text:
Paid Post Tips
I've made over $100 this month doing paid posts! I'm really excited about that! For tips go here
If you need a referral to sign up, click below
I've made over $100 this month doing paid posts! I'm really excited about that! For tips go here
If you need a referral to sign up, click below
In America there are certain things that are considered 'wrong', such as breastfeeding beyond 12 months (or even 6 weeks in some parts of the country), letting children sleep in the parent's bed, or insisting that children need 'socialization' in the form of government-structured schooling. We try to look at things from a more open mind. This American mindset that just because it's normal in America, that means it's right, is totally self-centered and ethnocentric. No wonder we have a whole population of people who are also self centered and unable to see that everyone is different and that's okay.Read more...
Infant Specialized Care
Many women either must go back to work after they have a baby, or they want to. Now over 50% of women go back to work when their child is still an infant. Seeing the need for high quality Infant Specialized Care AuPairCare is stepping up to help out. As a childcare worker, and a mom, I know that sometimes babies don't get the care they need in commercial childcare centers. AuPairCare is a great Infant Specialized Care solution for the task at hand. Infant Specialized Care is hard to find, often the waiting list will be months or even years long. With American maternity leave being only an average of 6-12 weeks, this can place a burden on an already frazzled new mother. Infant Specialized Care is also unique in that infants need more 1 on 1 contact while being fed, talked to, and cuddled than older babies and toddlers who can go play on their own. AuPair Childcare is a great solution for working mothers.
Press Release:
Despite 55% of U.S. Mothers with Infants In The Workforce, Childcare Providers Offering Specialized Infant Care Services Remain Rare
San Francisco, CA, February 26, 2008 – With over half of U.S. mothers of infants employed outside the home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, most must arrange for infant care. Experts agree that the first year in a child's life is the most critical developmentally and requires a consistent, nurturing caretaker. With maternity leaves as short as twelve weeks, mothers are confronted with leaving their newborns in someone else's hands. Unfortunately, with limited training for childcare providers and overcrowding in day care centers, what is a mother to do?
This month AuPairCare (www.aupaircare.com), a leading au pair agency, will begin offering Infant Specialized Care™, a program that provides families with a trained, live-in au pair who specializes in infant care and development, allowing working parents to provide their babies with consistent care in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Demand for this service clearly exists: Based on a survey sent to 400 AuPairCare host families, almost 2/3 of families with infants currently employing au pairs said they would be interested in an infant qualified and trained au pair if the service were offered and would be willing to pay for the additional training.
Infant Specialized Care au pairs receive over 40 hours of infant care training, covering topics, such as feeding, bathing, changing, soothing techniques and safety. Additionally, they receive specialized training in infant stimulation and development, infant massage, infant sign language and certification in Infant First Aid and CPR. This training is complemented by significant hands-on experience working with infants, with each of the Infant Specialized au pairs having at least 400 documented hours of childcare experience with children under the age of two.
"Having my au pair specifically trained to care for my baby will help alleviate some of my 'mommy guilt.' Just knowing that my baby is being well cared for and challenged developmentally will allow me to stop worrying and focus on my work," says Kenna Norris, back-to-work mother of a 13-week old baby.
"With so many women with infants in the workforce and a clear lack of quality providers catering to this age group, developing a tailored au pair service that offers specialized infant training and experience was a priority for AuPairCare." said Heidi Woehl, Vice President of AuPairCare.
AuPairCare's Infant Specialized Care program launches this month nationwide.
About AuPairCare
AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency in the United States providing affordable, live-in au pair childcare. Designated by the U.S. Department of State since 1989 as an official au pair agency, AuPairCare has successfully placed over 30,000 au pairs from 40 countries with caring American families. To learn more, please visit http://www.aupaircare.com
Contact: Karie Stern
Tel: 415-608-9195
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
When you're cooking for babies, there are some things to keep in mind. First is keeping it a texture they can digest. Babies don't necessarily need pureed food, but they do need to be able to break it down on their own. Soft chunks of things like bananas or cooked sweet potatoes are great.
For my daughter, starting when she first learned to sit up and was putting things in her mouth on her own, we started giving her beans, cooked squash, and bananas. She loves beans even to this day. When seasoning baby food, be sure to use natural sea salt, which has a natural form of iodine in it, not a synthetic form. Typical iodized table salt is not good for anyone, much less babies.
Everyone I know now is on the boat with internet shopping. It's quick! It's easy! No running around town just to find they are sold out, or never carried the item you're looking for. A quick Google search, and up come thousands of retailers waiting to ship out your item the next day.
I just learned about Webby Planet. They are updated daily and have acoupon code for lots of different online retailers, to make your shopping experience more affordable and better. You can use a coupon for different things such as free shipping, percentage off, and rebates at different stores, from big names like Overstock.com, Eddie Bauer, and Dell! What could be better than that? I know next time I go shop for something online, I'll go look for a coupon at Webbyplanet.com.
I've got a gerzillion Mamacloths to sew today, I'm working on a set of 5 diapers, and an extra either for my shop or for my friend who's havin a baby this summer. And cloth wipes, one side soft flannel, one side silky velour. So soft and nice to use, these are a splurge and a luxary with cloth diapering! Not only limited to cloth diapering, these are great for cleaning up lunchtime messes or hands that have been playing in the dirt. I'm hoping to find some fun fruit and veggie flannel and make some that are more targeted to non-cloth-diapering families soon. Marketing them as baby's special wash cloths :)Read more...
Silkfair is a new alternative to the big name... Ebay. With a FREE store, FREE listing, and only 3% of the sale price being the fee, this is an awesome alternative. You can integrate your existing Ebay feedback for your buyer's peace of mind. It offers both standard Paypal and newer Google checkout, for your buyer's choice.
SILKFAIR Is perfect for the home based business mom who is trying to get her name out there without paying a fortune in fees. SILKFAIR's listing fees are lower than Etsy's even, at $0, and the sale commission is $0.05 lower as well. Buying is easy, with the choice of many checkout options and at-a-glance feedback of the seller.
To see how it worked, I loaded up one of my dolls that I normally sell on Etsy. I registered with my ID being the same as my shop name on Etsy, and my Ebay profile. Branding people... branding.. you want people who are surfing the 'net to see your name all over. The more you pop up in search results, the more exposure for you!
It was super quick to set up and validate my store. The typical 1.01 authorization charge was charged (it'll be refunded in a few days) to my credit card, they wanted to validate my identity.
After submitting a few things like my shop name, shop announcement, etc, I uploaded a 'product'. I chose to upload a cloth diaper. I got a little hung up on adding my payment information, but was able to go on ahead (I chose to allow Paypal)
They allow you to choose your tax area (we're montana, so no taxes) and have an extensive inventory tracking system, helpful for work-at-home businesses. For some reason it came up as sold out, so I had to re-look into it. But overall, it was fast to load pictures, easy to use, and FREE to list, so a major plus :)
I tried editing my listing, and it was super easy and quick. I love the clean look of the site, and that it loads fast. I'll be going back to list more later!
We all are excited about the home based business that we are about to start, right? I started Etsy-ing about a year ago, and now I'm doing paid blogging too. But one of the keys to making and not losing money in your home based business is to keep your receipts!
To keep my receipts for all my purchases related to my business (just Monday that was a printer cartridge, fabric, a pen, sewing machine needles, and my receipt organizer) I bought a small expanding file that I think was designed to keep coupons in. Each time a receipt crosses my path, be it from the post office or an online purchase, I tuck it in there. Come tax time, Uncle Sam isn't going to be able to take such a big bite out of my earnings, since I can now prove that it wasn't all profit, I had to... you know... spend money to make money ;) And Uncle Sam doesn't tax on what you spend for your business.
Works for me!
See Rocks in my Dryer for more great tips
Do you know those acronyms? Are you obsessive about getting pregnant? TTC, CD16, 2WW, DOP, AF...
I'm waiting waiting waiting to get pregnant. My baby will be 18 months next month, I'm a whopping 24 years old, but we're still nursing. It doesn't change that I long to feel a little one snuggling up in my womb, that I constantly dream of how another baby would fit into our lives (very well), or that I say 500 times a week... 'if' I ever get pregnant... I'm going to name the baby-- I'm going to get this carseat-- I"m going to
Teehee. All in God's timing. We have the conviction to nurse our children until they're 2, so that might be suppressing my fertility a bit still. We'll see.
Read more...
Are you planning a trip soon? Whether it be for business or pleasure, oftentimes a hotel stay is necessary. Why pay more for your hotel room than you have to? With HotelReservations.com you can save up to 70% and they have a $100 rebate, should you find lower rates! Not traveling in the USA? That's okay, HotelReservations.com still finds the lowest rates in many countries. You can book online (maybe from your lap top when stuck in a boring meeting) or by calling their 800 number. The web site is easy to use and loads quickly, even if you have a less than stellar Internet connection. They even have airline reservations, rental cars, and vacation homes in their database, so you can search and get the best value for your money.
I searched for a hotel in our small town, a whopping 2000 people, and sure enough they pop up with our little hotel AND save approximately 15%. Not too bad!
They have different toll free numbers for different countries, specialize in group bookings (like if you want to rent out the hotel for a wedding or something, everyone can be on the same floor)
Did you want to travel to Ireland? They can book you a rental! Did you want to travel to Spain? They have access to the best rates there too. Why chance going to a foreign country and trying to figure it out yourself, when a quick stop on a website can pull up all the information you need. Great for those who are budgeting a long international trip and want to see the most destinations for their money! Who would want to pay more than they have to just to sleep in a hotel? Visit HotelReservations.com and see what they have today!
Shellac is an insect resin secreted by the Lac bug, which lives in India and Southeast Asia.
Never woulda thunk it.. learned that from Wiki tonight :o)
I still have no idea what people are talking about when they say the days go slow. Today we are sewing up a gerzillion cloth pads that people are buying from us to support Goods4Girls.
It's supposed to be nice for a while, so I'm moving the roosters up to the garden to poop. Heh. Then they're going in the freezer. Not exactly looking forward to that, but I can't afford to feed a bunch of non egg laying chickens. They're just the wrong gender.
I need to scoop the dog poop out of the garden too. Then hubby will help me turn it over (once the roosters are dead) and we'll start planning the garden. The Babe's swing is right near it, so she can swing as I'm gardening. She adores the swing, should be good.
I've been reading Crunchy Chicken's blog lately (she's doing Goods4Girls) and I"m getting much more motivated to Blog! Hers is amazing. I'm starting an environmental blog tomorrow with a friend, I'm going to blog specifically about women's and children's health issues, and how they relate to the environment.
I want to do posts on how to select a wood stove, are wood stoves worse for the environment than gas furnaces? blog about my chicken butchering (I'll do that here, so as to not piss off the vegans), Christianity and environmentalism, what is being a good steward?
And we're also building... building a 900ish square foot house that we're designing ourselves. We have got to get out of the trailer this winter- I'm not doing the whole 'no water when the temp dips below 0' thing for one more winter. ENOUgh is enough.
In my never-ending quest to make my time more managed, I am constantly redoing our routines. For right now what I'm trying to do is sew for Etsy in the mornings. Blog in the mornings before Babe gets up. Then do housework and errands between her naps, start dinner sometime in the afternoon, and get 1-2 loads of laundry done in the afternoon. But then, of course, life just throws a curve ball sometimes, doesn't it? Life seems to throw curve balls at me allll the times ;)
My etsy store is all but selling out right now, so it's 3:31 (and I should be making dinner) and I'm listing things. Pay Per Post seems stuck on uploading jobs when I'm *not* supposed to be on the computer, so I'm doing paid posting.
I did get the floor swept and sewing done and laundry done :) It's a good compromise.
Free software in a hidden 'Vault' (use code 1234567)
Software.com has a special going on, they have free software hidden in their vault! Do you know where to find it? Access to the Vault requires a special code: (1234567)
Go check out their site while you're looking in the vault! They have everything from the most up to date program for your home business to fun educational games for the kids. Read reviews, download instantly, and more!
Win an ultralight Oreck from 5 Minutes for Moms!
I'm not sure *what* is with vacuums, but I am suseptable to advertising methods like no other when it comes to vacuum advertising. As if a small (pricey!) piece of equipment could *really* turn my home into a spacious retreat with sparkling floors, happily playing children, and well behaved pets. Ahem. But, regardless, I would would would love a new vacuum to get the crumbs/dog hair/ mud from hubby's boots up, so I"m putting in my entry!
I didn't realize it, but I've made a habit of putting the baby down for her nap after getting some fresh air. I do believe that getting fresh air is beneficial for a person, and sunlight (vit D) too. So unless it's below 10 or so degrees, or the wind is blowing hard, we're out for at least 20 minutes a day to get our 'fix'. And I notice it quite a bit when we miss a few days, due to extreme weather. We're more agitated, restless, and cranky. Mid morning I start to notice that the babe isn't playing happily with her toys. She doesn't want to nurse. She's ready for our walk! And we go on out, check on the chickens, put the dogs up in their kennel, maybe take out the trash. When we're done, she's leaning her head on my back in the Ergo. When I take her out, immediately she asks to nurse (in sign language) and her eyes get sleepy (as I blog LOL). Then I lay her down and do all the fun things like scrubbing the toilet, that I try not to do while she's awake :o)Read more...
On the agenda today. Since I thought it was TUESDAY and it's actually FRIDAY I have quite a bit of stuff to get done. Now that I'm staying home, I spend my week preparing for the weekend. Before it was flip-flopped, and I spent my weekend preparing for the work week.
Anyway, my plan today is as follows
Think if what we're having to eat when our friends are here on Sunday
Bring in wood
Move the laundry
Load stuff for the dump
Go to the dump
Mail out packages
Swing by grocery store
-bread for french toast (I don't like homemade bread for that, is that pathetic?)
Lunch- we'll have pan burritos from last night
Babe down for a nap
Move the laundry some more
Click on PayPerPost Open Opportunities 97 times (I hit refresh every time I walk by the computer)
Tame my fabric explosion in my closet
Sweep/wash the kitchen floor
Dinner will be.... French toast
Read more...
Thinking it was Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday, but most likely Tuesday. What is it? It's FRIDAY. I stopped working at my 'regular' transcription job about a month back. And whoever said that the days are slow when you have little kids is sooo wrong! My days fly by. On the days that the babe sleeps past the alarm, I'll hear her wake and think it's about 7:00. No, often it's 8:30 or later! Then we're off and running, and before I know it she's acting clingy and tired, so we take a walk outside and put the dogs up in the garden. Nothing worse than getting the baby down for a nap only to have the mail man come up and make all the dogs bark and wake her up. But she's gotten enough sleep that she doesn't want to go back down but is still crabby. Anyway, after we do that nap, I get quite a bit done during nap time, then she's awake again, we get something to eat, and before I know it Daddy will be home in an hour! And it's a mad rush to clean up!
My brother loves paintball. My husband likes it too, he played with his high school buddies for years, until we moved out of the area The setup can get pricey. Paintball gun packages are a good way to get the whole setup at a good price.
My hubby's favorite place to play paintball is out in the forest, using natural land features as cover. While paintball isn't necessarily a 'clean' sport, it is good clean fun for the family, especially those with testosterone-filled guys who need an outlet. Moms, when you're wondering what's good about guys running around pretending to shoot each other, remember that we would rather *know where they are* and keep them busy. Paintball has other benefits than just fun, it's great for the mind. Paintballers must create strategics to win. It's also good exercise, running around in the outdoors. Of all the hobbies that my family members have, paintballing really is one of the best, I think.
When you are checking around to buy paintball equipment, be sure to check http://www.pntball.com - They have the most competative prices and FREE shipping, which rocks, because this stuff is kinda heavy and bulky.
Eating healthy is something we all strive to do as mothers, isn't it? For the health of our children prenatally, while we are breastfeeding, and still as our children wean, as we want to be good examples as well as live a long time to see our grandchildren and great grandchildren!
Over here are some healthy eating tips.
And a great detailed essay from Crunchy Chicken, that I think is awesome.
What would you like to get your sweetheart for valentines? Whatever you're looking for, CouponChief.com can help it become reality.
I'd love to get my husband a book that he's been eyeing about fishing from Amazon
And my sweet daughter would love something from Target
And my mom thinks that Zappos is the best!
We went to town today, my darling daughter is always the star of the show :) We live in a town where there are mostly older people, and the few that do have kids tend to be the kind who don't *like* their kids and the kids are always crying, they are always yelling. Not too fun. But my little daughter just lights up with a smile for everyone, is so curious at how everything works, and I usually take her when she's well rested so she's in a good mood :)
Sorry for the shameless bragging :o)
I normally do not write things like this, I don't like to do things like this. It isn't my personality. But I am beyond irritated with this guy, and I'd like to warn others before they allow him to 'borrow' their belongings.
Why I am never going to work with the Heights Auto Brokers in Billings, Montana ever again:
The owner, Jason, was so sure that he could sell our vehicles. He did sell two things, a ol' beater 75 Chevy truck, for a little less than our asking price. We could live with that. And a Grand Am 1994 for $200. Blue book was somewhere around $1200, but oh well. These are the prices he says he got for them at least, no way to really know.
That's not the reason I will never be working with the Heights Auto Brokers in Billings, MT, ever again, though. It is because we provided him with a lock and cable to lock up the dirt bike we had for sale down there. After months of not selling it, we started noticing it wasn't even out on the lot. So I put it up for sale on craigslist.org. When someone contacted it because they wanted to buy it, we said sure, and called Jason to let us know that we needed to come pick it up. Jason informed us that it was in a garage or shed that he couldn't get to. There was no way to get it out. My husband promptly went down there and 'helped' him figure out a way that we could get OUR dirtbike out of the shed, where it was obviously not available for sale. If he had just told us that he didn't want to have the dirt bike on his lot any more, we would have picked it up the next day, but no, he chose not to do that.
But even that we could live with.
The thing we had an issue with was that Jason apparently had taken the lock home with him that we had provided to lock up the dirtbike. He assured us that he would bring it for us to pick up next time we were in Billings. I stopped by on my monthly run to get groceries, unbuckling and rebuckling my baby from her car seat in the middle of winter just to find that he
a. wasn't there
b. didn't have the lock
3 or 4 times.
I called. I called more. I talked to his secretary. Still no lock. It turns out he loaned it (NOT his lock, he never paid for this) to another customer who needed it to tie down an ATV or something. Never mind that Walmart is a few blocks away from where he works, or that Ace Hardware is nearly across the street, both of them having locks that are available for sale. No, he loaned out our lock, and now doesn't have it.
This was back in December when I started all this, now it's the middle of February and he does not pick up his phone, assures me that I just need to give him a few more days, and he will have the lock. I estimate that between stopping by the place of business and calling on the phone, I have spent over 3 hours trying to get this stupid lock.
Why is the lock so important, you ask? Because it's keyed the same as 3 other locks we own. And it's the principal. Someone who does not own something, should not be loaning it out because it's more convenient than buying his own.
Is Jason a nice guy? Sure he is. Is he someone I would trust with my belongings ever again? Absolutely not. Seeing that things we have for sale are boarded up and loaned out, is not good business.
And since I wrote this, I sent down an invoice for the lock. I asked for either the lock to be mailed up, or the invoice paid. He says he has the lock (heard this before) and to just swing by. I said no, mail it, we've already been by at least 4 times since we picked up the dirtbike over two months ago. He says I'm being demanding. I hung up on him.
Oh, in the middle of winter, what's more exciting than planning a summer vacation? Second best, I suppose, to darting off to some romantic tropical island :o)
american motor homes
Come check out american motor homes and see if one is right for you. My parents, who live in California, are planning a visit over here in Montana this summer. My dad recently re-did his motor home and may be towing it with his truck out here. It's a 25 hour drive, and I have a feeling if he does decide to drive my mom will fly in and meet us in Billings, but once they're both retired they plan on doing lots of sight seeing. The drive from California to Montana isn't difficult. There are a few different ways you can go, we did all of them I think in our move out here.
My favorite way was to go north through California, then through Oregon and Washington, and over through Idaho and then to Montana. It takes a little bit longer, but it's much nicer than the other route of California-Nevada-Utah-Idaho-Montana
I think if we ever have an RV we'll take it out to the forest in a remote area of Montana, maybe north western Montana, and do a week or two of fishing, hiking, and swimming. I grew up tent camping, and while I suppose that was okay for my parents, I really would appreciate being able to sleep off the ground, have a small area to cook in, and a place to get out of the weather, as we often seem to end up camping when the only snowstorm in June hits ;)
Overall, though, camping is a great memory building time for the entire family, and it's also nice because you can bring along your pets- no need to find a pet sitter or babysitter.
My dishwasher is running. I ♥ Dishwashers. I really think they help me cook more, and we actually eat healthier because of them. Is that insane? After having a dishwasher for a year, then not for 3 years, I'm back to having them, and it's my new best friend... :)Read more...
replacement window
Are you remodeling? We're hoping to build this spring or summer, a small house. In designing our house, and budgeting for the cost, budgeting for good windows is always a cost-effective important decision. Windows can make a substantial influance on the costs of every day running the house. UV blocking windows help keep furniture from fading, and double paned windows with good insulation lower heating and cooling bills. We love lots of light, and hope to have good windows on all four sides of our small house that we build.
This is a sponsored post
I was reading my sister-in-law's Good Housekeeping magazine this weekend, and there was an excellent article on procrastination in it. I'll go see if I can find a link. Also a good article about marriage with Dr Phil. Dr Phil is someone I've heard a lot about, but never actually read anything he wrote or listened to his show.
The procrastinating article had one statement that I thought was totally insightful. It was something about people doing all sorts of 'busy' things while putting off what really needs to be done. Their thinking is that 'since they're not having any fun, isn't that almost as good as doing work'? Hmmm, something to think about next time I decide to scrub under the burners on the stove top when I really should be putting away laundry ;)
Here's a link to the article.
Valentine's Special 2008 on Honda Cars for San Diego County Residents
Honda is having a sweetheart deal for San Diego residents. If you are in the area, come check them out! Honda is well known for their good-quality cars. I'd love a Honda SUV or Minivan, but, alas, my husband refuses to have a minivan parked on our property or work on them, so for now I"m a pickup gal.
My sister-in-law has a red honda civic, which is super easy to get around. The only disadvantage is that now that between us we have three children, we can't fit 3 in car seats in the back seat. And it only has two doors, so it's kind of hard to get the kids in and out. But it can't be beat for maneuverability- I drove it for a while while our truck was getting fixed, and it feels so easy to drive, it makes errands not seem so tedious. Driving around our 1-ton pickup, regardless of it having 4 doors, is kind of a drag when you have to make 15 stops on errand day, carefully trying to ease the truck into the cramped parking lot at each stop.
This is a sponsored post
I co-sleep with our baby. Some call this the family bed, to me it's just normal. We do have a crib ;) Actually, a crib and a port-a-crib, but we didn't set up the big crib. I use the portable one for when I need to keep the babe safe while I do something that she can't be a part of, like getting firwood when there's snow on the ground. Too much danger that I'd fall if she was on my back, so in the 'containment device' she goes.
Anyway, at night, she's taken to sleeping with her foot on me. She juts a leg or both out at a 90 degree angle, just to know I"m there. It's the sweetest thing, I absolutely adore her. I have no doubt that this is keeping my fertility away, which I'm not thrilled about (she still nurses at least once a night), but it just seems to be the *right* thing, so this is what we'll do.
I'm still waiting to 'fall out of love' and get annoyed by her... It hasn't happened yet. I adore every minute with her. Don't get me wrong, some things that she does need to be stopped or trained away (the *shrieking* every time I had something to drink, because she wanted some too, put a damper on my water intake, so that had to stop. But every day, all in all, I enjoy every minute :)
Looking for perfume bay? It's right here. Come look at their unique variety of new perfumes, hard to find favorites, and scents for men and women. The look of the site is clean and welcoming, easy to navigate. I enjoy shopping on sites set up like this, they are descriptive and easy to navigate.
I'm not one to try different perfumes often, but when I do I go for high quality and don't mind paying a little more. The price per ounce is high, but higher priced perfumes often use higher quality ingredients. I try to find one that has good reviews online and is high in natural ingredients. essential oils are preferred to synthetic fragrance oils, fragrance oils tend to degrade and smell different over time.
When testing perfume bay perfume, be sure to smell it as it first goes on, smell it again 10 or so minutes later, and again a couple hours later, as your body chemistry reacts with it the scent will change. I've found Sand and Sable to be the best for my body chemistry, as well as Stila's Lilly of the Valley.
This is a sponsored post.
A quick rundown on my politics
anti death penalty by the government (though I reserve that I should have the right to shoot someone who is breaking into my house and looks like they may harm me or my family)
pro-immigration (open borders, and yes I understand why this isn't likely to happen any time soon, regardless, I'm still pro-open borders)
anti-socialized medicine
anti-government programs
Pro legalized drugs
50 Helpful Links to Starting an Online Craft Business
Everything you could ever want to know about starting an online crafts business as a work at home mom out of your home
1. Starting your craft business without debt
7. Your site's Page Rank
8. The benefits of starting a business blog
9. All you need to know about Paypal
10. Google Checkout?
12. Craft Econ 101
14. Importance of dividing your shop into sections
15. Making your site user friendly
16. Setting prices
17. Shipping- pad it with your fees?
20. Free Advertising
21. Paid Advertising
23. Choosing your items for sale
24. Taking Pictures
25. Using free photo editing software
26. Keeping the kids busy while you work
28. Myspace/Facebook benefits for your business
30. Getting your supplies in bulk
31. Selling your product wholesale
35. Your description
36. Copyrights
37. Patents
38. UPS/Fedex/USPS
41. Buyer Beware
42. Insurance
45. Advertising with Google Adsense
49. Balancing with your family life
Read more...
Loaded topic, no?
Molly is talking about voting based on abortion stance. Something that I am wrestling with as well. Her blog seems to mirror my wonderings, and inspires me to think it through more.
Right now I support Ron Paul, and I'm not sure what I think of his stance on abortion. It's not so bad that I can't vote for him, and I tend to think it's the most effective way, but I'm not convinced it is *right*. This is what I understand about him: He believes that the unborn are *real* babies, and is against killing them. But he believes the federal government should leave it up to the states to vote on it (?)
I believe this is the most effective way of starting to get abortion to be illegal in some areas of the US. Right now I believe the vocal minority (NY and CA mostly) are causing it to be legal in all states. I would be willing to bet that if it was up to states to decide, a lot of the middle ones would vote against abortion, like Montana, where I am. I believe this could potentially save more lives sooner than trying to re-work the entire nation at once.
But is it right? My ideas are that we need to have less laws. Either it's okay to kill innocent people for convenience, or it's not. End of story. To me it would be *right* to not say that abortion is illegal, but just to throw out whatever moron statement says that the unborn aren't people. There already is a law about killing innocent people in the US, or so I'd imagine, and I think they should just be using that law and not making new ones.
The reason I can still vote for Ron Paul is because I believe he is doing what he can to save the most babies as soon as possible. I'm willing to compromise on principals in order to save lives.
I believe..
I believe God made the world in 6 days
I believe God created man in His image
I believe God created woman out of man, to be his helper
I believe God breathed into the animals the breath of life
I believe that there was a fall in the garden of Eden, and because of that, there was separation between man and God.
I believe there was a flood...
I believe it covered the whole world.
I believe the world is right around 6000 years old
I believe that God sent Jesus as a perfect man to fulfill the law and wipe away our sins, should we believe in Him
I believe that Jesus is Lord
I believe that children are blessings
I believe that murder is wrong
I believe that it is the burden of the church, not the state, to provide for those in need
I believe that the Bible is the true inspired word of God
Have you ever used a payday loan? I haven't, but I do realize they can be advantageous for those who are risking overdrafting their checking account due to an emergency circumstance. While payday loans do charge interest, oftentimes a few overdraft charges from checking ($30 each on average) will cost more. And then there is the embarrassment of not having overdraft protection and bouncing checks… having stores call you and tell you your check bounced, and then they tack on $25+ to the check when the put it in again to collect. Those can all add up. A cash advance could help avoid some of these fees, if used responsibly in emergencies or in the case of a mistake- like you and your husband both paid the car insurance payment for that month, and you didn't realize it, and it creates a gap in your budget. Payday loans usually go by different terms, but they are a much shorter loan than regular loans, and are designed to be paid back within a week or two, not months. There are payday loan places on the internet, also around town, especially in Billings. They are as prevalent as pawn shops and casinos it seems, one on every street.Read more...
Read more...
Deer out the side window... We're now missing half a fender, want to guess why?
Do you live in California? Need to refinance? Check out www.dollarblvd.com today!
California Refinance
You can get 5 free quotes on your refinance on that website, do it right over your computer. When it comes to competitive rates, the internet is your friend! Having lived in California, I know that it's expensive to buy there, so now that interest rates are dropping refinance and save money each month! They have special deals for California residents.
This post is sponsored.
We've decided for the meantime to have me stay home with the babe and back out of doing transcription. Transcription was great for helping us out in a rough patch in our lives, and I'm more than thankful that I never had to put Babe in daycare, but now that we've worked through some financial things (still got a LONG way to go!) we decided God is calling us to have me be a homemaker full time.
It's been so nice! I was a little giddy/nervous the first day, but after Babe went to bed 90 minutes early due to being so worn out from our fun 'eventful' day, I knew we made the right decision. 'Stuff' can wait. We can eat more dried beans. And I'll enjoy more precious time with my sweet baby, and preparing our home.
It's a theme one... Online shopping- Etsy is my favorite online shopping place, behind Amazon ;) We go to Amazon sometimes just for the reviews, and then acutally buy the book/DVD/whatever somewhere else. Their reviews rock!
Works for me... I had a great idea last week. Hey! I should remember to actually post that on a Wednesday! LOL And now, Wednesday morning, I can't remember it.
Oh, this was it. When we receive an outfit from... someone... that we're not quite thrilled with, we keep it in the diaper bag. We happen to receive like 6-piece sets (hat, 2 shirts, 2 pants, socks) from people, so it's easy to remember that that particular color/pattern goes right into the diaper bag from the laundry.
That way I don't have to *think* before we leave. I know that outfit's in there just in case, and it's not banishing an outfit I love to the diaper bag just so I have *something* just in case.
Going over our budget today- seeing if I can live off of blogging. No, just kidding. I am seeing if I can give up transcription, though, and just do odd side jobs that don't require a weekly commitment. I know that would help reduce the stress level considerably in our house!
I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.
Want to add a boost to your Etsy shop? Or maybe even your Ebay listings? Come on over to Mommy Techie and learn how to use a free program easily and make your listings pop.Read more...
This afternoon I was going to make Babe eggs for lunch. I set the pan with olive oil in it to heat, and came to fart around on the internet. All of a sudden there was a *flash* *boom* and my olive oil burst into flames. Lets here it for farting around on the internet ;) I put the lid on it and I'm now boiling water in the pan to see if I can turn it from scorched black back to its shiny steel color.
It's 4:55 and hubby is on his way home, with a truck that now has a hole in it's fiberglass fender. He had a match with a deer, and of the two, he won. But we're still left with a shattered fender. It's cosmetic, he says, regardless of the fact that it's there to keep rocks from being sprayed up by the douls. Doules? Don't know how to spell that- the two tires in the back of a one-ton. It's $250 for the replacement part, and the part only comes in primer black- our truck is white. Depending on whether we sell it or not, we'll go ahead and 'rattle can' it.
I have a dishwasher full of clean dishes, my kitchenaid creaming the butter and sugar for chocolate chip cookies, babe sleeping, and two loads of laundry strewn across my couch, in folded and unfolded condition. A bath towel is on my floor, I have three large 'rag' towels both in the wash, another bath towel soaking up the water I spilled when trying to step over the dog bucket, and this one from my apparently splashy attempt at hand washing the pile of wooden can't-go-in-the-dishwasher dishes that had been stacked to the left of my sink for a week.
I've got another 20 minutes at the least until hubby gets home, I'll finish the cookies, kitchen, and stash the laundry in the port-a-crib where it's not as noticable as the couch ;)
I'm really liking blogging anomonously. My sister-in-law can know about it, and then just random people on the net. My sister-in-law and I aren't even best friends or anything, she just knows the good, bad, and ugly of everything. And I seriously doubt she'd get mad at me for saying she's not my best friend. A good kind of in-law to have :)
I'm so far behind on technology. We don't have TV, and I seem to have become immune to Internet advertising, but I'm entering 5 Minutes for Mom's Bluetooth giveaway from Best Buy anyway. I think it has something to do with music. Hubby loves music, and is more techie than I, so if I win I will have one happy honey!Read more...
I scheduled a job interview for yesterday at noon. Babe goes down for her nap usually around 11:00 so this would be perfect. I knew I'd have to conduct the interview in the bathroom, on the opposite end of the house, but that's not a big deal.
Come 11:20 a.m. naptime was nowhere in sight. I frantically folded the 4+ loads of laundry residing in the port-a-crib and put a dozen butterscotch chips (no dye) in the bottom of her plastic glittery Valentine's day cup from Grandma. Set child and cup 'o candy in the crib and the interview was conducted without a blip (other than my tendency to over-explain everything). Came out to child happily retrieving butterscotch chips from her cup.
Guess what my new parenting tactic is? Other people, like Musician's Friend, who I'm on hold with at the moment, understand a few baby chirps, but it's much simpler to write notes on phone conversations sans the grabbing fingers, loud input, and overall baby 'help'
We got our water back on this morning. I'm rather embarrassed about this, I generally don't mention it until after the fact, and generally never to my mother. We live in a single wide with minimal insulation in Montana. No matter how much we crank up the stove, the pipes/drains will freeze outside. While *I* realize that running water isn't a necessity of life, oftentimes others, especially others who don't live in a cold climate think that we are total savages.
Hubby's boss lent us what looked to be a jet engine that ran on diesel. We blew it under the trailer, the water wasn't on as of 11 last night when we turned it off to go to bed, but this morning I flipped the breaker and the water came pouring out. As I type this the babe is still asleep due to the lingering 'radiant floor' heating, Dog #2 is barking outside on her tether, dog #3 is frantically running around my feet, no, now Dog #3 is out, and Dog #1 is snorting under the door, but I know he doesn't really want to go outside. I have the dishwasher and the washing machine running, and hubby is on his 60 mile commute to work.
Is it bad that oftentimes I'm jealous of his commute?
I'm returning his guitar today. He had Christmas money and he researched and researched... and they air-mailed him a guitar with a crack in it. The crack is down at the bottom and painted over, but still very noticeable. Obviously something that didn't happen in shipping, I'd really like to know how this passed QA.
© Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP


text:
The SnowMont Music Festival continues to roll out high-profile bookings for its 2012 lineup, gearing up for what should be one mad massive dance party right before the snow melts this Spring. The Flaming Lips, Diplo and Big Boi are the latest additions to supplement the initial lineup announcement, which already includes Snoop Dogg, Datsik, Kaskade, Chromeo and more.
The festival goes down in Killington, VT from 3/30-4/1. Advance tickets are on sale at a price of $150, which will jump to $175 and finally $200 for last minute passes in the months leading up to the event – so pick up your pass early to keep a little extra cash in your wallet.
Hit the lineup page for a full list of current performers, and keep your eyes peeled for more surprises – the list is far from complete.
Watch the totally kitschy video for Dillon Francis / Diplo ft. Maluca – "Que Que" below, which looks like what would happen if middle schoolers snuck into the green screen room at school to mess around on their lunch break:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to the The Hustle
The Hustle Wiki is a fan created website which aims to, eventually, be able to provide information on all of the different aspects of the BBC's Hustle. This wiki will cover episodes, characters, locations, actors etc. This being a fan made wiki means that all visitors are free to add to the pages of this site.
Quick Links Edit
Main Article: Hustle and the The Hustle gang
Helping out: Edit
- To write a new article, just enter the article title in the box below.
- Not sure where to start?
- Find out more about the wiki on the About page.
- If you are new to wikis, check out the tutorial, and see Help:Contents.
- Check out Help:Starting this wiki if you're setting up the wiki.
- Adding content
- Every wiki has two list of articles that need help called "Stubs" and "Wanted Articles". Don't be shy, get in there.
- Uploading images is another really easy way to help out - see the Special:Upload page!
- You can find a list of useful templates on Category:Templates.
Go to these sites for info or for help with your own wiki!
Being Human • Casualty • Death in Paradise • Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency • Doctor Who • Eastenders • Holby City • Luther • Merlin • Orphan Black • Sherlock • Top Gear • Walking With... • Waterloo Road
Want your community included? See how!
UK shows by network: BBC Network • CBBC Shows • ITV Network • Channel 4 Network


text:
Welcome to our library
Useful Links
No Events
Library Activities
Early Bird Reader Program - Students with little ones age 0-5 at home and not in school may apply to join the EBRP. All it takes is the student picking up an application in the library and returning it completed. The student will receive tips on how to read with the little ones and will be able to choose books to take home. The student reads the books with the little ones and helps them set up a home library. The books are theirs to keep :)


text:
Hello from design team member, Heidi! I have a card idea to share with you for Father's Day. I noticed that a lot of my patterned paper pads have these sheets that are all words. Instead of using them in a scrapbook, I thought of my silhouette stamps.
I used the stamp called Surf's Up. I think any dad would feel sentimental about time spent playing with their children after looking at this scene.
You can buy the stamps I used to make this card in the Just for Fun Store! Most stamps are available as wood-mount, cling-mount, or even unmounted - you choose your preference!
Surf's Up is found HERE!
Unmounted Sentiment Sheet 1 is found HERE!
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Stop by anytime for new inspiration from the design team. Please leave a comment to let us know you were here!


text:
K.C. Undercover: Season 1 Episode 9 K.C.'s Star Backpack
K.C. Cooper (Zendaya Coleman) wears this Black and faux leather star print back pack in this episode of K.C. Undercover, "Spy-anoia will Destroya"
It is the Gypsy Warrior Starstruck Backpack. Buy it HERE for $40.00
Tags: Gypsy Warrior K.C. Undercover K.C. Undercover 1x09 K.C. Undercover Season 1 zendaya coleman Zendaya Coleman 2015


text:
Today's personal development tip: In the game of life, there is no such thing as poor conditions, just poorly prepared players. A lot of us blame circumstances for the way things are or other external factors. But the only person we can blame is ourselves. It's all about accountability.
Facebook Comments


text:
Film Rave is a unique pilot project, which happened as a part of Short Waves Festival.
During the six days of the workshop 25 participants worked in 5 people teams on a project of a short fiction film.
Films inspired by the motto of this year's Short Waves Festival , "Nothing is the same" and had their premiere at the last day of the Festival.
The program of the project are inspired by the idea of masterclasses and Kino Kabaret.
Masterclasses are workshops with experienced professionals from film industry focused on developing the art and craft of film making, where participants can face their skills with tutor's experience.
The former Imperial Castle, which today is the seat of the ZAMEK Culture Centre and one of the most recognizable buildings in Poznan was the place that the workshops was held.
Polish film director, Xawery Żuławski is giving advices to young directors about how to held a casting .


text:
Our Client since its establishment as a mobile solutions company has been engaging with consumers in the mobile environment, delivering services of high standards, quality and value based on understanding of consumers' behavior, demographics and psychographics. Their services cover local and international organisations, various industries including Entertainment, Banking, Manufacturing, Transportation and Health. They now have an Opening for IT VAS Support to be based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Job Profile
Reporting to the IT Manager, the IT VAS Support will manage technical operations and projects for the deployment and delivery of VAS products and services and have overall responsibility for the provision of reliable IT infrastructure to guarantee high output levels from all teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Deploy new products and services on the VAS platform based on the service description, flow and business rules.
- Integrate VAS platforms with MNOs including SMS Gateway, USSDC, SDP, OTA, Billing etc.
- Ensure 99.999% availability of VAS and IT services and platforms.
- Carry out acceptance tests for newly deployed Vas platforms and solutions.
- Have a full understanding of VAS protocols including SMPP, USSDI&II, , HTTP, SS7, M3UA, Sigtran, Web service, IP and others (SNMP).
- Integrate the Company's products/services in the client's environment.
- Develop technical specifications for applications that meet business requirements.
- Perform readiness tests on newly implemented VAS systems and products to validate features, capacity and functions.
- Keep abreast of new developments and technology trends in VAS, telecommunication and networking.
- Manage the company's IT infrastructure: email services, internet access, Antivirus etc.
- Develop desktop, mobile and web applications, scripts for automated operational activities, etc.
- Generate periodic reports including daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly performance reports, activity reports, etc.
- Ensure internal collaboration and communication with other functional teams to meet customer needs and operational efficiency within the Company.
- Preparation/Analysis of Logs (Shortcodes, content downloads etc.)
- Setup, Maintain and Monitor Network and Third Party VPN & SMPP Connections
- Liaise with technical teams of telecommunication networks on behalf of clients to resolve technical issues.
- Maintain Web and Mobile Applications
- Develop and maintain code for monitoring of all business service provisions as well as internal applications (7 above)
- Administration and Management of all internal and external servers and systems, network devices and connections.
- Planning/Implementation of systems/network checklists.
- Administer company's wired and wireless local area networks.
- Plan and Implement backup strategy for internal and remote systems
- Identify and implement any necessary changes or upgrades.
- Monitor server/network performance and availability to meet Service Level Agreement
- commitments.
- Perform other assigned duties as delegated by management from time to time.
Key Requirements
1. Qualifications and Education Requirements
- Minimum of 2 years working experience in technical within the VAS, Telecommunication or ICT
- industry
- Must have completed NYSC
- Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/ Electronic Engineering/ Technology
- related field.
- Operating system environments: Linux/UNIX
- Windows Server Operating systems & Active Directory administration and management.
- Servers and Data Backup
- Databases: Database Administration (Oracle/MySQL)
- Networking
- Programming(PHP , Shell Scripting and Java)
- Business Intelligence (optional)
- Documentation
- Research and Writing
- Use of CRM
- Use of Microsoft Office suite
- Interpersonal skills
- Resource Management
- Attention to detail
- Excellent Communication skills
3. Personal Characteristics
- A self-starter with high attention to detail
- Great team work and collaborative spirit
- Proven ability to make an impact internally and externally
- Analytical minded
- Ability to engage and drive others to deliver targets
- Exhibit high energy levels and drive
- Ability to easily adapt to changing work environment
- Exhibit Professionalism at all times


text:
The contemporary hotel has evolved into more than just a place to toss your bags and kick up your feet. It's a hub that distills the ethos and spirit of the surrounding community, where a drink in the lobby bar speaks just as much to the DNA of the city as the concierge behind the front desk. And while you might have used to search far and wide for that type of vibe, major players are bringing that feel front and center to the city—like The Gwen, the Art Deco-inspired addition to the Mag Mile quarter that's every bit classic Chicago as it is modern Windy City. Here are five reasons it's a can't-miss for your next travel or staycation (or cocktail hour).
Situated just off historic Michigan Avenue between Grand and Illinois, the space is essentially a connector to several neighborhoods—meaning within just a few blocks you can find yourself in the trendy, dining-and-entertainment-driven district of River North, or, conversely, in the sedate, lakeside respite of Streeterville. And going just a hair north or south brings you to the Gold Coast or The Loop, respectively, offering up different cross-sections of Chicago from one convenient central hub.
Recently minted as one of Chicago's top 25 hotels by Condé Nast Traveler, The Gwen's accommodations take routine hospitality amenities (from concierge, doorman, and front desk service to laundry, WiFi, and dry cleaning) and ups the ante with lux services like shoe shining and 24-hour valet services. Winding down's never been easier—and with Windy City Massage-provided, in-room spa services, it's never felt better, either.
Instead of adopting a broad approach to food and beverage, The Gwen's stayed true to its old-school inspo by serving bites and libations in an environment consistent with its throwback heritage. To wit: the rooftop bar at Upstairs at The Gwen is an Art Deco-infused imbibing alcove, while the indoor restaurant extends the upscale sophistication with American cuisine in an elegant setting complemented by 1930s-inspired sips featuring Prohibition Porter mixology services.
Though the hotel pretty much does everything to encourage you to get out of your room, the reasons to stay beside are tempting: from Frette linens and Molton Brown bath amenities to a Luxury Collection bed and more, the plum perks more than justify that extra hour (or two) or R&R.
Sure, we already mentioned the rooftop—but that's because it more than warrants repeat praise. The surrounding views of downtown are enviable, but the true scene stealer are the cocktails, from the classic Old Fashioned to the de facto sip of the season: the prosecco poptail, a frozen, bubbly-boosted treat that's as buzzy as it is Instagram-friendly. Fall might be underway, but rooftop season is far from over.


text:
Swiss Exams employs 15 office staff members and our "who is who" series will introduce you all staff members, their responsibility and how they feel about working for Swiss Exams. We are happy to introduce a new team member in the Customer Service & Marketing Department - Karin Gähwiler.
Karin Gähwiler joined Swiss Exams in December 2017. Her employment in the hotel and tourism industry helped her solidify her language skills which she can now use in supporting the Swiss Exams Team.
Main responsibilities
Her main responsibilities in the Customer Service & Marketing Team are the administration and sales of our online language tests such as BULATS, Linguaskill and Goethe-Test PRO. Therefore, Karin is the contact person for all queries regarding our Language Testing Competence Centres.
She is also responsible for the administration and organisation of our teacher workshops and supports the Customer Service Team with incoming phone calls and emails.
How is it to work for Swiss Exams?
"I had an excellent job introduction from my predecessor as well as all staff members of Swiss Exams. I feel very comfortable within the team and I am happy with my new position with many exciting tasks. What I like most about our Customer Service & Marketing Team is that everybody is very helpful and takes the time when I have a question. In addition, we can work very independently. I look forward to supporting Swiss Exams in its successful future." - Karin Gähwiler


text:
Charnwood Arts celebrated World Community Arts Day 2015 in style with the launch of The ArtsHouse, a new centre for groups and individuals to engage in community based arts, craft and media activity.
Based in Loughborough and initiated and run by Charnwood Arts, The ArtsHouse was declared "open for business" on World Community Arts Day itself - Tuesday February 17th.
This exciting new centre is located in an imposing Edwardian house at 29 Granby Street in Loughborough, right next door to the Charnwood Arts offices and meeting room. The ArtsHouse is opposite the gates to the beautiful Queen's Park, a stone's throw away from Charnwood Museum and Gallery and right next door to the library.
There are four main activity rooms - two for painting, crafts, writing groups, drawing and meetings, one fully equipped with computers, and a making and media room linked to a small room with an animation rostrum.
As well as this there is a kitchen, a relaxing pocket garden and a small 'chill out' room.
A wide variety of community and arts groups are already signed up to be part of The ArtsHouse.
Among these are "Write Stuff', a health and well being related writing group; Raw Art, an arts and Mental Health group, an arts and media for young people and a cultural and heritage group for home-schooled children.
There is also an Asian Ladies Craft Group, an Open Media and Arts Group for young people, project groups from the Charnwood Great War Centenary Project and the already famous Big Knitting Group as well as the Mutual Craft Company.
But it doesn't stop there. Initial plans for a number of new groups include the Artslink editorial group, various placement groups new children's arts sessions and a regular "Hack Space", plus groups working on the Charnwood Arts flagship People Making Places project.
We are always open to hearing new ideas from the community. If you have an idea about how you or your group could become part of The ArtsHouse, please don't hesitate to get in touch!


text:
Hoffman to propose traditional marriage measure
SIOUX CITY — City Councilman Brent Hoffman said Thursday he will ask his council colleagues to support a resolution defining traditional marriage as being between a man and a woman.
In addition, he will urge the council to lobby the Iowa Legislature to put the question to a vote as a constitutional amendment.
At a glance
What: City Councilman Brent Hoffman will introduce a traditional-marriage resolution Monday and seek a constitutional amendment.
Why: In response to local efforts to redefine marriage.
Why now: A case seeking the right for same-sex couples to marry in Iowa is before the state Supreme Court.
What it would do: Prohibit city departments, boards and commissions from lobbying on the marriage equity issue or undertaking other activities that could be perceived as trying to persuade public officials to take a stand.


text:
The Assignment worksheet above comes from the linked workbook and has this assignment and lots of other fun science worksheets related to the science names projects.
Jade is a hard, compact mineral that is often used to make jewellery and carved ornaments. The colour of Jade varies from white to dark green. One variety of Jade is Jadeite, a silicate of sodium and aluminium. It is rare and mainly mined in Burma and China. Nephrite (Jade) is more common and is a silicate of calcium, iron and magnesium. It is mined in New Zealand, Alaska and Wyoming.
©2000 Teaching Treasures™ Publications


text:
So now we know.
What many people have suspected for years is now officially recognized by the Senate report on CIA activities – post 9/11, torture has been used in a vain attempt to obtain "information" from detainees to make America safe. No matter that under UN Charters, torture is illegal. No matter that there is no irrefutable evidence that any of the information gained under torture has added anything useful to information already available through other means. No matter that the US has roundly condemned other countries like Saddam's Iraq, Gaddafi's Libya, and Assad's Syria for employing torture as a means to an end – it has been doing precisely the same thing. But of course, that's different – the US are the good guys, and Saddam, Gaddafi and Assad Muslims, sponsors of al-Qaeda and therefore bad guys.
Bull. This is just another example of the hypocrisy and arrogance that is rapidly destroying any good reputation the US may once have had in world affairs. It's no more than affirmation that actually America is, right now, an ailing country in urgent need of treatment.
This has been the case for years – arguably, in fact, from its first colonization by white European settlers. Then, the enemy was the native American, who was the wrong colour, wore very little in the way of clothing and had never heard of God, never mind worshipped him. So of course the "New" Americans – British, Dutch and other Europeans until Independence - wasted little time in sorting out that little difficulty by a wholesale slaughter using weapons that were superior to anything the Natives possessed. It was a process that continued as the settlers spread westward across the plains, through to the Indian Wars in the 19th century that completed the job and forced the surviving Redskins into reservations. Nowadays, these might be termed concentration camps or perhaps, more charitably, mere ghettoes. But by whatever means, the Native population had been decimated and left with little in the way of wealth, prospects or human dignity.
By this time, of course, our Americans had created and were close to abandoning a slave economy. Again, millions of people, all the wrong colour, had been uprooted from their homelands – this time far away on the African continent – and shipped in the most appalling conditions to America, where they were sold in the same way as animals, to labour and make life easier for the white owner. It took a bloody Civil War to end slavery, at least in law, though it has been argued that slavery still exists, not only in the US but across the "civilised" – for which read Western white – world. My own country, the UK, should hang its head in shame over this – it has at least apologised for its part in the 18th and 19th century slave trade in providing the ships to transport them – and do more to combat the appalling conditions that still exist elsewhere (including it has to be said in Britain itself). The Australian government has apologised for doling out similar treatment to its Aboriginal population and continues to take steps (perhaps too small, but steps nonetheless) to help them live better lives now. Perhaps I missed it, but I cannot recall similar action being taken towards the Native American population by a US government.
Despite Rosa Parks and the efforts of other Civil Rights campaigners like Martin Luther King that have given the coloured American population much better lives than even fifty years ago, with better living conditions and career prospects than ever before, racism is still rife in the country (as it is elsewhere, including in many European nations and in Britain). Proportionately more black people live in low quality housing. Proportionately more are in prison or unemployed or poorly educated. This cannot be mere bad luck, nor can all of them be blamed for the positions in which they find themselves. No, the victimisation is still there and still clear, and frequently ignored or swept under the carpet. The events in Ferguson Missouri and New York over the past few weeks clearly show that racism is still rife amongst US law enforcement agencies, and that there is still a reluctance to address the situation. Two unarmed coloured men die at the hands (in one case quite literally) of white law enforcement officers, and yet in neither case have criminal charges been brought. Quite the opposite: in both cases, the victims themselves have been blamed for essentially bringing about their own fate. The unrest and demonstrations of people nationwide, both black and white, suggest the opinion is not shared by the general public. Meanwhile, across the country, not a day goes by without similar cases being reported. The evil gun culture, so entrenched in US society, continues to rack up its bloody toll, and the powerful (and rich) NRA continues to influence politicians to block any legislation that may change this.
And now, since 9/11, there is a new enemy to fear, and that is the Muslim. Don't get me wrong, please, I condemn the 9/11 atrocity without reservation, and equally the 7/7 atrocity that hit London subsequently, and indeed any other terrorist act. But the way the Bush government lashed out in response, like a spoilt child whose favourite toy has been broken, and dragged the British and the rest of the Coalition along with it on a pile of doctored "evidence" and lies has surely made the situation worse.
In the 1990s, Iraq invaded Kuwait (a territory that it claimed, historically, to be part of Iraq). Protesting that invading a "sovereign nation" was wrong and against international law (correct on both counts) Bush the Elder launched the First Gulf War and with the help of Britain and others pushed Saddam's army back across the border and "liberated" Kuwait. This was accepted by pretty much everyone, including Arab nations. Fast forward a few years to 9/11. Bush the Younger's response to the attack on America's own soil was to launch the War on Terror, ostensibly against the al Qaeda organization (NOT in itself a sovereign nation) and to pursue this invaded both Iraq (where the butcher Saddam was toppled) and Afghanistan (where the fundamentalist Taliban were ousted from power). This seems to me to be hypocritical at the very least – you cannot accuse someone, no matter how heinous they are, of breaking international law in this way, and then within a very a short span do exactly the same thing and insist you are doing "the right thing".
The lack of a Plan B – what do we do now we've toppled the government? – merely led to a slaughter of the innocents in both countries that continues to this day (even though US and British and other troops have gone home – apart from a few "advisors": special forces and spooks to you and me, pretending to be trainers). Both countries are now mired in corruption and illegal paramilitary forces that prevent any semblance of a normal life for the citizens, most of whom merely want to have enough food to eat and a decent education for their kids. Understandably (if perhaps a little unfairly) the Iraqi and Afghan youth trapped in this situation blame the US and Britain for their plight, and hence provide a rich seam of discontent to be mined by al Qaeda and IS and other militant Islamic groups.
Perhaps predictably, a lot of young Arab people elsewhere view the situation with resentment – they see no future for themselves or their countries – and are also prime targets for the militant Islamists to draw into their clutches. They perceive that Western society – in particular America and Britain – has bullied the poorer Islamic nations, and are lashing out against them in revenge. They are fanatics and happy to die themselves to exact their revenge. It is a twisted view, of course, and one thankfully held by only a minority of Muslims – but that minority, by its vicious and bloody tactics, its mass killings and public beheadings of white Westerners (and any local who does not share their view of the Koran) has the stronger voice.
Militant Islam may well have risen anyway, with the same principals of jihad and death and destruction, but there is no doubt in my mind that the American policy of trying to force its own version of Democracy on nations that perhaps didn't really want it has been a major factor in speeding up its spread.
Which brings me to another point – the broken US political system.
Clearly, it isn't working. The choice of government seems to lie between a Republican party that (correctly) puts American interests first but is happiest if those interests are supported by its own vested interests (basically private enterprise, big business and a low taxation regime) and a Democratic party that (correctly) puts American interests first but wants to spread the wealth generated around a bit more fairly, so that even poor people have access to health care and a decent education, even if that means that the wealthy have to pay a bit more tax to pay for it. There seems to be no real middle ground.
Government is formed by a combination of the Executive Branch (the President, his Cabinet and the Judiciary), Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate, both elected offices) and local State government through Governors and locally elected representatives. Individual towns and cities too have a high degree of autonomy through powerful elected Mayors. It's a complicated system, and the whole edifice is greased by money - not only in taxation (both local and federal) but at the party level by "donation" – which is essentially people dipping into their pockets and giving their hard-earned cash to fund their candidate of choice. Much of this, I'm sure, is well meant and done for the public good by genuinely decent and concerned citizens of all races and religions. British parties are funded in a similar way but much smaller scale. But the more an individual or organization donates to a party the more it expects in return. This raises a question rarely aired, to my knowledge, and even more rarely addressed: when does a "donation" become a "bribe"? To put it another way, when does genuine financial support to enable a politician or his party to do genuine work become hiring that politician for personal gain (that may or may not coincide with what the majority of the electorate actually want)? Where is the line between civic responsibility and corruption?
Yet this questionable form of democracy is what the US is desperately trying to foist onto nations that for perhaps generations have happily survived and indeed prospered under various forms of government that are a million miles from what is acceptable to Western society. Absolute hereditary monarchies have their place in society, as do benevolent dictatorships, surely – provided the human rights and well-being of their subjects are protected and prioritized. It's only when the monarch or dictator moves away from a recognition of basic human dignity that problems occur – and that is another example of human frailty rather than something that "democracy" is likely to prevent. Anybody has the right to a personal opinion, but not to impose it on other people – that to me is key human right, and one that by their actions, successive US and Allied democratic governments have broken in trying to enforce their beliefs on others.
I'm perhaps a being a little unfair to the US here because political systems world-wide appear to me to be in a bad way. In Britain, arguably the inventor of democracy, extremist parties such as UKIP are gaining support through a virulent anti-EU and anti-immigration platform without offering any positive message or manifesto of how they will improve people's lives. The major parties are more concerned with sound-bite politics and scoring points off each other by scare-stories and personal abuse, and the most senior members of both Government and Opposition are career politicians who have gone straight from university to party politics without doing a "real" day's work in their lives. Their policies are bringing pain and hardship to families the length and breadth of the country – and yet there seems to be no real alternative. Conviction Politicians, genuine public servants whose first thought is to their electorate and not to personal gain, seem as extinct as the dinosaurs.
I'm painting a bleak picture here, in this Festive Season, but I find it very difficult to identify anything to be optimistic about.
As far as the Report that inspired this piece is concerned, Obama is to be congratulated for ordering it, releasing it and supporting its findings. He is also to be commended, in my view, for his measured reaction to the Ferguson and New York police killings, and his continued efforts to promote dialogue across the country about gun control, health care, race relations and so on – the Big Issues that remain unresolved. The shame is that pretty much throughout his Presidency this Democrat has been hamstrung by a Republican party, strong in both Houses and now having control of both, that often made it impossible for him to enforce the kinds of social change he committed to and that gained him office, and have now left him a lame duck President for the final year. I think that is a tragedy not only for America but arguably for the world.
In the wake of the Report, the usual GOP hawks like the odious Cheney, and the former CIA Director Michael Hayden, crawled out of the woodwork defending the CIA's behaviour specifically, and torture (sorry, Enhanced Interrogation Techniques – so much nicer, don't you think?) more generally, as being necessary, producing valuable intelligence and saving American lives – all three claims roundly disproved by the content of the Report according to all the key point summaries I've seen. I find it very interesting that Bush the Younger, who approved the entire programme and was clearly (by all accounts, on both sides of the argument) regularly briefed in detail as to what was being done and to what effect, has remained silent and made no comment. Is he perhaps just being his usual stubborn, simple-minded self, incapable of recognizing an error of judgement (most likely), or is he perhaps as appalled and embarrassed by the Report as the rest of us but unable to formulate a way to express his contrition and apologise (yeah, right…..)?
Britain and other European nations like Poland and Portugal, Germany and the Czech Republic, should also be asking questions of themselves and their relations with US after their documented assistance in providing facilities for the CIA rendition flights that carried suspects to the US and, in some cases, provided facilities to start the entire interrogation process. The British Government has admitted to providing flight assistance – re-fuelling facilities and the like – but insists that it played no part in any interrogation process, whether enhanced or not. Alexander Kwasniewski, Polish President at the time, has stated publicly that his country provided similar assistance and also an interrogation centre, but that as soon as the Polish government got wind that some of the things going on there were a little unsavoury, "demanded" of Bush that they stop and apparently this happened. Other countries implicated have so far been silent on the matter.
Clearly, it's a story that is going to run and run through 2015, with elections scheduled in both the UK and the US. Early days, but it seems likely to me, based on public opinion as reported on various news services and conversations I've had with people (and, yes, I know that is not a real guide), that Labour will win the UK Election (though perhaps without a clear majority, opening the nightmare scenario of deal-making with Farage's UKIP mavericks and others) and the Republicans will return in Washington (with a probable dumping of much Obama legislation out of spite and a return to the kind of free-market excess and gung-ho foreign policy that arguably led the world into this mess in the first place).
If that happens – well, hold on for a rough ride. The Arab world, whether Militant or moderate, will feel less than impressed with the prospects, and Israel, conversely, will become even more stridently anti-Arab (if that is possible) with the stronger support of the Jewish Republican lobby having a greater say with its government. Relations with China have thawed lately, and business improved as a result, but will this continue under the new power structures? How will the increasingly fractious relationship between Britain and the EU develop? Probably not well, especially if there is any attempt to restrict immigration and introduce controls.
Through it all, IS and other Militant Islamic terror groups are likely to grow in strength, barbarity and hence influence. This is the great imponderable, in my opinion. Never mind a still ailing global economy, and the unrest being propagated by Russia in Ukraine and other neighbouring regions that have prompted sanctions that are now biting very hard (Russia will be in recession soon, and how they react to that may be interesting) – the confrontation between Militant Islam and the rest of the world is likely to have more far-reaching consequences.
Action needs to be taken against IS and the other organizations, but storming in booted and armed as the US and its allies have done in the past does not seem to have worked – Iraq, Afghanistan and IS themselves would seem to be the proof of that. A new way needs to found to address this, and I am less than convinced that any Western politician, let alone government, has either the ability or the courage to do that.


text:
The Alpha A9 from Sony is an impressive mirrorless camera designed for professional sports photographers with 24.2-megapixel full-frame stacked CMOS sensor that permits faster data readout when compared to previous sensors. It was officially announced in April 2017.
Compared to the pro-Canon and Nikon bodies, the Alpha 9 is smaller and lighter and more convenient in shape. Some Photographers will love the fact that it permits a larger grip due to its size.
Oversampled 4k footage
High-res viewfinder
Blistering performance
No viewfinder blackout
Incredibly fast and capable AF
Excellent result from 24MP sensor
Impressive level of customization
No XQD card slots
Battery life not a match for rivals
Very limited touchscreen control
Weather sealing not as robust as rivals
Balance not great with long lenses
The Sony A9 utilizes a completely electronic shutter to permit quick, quiet and vibrating free shooting, with a shutter speed up to 1/32000, and electronic piece eliminating blackouts. Rolling shutter artifacts are being disposed of; since the camera can convey an anti-distorting shutter with faster speeds.
- Full-frame stacked CMOS sensor, 24.2MP
- 3,686 K-dot electronic viewfinders.
- 0-inch tilt-angle touch screen (1,440,000 dots).
What makes the Alpha 9 to stand out is the 24.2MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor. The stacked design means the integrated DRAM memory modules, the BIONZ X image processing engine and a high-speed processing circuit are all lined up behind the image sensor. The high-speed processing circuit, the embedded DRAM memory modules, and the image processing system (BIONZ X).
The Alpha 9 pushes data through the sensor, and these data are being read 20 times faster than the previous versions. At this rate, the Alpha 9 can shoot at a dashing 20fps for 241 raw files and up to 362 JPEG files according to Sony camera news.
The stacked sensor is designed in a bid to enhance the A9's performance. It delivers a better noise control with the aid of light-gathering elements. The Alpha 9 has a broad native ISO range of 100-51,200, which can be expanded up to 50-204,800, with an extended ISO ceiling proportional to 3,280,000.
We've always liked the large electronic viewfinder on the Alpha A7R II, but the EVF on the A9 is bigger and better. The Sony Alpha 9 features a larger and better electronic viewfinder compared to that of the Alpha A7R II.
Alpha A9's high-luminance EVF has the highest resolution when considering viewfinders that have been used by Sony in cameras according to Sony camera news. It permits 0.78x magnifications with a 120fps refresh rate and a coating to reduce reflections. A9's viewfinder is fresher compared to Sony's previous EVF and better at avoiding electronic artifacts. It offers a rich shooting experience for photographers.
The camera can record quality videos as well, offering a 4k (3840 x 2160p) video recording through the width of the full-frame sensor. When shooting, the camera obtains up to 6K of information using full pixel readout, which produces high-quality 4K footage.
An important upgrade on the Sony A9 is the twin SD card slots, with one slot to the faster UHS-II media support, which is a little bit disappointing. The good thing is that, like other cameras with twin card slots, you can setup the camera to flawlessly switch from one card to the other.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the Sony Alpha A9 features the usual Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth supports. Most importantly, it features the flash sync socket which is missing in the Alpha A7R II.
Canon EOS M6 is from a rival.
The camera consists of a 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, a Micro USB for output and charging, and a Type-D Micro HDMI port. You can charge the Alpha A9 over USB and at the same time powering it on for live shooting, something that is peculiar to Sony. The USB port speed remains at 2, which is a little bit sad looking at the nature of the camera because some Photographers' expected Sony to upgrade to a USB port speed of 3.
Observing the Sony A9 specs, it follows a similar design pattern with the Alpha 7 series. However, the Sony A9 is considerably more compact compared to bulky and heavy cameras like the Nikon D5 and Canon EOS-1D Mark.
The Alpha A9 is considerably efficient for professional Photographers and Videographers. Though there are no rubber seals to protect some of the camera's element, the body is weather-resistant, made of magnesium alloy. Its grip is nicely comfortable and of a decent size. An alternative GPX1EM grip extension is attached, with a VGC3EM battery grip as well.
There is an increment in the numbers of direct controls; there are presently dials for both drive and auto adjust modes. Sony A9 features an AF joystick (which is extremely decent to utilize) and committed AF-ON and AEL buttons. No doubt, the Sony A9 features impressive customizations; you can also work out your own preferred customizations for optimum results.
Get the Sony Alpha A9 best deal on Amazon now.
The Sony Alpha A9's Autofocus reacts faster than that of the A7R II. An improvement which features a sophisticated approach to auto focusing. It comes with a dashing 603 phase detection, with AF points of 93% coverage. AF speed has been increased up to 60 fps, initializing faster acquisition. Depending on what you are shooting, there are plenty of autofocus settings and customizations to make it easier for you.
The joystick allows you to focus areas properly by positioning anywhere in the frame. An Expanded Flexible Spot Mode which utilizes additional AF points is added to eliminate struggles when focusing. With the addition of a Lock-on setting, you also have a wide variety of focusing area options when shooting with the Sony Alpha A9. The AF system is simply impressive, being the first Sony Camera to permit customizable AF tracking sensitivity according to Sony camera news.
The Sony Alpha A9 is a masterpiece with no viewfinder blackouts and a burst shooting of 20 fps. It has amazing functions, like the electronic shutter which can help you in silencing when capturing subjects.
Compared to the A7R II, the Sony A9 sensor readout is 6 times faster than an A7R II with its rear side illuminated system and 20 times faster than the A7 II which utilizes a more regular front-side illuminated sensor.
The Alpha A9 uses less power consumption than the AR7 II when recording videos. Start-up times in the Alpha 9 are 30% quicker, and the camera feels more energetic to use than the previous full-frame models from Sony.
With a 3686k-dot resolution and a 120 fps refresh rate, the electronic viewfinder can produce a large and clear view of your shootings. The EVF creates a plain view of what the camera is about capturing in real-time with a blackout-free burst shooting in place.
The Sony A9 can deliver 480 shots with the upgraded battery life. However, you need a substantial number of spare batteries, if you are an active and a working Photographer. The A9's expanded battery life is good for a mirrorless camera of its nature, but it achieves less compared to that of the EOS 1Dx Mark II and D5. You can actually double the total battery life to 1000 shots by attaching the VG-C3EM grip accessory to approach the tagged 1210 shots by the Canon EOS 1Dx Mark II.
Alpha A9 is incredibly vibrant in color output and also effective in the reduction of noise.
The 24MP sensor has the rich capabilities of delivering well-detailed images, particularly when hitched with some of Sony's G-Master lenses. Results gotten from capturing subjects are more favorable compared to the EOS-1D X Mark II and D5. You can generate clear and sharp A3 and A2 sized prints with ease.
The Sony Alpha A9 price goes for $4498 on Amazon. It is a masterpiece from Sony that shares the same intents with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and D5. However, Sony is coming with an entirely different approach with the most resolution offered and its world's first full-frame stacked CMOS sensor system.
Looking at some of the cons; the sealing on the body is not as standard as that of its rival. It has limited touch screen controls and lacks proper balancing with long lenses, with its battery life not matching up with that of the EOS-1D X Mark II and D5.
Nevertheless, it possesses a snappy performance with a fast and impressive autofocus. There is no viewfinder blackout when capturing and you are guaranteed excellent and sharp results from the 24MP CMOS sensor.
The Sony Alpha A9 offers an improved overall responsiveness for a camera of its nature with Sony meeting up to the necessary expectations with this great product.
You want to get the best deal on this camera on Amazon? Go here.
Read Nikon D7500 review.
Read Canon EOS 77D review


text:
The vertebrate musculoskeletal system is essential for structural support and locomotion. It is composed of muscle which is surrounded by muscle connective tissue and attached via tendons to bone. The broad aim of our laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms and cellular interactions regulating musculoskeletal development, regeneration, disease, and evolution. Our research is centered on two components of the musculoskeletal system: muscle and muscle connective tissue. We focus on the muscle stem cells because they are required for generating muscle (which is post-mitotic) during development, growth, and regeneration. We focus on the connective tissue because not only is it critical for musculoskeletal form and function, but it provides the molecular and cellular niche within which muscle stem cells reside. The goal of our research is to elucidate the role of muscle stem cells, connective tissue, and muscle/connective tissue interactions during development of the limb and diaphragm, muscle regeneration, and musculoskeletal evolution.
Muscle Stem Cells in Development, Regeneration, and Homeostasis
Pax7+ (pink nucleus) satellite cell is genetically labeled with YFP in Pax7CreERT2/+;R26RYFP/+ mice
Muscle development, growth, and regeneration take place throughout vertebrate life. All of these processes are mediated by muscle stem cells. Our research has concentrated on elucidating the developmental origin of muscle stem cells in limb muscle, their function, and the extrinsic signals that regulate them. Although widely recognized that embryonic, fetal/neonatal, and adult muscle are distinct, it was unclear whether they derived from a single or multiple stem cell populations. In a series of lineage experiments (Kardon et al. 2002, Schienda et al. 2006, Hutcheson et al. 2009), we determined that all stem cells originate from the somites, but embryonic and fetal muscle derive from developmentally distinct, although related stem cells. In addition, local limb signals, likely from nearby connective tissue fibroblasts, significantly regulate muscle development. Currently, we are determining what are these signals, testing where they come from, and determining how these signals are regulating muscle stem cells and their development.
Are muscle stem cells necessary for muscle development, regeneration, and homeostasis? To test this, we have genetically ablated different stem cell populations. Genetic ablation of stem cells expressing the transcription factors Pax3 or Pax7, demonstrated that Pax3+ and Pax7+ stem cells are required for embryonic and fetal myogenesis, respectively (Hutcheson et al. 2009). In the adult, muscle satellite cells have long been proposed to be the stem cell required for muscle regeneration, and many studies have demonstrated that satellite cells are sufficient to regenerate muscle. However, the necessity of satellite cells had not been critically tested. Using a tamoxifen-inducible Pax7CreERT2 allele, which we generated to genetically manipulate satellite cells with high efficiency (and now available at Jax), we definitively demonstrated that satellite cells are the endogenous stem cell required for muscle regeneration (Murphy et al. 2011). Similar results were also found by our colleagues (Lepper et al. 2011, Sambasivan et al. 2011, McCarthy et al. 2011). Thus, satellite cells are the key stem cell required for regenerating muscle damaged during injury or disease. Our current efforts are focused on determining what molecular signals and cell-cell interactions regulate satellite cells and regeneration. An additional question we have been exploring is the role of stem cells in maintaining myofibers, which are post-mitotic. Recently, we have found that satellite cells contribute to myofibers, even in the absence of injury and thus implicate satellite cells as playing a role in muscle homeostasis (Keefe, Lawson et al. 2015)
Muscle Connective Tissue and Fibrosis
Transient fibrosis (red) surrounding muscle (yellow) during muscle regeneration
Vertebrate muscle structure and function is critically dependent upon its connective tissue. The connective tissue ensheaths muscle and is important structurally for maintaining tissue architecture and functionally for transmitting muscle contractile force to adjoining tendon and bone. In addition, the connective tissue is an important component of the niche regulating muscle stem cells. However, connective tissue must be precisely regulated as connective tissue fibrosis, which is a feature of chronic injury, aging, and disease, can seriously impair muscle strength and elasticity.
We have identified the transcription factor Tcf4 (Tcf7L2) as a marker of the muscle connective tissue fibroblasts (Kardon et al. 2003, Mathew et al. 2011). We have generated (in collaboration with Melinda Angus-Hill and Mario Capecchi) two alleles of Tcf4 in mice, Tcf4GFPCre and a tamoxifen-inducible Tcf4CreERT, to genetically label and manipulate the connective tissue fibroblasts (Mathew et al. 2011, Murphy et al. 2011). Using this new molecular marker and genetic reagents, we are addressing multiple questions. What extracellular matrix components do the fibroblasts make? What triggers fibroblasts to a fibrotic state? How does fibrosis in muscle compare with fibrosis in other tissues?
Tissue Interactions During Limb Musculoskeletal Development and Congenital Limb Abnormalities
E14.5 mouse limb with muscle (red), tendon (green), and nerves (blue) labeled
Development of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system requires the coordinated morphogenesis of muscle, muscle connective tissue, tendon, and skeleton. How muscles and tendons are patterned and assembled with muscle connective tissue is largely unknown and defective in multiple human genetic syndromes. Based on our previous work (Kardon et al. 2002, Kardon et al. 2003), we hypothesize that the muscle connective tissue and its interactions with muscle and tendon are critical for development of the musculoskeleton. To test this hypothesis, we are examining in mouse the morphogenesis of muscle, muscle connective tissue, tendons, and skeleton during limb development and when key genes are conditionally deleted. To visualize normal musculoskeletal morphogenesis, we are generating, in collaboration with Yong Wan and Chuck Hansen at The Scientific and Computing Institute, a 3-dimensional atlas of limb musculoskeletal development. This atlas will provide an integrative description of normal limb musculoskeletal development and will be a publicly available resource. A description of the methods employed to make this atlas, with some initial atlas images, are now published (Yong et al. 2012). This atlas will be an invaluable resource for evaluating mouse limb mutants. Our integrative analysis of multiple conditional limb mutants will elucidate general principles governing morphogenesis of the complex structure of the limb and provide insights into outstanding questions. How are multiple tissues, with different developmental origins, organized into the integrated structure of the limb? Are there particular processes or molecular pathways that are subject to failure and lead to congenital defects?
Tissue Interactions During Limb Muscle Regeneration
Pax7+ satellite cells (green) and Tcf4+ fibroblasts (red)
Muscle regeneration requires the coordinated interaction of multiple cell types. In addition to the adult muscle stem cells (the satellite cells), muscle connective tissue fibroblasts are important regulators of muscle regeneration. To test the role of connective tissue, we used the tamoxifen-inducible Tcf4CreERT2 allele (which we generated in collaboration with the lab of Mario Capecchi) to genetically ablate connective tissue fibroblasts. Genetic ablation of MCT fibroblasts altered the dynamics of satellite cells, leading to premature satellite cells differentiation, depletion of the early pool of satellite cells, and smaller regenerated myofibers (Murphy et al. 2011). Thus we identified connective tissue fibroblasts as a novel and vital component of the niche regulating satellite cell expansion during regeneration. Identifying and testing the molecular signals from the connective tissue fibroblasts to the satellite cells is a major area of our current research.
Tissue Interactions During Development of the Diaphragm and Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias
E14.5 mouse diaphragm with muscle (red), tendon (green), and nerves (blue) labeled
The diaphragm is functionally the most important skeletal muscle in mammals, as it is essential for respiration. Strikingly, defects in diaphragm development are common birth defects (1:3000 births) that cause congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDH) and result in high neonatal mortality. Given its functional importance and the frequency and severity of CDH, we focus on understanding the embryonic origins, cell-cell interactions, and genetic mechanisms underlying diaphragm development normally and during herniation. Similar to limb development, interactions between muscle and its connective tissue are critical for diaphragm development (Merrell et al. 2015). Furthermore, mutations in connective tissue are a potent source of CDH (Merrell et al. 2015). We are using a combination of in vitro and in vivo experiments to elucidate the genetic mechanisms and cellular processes regulating development of the diaphragm and CDH.
Evolution of the Diaphragm, a Novel Mammalian Muscle
Although the diaphragm is a functionally essential skeletal muscle in humans, the muscularized diaphragm is an evolutionary novelty that arose in and uniquely defines mammals. What genetic and developmental innovations led to this major mammalian innovation? The question of how morphologic novelties arise is a major question in evolutionary biology. While changes in tissue interactions and genetic architecture underlying the modification (e.g. addition of hand/feet to tetrapod limbs) or loss (e.g. pelvic armor reduction in stickleback fish) of structures are starting to be elucidated, considerably less is known about how complex morphological structures arise de novo. To discover what developmental innovations led to the evolution of the muscularized diaphragm, we are comparing the development of birds (chick), which represent an ancestral, non-muscularized state, with mice.