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New North Citizens' Council, Inc (NNCC)
With over 40 years of service to the community, NNCC offers organizational capacity in the areas of community development, advocacy and human service provision from a neighborhood-based perspective. NNCC is governed by a Board of Directors, which is elected by neighborhood residents on an annual basis. In May of this year over 700 people voted for representatives on the Board of Directors. Our Board reflects the demographics of the North End of Springfield, which includes Hispanic, African American and Caucasian (non-Hispanic) persons.
The New North Citizens' Council, Inc. established in 1973 as Memorial Square Citizens' Council, one of several neighborhood councils under the Springfield Community Development Block Grant Program. Its initial purpose was to promote physical, economic, and social development of the Memorial Square area in the North End of Springfield. Memorial Square Citizens' Council acted as a planning agent for the City; assessed the neighborhood physical, economic and social needs; advised the City Government; and advocated on neighborhood issues. Much of its early work focused on improving housing stock, on the neighborhood's physical and economic development and on educational issues. In 1986 the City of Springfield consolidated the two Block Grant neighborhoods in the North End, Memorial Square and Brightwood into one; and the Brightwood Neighborhood Council merged with Memorial Square Citizens' Council to create the New North Citizens' Council, Inc.
The mission of the
New North Citizens' Council, Inc (NNCC)
is to provide advocacy, public and human services
to Hampden County residents with an emphasis
on the Hispanic/Latino community for the purpose
of enhancing the preservation and support of the
family resulting in the improvement of quality of life.
The aim of New North Citizens' Council, Inc (NNCC) is threefold:
NNCC seeks to provide opportunities for citizen involvement and participation.
NNCC seeks to provide individual and class advocacy.
NNCC seeks to provide comprehensive family supports and social service programs to residents of Hampden County. New North Citizens' Council, Inc. embraces a philosophy which includes providing community based, constituent sensitive services; the broadest range of services within the Agency; services to the entire family system; and practical approaches to services.
USDA Non - Discrimination Statement:
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. July 2018


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Not just satisfied with providing weed management and technical advice we also offer a range of weed treatment services, specialising in contract works in natural areas such as National Parks, reserves and biodiveristy offset areas as well as pre and post land development treatments to ensure adherance to development approvals that include weed treatment and/or management conditions.
Our herbicide technicians are trained professionals and can provide advice and make recommendations for control and removal of invasive grass and woody weeds. Our range of treatment services and equipment include:
Foliar Spraying
In foliar spraying, the herbicide is diluted with water at a specific rate, and sprayed over the foliage to point of run-off (until every leaf is wetted, but not dripping). The method is most suited to shrubs, grasses and dense vines less than 6 m tall so that complete coverage is achieved. Foliar spraying can be done a number of ways depending on the size of the weed plant and/or the infestation. For large infestations that need targeted applications of herbicide we utilise a 4WD ute mounted 400L twin reel QuikSpray unit (diesel powered for greater safety on regulated sites) with retracbale hose and handguns. Smaller infestations are sprayed using a backpack spray unit and spot spraying is used to treat individual weed plants or areas that only have small clumps of weed infestations.
Basal Bark Spraying
Basal bark spraying is a very effective control method, and is a good way to tackle inaccessible areas such as steep banks. This method involves mixing an oil-soluble herbicide in diesel and spraying the full circumference of the trunk or stem of the plant. Basal bark spraying is suitable for thin-barked woody weeds and undesirable trees and is also a good way to treat saplings, regrowth and multi-stemmed shrubs and trees. Basal bark spraying will usually kill difficult-to-kill weeds at any time of the year, as long as the bark is not wet or too thick for the diesel to penetrate.
Cut Stump
The cut stump method involves cutting the plant off completely at its base (no higher than 15 cm from the ground) using a chainsaw, axe, brushcutter or machete (depending on the thickness of the stem/trunk). A herbicide solution is then sprayed or painted onto the exposed surface of the cut stump emerging from the ground, with the objective of killing the stump and the root system.
Other Techniques
On accassion we can carry out other type of control methods, notbaly mechnical control using a number of sub contractors with whom we reguallry work with.
If your in need of weed treatment services or currently experiencing issues with weeds then contact us on (07) 4698 2335 or use our online project enquiry form, where we'd be more than happy to discuss with you your needs.
Ground Distribution Contractor Licence No: - GDC1733
Yarramine offers a complete range of weed management services.
We service farming and grazing enterprises, mining and gas industry, local government, commercial businesses and residential property throughout Queensland and northern NSW - specialising in natural area management.
Our herbicide technicians are trained professionals and can provide advice and make recommendations for control and removal of invasive grass and woody weeds.
Get in touch with Yarramine Environmental!
Download our Weed Services Prosepectus

subset: commoncrawl


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LAS VEGASCompaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. all stayed away from last weeks Comdex, the capital of geekdom. But the most noticeable absentee was Intel Corp. None had booths at the trade show.
The string-pulling chipmaker has PC makers at a standstill waiting for next years introduction of a 500-MHz processor, which will have new instructions for floating-point computations in multimedia and 3-D video.
Show visitors who did not bet on craps or blackjack could wager on what Intel will call the chip, code-named Katmai. The top guess in an informal survey: Pentium III. Some observers thought Intel might catch the date wave and name the processor Pentium 2000, or perhaps the Pentium Millennium.
Intel chief executive officer Craig Barrett said in an irreverent keynote speech that the government ought to abolish the Postal Service and turn all post offices into kiosk locations for e-mail instead of continuing to handle paper mail.
I had one question for Mr. Barrett: How can my mom attach cookies to an e-mail?
Boothless like Barrett, Dell chairman and founder Michael Dell backed out of giving a keynote speech. But I bumped into the billionaire in his companys well-concealed meeting room.
As some of the Dell folks said later, Michael and Michael had lunch. While we grazed the Comdex fare, Dell told me, We have a lot of products coming along in 1999 with Katmai and Windows 2000.
Dells portable team showed off a 3-pound, Pentium-class subnotebook that the company plans to release early next year. Dell officials said it will have the largest, brightest display in that weight class.
When we launched the portable line, we went right to the center of the market, Dell said. Now youre going to see us branch out.
Microsoft Corp. came a step closer to release of its newest software suite, Office 2000, when chairman Bill Gates rolled out the second beta version at Comdex.
Office 2000 Premium will include not only the standard Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook applications, but also FrontPage, Publisher and the new PhotoDraw for Web and document graphics. Expect the new Office early next year.
As for Windows NT 5.0, now being developed in various flavors under the name Windows 2000, its still anyones guess when that will be ready.
E-Mail this page
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A Russian state-sponsored advanced persistent threat actor targeting state, local, territorial and tribal government networks exfiltrated data from at least two victims.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for ways autonomous vehicles can make it easier for commanders to detect and track threats among civilians in complex urban environments without escalating tensions.
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Jan 17, 2017
Christine Breese is the founder of University of Metaphysical Sciences and Gaia Sagrada Eco-Community and Retreat Center. She has studied a variety of world philosophies. You can find her free videos here, her World Peace Meditations here, and listen to sample meditations from the curriculum here. You can also find Christine on YouTube by simply searching for her name. She is the author of Reclaiming The Shadow Self, the soon to be released Choose Yourself: The Power of One to Change the World, she is the director of the TV series Spirit Talk, and she facilitates healing ceremony retreats with Ecuadorian shamans at Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center in Ecuador. She has a Doctor of Divinity Degree in Metaphysical Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Counseling.
Dr. Breese has overseen the development of a wide and diverse curriculum. At the core of all UMS courses is the encouragement for seekers and students to be in the moment, ever aware of the self as eternal consciousness that continues to have experiences even after the world of form has been left behind.
Dr. Breese has developed her own unique style of teaching which focuses on intensive guided meditation in order to facilitate direct and profound experiences of expanded states of consciousness. These direct experiences provide the opportunity to realize the truth of the Self. In her presentations, Dr. Breese helps people through discussion and meditation to explore awareness and how consciousness itself works. She also helps people find practical ways to integrate into daily life what they find in meditation.
Currently Dr. Breese is facilitating monthly retreats at Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center in Ecuador. You can find out more at gaiasagrada.com.
Facebook Links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/christinebreese https://www.facebook.com/GaiaSagrada https://www.facebook.com/groups/MetaphysicalSciences
About Path 11 Productions:
You can find DVDs of our films on our website at thepathseries.com or by streaming on vimeo.com, gaia.com & itunes find us on facebook and follow us on twitter, @thepathseries


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"I turned on my air conditioner today and I thought at first it was working fine. Then I realized it was pretty hot in here, so I held up my hand to the vent and found the air conditioner blowing warm air. Why is my air conditioner not cooling? Can I fix this on my own?"
This is one of the most common complaints we hear. There are several reasons for an air conditioner not cooling well. And yes, some of them you can easily fix on your own. For others, you might need to call in a professional.
Here's what you can do to start:
• Check the fan setting on your thermostat. This is often the culprit if your air conditioner blows warm air sometimes and cool air other times. The "on" setting might seem like the one you want, but if you have your thermostat set to "on," it will blow air even when the AC unit outside isn't cooling it down. The setting you want to pick is "auto."
• If that doesn't work, check if your air filter needs changing. It's going to happen eventually—your filter will get so dirty that it will block the airflow. Sometimes changing out the filter is all you need to do to solve your air conditioner cooling problem.
• Your next step is to check your outside unit. Once again, if you find it dirty or blocked by shrubberies or overgrown trees, clean it off and unblock it and see if that works. See if the coils are dirty, and check if airflow to the compressor is restricted.
• Have a look at your circuit breaker. If your outside unit is on a different circuit than the indoor unit, you could be getting electricity to the indoor unit but not the outdoor unit. There are a lot of reasons this could happen. If it was the result of a local outage, you can probably just reset the breaker and get your AC working again. If the air conditioner itself overloaded the circuit, you need to call in an air conditioning contractor right away.
Some air conditioner problems do require professional assistance. If none of the steps above solve your problem, and you still find your air conditioner not cooling, check the following:
• Is your outside fan broken or malfunctioning? This is a problem that requires air conditioner repair from a professional.
• Are your refrigerant levels low? This could indicate a leak, which you will also need a pro to locate and repair.
• Another common cause of this problem is a faulty compressor. If you have a defective compressor, you will need to get it replaced.
• You may also have a bad capacitor. AC units have dual capacitors which control both the fan and compressor. One or both of these components can go-out at any time when you have a bad capacitor.
With any luck, you'll be able to track down the cause of your AC blowing warm air and fix it on your own. If however you have a faulty compressor, bad capacitor, refrigerant leak, or broken fan, you'll need to call in your local HVAC repair company. Either way, you now have the knowledge needed to troubleshoot the problem!


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Are you looking for a quick and refreshing mocktail to enjoy? Try this virgin mojito recipe with bright mint and lime flavors.
A simple mojito recipe that is for adults and kids as well. Whip up a party favorite drink with just few ingredients.
Mojito mocktail for a crowd
A simple and easy mojito, a festive mocktail for every holiday party on your calendar. A kid friendly party mocktail that everyone will enjoy. This mojito recipe is not only simple but also versatile and can be made into skinny mojito mocktail as well.
The idea behind discovering this amazing drink came from one of my friends. This girl made me rediscover the famous Egyptian mint lemonade during our gatherings last month. You see, I used to hate this drink as they made it in the office cafeteria back in Egypt. It was so bitter and I almost choked every time I try it!! A disaster by all means for me while everyone in the office enjoyed it to the fullest😟.
When my dear friend came the first time with this huge pitcher of mint lemonade, I said no thank you... I regretted this later. When we came back home, my hubby and my father in law did not stop talking about how awesome was this drink! So next time, I've learned my lesson and took a little sip at first.. OH MY.. I was hooked.
Totally different than the one we used to have in the office, so refreshing and sweet. I took the recipe and I promise I am going to introduce you to this awesome very famous coffee shop Egyptian drink.
While doing my research for the mint lemonade drink, I came across the mojito. I knew mojito is cocktail and we do not consume alcohol as many of you already know. But to my surprise, I've found that it can be easily and without jeopardizing the taste, turned into mocktail!! How cool is that 😎.
But first, let me introduce you to this mojito mocktail which has been a deliciously regular treat in my life lately.
How to make virgin mojito (mojito mocktail)
- First, we'll need to make a minty simple syrup, so simple and straightforward. Just add sugar, water a squeeze of lemon and some mint leaves, bring to a boil then simmer for like 15 minutes. Set aside to cool down. This simple syrup is enough to make a whole gallon of mojito. For a skinny mojito, skip this step.
- Get tall glasses, add limes wedges to the bottom along with mint leaves. I use a whole lime for each glass. I slice half or cut into 4 wedges, throw 3 in the cup, keeping one for garnishing.
- Now, with a meddler or the back of a spoon or really anything you have, bruise the lime and mint to release their oils, juices and flavors.
- Squeeze the other half of the lime over, add simple syrup according to your taste if using. Fill the glass to the top with ice cubes.
- Pour about 4 oz of club soda over and stir with a straw.
Here are some ways to flavor it even more:
- Smash some raspberries in the cup as well to make a raspberry-mojito.
- Use fresh grapefruit juice for a pink grapefruit-mojito.
- Fresh pureed watermelon chunks to make watermelon-mojito.
- Basil, blueberry, pomegranate , strawberries and rhubarb....
- You can use any lemon carbonated soda for extra lemon flavor such as 7Up and sprite.
- For a skinny zero calorie mojito, use a zero calorie carbonated soda like zevia and omit the syrup.
Get even more creative and come up with your own flavor combinations for your guests. It is super fun, easy and budget friendly recipe to add to your repertoire.
You might need
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Highly recommend this muddler especially if you are making a glass or two. For a crowd it is easier to use a food processor or even chop the mint by a knife.
I hope you'll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
Don't want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Amira's Pantry newsletter delivered to your inbox with lots of tips and surprises! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Mojito Mocktail
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
Mint Mojito Mocktail
- 1 lime cut in two halves.
- 1 cup ice.
- 1 Tablespoon mint simple syrup.
- 4 oz club soda.*
For the mint simple syrup:**
- 1 cup water.
- 1 cup sugar.
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves about 12-15 one.
- 1 teaspoon lime juice.
Make the syrup:
- In a small sauce pan combine ingredients of syrup, stir sugar to dissolve then bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the Mojitos:
- Slice one half of lime into 4 wedges or slices.
- In a tall cup, combine 3 of the slices, mint leaves and crush them with a muddler or the back of a spoon. You can simple tear up the mint leaves to release the oils and mash the lime slices with the back of a spoon.
- Add the juice from the other half lime, then the syrup if using.
- Add the ice cubes and then pour the soda and stir with a straw.
- Enjoy.


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Please select the titles below for more information:
Quintillion Fund Administration
Hedge fund administration company Quintillion wanted to keep its business on track for profitable growth without compromising on the high-quality,
personalized service that its clients have come to expect.
Large UK Benefits Consultancy – Pensions Administration
Managing thousands of employee pensions for companies across the UK is a complex task. The pensions administration division of a large UK employee benefits consultancy wanted to find an easier way for its staff to handle correspondence and case management.
National Sporting Organisation – Safeguarding
This national sporting body had a requirement to replace an outdated existing safeguarding system that has been modified from a CRM system over the past 10 years


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Phil Beach (Meaford Ont to Ottawa)
"Throughout our visit to the Ottawa area Mark conducted himself very professionally and managed our affairs very confidentially. His personal work ethic and commitment to his client is to be commended. The standard and level of his work is of the highest possible quality. I would and do strongly recommend Mark to anyone."
Ottawa has glorious history in sports dating back over 125 years. Currently, the city has 5 teams in professional, or semi-professional, sports: Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League, Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League, Ottawa Fury of Major League Soccer, Ottawa Champions baseball team of the Can Am League, and the Ottawa Invaders of the Northern Football Conference.


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Palermo's specializes in custom cakes, unique works of art for every occasion. Our specialty is custom cakes crafted individually for any occasion.
Looking for an amazing custom cake in the New Jersey / New York area made specifically for you?
Search Our Custom Catalog
Feel free to browse our gallery and enjoy our delectable specialty cake creations. Check tabs related to a specialty cake of your choice to find what you want easily.
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Book a Cake Tasting NOW!
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Crispy Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce


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by Rick Frystak
Here in The Choice Bin, the wealth of superior new music that I get to be exposed to is just staggering.
The wealth of music around this whole planet is astounding, limited only by one's desires, with each new release or deep-dug reissue a shiny object for us to be drawn to. Walk into an Amoeba, an indie record store or check into some genre-specific internet radio and real college radio and you'll know what I mean. And this year was no exception for those who actively seek out new and old sounds and enjoy doing so.
As a youth I was glued to my AM and then FM radio, listening to Rock, Soul, Jazz and 20th Century Classical revelation. Some hosts would even compare hi-fi gear live on the air, using the latest LP cuts. We waited impatiently for stuff we'd heard to arrive at the 3 or 4 record stores in the vicinity. Then I rode to the record shop and bought my favorites, back then in mono for $1 cheaper, and later driving into Westwood for some small-label LP or expensive import that was a must-have.
With the passing of many of our heroes so devastating, each moment of immersing oneself in their language and legacy is a precious one. And of course, there are the highly talented younger artists that bring a fresh, but well-informed element to their work and sometimes usher in new eras. Compelling, unfamiliar music seems to be discovered by me daily. Then to hear someone say, ''...nothing's happening musically now'', just sounds goofy.


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Europcar provides free breathalysers in every car in France this August
New road rules came into force at the beginning of July requiring all motorists in France, including tourists to carry a breathalyser kit and from 1st November drivers who fail to carry a breath test kit will face a fine.
But, according to new figures from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the road safety charity, half of UK motorists are unaware that the breathalysers must be certified to the French NF standard.
Making sure its customers are fully prepared and don't risk a fine, Europcar, the leader in car hire services in Europe, is putting free breathalyser kits in all vehicles hired from its 250 branches in France during August.
"There has been some confusion amongst UK holidaymakers about what they need to do when driving in France" explained Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group. "So to eliminate that confusion, we're putting breathalyser kits in all our vehicles in France - at no cost to the customer. No need to book in advance or buy before picking up their car.
"We think this is another example of Europcar taking the initiative to look after its customers and make the car hire experience as easy as possible."


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|Posted by Emilie Surtees on May 3, 2016 at 12:20 AM
Check Out My Live Performances Page For My Up-Coming Performances At Ponty Bistro in Harlem. It's A Great Harlem Hang With Your Friends Before The Work Week Begins Again.
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Dear Parents,
I am a mother of a 3 yr old. I admitted my little one at eurokids (Mumbai-Wadala branch) bcos I was also fascinated by the brand name. But for me it was a horrible experience. As it was a mid term admission, the teacher started mis-behaving from day 1. She scolded my kid and behaved as if the kid should understand that he has to adjust and should behave like all other kids which were there from last 6 months. My kid was about to fall from the staircase but luckily I supported him as I stayed back there bcos it was my kid's first day. Teachers were busy gossipping in one corner and maids were in the other. No coordinator or center head was present to keep a watch. When I asked the teacher about the same, she started shouting. When I tried to reach the coordinator, she was not available bcos she used to come when the school hours finishes and never picks up the phone. They behaved in this manner bcos I have already deposited the fee and they are not concerned about anything else except money. When I tried to reach the Eurokids, Head Office, nobody responded. So, I decided not to send my kid anymore to Eurokids. I lost my 6 month fee and my little one has got a horrible experience.
I will never suggest anybody to send their kids to eurokids bcos if anything goes wrong, you will get no support up the whole hierarchy. Especially, when your little ones are concerned who will hardly utter what happened to them but get scared of things.
All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2008-2020 Parentree


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Vollzugsassistenten §49-51
Artikel 50: Bedingungen zur Ernennung des Vollzugsassistenten
- Details
- Kategorie: Vollzugsassistenten §49-51
Artikel 50: Der Vollzugsassistent (Mu'āwin at-Tanfīḏ) muss männlich undein Muslim sein, weil er zu den Vertrauten des Kalifen zählt.
Article 50: The excecutive assistant should be a Muslim man, since he is from the close associates of the Khalifah.
The executive assistant is directly connected to the Khalifah, like the delegated assistant, and is from the close associates of the Khalifah. His work is attached to the ruler (the Khalifah), and his work necessitates that he could be pursued by the Khalifah and meet with him separately at any time of the night or day, which means that it is not suitable with the circumstances of a woman in terms of the Shari'ah rules. Therefore, the assistant should be a man.
In the same way, it is not permitted for the executive assistant to be a non-Muslim, rather it is obligatory for him to be a Muslim since he is from the close associates of the Khalifah – due to His (swt) words
(( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِنْ دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ))
"O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater" (TMQ 3:118). The prohibition of the Khalifah taking close associates from non-Muslims is explicit in this verse and ,therefore, it is not permitted for the executive assistant to be a non-Muslim. Rather, it is obligatory for him to be Muslim, due to his direct connection with the Khalifah, and the fact that he is not separate from him, like the delegated assistant. It is permitted to have more than one executive assistant according to the need and the work that is required interfacing between the Khalifah and others.


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Does God Desire All to Be Saved?
In this short theological essay, John Piper builds a scriptural case that God's unconditional election unto salvation is compatible with God's genuine desire and offer for all to be saved. Helping us to make sense of this seemingly paradoxical relationship, Piper wisely holds both truths in tension as he explores the Bible's teaching on this challenging topic, graciously responds to those who disagree, and motivates us to passionately proclaim the free offer of the gospel to all people.
"God gets more honor when we worship on the basis of what we know about him than he gets if we worship on the basis of what we don't know. If our effort to know God more clearly is not an effort to love him more dearly, it will be fatal."


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Search filters applied: finance, universities AND 2017, 2005 AND infrastructure, project management, risk, service delivery, workforce and capability .
Actions for Internal Controls and Governance 2017
Internal Controls and Governance 2017
Agencies need to do more to address risks posed by information technology (IT). Effective internal controls and governance systems help agencies to operate efficiently and effectively and comply with relevant laws, standards and policies. We assessed how well agencies are implementing these systems, and highlighted opportunities for improvement. 1. Overall trends New and repeat findin
Actions for Central Agencies 2017
Central Agencies 2017
This report highlights the results of the financial audits of NSW Government central agencies. The report focuses on key observations and findings from the most recent financial statement audits of agencies in the Treasury, Premier and Cabinet, and Finance, Services and Innovation clusters. The report includes a range of findings in respect to service delivery. One repeat finding is that while the Government regularly reports on the 12 Premier's prioriti
Actions for 2016 - An overview
2016 - An overview
This report focuses on key observations and findings from 2016 audits and highlights key areas of focus for financial and performance audits in 2017. The quality and timeliness of financial reporting continued to improve across the NSW public sector in 2016. Only one qualified audit opinion was issued and most agencies signed their financial statements on time. We found the Government's cluster governance arrangements were unclear and inconsistently i
Actions for Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Implementing Asset Management Reforms
Hospitals, schools, public housing, roads, bridges, buses and trains are just some of the assets used by government in providing services to citizens. The NSW Government's asset base is impressive in size - with a value of around $167 billion and with government plans to spend around $8 billion acquiring or replacing assets in the current year. Another $2 billion is spent each year on maintenance. Good asset management is very important to government;
Actions for Follow-up of Performance Audit: Collecting Outstanding Fines and Penalties
Follow-up of Performance Audit: Collecting Outstanding Fines and Penalties
Periodically we review the extent to which agencies have implemented the recommendations they accept from our earlier audits. This gives Parliament and the public an update on the extent of progress made. In this follow-up audit, we examine changes following our April 2002 report on how well the State Debt Recovery Office (under the Office of State Revenue) was collecting outstanding fines and penalties. Parliamentary reference - Report number #132


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The payload module of MetOp-C, Europe's latest weather satellite, being lowered into Europe's largest vacuum chamber, the 10 m-diameter Large Space Simulator.
The LSS is part of ESA's Test Centre in the Netherlands, the largest facility of its kind in Europe, providing a complete suite of equipment for all aspects of satellite testing under a single roof.
MetOp-C's MetOp-C's instruments must be tested in space-like vacuum conditions. High-performance pumps will remove all air within the chamber to create an orbital-quality vacuum. Meanwhile, liquid nitrogen will circulate through the black walls to mimic the cold of sunless space.
MetOp is a set of three polar-orbiting satellites whose temperature and humidity observations from a relatively close 800 km-altitude orbit have sharpened the accuracy of weather forecasting.
Procured by ESA for Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, MetOp-A was launched in 2006 and MetOp-B in 2012, with MetOp-C due to follow next year.
The 2.1 tonne module carries a suite of meteorology and climatology instruments, variously procured by ESA or sourced from Eumetsat, France's CNES space agency and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Once testing is complete, MetOp-C's payload module will travel to the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Toulouse, France, to be integrated with its service module – the segment of the satellite providing attitude and orbit control, electrical power and communications, and hosting the main computer.
The launch of MetOp-C by Soyuz from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is scheduled for October 2018.


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Glenn Tucker | Kids in cages, Mr President?
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to be free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me."
Part of Emma Lazarus' 1883 sonnet placed by the US Statue of Liberty.
American media are weighing in heavily on President Trump's decision to separate asylum seekers from their children and housing them in cages.
What I will focus on here is why conditions have deteriorated to such an extent in countries south of the United States border that poverty and violence are forcing people to flee for their lives.
Rulers and Ruled in the US Empire, by James Petras, is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the socio-economic history of our part of the world.
The US has raped this region. It has enriched itself and secured a questionable sort of security, primarily by removing democratically elected leaders and replacing them with a series of brutal, corrupt puppets willing to sell their countries birthright for a mess of pottage. So natural resources are given away, and heavily subsidised products are imported at prices low enough to kill local industries.
The term 9/11 is associated with the terrorist attack in the US on September 11, 2001. But there was another, less-publicised 9/11, exactly 28 years earlier. That morning, Chileans awoke to a brutal, unprovoked attack by the US. President Nixon used US$10 million of public funds to help the CIA depose the president, Salvadore Allende, and install their puppet - Augusto Pinochet - ushering in 17 years of brutal repression and state torture. This left 3,000 dead, 35,000 tortured, and a country that is still not yet fully back on its feet.
In Colombia, coca is the active ingredient in such products as teas, flour, and ointments. Industries were built around these products. But coca also produces cocaine. So the US supervised the indiscriminate spraying of harmful pesticides over entire villages, killing all crops and livestock, poisoning wells and leaving residents with serious chemical burns. Heavily subsidised US imports quickly replaced local products. The chances of ever reviving those industries is zero.
In Honduras, the US has been propping up a brutal, corrupt, murderous dictatorship with generous AID packages. When the OAS proposed the imposition of sanctions in an attempt to restore democracy, the US said 'no' and continues to give its support despite credible reports of government "kill squads".
In his book Rulers and Ruled in the US Empire, James Petras asserts, "Never in the 20th Century (1990-2001) were so many lucrative public monopolies transferred to private national and foreign investors, in so many countries covering such a vast ... array of sectors in less than a decade ... ." I agree. US-backed puppets like Fernando Cardoso in Brazil, Carlos Salinas of Mexico, and Carlos Menem in Argentina come to mind. Menem privatised more than 1,000 public enterprises by executive decree; Cardoso privatised the most lucrative state enterprises; and Salinas privatised over 110 public enterprises. Worse, Salinas opened Mexico's borders to subsidised US agricultural exports that ruined more than 1.5 million Mexican farmers. His policies facilitated the US takeover of Mexico's retail trade, real estate, agriculture, industry, banking and communications sector, according to Petras.
In Brazil, the Vale del Doce iron mine was a treasure. It had a 2007 valuation of US$10 billion and enjoyed annual returns exceeding 25 per cent. But Cardoso just gift-wrapped it and gave that country's treasure away for US$400 million. Why?
Mexico and Brazil are the two Latin nations that now have the most billionaires. The wealth of just 38 families exceeds that of 250 million Latin Americans. In Mexico, the income of 0.000001 per cent of the population exceeds the combined income of 40 million Mexicans.
Privatisation of the telecommunications sector at rock-bottom prices resulted in the quadrupling of wealth for Carlos Slim Helu, immediately making him one of the richest men in the world. Two fellow Mexican billionaires, Alfredo Harp Helu and Roberto Ramirez, benefited from the privatisation of banks and their subsequent denationalisation with the sale of Banamex to Citicorp. And where do you think the proceeds of all this wealth are invested?
Causes of Poverty
What seems to be emerging is that the principal causes of poverty in Latin America are the very conditions that have facilitated the growth of billionaires. The result is a watering down of social solidarity, protective social legislation, pensions, public-health programmes, and education.
Between 1980 and 2004, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico stagnated to a zero to one per cent per capita growth. Petras puts it this way: "... The making of billionaires means the unmaking of civil society ... . The period of greatest decline in living standards in Latin America ... coincides with the dismantling of the nationalist, populist and communist economies."
Children are separated with no organisational component. Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of girls. A visitor to one facility claims that all but one baby seemed to be uncharacteristically withdrawn and subdued. If this is not the effect of drugs, it is the beginning of a disturbing reconfiguring of the brain's architecture.
A former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stated that many mothers may never see their children again. What I do know is that all of these children will exhibit varying degrees of mental-health issues from now on.
I have managed to pick out two different Guatemalan dialects in the children's wailing. But the pleadings are the same - a gut-wrenching appeal to Mam· and Pap· to come NOW. That tape is played repeatedly. Someone suggested that it is designed to move Trump. I said it won't. And I will say why.
For sport, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), sometimes with their children watching, would set black families' homes afire while they were inside sleeping. They listened with excited delight at the blood-curdling screams as these folks watched flesh melting from their bodies. Trump's father was a KKK member. He is unlikely to be moved by more coloured babies crying for their mothers.
Mr Trump has described these coloured refugees as animals and their presence as "infestation". I thought that word was reserved for vermin. Earlier reports of abuse in such facilities were confirmed when tests on one girl revealed sexually transmitted infections and vaginal scarring.
In fairness to Trump, during his campaign for president, he boastfully disported himself as an evil, racist, 'cartoonishly' cruel lout, bereft of any spiritual moorings. Americans had a clear and different choice. But they, including evangelicals, embraced him warmly and chose him to be their president. The big question is, what will this man think of next?
The painful irony is that, unwittingly, these wretched refugees are just following the trail of their country's God-given resources - their birthright - to where it was transplanted.
- Glenn Tucker is an educator and sociologist. Email feedback to email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Sherwood Park Wedding Photographer
January 15, 2018 , Wedding
Sherwood Park Wedding Photographer
I am totally in LOVE with the idea of breakfast for supper. So, when Kayla and Russ told me that was what they were doing for their wedding reception, I was ALL IN! It was so cool to have the scent of waffles, bacon and eggs and mimosas and Baileys and coffee wafting through the air. There totally needs to be more weddings like this as a Sherwood Park Wedding Photographer.
I started the day by meeting with a SAIT photography student who was doing work experience with me. Sarah Thorpe is from Lloydminster and she's going to be an amazing wedding photographer. From there, we meet with Kayla and her crew for getting ready photos. I met her dad here, and he just made my day. He's a former RCMP officer, but seriously, the softest dad you will ever meet. He shed many tears on the day, and I loved it.
This wedding party was amazing. It was a chilly fall day in Sherwood Park and Edmonton, but that didn't stop this group from getting muddy with me as we crossed a river to get the shots I wanted.
It was one of those days where I just smiled ALL DAY.
Photographer: Loree Photography // Second Shooter and SAIT Student: Sarah Thorpe Photography // Ceremony: Country Side Golf Club // Reception: Sherwood Park Log Cabin // Hair and Makeup: Passions Beauty Studio // Dress: Calle Blanche // Caterer: Elizabethan // Florals: Tickled Floral // Cake: Moonshine Donuts
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Cusco Spin Turn Knob Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT86
Also known as a 'drift button' this knob replaces the factory handbrake knob and allows for free action of the handbrake. You can still use the handbrake by pulling the lever in to place and pushing up on the knob to lock it there.
Hersteller: CUSCO
Price incl. VAT plus shipping.
Worldwide shipping.


text: While using 'HTUploadAnchor', I am able to post the request to the WEB server, and to get the response. However, after receiving the first packet of information, to connection is closed. I suspect that this happens since the way I bind the two requests is faulty, but I can't tell how. Does anyone have a clue ? Does anyone have a demo program to issue a post request ? Help will be highly appreciated ! ____________________________________________________________ Kobi Sambursky SW Engineering Manager infoGear Technology Corporation Tel: +972-9-440435 Fax: +972-9-440437


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The ability to quickly and easily create iSCSI targets incredibly easy. Transfer via the iSCSI connection are fast and minimal CPU load. Truly impressive product. The Support that I have gotten, requesting new feature, is reason enough to recommend to anyone/everyone. By day, I am a DBA. I can appreciate the simplicity that LDisk has incorporated into the product and yet the power it provides.
Richard Fenton, DBA


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DAVOS, Switzerland and ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The explosive growth in digital media is transforming how work is getting done and is having largely positive effects on professional lives, including individuals' ability to find work, learn and develop professional skills, and balance work and life. However, digital media, in some cases, can actually lower worker productivity while at the same time increasing inequality. These are among the key findings from the
Shaping the Future Implications of Digital Media for Society study released today by the World Economic Forum and conducted in collaboration with Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ:WLTW).
"The increased use of digital media is changing people's everyday lives and the way they connect and collaborate, especially at work," said Ravin Jesuthasan, a managing director at Willis Towers Watson and coauthor of the study report. "The digitization of content and data, as well as new digital communication technologies, have opened up novel opportunities for where, when, how and by whom work gets done. This is also changing the nature of the employment relationship."
The study, which included a survey of more than 5,000 digital users from five of the world's most important markets — Brazil, China, Germany, South Africa and the U.S. — revealed that nearly seven in 10 respondents agree that the use of digital media for work-related purposes has grown significantly over the past three years and will continue to do so in the future. The survey, conducted in October 2015 with the support of comScore, also found users spend the most amount of time connected online for work purposes (32% spend more than three hours a day online for this purpose) and information or learning. Perhaps the most interesting findings center around the influence digital media has on respondents' professional lives:
- More than half of respondents (56%) said digital media has transformed the way they work.
- More than four in 10 respondents (41%) agree that social media improves their work effectiveness. Only 14% said it reduces their work effectiveness.
- Half of the respondents agree that digital media has improved the quality of their professional lives. Only 14% disagree.
Additionally, respondents were extremely positive about how digital media has affected other work and professional-related aspects of their lives:
- About two-thirds of respondents said digital media has improved their ability to do their work, learn and develop professionally, and collaborate with colleagues.
- Roughly six in 10 agree digital media has improved their ability to maintain balance between work and personal life, build relationships with professional contacts and find work.
Interestingly, whether individuals see the impact of increased digital media use as positive or negative depends greatly on where they live. Only about one-quarter of respondents from Germany and the U.S. think digital media has improved the quality of their social, professional and overall lives. By contrast, about two-thirds of respondents in Brazil and China believe this. Respondents in South Africa are roughly divided on the issue.
"We are still striving to understand the implications of digital technology in our professional lives and the impact this will have on businesses," said Sarita Nayyar, managing director, World Economic Forum USA. "As we have a better grasp, businesses will be in a much stronger position to leverage digital media to its fullest for both their organizations and employees."
"Despite the productivity gains and opportunities of digital media to actually bridge economic gaps and reduce inequality, potential downsides still exist," said Jesuthasan. "First, digital media and related technology may drive near-term inequality as innovations like talent platforms increase the productivity and rewards of highly skilled workers while simultaneously cutting the cost of low-skilled work. Second, digital media has the potential to diminish work effectiveness and productivity. The multiple platforms and vast quantities of information and content at their fingertips may distract workers and disrupt work. In addition, as more people work remotely, valuable face-to-face time is reduced, which can weaken understanding and collaboration, and potentially hinder innovation."
"Digital media now touches almost every aspect of a typical organization, from how talent is sourced and deployed, to how work gets done, to how the business connects with employees and customers. Given these changes, we believe employers should consider several initiatives including using digital media to more accurately match an individual's skills to a specific business need, rather than thinking solely in terms of traditional jobs; taking a more nuanced approach to how work should be conducted; using social media tools to build communication and engagement within the organization; sourcing and building digital skills; and developing digital leadership," said Jesuthasan.
About the Implications of Digital Media Survey
The online survey was conducted in October 2015 across Brazil, China, Germany, South Africa and the U.S., with a representative sample of about 1,000 digit media users from each country. The survey was part of a larger research project by a team of the World Economic Forum's Media, Entertainment and Information industry team and professional services company Willis Towers Watson. The study findings were presented at the 2016 annual meeting in Davos.
About Willis Towers Watson
Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ:WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 39,000 colleagues in more than 120 countries. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential. Learn more at willistowerswatson.com.
Media Contact Ed Emerman: +1 609 275 5162 email@example.com


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Helicobacter pylori adherence in the human gastric mucosa involves specific bacterial adhesins and cognate host receptors. Here, we identify sialyl-dimeric-Lewis x glycosphingolipid as a receptor for H. pylori and show thatH. pylori infection induced formation of sialyl-Lewis x antigens in gastric epithelium in humans and in a Rhesus monkey. The corresponding sialic acid–binding adhesin (SabA) was isolated with the "retagging" method, and the underlyingsabA gene (JHP662/HP0725) was identified. The ability of many H. pylori strains to adhere to sialylated glycoconjugates expressed during chronic inflammation might thus contribute to virulence and the extraordinary chronicity ofH. pylori infection.
Helicobacter pyloripersistently infects the gastric mucosa of more than half of all people worldwide, causes peptic ulcer disease, and is an early risk factor for gastric cancer (1). Many H. pyloristrains express adhesin proteins that bind to specific host-cell macromolecule receptors (2). This adherence may be advantageous to H. pylori by helping to stabilize it against mucosal shedding into the gastric lumen and ensuring good access to nourishing exudate from gastric epithelium that has been damaged by the infection. The best defined H.pylori adhesin-receptor interaction found to date is that between the Leb blood group antigen binding adhesin, BabA, a member of a family of H. pylori outer membrane proteins, and the H, Lewis b (Leb), and related ABO antigens (3–5). These fucose-containing blood group antigens are found on red blood cells and in the gastrointestinal mucosa (6). Blood group–O individuals suffer disproportionately from peptic ulcer disease, suggesting that bacterial adherence to the H and Leb antigens affects the severity of infection (7). Additional H.pylori–host macromolecule interactions that do not involve Leb-type antigens have also been reported (8).
H. pylori is a genetically diverse species, with strains differing markedly in virulence. Strains from persons with overt disease generally carry the cag-pathogenicity island (cagPAI) (9, 10), which mediates translocation of CagA into host cells, where it is tyrosine phosphorylated and affects host cell signaling (11). Leb antigen binding is most prevalent amongcag+ strains from persons with overt disease (4, 12). Separate studies using transgenic mice that express the normally absent Leb antigen suggest that H.pylori adherence exacerbates inflammatory responses in this model (13). Taken together, these results point to the pivotal role of H. pylori adherence in development of severe disease.
Leb antigen–independent binding.
Earlier studies identified nearly identical babA genes at different H. pylori chromosomal loci, each potentially encoding BabA. The babA2 gene encodes the complete adhesin, whereas babA1 is defective because sequences encoding the translational start and signal peptide are missing (4). Our experiments began with analyses of a babA2–knockout mutant derivative of the reference strain CCUG17875 (hereafter referred to as 17875). Unexpectedly, this 17875babA2 mutant bound to gastric mucosa from an H.pylori–infected patient with gastritis.
A 17875 derivative with both babA genes inactivated (babA1A2) was constructed (14). ThisbabA1A2 mutant also adhered (Fig. 1, B and C), which showed that adherence was not due to recombination to link the silent babA1 gene with a functional translational start and signal sequence. Pretreatment with soluble Leb antigen (structures in table S1) resulted in >80% lower adherence by the 17875 parent strain (Figs. 1E and 3C) but did not affect adherence by its babA1A2 derivative (Figs. 1F and3C).
In contrast to binding to infected gastric mucosa (Fig. 1, A to I), the babA1A2 mutant did not bind to healthy gastric mucosa from a person not infected with H. pylori (Fig. 1, J to M), whereas the 17875 parent strain bound avidly (Fig. 1, M versus L). These results implicated another adhesin that recognizes a receptor distinct from the Leb antigen and possibly associated with mucosal inflammation.
Adherence was also studied in tissue from a special transgenic mouse that produces Leb antigen in the gastric mucosa, the consequence of expression of a human-derived α1,3/4 fucosyltransferase (FT) (15). Strain 17875 and the babA1A2 mutant each adhered to Leb mouse gastric epithelium (Fig. 2A, ii and iii), whereas binding of each strain to the mucosa of nontransgenic (FVB/N) mice was poor and was limited to the luminal mucus. Thus, Leb mice express additional oligosaccharide chains (glycans), possibly fucosylated, but distinct from the Leb antigen that H.pylori could exploit as a receptor.
sdiLex antigen–mediated binding.
To search for another receptor, thin-layer chromatography (TLC)–separated glycosphingolipids (GSLs) were overlaid with H. pylori cells and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), as appropriate. These tests (i) showed that thebabA1A2 mutant bound acid GSLs (Fig. 2B, iv, lanes 2 and 4), (ii) confirmed that it did not bind Leb GSL (lane 9), (iii) showed that its binding was abrogated by desialylation (lanes 3 and 5), and (iv) revealed that it did not bind sialylated GSLs of nonhuman origin (lane 1) [table S1, numbers 2 to 5, in (16)] (indicating that sialylation per se is not sufficient for adherence). In addition, the binding pattern of thebabA1A2 mutant matched that of the mAb against sLex (Fig. 2B, ii versus iv), except that sLex-mono-GSL was bound more weakly by the babA1A2 mutant than by the mAb (Fig. 2B, iv) and no binding to sialyl-Lewis a-GSL was detected (table S1). Thus, the babA1A2 mutant preferably binds sialylated gangliosides, possibly with multiple Lex (fucose-containing) motifs in the core chain (thus, slower migration on TLC).
The babA1A2-mutant strain was next used to purify a high-affinity binding GSL from human adenocarcinoma tissue (14). The H. pylori–binding GSL was identified by mass spectrometry and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as the sialyl-dimeric-Lewis x antigen, abbreviated as the sdiLex antigen (Fig. 2, B and C) (14).
Further tests with soluble glycoconjugates showed that the 17875-parent strain bound both sLex and Leb antigens, whereas its derivative bound only sLex (Fig. 3A). Pretreatment of the babA1A2 mutant with sLex conjugate reduced its in situ adherence by more than 90% (Figs. 1I and 3C) (14) but did not affect adherence of the 17875 parent strain (Figs. 1H and 3C). Similarly, pretreatment of tissue sections with an mAb that recognizes sdiLex reduced adherence by thebabA1A2 mutant by 72% (Fig. 3E).
Titration experiments showed that the babA1A2 mutant exhibited high affinity for the sdiLex GSLs, with a level of detection of 1 pmol (Fig. 2B, iv) (table S1, number 8). At least 2000-fold more (2 nmol) of the shorter sialyl-(mono)-Lewis x GSL was needed for binding (table S1, number 7). In contrast, its affinity (K a) for soluble conjugates was similar for mono and dimeric forms of sLex, 1 × 108 M−1and 2 × 108 M−1, respectively (Fig. 3B) (16). These patterns suggest that the sialylated binding sites are best presented at the termini of extended core chains containing multiple Lewis x motifs, such as GSLs in cell membranes. Such optimization of steric presentation would be less important for soluble receptors.
The Scatchard analyses (16) also estimated that 700 sLex-conjugate molecules were bound per babA1A2-mutant bacterial cell (Fig. 3B), a number similar to that of Leb conjugates bound per cell of strain 17875.
Clinical isolates.
A panel of 95 European clinical isolates was analyzed for sLex binding (14). Thirty-three of the 77cagA + strains (43%) bound sLex, but only 11% (2 out of 18) of cagA – strains (P < 0.000). However, deletion of thecagPAI from strain G27 did not affect sLex binding, as had also been seen in studies of cagA and Leb-antigen binding. Out of the Swedish clinical isolates, 39% (35 out of 89) bound sLex, and the great majority of these sLex-binding isolates, 28 out of 35 (80%), also bound the Leb antigen. Fifteen of the 35 (43%) sLex-binding isolates also bound the related sialyl-Lewis a antigen (sLea) (table S1, number 6), whereas none of the remaining 54 sLex-nonbinding strains could bind to sLea. The clinical isolates SMI65 and WU12 (the isolate from the infected patient in Fig. 1, A to M) illustrate such combinations of binding modes (Fig. 3A). Of the two strains with sequenced genomes, strain J99 (17) bound sLex, sLea, and Leb antigens, whereas strain 26695 (18) bound none of them (Fig. 3A).
Binding to inflamed tissue.
Gastric tissue inflammation and malignant transformation each promote synthesis of sialylated glycoconjugates (19), which are rare in healthy human stomachs (20). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the sialylated antigens were located to the apical surfaces of the surface epithelial cells (fig. S2). To study gastric mucosal sialylation in an H. pylori context, gastric biopsies from 29 endoscopy patients were scored for binding by thebabA1A2 mutant and by the 17875 strain in situ, and for several markers of inflammation (table S2A) (14). Substantial correlations were found between babA1A2-mutant adherence and the following parameters: (i) levels of neutrophil (PMN) infiltration, 0.47 (P < 0.011); (ii) lymphocyte/plasma cell infiltration, 0.46 (P < 0.012); (iii) mAb staining for sLex in surface epithelial cells and in gastric pit regions, 0.52 (P < 0.004); and (iv) histological gastritis score, 0.40 (P < 0.034). In contrast, there was no significant correlation between babA1A2-mutant binding in situ and H. pylori density in biopsies from natural infection (0.14, P < 0.47), nor between any inflammatory parameter and in situ adherence of strain 17875 (Leb and sLex binding). The series of 29 patient biopsies was then compared to a series of six biopsies of H. pylori–noninfected individuals, and a considerable difference was found to be due to lower adherence of the babA1A2 mutant (P < 0.000) (table S2B), whereas strain 17875 showed no difference.
Binding to infected tissue.
Biopsy material from a Rhesus monkey was used to directly test the view that H. pylori infection stimulates expression of sialylated epithelial glycosylation patterns that can then be exploited by H. pylori for adherence [monkey biopsies in (14)]. This monkey (21) had been cleared of its natural H. pylori infection, and gastritis declined to baseline. Gastric biopsies taken at 6 months post-eradication showed expression of sLex in the gastric gland region (Fig. 4A) and no expression in the surface epithelium (Fig. 4A). In situ adherence of thebabA1A2 mutant was limited to gastric glands and was closely matched to the sLex expression pattern (Fig. 4B). No specific adherence to the surface epithelium was seen (Fig. 4B).
At 6 months post-therapy, this gastritis-free animal had been experimentally infected with a cocktail of H.pylori strains, of which the J166 strain (acagA-positive, Leb and sLex binding isolate) became predominant a few months later. This led to inflammation, infiltration by lymphocytes [Fig. 4C, bluish due to hematoxyline/eosine (H/E)–staining], and microscopic detection of H.pylori infection (Fig. 4, E and F) (21). The virulent H. pylori infection led to strong sLex-antigen expression in the surface epithelium (Fig. 4C) and maintained expression in the deeper gastric glands (Fig. 4C); thus, a bi-layered expression mode supported strong binding of thebabA1A2 mutant to both regions (Fig. 4D). Bacterial pretreatment with sLex conjugate eliminated surface epithelial adherence and reduced gastric gland adherence by 88%. Thus, persistentH. pylori infection up-regulates expression of sLex antigens, which H. pylori can exploit for adherence to the surface epithelium.
Binding to Leb transgenic mouse gastric epithelium.
We analyzed gastric mucosa of Leb mice for sLex antigen–dependent H. pylori adherence in situ [AIS, in (14)]. Pretreatment with the sLex conjugate reduced binding by babA1A2-mutant bacteria by more than 90% (Figs. 2A, vi, and 3D) but did not affect binding by its 17875 parent (Figs. 2A, v, and 3D). In comparison, pretreatment with soluble Leb antigen decreased adherence by >80% of the 17875 strain (Leb and sLex binding), whereas binding by thebabA1A2 mutant was not affected. mAb tests demonstrated sLex antigen in the gastric surface epithelium and pits of Leb mice (Fig. 2A, iv). That is, these mice are unusual in producing sialyl as well as Leb glycoconjugates (even without infection), which each serve as receptors for H. pylori.
A finding that H. pylori pretreatment with Leb conjugate blocked its adherence to Leb mouse tissue, whereas sLex pretreatment did not, had been interpreted as indicating thatH. pylori adherence is mediated solely by Leb antigen (22). However, because strain 17875 and itsbabA1A2 mutant bound similar levels of soluble sLex conjugate (Fig. 3A), soluble Leb seems to interfere sterically with interactions between sLex-specific H. pyloriadhesins and sLex receptors in host tissue (see also Fig. 1, E versus F). Because an excess of soluble sLex did not affect H.pylori binding to Leb receptors [Figs. 1H and 3C (in humans) and Figs. 2A, v, and 3D (in Leb-mice)], the steric hindrance is not reciprocal. Further tests showed that liquid phase binding is distinct. A 10-fold excess of soluble unlabeled Leb conjugate (3 μg) along with 300 ng of 125I-sLex conjugate did not affect strain 17875 binding to soluble sLex glycoconjugate.
Thus, soluble Leb conjugates interfere with sLex-mediatedH. pylori binding specifically when the sLex moieties are constrained on surfaces. The lack of reciprocity in these Leb-sLex interference interactions contributes to our model of receptor positioning on cell surfaces.
SabA identified.
We identified the sLex-binding adhesin by "retagging." This technique exploits a receptor-bound multifunctional biotinylated crosslinker, and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to mediate transfer of the biotin tag to the bound adhesin (4). Here, we added the crosslinker to sLex conjugate and used more UV exposure (14) than had been used to isolate the BabA adhesin (4) to compensate for the lower affinity of the sLex- than the Leb-specific adhesin for cognate soluble receptors (Fig. 3B). Strain J99 was used, and a 66-kDa protein was recovered (Fig. 5A). Four peptides identified by mass spectrometry (MS)–matched peptides encoded by gene JHP662 in strain J99 (17) (gene HP0725 in strain 26695) (18). Two of the four peptides also matched those from the related gene JHP659 (HP0722) (86% protein level similarity to JHP662) (fig. S1).
To critically test if JHP662 or JHP659 encodes SabA, we generatedcamR insertion alleles of each gene in strain J99. Using radiolabeled glycoconjugates, we found that both sLex and sLea antigen–binding activity was abolished in the JHP662 (sabA) mutant, but not in the JHP659 (sabB) mutant. Thus, the SabA adhesin is encoded by JHP662 (HP0725). This gene encodes a 651-aa protein (70 kDa) and belongs to the largehop family of H. pylori outer membrane protein genes, including babA (17,18). The sabA gene was then identified by PCR in six sLex-binding and six non–sLex- binding Swedish isolates, which suggests that sabA is present in the majority ofH. pylori isolates (14).
Parallel studies indicated that the sabA inactivation did not affect adherence mediated by the BabA adhesin (Fig. 5B,i) and that pretreatment of the J99sabA mutant with soluble Leb antigen prevented its binding to gastric epithelium (Fig. 5B, ii). This implies that the SabA and BabA adhesins are organized and expressed as independent units. Nevertheless, Leb conjugate pretreatment of J99 (BabA+ and SabA+) might have interfered with sLex antigen–mediated adherence (see Fig. 1E). To determine if this was a steric effect of the bulky glycoconjugate on exposure of SabA adhesin, single babA and sabA mutant J99 derivatives were used to further analyze Leb and sLex adherence (Fig. 5C, i to iv). Both single mutants adhered to the inflamed gastric epithelial samples, whereas the babAsabA(double) mutant was unable to bind this same tissue.
Instability of sLex binding.
When screening for SabA mutants, we also analyzed single colony isolates from cultures of parent strain J99 (which binds both sLex and Leb antigens) (Fig. 3A), which indicated that 1% of colonies had spontaneously lost the ability to bind sLex. Similar results were obtained with strain 17875 (Fig. 3A) with an OFF (non–sLex-binding) variant called 17875/Leb. In contrast, each of several hundred isolates tested retained Leb antigen–binding capacity.
Upstream and within the start of the sabA gene are poly T/CT tracts that should be hotspots for ON/OFF frameshift regulation [see HP0725 in (18)], which might underlie the observed instability of sLex-binding activity. Both strains' genome sequences, 26695 and J99, demonstrate CT repeats that suggest sabA to be out of frame (six and nine CTs, respectively) (17,18). Four sLex-binding and four non–sLex-binding Swedish isolates, and in addition strain J99, were analyzed by PCR for CT repeats, and differences in length were found between strains. Ten CT repeats [as compared to nine in (17)] were found in the sLex-binding J99 strain, which puts this ORF in frame, and could thus explain the ON bindings. These results further support the possibility for a flexible locus that confers ON/OFF binding properties (23).
Dynamics of sialylation during health and disease.
Our analyses of H. pylori adherence provide insight into human responses to persistent infections, where gastritis and inflammation elicit appearance of sdiLex antigens and related sialylated carbohydrates in the stomach mucosa, whichcag + (virulent) H. pyloristrains by adaptive mechanisms exploit as receptors in concert with the higher affinity binding to Leb. These two adherence modes may each benefit H. pylori by improving access to nutrients leached from damaged host tissues, even while increasing the risk of bactericidal damage by these same host defenses (Fig. 6). In the endothelial lining, sialylated Lewis-glycans serve as receptors for selectin cell adhesion proteins that help guide leukocyte migration and thus regulate strength of response to infection or injury (24). For complementary attachment, the neutrophils themselves also express sialylated Lewis glycans, and such neutrophil glycans allow binding and infection by human granulocytic erlichiosis (25). However, sialylated glycoconjugates are low in healthy gastric mucosa but are expressed during gastritis. This sialylation was correlated with the capacity for SabA-dependent, but not BabA-dependent, H.pylori binding in situ. Our separate tests on Rhesus monkeys for experimental H. pylori infection confirmed that gastric epithelial sialylation is induced by H.pylori infection. In accord with this, high levels of sialylated glycoconjugates have been found in H.pylori–infected persons, which decreased after eradication of infection and resolution of gastritis (26). Thus, a sialylated carbohydrate used to signal infection and inflammation and to guide defense responses can be co-opted by H.pylori as a receptor for intimate adherence.
High levels of sialylated glycoconjugates are associated with severe gastric disease, including dysplasia and cancer (27,28). Sialylated glycoconjugates were similarly abundant in parietal cell–deficient mice (22). sLex was also present in the gastric mucosa of transgenic Leb mice (Fig. 2A). Whether this reflects a previously unrecognized pathology stemming from the abnormal (for mice) gastric synthesis of α1.3/4FT or Leb antigen, or from fucosylation of already sialylated carbohydrates, is not known.
Persons with blood group O and "nonsecretor" phenotypes (lacking the ABO blood group–antigen synthesis in secretions such as saliva and milk) are relatively common (e.g., ∼45 and ∼15%, respectively, in Europe), and each group is at increased risk for peptic ulcer disease (29). The H1 and Leb antigens are abundant in the gastric mucosa of secretors (of blood group O) (6), but not in nonsecretors, where instead the sLex and sLea antigens are found (30). The blood group O–disease association was postulated to reflect the adherence of most cag + H. pyloristrains to H1 and Leb antigens (3). We now suggest thatH. pylori adherence to sialylated glycoconjugates contributes similarly to the increased risk of peptic ulcer disease in nonsecretor individuals.
Adaptive and multistep–mediated attachment modes of H. pylori.
Our findings that the SabA adhesin mediates binding to the structurally related sialyl-Lewis a antigen (sLea, in table S1) is noteworthy because sLea is an established tumor antigen (31) and marker of gastric dysplasia (27), which may further illustrate H. pylori capacity to exploit a full range of host responses to epithelial damage. The H.pylori BabA adhesin binds Leb antigen on glycoproteins (32), whereas its SabA adhesin binds sLex antigen in membrane glycolipids, which may protrude less from the cell surface. Thus, H. pylori adherence during chronic infection might involve two separate receptor-ligand, interactions—one at "arm's length" mediated by Leb, and another, more intimate, weaker, and sLex-mediated adherence. The weakness of the sLex-mediated adherence, and its metastable ON/OFF switching, may benefitH. pylori by allowing escape from sites where bactericidal host defense responses are most vigorous (Fig. 6C). In summary, we found that H. pylori infection elicits gastric mucosal sialylation as part of the chronic inflammatory response and that many virulent strains can exploit Selectin mimicry and thus "home in" on inflammation-activated domains of sialylated epithelium, complementing the baseline level of Leb receptors. The spectrum of H. pylori adhesin–receptor interactions is complex and can be viewed as adaptive, contributing to the extraordinary chronicity of H. pyloriinfection in billions of people worldwide, despite human genetic diversity and host defenses.
Supporting Online Material
Materials and Methods
Figs. S1 and S2
Tables S1 and S2


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There is a new release of microsoft ajax minifier on codeplex.com
What Ajax minifier does?
What does it support?
The Microsoft Ajax Minifier supports two levels of minification: normal crunching and hypercrunching. Normal crunching refers to the process of removing unnecessary whitespace, comments, semicolons, and curly braces. Hypercrunching refers to the process of shortening the names of local variables and removing unreachable code.
You can review the project at


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While his official job title may be Software Engineer, Sida Wang also sees himself as an educator. He has long been a proponent of cryptocurrency and has used his talent to spread the word of its benefits. When he saw a lack of understanding about cryptocurrency in his homeland of China, he decided to create Bit.Study to inform his fellow citizens. Because people in China have a well-built mobile payment system and the national currency is very stable, they were unaware of cryptocurrency's potential to benefit humankind. Wang started a WeChat public account called crypto.talk in April 2017 and began writing articles to educate audiences. This soon developed into Bit.Study, a series of articles and videos created to explain and inform Chinese citizens about Bitcoin and how to use it. The topics ranged from the history of Bitcoin to videos of Wang's international travel using Bitcoin to illustrate real world applications. Bit.Study is recognized as a primary force in increasing awareness and interest in this cutting edge means of commerce.
For those unfamiliar, Bitcoin is a form of electronic cash that operates peer to peer (decentralized without the need for a bank). Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services. The University of Cambridge estimates that in 2017, there were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of which were Bitcoin. In 2017 prices started at $998 and rose to $13,412.44 on January 1, 2018. While cryptocurrencies are still establishing their stabilization, it's evident that they are becoming readily embraced. Sida created Bit.Study to confront many of the potential misunderstandings of blockchain applications.
Bit.Study's story is in line with contemporary promotion as the initial offerings received only moderate attention. It wasn't until WeChat Influencer Zheng Cao took an interest in Bit.Study that it gained the mass acceptance Wang had hoped for. Sida confirms, "The content was great but I'd describe the reception as tepid at best. Zheng was on a trip in Europe where SIda learned about his trip. Sida has been a longtime reader of Zheng's and decided to travel to Europe to see him. There's a reason that influencers get all of that attention. Zheng writes a lot about tech. People value his thoughts and opinions. With him on my side, I knew that Bit.Study would gain a lot of attention…the right kind of attention, people who were going to lead others to the information."
With the desire to create the most easily digestible content and display the ease of Bitcoin's use, Sida flew from China to Japan to make purchases with this cryptocurrency for Bit.Study. This developed into a free five-part online series which display the use of Bitcoin. Sida notes that he still gets approached by those to this day who cite this series on Bit.Study as their introduction to truly understanding Bitcoin. He comments, "There are a lot of misconceptions about Bitcoin and its relationship with blockchain. Many think bitcoin is just the first application on top of blockchain; in actuality, the word "blockchain" was invented four years after bitcoin came into being. There was literally no mention of 'blockchain' or 'block chain' in the Bitcoin whitepaper. I really wanted to use Bit.Study as a means to introduce, clear up misconceptions, and educate more people about cryptocurrency/blockchain and why they're so disruptive."
Author: Kelly King
Bit.study Reviewed by JaamZIN on 12:46:00 PM Rating:


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Let me just put this out there: Jack was a lot easier to deal with when he couldn't move around. I could just plop him on a blanket, he'd sit there and play, life was good. Now he is so inquisitive and into everything and I feel like I'm on constant suicide watch. Saving him from himself is exhausting.
Alas, I just cannot bring myself to surrender quietly to turning my home into a totally babyfied environment. Grownups still live here and, actually, we pay the bills, so the place should be attractive and functional for us as well. Necessity + limitations breed creativity and I've spent the last several months coming up with creative ways to make our home safe and comfortable for all ages. Exhibit A: cords. Maybe all toddlers are into cords, maybe it's just my kid, but it's a problem. He wants to chew on them, wrap them around his neck, etc. I try to hide as many as I can behind furniture or whatever but the lamp and baby monitor in his room were really giving me a run for my money. I was so proud of myself when I came up with this solution. First, I stuck the monitor to the wall behind his crib with a command strip. He can't reach it unless we move the crib and it can be easily removed and replaced to bring with us when we travel out of town. Next I used painter's tape to secure the cords to the wall. Stay with me here.
This is where the magic happens. I painted over the cords and tape with leftover paint from the walls. Jack's no dummy and I'm sure he could spot these cords if he was really looking and of course he could go all toddler-hulk and rip them off the walls, but my suspicion that out of sight = out of mind seems to be holding true so far. Making the cords less obvious was all it took to make him forget about them.
Next problem: old doors don't close. Before Jack became so obsessed with toilets I used to lock him in the bathroom with me so I could shower. The only problem was that the door in our master bath not only doesn't lock, but actually doesn't even latch closed. So I installed a hook and screw eye on the door. I've since used this technique on several doors I needed to toddler-proof, like the closet where we store all of our tools and clutter. I have one on the tiny door to our attic as well but it's within his reach and he's figured it out.
I've posted about this shelf before but it bears mentioning again. I put a big basket on the bottom shelf full of Jack's toys and honestly he hasn't messed with anything else on the shelf since, but just to be safe the second and third shelves are full of books (obviously unbreakable) and items stuck down with museum putty. I was so excited when I discovered this stuff. I use it to secure lamps, whatnots, etc. so that cats and babies can't knock them down. Works like a charm.
Last but not least, the baby gate. Ugh, I was so hoping to avoid them altogether but reality had other plans. Jack can and will scale those stairs at any available opportunity so they must be barricaded during all waking hours. I was happy to at least find one that was both inexpensive and on the attractive end of things. And it's made of sustainable materials so I can pat myself on the back for that. (if you're in the market for baby gates this is the one we own and love).
Jack is also really into the dog's food and water bowls. It took me weeks to figure out how to keep him away from them without blocking the dog as well, but finally I got the idea to just mount the baby gate a foot or so off the ground. Jack probably could crawl under but he doesn't know it and I plan to keep it that way. I used to just block him out of the laundry room behind the kitchen (where we keep the dog bowls, cat litter box, etc.) but I recently started blocking him from the kitchen after he learned how to turn on the gas stove knobs and it's a brave new world. It's so much easier to cook without a toddler underfoot.
I was talking to my friend Cassie the other night about how our babies have changed our lives and she repeated something she'd heard from someone else; to paraphrase: they're not just an add-on. The entire landscape of our lives shifts to accommodate them. And for Nick and me negotiating the new normal in a post-Jack world has been fascinating, exciting, painful, frustrating, and unexpected in so many ways. We've had to figure out everything from how we spend our free time to who changes diapers on the weekends to a daily routine that keeps everybody fed, clean, and happy. Is having a cute house the most important thing in the world? Obviously not. But it helps me keep a little bit of my identity in a world that's dominated by sippy cups and snack times.
Do y'all have any tips for keeping some semblance of sanity in a home with small children? My number one tip is to get a dog-Juliet happily cleans up every crumb that falls to the ground. And my newest thing is to sing the clean up song while picking up Jack's toys before naps and bedtime. I notice that he is actually more interested in them when they're not all sitting out all the time and I'm hoping that as he gets older he'll start joining in with putting them away.


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Marumofubiyori Clear File: Pink Gingham
Item # 85387-201804
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Organize your documents and letters in this clear file folder featuring Marumofubiyori and his cozy friends! Great for keeping things neat and tidy, this file will protect your papers from getting creased or spilled on.
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-8.3" W x 11.7" H
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text: VI KI NG; 257 PAGES; $24. 95 Bich Minh Nguyen Stealing Buddha's Dinner By Bich Minh Nguyen VIKING; 257 PAGES; $24.95 There's something about the food on TV. How every slice of pizza appears perfect, with green peppers and pepperoni in equal proportion and melted mozzarella stretched out to precisely the right length. The chips are always the crunchiest, and the candy's always the tastiest. Soda never goes flat. Hostess cupcakes and Wonder bread are always delicate and fluffy. As Bich Minh Nguyen relates in her bittersweet first book, the memoir "Stealing Buddha's Dinner," food becomes part of her yearning for Americanness, for normalcy. If she eats what's on TV, she'll fit in, even as she occasionally laments the loss of her mother tongue. It's this premise that makes the book relevant not only to anyone who's ever lusted after the perfect snack, but anyone who's ever felt different. Nguyen begins her story with her flight from Vietnam, in 1975, when she was only a year old. Bich (pronounced "bit"), along with her father, older sister Anh, and grandmother Noi, flee shortly before the fall of Saigon, pass through a series of intermediary refugee camps, and end up in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a few uncles in tow. Her father gets a job at the North American Feather factory, and eventually marries Rosa, a Mexican American lefty activist who insists that Bich and Anh call her "Mom." Rosa's tyrannical rule over the family often colors the house's mood -- her refusal to let the girls have anything to do with boys or sex (they couldn't even watch "Flashdance"), her tendency to tell the kids that "You're cruisin' for a bruisin' " and answer personal questions with a perfunctory "None of your business." Bich's story unfolds in anecdotes: the time she was at a friend's house for dinner and sat at the head of the table because she didn't know better, the time the neighborhood girls chastised her for not believing in God, the time she refused, out of pure disgust, to eat her stepsister Crissy's preferred snack of mashed-up Wonder bread with honey, even though Crissy was the epitome of cool. To Bich, her stepsister was never as cool again after that. But it's the food recollections that are most vivid. Nguyen retells stories of her childhood by recalling what she ate -- or what she wanted to eat. Whether relating to her family, friends or school, Bich's tales almost always involve eating. Most chapters are named for foods, but it's no mere gimmick: In "Forbidden Fruit," Noi's way of slicing apples and pears into small, delicate, skinless bites appears in stark contrast to Rosa's way of crudely cutting up a mealy Red Delicious apples and throwing the pieces on a plate. Meals in Bich's house are typically rushed, thrown-together affairs -- and snacks between meals verboten without parental permission. And she's amazed when she learns that her neighbor's mother actually bakes chocolate chip cookies herself, and salivates when she listens in on her neighbors having scalloped potatoes for dinner. In "Toll House Cookies," after stealing a few chocolate chip cookies from her neighbor's kitchen, she writes, "I knew the cookies would stay with me forever ... each chocolate chip a reminder of the toll, the price of admission into a long-desired house. How I wanted such entrance through cookies, through candy and cake, popsicles, ice cream, endless kinds of dinner. I wanted all of it, and hated to be hungry." Such clever turns of phrase make Nguyen's book read quickly, and children of the '80s will be able to reminisce about pop culture along with her. (Remember how you could say "Whopper beat the Big Mac" and get a free burger? Remember obscure game shows like "Sale of the Century"?) But the memories aren't always pleasant. At Burger King, Bich is coerced by her father into uttering the magic phrase, and when at home, her father and Rosa fight all the time. Kids sometimes even ask about Bich's "real mother," and she doesn't know what to say. (We learn later what happened to her, and it's the most compelling portion of the book.) Nguyen's struggle with otherness isn't specific to her being an immigrant, and that's largely why the book works. Some kids want typical American dinners, but all need to fit in. In coveting both, Nguyen shows herself to be as typical as anyone, and we relate. And although her struggle has a lot to do with her role as an immigrant in a white-bread world, the story resonates with anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. It's clear that writing the book was Nguyen's way of coming to terms with the turbulent events of growing up. All too often the character of Bich is the quiet girl in the corner, unable to speak her mind. Here, she finally does.


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GloMax® 20/20 Method for DNA Quantitation Using Hoechst 33258
Quantitation of DNA is an important step for many practices in molecular biology. The concentration of a nucleic acid is most commonly measured by UV absorbance at 260 nm (A260). Absorbance methods are limited in sensitivity due to the high level of background interference. Hoechst 33258 dye, a bisbenzimide DNA intercalator, provides a fluorometric alternative that is more sensitive than UV absorbance methods. Hoechst 33258 excites in the near UV (350 nm) and emits in the blue region (450 nm). Sensitivity of the Hoechst 33258 dye is better than 10 ng/mL when it is detected with the GloMax® 20/20 Instrument and the UV Fluorescent Module.


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Repost.us has begun testing technology that allows publishers to syndicate ecommerce and corporate content aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.
The company began last November with a platform that enables blogs and sites to repost news articles with an embedded code similar to a YouTube video and button like Share It.
The business model allows publishers to optimize sites without the fear of being dinged by search engines Google and Bing for repurposing content.
The embed code allows syndicated sites to post an entire article from a publisher in any program running JavaScript. It matches the destination in the window, from desktop to mobile, on any site up to about 5,000 words. It also brings in the adjacent online advertisement. The embed code can help publishers bring in a new audience from another site, according to John Pettitt, CEO at Repost.us.
The tool allows celebrities or brands to syndicate content on fan-based pages or other sites, but retain the ability to control and track the content without allowing others to edit it.
Pettitt said the company is also testing with Credit.com, an affiliate-type program for marketers. "Typically, you make a widget and give it to all affiliates to run," he said. "That's great, but you really have no reason to talk with affiliates after they take the widget."
This new program will allow creators to produce editorial content that affiliates can run on their sites and link back, giving publishers an opportunity to talk with affiliates weekly.
Publishers also control what gets embedded by on other sites by region and Web site. The application allows publishers to create a black list. For example, the publisher can restrict specific domains like Fox News or MSNBC from republishing content on their Web site even after they have published the content, which disappears off the page, and a link directs the reader back to the original site.
Pettitt said Repost.us adds about 15,000 new articles per day.


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About Social Networking
Tips to keeping your children safe while using social networking sites:
- The Internet is Permanent; anything posted (even if you delete it) can be retrieved.
- Don't let social networks keep them from face-to-face interaction with their peers.
- As a general guideline, don't let your child befriend anyone online they/you haven't spent time with in person.
- Know their password for any social network accounts. This is the only way to effectively monitor their activity.
- When they want to post a picture to their online account, ask them if they would be comfortable having that same picture shown on the LCD screen at Church Sunday morning. If not, they shouldn't post it.
- Teach them to take notice of photos taken of them, especially on cell phones. Almost all mobile phones can upload a picture to Facebook and tag your son or daughter within 30 seconds of the photo being taken.
- Have high privacy settings for their social network account(s).
- Many social networking users misrepresent who they really are as a person. Teach your kids to not change their personality (No matter how tempting!), but to be true to who they are.
- Have a good reason for having a social networking account. Many people around the world are using social networks as a tool to spread the gospel, start Bible studies, Discipleship programs, etc. Teach your children to use these tools wisely, and to advance God's Kingdom – not their own.
- SET TIME LIMITS, and stick to them!
- Install filtering/monitoring software (such as Safe Eyes) and check their reports at least once a week, or more if they've engaged in high risk internet behavior in the past.


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A seriously ill 86-year-old man from Kensington has lost more than £48,000 to Canadian fraudsters.
They also duped a 70-year-old from Edgware Road, Paddington, into handing over £4,875 to enter the same phoney £500,000 prize draw. She now too frightened to answer the telephone.
The fraudsters have stolen more than £350,000 by tricking at least 22 elderly and vulnerable victims into laundering money and transferring it overseas.
Several lost their life savings and borrowed money to cover further demands, as they fell deeper into the ruse.
Westminster Council trading head Sue Jones said: "It's disgusting that these fraudsters deliberately target vulnerable people and not only take their life savings but use them in this sinister way to launder money."
Westminster's Trading Standards department slowly unravelled a web of victims after the woman contacted police in May 2008. It is now working with police in the UK and Canada to track down the perpetrators.
The Paddington victim, who is single and lives alone, was first telephoned in October 2007 by politely-spoken scammers. They told her she had won an international sweepstake, but needed to pay "refundable" taxes and insurance fees to claim the money.
She was persuaded to send four cheques to UK 'agents', who were in fact another set of victims. These 'money mules' were told to bank the cheques and transfer the sum to Canada, to help release their own winnings.
Ms Jones added: "This is the first time we've seen this scam in the UK but they are much more common in America and Canada. Unfortunately, it looks like we may see more, as fraudsters invent ever more sophisticated scams."
Investigators followed the trail of cheques from Edgware Road to another victim, a 68- year-old widow from West Sussex. She had innocently laundered a total of £21,000.
The OFT has advised anyone who is contacted about an alleged prize draw or lottery win and suspects it may be a scam to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or www.consumerdirect.gov.uk .