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Productivity Gains, Flight Management & Clean Aviation Fuels
Productivity Gains, Flight Management & Clean Aviation Fuels
Research is ongoing into a number of alternative ways to produce jet biofuel, with algae remaining the great white hope, while Boeing – one of the aviation leaders driving the search for renewable energy for the industry – has found that by reducing its environmental footprint it is driving productivity improvements. And air traffic management trials are now showing promising potential for airline fuel savings in real-world tests.
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer, for the Australian (16 April 2010):
Environmental strategies should be good business and can motivate staff, according to Boeing's environmental program head Mary Armstrong.
Boeing ramped up its environmental strategy under chief executive Jim McInery about three years ago and has targeted a 25 per cent reduction in its environmental footprint by 2012.
It is focusing not only on its "four walls" internal processes but also on suppliers, its products in use and recycling products.
"We found that reducing the environmental footprint drives productivity improvements and the focus with our supply base is to look at the whole value stream and reduce together," Ms Armstrong said at an aviation environmental conference held in Sydney last week.
"And every project and program we've looked at allows us to drive productivity and economics as well as an environmental footprint reduction so that's really where our focus is.
"And you'll see throughout this, our kind of action agenda and approach is (that) nothing can be environmentally sustainable if it's not economically sustainable."
Ms Armstrong said Boeing's internal programs had environmental targets that included energy reductions coupled with green-house gas cuts, reducing hazardous waste and increasing the rate of recycling and reducing waste.
But it had found also that the value staff placed on the environment made them engage in a much more aggressive manner than business as usual.
"And each one of those reduction activities drives tremendous economic improvement," she said.
"So we've been looking at reductions in our four walls for some time because it's just plain good business."
Ms Armstrong said another key element in its strategy was to become more transparent than it had been in the past.
Boeing was set to publish its third environment report and this would have the "good, the bad and the ugly": what it was doing right, where it might not have met targets but was still moving forward, and where it had made "environmental missteps".
"This notion of transparency, we feel, is extremely important as we build credibility in our environmental strategy," she said.
Boeing announced this week that it was appointing Virginia Wheway to head its environmental program in Australia.
Ms Wheway, the first environmental health and safety director to be appointed outside the US, will develop Boeing's local environmental strategy and will ensure it complies with local regulations.
To be based at Boeing Australia's Sydney head office, she has been with the company's advanced research and technology arm, Phantom Works, for eight years. Phantom Works has the US patent for an algorithm that monitors airborne aircraft and allows engineers to take action before a fault occurs.
Ms Wheway would report directly to her, Ms Armstrong said.
Source: www.theaustralian.com.au
THE global financial crisis appears not to have slowed down research into biofuels but industry expectations about its growth and impact have become less certain.
Industry participants, at an environmental conference hosted by US manufacturer Boeing in Sydney this week, were split on how much of Australia's aviation fuel would come from biofuel by 2020, with some opting for less than 5 per cent and others predicting 5 to 10 per cent.
Only one person thought it would be more than 10 per cent.
Boeing's local operations are working on a figure of about 1 per cent local production by 2015 but the Boeing Commercial Airplanes managing director of environment strategy, Billy Glover, said it was too hard to predict what would happen.
"We're at the beginning, the start of the slope," he said. "No one knows what that slope will be over the next few years. We're all aiming to push it higher in the right way."
Mr Glover said a study early this year by E4Tech had laid out low, medium and high trajectories for the growth and availability of biofuel for aviation and had come up with a lowside projection of 5 to 10 per cent by 2020.
"They were apparently more bullish than a lot of people here," he told the conference.
Research is ongoing into a number of alternative ways to produce biofuel, with algae remaining the great white hope.
Mr Glover, who is also chairman of the trade-based Algal Biomass Organisation, said algae researchers in the US had begun to scale-up production, facilitated by the US Defence Department's interest in using biofuel in aircraft as well as ground and ocean-going assets. He said this had helped boost production and get people out of the laboratory into small-scale production.
"So obviously we're seeing signs of getting to an answer. It's still not clear, though, when and how much," he said.
"People are protecting their intellectual property, their business opportunity until they're pretty confident they'll go ahead and move out.
"So I think the comments you hear are because no one's quite showing their hand, not to the extent that you can really tell."
Despite the uncertainty about algae, Mr Glover said he was more optimistic than he was a year ago.
He said there was some good work on cellulose waste materials and the use of animal fats.
"In the end, I think we're just going to see a variety of things in a particular region or locality," he said. "It's going to be who's there, what resources are available and what's the local market.
"It will be really broad, and it will be changing over time as science matures and you have another option.".
Fuel standards authorities are expected to approve biofuels for use in aircraft this year, but they will be subject to an extensive list of requirements about what process steps are required and what impurities it can contain.
Mr Glover did not believe the recession had slowed down research because most businesses were looking at a long-term plan and had investors that saw them through.
Qantas chief risk manager Rob Kella called on aircraft manufacturers to accelerate work on the next generation of improvements and predicted that setting up a supply chain for sustainable biofuels would be a long-term project critical for the industry between 2020 and 2050.
Mr Kella said the technical side of producing biofuels capable of being used in aircraft was not an issue but it was now a case of picking the right feedstock, considering different refining options and creating a supply chain that would deliver the fuel where it was needed for aircraft.
He also believed Australian airlines needed to put a more persuasive case for increased government attention on biofuels.
"I don't think we've done that yet and we need to spend some more time with government about the benefits and looking at the Australian context in particular," he said.
Improvements in air traffic management that were on the drawing board two years ago are now showing promising potential for airline fuel savings in real-world tests, according to Qantas chief risk officer Rob Kella.
The introduction of tailored arrivals and Required Navigation Performance approaches, as well as trials of the Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions, had confirmed the airline's preliminary view of reduced fuel usage, Mr Kella told The Australian during an environmental conference in Sydney this week. He said a call last year by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce for greater government attention to the "infrastructure in the sky" had produced a positive response from Canberra.
"We've formed an air traffic management performance group, with senior levels within Qantas and Airservices Australia to really deal more strategically with how we can use this basket of different technologies and how we can roll those out effectively in an Australian context," he said.
"I think we're fortunate in many respects to have lots of room to manoeuvre in Australia; we're not nearly as congested as, say, Europe and North America have been. So it's great opportunity for Australian industry to really develop. But we've also got to listen to community concerns."
Modern jets come equipped with advanced technologies that allow them to use more efficient flight paths and airport approaches. But the environmental gains from using these new approaches can put airlines at odds with local communities.
Mr Kella said the lower thrust levels needed using modern technology translated to a lower noise footprint, but it could also put planes over areas where they had not been seen before, creating a lot of angst. "So I think we've got to work strategically with the community, AirServices Australia, etc on how we can use this and create an open discussion . . . on how we can balance some of these competing forces, agendas if you will," he said.
Mr Kella also warned of the "depressing" environmental regulatory situation as various governments introduced a variety of taxes, charges and emission trading schemes. He put the chances of the industry achieving a global industry approach to environmental measures at "probably no more than 50-50″.
Source: www.theaustralian.com.au


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Have you ever considered volunteering at Union Mission but you just didn't know what you could do or where you would be useful?
We get asked constantly by potential volunteers, "I am not sure what I could offer Union Mission, so where could I be helpful?"
There are literally hundreds of different ways to volunteer at Union Mission. Some include direct interaction with the hurting people that come through are doors, others include behind-the-scenes work that help keep Union Mission going.
In this Volunteer Spotlight video, we shine the spotlight on Betsy who wanted to do something different on her 60th birthday. She and others from her church decided to cook an incredible steak dinner for the homeless men and women at Crossroads. Her example of sacrifice and dedication to serving others is what makes Union Mission volunteers so incredible and allows the mission to reach hurting people throughout West Virginia.
How can you serve?
Want to know where to get started? Simply click the button below and fill out the basic contact info and one of our volunteer coordinators will work with you or your group to get you serving in the perfect place at the mission.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm sure you've probably noticed by now . . . the financial markets are one exciting roller coaster ride. As the media throws headlines at us faster and faster, our manic stock market reacts by propelling prices higher one day, and the next day pounding them even lower.
As players in this stock marker, whose goals are to earn consistent gains, how do we succeed?
One way is to remain aware of the "big picture" trends, and zones of price support and resistance on the S&P 500 Index.
Hold it! you say. "Why do I care which direction the S&P 500 takes?"
You care because in bull markets, three out of five stocks (excluding penny stocks and some commodity-related stocks) will follow the S&P higher. In bear markets, or market downturns, four out of five stocks will follow the benchmark lower.
Bottom line: traders and active investors are wise to glance at the S&P daily or weekly to stay on top of the markets direction.
"Okay," you continue. "That makes sense. But why do I care about the S and P's zones of price support and resistance?"
You care because support and resistance zones on the S&P 500—and whether the index is able to climb above them (bullish), or plummets below them (bearish) gives clues as to future market direction and possibly the equities in your portfolio.
How Demand & Supply Fuel Greed & Fear and Produce Support & Resistance
The entire world—and especially the financial markets—are driven by two ruling emotions: greed and fear. These two emotions and varying levels of each (optimism, hope, or anxiety to downright panic) fuel demand (buying) or supply (selling) in equities and other financial market assets.
When demand is high for a financial asset, price expands; market players are willing to pay higher and prices for it (greed). When that price stretches too high for investors to continue buying, they hold or sell.
At that point, supply floods the market, driving price lower (fear). If supply continues to overwhelm demand, the selling will drive prices lower . . . until the supply of shares for sale is exhausted. Then, quickly or gradually, demand (buyers) will return.
If demand absorbs supply, support forms, as a cluster of buyers believes the value of the asset will expand over time. And the process repeats all over again.
Being able to evaluate basic support and resistance levels on a price chart is an invaluable trading and investing skill, because these reversal zones can influence price movement into the future, in both the short and long-term.
Furthermore, support and resistance zones can act as "go," "caution" and "stop" signals for entering new positions and risk management strategies.
The seven-month daily chart of the S&P 500 Index, below, shows current support and potential resistance. Keep in mind these are basic—but important—zones.
Chart Courtesy RealTick®
We can see that in January of this year (to the right of the dotted line), the S&P 500 performed a dumpster dive, plunging from its opening on January 4th at 2038, to that month's lows of 1812 on January 20th—a 11% move.
The S&P bounced nicely from its 1812 low up to about 1950, creating potential support at 1812. Then, however, fear returned (as it often does), and the index made a U-turn, flushing out the "weak hands," and sending it back to retest the 1812 level.
At this point, bulls stepped in. The resulting demand created optimism, and the retested, stronger support zone encouraged bulls to keep on buying, fueled by hope that this time the S&P would maintain its uptrend.
Once the S&P 500 reached the 1950 level, it struggled with that resistance zone—investors had sold there before and they would do it again—but the bulls prevailed, and the index muscled its way to the next rung of resistance at 2000 – 2020.
This week's market action will tell us if the benchmark index can continue its move to the upside and head back toward its old highs at 2173 (May 2015). If the ceiling of resistance holds at 2020, some bulls may choose to take profits and limit share size of new positions.
Being able to spot demand and supply, greed and fear, and the resulting support and resistance zones on the S&P 500 Index is an invaluable skill that we can use to make wiser and more successful trading and investing decisions.
Until next time, keep green on your screen,
Toni Turner
Toni Turner is the President of TrendStar Group, LLC, is an accomplished technical analyst as well as a popular educator and sought-after speaker in the financial arena.
She is also the author of best-selling books: A Beginner's Guide to Short-Term Trading, Short-Term Trading in the New Stock Market and Invest to Win: Earn and Keep Profits Bull and Bear Markets With the GainsMaster Approach, co-authored with Gordon Scott, CMT.


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What do you guys think??
I can't see the pics.
can't see em
OK just fixed them!! They are up.
I really like the first pair Selena!
I can see them and I like them both, are the first ones heavy?
I just ordered them from these pictures. They will be to me on Wednesday. I have not found any chanel earrings that were to heavy. Especially this drop style. I have a load of this style. Its like wearing NOTHING. Cant wait to get them.
Selena, did you get the first pair from Neiman Marcus? I'm on the waitlist for those at Neimans and hadn't received the call yet. I guess I need to call and harrass them about it.
cute. I have the chanel logo studs and just love them.
I love them!
Aw! How cute. them.
Yes NM my gal in Chicago. I think she has more if you want her number PM me.
Love them!! Would love to see them on..Congrats!!!
I Love The First One!!
Love the first pair - how much do they retail for?


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Last month I had the pleasure of meeting fellow tech fan Albany Irvin when she was a speaker at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women. Irvin is a host at QVC and is a public speaker for STEM programs (science, technology, engineering and math). She was a chemistry and biology major in college and is also a Zumba instructor. Irvin's passion for knowledge helps her discover and master new tech. She's a self-described super geek, but brings chic to the geek!
Irvin was speaking my language when she shared with me her insights about how she uses tech in her everyday life. Her views are a perfect fit for what The Wonder of Tech represents. "Tech should be fun. it's is one of those areas where you have to be brave, to jump in. Tech isn't one-size fits all, you have to decide which one fits for you and then you play."
Bringing Humanity to Tech
One of the challenges in explaining tech is doing so without using tech terms. As part of her role as a QVC host, Irvin has a limited time to explain tech in plain English to her audience. Her secret? "I try to make the tech personal or relatable to something else." She gave the example of a cake, something that everyone can relate to. "Tell me what type of cake you want and I can give you the recipe."
"I particularly enjoy talking to someone from an older generation whose never had a smartphone. They just wanted to make calls but all of a sudden they figure out they could have all of the pictures of their grandchildren on a phone." She pointed out that people also appreciate the ability to take pictures of what they're doing and share that instantly with others.
Irvin bought her grandparents their first computer eight years ago. They claimed they didn't need one, but after Irvin gave them a computer her grandfather got interested in ancestry and researched their family history back to other countries. Her grandparents now use Skype to connect with her aunt and uncle who live in Australia, instead of running up large long distance bills.
Using Tech in Our Daily Lives
Irvin gets excited about new tech and its impact on our lives. "We're living a bit of history here, we're living in a Star Trek world where you're seeing things come to life that we see on TV." New tech is constantly amazing her when it advances while becoming more affordable. "It used to be that computers were a nice thing to have. They're a must-have now."
Tablets are also becoming a must-have tech tool, according to Irvin. Her kids' school is now requiring students to have iPads. While providing a child an iPad may seem expensive, Irvin compares the cost of one chemistry book which was $800 when she was in college. "Now I could buy an iPad and all of my chemistry books for $800 and the iPad could last me longer than four years."
Only Get the Tech You Need
Irvin and I share the belief that not everyone needs to get the latest and greatest tech. "Some people get their eyes glazed over by the newest and greatest tech." She cautioned about thinking of tech as disposable and needing the latest gadget all the time.
Irvin gave the example of buying a car and compared those who do mostly city driving and may want a smaller, nimble car to those people who drive country roads in bad weather who may need a 4-wheel drive model. "Sometimes you just need transportation."
People can take the same approach with smartphones, considering how they use the phones in their everyday lives. "If you're getting a smartphone and you're only going to make phone calls and really only going to call two people, you may not need a smartphone. Maybe you want a tablet instead because you like to play Sudoku or Solitaire or Candy Crush. I try to figure out what it is you'll be using the tech for and then help explain what something does."
How Irvin Uses Tech in Her Everyday Life
"I literally am surrounded by tech because I love it, I crave it." Her tech arsenal includes an iPhone, iPad and Kindle. Her iPad is her most important tech tool. "It's like my left arm," she said. "It tells me where I need to be. I know I can search a restaurant or a recipe. I can keep pictures there, I can design ideas for blogs. It's my walking command center, file cabinet, family organizer and more." Irvin also keeps her family health records and other important documents on her iPad.
She uses tech to curate information. "At QVC we're inundated with information and so many apps and new technologies." To sift through this overload, she consults websites such as Mashable and Buzzfeed to discover new tech.
Her Favorite App
Irvin relies on an app called Pocket Informant to stay organized.. "The most expensive app I ever purchased was the Pocket Informant app for $17.99 (note that now the full version of the app costs $14.99). That was before Google Calendar and iCal."
The app helps combine her business and personal calendars as well as those of her husband and babysitter. Events are color-coded to help her stay organized. "Gmail does a lot of those things now and they do them for free" but she has found that Pocket Informant is still better for her than any other organization app she has tried.
"I'm a very visual person. At any point I can look at a color-coded graph or spreadsheet and know where my time is being spent, where the kids' time is being spent, where my open space is and what's personal and what's work." Irvin called Pocket Informant her "Command Central." She can give access to her calendar to others and can customize it incorporating other organization tools such as Franklin Covey and Toodeloo.
How Irvin Doesn't Use Tech in Her Everyday Life
Irvin believes that how people don't use tech is more important than how they use tech. She consciously unplugs from tech often, especially when driving. "When I get in the car I put my purse in the back seat and that's where my phone is."
Her family doesn't use tech at the dinner table to make sure her family is connected at meals. She compares the parental responsibility in teaching a child to drive and teaching a child to use tech and social media wisely.
Family Fun (Tech-Free) Fridays
Tech is banned from Irvin's house on Fridays after school so the family can have fun together. She wanted to teach her children to enjoy life without using tech or social media. Her children now look forward to Family Fun Fridays, her daughter even skipped a high school dance so she wouldn't miss out on her family's fun. Her kids invite their friends along, even without knowing what activity is planned.
Everyone suggests ideas for activities that the whole family would like to do, such as watching a movie, ice skating or riding bicycles. They discovered the kids loved cooking so they often plan and cook a family meal, then enjoy eating it together.
Irvin's family even did a chemistry experiment, disguised as a craft: making home-made lip gloss and hand balm. The children could see matter transform from solid to liquid and back to solid and no one guessed the activity was educational.
Tech and Fitness
Irvin is a fitness buff and uses tech to help her stay fit. As a Zumba instructor, Irvin uses tech to find new routines and research trends. Because she is so busy with work and family, she uses tech to discover exercises she can do on the go, while she's waiting for a soccer game to start, for example.
Tech also helps her research nutrition and meal management so she makes sure her family is eating healthy foods. Irvin uses the Lose It! app to help her plan meals and scan foods. The app tracks nutrition and syncs with her FitBit to give her feedback on her day. She earns gift cards from her health insurance plan for achieving fitness goals with her FitBit.
See, FitBit Zip: Wearable Tech Inspiring You to Get Active
Your Thoughts
Do you like the idea of a tech-free family fun night? Do you use an organizational app such as Pocket Informant? What are your must-have tech tools? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Albany Irvin joined QVC in May 2009 as a program host. Prior to the Q, Albany was a spokesperson for a variety of clients throughout North America and Europe, including Ford Motor Company, Canon USA, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and DIRECTV. Albany enjoys hosting charity events such as the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon. She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Find Albany on Facebook here and click "Like" to get frequent updates on life at QVC. You can also follow her on Twitter, check out her blog, or email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Verizon Connection Day
Good news for Verizon Wireless customers! Verizon has a holiday treat to make your Thanksgiving holiday even more special. From the company:
Verizon has declared November 26 – the day before Thanksgiving, and one of the busiest travel days of the year – Connection Day. Connection Day will provide free content for all, thanks to partnerships between Verizon and a variety of leading content providers, including Amazon, Condé Nast, Gogo Technologies, JetBlue, Pandora, and more. Mobile users can enjoy free wifi, books, music and more, so that travel can be a little more enjoyable and connections to all the things mobile users love can be a little easier to maintain.
Connection Day gets even sweeter for Verizon Wireless users. MORE Everything customers who register for Connection Day are eligible to immediately receive a one-time gift of 1GB of shareable data applied to their account. Plus, they'll get another 1GB of data in their next billing cycle.


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26th ANNUAL MARIETTA STREETFEST: ART, CRAFT, MUSIC, CLASSIC CARS AND FUN RUN AT THE HISTORIC MARIETTA SQUARE! Saturday & Sunday September 16-17, 2017
Marietta, GA (November 22, 2016) – The 26th annual Marietta StreetFest, September 16-17, 2017 focuses on the family with many free activities including arts & crafts booths, the Hubcaps and History Classic Car Show, a kid-friendly activity zone, the Toy Box Trot fun run and the Marietta Grassroots Music Festival. Each year, the festival draws more than 20,000 people to the Marietta Square, amid a variety of local shops, dining options and historic sites. more
For Festival Media Inquiries, Contact Launch Atlanta, 678-560-2466 ext 4, email@example.com


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Who said bloggers can't keep a secret? It may have been a LONG, Torturous few months, but totally worth it to share the fun and craziness that was our set visit late last year in Atlanta for Ant-Man. If you haven't already, make sure you check out my Paul Rudd interview I posted yesterday!
So back to the whole secrecy thing. MARVEL has it down. We left the hotel in one all black tinted shuttle. Arrived in an empty parking lot and then switched into another blacked out shuttle before arriving on a seemingly regular Atlanta street. However, MARVEL was using a few of the houses on the street. So, for example, we were waiting at one house, filming was happening at the house next door, and craft services were at the house beside that. It was a well oiled machine at work. You could tell they've done this a time or two.
THEN, we walked on to the Pym Technologies Lab set. AH_Mazing. My #geekgirl flag was flying high on this day. Then we sat down with the director Peyton Reed. On to the interview:
Q: What's your experience of Ant Man before starting production on the movie?
Peyton: Well I am a classic Marvel Comics nerd who was reading comic books from a really, really young age and there was kind of a choice as a kid. You either read Marvel Comics or DC Comics. Some kids read both, but I was strictly a Marvel guy and Ant Man was one of my favorites. I always loved Ant Man.
He's kind of an outsider character, even in the comics world. He really kinda' never had his own comic book. He was an Avenger and there was Tales To Astonish with the Ant Man and but he was a little schizophrenic the character of Hank Pym, but in the comics he was Ant Man and Giant Man and all these different things. I always loved that character and I was actually in a punk band in the 80's and I would draw all the fliers to the shows. There was one where I totally ripped off the cover of Avengers #1 and had the band members as characters of the Avengers and I was Ant Man in the thing and this was probably '86. We actually showed it at Comicon. It was just a weird thing to sort of be directing Ant Man now when I had been that character back in my punk rock days. It's the kind of movie I've wanted to direct for a long time and to be able (to) have the opportunity has been great.
About Changing some Aspects of The Comics and Daughters
Peyton: It's one of the things that I really was attracted to about the movie because I think he's the only super hero in the Marvel Universe that's apparent. We've changed some of the specifics from the comic, but he still definitely has the relationship with his daughter Cassie. It is a driving force as to why he sort of embraces his heroic side. That was really appealing to me to sort of do a movie that has all these weird elements to it. The shrinking, the controlling ants, and all the sort of super heroics, but also has this really grounded domestic side you know. This guy who is making really poor decisions in his life and is now trying some kind of redemption. Abig part of that is to really be a part of his daughter's life. And also to kind of make the world a better place for his
daughter to grow up in. There's a great thematic between Paul and his daughter, and also Michael Douglas and his daughter, in the movie, Evangeline Lily. I think that, that in terms of the script and the story is one of the great things. Is they both, Paul and Michael, are very flawed characters who have things to learn about parenting and about being there for your kids. I think is a different thing from a lot of the other Marvel movies.
I mean I think all the comic to movie translations change because you wanna' do the same thing that Marvel Comics did from the 60's to present day, is you know each version of say the Avengers or Iron Man, each decade there's sort of a different take on those characters. To keep them fresh and relevant to the world around them. Even like in the original Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Comics they were all about pop culture references. It was all about really being relevant to young readership and I think the same is with movie. There's a lot of discussion about what changes and what stays the same, but I think everybody's united on the fact that you wanna' keep it fresh 'cause there's so many super hero movies. There's all this talk about super hero fatigue and I think no one is more aware of that than Kevin Feige and the people at Marvel. It's like you gotta' stay 5 steps ahead of the audience 'cause ultimately he just wants the audience to be surprised and entertained and not bored and not this, "Oh I've seen that before."
And again, one of the things about Ant Man that I love is like the powers are really, really different and the style of story's very different. He's very grounded. It's a grounded story.
Differences of a MARVEL Movie, but still being Interconnected
Peyton: Well Ant Man, again, I think another thing I love about the Marvel Universe is they're all interconnected, but they allow each individual movie to have its own tone. In fact they really encourage it to have their own tone. You're like the first Captain America is a straight up– a WWII soldier story and winter soldiers. Like a '70s political thriller.
This movie really kinda' has the DNA of a heist movie. In the way that it was written and the way that we're shooting it you know it's got a real sort of rhythm. There's a lot of stuff that has to happen and, and there are a lotta' heist movies that we watched as inspiration. So it is a super hero movie, but it really has the spine of a heist movie. There were a bunch of heist movies. I mean obviously like probably more recently Oceans 11, but going back to stuff like The Killing, Stanley Kubrick and um you know the original uh Thomas Crown Affair, stuff like that. There are a lot of things that have to be set in motion and you have a group of characters who all have a defined function in this heist and how it plays out. And the notion that as much as you plan anything there's always that sort of "X" factor or that act of God or something that you didn't count on to come up. So we uh we definitely took all that into account.
Ant-Man In Theaters July 17th
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man." Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Marvel's "Ant-Man" stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Tip "T.I." Harris as Dave, Wood Harris as Gale, Judy Greer as Maggie, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym. Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel's "Ant-Man" delivers a high-stakes, tension-filled adventure on July 17, 2015.
***Disclosure: I attended the Ant-Man Set Visit My flight, lodgings, and expenses were covered by Disney All opinions are 100% mine. ***


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Momma's Boy: How to Love Your Wife through Loving Mary
St. Louis De Montfort talks about how Mary is the "safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus." In essence, Mary is the ultimate connector because she connected us with Jesus at the Nativity and she continues to connect the Church with the Divine as the co-mediatrix and spiritual mother of us all. This connection is also very present within the sacrament of marriage. In this talk, I guide men toward growing their love for Mary so as to better love their wives as a result.
The Theology of Work
Ever since the Garden of Eden, humans have been cursed (and blessed) with the requirement of work. This talk explains the Theology of Work and its importance to the Church. It explores the limits, psychological benefits, and the vocation of your current job. On top of that, it provides efficiency secrets and discernment tips regarding your call to serve God through your work.
Book T.J. to come to your event.


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23 Cones – Shooting Drill
How the Drill Works:
Place 23 cones at the baseline of one end of the floor and split the players up into two teams at the other end of the floor. Players shoot and are 'rewarded' by being allowed to go to the other end of the court and have a chance at collecting a cone IF they make another shot. If they miss, they get nothing and return to the end of their line. The team with the most cones at the end of the game wins.
A fun variation to a normal shooting drill that keeps players interested and excited. Players are shooting under a lot of pressure on the second shot.
- Place 23 cones at the opposite end of the court.
- Split your group up into two or three teams.
- One basketball per team.
- Preferably, there should be a coach/parent to pass and rebound for each team on the second shot end of the floor.
1. Players start shooting on the coach's whistle.
2. On every make by a team, the person who shoots must rebound the ball and pass it to the next person in line, then they are 'rewarded' by sprinting to the other end of the floor and get the opportunity to shoot a three-pointer to win a cone for their team.
3. The player only gets one attempt. If they miss, they get nothing and return to their group. If they make it, they get to collect a cone for their group.
4. The player then places the cone in their teams 'safehouse' near their line and joins the end of the line.
Scoring System:
- The team with the most amount of cones at the end of the game wins!
Increase or Decrease Cones – I've used this drill with both 13 or 33 cones as well. Use any number of cones as long as it's an odd number so there's a winner.
Shooting Position – Usually adults will shoot three-pointers but obviously teams can shoot from anywhere on the floor.
Have you used this drill with your team? I'd love to hear any other variations or changes you'd make to the drill.


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Bach1 is a transcriptional repressor of heme oxygenase‐1 and β‐globin genes, both of which are known to be transcriptionally induced by heme. To test the hypothesis that heme regulates the activity of Bach1, we expressed wild type and mutated versions of Bach1 together with or without its heterodimer partner MafK in human 293T and GM02063 cells and examined their subcellular localization. Inhibition of heme synthesis enhanced the nuclear accumulation of Bach1, whereas treating cells with hemin resulted in nuclear exclusion of Bach1. While the cadmium‐inducible nuclear export signal (NES) of Bach1 was dispensable for the heme response, a region containing two of the heme‐binding motifs was found to be critical for the heme‐induced nuclear exclusion. This region functioned as a heme‐regulated NES dependent on the exporter Crm1. These results extend the regulatory roles for heme in protein sorting, and suggest that Bach1 transduces metabolic activity into gene expression.
The coupling of metabolic activity and gene expression is fundamental in maintaining homeostasis. Heme is essential for life as a prosthetic group of many heme proteins in reactions involving molecular oxygen, electron transfer, and diatomic gases. In addition, heme binds to several transcription factors that regulate genes involved in oxygen utilization in lower eukaryotes and prokaryotes (Monson et al, 1992; Zhang and Guarente, 1995; Qi et al, 1999). In higher eukaryotes, heme binds to two mammalian transcription factors, Bach1 (Oyake et al, 1996; Ogawa et al, 2001) and NPAS2 (Dioum et al, 2002). The fact that Bach1 and NPAS2 have no apparent evolutionary or functional relationship suggests the involvement of heme in a diverse range of gene expression pathways. Heme, therefore, appears to play a key role as a signaling molecule in coupling metabolic activity and gene activity.
One of the targets of Bach1 is the heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) gene. HO‐1 is the rate‐limiting enzyme involved in heme degradation, generating ferrous iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin, which is rapidly reduced to bilirubin. Carbon monoxide, biliverdin, and bilirubin possess antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in vivo (Otterbein et al, 2003). The cytoprotective roles of bilirubin and carbon monoxide suggest a role for HO‐1 as an antioxidant defense enzyme that converts heme into antioxidants. While its role in lower eukaryotes is not clear, HO‐1 is essential for higher eukaryotes in order to cope with various aspects of cellular stress and to regulate cellular iron metabolism (Poss and Tonegawa, 1997; Yachie et al, 1999; Shibahara et al, 2002). Importantly, the expression of HO‐1 is induced by the substrate heme (Tenhunen et al, 1970; Shibahara et al, 1978; Alam et al, 1989). Thus, heme functions as both an inducer and substrate of the cytoprotective HO‐1 system. Additionally, the transcription of ho‐1 is robustly induced in mammalian cells by oxidative stress, various pro‐inflammatory stimulants such as cytokines, heavy metals, heat shock, UV light, and LPS (Shibahara et al, 1985, 1987; Alam et al, 1989; Keyse and Tyrrell, 1989; Taketani et al, 1989). The induction of HO‐1 by diverse stress conditions poses an important question regarding the mechanistic basis for the multifaceted responsibility that realizes cytoprotective functions of ho‐1.
The inducible enhancers of ho‐1 carry multiple stress responsive elements (StREs; Inamdar et al, 1996) that are closely related to Maf‐recognition elements (MAREs; Kataoka et al, 1994). The heterodimers of Nrf2 and small Maf proteins, both belonging to the basic leucine zipper (bZip) class of transcription factors, activate ho‐1 through binding to MAREs (Alam et al, 1999, 2000; Ishii et al, 2000; Kataoka et al, 2001; Sun et al, 2004). In contrast, heterodimers of Bach1 and the small Maf proteins such as MafK repress transcription (Sun et al, 2002, 2004). Gene‐targeting experiments in mice revealed that loss of bach1 function is sufficient to uncouple ho‐1 from stress‐responsive control, and resulted in the constitutive expression of HO‐1 (Sun et al, 2002). Importantly, Bach1 repressor activity is dominant over the activators such as Nrf2, effectively keeping ho‐1 expression at low levels under normal conditions (Sun et al, 2002, 2004). These results suggest that Bach1 'poises' the ho‐1 enhancers.
A very similar competitive regulation by Maf heterodimers operates on the β‐globin gene. MAREs, originally referred to as NF‐E2 sites, play critical roles in the enhancer function of the β‐globin locus control region (LCR) (Ney et al, 1990a, 1990b). Biochemical and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies have shown that the heterodimer of small Maf/Bach1 binds to MAREs within the β‐globin LCR in murine erythroid leukemia (MEL) cells prior to terminal differentiation (Igarashi et al, 1998; Brand et al, 2004). Following DMSO‐induced terminal differentiation of MEL cells, NF‐E2, a heterodimer of p45 and the small Maf proteins (Andrews et al, 1993a, 1993b; Igarashi et al, 1994), occupies MAREs to activate transcription (Brand et al, 2004). Importantly, heme induces transcription of the β‐globin gene (Charnay and Maniatis, 1983).
Given that these repressing and activating transcription factors not only form heterodimers with the small Maf protein but also bind to the same enhancer sequences, it is critical to regulate their activities in response to various inducible conditions. The DNA‐binding activity of Bach1 is inhibited in vitro and in vivo upon heme binding (Ogawa et al, 2001; Sun et al, 2004), suggesting a simple model in which the repression of these genes by Bach1 is alleviated by increased levels of heme. Here we demonstrate that heme induces the nuclear export of Bach1 through a novel heme‐dependent nuclear export signal (NES) on Bach1, which involves two heme‐binding heme regulatory motifs (HRMs). Our results suggest that heme regulates the DNA binding and subcellular localization of Bach1, clearly placing Bach1 as an important and interesting target of heme action. Furthermore, these observations expand the regulatory role of heme pertaining to protein sorting within a cell.
Nuclear exclusion of Bach1 induced by heme
We recently reported that cadmium, a strong inducer of ho‐1, stimulates the nuclear export of Bach1 (Suzuki et al, 2003). To explore the possibility that heme regulates the subcellular localization of Bach1, we examined the effect of hemin, ferric protoporphyrin IX, which is reduced to ferroprotoporphyrin IX (heme) within cells, on the subcellular distribution of Bach1. In an effort to mimic the situation in vivo, MafK and FLAG‐tagged Bach1 expression plasmids were coexpressed in 293T human embryonic kidney cells, and the localization of Bach1 and MafK was analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence staining. Consistent with our previous observations (Suzuki et al, 2003), Bach1 accumulated in the nuclei in the presence of overexpressed MafK (Figure 1A). We then treated 293T cells with 10 μM hemin or with 10 μM cadmium chloride for 4 h. These conditions are known to trigger HO‐1 induction. Bach1 accumulated in the cytoplasmic region and was absent from the nuclei when the cells were treated with cadmium, as reported previously (Suzuki et al, 2003). Interestingly, hemin treatment also resulted in the translocation of Bach1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm (Figure 1A and B). In contrast, while we observed a weak but significant MafK staining in the cytoplasmic region upon hemin or cadmium treatment, the MafK signal intensity remained strong in the nuclei (Figure 1A). These results indicate that the subcellular localization of Bach1 is regulated in response to cadmium and increased levels of heme.
Mechanistic distinction between heme‐ and cadmium‐induced effects on Bach1
Bach1 accumulates within the cytoplasmic region when overexpressed alone in a cell (Suzuki et al, 2003). Since MafK induces the nuclear accumulation of Bach1 (Suzuki et al, 2003; see Figure 1A), the Bach1–MafK interaction may be altered by increased levels of heme, resulting in the cytoplasmic accumulation of Bach1. To exclude this possibility, we utilized Bach1 lacking the BTB domain (Bach1ΔBTB; Figure 1C). The Bach1 BTB domain mediates oligomer formation, generating a multivalent DNA‐binding complex (Igarashi et al, 1998; Yoshida et al, 1999). Since Bach1ΔBTB accumulates within the nuclei even in the absence of MafK coexpression (Suzuki et al, 2003; see Figure 1D), we reasoned that the heme effect on its subcellular localization could be measured independent of the heterodimeric interaction. As reported previously (Suzuki et al, 2003), Bach1ΔBTB translocates to the cytoplasm very efficiently when cells are treated with cadmium chloride (Figure 1D and F). Importantly, Bach1ΔBTB altered its localization to the cytoplasmic region following hemin treatment (Figure 1D and F). These results indicate that cadmium and heme regulate Bach1 localization independent of its interaction with MafK or other small Maf proteins.
In our previous report, we showed that cytoplasmic localization signal (CLS), a C‐terminal short sequence conserved between Bach1 and Bach2 (Hoshino et al, 2000), is essential for the cadmium‐induced nuclear export of Bach1 (Suzuki et al, 2003). To examine whether CLS was also involved in the heme‐induced cytoplasmic relocalization of Bach1, we examined another FLAG‐Bach1 derivative that lacked both CLS and BTB (Bach1ΔBTBΔC1; Figure 1C). While Bach1ΔBTBΔC1 did not alter its subcellular localization following the addition of cadmium chloride, Bach1ΔBTBΔC1 changed its subcellular localization following the addition of hemin and accumulated within the cytoplasmic region (Figure 1E and F). Similar results were also obtained in experiments comparing the distribution of full‐length Bach1 and Bach1ΔC1 (data not shown). These results indicate that, while CLS is essential for the cadmium‐induced nuclear export of Bach1, it is not essential for the relocalization of Bach1 in response to heme. Thus, heme and cadmium regulate the subcellular localization of Bach1 through distinct mechanisms.
Inhibition of heme synthesis induces the nuclear accumulation of Bach1
Every cell synthesizes heme. To test whether endogenous levels of heme influence the subcellular localization of Bach1, we examined the effect of succinylacetone (SA), an inhibitor of δ‐aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, the second enzyme involved in the heme synthesis pathway. A Flag‐Bach1 expression plasmid was transfected into 293T cells without the MafK expression plasmid, and the cells were treated with or without 5 mM SA for 24 h (Figure 2). In the absence of SA, Bach1 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm, as reported previously (Suzuki et al, 2003). When treated with SA, Bach1 accumulated within the nuclei, suggesting that heme levels within a cell can affect the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of Bach1. Interestingly, upon further incubation with 10 μM hemin for 4 h following SA treatment, the nuclear accumulation of Bach1 was abolished and a prominent cytoplasmic relocalization was observed (Figure 2), confirming that the effect of SA was due to decreased levels of heme within the cells. Besides SA, the ferric iron chelator DFO, which causes inhibition of heme synthesis, also induced the nuclear accumulation of Bach1 (Figure 2). These results indicate that endogenous levels of heme substantially affect the subcellular localization of Bach1. Taken together with the results in Figure 1, heme may stimulate the cytoplasmic retention or nuclear export of Bach1.
Heme‐binding motifs are critical for the cytoplasmic relocalization of Bach1
The Bach1–heme interaction is mediated by evolutionarily conserved multiple HRMs including the cysteine–proline (CP) dipeptide sequence in Bach1 (Ogawa et al, 2001). Among the six CP motifs shown in Figure 3A, previous experiments indicate that CP3–6 are involved in heme binding. In an effort to determine whether these CP motifs are involved in the nuclear exclusion of Bach1 in response to heme, we examined response of the FLAG‐tagged Bach1mCP1–6, carrying Cys‐to‐Ala changes in all of the CP motifs (see Figure 3B), to hemin. Its proper expression was confirmed by immunoblotting analysis (Figure 3C). When expressed alone in 293T cells, wild‐type Bach1 was localized in the cytoplasm under normal culture conditions, whereas Bach1mCP1–6 was clearly localized in the nucleus (Figure 3D). These observations provide evidence that some of the CP motifs were involved in the regulation of the subcellular localization of Bach1. When treated with cadmium, Bach1mCP1–6 was detected mainly in the cytoplasm and was excluded from the nucleus (Figure 3D). In contrast, Bach1mCP1–6 remained in the nuclei even following the addition of hemin to the medium. Thus, CP motifs are essential for the heme‐induced exclusion of Bach1 from the nucleus. Furthermore, these results confirm that cadmium‐ and heme‐induced nuclear exclusion is controlled by mechanisms that are distinct from each other.
To identify the critical CP motif involved in the heme‐induced nuclear exclusion, we prepared a series of Bach1 derivatives carrying various combinations of mutations in CP motifs (Figure 3B). These Bach1 derivatives were epitope‐tagged with FLAG and expressed in GM02063 human fibroblastic cells together with MafK to ensure their nuclear accumulation under normal culture conditions. As shown in the above experiment, wild‐type Bach1 clearly demonstrated a heme response, while mCP1–6 failed to respond at all (Figure 4A). mCP12 responded to heme as the wild‐type Bach1. In contrast, mCP3456 completely lacked a heme response. mCP34 also showed little response to heme. Importantly, mCP1256, which retains CP3 and 4, displayed a significant response to heme. A profile plot analysis of the signal intensities clearly showed heme‐induced nuclear exclusion of Bach1 and mCP1256 but not of mCP34 (Figure 4B). These results indicate that, among the six CP motifs, CP3 and 4 are critical and sufficient for heme‐induced nuclear exclusion.
Determination of a heme‐dependent NES
Having determined that CP3 and 4 are critical in the heme‐induced cytoplasmic relocalization of Bach1, we then investigated the region(s) that were necessary and sufficient in effecting heme‐induced nuclear exclusion. We first expressed Bach1 fragment 417–587 possessing CP3–5 as a fusion with EGFP (Figure 5A). This fragment contained the basic region that functions as a nuclear import signal (Suzuki et al, 2003). The fusion protein GFP‐B1(417–587) was localized in the nucleus under normal culture conditions (Figure 5B, upper panel). It was localized in the cytoplasm following treatment of the cells with hemin for 4 h (Figure 5B, lower panel). We then examined the contributions of individual CP motifs by changing each cysteine residue to alanine (mCP3–5) using GFP‐B1(417–587). When expressed in 293T cells (Figure 5C), GFP‐B1(417–587)mCP5 showed diffuse subcellular localization similar to the wild‐type fusion protein in response to hemin treatment, indicating that CP5 is not necessary for the observed heme response. In contrast, GFP‐B1(417–587)mCP3 was not relocalized to the cytoplasm even after hemin treatment. Compared with mCP3 and 5, GFP‐B1(417–587)mCP4 displayed an intermediate response. In this case, we observed an increased signal intensity in the cytoplasmic region following hemin treatment; however, the extent was less than that for mCP5 or the wild‐type reporter.
Cadmium induces the Crm1‐dependent nuclear export of Bach1 (Suzuki et al, 2003). We then examined whether the heme effect involves Crm1‐dependent nuclear export. To this end, we utilized a modified version of human Crm1, hCrm1‐K1. hCrm1‐K1 possesses a substitution of Ser for Cys at position 528, which is the binding site of LMB. As such, hCrm1‐K1 is insensitive to LMB when expressed in mammalian cells (Kudo et al, 1999a; Hoshino et al, 2000). We examined the effects of hCrm1 or hCrm1‐K1 on the subcellular localization of a Bach1 reporter protein. In this experiment, we expressed Bach1 417–587 as a fusion with EGFP and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GFP‐GST‐B1(417–587); see Figure 5A). It is known that increasing protein size often provides for clear distribution in the presence of both NLS and NES by inhibiting passive diffusion (Kudo et al, 1999b). As shown in Figure 6A, while GFP‐GST‐B1(417–587) accumulated within the nuclei in the presence of hCrm1 or hCrm1‐K1 under the normal culture conditions, heme clearly induced cytoplasmic accumulation and exclusion from the nuclear region. This conditional nuclear export of GFP‐GST‐B1(417–587) was inhibited by treatment with LMB when coexpressed with the wild‐type hCrm1. However, when cotransfected with hCrm1‐K1, GFP‐GST‐B1(417–587) was localized within the cytoplasmic region and excluded from the nucleus even in the presence of LMB. We obtained similar results by expressing the full‐length Bach1 and MafK together with hCrm1 or hCrm1‐K1 (Figure 6B). To examine whether Bach1 binds to Crm1, a GST–Bach1 fusion protein (residues 417–645 containing CP3–5) was charged with hemin and then incubated with liver cell extracts. As shown in Figure 6C, a small but significant fraction of Crm1 bound to the GST–Bach1 fragment. When taken together, these results clearly established that heme activated the Crm1‐dependent nuclear export of Bach1.
One of the characteristic features of a typical NES is the cluster of essential hydrophobic amino acids represented by the LXXLXXLXL motif (Fischer et al, 1995; Wen et al, 1995). While the region between 417 and 587 lacks this type of cluster, there are several hydrophobic residues juxtaposing the critical CP3 and 4 regions (see Figure 7A, shown with lines above the sequence). In an effort to investigate the involvement of these hydrophobic residues in the heme‐induced cytoplasmic localization, we carried out an alanine scanning mutagenesis of these hydrophobic residues. We replaced the hydrophobic residues with alanine using GFP‐B1(417–587) (Figure 7A; mut 1, 2, and 3). Among the three clustered mutations examined here, only mut 1 completely abolished hemin‐induced nuclear export (Figure 5D). The fragments represented by mut 2 or 3 showed considerable cytoplasmic accumulation when treated with hemin.
To narrow down the heme‐regulated NES sequence, we fused various fragments around CP3–5 motifs with EGFP (Figure 7A), expressed them in 293T cells, and compared their localization in the absence or presence of hemin. These fusion proteins were localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm in the absence of hemin (Figure 7B, left panels). Since these fragments lacked the basic region of Bach1 that functions as an NLS (Suzuki et al, 2003) and they are small in size, we assume that these GFP fusions entered the nucleus through passive diffusion. When treated with hemin, all of them with CP3 and 4 showed clear nuclear exclusion (Figure 7B, right panels), indicating that the minimal hemin‐responsive region encompassed amino‐acid residues 436–471. Deletions of either CP3 or 4 (430–460 or 440–471) completely abolished hemin‐induced nuclear exclusion. To confirm that CP3 and 4 were important for the hemin response, we mutated these CP motifs on the shortest fragment (Figure 7A). As shown in Figure 7C, mutations in the CP motifs completely abolished hemin‐induced nuclear exclusion. When taken together with the results presented in Figures 5 and 6, these results indicate that the region between residues 436 and 471 functions as a heme‐dependent NES and that the CP3 and 4 motifs are both involved in this function.
The heme‐dependent NES binds heme in vitro
To examine whether the heme‐dependent NES actually binds to heme directly, we prepared a recombinant GST fusion protein carrying residues 417–480 of Bach1 (see Figure 7A) and conducted a heme‐binding assay. When hemin was titrated with increasing amounts of the fusion protein, the absorption spectrum of free hemin was changed to a new spectrum, which exhibited the Soret band at 371 nm (Figure 8, top left panel). As the fusion protein itself does not have any appreciable absorption between 700 and 350 nm, the spectral changes of hemin shown in Figure 8 are primarily due to alteration in the electronic structure and coordination state of the heme iron caused by the interaction between the hemin iron and the protein fragments. The titration curve (Figure 8, top right panel) showed that hemin bound to the protein with almost 1:1 stoichiometry. The spectrum with Soret band at 370 nm is not commonly seen in ferric heme proteins, such as hemoglobins and cytochromes, but is reminiscent of hemin complexes with p‐nitrobenzenethiolate and a heme‐responsive element peptide with a CP motif (Tang et al, 1976; Zhang and Guarente, 1995). In these model systems, the hemin iron is coordinated by a thiolate ligand, and we infer that the axial ligand of the hemin complex with the GST–Bach1 fragment fusion protein is a thiolate as well. We conclude that hemin binds to a cystein residue in NES to form a 1:1 complex.
To gain further insight into the relationship between the hemin binding and the heme‐dependent nuclear export properties of Bach1, we focused on some of the mutations that abolished the heme‐dependent nuclear export (see Figure 7A) and compared their effect upon hemin binding in vitro. When the mut 1 mutations were introduced in the context of 417–480, the Bach1 fragment with the mut 1 mutations still showed a spectrum and titration curve (Figure 8, middle panels) similar to those of the wild‐type fragment, clearly excluding the possibility that these mutations affected the heme‐binding activity. In contrast, mCP3AP mutation and mCP34AP double mutations did not show a Soret band at 371 nm (Figure 8, bottom panel, and data not shown), indicating that these mutations abolished heme–Bach1 interaction. We conclude that at least CP3 in NES is critically involved in the interaction with heme.
Regulation of transcription by heme
In an effort to investigate the physiological significance of the heme‐induced export of Bach1, we compared the effects of wild‐type Bach1 and the Bach1 mCP derivatives on a ho‐1 reporter gene expression system (Figure 9). The reporter plasmid pHO15luc contains the upstream 15 kb DNA of ho‐1 and is repressed by Bach1 (Alam et al, 2000; Sun et al, 2002). The reporter and Bach1 expression plasmids were cotransfected. Bach1mCP derivatives repressed reporter expression more efficiently than wild‐type Bach1, suggesting again that Bach1 was negatively regulated by endogenous levels of heme. In the presence of heme, wild‐type Bach1 completely lost repressor activity. In contrast, Bach1mCP1–6 continued to repress reporter gene expression, indicating that the CP motifs were indeed involved in the heme response. Bach1mCP1256 did not show effective repression in the presence of heme, indicating that CP3 and 4 were indeed important for the heme response in the reporter assays. However, CP3 and 4 were not the only motifs governing the heme sensitivity since Bach1mCP34, which was insensitive to heme in the subcellular localization assays, also failed to repress transcription. Thus, the properties of Bach1mCP34 clearly dissociate heme effects on nuclear export from transcription repression. While mCP12 did not repress reporter gene in the presence of heme, mCP3456 effectively repressed the activity in the presence of heme, suggesting critical roles for CP3–6. mCP12345 showed an intermediate response to heme, suggesting the involvement of CP6 in another layer of regulation by heme. These results taken together indicate that CP3–6 are critical for the regulation of Bach1 activity by heme. CP5 and/or 6 may affect the activity of Bach1 in terms of activities other than nuclear export. Since heme inhibits the DNA‐binding activity of Bach1, CP5 and/or 6 may be involved in this regulation.
Heme inhibits DNA binding of Bach1 in vivo
To address whether the DNA‐binding activity of Bach1 is regulated independently of CP3 and 4, we carried out ChIP assays. We transfected the ho‐1 reporter plasmid together with Bach1 and MafK expression plasmids into GM02063 cells, and carried out ChIP using anti‐Bach1 antibodies (Figure 10A). Both Bach1 and Bach1mCP34 clearly bound to the E2 enhancer region in the absence of hemin. While Bach1mCP34 showed less binding to the enhancer in ChIP as compared with the wild‐type Bach1, the reason for this observation is not clear at present. Their binding was markedly lost upon hemin treatment (Figure 10A). The effect of hemin was judged specific to Bach1, since coexpressed MafK remained bound to the enhancer in the presence of hemin (Figure 10B). Furthermore, when Nrf2 was coexpressed with MafK, its binding to E2 was not inhibited by hemin treatment (Figure 10B). These results showed that heme inhibited the enhancer occupancy of Bach1 in a cell. Importantly, CP3 and 4, and hence the heme‐dependent nuclear export of Bach1, were not essential for the regulation of enhancer binding.
To our knowledge, this study is the first report showing that heme regulates transcription by affecting the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of nuclear protein. This conclusion is based on several observations. Most importantly, treatment of cells with SA resulted in nuclear accumulation of Bach1, indicating that endogenous levels of heme specified by the activities of heme synthesis pathway can substantially affect the subcellular localization of Bach1 (Figure 2). This regulation involved the heme‐binding motifs CP3 and 4 in addition to the hydrophobic amino‐acid residues juxtaposing CP3 (Figure 5). By several criteria, this region functions as a heme‐regulated NES. When the region containing CP3 and 4 was fused with EGFP, the chimeric protein showed heme‐induced nuclear exclusion (Figure 7). Furthermore, heme facilitates the Crm1‐dependent nuclear export of Bach1 (Figure 6). Importantly, a short fragment containing CP3 and 4 bound heme in vitro (Figure 8). The simplest model is that this region is involved in a heme‐regulated interaction with Crm1 that mediates nuclear export. While Crm1 bound to Bach1 in GST pull‐down assays (Figure 6), we still do not know whether the interaction is direct or not. To test this hypothesis, we are currently searching for proteins that bind to this region in a heme‐regulated manner. In any case, the available data indicate that heme regulates gene expression in part by changing the subcellular localization of Bach1. When taken together with our previous results (Ogawa et al, 2001; Sun et al, 2002), the model argues that Bach1 binds to MARE to repress transcription when heme levels are low. Increased levels of heme displace Bach1 from enhancers and stimulate its relocalization to the cytoplasm, making MARE accessible to activators such as NF‐E2 p45 or Nrf2 (Figure 10C). In principle, this would allow a simple and tight coordination of heme metabolism and gene expression.
Indeed, hemin induces departure of Bach1 and subsequent binding of Nrf2 on the endogenous ho‐1 enhancers in NIH3T3 cells (Sun et al, 2004). A very similar system operates in the regulation of β‐globin genes. Prior to differentiation of MEL cells, MafK/Bach1 heterodimers recruit corepressor complexes including NuRD, which generate a transcriptionally repressive chromatin structure within the β‐globin locus (Brand et al, 2004). Upon erythroid differentiation, an exchange of MafK‐binding partners from Bach1 to p45 NF‐E2 leads to the formation of the activator complex on the LCR, resulting in the activation of β‐globin gene expression (Brand et al, 2004). Since heme is synthesized at high levels during erythroid differentiation, the replacement of Bach1 by the activator p45 may be initiated by heme. Indeed, ChIP assays revealed that exogenous hemin treatment displaced Bach1 from the LCR in MEL cells (Sun et al, 2004). Taken together with the results described here, heme may displace Bach1 by inhibiting its DNA‐binding activity as well as by inducing its nuclear export, shifting the equilibrium balance toward p45 binding during erythroid differentiation. In this view, synthesis of heme is coupled with transcription of β‐globin mRNA by the heme response of Bach1. This type of regulation, together with the heme‐dependent regulation of globin mRNA translation (Han et al, 2001), may be important in avoiding toxicity due to the pro‐oxidant nature of free heme during erythroid differentiation, since such a mechanistic link furthers the incorporation of heme into hemoglobin.
There is an interesting conceptual precedent in terms of heme‐regulated protein sorting within a cell. δ‐Aminolevulinic acid sythase (ALAS) is the rate‐limiting mitochondrial enzyme involved in the heme synthesis pathway encoded by the nuclear DNA. The mitochondrial targeting signal of ALAS contains several CP motifs. Heme inhibits the transport of ALAS into mitochondria depending on the CP motifs (Lathrop, 1993), generating a feedback mechanism on heme synthesis. While structural analyses have yet to be reported for either Bach1 or ALAS, heme may induce a structural change in the Bach1 NES or ALAS mitochondrial targeting signal to regulate their activities.
The observations reported here have clearly demonstrated that Bach1 is regulated by heme in a cell, thus placing heme as a signaling molecule in gene expression in higher eukaryotes. The regulation of Bach1 by heme may be important for the stress response in general. When cells are injured, they release their contents, resulting in a local accumulation of heme (Wagener et al, 2003). The heme that is released has been suggested to play a signaling role in the inflammatory process (Wagener et al, 2003). It may be taken up by surrounding cells and then bind to target molecules such as Bach1. Although this study focused on Bach1, the regulatory role of heme in transcription factors may not be restricted to Bach1. For example, NPAS2, a regulator of the circadian clock, is a heme‐binding protein (Dioum et al, 2002). Considering its critical roles in diverse metabolic pathways as a prosthetic group, heme may regulate other genes, as well, to transduce metabolic activity into changes in gene expression. The heme–Bach1 regulatory pathway deserves further investigation given its clinical significances in two aspects. First, de‐regulation of heme metabolism has been implicated in mitochondrial and neural decay (Atamna et al, 2002). Second, HO‐1 plays a critical cytoprotective role in diverse clinical settings such as ischemic reperfusion and transplantation (Otterbein et al, 2003). Gene responses under such conditions may also involve the heme–Bach1 pathways.
Materials and methods
Expression plasmids for FLAG‐tagged Bach1, FLAG‐Bach1mCP1–6 (with all of the CP motifs mutated to AP), Bach1ΔBTB, and Bach1ΔBTBΔC1 were described previously (Suzuki et al, 2003). Sequences of the primers used in plasmid construction are available upon request. pEGFPGST, an expression plasmid for a fusion protein of EGFP and GST, was constructed as follows. A bacterial GST DNA was amplified using primers and pGEX6P1 (Pharmacia) as a template, and then inserted between the BglII and HindIII sites of pEGFP‐C1 (Clontech). A Bach1 cDNA fragment (nucleotides 1422–1934 on the mouse bach1 cDNA (Oyake et al, 1996)), encompassing residues 417–587, was amplified using primers and inserted between the EcoRI and KpnI sites of pEGFPGST, resulting in pEGFPGSTB1(1422–1934). The same Bach1 cDNA fragment encoding the wild type or mutations in CP3AP, 4AP, or 5AP (Ogawa et al, 2001) was inserted between the EcoRI and KpnI sites of pEGFPC1, resulting in pEGFPB1(1422–1934), pEGFPB1(1422–1934mCP3), pEGFPB1(1422–1934mCP4), and pEGFPB1(1422–1934mCP5), respectively. A Bach1 cDNA fragment (nucleotides 1422–1682) encompassing residues 417–503 was amplified using primers and then inserted between the EcoRI and KpnI sites of pEGFPC1, resulting in pEGFPB1(1422–1682). Shorter fusion protein expression plasmids were constructed similarly using EcoRI‐ and KpnI‐containing primer sets. The mutations in the hydrophobic residues around CP3 and 4 were created using PCR and ligation methods using pEGFPB1(1422–1934). cDNAs encoding Bach1mCP1–6, mCP1–5, mCP3456, 345, 34, and 1256 were created by site‐directed mutagenesis using Bach1 cDNA cloned in the pAlter1 vector (Promega) as described by the manufacturer. After verifying mutations by DNA sequencing, cDNAs encompassing initiation methionine to stop codons were amplified using primers, digested with BclI and HindIII, and were inserted into the BamHI–HindIII sites of pcDNA3.1FLAG (Muto et al, 2002).
Immunocytochemistry and GFP observation
293T cells or GM02063 human fibroblastic cells were transfected with various Bach1 expression plasmids and cultured for 24 h. To examine the effects of reagents, transfected cells were treated with 20 ng/ml leptomycin B or 10–40 μM hemin for the indicated periods at the end of incubation. Reactions with FLAG antibodies and fluorescein‐conjugated anti‐mouse IgG antibodies were described previously (Suzuki et al, 2003). Subcellular localization of GFP fusion proteins was examined after fixation in 4% paraformaldehyde. Images were taken with a Leica epifluorescence microscope equipped with a charge‐coupled device camera controlled by Qfluoro software (Leica). Profile plot analysis was carried out using ZEISS LSM510 confocal laser scanning microscope. Adobe Photoshop was used for the presentation of the images.
Crm1‐binding assay
GST–Bach1(417–645) was purified and immobilized on glutathione beads as described previously (Ogawa et al, 2001). The column was washed with a PBS buffer containing 10 μM hemin and loaded with mouse liver cell extracts. After extensive washing with PBS, bound proteins were eluted with glutathione and analyzed in immunoblotting using anti‐Crm1 antibodies.
Spectoroscopic analysis of heme binding
Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells transformed with the expression constructs for the GST–Bach1 fusion proteins were grown in TB media at 37°C until A600 nm reached 0.8. After the induction with 1 mM IPTG, cultures were incubated at 37°C for an additional 2 h. Cells were harvested by centrifugation and resuspended in PBS buffer (phosphate‐buffer saline) containing 1 mM PMSF and 1 mM EDTA. The cell suspensions were sonicated on ice and centrifuged at 70 500 g for 30 min. Soluble protein fractions were loaded onto a glutathione‐sepharose 4B column equilibrated with PBS buffer. After washing the column with PBS buffer, the GST–Bach1 fusion proteins were eluted with 50 mM Tris–HCl buffer, pH 8.0, containing 200 μM reduced glutathione. Glutathione was removed from the protein preparations by passing a column of Sephadex G25 equilibrated with 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0.
In all, 500 μM of the GST–Bach1 fusion protein in 4‐μl increments was added to 4 μM hemin in 2.5 ml of 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. After each addition of the protein, samples were incubated at 20°C for 10 min, and the absorption spectrum was recorded by a Perkin‐Elmer Lambda 45 spectrophotometer at 20°C. By plotting the absorbance at 371 nm against the amount of the protein, titration curves were constructed.
Antibodies and ChIP
Polyclonal antiserum against Bach1 (A1–6) was generated by immunizing rabbits with a GST fusion protein of mouse Bach1 (amino‐acid residues 624–739). Mouse HO‐1 gene reporter plasmid pHO15luc (Alam et al, 2000) and various combinations of expression plasmids were transfected using Fugene6 (Roche) to GM02063 cells. After 36 h, cells were treated with or without hemin for another 2 h and processed for ChIP as described previously (Sun et al, 2004) using anti‐Bach1 (A1–6), anti‐Nrf2 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, sc‐13032), or anti‐MafK (Igarashi et al, 1995) antibodies. Amounts of precipitated DNA were analyzed in duplicate by real‐time PCR (LightCycler and SYBR Green 1, Roche). Relative enrichment means specific antibody signal normalized to respective input signal.
We thank Makoto Kobayashi (Tsukuba) for various suggestions and critical comments on the article. This work was supported by Grants‐in‐aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sport and Culture of Japan.
- Copyright © 2004 European Molecular Biology Organization


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Ok. So. I had great plans for my reading this last month and great books on my list. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned. I tried but I was so tired and busy for a lot of September that by the end of the day, I was just too tired to focus. So I only read six books. Which is actually just as many as I put on my TBR but for whatever reason, I only actually read one of those books. So it was all just a big mess. I'm happy with what I read, it just wasn't even close to what I had planned. But let's not pretend that that isn't what happens every month. I was just so excited for the books on my list last month that I'm really just not sure what happened. But regardless, I did read some books and I'm still going to make up a TBR for October, even though past experience shows that it's probably just wasted time. But I still enjoy doing it. So here are the books I did read in September and what I might read in October.
September Reads
The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis and George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl: I hadn't planned on reading Mistletoe but I was approved to review it and jumped right on it. And I loved it! My review is coming next week! And I was excited to be on the Roald Dahl Celebration Tour and George was my book. It was such a fun, crazy read. Just exactly what you'd expect from Dahl!
The Burning Sky Trilogy by Sherry Thomas: This was kind of a random pick. I have wanted to read this series for a while, it was on my series I want to read this year list, and then it was just sitting on my shelf and I grabbed for it one day and just kept reading it. I'm glad I finally read it but I don't think it'll end up one of my all-time favorites. Still, a good fantasy series with really interesting characters.
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: Definitely, definitely my favorite book of the month and quite possibly one of my favorites for the entire year. These books are freaking fantastic. I highly recommend them and hope everyone will read them!
We also finished our reread of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but I'm not counting that since I've already read it several times. I'm hoping we will start on Half-Blood Prince soon! It's my daughter's first read-through and I'm loving all of her predictions!
October Reads
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: I'm already a little more than halfway through this and I'm loving it. It's both going to quickly and taking too long! If that makes sense. I want to know what happens but I'm also not sure I'm ready to be done with these characters.
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin and The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid: I am so excited for both of these.
Metaltown by Kristen Simmons and Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco: I put Metaltown on reserve at the library months ago and I got it right away and I cannot wait to read it! Also, I'm partnering with James Patterson Books to host a giveaway on the blog for Stalking Jack the Ripper next week and I'm so excited to share the book with you guys and get a chance to read it myself!
Heartless by Marissa Meyer and By Your Side by Kasie West: Epic, guys. These are going to be epic. It's finally time for Heartless and I couldn't be more excited. Also, Harper did a big drop on Edelweiss the other day (which I've maybe been stalking daily hoping for this book to show up) and I snatched this one up. Because duh. Kasie West is one of my favorite authors and I've been dying for this book. There's no way I'll be able to wait to read it. And I don't even care.
I think that's all I'm going to add to my TBR for now. I definitely need to read more than six books this month if I'm going to keep up with my Goodreads goal but I think I'm going to wait and see how I'm feeling for the others. I have a few books I definitely want to read by the end of the year and some review books I want to get ahead on, so depending on how I feel, I'll go with some of those.
What do you want to read this month?


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About Lora Teagarden
So, this is me. I grew up in a small town just outside
of Indianapolis, attended Ball State University for both my Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Architecture, moved around a lot after grad school, and had some great personal and career adventures and experiences because of it. I'm currently back in Indianapolis, trying to give the Indy architecture market a fair shake.
This business, and website, began from a need for an additional creative outlet. Art, design, and architecture have always been a dream and passion of mine, from as early as I can remember. As an adult, I added owning and managing a business to that list of dreams. There's something satisfying and significant about both being a steward and creating a legacy, but that's a topic for later. I think designs and dreams are always worth sharing, both with those who share your passion as well as those who are just learning about the subject you hold dear.
Fair warning, grammar critics: There will be a lot of "I", and other first person pronoun usage here because the work and ideas are mine and do not represent anyone or anything else besides me and my business. I hope you learn from these critiques on the profession, designs, and ramblings that come from late night ideas. More than that, I hope they inspire you to dream and create yourself, or invest in my dreams and creations. I am, after all, a designer for hire.
Please enjoy, and feel free to contact me if something inspires you or you would like to collaborate/need help with a design.
Lora Teagarden, AIA


text:
Parallel and Distributed Map Merging and Localization: Algorithms, Tools and Strategies for Robotic Networks
Category: E-Book
Parallel and Distributed Map Merging and Localization: Algorithms, Tools and Strategies for Robotic Networks By Rosario Aragues, Carlos Sagues, Youcef Mezouar
English | 2015 | 124 Pages | ISBN: 3319258842 | PDF | 5 MB
This work examines the challenges of distributed map merging and localization in multi-robot systems, which enables robots to acquire the knowledge of their surroundings needed to carry out coordinated tasks. After identifying the main issues associated with this problem, each chapter introduces a different distributed strategy for solving them. In addition to presenting a review of distributed algorithms for perception in localization and map merging, the text also provides the reader with the necessary tools for proposing new solutions to problems of multi-robot perception, as well as other interesting topics related to multi-robot scenarios. The coverage is largely self-contained, supported by numerous explanations and demonstrations, although references for further study are also supplied. The reader will not require any prior background knowledge, other than a basic understanding of mathematics at a graduate-student level.
Mirror Links


text:
A RHYL boxer will clash with a bitter rival at an autumn event in his hometown.
Mark Sweetman, who now operates out of Denbigh Boxing Club, will square off against Liverpool slugger Howard Taylor at Craig Winter's upcoming show at the Lyons Robin Hood camp on Saturday, November 25.
The bout is set to cause a huge amount of interest throughout the North Wales region, with no love lost between the pair in what is set to be a ferocious bout.
Sweetman, who had previously been training under the guidance of Mixed Martial Arts star Azi Thomas before his move to Denbigh, will be hoping for better fortune in front of the home support after being on the wrong end of a decision to Ryan Mac in a recent show at the same venue.
He has experience on his side with Taylor having just two bouts and he will be making his return to the ring following a ten-year absence.
The 38-year-old has also announced that he will be donating his share of ticket sales to Action For Alfie, a campaign that has been set up for Alfie Evans, a seriously ill infant who is currently on life support with doctors at Alder Hey Children's Hospital unable to diagnose him.
Former professional Winter, who is also training Sweetman alongside Owen Gallagher at the Denbigh club, said: "I am very pleased to be adding Howard Taylor verses Mark Sweetman to my next show.
"I take my hat off to Howard who has personal issues with Mark so wants to sort it out in the ring with him and at the same time use the opportunity to raise some money for a very worthy cause.
"Although Howard hasn't been in the ring for ten years he virtually lives in the gym and is very fit and has promised to come out throwing bombs from the opening bell which will make a very exciting contest."
Winter also revealed that a host of other exciting bouts are set to be announced in the coming weeks, with the card set to feature some of the finest semi-professional fighters throughout the area and beyond.
Anyone wishing to purchase tickets can do so from any of the fighters on the bill.


text:
The session is the governing body of Westminster and is comprised of elders nominated and elected by the congregation from our membership. The adult elders serve three year terms and the two youth elders normally serve two year terms. The Pastor is Moderator of the Session, which elects a Clerk and two Vice Clerks of Session annually. Westminster's session normally meets on the third Wednesday evening of the month, with additional meetings to receive new members.
Elders have responsibility for the governance and ministry of Westminster, being charged to work to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation. Elders serve on the Committees of the Session, each of which are focused on a different area in the life of Westminster.
Contact the session committees at the email addresses below, or contact the clerks at [email protected].
Current Session members can access the monthly packets at the Session Members Page.
2017 Session
Dr. Larry Hayward, Moderator
Patrick Hunnicutt, Associate Pastor
Whitney Fauntleroy, Associate Pastor
Dave Gunter, Clerk of Session
Debbie Wells, Vice Clerk of Session
Melissa McClellan, Vice Clerk of Session
Margaret Myers, Treasurer
Kristin Stone, Assistant Treasurer
Anne-Marie Berens, Youth Elder
Charlie Keeth, Youth Elder
Administration and Finance
John Scruggs, Chair
David Wilcox and Neil Sampson, Vice Chairs
[email protected]
HOME (Helping Our Members Engage)
Marilyn Eckert, Chair
Matt Viser, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Building and Grounds
Tom French, Chair
David Ware, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Christian Education
Sarah Hoffman, Chair
Kristen Bishop, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Congregational Life
Stephen Lastelic, Chair
Joy Cameron, Vice Chair
[email protected]
National Mission
Anne Marks, Chair
Sue Aland, Vice Chair
[email protected]
International Mission
Paul van Son, Chair
Nancy Griswold, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Local Mission
Elizabeth Martineau, Chair
Jim Girard, Vice Chair
[email protected]
New Member
Melissa LoPresti, Chair
Connie Watson (non-session member) , Vice Chair
[email protected]
Bill Keeth, Chair
Mary Filicetti (non-session member) , Vice Chair
[email protected]
Reid Stuntz, Chair
Katherine Gunter, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Ben Kennedy, Chair
Dan Judy, Vice Chair
[email protected]
Digital Ministries
Kyle Smoot, Chair
[email protected]
Worship and Music
Rob Winn, Chair
Lauren Beyea, Vice Chair
[email protected]


text:
Richard By Kathryn : The Life of Richard Whiteley Paperback
by Kathryn Apanowicz
When Richard Whiteley died in 2005, he was mourned by a nation.
He had been the face of teatime television for many years.
But the wordplay and wit shown on Countdown hid a tenacious political journalist who had interviewed every Prime Minister from Macmillan to Blair.
Kathryn Apanowicz went on her first date with Richard when she was seventeen.
They had an on-off relationship over the years, finally living together for the last eight years before his death.
In this intimate retelling of his life and their years together, we get to see the man behind the laughter for the first time.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 240 pages, 1x8 b/w + 1x8 colour illustration section
- Publisher: Ebury Publishing
- Publication Date: 07/06/2007
- Category: Television
Free Home Delivery
on all orders
Pick up orders
from local bookshops


text:
With First Tutors: Music you can search for a Dunbeath guitar tutor. Guitar lessons are a brilliant method to begin an entertaining new hobby, pick up a new talent and attain confidence in guitar. Use our service to find Dunbeath guitar teachers and select which best matches your requirements so you can start your guitar tuition in Dunbeath today!
This is the best place to contact Dunbeath guitar tutors in the UK, helping you find Dunbeath guitar tuition close to home and Dunbeath tutors to assist with any instrument like or guitar. We can help you find Dunbeath guitar lessons or a Dunbeath guitar tutor to prepare for guitar grades and improve your guitar skills! We order Dunbeath guitar teachers local to you according to their lesson charges and proximity to you.
If you are a guitar teacher and would like to offer guitar lessons in Dunbeath or anywhere else across the UK, please register with First Tutors: Music or find out more about us here. Becoming a Dunbeath guitar teacher is a great way to re-affirm your own skills through giving guitar lessons while helping someone else, all in your local Dunbeath area!


text:
Entering the Mystic Universe of Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow) Kurt Wilt, PhD $18 USA / $20.95 Canada Trade paperback original 208 pages, 5 1/4 x 8 ISBN 978-0-9823274-0-1 Native American / Mysticism "The ancient spiritual secrets of this continent … Continue reading
Kurt Wilt
The Tri S Foundation is a 501C3 non-profit corporation with the purpose of discovering and publishing indigenous wisdom and emerging voices. We want to bring forward neglected wisdom in order to enliven and renew the contemporary culture. Why the name … Continue reading


text:
Oh, theodore! / Susan Katz.
Electronic resources
View other formats and editions
Record details
- ISBN: 9780547533902 (electronic bk)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource
- Publisher: [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2007.
Content descriptions
|Summary, etc.:
| Come meet Theodore: a plump, fuzzy guinea pig with a big appetite, a lot to say, and a personality all his own. As you, and his new owner, get to know him, you'll find out what he eats and how he speaks. You'll also discover the work involved in caring for a pet: feeding, cleaning, and taking him out for exercise. But it hardly seems like work once your pet becomes your best friend.With the popularity of guinea pigs as family and classroom pets, Theodore's antics are sure to ring true to many readers. And for those who haven't had a guinea pig of their own, these short, funny, and accessible poems will create a vivid first impression.
|Reproduction Note:
| Electronic reproduction. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007. Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 28976 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
Search for related items by subject
|Juvenile Fiction.
|Electronic books.


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Get your article on 61saat.com
Get your article published on 61saat.com with our easy-to-use platform in just a few clicks
61 Saat is an information portal mostly focused on Trabzon, a city located on the north part of Turkey. Its headquarters are located in Trabzon. In addition to Trabzon's agenda, the website has categories such as regional news, football, politics, sports, economics, life, health, magazine, Turkey, world, cinema, security, technology and culture & art.
The website also provides photo and video galleries. 61 Saat also is a channel broadcasting on Turkish televisions. By the shortcut on the main page, you can start watching the channel online. Because the website is focused on Trabzon, the news' priority is Trabzon, first the news about the city are shown.
On the main page, there is a breaking news section for informing people immediately when an event occurs. When you visit the website, you can see that people come across the news about Trabzon and its football team regularly. Below the breaking news section, there are shortcuts of Turkish newspapers with each newspaper's photo. The photo and video galleries are shown on the main page respectively.
61 Saat offers visitors a guest book where they can leave comments about the website. You can also watch the matches of Trabzon's football team. By most read and most commented news section, you can follow what other people are more interested in. At the bottom of the main page, you can read the interviews with politicians, economists. The website also has a membership system. You can like the page on Facebook or follow it on Twitter.
Article will be published in the most appropriate section аt discretion of the editor.
- Without Hyperlinks
- Without adv mark
- On home page
- With 1 image
- Published in 3 days on average
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- Text volume limits: not applicable
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text:
[dc]I[/dc] recently received a thought-provoking email from a visual artist named Jen White about the mission of the Church, church leadership, spiritual maturity, and the role of artists in the Church. She asked questions all artists who are followers of Christ need to be asking. I simply can't think of an more important task of thinking critically about how we, as Christians and artists, integrate our art, life and faith.
Last year, Jen sensed God leading her to do a series of paintings on the Church. Her curiousity and reflections reminded me of many of the conversations I've had with artists the past eight years in our ministry, The Grove Center for the Arts and Media. Jen asked me to respond directly to her questions and I suggested we post them here to get a dialogue going on these important issues. To quote, Jen said, "The series started with 2 questions I asked myself: What is the mission of the church? How effective are we at achieving that mission? My simple answer is this: To glorify God and make disciples. We are to love God, love people and serve both. We are to advance His Kingdom. Would you agree or is there something else?"
- How do we measure the success or effectiveness of the church?
- What does an effective, healthy church look like?
- Are we too attractional/consumer minded? Is that bad?
- Are some churches a "mile wide, but an inch deep" spiritually speaking?
- Who is responsible for the spiritual maturity of a church family? The leaders? The individuals?
- What does it look like to be the Church?
Lots of great questions. For further reading, I'd like to recommend For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Church by David Taylor. It is a collection of essays by a number of wonderful artists and thinkers: Barbara Nicolosi, Jeremy Begbie, Eugene Peterson, Andy Crouch, Lauren Winner and others.
What are your thoughts about the mission of the Church and our role/response as artists? I'd love your comments, questions, and feedback.
(Note: I reserve the right to delete any defamatory or inflammatory comments. My purpose here is to provide a forum for learning, sharpening, encouraging and building one another up as the Body of Christ.)


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is that enough time for me to sneak in a trip to FSH? (she asked hopefully).
Plenty of time, I am sure. Lucky you, have fun
Do you land in Roissy or Orly?
Roissy Charles de Gaulle is about 1hr by taxi from Paris, with circulation it could take you 1h30...
Orly is a little bit better, maybe 45 mins
But with the huge terminals to walk from and to, I wouldn't advise it.
Other Parisians for their opinion?
Maybe take a later flight for your connection... Spend the night?
Don't forget security checks – sometimes lines are horrendous!
Oh yes, I forgot you are outside of Schengen... The customs lines are horrible ush:
CdG - rats. sadly, spending the night isn't an option and i'll just have to content myself with duty-free shopping . . . .
I´ve done some of my best shopping trips in 30 minutes!
I just read about your sweet puppy. I'm so sorry. If it's any help, I had a golden that went through chemo and radiation. In the end, it didn't help. And believe me, I would have given her a kidney if it would have saved her. It's been 6 years, and I still cry for Dizzy. Hope you have a wonderful trip...and lots of great shopping!
DQ, what is the time of day??
I think that would make the difference. And, you could ask the taxi to wait, or arrange one as soon as you arrive at H to pick you up at the appointed time to return to the airport. Moi, I am worried about having to get in the security line again.
Also, you could check the departure time of your connection. If it is running late, your are back in business!!!
But I would love for it to happen for you!!!
It's a close call, but not impossible. Grab a taxi straight from the airport and ask him to wait. Tight timeline, but doable. If all else fails, there's some nice Longchamp in the airport Duty Free. Good luck and bon voyage.
I would have said tight but yes if it had been Orly (I would have said take Taxi or even Orlybus or Orlyval to Denfert Rochereau and then the metro, it's the fastest way imo), but I think it will be impossible if it's CdG. Lots of stress and lots of possibilities to loose your flight as soon as you bump into something that takes longer than expected. First it's a larger airport, with long in between terminal distances, loooooooog lines for everything, especially if you'll then have a non Shengen flight. Second, don't know why but more traffic jams (so metro still is fastest option) especially during peak hours eg. late afternoon (after 5PM). Sorry. I'm afraid you'll be left to duty free
you could try! i hope you make it, but if you do not just remember they are slow in august any way. good luck there, please tell us what you find!
OK, what the heck is a schengen? it sounds like german food. or maybe japanese.
^^^means outside the EEC coutries that signed the Schengen agreement for free tranfers of goods and persons, means no customs/declaration lines, no police controls lines, and less security lines etc...
A Schengen country is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, essentially eliminating internal border controls between signatory nations. There are 15 Schengen countries at present: Austria, the Benelux countries, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Spain.
Good luck DQ. I agree with TT - doable if it's Orly, but near impossible if it's CDG.


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