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We left Vermont this morning and drove down to JFK airport. Alex and Josh were pleased to see Manhattan for the first time and were able to pick out the Empire State building in the distance. Alex shed a few small boy tears when he left his dad, but ...
Bit of a weird day today.
I chilled out morning and breakfast at IHOP.
In the afternoon I took the ferry over to The Statue of Liberty. I didn't stay to long because you can't climb the statue any more. I then took the ferry over to Ellis island ...
... 's good to be back. Mochi, my kitty, has missed me. Thank you so much for reading my entries and I look forward to posting new adventures although that won't be for a while. Now, I have to do the hard work--editing and more fundraising. Again, thanks so ...
... etc.). Wanted to share the *ROUGH* itinerary. This is subject to (major) change. Here's the plan:
1. June 25th - Leave NYC for New Zealand/SouthPacific
2. End of June through 8/1 - short stop in NZ (1 day or so), onto Cook Islands for just shy of ...
... told AAP the nomination categories gave an indication of what mattered over the past year.
For the 2008 competition, six new categories have been included; entertainment, communications, genetics, law, tourism and ecology.
Each of the 19 categories ...
... sunshine. Time to move on again and the Greyhound is booked to take us to Upstate NewYork. Footnote: Statue Of Liberty, NewYork, UnitedStates is an official Finalist in the New Seven Wonders Of The World. The Empire State Building is one of The ...
... a dark beer that has given us all dizziness and dodgy stomachs.
Wednesday 13th August
Sore heads all around, came down to NewYorkCity Library and we are just going to get some provisions for our naturalist sorry naturist bus tour.We loved the New ...
My idea of a couple of quiet days in NewYork wasn't going completely to plan... After hearing that my ticket to Rio was now useless (see previous entry) I had to shop around on the internet and by phone until I came up with some alternatives. Luckily ...
The flight has landed. The hours of transit has come to an end - or has it? No not quite. This is JFK airport and we are entering the almighty U.S of A. Our flight was a A380 plane holding almost 400. Another flight had arrived before us ...
Testing 1..2..3...
It's a couple weeks before I leave for my trip, I'm still in NYC packing up boxes in my apartment. Over three on the left is the rough draft of the travel map I've been working on. It shows the rough outline of the trip I'm ...
... 't shifted to Business Class - instead we were seated in two different rows. And so we settled in to our 8 hour flight to NewYork. About 6 hours into the flight, the BOSS developed a fever and felt distinctly unwell. The flight attendant gave her some ...
... ;
Ok, I guess there's a little more to NY than just the key tourist sights and on that front I've decided that this city has a very very cool atmosphere! The city is such a hive of activity that I find it hard to believe that you ...
... speaking American English on the street (and with weird accents), so weird in fact that I find myself eavesdropping in fascination. But NewYork is different than most of the cities we've been in. There are Peruvians in Lima, Indians in Delhi, ...
... we went for a Panasonic which so far has been really good. Grand Central Station was...well grand, as was the NewYorkCity Library. We decided to walk down to the Twin Towers construction site. It's strange standing there looking into a ...
... was not long home when terrorists blew up the two night clubs that I'd spent almost every night of my stay in. And now NewYorkCity... I was in the Metropolitan Museum getting chatted up by one of the security guards when the power went, it was then the ...
I can't find my baby....SCRATCH that...I can't find my luggage. Yes, I flew from NewYork to London to Delhi to Mumbai to Cochin to Singapore to Japan to Washington DC with luggage all the way. BUT, on the short 31 minute flight from DC to NY my luggage ...
... times the queues. Two policemen on duty, cleaners, but merchandise shop closed. Back in the next queue. By now, I had perfected the 'NewYork Attitude'.
I told Daisy at the window I was not queueing again for no-one once my box was labelled, and I was a ...
... gazillion plastic shopping bags we boarded the open top sightseeing bus, but as it was still raining we had to sit downstairs and view NewYork through rain drenched windows. We got caught up in the evening peak hour traffic so it was close to 7pm by the ...
Not much to report from today. I got up early said goodbye to Crystal, spent 5 hours on a bus to NewYork
I took a number of back and forth text messages to find Natalie.
That night we spent in Hoboken, chilling and having ...
... in such a short amount of time and after a while we never wanted to leave. We spent almost 7 weeks in NewYork going backs and forwards from the city to the beach.. We had such an awesome time and it was lovely to spend that much time together, Sam's mum ...
Happy New Year!! 2008!!
Got to catch the FSU bowl game and even though we lost I still say Go Noles..hell, we were down quite a few players (uh, like 30 or so) due to the cheating scandal. All I have to say to that is that I agree with Bobby ...
... piles of snow, zooming in with the camera - just so it looks like its super snowing in photos.. the excitement of my first city in the snow!
Statue of Liberty (many stairs to climb), Twin Towers, Battery Park, Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Soho, Wall ...
Do Experiences Or Material Goods Make Us Happier?
ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2009) - Should I spend money on a vacation or a new computer? Will an experience or an object make me happier? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it depends on ...
Just got back to the City after a long day of travel. Headed back over the Pacific and had a layover in San Francisco, which included a layover due to bad weather in NY. Haven't been to California since a business trip brought me to this neck of the woods ...
We never did tell the story of how it came about did we??? well better late than never eh? After spending the day walking in Central Park and visiting the "Met Museum" we did the coffee thing and spent time with an old friend we waved her off and left ...
... the city seem temporarily pristine. It even brought the humor out of New Yorkers, with some random snowball fighting going on!
Leaving NewYork was a surreal and slightly sad experience, as the next stop was home. Of course, I was excited about getting ...
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From this study it comes to light that although Saint Chrysostom was a strict ascetic, he was a great theologian on love and marriage, and he confronted the different themes pertaining to marriage with great love and philanthropy.
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Most popular 987 posts about sport activities in Canada and USA :
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The selections made in the articles are done by contracted writers. The plays made in the right menu are made by our staff. This may result in differing opinions on the same game. Need Winners Against the Spread? Get 60 in FREE member NFL football.
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while Spurs have faced the same opponents in two of their last three games, soccer predictions of the day managing only four shots on target and one goal over 180 minutes, united followed the bore draw at Liverpool with a defeat at Huddersfield,expect more of the same when Colgate comes to town. Moving the ball more consistently will get the Bulls over the hump against a solid FCS opponent. Colgate 16 Bethune-Cookman (1-1)) at Florida Atlantic (0-2 6:30 p.m.) prediction : Buffalo 24,super Rugby. In Predictions,
the fortress will prove to be exactly that and a full strength Sydney should edge Newcastle for class. Unfortunately, the Wanderers have had a turbulent start to the New Year despite soccer predictions of the day the win against City and some personnel changes could have numerous effects.notre Dame vs. USC: Behind the Historic Rivalry. From 7th-Grade QB Prodigy to One of CFB's Top WR's. Bryce Love for Six Nick Chubb with the Super soccer predictions of the day Hurdle Against Missouri.
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On the rise: European Commons Assembly Networking, unity and policy around the commons paradigm
On September 26, a group of nonprofits, foundations, and other civil society organizations jointly publish a “Call for a European Commons Assembly”. The collectively drafted document, which continues to garner signatures from groups and individuals around Europe, serves as a declaration of purpose for a distributed network of “commoners.”
The Assembly seeks to unite citizens in trans-local and trans-european solidarity to overcome Europe’s current challenges and reinvigorate the political process for the 21st century. The commons can be understood as a bridging paradigm that stresses cooperation in management of resources, knowledge, tools, and spaces as diverse as water, Wikipedia, a crowdfund, or a community garden. Their Call describes commoning as:
…the network-based cooperation and localized bottom-up initiatives already sustained by millions of people around Europe and the world. These initiatives create self-managed systems that satisfy important needs, and often work outside of dominant markets and traditional state programmes while pioneering new hybrid structures.
The Assembly emerged in May from a diverse, gender balanced pilot community of 28 activists from 15 European countries, working in different domains of the commons. New people are joining the Assembly every week, and ECA is inclusive and open for others to join, so that a broad and resilient European movement can coalesce. It seeks to visibilize acts of commoning by citizens for citizens, while promoting interaction with policy and institutions at both the national and European levels.
Part of a broader movement
The rapid embrace of commons as an alternative holistic, sustainable and social worldview is in part an expression of unease with the unjust current economic system and democratic deficiencies. The commons movement has exploded in recent years, following the award of the Nobel Prize in Economics to Elinor Ostrom in 2009 for her work on managing common resources. It has also seen overlap with other movements, such as the Social and Solidarity and Sharing Economy movements, peer to peer production, and Degrowth.
Michel Bauwens, part of the ECA and a prominent figure in the peer-to-peer movement, explains:
“All over the world, a new social movement is emerging, which is challenging the ‘extractive’ premises of the mainstream political economy and which is co-constructing the seed forms of a sustainable and solidary society. Commoners are also getting a voice, for example through the Assemblies of the Commons that are emerging in French cities and elsewhere. The time is ripe for a shoutout to the political world, through a European Assembly of the Commons.”
The Call includes an open invitation to Brussels from November 15 to 17, 2016 for three days of activities and shared reflection on how to protect and promote the commons. It will include an official session in the European Parliament, hosted by the Intergroup on Common Goods and Public Services, on November 16 (limited capacity).
You can read and sign the full text of the Call, also available in French, Spanish, and soon other European languages, on the ECA website. There is an option to sign as an individual or an organization.
WRITTEN BY
European Commons Assembly
On May 18-20, 2016, a diverse, gender-balanced group of 28 activist “commoners” from over 15 countries around Europe met in Villarceaux, France, to share their experiences. The meeting launched a process of shared visions and strategies around the commons in Europe, which are supporting the development of a flexible network to connect activists across issues and to mobilize them to impact European policy.
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2017 Health Internships in Atlanta, GA
Find a 2017 health Internship in Atlanta, GA. It’s been said many times before, but it’s true: the one constant that matters most in people's lives is good health. Therefore health internships are extremely valuable; they help you break into a sector with an incredibly promising future. In fact, ten out of the twenty fastest-growing careers are health-related. And because the area is so diverse, you have many options to choose from for both your occupation and your internship in health, including research and hands-on patient care. Almost all hospitals offer health internship programs for college students, and you might even have the chance to intern at your own school’s campus health center. Speaking of on-campus opportunities, you can look into the biology and psychology labs run by professors, which regularly seek out student research assistants. There is also a wealth of organizations that look for health interns, such as the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society. Within these groups you can help out with things like fundraising and community outreach. If you want to intern in health, the opportunities are endless, as there will always be a need for help in this necessary field. And along these lines, you can look forward to a stable and satisfying career, one in which you help people feel better. What could be more rewarding than that?
Explore Internships in Health
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At CARE, we seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live with dignity and security.
This is the vision of CARE, and has been since our founding 70 years ago, when 22 American organizations came together to rush lifesaving CARE Packages® t...
At CARE, we seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live with dignity and security.
This is the vision of CARE, and has been since our founding 70 years ago, when 22 American organizations came together to rush lifesaving CARE Packages® t...
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Entries in Rolling Gunner
(3)
s far as years for Video Games go, 2018 wasn’t that bad. For starters, the distribution landscape received a culture shock with the innovative premise of Xbox Gamespass, Sony landed some truly blockbuster exclusives for the PlayStation 4, and Nintendo managed to plant a Switch in over 22.86 Million households since its launch.
2018 wasn’t the best year for a God awful lot of reasons, but we can all take solace in the fact that at least in terms of video games, it did pretty OK, and we would love to celebrate that that.
And what better way to do that by bringing you our trademark Game of the Year podcast, The Golden Zonkies! This year also marks the first time that we have changed up our format for the special mega cast—we’re doing away with categories! Now, bear in mind, we’re still giving our prestigious mark of excellence, a Golden Zonkey, to the games that are deserving of recognition, only, we’re not doing by a respective genre, or category. Instead, we will be giving them out in a personal list format by each of us in the podcast, and we’ll be spending time discussing why we picked the titles we did within a countdown of five, and before we even get into that, we’ll also do a roundtable of games that were worth a quick mention from the year. We will then award the “Golden Zonkey of The Year” in a unanimous vote that was similar to previous format, and conclude the show from there.
There you have it; welcome to the latest class of the Golden Zonkies, we hope you kick back and enjoy the show!
It's time for the Bullet Heaven Series 9 finale! On today's episode: Galaxy Frontier. Not a lot of info is floating around out there, but it was installed along with Rolling Gunner, it's also excatly $0.00 online with a creative commons license and it's pretty freaking fun... but how does it stack up?
We love doujin shooters here on Bullet Heaven so when we heard a pretty snazzy STG was released at the 2018 Comiket and we could get it in as easily as we could, we just had to check it out. What we didn't expect was the amazing quality held on the DVD that arrived. In this episode of Bullet Heaven, we're taking a look at Rolling gunner!
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Since 2016 she has been one of the faces of Hansh, a digital channel for young Welsh-speakers. As a George Weidenfeld bursary delegate in Hamburg, she created a series for Spiegel’s youth orientated site Bento called ‘Germany, We Need To Talk’. She’s presented live for BBC Wales and featured regularly as a pundit on BBC radio.
In 2018, she will be part of a Welsh-language anthology called Codi Llais, a book about Wales and feminism.
In her spare time, she’s a seamstress and Muay Thai boxer. In 2018, she raised more than £1,500 for the NSPCC over the course of three white collar matches, winning an amateur championship belt in the process. So. No messing.
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HoLEP effective for overactive bladder symptoms
Abstract
medwireNews: Research shows that Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is effective in improving overactive bladder symptoms (OAB) and urodynamic parameters in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The research team from South Korea, led by Seung-June Oh (Seoul National University Hospital), followed-up 165 men, aged an average of 68.4 years, who underwent the procedure over a 2-year period.
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At 6 months after surgery, patients showed significant improvement in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), which fell from a mean of 20.7 before surgery to 5.5, as well as on the OAB questionnaire, with severity score dropping from a mean of 24.8 to 12.5. Frequency–volume chart recordings also showed significantly better results after HoLEP, with daytime frequency declining from a mean of 8.5 to 6.6, and nighttime frequency from 1.9 to 0.9.
The researchers also found that urodynamic parameters improved, with significant changes in urinary peak flow, postvoid urine volume, and bladder outlet obstruction index. The incidence of involuntary detrusor contraction (IDC) significantly decreased from 44.9% to 36.1% after surgery and the maximal cystometric capacity increased from a mean of 357.8 mL to 399.0 mL.
The team also notes that urinary incontinence was improved. There were 27 men with IDC and simultaneous urinary leakage preoperatively, but none at urodynamic testing 6 months postoperatively. And, 16 of the 19 men who required postoperative anticholinergics for urgency or urge urinary incontinence were able to discontinue therapy within 3 months.
Writing in Urology, Oh and colleagues explain that, to date, there have been few studies assessing the efficacy of HoLEP in OAB-related conditions and theirs is the first to objectively measure outcomes with urodynamic testing.
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“These findings suggest that bladder dysfunction secondary to [bladder outlet obstruction] can be relieved by surgical deobstruction,” comment the authors.
“Further studies are needed to clarify whether these findings persist after longer periods of more than 6 months,” they add.
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Winter Engagement Picture Ideas
Summer and autumn may be the traditional seasons for engagement photography, however living in Ontario means that our winters are known to be especially snowy. Scheduling your engagement photography to take place in winter often results in a gallery which will contrast that of the couple's wedding (summer scenery). This can be done intentionally, such that the images displayed side-by-side in an album will appear to tell a longer story, having taken place over a greater period of time.
Winter engagement photos also allow for opportunities that summer scenes do not. These may include a visit to the local coffee shop for some hot chocolate, fun accessorizing the winter picture session with colourful hats, scarves, and mittens, a collaborative effort building a snowman, or a day on the ski slopes.
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James Michalopoulos
Monday, December 17, 2012 6:02 PM
"I'd spend it eating. The first thing that comes to mind is oyster po-boys. Certain impending doom would make me make up for lost ground in the oyster category." - artist James Michalopoulos reacts to the impending Mayan apocalypse. (Photo by Ellis Lucia)
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MILTON, MA-Sydney Robertson's free throw broke a 51-51 tie with 3:59 left and ignited a late 5-0 that boosted Maine Maritime to a 57-55 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team in the first round of the Curry Tip-Off Tournament Friday evening.
Sam Goda of the Mariners followed with a jumper and a pair of free throws before freshman guard Melissa Daigle (Rockland, MA/Rockland HS) of the Corsairs connected twice from the free throw line with 1:57 remaining. Senior guard Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS/Bridgewater State) and junior forward Colleen Moriarty(Canton, MA/Canton HS) hit free throws for UMD in the final minute, but Bekah Campbell made a free throw for MMA with two seconds remaining to account for the final score.
Moriarty led UMass Dartmouth with 15 points, freshman guard Kelsey Garrity (Somerville, MA/Somerville HS) added 14, and sophomore forward Erika Bornemann(Canton, MA/Canton HS) had 11. But UMass Dartmouth made just 31.4 per cent of their shots from the field, 27 per cent in the second half, and made just 10 of 23 shots from the free throw line. Goda and Maggie Smith led MMA with 15 points apiece.
"We had a lot of things go in our favor tonight, but we couldn't convert our second chances, we didn't shoot very well in the second half, and we didn't take advantage of our opportunities from the free throw line," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Amanda Van Voorhis. "We will have to come back tomorrow and play better in the third place game."
The Corsairs dropped to 1-1 with the defeat, while the Mariners improved to 2-0 with the victory. UMass Dartmouth will play host Curry, a 73-65 loser to Fitchburg State, Saturday afternoon for third place.
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Funding source
Supervised by
About
The project will investigate the intersection of AI and cyber-security, specifically targeting visual navigation systems based on deep learning for autonomous vehicles. The PhD will develop new tools to evaluation the attack surface and defend against malicious stimuli to AI visual navigation systems, ultimately contributing to the long term safety of autonomous vehicles in society. The PhD is co-supervised between the Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) and Surrey's GCHQ accredited Centre for Cyber Security (SCCS)
CVSSP is a leading UK research centre in audio-visual signal processing, computer vision and machine learning. Our Centre is one of the largest in Europe with over 120 researchers and a grant portfolio in excess of £18.5million, bringing together a unique combination of cutting-edge sound and vision expertise. Our aim is to advance the state of the art in multimedia signal processing and computer vision, with a focus on image, video and audio applications. Our Centre has a robust track-record of innovative research leading to technology transfer and exploitation in biometrics, creative industries (film, TV, games, VR), mobile communication, healthcare, robotics and consumer electronics.
CVSSP is part of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and has -been ranked third in the UK in the Guardian newspaper league table 2017. The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering achieved a 92.9% overall satisfaction for NSS 2017 and is rated seventh in the UK for Electronic Engineering in the The Complete University Guide 2018.
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Search form
Compassion steers second Tour de Ranch
LAKEWOOD RANCH — When most people think of homelessness, their thoughts turn to men dressed in dingy T-shirts, begging for coins or dollars at busy intersections.
But in most cases, the face of homelessness is different — parents who lost their jobs and can no longer find work or a child and his mother who left an abusive situation.
And for families such as these, sometimes something as simple as a bicycle can help them cross over the line of poverty and back into the comforts of a home.
Lakewood Ranch business owner Judi DeWalt hopes East County residents and their friends and families will join in a ride to help the area’s homeless as she hosts the second annual Tour de Ranch event April 24. Five bicycle rides range in length from 20 to 100 miles, and start as early as 7 a.m.
“We just really want people to turnout and have a good time,” said DeWalt, who organized the event with the help of her friend, Vanessa Baugh. “It’s a really beautiful ride.”
Cost is $35 or the donation of a quality 24- or 26-inch fat-tire bike. The fee includes a cue sheet, a continental breakfast, a Tour de Ranch T-shirt (while supplies last), rest stops, road SAG support and an after-ride brunch provided by MacAllisters Grill & Tavern and Ed’s Tavern.
New this year is an After Ride Party at which race participants and event-goers can enjoy live music by Fire Door. A silent auction will include items such as a 2009 Tour de Ranch poster autographed by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and a new bicycle, among others.
“If you don’t ride, you can still come out to welcome and cheer for the riders upon their return,” DeWalt said.
Individuals who wish to contribute more may become a bike donor for a contribution of $100, and a bicycle will be given in their name to a homeless individual.
All proceeds will be used to purchase bicycles and equipment such as helmets, lights and locks for homeless adults and children in Sarasota and Manatee counties and will be distributed through the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness.
Richard Martin, executive director of the Suncoast Partnership, said about 80% of the homeless population his organization serves is able to get back on their feet with a little assistance. The gift of a bicycle not only helps recipients get to and from job interviews, jobs and other resources but also gives them hope, he said.
“One thing is the gift of the bicycle and the other part is that someone cared to buy it for them,” Martin said. “Often homeless people feel invisible. That gift has something powerful behind it. That’s the kind of ‘people helping people’ that gets people back on their feet.”
Martha Childress, coordinator for the Open Door Day Resource Center, agreed the gift of a bicycle has a tremendous impact, having distributed several of the bikes purchased from last year’s Tour de Ranch.
“If you just took one day and walked everywhere you needed to go, it would give you a real sense of how important or how grateful you would be to have a bicycle to do that,” Childress said. “I’m not telling you that they will not be able to persevere and succeed without a bicycle, but it will enrich and make their lives easier to an extent that is hard to imagine.”
More than 200 cyclists showed up for last year’s event, which raised enough money to purchase 88 bicycles for the area’s homeless. DeWalt hopes to double the amount raised this year.
For more information or to register online, visit tourderanch.us. On-site registration and packet pick-up will be held from 3-6 p.m. April 23 or starting at 6:30 a.m., the day of the ride. To make a donation, contact DeWalt and 355-0611.
Tour de RanchWHEN: April 24. Rides start at 7 a.m.WHERE: Lakewood Ranch Main StreetCOST: $35 or the donation of a high-quality fat-tire bicycleBENEFICIARY: Suncoast Partnership to End HomelessnessREGISTRATION: tourderanch.us
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The Readers' Award 2011
Congratulations to our amazing finalists this year! It has been an absolutely powerful matchup between six designers who are totally different from one another with remarkable personal styles and stories. We just announced the Judges' Award and it's time now to announce the crowd favorite, which ran away with this year's vote. And the winner is....
The word common, as used by my grandmother, has an entirely different meaning from what is found in the dictionary. She uses the word to describe a person whose character is the perfect balance of simplicity, familiarity, and goodness. I set out to translate the idea of "common" into modern furniture. What I arrived at is an elegant collection of pieces that represent those three ideals through form, construction, and material. Simple is purposeful forms that let the materials, structure, and joinery serve as the decorative elements. Familiar is utilizing the materials and construction methods of traditional furniture in an updated aesthetic. Good is never having to buy the same thing twice.
Congratulations to the readers' winner, Shawn Sowers, who will receive $10k in advertising on our network and daily emails.
-----------------
THE JUDGES
Here they are! Our 2011 Design Showcase judges include some of our favorite people in the design world, and each one represents a different perspective from the field. I think you all know Rob (lower right), the founding genius of DWR and now deep into his second act with PUBLIC BIKES, which is putting design as transportation into everyone's life.
Christiane (left), founder of DwellStudio, has created an entirely new and fresh vision for the home through her colorful and modern visual sensibility. John Berg (upper right), founder of Berg Design Architects, represents the architect's disciplined eye with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. John was also a finalist in last year's contest. All of these people have a sharp eye and smart things to say. Find out more about them below.
THE MAIN DRAW
After three weeks, 80 submissions, 31 posted designs and tons of voting, we finally have six remarkable designs to go to next week's final. While they get ready over the weekend, check them out and get yourself ready to meet the judges on Monday and think about who you're going to give your ONE final vote to.
Every entry has a 4 day voting window. The six finalists will be those with the most stars by September 30. Stars are cumulative and there are no negative votes (three stars = 3, etc) in our final tallies.
Got a great design? Let us help you make it big.
This time two years ago we launched our first ever Design Showcase, with the intention of giving a bunch of independent designers a really good soapbox from which to pitch their work. For the lucky finalists, we also wanted to give them even more exposure and see if we could help to boost their careers to a whole new level. Guess what? It worked. In the past 24 months, our winners have had tremendous runs, getting picked up by major newspapers and magazines and watching their businesses skyrocket.
THE BACK STORY
This month we're putting out the call for great, new designs by independent and student designers that promise to make our homes more beautiful and inspiring places to live.
We'll post the best submissions, allow the readers to vote and then give six finalists an unprecedented chance to feature their design and themselves by building their own original post on our site during prime time at the end of September.
Two winners will then be chosen (1 judge favorite and 1 crowd favorite) and each given $10k in advertising on our network and daily emails (if the same design is chosen by both sides, that person will win $20k). This is a golden opportunity to craft an even more personal message and get it in front of our audience of over 7 million monthly readers.
LAST YEAR'S WINNERS
Going into this competition I was a complete unknown. Although I am a professional artist in Hollywood, I had never shown my furniture to anyone beyond friends and family. In the year since the Design Showcase, I have officially started my own design and furniture business, www.petersid.com. I have developed a really cool line of furniture which is currently in the final stages of design before manufacturing. I've been featured on blogs from around the world, and increased my visibility and credibility as a designer greatly.
I am most proud however of having "bottles of hope" shown in a museum alongside some of the hottest emerging designers today. I went so see Arik Levy's Chandeliers at the Santa Monica museum of art only a few months before entering the Design Showcase. I would have never thought my work would have been shown in a museum only a few months later. It even got me a little blurb on Elle Decor!
If I can pass on a word to anyone thinking of entering this year... DO IT... NOW! I came very close to not entering simply out of the fear of being judged. Looking back, I can't imagine if I hadn't. It was a truly great experience, and I am very proud to have been a part of it!
The competition increased traffic to my website and resulted in additional orders. Even a year later, people sometimes find me through the apartment therapy website. I truly appreciate having had the opportunity to participate in the designer showcase competition.
Regards,Tamar
This year we're going to run just like we did last year and open submissions today. So, if you've got a great design or a friend who does AND you want to get it out there, now's your chance.
Note: Voting for each submission is open for 4 days (96 hours) this year.
PAST YEARS
Who Can Enter?
• Independent & student designers from all over the world• Design couples and teams are welcome
We're looking for folks who need exposure and a big push to get them to the next level. Already designing for a big company? That's okay, but send us stuff you're doing on the side. We want to help you, not the big company.
What Designs Are Eligible?
• One original design that has reached prototype stage or beyond.• No designs are eligible that have been purchased by or licensed to another company.• Designs can be for home furnishings, accessories, lighting, appliances or textiles.• Only one design per designer, please, so choose your best design. If you submit more than one, we'll choose the one we think is best.
If it goes into the home, we're open to it. It can be decor, furnishing or materials related, just don't send us a car design.
What To Submit?
• Your name and contact info• Materials description• Your pitch! (@ 200 words)• A link to your site if you have one (hey, it's 2011, every designer should!)• Image of design drawing • Three photographs of prototype or finished product (This is important. You must have taken it at least to prototype stage.)• One photograph of yourself (Feel free to dress up and look as important as you feel).
Give us your best pitch, and your clearest product shots. Remember that first impressions are the most important.
Dates & Deadlines?
• Submissions accepted until September 21• Submissions posted from September 6-26• Finalists notified on September 30• Finalists posted the week of October 3
The early birds will get the worm. We won't be able to post everyone, and are currently reserving 30 slots in September. We'll notify you if we post you or if we don't, and reserve the right to decide editorially whether or not a submission is strong enough to share with the crowd.
Note on Voting
Though you are allowed to ask your friends and family to vote, only one vote is allowed per person. If we find that any voting has been hacked and that one person has voted numerous times, we reserve the right to either throw out the votes we can identify or discount the submission entirely.
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Wes Dews is a front end developer, a husband, and an expectant father. He’s passionate about the web and what makes it tick.
May 17, 2017
Rethinking Responsive
It’s been years since we first saw the broader public accessing our websites using their phones. I still remember trying to access desktop-scaled websites on my LG VX9900 in high school. It was terrible.
The web knew it was terrible, and we started seeing the classic “m.” or “mobile.whatever.com” as a means of serving content better suited to smaller devices. This was a step in the right direction. The companies that invested their time, money and resources into these sites, though, created a problem for themselves… and for their users.
What was it exactly? Sure, the content was more legible and more easily navigable, but maintaining essentially two different websites became a total nightmare. This made digital marketing efforts more expensive and more time-consuming. If content needed changing, it now had to change in the desktop version and the mobile version.
This problem, which still exists today, doesn’t just affect the companies that are paying for the work to be done on their sites — it affects the end-users, too. How? Because when companies started making separate websites for their mobile traffic, the desktop version of a website would get more of the attention. Separate mobile sites notoriously become “stale.”
Now you wind up with a mobile-specific website which is, albeit easier to use on-the-go, but lacking the most up-to-date content. After a certain point, companies naturally choose to stop fighting the uphill battle of keeping both digital experiences in sync with one another, and eventually strip out the majority of the time-sensitive content on the mobile site, or retire the mobile site altogether.
Enter The Responsive Web
Digital marketing teams rejoice! The web began to support a way to treat the same website differently on mobile versus desktop, and do it in an extremely easy way. Responsive development is achieved by way of media queries, whereby a developer can tell a browser “If you’re a small device, appear like this. If you’re wide, do this.”
This type of development comes at a price, though. First, and bear with me here, designers and developers now have to deal with something called source order when developing responsively. Consider the three components that make a website what it is:
HTML — The content and skeleton of a webpage. Allows developers to outline certain portions of content and additive imagery to make it easier to target those portions to style them a certain way
CSS — The stuff that makes a page pretty. Allows a developer to add background colors to parts of the page, change font faces/sizes, animate content, etc. This is where media queries live, where we can tell a website how to look depending on screen size
JavaScript — The programming magic that helps bring life to a website. Pulls content from other resources on-the-fly, helps facilitate neat effects, tracks user interactions, and so on
Source order refers to the way the portions of the page are arranged in HTML, or the spine of a webpage. In layman’s terms, HTML gets written to determine what content exists on the page, and where that content will ultimately be shown dictates where it’s written in the HTML. In responsive websites, the HTML for a website is shared for mobile and desktop experiences. Therefore, the order in which content appears generally remains unchanged in responsive websites. It is possible to “flip” content on mobile versus desktop with relative ease in responsive sites, but generally:
If Content A appears to the left of Content B on wider devices, Content A will appear stacked above Content B on small devices.
Either that, or one of the two (Content A or B) will be hidden on smaller devices. Maybe both.
Decisions of the Developer
Many companies move so quickly when rolling out new digital experiences that designers can only focus on the desktop-facing website. As a result, the look and feel of the mobile experience is left totally to the discretion of the developer who builds the site.
This developer is (likely) not a content strategist or a designer themselves, and is merely making ad-hoc assumptions that certain content is merely supplemental and should “fall away” on mobile screens. To help lessen the subjectivity of responsive web content, a marketing team may choose to have the designer draft a mobile-specific design to complement the desktop one before moving to the development phase.
Don’t forget about source order, though. The same spine of a webpage can only be tweaked certain ways using CSS until it reaches a point where it’s no longer feasible to arrange content differently on mobile vs. desktop. It’s an often frustrating back-and-forth between a designer and developer when a designer doesn’t understand the concept of source order, or when a designer feels, justifiably, shoe-horned into making the mobile experience look a certain way so that it’s technically possible to achieve in development.
What This Boils Down To
A designer’s creativity is needlessly stifled for the sake of allowing a developer’s path to be as “gotcha-free” as possible. Their designs become narrow, stacked versions of the desktop site, with a hamburger icon, and maybe some slightly different button sizes and images hidden.
Seems like a one-size-fits-all solution, doesn’t it? Beyond that, responsive sites have their own performance implications, too. A user on a 2G mobile connection (really, really slow by today’s standards) is having to load basically all the same images, content, and functionality that may only be relevant to desktop users with a much faster internet connection.
That doesn’t make any sense.
Basically, the same responsive website may load in 5 seconds for desktop users, and take half a minute for certain mobile users.
It’s Costing You Money
Chances are, your website’s purpose is to drive business. Whether that’s done through empowering users with new information that makes your company the leaders in that topic, driving lead conversion, or getting people on the phone, the only way those things happen is because those users have remained engaged with the site for a period of time.
The longer a site takes to load, the more we risk losing those users to a company who values its users’ time more.
In the end, responsive websites are more convenient for businesses and less so for customers. And when the goal of a website is to drive business, it all seems a bit ironic, doesn’t it?
A tear forms in Benjamin Franklin’s eye
We Need An Alternative
Personally, I feel like we were closer to the end goal with using “mobile.whatever.com” than we are with responsive websites today. What we need to figure out, though, is how to manage the woes of managing what are essentially two disparate codebases.
It makes little to no sense that we handle mobile users only slightly differently than desktop users. People interact with sites completely differently on cell phones versus desktop computers. Separating the two gives us the chance to fine-tune the experiences separately, like we should be.
The act of having to mirror content changes in two codebases is insanity. We need to decouple mobile experiences from desktop entirely. Ideally, event content strategy would differ for mobile; we should be mindfully writing content that’s intentionally more lean for mobile that gets the point across sooner, so that we can declutter our websites and get people to where they want to go more quickly.
In the End
Responsive is great — please don’t misunderstand my sentiment here. However, I think we need to shift our mindset on how to best leverage responsive development instead of choosing to use to manage the exact same experience between small mobile devices and large desktop computers.
For example, it makes a lot of sense that we’d use media queries to scale content to accommodate screens ranging from 1200px wide to 2800px. Likewise, responsive could be used for mobile-specific views to allow content tailored for mobile to “flex” to the hundreds of different mobile form factors that exist today.
Because mobile experiences should be so drastically different from desktop, though, I personally think responsive should no longer be viewed as our go-to solution.
There’s got to be a better way.
And it would appear there is. I’m obviously needing to dig more into this, but you can do the same homework. Check out each of these websites on your desktop computer:
Notice that none of those sites scale when you click and drag the right handle of your browser window (the tired “simulation” of transitioning between using a site as a mobile/tablet/desktop user). That’s because they’re not responsive. They choose to load a better experience tailor-made for whatever device is accessing it.
Looks like their digital marketing teams had the same revelation about responsive way before I did.
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With the number of Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) now under 200 and declining rapidly, a group of conservationists have organized an emergency summit to discuss courses of action to save the world’s smallest remaining rhino from extinction.
The Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit is being convened by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission from 31 March to 4 April, 2013 in Singapore. The meeting aims to come up with a plan and funds to prevent the rhino’s extinction.
Tam. Photo by: Jeremy Hance
Past efforts to protect the Sumatran Rhinoceros — including a disastrous captive breeding program — largely failed. The species, which clings to life in parts of peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Malaysian Borneo, is most immediately threatened by its low population density in the wild, poaching for their horns, and habitat loss.
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Posts by Edward Colclough
Edward Colclough
Senior Associate
Edward has experience advising on all stages of construction and engineering projects. He has acted for governmental bodies, institutional investors, joint ventures, private developers, contractors, consultants and subcontractors across a wide range of construction, engineering and infrastructure projects.
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Bill Information
Regular Session 2017-2018Senate Bill 2
An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, providing for education savings account; and conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Education and the State Treasury.
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If you're looking for a new type of matching game, Hexius is the app for you. Quick paced fingers and strategist choices are essential for playing this game. Blasting your way through all the hexagons, you'll find yourself immersed in the world of colorful and bubbly hexagons in no time! Who said puzzle games are boring?
Gameplay
Gameplay in Hexius is pretty simple: Select hexagons with the same color and shape. There are 3 different gameplay modes: Time Attack, Level Challenge, and Strategy Mode. In Time Attack, you try to get as many points as you can in 90 seconds. In Level Challenge, you must destroy all targets on the field before time runs out, with time being added after the completion of each level. In Strategy Mode, you get 30 moves to get as many points as you can.
While this all might seem simple and straightforward at first, you will realize that to score higher, you must put several different types of bonuses in play, including Freeze, Reveal, and Bomb bonuses. To get a Freeze Bonus, which slows down time, you must surround one or more hexagons. To acquire a Reveal bonus, which highlights hexagons you need to select, you must cross over the right hexagon, rather than to touch it. Bomb bonuses are created when you cross any hexagon twice. Bomb bonuses cannot be touched, but when destroyed, they explode, destroying many surrounding hexagons in the bomb's vicinity. Hexius also features OpenFeint, a social gaming network that allows you to track achievements, scores and games alongside with other global players.
Graphics
Graphics are pretty simple, but good enough for enjoyable gameplay. Hexius' graphics prove the point that flashy gameplay can play just as an important role as flashy graphics, or maybe more in Hexius case. Shapes in Hexius are pretty unique and very pleasant to the eye. Controls are sometimes frustrating, because the small hexagon sizes can cause occasional miss-touches.
Sound
Sadly, there is no background music when you play the game, but there are a lot of sound effects especially when bonuses activate. The game doesn?t have in-game iPod music support, but the awesome sound FX makes up for the absence of music.
Conclusion
Hexius can be a perfect game for an avid puzzle gamer who is looking for a new twist in puzzle games. The gameplay is fun and addictive, graphics are adequate and sound FX is fascinating. The game has an update waiting for approval at Apple that will integrate the global scores into the games menus in the same way that friends scores currently are. Also, it will convert Hexius to a universal app, bringing HD graphics when run on an iPad.
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Graphics: - 5 - Graphics are pleasing to the eye, easy to differ one from anotherSound: - 4.5 - Very amusing sound FX, although lacking background audioControls: - 4.5 - Very fun, but hard to learn at first, icons are a bit smallGameplay: - 5 - Gameplay is very fun, high replay value
Playing Hints and Tips:
-When in Level Challenge mode, pay attention to the time very often and look carefully and focus on destroying targets, not to get points.
-When in Strategy mode, take your time and decide where you will get the most points.
I'd just like to point out that you should be able to listen to iPod music when playing Hexius (and you can turn the sound effects off from the settings menu too). I tested it just now and it seems to work, but you could have found a strange bug
I've got some US App Store promo codes here for your readers - please post a reply if you use one though, and please review Hexius in the app store!
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Unbiased Information and Reviews on Appliances, Solar and Saving Electricity
Tag: Refresh Rate
One thing that always attracts us when we enter any electronics store is the sight of flashing TVs. TVs with eclectic mix of size and brand are positioned inside a showroom to grab eyeballs of the passerby. More advanced the technology, more is the crowd around a particular model. Upon doing our thorough research on best TV in India, we discovered what consumer look for while buying a TV. Size, technology and price
Bijli Bachao participates in the Amazon Associates and Flipkart Associates Program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by linking to Amazon and Flipkart. This means that whenever you buy a product on Amazon or Flipkart from a link on here, we get a small percentage of its price. That helps support Bijli Bachao with some money to maintain the site, and is very much appreciated. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
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For most climbs it is, but about 5-10% of single pitch stuff is over 30 meters. You should be fine for multi-pitch since most of the routes are hikedowns, though the first pitch of Mosoraski did stretch my 65 meter rope.
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C and L Marine Electronics strive to offer the best in customer service with an outstanding commitment to professional sales and installation. We are now also adding rigging services to our level of expertise. With over 26 years’ experience, Eddie has helped many people selecting the right gear for their boat, installing and maintaining them to industry standards. Please contact us today for any systems sales and support.
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We take no responsibility for the contents of linked websites and links should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We have no control over linked pages availability.
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mytshirtdesigns.com Customer Review
Here's what Yuri
had to say about mytshirtdesigns.com
“Ok, great selection and reasonable prices. However, to my regret, do not send the goods to my country to Russia, so I had to use an intermediary company and pay extra for shipping to Russia, would be better if I paid the money in Mytshirtdesigns. But still I am satisfied with your purchase and will recommend your product to their friends in Russia.”
Second order placed with your company, hoping it goes as smoothly as the first.
Diane S
1 Apr 2015
Found exactly what I was looking for. My 10 Kitten t-shirt is about 15 years old; just couldn't part with it but was fading fast. Get so many compliments on it from strangers! Also saw the Kittens in the Garden and had to get it. Received the two shirts quickly (and quality is very good), and again, constantly get compliments on them (obviously from cat lovers). One guy even gave me a high-5 at Disneyworld. 5 stars on everything. Thank you so much! Diane
BARB
-
PA - United States
22 Mar 2015
EASY TO USE ON-LINE! THANKS! SHIRT WAS FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY---AM SURE SHE WILL LOVE IT!!
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GreenGoWeb® engages both individuals and the public to achieve sustainability in a strategic and long-term approach to behavior change; thus providing Governments with a positive incentive to make change happen.
The company provides a unique sets of tools, which are non intrusive, fun and easy to use for participants.
The App contributes to a change of behavior in the organization and creates a new shared culture whereby: “Wasting is no longer acceptable”.
Employees become Best Practice Ambassadors and organically change the organization’s image on the long run, aligning it with increasing customers demand for transparency.
The GreenGoWeb® App evolves over time as user suggestions are integrated into new features, thus best matching their business field, which also positively impacts brands. The data are treated anonymously.
The App is sold as part as a sustainability campaign within organizations and is therefore not available on the “App Store”.
Experienced in:
Switzerland
Interested in:
Worldwide
United States
Canada
Sector
Consulting
Product Service Offerings:
GreenGoWeb® (GGW) is a SmartPhone “App” that playfully encourages participants to save resources while at the office in a fun way. Seeing their small gestures add up to a big collective impact motivates them to join and make a difference.
Business Development Objectives
Our aim is to develop internationally and find financial partners in order to adapt our offer to other countries and deploy worldwide. GreenGoWeb® aims at becoming an international benchmark in sustainability by engaging people.
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Check out Omar Kelly's top 10 Dolphins position battles
CaptionKicker: Dan Carpenter (5) vs. Caleb Sturgis
Carline Jean / Sun Sentinel
Carpenter has had a relatively solid five-year career with the Dolphins, making 81.9 percent of his field goal attempts since 2008. But his $2.7 million salary puts him on the hot seat because Miami drafted Sturgis in the fifth round because he's a cheaper, younger option.
Carpenter has had a relatively solid five-year career with the Dolphins, making 81.9 percent of his field goal attempts since 2008. But his $2.7 million salary puts him on the hot seat because Miami drafted Sturgis in the fifth round because he's a cheaper, younger option. (Carline Jean / Sun Sentinel)
Jerry has started 29 games in his three seasons, but his constant battle with his weight and limited run blocking skills makes him a liability at times. Louis, who started 28 games for the Bears, was signed to challenge Jerry. But Louis is still rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered in late November...
Jerry has started 29 games in his three seasons, but his constant battle with his weight and limited run blocking skills makes him a liability at times. Louis, who started 28 games for the Bears, was signed to challenge Jerry. But Louis is still rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered in late November...
Jordan, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, will likely be eased into his role as a pass rushing specialist because he missed the entire offseason program. Vernon, a former UM standout who contributed 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks and forcing one fumble as a rookie last season, will have to shine...
Jordan, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, will likely be eased into his role as a pass rushing specialist because he missed the entire offseason program. Vernon, a former UM standout who contributed 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks and forcing one fumble as a rookie last season, will have to shine...
The Dolphins placed the franchise tag on Starks this offseason to ensure that the defensive line remains the strength of the team. But Starks skipped all but the mandatory minicamp protesting his one-year contract. That opened the door for Odrick, a 2010 first-round pick, to get comfortable...
The Dolphins placed the franchise tag on Starks this offseason to ensure that the defensive line remains the strength of the team. But Starks skipped all but the mandatory minicamp protesting his one-year contract. That opened the door for Odrick, a 2010 first-round pick, to get comfortable...
Miami signed Gibson, who caught 51 passes for 691 yards and scored five touchdowns for the Rams last season, to replace Davone Bess. He's slowly learning the slot position. If he doesn't speed the process up Binns, one of the offseason's top performers, might leapfrog him on the depth chart.
Miami signed Gibson, who caught 51 passes for 691 yards and scored five touchdowns for the Rams last season, to replace Davone Bess. He's slowly learning the slot position. If he doesn't speed the process up Binns, one of the offseason's top performers, might leapfrog him on the depth chart.
For most football players NFL training camp is where childhood dreams go to die. About 90 players will report to the start of camp, but roughly half of those aspiring pros will make it safely onto an NFL roster. And even then many players are on borrowed time. What separates the wheat from...
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AMD Ryzen 3700/3800 X- What You Can Expect
Famous PC rivalry or competition isn’t just limited to Apple and Microsoft or a battle of the tech visionaries, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. In the world of technology, massive global corporations are constantly working on improving existing hardware and software on a daily basis. It’s no wonder then that many of them are always trying to best one another when it comes to producing world-class hardware to aim high-performance devices.
AMD is a renowned competitor to Intel – a brand that has become well-known for producing leading Central Processing Units (CPUs).
In 2017 AMD introduced the Ryzen brand of CPUs to the market – a brand that was aimed at high-performance gaming.
The Ryzen 3000 series is the next generation of CPUs by AMD set to come out early in 2019. There are some high expectations from the AMD Ryzen 3700/3800X.
What can we expect from the AMD Ryzen 3700/3800X?
The smaller size is expected to reduce costs of production for AMD. This may even mean that AMD could produce more CPUs at a fraction of what it previously cost. The increased core and thread count is also likely to lead to better performance.
Expected to have the new Zen 2 processor, the 3000 series seems set to redefine performance, with up to 40% improvement.
The Pure Power feature will improve processor energy co-efficiency, while the chips come with their own cooler in the box.
Smart Prefetch anticipates the data your applications need for peak performance and additional cores can help with video game streaming.
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With Father’s Day on Sunday, we’re thinking of inviting A’s parents over for a BBQ. That plus the warm summer air is making me think of all things outdoors and coastal. That led me to all things seagrass and its cool and casual vibe. So, here’s some inspiration for spending a day outdoors with our dads!
PS: If you’re still in need of a Father’s Day card, check out this bowtie one and this pop card!
Do you have plans for Father’s day this Sunday? If you’re a procrastinator like me, you’re just getting to the card. I thought I’d share it with you so you can fill it with all the reasons you appreciate your own pop!
My dad and brother always wanted a VW van when we were little. They’d talk about taking it on the road and us camping in the back. It was a little slice of Americana that we always dreamed about and never got a chance to do. I thought we could all do a little daydreaming together about what our dad’s may have always wanted and fun times with our families. Just in time for Father’s Day (June 17th)!
Yay for Friday! If you’ve read this blog long enough, you’ll know my love of bows & my love of plaid. This week, Katrina of Pugly Pixel shared with everyone an awesome online Tartan Maker tool! Along with the resource, she provided 45 bits & pieces as well as 50 seamless patterns for everyone! Click the image below to go to her post.
I’ve used her orange plaids to make the printable Father’s Day cards for today. Hope you enjoy!
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poem.exe
What is poem.exe?
poem.exe is a
bot
which generates haiku-like poems and publishes them to social media.
a good world
completely unaware
of years past
It uses an Oulipo technique based on Raymond Queneau’s
A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems. Verses are selected at
random from a corpus, and a single line is taken from each one to
produce a new poem. Some words may be randomly substituted for related
words (e.g. ‘cat’ may become ‘dog’). After assembling a poem in
this way, the program looks for seasonal references and uses these to
decide whether to publish or reject the poem.
The bulk of the corpus that it reads from consists of English
translations of haiku by Kobayashi Issa; as a result, many of the poems
are coloured by Issa’s personality, in particular his fondness for
snails.
How was it made?
A corpus of 600+ haiku and short verses,
selected by hand and modified to fit the constraints of the
project. This is updated from time to time.
Code to compile the corpus into a form more
easily readable by computers.
Code to read the corpus and assemble new
poems.
A server which is rented for running the code,
so that poems may be assembled without supervision throughout the
day.
Social media accounts to publish the poems
immediately as they are assembled.
View the source code on
GitHub.
The code is primarily written in Ruby; some parts are written in
Python. The comments in the poem.rb file contain more details on
how a poem is assembled.
Who made it?
poem.exe was made by
Liam Cooke,
an Irish software developer living in Melbourne, Australia.
Who's talking about it?
It’s minimalist, almost peaceful, sometimes hilarious, sometimes
sad. I think the success of bots like this one and
the Ephemerides
lies in the fact that people do actually love poetry (all appearances
to the contrary) — we are all so hungry for linguistic serendipity and
new meaning and words that behave in unexpected ways. Poetry like this
activates parts of the brain often left dormant.
The pieces produced by @poem_exe are ever-changing vessels for
meaning. Structurally, they resemble the more universally-familiar
haiku, and their imagery contains notions that are at once staccato and
trailing off. The result is a sense of unknowability, a magic that
cannot be revealed; the meaning belonging to the user and the user
alone.
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Party Away With This '90s-Themed Dance Playlist
Partying is fun, but dancing to tunes that remind you of your youth is definitely much better. We compiled a playlist of the top party hits of the '90s. Press shuffle, click play, and sing along to these throwback tracks.
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AnimeNova for your Android devices free download
Hiiro no Kakera
Titles:
Hiiro no Kakera (2012)
Description:
Hiiro no Kakera is a Japanese visual novel created by Idea Factory directed at the female market known as an otome game. The protagonist is a teenage girl (Tamaki) who revisits a small village, she remembers from her childhood and gets caught up in her family's history and supernatural dangers surrounding it. While walking along the hillsides waiti… moreHiiro no Kakera is a Japanese visual novel created by Idea Factory directed at the female market known as an otome game. The protagonist is a teenage girl (Tamaki) who revisits a small village, she remembers from her childhood and gets caught up in her family's history and supernatural dangers surrounding it. While walking along the hillsides waiting for the person who her grandmother sent to fetch Tamaki to the village, Tamaki comes across a small, white round object with sticks for limbs and talks. Its runs off soon after, with Tamaki chasing after it. Soon Tamaki finds herself in a place where 'it doesn't feel like the world I came from'. She gets attacked by three slime creatures, and a male comes charging in to save her - by clamping his hands around her body and mouth and telling her to be quiet. less
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Unlike redworm brokers, we do not sell any worms that we have not grown and harvested from our own farm due to the fact that there is no way to track what they've been fed and if they are truly healthy worms.
A complete website for buying worms, and easy-to-use bins such as the Worm Factory, Can-O-Worms, Eliminator, Enviro-Cycle, and other worm-related products. Learn more about recycling, vermicomposting, vermiculture and composting.
A complete website for buying worms, and easy-to-use bins such as the Worm Factory, Can-O-Worms, Eliminator, Enviro-Cycle, and other worm-related products. Learn more about recycling, vermicomposting, vermiculture and composting.
Vermicomposting and vermiculture. We sell redworms or red wigglers, the best earthworm for vermicomposting. We sell high-quality earthworm castings and worm compost for organic gardening and organic farming.
At the Wormery we specialize in breeding & growing Redworms (Eisenia fetida) AKA Red Wiggler the best worm available for composting. For larger fishing worms we raise the European Night Crawlers (Eisenia Hortensis) AKA Texas Giant Reds, also a good compost worm.
The Envirocycle Composter / Composteamaker is the first composter to collect liquid compost tea, a rich organic plant food much appreciated by gardeners. It produces two excellent natural fertilizers "solid and liquid" that can be used for house plants, outdoor plants, trees, gardens and lawns.
At “worm-composting-help.com” you will learn all about Worm composting and the benefits of converting kitchen- and garden waste into nutrient rich plant food and soil conditioners. Worm composting from A to Z
We are promoting worm farming and offer worms and worm composting solutions and advise
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The Another Agito Army is at full power. The only way to stop them is to find the TRUE Agito...
Watch SuperHeroTime Via Livestream!!
Check out episodes as they air on Saturday by heading over to Taima TV. They play other miscellaneous programs up until the live broadcast starts.
Live Streams of the Superhero Time block now start at 8PM EST on Saturdays!
Starting the episode off with us seeing Agito using Storm and Flame forms was just the tip of the iceberg.
Overall: What a phenomenal episode. Shoichi is with us the entire time. He interacts meaningfully with the Kujidoji crew. The scene where he tries Junichiro's cooking and critiques it is great comedy. When he consoles Tsukuyomi with his cooking at the restaurant by making parallels between her and his former self, that's just great writing. Hearing the name "Tetsuya Sawaki", acknowledging the power of Agito as a way to awaken other humans with the potential to evolve - all of this shows a considerable amount of respect to the established lore and story of the show it is paying tribute to. It even justifies the reuse of the og Another Agito suit because it's essentially creating more variations of Agito, which Kaoru's Rider form was originally supposed to depict. I loved seeing Shoichi donning the G3 suit again. The Time Jacker's using the RideWatch to turn Another Agito into an evil KR Agito was an interesting deviation from what they have been doing thus far and shows great potential for future tribute plots. They did a lot of this great stuff in the Blade tribute but it's perfected here.
I think it's quite interesting what is happening with Tsukuyomi. Thanks to Shoichi, she accepts that who she was in the past isn't necessarily reflective of who she is now - but Woz has caught on. His conversation with Schwarz helped add layers to the mystery. He says she comes from the same place as him - where did he get his powers?
They did not skimp out on special effects this episode. Holy. You can tell they only had two or three Another Agito suits but the way they used a mix of close-ups, look-a-likes and compositing was nothing short of effective. When you see the Rider trio and Agito fighting the horde of them in the town plaza, it's hard to believe the production photo that show the place almost completely empty. While there are some moments where the effect isn't quite so tight, it's mostly seamless and a result of smart filmmaking.
Not only that, but the special attacks and CG used were unexpectedly bombastic too. Geiz and Woz's speed battle resulted in some badass-looking finishers. Zi-O Trinity's sword finisher was super dope. And Zi-O and Agito Trinity's double Rider Kick: HOLY CRAP.
Speaking of the Trinity x Trinity battle, THIS IS HOW YOU DO A TRIBUTE FIGHT SEQUENCE. When I heard the intro lick to "Believe Yourself" I nearly exploded with excitement. My hope for the series was at least a return of leitmotifs and I have been let down until now. But this gives me some hope. If they can utilize a legacy insert song as well as they did here in future tributes, I will instantly forgive all the mediocrity of Zi-O's first quarter. That was simply one of the hypest moments I have experienced in Rider. It's amazing what a little music can do.
Favourite part of the episode was when Woz was giving his speech and then saw Agito turn into Trinity as well. When Zi-O's "Woz" arm does that excited little flail - that's hilarious and simply fantastic character acting.
I think it's really cool how they did the passing of the torch this time around. Agito could keep his power, but instead gives it to Sougo respectfully. There's no stealing happening here. And like the Blade tribute before it, he remembers everything that happened while he was a Rider. I wish all the tributes were like this. That being said, it's nice that they responded to the complaints about the show and learned from mistakes. What we are getting now are some of the best tribute episodes I have seen from any Toku show.
Next up, Hibiki! They have picked some interesting people for the returning cast but thanks to these recent episodes, I am more than positive that they can think up a great story that respects the original show's roots. And Kuuga Armor is making it's TV debut!
When I heard the intro lick to "Believe Yourself" I nearly exploded with excitement.
Since you brought it up...
Gosh I forget how awesome this song is.
By the way folks, the singer of this song is Naoto Fuga, the voice behind the opening and ending themes of Megaranger. And for those who like vocaloid stuff, Naoto Fuga is THE VOCAL SOURCE for Vocaloid Kaito.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xtreme RX
And Kuuga Armor is making it's TV debut!
Appropriate too since both Kuuga and Hibiki were works of Shigenori Taketera.
This is decade and zio tribute done right . I get not every rider will voluntarily hand over their powers, but memory erase plot was dumb. We want them to come back as them not the shadow of them like au versions. Hibiki gets replaced by zeronos. Rumors that hoppers are back, so maybe no tendou or gattack. Four more tributes left after hibiki. Well be at kabuto, deno, kiba, and dirba. If brain isn't producing a ride watch then we'll be doing tributes up to epsiode 42 if ginga, final form zio, and movie tie in doesnt get invoked in their own arc. Diend, decade, ohma, another zio, and time jacked tsuki still need resolutions in their mini plot.
These last two tribues makes me wonder if they stopped doing the tributes for a while just to give them a chance to retool the tributes and try to come up with better ones. If so, it seems like they have succeeded. Haven't seen this one yet as I'm waiting for the subs, but Blade felt like the true ending to the main show, rather than just a tribute. Hope this keeps up.
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Pages
Mission Statement
This is a blog in which I intend to reach my goal to draw/paint a thousand faces! Welcome, and come along for the journey!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
"A Chemical Romance", Faces #788-#789
In spite of (and maybe because of) the searing inflammation and pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis, I completed this approx. 17" by 21" pastel piece last night. Once I get going and get immersed in a piece, the pain seems a distant thing..."It's hard to see the shadow when you're looking into the light."
In this piece which I have for the time being titled "A Chemical Romance", I decided to leave the man and woman looking more "drawn" than the more painterly background. I drew them with a sienna Nu Pastel on this parma colored Canson sheet. I may go back with a blending stump and smooth out the "drawn look", the lines. I don't know. I do like the drawn look, and the ability to draw is certainly a gift to me. I have met some artists who seem to do anything to avoid drawing, and instead favor tracing and projectors. But considering all the artists who do draw, and how competitive the field is, I think a person really limits themselves. I always frown when I see the ostensible discrepancies in a piece that was obviously traced or projected and traced, rather than drawn. Something soulless and barren. Even when not rendered entirely accurate or rendered deliberately inaccurate, drawing exhibits an intimacy and connection with a subject that gives a piece its spirit. Besides...anyone can just trace something. It's not some special ability. Paint by numbers. I would rather purposefully graze whatever drawing tool across the page, forming features and creating. But drawing is a passion for me.I'm getting so close to having eight hundred faces done here! I'm hoping by next week! Until next time, take care!
Contributors
Copyright
Yes, all my work is copyrighted. Even if I don't label everything as such. But if you want to use something here, and don't want to break the law, just drop me an e-mail and ask. Chances are, I will say "yes". But please ask!
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Remix in the morning, coffee and my dog are what makes a day start off great! I feel on top of the world after listening to this ODESZA remix of "Saola" by Beat Connection! You can have a good morning too - just listen to the track above!
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Getting More Miles From Plug-in Hybrids
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared to their gas-only counterparts. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering have taken the technology one step further, demonstrating how to improve the efficiency of current PHEVs by almost 12 percent.
Since plug-in hybrids combine gas or diesel engines with electric motors and large rechargeable batteries, a key component is an energy management system (EMS) that controls when they switch from ‘all-electric’ mode, during which stored energy from their batteries is used, to ‘hybrid’ mode, which utilizes both fuel and electricity. As new EMS devices are developed, an important consideration is combining the power streams from both sources in the most energy-efficient way.
While not all plug-in hybrids work the same way, most start in all-electric mode, running on electricity until their battery pack is depleted and then switching to hybrid mode. Known as binary mode control, this EMS strategy is easy to apply, but isn’t the most efficient way to combine the two power sources. In lab tests, blended discharge strategies, in which power from the battery is used throughout the trip, have proven to be more efficient at minimizing fuel consumption and emissions, but until now they haven’t been a realistic option for real-world applications, said Xuewei Qi, a graduate student in the Bourns College of Engineering’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) who led the research. Qi is working with CE-CERT Director Matthew Barth, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.
“Blended discharge strategies have the ability to be extremely energy efficient, but those proposed previously require upfront knowledge about the nature of the trip, road conditions and traffic information, which in reality is almost impossible to provide,” Qi said.
While the UCR EMS does require trip-related information, it also gathers data in real time using onboard sensors and communications devices, rather than demanding it upfront. It is one of the first systems based on a machine learning technique called reinforcement learning (RL), and was published online Feb. 5 in the journal Transportation Research Record.
In comparison-based tests on a 20-mile commute in Southern California, the UCR EMS outperformed currently available binary mode systems, with average fuel savings of 11.9 percent. Even better, Qi said, the system gets smarter the more it’s used and is not model- or driver-specific, meaning it can be applied to any PHEV driven by any individual.
“In our reinforcement learning system, the vehicle learns everything it needs to be energy efficient based on historical data. As more data are gathered and evaluated, the system becomes better at making decisions that will save on energy,” Qi said.
Qi said the next phase of the research will focus on creating a cloud-based network that enables PHEVs to work together for even better results.
“Our current findings have shown how individual vehicles can learn from their historical driving behavior to operate in an energy efficient manner. The next step is to extend the proposed mode to a cloud-based vehicle network where vehicles not only learn from themselves but also each other. This will enable them to operate on even less fuel and will have a huge impact on the amount of greenhouse gases and other pollutants released,” he said.
The work was done by Qi and Barth, together with Guoyuan Wu, assistant research engineer at CE-CERT; Kanok Boriboonsomsin, associate research engineer at CE-CERT; and Jeffrey Gonder, senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The project was partially supported by the U. S. Department of Transportation.
The UCR Office of Technology Commercialization has filed patents for the inventions above.
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Residential Toasters
What would breakfast be without toast? Toastless and sad, that's what! KaTom is here to the rescue with the best toasters available online. KaTom carries home toasters with several slice options as well as home toasters for use with bagels. You'll be happy to see KaTom sells Kitchenaid toasters as well as several other trusted brands. KaTom's kitchen aid toasters are all priced to sell! Choose the best toaster for your home with KaTom to experience the savings and quality!
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a fun and sometimes serious look at dogs, women and beauty
Main menu
Monthly Archives: April 2014
March 25, 2014 – I just hate being 10 years old. My legs aren’t what they used to be. I lost my footing and fell, hurting my bum front leg. It was more embarrassing than anything because my toenail scratched the hair off the bridge of my nose. I am considering rhinoplasty, but the best plastic surgeon my mom knows is in Manhattan. I don’t think I could get there and back without anyone noticing, especially with my nose bandaged. And does rhinoplasty even repair lost hair on the nose? I wish I could quit staring at it in the mirror.
April 4, 2014 – I find this sign discriminatory on several levels.
No Pets Allowed?
April 17, 2014 – Those Farmer’s Insurance commercials are funny. The bear on the motorcycle … still chuckling.
April 24, 2014 – So, I was reading The Wall Street Journal today and saw an article about a cat café in New York. Apparently, cat lovers can go and eat, drink “Cat’achinos” (whatever) and adopt homeless cats at this cafe. I really feel for a homeless animal in New York (even a cat, I suppose). Still, I don’t think I want to go to Manhattan for a rhinoplasty anymore.
Just a quick update for those wondering about Charlee’s recent three months in rehab. Charlee’s addiction continues and, in fact, has increased to over a pack a day. While she has attempted to overcome the desire, those chicken-covered rawhide treats from Trader Joe’s have consumed her.
I Need Another Rawhide Now
Fortunately, we have seen some slight improvement during the past week with the official start of lizard season. Chasing lizards at high noon seems to be the only diversion from the delectable chicken rawhide treat addiction.
Gonna Catch a Lizard
An Unsuspecting Lizard
Charlee thanks all of her fans for their continued support during her struggle.
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Please fill out the form below to email the following quote to a friend:
Tragedy dramatizes human life as potentiality and fulfillment. Its virtual future, or Destiny, is therefore quite different from that created in comedy. Comic Destiny is Fortune-Susanne K. Langer, Feeling and Form, ch. 19, Scribner (1953)
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VIENNA.- Outer space is not only a physically extending sphere, but also a symbol: for centuries, mans dreams and visions have been concerned with conquering the extraterrestrial zone, with getting to know worlds beyond Earth, and even with colonizing other planets. Space is the Place, proclaimed the musician Sun Ra, and hundreds of science fiction novels and movies testify to this yearning for the other, for the unknown, for the abyss of infinity, which presents itself as equally tempting and threatening. The exhibition is on view from April 01st through .August 15th, 2011 and takes place in the Kunsthalle Wien as well as in some rooms of the Natural History Museum of Vienna.
Since the production of rockets in the 20th century provided us for the first time with the possibility of actually conquering the high frontier, outer space turned into an emotionally charged scene of geopolitical strategy. In the Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, the fight for dominance in space had a mass- psychological and propagandist impact: after the Sputnik crisis of 1957 and the first manned space flight with the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961 the fiftieth anniversary of which provides the special occasion for this exhibition the US invested tremendous amounts of money into the project of getting people to the moon. When they succeeded in doing so in 1969, the feat became one of the greatest media events of the twentieth century, The exhibition reflects the wide range of aesthetic, metaphoric and political dimensions associated with the idea of outer space as refracted in the prism of art. Outer space figures as a place of longing and a projection screen for utopias oriented toward alternative forms of life on other planets, but also as a threatening sphere triggering fears of the unknown, of impending meteor strikes, and even of invasions of aliens. The panorama of artistic explorations of the subject spans from figurative renderings of the firmament, rockets, and satellites to works critical of realism that search for ways to convey cosmic feelings in the tradition of such artists as Kazimir Malevich (18781935).
Focusing on present-day art, the exhibition presents more than fifty artistic perspectives from eighteen nations and five decades. The different media employed go to show the thematic heterogeneity of the works exhibited, from painting, 16-mm film, video, and animation film to drawings, prints, photographs, and multimedia installations. Robert Rauschenberg was one of the privileged artists present at the launch of a rocket in 1969, and in later years Lena Lapschina and Jane & Louise Wilson were also to witness such an event and reflected upon the experience in their work. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) provided Rauschenberg with detailed maps, charts, and photographs of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969/70, which served as a basis for his work Stoned Moon; this series of lithographs has rarely been presented in Europe to date. Andrei Sokolov was a close friend of the cosmonaut Alexey Leonov (the first human to conduct a space walk in 1965) and began to rely on this biographical background for his work as a painter in 1966.
In addition to about eighty works by such acclaimed artists as Turner Prize winner Keith Tyson and winner of the Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award Wilhelm Sasnal film makers like Alexandra Mir, William Kentridge, and Michael Snow, installation artists like Björn Dahlem, and intervention artists like Gianni Motti, Tom Sachs, and Rirkrit Tiravanija, Space. About a Dream also presents numerous surprising perspectives of a younger generation of artists lincluding Julieta Aranda, Loris Gréaud, Jen Liu, Amalia Pica, and Virginie Yassef.
For her series Night Sky (2007/08), the Canadian artist Angela Bulloch used a software program, to calculate views of the universe as seen from extraterrestrial perspectives and not from that of an inhabitant of the Earth. Stars in a night sky provide the Norwegian Toril Johannessen with the material for her installation Variable Stars (2009), which draws on the Harvard College Observatorys extensive archives of photographic plates and the theory on the calculation of distances between galaxies which was developed in 1908. The point of view we are confronted with in the sculptural installation Global Globes (2010/11) by Nives Widauer is completely different: the artist has assembled a new map of the world from more than 160 different Earth globes. The overall picture is conveyed to the visitor via a live stream granting a look into the Meteorite Hall in Viennas Museum of Natural History.
Thanks to this collaboration with the Museum of Natural History, it is also possible to admire three room- spanning works by the artists Artsat Pipilotti Rist, and Sylvie Fleury in the Kunsthalle Wiens neighbor institution, namely in its entrance hall and the Meteorite Hall, which houses one of the oldest and most comprehensive collections of its kind. Wind me up, Scotty! an exhibition presenting extraordinary space toys from the collection of Andreas Karl are also shown there.
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Happy Monday! -waits for tomatoes to be thrown at her- Okay…I’ll make this post short and sweet. Aisling has released a stunning living room set for The Arcade called, “Nini’s Living Room” and it’s my new living room. Obviously. The set has so many pieces to win. It’s gorgeous! I wasn’t going to put myself in the post, but I couldn’t resist. They also released these awesome jewelry sets that you can place your own photos in! So sweet! I placed all my nearest and dearest friends in SL into the little picture frames. I love it! You can get it right now at We ❤ RP!
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Time was when cycling was viewed as a heroic effort and not the efforts of Irvinites trying to burn off a few pounds on weekends, and Earl G. Glenn was the master of them all in OC. In 1897, he set a speed record that stood until at least the early 1920s: 12 1/2 miles in 30:31 on a dirt course–that's a speed demon!
That's not all Glenn did, of course. He was SanTana's postman for many years,and also served on the SanTana Fire Department as a volunteer, holding the record for service for quite some time as well.
And, of course, Glenn was Klan.
]
The weird thing about Glenn's kluckery was that he married the daughter of what I can only assume is either a Latino Arab, or a Lebanase Latino–what else can we make of someone with the name Carlos Mansur (the only Mansur I ever knew was a beautiful Argentine woman whose maternal side were Lebanese Christians who settled in the pampas)? Of course, as any Chicano Studies major can tell you, marrying a minority doesn't make you somehow more enlightened on racial matters–if anything, it just emboldens you to steal from those baboso brownies. And that was Glenn–fun!
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On the evening of April 6, 2013, Her Royal Highness Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa of Hawai’i attended the 2013 Merrie Monarchhula competition held at the Edith Kanaka‘ole stadium in Hilo, Hawai’i.
During last night’s festivities the lovely princess “… donated $2,000 to each participating kumu hula, and $25,000 to the Merrie Monarch Festival and its president, Luana Kawelu…”
Please click here for more information. Or, you can watch and listen to the announcement here(at the 7:30 mark). Also, if you missed the 2013 Merrie Monarch Festival and would like to watch it please click here. :)
And, finally, if you are interested here is the 1989 documentary entitled, Kumu Hula: Keepers of Culture, that you might enjoy.
Well, it’s that time of year again! It’s the 2013 Merrie Monarch Festival a yearly event which “…honors the legacy left by King David Kalākaua, who inspired the perpetuation of our traditions, native language and the arts.” Yay! So, yeah, every year I mention this fantastic event because, well, I can. :) Moreover, it is truly a great event that everyone must see at least once in their lifetime.
With that being said, if you are interested watching the hula competitions via live stream on KFVE 5 please click here. Live streaming of the 50th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival begins at 6PM Hawai’i time. Or, you can watch yesterday’s event, Merrie Monarch Backstage, here. :)
Finally, if you are interested in learning more about the Merrie Monarch Festival please click here andhere.
On March 26, 1871, HRH Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Pi’ikoi was born in Kōloa, Kaua’i, Hawai’i. And, today throughout the Hawaiian Islands people have the day off and are celebrating the life of this amazing man.
On November 16, 1836, David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua was born, and in honor of the late king the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace and the Royal Guard of the Hawai’i Air National Guard celebrated his 176th birthday this past Friday.
On Sunday, September 2, 2012, the people throughout the Hawaiian Islands will celebrate the late Queen Liliʻuokalani’s birthday. At ‘Iolani Palace there will be an ‘Onipa’a celebration presented by the “… Hawai’i Pono’i Coalition, the celebration opens with an Oli by kumu Kalani Akana followed by a hula performance as well as an ecumenical service honoring the Queen…”
For more information about the celebrations please visit the official website for the Hawai’i Pono’i Coalition here.Or,pleaseclick herefor additional information from Ōiwi TV. :)
And, finally, if you have never seen the fantastic documentary, Hawai’i’s Last Queen, well, here is your chance. Click here to watch.
On this day in Hawaiian royal family history a gala ball was to take place in honor of Her Majesty Queen Lili`okalani’s birthday. Sadly, it was not to be. Click hereto find out why as well as to view a rare photo from ‘Iolani Palace. :)
Here is a interesting fact recently published by ‘Iolani Palace via the now defunct Pacific Commercial Advertiser newspaper:
“On the afternoon Monday, August 12, 1882, His Majesty the King entertained the Nobles and Representatives at a banquet at the dining hall of the new palace….”
Click hereto read the rest of the article on the official ‘Iolani Palace Facebook page. And, while you are at it why not “like” their page? Why? Well, they always publish interesting news, upcoming events, and facts about the palace as well as the royal family. :)
And, finally, here is a video about the history of the palace and the Hawaiian royal family entitled, ‘Iolani Palace: A King’s Noble Vision.
On March 30, 2012, His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga announced his heir to the Tongan throne at “…his residence Liukava.” Prince ‘Ulukalala, the king’s eldest son, is now known as His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala of Tonga.
On April 5, 2012, members of the Tongan royal family ended their ten days of mourning by participating in the traditional hair-cutting ceremony. To read more about today’s event as well as to view photos please click here.
Meanwhile in Hilo, Hawai’i, preparations are underway for the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival an event which “… honors the legacy left by King David Kalākaua, who inspired the perpetuation of our traditions, native language and the arts…”
Yay! :) As you may or may not know by now, I am a huge supporter as well as fan of this week-long celebration… so yeah, I’m going to promote this amazing festival on my silly little blog. :)
Any way, if you are interested watching the hula competitions via live stream on KFVE 5 please click herebeginning on April 12-14 at 6pm Hawai’i time. Or, if you happen to live on the Big Island or will be vacationing there starting April 8 why not check it out? You won’t regret it. For more information about the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival please visit their official website here.
On March 12, 2012, the Wall Street Journal published an interesting article about Her Royal Highness Princess Abigail Kawananakoa entitled, “Lunching with one of Hawaii’s Real ‘Descendants'”, by Julia Flynn Siler.
Ms. Siler recently published the book, “Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure”.
On September 2, 1838, Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha on the island of O’ahu many know her as Her Majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawai’i. In honor of Hawai’i’s great and last queen there will be various celebrations throughout the islands this weekend.
One major event will be the ‘Onipa‘a celebrations to be held at I’olani Palace on Sunday September 4, 2011. The event begins at 10am. For more information click here.
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Hyundai Elantra GT 2013
Hyundai Elantra GT 2013 (model year) makes its official U.S. premiere in Chicago!
Major car shows have always been the perfect platform for automakers to introduce their new models to the world, and the Chicago Auto Show has been chosen by Hyundai as the launching pad for their 2013 Elantra GT .
This is all part of Hyundai’s plan to expend their increasingly popular Elantra line-up, and by adding a 5-door hatchback, they are entering into some very competitive territory.
The biggest competition will come from the Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf, all of whom already have a pretty solid stranglehold in the market, which makes the job of the Hyundai Elantra GT 2013 (model year) a whole lot harder.
A quick look at what the new Hyundai has to offer though makes it pretty clear that they are more than up for the challenge.
The 2013 Elantra GT has already proven to be a hit in the European market, although under the i30 name, and it’s Hyundai’s goal to bring that success to the North American market.
Mike O’Brien, vice president, Product and Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor America also expressed that Hyundai is looking to redefine the way we think of a compact car.
With that in mind, he said the focus was to make the car fun to drive, yet still functional and fuel efficient in a way that consumers have come to associate with the Hyundai brand.
One way that Hyundai has added that “fun” stamp to the Elantra GT 2013 is by instating the “Fluidic Sculpture” style of design that has become the standard for all their vehicles. That design adds a touch of sportiness that you don’t always expect to find in a compact 5-door vehicle.
It also just happens to be the lightest vehicle in the category, but that doesn’t mean that they have cut down on size and space in order to achieve that. The interior of the Hyundai Elantra GT is roomier than its major competitors, and that is a big plus for drivers who need a little extra legroom.
Hyundai Elantra GT engine & transmission
There is also some power under the hood as the GT sports the same 1.8L inline four-cylinder as the 4-door Elantra sedan, sending 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque to the ground.
That is achieved with either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission, and despite its power the 2013 Elantra GT still manages to impress in the fuel efficiency department with 28 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg on the highway. That’s just the beginning of the goodies though, and there is much more to like both inside and out.
The basic model of the all-new Hyundai Elantra GT 2013 includes heated front seats, a cooled glove box, Bluetooth connectivity, and a host of other bells and whistles that you’d only expect to find as upgrades. Add to that an industry best cargo storage capacity, hidden rear camera, and sport suspension, and you have a car that is about to take the 5-door compact class by storm when it hits the streets this summer.
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Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
Now included with any new GMC Buick purchased from us, you get the Anderson Advantage Maintenance Program. That's right, includes GM's Maintenance Program of 2 LOFs per year for the first 2 years and Anderson gives you the 3rd year for free. -Oil and filter Changes -Muilti point Inspection -Tire Rotation - Battery & Brake Inspect -Alignment check -Car Wash -$200 Coupon toward next vehicle purchase
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Take Delivery by 3/31/15. Not available with special finance, lease offers or some other offers. Residency restrictions may apply. See dealer for details
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Irish whiskey production to jump by 33% after $12.7m investment in stills
Irish whiskey brands Jameson, Powers, and Redbreast can expect a boost in worldwide sales with thanks to investment in the production cycle.iStock
Just in time for the start of Trump’s presidency, one distillery in Ireland is set to up their production of Irish whiskey by a third in 2017 with thanks to a $12.7 million investment.
Irish Distillers are making a multi-million dollar investment in stills (distilling tanks) this year, predicted to see a growth rate of 33% in the production of the best Irish whiskey from their Midleton, Co. Cork distillery, allowing them to add to the remarkable growth experienced throughout 2016.
Home to some of the world’s top whiskey brands such as Jameson, Powers, and Redbreast, Irish Distillers this month welcomed the arrival of three large copper steel tanks as part of the massive current expansion plan.
The tanks arrived in Horgan’s Quay, Cork, in the early hours of the morning on January 19 and were shipped to Midleton where it is believed they will be installed over the last few days of the month.
Handmade by Forsyth's in Scotland, the stills are identical to those installed since the production cycle began increasing in 2012.
“All of the infrastructure for these has been in place since 2012 or 2013. That includes the tanks you can see in our glasshouse — these new ones will slot in behind those,” Tommy Keane, head of distilling operations at Irish Distillers, told the Evening Echo.
Exciting times in Midleton as we take delivery of 3 new stills to increase our single pot still Irish whiskey production capacity by 30% pic.twitter.com/fhSTBu9K7s
In 2012, $215 million was invested into the East Cork distillery, creating 90 jobs, and the increased financing of the production cycle is proving to be extremely profitable, especially in the US market.
The famed Irish whiskey is also experiencing double and triple-digit growth in 62 of its 130 markets around the world.
“It was a really strong year,” Keane said of 2016.
“This was led by the US, but also South Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Year-on-year, our growth profile remains extremely strong.”
With almost 200 people now employed by the Cork distillery, plans are in place to increase growth even further, and aims are set to double sales by 2020.
“The new plant has settled and is meeting all of its sustainability targets. It was a good time for investment and we are seeing the results of it now,” Keane added.
While the Emerald Isle has long been known for its whiskey, it recently underwent a massive revival with new distilleries and plans set out for production from Teeling’s in Dublin to Waterford and Rademon Estate.
Such is the uptake in Irish whiskey in the US that from 2002 to 2015 sales of Irish whiskey in the United States grew by an astronomical 642 percent, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Proposing the establishment of an all-island whiskey trail, tourism infrastructure around distilleries and fostering an embassy network of hotels, restaurants, and pubs is also recommended.
“What we’ve witnessed over the past few years truly is a renaissance in the industry”, said Head of the Irish Whiskey Association, Miriam Mooney.
“This strategy sets the conditions for the next step in growth for the industry. In 2013 there were just 4 distilleries in Ireland, today there are 16 in production and 13 in planning in 18 counties across Ireland. With national and local government support, Irish whiskey tourism has the potential to grow from 653,277 visitors every year up to 1.9 million visitors by 2025, spending an estimated €1.3 billion every year.”
If this has got your taste buds all worked up, you can see IrishCentral’s pick of the most delicious of Irish whiskeys here.
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IPS cell trial blindness
It’s been a long road, but the first ever IPS cell clinical study in humans is starting up again in a new incarnation. You might say it has been regenerated in a novel form. Masayo Takahashi (高橋 政代) first started […]
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Police Say Gang Dispute Sparked Shooting
A second suspect has now been arrested in a Greenville shooting this week that police are calling gang related.
Friday, police arrested 21 year-old Jecouri Barnes and charged him with attempted murder for a shooting on Sheppard street.
Police believe Barnes was part of a group of CRIPS-related gang members trying to kill a member of the rival BLOODS street gang. Police say Barnes was shot as one group of drug dealers tried to rob another group of drug dealers.
Thursday, police charged 20 yer old Eric Holloway with two counts of attempted murder in the incident.
Online Public Information File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or [email protected].
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but I suspect Oliver James is talking shit. This seems to be all he ever goes on about.
I think rates of mental illness have a lot to do with diagnosis and awareness, whihc would account for differences between countries. It's a bit like when people say "we didn't have depression in the old days". They did, it was just called something different.
buy a lot of crap like magazines and pens, but usually can never decide what to buy if i have any money, so I do stupid stuff with it instead. Today, I am going to try and fill my bath with jelly, and hopefully my girlfriend will understand.
I can't see that either side if the argument is incorrect; certainly we live in a society by which status is dependent on what you own, earn etc. Equally, absolutely everybody seems to be convinced they have some sort of pyschological disorder.
They don't have to be exclusive strains of thought either; a therapy culture could be borne of a failure by many to achieve a high level of status in economic terms, an attempt to excuse their failure if you will. Similarly, consumer addiction could be a way of self-medicating for social anxieties.
It is competitiveness and over work that are the real issues, and I don't think anyone can argue that the countries mentioned have opened the door to both - they are all among the hardest working and most affluent of western societies.
The killer is that the affects trickle down onto those who do not necessarily wish to play along with the game. The pace of work (and the very fact that there should be pace at work) is set by the most strident and ambitious - often this is married to acquisitiveness.
Those who don't necessarily share these values must still keep up. To even question this is seen as heresy.
I used to spend too much money on clothes dvd's and other crap. I'm starting to realise that I never use some of the stuff I buy and a lot more gets used once or twice. I think I was happier when I had less.
I think I'm gonna get rid of all the crap I don't use. Anyone wanna buy a yamaha DD55?
What do people row about most? Money. What does money do? Buy you thinks to make you happy. What happens when you can't buy things that make you happy? YOu get sad. What is one aspect of sadness?Anger.
it just seems more and more people are turning to material possessions for happiness when its no real substitute and it never lasts.
i don't know if you could call people clinically depressed over it but i think society and individuals are becoming more and more isolated and fearful of others and i don't think that's a good thing.
of finding one cause of a problem and then assuming it to be the single cause of the problem.
I'm sure the problem he described contributes to depression in this country but is it the only factor? Definitely not.
If you actually work with depressed people and find out what they're problems are, there's a wide spectrum of causes (plus, of course, a far better understanding of mental health than there used to be) and to ascribe it to one cause in nonsenical in the extreme.
Not everyone can be Post Spice or David Beckham but people think that dressing like them and buying the same perfume as them somehow alleviates them from the fact that their lives and outcomes are 95% completely futile. Working in a 24hour petrol station with a Johnny Depp haircut and a broken marriage which couldn't match the pages of Hello really is the dark night of the soul
i think we live in a culture of excessive consumerism and it's not just buying more things, it's buying the newest things which is becoming more and more important. everything is so disposable these days and it's all about the "quick fix".
there's a book called not buying it where the writer decides to give up shopping for a year (bar basics and necessities). it looks at how identity is now constructed through consumerism rather than socially. it's really interesting.
Most of money is just spend on going out drinking etc.
I do buy lots of CD's, I don't see music as a material possesion though, it's a spiritual, emotional neccesity. Without it I don't think I could ever cope with everyday life.
I bet most of you don't see music as material.
Is the higher rate of mental illness in the Anglo-Saxon nations as compared to the Romance countries down to us buying more stuff, or more to do with rates of diagnosis and varying methods of treatment?
Thank you for bringing this particular article to my attention. Whilst I don't really agree with the argument put forward, there is an interesting underlying concept I shall have fun entertaining.
It occurs to me that study into human behavioural patterns and the manipulation thereof creates a rather interesting feedback loop. A loop in which both the behavioural patterns under study and the methods by which they are enhanced/manipulated change through every (presumably infinite) iteration.
With this in mind, rather than a greedy consumer society making us mentally ill. I'd propose that, as we advance our knowledge of 'what makes us tick' we become better at manipulating those ticks into a pattern that appeals to us. As that pattern develops, we become more or less resistant to changes in our 'ticking pattern' depending on whether or not the attempts to influence how we tick harmonise with how we're ticking now.
To solidify slightly, re-watch some adverts from the 80s on youtube, you're likely to exhibit a wry smile at some of the ideas that used to sell you things. It's not that people used to be stupid, or more easily led, it's that we're now ticking in a slightly different way through years of development (I shy away from the word manipulation due to its negative undertones - I don't necessarily believe this is a negative process).
As such, an individual, when exposed to a certain set of events (these don't necessarily have anything to do with consumerism, they could be members of the opposite sex, books, ideas, concepts, even this post) is changed in some way. Stronger, as individuals we attempt to change others, be it conciously or subconciously, and those attempts shape how people attempt to shape us... and around we go, lather, rinse, repeat as required.
Indeed, even the article itself is feeding back into who we are and how we respond. The mere suggestion that we, as a society, are sick will resonate in some way. The hapless author is thus left to either throw his hands up in despair that he's as much a part of 'the problem', or grin and accept that there is no problem at all - eventually that feedback loop is going to come back around and change everything anyway.
that we have panders and encourages all our weaknesses (it doesnt want to fight against our urges and excesses......as animals these urges and excesses are there to help us survive, when we become adept (though social structure developement and cultural developement) at surviving then the excess and non control of these causes problems, true human values or impetuses can be obscured by other control/consumerist systemic imperitives.
This is unhealthy.
The ideal consumer is not healthy, independant and satisfied with theirselves and their neighbours and family.....they MUST be disatisfied and unable to provide their own stuff (that was not hte original intention of systems, but that is what it has kind of become)
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Search
But the moment that is sure to spark the imaginations of Trekkies everywhere isn’t seen, it’s spoken — by the seeming villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch (i.e. Benny Batch). “You think your world is safe,” he intones darkly over shots that start out on Earth. “It is an illusion, a comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace. For I have returned. To have. My. Vengeance.”
You catch that? “For I have returned.” Wonder who in the Trek universe would have left Earth, only to return, filled with…what’s the right word? Wrath? Hmmm. I wonder…
It just doesn’t make sense for a franchise that has successfully, in my humble opinion, rebooted itself needs a legacy character, like Khan. It’s a smart move to sucker loyal fans with a Khan association, but create a new villain for the next generation of Trekkies. Loyal diehards like me will forgive, indeed ask for the misdirection. If anything, the first two series were always so damn earnest and straight. Why else would J.J. Abrams go out of his way not to hyphenate the title with something like “The New Generation” or a roman numeral? And, at least in the teaser, there’s none of the old Original score or monologue. The rebooted franchise can stand on its own. Anyway, it looks awesome!
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To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR
NORTH CAROLINA TOURISM DAY
2009
BY THE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, the travel and tourism industry in North Carolina is vital to our economic stability
and growth and it contributes substantially to North Carolina's cultural and social well-being; and
WHEREAS, travel is one of our most fundamental freedoms benefiting every citizen by
substantially enhancing our personal growth and education, while promoting intercultural understanding
and appreciation ofNorth Carolina's history, geography and culture; and
WHEREAS, tourism is a growth industry in North Carolina, generating $16.5 billion in
expenditures in 2007, adding nearly $1.3 billion in tax revenues to our state and local coffers and
employing more than 190,000 North Carolinians;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State ofNorth Carolina,
do hereby proclaim May 12, 2009, as "NORTH CAROLINA TOURISM DAY," and I call upon the
people ofNorth Carolina to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of
North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and
nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR
NORTH CAROLINA TOURISM DAY
2009
BY THE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, the travel and tourism industry in North Carolina is vital to our economic stability
and growth and it contributes substantially to North Carolina's cultural and social well-being; and
WHEREAS, travel is one of our most fundamental freedoms benefiting every citizen by
substantially enhancing our personal growth and education, while promoting intercultural understanding
and appreciation ofNorth Carolina's history, geography and culture; and
WHEREAS, tourism is a growth industry in North Carolina, generating $16.5 billion in
expenditures in 2007, adding nearly $1.3 billion in tax revenues to our state and local coffers and
employing more than 190,000 North Carolinians;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State ofNorth Carolina,
do hereby proclaim May 12, 2009, as "NORTH CAROLINA TOURISM DAY," and I call upon the
people ofNorth Carolina to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of
North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and
nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
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Facilities at the club
A unique club
Kingfisher is a dedicated 24/7 table tennis facility. As such, tables are always setup and ready to play.
A unique feature of our club is that members are provided with their own access key. Provided that tables have not been previously booked (see the Table Diary), members are allowed to practise whenever it is convenient to them.
Playing hall
For normal club and league use, the playing hall is arranged with two courts on one side of the hall and 3 tables for practice on the other. For match play each court has dedicated lighting, umpire's table and court surrounds. For coaching up to 6 tables (without barriers) are available. For tournament play the hall can be configured into 4 courts. The playing hall has seating for 24 people.
Can accommodate 4-6 tables
Quality Butterfly tables
Dedicated lighting for all tables
Social facilities
Adjacent to the playing hall is the social area which has viewing windows into the playing hall. The social facilities comprise a meeting area, central seating area, a fitted kitchen with fridge, microwave and kettle and entry to the male changing rooms and shower facilities. Accessed separately from the playing hall there is a female changing room (which is also equipped with disabled toilet and shower facilities) and a storage room.
Fitted kitchen
Central seating area
Meeting facilities
Viewing windows
Our fee structure does not allow for a daily cleaning contract, we don't provide 'mums' to clean and put away mugs or dishes - all members are asked to take personal responsibility for the club's cleanliness and to ensure that crockery and utensils are washed, dried and put away after use.
Heating is provided throughout the club, this has a management system with three separate zones (two in the playing hall and one in the social area) each zone has thermostatic control and is fully programmable.
Training aids
Y&T Robot
Available to all members after a short introduction to its setup and operation is a Y&T table tennis robot. A great resource to help improve your game and your fitness level. ... for more information see the Robot page
Videos
For member use, a large plasma monitor has been installed at the club and connected to a small desktop computer. The monitor and PC are not high specification but ideal for viewing pre-loaded videos of matches and training routines.
Last Updated: Saturday 9th August 2014
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About Us
Kingfisher Table Tennis Club is located to the East of Reading in Woodley. The purpose built building provides a modern full-time facility dedicated to the sport of Table Tennis.
As a Table Tennis England PremierClub with 4 star rating and Clubmark accreditation, we are committed to the development of table tennis in our locality and to providing an extensive schedule of activities for our members.
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Conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist blasted back at a Republican senator on Friday for backing off his promise to oppose tax increases.
Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he has dumped his pledge to Norquist about the tax increases, telling a Macon television station he “cares more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge,” referring to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge he signed when he first ran for the Senate.
Norquist, who heads the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform, created the pledge, which nearly every Republican member of congress has signed.
In a statement to Newsmax, Norquist said, "Sen. Chambliss promised the people of Georgia he would go to Washington and reform government rather than raise taxes to pay for bigger government. He made that commitment in writing to the people of Georgia.
"If he plans to vote for higher taxes to pay for Obama-sized government he should address the people of Georgia and let them know that he plans to break his promise to them."
Chambliss told 13WMAZ, that abiding by Norquist's pledge would do nothing to solve the nation's deficit problem.
He said he's willing to do what's necessary to reduce the federal debt and help get the nation back on a sound economic footing, even if that means finding new sources of revenue.
Norquist said that as recently as last year Chambliss had made it clear, when he joined the so-called Gang of Six looking for ways to reduce the deficit, that he would "not vote for any plan that raised taxes."
"That was a public letter he and co-signers Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo sent to the press to explain their negotiating position as they joined the Gang of Six in early 2011," said Norquist.
Norquist has often used the financial power of his group to help elect Republican members to Congress. He's also used it to help defeat candidates who won't sign his pledge or who renege on their no-tax promise.
Asked in the interview with the CBS-affiliate station if he thought Norquist would come after him in 2014 when he is up for re-election to the Senate, Chambliss said yes.
But he added, "I don't worry about that because I care too much about my country. I care a lot more about it than I do Grover Norquist."
Norquist responded, saying, "I miss his point in trying to attack me.
"Raising taxes on the people of Georgia to pay for Obama's reckless spending is not the right thing to do for America or Georgia. We have a problem because Washington spends too much, not because Sen. Chambliss has failed so far to raise taxes on the hard-working men and women of Georgia.
Norquist reminded Chambliss what happened to two people who he said reneged on taxation promises: President George H.W. Bush, with his famous "Read My Lips" comment, and Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, who, he said, "withdrew because polling showed he could not win a general election having both lied to his state and raised their taxes."
"I would urge all senators to oppose Obama's budget that raises taxes on the American people and sets the stage for larger taxes in the future on energy that will hit all Americans and raise the cost of living while reducing the number and quality of jobs in America.
“I hope and trust that Sen. Chambliss will keep his promise to Georgia and not raise taxes on the people of Georgia.”
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viktor yanukovych
Ukraine’s political turmoil has again made its way into the general election dialogue here in the U.S. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the name of Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, appears in a ledger documenting payments from a pro-Russian political group now under investigation for corruption. John Yang speaks with Times reporter Andrew Kramer for details. Continue reading →
President Obama urged Europeans to rededicate themselves to defending freedom in the face of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Meanwhile, Ukrainians say they’re ready to put the corruption of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych behind them. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner looks at the range of challenges to Ukraine’s future, and whether its new leadership is up to the task. Continue reading →
PBS NewsHour producer Morgan Till and chief foreign correspondent Margaret Warner have been reporting from Ukraine for the last week and a half. They have been in Crimea where voters decided to secede and join Russia, Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and in the capital Kiev, where Ukrainians have been rallying against Russian aggression. Along the way the pair made a stop to the site of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s splashy villa. In it they found relics to the former leader’s opulent lifestyle. Continue reading →
President Barack Obama said Friday afternoon that “we are now deeply concerned about reports of movements taken by the Russian Federation within Ukraine” and “there will be costs” to any military intervention. Continue reading →
WASHINGTON — A chemicals weapons attack in Syria last summer that the U.S. says killed more than 1,400 people was the world’s worst human rights violation of 2013, the Obama administration concluded Thursday.
The report by the State Department also foreshadowed the unrest that has gripped the Ukraine in recent weeks and toppled its government. Continue reading →
Ukrainians continue to flock to the Maidan in Kiev to pay their respects to the victims of the revolution that felled the government and the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. Matt Frei of Independent Television News talks to citizens on the streets about their grief, the fate of their former leader and the start of a new chapter for their country. Continue reading →
In our news wrap Monday, Ukrainian interim leaders issued a warrant for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych for the killings of protesters in bloody clashes. Yanukovych remains in hiding, while Kiev grieves the dead. Also, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest serving member of Congress ever, announced he will step down after 57 years in the House. Continue reading →
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Banana industry meeting in Cairns
Organisers are expecting up to 600 delegates to attend, to hear about production, marketing, disease management and vigilant control of imports.
The chairman of the Australian Banana Growers Council, Gary McCudden, says threats to growers, including black sigatoka, will be high on the agenda.
"The north Queensland industry has got that eradicated now and they'll be looking for area freedom with that in the future, and the other big industry [issue] is the import application...they're the two main issues on hand at the moment," he said.
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What do you do with a problem like Bill (Clinton)?
The Hill is reporting that staffers hired for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign “have been told that they must be ready to start their campaign roles at any moment — starting Monday.”
Given that Clinton signed the lease for a campaign office a few days ago and thus “started the clock on the 15 days the Federal Election Commission gives candidates from starting campaign activity to announcing their candidacy,” this is hardly news.
What I do find interesting is mention in the same story that “she will not be accompanied by her husband former President Bill Clinton” when “she launches her campaign and begins traveling to Iowa and New Hampshire.”
Bill is a legendary campaigner, but his baggage is considerable. And you never really know what he might say, not to mention that he could overshadow almost anyone.
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Category Archives: Kenneth Tynan
Dear Quote Investigator: A prominent show business personality was once asked how he or she became a star. The reply was a very funny absurdist remark about astrophysical star formation. Do you know who made this response?
Quote Investigator: In 1968 English theatre critic Kenneth Tynan wrote about U.S. television host Johnny Carson in the pages of “The Observer” of London. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: 1
This complicated man has total aplomb. He was once asked, not without aggression: “What made you a star?” Blandly, he replied, “I started out in a gaseous state, and then I cooled.”
Dear Quote Investigator: The late-night talk-show host Johnny Carson was one of the most successful entertainers in U.S. history. He spent thirty years as the star of “The Tonight Show” on the NBC television network. Before he embraced the celebrated nocturnal hosting duties he held nine different jobs. That fact might help to explain the following guidance attributed to him:
Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy.
His widely-distributed career advice quotation includes the above remark together with comments about inner peace and physical health. Would you kindly help me to find a citation?
Quote Investigator: Johnny Carson attended high school in Norfolk, Nebraska, and a few decades later he was pleased to receive an invitation to deliver the 1976 commencement address. His speech was described by drama critic Kenneth Tynan who wrote a lengthy profile of Carson in “The New Yorker” in 1978. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: 1
Having picked a profession, feel no compulsion to stick to it: “If you don’t like it, stop doing it. Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy.”
After Carson’s prepared remarks he engaged in a question-and-answer session. He also highlighted the pride engendered by the opportunity to talk at his former school:
The applause at the end was so clamorous that Carson felt compelled to improvise a postscript. “If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself,” he said. “And if you like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. I thank you all very much.”
Over the years the passages above have been combined and streamlined to generate a popular quotation.
1978 February 20, The New Yorker, Profiles: Fifteen Years of the Salto Mortale by Kenneth Tynan, Start Page 47, Quote Page 85, Published by The New Yorker Magazine, Inc., New York. (Accessed Online Archive of Page Scans at archives.newyorker.com on November 4, 2017) link↩
Dear Quote Investigator: I love the following catty quotation that was said by one Hollywood actor or actress about another performer who had allegedly slept her way to success:
She’s the original good time that’s been had by all.
Can you tell me who said this and who was the target of the gibe?
Quote Investigator: This wordplay joke is based on a comical modification of a traditional expression of enthusiasm: A good time was had by all. The jest is often attributed to the famous film star Bette Davis and sometimes to the influential English theatre critic Kenneth Tynan.
But neither is credited in the earliest instance of this quip located by QI which was published in a 1946 book by the prominent gossip columnist Earl Wilson. The actress who delivered the barb appeared in multiple films in the 1930s and 1940s but is not well known today. The target of her ire was unidentified [EWLC]:
The tallish, beautiful actress, Leonora Corbett, can also claw with her painted lips. Seeing a reputedly loose woman waggling past, Miss Corbett remarked, “There goes the original good time that’s been had by all.” Of an actress whose ability was said by everybody to be less than negative, Miss Corbett said, “She has more talent to the square head than anybody I know.”
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Lynyrd Skynyrd Announces Final Show
The last concert Lynyrd Skynyrd will play is going to be a hometown affair. Yesterday (April 20), they revealed one more date to their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour: a Sept. 2 date at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., the city where the band was formed. According to News4Jax, the band broke the news at the stadium, where the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars play, during the team’s annual State of the Franchise event. Kid Rock and Jason Aldean are slated as the opening acts, and others will be announced at a later date. It will be the first concert at the stadium since 2015. “This is a dream come true for the Lynyrd Skynyrd band,” singer Johnny Van Zant said at the presentation. “We’re going to rock the house here. … My brother and Gary [Rossington] and Allen Collins started this band a long time ago. We are on our farewell tour. It’s time to wrap it up. To be able to play Jacksonville, here, with the Jags, come on. It doesn’t get any better than that.” “We are very excited to have friends Jason Aldean and Kid Rock join us in our hometown of Jacksonville,” Rossington added. “Playing where the band got its start all those years ago is always special but having these guys with us makes it even sweeter. We can’t wait to rock EverBank Field!” Tickets go on sale on April 30 at 10AM, with various pre-sales beginning April 24 at 10AM. Skynyrd’s tour begins on May 4 at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla, and you can see all the dates here. “It’s hard to imagine, after all these years, the band that Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and myself started back in Jacksonville, would resonate for this long and to so many generations of fans,” Rossington said at the time. “I’m certain they are looking down from above, amazed that the music has touched so many.”
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Quiet, Please
Morales is determined to silence those who see his career as a roller-coaster
Erik Morales has heard the whispers, the ones that question whether his fights with Marco Antonio Barrera have taken so much out of him that he's not the same boxer he was before the two bouts with his hated Mexican countryman.
El Terrible has heard the whispers, sure. And Morales waves them off, angrily.
Morales is quick to point out that it was he who was awarded a split-decision victory over Barrera in their epic first meeting in February 2000. And while Barrera won a unanimous decision in their June 2002 rematch, many ringside observers had Morales as the winner.
In Morales' mind, he has more of a need for redemption against Guty Espadas, another rough-and-tumble Mexican fighter who gave him fits in a fight Morales also won in a controversial decision.
Morales (44-1, 33 knockouts) will get that opportunity Saturday night at Staples Center in a rematch with Espadas (37-5, 23) that serves as a World Boxing Council featherweight eliminator and the main event of the pay-per-view card.
"I thought I did a good job, did enough good things to win" against Espadas, Morales said, "but I could have done a lot better, and this second fight, I want to show how much better I could have been."
Morales, the WBC 126-pound champion who will vacate his title if he beats Espadas in the 130-pound weight class bout, said that "when I get criticism for being up and down for all my fights, I don't think that's true."
"It was just one fight. I don't have any ups and downs. That's what bothers me, when people say it's been up and down. It's not -- that one fight, maybe."
Morales plowed through Mike Juarez (third-round knockout), Kevin Kelley (TKO in the seventh) and Rodney Jones (first-round knockout) in his immediate matches after the first Barrera fight, a 122-pound bout.
But the whispers began after Espadas gave a less-than-sharp Morales more than anyone expected in a fight for Espadas' WBC 126-pound title, stunning Morales with a lead right midway through the 12th round. Morales ran for survival for the remainder of the fight and took Espadas' title with a unanimous decision.
Unknown Korean Injin Chi then took a sluggish Morales the distance, Morales looking the worse for wear but winning a unanimous decision. Morales took nearly a year off before facing Barrera again, this time at 126 pounds.
When Barrera refused to pay the WBC sanctioning fee for the title he took from Morales, a bout between Morales and Paulie Ayala took place in November for the vacant title. Morales pounded Ayala for 12 rounds, reclaiming the belt, then stopped Eddie Croft in three and Fernando Velardez in five.
Which brings the Tijuana-born Morales to this weekend and his first fight in nearly three years at 130 pounds, a weight class that is quickly becoming the most competitive in the sport today, with Morales, Espadas, WBC champion Jesus Chavez, International Boxing Federation champion Carlos Hernandez, Steve Forbes, Acelino Freitas, Joel Casamayor and Diego Corrales.
Morales' promoter, Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum, admitted he is gambling with the 5-foot-8 Morales not having to shed as many pounds as in past camps.
"I really don't know; you never know which Erik is going to show up for the fight," Arum said, recalling that Morales had allowed his weight to balloon to 160 pounds before the first Espadas fight. "But my feeling is that he's probably more of a natural 130-pounder than he is at a lighter weight."
Should everything fall according to Arum's plan, Morales will follow the Espadas fight with a match against Carlos Hernandez for his International Boxing Federation belt in February, should Hernandez beat Steve Forbes on Saturday night.
Morales would then meet Chavez for his WBC belt in late spring and then fight Barrera for the third time in September. That would set up an interesting negotiation, because Arum would have to go against Oscar De Le Hoya, Arum's biggest draw and Barrera's promoter, after he clears up legal trouble with former promoter John Jackson.
Fernando Beltran, Morales' manager, said the fighter has plans beyond winning a title at 130 and joining Julio Cesar Chavez as the second native-born Mexican to win championships in three different weight classes -- namely, jumping to 135 pounds and facing WBC lightweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Still, Morales and his camp know that he's forever linked to Barrera. Beltran said that Barrera missed his window at meeting Morales at a compromised weight of 128 pounds, and any future fight between the two would be at 130.
"The only thing I wish," Beltran said, "is that we do the fight soon."
Morales said that their respective careers should not be truly compared until each was retired.
In Mexico, Barrera is "still the favorite of a lot of people who still put him higher than me," Morales said with a sneer. "If the people want the fight, I will fight him a third time. It's just a question of if he wants to fight. I don't think he wants to fight me a third time."
If that's true, and until the trilogy is complete, the whispers will grow louder.
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News
Entries for April 2019
Holy Spirit 5th Grade Class
presents the
Annual Hanging Flower Basket Sale
A variety of flowering baskets will be offered for sale, available in time for Mother’s Day!
Saturday May 4, 2019
after 5:00pm Mass
&
Sunday May 5, 2019
after each Mass until sold out
Please help us raise funds for 6th Grade Camp!
&n...
Join Us for Stations of the Cross
At 7:00 PM Every Friday Evening during Lent
Then stay to hear our Speaker!
See the schedule below...
April 12 Fr. David Skillman -- "St. John the Baptist: Prophet of Repentance"
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Tag archives for Colonials
On this day in 1770, British soldiers fired into a group of colonial patriots in what is known as the “Boston Massacre.” Five civilians lost their lives in what is considered to be a critical incident leading up to the Revolutionary War. The colonials had grown tired of the British occupation and taxation in the American […]
Meet the DEN
Community Calendar: March 2015
Take a look at just some of the great stuff going on this month at Discovery Education. We invite you to join us.
Download the .pdf version. It has links for you to learn more about what’s happening each day.
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Main menu
Category Archives: Events
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Happy Mama’s Day to all the Mom’s out there! Being away from family has been tough, especially during holiday’s and special days like Mother’s Day but this year was special for me seeing as its my FIRST Mothers Day. I remember as a kid always wondering why we don’t have a “Daughter’s Day” and my Mom would always say “every day is daughter’s day sweetie”. Now I can relate and totally understand!
It was nice to sleep in and wake up to my hubby saying “Happy Mother’s Day” and seeing a huge grin on Mikayla’s face. That is the best part of my day! Having her smile at me whenever I say “good morning” is the best way to start the day! We had some friends in town visiting and they got me a gift certificate to Massage Envy! AHHHHHH yessss! Can’t wait for that one hour of blissful peace and body rubbing! We went downtown and had lunch at the Southend Brewery which I would NOT recommend. I have eaten there four times now and have been disappointed each time. Not sure why I keep thinking “next time will be different” because it never is. This will not be posted in my Charleston Favorites!
My hubby is amazing and got me this beautiful ring! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It’s a little big but I will be getting it sized at my jeweler in Albany at the end of the month.
I am truly blessed to have such an amazing husband and daughter and don’t know what I would do without them. I am looking forward to Father’s Day next month so I can spoil him back 🙂
Hope everyone had a great weekend! We were lucky to have several festivals happening around Charleston and fully took advantage of the awesome weather. Saturday we went to the Flowertown Festival in Summerville. Wow! I have never seen so many vendors in one place! We got there early and it was great. It wasn’t too crowded in the morning and we had fun walking around and seeing everything. Every kind of craft, food, music, etc. you can think of was there. A definite must for next year!
Sunday we attended the Cajun Festival in James Island with some friends. The weather was great! They had beer tents, food tents, various vendors, music and a crawfish eating contest. Just as we were getting ready to watch, Mikayla decides to get fussy so we took her cue and headed to the car. It had gotten pretty warm with the sun blazing down and she was due to eat. Our friends Matt and Vanessa came with us and we had blast hanging out and trying new food! Speaking of new food, ever heard of fried gator!? Well, down South they don’t mess around! I actually gave into my fear and tried it and it was good! I am not one to try funky, gross sounding things like fried gator but I did! Besides, Rob promised a ten minute massage if I just tried a bite! I definitely didn’t pass that up! I also tried crawfish, boiled peanuts and a corn dog!
Below are some pictures of the festival. Note to self for next year: bring chairs!!
Family shot
She loves to chew on her strap!
Fried gator!!
Looks like chicken!
Crawfish (wasn't much of a fan)
Matt getting a lesson on how to eat crawfish!
Going for it!
They like it!
What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten? Would you be willing to try gator? 😉 Would love to hear from you! ~CB
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Asked and Answered
I'm about to pay off my co-op loan. What evidence will I have from the bank that the loan has actually been paid off?
When you closed on the purchase of your co-op apartment (actually, when you purchased the cooperative shares allocated to your apartment), the bank retained the original stock certificate evidencing your ownership of your shares as well as your original proprietary lease, which gave you the appurtenant right to occupy your specific apartment. In addition, the bank filed a “UCC-1 Financing Statement” in the county where the apartment is located, letting the world know that the bank had a “security interest" in the said stock and lease, which was created as collateral for the loan the bank made to you at closing. When you pay off the cooperative loan, the bank will return the original stock and lease to you and will also forward a “UCC-3 Termination Statement” that must be filed in order to terminate the bank’s security interest in your cooperative shares. In most cases, the delivery of the collateral documents and UCC-3 Termination Statement takes place at the closing when you sell your apartment. When you pay off the loan prior to the sale of the apartment, the bank will actually forward the collateral documents to you, together with the “UCC-3” that you must file in order to terminate the bank’s security interest. It is probably a good idea to call the customer service department of your bank to let them know that you are about to pay off the loan, to insure that the collateral documents and lien release will be forwarded to the correct address when the final payment is received. If you have paid off your loan, when it’s time to sell your apartment, you will be expected to deliver the stock and lease as well as clear title to your shares. Make sure you obtain the stock and lease and file a UCC-3 Termination Statement as soon as possible after the glorious day that your obligations to your lender cease to exist.
"an immensely helpful blog"
Asked and Answered
I don’t smoke, but the smell of smoke is wafting into my apartment from my neighbor. Is there anything that can be done to remedy this condition?
My mortgage lender has informed me that the cooperative in which I am purchasing an apartment has inadequate insurance coverage and has requested that the co-op increase its coverage to meet the bank’s new minimum requirements. Can the bank withdraw its underwriting due to a lack of insurance coverage by the co-op?
A co-op owner asks: I have found that maintenance is usually higher in coops than in condos because of the contribution by the shareholders to the building's underlying mortgage payments. In condos, the unit owners only pay for real estate taxes and common charges for common areas. Will the monthly maintenance be reduced after the underlying mortgage has been fully amortized?
We just submitted the Board package and we realize that we neglected to disclose a lawsuit against my husband’s company, in which my husband is named as a defendant? The lawsuit is covered by insurance and my husband is indemnified from liability by his employer. Should we notify the managing agent and amend the purchase application?
We are negotiating the contract and we just found out that there is a substantial assessment that will go into effect the month that we close on the purchase. Should the assessment be deducted from the purchase price at closing?
I am buying an apartment in a small building and I just found out that the elevator is being renovated and will be out of service for three months. Do I have to close if the elevators will not be operational on the closing date?
My husband and I own a co-op and we would like to transfer the shares to an irrevocable trust that we recently created for estate planning purposes. Will our cooperative allow us to make that transfer?
My boyfriend and I are interested in buying our first apartment in a new construction condominium. Our mortgage broker tells us we should qualify for a 90% loan, but it will be a close call for the bank. The sponsor wants us to sign a “no contingency” contract. Is that a good idea?
We are considering a condo purchase in a new development that is only 25 percent sold. There is a bank that has approved the project and will make the loan, but should we be concerned about the number of units that the sponsor still has to sell?
We are buying an apartment that has been extensively renovated. Among other things, the size of the master bath was significantly increased. Can we rely on a representation in the contract that all required approvals were obtained from both the Cooperative Corporation and from the New York City Department of Buildings?
We received a draft of the contract of sale for the cooperative apartment we are buying and our social security numbers are on the front page! Our attorney told us that we will have to provide our identification numbers to the managing agent for a credit check as a part of the Board package, so it’s not a big deal. Do we have to list our socials on the contract?
I am considering an apartment in a new construction condominium. There is park under development by New York City that will greatly enhance the value of the condominium when it’s completed. Although the sponsor’s salesperson indicated that the first phase of the park will be completed in the next year or so, the Offering Plan contains a “Special Risk” that states that the sponsor gives no assurance as to when, if ever, the park will be completed. Who and what should I believe?
We are in negotiations to purchase a co-op apartment on the Upper East Side. Our lawyer reviewed the minutes and discovered that the building has a bedbug infestation. Should we go forward with our purchase?
At my closing, I had to reimburse the Seller for his New York State “STAR” rebate that appeared on the maintenance statement for the month following the Closing. What exactly is the STAR rebate and will I be able to obtain the rebate as well?
I just found out that the seller will be unable to close for an additional two weeks. As a result, I will have to extend my rate lock, at a cost of $1,200.00. Is the seller obligated to reimburse this cost?
We are selling our apartment to our neighbor, but our neighbor can’t afford to purchase our apartment unless she sells her apartment. Her lawyer wants the contract to provide that the purchase of our apartment is contingent upon the sale of her apartment. Our lawyer is advising us against including a provision that makes the transaction contingent on the sale of the buyer’s apartment. Should we go along with the contingency?
We are selling our co-op and the buyer is not obtaining a mortgage in connection with the purchase. The contract required the Board package to be submitted within 10 business days after the fully-executed contract was returned to the buyer. The buyer is two weeks late in submitting the package. Is the buyer in default?
I’m selling my condo and I have not been able to pay my common charges for the past six months (I lost my job). I have a buyer for the apartment, but the Board of Managers will not release the Waiver of the Right of First Refusal, unless I pay the outstanding balance of the common charges. I’m between a rock and a hard place, as I don’t have the money. What should I do?
I am combining two adjacent apartments that I own and I want the co-op to issue one stock certificate for both apartments. There is an outstanding UCC lien against one of the apartments. The other apartment is owned free of any liens. Can the co-op object to the combination?
My attorney asked me to contact the managing agent to verify the maintenance and assessment information that's disclosed in the contract for the apartment I intend to purchase. Isn't that my attorney's job?
Our application to purchase a co-op was turned down by the Board without an interview. Although our attorney asked the managing agent to disclose the reasons for the Board’s decision, none were given. Can the Board just turn our application down without any explanation?
I am buying a co-op in Manhattan. The managing agent is located in Brooklyn and refuses to send a closing representative to the attorney’s office for the buyer or seller located in Manhattan. Will everyone have to go to Brooklyn for the closing?
We are purchasing a condo that was occupied by a tenant at the time the contract was executed. We just did the walk through and there is damage to a portion of the floor that was hidden by the tenant’s furniture. Are we entitled to a repair credit at Closing?
A loan commitment was issued, but the bank requested an explanation for a $14.00 missed credit card payment that occurred nine years ago. Could the bank withdraw its commitment as a result of this missed payment?
A leaking pipe inside the wall of my co-op was recently replaced. The following month, my maintenance account was charged $1,000.00 on the theory that the pipe only serviced my apartment. Am I responsible for this repair?
We submitted our Board package a month ago, but the Board has not scheduled an interview or asked for any additional information. To make matters worse, the managing agent won’t give us any indication as to what’s going on. Is there anything we can do?
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With tremendous narrative pace, a meticulous eye for colorful detail and a tight grasp of historical setting and military action, poet and novelist Morgan (Gap Creek) delivers a rousing and affecting tale of the American Revolution. This gripping story of love and desperation is set in the brutal rebel-versus-loyalist bloodbath of 1780–1781 in North and South Carolina. Sixteen-year-old Josie Summers, a barefoot mountain girl, runs away from home after killing the stepfather who raped her. Alone, scared and hungry, having witnessed all kinds of violence, Josie disguises herself as a boy and is given shelter by an itinerant preacher, Rev. John Trethman. The preacher soon discovers her deception, but they become devoted to one another, and John marries her in a solitary ceremony. The two continue the deception to fool his congregation and the British authorities who are ruthlessly hunting for spies and seditionists. When John is taken prisoner by the British, who think he is a spy, Josie, now pregnant, believes her husband is dead. Still disguised as the boy Joseph, she joins a South Carolina militia company marching to the fateful battle at Cowpens in January 1781. Josie endures hunger, cold, grief, fear of discovery and the dangerous attentions of a cruel sergeant who guesses her secret. Meanwhile, John is forced to become a chaplain for the murderous dragoon legion commanded by sadistic Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton and his Tories are also marching to Cowpens, to a battle which will become known as the American Cannae. Morgan's portrayal of the savagery of the Southern war is graphic and shocking, making the love between Josie and John all the more tender and passionate. 15-city author tour.(Oct. 10)
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Nature Discriminates against Same-Sex Marriage
The definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman is not the result of bigotry; it’s the result of the unchangeable facts of biology. Marriage existed before government (and certainly before government attempted to define it). It’s the natural result of the fact that the man/woman union produces children, and it exists to bind the man, woman, and child together for the stable good of everyone in society.
Traditional marriage celebrates the bringing together of the two halves of humanity, the sexual union of a male and female that bears fruit in new life. Nature is terribly discriminatory, for only traditional marriages bring forth children. That’s why, when a male-female couple is unable to conceive, we sense the loss and mourn. Deep down, we know that marriage is oriented (not exclusively, but profoundly) toward procreation.
Same-sex marriages, on the other hand, can only serve as the basis of a family that has been engineered. Children do not flow naturally from the marriage. The relationship can be loving, stable, and committed, but the union is sterile, not artificially through birth control or tragically through infertility, but due to the nature of the union itself. Human bodies were designed to reproduce through the union of male and female. No other arrangement works. So, no matter how many times Macklemore sings “Same Love,” there is and will remain a profound difference in same-sex marriage versus traditional marriage. Only one kind of union can result in children.
It may seem like it’s useless to discuss lost political battles, but it’s still as necessary as ever for Christians to understand why we hold to a man/woman-only definition of marriage (see here for a theological reason, as well). Our understanding of the body, sexuality, and marriage will continue to be relevant, regardless of the law, not only because we will need to argue for our freedom to hold to this position in the future, but also because we must keep knowledge of this truth alive until our culture’s view of sexuality falls apart. And it will fall apart eventually. A false view of sexuality can’t be propped up forever because the consequences can’t be swept under the rug forever (for more on this, read Jeremy Neill’s argument that “On Human Sexuality, Conservative Victory is Inevitable”).
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Data Management for Managers and Above
Data management is an important tool as it is associated with the growth of organisations. Apart from basic elements, data management plays a vital role in almost every aspect. Unlike other sectors, the corporate world has an ample amount of data need to be allocated and managed for reference. One of the major reasons behind the need for managing data is its contribution to decision making. Therefore, the employees must master the tool of data management for better outcomes.
Role of Top Management
Take the top management people into account, the top-level executives. Their role in the organisation is to direct the chain of employees to achieve their objectives. The top managerial segment has an important role to play when they encounter into constructing effective mission and insight for the organisation or the employees. In simpler words, they are known as the strategic think-tank of the organisation.
Role of Managers in an organisation
They are the primary support of an organisation. Their contribution is directly subjected to growth and expansion. Considering the organisation, usually, it is very complex because of the number of factors such as their size, process, people and most importantly the type of business. However, every organisation sets a goal for all its employees and direct them to accomplish the target. Therefore, without high-level skills and proper communication, it is difficult to complete this challenging endeavour.
Following are the required managerial skills:
Technical Skills
Human Skills
Conceptual Skills
Analytical Skills
Diagnostic Skills
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
The definition of analytics is an interpretation of data, communication and discovery with the help of critical data. It is also stated that whether it is large or small corporate data is crucial for their growth and expansion. Therefore, mastering data management can be productive for the organisation and the people associated with it. Data management apart has a lot to offer. Some of the major contributions of data management are mentioned below:
Improved efficiency
Data management eliminates the usual problems faced by the organisation. Situations like unreadability and inaccessibility of the available data. Therefore, data management can be productive to the organisation as it increases efficiency and speeds up productivity.
Eliminate poor quality data
Allocating the data at one place would help the stakeholder to access them. The data can be updated regularly.
Improved decision-making
Every organisation has insight, ambition and goals. Since the corporate sector decision is majorly data-driven, therefore, managing the data would also enhance their decision-making process.
Regulation of content
Organising data and streamlining the data would allow them to keep track of the data they have put.
Effective prioritizing
The training would allow the professional to make a strategy based on the provided data.
Making the right decision for the company is very important as it influences the future of the company. Therefore, mastering data management would allow the professional to develop an effective strategy based on allocated and organised data. Data management helps the organisation and the professional to increase their productivity with the help of analytics. Managers and executives are the primary force in an organisation’s growth and expansion.
ATH offers many data management training based on the requirements of its clients. It promotes the field of analytics for better outcomes. Analytics can increase their productivity and enhance their field of vision. ATH increases the efficiency of its clients and helps them evolve in their respective careers.
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UN Global Compact Initiative
Project
Sustainability starts with an organisation’s value system and a principled approach to achieving the aims and objectives.
The UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles and Sustainability Development Goals are derived from: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and cover the four areas of human rights, labour,
environment and anti-corruption.
The aims and objectives of United Nations Global Compact are aligned to our BPW aims as well as our mission statements. The core business of BPW is gender equity and equal pay which is Global
Compact principle 6 and the Sustainability Goal 5 (SDG). Every federation should achieve these principles. Non- Government Organisations (NGO) can apply to be a participant to the UNGC
on line at no charge.
This would bring visibility for all our BPW Federations and projects on the UNGC website. It would also give us the opportunity to connect with other UNGC members and lobby them for gender equity
topics.
Documents
Project Leader
Marilyn joined BPW in 1999 and was National President from 2007 to 2013. Marilyn is currently Oceania Sub Regional Coordinator (2014 to 2017). In 2010 Marilyn became a Life Member of BPW
Australia. From 2011 Marilyn has been the Project Leader of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) encouraging Federations to become Participants to the UNGC. Marilyn has a passion for equal pay
and gender equity. While President of Australia Marilyn started a campaign for Australian women to have Paid Parental Leave and it was successful when the National Government introduced Paid
Parental Leave in 2001. Marilyn was the Leader of the National Equal Pay Alliance that was started by BPW Australia and now has 100 member organisations and over 300,000 women members. For
her commitment to gender issues and the rights of people, Marilyn has received two awards from BPW International. Marilyn has a commitment to charity work and was a Board Member of UNIFEM
Australia (UN Women) for three years and the founder of the global UNIFEM Spring Walk Campaign. The campaign raised thousands of dollars to help the women of East Timor who had suffered during
the guerrilla insurgence. Marilyn had a 35 year career in middle management in NSW Public Hospitals. Marilyn was honoured by becoming a Life Member in 2011 of the Health Services Union for
her advocacy and representing members across a broad spectrum of women and men. Marilyn holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Management) and a Graduate Diploma Change Management.
Languages: English
News
Successful Member Project Global Compact
01-03-2019
Project Leader Marilyn Forsythe presented her Member Project Global Compact at the BPW International Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Bangkok in October 2018. She was invited by
our BPW International UN Chair Catherine Bosshart to cooperate with her, and the Regional Coordinator for Latin America, Diana Barragan, invited her to present Global Compact at the
Latin America Regional Conference in Quito next September.
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Contact Information
Short Biography
Professor Yeates received his BS in 1983 and his PhD in 1988, both at UCLA. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, he returned to UCLA as a member of the faulty in 1990
Biography
After earning his Bachelor's degree at UCLA, Yeates stayed on to do his PhD research under the direction of Prof. Douglas Rees. There he helped determine the crystal structure of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center as part of a team racing to determine the first crystal structures of membrane proteins. He then moved to The Scripps Research Institute to do his postdoctoral research on the structure of poliovirus with Prof. James Hogle. Yeates returned to UCLA in 1990 to join the Faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His interdisciplinary research, combining molecular biology with computing and mathematics, has focused on macromolecular structure and computational genomics. His research findings include: an explanation for why proteins crystallize in certain favored arrangements, the discovery of thermophilic microbes rich in intracellular disulfide bonds, co-development of phylogenetic profile methods in genomics, development of designed protein cages or 'nanohedra', the discovery of novel topological features such as slipknots in thermostable proteins, and the elucidation of the structures of the carboxysome shell proteins. Yeates is a member of the Molecular Biology Institute, the California Nanosystems Institute, the Institute of Genomics and Proteomics, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has published approximately 100 research papers.
Research Interest
Molecular, Structural and Computational biology
Our research covers the areas of molecular, structural and computational biology.
In the area of structural biology, our emphasis is on supra-molecular protein assemblies. Much of our recent work has focused on bacterial microcompartments -- extraordinary protein assemblies comprised of thousands of subunits reminiscent of viral capsids. They encapsulate a series of enzymes within a protein shell, which controls the transport of substrates and products into and out of the microcompartment interior. They serve as primitive metabolic organelles in many bacteria. Our structural studies on these systems provided the first three-dimensional views of the shell proteins, and have generated long-needed mechanistic hypotheses for how bacterial microcompartments function.
Publications
2012
Although natural proteins are chiral and are all of one "handedness," their mirror image forms can be prepared by chemical synthesis. This opens up new opportunities for protein crystallography. A racemic mixture of the enantiomeric forms of a protein molecule can crystallize in ways that natural proteins cannot. Recent experimental data support a theoretical prediction that this should make racemic protein mixtures highly amenable to crystallization. Crystals obtained from racemic mixtures also offer advantages in structure determination strategies. The relevance of these potential advantages is heightened by advances in synthetic methods, which are extending the size limit for proteins that can be prepared by chemical synthesis. Recent ideas and results in the area of racemic protein crystallography are reviewed.
Racemic protein crystallography offers two key features: an increased probability of crystallization and the potential advantage of phasing centric diffraction data. In this study, a phasing strategy is developed for the scenario in which a crystal is grown from a mixture in which anomalous scattering atoms have been incorporated into only one enantiomeric form of the protein molecule in an otherwise racemic mixture. The structure of a protein crystallized in such a quasi-racemic form has been determined in previous work [Pentelute et al. (2008), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 9695-9701] using the multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) method. Here, it is shown that although the phases from such a crystal are not strictly centric, their approximate centricity provides a powerful way to break the phase ambiguity that ordinarily arises when using the single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) method. It is shown that good phases and electron-density maps can be obtained from a quasi-racemic protein crystal based on single-wavelength data. A prerequisite problem of how to establish the origin of the anomalous scattering substructure relative to the center of pseudo-inversion is also addressed.
Two new crystal structures of the Escherichia coli high affinity methionine uptake ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter MetNI, purified in the detergents cyclohexyl-pentyl-β-D-maltoside (CY5) and n-decyl-β-D-maltopyranoside (DM), have been solved in inward facing conformations to resolutions of 2.9 and 4.0 Å, respectively. Compared to the previously reported 3.7 Å resolution structure of MetNI purified in n-dodecyl-β-D-maltopyranoside (DDM), the higher resolution of the CY5 data enabled significant improvements to the structural model in several regions, including corrections to the sequence registry, and identification of ADP in the nucleotide binding site. CY5 crystals soaked with selenomethionine established details of the methionine binding site in the C2 regulatory domain of the ABC subunit, including the displacement of the side chain of MetN residue methionine 301 by the exogenous ligand. When compared to the CY5 or DDM structures, the DM structure exhibits a significant repositioning of the dimeric C2 domains, including an unexpected register shift in the intermolecular β-sheet hydrogen bonding between monomers, and a narrowing of the nucleotide binding space. The immediate proximity of the exogenous methionine binding site to the conformationally variable dimeric interface provides an indication of how methionine binding to the regulatory domains might mediate the phenomenon of transinhibition.
We describe a general computational method for designing proteins that self-assemble to a desired symmetric architecture. Protein building blocks are docked together symmetrically to identify complementary packing arrangements, and low-energy protein-protein interfaces are then designed between the building blocks in order to drive self-assembly. We used trimeric protein building blocks to design a 24-subunit, 13-nm diameter complex with octahedral symmetry and a 12-subunit, 11-nm diameter complex with tetrahedral symmetry. The designed proteins assembled to the desired oligomeric states in solution, and the crystal structures of the complexes revealed that the resulting materials closely match the design models. The method can be used to design a wide variety of self-assembling protein nanomaterials.
Designing protein molecules that will assemble into various kinds of ordered materials represents an important challenge in nanotechnology. We report the crystal structure of a 12-subunit protein cage that self-assembles by design to form a tetrahedral structure roughly 16 nanometers in diameter. The strategy of fusing together oligomeric protein domains can be generalized to produce other kinds of cages or extended materials.
2011
Bacterial microcompartments are large supramolecular assemblies, resembling viruses in size and shape, found inside many bacterial cells. A protein-based shell encapsulates a series of sequentially acting enzymes in order to sequester certain sensitive metabolic processes within the cell. Crystal structures of the individual shell proteins have revealed details about how they self-assemble and how pores through their centers facilitate molecular transport into and out of the microcompartments. Biochemical and genetic studies have shown that enzymes are directed to the interior in some cases by special targeting sequences in their termini. Together, these findings open up prospects for engineering bacterial microcompartments with novel functionalities for applications ranging from metabolic engineering to targeted drug delivery.
Disulfide bonds are generally not used to stabilize proteins in the cytosolic compartments of bacteria or eukaryotic cells, owing to the chemically reducing nature of those environments. In contrast, certain thermophilic archaea use disulfide bonding as a major mechanism for protein stabilization. Here, we provide a current survey of completely sequenced genomes, applying computational methods to estimate the use of disulfide bonding across the Archaea. Microbes belonging to the Crenarchaeal branch, which are essentially all hyperthermophilic, are universally rich in disulfide bonding while lesser degrees of disulfide bonding are found among the thermophilic Euryarchaea, excluding those that are methanogenic. The results help clarify which parts of the archaeal lineage are likely to yield more examples and additional specific data on protein disulfide bonding, as increasing genomic sequencing efforts are brought to bear.
Protein crystallization continues to be a major bottleneck in X-ray crystallography. Previous studies suggest that symmetric proteins, such as homodimers, might crystallize more readily than monomeric proteins or asymmetric complexes. Proteins that are naturally monomeric can be made homodimeric artificially. Our approach is to create homodimeric proteins by introducing single cysteines into the protein of interest, which are then oxidized to form a disulfide bond between the two monomers. By introducing the single cysteine at different sequence positions, one can produce a variety of synthetically dimerized versions of a protein, with each construct expected to exhibit its own crystallization behavior. In earlier work, we demonstrated the potential utility of the approach using T4 lysozyme as a model system. Here we report the successful application of the method to Thermotoga maritima CelA, a thermophilic endoglucanase enzyme with low sequence identity to proteins with structures previously reported in the Protein Data Bank. This protein had resisted crystallization in its natural monomeric form, despite a broad survey of crystallization conditions. The synthetic dimerization of the CelA mutant D188C yielded well-diffracting crystals with molecules in a packing arrangement that would not have occurred with native, monomeric CelA. A 2.4 Å crystal structure was determined by single anomalous dispersion using a seleno-methionine derivatized protein. The results support the notion that synthetic symmetrization can be a useful approach for enlarging the search space for crystallizing monomeric proteins or asymmetric complexes.
Details are emerging on the structure and function of a remarkable class of capsid-like protein assemblies that serve as simple metabolic organelles in many bacteria. These bacterial microcompartments consist of a few thousand shell proteins, which encapsulate two or more sequentially acting enzymes in order to enhance or sequester certain metabolic pathways, particularly those involving toxic or volatile intermediates. Genomic data indicate that bacterial microcompartment shell proteins are present in a wide range of bacterial species, where they encapsulate varied reactions. Crystal structures of numerous shell proteins from distinct types of microcompartments have provided keys for understanding how the shells are assembled and how they conduct molecular transport into and out of microcompartments. The structural data emphasize a high level of mechanistic sophistication in the protein shell, and point the way for further studies on this fascinating but poorly appreciated class of subcellular structures.
The polypeptide backbones of a few proteins are tied in a knot. The biophysical effects and potential biological roles of knots are not well understood. Here, we test the consequences of protein knotting by taking a monomeric protein, carbonic anhydrase II, whose native structure contains a shallow knot, and polymerizing it end-to-end to form a deeply and multiply knotted polymeric filament. Thermal stability experiments show that the polymer is stabilized against loss of structure and aggregation by the presence of deep knots.
Combining the concepts of synthetic symmetrization with the approach of engineering metal-binding sites, we have developed a new crystallization methodology termed metal-mediated synthetic symmetrization. In this method, pairs of histidine or cysteine mutations are introduced on the surface of target proteins, generating crystal lattice contacts or oligomeric assemblies upon coordination with metal. Metal-mediated synthetic symmetrization greatly expands the packing and oligomeric assembly possibilities of target proteins, thereby increasing the chances of growing diffraction-quality crystals. To demonstrate this method, we designed various T4 lysozyme (T4L) and maltose-binding protein (MBP) mutants and cocrystallized them with one of three metal ions: copper (Cu²⁺, nickel (Ni²⁺), or zinc (Zn²⁺). The approach resulted in 16 new crystal structures--eight for T4L and eight for MBP--displaying a variety of oligomeric assemblies and packing modes, representing in total 13 new and distinct crystal forms for these proteins. We discuss the potential utility of the method for crystallizing target proteins of unknown structure by engineering in pairs of histidine or cysteine residues. As an alternate strategy, we propose that the varied crystallization-prone forms of T4L or MBP engineered in this work could be used as crystallization chaperones, by fusing them genetically to target proteins of interest.
SsfX3 is a GDSL family acyltransferase that transfers salicylate to the C-4 hydroxyl of a tetracycline intermediate in the penultimate step during biosynthesis of the anticancer natural product SF2575. The C-4 salicylate takes the place of the more common C-4 dimethylamine functionality, making SsfX3 the first acyltransferase identified to act on a tetracycline substrate. The crystal structure of SsfX3 was determined at 2.5 Å, revealing two distinct domains as follows: an N-terminal β-sandwich domain that resembles a carbohydrate-binding module, and a C-terminal catalytic domain that contains the atypical α/β-hydrolase fold found in the GDSL hydrolase family of enzymes. The active site lies at one end of a large open binding pocket, which is spatially defined by structural elements from both the N- and C-terminal domains. Mutational analysis in the putative substrate binding pocket identified residues from both domains that are important for binding the acyl donor and acceptor. Furthermore, removal of the N-terminal carbohydrate-binding module-like domain rendered the stand-alone α/β-hydrolase domain inactive. The additional noncatalytic module is therefore proposed to be required to define the binding pocket and provide sufficient interactions with the spatially extended tetracyclic substrate. SsfX3 was also demonstrated to accept a variety of non-native acyl groups. This relaxed substrate specificity toward the acyl donor allowed the chemoenzymatic biosynthesis of C-4-modified analogs of the immediate precursor to the bioactive SF2575; these were used to assay the structure activity relationships at the C-4 position.
2010
Some bacteria contain organelles or microcompartments consisting of a large virion-like protein shell encapsulating sequentially acting enzymes. These organized microcompartments serve to enhance or protect key metabolic pathways inside the cell. The variety of bacterial microcompartments provide diverse metabolic functions, ranging from CO(2) fixation to the degradation of small organic molecules. Yet they share an evolutionarily related shell, which is defined by a conserved protein domain that is widely distributed across the bacterial kingdom. Structural studies on a number of these bacterial microcompartment shell proteins are illuminating the architecture of the shell and highlighting its critical role in controlling molecular transport into and out of microcompartments. Current structural, evolutionary, and mechanistic ideas are discussed, along with genomic studies for exploring the function and diversity of this family of bacterial organelles.
Many bacterial cells contain proteinaceous microcompartments that act as simple organelles by sequestering specific metabolic processes involving volatile or toxic metabolites. Here we report the three-dimensional (3D) crystal structures, with resolutions between 1.65 and 2.5 angstroms, of the four homologous proteins (EutS, EutL, EutK, and EutM) that are thought to be the major shell constituents of a functionally complex ethanolamine utilization (Eut) microcompartment. The Eut microcompartment is used to sequester the metabolism of ethanolamine in bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. The four Eut shell proteins share an overall similar 3D fold, but they have distinguishing structural features that help explain the specific roles they play in the microcompartment. For example, EutL undergoes a conformational change that is probably involved in gating molecular transport through shell protein pores, whereas structural evidence suggests that EutK might bind a nucleic acid component. Together these structures give mechanistic insight into bacterial microcompartments.
Hundreds of bacterial species produce proteinaceous microcompartments (MCPs) that act as simple organelles by confining the enzymes of metabolic pathways that have toxic or volatile intermediates. A fundamental unanswered question about bacterial MCPs is how enzymes are packaged within the protein shell that forms their outer surface. Here, we report that a short N-terminal peptide is necessary and sufficient for packaging enzymes into the lumen of an MCP involved in B(12)-dependent 1,2-propanediol utilization (Pdu MCP). Deletion of 10 or 14 amino acids from the N terminus of the propionaldehyde dehydrogenase (PduP) enzyme, which is normally found within the Pdu MCP, substantially impaired packaging, with minimal effects on its enzymatic activity. Fusion of the 18 N-terminal amino acids from PduP to GFP, GST, or maltose-binding protein resulted in their encapsulation within MCPs. Bioinformatic analyses revealed N-terminal extensions in two additional Pdu proteins and three proteins from two unrelated MCPs, suggesting that N-terminal peptides may be used to package proteins into diverse MCPs. The potential uses of MCP assembly principles in nature and in biotechnology are discussed.
The crystal structure of a putative NTPase, YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15 (PF09934, DUF2166) was determined to 1.78 Å resolution. YP_001813558.1 and its homologs (dimeric dUTPases, MazG proteins and HisE-encoded phosphoribosyl ATP pyrophosphohydrolases) form a superfamily of all-α-helical NTP pyrophosphatases. In dimeric dUTPase-like proteins, a central four-helix bundle forms the active site. However, in YP_001813558.1, an unexpected intertwined swapping of two of the helices that compose the conserved helix bundle results in a `linked dimer' that has not previously been observed for this family. Interestingly, despite this novel mode of dimerization, the metal-binding site for divalent cations, such as magnesium, that are essential for NTPase activity is still conserved. Furthermore, the active-site residues that are involved in sugar binding of the NTPs are also conserved when compared with other α-helical NTPases, but those that recognize the nucleotide bases are not conserved, suggesting a different substrate specificity.
The 50-residue snake venom protein L-omwaprin and its enantiomer D-omwaprin were prepared by total chemical synthesis. Radial diffusion assays were performed against Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus anthracis; both L- and D-omwaprin showed antibacterial activity against B. megaterium. The native protein enantiomer, made of L-amino acids, failed to crystallize readily. However, when a racemic mixture containing equal amounts of L- and D-omwaprin was used, diffraction quality crystals were obtained. The racemic protein sample crystallized in the centrosymmetric space group P2(1)/c and its structure was determined at atomic resolution (1.33 A) by a combination of Patterson and direct methods based on the strong scattering from the sulfur atoms in the eight cysteine residues per protein. Racemic crystallography once again proved to be a valuable method for obtaining crystals of recalcitrant proteins and for determining high-resolution X-ray structures by direct methods.
A very small number of natural proteins have folded configurations in which the polypeptide backbone is knotted. Relatively little is known about the folding energy landscapes of such proteins, or how they have evolved. We explore those questions here by designing a unique knotted protein structure. Biophysical characterization and X-ray crystal structure determination show that the designed protein folds to the intended configuration, tying itself in a knot in the process, and that it folds reversibly. The protein folds to its native, knotted configuration approximately 20 times more slowly than a control protein, which was designed to have a similar tertiary structure but to be unknotted. Preliminary kinetic experiments suggest a complicated folding mechanism, providing opportunities for further characterization. The findings illustrate a situation where a protein is able to successfully traverse a complex folding energy landscape, though the amino acid sequence of the protein has not been subjected to evolutionary pressure for that ability. The success of the design strategy--connecting two monomers of an intertwined homodimer into a single protein chain--supports a model for evolution of knotted structures via gene duplication.
Here we report the total synthesis of kaliotoxin by 'one pot' native chemical ligation of three synthetic peptides. A racemic mixture of D- and L-kaliotoxin synthetic protein molecules gave crystals in the centrosymmetric space group P1 that diffracted to atomic-resolution (0.95 Å), enabling the X-ray structure of kaliotoxin to be determined by direct methods.
Bacterial microcompartments are a functionally diverse group of proteinaceous organelles that confine specific reaction pathways in the cell within a thin protein-based shell. The propanediol utilizing (Pdu) microcompartment contains the reactions for metabolizing 1,2-propanediol in certain enteric bacteria, including Salmonella. The Pdu shell is assembled from a few thousand protein subunits of several different types. Here we report the crystal structures of two key shell proteins, PduA and PduT. The crystal structures offer insights into the mechanisms of Pdu microcompartment assembly and molecular transport across the shell. PduA forms a symmetric homohexamer whose central pore appears tailored for facilitating transport of the 1,2-propanediol substrate. PduT is a novel, tandem domain shell protein that assembles as a pseudohexameric homotrimer. Its structure reveals an unexpected site for binding an [Fe-S] cluster at the center of the PduT pore. The location of a metal redox cofactor in the pore of a shell protein suggests a novel mechanism for either transferring redox equivalents across the shell or for regenerating luminal [Fe-S] clusters.
Many of the functional units in cells are multi-protein complexes such as RNA polymerase, the ribosome, and the proteasome. For such units to work together, one might expect a high level of regulation to enable co-appearance or repression of sets of complexes at the required time. However, this type of coordinated regulation between whole complexes is difficult to detect by existing methods for analyzing mRNA co-expression. We propose a new methodology that is able to detect such higher order relationships.
Carboxysomes are primitive bacterial organelles that function as a part of a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) under conditions where inorganic carbon is limiting. The carboxysome enhances the efficiency of cellular carbon fixation by encapsulating together carbonic anhydrase and the CO(2)-fixing enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). The carboxysome has a roughly icosahedral shape with an outer shell between 800 and 1500 A in diameter, which is constructed from a few thousand small protein subunits. In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the previous structure determination of two homologous shell protein subunits, CcmK2 and CcmK4, elucidated how the outer shell is formed by the tight packing of CcmK hexamers into a molecular layer. Here we describe the crystal structure of the hexameric shell protein CcmK1, along with structures of mutants of both CcmK1 and CcmK2 lacking their sometimes flexible C-terminal tails. Variations in the way hexamers pack into layers are noted, while sulfate ions bound in pores through the layer provide further support for the hypothesis that the pores serve for transport of substrates and products into and out of the carboxysome. One of the new structures provides a high-resolution (1.3 A) framework for subsequent computational studies of molecular transport through the pores. Crystal and solution studies of the C-terminal deletion mutants demonstrate the tendency of the terminal segments to participate in protein--protein interactions, thereby providing a clue as to which side of the molecular layer of hexameric shell proteins is likely to face toward the carboxysome interior.
Bacterial microcompartments are supramolecular protein assemblies that function as bacterial organelles by compartmentalizing particular enzymes and metabolic intermediates. The outer shells of these microcompartments are assembled from multiple paralogous structural proteins. Because the paralogs are required to assemble together, their genes are often transcribed together from the same operon, giving rise to a distinctive genomic pattern: multiple, typically small, paralogous proteins encoded in close proximity on the bacterial chromosome. To investigate the generality of this pattern in supramolecular assemblies, we employed a comparative genomics approach to search for protein families that show the same kind of genomic pattern as that exhibited by bacterial microcompartments. The results indicate that a variety of large supramolecular assemblies fit the pattern, including bacterial gas vesicles, bacterial pili, and small heat-shock protein complexes. The search also retrieved several widely distributed protein families of presently unknown function. The proteins from one of these families were characterized experimentally and found to show a behavior indicative of supramolecular assembly. We conclude that cotranscribed paralogs are a common feature of diverse supramolecular assemblies, and a useful genomic signature for discovering new kinds of large protein assemblies from genomic data.
Simvastatin is the active pharmaceutical ingredient of the blockbuster cholesterol lowering drug Zocor. We have previously developed an Escherichia coli based whole-cell biocatalytic platform towards the synthesis of simvastatin sodium salt (SS) starting from the precursor monacolin J sodium salt (MJSS). The centerpiece of the biocatalytic approach is the simvastatin synthase LovD, which is highly prone to misfolding and aggregation when overexpressed from E. coli. Increasing the solubility of LovD without decreasing its catalytic activity can therefore elevate the performance of the whole-cell biocatalyst. Using a combination of homology structural prediction and site-directed mutagenesis, we identified two cysteine residues in LovD that are responsible for nonspecific intermolecular crosslinking, which leads to oligomer formation and protein aggregation. Replacement of Cys40 and Cys60 with alanine residues resulted in marked gain in both protein solubility and whole-cell biocatalytic activities. Further mutagenesis experiments converting these two residues to small or polar natural amino acids showed that C40A and C60N are the most beneficial, affording 27% and 26% increase in whole cell activities, respectively. The double mutant C40A/C60N combines the individual improvements and displayed approximately 50% increase in protein solubility and whole-cell activity. Optimized fed-batch high-cell-density fermentation of the double mutant in an E. coli strain engineered for simvastatin production quantitatively (>99%) converted 45 mM MJSS to SS within 18 h, which represents a significant improvement over the performance of wild-type LovD under identical conditions. The high efficiency of the improved whole-cell platform renders the biocatalytic synthesis of SS an attractive substitute over the existing semisynthetic routes.
Human thymocyte nuclear protein 1 contains a unique DUF55 domain consisting of 167 residues (55-221), but its cellular function remains unclear. Crystals of DUF55 belonged to the trigonal space group P3(1), but twinning caused the data to approach apparent 622 symmetry. Two data sets were collected to 2.3 A resolution. Statistical analysis confirmed that both data sets were partially twinned by tetartohedry. Tetartohedral twin fractions were estimated. After the structure had been determined, only one twofold axis of rotational pseudosymmetry was found in the crystal structure. Using the DALI program, a YTH domain, which is a potential RNA-binding domain from human YTH-domain-containing protein 2, was identified as having the most similar three-dimensional fold to that of DUF55. It is thus implied that DUF55 might be a potential RNA-related domain.
Lattice-translocation or crystal order-disorder phenomena occur when some layers or groups of molecules in a crystal are randomly displaced relative to other groups of molecules by a discrete set of vectors. In previous work, the effects of lattice translocation on diffraction intensities have been corrected by considering that the observed intensities are the product of the intensities from an ideal crystal (lacking disorder) multiplied by the squared magnitude of the Fourier transform of the set of translocation vectors. Here, the structure determination is presented of carboxysome protein CsoS1C from Halothiobacillius neapolitanus in a crystal exhibiting a lattice translocation with unique features. The diffraction data are fully accounted for by a crystal unit cell composed of two layers of cyclic protein hexamers. The first layer is fully ordered (i.e. has one fixed position), while the second layer randomly takes one of three alternative positions whose displacements are related to each other by threefold symmetry. Remarkably, the highest symmetry present in the crystal is P3, yet the intensity data (and the Patterson map) obey 6/m instead of \overline 3 symmetry; the intensities exceed the symmetry expected from combining the crystal space group with an inversion center. The origin of this rare phenomenon, known as symmetry enhancement, is discussed and shown to be possible even for a perfectly ordered crystal. The lattice-translocation treatment described here may be useful in analyzing other cases of disorder in which layers or groups of molecules are shifted in multiple symmetry-related directions.
Enzymes from natural product biosynthetic pathways are attractive candidates for creating tailored biocatalysts to produce semisynthetic pharmaceutical compounds. LovD is an acyltransferase that converts the inactive monacolin J acid (MJA) into the cholesterol-lowering lovastatin. LovD can also synthesize the blockbuster drug simvastatin using MJA and a synthetic alpha-dimethylbutyryl thioester, albeit with suboptimal properties as a biocatalyst. Here we used directed evolution to improve the properties of LovD toward semisynthesis of simvastatin. Mutants with improved catalytic efficiency, solubility, and thermal stability were obtained, with the best mutant displaying an approximately 11-fold increase in an Escherichia coli-based biocatalytic platform. To understand the structural basis of LovD enzymology, seven X-ray crystal structures were determined, including the parent LovD, an improved mutant G5, and G5 cocrystallized with ligands. Comparisons between the structures reveal that beneficial mutations stabilize the structure of G5 in a more compact conformation that is favorable for catalysis.
Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are large intracellular bodies that serve as simple organelles in many bacteria. They are proteinaceous structures composed of key enzymes encapsulated by a polyhedral protein shell. In previous studies, the organization of these large shells has been inferred from the conserved packing of the component shell proteins in two-dimensional (2D) layers within the context of three-dimensional (3D) crystals. Here, we show that well-ordered, 2D crystals of carboxysome shell proteins assemble spontaneously when His-tagged proteins bind to a monolayer of nickelated lipid molecules at an air-water interface. The molecular packing within the 2D crystals recapitulates the layered hexagonal sheets observed in 3D crystals. The results reinforce current models for the molecular design of BMC shells.
2008
The carboxysome is a bacterial microcompartment that functions as a simple organelle by sequestering enzymes involved in carbon fixation. The carboxysome shell is roughly 800 to 1400 angstroms in diameter and is assembled from several thousand protein subunits. Previous studies have revealed the three-dimensional structures of hexameric carboxysome shell proteins, which self-assemble into molecular layers that most likely constitute the facets of the polyhedral shell. Here, we report the three-dimensional structures of two proteins of previously unknown function, CcmL and OrfA (or CsoS4A), from the two known classes of carboxysomes, at resolutions of 2.4 and 2.15 angstroms. Both proteins assemble to form pentameric structures whose size and shape are compatible with formation of vertices in an icosahedral shell. Combining these pentamers with the hexamers previously elucidated gives two plausible, preliminary atomic models for the carboxysome shell.
The structure of actin in its monomeric form is known at high resolution, while the structure of filamentous F-actin is only understood at considerably lower resolution. Knowing precisely how the monomers of actin fit together would lead to a deeper understanding of the dynamic behavior of the actin filament. Here, a series of crystal structures of actin dimers are reported which were prepared by cross-linking in either the longitudinal or the lateral direction in the filament state. Laterally cross-linked dimers, comprised of monomers belonging to different protofilaments, are found to adopt configurations in crystals that are not related to the native structure of filamentous actin. In contrast, multiple structures of longitudinal dimers consistently reveal the same interface between monomers within a single protofilament. The reappearance of the same longitudinal interface in multiple crystal structures adds weight to arguments that the interface visualized is similar to that in actin filaments. Highly conserved atomic interactions involving residues 199-205 and 287-291 are highlighted.
Cystathionine beta-synthase domains are found in a myriad of proteins from organisms across the tree of life and have been hypothesized to function as regulatory modules that sense the energy charge of cells. Here we characterize the structure and stability of PAE2072, a dimeric tandem cystathionine beta-synthase domain protein from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. Crystal structures of the protein in unliganded and AMP-bound forms, determined at resolutions of 2.10 and 2.35 A, respectively, reveal remarkable conservation of key functional features seen in the gamma subunit of the eukaryotic AMP-activated protein kinase. The structures also confirm the presence of a suspected intermolecular disulfide bond between the two subunits that is shown to stabilize the protein. Our AMP-bound structure represents a first step in investigating the function of a large class of uncharacterized prokaryotic proteins. In addition, this work extends previous studies that have suggested that, in certain thermophilic microbes, disulfide bonds play a key role in stabilizing intracellular proteins and protein-protein complexes.
The Pdu microcompartment is a proteinaceous, subcellular structure that serves as an organelle for the metabolism of 1,2-propanediol in Salmonella enterica. It encapsulates several related enzymes within a shell composed of a few thousand protein subunits. Recent structural studies on the carboxysome, a related microcompartment involved in CO(2) fixation, have concluded that the major shell proteins from that microcompartment form hexamers that pack into layers comprising the facets of the shell. Here we report the crystal structure of PduU, a protein from the Pdu microcompartment, representing the first structure of a shell protein from a noncarboxysome microcompartment. Though PduU is a hexamer like other characterized shell proteins, it has undergone a circular permutation leading to dramatic differences in the hexamer pore. In view of the hypothesis that microcompartment metabolites diffuse across the outer shell through these pores, the unique structure of PduU suggests the possibility of a special functional role.
Many bacteria contain intracellular microcompartments with outer shells that are composed of thousands of protein subunits and interiors that are filled with functionally related enzymes. These microcompartments serve as organelles by sequestering specific metabolic pathways in bacterial cells. The carboxysome, a prototypical bacterial microcompartment that is found in cyanobacteria and some chemoautotrophs, encapsulates ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) and carbonic anhydrase, and thereby enhances carbon fixation by elevating the levels of CO2 in the vicinity of RuBisCO. Evolutionarily related, but functionally distinct, microcompartments are present in diverse bacteria. Although bacterial microcompartments were first observed more than 40 years ago, a detailed understanding of how they function is only now beginning to emerge.
In most cases of merohedral twinning, two different twin-domain orientations are present. A rarer type of merohedral twinning exists in which there are four different twin-domain orientations. The former case is referred to as hemihedral twinning, while the latter more complex type is referred to as tetartohedral twinning. In tetartohedral twinning, each observed reflection is the weighted sum of four twin-related but otherwise independent reflection intensities. The weights that determine how the true crystallographic intensities combine to give the observed intensities are described by four twin fractions representing the fractional volumes of the four different domain orientations within the specimen. Here, equations are developed to determine values for the four tetartohedral twin fractions based on a statistical comparison of quadruplets of twin-related reflections. Knowledge of the twin fractions is important in working backwards to obtain values for the true crystallographic intensities. Use of the equations is demonstrated with synthetic intensity data simulated according to given values of the twin fractions.
The Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of a severe diarrheal disease that afflicts three to five million persons annually, causing up to 200,000 deaths. Nearly all V. cholerae strains produce a large multifunctional-autoprocessing RTX toxin (MARTX(Vc)), which contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of cholera in model systems. The actin cross-linking domain (ACD) of MARTX(Vc) directly catalyzes a covalent cross-linking of monomeric G-actin into oligomeric chains and causes cell rounding, but the nature of the cross-linked bond and the mechanism of the actin cytoskeleton disruption remained elusive. To elucidate the mechanism of ACD action and effect on actin, we identified the covalent cross-link bond between actin protomers using limited proteolysis, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry. We report here that ACD catalyzes the formation of an intermolecular iso-peptide bond between residues E270 and K50 located in the hydrophobic and the DNaseI-binding loops of actin, respectively. Mutagenesis studies confirm that no other residues on actin can be cross-linked by ACD both in vitro and in vivo. This cross-linking locks actin protomers into an orientation different from that of F-actin, resulting in strong inhibition of actin polymerization. This report describes a microbial toxin mechanism acting via iso-peptide bond cross-linking between host proteins and is, to the best of our knowledge, the only known example of a peptide linkage between nonterminal glutamate and lysine side chains.
Many bacteria conditionally express proteinaceous organelles referred to here as microcompartments (Fig. 1). These microcompartments are thought to be involved in a least seven different metabolic processes and the number is growing. Microcompartments are very large and structurally sophisticated. They are usually about 100-150 nm in cross section and consist of 10,000-20,000 polypeptides of 10-20 types. Their unifying feature is a solid shell constructed from proteins having bacterial microcompartment (BMC) domains. In the examples that have been studied, the microcompartment shell encases sequentially acting metabolic enzymes that catalyze a reaction sequence having a toxic or volatile intermediate product. It is thought that the shell of the microcompartment confines such intermediates, thereby enhancing metabolic efficiency and/or protecting cytoplasmic components. Mechanistically, however, this creates a paradox. How do microcompartments allow enzyme substrates, products and cofactors to pass while confining metabolic intermediates in the absence of a selectively permeable membrane? We suggest that the answer to this paradox may have broad implications with respect to our understanding of the fundamental properties of biological protein sheets including microcompartment shells, S-layers and viral capsids.
We report an effective method to fabricate two-dimensional (2D) periodic oxide nanopatterns using S-layer proteins as a template. Specifically, S-layer proteins with a unit cell dimension of 20 nm were reassembled on silicon substrate to form 2D arrays with ordered pores of nearly identical sizes (9 nm). Octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) was utilized to selectively react with the S-layer proteins, but not the Si surface exposed through the pores defined by the proteins. Because of the different surface functional groups on the ODTS-modified S-layer proteins and Si surface, area-selective atomic layer deposition of metal oxide-based high-k materials, such as hafnium oxide, in the pores was achieved. The periodic metal oxide nanopatterns were generated on Si substrate after selective removal of the ODTS-modified S-layer proteins. These nanopatterns of high-k materials are expected to facilitate further downscaling of logic and memory nanoelectronic devices.
2007
The question of whether novel, structurally different protein folds might have arisen from existing ones is crucial to understanding protein evolution. Recent work on cysteine-rich domains in Hydra proteins illuminates how evolutionary transitions between dramatically different structures might occur.
A growing number of organisms have been discovered inhabiting extreme environments, including temperatures in excess of 100 degrees C. How cellular proteins from such organisms retain their native folds under extreme conditions is still not fully understood. Recent computational and structural studies have identified disulfide bonding as an important mechanism for stabilizing intracellular proteins in certain thermophilic microbes. Here, we present the first proteomic analysis of intracellular disulfide bonding in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. Our study reveals that the utilization of disulfide bonds extends beyond individual proteins to include many protein-protein complexes. We report the 1.6 A crystal structure of one such complex, a citrate synthase homodimer. The structure contains two intramolecular disulfide bonds, one per subunit, which result in the cyclization of each protein chain in such a way that the two chains are topologically interlinked, rendering them inseparable. This unusual feature emphasizes the variety and sophistication of the molecular mechanisms that can be achieved by evolution.
The carboxysome is a bacterial organelle that functions to enhance the efficiency of CO2 fixation by encapsulating the enzymes ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) and carbonic anhydrase. The outer shell of the carboxysome is reminiscent of a viral capsid, being constructed from many copies of a few small proteins. Here we describe the structure of the shell protein CsoS1A from the chemoautotrophic bacterium Halothiobacillus neapolitanus. The CsoS1A protein forms hexameric units that pack tightly together to form a molecular layer, which is perforated by narrow pores. Sulfate ions, soaked into crystals of CsoS1A, are observed in the pores of the molecular layer, supporting the idea that the pores could be the conduit for negatively charged metabolites such as bicarbonate, which must cross the shell. The problem of diffusion across a semiporous protein shell is discussed, with the conclusion that the shell is sufficiently porous to allow adequate transport of small molecules. The molecular layer formed by CsoS1A is similar to the recently observed layers formed by cyanobacterial carboxysome shell proteins. This similarity supports the argument that the layers observed represent the natural structure of the facets of the carboxysome shell. Insights into carboxysome function are provided by comparisons of the carboxysome shell to viral capsids, and a comparison of its pores to the pores of transmembrane protein channels.
Many proteins self-assemble to form large supramolecular complexes. Numerous examples of these structures have been characterized, ranging from spherical viruses to tubular protein assemblies. Some new kinds of supramolecular structures are just coming to light, while it is likely there are others that have not yet been discovered. The carboxysome is a subcellular structure that has been known for more than 40 years, but whose structural and functional details are just now emerging. This giant polyhedral body is constructed as a closed shell assembled from several thousand protein subunits. Within this protein shell, the carboxysome encapsulates the CO(2)-fixing enzymes, Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) and carbonic anhydrase; this arrangement enhances the efficiency of cellular CO(2) fixation. The carboxysome is present in many photosynthetic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, and so plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. It also serves as the prototypical member of what appears to be a large class of primitive protein-based organelles in bacteria. A series of crystal structures is beginning to reveal the secrets of how the carboxysome is assembled and how it enhances the efficiency of CO(2) fixation. Some of the assembly principles revealed in the carboxysome are reminiscent of those seen in icosahedral viral capsids. In addition, the shell appears to be perforated by pores for metabolite transport into and out of the carboxysome, suggesting comparisons to the pores through oligomeric transmembrane proteins, which serve to transport small molecules across the membrane bilayers of cells and eukaryotic organelles.
In some cyanobacteria, the genes for the large and small subunits of the enzyme RuBisCO are separated on the bacterial chromosome by the insertion of a gene coding for a protein designated RbcX, which acts as a chaperone for RuBisCO. A recent structural study [Saschenbrecker et al. (2007), Cell, 129, 1189-1200] has shed light on the mechanism by which RbcX assists RuBisCO assembly. Here, the crystal structure of RbcX from another cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, is reported, revealing an unusually long protruding C-terminal helix, as well as a bound polyethylene glycol molecule in the protein substrate-binding site.
Among the thousands of known three-dimensional protein folds, only a few have been found whose backbones are in knotted configurations. The rarity of knotted proteins has important implications for how natural proteins reach their natively folded states. Proteins with such unusual features offer unique opportunities for studying the relationships between structure, folding, and stability. Here we report the identification of a unique slipknot feature in the fold of a well-known thermostable protein, alkaline phosphatase. A slipknot is created when a knot is formed by part of a protein chain, after which the backbone doubles back so that the entire structure becomes unknotted in a mathematical sense. Slipknots are therefore not detected by computational tests that look for knots in complete protein structures. A computational survey looking specifically for slipknots in the Protein Data Bank reveals a few other instances in addition to alkaline phosphatase. Unexpected similarities are noted among some of the proteins identified. In addition, two transmembrane proteins are found to contain slipknots. Finally, mutagenesis experiments on alkaline phosphatase are used to probe the contribution the slipknot feature makes to thermal stability. The trends and conserved features observed in these proteins provide new insights into mechanisms of protein folding and stability.
Among proteins of known three-dimensional structure, only a few possess complex topological features such as knotted or interlinked (catenated) protein backbones. Such unusual proteins offer potentially unique insights into folding pathways and stabilization mechanisms. They also present special challenges for both theorists and computational scientists interested in understanding and predicting protein-folding behavior. Here, we review complex topological features in proteins with a focus on recent progress on the identification and characterization of knotted and interlinked protein systems. Also, an approach is described for designing an expanded set of knotted proteins.
CsoSCA (formerly CsoS3) is a bacterial carbonic anhydrase localized in the shell of a cellular microcompartment called the carboxysome, where it converts HCO(3)(-) to CO(2) for use in carbon fixation by ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO). CsoSCA lacks significant sequence similarity to any of the four known classes of carbonic anhydrase (alpha, beta, gamma, or delta), and so it was initially classified as belonging to a new class, epsilon. The crystal structure of CsoSCA from Halothiobacillus neapolitanus reveals that it is actually a representative member of a new subclass of beta-carbonic anhydrases, distinguished by a lack of active site pairing. Whereas a typical beta-carbonic anhydrase maintains a pair of active sites organized within a two-fold symmetric homodimer or pair of fused, homologous domains, the two domains in CsoSCA have diverged to the point that only one domain in the pair retains a viable active site. We suggest that this defunct and somewhat diminished domain has evolved a new function, specific to its carboxysomal environment. Despite the level of sequence divergence that separates CsoSCA from the other two subclasses of beta-carbonic anhydrases, there is a remarkable level of structural similarity among active site regions, which suggests a common catalytic mechanism for the interconversion of HCO(3)(-) and CO(2). Crystal packing analysis suggests that CsoSCA exists within the carboxysome shell either as a homodimer or as extended filaments.
Numerous diseases are characterized by the formation of insoluble, amyloid protein fibrils. Intensive investigations are beginning to unravel the detailed molecular and structural principles that underlie the spontaneous formation of these fibrils. The amyloid protein transthyretin serves as an excellent system for dissecting the conformational changes and ensuing subunit-subunit associations that lead to amyloid. One working model for tranthyretin amyloid involves the exposure of an "unprotected" edge beta strand, followed by symmetric assembly of subunits to give head-to-head and tail-to-tail protofibrils. The models and principles emerging from studies on transthyretin lead to connections to other amyloid systems.
In a natively folded protein of moderate or larger size, the protein backbone may weave through itself in complex ways, raising questions about what sequence of events might have to occur in order for the protein to reach its native configuration from the unfolded state. A mathematical framework is presented here for describing the notion of a topological folding barrier, which occurs when a protein chain must pass through a hole or opening, formed by other regions of the protein structure. Different folding pathways encounter different numbers of such barriers and therefore different degrees of frustration. A dynamic programming algorithm finds the optimal theoretical folding path and minimal degree of frustration for a protein based on its natively folded configuration. Calculations over a database of protein structures provide insights into questions such as whether the path of minimal frustration might tend to favor folding from one or from many sites of folding nucleation, or whether proteins favor folding around the N terminus, thereby providing support for the hypothesis that proteins fold co-translationally. The computational methods are applied to a multi-disulfide bonded protein, with computational findings that are consistent with the experimentally observed folding pathway. Attention is drawn to certain complex protein folds for which the computational method suggests there may be a preferred site of nucleation or where folding is likely to proceed through a relatively well-defined pathway or intermediate. The computational analyses lead to testable models for protein folding.
Previous studies of symmetry preferences in protein crystals suggest that symmetric proteins, such as homodimers, might crystallize more readily on average than asymmetric, monomeric proteins. Proteins that are naturally monomeric can be made homodimeric artificially by forming disulfide bonds between individual cysteine residues introduced by mutagenesis. Furthermore, by creating a variety of single-cysteine mutants, a series of distinct synthetic dimers can be generated for a given protein of interest, with each expected to gain advantage from its added symmetry and to exhibit a crystallization behavior distinct from the other constructs. This strategy was tested on phage T4 lysozyme, a protein whose crystallization as a monomer has been studied exhaustively. Experiments on three single-cysteine mutants, each prepared in dimeric form, yielded numerous novel crystal forms that cannot be realized by monomeric lysozyme. Six new crystal forms have been characterized. The results suggest that synthetic symmetrization may be a useful approach for enlarging the search space for crystallizing proteins.
2005
In several natural settings, the standard genetic code is expanded to incorporate two additional amino acids with distinct functionality, selenocysteine and pyrrolysine. These rare amino acids can be overlooked inadvertently, however, as they arise by recoding at certain stop codons. We report a method for such recoding prediction from genomic data, using read-through similarity evaluation. A survey across a set of microbial genomes identifies almost all the known cases as well as a number of novel candidate proteins.
Bacterial microcompartments are primitive organelles composed entirely of protein subunits. Genomic sequence databases reveal the widespread occurrence of microcompartments across diverse microbes. The prototypical bacterial microcompartment is the carboxysome, a protein shell for sequestering carbon fixation reactions. We report three-dimensional crystal structures of multiple carboxysome shell proteins, revealing a hexameric unit as the basic microcompartment building block and showing how these hexamers assemble to form flat facets of the polyhedral shell. The structures suggest how molecular transport across the shell may be controlled and how structural variations might govern the assembly and architecture of these subcellular compartments.
The 2.5-A resolution crystal structure is reported for an actin dimer, composed of two protomers cross-linked along the longitudinal (or vertical) direction of the F-actin filament. The crystal structure provides an atomic resolution view of a molecular interface between actin protomers, which we argue represents a near-native interaction in the F-actin filament. The interaction involves subdomains 3 and 4 from distinct protomers. The atomic positions in the interface visualized differ by 5-10 A from those suggested by previous models of F-actin. Such differences fall within the range of uncertainties allowed by the fiber diffraction and electron microscopy methods on which previous models have been based. In the crystal, the translational arrangement of protomers lacks the slow twist found in native filaments. A plausible model of F-actin can be constructed by reintroducing the known filament twist, without disturbing significantly the interface observed in the actin dimer crystal.
Thermophilic organisms flourish in varied high-temperature environmental niches that are deadly to other organisms. Recently, genomic evidence has implicated a critical role for disulfide bonds in the structural stabilization of intracellular proteins from certain of these organisms, contrary to the conventional view that structural disulfide bonds are exclusively extracellular. Here both computational and structural data are presented to explore the occurrence of disulfide bonds as a protein-stabilization method across many thermophilic prokaryotes. Based on computational studies, disulfide-bond richness is found to be widespread, with thermophiles containing the highest levels. Interestingly, only a distinct subset of thermophiles exhibit this property. A computational search for proteins matching this target phylogenetic profile singles out a specific protein, known as protein disulfide oxidoreductase, as a potential key player in thermophilic intracellular disulfide-bond formation. Finally, biochemical support in the form of a new crystal structure of a thermophilic protein with three disulfide bonds is presented together with a survey of known structures from the literature. Together, the results provide insight into biochemical specialization and the diversity of methods employed by organisms to stabilize their proteins in exotic environments. The findings also motivate continued efforts to sequence genomes from divergent organisms.
The wealth of available genomic data has spawned a corresponding interest in computational methods that can impart biological meaning and context to these experiments. Traditional computational methods have drawn relationships between pairs of proteins or genes based on notions of equality or similarity between their patterns of occurrence or behavior. For example, two genes displaying similar variation in expression, over a number of experiments, may be predicted to be functionally related. We have introduced a natural extension of these approaches, instead identifying logical relationships involving triplets of proteins. Triplets provide for various discrete kinds of logic relationships, leading to detailed inferences about biological associations. For instance, a protein C might be encoded within an organism if, and only if, two other proteins A and B are also both encoded within the organism, thus suggesting that gene C is functionally related to genes A and B. The method has been applied fruitfully to both phylogenetic and microarray expression data, and has been used to associate logical combinations of protein activity with disease state phenotypes, revealing previously unknown ternary relationships among proteins, and illustrating the inherent complexities that arise in biological data.
2004
The advent of whole-genome sequencing has led to methods that infer protein function and linkages. We have combined four such algorithms (phylogenetic profile, Rosetta Stone, gene neighbor and gene cluster) in a single database--Prolinks--that spans 83 organisms and includes 10 million high-confidence links. The Proteome Navigator tool allows users to browse predicted linkage networks interactively, providing accompanying annotation from public databases. The Prolinks database and the Proteome Navigator tool are available for use online at http://dip.doe-mbi.ucla.edu/pronav.
The three-dimensional structure of the RNA-modifying enzyme, psi55 tRNA pseudouridine synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is reported. The 1.9-A resolution crystal structure reveals the enzyme, free of substrate, in two distinct conformations. The structure depicts an interesting mode of protein flexibility involving a hinged bending in the central beta-sheet of the catalytic module. Key parts of the active site cleft are also found to be disordered in the substrate-free form of the enzyme. The hinge bending appears to act as a clamp to position the substrate. Our structural data furthers the previously proposed mechanism of tRNA recognition. The present crystal structure emphasizes the significant role that protein dynamics must play in tRNA recognition, base flipping, and modification.
The Genomic Disulfide Analysis Program (GDAP) provides web access to computationally predicted protein disulfide bonds for over one hundred microbial genomes, including both bacterial and achaeal species. In the GDAP process, sequences of unknown structure are mapped, when possible, to known homologous Protein Data Bank (PDB) structures, after which specific distance criteria are applied to predict disulfide bonds. GDAP also accepts user-supplied protein sequences and subsequently queries the PDB sequence database for the best matches, scans for possible disulfide bonds and returns the results to the client. These predictions are useful for a variety of applications and have previously been used to show a dramatic preference in certain thermophilic archaea and bacteria for disulfide bonds within intracellular proteins. Given the central role these stabilizing, covalent bonds play in such organisms, the predictions available from GDAP provide a rich data source for designing site-directed mutants with more stable thermal profiles. The GDAP web application is a gateway to this information and can be used to understand the role disulfide bonds play in protein stability both in these unusual organisms and in sequences of interest to the individual researcher. The prediction server can be accessed at http://www.doe-mbi.ucla.edu/Services/GDAP.
A major focus of genome research is to decipher the networks of molecular interactions that underlie cellular function. We describe a computational approach for identifying detailed relationships between proteins on the basis of genomic data. Logic analysis of phylogenetic profiles identifies triplets of proteins whose presence or absence obey certain logic relationships. For example, protein C may be present in a genome only if proteins A and B are both present. The method reveals many previously unidentified higher order relationships. These relationships illustrate the complexities that arise in cellular networks because of branching and alternate pathways, and they also facilitate assignment of cellular functions to uncharacterized proteins.
Carotenoids undergo a wide range of photochemical reactions in animal, plant, and microbial systems. In photosynthetic organisms, in addition to light harvesting, they perform an essential role in protecting against light-induced damage by quenching singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radicals, or triplet-state chlorophyll. We have determined the crystal structure of a water-soluble orange carotenoid protein (OCP) isolated from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima at a resolution of 2.1 A. OCP forms a homodimer with one carotenoid molecule per monomer. The carotenoid binding site is lined by a striking number of methionine residues. The structure reveals several possible ways in which the protein environment influences the spectral properties of the pigment and provides insight into how the OCP carries out its putative functions in photoprotection.
The crystal structure at 1.54 A resolution of a double mutant of interleukin-1beta (F42W/W120F), a cytokine secreted by macrophages, was determined by multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) using data from highly twinned selenomethionine-modified crystals. The space group is P4(3), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 53.9, c = 77.4 A. Self-rotation function analysis and various intensity statistics revealed the presence of merohedral twinning in crystals of both the native (twinning fraction alpha approximately 0.35) and SeMet (alpha approximately 0.40) forms. Structure determination and refinement are discussed with emphasis on the possible reasons for successful phasing using untreated twinned MAD data.
Mutations in the SOD1 gene cause the autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative disorder familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). In spinal cord neurons of human FALS patients and in transgenic mice expressing these mutant proteins, aggregates containing FALS SOD1 are observed. Accumulation of SOD1 aggregates is believed to interfere with axonal transport, protein degradation and anti-apoptotic functions of the neuronal cellular machinery. Here we show that metal-deficient, pathogenic SOD1 mutant proteins crystallize in three different crystal forms, all of which reveal higher-order assemblies of aligned beta-sheets. Amyloid-like filaments and water-filled nanotubes arise through extensive interactions between loop and beta-barrel elements of neighboring mutant SOD1 molecules. In all cases, non-native conformational changes permit a gain of interaction between dimers that leads to higher-order arrays. Normal beta-sheet-containing proteins avoid such self-association by preventing their edge strands from making intermolecular interactions. Loss of this protection through conformational rearrangement in the metal-deficient enzyme could be a toxic property common to mutants of SOD1 linked to FALS.
First, the crystal structure of cytochrome c-550 (the psbV1 gene product) from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus has been determined to a resolution of 1.8 A. A comparison of the T. elongatus cytochrome c-550 structure to its counterparts from mesophilic organisms, Synechocystis 6803 and Arthrospira maxima, suggests that increased numbers of hydrogen bonds may play a role in the structural basis of thermostability. The cytochrome c-550 in T. elongatus also differs from that in Synechocystis 6803 and Arthrospira maxima in its lack of dimerization and the presence of a trigonal planar molecule, possibly bicarbonate, tightly bound to the heme propionate oxygen atoms. Cytochromes c-550 from T. elongatus, Synechocystis 6803 and Arthrospira maxima exhibit different EPR spectra. A correlation has been done between the heme-axial ligands geometries and the rhombicity calculated from the EPR spectra. This correlation indicates that binding of cytochrome c-550 to Photosystem II is accompanied by structural changes in the heme vicinity. Second, the psbV2 gene product has been found and purified. The UV-visible, EPR and Raman spectra are reported. From the spectroscopic data and from a theoretical structural model based on the cytochrome c-550 structure it is proposed that the 6th ligand of the heme-iron is the Tyr86.
Ketopantoate hydroxymethyltransferase (KPHMT) catalyzes the first committed step in the biosynthesis of pantothenate, which is a precursor to coenzyme A and is required for penicillin biosynthesis. The crystal structure of KPHMT from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was determined by the single anomalous substitution (SAS) method at 2.8 A resolution. KPHMT adopts a structure that is a variation on the (beta/alpha) barrel fold, with a metal binding site proximal to the presumed catalytic site. The protein forms a decameric complex, with subunits in opposing pentameric rings held together by a swapping of their C-terminal alpha helices. The structure reveals KPHMT's membership in a small, recently discovered group of (beta/alpha) barrel enzymes that employ domain swapping to form a variety of oligomeric assemblies. The apparent conservation of certain detailed structural characteristics suggests that KPHMT is distantly related by divergent evolution to enzymes in unrelated pathways, including isocitrate lyase and phosphoenolpyruvate mutase.
A new approach to analyzing macromolecular single-crystal X-ray diffraction intensity statistics is presented. Instead of considering reflections in resolution shells, differences between local pairs of reflection intensities are taken and normalized separately. When the two reflections to be compared (having intensities I(1) and I(2), respectively) are chosen appropriately, the behavior of the parameter L = (I(1) - I(2))/(I(1) + I(2)) is insensitive to phenomena that tend to confound traditional intensity statistics, such as anisotropic diffraction and pseudo-centering. The distributions and expected values for L take simple forms when the intensity data are from ordinary crystals or from perfectly twinned specimens. The robustness of the approach is demonstrated with examples using real proteins whose diffraction data appear aberrant by other methods of intensity analysis. The new statistic is better suited than other available methods for diagnosing perfect hemihedral twinning.
The iron-containing superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus has been isolated. The protein crystallizes readily and we have determined the structure to 1.6 A resolution. This is the first structural characterization of an FeSOD isolated from a cyanobacterium and one of the highest resolution FeSOD structures determined to date. The activity of the T. elongatus FeSOD has been measured both at 25 degrees C and 50 degrees C and it has been spectroscopically characterized. The T. elongatus FeSOD EPR spectra at pH 5.1, 7.5 and 10.0 are similar. This indicates that no change in the geometry of the Fe(III) site occurs over a wide range of pH. This is in contrast to the other FeSODs described in the literature.
Genome-wide functional linkages among proteins in cellular complexes and metabolic pathways can be inferred from high throughput experimentation, such as DNA microarrays, or from bioinformatic analyses. Here we describe a method for the visualization and interpretation of genome-wide functional linkages inferred by the Rosetta Stone, Phylogenetic Profile, Operon and Conserved Gene Neighbor computational methods. This method involves the construction of a genome-wide functional linkage map, where each significant functional linkage between a pair of proteins is displayed on a two-dimensional scatter-plot, organized according to the order of genes along the chromosome. Subsequent hierarchical clustering of the map reveals clusters of genes with similar functional linkage profiles and facilitates the inference of protein function and the discovery of functionally linked gene clusters throughout the genome. We illustrate this method by applying it to the genome of the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, assigning cellular functions to previously uncharacterized proteins involved in cell wall biosynthesis, signal transduction, chaperone activity, energy metabolism and polysaccharide biosynthesis.
Protein l-isoaspartate-(d-aspartate) O-methyltransferases (EC ), present in a wide variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, can initiate the conversion of abnormal l-isoaspartyl residues that arise spontaneously with age to normal l-aspartyl residues. In addition, the mammalian enzyme can recognize spontaneously racemized d-aspartyl residues for conversion to l-aspartyl residues, although no such activity has been seen to date for enzymes from lower animals or prokaryotes. In this work, we characterize the enzyme from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus furiosus. Remarkably, this methyltransferase catalyzes both l-isoaspartyl and d-aspartyl methylation reactions in synthetic peptides with affinities that can be significantly higher than those of the human enzyme, previously the most catalytically efficient species known. Analysis of the common features of l-isoaspartyl and d-aspartyl residues suggested that the basic substrate recognition element for this enzyme may be mimicked by an N-terminal succinyl peptide. We tested this hypothesis with a number of synthetic peptides using both the P. furiosus and the human enzyme. We found that peptides devoid of aspartyl residues but containing the N-succinyl group were in fact methyl esterified by both enzymes. The recent structure determined for the l-isoaspartyl methyltransferase from P. furiosus complexed with an l-isoaspartyl peptide supports this mode of methyl-acceptor recognition. The combination of the thermophilicity and the high affinity binding of methyl-accepting substrates makes the P. furiosus enzyme useful both as a reagent for detecting isomerized and racemized residues in damaged proteins and for possible human therapeutic use in repairing damaged proteins in extracellular environments where the cytosolic enzyme is not normally found.
The enzyme l-isoaspartyl methyltransferase initiates the repair of damaged proteins by recognizing and methylating isomerized and racemized aspartyl residues in aging proteins. The crystal structure of the human enzyme containing a bound S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine cofactor is reported here at a resolution of 2.1 A. A comparison of the human enzyme to homologs from two other species reveals several significant differences among otherwise similar structures. In all three structures, we find that three conserved charged residues are buried in the protein interior near the active site. Electrostatics calculations suggest that these buried charges might make significant contributions to the energetics of binding the charged S-adenosyl-l-methionine cofactor and to catalysis. We suggest a possible structural explanation for the observed differences in reactivity toward the structurally similar l-isoaspartyl and d-aspartyl residues in the human, archael, and eubacterial enzymes. Finally, the human structure reveals that the known genetic polymorphism at residue 119 (Val/Ile) maps to an exposed region away from the active site.
Disulfide bonds have only rarely been found in intracellular proteins. That pattern is consistent with the chemically reducing environment inside the cells of well-studied organisms. However, recent experiments and new calculations based on genomic data of archaea provide striking contradictions to this pattern. Our results indicate that the intracellular proteins of certain hyperthermophilic archaea, especially the crenarchaea Pyrobaculum aerophilum and Aeropyrum pernix, are rich in disulfide bonds. This finding implicates disulfide bonding in stabilizing many thermostable proteins and points to novel chemical environments inside these microbes. These unexpected results illustrate the wealth of biochemical insights available from the growing reservoir of genomic data.
Cytochrome c(6) from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima is present in isoforms that can be resolved by size-exclusion chromatography. One isoform crystallized in space group I4(1)32 with eight protein molecules in the asymmetric unit and a total of 384 molecules in the unit cell. Within the crystal, the molecules are arranged as clusters of 24 cytochrome c(6) molecules. Each cluster is a hollow shell with approximate octahedral (432) symmetry. Structural and biochemical studies of cytochrome c(6) isolated from other cyanobacteria and algae have led to the suggestion that cytochrome c(6) forms oligomers. The cytochrome c(6) complex described here is the largest assembly of cytochrome c(6) molecules observed thus far.
Many natural proteins self-assemble, either to fulfill their biological function or as part of a pathogenic process. Biological assembly phenomena such as amyloidogenesis, domain swapping and symmetric oligomerization are inspiring new strategies for designing proteins that self-assemble to form supramolecular complexes. Recent advances include the design of novel proteins that assemble into filaments, symmetric cages and regular arrays.
Proteins bearing the widely distributed SET domain have been shown to methylate lysine residues in histones and other proteins. In this issue, three-dimensional structures are reported for three very different SET domain-containing proteins. The structures reveal novel folds for several new domains, including SET, and provide early insights into mechanisms of catalysis and molecular recognition in this family of enzymes.
Amyloid fibrils are associated with several disease states, but their structures have yet to be fully defined. Here we use site-directed spin labeling to explain some of the specific interactions that are formed between subunits when the protein transthyretin (TTR) assembles into amyloid fibrils, which are associated with both spontaneous and familial amyloid diseases in humans. The results suggest that fibrils are formed when a major conformational change displaces the terminal beta-strand from the edge of a beta-sheet in the native structure, exposing the penultimate strand. The newly exposed strand then allows a novel beta-sheet interaction to form between the TTR subunits. This interaction and another previously identified subunit association lead to a plausible model for the specific sequence of beta-strands in one of the indefinitely repeating beta-sheets of TTR amyloid, which is formed by a head-to-head, tail-to-tail arrangement of subunits.
The alpha-helix containing the thiols, SH1 (Cys-707) and SH2 (Cys-697), has been proposed to be one of the structural elements responsible for the transduction of conformational changes in the myosin head (subfragment-1 (S1)). Previous studies, using a method that isolated and measured the rate of the SH1-SH2 cross-linking step, showed that this helix undergoes ligand-induced conformational changes. However, because of long incubation times required for the formation of the transition state complexes (S1.ADP.BeF(x), S1.ADP.AlF(4)-, and S1.ADP.V(i)), this method could not be used to determine the cross-linking rate constants for such states. In this study, kinetic data from the SH1-SH2 cross-linking reaction were analyzed by computational methods to extract rate constants for the two-step mechanism. For S1.ADP.BeF(x), the results obtained were similar to those for S1.ATPgammaS. For reactions involving S1.ADP.AlF(4)- and S1.ADP.V(i), the first step (SH1 modification) is rate limiting; consequently, only lower limits could be established for the rate constants of the cross-linking step. Nevertheless, these results show that the cross-linking rate constants in the transition state complexes are increased at least 20-fold for all the reagents, including the shortest one, compared with nucleotide-free S1. Thus, the SH1-SH2 helix appears to be destabilized in the post-hydrolysis state.
Few examples of pseudomerohedrally twinned macromolecular crystals have been described in the literature. This unusual phenomenon arises when a fortuitous unit-cell geometry makes it possible for twinning to occur in a space group that ordinarily does not allow twinning. Here, the crystallization, structure determination and refinement of the cocaine hydrolytic antibody 15A10 at 2.35 A resolution are described. The crystal belongs to space group P2(1), with two molecules in the asymmetric unit and unit-cell parameters a = 37.5, b = 108.4, c = 111.3 A and beta fortuitously near 90 degrees; the refined twinning fraction is alpha = 0.43. Interestingly, the non-crystallographic symmetry (NCS) and twin operators are nearly parallel, which appears to be a relatively frequent situation in protein crystals twinned by merohedry or pseudomerohedry.
A general strategy is described for designing proteins that self assemble into large symmetrical nanomaterials, including molecular cages, filaments, layers, and porous materials. In this strategy, one molecule of protein A, which naturally forms a self-assembling oligomer, A(n), is fused rigidly to one molecule of protein B, which forms another self-assembling oligomer, B(m). The result is a fusion protein, A-B, which self assembles with other identical copies of itself into a designed nanohedral particle or material, (A-B)(p). The strategy is demonstrated through the design, production, and characterization of two fusion proteins: a 49-kDa protein designed to assemble into a cage approximately 15 nm across, and a 44-kDa protein designed to assemble into long filaments approximately 4 nm wide. The strategy opens a way to create a wide variety of potentially useful protein-based materials, some of which share similar features with natural biological assemblies.
Cytochrome c(6) and cytochrome c-549 are small (89 and 130 amino acids, respectively) monoheme cytochromes that function in photosynthesis. They appear to have descended relatively recently from the same ancestral gene but have diverged to carry out very different functional roles, underscored by the large difference between their midpoint potentials of nearly 600 mV. We have determined the X-ray crystal structures of both proteins isolated from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima. The two structures are remarkably similar, superimposing on backbone atoms with an rmsd of 0.7 A. Comparison of the two structures suggests that differences in solvent exposure of the heme and the electrostatic environment of the heme propionates, as well as in heme iron ligation, are the main determinants of midpoint potential in the two proteins. In addition, the crystal packing of both A. maxima cytochrome c-549 and cytochrome c(6) suggests that the proteins oligomerize. Finally, the cytochrome c-549 dimer we observe can be readily fit into the recently described model of cyanobacterial photosystem II.
Amyloid and prion diseases appear to stem from the conversion of normally folded proteins into insoluble, fiber-like assemblies. Despite numerous structural studies, a detailed molecular characterization of amyloid fibrils remains elusive. In particular, models of amyloid fibrils proposed thus far have not adequately defined the constituent protein subunit interactions. To further our understanding of amyloid structure, we employed thiol-specific cross-linking and site-directed spin labeling to identify specific protein-protein associations in transthyretin (TTR) amyloid fibrils. We find that certain cysteine mutants of TTR, when dimerized by chemical cross-linkers, still form fibers under typical in vitro fibrillogenic conditions. In addition, site-directed spin labeling of many residues at the natural dimer interface reveals that their spatial proximity is preserved in the fibrillar state even in the absence of cross-linking constraints. Here, we present the first view of a subunit interface in TTR fibers and show that it is very similar to one of the natural dimeric interchain associations evident in the structure of soluble TTR. The results clarify varied models of amyloidogenesis by demonstrating that transthyretin amyloid fibrils may assemble from oligomeric protein building blocks rather than structurally rearranged monomers.
Protein L-isoaspartyl (D-aspartyl) methyltransferases (EC 2.1.1.77) are found in almost all organisms. These enzymes catalyze the S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent methylation of isomerized and racemized aspartyl residues in age-damaged proteins as part of an essential protein repair process. Here, we report crystal structures of the repair methyltransferase at resolutions up to 1.2 A from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Refined structures include binary complexes with the active cofactor AdoMet, its reaction product S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), and adenosine. The enzyme places the methyl-donating cofactor in a deep, electrostatically negative pocket that is shielded from solvent. Across the multiple crystal structures visualized, the presence or absence of the methyl group on the cofactor correlates with a significant conformational change in the enzyme in a loop bordering the active site, suggesting a role for motion in catalysis or cofactor exchange. We also report the structure of a ternary complex of the enzyme with adenosine and the methyl-accepting polypeptide substrate VYP(L-isoAsp)HA at 2.1 A. The substrate binds in a narrow active site cleft with three of its residues in an extended conformation, suggesting that damaged proteins may be locally denatured during the repair process in cells. Manual and computer-based docking studies on different isomers help explain how the enzyme uses steric effects to make the critical distinction between normal L-aspartyl and age-damaged L-isoaspartyl and D-aspartyl residues.
2000
Adenylosuccinate lyase is an enzyme that plays a critical role in both cellular replication and metabolism via its action in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway. Adenylosuccinate lyase is the only enzyme in this pathway to catalyze two separate reactions, enabling it to participate in the addition of a nitrogen at two different positions in adenosine monophosphate. Both reactions catalyzed by adenylosuccinate lyase involve the beta-elimination of fumarate. Enzymes that catalyze this type of reaction belong to a superfamily, the members of which are homotetramers. Because adenylosuccinate lyase plays an integral part in maintaining proper cellular metabolism, mutations in the human enzyme can have severe clinical consequences, including mental retardation with autistic features.
Faced with the avalanche of genomic sequences and data on messenger RNA expression, biological scientists are confronting a frightening prospect: piles of information but only flakes of knowledge. How can the thousands of sequences being determined and deposited, and the thousands of expression profiles being generated by the new array methods, be synthesized into useful knowledge? What form will this knowledge take? These are questions being addressed by scientists in the field known as 'functional genomics'.
Adenylosuccinate lyase catalyzes two separate reactions in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway. Through its dual action in this pathway, adenylosuccinate lyase plays an integral part in cellular replication and metabolism. Mutations in the human enzyme can result in severe neurological disorders, including mental retardation with autistic features. The crystal structure of adenylosuccinate lyase from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrobaculum aerophilum has been determined to 2.1 A resolution. Although both the fold of the monomer and the architecture of the tetrameric assembly are similar to adenylosuccinate lyase from the thermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga maritima, the archaebacterial lyase contains unique features. Surprisingly, the structure of adenylosuccinate lyase from P. aerophilum reveals that this intracellular protein contains three disulfide bonds that contribute significantly to its stability against thermal and chemical denaturation. The observation of multiple disulfide bonds in the recombinant form of the enzyme suggests the need for further investigations into whether the intracellular environment of P. aerophilum, and possibly other hyperthermophiles, may be compatible with protein disulfide bond formation. In addition, the protein is shorter in P. aerophilum than it is in other organisms. This abbreviation results from an internal excision of a cluster of helices that may be involved in protein-protein interactions in other organisms and may relate to the observed clinical effects of human mutations in that region.
An empirical function is developed to measure the protein-like character of electron-density maps. The function is based upon a systematic analysis of numerous local and global map properties or descriptors. Local descriptors measure the occurrence throughout the unit cell of unique patterns on various defined templates, while global descriptors enumerate topological characteristics that define the connectivity and complexity of electron-density isosurfaces. We examine how these quantitative descriptors vary as error is introduced into the phase sets used to generate maps. Informative descriptors are combined in an optimal fashion to arrive at a predictive function. When the topological and geometrical analysis is applied to protein maps generated from phase sets with varying amounts of error, the function is able to estimate changes in average phase error with an accuracy of better than 10 degrees. Additionally, when used to monitor maps generated with experimental phases from different heavy-atom models, the analysis clearly distinguishes between the correct heavy-atom substructure solution and incorrect heavy-atom solutions. The function is also evaluated as a tool to monitor changes in map quality and phase error before and after density-modification procedures.
1999
Different types of crystal twinning are reviewed with an emphasis on how to detect the phenomenon from protein diffraction data. The recent literature and a database survey both serve as reminders to perform routine checks whenever twinning is a possibility.
Determining protein functions from genomic sequences is a central goal of bioinformatics. We present a method based on the assumption that proteins that function together in a pathway or structural complex are likely to evolve in a correlated fashion. During evolution, all such functionally linked proteins tend to be either preserved or eliminated in a new species. We describe this property of correlated evolution by characterizing each protein by its phylogenetic profile, a string that encodes the presence or absence of a protein in every known genome. We show that proteins having matching or similar profiles strongly tend to be functionally linked. This method of phylogenetic profiling allows us to predict the function of uncharacterized proteins.
We present a fast algorithm to search for repeating fragments within protein sequences. The technique is based on an extension of the Smith-Waterman algorithm that allows the calculation of sub-optimal alignments of a sequence against itself. We are able to estimate the statistical significance of all sub-optimal alignment scores. We also rapidly determine the length of the repeating fragment and the number of times it is found in a sequence. The technique is applied to sequences in the Swissprot database, and to 16 complete genomes. We find that eukaryotic proteins contain more internal repeats than those of prokaryotic and archael organisms. The finding that 18% of yeast sequences and 28% of the known human sequences contain detectable repeats emphasizes the importance of internal duplication in protein evolution.
A computational method is proposed for inferring protein interactions from genome sequences on the basis of the observation that some pairs of interacting proteins have homologs in another organism fused into a single protein chain. Searching sequences from many genomes revealed 6809 such putative protein-protein interactions in Escherichia coli and 45,502 in yeast. Many members of these pairs were confirmed as functionally related; computational filtering further enriches for interactions. Some proteins have links to several other proteins; these coupled links appear to represent functional interactions such as complexes or pathways. Experimentally confirmed interacting pairs are documented in a Database of Interacting Proteins.
In this study, we analyzed all known protein sequences for repeating amino acid segments. Although duplicated sequence segments occur in 14 % of all proteins, eukaryotic proteins are three times more likely to have internal repeats than prokaryotic proteins. After clustering the repetitive sequence segments into families, we find repeats from eukaryotic proteins have little similarity with prokaryotic repeats, suggesting most repeats arose after the prokaryotic and eukaryotic lineages diverged. Consequently, protein classes with the highest incidence of repetitive sequences perform functions unique to eukaryotes. The frequency distribution of the repeating units shows only weak length dependence, implicating recombination rather than duplex melting or DNA hairpin formation as the limiting mechanism underlying repeat formation. The mechanism favors additional repeats once an initial duplication has been incorporated. Finally, we show that repetitive sequences are favored that contain small and relatively water-soluble residues. We propose that error-prone repeat expansion allows repetitive proteins to evolve more quickly than non-repeat-containing proteins.
The protein sequence database was analyzed for evidence that some distinct sequence families might be distantly related in evolution by changes in frame of translation. Sequences were compared using special amino acid substitution matrices for the alternate frames of translation. The statistical significance of alignment scores were computed in the true database and shuffled versions of the database that preserve any potential codon bias. The comparison of results from these two databases provides a very sensitive method for detecting remote relationships. We find a weak but measurable relatedness within the database as a whole, supporting the notion that some proteins may have evolved from others through changes in frame of translation. We also quantify residual homology in the ordinary sense within a database of generally unrelated sequences.
The availability of over 20 fully sequenced genomes has driven the development of new methods to find protein function and interactions. Here we group proteins by correlated evolution, correlated messenger RNA expression patterns and patterns of domain fusion to determine functional relationships among the 6,217 proteins of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using these methods, we discover over 93,000 pairwise links between functionally related yeast proteins. Links between characterized and uncharacterized proteins allow a general function to be assigned to more than half of the 2,557 previously uncharacterized yeast proteins. Examples of functional links are given for a protein family of previously unknown function, a protein whose human homologues are implicated in colon cancer and the yeast prion Sup35.
The ycaC gene comprises a 621 base pair open reading frame in Escherichia coli. The ycaC gene product (ycaCgp) is uncharacterized and has no assigned function. The closest sequence homologs with an assigned function belong to a family of bacterial hydrolases that catalyze isochorismatase-like reactions, but these have only low sequence similarity to ycaCgp (approximately 20% amino acid identity). The ycaCgp was obtained and identified during crystallization trials of an unrelated E. coli protein with which it co-purified.
The crystal structure of the high-potential iron-sulfur protein (HiPIP) isolated from Chromatium purpuratum is reported at 2.7 A resolution. The three HiPIP molecules in the asymmetric unit of the crystals form one and one-half dimers. Two molecules are related by a noncrystallographic symmetry rotation of approximately 175 degrees with negligible translation along the dyad axis. The third molecule in the asymmetric unit also forms a dimer with a second HiPIP molecule across the crystallographic 2-fold symmetry axis. The Fe4S4 clusters in both the crystallographic and noncrystallographic dimers are separated by approximately 13.0 A. Solution studies give mixed results regarding the oligomeric state of the C. purpuratum HiPIP. A comparison with crystal structures of HiPIPs from other species shows that HiPIP tends to associate rather nonspecifically about a conserved, relatively hydrophobic surface patch to form dimers.
1997
Twinning is fairly common in protein crystals. In its merohedral from, twinning is not apparent in the diffraction pattern, but the observed intensities do not represent individual crystallographic intensities. Since partial twinning (twin fraction less than 1/2) and perfect twinning (twin fraction of 1/2) can both be identified relatively easily by examining intensity statistics, the appropriate tests should be performed routinely when working in space groups that support merohedral twinning.
To attempt to understand the physical principles underlying protein crystallization, an algorithm is described for simulating the crystal nucleation event computationally. The validity of the approach is supported by its ability to reproduce closely the wellknown preference of proteins for particular space group symmetries. The success of the algorithm supports a recent argument that protein crystallization is limited primarily by the entropic effects of geometric restrictions imposed during nucleation, rather than particular energetic factors. These simulations provide a new tool for attacking the problem of protein crystallization by allowing quantitative evaluation of new ideas such as the use of racemic protein mixtures.
The conformation of NAD bound to diphtheria toxin (DT), an ADP-ribosylating enzyme, has been compared to the conformations of NAD(P) bound to 23 distinct NAD(P)-binding oxidoreductase enzymes, whose structures are available in the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank. For the oxidoreductase enzymes, NAD(P) functions as a cofactor in electron transfer, whereas for DT, NAD is a labile substrate in which the N-glycosidic bond between the nicotinamide ring and the N-ribose is cleaved. All NAD(P) conformations were compared by (1) visual inspection of superimposed molecules, (2) RMSD of atomic positions, (3) principal component analysis, and (4) analysis of torsion angles and other conformational parameters. Whereas the majority of oxidoreductase-bound NAD(P) conformations are found to be similar, the conformation of NAD bound to DT is found to be unusual. Distinctive features of the conformation of NAD bound to DT that may be relevant to DT's function as an ADP-ribosylating enzyme include (1) an unusually short distance between the PN and N1N atoms, reflecting a highly folded conformation for the nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) portion of NAD, and (2) a torsion angle chi N approximately 0 degree about the scissile N-glycosidic bond, placing the nicotinamide ring outside of the preferred anti and syn orientations. In NAD bound to DT, the highly folded NMN conformation and torsion angle chi N approximately 0 degree could contribute to catalysis, possibly by orienting the C1'N atom of NAD for nucleophilic attack, or by placing strain on the N-glycosidic bond, which is cleaved by DT. The unusual overall conformation of NAD bound to DT is likely to reflect the structure of DT, which is unusual among NAD(P)-binding enzymes. In DT, the NAD binding site is formed at the junction of two antiparallel beta-sheets. In contrast, although the 24 oxidoreductase enzymes belong to at least six different structural classes, almost all of them bind NAD(P) at the C-terminal end of a parallel beta-sheet. The structural alignments and principal component analysis show that enzymes of the same structural class bind to particularly similar conformations of NAD(P), with few exceptions. The conformation of NAD bound to DT superimposes closely with that of an NAD analogue bound to Pseudomonas exotoxin A, an ADP-ribosylating toxin that is structurally homologous to DT. This suggests that all of the ADP-ribosylating enzymes that are structurally homologous to DT and ETA will bind a highly similar conformation of NAD.
Crystals of a carotenoid protein from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima have been grown in space group C2 with unit-cell dimensions a = 219.6, b = 40.3, c = 75.5 A and beta = 95.5 degrees. The crystals diffract X-rays to 2.3 A resolution and display unusual optical properties in polarized light that suggest that all of the carotenoid molecules in the crystals are oriented similarly. A slight increase in the concentration of a crystallization additive in the mother liquor induces macroscopic twinning, which is also visible when the crystals are illuminated with polarized light.
In the course of refining atomic protein structures, one often encounters difficulty with molecules that are unusually flexible or otherwise disordered. We approach the problem by combining two relatively recent developments: simultaneous refinement of multiple protein conformations and highly constrained refinement. A constrained Langevin dynamics refinement is tested on two proteins: neurotrophin-3 and glutamine synthetase. The method produces closer agreement between the calculated and observed scattering amplitudes than standard, single-copy, Gaussian atomic displacement parameter refinement. This is accomplished without significantly increasing the number of fitting parameters in the model. These results suggest that loop motion in proteins within a crystal lattice can be extensive and that it is poorly modeled by isotropic Gaussian distributions for each atom.
1996
The thrombin-binding aptamer d(GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG) is one of a family of DNA oligonucleotides that were identified by in vitro selection to bind specifically and with high affinity to thrombin. Two groups independently determined the tertiary structure in solution by NMR and at about the same time, the X-ray crystal structure of the aptamer in complex with thrombin was reported. In all cases, the thrombin-binding aptamer was found to fold into a structure containing two planar guanine quartets as its core. The NMR and crystal structures, however, have fundamentally different folding patterns owing to differences in the way these central bases are connected. We discuss the distinctions between the refined crystal and solution structures and show that the NMR model is consistent with the X-ray diffraction data.
Adenylosuccinate lyase (ASL) from Bacillus subtilis has been crystallized and structural analysis by X-ray diffraction is in progress. ASL is a 200-kDa homotetramer that catalyzes two distinct steps of de novo purine biosynthesis leading to the formation of AMP and IMP; both steps involve the beta-elimination of fumarate. A single point mutation in the human ASL gene has been linked to mental retardation with autistic features. In addition, ASL plays an important role in the bioprocessing of anti-HIV therapeutics. B subtilis ASL, which shares 30% sequence identity and 70% sequence similarity with human ASL, has been crystallized and data to 3.3 A have been collected at 100 K. The space group is P6(1)22 or P6(5)22 with a = b = 129.4 A; the length of the c-axis varies between 275 and 290 A, depending on the crystal. An analysis of solvent content indicates a dimer in the asymmetric unit, although a self-rotation function and an analysis of native Pattersons failed to identify unambiguously the location of any noncrystallographic symmetry axes. Structure determination by isomorphous replacement is in progress.
Several soluble electron transfer proteins were isolated and characterized from the marine purple-sulfur bacterium Chromatium purpuratum. The C. purpuratum flavocytochrome c is similar in molecular mass (68 kDa) and isoelectric point (6.5) to flavocytochromes isolated from other phototrophs. Redox titrations of the flavocytochrome c hemes show two components with midpoint potential values of +15 and -120 mV, behavior similar to that observed with the flavocytochrome isolated from the thermophilic Chromatium tepidum. Moreover, N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both the flavin and the cytochrome subunit indicates substantial homology to the primary structure of the flavocytochrome c of Chromatium vinosum. In contrast, the C. purpuratum high-potential iron-sulfur protein (HiPIP) differs from those isolated from other photosynthetic bacteria in its relatively high midpoint potential (+390 mV) and the possibility that it exists as a dimer in solution. Two low molecular mass c-type cytochromes were also characterized. One appears to be a high-potential (+310 mV) c8-type cytochrome. Amino acid sequencing suggests that the second cytochrome may be a homologue of the low-potential cytochrome c-551, previously described in two species of Ectothiorhodospirillaceae.
1995
Algorithms are presented for characterizing the long-range accessibilities of protein surfaces. First, we describe an analytical method for determining the maximum contact radius for each atom in a structure. The problem is simplified greatly by geometric inversion in a sphere, a type of conformal mapping. Second, we introduce the concept of diffusion accessibility of a protein surface, which we evaluate either by random-walk simulations or by numerical solution of the equations of diffusion with the protein acting as an adsorber. These two measures of exposure are compared to each other as well as to the more common notion of solvent accessibility. These new procedures provide longer-range descriptions of surface geometry which may be useful in docking studies and other areas where surface comparison is required.
The molecular structure of cytochrome c6 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been determined from two crystal forms and refined to 1.9 A resolution. The two crystal forms are likely the result of different levels of post-translational modification of the protein. This is the first report of a high-resolution structure of a chloroplast-derived class I c-type cytochrome. The overall fold is similar to that of other class I c-type cytochromes, consisting of a series of alpha-helices and turns that envelop the heme prosthetic group. There is also a short two-stranded anti-parallel beta-sheet in the vicinity of the methionine axial ligand to the heme; this region of the molecule is formed by the most highly conserved residues in c6-type cytochromes. Although class I c-type cytochromes are assumed to function as monomers, both crystal forms of cytochrome c6 exhibit oligomerization about the heme crevice that is, in part, mediated by the short anti-parallel beta-sheet. The functional significance of this oligomerization is supported by the appearance of similar interfaces in other electron transfer couples, HPLC and light-scattering data, and is furthermore consistent with kinetic data on electron transfer reactions of c6-type cytochromes.
One of the most puzzling observations in protein crystallography is that the various space-group symmetries occur with striking non-uniformity. Molecular close-packing has been invoked to explain similar observations for crystals of small organic compounds, but does not appear to be the dominant factor for proteins. Instead, we find that the observed frequencies for both two- and three-dimensional crystals can be explained by an entropic model. Under a requirement for connectivity, the favoured space groups are simply less restrictive than others in that they allow the molecules more rigid-body degrees of freedom and can therefore be realized in a greater number of ways. This result underscores the importance of the nucleation event in crystallization and leads to specific ideas for crystallizing water-soluble and membrane proteins.
1994
Plastocyanin is one of the best characterized of the photosynthetic electron transfer proteins. Since the determination of the structure of poplar plastocyanin in 1978, the structure of algal (Scenedesmus, Enteromorpha, Chlamydomonas) and plant (French bean) plastocyanins has been determined either by crystallographic or NMR methods, and the poplar structure has been refined to 1.33 A resolution. Despite the sequence divergence among plastocyanins of algae and vascular plants (e.g., 62% sequence identity between the Chlamydomonas and poplar proteins), the three-dimensional structures are remarkably conserved (e.g., 0.76 A rms deviation in the C alpha positions between the Chlamydomonas and poplar proteins). Structural features include a distorted tetrahedral copper binding site at one end of an eight-stranded antiparallel beta-barrel, a pronounced negative patch, and a flat hydrophobic surface. The copper site is optimized for its electron transfer function, and the negative and hydrophobic patches are proposed to be involved in recognition of physiological reaction partners. Chemical modification, cross-linking, and site-directed mutagenesis experiments have confirmed the importance of the negative and hydrophobic patches in binding interactions with cytochrome f and Photosystem I, and validated the model of two functionally significant electron transfer paths in plastocyanin. One putative electron transfer path is relatively short (approximately 4 A) and involves the solvent-exposed copper ligand His-87 in the hydrophobic patch, while the other is more lengthy (approximately 12-15 A) and involves the nearly conserved residue Tyr-83 in the negative patch.
The purification and characterization of the peripheral antenna and the preliminary characterization of a carotenoid-protein complex from the purple-sulfur bacterium Chromatium purpuratum are described. The peripheral antenna of C. purpuratum is unusual among purple bacteria in that it can be resolved by SDS-PAGE into six subunits, the largest number observed thus far for a spectrally pure antenna complex. N-terminal sequence analyses of these subunits suggest that they may have an additional bacteriochlorophyll-binding site located outside the transmembrane domain. The results of pigment-protein quantification are also consistent with additional pigment-binding sites in the C. purpuratum LH2. Furthermore, CD measurements and sequence analysis suggest the presence of considerable beta-type in addition to alpha-helical secondary structure. Thus, the secondary and quaternary structures of this complex differ significantly from light-harvesting complexes of other purple photosynthetic bacteria. A carotenoid-protein complex is also described; it is an apparent association of three proteins and carotenoid and is closely associated with the peripheral antenna. The purple-sulfur bacteria are evolutionarily older than the relatively better characterized purple-nonsulfur organisms. The phenotypic features described here of the C. purpuratum photosynthetic apparatus are related to those of other purple bacteria and green-sulfur bacteria and may reflect the evolutionary position of this organism.
Two complexes, the reaction center light-harvesting complex 1 (RC-LH1) and the B820 subunit of the LH1, have been isolated and characterized from the purple-sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Chromatium purpuratum. The RC-LH1 consists of the B870 antenna and a P-870 RC with an associated tetraheme cytochrome. This complex can be further fractionated to yield the B820 subunit of the LH1. The C. purpuratum B820 subunit is the first isolated from a purple-sulfur bacterium. It is also the first that retains its carotenoid absorption properties. CD spectra in the Qy region of bacteriochlorophyll a in both the RC-LH1 and the B820 subunit are bathochromically shifted as compared to other such complexes. Comparison of the sequence of the LH1 beta polypeptide to other LH1 beta s reveals the presence of additional aromatic amino acids in the vicinity of both of the conserved histidines in the C. purpuratum beta polypeptide. The CD spectra of these C. purpuratum pigment-protein complexes can be interpreted in terms of exciton interaction between bacteriochlorophylls in the B820 subunit of the LH1 and in the B870, with additional spectral characteristics arising from interactions of the pigments with their protein environment.
Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) has been crystallized in 2 forms. Orthorhombic crystals, space group P2(1)2(1)2, diffracted to 2.8 A and have cell dimensions a = 39.1 A, b = 54.0 A, and c = 65.5 A. The second form is space group P4(3)2(1)2, with cell dimensions a = b = 67.1 A, and c = 107.9 A. The tetragonal crystals diffract to 2.8 A at room temperature and 2.5 A at -100 degrees C. The unit cell dimensions change significantly upon freezing, a = b = 66.1 A, and c = 102.8 A. Phases for the orthorhombic form were obtained by molecular replacement using nerve growth factor as the search model. A partially refined model of the NT-3 dimer (75% complete) was then oriented and positioned in the tetragonal cell.
Rotation functions between Patterson functions can be calculated and analyzed more efficiently when it is possible to consider only a unique or asymmetric region of rotation space. Previous authors have succeeded in characterizing the symmetries and asymmetric units of rotation functions between Patterson functions whose symmetries are less than cubic. Here we describe a simple and general solution that applies to rotation functions between Patterson functions of any symmetry, including cubic. The method relies on partitioning rotation space into Dirichlet domains.
The structure determination of a macromolecule from a hemihedrally twinned crystal specimen with a twinning fraction of one-half is described. Twinning was detected by analysis of crystal-packing density and intensity statistics. The structure was solved using molecular replacement, and the positioned search model was used to overcome the twinning by a novel method of 'detwinning' the observed data. Estimates of the unobservable crystallographic intensities from each of the twin domains were obtained and used to refine the model. The structure of a new algal plastocyanin from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was determined by this method to 1.6 A resolution with a 'twinned' R factor of 15.6%. Additional data from a crystal specimen with a low twinning fraction were used to establish the accuracy of the structure solution from the perfectly twinned data, and to finalize the refinement to 1.5 A resolution and a true R factor of 16.8%. Methods for detecting twinning and obtaining a molecular-replacement solution in the presence of twinning are discussed.
A novel method for differentiating between correctly and incorrectly determined regions of protein structures based on characteristic atomic interaction is described. Different types of atoms are distributed nonrandomly with respect to each other in proteins. Errors in model building lead to more randomized distributions of the different atom types, which can be distinguished from correct distributions by statistical methods. Atoms are classified in one of three categories: carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O). This leads to six different combinations of pairwise noncovalently bonded interactions (CC, CN, CO, NN, NO, and OO). A quadratic error function is used to characterize the set of pairwise interactions from nine-residue sliding windows in a database of 96 reliable protein structures. Regions of candidate protein structures that are mistraced or misregistered can then be identified by analysis of the pattern of nonbonded interactions from each window.
The crystal structure of plastocyanin from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been determined at 1.5-A resolution with a crystallographic R factor of 16.8%. Plastocyanin is a small (98 amino acids), blue copper-binding protein that catalyzes the transfer of electrons in oxygenic photosynthesis from cytochrome f in the quinol oxidase complex to P700+ in photosystem I. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii plastocyanin is an eight-stranded, antiparallel beta-barrel with a single copper atom coordinated in quasitetrahedral geometry by two imidazole nitrogens (from His-37 and His-87), a cysteine sulfur (from Cys-84), and a methionine sulfur (from Met-92). The molecule contains a region of negative charge surrounding Tyr-83 (the putative distant site of electron transfer) and an exclusively hydrophobic region surrounding His-87; these regions are thought to be involved in the recognition of reaction partners for the purpose of directing electron transfer. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii plastocyanin is similar to the other plastocyanins of known structure, particularly the green algal plastocyanins from Enteromorpha prolifera and Scenedesmus obliquus. A potential "through-bond" path of electron transfer has been identified in the protein that involves the side chain of Tyr-83, the main-chain atoms between residues 83 and 84, the side chain of Cys-84, the copper atom, and the side chain of His-87.
The crystal structure of V510, a chimeric type 2/type 1 poliovirus, has been determined at 2.6 A resolution. Unlike the parental Mahoney strain of type 1 poliovirus, V510 is able to replicate in the mouse central nervous system, due entirely to the replacement of six amino acids in the exposed BC loop of capsid protein VP1. Significant structural differences between the two strains cluster in a major antigenic site of the virus, located at the apex of the radial projection which surrounds the viral five-fold axis. Residues implicated in the mouse-virulence of poliovirus by genetic studies are located in this area, and include the residues which are responsible for stabilizing the conformation of the BC loop in V510. Despite evidence that this area is not involved in receptor binding in cultured primate cells, the genetic and structural observations suggest that this area plays a critical role in receptor interactions in the mouse central nervous system. These results provide a structural framework for further investigation of the molecular determinants of host and tissue tropism in viruses.
A program is described that performs least-squares group refinement of oriented molecular replacement models whose positions in the unit cell are unknown. The program (INTREF) is designed to produce improved models for use in a translation function by optimizing the orientations and relative translations of the model domains. The molecular contents of the asymmetric unit are refined as a small number of rigid bodies whose origins relative to each other may be unknown. More than one molecule in the asymmetric unit can be accommodated. The refinement seeks to minimize the residual error between the observed and calculated intensities that have been modified to produce the equivalent of a radial weighting in Patterson space. Calculated intensities include contributions from all symmetry-related molecules, enabling meaningful refinement in high-symmetry space groups. Derivatives of the intensities with respect to the rigid-body parameters are evaluated numerically using fast Fourier transforms and the shifts are obtained by non-linear least-squares analysis. Results with test cases show that the program is capable of adjusting the orientations and relative translations of protein domains to give models that more closely resemble the known structures. Consequently, the resulting models produce more accurate and more interpretable results in translation functions. The importance of including all crystallographically related molecules and of downweighting the contribution of the longer-radius region of the Patterson function is demonstrated.
A simple method is described for determining the reference coordinate system of a list of atomic coordinates. The reference system is characterized by finding the optimal metric tensor on the basis of the expected bond lengths. The ability to identify the correct frame of reference is important for structures solved in non-orthogonal unit cells.
1988
The statistics of intensity data from hemihedrally twinned specimens are analyzed in terms of a new parameter and are shown to take a simple form in both the centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric cases. This analysis provides a sensitive method for determining the twinning fraction. The effects of intensity measurement errors on the observed statistics are discussed.
The three-dimensional structures of the cofactors and protein subunits of the reaction center (RC) from the carotenoidless mutant strain of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26 and the wild-type strain 2.4.1 have been determined by x-ray diffraction to resolutions of 2.8 A and 3.0 A with R values of 24% and 26%, respectively. The bacteriochlorophyll dimer (D), bacteriochlorophyll monomers (B), and bacteriopheophytin monomers (phi) form two branches, A and B, that are approximately related by a twofold symmetry axis. The cofactors are located in hydrophobic environments formed by the L and M subunits. Differences in the cofactor-protein interactions between the A and B cofactors, as well as between the corresponding cofactors of Rb, sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas viridis [Michel, H., Epp, O. & Deisenhofer, J. (1986) EMBO J. 3, 2445-2451], are delineated. The roles of several structural features in the preferential electron transfer along the A branch are discussed. Two bound detergent molecules of beta-octyl glucoside have been located near BA and BB. The environment of the carotenoid, C, that is present in RCs from Rb. sphaeroides 2.4.1 consists largely of aromatic residues of the M subunit. A role of BB in the triplet energy transfer from D to C and the reason for the preferential ease of removal of BB from the RC is proposed.
The three-dimensional structure of the reaction center (RC) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been determined by x-ray diffraction to a resolution of 2.8 A with an R value of 24%. The interactions of the protein with the primary quinone, QA, secondary quinone, QB, and the nonheme iron are described and compared to those of RCs from Rhodopseudomonas viridis. Structural differences between the QA and QB environments that contribute to the function of the quinones (the electron transfer from QA- to QB and the charge recombination of QA-, QB- with the primary donor) are delineated. The protein residues that may be involved in the protonation of QB are identified. A pathway for the doubly reduced QB to dissociate from the RC is proposed. The interactions between QB and the residues that have been changed in herbicide-resistant mutants are described. The environment of the nonheme iron is compared to the environments of metal ions in other proteins.
Photosynthetic reaction centers from purple bacteria exhibit an approximate twofold symmetry axis, which relates both the cofactors and the L and M subunits. For the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, deviations from this twofold symmetry axis have been quantitated by superposing, by a 180 degrees rotation, the cofactors of the B branch onto the A branch and the M subunit onto the L subunit. An alignment of the sequences of the L and M subunits from four purple bacteria, one green bacterium, and the D1 and D2 subunits of a photosystem II-containing green alga is presented. The residues that are conserved in all six species are shown in relation to the structure of Rb. sphaeroides and their possible role in the function of the reaction center is discussed. A method is presented for characterizing the exposure of alpha-helices to the membrane based on the periodicity of conserved residues. This method may prove useful for modeling the three-dimensional structures of membrane proteins.
The three-dimensional structure of the cofactors of the reaction center of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26 has been determined by x-ray diffraction and refined at a resolution of 2.8 A with an R value of 26%. The main features of the structure are similar to the ones determined for Rhodopseudomonas viridis [Michel, H., Epp, O. & Deisenhofer, J. (1986) EMBO J. 5, 2445-2451]. The cofactors are arranged along two branches, which are approximately related to each other by a 2-fold symmetry axis. The structure is well suited to produce light-induced charge separation across the membrane. Most of the structural features predicted from physical and biochemical measurements are confirmed by the x-ray structure.
The energetics of membrane-protein interactions are analyzed with the three-dimensional model of the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The position of the RC in the membrane and the thickness of the membrane were obtained by minimizing the hydrophobic energy with the energy function of Eisenberg and McLachlan. The 2-fold symmetry axis that relates the L and M subunits is, within the accuracy of 5 degrees, parallel to the normal of the membrane. The thickness of the membrane is estimated to be 40-45 A. Residues that are exposed to the membrane are relatively poorly conserved in the sequences of homologous RC proteins. The surface area of the RC is comparable to the surface areas of water-soluble proteins of similar molecular weight. The volumes of interior atoms in the RC are also similar to those of water-soluble proteins, indicating the same compact packing for both types of proteins. The electrostatic potential of the cofactors was calculated. The results show an asymmetry in the potential between the two possible pathways of electron transfer, with the A branch being preferred electrostatically.
The three-dimensional structure of the protein subunits of the reaction center (RC) of Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been determined by x-ray diffraction at a resolution of 2.8 A with an R factor of 26%. The L and M subunits each contain five transmembrane helices and several helices that do not span the membrane. The L and M subunits are related to each other by a 2-fold rotational symmetry axis that is approximately the same as that determined for the cofactors. The H subunit has one transmembrane helix and a globular domain on the cytoplasmic side, which contains a helix that does not span the membrane and several beta-sheets. The structural homology with RCs from other purple bacteria is discussed. A structure of the complex formed between the water soluble cytochrome c2 and the RC from Rb. sphaeroides is proposed.
Crystals of the reaction center (RC) from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides with the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), have been studied by x-ray diffraction. The Patterson search (molecular replacement) technique was used to analyze the data, with the structure of the reaction center from Rhodopseudomonas viridis as a model system. A preliminary electron density map of the reaction center from R. sphaeroides has been obtained. Comparison of the structure of the RC from R. sphaeroides with that from R. viridis showed the following conserved features: five membrane-spanning helices in each of the L and M subunits, a single membrane-spanning helix in the H subunit, a 2-fold symmetry axis, and similar positions and orientations of the cofactors. Unlike the RCs from R. viridis, both quinones are retained in the RCs from R. sphaeroides. The secondary quinone is located near the position related by the 2-fold symmetry axis to the primary quinone.
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The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft...
The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom ('Moth' from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients.
All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind?
Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force.
As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?
The gilded era – 1880 New York and the promise of three young witches drew me in and had me listening to THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK written by Ami McKay and narrated by Julia Whelan. McKay offered up a dark and curious tale that I enjoyed despite its meandering pace.
In a nut shell, this is the story of two witches helping a new witch find her place in the world during a highly religious, dangerous time in America. Eleanor St. Clair and Adelaide Thom own a Tea shop and welcome Beatrice Dunn into their home. She is a powerful young untrained witch.
The tea shop was delightful and catered to women’s needs. I loved that it was run by women for women. McKay used the store setting to highlight the climate for women during this period, and it felt natural and enlightening.
Paranormal elements from ghosts to talking birds will delight listeners. McKay breathes life into these elements allowing readers to believe in magic, ghosts and more. The witches are aided by a talking Raven and a mischievous pair of Dearlies.
Richly detailed with spells, lore, and witchcraft.
McKay is to be commended for the research that is evident as the reader finds themselves amongst the good people of 1880 NY. Her depictions of the streets, townsfolk, climate, and dangers were outstanding. Atmospheric and beautifully crafted McKay pulls you into the tale and its characters.
THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK weaves suspense, mystery, and magical realism into a believable tale. Steeped with religious overtones, we have a vigilante removing sinners and those practicing witchcraft or possessed of demons from this earth.
The characters themselves are all unique, quirky and memorable. I enjoyed the banter amongst them and felt as if I were with them in the dark shop.
Religion, oppression, prejudice and women’s rights are all woven into the tale and offer plenty of discussion for those looking for a book club read/listen.
Julia Whelan narrated and does a splendid job of capturing the female narratives, ominous tones, and ghostly entities.
The ending wrapped up nicely, but the door was left open with a little suspenseful thread. I would definitely revisit these characters and story.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
While I loved all the gritty details surrounding life in 1880 and the attention to witchcraft and its history, at times it slowed the pace down making listening difficult. I think had I read this, setting it down and picking it back up wouldn’t have made it feel cumbersome at times.
There were a few threads and characters I felt could have been eliminated from the tale. They did not further the plot and this would have made for better pacing.
The audio lacks some of the rich details the print copy delivers. Newspaper clippings, drawings, and spells.
While I struggled at times with the pace of THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK, it is one that stayed with me. I find myself thinking about the characters, the setting, and magic. I enjoyed it more upon reflection making it a worthy read/listen.
About Ami McKay
Ami McKay’s debut novel, The Birth House was a # 1 bestseller in Canada, winner of three CBA Libris Awards, nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and a book club favorite around the world. Her new novel. The Virgin Cure, is inspired by the life of her great- great grandmother, Dr. Sarah Fonda Mackintosh, a female physician in nineteenth century New York. Born and raised in Indiana, Ami now lives in Nova Scotia.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. She's a self-professed Whovian, as well as a Supernatural, and Sherlock Holmes junkie, She enjoys sharing books, tips, recipes and hosting the Sunday Post. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat...Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
I wish! Not by a long shot 🙂 Lithuanian libraries won’t have anything so new, plus it’s probably not translated, and they barely stock English books, the ones they do will probably be mostly classics. Well, maybe one day I’ll find it on an Amazon sale or something 🙂
that cover is utterly mesmerising! As is the story — it felt a little like Practical Magic in the beginning of your review, but I like that it’s two witches helping a third to find herself instead. And best, love love the atmosphere!
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Search
Should the conflict between the two groups of nordic gods be considered a reflection of a historic event or a portrayal of the shift of the people of the north, or both?
Was this war between the mainly fertility-concerned Vanir and the more battle-ready Æsir reflecting the invasion of outsiders to a more peaceful people?
It is a complex topic to consider, and to begin to contemplate the possibilities of a time where war was, in fact, not the law and the norm of life for people.
The book series, The Ringing Cedars of Russia, by Vladimir Megre, describes the Vedic Russians, a group that is little known by history, and surely not learnt about in school. The Vedic Russians were deeply spiritual, according to Megre, and cultivated their food as they cultivated their connection with the earth and the universe, and the one united force we could call God (the universal consciousness). The connection the Vedic Russians had with nature was at the same time their connection with all of life, and with the prime spiritual force in life. They ate no meat, as there was an abundance of plant life readily available to them and they were able to communicate closely with animals which caused a natural bond, the animals surrounding them were something like pets, so they of course could not kill them.
These people were not interested in war, but if invaders came, they could easily fend them off. They could think quickly, and had spiritual powers that modern man has long since lost.
Were the people of the north as similarly connected to the earth, to the plants, to the animals? Were they slowly invaded and caused to evolve to adopt a less nature based approach?
War and the warrior have been revered by modern man, and civilizations as long as history has recorded. We think war is the only way. Indeed, it is correct to be ready to stand up for oneself, to defend one’s people, to put obstacles out of the way. But mankind’s purpose is not to bloodthirstily rip up other people. The soul, the deeper spiritual aspect of all people longs for a peace, a unity and sense of comfort. This is in fact, a strength-not a weakness. Seeking conflict leads to a never ending cycle of conflict.
Especially among the people of the north, where the revival of interest in the pagan legacy of the north has sparked, it is the war-like vikings one usually first thinks of. The Hammer of Thor is a strong symbol to wear, to invoke and evoke strength, daring and protection: all very good things. We have to be ready to defend ourselves if need be.
That said, admiring plundering, thieving, perpetual war is not a way to a more developed spiritual being. One only lives by “might is right”, instead of weighing justice and truth as principles that should be lived by- no matter who has the stronger arm.
Revering only the blood-thirsty will only lead to more conflict. If we want to live a sustainable life for ourselves, and our children, we have to put ourselves on the road to a sustainable future that is based on a closeness, an intimacy and appreciation with the earth. A bond with the finer things in life, an appreciation for the defenceless, for the intuition, for art, for aesthetics, and the very practical act of cultivating food for oneself- which leads to freedom and to possibly, if done in harmony with the earth (organic, permaculture) a deeper spiritual connection can be cultivated.
We can learn many things from both the Vanir and Æsir. We know that death is an inevitable part of life- but seeking the death of another is not necessary. If one does this for the furthering of one’s material status in life, one is living against the harmony of nature. Defending oneself is necessary. Living justly is necessary. Seeking out and finding a bond with the spirit and nature is necessary. Otherwise we simply only continue to live in the materialistic, utterly distanced from the spirit society we find ourselves in today.
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On this episode of the Joint Status Report, Chicago Partners Doug Sargent and David Standa briefly discuss Naperville’s recent decision to opt out of recreational marijuana sales and what some of the newspaper articles missed about the vote (:30), the federal indictment of Fall River, Massachusetts Mayor Jasiel Correia (2:35), and interview Bethany Gomez, the Managing Director of Brightfield Group (@brightfieldgrp on Twitter and @brightfieldgroup on Instagram) (5:50). Please subscribe to the Joint Status Report on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and continue to check out Locke Lord’s blog for developments in the cannabis industry, as well as upcoming episodes of The Joint Status Report.
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Please understand that your communications with Locke Lord LLP through this website do not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship with Locke Lord LLP. Any information you send to Locke Lord LLP through this website is on a non-confidential and non-privileged basis. Therefore, do not send or include any information in your email that you consider to be confidential or privileged.
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More Illinoisans Relying on Food Stamps, Pantries
(AP) — The number of Illinois residents relying on food stamps and visiting food banks is rising along with the poverty rate.
The number of food stamp recipients increased 19 percent during the recent recession and has increased an additional 41 percent since it ended in June 2009.
At the same time, households served by the state’s emergency food program spiked from 2.27 million in fiscal year 2009 to almost 3 million in 2012. That’s according to the Illinois Department of Human Services, which distributes federal surplus commodities to food banks.
The Chicago-based Social IMPACT research Center reported Wednesday that 15 percent of Illinoisans are in poverty and another 18 percent are close to it.
Food pantry officials say many seeking help are working full-time but still can’t make ends meet.
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The driver killed in a solo traffic wreck Sunday near the Shasta County and Trinity County line was identified Tuesday as a Humboldt County man.
He was identified by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office as Johnnie W. Schaafsma, 65, of Redway.
The California Highway Patrol, which continues to investigate the crash, has said the man's pickup went off Highway 36 east of Wildwood Road near the Shasta County and Trinity County line, hit two trees, overturned and went down an embankment,.
According to the CHP, the was found after 4:15 p.m. on Sunday following a call to the CHP's dispatch center.
Officers from the Redding and Trinity River CHP offices, along with personnel from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, found the overturned 2010 Chevrolet Colorado with a body inside.
According to the CHP, it appears the pickup was traveling eastbound at an unknown speed when it went off the highway and hit the trees before overturning and going down the embankment.
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The Anime About The Ultimate Scammer
You know the drill. With a subtle nod and a thousand-yard stare tougher than steel-plated armor, a cool and collected character nonchalantly paints the walls with their enemies. I’m talking about telekinesis, baby, a power that practically formed a sub-genre of its own in the anime and manga of the ’80s and ’90s. From the timeless Akira to creator Katsuhiro Otomo’s own Domu and more modern espers like Elfen Lied and A Certain Magical Index, there’s just something about third-eye thrills and joint-popping gestures that are a perfect fit for anime.
Psychokinesis and style go hand in hand—after all, how are you supposed to separate the real from the fake unless they have you pinned against the wall with the power of their mind? We knew the experiments in Akira were working because we saw their destructive power firsthand. Legit mental gymnastics that go beyond mere parlor tricks are absolutely terrifying.
But then there are those who simply want to get in on a fad for the money, fake the funk for a quick buck. Without this side of the coin we wouldn’t have 1-900 psychic lines, ghost mediums, or a half-dozen Uri Geller wannabes bending spoons in bargain bin Jos. A. Bank suits. That’s where Mob Psycho 100comes into play.
Emerging in a beautifully crude style from the brain of One-Punch Man creator ONE, Mob Psycho 100 is the coin tucked behind the ear in animation form. It’s both the real deal and a complete illusion—world-rending psychic slobberknockers walking side by side with bottom of the barrel scam artists.
Before we get to the meat of the ostensible hero Mob and what makes his series the perfect culmination of psychokinetic anime, we have to take a moment to give the other side some time to shine. The dark, duplicitous underbelly of the paranormal world is exactly what makes legit displays of magic so awe-inspiring, and it’s perfectly encapsulated in Mob Psycho 100‘s shameless spotlight snatcher: Arataka Reigen.
The Geller’s the Feller
Reigen is so integral to the world of Mob Psycho 100—which eventually spirals into a high-stakes takedown of an entire extrasensory organization—that he’s the very first character we meet. This self-proclaimed psychic sets up shop at his “Spirits and Such Consultation Office,” charging customers through the nose for poorly-staged exorcisms and half-baked heroics. Whenever one of his clients gets close to sniffing out his lies, he goes to absurd lengths to keep them hanging by even the thinnest of threads.
He plays guessing games that make even the most limp-minded of phony psychics look unquestionably authentic. He literally attempts to beat possessing spirits out of his customers, which results in a very relaxing Swedish massage. He frequently busts out his signature salt-throwing special move that’s more effective at seasoning than dispelling. Anything goes as long as it keeps his clients from walking away without paying their overblown bill in full.
Reigen’s lies are so powerful that it’s apparent he believes most of them himself to some degree. In fact, they’re so overblown they even managed to inspire their own special Mob Psycho 100 OVAcalled REIGEN The Miraculous Unknown Psychic, which was theatrically released in Japan and spins the entire series from his perspective in the ultimate lie to the entire audience.
The premise of this film still has Reigen exploiting the unknown with ceaseless claims of legitimacy, which is something at which all Uri Geller types excel. Like Geller, Reigen is consistently caught in the act, which only forces him to double down or die trying. To sweeten the pot, a well-aged palm reader named Kirari Sophia gives Reigen the idea of a lifetime. As seen on TV, this psychic’s best-selling book has proven to “enthrall white collar workers and housewives” alike, selling boatloads in the process. Tell as many fortunes as you like, but it’s the books that fuel the clientele, she says as if speaking directly to Reigen. That’s all he needs to hear to set out on his own quest to be a best-selling author.
Naturally, he gives his subordinate, Mob—the reason we’re all here in the first place—the job of actually typing the contents of the book, which will be funded via one of today’s greatest scam artist miracles: crowdfunding. Sure, Kickstarter and its ilk are fantastic platforms, but for some they’re a direct path toward easy money and unfulfilled promises. Thus, Reigen will complete a book by any means necessary, crowdfund it to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sit atop his vast literary riches for the remainder of his life.
The rest of the special episode consists of Reigen dictating the entire story of the Mob Psycho 100 animeto Mob, swapping out the heroics of the latter in favor of his own. Reigen’s head literally gets pasted over the other psychic stars of the series, from the hair-raising Teruki Hanazawa to the first spirit-turned-ally of the show, Dimple. The beauty of it all is that Reigen almost gets us good. Since I hadn’t seen the TV series in a while when I watched the OVA, I started to think to myself, “Wait, did he really do that?” and “Was he with everyone when they infiltrated the vile Claw organization?” Chalk it up to a bad memory or a convincing narrator, but even I had been fooled!
As it turns out, it’s easy to be a convincing fake when you aren’t being compared directly to anyone else at the time. When you actually see legit psychokinesis in action, though, the true power of Mob Psycho 100 makes itself clear. It’s been two years since the seriesoriginally aired—and a second season is right around the corner—but no matter when you watch it, Mob and co. make a strong argument for respecting those with serious powers and shunning Reigen and all the other Gellers out there lurking in the shadows.
The Real Deal
Reigen would be nothing more than a two-bit psychic scam artist if it weren’t for the undeniable authenticity of his secret weapon. Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama is about as mild-mannered as one can get, meek and quiet on the outside and positively bubbling with power within every inch of his being. His psychic abilities aren’t just strong, they’re otherworldly. They’re so over-the-top that he has to keep his cool and stave off any raw emotions or else his feelings will get cranked up to a nuclear 100 percent. What happens when he maxes out is half the fun of the series.
Mob Psycho 100 plays around with psychokinetic battles on another level, snapping the dial and testing the limits of TV animation with the help of prolific anime studio BONES (Space Dandy, My Hero Academia) and Death Parade director Yuzuru Tachikawa. To say the action is electrifying is an understatement; Mob and the other psychics of Mob Psycho 100 hit harder than a bullet train, crunching concrete like aluminum cans and turning all of Seasoning City into a cracked and crumbling playground. As far as animation is concerned, this is the culmination of decades of devotion to depicting destructive mind games on screen. It’s a thousand and one hits to the head that result in everything but a full-on Scanners money shot.
The fact that Reigen attempts to take credit for all the gorgeous devastation that unfolds during Mob Psycho 100‘s 12-episode run is downright delicious. It makes all the predictions, trifling tricks, and alien-bestowed paranormal gifts of your average Uri Geller seem quaint. Much like the very real powers Mob displays on a regular basis, Reigen’s own craft has been honed to perfection. Maybe he is the true protagonist after all, and we’re just caught up in another hard sell. Seeing is believing, and Mob Psycho 100 is a lie worth reliving over and over again.
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Portland just did something that would be a big deal for any city: It removed two motor vehicle lanes on a major thoroughfare — Northeast Multnomah Street — and replaced them with protected bike lanes.
Portland just picked some new protected bike lanes, and it has local business leaders to thank. Photo: Green Lane Project
The really cool thing about this story, though, is that business owners along the corridor were a driving force for the change. Michael Andersen, writing for Network blog the Green Lane Project, talked to some of those who helped totally alter the environment around their businesses:
“Multnomah was an underutilized street,” said Wade Lange, vice president of property management for Langley Investment Properties, a real estate firm that does big business in the area. “I’d stand out there at 8:10 in the morning and I wouldn’t see a car east or west.”
All that empty pavement invited many drivers to hit the gas, blazing through the commercial district at 45 mph or more.
So Lange’s firm, which had blocked bike improvements on nearby Holladay Street as part of its work on a 650-unit apartment proposal and a major new convention center hotel, embraced the green lane plan on Multnomah, one block north.
“It’s about visibility — if you’re driving by at 35 mph in a car, with basically a tree barrier in front of any retail spaces that exist, you’re not going to stop,” said Lange. “But you slow the traffic down, you do the landscaping and you get more people walking on the streets, and suddenly the retail exists.
For property owners, that’s where the separated bike lanes came in: As a way to build a coalition that would support a traffic-calming project.
“It just becomes a more active street than it ever was before,” Lange said. “A place where pedestrians want to spend their time.”
Also part of the business coalition supporting the change, Anderson wrote, was Kaiser Permanente, which employs 1,000 in the district, and the Portland Trailblazers basketball team, which is working hard to promote alternatives to driving for its fans.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Cap’n Transit looks at the new transportation power players in Congress, and whether they represent areas with viable transit. World Streets wonders what role transit overcrowding might have played in the India rape case that’s attracting attention worldwide. And Greater Greater Washington reports that some locals have put forward a pretty questionable objection to the city’s new zoning update.
It’ll be interesting to see if their business picks up from this change. Keep us posted :)
Michael Morris
Llloyd district has a lot of potential still to be realized. I was back for the holidays and was semi-impressed by the street car but very glad to see the seperated bikeways, most of those streets are already much wider than the average portland street. The picture does remind me that the one time seperated paths are not so great is when the street has a farily high arc.
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America's transportation system is half a century behind--causing unnecessary pollution, expense, and congestion. We need our leaders to invest in public transportation, high-speed passenger rail, streets safe for biking and walking, maintaining our roads and transit systems, and green innovation.
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It doesn't have a period. To see this, note that `sin(0)=0` , and the first "cycle" of the function `sin(sqrt(x))` ends when `sqrt(x)=2pi` , or equivalently when `x=4pi^2.` If the function were periodic, then `4pi^2` would be the period. If you're working in degrees then it's the same idea, except instead of `2pi` radians we use `360^@.`
However, the second cycle is completed when you go twice around the unit circle, or when `sqrt(x)=4pi`, so `x=16pi^2.` The third cycle is completed when `sqrt(x)=6pi,` or `x=36pi^2.` Each cycle takes longer and longer to complete, so the graph of `y=sin(sqrt(x))` can't be formed by repeating one cycle. Here's the graph.
The reason is that unlike something like `sin((3x)/7),` which replaces the variable `x` with the constant multiple `3/7*x` , and thus horizontally stretches the graph uniformly, replacing `x` with `sqrt(x)` stretches the graph more and more as `x` increases, as you can see from the graph.
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Microsoft's Windows 10 April Update reviewed
A look at the Timeline of the latest Windows changesby Josh Pozzolo 12:16 PM on June 14, 2018
I remember at one point in my life being so excited that I finally had Windows XP! No more boring Windows 98 grey taskbar uglying up my sweet desktop made up of bright neon colors with low-res bitmap images copy-pasted onto them! Those were the heady days of the post-2000s, when I was a teenager with a Pentium II desktop with Windows XP and Starcraft. How times have changed. Now I'm a fat old man with a faster desktop, still banging away on Windows playing similar games.
Windows 10 launched roughly three years ago in the summer of 2015. Microsoft later announced that the operating system would receive regular bi-annual feature updates. We've just witnessed the launch of one of them for 2018. The imaginatively-named April Update appeared literally on the last day of that month, though you may not have it installed yet. Since you're no doubt dying to know what the new features in this update are, let's get started.
Timeline
The most significant addition is the new organizational feature named Timeline. This interface replaces the old task view brought up by Win+Tab. When Timeline is activated, you'll see a wall with a historical overview of opened browser pages and Office files, along with items opened in third-party applications, if developers add the necessary integration. Windows now remembers what you've been working on over the last hours, days, or even weeks. The operating system can also sync this data across your devices if you choose.
Timeline currently displays websites and Office documents from each day, and can even display per-hour app history.
Think of Timeline like browser history, but for potentially everything on your computer and across all your PCs. Were you working with specific websites and Word, say for a Windows April update review on your desktop, and you're now on your laptop? Simply open Timeline and there's everything you were working on, ready to be recalled. For now, Timeline is mostly just used by Microsoft apps, as third parties need to update their applications to support it. Timeline support in Chrome is currently MIA, for example. The data sync functionality currently works only on Windows, though Microsoft announced that Timeline support is coming to Edge on iOS and to Android via the Microsoft launcher.
As far as I'm concerned, Timeline works and does what's advertised. If configured right, it can be quite an excellent feature, and I'm eagerly looking forward to it working on my OnePlus 5T.
Progressive Web Apps
Another major change in Windows 10 is the addition of Progressive Web App (PWA) support, part of an ongoing joint effort by Microsoft, Apple, and Google. This feature may have a larger long-run impact on the Windows 10 ecosystem than any other change in this update. Essentially, PWA support lets websites run web-based apps that appear to the user as native applications. This means web apps can install local shortcuts, notify the user without a browser being open, and behave largely as people expect from a locally-installed application.
Twitter's PWA doesn't yet have Live Tile support, but does support push notifications to a desktop.
PWAs let you go to a website, click "download app," and see a new shortcut or icon on your phone or PC, all without ever visiting an app store. Microsoft had initially required PWA apps to be listed in the store, but pulled this requirement at the Build conference. Ideally, you shouldn't need to know if the app you're running is native or web-based. There's cross-platform support for PWA applications in Windows 10, Android, and iOS.
The chicken-and-egg problem
Whether the needed developer support for PWA and Timeline appears is yet to be seen. Given that Edge currently sits at less than two million downloads on Android and the Microsoft launcher at ten million, the potential number of non-PC users for Timeline isn't that big. As a result, additional developer support might be a long time coming unless Timeline's APIs are very simple to use.
I couldn't find download numbers for Edge on iOS, but it has roughly one-sixth as many App Store reviews compared to the Play Store. That means actual installations are likely few and far between. The iTunes 17+ rating probably isn't helping, either. At Build, Microsoft pitched its Android launcher at businesses, but whether it'll be adopted remains to be seen. The fact that most of the Timeline functionality requires you to opt in also means many people will miss out on it.
For those of us who loved Windows Phone devices, PWA support could be a game changer if it plays out according to plan. Like with Timeline, that support is a big "if." Microsoft's My People, which appeared in the Fall Creators Update, is also a potentially useful feature that has had basically no developer support. For those interested in PWA technology, Twitter has a write-up on how it built the Twitter Lite PWA.
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SHEA Guidelines and Expert Guidance Documents
SHEA and its collaborators work to provide guidance to put the science of healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention into practice through evidence-based guidelines, expert guidance papers (EGs), white papers, and other resources on infection prevention for hospitals, long-term care centers, and other healthcare facilities.
Copyright:
These papers are provided as a professional courtesy by SHEA and Cambridge University to be used for educational purposes only. They may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without written permission from SHEA.
Oversight:
SHEA guidelines and EGs are overseen by the SHEA Guidelines Committee. Current guidelines and EGs are reviewed periodically per the process described in the Handbook.
Guidelines and Expert Guidance Documents
Retired
SHEA retires guidelines based on new evidence or if revisions have occurred replacing the original document; however, they still may be accessed as a resource.
The epidemiology of C. difficile–associated disease (CDAD) is changing, with evidence of increased incidence and severity. However, the understanding of the magnitude of and reasons for this change is currently hampered by the lack of standardized surveillance methods. An ad hoc C. difficile surveillance working group was formed to develop interim surveillance definitions and recommendations based on existing literature and expert opinion that can help to improve CDAD surveillance and prevention efforts.
Guidelines for Developing an Institutional Program to Enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship
This document presents guidelines for developing institutional programs to enhance antimicrobial stewardship, an activity that includes appropriate selection, dosing, route, and duration of antimicrobial therapy. The combination of effective antimicrobial stewardship with a comprehensive infection control program has been shown to limit the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria and reduce healthcare costs without adversely impacting quality-of-care. These guidelines focus on the development of effective hospital‐based stewardship programs and do not include specific outpatient recommendations. The population targeted includes all patients in acute care hospitals.
Guideline for Reprocessing Flexible Gastrointestinal Endoscopes
The beneficial role of gastrointestinal endoscopy for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of many digestive diseases and cancer is well established. Like many sophisticated medical devices, the endoscope is a complex, reusable instrument that requires reprocessing before being used on subsequent patients. The most commonly used methods for reprocessing endoscopes result in high‐level disinfection. To date, all published episodes of pathogen transmission related to gastrointestinal endoscopy have been associated with failure to follow established cleaning and disinfection/sterilization guidelines or use of defective equipment. Despite the strong published data regarding the safety of endoscope reprocessing, concern over the potential for pathogen transmission during endoscopy has raised questions about the best methods for disinfection or sterilization of these devices between patient uses. This document provides evidence-based guidelines for reprocessing gastrointestinal endoscopes.
Guideline for Preventing Nosocomial Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus
Frequent antibiotic therapy in healthcare settings provides a selective advantage for resistant flora, but patients with MRSA or VRE usually acquire it via spread. CDC has long‐recommended contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with such pathogens. Most facilities have required this as policy, but have not actively identified colonized patients with surveillance cultures, leaving most colonized patients undetected and unisolated. Many studies have shown control of endemic and/or epidemic MRSA and VRE infections using surveillance cultures and contact precautions, demonstrating consistency of evidence, high strength of association, reversibility, a dose gradient, and specificity for control with this approach. Adjunctive control measures are also discussed.
Infection Control Recommendations for Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
This consensus document presents background data and evidence‐based recommendations for practices that are intended to decrease the risk of transmission of respiratory pathogens among CF patients from contaminated respiratory therapy equipment or the contaminated environment and thereby reduce the burden of respiratory illness. Included are recommendations applicable in the acute care hospital, ambulatory, home care, and selected non‐healthcare settings. The target audience includes all healthcare workers who provide care to CF patients. Antimicrobial management is beyond the scope of this document.
Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings
Author:SHEA, HICPAC, APIC, IDSA Hand Hygiene Taskforce
Date Published: December 01, 2002
Topics:
Guidelines, Hand Hygiene
Abstract:
This document provides healthcare workers with a review of data regarding handwashing and hand antisepsis in healthcare settings, as well as specific recommendations to promote improved hand‐hygiene practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and personnel. Recommendations concerning related issues (e.g., the use of surgical hand antiseptics, hand lotions or creams, and wearing of artificial fingernails) are also included.
Clostridium difficile in Long-Term Care Facilities for the Elderly
Author:SHEA Long-Term Care Committee
Date Published: December 01, 2002
Topics:
C. difficile, Guidelines, Long-Term Care
Abstract:
Antimicrobial agents are among the most frequently prescribed medications in long‐term care facilities (LTCFs). Therefore, it is not surprising that C. difficile colonization and C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) occur commonly in elderly LTCF residents. C. difficile has been identified as the most common cause of non‐epidemic acute diarrheal illness in nursing homes, and outbreaks of CDAD in LTCFs have also been recognized. This position paper reviews the epidemiology and clinical features of CDAD in elderly residents of LTCFs and, using available evidence, provides recommendations for the management of C. difficile in this setting.
Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities
Author:SHEA Long-Term Care Committee
Date Published: March 01, 2001
Topics:
Guidelines, Long-Term Care, UTI
Abstract:
Urinary tract infection is the most common bacterial infection occurring in residents of long‐term–care facilities. It is a frequent reason for antimicrobial administration, but antimicrobial use for treating UTIs is often inappropriate. Achieving optimal management of UTI in this population is problematic because of the very high prevalence of bacteriuria, evidence that the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria is not beneficial, and the clinical and microbiological imprecision in diagnosing symptomatic UTI. This position paper has been developed using available evidence to assist facilities and healthcare professionals in managing this common problem.
Guidelines for the Prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance in Hospitals
Antimicrobial resistance results in increased morbidity, mortality, and costs of healthcare. Prevention of the emergence of resistance and the dissemination of resistant microorganisms will reduce these adverse effects and their attendant costs. Appropriate antimicrobial stewardship that includes optimal selection, dose, and duration of treatment, as well as control of antibiotic use, will prevent or slow the emergence of resistance among microorganisms. A comprehensively applied infection control program will interdict the dissemination of resistant strains.
Infection Prevention and Control in the Long-Term Care Facility
Author:SHEA, APIC
Date Published: January 01, 1997
Topics:
Long-Term Care
Abstract:
More than 1.5 million residents reside in U.S. nursing homes. In recent years, the acuity of illness of nursing home residents has increased. LTCF residents have a risk of developing HAI that approaches that seen in acute care hospital patients. This position paper reviews the literature on infections and infection control programs in the LTCF. Recommendations are developed for long-term care infection control programs based on interpretation of currently available evidence. The recommendations cover the structure and function of the infection control program, including surveillance, isolation precautions, outbreak control, resident care, and employee health. Infection control resources are also presented.
Antimicrobial Use in Long-Term Care Facilities
Author:SHEA Long-Term Care Committee
Date Published: February 01, 1996
Topics:
Antimicrobial Stewardship, Guidelines, Long-Term Care
Abstract:
There is intense antimicrobial use in long-term-care facilities, and studies repeatedly document that much of this use is inappropriate. Attempts to improve antimicrobial use in the LTCF are complicated by characteristics of the patient population, limited availability of diagnostic tests, and virtual absence of relevant clinical trials. This article recommends approaches to management of common LTCF infections and proposes minimal standards for an antimicrobial review program. In developing these recommendations, the article acknowledges the unique aspects of provision of care in the LTCF.
Antimicrobial Resistance in Long-Term Care Facilities
Author:SHEA Long-Term Care Committee
Date Published: February 01, 1996
Topics:
Guidelines, Long-Term Care
Abstract:
During the last quarter century, numerous reports have indicated that antimicrobial resistance commonly is encountered in long-term-care facilities. Once present, resistant strains tend to persist and become endemic. Rapid dissemination also has been documented in some facilities. Person-to-person transmission via the hands of healthcare workers appears to be the most important means of spread. The LTCF patients most commonly affected are those with serious underlying disease, poor functional status, wounds such as pressure sores, invasive devices such as urinary catheters, and prior antimicrobial therapy. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs has serious consequences not only for residents but also for LTCFs and hospitals. Experience with control strategies for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs is limited; however, strategies used in hospitals often are inapplicable. Six recommendations for controlling antimicrobial resistance in LTCFs are offered, and four priorities for future research are identified.
Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections
The recommended preventive strategies with the strongest supportive evidence are education and training of healthcare providers who insert and maintain catheters; maximal sterile barrier precautions during central venous catheter insertion; use of a 2% chlorhexidine preparation for skin antisepsis; no routine replacement of central venous catheters for prevention of infection; and use of antiseptic/antibiotic‐impregnated short‐term central venous catheters if the rate of infection is high despite adherence to other strategies.
An Approach to the Evaluation of Quality Indicators of the Outcome of Care in Hospitalized Patients
Author:Quality Indicator Study Group
Date Published: April 30, 1995
Topics:
Guidelines, Whitepaper
Medical Waste
Author:SHEA
Date Published: December 31, 1991
Topics:
Guidelines, Infection Prevention
Abstract:
Fueling fears of the public about medical waste are such concerns as the hypothetical risk of medical waste for transmitting HIV, HBV, and other agents associated with bloodborne diseases. The public is also concerned about emissions from incinerators that burn medical waste and whether these emissions may contain microorganisms or toxic substances. Thus, a lack of understanding of the modes of transmission of agents associated with bloodborne diseases, the fear of fatal diseases such as AIDS, and a distrust of healthcare facilities accentuated by media coverage has led to intense public pressure on federal, state, and local politicians to regulate medical waste.
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42 U.S. Code § 9907 - Uses of funds
Not less than 90 percent of the funds made available to a State under section
9905 or
9906 of this title shall be used by the State to make grants for the purposes described in section
9901 of this title to eligible entities.
(2) Obligational authority
Funds distributed to eligible entities through grants made in accordance with paragraph (1) for a fiscal year shall be available for obligation during that fiscal year and the succeeding fiscal year, subject to paragraph (3).
(3) Recapture and redistribution of unobligated funds
(A) Amount
Beginning on October 1, 2000, a State may recapture and redistribute funds distributed to an eligible entity through a grant made under paragraph (1) that are unobligated at the end of a fiscal year if such unobligated funds exceed 20 percent of the amount so distributed to such eligible entity for such fiscal year.
(B) Redistribution
In redistributing funds recaptured in accordance with this paragraph, States shall redistribute such funds to an eligible entity, or require the original recipient of the funds to redistribute the funds to a private, nonprofit organization, located within the community served by the original recipient of the funds, for activities consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Statewide activities
(1) Use of remainder
If a State uses less than 100 percent of the grant or allotment received under section
9905 or
9906 of this title to make grants under subsection (a) of this section, the State shall use the remainder of the grant or allotment under section
9905 or
9906 of this title (subject to paragraph (2)) for activities that may include—
(A)providing training and technical assistance to those entities in need of such training and assistance;
(B)coordinating State-operated programs and services, and at the option of the State, locally-operated programs and services, targeted to low-income children and families with services provided by eligible entities and other organizations funded under this chapter, including detailing appropriate employees of State or local agencies to entities funded under this chapter, to ensure increased access to services provided by such State or local agencies;
(D)analyzing the distribution of funds made available under this chapter within the State to determine if such funds have been targeted to the areas of greatest need;
(E)supporting asset-building programs for low-income individuals, such as programs supporting individual development accounts;
(F)supporting innovative programs and activities conducted by community action agencies or other neighborhood-based organizations to eliminate poverty, promote self-sufficiency, and promote community revitalization;
(G)supporting State charity tax credits as described in subsection (c) of this section; and
(H)supporting other activities, consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
(2) Administrative cap
No State may spend more than the greater of $55,000, or 5 percent, of the grant received under section
9905 of this title or State allotment received under section
9906 of this title for administrative expenses, including monitoring activities. Funds to be spent for such expenses shall be taken from the portion of the grant under section
9905 of this title or State allotment that remains after the State makes grants to eligible entities under subsection (a) of this section. The cost of activities conducted under paragraph (1)(A) shall not be considered to be administrative expenses. The startup cost and cost of administrative activities conducted under subsection (c) of this section shall be considered to be administrative expenses.
(c) Charity tax credit
(1) In general
Subject to paragraph (2), if there is in effect under State law a charity tax credit, the State may use for any purpose the amount of the allotment that is available for expenditure under subsection (b) of this section.
(2) Limit
The aggregate amount a State may use under paragraph (1) during a fiscal year shall not exceed 100 percent of the revenue loss of the State during the fiscal year that is attributable to the charity tax credit, as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury without regard to any such revenue loss occurring before January 1, 1999.
(3) Definitions and rules
In this subsection:
(A) Charity tax credit
The term “charity tax credit” means a nonrefundable credit against State income tax (or, in the case of a State that does not impose an income tax, a comparable benefit) that is allowable for contributions, in cash or in kind, to qualified charities.
(B) Qualified charity
(i)In general
The term “qualified charity” means any organization—
(I)that is—
(aa)described in section
501(c)(3) of title
26 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such title;
(bb)an eligible entity; or
(cc)a public housing agency as defined in section
1437a(b)(6) of this title;
(II)that is certified by the appropriate State authority as meeting the requirements of clauses (iii) and (iv); and
(III)if such organization is otherwise required to file a return under section 6033 of such title, that elects to treat the information required to be furnished by clause (v) as being specified in section 6033(b) of such title.
(I)In general
A contribution to a collection organization shall be treated as a contribution to a qualified charity if the donor designates in writing that the contribution is for the qualified charity.
(II)Collection organization
The term “collection organization” means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of such title and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such title—
(aa)that solicits and collects gifts and grants that, by agreement, are distributed to qualified charities;
(bb)that distributes to qualified charities at least 90 percent of the gifts and grants the organization receives that are designated for such qualified charities; and
(cc)that meets the requirements of clause (vi).
(iii)Charity must primarily assist poor individuals
(I)In general
An organization meets the requirements of this clause only if the appropriate State authority reasonably expects that the predominant activity of such organization will be the provision of direct services within the United States to individuals and families whose annual incomes generally do not exceed 185 percent of the poverty line in order to prevent or alleviate poverty among such individuals and families.
(II)No recordkeeping in certain cases
An organization shall not be required to establish or maintain records with respect to the incomes of individuals and families for purposes of subclause (I) if such individuals or families are members of groups that are generally recognized as including substantially only individuals and families described in subclause (I).
(III)Food aid and homeless shelters
Except as otherwise provided by the appropriate State authority, for purposes of subclause (I), services to individuals in the form of—
(aa)donations of food or meals; or
(bb)temporary shelter to homeless individuals;
shall be treated as provided to individuals described in subclause (I) if the location and provision of such services are such that the service provider may reasonably conclude that the beneficiaries of such services are predominantly individuals described in subclause (I).
(iv)Minimum expense requirement
(I)In general
An organization meets the requirements of this clause only if the appropriate State authority reasonably expects that the annual poverty program expenses of such organization will not be less than 75 percent of the annual aggregate expenses of such organization.
(II)Poverty program expense
For purposes of subclause (I)—
(aa)In general
The term “poverty program expense” means any expense in providing direct services referred to in clause (iii).
(bb)Exceptions
Such term shall not include any management or general expense, any expense for the purpose of influencing legislation (as defined in section
4911(d) of title
26), any expense for the purpose of fundraising, any expense for a legal service provided on behalf of any individual referred to in clause (iii), any expense for providing tuition assistance relating to compulsory school attendance, and any expense that consists of a payment to an affiliate of the organization.
(v)Reporting requirement
The information required to be furnished under this clause about an organization is—
(I)the percentages determined by dividing the following categories of the organization’s expenses for the year by the total expenses of the organization for the year: expenses for direct services, management expenses, general expenses, fundraising expenses, and payments to affiliates; and
(vi)Additional requirements for collection organizations
The requirements of this clause are met if the organization—
(I)maintains separate accounting for revenues and expenses; and
(II)makes available to the public information on the administrative and fundraising costs of the organization, and information as to the organizations receiving funds from the organization and the amount of such funds.
(vii)Special rule for States requiring tax uniformity
In the case of a State—
(I)that has a constitutional requirement of tax uniformity; and
(II)that, as of December 31, 1997, imposed a tax on personal income with—
(aa)a single flat rate applicable to all earned and unearned income (except insofar as any amount is not taxed pursuant to tax forgiveness provisions); and
(bb)no generally available exemptions or deductions to individuals;
the requirement of paragraph (2) shall be treated as met if the amount of the credit described in paragraph (2) is limited to a uniform percentage (but not greater than 25 percent) of State personal income tax liability (determined without regard to credits).
(4) Limitation on use of funds for startup and administrative activities
Except to the extent provided in subsection (b)(2) of this section, no part of the aggregate amount a State uses under paragraph (1) may be used to pay for the cost of the startup and administrative activities conducted under this subsection.
(5) Prohibition on use of funds for legal services or tuition assistance
No part of the aggregate amount a State uses under paragraph (1) may be used to provide legal services or to provide tuition assistance related to compulsory education requirements (not including tuition assistance for tutoring, camps, skills development, or other supplemental services or training).
(6) Prohibition on supplanting funds
No part of the aggregate amount a State uses under paragraph (1) may be used to supplant non-Federal funds that would be available, in the absence of Federal funds, to offset a revenue loss of the State attributable to a charity tax credit.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Medication Advice for Rheumatology Patients
If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis and are on biologic drugs (including Baricitinib and Tofacitinib)
1. You should stop these drugs immediately if you develop any fever (feeling shivery), sore throat or cough
2. It the outbreak spreads you may be advised to stop treatment even if you are well
3. Methotrexate and Leflunomide should only be stopped if you are unwell with a fever. You will need special treatment to remove Leflunomide from your body if you are unwell enough to need to come to hospital.
If you have Lupus (SLE) and are on Azathioprine or Mycophenolate it is important not to stop these unless you are clearly unwell (have fever) and have been advised to do so by a medical professional. Please contact us.
Sulphasalazine and Hydroxychloroquine are not immunosuppressant drugs and can be continued even if you are unwell.
For all patients we believe NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Etoricoxib) can make COVID-19 infection worse. Therefore if you are unwell you should try and stop these drugs but you do not need to stop them is you are well.
Rheumatology
We deal with the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic inflammatory conditions. We also deal with neck/back pain, soft tissue problems and shoulder disorders, although initial referral for management of these conditions is usually to the Locomotor Service.
Other conditions that we manage include osteoarthritis, gout, bone disorders such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia and Paget’s disease.
Treatments are mainly based in the outpatients department and on the medical day unit. We work closely with physiotherapists and occupational therapists within the hospital and the Primary Care Trust.
Most conditions are assessed in the rheumatology outpatient clinics. In clinic, patients have the opportunity to discuss other coping strategies to improve their health including exercise and alternative therapies, hydrotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry.
The need for social service intervention is also discussed and if necessary an immediate referral to the appropriate health professional is made.
Appointments
For straightforward neck/back/shoulder/other soft tissue problems, initial referral via the City and Hackney Locomotor service is suggested. Patients will be referred on to us if thought appropriate at triage by the Locomotor Service or following assessment/treatment if necessary.
specialist clinics
General Rheumatology clinic: These clinics are for patients who have inflammatory or degenerative arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, including neck/back pain, and soft tissue problems
Early Arthritis clinic: This clinic is for patients with less than one year’s history of symptoms of inflammatory arthritis. This is a rapid access clinic and we aim to see patients within two weeks of referral. Referrals can be made via e-RS and all referrals will be triaged by a Consultant Rheumatologist and placed in an appropriate slot. Please note that on e-RS it may appear that no urgent/early slots are available: however, if the referral is deemed appropriate for the Early Arthritis Clinic, following triage it will be brought forward to an urgent slot to be seen as soon as possible.
Biologics clinic: This is for patients who may benefit from or are receiving therapy with anti-TNF drugs or other biologic agents when treatment with traditional disease modifying drugs is ineffective or insufficient to achieve adequate disease control in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or psoriatic arthritis.
Combined foot clinic: These clinics take place with the podiatric surgeons and take place every three months for people with conditions specific to their feet
Patient education and drug monitoring clinic: This involves physical assessment and ongoing education by the Rheumatology Specialist Nurses to ensure patients understand their disease, medication and reasons for blood tests
Methotrexate injection clinic: This is held in the outpatients department twice a week for the administration of subcutaneous methotrexate.
Infliximab, Rituximab, Tocilizumab and Abatacept infusions are administered intravenously on the medical day unit. Each patient must allow up to four hours stay in hospital for the treatment, close observation of their vital signs, joint assessment and have a blood test before being discharged.
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Subscribe
Situational awareness: The Justice Department is appealing a federal judge's ruling that allowed AT&T to buy Time Warner for $85 billion.
Why it matters: The appeal revives questions about whether the Justice Department acted primarily to please President Trump, who has attacked Time Warner subsidiary CNN and the overall transaction.
1 big thing: Big Tech turns on Big Conspiracy
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
The last 24 hours have been brutal for Alex Jones' media empire InfoWars, banned from Facebook and YouTube — and deleted from Apple's podcast library, Spotify and Stitcher.
The exception is Twitter, which said through a spokesman that InfoWars isn't in violation of any rules.
The big picture: Alex Jones hasn't changed. His most notorious comments, including calling Sandy Hook a hoax, are years old. The platforms have changed, with a domino effect that marks a major shift in how online harassment and censorship is handled by Silicon Valley.
This also marks a huge win for organized boycotts on the left, which have included Jones for years on target lists that includes Breitbart News, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
Why it matters: Big Tech helped Jones reach audiences of millions through social sharing and algorithms. Now it's memory-holed him.
Jones has called on users to stream videos directly on InfoWars.
But as publishers who've suffered a Facebook algorithm shift can attest, audiences won't necessarily follow a brand off the platform.
Vox.com on Facebook: "Apple’s Infowars ban altered an industry overnight — and dealt a major victory against fake news"
Bonus: Photo du jour
Photo: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Andrew Benintendi of the Red Sox is doused yesterday after hitting the game-winning walk-off single to defeat the Yankees in the 10th at Fenway Park in Boston.
2. What you missed
California's wildfire woes continue to escalate as the Mendocino Fire Complex exploded in size over the weekend to become the state's 2nd-largest on record — behind last year's Thomas Fire. Go deeper.
Saudi Arabia has frozen all new trade and investments with Canada and is expelling its ambassador in retaliation for a tweet by the Canadian Foreign Ministry, which called for Saudi authorities to release imprisoned human rights activists. Go deeper.
Gary Cohn believes Facebook is more dangerous than banks before the financial crisis, due to their dissemination of misinformation.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi will step down in October after 12 years as chief executive. She will be succeeded by PepsiCo's current president Ramon Laguarta. Go deeper.
With the first round of U.S. sanctions on Iran set to resume tonight at midnight, the European Union is taking steps to protect its companies that do "legitimate business" with Iran from being harmed. Go deeper.
3. 1 fun ⚽ thing
Here's a heck of a quote on the difference between men's and women's soccer, courtesy of a man who owns one team of each:
“The women don’t fall down on the ground and roll around like Neymar... Men whine. Women just take the bump and get up and go.”
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How to spot a fad diet
Conventional wisdom about diets, including government health recommendations, seems to change all the time. And yet ads routinely come out claiming to have THE answer about what we should eat. So how do we distinguish what’s actually healthy from what advertisers just want us to believe is good for us? Mia Nacamulli gives the facts on fad diets.
Lesson by Mia Nacamulli, animation by Avi Ofer
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Maryland lost more than 60% of its hives last year, each hive containing up to 20,000 honeybees, making it one of the states with the highest recorded decline. This is higher than the national average of 42.1% bee populations decline. While states across the country have been seeing losses with the ongoing tragedy of Colony Collapse Disorder, people continue to use the very pesticides that are killing off crucial bee populations.
The loss of bee populations could prove to have a detrimental effect on our world’s food production. If we lose bees and other pollinators, our world could be at risk of collapsing, losing over one-third of our food supply.
Neonicotinoids are a potent class of systemic pesticides that were introduced to agriculture in the 1990s. In recent years, these pesticides have been made available to consumers. With the increasing consumer use of these products, beekeepers have noticed an increase in bee deaths. Neonic products include Knockout Ready-to-Use Grub Killer, Ortho Bug B Gon, and All-In-One Rose & Flower Care.
Although the USDA has failed to declare a link between bee deaths and neonics, the EPA is reviewing the link between varieties of insecticide and Colony Collapse Disorder. Its findings will not be released in 2018.
A large global team of independent scientists created a task force that reviewed 1,121 independent studies, and their findings concluded that neonics play a major role in bee population declines. Due to their findings, the team said in their report that neonics should most definitely be restricted.
The Maryland legislation, also known as the Pollinator Protection Act, was passed in both the state’s upper and lower chambers. It is now ready to be signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan. The law is set to go into effect sometime in 2018.
Although there have been other states that have tried to curb the use of neonics through law, no other legislation has made it this far. Yet, a growing list of individual cities and jurisdictions such as Portland and Eugene in Oregon, Seattle and Spokane in Washington, and many more have banned neonics. Maryland is the first place to completely ban the substance on a state level.
The bipartisan legislation would ban the use of neonicotinoids from everyday consumers who spray their home gardens and trees with these deadly pesticides. Farmers and professional gardeners would be exempt from the law.
Del. Anne Healey who authored the House version of the bill believes that the passing of this law will be a landmark that could potentially set a standard that other states could follow.
In recent years a number of big companies and retailers including Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Whole Foods have made efforts to eliminate any bee-killing pesticides from their stores. France is also moving towards a total ban on bee-harming neonics.
The state department is concerned that the $200,000 allocated in the House bill to implement and enforce the law will not be enough. It will most likely cost more than $1 million a year. Maryland’s amateur gardeners will still have the ability to buy the banned pesticides from out of state or on the internet making the enforcement all the more difficult. This is why it is important to spread awareness about the deadliness of these pesticides.
Although this piece of legislation may be but a small step in the right direction, it is evidence that legislative change can be made. With the growing awareness of the importance of bees, people are beginning to realize that they must take action against these corporate giants. With little help from the USDA, lawmakers and citizens alike must come together to help save the bees and ban nasty chemicals with deadly potentials.
Ariana Marisolis a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She is currently finishing her last year at The Evergreen State College getting her undergraduate degree in Sustainable Design and Environmental Science. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
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Creation Type:RankSize (In Pixels): 100x35 and the pictures must be 28x24Primary Colors: N/ASecondary Colors:N/AImages to include: Use this Text to Insert: N/AFont (Provide Download Link): N/AFont Color:N/ALink to My Forumotion Forum:http://www.revengelesspk.com/Username on Your Forum:VaccamLink to your Last Graphics Request:http://help.forumotion.com/t131233-navigation-buttonsDetailed Description: I need those phats with these colors
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Electronics Parts
Shop With Confidence
666WJ-THVW Admiral Range - Instructions
All installation instructions for 666WJ-THVW parts
These instructions have been submitted by other PartSelect customers and can help guide you through the range repair with useful information like difficulty of repair, length of repair, tools needed, and more.
Oven not holding 350 F, when cooling the coils did not reheat
Removed the oven door by opening slightly, then pic door up to remove. Remove 2 screws holding oven sensor in place, gently pull on sensor to remove, had to remove about 8 inches to get at plastic connector. Unplug connector, had to use an adapter cable supplied with the PartSelect kit to install new sensor, push cable back into opening, reinstall 2 screws. The oven works fine! Note that due to thermal lag the temperature overshoots to 370 degrees and undershoots to 340 degrees, this appears to be normal oven operation. Putting door back in place was easy.
F1-1 code
First I removed the two screws that hold the element in place. I then pulled the sensor out about 3 inches and disconnected the two wires. Next, I connected new sensor and screwed the new sensor back in place. One area for caution. Make sure that the electrical connection is pushed in past the insulation on the back side of the oven. Failure to do so will cause the plastic plug connector to melt from oven heat.
Repeated oven temperature sensor fault codes.
First I removed the two philips screws inside the oven that hold the element in place. Then I pulled the sensor out and the two insulated wires through the hole to reveal the plastic connector. I unsnapped it from the connector and replaced it with the new element. Then, behind the oven, I removed five or six philips screws on the right side of the large panel so I could pull the wires back through the layer of fiberglass insulation to make sure only the sensor itself would be exposed to the oven's heat. I then secured the back panel again and replaced the two philips screws holding the sensor in place.
Inner Oven Glass broken
I removed two retainer screws which released the outside panel.Next I removed 2 screws which hold the middle glass pane from one of its retainer brackets.The was another panel with 4 screws to remove before reaching the final glass inner assembly.Once that panel was reoved with the broken glass it was time to put the repacement glass assembly back together.
Oven wouldn't heat the right temperature (you would have to add 100 degrees on to it)
The old gasket fell apart as I replaced the oven light and had to be replaced. That was very easy once I received the part. The spring broke on the oven door and had to be replaced. I initially tried to reach in from inside the pan drawer under the oven. That was impossible to reaach but it only took a few minutes to realize that I had to remove the side panel. I had to slide the range out from between the cabinets, but once that was done it was a relatively easy fix, without any special tools needed.
defective oven sensor
Checked online to see what F3 readout on stove meant. It meant replace sensor. Ordered part on a Sunday and part delivered Tuesday, Monday being MLK day. Detached bad sensor(2 screws inside oven)had to pull new sensor connector through hole from behind as insulation was too heavy (only removed 4 screws on right rear panel.Clipped wires together and reattached sensor inside oven. A cakewalk.
Code said we needed a sensor
First I removed the two screws that hold the element in place. I then pulled the element out about 3 inches and disconnected the two wires to remove the old sensor. Went on line to find out where to order it from. Ordered it, It was on back order but was only about 1 week to receive. Reversed the procedure. WA LA. It works great.
After self cleaning the oven received an error code telling me the sensor was bad.
Removed the two screws holding the element in place. I then pulled the element and wiring out until I saw the connecter. I disconnected the two wires and then chose the correct connector from the package, snapped it back into place, put the screws back, turned on the breaker then tested the oven and found that everything was working correctly.This is the second time I have ordered from Part Select, the first time was for a front LED panel on the same appliance. With the help finding the part you need and the comments from other customers I have saved a lot of money by repairing these problems myself. Oh, and the best part is the look on my husband's face when he came home and found out the repairs were made by me and not a repairman that he said I should call. He said he would laugh when the first repair by me didn't work but who's laughing now : )
1998 oven unit flashing F3
SHUT OFF BREAKER FOR OVEN! pulled oven out to get at backside,removed 3 screws on back coverplate,removed 2 screws inside oven at sensor in top left corner of oven,disconnected plastic clip at back ,pulled old sensor through hole.replaced sensor with new in reverse order. 15minutes tops.
A few years previously I had this same problem and a PROFESSIONAL had replaced the sensor.Thus this time I knew what the failure was and obtained the sensor from Part Select. Having observed the PROFESSIONAL replace the sensor before; I followed his easy technec only to learn that when the sensor was pulled from the aft wall of the oven that the wires had deteriorated and the plastic plug melted. Therefore it was neccessary to remove the oven from the wall cabinet. Then I removed the panel from the back outside of the oven, cut back the wires and because the kit from Part Select contained additional connectors was able to splice in a replacement connector. Installed the new sensor and reinstalled the oven. LESSON LEARNED; when the PROFESSIONAL had replaced the sensor he had failed to feed the wiring and plug back past the insulated chamber, directly behind the oven, into the cool area assessable by the panel on the aft side of the oven thus the plug and wires were exposed to the heat of the oven. What would commonly be a few minutes job turned into an afternoon project.
oven getting 50 degrees or more, hotter than setting
As the video described I just unscrewed the sensor from inside the oven. Although I couldn't pull the wiring harness through the insulation (the wires were gathered in back with a wire tie) just four screws to loosen the back panel for access to the connection. My wife says it seems to be heating perfectly now.
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Tag: CompatTelRunner.exe Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry
Some Windows users have reported of multiple CompatTelRunner.exe files showing up in the Task Manager consuming CPU and Disk Usage. I found CompatTelRunner.exe (Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry) task running in the …
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Trending
Right Wing Bonus Tracks: Gearing Up For The War On Christmas
The American Family Association is gearing up for the annual War on Christmas.
David Lane says that “it was a miracle of God” that Donald Trump became president and spared this nation from the horrors of Hillary Clinton.
Josh Bernstein insists that “the only reason Paul Manafort was indicted was to take the focus off of where the REAL crimes have been committed—Uranium One and the Trump Dossier.”
Peter LaBarbera and his fellow anti-LGBTQ activists are at war with Office Max because a store in Wisconsin refused to print some of LaBarbera’s flyers.
Finally, Scott Lively asserts that the courts are leading the way in promoting the LGBTQ agenda because “nearly all cases related to the LGBT agenda in the lower courts are funneled to activist homosexual judges whose lack of impartiality in their foregone conclusions is not even questioned, let alone considered a basis for recusal.”
From white supremacists to the radical Religious Right, right-wing extremism is on the rise. Pledge to stand against hate.
To our readers: Right Wing Watch, a project for People For the American Way, is run by a dedicated staff driven to shed light on the activities of right-wing political organizations. As a non-profit working hard every day to expose the Far-Right's extreme and intolerant agenda, our main source of support is donations from readers like you. If you use Right Wing Watch, please consider making a contribution to support this content.
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Pistol pointing to her clit on lower stomach, as well as a
flower; right wrist and shoulder; foot; Sleeve on left arm;
tribal on small of back; Jessica Rabbit on outer right calf;
marijuana leaf above left ankle
Piercings:
Big plugs in her stretched earlobes; numerous helix
piercings; two labrets on her lower lips; each nostril
pierced; one tongue; one piercing in each nipple; one
piercing on her upper navel; one ring in her clit
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"To be both a patriot of one's nation and a world citizen."
- Friedrich Schiller
Now we must mobilize to defeat the British financial empire. These are indeed "times that try men's souls." Many nations on this planet have already fallen into chaos. Many others, including Canada, are threatened in the short-term with shutting down and ceasing functioning as efficient nation-states as a result of the acceleration of the world's economic breakdown crisis.
The Committee for the Commonwealth (Republic) of Canada was founded in October 1983. It is defined by its Rules and Statutes as a voluntary association of people living in Canada who adhere to the outlook of natural law and republican law.
Already in late 1981, the future founders of the Committee for the Republic of Canada were dedicated on principle to "giving to Canada something of great value to its present persons and their posterity. It was then our informed conviction, premised upon as intensive a collaborative reflection upon history as has been undertaken during this century that our proposal made to Lyndon LaRouche to consider writing a draft of a national constitution for Canada could potentially represent a new beacon of hope for mankind: "That it would be within the power of the people of Canada to fashion themselves into such a beacon of hope, to establish a living example which other peoples and nations may emulate in some fashion appropriate to their own problems, development and other circumstances."
The objective of the Committee, in accord with the principles of law enunciated in the above mentioned proposal for a Draft Constitution of the Commonwealth of Canada, is the education of the Canadian population towards such a republican outlook through the use of various media, conferences, educational projects, and other means. The purpose of the Committee for the Commonwealth of Canada is defined as the promotion of the individual, both the living and posterity, in respect to those divine potentialities "imago viva Dei" which distinguish all living persons immediately from all beasts.
In February, 1984, the Committee issued a call for every able citizen to "stand up as one, and demand that our government set the proper policy course that would make available to Canadians... 'the means of rendering nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete' as President Reagan announced to the world, on March 23, 1983, the new strategy of energy beam defence systems.
"Such a strategy, while guaranteeing the continued survival of the human race, would generate the scientific and technological progress necessary to lift our nation out of economic depression, to cut the bonds of indebtedness and free the Third World from IMF genocide; in short, to provide the foundation for a flourishing cultural and technological renaissance world-wide.
"Therefore, I am calling upon every able citizen to run for political office upon the measures and policies that can save the nation and the world.
"We especially urge those patriots who are in moral agreement with this proposed Draft Constitution of the Commonwealth of Canada, to get in touch with us and join our forces to establish a new federal political party."
"Canadians must rise above routine issues and act to ensure that Canada joins a Community of Sovereign Nation States based upon a community of principle as defined in this Draft Constitution."
In the 1984, 1988 and 1993, the Party for the Commonwealth of Canada/Parti pour la République du Canada ran slates of over 60 candidates in those 3 federal general elections as an officially registered federal political party. In the 1988, the Party for the Commonwealth of Canada ran candidates in 5 provinces: Nova Scotia, Quebec. Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
In 1991, The Supreme Court of Canada rendered a judgment in favour of the Committee for the Commonwealth of Canada/Le Comité pour la République du Canada which became a landmark civil rights case in Canadian history: A victory for free speech for all Canadians and future generations, in what was the first Supreme Court judgment that recognized the right to exercise free speech in Canada in a public place (at the then Dorval airport) under the new Charter of Rights and Freedoms of Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. emerged, over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, to rank among the most controversial international political figures of his time.
This controversy, which also features such related issues as his efforts to destroy the international drug traffic and his initiating role in formulating what President Ronald Reagan announced on March 23, 1983 as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), is principally rooted in not only domestic U.S., but, also, global political-economic issues.
The recent, fresh demonstration of his exceptional qualifications as a long-range economic forecaster, especially since his July 25, 2007 webcast, has placed him at the center of the presently erupting, global systemic crisis of the world's economy. Thus, the relevant resumé is that which helps to situate his career in terms of his actual and prospective role in dealing with that present global crisis. [Continue...]
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]]>http://klaq.com/karaoke-singer-murdered-after-performance-video/feed/0Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Madame Tussauds New YorkRaw Footage: Watch Aaron Hernandez Being Arrested by State Police [VIDEO]http://klaq.com/raw-footage-watch-aaron-hernandez-being-arrested-by-state-police-video/
http://klaq.com/raw-footage-watch-aaron-hernandez-being-arrested-by-state-police-video/#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 18:04:08 +0000Duke Keithhttp://krod.com/?p=128380Continue reading…]]>Massachusetts State Police have arrested now former Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez as officials continue to investigate the death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. Check out the raw footage from WCVB-TV, especially around two minutes in as police ring Hernandez's doorbell and knock for a minute before he answers.
]]>http://klaq.com/raw-footage-watch-aaron-hernandez-being-arrested-by-state-police-video/feed/0YouTubeI Would Not Kill Anyone Over What To Watch On Tv [POLL]http://klaq.com/i-would-not-kill-anyone-over-what-to-watch-on-tv-poll/
http://klaq.com/i-would-not-kill-anyone-over-what-to-watch-on-tv-poll/#commentsTue, 08 Jan 2013 08:18:52 +0000Veronica Gonzalezhttp://klaq.com/?p=146492Continue reading…]]> I know people may throw a fit about what to watch on tv but didn't think it would be that bad to kill a someone over. This young gentleman who is 25 years old, lives in New York killed his grandmother over what to watch
]]>http://klaq.com/i-would-not-kill-anyone-over-what-to-watch-on-tv-poll/feed/0AmazonChef Found Guilty of Killing Wife, Cooking Body for Four Dayshttp://klaq.com/chef-found-guilty-to-killing-wife-cooking-body-for-four-days/
http://klaq.com/chef-found-guilty-to-killing-wife-cooking-body-for-four-days/#commentsThu, 27 Sep 2012 23:03:03 +0000Lauren Zimmermanhttp://klaq.com/?p=124225Continue reading…]]>Today, a Los Angeles jury found chef David Viens guilty of murdering his wife after he admitted to authorities he cooked her body for four days in an attempt to hide the murder.
]]>http://klaq.com/chef-found-guilty-to-killing-wife-cooking-body-for-four-days/feed/0Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentBuzz Mixes It Up with "Murder City's" Charles Bowden, "Murder Capital's" Charlie Minn on Juarez [AUDIO/VIDEO]http://klaq.com/murder-inc-murder-capital-director-charlie-minn-murder-city-author-charles-bowden-talk-cd-juarez-video/
http://klaq.com/murder-inc-murder-capital-director-charlie-minn-murder-city-author-charles-bowden-talk-cd-juarez-video/#commentsThu, 16 Feb 2012 14:35:51 +0000Duke Keithhttp://klaq.com/?p=55202Continue reading…]]>What a great interview! The Q Morning Show welcomed author Charles Bowden and director Charlie Minn to talk about Juarez. Things are quieter south of our border lately, but the nights of heading to Juarez for weekend fun are looooong gone. It'll be years before Cd. Juarez ever loses it's reputation as the most dangerous city in North America -- because it still is.
]]>http://klaq.com/dark-day-in-rock-history-john-lennon-dimebag-darrell-murdered/feed/0Photo by Antoine Antoniol/Getty ImagesMan Plotted To Kill Ex-Girlfriend Dressed As Bearhttp://klaq.com/man-plotted-to-kill-ex-girlfriend-dressed-as-bear/
http://klaq.com/man-plotted-to-kill-ex-girlfriend-dressed-as-bear/#commentsWed, 05 Oct 2011 14:53:59 +0000Chris Illuminatihttp://tsminteractive.com/?p=51896Continue reading…]]>A New York man was willing to go to incredible lengths just to kill his ex-girlfriend. For his murder plot to work all he had to do was kill, skin and wear the skin of a bear. ABC News has all the “grizzly” details.
Clyde Gardner’s girlfriend had tossed him on the street again. He wanted revenge so he planned to “wear the bear hide and claws to attack his ex-girlfriend and kill her, leaving no trace of his foot or fingerprints at the scene of the crime.”
]]>http://klaq.com/man-plotted-to-kill-ex-girlfriend-dressed-as-bear/feed/0Malone Police Department Moron Tattoos Murder Confession On His Own Chesthttp://klaq.com/cold-case-solved-how-about-tat/
http://klaq.com/cold-case-solved-how-about-tat/#commentsTue, 26 Apr 2011 13:48:10 +0000Duke Keithhttp://klaq.com/?p=8641Continue reading…]]>In January of 2004, a 23-year-old man was gunned down in front of a liquor store in Los Angeles. Police believed it was a gang-related shooting, but they were never able to find the murderer, and the case went cold.
Now, seven years later, the L.A.P.D. has finally solved the case, almost entirely by accident.
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Keep in mind!
It is important to build a certain consensus among the audience about what they are viewing. At the least, they should agree on what the conflict is. The joker should ask questions and create a discussion about the scene to ensure this. Remember though, that the joker does not decide what the conflict is! S/he should instead ask questions to elicit the conflict from the audience: “what did you see?”, “what is the theme/headline of this scene?”
If the audience hesitates to stop the scene, the joker can try to help them along by asking: “I just want to be sure that you think everything is alright in this scene?” or “Do you agree with the way they are acting?” This can facilitate some answers. If the play comes to a halt or if it becomes unrealistic, do not be afraid to stop the scene. If it becomes irrelevant for the participants, this will damage their whole experience of the event. Instead, you can move on to another play.
If you ask the audience to discuss in groups or pairs, always remember to follow up – if they have taken the time to form an opinion they should be given a chance to voice it.
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New Patients
Here you'll find everything you need about Nashville Cat Clinic and how we can help you. We have online forms for everything related to our Nashville veterinarian clinic, and information, including a virtual office tour and what to expect in your visit.
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Cul de Sac
After eight years, Richard Thompson's much-loved newspaper strip Cul de Sac will be drawing to a close next month, as the cartoonist is forced to retire due to his ongoing struggle with Parkinson's disease.In a statement released today, Thompson's syndicate, Universal Uclick said that,
Comic Strips: Guests artists Mo Willems, Stephan Pastis, Lincoln Peirce and Michael Jantze, Corey Pandolph and Ken Fisher will fill in for Richard Thompson on his Team Cul de Sac strip from today until March 19 as the creator takes time for physical therapy.
We haven't heard much from ultra-beloved Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson since his retirement from the funny pages in 1995, when Watterson disappeared from public view except for the rarest of interviews. In 2008, however, he appeared again to write the forward to a collection of the newspaper strip Cul de Sac, where he lauded creator Richard Thompson as "the equal of any of cartooning's Old M
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Follow Us
My Way
An exploration of the benefits and costs of stubbornness. If you're a 15-year-old boy, and you don't want to fall in love, maybe you can just decide not to do it. Ever. Stories of trying to cheat death, love, political reality, and memory with only an idiosyncratic vision and a lot of stamina.
Host Ira Glass talks with Larry Wegielski. For almost 50 years, Larry and his wife Ve-ve were inseparable. They worked together 13 hours a day, 6 days a week in a liquor store. If Ve-ve had an appointment somewhere in town, Larry would drive her. They even had a slogan: "Side by side, baby." When Ve-ve died, Larry wasn't ready to stop being together, so he came up with a plan to continue spending time with her. Sort of.
Joe's 14, and all around him his friends are going crazy: getting crushes, flirting, asking people out, having their hearts broken. Joe doesn't want any of this—the acting stupid, the pain—so he decides just to opt out...and never fall in love.
Reporter Nazanin Rafsanjani brings us the story of Brad Blanton, a psychologist who founded a philosophy called "Radical Honesty." Brad believes that the way to be happy is to tell the truth all the time. This philosophy helped him help a lot of people as a therapist. But it got in the way a little when, in 2006, he left his practice, ran for a seat in the US Congress, and became that rarest of things: a political candidate who never lies.
Marcus Halevi is a documentary photographer who has photographed victims of war and injustice all over the world. But there's one sequence of photographs, which he took right here in the United States, that haunts him more than any other. Director Josh Seftel is making a film about Halevi's life, and we collaborated with him on this story.
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Ivy Masen's Blog Posts Tagged 'kristen' (2)
I love Robsten both of them but what i can't understand and think is stupid is their hiding game . They say the don't want everyone to now about their private life ..i understand that point but fact is if you're a good actor you will be in the spotlight and also if they… Continue
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Events
Up in the Air News
Air NZ releases ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made’
The safety video was shot over six days across a number of New Zealand’s Middle-earth locations, including Hobbiton and Central Otago, both of which appear in The Hobbit Trilogy.
Air New Zealand is well known for its innovation, but the carrier really has gone the extra mile with its latest in-fight safety video, which is aptly named ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made’. The video, which has been unveiled ahead of the December release of the final film in The Hobbit Trilogy, stars members of the cast from all three films, including Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Dean O’Gorman (Fili the Dwarf) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast).
The video also features cameos from The Hobbit Trilogy director Sir Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop Co-founder Richard Taylor and Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi, who directed the video for the carrier.
The safety video was shot over six days across a number of New Zealand’s Middle-earth locations, including Hobbiton and Central Otago, both of which appear in The Hobbit Trilogy. Behind the scenes creative talent from the films was also involved in the production of the video, including Weta Workshop, which supplied costumes and more than 150 make-up prosthetics, and Weta Digital, which created the visual effects.
Sir Peter Jackson said: “Air New Zealand has created yet another fantastic video to celebrate The Hobbit films. This latest offering combines members of our cast and our locations with Air New Zealand’s unique personality. I had a lot of fun on the set with Taika and the team and look forward to seeing the video onboard.”
Air New Zealand, Head of Global Brand Development, Jodi Williams added: “We are very proud to be the official airline of Middle-earth and have worked hard over the past three years to create highly effective global marketing campaigns, including distinctive branded aircraft and Hobbit-inspired online content, which have got the world talking about both our airline and destination New Zealand.”
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Service Area
We serve the Greater Washington DC, Annapolis & Baltimore with free pick-up & delivery of your rugs. For those outside of the region, our sister company routinely has vans as far away as Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, and Newark, New Jersey and we can likely accommodate you in one form or another. For those not in the Mid-Atlantic/East Coast region, we use UPS to serve clients around the globe. Call us and let us help find a solution for getting your rugs cleaned properly.
Outside Our Area?
We happily accept rugs shipped to us from anywhere in the world! Call our office for instructions on how to prep your heirloom for shipment: 443-561-3000
Or, we fully support other local businesses who offer the same great quality and care of your rugs. If you have one of these exceptional companies in your area, you can save on shipping charges and support your local economy without sacrificing on quality:
Pettyjohns Carpet Cleaning serves North Carolina in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Triangle & surrounding areas. Robert Pettyjohn is a standing officer for the Association of Rug Cleaning Specialists (ARCS), a Master Rug Cleaner, and a great friend to boot!
Carr’s Rug Cleaning serves Eastern Tennessee and the surrounding area from its plant in Knoxville, TN. Bob Carr and his staff represent yet another cleaner routinely decorated with Service awards like its 2012 Angie’s List honor. Carr’s has a tremendous reputation and is both a mentor to our team and a great friend to our company.
Cities in our Service Area
Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted by Cunningham's Rug Cleaning. All rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or re-transmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.
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The Hype Magazine Facebook
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Periscope
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More than just an average urban music magazine, The Hype Magazine services our readers and subscribers a diverse collection of stories, interviews and impactful editorials. HYPE is not a niche market outlet, our audience range includes fashion fans; gamers; movie nuts; MMA followers; EDM; rock, television personalities, etc., if it's news worthy we cover it.
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International Center for Japanese Culture
2017 - 2018 Season
August 21, 2017 - June 15, 2018
Dear Friends of ICJC,
It is with great pleasure to welcome you and your family to the seventh exciting season of the International Center for Japanese Culture. Please enjoy our website for all events and programs for the 2017-2018 year.
Kind regards,
Dr. Joseph Amato
Director
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Top 7 most famous people born in 1648
Henri de Massue Earl of Galway
a French Huguenot soldier and diplomat who was influential in the English service in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
Apr 26
Peter II of Portugal
Regent and King of Portugal and the Algarves.
He was sometimes known as o Pacífico, "the Pacific"
Aug 9
Johann Michael Bach
a German composer of the Baroque period.
He was the brother of Johann Christoph Bach, as well as father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach. He is sometimes referred to as the "Gehrener Bach" to distinguish him from the "Wuppertaler Bach", Johann Michael Bach
Oct 3
Élisabeth Sophie Chéron
remembered today primarily as a French painter, but she was acclaimed in her lifetime as a gifted poet, musician, artist, and academicienne.
Oct 13
Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
born a Princess of France and was the Duchess of Savoy as the first wife of Charles Emmanuel She was a first cousin of Louis XIV as well of her husband.
She was the shortest Savoyard consort dying at the age of fifteen, childless
Dec 20
Tommaso Ceva
an Italian Jesuit mathematician from Milan.
He was the brother of Giovanni Ceva
Dec 23
Robert Barclay
a Scottish Quaker, one of the most eminent writers belonging to the Religious Society of Friends and a member of the Clan Barclay.
He was also governor of the East Jersey colony in North America through most of the 1680s, although he himself never resided in the colony
Top 7 most famous people died in 1648
Christian IV of Denmark
a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who ruled as King of Denmark-Norway from 1588 to 1648.
His reign of more than 59 years is the longest of all Danish monarchs
Mar 12
Tirso de Molina
a Spanish Baroque dramatist, a poet and a Roman Catholic monk.
May 20
Władysław IV Vasa
a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa.
He reigned as King of Poland from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648
Aug 18
Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire
the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648.
He was born in Istanbul the son of Ahmed I by Valide Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia. He was later called Ibrahim the Mad by twentieth century historians due to his reputed mental condition
Joseph Calasanz
Sch.P.
also known as Joseph Calasanctius and Josephus a Matre Dei, was a Spanish Catholic priest, educator and the founder of the Pious Schools, providing free education to the sons of the poor, and the Religious Order that ran them, commonly known as the Piarists. He is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church
Sep 1
Marin Mersenne
a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics".
Mersenne was "the center of the world of science and mathematics during the first half of the 1600s."
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A congressional leader, citing complaints from Bay Area mayors and lawmakers, wants the Drug Enforcement Administration to explain its increased use of "paramilitary-style enforcement raids" and property forfeiture orders against medical ma
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