text:
|Observers at a past local Rolling Thunder Memorial Ride. Photo provided by Kate Hempleman.
The 8th Annual Rolling Thunder POW/MIA Memorial Ride will take place May 25th at noon, starting at the Army Reserve Center in Fort Thomas. A beloved Fort Thomas tradition, the local ride (Ohio Chapter 9) serves as a prologue to the national Rolling Thunder Memorial Ride held Memorial Day weekend in Washington D.C. This year, Ohio Chapter 9 wants your help—as a rider (car or motorcycle) or observer.
|This is an advertisement.
But first, some history: "In 1987 two Vietnam vets got together because they were concerned about the POW/MIA issue after war," says Kate Hempleman, Commander of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit #19 and organizer of this year's local Rolling Thunder Memorial Ride. "So many men were being left behind despite thousands of reported sightings of live Americans in captivity. These sightings were being ignored by the government and press. The two Vietnam vets weren't OK with this and decided to do something about it. In 1988 they held the first Rolling Thunder ride, gathering in D.C. with 2,500 riders. Their voices were heard."
Fast forward to 2009: Inspired by Fort Thomas resident and substitute teacher "Chief" Hunter Pinney, who was headed for Washington D.C. for the national Rolling Thunder Ride, 13-year-old Eric Hempleman, then a freshman at Highlands High School, began raising money to pay for Pinney's ride and to send him off with a ceremony. This was the start of the local Rolling Thunder. "My brother started this at such at a young age," Kate Hempleman says. "He was so little and all of his peers were playing video games and watching TV while he was out trying to make a difference in the community. I want to see this carry on and grow."
Today, with more than 100 local Rolling Thunder chapters, the national event attracts more than 900,000 riders.
|Ohio Chapter 9 Rolling Thunder Memorial Ride. Photo provided by Kate Hempleman.
For seven years Ohio Chapter 9's Rolling Thunder Ride has been held the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend, so that local riders can gather and ride before they leave for Washington D.C. "The local ride also welcomes cars and riders that can't attend D.C., so that they can be a part of making an impact right here in our community," Kate Hempleman says. "The local Rolling Thunder goes past multiple schools during school hours so that students can witness the passion for this cause and, as a result, learn about the POW/MIA issue." Students line the streets, with flags in hand, and cheer.
"Rolling Thunder serves as an important visual reminder for our students, staff and community members of the extreme sacrifice that so many have made in order to preserve our freedom," says Fort Thomas Independent Schools Superintendent Gene Kirchner.
|Past closing ceremonies. Photo provided by Kate Hempleman.
Kate Hempleman echoes these sentiments. "This ride is important to the community because it shows that we have patriotism," she says. "It shows that we have not and will not forget our heroes. We have families in this community that have lost loved ones who are fighting for our country, and this is a time where we can stop and come together to remember those who didn't come home. ... Rolling Thunder has evolved into an emotional display of patriotism and respect for all who defend our country. I want this ride to be a reminder that respect is more than hitting a 'like' button on Facebook. I want to see people lining the streets. I want to see people stopping and shaking a veteran's hand. This is our community's chance to do that."
|Past closing ceremonies. Photo provided by Kate Hempleman.
James Reilly, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970 (Guantanamo Bay, Okinawa, Japan), has been a member of Rolling Thunder's Chapter 9 for 11 years and president for six years. Reilly, who learned and rode in Okinawa, currently rides a 1994 Harley Davidson Electa-Glide. When asked about the importance of Rolling Thunder, he echoes National Rolling Thunder's mission: "To educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left should they become Prisoners of War/Missing in Action," he says. "We are also committed to helping American veterans from all wars."
Staging begins at 11 a.m. at the Army Reserve Center, 75 Carmel Manor Dr. "We're proud to host it for the second year in a row," says Todd Phillips, Director of Public Affairs with the 478th Engineer Battalion. "It's a great event that honors the POW/MIA and keeps them in the public forefront."
Riders should arrive by noon. There is no fee to ride. Both motorcycles and cars are allowed, and Kate Hempleman suggests decorating your car and carpooling. The ride takes place rain or shine.
Opening ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m., and the ride, "Kick Stands Up," begins at 1pm. Kate Hempleman suggests observing the ride at the Army Reserve Center, the VA hospital, one of the local schools or at the Newport Peace Bell, which is where closing ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m.


text:
Did I want to move? Oh, absolutely not. We Lauderdales are set in our ways. But ... well, something happened, and you probably heard about it, and I guess it's my fault.
Actually, I feel kind of bad about the whole situation, to be quite honest with you. Every time I'd write something for Memphis magazine, my editors would say, "Good God, Vance, can't you just get to the point?" (Let me just way that when you are paid by the word — and not paid very much, at that — the answer is: NO.)
And then, when I'd post something on the blog, the tech-folks here would whine, "Vance, you're using up way too much band-width and giga-bytes and mega-hertz" and all sorts of mumbo-jumbo that I didn't pretend to understand. It didn't seem to be my problem, to tell you the truth.
But I certainly got a sense that everyone thought I was wasting valuable space with my ramblings, musings, dronings, and general ... uh, wait I lost track. Oh, right. The Inter-Net thing.
So how was I to know that this Inter-Net would one day fill up completely — thanks to me? That's what they told me, anyway: "The Inter-Net is full, Vance. We hope you're happy."
Well, not really. So I had a choice: just stop writing entirely — which was what they actually thought would be best. "Please, Vance, think of the children!" they'd beg me. Or (and this is the alternative I chose), I'd have to move to a brand-new blog and get all sorts of fancy new equipment — some of it costing dozens of dollars!
So that's what I'm doing. Don't worry, it will still be called "Ask Vance" and it will still be penned, or typed, or dictated, by Yours Truly. But it does have a brand-new blog address, so go HERE, and then bookmark it, or "favorite" it, or "friend" it, or "follow" it, or dang it all, just write it down on your shirt sleeve, I don't care.
Now let me make it clear the the new website is still a "work in progress" so bear with us while we work out the kinks. I just wanted to tell you where to find me, that's all.
Now you can still come back here from time to time, if you haven't gotten your fill of the entries I've posted on my beloved "old" blog. But in the future, if you really want to read about new things. Well, I mean old things, but with new words, go to the new address. Got it?
I really can't make it any easier for you. Again, it's: www.memphismagazine.com/Blogs/Ask-Vance
(The only difference is that oh-so-critical hyphen between "Ask" and "Vance."
See you soon at my new home!
Every few hours, they will clamber out of the basement to show me something of interest, but I think that's just an excuse to get a sip of water, a spoonful of porridge, and a breath of air. But occasionally, they really do find something intriguing, and this is a good example.
It's a birth announcement, but cleverly written and designed as if it were introducing a new model car. "The Craver Production Company of 1900 Mignon Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee," it reads, "Announce the 1935 Craver Baby Girl, Model Number One."
This particular "model" was released on June 19, 1935. The proud parents are H.A. Craver, "designer and chief engineer," and Dallas Craver, "production manager." Even the good physician who helped with the birth gets a mention, with Dr. J.J. McCaughan listed as "technical assistant."
It's curious, at least to me, that the baby girl's name is not given on the announcement. Even so, she came fully equipped with such special features as "two-lung power, double bawl bearing, free squealing, economical feed, scream-line body, water-cooled exhaust, and changeable seat covers."
This was apparently the Cravers' first child, and they wanted to make sure that everyone understood there would be no additional children anytime in the immediate future: "The management assures the public there will be no new models brought out during the balance of the year."
I wanted to find out more about this rather clever family, but so far I'm stumped. I'm sorry to admit that the Lauderdale Library is missing some copies of old city directories, such as the 1935 edition. But later editions, from the late 1930s through the early 1940s, do not show this family as living in Memphis, and another family entirely is occupying 1900 Mignon. Birth, marriage, and death records online at the Shelby County Register's Office don't show this family, but that's not too unusual because most of those records don't cover the 1930s anyway.
I'll have to do some further research before I can tell you just who the Cravers were, and where they went.
In the meantime, I just wanted to share this with you. Now, back to the basement, serfs!
Now I can crank out these columns in a matter of days.
Just as soon as the hot lead cools, and the ink dries, and the pages are trimmed, and ...
Hey, wait a minute. Where's the damn monitor on this thing??
For those of you who have yet to to read the March column, Cibo was a short-lived pizza chain in Memphis, and in my typically thorough telling-you-more-than-you-asked manner, I even tracked down the addresses of all the branches in town. According to old telephone directories, one of them was located at 4495 Summer, close to Perkins. But they all closed years ago.
So what am I to make of this photograph, submitted by my pal Pat Rohrbacher, showing a genuine old Cibo's sign mounted on a pole behind Grahamwood Cleaners, close to the intersection of Summer and Graham, which is quite a long way from Perkins? As far as I know, no Cibo's was ever located here. Furthermore, the sign isn't even visible from either Summer or Graham.
Now, just as soon as I can borrow a quarter for the pay phone, I'll call the folks at Grahamwood Cleaners to see what they know about it. I'm pretty sure I dropped some change in the sofa here . . .
But Halliburton didn't always get the respect he deserved. In a 1937 edition of The New Yorker, I came across this curious little item. The New York World-Telegram newspaper was announcing the author's latest book, saying:
"Richard Halliburton, author of The Royal Road to Romance and other travel books, has written Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels, which his publisher, Bobbs Merrill, describes as his 'first book for juveniles.'"
And The New Yorker's snippy response?
"Somebody's lost count."
Well, not much. An original Carroll Cloar oil painting, whose title now escapes me, was still available (a bargain at $45,000) along with a somewhat battered authentic "Indian Wars" sword ($750), a few pieces of furniture (a bed, some tables), some celluloid bridge markers ($65 each), and a box of old postcards and letters (none of them, as far as I could see, relating to Memphis).
Most of the glass-topped boxes containing the butterfly collections were still for sale on Monday, though priced at $195 to $265, so you had to really like butterflies if you wanted to take these home. (I have to admit, these really were magnificent butterflies.)
Just about the only books left were an 18-volume set of James Branch Cabell ($195).
Even so, it was certainly a treat to wander through the interesting old house, which is constructed inside and out in a rambling Tudor style, with uneven brickwork, tile floors, massive rough-hewn beams, hand-carved mantels, and curious creatures (is it a deer or a dog?) carved into the plaster door moldings here and there.
The most fascinating part of the house, to me, was Foote's former study, a vaulted room with a massive brick fireplace. I had seen plenty of images of him sitting at a low desk, ink pen in hand, with a mosaic of photos and letters neatly pinned to the wall behind him. Here's the same desk (above) as it appeared on Monday afternoon, looking rather forlorn and empty, with just sun-faded outlines showing where he had mounted his things to the wall. Rather depressing, yes.
The house was packed with precious books (many signed by Foote himself), lovely sculptures, beautiful paintings, vintage photographs, old guns and canes and pottery and even a stunning collection (more than 40 glass cases) of butterflies.
The trouble is, I already have all that stuff, as anyone who has tried to walk through the Lauderdale Mansion can attest (along with the fire marshalls).
So instead, I concentrated on the odd and unusual, such as this old decal that carries the cryptic message, "It's TOTEM POLE." The pretty blonde lady seems to be landing in some form of helicopter (look out for those whirling blades!), and the fellow on the ground seems to be wearing an army uniform. But what it means, and being a decal, where it was supposed to go — well, that's a mystery.
If anyone can explain this, I would be mighty grateful.
Do you remember what I wrote? If not, I can't help you. It's pretty much been the main topic of conversation along the Greenline for weeks and weeks. But you can read the whole story here.
Anyway, I illustrated the column with some grainy frames from an 8mm home movie, taken by a Memphis family on vacation in 1959. They were a bit hard to see, so I thought I'd include a few blow-ups of the frames here, along with several pages from the March 1963 issue of Ebony magazine, which featured Sykes and his "do-it-yourself skyscraper. Click on any image to enlarge it, and keep in mind that — yes — this is the man's HOUSE. Enjoy!
This is an early, undated view of the main dirigible factory outside Itta Bena, Mississippi. During the peak production years, the aluminum-fabricating machinery and hydrogen-processing equipment operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Plus there was a gift shop.
I believe the empty buildings are now used to store old Facebook posts and the URLs of dead websites. Such a waste.
Did you get all that, or should I repeat myself? Whew, I get long-winded sometimes.
ANYWAYS. The University of Memphis Special Collections Department has a very fine booklet that was published to announce the opening of the new Elks Club, and it was just packed with nice photographs and illustrations showing off the rather magnificent facilities available to club members. And since I'm feeling curiously kind-hearted tonight (it must be the cheap liquor), I thought I'd share some of those images with you, so you can see what we have lost. And as you gaze upon these marvels, remember this: They were available to the men only. Since they weren't actually Elks, the only part of the club that the women could enjoy was the "Ladies Writing Room" on the top floor.
We ran a few of these images in the December issue. Here's the rest. Click on any image to enlarge it, and enjoy!
But for some reason, though I am usually as keen-eyed as a hawk, I have no memory of the store's wonderful neon sign, as shown here in an ad that ran in the 1977 Bartlett High School yearbook.
Too bad it's in black-and-white, but you can see a basketball and football, and look carefully and you can see neon tubes that — when lighted in sequence — would have shown the basketball bouncing and the football arcing through the air. Definitely a very cool sign, made here in Memphis by the Balton Sign Company.
I called the nice folks at Dowdle, who told me that a customer backed into the pole one day, sometime in the late 1970s, and knocked the whole thing down. All that neon was far too expensive to repair, and from what I understand the city (at least back then) was beginning to express concern about moving signs that distracted drivers, so the old neon sign wasn't replaced.
Too bad. But at least we still have a picture. Close your eyes and imagine how it might have looked. But NOT while you are driving!
And by "help me" I meant: do all the work entirely.
And they did. My pal critter42 (that's not his name, but that's what I call him here) took about 30 seconds, it seems, to discover that there was/is indeed a Dempsey Hotel, but it was/is in Macon, Georgia — not Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, he even turned up an old postcard of the place that almost exactly matches the illustration on the matchbook (see below).
So I took about 30 more seconds to determine that: 1) he's right, and 2) the fine-looking old building is still standing in downtown Macon, with a few modifications, as you can see (above). In fact, according to their website, "this grand building was reborn in 1981 when it was transformed into 194 apartments, to create a comfortable and affordable environment for the elderly and disabled residents of middle Georgia."
But when critter42 says the matchbook was a misprint, well that's one heckuva misprint. I guess the matchbook printers probably felt pretty bad about the whole thing. But I simply can't sympathize with such incompetence, since I have never ever made the tiniest mistake in my book, column, blog, calendar, syndicated radio show, ventriloquist act, oboe recitals, and sno-cone business. The Lauderdales simply don't do such things, you see.
Somebody on eBay is selling a nice old matchbook cover for an establishment called the Dempsey Motor Hotel, and the description says the place is (or was) supposedly in downtown Memphis. Well, that's news to me. I've never heard of the joint. But you'll see that it is a rather large, modern-looking establishment, with convention facilities capable of handling groups from 10 to 1,000. It has "two fine restaurants, a tavern, and a tap room," and it's "located with a block of seven state highways." And it also has FREE attached inside parking.
All this is very interesting, but it would have been really helpful if they had actually listed the address of the hotel. Especially since (according to the matchbook) it has a "prestige" address.
The seller says the hotel name is short for Jack Dempsey, the world-famous heavyweight boxer, but if he ever had any connection with Memphis, nobody has ever told me about it. I think the Dempsey name just comes from something else, but I'm not sure what, exactly.
Because I'm not entirely sure this place ever existed. The illustration seems to show the building on South Main Street that is, was, and will forever be known as the Chisca Hotel. In the 1960s, the name (and hotel) was expanded to the snazzier-sounding Chisca Plaza Motor Lodge, and the general description on the matchbooks certainly describes the Chisca. But as far as I know (which isn't really very far these days), the place was never called the Dempsey.
Or was it? Does anybody know something about this place that I don't?
If you'd like to see the original eBay listing, and perhaps add this odd item to your collection, go here:
In the meantime, I'll look through old city directories and see if I can track down this establishment.
I recently bought a couple of trays of 35mm Kodachrome slides, just filled with interesting photos of an unknown (unknown to ME, I mean) local family celebrating birthdays, Christmas, and other events, and I wanted to share a few of them here.
First of all, the photo here shows a couple of well-dressed ladies having WAY too much fun opening what seems to be a little basket filled with miniature whiskey bottles. Perhaps they've already gulped down a few of those bottles, and that explains their hilarity. It makes me thirsty for an ice- cold bottle of Kentucky Nip (full-size) just looking at this. (I LOVE this picture!)
Meanwhile, sitting across the room, Grandma (below) seems to be expressing considerable dismay at the proceedings.
These pictures were taken in the early 1950s. Grandmothers just don't look like that anymore, do they? What a shame.
More later ...
And today I noticed this. Look closely at the street names.
Since when has East Parkway ever been called "Knightdale Bypass"??
And where the heck is Knightdale, anyway, and why are we bypassing it?
The mind reels ...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This trip is a unique journey through remote mountainous stretches of the pristine Mekong River and is a highlight of any trip to Laos
A great way to see local river life
Delicious traditional Asian cuisine served on board
The one night's accommodation is in one of the more comfortable lodges in Laos
Enjoy your time on the Mekong aboard the Luang Say Cruise to areas relatively untouched by modern society
November to April is the best time to visit Laos with dry and warm weather, with March and April being the hottest months. October and May are also good months to visit with only a bit of rain. July to September are the wettest months in Laos.
Cruising downstream is almost four hours quicker due to the current.
Cruising downstream is almost four hours quicker due to the current.
When I went on the Luang Say Cruise, we went upstream from Luang Prabang up to the northern parts of Thailand - I was fascinated nearing the end when we were travelling with Thailand on one side of the boat and Laos on the otherside! Being in-between two countries was a unique feeling!
When I went on the Luang Say Cruise, we went upstream from Luang Prabang up to the northern parts of Thailand - I was fascinated nearing the end when we were travelling with Thailand on one side of the boat and Laos on the otherside! Being in-between two countries was a unique feeling!
Travelling by boat is the way to really explore the lush and more remote parts of this extraordinary and idyllic region. The Luang Say Cruise makes this journey from the comfort of a luxurious converted rice barge and is a highlight of any trip to Laos.
The Luang Say Cruise runs up and down the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to the border of Northern Thailand and vice versa. The boat is a 34 metre stunning converted antique rice barge that journeys along the river, taking in the sights and sounds of traditional Laotian life. There is a large communal deck, bar as well as games and reading facilities to keep all passengers comfortable and blissfully content as they drift along this pristine stretch of river.
The trip takes two days passing through jungle, teak plantations, mountains and farmland, experience first hand how simple life can still be in these remote areas. Step off the boat to explore the Caves Of A Thousand Buddhas and visit fascinating riverside hill-tribe villages.
You will spend overnight en route at the charming Luang Say Lodge, located at Pakbeng and is a simple, tranquil place to stay. Set on the banks of the Mekong in wooden lodge-style rooms you will really get a chance to experience what serene rural river life in Laos is all about. It has 20 Lao style bungalows constructed almost entirely from local materials with shutters surrounding each one and decorated in simple but comfortable furnishings with en suite bathrooms and hot water showers. On the huge veranda overlooking the river there is ample space for relaxing and taking in the view, reading or playing games. For those more active there is plenty to do and see with short walks, village visits and trekking which can all be easily arranged.
Luang Say Lodge has 20 large comfortable wooden bungalows with ceiling fans, mosquito nets, en suite bathrooms with hot showers and wonderful river views. These bungalows all connect to the restaurant by wooden walkways.
Children are welcome on the Luang Say Cruise and at Luang Say Lodge but there no specific facilities for them and they will have to join in with the activities of the adults of the group. However, children with a sense of adventure will absolutely love the boat journey and staying at the lodge and all the exciting things there are to see and do en route. Children's life jackets are available on board the boat.
The boat is very comfortable and can accommodate up to 40 passengers. There are two western style toilets on board. Lunch is served on the boat as you cruise down the river and the lodge has a restaurant overlooking the Mekong serving buffet dinners and continental breakfasts with strong Laotian coffee and there is a fully stocked bar and free Wifi.
Each boat has both a French and English speaking guide on board who are there to answer any questions and point out anything interesting along the way. Visits can be made to local villages, caves and other points of interest as the boat makes its way down the river.
Most slow boats are high on atmosphere, low on comfort, but the Luang Say cruise has indoor and alfresco seating, excellent food and a rooftop sun deck. I snooze, sporadically sitting up to watch water buffalo browsing on blonde beaches, fishermen, and solitary gold hunters panning through sediment where streams slice into the main flow. When our barge makes one of its regular village stops after lunch, I have to rediscover the use of my legs. Gon Dturn is a farming and weaving centre where tak taks – long-handled tractors resembling a poor man's Harley Davidson – are parked under stilt houses. An animist shrine with stepladders for the spirits reflects traditional beliefs, but village life is changing. Electricity arrived five months ago, after families sold buffalo to pay the $200 connection fee. Most houses have satellite dishes and a Chinese corner shop flogs everything from spanners to plastic robots. One elderly gent sits smoking a monster pipe on his new concrete porch with ornate porcelain balustrade and natty pagoda roof – his satellite dish clearly picks up Kevin McCloud and his Grand Designs. As the day closes, the jungle gets denser, its palette of greens more intoxicating. Tropical night falls suddenly and we're swaddled by forest in the teak and rosewood cabins of the Luang Say. There's fine food – coconut chilli chicken, marinated beef – and a surreal array of single malts, but the real luxury is isolation. I open my shutters, climb behind the mosquito net and dose until inky blackness gives way to a soupy dawn light.
This is the most wonderful way to see the Mekong and a fantastic experience that also gets you comfortably from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang by boat. As you cruise along the Mekong, it is amazing to see how simple the villages along the banks are. They are mostly Khamu or Lao Lueng and you can tell the difference as the Lao villages have Buddhist temples and the Khamu are animist. Most of them are really just a handful of wooden houses, mud, animals and children everywhere. The boat and Luangsay Lodge are basic but I found it to be a very special experience to get to this otherwise inaccessible area.
from £6100 pp
inc flights & transfers for 12 nights
You can choose to travel down the Mekong river from Chiang Khong / Huay Xai (the Thai/Lao border) to Luang Prabang or upriver from Luang Prabang to the Thai/Lao border at Huay Xai.
11-hour international flight to Bangkok. From there you can catch a connect flight to Luang Prabang or Houei Say.
Browse our website for luxury travel ideas and holiday inspiration
Call us on +44 20 8682 5400 and speak to a destination specialist about what you want
Receive your bespoke holiday quote, then book online or over the phone
It looks like you are in the USA
Would you like to:


text:
The outer cores of the lipooligosaccharides (LOS) of many strains of Campylobacter jejuni mimic human gangliosides in structure. A population of cells of C. jejuni strain 81-176 produced a mixture of LOS cores which consisted primarily of structures mimicking GM2 and GM3 gangliosides, with minor amounts of structures mimicking GD1b and GD2. Genetic analyses of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the outer core of C. jejuni 81-176 revealed the presence of a homopolymeric tract of G residues within a gene encoding CgtA, an N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase. Variation in the number of G residues within cgtA affected the length of the open reading frame, and these changes in cgtA corresponded to a change in LOS structure from GM2 to GM3 ganglioside mimicry. Site-specific mutation of cgtA in 81-176 resulted in a major LOS core structure that lacked GalNAc and resembled GM3 ganglioside. Compared to wild-type 81-176, the cgtA mutant showed a significant increase in invasion of INT407 cells. In comparison, a site-specific mutation of the neuC1 gene resulted in the loss of sialic acid in the LOS core and reduced resistance to normal human serum but had no affect on invasion of INT407 cells.
Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea worldwide (10, 25) and has been shown to be frequently associated with the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a postinfectious polyneuropathy (23). The association of C. jejuni and the development of GBS is thought to result from the molecular mimicry between outer core structures of bacterial lipooligosaccharides (LOS) and human gangliosides (18, 19). Thus, for example, the cores of different isolates of C. jejuni have been shown to mimic GM1, GM2, GD3, GD1a, GT1a, and GQ1b (1-3, 18-24, 29, 30, 42, 43). However, similar ganglioside mimicry can be found in strains associated with both uncomplicated enteritis and GBS (18). While considerable research efforts have focused on the role of LOS in the development of GBS, little attention has been placed on the function of these sialylated LOS structures in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disease. A locus involved in LOS biosynthesis in C. jejuni MSC57360, the type strain of the HS:1 serogroup, has been described previously (12). It has also been shown that the loss of sialic acid (NeuNAc) from the LOS core results in the increased immunogenicity of the core and an increased sensitivity to normal human serum (12). However, strain MSC57360 is noninvasive in vitro (P. Guerry and C. P. Ewing , unpublished data), and little is known about its virulence potential. In this report, we have characterized the LOS core of C. jejuni 81-176 (serogroups HS:23 and HS:36), which is one of the best-characterized strains of C. jejuni (5-7, 14, 15, 26, 28, 41) and one which has been shown to induce diarrhea in human volunteers in two separate studies (7; D. Tribble et al., unpublished data). These results indicate that the LOS core of C. jejuni 81-176 is composed of structures that mimic several gangliosides, although the predominant structure is a GM2 ganglioside mimic. Slip strand mismatch recombination of the cgtA gene, which encodes an N-acetylgalactosaminyl (GalNAc) transferase, results in changes in the major core structure from GM2 to GM3 ganglioside mimicry. Insertional inactivation of the cgtA gene results in a mutant lacking GM2 mimicry, and this mutant shows enhanced invasion of intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.
Bacterial strains and growth conditions.Characteristics of C. jejuni 81-176 have been described previously (7, 15). The strain was grown at 37°C under microaerophilic conditions on Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar (Difco) supplemented with chloramphenicol (CHL; 20 μg/ml) or kanamycin (KAN; 25 μg/ml) when appropriate. Strains for invasion assays were grown in MH biphasic cultures supplemented with antibiotics when appropriate. Escherichia coli XL1-Blue was the host for λ ZAP Express (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.), and DH5α was the host for subcloning experiments.
DNA cloning and sequence analyses. C. jejuni genes were cloned from a partial Sau3A library constructed in λ ZAP Express. The library was probed with a 515-bp PCR product specific for the neuC1 gene of C. jejuni MSC57360 (12), which had been purified by agarose gel electrophoresis and labeled by random priming with [32P]dCTP (New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass.). The PCR primers have been described previously (12). Positive clones were plaque purified and rehybridized, and pure phage populations were excised to the phagemid pBK-CMV according to the instructions of the manufacturer. Three overlapping clones, pCJ8-6, pCJ8-8, and pSG886, were subjected to DNA sequence analyses with a Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems model 373A automated DNA sequencer. Custom sequencing primers were synthesized on a Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems model 292 DNA synthesizer. Additional DNA sequences were generated by sequencing with primers within transposon insertions into the plasmid (see below).
Generation of cgtA and neuC1 mutants. cgtA and neuC1 mutants were constructed using a Tn5-based in vitro transposition system (Epicentre, Madison, Wis.) in which the Cmr cassette from pRY109 (40) was cloned into pEZ::TN pMOD, as described previously (12). The transposon was PCR amplified with primers as described by Epicentre and used in an in vitro reaction with pCJ8-6 as the target. The reaction product was transformed into E. coli DH5α by standard methods, and plasmid DNAs from individual transformants were sequenced using primers which read out from within the Cmr cassette (12) to determine the insertion point and the orientation within the gene. Insertions were selected in which the Cmr cassette had been inserted in the same orientation as the target gene had been transcribed to minimize polarity on downstream genes. Plasmids were used to transform C. jejuni 81-176, with selection on MH agar supplemented with 15 μg of CHL/ml (37). Transformants were analyzed by PCR with primers bracketing the Cmr insertion point to confirm that the DNA had been inserted by a double crossover.
Complementation in trans.The DNA cloned in pSG886 was transferred from pBK-CMV into the E. coli-C. jejuni shuttle plasmid pRY107 (40) as an EcoRI-PstI-ended fragment. This clone, pRY886, was transformed into E. coli DH5α containing RK212.2 (9) and then conjugally transferred into C. jejuni 81-176 cgtA and into C. jejuni MSC57360 cgtA (12), with selection on MH agar supplemented with 10 μg of trimethoprim/ml, 25 μg of KAN/ml, and 15 μg of CHL/ml.
LOS isolation.For electrophoretic analyses of LOS, whole-cell lysates were digested with proteinase K as described by Hitchcock and Brown (13). For analyses by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), the biomass was subjected to hot phenol-water extraction (39) and the crude LOS were purified by enzymatic treatments with RNase A, DNase II, and proteinase K and by ultracentrifugation, as described previously (21).
Electrophoresis.Proteinase K-digested whole-cell lysates containing LOS were separated on 16% Tricine gels (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) and then silver stained (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif.).
Characterization of LOS and cgtA sequence from individual colonies.Individual colonies of C. jejuni 81-176 were washed in phosphate-buffered saline and then digested with proteinase K as described by Hitchcock and Brown (13). Fractions of the same individual colonies of 81-176 were boiled, the cell debris was centrifuged, and the supernatants were used as templates for PCRs. The primers cgtA-F1 (5"-CGATGTGGATCATTACTACGATGC-3") and cgtA-B1 (5"-CGTTTCGGCGGTATTTTAAGGC-3") were used. PCR conditions were 30 cycles of 94°C for 30 s, 52°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 30 s. The 354-bp PCR product was purified with QIAquick PCR purification kits (Qiagen, Chatsworth, Calif.) and sequenced with the cgtA-B1 oligonucleotide as the primer.
INT407 cell adherence and invasion assays.Adherence and invasion assays were done by previously described methods (5, 6, 14, 26, 41) with modifications. Approximately 1.5 × 106 bacteria were added to a layer of approximately 4 × 105 INT407 cells (multiplicity of infection, ∼4) and incubated at 37°C for 2 h. For determination of adherence, the cells were washed four times in Hanks' balanced salt solution with strong agitation for 2 min, the monolayer was lysed with 0.01% Triton X-100 for 30 min at room temperature on an orbital shaker, and the total numbers of bacteria were enumerated by plate count. For determination of invasion, the monolayer was incubated with 100 μg of gentamicin/ml in prewarmed minimal essential medium (Gibco, Gaithersburg, Md.) for an additional 2 h prior to lysis of the monolayer with Triton X-100. Internalized bacteria were enumerated by plate count. The data were calculated as the percentage of bacteria in the inoculum which adhered or invaded.
Serum sensitivity.Sensitivity tests were performed as described previously (12).
FAB-MS.Individual colonies were examined for LOS type as described above and restreaked onto one MH agar plate each. Growth from a colony shown to produce 3.6-kDa LOS and from another colony shown to produce 3.8-kDa LOS was expanded to several plates. The next day, the biomass was collected into phosphate-buffered saline and frozen prior to analysis by FAB-MS. In addition, a small amount of the biomass was restreaked for individual colonies, which were subjected to proteinase K digestion and analyzed on Tricine gels to determine the LOS type. Among the population which had produced the 3.8-kDa LOS, 2 of 27 (7.4%) colonies had shifted to expression of the 3.6-kDa LOS; of the colonies which had originally produced the 3.6-kDa LOS, 0 of 18 colonies had shifted to expression of the 3.8-kDa LOS. FAB-MS analyses were conducted on permethylated core oligosaccharides as described previously (4, 12).
Nucleotide sequence accession number.The sequences described in this paper have been submitted to GenBank under accession number AF305571 .
Analysis of natural LOS variants of C. jejuni 81-176.LOS preparations from a population of 81-176 cells were visualized following electrophoresis as a doublet, as shown in Fig. 1A, lane 1. The upper and lower bands ran at apparent molecular masses of 3.8 and 3.6 kDa, respectively. However, when LOS preparations from individual colonies were analyzed, the LOS appeared as a single band of either 3.8 or 3.6 kDa (Fig. 1A, lanes 2 through 4). An individual colony expressing the 3.8-kDa LOS core and another colony expressing the 3.6-kDa LOS core were restreaked, and, after a 48-h incubation at 37°C, proteinase K-treated whole-cell preparations of individual colonies were examined electrophoretically again. Among the progeny of the colony which had been expressing the 3.8-kDa LOS, 12 of 52 colonies (23%) had shifted to expression of the 3.6-kDa form. Among the progeny of the cell which originally expressed the 3.6-kDa form, only 1 of 52 colonies (2%) produced the 3.8-kDa LOS core.
FAB-MS characterization of LOS.LOS preparations that had been enriched for the 3.8- and 3.6-kDa forms were subjected to FAB-MS, and four distinct structures were observed, as shown in Fig. 2. The major structure found in the preparation enriched for the 3.8-kDa LOS core was structure A, which, like the cores of the type strains of serogroups HS:23, HS:36, and HS:1, mimics GM2 ganglioside (Fig. 2A) (3). Structures B and C, which mimic GD2 and GD1b gangliosides, respectively, were also observed at lower concentrations in the 3.8-kDa LOS core preparation (Fig. 2B and C). Structure D, which mimics GM3 ganglioside, was the major component of the 3.6-kDa LOS form; a minor amount of structure A (GM2-like) was also observed (Fig. 2A).
Cloning and sequence analysis of the LOS genes of C. jejuni 81-176.The DNA encoding the enzymes involved in biosynthesis of the outer core of C. jejuni 81-176 was cloned as described in Materials and Methods. DNA sequence analysis revealed the presence of five open reading frames (ORFs), as shown in Fig. 3, in an organization similar to that previously described for other strains (11, 12, 16, 17, 27). Table 1 lists the ORFs and their sequence similarities to those reported for other C. jejuni strains. The cluster includes genes encoding proteins with significant sequence similarity to enzymes involved in NeuNAc biosynthesis, which have been designated neuB1, neuC1, and neuA1 by Parkhill et al. (27). These genes encode a putative NeuNAc synthase; an N-acetylglucosamine(GlcNAc)-6-phosphate 2-epimerase/GlcNAc-6-phosphatase, which is involved in the synthesis of mannosamine; and aCMP-NeuNAc synthetase, respectively (17). In addition,ORF1 encodes a predicted protein which is 95 and 92% identical to bifunctional sialyltransferases (CstII) described for the type strain of serogroup HS:19, ATCC 43446, and a GBS isolate, OH4384, respectively (11). These enzymes are capable of transferring NeuNAc to the O-3 of galactose and to the O-8 of another NeuNAc (11). In all cases, the predicted proteins from strain 81-176 were more similar to the proteins from serogroup HS:19 than to those from NCTC 11168.
ORF4 was sequenced from two independent clones, pCJ8-6 and pSG886. As cloned in pSG886, ORF4 encoded a protein of 315 amino acids that showed 47% identity and 64% similarity to a GalNAc transferase (CgtA) described for OH4384 (11). The predicted protein also showed higher homology (65% identity and 80% similarity) to the N-terminal 315 amino acids of protein Cj1143 from C. jejuni NCTC 11168, identified as a CMP-NeuNAc synthetase by Parkhill et al. (27), and to the corresponding gene product in C. jejuni MSC57360 (12), as shown in Table 1. However, Cj1143 in NCTC 11168 and its ortholog in MSC57360 (12) appear to be fusions of the products of cgtA and neuA1, but this apparent fusion protein has been shown to function as a GalNAc transferase in MSC57360 (12). Interestingly, as sequenced from pCJ8-6, the strain 81-176 cgtA gene encoded a truncated protein of 208 amino acids. The truncation occurred 23 bp after a run of 11 G nucleotides; the corresponding sequence from the pSG886 clone contained 10 G nucleotides.
Generation and characterization of neuC1 and cgtA mutants.Site-specific insertional mutants in the cgtA and neuC1 genes were constructed as described in Materials and Methods. The electrophoretic mobilities of the LOS cores of the mutants and wild-type strain 81-176 were compared by analysis of proteinase K-digested whole cells on 16% Tricine gels, and the results are shown in Fig. 1B. The LOS core of a population of wild-type C. jejuni 81-176 cells again resolved in a silver-stained gel as a doublet with approximate molecular masses of 3.8 and 3.6 kDa (Fig. 1B, lane 1). The core of the cgtA mutant migrated with the lower, 3.6-kDa, band of the strain 81-176 doublet (Fig. 1B, lane 2), whereas the core of the neuC1 mutant migrated below both of the wild-type 81-176 bands (Fig. 1B, lane 3).
FAB-MS analyses of the cores of the neuC1 and cgtA mutants confirmed the loss of NeuNAc and GalNAc, respectively (12), as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, the major core structure of the cgtA mutant appears identical to that of the major component of the naturally occurring 3.6-kDa LOS band and displayed GM3 mimicry.
Phase variation of cgtA expression.Based on the observations that the core of the wild-type strain 81-176 appeared to have a component with the same mobility as that of a cgtA mutant and the occurrence of a variable, homopolymeric G tract within the gene, the ability of cgtA to undergo slip strand mismatch repair was examined. The electrophoretic mobilities of the cores of 51 individual colonies of wild-type 81-176 cells were analyzed on Tricine gels, and a portion of the cgtA gene from each colony was amplified by PCR and subjected to DNA sequence analysis, as described in Materials and Methods. The results are summarized in Table 2. In 31 of 51 colonies (61%), the LOS core migrated at approximately 3.8 kDa, similar to that seen in Fig. 1A, lane 4. In all 31 colonies producing the 3.8-kDa core, the PCR-amplified cgtA gene contained a tract of 10 G's, corresponding to the full-length ORF. The LOS cores of 20 of 51 colonies (39%) ran at approximately 3.6 kDa, and the PCR-amplified cgtA genes of all 20 were truncated, although the number of G's varied. Thus, 9 of 20 colonies (45%) had 9 G's, 10 of 20 colonies (50%) had 11 G's, and 1 of 20 colonies (5%) had 12 G's.
The DNA cloned in pSG886 was transferred into the Kmr shuttle vector pRY108 (40) to generate plasmid pRY886, which was conjugally transferred into the 81-176 cgtA mutant. The presence of the plasmid in trans complemented the defect in the mutant, as determined by electrophoretic analysis of the LOS core (Fig. 1C, lane 3, panel labeled 81-176). However, upon subculture of 81-176 cgtA(pRY886), variation in core masses was observed among individual colonies, indicating that slip strand mismatch recombination was also occurring on the plasmid copy of cgtA (data not shown).
C. jejuni strain MSC57360 also has a LOS core which mimics GM2 ganglioside (3, 12). Although the LOS biosynthesis genes of MSC57360 show high homology to those of 81-176 in general, the cgtA gene of MSC57360 lacked the homopolymeric G tract responsible for the phase variation found in the 81-176 cgtA gene (12). The LOS core of wild-type MSC57360 and a cgtA mutant (12) are shown in the panel marked "MSC" in Fig. 1C, lanes 1 and 2, respectively. When pRY886 was transferred into the MSC57360 cgtA mutant, the core appeared as a doublet (Fig. 1C, lane 3), similar to that seen in wild-type 81-176 but unlike that seen in wild-type MSC57360 (Fig. 1C, lane 1). Again, examination of individual colonies of MSC57360 cgtA (pRY886) revealed differences in core mass (data not shown).
Biological effects of mutation of neuC1 and cgtA.The abilities of wild-type strain 81-176 and the neuC1 and cgtA mutants to adhere to and invade INT407 cells were compared. There was no statistically significant difference among the three strains in their abilities to adhere to INT407 cells (data not shown). The invasion level of wild-type 81-176 into the inoculum was 2.7% ± 0.76% (mean ± standard deviation), and the neuC1 mutant invasion level was comparable (2.0% ± 0.8%) (Fig. 5) . However, the cgtA mutant displayed a statistically significant increase in invasion (6.2% ± 1.6%; P = 0.017) compared to that of the wild type. When the cgtA mutant was complemented in trans with pRY886, the level of invasion was reduced to levels similar to those of the wild type (1.8% ± 0.51%).
A neuC1 mutant of C. jejuni MSC57360 has been shown to decrease resistance to normal human serum, and a cgtA mutant has shown a slight increase in serum resistance (12). The neuC1 mutant of 81-176 also showed decreased resistance to human serum (P < 0.05), and the cgtA mutant showed an increased resistance after both 30- and 60-min incubations (P < 0.05), as shown in Fig. 6. Controls in which complement was inactivated by heat showed no killing (data not shown).
Studies on the biosynthesis of LOS of other mucosal pathogens, such as Neisseria spp., have indicated that there is an inherent heterogeneity in core length and carbohydrate content because of differing additions of glycose groups at the nonreducing termini such that a single bacterial strain can produce a repertoire of LOS molecules (34). Thus, for example, a population of Neisseria gonorrhoeae cells from a single strain consists of up to six phenotypically different variants (31, 32). Similarly, the LOS core of C. jejuni 81-176 cells resolved electrophoretically as two distinct bands, and FAB-MS analyses confirmed the presence of two major structural variants, as well as minor structures not resolved on Tricine gels. Conversion between the two major LOS structures, which resemble GM2 and GM3 gangliosides, appears to occur at a relatively high frequency via a slip strand mismatch recombination which affects expression of the cgtA gene. High-frequency slip-stranded mismatch recombination has been observed in genomic sequence analyses of C. jejuni (27), and slip strand mismatch recombination of aβ-1,3-galactosyltransferase gene (wlaN) has been shown to affect LOS structure in C. jejuni NCTC 11168 (16). DNA sequence analyses have indicated that the structural differences between two GBS isolates, C. jejuni OH4384, which displayed GT1a mimicry, and C. jejuni OH4382, which exhibited GD3 mimicry, result from truncation of cgtA in strain OH4382 following a homopolymeric tract of eight A residues (11). However, the ability of either C. jejuni OH4384 or OH4382 to reversibly express cgtA has not been reported. The slip strand mismatch recombination observed in the present study with strain 81-176 occurred at a site in the cgtA gene different from that in which the mutation described by Gilbert et al. (11) in these two HS:19 isolates occurred. Moreover, the absence of similar homopolymeric tracts in the cgtA gene of either C. jejuni NCTC 11168 or MSC57360 would suggest that the ability of this gene to undergo phase variation is strain dependent. Thus, introduction of the 81-176 cgtA gene into the MSC57360 background resulted in the expression of LOS cores of variable mass, similar to those observed in wild-type 81-176.
Loss of NeuNAc had no apparent effect on the ability of 81-176 neuC1 to be internalized into INT407 cells. In contrast, loss of GalNAc from the core in the cgtA mutant enhanced internalization into INT407 cells. Although ganglioside mimicry of C. jejuni LOS has been considered only in terms of pathogenesis of GBS, LOS structure may directly affect the ability of C. jejuni to cause gastrointestinal disease. Moreover, the ability to alter the LOS structure may afford selective advantages to C. jejuni, as described for several other pathogens (33-36, 38). The major LOS structure produced by the cgtA mutant is presumably the GM3 mimic, since the inability to add GalNAc to the core precludes synthesis of the three other observed core structures (Fig. 2). Thus, the presence of GM3 mimicry in LOS appears to enhance invasion into epithelial cells, since the cgtA insertional mutant invaded at levels higher than those of the wild-type strain containing a mixture of at least four core structures. However, electrophoretic examination of the LOS cores of wild-type 81-176 colonies isolated following invasion into INT407 cells indicated that they also contained a mixture of LOS types (data not shown). Expression of other ganglioside mimics may be beneficial during other steps of pathogenesis, but the high frequency of the switch between LOS types precluded biological studies with the natural variants. Interestingly, we have also observed that 81-176 undergoes a high-frequency phase variation in the expression of a kpsM-dependent, high-molecular-weight glycan (6). A mutant that did not express the high-molecular-weight glycan showed reduced invasion levels in vitro and was attenuated in a ferret model of diarrheal disease (6), a model that appears to correlate with invasion in vitro (5, 6, 41). However, the relative insensitivity of the existing ferret model, which simply measures the presence or absence of diarrhea, is not likely to discriminate strains of slightly increased virulence such as the cgtA mutant.
Current data on C. jejuni 81-176 and that of Linton et al. on strain NCTC 11168 (16) would suggest that the LOS core structures of C. jejuni are dynamic and that the capacity to undergo variations can be strain dependent. Moreover, there are increasing indications that there may be differences in the mechanisms by which C. jejuni strains cause diarrheal disease. Thus, we have recently described a plasmid in C. jejuni 81-176 which encodes a putative type IV secretion system involved in internalization into intestinal epithelial cells (5). Interestingly, a virulence gene contained in this plasmid was found in only a limited number of fresh isolates in documented cases of human disease (5). Although many C. jejuni strains have the ability to synthesize ganglioside mimics, the trigger for GBS may also require a particular mechanism of presentation of that mimic to the host as well as a certain genetic background of the host (21). We are further exploring the role of LOS and other carbohydrate antigens in the virulence of C. jejuni 81-176.
This work was supported by NIAID grant 1 ROI AI43559 (to P.G.), Naval Medical Research and Development Command work no. 61102A3M161102BS13AK.11 (to P.G.), and a grant from the Irish Health Research Board (to A.P.M). M.M.P. is a recipient of an Irish Health Research Board Postdoctoral Fellowship.
We thank Gary Majam and Isabelle Walker for technical assistance.
- Received 14 May 2001.
- Returned for modification 2 August 2001.
- Accepted 6 November 2001.
- Copyright © 2002 American Society for Microbiology


text:
Although cell phones,
global positioning
system receivers,
satellite television
systems, and the AM/FM
radio in your car perform
completely different
functions, the receivers
used in these systems
are all based on a concept
first developed by the
American electrical
engineer Edwin
Armstrong during the
waning days of the first
World War. Almost a
century after its
introduction — except
for sophisticated
approaches such as
software radio that
involve advanced
digital signal
processing techniques
— Armstrong's
"superheterodyne" or
"superhet" design
reigns supreme
in communications
Continue reading
to learn how to
build a simple
superhet receiver
that demonstrates
March 2008
Receiver Design
To understand the superhet's
superiority over previous designs or
architectures, it is helpful to review a
few of the difficulties of one receiver
design that it replaced — that of the
"Tuned Radio Frequency" or TRF
receiver, shown in Figure 1. The TRF
receiver came about from the
common sense observation that
since radio signals coming from the
antenna are extremely weak, a more
sensitive receiver might be obtained
by amplifying the radio frequency
(RF) signals immediately following
the antenna. And given the poor
performance of early vacuum tube
amplifiers, if one stage provided
insufficient gain, then cascading more
stages should lead to a receiver that
became progressively more sensitive
(able to receive even weaker signals)
and selective (able to select the
desired signal and reject the others).
Unfortunately, these ideas
■ FIGURE 1. Tuned Radio
Frequency Receiver (TRF) block
diagram showing intra-stage
feedback (dashed line) and
inter-stage feedback (dotted line).
contain a number of troubling flaws
that ultimately proved fatal to widespread application of this approach.
As far as increasing sensitivity
goes, a problem immediately occurs
because the radio frequency amplifiers necessary for each stage of the
TRF receiver are inherently unstable.
This is because in all electronic
amplifiers — be they of the vacuum
tube or transistor type — a small
amount of capacitive coupling exists
between the input and output of
the device itself.
This intra-stage feedback is
shown as the dashed line between the
input and output of each stage in the
figure. Several techniques, such as
neutralization, may be employed to
extend the frequency range of an
individual TRF stage, but the difficulties of avoiding oscillation in tuneable,
high-gain RF stages mount directly as
the operating frequency increases.
Additionally, inter-stage feedback occurs when the output of one
amplifier stage appears at the input
of a preceding amplifier stage. The
dotted lines in the figure show the
multiple feedback paths that may
exist in a TRF receiver with only a
few stages. Either increasing the
Click to subscribe to this magazine


text:
The PR-1 kit is not compatible with the illuminated base pedals, the Mission SP1-PRO Aero and the VM1-Aero.
Mission parts and accessories are provided assuming the user has sufficient technical experience. If you do not have experience installing these parts, please have your installation or repair performed by a qualified technician. Damage caused by incorrect installation may invalidate the warranty. Products may be returned to Mission for service. Please read the returns information for more details.


text:
Mushroom Men The Spore Wars - Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii
After a comet had passed the earth, all the planet's researchers concluded its strange green dust had no effect on the world. None noticed that tiny plants and fungi were acting strangely. Mushrooms, cacti, kudzu and other formerly-normal plants had awoken to full consciousness. Tribes quickly formed among the various mushroom species: the primitive Boletes, the aggressive Amanitas, and the inventive Morels. With nations formed, war inevitably followed. Mushroom Men shows gamers the mundane world from the surreal perspective of a three-inch-high Mushroom Man. Unnoticed by humans, a war rages between the spore factions. As a brave Bolete Mushroom Man, players are given the opportunity to wreak havoc by transforming common household trinkets and trash into weapons and tools.


text:
- Use of Ephedrine for Your Weight Loss
- Why Whey Protein is Your Secret Weight Loss Booster
- The Best Supplements for Bigger Muscles
- Health Supplements to Watch Out For
- What You Need to Know About Creatine Supplements
- The Hard Truth About Weight Loss Supplements
- Lose Weight With Protein Shakes
- Top 5 Diet Supplements #5: CortiSlim
- Top 5 Diet Supplements #3: Adapexin-P
- Top 5 Diet Supplements #1: Sensa
- Weight Loss Supplements
- Zonegran Weight Loss Pill
- Use of Ephedrine for Your Weight Loss
- Information on different Diet Pills available
- Effects of Using Diet Pills
- See More Articles
Health Supplements to Watch Out For
Supplements can be a wonderful addition to any diet, as they can help to provide additional nutrition for weight loss, muscle building, or general health improvements. But if you're not careful, they can be hazardous to your health as well. Not all health supplements are 100% safe, but some may end up doing more harm than good! Here are a few supplements to watch out for:
If you have a cold or cough, this may be your go-to supplement to boost your immune system. However, there is no real scientific proof that Echinacea actually works. In fact, out of all of the studies done into the supplement, there is hardly any evidence that the supplement is effective. However, the dangers are very real! The plant belongs to the daisy family, which means they are in the same allergy-causing family as ragweed. People with ragweed allergies could be putting themselves at risk by taking Echinacea, as can people with asthma. The chances of a negative reaction to the supplement is much higher if you are allergic or asthmatic!
Goldenseal is a popular supplement among naturalists trying to deal with common colds, stuffy noses, hay fever, or other respiratory problems. However, if you are taking certain medications (particularly for allergies or erectile dysfunction), you will be doing your body a disservice. You see, goldenseal stops your body from producing certain enzymes, which are needed to break down the drugs you are taking. Thanks to goldenseal, the medications will stay potent and active in your bloodstream for longer, which can definitely raise your risk of developing negative side effects. If you're taking Allegra, Viagra, and anti-allergy medications, it's best to skip the goldenseal.
St. John's Wort
This is a supplement that is taken to reduce depression, a problem that has become more and more common in modern days. However, the herb is rich in a compound known as hyperforin. This compound increases the production of enzymes that are responsible for digesting and breaking down medications. If you are taking certain medications--such as blood thinners, anti-allergy medications, or anti-depressants--the enzymes will break down the drugs too quickly, preventing them from being effective. The St. John's Wort will reduce the efficiency of the medications, and may even cause excessive serotonin to be produced--leading not to an elevated mood, but to a problem called serotonin syndrome.
Pre-Workout Supplements
You know the kind: all packed with caffeine, taurine, and other stimulants to give you energy to get through your workout. While studies have proven that caffeine can help to boost athletic performance and increase endurance, it can also increase the severity of existing heart conditions. If you suffer from high blood pressure or heart disease, the excessive amounts of caffeine in these supplements can add to the stress of a tough workout and lead to heart strain. Definitely not the right thing for your heart!
Gingko Biloba
If you want to protect your brain against dementia, reduce anxiety, and increase your mental function, gingko biloba can be your best friend. The supplement contains a wide range of compounds that can benefit your brain in many ways. But it will also affect the way your body reacts to insulin, the hormone that controls your blood sugar levels. If you suffer from or are at risk of diabetes, this supplement is not going to be your friend. It can lead to excessively high or low blood sugar levels, especially at high doses. It's better to avoid the supplement, or check with your doctor to find out if there is a safe dosage for you to take!


text:
A New Jersey Institution
Since its launch in September 2011, Mission 50 Workspaces has become Northern New Jersey's leading coworking environment and a second home for entrepreneurs, small businesses and freelancers alike. We provide the flexibility, foundation and community that allow businesses, from pharmaceuticals to startups, to continue to grow.
M50 has established a place where brilliant minds get productive and stay inspired, often collaborating and building innovative products and services together.
Our Story
Co-founder Greg Dell'Aquila has always embraced three core principles - hard work, determination and relationship building. He has a strong belief in taking a chance and getting in on the ground floor of exciting new business ventures. After success with several real estate ventures, Greg began looking for a way to help others launch their dream projects. He found what he was looking for in Mission 50 Workspaces.
Every day, we receive such positive feedback from members, drop-ins and visitors on Mission 50's vibe and concept. We love hearing that we've created an environment which gives ventures the ability to grow and fosters collaboration while adding to Hoboken's vibrancy. As a team of entrepreneurs and business owners, we could not be happier with the framework we have created.
Detalles de contacto
Mission 50 Coworking
50 Harrison Street
Suite PH 401
Hoboken, NJ 07030
El Equipo de Mission 50 Coworking
Leah Dell'Aquila
Director /


text:
Official ICS OTA for German and Unbranded EVO 3D GSM
The journey of ICS to the HTC EVO 3D has been long and interesting. We brought you news of the first ICS leak, the problems with the ICS leak, and the solution to the problems. The last leak was for the Virgin Mobile-branded device, which ultimately was the cause of many issues. This time, though, it's legit.
XDA Forum Member AcerExtensa has posted a guide that for users with the German or unbranded versions of the device to obtain the official ICS OTA. What's more, the OTA has been modified so that users don't have to upgrade their HBoot, recovery, or radio before updating.
The process is in 3 stages. First, users download the OTA in the form of a flashable update.zip. It is noted that users should use the 4EXT recovery, as that is the only recovery tested so far. Afterwards, users are to download a PG86IMG.zip to flash in the bootloader. This gives users unrooted ICS without losing any of the fun stuff. The last step is flashing root to the device.
It won't be long until many derivative ROMs are updated with the fresh base, and many options based on this build appear. Here's hoping the CDMA EVO 3D gets similar treatment soon.
For the download links and instructions, head over to the original thread.


text:
Postgraduate Writers' Conference
25th Annual Postgraduate Writers' Conference: August 10–16, 2020
Like all VCFA summer sessions, the 2020 Conference is going forward in a remote format, guided by our understanding that at this historically challenging time, perhaps more than ever, writers crave the sustaining immersion in craft and community. We currently have space available in all workshop genres. Please contact the Conference Director for more details, and to inquire about openings.
The annual Postgraduate Writers' Conference at VCFA is a haven for serious, emerging practitioners seeking to connect, recharge, and lift their process and craft to new levels.
The heart of the conference's unique model is intimate workshop groups limited to five or six writers, led by a member of our acclaimed faculty. This format allows for in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants' work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions, and social events that galvanize our lively, inclusive community.
Each year, we assemble a luminous roster of conference instructors, including some of VCFA's own award-winning MFA in Writing faculty. Writers are selected not only for the brilliance of their own work but for their devotion to teaching and support of the PWC philosophy. We are pleased to announce the lineup for August 2020:
Creative Nonfiction
Short Story
Poetry Manuscript
Participant Feedback
"Best week of my writing life." —Ann Carson DeWitt
"What a wonderful experience. It really felt like a conference of peers." —Nathan Long
"There is something magical going on up there. I think you have perfected the writers' conference as we know it." —Lisa Hartz
"I love that there is no border between students and teachers. A true creative community."—John Hudson
"One of the most positive experiences I've ever had, and definitely the most valuable conference I have attended." —Rebecca Caum
Ellen Lesser
Conference Director
[email protected]
The Postgraduate Writer
The majority of PWC participants have MFAs, including returning VCFA graduates and alumnx of other programs. Others have PhDs, MAs, or graduate study in related disciplines. PWC also welcomes writers without graduate degrees who have relevant experience. While we applaud an applicant's publishing credits, they're not a prerequisite. For us, it's about the work and a writer's desire to take it to the next level.
Workshop meets every morning, for a total of five daily sessions. Manuscripts are due in early July and distributed about four weeks before our starting date to allow thoughtful preparation for group discussions. Depending on the group and instructor, workshop sessions may include other activities beyond critiques, such as in-class exercises and consideration of additional texts and broader craft topics. Some groups take on "homework" during the week, including targeted revision assignments or generating new material.
Typical Day
Most days after breakfast we start with a guided generative-writing session, followed by workshop group meetings. After lunch, faculty present craft talks or classes, then participant readings take place in the late afternoon. After dinner there are readings by faculty, capped off by a social gathering or special event. Nighttime highlights include an open-mic session with the Vermont-based improvisatory ensemble, Po-Jazz. The conference also takes a night off from readings for a party and campfire at the director's nearby home.
Location & Accommodations
Most attendees stay on campus in simple dormitory accommodations, with a choice of single or shared rooms. Dining service in VCFA's cafeteria is available on a full meal plan or flexible, pay-per-meal basis, or you can enjoy beverages and light fare in our own Café Anna. The conference schedule features a few specially catered dinners outdoors.
If you have an MFA or PhD in creative writing, you are automatically eligible to enroll in the conference. Registration opens January 16, 2020.
Thanks to our trademark small workshop size, conference groups do fill quickly. Please be sure to check in with the conference director about availability before proceeding to register. Once specific groups or genres are full, we continue to place interested writers on an active waiting list. Some spaces typically reopen due to cancellations, so it's always worth touching base and taking a spot on the waiting list.
If you do not have a graduate degree in creative writing but would like to attend the conference based on your equivalent experience, please send a detailed letter of interest describing your writing and related background along with a five-page sample of your work (by file attachment) to Conference Director Ellen Lesser at [email protected]. Please note that as a non-degree-holding candidate, you must complete this admissions process prior to registration.
Tuition and Fees
VCFA has reduced tuition for the 2020 Conference's remote edition. Fees below reflect the new discounts.
- Conference tuition for standard workshops: $845
- Poetry Manuscript tuition: $1,075
- Non-refundable deposit due at time of registration: $200
We have funding available for partial scholarships, especially to support and encourage diversity and inclusion within our conference community. Email Conference Director Ellen Lesser at [email protected] to request a scholarship and state your level of need. Please also attach a description of your writing and related background and your aims for attending the conference, along with a brief (five-page) sample manuscript, if you're not already submitting these as a candidate for conference admission.
Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis, so early requests are encouraged.
PWC belongs to the Writers' Centers & Conferences branch of AWP (The Association of Writers and Writing Programs), which sponsors the annual Kurt Brown Prize competition for three $500 scholarships to support attendance at member conferences in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. The contest welcomes submissions through its March 30 deadline. For details visit the AWP website.


text:
About Us
SONÁMBULA was born as an open space where we bet on emerging trends, looking for a unique experience between the different areas of action and cultural proposals that we offer. We celebrate fashion as a kingdom of faunas where the most advanced textile spectrum and the most interesting national and international designers of the moment fill our space in a select collection of leading brands. For us, fashion is a replicating identity, invented biography, printed sex, ecstasy of simulation, youth, elegance and fury.
We are a multidisciplinary space designed to organize exhibitions and events of art, culture, fashion, design, and any other form of creativity. We are committed to diversity, risk, identity, experimentation, establishing synchronicities between the viewer and the processes of creation.
In constant actuality and full boiling, we are at the disposal of the authors and for a public thirsty for courage, haze, encounters and intensity. Sonámbula presents an attractive agenda for different audiences.


text:
The Hotel Principal is the ideal solution for those looking for a family run hotel that caters to your comforts and needs while visiting the exciting city of Barcelona.
After a busy day of touring or meeting for business reasons, come take pleasure in the fabulous panoramic views from the rooftop terrace/solarium and relax in the warm Mediterranean sun.
Here you can enjoy Barcelona from the roof tops, enjoying all the neighbourhoods and daily hustle bustle from a relaxed position.
The hotel offers free internet confection and a morning buffet breakfast served from 7:30 am to 10:30 am, offering a wide range of both ad cold breakfast items. The comfortable, newly remodelled rooms offer a wide range of comforts and amenities to guarantee an enjoyable stay.
Give us your Feedback
Hotel Principal, Junta de Comerç, 8 - Barcelona


text:
Brief Summary
Since this review, Glacier Bay boats have been folded under the parent World Cat umbrella, and going forward will be known as Glacier Bay Edition. Design, materials and construction will not change.
The new 2690 carries many of the features of a tricked out 2685 as standards. She is built for long range cruising and will be very comfortable, even in the chilly climates of the Alaskan frontier. The Alaskan enclosure creates a water tight cockpit you can enjoy, even when it is inclimate outside. Foam filled double hulls help insure an extra margin of safety and security. Even with the full enclosed cockpit, you still have an aft deck for working fish and crab pots with ease.


text:
Your Cart is Empty
Sold Out $54.95
Whilst happily existing in a sheltered position outside, these birdhouses also make charming storage in a child's bedroom, where they will provide shelter for a felt fairy or bird. They also make a happy, colourful accent anywhere inside your home.
Dimensions: Approx. 30cm H
Please read ourfelt care instructions
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …
Join our newsletter and be the first to know about exclusive deals, discounts, and new products.


text:
I am sure we all know somebody that serves in the US military. But I don't think we give them enough credit for all that they do for our country every single day. As some of you know, I love taking pictures for military families because I feel it is important to share their story to remind us of the sacrifice that takes place not only in distant regions of the world, but right here at home.
I want you guys to meet my friends Josh and Lauren. Josh and Lauren are getting married in July and I am so excited I get to be there to capture their big day.
Immediately when I met them, I knew we would hit it off because their outlook on life was so optimistic and inspiring. This is the first "Free Military Shoot" that I have done as an engagment shoot. It opened my eyes to the reality of all the new challenges and changes they will have to face in a few short months as their relationship grows from dating to marriage. Here is a little of their story…
"It has always been my desire to be in the military. Though I graduated from high school with a 4.22 GPA and scored reasonably high on the SAT's, it has always been my desire to serve my country. Before I pursued my higher education, I wanted to immerse myself in what it meant to earn the title United States Marine. My grandfather was a 30 year Marine, working his way from E1/Private to O5 Lt. Col.Whenever I visited my grandparent's house, or they visited ours, I listened to the amazing stories that my grandfather had to tell of his military career.My grandfather landed on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan and earned the Navy Cross as a Platoon Sergeant on Saipan on June 24, 1944.My grandfather's devotion and passion for the Marine Corps inspired me to want to be a Marine.
My father also had a great deal of influence on my career path.My dad believed that discipline, respect, and hard work were very important aspects in life, and he instilled these virtues in me with sound reasoning and instruction, practical application (attention to detail in my chores), and through observation and debriefing (telling me what I did exceptionally, and what I did wrong).I was raised with a solid set of core values from my Christian beliefs instilled by my parents and church, and through my father's guidance in my household duties and in school.From everything that I had formally known, the Marine Corps offered the most difficult basic training of all of the military branches; so I thought it would be the best test for the virtues that I had developed."
In all, Josh has served for the Marine Corps (R) for the past 6 years with one, six month tour to Iraq. As a reserve, Josh is in the process of graduating from SDSU and upon completion he willingly will go on to Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA.
Lauren will admit that she isn't fully prepared for what life will be like as a military wife, but at the same time she exudes such an optimism for the road that lies ahead. I feel this speaks so deeply of confidence she has in Josh and their relationship. When I asked them what it was about their love for each other that will help give you strength during the toughest challenges you may face as a military couple Lauren spoke about their friendship that serves as their core foundation.
"Josh and I have known each other since elementary school. When we started dating, we already had such a strong foundation to build on being that we already knew each other. That foundation will help us as we face tough challenges together. Long before we fell in love, we were friends. When Josh was deployed to Iraq, I was there on base the day he left. I still am unsure what led me to go that day, but I know God's hand was on this decision preparing me for life as a military wife. While Josh was deployed, we exchanged emails and I sent him multiple packages filled with yummy goodies. Josh and I both have a strong faith, both in our religion and each other. We know things will not always be easy, but we trust in each other and know that we have a God that will hold together the love that we have for each other."
Aren't they AMAZING? I have had a great time getting to know them and have been inspired by their relationship. Getting to take their engagement pictures was an added bonus.


text:
Home Staging Tip – Urban Gardening in Small Spacesby
Home staging means getting a home ready for sale with the goal to maximize the sale price and close a sale as fast as possible. Some home staging tasks are very dreary, like having to get the place sparkling clean. That is really not fun work. It may be better, if it is affordable, for the homeowner to hire professionals to do that grunt work.


text:
Cruising the island paradise of French Polynesia that has been rhapsodised for centuries in poetry, books and art, SEVEN SINS, a tri-deck Heesen motor yacht with exquisite furnishings throughout, is perfectly equipped for a languorous sojourn in the tropics. Stop Press Special ... charter in September for 10 days and pay for only 7
Not only is SEVEN SINS an impeccable charter yacht with all the mod cons and lifestyle luxuries for 10 guests in five staterooms, plus eight crew, she is also decked out with perhaps the best arsenal of watertoys, tenders and equipment for on-water enjoyment.
There's a floating trampoline and two SeaDoos, a Seabob, wakeboard, waterskis, snorkelling gear, canoes and inflatable tow toys galore. Whether you're keen to dive the fringing reef lagoons and coral gardens – home to vivid fish, dolphins, rays, sharks and turtles – or surf, kiteboard, or hike the volcanic peaks of Mt Teurafaatiu on Maupiti island, or ascend the summits of Mt Ohue and Mt Pahia on Bora Bora – there are a plethora of nature-based excursions to immerse yourself in.
Photo Credit Tim KcKenna
Onboard too, guests of SEVEN SINS are spoilt for choice with amenities such as gym, sauna, Jacuzzi and plenty of deck space to chill and soak up the sunshine. But topping all these virtues is the skill of onboard Chef, Nikolaas Barrezeele, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Europe.
Fine dining, Mediterranean styles are his forte, while Mexican, Asian and Italian menus are also contenders. With his Belgian roots, chocolate and desserts are a specialty, and guests will be amazed and thoroughly satisfied with Chef Nikolaas' extraordinary expertise – whether a fresh seafood spread or Cordon Bleu celebration.
Inside SEVEN SEAS, the décor is modern classic, boasting semi-gloss cherry wood panelling and a teak and ebony parquetry floor, with Makassar furniture for an exotic touch.
The spacious main saloon comprises a bar, lounge seating and 50" Plasma TV screen, while the dining room features an oval table with views to the open sea.
The main foredeck stateroom includes study, walk-in dressing room, bathroom with Jacuzzi bath, and separate shower in marble. Below decks are the two full-beam VIP staterooms and two twin staterooms, all with ensuite facilities in marble.
The upper-deck saloon is a brilliant space to relax, host a film night or dinner for up to 12 people, while the sun deck has a table for 10 and sun pads for complete relaxation.
Directed by Captain Xavier Penez, SEVEN SINS and her crew of eight are poised to take you and your guests on a voyage of discovery in the turquoise waters of French Polynesia – a cruising ground the size of Western Europe!
No doubt, you have heard of the legendary beauty and tranquillity of Tahiti, just one island in the chain of 117 located in four main archipelagos: Austral, Gambier, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Society. Gems such as Bora-Bora, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Huahine will dazzle and delight you on your luxury charter experience onboard SEVEN SEAS.
Your Luxury Charter Group expert can tailor an itinerary that will tantalise you with culture, customs, marine life and incredible landscapes that remain as enchanting today as they were to the first Europeans to chance upon their azure lagoons and verdant islands 250 years ago.
Disclaimer: The information about luxury yachts displayed on this page is merely informational and these yachts are not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor are they represented or marketed in anyway by Luxury Charter Group. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and information is displayed in good faith but Luxury Charter Group does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.
Related Blog Posts
LANA Magnificent Mega Motor Yacht for Charter
Hailed as Benetti's first "gigayacht", the 351ft (107m) LANA is an exquisite custom-built motor yacht, launched in 2019 and one of the largest yachts available for charter in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. LANA is the largest Benetti yacht available for charter to date in 2020, from EUR 1,700,000 per week. Learn more...
MALTESE FALCON: refurbished & back in charter
After an intensive period of refit work, comprising interior and exterior refurbishment, MALTESE FALCON has returned to charter and is available for up to 12 guests in the East Mediterranean, Croatia, Turkey, the Riviera and the Spanish Balearics. Learn more...
PLANET NINE is a 5-deck, 73m ice-class megayacht
The largest superyacht to date from the Italian Sea Group (Admiral) is the five-deck, 73.2 metre ice-class explorer mega yacht PLANET NINE which has only just been launched, early 2018. Learn more...
Charter Incredible 11.11 in the Caribbean or Med
For Luxury Charter Group, this custom-built Benetti masterpiece is a standout charter yacht. We love it for its excess, yet ease of living onboard. For all its lavish décor, it was warm and comfortable, designed by its owners to be a blissful haven for family and friends with lifestyle luxuries at their fingertips. Learn more...


text:
E-Commerce Distribution Solutions
E-Commerce Distribution Solutions
Canada Cartage's Logistics Solutions provides a turn-key solution to manage your e-commerce through our integrated warehouse and transportation management systems. By partnering with Canada Cartage's Logistics Solutions, you have access to a turn-key solution that will save you money and improve service levels.
Every step of the process – from the time the online order is placed to when it is picked, packed, and shipped – the order is handled with care. With e-commerce, our distribution and fulfillment centers improve your customers' experience through our order accuracy, fast and reliable delivery, and returns policy.
Canada Cartage Logistics integrated warehouse and transportation management systems provide you with complete order cycle management.
Warehouse Management System
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Creates shipment orders to manage multiple orders and pick details
- High degree of flexibility for configuration to your required solution
- Full EDI compatibility through FTP or third party protocol
Transportation Management System
- Multi-carrier selection module
- Rate shop and carrier decision capability
- Date confirmation and carrier tracking with order completion
- Custom reports on your logistics activity and costs
- Fully compatible with all major carriers
- Ability to print fully compliant carrier labels and bills of lading
- Multi-location end-to-end real-time visibility
FMCG in Canada & US: Industries Served
Stay up to date!
Sign up for our newsletter


text:
Use Social Media Freely, White House Tells Agencies (Updated)
BY Nancy Scola | Wednesday, April 7 2010
Generally speaking, social media falls outside the constraints of the 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act that was aimed at easing the paperwork burden for both citizens and government while making sure that the information that
should be retained by government is. (See update down below.) That's the conclusion, more or less, of a pretty significant memo on the use of social media in government (pdf) released this morning by White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs administrator Cass Sunstein, on the same day that federal agenices are required to release their plans on how they intend to make their operations more transparent and participatory.
The memo, Sunstein writes, is "animated by the goal of promoting flexible and open interactions between Federal agencies and the public." OIRA is part of the Office of Management and Budget, which was tasked by President Obama's Open Government Directive with providing some clarity on how existing laws apply to the government use of social media that the White House has called for federal agencies to engage in. Sunstein told agencies that everything from blogs to social networks are analogous to the "public meetings" that the PRA doesn't cover.
Boiled down, the result of the Sunstein memo is that federal agencies under the Obama administration have been handed freedom to engage online without having to worry quite so much about collecting and archiving every blog comment, retweet, or Facebook wall post. The memo from the Obama White House knocks away one obstacle for agencies considering engaging the public through social media. I
t would seem, at first read, to obviate the need for such careful treading as the warning on the White House's official Twitter account that, "Comments & messages received through official WH pages are subject to the PRA and may be archived." The memo:
Under current OMB policy, agencies do not trigger the PRA's requirements by hosting a public meeting. For purposes of the PRA, OMB considers interactive meeting tools—including but not limited to public conference calls, webinars, blogs, discussion boards, forums, message boards, chat sessions, social networks, and online communities—to be equivalent to in-person public meetings.
That said, Sunstein advised that there are cases where PRA is called into action, particularly when the agencies are using tools to complete actions that, if they were to be completed through other means, would be covered by information-saving laws:
Wikis are an example of a web-based collaboration tool that generally does not trigger the PRA because they merely facilitate interactions between the agencies and the public. However, some uses of wiki technologies are covered by the PRA, such as using a wiki to collect information that an agency would otherwise gather by asking for responses to identical questions (e.g., posting a spreadsheet into which respondents are directed to enter compliance data).
And the Hill's Tony Romm points out that agencies aren't being freed to let social media write public policy:
OMB recommends, however, that agencies exercise good judgment and caution when using rankings, ratings, or tagging. Specifically, agency use of the information generated by these tools should be limited to organizing, ranking, and sorting comments. Because, in general, the results of online rankings, ratings, and tagging (e.g., number of votes or top rank) are not statistically generalizable, they should not be used as the basis for policy or planning.
Here, again, is the memo: "Social Media, Web-Based Interactive Technologies, and the Paperwork Reduction Act."
Update: Some necessary clarification on this posts -- So, the guidance in the Sunstein memo on how agencies should think about the application of the Paperwork Reduction Act has to do in particular with agencies having to get pre-approval from OIRA whenever they plan to engage in information collection from the public. As the Congressional Research Service puts it in their report on PRA, "Agencies must receive OIRA approval (signified by an OMB control number displayed on the information collection) for each information collection request before it is implemented, and those approvals must be renewed at least every three years. As discussed in more detail later in this report, failure to obtain OIRA approval for an active collection, or the lapse of that approval, represents a violation of the act, and triggers the PRA's public protection provision." The focus is on information gathering, not archiving.


text:
Select service for login:
Are you an innovation company or investor seeking banking services to help you move bold ideas forward, fast?
Get quick answers from our support page.
For other questions contact Client Service:
Contact Investor Relations
© 2020 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, MAKE NEXT HAPPEN NOW and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group, used under license. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB).


text:
New KORG Wavedrum at MusikMesse
April 5, 2011 · Posted in Uncategorized
Korg will be releasing a Wavedrum Mini Dynamic Percussion Synthesizer. There is not so much information posted about the device functions or specifications, but the most apparent new feature seems to be a clip on pick-up for triggering the Wavedrum Mini. The new Wavedrum also appears to have a built in speaker and some kind of presets or sequencing functions.


text:
I know, I know. It's been a while. I've had a lot on my plate. No pun intended.
Here's a recipe that I got from one of my favorite blogs I follow. I just had to try this since it involves 4 of my favorite things: Brie, strawberries, chocolate and bread.
I didn't quarter the strawberries like the recipe said. Instead, I sliced them but now I know why they work better quartered. See, I've never roasted strawberries before. They tend to shrink and get thin when you cook them so I'd stick with quartering them like the original recipe says to do.
Roasted Strawberry, Brie and Chocolate Sandwiches – Serves 8
- 1 container of strawberries, approximately 20 berries, quartered
- 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 king size Hershey's chocolate bar
- 1 container of brie, sliced thin
- 1 French bread loaf, sliced into 1/2 inch slices (excluding the ends)
- 1/2 stick of butter, melted, more if needed
In a large bowl, drizzle oil and sprinkle salt over strawberries. Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Once berries are roasted, transfer to a dish so that they don't continue cooking. Brush melted butter on one side of each sliced bread.
Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. With buttered side down, create your sandwiches: 1 layer of brie, 1 layer of chocolate, 1 layer of strawberries then 1 more layer of cheese. Top with another piece of bread, buttered side up. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until brown and cheese has melted. Enjoy!


text:
Large bel-étage house equipped with 3 bedrooms and a sunny garden for sale at Retranchement, Dorpstraat.
At the groundfloor: entry hall with a separate toilet and a storage room. Three bedrooms with a lovely parquet. Two bathrooms with shower. Sunny garden with terrace. On the first floor: spacious living room with a lot of light struck, fully equipped kitchen, dining corner. Bathroom with shower.


text:
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) did well in the third quarter, but company executives said they are reluctant to try to give many details about how they think the company will do in 2013.
Stephen Hemsley, the president of UnitedHealth, emphasized the headwinds that could be facing the company in the coming year today during a conference call with securities analysts.
"Given the weak business climate and employment outlook in the United States, and the mounting pressures on federal and state budgets, to mention just a few of the challenges, we continue to be cautious about 2013 earnings performance," Hemsley said.
The current year has been a great year for the company, and the company is in as good or better position than it was a year ago, Hemsley said.
But "we are being cautious, and we think the market should be cautious as well," Hemsley said.
UnitedHealth is reporting $1.6 billion in net income for the third quarter on $27 billion in revenue, up from $1.3 billion in net income on $26 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2011.
The company ended the quarter providing or administering health coverage for 36.5 million people, up 6.1 percent from the number it was covering a year earlier.
The growth came from increases in Medicaid and Medicare program enrollment, and in expansion in the large, self-funded employer health plans administered by UnitedHealth.
Enrollment in traditional, "risk-based" commercial health insurance programs fell 2.1 percent, to 9.3 million.
Hemsley said UnitedHealth expects to continue to lose "moderate levels of risk-based membership in the near term" as it sticks to "disciplined" pricing levels.
Hemsley and other executives said 2013 rates will reflect changes related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) as well as a general interest in maintaining profit margins.
The PPACA exchanges — Web-based insurance supermarkets that are supposed to begin selling coverage to individuals and small groups in 2014 — will likely "just be another distribution channel," executives said.
Executives expressed much more concern about the PPACA health insurance tax (HIT) provision, which is supposed to raise $8 billion from health insurers in 2014 alone.
PPACA drafters said they included the tax because a provision in PPACA requiring many individuals to own a minimum level of health coverage or else pay a penalty should send private health insurers a flood of new businesses. Health insurers should contribute a share of that new revenue to help fund PPACA coverage expansion efforts, provision supporters argued.
Provision critics have argued that, ultimately, the tax will simply increase commercial health coverage prices, and also increase what government agencies spend on providing Medicare and Medicaid coverage.
Even though UnitedHealth will not have to pay the tax until 2014, many customers have annual policies that will start in February 2013 or later, and that coverage will continue to be in effect until 2014, executives said.
The company will have to price the 2013-2014 policies to reflect the cost of the PPACA HIT tax, executives said.
The company also is getting ready to have conversations about the PPACA HIT tax will affect the Medicare and Medicaid bidding processes, executives said.
Hemsley talked briefly about the possibility that PPACA could be repealed or changed.
Whatever happens to the law, "we don't think the underlying issue has changed," Hemsley said. "The fact of the matter is that coverage needs to be better considered. The cost needs to be addressed more effectively. The system needs to operate more efficiently…. All of those elements are things that basically work to our competencies and the strengths of our businesses. So we will just adapt, if you will, to those kinds of changes."
See also: