text:
Seewis hantavirus in common shrew (Sorex araneus) in Sweden
Olivia Wesula Lwande1,
Nahla Mohamed1,
Göran Bucht1,
Clas Ahlm2,
Gert Olsson3 &
Magnus Evander ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6034-48071
Virology Journal volume 17, Article number: 198 (2020) Cite this article
Rodent borne hantaviruses are emerging viruses infecting humans through inhalation. They cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hemorrhagic cardiopulmonary syndrome. Recently, hantaviruses have been detected in other small mammals such as Soricomorpha (shrews, moles) and Chiroptera (bats), suggested as reservoirs for potential pandemic viruses and to play a role in the evolution of hantaviruses. It is important to study the global virome in different reservoirs, therefore our aim was to investigate whether shrews in Sweden carried any hantaviruses. Moreover, to accurately determine the host species, we developed a molecular method for identification of shrews.
Shrews (n = 198), caught during 1998 in Sweden, were screened with a pan-hantavirus PCR using primers from a conserved region of the large genome segment. In addition to morphological typing of shrews, we developed a molecular based typing method using sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome B (CytB) genes. PCR amplified hantavirus and shrew fragments were sequenced and phylogenetically analysed.
Hantavirus RNA was detected in three shrews. Sequencing identified the virus as Seewis hantavirus (SWSV), most closely related to previous isolates from Finland and Russia. All three SWSV sequences were retrieved from common shrews (Sorex araneus) sampled in Västerbotten County, Sweden. The genetic assay for shrew identification was able to identify native Swedish shrew species, and the genetic typing of the Swedish common shrews revealed that they were most similar to common shrews from Russia.
We detected SWSV RNA in Swedish common shrew samples and developed a genetic assay for shrew identification based on the COI and CytB genes. This was the first report of presence of hantavirus in Swedish shrews.
Hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae, genus Orthohantavirus) are found in many different rodents, but also in Soricomorpha (shrews, moles) and Chiroptera (bats) [1]. The rodent borne hantaviruses can infect humans via aerosols from rodent secretions and cause severe disease such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hemorrhagic cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) with up to 40% case-fatality rate in the latter syndrome [2]. The relatively recent discovery of the diversity of hantaviruses and their hosts have shed light on the evolutionary history of hantaviruses. Because hantaviruses infect a diverse range of mammalian hosts, e.g. rodents, shrews, moles and bats, cross-species transmission at multiple scales has probably played an important role in hantavirus evolution [1, 3]. Hantaviruses from soricomorphs and bats has so far not been associated with disease, but it could not be ruled out that some of these have an impact on health.
Puumala virus (PUUV) is so far the only recognized endemic hantavirus in Sweden. PUUV is carried by the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) and causes HFRS in central and northern Europe [4,5,6]. There have only been a few reports of possible presence of other hantaviruses in Sweden. One describes the detection of Seoul virus antibodies and RNA in a pet rat in Sweden, however it is not certain that it was infected in Sweden [7]. Another report suggested presence of Tula virus antibodies in samples from yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), but no virus RNA or antigen was detected [8]. In neighboring Finland where PUUV also is endemic, Seewis hantavirus (SWSV) has been found in the common shrew (Sorex araneus), Boginia hantavirus in water shrew (Neomys fodiens), Asikkala hantavirus in pygmy shrew (Sorex minitus), and an Altai-like hantavirus in common shrew [9]. Hantaviruses have been detected and described from shrews in all continents except Australia and Oceania, mostly with the use of pan-hantavirus primers and RT-PCR. The hantaviruses are enveloped, negative strand RNA viruses with three segments, L, M and S, that encode the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (L), glycoproteins (M), and the nucleocapsid protein (S). The L-segment is the most conserved segment and therefore suitable for design of primers for a pan-hantavirus PCR. So far, there is no knowledge whether Swedish shrews are infected by hantaviruses. There are six recognized shrew species in Sweden that potentially could be infected: Common shrew (Sorex araneus), Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), Laxmann's shrew (Sorex caecutiens), Eurasian least shrew/lesser pygmy shrew (Sorex minutissimus), and Taiga shrew (Sorex isodon). To better understand the diversity of hantaviruses in soricomorphs in Sweden, we investigated the presence of hantaviruses in Swedish shrews and determined the pathogen and the host species by genetic methods. Hantavirus RNA was detected in shrew samples by using a pan-hantavirus RT-PCR [10]. For accurate identification of shrews, we developed a genetic assay based on morphologically determined species using the cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome B (CytB) genes.
Shrew sampling
The shrews were archival samples from a sampling carried out in the fall of 1998 in Västerbotten County (64.85°N 17.9°E), Sweden, and the sampling was performed as previously described [11]. All shrews had morphologically been determined to be Sorex spp, but no further species specific morphological determination had been performed.
Hantavirus detection and sequencing
Hantavirus RNA was detected in shrew samples by using a pan-hantavirus RT-PCR as described previously [10]. Briefly, total RNA from shrew lung tissue was prepared by using a Viral NA Extraction Kit (DiaSorin, Dublin, Ireland), according to the manual, with 250 μL of the homogenate and 10 μL of protein kinase K (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in 1.5 mL sterile micro-centrifuge tubes. Viral nucleic acid was extracted and collected in an elution volume of 50 μL. Obtained RNA was used for RT-PCR with pan-hantavirus primers as previously described [10]. The RT-PCR products were sequenced (GATC sequencing company, Germany) and the obtained sequences were compared with available sequences in GenBank to determine the identity of the hantavirus. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis (MEGA6).
Shrew genetic typing
Shrews for genetic typing were acquired from already morphologically species determined shrews. Genetic typing of shrews was performed targeting the barcoding regions of the COI and CytB genes, using:
sorcoi29F 5′-CCGGAATAGTAGGVACAGCCCT-3′ and
sorcoi380R 5′-ACAGATGCTCCTGCRTGGGC-3′;
sorcytb365F 5′ CAGTAATAGCCACTGCCTTTATAGG-3′ and
sorcytb969R 5′-CATTGGCTGAATGGGCGGAATATTAT-3′ primers respectively.
The PCR amplification was performed by using the KAPA Taq PCR kit (KAPA Biosystems, Boston, MA, USA). The optimized cycling conditions after an initial denaturation at 95 °C for 3 min were; 35 cycles at 95 °C for 3 s, annealing at 55 °C for 30 s and extension at 72 °C for 1 min, before standby at 4 °C. The PCR products were visualized on 1.2% agarose gels (containing GelRed; Biotium, Inc.), purified by NucleoSpin Gel, PCR Clean-up kit (Macherey–Nagel, Düren, Germany) and sequenced (GATC sequencing company, Germany). The obtained sequences were compared with available sequences in GenBank to determine the identity of the shrew species. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using MEGA6 [12] and the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura-Nei model [13].
Hantavirus detection in shrews
Pan-hantavirus primers were used to screen lung tissue from the 198 shrews. In three shrews, an RT-PCR product with the predicted hantavirus specific size was detected, and sequencing revealed that all three carried SWSV RNA. All SWSV RNA were detected in common shrews (Sorex araneus) sampled in Västerbotten County, Sweden. The SWSV sequences from the 459 bp fragment from the L-segment were closely related to each other, and all of them were similar to common shrew L-segment sequences originating from Finland and Russia (Fig. 1).
Phylogenetic relationship between the RNA sequences of Seewis virus (SWSV) detected sequences in the study (80639, 83068, 84169), based on the partial L-segment sequence. The isolates obtained from Swedish shrews are marked in red. The tree was generated by MEGA6 [12] using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura-Nei model [13]. The values on the branches indicate bootstrap values. Initial tree(s) for the heuristic search were obtained by applying the Neighbor-Joining method to a matrix of pairwise distances estimated using the Maximum Composite Likelihood (MCL) approach. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. The analysis involved 16 nucleotide sequences. Codon positions included were 1st + 2nd + 3rd + Noncoding. There was a total of 273 positions in the final dataset
Barcode-based sequence identification of shrews
Five shrew species (Sorex araneus, Sorex minutus, Sorex caecutiens, Neomys fodiens, Sorex minutissimus) of the six known species in Sweden were used for the development of the DNA barcoding assay. The shrews had previously been morphologically species determined. After amplification with the COI and CytB shrew-primers, the PCR products were sequenced. The sequence correlated with both the morphologically determined species, and previously published sequences for all five shrew species. Thus, genetic typing of shrews in Sweden was accomplished. Using a similar barcoding approach as for the five shrew species, amplifications of both CytB (604 bp) and COI (393 bp) gene fragments were performed for one of the SWSV positive shrews and three other shrews from the sampling. Unfortunately, there was not enough material left to perform a thorough analysis of all samples. The sequencing revealed that all four shrews from the sampling in Västerbotten County were Sorex araneus, and phylogeny analysis revealed closest relation to Sorex araneus isolates from Russia (Figs. 2, 3).
Phylogenetic relationship between the DNA sequences of study shrews (13024, 84169, 82331, 81063) and previously sequenced shrews based on cytochrome b (CytB) gene. The tree was generated by MEGA6 [12] using the using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura-Nei model [13]. The values on the branches indicate bootstrap values. The percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown next to the branches. Initial tree(s) for the heuristic search were obtained by applying the Neighbor-Joining method to a matrix of pairwise distances estimated using the Maximum Composite Likelihood (MCL) approach. The tree was drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. The analysis involved 12 nucleotide sequences. Codon positions included were 1st + 2nd + 3rd + Noncoding. There was a total of 604 positions in the final dataset
Phylogenetic relationship between the DNA sequences of study shrews (13024, 84169, 82331, 81063) and previously sequenced shrews based on cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. The tree was generated by MEGA6 [12] using the using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura 3-parameter model [13]. The values on the branches indicate bootstrap values. The percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together is shown next to the branches. Initial tree(s) for the heuristic search were obtained automatically by applying the Maximum Parsimony method. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. The analysis involved 19 nucleotide sequences. Codon positions included were 1st + 2nd + 3rd + Noncoding. There was a total of 393 positions in the final dataset
In here, we detected SWSV RNA in Swedish shrew samples and developed a genetic assay for shrew identification based the COI and CytB genes. This was the first report of presence of hantavirus in Swedish shrews.
So far, SWSV has been detected in several European countries, and also in Siberian part of Russia. The common shrew, Sorex araneus, as well as SWSV is widespread, extending from Central Siberia to Western Europe. Shrews have been collected in Sweden in different projects, but, as far as we know, have not been screened for hantaviruses. Based on the available partial sequences detected in the archival shrew samples, the Swedish SWSV sequences from the shrews sampled 1998, were most closely related to Russian and Finnish SWSV, and the three SWSV sequence from Sweden were all in the same cluster. The low supportive analysis just based on the partial L-segment is inadequate, and more full-genome sequences are needed to acquire a more thorough understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between SWSV in different geographic regions. Full genome sequences were however difficult to obtain from the archival tissue samples. Hantaviruses are also notoriously difficult to isolate in cell culture, and thus, it is cumbersome to sequence the full genomes. Due to the low sample numbers from other shrews than the common shrew, we cannot exclude that SWSV and other hantaviruses could be found also from these other species in Sweden. The sequences generated from common shrews that were analysed in the study, were most closely related to Russian shrew sequences. Genetic typing of shrews is important for species determination in archival samples, and in projects where morphological typing is not available. In conclusion, the study have identified SWSV hantavirus in common shrews in Sweden, thus adding this geographical region to the prevalence of SWSV, as well as showing the close relation with other SWSV in Russia and Finland.
We could show presence of SWSV RNA in Swedish common shrew samples, and the Swedish SWSV were most related to Finnish and Russian SWSW. Furthermore, we developed a genetic assay for shrew identification based on the COI and CytB genes. As far as we know, this was the first report of presence of hantavirus in Swedish shrews, and increases the understanding of the diversity of hantaviruses and their hosts.
The datasets supporting the conclusions regarding sequences in this article will be available in GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) with accession numbers MT939451-61. The remaining datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
COI :
Cytochrome C oxidase I
CytB :
Cytochrome B
DNA:
Deoxyribonucleic acid
HFRS:
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
HCPS:
Hemorrhagic cardiopulmonary syndrome
MEGA6:
Molecular evolutionary genetic analysis
PCR:
PUUV:
Puumala virus
RNA:
Ribonucleic acid
Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction
SWVS:
Seewis virus
Holmes EC, Zhang YZ. The evolution and emergence of hantaviruses. Curr Opin Virol. 2015;10:27–33.
Jonsson CB, Figueiredo LT, Vapalahti O. A global perspective on hantavirus ecology, epidemiology, and disease. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2010;23(2):412–41.
Arai S, Yanagihara R. Genetic diversity and geographic distribution of bat-borne hantaviruses. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2020;39:1–28.
Pettersson L, Boman J, Juto P, Evander M, Ahlm C. Outbreak of Puumala virus infection. Sweden Emerg Infect Dis. 2008;14(5):808–10.
Olsson GE, Dalerum F, Hörnfeldt B, Elgh F, Palo TR, Juto P, et al. Human hantavirus infections, Sweden. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9(11):1395–401.
Vapalahti O, Mustonen J, Lundkvist A, Henttonen H, Plyusnin A, Vaheri A. Hantavirus infections in Europe. Lancet Infect Dis. 2003;3(10):653–61.
Lundkvist A, Verner-Carlsson J, Plyusnina A, Forslund L, Feinstein R, Plyusnin A. Pet rat harbouring Seoul hantavirus in Sweden, June 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(27):20521.
Lõhmus M, Verner-Carlsson J, Borg O, Albihn A, Lundkvist Å. Hantavirus in new geographic regions, Sweden. Infect Ecol Epidemiol. 2016;6:31465.
Ling J, Sironen T, Voutilainen L, Hepojoki S, Niemimaa J, Isoviita VM, et al. Hantaviruses in Finnish soricomorphs: evidence for two distinct hantaviruses carried by Sorex araneus suggesting ancient host-switch. Infect Genet Evol. 2014;27:51–61.
Mohamed N, Nilsson E, Johansson P, Klingström J, Evander M, Ahlm C, et al. Development and evaluation of a broad reacting SYBR-green based quantitative real-time PCR for the detection of different hantaviruses. J Clin Virol. 2013;56(4):280–5.
Olsson GE, White N, Hjältén J, Ahlm C. Habitat factors associated with bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) and concomitant hantavirus in northern Sweden. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2005;5(4):315–23.
Tamura K, Stecher G, Peterson D, Filipski A, Kumar S. MEGA6: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 6.0. Mol Biol Evol. 2013;30(12):2725–9.
Tamura K, Nei M. Estimation of the number of nucleotide substitutions in the control region of mitochondrial DNA in humans and chimpanzees. Mol Biol Evol. 1993;10(3):512–26.
We thank Maj Järner for excellent technical assistance. The shrews for bar-code based sequence identification were kind gifts from Dr Frauke Ecke and Dr Birger Hörnfeldt at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Open Access funding provided by University Of Umeå. This research was funded by grants from the County Councils of Northern Sweden.
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Olivia Wesula Lwande, Nahla Mohamed, Göran Bucht & Magnus Evander
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Infection and Immunology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Clas Ahlm
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
Gert Olsson
Olivia Wesula Lwande
Nahla Mohamed
Göran Bucht
Magnus Evander
CA, GO, ME conceived the project, GO did the fieldwork, OWL, NM did the lab work, GB designed shrew primers, GB and OWL did the phylogenetic analysis, OWL, NM, ME analysed data, ME, OWL, NM sketched the draft manuscript and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Magnus Evander.
The field sampling was performed and described in a previous publication [11]. The permission to trap small mammals during the field sampling in 1998, was obtained from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
Lwande, O.W., Mohamed, N., Bucht, G. et al. Seewis hantavirus in common shrew (Sorex araneus) in Sweden. Virol J 17, 198 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-020-01477-w
Cytochrome C oxidase I gene
Cytochrome B gene
Molecular barcoding
Emerging viruses


text:
Rock Party Music Festival Confirmed For June 25th
Review: The Unicorns
Band Profile: Lost Society
Japan launches two huge floating solar power plants
Borderlands inspired cell-shaded jeans
Review: Sloppy Meateaters
Sloppy Meateaters
""Forbidden Meat""
(Orange Peal Records)
This three-piece punk band from Rome, Georgia, must be doing something right. They've only been together a couple of years and their music was included on a Razor Freestyle Playstation game, they played a show on the Warped Tour, played on TV's Farm Club, released their first album, and are getting ready to release yet another titled "Forbidden Meat." Their newest contains songs with easy flowing lyrics and that poppy-punk sound, which make the tracks catchy and lovable. It might be easy these days to turn ones nose up at just another trendy pop-punk sounding band, but it would be a mistake to over look this unit without giving this release a spin. With songs like, "One dream at a Time" and "Fresh Air," this record is easy on the ears. Sloppy Meateaters aren''t as unruly as the hardest punk band, but they are by no means as "pop culture" driven as Blink 182. They run the lines of NOFX and the Atari's. The Sloppy Meateaters sound has definitely matured since their first album, "Shameless Self-Promotion." For those into the lighter side of punk, definitely pick up the "Forbidden Meat" when it comes out in June. It will fill the space nicely in any skater-punk collection.
issue-9Orange Peal Recordssloppy meateaters
Review: Ann Beretta
Review: Land Speed Record!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Initiation of bacteriophage T4 DNA replication and replication fork dynamics: a review in the Virology Journal series on bacteriophage T4 and its relatives.
Bacteriophage T4 initiates DNA replication from specialized structures that form in its genome. Immediately after infection, RNA-DNA hybrids (R-loops) occur on (at least some) replication origins, with the annealed RNA serving as a primer for leading-strand synthesis in one direction. As the infection progresses, replication initiation becomes dependent on recombination proteins in a process called recombination-dependent replication (RDR). RDR occurs when the replication machinery is assembled onto D-loop recombination intermediates, and in this case, the invading 3' DNA end is used as a primer for leading strand synthesis. Over the last 15 years, these two modes of T4 DNA replication initiation have been studied in vivo using a variety of approaches, including replication of plasmids with segments of the T4 genome, analysis of replication intermediates by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and genomic approaches that measure DNA copy number as the infection progresses. In addition, biochemical approaches have reconstituted replication from origin R-loop structures and have clarified some detailed roles of both replication and recombination proteins in the process of RDR and related pathways. We will also discuss the parallels between T4 DNA replication modes and similar events in cellular and eukaryotic organelle DNA replication, and close with some current questions of interest concerning the mechanisms of replication, recombination and repair in phage T4.


I find it amazing that in the age of technology, the left hand still doesn't know what the right had is doing.
An agency with locations in two cities 100 miles apart.
Medical Records are faxed to location A. Admissions rep is located in location B.
Admissions rep complains that no records have been received yet.
Location A contains the primary headquarters of the agency. Location A doesn't let anyone in location B know that they received those records. Location B can't be bothered to check location A to see the records were sent there.
In our defense, we were told to request the records, not that they were supposed to go to location B because the two locations don't communicate with each other.
I repeat the left hand – right hand words because to me the two should know what each other are doing.


Becoming a parent is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. The tips will show you some great ways to become a great parent in our sometimes difficult world. Raising A Child is a journey that takes dedication, the tips in this article will guide you to be well prepared for it.
Clear off a space on the kitchen counter, have your child lay down, and run water from the faucet over the hair and scalp. This technique is beneficial for toddlers who are afraid to dunk their head or have water poured on them.
Don't smoke in a home when you have kids. Secondhand smoke is just as much as firsthand. Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke experience a higher incidence of respiratory issues such as asthma, asthma and cancer.
Playtime is an important part of a child's physical and emotional development. Playtime should be more than simply leaving your child to play on his or her own.
Children love praise; give it to them when they behave well.If they don't get it by behaving, they will try to get it by doing the wrong thing. Parents who never acknowledge what their children adequate attention for being good may actually encourage them to behave poorly.
Anger will not take you anywhere as a constructive emotion for parents.Parents should always be careful about how they deal with angry feelings in front of children. It is poor being a parent to get angry at a child when they make honest mistakes.
You should have a written list and post them for your children are required to follow. They should also be aware that there are consequences when the rules are broken. Having rules in place can make parenting time.


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Tibetan Sacred Space Research Guide: Theoretical Sources and Comparative Studies
Theoretical & General Reources on Sacred Space
Comparative Studies (outside Tibet)
* For general and theoretical sources on monasteries and monasticism, see also "Monasteries, Temples, and Catalogs" in the left-hand menu.
Location of Religion : A Spatial Analysis [e-book] by Kim Knott
The Changing World Religion Map : Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics [e-book] by Stanley D. Brunn
Atlas of sacred and spiritual sites by David Douglas
Columbia does not own this title. If interested, please order through BorrowDirect, or InterLibrary Loan (ILL).
Andersen, Poul. "A Visit to Hua Shan." Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie 5 (1989): 349-354.
Charleux, Isabelle and Goosaert, Vincent. "The Physical Buddhist Monastery in China." In The Buddhist monastery : a cross-cultural survey. Études thématiques ; 12. Paris : École française d'extrême-orient, 2003: pages 305-350.
Hahn, Thomas H. "The Standard Taoist Mountain and Related Features of Religious Geography." Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie 4 (1988): 145-156.
Holmes, Welch. The practice of Chinese Buddhism. Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 1967. (draws extensively on Prip-Moller, see below)
Jamroziak, Emilia. Rievaulx Abbey and its social context, 1132-1300: memory, locality, and networks. Turnhout: Brepols, 2005.
Park, Pori. "Devotionalism Reclaimed: Re-mapping Sacred Geography in Contemporary Korean Buddhism." Journal of Korean Religions 3/2 (2012): 153-171.
Prip-Møller, J. (Johannes). Chinese Buddhist Monasteries: Chinese Buddhist monasteries : their plan and its function as a setting for Buddhist monastic life Copenhagen : G. E. C. Gad; London : Oxford University Press, 1937.
Sundstrom, Linea. "Mirror of heaven: Cross-cultural transference of the sacred geography of the Black Hills." World Archaeology Vol. 28, Iss. 2, 1996: 177-189.
Walsh, Michael J. "Efficacious Surroundings: Temple Space and Buddhist Well-being." Journal of Religion and Health 46, no. 4 (2007): 471-79. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27513037.
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Next: Pilgrimage and Guidebooks (gnas yig) >>


Setting Reminders in Outlook 2000.
To change the default reminder settings for your appointments, choose "Options" from the Tools menu. Under the Calendar section, click the "Default Reminder" checkbox and choose when you'd like to be reminded about appointments. To change sounds and other preferences, just click the Other tab, then choose "Advanced Options", then "Reminder Options" to access these settings.


Blakjack 21 game is the most popular casino game in the world. In our new release we have done everything to make your experience easy and intuitive. Blackjack from Easternstudio for Android smartphones and tablets is absolutely free! There's no in-app purchases for getting chips in this casino card game.Tap the chips to adjust your bet, and watch the beautifully animated cards fly on the table. If you're unsure of your strategy, ask the dealer for a hint at any time and you'll know what to do. Take advantage of advanced blackjack 21 strategies, like splitting multiple times and doubling down, to win big! Practice yourself in blackjack card counting tracking the deck transition animation. Train yourself in Blackjack!This app is intended for an adult audience (21 ) and does not offer real money gambling or an opportunity to win real money or prizes.


Create solutions for several areas of the Partner Central website, which is the partner experience for Expedia Group. Create innovative solutions that bridge customer and business needs. Create user flows, low and high fidelity wireframes, and interactive prototypes for both mobile and desktop. Work closely with project managers, design team, dev team and research.Run usability sessions with partners to get feedback on prototypes. Participate in design swarms.
Worked collaboratively with project managers, technical project managers, and developers to solve both business and customer needs for co-branded credit cards and shop with points products. Created user flows and low fidelity wireframes for mobile, desktop, and tablet. Worked closely with retail team to discuss proposed designs and incorporate feedback. Created interactive prototypes. Worked with outside research firm to run usability studies. Made changes to designs based on findings. Reviewed designs with stakeholders. Created full fidelity mocks working within the existing Amazon pattern library. Participated in weekly design review meetings.
Worked collaboratively with project managers, technical project managers, and developers to solve both business and customer needs for the Billing, Free Tier, Trusted Advisor, Cost Explorer, CloudTrail, Organizations, and Support products. Created user flows and low fidelity wireframes from requirements and use cases. Created interactive prototypes. Worked closely with researchers to conduct usability studies. Made changes to designs based on findings. Reviewed designs with stakeholders. Created full fidelity mock-ups. Reviewed customer feedback after launch and made iterative changes based on customer feedback. Managed weekly design meetings for all AWS console designers.
Led redesign of the Amazon Services website, creating low fidelity wireframes, high fidelity mock-ups, and red-lines. Managed all visual designs for the Amazon Payments team. Created and maintained visual style-guide for Amazon Payments to ensure alignment with the European payments teams. Designed and built out HTML email campaigns and landing pages. Created all graphics used on Amazon Payments website.
Managed all visual designs for the Amazon Payments team. Created all graphics for AmazonPayments website. Designed banner ads for Amazon Seller Central. Created new booth design, banner ads, and brochure for ReTail and other conferences.


Some recent auction results for the Pago Pago vase in yellow, both original and reissued pieces. Lots of them have been up for sale lately.
The original, which sold on 10/15/2010 for $275 and attracted one bid and bidder.
The reissue, which sold on 10/10/2010 for 116 € ($163) and attracted 15 bids.
Imprint on the Alessi reissue of the Pago Pago vase. Image source: eBay.
The reissue, which sold on 10/22/2010 for 131 € ($182) and attracted 16 bids.
Imprint on the Alessi reissue of the Pago Pago vase. Image source: eBay (a different listing).


India's ace cueist Aditya Mehta bowed out of the Haikou World Open after losing to Scott Donaldson 4-5 in the first round here on Tuesday.
Aditya, world ranked 68th, gave a tough fight to the European Snooker Champion and took the game to the decider.
"It was a cut-throat competition. From the beginning itself both of us struggled to bag each coming frame. It became neck breaking only after reaching 4-4. I must say Scott was lucky enough to grab the last frame. All in all, I did give him a tough fight," said Aditya after the loss.
The Mumbai cueist will next be seen playing in Munich Open from January 2013.


text:
Q: Bash Script Error Catching I am very new to bash scripts, and for my first script attempt I am submitting files to my professor's dropbox within the same server.
The code is this:
#! /bin/bash
echo "Submit Lab$1? \c"

read choice

if [ $choice = "y" ]; then
   echo "Sending to Prof's dropbox..."
   cp -r /path/to/lab$1 /path/to/dropbox
else
   echo "Submission terminated."
fi

Usage for the command is simply "$ submit 1" (1 is a single integer, corresponding to which lab I want to submit)
The bash script appends the entered argument (a single integer) to the necessary filename (a directory), then submits that directory to my prof's dropbox using cp.
More for the sake of learning than of absolute necessity, I wanted to create a clean prompt that will catch any cp errors (such as file not existing), and be able to output my own error message.
So basically, something like:
echo "Submit lab$1?"

read choice

echo "Send to Prof's dropbox"
cp -rv /path/to/lab$1 /path/to/dropbox

<catch any errors from cp>

if [ cp has errors ]

   echo "Submission failed."

else if [ cp has no errors ]

   echo "Submission successful."

And so on...

I understand that I could use verbose mode, and that cp itself prints out errors, but as stated before, I'm doing this for the purpose of learning error catching in bash and being able to make a clean prompt.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Also: I have a similar script which submits labs from my laptop, using scp. Assuming I have this question answered, can I apply the solutions to scp exactly the same way?
EDIT: I don't want cp errors to output to the shell! The most common error would probably be "cannot stat blah: no such file or directory." I would like to catch that error, and simply say "Submission failed."
EDIT #2: jcollado's answer is correct, the problem is on my part. Did not end the nested if-else with the proper "fi."
After fixing that up, it worked as intended. Still need to catch the error output but I believe I know where I need to go to figure that out on my own, so this question is answered as far as I'm concerned.
FINAL EDIT: Ah, what the heck - the redirect was so easy I figured I'd put the solution on here. If using Linux, simply add "2>/dev/null" (if you don't want error messages being saved in any file) after the cp to make "cp -r /first/path /second/path 2>/dev/null"

A: echo "Submit lab$1?"

read choice

echo "Send to Prof's dropbox"
cp -rv /path/to/lab$1 /path/to/dropbox &>/dev/null

[ $? -eq 0 ] && { #success, do something } || { #fail, do something }

And so on...

A: Although you can test $?, you can also test the exit status of a command directly:
if cp -rv /path/to/lab$1 /path/to/dropbox
then echo Submission successful
fi
exit $?

The errors were already reported to standard error by cp.  The exit shown will exit with status 0 (success) if cp was successful; otherwise, it exits with the status that cp exited with.
Clearly, you can wrap that in a loop if you want to, or you can make it non-interactive (but any exit terminates the script).

A: To check the return code from the previous command, you can use the $? special variable as follows:
if [ "$?" -ne "0" ]; then
  echo "Submission failed"
  exit 1
fi

echo "Submission successful."

Additionally, if you want a clean prompt, you can redired stderr as explained here.
Finally, you can also use this in the script that uses scp, since it works regardless of the command you're using.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How the StrLikeText() method compares the strings which has '#' in C#? The Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.StringType.StrLikeText() method returns true for the below case,
 Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.StringType.StrLikeText("HAL_MAC#207", "hal_mac[#]207")

But returns false for the below case,
     Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.StringType.StrLikeText("HAL_MAC#207", "hal_mac#207")

Can anyone let me know how the comparison of the string is calculated?
Is it it mandatory to add the # with [] brackets?
Thanks in advance.

A: As always, have a look at the documentation first.
The docs say that the second parameter of StrLikeText() is

Any String expression conforming to the pattern-matching conventions described in Like Operator.*

Now lets have a look at the docs of the Like Operator which state

# - Any single digit (0–9)

Therefore you need to escape # when you actually want to match against # otherwise it's recognized as a pattern. This is also stated in the docs by

A group of one or more characters (charlist) enclosed in brackets ([ ]) can be used to match any single character...

A: yes, you need to add the [] for comparing the charecter '#'. Since its considered as the as a speacial charecter for comparing the values like,
StrLikeText("HAL_MAC9", "hal_mac#")


text:
Women's Lacrosse 16 Ferrum 7
by mreed | Posted on March 3, 2015 November 14, 2018
By Kellie Lagoy
Virginia Wesleyan's Women's Lacrosse team saw a blowout victory in their second game of the season against the Ferrum College Panthers.
The contest was held at the L.R. Hill Complex at Old Dominion University due to unfavorable field conditions at Virginia Wesleyan. The first saw ten goals coming from the Marlins, and five of them came from rookie Megan Shallock.
Shallock's first three goals were the first three of the game, and two more came from junior Tianna Garland and senior Brooke Cabeceiras. After five uncontested goals, the Panthers put in two out of only three in the first half. Marlins tallied four more before the next Ferrum goal came, and with a minute remaining Shallock put in her fifth and the final goal of the half. The Marlins had a 10-3 lead.
Just five minutes in the Panthers opened up the scoring, but their momentum would stop cold after that. Virginia Wesleyan answered with two goals from senior Carla Williams that were less than two minutes apart. The two squads traded goals, but Virginia Wesleyan had the final spurt of energy with three unanswered goals. The Marlins walked away with a 16-7 victory and their first win of the season.
Junior goalkeeper Madison Carroll started the game and played for the first half. In her 30 minutes she tallied five saves on the only eight shots she faced. Senior Catie Amasia stood in net for the final 30 minutes and recorded six saves on ten Ferrum opportunities.
The Marlins next game will happen on March 4, and they will face Nuemann on their home field at 4 p.m.
SportsMar 3 2015
Men's Basketball vs. Lynchburg College
Chronicle sports editors debate the pros
Marlins achieve athletic success


Dog grooming is one of your dog's basic needs and an important part of dog ownership. Just like people, dogs need physical maintenance to look and feel their best. Fortunately, dogs do not need to bathe as often as people, but you do need to learn how much grooming your dog actually needs and keep it on a schedule.
Generally, a dog's grooming needs depend on the breed and hair type. If your dog has a skin, ear or nail condition, follow your veterinarian's instructions regarding grooming your dog. It is also important to use the appropriate grooming tools. Here are some dog grooming basics to remember.
Long-haired dogs usually require daily brushing to prevent matting and tangling of hair.
Medium-haired dogs may be prone to matting and tangles and should be brushed at least weekly.
Short-haired dogs can typically go a few weeks in-between brushing.
Regardless of hair type, you can brush your dog daily - especially if he enjoys it. Regular brushing will keep the coat shiny and healthy. More frequent brushing during shedding season can help prevent hair build-up and excess shedding.
Nail trims are often hated by dogs and owners alike. Most dogs dislike even having their paws handled and know how much it hurts when nails are cut too short. Dog owners are often uncomfortable with the process for fear of hurting their dogs.
Dogs will develop an aversion to nail trimming once they experience pain from it. The best way to avoid this is to learn how to trim nails correctly and exercise caution. Ideally, a veterinary technician, vet or groomer should teach you how to trim your dog's nails. Most dogs need monthly nail trims, but your dog may need more or less depending on the rate of growth.
An alternative to nail trimming is the use of a rotary tool to file down nails. Consider the Peticure Grooming Tool for this task.
Bath time does not mean fun to most dogs and owners. It may bring forth an image of a wet dog running from the tub, dripping all over the house. Bathing does not have to be this way if your dog can get used to it. He may not like the bath, but he'll be easier to manage. Learn how to bathe your dog properly and make the experience as positive as you can for you and your dog.
Most dogs only need to be bathed when they seem dirty or itchy. Many people like to bathe their dogs monthly, but bathing as often as once a week is not considered harmful. Always use a soap-free shampoo that is intended for dogs. Depending on the condition of your dog's skin and coat, your veterinarian may recommend a specific shampoo. In this case, be sure to follow your veterinarian's instructions about bathing.
Your dog's ears can be a haven for bacteria and yeast if not kept clean. Some dogs can go their whole lives without ear problems, and the only routine ear cleaning needed is during the monthly bath. Other dogs have chronic ear disease and require multiple cleanings a day.
Ear problems can often be traced back to genetics. Dogs with floppy ears or long hair tend to be predisposed to ear problems because the ear canal simply does not have as much air exposure. Many ear problems are a sign of allergies. If your dog has excess debris or foul odor in his ears, your veterinarian will likely prescribe special ear cleaners and medications. If your dog's ears are relatively healthy, you can help keep them that way with proper ear care.
Dogs with continuously growing hair, such as the Poodle or Shih Tzu, typically need their hair cut every 2-4 weeks depending on the breed of the dog and the style of the cut. This task is often best left to professional groomers, though many dog owners are able to learn some basic maintenance haircuts. If you are interested in learning professional dog grooming skills, consider dog grooming school.


8/3—Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community is having me over for a guest post that you won't want to miss as it includes an exclusive synopsis never-before-published for the sequel to Flight of Blue.
8/6–Amanda of Hippies, Beauty, and Books, Oh My! will post a review of Flight of Blue for this stop.
8/7–And the final final stop on the tour is author S.M. Boyce's blog, with a guest post by yours truly on the genre of Flight of Blue. No, it's not boring. I think. Come on, just check it out already!
Did you miss stops 1-5? | Did you catch stops 6-10?
← Flight of Blue wins Reader's Choice award!


From the who are Florida Atlantic department... GZA @ Emo's on Sept 3rd!
Well just watched "No Country for Old Men" and I'm gonna say WTF?!? Did I miss something? I mean this is how I saw it... man finds drug money, then killing ensues, the end!
Gary Grice, better known as GZA ([ˈdʒɪzʌ]), or The Genius, (born August 22, 1966 in Staten Island, New York) is an American hip hop artist. He is best known as a founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to appearing on all the Wu-Tang Clan albums he has released five solo albums and has appeared on many other Clanmates' solo releases.
Grice developed an interest in hip-hop alongside his cousins Robert Diggs and Russell Jones. They performed together as a group called All In Together Now with Grice going under the alias The Genius; Diggs and Jones performed as The Scientist and The Professor respectively (It should be noted these names weren't meant to be permanent according to RZA, e.g. Jones was also known as the Genius for a time). After gaining some notoriety in the underground Grice and Diggs were signed as solo artists. Grice managed to ink a deal with legendary hip-hop label Cold Chillin' Records. In 1990 Grice released his debut album under the moniker - The Genius with Words from the Genius.
The album was produced by Easy Mo Bee and was heavily influenced by the style of Cold Chillin at the time. The corporate heads of that label wanted to make Grice a commercially viable artist like Big Daddy Kane. However critical reception for the album was lukewarm at best, and sales were disappointing. Eventually Grice directed his new personal managers James Garfield and Geoffrey L. Garfield to get him released from his contract and left the label. Grice's experience with Cold Chillin was shared with Diggs' experience at Tommy Boy Records, who had only managed to put out an EP under the alias Prince Rakeem.


text:
Q: Page break on screen (css multiple column layout) I want to display a multiple columns document in HTML. A multiple column "box" is restarted in print after a page break. I would like to emulate this behavior (page break) on-screen, so column heights should not be higher than the user-agent window's height.
Just using a new container for each virtual page would be easy but I don't know where exactly the screen will end so I want text to be able to flow between these virtual pages.
I'm aware that today's JS has the abilities necessary to pull this off, but I would like to use CSS as this is a layout problem.

A: I had precisely the same desire as described in this question. Here is an HTML/CSS-only solution that worked well enough for my purposes, and may be useful to others. It has a few potential drawbacks, which I'll describe before giving the code. In the discussion below, I use the word "subpage" for what the questioner called a "virtual page," namely one horizontal set of contiguous columns of content of the desired height (note the text continues from the bottom right of one subpage to the top left of the next subpage.)

*

*It requires that the content being flowed into subpages be reiterated in the HTML multiple times (although it only appears once in the rendered output). In the case in which the content is dynamically generated (as in my case, as the result of Wordpress function calls) it may not pose any difficulty to loop and produce multiple copies of the content.

*It requires choosing a specific, arbitrary maximum number of subpages that can occur on the screen; any content that flows beyond that is simply lost. In my case, the purpose of the site meant that I knew there could be at most five subpages, so this was no real obstacle.

*A repetitive sequence of CSS lines is required, one for each possible subpage. If the repeated occurrences of the content are being generated programmatically, it is little additional work to put the one required CSS property inline in a "style" attribute on the repeated copies, and that's what I did in practice. (The example shown below separates all HTML and CSS for clarity.)

*Possibly the most significant drawback: I could not find a precise way to (in effect) calculate the height of the resulting flowed configuration (namely, the number of subpages actually needed to fit all of the content, times the height of each subpage). I had to resort to an approximation that can be pretty rough. As a result, if the extra vertical height tacked on in this approximation is large enough to ensure that none of the text will be clipped vertically, then sometimes there will be a lot of vertical whitespace at the bottom of the layout. Again, in my case the subpaged layout was the last thing that occurred on my webpage, so whitespace at the bottom really didn't faze me.

OK, to the actual code. The basic strategy here is simple: Break the same text multiple times into columns of the desired subpage height. Stack the resulting horizontal sets of columns on top of each other, but move each successive copy exactly one subpage width page to the left. Finally, clip the whole stack (with overflow:hidden;) to the width of the subpage. The key difficulty is getting that clipping div to be the correct height. It would be straightforward if it were possible to CSS select all of the subpage units that end up with no ink inside them when they are clipped and then simply not display them, but I couldn't find a way to do this. The rough approximation I ended up with is to invisibly lay out all of the content one more time, in the desired subpage width and column structure, and use the height of that layout to determine the height of the clipping. However, that layout is always shorter, because it's more efficient to lay content out in a bunch of long columns than in successive blocks of short columns, and plus you need some kind of subpage separators or the subpaged layout becomes super confusing. So I fudged this by just throwing in a big bottom padding in that clipping div. One could make a better approximation if CSS calc() allowed integer division or rounding. And finally, the whole task would be trivial if CSS Regions ever took off, but that's looking unlikely.
Sorry about the tl;dr; -- here's the code, html first, then CSS:

        [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

            [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

            [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

            [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

            [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

            [COPY OF CONTENT HERE]

And now the CSS:
div.column-paginator {
    position:relative; /* Ensure we can anchor positions to this element */
}
div.vertical-strut {
    visibility: hidden; /* Only laying this out to get its height */
}
div.vertical-fuzz {
    padding-bottom: 300px; /* extra height because unpaginated text
                            * takes less vertical height. This is a
                            * crude measure. */
}
div.mypage-h {
    /* The desired horizontal setup of the column pagination */
    columns: 2 200px;
    column-gap: 2em;
}
div.column-paginator-clipper {
    /* The div that actually constrains the output */
    position: absolute;
    top: 0px;
    left: 0px;
    height: 100%;
    max-height: 100%;
    overflow: hidden;
}
div.mypage-v {
    /* the desired vertical setup of the column pagination */
    height: 300px;
    position: relative;
    overflow: visible;
    margin-bottom: 1.5em;
}
div.mypage-v:after {
    /* Automatically throw in subpage separator. */
    content: "";
    height:1em;
    position: absolute;
    left: 0;
    top: 100%;
    width:500%;  /* must be MAX_SUBPAGES * 100% */
    background: lightcyan;
}
/* Note the 2em below is precisely the column-gap above; not sure how
 * to enforce/encode that equality in CSS.
 */
div.column-paginator-0 { left:calc(0 * (-100% - 2em)); }
div.column-paginator-1 { left:calc(1 * (-100% - 2em)); }
div.column-paginator-2 { left:calc(2 * (-100% - 2em)); }
div.column-paginator-3 { left:calc(3 * (-100% - 2em)); }
div.column-paginator-4 { left:calc(4 * (-100% - 2em)); }
div.column-paginator-5 { left:calc(5 * (-100% - 2em)); }

A: i have suggested functionality. you can have back to top button in bottom of page
and for this you can proceed like this
on top page put

and at bottom of page
 Back to Top…

i know this not what you looking for but that will be user friendly and easy navigation.

A: Try to set the Height of the container-div to the viewport height using Javascript, command:
window.innerHeight

full script to get viewport dimensions:
http://andylangton.co.uk/articles/javascript/get-viewport-size-javascript/
if you don't like to use javascript you can try to create responsible CSS styles, but it will be less accurate.


Shake, strain and stir cocktails like a pro!
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BARTENDER'S BAR KIT?
The Bartender's Cocktail Kit includes all high-end barware and tools for the professional bartender. Starting with your primary shaking tool, the Boston Shaker. The Toby Tin is easy to work with and is a popular choice for bartenders.
Our strainer of choice, the Baron Hawthorn Strainer fits snugly into the Yarai mixing glass ensuring a perfect strain on your Old Fashioneds, Negronis and other stirred drinks. The Yarai has a large 500mL capacity and a heavy base for ease of stirring with your teardrop barspoon.
Accurately measure with a Japanese style jigger.
Look and work like a professional with your own high-end bar equipment.
Quick delivery and good quality products. Have used them a lot already and really happy with the performance. Would definitely recommend!
It's an amazing set that came on time and I can't wait to use it!!
Products were exactly as specified, delivery was even quicker than they said it would be. Perfect service!
I would express my gratitude to cocktail kit. I liked every bit of it.. the first cocktail which i made with the kit was Boulevardier..
Quality products, I've already gotten my money's worth from this kit! Mixology now has a designated day because I'm enjoying my cocktails a lot more with the precision pouring/measuring tools. I'd recommend it for anyone that enjoys a good cocktail. Pictured are yesterday's Margaritas!
This an all-round great kit to get yourself started making drinks; quality materials, quick postage (no materials found damaged). All round great purchase!!
What amazing service! The cocktail kit shipped the same day and arrived the next. When a part arrived broken I wrote and the reply came immediately (at night) and the item was replaced in super quick time. The cocktail kit, a gift, looks great too!
An excellent purchase. Excellent communication & professionalism. Delivery was quick & in excellent condition. Will be back.


NYC Educator: Was It Worth It, and Did We Even Get It?
That's the phrase we keep hearing over and over from the Mayor , the Chancellor, the UFT/Unity leadership and their official stenographers in the mainstream media : 43% since 2002!
Leaving aside the strong hint of extortion that hovers behind this ("Give me dictatorial control or we'll continue to starve the schools you work in or give you a new contract"), are these numbers even true?
- Tweed and the Unity leadership both date the start of our raises with the 2002 contract. While technically true, they conveniently ignore the fact that teachers were working without a contract for the previous two years, and had not received a raise since 1999. Thus, our increases should be computed over an eleven, not eight, year period. This effectively reduces the percentage.
reduction in the interest paid by the TDA Guaranteed plan).
The NY Metropolitan Area between 2000 and 2010 showed a decline in purchasing power of 25%. . Also keep in mind that the CPI understates inflation by leaving out food and energy costs.
So, our increases should be measured over eleven, not eight , years, should account for the extra time we are working, as well as the effects of inflation. An honest accounting would show real average increases of 3.6% (rounded up) instead to of the officially touted 5.4%.
Now, while that 3.6% average gain is far better than most people have seen in this era of attacks on wages and living standards, keep in mind what else we've given up and been subjected to: loss of seniority transfers and the emergence of the career-destroying ATR pool, loss of the right to grieve letters in our personnel files, union acceptance of merit pay, an explosion in the number of teachers placed in the rubber rooms, rampant school closings , charter invasions, UFT/Unity passivity in the overriding of term limits, Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew's unilateral support for extending mayoral dictatorship of the schools (in clear contradiction of the recommendations of their very own governance committee), and a de facto endorsement of Bloomberg's purchasing a third term.
So to answer the question posed by the title: no, it wasn't worth it, and we didn't even get it.


text:
Trudeau tries to reassure Canadians COVID-19 vaccines are coming
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference to provide an update on the COVID-19 pandemic at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Ontario, on Friday, Jan 29, 2021. (Photo: AP/Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
TORONTO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Friday (Feb 5) to reassure Canadians his plan to vaccinate them is working despite mounting criticism his government is not getting vaccines soon enough.
Trudeau said there is "a lot of anxiety and a lot of noise," but said Canada is still on track to get 6 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by the end of March and 20 million in the spring.
"We are very much on track," Trudeau said.
Most countries around the world have been struggling to vaccinate people quickly. But Canadians are comparing their country to world-leading Israel and the neighboring US.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have cut the number of doses Canada expected to get thus far, but Trudeau says he still expects to get 4 million doses from Pfizer and 2 million from Moderna by the end of March.
Trudeau said they are still very much on track based on what the chief executives of the companies keep telling him.
Canada didn't get any Pfizer doses last week after the company announced a temporary reduction in deliveries so that it could upscale its Puurs, Belgium, plant to handle more production. That plant supplies all Pfizer shots delivered outside the US Moderna has also had trouble scaling up production.
READ: Wu-Tang Clan or Wuhan? T-shirt ignites new China-Canada tiff
Trudeau reiterated that Canada has signed contracts with seven different vaccine makers and he expects Canada will get more doses per person than any other country in the world. He reiterated that everyone who wants to be vaccinated will be by September. Officials says they have agreements to import 10 doses per Canadian. Canada has a population of 37 million.
Canada does not have domestic vaccine production and the government has been getting shipments from Europe instead of the US, its closest ally.
Trudeau and President Joe Biden have spoken about Pfizer's Kalamazoo, Michigan plant and Canada's health regulator has approved that plant to supply the Canadian market, but any vaccines made in America might not be allowed to be exported despite a change in administrations.
The US government has an agreement with Pfizer in which the first 100 million doses of the vaccine produced in the US will be owned by the US government and will be distributed in the US. Anita Anand, the Canadian federal procurement minister, has said the doses that are emerging from the Michigan plant are for distribution in the United States.
READ: White House says it is working to speed early production of J&J COVID-19 vaccine
"We're focused on ensuring that the American people are vaccinated, that we are getting as many shots in the arms of Americans as possible," White House Jen Pasaki press secretary said this week.
The European Union has talked about a vaccine export ban, but Trudeau has said he's been reassured by top EU officials that Canada will still get its contracted doses.
Trudeau also defended Canada's arrangement for getting doses from the COVAX program coordinated by the World Health Organization, which seeks to ensure that low- and middle-income countries have enough vaccines at a time when wealthy nations have snapped up a large part of the billions of upcoming doses from mostly Western vaccine makers.
"When wealthier countries invest in COVAX, half of that funding is to get doses at home, and the other half is to buy doses for low- and middle-income countries," Trudeau said. "Our contribution was always intended to access vaccine doses for Canadians as well as to support lower income countries."
Trudeau said through COVAX, and pending Health Canada approval, Canada will receive at least 1.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of June. He said that's addition to the 20 million doses Canada has already secured itself from AstraZeneca.
READ: China temporarily bars entry of foreigners travelling from Canada
Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said criticisms of Trudeau aren't fully deserved.
"The reality is that Canada does not have domestic capacity to produce the vaccines and some other countries do. People are impatient because their hopes were boosted, it is mid-winter, and they are looking to escape this plague," Wiseman said.
Wiseman said Trudeau was blindsided by the pharma companies who said they would deliver more doses earlier and have now retracted on what they said.
"Trudeau's poll numbers are down but if we see millions of doses arriving in March-April, the heat will be off," Wiseman said.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Source: AP/nh


Collection of photos taken of a thunderstorm in late July 2012. Photos were taken at several different locations in Middlesex and Somerset County. Storms produced vivid cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning, but only brought 0.11 inches of rain to South Plainfield.


text:
Paralyzed man regains use of hands thanks to innovative nerve surgery
Australian Paul Robinson, now 34, broke a vertebrae when he landed on his head in a dirt bike accident in 2015. It left him confined to a wheelchair and rarely able to leave his home.
"I had no motor and muscle control below my nipples. It also affected my arm function and I had zero function in my hands," he said.
But after undergoing nerve transfer surgery, a technique pioneered on spinal cord injuries by surgeons in Australia, he's now able to use his hands and arms to propel his own wheelchair, pick up items from the ground, and with one hand use a television remote control and hold a glass.
"Before, I was confined to a wheelchair but I couldn't push it unless I wore special gloves. If I dropped something on the ground, I had to ask someone to pick it up. I couldn't drive. To pick up a drink, I'd have to use two hands and squeeze them up."
"It's made a massive difference to my life," he said. "I can do my toilet routine on my own. As a grown man, it was very demoralizing having someone help you go to the toilet."
Robinson was one of 16 young adults with tetraplegia (paralysis of both the upper and lower limbs) recruited by Australian surgeons for a study.
The patients underwent single or multiple nerve transfers in one or both upper limbs, to allow the elbow to extend and the hand to grasp, pinch and open. The surgery ultimately enabled 13 of the participants to regain movement and function in their elbows and hands, according to the results of the study published Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet.
Tendons vs. nerves
Traditionally, surgeons have been able to restore function to the upper limbs by using tendon transfer surgery, where muscles that still work — but are designed for another function — are moved to do the work of muscles that are paralyzed. In contrast, nerve transfers reactivate the muscle itself.
One benefit of nerve transfer is that a single nerve can reanimate multiple muscles — an important factor in spinal cord injuries when few nerves would be available, said Natasha van Zyl, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Austin Health in Melbourne, who led the research.
"We didn't invent nerve transfer. We're the first to apply it to spinal cord injury in an extensive way," she said.
"Nerve transfer is more supple and natural, and hand opening is important for typing, swiping and using a trackpad. The hand is more clawed with a tendon transfer." she said.
In 10 of the participants, including Robinson, nerve and tendon transfers were combined to allow different types of movement in each hand.
She said the two techniques had different advantages, with nerve transfers restoring more natural movement and finer motor control in one hand, and tendon transfers restoring more power and heavy lifting ability in the other hand.
"I've got less opening in my right hand, but a stronger grip. But the two hands do different things. I pick things up with my left hand and put [them] in the right hand to hold them," he said.
In total, the team completed 59 nerve transfers in 16 participants. The three women and 13 men were assessed on their ability to complete tasks before and after surgery.
"When you ask tetraplegics, their number one priority is hand function — before walking, bladder and bowel control, and sex, " van Zyl said.
"Without hand function, it's hard to be involved in life. It makes a great difference. It's really simple things. I can sit with my friends and hold a glass of wine. I can feed myself and put my make up on."
Not a cure
The technique does have limitations and isn't a cure for this type of paralysis. For best results, the study found nerve transfers should be performed within six to 12 months of a spinal injury, and it can take months after the surgery for movement to be restored.
Three participants had four failed nerve transfers. Two had a permanent decrease in sensation, and two had a temporary decrease in wrist strength that resolved itself by a year after the surgery.
"It should be noted that this intervention does not restore function to a pre-injury state," said Dr. Mark Dallas, associate professor in cellular neuroscience at the University of Reading in the UK, who was not involved in the research.
"That aside, the current study demonstrates the benefits of the nerve rerouting surgery to improve mobility and the ability of our nervous system to adapt to injury through this intricate surgical intervention," he told the Science Media Centre in London.
Van Zyl said more research is needed to figure out how to optimize the nerves before transferring them, and to predict more accurately who would benefit from the surgery.
Nerve transfers cannot be used to restore function in the legs of people with spinal cord injuries because the donor nerves need to be close to reactivate the muscle, van Zyl said.
While some experimental treatments such as cell transplants and implants of electrical stimulators could help paralyzed people walk again, Dr. Ida Fox, a physician and a surgery professor at the Washington University in St Louis, said that nerve transfers are safe, reliable and circumvented risky spine-level surgery.
"For now, nerve transfers are a cost-effective way to harness the body's innate capability to restore movement in a paralyzed limb," she wrote in a commentary that was published alongside the research.


COLCHESTER, Vt. - Former Wesleyan player Casey Fratkin has been named the top assistant coach of the Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team, head coach Damian DiGiulian announced on Friday.
"I would like to thank Coach DiGiulian and the Saint Michael's College Athletic Department for the opportunity to work for the men's ice hockey program," said Fratkin. "This is a hockey program that is headed in the right direction under Damian's guidance, and I am excited to work and learn from him during this upcoming season. Furthermore, Saint Michael's is an outstanding academic institution, and I could not think of a better place to begin my collegiate coaching career."
This winter will mark the ninth season that Fratkin has been involved with coaching in some capacity. Since 2006, the Burnaby, British Columbia, native has worked with multiple amateur hockey programs in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area. Beginning in 2011, Fratkin began working for Elite Hockey Shooters, where he oversaw player development for various age groups, including college players. In 2012 and 2013, he was behind the bench to guide Team Canada West to a combined 4-1-1 record in the Chowder Cup in Boston.
"We are thrilled to have Casey join the Saint Michael's hockey family," said DiGiulian, who begins his third season at the College this school year. "Casey stood out in the interview process as an intelligent, thoughtful and dedicated young coach who will bring good energy to our program. His desire to be a coach and his work ethic sets him apart from many young coaches out there. Along with our two other coaches, Brent Truchon and Ryan Garrow, I am confident that we will have a coaching staff that is committed to helping our student-athletes reach their highest potential."
Fratkin began volunteering in 2006 as an on-ice instructor and mentor for the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS), a Vancouver-based program dedicated to teaching basic hockey skills to economically-challenged youths. Fratkin has also devoted time to the Two-Way Hockey School since 2008, while also taking the head coaching duties for the Vancouver Ravens Hockey Club pee-wee team in spring 2010.
Fratkin comes to Saint Michael's after a four-year collegiate playing career split between Division III institutions Wesleyan and Elmira College. He spent the 2010-11 campaign skating for nationally-ranked NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist Elmira before transferring to Wesleyan for 2011-12. In three seasons with the Cardinals, Fratkin played 51 games as a defenseman, helping the team make three straight appearances in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) postseason. He was also recognized twice on the NESCAC All-Academic team. Prior to his collegiate career, Fratkin played four years of junior hockey in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
Fratkin earned his bachelor's degree from Wesleyan in history with a concentration in European history in May 2014.


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Will China's "Master Plan" Lead To World War Three?
Written by: Off The Grid News Financial 0
China's master plan intends to reshape the global order to their liking.
The leaders of the People's Republic of China have a master plan for global domination that might lead to World War III. China's master plan consists of two parts. First of all, a "web of international institutions" designed to make other countries subservient to Beijing. Second, a massive military buildup, as Hal Brands wrote in a Bloomberg opinion piece. Brands believes that the Chinese have a plan to reshape the global order to their liking by excluding America. Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to export a new ideology that Brands calls "authoritarian mercantilism" or "authoritarian capitalism." Under that system, other countries would be ruled by dictators loyal to Beijing. These rulers would open markets for Chinese corporations and harvest natural resources for China's benefit.
China's New World Order
That system is similar to the Soviet Union's rule of Eastern Europe and creation of Communist puppet states during the Cold War. That policy led to numerous conflicts and almost sparked a nuclear war over the Soviet puppet state in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Such an ideology would undoubtedly shut out American ideas like freedom, democracy, and constitutional rule. It would certainly be appealing to corrupt rulers in developing nations. To promote the new order, the Chinese are signing trade pacts with and making loans to dictators in countries as diverse as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. The basis of the ideological master plan is a new international order called the Beijing Consensus which would supplant the United States as the world's leader.
Like the Soviets, the Chinese have set up front organizations to spread propaganda. They have also tried to influence elections in Australia and New Zealand with money, Brands claims. The Chinese government is underwriting so-called Confucius Institutes on college campuses. The Confucius Institutes are supposed to promote "Chinese values," which is a code word for Xi's authoritarian capitalism. The last country that tried to impose its ideology on the rest of the world aggressively was the Soviet Union. That scenario led to the Cold War and many minor conflicts. Conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars and the strife in Afghanistan. Between 850,000 and two million people died in just one of those conflicts: the Soviet-Afghan War.
China's Dangerous Military Master Plan
Like the Soviets, the Chinese are building up a massive military machine designed to police and protect their global empire. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) opened its first overseas base and naval port last year. It is in Djibouti across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia. That base is part of a plan for China to dominate the Indian Ocean and extend its power into the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The PLA has agreements to build bases in Gwadar, Pakistan, and the Seychelles Islands. From these locations, it can dominate the Indian Ocean, Brands noted. The Chinese are trying to establish bases in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Darwin, Australia to add to their power.
The Chinese also have plans for naval bases at Piraeus, Greece, on the European continent and inside the European Union. In addition, they may construct bases in Walvis Bay, Sao Tome and Principe on the Atlantic Coast of Africa, Brands claimed. Such bases would allow Chinese air and naval forces to operate in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. There's also a scheme for a "Naval Silk Road," an all-water route from China to southern Europe through the Suez Canal. Control of that route would enable the PLA to cut India off from Europe and America and dominate the Middle Eastern oilfields. It would also allow the PLA to cut the United States off from Middle Eastern oil. To project its power, the People's Republic is expanding its navy and building aircraft carriers.
Is China's Master Plan Leading To World War III?
This can lead to war, as such a naval expansion by Imperial Germany in the early 20th Century helped sparked World War I. Fears of a German naval buildup and German trading alliances with countries like Turkey pushed Germany and the British Empire into war in 1914. The British won that war because of access to superior American industrial resources. America might not be so lucky in the 21st Century. China's production of steel (the primary component for almost all modern weapons) is 10 times greater than America's. China produced 831.7 million tons of steel last year. However, the United States only produced 81.6 million tons of steel in 2017, Worldsteel estimated.
China's master plan might spark a catastrophic Third World War that could devastate both the United States and the People's Republic. Smart individuals should start preparing for the day when America's military may not be able to protect their families from China's "authoritarian capitalism."
You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Artificial Intelligence Key To China's Plan For World Technology Domination
What do you think about China's master plan and the potential for it to cause World War Three? Let us know in the comments below.
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Free Online Lectures and Courses for Anthropology
Anthropology Content Navigation
From prehistoric civilizations to the present day, the way humans interact with and relate to one another is a topic of great interest to anthropology students and professionals. Anthropology is the broad academic field that explores race, religion, gender, age and other factors that influence modern human society. The field (which comes from a Greek term meaning "human study") represents an intersection between history, civics, sociology and psychology. Students who want to learn more about this field are encouraged to enroll in a free online course sponsored by an accredited college or university.
A significant number of anthropologists end up teaching the subject at a higher-learning institution, but others find their calling in other lines of work. Forensic anthropologists work with law enforcement agencies to identify human remains, archaeologists use ancient artifacts and structures to learn more about historic populations, and cultural anthropologists consult with museum curators to create informative exhibitions for the general public. The common bond that links all of these different careers is a passion for understanding the things that make our society tick.
Anthropology offerings at most accredited colleges and universities can be divided into two categories. General introductory courses delve into the fundamentals of archaeology, cultural anthropology, and other subfields; specific undergraduate courses, on the other hand, focus on the anthropological aspects of particular regions and/or cultures. At the graduate level, anthropology students learn how to use academic research and advanced data analysis to monitor and evaluate socio-cultural factors.
Generally, the four 'traditional' sub-disciplines in anthropology are physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistics and archaeology; these are available at most schools that offer advanced anthropology credentials. In addition, students may be able to earn a specialization in narrowly focused fields, such as "Native American agriculture" or "Archaeology of Mediterranean Civilizations." The nature and number of anthropology specializations will vary between higher-learning institutions.
The degree an anthropology student chooses to achieve will directly correlate with his/her salary and opportunities for employment and professional advancement. Here is a look at the degree types available to prospective anthropologists:
Typically earned at a community college or vocational school, the associate degree focuses on general education, rather than specific fields. As a result, it will likely be insufficient for landing a high-paying, long-term career in anthropology ― but anthropology courses at this level will introduce fundamental concepts that resurface in bachelor's, master's and doctoral courses.
Anthropology is a field in which students tend to earn advanced credentials after graduating with a bachelor's degree. However, those who choose to conclude their education after finishing undergraduate studies may be able to secure an entry-level position at a museum, cultural center or other establishment that caters to anthropological work.
Anthropology students who choose a specialization and complete a master's program will be able to effectively compete for a wide range of positions in or related to their field. Those who wish to become anthropology professors or academic researchers should opt for a doctoral degree.
Doctoral programs incorporate data analysis and fieldwork that assist anthropology students who are interested in careers in higher education and/or academic research. A Ph.D. may also allow a degree-holder to compete for advanced or leadership positions that would be off-limits to applicants with lesser degrees.
Ideal Candidates for Anthropology
First and foremost, anthropologists must be genuinely interested in examining human society and culture without bias. Many anthropologists deal directly with certain populations and minority groups throughout the world, so a strong degree of cultural sensitivity and understanding is required. A data-driven mindset is also valuable, since most anthropologists use surveys, statistical data and research studies to guide their work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are currently 7,200 individuals employed in this field in the United States. The BLS estimates that the number of positions will grow by 19% between 2012 and 2022, much faster than the average rate of growth for all professions. Despite the expansion of anthropology-oriented jobs in non-traditional workplace settings, competition for jobs remains somewhat high. According to the BLS, anthropologists tend to find the best jobs with cultural resource management firms.
Another factor influencing the employment rate of anthropologists is federal funding, since so much of the field is financed through grants and proposals. How the government chooses to allocate funds ― and how much agencies earmark for specific organizations and groups ― directly affects the amount of anthropology jobs and the median salary of professional anthropologists which, according to the BLS, is currently $57,420 per year.
Most colleges and universities today host at least one student organization devoted to anthropological research and theory, as well as numerous groups for different cultures, religions and genders. Additionally, aspiring anthropologists can find more information about this career path by attending conferences and seminars, and gaining membership in a professional organization.
Food and Culture
Identity and Difference
The Anthropology of Cybercultures
Get More Out of Your Online Anthropology Courses
Anthropology Journals & Trade Magazines
American Anthropologist
This is the journal of the American Anthropological Association, and it strives to present scholarly work across the various anthropological disciplines.
This peer-reviewed journal "covers significant developments in the subfields of Anthropology, including archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistics."
Arctic Anthropology
Published by the University of Wisconsin, this journal focuses on human behavior, culture, and evolution in the arctic.
Museum Anthropology
This journal focuses on how we document and present anthropology and ethnology in museums around the world, analyzing those choices.
This journal is meant to connect scientists across numerous disciplines, including anthropology, and focuses on the "interrelation of society, practice and space."
The Australian Journal of Anthropology
Though based in Australia and including content on Aboriginal anthropology, especially, this journal covers the discipline's topics worldwide.
Calling itself the "art and culture magazine," this publication takes the arts as a jumping off point for analyzing society and human behavior and culture.
This magazine isn't necessarily for academics, but takes a different perspective on analyzing American popular culture, incorporating multiple media types in ...
Anthropology Now
Paradigm Publishers puts out this magazine, which "offers readers thought-provoking and timely content focused on contemporary issues and debates."
Popular Anthropology Magazine
This magazine is aimed at both academics and the general public, with the goal being to "raise popular awareness of anthropology's relevance."
Scientific American: Anthropology
An online subset of SA, this publication makes the discipline accessible to the average reader but also goes into depth about current anthropological ...
Anthropology Grants & Scholarships
AAA Ethics Grant
Deadline: November 8
Award Amount: $200-$1,000
This grant is given to AAA members to "foster the development and use of curricular materials for the teaching and communication of ethics and ethical practice across the discipline of anthropology."
AAA Minority Dissertation Fellowship Program
Deadline: March 1
Award Amount: $10,000
This grant funds a dissertation writing fellowship for minority doctoral candidates in anthropology, with its aims being to increase diversity in the field.
ACOR-CAORC Post-Graduate Fellowship
Deadline: February 1
This grant is for postdoctoral students who are "pursuing research or publication projects in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and associated disciplines relating to the Near East."
National Science Foundation Cultural Anthropology Grants
Deadline: January 15 and August 15; January 16 and August 16
The NSF accepts grant proposals for cultural anthropology research in a number of categories, including senior research, workshop proposals, training programs, and Faculty Scholars proposals.
Wenner-Gren Foundation: Dissertation Fieldwork Grants
Deadline: February 1st and August 1st
Wenner-Gren gives this grant to support students conducting doctoral or thesis research, and it aims to "ensure that the discipline continues to be a source of vibrant and significant work."
Wenner-Gren Foundation: Wadsworth International Fellowships
This grant is given to international students completing Ph.D. or equivalent research in countries where the discipline is underrepresented.
David M. Schneider Award
Deadline: June 1
This is a graduate essay scholarship from the American Anthropological Association and is decided by choosing the best essay on an innovative approach to ...
Margaret Mead Award
This award, which requires nomination, is given to a younger Ph.D. scholar for a contribution to the field, such as a book, film, monograph, or service that ...
Northern Arizona University: Kenny Acord Award for Graduate Students in Anthropology
Award Amount: Paid travel, services, and supplies for research project.
This award from NAU fully reimburses a graduate student for their anthropological research focusing on southwestern prehistory and including original field ...
University of Arizona: Anthropology Scholarships
The U of A provides over 20 different anthropology scholarships for graduate students both in its own program, as well as Arizona state residents, with the aim ...
University of California, Santa Cruz: Ryan Heumann Anthropology Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship
This endowment "supports one or more awards to full-time undergraduate students majoring in anthropology to assist with the costs of faculty-sponsored ...
University of South Florida: Alvin W. Wolfe Scholarship in Applied Anthropology
Award Amount: $500 per year stipend, plus 2-year graduate assistantship
This scholarship supports two years of graduate work at the University of South Florida, "leading to an MA degree in applied anthropology" and including ...
Anthropology Internships
AAA Leadership Fellows Program
The American Anthropological Association gives this internship to young anthropologists; the chosen interns work with a mentor while conducting research over a year.
Amerind Museum Graduate Internships
This Foundation asks graduate student interns to assist in numerous museum areas, such as collections management, grant writing, exhibition development, digitization, education, and others.
Cultural Survival Internships
Deadline: March 31, August 31, December 31
Cultural Survival offers student internships of 16 hours a week in multiple departments, including community radio, global response, research and publications, events, and others.
Minnetrista Internships
A preservation organization in East Central Indiana, Minnetrista offers student internships in oral history interviewing, collections, events, research, and other areas.
National Association for the Practice of Anthropology
NAPA plans to offer student internships with the organization, which has goals of both anthropological outreach and education.
North American Archaeology Internship
Deadline: April 1, August 27, December 1
The American Natural History Museum offers this internship to undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduates three times throughout the year, giving them a chance to contribute to museum projects.
Smithsonian Internship
The Smithsonian's internships vary widely, but anthropology students are welcomed to participate in experiential education along with a mentor who shapes the program to meet the intern's goals.
Women in Archeology Internship Program
This internship, sponsored by the Center for American Archeology, offers four internships for undergraduate and graduate women in archeology, museum education, or related fields.
Anthropology Student & Professional Organizations
Lambda Alpha
This organization, with chapters at universities across the country, is the National Collegiate Honors Society for Anthropology.
National Association of Student Anthropologists
This organization, founded in 1985, brings together undergraduate and graduate students in the field to address concerns and promote the discipline.
The AAS was founded in 1902 and is "the world's largest organization of individuals interested in anthropology."
American Ethnological Society
The AES was founded in 1842 to promote anthropological research and now promotes scholarship and education across the discipline.
The AMNH has goals of discovering, interpreting, and disseminating information on culture, the natural world, and the universe through education and exhibitions.
Consortium of Practicing and Applied Anthropology Programs
"COPAA is a nationwide consortium of university departments and programs that provide education in practicing and applied anthropology."
National Association of the Practice of Anthropology
This organization "strives to promote the practice of anthropology, both within the discipline and among private, public, and nonprofit organizations."
Society for Applied Anthropology
"The Society has for its object the promotion of interdisciplinary scientific investigation of the principles controlling the relations of human beings to one another."


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Carriera

Inizi
Van Slater entrò nel mondo del wrestling nel 1968 insieme a Mike Graham alla Robinson High School di Tampa, Florida. Il padre di Mike, Eddie Graham, lavorava in un'organizzazione chiamata AAU, che si occupava di allenare lottatori giovani per le Olimpiadi. Slater frequentò la University of Tampa dove era nella squadra di football americano in aggiunta a quella di lotta (tra i suoi compagni di scuola c'erano John Matuszak e Paul Orndorff). Ebbe l'opportunità di giocare a football per i Miami Dolphins ma declinò l'offerta, preferendo dedicarsi al wrestling. Dopo essersi recato a un incontro della National AAU, conobbe Mike Graham, che gli chiese se volesse intraprendere la carriera di lottatore professionista; Slater decise di andare allo Sportatorium di Tampa per iniziare l'allenamento. Lì, venne addestrato da Jack Brisco, Bob Roop, Hiro Matsuda, e Bill Watts. In questo periodo divenne anche un buon amico di Dick Murdoch. Debuttò con il ring name Dick Slater nella Championship Wrestling from Florida di proprietà di Eddie Graham. Restò nella federazione per tre anni e vinse varie volte l'NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (in coppia con Dusty Rhodes, Stan Vachon, Toru Tanaka, e Johnny Weaver) e l'NWA Florida Television Championship.

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1972–1983)
Dopo aver lasciato la CWF, Slater andò a combattere in California insieme a wrestler quali The Von Brauners, Moondog Mayne, Pat Patterson, e Ray Stevens. Da Lì, si spostò a Las Vegas e Reno (Nevada) (viaggiando frequentemente insieme a Moondog Mayne). Giunse quindi alla Georgia Championship Wrestling, dove lottò per otto anni, aggiudicandosi l'NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship in quattro occasioni diverse, l'NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship e l'NWA Macon Tag Team Championship con Bob Orton Jr. Durante questo periodo, vinse anche l'NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship e svariati titoli locali in Florida.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (1983–1985)
Nel 1983, mentre lottava nella zona di Knoxville, Tennessee, per Ron Fuller; Slater venne avvicinato da Jim Barnett che gli confessò l'idea di prenotare uno show televisivo ad Atlanta per Ted Turner. Allo stesso tempo, Jim Crockett Jr. convinse Slater a lottare per lui. Dusty Rhodes (uno dei molti partner di coppia di Slater) divenne un booker per Crockett. Slater fece coppia con Bob Orton Jr., e iniziò un feud con Ric Flair. Presto Flair spostò le sue attenzioni verso il titolo NWA in possesso di Harley Race, allora Orton & Slater affrontarono Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel, che volevano vendicare l'aggressione ai danni del loro amico Flair.

Oltre a combattere nella Jim Crockett Promotions/Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, all'epoca Slater lavorava anche in altre tre federazioni, quelle di proprietà di Bill Watts, Joe Blanchard, e Paul Boesch. Per qualche tempo nella Mid-Atlantic, Slater ebbe come managerGary Hart. Nella compagnia, si aggiudicò NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, NWA Television Championship e NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. Inoltre, mentre Ric Flair era NWA Champion, si dichiarò il vero campione del mondo e creò una sua personale versione della cintura. Il fatto portò a un nuovo feud tra i due.

Mid-South Wrestling Association (1985–1986)
Nel 1985, Slater lasciò la Mid-Atlantic per la Mid-South Wrestling (di proprietà di Bill Watts). A posteriori dichiarò di essere uscito dalla Mid-Atlantic perché stufo della federazione e dei multipli impegni ai quali era sottoposto. Nella Mid-South, Slater prese come valletta Dark Journey, che aveva scoperto una sera vedendola danzare in un nightclub. La sua relazione con lei creò una certa sensazione nell'ambiente in quanto la ragazza era afroamericana. Sempre nella Mid-South, Slater ebbe un lungo feud con Jake Roberts (che mise ko Dark Journey con un DDT durante uno dei loro match); e vinse i titoli Mid-South North American Championship, Mid-South Television Championship, e UWF World Television Championship durante la sua permanenza nella compagnia.

World Wrestling Federation (1986–1987)
Slater lottò per breve tempo nella World Wrestling Federation come personaggio "face" con la gimmick del "ribelle del Sud". In WWF, Slater ebbe un match con Jake Roberts; tuttavia, essendo uno show televisivo WWF degli anni ottanta (dove non veniva assolutamente menzionato il passato di un wrestler) il loro antico feud del periodo Mid-South venne ignorato. Slater sconfisse Mike Sharpe a The Big Event e venne schienato in due minuti circa da Don Muraco durante la puntata del 29 novembre 1986 di Saturday Night's Main Event. Poco tempo dopo la sconfitta per mano di Muraco, la WWF retrocedette Slater al ruolo di jobber.

World Championship Wrestling (1987–1996)
Dopo un breve periodo trascorso nella American Wrestling Association dove interpretava la parte della guardia del corpo del campione AWA Curt Hennig, Slater fece ritorno alla Jim Crockett Promotions dopo aver lasciato la WWF, ma venne presto licenziato per aver quasi soffocato Ric Flair mettendogli un sacchetto di plastica in testa. Tuttavia, egli sarebbe tornato nella World Championship Wrestling negli ultimi anni di carriera. Sostituì l'infortunato Terry Funk per combattere in coppia con The Great Muta a Clash of the Champions VIII nella sconfitta con Ric Flair & Sting. Si aggiudicò in coppia con The Barbarian il titolo WCW United States Tag Team Championship sconfiggendo The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin & Michael Hayes), ma le cinture furono ritirate un mese dopo, il 31 luglio 1992. Quindi Slater rimpiazzò Terry Funk nel tag team "Stud Stable". Il team iniziò un feud con gli Harlem Heat. In coppia con Bunkhouse Buck, Slater si aggiudicò il WCW World Tag Team Championship durante una puntata di WCW Saturday Night (22 luglio 1995), battendo gli Harlem Heat grazie all'interferenza di Col. Rob Parker. Slater e Bunkhouse Buck persero poi le cinture nel rematch con gli Harlem Heat svoltosi a Fall Brawl 1995. Alla fine Parker mollò Slater & Buck per Sherri Martel, e gli Stud Stable si sciolsero. Nel 1996, Slater formò un altro tag team con Mike Enos denominato "Rough N Ready". A Gainesville (Georgia), Slater si ruppe due vertebre durante un incontro trasmesso in tv. L'infortunio alla schiena si rivelò più grave del previsto e pose fine alla sua carriera di lottatore.

Vita privata
Nel giugno 2004 Slater fu arrestato per aver aggredito la sua ex fidanzata, Theresa Halbert. Il 27 dicembre 2003, venne reso noto che Slater aveva accoltellato la Halbert con un coltello da macellaio. Slater dichiarò che la notte prima dell'incidente, aveva preso della morfina e vari antidolorifici a causa dei suoi numerosi infortuni alla schiena rimediati in carriera. Nel corso di un'intervista concessa a Mid-Atlantic Gateway, Slater disse: «Era tutto collegato alla droga... quasi tutto. Voglio dire, non potrei dirti cosa è successo... se non sapessi quello che successe... Non so veramente cosa sia accaduto di preciso, a parte il fatto che io... mi svegliai nel reparto intensivo dell'ospedale. Mi avevano trasportato in ospedale in ambulanza la sera prima... ». Nel 2004 Slater fu condannato a un anno di arresti domiciliari e al pagamento di una multa di 18,000 dollari.

Prima di passare alla Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Slater restò coinvolto in un famoso incidente nel quale Wahoo McDaniel accidentalmente gli sparò un colpo di pistola. Slater, McDaniel, Tommy Rich, ed André the Giant si trovavano in un bar a Tampa quando qualcuno fece un commento volgare circa la moglie di Rich, cosa che fece infuriare Rich e McDaniel. L'uomo che aveva fatto il commento tirò fuori un coltello, mentre McDaniel estrasse una pistola. André e Slater uscirono nel parcheggio del locale per assistere alla lite; mentre osservavano la scena, un colpo di arma da fuoco colpì Slater a una gamba. Slater disse alla polizia che era stato un cecchino nascosto a sparargli; ma rimase il dubbio che fosse stato un colpo accidentale scappato dalla pistola di McDaniel a ferirlo. Slater tornò comunque a combattere sul ring dopo sole tre settimane di convalescenza. Inoltre, Dick Slater ebbe un'altra famosa lite in un bar di Tampa, che coinvolse lui e John Matuszak, che Dick mandò al tappeto.

Morte
Il 18 ottobre 2018 la WWE ha emesso un comunicato annunciando il decesso di Slater. L'allenatore di wrestling e amico intimo Les Thatcher confermò la notizia sul proprio account Twitter. La morte di Slater fu confermata anche da Ric Flair.

Personaggio
Mosse finali
Figure four leglock
Russian legsweep, talvolta portato avanti fino allo schienamento

Manager
Dark Journey
Gary Hart
Diamond Dallas Page
Col. Robert Parker

Soprannomi
Mr. Unpredictable
Mr. Excitement
"Dirty"
"The Rebel"

Titoli e riconoscimenti
Championship Wrestling from Florida
NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (1)
NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2)
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (4) - con Dusty Rhodes (1), Stan Vachon (1), Toru Tanaka (1), e Johnny Weaver (1)
NWA Florida Television Championship (2)
NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (4)
NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1) - con Killer Karl Kox
Georgia Championship Wrestling
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (4)
NWA Macon Heavyweight Championship ([2)
NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1) - con Bob Orton Jr.
NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (1) - con Bob Orton Jr.
International Wrestling Association of Japan
IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1)
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1)
NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1)
NWA Television Championship (2)
WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1) - con The Barbarian
NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Championship (2) - con Dusty Rhodes (1) e Bunkhouse Buck (1)
Mid-South Wrestling Association / Universal Wrestling Federation
Mid-South North American Championship (2)
Mid-South Television Championship (1)
UWF World Television Championship (1)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
153º nella lista dei migliori 500 wrestler singoli durante i "PWI Years" del 2003.
Southeastern Championship Wrestling
NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (3)
NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (2) - con Jerry Blackwell (1) e Paul Orndorff (1)
Southwest Championship Wrestling
SCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship (2)
SCW Southwest Tag Team Championship (1) - con Bob Sweetan
SCW World Tag Team Championship (1) - con Bruiser Brody
St. Louis Wrestling Club
NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1)
United States Wrestling Association
USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Worst Tag Team (1995) con Bunkhouse Buck

Note

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


by Nikola Strahija on October 3rd, 2005 Three Novell OpenSUSE community web site were defaced on Sunday by politically motivated hackers presumably from Iran.
A group called IHS (Iran Hackers Sabotage) broke into OpenSUSE.org, wiki.novell.com and forge.novell.com and defaced the sites by posting a message stating �Atomic energy is our right'.
OpenSUSE.org and forge.novell.com have since been restored to normal operation and the offending images removed. The wiki.novell.com site has been taken temporarily offline.
There are no indications the attacks were serious.
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