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Sociocultural Perspectives in Social Psychology: Current Readings
Letitia Anne Peplau, Shelley E. Taylor
Prentice Hall, Jan 1, 1997 - Psychology - 411 pages
This supplementary text offers students current findings on sociocultural issues in social psychology. Presented with a multicultural perspective, this collection of readings complements a basic textbook with new research and concepts about culture, ethnic minorities, and established principles as they relate to standard topics of social psychology. The readings in this book are derived from primary sources written by renowned authors, and reflect the field's diverse methods for conducting research. Context-setting introductions and critical thinking questions encourage students to carefully consider each topic's applications and implications both in and out of the classroom.
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As the House Judiciary Committee prepares to launch hearings on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) tomorrow, a bi-partisan coalition of activists, advocates, and politicians warn that the proposed law will harm innovators, censor Americans, and disrupt the Internet. They held a press conference on Tuesday with two West Coast members of the House. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) charged that SOPA threatens the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, putting a wide variety of websites and platforms at risk of being strategically hobbled by well-funded rightsholders.
"A basic tenet is that the platforms and the pipes don't have responsibility for the content that others put in them," explained Lofgren. "Once there's a notice of a problem, then you have an obligation to act. That important principle would be put at risk if this bill were adopted. The implications for our economy would be dire."
SOPA is ostensibly designed to squelch pirate content sites by allowing the US Attorney General to get a court order forcing ISPs to block access, and by denying sites financial services like credit card or Paypal access. But critics charge that it is full of vague language, defining an infringing venue as "dedicated to theft of US property" if "it is taking, or has taken, deliberate actions to avoid confirming a high probability of the use of the US-directed site to carry out acts that constitute a violation" of US copyright laws. The bill could thus allow rightsholders to end run the DMCA's notice and takedown procedures—harming legitimate search engines and sharing sites alike.
Ed Black of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) followed Lofgren. "One of the key elements of the industry that has allowed it to flourish is that it is the messenger," Black explained. "We believe in the concept of 'don't kill the messenger.'"
The financial life blood
A slew of advocacy groups also spelled the threat out to Judiciary Committee top brass Lamar Smith (R-TX) and John Conyers (D-MI) in a letter. SOPA creates a "private right of action of breathtaking scope," their statement warns:
Any rightsholder could cut off the financial lifeblood of services such as search engines, user-generated content platforms, social media, and cloud-based storage unless those services actively monitor and police user activity to the rightsholder's satisfaction. A mere accusation by any rightsholder would be sufficient to require payment systems and ad networks to terminate doing business with the service; the accused service's only recourse would be to send a counter-notice, at which point it would be at the networks' discretion whether to reinstate the service's access to payments and advertising. This would bypass and effectively overturn the basic framework of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), by pushing user-driven sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook to implement ever-more elaborate monitoring systems to 'confirm,' to the satisfaction of the most aggressive and litigious rightsholder, whether individual users are exchanging infringing content.
Signed—groups who often disagree with each other, among them TechFreedom, Public Knowledge, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Demand Progress, and the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Meanwhile, the Brookings Institution has published a position paper that carefully spells out what technology experts have been saying for months, that the DNS filtering/redirecting provisions in both the Senate's IP PROTECT Act and SOPA are the wrong way to defend copyrights.
They'll make the 'Net less secure, the study warns, as sites deploy rogue DNS servers to evade SOPA and as consumers get in on the act themselves. "It is easy to imagine a teenager altering the family PC to access a foreign infringing domain, but leaving the computer compromised for the family's other uses, including banking, accessing government websites and even work," the Brookings paper observes.
One of the few bright spots
How big is the opposition to SOPA and IP Protect? Just count the number of signers to statements released on Monday. A petition by technology companies to the House Judiciary Committee includes Facebook, eBay, Twitter, Yahoo!, and Google. A letter from human rights groups includes international groups from India's Center for Internet and Society to the Church of Sweden. The three major US consumer groups have sent in an opposition statement.
So have have eleven members of the House, among them Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX).
"At a time of continued economic uncertainty, this legislation will result in fewer new businesses, fewer new investments, and fewer new jobs," they contend. SOPA would "cause serious and long term damage to the technology industry, one of the few bright spots in our economy."
Wednesday's Judiciary hearing will include representatives from the Motion Picture Association of America, MasterCard, Google, and the US Copyright Office. Stay tuned for our coverage.

subset: commoncrawl


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ReCOVERy Room: Operation Prince Charming
January 16, 2012 Leave a comment
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. DayY'all!
It's time for another ReCOVERy Room, and I've selected one of our African American Romance titles, Operation Prince Charming, by Phyllis Bourne. Phyllis is also a co-author of our African American Romance Anthology, Holiday Inn, so if you like playing with the cover copy here, go grab her books! Maybe Hunter, aka Mr. Prince Charming, learns more than he expected at finishing school. Everyday his secret crush continues to grow! Let's just say, he's "hot for teacher!"
ReCovery Room_Operation Prince Charming


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Position: Island caretaker.
Duties: Lazing around Australia's Great Barrier Reef for six months.
Salary: $105,000.
Unemployed, take heart — the aforementioned job ad is for real. Billing it the "Best Job in the World," the tourism department in Australia's Queensland state on Tuesday said it was seeking one lucky person to spend half a year relaxing on Hamilton Island, part of the country's Whitsunday Islands, while promoting the island on a blog.
The "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, soak up the sun, snorkel the reef, "maybe clean the pool" — and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
The winner, who will stay rent-free in a multimillion-dollar three-bedroom beach home complete with pool and golf cart, must be an excellent communicator and be able to speak and write in English.
"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.
"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."
Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.
While the campaign has elements of some reality television shows, a candidate's looks will not be a prime requirement, Tourism Queensland chief executive Anthony Hayes told AFP.
"No, I don't think beautiful is what we want, I think charismatic is what we want," he said. "The reality is we are looking for a fantastic communicator.
"What we want this person to do is travel throughout the Great Barrier Reef and just try every experience, every adventure they can find and report back via blogs and video to tell the world why Queensland is a great place to come for a holiday."
Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.
"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.
"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."
Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.
Job-seekers can apply at Islandreefjob.com (Site experiencing heavy traffic).


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Vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Mission: Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.
A little about us:
Incorporated in 1994, Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area is a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry seeking to eliminate poverty housing in the community and to make simple, decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. With the help of Habitat partner families, individual volunteers and volunteer groups from area churches, businesses, civic organization and schools, Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area has built 26 new construction homes throughout the Idaho Falls area.
The cost of purchasing and owning a Habitat home is kept low through the use of volunteer labor during the construction process, no-interest mortgage payments and building to Energy Star standards. The typical new construction Habitat home has 1000-1060 square feet of finished living space which includes 2-3 bedrooms and 1 bath. To maximize the affordability to purchase a Habitat home there is no profit included in the sale of the house and no interest charged on Habitat mortgages. Additionally, by incorporating low maintenance building practices and building to Energy Star standards, the ongoing cost of homeownership is also reduced for Habitat families.
Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area serves low income families earning between 25% and 50% of the median income. The family selection process is activated as needed two to three times a year. It is the family selection committee's responsibility to review and choose families based on their need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest mortgage. The Habitat homeownership program is open to all people, regardless of race, color, sex, creed, familial status, disability or national origin.
In 2010 Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area board of directors set a goal to increase the affiliate's capacity to build new construction homes from one a year to a minimum of four a year by 2014. With the aid of a capacity building grant and the dedicated effort by the board, staff and volunteers the affiliate is well on their way to meeting and possibly exceeding this goal.
Early in 2012, Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls was notified that our affiliate would be the recipients of 20% of the Kurt and Genola Kandler Trust Funds. This funding, anticipated to be in excess of one million dollars, is being directed to be used for the benefit of the residents of Fremont, Madison, Jefferson and Teton counties in Idaho. Because building new construction homes would not necessarily meet the housing needs of these communities, Habitat Idaho Falls has embraced Habitat for Humanity International's neighborhood revitalization initiative. Habitat's NRI goal is to offer an expanded array of housing products enabling our affiliate to serve the housing needs of additional families throughout our expanded five county service area.
Funding for Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area projects comes from multiple sources:
1. Partner families' mortgage payments are deposited into a fund to support the building of additional houses.
2. ReStore profits are used to cover 100% of our affiliate's operational expenses.
3. Sponsorships to cover the material costs of building homes come from public and private agencies.
4. Grants from non-profit, government and corporate sponsors supplement Habitat's sponsorship and internal funding streams.
5. The Genola and Kurt Kandler Trust Funds are being used to expand our service area into the Upper Snake River Valley.
6. In-kind donations of materials and professional labor significantly reduce the hard costs of Habitat projects
Habitat Idaho Falls Area is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International®, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. We are a volunteer-based affiliate and invite people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build homes together in partnership with families in need. We rely on and are grateful for the committed long term support of the Idaho Falls community.


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Volunteering in Ghana with Projects Abroad
Next Step: Click here to choose a project in Ghana
Ghana is an exciting and popular place to spend some time on a volunteer project or work experience placement. Our voluntary projects in Ghana are available for anyone interested in volunteering in the developing world, including those on a gap year, career break or as summer work experience while studying.
Volunteers in Ghana work on a wide range of projects including Agriculture & Farming, Teaching, Care, Community – including Building and IT Projects, Medical & Healthcare Projects – including Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Midwifery and Dentistry, plus Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Sports, and Human Rights.
Where we are Based in Ghana
Projects Abroad has many projects available to volunteer in Ghana, based in Accra, Cape Coast, and the Akuapem Hills.
In and around Accra, Ghana's capital city, we offer overseas voluntary work opportunities in print and broadcast journalism, sports clubs, care centres, veterinary practices, public health and our very own human rights office. Most of our medical volunteer projects are based in Cape Coast, and the Akuapem Hills (a more rural location) hosts the majority of care and teaching projects, as well as building, micro-finance, animal care and veterinary projects.
Request our new free volunteer in Ghana brochure download here
General Information on Ghana
Ghana is an intensely colourful land on the West coast of Africa. The former British colony is renowned for the friendliness and warmth of its people. Ghana has great beaches, wild savannah and dense rainforests. This English-speaking country provides volunteers with a wonderful introduction to Africa; it is politically-stable, safe, affordable and rewarding to visit.
All Projects Abroad Ghana volunteers live with local host families. The combination of Ghanaians' strong religious faith and hospitality makes living with a family a special experience.
African traditions, combined with British influences, have produced an exciting modern Ghanaian culture – open, musical and diverse. Although Ghana is a poor country, in recent times it has attracted new money and many Ghanaians are now returning home from abroad, bringing new investment and ideas with them.
Certainly, life in Ghana will enable you to encounter some unusual situations, from the unpredictable electricity and water supply, to seeing even the poorest families dressed up in their best clothes for church on a Sunday morning. You will also need to adapt to the bizarre and the unfamiliar, whether it be the car-shaped coffins or the banku and fufu you will have for lunch.
Travel and Tourism in Ghana
Living in vibrant, colourful Ghana will feel like an explosion; an enchanting sensory overload. Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture, so in the bigger towns - especially Accra - you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out.
There are many attractions and places to visit. You will want to see the old slave forts and visit the rainforest at Kakum Rainforest Reserve, feed wild monkeys at The Boebeng Monkey Village or elephant watch at Mole National Park.
Travel across Ghana is cheap and easy, whether it be in a taxi, a tro-tro (a sort of minibus) or on a lake boat. There are clean, affordable places to stay and eat in all the main towns.
Volunteer in Ghana for a superb location to bird watch and Ghana is developing a good ecotourism philosophy. It's also an interesting place for history lovers and, once your overseas voluntary work is over, it's a great stepping-off point from which to explore West Africa.
Request our new free volunteer in Ghana brochure download here
Projects available in Ghana
Join us in Ghana and help construct better-quality homes and classrooms for children and their families. Learn how to make bricks from mud and water, before building walls, plastering and painting.
Get involved and help improve conditions for children in Ghana. Volunteers can work in day care centres, care homes, with disabled children, or with those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Work in the city of Accra on a vital HIV/AIDS control programme, taking part in community outreach and counselling sessions, as well as assisting in a hospital laboratory with testing and diagnosis.
Work for a daily publication, television station or radio station in Ghana and further your experience in the notoriously competitive world of journalism. You will greatly enhance your CV.
Work alongside local staff to identify communities and individuals in need of assistance. Areas that you may get involved in include domestic violence, offender's rights, child trafficking and child labour.
Work in local law firms or at the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme and have the opportunity to resolve complaints and specific issues for people revealed as victims.
If you are looking to do your Dentistry Elective in a country other than your own then this placement may be perfect for you. You can work either in a large hospital or a rural area.
You can choose to undertake your Medicine Elective in a number of different departments in a Ghanaian hospital. Local staff will work with you to develop a schedule to support your studies.
You can choose to undertake your Medicine Elective in a number of different departments in a Ghanaian hospital. Local staff will work with you to develop a schedule to support your studies.
Develop your skills through a Nursing Elective in Ghana and assist in the treatment of various medical conditions you would not normally see in your home country.
Support pharmaceutical care services in a teaching hospital while learning from trained local staff about healthcare practice in a developing country.
If you are looking for a Physiotherapy Elective placement in a vibrant and culture rich country then choosing Ghana may be the perfect destination. You will work alongside knowledgeable local staff.
This project aims to assist the most vulnerable groups in Ghana, giving them the kick start that they need in order to become self-sufficient and independent.
Volunteer at a hospital in Ghana and spend time in a number of different departments including paediatrics, maternity, accident & emergency, surgery and physiotherapy.
Work in a range of maternity settings when you volunteer as a midwife in Ghana and gain insight into how local procedures and patient support are carried out.
Volunteer in Ghana and gain a fantastic insight into how local procedures and patient support are carried out in a developing country. Volunteers may work in a range of maternity settings.
Volunteer at a teaching hospital or a local pharmacy under the supervision of a qualified pharmacy manager or a clinical pharmacist.
Develop your skills and knowledge on a volunteer Physiotherapy project in a Ghanaian hospital. Volunteers work alongside local staff who will be keen to share their experience with you.
On this project you will be based on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana s bustling capital city, volunteering alongside local healthcare professionals who will be keen to enhance your skills and knowledge.
As an intern on this project you will work with children with special needs. You will be involved in helping the children improve and develop their speech and language ability.
Intern in Ghana and use your skills and knowledge to work in care facilities and schools alongside a trained psychologist or social worker.
Coach Ghanaian children at a basketball club in Accra. You can take part in planning and evaluating training sessions, coaching players, and helping with team selection.
Improve your football skills and ability whilst at the same time helping local children to develop their game. You can get involved in all aspects of a youth academy, including training with a local team.
The aim of this project is to get children off the streets and into a safe place in the afternoons by providing them with football and athletics coaching and health education sessions.
If you are passionate about rugby this project will give you the opportunity to pass your enthusiasm on to local children. You will work in schools in the Cape Coast helping with all aspects of coaching.
Teach English in this vibrant West African country and work in primary schools that are often poorly resourced. You can expect to take timetabled English classes for a range of ages.
Share your knowledge of IT with Ghanaian students and teachers. You will teach students how to switch a computer on and off, and explain how to use software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
As a volunteer, you can teach French full-time or part-time combined with another subject at primary and secondary schools across the country.
Animal Care Veterinary Medicine
Volunteer in a veterinary clinic in Accra and get involved in administering vaccinations, observing and assisting in operations, laboratory work, post mortems and routine treatments.
Take part in an intensive standalone Twi language course or sign up for language tuition alongside your regular placement.
Middle School Specials available in Ghana
High School Specials for 15 to 18 year olds available in Ghana
In Cape Coast or the Akuapem Hills, volunteers can have a positive impact by caring for children in care centres or local schools. You can give back by playing games and arranging activities, as well as contributing to the community by renovating and decorating schools and centres.
Join our Human Rights High School Special in Ghana and help educate local communities about their rights, while learning about the legal system and culture of this country.
Contribute to community outreach and public health programmes that provide free treatment to disadvantaged people in Ghana. You can also enhance your medical knowledge by shadowing and observing professional medical staff in hospitals.
19+ Specials available in Ghana
Provide educational support for children in care centres and help them to reach their early childhood development goals. You'll also take part in community outreaches involving basic renovation work.
Volunteers on this project will work to provide free basic medical treatment and conduct healthcare checks for those in local communities. You will also help to educate local people about first aid, hygiene and nutrition.
Projects for professionals available in Ghana
As part of this project you will be working with many groups of people who are in real need of psychological support. Skilled volunteer's help is needed in order to enhance the care given to these vulnerable individuals.
This professional project helps provide legal advice and defends the human rights of communities in Ghana. You will be based in Accra at the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office (PAHRO).
PRO Doctors in Ghana work in hospitals and clinics in one or more of our regions in Ghana. Volunteer doctors may be based in Accra, the Akuapem Hills or Cape Coast.
PRO Nursing volunteers in Ghana work at hospitals and clinics in one or more of our regions in Ghana. Nursing volunteers may be based in Accra, the Akuapem Hills or Cape Coast.
As a qualified occupational therapist you have the opportunity to assist children and young adults who have both mental and physical disabilities.
Volunteer as a professional Physiotherapist in Ghana and help provide specialised treatment for children and adults who require care. You can choose to work in a hospital or special needs centre.
Seasonal Projects in Ghana
Volunteer in Ghana and help make a difference in the lives of children in a day care centre. You will also contribute to valuable renovation activities in the community.
- Check back soon for our next start dates!
Experience different approaches to medicine and treatments in a developing country and give back through worthwhile outreach work in underprivileged communities.
- Check back soon for our next start dates!


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Cinco de Mayo is a day of celebration in Mexico as it commemorates the Mexican army's unpredicted victory over the French soldiers in the Battle of Puebla that occurred on May 5, 1862. Cinco de Mayo means "Fifth of May" in Spanish.
Enjoy a Cinco de Mayo party with these ideas and recipes!
Parasol Trees – A new way to decorate with paper parasols! I loved seeing this idea on Hostess With the Mostess and wanted to showcase it here too! You can find the original tutorial here!
Tissue PomPoms – I made these for the Blue & Yellow Baby Shower and loved them! You can find a tutorial here!
Margarita Cupcakes – What a great twist on this Cinco de Mayo drink! Host a Margaritaville party with these yummy cupcakes! Enjoy this recipe!
Corn and Black Bean Salsa – A great go-to recipe that is always a hit! Find it here!
Lemon Berry Margaritas – This is the perfect summer drink and especially for a Cinco de Mayo party!
White Wine Sangria – I love making white wine sangria when it starts to get warm outside. It's so fruity and refreshing. I love this recipe.
Images: Parasols, PomPoms, Cupcakes, Salsa, Margaritas, Sangria


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Thursday Links
- "Consistent bets for higher oil prices in futures markets have not been particularly lucrative."
- "The vast, swaying bulk of America's military has absolutely nothing to do with effectively combating terrorism—including the large land armies that we deploy to Muslim countries in efforts to destroy and then reconstitute their states."
- "'Poking and prodding' is what good government does to perfect strangers. And that's what the Obama administration has been doing, with unusual zeal, for the past 2 1/2 years."
- The Cato 2011 State Legislative Guide is designed to help state policymakers free their constituents from the burden of overextended government and addresses unfunded pension liabilities, ballooning Medicaid enrollment, massive budget gaps, failing education systems, and other important issues.
- The Kentucky v. King decision has delivered a blow to Fourth Amendment protections:
Read more here.


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The Antique range range has a quaint patterned display of florals and geometrics that is indicative of a time in the 1800's perhaps.
Antique Beige mosaic features a range of colours, including blue, beige, white and yellow in the print.
The 48 x 48 mm glass pieces are made from finely crushed glass that is moulded and then fired. The decadent print is then applied by digital print on this surface.
This glass mosaic can be used on the shower floor or wall, as a splash back or as a feature wall - indoors or outdoors.
Glass is extremely easy to maintain with non-abrasive cleaning agents and provides a clean look for any back drop.
This sheet measures 300 x 300 x 6 mm and it takes approximately 11 sheets to make up an area of one square meter.
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Galdieria sulphuraria RWP-RK Family
Schauser et al. 2005: Genetic studies in Lotus japonicus and pea have identified Nin as a core symbiotic gene required for establishing symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen fixing bacteria collectively called Rhizobium. Sequencing of additional Lotus cDNAs combined with analysis of genome sequences from Arabidopsis and rice reveals that Nin homologues in all three species constitute small gene families. In total, the Arabidopsis and rice genomes encode nine and three NIN-like proteins (NLPs), respectively. We present here a bioinformatics analysis and prediction of NLP evolution. On a genome scale we show that in Arabidopsis, this family has evolved through segmental duplication rather than through tandem amplification. Alignment of all predicted NLP protein sequences shows a composition with six conserved modules. In addition, Lotus and pea NLPs contain segments that might characterize NIN proteins of legumes and be of importance for their function in symbiosis. The most conserved region in NLPs, the RWP-RK domain, has secondary structure predictions consistent with DNA binding properties. This motif is shared by several other small proteins in both Arabidopsis and rice. In rice, the RWP-RK domain sequences have diversified significantly more than in Arabidopsis. Database searches reveal that, apart from its presence in Arabidopsis and rice, the motif is also found in the algae Chlamydomonas and in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Thus, the origin of this putative DNA binding region seems to predate the fungus-plant divide.Members of this family
SHOULD possess RWP-RK domain
This family is also present in:
- Cyanidioschyzon merolae
- Micromonas pusilla CCMP1545
- Micromonas sp. RCC299
- Ostreococcus lucimarinus
- Ostreococcus tauri
- Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
- Chlorella sp. NC64A
- Coccomyxa sp. C-169
- Physcomitrella patens
- Selaginella moellendorffii
- Oryza sativa subsp. indica
- Oryza sativa subsp. japonica
- Sorghum bicolor
- Zea mays
- Arabidopsis lyrata
- Arabidopsis thaliana
- Carica papaya
- Populus trichocarpa
- Vitis vinifera
There are 9 gene models in this family
General referencesSchauser, L; Roussis, A; Stiller, J; Stougaard, J. 1999. A plant regulator controlling development of symbiotic root nodules. Nature 402(6758):191-5 PUBMEDID:10647012
Design qRT-PCR primers using Quantprime


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Photographer's Note
A couple of electric trainsets of THURBO on Sitterviadukt on the Südostbahn line between St. Gallen and Wattwil. THURBO is a railway company in eastern Switzerland, jointly owned by Swiss Federal Railways (90%) and the canton of Thurgau. With the height of 99 m, Sitterviadukt is the highest railway bridge in Switzerland.
Critiques | Translate
jhm (191483) 2016-05-15 4:31
Hello Kari,
Thank you very much for always to give comment on my pictures.
Seven year old but this is not to see on the picture, the bridge with arch and iron construction are perfect photographed.
Sharpness and clarity are perfect.
Excellent presentation and nice composition.
Very well done, TFS.
Have a nice day,
ikeharel (98874) 2016-05-15 7:14
Fantastic timing when the train crossed the high bridge, Kari.
The colors, especially the wagons doors gave the missing warm tones and shown in fine contrast.
Dynamic and vibrant scene.
Good afternoon,
npecanhuk (79319) 2016-05-15 16:38
Hi Kari!
Attractive picture of that train on that bridge!
I just like it a lot!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format, chosen pov and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
jemaflor (125811) 2016-05-15 23:23
Hi Kari,
One of your favorite subject for a photo, another good photo about railway, impressive with this high bridge, good choice for the POV, nice effect with colors, tfs.
macjake (92637) 2016-05-16 1:47
Hi Kari
I always enjoy your transportation subjects, no different with this one too.
its great to see the arched tall bridge deck among all the trees, thats pretty darn cool.
and i like how the bridge has two distinct different styles.
fun shot, well chosen.
Photo Information
- Copyright: Kari Tanskanen (ktanska) (36445)
- Genre: Lugares
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2008-07-15
- Categories: Transportes
- Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
- Exposición: f/5.6
- Map: view
- Versión de la foto: Versión original
- Diario de viaje: Summer holiday, July 2008
- Date Submitted: 2016-05-15 1:58


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|Winnipeg, MB
|High School:
|Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)
2010-11: Skated in 32 games and led the Pioneers in goals with 21, the third-be st single season total in program history, and tied for the team lead in points at 30...Named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending March 6 after scoring his first career hat trick, all in the third period, in a 6-3 come-from-behind AHA First Round win at Bentley (3/5)...Scored a power play goal in 4-2 win over AIC (11/6)...Netted two goals in 3-3 tie at RIT (11/27)...Posted a score and two assists in 5-5 tie vs. Air Force (1/7)...Tallied the game-winning goal on a power play in a 4-2 victory over Air Force (1/8)...Registered two goals against AIC (1/28)...Recorded a goal and an assist in 6-3 win at Bentley (2/4)...Scored nin goals in a five game span between February 20 and March 11...Put in two goals in 3-3 tie vs. Holy Cross (2/20)...Netted two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist in 5-1 regular season finale win over Army (2/26)...Tallied two scores and added an assist in AHA Quarterfinal match-up with Air Force (3/11).
2009-10: Skated in 37 games, with 11 goals and 12 assists and matching his point total as freshman with 23...Scored twice in 55 seconds (11/21) at RIT...Scored game-winning goal in OT vs. Holy Cross to sweep first round series in 4-3 win on (3/13).
2008-09: Skated in 36 games in his first season in a Pioneer uniform…Led all SHU rookies with 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists…Added five goals as a member of the Sacred Heart power play unit…Notched his first collegiate goal against AIC (11/14)…Posted his first multi-goal game vs. Bentley (1/23)…Finished the year with four multi-point games…Netted the game winning goal against Air Force (3/14) in the Pioneers 4-1 win in the AHA quarterfinal series.
Before SHU: Played for the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior League…Finished his junior career as the all-time leading goal scorer in Saint history with 149… Led the team in scoring last season with 111 points…Was the top scorer during the MJHL playoffs with 17 goals and 28 points in 15 games…Led the team to the finals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Championship…Named Sher-Wood Hockey Player of the Month three and the Old Dutch Player of the Week three times...Selected as an MJHL First Team All-Star and was a member of the Addison Division at the 2008 MJHL All-Star Weekend.


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With the exception of that team from the Bronx and, perhaps, the Red Sox, no baseball franchise in history is as storied as the Dodgers — especially the incarnation that played at old Ebbets Field in Brooklyn until the club's abrupt (and, for countless Brooklynites, unforgivable) move to L.A. in 1958.
Those Brooklyn teams from the 1940s and '50s — filled with players bearing names like Reese, Campanella, Snider, Robinson, Newcombe, Hodges, Stanky, Reiser, Furillo, Branca and so many more — hold a special place not only in the memories of millions of fans of a certain age, but in the annals of the game itself. Dem Bums, after all, won eight pennants and one World Series during those two decades, and probably would have won a few more championships if they didn't have to keep facing (and losing to) the powerhouse Yankee teams of the era.
Here, however, LIFE.com offers a series of photos — many of which never ran in LIFE — not of well-known, Hall of Fame-worthy Dodgers but, for the most part, long-forgotten young hopefuls at spring training in 1948, the very first year the team trained at the "Dodgertown" complex in Vero Beach, Florida. (The Los Angeles Dodgers left Dodgertown in 2008 to hold their spring training in Arizona — ending 60 years of tradition.)
The photos here, by LIFE's George Silk, are marvelous for a number of reasons, not least because, quite simply, they're just damn good pictures. There is energy in the images, and a genuine playfulness as well as terrific personalities — captured by an acknowledged master of sports photography. But the real pleasure to be derived from these shots is the glimpse they afford us of baseball in the post-WWII era in America. To be sure, the players and coaches pictured here are all very, very white. Jackie Robinson had only broken the color barrier the previous year, and in 1948 there were only three (that's not a typo) black players in the National and American leagues.
But the rather jarring racial uniformity aside, the photos in the gallery serve as a welcome reminder of the game's inimitable appeal for fans who might have forgotten why they first fell in love with baseball in the first place: the sound of bat against ball, and ball against glove; the mingled smells of wood, dirt, grass and leather; warm sunshine, and the cool of the dugout; the thrill of competition and the beauty of teamwork; the pure geometry of the diamond — all of these pleasures are, to varying degrees, illustrated or suggested in Silk's spirited pictures.
The cover story in which a few of these photos first appeared, meanwhile, in the April 5, 1948, issue of LIFE, made it plain that while professional baseball is certainly a game, it's also undeniably a business — and it's often nearly impossible to tease the two apart, and to tell where one aspect of the national pastime stops and the other starts:
Last month 550 fresh-faced young Americans, supercharged with ambition to play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, began pouring into Vero Beach, on the east coast of Florida, to participate in one of the most extensive talent roundups ever undertaken. The Dodgers paid the players' fares to Vero Beach from every corner of the U.S., then fed and housed them, for eight weeks in an abandoned wartime naval station which they renamed the baseball city of Dodgertown. There Branch Rickey, parsimonious panjandrum of the Brooklyn National League club, personally superintended the operation of a baseball stock farm devised to improve the breed of the Brooklyn Bums, win at least five National league pennants in the next 10 years and enrich the company's coffers by several hundred thousand dollars.
Branch Rickey himself did not succeed as a major-league field manager (with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1919 to 1925), but that was because he had too many scientific theories about how baseball should be played and too few good players to make the theories work. Dodgertown proved to be the ideal place to test all of Rickey's ideas. At the outset he laid down the law to his 35 instructors on how he wanted Dodgertown run — i.e., with metronomic precision. Everybody had to bounce out of bed at 6:45 a.m. After breakfast there was a classroom session on the intricacies of "inside baseball," followed by mass calisthenics. Rickey wandered all over the camp, shaking hands briskly with the kid pitchers, not just to be friendly but to test their grip as well.
Some of [the prospects] will be playing for Brooklyn three years from now if by that time Rickey, a past master at turning baseball talent into gold, has not sold them to other major-league teams at a handsome profit. When Dodgertown breaks up, Rickey and his staff will know, or think they know, how far every player can go in the Brooklyn baseball chain and how fast he can get there. Almost all of them will get a chance to make the grade in 1948 with one of the 25 minor-league farm clubs operated by the Dodgers. But a disappointed few will be taken aside and quietly advised to forget the whole thing and get a job in a filling station.
— Ben Cosgrove is the Editor of LIFE.com
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizabethRonk.


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Baseball's 100 Names You Need to Know: Nos. 21-40
USA TODAY Sports is counting down the 100 Names You Need to Know this upcoming season.
This is our yearly look at young players primed to make an impact during the upcoming big-league season. They aren't necessarily baseball's best prospects but rather the ones most likely to make a mark in 2013.
NOS. 41-60:From Oswaldo Arcia to Wily Peralta
NOS. 61-80:From Sean Gilmartin to Tommy Joseph
NOS 81-100:From Billy Hamilton to Robbie Erlin
To qualify for our list, a player must have had more innings (for pitchers) or at-bats (for hitters) in the minor leagues in 2012 than he has had during all of his major league time. Players are ranked in order of their anticipated impact this season.
Check back each day as the next 20 names are released.
21. Danny Hultzen, LHP, Mariners: If Seattle is to climb into contention anytime soon, a collection of young pitchers will be the key. The second overall draft pick in 2011 probably will start the season at ClassAAA, but he should be first in line to move up. Hultzen, 23, doesn't have the highest ceiling in the organization, but he's polished enough to help now and carve out a solid middle-of-the-rotation career.
22. Nick Franklin, SS, Mariners: He's a switch-hitter but has done less from the right side as he has moved up through the minors. Franklin's ultimate position might be second base, but there's a clearer path to the majors at shortstop in Seattle. The 2009 first-round draft pick (27th overall) is an exceptional athlete but has more power than most middle infielders. Franklin, 21, could at least be a platoon player to start his major league career and put himself in position to earn more time.
23. Matt Dominguez, 3B, Astros: The Marlins grew impatient with his slow offensive development, but he hit .298 at Class AAA after the July deal that sent first baseman-outfielder Carlos Lee to Miami and showed signs of enough power to take advantage of Houston's ballpark once he was called up to the majors. He'll start a third base for the Astros, who can count on exceptional defense. Dominguez, 23, still can end up the special player he was thought to be when taken 12th overall in the 2007 draft. Lee remains a free agent.
24. Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Rays: The line forms at Class AAA Durham (N.C.), but cutting to the front definitely is encouraged. Tampa Bay keeps repopulating its pitching pipeline, and Odorizzi, 22, shouldn't be overlooked in the deal that brought outfielder Wil Myers (No.2) from the Kansas City Royals organization. Odorizzi's chances would have been better to crack the Royals rotation this year, but he and Chris Archer (No.11) can push Alex Cobb and maybe Jeff Niemann for the bottom two spots in the Rays rotation as early as this spring.
25. Mike Olt, 3B, Rangers: He still is locked in Texas by Adrian Beltre, putting Olt in the middle of any trade speculation surrounding the Rangers. But they've kept him and, for now at least, Olt's best hope for major league playing time is to move to first base as a right-handed option to lefty Mitch Moreland. But Olt, 24, is a strong defender at third, and he'll likely eventually end up there. His best offensive asset is big-time power, and he had a breakout season last year after not hitting more than 15 homers in a minor league season.
26. Rob Brantly, C, Marlins: If Miami management indeed has a plan to build a winner, Brantly, 23, can be among the first players to prove it. He's the likely starter for the Marlins and has the defensive ability to handle the job, even under the eye of the new manager, ex-catcher Mike Redmond. He's an efficient, if not spectacular, hitter and can provide left-handed power on a team with little from that side of the plate beyond Logan Morrison.
27. Kolten Wong, 2B, Cardinals: The Cardinals will let Wong, 22, determine how much of this season he spends in the majors. They'd have few qualms promoting him if starter Daniel Descalso were injured, but they're not necessarily fast-tracking Wong. He has shown enough power to eliminate the usual concerns scouts show about 5-9 players. He has enough speed to hit at the top of the order, makes consistent contact and is a solid defender. He'll never be spectacular but should be a major league starter sooner rather than later.
28. Bruce Rondon, RHP, Tigers: His profile is becoming increasingly familiar among young relievers (check out Addison Reed of the Chicago White Sox), charging through several levels of the minors one year, closing in on the majors the next. Detroit has defied skeptics by not adding a veteran to replace Jose Valverde and this 22-year-old will get the chance to inherit the ninth-inning job on a championship team. He throws in the high-90s with an arm angle that's close to sidearm. But is he ready for this challenge?
29. L.J. Hoes, OF, Orioles: Maybe Baltimore's run to the playoffs last year has conditioned us to look for the underdog and overachiever. Hoes, 22, is a bit more than that, but he's an energy guy who's a very good hitter. He lacks power and still hasn't settled into a defensive position. He's in the outfield now, most likely left, after mixed results in the minors at second base, where he would be of more use to the major league club. Still, he's a sleeper on the ever-churning Orioles roster.
30. Trevor Rosenthal, RHP, Cardinals: He was pretty much untouchable in last year's postseason — two hits, two walks, 15 strikeouts among the 30 batters he faced. That was all in relief, albeit in some high-leverage situations, and Rosenthal's future still is as a starter. He'll contend for the fifth spot in the rotation — with maybe another job open if Jaime Garcia's shoulder isn't ready. But he's pretty much guaranteed at least a key bullpen role, not a bad route for a 22-year-old who never has topped 120 pro innings.
31. Matt Davidson, 3B, Diamondbacks: The last big hurdle confronting most top prospects is opportunity. Powerful Davidson, 21, did what he needed to do at Class AA Mobile (Ala.) last year — improved his plate discipline while continuing to hit the ball hard. But Arizona's acquisition of Martin Prado makes his route a little tougher.
32. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies: Colorado got solid production at third last season from the Chris Nelson-Jordan Pacheco combination, but not the kind of power that fits the corner-infield-in-Denver profile. Arenado, 21, can provide the power level the Rockies need there, though he hasn't played above ClassAA yet. He'll get a chance to make his case this spring, and he certainly can handle the defensive part of the job while the club assesses his readiness.
33. David Holmberg, LHP, Diamondbacks: He has been overshadowed by Tyler Skaggs and now-departed Trevor Bauer, but Holmberg is a sleeper who could be helping Arizona by midseason. He's 21 and grew up in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Rays' spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla. He has a nasty curve that should work well in the majors as a contrast to his late-moving fastball.
34. Moises Sierra, OF, Blue Jays: He has been the most intriguing offensive prospect in the Toronto system for quite awhile. With two solid upper-level seasons in a row, injury issues are a distant memory. He'll start the year at Class AAA, but Sierra is the first choice to add some pop at a corner outfield spot. He's a strong defender with a big-time arm, but power at the plate is how he will make his mark in the majors.
35. Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox: Boston continues to look at plenty of shortstop options — the latest is the hope Stephen Drew rebounds — but Bogaerts has the chance to be the best long-term answer for the Red Sox since Nomar Garciaparra. He'll return to ClassAA, where he had five homers and 10 doubles in 23 games after an August call-up — all before his 20th birthday. He already has considerable power, but that could become more formidable as he fills out his 6-3, 175-pound frame.
36. Andrelton Simmons, SS, Braves: Defense was the clear tiebreaker when Atlanta had to decide last season between Simmons and Tyler Pastornicky. Simmons already is an elite-level defender at age 23. His offensive contributions were a pleasant surprise this early in his career. He's not likely to ever be a power source, but he has been a disciplined contact hitter in the minor leagues, and his handling of the strike zone didn't deteriorate when he got to the majors.
37. A.J. Pollock, OF, Diamondbacks: Pollock, 25, is ready for the majors, especially since his all-out style plays well with Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. The Justin Upton trade opens the door for at least a bench job this year, especially with his ability to play all three outfield positions — and he's a converted shortstop. He's a true contact hitter with few strikeouts, good speed and little power.
38. Aaron Hicks, OF, Twins: Hicks' stock was rising almost weekly during the offseason as Minnesota traded away outfielders ahead of him. Now, instead of seeing Denard Span and Ben Revere in the lineup, Hicks, 23, has to beat out Darin Mastroianni to start in center field, but the Twins might want Hicks to show a little more at AAA. Hicks always has had outstanding tools but it all fell into place nicely last year at Class AA, with a high walk rate and more power than normal from a possible leadoff hitter.
39. Jean Segura, SS, Brewers: Segura, 23, lost his rookie status when Milwaukee gave him enough playing time after coming from the Los Angeles Angels in the Zack Greinke trade. The starting job is his but Brewers fans might have to be patient. He has the raw skills — including speed and power — to become in impact middle-infield guy but probably would get more minor league seasoning in another organization.
40. Leonys Martin, OF, Rangers: Nobody gains more from Texas' inability to land an elite-level free agent than Martin, who dominated at Class AAA last season. Barring a last-minute acquisition, the Rangers will use Martin, 24, as the left-handed portion of a center field platoon with Craig Gentry. Martin is the better offensive player but is not as strong defensively. His biggest stride last year was improving plate discipline. He has legitimate power but is just beginning to master a line-drive stroke that makes him a better all-around hitter.


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"Online Business Systems Are Automated…"
Or it it? There is a fine line which exists between you and achieving the goal of your dreams. Let me guess you're reading this because you want to get your business start up on the perfect system.
While everyone is also searching for perfect online business systems there really are some hidden truths you must know. If you know these truths you will be one step ahead of your competition. Just make sure you apply them now.
Truth #1: Understanding your own online business systems
First of all, your own online business system(s) is comprised of several components as well as "body parts". Now don't get me wrong here because I'm not going to preach about theoretical stuff to you.
We will take the simplest method to make this sink into your mind for full absorption. For instance, your body is your own. Its already functioning but what is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Correct. You want to clean brush your teeth and wash up. The same goes with your online business system. You want to start anew by brushing up "inefficient parts".
- Simple Exercise:
- List down your current business system and its components on a sheet of paper
- In each component identify which ones takes up a lot of your time but the least results
- Make a note of how you can improve or replace that "non-performing" component
Truth #2: What you read is what you get… sometimes
Believe it or not, your most confusing activity would be is about learning. You might have heard the catch phrase, "leaders are also readers". Yes, it is still true yet there is something missing.
You need to learn the right materials you need for your current online business system improvement. Solve the problems you have at hand by learning the ones only necessary.
In the event that your online business has problems on its payment processing system, will you go out and read a book on how to master web design? Heck no! You find your payment processor and report it to them!
Truth #3: Learn how to give unto others
Yes, you read the subtitle right. Giving is a virtue and as controversial as it may be this could be your passport to higher rewards.
Think about your system, if its not contributing anything to help others improve their lives, why do you think people will even buy from you?
Of course, you do need to make a living online and I can understand that too. However, if you think of giving more than you can imagine. At the same time providing something of true value to others, your work will not only be rewarded but it will be "recognized".
People will start to tell others about your good deeds and good product or service value!
In essence, you may have learned or have experienced running multiple online business systems. The greatest of these 3 truths is that of Truth #3. When you learn how to give, you will begin to understand real business principles.


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Explore Our Hotel
Welcome to the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York
Located just a few miles from Niagara Falls in Canada, guests of our Niagara Falls, NY hotel are sure to enjoy our premium amenities and close proximity to Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG) and to one of the greatest natural wonders in the world.
There is no shortage of things to do in Niagara Falls, NY. Everything and everyone revolve around this breathtaking natural wonder that is just seven miles from our hotel in Niagara Falls. Here, you can ride the Maid of the Mist, visit the Aquarium of Niagara Falls, take the Journey Behind the Falls or travel the short distance to Canada and view Niagara Falls at its fullest glory. Other nearby attractions include Murphy's Orchard and Seneca Niagara Casino.
Business travelers going to Niagara Falls, New York are sure to appreciate our top-of-the-line business amenities, which include an on-site conference room, computer access, free high-speed, wireless and wired Internet access along with courier, copy, mail and fax services.
We encourage guests of our Niagara Falls, NY hotel to take advantage of our indoor pool and Fitness Center. Every morning, we serve a complimentary hot breakfast bar that features our signature cinnamon rolls. Make your reservation at our hotel in New York today to take advantage of our great Niagara Falls, NY hotel room deals and rates.
- Black-out Shades
- Rollaway Bed/Cot Available
- Iron/Ironing Board
- Separate Hanging Closet
- In-Room Heating and A/C Controls
Bathroom/Personal Care
- Private Bathroom
- Bathroom Amenities Available
- Hair Dryer
- Bathtub
In-Room Features
- Mini Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Coffee Maker
- Flat-screen TV
- Desk-level Electrical Outlet
- Cable/Satellite
- Premium Channels
- Phone with Voicemail
- Power Converter Available
- Electrical Adapters Available
- Windows Open by Guest
Added Value
- Complimentary Coffee/Tea Supplies
- Full Breakfast Included
- Breakfast Buffet Included
- Continental Breakfast Included
- Complimentary Coffee in Lobby
- Kids Eat Free
- Off-site Restaurant Delivery Available
Business Services
- 1 Meeting Room(s) Available
- On-Site Business Center
- Printer
- Copier
- Office supplies available
Internet Access
- Free High-Speed Internet in all Rooms
- Wireless Internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
Entertainment & Recreation
- Indoor Pool
- Heated Indoor Pool
- Indoor Pool Hours of Operation: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
- Pool Open from: 19-February-2014 to 07-May-2039
Health & Fitness
Complimentary Fitness Center
Please feel free to use our Fitness Center featuring Stationary Bike, Treadmill and Elliptical Machines.
Hours of Operation: 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM
Fitness Center Type: LIMITED
Fitness Center Equipment:
- Treadmill
- Elliptical Machines
- Stationary Bicycle
Housekeeping & Laundry
- Daily Housekeeping
- On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities
- Hours of Operation: 12:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Added Value
- Wake Up Calls
- ATM/Cash Machine
- Ice Machine
Hotel Details
10111 Niagara Falls Boulevard
Niagara Falls, New York 14304
United States
Check In: 3:00 PM
Check Out: 11:00 AM
Check-in Age: 21
Parking + -
- Complimentary Self Parking Available
Accessibility + -
- Public Entrance
- Guest Rooms
- Elevators
- Public Restrooms
- Registration Desk
- Exercise Facility
- Business Center
- Number of Accessible Meeting Rooms: 1
Accessible Hotel Areas
- Registration Area
- Accessible Guest Rooms
- Business Center
- Meeting Room
- Exercise Facility
- Pool
Hotel Areas with Accessible Routes from Accessible Public Entrance
- Accessible Self Parking
- Van Accessible Self Parking
- Closed Caption TVs
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Guest Rooms
- Visual Alarm/Alert in Public Spaces
Provided by Hotel
Pet Policy + -
- Pets Allowed
- Service Animals Allowed
- Pet Walking Area On-site
- Pet Deposit per Stay: 50 USD
- Pets are allowed in the guest room with a one time 50.00 dollar per pet, per stay, non refundable fee that will not be waived. A pet policy form must be signed upon check in. Off site individual pet sitting service information available.
Facility + -
- Smoke-Free Facility
- Number of Floors: 4
- Total Number of Rooms: 87
- Number of Suites: 26
- Number of Non-Smoking Rooms: 87
- Number of Accessible Rooms: 4
Credit Cards + -
- American Express
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Diners Club
- Carte Blanche
- Discover


text: Please note: On December 31, 2019, the Walk Across America Challenge will come to an end. For Senior Health and Fitness Day in May 2020, the Club 300 walking club will issue a new walking challenge! It will sure to be fun and challenging for everyone. Club 300 Monday morning walks will continue as scheduled between challenges, so keep walking everyone!


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It made me think of Shakespeare (writer of plays for the Elizabethan stage). While he lacks a brazen enthusiast on the order of Tim McCarver, he does have his share of defenders. One of them, in hyperbolic frenzy, could feasibly insist that he, too, is "a man who has never received criticism of any kind."
This came up over at the Common Errors in English Usage Daily Entry blog a couple of weeks ago. The entry was specifically about the expression "between you and me" vs. "between you and I," with a preference for the former in standard usage. A commenter protested—rightly, perhaps—the softness of the recommendation:
Are you really saying that "between you and I" is vaguely acceptable? Does that mean that "They gave a gift to I" is also vaguely acceptable? However will we teach anyone the rules of grammar if we allow the inclusion of another person to permit "I" as an objective case pronoun?I followed up with a comment to the effect that while English grammar requires the objective case, me, when following a preposition, in English usage there are plenty of well-educated native speakers of English who naturally say "between you and I." In written English the numbers are strongly in favor of "between you and me," but even there someone could play the Shakespeare card, noting that the Bard himself wrote in The Merchant of Venice, "All debts are cleared between you and I."
Whether he deserves it or not, Shakespeare gets all kinds of slack when it comes to grammar. It may be that grammar as we know it was not codified in Shakespeare's day, it may be that Shakespeare was very self-aware in his preference for usage over structure, or it may be something else. But there are many instances of Shakespeare engaged in usage that seems quite incorrect to us. The essay linked to above points to expressions like "more fitter" and "most unkindest," plus a seeming lack of nominative and subjective case sense to distinguish "who" from "whom."
This really comes down to the grammar vs. usage dichotomy, which actually is not normally a dichotomy at all. English usage and English grammar are quite often one and the same. But there are times you just have to play it as it lays [an ungrammatical use of the verb "to lie"] and let a feel for proper usage, rather than formal grammar, be your guide. In other words, loudly and proudly announce "It's me!" and not "It is I" when you arrive home from work tonight. Really, really do that, because there really are times good grammar will destroy you.
So by all means, study the structure of grammar, but if you never want to receive any criticism of any kind, you need to understand English usage.


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NJ Government Shutdown? (Updated)
As of this writing, the Democrats in New Jersey's Legislature (Democrats control both the senate and the assembly) have not been able to agree on a budget. While each side of the Party of the People postures as having the people's interest in mind, in reality, they remind me more of a pack of jackals fighting over the meat on a carcass.
If they cannot come up with a budget by midnight tonight, New Jersey's Government will shut down, except for "essential services".
The Democrats should do everything in their power to keep that from happening, because if the government shuts down, no one may notice. Worse yet for the Democrats, the people might just like things better that way.
Update: Last night, the Democrat Legislators struck a deal and passed a compromise budget, thereby beating the midnight deadline and the possible shutdown of "essential services" in the state. Although the rules require that one day passes between committee approval and a floor vote, the Republicans will cooperate with the Democrats by voting to waive the one-day requirement so that the budget can be passed today.
Of course, it is damned near impossible to figure out how badly the New Jersey taxpayer will be screwed (and screwed we most certainly shall be), because in New Jersey the name of the game is "Rebates." The state takes income tax proceeds from taxpayers and redistributes some of them in the form of "rebates". So, a "cut" in rebates equals an increase in tax. Clever, no?
It seems fitting that, in this state, taxing the citizens is not unlike a State-Run Shell Game.
So, what do we have under this Jabberwockian System?
The best I can tell is that we have a $500 million cut in tax rebates (i.e. $500 million in income tax money the state will be keeping, instead of redistributing). However, that comes with a promised $270 million in "mandated spending cuts" (Color me skeptical).
Math is not my strong suit, but that looks to me like this amounts to a $230 million tax increase. However, in JerseyTaxSpeak it's really not an "increase," because the state already has the money. It's just giving less back. Clear?
One thing is, however, clear. We've been mugged again.


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FTSE CLOSE: Footsie on the up again as it closes at highest level since May 2008; pound falls
17.40 (CLOSE): London's top flight index hit it highest level in almost five years today as the Bank of England signalled that interest rates will remain at emergency levels for years to come.
The FTSE 100 Index closed at its highest level since May 2008, up 20.7 points to 6359.1, but the pound dropped to six month lows against the US dollar as Bank boss Sir Mervyn King said policymakers were prepared to tolerate another three years of above-target inflation to support economic recovery.
Sentiment on the London blue chip market was boosted by a bigger-than-expected rise in eurozone industrial production in December and news US retail sales rose by 0.1 per cent in January, as expected, calming fears over the impact of the new payroll tax on consumer spending.
Inflation: Bank of England chief Sir Mervyn King said the UK would have to tolerate three more years of above-target inflation to support economic recovery.
But the Dow Jones Industrial Average was still lower in early trading with President Obama's State of the Union address having failed to provide clarity over his spending and tax plans.
With the focus on the pound after the Bank's quarterly inflation forecast, sterling fell to 1.55 against the US dollars and dipped to 1.16 versus the euro as Sir Mervyn said the Bank stood ready to do more to support the economy if necessary.
Among stocks, falls were sparked after a raft of leading blue-chip firms began trading without the right to their latest dividend payment.
AstraZeneca, Royal Dutch Shell and BP were among those to go ex-dividend, falling by 68.5p to 2950p, 29p to 2186p and 6.5p to 453.69p respectively.
In the top flight, shares in household goods group Reckitt Benckiser were 1 per cent higher after the company posted better-than-expected results for 2012.
The performance, which included a 5 per cent rise in net income to £1.8 billion, followed strong demand for seasonal products such as Strepsils during the cold and flu season in Europe and North America.
Shares were initially lower as investors questioned the company's cautious forecast of 5 per cent to 6 per cent growth in revenues this year, but closed 56p higher at 4419p and have now risen by 14 per cent so far this year.
In the banking sector, Barclays lost some of the 9 per cent rise seen yesterday after new chief executive Antony Jenkins laid out his vision for the future of the scandal-hit bank. Shares were 1.4p lower at 326p.
Traders also welcomed the first significant stock market flotation of the year, with housebuilder Crest Nicholson making its return after a five-year absence.
Shares were priced towards the top end of market expectations at 220p, valuing the company at £553 million, but jumped at the start of conditional dealings to as high as 253p, or £636 million. Crest shares closed at 247.8p.
The biggest FTSE 100 risers were Tullow Oil up 80p to 1260p, CRH ahead 64p to 1420p, Wolseley 98p higher at 3084p and Amec up 33p to 1124p.
The biggest FTSE 100 fallers were Sage Group down 9.9p to 333.3p, AstraZeneca off 68.5p to 2950p, Carnival 53p lower at 2575p and BP down 6.5p to 453.6p.
16.25: The FTSE 100 has put on a late spurt and is trading up 40.3 points at 6,378.6 shortly before the close.
But the Dow rally has quickly run out of steam - it's back below the closely-watched 14,000 mark, down 27.8 points at 13,990.9.
General Electric has announced it is selling its 49 per cent stake in broadcaster NBCUniversal to Comcast a few years ahead of schedule.
Comcast intended to up its 51 per cent stake in NBC more gradually, but its $16.7billion deal with GE was apparently struck now to take advantage of low interest rates.
Economy watch: Rise in US retail sales has buoyed stock markets
The Dow Jones has opened up 47.5 points at 14,018.7 after investors received the welcome news that US retail sales rose in January.
But sales were up just 0.1 per cent, a slowdown on the 0.5 per cent rate of growth in December - probably reflecting the New Year tax hike suffered by working Americans.
In London, the FTSE 100 has shaken off a weak start and moved up 17.9 points to 6,356.3.
The FTSE 100 has clawed back into the black and is up 2 points at 6,340.4 in lunchtime trading.
Shares in Reckitt Benckiser were initially lower as investors questioned the company's cautious forecast of 5-6 per cent growth in revenues this year, but were later 73p higher at 4436p and have now risen by 14 per cent so far this year.
In the banking sector, Barclays consolidated the 9 per cent rise seen yesterday after new chief executive Antony Jenkins laid out his vision for the future of the scandal-hit bank.
Shares were 0.6p higher at 328p, compared with a fall of 0.7p to 54.7p for Lloyds Banking Group and a drop of 3.3p to 350.9p for Royal Bank of Scotland.
But attention is on the currency markets today. The pound fell after Sir Mervyn King fuelled expectations that interest rates will remain at a record low for some time to come, while international tensions rose over Japan's attempts to weaken the yen.
Presenting the Bank's quarterly inflation report, Sir Mervyn said policymakers were prepared to weather a two-year period of above-target inflation in order to support the recovery in growth and employment.
At a six-month low against the US dollar, the pound fell by 0.5 per cent against the greenback today and dipped almost 1 per cent versus the euro as Sir Mervyn said the said Bank stood ready to do more to support the economy if necessary.
Read more here about sterling's woes.
Ishaq Siddiqi, market strategist at ETX Capital, said: 'The theme this week is undoubtedly currency wars, with the weakening yen prompting worries that central banks and policymakers will need to intervene and manipulate exchange rates in order to stem the rise in export prices that will ultimately derail the nascent recoveries.
'The G7 yesterday pledged to avoid a currency war yesterday, but markets saw this as only verbal and would rather wait to hear what the G20 leaders have to say about this Friday and Saturday as that collective body bears a greater influence on deciding measures.'
Meanwhile, Chris Beauchamp of IG said of today's stock market action: 'Progress has rather stalled of late, but that is perhaps due to a lack of fresh positive news rather than any widespread outbreak of negativity.
'Fans of round numbers will be pleased that the Dow has closed above 14,000, as this had proved to be something of a stumbling block since the beginning of February. However, as we enter the second half of the month the US sequester [government spending] issue comes into play.
'Last night's State of the Union address will serve as a reminder to the overly enthusiastic among us that American politicians remain as divided as ever on the issue of fiscal reform.'
'US retail sales this afternoon are expected to show only a modicum of growth for the first month of the year, but this does provide an opportunity for a surprise on the upside.'
The FTSE 100 is down 18 points at 6,320.3 after a number of leading blue-chip firms began trading without the right to their latest dividend payment.
But City commentators also suggested market sentiment was flat after President Barack Obama's much-anticipated annual State Of The Union speech.
Matt Basi, senior sales trader at CMC Markets, said: 'After all of the talk around President Obama's State Of The Union address last night, the event itself sparked little market reaction in early trade, though murmurs of frustration emanated from some quarters as the Republican rebuttal provided another example of the unwillingness to compromise that has been the hallmark of US politics over the past 12 months.'
Fawad Razaqzada, market strategist at GFT Markets, said Obama's speech seemed to have left markets somewhat underwhelmed, but investors were already looking ahead to US retail sales figures for January due out later.
'This may well be the catalyst to provide some meaningful direction. With householders facing higher taxes in 2013, this first reading for the New Year will be closely watched to see just how bad the fall-out actually is,' he said.
Back in London, shares in household goods group Reckitt Benckiser were closely watched after the company posted better-than-expected results for 2012.
The performance, which included a 5 per cent rise in net income to £1.8billion, followed strong demand for seasonal products such as Strepsils during the cold and flu season in Europe and North America. Shares were 25p lower at 4337.5p but have risen more than 11 per cent so far this year.
Traders also welcomed the first significant stock market flotation of the year, with housebuilder Crest Nicholson making its return after a five-year absence.
Shares were priced towards the top end of market expectations at 220p, valuing the company at £553million, but jumped at the start of conditional dealings to as high as 253p, or £636million. Crest shares were later 245.25p.
Britain's top share index fell on Wednesday, snapping a three-session rally, weighed down by a fall in the value of stocks trading without the attraction of their latest dividend.
Stocks trading ex-dividend accounted for all of the FTSE 100's decline, with falls for AstraZeneca, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Sage Group knocking a hefty 17.41 points off the index.
The FTSE 100 was down 16.25 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 6,322.13 by 0809 GMT, having risen 1 per cent in the previous session to near a level not seen since May 2008.
'We still think that buyers will be looking to add into positions on dips,' Atif Latif, director of trading at Guardian Stockbrokers, said.
Latif reckoned a fall to 6,250, around the bottom of the range seen over the last couple of weeks, will bring fresh buying in, and from there could move back up to 6,534, the high of 2008.
Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 23 to 25 points, or as much as 0.4 per cent, according to financial bookmakers.
Ex-dividend stocks will account for the best part of the FTSE 100's predicted decline today, knocking a hefty 17.41 points off the index, with AstraZeneca, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Sage Group all trading without their pay out attractions.
The UK benchmark closed up 61.32 points, or 1 per cent, at 6,338.38 last night, with banks accounting for almost half of the index's points gain, led by Barclays after it announced hefty job cuts.
Across the Atlantic, U.S. January retail sales are due at 1330 GMT alongside U.S. January import and export prices data, with U.S. December business inventories out at 1500 GMT.
Britain's Reckitt Benckiser beat full-year earning expectations as the maker of Strepsils and Mucinex benefited from an unusually heavy U.S. cold and flu season in the final quarter.
African Barrick Gold said it is focused on reducing its cost base from current levels as it reported a drop in full-year earnings.
Africa-focused oil company Tullow Oil took a $671 writedown with its 2012 results against just $121 million in 2011 to account for unsuccessful drilling activities and the reduced value of production and exploration assets.
European stocks are expected to open flat-to-lower as a batch of mixed corporate earnings from key blue-chip companies prompted a pause after solid gains in the previous session.
Figures from French bank Societe Generale and Nordic Mobile telecoms firm Telenor missed analyst expectations, hit by weakness in the eurozone and Denmark respectively.
But Heineken, the world's third largest brewer, beat consensus thanks to growth in Africa and the Americas.
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Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.....Introductio n
by, 03-08-2012 at 11:58 AM (3507 Views)
(as taken from the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth game module by Gary Gygax. I have added the chest with items donated by the March of Bissel as well as the wagon and two horses and the barrels with two weeks feed for the horses.)
Your party has been gathered by agents of the Margrave of the March of Bissel. He tells you that there are "political considerations," which he does not explain, that prevent him from searching for Iggwilv's trove himself. However, it is vital that the treasure not fall into the hands of his enemies. Your party's goal is to get the treasure before Bissel's enemies do. The Margrave has provided you with horses and a map showing the most probable location of the Lost Caverns. The Margrave will also give you an escort from Thornwood to a narrow trail leading from the easternmost arm of the Bramblewood Forest northward into the Yatil Mountains, the very heart of Iggwilv's old domain. The Margrave intructs you to return with three specific artifacts. They are Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn, the prison of Zagig, and the Demonomicon of Iggwilv. You have pledged to repay the Margrave for your horses, as well as any other equipment he provided, out of the monetary treasure obtained. You will also be required to pay a treasure tax of 15% on all money taken. He tells you that the remainder of the money, as well as any other magical items taken, are your reward for undertaking this perilous quest. However, you are warned under threat of dire punishment not to allow any magical items to fall into evil hands.
An examination of your map reveals that the track through the mountains has numerous branches. At the end of each track is a number, evidently standing for something unknown. The agents of the Margrave cannot tell you anything about their significance, except that it is likely that at one of the sites are the caverns you seek. Obviously, the map is incomplete, for from what you know of this part of the world, there are mountains where nothing but blank space is shown on the chart. With this map you must somehow find where the treasure is hidden. The more direct your route to the caverns, the less the likelihood of injury or death from the many perils of the journey. A scrap of parchment with a bit of doggerel on it might be a clue, or it might be of now use whatsoever, save to mislead you.
After a journey of a sen'night, your band haas reached the foothills of the Yatils without incident. It is morning and the sun is emerging over the peaks to the east. Before you is the narrow winding path, that looks to be almost wide enough for two wagons to passby each other. Behind you is the escort of horsemen riding south for home. Fortunately, you have sure-footed, mountain bred horses given to you to assure a swift passage to your destination. Due to their smaller statures, Flemin and Dunil have been riding the wagon, however the two horses pulling it are just as sure footed as the others being rode by the rest of the party. Before the escort left, you were told that his Grace, the March of Bissel himself has donated the wagon and a chest of items to the party to help aid them during this quest. An examination of the chest reveals the following items contained within, along with a piece of parchment that lists what each item is specifically.
1. Potion of Extra-healing
2. Wand of Magic Missiles (18 charges)
3. Ring of Protection +1
4. Large Tent
5. 4 torches
6. Mace +4
7. Quiver with 6 arrows +2
8. Battle Axe +2
Vellum map secured safely, there is naught else to do but proceed with the quest to find the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.


text: Besides his duties with Endless Summer Band, Will performs as a freelance jazz trombonist and bassist throughout the state of Indiana and is the Low Brass Instructor at St. Joseph's University. Will is currently working on a Doctorate from Ball State University, where he also earned his Masters and Bachelors degrees in Music Education. While at Ball State, he directed the Studio Jazz Ensemble, jazz combos, brass quintets, taught private trombone and jazz improvisation, and coordinated the annual Dimensions in Jazz Festival. He performed with the national tour of Oliver the Musical, a European tour of A Chorus Line, the Harry James Orchestra, My Sinatra, Manhattan Transfer, Lorna Luft, Dom Deluise, the Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Eddy Howard Orchestra, the Ted Weems Orchestra, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Wayne Bergeron, Chuck Findley, Michael Davis, Andy Martin and Marcus Printup. While living in New York City, Will performed in numerous big bands, orchestras, brass quintets and show bands. He also did several tours with Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.


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The recent escalation of tensions regarding territorial claims over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands — reflect the individual calculations of Taiwan, China and Japan. As far as China and Taiwan are concerned, given that they are united in their refusal to accept that Japan has a legitimate claim, their biggest consideration will be the strengthening of peaceful mutual development.
Amid all the saber-rattling between China, Taiwan and Japan, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has been traveling back and forth between China and Japan, as well as South Korea, trying to defuse tensions. Unfortunately, it does not look like the issue will be resolved any time soon.
By allowing a fleet of Chinese private vessels and naval ships to enter the waters around the Japanese-owned Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan's east coast at such a crucial time, China defied the US and Japan's pretensions to lording it over the Western Pacific.
Taiwan, China and Japan have engaged in a series of bilateral talks on the Diaoyutais issue. Clearly, they are no longer content to remain silent on the matter. That international mechanisms for peaceful settlement, such as the International Court of Justice, have kept their distance during this process is a reflection of the nature of the dispute: It is a clash of regional powers.
As far as Taiwan is concerned, the government's proposal of the East China Sea peace initiative was a way of reclaiming the initiative in this whole process, to maintain the country's original fishing rights and to create the right conditions for the peaceful continuation of friendly relations between Taiwan and Japan.
For China, the Diaoyutais issue is about seizing the opportunity to legitimize the expansion of China's maritime rights in the Western Pacific.
For Japan, it is about reinforcing the US-Japan alliance, and obliging the US to restate its security assurances to Japan in the Western Pacific.
The development of the Diaoyutais issue has been about the respective governments of these countries testing the waters regarding potential power shifts within the overall framework of the Western Pacific. It also brings new political and economic challenges to Taiwan, China and Japan.
First, China is bringing to bear its growing economic clout and its increasingly sophisticated methods to bring other countries in line.
Japan and East Asian countries benefit from trade with China. Whether they are willing to sacrifice a degree of power and influence in the interest of maintaining such benefits will be a crucial factor in how much China will be able to influence the future development of the region.
Second, the cross-strait military mutual trust mechanism that has thus far failed to launch has not been brought any closer by this issue. Taiwan's military buffer zone is now weaker as a result. Recent developments have done little for Taiwan's case for deepening relations with China on an equal footing.
Finally, a change in leadership in both China and the US may well be seen before the year is out. How the new leaders view the situation in East Asia will be another factor influencing the outcome.
Both Taiwan and China must develop their own stance on the Diaoyutais issue. They must also take steps, such as setting up offices in each other's countries, to maintain a stable, harmonious environment. This will present not only challenges, but also opportunities, for continued peaceful development of cross-strait relations.


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In light of Fran Drescher's comments, here is what I found.
Reblogging from Bestforbabes.org.
Science You Can Use: Worried about toxins in your breastmilk? Get the facts. | Best for Babes
Science You Can Use: Worried about toxins in your breastmilk? Get the facts.
|By Tanya Lieberman, IBCLC | Posted on May 14, 2012 | 1 Comment |
Have you heard about the new book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History?
The author, Florence Williams, was inspired to write the book when, while breastfeeding her child, she wrote an an article for the New York Times in which she had her breastmilk tested for flame retardants (PBDEs). The article is a sobering account of the way our bodies reflect the state of our environment.
In Breasts, Williams addresses toxins and breastmilk again, stating that breasts "soak up pollution like a pair of soft sponges." It's enough to make any mom wonder if she's endangering her child by doing the most natural of things.
But before anyone concludes that breastmilk is unsafe – and research shows that this information can indeed scare women into not breastfeeding – let's review some facts:
1) Levels of some chemicals in breastmilk have been going DOWN in recent years. Yes, there are chemicals present in breastmilk, and levels of some of them are increasing at a worrying rate. But as Dr. Kathleen Arcaro, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Massachusetts who studies pollutants in breastmilk as well as breast cancer, explained to me in an interview, "the good news is that the concentration of some lipophilic (fat-loving) environmental pollutants in breast milk is decreasing. For instance the level of many pesticides (DDT and its metabolites) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has greatly decreased over the last 30 years."
2) There are toxins in formula, too, sometimes in higher amounts. You have to feed your baby something. So are your choices breastmilk which reflects our environmental exposures, or a perfect, chemical-free food? No!
Dr. Arcaro notes that "pollutants are widely distributed [i.e. in the air, in water] and therefore are in cow's milk and formula." Or put more colorfully by Dr. Jack Newman, "There are toxins in formula. Why would everything on earth be polluted, even the far reaches of the Arctic, but not formula?"
A 2009 CDC study of ten different types of formula found found that "perchlorate was a contaminant of all commercially available [formulas] tested." The FDA has found BPA and trace amounts of melamine in some formulas, and a study out this month found arsenic in an organic toddler formula. One chemical, PAH, is found in the highest levels in formula and cow's milk, and lowest levels in breastmilk.
I share this not to scare formula feeding mothers but to emphasize that there is no perfect choice. The choice is between two foods which reflect the polluted state of our environment: one confers protection against numerous health problems and one does not. I get very disturbed thinking of mothers turning away from breastfeeding – and thereby increasing their babies' risk of disease (see Table 1) – for fear of chemical exposure, only to unknowingly feed their babies formula which contains the same substances of concern, and lacks any immunity-building substances.
3) Breastmilk may actually protect babies from the chemicals in it. A hot-off-the-press study has concluded that breastfed babies, due to a healthy bacteria in breastmilk called bifidobacterium actually metabolize perchlorate. The study found, "breast-fed babies can metabolize the environmental contaminant perchlorate, decreasing their risks of detrimental developmental effects from exposure." As Williams noted in her New York Times article, "breast milk appears to be at least partly protective against the effects of toxic chemicals." We are only now beginning to understand the constituents of breastmilk and how they interact with a baby's body. Who knows how else breastmilk might be protective?
4) Research has found no adverse consequences of some key chemicals found in breastmilk. A recent studycomparing the health and development of babies exposed to dioxins (nearly twenty years ago, when exposure to dioxins was more common) through breastmilk and those fed formula found no adverse health consequences for the breastfed babies, and significantly better developmental outcomes for those who were breastfed. This confirms the findings of prior research. Williams cites similar findings regarding exposure to PCBs through breastmilk.
5) Not everything in the environment or your diet makes it into your milk. Our bodies have several systems that regulate what gets into our milk, and it's worth understanding how it works in this context. In order for a substance to get into breastmilk, it must pass through a number of "screens." Some things we ingest are destroyed in our digestive system, eliminated from our bodies, or held in our livers before they even enter our bloodstream, which is where they may transfer into milk. And not everything that enters our bloodstream makes it into our milk, either. Only substances that are small enough in molecular weight to squeeze in between our milk making cells, or fat-soluble enough to 'hitchhike' through the cell walls, make the cut. And (in an act I consider to be just a little bit miraculous) once the level in our bloodstream declines, some substances that make it into milk actually move out of the milk, back into our bloodstream. Even when something harmful does make it into your milk, your baby's gut may destroy it or poop/pee it out before it can enter her bloodstream. Of course, these systems are not foolproof, and it's important to emphasize that some harmful substances can enter milk can pose a threat to your baby. Much more on this topic can be found on Dr. Thomas Hale's website.
6) Short of you being poisoned, breastfeeding is recommended. The CDC states: "Breastfeeding is still recommended despite the presence of chemical toxins. The toxicity of chemicals may be most dangerous during the prenatal period and the initiation of breastfeeding. However, for the vast majority of women the benefits of breastfeeding appear to far outweigh the risks. To date, effects on the nursing infant have been seen only where the mother herself was clinically ill from an toxic exposure." The International Lactation Consultant Association states in their position paper (pdf) that, "with the exception of maternal poisoning, breast milk remains a safe, life-enhancing method to feed and nurture infants and young children."
7) Concerned? Take action to protect your baby and the environment. We can take steps, in both personal and public spheres, to make ourselves and our milk freer of chemicals of concern. We can take a number of other simple steps, as outlined by Healthy Child, Healthy World, to reduce our exposure. We can selectively shop for pesticide-free produce (without breaking the bank) using the Environmental Working Groups Dirty Dozen list (available as an app), and use cleaner personal care products.
The solution is not to stop nursing, but to stop polluting. So finally, and most importantly, we can advocate for better regulation of chemicals in our environment, through many organizations working to make our world, and the lives of our children, healthier.
*Some content from in this post was originally published on the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog.


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The key objective of the ICN HIV/AIDS Network is to be a global resource for nurses working in, or interested in, HIV policy, practice development, education and research. By promoting networking and linkages, the network will enable knowledge and expertise to be shared, while reflecting the changing nature of HIV client-care across the globe.
The ICN HIV/AIDS Network will have a Network Coordinator, who liaises closely with ICN and be responsible for the day-to-day management and smooth running of the Network. The terms of reference of the Network Coordinator will be to:
- Develop Network Bulletin that is issued twice a year
- Maintain web site
- Monitor chat room
- Plan and organise forums of the Network during ICN conference and congress
- Disseminate information on products and services of relevance to the Network
- Respond to queries from members and others
- Solicit input into the work and activities of the Network
- Consult on issues and trends including ICN policy


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Photo Credit: Bethany Struble
Bethany got me these corduroy pants while she was in Michigan! I loveeee them. Lately the weather in california has been a bit bipolar, just last week it was raining and cold as knives, but this past week has been a bit warmer. LA is strange, that's for sure.
Anyways, make sure you guys come check out the giveaway and event this saturday :]


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Marie-France Pisier, the actresss who played Coco Chanel in Chanel Solitaire passed away on April 24, 2011. May she rest in peace. The Guardian.
Illustration by aleXsandro Palombo
Read a few funny snippets of interviews with Karl Lagerfeld – he really has a way with words. I can't help but smile when I read his answers. He doesn't want Haider Ackerman to succeed him at Chanel, he doesn't like women in thongs, his hair is low maintenance and the campaign featuring Crystal Renn was shot in his childhood bed.
Naomi Watts & Chanel Ambassador Jen Brill in Chanel
Chanel hosted a dinner as a part of the Tribeca Film Festival and there were many fancy people in attendance. Read more via WWD & T Magazine
The Rhode Island School of Design is hosting an exhibit called Cocktail Culture featuring gorgeous cocktail wear and a Chanel LBD designed by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel from 1958 is on display.
Ajaline, a new high end jewelry flash sale site has a vintage Chanel sale starting tomorrow through May 5th.