of PFT-α and Dox may be employed to prevent Dox-induced cardiotoxicity in patients who rely on Dox chemotherapy regimens.
This work was supported by Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review and a Grant-in-Aid from the American Heart Association-Southeast Affiliate.
We thank Dr. Junying Yuan for caspase-12 antibodies.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
- Copyright © 2006 by the American Physiological Society


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GR4 100Y BB carbine replica
The GR4 100Y BB carbine replica made by the G&G company is made within the Combat Machine project which aim was to deliver a high class replica in the price that you could call economical. The Combat Machine replicas characterized themselves with the highest quality of make, high operating culture and the high quality of the materials used – what is very characteristic for the G&G company. The main factor allowing to lower the price is the use of the body and the front grip that were made of high quality plastic instead of metal. It is also significant that the body itself is made of plastic that was reinforced with fiberglass – just like the front grip, the stock and almost every plastic element. The iron aiming sights, the magazine, the stock and the cocking handle were made of metal. The shape of the piston grip is almost identical to the real firearm's pistol grip.
The front grip is equipped with RIS rails and the top rail overlaps with the replica's body. Thanks to this fact, the user gains a rail that is 340mm long. There are iron aiming sights located on the top rail – the front and the classical rear sight.
The replica was made in black color. Thanks to the compact size the replica is perfect for short and middle distances and thanks to the use of a M100 main spring the operator gains the muzzle velocity of about 310-320 FPS. The use of the top RIS rail allows to attach any optical aiming device and the collapsible stock allows to adapt the replica to fight in close distances.
An extraordinary Blow-Back system, known from the Top Tech replica ( the more "professional" and what follows it – the more expensive G&G line ), provides additional realism for the user of the replica and ensures additional experiences for the user himself.
The Pneumatic Blow-Back system operates on the principal of taking a part of the compressed air from the gearbox to a special cylinder that is located above the gearbox's casing. The small piston that is located in the Pneumatic Blow-Back system moves a thin plate that is attached to it. The plate imitates the bolt carrier.
ATTENTION: The manufacturer does not recommend using batteries stronger than 8,4V due to the fact of the possibility of damaging the aforementioned plate.
The G&G replica's that are equipped with the Pneumatic Blow-Back system have got a reinforced and modified V.2 gearbox. The modification that was made was the adaptation of the gearbox to the Pneumatic Blow-Back system and adding the "active main spring release" button in the form of the actuator. It is impossible to use any other gearbox casing with the Pneumatic Blow-Back system and the main spring release.
The set includes:
- the replica,
- a magazine
Replika elektryczna karabinka GR4 100Y
12 months
|Velocity [FPS]:
It is the spped of bb, while its leaving the innerbarrel of replica. This speed is measured in FPS (Feet Per Second).
1 FPS = 0,3 m/s
1 J = 99 m/s
|Propulsion / Powered by:
|Gearbox version:
Indications v2, v3, v6 does not mean the level of advance, but only shape of gearbox skeleton which was used and selected by the manufacturer depending on the capabilities of the body of the replica. For example, a models of the M4/M16 family, MP5, have a v2 gearbox, while the AK family have gearbox v3.
v2 Gearbox
|Type of fire:
Single, auto
|Diameter of bearings in GB [mm]:
|Made of:
Metal + plastic
|Lenght [mm]:
The length of the replca is measured between the two most distant points of each other. Different models have several of these values, because of its design allows to increase or decrease it length (eg. folding stock or extended flash hider).
|Inner barrel length [mm]:
|Weight [g]:
This is a value that includes the weight of the replica, magazine and other accessories that are include in set without a battery, charger, cleaning rod, etc., etc.
|Magazine type:
Hi-Cap magazine
|Magazine capacity [pcs]:
Hop-Up system is used for overclocking bb during the shot (putting it in rotation), through which, it extends its flight path. Acting laws of physics make that bb lift up, while the gravitational force take it down. Appropriate adjustment of Hop-Up, will compensate for these two factors, which result in long and straight flight for longer distance and be greater focus shot (to improve accuracy).
Yes, adjustable
|Blow Back:
Blow back is a simulation system of the cocking lever - it imitates the work of it as the equivalent sharp. This system raises the realism and adds a lot more experience during shooting.
|Black Madness:
do 30%


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A judge in California has set bail at $5 million for a former Hyundai executive extradited from South Korea to face felony charges from a fatal freeway wreck.
Youn Bum Lee was arrested in Seoul in December and arrived in Santa Ana on Friday to answer to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence and hit-and-run. Bail was set Monday and the arraignment was postponed to Feb. 18.
Lee allegedly crashed his company car in Costa Mesa after drinking with colleagues in 2005. Motorcyclist Ryan Dallas Cook slammed into Lee's car, was hit by other vehicles and died. At the time, Lee worked at Hyundai Motor America.
Lee's attorney, Joseph Vodnoy, objected to the bail amount but declined to discuss the case.


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Phone: +34 93 247 00 00
Fax: +34 93 457 74 31
Carlos Álvarez (Digital Camera Specialist de P+S Technik) with Simon Schleidt (Sales Manager Europe from de P+S Technik) and Bernat Suñé (stedi) have explained to the sixty guests all the rigs features. Subsequently, Bernat Her? has made a practical demonstration with the MK-V Nexus stedi, jacket Ultra 2 and G-50 arm. The presentation lasted about two hours.
We are currently editing a video of the presentation that will post online soon.
Thank you all for your visit!


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DFW Pagan Pride Day 2014
DFW PPD, a free event, will be held Saturday, September 27th, 2014 from 9 AM til 5 PM at Arlington UU Church, 2001 California Ln. Arlington, TX 76015 *Donations Appreciated!*
Pagan Garage Sale April 12th
Your DFW Pagan Pride Day planning committee presents our first fundraising event of 2014.
Come to the PAGAN GARAGE SALE on Saturday, April 12th, 2014 10am til 5pm at Arlington UU Church 2001 California Lane, Arlington TX 2014.
Have some old ritual items, books or other things you no longer need? Rent a space from us for $20 and bring your stuff on down. We will provide you a 10×10 space on a first come first serve basis and ask that you provide any tables, chairs, etc. that you might need to spend the day selling your stuff. It doesn't have to be strictly Pagan related stuff either, feel free to bring any other household items you might sell in a typical garage sale. Proceeds from space rental benefit the Pagan Pride Day 2014 expense fund. Sellers are expected to take any unsold items with them when they leave the event or make arrangements for someone else to take them. There are twenty 10′ x 10′ spaces available for registration. If you would like to reserve one please let us know by emailing us at email@example.com.
Not looking to sell but want to shop for something? Come on down! Bring your friends, bring your family! Come see what there is to see.
2014 Plans Under Way
Plans are well under way for DFW Pagan Pride Day as we continue to seek out our venue for PPD 2014. This year, in the interests of fairness and moving the event around from year to year throughout our vast metroplex area we will be seeking a venue in Tarrant County. Some places we have already been in contact with are Trinity Park Pavilion and Arlington area Parks but we are still seeking other options. If you have some suggestions please let us know. Coming in the near future we plan to have a Pagan Garage Sale, stay tuned for more info on that as we hash out details. Also, if you are interested in taking part in an upcoming Maypole Dance Flash Mod which will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube please let us know. We want to try to do this sometime in late April. As always, join our announcements email list and like our pages on Facebook or Google+ to stay in the loop!
Many Blessings and Looking Forward To Seeing Our Great Community Come Together Again Like We Did In 2013!!!
Voicemail for DFW Pagan Pride Day Attendees | From Within the Circle
If you attended DFW Pagan Pride Day 2013 and would like to share your experiences Tommy Elf wants to hear from YOU! He has set up a voicemail box exclusively for taking anything you would like to say for inclusion in his podcast From The Edge Of The Circle. See link below:
Stage Schedule
Main Stage:
10:00 – 10:45 Todd Oz
11:00 – 11:45 Sarah Gillmore
1:00 – 11:45 Darwin Prophet
2: 00 – 2:45 Jamie Reeves
3:00 – 3:45 Katsük
Circle Stage:
10:00 to 10:45 Sugar Fiddle & Wyld Professor
11:00 to 11:45 Alicia H. With Wulff Harris on Bass
1:00 – 1:50 Wild Sky Dancers
2:00 – 2:50 Ed Fitch
3:00 – 3:50 Ed Fitch
We will be there rain or shine! We're Pagans, We LOVE mama nature! We have the covered porch area in back and space underneath the building as well. Some of our volunteers plan to bring EZ-Ups with walls and covered pavilions. So shelter will be available and we can improvise. I might even just dance in the rain if it comes! -Troy
Volunteers Still Needed!
Respected Readers,
I'm posting in the hopes of encouraging you to join us as a volunteer with DFW Pagan Pride Day. An organization that focuses on building unity through education, community, charity, and activism of Paganism, Heathenism and Earth Centered Spirituality as well as promoting religious freedom and acceptance of ALL in the spirit of peace!
Our goals this year include:
-Share accurate information about Paganism and its pathways through workshops
-Dispel misconceptions and myths about Paganism in a calm and respectful manner
-Direct the community to year around sources of information for continued learning
-Bring the local community together in the spirit of peace and acceptance
-Provide a positive atmosphere for mingling and getting to know fellow members of your community
-Canned Food benefiting SoupMobile Charity
-Pagans For Life blood drive through Carter Bloodcare
-Distributing information about local non-profit organizations that are Pagan friendly
-Invite everyone to join together at this event for free and celebrate religious freedom and acceptance in the spirit of peace
-Foster pride in Pagan identity by hosting three public Pagan rituals
Pagan Pride Day is nearly upon us and we're very excited! We incite you to participate in this celebration, which is also a major fundraiser for next year's Pride event. I personally encourage you to become a volunteer. There are many people in our areas who need to feel that they are part of the greater community and have a support network. If you join us, I'll meet you at the event on October 5th at The Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake in Dallas at 8AM. We will need PPD volunteers from 8AM – 5PM. Many shifts are available so you do not need to be present the entire day.
I hope you will join us this year at DFW Pagan Pride Day. This will be the first Pagan Pride Day in the North Texas area since 2010.
~ You can find out more about us on our website http://dfwpaganpride.org
You can help make Pagan Pride Day a big success by volunteering and donating your skills by helping with:
*Set up and tear down
*Errand running for vendors, workshop presenters,
entertainers and other volunteers
*Manning the 'Information' Table
*Accepting donated non-perishable food
for SoupMobile
*Helping keep the grounds free of litter
We will need help:
*staffing the welcoming table
*handling raffle tickets
*food and beverage sales
Many more areas may need assistance such as the Children's section. These volunteers will have to check with the fabulous Hiedi Wunder our Children's Section Coordinator. You can email her using firstname.lastname@example.com . She does have shifts as well but we would prefer that no one goes back and forth repeatedly please. Doing a shift for each the grounds and the children's section would be plenty for anyone who wishes to do so. That and we hope this might make for less traffic not parent and child related to go on within the section. This being a public event this is also a safety precaution, Thank you.
If you would like to participate, please provide any further contact or other information you would prefer below and return to Emily Dewbre-Young Volunteer Coordinator at email@example.com or come see me at the event.
Hope you will consider checking it out maybe even pass the word volunteers still needed and welcome. Thank you for helping out! We could not make Pagan Pride Day a success without volunteers like you. If you are unable to volunteer, you can show your support by attending on October 5th. See you there!!
Emily Dewbre-Young
Volunteer Coordinator
The Planning Circle
DFW Pagan Pride Day 2013
How Do I Get There?
DFW Pagan Pride Day 2013 is happening this coming Saturday starting at 9AM but how do I get there? Well, let Google Maps help ya find the way…
DFW Pagan Pride Day 2013 Program
Get a sneak peek at the DFW Pagan Pride Day 2013 Program Guide right here. We're making it available here for download and printing if you desire or you can pick one up at the event. See you there!


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Hostess says it has bidders lined up
IRVING, Texas, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Hostess Brands Inc. said it had stalking horse bidders lined up for many of its assets, giving some iconic U.S. products a chance at a second life.
Hostess is liquidating the company after it said it could not afford to stay open in the wake of a strike by 18,500 bakers while the company was in its second bankruptcy in recent years.
The company threw in the towel in November, stopping production of Wonder Bread, Ho-Hos, Twinkies, and several other famous products.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that Flowers Foods Inc, the second-largest national bread-maker -- which sells 30,000 loaves of bread a day and produces Tastykake Krimpets and Nature's Own whole wheat bread -- had offered $360 million for Wonder Bread and four other Hostess breads.
The purchase would include 20 plants and 38 shipping depots, the Journal said.
As the staking horse bidder, Flowers would be entitled to compensation should it lose out in an auctions for the assets, which would likely take place in February.
Hostess has said it also has stalking bidders lined up for its various snack products, which means most of its brands would have new owners by the end of February.
The new owners could decide whether to resurrect the brands. Some might choose to buy the brands to take them out of circulation.
Greece raises income tax rates
ATHENS, Greece, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Greek parliament has approved higher tax rates on lower and higher incomes to comply with terms of its international bailout.
The tax rate for Greeks earning more than $56,000 -- considered the highest income bracket -- will be 42 percent, the BBC reported Saturday.
The tax measure was pushed by the conservative coalition government, which set a target of raising $3 billion during the next two years, Ekathimerini reported.
During debate on the measure, leftist Member of Parliament Panayiotis Lafazanis called Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras a "political terrorist."
The comment and others from members of the SYRIZA party undermined efforts by the left to raise its stature in the eyes of the international community, government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said.
"As much as the SYRIZA leader (Alexis Tsipras) tries to appear like a European by talking about serious foreign investments, he is disrobed by the actions and comments of his deputies," Kedikoglou said.
Tsipras -- who is scheduled to meet with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin Monday -- said: "The Germans are very practical people. They can see that SYRIZA could be the next government and they want to prepare the ground by having direct contact with us. We want the same.
"What we need are solutions," he said. "SYRIZA wants to have normal relations with the governments that play an important role in Greek and European affairs."
CBI rejects anti-congestion airport tax
LONDON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A British bushiness group said it rejected the concept of raising a passenger tax at specific airports to persuade travelers to take alternative routes.
The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday the British Treasury asked HM Revenue and Customs to explore raising the Air Passenger Duty at Heathrow and Gatwick airports near London, as Heathrow is operating at full capacity and Gatwick is projected to hit that mark in six years.
"We're already losing business to other European destinations so we can't kick this into the long-grass," said a representative for the business group, the Confederation of British Industry.
"We need new connections with fast growing markets like China, India and South America -- with space for airlines to put on new flights," the representative said.
Heathrow operators said they oppose the plan that the Treasury said was only an idea being studied as a "research project to inform policy making in general."
The study found raising the Air Passenger Duty selectively -- bumping it up 50 percent for Heathrow and Gatwick airports -- would increase the cost of a flight from New York to London by about $50.
The study also found the number of passengers at Heathrow would drop from 23.1 million per year to 18.9 million. The number would fall at Gatwick from 51.1 million per year to 12.8 million by 2014.
The effects on congestion would be temporary the study found, as other airports would operate at full capacity over time. At Heathrow, for example, passenger traffic would climb back to 23.3 million by 2022, the study found.
AMR asks for reorganization plan extension
NEW YORK, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. airline owner AMR Corp., parent of bankrupt American Airlines Inc., has asked for more time to file a restructuring business plan, court papers indicate.
Creditor committees have joined the petition for what would be the fifth extension for filing a plan, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
The extension would give the company an additional 20 days to file a plan, which would push the current deadline to April 1.
Concurrently, it is expected that AA and US Airways would soon announce a decision on whether they would join forces.
AA has been studying the option of merging with US Airways but details on talks between the two companies have been shielded from the public by a non-disclosure agreement signed by both parties last August.
Creditor committees and union groups are a party to the discussions but the public has largely been kept out of the loop, The Dallas Morning News said.


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Definition of AroidCategorized under "General"
Definition as written by melody:
The common name for plants of the Araceae family. Philodendron and Arum are also other common names for this family of plants. Many are characterized by strange or bizarre inflorescences which many refer to as blooms.
Add a definition to this term
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Riverdance has earned Moya and John €75m
The creators of Riverdance have shared a pay bonanza of €75m since the turn of the century.
The show, which grew from a seven-minute interval performance at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has been seen by more than 23 million people over the past two decades.
New accounts just filed by John McColgan's and Moya Doherty's Abhann Productions Ltd with the Companies Office during the Companies Office show that pay to directors, including pension contributions, in 2012 totalled €1.33m.
Abhann is the management firm for the Riverdance show, and the firm's directors' pay contributed to the firm sustaining a pre-tax loss of €294,201 in the 12 months to the end of June 30, 2012.
An examination of Abhann Productions Ltd's accounts between 2000 and 2012 shows that McColgan and Dogherty shared directors' pay, including pension contributions, totalling €75m, with €73.76 million paid between 2000 and 2011.
Three other people were directors with McColgan and Doherty over that period, but the bulk of the directors' pay went to the married couple, who each own 50pc of the business.
The pair have been richly rewarded for their risk-taking – short of invertors before the first Riverdance show was put on in February 1995, they put their own home on the line.
After John Egan stepped down as director of Abhann in September 2012, McColgan and Doherty are now the only directors of the firm.
Riverdance marking its 20th anniversary by playing in Copenhagen this weekend before touring Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Switzerland and the UK.
(The Herald)
Online Editors


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EHS Engineer / İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Uzmanı
- 08.09.2016
- 200 - 500 Arası Aday Başvurdu
- 5623 Görüntüleme
Job Description
HT-SAAE is a Chinese state-owned enterprise and leading vertically-integrated manufacturer of solar products, high-end auto parts and new material applications. HT-SAAE was established in May 1998 and listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange in June 1998, it is the first listed company with the name of aerospace and is an important platform of industrialization for the aerospace technology application of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
We are proud of the work that we do, and would not be successful without our passionate team of dedicated people. If you have got the desire to be a part of an innovative group of professionals in a rewarding environment, then we invite you to check out our current openings.
Position Responsibilities
- Investigate all safety & occupational health related injuries/accidents.
- Implement all corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of injuries & incidents.
- Ensure environmental, occupational health and safety compliance with all applicable local & internal laws/regulations and other requirements through periodic review of laws/regulations/requirements and regular communication of internal requirements and policies.
- Ensure company's compliance to applicable environmental, occupational health and safety laws/regulations and other requirements.
- Manages environmental programs such as waste management including hazardous wastes, pollution prevention and protection of the environment.
- Provides technical assistance in completing reports and permit applications for government agencies, internal and external customers.
- Establishes and implements safety compliance programs thereby promoting a safe and healthful work practices for the protection of personnel, physical assets and production operations.
- Establishes and implements full scope industrial hygiene programs to prevent occupational disease.
- Performs liaison work with the government agencies, secures government permits and prepares required reports.
Required Skills
- Certified about Occupational Health and Safety Specialist.(B Class and above.)
- A minimum of 5 years EHS experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental or Safety Engineering Courses
- Bachelor's degree in Safety Science or related technical degree.
- Good command of written and spoken English.
- At least 2 years' experience in manufacturing or related industry.
- Basic understanding of safety engineering requirements for electrical, mechanical, chemical, and physical hazards.
- Basic knowledge of environmental, safety and industrial hygiene regulations and policies.
- Has the ability to participate in a cross-functional team environment, effective analytical and problem solving skill.
Summary Info
- Kasiyer
- Energy
- Full-time
- Specialist
- İstanbul Anadolu Yakası
- 08.09.2016
- 27.12.2016
- 09.06.2017
Benzer İş İlanları


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Photo: (MTV)
MTV has hooked up with One Billion Rising to stop violence against women, and as part of the MTV fam, Vinny Guadagnino has joined in on the campaign. Tomorrow people across the globe are going to rise for women's rights, and Vinny gave a Twitter shoutout to Royce White, who's also taking part in the big day.
Vinny Tweeted this vid of Royce, a power forward for the Houston Rockets:
Shout out to my boy @highway_30 and check this campaign he's doing to end violence against women! ow.ly/hCYZw— Vinny Guadagnino (@VINNYGUADAGNINO) February 12, 2013
Shout out to my boy @highway_30 and check this campaign he's doing to end violence against women! ow.ly/hCYZw
In the vid, Royce talks about why this campaign is so personal to him. "Myself having seen my mother be physically and verbally abused as a child, it's very important to me that awareness is raised and we start to make improvements in that area of America and around the world."
He talks about the scary stat that one in three women will be physically or sexually abused during her life. "One billion women violated is an atrocity," he says. "One billion women dancing is a revolution... On February 14th, I'll be dancing with a billion men and women to call for an end to this violence."
Vinny and Royce also show that One Billion Rising def isn't just a campaign for women to get involved in. It's important for men to get involved, too. Vinny's shown us his do-gooder spirit in the past by helping rebuild Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy and talking about his anxiety disorder, and we're thrilled to see Royce taking part in the 1BR campaign. Are you ready to join a dancing revolution to better the lives of women worldwide?