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Category: Taiwan
Taiwan: The Maokong Gondola, Ignore Hello Kity
On July 22, 2014 By Faine GreenwoodIn East Asia, Taiwan, TravelLeave a comment
The Maokong gondola.
Taiwan's tourism board is very intent on getting you to go try out the Maokong Gondola. A gondola system imported from France, Taipei hails it as one of its top tourist destinations, allowing visitors to be conveniently ferried from the Taipei Zoo to the Zhinan Temple without having to clog up the roads or hail a cab.
As more than a bit of a contrary dick, I'm normally suspicious of tourist attractions that people are very aggressively trying to get me to go see. Especially when they're thoroughly emblazoned with Hello Kitty, which is exactly what the powers that be have done: little cartoons of Hello Kitty greeting pandas. Hello Kitty riding the gondola – expressions of Taiwan's national romance with a bizarre little mouthless cat.
Farmer at Maokong.
Regardless. We went and did it, and we were very happy we did, because the Taipei gondola system is a remarkably relaxing (and pleasingly cool) way to spend the day. To reach the gondola stop, we jumped on the endlessly convenient MRT and rode to the Taipei Zoo Station, which we could readily identify from the sea of panda images at the stop. A nice young college student who attended Michigan State made sure we went to the right place, as often happens in Taipei: a concerned local will find themselves wondering if you have any clue what you're doing, and will steer you in the right direction.
Views from the gondola.
Gondola passes were inexpensive, and we were able to swipe ourselves into the boarding area with the same EasyCard we'd purchased and filled up on our first day here. You're charged based on how many stations you exit at. Even though it was a Friday afternoon in summer, we got there around 10:30 AM and were pleased to find there were no lines.
Skipping the zoo — sue me, I think pandas are evolutionary dead-ends who should be chastised — we decided to ride all the way up to the final stop, the Maokong station. This proved to be a wonderful 30 minute ride over dense jungle, with immense views of the Taipei skyline, the highways snaking off into the distance, and the blue, jewel-box expanse of the Taipei 101 Tower. The only annoyance were the Hello Kitty stickers that had been thoughtfully affixed to the windows, though one could pretty easily see over the top of the eponymous cat's bulbous white head. It was almost silent inside the gondola, and we were well ventilated by the wind. It was in fact so pleasant that my dad fell asleep at least twice.
We didn't know what to expect at the top, but got off anyway. Maokong proved to be a pleasant little tea growing community, with leafy walking trees and a wonderful high-altitude breeze that was a far cry from the infernal temperatures of Taipei in the inner city in summer. Tea houses and small restaurants dot the walking path in either direction, as well as small-scale temples and the occasional summer home.
Maokong, interestingly enough, translates into "cat empty." This has nothing to do with the actual population numbers of felines here, but is probably a Japanese bastardization of the original Taiwanese Hokkien "jiâu-khang," a name for the little natural potholes that dot the rocks here.
Buying a very excellent onion cake.
It was quiet up here too, with only a few tourists in evidence, and a couple of exceptionally hardy (and sweaty) hikers huffing past on the way down to somewhere. We stopped and bought a flaky and delicious onion cake with egg inside from a woman and her young daughter, then walked to view a small temple, brushing flaky crumbs off our clothes.
"If you move to Taipei, you want to know someone with a place up here," my dad observed, as another quiet little breeze swept past us.
We walked back to the gondola stop after a while and descended down the hill to the Zhinan Temple stop, intending to check out the remarkable Chinese edifice in red and blue that we'd spotted on the way up. At the MRT stop, we walked to the left to check out the decadent water and garden feature outside, featuring a golden dragon, an artificial waterfall, and well-thought out spritzers of cool air.
There was a path through the forest with represetnation by different animals of the Chinese zodiac, but we turned around and walked to the famous Chi Nan Taoist temple itself, the other direction below the MRT line. Founded in 1882, this exceedingly majestic mountain-side temple is devoted to Tang dynasty scholar Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals of Chinese mythology. Getting here was once an exhausting affair consisting of well over 1,000 up-hill steps, but in recent years, a bus route and now a highly sophisticated gondola allow anyone with a pulse to view this sacred site – so goes progress.
We wandered through the red and yellow halls and looked at the offerings of fruit and snack food to the Immortal at the central Chungyang Baodian chapel. Locals filtered in and out, carrying offerings of purple orchids, incense, and fruit to be placed at the shrine. An attendant informed us that the temple had free water and tea, and we poured some out from a large silver jug.
The aggressively bearded Lü Dongbin is known to be the patron saint of barbers and their "immortal patriarch," in case you were wondering about this kind of thing. He's also supposed to be very good at delivering people from poverty and seducing unmarried women, although I admit I did not find myself seduced by an immortal Taoist scholar during my visit. (This is almost disappointing).
Tree on the path near Zhinan Temple.
Unmarried couples are traditionally warned not to come here for this very reason, although I submit that this is the most excellent excuse for a breakup I've ever heard. "I'm sorry, it's not you – it's the irresistible influence of the spirit of Lü Dongbin."
Proceeding to the basement, we were impressed to find a room full of golden tag-like offerings and statues of the Eight Immortals, with a ceiling painted blue with tiny lights meant to represent stars.
Trees with golden offerings on the path to Zhinan.
We came out again and decided to walk down the covered path towards the farther off temples — with great views of the temple behind us, and a brief respite from the direct sun. Eventually, we headed back to the MRT stop and another highly relaxing aerial trip back down the hill.
Regardless of your stance on Hello Kitty and popular tourist attractions, you should take the Maokong Gondola ride if you're in Taipei. When I return here, I'm especially interested in taking the gondola ride at night, which will guarantee a remarkable night-time view of Taipei and a quiet evening meal at the restaurants up at Maokong.
Taiwan: Longshan Temple and Shaved Ice
On July 16, 2014 July 20, 2014 By Faine GreenwoodIn East Asia, Taiwan, TravelLeave a comment
Longshan Temple roof.
On Tuesday, I went to the Mengjia Longshan Temple, one of Taipei's largest and most long-standing places of worship. It's been around since 1738, albeit in different incarnations, and was last extensively rebuilt in World War II following bombardment by Americans.
Lighting candles.
On a Tuesday morning, the place is choked with worshipers lighting incense and candles and making the rounds, flanked by nuns and monks in light grey robes, many of whom have prayer beads and other knick-knacks to sell. The ambiance is like that of a Chinese temple most any place, but it's a nice little look into popular religion in Taiwanese.
Man-made waterfall.
Dragon fountain.
Of particular appeal are the lush grounds, featuring a waterfall, plenty of Rubenesque koi fish, and this fantastic dragon fountain that spurts water.
The area around Longshan is a busy shopping district with a lot of Taiwanese Sports Lottery storefronts, appliance stores, and the usual glut of Family Mart and 7-11 emporiums. I wandered around for a while, growing increasingly hot, and ducked into a Taiwanese buffet for lunch. It's less of a buffet and more of a point-and-eat: lots of appealing food is laid out in a row and you point at what you want.
A severe looking woman spoons your food onto a platter and also hands you a bowl of rice, and you're welcome to select a pot of soup as well. Mix your own sauces, then eat. Cheap and delicious, especially the eggplant and the braised spinach with tiny white fish.
I hopped back on the remarkably pleasant MRT and headed to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which commemorates the other national political hero of the Taiwanese people. Dr Yat-sen had a remarkably adventurous life and attempted to carry out numerous revolutions before his ultimate success, a fact that the displays here are keen to remind you of. There's signs in both Chinese and English, and it's a pleasant way to learn about how Taiwanese democracy came to be — although I admit I'm not much closer to entirely grokking the fiendishly complex 20th century political history of China. It's a start.
Much the same as the Chiang Kai-shek memorial, there's a constant guard here that changes on the hour, which is fun to watch for a while if you're willing to brave the crowds that apparate within two minutes of the ceremony beginning. The rest of the hall, which encompasses four stories, includes adult classrooms, galleries with a somewhat random smattering of art and photography exhibits, and an air conditioned and very popular periodical room with lots of people taking naps. There's also a cafe and a gift-shop, in which I purchased a t-shirt featuring a jade cabbage. This made me happy.
In the evening, I decided to find a place to locate Taiwanese shaved ice, which is sliced off a big block in pretty much the exact same way as gyros meat. (The flavor is different, you'll be happy to know).
It's a specialty that has made its way to Silicon Valley in recent months, to the general acclaim of some of my friends, and I wanted to try the stuff in its native land. The Smoothie House came highly recommended, so I made my way to Yong Kang Street, which was full of wandering snackers at 9:00 PM. Mango is the big hit here but decent strawberries are rather harder to find in Southeast Asia, so I went with the strawberry sorbet option.
Verdict? A pleasingly light and rather immense dessert, with a curious but highly enjoyable "fluff" texture. Rather like eating frozen cotton candy, flavored nicely by the sorbet on top and the fresh strawberries. This is probably the ideal way to restore one's electrolytes after a face-meltingly hot day of tourism in Taipei's heat.
Mango Snowflake facade.


The nematode infraorder Tylenchomorpha (Class Chromadorea) includes plant parasites that are of agricultural and economic importance, as well as insect-associates and fungal feeding species. Among tylenchomorph plant parasites, members of the superfamily Tylenchoidea, such as root-knot nematodes, have great impact on agriculture. Of the five superfamilies within Tylenchomorpha, one (Aphelenchoidea) includes mainly fungal-feeding species, but also some damaging plant pathogens, including certain Bursaphelenchus spp. The evolutionary relationships of tylenchoid and aphelenchoid nematodes have been disputed based on classical morphological features and molecular data. For example, similarities in the structure of the stomatostylet suggested a common evolutionary origin. In contrast, phylogenetic hypotheses based on nuclear SSU ribosomal DNA sequences have revealed paraphyly of Aphelenchoidea, with, for example, fungal-feeding Aphelenchus spp. within Tylenchomorpha, but Bursaphelenchus and Aphelenchoides spp. more closely related to infraorder Panagrolaimomorpha. We investigated phylogenetic relationships of plant-parasitic tylenchoid and aphelenchoid species in the context of other chromadorean nematodes based on comparative analysis of complete mitochondrial genome data, including two newly sequenced genomes from Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Aphelenchoidea) and Pratylenchus vulnus (Tylenchoidea).
The complete mitochondrial genomes of B. xylophilus and P. vulnus are 14,778 bp and 21,656 bp, respectively, and identical to all other chromadorean nematode mtDNAs in that they contain 36 genes (lacking atp8) encoded in the same direction. Their mitochondrial protein-coding genes are biased toward use of amino acids encoded by T-rich codons, resulting in high A+T richness. Phylogenetic analyses of both nucleotide and amino acid sequence datasets using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods did not support B. xylophilus as most closely related to Tylenchomorpha (Tylenchoidea). Instead, B. xylophilus, was nested within a strongly supported clade consisting of species from infraorders Rhabditomorpha, Panagrolaimomorpha, Diplogasteromorpha, and Ascaridomorpha. The clade containing sampled Tylenchoidea (P. vulnus, H. glycines, and R. similis) was sister to all analyzed chromadoreans. Comparison of gene arrangement data was also consistent with the phylogenetic relationships as inferred from sequence data. Alternative tree topologies depicting a monophyletic grouping of B. xylophilus (Aphelenchoidea) plus Tylenchoidea, Tylenchoidea plus Diplogasteromorpha (Pristionchus pacificus), or B. xylophilus plus Diplogasteromorpha were significantly worse interpretations of the mtDNA data.
Phylogenetic trees inferred from nucleotide and amino acid sequences of mtDNA coding genes are in agreement that B. xylophilus (the single representative of Aphelenchoidea) is not closely related to Tylenchoidea, indicating that these two groups of plant parasites do not share an exclusive most recent common ancestor, and that certain morphological similarities between these stylet-bearing nematodes must result from convergent evolution. In addition, the exceptionally large mtDNA genome size of P. vulnus, which is the largest among chromadorean nematode mtDNAs sequenced to date, results from lengthy repeated segments in non-coding regions.
Nematodes are among the most common, abundant and ecologically diverse animal groups. Free-living species inhabit almost every environment, and are extremely abundant in soils and aquatic sediments, both freshwater and marine [1, 2]. Most nematode diversity is represented by these free-living species . Nematode parasites of plants and animals are also frequently encountered, and cause reductions in agricultural productivity, and disease in humans, domestic animals and wildlife . Plant-parasitic nematodes attack a wide variety of commercial crops, mainly causing damage to root tissues  that impacts on the physiology of the host plant , particularly water transport. Plant parasites are usually microscopic, and may feed on plant tissues as ectoparasites or endoparasites, depending on the species. Among the most remarkable specializations of plant parasites are sedentary endoparasites that induce nurse cells in host plant roots that serve as metabolic sinks and nematode feeding sites, sustaining the sedentary female nematode during its lifetime in the host tissue. Other plant-parasitic species have more diverse feeding habits. For example, the pine wilt nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is transmitted by wood-boring beetles, has both phytophagous and mycophagous phases in its life history.
Molecular phylogenies based on SSU rDNA [7–11] indicate that three traditional orders of plant parasites, Dorylaimida Pearse 1942, Triplonchida Cobb 1920, and Tylenchida Thorne 1949 evolved independently. Modern taxonomic systems for nematodes [12, 13] are mainly based on the phylogenetic framework provided by SSU rDNA in combination with new interpretations of developmental and morphological features. In the taxonomy of De Ley and Blaxter [12, 13], which is used herein, orders Dorylaimida and Triplonchida (within class Enoplea) are retained, whereas the phylogenetic framework guides taxonomic reorganization of a diverse assemblage of species (free-living and parasitic) within suborder Tylenchina (order Rhabditida, class Chromadorea). Within Tylenchina, the infraorder Tylenchomorpha includes stylet-bearing nematodes with representatives that are plant-parasites, insect associates or parasites (e.g., Sphaerulariidae), and fungal feeders. Several of the superfamilies within Tylenchomorpha include important plant pathogens [3, 14], particularly Tylenchoidea (which includes root-knot and lesion nematodes, among others), but also Aphelenchoidea, the superfamily that includes insect associates, fungivores, and plant-associates that in some cases are either direct causative agents of plant disease (B. xylophilus), or through fungal feeding are associated with root disease (e.g., Aphelenchus avenae). The relationship and taxonomy of groups now classified as Tylenchomorpha, and specifically the relationship of aphelenchs to other stylet-bearing Tylenchina, has been a topic of debate among nematode taxonomists for several decades.
Some arguments for a close relationship between aphelenchs and Tylenchomorpha have been based on morphology, for example, the highly similar protrusible stylets (stomatostylets) in these taxa , or aspects of female genital structure . However, Siddiqi  suggested that the similar stylets of these nematodes arose independently, with the stylet of aphelenchs derived from diplogasteromorph ancestors, thus rejecting the concept of their close evolutionary relationship. Siddiqi  recognized aphelenchs as a separate evolutionary group [17–19].
In recent years, phylogenetic relationships inferred from SSU rDNA sequences [7–11] have provided an alternative framework for nematode classification. Representatives of Tylenchomorpha including certain aphelenchs (Aphelenchidae) comprised a clade, with the fungivorous Aphelenchidae typically the sister group to plant-parasitic tylenchomorphs. However, the Aphelenchoidea were not monophyletic [9–11], with plant pathogens such as Aphelenchoides spp. and Bursaphelenchus spp. (Aphelenchoididae) either unresolved among Tylenchina  or more closely related to Panagrolaimomorpha, but in the latter case with support levels varying substantially, depending on inference method [9, 10]. Recent fine structure reconstructions of the pharynx also call into question the monophyly of Aphelenchoidea, revealing lack of cellular homology underlying structures previously assumed to unite Aphelenchidae and Aphelenchoididae . It is unclear if artefacts such as base compositional bias or long-branch-attraction may be influencing the position of Bursaphelenchus spp. and other Aphelenchoididae in SSU trees, but this potential caveat has been suggested as one possible explanation for non-monophyly . For this reason, independent phylogenetic evidence from other gene loci is needed to test this and other hypotheses of nematode relationships.
As in many other metazoan groups, comparative analysis of nematode mitochondrial (mt) genome information (nucleotide and amino acid sequences, and gene arrangement) appears useful for resolving relationships at different divergence levels [21–24]. To date, 63 complete mt genomes have been reported for nematodes (52 chromadoreans and 11 enopleans), however, taxon sampling is biased toward parasites of vertebrates. Despite their importance to agriculture, Tylenchomorpha are undersampled for complete mitochondrial genomes. Published reports include the complete sequence of the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis (Tylenchoidea, Pratylenchidae), and partial genome, but complete coding sequences of the soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines (Tylenchoidea, Hoplolaimidae). However, the focus of these studies has been on idiosyncratic features of the mt sequences and not phylogenetic context. In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the first representative of the Aphelenchoidea and Pratylenchus vulnus, the second representative of the family Pratylenchidae, respectively, and used these data for inferring phylogenetic relationships among the major groups of chromadoreans.
The complete mitochondrial genomes of B. xylophilus (GenBank accession number: GQ332424) and P. vulnus (GenBank accession number GQ332425) are 14,778 bp and 21,656 bp, respectively. The mtDNA of P. vulnus is the largest among chromadorean nematode mtDNAs published to date. It is much larger than Radopholus similis (16,791 bp), the first complete mtDNA for Tylenchoidea , and P. vulnus is third largest among all nematodes reported to date, following two Mermithida, Romanomermis culicivorax (26,194 bp) and Hexamermis agrotis (24,606 bp). Unlike enopleans, the mtDNA genomes of chromadorean nematodes do not normally exceed 17 kb. The exception is the soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines that is estimated to have a 21–22 kb-circular mtDNA chromosome . The remarkably large size of P. vulnus mtDNA is due to abnormally lengthy non-coding regions that harbor tandemly repeated sequences. This feature was also reported for the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica (Tylenchoidea), which contains a 7 kb control region with different numbers of tandemly repeated sequence units . In some Enoplea (mermithids), size variation ranging from 19 to 34 kb is relatively common and is attributed to a 'hypervariable' segment that includes both coding and putative nonfunctional regions (see  for more details). The complete mitochondrial genomes of B. xylophilus (Figure 1A) and P. vulnus (Figure 1B) contain 36 genes that comprise 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) but lacking atp8, 22 tRNA and 2 rRNA genes, all encoded in the same direction. This gene content is common to all other nematode mtDNAs so far sequenced, except for Trichinella spiralis (Enoplea) in which atp8 is also encoded . The details of gene order and size for mtDNA of B. xylophilus and P. vulnus are shown in Table 1. The nucleotide composition of the mtDNA genome of each species has a strong bias toward A+T-richness with overall content of 83.5% in B. xylophilus (51.7% T, 31.8% A, 11.1% G, and 5.4% C) and 73.9% in P. vulnus (42.1% T, 31.8% A, 16.3% G, and 9.8% C), respectively (Table 2). The A+T richness in these two species is related to the propensity for high frequency use of T-rich and/or A-rich codons in their protein-coding genes and higher A+T content in non-coding regions (see following section).
Circular gene maps of the complete mitochondrial genome for Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (A) and Pratylenchus vulnus(B). All genes are encoded in the same direction and 22 tRNA genes are designated by a single-letter abbreviation. The two leucine and two serine tRNA genes are labeled, according to their anticodon sequence, as L1 (trnL-uag), L2 (trnL-uaa), S1 (trnS-ucu), and S2 (trnS-uga), respectively.
*7 bp intergenic sequence between trnE and cox1.
Twelve PCGs were identified from both species, ranging from 234 bp (nad4L) to 1,569 bp (nad5) for B. xylophilus and from 231 bp (nad4L) to 1,533 bp (cox1) for P. vulnus. Total length of the 12 PCGs of B. xylophilus mtDNA is 10,182 bp, accounting for 68.9% of its total mtDNA genome length. This value is slightly lower than most chromadoreans, such as Caenorhabditis briggsae (71.4%), Ascaris suum (72.8%) and Anisakis simplex (73.8%). In contrast, total length of the 12 PCGs of P. vulnus mtDNA (10,002 bp) accounts for less than half (46.2%) of its entire genome length. This lowered proportion of PCG sequence in P. vulnus is due to extraordinarily lengthy non-coding regions. This is very uncommon in other chromadorean nematode mtDNAs except for Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (56.84%), but known for enoplean mitochondrial genomes, for example, Hexamermis agrotis (40.2%), and Romanomermis culicivorax (37.9%).
Out of 12 PCGs of B. xylophilus mtDNA, nine (cox1-cox3, nad1-nad3, nad5, nad6 and atp6) are inferred to use ATT as the start codon, whereas three (nad4, nad4L and cob) start with ATA (Table 1). Although ATG is known to be the most commonly used initiation codon for mitochondrial PCGs , use of others such as TTG is very common in some other nematode mtDNAs, including Anisakis simplex (9 of 12 genes) and Enterobius vermicularis (8 of 12 genes). Out of 12 P. vulnus PCGs, six (cox1-cox3, nad2, nad4, and cob) are inferred to use ATA as the start codon. Four genes (atp6, nad3, nad4L, and nad5) start with ATT, whereas nad1 and nad6 start with TTG (Table 1). The most commonly used start codon for P. vulnus (ATA) is also the most frequently used in Xiphinema americanum mtDNA (11 of 12 PCGs). More rarely, TTA is used as a start codon in nematodes, for example, Ancylostoma doudenale (cox1), Brugia malayi (nad2) and Steinernema carpocapsae (nad2, nad4, and nad6).
For B. xylophilus, nine genes (cox1, cox3, nad1-nad4, nad4L, nad5 and nad6) terminate with TAA and cox2 uses TAG as its termination codon; atp6 and cob are inferred to terminate with incomplete stop codon T. Among these, cox2 is inferred to overlap with trnH by two nucleotides (AG) and nad1 is also inferred to overlap with atp6 by five nucleotides. The truncated (incomplete) termination codon (terminate with 'T') is inferred for the atp6 and cob of B. xylophilus; truncated termination 'T' is believed to be completed by polyadenylation . For P. vulnus, eight genes (atp6, cox2, cox3, nad2, nad3, nad4L, nad6, and cob) are predicted to terminate with TAG and four (cox1, nad1, nad4, and nad5) with TAA, all without overlapping any adjacent gene boundary. The use of TAA as a termination codon in P. vulnus is generally consistent with another Tylenchoidea, H. glycines, but is in marked contrast to the idiosyncratic codon usage found in the other sequenced member of the same superfamily, R. similis in which TAA, the canonical stop codon in the standard invertebrate genetic code, is reassigned to encode Tyr .
As in other published nematode mtDNAs, the mitochondrial PCGs of these two species are notably biased toward using amino acids encoded by T-rich codons. The three most frequently used codons have more than two Ts in a triplet (Table 3): in B. xylophilus, TTT (Phe: 19.12%), TTA (Leu: 13.52%), and ATT (Ile: 7.66%); in P. vulnus, TTT (Phe: 14.49%), TTA (Leu: 11.31%), and ATT (Ile: 5.64%). These T-rich codons account for 40.3% (B. xylophilus) and 31.44% (P. vulnus) of the total codons used. In addition, there is nonrandom use of synonymous codons; avoidance of C in the third codon position is pronounced in two- and four-fold degenerate codon families. As an example, there are large differences in the relative frequency of codons for phenylalanine usage between TTT (19.12%) and TTC (0.53%) in B. xylophilus and between TTT (14.49%) and TTC (1.14%) in P. vulnus. The higher frequency of amino acids encoded by T-rich codons, and unequal synonymous codon usage with bias against C-rich codons is consistent with the high percentage of A+T content in the nucleotide composition of PCGs (A+T content of 80.5% and 75.1% for B. xylophilus and P. vulnus, respectively; Table 2).
Twenty-two discrete nucleotide sequences (ranging from 53 to 60 bp for B. xylophilus and 52 to 59 bp for P. vulnus) were predicted to fold into secondary structures of tRNAs (Additional files 1 and 2), similar to those found in other published nematode mtDNAs [32–35]. The predicted structures of tRNA genes in both species include an amino-acyl stem of seven nucleotide pairs (ntp), a DHU stem of 4 ntp with a loop, an anticodon stem of 5 ntp with a loop, and a TV replacement loop. Twenty of the 22 tRNA genes of both species have a unique feature in that the TΨC arm and variable loop are replaced by a TV replacement loop. The two exceptions are the serine tRNAs (trnS1 and trnS2) that lack a DHU arm, but have a TΨC stem-loop structure. These features are found in other nematode mtDNAs [22–24, 32–35], except for T. spiralis in which some tRNAs have the canonical cloverleaf structures . The small-subunit ribosomal RNA (rrnS) and large-subunit ribosomal RNA (rrnL) of each mtDNA were initially identified by comparing with homologous gene sequence of other nematode species. The rrnL (948 bp) and rrnS (700 bp) for B. xylophilus are positioned between trnH and nad3, and between trnE and trnS2, respectively. The rrnL (895 bp) and rrnS (686 bp) for P. vulnus are positioned between trnL1 and nad3, and between cob and trnY, respectively.
For the B. xylophilus mtDNA, a total of 9 intergenic sequences, ranging from 1 to 1,650 bp, were found. Of these, the largest non-coding region (NCR; 1,650 bp), located between nad4 and cox1 genes, contains four identical repeat units of 147-nt, four identical repeat units of 101-nt, plus three identical repeat units of 56-nt with only a single nucleotide mismatch in the first repeat of the 56-nt repeat units. This NCR is extremely A+T-rich (98.7%), much higher than the entire mtDNA sequence (83.5%). In P. vulnus mtDNA, 24 intergenic sequences were found, ranging from a singleton to 6,847 bp (8,821 bp in total), accounting for 40.7% of the genome sequence. Among these, two non-coding regions (NCRs) are very conspicuous due to their lengths; NCR1 (6,847 bp) between cox1 and trnH, and NCR2 (901 bp) between trnH and trnL1 (Table 1). There are three repeated units of a 494-bp sequence (with only two between-unit nucleotide differences) found in the 5' region of NCR1. The mitochondrial NCR in many metazoans contains a sequence motif for replication origin (the control region) that varies from a few hundred bp to tens of kb, with tandemly repeated sequence blocks in a 'head-to-tail' fashion. The presence of lengthy repeated segments in non-coding regions is responsible for exceptionally large mtDNA genome size and often contributes to genome size variation among and within individuals (i.e., size-variant heteroplasmy) and/or species in some other metazoans including American shad , bark weevils , root-knot nematodes , scallops  and some mermithid nematodes [28, 39]. Comparative analysis of size variants might be useful for estimating the genetic structure of populations within species and between closely related species .
We conducted Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide (NT) and amino acid (AA) sequence datasets (12 protein-coding genes, 11,784 NT characters, 3,928 AA characters) for 41 nematode species, including the two newly sequenced species. The sequence alignments are deposited in TreeBASE (http://www.treebase.org [submission ID number: 13610 for the NT and 13609 for the AA]). Phylogenetic relationships were mainly consistent with previous reports based on mitochondrial genome analysis [22–24, 35]. Chromadoreans formed a monophyletic group in all analyses with robust nodal support (100% bootstrap percentage [BP] in ML analyses (Figures 2 and 3) and 0.99-1.0 Bayesian posterior probability [BPP], (Figures 4 and 5). Within the Chromadorea 'clade III' (Ascaridomorpha, Oxyuridomorpha, and Spiruromorpha) as previously recovered from SSU rDNA  was not monophyletic, regardless of the dataset analyzed or tree-building method. The position of Oxyuridomorpha within Chromadorea varies among the mtDNA analyses. For the NT dataset, Oxyuridomorpha was sister to the Spiruromorpha (Figures 2 and 4) with high nodal support (89% BP in ML and 0.98 BPP in BI), but in the AA dataset, Oxyuridomorpha was sister to a large chromadorean clade (excluding Spiruromorpha and Tylenchoidea), with moderate (87% BP in ML) or strong (1.00 BPP) support (Figures 3 and 5). The relationship of Pristionchus pacificus, the only representative of the free-living infraorder Diplogasteromorpha, differed among analyses. For the NT dataset, P. pacificus was nested within certain Rhabditomorpha (sampled Rhabditoidea, i.e., C. elegans, C. briggsae, and H. bacteriophora) and this relationship was strongly supported (97% BP in ML (Figure 2) and 0.99 BPP in BI (Figure 4). For the AA dataset, the position of P. pacificus differed by inference method, with ML (Figure 3) showing P. pacificus as sister to the Rhabditoidea clade. In contrast, BI of the AA data (Figure 5) depicted P. pacificus as nested within the sampled Rhabditoidea, with strong support (1.00 BPP).
Single maximum likelihood tree with values from the separate bootstrap analysis shown at internal nodes when 70% or greater. Analysis of nucleotide sequences for 12 protein-coding genes with third codon positions included (11,784 characters) for 41 nematode mitochondrial genomes inferred using RAxML (see methods for analysis details). The classification of De Ley and Blaxter [12, 13] is used to label each tree figure.
Single maximum likelihood tree with values from the separate bootstrap analysis shown at internal nodes when 70% or greater. Analysis of amino acid sequences (3,928 characters) for 12 protein-coding genes was conducted using RAxML.
Phylogenetic tree from Bayesian analysis of nucleotide sequences for 12 protein-coding genes with third codon positions included (11,784 characters). The best-fit substitution model for each of 12 genes was estimated using the AIC criterion implemented in MrModeltest 2.3. The resulting best-fit model for each of 12 genes was then used for Bayesian analysis. Bayesian posterior probability values (BPP), shown above the nodes, were estimated after the initial 200 trees (the first 2x105 generations) was discarded as burn-in (see Methods for analysis details).
Phylogenetic tree from Bayesian analysis of amino sequences for 12 protein-coding genes for 41 nematode mitochondrial genomes. Bayesian posterior probability values (BPP), shown above the nodes, were estimated after the initial 200 trees (the first 2×105 generations) were discarded as burn-in (see methods for analysis details).
Gene order pattern in metazoan mitochondrial DNA has often been used as an additional tool for inferring relationships [41–43]. There are some reports of lineage-specific idiosyncratic gene order patterns in metazoans including nematodes (e.g., enoplean nematodes , mollusks [44, 45], tunicates , crustacean arthropods ), and these cases illustrate that phylogenetic interpretation of gene arrangement data should be made with great caution. For example, gene order patterns for Enoplean species are not only very diverse, but radical gene rearrangements occur between relatively closely related species . In contrast, mitochondrial gene order of chromadoreans is more conserved with substantial gene order pattern similarity (in most cases only translocations of tRNAs) within groups inferred to be monophyletic based on analysis of mtDNA sequences. With the exception of S. sterocoralis and H. bacteriophora in which substantial idiosyncratic gene arrangements distinguish them from other ordinal members (Figure 6), shared gene order patterns for chromadorean species has been interpreted as an additional indicator of their phylogenetic affinity [22–24]. The highly similar gene arrangement shared among most Rhabditomorpha, Ascaridomorpha, and the few representatives of Diplogasteromorpha and Aphelenchoidea for which data are available, may reflect common ancestry. However, within this clade, gene order data provides little information on relationships due to the high overall similarity.
Linearized representation of the mitochondrial gene arrangement for representatives of major chromadorean nematode clades, including two newly determined species ( B. xylophilus and P. vulnus ) in this study. Gene and genome size are not to scale. All genes are transcribed in the same direction (from left to right). The tRNAs are designated by single-letter abbreviation and two leucine and two serine tRNA genes are labeled, according to their anticodon sequence, as L1 (trnL-uag), L2 (trnL-uaa), S1 (trnS-ucu), and S2 (trnS-uga), respectively. The AT-rich non-coding region (NCR) is not indicated. The rectangular box indicates the most common gene arrangement pattern shared among the majority of Rhabditomorpha-Ascaridomorpha members.
One aim of the present study was to assess Tylenchomorpha relationships, and specifically between B. xylophilus and species of Tylenchoidea. The hypothesis of Tylenchomorpha monophyly was examined with respect to relationships among chromadorean lineages. The phylogenetic trees inferred from both nucleotide and amino acid sequences are in agreement that Tylenchomorpha is not monophyletic (Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and Additional files 3 and 4). Instead, B. xylophilus (Aphelenchoididae) was consistently found within the clade consisting of Rhabditomorpha, Panagrolaimomorpha, Diplogasteromorpha, and Ascaridomorpha (Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5), and usually (except Figure 5) "between" Strongyloides stercoralis and Steinernema carpocapsae (the sampled Panagrolaimomorpha). The clade of sampled Tylenchoidea, consisting of Radopholus similis (burrowing nematode), Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode) and Pratylenchus vulnus (walnut root-lesion nematode), was sister to the other sampled Chromadorea in all analyses with very high nodal support (100% BP in ML (Figure 2) and 0.99 BPP in BI (Figure 4) for the NT dataset and 100% BP in ML (Figure 3) and 1.00 BPP in BI (Figure 5) for the AA dataset). This result indicates that there is no support from the mtDNA genome tree for a sister-group relationship between Tylenchoidea and B. xylophilus (Aphelenchoididae), or monophyly of Tylenchomorpha as currently defined [12, 13]. Statistical evaluation of the alternative phylogenetic tree of highest likelihood with the constraint of Tylenchoidea plus B. xylophilus monophyly was a significantly worse interpretation of these mtDNA data (Table 4; Additional file 5). Phylogenetic hypotheses based on nuclear SSU rDNA also do not support monophyly of Tylenchida-Aphelenchoidea [7, 9–11], but with different relationships recovered than for mtDNA. In SSU trees including the most compre-hensive sampling for Tylenchomorpha, aphelenchs are polyphyletic, with fungal-feeding taxa such as Aphelenchus spp. (Aphelenchidae) more closely related to plant-parasitic Tylenchoidea [7, 9, 11], and the Aphelenchoididae such as B. xylophilus and Aphelenchoides spp. either more closely related to Panagrolaimomorpha, or nested among a polyphyletic assemblage of panagrolaimomorph taxa [7, 9–11]. Lack of appropriate taxon sampling for mtDNA genomes precludes direct comparison with these SSU results or statistical evaluation of certain alternative topologies, highlighting the need to sequence mtDNA genomes representing a greater diversity of Nematoda, especially additional Tylenchina (e.g., cephalobs, panagrolaims, aphelenchs Aphelenchus spp.]), and other families and superfamilies within Tylenchomorpha. This lack of taxon representation in the mtDNA genome tree may influence the sister-group relationship of Tylenchoidea to other Chromadorea, because adding taxa (new lineages) tends to break long branches, such as those characteristic of P. vulnus, R. similis, and H. glycines.
Alternative topologies tested are provided in Additional file 5.
In the mtDNA analyses of Tylenchoidea, the two sampled members of Pratylenchidae were not sister taxa, instead, R. similis (Pratylenchidae) was sister to H. glycines (Hoplolaimidae) with very strong support (e.g., 100% BP in ML (Figure 2) and 0.99 BPP in BI (Figure 4)) for the NT dataset. In terms of mtDNA gene arrangement patterns, R. similis and H. glycines share gene boundaries for atp6-nad5-trnQ-trnA, rrnL-nad3, trnI-cox3, trnT-nad4, and trnS1-trnC, whereas these two species share less gene order similarity with P. vulnus (Figure 6). The monophyly of Tylenchoidea was strongly supported with P. vulnus (Pratylenchidae) sister to R. similis and H. glycines (100% BP in ML (Figure 2) and 0.99 BPP in BI (Figure 4) for the NT dataset and 100% BP in ML (Figure 3) and 1.00 BPP in BI (Figure 5) for the AA dataset, respectively). Comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses based on SSU rDNA sequences also strongly support the monophyly of Tylenchomorpha, but not Pratylenchidae . As in the mtDNA results, analysis of SSU rDNA shows that R. similis is more closely related to Heterodera spp. than to P. vulnus or other Pratylenchus spp. . Thus, phylogenetic analysis of both SSU and mtDNA genome data independently show that Pratylenchidae, as traditionally defined, is not a natural group.
Thorne  first proposed that aphelenchs and tylenchs should be treated as two superfamilies (Aphelenchoidea and Tylenchoidea) within a separate order (Tylenchida), distinguishing this group from other nematodes. Subsequently, taxonomic authorities have offered several different interpretations for the relationships and taxonomic ranking of these nematodes. Many systematists have given special emphasis to morphological similarities shared between aphelenchs and tylenchs, as discerned by light microscopy, such as the protrusible stomatostylet, esophageal structures, and genital structure in females [15, 16, 18, 49–53]. Maggenti  hypothesized that plant parasitism in nematodes evolved from fungal-feeding ancestors, and that the progenitors of these taxa were diplogasteromorph-like. Similarly, Poinar  emphasized a close relationship between tylenchs, aphelenchs and diplogasteromorphs based on similarities in pharyngeal structure. Later, Maggenti [18, 50] recognized tylenchs and aphelenchs as separate orders within a subclass (Diplogasteria). This 'diplogasteromorph origin' was hypothesized on the basis of the general similarity of esophageal structure among tylenchs, aphelenchs, and diplogasteromorphs and inferences concerning development of stoma armature (stylets) from stomatal features of certain diplogasteromorphs. Siddiqi [14, 17, 19] argued that these morphologically similar stylets arose independently in tylenchs and aphelenchs, asserting that plant parasitism in these two groups had separate evolutionary origins, with the former evolved from cephalobomorph/oxyuridomorph-like ancestors and the latter from diplogasteromorph-like ancestors. Our mitochondrial genome phylogeny (Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and Additional files 3 and 4) did not support a close relationship between diplogasteromorphs (represented by P. pacificus) and either tylenchs (R. similis, H. glycines, and P. vulnus) or aphelenchs (B. xylophilus). Similarly, oxyuridomorphs (E. vermicularis and W. siamensis) and tylenchs did not form a clade. Tree topology tests indicated that alternative phylogenies constraining a sister-group relationship between Diplogasteromorpha and Tylenchoidea, Diplogasteromorpha and Aphelenchoidea, or Oxyuridomorpha and Tylenchoidea were significantly worse interpretations of these mtDNA data (Table 4; Additional file 5). Considering the gene arrangement pattern among these nematodes (with the exception of S. stercoralis, H. bacteriophora, and C. robustus, which have idiosyncratic gene arrangements [24, 35]) the sampled Rhabditomorpha, Panagrolaimomorpha, Diplogasteromorpha, Ascaridomorpha and B. xylophilus have almost identical patterns with only a translocation of trnN for B. xylophilus (Figure 6). Indeed, except for the non-coding region (NCR), 33 of the species within the clade containing B. xylophilus share this most common gene arrangement type. In contrast, the gene order of only four blocks comprising two consecutive genes (nad6-nad4L, nad2-trnI, cox3-trnN, and rrnL-nad3) is shared between P. vulnus, R. similis and B. xylophilus. Moreover, only a single block (rrnL-nad3) is shared between B. xylophilus and all three tylenchs (P. vulnus, R. similis and H. glycines).
In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships of chromadorean nematodes, including new sequences of Tylenchomorpha previously unrepresented in mtDNA genome trees. The mitochondrial genomes of B. xylophilus and P. vulnus are 14,778 bp and 21,656 bp, respectively, and identical to all other chromadorean nematode mtDNAs in that they contain 36 genes (lacking atp8) encoded in the same direction. Pratylenchus vulnus has the largest mitochondrial genome of any chromadorean nematode sequenced, due to a large fraction (54%) of non-coding sequence. Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide and amino acid sequence datasets using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods did not support monophyly of Tylenchomorpha. Instead, B. xylophilus was nested within the Rhabditomorpha+Ascaridomorpha+Panagrolaimomorpha+Diplogasteromorpha clade, and Tylenchoidea (represented by P. vulnus, H. glycines, and R. similis) was sister to all analyzed chromadoreans. Comparison of gene arrangement data was also consistent with the phylogenetic relationships as inferred from sequence data. Statistical comparison of alternative tree topologies revealed that constraining Tylenchomorpha to be monophyletic was a significantly worse interpretation of these mtDNA data. These results confirm previous findings based on nuclear SSU rDNA, indicating that aphelench and tylench plant parasites do not share an exclusive most recent common ancestor, and revealing that certain morphological similarities between these stylet-bearing nematodes must result from convergent evolution.
Live nematodes of B. xylophilus were isolated from infected pine trees Pinus densiflora (Jinju, Gyeongnamdo Province, South Korea) and maintained in Botrytis-containing agar culture plates until they were used for total genomic DNA extraction. The root-lesion nematode P. vulnus was isolated in Davis, CA, U.S.A. and established and maintained on carrot disk culture in the laboratory. Specimens harvested from disk culture were used for the genomic DNA extraction.
Total genomic DNA was extracted from pooled nematodes of each species using the Qiagen DNA extraction kit according to the manufacturer's protocol. Initially, partial mtDNA fragments were amplified from different regions of mtDNA using universal primers or primer sets designed from the conserved regions of closely related nematode species. Four partial fragments from cox1, rrnS, cob and cox2 gene regions were PCR-amplified for B. xylophilus using universal primer sets (LCO1490/HCO2198, 12SL1091/12SH1478 and CtybL14841/CtybH15149 for cox1, rrnS and cob, respectively) and the primer set (COX2-F/R) designed directly from conserved regions of cox2 sequences for chromadorean nematode sequences (See Additional file 6 for primer sequences). For P. vulnus, two partial fragments (from cob and cox2 gene regions) were amplified using universal primer set CtybL14841/CtybH15149 for cob and the primer set (COX2-F/R). PCR reactions for both species were carried out in a 20 μl reaction volume containing 10 units of Taq polymerase (Roche), 2.5 mM dNTP mixture, 2.5 mM MgCl2, and 20 pmole of each primer with the following amplification conditions: one cycle of the initial denaturation step at 94°C for 2 min, followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 94°C for 1 min, primer annealing at 43-48°C for 30 s and elongation at 72°C for 1 min. A final extension was performed at 72°C for 10 min. The nucleotide sequences obtained from these gene fragments for each of the two species were then used to design species-specific primers for long PCR amplification. Four overlapping long PCR products (ranging from 1.8 kb to 4 kb; see Additional file 6) covering the entire B. xylophilus mtDNA were obtained using the B. xylophilus-specific long PCR primer sets. Similarly, two overlapping long PCR-amplified fragments (ranging from 6 kb and 15 kb) covering the entire mtDNA of P. vulnus were obtained using the P. vulnus-specific long PCR primer sets. The long-PCR amplification was performed using the Expanded Long Template PCR System (Roche, USA) under the following conditions: 1 cycle of initial denaturation (2 min at 93°C), 30 cycles of denaturation–primer annealing–elongation (15 s at 93°C, 30 s at 50–60°C, and 13 min at 68°C), and 1 cycle of the final extension (10 min at 68°C). The long PCR products were gel-isolated and ligated using the TOPO XL cloning kit (Invitrogen), as recommended by the manufacturer. Cycle sequencing reactions for each of the cloned PCR products were performed in both directions using a "primer walking" strategy, and the sequences of overlapping fragments were double-checked and assembled to obtain the complete sequence of each mitochondrial genome.
Nucleotide sequences were initially analyzed using MEGA4. Each of the twelve mitochondrial protein-coding genes for B. xylophilus and P. vulnus was identified by recognizing the open reading frames and comparing the inferred amino acid sequences with those of other nematode species. The start and termination codons were predicted for 12 protein-coding genes by comparison of the amino acid sequences to homologous genes of other Chromadorean nematodes. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes were also identified by comparison with other complete mitochondrial rRNAs of nematodes. The 22 tRNA genes for each mtDNA sequence were identified using the tRNAscan-SE program  or by manually inspecting potential secondary structures and anticodon sequences.
For phylogenetic analysis, two types of sequence datasets (nucleotide and amino acid sequences) for the 12 protein-coding genes of the complete mtDNA were obtained from 41 nematode species including B. xylophilus and P. vulnus (Additional file 7). Sequence data from two arthropods (Lithobius forficatus and Limulus polyphemus) were also included in the analyses as outgroups. Prior to multiple sequence alignment, nucleotide sequences of the 12 protein-coding genes were translated to amino acid sequences using the invertebrate mitochondrial genetic code. ClustalX with default options  was then used to perform multiple alignments of the amino acid sequences. The corresponding nucleotide sequences for these protein-coding genes were aligned based on indels inferred from the protein alignment; the web-based tool RevTrans , was used to place the indels in the nucleotide sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of both concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequence datasets for all 12 protein-coding genes were performed using different tree-building methods (maximum likelihood [ML] and Bayesian inference [BI]). Maximum likelihood (ML) analysis was performed using RAxML 7.0.3  and bootstrap ML analysis was performed using the rapid bootstrap resampling method of RAxML with 1000 replicates, using the CIPRES Science Gateway . The likelihood scores of the competing hypotheses (the best ML tree versus alternative hypothesis) were compared using the Shimodaira-Hasegawa (S-H) test . For both ML and BI, datasets were partitioned by gene for analysis. For BI, MrModeltest 2.3 (nucleotide dataset ) and ProtTest 2.4 (amino acid dataset ) programs were used to determine the best-fit model for each gene prior to analysis, respectively. Using the CIPRES Gateway, two runs of MrBayes were executed using four MCMC chains and 106 generations, sampled every 1,000 generations. Each of the 12 genes was treated as a separate unlinked data partition. Bayesian posterior probability (BPP) values were determined after discarding the initial 200 trees (the first 2×105 generations) as burn-in. In addition, ML and BI inference methods were used to analyze the nucleotide data, but with 3rd positions of codons excluded (7,856 characters).
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MEST)(2007–0052998) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2010–0021692; 2011–0025824), and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (PM57121 and Marine Mollusk Resource Bank of Korea, MMRBK) to J-K Park.
TS, JK, SHL, HH, SK, and GSM participated in laboratory work for mitochondrial genome sequencing. JKP designed the study, performed phylogenetic analyses, interpreted the results and drafted the manuscript. SAN also participated in phylogenetic analyses, interpretation of trees, and drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


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Q: Reflashing a Playstation 5 firmware chip using a USB EEPROM programmer I have a PS5 that does the BLOD when powering on and instantly turns off. I read that I would need to first find the firmware chip and reflash it with another good one using a USB EEPROM programmer. I wasn't sure which USB programmer I should use or are they all the same? I'm assuming they all just read chip data and write chip data back. Also what is this type of chip called?
I managed to find the firmware chip on the PS5:

A: The chip is a W25Q16JVSNIM on the PS5. If the PS5 is having the 3 Beeps No Power issue when you plug in the power cable, this is your culprit.
To flash it you need a compatible USB programmer like the CH341 USB programmer and software like AsProgrammer. Take the chip from a confirmed working unit and use the USB programmer and software to read the chip and save it.
I don't think it matters if it's a digital or disc drive version as I have used the digital firmware to fix a disc drive console. Now you have working firmware that you can use to flash the bad chip with.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I don't think I can say I'm not a social runner anymore. It seems like I like run in crowds, compete and now, motivate others!
Activity Sharing is a watchOS 3 feature and it connects you with friends with Apple Watches who complete workouts and earn achievements throughout the day. I've got a handful of friends using this feature on their watches, and most of them are Apple Distinguished Educators. It's good fun to connect with these friends through workouts when we are all in different parts of the world: one of us is always active when you glance at your watch.
I get a tap on my wrist when a friend has completed an activity or made a daily achievement. I view some data from their workout or what their achievement it. I can reply with some positive praise (or some trash talk). At any time I can see the progress they are making in their day. It's a good way to be sharing workout information privately with friends without having to submit data to a third party app or online community too.
It's just a glance in to their work, I'm not seeing any personal information like location. I can also switch this feature on/off on a daily basis too. It's just a bit of fun that's added another layer to the Apple Watch achievements which have helped progress my workouts.
We enjoy sending trash talk, emojis and taps to each other to keep going!


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Karen Skloss
http://www.sunshinethemovie.com
Karen Skloss works as a filmmaker and visual artist. Her films and video installations have been shown in festivals internationally including the Cannes Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Her artwork has been exhibited at nationally juried shows such as New American Talent, curated by Dan Cameron senior curator The New Museum New York, and the triennial 22 to Watch at the Austin Museum of Art. Sunshine, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and was nationally broadcast on PBS's Emmy Award winning series, Independent Lens, is her first documentary feature as director.
Karen's work as an editor for documentary film has been released theatrically across the USA and Europe; as well as shown on PBS, HBO, and in the MoMA. Some feature titles include Atomic Ed & the Black Hole, (dir. Ellen Spiro), Be Here to Love Me (dir. Margaret Brown), Dirt (dir. Jeff Bowden), Writ Writer (dir. Susanne Mason), and Taken by Storm (dir. Roddy Bogawa). She also works in television, commercials and occasionally lectures at The University of Texas. She received an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin in studio art in 2005 and a bachelor's in radio, television, and film from The University of Texas in 1999.
Films by Karen Skloss
Sunshine offers a refreshingly rare glimpse on the current day transformations taking place within the American family. Filmmaker Karen Skloss explores her own unplanned pregnancy and decision to keep the child as a single mother. Twenty-three years prior, Skloss' biological mother faces a similar dilemma, choosing to give birth secretly in a Catholic home for unwed mothers through a closed adoption.
Woven together from more than 10 years' worth of intimate family interviews and stylized essay-like moments, Sunshine is a compelling and uniquely crafted portrait of an adopted woman driven to search for her pride and identity while connecting with her biological mother.
Nationally Broadcast on PBS's Emmy Award Winning Independent Lens Series, Official Selection - South by Southwest Film, Festival Citizen Jane Film Festival, American Adoption Congress, Telegraph 21 curated film, Los Angeles Women's Film Festival
Sunshine" insightfully explores unwritten chapters in women's history. A must see contribution to the conversation on women and family." Ellen Spiro – professor and film director, Body of War "Sunshine" eloquently portrays just how much our attitudes to

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Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know | Network Savants :: Solving Problems Before They Happen!
Both Ctrl + C and Ctrl + Insert will copy the highlighted text or selected item.
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Published in South African eCommerce Courier
New statistics from OneDayOnly show that Pargo has experienced an increase of 57% in deliveries over the last 12 months.
Pargo is a smart logistics company that makes it easy and affordable for online shops to get parcels to their clients.
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Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/business/286786-pargo-growing-its-online-shopping-delivery-market-share.html


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Weathering the storm: Disaster philanthropy
There's little that kills as many so quickly as a natural disaster, and millions of people across the world dig deep when faced with so much suffering. Foundations have pockets deep enough to help, but might not know where to begin.
Article | 27 March, 2014 11:51 AM | By Tess De La Mare
©Press Association
Eight generations of the Ayala family have helped to build the modern-day Philippines through their eponymous conglomerate, and now, in the wake Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful in history, it is the family's foundation that is helping to rebuild the communities that were hit.
It is a massive job – more than 6,000 people lost their lives in the November disaster, with a further 2,000 still missing at the time of writing. Thousands of international organisations have jumped in to help, both on the ground and through donations.
The Ayala Foundation has the advantage of its grassroots knowledge and national presence, but after a calamity of this scale, international philanthropists may feel lost when trying to decide where to give. However, with global warming and population growth increasing the frequency and devastation caused by nature's fury, many foundations are reassessing what they know about disaster philanthropy, and taking steps to redress their ignorance.
Those in the coastal communities affected by Haiyan, more than four million people, are starting down the long road to rebuild their homes and their lives.
The Ayala Foundation was quick to act after the typhoon. "We have an office in the Visayas, in Cebu [which took the brunt of the storm], where our people on the ground worked with other Ayala companies to feed over 8,000 families," explains Maria Lourdes Heras-de Leon, president of the foundation. "Our staff also provided food packs for about 10,000 people in Cebu." (The record-breaking wind speeds of Haiyan grounded ships, pictured, right.)
Ayala also gave the Department for Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cash to buy and distribute relief goods, and quickly filled a hole in the DSW's funding by sourcing and paying for a transportation company to deliver its aid to alleviate a chunk of the agency's logistical burden.
The Ayala Corporation family empire is vast and the reach of this for-profit enterprise puts an enormous network of resources at the disposal of the Ayala Foundation, the corporation's non-profit counterpart. Employees from across the Ayala Corporation helped pack goods for the disaster zone and also welcomed refugees at Manila airport.
The Ayala Corporation's infrastructure was also leveraged. "We have malls all over the country, and we have our drop boxes, and we say [to the Philippine public], 'if you want to drop in kind, drop it at the mall' and everything that is in kind we give directly to the Red Cross," says Heras-de Leon. (The Red Cross at work in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.)
Located close to the equator and the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines sits in a precarious spot. Haiyan, while by far the most lethal, was only one of 20 typhoons to hit the country last year. The Ayala Foundation understands tackling the chaos left behind needs a multi-pronged approach.
"In any kind of disaster, whether it's an earthquake, a typhoon or whatever, there are always three forms of support that the Ayala Foundation gives. The first is relief, which is immediate, which is your basic food, clothing and shelter – that's 'do something quick and now'," says Heras-de Leon.
"The second one is to rebuild, and the third is to reconstruct. Now obviously we are participating in all three, but the thrust of the Ayala Foundation's focus with [Haiyan], like all the communities any time there is a typhoon or earthquake, would always be on the rebuild and reconstruct."
The Ayala group of companies, guided by the Ayala Foundation, is supporting the call of the Philippine government for private sector businesses to help rebuild communities hit by the storm. Several large businesses are working with the government to develop and fund projects in housing, education or to generate jobs, and also to invite other partners to join them. The Ayala Foundation is working in northern Negros – one of the largest islands in the Visayas, particularly in the cities of Cadiz and Sagay.
As well as providing boats to fishermen (pictured, right) and seeds to farmers, the foundation is also building a disaster-ready school to withstand future storms. "We've asked Ayala Land and the construction part of the company to look at the specifications to make sure they are right and the costing is right," explains Heras-de Leon.
This marriage of business know-how and philanthropy is the foundation's raison d'être. "It's the concept of inclusive business and the concept of creating shared value. It's very simply, whatever social issues we are trying to solve, how can business and industry come in with their discipline and their resources to help and what are those points of intersection? That is where Ayala Foundation comes in," says Heras-de Leon. She adds, "We say, 'get back to normalcy but improve your lives from before the typhoon hit'."
Foreign philanthropists
The Ayala Foundation has the advantage of its community networks and the resources of the Ayala family's conglomerate at its fingertips, but it is rarely so clear to international philanthropists where their cash can do the most good.
In the hours after a disaster, government agencies and international non-government organisations are usually the first on the scene, and aid charities put a response plan in place as soon as they get wind of what is coming. "We measure all the different weather depressions coming a week or two in advance, things like typhoons," says Helen D'Oyley, head of major donors at Save the Children. "We see which vulnerable communities are in the way, and then do whatever we can to bolster our teams on the ground to make sure they're ready." (The devastation caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, pictured, left.)
Similarly, the Red Cross is forever on watch constantly monitoring situations and events. "We make sure that we have a well prepared volunteer base that is trained in emergency response, as well as ensuring we have the resources – people, funds, relief stock and equipment – pre-positioned where appropriate," says Ben Webster, a Red Cross disaster response programme manager.
Sustained giving by private wealthy donors gives these organisations vital flexibility and lets them prepare well in advance. "Quite often with the general public we have to wait for an emergency to hit the press and that's when lots of people will be generous," says D'Oyley, "but with philanthropists supporting our Children's Emergency Fund we can get going within 24 hours." (Children collect aid parcels following the Indian Ocean tsunami.)
These NGOs are not the only actors on the ground. It is easy to forget that thousands of small, deeply rooted community organisations will also be sifting through the wreckage trying to help their neighbours. These groups, such as churches, neighbourhood watches or even schools or libraries, may not even consider themselves disaster relief organisations worthy of funding, but nonetheless have invaluable local knowledge, and may have vehicles and buildings that can be used to gather and shelter survivors. With a bit of research, a few well-placed grants can create valuable synergies between all organisations involved.
Foundations can save time if they use their networks to find these grassroots groups and offer them support, according to Philanthropy New York's report Best Practices in Disaster Grantmaking, rather than waiting for requests because it may not even occur to a community organisation to ask for philanthropic cash. Equally, a foundation needs to simplify their grant application process – the one time it is sensible to relax due diligence procedures – bearing in mind the grantee needs to be on the ground, not struggling through layers of paperwork.
In the medium-term, foundations have the flexibility to fill holes in funding by financing services that are not the immediate priority of government agencies or relief charities, but nonetheless smooth the path of the rebuild process. This is what the Ayala Foundation did when it hired a transport company to help the DSWD deliver aid. Foundations could fund counselling to ease the mental suffering of survivors, or lawyers to help with insurance claims or applications for government support, according to the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, which joined the Alabama relief effort after a wave of tornadoes tore through the state in 2011. The duPont Fund estimates funding of legal advice by private philanthropists sped up the rebuild process in Alabama by at least two weeks.
A long-term commitment from foundations and philanthropists can also reduce the strain of the rebuild process. Ninety percent of all donations are given within 90 days of the disaster, and once the catastrophe slips out of the news and the initial shock and sympathy of the international community starts to fade, NGOs and charities can be left frustratingly short of cash. (The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, pictured, left.)
Hidden barriers
Layers of social problems and inequality may well be tangled up in the rubble left by a disaster. The rebuild process is far more than just a bricks-and-mortar job — an important issue for philanthropists to keep in mind if they have no prior knowledge of a region.
Take for example the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Each of the 14, mostly developing, countries hit presented different problems to aid organisations. In Sri Lanka, and also the Indonesian province of Aceh, long-term civil war had divided the populations, and NGOs had to negotiate with governments, with varying degrees of success, on the flow of aid to rebel communities. It is also estimated that three times as many women died in the disaster as men – thought to be due to their efforts to protect their children, their roles processing fish on the shoreline, and also the fact women are generally weaker and less able to cling on to trees for safety. (Debris from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, pictured, right.)
After the tsunami, women, who were already marginalised in many of the affected societies, often didn't even have the weight of numbers to make their voices heard. Women-headed households were often overlooked, even though the tsunami appeal received a record $13.4 billion in donations. Charities made errors, according to philanthropic network Grantmakers without Borders, such as concluding that if a family no longer had a man to go fishing it had no need of a fishing boat, ignoring the fact that the remaining members could at least rent it out to generate an income.
In the US, Hurricane Katrina shone a spotlight on racial inequality in the south. Images were broadcast around the world of long lines of mostly African-Americans queuing to shelter in the New Orleans Superdome (pictured, left) before the storm, because lack of money or a car prevented them fleeing the state. Similar problems were exposed after Superstorm Sandy, "You can't really address the needs of communities without acknowledging that we were already living with a huge affordable housing crisis and vulnerable populations were being pushed to the most isolated areas," says Michael Hamill Remaley of Philanthropy New York.
Despite its growing economy and middle class, many in the Philippines' coastal communities only make a subsistence living. If a cyclone of equal strength were to hit both Japan and the Philippines, the mortality rate in the Philippines would be 17 times higher, even though Japan has 1.4 times more people exposed to tropical cyclones, according to United Nations data. The problem is not exclusive to the Philippines. Global population growth and environmental degradation has left millions in poorer countries vulnerable to extreme weather.
The PATH Foundation works in many Philippine coastal communities, helping them prepare for future disasters by focusing on health, the environment and family planning. "We are prioritising the poorest of the poor to build their own capacity in terms of livelihood, their homes and education, having water, and having access to services," says PATH vice president Joan Castro.
In the blackout after the typhoon, PATH gave out solar LED lights to families on the condition they committed to planting at least five mangroves (pictured, right) or moringa trees. "Areas with mangroves became the first line of defence near the shore," explains Castro. The initiative also improves quality of life in the community: "If the mangroves are intact there is a continuing source of food for [locals] because the mangroves are the sanctuary of young fish."
PATH understands that none of its programmes can be effective independent of the others. "The link between family planning and managing and conserving resources is a message that has actual value to these families in coastal areas." Increasingly NGOs are focusing on finding vulnerable communities and helping them build up resilience. "Even if the storms come you know these people are safe – safe in their communities and safe in spite of disasters," says Castro.
If weather patterns continue to reach greater extremes, disasters will inevitably become more common. Philanthropists have the cash to support the rebuild effort long-term, and if done carefully, offer a brighter future to those who have seen their lives destroyed. But, preparation is always more effective than cure, and focusing on resilience now could save thousands of lives in the future.
Shoulder to the wheel
In a rush to help survivors donors can make some common mistakes, but with a bit of research a foundation's cash can be a significant driver of the relief effort
Think outside the square. Consider funding things like lawyers, counsellors or even local media to help keep everyone informed. Survivors might not know what they are entitled to in terms of government support, may be suffering from shock, or feel shut out of the information loop.
Become a mediator. Ideologically driven NGOs and charities can sometimes clash, resulting in poor communication and an overlap in efforts. By doing something as simple as setting up regular conference calls between relief organisations, a foundation can help them save time and money.
Keep ground visits to a minimum. It's perfectly reasonable for foundations to want to see where their money is being spent, but tearing the ground force away from their work to take a tour of the disaster zone is a drain on a small NGO. Information about an NGO's activities can usually be shared through philanthropy networks.
Reduce your due diligence. Under regular circumstances, a foundation can take its time to evaluate the recipients of its charity, but in the immediate aftermath of a disaster it is best to simplify the grant application process so you can get cash flowing to grassroots organisations quickly.
Be politically aware. If you don't know the region or the political and social situation there, find someone who can advise you or join existing philanthropy coalitions – do not just blindly give to the largest organisation and hope it reaches those in need.
Stick about when the rest of the world moves on. The majority of public donations are made within 90 days of the disaster hitting. While this is a critical period, foundations should ring fence some of their funding for the long-term clear up and reconstruction effort.
With thanks to Philanthropy New York
Images copyrighted to Press Association
CampdenFO Issue 21
Related terms: Ayala Foundation, Disaster Relief, Family Office, FB News, Jamie Zobel de Ayala, PATH Foundation, Philippines, Red Cross, Save the Children, Typhoon Haiyan, Zobel de Ayala, FB Profiles, Features, Philanthropy, Family Business, philanthropy
The nine trends of modern philanthropy
Social impact and collaboration: Selin Yigitbasi-Ducker starts up outside the family
FB Roundup: Sodexo, Henkel, Roche
Family business philanthropy in the age of the coronavirus
Family philanthropists want to see the difference their charity makes in their lifetime
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
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Lombard International Assurance SA
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Giants Week 10 Game Prediction Results Vs. Texans
The New York Giants look to keep their strong season going against the Houston Texans.
nickporpora
Coming off a much-needed bye week, the Giants find themselves at 6-2 and in a good position in the wild-card race in the NFC. It will be a significant stretch for the team as they hope to replicate their surprising start to the season. That begins with a clash against the 1-6-1 Texans, who are coming off a loss against the Eagles on Thursday Night Football.
The Texans are a team who doesn't have much talent on their roster but has enough young guys to can surprise a team. They did go into halftime last week against the undefeated Eagles with a tie game but eventually lost by 12. Rookie Running Back Dameon Pierce is a brick wall and is as tough a runner as you'll find in the entire league. He runs angry, and the Giants shouldn't take him lightly. With that said, here are the game predictions for Sunday's contest.
Texans Once Again Keep It Close At Halftime
Like last week, the Texans find a way to keep it close at the half. The game starts with both teams trading three-and-outs. The Texans then go on a long drive, which lasts almost eight minutes, and finish with a five-yard Dameon Pierce rushing touchdown to go up 7-0. The Giants respond with a good drive but stall out in the red zone thanks to a Jerry Hughes sack on QB Daniel Jones. New York has to kick a field goal to shrink the Texans' lead to four.
The first quarter concludes with a big sack from Dexter Lawrence on third down, which forces a Texans to punt to start the second quarter. Both teams again trade short drives that result in punts, but the Giants then go on their best game drive. Running Back Saquon Barkley leads the way with a 35-yard run that puts the Giants in a good position. Jones then finds Wide Receiver Kenny Golladay in the endzone, giving Golladay his first touchdown as a Giant, which gives New York the lead. The Texans then close the first half with a game-tying field goal as time expires to make things 10-10.
Texans Make It A Game, But Giants Find A Way To Win
The Giants open the second half with an excellent drive that takes seven minutes off the clock. However, they again stall in the red zone and are forced to kick another field goal to give them a 13-10 lead. The teams then trade short drives until the Texans get the ball into New York territory. On third down, QB Davis Mills throws a lousy interception to cornerback Foster Moreau, giving the Giants the ball back. The offense takes the ball into opposing territory, where Graham Gano hits a 45-yard field goal to extend the lead to 16-10.
On the next Texans drive, Mills finds WR Brandin Cooks for a 55-yard touchdown pass, giving the Texans a 17-16 lead. The game is Cooks' first game back since being in many trade rumors a couple of weeks ago. He was frustrated with the whole process and took it out on the Giants in his return. The Giants fire right back with a touchdown drive of their own as Saquon Barkley again takes over with a pair of 20-yard runs that sets the team up inside the ten. Barkley then takes a seven-yard run into the end zone to give the Giants a 22-17 lead after a failed two-point conversion. With under two minutes remaining, the Texans must get a touchdown to win the game. On fourth down near the 50-yard line, Mills throws an incompletion to Cooks, which seals the win for the Giants and improves their record to 7-2.
Final Score Prediction: Giants 22 – Texans 17
In this article:dameon pierce, Daniel Jones, Davis mills, featured-writers, Giants, Kenny Golladay, NFL, Saquon Barkley, texans
Written By nickporpora


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International cooperation in asset recovery and non-conviction based confiscation - a briefing
The opening of one of Peru's new courts specialised in non-conviction based confiscation. It may need more than a pair of scissors to break down barriers to international cooperation on NCB confiscation orders.
The following briefing notes are taken from the concept note for a side event at the Conference of States Parties (COSP) in Abu Dhabi on 20 December 2019.
The side event focuses on "Living up to the spirit of Articles 43 and 46 UNCAC" and will take place from 9am-10am on Friday, 20 December in room CR1. For the full text, including all references and citations, download the concept note in English and Spanish.
Non-traditional confiscation typologies in asset recovery
Cases in which countries that have been the victims of large-scale corruption ("requesting countries") have been able to use mutual legal assistance (MLA) to enforce confiscation orders in foreign jurisdictions are rare.
This is particularly true when the requesting country's confiscation request is based on a non-traditional (non-criminal) typology of confiscation.
A common reason for states failing to recover their stolen assets from abroad is that some requested states apply a very strict interpretation of MLA principles. A wide range of legal, political and practical hurdles are often put in the way of international enforcement of domestic confiscation orders.
For instance, numerous countries apply overly narrow interpretations of dual criminality or refuse to provide assistance for non-conviction based confiscation (NCB confiscation) investigations, thereby making asset recovery virtually impossible in all too many cases.
This happens despite the fact that Article 46 of the Convention requires that "State Parties shall afford one another the widest measure of mutual legal assistance in investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings". There is a need to learn from positive examples how we can fully live up to the spirit of Article 46 UNCAC while complying with domestic legal regimes.
Successful case studies
One such positive experience is the tens of millions of dollars that have been recovered by Peru from Switzerland and Luxembourg over recent years, mostly by means of non-traditional typologies of confiscation. The recoveries took place in several inter-connected cases and generated a wealth of experience in requesting and requested States.
It was clearly evidenced that asset recovery can only truly be achieved when authorities show a strong commitment towards building a foundation of trust, and additionally, when they coordinate efforts and apply their domestic legal frameworks in a way that favours asset recovery.
A shared responsibility
After all, the prosecution of financial crimes – and the recovery of the proceeds steaming from those crimes – are a shared responsibility of requesting and requested States under UNCAC. It is therefore crucial to find collective solutions to tackle common hurdles in this field.
We believe that UNCAC, as a living legal instrument, is the entry point to this complex but necessary discussion. We also believe that solutions to some of these issues are to be found in the domestic legislations of the States Parties that have incorporated the principles of the Convention.
COSP side event
To deepen the dialogue and disseminate the lessons that were learned, a side event at the Conference of States Parties 2019 in Abu Dhabi will bring together panellists who have worked on asset recovery cases in different parts of the world to discuss the main aspects of past legal strategies that have proven successful in practice.
It will also showcase a recent piece of legislation introducing a non-conviction based confiscation typology in Peru, which is currently being used in asset recovery cases between Peru, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Notes on non-conviction based (NCB) confiscation
NCB confiscation laws have proven to be an effective means of combating crime in many jurisdictions around the globe. However, when a state's domestic legal framework does not accept NCB confiscation as a valid basis to recover illicit assets, they will often refuse to provide MLA.
The non-acceptance of NCB confiscation is usually founded in the argument that NCB confiscation violates due process and the rule of law. In other cases, countries have refused to provide MLA because the foreign confiscation mechanisms were perceived as being "different" from their domestic one.
Conversely, the European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly confirmed the compliance of NCB confiscation models with the highest standards of human rights law, even stating that:
"[C]ommon European and even universal legal standards can be said to exist which encourage the confiscation of property linked to serious criminal offences such as corruption, money laundering, drug offences and so on, without the prior existence of a criminal conviction".
Although full discretion has been given to States Parties to decide on the extent to which they are willing to provide MLA, the Convention emphasises that assistance should be given to "the widest measure". The Legislative Guide to the UNCAC further specifies that "States parties should review their current mutual legal assistance treaties to ensure that these sources of legal authority are broad enough to cover each form of cooperation" in asset recovery.
The picture in EU countries is rather discouraging. The criminalisation of money laundering has not been a sufficiently effective measure to combat organised crime and to obtain criminal convictions as a basis to recover illicit assets through criminal confiscation.
As the European Commission stated in 2012: "Confiscation of criminal assets remains underdeveloped and underutilized". They also stated that "there is significant underutilization of asset confiscation laws throughout the EU".
However, the last word on NCB confiscation at the EU level has not been spoken yet. In 2013, a clearer mandate to EU member states to legislate on NCB confiscation reads as follows: "[take the opportunity to introduce] further common rules on the confiscation of property deriving from activities of a criminal nature, also in the absence of a conviction of a specific person […]".
Furthermore in 2014, the EU Directive 2014/42/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the freezing and confiscation of the instruments and proceeds of crime in the European Union, specifically targets the need to adopt some forms of NCB confiscation making it possible for member states to confiscate assets independently from a criminal conviction.
In light of this, the discussion at the side event will focus on the following three main areas:
What are the requirements/standards for a foreign NCB confiscation order to be executable in the requested state?
How do those countries that provide assistance for NCB confiscation interpret the fundamental due process concepts affected therein?
What are the limitations on asset recovery through NCB confiscation related to the due process rights of the asset holder?
Oscar Solorzano
Head of Latin America
Email Biography
non-conviction-based confiscation
17.01.2020 | Anti-Money Laundering, Asset Recovery
Stephen Ratcliffe's quick guide to following the money
"Follow the money!" Everyone's talking about it, especially in relation to corruption, fraud and…
11.12.2019 | Anti-Money Laundering, Compliance
New Working Paper on Swiss gold refineries and money laundering regulations
The Basel Institute's latest Working Paper explores whether, why and how gold refiners can be…
15.12.2019 | Asset Recovery
COSP side event: Living up to the spirit of articles 43 and 46 UNCAC
The Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) is hosting a side event on…
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Scientex (in collaboration with Tsukasa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) started manufacturing Polypropylene (PP) strapping bands in 1997 and it is presently the largest manufacturer of PP strapping bands in Asia.
Catering to one third of the demand in Japan as well as a significant portion of other export markets such as Australia and New Zealand with successful inroads made into Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Korea and Europe. In addition to our current supplies to the existing countries, we are making our way to venture into the new market of USA in near future.


Buy Two, Get Two Free to ICE!
XL 106.7 listeners special Buy Two, Get Two offer to one of Florida's best family Christmas attractions – ICE!® featuring A Christmas Story, with two-million pounds of colorful Ice sculptures. It's all part of Christmas At Gaylord Palms Nov. 16 thru Jan. 6, 2019.
ICE! is back at Gaylord Palms with an all-new theme featuring the beloved classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. Watch this hilarious family tale come to life through interactive ice sculptures and displays. Experience iconic scenes such as The Old Man's Major Award, Aunt Clara's pink nightmare and the ultimate triple dog dare at the school's flagpole. Everything is hand-carved from two million pounds of ice., plus experience two-story tall ice slides.
* Limit eight tickets.* Offer not retroactive, not valid with other offers. Based on availability.* Applicable, tax, fees, and parking additional.* Other restrictions apply.


Last week the club parted ways with Zimbabwean coach Rahman Gumbo after a string of poor results, placing former head coach Vusi Mkhatshwa in charge on an interim basis.
According to a source close to Troughton, the former Mpumalanga Black Aces, Free State Stars and University of Pretoria tactician is poised to take over the reins at the Mpumalanga-based outfit.
"Yeah, he will be coming down to Witbank this afternoon. He is coming back to Witbank. You know he was there before with Aces, he promoted Aces."
This website was also informed that Ian Palmer was in the running for the position.
Spurs CEO Freddy Mapulane would only say they would name their new coach today.
"I will be announcing our new coach. The only clue I can give you is that he is a white man, coached in the PSL and NFD."
Spurs are 14th on the second-tier table with four points from seven games.


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Whoever said music couldn't change the world? In 1973, Sumé, Greenland's first ever rock band to sing in their native language was formed. Their poetic and politically charged protest songs gave a voice to the frustrations of the indigenous nation and were a catalyst for Greenland's eventual independence from Danish colonial rule. This spectacular music documentary combines archive footage, interviews and sweeping landscape shots, against an excellent rock soundtrack, to firmly establish the ever-evolving Greenlandic identity.