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Nicole Safe Heaven Foundation Started In Memory Of 18-Year-Old Nicole McGee
A grieving Owen County mother has turned her sadness into an ongoing effort to assist others in Owen and the surrounding communities.
A year following the tragic death of her daughter, 18-year-old Nicole McGee, in a single-vehicle traffic accident, Vickie Edwards has formed Nicole Safe Heaven Foundation.
"It was the worst day of my life, as you can imagine. Nicole and I did everything together, I really didn't know what I would do with my life without her," Edwards explains on the foundation's website. "With a lot of praying and talking with others in the community, I have started this foundation in her honor to help others in Owen and surrounding counties. Nicole was always helping others out and doing nice things for anyone who needed her help. When she lost her life it was on a Sunday and she was on her way home from delivering homemade suckers she had made after church that day and took out to her little cousins that she loved so much and spent some time playing with them in their front yard. Nicole loved little children and anywhere she went the little ones would always be running up to Nicole. This foundation is a great way to continue doing what Nicole would do by helping others."
The foundation hopes to aid area residents who have lost their home to a fire, families of loved ones with cancer and other serious medical conditions and families who need assistance following the loss of a loved one.
The foundation has been active in raising funds as of late and will host a yard sale on Friday and Saturday, June 28-29, at 1017 Pottersville Road, just south of Spencer.
Next month, the foundation will host the first annual Nicole Safe Heaven Bike Ride on Saturday, July 20, starting at the Owen County Fairgrounds.
Local businesses and organizations still have time to become a sponsor for the ride at a cost of $25 by contacting the foundation at 829-7146 by no later than Thursday, June 27.
Registration for the event will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the fairgrounds. Cost will be $15 per rider, or $20 for a rider and a passenger.
The ride will end back at the fairgrounds with live music, 50/50 and raffle drawings, along with hotdogs and BBQ pork plates for $5. All proceeds will benefit the foundation.
At this time the foundation is also in search of office space in Spencer at a reasonable cost. Once office space is secured, the foundation will begin offering an outreach program for young adults who need someone to talk to and feel they have nowhere else to turn.
"I have already had young people who have came to me in confidence to talk," Edwards said. "I keep everything confidential to lead them in the right direction for the help they may need. We will also offer a Compassionate Friends group meeting once a month. Compassionate Friends is a group of people that gets together once a month – they have lost a child or a loved one and need support and people to talk with that have gone through the same thing they are. With the loss of Nicole, my only child, the nearest group I found was a three-hour drive away, one-way."
If anyone has office space available and would like to help, they are urged to contact the foundation. Monetary donations and sponsorships are also welcome. For additional information, the foundation can be found online at www.nicolesafeheavenfoundation.com, or contacted by phone at 829- 7146.
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No commercial reproduction without written consent.
Electronic reproduction of any kind forbidden without written consent.


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FLIR Systems Announces Agreement to Settle Pending Litigation for $39M
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) today announces that it has entered into a definitive agreement with William J. Parrish and E. Timothy Fitzgibbons to settle claims filed in 2008 arising out of FLIR's acquisition of Indigo Systems Corporation in 2004, Plaintiffs' ensuing employment with FLIR, and litigation between the parties filed by FLIR in 2006.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, FLIR will make a cash settlement payment of $39 million to Plaintiffs for dismissal of all claims in the current litigation and a non-exclusive license for use of certain infrared technology. The case was pending in the California Superior Court for the County of Santa Barbara.
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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The 2009 Solheim Cup22/08/09 at 01:08:29 am
The 2009 Solheim Cup started last August 17 and will end on August 23, 2009. The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers from the United States and Europe. This is a very exciting Cup to watch specially to Golf aficionados.
Continue reading The 2009 Solheim Cup…
August 22, 2009 | In All About Sports | No Comments |
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We have some cool news for you Harry Potter fans! If you're depressed after all the excitement over the movie, remember that you still have Pottermore to look forward to!
Check out what Mugglenet had to say!:
"Pottermore and Google are teaming up to integrate Pottermore with a number of Google products and APIs. So when the series of Harry Potter ebooks launches on Pottermore.com in early October, these bestsellers will be available in the U.S. via the open Google eBooks platform. When you buy a Harry Potter ebook from Pottermore, you will be able to choose to keep it in your Google Books library in-the-cloud, as well as on other e-reading platforms."
Now you can have more Pottermore anywhere, any time! Pottermore will officially be available in October.


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In Proposed Mortgage Fraud Settlement, a Gift to Big Banks
Note: The Trade is not subject to our Creative Commons license.
Lurking in a proposed mortgage fraud settlement with the state attorneys general is a clause that could be worth billions for the big banks.
Yes, I mean the settlement that might extract the supposedly large sum of $20 billion from the banks to settle foreclosure fraud. The one denounced as a "shakedown" by Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.
Despite such rhetoric, the settlement might let the banks avoid tens of billions of write-downs, thanks to a clause with a biblical flavor: the last shall be first.
The proposed agreement -- which is preliminary and subject to intense negotiations being led by Tom Miller, the attorney general of Iowa -- would allow banks to treat second mortgages, like home equity lines of credit, just like the first mortgages. Under the proposal, when a bank writes the principal down on the first mortgage, the second should be written down "at least proportionately to the first."
Suddenly, the banks would be given license to subvert the rules of payment hierarchy, as Gretchen Morgenson pointed out in The New York Times on Sunday. Yes, the clause says the other alternative is to wipe out the second's value entirely, but given a choice, the banks would be extremely unlikely to do that.
So how is this a gift? Because when the principal on the first mortgage is reduced, the second lien is typically wiped out. The first lien holder has the first right to any money recovered, and the second lien holder has to wait its turn.
The proposal "seems astonishingly generous to the second-lien holders," said Arthur Wilmarth, a law professor at George Washington University. "And who are those? Of course, they are the big mortgage servicers."
And who owns the big mortgage servicers? The biggest banks. Throughout the financial crisis, we have heard plenty of intoning about the sanctity of contracts. But this suggests that the banks, with the authorities' tacit approval, think contracts are for thee and not for me. The price to get the banks to do the right thing contractually with mortgage modifications and foreclosure is to allow them to not do the right thing elsewhere.
To understand the significance of this issue, cast your mind back to the height of the housing bubble. People used their homes as A.T.M.'s, withdrawing billions from their equity to finance motorboats and meals at Applebee's.
The top four banks now have about $408 billion worth of second liens on their balance sheets, according to Portales Partners, an independent research firm specializing in financial companies. Wells Fargo, for instance, has more money in second liens than it has tangible common equity, or the most solid form of capital. If banks had to write these loans down substantially, acknowledging the true extent of their losses, they would have to raise capital -- and might even teeter on the brink of insolvency.
The performance of second liens is among the biggest puzzles in banking today: why are they doing better than the firsts? When Wells Fargo disclosed its earnings, for instance, it classified 5.3 percent of its first mortgages as nonperforming, but put only 2.4 percent of its second liens in that category. That seems very odd because it's much easier to lose your home if you don't pay your mortgage than if you don't pay your home equity line.
Investors are deeply skeptical about the value in these loans, bidding about 50 cents on the dollar for them these days. Even allowing that banks probably hawk the least attractive loans and that investors bid low to generate a high return for the risk, many of these loans are still probably not worth 100 cents on the dollar.
Yet banks have taken relatively few write-downs on second loans so far. In fact, even when the first clearly is in trouble, sometimes the banks appear to resist writing loans down. Bill Frey, who runs Greenwich Financial Services, has instigated lawsuits to try to recoup the value of mortgage securities by getting the banks to buy back faulty mortgages that were in the pools he examined. He analyzed mortgage securities made up of loans by Countrywide Financial, which is now owned by Bank of America, looking for instances when the second lien was still extant, even though the first lien attached to the same property had been modified. Such a situation would suggest that a bank was not marking down a second lien even when the underlying, more senior first lien was impaired. He says he found multiple instances in every one of the 200 pools he examined.
Mr. Frey argues that the banks should charge off those seconds. "That's the concept of subordination," he said. "It's been around since the Magna Carta. Maybe we should get on the bandwagon."
This is not simply a fight between hedge funds, which own the securities that contain the first liens, and banks that house the seconds. Many mortgage securities are held by small banks, life insurance companies and pension funds. "I can see little reason why a pensioner should take the loss instead of Bank of America, when it's Bank of America's bad loan," Mr. Frey said.
A Bank of America spokesman said that it charges off second loans when borrowers haven't made payments for 180 days. The bank doesn't, nor is it required to, charge them off just because the first lien has been modified, he says. But if a first mortgage is modified, the bank will increase its reserve because it's more likely that the second will sour.
Since the fall, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has been examining how banks across the industry are treating their second liens, according to two people familiar with the review. The O.C.C. declined to comment.
But so far, the agency has evinced a rather blasé attitude about the potential problem on banks' balance sheet. Don't expect forceful action any time soon.
In this case, making the last first may mean that weak banks continue to inherit the earth.
26 comments
Re: "But this suggests that the banks, with the authorities' tacit approval, think contracts are for thee and not for me."
Made me laugh, albeit bitterly. You see, I firmly believe that the right, the banks, Big Oil, Wall Street, Big Insurance, Corporate America? That whole gang? That entire subversive anti-democratic fifth column?
I think they don't see it as "My country 'tis of thee", but rather as this country 'tis of them.
Where is the ...ummm .. SEC or the ... ummm ... FRB in ALL of this???!!! [No wonder Utah wants to secede).
REDUCE PRINCIPAL !!!! Reduce the loan to what the house is worth!!!
Remember"Too Big To Fail"??? Welcome to the UCA,United Corporations of America!!!
In Response to E.McCoy re the FRB; The FRB was created by the big banks; The FRB's job is to make sure the big banks make money. why do you think the FRB is trying to eliminate the small mortgage banks and brokers? Eliminate competition and allow the big bank to charge more, make more money and screw the public.
"When Wells Fargo disclosed its earnings, for instance, it classified 5.3 percent of its first mortgages as nonperforming, but put only 2.4 percent of its second liens in that category. That seems very odd because it's much easier to lose your home if you don't pay your mortgage than if you don't pay your home equity line."
Not if you actually read the 10K. If you had, and looked at table 25, you would note that as of December 31, 2010, that for its core HE portfolio only 3.24% of the portfolio was 2 payments or more past due. Do you write off loans that are current in their payments - I know I don't. In addition, almost 20% of the core HE portfolio is actually first lien, again, something you would know if you had actually read the 10K
Please try harder
Let the gov file bankruptcy. That would get rid of the federal reserve. They are the big bank. Stop paying mortgages that will take down the rest of the banks. Let's vote for Donald trump.
When the financial industry famously gave Obama almost a "Billion" dollars in campaign funds…it's paying off a second time. Thanks Timmy Geitner.
Under no circumstances should principal be reduced. Current owners priced out other people. They should not be given discounts now.
You can always tell a banker…doesn't matter about morality, ethics, or what the bank got away - extra-legally - with in exponential fashion: Did you read the paperwork?
Is that $20 Billion per state? If 500,000 loans = $80 Billion… $20B isn't very much considering there are at least 67 million clouded titles…
Interesting, this issue of accounting for second liens. I haven't read the 10K, and probably wouldn't make much sense of it anyway. I will say, however, that I have still not received a proper 1099 from the servicer of my second lien following foreclosure in 2009. The loan value was about $60K on the second at purchase. The 1099 was not generated until I requested it from the lender (perhaps understandable given heavy volume and insufficient staffing). When it arrived, though, it totalled about $150 related to interest payments. I should think that if the bank charged off $60K, that the loss should be reflected in my tax document. Curious that it wasn't.
I will throw my hat in the ring on this one thing.
DC is corrupt. Shelby is not a good guy. We had laws on the books that should have been enforced when the Banks went around scamming and screwing the American People. A complete body of work called TRUTH IN LENDING.
Now, what can be done? Where each of us live there is a high potentate called the Sheriff. He has more power over your domain than any in Washington DC that is why you are a sovereign citizen. So run for Sheriff and began to build the right kind of protection that is needed to stop about anything that comes along that takes away justice found in acts of equity.
Why not maybe you would be better that who is they're now, or better yet run for sheriff win and then appoint good gunslingers to work by your side.
The reason why there are fewer delinquencies in the second mortgage field is the same reason why delinquencies and outstanding balances have dropped on consumer credit card debt.
The second mortgage/equity line is the lender of last resort, and when tapped out, the borrower turns to the credit card to pay for food, gas, other credit cards, etc.
The credit markets are so tight that anyone with either of these vehicles at their disposal treat them the same way my grandmother treated money under the mattress.
The only diferences between those who continue to use their homes as ATM's and their credit cards for living expenses, whether or not they have no choice other than to strategically default are, for example, as follows:
My grandmother stopped school in the 8th grade to work at a hat factory and live in a rooming house in 1909, and understood the nature of cyclical events. My sister, with a Ph.D, a burned out TIAA-CREF and deferred student loans, doesn't.
So you have to wonder who was smarter, more forward thinking and more responsible.
But what one should also remember is that the Republican administrations introduced and adopted both pieces of law (1982 AMTPA and 1986 TRA…........although under Jimmy Carter we DID remove usury ceilings under DIDMCA as part of the concept of developing parity between thrifys and banks,which by the way, all three led to interstate banking and the decline of community banking and the consolidation of the credit markets and then the merging of them with Wall St. while Glass-Steagall was repeatedly stripped until it vanished; yeah; that's kind of a problem, they would have said in Its A Wonderful Life, which is when it was created) that allowed for alternative mortgages, and securitized instruments, which today even include such ridiculous assets as goodwill (you know, an intangible, a bit better than thin air, Gordon Gecko style.).
This is the same party that introduced subsidized housing by funding the private development for elderly and then Section 8 units at little or no interest, with tax abatements, tax credits, a guaranteed income stream to the owner/developer/management company of rental cash flow for 30 years and then the right to sell the real estate outright for profit after the 30 year cycle.
You think they created subsidized housing for poor people with no free lunch on the other side?
No, they didn't.
You think people with FHA loans don't have to pay back the equity earned at sale as a trade-off for the discounted pricing on the mortgage?
Yes, they do.
And read one of those FHA notes smmeday that originiated in the 50's and 60's; here were clauses that if anyone black were living in the house (other than a servant), the borrower was in default on the mortgage, maingit turn into a demand note; i,.e. pay now or get out..
How many minorities do you think qualified for FHA loans?
This is a REALLY old story.
So much for all those whiners who blame the crisis on minorities/poor people who were given easy credit and were too stupid too understand it and got us all in trouble.
So much for everyone else who doesn't follow history and the regulation of the poor for the benefit of others.
No spell check so I apologize for any typos.
Read second: I forgot; HAMP was designed to help the servicers/banks on an extend and pretend program; here's why: contract law supersedes public concepts of morality, so HAMP had no power to begin…..............the non-bankers who wrote it didn;t understand even what securitization was, but I think Timothy Geithner had a clue, for sure, and I think he may have been allied with the other side, don't you thnkk?) ; i.e. the PSA (pooling and servicing agreement) holding the securitized notes between the trusts/hedge funds—-whose custodians are usually banks—-dictates who and what tranche withinn and under what curcumstances if any, any loan can be modified; google the American Securitization Forum and see how many times they prevailed in courts based on this constitutional concept.
HAMP was just a smokescreen .
How is letting "banks avoid ... write-downs" worth billions to the banks? Either the 2nd liens ultimately fall to perform and are then written off (with possible need to raise capital), or they perform and they aren't. Are we confusing delay and pray accounting gimmicks with economic reality? The reckoning will one day arrive.
Or is your point that the settlement would effectively allow captive servicers to cram down what should be losses on their parent banks' 2nd liens onto passive investors in 1st liens? Why would borrowers continue to service a home equity loan if they couldn't carry the primary mortgage? And why would MBS investors allow this?
The Times article doesn't make this any clearer. Nor do the comments.
Our church counsels people with credit problems. I know of at least 5 cases of people headed to default on their first that continue to make payments on their home equity. While the first is senior to the second, if the borrower sends the check to the second and not the first there is nothing the owner of the first can do about that. Two of these cases show sophisticated thinking behind it: they think that their firsts were clearly insane loans….next to nothing down, with very weak (bogus) appraisal process in a geography that was among the first to head south. They believe that in a few years that the credit industry will look at this default with a great deal of understanding, since millions will have done the exact same thing and the industry will want these people as customers. They view the second as much closer to a unsecured loan for consumption and the industry will view their paying this as a very good reason to extend them similar credits in the future. They might be wrong, but they could also be right. So maybe seconds, with smaller and more manageable payments, are more secure than the first, when the first is clearly hopeless.
At Joe McHugh: Clearly your first speculation is in keeping with recent history. See repo 105, CDO & CDS blackbriar financial instruments. This approach scales up volume and paper profits against latent risk. Lots of money was made by delay. There was no need for prayer. Who do you reckon will settle when this time comes?
If the banks write down Home Equity Lines of Credit, wouldn't the IRS simply consider it income for the homeowner and then tax the homeowner for the value of the write down?
If the banks get a 100,000 write down credit on a homeowner's already spent home equity line of credit, would not the IRS come knocking requesting the homeowner be responsible for the income tax on that 100,000 dollar write down?
I hope this article was researched enough before laying blame on the banks for not wanting the write downs.
I also took offense to how HELOC's were used by people. Many people used the HELOC's as a hedge to pay their bills while they took care of ill family members, other's used it to put kids through college, others to try their hand at a new business.
To imply that HELOC's simply went for boats and applebee orgies is frankly pathetic in my view and the writer should apologize for making such an irresponsible statement.
The middle class people have been earning less and less (if you take inflation in to account) So the middle class responded first by working 2 jobs or husband and wife working in the same household to make ends meet, when that was not enough any more the middle class responded by making use of Helloc's and 2nd loans it did not simply went for boats and applebee's and SUV;s this is just another way to try to take the blame again on the homeowner
I Give Credit to The Titanic !!!! Our Government Gets on the Loud Speaker and Says The Ship Is Not Sinking !!! " It Is To Big To Sink "
But would All " First Class " Passengers Please Make your Way to the "Life Boats " Lets Maintain Our Sense of Humor Folkes and Stick Together !!! Sincerely Shawn Mc.
"It's been around since the Magna Carta"
Well president Bush threw out the Magna Carta at Guantanamo Bay, so that explains that. We can now throw "subordination contracts" on the ash heap of history, along with the bill of rights and habeas corpus.
Parallel Foreclosure: I think his statement about applebee's and boats is not out on a limb… several of the crisis books, like Trillion Dollar Meltdown (Charles Morris) mention how HELOCs were used for consumption (in addition to the worthy causes you mention).
There is also the interesting case of Alan Greenspan; one of the big accomplishments of his career was his realization that the equity people gain when they own/sell a house is a major factor in the consumption economy (if i remember the argument correctly).
Wells Fargo is asking for higher payments to increase the escrow accounts so they can "lend" more money. How much money do the banks need to take from retires, medically disabled, hard working people. You don't need to take MY money to loan to others, are you going to pay ME INTEREST to use MY money? You're just a bunch of common crooks, common crooks, thieves, mafia, thugs. That's what you all are. Too bad you have to use the health care system when sick. I hope all those big PhARma products fail only when the bankers and housing industry people get sick. WE are sick of YOU!
Come on propublica, IT'S TIME for you to do an expose on first lien HELOC's. millions are coming due by retired homeowners who now won't qualify for a replacement HELOC because of Dodd/Frank's income requirement and their definition of a predatory loan.
This country needs an interest only loan collateralized by a homeowners paid off home so that retirees don't die equity rich but cash poor.
Commenting on this story is closed.
About The Trade
Recent Stories by Jesse Eisinger
- What Robert Mueller Learned From Enron
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- Trump's Personal Lawyer Boasted That He Got Preet Bharara Fired
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- When It Comes to Wall Street, Preet Bharara Is No Hero
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- Wells Fargo Places L.A. Exec on Leave Amid Rate-Lock Fee Inquiry


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Birkenhead MP Frank Field has blasted Government complacency over Britain's "rising tide" of hungry people.
It follows the failure of the coalition to publish findings of a Government report on food banks, commissioned a year ago.
Despite pressure from MPs in the House of Commons, Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was unable to indicate when the report would be released.
The minister's failure to answer the question prompted Mr Field to warn of "complacency about the rising tide of numbers of hungry people in Britain."
He called on the Government to publish the report immediately and accompany it with an action programme to alleviate hunger in this country.
Mr Field recently tabled a Commons Motion with the support of 72 MPs calling for the report to be published.
Earlier this month, the Birkenhead MP criticised the coalition for rejecting more than £200m of funding that could have been used to boost food aid in Britain.
House of Commons Library figures, obtained by Mr Field, indicated Britain would have been entitled to at least £203m from the "Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived" between now and 2020.
He wrote directly to the Prime Minister querying his decision to reject the funding.
He said the extra cash could have enabled food banks and other food aid providers to work wonders with the most vulnerable people in society.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said that if the funding had been accepted it would be taken off the government's structural fund budget that helps disadvantaged people into work.
He said: "We are not saying no to this money but we are saying no to Europe about how it should be spent."


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CROWLEY — A Lake Charles man and a juvenile were arrested Saturday as suspects in a rash of Crowley historic district burglaries, police said.
Police are searching for two additional suspects in the break-ins.
Jarius Watson, 22, was arrested Saturday by police, along with help from a group of city residents who called the department about a break-in they saw and then relayed logistical information to police dispatchers as one suspect tried to escape pursuing police, Chief K.P. Gibson said.
Also arrested Saturday was a 16-year-old boy, caught a short distance away from where Watson was arrested, Gibson said.
Watson, of Lake Charles, was booked into the Crowley jail on seven counts of burglary. The juvenile was arrested on one count of burglary. The arrests and burglaries occurred at 12:45 p.m. near the intersection of North Avenue K and East Eighth Street.
"The difference in solving these cases is the direct involvement of the citizens as well as the hard work of our personnel," Gibson said in a prepared statement. "Our citizens have been vigilant in keeping a watch of the neighborhood and reporting."
After the arrests, police alerted the public that they were seeking two additional suspects: Trevvor Lewis, 21, and James Martin, 17, both of Crowley and both wanted in the burglary ring.
Lewis is wanted on seven counts, and Martin on one, Gibson said.


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BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche praised his side's performance as they drew 0-0 at home to Manchester United this afternoon.
The Clarets hit the bar early on through David Jones and had a number of other chances against a United side including new £59.7m signing Angel Di Maria.
"We come away pleased with a point but I'm as pleased with the performance," Dyche said.
"We're maturing as a group at this level, and I include myself in that.
"But I'm not naive, we've got to get points on the board and we got one today.
"I don't think you get anything other than a test when you play Manchester United.
"There's a lot that the media have made of what's going on there and the change of philosophy but with that amount of quality on a football pitch they're always going to be a test.
"But I thought we applied ourselves well to our task today.
"The framework of the team was really good, the energy we provided to the game was very good.
"I thought they had pockets of very good play as you'd expect, they had a great chance in the first half and our keeper made a very good save, and Rooney had a header.
"But for a team like Manchester United we did very well to keep it to that.
"Then we've been productive ourselves, hit the bar, a couple of near things.
"I don't think you ever have an easy ride against Manchester United."


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After a lot of thought, and a lot of research–overcoming my innate tendency to love something about every motorcycle currently made–I think I've settled on the bike I am looking to move up to.
This reflects my current reasoning, and assumes that current bikes will still be current when I sell the Sporty. If I still have it when the 2009's come out, well, then, all bets are off. Who knows what wonderfulness the 2009 models will bring?
Absent that, however, here's my thinking.
There is much about the Honda ST1300 to love. Great reliability, comfort, fuel range, manufacturer's warranty, weather protection, and built-in tip-over bars.
The three things against it are the higher price, the size and weight, and, this troubling "high-speed weave" problem. That last one is the most critical.
I've spent a lot of time over the last few days looking into that high-speed weave problem. It's elusive. For everyone that claims to have run into it, ten other people claim they've had their ST up to 140 MPH with no problem at all. There are conjectures about the aerodynamic affect of having a top box and no passenger, or improper tire pressure, or bad preload/rebound settings on the suspension. But no one has a definitive answer that I've found. Although, one notes, curiously, that Honda doesn't sell the top box in the US.
In fact, the ST's weave issue is a lot like the BMW final driveline failure issue. It's apparently there. It affects a minority of bikes. There are "fixes" or workarounds, but no firm answer on whether there's a fundamental design or manufacturing problem. At the end of the day, it probably won't be something you ever encounter, unless you're unlucky.
The difference between the BMW and Honda problems, though, are that final driveline failure is annoying and expensive. High speed weave can–and has–killed some people. Well, I'm not too big on joining groups in general, and I'm really not keen on joining the "killed by high-speed weave" group.
So, despite the fact that there's much to love about the Honda, at the end of the day…it scares me not knowing if I will get a good bike or one of the bad ones. If there is any such thing. Which we don't know. But what I do know, is that I don't want to have a tank-slapper at 100 MPH to find out.
So, regretfully, the Honda ST1300 has to be crossed off the list.
The Kawasaki Concourse™14 has an engine you just have to love. Unfortunately, everything else about the Connie is–I hate to say it–second rate. Kawi has never been my favorite brand, though, so that may color my perceptions here. The number one strike against the C14 is the seat height. It's just a bit too much for me, especially in a bike that weighs in at about 675 pounds wet. I don't want to be tippy-toeing that through a parking lot.
It also strikes me as a relatively rough-looking bike, with lots of stuff haphazardly thrown on it, including a godawful ugly exhaust can. The riding position is too sporty, too, now that I've gone back and sat on one again. Too much of a stretch to the handlebars. It also, by all accounts, handles like a pig at slow speed maneuvering.
Finally, it's a first-year production model. Problems always pop up in the first year or two of a new model. There are things we already know are wrong with it, such as heat management. But more worrisome are the things we don't know are wrong with it yet, because it hasn't been in service long enough to know them.
So, the Concours™14 gets a pass, too.
I have a soft spot for the Buell Ulysses, especially the new touring version, the XB12XT. There's a lot going on at Buell, in terms of frame design, maneuverability, and light weight. I wish everyone was signing on to the Buell "trilogy of tech": mass centralization, low unsprung weight, and frame rigidity with the same dedication.
Ultimately, though, the XT is too much of a naked bike. I want a bit more weather protection than the Buell can give. And, I already have a bike with an Evo engine. You can cam it up, race-tweak it, and suck 103HP out of it, but ultimately, it's the same shaky V-Twin technology that I already have. And the 4.4 gallon fuel tank isn't really all that hot, either. I already fill up every 130 miles. Been there. Done that. I want to stay on the road a bit longer than that.
I'm sure it's a fun bike, but I don't really want it at my primary ride.
Either of the two BMWs are very nice bikes. Heated grips and seat, electronic suspension control, automatic stability control. You can get a BMW with everything on the side.
If you're willing to pay for it. Which I'm not. While they're nice bikes, a $7,000 premium to own one is unnecessary, as far as I'm concerned. I can spend that seven grand way better than BMW Motorrad can.
That, plus the troubling history of final driveline failures, makes the BMW a no-go.
And that brings us to…
The Yamaha FJR1300.
The Buell will carve corners way better. The BMW has every farkle you could want already built onto the bike. The ST1300 is more comfortable. The Concours™14 has a more powerful engine. In fact, there's no category in which the FJR comes in first place.
But the FJR comes in as a close second in all of those categories.
It's not the lightest bike, with a curb weight of about 615 pounds, but considering I already have a 589-pound bike, I doubt I'll notice much difference in weight.
I expect I will, however, notice the difference between my current 75HP and 70 ft-lb of torque and the FJR's 145HP and 99FT-lb of torque. I expect my SO will notice the difference in seating size and comfort as well.
At less than $14k, the FJR seems like the best compromise between what I think would be ideal, and what is actually available in the real world.
Yesterday, my opinion was that, if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, it would be the ST13000. Today, I choose the FJR, no gun required. And I think that's my final answer.
However, I hear rumors–just rumors, mind you–that Honda may be updating the ST for 2009 with an all-new, 200HP plus V4 powerplant.
I'm just saying…


text:
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Conservation and divergence between cytoplasmic and muscle-specific actin capping proteins: insights from the crystal structure of cytoplasmic Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum
Capping protein (CP), also known as CapZ in muscle cells and Cap32/34 in Dictyostelium discoideum, plays a major role in regulating actin filament dynamics. CP is a ubiquitously expressed heterodimer comprising an α- and β-subunit. It tightly binds to the fast growing end of actin filaments, thereby functioning as a "cap" by blocking the addition and loss of actin subunits. Vertebrates contain two somatic variants of CP, one being primarily found at the cell periphery of non-muscle tissues while the other is mainly localized at the Z-discs of skeletal muscles.
To elucidate structural and functional differences between cytoplasmic and sarcomercic CP variants, we have solved the atomic structure of Cap32/34 (32 = β- and 34 = α-subunit) from the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium at 2.2 Å resolution and compared it to that of chicken muscle CapZ. The two homologs display a similar overall arrangement including the attached α-subunit C-terminus (α-tentacle) and the flexible β-tentacle. Nevertheless, the structures exhibit marked differences suggesting considerable structural flexibility within the α-subunit. In the α-subunit we observed a bending motion of the β-sheet region located opposite to the position of the C-terminal β-tentacle towards the antiparallel helices that interconnect the heterodimer. Recently, a two domain twisting attributed mainly to the β-subunit has been reported. At the hinge of these two domains Cap32/34 contains an elongated and highly flexible loop, which has been reported to be important for the interaction of cytoplasmic CP with actin and might contribute to the more dynamic actin-binding of cytoplasmic compared to sarcomeric CP (CapZ).
The structure of Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum allowed a detailed analysis and comparison between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric variants of CP. Significant structural flexibility could particularly be found within the α-subunit, a loop region in the β-subunit, and the surface of the α-globule where the amino acid differences between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric mammalian CP are located. Hence, the crystal structure of Cap32/34 raises the possibility of different binding behaviours of the CP variants toward the barbed end of actin filaments, a feature, which might have arisen from adaptation to different environments.
KeywordsCapping protein Actin-binding Dictyostelium discoideum Structural flexibility Cap32/34 CapZ
Capping protein
- Dd
Dictyostelium discoideum
- Gg
Gallus gallus
Polyethylene glycol
- r.m.s.d
Root mean square deviation
- Sc
Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Actin is a key component in all eukaryotic cells and plays an essential role in a wide range of cellular processes, such as migration, endocytosis, cytokinesis and generation of contraction[1, 2, 3, 4]. Actin monomers (G-actin) are able to polymerize into filamentous actin (F-actin) resulting in polar helical structures[5]. The two ends of the filament exhibit distinct biochemical properties and are differentiated as "barbed" and "pointed", so named after the arrowhead appearance when filaments are decorated with myosin S1[6]. Filament barbed ends dominate the dynamics of filament assembly due to higher association and dissociation rates for actin monomers compared to the pointed ends[3, 7, 8]. Furthermore, since the filament barbed end is preferred for actin monomer addition, whereas net disassembly is favoured at its counterpart, it is being referred to as the fast growing end (pointed end = slow growing end).
In living cells the actin cytoskeleton is in a state of rapid dynamics. Remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton is crucial in terms of inducing changes in cell shape, motility and adhesion and requires strict regulation, both temporally and spatially, thus enabling the cell to function in a controlled manner[4, 9]. This is achieved by a vast number of specialized proteins that bind to actin, thereby modulating actin filament organization and turnover in response to the changing needs of the cell[10, 11]. Actin-binding proteins are able to fulfil a large variety of tasks including the control of actin assembly and disassembly as well as regulating filament branching and bundling to help arrange actin filaments into higher order structures[12]. They can be categorized into proteins which bind to actin monomers, filamentous actin or both[10]. While actin monomer binding proteins control the amount and availability of monomers for polymerization, proteins that bind filamentous actin are involved, among others, in barbed and pointed end capping, filament severing, and filament crosslinking.
Capping protein (CP) is an F-actin binding protein and blocks actin filament elongation and turnover by preventing the addition of new monomers at the fast growing end[11]. Binding of CP to actin filaments occurs with high affinity (Kd < 1 nM) and 1:1 stoichiometry. Two major variants of CP have been determined: a cytoplasmic form that is also termed Cap32/34 (32 = β- and 34 = α-subunit;[13]) and an isoform found in the Z-discs of skeletal muscles that is often called CapZ[14, 15]. CP is a heterodimeric protein composed of an α- and a β-subunit, both having molecular masses in the range of 30–36 kDa. The protein is expressed in all eukaryotic organisms and the subunits exhibit high sequence similarity across the eukaryotic tree of life[11].
Vertebrates usually express three conserved isoforms of each of the α- and β-subunit[16, 17, 18] as opposed to invertebrates, plants, and lower eukaryotes, which in general contain single isoforms of each subunit. The vertebrate α-subunit isoforms are encoded by different genes[19], whereas the β-subunits arise by alternative splicing from a single gene[16, 17]. One isoform of both the α- and β-subunits is specifically expressed in germ cells (α3, β3), while the remaining ones (α1, α2 and β1, β2) are somatically expressed at varying ratios in different cell types and tissues[19]. β1 is the predominant isoform in muscle cells. In contrast, β2 is mainly expressed in non-muscle tissues[17]. The β isoforms are not able to rescue each others' function and are thus believed to fulfil different biochemical and cellular tasks[20]. On the other hand, there is little indication of specific functions for the α isoforms[11].
Vertebrates contain two somatic variants of CP. The sarcomeric variant, which is being referred to as CapZ throughout this manuscript, includes the β1 isoform and is positioned at the Z-discs of striated muscles[14]. CapZ is proposed to help attaching actin filament barbed ends to the Z-discs and to prevent the thin filaments from growing into the adjacent sarcomere, thus serving as a key element in thin filament assembly and regulation within the Z-disc[11]. By contrast, the cytoplasmic variant, which comprises the β2 isoform, is found at the contact sites of actin with membranes[21], where it is believed to play an essential role in the dendritic nucleation model[22]. In this model activation of the Arp2/3 complex results in a branched network of actin filaments thereby generating new barbed ends, which are primarily oriented towards the cell membrane. As actin subunits are added to the newly created filament ends the membrane is pushed forward[12]. By capping these ends over time, the growing filaments are kept short and branched, which stabilizes the filament network and sustains the propulsive force for leading edge elongation of migrating cells[1]. In addition, actin assembly is restricted to the new barbed ends near the plasma membrane[23], thus enabling rapid and directed extension of the cell front.
Several molecules are able to modulate the barbed end capping activity of CP by either binding directly to the protein or through association with filament barbed ends and thereby inhibiting CP from binding. Polyphosphoinositides (PPIs), such as phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2)[24, 25, 26] and the proteins CARMIL[27] and V-1[28] were found to directly associate with CP and to inhibit its capping activity. The crystal structures of CapZ (chicken α1/β1) in complex with CARMIL and V-1, respectively, were recently reported[29, 30]. However, to date no high resolution structure of CP bound to PIP2 exists. One possible role of PIP2, an important component of the plasma membrane and one of the most potent signalling lipids, might be to facilitate membrane movement of highly motile cells, such as those of Dictyostelium discoideum, through inhibition of actin filament capping by CP near the membrane[24], thus allowing rapid protrusion of the cell edge. Computational docking studies predict that PIP2 interacts with a set of three highly conserved basic residues in close proximity to the α-subunit's C-terminus[25]. Two of these basic residues are critical for actin filament capping[31]. Such an interaction would therefore prevent for steric reasons the ability of CP to associate with the actin filament.
The crystal structure of CapZ (chicken α1/β1)[32] has provided valuable insight into the atomic architecture of CP found at the Z-discs of skeletal muscles. However, until now a high-resolution structure of the cytoplasmic variant is not available. By characterizing the atomic structure of Cap32/34 from the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum as a model for cytoplasmic CP and comparing it to that of CapZ, we aimed to elucidate structural and functional differences between the two CP isoforms. This allowed us to shed light on potential interaction sites with muscle and non-muscle specific components, respectively.
Protein isolation and purification
The Dictyostelium discoideum Cap32 and Cap34 subunits were co-expressed in Escherichia coli using pETmD1-mako, an expression vector, which allows simultaneous expression of the two subunits. This vector was built on pETDuet™-1 (Novagen) by replacing the second MCS by the MCS of pDXA-mako[33] for easy shuttling of genes between bacterial and Dictyostelium expression vectors. A full-length cDNA clone for Cap34 was obtained from the Japanese Dictyostelium cDNA project (clone VFM643;[34]). Cap32 was assembled from two overlapping cDNA clones, SSA656 and SSJ183[35, 36]. Cap32 and Cap34 were PCR-amplified applying the Expand High Fidelity PCR System (Roche) from cDNAs using primer A (5′-GGTTATGTACAAGGTACAGAAAAGCAATTAAGTTGTTGTCTCG -3′; Cap32, forward, Bsr GI site underlined) and primer B (5′- CCGACGCGTACTACCAGCAAGATTTACTTTACCAG -3′; Cap32, reverse, Mlu I site underlined) for Cap32, and primer C (5′- CCGCCATGGCCTCAAATCAAGAATCGTTCAAATC-3′; Cap34, forward, Nco I site underlined) and primer D (5′- CCGACGCGTAAGCTTTTTTTATTTTCATTGGCAATTTTGAAGTTTTTG -3′; Cap34, reverse, Hind III site underlined) for Cap34, respectively. The PCR products were digested and subsequently ligated into pETmD1-mako. Thereby, the coding sequence of Cap32 is fused to an N-terminal 8xHis tag.
The plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21-CodonPlus(DE3)-RIL strain cells (Stratagene), which were cultured in LB broth containing 80 μg ml−1 ampicillin at 37°C until an OD(600 nm) of 0.6–0.8 was reached. Protein expression was induced at 22°C by the addition of IPTG to a final concentration of 0.1 mM and the cell culture was allowed to grow overnight. The cells were harvested by centrifugation at 6,000 X g for 15 min and the cell pellets were stored at −20°C. For protein purification the cell pellets were resuspended in 20 mM Hepes pH 7.3, 50 mM NaCl, 0.1 mM PMSF, and 1 mM DTT supplemented with EDTA-free protease-inhibitor-cocktail (Roche) and disrupted on ice by sonication. The lysate was centrifuged at 37,000 X g for 40 min to remove cellular debris.
The supernatant was sterile filtered through an Ultrafree-MC GV 0.22 μm syringe filter (Millipore) before application onto a 10 ml column of Ni-NTA superflow resin (Qiagen) pre-equilibrated with IMAC buffer (buffer A: 50 mM Hepes pH 7.3, 30 mM KAc). The column was extensively washed first with buffer A and then with 50 mM Hepes pH 7.3, 300 mM KAc (buffer B) to remove non-specifically bound proteins. The third washing step was performed with buffer A including 40 mM imidazole pH 7.3, and finally Cap32/34 was eluted from the column using a linear gradient of 40–500 mM imidazole pH 7.3 in buffer A. Fractions containing the target protein were pooled and dialyzed against 20 mM Hepes pH 7.3, 100 mM NaCl, 0,5 mM EDTA, 0.1 mM EGTA, and 1 mM MgAc. After protein concentration using a Vivaspin 6 30 k (GE Healthcare), Cap32/34 was further purified by size-exclusion chromatography on a HiLoad 16/60 Superdex 200 column (GE Healthcare) equilibrated and run with 20 mM Hepes pH 7.3, 100 mM NaCl, 0,5 mM EDTA, 0.1 mM EGTA, and 1 mM MgAc.
After checking the protein purity by SDS-PAGE, the sample was concentrated to 8 mg ml−1 with a Vivaspin 6 30 k (GE Healthcare) and supplemented with sucrose to a final concentration of 3% (w/v). The protein was then divided into 50 μl aliquots in thin-walled PCR tubes, flash-cooled in liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80°C. A total of ~20 mg pure Cap32/34 was obtained from 1 L cell culture.
Crystallization, data collection, and processing
Crystallization trials were performed using hanging-drop vapor diffusion with standard sparse-matrix screens. Drops were prepared by manually dispensing 2 μl of protein solution with 2 μl reservoir solution and equilibrated against 400 μl reservoir solution in 24-well VDX plates (Hampton Research). Initial crystals formed in 100 mM Hepes pH 7.5, 20% (w/v) PEG 8000 at 20°C and grew to typical dimensions of 10 × 10 × 120 μm within 4–6 d. Subsequently, crystals were optimized by micro-seeding. The best diffracting crystals were grown in 100 mM Hepes pH 7.5, 17% (w/v) PEG 8000, and had maximum dimensions of 15 × 15 × 200 μm.
Crystallographic statistics
Data Collection
Space Group
Cell Dimensions
a, b, c (Å)
124.5, 124.5, 77.5
α, β, γ (º)
90, 90, 90
Resolution Range (Å)
50-2.2 (2.3-2.2)
Number of Reflections
Number of Unique Reflections
Completeness (%)
99.8 (99.6)
14.9 (83.5)
14.2 (3.8)
R.m.s. deviations
Bond lengths (Å)
Bond angles (°)
Ramachandran Analysis
Residues in most favoured regions (%)
Residues in allowed regions (%)
Outliers (%)
Model statistics
Protein residues:
No. in subunit A & B
B-factor A & B (Å2)
Additional groups:
Water (No. / B-factor)
328 / 37.9
Structure solution and refinement
Initial phases were obtained by molecular replacement (MR) using the program CNS[40]. The structure of CapZ from Gallus gallus (PDB code 1IZN)[32] with the solvent ions and the flexible β-subunit C-terminus (residues 252–277) omitted was used as starting model. The structural model was refined using CNS, including rigid body, simulated annealing, energy minimization, and individual B-factor refinement in several cycles. Manual inspection, rebuilding, and addition of water molecules were performed with Coot[41]. Analysis of the Ramachandran plot reveals ~96% of the residues in most favourable regions and none in disallowed regions. The accuracy of the protein structure model was validated using MolProbity[42]. The final model contains residues 2–272 (and 2–270 for the second molecule within the asymmetric unit, respectively) of the 281 residues of the α-subunit and all residues of the β-subunit except for residues 1, 140–145 and 251–272 (253–272 for the second molecule within the asymmetric unit). The structure was deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB code 4AKR). All figures were prepared with PyMOL[43]. Structural alignments were conducted using least squares superposition (LSQ) as implemented in Coot[41].
Results and discussion
Overall structure of Dictyostelium discoideum Cap32/34
Cap32/34 shows the same overall architecture as CapZ
Cap32/34 reveals strong conformational flexibility in the α-subunit
Comparing the secondary structural elements of Cap32/34 and CapZ, the β-sheets in the globule regions of Cap32/34 each comprise one additional β-strand. The most prominent structural difference is located in the α-subunits in the part of the central β-sheet that is connected to the α-globule and opposite to the β-tentacle (Figure 2B). The loops connecting the β-strands move towards the antiparallel H5s giving Cap32/34 a more compact structure compared to CapZ. Based on the first crystal structure CapZ has been thought to have a fairly rigid structure except for the mobile β-tentacle. Recently and surprisingly, the structure of CapZ in complex with V-1 showed that CapZ consists of two rigid domains that undergo conformational changes but do not correspond to the two subunits[30]. The smaller domain contains the β-globule, some β-strands of the central β-sheet, a small part of the β-H5 helix, and the α-tentacle. The crystal structure of a C-terminal truncation mutant (CapZβΔC) confirmed that CapZ has an intrinsic conformational flexibility within these two domains[30]. The smaller domain contains the region that establishes the initial electrostatic contact with the actin-filament and conformational flexibility might therefore either prevent strong binding or be pivotal for uncapping. Here, Cap32/34 shows a different type of strong conformational flexibility that is located in the α-subunit (Figure 2B). This part is located opposite to the β-tentacle, which establishes the second actin-binding interaction. It might be important for modulating actin-binding through its influence on the tightly connected antiparallel H5 helices to which the β-tentacle is linked. Based on the structure of CapZ bound to the actin filament[31] this region would also be ideally suited for binding CP to the membrane, either directly or mediated by another molecule. Surprisingly, in activated macrophages and platelets CP appears to be simultaneously bound to membranes and actin filaments[47], which would not occur if PIPs bound to the molecule that have an uncapping function. This suggests the possibility that this region of cytoplasmic CP could serve as a binding site for non-PIP lipids in motile cells, thereby mediating membrane attachment of actin. Thus, CP could have an additional role in the dendritic nucleation model apart from capping the barbed end of actin filaments.
Structure and function of the tentacles
Structure and flexibility of a linker connecting β-strands of the central β-sheet in the β-subunit
Implication of "linker βS7–S8" from Cap32 in actin-binding
In a recent NMR study of mouse cytoplasmic CP (α1/β2) interacting with the inhibitor proteins CARMIL-1 and V-1, respectively, "linker βS7–S8" was found to undergo significant chemical shift changes, suggesting that this site is involved in actin-binding[48, 49]. As part of the same study, charge reversal mutations of Lys-142 and Lys-143 severely decreased the affinity for the barbed end[49]. In contrast, lysine to alanine mutations indicated that the residues Lys-142 and Lys-143 of mouse cytoplasmic CP (α1/β2) hardly affect actin affinity[50]. However, mutations of the arginines and lysines of the "basic triad" already showed that substitutions by alanine only resulted in minor effects in contrast to the severe impact of the charge reversal and double/triple mutations on actin-binding. The so called "basic triad", three highly conserved basic residues in close proximity to the CP α-subunit C-terminus, is supposed to mediate the initial contact with the barbed end of actin filaments[31]. These residues are exposed to the solvent and thus provide the center of a basic patch on CP. Several basic and conserved residues in close proximity have also been implicated to be involved in actin-binding, namely residues R195, K223, and R225 of the β-subunit of CapZ[50]. The "linker βS7–S8" is also in close vicinity to the "basic triad" but the two lysines are not strictly conserved and even absent in fungi and yeasts (Figure 5). Thus, we suppose that the two lysines of "linker βS7–S8", similar to the basic residues R195, K223, and R225, are not essential for the major contact with actin, which is mediated by the "basic triad", but contribute to the basic patch to support barbed end capping on actin-binding. In addition, the "linker βS7–S8" is located directly next to the hinge of the two rigid domains identified in CapZ that undergo conformational changes[30].
Cap32/34 and lipid-binding
CP is known to be inhibited by polyphosphoinositedes such as phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2)[54]. PIP2 does not only bind to CP but is also able to uncap CP from the barbed ends[55]. A structure of PIP2 bound to CP is not available yet. It is known, however, from structures of other actin-binding proteins in complex with PIP2 or the sugar moieties of PIP2 that PIP2 preferentially binds to protein-specific patterns of lysines and arginines. Therefore, the region around the "basic triad" that harbours many solvent exposed lysines and arginines has been proposed to be the PIP2 binding site of CP. A triple mutation of two of the basic residues of the "basic triad" (K256 and R260) together with a closely located arginine of the β-subunit (R225) has been most effective in abolishing PIP2-binding[25]. As in the studies of the interaction of CP with actin, single alanine mutations had been less effective compared to charge reversal, double and triple mutants. However, most of the basic residues around the "basic triad", including βR195, βR223, βR225, and the two lysines of "linker βS7–S8", are also conserved in all CP (Figures 4 and5) and thus could also contribute or be responsible for PIP2 binding. To unambiguously reveal the PIP2 binding site a more comprehensive mutational study or a high-resolution structure would be necessary. We also sought to characterize the structure of Cap32/34 in complex with the lipid PIP2. To accomplish that, we performed both co-crystallization and crystal soaking experiments in which the molecular ratio of the ligand was varied. Although crystals were obtained by co-crystallization there was no evidence for additional electron density. Similarly, our attempts to bind the inhibitor to Cap32/34 by soaking the crystals were not successful.
Possible interaction site of CapZ with the Z-discs of skeletal muscles
We here report the first high resolution structure of a cytoplasmic CP. The overall structure of Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum reveals a similar arrangement as compared to its sarcomeric variant CapZ. Like in CapZ, the individual CP subunits exhibit very similar secondary and tertiary structures despite sharing a very low sequence homology. Moreover, the subunits are extensively intertwined and organized in such a way that the molecule has a pseudo 2-fold axis of rotational symmetry down its center point.
As has been observed in CapZ, the Cap32/34 structure showed the attachment of the α-tentacle to the central β-sheet and the antiparallel H5 helices, and supported the highly flexible nature of the β-tentacle, which is proposed to swing out and bind to actin. By superposition onto CapZ we observed considerably structural flexibility in the α-subunits. In Cap34 the region located opposite to the C-terminal β-tentacle moves towards the antiparallel helices that interconnect the heterodimer leading to a more compact CP structure. This bending motion demonstrates additional flexibility in CP to the two domain twisting attributed mainly to the β-subunit as observed in the structure of CapZ complexed with V-1.
Furthermore, there is evidence that, in terms of cytoplasmic CP, an additional protein segment might be important for mediating high affinity capping of actin filaments. Based on the crystal structure of Cap32/34, the molecule comprises a dynamic loop region located between S7 and S8 within its β-subunit, denoted here as "linker βS7–S8", which has recently been reported to be important for the association of cytoplasmic CP with actin[48]. This observation is in marked contrast to CapZ, in which the corresponding region has been found to be well ordered[32]. Since "linker βS7–S8" provides a positively charged surface close to the basic patch on CP, it might participate in the initial electrostatic binding to acidic regions on the barbed end of actin filaments.
Finally, to date information about potential interaction sites of CapZ with the Z-disc of the sarcomere is not available. By comparing the structures of the two CP variants, we were able to detect a solvent-exposed region within the CapZ α-subunit (residues Leu-101 – Leu-117 located in the α-globule), greatly differing in both conformation and flexibility from that of Cap32/34. We therefore hypothesize that this protein segment might be involved in the binding of CapZ to the Z-disc in muscle cells.
We would like to thank Elspeth Gordon and David Flot at ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) microfocus beamline ID 23-2 for their help with data collection, in particular the 'helical' data collection. We highly appreciate the Dictyostelium cDNA project in Japan and the Japanese National BioResource Project for providing the cDNA clones. This work has been funded by grants KO 2251/3-1, KO 2251/3-2, and KO 2251/3-3 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
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Copyright information
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


text:
Hargrave Discontinues Postgraduate Football Program
Press Release for April 19, 2013
Hargrave Military Academy will discontinue it's postgraduate football program at the end of the 2012-2013 Academic year. The Tiger's postgraduate basketball program will not be affected by this change and allows the basketball program to continue its success for years to come.
The landscape for postgraduate athletes and football programs has changed. This includes: college's desire to have their student-athletes on campus by spring semester; NCAA changes and restrictions on colleges hosting postgraduate football teams on their campuses; and eliminating competition with the college junior varsity teams.
Hargrave is excited about the future and it's growth and development emphasizing our core mission of academic, spiritual, and character development of young men in the middle and high school.
Hargrave's Academic Postgraduate Program, anchored by our long association with the United States Naval Academy Foundation and with the West Point Scholars Program, will continue to provide academic development and experiences to prepare young men for attendance to our nation's service academies.
The future is bright and our enrollment in grades seven through twelve is strong.
For additional questions, concerns or for more specific information about this development, please contact Coach Tim Oditt, Hargrave's Director of Athletics, at 434-432-2690 or email [email protected].


text:
Steve O Sued Karaoke
February 1, 2012 by staff
Steve O Sued Karaoke, Steve-O has moved on from doing nasty bodily harm to himself on camera, to doing nasty bodily harm to others on camera. At least, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
The "Jackass" star has been slapped with a negligence suit by a woman who claims that she was injured during a taping of his upcoming reality series, "Killer Karaoke."
Also read: Steve-O Talks About Dealing With Ryan Dunn While Sober
Read the full lawsuit here.
Susanne Ohman says that she participated in a taping of the show — which features contestants singing karaoke while they're distracted by various diversions — in October 2011. She says she suffered a host of serious injuries that necessitated medical care.
According to Ohman, contestants on the day of her taping were challenged to sing while being doused with liquid and, over the course of the 12-hour day, the floor of the studio became dangerously wet. When she finished her performance, Ohman says, she attempted to descend the stage but, without any mats, grips or any other method of steadying herself, she fell on the stairs.
"As a direct result of said negligence, Plaintiff fractured and damaged her tibia, patella, ligaments, knee, leg, bones, and injured her muscles, bone, circulatory system and body,"
Ohman is seeking general damages, medical costs, compensation for loss of earnings, and compensation for the cost of the suit.
Leave it to Steve-O to turn karaoke into an event capable of injuring something other than one's ears. Allegedly.
Zodiak USA and Argyle Productions, which are producing "Killer Karaoke," are also named in the suit.
A representative for Steve-O has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of U.S.S.POST.


text:
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Carpenter, Tiler, Bathroom fitter, Kitchen fitter Decorator16 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
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Local, friendly, tradesman, with over 10 years of experience of refubishments, also registered electrical installer. fully insured and able to certify all work carried out. Very conversent with current building regulations and happy to advise of your requirments.
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text: Find more KettleMaps With labels Retrieved from "http://phaluhm-phoueck.wikia.com/wiki/KettleMaps:DSH2?oldid=2478" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you've made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Categories: Kettle Maps Add category Cancel Save


text:
James Rebhorn, the prolific character actor whose credits included ôHomeland,ö öScent of a Womanö and ôMy Cousin Vinny,ö has died. He was 65.
Rebhornĺs agent, Dianne Busch, said Sunday that the actor died Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J, after a long battle with skin cancer.
Busch said Rebhorn was diagnosed with melanoma in 1992 but managed to work until the last month.
In five decades of television and film work, Rebhorn amassed more than 100 credits, ranging from a shipping magnate in ôThe Talented Mr. Ripleyö to the prosecutor in the series finale of ôSeinfeld,ö in which he famously sent the group to jail.
The lanky but piercing Rebhorn, raised a Lutheran in Indiana, often played astringent authorities, like the headmaster in ôScent of a Womanö or the Secretary of Defense in ôIndependence Day.ö
On ôHomeland,ö he played the father of Claire Danesĺ CIA officer Carrie Mathison. He also had a recurring role on the USA Network series ôWhite Collarö playing the FBI head of a white-collar crime unit.
Other credits of the Philadelphia-born Rebhorn, who received his masters in acting from Columbia University, include ôThe Game,ö öReal Steel,ö öLaw & Order,ö öCarlitoĺs Wayö and ôMeet the Parents.ö
Rebhorn also frequently worked in theater, starring on Broadway in revivals of ôOur Town,ö ö12 Angry Menö and the original 1985 production of ôIĺm Not Rappaport.ö
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Linn, and two daughters.


text:
Community Living Access Office - 519-426-0007
Volunteers - Contact Bruce Robinson at Ext. 112
Nominations - Contact the Board of Directors at Ext. 203
Host Families - Contact Michele Silverthorn at Ext. 106
To Inspire Possibilites!
To Promote Choice for People with Disabilities!
Serving Ontario's South Coast in Norfolk & Haldimand
Supporting adults with a disability since 1991
Accessible Customer Service Policy
Accessible Customer Service Procedure


text:
Family - They had 17 years to abandon me in a ditch at some random town and they didn't. Yay!
Friends - honest friends that just tell you the truth and that your socks don't match
Smartphone - duh...
Excercise - it's keeps me sane and strong to fend off the zombies
Korean food - There is nothing here in SF. I go down to LA to get my fill. It's the truth...deal with it.
Shoes! - it's just dirty outside


text:
Photo: Kumari Fulbright is shown in this undated photo for a calendar in Arizona.
According to police reports, Fulbright and three other men, including a former boyfriend, lured Conway to her apartment, tied him up with duct tape and plastic ties and accused him of stealing jewelry from Fulbright and pawning it. Conway told police that at one point Fulbright straddled him and bit his ear and stuck a knife in his ear and threatened to shove the knife into his brain.
Photo: Kumari Fulbright is shown in this undated mugshot provided by the Tucson Police Department in Tucson, Ariz.
At the time, the charges shocked the people who knew Fulbright in her hometown of Carrolton, TX, according to an article in the Dallas Morning News. The article says that she was a standout at The Colony High School in Tex. – honor society officer, student council member and varsity cheerleader.
Photo: Kumari Fulbright appears in Pima County Superior Court on March 4, 2008.
"If there was ever a perfect teenager it would be her," neighbor and Fulbright's former history teacher, Belle Joyner, told the paper at the time. "She was kind, caring, very studious. She was the girl next door, better than the girl next door."
At the time of the alleged crime, Fulbright was in the middle of her second year of law school at the University of Arizona and a volunteer clerk for U.S District Judge Raner Collins.
Although Fulbright had agreed to the guilty plea that had been hashed out by her lawyer, Steve Weiss, and the prosecutors, she appeared defiant in court while the judge read out the charges, saying she did not agree with her attorney's description of the crime, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Each time Judge Richard Nichols asked her if she has committed a particular act she refused to answer yes or no, saying "I agree I'm pleading guilty" or "I am guilty" or "The evidence shows that."
At one point, Fulbright also snapped that she reads, writes and understands English and she signed the plea agreement, according to the Daily Star.
Fulbright will be formally sentenced March 1, after the trial of one of her co-defendants and former boyfriend, Robert Ergonis.


text:
I really could not be more thrilled to announce that, not only did I land a full sponsorship for this year's BlogHer Conference in New York City, but it happens to be with two companies that I absolutely adore. So many people wonder how one goes about landing a private BlogHer Conference sponsorship, so I'll…
Announcing My 2010 BlogHer SponsorsMay 22nd 2010
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