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23 Kan. App. 2d 487
MICHAEL L. ALKIRE, et al., Appellants, v. PAUL J. FISSEL and SHARON D. JAMES, Appellees.
1.	Unpaid wages and additional damages may be collected from an employer who knowingly and willfully fails to pay wages. K.S.A. 44-315(b).
2.	Under K.S.A. 44-323(b), either the corporation or an officer who knowingly permits the corporation to violate the act shall be deemed the employer.
3.	For the purpose of determining additional damages, under K.S.A. 44-315(b), a failure to pay an employee wages is not a continuing violation after the date an employer files a petition in bankruptcy if the employer is adjudicated bankrupt on the petition.
4.	Where an employer is adjudicated bankrupt, the United States Bankruptcy Code determines the priority of claims, including employee claims for accrued, unpaid vacation pay.
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; PAUL BUCHANAN, judge. Opinion filed February 14, 1997. Affirmed.
W. Thomas Gilman, of Redmond, Redmond & Nazar, of Wichita, for appellants.
John C. Greiner, of Graydon, Head & Ritchey, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Teresa J. James, of Adams, Jones, Robinson & Malone, of Wichita, for appellees.
Before GREEN, P.J., PADDOCK, S.J., and JAMES J. SMITH, District Judge, assigned.
GREEN, J.: Fifteen former employees of Mycro-Tek, Inc., appeal from an unsuccessful action brought against two former directors of Mycro-Tek for wages, accrued vacation pay, and penalties under the Kansas Wage Payment Act, K.S.A. 44-313 et seq. Specifically, the employees appeal the trial court's order granting the directors' motion for summary judgment and the order denying the employees' motions for partial summary judgment. We affirm.
Experiencing severe financial trouble, on January 22, 1993, Mycro-Tek announced that it would reduce the wages of all employees by 20 percent beginning the following week (January 25 through January 29). The employees were paid 80 percent of their salaries for that week. In an attempt to further reduce expenses, Mycro-Tek laid off several workers on February 5, 1993. Finally, on February 10, 1993, Mycro-Tek filed a bankruptcy petition.
Former Mycro-Tek employees brought an action under the Kansas Wage Payment Act seeking: (1) wages for the week of January 25, 1993, through January 29, 1993; (2) accrued and unpaid vacation pay; (3) severance pay; (4) the statutory penalty imposed by K.S.A. 44-315(b); and (5) interest imposed by K.S.A. 44-323(a). The employees' claims were removed to the United States District Court. The United States District Court retained jurisdiction over the severance pay claim and remanded the remaining claims to the trial court.
The employees filed a motion for partial summary judgment. The issue raised by the motion was: Were the employees barred from recovering against the directors the penalty allowed by K.S.A. 44-315(b) as a result of Mycro-Tek's bankruptcy filing? The motion described the issue as a pure question of law. The employees further stated that there were no factual disputes. The trial court denied the motion and specifically found that the directors could not be "liable for additional damages under K.S.A. 44-315(b) for any period following the filing of the Mycro-Tek, Inc. bankruptcy petition."
The directors then filed a motion for summary judgment seeking an order barring the employees from pursuing additional damages or penalties under K.S.A. 44-315(b). In addition, the directors sought an order that Mycro-Tek's 20 percent pay cut did not violate the Kansas Wage Payment Act and that the employees' claims for accrued vacation pay were preempted by the United States Bankruptcy Code.
The employees filed a second motion for partial summary judgment in which they argued that Mycro-Tek's 20 percent wage reduction did not conform to the procedures set out in the personnel policy manual, rendering it unenforceable. In granting the directors' motion for summary judgment in its entirety, the trial court also ruled that the employees' second motion for partial summary judgment was moot. The employees timely appeal both orders denying their motions for partial summary judgment as well as the court's order granting the directors' motion for summary judgment.
The trial court's ruling granting the directors' motion for summary judgment encompassed all of the issues in this case. The trial court ruled as follows:
"1.	In its previous ruling denying Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, this Court found as a matter of law, for purposes of the penalty provided by K.S.A. §44-315(b) any alleged failure to pay wages by Mycro-Tek ended upon Mycro-Tek's bankruptcy filing on February 10, 1993. Thus, because liability for corporate officers or agents under K.S.A. §44-323(a) requires a violation by the corporation, neither defendant could be liable for any penalty after February 10, 1993. For this reason, and based on the doctrine of the law of the case, defendants are entitled to summary judgment in their favor on Plaintiffs' claims for any penalty under K.S.A. §44-315(b);
"2.	The undisputed facts set forth in the record disclose that on January 22, 1993, Mycro-Tek's board of directors adopted a valid and enforceable 20% wage reduction for all employees and further disclose that Mycro-Tek's president Allan Allford announced the wage reduction to Mycro-Tek's employees on January 22, 1993, in advance of the January 25 work week. It is further undisputed that Plaintiffs were paid in full the reduced wage for the week of January 25, 1993. It is further undisputed that each plaintiff was an at-will employee of Mycro-Tek. As a matter of law, an at-will employer does not violate the Kansas Wage Payment Act, K.S.A. § 44-313 et seq., by unilaterally adopting a wage reduction in advance of the work week. For this reason, neither Mycro-Tek nor the individual defendants violated the Kansas Wage Act by implementing the 20% wage reduction, and defendants are entitled to judgment in their favor as a matter of law on plaintiffs' claims for wages for the week of January 25, 1993.
"3.	With respect to the claims of plaintiffs . . . for accrued unpaid vacation it is undisputed that the right to recover such payment arose, if at all, after Mycro-Tek's bankruptcy filing on February 10, 1993. This claim for accrued, unpaid vacation, which arose while Mycro-Tek was a debtor in bankruptcy, and the priority of that payment vis-a-vis claims of other creditors was subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which preempts the operation of the Kansas Wage Payment Act, K.S.A. § 44-313 et seq. For this reason, defendants are entitled to judgment in their favor as a matter of law . . . ."
The employees argue that the trial court erred in granting the directors' motion for summary judgment. In Mitzner v. State Dept. of SRS, 257 Kan. 258, 260-61, 891 P.2d 435 (1995), our Supreme Court reiterated the following standard of review of a motion for summary judgment:
"The burden on the party seeking summary judgment is a strict one. The trial court is required to resolve all facts and inferences which may reasonably be drawn from the evidence in favor of the party against whom the ruling is sought. Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. When opposing a motion for summary judgment, an adverse party must come forward with evidence to establish a dispute as to a material fact. In order to preclude summary judgment, the facts subject to the dispute must be material to the conclusive issues in the case. On appeal we apply the same rule, and where we find reasonable minds could differ as to the conclusions drawn from the evidence, summary judgment must be denied. [Citations omitted.]"
With regard to the trial court's ruling on issue number one (whether the employees could seek penalties pursuant to K.S.A. 44-315[b]), the employees contend that the trial court erroneously interpreted K.S.A. 44-315 and K.S.A. 44-323, which provide as follows:
K.S.A. 44-315:
"(a) Whenever an employer discharges an employee or whenever an employee quits or resigns, the employer shall pay the employee's earned wages not later than the next regular payday upon which he or she would have been paid if still employed as provided under K.S.A. 44-314 either through the regular pay channels or by mail postmarked within the deadlines herein specified if requested by the employee.
"(b) If an employer knowingly fails to pay an employee wages as required under subsection (a) of this section, such employer shall be liable therefor and shall be additionally liable for damages in the fixed amount of one percent (1%) of the unpaid wages for each day, except Sunday and legal holidays, upon which such failure continues after the eighth day after the day upon which payment is required or in an amount equal to the unpaid wages, whichever is smaller, except that such penalty shall apply only in the event of a willful violation. For the purpose of such additional damages, the failure to pay shall not be deemed to continue after the date of the filing of a petition in bankruptcy with respect to the employer if he or she is adjudicated bankrupt upon such petition nor shall it be deemed to continue after an appeal is filed under K.S.A. 44-322a, until the decision on appeal becomes final."
"(a) At the discretion of the presiding officer, interest, as provided under K.S.A. 16-201, and amendments thereto, may be assessed on wage claims found to be due and owing from the date the wages were due as defined in K.S.A. 44-314, and amendments thereto.
"(b) In case of violation of K.S.A. 44-314, and amendments thereto or 44-315, and amendments thereto, by a corporate employer, either the corporation or any officer thereof or any agent having the management of the corporation who knowingly permits the corporation to engage in such violation shall be deemed the employer for purposes of this act."
The employees assert that the statute may be construed such that the directors are "employers" under K.S.A. 44-323(b). The employees argue that such a construction allows them to proceed against the directors for damages under K.S.A. 44-315(b). In their brief, the employees argue that K.S.A. 44-315 and 44-323 should be analyzed as follows:
"First, it must be determined if there was a failure to pay wages as required by K.S.A. 44-315(a). . . Second, the 'employer' must be determined. To make that determination, K.S.A. 44-323(b) provides that in the case of a violation of K.S.A. 44-315 by a corporate employer, 'either the corporation or any officer thereof or any agent having the management of the corporation who knowingly permits the corporation to engage in such violation shall be deemed the employer for purposes of this act.' . . .
". . . If the plaintiffs can prove that the 'employer' willfully violated K.S.A. 44-315(b), the penalty can be assessed against the employer . . . ."
The employees concede that the accrual of the employer's additional liability or penalty stops when the employer files bankruptcy. However, they contend that the individual director's penalty continues to accrue where a corporate employer files bankruptcy because an individual is deemed to be the "employer" under K.S.A. 44-315(b). The employees argue that such construction is consistent with the statute's purpose of protecting wage earners.
Conversely, the directors argue:
"K.S.A. 44-323(b) establishes the parameters of obtaining from individual corporate officers or agents the additional damages of K.S.A. 44-315(b). Under the plain language of this statute the corporate employer must violate the statute for the individual to incur liability.
"By definition, the failure to pay does not continue after the corporate employer files bankruptcy. K.S.A. 44-315(b). Thus, if the corporate employer files bankruptcy, then the corporate employer is not committing the violation of continued failure to pay wages. . . . If the corporate employer is not committing the violation, the individual corporate officers cannot, by statutory definition, be liable for additional damages under K.S.A. 44-315(b)."
Although the trial court found the directors' argument persuasive, this court is not bound by the decision of the trial court on issues of statutory interpretation. "Interpretation of a statute is a question of law. An appellate court's review of a question of law is unlimited." Foulk v. Colonial Terrace, 20 Kan. App. 2d 277, Syl. ¶ 1, 887 P.2d 140 (1994), rev. denied 257 Kan. 1091 (1995).
The parties concede that there are no Kansas cases interpreting this issue. However, the parties cite State ex rel. McCain v. Erdman, 4 Kan. App. 2d 375, Syl. ¶ 4, 607 P.2d 78 (1980). In Erdman, this court held the sole officer of a corporation liable for the corporation's violation of the Kansas Wage Payment Act. Because the officer had given the employee a bad check and assured him that he would be paid, the court found that the officer had knowingly permitted the corporation to violate the statute. The officer was deemed the employer for purposes of K.S.A. 44-315. 4 Kan. App. 2d at 377. However, neither the individual officer nor the corporation filed bankruptcy in Erdman. Therefore, Erdman is not helpful in determining the effect of the corporation's bankruptcy in this case.
Both the employees and the directors form arguments from general rules of statutory interpretation. The employees emphasize that "'[i]t is a fundamental rule of statutory construction, to which all other rules are subordinate, that the intent of the legislature governs if that intent can be ascertained."' City of Wichita v. 200 South Broadway, 253 Kan. 434, 436, 855 P.2d 956 (1993). The employees argue that the purpose of the statute is to protect wage earners and that their interpretation of the statute is consistent with that purpose. They argue at length that the trial court's interpretation of the statute is contrary to that intent. On the other hand, the directors argue that the statute's meaning is clear. They contend that "[w]hen a statute is plain and unambiguous, the court must give effect to the intention of the legislature as expressed, rather than determine what the law should or should not be." Martindale v. Tenny, 250 Kan. 621, Syl. ¶ 2, 829 P.2d 561 (1992).
Although both interpretations of the statute are plausible, the employees' attempts to construe the directors as "employers" under K.S.A. 44-323(b) requires a tortured and contorted reading of the statute. When read as a whole, the statute is consistent with the trial court's ruling. The following rules of construction support the trial court's interpretation of the statute:
"'The several provisions of an act, in pari materia, must be construed together with a view of reconciling and bringing them into workable harmony and giving effect to the entire statute if it is reasonably possible to do so.'" Guardian Title Co. v. Bell, 248 Kan. 146, 151, 805 P.2d 33 (1991).
"'Effect must be given, if possible, to the entire act and every part thereof. To this end, it is the duty of the court, as far as practicable, to reconcile the different provisions so as to make them consistent, harmonious, and sensible.'" Todd v. Kelly, 251 Kan. 512, 516, 837 P.2d 381 (1992).
Consequently, we determine that Mycro-Tek, and not the directors, was the "employer" under the Kansas Wage Payment Act.
The employees also argue that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment as to whether Mycro-Tek announced a valid pay cut. The employees argue that this issue was not ripe for summary judgment because there are material issues of fact in dispute as to whether Mycro-Tek announced a pay cut or a pay deferment. Secondly, the employees argue that the announcement did not conform with the procedures set out in the personnel policy manual.
The record does not support those contentions. In their motion in opposition to the directors' motion for summary judgment, the employees argued that Mycro-Tek's announcement could be construed as a pay deferment. In support, the employees attached the following transcript of an announcement given January 22, 1993, by Allan Allford, president of Mycro-Tek:
"First of all, I'm sorry it's so late in the day, but we just got finished with a Board meeting so I didn't have any news to point out. Thank you for all of your support. As I said in the mail message, we got some attention in Topeka and there was some reaction to that. I don't know yet whether it was good or bad, but it certainly got their attention. Here's the deal. Morris-Anderson will be making a recommendation to KPERS on Monday morning that proposes that the bank and KPERS will jointly fund operations for next week. It will be a very, very minimal effort on their part in terms of what they will fund. Basically, they have agreed to fund operating expenses required to keep the doors open, the lights on, and the telephones ringing. Payroll tax expenses, sales tax expenses, all of the governmental obligations, and 80 percent of our compensation. There are no assurances by the Board, there are no assurances by the pension fund or by Morris-Anderson at this point that those will be paid next week. The only assurance we have is that they will make that recommendation to KPERS. The reason I was late is because I was on the telephone to the bank. The bank has indicated a willingness to participate on a 50/50 basis and are [sic] extremely disturbed that the pension fund or that the investment advisors have chosen this direction. What does that mean? That means that if you come to work on Monday, literally when you get here, there are no assurances that you will be paid. If you are paid, you will be paid at a rate of 80 percent of what you're normally paid. By the end of the day Monday, we should know whether or not KPERS has accepted or rejected that proposal and there will be more assurances about whether or not they will pay the funds throughout the end of the week. In terms of the 20 percent that we may be giving up, we were unable to get any assurances that they would ever be paid back or recuperated [sic] in any way. Not to say that it won't, but we didn't get any assurances that it would."
The employees' argument that this statement indicates that Mycro-Tek announced a pay deferment is flawed. First, the employees admitted in their uncontroverted statement of facts that they were at-will employees. Second, the trial court's conclusion that Mycro-Tek adopted a valid and enforceable 20 percent wage reduction for all employees was based on undisputed facts in the record. Accordingly, this issue was ripe for summary judgment.
The employees' argument that the 20 percent pay cut was unenforceable based upon the personnel policy manual is tenuous. The manual details procedures for increasing and decreasing individual employee salaries. Preceding a signature line, the personnel policy manual contains the following statement: "I have read the Personnel Policy Manual and understand all of the policies contained therein. I acknowledge that I understand that the policies described are subject to change and are not conditions of employment nor is the language intended to create a contract between Mycro-Tek, Inc. and its employees." The manual further provides: "THE TERMS OF THIS SECTION ARE NOT INTENDED TO IN ANY WAY AFFECT THE RIGHT OF MYCRO-TEK TO TERMINATE EMPLOYEES AT THE WILL OF MYCRO-TEK."
Although such disclaimers are not conclusive evidence of an unqualified employment-at-will relationship, the employees do not argue that their at-will status was somehow qualified by the personnel policy manual. See Morriss v. Coleman Co., 241 Kan. 501, 738 P.2d 841 (1987). Based upon the employees' admitted status as at-will employees and the disclaimers included in the manual, the trial court correctly concluded that Mycro-Tek announced a valid pay cut. Moreover, neither K.S.A. 44-315 nor K.S.A. 44-323 addresses wage or pay cuts. Therefore, the trial court correctly ruled that the statutes do not prohibit at-will employee pay cuts announced before wages are earned.
Finally, the employees argue that the trial court erred in determining that their claims for accrued, unpaid vacation pay are controlled by the United States Bankruptcy Code. The employees argue that the Bankruptcy Code applies to the rights of debtors and, therefore, applies to creditors of Mycro-Tek. However, the employees contend that Mycro-Tek's bankruptcy does not protect the individual directors. Because we previously determined that Mycro-Tek was the "employer" under the Kansas Wage Payment Act, the provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code controlled the priority of all claims.
Updated: February 14, 1997; revised: February 26, 1997; revised: April 9, 1997.


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Celebrate Hanukkah with These Books and Activities
Celebrate the history, meaning, and fun of Hanukkah with your family and these books that are funny, moving, and full of kindness. Click on the title to be taken to the full review of each book. There's a printable word search puzzle to enjoy too!
Esther's Hanukkah Disaster
Written by Jane Sutton | Illustrated by Andy Rowland
Jane Sutton brings humor and meaning to her Hanukkah story that reveals the true nature of the holiday and friendship. With clever gift choices and a sweet plot twist, Sutton's Esther's Hanukkah Disaster will have kids giggling and empathizing as Esther's plans go awry. Her easy-going delivery invites kids along on Esther's shopping trip and sets up the jokes and final swap in a natural and engaging way. Sutton's inclusion of Esther's and her friend's honest reactions to the gifts encourages discussion of how to choose gifts, how to make up for mistakes, how to graciously accept gifts, and more topics surrounding gift-giving.
Andy Rowland's purple gorilla Esther is sweetly expressive even as she is a bit oblivious to the needs of her friends and clearly disgruntled when her gifts don't work out. Kids will love the brightly colored illustrations loaded with details appropriate to Esther's world, especially the bowls, drawers, and hangers of bananas, banana cookbooks, banana-decorated table cloth and even a banana-shaped teapot in her kitchen. The Jungle Store is a riff on big-box stores with multiple departments where shoppers finding everything from fish for a pelican to a book of Antelope Recipes for a lion to Ele-Wellie boots for an elephant.
Esther's nighttime neighborhood is likewise beautifully drawn with lush foliage; hanging lanterns; wood, bamboo, and stone homes; and even a waterfall. The window of each friend's home frames a menorah.
With its humorous take on a common mishap and loveable characters, Esther's Hanukkah Disaster is a book kids will enjoy no matter what the gift-giving occasion is!
Kar-Ben Publishing, 2013 | ISBN 978-0761390435
Hanukkah at Valley Forge
Written by Stephen Krensky | Illustrated by Greg Harlin
Stephen Krensky's beautiful telling of the Hanukkah story framed by the historical struggles of the American revolutionary soldiers at Valley Forge makes for a poignant tale about the meaning of Hanukkah as well as the power of belief and miracles. Krensky's evocative storytelling is enriched with sensory details that convey the brutal conditions and seemingly hopeless circumstances faced by both the Israelite and American soldiers. The juxtaposition allows children (those who celebrate Hanukkah as well as those who may be unfamiliar with the holiday) to understand and appreciate the soldiers' successes against the odds and how the miracle of Hanukkah continues to inspire. Lovely metaphorical descriptions connect the light from the Polish soldier's Hanukkah candles to the Maccabees and to anyone searching for strength and encouragement. As readers finish the book, they are heartened with the knowledge that light always triumphs.
Greg Harlin's affecting paintings relay the frozen bleakness of Valley Forge as General Washington gazes down on the makeshift wooden huts, the cold made obvious in the horse's windswept mane and clouds of breath. As the soldiers huddle around a meager fire and trudge through the snow gripping their tattered cloaks around them, readers can almost feel the icy temperatures. How warm and welcome then is the glow from the candles that attracts General Washington's attention as the Polish man celebrates Hanukkah quietly on his own. Portraits of the soldier and Washington will captivate kids' attention and comparing the early images with the final picture of the two together can lead into discussions about trust and equality.
Several finely detailed and impactful illustrations depict the subjugation of the Israelites under Greek rule and the moment when Judah takes up arms against it. Two following page spreads demonstrate the similarities between the sizes of the American and the Israelite troops. Readers will be interested in images of the temple under restoration and its original menorah. The heart of the story is told in the final pages, where the Hanukkiah and Shamash candles glow, dispelling the gloom both in Washington's mind and outside, as the Polish soldier celebrates Hanukkah.
Newly released in a slightly revised edition from the 2006 original, Hanukkah at Valley Forge, the winner of the 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries, is a moving and beautifully conceived and illustrated story for the holiday and any time of the year.
Apples & Honey Press, 2021 | ISBN 978-1681155845
Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles
Written by David A. Adler | Illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler
David A. Adler's touching story about a little girl who sees someone in need and generously provides help is a heartening story for Hanukkah and any time of year. Adler's straightforward storytelling, told from Sara's first-person point of view, invites young readers to look out the window with her and join her as she saves a cookie for the old man and goes on to provide more food and finally companionship to him. The fact that Mr. Berger is a member of Sara's synagogue reminds readers that people in need of help of all kinds are part of our community, are part of us. Readers will be charmed by Mr. Berger's circus past and will learn from him that the gifts we have to share with others do not always need to be monetary to have value.
Jeffery Ebbeler's enchanting illustrations of the city, complete with an adorably narrow Sol's Market, take readers into Sara's world, where she sees examples of people in need and those who have plenty. Sara's contemplations about Mr. Berger and his plight are shown as she considers the full bowl of fruit on her kitchen table, watches someone ask for two hot dogs at the corner cart, and decides to save her cookie at school while the other kids eat theirs and reach for seconds. These same kids, however, happily give up their snack the next day to fill Sara's bag for Mr. Berger. Classroom scenes and the image of Sara showering her cookies with sprinkles are familiar for all children celebrating holidays at school and at home. The family's joyful Hanukkah dinner is doubly fun as Mr. Berger performs tricks that even the cat tries to do.
A moving story for Hanukkah and for sharing the spirit of giving all through the year, Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles is a fantastic addition to all home, school, and public library bookshelves.
Hanukkah Hamster
Written by Michelle Markel | Illustrated by André Ceolin
Immersed in the special yearning for family and togetherness the holidays bring, Michelle Markel's touching story glows with kindness and empathy. The growing friendship between Edgar and Chickpea will tug at readers' hearts just as it does for Edgar, who so hopes to keep the little hamster but also knows there may be someone in the city missing him. As the days pass, and Edgar, alone for Hanukkah, shares his traditions with the hamster, readers also become participants in the holiday. Children will be riveted to the increasing suspense, and the pitch-perfect solution is joyful and satisfying. Realistic dialogue and honestly portrayed emotions provides depth to this moving story.
From the tiny white lights lining main street to the first glimpse of the little hamster to Edgar's cozy apartment with his menorah in the window, André Ceolin's richly colored illustrations invite readers into Edgar's life with his new friend, Chickpea. Chickpea is adorable as it nibbles on salad, poses for pictures, and curls up in its shredded paper bed. Images of Edgar lighting the menorah are luminous, and the Edgar and Chickpea's smiles will spark happiness in readers' hearts.
The portrayals of friendship, generosity, empathy, and family make Hanukkah Hamster a poignant story for all children to share not only at the holidays but all year around. The book would make a wonderful gift and much loved addition to home and school libraries.
Hello, Hanukkah!
By Susan S, Novich
Little Badger is excited to celebrate Hanukkah with little ones in this bright board book that shares the traditions of the holiday while inviting kids to count and point out the colors of the candles as Badger places them in the menorah. Each page spread names one of the customs of Hanukkah as Badger and his friend – a bird with a whimsical crest of feathers – participate in the activity then lights a succeeding number of candles from one to eight.
Little Badger is an enthusiastic friend to celebrate with as he and Bird play dreidel, sing songs, make latkes, and read the story of the Maccabees. "Little Badger noshes on chocolate gelt and lights six pink Hanukkah candles" on his way to adding jelly to sufganiyot and saying the blessings over the eight candles in the glowing menorah.
Susan S. Novich's short, active sentences are perfect for the targeted audience, and give adults the opportunity to explain more about each tradition as they read together. Children will love Novich's textured paper-cut, collage-style illustrations, which shine with captivating perspectives, movement, and the joy of the holiday. In addition to counting the candles and learning colors, little ones will giggle at Badgers silly slippers, and enthusiastically recognize other familiar household items.
Is It Hanukkah Yet?
Written by Nancy Krulik | Illustrated by Monique Dong
Reviewed by Heidi Rabinowitz in The Sydney Taylor Shmooze
The exuberant first person voice of a nameless little girl makes the controlled vocabulary come alive in this early reader. The child and her grandparents happily prepare for the holiday, and celebrate when the parents arrive home from work at sundown. Typical Hanukkah activities such as making latkes, reading about the Maccabees, lighting candles, playing dreidel, and eating sufganiyot are woven naturally into the story. Grandma gifts her granddaughter the music box they play with at her house ("Now you can hear our special song anytime you like!"), which pleasantly emphasizes relationships instead of consumerism.
Originally published in 2000 with pictures by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, this new edition has energetic, rounded illustrations by Monique Dong, arranged with plenty of white space to give the eyes of early readers a break. The storyline has also been updated: in this version, both parents work while the grands babysit, and Grandpa cooks the latkes. In addition, we see Grandma using her cell phone to take a photo, a nicely modern touch.
As a typical story of a white Jewish Ashkenazi middle class North American family celebrating Hanukkah, this book hits all the right beats. As an early reader, the authentic and positive Jewish content is extremely welcome.
Random House, 2021 | ISBN 978-0593375846
Latkes for Santa Claus
Written by Janie Emaus | Illustrated by Bryan Langdo
Janie Emaus's original story focused on a favorite part of Christmas Eve traditions—Santa's snack—presents a clever and inclusive way for blended families to celebrate the joys of Hanukkah and Christmas together. Through Anna's humorous imaginings of Santa trying to eat matza ball soup, kugel, and tzimmes, Emaus offers readers funny rhyming verses with repeated phrasing that kids will love to chime in on, especially "Slurp. Burp. Slop. Spill." Michael and Anna's sibling rivalry over the snack is good-natured and shows how this new brother and sister pair are quickly becoming a team. The list of traditional Jewish dishes will excite kids who already love them and entice those who aren't to try them. Anna's impressions of the world outside her window on this special night invite readers to embrace both of these meaningful holidays and those who observe them.
In Bryan Langdo's vibrant and engaging illustrations, Hanukkah and Christmas reside side-by-side, just as Anna and Michael do. A menorah is prominently displayed on the fireplace mantle and Michael spins a dreidel while Christmas lights line the walls and a Christmas tree stands lit and decorated nearby. When the kids take to the cozy kitchen, Anna's grandmother stands at the stove stirring a large pot of matza ball soup. The banter between Michael and Anna over Santa's treat ushers in vivid and giggle-inducing images of Santa trying to spoon up splashing soup, dodging flying bowls of kugel, and finally wearing the bowl of stew on his head all while attempting to steer his sleigh. Sketched with a light touch, Langdo's characters are charming and warm, and Anna and Michael are delightful siblings to carry this story about acceptance and family love.
A fun and inclusive story for Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations and to celebrate the joys of family, Latkes for Santa Claus would make an excellent gift for pre-holiday story times and baking and a charming addition to home, school, and public libraries for any time of the year.
Sky Pony, Simon & Schuster, 2020 | ISBN 978-1510759886
Red and Green and Blue and White
Written by Lee Wind | Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Lee Wind's retelling of a true story of a girl and then a whole town who stand up to antisemitism and violence makes for a compelling and emotional read aloud that will move young readers and empower them to fight against prejudice, bullying, and injustice wherever they see it. Through his comparisons of Isaac and Teresa's favorite activities and their pre-holiday preparations, Wind emphasizes the two families' similarities, reminding readers that while people's beliefs and celebrations may be different, we all want the same things from our friendships, family, and life in general.
Teresa's action in support of Isaac may remind many children of their role in creating and displaying signs to thank frontline workers during the not-so-long-ago lockdown, which also demonstrated kids' natural empathy and desire to connect with their community. Wind's factual storytelling will captivate readers and echoes the speed with which Teresa's idea spread to thousands of homes and beyond.
Paul O. Zelinsky uses aerial and angled perspectives as well as evocative two-page spreads that connect Isaac and Teresa and their homes and to invite readers into their similar, yet different holiday preparations. The opening spread of a nighttime look at the block where Isaac lives glows peacefully with red, green, blue, white, and gold lights. Along the outside edge, however, the grey clouds from the title page encroach, a symbolic image of the trouble to come. As kids see Isaac's and Teresa's families simultaneously decorating their homes, they will notice how similar the silhouettes are and that a star also features prominently in each holiday.
Midway through the story, Zelinsky's vibrant, cheerful, and carefree illustrations are interrupted by a dark image of a shadowy, gloved hand hurling a rock at Isaac's front window. The soft lines used previously turn angled as shards erupt from the shattered glass. With the relighting of the menorah the next night, the vivid colors resume as Teresa and Isaac share their idea at school and it spreads throughout the community until the final spreads depict a town solidly in support of their Jewish neighbors. Special mention must be made of Zelinsky's use of color as a unifying symbol. The title colors appear often—in Isaac's thoughts, Teresa's art, clothing, food, snowbanks, and town buildings. Gold also becomes a universal and hopeful accent, defining school desks, library bookshelves and, in the final spread, outlining rooftops as far as the eye can see. A blue river winds its way through the town toward the horizon, where the sun is just rising, tinging the clouds now high and fair with golden light.
Levine Querido, 2021 | ISBN 978-1646140879
Written by David A. Adler | Illustrated by Jill Weber
With his exceptional storytelling skills, David A. Adler reveals the history of Hanukkah to children. In simple, yet compelling sentences, Adler clearly depicts the faith of the Jews and the dangers they faced from Antiochus and his army. Children will marvel over the astounding defeat of Antiochus's soldiers at the hands of the Maccabees and be filled with awe as the Temple is rebuilt and the small amount of oil sustains the flame in the ner tamid for eight days. Children unfamiliar with Hanukkah celebrations will discover the meanings behind the traditional foods, dreidel game, and lighting of the Menorah in clear language full of the pride and emotions Jewish families feel during the holiday.
In her bright acrylic paintings Jill Weber brings to life the story of the Jews and the Maccabees, allowing children to fully experience the environment and perils of the time period. Her patchwork fields tended by farmers and shepherds give way to the majesty of the Temple with its central altar and glowing eternal flame. Weber's battle scenes are particularly effective in presenting the destruction, fear, and final victory experienced by the Jews. Readers will be cheered by the joy depicted in the faces of the people celebrating the restoration of the Temple and the excitement of families observing Hanukkah today.
A recipe for Latkes as well as instructions on how to play Dreidel follow the text
The Story of Hanukkah is a wonderful introduction to the holiday for children learning their own heritage or for children discovering the traditions of friends, family, and others.
Holiday House, 2012 | ISBN 978-0823425471 (Paperback) | ISBN 978-0823440320 (Board Book)
Hanukkah Activities
Festival of Lights Word Search
Find 20 words related to Hanukkah celebrations in this printable Festival of Lights Word Search puzzle. Here's the Solution.
Make Latkes for Santa
With this coloring sheet and puzzle, you can put together a plate of latkes for Santa – or yourself!
Make Latkas for Santa Coloring Page
Kids can add sparkle to their Hanukkah celebrations with this Star of David Ornament craft.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Is it possible to set up a VPN server on Debian 8 while keeping my web services (php/apache)? I would like to set up a VPN server, however it means ipv4 forwarding. Is it possible to set up a VPN without shutting down web services or should i use 2 separate servers ?
Thanks for reading ;)

A: Setting up a VPN server should not affect your web services. The only limitation is that you cannot use an HTTP(S) port (80 or 443), which I personally find practical (I have already seen Wi-Fi hotspots blocking all the ports except 80 and 443). However, if you get along with another port, you will do fine.
There is a good article about setting up an OpenVPN server on Debian Wiki (here). I have managed to set up the server using only this article.
Wishing you good luck.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Like you, we run our farm with lots of equipment. We trade some old stuff, get new, get used and we always seem to have a few extras hanging around.
Over the years, we've built a reputation for selling good used self-propelled harvesters and tractors with over 100 HP. Contact us today if you're looking for machinery.
With metal detector, duradrum ready to bolt on. We also have drums. Hope you don't need one but these are 1/5 of new price! And the pigeon droppings are free!
For 5000 series harvesters. Many in stock. Some better than others.
6 Row. For 6000 series JD Harvester. Exceptional condition. Newer 122 serial number.
Completely rebuilt cutter head. Over 30,000 $ invested. Machine is in perfect shape. Used on our farm for silage and corn in 2005 KP included. Heads extra. We have regular 6 Row or Kemper 4500 for it. If you don't want it, we use it!
Used in 2005 on our farm for haylage. We have a choice of different heads. Heads are extra. Kernel processor available.
This is a very nice 70 series BJ. This one is equipped with a 3.4 litre non turbo 4 cylinder diesel. The engine is indestructible and is identical to the engines in the Hino trucks. It feels and runs like a industrial diesel, low RPMs and torque like a locomotive. It has a 5 speed manual gearbox, a winch and enough lights to make you think it is daylight. Body has no rust. It has leaf springs.
Oldie but goodie. If you need cheap HP, that is the deal. No smoke, no blow by. Oil pressure on transmission perfect. If you don't want it, we use it!


Like Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman is a very serious actress. Like Grace Kelly, she is a classy dame, a princess from the Pacific. And like Marilyn or Rita Hayworth, she makes a saucy pin-up, who just loves being photographed. The combination is sensational, and no one can argue about her being the great star actress of the moment. She is mistress to an astonishing range of parts, but she is also the Chanel woman, a face and a body made iconic on billboards, in TV commercials, on magazine covers, on the Internet and in our dreams. But there is something mysterious and not quite settled about Nicole Kidman, which is why David Thomson wanted to write this book about her. He realized that there wasn't another career so single-minded about being a star, a figure on all our horizons. So he tracks her from Australia to the larger world and back again from 'Dead calm', 'Days of thunder' and 'To die for' to 'Eyes wide shut', 'Moulin Rouge', 'The others', 'Birthday girl', 'The hours', 'Dogville', 'Birth and fur'. In this arc a curly-haired girl from Hawaii and Sydney has become - whatever she wants to be. Has it been easy? Pain-free? Without problems? Look at those blue eyes - so carefree once and already now those of a woman about to be forty, the next great challenge in her determined evolution. What happens when a woman discovers the power to move millions of strangers? And what happens to those who watch - the strangers?
David Thomson taught film studies at Dartmouth College and served on the selection committee for the New York Film Festival. He is a regular contributor to the Independent, The New York Times, Film Comment, Movieline, The New Republic and Salon, and was the screenwriter on the award-winning documentary The Making of a Legend: Gone With the Wind. His other books include The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood, Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick, Beneath Mulholland: Thoughts on Hollywood and Its Ghosts, and three works of fiction. Born in London, he lives in San Francisco with his wife and their two sons.


Participants can join the webinar up to 30 minutes early (at 12:30 p.m. Central time). If you try to join earlier than 12:30 p.m. Central time you may receive a message that the webinar is full, or you may be asked to provide a username and password. If this happens please try joining again after 12:30 p.m.


text:
Sharing of memes criticizing presidents without military service has decreased by 87%, study finds
WASHINGTON — A research study into behavior on social media has found a sharp decline in the sharing of images regarding military service as a prerequisite for being President of the United States, sources confirmed today.
"There's a correlation here; the metrics clearly show it," said Dr. Hector Navarro, a data scientist and social network analyst supervising the RAND Corporation research team. "The curve plummets after the first third of November 2016."
The memes, previously widespread on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere, often asked readers of military, veteran, and conservative-themed pages if they believed that serving in the armed forces should be a requirement for the nation's highest office. The images have all but disappeared since the close of last year's election, researchers said.
So far, researchers have struggled to understand the reason behind the downward trend.
"We're still trying to nail down what could have triggered this," Navarro told reporters.
"Memes of this nature were fairly common between January 2009 and November 2016," said Cherie Kensington, a student at Pardee RAND Graduate School who helped with the study. "At first we thought it had to do with the explosion in Facebook membership in 2009, but that doesn't account for the recent drop-off on the graph.
"To complicate things further, it's not like the current president has served in a military branch, so we're quite puzzled as to what could explain such a trend. In any case, now we're back to the drawing board."
Additionally, the research team said it would be analyzing why Google searches of "FEMA internment camps" and "Antichrist" have declined in 2017.


More Info on Kathleen will be coming soon!
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Sergei Ivanovich Gribkov (Russian: Сергей Иванович Грибков; 4 July 1822, Kasimov - 16 December 1893, Moscow) was a Russian painter of historical and genre  scenes in the Realistic style, as well as an iconographer.

Biography

He came from a family of small merchants. Despite his dissatisfaction with the world of business, his artistic career began late, in 1841, when Sergei Stroganov visited Kasimov and chanced to see some of Gribkov's drawings. He was sufficiently impressed to suggest that Gribkov take up art professionally. His father reluctantly agreed and, in 1844, on Stroganov's recommendation, he began studies at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with Mikhail Scotti and Apollon Mokritsky.

While at the school, his father demanded evidence that he was making progress. In 1851, his painting of a Spanish woman praying in church brought him a commendation from the governing council of the Moscow Art Society and he was named an "Artist" by the Imperial Academy of Arts.

He remained at the Moscow School until 1856. In 1864, his painting of a scene from The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, by Gogol, won him first prize in a competition held by the "".

From 1880 to c.1890, he gave lessons at his private art studio in Moscow and provided what support he could to struggling artists, notably Alexei Savrasov, who was often a guest in Gribkov's home. In 1882, he held a major showing at the "All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition" at Khodynka Field.

During the last years of his life, in addition to his oil paintings, he created murals and frescoes for several churches in Moscow, the  in Kursk and Ascension Cathedral in his hometown of Kasimov. He also did murals for Moscow's Catherine Hospital.

According to a newspaper account by Vladimir Gilyarovsky, Gribkov died in poverty and a collection had to be taken up to pay for his funeral.

References

External links

1822 births
1893 deaths
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
Russian genre painters
History painters
People from Kasimov
Religious artists
19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I have been a radio nerd since I was a junior in high school back in 1983. Since then, I have scared listeners by saying really strange things between songs. My guidance counselor predicted prison at an early age, so I consider my radio show as overachieving. The truth is that everyone that interacts with my radio show are the real stars as their calls, Facebook comments and occasional threats are funnier than anything I could ever come up with.


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The new ducted fan unit JETFAN-80 was designed especially for the new 80mm EDF-class. We reached our goal to gain much more thrust and E-Flux for a more dynamic climbing and high speed passes. Also a much better whooshing sound was the result. THIS JETFAN-80 is cool!
Also the usage of your existing 36mm up to 41mm outer diameter motors is possible. So you have the advantage to choose from a wider range of motors.
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The weight of the JETFAN-80 is 122 gram / 4.3 ounces.


The humble Bakewell tart is an old favourite in my family. My dad will often swing by the small village from which they hail to pick up a couple from the local bakery, and we have it that night with warm custard and a drizzle of single cream. They taste of a traditional english pudding, but the guys over at Nakd have given them a not so traditional twist, making them wheat, gluten and dairy free, and free from refined sugar. I couldn't wait to try them!
Made by "Natural Balance Foods", Nakd bars contain 100% natural ingredients. Nakd has taken the nation by storm, as has their sister brand, Trek bars. A risqué name, fabulous branding and a loyal following, they've achieved levels of success few others can match. Their products are stocked in most major supermarkets, and they provide healthy treats to pop in your handbag or your lunchbox.
It was their new Bakewell Tart flavour bar that I was most excited to try, however. I was slightly nervous about tasting it – could a sugar free, raw, vegan, gluten free version of the pudding I love so much match up to my high expectations? How can something made solely from dates, cashew nuts and raisins taste as a good as the real deal? I reluctantly unwrapped the packaging. It was a deep brown, lumpy mould of sticky fruits. It didn't look the most appetising, despite the beautiful packaging on the outside, but I tried it nonetheless.
I was blown away. It tasted delicious, a melange of cherry and almond, sweet without being sickly. The texture was quite gritty, and the bar itself was chewy, but the taste was out-of-this-world. I had them for my breakfast two days in a row, as they were filling and easy to eat on the go (Bakewell tart for breakfast – who can complain about that?!). They were only quite small, though, but would be a great, healthy substitute for chocolate in a child's lunchbox, or even as a late afternoon snack with a brew.


text:
vatornews
Brett Greene
Website: http://www.BlindInfluence.com
Boulder, Colorado, United States
Brett Greene, a web strategist, has deep experience and talent in psychology, marketing and social media. His career in marketing began as a National Promotion Director for record labels including Geffen and MCA. After a decade and a half in the music industry, he migrated to the Internet where he pioneered using online technology to develop thriving web programs. He develops strategies and systems which build deeper trust, value and revenue for businesses through meeting social needs.
Brett blogs about influence, social media and random observations at http://blindinfluence.com and he blogs about life in Colorado at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brett-greene.
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Thank you for your interest in Bulldog Scholars Academy. You may apply after you have been accepted to Bowie State University and paid your $80 confirmation of attendance fee. To reserve a spot in the Academy, fill out the application and pay a $350 deposit or in full. The full cost of attendance is $1,000 for in-state residents and $2,850 for out-of-state residents.
The balance is due by 4:30 p.m. on June 7, 2019.


text:
Clinical and Translational Medicine
Deletion of Cdc42 in embryonic cardiomyocytes results in right ventricle hypoplasia
Yang Liu1, 2,
Jian Wang1,
Jieli Li1,
Rui Wang1, 3,
Binu Tharakan4,
Shenyuan L. Zhang1,
Carl W. Tong1, 5 and
Xu Peng1Email authorView ORCID ID profile
Clinical and Translational Medicine20176:40
Received: 4 October 2017
Accepted: 17 October 2017
Published: 3 November 2017
Cdc42 is a member of the Rho GTPase family and functions as a molecular switch in regulating cytoskeleton remodeling and cell polarity establishment. Inactivating Cdc42 in cardiomyocytes resulted in embryonic lethality with heart developmental defects, including ventricular septum defects and thin ventricle wall syndrome.
In this study, we have generated a Cdc42 cardiomyocyte knockout mouse line by crossing Cdc42/flox mice with myosin light chain 2a (MLC2a)-Cre mice. We found that the deletion of Cdc42 in embryonic cardiomyocytes resulted in an underdeveloped right ventricle. Microarray analysis and real-time PCR data analysis displayed that the deletion of Cdc42 decreased dHand expression level. In addition, we found evaginations in the ventricle walls of Cdc42 knockout hearts.
We concluded that Cdc42 plays an essential role in right ventricle growth.
GTPase
Heart development
Right ventricle development
The mammalian heart is the first functional organ formed during embryogenesis, and it uninterruptedly pumps blood throughout adulthood. Interfering with the process of cardiac development results in congenital heart diseases, which affect 40,000 newborns per year in the USA [1–3]. Cardiac morphogenesis and maturation require the deployment of multiple cell lineages that are derived from the primary heart field, secondary heart field, and neural crest cells [4–6]. Initially, the cardiac progenitors that derive from the primary heart field migrate toward the midline of the embryo to fuse and form the primary heart tube. Subsequently, the primary heart tube is elongated by recruiting cells that are generated from the second heart field. Finally, the heart tube undergoes rightward looping and chamber formation [5, 6].
The cardiac progenitors of the right and left ventricles come from different sources [7]. The left ventricle cardiac progenitors are mainly derived from the primary heart field, and the right ventricle cardiomyocytes are from the secondary heart field [8]. Development of the right and left ventricles is regulated by distinct developmental programs. Interfering ventricle-specific transcription factors and/or their effectors can cause sole ventricle developmental defects [9]. Hypoplastic right heart syndrome is a rare congenital heart disease that is characterized by an underdeveloped right ventricle [10, 11]. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate right ventricle development remain elusive. Three papers published in 2001 reported that cardiac progenitors deriving from the secondary heart field contributed to heart tube elongation and right ventricle development in chicks and mice [12–14]. Interfering with cardiac progenitor recruitment from the secondary heart field resulted in a small right ventricle. Insulin gene enhancer protein-1 (Isl-1) is expressed in the entire secondary heart field and then in the bilateral pharyngeal mesoderm. The inactivation of Isl-1 prevented formation of the right ventricle and outflow track [15]. Right ventricle development is dependent on ventricle-specific transcriptional factors, including myocyte enhancer factor 2c (MEF2c) and heart- and neural crest derivatives-expressed protein 2 (dHand), as well as the recruitment of cardiac progenitors from the secondary heart field [16]. MEF2c is required for right ventricle formation, and its promoter region contains Isl-1 and GATA binding sites [17]. dHand is a home box transcription factor that is predominantly expressed in the right ventricle [18]. dHand cannot be directly regulated by Isl-1, but can be regulated by BOP, a downstream effector of MEF2c. Inactivation of dHAND resulted in right ventricle hypoplasia. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) as well as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-initiated signal transduction are involved in right ventricle development [6]. However, the role of signal transduction in regulating right ventricle development remains elusive.
Cdc42 is a Ras GTPase superfamily member that is essential for regulating establishment of actin polymerization [19]. In response to extracellular stimulation (growth factors, shear stress, etc.), Cdc42's activity is tightly controlled by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) and guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors (GDI) [19, 20]. Recently, we and others have reported that Cdc42 plays an important role in heart development in both mice and drosophila [21, 22]. In addition, the deletion of Cdc42 resulted in small right ventricles and enlarged right atria in the adult mice [22]. To further investigate the role of Cdc42 in heart development, we examined the role of Cdc42 in right ventricle development and found that Cdc42 is required for right ventricle growth.
Generation of Cdc42 cardiomyocyte knockout mice
Cdc42 cardiomyocyte knockout mice were generated by crossing Cdc42/flox mice with MLC-2a Cre mice, as previously reported [22]. The protocol of animal studies was reviewed and approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Texas A&M Health Science Center.
Histology analysis
E14.5 embryos were harvested and fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde. After dehydration, the embryos were embedded in paraffin and sectioned in 4 micrometers. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was then performed.
Microarray and real-time PCR analysis
E14.5 embryonic hearts were harvested and RNA was isolated with the Qiagen RNeasy mini kit (QIAGEN, CA). cRNA was synthesized using standard protocols and then applied to an Affymetrix Gene Chip Mouse Exon 1.0 ST Array (Affymetrix, CA). cDNA was synthesized with SuperScript® III Reverse Transcriptase (Invitrogen, CA). Real-time PCR analysis was performed as previously reported [22]. We harvested six control and knockout embryonic hearts for real-time PCR analysis.
Student's T test was used to determine statistical significance. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. Values for all measurements were expressed as mean ± standard deviation.
To determine the role of Cdc42 in heart development, we created a mouse line by crossing Cdc42/flox mice with MLC2a-Cre mice, which inactivated Cdc42 in the embryonic cardiomyocytes [22]. As reported before, we found that deleting Cdc42 in embryonic cardiomyocytes caused lethality with heart development defects (thin ventricle walls). Interestingly, we noted that the deletion of Cdc42 impaired right ventricle development. In the control, the size of the right ventricle was comparable to the left ventricle at E14.5 (Fig. 1a). On the other hand, we found the size of right ventricle to be smaller than that of the left in Cdc42 knockout embryo serial sections. In four out of seven examined knockout embryos, the size ratio between right ventricle and left ventricle is closed to 60% in knockout and 100% in the control (Fig. 1b), indicating that Cdc42 is required for right ventricle growth. Moreover, we noted abnormal evaginations in the left ventricle wall of the knockout heart (Fig. 1c).
Inactivation of Cdc42 in embryonic cardiomyocytes impaired right ventricle growth. Histological transverse sections through the hearts from E14.5 control (a) and knockout embryos (b, c). H&E staining showed a smaller right ventricle in the different section levels of the knockout (b, c). Black arrows indicate evaginations in the ventricle wall. Scale bar: 250 μm
Microarray analysis was performed to investigate the mechanisms of Cdc42 in heart development. RNA from E14.5 embryonic hearts was isolated and then blotted with microarray slides. We checked the transcription factors involved in right ventricle development and found that dHand expression levels were significantly decreased in the knockout compared to the control (Fig. 2a). MEF2c expression levels were comparable between control and knockout (Fig. 2b). To further confirm the microarray data, we performed real-time PCR analysis. Our results showed that the deletion of Cdc42 down-regulated dHand, compared to the control (Fig. 3a). This indicated that Cdc42 may be involved in regulating right ventricle development through dHand during embryogenesis.
Microarray analysis of dHand and MEF-2c expression levels in E14.5 embryonic hearts. a The expression level of dHand was down-regulated in the knockout hearts. b MEF-2c expression levels were comparable between control and knockout. *P < 0.05
Real-time PCR analysis of dHand expression levels. The expression level of dHand was significantly decreased in Cdc42 knockout heart. *P < 0.05
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the world and can be induced by genetic mutations and/or exposures to environmental risk factors [23]. In our previous studies, we have reported that deleting Cdc42 in cardiomyocytes resulted in thin ventricle walls and ventricular septum defects. In addition, we also observed dilated right atria and small right ventricles in Cdc42 knockout mice [22]. In the current study, we analyzed Cdc42 knockout embryonic hearts using histology analysis and found that the deletion of Cdc42 resulted in small right ventricles. Additionally, the deletion of Cdc42 in the embryonic hearts decreased dHand expression.
One of the most dramatic phenotypes of the Cdc42 knockout mice were the underdeveloped right ventricles. The size difference between the left and right ventricles cannot be explained by cardiomyocyte proliferation defects because the deletion of Cdc42 affected cardiomyocyte proliferation in both left and right ventricles. In addition, it was documented that many other genes, including focal adhesion kinase, etc., are important for cardiomyocyte proliferation. However, inactivation of those genes did not affect the right ventricle size [24]. Therefore, the ventricle size and ventricle cardiomyocyte proliferation may be controlled by independent regulatory mechanisms. In our case, we inactivated Cdc42 in cardiomyocytes using MLC2a-Cre. Thus, it was impossible to affect cardiac progenitor recruitment from the secondary heart field because MLC2a was expressed in differentiated cardiomyocytes instead of in cardiac progenitors of the secondary heart field.
It was documented that the regulatory transcription factors in the left and right ventricles are different [25]. For example, dHand is specifically expressed in the right ventricle and is required for right ventricle and cardiac outflow formation [18]. In contrast, eHand is expressed in the left ventricle and inactivation of eHand impaired left ventricle growth and maturation [26]. In our study, we found that the inactivation of Cdc42 impaired dHand expression and resulted in a small right ventricle. Therefore, it is possible that Cdc42 controls right ventricle growth through dHand. However, it remains unclear how Cdc42 regulates dHand expression during heart development.
FGF10 was detected only in the right ventricle during embryonic heart development [12]. Consistently, the inactivation of FGF10 resulted in an underdeveloped right ventricle. It was reported that FGF stimulation induced BNIP-2 (a member of the BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kd-interacting protein) phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of BNIP-2 decreased its binding and GAP-like activity toward Cdc42, keeping Cdc42 in its active status [27]. Therefore, it is possible that Cdc42 is involved in FGF10-initiated signal transduction and that the inactivation of Cdc42 impaired FGF10-induced right ventricle formation.
In addition to the smaller right ventricles found in Cdc42 knockout mice, we also noted that the inactivation of Cdc42 resulted in ventricle wall evagination. Previously, we reported that Cdc42 is required for maintaining cardiomyocyte cell–cell adhesion and that the inactivation of Cdc42 impaired cardiomyocyte-adherent junction formation [22]. It was reported that the activated Cdc42 can prevent IQGAP1 from binding to β-catenin, weakening the Cadherin-Catenin-actin-based cell–cell adherent junctions [28]. Therefore, it is possible that the inactivation of Cdc42 increased the binding between β-catenin and IQGAP1 and disrupted N-cadherin–catenin–actin-based cell–cell adherent junctions. Because of the increased pressure inside the ventricle during heart development, the weakest section of the ventricle wall may balloon out to form abnormal evaginations.
YL and XP designed research. YL, JW, RW, JL, XP, performed research. BT, SLZ, CWT contributed material and critical discussion. YL, and XP, wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Available from corresponding author on reasonable request.
American Heart Association (13BGIA14470002) to X.P.
Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Temple, USA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, USA
Yangpu District Central Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Department of Surgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, USA
Internal Medicine/Cardiology Division, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, USA
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Benjamin EJ, Blaha MJ, Chiuve SE, Cushman M, Das SR, Deo R et al (2017) Heart disease and stroke statistics-2017 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 135(10):e146–e603View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Bruneau BG (2008) The developmental genetics of congenital heart disease. Nature 451(7181):943–948View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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Busta Rhymes has been teasing his new single featuring his original crew The Flipmode and his crop of new artists The Conglomerate. Today he drops the monster record. Featuring Busta Rhymes, O.T. Genasis, J-Doe, Trillian, Aaron Cooks, Rampage, Rah Digga, Spliffstar, Baby Sham and Prayah.
You can stream "The Flipmode Squad Meets The Conglomerate" below and download it now on iTunes/Google Play.


Arno Boon ( Amsterdam 1964) currently lives in the Dutch city of Wageningen. This is where he studied plant sciences at the University of Wageningen. After his studies he was a journalist with regional newspaper The Gelderlander and worked for the university publisher Cereales in Wageningen. Since 1985 Boon has been involved in the re-use of several monuments, including the old brick factory De Bovenste Polder in Wageningen.
He has been the director of BOEi ( http://www.boei.nl/) since 2002, a national institute for the restoration and re-allocation of cultural heritage. He is also a board member of the federation for conservation; Het Behouden Huis. Boon is co-initiator of news platform De Erfgoedstem, where news about monuments, archeology and cultural landscape is featured. As a board member of Stichting Nederland Monumentenland, he is involved in the open monuments days, the national monuments congress and the cultural heritage fairs.


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KPopScene » Artist » Katie
Real name: Katie Kim / 케이티 김
Katie Kim is a South Korean singer best known for being the winner of the show KPop Star 4 after her victory she decided to sign with YG Entertainment as its record label.
2018: Debut with their First Single 'Remember' and change of agency
Katie Kim was ready to make her debut under YG Entertainment but, during the process, the executive in charge of her debut left the agency to set up an independent agency. Katie decided to follow him, thus breaking her contract with her previous agency and signing with AXIS (led by producer and creative director SINXITY in the meantime YG Entertainment would manage the distribution of its music throughyG Plus because of the initial agreement they settled after Katie's victory in KPop Star.
On May 28, teasers were revealed for Katie Kim's solo debut with a mysterious, space-inspired concept.
A video teaser was unveiled on May 29 entitled The Circle of Quintinity showing details of the concept used for its debut.
On May 31, more teasers were shared, this time, with some details about when she would release her music. The posters informed that her first single would be released on June 6, the second on August 8 and the debut album on October 10 (the last two dates ended up being postponed).
Days before the debut AXIS notified the media "CJamm and Bill Stax they appeared in Katie's MV. because they play a considerable role in the music video we are deliberating on how to edit it. we considered additional filming." then they added "In a worst-case scenario, we may have to adjust the schedule for her debut." the situation arose after CJamm and Bill Stax were involved in a controversy over drug use.
On June 4, the preview of its first single was released Remember it was also reported that the initial problems with the MV edition were solved.
On June 6, Katie Kim made her debut as a solo artist with her first single Remember the song has a catchy chorus and showcases Katie's powerful voice.
A few days after its debut& managed to reach the #1 Viral 50 position on Spotify in 9 countries, as well as being featured on Apple Music.
Plans to return with second single 'Echo' and subsequent cancellation
On August 1, they unveiled the first two image teasers for their second single Echo showing a desert landscape and, as protagonists, a western couple wearing extravagant clothes.
On August 2, two more teaser images were shown, this time with a darker tonality and showing the faces of the aforementioned couple through rays of light.
On August 3, teaser images were revealed showing Katie with the previously revealed concepts.
On August 6, through Katie's social networks, it was reported that the release of Echo would be postponed due to a change of plans. The note read as follows: "There has been a sudden change of plans and Echo i promise exciting things are coming soon, so stay tuned. Love, Katie.".
2019: Signing with AWAL
On April 5, AXIS reported that, after several months of hiatus and the delay of her album as well as her second single, Katie had signed a contract with the U.S. record label AWAL (place of singers such as Lauv, Madison Beer, Rex Orange County or Little Simz) for their promotions in North America.
He returns with her second single in collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign
On April 8, teasers were unveiled for the release of a new version of Remember with the collaboration of Ty Dolla $ign the artist, known worldwide for her characteristic Hip-hop and R&B. It was also communicated that Log would finally be scheduled for release in May of the same year in the form of a EP.
The single Remember (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) the new version does not show many changes in the song or the music video but brings a new vibe with the appearance of the rapper.
Back with her first mini-album 'Log'.
On May 15, it was finally announced the launch date of the first EP katie's May 22nd release date via two teasers, one of which is the album cover with the name of Stairway to Log the material will be distributed by YG Plus in Korea and by AWAL abroad.
From the beginning of the project they have considered the graphic design of the album as a strong point. In AXIS work to ensure that the philosophy of the music and the album is represented on the album cover. In the case of Log the arch symbolizes the entry into a new era, as in the single of Remember and the stairs the steps to that new place, each step representing the 6 songs included in the album.
Katie shared, through Instagram a few previews of the songs for her first EP in each post, through a handwritten note, she dedicated to her fans a few words for each song. she also surprised by revealing individual covers for each and every one of the songs to represent them correctly, demonstrating the hard artistic work she has put into each song. Log has entailed.
Invasions Series Project
Following the launch of its first EP katie has been officially unveiling several cover songs on music streaming services, covering songs such as "Talk" by Khalid or "Señorita" by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, among others.
2020: Back with her Third Single 'Echo'
On April 4, a teaser image of Katie and another of Jack Park, with black and red tones, were revealed AXIS they alluded to the fact of revealing something that had to be cancelled in the past. In them, the following phrase stood out See the trailer in theatres.
On April 8, it was confirmed that, following its previous cancellation in 2018, the single Echo the teaser image revealed maintains the design of her early work, highlighting the slogan Echo is echoing and the collaboration of model Jack Park, who will participate in the video clip of the song.
As of April 10, the same teaser images, previously unveiled in 2018, were re-uploaded with some modified details, plus some never-before-seen image. This time, some of the teasers contain a Hollywood movie poster concept in which we are reminded of the following message See the trailer in theathers for maximum effect the company has also added certain details such as the credits and certain emblems.
On April 18th, the trailer for Echo with a remarkable scenography and anticipating part of a story that the videoclip would completely reveal.
Finally, on April 24, Katie came back with her third single echo described as a songfuture r&B that showcases Katie's perfect vocal technique, from the head voice to the falsetto. With new experimental sounds but maintaining the singer's unique style. Produced by the same creators of her latest tracks. The video clip, directed by the same director as Remember it also highlights the dance team, choreographed by the well-known Kyle Hanagami, and the participation of the model Jack Park..
On the same day, Sinxity published a long text in her account of Instagram it highlights: "Echo was initially announced for August 8, 2018, it was not possible to launch at the time we desired due to several controversies that arose at the time, including the Burning Sun incident […].Ironically the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the fact that Echo be published" she also revealed that earlier this year they had planned to start preparations for a new single in April but due to the pandemic they had to cancel, instead they thought it appropriate to release a new single in April. Echo.
Due to the quarantine caused by the Coronavirus, it was announced that Katie, who lives in Los Angeles, moved to New Jersey to be with her family.
Signed with Sony Music and EN Management
April 24, AXIS reported that Katie had signed a long term contract with Sony Music thanking the support received by YG Plus (music distributor since its debut) and AWAL (U.S. record label) to date. On September 18, it was announced that Katie had joined EN Management for international activities, home of Epic High and Eric Nam.
He returns with her second EP 'OUR TIME is BLUE' and signs with Columbia Records UK.
A teaser announcing the singer's return was released on November 20, along with the announcement of her signing with the record label Columbia Records UK katie would be working simultaneously with Columbia Records UK , Sony Music and AXIS.
On November 23, a new teaser was unveiled showing the new logo for the new era with the hashtag Serif to Sanserif.
On November 24, it was unveiled that the name of the new EP would be OUR TIME is BLUE together with the tracklist in addition, teaser images with mysterious hashtags were released Cyberego and 2DKatie.
Katie Facts
Debut june 6, 2018
Languages English and Korean
Berkeley College of Music (Current)
Leonia High School, New Jersey, USA (Graduate)
Hobbies: Playing with their dogs, listening to classical music on the radio, getting lost in the clouds doing nothing.
She was the winner of Kpop Star 4 and decided to join YG Entertainment after her victory but before her debut she left the agency, being supported by YG Plus only in the distribution of her music during the debut.
After leaving the company, she moved to AXIS a new agency founded by YG's creative director, who has always been in charge of Katie's work since its inception.
The music video for "Thinkin Bout You" was recorded two years before its release.
"Echo" was not planned to be released after its cancellation in 2018 but due to the Coronavirus pandemic they decided to release it as they had a new single prepared instead which was impossible to finish in time before the quarantine.
The songs "Remember" and "Echo" were created in a couple of days in 2017 on a Song Camp in Los Angeles, it took them 4 years to come up with a song that matched Katie and her unique voice after many failures.
Katie Collaborations
2017 Bobby – Secret (feat DK Katie)
2015 JinuSean – Tell Me One More Time (Live presentation)
Participatory Concerts/Festivals
2019: Seoul Jazz Festival 2019 (05.25.19)
2017 iKON x'mas Live 2017 (12/09/17)
Katie Radio Programs
(DIVE Studios) Get Real (10.06.2021) (Ep.50) (Podcast)
Katie TV Programs
2019: Mnet M! Countdown – Studio M Stage (04.07.19)
2016: SBS Kpop Star 6
2015-2016: SBS Kpop Star 5
Katie TV Drama's
Where Are You theme for Undercover (2021)
Katie is a member of:


DOTHAN, AL (WTVY) The Southeast Alabama Coalition for the Homeless (SEACH) will sponsor a Homeless Stand Down/Connect event on Saturday, May 21, 2016. The event will be hosted at the Greater Beulah Baptist Church Family Life Center (gym area), located at 254 Headland Avenue in Dothan from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
The Homeless Stand Down/Connect will provide assistance and a hot meal for our homeless population.
We are reaching out to the Wiregrass Community for HELP with volunteers as well as donations for items needed. We are in need of the following items to support this stand down: clothes, socks, combs, hair brushes, blankets, sleeping bags, personal hygiene items, non-perishable food items, flash lights, batteries and tents.
Donations can be dropped off at the Wiregrass United Way 2-1-1 office Monday-Friday (545 W Main St., Suite 313) until May 19th between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. Donations can be dropped off at the Greater Beulah Baptist Church starting May 20th from 8:00 AM until 12:00 noon as well as on the day of the event. Please support this worthwhile cause.


I got the poseidon icon from the Wheel of Luck, do I still need the herosouls? The Description from the Icon say To Recruit..or is it a step by step basis to Acquire the character?
yes you will need the herosoul too like every other hero .
2019-4-23 00:55 GMT+8 , Processed in 0.067293 second(s), 42 queries .


Dallas, TX, July 31, 2015, Elona Ujkashi Osmanlliu, Professor Mathematics and Communication at El Centro College- University of North Texas, has been recognized by Elite American Educators for dedication, achievement and leadership in mathematics.
Ms. Osmanlliu was a top student in mathematics during school. Her mentors and teachers encouraged her to pursue mathematics, and she has steadily progressed throughout the education industry over the past 25 years. Ms. Osmanlliu has extensive experience in the areas of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and is responsible for developing lesson plans, creating activities, grading, and striving to empower students and coach them to apply what they learn into everyday life.
Well-respected for her passion and dedication, her students continue on after college; they stay in touch with her and tell her where they are in life and their careers. She feels there is nothing more gratifying than hearing that she was and is an important piece of their lives. Ms. Osmanlliu attributes her success to hard work, setting goals, always learning, and being open to change.
This entry was posted in Higher Education and tagged calculus, communication, geometry, lgebra, mathematics, student empowerment, trigonometry. Bookmark the permalink.


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Do not apply in your eye or to the lower lid. ONLY use the sterile applicators supplied with FEG to apply the product. If you miss a dose, Just apply FEG solution the next evening. A significant improvement will be seen after 2 months of use.
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Home / NCAA Football / Former Penn State administrators plead guilty as trial grows near
Former Penn State administrators plead guilty as trial grows near
March 13, 2017 by Jarrod Prugar
Former senior vice president Gary Shultz (L) and former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley (middle), pictured here with former Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno, both pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of children. (Photo by: Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News)
As expected, former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and former senior vice president Gary Shultz both pled guilty to endangering the welfare of children in connection with the Jerry Sandusky cover-up case.
Both Curley and Shultz are set to stand trial along with former Penn State president Graham Spanier next week for their roles in the Jerry Sandusky case. No plea has yet been made for Spanier as he awaits his trial and continues to maintain his innocence.
The guilty pleas are directly related to a report made by former assistant coach Mike McQueary alleging he saw Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a shower at Penn State in early 2001. He then reported what he saw to then-head coach Joe Paterno, who, in turn, reported it to Curley, the athletic director at the time.
From a timing standpoint, it is possible that Curley and Schultz might testify on behalf of the prosecution during Spanier's trial set to begin next week.
While Curley and Schultz have stayed under-the-radar as they await their trial, that can't be said for others involved. Sandusky has found himself convicted of dozens of charges involving child abuse, although the charge involving what allegedly happened at Penn State was thrown out. McQueary recently won a civil case against Penn State for $7.3 million in damages stemming from his role in the Sandusky case and his inability to find work elsewhere since then.
The misdemeanor charges for Curley and Shultz carry up to a $10,000 penalty as well as up to five years in prison, depending upon their sentencing. The two are set to be sentenced in 90 days.
Filed Under: NCAA Football, Penn State Tagged With: Gary Shultz, Graham Spanier, Mike McQueary, Penn State abuse scandal, Penn State football, Tim Curley


In filings Thursday night, the Justice Department asked the high court to temporarily lift injunctions that bar officials from carrying out Trump's directive to suspend visa issuance to citizens of six majority-Muslim countries and halt the flow of refugees to the US from across the globe.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 6, barring people from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days while the government put in place stricter visa screening.
In order to hear the case, the Supreme Court would now have to grant certioari - or accept the case - by having four of its nine justices vote in the affirmative.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court Thursday to break its losing streak in lower courts and revive President Trump's travel ban on immigrants from six predominantly Muslim nations.
Trump says the travel ban is needed to prevent terrorism in the United States.
The Justice Department has asked the court to expedite the case so that the justices could hear it at the beginning of their next term, which starts in October.
U.S. Chief Circuit Judge Roger Gregory said the order "speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination".
To succeed, the Trump administration will need the votes of five justices. The justices will likely issue a decision regarding the stay requests in short order, though a decision as to whether to review the case will take longer. They point to the fact that the government did not previously ask the Supreme Court to intervene, even when lower courts denied earlier emergency applications seeking to lift the injunctions. As the case "enjoins a formal national-security determination by the president of the United States" there is also a strong likelihood the court would want to take the case, he added.
"There is no reason to disturb the 4th Circuit's ruling", Omar Jadwat, the ACLU attorney, said in a statement issued Thursday night. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit heard oral argument last month on the administration's appeal of the Hawaii injunction, but has not yet issued an opinion.
The two case in question are similar in that both of them sought to block the travel ban - but the Hawaii case also resulted in the court blocking the Trump administration's plan to suspend the Refugee Admission Program and cut the number of refugees.
However that too was blocked with a federal judge in Hawaii citing "questionable evidence" that move was a matter of national security.
"This order has been the subject of passionate political debate".
The policy has caused some travel industry organizations, particularly the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), to warn that it could harm inbound travel to the United States.
The American Civil Liberties Union sent out a tweet, saying: "We've beat this hateful ban and are ready to do it again".
The legal fight pits the president's significant authority over immigration against what lower courts have said is a policy that purports to be about national security but is meant to target Muslims. Upon court orders to block the ban, the president modified its initial executive order and removed one country, Iraq, from its list in March.
If the Justices do put the two judges' orders on hold, the government could immediately put the restrictions into full effect.
Still, the government argues the courts must defer to the president's national security findings, and blasted the 4th Circuit for imputing discriminatory intent on the basis of the president's campaign statements.
Morgan Stanley Cuts Rating On Zebra Technologies Corporation (ZBRA) To "Equal-Weight"


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Q: Expected value of difference of two order statistics $X_1,X_2,..,X_n$ is a random sample from the random variable whose pdf is,
\begin{align*}
f(x)=\lambda e^{-\lambda(x-\mu)},\mu<x<\infty
\end{align*}
How can we find $E(X_{(2)}-X_{(1)})$, if $n=2?$
We know that,$f_{X(r)}(x)=\frac{n!}{(n-r)!(r-1)!}F(x)^{r-1}(1-F(x))^{n-r}f(x)$
Here,$r=2,n=2$
$\rightarrow f(X_{(2)}(x)=2\lambda^{2}[e^{\lambda\mu-\lambda x}-e^{-2\lambda x+\lambda\mu}]$
It is difficult to compute, $E(X_{(2)})=\int_{\mu}^\infty 2x\lambda^{2}[e^{\lambda\mu-\lambda x}-e^{-2\lambda x+\lambda\mu}]dx$
I have also tried to find, $E(X_{(2)})=\int_{\mu}^{\infty}[1-F(x_{(r)})]dx$
Similar problem arises in case of $E(X_{(1)})$ too.

A: As explained at The Number of Exponential Summands in a Fixed Interval is Poisson, each of the variables $X_i$ is the waiting time for the first point to appear in a Poisson process of rate $\lambda$ starting at time $\mu$. It is obvious from the characteristic properties of a Poisson process that a union of Poisson processes of rates $\lambda_1, \lambda_2, \ldots, \lambda_n$ is just a Poisson process of rate $\lambda_1+\lambda_2+\cdots+\lambda_n$, equal to $n\lambda$ in this case.  Therefore the expected waiting time to the first point among them all must be $1/(n\lambda)$.
After the first time $X_{(1)}$ is encountered, there remain samples from the $n-1$ other processes.  Since they are all independent, and the chance of new points appearing is independent of any previous points that have appeared, it's the same situation all over again: the starting time is now $X_{(1)}$ instead of $\mu$ and $n$ has decreased to $n-1$, that's all.  Consequently the expected time to wait for the next point, which is $X_{(2)}-X_{(1)}$, is $1/(\lambda(n-1))$.
(And so it continues: the expectation of $X_{(j+1)}-X_{(j)}$ is $1/(\lambda(n-j))$ for $j=1, 2, ..., n-1$.)

In this figure a realization of a Poisson process of rate $\lambda=2$ is shown for each of $n=5$ independent variables indexed $1$ through $5$.  The union of the points is plotted with ticks at the bottom: they form a realization of a Poisson process of rate $n\lambda=10$.  The first points in each process are highlighted with solid dots (and shown with longer ticks at the bottom): these form the sample $(X_1, X_2, \ldots, X_n)$; all the hollow dots are superfluous but are shown to illustrate the concepts.  The expected time to wait for the very first point overall is $1/(n\lambda)=1/10$ because the combined rate is $n\lambda$.  After it is encountered, four processes remain.  Thus, their combined rate is $(n-1)\lambda=8$ and the expected waiting time to the first point among them is $1/((n-1)\lambda)=1/8$.

A: if you look at the $\mu$ parameter of your density, this is a location parameter and can be restated as follows:
$X = Y+\mu ,  \text{where Y~Exp}(\lambda)$
now
$F_{X_{(1)}}(x)=1-(1-F_X(x))^2 = 1-(e^{-\lambda(x-\mu)})^2 = 1-e^{-2\lambda (x-\mu)}$
the minimum is only an exponential random variable intensity $2\lambda$ plus $\mu$
$X_{(1)} = W+\mu ,  \text{where W~Exp}(2\lambda)$
then
$E[X_{(1)}]=\frac{1}{2\lambda}+\mu$
now
$E[X_{(1)}+X_{(2)}]=E[X_1+X_2]=\frac{2}{\lambda}+2\mu$ because your variables can be decomposed as before
now $E[X_{(2)}-X_{(1)}]=E[X_{(1)}+X_{(2)}]-2E[X_{(1)}]=\frac{2}{\lambda}+2\mu-2(\frac{1}{2\lambda}+\mu)= \frac{1}{\lambda}$

You can also use the change of variable y = x-mu, the integrals are simplified in terms of densities and expected values Exponential