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Tax Credits Overview
Businesses who locate within Designated Areas may be granted a state income tax credit of $3,500, per eligible new job while businesses in other locations of the city, must meet Tier 4 Job Tax Credit Program requirements to receive a tax credit of $1250. Businesses located in Designated Areas can use job tax credits against 100 percent of Georgia income tax and withholding tax liability. Businesses granted tax credits based on Tier 4 program requirements can use the credit towards 50 percent of income tax and withholding tax liability.
Designated Area Tax Credits
Business located in Marietta's Opportunity Zones (OZs), Military Zones (MZs) and Less Developed Census Tracts (LDCTs) may qualify for the state of Georgia's highest job tax credits. Businesses who meet state Job Tax Credit Program requirements for OZs, MZs, and LDCTs can receive a $3,500 state income tax credit per new job for up to 5 years. The job creation threshold for program certification to receive OZ and MZ job tax credits is 2 new jobs in a single year. The job creation threshold for program certification to receive LDCT job tax credits is 5 new job in a single year.Link to page
State Tax Credits
Information about the Tier 4 Job Tax Credit, Quality Jobs Tax Credit, and the Retraining Tax Credits.Link to page
Additional Tax Credits
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Child Care Tax Credit information and links.Link to page


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Can you imagine a child sleeping on the floor . . . a family with no table or chairs to share a meal . . . clothing and personal belongings stored in cardboard boxes or plastic garbage bags?
Thankfully, most of us cannot. Yet every year in Westchester, many are forced to live without even the most essential household furnishings because after paying for rent and food, they have no money to buy the basic furniture that many of us take for granted -- the furnishings that make a house a home.
Furniture Sharehouse, a not-for-profit organization, provides these individuals and families with the basic household furnishings they need free of charge, enabling them to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Won't you help us make a house a home for a needy family in Westchester County?

subset: commoncrawl


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Nov. 21, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Senior guard Tracey Walker finished just shy of a triple-double and senior Jen Gottschalk added 22 points Tuesday night to lead Santa Clara women's basketball into the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout title game with a 69-61 triumph over Bradley at Sullivan Arena. The Broncos will face host Alaska Anchorage in the championship game on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. AST.
"We started out really well in the first half," said head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. "But we began to lose our composure mentally towards the end. However, we played great defense in the second half and maintained a steady lead to the end. We're excited to play Alaska Anchorage in the championship game. This is why we came here and the game speaks for itself as a motivating factor for our players and we're excited for the challenge."
Walker, who received Player of the Game honors, tallied a career-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, which the was also a career-high.
"Tracey played her best basketball of the year in that first half," said Bento-Jackson. "She played hard and did a very good job on both ends of the court."
Assisting the Broncos in their third straight victory of the season was Wasilla, Alaska native Chandice Cronk, who had a successful homecoming with 16 points (7-12 FG, 4-6 3FG) , and Elizabeth Doran, who registered 11 points.
Santa Clara started out strong and pushed themselves to a 15-4 lead on points from Walker, Doran and Cronk. But Bradley began to fight back to produce a 10-2 run and tie the score 32-32 with three minutes left in the half. A layup from Gottschalk gave the Broncos a 34-32 lead, but with 32 seconds remaining Devyn Flanagan scored for the Braves and sent the game into halftime with a 34-34 score.
The Broncos opened the second half with another spurt of energy and quickly pushed to a 10-point lead, 39-49, on points from Doran, Walker and Gottschalk. Yet, the Braves continued to apply pressure and brought the score within four points, 57-53, on a jumper with five minutes remaining. However, Gottschalk answered quickly with a made layup and free throw to send the Broncos on a 10-4 run and make the score 67-57 on another layup from Gottschalk. Santa Clara held Bradley to just four additional points as back-to-back free throws from Gottschalk closed out the score, 69-61.
For the Braves, forward Monica Rogers scored a game-high 27 points and Skye Johnson had 12 points.
The Broncos face the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage in the championship game Wednesday night. UAA is the reigning Great Alaska Shootout champions after defeating UC Riverside, 72-67, last November. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m. AST at Sullivan Arena.


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The Laboratory that bears the Cold Spring Harbor name is famous for its research, its role in science education, and the science that won three recent Nobel prizes. This book, an intellectual history of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, can be enjoyed by anyone interested in the development of contemporary science, regardless of technical background. It is assembled on the foundation of twenty research papers published between 1903 and 1969. Now hard to track down, they are reproduced in facsimile and accompanied by a series of essays by Jan Witkowski describing the investigations that were done, who did them, and why they were important. This handsome volume will appeal to students, established scientists, and others intrigued not only by the history of research at Cold Spring Harbor but also by an extraordinary period in the flowering of American science.
"This volume is a treat for both scientists and historians of science and it reflects well the love that Witkowski found in sifting through the laboratory's archives."
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"If you are anywhere on the spectrum from frequent Cold Spring Harbor visitor to someone who barely knows that Symposia of that name were until recently published in maroon covers, and if you want to learn more of the history of this remarkable research centre, then this book is for you."
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WASHINGTON–A certified public accountant (CPA) and purported outside auditor for Provident Capital Indemnity Ltd. (PCI) pleaded guilty today for his role in a $670 million fraud scheme involving victims throughout the United States and abroad.
The guilty plea was announced Monday by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
"Mr. Castillo used his position as a CPA to give PCI an air of legitimacy that provided their clients the peace of mind to invest millions," said U.S. Attorney MacBride. "Auditors stand as a gatekeeper to fraud, and we are aggressively pursuing those who abuse their position to facilitate the fraud rather than take steps to put a stop to it. I want to commend the outstanding work of the Virginia Securities and Financial Fraud Task Force for detecting and disrupting this massive, ongoing international fraud before the scheme victimized even more investors."
"Mr. Castillo played an integral role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that harmed investors throughout the United States and abroad," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. "Trading on his qualification as a CPA, he created false documents that concealed the true nature of PCI's operations. We are determined to continue holding accountable those who commit financial fraud, and prey upon unsuspecting investors."
Jorge Luis Castillo, 56, a resident of New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Castillo is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2012.
According to a statement of facts filed with Castillo's plea agreement, PCI was an insurance and reinsurance company registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica and doing business in Costa Rica. PCI sold financial guarantee bonds to companies selling life settlements, or securities backed by life settlements, to investors. These bonds were marketed to PCI's clients as a way to alleviate the risk of insured beneficiaries living beyond their life expectancy. The clients, in turn, typically explained to their investors that the financial guarantee bonds ensured that the investors would receive their expected return on investment irrespective of whether the insured on the underlying life settlement lived beyond his or her life expectancy.
Castillo admitted today that he conspired with Minor Vargas Calvo, 60, the president and majority owner of PCI, to prepare audited financial statements that falsely claimed that PCI had entered into reinsurance contracts with major reinsurance companies. These claims, which were supported by a letter from Castillo stating that he conducted an audit of PCI's financial records, were used to assure PCI's clients that the reinsurance companies were backstopping the majority of the risk that PCI had insured through its financial guarantee bonds.
Castillo admitted that he never performed an audit of PCI's financial statements and that, in fact, he personally created the statements he claimed to be independently auditing. He also admitted that he and others at PCI knew that the company never actually entered into reinsurance contracts with any major companies. Castillo also admitted that he and other conspirators provided the false financial statements and fraudulent independent auditors' report to Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), which D&B relied on in compiling its commercial reports on PCI and issuing its 5A rating of PCI's financial strength.
From 2004 through 2010, PCI sold approximately $670 million of bonds to life settlement investment companies located in various countries, including the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada. PCI's clients, in turn, sold investment offerings backed by PCI's bonds to thousands of investors around the world. Purchasers of PCI's bonds were allegedly required to make up-front payments of six to 11 percent of the underlying settlement as "premium" payments to PCI before the company would issue the bonds.
Court records state that Castillo received approximately $84,000 from his work as the purported outside auditor of PCI from 2004 through 2010.
Vargas, a citizen and resident of Costa Rica, and PCI were charged in a superseding indictment on Oct. 5, 2011, with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Vargas was also charged with three counts of money laundering. Vargas was arrested on Jan. 19, 2011, at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and has been incarcerated pending trial, scheduled to be held on Feb. 13, 2012. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
This continuing investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service and FBI, with assistance from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the Texas State Securities Board and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael S. Dry and Jessica Aber Brumberg of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Albert B. Stieglitz Jr. of the Fraud Section in the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) conducted a parallel investigation and in January 2011 filed a parallel civil enforcement action against PCI, Vargas and Castillo. The department thanks the SEC for its assistance in this matter.


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9th Printing - Updated for 2018
Musical Christmas Cards is not just another book of Christmas songs for the piano. It's a unique collection of intermediate/advanced piano pieces based on Christmas songs - like you've never heard before.
Years ago, Los Angeles composer John Eidsvoog started composing an original Christmas card each year. Since then, friends and family have anxiously awaited each new musical offering. Now the results of this tradition are included in this collection of 34 Musical Christmas Cards (plus a bonus arrangement of Carol Of The Bells).
The book is printed on high quality paper with a beautiful color cover. Here's a list of the contents:
(Titles shown in red are links to pieces that are also sold separately. Titles shown in blue are links to YouTube videos.)
Download a free sampler of 35 songs from the book here
Copyright © 2019 Sky Blue Music Online StorePowered by osCommerce


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DENVER -- While quarterback Tim Tebow's rough passing performance in last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs did create some internal discussion about whether to prepare backup Brady Quinn during practice for possible action in Sunday's AFC Wild Card game against the Steelers, the team later backed off the idea, sources said Friday.
Quinn also told NFL.com -- both before and after an Internet report surfaced that he "has been getting roughly half the first-team reps in practice this week" -- that his repetitions have not changed at all this week.
Via text message, Quinn said he hasn't "gotten any extra reps" in practice. Quinn reiterated his stance during a follow-up conversation after the report from ProFootballTalk.com first surfaced Friday afternoon.
Quinn said he gets âmaybe a couple of reps a dayâ with the first-team offense, adding that usually he gets one or two repetitions -- âif anyâ -- on Fridays. He said he got two repetitions with the unit Friday.
Asked about the internal discussions earlier in the week, which were disclosed by a team source, Quinn said there have been other instances when he has been involved in talks about a possible package, but in any of those instances, the team has later backed off and allowed Tebow to remain the team's sole quarterback.
It is possible the Broncos still could put Tebow on a short leash after last Sunday's performance, but Quinn said that has not led to any more additional preparation in practice.
Quinn, however, has spent time throwing passes to wide receivers after practice has ended, as he did Friday. He also routinely prepares for games with a very different mindset than Tebow, since the offense would change dramatically if Quinn were to end up in the game.
Follow Jeff Darlington on Twitter @JeffDarlington.


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Discuss different Weight Watchers programs and plans like Simply Filling, 123 Success, 360, Simple Start, Quick Start, and more.
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Why Consign with RM?
As the global leader in the collector car auction industry, RM is best positioned to reach a worldwide market of elite collectors who have personal relationships with our international team of specialists. Consigning with RM offers many unique benefits:
- The industry´s most experienced team of knowledgeable car specialists
- Solid track record of results, including many world records and an average sell-through rate of over 90%
- A diverse and international calendar of annual auction events
- Competitive auction fees and tailored commission structures
- Prolific, comprehensive, and targeted promotional campaigns
- Concierge-style client services
How to Consign
Step 1: Contact an RM Car Specialist
Step 2: Talk about the Specifics
- The specifics of your car in order to arrive at a reasonable market value and, should you choose, a reserve price;
- What auction venue (as we have many) will be the best fit for you and your automobile(s); and
- The information you will need to provide us with to properly market your automobile(s). This usually includes a detailed description of the car´s conditions, provenance, racing and/or award history, and a briefing on any restoration or modification the car has undergone.
Step 3: Complete a Consignment Package
Before you sell with RM Sotheby's you must sign a seller´s agreement. All sales with RM Sotheby's are subject to our terms and conditions. Your Car Specialist and/or our Admin team can answer any questions regarding these conditions. Please note that a clear, transferable title must be provided at this time.
Step 4: World-Class Marketing
Step 5: Experience the Results!
We look forward to establishing a long-lasting relationship with you and sharing our passion for this exciting hobby.
Checkout our seller FAQ for more information.


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*Update: If you can tolerate eggs, I suggest substituting the olive oil for 2 beaten eggs as this helps hold the coating on better. I've also found that if you place a wire rack over the cookie sheet and bake the chicken strips on the rack it helps get the coating even more crispy.
If there's one thing that frustrates me the most, it's having to make 2 different meals at dinner time. I try to feed my son what we are having for dinner that night, but sometimes the flavors are too mature for his palate, so I like to keep some more kid friendly options in the freezer.
My son, like most kids, loves chicken nuggets. It's pretty hard to stay away from some of the frozen foods they sell when you have a toddler who wants to eat on his own watch, but luckily there are a lot of organic (and even gluten-free!) versions out there right now. This time though, I wanted to make a grain-free, paleo, and SCD chicken finger that both he and I could enjoy. I served half for dinner, and froze the other half for those unpredictable nights where he immediately throws the food I serve onto the floor!
This recipe is being linked up this week to Allergy Friendly Fridays


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More than anything else, players, for the most part haven't stepped up and accepted responsibility for exactly how terrible they've performed.
Yes, a few players have performed above the call, David Ortiz when healthy, Cody Ross, and the unlikeliest trio, Pedro Ciriaco, Scott Posednik, and Junichi Tazawa.
What exactly do fans want? My list isn't expansive:
- Thankfulness. Players play a child's game for ridiculous money and receive the adulation of young and old alike. Appreciate the game.
- Passion. Play hard and have fun. Do the right thing at the right time, and stop with the knucklehead baserunning.
- Humility. Yes, we understand that many are called and few are chosen.
- Servanthood. Players don't get much time off during the season. I remember going through medical training in the Navy working 185 days in a row. There was no 'off day' dealing with people's lives, and yes, the people who suffer the most are the families when people work hard. But many people struggle with two or three jobs to make ends meet.
- Unity. The Sox once had the reputation of '25 players, 25 cabs.' We're past that. It's '25 players, 25 limos'. Come on, give the fans a break.
Is asking for professionalism so much? Maybe it is. And players (and the Red Sox) do give back, and we don't see that. But it comes with the responsibility of being a Red Sox. If you don't want it, then better to play in obscurity somewhere else.
Meanwhile back in reality, Scott Boras, master salesman, proclaims Jacoby Ellsbury a 'franchise player'. He sure was last season. This year's guy has been for about a week. I'm not mad at Boras, that's his job to promote his players...or Ellsbury, who's struggled with injuries and after a hot streak has a .700 OPS. Who's among his top similarity score? Lyman Bostock. I guess I missed him on that trip to Cooperstown.


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On Monday, eight of the world's leading technology companies set aside their rivalries to issue a direct challenge to U.S. lawmakers: lead the world by example and fix America's broken surveillance state. Although the tech companies' statement sends a powerful message, notably absent from the letter's signatories is the appearance of a single telecommunications company, or telco.
In the open letter published on the Internet and in full-page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and elsewhere, tech giants Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Microsoft, AOL, and LinkedIn charged that governments have gone beyond what is necessary to protect their citizens, characterizing current surveillance paradigms as profoundly flawed. "The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual -- rights that are enshrined in our Constitution," the letter reads. "This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It's time for a change."
Stressing the "urgent need" for worldwide reform, the letter calls upon President Barack Obama and Congress "to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent, and subject to independent oversight."
It is a heartening development in a grim story that seemed to be descending into farce. Recent revelations include all of the following: a surveillance program targeting online fantasy role-playing games -- leading to what is no doubt the first use of the phrase, "an elf might be an agent," on the front page of a major newspaper; efforts to catalog the pornography-surfing habits of individuals with unpopular views for later exploitation; and repeated attempts to thwart Tor, the anti-censorship tool beloved by the U.S. State Department, through a program codenamed, "EgotisticalGiraffe." A previous disclosure indicated that the National Security Agency specifically targeted the news organization Al-Jazeera for attack. And in addition to these official programs, NSA analysts also are reported to have engaged in misconduct that includes the unlawful surveillance of personal love interests.
Because of these and other abuses, the tech companies have put forth a strong set of proposed principles that call for the complete end to bulk collection of Internet data by spy agencies, significant improvements in transparency around surveillance practices, and -- in a message seemingly intended for Europe and Brazil -- a warning to countries not to mandate local control of Internet infrastructure, which could fracture the Internet into an unrecognizable "Splinternet" of disparate, disconnected, local networks.
In short, whether driven by economic self-interest, civic virtue or both, these tech companies have taken a courageous step in the right direction. They should be commended for it. For its part, civil society must ensure that they follow through.
But what of the telcos? On the one hand, their reticence should not be surprising: historically, many providers of communications infrastructure were state-owned, a good number still are, and those that are not are still subject to significant government regulation. Additionally, telcos have a long history of assisting security services -- whether by coercion for money, or for other reasons.
Given this close relationship between the telcos and nation-states, and the great expense of infrastructures that put practical limits on competition, telcos have often enjoyed some insulation from accountability. But the future promises to be a different world. Telcos are beginning to find themselves in direct competition with technology companies -- and even individual app-makers -- whose operations are arguably more flexible in the face of market and technological change. Additionally, the newer companies are not burdened by the kind of baggage that comes with decades of cooperation with spy agencies. In this sense, tech companies have an advantage: as communications systems become even more decentralized, further supplanting the role of large communications providers, user privacy may play a key factor in what services consumers choose to employ.
"People won't use technology they don't trust," says Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, in a statement accompanying the tech companies' letter to U.S. lawmakers. "Governments have put this trust at risk, and governments need to help restore it."
Some of the largest tech companies in the world are now using their reputations and resources to make up for this trust deficit, and to correct the balance between freedom and security. Telcos should, too -- through increased participation in the Global Network Initiative (GNI), a voluntary, multi-stakeholder technology and human rights coalition that includes such members as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!; observer company LinkedIn, and others. Additionally, the telcos should follow the example set by Monday's letter by taking positive steps of their own accord. A number of telcos have shown a willingness to do so through engagement in a separate Telecommunications Industry Dialogue on Freedom of Expression and Privacy that formed in 2011, and dialogue participants committed to a two-year collaboration with the GNI earlier this year. However, many of the biggest telcos have thus far declined to join the Dialogue, which features only one American company, and at present no telco is a member of the GNI.
As GNI Executive Director Susan Morgan said in connection with a transparency report GNI published earlier this summer, "It's time for telecommunications companies to demonstrate their commitments to the rights of their users wherever they operate."
The alternative may well be a dropped connection to their customers.
UPDATE: The eighth paragraph of this post has been updated to emphasize an example of preferential governmental treatment for telcos accused of spying.


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Žilina seal double with sixth Slovakian title win
Sunday 20 May 2012
Article summary
"I am satisfied and proud to be the coach of the team that has won the club's first double," said MŠK Žilina coach Frans Adelaar after his side won their sixth Slovakian title.
Article top media content
Article body
MŠK Žilina have completed the domestic double for the first time in their history after clinching the Slovakian title with a 2-0 success at DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda.
Žilina, who won the Slovakian Cup with a 3-2 win against FC Senica on 8 May, needed to win their final league match of the season in order to avoid the possibility of a dramatic title play-off against FC Spartak Trnava, who fulfilled their half of the bargain by winning at FC Nitra.
However, Spartak's hopes of another shot at the title were dashed as defender Ján Marcin diverted Miroslav Barcík's rasping shot past his own keeper ten minutes into the second half and substitute Jean Deza, who scored the late winner in the cup final, condemned bottom-placed Dunajská to a two-goal defeat with an elegant lob four minutes from time.
"We deserve this victory," said Frans Adelaar, who replaced Ľuboš Nosický at the helm of MŠK two months ago. "I am satisfied and proud to be the coach of the team that has won the club's first double. We said at half-time not to be so nervous, to wait for our chances – and they came in the end."
By winning their sixth title, Žilina have moved level with ŠK Slovan Bratislava as the club to have won the most titles since Slovakian independence. The northern Slovakian outfit, whose previous title wins came in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2010, have become the fifth club to win the league and cup double, following in the footsteps of Slovan Bratislava, Inter Bratislava, MFK Ružomberok and MFK Petržalka.
"To catch Slovan Bratislava on title wins is a good feeling, but I would like to have ten titles," said Žilina's owner, Jozef Antošík. "But this success means we have done a good job at this club. Now we have to strengthen our squad in order to be successful in Europe."


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The recent press reports linking Arsenal and other Premier League clubs to 14 year old attacking midfielder Charles Renken whose sterling play for the US U-17 team in the Bradenton Invitational last year caught many eyes is terrifying from my perspective. Despite the success Arsenal has had in developing young footballers, Americans have had nothing but trouble when they go to England at a young age.
I get annoyed when I hear fans of the US Soccer program state that we need to put more young players in the English Premier League. Yes, we need to put more players in Europe, but no we do not have to put more young, developiong players in the Premier League. Take the list of players who have gone to Premier League clubs from the US at a young age: Jovan Kirovski, John Thorrington, Frank Simek, Zac Whitebread ,Kenny Cooper, Kyle Davies, Eric Licaj and Jonathan Spector and contrast that with the list of players who have gone to Holland or Germany at a young age: John O'Brien, Gregg Berhalter, DaMarcus Beasley, Cory Gibbs, Steve Cherundolo, Chad Deering, Robbie Rogers and Michael Bradley. It has been accurately pointed out to me in defense of English Football that some teen players who showed raw potential in Africa or Eastern Europe have dramatically improved once getting to England: That very well may be the case but for American players whose early training in the United States lacks the type of technical skill emphasis of other points on the globe, going to the continent seems to be a more reasonable long term bet for a player's development than going to England. In England many pundits, including Martin Samuel of the Times indicate that English academies teaching of technique and ball skills is not up to the same standard as it is on the continent. (Samuel wrote a column after England's 2-0 loss to Croatia in Zagreb during Euro 2008 Qualifying about this topic and was pillaged as you would expect by the Times online readers, but his point hit home with me based on the experiences of American players on both the continent and England.)
Frank Simek signed with Arsenal at 14, the same age and he now remains an outsider in the US player pool struggling for recognition on a second division side in his twenties. This pattern has played out with many of the other Americans I listed above who went to England as teens to develop their footballing skills. On the other hand the list of youngsters who went to continental clubs or academies is more impressive and dare I say has been much more impactful on the fortunes of the US National Team program.
Charles Renken is a special player. He has the potential to be a similar, even complimentary player to Freddy Adu a few years down the road in the US setup. Along with Stefan Jerome and Carlos Martinez he represents part of an attacking trio that could lead to US to glory in upcoming youth world cups. However, all of this is predicated on Renkin making the right move following his time at the US Soccer's Academy in Bradenton and continuing his impressive growth as a young player.


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Noon Holiday Concerts: Darin Henze and Friends
December 2, 2015 • 12 pm - 1 pm
Enjoy music from the area's best musicians over your lunch hour and take in the galleries for free with a purchase of lunch from the Blue Goose Cafe. The Blue Goose Cafe is offering a buffet lunch during Noon Holiday Concerts. Buffet Includes: Hot Entrees, Salads and Beverage
PLAINS ART MUSEUM, 704 First Avenue North, Fargo, North Dakota 58102 Phone: 701.551.6100 Fax: 701.293.1082 email@example.com
The Plains Art Museum Holiday Concert Series is supported by Minnesota Public Radio and Hibu.
It is our mission to promote, preserve and perpetuate the arts in North Dakota.
1600 East Century Avenue, Suite 6
Bismarck, ND 58503-0649
(701) 328-7590
(701) 328-7595 (Fax)
Email: email@example.com
Hours of business are:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on National Holidays
Copyright 2014 North Dakota Council on the Arts


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Israel: Peace deal requires recognition of Jewish state
Palestinians' refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and to allow a long-term Israeli security presence in the Jordan Valley goes against core elements of any peace deal that would be acceptable to Israel, Israel's ambassador to Washington told USA TODAY.
"If they're not willing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, then there will not be an agreement," Ambassador Ron Dermer said while speaking to the newspaper's editorial board.
Israel also insists on maintaining a security presence in the Jordan Valley, between a future Palestinian state and Jordan, and will never rely on foreign forces to guarantee security given that such arrangements have worked out poorly for Israel in the past, Dermer said.
"We do not ask other countries to fight our battles," he said.
Dermer spoke in response to comments made by Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who told The New York Times over the weekend that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state "is out of the question."
Abbas also said he would agree to allow Israeli forces to stay five years in the West Bank, while they transfer security to NATO and Jordanian troops that could stay as long as they wish and operate anywhere in the territory, the Times reported.
"We will be demilitarized," Abbas said. "Do you think we have any illusion that we can have any security if the Israelis do not feel they have security?"
The sparring comes as an April 29 deadline looms for peace talks restarted by Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry is preparing a "framework" for an American vision of how to make peace and resolve core issues including borders, security, Palestinian refugees, the status of Jerusalem and recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, according to the State Department.
Abbas said neither Jordan nor Egypt recognized Israel as a Jewish state when they signed peace treaties with it. But Dermer said the Palestinians' refusal is different because such recognition would mean they relinquish forever any claim to Israeli lands once considered part of Palestine.
Dermer said the military conflicts between Israel and neighboring states and terror groups stems from the refusal of some Arab states and groups to recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Middle East. If the Jewish nature of Israel is declared legitimate by a Palestinian state, then Israel will know that a decades-long attempt to destroy it is at an end, he said.
If the Palestinians refuse, Israel will know why, he said.
"The refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state means they (Palestinians) want a Palestinian State not to end the conflict, but to continue the conflict," Dermer said.
The issue of recognition would also affect Palestinian demands that refugees displaced in wars and their descendants, who now number in the millions, should be granted the right to return to Israel. Israel objects because they would swamp the Jewish majority.
On the idea of allowing NATO troops to provide police security, Dermer said history shows that the use of foreign peacekeepers to protect Israel has been a failure when the troops were subjected to constant attack.
United Nations troops in southern Lebanon failed to prevent Hezbollah from kidnapping Israeli soldiers, or from building an arsenal of rockets that it fired at Israel. United Nations troops in the Golan cleared out under fire during the Syrian civil war. And United Nations troops in the Sinai peninsula have not prevented a growing al-Qaeda presence there, or attacks on Israeli troops and communities, Dermer said.
Strong security provided by Israeli troops will be necessary because opponents of a deal will seek to derail an agreement, Dermer said.
In the Gaza strip, which is controlled by the terrorist group Hamas and not by Abbas' Fatah party, Hamas will oppose any deal Abbas signs, Dermer said.
Referring to Abbas by his nickname, Dermer said: "If Abu Mazen signs a peace agreement, you know what will happen? Hamas will oppose it. Rockets will be fired at Israel. People will attack that peace agreement because they don't want it to happen."
The West Bank "will become a magnet for al-Qaeda and others; it will put enormous pressures on Jordan as well," Dermer said. "Abu Mazen is willing to have foreign forces (in the Jordan Valley), so the issue is not sovereignty, he just doesn't want Israeli forces, which have proven to be the only effective force here."


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American Firearms InstituteTo promote the right to keep and bear arms
A statement on mass shootings
We defend the 2nd amendment rights of everyone to own a gun. We also recognize that mass shootings for no reason, that have nothing to do with defending our country are not what our founding fathers intended when they wrote it. We must recognize this as a country. We are fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, these mass shootings affect us all. Tomorrow it could be our fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters killed. We must come together as a country to find a solution to this problem while maintaining our right to bear arms.
American Firearms Institute
Established to provide accurate balanced information, resources on guns and the second amendment. Gun history, advice to the beginner, safety, statistics, manufacturers, gun laws, legislation, Gun Dealer and Gun Manufacturer Directory. Please explore our site and learn as much as you can.
The main sources of gun crime are:
- Inner City cycles of violence and gangs
- Violent Criminals
- Mental health problems associated, most often, with the
use of alcohol and drugs. Sometimes involving the lack of use
of prescribed drugs
Gun crimes are not caused by:
- Legal gun owners
- Guns
American Firearms Philosophy – Introduction
Firearm ownership is a Constitutional Right of every American guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791. It proves the foresight of our founding fathers in providing us with the freedom to choose to own a firearm or not. American Firearms Institute supports that guarantee. American Firearms Institute (AFI) supports that choice.
Enough with the laws already
There are safe guards in place to ensure that gun owners meet certain criteria before receiving possession of a firearm; these include passing a background and criminal check. Felons and domestic violence perpetrators are not allowed to own firearms. Mental health issues are taken into consideration in applying, as are addictions to alcohol and drugs. The penalty for knowingly filling in firearm application form incorrectly is 10 years in prison.
It's the Criminal
There are an estimated 280 million firearms in the US – all owned by law abiding citizens. There is no record of the number of illegal guns that exist. The criminally minded laugh at societies gun control laws, according to an FBI report issued in March of 2007, which you will find under the Reports section of the site.
Criminals find it amusing that laws are passed that are assumed will make any difference to them and their way of living. Criminals by their nature are anti-social with sociopath or psychopathic tendencies. They never purchase their firearms through legal channels or abide by laws. Many have no qualms at shooting at their victim or killing a police officer. Why? Because they're criminals! The law does not apply to them until they get caught. And then it's to late.
There is vast disconnect in the equating gun ownership and criminal behavior. Certain members of society – the anti-gun groups – automatically equate gun ownership with criminal activity. And for that reason they want firearms removed from society altogether. A does not equal B. Their reasoning defies logic.
Firearms have been in existence for 700+ years – the first reference to the use of gunpowder in Europe dates from 1247. The first record in China dates from 142 CE. It would be easier to suggest that we all stop breathing than attempt to rid the world of firearms. Why? Because for most societies they are a source achieving and holding power. Ownership dictates how countries are run, how wars are won and how lives are lived and lost. Firearms are not going anywhere.
Power to the People
Our forefathers framed out our constitution to ensure that the power of the populace remained in the hands of the people. To ensure that, (this is a matter of much debate), they ensured that we would have the means available to us to counter any tyrannical efforts to rule us. Thus the Second Amendment came into being. It also gave us the power to choose whether to own a firearm or not. An individual choice.
Who owns the guns?
There are three categories of firearm owners in the USA.
- The government, represented by the military and law enforcement.
- Private citizen owners who legally possess 280 million firearms.
- Criminals.
Which of these is the source of criminal firearm activity? The last, of course. The proof is in the news everyday and our prisons are filled to capacity with them. Why then are the members of category 2, private citizen owners, being attacked for legal possession of firearms? There is no link factually or otherwise between legal firearm ownership and criminality. None whatsoever. ……read more


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Power of Three Conference Follow-Up Series
It's still about the people: The Demographics piece in a Logistics Puzzle
With the rise of automation there is a lot of concern around disruption and job displacement. Indeed, automation is a game changer with far-reaching impacts. Industrial real estate—the logistics sector in particular—isn't immune from rapid automation and the introduction of new technologies. However, the technology is only as good as the person developing and harnessing it. The labor component is still critical, and will become even more so amid growing sophistication in the logistics space. Beyond that, people will ultimately be influencing the future of logistics, the technology will just be the medium by which goods are moved from production to consumer.
This report explores the human element of logistics. What are the demographic trends behind a growing demand for industrial real estate? What does automation mean for the people working inside and outside the box? How is labor impacted by the introduction of robots, and how might employment evolve with automation in the future?


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With less than a month until the club celebrates it's 15th Anniversary, we've delved deep into nostalgia territory by ringing up Fire legends past to catch up on what they're doing now, find out what made them successful here and get their greatest memories of their time with the Men in Red.
In our first piece, Jeff spoke to former Fire captain Chris Armas about how things are going in his current gig as head coach of Adelphi University's women's team, thoughts on an MLS return to coaching and his opinion on the best Fire player of all time.
Jeff Crandall: Last year you took over the head coaching job for the women's team at your alma mater Aldephi University, how's it going? Is there a difference in coaching men and women?
Chris Armas: It's going well. I'm enjoying the process of putting a stamp on a program and helping the young student athletes on and off the field. We play a nice brand of soccer and it keeps getting better. A year later we're much further along.
It's not different coaching females. I think there's a bigger difference from college soccer to professional soccer. If I was coaching men, I still think there would be the same differences and challenges that come because there's just not enough of the game for the true soccer people who are used to doing it 10 months out of the year. At the college level, doing it for just the three or four months, it's a whirlwind with lots of games in a short amount of time. Then there's so much other time you have to spend on recruiting and the other aspects that go into it.
JC: Sounds like you miss the pros a little bit… Do you ever think about coaching at the MLS level again?
CA: I think about it, certainly. It'd be a great challenge, that level is so much of what I do know as a soccer player. I feel I have a good feel for the league and enough of the technical directors, coaches, former teammates and opponents.
It's just about what makes sense for this time in my life. In order to do that it's a massive commitment that you need to be physically and emotionally all-in for. Until I can say that, it's just a thought for right now. It's certainly something that has circled inside my brain and my heart.
JC: How closely do you follow the team in New York? I'm assuming you keep tabs and still talk to some guys.
CA: I follow the team very closely, especially because Frank [Klopas] is still involved. The respect and relationship I have with him is special. There are also enough familiar faces around there: Logan Pause is another really good friend of mine, Chris Rolfe back in the mix, being around when we drafted Patrick Nyarko. There are a lot of reasons why I still stay connected to the team and MLS in general.
Chicago was really my first home for 11 years and I've always felt like a Fire guy. Certainly I'm still watching the team very closely.
JC: As someone that was there almost from the very beginning and has been such a big part of the club, what does the Fire's upcoming 15th anniversary mean to you?
CA: In the early years in Chicago I was involved in some pretty good teams and I was lucky to be a part of that as things were built. We set a high bar and standards for the way things should be done in terms of the process, every single day what it means to be a professional on the field, in the locker room and the community. That was set by Peter Wilt, Bob Bradley and some good leaders in the locker room.
I think for the good of the team and organization, the expectations are high. Here we are 15 years later and look where the team is. I think there's a certain respect that goes around the league when you hear the name Chicago Fire. It's nice to see the team hitting that standard and trying to get themselves into the playoffs. The staff there has put together a team that can really make a run at a championship.
JC: When you look back does it feel like it's been almost 15 years since the MLS Cup and US Open Cup double?
CA: Yeah, it seems like it's been quite a while. When you stop playing it almost feels like it's a different lifetime. I know I played in the league not too long ago but it's hard to fathom doing what we did at a high level for so long.
It's hard to believe that I did it for as long as I did -- 11 seasons as a player in Chicago, two in LA. Thirteen years is like a blur. When you think back to those first years, it doesn't seem like that long ago with [Hristo] Stoitchkov, [Ante] Razov, [Josh] Wolff, [Peter] Nowak, [Jesse] Marsch and C.J. [Brown].
I call those the good old days because there was nothing better than that. Those years in Chicago are ones I'll never forget.
JC: By your judgment, who's the best player you ever played… (interrupted)
CA: Peter Nowak. He's the best.
JC: …with…
CA: He's just the ultimate soccer player. With Peter he was just a guy that on almost every level had such a good understanding. His soccer IQ was so high in terms of making the right decisions in games. Technically he rarely had a bad touch. He was a competitor like no other, in training and in games, even in an All-Star game. People would ask what he was doing and he would respond by saying, "What do you mean? There's no other way. You step on the field, you have to compete."
With the ball he had a rare ability to break down defenses with the pass or dribble. He was a good team guy. He spoke English, he made himself part of the team from the moment he got here, whether it was in games or a team barbecue.
On almost every single level, he got it. That's the guy I watched. In the locker room, what he did with his shoes. After games, what he did in pre-game on the field, how he trained… I got to play against him a lot in training.
For me, I asked where are the flaws in his game? He was just a complete soccer player, a difference maker. He'd hit a 50 yard ball in the air on a dime. So many guys need five or six chances to score or do something special. All he needed was one. He was just a fantastic soccer player.
JC: On a recent podcast with Logan Pause he talked a lot about how much he admired your attention to detail as a player. What do you think he meant by that?
CA: I think what that means for me is that I paid attention to the little things. I believed the little things added up to big things. I knew that on game day, I wasn't going to be pushing magic buttons, I wasn't that type of player. Talking about the little things, that means taking care of yourself – doing all the little things to prepare, self evaluating, being honest off the field.
CA: On the field, the technical drills… It sounds cliché but literally, working at technique, technique and technique. Being able to execute that in games and being able to work at the craft every day. That meant coming early and staying afterwards. I felt like I had some ability but it was followed up by hard work and the mentality, staying grounded.
Going to national team camps and having to balance something like a World Cup qualifier and then coming back with a mentality of getting to work and having the guys see that. It sounds simple but it's just focusing on all the little things.
JC: Lastly, what do you count as your best performance in a Fire shirt?
CA: I think the conference championship in 2003 was a good one. I ended up scoring the Golden Goal but it was more about the performance throughout that game. I don't remember performances so much. I think at the end of a match I would hope people said, "Good game Chris." I think if I piled a lot of those up, that's what was memorable.
Chris Armas Tribute Video


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Golden Triangle Rose Society
You like to be involved in "firsts"? Well, the Golden Triangle Rose Society will be hosting the "first" rose show in the garden center at Tyrrell Park on Saturday, April 30. You are invited!
The show is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. in the Beaumont Botanical Garden at Tyrell Park. There is no admission fee for visitors. The Golden Triangle Rose Society members will have cut roses as well as arrangements of roses for sale.
The Golden Triangle Rose Society is a nonprofit group affiliated with the American Rose Society, headquartered in Shreveport, La. The society was founded in 1965.
The goal of this active group is to educate the public about the cultivation of roses in our area. According to Sherry Broussard, a lovely member of the group, their motto is "We grow 'em. Show em. Share 'em."
The GTRS hosts pruning demos every year at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum and at the rose garden at Tyrrell Park. They maintain this wonderful Tyrrell Park rose garden, as well. Take a slow, fragrant walk in this little bit of heaven on earth. The rose garden is located at the rear of the Botanical Garden area, near the pond.
Clyde Davis is the current president of this group of rose lovers. Beginners and rose aficionados are welcome. Meetings are held the first Thursdays of every month at 7 p.m. at the Tyrrell Park Garden. Sherry adds, "We welcome anyone who wishes to visit or join. Discussions and demos on are held on everything roses, Roses 101 to Advanced."The GTRS has periodic shows that are open to the public, like the show April 30. Broussard said, "We would like to invite everyone to 'stop and smell the roses' at the show and in the garden."
For more information, contact the GTRS at grumpa1655 [at] aol [dot] com.Joette is an avid gardener and prides herself on staying up-to-date on the latest gardening activities and tips. To share your gardening news with Joette, call 832-1400 or fax her at 832-6222. Her e-mail is joreger [at] msn [dot] com.


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syngo Dental CT
Application/Package Description
syngo Dental CT enables fast display and assessment of teeth and upper and lower jaws in true anatomical size in combination with spiral CT exams of the head.
Requerimientos Generales
Minimum Software Version
(one of following)
syngo CT VC28
syngo CT VA50A
Please Note: Additional technical pre-requisites may apply. Upon receiving your request, your local Siemens representative will clarify whether your system meets the requirements.


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Do you want to unlock your body's performance secrets to improve your game? Training with a heart rate (HR) monitor is essential for improving your cardio fitness, providing information on the body's fuel pump. But it tells only one part of the story.
Now, thanks to Mbody, you can also get detailed information on your personal engine – your muscles. Mbody is the first product to let you see the electrical activity of your muscles (EMG electromyography) in real time.
It's compatible with Movescount so you can use it on your next training session to analzyse your quads and hamstrings at work using the compression textile Mshorts.
How can the data be used in real life situations?
"The use of Mbody in triathlon gives interesting information in the transition from the bike leg to the running one," says Timo Vuorimaa, a Doctor of Sports and Health Sciences and a senior teacher at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.
"How should one end the bike leg, to optimize the muscle load efficiently? Mbody helps you to find out this. The correct load ratio between quads and hams in cycling and running improves economy, performance technique and thus the overall performance," he says.
The impact of warming-up on muscle activity in the the tests is also revealing.
"We don't know yet whether it is due to innervation or metabolism – or both, nevertheless, there is without exception a decrease in muscle activity after muscles have warmed up and are ready for a hard training session. The readiness varies between individuals and depending on the recovery from previous workouts and other circumstances."
It is now easy to use Mbody to your advantage without prior EMG knowledge. The clear mobile user interface lets you see the differences between the right and left leg, about the quads/hams ratio, performance technique, latent problems etc. Further analyses can be carried out in Movescount, together with heart rate and route information.


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You can easily update WhatsApp from your phone's application store. Please note if you received a message that isn't supported by your version of WhatsApp, you'll need to update WhatsApp.
We encourage you to always use the latest version of WhatsApp. Latest versions contain the newest features and bug fixes.


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A natural protein produced in the milk of transgenic cows like this one kills the bacteria that cause animal mastitis. Source: USDA.
Nowadays, breakthroughs in molecular biology are happening at an unprecedented rate. One of them is the ability to engineer transgenic animals, i.e., animals that carry genes from other species. The technology has already produced transgenic animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, and cows. Although there are many ethical issues surrounding transgenesis, this article focuses on the basics of the technology and its applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry.
What is a transgenic animal?
There are various definitions for the term transgenic animal. The Federation of European Laboratory Animal Associations defines the term as an animal in which there has been a deliberate modification of its genome, the genetic makeup of an organism responsible for inherited characteristics.5
The nucleus of all cells in every living organism contains genes made up of DNA. These genes store information that regulates how our bodies form and function. Genes can be altered artificially, so that some characteristics of an animal are changed. For example, an embryo can have an extra, functioning gene from another source artificially introduced into it, or a gene introduced which can knock out the functioning of another particular gene in the embryo. Animals that have their DNA manipulated in this way are knows as transgenic animals.20
The majority of transgenic animals produced so far are mice, the animal that pioneered the technology. The first successful transgenic animal was a mouse.6 A few years later, it was followed by rabbits, pigs, sheep, and cattle.8,14,15,16
Why are these animals being produced? The two most common reasons are:
- Some transgenic animals are produced for specific economic traits. For example, transgenic cattle were created to produce milk containing particular human proteins, which may help in the treatment of human emphysema.
- Other transgenic animals are produced as disease models (animals genetically manipulated to exhibit disease symptoms so that effective treatment can be studied). For example, Harvard scientists made a major scientific breakthrough when they received a U.S. patent (the company DuPont holds exclusive rights to its use) for a genetically engineered mouse, called OncoMouse® or the Harvard mouse, carrying a gene that promotes the development of various human cancers.22
How are transgenic animals produced?
Since the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953, molecular biology research has gained momentum. Molecular biology technology combines techniques and expertise from biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, and microbiology.2
Scientists can now produce transgenic animals because, since Watson and Crick's discovery, there have been breakthroughs in:
- recombinant DNA (artificially-produced DNA)
- genetic cloning
- analysis of gene expression (the process by which a gene gives rise to a protein)
- genomic mapping
The underlying principle in the production of transgenic animals is the introduction of a foreign gene or genes into an animal (the inserted genes are called transgenes). The foreign genes "must be transmitted through the germ line, so that every cell, including germ cells, of the animal contain the same modified genetic material."26 (Germ cells are cells whose function is to transmit genes to an organism's offspring.)
To date, there are three basic methods of producing transgenic animals:
- DNA microinjection
- Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer
- Embryonic stem cell-mediated gene transfer
Gene transfer by microinjection is the predominant method used to produce transgenic farm animals. Since the insertion of DNA results in a random process, transgenic animals are mated to ensure that their offspring acquire the desired transgene. However, the success rate of producing transgenic animals individually by these methods is very low and it may be more efficient to use cloning techniques to increase their numbers. For example, gene transfer studies revealed that only 0.6% of transgenic pigs were born with a desired gene after 7,000 eggs were injected with a specific transgene.27
1. DNA Microinjection
The mouse was the first animal to undergo successful gene transfer using DNA microinjection.6 This method involves:
- transfer of a desired gene construct (of a single gene or a combination of genes that are recombined and then cloned) from another member of the same species or from a different species into the pronucleus of a reproductive cell19
- the manipulated cell, which first must be cultured in vitro (in a lab, not in a live animal) to develop to a specific embryonic phase, is then transferred to the recipient female
2. Retrovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer
A retrovirus is a virus that carries its genetic material in the form of RNA rather than DNA. This method involves:26
- retroviruses used as vectors to transfer genetic material into the host cell, resulting in a chimera, an organism consisting of tissues or parts of diverse genetic constitution
- chimeras are inbred for as many as 20 generations until homozygous (carrying the desired transgene in every cell) transgenic offspring are born
The method was successfully used in 1974 when a simian virus was inserted into mice embryos, resulting in mice carrying this DNA.10
3. Embryonic Stem Cell-Mediated Gene Transfer
This method involves:7,19,26
- isolation of totipotent stem cells (stem cells that can develop into any type of specialized cell) from embryos
- the desired gene is inserted into these cells
- cells containing the desired DNA are incorporated into the host's embryo, resulting in a chimeric animal
Unlike the other two methods, which require live transgenic offspring to test for the presence of the desired transgene, this method allows testing for transgenes at the cell stage.
How do transgenic animals contribute to human welfare?
The benefits of these animals to human welfare can be grouped into areas:
- Agriculture
- Medicine
- Industry
The examples below are not intended to be complete but only to provide a sampling of the benefits.
1. Agricultural Applications
a) breeding
Farmers have always used selective breeding to produce animals that exhibit desired traits (e.g., increased milk production, high growth rate).11,15,17 Traditional breeding is a time-consuming, difficult task. When technology using molecular biology was developed, it became possible to develop traits in animals in a shorter time and with more precision. In addition, it offers the farmer an easy way to increase yields.
b) quality
Transgenic cows exist that produce more milk or milk with less lactose or cholesterol12, pigs and cattle that have more meat on them8,17, and sheep that grow more wool18. In the past, farmers used growth hormones to spur the development of animals but this technique was problematic, especially since residue of the hormones remained in the animal product.
c) disease resistance
Scientists are attempting to produce disease-resistant animals, such as influenza-resistant pigs, but a very limited number of genes are currently known to be responsible for resistance to diseases in farm animals.19
2. Medical Applications
a) xenotransplantation
Patients die every year for lack of a replacement heart, liver, or kidney. For example, about 5,000 organs are needed each year in the United Kingdom alone.25 Transgenic pigs may provide the transplant organs needed to alleviate the shortfall.9 Currently, xenotransplantation is hampered by a pig protein that can cause donor rejection but research is underway to remove the pig protein and replace it with a human protein.25
b) nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals
Products such as insulin, growth hormone, and blood anti-clotting factors may soon be or have already been obtained from the milk of transgenic cows, sheep, or goats.3,12,23 Research is also underway to manufacture milk through transgenesis for treatment of debilitating diseases such as phenylketonuria (PKU), hereditary emphysema, and cystic fibrosis.3,13,23,25
In 1997, the first transgenic cow, Rosie, produced human protein-enriched milk at 2.4 grams per litre. This transgenic milk is a more nutritionally balanced product than natural bovine milk and could be given to babies or the elderly with special nutritional or digestive needs.4,21,23 Rosie's milk contains the human gene alpha-lactalbumin.
c) human gene therapy
Human gene therapy involves adding a normal copy of a gene (transgene) to the genome of a person carrying defective copies of the gene. The potential for treatments for the 5,000 named genetic diseases is huge and transgenic animals could play a role. For example, the A. I. Virtanen Institute in Finland produced a calf with a gene that makes the substance that promotes the growth of red cells in humans.24
3. Industrial Applications
In 2001, two scientists at Nexia Biotechnologies in Canada spliced spider genes into the cells of lactating goats. The goats began to manufacture silk along with their milk and secrete tiny silk strands from their body by the bucketful. By extracting polymer strands from the milk and weaving them into thread, the scientists can create a light, tough, flexible material that could be used in such applications as military uniforms, medical microsutures, and tennis racket strings.1
Toxicity-sensitive transgenic animals have been produced for chemical safety testing. Microorganisms have been engineered to produce a wide variety of proteins, which in turn can produce enzymes that can speed up industrial chemical reactions.20
What are the ethical concerns surrounding transgenesis?
This article focuses on the benefits of the technology; however, thoughtful ethical decision-making cannot be ignored by the biotechnology industry, scientists, policy-makers, and the public. These ethical issues, better served in their own article, include questions such as:
Should there be universal protocols for transgenesis?
Should such protocols demand that only the most promising research be permitted?
Is human welfare the only consideration? What about the welfare of other life forms?
Should scientists focus on in vitro (cultured in a lab) transgenic methods rather than, or before, using live animals to alleviate animal suffering?
Will transgenic animals radically change the direction of evolution, which may result in drastic consequences for nature and humans alike?
Should patents be allowed on transgenic animals, which may hamper the free exchange of scientific research?
Interestingly, the creation of transgenic animals has resulted in a shift in the use of laboratory animals — from the use of higher-order species such as dogs to lower-order species such as mice — and has decreased the number of animals used in such experimentation,26 especially in the development of disease models. This is certainly a good turn of events since transgenic technology holds great potential in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, and industry.
Acknowledgements: The updated information in this article is based on the author's graduate student paper written for the course, Introduction to Science Philosophy (PPS 702), in 2001. The author is deeply grateful to professors Rudy C. Tarumingkeng, Ph.D. and Zahrial Coto, Ph.D. for their help.
Endang Tri Margawati is pursuing a doctorate in molecular genetics at the Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia. In addition, she is a researcher at the Research Center for Biotechnology at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), looking for genetic resistance to fasciolosis in local sheep and recombinant protein for vaccine production. Endang completed her Masters degree in animal science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, with a thesis on in vitro fertilization in cattle (effect of LIF growth factor on in vitro bovine embryo development). Update 3/2008: The author received a Ph. D and is now working at the Research Centre for Biotechnology, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences , Indonesia.


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New Arrivals: The Society of the Walking Vocaloids Revolutions
by Chris Troy
Yeah, even I'll admit the title for this article is a bit weak.
Anywho FPNYC faithful, if you haven't been by the store lately, you should probably check out the new display we have set up in the front window. While FPNYC has been slowing down on keeping Gunpla kits in stock, we been working to getting the best of Bandai SH Figuarts in stock! We have some Kamen Rider and One Piece figures currently in stock, but expect to see such legendary series like Dragon Ball Z & Gundam on our shelves during the coming week, as well as Megaman, and the newest anime hit on the block, superhero epic Tiger & Bunny. Really looking forward to reviewing those Figuarts over the next couple of months, as the show is fantastic, and the Wild Tiger we have on display look amazing. And speaking of import figures, I'd like to point out that we currently have the 100th Figma in stock, Miku Hatsune of Vocaloid fame in her Append version. And no, I have no idea what "Append version", means, although it makes for a completely different look than the Miku Figma my wife has in our living room. Loran probably does though, which is why he'll be reviewing this figure in a few weeks and not me. Either way, I think it looks neat, and Vocaloid stuff always flies off the shelf, so if you want her, come pick her up ASAP!
Let's move into some toys I've discussed in the past, but now we have in stock to I can shed a little more light on them. Square Enix's Deus Ex: Human Revolution Play Art Kai figures are in stocks, and damn, they look good. The first time the acclaimed series had any sort of action figure tie-in, the series consists of main protagonist Adam Jensen, and 2 of his mercenary arch enemies Federova & Lawrence Barret. While I haven't put the most time into the game, the figures look amazing, are fully articulated, and come with variant hands, and a good selection of weapons. For $50 a pop, Square definitely delivers. We also have the 19th wave of DCU Classic in stock, which consists of Justice Society of American figures. I'm not too crazy about Kobra or the Golden Age versions of the characters, but Magog and Stargirl are definitely nice additions to the previous released JSA figures.
Wrapping up this week's new releases, we have a line of comic booked-based action who DON'T wear spandex. Image's Walking Dead has been a huge in print and on TV, and McFarlane Toys has the rights to do figures based on both the comics and smash-hit live action AMC TV series. The first line of toys is based on comics, and consists of Officer Rick Grimes, the deadly and awesome Michonne, and 2 flavors of zombies, Lurker and Roamer. Both Rick and Michonne are fairly articulated and come armed with a variety of weapons (Rick with a ton of guns, Michhonne with a sword, knife, and some tools), while the 2 zombies have removable limbs and exploding parts. That's awesome! Either way, each figures goes for about $15 a pop and this is the part of the article where I would say you should drag you corpse over to FPNYC to pick them up, but I'm better than that. At least I like to think so.


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OPTIIDE(4) NetBSD Kernel Interfaces Manual OPTIIDE(4) NAME optiide -- OPTi IDE disk controllers driver SYNOPSIS optiide* at pci? dev ? function ? flags 0x0000 DESCRIPTION The optiide driver supports the OPTi 82c621, 82c568 and 82d568 IDE con- trollers, and provides the interface with the hardware for the ata(4) driver. The 0x0002 flag forces the optiide driver to disable DMA on chipsets for which DMA would normally be enabled. This can be used as a debugging aid, or to work around problems where the IDE controller is wired up to the system incorrectly. SEE ALSO ata(4), atapi(4), intro(4), pci(4), pciide(4), wd(4), wdc(4) BUGS The timings used for the PIO and DMA modes for controllers listed above are for a PCI bus running at 25 or 33 MHz. This driver may not work properly on overclocked systems. NetBSD 5.0_RC4 October 8, 2003 NetBSD 5.0_RC4
You can also request any man page by name and (optionally) by section:


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If I have any problem with the GHIN service, whom do I contact?
Your golf club receives the GHIN service from a regional golf
association. If your golf club cannot answer your question, you should
contact the regional golf association. Web sites of these regional golf
associations can be accessed here.


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Uranium that's been depleted isn't necessarily waste, according to researchers at Nottingham University. They think—besides making ammo and tank armor—it could be used as the basis for future hard drives thousands of times larger than current ones.
You see a molecule comprised of two Uranium atoms has magnetic properties at low temperatures, making the element ideal for a super dense hard drive. Referred to as a single-molecule magnet, this possible application for Uranium wouldn't pose any safety threats because any radioactive properties would be absent. All of this is still in the infant stages of the research project, but imagine being able to store the capacity of today's data center in a single desktop drive. Awesome, right? [Futurity]


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The Coalition for Affordable American Energy was created in June by the National Association of Wholesalers-Distributors, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Office Products Wholesalers Association and 75 other national associations to fight high energy prices.
During their hour-long meeting with the president this afternoon, each organization outlined its policy position on energy and all positions had in common twin messages - not enough domestic oil production - fuel costs too high.
The coalition will support initiatives which encourage conservation and the development of renewable and alternative energy sources, but its focus is on increasing domestic oil and gas production since members believe alternative sources will not be able to meet U.S. energy demand for decades.
Bush said the coalition supports his policy of opening wider areas of the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas drilling.
President George W. Bush addresses the Coalition for Affordable American Energy. (Photo courtesy the White House)
"We discussed a variety of strategies about how to affect the supply of oil, and one way that we can affect the supply of oil is to increase access to offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf," he said of the meeting at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
"One of the things that came out in this discussion was there's a lot of folks in our country who understand we could be doing something about the high price of gasoline and we're not," Bush said. "Obviously we need to be wise about conservation, but we've got to be wise about increasing the supply of oil here in America."
Bush used the meeting as a platform to press his familiar oil production agenda - drill offshore, drill in northern Alaska, develop oil shale and expand American refining capacity.
When Congress returns from its recess, the president said, it should bring up the offshore drilling moratorium for a definitive "up or down" vote. Bush lifted the executive moratorium on offshore drilling last month, and only the congressional moratorium remains.
Lawmakers should not insert any "legislative poison pills," said Bush, adding, "Those would be provisions that they know will never be enacted and are added only for the purpose of killing the effort to open up the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling."
"Our goal should be to enact a law that reflects the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans who want to open up oil resources on the Outer Continental Shelf," said Bush.
That certainly is the opinion of Michael Uremovich. As an executive committee member of the Associated Builders and Contractors and chairman of the board of Starcon International, a privately held Illinois plumbing, heating, and air conditioning contracting company, Uremovich was at the table with the president today.
"The energy crisis has driven up costs in all aspects of our business," said Uremovich. "Not only have we made changes to company travel policies and felt the impact on our fleet of more than 100 vehicles, but for the first time since Starcon International was founded 25 years ago, we had to lay off workers. Additionally, our clients have cancelled or postponed nearly $2 billion of projects which translates to fewer jobs."
Also present at the meeting, Dyke Messinger delivered the same message to the president.
An executive committee member of the National Association of Manufacturers, Messinger heads a 55-year-old family-owned company in Salisbury, North Carolina that manufactures machinery for forming concrete curbing, sidewalks and highway safety barriers.
"We need to access our abundant land-based and offshore domestic resources," he said. "Our employees are asking us as employers to promote federal policies that tap America's own energy supplies."
President Bush said domestic oil development would not necessarily destroy the environment.
"Obviously we need to expand conservation measures," he said. "We need to develop alternative energy technologies such as advanced batteries, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells. We need to expand clean, safe, nuclear power; clean coal technology; solar and wind power. There's not a single answer to our energy problems."
"But a part of solving the dilemma that our consumers are facing, that the hardworking Americans face, and that is high price of gasoline, we need to get after exploration here in America," Bush said. "And we can do it in a way that protects the environment."
But environmental and conservation groups do not agree.
At the end of July, the Sierra Club launched a radio ad campaign urging Congress to "keep standing strong against Big Oil," and blaming oil company "price gouging" for the pain at the pump.
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said as he launched the ad campaign, "President Bush, Big Oil's backers in Congress, and shadowy outside groups are doing everything they can to push an agenda that will help pad Big Oil's bottom line while denying consumers any real relief from pain at the pump."
Pope said, "We are urging the public to tell Congress to stand strong and move the kind of legislation we need to end Big Oil's chokehold on America's economy, energy policy and politics once and for all."
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.


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The Science in Our Food
39 North Innovation District Plan Unveiled
Ru's research employs cutting-edge technologies in green algae
and land plants to study how photosynthetic organisms
respond to their environment, with the ultimate goal
to engineer more efficient and robust photosynthesis for
improved agriculture production and biomass accumulation.
The Zhang laboratory at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center employs algal genomics and plant spectroscopy to study how photosynthetic organisms respond to their environment.
Photosynthesis uses sunlight energy to make food, and it is essential for agricultural production. Adverse and fluctuating environments in the field frequently decrease the efficiency of photosynthesis in crops. To meet the increasing global food demand for the future, we need to increase agricultural yield by engineering more robust and more efficient photosynthesis that can adapt to challenging environments. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to understand how photosynthesis responds to adverse environments and what factors limit its adaptation.
The Zhang laboratory will work on two main research topics: 1. Interrogate the functional genomic landscape of heat sensing in photosynthetic cells by using a genome-saturating, indexed, algal mutant library and a quantitative phenotyping tool:
Global warming increases the frequency with which photosynthetic organisms are exposed to damaging high temperatures. Heat stress impairs plant growth and reduces crop yield. To engineer crops with higher thermo-tolerance, it is imperative to understand how photosynthetic cells sense and respond to high temperatures.
The eukaryotic, unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a great model to study howphotosynthetic cells respond to high temperatures. A genome-saturating, indexed, mutant library of Chlamydomonas has been generated, facilitating both reverse and forward genetic screens under various conditions. Furthermore, a high-throughput and quantitative barcoding approach has been developed in Chlamydomonas, enabling tracking growth rates of individual mutants in pooled cultures and screening for mutants with interesting phenotypes at genome-wide scale.
By using these advanced and exciting tools in Chlamydomonas, we aim to identify a comprehensive list of genes involved in heat sensing, regulation, and adaptation in photosynthetic cells. Novel genes identified in Chlamydomonas that have orthologs in land plants will be investigated to improve crop thermo-tolerance.
2. Explore the regulation of photosynthetic electron transport in C4 plants: High temperature increases photorespiration and reduces the efficiency of C3 photosynthesis. C4 photosynthesis uses two cell-types to concentrate CO2 and is more efficient than C3 photosynthesis in hot and dry environments. It is estimated that if C4 photosynthesis could be functional in C3 rice, the rice yield would be increased by at least 50%. A crucial step toward engineering C4 rice is to understand how C4 photosynthesis is regulated. The light reaction of C4 photosynthesis is essential yet under-explored.
By using spectroscopic and other biochemical, genetic approaches, we aim to investigate these questions: (1) How does the light reaction of C4 photosynthesis respond to changing environment, such as temperature fluctuations and water availability? (2) How is the light reaction regulated during the development of C4 photosynthesis? Both C4 crop maize and C4 model plant Setaria will be used to address these important questions.
Ru Zhang, Ph.D.
Assistant Member
Danforth Center
975 N. Warson Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314) 587-1451 firstname.lastname@example.com


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When Sandra Bullock needed a little extra insight to help prepare for her role as an astronaut trapped in orbit for her new film "Gravity," she got some answers in a phone call – from outer space.
Bulock says that while the film – in which she co-stars with George Clooney as part of a NASA team on space mission that goes catastrophically awry – employed a series of consultants to advise her on how to perform the technical aspects of her character's mission, she had other questions about the physical realities of life in zero g.
"There's no one to ask about that," says Bullock. "You have people explaining, "Well, this is what happens," and I was like, 'It's just not registering.'"
U.S. & World
But a chance encounter at a wine packaging outlet put Bullock on the path to enlightenment when her brother-in-law met the brother of Dr. Catherine "Cady" Coleman, a former Air Force chemist-turned-NASA astronaut and a veteran of two missions aboard the International Space Station. In fact, Coleman happened to be aboard the ISS when she got the message that Bullock would like to quiz her and the actress and astronaut were quickly in contact. "I was up on my space station expedition when I actually called her," reveals Coleman. "I got to talk to her a little bit about what it really felt like to live up there and move around up there."
"We had one phone conversation – apparently they're not allowed to just accept calls whenever you feel like calling the ISS," says Bullock with a laugh. "She called and I was able to literally ask someone who's experiencing the things that I was trying to physically learn about how the body works, and what you do, and what I need to re-teach my body to do, physically, that cannot happen on Earth. It's just the oddest thing to reprogram your reactions. It was just a really coincidental, fortuitous thing that happened – over wine – that got me the final piece of the information that I needed."
"It's not clear to anybody who hasn't been there how little effort it takes to move," says Coleman. "It took hearing somebody really swear to it and explain it for them to realize how delicate they had to be and how slow they had to be with the movements."
"I tell people it's one of the most remarkable things about being in space and living up there is the magic of flying from place to place," says Coleman. "It's like living the life of Peter Pan. If I could have had my family up there, I never would have come home."
Beyond the practical considerations, the astronaut wanted to communicate her philosophical feelings about venturing into orbit. "I wanted her to understand that it wasn't about the mechanics of living up there," explains Coleman. "It's just about the human presence in space, and that's a very special thing. Not that I gave that to her, but I see that everywhere in the movie."
The message was not lost on Bullock. "What I did learn, which was so beautiful, is their emotional point of view on life," she says. "Why they go up there, why they specialize in something on Earth, and why they want to go into space to see how it operates, so that we all benefit from it when they get back."
"Gravity" director Alfonso Cuaron calls his interaction with the many real-life space experts consulted for the film "very humbling. You can write a whole fiction, and you're talking to people who have gone through that, in real life.
Coleman says she was definitely affected by the finished film and its attempt to authentically portray both the majesty and the inherent risks of space travel. "I love space, and I love that they made this movie because I think it brings a lot of people from here on Earth up to space," she says. "I have this very special job, where not too many people get to do it, and there's a lot people I would bring with me if I could, and I can't. And with this movie, my mother will get to understand a little bit about what it was like for me – not the disaster things, but I think they were so great about the environment, and the visuals are astounding."
"Gravity" opens in theaters on October, 4.