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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Susan Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Life as We Knew It: Introduction
A concise biography of Susan Pfeffer plus historical and literary context for Life as We Knew It.
Life as We Knew It: Plot Summary
A quick-reference summary: Life as We Knew It on a single page.
Life as We Knew It: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In-depth summary and analysis of every chapter of Life as We Knew It. Visual theme-tracking, too.
Life as We Knew It: Themes
Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of Life as We Knew It's themes.
Life as We Knew It: Quotes
Life as We Knew It's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or chapter.
Life as We Knew It: Characters
Description, analysis, and timelines for Life as We Knew It's characters.
Life as We Knew It: Symbols
Explanations of Life as We Knew It's symbols, and tracking of where they appear.
Life as We Knew It: Theme Wheel
An interactive data visualization of Life as We Knew It's plot and themes.
Brief Biography of Susan Pfeffer
Susan Beth Pfeffer declared her intention to become an author when she was just six years old. She wrote her first published novel, Just Morgan, while still an undergraduate at New York University. Since then Pfeffer has gone on to write more than seventy novels for children and young adults. She lives in Middletown, New York with her cat, Scooter.
Other Books Related to Life as We Knew It
Pfeffer published three sequels to Life As We Knew It: The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon. Books with similar themes of survival amidst natural disasters include Ashfall by Mike Mullin, Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.
Key Facts about Life as We Knew It
- Full Title: Life As We Knew It
- Where Written: New York
- When Published: 2006
- Literary Period: Contemporary Young Adult
- Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic, Young Adult fiction
- Setting: Howell, Pennsylvania
- Climax: Miranda walks into town, knowing she doesn't have the strength to return, and finds the flyer for food distribution.
- Point of View: First person, written in epistolary form of Miranda's journal entries
Extra Credit for Life as We Knew It
Holiday inspiration. Pfeffer was inspired to write Life As We Know It after watching the movie Meteor on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2004.
Lofty influences. Miranda Evans is named after the character Miranda in Shakespeare's play The Tempest.


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DURGA Energy
= the Dungarpur Renewable Energy Technologies produces the Solar Lamp from the Solar Ujra Through Localization for Sustainability project
URL = http://www.soulsiitb.in/durga.php
"Dungarpur Renewable Energy Technologies Pvt. Limited (DURGA Energy) is one of its own kind module manufacturing plant completely owned and operated by local tribal women of Dungarpur District, Rajasthan. The women from the self-help group formed under the four clusters of Antri, Biladi, Jhonthri and Punali co-jointly own the company. The company is equipped to make all standard as well as custom-designed solar panels raging for 1Wp to 330Wp modules. The company also provides a range of solar solutions including solar home systems, solar lamps, solar street lights, solar based toys, and grid connected PV solar systems along with their installation and service even to the remotest households in the Dungarpur. It also supports the local solar retailers and entrepreneurs and has been instrumental in providing local technology based livelihoods. The company has a variety of state-of-the-art equipments and machines, including Solar Cell Cutter, Solar Cell Tester, Tabbing and Stringing Stations, Layup Tables, Electro-Luminance (EL) Tester, Laminator, Al-Framing Machines, Module Simulator among others. The company has provided employment to 200 local people, with 56 women getting direct employment." (http://www.soulsiitb.in/durga.php)


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December 19, 2017
Helping Women of Faith Build Their Brand Online
Maya Elious is a personal branding strategist and founder of Built to Impact, an agency helping women of faith build their brand in the online space so they can expand their reach, and amplify their impact. Although she initially launched a web and graphic design business, over the last few years, she's successfully scaled her design company from consulting and coaching to a membership program and full-service personal branding agency.
So, how did she do it? We caught up with Elious to talk steps for scaling your business and charging what you're worth.
What have been some of the points of your journey when you realized you were ready to scale?
Logistically, I felt ready to scale after setting up a process and knowing how to delegate each step to my team. I didn't decide I could take the agency from six figures to seven figures until I started working on believing in myself. I had all this faith in God but less faith in myself. Expanding my mindset allowed me to want to reach more women and make more money so that I could make a bigger difference.
Can you provide two to three steps or signs for someone who thinks they are ready to scale?
You cannot scale something that is not already consistently growing. Once you have a proven system that allows you to streamline your sales, you can build upon that. You also have to be clear on what scaling your business looks like for you. Most people in my industry want to scale by selling more products (which usually means getting more visibility through ads). I want to scale by hiring employees since I provide a service. Because I have a high-ticket item ($7,000), my agency doesn't need as much exposure/visibility as someone who is selling lower-priced items. There are pros and cons to each solution, but you have to be confident in which method works best for you.
I also have a membership program with over 100 members and I never feel ready to "ramp up" unless I know the software/platform I'm using can manage hundreds (even thousands) of people. Before scaling, you want to ask yourself "Do I have an infrastructure that can handle growth?" If not, build that system. If yes, become visible and start converting.
What advice can you share for determining your value and fees?
- Stop tying your worth to a dollar amount. My business mentor Marshawn Evans says "no one could ever pay you what you're worth. They can just pay you for your time."
- If you're selling your time, do not undercharge yourself. Time is your most valuable commodity. You cannot scale time like you can scale products. If you're trying to decide how much your time is "worth" per hour, think about the transformation you're helping someone make when they have access to you.
- Decide the model for your business. You can reach a lot of people with affordable offerings, or you can reach fewer people with high-end offerings. Both models work (e.g., Forever 21 vs. Barneys New York). Both are billion-dollar companies with different price points and audiences. I have both models, but I would suggest mastering one model first.
Ready to build a profitable and impactful brand in 2018? Visit mayaelious.com.


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This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021)
A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married.[1] It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal.[2] Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage.[3]
Depending on the culture, a wedding ring is typically worn on the base of the left ring finger; if the wearer is left-handed, often it will go onto the right hand. The ring finger is widely claimed to be associated with the traditional belief known as vena amoris ("vein of love").
History edit
The Western traditions of wedding rings can be traced to ancient Rome and Greece, and were first associated with the marital dowry and later with a promise of fidelity. The modern exchange of rings derived from the customs of Europe in the Middle Ages as part of Christendom. It is from these cultures that the choice of the ring finger was chosen, as it was believed that there was a vein from the left ring finger that ran directly to the heart.[4]
Historical styles edit
Gimmel rings edit
During the 16th and 17th centuries, European husbands bestowed a gimmel ring upon their wives. Similar to the puzzle ring, the gimmel ring consisted of two interlocking bands. The bride and groom both wore one of these bands after their engagement, and the two bands were reunited during the wedding ceremony. Subsequently, the wife wore the combined ring.[5]
Poesy rings edit
The poesy ring was a style of ring that was popular during the Renaissance era. It was a band of sterling silver inscribed with a poem or "poesy".[5]
Other styles edit
Different cultures used many other historical styles of wedding ring. According to popular legend, in the Middle East, a puzzle ring, consisting of many bands that interlock to create a finished ring, would be given by the husband as a wedding ring, because if the wife removed it (presumably to commit adultery), the bands of the ring would fall apart, and she would be unable to reassemble it before its absence would be noticed.[6] However, a puzzle ring can be easily removed without the bands falling apart.
The fede ring, being a band consisting of two hands clasped in betrothal, is another historical custom of Europe that ostensibly dates from antiquity.[citation needed]
Limited gold content in the United Kingdom edit
In 1942 during the Second World War, British wartime restrictions on the manufacture of jewelry resulted in "utility" wedding rings that were limited to a maximum mass of two pennyweights, being slightly heavier than 3 grams (0.11 oz), and were forged of 9 carat gold rather than the traditional 22 carat.[7] The Regional Assayer Office hallmarked these rings, which guaranteed their gold content and compliance with the wartime regulations with a special utility mark adjacent to the mark for the year on the inside of the band; the hallmark resembled a capital "U" with the bottom curve absent or two parentheses enclosing a space, i. e., "()".
Double-ring ceremony edit
The double-ring ceremony describes the exchange of wedding rings by and for both spouses. In several European nations such as the Nordic countries, it is common to exchange plain engagement rings of the same form for both sexes, and typically, an additional, more precious, and bejeweled wedding ring is given to the bride. In the nuptials, the groom's ring becomes a wedding ring also, and can be bestowed anew by the bride as a part of the wedding ceremony. The engagement is commonly a matter of agreement between the two, and the wedding rings are chosen together. Both engagement and wedding rings are worn on the left hand, the bride having both rings together. Occasionally, the groom receives a separate wedding ring. In Germany and Austria, both parties use engagement rings worn on the left hand. At the nuptials, a wedding ring is placed on the right hand, as in several east European nations, including Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia. This can be a new ring for the bride or both, or reusing the engagement rings. Any engagement rings can then remain on the left hand or be transferred to the right hand. In Germany, it has been customary for both the bride and the groom to wear a wedding ring since at least the 1870s[8] and mentions of couples exchanging rings during the wedding ceremony in the Netherlands can be found at least as far back as 1815.[9] In both the United States and Canada, wedding rings were initially only worn by wives, but became customary for both spouses during the 20th century.[10] In Brazil, Mexico, and Spain both sexes also wear engagement rings, and the groom's ring often becomes a wedding ring in the nuptial exchange ceremony. In The Netherlands plain bands can be worn on either hand, left for Catholics and right for Protestants. When engaged, both bride and groom wear what will be the wedding band on the opposite hand and switch hands after the wedding.
Compositions and styles edit
In Western nations, wedding rings are often forged of gold, palladium, platinum, argentium silver, titanium, tungsten, or more recently, silicone.[11][12] Common engravings on the inside of the ring include the name of one's spouse, the names of both spouses, the date of the wedding or a phrase of significance to the spouses.[citation needed] In many nations the engagement rings are plain while the bride's wedding ring commonly is bejeweled.
Some customs include the wedding ring as the final of a series of gifts, which also may include the engagement ring, traditionally given as a betrothal present. This custom was practiced in ancient Rome.[13]
Cultural practices edit
Wedding ceremony customs edit
In several traditions, the best man or maid of honor has the duty of keeping track of a couple's wedding rings and to produce them at the symbolic moment of the giving and receiving of the rings during the traditional marriage ceremony. In more elaborate weddings, a ring bearer (who is often part of the family of the bride or groom) may assist in the ceremonial parading of the rings into the ceremony, sometimes on a special cushion.
In Western Christianity, engagement rings are exchanged during the betrothal rite, while wedding rings are given during the celebration of holy matrimony itself.[14] Among Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Lutheran and Eastern Catholic Christians, the exchange of rings is not technically part of the wedding service, but rather are exchanged at the betrothal. It is always a two-ring set given to her by the priest or by the best man.[13] Unlike most other Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church of Greece has recently stopped performing betrothal blessings separately, and now a betrothal ceremony is the initial part of the wedding service. In Greece, the ceremony of betrothal may be performed immediately before the wedding (or "crowning" as it is more properly called), and the actual symbolic act of marriage is not the exchange of rings, but the crowning.
Historically, the wedding ring was connected to the exchange of valuables at the moment of the wedding rather than a symbol of eternal love and devotion, a sign of "earnest money". According to the 1549 edition of the Book of Common Prayer: after the words "with this ring I thee wed" follow the words "This gold and silver I give thee", at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride.[15] It is a relic of the times when marriage was a contract between families, not individual lovers. Both families were then eager to ensure the economic safety of the young couple. Sometimes it went as far as being a conditional exchange as this old (and today outdated) German formula shows: "I give you this ring as a sign of the marriage which has been promised between us, provided your father gives with you a marriage portion of 1000 Reichsthalers" (approximately 20 kg (44 lb) of silver).[15]
Post-wedding customs edit
After marriage, the wedding ring is worn on the hand on which it had been placed during the ceremony. By wearing rings on their fourth fingers, married spouses symbolically declare their life-long love for and fidelity to each other. This symbol has public utility and is presently expected as a matter of tradition and etiquette, so much so that its absence is often interpreted as meaning that the person is single. Many spouses wear their wedding rings day and night. It is not uncommon for some spouses, especially those who have occupations that make the wearing of rings dangerous, such as actors, police and electrical workers, to not wear their rings on their fingers, instead wearing them on a chain around their neck. Since the 19th century in the West, it has been considered unlucky to remove a wedding ring once it has been placed on the finger in church.[16]
Some cultures exchange additional rings. In some parts of India, Hindu women may wear a toe ring or bichiya instead of a finger ring, but the bichiya is increasingly worn in addition to a finger ring. In eastern India, primarily in West Bengal, women wear an iron bangle, which may be gold- or silver-plated, called a loha. In Romania, spouses celebrate their silver wedding anniversary, i.e. twenty-fifth anniversary, by exchanging silver rings, which are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand along with their original, and usually gold, wedding rings.[17]
Wedding ceremonies that use rings edit
Christian edit
- Anglican (Book of Common Prayer): "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."[18]
- Eastern Orthodoxy: In the Eastern Orthodox Service of Betrothal, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross with rings over the bride's head while declaring three times "The servant of God (Groom) is betrothed to the handmaid of God (Bride), in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen". Next, it is declared three times again over the bride's head with the names reversed, after which the rings are exchanged three times, either by the priest or best man. The priest asks God "to bless this putting on of rings with a heavenly blessing and that an Angel of the Lord will go before these Your servants, all the days of their life."[19] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, wedding rings are traditionally worn on the right hand.
- Lutheran: "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness."[20]
- Roman Catholic Church: "[Name], receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."[21] Because the equality of the spouses is emphasized in the Roman Catholic Sacrament of Marriage, generally the bride and groom each give to the other a wedding ring and recite the above formula in turn.
Mixed usage and non-use in other Christian Churches edit
While most Christian Churches (such as the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican) have the exchange of rings within their wedding liturgies, some Christian denominations eschew the use of wedding rings.
The wearing of plain dress has historically been practiced by many Methodist Churches, in keeping with the teaching of John Wesley, who stated that people should not be "adorned with gold, or pearls, or costly apparel" (this clause is contained in The General Rules of the Methodist Church).[22][23] The first Methodist liturgical text, The Sunday Service of the Methodists, omitted the ring ceremony.[24] As such, members of some Methodist Churches, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, do not wear wedding rings.[25][26] However, other Methodist Churches contain the exchange of wedding rings within their services for Holy Matrimony. In the wedding liturgy for the Free Methodist Church, for example, the groom and bride say the following when exchanging rings: "This ring I give you in token and pledge of our constant faith and steadfast love".[27] "A Service of Christian Marriage, Rite I" contained in The United Methodist Book of Worship states that the exchange of rings is optional but when it is done, they are blessed and pronounced as "the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to us the union between Jesus Christ and His Church".[28] Following this, the bride and groom state the following as they exchange rings: "[Name], I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."[28]
Some conservative Mennonite groups do not wear jewelry, including wedding rings, as part of their practice of plain dress.[29] The Amish do not wear wedding rings but the men are clean shaven before marriage and grow a full beard after marriage.
Among Quaker Christians, especially Conservative Friends and Holiness Friends, the wedding ring is traditionally not worn as a part of their testimony of simplicity.[30] Among Quaker groups that do wear wedding rings, the following wording is used by the bride and groom as they are exchanged: "With this ring, I thee wed."[31] The Friends General Conference, for example, teaches that "Although wedding rings are not necessary in a Quaker wedding, the couple may exchange them if they wish. This is often done after they speak their vows."[32]
Traditionally, adherents of the Seventh-day Adventist Church do not wear wedding rings.[33] The usage of wedding rings among Seventh-day Adventists, however, has increased.[34]
Jewish edit
- Judaism: "You are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel." In Orthodox Judaism, only the groom declares this in Hebrew; but in Reform Judaism, both the bride and groom declare it.[35] Many Orthodox Jewish men do not wear wedding rings.[citation needed]
See also edit
- Claddagh ring
- Courtship
- Engagement ring
- Eternity ring
- Smart ring
- Use of a wedding ring as a symbol: La bottega dell'orefice, a 1989 film based on The Jeweler's Shop, a play written by Karol Józef Wojtyła
- Love
- Marriage in the Eastern Orthodox Church
- Pre-engagement ring
- Ring finger
- Mangala sutra
- Trilogy ring
- Visual markers of marital status
- Wedding ring cushion
- The marriage symbol ⚭ depicts two engaged rings
References edit
- ^ "Wedding Ring". Harper Collins Dictionary (dictionary.com). Harper Collins & Son. 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Guide to Wedding Ring Styles, Designs & Prices". The Wedding Rings. Polished Diamonds Ltd. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Withey, Alison (March 2015). "Roman Wedding Rings". www.jewelpedia.net. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ Mowbray, Sean (6 April 2023). "The Ancient History of Wedding Rings". Discover. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b Hort, G.M. (1919). "Some Tradition About Rings". The Irish Monthly. 47: 650, 654.
- ^ The Ohio Review. Ohio University. 1977. p. 31.
- ^ Church, Rachel (2014). Rings. V&A Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 9781851777853.
- ^ Chambers, W & R (1872). "The Ring of Rings". Chamber's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts: 352.
- ^ Gartman, Hendrik (1815). Eugenia, de zegepraal over de liefde. Hendrik Gartman. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Howard, Vicki (2003). "A 'Real Man's Ring': Gender and the Invention of Tradition". Journal of Social History. 36 (4): 837–856. doi:10.1353/jsh.2003.0098. S2CID 144304412.
- ^ "I ditched my wedding ring for a silicone band". Road & Track. 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ "Rubber Wedding Bands: 150,000 Annual Ring Avulsion Injuries Make Silicone Wedding Rings More Popular". The Inquisitr. 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Ring". Encyclopædia Britannica.
The Romans are also thought to have originated the custom of betrothal rings, or engagement rings, symbolizing a promise of marriage to a member of the opposite sex.
- ^ "Rites Relating to Marriage: A Statement and Resources from The International Anglican Liturgical Consultation" (PDF). The International Anglican Liturgical Consultation. 2011. pp. 4, 14–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ a b Kunz, George Frederick (1917). Rings for the Finger. J.B. Lippincott Co. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
- ^ Monger, George (2004). Marriage Customs of the World: From Henna to Honeymoons. ABC-CLIO. p. 235. ISBN 9781576079874.
- ^ Stritof, Sheri. "History of Wedding Anniversary Gift Lists". About.com: People & Relationships – Marriage. About.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony, Book of Common Prayer, 1662.
- ^ "The Sacrament of Marriage According to the Rites of The Greek Orthodox Church". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ "Marriage" (PDF). Lutheran Book of Worship. Augsburg Fortress. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Wedding rings and marriage". 11 January 2022.
- ^ Bunch, Taylor G. (1997). Exodus and Advent Movements in Type and Antitype. TEACH Services, Inc. p. 77. ISBN 9781572581210.
- ^ "The General Rules of the Methodist Church". The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Religion in Life. Abingdon Press. 1948. p. 519.
- ^ "I. The Church". Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. p. 31.
- ^ "Discipline of the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches" (PDF). 2014. pp. 33–34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "2007 Book of Discipline" (PDF). Free Methodist Church. 2007. p. 226. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ a b "A Service of Christian Marriage I". The United Methodist Church. 1992. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Wenger, John C. (3 October 2000). Glimpses of Mennonite History. Wipf & Stock Publishers. p. 113. ISBN 9781579104658.
- ^ Ranger, Kim L. (2016). "Seventh-day Quaker: A Spiritual Memoir". Grand Valley State University. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Cartier, Marie (11 September 2014). Baby, You are My Religion: Women, Gay Bars, and Theology Before Stonewall. Routledge. p. 158. ISBN 9781317544715.
- ^ "Faith and Practice of Northern Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Chapter on Marriage Approved, May 2008 and Guidelines for Marriage Under the Care of Madison Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends" (PDF). Friends General Conference. 2014. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Review and Herald: Official Organ of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Seventh-day Adventist Church. 1967. p. 14.
In the United States, Seventh-day Adventist ministers do not baptize a person wearing a wedding ring, nor do they officiate at a wedding in which the ring ceremony is part of the service.
- ^ Spectrum: Journal of the Association of Adventist Forums. The Association. 1969. p. 47.
In 1918, Stemple White quoted John Wesley and the 1855 Methodist Discipline in an apparent protest against increasing acceptance of the wedding ring in Adventist circles.
- ^ Blane, Steven. "Jewish Wedding". JewishWeddingTraditions.org. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
External links edit
Media related to Wedding rings at Wikimedia Commons


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Cootehill - White Horse Hotel
Shercock - Fair Hill ( Junction Carrickmacross Rd )
Kingscourt - Blakes pub
Nobber - Church Entrance
Wilkinstown - T-Junction
Navan - Tara Glen, Topaz, Round O, AIB Kennedy Rd, Ardboyne, Old Bridge, Garlow Cross and Ross Cross.
Dunshaughlin - Foleys E.B.S.
Cootehill - White Horse Hotel


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It gives me immense pleasure to share my experience on the GraphQL meetup event I conducted last Saturday (21/09) at rtCamp.
It was one of the most exciting meetups amongst all because it was a great learning experience for both myself and the attendees. So, I decided to pen down my experience in this blog post.
Because of its power-packed features, there has been an increase in people's interest in GraphQL as evident from its trending popularity on Google.
I have been working on a wp-decoupled project lately, along with a team of engineers at rtCamp, where we implemented GraphQL with decoupled WooCommerce. I really enjoyed working on this project so this meetup was close to my heart as I was really excited to share my experience with everyone.
The Meetup 🤝
We had a diverse crowd at the meetup including students, people with intermediate knowledge, experienced professionals, developers etc. So, I started with the basics and gradually moved towards intermediate topics and then to the advanced level. It's just like how a plot unfolds itself in great movies.
The GraphQL Origin Story
The meetup started with me playing a short video that tells the story of GraphQL and how it evolved into what it is today. (squeezed 8 mins out of the main video to cover only the highlights)
The attendees were able to connect with GraphQL personally when they heard its success story. It included the struggle, the hard work, the success and this inspired them a lot. This built interest in attendees, especially for whom GraphQL was new.
API Paradigm Shift
I then shared the journey of how APIs evolved over time. We discussed the different API paradigms and a lot of it was inspired by Zdenek "Z" Nemec's talk.
We then discussed that GraphQL is just specification and how it can be implemented in different languages like JavaScript, Perl, Python, Ruby, PHP, etc.
I also spoke about the early adopters of GraphQL and how leading companies like Github, Twitter, Airbnb, Medium, and Microsoft have already implemented GraphQL.
I also shared the need for GraphQL and how GraphQL shines over REST API, as you can get exactly what you ask for as the data.
Meetup Activity 😀
The aim of this fun activity was to demonstrate the benefits of GraphQL over REST API by involving the meetup members. The idea was not to tell them the difference but to help them figure out the differences on their own.
You can think of GraphQL and REST API endpoints as kitchens of a restaurant that serves food (data).
As shown in the video above, two of the attendees enacted as two kitchens (multiple REST API endpoints) who serve different types of food items.
One of the attendees enacted as another kitchen (a single GraphQL endpoint) that has all types of food item (data)
I had written the food items on a piece of paper and gave them to the attendees. My role was to be a customer (client) who orders food by sending two of the attendees who take my requests to these kitchens (endpoints).
The outcome of the activity was that the attendee who requested food from the first kitchen (GraphQL endpoint) got exactly what he wanted quickly. However, the other attendee had to make multiple requests to the two kitchens (REST API endpoint) as they didn't meet his request individually. They gave all the food items, when only three were requested.
Live Coding 👨💻
Connecting GraphQL with React with Apollo Client
After the group activity, I did a live coding session where I showed the attendees how to create a GraphQL server with node and express. I created a GraphQL schema and a front end application in React and used Apollo Client to fetch data from the single GraphQL endpoint.
I showed the GraphiQL playground to demonstrate the testing of GraphQL API. I then explained
how GraphQL saves our time, as it already has documentation written about the schema on GraphiQL docs tab.
Connecting GraphQL with React and WordPress using wp-graphql:
After this, I explained how the wp-graphql plugin can save time and makes life easier because there is no need of writing the schema for WordPress data. It provides a single endpoint and brings the power of GraphQL to WordPress.
The posts can be fetched on the front-end React application with React Apollo client using the endpoint that the wp-graphql plugin makes available for us.
You can check it out on GitHub.
The meetup concluded with a discussion on exploring GraphQL further to build awesome APIs.
The attendees expressed that they had a gainful experience. Many expressed that they gained confidence by understanding the basic concepts of GraphQL while others couldn't wait and built their project's architecture at the meetup itself. 😇
Link: Subscribe to our Newsletter


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Dutch East Indies Army
The Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger was the title given to the Dutch military force that protected the Colony known as the Dutch East Indies. The KNIL was commanded by Dutch personnel with most of the officers and senior NCOs originating from the Netherlands. The rest of the army was filled by troops native to the area. By 1941 the regular army contained around 35.000 troops with a reserve force also available.


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For anyone who thinks it's "No Fun" being vegan, here are a few steps we take around this household to have some:
Step 1 – Bake the fudge vegan brownies from the mix you purchased a few weeks ago.
Step 2 – Top with your favorite non-dairy frozen delight. (Optional – heat up the brownie before topping)
(and possibly sneak an extra bite of this Praline Pecan yumminess into your mouth when no one's looking – yes, I have a weakness here)
Step 3 – Top with your favorite Soy whipped cream (or make your own).
Step 4 – Add some chocolate, nuts, sprinkles. If you want to add a bit of healthiness, you can even add slices of banana or sliced strawberries, etc. I love it because the options are endless!
Step 5 – Forget that there's only been 2 of you in the house all week and, with a pan of brownies to work your way through, you've been eating this dessert every.single.night. Just simply Enjoy!!
(next week consider making a fruit salad)
~ Lita
6 Comments on Vegan (Brownie) Sundae
UHM, HELLO…where's mine….LOL! It looks yummy!!!
Yum! That looks so good. I believe there will be some brownie sundae in my near future. :)
love love love love. it looks so good. and i'm going to check back to make sure that entire pan is gone!
Comments are closed.


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Skiing One Million Vertical Feet
By Eric_Gieszl on April 7, 2008 | No Comments
If I've been missing in action on Ultimate Rollercoaster lately its because of other activities that I enjoy.
In December I decided that I was going to count how much vertical feet I would ski this winter. After the first five days of skiing in the end of December I decided to set a goal to ski one million vertical feet this season and I surpassed that goal on March 23, 2008 my 37th day. In total, I skied 1,034,692 vertical feet in 38 days.
To ski that I had to ride 676 ski lifts at Snowmass, Buttermilk, Telluride and Crested Butte ski areas.
My single best day was March 20, 2008 when I skied 53,748 vertical feet at Snowmass Ski Area in Colorado and rode 35 ski lifts that day.
More than 1/5 of my vertical was skied on the Big Burn chair at Snowmass - 117 rides for 233,181 vertical feet.
Now that winter is over its time to refocus the attention back to roller coasters and theme parks.
Most Recent Entries
Skiing One Million Vertical Feet
April 7, 2008 @ 01:00:00 AM
Knott's Berry Farm
August 22, 2007 @ 06:01:00 PM
The Season Officially Ended
October 31, 2006 @ 11:20:00 PM
PETA Demanding Six Flags Suspend Cockroach Eating Contest
September 23, 2006 @ 04:30:00 PM
Profiles Are Finally Done
September 11, 2006 @ 06:55:00 PM
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Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases seen in childhood and is the most common form of diabetes seen in children. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that brings glucose from the bloodstream into the body's cells to be used as energy. Without insulin, the body cannot use glucose as energy. Type 1 Diabetes can be managed with insulin therapy via injections or insulin pump.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to meet the body's demand or when insulin resistance occurs. Insulin resistance is a fancy term that means the cells in the body cannot respond to or use insulin, even when there are high levels of insulin present in the bloodstream.
Newly diagnosed?
Our Diabetes team will determine whether your New Onset Diabetes teach will be inpatient (in the hospital) or outpatient (in our clinic) based on your medical need.
- New Onset Diabetes Teach (at 730 Welch location)
- As a newly diagnosed diabetes patient or family member, this period of time is often overwhelming. Our goal is to help you and your family feel confident and safe managing your diabetes independently. While this may appear challenging, our care team of doctors, nurse practitioners, diabetes educators, nutritionists, social workers, and psychologists are here to guide you along the way.
- If your first visit will be in our outpatient clinic, you should expect an education session lasting up to 4-5 hours reviewing the basics of diabetes self-care. This includes proper insulin use and dosing, blood sugar checking, Nutrition education, and day-to-day management skills and safety. All family members involved in the patient's care are strongly encouraged to attend. Since this visit will be longer than a normal appointment, we kindly request that you bring a lunch for your entire family. At the end of your new onset teach, you will be scheduled for a 1-2 week follow up appointment. Between your New Onset Teach and your 1-2 week follow up visit, you will be in close touch with our Doctor-on-call to review blood sugars, insulin doses, and any urgent questions.
- If you are admitted to the hospital, you will be taught the basics of Diabetes care by your bedside nurse and dietician and will meet one of our endocrinologists. Before you leave the hospital, we will make you an appointment to meet with our Diabetes team 1-2 weeks after discharge from the hospital for your first outpatient (clinic) visit. You will be in close touch with our Diabetes team, including doctor on-call and Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) during the time between hospital discharge and your first clinic appointment.
- As a newly diagnosed patient, you and your family will meet with our team very frequently as there is so much to learn! Once our Diabetes team feels confident in your abilities to manage your diabetes independently and safely, your appointments will be less frequent.
- 1-2 Week Visit
- This visit can take place in any of our Diabetes care clinics.
- Mary L. Johnson Specialty Services - Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic
730 Welch Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
- Stanford Children's Health Specialty Services - Los Gatos
14601 S. Bascom Ave
Los Gatos, CA 95032
- Stanford Medicine Children's Health Specialty Services - Capitola
824 Bay Avenue
Capitola, CA 95010
- Stanford Children's Health Specialty Services - Sunnyvale
1195 West Fremont Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Stanford Medicine Children's Health Specialty Services - Emeryville
6121 Hollis Street
Emeryville, CA 94608
- Mary L. Johnson Specialty Services - Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic
- The purpose of this clinic visit is to check-in with you to see how things are going since being diagnosed. This visit will last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. We will review your blood sugars at this time and make changes to your insulin doses if necessary. This visit is also a great opportunity to review the diabetes education shared with you at your New Onset Teach and answer any questions you may have.
- This visit can take place in any of our Diabetes care clinics.
- 1 Month Visit
- This clinic visit will be scheduled 1 month after your 1-2 week visit and will last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. We will routinely review your blood sugars and insulin doses and answer any questions you may have.
- 1-3 Month Visit
- Further follow-up will be determined by your MD/NP at your 1 Month visit, and is typically every 3 months.
Our Diabetes team is always available to guide you with any questions you may have between clinic visits.
- For Emergencies, please call 911
- For urgent questions, please call the doctor-on-call: (650) 497-8000 and ask for Pediatric Endocrinologist on call.
- For non-urgent questions including prescription refills/issues, routine blood sugar questions (Monday-Friday during business hours):
- MyChart allows you to reach your provider/CDE directly. Please sign up at the front desk at your next clinic appointment.
- You can also call our office at (650) 498-7353 and leave a message. We will return your call between 24-48 hours.
- Alternatively, you can email our office: email@example.com
- To make an appointment or change/cancel your existing appointment, please call (650) 721-1811
- If you need to cancel an appointment, please notify our office at least 72 hours before your appointment as a courtesy to our staff and other patients and families, like you, waiting for an opening.
What should I bring to my appointment?
- New Onset Teach
- Blood sugar logs/Glucometer (if you have one)
- Any diabetes supplies that may have been given to you
- Lunch for patient and family members
- Water
- Follow up appointments
- Blood sugar logs/Glucometer (if you have more than one glucometer, please bring ALL of them)


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Prologue: (Somewhere in the Italian Alps)
There is a gunshot!
As the report echoes around the mountains, a body falls off the edge of the plateau, leaving Lord Henry Jagman standing there with a smoking gun in his hand. His associate, Benjamin Greaves, packs down the camp as Jagman reflects on the current state of affairs. Finally, he has everything he requires to reach his goal. It is simply a case of studying the clues.
All he needs now… is time!
Scene 1: (A cell in Newgate Prison – moonlight shines through the bars)
Months have passed since the incident in the Alps.
Amelia Darvas is languishing in debtors' prison. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father struggled with ill fortune and bad business decisions until the family fortune was lost. Her father had died in a duel, but not before entrusting a rather strange family secret to Amelia – the location of an underground labyrinth. Apart from that, Amelia was left with nothing but debts. This has led to her current predicament in Newgate Prison - imprisoned for owing money.
She is alone now. Not a friend in the world.
That evening, Jagman visits her cell, and offers to clear Amelia's debts and secure her immediate freedom in exchange for the location of the Labyrinth. Desperate to clear her family name, Amelia agrees to the deal and reveals that it can be found in the Black Forest within the German Confederation, in a place called 'Die Halbmond-Lichtung' (The Half-Moon Clearing).
With that vital information revealed, Amelia has no further value to Jagman and he slaps her to the floor, taunting her gullible nature. He gloats about how easy it is to manipulate people and then he decides to 'tidy up' loose ends by engineering Amelia's execution for 'treason'.
Scene 2: (The gallows outside Newgate Prison – a crowd has gathered)
A few days later Amelia is taken outside the walls of Newgate Prison to the cries of the baying crowd, and dragged towards the scaffold. She is proud and defiant – she curses Jagman for his actions, and even in this desperate situation Amelia swears revenge, in this life or the next.
Suddenly there are some small explosions and the crowd is swamped by plumes of thick green smoke pervading the air. People are confused and blinded by the dense fog. Through the haze Amelia sees two hooded figures threading their way towards her. Further away, there is another man, again masked, leaning on a stick, observing the situation. A scuffle ensues, and within seconds Amelia has been freed. With the help of the three mystery figures, she is ushered away into the gloomy side streets, and lost in the confusion.
Scene 3: (On Southwark Bridge)
After eluding the guards and covering their tracks through the streets of London, Amelia and her saviours eventually reach Southwark Bridge. Masks are removed and Amelia is introduced to Professor Samuel King, William Gardelle and Eva Bonaduce.
After William receives a rather cold reception, the professor tries to explain the urgency of the situation, and discovers that Jagman now knows the whereabouts of the Labyrinth. Amelia, still shocked by her recent experiences, is filled with resentment and a desire for revenge against Jagman. She reacts aggressively, but is warned off by Eva, who seems devoted to the protection of Samuel King.
In a confrontation between Eva and Amelia, Eva explains how she found King, badly injured in the Italian Alps. She nursed him back from the brink of death, and has vowed to assist him in bringing down Jagman.
Eventually they leave the bridge, with Gardelle hanging back, as he ponders his feelings for Amelia.
Scene 4: (Inside 'The St. Lazarus Refuge' for the homeless and destitute)
The refuge is busy, but no one is interested in the quartet as they sit in a corner talking. King has rooms above the refuge and his financial contributions enable him to remain anonymous here.
King explains to Amelia what has been happening to lead them to this moment…
King had been a keen student of the great alchemists, particularly Thomas Anzeray (1535 -1607). After finding several letters written by Anzeray to his disciples, he realised that he might have the key to discovering Anzeray's greatest legacy… the path between life and death, known in legend as the 'Anzeray Resurrection'. Towards the end of his life, Anzeray was aware that enemies were threatening to steal his work. He went on a journey, splitting his discovery into three parts and hiding them across Europe. After that journey Anzeray was never seen again.
King deciphered clues in the letter, revealing that there were three artifacts: a Journal, a Skull and a Casket of Seven Sacred Stones. Thanks to these letters and years of study King was finally ready to search for the artifacts and reconstruct the legendary 'Anzeray Resurrection'. Such a quest, however, would be expensive and complex. It was clear that he would need a benefactor. Support was offered to him by the wealthy Lord Henry Jagman, a notorious member of the Hellfire Club, but also a well known explorer and adventurer. Despite the darker rumours surrounding Jagman, King elected to accept him as a partner in the search to rediscover the 'Anzeray Resurrection'.
They traveled into the Italian Alps where they managed to unearth Anzeray's Journal. As King browsed through the book, he read a stark warning from the Alchemist, that mankind may not be ready for this discovery. It could cause cataclysmic disaster to the world, if it should fall into the wrong hands. King told Jagman that these artifacts should remain undiscovered, but was betrayed. Jagman shot him and left him for dead. Thanks to the ministrations of Eva, King survived, but he hopes that Jagman is unaware of his survival.
Just as Amelia is trying to take in all this information, Gardelle catches a girl trying to pick his pockets. Her name is Jessamine, and despite the indignation of Gardelle and Eva, Amelia intercedes suggesting that kindness would be better than punishment. King brings calm to the argument, reminding Gardelle that he is in fact a thief also, and that is how he first met the Professor. King then organises food and clothing for the girl. Jessamine remains somewhat defiant as to her activities, but is appreciative of King's generosity.
The four then return to the matter at hand. Thanks to Amelia, they now know that the Casket of Sacred Stones is hidden in The Labyrinth in the German Confederation. However, as with Henry Jagman, they are in the dark as to how to negotiate the web of paths down there, and failure to know the way would lead to certain death. In the meantime, King suggests to Gardelle and Eva that they break into Jagman's town house in an attempt to find out where the skull is hidden. Amelia offers to go too, but is prevented on the basis that her wish for revenge would be too powerful a force, and could jeopardize the whole mission. The Professor then takes the opportunity to teach Amelia the need for patience and planning.
Scene 5: (The study in Jagman's town house)
Gardelle and Eva break into the house, and creep around Jagman's study. They search for, and find, some key information. Suddenly they hear a noise, and are forced to hide.
Ben Greaves has been drinking, and stumbles into the study, closely followed by the housekeeper, Mrs. Muncey. She is not happy about this visitor. He has been sent by Jagman to collect some items for him. Greaves and Muncey argue, whilst giving away vital information about the Skull. It is now hidden somewhere in Highgate Cemetery. The exact location is still a mystery, but when the light of the full moon shines through the 'angel's harp', they will know where to look.
The full moon takes place on the following night and Jagman plans to gather the Hellfire Club at Highgate for some revelry, during which he intends to procure the Skull. After that he will set sail for the German Confederation in search of the third artifact, the Casket of Stones.
Greaves departs the study, followed by the scolding Mrs. Muncey, and William and Eva are left to enjoy their newfound information.
Scene 6: (The Professor's rooms above the Tavern)
King is seen giving some money to the pickpocket Jessamine who then leaves. Amelia enters, impatiently wondering if there is news from Gardelle or Eva. There is none. Absently, she sings to herself. King asks her the origin of this song, and Amelia explains that it was the only other thing her father left her… a lullaby that he would sing to her as a child.
Suddenly Gardelle and Eva arrive back. They are excited and eager to tell King the news. Eva presents the Professor with some papers, from which he soon realises that the Skull they seek, belongs to Anzeray himself! He is then told of the conversation between Ben Greaves and Mrs. Muncey, revealing that the Skull lies in Highgate Cemetery. They decide to disguise themselves as gypsies and infiltrate the Hellfire Club festivities; Amelia slips out onto the roof of the building…
Scene 7: (On the roof of the 'The St. Lazarus Refuge', overlooking London)
Gardelle finds Amelia sitting pensively on the roof, staring over the London skyline. He tries to reassure her that things have a habit of working out. Despite her initial cold reaction towards William, Amelia values his efforts but warns him that she is running from a dark shadow that has ruined her life and all that she has known and loved. The shadow's name is Lord Henry Jagman, and she will not rest until justice has been served. For her, revenge is paramount!
Scene 8: (Highgate Cemetery)
The next night is the full moon, and the gathering of the Hellfire Club in Highgate Cemetery. Jagman opens proceedings by wishing everyone a good time, and promising that soon he will share with them all what is possibly the greatest discovery in history. They must be patient just a little longer and then he will amaze the world.
As the party begins, Jagman is lost in the crowd. The clock strikes midnight and a small band of gypsies appear. Amelia and her friends have arrived. She soon has the revelers attention and offers to read palms for them, promising to reveal their futures. All the time she and her 'musicians' (Gardelle, King and Eva) are searching for the statue of the angel and the harp. Amelia, however, is more interested in finding Jagman, but Gardelle is trying to keep her under control. He has already taken responsibility for Amelia, his feelings being clear to King and Eva.
As the party continues, they find the statue of the angel, and sure enough the light of the moon shines through and marks a grave… but the earth has already been disturbed! In the hole there is a box, but it is now empty… the Skull is gone!
King concludes that their last chance is to get to the German Confederation and beat Jagman to the final artifact at all costs. Amelia refuses to leave, because she still wishes to find Jagman. Eventually, William manages to coax her away from the party.
This is now a deadly race for the third and final artifact!


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Yuri Knorozov is not a well known name in the field of Archaeology, unfortunately, but he made a discovery that inevitably solved one of the greatest mysteries of all time: that of the lost language of the Mayans. Knorozov not only was a linguist himself, but a soldier and archaeologist that made the adventures of Indiana Jones look like a spring stroll around campus.
In the midst of World War II, Knorozov was drafted into the Soviet Union's Red Army as an artillery spotter, which found him eventually in Berlin during the invasion at the end of World War II. Shortly after the battle of Berlin, Knorozov found himself running through a library as it was burning to the ground where he happened upon an old dusty book that had somehow survived the ravages of the long battle. Always a scholar first, Knorozov reached down and dusted it off. As his colleagues urged him to keep moving, Knorozov read the title to himself. It was this rare manuscript that would change how we looked at Mayan language forever.
As the Preußische Staatsbibliothek, the library they had been exploring burned, Knorozov looked upon his finding and knew it would be important. He was right. After the war, Knorozov found himself completing his undergraduate course at the department of Ethnography. His research in Egyptology shared time with his comparative cultural studies of several other world cultures. One of these was Mayan language. Years later he would recover the book once again and it would assist him in making a discovery that had vexed archaeologists for years. What do the Mayan hieroglyphs mean?
Generally it's expected that a language, even a completely alien one, can be deciphered by counting the number of different characters that appear in the text. If the number of glyphs or symbols ranges somewhere around 30, then it is likely a Somali language, or alphabet. If there are thousands of symbols, it is likely an ideogram based language, such as that of ancient Chinese origin where each symbol represents an individual idea or thought. However, the Mayan language was clearly not thousands of symbols, but also far too many to be a variation of cuneiform. The Mayan language consisted of images, but these images held many similarities and some differences. It was not a form of ideogram directly, but rather a pronunciation key put together from various images that were combined or slightly different from others.
For example, an image of a hand, meaning completion, would be accompanied by another seemingly vestigial symbol or adornment, but this adornment would rather be a variation on the word's pronunciation in order to create a new word. This language was so hard to crack that when the discovery was finally made, several actually considered it a hoax for several years afterward until it was finally confirmed through extensive study. The language of the Maya had finally been decoded. What followed would be messages thought to have been lost hundreds of years prior as texts were burned and destroyed.


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A lot of us writers who dabble or write full-out fantasy or science fiction deal with these little devils. But what does it mean to be immortal? And what does it take to write them?
Marguerite Duras Wrote:
It's while it's being lived that life is immortal, while it's still alive. Immortality is not a matter of more or less time, it's not really a question of immortality but of something else that remains unknown. It's as untrue to say it's without beginning or end as to say it begins and ends with the life of the spirit, since it partakes both of the spirit and of the pursuit of the void.
And BEN FRANKLIN WROTE:
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.
Us, writers, are pretty obsessed with immortality and mortality, not just as a conceit for our own lives, but also in our work. But immortality is a messy beast in writing.
Immortality lowers the stakes. In our culture, we tend to think of death as the worst possible outcome. It's the big evil that we often use to justify our own evil deeds. We usually try to avoid it at all costs and it makes the stakes in our writing really high (and therefore the reader really interested) if we put one of our character's life at risk.
It's hard to get the reader worried about a character that is immortal.
There are some interesting thoughts on how to deal with immortal characters in fiction here and here and especially here where CLEVER GIRL HELPS breaks down types and degrees of immortality.
Once you've read those hints, let's talk about the big question, which is:
So, if immortality is so difficult to write, why do we keep writing immortal characters?
In an interview with Salon's Sophie Roell, author Stephen Cave says of our obsession with immortality,
It's a human universal. Among all of the animals, we probably uniquely are aware that we're going to die. We try to avoid the worst, to keep going one way or another, yet we must live in the knowledge that it is futile – that ultimately, the worst thing that can possibly happen will happen. That all our projects and all our dreams — everything we're striving for — one day it will all be over. And this is terrifying. So we are very keen to hear any story that can allay this fear and say death isn't what it seems, and we can just keep on going indefinitely.
Longing for immortality and grappling with our mortality is pretty close to a human universal. It's something all writers (who are humans) can relate to and therefore are compelled to write about.
So, we do.
And we try to do it well, but it's hard. When the highest stake of death (of the immortal) isn't possible, what is the second highest stake you can put in place of that?
- Death of the immortal's loved one?
- Eternal entrapment?
- Forced to eat uncooked lima beans?
- Success of another immortal that there is past history with?
- Living with your own moral failures like in Doctor Who?
It's up to you and your character to decide. Decide well! It's a cool thing to think about for you, your life, and your story. What is the highest stake in your own life? If you say death, what's the second highest? Sometimes it's good to put our own brains through the same questions that we launch on our characters.
Writing News
Next and Last Time Stoppers Book
It's out! You can order my middle grade fantasy novel Time Stoppers Escape From the Badlands here or anywhere.
People call it a cross between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but it's set in Maine. It's full of adventure, quirkiness and heart.
Moe Berg
The Spy Who Played Baseball is a picture book biography about Moe Berg. And… there's a movie out now about Moe Berg, a major league baseball player who became a spy. How cool is that?
It's awesome and quirky and fun.
Thanks to all of you who keep listening to our weirdness as we talk about random thoughts, writing advice and life tips. We're sorry we laugh so much… sort of. Please share it and subscribe if you can. Please rate and like us if you are feeling kind, because it matters somehow. There's a new episode every Tuesday!
Writing Coach
I offer solo writing coach services. For more about my individual coaching, click here.
Ebook on Sale for October!
And finally, for the month of July, my book NEEDis on sale in ebook version on Amazon. It's a cheap way to have an awesome read in a book that's basically about human-sized pixies trying to start an apocalypse.
I'm WRITING BARN FACULTY AND THERE'S A COURSE YOU CAN TAKE!
I am super psyched to be teaching the six-month long Write. Submit. Support. class at the Writing Barn!
Are you looking for a group to support you in your writing process and help set achievable goals? Are you looking for the feedback and connections that could potentially lead you to that book deal you've been working towards?
Our Write. Submit. Support. (WSS) six-month ONLINE course offers structure and support not only to your writing lives and the manuscripts at hand, but also to the roller coaster ride of submissions: whether that be submitting to agents or, if agented, weathering the submissions to editors.
Past Write. Submit. Support. students have gone on to receive representation from literary agents across the country. View one of our most recent success stories here.
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Labcold: a moving tale of recovery
UK: Medical refrigeration equipment manufacturer Labcold is now back to full fitness following the fire which struck the business last year.
Moving any business can be extremely disruptive. If you have manufacturing operations it can be a logistical nightmare. A fire, depending on its severity, can be even more disruptive and, for any business, potentially terminal. Faced with the prospect of both occurrences in the space of just a few months would send most business owners running to the psychiatrist's couch. But that is what happened to Labcold.
Increasing business had prompted the company to move into the new premises in Chineham Park, Basingstoke, at the end of 2013 after many years at nearby Wade Road. Before relocation, the new premises were extensively refurbished and a large extension added on the back to increase warehouse space. The new location provided a vast increase in space for both the production and development areas, as well as more spacious offices.
Just six months later the fire which broke out at the company's new premises brought five fire tenders racing to the scene. A total of 37 staff were evacuated safely before more than 40 firefighters tackled the flames.
The fire, which started in a laser cutter, ruined much of the previous refurbishment work. Destroying the development lab, it also smoke-damaged 70% of the building.
Amazingly, with disaster contingencies in place, the company was reopened for business as normal at 9am the following morning.
Locally-based Corporate Interior Design (UK), the company originally responsible for the refurbishment and extension fit-out, were called back in to put things right.
Offering a full design and space planning service, Corporate Interior Design managed the re-fit over an eight week period. This included the installation of a Daikin wall-mount FTXS25K heat pump. There are also four Mitsubishi Electric units PLA ZRP35BA heat pumps on the premises and two Daikin Roundflow cassettes, which were part of the original refurbishment last year before the fire.


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Being part of the Caritas network, we meet people from various group, background and identities who bring with them their own stories and experience. It is our task to find the stories and messages that connect people we met to our audiences and causes we serve, and inspire contributions in any kinds of acts. When tragedies strike, whether man made of natural, it is the images and the stories of those affected that move us. Again, this is our task in connecting members of Church community to the affected people through stories we write, photograph we take and messages we post on social media
Caritas MOs in Asia are engaged in different types of advocacy and campaign activities in their respective countries reflecting the concerns of Catholic Church on the growing issues in global, regional and national:
- Right to Food Advocacy Group: which work towards the achievement of SDG (in particular SDG No.2) and contribute to the work of Caritas Internationalis SDGs Working Group on food security and climate change adaptation.
- Greater Mekong Sub Region Anti Trafficking Task Force : consists of 5 Member organizations in neighboring countries (Cambodia, Myanmar. Thailand, Vietnam and Laos PDR) who respond to the issues around labor migration and anti-human trafficking
The main focus in 2017-2020 will be developing the capacity of member organizations in advocacy and communication, which includes technical capacities, policy, tools and sharing of resources.


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Eejanaika is a 4th dimension steel coaster located at the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Japan. You might notice that the ride is very similar to X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. When comparing the two coasters, Eejanaika is faster, taller, and longer.
This coaster contains the most inversions in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The seats can rotate forward or backward 360 degrees with the same design as the X2 using a rack and pinion gear mechanism.
In Japanese the name of the coaster is written as – ええじゃないか, which means – Aint it great! Apparently the name written in Japanese has several different meanings. See the video down below for a spoiler of the ride!
|Theme Park
|Fuji-Q Highland
|Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
|Opened Date
|July 19, 2006
|4th Dimension
|3,782 ft
|248 ft
|Top Speed
|78 mph
|3 plus 14 seat spins
The photo you see here of a pole at the entrance has some really cool Japanese stickers that have been placed on it.


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Tumor Autonomous Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis
Endocrinology doi: 10.1210/en.2015-2036
Jasmaine D. Williams,* Abhishek Aggarwal,* Srilatha Swami, Aruna V. Krishnan, Lijuan Ji, Megan A. Albertelli, and Brian J. Feldman
Department of Pediatrics (J.D.W., A.A., A.V.K., L.J., B.J.F.), Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305; Department of Medicine (S.S.), Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305; Department of Comparative Medicine (M.A.A.), Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305; and Stanford Cancer Institute (B.J.F.), Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
A poor Vitamin D Receptor is not noticed by vitamin D tests
- Metastatic Cancer probably reduced by vitamin D - many studies
- Overview Cancer and vitamin D
- Pancreatic Cancer massively deregulates the local Vitamin D receptors and CPY24A1 – July 2014
- Vitamin D dose size needed – VitD testing tells only a portion of the story – Jan 2016
- Benefits of Vitamin D often limited by genes
Items in both categories BREAST CANCER and VITAMIN D RECEPTOR:
- Breast cancer spreads to bone if poor vitamin D Receptor (no surprise) – Oct 2022
- Some breast cancers may be treated RNA changes caused by Vitamin D – March 2022
- Breast Cancer, Vitamin D, and genes – Welsh Nov 2021
- After lactation Vitamin D levels are low, increased risk of Breast Cancer, vitamin D should decrease risk – Aug 2021
- Breasts process Vitamin D and change gene activation, might prevent breast cancer if given more Vit. D – July 2021
- Breast cancer associated with Vitamin D Receptor (14th study) – Oct 2019
- After breast cancer treatment 4,000 IU of Vitamin D was not enough to help if have poor Vitamin D receptor – June 2019
- Breast Cancer death 1.8 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – April 2019
- Breast Cancer and Vitamin D review – March 2018
- Women with Breast Cancer were 16.9 times more likely to have a poor Vitamin D Receptor – Jan 2019
- Cancer treatment by Vitamin D sometimes is restricted by genes – Oct 2018
- Two chemicals increase the Vitamin D receptor and decrease the growth of breast cancer cells in the lab - March 2018
- Breast Cancer reduces receptor and thus blocks Vitamin D to the cells – several studies
- Vitamin D receptor as a target for breast cancer therapy (abstract only) – Feb 2017
- Breast Cancer was 4.6 times more likely if have a poor Vitamin D Receptor – Dec 2016
- Increased Breast Cancer metastasis if low vitamin D or poor VDR – Feb 2016
- Increased risk of some female cancers if low vitamin D (due to genes) – meta-analysis June 2015
- Vitamin D receptor in breasts and breast cancer vary with race – March 2013
- Breast Cancer incidence change by 40 percent with vitamin D receptor genes – Oct 2012
- Genes breast cancer and vitamin D receptor - Sept 2010
Vitamin D Receptor category has the following
Vitamin D tests cannot detect Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) problems
A poor VDR restricts Vitamin D from getting in the cells
It appears that 30% of the population have a poor VDR (40% of the Obese )
Several diseases protect themselves by deactivating the Vitamin D receptor. Example: Breast Cancer
- - - - - - - -
The Vitamin D Receptor is associated with many health problems
Some health problems, such as Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and COVID protect themselves by reducing VDR activation
55 health problems associated with poor VDR
A poor VDR is associated with the risk of 55 health problems click here for details
The risk of 48 diseases at least double with poor VDR as of Jan 2023 click here for details
Some health problem, such as Breast Cancer reduce the VDR
VDR at-home test $29 - results not easily understood in 2016
There are hints that you may have inherited a poor VDR
How to increase VDR activation
Compensate for poor VDR by increasing one or more:
|1) Vitamin D supplement Sun
Ultraviolet -B
| Vitamin D in the blood
and thus in the cells
|2) Magnesium
|Vitamin D in the blood
AND in the cells
|3) Omega-3
|Vitamin D in the cells
|4) Resveratrol
|Vitamin D Receptor
|5) Intense exercise
|Vitamin D Receptor
|6) Get prescription for VDR activator
paricalcitol, maxacalcitol?
|Vitamin D Receptor
|7) Quercetin (flavonoid)
|Vitamin D Receptor
|8) Zinc is in the VDR
|Vitamin D Receptor
|9) Boron
|Vitamin D Receptor ?,
|10) Essential oils e.g. ginger, curcumin
|Vitamin D Receptor
|11) Progesterone
|Vitamin D Receptor
|12) Infrequent high concentration Vitamin D
Increases the concentration gradient
|Vitamin D Receptor
|13) Sulfroaphane and perhaps sulfur
|Vitamin D Receptor
|14)Butyrate especially gut
|Vitamin D Receptor
Note: If you are not feeling enough benefit from Vitamin D, you might try increasing VDR activation. You might feel the benefit within days of adding one or more of the above
Far healthier and stronger at age 72 due to supplements Includes 6 supplements that help the VDR
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
The following is just text - no formatting and none of the charts in the PDF
Patients with breast cancer (BCa) frequently have preexisting vitamin D deficiency (low serum 25- hydroxyvitamin D) when their cancer develops. A number of epidemiological studies show an inverse association between BCa risk and vitamin D status in humans, although some studies have failed to find an association. In addition, several studies have reported that BCa patients with vitamin D deficiency have a more aggressive molecular phenotype and worse prognostic indicators. However, it is unknown whetherthis association is mechanistically causative and, if so, whether it results from systemic or tumor autonomous effects of vitamin D signaling. We found that ablation of vitamin D receptor expression within BCa cells accelerates primary tumor growth and enables the development of metastases, demonstrating a tumorautonomouseffectof vitamin DsignalingtosuppressBCametastases.Weshowthat vitamin D signaling inhibits the expression of the tumor progression gene Id1, and this pathway is abrogated in vitamin D deficiency in vivo in 2 murine models of BCa. These findings are relevant to humans, because we discovered that the mechanism of VDR regulation of Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) is conserved in human BCa cells, and there is a negative correlation between serum 25-hy- droxyvitamin D levels and the level of ID1 in primary tumors from patients with BCa. (Endocrinology 157: 0000-0000, 2016)
min D likely has pharmacological effects that are distinct from the pathophysiology of vitamin D deficiency.
Provocatively, low vitamin D levels are associated with worse prognostic indicators and outcomes in patients with BCa (9-11). Because vitamin D deficiency is common in patients diagnosed with BCa (1, 10, 12-14), elucidating the cause of the association between poor outcomes and vitamin D deficiency promises to have a significant impact on improving care for patients with BCa, including enabling the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Metastatic disease is the primary cause of treatment failure and poor prognosis in patients with BCa. However, although there are intriguing data suggesting that systemic vitamin D levels affect the growth of BCa cells that are already metastatic (15, 16) and BCa cells that are directly seeded into distal sites (17), the effect of vitamin D deficiency on the critical step in tumor progression from non-metastatic to metastatic is unknown. Finally, whether the mechanisms by which vitamin D deficiency and VDR signaling modulates BCa growth and metastasis are systemic or tumor autonomous is also unclear. Therefore, in this study, we tested the impact of vitamin D deficiency on BCa growth and investigated the tumor autonomous effect of VDR signaling on BCa progression and metastasis.
Materials and Methods
Study approvals
All animal studies were approved by the Stanford Institutional Animal Use and Use Committee.
All clinical samples were obtained in accordance with a Stanford Institutional Review Board approved protocol, which included informed consent.
Five to 6-week-old female wild-type BALB/c mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory. AIN76 diets containing 500-IU vitamin D/kg were used as standard diets and compared with vitamin D-deficient diets which had 25-IU/kg diet. All diets were obtained from Research Diets, Inc. Tumors were inoculated into the left inguinal mammary fat pad using 1 X 105 cells sus- pended50:50matrigel (ThermoFisher) and PBS. Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) was performed once a week using the IVIS 200 (Caliper) imaging system at the Stanford Small Animal Imaging Facility as described (18, 19). Tumor volume was estimated by measuring 2 tumor diameters using a vernier calipers. Lungs, liver, and spleen were subjected to ex vivo BLI to map metastatic lesions and histopathological confirmation.
Measurement of 25(OH)D
Mouse serum 25(OH)D levels were measured as described (20). Human serum 25(OH)D levels were measured by mass spectroscopy in the Stanford Clinical Laboratories.
Generation of stable Vdr knockdown (KD) and Rescue cell lines
Short hairpin RNAs directed against mouse Vdr (Sigma-Al- drich) or control vector were stably transfected into 168FARN- luc cells (a gift from Fred Miller, Wayne State University) and selected for puromycin resistance clonal selection from a single cell. The cells were then transfected with a VDR expression plasmid or empty vector (pEF6; Thermo Fisher) control and selected with puromycin and blasticidin.
Statistical analyses
Student's t test was computed to determine statistically significant differences between 2 groups. For comparisons between more than 2 groups, ANOVA was performed followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Spearman's test was performed to compute correlation analysis. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, Inc) was used to perform statistical calculations and for plotting graphs.
For antibodies, please see Table 1. Additional Materials and Methods are detailed in the Supplemental Materials and Methods.
Results and Discussion
Diet-induced vitamin D deficiency promotes BCa growth in vivo
To understand the impact of systemic vitamin D deficiency on BCa progression, we generated a mouse model of vitamin D deficiency by placing wild-type mice on a standard chow diet (control, 500-IU vitamin D3/kg diet) or on a low vitamin D diet (LD25, 25 IU/kg) for 10 weeks. Ingestion of the LD25 diet caused a statistically significant decrease in serum 25(OH)D levels compared with control mice (Supplemental Figure 1). We orthotopically seeded the vitamin D-deficient and control cohorts with primary MMTV-Wnt1 tumor cells (21) into the fourth mammary fat pad of the mice. We found that vitamin D-deficient mice developed mammary tumors that were palpable an average of 7 days earlier than control mice. Importantly, vitamin D deficiency also accelerated tumor growth, resulting in a significant increase in the mean tumor volume after 6 weeks compared with tumors grown in mice fed the control diet (Figure 1A).
Tumor autonomous effects of vitamin D/VDR signaling
We next explored whether the impact of vitamin D signaling on tumor growth was tumor autonomous or resulted from systemic effects. First, we examined 2 BCa cell lines that stably express luciferase, 168FARN and 4T1 (22), for their in vivo growth characteristics and VDR expression levels. As previously reported (23), we found that the tumors generated in vivo from 4T1 cells grew more rapidly and developed distal metastases, whereas the 168FARN tumors grew more slowly and did not macro- metastasize outside of the primary tumor site (Figure 1B). Intriguingly, we discovered that the highly aggressive and metastatic 4T1 cell line has significantly lower levels of VDR expression compared with the less aggressive, metastatic-deficient 168FARN cell line (Figure 1C).
In order to test whether the observed difference in aggressiveness between the cell lines is regulated by the differences in vitamin D/VDR signaling in the tumor cells, we generated a 168FARN cell line with stable Vdr knockdown (VDR KD). We confirmed that Vdr KD results in a substantial decrease in VDR levels compared with the vector control cells selected in parallel (Figure 1D). To validate that this level of Vdr KD is functionally relevant, we treated the VDR KD and vector control cell lines with calcitriol. A robust induction in mRNA expression of the classic calcitriol target gene, Cyp24A1, was observed in control cells, whereas this functional response was significantly diminished in VDR KD cells, demonstrating the attenuation of VDR signaling (Figure 1E). To establish that any functional differences between the vector control and VDR KD cell lines were specifically due to inhibition of Vdr expression, we rescued Vdr expression in the VDR KD line by stably integrating a Vdr expression vector into
the VDR KD cell line (VDR Rescue), which rescued both VDR levels and function (Figure 1, D and E).
To test the effect of Vdr KD on cell migration, an early step in BCa progression, we used a transwell migration assay (24, 25). We discovered that VDR KD cells exhibit a notable increase in the number of migratory cells compared with control cells and this phenotype was rescued in the VDR Rescue cells (Figure 1F). These data indicate that VDR signaling is functionally relevant to regulating BCa migration ex vivo and therefore may impact BCa progression and metastasis.
Loss of vitamin D/VDR signaling promotes BCa metastasis in vivo
We next examined whether there are tumor autonomous effects of vitamin D signaling in vivo using the VDR KD cells. We established mammary tumors in BALB/c mice by orthotopic injections of the luc-labeled control, VDR KD, and VDR Rescue cell lines and followed tumor appearance and growth over 4 weeks by BLI (26). We found that VDR KD tumors grew significantly faster than control or VDR Rescue cells in vivo (Figure 2A). This striking pattern remained consistent until the endpoint of the study when the mice with VDR KD tumors needed to be euthanized for morbidity (Figure 2B). Primary tumors were harvested, measured, weighed, and imaged (Figure 2, C and D, and Supplemental Figure 2). These results confirmed the in vivo BLI signal data that the VDR KD tumors were substantially larger than control and VDR Rescue tumors. Remarkably, ex vivo BLI imaging (Figure 2E) and direct histology (Supplemental Figure 3) revealed that 60% of the mice with VDR KD tumors had metastatic spread to the liver. This represents a particularly significant finding as no evidence of macrometastatic tumor spread was found in the control or rescue groups (Figure 2E and Supplemental Figure 3). Our results indicate that loss of vitamin D/VDR signaling is sufficient to convert the cells from nonmetastatic to metastatic.
Vitamin D/VDR regulates Id1 expression in BCa
In order to elucidate the mechanisms by which vitamin D/VDR signaling exerts an inhibitory effect on tumor progression, we performed expression profiling using PCR arrays comparing tumors that developed in the diet-induced vitamin D-deficient mice with tumors that developed in mice fed the standard chow. In addition, we compared the expression profile of the VDR KD cells with control cells. We then compared the differentially (>2- fold) expressed genes to identify genes with similarly altered expression profiles in both tumors from vitamin D- deficient mice and VDR KD cells (Supplemental Table 1). These studies revealed Id1 as significantly up-regulated in both the tumors that developed in vitamin D-deficient mice and the VDR KD cells, suggesting that Id1 is repressed by VDR signaling in BCa. This 'hit' was of particular interest because of the role of Id1 in BCa progression (27) and most intriguing because calcitriol was found to induce, rather than repress, ID1 expression in a colon carcinoma cell line (28). We validated that Id1 expression was up-regulated in both tumors from vitamin D-deficient mice as well as in the VDR KD cells (Figure 3, A and B ).
To test whether the regulation of Id1 by VDR is ligand dependent in BCa cells, we treated 168FARN cells with calcitriol and showed that this treatment represses the expression of Id1 (Figure 3C). We also found that calcitriol treatment significantly decreases Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) protein levels in a dose-dependent manner (Figure 3D). This suppression of Id1 by calcitriol treatment was substantially abrogated in the VDR KD cells (Figure 3D). Interestingly, basal levels of ID1 protein expression were significantly increased in the VDR KD cell line relative to control cells (Figure 3D) and the VDR Rescue cell line had lower levels of ID1 (Figure 3E; reprobed Western blot from Figure 1D). These results suggest that VDR might directly regulate Id1 in BCa cells and that basal endogenous levels of VDR suppress Id1 expression. Therefore, we investigated the promoter and proximal region of the Id1 gene for a negative vitamin D response element (nVDRE) that is functional in BCa cells. We transfected cells with a construct containing an approximately 1.5-kb fragment of the Id1 promoter and proximal region cloned into a luciferase reporter vector and found that calcitriol treatment of the transfected cells results in decreased luciferase activity (Figure 3F), whereas VDR KD increased luciferase levels (Supplemental Figure 4). Using luciferase reporter vectors with sequential deletions, we mapped a nVDRE to approximately 1 kb upstream of the Id1 transcriptional start site as functionally relevant in BCa cells (Figure 3F), the same nVDRE that is active in murine osteoblasts (29). Using chromatin immunoprecipitation of VDR on the endogenous nVDRE, we confirmed that calcitriol treatment enriches VDR occupancy of this element in 168FARN cells (Figure 3G).
We next tested whether the regulation of Id1 is the mechanism underlying the effect of vitamin D/VDR signaling to inhibit tumor cell migration and metastasis. In the transwell migration assay, KD of Vdr expression increased cell migration, as we showed previously in Figure 1F. Importantly, we discovered that KD of Id1 in VDR KD cells abolished the increase in cell migration seen in VDR KD cells, reducing the number of cells migrating back to control levels (Figure 3H).
Vitamin D/VDR regulation of ID1 is conserved in human BCa
To determine whether the findings from our mouse models are relevant to human BCa, we first tested whether ID1 expression is modulated by calcitriol treatment in the widely studied human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231 (30). We found that calcitriol robustly down-regulated ID1 mRNA (Figure 4A) and protein levels (Figure 4B). Next, we searched the sequence of the human ID1 gene in silico and identified a DNA element approximately 1 kb upstream of the ID1 transcriptional start site with 98% nucleotide identity with the region containing the murine nVDRE (Supplemental Figure 5). Using a lu- ciferase reporter vector containing the human ID1 promoter and 1.3 kb of the upstream proximal region, we confirmed that the conserved nVDRE regulatory element in ID1 is functional in human BCa cells (Figure 4C).
In order to test whether our findings are relevant to patients with BCa, we obtained permission from our IRB and were generously granted access by the independent investigators of a recently completed clinical trial (NCT01472445) to deidentified data in order to examine the relationship between circulating 25(OH)D levels and tumor ID1 expression levels in patients undergoing BCa resections. This study was a randomized, double blind clinical trial in women with newly diagnosed BCa. Vitamin D3 was administered orally in the neo-adjuvant period to women scheduled for surgical resection of their tumors, with the intervention occurring during the 1- to 6-week neo-adjuvant interval before surgery. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 400 or 10 000 IU/d of vitamin D3 in a 1:2 ratio, respectively. This enabled us to analyze the relationship between a patient's circulating 24(OH)D level and ID1 expression levels in their tumor at the same point in time (at surgical resection).
We found that serum 25(OH)D levels at the time of surgery were negatively associated with ID1 expression levels in the corresponding tumors (Spearman correlation coefficient r = -0.579, P < .001), with every 10-ng increase in circulating 25(OH)D levels being associated with a 20% reduction in ID1 expression levels in the tumor (Figure 4D). These results indicate that the relationship between Id1 expression and vitamin D status/VDR signaling that we identified in our mouse studies is conserved in humans and is relevant to patients with BCa.
Although many studies have investigated the effects of the administration of calcitriol or vitamin D analogs as a therapeutic approach in BCa (1), relatively less attention has been focused on specifically evaluating the detrimental effects of vitamin D deficiency on BCa progression and to metastasis. Our results show that dietary vitamin D deficiency accelerates the growth of BCa tumors. Further, we discovered that attenuated vitamin D signaling due to Vdr ablation enhances tumor progression and, importantly, is sufficient to enable metastases, which are the primary cause of treatment failure and death for patients with BCa.
We also discovered that, although circulating 25(OH)D has many systemic effects (1), a critical mechanism for vitamin D signaling to inhibit BCa progression is a tumor autonomous activity that suppresses Id1 expression. Interestingly, Sherman et al (31) found a tumor cell nonautonomous mechanism for VDR signaling to inhibit pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression and Fernandez-Garcia et al (28) found that calcitriol induces, rather than inhibits, Id1 expression in a colon carcinoma cell line. Lungchukiet et al found that VDR tumor autonomously inhibits ovarian cancer invasion and metastasis through both ligand dependent and independent mechanisms (32). These distinctions with our study indicate that vitamin D signaling is highly context specific.
Significantly, our results demonstrate that, in BCa cells, VDR regulation of ID1 expression is mechanistically conserved in humans and that there is a negative association between circulating 25(OH)D levels and the expression of ID1 in primary tumors from BCa patients. We believe these findings contribute to the cause of the epidemiological association between low circulating 25(OH)D levels and poor prognosis in patients with BCa. In addition, our data suggest that correcting vitamin D deficiency in BCa patients may have beneficial effects to inhibit BCa progression and improve prognosis.
We thank members of the Feldman Laboratory for helpful discussions. We also thank David Feldman and Melinda Telli (Stanford University) for providing the trial data, Bonnie King (Stanford University) for providing 4T1-luc cells, and Fred Miller (Wayne State University) for providing 168FARN-Luc cells. B.J.F. is the Bechtel Endowed Faculty Scholar.
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Brian J. Feldman, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, Lokey Stem Cell Research Building, 265 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5457. E-mail: feldman at stanford.edu.
J.D.W. was supported by a Stanford DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence) fellowship and the National Institutes of Health Grant T32 CA09302. The work was supported by grants from the Stanford Cancer Institute, California Breast Cancer Research Program (19IB-0103), and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award DP2 OD006740 (to B.J.F.).
Disclosure Summary: The authors have nothing to disclose.
References in PDF
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Unusual Cancers of Childhood Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
- General Information About Unusual Cancers of Childhood
- Head and Neck Cancers
- Thoracic Cancers
- Abdominal Cancers
- Genital/Urinary Tumors
- Other Rare Childhood Cancers
- Changes to This Summary (11/30/2016)
- About This PDQ Summary
- View All Sections
Changes to This Summary (11/30/2016)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Added Intraocular (Uveal) Melanoma as a new subsection.
This summary is written and maintained by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board, which is editorially independent of NCI. The summary reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of NCI or NIH. More information about summary policies and the role of the PDQ Editorial Boards in maintaining the PDQ summaries can be found on the About This PDQ Summary and PDQ® - NCI's Comprehensive Cancer Database pages.
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About This PDQ Summary


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Stars of Tomorrow
The Company performed at the Epsom Playhouse.
Greenshaw's dance troupe, called The Company, performed at The Children's Trust charity show at the Epsom Playhouse on Tuesday 16th February.
The Stars of Tomorrow show raises awareness and funds for the Children's Trust and gives young performers the opportunity to perform. The Company performed two dances and represented Greenshaw to a very high standard. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Miss Izzard, Head of Dance


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Venue: CBRE, St Martin Court, 10 Paternoster Row, London EC4M 7HP
Nearest tube: St Pauls
Date: 16th July 2013,
Time: 6.00 for 6.30 pm
How to get there
The nearest underground station to CBRE's offices at 10 St Martins Court is St Paul's on the Central Line. Take exit 1 out of the tube station and turn left onto Newgate Street. St Martins Court is the second entrance on the left.
Alternatively, if you are coming from Bank underground station on the Northern Line, take exit 1 out of the tube station and head down Poultry, which continues into Cheapside. At the end of Cheapside is a staggered junction and the sign for St Paul's tube station is visible on the other side of the road. Cross the road, towards the tube station, and walk past the tube entrance onto Newgate Street. St Martins Court is the second entrance on the left.
Refreshments will be provided.
Changing grocery store formats
Are the days of building new grocery hypermarkets finally over? If so, how might formats evolve in future? Our three speakers will give their views on the likely way forward for the UK grocery market.
- A retailers' view of changes in grocery formats – Andy Thompson, Head of Network Planning & Property Insight at Sainsbury's
- Staying ahead of the convenience shopper – Steve Jones, Retail Supermarket Agency & Development at Unilever (formerly Tesco)
- Evolving store formats – Hamish Macmillan, Associate Director – Supermarket Agency and Development, CBRE
Download presentations:
Steve Jones, Unilever – "Staying ahead of the convenience shopper"
Hamish Macmillan, CBRE – Evolving store formats
Agenda timings for the event:
- 6.00 – 6.30 Registration
- 6.30 Introduction – Peter Sleight
- 6.40 Evolving store formats – Hamish Macmillan
- 7.00 A retailer's view of changes in grocery formats – Andy Thompson
- 7.20 Staying ahead of the convenience shopper – Steve Jones
- 7.40 Q&A – Jonathan Reynolds, OXIRM, University of Oxford
- 8.00 Networking
- 8.45 Close
Speaker biographies
Andy Thompson, Head of Network Planning & Property Insight at Sainsbury's
Andy began his career in GIS and Location Planning at Laser Scan and then Small World Systems some twenty years ago. He then moved to Rank Group as Market Intelligence Manager, where he met future business partners Jon Walker and Steve Halsall.
His next venture was to set up his own business, GeoBusiness Solutions, alongside his two former work colleagues, Jon and Steve. GeoBusiness Solutions was an independent location analysis company which grew in success with many customers across retail, property and leisure using their consultancy and modelling skills until its takeover by MapInfo, now Pitney Bowes Business Insight.
Andy enjoyed being his own boss and running his own business so he then set another new company, The Wendover Group for three years before moving on to a completely new venture at Anytime Fitness, where as MD Andy helped to establish this successful brand, with over 2,200 clubs across 14 countries, including US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Anytime Fitness now has 15 clubs open in the UK with plans to double this by the end of 2013.
He is currently working at Sainsbury's heading up their Network Planning and Property Insight team.
Steve Jones, Senior Format Manager, Unilever
Steve began his working live in GIS and Research at Jones Lang LaSalle where he stayed for 3 years before moving on Tesco where he worked in location planning, corporate marketing, international and Tesco Express for 10 years. Then after a brief spell as a Retail Consultant at CBRE he joined Unilver where he is Senior Format Manager.
Steve will be talking about how the C-sector has been through a period of great change in the last 20 years, and continues to be one of the most dynamic and fastest growing grocery channels. So what's next? What will shoppers want from their local stores in the future? And how will retailers develop their store propositions to stay ahead of the game and grow sales?
Hamish Macmillan, Associate Director – Supermarket Agency and Development, CBRE
Hamish Macmillan is Retail Supermarket Agency & Development in CB Richard Ellis Retail Division and works in the Supermarket Group within the Division.
Hamish is an associate director within CBRE's retail supermarket agency and supermarket team. Having acted for many major developers on in town retail led schemes for parties such as Hammerson, Land Securities, Lendlease to name a few, he now concentrates on developer led clients initiating supermarket led schemes throughout the UK.
Dr Jonathan Reynolds, Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and Associate Dean at the University of Oxford's Said Business School
Jonathan Reynolds is Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and Associate Dean at the University of Oxford's Said Business School.
A geographer and planner by background, he now works with students of marketing and retailing of all ages and leads applied research projects on the sector internationally.
He is the current director of the longstanding Oxford Retail Location Analysis workshop (which next runs between 8-10 April, 2013).
To reserve your place please email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Leave it to David Lynch to come up with one of the creepiest guys in film history, from the film Lost Highway. Introducing the Mystery Man...and your name...?
(a portion of proceeds from my Lynch-inspired designs will go to the David Lynch Foundation)
Be the first to ask a question about this.


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An eclectic selection of art, crafts, gift certificates and useful items were made available during a Femicides Delegation fund raiser Thursday, March 10 in the Student Union. A last-minute decision was made to combine this event with an annual "Herstory" event for women's history month, according to health program director Cynthia Turner.
The silent auction offered shoppers a variety of choices – all donated by local businesses and students – from hand-knit scarves to Good Vibrations "toys."
"We were hoping to clear over $500 and we did, so in that respect it was very successful," said junior and Femicides Delegation member Gema Ornelas. Ultimately, the event brought in over $1000. The proceeds will fund a 10-student trip to Juarez, and Chihuahua, Mexico over spring break.
The Delegation is visiting Mexico to document and learn more about over 400 unsolved murder cases involving women, mainly factory workers, who have turned up in the desert bordering the U.S. in the last decade.
Performers from the "Herstory" event reading poetry included Swan Gray, Vanessa Espanosa and Stephanie Gentry-Fernandez, all local activists and performers.