Microsoft Visual C++ is a software development environment which is used to develop Windows applications in C and C++ languages. This IDE has consolidated sections to comfort application developers as there is code editor, compiler, interpreter and debugger. The developers don't require to switch platforms for different functions while developing applications.
In this blog post, we are going to offer, Microsoft Visual C++ runtime offline installer that installs run-time components which are required to run applications created using C++ in the particular environment of Visual Studio.
When the application developers starts the process to deploy the app to the users, they get option to bundle DLLs into the setup. Most of the developers don't prefer to bundle VC++ Redistributable as it increases the size of the software.
In case, you install the application that comes without bundled VC++ Redistributable, get vc++ runtime redistributable package download from below given links.
Download Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package from the above given direct download links. Suppose you are running Windows 10 64-bit, you will have to install vcredist_x64 exe (required version).
Open the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable offline installer, check "I agree to the license terms and conditions" and hit Install button.
When prompted click Yes. The "Setup Successful" message will appear on prompt window.
That's it. If you find any problem while downloading Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package or installing VC++ runtime offline installer it, let us know via comments. We will try to resolve the issues.
I want to install a programm on an old w7 64bit OS who needs 2015 c++ etc like the downloads on this website.
The install from 2010 is working but not from 2015.
My programm needs some missing data and i hoped there is my solution.


Spectrum Health Systems' Education, Training and Consulting Program Debuts in Randolph, Mass.
Led by Dr. Romas Buivydas, LMHC and Vice President of Clinical Development at Spectrum Health Systems, the first training touched on what addiction is, common signs of someone struggling with addiction and how to intervene in the event of an overdose. Attendees of the course included Public Works employees from a variety of departments, including public health, water, engineering and more.
A lot of places create committee after committee, host meeting after meeting, but nothing gets done, said Jean McGinty, Public Health Nurse for the Town of Randolph. Inviting Spectrum and Dr. Buivydas to host a session about addiction has proven helpful to our residents. Our employees are invested in this crisis and theyve already taken what theyve learned back to their everyday lives. As a town, we refuse to sit idly by and wait for others to take action " we are saving lives now.
Spectrum offers custom trainings that can be adjusted to fit the needs of any organization, from brief informational sessions geared towards the public, to half-day, full-day, or multi-day trainings for field professionals. Past trainings have included: What is a Substance Use Disorder and How to Treat It; Understanding the Different Levels of Addiction Treatment; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Recovery Coaching and more.
They key with these trainings is to build resiliency, said Dr. Buivydas. Not only is Randolph invoking change for today, its looking at the bigger picture as well. What we do now will impact our youth, our workforce, our neighborhoods and more. Spectrum Health Systems is proud to offer its expertise to other local municipalities and organizations. We are all in this fight together.
To learn more about Spectrum Health Systems Education, Training and Consulting initiative, please visit: www.SpectrumHealthSystems.org/Training.
Based in Worcester, Mass. and founded in 1969, Spectrum Health Systems, Inc. is a private, non-profit substance abuse and mental health treatment provider. Spectrum offers the largest and most complete continuum of addiction treatment in New England — including inpatient detoxification, residential rehabilitation, outpatient services, medication-assisted treatment and peer recovery support. Spectrum also offers inpatient detoxification and residential treatment for commercially insured and private pay clients through its subsidiary, The New England Recovery Center.


Don't mourn – Organize! or Rhinoceros | Debbie Rabina, Ph.D.
Two, or is it three, days later, I am still shell-shocked, refusing to let it leave me, trying to hold on to this feeling before it becomes a regular part of everyday life.
I cannot find any silver lining, refuse to be humored, I know where this is going, I have seen it all before.
The liberal left-of-center that was in Israel 20-30 years ago has all but disappeared. The ones that stayed true to their core values are either bitter and beaten or relentless to the point of being a parody of themselves. For everyone else the red lines just kept being pushed back. Not one of these people would have anticipated that 25 years later they'll be living in the same local border dispute led by the same leaders that time and again were accused and proven to be involved in very shady business, that are either egomaniacal personalities or married to one or both, and there they are year after year. A circus of ministers that hold ignorance as a value, an unnerved population that all suffers from either Stockholm syndrome or denial or worse. All the people that said I will leave the county when/if…. (mostly as an expression of exasperation and not necessarily with the intention of leaving) and all the Whens/ifs came and went endless times, until they don't even say it anymore.
So what are we going to do? For now, I cannot even think to plan ahead. I feel like after an earthquake, I am standing around surveying the land and assessing damages. I am thinking ahead to all the calamities that are coming, in the Supreme Court, in the regulatory process, in things I personally care about , and more to my field, I am thinking of all those executive orders and directive that promote Open Access and data dissemination , and I worry about some of our flagship information programs such as the Census Bureau's or the FDLP. And are libraries building local digital collections in case this all goes away? My colleagues and I projected that cuts in the Dept. of Ed. budget could affect us directly within a matter on months, whether through elimination of funds for diversity hiring for universities, or a shakeup/elimination/privatization of the entire accreditation system. Who knows.
I admire the courage and strength and warmth expressed by my colleague and am inspired by it and by words of students. I hope to pull myself together soon and answer some call to arms and in the meantime I will focus on my role in the classroom and work with students to understand how to respond to this as librarians on campuses or in public libraries, how to address the information failure and our role in it, and more, we have much more work to do.


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We're by your side.
Supported Accomodation
> Women's Service
> Men's Service
> Family Service
> Mental Health Service
Outreach Service
Support St Bart's
Volunteer with St Bart's
Contact St Bart's
Women's Service
Men's Service
Family Service
Support St Bart's
St Bart's is a supportive landlord and offers affordable and secure community housing options. The community housing we operate is in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 through our Community Housing and Independent Living Programs.
This is affordable housing for low income earners. We have 69 Community Housing properties across the Perth metropolitan area and 54 of those are single bed units located at St Bart's main premises in Lime Street East Perth.
You must meet the Department of Communities/Housing eligibility criteria.
Applicants must be listed on the Department of Communities/Housing – Joint Wait List.
Rent is calculated based on the household income and reviewed annually.
Tenants must remain eligible for community housing throughout their tenancy.
For enquiries about Community Housing, referrals or waitlists:
P: 9323 5100
E: tapsteam@stbarts.org.au
Independent Living Program
ILP provides low cost accommodation for adults with severe and persistent mental health challenges. St Bart's has 75 Independent Living Program properties located within the Bentley Health Service catchment area. The majority of the properties are one bedroom with 11 properties suitable for families.
This accommodation is for people aged 18 – 65 years.
To be eligible you must have a diagnosis of a severe and persistent psychiatric illness that affects your ability to maintain stable accommodation and requires the services of a supportive landlord.
You must be receiving clinical support provided by the public mental health system, GP or private psychiatrist.
You must be able to live independently in the community with minimal supports (provided by support agencies).
For enquiries about the Independent Living Program, referrals or waitlists:
Acknowledgement: St Bart's acknowledges the traditional owners of the Noongar country that we live and work on.
We are privileged to work with, and alongside, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and we pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.
St Bart's is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
© Copyright 2021, St Bart's. All rights reserved. Design by House of Burch

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


FxFactory Pro 7.0.7 Crack is an exclusive Mac application which acts as a blessed app store for plug-ins, originating from 28 different developers. This application gives the possibility to access visual effects and also manage installed effects. The rest is but a crew job with FxFactory holding the responsibility for establishing and updating plugins for host applications, including Motions 5, and Adobe After Effects CC, Final Cut Pro and so on. What is more, this mind-blowing app includes over 170 of its built-in effects, including color correction, distortions, blurs, generators, halftones, glows, transition, tiling and more.
The best part is that FxFactory is as user-friendly and straightforward as the Mac App Store; across the top, four buttons which provide shortcuts that lead to featured new products, automatic updates, and browsing the entire catalog, when available. The dark user interfaces for FxFactory Pro Keygen is a perfect fit along the visual of modern video apps and requires about little to no maintenance forward of signing into your account. Another asset, this software offers the utility of a detailed product page, demos and tutorial videos for every plugin, with a click away for all those amazing editors to get a great experience of professionalism.
Moreover, FxFactory Pro Crack delivers full support for OS X EI Captain and macOS Sierra. This application can use for disabling plugins, repair permissions and other issues that may occasionally pop up. Also, it can be for cleaning up stray templates that are left behind. In addition, You can also save your own personal presets to a disc and recreate a look later. Presets created in one host are reusable in all other supported hosts.
Motion graphic and video editing software's are a massive duty tool for content creators; some may even say the prime secret element for a professional's creativity and versatility, referenced to, of course, the plugins. However, coming across the perfect one as well just about impossible. It would certainly be a blessing if a one-stop shop existed that the creators could use to discover new plugins, and even have the ability to go on a test run before actually buying it? FxFactory Pro 7.0.7 Torrent has genuinely proven itself worthy as an officially indispensable digital storefront for just about any motion graphic designer or video editor.
Its high accuracy rendering engine allows the user to easily apply effects to high-quality sources without any loss of quality at all.
These ways, its Plugins are accelerated via the graphics card for previewing that has been proven to be unbeatable and performance rendering.
There is a large number of built-in presets in FxFactory Pro Plugins; this saves time with minimal effort when trying new looks.
You can apply effects via the built-in masking tools to certain areas without any need for separated composition.
You can access Plug-in documentation, in one click, directly from the parameter inspector.
Let's you customize and create your plug-ins for Final cut studio, Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Express, without even writing a single code line.
Just one single license to the software unlocks all of its powerful plugins in all of the supported hosts available; you can even create and share plugins with other users very quickly.
Your system must have a DVD or RW writer.


Unannounced quickstrike for Tar Heel fans.
With the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrating last season's championship and the beginning of a new season at tonight's Late Night with Roy event, Jordan Brand decided to kick the festivities up a notch by releasing the "Win Like' 82" Air Jordan 11 Retro early.
The surprise release went down on SNKRS at about 9 p.m. EST. Priced at $220, the sneakers sold out almost instantly. A wider launch is set for Nov. 11, preceded by a similar colorway of the Air Jordan 32 Low a week earlier.


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Pagan Events over Yule, New Year and 12th Night
Here are events that could interest Pagans over Yule, New Year and Twelfth Night. Most of the ones I list are in London, but some are in other parts of England, including details of Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.
Now - 30 December; Exhibition - The Art of Concentration, by Flora Duley: An exhibition inspired by thoughts and practice of exercises found in 'Knowledge of the Higher Worlds' by Rudolf Steiner and the 'New Yoga Will' by Heinz Grill. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Visit the website for opening times: http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/pages/exhibit.php
Tuesday 20 December; Manifesting Your Dreams for 2017, with the Sensing Energy and Intuition Meetup Group. Venue: St Stephen's Church Hall, 48 Emperor's Gate, London SW7 4HJ. Time: 7pm. Tickets Price: £15. https://www.meetup.com/Sensing-Energy-and-Intuition-Development/
Tuesday 20 December; Starseeds - Transmission With Steve Nobel. Venue: The Colombia Hotel, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London. Time: 7pm. £15 Contributions. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Starseeds-International/
Wednesday 21 December; Stonehenge Winter Solstice Managed Open Access with a celebration at sunrise at the stone circle. Entry is allowed from 7.45am. For full details: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/winter-solstice-2016/
Wednesday 21 December; Avebury Winter Solstice Energy Attunement Meditation facilitated by Sue Coulson and hosted by Cosmic Classroom and SpiriTour Experiences. Venue: Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire, SN8 1RF. Time: 10am - 11.15am. Entry £5. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1233323313394259/
Wednesday 21 December; Wheel of the Year Festival - Winter Solstice Meditation at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the Well Head at noon for celebration and meditation until 12.30pm, followed by a chance to chat around the fire on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/
Wednesday 21 December; Festival of Yule Winter/Solstice Organised by Mitcham Community Orchard and Gardens. Multi-faith ceremony plus bar, bonfire and bangers. Venue: Gate Lane, Mitcham CR4 3AL. Time: 5pm-8pm. https://www.facebook.com/mitchamcommunityorchard/
Wednesday 21 December; Winter Solstice Open Ceremony and Celebration hosted by Woman Witch and Goddess. Venue: Maurice Thornton, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27. Time: 7pm. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1789297577992287/
Wednesday 21 December; More Mead Moot promoted by Pagan FutureFests. Venue: Hope Pub, 48 West Street, Carhsalton SM5 2PR. Time: from 7.30pm. Meets on the third Wednesday of each month. https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/ http://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/
Thursday 22 December; Workshop: Shadows, Stories and Secrets. Discover the British Museum's hidden secrets with a family-friendly creative activities exploring light and dark. Venue: Great Court and galleries, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am-4pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Thursday 22 December; London Dreamtime: Haunted Hampstead: Christmassy walk in Hampstead with Vanessa Woolf of London Dreamtime. Venue: Meet in a secret location near St Johns Church, Hampstead. Price: £9. Time: 7pm Tickets: £6/8. Booking essential. For details email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or buy tickets online: http://londondreamtime.com/calendar/
Thursday 22 December; PF-London Winter Solstice Open Ritual run by Facilitated by Kith of the Well and the World Tree. Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn London. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Ritual ends around 9pm followed by feasting until 10pm. Entrance: £6/£5 PF members. Please bring seasonal food and drinks to share at feast after ritual. For more details, visit http://london.paganfed.org/
Friday 23 December; Crossbones Vigil to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard. Bring a flower, a ribbon, a totem or memento to tie to the shrine. Gather from 6.45pm for a 7pm start in Redcross Way outside the Memorial Gates, London SE1 1TA. For more details, visit http://www.crossbones.org.uk/ The new website is: http://crossbones.org.uk/
Friday 23 December; Om Healing for Body, mind and Soul with Light in London - Free spiritual events. Venue: The Dhyana Centre, 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Time: 8pm. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Light-in-London/
Wednesday 28 December; Hertford Yule Moot - wear festive apparel. Venue: White Horse Pub, 33 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1HH (45 mins from central London). The pub does not have disabled access. This moot meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. contact via Facebook page Hertford Pagan Moot. https://www.facebook.com/events/1732066757120915/
Friday 30 December; The Mad Monk's Masquerade - A Masked Ball organised by A Curious Invitation. Venue: The Coronet Theatre, London SE1. Time: 9pm to 3am. Early bird tickets £15 each or group of five for £60 (until 19 December). http://www.acuriousinvitation.com/nyee2016.html
Sunday 1 January, Meditation at Russell Brands Trew Era Cafe, 30 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA. Starts 10.15am. Free event. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/
Tuesday 2 January; Moonlight Goddess Gathering - monthly event organised by Anoushka through Funzing. Venue: Clifton Gardens, London, W9 1DT. Time: 7.15pm. Tickets: £20. Details and bookings: http://uk.funzing.com/funz/2940?
Tuesday 3 January; Witches' Inn Gathering. Venue: The Feathers Hotel in Merstham, Surrey RH1 3EA. Starts at 8pm. Moots are the first Tuesday of each month. For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Witches-Inn/1568424150049437
Friday 6 January; Gongs by Candlelight with Olaf Nixon.Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Saturday 7 January; The Transformational Truth of Tarot. Workshop with Tiffany Crosara of the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Islington Ecology Centre, 191 Drayton Park, London, N5 1PH. Time: 10am-6pm. £111. Details and reservations: http://www.londoncollegeofspirituality.co.uk/events
Sunday 8 January; Twelfth Night - a Christmas celebration held annually in Southwark, starting at 1.45pm on Bankside, by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It is put on by The Lion's Part and includes a mummer's play, dancing and storytelling. Free event. For more details, visit http://www.thelionspart.co.uk/twelfthnight/index.html
I try to keep my events listing accurate, but I am not responsible for any of these events. To check any details and to find out about changes, ticket availability or cancellations, please contact the organisers directly. If you know of any changes to events or are running an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.
Labels: druid, events, London, New Year, pagan, Stonehenge, Wicca, winter solstice, witchcraft, Yule


Kumu's origins are tied to our experience helping to create a new space for activism, art, and social entrepreneurship around plastic pollution based on efficient new narratives and imagery. This work – which continues to reverberate and grow today – led to the inception of Plastic Pollution Coalition and Kumu-incubated project Midway. This work contributed to an explosion of social media conversations, art, activism, documentary films and legislative changes, including Kumu's project El Plastico Mata.
Researchers from the Carlos III University in Spain, led by professor Itziar Castello, carried out a thorough study of some of the tactics that were used by Kumu's founder Manuel Maqueda, and by environmental artist and Kumu Innovator Chris Jordan though the social media channels of Plastic Pollution Coalition and Midway. The title of the article is Cultural Entrepreneurship and the Role of Visuals in Interactive Frame Alignment Process, and it develops a theoretical framework to help understand some of the keys to the success of environmental mobilization. The three pillars of this framework, according to the authors are: 1) to recognize the opportunity; 2) to define a clear message; and 3) to incite emotions.
The study has been awarded the prize for the best paper on entrepreneurship by the Academy of Management in the Theory of Organization and Management category for "advancing the understanding of entrepreneurship by means of the theory of organization and management".
To give some background, in 2008 the term "plastic pollution" was hardly known, and a Google search for it yielded no top results – only results about plastics and pollution as separate realities. Activists, scientists, legislators, and the public had no coherent or efficient name or narratives for what was -and continues to be- a global environmental issue. Industry-promoted narratives prevailed. No powerful visuals or artistic representations existed. Only slow, marginal and scattered activism, legislation and entrepreneurship was found. The impact of plastic on the environment and humans was an invisible issue to mainstream culture and the focus was misplaced on disposal, not on design.
Manuel Maqueda convened meetings at Google in 2008 and 2009, culminating on a Strategic Council on Plastic Pollution in July 2009, which brought forth an agreement on new, efficient name and design-based narratives. Manuel went on to co-found Plastic Pollution Coalition in 2009, an organization bringing together over 150 organizations from all over the world. Manuel and Chris Jordan traveled to Midway in 2009 and thus the Midway Journey was started. The stunning visuals captured by Chris quickly reached tens of millions of people. In 2012 (Rio+20) the United Nations declared Plastic Pollution one of the top 10 environmental issues for our planet. The WHO and UNEP jointly declared endocrine disruption "a Global Threat". Art and media flourished, including several feature documentary films. Notable environmental NGOs started plastic campaigns, while many new, specialized NGOs emerged. Plastic bag bans and other legislation are still spreading all over the world.
We would like to congratulate researchers Itziar Castello and David Barberá on this well-deserved recognition, and to express our deepest gratitude and for choosing to focus on our cultural entrepreneurship work on plastic pollution.
You can read a summary of the article as featured on Science Daily, and watch this video interview with professor Itziar Castello.
Join our list to receive the latest news and updates from Kumu.


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DNA sequencing technologies and emerging applications in drug discovery
Posted: 13 December 2011 |
In recent years, the development of Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) technology has significantly impacted molecular biology research, resulting in many new insights and discoveries. NGS technology goes beyond traditional DNA sequencing with applications that reach across the central dogma of molecular biology from DNA to RNA and protein science. Drug discovery is beginning to benefit from the diversity of NGS, with applications in evidence across various therapeutic areas, such as oncology, immunology and infectious diseases.
DNA is the molecule of life, containing the information for the synthesis of RNA molecules and proteins, which in turn form structural components of the cell or catalyse essential biochemical processes. Understanding the sequence of DNA, which is made from the four basic building blocks or 'nucleotides', A,G,C and T, has resulted in great insights and discoveries in cellular biology, pathology and disease, culminating in the human genome project, which achieved the remarkable feat of determining the sequence of the three billion bases of the human genome.
The field of DNA sequencing has witnessed some key milestones in technology develop – ment since the description of the first revolutionary DNA sequencing techniques in 19771,2. The Sanger dideoxy sequencing method, discovered by the Nobel Laureate Fred Sanger, underwent the most significant improvements and became the first automated sequencing platform in the late 20th century. Advancements in the Sanger process were partly motivated by the advent of the USD 3 billion Human Genome Project, which required the development of high-throughput tech – niques3,4 (Figure 1A).
FIGURE 1 The rapid evolution of sequencing technologies. A. First generation Sanger sequencing technology. B. Second 'Next' generation massively parallel sequencing technology (454 Sequencing © Roche Diagnostics) C. Third 'Next-Next' generation single molecule, real-time sequencing technology. In the coming years, second or third generation technologies may develop to an extent where a human genome can be sequenced for a USD 1,000 in a matter of hours
Despite automation, there still remained a throughput limitation of the Sanger technique when conducting large scale sequencing projects. Recent significant advances have addressed this, resulting in the development of next-generation sequencing technology (Figure 1B).
Next Generation Sequencing Technologies
The first NGS technology to be developed was based on the novel pyrosequencing method5 and was commercially released as the 454 sequencing platform in 20056,7. Additional platforms followed including the Solexa/ Illumina and SOLiD/Life Technologies sequencers (Figure 1B). Although differing in their chemistries and processes, the platforms have broadly similar workflows. The NGS method begins by shearing genomic or cDNA molecules into small fragments, followed by massively parallel PCR amplification and sequencing of individual DNA molecules to produce short read DNA sequences8. These short reads are then aligned by informatics methods which look for overlaps between reads to reconstruct the sequence of the starting template DNA molecule. The 454 sequencing method employs sequential enzymatic incorporation of nucleotides (Figure 2A), where incorporation releases inorganic pyrophosphate, which is subsequently converted into a chemi – luminescent signal9. This signal is detected by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and converted into a DNA sequence, in which the light intensity is proportional to the number of incorporated nucleotides10. In contrast, the Illumina technology is based on an alternative sequencing-by-synthesis approach, in which nucleotides have fluorescently labelled reversible terminators attached11 (Figure 2B). The reversible terminators are sequentially incorporated into the growing DNA strand, and imaged to identify the incorporated base. The terminator moiety is then removed to allow for the incorporation of the next reversible terminator. In determining which NGS tech – nology to use, important factors include cost per run, sample preparation complexity, run time, simplicity of data analysis and read lengths generated13.
FIGURE 2 Next Generation Sequencing Technology Platforms. Each NGS platform is able to perform massively parallel clonal PCR amplification followed by DNA sequencing. (A) In 454 sequencing, nucleotide incorporation is detected by a light emitting luciferase reaction called pyrosequencing. (© Roche Diagnostics) (B) The Illumina sequencing method uses solid phase amplification of DNA molecules followed by incorporation of fluorescently labelled nucleotides (© Illumina)
The arrival of third generation sequencing technology, in which single DNA molecules are sequenced in real time, promises even faster sequencing with higher data outputs per machine run12 (Figure 1C). These platforms, which include nanopore sequencing and technologies which monitor polymerase base incorporation in real-time, could provide additional benefits, including longer read lengths, rapid run times and reduction in the amount of starting sample required.
Applications in drug discovery
The application of NGS technology within academic laboratories has been rapid and has resulted in many new exciting discoveries. Here we describe some current and potential applications of NGS technology in the drug discovery and development process (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3 Applications of Next Generation Sequencing Technologies. Listed are some of the different applications possible on a single NGS sequencing machine which span across the central dogma of molecular biology ('DNA makes RNA makes protein')
Whole genome DNA sequencing
One of the areas where NGS has had a large impact is in sequencing of whole genomes. Whole genome sequencing using NGS allows great depth of sequence coverage in one machine run, which substantially reduces both time and cost as compared to traditional Sanger sequencing.
Such is the throughput of the technology that whole bacterial and viral genomes can now be routinely sequenced in one experiment, for example to study the mechanisms behind drug resistance. In another application, NGS is being used to investigate genomic sequence diversity in bacterial cell populations. NGS is transforming these metagenomic studies by generating DNA sequence data from the bacterial community as a whole, which can then be used to identify the individual bacteria types present, for example within the human gut. A recent study investigated the microbiota community of the human gut and uncovered a gene set some 150 times larger than that in humans14. Metagenomic studies of case and control subjects are also allowing insight into the role of bacterial diversity in disease; for example aiding drug discovery by attempting to understand bacterial cell population diversity and its role in inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease phenotypes15.
NGS has also been successfully used in target identification for anitibacterials. In one study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a com – pound was identified which was effective in a whole cell assay but the mechanism of action was unknown. Following generation of resistant mutants, NGS was used to sequence both sensitive and resistant strains which led to the identification of mutations in a gene present in the resistant but not the sensitive strains. Subsequent complementation assays identified this gene as the target of the compound16.
RNA studies using RNA-Seq
Insights into disease processes and compound mechanism of action can be gained by the study of RNA; both mRNA and potentially small RNAs such as microRNA (miRNA).
Transcriptomics is the qualitative and quantitative study of RNA expression, which focuses on the differential regulation of genes. Gene expression measurements can potentially be used in disease staging, target validation, or as disease or pharmacodynamic biomarkers. NGS RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has enriched transcriptome studies due to its ability to generate large and detailed datasets17. In addition to accurate measurement of gene expression levels, the technology also provides high resolution information about transcript splice variation.
RNA-Seq is also capable of detecting transcripts created from gene fusion events, which have been observed in tumour cells. For example, a study by Levin et al. used RNA-Seq to sequence a tumour transcriptome. The sensitivity of sequencing with RNA-Seq enabled the detection of low abundance transcripts. As a result, novel splicing and gene fusions were reliably identified in addition to the quantification of gene expression18. This application of NGS could be used to identify such fusion transcripts with a view to developing compounds which selectively target the fusion protein product; a pharmacological approach which was taken in the development of Gleevec to target the Bcr-Abl fusion protein19.
A further application of RNA-Seq is small RNA profiling, in which known non-coding RNAs and novel RNA sequences can be detected20. Small RNA profiling encompasses a number of different classes of RNAs, which include microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)21. Each of these non-coding RNAs is involved in the regulation of gene expression. The average length of a mature miRNA is 22 nucleotides, which makes the NGS an ideal platform to profile miRNAs due to the short read nature of the sequencing process22. Currently, 1424 human miRNA species have been discovered (miRBase release 17.0, www.mirbase.org) in a variety of tissues and bodily fluids23, including carcinoma24, embryonic stem cells25, plasma/serum, saliva, urine and blood. The numerous sources of miRNAs and their stability make them potential candidates for biomarkers. For example, Liu et al. created a miRNA profile using NGS to discover a group of five serum miRNAs that are differentially expressed in gastric cancer patients26. The discovery of such biomarkers could find application in the early diagnosis of disease26 and perhaps also in sub-grouping subjects in clinical trials based upon their miRNA profiles. Accurate miRNA profiling using NGS still has some challenges, including for example discerning closely related miRNA sequence variants called isomiRs22,25.
Applications in protein science
Although the majority of NGS applications described to date have centred on DNA and RNA, an emerging area of application is in the study of proteins. One such area is epigenetics, which is defined as the study of heritable changes in phenotype and effects on gene expression by mechanisms other than alterations in the DNA sequence. Examples include post translational modifications of histone proteins such as methylation and acetylation, or methylation of DNA bases, many of which are implicated in the control of gene expression13.
One novel application of NGS called CHIP-seq aims to monitor such changes. In the CHIP-seq process NGS chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) together with large scale NGS sequencing is used to produce whole genome maps of the location of transcription factors or modified histones of interest27. ChIP-seq studies of histone modifications have also increased knowledge around gene regulation in cancer research, especially when comparing normal to tumour cells. NGS is providing a substantial amount of new data in the field of epigenetics, which may lead to the identification of new drug targets in oncology and other therapy areas28.
An intriguing new application of NGS in protein analysis is ribosome profiling. This method identifies the positions of active ribosomes that are bound to a target mRNA, providing a whole cell view of protein translation29. The NGS process captures ribosome protected mRNA, sequences the ribosome binding sites and maps the sequence reads back to the human genome, identifying the proteins which are being translated. Ingolia et al. showed how ribosome profiling in yeast can be used to determine the translational regulation of gene expression29. This method could potentially be applied to the study of tumours, as protein translation is often deregulated in these cells.
Conclusions and discussions
NGS is already finding application in many stages of the drug discovery process, from target identification through to personalised medicine and is also improving our knowledge of complex biological systems and diseases. The technology offers significant benefits when compared to conventional Sanger sequencing, due to its much lower cost-per-base and sub – stantial data sets generating billions of bases of data in a single sequencing run. The technology can carry out a range of applications all on a single platform that extend across DNA, RNA and protein studies. Finally, the emerging third generation sequencing technologies promise even larger datasets at reduced cost and the potential to sequence from small amounts of starting material which could benefit clinical studies. It is likely that DNA sequencing technologies will continue to develop at a rapid pace in the coming years, yielding novel approaches and applications in the drug discovery process.
1. Maxam, A.M. and Gilbert, W. (1977) A new method for sequencing DNA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 560-564
2. Sanger, F. et al. (1977) DNA sequencing with chainterminating inhibitors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 5463-5467
3. Bhullar, B. (2010) The Sequencing Revolution: enabling personal genomics and personalised medicine. European Pharmaceutical Review 5, 49-52
4. Lander, E.S. et al. (2001) Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome. Nature 409, 860-921
5. Ronaghi, M. et al. (1998) A sequencing method based on real-time pyrophosphate. Science 281, 363-365
6. Ansorge, W.J. (2009) Next-generation DNA sequencing techniques. N. Biotechnol. 25, 195-203 7. Margulies, M. et al. (2005) Genome sequencing in microfabricated high-density picolitre reactors. Nature 437, 376-380
8. Su, Z. et al. (2011) Next-generation sequencing and its applications in molecular diagnostics. Expert Rev. Mol. Diagn. 11, 333-343
9. Rothberg, J.M. and Leamon, J.H. (2008) The development and impact of 454 sequencing. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 1117-1124
10. Metzker, M.L. (2010) Sequencing technologies – the next generation. Nat. Rev. Genet. 11, 31-46
11. Bentley, D.R. et al. (2008) Accurate whole human genome sequencing using reversible terminator chemistry. Nature 456, 53-59
12. Schadt, E.E. et al. (2010) A window into third-generation sequencing. Hum. Mol. Genet. 19, R227-R240
13. Mardis, E.R. (2008) The impact of next-generation sequencing technology on genetics. Trends Genet. 24, 133-141
14. Qin, J. et al. (2010) A human gut microbial gene catalogue established by metagenomic sequencing. Nature 464, 59-67
15. Willing, B.P. et al. (2010) A pyrosequencing study in twins shows that gastrointestinal microbial profiles vary with inflammatory bowel disease phenotypes. Gastroenterology 139, 1844-1854
16. Andries, K. et al. (2005) A diarylquinoline drug active on the ATP synthase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Science 307, 223-227
17. Wang, Z. et al. (2009) RNA-Seq: a revolutionary tool for transcriptomics. Nat. Rev. Genet. 10, 57-63
18. Levin, J.Z. et al. (2009) Targeted next-generation sequencing of a cancer transcriptome enhances detection of sequence variants and novel fusion transcripts. Genome Biol. 10, R115
19. Deininger, M.W. and Druker, B.J. (2003) Specific targeted therapy of chronic myelogenous leukemia with imatinib. Pharmacol. Rev. 55, 401-423
20. Ozsolak, F. and Milos, P.M. (2011) RNA sequencing: advances, challenges and opportunities. Nat. Rev. Genet. 12, 87-98
21. Ghildiyal, M. and Zamore, P.D. (2009) Small silencing RNAs: an expanding universe. Nat. Rev. Genet. 10, 94-108
22. Lee, L.W. et al. (2010) Complexity of the microRNA repertoire revealed by next-generation sequencing. RNA 16, 2170-2180
23. Weber, J.A. et al. (2010) The microRNA spectrum in 12 bodily fluids. Clin. Chem. 56, 1733-1741
24. Mizuguchi, Y. et al. (2011) Sequencing and bioinformatics-based analyses of the microRNA transcriptome in hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 6, e15304
25. Morin, R.D. et al. (2008) Application of massively parallel sequencing to microRNA profiling and discovery in human embryonic stem cells. Genome Res. 18, 610-621
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28. Neff, T. and Armstrong, S.A. (2009) Chromatin maps, histone modifications and leukemia. Leukemia 23, 1243-1251
29. Ingolia, N.T. et al. (2009) Genome-wide analysis in vivo of translation with nucleotide resolution using ribosome profiling. Science 324, 218-223
Issue 6 2011
DNA, Drug Discovery, Next Generation Sequencing, Proteins, RNA
By Nalini A.L. Mehta & David J. Dow, Molecular and Cellular Technologies, Platform Technology and Science, GlaxoSmithKline and Anthony M. Battram, Molecular and Cellular Technologies, Platform Technology and Science, GlaxoSmithKline & Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London
Whitepaper: Impact of the Claristep® Filtration System on recovery and adsorption of various therapeutic proteins at low sample volumes
By Sartorius
Capsosomes: the revolutionary enzyme carriers
By Marc Baiget Francesch
Artificial DNA can control release of active ingredients from drugs
By European Pharmaceutical Review
Expert View: Eshmuno® CP-FT resin – developed for the flow-through removal of aggregates using frontal chromatography
By Merck


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Top Museums In Chicago
. The Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States and remains a global favorite and an iconic, can't-miss stop for any visit to Chicago.
Explore over 550 works from 4,000 years of art in the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the most comprehensive collections in the world.
The impressionist art collection, the second biggest in the world, is one of the most popular, drawing regular crowds. You'll get a first-hand look at the art of such masters as Monet, Degas, and Van Gogh. Also on display is contemporary work from Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko, jewelry and pottery from East Asia, and ancient art from Africa, India, and Asia. The Modern Wing of the museum holds the most beloved artwork for certain eager visitors, and a favorite has come to be the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Built on a scale of one inch to one foot, these replicas imitate the constructs of European interiors from the 13th century to the American interiors from the 17th century all the way through the 1930s and all in incredible detail.
Take a photo at the main entrance with two magnificent bronze lions. One stands "in an attitude of defiance" and the other is "on the prowl."
Wear comfortable shoes - the Art Institute of Chicago is an extremely large building, and the Modern Wing is separate from the rest of the collection with its own entrance next to Millennium Park. There are thousands of works of art to see and exploring the collections on your own can be a daunting task.
First-time visitors are recommended to take the audio tour. The audio tour not only gives insight into the importance and history of each work of art, but you get a focused tour through the museum so you can leave knowing you've seen the most renowned works of art. Best of all, audio tours are completely free with CityPASS!
Because the museum is so vast, it's best to dedicate an entire day for exploration (or better yet – plan to come back!). But on Thursdays you can plan for a later start, as the museum stays open until 8:00pm. Like most museums, the Art Institute of Chicago is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Museum of Science & Industry
Chicago is a big city. But even within the big city are big museums that are so fascinating and inviting, it could take days to explore each one from corner to corner. The Museum of Science & Industry is no different.
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Chicago is a big city. But even within the big city are big museums that are so fascinating and inviting, it could take days to explore each one from corner to corner. The Museum of Science & Industry is no different. With 400,000 square feet of award-winning exhibits and 35,000 artifacts, there is simply no way to walk through this amazing and diverse museum in under an hour. Fortunately, with a Chicago CityPASS, you'll zip past the lines and get right to the best exhibits with more time to explore.
The MSI has been open since 1933, when a parent was inspired by his curious child's fascination with an interactive museum display. That moment of inspiration has morphed into the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere.
The MSI is considered one of the best science museums in the world because the constantly updated exhibits reflect the changing times and continual advancement of technology while still holding exhibits that explore the past at a detailed interactive level.
While other museums document the past, MSI is always looking forward, and the expectations for tomorrow reflect well in their state-of-the-art programs and exhibits. Many of those who have paid a visit to MSI have enjoyed the permanent exhibits like the fascinating interactive tour of the German submarine U-505 and the Science Storms, in which all forces of nature are contained in one room to be observed and manipulated by you, a scientist-in-training. Lightning, fire, tsunamis, and a 40-foot tornado you can control are sure to enthrall both children and adults.
One of the most popular exhibits at the Museum is the baby chick hatchery – you can see the chicks peck their way out of their shells and take their first steps. Another fun experience is the mirror maze, part of the Numbers in Nature exhibit. See if you can find the hidden mystery room and you might have to pull out some math skills!
With a CityPASS booklet, visitors can reserve a seat in a motion simulator ride in addition to one of the omnimax shows (the immersive dome theatre).
Normally, the U-505 Submarine exhibit comes at an additional cost, but with a CityPASS booklet, admission is free. The more time you have to explore MSI, the better. With so many exhibits and showings available through the omnimax it is best to dedicate one full day to MSI for a truly worthwhile experience.
The Field Museum encapsulates a variety of exhibits that bring the pages of history to life through works of art, sculptures, artifacts, and interactive activities.
The Field Museum encapsulates a variety of exhibits that bring the pages of history to life through works of art, sculptures, artifacts, and interactive activities. The Field Museum is best known for the famous SUE the T. Rex, where she lives in all her fossilized glory. But there are other experiences you won't find anywhere else.
Only at The Field Museum can you see SUE, the world's most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found, AND explore 5,000 year-old tombs from Ancient Egypt, complete with one of the largest collections of mummies in the US.
SUE is probably your first sight, because she welcomes visitors right in the center of the lobby. The Field Museum also shows a 3D movie about SUE called "Waking the T. Rex" where you can learn all about this celebrity dinosaur. A fun thing for kids to do is take a photo "running away" from SUE. This alone makes the Field Museum one of the most memorable in the world, but there's also so much more to explore.
A temporary exhibit that will be featured until December of 2017 is the Underground Adventure. In this exhibit, visitors get to shrink down to 1/100th of their size to dive into the soil. You'll explore worm tunnels and soil chambers, the diversity of life within the soil (meeting crayfish, wolf spiders, and mole crickets) and you'll learn just how important soil really is. This exhibit requires an additional ticket.
Explore the gripping story of the man-eating Tsavo lions, who terrorized an African village in 1898, killing 135 people; the lion's skulls and skins were used to create the life-like mounts you'll see in the exhibit.
The Field Museum is open every day from 9am-5pm except on Christmas. However, last admission is at 4pm daily, and you would want more than an hour to explore anyway. With Chicago CityPASS, you can have your choice in seeing one digital 3D film in addition to 10% off Museum Store purchases of $25 or more. Upgrade your experience by purchasing tickets to temporary exhibits at a discount.
For a more virtual experience, download the Field Museum app to create your own tour, follow a pre-made one, and get access to extra app goodies like behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with scientists.
Everyone looks up at the stars at least once in a while. At the Adler Planetarium, you not only get to look at the stars, you get the chance to immerse yourself in the wonders of the cosmos.
Everyone looks up at the stars at least once in a while. At the Adler Planetarium, you not only get to look at the stars, you get the chance to immerse yourself in the wonders of the cosmos with three full-size theatres, one of the largest and most significant collections of antique scientific instruments, and amazing space exhibitions.
The Adler Planetarium is America's first planetarium, open since 1930. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It sits right on Lake Michigan and has awesome views of the lake and the city skyline.
Just as the Museum of Science & Industry allows visitors to explore the wonders of this planet, the Adler Planetarium allows visitors to explore the unreachable.
In the Atwood Sphere exhibit, the night sky over Chicago in 1913 shows visitors the true color that paints the night sky without light pollution. It's a stunning and immersive experience that will give you a whole new appreciation for darkness.
Adults love the Space Visualization Lab, where experts, scientists, educators, and even artists work together to bring space exploration to the masses through interactive exhibits and visualizations as well as live presentations from experts in astronomy and other fields.
Check out the actual Gemini 12 space capsule where astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell spent four days - it was tight quarters! You can also listen to the actual communications that took place between Mission Control and the crew of Apollo 13. In the Exploring Our Solar System exhibit, you can touch a piece of the Moon, Mars, Ceres, and Vesta, and talk with scientists.
A special once-a-month event that happens every third Thursday of the month from 6:00pm to 10:00pm is Adler After Dark, a 21+ event that brings date nights, cocktails, theatre sky shows, special guest lectures, and live entertainment together in one amazing and totally unique event. Plan your visit for the third Thursday of the month as it's well worth checking out.
If you decide to participate in Adler After Dark, you can get $5 off ticket price with your Chicago CityPASS booklet in addition to a 10% discount at the Adler Store and Café Galileo.
Much like the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art is an architectural masterpiece containing some of the world's most important creative gems.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is an architectural masterpiece containing some of the world's most important creative gems. Post-World War II art of the likes of Frida Kahlo, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and more showcase the styles of surrealism, minimalism, pop art, and postmodernism.
The Museum of Contemporary Art takes art adventure to a whole new level with live performances and indulgent programs that will teach and enlighten any mind curious about art.
The MCA has a long history of taking chances. After opening its doors for the first time 1967, emerging artists have had the chance to prove their worth on the walls of the MCA. In fact, it was the Museum of Contemporary Art that hosted Frida Kahlo's debut exhibition, and now she is recognized as one of the greats. To this day, MCA holds true to their values.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is a Chicago must-see. Every trip to the MCA is different, and there are plenty of reasons to visit this unique museum over and over again.
The museum is run more like an art gallery with exhibits changing throughout the year, always bringing the most cutting-edge art to the public. The flux of contemporary work makes the MCA one of the most unique and beloved museums in Chicago and in the world.
There is one iconic work of art that's guaranteed to be seen at all times, and that's because it's part of the museum itself: the main staircase. A dizzying architectural masterpiece, the staircase has become an attraction all on its own. In contrast with the blank walls of the gallery space, the staircase stands out with permanence.
The MCA does have permanent collections, which include more than 2,500 works of art, but no one piece is displayed constantly. Instead, various pieces from the permanent collection are displayed in rotating exhibits, making every MCA experience different from the last.
Bold is one word to describe the MCA, and beautiful follows close behind. One visit truly does not do this museum justice. Even the building itself is a work of modern art.
There are free tours available, so if you're looking to indulge in the ultimate contemporary art experience, take the tour. Family Days allow little ones to create, tinker, and experiment with art.
National Museum of Mexican Art
Chicago is a cultured city, through and through. If you saw the world in the stars at the Chicago Adler Planetarium, you'll see a vibrant and beautiful new world in the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Chicago is a cultured city, through and through. If you saw the world in the stars at the Chicago Adler Planetarium, you'll see a vibrant and beautiful new world in the National Museum of Mexican Art. Here you'll explore the intricacies of Mexican culture sin fronteras, or without borders, where artistic expression has no limits.
What was originally started by a group of Chicago schoolteachers with a budget of $900 has transformed into a vibrant museum that is now the host of the largest Day of the Dead celebration in the U.S. In 2015, over 10,000 visitors made their way to the National Museum of Mexican Art to celebrate the important Mexican holiday.
The National Museum of Mexican Art is one of the best Latino museums in the nation, and is the only one accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. This means that every exhibit must be of a certain artistic and cultural value, and every work is rich in history and artistic expression. Many glowing visitor reviews prove that the Dia de Los Muertos exhibit is by far the most popular. The National Museum of Mexican Art explores the roots of this spiritual holiday by exhibiting works by more than 50 Mexican artists from both Mexico and the United States. It is the largest annual exhibition of Dia de Los Muertos in the country.
Though the museum is much smaller than its big Chicago art neighbors, the National Museum of Mexican Art has become a mainstay of Chicago art culture thanks to collections that are unlike any other. There is a collection of folk art, comprised of a mixture of ceramics, masks, carved wood, and even papier mache from well-known Mexican artists.
The permanent exhibit Nuestra Historias: Highlighting the Mexican Identity displays what has been called by one of the museum's curators "the best of the collection" and centers on the diverse stories of Mexican identity in North America. It includes Rubén Ortiz-Torres's The Garden of Earthly Delights, a tricked-out low-rider lawnmower that pays homage to landscaping laborers, and Alejandro Díaz's pink neon sign Make Tacos Not War.
In addition to the paintings and sculptures that are more of the traditional findings in a museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art holds a collection of vintage calendars, postcards, churches and local customs, and nearly 1,000 posters commemorating Chicano cultural events and movies.
The museum is free admission, so the only time you might spend money is at the museum's gift shop—Tienda Tzintzuntzan or, Place of the Hummingbird. Within the gift shop are handcrafted gifts that can only be found in a museum dedicated to the artistic integrity of Mexican culture. All items are sourced from regions of Mexico by museum staff specifically for the gift shop.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm and closed on Mondays. Most visitors are able to fully explore the museum within a couple of hours, making it the perfect stop for those who don't have an entire day to devote to museums.
If you're looking to visit the best Chicago museums, use Chicago CityPASS. You'll save nearly half off combined entrance fees to some of the top museums and tourist attractions in Chicago. CityPASS holders also get to skip most ticket lines. Chicago CityPASS includes admission to Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, Skydeck Chicago, Adler Planetarium or the Art Institute of Chicago, and 360 CHICAGO or the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Some special exhibits are not included with the CityPASS and may require an extra fee.
CityPASS can be purchased online or at any of our participating Chicago attractions. Use Chicago CityPASS and discover the top museums and things to do in Chicago.
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2021 Paris Chapter Election Candidates
2021 Pari... >>
The nominations period for the 2021 Paris Chapter Elections has now closed. Please find below statements for the candidates standing for election.
The Election and Annual General Meeting for the Paris Chapter of DA France will take place on March 13th at 1PM. Candidates will give speeches prior to the close of voting and tabulation, and results will be announced. RSVP here. Early voting via electronic ballot is available to all members of the Paris / Île de France Chapter region — members should look for an email containing a link to this ballot.
You must be a member of DAF Paris in order to vote. New members are welcome but must join by Friday March 12th. To join: www.democratsabroad.org/join. You must be a US citizen 18 years of age or older by Nov. 2, 2021. Questions? Email the Paris Election Board [email protected]
If you are a member of DAF-Paris and do not receive a link to the online election but would like one, please contact the DA France Paris Election Board [email protected]
CHAPTER CHAIR
JUAN CERDA
Bonjour! Je me présente, je suis Juan Cerda, and I would be honored to receive your vote as Chair for the Paris Chapter.
As a professional Gay Latino man and a life-long Democrat, I have always wanted to address the critical economic, social, and environmental challenges. I am running for Chair because I want to continue our work to build a stronger coalition and widen the Democrats Abroad (DA) party tent. I joined DA in 2016, in which I immediately began making phone calls, helping voters get registered, and co-hosted numerous fundraising events. In 2017, I founded a grassroots Chapter of Solidarity Sundays of Democrats Abroad Austria (DAA) with other grassroots activists. Today the group has expanded throughout our entire Europe, Middle East, & Africa (EMEA) region. I have had the honor to serve in key leadership roles, including as the Vice-Chair (DAA), an EMEA regional Biden Delegate, Global LGBTQ Coordinator, and within our Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
I humbly ask for your vote; I will bring my years of experience, unique skills, and passion for registering voters.
N'hésitez pas à consulter le site www.juancerda.com pour plus de renseignements!
CHAPTER VICE CHAIR
KATE BARRETT
My name is Kate Barrett, and I would like to submit my candidacy for the position of Vice-Chair of the DAF Paris Chapter.
A Seattle transplant living in France for the past 10 years, I am the current Paris Secretary and acting Vice-Chair. As a project manager in the public transit sector, I am passionate about the importance of public services in providing equal opportunity and access to all members of society, regardless of means or background.
I ran for Secretary in 2019 to contribute directly to DA's efforts to fight the erosion of democratic norms in the US and to put an end to the incompetence and bigoted cruelty of the Trump administration. I'm proud of what we've accomplished, but there is still so much more to do.
As Vice-Chair, I will be committed to building on the work of the past two years to ensure we have a Chapter with the vision, structure, and efficiency needed to be an asset to DA France's core mission of serving the American community abroad through voter outreach, education and engagement. It would be an honor to continue to use my skills and experience to serve the Paris Chapter in this capacity.
CHAPTER SECRETARY
JOSEPH SMALLHOOVER
My activism with Democrats Abroad France started at the grassroots when I joined in the winter of 1985 after working for the Mondale Ferraro campaign in California the previous year. I've held many posts in Democrats Abroad, both in France and globally, and I have one-of-kind in-depth experience with the Party, wide acquaintance with our members and activists, and broad understanding of our policies and platform. In 1985 all of Democrats Abroad was barely larger than today's membership in the Paris Chapter. That's how far we've come.
My term as International Counsel ends in May; I think it is now time for me to return to the grassroots activism of an earlier time, to put those years of local and international experience to work making the Paris Chapter ever stronger. And working again at the grassroots will inform my continuing work as one of the eight representatives of Democrats Abroad on the Democratic National Committee. There are many challenges ahead, and we need to field the strongest team we can. I pledge to work for to elect Democrats across America, as I have in the past.
I hope that I can count on your vote for me for Paris Chapter Secretary and your support.
CHAPTER TREASURER
NATALIA NOLAN
I was incredibly inspired by the work of Democrats Abroad — and especially our Paris Chapter — during this recent election. As we saw when the votes were finally tallied, mobilizing every single vote was absolutely crucial in ultimately securing the Biden-Harris win. But the slim margin of victory was too close for comfort, and it motivated me to become more involved in our local Chapter. My name is Natalia Nolan and I'm running as Paris Chapter Treasurer to help ensure our Chapter has the resources in place to continue — and even boost — our efforts to mobilize Americans abroad to defend principles of democracy and good governance. My background is in international relations and political science, with experience in public financial management. I also have some knowledge of good practices in internal control and audit which I could bring to the role. I would appreciate your vote for this important position, which I will not take lightly, and work with you to support our strategies and activities here in Paris.
CHAPTER COMMUNICATIONS
EMILIE ROSE AIDAN
I, Emilie-Rose Aidan, present myself as a candidate for the DAF, Paris Chapter, Communications Coordinator position.
Born and raised in Paris to an American mother and French father, I attended a bilingual school, matriculated to UK/American universities, then pursued a marketing and communications career in NYC. After a decade, I returned to Paris in 2019; I am a publicist in a luxury PR agency.
We Democrats witnessed the consequences of 2016's communications/coordination failures: four years of democratic institutions being dismantled brick-by-brick. Albeit relieved, I fervently believe that the real work begins NOW. I would be honored to assist the Paris chapter to achieve stronger results through education, engagement, and community-building.
My Democratic Party passion runs strong, undergirded by my mother's tutelage and my French belief in égalité. While a NYC participant, I proudly witnessed my late mother's Democratic Party work via DAF/Indivisible-France, including her coordinating the Paris Women's Marches. I would be honored to continue her legacy by serving DAF. As a bilingual, multicultural communications professional who is skilled in brand strategy, digital content, public relations, and storytelling, I bring robust skills—further bolstered by my passion for democracy and social justice—to serve in this role.
Merci à tous.
CHAPTER OUTREACH (GOTV/Database)
SIMONE SLIFMAN
I am pleased to submit my candidacy for Chapter Outreach Coordinator. Our founding board has set a high bar for success; I would be honored to continue and expand upon their work, ensuring every eligible American in our region knows their voting rights and can cast their vote from abroad.
A DA France member since 2018, I volunteered hundreds of hours with the national and global GOTV teams during the 2020 election cycle, solving complex individual voter problems, supporting special projects, and serving as a resource to other GOTV volunteers when needed. My GOTV participation began in 1992, and my 20 years of management experience in local government agencies, combined with my high energy, positive and collaborative spirit, creativity, flexibility, and love of technology have readied me to succeed in serving our membership.
While we bask in the afterglow of our momentous electoral victories - some clearly won with the help of overseas voters - remaining engaged in the GOTV effort is vital to success in upcoming special elections and the 2022 midterms, when complacency and other factors may reduce voter participation. I'm excited to help lead this effort.
DANETTE LANDRY
I have been an active member of DA France since 1999. From 2001-2005 I was Chair of Young Democrats Abroad, France, I served as DAF Vice-Chair 2003-2007, and as Co-Chair for the Women's Caucus from 2007-2009. I have been instrumental in organizing activities for sharing interests and rallying points for coalition building, as well as volunteering for voting registration, etc.. A lifelong Democrat and supporter of liberal social values, I have been an active proponent of social liberties for women and minorities around the world, including those in Europe, Africa and Asia. Raised in the Michigan, educated in Social Anthropology at UCLA and completed my graduate studies in France at La Sorbonne and L'Ecole des Hauts Etudes en Sciences Sociales.Today, I am an international artist, which requires me to be to be socially interactive not only in Paris, but also in Europe and the United States. My long association with DAF, and my experience living and working in diverse parts of the world, all complement and strengthen my interests in Democratic social values and will enable me to further contribute to the DAF as the Coordinator of Paris Events. Thank you for considering my candidacy.


There is no shortage of advice on what to buy when, anytime you go online. Alexa has ideas. Siri has ideas. And Google has plenty of ideas. But let's say you're looking for something a little more vetted, something, say, a real live human has actually added to cart and loved in real life. That's where Siweb's tireless editorial staff can swoop in and help a shopper out. Ahead are the 19 most memorable home purchases from Siweb editors, including a foolproof egg-poacher, a versatile flower vase, and the sturdiest, chicest cheapo dish towels we ever did see.


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Chapter One: FRISKY BUSINESS
Saturday November 12, 1:35 pm
"Sorry I look like crap. I was just at the gym."
The striking, copper-skinned, raven-haired girl of about twenty didn't exactly look like crap, but she did look like gilded trash. She had high cheekbones, too much black eyeliner, and rings on almost every finger. Her boobs strained the fabric of her tiny silver and black striped T-shirt. The stripes were horizontal, and she didn't need any optical illusions to emphasize her physical endowments. "Candace Curtis gave me your number, said you could help me."
Candace Curtis is a former madame I met during the Hooker in Hiding case this past summer. She had suffered some collateral damage as the case morphed from missing person to murder.
I had mixed feelings about, and very little understanding of, the sex industry when I first met her, but Candace and I had developed a friendship since then, and she has opened my eyes to the realities of the sex trade and the people who work in it. As well, I had helped Candace reconnect with the son she had abandoned years ago. She felt indebted to me for that, but in my opinion she shouldn't have. At the risk of sounding trite, the smile on her face when she and the boy were reunited was reward enough. Nonetheless, I happily cashed her irresponsibly generous cheque when it came in the mail.
"Grab a seat," I said to the girl, indicating the empty chair opposite my desk.
I glanced around my rather plain but functional office, with its bare walls and Ikea furniture, and wondered what impression it gave to the occasional clients who come in. According to their ads, Ikea is "Swedish for common sense." I wonder how you say "I'm a kick-ass sleuth" in Swedish?
"My name is Raven Greywolf." She extended her hand, and I shook it. Her First Nations sounding name matched her physical appearance.
"What's the issue?" I asked.
"My best friend was murdered a couple months ago."
"Give me some details."
As soon as she started talking, it occurred to me that I should have said something sympathetic about her loss. Occasionally, I'm an insensitive twit. Note to self: Change that.
"Kitty Vixen. Her real name was Julie McPhee. She was beaten to death, and found in a construction site, in Regent Park, where they're building a new condominium."
"One of many," I said.
"Yeah, the neighbourhood's changing a lot."
That was an understatement. For many years, Regent Park was one of Toronto's seediest downtown neighbourhoods, rife with crime, drugs, violence and desperation. Remarkably short-sighted urban planning after the war had given rise to a cluster of social housing units and not much else. No public areas had been factored in, no recreational places, or commercial spaces - the neighbourhood didn't even have a grocery store - thus making it a foolproof recipe for a ghetto.
Just a few years ago, in one of those rare instances where they got it right the first time, City Hall had decided to gut it all and start from scratch. The project was still several years from completion, but already the area was improving. The new social housing units were interspersed among stylish modern condominiums and shops, plus there was a park, a public pool and a cultural centre. Amidst all of this, there were still several lots covered with bulldozers and cranes. The wheels of progress grind along at their own leisurely pace, but the early indicators showed that it was worth the wait.
"Tell me more about your friend."
"The police say Kitty died on Friday September ninth, late at night, so it could have technically been Saturday morning. Her body wasn't found until Monday morning when the construction crew showed up."
"What would she have been doing near a construction site?" I asked.
"It's a shortcut from the film studio where we both worked to our place. Me and Kitty shared an apartment above a store on Gerrard Street, near Sackville. I still live there, my new roommate's Athena."
"I remember reading about the murder in the newspaper. The case remains unsolved."
"I guess technically that's true, since no one's been charged, but I know who killed her," Raven said.
"And that was...?"
"Somebody who has something to do with AAA-XXX films, one of the bosses there, I think. Kitty was an actress for them, and I used to be. I'm self employed now."
"New line of work?" I asked.
Raven chewed on her fingernails for a minute before answering. "Not really. I'm a private escort. Candace referred some of her old clientele to me."
Not my place to judge, so I didn't comment on her rather lateral move. At least, if the clients came from Candace, I knew they were probably a little less dirt-baggy than any old Joe off the street. "Tell me more about the movie guys."
"Everyone calls it Triple-A Triple-X. Antonio Agostino Antonelli is the president. His partner Frankie Lolatto is Chief Executive Asshole," she said.
"I know a lot of people with that job title. Keep going."
"I think Kitty was causing too much trouble. Neither of us liked working there, but the money was good, just not good enough. Kitty was trying to get the guys to pay us more, treat us better, maybe give us benefits."
Paid holidays and a pension plan for adult film stars? Actually, that's not a bad idea.
"I assume they didn't want to?" I asked.
"What's the going pay rate for a porn star these days?"
"A thousand bucks a day," she said.
"That's kind of a lot of money in a way, but then again, not really."
Through my work for Candace, I've learned a lot about money and sex. I also know how much I earn in private investigation fees – it's either feast or famine in my world.
Some of the high-ranking call-girls who had plied their trade at Candace's cathouse could earn up to a thousand dollars or even more for a night's work. So could a couple of the strippers I've met. But those are the exceptions. For every upscale escort, there are dozens of desperately unfortunate girls working the street, earning as little as twenty bucks per transaction. In any case, in those scenarios, unlike in the dirty picture biz, there is nothing, um, residual in their workday. When the guy leaves, or the lap dance ends, the interaction more or less ceases to exist... Except in memory and emotional scarring.
I couldn't imagine thousands of people watching a video of me having sex. Or people watching it over and over again... and masturbating to it. I shuddered at the thought. I wondered how and why the girl before me had entered the x-rated movie business, but it wasn't appropriate to ask. Yet.
"Do you get royalties from the movies or anything?"
"So, a grand for a day's work. How many days a week did you work?"
"That depended on the studio. Most flicks take about two days to film, maybe three. I usually did two or three films a month. Kitty did about the same."
If she only worked about four to nine days a month, I wondered what she did with the rest of her time?
"So you made between four and nine thousand dollars a month? Not bad. I know a lot of people – families even – who live on much less than that. Not that I'm saying it's good…"
I wondered how much I'd have to be offered to make a porno flick? It would have to be a one followed by a lot of zeroes.
"I'm saving every penny I can for school," she said. Now she started to bite the nails on her right hand.
"But if you were making upwards of four thousand bucks a month...?"
"I pay rent, and other bills, food... It costs a lot to look like this." She gave me a self-conscious smile. "And school's going to cost an arm and a leg. Next fall I'm planning to go to Parsons."
"The design school in New York?" I asked.
"That's the one. I really, really want to study fashion, and Parsons is the best in the world."
"So I've heard. That'll be very expensive."
"That's why I did the movies, and why I'm doing escort jobs now. I'd never make this kind of money working at McDonald's or The GAP."
I had to agree with her point about the pathetically low wages in retail and service jobs. I remember earning next to nothing at part time jobs when I was in my teens. I worked at an ice cream parlour during the summer I was fifteen. I was paid just five-fifty an hour, plus a free cone on my break. The biggest problem I had working there was which flavour to have on my break. That, plus an oily manager who kept hitting on me, until one day when I finally kneed him in the nuts, and walked out.
Raven continued, "Tuition's well over twenty-thousand, and don't even ask what it will cost to live in Manhattan."
"I see. All right, so, Kitty wanted to get paid more, and you were all in favour of that," I said.
"Why wouldn't I be? But you see, adult film pay is standard for the industry, at least in Canada."
"So just how much more did Kitty want to be paid?"
"She never said exactly. Well, it's not like she wanted a fixed amount. You see, we get paid a daily rate, no matter how many guys do us. If you think about it compared to the way a call girl does things, it's not fair. I'm working as an escort now, and I get paid for each guy I have sex with, but in film work, 'cuz it's a flat rate, you get the same pay whether it's one guy or lots."
I didn't like what I was hearing.
"If I investigate this, I have to keep an open mind." Which could prove hard for me to do, given my feelings about women being exploited. "There could be other motives, besides money. Secrets. Other suspects. What about ex-boyfriends, enemies, jealous lovers? What about drugs?" I asked, looking Raven square in the eye.
"We both liked to smoke a little green after a day of filming. It's the only way to forget about work, but nothing major."
I admit there are days when clients and contacts and witnesses can practically drive me to drink, but I don't have to get into an altered state to do my job. That's probably a good thing: I'm dangerous enough - to myself and others - when I'm stone cold sober.
"Honest?"
"Before I met her, Kitty did just about every drug she could get her hands on; she was totally hardcore for a couple years. But she steered clear of chemicals ever since I knew her; said it would be too easy to fall back down the rabbit hole."
"Like I said, we'd both have a few tokes, and Kitty sure liked her rum and Cokes. But I steer clear of booze; it hasn't been kind to my people."
"That's one way to put it."
"Besides, I'd rather save my money for Parsons," she said, with the smooth degree of confidence usually associated with a fait accompli.
"Right. So, what about Kitty's friends and lovers? Exes? Enemies?"
"She was going out with a guy named Corey for a coupla months, but they broke up near the end of the summer."
"Where can I find him?""
"He sells bikes at Thunder Motorcycles."
"Anyone else?" I asked.
"Before that, there was a guy named Sam that she dated for a little while, back in the winter."
"What happened with him?"
"He was pretty heavy into drugs, and like I said, Kitty..."
"Okay, so that didn't work out."
"Having a boyfriend wasn't really a priority for her anyways. She couldn't be bothered, really. Kitty said that after making movies all the time, she'd had enough of sex."
What a shame that something so beautiful and fun under the right conditions had morphed into something so unpleasant in Kitty's world.
"Hmm. What about male co-stars?"
"Kitty made a lot of movies with Dixon and Clint. Movies starring her and Clint were especially popular."
"Hmm... What about her family?" I asked.
Raven was back to biting the fingernails of her left hand. "She had virtually nothing to do with her parents, and didn't have any brothers or sisters as far as I knew."
The lack of a familial support system and the estrangement from her parents offered a sliver of an explanation of the how's and why's of Kitty's career path. Even though I'd never met her, and even though Raven and I had only beet talking for a while, I had already begun to get a sense of Kitty's tragic life.
"What about friends and enemies?"
"Let's see... I met Kitty about a year and a half ago, when she started at Triple A. We became good friends almost immediately, and roommates not long after that."
"How did that come about?" I asked.
"I was renting a big two bedroom apartment by myself, and decided it would help me save money for school if I rented out the other bedroom. I used to use it as a sewing room."
"That makes sense. Okay, so you and Kitty were friends and roomies and co-workers, but who else was in her life?"
"No one, really, other than a couple of the girls we worked with, like Crystal and Trinity, but they don't work there anymore either. The three of us quit at roughly the same time, around the end of September, not long after Kitty was killed."
"Where's everyone now?" I asked.
"Trinity works the escort business like I do, but she wants to get out of sex work; says she wants to write a book about working in the x-rated film biz. Crystal is stripping at a bar out near the airport. Crystal's been a little off the rails lately, so I'm not sure how much help she'll be."
"Slipping back into her old habits, drinking a lot. And I mean a lot."
"I see. Hmm. I should have asked you this earlier, but what about the police?" I asked.
"They've gotten nowhere, and I don't even think they're trying anyways. To them, she's basically just a dead fuck toy. But Kitty was the best friend I've ever had."
"No one's just a dead fuck toy. Or at least, no one should be," I said.
As much as it pisses me off, the reality is that some murders get more attention than others when it comes to police budgets and public outrage. A porno star with a history of drug use would not be a high priority.
"That's why I came to you."
I smiled at her. "Hmm. So, why was Kitty your best friend?"
"Kitty was just cool, you know? You could say anything to her and you'd know that she'd get it. She was really sussed out, you know, really smart, and I dunno... just nice. A decent person." I nodded but didn't say anything. She bit her nail and continued, "A lot of the people in this biz are messed up, strung out, and most of them only look out for themselves. Kitty wasn't like that."
"Uh huh..."
"I had pneumonia last winter. Ended up missing a lot of work, and since I didn't do the flicks, I didn't get paid. Kitty covered my half of the rent that month, and wouldn't let me pay her back. Said it was bullshit that we didn't have sick leave. And plus you know, she did all those kinds of things you do when someone's sick, like bringing me soup and going to the drug store to get Neo Citron and stuff for me. Sat up with me all night when I had a fever."
"Sounds like she was a good person."
"Good, yeah, and she could be wickedly funny too."
"Okay. I'll give this a try." I said.
"What are your rates?" she asked.
"Depends on the case, but for something like this, it's usually five hundred a day."
"I've got two thousand bucks on me now. Can you start with that, and I'll give you more next week?" She handed me a wad of twenties, fifties, and a few hundred-dollar bills.
"Deal." I tucked the money into the front pocket of my jeans. Nice bulge.
"The money isn't just from me. Crystal and Trinity kicked in five hundred each."
"I'd like to talk to them," I said.
"Sure." She wrote down their numbers for me.
"Since it's the weekend, I won't be able to get started on this until Monday, okay?"
Actually, the world of detection operates twenty-four-seven, so I could theoretically dig in anytime. However, there were big plans on the horizon for this evening: I had a hot date planned and a gig lined up.
"No worries. Kitty's been dead two months already. She's not going to get any deader."
Posted by Jill at 12:30 AM
FRISKY BUSINESS - Cover Reveal!!!!
Chapter Fourteen: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Thirteen: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chater Twelve: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Eleven: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Ten: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Nine: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Eight: FRISKY BUSINESS
Sasha and I take part in #ROCKtober at e-bookbuild...
Chapter Seven: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Six: FRISKY BUSINESS
Some More (New) Potential Covers for FRISKY BUSINE...
Chapter Five: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Four: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Three: FRISKY BUSINESS
Chapter Two: FRISKY BUSINESS
Inspiration for FRISKY BUSINESS
Frisky Business Cover - Maybe?
Yeah Baby! Sasha's Coming Back!!!


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Today was a day like any other day except for the presence of God's love for his children! Since the new job I have had a few problems, but the lord is there when I call. All I can say is as the job get's better and I get more comfortable, he is with me! He provided this job and he is making sure that he is there when I need him. He knows me better than I know myself. He is my creator. Oh how he loves his children! I am blessed! I love you father and I'm in awe of your power. It is a blessing to be the daughter of the most high God!
The Lord Has My Back!