text:
by Lisa Wetmore
(Richmond, Ca)
One legged crow
I am a back porch or really deck bird feeder. I live in Richmond Heights California.
I feed a variety of birds, squirrels and at night raccoons, a skunk and opossums visit as well.
Sunflower seeds are the common favorites of all our visitors; that and fresh water changed and refilled daily.
It's surprising how much drinking and bathing takes place.
When I think about it I wonder how everyone gets enough to drink considering how many small beasties visit on a regular basis and everyone baths with so much regularity I make sure the contain is cleaned every couple of days.
On my porch comes daily a small murder of crows as well. My favorite girl has had her below the bending joint talon eaten off.
When she first arrived on our deck she looked terrible and after some three years now she is vibrant with a stronger remaining leg and her stump looks pretty good too.
She has hatched another lovely girl who also visits with her mate and father.
I feed them meat, eggs and nuts. They are all very wild, very shy and not at all inclined to become any friendlier that these acceptances plus the landing pad and fresh water.
Last year I call her my girl, brought another wounded crow who came with her for awhile and she stood guard while the new girl ate but I haven't seen her for awhile.
She had deformed or broken talons on both legs and rarely stood she looked tottery..something I'm sure that was attractive to the Coopers and other hawks who occasionally frequent the backyard and even the deck.
Once a mom, dad and youth came testing to see who might become prey but the silence was so loud I came and watched them on the fence and trees until they left.
When we changed our feed up a bit we lost all the little yellow finch looking birds that seed had shelled sunflowers.
Once a fledgling came and begged it's parents so much that she was somehow left.
She begged everyone who came to feed and ended up staying with us for while and accepted hand feeding.
One day when she was being fed by my husband her mother or another landed on his big thumb and chirped a bunch and flew away the fledge took off and lived in the back yard for another six months before she moved with the flock when the feed changed.
How I knew it was her for so long was she would linger and stay when I would bring out the food.
She was a delight and I have this tiny video with she and I. These winged raptor people have become one of my life's joys.
Why I write is to ask a question about the doves. We have mourning doves a plenty and a bigger white dove couple that lives in our front tree.
This morning a small rather well looking i.e. Not in molt yet, mourning dove was allowing a larger white dove to what I can only describe as cannabalistically pick at its feathers.
It hunkered down as the white dove seemed to attack it.
I rarely interfere although I know will receive criticism from some to feed anybody anything on my porch so I understand but I did go out a call them out.
When the smaller dove flew away it landed next to the attacking dove like it was wanting to receive this.
I don't understand and am asking for information on such behavior. Is it a suicide mission/calling or do birds of different species get help from one another?
It was the second time I have seen something like this. I have also noticed that there can be a very mean bird occasionally in a flock more so in the mourning doves I've noticed. Thank you.. Lisa
Comments for Doves and More on Our Back Deck
Click here to add your own comments
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Backyard Birds.
Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel To See All Our Bird Videos!


text:
Lance Noyes, Owner, Licensed Insurance Agent
Lance Noyes is the owner of Pegram & Noyes and opened the agency in Gastonia in 1998. Prior to becoming an insurance agent Lance was a bay supervisor for Phillip Morris USA in Cabarrus county for 9 years. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1988 where he studied psychology and business. Lance married his college sweetheart Lou whom he is still married to and has 3 wonderful children, Austin, Tyler and Chandler.
Lance became a licensed property and casualty agent while still employed at Phillip Morris when the tobacco industry was starting to come under fire for its product. His friend and counselor Rick Pegram who had his own agency in Concord NC extended his hand and offered him an opportunity. That opportunity led him away from Concord to Gaston County which was in need of an agent that not only provided a sound insurance product, but backed it up with outstanding customer service. Due to the ever changing market place for insurance, Pegram & Noyes focuses on providing a product that fits the customers current needs and budget. There are so many insurance companies that market themselves to be better than everyone else but in the long run fall short when tested on what they are marketing and advertising.
Lance has instilled his philosophies and goals throughout the organization which has attributed to the success of the agency. The Pegram & Noyes Team is fully equipped to handle all of your insurance needs and they look forward to talking to you.
Austin Noyes, Licensed Insurance Agent
Austin has been with Pegram & Noyes Insurance since 2014 after graduating from NC State. Aside from being a licensed agent, he also runs our tax department during tax season in addition to agent duties. Away from the agency he stays in shape doing Crossfit and mountain bike riding.
Jane Horne, Licensed Insurance Agent
Jane Horne has been a licensed agent and has been with Pegram & Noyes since 2006. Before coming to Pegram & Noyes, she worked for Nationwide and Stowe insurance agency respectively. Jane enjoys working with customers, saving them money and making new relationships. Jane currently lives in and is a native of Belmont, North Carolina.
Michael Underwood, Licensed Insurance Agent
Michael Underwood is a licensed insurance agent and has been with Pegram & Noyes since 2009. Prior to becoming an insurance agent, Michael worked in production and quality control for machine fabrication companies. Michael lives in Gastonia and attended Belmont-Abbey College where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree.
Cory Newton, Licensed Insurance Agent
Cory Newton is a licensed insurance agent. He is an avid sports fan all around, but his favorite teams are the Hornets and the Yankees. He loves working with people and finds a lot of satisfaction saving our customers money on their insurance.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Before we start with this monthly favorites, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the amazing comments and feedback you gave me on my last post and video!! It made me so happy that you also liked the idea of re-creating Instagram looks! I would try to make more videos like that in the future if you want! ;)
Anyway, there were a few new products I have been loving and using a lot during last month so I thought I would share them with you in this edition of Monthly Favorites! Let's start! :)
1- Nivea Creme Care Facial Cleansing Cream
I have just recently bought this new Nivea Cleansing cream and I'm loving it so far! The texture is very creamy and nice, it has the typical Nivea scent and I feel like it does a very good job cleaning my skin. I use it every morning and at night as well, and what I love about this product the most is that as this is very creamy it doesn't leave my face feeling dry after using it. On the contrary, I feel it quite hydrated so this is one of my favorites this month for sure!
2- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream
Continuing with skincare favorites, this Neutrogena Eye cream has also been one of my recent successful purchases. I have picked this product because I have heard very good things about it from some of my fellow bloggers so I was very interested in trying this out!
I really love the gel-cream texture it has because it feels very light and gentle. Also, I find it very refreshing when I apply it in my eye are and that is always a plus for me! ;)
3- Mavala Miss Chic Nail Polish Kit
This lovely nail polish set was a Christmas gift from my parents and I just realized that I haven't talked about it yet here on the blog! This kit contains two nail polish shades from Mavala and what I love about it is that both of them are very elegant and classic colors that you can wear all the time!
The shade 156 Rococo Red is the perfect red and this is the one I have been wearing the most lately! It goes perfectly with any outfit and it adds that chic look.
On the other hand, the shade 381 Rouge Forever is that deep red wine shade that looks amazing during Fall-Winter season. I haven't worn this one yet but once the weather starts to get colder here, I'm sure this would be my go-to nail polish!
So that's it!! These have been my favorite products this month! I would love to know if you have tried any of these products and also I would love to know which are your favorites at the moment! :)


text:
Correction to the article 'UCC bids to reverse loss of degree's accreditation' published in the Irish Examiner on Friday 6th November
As the professional body for engineers, Engineers Ireland is committed to maintaining standards of engineering in Ireland. With respect to education, a key role for the body is that of accrediting third level programmes to ensure Irish engineers are on a par with their peers worldwide through continued monitoring of quality and standards among our reciprocal agreement partners.
In the article 'UCC bids to reverse loss of degree's accreditation' published in the Irish Examiner on Friday 6th November it is stated that "Up to now, UCC chemical engineering graduates were allowed an exemption from the requirement to have a five-year qualification to register with Engineers Ireland."
However, this is misleading information. To clarify, the UCC degree is accredited by Engineers Ireland in accordance with the guidelines of the International Engineering Alliance and the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE). Students graduating from this course are awarded a Bachelor of Engineering not a Master's degree as incorrectly stated. The programme is not accredited to the level required to attain the chartered engineer title and graduates will require some additional learning. UCC were not given an exemption, as claimed. The reason for the withdrawal of accreditation by Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a matter between UCC and IChemE and as such Engineers Ireland cannot comment on that point.
The shortage of lecturers in UCC was raised by the Engineers Ireland accreditation review panel during the most recent visit in 2013. The academic team in UCC are in constant communication with the Registrar of Engineers Ireland on the topic. Like many other universities and Institutes of Technology the reduction in investment over the last number of years is having a detrimental impact on the ability of academic staff to deliver world class engineering education.
Members can login for access to exclusive content, event booking, shop discounts and more...
Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. For more information on cookies please view our privacy policy.


text:
Promo: Best Western Stay Three Get One Free
Please note that I receive compensation for many links on this blog. American Express and other banks are advertising partners of this site. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy to learn more.
Best Western has launched a "Stay Three, Get One Free" promotion for stays between Monday May 19 until September 1, 2014.
To take advantage of the offer, if you're a Best Western Rewards member you need to register before staying, now through August 10, 2014. Then stay with the chain three separate times by September 1, 2014 and earn a voucher good for a free night at any Best Western property in the US, Canada or Caribbean.
If you are not yet a Best Western Rewards member, you can sign up here.
Only one certificate can be earned per person during this promotion, and it must be redeemed on or before January 31, 2015.
I like that this is a simple promotion and the certificate is good for a fairly long period of time, even if the property locations are limited to the US, Canada, and Caribbean.
Here are some frequently asked questions about this promotion.
Editorial Note: The opinions expressed here are mine and not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any bank, card issuer, or other company including (but not limited to) American Express unless otherwise stated. Comments made in response to posts are not provided or commissioned, and they have not been reviewed or endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of any advertiser to make sure that questions are answered.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material on this site without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.


text:
While there are many types of trusts, they share a common purpose: to help protect your beneficiaries and effectively transfer property. Everyone has specific reasons for setting up a trust. Here are some of the more common ones.
Passing along assets to minors. Many people like the idea of gifting to children or grandchildren, but what happens if they are too young to handle money? Can these beneficiaries handle the resulting financial responsibility? With a trust, you can keep assets protected until the beneficiaries reach a certain age, and then you can either transfer all of the assets to them or have the trustee follow a prescribed schedule so the beneficiaries receive assets gradually – perhaps to fund education or to purchase a home.
During the lifetime of the trust, any income earned on the trust's property could be made available to the beneficiaries. In the case of younger people or those who may not be adept at handling finances, a spendthrift trust may be appropriate (see section below, "Ensure prudent management of the trust").
Children from a previous marriage. Passing along assets can be challenging when there is a blended family. You may want to ensure your current spouse is taken care of, but not at the expense of a child (or children) from your previous marriage. With a trust, your assets can be made available to your spouse and any income earned on them paid to your spouse during his or her lifetime. The trust can ensure that, upon the passing of your spouse, those assets will be transferred to your children.
Need to ensure proper asset management. If your spouse or other beneficiaries lack the ability or interest to manage the assets you will be leaving, you can enlist a trustee to oversee the asset management on your spouse's or other beneficiaries' behalf.
Disabled or special-needs child. Your trustee ensures that funds are available to provide your disabled or special-needs child with proper care, drawing from the trust as needed to pay for anything that allows your child to maintain a satisfactory quality of life. The trustee should also endeavour to protect your child's eligibility for disability benefits. If you simply leave an inheritance to your child, the assets could disqualify her or him from receiving disability benefits.
A Henson trust is a flexible type of trust designed specifically to benefit people with disabilities.1 It seeks to protect the assets of a trust from being considered to belong to a person with a disability, thereby protecting the beneficiary's eligibility to collect government benefits and entitlements.
Support for your spouse. A testamentary spousal trust can provide support to the surviving spouse for his or her lifetime, and then any remaining assets can be directed to the children. When considering such a trust, you may wish to appoint an impartial third-party trustee who can help avoid potential personal conflicts. You can also structure your trust to defer any capital gains upon your death. When it comes to testamentary spousal trusts, be aware of family law obligations as claims can still be made against your estate.
Save taxes. Recent changes in legislation have reduced the tax efficiency of testamentary trusts, but tax advantages remain if the trust is structured properly and you can allocate the trust's income or capital gains to beneficiaries in lower tax brackets. For example, income splitting can be achieved by the trustee of a discretionary family trust that includes your children and grandchildren as beneficiaries, if the trustee "sprinkles" income to those beneficiaries who are personally in a lower tax bracket than the trust and have little or no other taxable income.
Ensure prudent management of the trust. If an adult beneficiary does not manage money prudently, you can create a spendthrift trust. This type of trust gives an independent trustee authority to determine how, when and for what purpose the trust's funds are allocated to the beneficiary. A spendthrift trust is ideal when the beneficiary has trouble controlling his or her spending, plus the beneficiary's creditors cannot gain access to funds in the trust. Spendthrift trusts are also useful for someone who may be overwhelmed by managing a trust's funds. By receiving the funds gradually, the young beneficiary can learn how to handle money in a prudent fashion.
You and your family can benefit from choosing trusts to effectively transfer property. Work with your MD Advisor as well as your Estate and Trust Advisor at MD Private Trust to determine which types of trusts are right for you.
Learn more about MD's estate and trust offering or contact an MD Advisor to find out how we can help.


text:
Posting ID : A1068397471
Date Posted : 2015-08-18
Category : Tickets By Owner
Hello, I have 2 Ky opry tickets, for Benton, Ky to see Mo Pitney, Aug 21, 2015 (this friday night) show starts at 7:30. The tickets are in the 9th row, center stage. I purchased 3, but 2 family members had to go out of town. I paid 113.53 for the 3 tickets from the opry. I am trying to re coup some of my money back. Each ticket was 37.84......I am asking 30.00 each or 50.00 for the pair. For additional info, please text, or call
Thanks, and have a Blessed Day!!!!!


text:
Five months into 2014, you may be getting asked -- "How are we doing with collections?" When faced with this question, you may feel compelled to provide a detailed, numbers-driven answer, with benchmarks, percentages, etc. This kind of financial response may be useful, but there may be more important indicators that require you to look behind the numbers to give you and your leadership a clearer picture of how well the firm's A/R management processes and procedures are working.
Most firms have gotten used to looking at an abundance of financial information and ageing reports to evaluate their progress in managing receivables. Although some of this information is valuable, many reports do not show when payment can be expected. Law firms tends to lose sight of the numerous reasons clients have not paid. This is often coupled with a failure to create the right reports, ones that measure the progress and evaluate the efforts of the lawyers and staff. At minimum, you need to know if an account is actively being pursued, what the payment status is, who is pursuing the collection efforts and whether they are getting results, why clients are not paying, and what needs to be done to get them to pay. Categorize the receivables to determine who is handling the collection efforts, when you can expect payment, whether they are problematic and how good the chances are that you will get paid (and whether particular receivables are simply not collectible).
The person asking the question about collections is most likely the managing partner or another senior attorney who oversees the firm's progress. It is important you direct their attention to situations where efforts are falling short, so they can help get collections back on track. We invite you to learn more on our web-site http://www.clientci.com
If you are going to the ALA conference in Toronto, May 17-May 21, stop by to see us at Booth #713. I would enjoy saying hello.
Best Regards,


text:
I'm a big fan of Vaadin as an UI framework as readers of my blog may have noticed. And I like what IBM is doing in the Bluemix space. Now they've joined for a challenge (or contest as some may say).
The challenge itself contains of nine tasks. Some give you fixed boundaries to interact in, others not. The list of tasks is freely available here. You can see how many people have submitted a task for review below the "person" image on the left side. The description of each task is available when you're logged in – and when you're done with the previous task. No spoilers here. 😉
You can earn 100 points on each task – so 900 points is the maximum you can get.
Prizes you can win are an Apple Watch (1st place), an iPad Air 2 WiFi (2nd place) and a GoPro camera (3rd place). But the prizes shouldn't be the reason to take part..
The people from Vaadin have already a kind of history with IBM Bluemix as they supplied the first 3rd party boilerplate on that platform (read here and here).
See this video on the IBM Cloud Ecosystem YouTube channel for a first information about both companies/services.
So why are they doing it right as I've stated in the title of my blog? There are two main reasons from my point of view.
It's good marketing
Altogether it's a marketing campaign – for both companies. It's about showing the technology to a broad audience. And the different competition tasks touch a broad variety of tools and services that both companies (may) charge for. Those include Vaadin Designer, Vaadin Charts and Bluemix services. That's IMHO a good thing as both companies make their living out of the chargeable stuff (remember: the Vaadin framework itself is free and Apache licensed). And some people probably wouldn't have normally touched or tested those tools/services.
Mixing easy and advanced
As said before the challenge tasks are sometimes in boundaries and sometimes not. For some it's quite easy to get a result – but question is if it's the desired result. The easy part is all about doing it as stated in the descriptions. The advanced (or harder) part is to read between the lines – and to start fiddling around with the involved technologies.
Broad variety of topics involved
That's the best part – the fun part – in my opinion. When taking part on the challenge you'll touch a lot of stuff that's not directly/obviously related to IBM Bluemix and/or Vaadin. Here is an excerpt of technologies that you'll (have to) learn about:
- Maven (I prefer Gradle, but that's another story)
- Vaadin basics
- IBM WebSphere Liberty (my favorite Java app server nowadays)
- CloudFoundry basic
- the IBM Design methodology
- …
I'm currently working on task 5 – and I've to admit that it's fun to dig into IBM Design.
Still found no reason to give it a try? If you're based in Switzerland or the Czech Republic I may convince you personally as I'll speak about Vaadin at the Switzerland Notes User Group meeting and the Czech Lotus User Group meeting


text:
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Reid Koenen scored 23 points and drilled a key 3-pointer in overtime as Texas State defeated UTSA 81-78 on Saturday.
Corey Stern added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Joel Wright had four of his 16 points in OT for the Bobcats (5-14, 1-6 Western Athletic), who had five players score in double figures.
Koenen's 3-pointer gave Texas State a 77-76 lead with 1:03 remaining in the extra period. Michael Hale III answered with a basket for the Roadrunners (4-13, 0-7), but Wright put Texas State ahead for good with a three-point play with 34 seconds left, and Stern added a free throw.
Hale III, who had 33 points and nine rebounds, had a shot to tie at the buzzer, but his 3-point attempt missed.
Kannon Burrage added 25 points for UTSA.
Koenen shot 7 of 9 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from behind the arc. Phil Hawkins scored 13 points and Wesley Davis 10 for Texas State.


text:
The way John Cassavetes seduces Britt Ekland in Giuliano Montaldo's Machine Gun McCain is a three-minute Master Class in multi-faceted acting – multi-faceted acting in a potentially stupid scene.
Cassavetes plays Hank McCain, a tough, mysterious bank robber newly released from prison, out on the town alone, hungry for company; hungry for something (in one scene, he's hungry for a hot dog, which he enjoys like a guy fresh from the joint: "Looks like you haven't seen one of these in years" the hot dog vendor says. Cassavetes looks back annoyed). He skulks around the San Francisco Red Light district circa late 1960s with its enticing topless bars and sex shows, men milling about searching for a screw or a look, marquees blazing temptations like: "The Original Nude on the Swing, Hippie, Or a Fun Risqué Show!" He doesn't look happy on this quest, more unsettled, uncomfortable. Not because he's a square (a square he is not) but because that's how a guy stuck in the slammer for over a decade would look and act upon release – uneasy, distrustful. You can see it on his face as he observes the changed world around him: He's dissatisfied, lonely and a little awkward.
He walks into the bar promising that Nude on the Swing and immediately spies luscious Britt Ekland (Irene) at a table with two men. He wants her. The two men who do look like squares are sleazing on her (what else would they be doing?) and she appears disgusted. She excuses herself to the powder room while the two guys mutter "She got hang-ups or something?" Eyeing all of this, Cassavetes moves over to her seat at the bar, sits right between the two men and orders a scotch and soda. The men inform him the seat is taken but he ignores this and lights a smoke. Annoyed and amused ("What's the matter? You that lonesome?" – he is), they move to a table where Irene returns. What does Cassavetes do? He once again moves, pausing and standing for a moment, before sitting down right at their table directly across from Irene. He stares at her. It's so intense he needn't say anything. One guy rather oddly says, "You know a guy once followed me from Union Square all the way to North Beach? You know what he wanted? To sell me retirement properties!" The other says, angry, "Well, that's not what this guy's after, not by a long shot." Spitting at Irene that she's having a "turn on" for this weird, good-looking stranger, Cassavetes punch/ smacks the one guy and orders the other to stay put. He then mumbles, barely looking at his object of lust, "Come on. Let's get out of here." They leave, get in her car and look at each other. He says, "I've been in prison. 12 years. Armed robbery. I, uh, I'm looking for someone. I need someone." They go to her place. Done.
Why is this scene so good? Because, as stated, Cassavetes, that's why. In another actor's hands, it could have played simply studly – look at this big, bad criminal hooking in this hot mama. Score. There's some of that unabashed cool here of course, but Cassavetes imbues the scene with enough longing and angst, even a kind of hatred for the drooling men (is this tough guy gallantry or self hatred?), that you roll with the instinct and curiosity of her going home with him. It helps that he looks like John Cassavetes and she's whatever she's supposed to be (she seems more miserable and lost than a good-time-girl), but the scene feels more interesting than that. Her rather clueless role in the movie is helped shaped by how good his acting is and by following his lead; he's already defining how strange she is as his future accomplice. Even his potentially offensive rough lovemaking once they get down to it is more human than anything else: aggressive and scary, hungry and vulnerable, weird and real. Cassavetes moves through these varied states throughout the movie – a lone wolf, but a man in some kind of existential dilemma, fighting to maintain his own self in a fucked-up world. And, as cool as he is, he's not gonna win that fight.
Italian director Montaldo knew to work this from his lead or he knew to allow Cassavetes to work this simultaneous enigmatic character with bursts of feeling, while making a lean crime picture (often shot beautifully by Erico Menczer and memorably scored by the great Ennio Morricone). Cassavetes did this movie for the money, like a lot of movies he acted in (and some incredible, The Killers, The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby, just to name a few around this time period), but he never sleepwalked through a role. ("I'm a professional actor out of defense," Cassavetes said to Ray Carney. "I'd prefer to be an amateur actor. But I've got to have money to make films. Unfortunately, it's an extremely expensive hobby.") The B-picture feels a lot tonier than one would think, that of Hank McCain let out of prison to help rob a Las Vegas casino with a Mafioso (played by Peter Falk) who is actually robbing a rival mob run casino which then causes a gangland war which then makes fearlessly independent McCain think, screw this (he's already been doubled-crossed by his son), and pull the heist on his own (Irene helps him. She also marries him). It could be a standard sluggish crime picture with moments of garish flare but there's a nervous energy here – it buzzes along with Cassavetes' anti-hero, jiving with his internal struggles and intelligence, his rightful paranoia and feral anger. Though the two clashed at times, Montaldo admired Cassavetes as a filmmaker and was a fan of his debut, Shadows, and Cassavetes charmed the film's young millionaire producer, Bino Cicogna, to help finance Husbands. Cigogna, who produced Once Upon a Time in the West, would later be found dead in Rio de Janeiro, his head wrapped in a plastic bag and shoved into an oven, an apparent suicide but rumored to be a murder. He was apparently having money problems, but also allegedly (as written in Dedee Panesar's "In Gold We Trust: The True Story of the Papalia Twins and Their Battle for Truth and Justice") suffered a serious cocaine problem, was rumored to know too many people in the drug trade (something) and took off, which seems like a story Timothy Carey might tell as one-part of a Cassavetes' monologue (or a story he'd just tell). Jesus. Thankfully the poor bastard helped along one of Cassavetes' greatest films.
And thankfully Cassavetes brought along some of his clan to Machine Gun McCain: Falk, Val Avery and his wife Gena Rowlands in a small but wonderfully realized role as his old girlfriend. In opposition to his compellingly starved and strange pick-up of Ekland, his reunion with Rowlands is warm and lovely, loaded with sexual chemistry and a shared history. He slaps her on the ass and actually smiles as they hug each other. You get why he says she's the only woman he trusts. She's so beautifully gritty and world-weary touching with him, and they are both so spectacular together (they both know each other's hard lives inside and out) that Hank McCain becomes much more moving by her mere presence. She reminded me a little of Marlene Dietrich in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil – no nonsense and loyal to the bitter end (she does not get a nice end, alas). I only wish she'd have closed the movie like Dietrich did and, what the hell, why not? Steal the last line: "He was some kind of man." That he was.


text:
Pub Rent Assessment Calculator - PRA version
- Published on
- Published on Information
SIMPLIFIED (short version) NO WORSE OFF RENT ASSESSMENT FOT V TIED PUBS
Ready reckoner for assessing Tied rents against FOT - are you worse off?
To comment further down you'll need to be registered as a member, click here for membership.
To use calc: Fill in the following seven boxes, overwrite the suggested figures we've supplied or leave them be, hit calculate, then email the results to your inbox, note the Tied+ box is added to the tied cost box so to get to Tied+ costs of 40% you need to have 38% in the tied cost box and 2% in the Tied+ if you want to work out brewers barrels see comments at the bottom of the page.
|Brewers Barrels (36 gal)
|Est Food as proportion of all sales
|Est turnover (FMT) :
|(Tied + is the extra cost due to absence of any SCORFA / Counterveiling benefits)
Hit the calculate button then enter your email below to get the full calculation which will include a side by side breakdown of how much you and your pubco earn from the two deals. In seconds you can see if you are no worse off.


text:
As many of you know from reading several of my previous posts as well as my books, I'm absolutely obsessed with all things diversity related. From multicultural events, to interracial dating and marriages, to biracial kids, and multinational identity. These social constructs such as race (or more specifically, self actualized racial identity) help us to categorize, relate and include as well as normalize our life experiences in order to help us understand, or at times, even exclude or demonize others around us.
As I have continuously explored diversity topics throughout my life, I ran into a magazine a long time ago called Interrace, which was at that time a print publication. Though I hadn't been able to find it again for the last several years. So I was overjoyed when I was doing some research recently and was reintroduced to Interrace.
I reached out to and recently had the pleasure of conversing with David Somerfleck, who told me that together with his wife Lisa, they have re-launched a 2.0 version of Interrace called Interrace Today. Feel free to check it out at: http://interracetoday.com/ They also have a blog here on WordPress at http://interrace.wordpress.com/
Lisa apparently also creates multicultural themed artwork, which you can find here: http://interracetoday.com/store/ I am so excited that they've brought their magazine online. The digital version features romantic tales and dating tips for and from interracial couples, as well as a wide range of stories that would interest anyone who's all about the "swirling" phenomenon. 🙂
So check it out and let me know what you think. In the meantime, I'm still working on various swirls of my own, including the complicated romance developing between main characters Cheryl Oliver and Joseph Vu in Volume 3 of the Chocolate Chronicles (Chocolate Rau Câu: PUA War Games!) which will becoming to Amazon soon (I'm estimating by next week). I hope you all enjoy a fabulous "hump day" today and I will catch you all in the mix soon.


text:
Writing is definitely an art rather than a science. There's always room for improved skill and joy level. Here are three tips to help you increase both.
1. Write EVERY Day
It might feel cliche, but writing every day really is the best way to improve your form, function, and speed. These are very important, especially when writing professionally for clients like TextBroker. The more you write, the better you get at stringing together sentences to write while briefly researching for TB assignments. Likewise, your ability to stay within word count requests and to write faster with fewer mistakes or needed edits, will increase your quality ratings, take less time out of your day, increase your earnings, and result in a greater sense of accomplishment. When combined, these outcomes manifest a positive energy cycle that feeds on itself. Once you create and then ride that energy, you'll find yourself with more work that you actually love, then you know what to do with.
2. Relax; Follow the Flow
This isn't a complicated skill to develop, though it's is often easier suggested than practiced. Writing for profit tends to create a certain inexplicable anxiety, especially on sites with strict quality guidelines that are directly linked to how much you earn. It might seem counterintuitive to relax with so many grammar, punctuation, style rules, and client directions to keep up with. Learning to relax and lean into your natural flow, will probably be more lucrative than you think, though. Once you learn to let go of perfection, enjoy your natural pace, and stick to it, your pace will soon increase without increasing your stress level.
For some, this might mean taking a few steps backward in order to take a giant leap forward. Though a few short-term losses in speed are worth the long-term gains of being able to quickly create exceptional quality content while actually enjoying the process.
3. Write Because You LOVE It
When you discover there are ways to earn money by writing for sites like Textbroker or Upwork, it's significantly easy to anchor your focus on earning as much money as possible. It's completely understandable to do that, though it's counterintuitive. When you focus solely what you're earning as a writer instead of what you love about writing in general, you start basing your own personal worth on your earnings. That's completely demoralizing and will manifest a dangerous self-fulfilling prophecy.
Focus instead on what you love about writing; like how great it is that best CB radio provides daily opportunities to challenge yourself!


text:
Intellectual Property Issues of Genetically Engineered Crops
The committee held a webinar on Wednesday, May 6 at 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm EDT to gather information from invited speakers:
Alan Bennett, Executive Director, Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, and Distinguished Professor, University of California-Davis. bio
Alan Bennett is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Davis where he has been an active researcher, educator, policy advisor, and technology transfer advocate. He also serves as the founding Executive Director of the "Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture" (PIPRA), a not‐for‐profit organization that provides commercialization strategy advice and intellectual property rights analysis to support the commercialization of public sector innovations. Dr. Bennett earned B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant biology at UC Davis and Cornell University, respectively, has published over 160 scientific research papers in the area of plant molecular biology, and is recognized as an "ISI Most Cited Author". He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Senior Fellow of the California Council for Science and Technology (CCST), a science policy advisory council for the State of California. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Bennett served as the Executive Director of the University of California Systemwide Office of Research Administration and Technology Transfer where he was responsible for research policy and the management of a portfolio of over 5,000 patented inventions, 700 active licenses, and revenue in excess of $350MM. From 2004 to 2008, Dr. Bennett served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Davis where he founded and managed InnovationAccess, an organization responsible for technology transfer, business development, and support for technology-based economic development in the Sacramento/Davis region. He also serves on several corporate research advisory boards and is the founding CEO of the UC Davis-Chile Life Science Innovation Center.
Diana Horvath, President, Two Blades Foundation. bio
Diana Horvath helped to establish the Two Blades Foundation (2Blades), a charitable organization engaged in the development and delivery of durable disease resistance for agriculture, and currently serves as the Foundation's President. Trained in biochemistry and molecular biology, her professional experience has focused on research on biotic constraints on agriculture in developing countries and the molecular mechanisms of plant disease resistance and on establishing companies with innovative agricultural biotechnologies. Since 2004, Dr. Horvath has worked with her 2Blades colleagues to build development programs for resistance to significant diseases of important commercial and subsistence crops. 2Blades' efforts are aimed at practical outcomes for real-world disease problems, such as major diseases of wheat, citrus, and tomato. Strategic deployment of resistant crops includes the management of intellectual property in order to ensure responsible stewardship of genetic resources and the delivery of the broadest benefits to farmers.
Richard Jefferson, Founder and CEO, Cambia, and Professor of Science, Technology & Law, Queensland University of Technology. bio
Richard Jefferson is a prominent molecular biologist, social entrepreneur and open innovation systems strategist. He is founder and CEO of Cambia and a Professor of Science, Technology & Law at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Richard is a graduate of the University of California's College of Creative Studies, with a Ph.D. in molecular biology from University of Colorado. As a National Institutes of Health postdoc in Cambridge, UK, he conducted the world's first field release of a biotech crop and developed the most widely cited and licensed enabling biotechnology and distributed it under open source principles. After becoming the first molecular biologist for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, he founded Cambia in 1991, an independent, global nonprofit social enterprise to bring efficiency, effectiveness, and equity to science-enabled innovation, based in Canberra, Australia. At Cambia, Richard developed the landmark hologenome theory of evolution, continued inventing, distributing, and supporting enabling technologies and created the BiOS (Biological Open Source) Initiative, the first open patent-based commons for science. Fifteen years ago, Cambia launched the Patent Lens, the most popular open global full-text resource for patent transparency. This work has culminated in the current vision of a global digital public good — 'The Lens' — to disrupt and democratize the innovation system, through 'Innovation Cartography'. Richard is an 'Outstanding Social Entrepreneur' of the Schwab Foundation and a regular panelist at the World Economic Forum's Davos annual meetings and summits. He served four years on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Intellectual Property and is now on the Global Agenda Council on the Economics of Innovation. He is the recipient of the American Society of Plant Science' 'Leadership in Science' award, was named to Scientific American's list of the world's 50 Most Influential Technologists, and is the inaugural Medalist of the Center for Science & Policy Outcomes. His work has featured in media in dozens of countries, and includes profiles in The Economist, New York Times, Newsweek, Red Herring, Nature, Science, Nature Biotechnology and many others.
The webinar is an information-gathering meeting for the committee in which the speakers are invited to provide input to the committee.
Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:
- Alan Bennett: 00:08:20
- Diana Horvath: 00:42:04
- Richard Jefferson: 01:18:17


text:
For the longest time I've wanted to start a Contemporary Music Ensemble and that dream has come to fruition. While working on a number of occasions with a local composer, Rachel Short (a recent graduate of IUS), we've pulled together some resources and folks (as haphazardly as that might have happened) and concocted the Mothership Ensemble (the name which, as she said, "chose itself").
I've talked with a number of local composers and musicians when i moved back to the Louisville Metro area about the idea of starting a New Music group, and ideas flew back and forth, but nothing really solidified. Over the past year or so I've been Rachel's works for various events and as well as her senior recital. One piece of hers, Wormhole: Caesura (for voice and string trio), we've performed a number of times with pretty much the same line-up (with me on voice/cello).


text:
Visiting lectures, experimenting in the laboratory for young people, or attending summer campus: Junge Uni introduced school leavers to university life.
Management and Economics
... looks into questions such as ...
- What kind of goods should enterprises manufacture and what should the selling price be?
- How does one coordinate team work among thousands of employees in large corporations?
- Which kind of data do executive staff require to identify and solve problems?
- Which are the advantages and hazards of globalisation?
- How can successful commercial operations be reconciled with environmental protection?
The RUB provides subject-specific training at a very high level; I was able to implement the acquired knowledge during my internships."
Alexander Müller, Bachelor's degree read more ...
Degree programmes
Management and Economics, Bachelor 1 subject
|Bachelor of Science
|Winter- and summer semester
|6 semesters
|Classroom language:
Bookmark and recommendYour bookmarks
What's it all about?
This degree programme is unique, because ...
it provides an understanding of both political economics and business management as well as of substantial methodological competencies.
It provides the opportunity to specialise in the following fields
- Taxes/Auditing
- Environmental economics
- Marketing/sales
- Development economics
Who is suited?
Those who wish to enrol in this degree programme,
- good analytical skills
- basic grasp of English
- dealing with economic issues, from car export to the organisation of the tax system
struggle through:
- mathematic and statistical principles of the modern economy
This degree programme is suited for graduates in the following subjects
Graduates from this degree programme frequently work
- as tax accountant/auditor
- as corporate consultant
- as political consultant
- as economic researcher
And else?
A prep course ...
can be covered voluntarily.
Further information about prep courses
An internship ...
is mandatory. It is done during the degree course.
Duration: 1 x 8 weeks
Studying abroad ...
can be done voluntarily.
Where do I find help?
Academic advisory office
Kim K. Docter, M.A.
Building, Room: GD 03/229
Phone: +49 (0)234 / 32-22762
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website academic advisory office
Contact students
Fachschaft WiWi
Building, Room: GD 03/165
Phone: +49 (0)234 / 32-27854
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website Fachschaft
Getting to know RUB prior to taking up your degree
Financing your studies
Rent, food, social insurance – all these and more need to be paid for during your studies. But where will the money come from?
How to enrol at Ruhr-Universität Bochum
In this video, Leyla shows you how the enrolment process works at Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
Watch video clip


text:
In every pregnancy, a woman starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a baby with a birth defect. This is called her background risk. This sheet talks about whether exposure to herbal products may increase the risk for birth defects over that background risk. This information should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider.
What are herbal products?
Herbal products are considered dietary supplements. They are not the same as medications. In the United States, dietary supplements cannot be sold for the purposes of treating, diagnosing, preventing, or curing diseases. They come in many forms, such as: teas, infusions, caplets, dried extracts, and tinctures.
Herbs can be used in preparing foods. Herbs used in preparing food would not be expected to be of concern when used in moderation. However, herbal supplements could contain high amounts of active compounds that can be of concern in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. However, many herbal supplements have not been evaluated in pregnancy.
Many patients forget to tell their healthcare provider(s) that they use herbal products, but it is important to let all of your healthcare providers know about all over-the-counter supplements that you use.
Are herbal products different from using prescription or over-the-counter medications?
Yes. The safety and effectiveness of herbal products for sale in the United States are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most have been poorly studied regarding their safety and ability to work as they are advertised. Also, there are no standards for ingredients and strength.
Levels of active ingredients in herbal preparations will vary depending on growing and harvesting conditions, plant parts used (e.g. root, stem, flower, and/or bark), and the way they are made into supplements. Some herbal products might contain contaminants such as metals, pesticides, other chemicals, microorganisms (e.g. fungi or bacteria), or other products not listed on the label. Tinctures and liquid products can contain alcohol, which should be avoided in pregnancy. Dangerous side effects have been reported for some herbal supplements. Some herbal supplements can also affect how well your prescribed medications or anesthesia work, so talk with your healthcare provider before starting or stopping the use of any herbal products.
I use herbal products. Should I stop using them before becoming pregnant?
First tell your healthcare provider about all the products you use. Most herbal products have not been well studied during pregnancy, so it is not always possible to know how they might affect the ability to get pregnant or a future pregnancy. A pregnant woman or a woman planning a pregnancy may wish to consider other therapies for which more reproductive data is available.
Some herbal medications have been shown to have high levels of lead, which can be stored in our bodies. If it is possible that you have been exposed to lead, your healthcare provider can test for this prior to a pregnancy and create a treatment plan to reduce levels of lead in your body.
Can taking herbal products make it harder to get pregnant?
Possibly. Some herbal supplements have been shown to cause changes in hormones important for getting pregnant. Each product's ingredients should be looked at carefully.
Can herbal products cause miscarriage?
Possibly. Some products have been shown to cause pregnancy loss from hormone imbalance or uterine contractions that could lead to pregnancy loss. Each product's ingredients should be looked at carefully.
Do any herbal products cause birth defects or other problems in pregnancy?
There is limited information on first trimester use of most herbal products. There is even less information on using herbal products in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Most current data does not suggest an increased chance for birth defects when used while pregnant. However, some products have been shown to cause pregnancy loss, hormone imbalance, or uterine contractions that could lead to pregnancy loss or early labor. Read the label on the product and discuss each ingredient with your healthcare provider.
Can I use herbal products while breastfeeding?
There is very little information on use of herbal products while nursing an infant. Talk to your healthcare provider for all your breastfeeding questions. Read the label on the product and discuss each ingredient with your healthcare provider.
What should I take into consideration if I decide to use an herbal product?
- Remember that the FDA is not authorized to check herbal products for safety and effectiveness before they are sold in stores or online. This means very few herbal products have scientific proof that they work in the way stated on the product label.
- When searching for an herbal product on the internet, it is better to use noncommercial sites (e.g. NIH, FDA, USDA) rather than depending on information from the herbal product company or any other commercial website ending with ".com".
- If claims sound too good to be true, they probably are. Be mindful of product claims such as "works better than [a prescription drug]," "totally safe," or has "no side effects."
- Be aware that the term "natural" does not mean safe.
- Ask your healthcare provider if the supplement you are considering would be helpful for you.
What if the father of the baby takes herbal products?
Some herbal products might make it more difficult for a man to get his partner pregnant. All herbal product ingredients should be looked at carefully before using them when trying to get pregnant.
In general, exposures that fathers have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures and Pregnancy at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/pdf/.
Please click here to view references.


text:
Spawned from countless hours of research and testing on some of the most massive MUTANTs on the planet, MUTANT MASS is the revolutionary muscle mass gainer that delivers. Every serving of MUTANT MASS delivers to your body an array of macronutrients assembled for those who TRULY want to live the MUTANT life. Designed specifically to help you pack it on. MUTANT MASS — it's the new breed of muscle mass gainer.
- • Multi-award winning weight gainer — sold in over 100 countries
- • 15 lb bags delivering over 1000 specially engineered calories per serving
- • 52 grams of quality protein featuring a 10 whey, casein & egg protein blend
- • Includes 34 g BCAAs, EAAs, glutamine & glutamine precursors & arginine
- • Balanced nutrition — packed with carbs, waxy maize, MCT's, Colostrum, Cinnulin PF® & more
- • No hidden or undeclared ingredients
- • Available in multiple incredibly addictive flavours!
SUGGESTED DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Shake or mix 4 scoops (260 g) of MUTANT MASS with 454-908 mL (16-32 fl. oz.) of water; tastes incredibly addictive in water — tastes even more fantastic in milk! You can enjoy 2 or even 3 shakes a day. Our favourite program is on training days to enjoy one shake first thing in the morning and a second immediately after training. For non-training days, simply enjoy your shakes whenever you feel the need to add MUTANT MASS!
MUTANT MASS 2900 CALORIE PROGRAM: Shake or mix 4 scoops of MUTANT MASS with 908 mL (32 fl. oz.) of low fat 1% milk, twice a day; delivers 170 g of protein and 2,940 calories per day!
|Nutritional value in one serving
|4430kJ / 1060kcal
|52 g
|182 g
|14 g
|6 g
|460 mg
|*% RDA – percent of the recommended daily allowance
Next day delivery (from monday to friday) for orders above 50€
Same day delivery available in Tallaght, Dublin 24 for orders above 50€


text:
Bayesian Student Modelling and Decision-Theoretic Selection of Tutorial Actions in Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Permanent Linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/2565
Thesis DisciplineComputer Science
Degree GrantorUniversity of Canterbury
Degree LevelDoctoral
Degree NameDoctor of Philosophy
This thesis proposes, demonstrates, and evaluates, the concept of the normative Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). Normative theories are ideal, optimal theories of rational behaviour. Two normative theories suitable for reasoning under conditions of uncertainty are Bayesian probability theory, which allows one to update one's beliefs about the world given previous beliefs and new observations, and decision theory, which shows how to fuse one's preferences with one's beliefs in order to rationally decide how to behave. A normative ITS is a tutoring system in which beliefs about the student (the student model) are represented with a Bayesian network, and teaching actions are selected using decision-theoretic principles. The main advantage of a normative ITS is that the normative theories provide an optimal framework for implementing learning theories. In other words, the particular learning theory underlying the ITS is guaranteed to be optimally applied to the student if it is defined as a set of normative representations (probability distributions and utility functions). In contrast, the more traditional type of ITS with an ad-hoc implementation of a learning theory is not guaranteed to be optimal. A general methodology for building normative ITSs is proposed and demonstrated. The methodology advocates building an adaptive, generalised Bayesian network student model using machine learning techniques from student performance data collected in the classroom. The Bayesian network is then used as the basis for the decision-theoretic selection of tutorial actions. The methodology is demonstrated with two implementations. Both implementations were evaluated in a classroom, rather than a lab, setting. The first implementation is an extension to an existing ITS called SQL-Tutor. A Bayesian network-based student model was added to SQL-Tutor, and this was applied to select the next problem for students. Although this system only partly implemented the normative methodology, the evaluation results were promising enough to continue in this direction. The second evaluation was more comprehensive. An entirely new ITS called CAPIT was implemented by application of the methodology. CAPIT teaches the basics of English capitalisation and punctuation to 8-10 year old school children, and it uses constraint-based modelling to represent domain knowledge. The system models the child's long-term mastery of the domain constraints using an adaptive Bayesian network, and it selects the next problem and best error message (when a student makes more than one error following a solution attempt) using the decision-theoretic principle of expected utility maximisation. Learning theories define both the semantics of the Bayesian network and the form of the utility functions. The evaluation of CAPIT was a success. Three groups of children, A, B, and C, were enlisted and given a pre-test. Group B then used a randomised (non-normative) version of CAPIT for a four week period, while Group C used the full normative version of the tutor. All groups were then administered a post-test. The results show that while both Groups B and C gradually mastered the domain constraints, Group C mastered the constraints at a faster rate than group B. Group A, who did not have access to an ITS in the domain, actually regressed on the post-test.


text:
Bud Younger
James Paul Younger
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
- Born January 26, 1924 in Sioux City, IA USA
- Died July 3, 2008 in Tempe, AZ USA
Pitcher Bud Younger played seven seasons of minor league baseball. He made his pro debut in 1942 and then served several years in the Army during World War II. Following the war, he returned and played several more years. He also coached baseball at Arizona State University in 1951, leading the team to a 7-15 record. After his playing days, he was a longtime teacher and high school coach.


text:
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The Neo-Conservative Gazette, 2nd September 1939
2nd September 1939
David Aaronovitch
There are those who say that Germany should have acted within the framework of 'international law' and worked with the League of Nations to solve the problem of Danzig and the Polish Corridor. But I say well done Adolf ! The human rights of the German minorities in Poland are far more important than the niceties of international treaties. By ignoring 'national sovereignty' fetishists like the Conservative M.P. Winston Churchill and the pacifist lefties of the New Statesman and The Manchester Guardian, Adolf has shown himself to be a true neo-conservative. In fact, one could say the German Chancellor is the Father of All Neo-Cons. He's a man who puts human rights and regime change first, and silly little things like national borders last. Here's to the Thousand Year Reich! And bring on the Low Countries!
2nd September 1939, by Stephen Pollard
I am a warmonger. I am bloodthirsty. I am rabid. My friends want only peace and harmony, but I want to wreak destruction and killing. That's why I am so in favour of Adolf Hitler and his 'go get 'em' foreign policy. OK, Adolf still hasn't introduced a flat rate tax or introduced education vouchers, but no-one's perfect. I have just written a new paper for one of the sixty-seven Think Tanks of which I am an Associate Fellow-on how privatising health care in Germany could free up even more money for Adolf's rearmament programme and thereby bring regime change to even more of the poor repressed peoples of Eastern Europe. Copies of my biography on Sir William Joynson-Hicks are still available at £1 5/2d
2nd September 1939
Best of the Blogs: Harry's Place webblog
We at Harry's Place rejoice that the Germany's humanitarian intervention to liberate the people of Poland has begun. But the big question of the hour will not go away. Where did Winston Churchill get the money from to own a string of racehorses and chain-smoke Havana cigars? The documents found by German journalists in the Ministry of the Interior Building in Prague last October- and published first in the Neo-Conservative Gazette, clearly show that Churchill's wife Clementine received a total of £1m from the Czech Government in the form of licences to ship Slovakian grain. It's time for Winston to come clean and admit that his so-called principled opposition to Germany's humanitarian foreign policy was based on pure financial greed. 'Gorgeous' Winnie must go to Berlin immediately and answer questions before the Reichstag Committee on Foreign Affairs. Nothing else will do! _________________________________________________________________
3 comments:
- George Galloway said...
Don't bother posting here, Neil has already given up and gone to post this story at Harry's Place in the hopes someone will read it.
In fact if you have any comments on Neil's "work" its best to go to Harry's where he regularly trolls.
- ken said...
I have finally joined the ranks of the bloggers and put a link to this site on mine.
Let's have some charity for the warmongers. The peace for them will be terrible...
What do you think they would have had to say in 1945 about the fact that the vast majority of gentile Hungarians had willingly and joyfully collaborated in the genocide of over 500,000 of their Jewish fellow citizens and neighbours?
What do you think they would say now about the fact that since 1945 Hungary has lived a squalid and infamous lie about its role in the Holocaust?
Given its history, do you think that Hungary has any right to part of the civilised family of nations?


text:
A journalism and mass communications graduate from Kansas State University, Dawn Johnson of San Antonio has held several marketing and operations leadership roles at USAA. Following her passion for marketing, Dawn Johnson's San Antonio firm DMJ Consulting now advises clients on efficient market segmentation.
Market segmentation refers to the clustering together of potential clients into groups or segments, based on similar characteristics. This is done to make marketing easier as specific campaigns will be tailor-made to target each segment.
Market segmentation is built on the premise that all buyers or business clients have different needs; hence, the best way to market to them is through targeting these specific needs. It is different from conventional mass marketing that just uses one marketing strategy to reach and convince all people.
To make segmentation practical, segments should be identifiable based on their attributes, accessible through communication channels, substantially large, unique, and durable to minimize the cost of making changes.
The markets can be segmented in terms of geographical location; through demographics such as age, income, religion, gender, and education; psychographics such as attitudes, opinions, and interests; and behaviors such as product usage, willingness to buy, and brand loyalty.


text: Barry Warsaw wrote: > On Sat, 2005-09-03 at 11:17, Guido van Rossum wrote: > > >>I see two different ways to support the two most-called-for additional >>requirements: (a) an option to avoid the trailing newline, (b) an >>option to avoid the space between items. > > > See a (very quick and very dirty ;) strawman that I just posted to the > wiki. I think this has some interesting semantics, including the > ability to control the separator inline in a C++-like fashion. The > writef() version also accepts string.Templates or %s-strings as its > first argument. I'm not sure I like reserving 'to' and 'nl' keyword > arguments, and not having the ability to print Separator instances > directly, but OTOH maybe those aren't big deals. The latter problem is easily solved by calling str() at the point of the call so that write() never sees the actual Separator object. However, this 'inline' behaviour modification has always annoyed me in C++ - if you want this kind of control over the formatting, a format string is significantly clearer. I think your own examples from the Wiki page show this: write('obj:', obj, 'refs:', refs) write(Separator(': '), 'obj', obj, Separator(', '), 'refs', Separator(': '), refs, nl=False) write() writef('obj: %s, refs: %s', obj, refs) writef(Template('obj: $obj, refs: $refs, obj: $obj'), obj=obj, refs=refs, to=sys.stderr, nl=False) That said, looking at 'writef' suggests a different solution to me - a builtin called 'format'. The latter two examples would become: write(format('obj: %s, refs: %s', obj, refs)) write(format(Template('obj: $obj, refs: $refs, obj: $obj'), obj=obj, refs=refs), to=sys.stderr, nl=False) Separating the formatting out into a separate functions like this addresses your concern with the namespace conflict for 'to' and 'nl', and also makes the 'format' builtin more generally useful, as it can be used for cases other than direct output to a stream. Cheers, Nick. -- Nick Coghlan | ncoghlan at gmail.com | Brisbane, Australia --------------------------------------------------------------- http://boredomandlaziness.blogspot.com


text:
Brain Cramps by Famous People
Quotes made by famous people without much thought...
On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995. Here's her answer to her question...
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever." -- Heather Whitestone
"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." -- Mariah Carey
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." -- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country." -- Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC.
"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president." -- Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents.
"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it." -- A congressional candidate in Texas.
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." -- Al Gore, Vice President
"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix." -- Dan Quayle
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?" -- Lee Iacocca
"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people." -- Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor.
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." -- Bill Clinton, President
"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas." -- Keppel Enderbery
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." -- Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record." -- Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
Are you feeling smarter yet?


text:
The holiday season provided a great opportunity to catch up with family and friends in this Caribbean city, see the local soccer team, Atlético Junior, win another championship title and travel to Cartagena. With a population of 1.4 million, the city is located in a coastal region that is a leader in Colombia's economic growth. Notable personalities have included Edgar Renteria (2010 World Series Most Valuable Player - San Francisco Giants), Shakira (singer) and Sofía Vergara (actress – Modern Family) and its carnival festival is one of the biggest in the world.
While Colombia is often associated with drug cartels, paramilitary operatives and FARC leftist guerrillas, my visits since 1988 have provided insights into its positive economy development within Latin America. Colombia's political governance has improved, demand for its natural resources (including oil, natural gas and coal) has increased and tourism remains strong. There is broad evidence of improved infrastructure (housing, transportation and telecommunication), better education and health services, and increased access to consumer goods (including malls, restaurants, etc.). A recently signed Free Trade agreement with the U.S. may have a positive impact as well. Amid the frequent discussions of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) investing, Colombia is among a broader set of developing countries which investors should become more familiar with.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Notes from Barranquilla, Colombia
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
1 | Le Gourmet
(876) 906-3822 | French
This restaurant is 2.9 miles (4.6 km) from Fisherman's Point, and is at 3A Winchester Road.
Full details available here.
2 | Fusion Restaurant and Bar
(800) 971-5100 | Jamaican
Make your way east for just a quarter mile (a half kilometer) from Fisherman's Point to get to this restaurant, which is located on the same premises as Rooms On The Beach.
Get additional info here.
3 | Village Grill
(888) 790-5264 | Fusion and Jamaican Cuisine
This restaurant is located on the premises of Village Hotel, and is a quarter mile (a quarter kilometer) from Fusion Restaurant and Bar.
4 | Miss T's Kitchen
(876) 795-0099 | Vegetarian and Caribbean
This restaurant can be found at 65 Main Street , and is a quarter mile (a quarter kilometer) from Village Grill.
Click here for more.
6 | The Reef Terrace Restaurant
(888) 726-3257 | Caribbean
This restaurant is situated in the city of Ocho Rios, and is only 1.6 miles (2.6 km) east of Fisherman's Point.
Further information available here.
7 | Beezy's Reggae Pub
This bar is located in the city of Ocho Rios, a mile and a half (three kilometers) to the east of Fisherman's Point.
8 | Shades Adult Nightclub
Night Club
Visitors will find this night club in the city of Ocho Rios, a quarter mile (a quarter kilometer) from Beezy's Reggae Pub.
5 | Bibibip's Bar
(876) 974-8759 | Caribbean and Jamaican Cuisine
This bar and grill can be found less than a mile away from Fisherman's Point, and is on the bay.
View here for additional info.
9 | Sky Dock
This bar is situated in the heart of downtown Ocho Rios, a quarter mile (a quarter kilometer) from Fisherman's Point.
10 | The Jerk Hut
Carry out restaurant
This carry out restaurant is situated a quarter mile (a quarter kilometer) from Sky Dock, and is in downtown Ocho Rios.
Click here for additional info.
The above map shows all 10 nearby restaurants and bars you can find within three miles (four and a half kilometers) of Fisherman's Point. The closest place to get Jamaican fare is Fusion Restaurant and Bar (see reference number 2), which you'll find just a short walk from the resort. Use your mouse to learn more about what's available close-by, or to get a more expansive view of the area. Map numbers on the pins above match up with those found in the chart that follows.
|Map No.
|Restaurant Name
|Distance from Hotel
|Le Gourmet
|2.9 mi. (4.6 km)
|Fusion Restaurant and Bar
|0.3 mi. (0.4 km)
|Fusion, Jamaican
|Village Grill
|0.4 mi. (0.7 km)
|Caribbean, Vegetarian
|Miss T's Kitchen
|0.5 mi. (0.8 km)
|Caribbean, Jamaican, Seafood
|Bibibip's Bar & Grill
|0.8 mi. (1.4 km)
|The Reef Terrace Restaurant
|1.6 mi. (2.6 km)
|Beezy's Reggae Pub
|1.8 mi. (2.9 km)
|Night Club
|Shades Adult Nightclub
|1.9 mi. (3.0 km)
|Sky Dock
|0.2 mi. (0.3 km)
|Jamaican, Barbecue
|The Jerk Hut
|0.3 mi. (0.6 km)
Help us improve! We welcome your corrections and suggestions.


text:
–verb (used with object)
1. to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony; confirm; substantiate.
2. to ascertain the truth or correctness of, as by examination, research, or comparison.
3. to act as ultimate proof or evidence of; serve to confirm.
4. Law.
a. to prove or confirm (an allegation).
b. to state to be true, esp. in legal use, formally or upon oath.
I check and check and check
Verifying any suspicious spelling
Pesky typos still getting through
No need for despair, this isn't yet a wreck
But for my red pen's furious yelling
It's just a phrase I'm going through.
27th January 2020
16 hours ago


text:
TOPIC: Authors You Are Waiting on Another Book From
Deborah Harkness
The book of Life came out in 2014. So I need a new something from her.
Michelle Hodkins
I loved the mara dyer trilogy and I know there is supposed to be a spin off but who knows when that will be.
Robin LaFevers
His Fair Assassin is a really good historical young adult that I really can't wait to see what is next.
Stephaine Perkins
She has written short stories for two books that she's edited and I just want a full length book.
Markus Zusak
The way he writes books he should have more books out.
I need more books from these authors though I don't really need them on my shelves. So this was a short post but don't worry tomorrow is a longer review. What 5 authors would you like to write more books? Let me know in the comments below.


text:
|Ivan T. Sanderson holding up a casting of the Clearwater monster
Do I have a tale to tell. This is one of Florida's popular monster stories. This tale has been featured in many books about cryptozoology and unknown animals. Ivan T. Sanderson wrote about it first in Fate magazine in 1968 and then in his 1969 book "More Things". Loren Coleman wrote about it in his 1983 book "Mysterious America". It featured in Charlie's Carlson's Strange Florida and Weird Florida books. Almost every book about Florida's legends and unknown animals mentions this event. My wife and I decided to go a legend trip to find out the truth of the Clearwater monster.
|The original newspaper article about the Clearwater monster tracks.
It all started back in 1948 on the beautiful beaches of Clearwater Florida, when a young couple claimed to have seen a strange monster like beast emerge from the ocean on to the beach. They immediately fled and told the local law enforcement. Later when they went down to the location, they found this large tracks of a three toed animal. The tracks came out of the water and walked along the beach and then back into the water. The footprints were huge, measuring 14 by 11 and a half inches. There appeared to be 3 distinct toes with talons and a pointed heal. The story made not only the local newspaper but all over the country. The headlines read "Huge Sea Monster's Tracks found on Clearwater Beach".
The tracks would continue to appear on beaches, the following days, all along the west coast of Florida. Enter Ivan T. Sanderson: For all my legend tripping readers, you know that Mr. Sanderson is the one who coined the term "Cryptozoology". I did a tribute post to Ivan T. Sanderson, back in Jan 8 2014 and refer to him as the "original legend tripper". Back in 1948 Mr. Sanderson was a noted zoologist, science commentator for WNBC in New York City, a science writer for the New York Herald Tribune, and a respected authority on creatures of a cryptozoological order. He had read about the reports and visited Florida in November of 1948 to research these tracks, and another set of recently discovered tracks along the Suwannee River. Sanderson spent two weeks in Florida, and months following that, studying plaster casts of the tracks, as well as publishing a 50-page report on the strange tracks. Sanderson's final conclusion was that the tracks were made by an unknown animal. He pointed more to fact that this creature had feet like that of a penguin, not that it was indeed such a species. Because the creature had been witnessed by the aforementioned young couple, who explained that this creature was a misshapen form of aquatic beast, he simply referred to it as "Florida Three-Toes" and listed the case still open.
Over the next 10 years, the footprints of the three-toed beast frequently appeared on Clearwater Beach and nearby Dan's Island, as well as on Indian Rocks Beach, St. Petersburg Beach, on the Courtney Campbell Parkway and on Sarasota Beach. Prints were also discovered off the coast of Dunedin on Honeymoon Island and along the Anclote River, just north of Tarpon Springs, as well as on Phillip's Hammock nearby Tampa Bay, and on the banks of the Suwannee River.
Tony Signorini wearing his now famous monster tracks
|Jeff Signorini and I with the Clearwater monster footprint
On 13 Nov 2015, Tracy and I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Signorini's son Jeff. To my excitement, I not only got to see the cast iron monster feet, but I actually got to hold them and make castings from them. It was great, when Jeff and I sat down and he told me the whole story of the tracks which are called Dina (after the word "Dinosaur"). He had numerous newspaper clippings that he and his dad had saved about the monster track sightings. He went over some of the discrepancies of what was reported in the media and what actually happened.
|Jeff showing me his collection of newspaper/magazine articles
about the Clearwater monster tracks.
First, Jeff's dad Tony did not walk for over two mile in the tracks. They things weighed thirty pounds each. He did however state that Al Williams would take him late at night, on a rowboat to the beach and let him off to walk onto the beach and down a little ways and back onto the boat. They would then row down a little ways are repeat the process. Back in the forties, there was not a lot of people living in Clearwater, that there is now, so it was easy to go out at night and not be seen making the tracks. There was not a 6 foot gap between prints. Tony would swing each foot out for each print put it was not that far a distance between tracks. After the tracks were found and reported they would wait a while and pick a new area to make more tracks. If nobody found them, they would send a friend out to find and report them.
As far as the pilot who reported seeing a large animal in the water, Tony knew the pilot, so he was in on the joke as well. The tracks that were investigated by Ivan T Sanderson at the Suwannee River, were found on property owned by Tony's friend. Tony and Al loved hearing people talking about the tracks and reading about them in the newspaper. Back then, there was not a serious look for cryptids, like there is now. They weren't doing it to make money, to them is was a harmless funny joke. It's not like they are the only ones to have ever done this before. Let's not forget Frank Hanson and the large primate frozen in ice called the Minnesota Iceman that he was showing in shopping malls. Also, look how many people are putting Bigfoot videos on the web that are obvious hoaxes.
The other sightings are either also hoaxes or based on observer error; some sharks might resemble a giant penguin when seen from above under adverse conditions, for example. When asked about the sightings, Tony stated he didn't know anything about them, which was true, he was only making the monster tracks. Back then, not a lot of people know about manatees so they could have been mistaken for a sea monster. If read some of the sighting reports, you'll notice that they have nothing to do with the tracks. They saw something in the water and not tracks. The newspapers started putting them together.
|The original legend tripper: Ivan T. Sanderson
|Me with the famous Clearwater monster tracks.
The thing that puzzles me about the tracks is why anybody didn't notice that they were bipedal. Most of the sightings were of a large reptile type creature on all fours. If it were a large lizard, then there would have been a line up the middle of the tracks for the animal's tail dragging. Alligators leave these kind of tracks. And what bothers me about the giant penguin theory is that penguins do not have long strides when they walk. I have watched penguins on the web and they all take small steps, even when they're running. Again, these are my observations into the case.
|Jeff and I making a casting of the monster track


text:
List of applications I recommend for the typical user. I personally prefer the default desktop interface KDE, but if you have a system that is less capable, check out LXQt Desktop Environment and see if it works better for your purposes. Once you are set
I use it for Google applications and Netflix, so specific multimedia apps that have DRM. Outside of that, I find Chrome to be several steps behind Firefox in terms of speed and use of memory. I still use this often but for machines that have lower powered specifications, Chrome is not your friend.
I do recommend you install Chrome if you plan to watch streaming media. Ensure you select the RPM that corresponds to openSUSE and since Leap is only 64-bit, select the appropriate version.
Once downloaded, note where it is downloaded.
I wouldn't attempt to rewrite the Java install instructions on the openSUSE Wiki, especially since I have contributed many edits to it. If you find that you are having issues with the open source version of Java, I recommend you install the genuine article of Java from Oracle. I recommend you just install the Java Runtime Environment and use Oracle's RPM for install. The process takes some work but when you have it working, it works pretty well.
Full Application List
The great thing about open source projects is that there are so many options. The downside, there are so many options and it can be overwhelming. Rather than give you ALL the options, I will give you my "go to" applications that I regularly count on. In no way am I saying that these are the best applications, there may be better options out there but these work well for me and is a starting point. Should my choice of application be lacking in some sort of feature, it is likely there is something similar that would work better for you.
Linux > openSUSE Linux >


text:
China is an interesting place, there's no doubt about that. Not only is the 80% of the Chinese shorter than the average European, meaning that you can enjoy the scenery no matter how many people is standing in front of you – and considering the number of Chinese, someone is always standing in front of you – they have also invented a clever Love Kit for the active business man.
The hotel I stayed at while in Shenzhen is a typical business hotel, so the staff make sure everything the typical Chinese business man may need is easily available to him. At the third floor they have a typical karaoke bar with all the extras – you know what kind of extras I'm talking about – and in the room bathrooms, you find The Love Kit:
The day I checked out, I took a complete kit with me. Let's have a closer look at it.
It's everything you need for a perfect night wrapped up in one small package!


text:
They were dredging this nasty stuff out of a manhole in front of our apartment!
No wonder our bathroom smells so bad!
|Another "Rental Car Saturday".
E was off on her last volleyball tournament near Shenzen.
Jupiter takes her place in the back seat.
Below is a series of signs we took on our mini road trip.
Here in China these road signs are hilarious.
The pictures are only half the fun.
|Don't Drink and Drive
|No Littering
|Don't Exceed The Statutory Load
|Don't Drive When Tired
|Don't Drive When Tired
Hubby planned out a place to take us. Unfortunately, like many things in China, planning does not always guarantee success. We never made it to where he intended but had an adventure anyway.
|A small Chinese village.
|In the village our car began making weird noises.
How would we tell the rental car place (who only speaks Chinese) where we were?
We didn't even know where we were! We were lost.
Luckily the noise took care of itself. Best kinds of problems!
|Corn kernels in the middle of the road, protected by a barrier of corn husks.
|Autumn colors in China
Back in the city we decided to take advantage of our rental car and run some errands.
|A cool thing, especially for D, about living in a city is all the interesting architecture. We have nicknamed this building, in Wangjing, the thumb tack building.
Those dots look identical to thumb tacks.
|Need house plants? Talk to the lady on the bike.
|Jupiter enjoying the outing.
|The rainbow on Jiangoumenwei all lit up.
|While picking E up from the airport from Shenzen we encountered these interesting pieces of art, in the airport parking garage of all places.
|Another interesting building near Chaoyang Park.
|Watching the non-existent Hawaii Tsunami on CNN International.
|Hubby took a little jaunt up to the wall with Jupiter.
|World Champs!
|On Sunday, Nov 4 we woke up for church to snow!
A whole two months earlier than last year.
Sadly our heat does not come on until Nov 15!
|Wet, wet snow going to church!
Even with a back injury I still managed to see and do many things. I hope you are enjoying all the pictures!


text:
Style, design integrity and luxury with Feltex Carpet
Burrows Carpets
At Burrows Carpets we have a special appreciation for carpet. Not only does carpet help to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in any room, the right carpet can add a whole new level of aesthetic appeal to a home's interior.
We're also on the cutting edge with carpet products like Godfrey Hirst eco+.
We stock a massive range of carpets for both residential and commercial carpet customers, with products from the leading manufacturers in the carpet industry.
Feltex Carpets
If you are looking for carpet Canberra, Burrows also offers a huge range of carpets, from durable, hard-wearing budget-priced carpets well-suited to rental properties to soft-to-touch carpets that clean with just cold water.
The range includes carpets with a lifetime pet urine resistance warranty; these have permanent built-in stain resistance that will never wash, walk or wear off.
Burrows Carpets & Floors specialises in offering a full installation service.
Feltex Wool Carpets
The incredible resource of wool, a pure, biodegradable and renewable material, continues to be an abiding favourite, and for good reason.
Natural stain resistance, easy maintenance and the flame retardancy of wool fibres make it a practical floor covering. Its excellent acoustic insulation creates a warm, quiet, relaxing indoor environment with no more noisy footsteps.
Natural wool properties make it an ideal carpet for every climate; insulating for warmth in winter and providing cooling relief from the heat in summer.
Free Measure and Quote
Burrows offers a free measure and quoting service during business hours. Its exclusive after-hours and weekend service (by appointment) is designed for consumers who, due to busy lifestyle commitments, find traditional Monday-Friday business hours appointments inconvenient.


text:
Honors & Awards
Mümin Tansever Student Clubs Activity Award, Bogazici University (2008)
Professional Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Univ of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2015)
Bachelor of Science, Bogazici University (2008)
Neurotransmitter release requires SNARE complexes to bring membranes together, NSF-SNAPs to recycle the SNAREs, Munc18-1 and Munc13s to orchestrate SNARE complex assembly, and Synaptotagmin-1 to trigger fast Ca(2+)-dependent membrane fusion. However, it is unclear whether Munc13s function upstream and/or downstream of SNARE complex assembly, and how the actions of their multiple domains are integrated. Reconstitution, liposome-clustering and electrophysiological experiments now reveal a functional synergy between the C1, C2B and C2C domains of Munc13-1, indicating that these domains help bridging the vesicle and plasma membranes to facilitate stimulation of SNARE complex assembly by the Munc13-1 MUN domain. Our reconstitution data also suggest that Munc18-1, Munc13-1, NSF, αSNAP and the SNAREs are critical to form a 'primed' state that does not fuse but is ready for fast fusion upon Ca(2+) influx. Overall, our results support a model whereby the multiple domains of Munc13s cooperate to coordinate synaptic vesicle docking, priming and fusion.
View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.13696
View details for PubMedID 27213521
Synaptic specificity is a defining property of neural networks. In the cerebellum, synapses between parallel fiber neurons and Purkinje cells are specified by the simultaneous interactions of secreted protein cerebellin with pre-synaptic neurexin and post-synaptic delta-type glutamate receptors (GluD). Here, we determined the crystal structures of the trimeric C1q-like domain of rat cerebellin-1, and the first complete ectodomain of a GluD, rat GluD2. Cerebellin binds to the LNS6 domain of α- and β-neurexin-1 through a high-affinity interaction that involves its highly flexible N-terminal domain. In contrast, we show that the interaction of cerebellin with isolated GluD2 ectodomain is low affinity, which is not simply an outcome of lost avidity when compared with binding with a tetrameric full-length receptor. Rather, high-affinity capture of cerebellin by post-synaptic terminals is likely controlled by long-distance regulation within this transsynaptic complex. Altogether, our results suggest unusual conformational flexibility within all components of the complex.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.str.2016.11.004
View details for PubMedID 27926833
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5149402
Rapid neurotransmitter release depends on the Ca(2+) sensor Synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1) and the SNARE complex formed by synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1 and SNAP-25. How Syt1 triggers release has been unclear, partly because elucidating high-resolution structures of Syt1-SNARE complexes has been challenging. An NMR approach based on lanthanide-induced pseudocontact shifts now reveals a dynamic binding mode in which basic residues in the concave side of the Syt1 C2B-domain β-sandwich interact with a polyacidic region of the SNARE complex formed by syntaxin-1 and SNAP-25. The physiological relevance of this dynamic structural model is supported by mutations in basic residues of Syt1 that markedly impair SNARE-complex binding in vitro and Syt1 function in neurons. Mutations with milder effects on binding have correspondingly milder effects on Syt1 function. Our results support a model whereby dynamic interaction facilitates cooperation between Syt1 and the SNAREs in inducing membrane fusion.
View details for DOI 10.1038/nsmb.3035
View details for Web of Science ID 000357614900007
View details for PubMedID 26030874
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4496268
Synaptotagmin-1 functions as a Ca(2+) sensor in neurotransmitter release through its two C2 domains (the C2A and C2B domain). The ability of synaptotagmin-1 to bridge two membranes is likely crucial for its function, enabling cooperation with the soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor adaptor protein receptors (SNAREs) in membrane fusion, but two bridging mechanisms have been proposed. A highly soluble synaptotagmin-1 fragment containing both domains (C2AB) was shown to bind simultaneously to two membranes via the Ca(2+)-binding loops at the top of both domains and basic residues at the bottom of the C2B domain (direct bridging mechanism). In contrast, a longer fragment including a linker sequence (lnC2AB) was found to aggregate in solution and was proposed to bridge membranes through trans interactions between lnC2AB oligomers bound to each membrane via the Ca(2+)-binding loops, with no contact of the bottom of the C2B domain with the membranes. We now show that lnC2AB containing impurities indeed aggregates in solution, but properly purified lnC2AB is highly soluble. Moreover, cryo-EM images reveal that a majority of lnC2AB molecules bridge membranes directly. Fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that the bottom of the C2B domain contacts the membrane in a sizeable population of molecules of both membrane-bound C2AB and membrane-bound lnC2AB. NMR data on nanodiscs show that a fraction of C2AB molecules bind to membranes with antiparallel orientations of the C2 domains. Together with previous studies, these results show that direct bridging constitutes the prevalent mechanism of membrane bridging by both C2AB and lnC2AB, suggesting that this mechanism underlies the function of synaptotagmin-1 in neurotransmitter release.
View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1310327110
View details for Web of Science ID 000323271400015
View details for PubMedID 23918375
Neurotransmitter release depends critically on Munc18-1, Munc13, the Ca(2+) sensor synaptotagmin-1, and the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein (SNAP) receptors (SNAREs) syntaxin-1, synaptobrevin, and SNAP-25. In vitro reconstitutions have shown that syntaxin-1-SNAP-25 liposomes fuse efficiently with synaptobrevin liposomes in the presence of synaptotagmin-1-Ca(2+), but neurotransmitter release also requires Munc18-1 and Munc13 in vivo. We found that Munc18-1 could displace SNAP-25 from syntaxin-1 and that fusion of syntaxin-1-Munc18-1 liposomes with synaptobrevin liposomes required Munc13, in addition to SNAP-25 and synaptotagmin-1-Ca(2+). Moreover, when starting with syntaxin-1-SNAP-25 liposomes, NSF-α-SNAP disassembled the syntaxin-1-SNAP-25 heterodimers and abrogated fusion, which then required Munc18-1 and Munc13. We propose that fusion does not proceed through syntaxin-1-SNAP-25 heterodimers but starts with the syntaxin-1-Munc18-1 complex; Munc18-1 and Munc13 then orchestrate membrane fusion together with the SNAREs and synaptotagmin-1-Ca(2+) in an NSF- and SNAP-resistant manner.
View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1230473
View details for Web of Science ID 000313960700036
View details for PubMedID 23258414
Neuronal Munc18-1 and members of the Sec1/Munc18 (SM) protein family play a critical function(s) in intracellular membrane fusion together with SNARE proteins, but the mechanism of action of SM proteins remains highly enigmatic. During experiments designed to address this question employing a 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD) fluorescence de-quenching assay that is widely used to study lipid mixing between reconstituted proteoliposomes, we observed that Munc18-1 from squid (sMunc18-1) was able to increase the apparent NBD fluorescence emission intensity even in the absence of SNARE proteins. Fluorescence emission scans and dynamic light scattering experiments show that this phenomenon arises at least in part from increased light scattering due to sMunc18-1-induced liposome clustering. Nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism data suggest that, although native sMunc18-1 does not bind significantly to lipids, sMunc18-1 denaturation at 37 °C leads to insertion into membranes. The liposome clustering activity of sMunc18-1 can thus be attributed to its ability to bridge two membranes upon (perhaps partial) denaturation; correspondingly, this activity is hindered by addition of glycerol. Cryo-electron microscopy shows that liposome clusters induced by sMunc18-1 include extended interfaces where the bilayers of two liposomes come into very close proximity, and clear hemifusion diaphragms. Although the physiological relevance of our results is uncertain, they emphasize the necessity of complementing fluorescence de-quenching assays with alternative experiments in studies of membrane fusion, as well as the importance of considering the potential effects of protein denaturation. In addition, our data suggest a novel mechanism of membrane hemifusion induced by amphipathic macromolecules that does not involve formation of a stalk intermediate.
View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0022012
View details for Web of Science ID 000292632000046
View details for PubMedID 21765933
The tellurium oxyanion TeO(3)(2-) has been used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by mycobacteria. However, many pathogenic bacteria show tellurite resistance. Several tellurite resistance genes have been identified, and these genes mediate responses to diverse extracellular stimuli, but the mechanisms underlying their functions are unknown. To shed light on the function of KP-TerD, a 20.5 -kDa tellurite resistance protein from a plasmid of Klebsiella pneumoniae, we have determined its three-dimensional structure in solution using NMR spectroscopy. KP-TerD contains a β-sandwich formed by two five-stranded β-sheets and six short helices. The structure exhibits two negative clusters in loop regions on the top of the sandwich, suggesting that KP-TerD may bind metal ions. Indeed, thermal denaturation experiments monitored by circular dichroism and NMR studies reveal that KP-TerD binds Ca(2+). Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy shows that the binding ratio of KP-TerD to Ca(2+) is 1:2. EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) titrations of Ca(2+)-saturated KP-TerD monitored by one-dimensional NMR yield estimated dissociation constants of 18 and 200 nM for the two Ca(2+)-binding sites of KP-TerD. NMR structures incorporating two Ca(2+) ions define a novel bipartite Ca(2)(+)-binding motif that is predicted to be highly conserved in TerD proteins. Moreover, these Ca(2+)-binding sites are also predicted to be present in two additional tellurite resistance proteins, TerE and TerZ. These results suggest that some form of Ca(2+) signaling plays a crucial role in tellurite resistance and in other responses of bacteria to multiple external stimuli that depend on the Ter genes.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.11.041
View details for Web of Science ID 000287340200006
View details for PubMedID 21112337