text:
Home > Journals > Biomedical & Life Sciences > JBM
JBM> Vol.4 No.7, July 2016
Elevated Linoleic Acid (A Pro-Inflammatory PUFA) and Liver Injury in a Treatment Naive HIV-HCV Co-Infected Alcohol Dependent Patient
Abstract Full-Text HTML XML Download as PDF (Size:441KB) PP. 23-27
DOI: 10.4236/jbm.2016.47003 1,305 Downloads 1,595 Views Citations
Vatsalya Vatsalya1,2*, Shirish S. Barve1,3, Craig J. McClain1,3,4, Vijay A. Ramchandani2
1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, USA.
2Section on Human Psychopharmacology, LCTS/DICBR/NIAAA at National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.
3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, USA.
4Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, USA.
HIV and HCV co-infection is a unique disease condition, and medical management of such condition is difficult due to severity and systemic complications. Added with heavy alcohol drinking, risk of liver injury increases due to several pro-inflammatory responses that subsequently get involved with alcohol metabolism. Elevated levels of fatty acids have been reported both in viral infections as well as alcoholic liver disease though such investigations have not addressed the adverse event with dual viral infection of HIV and HCV along with heavy drinking. This case report of a patient with excessive alcohol drinking and first time diagnosis of HIV and HCV dual infection, elaborating concurrent alteration in Linoleic Acid (LA) levels and pro-inflammatory shift in ω-6/ω-3 ratio along with the elevations in liver injury markers. Elevated LA has been recently studied extensively for its role in alcoholic liver disease; and in the present case, we also found it to be clinically relevant to liver injury.
Alcohol, Fatty Acids, HCV, HIV, Liver Injury
Received 14 April 2016; accepted 1 July 2016; published 4 July 2016
HCV infection is found in almost 50% of the HIV-infected individuals in the US (largely due to intravenous drug abuse), which may lead to faster progression to end-stage liver disease [1] . Viral infections have shown higher morbidity and mortality in patients who also drink heavily due to exacerbated immune dysregulation and clinical developments in liver both as a result of several pathological processes targeting liver condition as well as due to the adverse effects of antiretroviral (ART) therapy [2] . Therefore, it is essential that providers working with such special patient population who also drink heavily, be able to fully characterize the onset of liver injury supported by the knowledge of risk factors during the course of the disease for appropriating medical management. Several risk factors have been identified previously in this co-infected population, for example, HCV viral load, Ferritin levels, Body Mass Index [3] though more studies are needed to determine the markers with sensitivity to characterize early indication of liver injury when such patients report about heavy drinking history. Arrangements of fatty acids (FAs) participating in inflammation during liver injury due to heavy drinking [4] has been found as viable indicator of liver injury, and changes in the arrangement of the FAs could be an useful marker of liver injury in such complex comorbidity. A treatment naive HIV diagnosis in an alcohol dependent patient who was also confirmed with HCV infection is presented to discuss the changes in fatty acid panel and liver injury.
2. Case Presentation
The patient was a 41-year-old widowed male at the time of screening who started drinking at age eight and progressed to become a regular drinker by age 16. At screening, he reported heavy drinking for the last ten years and had a positive family history of alcoholism. He reported excessive drinking (one-two pints of hard liquor daily, [8.5 - 17 drinks]) after a major life event occurred as the death of his spouse (approximately eight months prior to admission). His BMI was 22; he reported heavy smoking (one pack daily), and recent involvement in unsafe lifestyle practice. He showed confirmatory signs of alcohol use disorder with withdrawal symptoms during the psychiatric evaluation. Patient also reported that he was never tested positive for viral infection or taken medication for it's treatment during intake. This patient was diagnosed with positive HCV and HIV viral tests during the screening. HCV RNA IU quantification was at 8,920,000 with genotype 1A. HIV infection was detected based on both the criteria for confirmation for HIV infection as developed by the Center for Disease Control; withHIV-1 Ab detection, and western blot assay at viral load of >50. His sCD4 count was 210, which put him in the category 2 according to the CD4+ T-Lymphocytic classification. The test was reconfirmed with western blot band with second positive test at bands p24, gp41, and gp120/160. There was no other remarkable systemic observation and he was not diagnosed with any other relevant medical condition, other than the discussed drug abuse and viral infection. This patient presented asymptomatic conditions of HIV infection (resembling criteria for "clinical category A").
This patient presented with a remarkable liver injury profile (Figure 1), with all the liver injury markers
Figure 1. Elevation in Liver-injury in heavy drinking patient diagnosed with HIV and HCV co-infection. ALP: Alkaline Phosphatase (normal range: 37 - 116 U/L); ALT/GPT: Alanine Transaminase (normal range: 6 - 41 U/L); AST/GOT: Aspartate Transaminase (normal range: 9 - 34 U/L); Bili Tot: Bilirubin, Total (normal range: 0.1 - 1.0 mg/dL); Bili Dir: Bilirubin Direct (normal range: 0.0 - 0.2 mg/dL); GGT: Gamma Glutamyltransaminase (normal range: 5 - 85 U/L).
showing above the normal values. In co-infected HIV+HCV cases, even with severe liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, 10% to 25% patients have shown normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels [5] . Therefore, this case seems to show added severity in liver injury due to heavy alcohol drinking. Also, clinically relevant complete blood count (with differential) was identified at low hemoglobin (13.3, normal: 13.7 - 17.5 g/dL), hematocrit (37.2, normal: 40.1% - 51.0%) and MCV (78.6, normal: 79.0 - 92.2 fL) levels showing suppression of blood cell production this state of the infection. Ferritin was identified as high, 408 (26 - 388) as is generally observed in infections. Abnormal levels of leucocytes (WBC: 146/mcl; normal 0 - 25) were present and specific subtypes namely monocytes and lymphocytes [6] as shown in Table 1. In this patient, fatty acid panel tested with blood (plasma) specimen showed that linoleic acid was the only PUFA that was abnormally high at 3957 nmol/mL (normal range: 2270 - 3850) that has shown having important role in liver injury [7] . Both HCV and HIV cause dysregulation of lipid metabolism, especially in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) [8] . We also evaluated the ω-6/ ω-3 ratio, which was 18 (Total ω-3 was 0.3; and Total ω-6 was 5.4, units mmol/L) in this patient supporting significant increase in the pro-inflammatory shift [9] . Triene Tetraene ratio was at the lower margin at 0.01 (normal range: 0.010 - 0.038). No other clinically significant change was observed in the FAs involved in inflammation; or in the lipid panel. Immunoglobin panel at this point was not abnormal as well. Patient received adequate medical management for alcohol withdrawal during the screening process [10] and was referred for infectious disease specialty.
LA was significantly high in this patient and this case showed the relevance of analyzing the fatty acid panel with respect to liver injury. A pro-inflammatory response might be a useful measure to evaluate liver injury in patients who drink heavily and are diagnosed with viral co-infection. Early detection of viral infection could result in better medical management of the disease however few studies have evaluated alcohol drinking and their involvement in inflammation in such specific patient population. Involvement of elevated LA and subsequent changes in the fatty acids have been reported along with the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses [11] . Understanding of pro-inflammatory response with the changes in ω-6 FAs could further elucidate the state and potential progression of liver injury in such cases. A similar study reported that lifetime drinking and Hepatitis C virus infection play role in the progression of liver disease [12] , however it did not discuss about the fatty acids and their involvement in inflammation and liver injury. More studies on specific fatty acids [13] for their role in inflammation; and their use as dietary supplements and metabolic responses are needed to investigate regulation and reduction of inflammation causing liver injury in this unique morbidity. This becomes much more relevant since ART therapy for HIV infection is known to cause liver injury, and our case report adds value to effective management of liver disease and treatment outcomes in HIV and HCV confected AD patients by having pre-treatment evaluation of pro-inflammatory response that might be adversely influencing the liver condition.
Table 1. Measures from differential CBC for White Blood Cell shows some significant elevation in macrophages (Lymphocytes and Monocytes) and Neutrophils (Polys) showing neutropenia. Normal ranges and measure units are based on the guidelines provided by National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic.
Liver injury is a known harmful outcome of heavy drinking and manifestation in HCV infection. Clinically relevant level of linoleic acid seems to correspond with the severity in liver injury in this dual viral infection that is likely getting negatively impacted by heavy alcohol intake as well, supporting involvement of ongoing pro- inflammatory response. Additional testing for comprehensive fatty acid panel could elucidate the ongoing changes in inflammatory response. In our patient, this was primarily influenced by increase in the ω-6 fatty acid, and was noted by the elevation in linoleic acid level. Patients with HIV and HCV co-infection and excessive alcohol intake might need additional evaluation for liver state, before the start of ART treatment. Linoleic acid might serve as a marker of pro-inflammatory response along with the ω-6/ω-3 ratio that likely could explain the severity in liver injury. Medical management of such cases becomes more challenging due to a pro-inflammatory response adversely effecting liver and limiting choices of antiretroviral therapy specific to HIV that also causes liver injury.
Study was supported by NIH-OD-OHSRP-12176 (VV), and Z99-AA999999 (VV); P50AA024337-01 (CJM) and ZIA-AA000466 (VAR). Authors thank Ms. Marion McClain for the editorial support.
Author Contribution
VV evaluated the patient data and interpreted the outcomes. VAR, SSB and CJM contributed scientifically. All the authors have approved the submission version of this manuscript.
AD: Alcohol Dependents;
ALT: Alanine aminotransferases;
CS: Clinically significant;
FA: Fatty Acid/s;
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency virus;
LA: Linoleic Acid;
NCS: Clinically non-significant;
PUFAs: Polyunsaturated fatty acids;
LDH: Lifetime drinking history.
Submit your manuscript at: http://papersubmission.scirp.org/
Vatsalya, V. , Barve, S. , McClain, C. and Ramchandani, V. (2016) Elevated Linoleic Acid (A Pro-Inflammatory PUFA) and Liver Injury in a Treatment Naive HIV-HCV Co-Infected Alcohol Dependent Patient. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 4, 23-27. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2016.47003.
[1] Center of Disease Control (2014) Viral Hepatitis Populations: HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis.
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/Populations/hiv.htm
[2] Barve, S., Kapoor, R., Moghe, A., et al. (2009) Focus on the Liver: Alcohol Use, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, and Liver Disease in HIV-Infected Patients. Alc Res & Health: The Journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 33, 229-236.
[3] Bani-Sadr, F., Carrat, F., Bedossa, P., et al. (2006) Hepatic Steatosis in HIV-HCV Coinfected Patients: Analysis of Risk Factors. Aids, 20, 525-531.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.aids.0000210606.63138.f5
[4] El-Zayadi, A.R. (2008) Hepatic Steatosis: A Benign Disease or a Silent Killer. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14, 4120.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.14.4120
[5] Martin-Carbonero, L., Ledinghen, V., Moreno, A., et al. (2009) Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C and Persistently Normal Liver Enzymes: Influence of HIV Infection. Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 16, 790-795.
[6] McClain, C.J., Hill, D.B., Song, Z., Deaciuc, I. and Barve, S. (2002) Monocyte Activation in Alcoholic Liver Disease. Alcohol, 27, 53-61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0741-8329(02)00212-4
[7] Nanji, A.A. and French, S.W. (1989) Dietary Linoleic Acid Is Required for Development of Experimentally Induced Alcoholic Liver Injury. Life Sciences, 44, 223-227.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(89)90599-7
[8] Miyoshi, H., Moriya, K. and Tsutsumi, T. (2011) Pathogenesis of Lipid Metabolism Disorder in Hepatitis C: Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Counteract Lipid Alterations Induced by the Core Protein. Journal of Hepatology, 54, 432-438.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2010.07.039
[9] Simopoulos, A.P. (2002) The Importance of the Ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 56, 365-379.
[10] Pettinati, H.M., Weiss, R.D., Miller, W.R., Donovan, D., Ernst, D.B., Rounsaville, B.J., Series, C.M. and Mattson, M.E. (2004) Medical Management Treatment Manual. A Clinical Research Guide for Medically Trained Clinicians Providing Pharmacotherapy as Part of the Treatment for Alcohol Dependence. COMBINE Monograph Series, 2.
[11] Simopoulos, A.P. (2008) The Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio, Genetic Variation, and Cardiovascular Disease. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 17, 131-134.
[12] Ostapowicz, G., Watson, K.J., Locarnini, S.A. and Desmond, P.V. (1998) Role of Alcohol in the Progression of Liver Disease Caused by Hepatitis C Virus Infection. Hepatology, 27, 1730-1735.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hep.510270637
[13] Johnson, S.B., Gordon, E., McClain, C., Low, G.R. and Holman, R.T. (1985) Abnormal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Patterns of Serum Lipids in Alcoholism and Cirrhosis: Arachidonic Acid Deficiency in Cirrhosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 82, 1815-1818.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.82.6.1815
JBM Subscription
JBM Most popular papers
JBM News


text:
Home | About The Foundation | Scholarships Offered | Eligible Schools | Scholarship Recipients | Contact Us
The Bartlett Tree Foundation, Inc. provides financial assistance for selected students of arboriculture, horticulture, forestry, and related disciplines at both two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Bartlett scholarship endowments have expanded since its founding in 1985 to include over 29 institutions across the U.S. presently.
To date, Bartlett has provided over $1 million in scholarship funds to participating college programs. The participating institutions, in accordance with their criteria, select the student recipients. The recipients must be actively enrolled in a course of study that leads to a degree or diploma in arboriculture, forestry, urban forestry, horticulture, plant pathology, botany, or some other closely related discipline. Students must maintain a sufficient grade-point average to ensure earning a degree. Good character, worth of recognition, and financial need are also determining factors for student eligibility.
Get started in a career in arboriculture while you're working on a course of study or a degree. Learn More
Scholarships: The Bartlett Tree Foundation encourage students to achieve their education goals and begin a career in arboriculture with scholarship awards. Learn more about the selection process and criteria required in order to receive a Bartlett Foundation Scholarship.
Schools: The Bartlett Tree Foundation provides scholarships at 29 participating institutions, and for students at any college that offers degrees in related fields. Find out more about eligible schools.
Scholarship Recipients: Out latest set of recipients is currently featured on our site. Visit the Scholarship Recipients section to learn more about a list of scholarship winners for this season.
Helping Students Achieve Their Goals in Arboriculture
Besides providing much-needed, immediate financial assistance through a foundation scholarship, Bartlett Tree was instrumental in guiding my career path through their hands-on participation in classroom activities at Cal Poly.
Kevin Ventura,
California Polytechnic
Exciting changes are coming to the Bartlett Foundation Scholarship Program. Thank you for visiting and please stop back soon for more information.
Sponsored by the Bartlett Tree Foundation
©2021 The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company
Bartlett Careers Page

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
August News
"I keep forgetting that, in the Mission, Thursday is now Friday, and Friday is now Stupid."
* Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts will be interviewed by Matthew Felix on Facebook Live at 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 26th! Here's some information from the interviewer: "The Matthew Félix On Air video podcast features author Matthew Felix and guests discussing writing, travel, and whatever else piques Matthew's interest, from spirituality to cultural happenings to the outdoors to anything with a good story worth exploring. In this episode, Matthew talks with Borderlands Books' Alan Beatts about Borderlands' history, mission, and the current climate for indie bookstores -- and some of the innovative ways they're adapting for the future." Check it out here, and do remember it's live! https://www.facebook.com/authormatthewfelix/ You'll also be able to catch it later on YouTube https://bit.ly/1MoDsNS or iTunes: https://apple.co/2KAS0AP, or follow the link from Matthew's webpage: http://www.matthewfelix.com
* If you're visiting the Bay Area for the World Science Fiction Convention and will be in San Francisco either before Monday, August 13th or after Monday, August 20th, we'd be delighted to give you a tour of our location-to-be, which is still very much a work in progress. Just email Alan, abeatts@borderlands-books.com, to set up a time.
* Speaking of WorldCon: if you're an author attending the con and we've somehow missed having your books at our booths, we'd be happy to carry them on consignment at the con. We usually do a 60% / 40% split, with the author getting 60% of the cover price. Authors pick up any unsold copies near the end of the con, and we send you a check for sold copies around 30 days after the event. Just find the Borderlands booth at the convention and Jude should be able to assist you.
* A classic article on how the lack of an OB/GYN effectively lead to the crumbling of Star Wars' Old Empire. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/53d4db/womens-healthcare-star-wars
* Author and Borderlands sponsor Seanan McGuire has written her first X-Men comic, and went back to her childhood comic shop to have the signing, as she vowed to do 30 years ago! https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/x-men-gold-annual-2-writer-seanan-mcguire-returns-to-her-hometown-comics-shop
* Not everyone has a book in them: https://theoutline.com/post/5541/unconventional-wisdom-you-should-not-write-a-book
* Julie Dillon is Kickstarting a collection of her gorgeous speculative art! https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/29/17627590/julie-dillon-science-fiction-fantasy-art-book-kickstarter
* Well, it turns out that sf/f readers make better relationship partners, which we think most of us already knew. https://www.bustle.com/p/sci-fi-fantasy-readers-apparently-make-better-romantic-partners-according-to-a-new-study-9975483
* Krista Ball is curating a database of fantasy novels with LGBTQ+ representation, with the help of Reddit. The latest update is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/8y59dy/lgbtq_database_update_happening_now_details_in/
* "The Darkest Minds" is a highly-anticipated movie about children who develop abilities and a society that seeks to control and use them. Its dystopian themes seem even more relevant now. http://ew.com/movies/2018/08/03/darkest-minds-jennifer-yuh-nelson-political-resistance-movements/
* There are certain months where studios dump films they don't expect to do well. io9 has compiled a list of the coolest sf/f films that were dumped in the month of August. Check it out here: https://io9.gizmodo.com/28-of-the-coolest-sci-fi-and-fantasy-movies-that-got-du-1828025659
* Speaking of sf/f films, why not check out this list of 51 forgotten films from the 90s? You're sure to come across at least one movie you've never seen or heard about. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/sci-fi/247782/51-forgotten-sci-fi-movies-from-the-1990s
"Heathers" is a great, dark film and the theories about it range from the believable to the utterly bizarre: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/high-school-hell-how-heathers-predicted-everything-1.3583180
* WorldCon has completely redone their programming after many authors began to pull out in protest over a number of missteps. https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/worldcon-2018-diversity-nominees/
* A comic about intrigue and life at court that isn't about leverage but trust. Check out the review for "Sleepless vol. 1" here. https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/7/13/17568522/image-comics-sleepless-sarah-vaughn-leila-del-duca
* The first theatre dedicated solely to performing live plays of a fantasy or science fictional nature is opening in Chicago. Road trip! https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Otherworld-Theatre-Opens-Worlds-First-Venue-Dedicated-To-Sci-Fi-And-Fantasy-Theatre-20180709
* Wired takes a look back at some of the best costumes they saw at Comic-Con this year: https://www.wired.com/story/cosplay-comic-con-2018/
* "Entertainment Weekly" made a list of 50 books they would love to see adaptations for, and a number of them are of interest to speculative fiction fans. http://ew.com/books/50-books-to-adapt/
* It looks like Legendary Pictures' upcoming adaptation of classic SF novel Dune will only cover the first half of the first book, so it looks like we're in for a two-parter! https://winteriscoming.net/2018/07/30/denis-villeneuves-dune-movie-will-cover-first-half-first-book/
* Sword and sorcery and revenge. . . yup, we're already there. This review of the new series "The Outpost" makes it sound like fun brain candy and we're ready to sign up. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-outpost-review-20180709-story.html#
* Amazon has picked show-runners for their horrendously expensive "Lord of the Rings" TV show and are trying to convince Peter Jackson to let them film on his sets in New Zealand. https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/29/17627056/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-jrr-tolkien-jd-payne-patrick-mckay-writers
* "Buffy" is being rebooted with a more diverse cast, but this article argues that marginalized people deserve their own mythologies, and taking a chance on a new voice is better than rebooting an old one -- which we can't help but agree with. https://www.refinery29.com/2018/07/205026/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-black-woman-lead
* Aside from 2017's "Okja", most of Netflix's original science fiction movies have not been well received, and if you were hoping "Tau" was going to be different . . . sorry. This article goes into how "Tau" fails and what it has in common with their other releases. https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-sci-fi-tau/
* "The Expanse", one of the best science fiction shows of recent years, was rescued from cancellation by Amazon and the show-runner talks about why it needed to be rescued, and why he would have opted to go straight to streaming in the first place if he had to do it all over again. https://www.criticalhit.net/entertainment/expanse-showrunner-talks-rescued-sci-fi-shows-move-amazon/
* Amazon has optioned another sf/f adaptation: however this one is not based on the written world, but the artwork of Simon Stalenhag. https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/07/17/tales-from-the-loop-series-amazon-studios/
* The Sidewise Awards which celebrate Alternate History have announced their short list of nominees, which include Gregory Benford, Nisi Shawl and Harry Turtledove. Check out the full list here: http://file770.com/2017-sidewise-award-nominees/
* Check out the shortlist for the 2018 Sunburst Awards, celebrating Canadian fantastic literature: http://www.sunburstaward.org/2018-shortlist
* Congratulations to all of the World Fantasy Award Nominees! For the full list of nominees including Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Klages, JY Yang and other great voices, go here: https://www.tor.com/2018/07/25/2018-world-fantasy-award-finalists/
* The 2018 Mythopoeic Award Winners have been announced, including Garth Nix and John Crowley. The full list is on the Mythopoeic blog: https://mythsoc-rohan.blogspot.com/2018/07/2018-mythopoeic-award-winners-announced.html
* The Eisner Awards were held at San Diego Comic-Con, and congratulations to all the winners, but especially to Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda's stunning "Monstress", which took home five awards! Check out all the categories here: https://deadline.com/2018/07/eisner-awards-2018-winners-list-montress-my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-1202430916/
* The winner of the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award is Anne Charnock for DREAMS BEFORE THE START OF TIME. Check out the comments from the panel here: https://www.clarkeaward.com/2018-winner/
Posted by Borderlands Books at 9:59 PM


Babykicks New Product Details, Comparison and Information from Abby's Lane!
I like both of these pockets, the velcro is much like the Ones and Twos velcro, also the GroVia aplix. It has plastic teeth on a smooth surface instead of the fuzzy loop on other brands.
The pocket itself is narrow aka "trim", if you don't like having to maneuver your hand you may not love stuffing this one, but it actually accommodates wider inserts (standard microfiber inserts, Joey Bunz), and for both of my boys we do double up, like we would for any pocket.
The premium is a rerun of the Bumboo, same sizing and pattern, just a velour on the inside instead of the bamboo fleece. Velcro closure, new colors, a well made pocket with good sizing (smaller in rise than Tiny Tush or BG 4.0, bigger than Rumparooz).
Over at Cloth Diaper Blog they had this fairly hilarious video by Babykicks. Of course we have Babykicks in the store and they are awfully adorable.


Our members ARE our team. Together, we are building the political power we need to win education and economic justice for all.
Our co-directors Maria Harmon and Ben Zucker co-founded Step Up Louisiana because they saw the need for an independent political organization with a racial justice analysis that could win on education justice and economic justice issues. Together they are working to build Step Up into a powerful force across the state.
The elected member-leaders of Step Up Louisiana are the core team of our organization. They hold Step Up accountable, do work to help us grow, and lead us strategically as we build power in the state.


text:
Charlotte Schulz (born 1960) is an American visual artist best known for intricate charcoal drawings, sometimes composed of multiple sheets that she tears, folds and distresses in order to disrupt the two-dimensional picture plane. Her work explores personal and collective responses to traumatic, often-public, experiences and events, interweaving vignettes of landscape, interiors, disasters and unexpected elements in dreamlike combinations that upend spatial and temporal conventions. Artillery critic Seph Rodney describes her drawings as works of "elegant and surreal lyricism" that are exquisitely rendered, thick with detail, and perplexing in their mix of fractured visual logic, overlapping realities, and speculative ruminations on space and time.

Schulz has been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship and awards from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and New York Foundation for the Arts. She has had solo exhibitions at Smack Mellon, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and Mills College Art Museum, and been featured in group shows at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, and Dorsky Gallery, among others. Schulz lives and works in Peekskill, New York and teaches at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Early life and career
Schulz was born Charlotte Lentner in the small working-class city of Massillon, Ohio in 1960. After studying art at Kent State University, she and her family moved to Florida, where she worked with painter Mernet Larsen and earned a BA degree at University of South Florida (1983). She later studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1992) before returning to University of South Florida to complete an MFA degree in 1993.

After graduating, Schulz began to exhibit her paintings and drawings regionally, including shows at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Dunedin Fine Art Center, Society of the Four Arts, Tampa Museum of Art, and Lee Scarfone Gallery (solo); the Ringling show, curated by former Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Henry Geldzahler, led to the museum's purchase of her painting, Room of My Own (1992).

In 1999, Schulz moved to Brooklyn. She was awarded fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Her first solo museum show, "An Insufficiency in Our Screens" (2007), was held at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and traveled to the Mills College Art Museum in Oakland in 2008. Her subsequent solo exhibitions have been held at Smack Mellon and Wake Forest University (2010) and Beacon Project Space (2015). Schulz has taught at Parsons School of Design since 2000.

Work and reception
Schulz indicates that two foundational interests have structured her art: space and narrative. Influenced by philosophers exploring malleable conceptions of space and time, such as Gaston Bachelard, Gilles Deleuze, Henri Bergson and Elizabeth Grosz, her work conveys multiple, proliferating views and a cinema-like temporality. She draws on personal history, art and poetry, news events and collective experiences for imagery; her early work was more personally focused, while since the mid-2000s, she has linked the personal with public and geopolitical issues such as the nature of violence and hatred, tragedy, terrorism and war, and the environment. Schulz's drawings evolve intuitively, often beginning with ideas from reading, which she develops in sketchbooks before rendering small sections of an image at length, often without a predetermined plan. Her delicate charcoal drawing technique has been noted by New York Times critic Benjamin Genocchio, among others, for its close observation and painstaking detail, heightened level of finish, and control of the medium's capabilities.

Early paintings

Schulz's early oil paintings arose out of the dislocation she felt following her parents' divorce and move to the alien suburban sprawl and tropical life of Florida. These large works explore memories, charged emotions and relationship to place, using a recurrent, intimate metaphor of a house set in suburban landscapes to represent the human psyche. In an effort to break from a single perspective format, Schulz reshaped styles and spatial treatments of the past—drawing on sources from Cezanne, Cubism and Giorgio de Chirico to traditional Chinese landscape painting and the early Renaissance (e.g., Giotto)—to create personal, contemporary statements. They employ subtle shifts between maze-like interiors and suburban scenes to create fictionalized, cinema-like narratives, informed in part by her reading of Bachelard's phenomenological work The Poetics of Space.

Curator Henry Geldzahler wrote that multi-view paintings like A Room of My Own suggest the complex ways we experience architecture through "an original amalgam of aspects of Futurism and American Surrealism." Other critics compared Schulz's stairways leading nowhere, unexpected doors and dreamlike, tilted rooms—in that work and others, such as Persephone's House With a Chimney (1995)—to the psychological architectures of 18th-century Italian visionary Giovanni Battista Piranesi's fantastical Carceri prison etchings.

Early drawings (1999–2005)
In the late 1990s, Schulz moved to Boston (and subsequently, Brooklyn). Finding herself in a crowded urban setting, with less workspace, she turned to modest-sized, single-sheet drawings made in charcoal that, while still personal, were also informed by imagery drawn from poets such as Wallace Stevens and Robert Kelly, philosophy and psychology. She relinquished the need to start with a structuring house image, instead taking an approach that upended seemingly fixed, opposed constructs like inside and outside, influenced by the fluid, non-Cartesian conception of space and events posited in Deleuze's The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque.

These ideas were compatible with her interest in portraying shifts in thought and emotion, mysterious and portentous narratives, and movement in time rather than static scenes; the resulting works, including her "Inside the Monad" series, synthesize landscape, architecture, interiors, objects and weather elements. Critic Dominique Nahas described such drawings (e.g., With head shorn, she listens to the sleeper sleeping away the dream and dreaming the lives of acquired wisdom, 2002), as delicately detailed, intensely private, charged vignettes and "incantatory revelations" that "suggest the flitting of intertwined memories."

Mature drawings (2005– )
Beginning in 2005, Schulz shifted to large-scale, intricate charcoal drawings composed of multiple sheets that she often tore, folded, bent and distressed, reshaping and disrupting the picture plane. These black-and-white works drew on diverse imagery and extensive reading, and increasingly, linked personal experience to collective, often-traumatic experiences, such as 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. They employ a careful blending of charcoal and delicate erasure that interweaves vignettes of haunted landscapes and elegant interiors intruded upon by war and natural disasters amid the folded terrain, low relief and untouched voids of the paper.

Schulz's surfaces function like screens onto which she projects and layers beliefs, emotions, and potential realities or parallel worlds to form purposefully disjointed narratives that suggest a contemporary psychological index; the language poetry-like titles she composes mirror the juxtaposition of visual elements. A 2010 Village Voice review describes her work as conveying complex moods moving between comfort and fear rather than clearly delineated narratives, and counts it among a "renaissance in the realm of the fantastical" for realist drawing. Formally, these later drawings explore tensions between real and illusionist space and the sculptural potential of paper, often taking on non-rectangular, object-like configurations that suggest physical, dynamic forces at play.

Schulz created the eight-panel drawing The Maximum of All Possible Hate Is Realized and We Cleave to Our Screens as It Unfolds in That Disquieting Way (2005) in response to the 9/11 attacks. Its sheets are arranged on the wall like dominoes (or story panels) and depict incongruous imagery: an airplane flying through a room, everyday domestic elements, explosions, scenes of passage and escape, a sheep on a platform. John Parks of Drawing describes it as "a potent and thoughtful reflection on how public events intrude on and redefine our private lives, and conversely, how our private lives intrude on and redefine history," also noting its ability to convey connections and correspondences unavailable to a simple linear narrative.

In Schulz's shows "An Insufficiency in Our Screens" (Aldrich Museum, 2007; Mills College, 2008) and "The Uneven Intensities of Duration" (2010, Smack Mellon; Wake Forest), the softer blending and merging of imagery in her earlier work gave way to razor-sharp detail, maximum contrast, and more dramatic, disruptive folds in her surfaces. These individual and multi-sheet drawings feature abandoned landscapes shot through with billowing darkness and light, dislocated interiors, and unexpected juxtapositions of size (tiny figures, vast spaces), non-sequiturs, symbols and collective memory (e.g., Suspended in the Midst of a Flood the Past Carries Itself into a Current Location and Pressures a Rescue from Geographical Forces, 2010). Reviews characterize this work as pristine and unsettling, photographically precise, and radically unstable like "optical obstacle courses"; Bay Area critic DeWitt Cheng describes Schulz's depiction of space as "episodic and contradictory, and impossible to grasp as a totality […] fractured, like our consciousness."

In her "The Impossibility of Keeping Borders" (2011–2) and "Incursion of Otherness" (2013–4) series, Schulz explored crinkled textures and torn, irregular edges to a greater degree, while continuing to address historic upheavals like the Arab Spring through puzzling juxtapositions of desolate landscapes, buildings with semi-transparent walls, and elements such as miniature rowboats, beds, and penguins. Her "Territory of Significance" (2015–6), "Groundlessness" (2017–8) and "Voyage" (2018–9) series increasingly suggest maps, both through their irregular, continent-like shapes and mash-ups of deconstructed, varied terrains and settings spilling over and growing out of folds and bends in the paper. Works such as An Early Map with No One to Say When the Ocean Begins or Traversing an Open Interior (both 2017) feature archaeological, geological and life forms seen from above suggesting timeless societal, environmental and internal processes taking place in a divided world.

Later paintings
After a long hiatus from painting, Schulz returned to it in 2012, incorporating insights gained from her charcoal drawings, while returning to the house motif of earlier work. Like her drawings, these paintings (e.g., Within a Great Wind a Vista Opens Up, 2016, from her "Becoming Nomadic" series) make connections between disparate images—some culled from Renaissance art, others contemporary—while using the house as an intermediary between inside, outside and a world in flux.

Awards and public collections
Schulz has been recognized with fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2010), New York Foundation for the Arts (2017, 2009, 2001), the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (2013), Aljira Center for Contemporary Art (2002), the State of Florida (1996) and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1992), and a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2005).  Her work belongs to the permanent public collections of the Mills College Museum of Art, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, and University of South Florida, among others.

References

External links
Charlotte Schulz official website
Charlotte Schulz, Artist Portfolio, The Drawing Center
Charlotte Schulz Guggenheim Fellowship page
Charlotte Schulz video, Chronogram
dis.com.fort, TransBorder Art TV group conversation with Charlotte Schulz

21st-century American artists
American women artists
Draughtsmen
Artists from New York City
People from Massillon, Ohio
1960 births
Living people
21st-century American women artists
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Ever since "The Sixth Sense", every single Hollywood thriller has to have a 'shocking twist'.
The problem therein, is twofold.
First, it's now become a cheap ploy to lure in audiences, who have to find out what the little evil orphan's secret is. Once they do, they never have to watch the film again. They can't. The bubble has burst. The movie has spoiled, like old yogurt or vegetables purchased at Trader Joes.
Second, once you find the secret out, you almost disregard the last hour of movie you've just watched. None of it was real, not as you knew it. I don't care for movies where you find out nothing you just watched really happened. It's an old, tired trick. And I'm an old, tired man.
What I DO like to do in movies is try to catch the actors playing dead people, breathing! It's so fun. Especially when they're chest is rising so obviously even when there's a bloody knife protruding from it!
Before Shutter Island, we needed to grab a quick bite at the Grove. The Grove is known for it's semi-upscale chain restaurants.
I don't normally blog about those. I live in LA, we have millions of independently own eateries, I don't need to spend my money in places that "When you're here, you're family".
But chain restaurants know how to get you in and out quickly. Your enormous entrees arrive in milliseconds by the waitress with the stock, ugly uniform while you stare at the cheesy faux finish on the walls.
We started with the AMAZING tuna tar tar (pictured at top). It was the best thing we ate that night.
Captain and I ordered two salads to split.
Our chipper waitress was a bit psychotic and cluelessly kept begging us to order stuff we clearly didn't want.
Suggesting "Hmm, you guys all want different wines…so…why don't you just get a bottle of something?" or "You guys should really get the peanut butter cake, it's SOO good" after we had just said "We're gonna pass on dessert tonight".
I'm not gonna print the restaurant contact info like I normally do. You can just look up the corporate website they spent millions on developing.


Hypocalcemia is a disorder in dairy cows caused by lower than normal blood calcium concentrations. There are two forms of the disorder, clinical and subclinical. Clinical hypocalcemia, more commonly referred to as clinical milk fever, is defined by total blood calcium concentrations below 5.5 mg/dl. Subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH) or subclinical milk fever is defined by total blood calcium concentrations between 5.6 and 8.5 mg/dl.
Why are cows susceptible to hypocalcemia?
The sudden calcium requirement for milk production at calving places an enormous demand on the cow's ability to maintain normal blood calcium concentrations. In addition, cationic dry cow diets (resulting mainly from feedstuffs containing high levels of potassium) can predispose the cow to hypocalcemia by reducing the effectiveness of the mechanisms the cow relies upon to balance her calcium status around the time of calving.
Why feed a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diet?
Regardless of age, all prepartum dairy cows are susceptible to hypocalcemia due to the rapid increase in calcium requirements at calving. Cows which are hypocalcemic have increased odds of developing retained placentas, metritis, mastitis and displaced abomasums which can lead to reduced lactation milk yields and decreased fertility. Feeding a negative DCAD diet to cows prior to calving helps reduce the risk of developing hypocalcemia.
How do negative DCAD diets work to reduce hypocalcemia?
Negative DCAD diets work by causing a mild, compensated metabolic acidosis. This is accomplished by feeding elevated levels of anionic minerals containing chloride and/or sulfur. The metabolic acidosis (lower blood pH), through the actions of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D, enhances the cows' natural physiological mechanisms for maintaining normal blood calcium concentrations. These include dietary calcium uptake by the gut, bone release of stored calcium and urinary excretion of calcium.
Can I manage hypocalcemia without a negative DCAD diet?
While some nutritional feeding practices may help reduce the incidence of clinical milk fever (MF), those practices will have very little impact on the subclinical form of the disease.
Why worry about subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH)?
Cows affected by SCH are less productive and profitable, with an estimated cost to dairymen of approximately $125.00 per case. Since more cows are affected by SCH (> 50%) than MF (typically < 5%), SCH has a larger negative impact on dairy profitability.
How do I determine the level (prevalence) of SCH in my herd?
The best approach is to test for serum calcium by obtaining blood samples from fresh cows between 24 to 48 hours post-calving. The test is easy, fast and an effective method to determine the prevalence rate of SCH in dairy herds.
What is my typical return on investment for a properly fed negative DCAD ration?
Estimates have shown that implementing a properly balanced negative DCAD diet may return greater than a 4 to 1 payback as a result of fewer metabolic diseases, increased milk production and better reproductive performance.
How long do I need to feed a negative DCAD diet for it to be effective?
To achieve the maximum benefit from feeding a negative DCAD diet, cows should be fed for a minimum of 21 days prepartum. However, feeding longer than 21 days is recommended for optimal results.
Is it safe to feed a negative DCAD diet for longer than 21 days prepartum?
Yes, and it may be better to do so. Studies have documented the safety and effectiveness of feeding a negative DCAD diet for up to 42 days prepartum, ideal for one-group dry cow programs.
What level of DCAD should I feed?
Prefresh diets should be formulated to provide between -10 to -15 mEq/100 g DM. Ultimately, monitoring urine pH will be the guide for determining if cows are optimally (fully) acidified. Targeting a urine pH range between 5.5 and 6.0 will result in cows being fully acidified and in optimal calcium metabolism.
How do I determine if I am feeding the proper DCAD level or if the diet is being fed properly?
Testing urine pH of cows is an effective and practical way to monitor the level of acidification. Proper acidification will result in urine pH values between 5.5 and 6.0. Urine pH will typically fall between these values when the DCAD of the prefresh diet is formulated between -10 to -15 mEq/100g.
When is the best time to monitor urine pH values?
The best time to test urine pH is between 4 to 6 hours post-feeding, as sampling relative to time of feeding will impact urine pH values.
What macromineral levels should I balance for when feeding a prepartum negative DCAD diet?
Phibro recommends a properly balanced negative DCAD diet based on the nutrient specifications listed below.
Animate is a thoroughly researched and field tested anionic mineral supplement proven to help reduce the incidence of hypocalcemia which can have negative effects on health, production and fertility. Because it is highly palatable, Animate can be fed in a fully acidified program without decreasing dry matter intake, an important consideration when choosing an anionic mineral supplement.


The outpour of tragic news from my home country have practically taken over my life. It's difficult to think about anything else but this summer meteorite of pain and hostilities. Try as I may to not get political, I simply can't these days. In fact, I never had a stronger political view in my life. In 2 sentences it goes like this: Stop the violence. Make peace NOW.
There is very little I can do, but I'm trying all I can to encourage people around me and especially back home that there is another way. That fear does not need to be the ruling factor. And I'd like to use this blog to also promote this idea, because maybe there is someone reading it that it could help them think differently.
There are lots of things we can do on a daily basis, and one of them is non-violent communication. Something we can all learn and achieve. I can only wish all the leaders of the Middle East (if not the world over) will adapt this approach.
Lastly, with the very little influence I have, I want to talk about peaceful perfumes and fragrances. And I'd like to dedicate the upcoming month of August as a Perfume for Peace month. Please wear a perfume that inspires peace and share your comments here and everywhere else on the social networks. Maybe with combined efforts and intent we will be able to move something in this world... Of course that does not come instead of actions such as demonstrations, signing petitions, dialog with the people we were raised to be at war with, and finding non-violent ways to communicate and resolve conflicts with the people around us.
First installation in the Perfume for Peace will be posted tomorrow... In the meantime, try to get restful sleep.
This is really beautiful, Ayala!
And THANK YOU! There is a great lesson to be learned here in translating heartbreak, frustration and pain into a thing of beauty and peace.
I hope your loved ones are all safe.
Parfuemperfume derives from the Latin perfumare, meaning Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes, began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, and was further refined by the Romans and Persians..
No, perfume comes from the Latin per-fumum, meaning "through smoke". Because the first perfumes were actually incense.


text:
package com.moonweather.app.util;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
import java.net.URL;

import android.util.Log;
import android.widget.Toast;

import com.moonweather.app.activity.WeatherActivity;

public class HttpUtil {
    public static void sendHttpResquest(final String address,final HttpCallbackListener listener){
    	new Thread(new Runnable() {

			@Override
			public void run() {
				// TODO Auto-generated method stub
				HttpURLConnection connection=null;
				try {
					URL url = new URL(address);
					connection=(HttpURLConnection) url.openConnection();
					connection.setRequestMethod("GET");
					connection.setConnectTimeout(8000);
					connection.setReadTimeout(8000);

					InputStream in=connection.getInputStream();
					BufferedReader reader=new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(in),10*1024);
					StringBuilder response=new StringBuilder();
					String line;
					while ((line=reader.readLine())!=null) {
						response.append(line);
					}
					if (listener!=null) {
						listener.onFinish(response.toString());
					}
				} catch (Exception e) {
					// TODO Auto-generated catch block
					if (listener!=null) {
						listener.onError(e);
					}
				}finally{
					if (connection!=null) {
						connection.disconnect();
					}
				}
			}
		}).start();

    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
'We want to be a life-giving presence in our own community, in our Church, and in the world nearby and far away' General Chapter VIII 1999
Modelled on the ideals of early apostolic Christian communities, we live community amongst our immediate group but we are also compelled to share the values of community life with others. We support initiatives which strive to bring people together in community and aim to be a reconciling presence, working towards the 'community' vision of Church as presented to us in Vatican II ('Lumen Gentium').
Hospitality is a hallmark of our Community and expresses itself in many aspects of our life – for example, in a spirit of mutuality and sharing, in openness to and concern for others; in our liturgy; in our desire to work with others.
Our archival records show that from earliest times the religious community established links with others outside of itself, offering a hospitable welcome in the spirit of Jesus in the Gospels.
It is this spirit of creating an inclusive community around us which has continued through our history to the present day. The community we strive to build is one which values each person equally and which is based on the Gospel values of love, inclusivity and outreach to people in need.
'Before all else, live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God'
'Everything they owned was held in common, and each one received whatever he or she had need of'
Acts 4:32, 4:35
'Be cautious of harsh words. Should you utter them, do not be afraid to speak the healing word with the same mouth that caused the wound.'
Rule of St Augustine 6:2
'As a community of love we try from day to day to grow in unity of mind and purpose by respecting each one's individual personality and integrating ourselves into the community'
Constitutions Chapter III 20
'A community realises its unity in diversity. Instead of being an obstacle, diversity can be an enrichment if we allow each one to be herself and by doing so complement one another'
Constitutions Chapter IV 21
'In a world of individualism, be a sign of true community'
General Chapter V 1987
'Where in our apostolate we work with lay persons and in a certain sense share our lives with them, we are able not only to broaden our community but also to let it be enriched by them'
'Life in communio calls for living out diversity… liberating people so that they may be united'
General Chapter VII 1993
'We want to develop in our Communities the spirituality of hospitality towards one another and towards others: towards friends and guests, so that all can feel at home amongst us' General Chapter VIII 1999
'As Canonesses our charism inspires and challenges us to build community around us where women and men are equally valued as living stones' General Chapter X (Declaration) 2011
'We must walk united with our differences: there is no other way to become one. This is the way of Jesus' Pope Francis – A Big Heart Open to God
'One of the marvellous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing' Jean Vanier – Community and Growth
'I remember most of all the people who were a part of the life of New Hall – the estate, catering and household staff, teachers, tutors, Community and Chaplains and parents. And, most of all, children – each of whom was special to me and from whom I learnt so much about life. So much giving and receiving, sharing and serving, forgiving and starting again, making and being community' Fishy Tales – Memories of New Hall
'Here was an environment that allowed each of us to flourish in their own field, and though led by a discipline of Catholic doctrine, was never exclusive or preclusive of other denominations but embraced an essence of community in every sense and above all else – and this is most of all my abiding memory of New Hall – a place and people full of warmth, kindness, generosity, sharing – of magical moments that informed and created me' Fishy Tales – Memories of New Hall
for reflection…
'A community realises its unity in diversity' Explore this challenge.
How can we develop the spirituality of hospitality towards one another and towards others? What will be the signs of this?
St Augustine says 'Be cautious of harsh words. Should you utter them, do not be afraid to speak the healing word with the same mouth that caused the wound' (Rule 6:2) Explore the significance of this within the context of family, parish, school communities and beyond.
What does it mean to be a life giving presence in your community, the church and the world?
'In a world of individualism be a sign of true community' Explore the challenges that this presents to us.
As far as creating community is concerned, what are the key differences between the two models of church in the Vatican II document "Lumen Gentium"?
'We must walk united with our differences: there is no other way to become one. This is the way of Jesus' Pope Francis – A Big Heart Open to God. Reflect on what Pope Francis meant by this statement and what issues it raises.


Our mission is to provide mindful bodywork and massage in a warm-hearted setting. Bodywork and massage therapy have many benefits including: relaxation, stress reduction, and pain relief. Our expert therapists are not only educated and licensed to perform massage, but strive to mindfully deliver the massage you want. The path to relief that massage can provide does not have to be overly painful to be effective. In fact, we often use pain-free techniques because we found them to be superior for long term effectiveness.
together is our primary focus. We have the ability to tailor your Sacred Pathways experience to you and your needs at our facility located just outside downtown Sarasota. To ensure this, we select our therapists for their ability to be not only deliver an excellent massage, but to be mindful and attentive. Our facility is clean, relaxed, and has an at-home feel. We are excited to have you become a member of our circle of friends.
Relax, renew, and rejuvenate with the massage you want mindfully delivered.
Enjoy this hands-on healing modality to facilitate your body's natural healing process.
Join us for events and activities designed to increase mindfulness as we heal and honor our connection to nature.


text:
Give with Spave
Partner with Spave
Security promise
Change for Change
All Change for Change Impact Stories Community Partners Press
Spave Announces 3 New Hires Amid Growth
Zach Fabry, Data Analytics Engineer, Brandon Howell, Content Marketing Manager, and Katie Templet, Nonprofit Partners Ambassador, joined the Spave team in October.
November 22, 2021|by Spave
Fabry received a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2015 and an M.S. in Financial Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2021. In between, his work in the financial services industry resulted in a fascination with the intersection of math and finance. His master's program expanded that intersection to include data analytics, and he is "thrilled to be able to put his skills to use for Spave," Fabry said.
Howell comes to Spave from MSU Federal Credit Union, where he oversaw all digital marketing for the $6 billion financial institution over the past four years. With more than a decade of experience in marketing, media, communications, and digital strategy, Howell brings a unique skillset and background that will help to tell Spave's story. He's a Michigan State University alumnus, and is wrapping up his MBA at the University of Kansas.
"I'm excited and grateful for this opportunity at Spave, an organization whose values and mission align with my own," he said. "I'm eager to put my talents and experience to work here, to help us make our own world of difference."
Templet joins Spave as a Nonprofit Partners Ambassador with over ten years of experience in credit unions and nonprofits. She has spent the last six years as a relationship officer in the finance industry, educating local communities on best personal finance opportunities and advising partners. Her heart has always been invested in nonprofits and their very worthy missions. Her first position upon college graduation was as a communications coordinator for a well-established nonprofit, where she managed all communications and public relations, allowing her to witness the unique needs of nonprofits. She truly believes that building strong personal finance habits, and giving, has the power to change lives.
Templet is a public relations graduate, with a minor in business, from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
"I am delighted to join the Spave team in this new position, using both my love for nonprofits and financial wellness in one," she said. "With this role, I intend to engage with more nonprofit partners, connecting their impact story with more reach than ever before."
Spave is thrilled to be adding three incredibly talented and experienced professionals to the team.
Get more from Spave
Spave Expands Leader's Role To Align With The Times
Christen Wright Joins Spave As Head Of Product
Ben Maxim and Liam Petraska Join Spave Team
Start spaving today
About Spave
COPYRIGHT © 2022 SPAVE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


text:
Q: TypeScript function implementation downgrades parameter types to `any` if you declare a param type I have a function interface like this:
interface Callback {
  (a: string, b: number): void;
}

And I can implement it without declaring parameter types like this:
const callback: Callback = (a, b) => { }

In this case TypeScript understands the parameter types of callback are actually (a: string, b: number).
However, if I declare it with one parameter typed, such as b: number:
const callback: Callback = (a, b: number) => { }

The other parameter a's type becomes any. Example in the Playground. What's odd is that the compiler does know what type a should be, because it won't let you define it wrongly, for example (a: boolean, b: number) will say the parameters are incompatible. Why won't it infer the parameter type of a?

The above is a trivial example, but it's giving me some headache when trying to generate a type-safe Redux reducer map:
interface IReducer<TState> {
  (state: TState, action: IAction): TState;
}

interface IReducerMap<TState> {
  [actionType: string]: IReducer<TState>;
}

interface MyState { hello: string; }

interface MyAction extends IAction { say: string; }

const myReducerMap: IReducerMap<MyState> = {
  // Result: `(state: MyState, action: IAction) => MyState`
  // But I get an error on `action.say` not defined in `IAction`
  reducer1: (state, action) => {
    return { hello: action.say };
  },

  // Result: `(state: any, action: MyAction) => computed`
  reducer2: (state, action: MyAction) => {
    return { hello: action.say + state.this_should_be_an_error };
  },

  // Works but relies on you to correctly defining state
  reducer3: (state: MyState, action: MyAction) => {
    return { hello: action.say };
  }
}

Since each function will take a subtype of IAction as its action parameter (in this case MyAction), I must declare its type in the callback parameter. But once I declare its type, I lost the type of state and I must declare it. When I have dozens of callbacks and a real state name like DataImportMappingState for every callback, this is quite annoying.

A: The inference of a and b comes from contextual typing. Previously, parameters were only contextually typed if all parameters were unannotated.
This behavior has changed in the latest build of the TypeScript compiler because it seemed to be unintuitive. Now contextual typing will apply to all parameters which don't have explicit type annotations.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Davenport, IA is situated at 41.52° North latitude, 90.58° West longitude and 175 meters elevation above the sea level.
Davenport, IA is a big town in United States, having about 100,827 inhabitants.
The map of Davenport IA enables you to safely navigate to, from and through Davenport IA.
More, the satellite view of Davenport IA lets you see full topographic details around your actual location or virtually explore the streets of Davenport IA from your home.
Use your GPS sensor to get directions in Davenport IA or to find a specific place in Davenport IA.
How to plan an awesome holiday trip to Davenport IA on your own: 10 travel tips!
Service stations (gas & oil) in Davenport, IA. Find the cheapest place for gas filling, oil changing, car maintenance and small repairs.
Medical centers in Davenport, IA. Find all hospitals and other medical/healthcare centers in the city, along with their address, phone number and other contact details.
Dental offices in Davenport, IA. Find all general dentistry offices and other dental care offices in Davenport, IA, along with their address, phone number and other contact details.
Tags: Davenport IA road map, Davenport IA GPS navigation, Davenport IA satellite view, Davenport IA street view.


When Will the Current Bull Market End? When Will the Current Bull Market End?
When Will the Current Bull Market End?
Current Market Environment: Market State 1: (last 25 trading days): Bullish/Rational - Market State 1 is the most predictable of the Portfolio Thermostat's 12 Market States (environments). The risk, while in MS 1, is typically around -2% to -4% from the previous market peak. The S&P 500's closed at 1798.18 up about 1.5% for the week. A new world's record all time high.
Canterbury Volatility Index (CVI) = 55 (rational market environment) The CVI was down 2 points for the week. The S&P 500 was up every day except Tuesday. Volatility remains low and declining which is a characteristic of Bullish low risk and Bullish market environment.
Our short term overbought/oversold indicator is currently 63% overbought (Neutral) up from 52% the previous week.
What Drives Changes in the Price of a Market or Security? All markets and securities compete for investor's dollars. Most investors sell assets they believe are likely to decline in future value. Selling an asset or security will produce cash. The cash received from a sell can be used to buy (accumulate) new securities which investors believe will appreciate in future value.
The information used, to help make buy and sell decisions, is not equally distributed to all investors at the same time. For varying reasons, some investors gain access to quality information more quickly than others. This information can be analyzed to provide valuable insights regarding future fundamental value. As a result, these "first to know" investors will make their buy and sell decisions more quickly and with more accuracy than the less uninformed.
The combined actions of all investors, informed and less informed, will produce variable changes in price and volume on traded securities. This valuable supply and demand information can be analyzed and used to help separate the actions of informed (smart money) verses the less informed investors. The Portfolio Thermostat's algorithms will then identify markets and securities that have positive or Bullish characteristics.
An increase, or short term spike, in our Canterbury Volatility Index (CVI) causing the Portfolio Thermostat's volatility indicators to turn negative.
A decrease in the number of total securities that are advancing verses declining. We refer to this as the "breadth." of the market.
My good friend David Vomund, with Vomund Investment Management, is one of the most innovative and accurate market analysts I know. David has made many contributions to the development of Canterbury's Portfolio Thermostat.
There is a lot of chatter on CNBC about poor market breadth. I can see why. With most market averages at a new high one would expect the Advance-Decline Line to also be at a high. The well published AD Line based on NYSE data is below its late October peak.
The problem with NYSE data is it includes bond funds and warrants. With interest rates going higher, the bond funds are obviously not participating in the current rally in stocks. Instead, it's best to calculate market breadth on a large list of stocks. The S&P 1500's advance decline line is at a new high. Therefore the market breadth is not flashing a warning sign of a deteriorating market.
There are no current indications that the Bull market is coming to an end. If our indicator readings remain about where they are today, then we shouldn't experience anything more than normal short term corrections. The Portfolio Thermostats primary indicators could change next week or several years from now.
The futile effort of attempting to predict an end of any market environment, until the primary characteristics of the existing environment begin to change, is not reflective of a scientific rules based model. Subjectivity has no statistical predictive value. Acting on someone's opinion of what could or should happen can result in poor investment decisions.
Bottom Line: We are less concerned with Bull and Bear markets than we are about only holding securities with Bull Market characteristics. Eventually, the Portfolio Thermostat will tell us to sell our stocks and purchase different securities in alternative market classes. That is not the case today.
The goal of the Portfolio Thermostat is to make unemotional adjustments in holdings for the purpose of maintaining a stable and efficient portfolio through dynamic and ever-changing market environments. Today, we have a 21st century portfolio strategy and all the innovative investment tools we need and to benefit from any market environment – Bull or Bear.


text:
Renovation Week
Chicago Parks
A Complete History of Grant Park, Chicago's Greatest Park Space
An in-depth look into the complex history of Grant Park's green spaces and how they came to be Chicago's front yard
By Shawn Ursini May 4, 2016, 12:11pm CDT
Largely referred to as Chicago's front yard, Grant Park and its immediate vicinity is a series of green spaces which have always been in a constant state of change and renewal. As part of Renovations Week, here is a look into the history of how a lakefront was shaped over the years.
1830 Map of the Lakefront
On March 4, 1837, Chicago was officially incorporated as a city, just less than four years after Chicago became recognized as a town. The population upon incorporation had grown to a mere 4,000 inhabitants, but this was an already impressive increase of approximately 1,500 percent within that short period of time. The city began to grow up around Fort Dearborn and the Chicago River, with the waterway serving as the community's main street. With the increase in population as well as the desire to begin selling land in order to raise money for the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal to link the Chicago River into the Mississippi Watershed via the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers, the mapping of the city began.
The first plat of Chicago determining the boundaries of streets and buildable lots dates to 1830, setting the streets to a width of 66 feet (the length of a surveyor's chain) and alleys to 16 feet of width bisecting evenly sized blocks. Named after its creator, the Thompson Plat of 1830 envisioned how the swampy lands beside a muddy prairie stream would eventually form a town and had set the basic standards of the street grid that would later spread throughout Chicago and its suburbs.
Thompson Plat of 1830
The plat was expanded upon in the mid 1830s to include the mapping of lakefront real estate as well as the grounds of Fort Dearborn, which by then began the process of formal decommissioning, but had remained standing until demolition in 1857. While parceling out the adjacent properties in 1836, a swath of land encompassing the beachfront along Michigan Avenue became a dedicated public space. Written onto the early maps of Chicago, this space was intended to be "Public Ground- A Common to Remain Forever Open, Clear and Free of Any Buildings or Other Obstruction, Whatever."
The waterfront park had stretched from Jackson Street on the north and Lake Avenue on the south, the latter of which is a street that does not exist any more. Lake Avenue was located just to the south of where 11th Street is today and ran east of Michigan Avenue until meeting the shoreline. The open space was officially named Lake Park in 1847, but it didn't stay a waterfront park for very long.
Post 1836 plat of Chicago
Lake Michigan, well known for its moody conditions based on the weather, quickly eroded the park land with strong waves kicked up in storms. Given the close proximity to the private real estate along Michigan Avenue, the city agreed to allow the Illinois Central Railroad (IC) to build a trestle running parallel to the beach about 300 feet offshore. The trestle came with a stone breakwall to protect it an the shoreline beyond and effectively created a lagoon after construction began in 1852. The deal was a good one for both parties, as shoreline protections were now in place and the IC railroad had a direct way into the rapidly growing city without having to purchase any property in the center of town.
Right of way for the Illinois Central Railroad
In 1861, the State of Illinois passed a law requiring the consent of adjacent property owners for any further encroachment of the public ground and enhanced the law two years later to include any submerged lands below the waters of Lake Michigan, effectively making any landfill extensions of the park subject to the same standards. By 1869, the state had granted the right of way of the IC tracks all the way to the Chicago River, clearing the way for a large rail yard to form servicing a collection of grain elevators and boat docks. While railroads are credited as being the key to Chicago's explosive growth in the 19th to and early 20th centuries, the local economy at the time was still very much tied to water transportation, and as such, an interchange between the two modes of transportation was the logical end point for the legendary north-south railroad which eventually reached New Orleans.
Lincoln Funeral Train on the IC Trestle, 1865
Illinois Digital Archives
By 1871, the city was booming and boosted 300,000 residents, but growth would come to a halt that autumn as the Great Chicago Fire swept through the city from the evening of October 8th to the morning of October 10th. Over 100,000 people were left homeless as one third of the building stock was destroyed. As Chicago vowed to rebuild, the lakefront became the convenient dumping ground for the debris, expanding Lake Park outward and eventually filling the lagoon between the original shoreline and the railroad trestle.
During the rebuilding effort after the fire plans arose for a new building to serve as a convention hall. The city's first convention hall was the wigwam located at Lake and Market Streets (now the north-south portion of Wacker Drive) and hosted the Republican National Convention of 1860 — the convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. The building, like much of the city at the time, was built of wood and was lost in the fire. A replacement building was also a chance for boisterous citizens to prove that Chicago had not only recovered from the fire, but came back bigger and stronger than ever before.
W.W. Boyington, the architect who designed the famous water tower and adjacent water works building which survived the fire, was then commissioned to draw up plans for a new building that was intended to be on par with the exhibition halls of London and New York. This new convention center opened in September of 1872 and was then named the Interstate Industrial Exposition Building.
Interstate Industrial Exposition Building
The original intention of the building was to hold annual displays of manufactured goods while also promoting businesses within the recovering city. The structure also housed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a national Guard Armory and according to an old map, had a fire house attached to the north end of the building. The building stretched 800 feet long with a largely glass and metal exterior topped with two ornamental domes. The presidential races of 1880 and 1884 brought conventions to the building where James Garfield and Grover Cleveland were both nominated inside.
The building was sited between Michigan Avenue and the IC tracks, beyond which was still at that time largely open waters of Lake Michigan which would be filled in the coming years, some of the fill in fact included debris from the Great Fire. The management of the convention hall included a Fine Art Department which operated art shows in separate room and specialized in contemporary American works. While the building would have a short lifespan of only 20 years, the legacy of art displays at this location would carry on as the Art Institute of Chicago, whose main building along Michigan Avenue would open in 1893, initially as a welcoming hall for the World's Colombian Exposition and the only fair building to be built outside of the fairgrounds located in Jackson Park to the south.
Drawing of the Art Institute alongside the IC Tracks, 1893. Image from a Rand McNally Map
Art Institute's original building in the early 1900's.
The Art Institute as an organization itself was founded in 1871 and had moved between different buildings before agreeing to share the cost of constructing a new home with the fair. After the fair came to a close, the institute took possession of the Neo-Renaissance style building designed by the Boston-based firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. The building would be expanded not to long after the 1893 opening with wings that included a bridging over the IC tracks to the east. Later in the 20th century, the modern Columbus Drive Building designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill architect Walter Netsch opened in 1976 with a sculpture garden to the north featuring the reconstructed entrance archway to the Chicago Stock Exchange Building which used to stand on LaSalle Street in the Loop until demolition in 1972.
Later additions of the Art Institute alongside the construction of the Modern Wing in 2006.
Shawn Ursini
The most recent addition to the art institute is the Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing, encompassing 264,000 square feet between the older museum additions and Monroe Street to the north, opening in 2009.
The Art Institute was hardly the only the building that had been planned to occupy the space known as Grant Park today. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago envisioned the park as a collection of museums and civic buildings, with the Field Museum of Natural History standing in the center. Although the park had expanded northward to Randolph Street, it became the site of numerous buildings over the years including two armories built by the Federal government.
The structures in the park began to draw the ire of Aaron Montgomery Ward, a merchant whose office and catalog warehouse was at the time constructed in the 0-100 block of North Michigan Avenue. Citing the statutes that adjacent land owners must agree to the construction of structures within the public grounds of Lake Park, he successfully won the first of four lawsuits in 1897, ending the practice of using the park as a garbage dumping ground on a increasingly industrialized waterfront to the north of the park and legally forcing the removal of structures except the Art Institute, which was indeed built with the consent of the neighbors. Three other lawsuits would follow to block the construction of libraries and the Field Museum, the latter of which was to be built where Buckingham Fountain now stands.
Grant Park railyards and landfill, circa 1906
The Field Museum in particular was a lightning rod issue for Ward, who often did not get along with other millionaires in the city, especially Marshall Field. Burnham had proposed the museum would also be flanked by four monumental statues, as mentioned in a letter. The people to be immortalized in these statues included Christopher Columbus, the "Discoverer of America," George Washington, the "Founder of America," Abraham Lincoln, the "Liberator of America," and finally, a statue of Marshall Field, the "Merchant and Manufacturer whose benefice naturally follows and completes the work for which the first three laid the foundation."
The letter had been sent to the South Park Board Commissioners, one of the independent park districts at the time who managed Lake Park after the lands were transferred from city ownership. In 1901, Lake Park became officially known as Grant Park and a year later planning for the museum was officially underway. Needless to say, Ward went into his additional legal battles with a final victory in 1911. As part of the rulings, the courts had reaffirmed that any land created from landfill directly to the east of Grant Park's boundaries was also to be open space free of additional structures.
Burnham had proposed using more landfill to expand the park eastward, and doing so for the entire city's lakefront. He noted that the amount of fill from coal ashes and basement excavations could easily be deployed for landfill operations rather than being dumped into the deeper waters of the lake. In 1911, the IC Railroad entered into a land swap deal for the submerged lands along the railway that had yet to be filled in. The transfer of rights had the allowed for the construction of the Field Museum to begin in 1915, on a location in the new Burnham Park, just outside the boundaries of Grant Park.
Construction of the Field Museum, July 12, 1918
Field Musuem
Field Museum South Entrance, September 12, 1918
By the time construction of the museum began, another structure had already anchored the south end of the park, the IC passenger station had opened in 1893 within a towering stone building designed in a neo-Romanesque style. Central Station as it was known had stood until 1974 when it met the wrecking ball.
Central Station in its later years
A station has since continued to survive at this location as an open air platform at track level. The station house was located to south of lake Avenue and north of 12th Street (Roosevelt Road), a swath of land which wasn't transferred to public ownership until about 1990 when planning was underway for the Central Station development largely constructed on the former railroad yards to the south, vacated after the station building was demolished. An old wooden trestle bridge which served the original platforms had remained until the early 2000s when it was replaced with present Museum Campus Station for the Metra Electric and South Shore Lines.
The 'Wild West' trestle was the last remaining portion of the former Central Station
Bob O'Neill/Grant Park Conservancy
11th Street/Museum Campus Station today
As the Field Museum construction was underway in Burnham Park, Edward H. Bennett, a planner who worked hand in hand with Burnham on his Plan of Chicago, began drawing up plans for the Grant Park we largely recognize today. The plan included a French Beaux Arts style landscape plan with a series of interconnecting outdoor rooms framed by vegetation as well as the IC tracks which by now were located in a below grade open trench. Buckingham Fountain and many of the parks other features such as the Bowman and Spearman statues at Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue were added to the park by 1929.
Grant Park as we know it taking shape
Port Urbanism
The Plan of Chicago's proposed transformations were especially grand for the southern lakefront, with landfill not just for a swath of greenery linking Jackson Park to the south which had held the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, but also a chain of offshore islands creating a series of lagoons and harbors. As landfill operations for the new Burnham Park was underway, the Great Depression had set in and halted any island construction, except for Northerly Island at the far northern end of the proposed chain.
Northerly Island
Century of Progress Fairgrounds on Northerly Island
Northerly Island became the site of the Century of Progress World's Fair in 1933-1934, bringing a number of temporary structures which were removed after the fair came to a close. Also in 1934, ownership of Northerly Island and Grant Park was then transferred to the Chicago Park District when 22 independent park systems were merged into a unified organization. In the 1940's the island was briefly considered as a location for United Nations before the organization ultimately decided on New York City. Soon afterward, an airstrip had opened on the Island named after Merrill C. Meigs who promoted Chicago as a center of aviation.
A control tower opened in 1952 and a modern terminal building was completed in 1961. The airport remained operational on park district land until 2003, when a team of bulldozers tore large Xs in the single runway serving the airport in the middle of the night, ending a long debate of what should become of the land after the airport's original lease had expired. The Chicago Park District had set up a temporary concert pavilion to raise funds for the eventual transformation of the island into a naturalistic park, with a setting much like what the lakefront had looked like before a city was established. Although the rolling landscape is somewhat barren at the moment, its already possible to lose sight of the city within terraformed peninsula.
Northerly Island today
Lagoon and future constructed wetland with a distant view of the Kenwood-Hyde Park Skyline
This land feature was the original shoreline of northerly island during the Century of Progress fair, before more land was added during the years as a airport.
Decommissioned Meigs Field airport control tower
Meigs Field Terminal Building, now serving as a community center
At the north end of Grant Park, rail yards had still existed well into the mid and later twentieth century, only giving way to surface parking as the train operations turned into passenger only service as Illinois Center, a cluster of skyscrapers rose between the park and the Chicago River. In 1976, a two story parking garage was created and topped with a expansive green roof to expand the open space of the park while still providing for car parking adjacent to Lake Shore Drive. Originally known as Daley Bicentennial Plaza, it was named for the late Mayor Richard J. Daley who had died that year after holding the mayor's office for 21 years.
Innovative for its time, the membrane between the concrete structure and the rooftop plantings began to fail after some 25 years of use. Infiltration of water had caused cracks and spaulding within the concrete structure, necessitating a rebuild of the garage roof. The Chicago Children's Museum had planned a replacement structure for the park's subterranean field house located along Randolph Street, and while approved, had to abandon the plan after funding dried up during the recent recession.
340 on the Park (340 East Randolph Street) rising over Daily Bicentennial Plaza in 2006.
340 on the Park now overlooks Maggie Daley Park
After a lease of the city owned garage was negotiated, funding was then allocated for the replacement green roof which became Maggie Daley Park, featuring a rolling terrain crafted from foam blocks to reduce the weight of soil on the structure. The park also features a new playground as well as an ice skating ribbon and rock climbing walls, activating the space.
Maggie Daley Park
Rock climbing walls and skating ribbon
n the 1980's Lakeshore Drive was rerouted eastward, creating new green spaces to the east as well as a connecting segment of the park reaching the Chicago River. The old alignment of the roadway was then transformed into Cancer Survivors Garden as well as a new neighborhood park to the north within the Lakeshore East Development, now filling in the remaining open lands from the Illinois Central's former railroad yards. The next building to begin in Lakeshore East will be the 93 story Vista tower designed by Studio Gang and positioned right on the old alignment of Lakeshore Drive.
Old alignment of Lakeshore Drive and the industrialized mouth of the river in the mid 1900's.
Grant Park Conservancy
Cancer Survivors Garden within the old alignment of Lake Shore Drive
As the city was in the midst of a rapid decline in population during the second half of the twentieth century, downtown began hollowing out as businesses followed the flight to the suburbs. During the 1980s, Grant Park was essentially left for dead — fountains had stopped working, graffiti often adorned the crumbling balustrades and gardens were not maintained. Medians along Congress Parkway became de facto parking lots, tearing up the soil with tire ruts while trash was often strewn across the grounds. Where trash cans did exist, they often were rusting steel 55 gallon drums. Trees which had died due to the Dutch Elm Disease outbreaks were not replaced, leaving barren stretches of muddy grass where rows of trees now exist. Open surface parking was located at the north end of the park where Millennium Park now stands, while additional surface parking was spread in front of the Field Museum.
Surface Parking in front of the Field Musuem, before the realignment of South Lake Shore Drive
Park conditions near the Field Museum in the 1980's
Front of the Field Museum today after the creation of the Museum Campus through moving Lake Shore Drive
Pedestrian passageways in the museum campus
A collation of people interested in rebuilding the park formed the Grant Park Conservancy, and in cooperation with a reformed park district, had replanted many of the missing trees, repaired the gardens and collaborated on infrastructure repairs. As the park was restored, it became well used again after largely being ignored.
Across from the Chicago Hilton on Michigan Avenue in the 1980's. The condition of the park was so bad that the Hilton actually considered moving to a new building.
Elements of the park in disrepair in the 1980's
Across from the Hilton today
The last portion of Grant Park to be filled in as new green space was Millennium Park, opening in 2004 and covering a open parking lot and railyard servicing the Randolph Street Metra Electric and South Shore Lines. The complex park design would stack parking and the rail station below a deck of green space, much like what had happened with Daily Bicentenial Plaza to the east in 1976.
What began as a simpler park design then morphed into a grander plan as the philanthropic donations brought in the designs of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Cloud Gate sculpture and the Crown Fountain. While the construction was widely criticized for delays and raising costs, the park that was delivered was a significant upgrade from what was initially proposed. Construction debts were then paid in full with the lease of the subterranean parking garage which also provided for $128 million in additional revenue sent to the rest of the city's park system.
North end of Grant Park before Millenium Park was constructed. This is the site of the Crown Fountain today.
Crown Fountain today
Looking north from Monroe Street in the before Millennium Park. Note the Blue Cross Blue Shield Headquarters under cosntruction in the background, dating this photo to about 1996.
Looking north from Monroe Street today
Along Randolph Street before Millennium Park
Rebuilt peristyle near Randolph and Michigan today
Millennium Park in 2006
Grant Park today is heavily used, is seeing an unprecedented amount of requests for events and has spurred millions of dollars in new residential and hotel development right along side it. Revenue from events such as the NFL Draft and Lollapoloza funnel money not just into Grant Park for continued enhancements, but also other parks throughout the city. As cities become evermore competitive, parks are increasingly seen as something that need to offer unique spaces that engage people, and Chicago's "front yard" certainly does just that.
Michigan Avenue along Grant Park is now branded as the 'Cultural Mile'
Bob O'Neill, President of the Grant Park Conservancy, assisted with providing images and insight into the conditions of the park over the last three decades.
• History of Grant Park [Chicago Public Library]
• Interstate Industrial Exposition Building [Chicagology]
• Art Institute History [Art Institute of Chicago]
• Grant Park Timeline [Grant Park Conservancy]
• 10 Years after Daley's Meigs Field Raid [Chicago Tribune]
337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 742-3918 Visit Website
Next Up In Renovation Week
from Curbed 8 tips for renovating a small space
from Curbed 15 renovation apps to know for your next project
from Curbed NY Renovation Week Recap: What You May Have Missed This Week
from Curbed NY Father and Son Architects Transform a Century-Old Park Slope Brownstone
from Curbed A Progressive Synagogue Finds a Home in a Historic NYC Building
from Curbed 6 Stellar Renovation Stories from Curbed Readers
River North Victorian wedged between high-rises to become office space The old row home's new owner plans to rehab the existing building and utilize it for offices.
Where to live in Chicago in 2020 Take the worry out of home hunting with seven neighborhoods worth checking out this year.
Should you move to Chicago? Everything you need to know to help you decide whether to put down roots.
Where to easily donate your unwanted items in Chicago Don't have a car? These 8 places offer free pick-ups of bulky items like furniture, books, and appliances.
27 iconic Chicago buildings that everyone should know From Tribune Tower to the South Shore Cultural Center, these buildings are the heart and soul of the city.


text:
FAISLABAD: State Minister for Water and Power Ch Abid Sher Ali has said the government was utilizing an all-out resources to overcome energy crisis in the country.
Addressing a function held at the residence of PML-N leader Rana Javed Iqbal on completion of carpet road and PCC streets in NA-84 here Sunday, he said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif wanted to provide the maximum relief to the masses by reducing power tariff and prices of petroleum products.
He said the ministry of water and power had focused hydropower projects to produce cheap electricity, adding that a number of new projects were being started to overcome the crisis while projects in pipeline were being completed with fast speed.
"The PML-N government believes in welfare of the people," he said, adding that when the PML-N came to power, unschedule power loadshedding, inflation and unemployment was high but the incumbent government had controlled the situation within one year.
Abid Sher Ali said a record development schemes costing billion of rupees were being executed in NA-84, adding that problems confronted to people will be resolved soon.


Hung from a antique copper finish chain that contains no zinc or nickel.
The electrofromed copper is partially recycled and resued and is solid copper.
The metal is treated with a patina for an antiqued look.


Zimbabwe is home to Hwange National Park, the largest game reserve in the country. It has many diverse habitats and hosts over 100 mammal and 400 bird species.
Herd of Cape Buffalo grazing late in the afternoon.
But Zimbabwe is also home to a political system that is rife with corruption and the abuse of power on a scale that is hard to imagine in the west.
The dictator/president Robert Mugabe has literally destroyed the economy, not to mention the ability of the country to produce its own food.
I had no idea before this that hippos hung out in herds this large.
His actions, while devastating to his country, were, in my opinion, an attempt to right wrongs that were rooted in colonialism.
This was the only time we saw hippos out of the water in the middle of the day.
European colonial powers took complete control of the countries they colonized. As part of that system, indigenous people were not allowed to become educated.
Numerous crocodiles roamed the lake as well. This one is obviously well fed.
When the countries were granted independence in the middle of last century, the economies of those countries was sustained by white, Indian and Arab settlers.
Rock Hyraxes warming themselves in the sun by a stream.
African developing countries have all grappled with the problem of how to transition to an environment where indigenous people create the economic engine which sustains their economies.
I know of no one size fits all answer to that issue. Mugabe recently expelled all of the white farmers, for example, claiming that Africans should take over their land and grow their own food.
Male Kudu with his twisted horns.
Unfortunately, he did that before enough black Zimababweans had gained the skills necessary to operate modern mechanized farming on a large scale the way the European settlers had.
Adolescent elephant trumpeting at us.
The resulting food production collapse turned Zimbabwe from a food exporter into a country that could not feed its own people.
This lioness had just chased an impala across the road. The impala escaped by the skin of its teeth.
Other African countries who expelled Indian business people, suffered serious economic collapses as well. Some of those have begun to invite those people back.
Elephants in the road at sunset. We waited, and they eventually moved.
I pretend to be no African expert. But it would seem that resolving this issue will take time, require a significant amount of resources be allocated to education, and the creation of an environment which encourages indigenous business creation.
Sunset in Hwange. White dots at left are headlights of another Land Rover.
That's a whole lot easier said than done, of course. In the meantime, the Zimbabweans we met encouraged us to come back and bring our friends. Our tourist dollars, they say, help them to survive while the political situation sorts itself out.
Next we learn about Termites. Termites? They are more interesting than one might think.
Continue on to Post 16: Fun with Termites, by clicking here.