text:
- Research article
- Open Access
A core phylogeny of Dictyostelia inferred from genomes representative of the eight major and minor taxonomic divisions of the group
- Reema Singh1,
- Christina Schilde1 and
- Pauline Schaap1Email authorView ORCID ID profile
© The Author(s). 2016
- Received: 19 July 2016
- Accepted: 9 November 2016
- Published: 17 November 2016
Dictyostelia are a well-studied group of organisms with colonial multicellularity, which are members of the mostly unicellular Amoebozoa. A phylogeny based on SSU rDNA data subdivided all Dictyostelia into four major groups, but left the position of the root and of six group-intermediate taxa unresolved. Recent phylogenies inferred from 30 or 213 proteins from sequenced genomes, positioned the root between two branches, each containing two major groups, but lacked data to position the group-intermediate taxa. Since the positions of these early diverging taxa are crucial for understanding the evolution of phenotypic complexity in Dictyostelia, we sequenced six representative genomes of early diverging taxa.
We retrieved orthologs of 47 housekeeping proteins with an average size of 890 amino acids from six newly sequenced and eight published genomes of Dictyostelia and unicellular Amoebozoa and inferred phylogenies from single and concatenated protein sequence alignments. Concatenated alignments of all 47 proteins, and four out of five subsets of nine concatenated proteins all produced the same consensus phylogeny with 100% statistical support. Trees inferred from just two out of the 47 proteins, individually reproduced the consensus phylogeny, highlighting that single gene phylogenies will rarely reflect correct species relationships. However, sets of two or three concatenated proteins again reproduced the consensus phylogeny, indicating that a small selection of genes suffices for low cost classification of as yet unincorporated or newly discovered dictyostelid and amoebozoan taxa by gene amplification.
The multi-locus consensus phylogeny shows that groups 1 and 2 are sister clades in branch I, with the group-intermediate taxon D. polycarpum positioned as outgroup to group 2. Branch II consists of groups 3 and 4, with the group-intermediate taxon Polysphondylium violaceum positioned as sister to group 4, and the group-intermediate taxon Dictyostelium polycephalum branching at the base of that whole clade. Given the data, the approximately unbiased test rejects all alternative topologies favoured by SSU rDNA and individual proteins with high statistical support. The test also rejects monophyletic origins for the genera Acytostelium, Polysphondylium and Dictyostelium. The current position of Acytostelium ellipticum in the consensus phylogeny indicates that somatic cells were lost twice in Dictyostelia.
- Multi-locus phylogeny
- Dictyostelia
- Phylogenomics
- Evolution of soma
- Evolution of multicellularity
- Taxonomy
The invention of multicellularity is considered to be one of the major evolutionary transitions [1], but is by no means a rare event. Multicellular forms appeared at least 11 times independently in most eukaryote divisions and in prokaryotes [2–4]. The better known lineages, such as animals, fungi, green plants and red- and brown macroalgae evolved a form of multicellularity where cells stay together after cell division. However, the other forms mostly start off with foraging single cells that achieve multicellularity by aggregation, usually when starved or otherwise stressed. The aggregate then transforms into a fruiting structure with an elevated mass of dormant spores or cysts. Thus far, the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum shows the most complex form of aggregative multicellularity with an intermediate migrating "slug" stage and cells specializing into spores and three somatic cell types that form a stalk and structures to support the stalk and spore mass. D. discoideum is also a popular model organism for studying cellular processes such as cell migration [5], cytokinesis, vesicle trafficking, host-pathogen interactions [6], cell differentiation and morphogenesis [7], as well as evolution of sociality and prey–predator relationships [8, 9]. We aim to identify the molecular changes that caused the transition to multicellularity and the acquisition of phenotypic complexity during dictyostelid evolution. In collaboration with Baldauf and coworkers, we initiated this research by constructing the first molecular phylogeny of the then 99 known Dictyostelia using SSUrDNA and α-tubulin sequence data [10]. Phylogenies derived from either gene subdivided Dictyostelia into four major groupings, but did not agree on the position of the root and of several group-intermediate taxa. The position of taxa at terminal branches was also poorly resolved. The latter was improved by sequencing of the less conserved internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions between the ribosomal RNAs [11]. Further expansion of the phylogeny with 47 new taxa indicated that the intermediate species may actually represent additional minor groups, which were named the violaceum, polycephalum and polycarpum complexes [12].
The availability of the phylogeny allowed us and others to select group-representative taxa for genome sequencing in addition to the D. discoideum genome, which was already available [13]. These taxa are D. purpureum [14], like D. discoideum in group 4. D. lacteum in group 3 [15], Polyspondylium pallidum in group 2, clade 2B [16], Acytostelium subglobosum in group 2 clade 2A [17] and D. fasciculatum in group 1 [16]. The sequenced genomes enabled phylogenetic inference from multiple concatenated protein sequences and these efforts, using respectively 32 [18] and 213 protein sequences [19], both repositioned the root from a location between groups 1 and 2 to a location that separated the four groups into two branches, with branch I containing groups 1 and 2 and branch II, groups 3 and 4. Since no genome sequences for group-intermediate species were available, their positions remained unresolved.
Mapping of phenotypic characters onto the phylogeny revealed that groups 1, 2 and 3 share many common features, such as small clustered or branched fruiting bodies with stalks being formed by dedifferentiation of prespore cells, use of glorin as attractant for aggregation and retention of encystation, the survival strategy of unicellular amoebas [18, 20]. Group 4 taxa generally form large, solitary and unbranched fruiting bodies, and set aside a proportion of specialized cells to form the stalk. Group 4 taxa furthermore use cAMP as attractant, have lost encystation and acquired a migrating slug stage, while many taxa in the group acquired one or two novel cell types. Appropiate understanding of the evolutionary history of these major innovations requires correct understanding of the relationship between groups 3 and 4 and the group-intermediate taxa. The SSU rDNA phylogeny subdivides group 2 into two clades, of which one (2A) uniformly lacks the cellular stalk. However, one taxon (A. ellipticum) that lacks stalk cells groups with the other clade (2B), suggesting that the cellular stalk was gained twice, which seems unlikely [10]. Because the intermediate species link the deepest nodes in the tree, their position is also crucial for understanding the earliest processes that triggered the transition from uni- to multicellularity in Dictyostelia.
Proper reconstruction of phenotypic evolution and its association with changes at the gene and genome level critically depends on a correct understanding of the positions of the group-intermediate taxa. We therefore sequenced the genomes of one taxon each of the violaceum, polycarpum and polycephalum complexes. Additionally, we sequenced the genome of A. ellipticum, with its problematic placement in clade 2B, and to better outline clade 2A, A. leptosomum, which is in the SSU rDNA phylogeny most distant from A. subglobosum, with an already sequenced genome. We also sequenced the genome of D. deminutivum, the earliest diverging species in group 1 with the most primitive multicellular features. We retrieved 47 orthologous proteins from all dictyostelid genomes and three sequenced genomes of unicellular Amoebozoa and inferred phylogenies from concatenated alignments of all proteins and various subsets by different methods. This yielded a very robust consensus phylogeny of Dictyostelia with well defined positions for the group-intermediate taxa.
Genome sequencing of early diverging dictyostelid taxa
To improve the internal node structure of the dictyostelid phylogeny, the genomes of four group-intermediate species and two other early diverging Dictyostelium species were sequenced, using the Illumina platform. Despite careful washing and 4 h starvation to rid cells of their bacterial food source, the genome reads of two species, P. violaceum (Pvio) and A. leptosomum (Alep) consisted for respectively 78% and 39% of E.coli sequences (Additional file 1). The other genomes of D. deminutivum (Ddem), D. polycephalum (Dcep), A. ellipticum (Aell) and D. polycarpum (Dcar) contained from 0.5 to 19% E.coli reads. With all species being prepared for gDNA extraction in the same manner, it is not clear what caused this large variation in contamination with genomic DNA from their food source. Possibly, Pvio, strain P6 and Alep are "farmers", that retain bacteria in their fruiting bodies for future cultivation [21].
We retrieved mostly complete genes for all of our selected test proteins from the Ddem, Dcep, Aell and Dcar genomes. However, BLAST searches of the Pvio genome returned many prokaryote hits, while for the Alep genome, the orthologous sequences were often incomplete. Fortunately, genome contig sequences for Pvio strain QSvi11 were made available in Genbank by BCM-HGSC (https://www.hgsc.bcm.edu/) under accession number AJWJ00000000, which proved to be of good quality. The retrieved Alep sequences still contributed to 45% of the concatenated aligned sequences, which was sufficient to place Alep at its expected position as sister to A. subglobosum (Asub).
Protein selection, alignment and phylogenetic inference
We selected 40 proteins from 14 primary metabolic pathways and 12 proteins with a range of roles in basic cell biology from the D. discoideum (Ddis) genome with a size >200 amino acids. This selection of proteins from a broad spectrum of metabolic and cellular roles
was intended to average out any effects of natural selection on gene polymorphisms in concatenated alignments. The setting of a minimum size to the selected proteins was meant to i. avoid underrepresentation of the phylogenetic signal from very small proteins and ii. to provide opportunities to select some proteins that individually reproduce the consensus phylogeny for a gene amplification approach for classification of a broad range of taxa.
The individual orthologous proteins were aligned and all sections that did not align unambiguously as well as large insertions in individual proteins were deleted. Five proteins which showed only small sections of consensus alignment were rejected from the set. The alignments of the remaining 47 proteins were concatenated fully, and into five sets of nine or ten proteins (see Additional file 2, sheet 3). All sets as well as alignments of the individual protein sequences were used for phylogenetic inference.
Instead of running a mixed model on the entire concatenated alignment, we also partitioned the alignment to combine proteins with the same optimal amino-acid substitution model into one partition and then ran each partition under its optimal model. This returned the same phylogeny as the analysis with the mixed model (Fig. 2d). The use of maximum likelihood based tree inference on a similarly partitioned alignment also returned the same phylogenetic tree (Fig. 2e) as did inference by Phylobayes under the CAT-GTR model (Fig. 2f). In the latter model both the individual amino-acid substitution propensities and substitution rates are inferred from the underlying alignment [22]. The nodes in all trees have Bayesian posterior probabilities of 1.0 or 100% bootstrap support. The Bayesian analyses all converged to SD of split frequencies = 0 within 6000 generations. All these parameters indicate that the trees derived from the concatenated alignment are extremely robust.
In the course of gene model prediction, we noted extreme differences in the G/C content of the Dictyostelium genes. Plotting of the averaged G/C content of the 47 test genes onto the phylogeny showed that the branch I genes are more G/C rich than those in branch II, with Acytostelids being particularly G/C-rich and the two group 4 taxa being very A/T- rich (Fig. 2c).
Trees from protein subsets and individual proteins
Trees were also inferred by Bayesian inference for all individual protein alignments (Additional file 3). Only two out of the 47 trees displayed the consensus topology (Additional file 2, sheet 4), while 12, 18, 14 and 1 tree(s) show 1, 2, 3 or 4 alternative node configurations respectively. The most common alternative topology was Dcar as outgroup to group 1 instead of group 2 (13 proteins) and permutations in the relative positions of Pvio and Dlac (nine proteins) (Additional file 2, sheet 5). Proteins that yielded trees with only one non-consensual node yielded consensus trees when concatenated with a second protein that yielded trees with a different error in four tested cases, while one protein, aco1, required two other proteins to produce a consensus tree (Additional file 4).
There was a significant negative correlation between the number of non-consensual nodes and the averaged node probabilities (Fig. 4c), as well as a significant positive correlation between the number of variable positions and the averaged node probabilities per tree (Fig. 4d). Altogether this indicates that while longer alignments with more variable positions produce better supported trees, these trees are not necessarily more accurate in assessing relationships between species. We could not detect significant differences between the number of non-consensual nodes per protein tree and participation of the protein in a specific metabolic pathway (Additional file 2, sheet 6), but this could be due to the small number of proteins per pathway.
Tests for alternative hypotheses
Alternative topology tests
Alternative topologies
Unconstrained 47 protein phylogeny
Topology 1
D. polycarpum is outgroup to branch I
Topology 2
D. polycarpum is outgroup to group 1
Topology 3
D. polycarpum is outgroup to branch II
Topology 4
Root between group 1 and group 2, as in SSU rDNA tree
Topology 5
D. polycephalum is outgroup to branch I
Topology 6
P. violaceum is outgroup to group 3
Topology 7
P. violaceum groups with P. pallidum
Topology 8
A. ellipticum groups with other Acytostelids
Topology 9
A. ellipticum groups with Polysphondylids, as in SSU rDNA tree
To understand the directionality of evolutionary processes, a correct understanding of the genetic relationships between species is essential. For Dictyostelia, the relationships between the four major groups were well defined previously from multi-locus phylogenies [18, 19], but the positions of early diverging species that occupy intermediate outgroup positions to the major groups were poorly resolved. Their position is however of crucial importance to identify the molecular changes that triggered the phenotypic diversification of the major groups. To reliably position the intermediate groups, we sequenced the genomes of six early diverging species, and used the information to identify around 50 well-conserved proteins for phylogenetic inference.
The final set of 47 proteins has only one or seven proteins in common with sets of 32 or 213 proteins, respectively, that were used previously to root the dictyostelid phylogeny [18, 19]. Nevertheless, phylogenies inferred from all three sets position the root between branch I, containing groups 1 + 2 and branch II, containing groups 3 + 4, indicating that in all these multi-locus phylogenies, the function of the individual selected proteins made little difference. However, in all three cases, but particularly in the 213 protein set [19], the functional diversity of the selected proteins was large.
Just like groups 1 and 2 in branch I, which are sister clades that evolved independently, groups 3 and 4 are sister clades in branch II, but with Pvio, one of six taxa in the "violaceum" complex [12] occupying a basal position to group 4. Group 4 taxa display major phenotypic innovations, such as two more cell types, cell-type proportioning, extensive slug migration and enhanced fruiting body robustness, which are not yet evident in the "violaceum" complex [18, 20]. To identify the molecular changes that caused these innovations, the genomes of taxa in the "violaceum" complex can now be considered as the baseline from which these changes occurred.
Dcep, one of four D. polycephalum isolates that make up the "polycephalum" complex is now the earliest diverging species in branch II. Although one might argue whether four isolates of the same species make up a "major division", as suggested previously [12], we feel that the polycephalid isolates with their distinctive phenotype are likely to represent a group of cryptic species. Unlike all other non-group 4 species, polycephalids form very long actively migrating slugs, which unlike group 4 slugs do not show a pattern of prestalk and prespore cells [20]. Also unlike group 4 slugs, polycephalid slugs subdivide into many small fruiting structures with stalks that adhere tightly `along approximately their lower two-thirds. Similar to P. violaceum isolates, which are also grouped together as one species, due to their conspicuous purple branched fruiting bodies, the D. polycephalum isolates show considerable diversity in their SSU rDNA sequences [12, 24].
Species and culture conditions
Acytostelium ellipticum
1/5th SM + 0.5% charcoal
Acytostelium leptosomum
1/5th SM +0.5% charcoal
Dictyostelium deminutivum
1/3rd LP + 0.5% charcoal
Dictyostelium polycarpum
1/5th SM
Dictyostelium polycephalum
1/5th SM
Polysphondylium violaceum
The ability of specific proteins to reproduce the consensus phylogeny was only marginally correlated with the number of total or variable positions in the alignment, and did not appear to be correlated with protein function (involvement in a specific metabolic pathway). The reason why trees inferred from some proteins predict species relationships better than others is therefore unclear. The proteins that yielded trees with one erroneous node, mostly yielded consensus trees when combined with one or at most two proteins that yielded a different error. This implies that with a carefully selected set, 3–5 genes may be sufficient to generate robust species phylogenies. This allows the use of a gene amplification approach rather than whole genome sequencing as the means to correctly classify all known and newly to be discovered Dictyostelia. This is a low-cost alternative to whole genome sequencing, but also avoids problems with contamination of genome reads with bacterial DNA that rendered one of our six sequenced genomes completely and another partially useless. Since the genes used in this study are also present in representatives of the two major divisions Conosa and Lobosa of Amoebozoa (with Acas in Lobosa, and PhyP and Dictyostelia in Conosa) a similar approach could also assist to generate a robust phylogeny of Amoebozoa, to replace and/or complement the current very poorly resolved SSU rDNA phylogeny [25]. In future studies we will explore use of a multi-locus gene amplification approach for incorporation of most known Dictyostelia in the phylogeny.
Accurate phylogenies are of elementary importance for understanding the directionality of organismal evolution. The lack of resolution and topology errors of single gene phylogenies progressively disappear when more genes are incorporated in the underlying alignments. However, such a multi-locus approach requires completely sequenced genomes, which, particularly for unicellular eukaryotes, are only sparsely available and poorly representative of the genetic breadth of eukaryotes.
The major division of Amoebozoa gave rise to at least two independent inventions of multicellularity, of which the Dictyostelia represent the best studied and phenotypically most diverse group. Previous phylogenies based on SSU rDNA and proteins from existing genomes only partially resolved relationships between major and minor clades. To resolve these relationships, we sequenced the genomes of six early diverging dictyostelid taxa and annotated 47 functionally diverse deeply conserved proteins. These sequences combined with orthologous sequences from six dictyostelid and three unicellular amoebozoan sequenced genomes were used both concatenated and individually for phylogenetic inferences. The extremely robust phylogeny derived from concatenated sequences highlights monophyly of Dictyostelia, but polyphyletic origins of its three genera. Somatic cells were present in the last common ancestor of Dictyostelia, but were likely lost twice independently in group 2. Only two proteins individually reproduced this consensus phylogeny, but sets of two or three proteins, which individually yielded minor errors, again reproduced the core phylogeny. This emphasizes the inherent error-prone nature of single gene phylogenies, but also indicates that reliable classification of taxa can be achieved by sequencing just a few genes. This will be particularly useful for broader and deeper sampling of taxa in Dictyostelia, Amoebozoan and other major eukaryote divisions, and for classification of newly discovered species.
Species, culture and genomic DNA preparation
All species were grown in association with Escherichia coli 281 using the culture media and culture temperatures listed in Table 2. After amoebas had cleared the bacteria, they were harvested in 10 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.5, washed three times and starved shaken at 21 °C and 150 rpm for 4 h to allow clearance of bacteria.
To prepare genomic DNA, cells were lysed in 62.5 mM EDTA, 1% (w/v) SDS and 1% (v/v) β-mercaptoethanol in 50 mM Tris pH 7.2, and incubated at 80 °C for 10 min. Genomic DNA was purified by extraction with phenol:chloroform:isoamylalcohol 25:24:1 pH 8.0 using phase-lock columns and ethanol precipitation. After resuspension in 0.1 mM EDTA in 1 mM Tris, pH 8.0, DNA was incubated for 3 h with 0.5 μg/μl RNAse A. Integrity of DNA was tested visually on a 1% TAE agarose gel.
Genome sequencing and assembly
Six Illumina TruSeq DNA libraries were prepared from the six species listed in Table 2, using standard Illumina protocols followed by Pippin (Sage) size selection to a target insert size of 400 bp. The six libraries were barcoded and sequenced together on a single lane of an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform using 150 base paired-end reads in rapid mode to yield approximately 120 M read pairs. Removal of adapter sequences and quality trimming of the reads was performed with fastq-mcf v1.1.2-537 and reads were assembled using the CLC-BIO assembler v4.2.0 (Qiagen) to yield the pre-filtering assemblies. The contigs were annotated using ncbi-blast + v2.2.28, which showed variable levels of contamination between genomes with Escherichia coli DNA. The reads were also aligned against the E. coli K12 genome, using bwa v0.7.5a [26], and a new assembly was prepared using all unaligned reads. The annotation of the contigs assembled from these E.coli filtered reads was again assessed using ncbi-blast + v2.2.28. The assembly statistics of the six genomes before and after filtering of E.coli sequences is listed in Additional file 1. Library preparation, sequencing and bioinformatic analyses of raw Illumina reads were carried out by Edinburgh Genomics at the University of Edinburgh (http://genomics.ed.ac.uk).
Gene selection, identification of orthologs and gene model prediction
Forty Dictyostelium discoideum proteins larger than 200 amino acids were initially selected from enzymes mediating 14 biochemical pathways of primary metabolism, retrieved from the KEGG database [27], which were conserved between D. discoideum, Polysphondylium pallidum and D. fasciculatum [16]. This set was supplemented with an additional twelve conserved proteins with a range of cell biological functions. Putative orthologs were retrieved by BLASTp from the published genomes of D. purpureum, D. lacteum, P. pallidum, Acytostelium subglobosum, D. fasciculatum, Physarum polycephalum and Entamoeba histolytica and Acanthamoeba castellani.
The newly sequenced genome contigs of D. polycarpum, D. polycephalum, D. deminutivum, A. ellipticum, A. leptosomum and the genome contig sequences of P. violaceum strain QSvi11, which were available in Genbank, were archived in Artemis [28] and converted into a BLAST database. This database was queried for the presence of the coding genes for each of the 52 proteins using tBLASTn. The contig and coordinate information of the hit was used to retrieve a genomic DNA fragment from the Artemis archive with sufficient flanking sequence to allow reconstruction of the complete gene model. The gene models were manually predicted using DNAMAN software (Lynnon Corp., Quebec, Canada), guided by existing gene models for the published orthologous Dictyostelium genes. Further corrections were made when protein alignments suggested the presence of indels or inappropriately assigned start and stop codons (see Fig. 1).
Phylogenetic inference
Protein sequence alignment and concatenation
All putative orthologs for each of the 52 proteins were aligned using M-coffee [29] version 10.00, using eight different alignment algorithms to generate a consensus multiple alignment. Sections with poor consensus alignment (<50%) and long insertions affecting few genes were deleted using Jalview v 2.8.2 [30]. Five proteins were rejected from further analysis due to insufficient consensus alignment. Inspection of the alignments and of trees inferred from individual alignments revealed that some species contributed paralogs or bacterial contaminants rather than orthologs to the alignment, which were replaced by orthologs, when available, or deleted. In alignments, paralogs stand out by being markedly divergent from genes in related species, while in trees paralogs end up in outgroup positions. The final alignments of the 47 proteins were concatenated using catfasta2phyml v1.0 (https://github.com/nylander/catfasta2phyml) yielding a total of 37,410 aligned amino acid positions. This alignment, shown in Additional file 6, was used in its entirety for phylogenetic inference, or divided into five subsets of nine or ten proteins.
Phylogenetic trees
Phylogenetic trees were inferred using MrBayes v3.2.2 [31] and RAxML version 8.1.20 [32] with either a mixed amino acid substitution model for the entire alignment, or with concatenated alignments partitioned into sections which contained genes with the same optimal amino acid substitution model. Each partition was then run under its optimal model. For all analysis, rate variation between sites was estimated by a gamma distribution with four rate categories and a proportion of invariable sites. Bayesian analyses were run for one to two million generations for alignments of individual genes and for 100,000 generations for concatenated alignments. The concatenated alignments already fully converged (SD of split frequencies = 0) at less than 10,000 generations. RaxML analyses were run with 100 bootstrap replicates. Trees were visualized using Figtree v.1.4.2 (http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/) and rooted at midpoint or on the outgroup of unicellular Amoebozoa.
Test of alternative topologies
Alternative tree topologies were investigated using the approximately unbiased (AU) test as implemented in the program CONSEL v0.20 [23]. Trees with constrained nodes, as shown in Additional file 5 were generated using RaxML, and the RaxML log likelihood values for the consensus tree topology and the alternative tree topologies were used as input for the AU test.
We thank Dr. Karim Gharbi and Dr. Timothee Cezard at the Edinburgh Genomics Centre for genome sequencing and genome assembly, respectively.
The genome sequencing and assembly and salary of RS were funded by BBSRC project grant BB/K000799/1. The salaries of CS and PS were funded by Wellcome Trust senior investigator award 100293/Z/12/Z.
Availability of data and material
The raw sequence data and assembled contigs of the genomes sequenced for this work are archived in the European Nucleotide Archive (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena) and assigned study accession number PRJEB14640. The 47 annotated proteins from these genomes and the P. violaceum QSvi11 genome (Genbank accession number AJWJ00000000) are listed in Additional file 2, sheet 1.
Authors' contributions
RS selected and annotated protein sequences and performed phylogenetic inference and hypothesis testing. CS cultured test species and isolated genomic DNAs. PS designed the study and wrote the manuscript together with RS. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.
Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Authors' Affiliations
- Szathmary E, Smith JM. The major evolutionary transitions. Nature. 1995;374(6519):227–32.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Brown Matthew W, Kolisko M, Silberman Jeffrey D, Roger Andrew J. Aggregative multicellularity evolved independently in the eukaryotic supergroup Rhizaria. Curr Biol. 2012;22(12):1123–7.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Brown MW, Spiegel FW, Silberman JD. Phylogeny of the "forgotten" cellular slime mold, Fonticula alba, reveals a key evolutionary branch within Opisthokonta. Mol Biol Evol. 2009;26(12):2699–709.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Du Q, Kawabe Y, Schilde C, Chen ZH, Schaap P. The evolution of aggregative multicellularity and cell-cell communication in the Dictyostelia. J Mol Biol. 2015;427:3722–33.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Devreotes P, Horwitz AR. Signaling networks that regulate cell migration. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2015;7(8):a005959.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Muller-Taubenberger A, Kortholt A, Eichinger L. Simple system--substantial share: the use of Dictyostelium in cell biology and molecular medicine. Eur J Cell Biol. 2013;92(2):45–53.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Loomis WF. Cell signaling during development of Dictyostelium. Dev Biol. 2014;391(1):1–16.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Strassmann JE, Queller DC. Evolution of cooperation and control of cheating in a social microbe. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011;108(Supplement 2):10855–62.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Brock DA, Read S, Bozhchenko A, Queller DC, Strassmann JE. Social amoeba farmers carry defensive symbionts to protect and privatize their crops. Nat Commun. 2013;4:2385.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Schaap P, Winckler T, Nelson M, Alvarez-Curto E, Elgie B, Hagiwara H, Cavender J, Milano-Curto A, Rozen DE, Dingermann T, et al. Molecular phylogeny and evolution of morphology in the social amoebas. Science. 2006;314(5799):661–3.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Romeralo M, Spiegel FW, Baldauf SL. A fully resolved phylogeny of the social amoebas (Dictyostelia) based on combined SSU and ITS rDNA sequences. Protist. 2010;161(4):539–48.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Romeralo M, Cavender JC, Landolt JC, Stephenson SL, Baldauf SL. An expanded phylogeny of social amoebas (Dictyostelia) shows increasing diversity and new morphological patterns. BMC Evol Biol. 2011;11:84.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Eichinger L, Pachebat JA, Glockner G, Rajandream MA, Sucgang R, Berriman M, Song J, Olsen R, Szafranski K, Xu Q, et al. The genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Nature. 2005;435(7038):43–57.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Sucgang R, Kuo A, Tian X, Salerno W, Parikh A, Feasley CL, Dalin E, Tu H, Huang E, Barry K, et al. Comparative genomics of the social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum and Dictyostelium purpureum. Genome Biol. 2011;12(2):R20.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Gloeckner G, Lawal HM, Felder M, Singh R, Guild G, Weijer CJ, Schaap P. The multicellularity genes of dictyostelid social amoebas. Nature Communications, under review 2016.Google Scholar
- Heidel A, Lawal H, Felder M, Schilde C, Helps N, Tunggal B, Rivero F, John U, Schleicher M, Eichinger L et al. Phylogeny-wide analysis of social amoeba genomes highlights ancient origins for complex intercellular communication. Genome Res. 2011;21(11):1882–91Google Scholar
- Urushihara H, Kuwayama H, Fukuhara K, Itoh T, Kagoshima H, Shin IT, Toyoda A, Ohishi K, Taniguchi T, Noguchi H, et al. Comparative genome and transcriptome analyses of the social amoeba Acytostelium subglobosum that accomplishes multicellular development without germ-soma differentiation. BMC Genomics. 2015;16:80.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Romeralo M, Skiba A, Gonzalez-Voyer A, Schilde C, Lawal H, Kedziora S, Cavender JC, Glockner G, Urushihara H, Schaap P. Analysis of phenotypic evolution in Dictyostelia highlights developmental plasticity as a likely consequence of colonial multicellularity. Proc Biol Sci. 2013;280(1764):20130976.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Sheikh S, Gloeckner G, Kuwayama H, Schaap P, Urushihara H, Baldauf SL. Root of Dictyostelia based on 213 universal proteins. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2015;92:53–62.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Schilde C, Skiba A, Schaap P. Evolutionary reconstruction of pattern formation in 98 Dictyostelium species reveals that cell-type specialization by lateral inhibition is a derived trait. EvoDevo. 2014;5(1):34.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Brock DA, Douglas TE, Queller DC, Strassmann JE. Primitive agriculture in a social amoeba. Nature. 2011;469(7330):393–6.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Lartillot N, Rodrigue N, Stubbs D, Richer J. PhyloBayes MPI: phylogenetic reconstruction with infinite mixtures of profiles in a parallel environment. Syst Biol. 2013;62(4):611–5.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Shimodaira H, Hasegawa M. CONSEL: for assessing the confidence of phylogenetic tree selection. Bioinformatics. 2001;17(12):1246–7.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Kalla SE, Queller DC, Lasagni A, Strassmann JE. Kin discrimination and possible cryptic species in the social amoeba Polysphondylium violaceum. BMC Evol Biol. 2011;11:31.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Shadwick LL, Spiegel FW, Shadwick JD, Brown MW, Silberman JD. Eumycetozoa = Amoebozoa?: SSUrDNA phylogeny of protosteloid slime molds and its significance for the amoebozoan supergroup. PLoS One. 2009;4(8), e6754.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Li H, Durbin R. Fast and accurate short read alignment with Burrows-Wheeler transform. Bioinformatics. 2009;25(14):1754–60.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Kanehisa M, Goto S, Sato Y, Kawashima M, Furumichi M, Tanabe M. Data, information, knowledge and principle: back to metabolism in KEGG. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014;42(Database issue):D199–205.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Rutherford K, Parkhill J, Crook J, Horsnell T, Rice P, Rajandream MA, Barrell B. Artemis: sequence visualization and annotation. Bioinformatics. 2000;16(10):944–5.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Wallace IM, O'Sullivan O, Higgins DG, Notredame C. M-Coffee: combining multiple sequence alignment methods with T-Coffee. Nucleic Acids Res. 2006;34(6):1692–9.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Waterhouse AM, Procter JB, Martin DM, Clamp M, Barton GJ. Jalview version 2--a multiple sequence alignment editor and analysis workbench. Bioinformatics. 2009;25(9):1189–91.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Ronquist F, Huelsenbeck JP. MrBayes 3: Bayesian phylogenetic inference under mixed models. Bioinformatics. 2003;19(12):1572–4.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
- Stamatakis A. RAxML Version 8: A tool for Phylogenetic Analysis and Post-Analysis of Large Phylogenies. Bioinformatics. 2014;30(9):1312–13.Google Scholar


text:
Mako made a splash with their track "Beam" in 2013, garnering much recognition and acclaim. The electronic producers toured extensively and worked with numerous established artists including Avicii, Steve Angello, Sander Van Doom and many others. The duo consisting of singer/songwriter Alex Seaver and producer/songwriter Logan Light came together from nearly opposite directions where Seaver attended The Juilliard School on a full scholarship and played with some of the world's elite classical artists. Whereas, Light had beginnings in the DJ world, having opened for the likes of Tiesto and Avicii. Hourglass is the duo's debut album and showcases their musical chops as the material stretches the electronic realm, as Seaver described, "It's much more of an emphasis on songwriting from a place of storytelling and experience and less about power of production underneath. In that sense it definitely feels a little risky since it might not come across as 'obvious' as some of our past records. Hoping this one can paint a visual world for our audience in a way that they might not normally experience."
Check out Mako performing "Into The Sunset" acoustic and our interview with Alex and Logan!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Da Nang, Vietnam
Fire-Breathing Dragon Bridge
This bridge is embedded with a giant steel dragon that breathes fire from its mouth.
This 1,864-foot-long bridge has a steel dragon that breathes fire.
Opened on March 29, 2013, the bridge commemorates the 38th anniversary of the taking of the port city of Da Nang by the North Vietnamese near the end of the Vietnam War. The metallic dragon was modeled on one from the Ly Dynasty and is illuminated with 2,500 LED lights.
Watching it shoot fire might seem a bit terrifying for the six lanes of traffic that drive beneath the mythical giant, but it can also playfully spray water from its mouth.
- http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/4/4182024/vietnam-opens-fire-breathing-dragon-bridge
- http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/giant-steel-dragon-bridge-vietnam-breathes-fire-215025906.html
- http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/04/15/watch-vietnams-dragon-bridge-is-six-lanes-of-fire-breathing-fun/
- http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/70067/inauguration-of-world-s-largest-dragon-shaped-steel-in-da-nang.html


text:
- This event has passed.
Walk-in Breastfeeding Help
December 11, 2018 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, repeating until December 18, 2018
MaryBeth Merritt, lactation consultant, offers breastfeeding advice and new mom support. Stop on by. No appointment necessary.


text:
Thomas D. GeilOf Counsel
Thomas D. Geil specializes in workers' compensation, personal injury, and Social Security disability. He attended the University of Michigan Law School, and is admitted to practice in Michigan state courts. Before joining McCroskey Law in 1968, Mr. Geil served as a law clerk for United States Federal Judge Noel P. Fox. He left McCroskey Law in 1994 to pursue his own law practice.
Mr. Geil returned to the firm in 2010, and is currently of counsel.
J.D., University of Michigan, 1966
B.A., Notre Dame, 1961
Calhoun County Bar Association
Past President
Negligence Council, State Bar of Michigan
Past Chairman
Western District Chapter, Federal Bar Association
Past Executive Board Member
Tort Reform Committee, State Bar of Michigan
Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference
Life Member
Michigan Trial Lawyers Association
Past Executive Board Member
Battle Creek United Way
Member of the Board of Directors
Sherman Lake
Member of the Board of Directors


text:
When I work in watermedia, I use either gouache or acrylics on illustration board. But no matter what medium I'm working in, my goal is a soft-edged, painterly feel. To achieve this, I work directly: I don't do much underpainting or use many washes. I really treat gouache, acrylics and even oils about the samethis is how I get a fresh look.
Although I put the gouache on fairly thickly, I don't glob it on like oils. But I definitely put it on more thickly than someone building up washes in watercolor. Because gouache dries quickly, I usually mix on my palette. My gouache paintings are usually smaller, because it's hard to cover a lot of ground painting directly when the paint dries so quickly.
I don't do many portraits in gouache, because I still think it has a hard-edged look, even though I work to get a painterly, softer feel. Because I paint very directly with gouache it's sometimes hard to control the edges. When I'm using gouache, I'll often go back and soften edges either with a dry brush or by blending with a wet brush.
Acrylics handle differently than gouache. They stay moist longer, so I can work with the edges. If this doesn't workif I need a soft edge and I can't get it by blending wet-into-wet, I'll use a dry brush. Once they're dry, you can't rework acrylics with a wet brush. Also, if you work in acrylics, keep in mind that the more paint you get on there, the darker the colors get. If you get too many layers on, they start getting dark. If you're going to layer at all, you have to start painting lighter than you think you want it to be.
I use a pretty traditional palette. When I'm painting in gouache (Winsor & Newton Designers), I'll use permanent white gouache, cadmium yellow pale, orange lake light, flame red, alizarin crimson, permanent green light, permanent green medium, cobalt blue, Winsor blue and ivory black.
When I use acrylics (Liquitex in tubes), I use titanium white, cadmium yellow, orange lake light, cadmium red light, Napsol crimson, chromium oxide green, permanent green metal, cobalt blue and ultramarine blue.
John Salminen, of Duluth, Minnesota, is a signature member of several watercolor societies and has received many honors, including the Dolphin Fellowship from the American Watercolor Society and "master" status from the Midwest Watercolor Society. His work has been featured in several publications and exhibited in the National Academy in New York City and in a solo exhibit in Washington, D.C. He holds a master's degree in art education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and is represented by the Bryant Galleries in Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans, and the Lake Area Artists Gallery in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.


text:
She's always been a food lover, but Eden Grinshpan is seriously chowing down on some of her favorite pregnancy cravings, and her fans are loving it.
Meet Eden Grinshpan—Cooking Channel host, unabashed foodie, and mom-to-be. One look at Grinshpan's web site or Instagram feed makes one thing very clear: This lady loves to eat...and her pregnancy just might be intensifying that love affair.
"I feel pretty fortunate because I have made food a career—I've had a couple shows on the Cooking Channel, I'm the new host of Top Chef Canada and I'm actually in the process of opening a restaurant...[but] pregnancy has definitely made me go back for that second slice or that third slice," Grinshpan tells Fit Pregnancy. "My appetite has definitely increased."
The food lover is "eating for two," and fans are loving the photos and videos she's posting of herself indulging those pregnancy cravings—she even shared a hilarious video of herself dancing to Ed Sheeran's song "Shape of You" while dancing with a cheeseburger in each hand. You don't have to be pregnant to start drooling over this one.
"You don't really see pregnant women who are almost nine months pregnant dancing around and eating and having fun like that," she says of her decision to post the video. "The response has been amazing, obviously. We're just really enjoying it."
It's easy to see why preggos relate to the clip: While we are all for living the healthiest lifestyle possible while you're expecting, we also know that you need to live a little and give in to those cravings once in a while. And if you're pregnant, you can probably relate all too well to the video—sometimes when you finally get your hands on the food you've been craving, it sort of feels like you're actually in love, you know?
Speaking of living a healthy lifestyle, Grinshpan makes it clear that she's all about maintaining balance (and no, we're not referring to one cheeseburger in either hand here). As much as the mama-to-be loves pizza, sweets and burgers, that's definitely not all she consumes. "I love to indulge but when I'm not posting I'm eating lots of vegetables. This baby isn't going to be made up of bread and sugar," she says. "I eat very healthy in between my indulgences. I live a life of eating in moderation—yes, when I go for it now I think I really go for it, but in between I eat very healthy."


text:
Party the night away with
LIBRIUM Lite+M... The Pocket Pack of laughter!
Just when your friends thought they were going to have to endure another boring night out talking about old times, you slap the pocket sized Lite+ game down on the table and challenge the lot of them!
(It's hoped by now you have had at least a small bit of practice before you show them the art of LIBRIUM!)
We are not advocating that you should use the Lite+M as a drinking game, but... The Mag Mount does look particularly magnificent attached to the top of a beer or other drinks bottle!
*(For a more sedate game or when younger players are present...use a bean tin!)
Contents include:
- LIBRIUM Mag Mount
- Fulcrum card
- 20 classic LIBRIUM cards
- Top Ten Tip card
- Instructions
|Custom Printing
|Full Colour Reverse Image
|After you have placed your order, we will contact you to advise on image format and sizing etc. Please check your spam folders if you haven't heard from us within 24 hours.
LIBRIUM Lite+M
- Product Code: Lite+M
- Availability: 5


text:
ALL men are invited to attend. This group includes men of all ages.
The purpose of the UMM is to help men grow in Christ so others may know Christ. Join us for breakfast and fellowship on the first Sunday of the month at 7:00 am in the fellowship hall. Guest speakers are often invited & there is always great fellowship to be had.
For More Information
Rev. Mark PittsAssociate Pastor of Congregational Care


text:
The Springfield Arts Commission operates the City Hall Gallery, which has showcased primarily local artists since 1989. The gallery is located on a ninety-foot wall just outside the entrance to the library. Exhibits change monthly. Thus, the City Hall Gallery provides exposure to a wide variety of art and artists to the public.
In 2017, 14 artists applied to be considered for 11 shows. The Gallery attracts on average 45-125 people at each Second Friday Art Walk reception. On average, each month, the gallery is viewed by an additional 3,700 City Hall visitors.
Gallery Guidelines for Artists
How to apply for the Call to Artists
Mail Art Link
Springfield Arts Commission,
225 5th Street, Springfield, OR 97477 • (541) 726-2246
• Email


text:
- Hide
The Owners
A family history
Robert Gravel's property since its establishment in 1962, it switched hands in 1975 to Armand Couture and his wife Yvonne Néron. The latter ran the hotel for nearly 12 years before handing the keys over to the current owners, their sons Jean-Marc and Sylvain Couture.
It was under the Couture brothers' direction that, in 1988, Le Montagnais underwent its most important expansion phases.
For more information on the Couture family's influence on the hotel's development, see the following document:


text:
My husband and I love to travel. Since university, we've travelled at least once a year, be it flying out to Europe or driving out west along the Trans Canada. So when we found a last minute deal on a cruise to the Bahamas, we said "Hells yeah" and packed our luggage like it was the end of days. (Side-note: Isn't it awesome that it's 2013 and we're all still alive? Take that, Mayans!)
We boarded the ship with smiles and optimism. We had nailed the flight to Orlando (munchkin slept most of the way *insert choir of angels singing here*). I had this vision of what our trip would be like: he would eat wherever, nap in his stroller, and we would spend hardly any time in the room. Oh, and of course I would magically lose my mummy tummy the moment I slipped my bikini on.
Alas, reality was waiting for us in our tiny tiny stateroom. Munchkin hated the nursing cover (well, it's more like he loved to rip it off), he refused to nap anywhere (which meant he was more than a little loco by day 3), and nothing could stop me from obsessing over whether he had enough sunblock on (as it is, all three of us are as pasty white as the day we left).
One day in, we had to wonder if we were total dumbasses for vacationing with our little man. We were tired. He was cranky. It took us forever to get ready every time we left the room.
Then, on day 2, something amazing happened: we got to dip his little feet into the ocean. He felt sand. We watched him laugh and bounce during the evening show. We beamed at each person who fawned over him.
I realized that like anything else post-baby, the trip was not going to be the same as previous ones, but that's not to say it wasn't going to be enjoyable. Experiences like drinking until 2 am and tanning on the deck sipping Mai Tais were simply traded in for new experiences like watching the munchkin's first sunset or laughing at his strange reaction to sand beneath his feet.
We had an amazing (and very very exhausting) time, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!


text:
Success Faster Interviews: Agents who beat the odds and crushed it in their first two years
Interview 5: Michael Glickman, Boca Raton, Keller Williams, 050316
NAR statistics for first-year REALTOR® success are abysmal. According to the National Association of Realtors, the likelihood of a newly licensed Realtor still being in the business one or two years later is around 10%. Simple math tells us that one out of every ten newly licensed agents will actually make it.
This interview series is about the 1% who crushed it their first couple years.
I reached out to my coaching network around the country asking for names of agents who nailed it in their first year or two, agents who were either Rookie of the Year candidates and finalists. This is the fifth interview blog post in that series.
Before real estate, Michael had 30+ years experience growing businesses worldwide. He got his real estate license September 2012 starting part-time then jumped to full-time June 2013.
Q. Tell me about your first couple of years in real estate and how you made that work.
A. Because of my other business, I started part-time but I knew I needed a plan, a set date to shift to full-time. I had to get folks in my business trained so I could step out.
I have changed industries before … so the first thing my wife and I did (she's been phenomenally supportive in everything), we sat down and we made a five-year plan. We just said, "Okay, let's look at what the long term goal is and what are the steps to get there."
Q. What works for you and why do you think you succeeded at such a high level when so many agents kind of fall short?
A. I'm not afraid to talk to people. I just get out there and talk to people. Other agents … they need to get out there!
Q. And the main source of your business?
A. My business, interestingly enough, came from everywhere other than my sphere of influence. My sphere knew me as an expert in another field forever and I think they were waiting and feeling things out. I believe my outside-the-box-thinking helped me to earn Rookie of the Year … primarily setting up at the local gym.
I wanted to set up a table at the gym, other businesses were doing that. In the process of discussing that with the manager, I realized he needed a help with his marketing for the gym; he was spending way too much money on postcards with little to no results.
I had migration reports, showing the pattern of people moving to our area. So I said, "Listen. This is where people come from to our area. How would you like me, every time I get a listing, I shoot it out. By the way, here are the people I contact and I brought it with me. Here are 212 offices in the snow states where people are relocating from. So wouldn't it be nice if people that didn't know everybody else in town had your information? So when they move to the Boca area, they'll think you're the only one and they call you?" He looked at me and he pointed to where I should set up my table.
This is where a lot of my initial business came from. I found several investors there and people looking for properties. And I am still working with some of those people today.
Q. What is one thing you think you did really well your first year?
A. I sort of get straight to the point … I'm a New Yorker. But if you have the knowledge and you understand that people's concerns are real to them, whether they are right or wrong, it doesn't matter. It's real to them, so it's right. Addressing that and working from my heart to be compassionate and give them the right answer makes my clients very comfortable with me.
Q. If you were to start your real estate career all over, what is one thing you would do differently?
A. I would have talked to more FSBO's and I would have done more open houses. I'm doing both now and getting results.
Q. What is your main focus this year in your business?
A. My main focus this year is working with renters that are just about ready to buy. And I am doubling my business.
Q. What do you think is the secret to new agents gaining traction quickly?
A. I think many of the new agents think they have to do everything, read everything, and have all their systems set up before they can actually talk to somebody. I think they keep doing what I call jogging in quicksand. They get so overwhelmed that they don't realize the old expression, one bite at a time.
I noticed in our office some of the new agents try to go off into a room, off to the side or talk very quietly so someone doesn't hear them. I just come over and say "Hey guys listen. Talk a little louder. Be around people. We've got a great guy in our office and he actually—instead of being in his office, he goes out into the big room where most people can see and hear him. He makes three hours of calls a day right there. What a great place to make your calls so you can hear what's going on."
Q. What is your advice for new agents just getting started? What is the Michael Glickman new agent pep talk?
A. They need to understand they are not doing anything alone. They have every single agent in that office wanting to see them succeed. We're all tied to your success as an agent … let us help you.
Pick something and do it and get started. If you can shadow, then shadow. Practice with another agent, get comfortable. If you sound confident, clients will respond.
Also, I wear my pin everywhere. Don't be a secret agent. Go out and talk to people.
Q. Anything else you'd like to add?
A. Because of my five-year plan, I have developed some really interesting relationships and planted seeds for a broader foundation. I am building a business.


text:
Making bread gives me immense satisfaction. Even when it's banana bread and no kneading or proofing is involved. Still when you take this loaf out of the oven it's like – I made bread! Very satisfactory. Especially when it's well risen, and not slack-baked. Now, I think that is an impressive result. I feel like a seasoned baker even though I'm rubbish and can't follow a recipe to save my life. Precise baking is not for me. And we all know with baking following the recipe is crucial. Thankfully I have more of a savoury, not sweet tooth these days (surprising side effect of quitting processed sugar) and that's much easier to satisfy. But I can make this bread. And I'm very proud of it. I love how it rises and cracks. Every time it has a beautiful crusty pattern.
The rich dark colour of this banana bread is thanks to a combination of buckwheat and spelt flour. I love both. Both are a bit nutty in taste and have terrific flavour. And they are easy to use. Buckwheat flour is surprisingly easy to mix with liquid. No lumpy batter texture situation with this flour. And spelt flour has great taste, is much more nutritious than standard flour and has less gluten. Win win.
My absolutely favourite way to eat this bread is a thick slice, with butter and toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I don't know why but it just works perfectly. You have to try it.
It's not a sweet bread, the only sweetener is the banana, you get a slight hum of that in the bread but it's not overpowering the whole bread experience. The level of sweetness or rather lack of was intended. We are too overloaded on sugar anyway. This is a great, moist, incredibly reach loaf of bread, and it's still a healthy loaf of bread. And believe me, you will devour it to the last crumb.
Pace yourself though so you have some leftover 2-3 days later. And toast it. It's great, right? So tasty with toasted crust and still moist and beautiful inside. Very satisfactory breakfast experience indeed.
Try this banana bread with cottage cheese, jam, just butter, peanut butter, lovely cheese, great ham and some greens. The sky is your limit. Or rather your fridge content is your limit. But you get the idea. This bread rocks and you need to make it.
Fuel Your Body, Charge Your Day
- 4 ripe bananas
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of yogurt
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 cup of buckwheat flour
- 1 cup of spelt flour
- Preheat oven to 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit.
- Peel and add bananas to a bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Add eggs, olive oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and baking powder. Whisk until smooth and frothy.
- Fold in buckwheat and spelt flour.
- Pour the batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until dry toothpick.


text:
Neptune opposite Neptune
Giving up your ideals
This aspect shows that you have different spiritual outlooks. You are widely separated by age. You won't understand each other's minds; you'll think your friend is thinking one thing, and really their mind is somewhere else entirely.
You'll find it hard to establish common ground, because your generations, dreams, and ideals will be so different. If you want it to work long-term, you'll really have to talk things through to try to understand what's going on under a seemingly placid surface.
Neptune opposite Neptune in the Compatibility Chart


text:
Ladies Night @ Lush
- Details
- Published on Monday, 22 April 2019 10:48
- Written by Vu
Come for Saigon's hottest Ladies Night at Lush and #letshavesomefun
My parents are originally from Vietnam and came to the United States as refugees after the war. I was born in Orange County, California, where many Vietnamese people who came to America made their new home. When I was growing up, my mother forced me to learn Vietnamese and to participate in cultural traditions, but she never wanted to visit Vietnam because of the pain she felt from having to leave her homeland. I am ethnically Vietnamese, but I was born in America; I have always felt this gave me a dual identity. I yearned to go back to Vietnam to explore my roots and culture.
Two large crane statues stand atop ceremonial turtles with lotus flowers in their mouths on either side of the entrance to Villa Royale.
There are three H's that best encompass Vietnam: Hanoi, the capital; Hue, the ancient capital; and Ho Chi Minh City, the economic center. While I am still struck by Hue's vibrant culture, my memories of Hanoi are not as vivid. However, I instantly relived Hanoi moments after my visit to Ngách 160 café.
Potato foam is not something you'd expect to find in Saigon, or maybe anywhere and yet here it is, on my plate, during a tasting of Qui: Cuisine and Mixology's new menu launch.
The exotic pet trade and lack of suitable conservation standards threaten the lizards native to several remote islands in northern Vietnam.
A whale with trash spilling out its busted belly, a seagull with feathers soaked in sticky oil, horses galloping in terror: a group of students circled around a computer peer over images of sculptures, searching for inspiration.
After straws, Vietnam's anti-plastic movement now has a new target: plastic grocery wraps.
While most people know Saigon's water is far from clean, few grasp the severity of the contamination.
If you've never been to Vietnam before, would these colorful vintage poster entice you to book a ticket?
"Phu Quoc is a large, uncultivated island, apart from a few hectares of coffee plantation and the small gardens of Duong-Dong, covered throughout its whole extent by beautiful jungle which grows on a forest floor of exceptional richness and is exploitable, provided we build roads."
In the public discourse surrounding beef and its culinary application, more often than not there's barely any space for tripe.
"Let's get loud, let's get loud, turn the music up, let's do it!" singer Noiichan roared while standing atop a table in the middle of the spacious Hard Rock Cafe Saigon.
Come for Saigon's hottest Ladies Night at Lush and #letshavesomefun


text:
Cheviot Hills History
Spanish & Mexican Ranchos
Jos de Arnaz
Arnaz Ranch - Los Angeles
Romance of a Rancho
The Palms
Worsfold's History
The Story of Palms
The Railroad and the Old Palms Depot
My 50 Years in Palms
Worsfold's Letters
The Palms Subdivision
The Palms Crescents
The Tracts
Castle Heights
Country Club Highlands Tract
Cheviot Hills Tract
Monte-Mar Vista Tract
Tract 10440
Cheviot Knolls
California Country Club Estates
Hillcrest View Estates
Tract 19364
Road Race
Cycle Path
Palms Park & BMX
Palms-Rancho Park Library
Cheviot Hills Military Academy
Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
Cheviot Hills' Tennis Club
Early Roads
National Boulevard
West LA
Culver City - A Calendar of Events (1939)
Ambassador Addition
Aerial Gallery
Map Gallery
Train Gallery
Scrapbooks & Histories
Country Club Highlands Tract
Tract 7156, marketed as Country Club Highlands, was registered with the City of Los Angeles
on November 26, 1923, several months after the area was incorporated into the city through the "
Ambassador Annexation
" (a.k.a. Ambassador Addition). T
ract maps were signed off by the owner, Hellman Commercial and Savings Bank, in October 1923. However, a month earlier (in September 1923) a
trumpeted "homesites
as low as $750, $112.50 down, 5 years to pay balance!"
The tract was likely developed by Ben C. Sheldon, whose June 30, 1959,
reported that "Mr. Sheldon, of 10530 Draper Ave., was responsible for extensive subdivision in the 20s and 30s in the Santa Monica, Glendale and Rancho Park areas." Sheldon's Draper
was possibly the largest and one of the highest up in the tract; it has since been replaced. Mr. Sheldon helped establish the
Marshall P. Riddick Youth Center
donating (or discounting) a parcel
Streets and sidewalks for
"Country Club Highlands" are stamped with: general contractor Hall Johnson Co.
September 19,
1923, Advertisement.
November 15, 1925 article on Country Club Highlands brick home on Aiken Avenue.


text:
Developer Turn 10 Studios is getting its show on the road with the launch of a Forza Motorsport 6: Apex beta for PC on Thursday, 5 May. It's all the thrills, spills, and caffeine pills of super-charged, mega-octane street racing, in the comfort and safety of your own home. The future is now, people.
"Apex combines the power and performance of DirectX 12 with Turn 10's racing expertise, the proprietary ForzaTech™ engine, and Forza's legacy of stellar content. Most importantly, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is our way to introduce Forza's award-winning gameplay to a new audience on Windows 10 and invite a new group of gamers to develop a passion for cars and racing," sez the press stuff.
"During the open beta for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, players can expect to play a beautiful, high quality experience that will run on a variety of Windows 10-enabled machines. As a first-party Microsoft studio, Turn 10 is obsessed with performance in Forza games and, during the open beta for Apex, we will be working to improve the game's performance across a diverse selection of hardware setups. As development continues, players can expect to see updates and improvements to Forza Motorsport 6: Apex including wheel support, the ability to disable Vsync and an in-app framerate counter."
Apex is a free-to-play, "curated" revamp of Forza 6, tweaked for Windows 10. Game's out this year, but no release date has been confirmed. For more info, zoom through to the official website.


text:
How To: Keep Your Hair Fun & Healthy for Summer!
Today I'm working in conjunction with Brooke Elise on this haircare How To! We've both got a few tips and tricks for keeping your hair type healthy and happy. Personally, I've got super long (almost to my butt) naturally blonde hair - so I'll be telling you what I do!
Stay away from the hot tools!
|This is my natural hair! (and natural curl)
Speaking of braids...
They will become your best friend, and are practically a necessity if you want manageable hair. A braid is also a super cute hairstyle and is perfect for windy days. I personally braid my hair every night before bed - sleeping with your hair loose just creates tangles and a mess to brush through in the morning. Also - use a metal free hair tie. I bought a pack of 100 at the dollar store!
Find the perfect brush/comb
Personally, I use a wide tooth comb and a tangle teezer to brush my hair. I also own a wet brush that I never actually use in the shower anymore - but dry when my tangle teezer is no where to be found. The wide tooth comb is a shower staple when I've got conditioner in my hair to make sure that the conditioner gets in every nook and cranny.
Washing your Hair
Now I know everyone is weird on hair washing, and we all have our own system. But I'll tell you mine - I was my hair MAYBE once or twice a week. I don't have super greasy hair although it definitely can get that way, it just depends mainly on how sweaty I get during those inbetween days. I use a moisturizing shampoo too - I know there is all this chemistry behind shampoos but I'm gonna be honest, I buy my shampoo and conditioner at Sams club. (which is a wholesaler) So I've got a very large shampoo and conditioner pump sitting in my shower.
Conditioning your Hair
This is going to sound weird probably, but I always apply conditioner to the ends of my hair first. I feel like this is the part of my hair that is most fragile and I will apply a large portion of moisturizing conditioner there before anything else. My hair is also long enough that I pull it up in a bun of its own while I shave/wash my body and the last thing I do before I get out of the shower is wash conditioner out. I always end up letting my hair air dry as well.
Stay away from permanent color!
This is kind of a no brainer - peroxide based hair colors damage hair. Long hair is sensitive and you need to be gentle with it. But I've used demi/semi permanent colors on my long hair before with no repercussions. (I prefer using brands like Manic Panic)
Be Gentle!
No seriously - have patience and be gentle. It may take up some time of your morning- but it'll be worth it in the long run!


text:
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lee Beddis spent his youth with the Peterborough Krescendos, the Canadian Knights and the Kitchener Dutch Boy Drum Corps. He would later move south to join the ranks of the World Champion Garfield Cadets in order to become part of the now-legendary "perfect" percussion line of 1987. After winning his second title in 1990, he aged out, swiftly moving into the role of instructor.
His instructing experience includes the Madison Scouts, Star of Indiana and the Phantom Regiment. It was there, in 1996, that Lee helped capture the World title with his ambitious work for "The Defiant Heart", an all-Shostakovich program. In 1997, he turned his skills to the rebuilding of the Toledo, Ohio, Glassmen. Within the year, his expertise found immediate reward, moving that section into the forefront world-class recognition. After the successful 2000 season, he moved to the Crossmen, where he remained until his appointment as Percussion Coordinator to the Madison Scouts. Lee's unique reputation as a program builder prepared him for the role of returning the 2005 and 2006 Madison line to elite status. In 2007, Lee's unique reputation of building quality percussion programs with success in short periods of time fit in right with Carolina Crown's desired level of success. Lee's experience at all levels of instruction from tech, to caption head, arranger and percussion coordinator make him the perfect choice for leading the Crown percussion section in 2007 and beyond.
In addition to drum corps experience, Lee is in demand throughout the United States and Canada as a highly-regarded judge for Winter Guard International and many other organizations. He proudly endorses high-quality industry names such as Yamaha, Remo, Vic Firth and Zildjian, while conducting marching percussion clinics across North America.
No upcoming shows


text:
How many times do all expectant or new Mum's hear the words 'breast is best'? In my opinion, too many!
Now before I continue, I want to make it absolutely clear, I have no issue with breast feeding whatsoever. In fact, I applaud women who do manage to breastfeed successfully. I'm not one of those people who turn my nose up when I see a woman breast feeding in public, it's a completely natural way to feed your baby. My issue is with the saying 'breast is best' and how these 3 simple words can affect a woman.
Just because a woman isn't breastfeeding it doesn't mean she didn't want to. Imagine how the words 'breast is best' affect a woman who spent the first few weeks of her baby's life trying, and failing, to establish breast feeding. She is more than likely already feeling guilty because she 'failed' – these words will do nothing but damage her possibly already low self esteem.
Breast feeding Mums talk about the shame they feel around feeding in public, attitudes towards extended breast feeding, and a lack of practical support from medical professionals. Formula feeding parents talk about the shame around the entire first year of feeding, being made to feel like they are harming their children, being frowned upon by health visitors, and having a lack of practical support from medical professionals. There are problems, gaps and room for improvement on both sides. It's not a competition.
When I was pregnant I don't think a day went by where someone wouldn't ask me if I was planning on breast feeding. Even a complete stranger in my local supermarket asked me why I was looking down the formula aisle and boldly stated 'you won't be needing that rubbish dear – surely you are going to breast feed?'. I was totally taken aback and actually lost for words – it seemed my growing baby bump gave total strangers the green light to discuss my boobs!
I knew right from the start that I wasn't going to breast feed. There were many things that led me to make that decision, mostly personal. But what shocked me was the amount of people who took an interest into how I was planning to feed my baby. Not just health visitors and medical staff, but friends, family, and even strangers. They all wanted to know if I was going to breast or formula feed. I actually found all the questioning pretty overwhelming and started to feel like I was being guilt tripped into changing my mind.
You hear women saying that formula feeding Mum's don't have that 'special bond' with their babies as they aren't feeding themselves. But I totally disagree. I sit and feed Max every night, cuddling him, looking into his eyes and soaking up all the features of his beautiful little face – do I feel like I don't have a bond with him because it's a bottle in his mouth and not my nipple? Absolutely not! Adam also get's to experience that special bond as we share the feeding times 50/50 and I think it's so important that Dad's take an active role and get to feel included.
I suffered with Post Natal Depression after Max was born and the only thing that helped get me through each day was having Adam on hand when I felt I couldn't cope. He could simply make up a bottle of formula and take over, allowing me to rest. I strongly believe that if I'd had the added pressure of breast feeding that my depression would have been a lot worse. The idea of breast feeding on demand and expressing in between feeding just felt too much for me to cope with.
Some women find breast feeding very rewarding, and for them, it is the right choice. Others find that formula feeding works much better, and for them, breast feeding is the wrong choice. We all know fantastic mothers who formula feed, and plenty of formula fed babies are as healthy as those who are breast fed. My Sister and I were formula fed, and my Brother was breast fed. We're all now grown adults and I can honestly say that my Brother is no more healthy, intellectual or happy than we are. We all have an equal bond with my Mum and her love for all 3 of us is unconditional.
So, which do I think is best, breast or formula? The honest answer is both. It's a personal choice to every woman. It's your baby, therefore your decision. No one should try to influence your choice, only you know what will work for you.
But if you're one of these people who promote the saying 'breast is best' please stop and think before saying this again – you may not know the reasons behind a Mum's decision to formula feed and this question could lead them to feel anxiety, guilt and like they are failing at being a good Mum.
Max goes to bed happy, content and with a full tummy of milk every night- in my opinion that's all that matters to me.
Like this post? Then why not follow me on Bloglovin?


text:
|Shopping cart is empty.
Orchard Bin Vertical 36" x 36" x 26"
Orchard Bin Vertical 36" x 36" x 26"
OB3626 #01928;Each;Each;
Displaying your fresh products with it's natural container, orchard bin barn style perfect to displaying your fresh produce and let your customers feel like they have "straight from the farmer" produce to buy. Even if your store is not farmer store, makes a different touch to your modern store by adding this orchard bin barn style to put a different accents, it will straight attracting your customer's attention. Solid wood material makes this orchard bin durable and strong to hold heavy produce like watermelons or pineaples. Vertical design giving fully loaded accents with minimum produce.
Product dimensions:
Usage Tips:
Related Products


text:
As we all know, all too well. Getting an edge in Fantasy Premier League is worth points and points every game week. Here are a list of websites, and people which will help you this season to gain FPL points.
Some of the better resources available include:
Website: FPLBet
Twitter: @FPLBet
The Hype Train
Website: The Hype Train
Twitter: @RealHypeTrain
Fantasy Football 247
Website: Fantasy Football 247
Twitter: @FantasyFooty247
FPL Holly
Website: Fantasy Football Community
Twitter: @FPLHolly
FPL Physio
Twitter: @FPL_Physio
Ben Dinnery
Twitter: @BenDinnery
Website: Premier Injuries
News Sites:


text:
NikkiPhoenixxx.com has many of the top porn stars in girl on girl lesbian action, solo masturbation and bonus content of hardcore BG sex. See Nikki Phoenix being naughty & all her girlfriends.Join Now!
Nikki Phoenix Exclusive girl on girl lesbian scenes, Solo photos & videos of Top Babes and Porn Stars with my Exclusive content!
11/11/2017 | 18:17 | Categories:
Starring Cameron Canela, Lucky Starr
Cameron Canela gets Lucky, Lucky Starr that is in this lesbian fun as the girls


text:
Seminar, Classes and Concert: Indian bansuri flute with Harsh Wardhan- April 12-15 2018
The great Indian bansuri player Harsh Wardhan will give a master class of Hindustani style. Harsh is a great concert artist performing worldwide, but he is also an attentive teacher who will bring you to practice the raaga, starting with easy songs, then going to improvisation. Open to all, beginners to advanced.
Concert: Harsh Wardhan, bansuri with Sandip Banerjee, tabla, Sunday April 15, 15h Place: Sangit Academy, Ticket 12€ (free for the particpants to the Seminar)
Harsh's website: http://wardhan.com/
on our website : http://www.clicmusic.be/index.php/en/artists/2014-09-17-07-03-56/wardhan-harsh
Wardhan on YouTube: for instance https://youtu.be/Y9Pu5QeTxHg
Place : Sangit Academy, Place Stephanie 12, 1050 Ixelles-Brussels – Map
Contact firstname.lastname@example.com or call 0471 41 47 36
Seminar and group teaching
Dates: April 12-18 : 10-13 and 14h to 18h Seminar. After 18h private teaching
Seminar teaching: 70€ /per day for Master Classes and a short performance
Private teaching : 35€/h


text:
Background & Aims of the Study: Sarcocystiosis is a zoonosis appeared in domestic animals caused by various species of Sarcocystis. This protozoan disease has worldwide distribution among human and many species of animals. Humans acquire infection by eating of raw and under cooked beef, pork or mincemeat containing schizonts of Sarcocystis hominis and S. suihominis. The aim of present study is to detect prevalence of the Sarcocystis spp. infection in mincemeat samples at Ghazvin province of Iran.
Materials & Methods: Three hundred mincemeat samples of 150 sheep and 150 cattle were collected from butchers (in spring 2013) in different areas of Ghazvin province, Iran. The statistical analysis was done by independence sample t test, using SPSS ver. 22.0.0 (Chicago, IL, USA).
Results: the finding of this study showed that the highest prevalence of Sarcocystis infection rate was observed in cattle (92.8%) and the lowest of that was evident in sheep (85.6%).
The highest infection rates in both types of minced meat samples were in May (45 and 49 minced meat of sheep and cattle, respectively).
Conclusions: The results revealed that Ghazvin province has the highest Sarcocystis infection rate. Regarding to the high prevalence of Sarcocystis contamination in this study, prevention of eating raw or under-cooked meat is strongly recommended.


text:
Students Activities
Students Activities
The school focuses on various programs of student development. Students can obtain experience through participation in a variety of extra-curricular activities in clubs and student associations.
1. NTD 7.000.000 has been spent on a building for the clubs.
2. Students are encouraged to set up all kinds of clubs.
3. All kinds of major activities (such as the freshman concert) are held, to make possible the participation of the entire school community.
4. Summer and winter camps are held.
5. Services for the elderly and children are provided by clubs.
The school aims to build up good student behavior and values, instilling in them respect for others and cultivating in them practical, innovative, knowledgeable and well-rounded characters.
- From 2004, the school aims to offer teaching, discipline, assistance and generic knowledge.
- Since 2005 the school has endeavored to engage in community service and has improved the relationship between the school and the community.
- The school features an "e-system" to maintain communication between faculty and parents in order to help students finish their studies.
- Since 2005, the school has provided a high-standard hall of residence for students living far away from the school. Instructors periodically visit those students renting off-campus accommodation.
- The school offers labor education to instill in the student an attitude of good devotion to work and service.
- Regarding delinquency, the school offers counseling and guidance to students in need.
- The school has developed a student committee and has trained the directors thereof.
- The health center offers health counseling and provides a health examination service.
- At lunch-time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the health center offers free medical counseling. Health insurance information and help with applications.
- The school gathers health service volunteers to perform community service, including visits to the elderly and to underprivileged children.
- Students are assisted in discovering their abilities in order to adapt well and realize their potential.
Counseling: Services provided include individual and group counseling. Psychological tests and instruction, mental health programs and books and magazines for student use.


text:
Find a piece with meaning that fits your style. Browse senior jewelry available in your school store.
A reminder of where you've been and where you're going. Choose from a variety of senior jewelry for every taste and style.
© 2019 Jostens, Inc | Terms of Use & Legal Notices | Privacy | Your CA Privacy Rights


text:
Advances in brain science give us a better sense of how we think and how we apply these insights to produce better results. Some of the findings are counterintuitive.
Consider creativity: Most leaders assume that they're more apt to make breakthroughs when they're alert and well rested. Wrong.
Research shows that you're more creative when you're exhausted. Why? Your brain doesn't operate as efficiently when you're tired; instead of filtering out distractions and sharpening your focus on a task, it softens up a bit. You're more open to forge looser connections that you might not normally make.
At off-peak times when you struggle to focus, you may digest a wider range of information. This expanded scope provides access to more options and interpretations. Speaking of interpretation, there's a reason that a picture is worth a thousand words. Your brain translates words into pictures, which makes vision of paramount importance in processing and retaining information. If you hear something, you'll likely recall 10% of the message three days later. If you hear something and see an accompanying picture, you'll remember 65%.
From simple illustrations to pie graphs to photos, your ability to combine words and pictures will heighten the odds that your message will sink in—and not fade away over time.
— Adapted from "10 Surprising Things That Benefit Our Brains That You Can Do Every Day," Belle Beth Cooper.


text:
Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|A Walk to Remember
Actors: Shane West, Mandy Moore
Genres: Comedy, Drama
PG 2002 1hr 41min
Love brings together what peer pressure and lifestyles seek to keep apart in this coming-of-age story based on the bestselling book. Teen idol Shane West and multiplatinum recording star Mandy Moore star as two high school... more »
Larger Image
Movie Details
Similar Movies
Similarly Requested DVDs
Member Movie Reviews
Christopher L. (axeofgod72) from TRENTON, IL
Reviewed on 10/20/2012...
a beautiful movie... it should be required watching in high-school... love, loss, peer-pressure, adolescence, adulthood... i don't like writing long reviews... (i love mostly horror and sci-fi)... but "a walk to remember" is a wonderful tear-jerker... perfect 5 stars.
Allison C. from HUMBLE, TX
Reviewed on 8/29/2010...
best movie ever!
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Pamela A. from WHEELING, WV
Reviewed on 5/26/2010...
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Shows the meaning of true love, but it is quite the tear jerker!
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Anick L. from COLUMBIA, SC
Reviewed on 10/28/2009...
A wonderful love story to watch with your teenager. There are lessons in going beyond appearances and seeing someone for who they are and not just being in the "in" group. It is a beautiful love story, showing again that love is not easy or equivalent to sex. A definite must-see for teens. A well made movie with a cast that has chemistry.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
A Teen Love Story To Remember---Perfect for All Ages
Antoinette Klein | Hoover, Alabama USA | 01/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having read the Nicholas Sparks novel nearly two years ago, I was anxiously looking forward to seeing how the wonderful book transferred to the big screen. I was happy that the sweetness and sincerity of first love, true love made the transition with all the warmth and sincerity it deserved. Shane West, whom you may know from TV's "Once and Again," and teen singing sensation Mandy Moore play the young lovers with a sincerity that is not only appealing but refreshing in this era of raunchy and raw teen films. I was a bit uncomfortable the first ten minutes as I thought the movie was heading down the usual teen movie path, but my fears were quickly dispelled when popular boy Landon Carter was punished for his part in a prank that left a fellow student paralyzed and ordered by the principal to join the drama club in order to meet some new people. Jamie Sullivan, the school outcast and laughing stock, is one of the people he meets. He joins his crowd in poking fun of her, but soon comes to value her friendship and admires the way she is self-confident about who she is and what she wants. With so many teen movies focused on sex, it is refreshing to see these two teens build a relationship based on mutual respect and values. Alas, the course of true love is never smooth and, without spoiling the ending for you, I will tell you that I found myself crying unashamedly as the movie drew to a close. Shyly, I glanced around me and noticed everyone from teens to grandmas openly weeping. "A Walk to Remember" is a nice, comforting film that I highly recommend for everyone who loves a love story and remembers what it was like to fall in love for the first time."
A Movie to Warm Your Heart!
sherman-nyc | New York, NY United States | 01/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Wow". That's about all I could muster at the end of the movie (embarrassingly, between a flood of tears - after all, a guy isn't allowed to cry, right?) I must admit - my skepticism was extremely high upon first hearing about this movie. I queried myself as to the necessity of watching yet another "teenage love story". However, upon a friend's recommendation, I decided to give it a go, and realized that I had actually come close to making a terribly big mistake in my life had I not watched it. The movie was simply INCREDIBLE!Shane West does an excellent portrayal of High School bad boy Landon, and his desire to be popular and cool will surely strike a chord in many of our hearts. After all, during our precocious teenage years, there are arguably few things that are more important than being cool and universally liked by peers. One's self esteem is invariably tied with how others perceive us. And so that is how Landon is, until he meets sweet Jamie Sullivan, the local preacher's daughter played by beautiful Mandy Moore. Moore lends her character a huge amount of depth and surrounds her with an innocent, heartwarming aura, so much so that by the end of the movie, she can do no wrong. In addition, the movie is littered with many fabulous songs that are sung by none other than Moore's beautiful voice. One piece that stands out is "Only Hope", a beautiful song that will have your optical water droplets rolling out on more than one occasion. Another great tune that will get your good feelings swirling is "Someday We'll Know".As you watch their relationship blossom throughout the movie, your own feelings are inextricably linked and you find yourself cheering the couple on, marveling at their sweet times spent together and secretly envious of the intense love that they have discovered. For guys, I warn you - Jamie is so incredibly pure and unselfish that she will have your hearts fluttering by the end of the movie. As for Landon, he will no doubt reside in many girls' dreams for months to come, and he demonstrates a type of love that transcends ordinary levels, completing Jamie's life in each and every way. He shows her a love that she has not experienced before, and she helps him to discover himself and fills him with a desire to achieve higher things in life. There is a lot of hidden depth, and even when Landon fulfils Jamie's first and foremost desire (which I shall not reveal for those that have not seen the movie), he says it in such an unselfish way that it evokes true admiration of his love for her. By being together, they have both achieved things that were previously not possible.By the end of the movie, the viewer's faith in love and everything pure and good is restored to unshakeable heights. Love is truly the most powerful emotion known to mankind, and this heartwarming story reminds us that despite the challenges we face on a daily basis, there are things in life that make the experience truly worth it. To be able to witness the kind of love that Jamie and Landon shared is truly unforgettable, and as Landon says during the movie, "We had more happiness than most people experience in a lifetime." A Walk to Remember is a truly moving story that urges us to have faith in true love and to cherish all the wonderful things that we have in our lives."
Beautiful...a Classic in the Making
sherman-nyc | 07/06/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off, please pay no heed to the critics on this one. They seem to have written it off as just another in a long line of typical teen films, giving it their typical (and apparently recycled) reviews for such films. In their prejudice, they fail to realize the uniqueness of this film, especially in this day and age. Sure, the story -- based on the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name -- is nothing new: big man on campus falls in love with misunderstood misfit harboring a tragic secret. The difference here is in the presentation. Instead of the jaded, busy and noisy perspective taken by most teen films, "Walk" is quiet, gentle, full of hope. The plot is simple enough. Popular bad-boy Landon Carter (Shane West) is sentenced to various after-school activities as punishment for his participation in a prank gone terribly wrong. Consequently, he comes into contact with do-gooder Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the preacher's daughter and school outcast. They grew up together, so he thinks he's got her all figured out; but as they spend more time together, he comes to realize that he never really knew her at all. They begin an uneasy friendship that blossoms into more. Along the way, they share some of the most romantic moments ever on film. Sadly, a tragic twist threatens to end their happiness.The film benefits greatly from its two young leads, both of whom turn in outstanding, genuine performances. West has the difficult task of portraying a young man who undergoes a life-changing transformation from angry, aimless troublemaker to thoughtful, loving young man. His depiction is so convincing that by the end of the movie, you can actually see on Landon's face that he has indeed found inner peace from his prior internal tumult. West is especially brilliant in the school play scene where, without uttering a single word, he manages to display Landon's inner struggle over his feelings for Jamie. Quite a thing to behold. Moore is a revelation here as well. In her first lead role, she has chosen quite a difficult (and beloved) character to play, one that if not done right would inspire snickers and laughter rather than tears and sympathy. It is a tremendously challenging and pivotal role. And Moore pulls it off beautifully. Displaying strong screen presence, she shows acting range that belies her theatrical experience. She imbues Jamie with the ethereal radiance and quiet serenity required of her character (and by the novel). Rarely -- if ever -- will you see a more gentle, sincere and altogether believable portrayal of innocence. Together, these two are magic, sharing a chemistry that is not only natural and warm, but palpable and electric. As with any film, "Walk" is not without its flaws. The directing could have been better to help in the flow of the narration. The film could have been about 15 minutes longer to sufficiently develop Jamie and Landon's relationship (though I suspect there were many deleted scenes). And it does not entirely stick to the novel. Those who have read the novel will find that there are many differences. Amazingly, however, the film still manages to capture the feel and essence of the book in that it can make your heart full and break it at the same time. Moreover, it dares to believe in faith and hope. It dares to believe in the transforming power of love. It dares to believe that young people are capable of true, intense and everlasting love. And though it happens to feature teens, it has a universal message -- and that message is up to the viewer, for it never seeks to preach. More than just a love story, "A Walk to Remember" is anything but typical. Ultimately, it is about faith and hope...and living. No superficial make-overs or fart jokes here, folks.Memorable, indeed."


text:
"X-Men Legacy" #274 is graced with an art nouveau inspired cover that calls to mind Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam." The penultimate issue of the Christos Gage-written series centers on a heart-to-heart conversation between Rogue and Magneto, the stars of that cover.
There is a concept in sports that a team will play up or down to the level of the competition they face. In this case, Rogue and Magneto definitely play down to a threat that could be considered to be below their abilities. While there are human lives at risk in a collapsed subway tunnel, Rogue is all but begging the rescue workers to let her "borrow" their abilities and knowledge so she might become a one-woman salvation crew. I can appreciate Rogue's desperation, but Gage has tried to show us how smart she can be to this point in the series. It greatly diminishes Rogue's development to have her attempting to cajole others to elevate her abilities. When Magneto shows up at the site of a crisis to try and hash out their relationship, the whole thing just begins to fall apart.
David Baldeon's artwork is clear and well constructed, with great storytelling choices that address the scenes and predicaments nicely. I noticed Rogue putting one of her gloves back on where some artists would simply choose to have that rendered off-panel. Baldeon also makes a point to have Magneto remove his helmet, which seems like a really dumb idea for a man about to head into a collapsed subway tunnel fraught with rubble and debris. Of course, Baldeon writes to Gage's story and follows Gage's lead when the story takes a turn and dumps an excessive amount of deception on the reader.
This entire issue is a lesson in disappointment. Magneto finds disappointment, as does Rogue. The biggest recipients of it, however, are the readers as they slog through a story that tries too hard to be gut-wrenching and sacrifices character development to pander to emotional turmoil. "X-Men Legacy" #274 stars two of the most powerful X-Men ever, but the deceptively simple task of rescuing civilians from a collapsed subway tunnel seems to suck the confidence from Rogue and the arrogance from Magneto. I get what Gage is trying to do, but the story comes across poorly executed, especially since either character could have handled this predicament easily alone. I've enjoyed "X-Men Legacy" more than I haven't, but this issue isn't one of the enjoyable ones.


text:
The right tools and attachments can
turn a one-dimensional piece of equipment into a multipurpose, versatile
machine that can increase the productivity of your operation. Empire carries a
huge inventory of new Cat® machine tools
attachments, as well as a large selection of used tools from many leading
manufacturers that allow you to save money without sacrificing quality. We make
it easy to match the right tool with your particular tasks and applications.
View all of the Caterpillar Work Tool Options.
selection of used skid loader attachments includes a wide assortment of buckets
for various construction and other industrial applications. Our Cat dirt
buckets are ideal for tighter, narrower areas where a low-capacity bucket is
required. Industrial grapple buckets are an excellent choice for handling bulky
or irregularly shaped materials such as large rocks, trees and miscellaneous
debris. We also have many general and multipurpose buckets that offer maximum
more out of your backhoe with used backhoe attachments from Empire. You'll find
many types of attachments that can transform an ordinary backhoe and make it an
even more valuable addition to your heavy equipment fleet. Options include a
variety of hammers, augers, ditch cleaning buckets and thumbs.
construction operations can get by without a reliable excavator. At Empire, we
offer numerous used excavator attachments for machines of all sizes and types,
including an assortment of buckets, forks, grapplers, lift hooks and material
handling arms. Like all of our used equipment, our used excavator attachments
provide aan affordable alternative to purchasing brand-new items.
Empire, our goal is to carry the widest selection of tools and attachments in
the Southwest.. At any given time, our inventory of quality used construction
equipment work tools and attachments may include:
We're constantly
updating our used construction equipment inventory, so be sure to check back
often for the latest additions. If you can't find what you're looking for, our
friendly and knowledgeable equipment experts will be happy to help. We're also
here to answer any questions you may have and to provide you with a
no-obligation price quote. Be sure to check out the Cat Work Tool Attachments product page for more detailed information.